𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊 ; 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞

TWENTY-SIX

???'S POV

I dart around the confusing halls of Hogwarts, looking for my common room, and a certain person. "'Scuse me." I mumble, squeezing past crowds of people, who seemingly just finished dinner. I've only been here for a few hours and I'm already stressed out. I find a dimly lit staircase and decide to go down, bumping into a familiar boy. "Shit, sor- Malfoy?"

The blonde looks pissed, but his sour expression disappears when he sees it's me. "You're here?!" He sounds surprised and excited at the same time. Grabbing my arm he drags me down the staircase and we stand in yet another hallway. It's freezing, and the large torches on the wall don't do anything about it.

Before I can say anything, he envelopes me in a large hug. "I can't believe you're finally here."

I pull away, suddenly shy at how eager he is to see me. "Um... yeah. It took me a while to convince my dad but-"

"It's completely fine." He interrupts. "Were you looking for me?" Looking embarrassed, he quickly carries on, "Or, y'know, Riddle?"

"I was actually looking for... uhm... crap, I've forgotten her name. Mattheo's girlfriend?" I say it like a question.

Malfoy's face contorts. "Vienna Diggory?"

I snap my fingers. "Yeah, that's it!"

"They're not dating anymore."

"What?" I ask, incredulous. 

"Yeah. It happened only recently."

"But from the way he told me about her over winter break- they sounded so in love! Do you know why?"

Malfoy snorts. "It's such a long story, Gwen. I can't get into it right now."

My face softens. "You still call me Gwen, huh."

"Still don't know how to pronounce your actual name, and I never will."

I smile slightly, then try to carry on the previous conversation. "So. Diggory?"

"Oh, she's probably in the Ravenclaw common room. You're gonna have to find someone to get h-"

"No, I don't." I cut in, holding up my tie.

"It's... blue?" He sounds confused, which is completely understandable. 

"I'm in Ravenclaw."

"But... you... well, first of all, there was no ceremony. And I for sure thought you'd be in Slytherin."

"You think they'd have a ceremony for just me? McGonagall just put the hat on, and boom." I hurry on the conversation, "Now, where's the Ravenclaw common room?"

"In the Ravenclaw Tower. You'll know it when you see it. West side of Hogwarts. The stairs are a spiral, and lead quite high up. They start on the fifth floor. Find your head boy for the password."

"Where's Mattheo?"

"Probably snogging that Ravenclaw chick." He sounds irritated by my questions, but I press further, curious to know what Mattheo's been up to.

"What Ravenclaw chick?"

"Look, Gwen, I'm tired. Just go to the common room." He turns away and leaves without saying bye.

Malfoy was right, I found the staircase fairly easily. I stand at the entrance to the common room. The door is large and made of wood, and there's no door handle. The only thing on the door is a golden knocker. I bang the large knocker, unsure of what else to do. I wait patiently, and the knocker begins to speak, startling me.

"Where do Vanished objects go?"

"Uh... nowhere?" I guess.

"Wrong." The knocker says simply.

"Fuck." I mutter under my breath. I lean against the door, waiting for someone else to come and help me open it. How I ever got into Ravenclaw, I don't know.

A girl with long, black wavy hair appears, looking weary and tired. She'd definitely had a long day. I clear my throat to get her attention because it looks like she'd walk right past me. Her worn out expression disappears and she tilts her head at the sight of me. "Are you okay? Forgot the new password?" She sounds sincere, making my nervous feeling melt away.

"Oh, I'm new actually." I say, righting myself and stepping away from the door to allow her to approach the knocker.

The girl smiles and bangs the eagle knocker. "Where do Vanished objects go?"

"Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything." The doors open with a loud creak, and the girl enters. I follow after her. She settles down into one of the royal blue couches, then pats the space next to her. I was hoping to not have to talk with her, but I force myself to sit.

"You're new, huh? Why'd you come in the middle of the term?" She queries, crossing a leg over the other.

"My father only just decided to let me attend Hogwarts." She opens her mouth to reply, but I decide to say something before she can, "It's been a pleasure talking to you, really, and thank you for opening the door. But I really need to find someone, then get settled into my dorm." I stand up. 

"Oh, who're you looking for? I can help you find them."

"Vienna Diggory."

The girl raises her eyebrows in response. "She'll be easy to find."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm Vienna Diggory."

"Oh!" I exclaim, sitting back down. Now that I'm finally face-to-face with who I've been looking for, I can't seem to find the words. But there's so much I need to talk to her about. "Uh... hi, Vienna." I start simply.

Vienna just nods in response to my greeting. Clearly not a chatty person. "So why're you looking for me?"

"It's about Mattheo."

Her face hardens at the mention of his name. "Riddle? I'm sorry, I'd rather not talk about him."

"Look, I just have a few questions. And something important to tell you."

Vienna sighs, relaxing her shoulders. "Fine. But not here. Tomorrow morning, at ten o'clock, meet me at the Quidditch pitch. We'll talk then."

I nod rapidly. "Sure, sounds good. Do you happen to know which dorm I'm in?"

Vienna looks around the common room, then points to a short staircase leading to a hallway. "The first door on the left. They're missing a person." She adds when she sees my confused face. 

I get up, thanking her. "I'll see you tomorrow." As I make my way over to the stairs, she calls out to me.

"Oh, hold on! You never told me your name."

I pause, debating on whether or not I should tell her my whole name. Fuck it, I decide. I need her to trust me, and want to talk to me. "It's Ceridwen. Ceridwen Riddle."