Hey everyone, sorry it's been a while, but unfortunately, I've lost my USB drive, and am still working on finding it, so just bare with me, this chapter is going to be a little sketchy.
In this chapter, we get to know Mattie. Sort of.
I wake with a start and suddenly become aware that someone is shaking me. I open my eyes and the first thing I see is Mattie.
"Mattie, what? I'm trying to sleep." I grumble.
She looks at me, and for the first time, I notice she's crying. "Azura, please, come with me." She says quickly. She hurries me out of bed, and I slip into my dressing gown.
"Mattie, what is it?" I beg her to tell me as she scrambles down the steps into the common room, and out through the portrait.
"I've got to get to Dumbledore. He can help." She says, more to herself, as we hurry along the corridors.
"Mattie, please, what's going on?!" I ask frantically. I've never seen her like this before. Her hair is a mess, like she's been pulling at it, I can also tell she's been crying, and her eyes are frantically searching for the slightest movement.
"Look, I just need to find Professor Dumbledore. You'll find out when I tell him, okay?" She says as she quickens the pace.
Finally, we reach the gargoyle and Mattie stares at it. "What's the password?"
The gargoyle looks at her and scoffs. "As if I'd give it out, young lady, you're mean to give it to me."
"I know that! But can't you just let me in to see him? It's an emergency."
"Sorry, can't do it. Password please."
"Surely it can wait until morning?" I ask. "You'll be fine in Gryffindor tower." I reassure. She looks at me as if I'm barking mad, but slowly nods her head.
We trudge back to the tower in silence. I can tell Mattie's thinking about something, or at least trying to calm herself down. But she looks frantic and scared and like she hasn't had much sleep.
As we reach the portrait, I mutter the password and watch as she quickly files into the common room.
"Azura, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have woken you." She says. "I was just panicking over nothing."
I know she's lying, and it really isn't nothing, but at the moment, I'm way too tired to suggest otherwise.
"I'll see you in the morning Mattie. Goodnight." I say, before heading up the stairs. I notice she doesn't follow and head to her own room, but slumps onto the couch before the fire and stares into the flames.
As I wake the next morning, it's unusually quiet. I sit up, looking for my roommates, but they're nowhere to be found, and their uniforms are still laid out on their beds.
I wonder where they've gone, so I trudge down stairs and my jaw falls open at the sight of the common room.
I find Alice in the crowd that's gathered around. "What's happened?"
"We don't know," She whispers back. "But there's blood on the floor, too."
I blink. Blood? In the Gryffindor Common room? Who would do such a thing to such a great place?
"Now, students, go up to your rooms, and stay there. I'll let you know when you're allowed to come down. Also, I will be up to check everyone off the list." McGonagall says sternly.
Murmurs arise as everyone shuffles up the tower to their dorms and wait for McGonagall to mark us off the role.
Once we get into our dorm, Alice and Lily look at me strangely.
"What?" I ask.
"You were up at two o'clock this morning, Azura. Please don't tell us you did this." Lily says.
I scoff. "You think I would do that?"
"Well, no, but maybe you know who did." Alice says.
"This morning, I was down there, because Mattie woke me up."
"Mattie?" Lily prompts.
"She was hysterical. Crying, frantic, you name it. I left her down there, after we couldn't get in to see Dumbledore."
Lily's eyes widen. "She was crying?"
I agree, it is scary. Mattie is not meant to cry. She's meant to be the tough one. I mean, hello! She punched Lucius Malfoy because he called her Matilda and tried to hit on her. Stupid horny bastard.
"Maybe she was hysterical and she went crazy." Alice theorizes. "She has the capability to do that."
"But she wouldn't, Alice." I defend. "We all know that. Maybe we should just ask her." I suggest.
Just then, McGonagall walks in to the room, a piece of parchment floating beside her and a quill ready to mark off the names.
"Now, who have I got here? Ah, Lily Evans, Azura Lovegood, and Alice Brown." She says. She gives us a reassuring smile. "Now, next room…"
"Professor, can we please accompany you to see a friend of ours, she's just a few rooms up." Lily asks politely.
"Certainly." McGonagall says to her favourite student.
We follow her out and reach Mattie's dorm a few minutes later.
"Who have we got here?"
"Ellen Murray, Jenna Bollingsworth, Professor." Ellen says.
"What about the third?" I ask. "Where's Mattie?"
"We haven't seen her since she received a letter from her mother early this morning." Jenna answers. Jenna and Ellen are quite nice girls, if not for the fact that they are completely obsessed with Quidditch.
McGonagall looks alarmed. "Are you sure, girls? Could she have gone to breakfast early?"
"No, she didn't come back. She rushed out of the room, muttering something about her father and Dumbledore." Ellen answers.
My eyes widen. "We tried to get in to see Professor Dumbledore this morning at about something. She was hysterical." I tell them.
"When was this, Miss Lovegood?"
"Around two this morning." I say. "I should have stayed with her, but I left her in the common room. But she wouldn't do anything like that. Never."
"Go back to your dorms; I'll alert the staff if I don't find her in another dorm room." McGonagall said, before sweeping out of the room at a fast face.
We head back to our dorms, and it's not until two hours later, that the school is gathered in the Great hall, with Dumbledore ready to address us.
"It appears," He begins in a grave tone. "We have a missing student. It is unknown how this student went missing, but it was not by choice. I would ask that everyone remain calm and head back to their respective houses to await further news."
"Who's gone missing, sir?" A student calls out.
"A seventh year Gryffindor by the name of Matilda Blamey."
Gasps come from around the hall, my own being very prominent. "Mattie! Oh Merlin." I whisper.
Sirius pulls me to his side, rubbing circles on my back, as Lily buries her face in James' chest.
"Come on, we've got to get to the tower." Sirius says.
"Miss Lovegood." Dumbledore calls. I spin around to face him. "May I have a word in private, please?" He requests.
I nod to Sirius and everyone migrates back to the tower. I head for Dumbledore.
"Miss Lovegood, I wonder, what do you make of this?" He hands me a piece of parchment which has been scrunched up.
In a neat scrawl, it reads:
I know where you are, Matilda, and I'm coming to get you. I've already found your mother, but it's you I need, dear.
Love, Dad.
Goosebumps form on my skin and I look at Dumbledore wide-eyed.
"What is this?" I ask, tears forming at my eyes.
"I thought as much." He mutters to himself. "That, my dear, is a letter from Matilda's very much alive father."