All About Us (Softy)

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This past summer had very easily been the longest and most boring summer of Mathieu's life. He had spent it at home with his parents for the most part, attending social events here and there but mostly staying home. He left the house every now and then to go and run errands alone but other than the occasional bump in to a family friend or someone like Scorpius, he didn't really see anyone. And he certainly hadn't seen or spoken to Sophia. He worried about her... after the kidnapping, he couldn't help but wonder how she was feeling. Though he doubted her parents would let anything happen to her while at home. It was just... the emptiness he felt all summer with not speaking to her. If he had even thought about using an owl to send her a letter... the very idea of his parents finding out was horrific.

Matty's parents had always been blood prejudiced. Against muggleborns and halfbloods and halfbreeds, the whole shebang. If they ever found out about how he was involved with Sophia... he didn't even want to think about it. After his run-in with Elaine this summer, though... Matty was left feeling a little uneasy about the year. Luckily, Elaine had mentioned nothing about Sophia. He was glad that it seemed no one knew... but, still. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of keeping his relationship with Sophia a secret but... now that he was Elaine's "connect," he was afraid for her safety. He didn't want Sophia to be taken away again. He wanted to keep her safe at all costs. No matter what.

Mat had seen the Hufflepuff in passing on the train and once at dinner but he had yet to approach her and speak to her. Which may have seemed a little out of character after their admittance of their feelings at the end of last year but... Matty didn't want his fellow student Purifiers to see him with Sophia. He had to keep her safe. He was headed toward the Hufflepuff common room now. The good thing about dating a Hufflepuff was that their common room was also in the dungeons and that meant it was only a short little walk away... and for the first time since he had left Sophia at the train station at the beginning of the summer, Matty was wearing a bright and excited smile.

@sophia

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Sophia was used to Matty's... behavior each summer. Ever since that first summer, between first and second year. For the few months they were out of school, Mathieu was rather distance, and she rarely heard form him. She'd always been fine with that, since her parents wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. This summer though? It was.... Well, it felt wrong. She felt like a part of her was missing. Probably because the last month of school she'd finally told Mathieu that she was in love with him. Well, actually. He'd said it first. Much to her amazement and total relief. She'd been so happy that she'd almost cried.

She'd expected that once school started up again, things would... be different? But she had only gotten a glimpse of him on the train, and then again in the Great Hall. It seemed like he'd always been going in the opposite direction. It was... odd. She wasn't actually sure what to think about it. It wasn't like they'd outright said they were together.... So he was totally allowed to see other people... Right? So why did it sting, seeing him so happy with his other friends and... well her not being there? She wasn't the jealous type, after all! She should be happy for him! And yet, the feeling was still there.

Sophia had decided to get her mind off of the whole ordeal. She just needed to stop thinking about it. And what better way, then to get something from the kitchens? It was literally only right next door to the Hufflepuff common room! She had just left the dormitory, humming softly as she headed for the kitchen, when, lo and behold, there was Mathieu. Well, there was only one thing in the direction he was heading. And that brilliant smile. Just the sight of it made her forget about all the uncertainty and doubt she'd felt earlier, her own smile responding without any hesitation. "Hey Matty."

@mathieu

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There she was. Finally, as Matty approached her he felt what was like a hole in his heart fill up. Like the piece that had been missing was finally back with the puzzle. Sophia's smile made the one Matty was wearing brighten. For a moment, he forgot that they were still in the dungeon near his own common room full of fellow Purifiers. It was like her smile just... erased all the bad from his mind. Matty stopped almost a foot's length away from Sophia and beamed at her.

"Hey, Soph," Mat responded to the Hufflepuff through his smile. He was too happy in seeing her that he didn't realize he was bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of his feet. "H - How are you? How was your summer?" He began to blurt out all the typical questions one would ask a friend after not speaking all summer. "I - I missed you." He lowered his voice, still smiling at her.

@sophia

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Sophia had always liked the way Matty said her name, and how he smiled at her. She practically beamed back at him, They stopped only a foot from each other, neither of them really moving closer quite yet. She was still... Well, she didn't really know what sort of 'relationship' they were. He was still one of her best friends, of course. But the end of last year... Well they'd both admitted their feelings for each other. And he.... He'd kissed her, a memory that still made her blush a little to this day. "I'm good. Summer was good. We visited my family in China for a week." She admitted. Her mother was Chinese, and even though she'd been born and raised in Europe, she still had cousins in China. So, during the summer they'd gone to visit Cho's side of the family. "What about you?

As he tentatively said he'd missed her, her smile softened. "I missed you too. I... did..." She started to try and say, though it wasn't coming out right, and she started to blush. Taking a small breath, she tried again. "I was going to the kitchens. Do you want to come..?"

@mathieu

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Matty smiled widely as Sophia explained what she had done for the summer. Matty had never been to China, and he widened his eyes at the news. "Woah," he said, nodding excitedly. "That sounds like a lot of fun!" Matty was certainly jealous. If only he had been able to get away from his parents' house all summer... He had been stuck in England, at home mostly, as his parents "prepared" him for his final school year by introducing him to "all the right people." He was able to get out a few times, namely to meet Elaine... but that was not something he wanted to talk to Sophia about. Particularly since her name had come up more than once in that conversation... Matty shrugged. "Boring summer at home," he said nonchalantly, ready to change the subject.

