Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Constant Vigilance

Her words hung in the air for a moment as her friends exchanged puzzled glances.

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? That Moody, the guy that is pretty much always trying to help us?" Theodore asked, his brow furrowed. He hadn't found anything suspicious about him at all

Kirra nodded solemnly. "Yes, and I know that he's been helping us this whole time but there is just something off about him. I've had some strange encounters with him lately, and it just doesn't sit right with me."

Mattheo leaned forward, concern etched across his features. "What kind of strange encounters?"

Kirra took a deep breath before recounting her experiences. "Well, first of all, he caught Jasper and I snooping around one night when we were trying to figure out the stupid egg, and he was acting really suspicious. He was nice at first but then he wanted the map and expected me to lend it to him, then when I told him I didn't want to give it to him he went stupid and said it would be confiscated."

"And then one night he started acting a little weird... he was like licking his lips a lot," Kirra muttered out, "so I just asked him if he was okay..."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "And what did he say?"

"He threatened me," Kirra replied, her voice wavering slightly. "Told me not to meddle in things that didn't concern me."

Theodore frowned, deep in thought. "That does sound suspicious, but it could just be him being embarrassed or something."

Kirra shook her head. "It's more than that. He also knew that I had been asking questions about the Goblet of Fire and how my name got in it. He seemed way too interested in that."

Mattheo's grip on Kirra's shoulder tightened, his concern growing. "So you really think he had something to do with it?"

Kirra hesitated for a moment, her eyes scanning the faces of her friends. "I don't know for sure, but it's possible. And there's something else... I overheard him talking to himself one night. He kept muttering about 'keeping an eye on Potter' and how he needed to 'stay vigilant.'"

Jasper's eyes narrowed. "That's definitely weird. Do you think he has something to do with You Know Who? Maybe he's trying to hand you and Harry over to him or something"

"It's a possibility," Kirra admitted. "But I also think there's something more to it. Moody is known for his paranoia, but this feels different. It's like he's watching everyone, not just me and Harry."

Theodore leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "We should be careful around him, then. If he's involved in something shady, we need to stay under his radar."

Mattheo nodded in agreement. "Agreed. We should also keep an eye out for any other signs of suspicious behavior."

Kirra appreciated their support but couldn't shake her unease. "I just have this feeling that there's something much darker going on at Hogwarts, and Moody might be at the center of it."

"I'm going to protect you, no matter what," Mattheo told her firmly. The conversation about Professor Moody continued as they descended the spiral staircase of the Owlery. Kirra's unease had cast a shadow over them, and the weight of their suspicions pressed upon their shoulders. They found an empty table in the Great Hall and settled down, each lost in their thoughts.

Mattheo broke the silence, his voice low and serious. "If Moody is involved in something sinister, we need to be careful about how we proceed. We can't just confront him directly; that could put us in danger and could make the target on Kirra's back even larger."

Theodore nodded in agreement. "You're right. We need a plan, a way to gather more information without arousing suspicion but the last thing I want is for Kirra to get into any more trouble and danger... maybe this is just too risky."