The Snake Pit || Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 9: The Owlery

Octavia woke up to a deep ache in her spine. She stretched with a groan, rubbing at her back. Peeling her eyes open she caught the empty Common Room, besides from the familiar form of Mattheo. He was stretched out on the couch again, that thin peak of his tan abdomen flickering under the light.

'Morning,' his voice was gravelly from sleep and she had to wrench her eyes up away from his stomach to see his smirking face. Her face immediately souring.

'Aw come on, I just woke up why are you looking at me like that?' he was still smirking but it dropped when he rubbed at his eyes. She yawned and stood, straightening her uniform as she went, blatantly ignoring him. Octavia looked to the clock on the mantel; 3:03am. She swore and slumped back into the chair. Her sleep schedule was so fucked.

'I should be the one swearing, you're the one who's woken me up two mornings in a row now,' Mattheo groaned. He'd sat up, legs outstretched. He loosened his tie before pulling it over his head and dropping it beside him on the couch.

'Why do you keep sleeping down here?' She asked ignoring his slight.

'Why do you keep waking me up?' he mumbled as he rubbed at his tired eyes. She glared at him, annoyed. He really did look tired, his dark eyes somehow were darker rimmed in red.

'Go back to sleep then,' she grumbled crossing her arms. She was aware she probably looked like a petulant child but she didn't care. He brought out the worst in her.

'That's not how it works,' he said tiredly. She sighed and agreed, there was no way she was going to be falling back asleep now. Mattheo had sat back into the couch, staring blankly into the dying fire.

'Why didn't anyone wake me?' Octavia asked. Her neck and back ached something awful and she wished she'd denied the fire and just went to bed when Pansy had.

'Greengrass tried, but you were not easily convinced,' Mattheo's smirk was back, his head rolled to the side to look at her. Her face heated up and she brushed hair out of her face trying to angle her arm so he couldn't see the furious blush. She wondered how many of her new friends had witnessed her dead asleep fighting Daphne off.

She pulled her wand from her bookbag and crouched before the fire. She shoved another log on top of the dying heap.

'Incendio,' she whispered. She stayed there for a while watching the fire take the log in and eat at it. She crawled back into her chair and watched it, listening to the faint crackling.

Octavia couldn't go back up to the dormitory without waking her dormmates and she wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon. So, she just sat and watched it. Mattheo had laid back down hand over his face. Octavia listened to the Black Lake swirling with its numerous creatures a slow bubble in the background.

She decided on writing to her grandmother, she would be growing antsy waiting to hear from her. Pulling out her Charms textbook to lean on and a slip of parchment paper. She balanced her ink pot on her knee and scribed a short note.

Grandmother,

Just writing this note to tell you I'm doing fine. There's nothing of much note to tell. I got sorted into Slytherin like father so that's exciting at least. I've made a few friends and my Professor's seemed pleased with my work so far.

I hope you're doing well.

Octavia

Octavia looked at the brief note. Her grandmother wasn't the sentimental type, she would appreciate knowing she was ok but didn't need any long-winded details. And really there wasn't much else to tell. She rolled it up with a thin bit of twine and set it to the side. It was too early to visit the owlery and even though she didn't think she'd get caught she was cautious to go traipsing about the castle with little direction.