The Slytherin grinned when the Hufflepuff admitted she, too, had missed him. That was all he needed to hear to bring that smile back on his face. At Sophia's invitation to the kitchens, Matty nodded once more. "Definitely! I could go for a snack!" He said, beginning to walk with a little excited bounce to his step. "So, tell me about China!"

@sophia

||MAZE DIRECTION:RIGHT TURN||

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Sophia smiled a little brighter. She was still nervous, simply because she wasn't sure what exactly their relationship was at the moment, but... Well it felt right being around him. It always had. Matty had a way of calming her nerves and making her open up and feel comfortable. That was something she desperately needed right now, too. It hadn't taken long for the usual bullying to start up, and Sophia had always seemed to have a target on her back. So far though it'd been... Well, worse then normal. But she'd never tell Mathieu that. He might... suspect it, most her friends did, but she'd never told any of them in her years as a student that she was being bullied. Every year she toughed it out in silence, and despite being worse then ever she'd do the same this year. "It couldn't have been all boring!" She countered quickly.

She was practically beaming when he agreed to go to the kitchen with her. Quickly she fell into step next to him, keeping pace as they headed down the hall towards the portrait that marked the kitchen entrance. "Terribly backwards, and crowded." She started. She'd only visited China a few times in her life, but it always amazed her how crowded it was. "If you ever go, just take the food and don't ask what's in it." Shed made that mistake, and almost gagged when her mother had translated what it was she was eating. "But fun. The history is fascinating." At least what she'd understood. Sophia didn't speak the Mandarin or Cantonese at all, so she'd relied on her family for translation.

@mathieu

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Though it wasn't a question Matty really wanted to answer, Sophia's counter response made a small smile appear on his face. He shrugged once again. "My parents kept me pretty cooped up, if you can believe it," he said. At least that wasn't a lie. "After... last year, I guess they just wanted me home. Made me do a lot of N.E.W.T. preparing." He rolled his eyes. That part hadn't necessarily been a lie... his parents had certainly bugged him plenty of times about the exams he would be taking this year but they had never made him study or prepare. At least not physically.

Matty's smile widened when Sophia began to talk about China. Matty had never been out of the country before himself, so it was nice to hear about the trips others took. He led the two of them through the portrait hole and as they entered the kitchen, Matty made a disgruntled sort of look when Sophia talked about the food. "What's wrong with the food?" He asked warily, wondering if he really wanted to know. He had forgotton just how wonderful it was to hang out with Sophia without a care in the world.

Well, almost without a care in the world.

@sophia

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Sophia frowned just a little as he answered, saying he'd mostly stayed cooped up and NEWT preparing. Matty had never shared too much about his family, but what she did know? Well, she knew they wouldn't like her or the fact that their son even associated with her. "Well, you're ahead of me then. I should have done more studying during the break." She admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. She really should have. The tests at the end of the year were brutal from what she'd heard. And if she wanted to find a good job after graduation she needed to do well.

They were entering the kitchen now, the portrait swinging open ahead of them and then closed behind them. Sophia smiled immediately at the house elves as they hurried here and there, preparing for the next meal. Clasping her hands behind her back she shrugged. "I accidentally ate pig intestines." She explained, and almost shuddered from the memory. "I don't recommend it." She added after a moment and a a sheepish smile. "But enough about that! How has everything been with you since school started? I.... Well, I haven't seen you at all. Is everything okay?"

@mathieu

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Matty was always thankful that Sophia never really pried too much into his home life. He'd mentioned in the past what kind of family he came from; that, and it was pretty common knowledge around the castle just who the Helvitus family was. But he was glad nonetheless that Sophia pressed forward in the conversation, as always. Matty grinned when Sophia let out an adorable chuckle. "Well, hey," he said happily as he thought of an idea. "I know I'm not the best student, so maybe we could have a few study dates together." He stopped for a moment when he realized he had said "date," but then realized that the word sounded nice. Especially when it came to Sophia.

Mat actually stopped in his tracks when Sophia said she had actually eaten pig intestines. "How do you accidentally eat pig intestines!?" He asked incredulously as he walked over to stand across the counter from Sophia. It hadn't been intentional to put so much space between them, but... maybe it was his subconcious telling him to separate himself from her now before it was too late. Matty looked down at the counter and saw a cutting board with cheese on it as Sophia asked him what he had been up to since school started. Of course, she mentioned how she also hadn't seen him. He avoid her eyes as he took a piece of cut cheese and threw it into his mouth. Finally, Matty looked back up at her after he had swallowed the cheese and he shrugged. "Uh, just been busy, I guess." He had to think of something, an excuse. He couldn't just say he had been avoiding her on purpose!

"I, uh. I've been giving a lot of thought about what I want to do after school..." Matty began, taking another piece of cheese. "I think I want to play Quidditch. Professionally," he smiled, and it was surprisingly genuine. "And my parents say, as long as I keep my grades up, I can... pursue that." Okay, so that list bit was a lie. His parents probably wouldn't approve of that decision at all, but it sounded convincing. Right?

@sophia