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THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOM was dimly lit, the only light coming from the flickering fireplace. it was a chill november evening, it was already dark outside. vanessa was lounging on a comfortable sofa with pansy. she had always loved fall and winter more than summer and spring. she liked the cozy evenings inside with a warm blanket surrounding her. she loved summer for partying outside, but winter didn't make her feel like she had to do something all the time and she loved that feeling.

pansy parkinson had proven to be a loyal friend amidst all the gossip and chaos.

people were still talking about the rumors izzy had spread, but theo was right — things were slowly getting better. people already had other stuff to gossip about. pansy had been a rock, listening to vanessa's rants about izzy's betrayals and offering comfort when it came to enzo and blaise. it was new to vanessa to have a friend who actually listened to her and didn't secretly hated her. 

"you know what," vanessa began, breaking the comfortable silence. she glanced at pansy, her mind made up. "i'm done with all of them — blaise, enzo, and izzy. i can't keep letting them take up space in my head. they've done me so wrong, and it's time to move on."

pansy nodded approvingly. "good for you, vanessa. you deserve better than all of them."

"they've been on my mind so much lately, and i've realized it's not worth it. i'm ready to ignore them and live my life without constantly thinking about them and how wrong they did me," vanessa declared, feeling a sense of liberation.

pansy smiled warmly. "i'm happy for you, vanessa. that's a great mindset to have."

vanessa was so done with having all these weird and toxic people in her life who constantly tried to kill her mood or sabotage her life. yes, she had good times with izzy and with blaise too, but in the end, they taught her to realize that some losses aren't a loss. she had to accept the situation and move on.

after a moment of comfortable silence, pansy shifted in her seat. "there's something else i wanted to ask you."

"and what's that?" vanessa asked, curious.

"i wanted to ask you what the hell is going on between you and mattheo?" pansy's eyes sparkled with curiosity as well.

vanessa laughed nervously. "i don't really know. it's ... complicated."

"do you like him?" pansy pressed, leaning forward.

vanessa thought for a moment. did she like mattheo? she never really thought about that question. after a beat, she nodded. "yeah, i think so."

pansy squealed in happiness. "i knew it! have you guys kissed yet?"

vanessa grinned. she felt like a twelve-year old girl with a childish crush on someone. "yes, a few times."

"and have you slept together?" pansy asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

vanessa hesitated for a second before nodding. "yes."

they both burst into laughter, the tension and stress of the past weeks melting away. it felt good to laugh, to share these moments with a true friend. vanessa felt a sense of relief, like she could finally start to let go of the drama with blaise, izzy, and everyone else.

"was he good?" pansy asked vanessa.

"of course! i mean, what did you think?" vanessa laughed.

but their laughter was interrupted when theodore nott suddenly stormed into the common room. he looked frantic, his eyes darting around until they landed on vanessa. without hesitation, he rushed over to her. oh no, vanessa immediately thought, knowing that his hectic appearance meant nothing good.

"vanessa, you need to come with me," theo said urgently.

she frowned, concerned by the look on his face. "why? what's going on?"

"it's mattheo. he got into a pretty serious fight with berkshire," theo explained, his voice tense.

shock coursed through vanessa, but she immediately stood up. "oh my god, is he alright? where is he?"

"follow me," theo said, already moving towards the hallway.

vanessa didn't hesitate. pansy followed close behind, worry etched on her face. they hurried through the dimly lit corridors of hogwarts, their footsteps echoing in the silence. vanessa's heart pounded in her chest, fear and adrenaline driving her forward.

she kind of knew that this moment would come. as soon as she told mattheo about what lorenzo did to her, she knew that he would do something to lorenzo for it.

as they neared the scene, the sound of raised voices reached their ears. vanessa quickened her pace, her mind racing with thoughts of what might have happened. when they finally reached the hallway, there were many students surrounding two people. and she saw mattheo standing there, blood on his knuckles and a fierce look in his eyes. lorenzo was already on the ground, clutching his side and groaning in pain. he had blood coming from his nose and many cuts on his body. his usually very handsome face looked a lot different now.

"mattheo, what did you do?" vanessa exclaimed, rushing to his side. it seemed like their fight was done, and mattheo had obviously won it.

mattheo looked at her, his expression softening slightly. "he deserved it, vanessa. he needed to be taught a lesson", he said to her quietly, so not everyone could hear. he knew that she didn't want any more people to know of what happened with her and lorenzo.

