Stay - Mattheo Riddle

The End of Year 4

Kirra's trunk was packed; Whiskers was curled up on top of the suitcase, sleeping soundly. She, Mattheo, Theodore and Jasper were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day but that hadn't seemed to brighten the mood as the four of them stood there, practically silent

Kirra leaned against her trunk, a mix of emotions swirling within her. The end of the school year had brought a blend of relief and sadness. Relief for escaping the academic stress, but sadness for the events that had transpired, especially Cedric's death. Whiskers stirred from his slumber on her suitcase, sensing her unease. Mattheo, noticing her contemplative expression, gently squeezed her hand, offering a reassuring smile.

The weight of recent events pressed heavily upon Kirra. It all felt so familiar it was just like it had been all those years ago when she was standing here with the marauders when they were all trying to hide the fact that they were scared for their lives. 

They climbed into the carriages being tugged by Threstrals and it began its journey almost instantly. The silence in the carriage grew noticeable, each of them deep in thought. Mattheo leaned closer to Kirra, his fingers gently tracing the back of her hand as they held onto each other. It was a subtle gesture of reassurance, a reminder that they were in this together.

Jasper suddenly spoke up. "It's going to be different, isn't it? Now that You-Know-Who is back."

Theodore nodded slowly, his usually vibrant eyes reflecting the growing concern. "Yeah, it's going to be more dangerous, kinda scary to think that our families are apart of it... if we went home these holidays I don't doubt we all would have come back as de-."

"Don't say it, don't say it just... well I..." Kirra bit her lower lip, struggling to find the right words. "I just hope that things are going to be different this time... since you guys are coming back to Grimmauld place with me, hopefully you wont be forced to join them."

Mattheo's grip on her hand tightened, "Its going to be fine. We're all going to look out for each other"

Jasper's eyes held a rare vulnerability as he looked at them. "But... Cedric. He didn't make it and he's way older than us not to mention he was pretty smart and strong. And what if something happens to one of us next time?"

"We've all just got to look out for each other from this point and play it safely," Kirra muttered, but in all honesty she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how she was going to go about making sure that nothing happened to them.

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The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Kirra, Mattheo, Jasper and Theodore had managed to get a compartment to themselves. 

Whiskers was curled up on Jasper's lap who was softly scratching behind her ear with his fingers. The group of them talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking, even now, to stop Voldemort only when the lunch trolley arrived.

When Theodore returned from the trolley and put his money back into his schoolbag, he dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that he had been carrying in there. Kirra looked at it, unsure whether she really wanted to know what it might say, but Theo, seeing her looking at it, said calmly, "There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you and Harry won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me, Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet."