mattheo riddle was not expecting tonight's turn of events. especially on the night of the yule ball, which was supposed to be 'romantic,' the last he anticipated to see was his (now) ex-girlfriend, daphne longbottom, tangled up with a nameless seventh-year. it wasn't as if he were not upset; he was angry, sure, but he did not love daphne enough to sob in a corner.

in fact, he was more surprised and drained out than resenting her. it was definitely his elevated ego that assured him no one would want anyone more than him, let alone cheat, so it was sort of a shock. and these past weeks, mattheo had felt extra tired, whether it was because of semi-finals or even more family issues. in the end, he could safely say he didn't feel... anything.

this year, the after party of the yule ball was hosted in the slytherin common room, at the hour when students would shed their dresses and suits for more casual, club-like attire. mattheo had his dress shirt on, a few buttons undone, and his coffee curls no longer neatly combed. he stood against a wall, a glass in hand as he overlooked the party.

apparently, mattheo was not the only one freshly single.

he had heard the rumours of your breakup with dean thomas shortly after he'd trudged up to the common room. according to theo, you two had argued quite loudly right in front of a whole crowd of students briefly following the ball. mattheo wished he had been there to witness it. he couldn't help but feel slightly smug of the thought of you two finally being single at the same time — it had always been staggering periods when he was solo and you were taken, or vice versa. after seeing the unhappy look on your face, mattheo confirmed the gossip he'd heard.

you had set yourself against the wall beside him, proceeding to not say a word. breaking the silence, mattheo offered you his bottle of firewhiskey. "rough night?"