Smoker (Mattheo Riddle fic)

18: Chit-chat

(01st of November) Wednesday might be my favourite day. We have DADA again, and a free fifth period, cutting the school day short. During this gap, we usually meet in Tower 7 together. We are the first to arrive, me, Pansy and Theo come directly from Charms. The rest of them are in flying practice. Every fourth period on a Wednesday, half of our charms class exchange the lesson for broom flying. Madame Hooch thinks it is a good way to re-introducing flying and Quidditch back into the school year, encouraging more people our age to tryout for our house's team. I love it.

Draco, Enzo and Mattheo are all in flying. We aren't really sure what's going on with Astoria, she has stared hanging around Adrian Pucey's group, which is a shock because she always made a large deal about hating him.

We sit down on the cushions on the floor, Theo lays down completely horizontally and we begin to talk until the rest of them get here. The tower is open at the sides, apart from the ledges surrounding each side to prevent falling and the roof meets in the middle at a sloped point. We can hear them all coming from a mile away, flying usually gets people excited. Quidditch season lasts from January to June, having a break over the summer, until November, then practice starts up again.

Theo pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his bag, takes one ang flings them towards me. I take one and pull out my lighter just as they all appear at the top of the staircase.

"How was it?" Pansy asks.

"Fucking brilliant." Draco replies. He has always had a passion for Quidditch.

"Yeah well I hated it." Enzo also replies, walking behind Draco. "You won't catch me participating in that game ever."

"Shut it Berkshire." Theo says, blowing smoke up at the sky.

Mattheo is last to appear, he walks directly over and sits in the space beside me. He is very close, rather than in the middle of the gap. "I'm so getting on that team." He says once he's sat. He nudges me with his shoulder. "You play?"

"Fuck yeah," I reply. "Top goal scorer you are looking at here."

He reaches forward and grabs a cigarette from Theo's packet. "Maybe I'll take that title this year?"

I scoff.

"Highly doubt it mate." Draco replies.

I've been on the team since we were allowed to play in fourth year, we win 99% of our matches. Draco is our seeker, he usually catches the snitch, only ever loosing to Harry Potter. Gryffindor is the only house we ever lose too. Even that is a rare event. Theo is a beater and I'm a chaser. Pansy and Theo always refused to get involved. Astoria tried once but kept falling off the broom.

"When are tryouts?" Pansy asks.

"Next Wednesday afterschool." Mattheo responds.

"It's so dangerous, I don't get how you willingly do it." Pansy says back.

"Only cause you're a princess." Theo replies to her, looking up at her from his position on the floor.

"I hope the bludger beats you to death." She says scornfully.

He laughs and she hits him round the head with her bag, struggling to stifle her own laughter. Everyone else laughs, and I see Draco exchange suggestive glances with Enzo. Mattheo nudges me again.

"Haven't you got detention on Wednesday?" Enzo asks me.

"Looks like I'll just have to skip Slughorn's hang out session that day."

"It's not like he is inviting you round for a spot of tea." Enzo says. "You are in a detention."

"Did you just say 'spot of tea'? Mattheo cringes.

"What?" Enzo pauses, looking puzzled. "You know what I mean, tea and a chit-chat."

"What the fuck Lorenzo?" Draco says at him, half disgusted.

I actually cant tell if he is winding us up or if he is being serious.