"but this isn't the way," she said, her voice trembling.

theo stepped forward, placing a hand on mattheo's shoulder. "we need to get out of here before a teacher comes. i heard some prefects wanted to get snape."

vanessa nodded, taking mattheo's hand in hers. "let's go. we can talk about this later."

together, they hurried away from the scene, the weight of the night's events pressing down on them. vanessa's mind was a whirlwind of emotions, but one thing was clear — mattheo had stood up for her, and that meant more than she could put into words.

mattheo wiped the blood from his knuckles on his trousers as vanessa led him through the hallways, her grip on his hand firm and reassuring. he looked at her with a mix of defiance and vulnerability, the adrenaline from the fight still coursing through his veins.

when they reached the slytherin common room, vanessa noticed a cut on mattheo's left cheek. she stopped and turned to him. "you've got a bit of blood on your face. come with me so i can clean you up."

"it's fine, vanessa. really," mattheo replied, his voice gruff.

"no, it's not," she insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "now come with me."

he sighed but followed her like a puppy, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. they made their way to the girls' dormitory bathroom, relieved to find it empty. vanessa closed the door behind them and gestured for mattheo to sit on the edge of the bathtub. he obeyed, looking up at her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

vanessa took out a bandage and some cleaning wipes from the cabinet. she wet a cloth with warm water and gently dabbed at the cut on his cheek. mattheo winced and hissed at the contact.

"shut up and don't move," she said, her voice firm but soft.

"but it hurts," he complained, his lips forming a slight pout.

"stop acting like a baby," vanessa retorted, rolling her eyes.

mattheo chuckled, watching her with a teasing glint in his eyes. "you could just use magic, you know."

vanessa paused, her gaze meeting his. "why would i do that when we have bandages here? besides, a scar makes you look hotter."

"did you just call me hot?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

vanessa couldn't help but smile. "what if i did?"

the tension between them crackled like electricity, the air thick with unspoken words and shared glances. vanessa felt her heart race, the proximity to mattheo making her acutely aware of every breath, every heartbeat.

"i think you can tell if i think you're hot," she said softly, her eyes locked on his.

mattheo's smirk faded, replaced by a look of intense focus. "yeah, i can."

vanessa finished applying the bandage, her fingers lingering on his skin for a moment longer than necessary. without thinking, she leaned in and kissed him, her lips soft and warm against his. mattheo responded immediately, his hands moving to cup her face as he kissed her back with a fervor that took her breath away.

the kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and intense. vanessa's hands slid up to his shoulders, feeling the strength and warmth of his body. mattheo pulled her closer, his fingers tangling in her hair. the world outside the bathroom ceased to exist; there was only the two of them, lost in the heat of the moment.

when they finally pulled away, both breathing heavily, vanessa looked into his eyes, her heart pounding. "thank you, mattheo. for beating up lorenzo."

"of course," he replied, his voice low and serious. "anyone who touches my girl gets beaten up."

vanessa laughed softly, raising an eyebrow. "your girl?"

"yes, my girl," he said with a confident grin.

she shook her head, amused. "i don't belong to anyone."

mattheo's arms slid around her waist, pulling her closer until she was standing between his legs. "i know that. but if you did, you'd be mine."

before vanessa could respond, he kissed her again, his lips capturing hers with a possessive hunger. she melted into the kiss, her hands clutching his shoulders as she gave in to the passion that flared between them.

after their make-out session, vanessa rested her forehead against his, both of them catching their breath. "you're something else, you know that?"

"yeah, i've been told," mattheo replied, his voice laced with a mix of pride and vulnerability.

vanessa's mind swirled with emotions — confusion, desire, fear, and a budding sense of hope. "mattheo, what are we doing? what is this?"

he looked at her, his eyes serious. "we're figuring it out. together."

she nodded, feeling a sense of calm wash over her. "together."

mattheo smiled, a genuine, warm smile that made her heart skip a beat. "you're not alone, vanessa. not anymore."

his words settled into her heart, bringing a sense of comfort and reassurance. for the first time in a long while, she felt like she had someone who genuinely cared about her. she truly didn't know what is was between them. but for her, it was no longer just a physical attraction.

they sat there in silence for a while, wrapped up in each other's presence. the chaos of the day faded into the background, leaving only the warmth of their connection. vanessa knew that there would be challenges ahead, but with him by her side, she felt ready to face whatever came their way.

but vanessa didn't know the game she was playing. that she was playing with the devil.

"come on," she said finally, standing up and holding out her hand. "let's get out of here."

mattheo took her hand, standing up and pulling her close. "where to?"

"to the great hall," vanessa replied, smiling. "im hungry."

NOTE FROM ME:

this is your sign to finally drop the toxic people surrounding youuuu😒

yes, i know i told you guys that vanessa is getting her revenge this chapter, but i needed a cute moment with mattheo first. she will humble Izzy in the next chapter and then the bitch is finally gone and we can move on 🧘🏼‍♀️

i love you all and thanks for reading this. i'm so sorry that you sometimes have to wait this long but i have my holidays and i feel like im busy everyday