Smoker (Mattheo Riddle fic)

3: Settle In

Each house gets split among 7 common rooms: each year to their own. Because we are now sixth years, we are now nearly top of our school, claiming some of the biggest dorm rooms. There are about 30 - 40 students in each house of each year. This means the common rooms are more personal, making it easier to make friends with people in your year. It doesn't matter though, as we never really venture far out of our group.

Before any of us can register it, Theo races past and throws himself onto the long green sofa, perpendicular to the fireplace, causing the rest of the people around us to scatter.

"Freak", Pansy mutters. I smile to myself and knock into her while heading for the staircase at the back of the room.

Once we reach the top of the staircase, we turn left down the girls corridor. It open up into a semi-circle at the end, showing 10 doors evenly spaced, with our names carved into each one. Me and Pansy head to the door directly in the middle. The words 'Parkinson' and 'Diggory' are neatly engraved into the wood. I swing the door open, revealing a spacious room with furniture already installed, and our bags and trunks laying on our beds.

I love extensions charms.

We unpack in silence for a while, until Pansy coughs; signifying she was about to say something important. "Sooo. What do you think of him then?"

I know what she is referring too but I act unaware to piss her off. "Think of who?"

"Don't be an asshole Ev."

"I am.. intrigued, I'll give you that. Normally I have to give It a little more time before I engage my 'lock-on targeting systems'."

She laughs and picks up her pile of clothes, wandering to the closet.

"What about you?" I ask loudly so she can hear me. "Reeling from Ron still, or are we moving on now?" Ron and Pansy dated for almost the whole of fifth year. People took the piss out of her for weeks, and we all thought Ron had stuck by her long enough to make it work. However, Hermione made a move on him in June, and he caved almost immediately.

I got a weeks worth of detention after I confronted him about it the next day.

"Don't even remind me Ev," she shouts from the closet, "Apparently whatever the fuck Granger has going on is 100% better than me so..."

"I'll hand it to her, Granger is pretty smart, and you are.. still working on that part I suppose?" I ponder, lifting my last books onto the shelf above my desk.

She appears round the corner with a book in her hand, launching it at me hard. She misses.

"Anyway", I continue, casually heading for the door, "Theo is seeming permanently red recently, I don't know if that's your fault?" Before she can throw something else I leave and shut the door behind me.

_______

I left Pansy to finish her unpacking and I went down into the common room. It was quiet, most people would still be unpacking, or getting ready to settle down, it is almost 8pm after all. I slumped down into one of the green armchairs by the fire, and I watched intently as the flames curled and danced around each other.

"Done already are we?" A voice came from behind me.

I didn't turn around, I just replied without checking who it was. I didn't need to, I knew it was him. "Done." I echoed back.

Mattheo walks over, and sits down directly opposite me, leaning back and lifting his foot onto his knee. He followed my eyes into the fireplace and we sat in silence.

"You never told me your name." Eventually he spoke.

"Guess." I replied instantly, bringing my eyes up to find he was already looking me.

"I already know what it is."

"Then why do you ask?"

"Cause I want to hear you say it."

I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my spread out knees, clasping my hands together. "Evelyn." I said.

The same smirk appeared across his face. "That wasn't so hard was it?"

"You must overestimate me," I said while standing up. "I think I'm having a heart attack." I smirk back at him then turn and make my way back to my dorm.

I walked straight through to the other door. It opens to a small balcony, only big enough for 2 people to stand on. I placed my arm at the edge, pulling a cigarette out of the small pack in my pocket, lighting it and blowing the smoke out into the wind. I could hear Pansy talking to someone, but I didn't turn around. I drew in another smoke. Theo appeared beside me, lighting his own cigarette. We just stood there for a while, taking it all in.

"You lot are vile," Pansy shouted through the doorway.

"Do you want me to blow it in your face Parkinson?", Theo turned to face her. She immediately pulled the door shut and sat back down on her bed. He turned back, this time facing me.

"So, new kid huh? Are you a fan?"

"Are you?" I replied.

"You forget I already know him, you don't know him, which is why I'm asking?"

"Did you get asked to ask, or are you asking because you felt like asking?

He immediately cut me off, "Don't start with the riddles."

"You brought him up." I flicked the but over the ledge and I left him stood there.