Midnight Memories

[Matthew Cosgrove]

The Yule ball had taken an unexpected turn for Mathew. He had just expected to go, eat some food and maybe see some familiar faces he could chill with for a bit before turning in as he had in his previous years. Instead he spent the night with a beautiful girl with piercing red eyes dancing the time away. She had insisted that she couldn't dance and scoffed in embarrassment when he took something she said as an invitation to dance, but she didn't take a lot of convincing to get out on the floor. True to her word, she tripped and fell. True to his he caught her before she hit the floor. Mathew thought the two had a moment when he had her cradled in his arms before he helped her to her feet. He had no idea if she thought the same, Mathew had never been a good reader of such situations. The night came to and end before he knew it and it was time to get the girl back to her common room. As the two got ready to leave the ball Mathew realised he didn't know what house she was it or what year she was it or for that matter. Her name. Despite telling her his name she had danced around telling him hers. Mathew kind of liked the mystery, at first.

There was a chill in the entrance hall as Mathew led his dance partner out of the Great hall. Mathew instinctively took off his jacket and slipped on her shoulders. "Right then mystery girl, which way are we heading?" He asked smiling at her. Hoping she wasn't in Slytherin as it was the closest common room.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana had never had fairy tales read to her, definitely not any with a prince charming that came to save the day. But, if she had to, that's how the teenager would describe Matthew. He remained as friendly as he had been when they'd first spoken, and he had proven to be a kind and patient teacher. He hadn't even laughed too much when she'd almost fallen over. True to his word, he'd caught her, their eyes locked for a moment before he'd righted her. The fourteen year old had blushed, not knowing what to do with that. They'd danced the night away, but as with everything, it had come to an end.

Standing in the Entrance Hall as people streamed by back to their dorms and couples did everything they could to get a few extra minutes, Alana wondered what they should do next. She felt Matthew placing his jacket on her shoulders and she smiled up at him. "Thank you" she replied softly. He was such a gentleman, something she never expected from a guy her age. The Slytherin had been planning to tell the guy her name before she'd tripped, but then it became more fun to make him wait for it. With a sly smile, Alana avoided telling him again. "Downstairs" she stated, eager to get out of her heels but not eager to end the night. "I'm a Slytherin" she added happily. Her house was a source of pride for her. "And, you're a Ravenclaw, right?" she guessed, though she was sure he was.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Mathew's worst fear was realised. He would have to drop the girl off at the closest possible common room. He was disappointed as he didn't want the night to end so soon. Mathew smiled when she correctly guessed that he was a Ravenclaw, was it that obvious? Mathew wondered what could be such an obvious marker about himself that gave away his house then remembered what he was wearing. "You're right, it's the boe tie isn't it? That's what gave me, I knew I should have gone for something more contemporary, blend in more as it were," He smiled as he untied his boe tie and let it hang. That was his favourite way to wear a bow tie, like James Bond after he'd saved the day, caught the bad guy and got the girl. Of course hardly anyone noticed as no one knew who James Bond was. If nothing else he liked it because it reminded people that it was real asapposed to a clip on.

Mathew glanced up the staircase at some fellow Ravenclaws as they were heading up to the common room for the night. Mathew's attention however quickly turned to the dungeon. "Come on then mystery girl let's get you downstairs, can't have a girl as beautiful as you walking back from the ball alone," Mathew smiled and held out his arm. There was no denying that he was old fashioned and even at times a little odd but if it meant spending as much time with the girl as possible he didn't care one bit.

 

[Alana Finch]

The Slytherin laughed. She’d laughed a lot over the course of the evening, something that she hadn’t been doing a lot of lately. Crying, worrying, and plotting had been much more common. It was nice to laugh though. “Well, yes. But, you’re also a good teacher so…Ravenclaw” she stated with a small half shrug. The teenager noticed that Matthew had his arm outstretched and her smile grew once more. She had been about to tell him that he didn’t need to walk her down to Slytherin. But, the truth was that she didn’t want to say those words and she figured that he knew that she didn’t need his help anyway. Linking her arm in his, Alana glanced around the entrance hall, wondering if she’d run into anyone that she knew. It would be amazing for the third year to be seen on the arm of an older student, even if it didn’t really mean anything. After tonight, she’d go back to being Alana, the third year Slytherin with few friends, and he’d go back to being Matthew, the cool, older Ravenclaw.

“Are you always this…gentlemanly?” Alana asked as they headed down the steps into the dungeon. She was grateful for his jacket on her shoulders because she could feel the chill emanating from the dungeon even from the top of the steps. “My brother isn’t even this nice to me” she added with a small laugh.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew smiled as he led the girl down the steps into the dungeons. It would be the first time the Ravenclaw had set foot in the dungeons other than for Potions class and he was a little surprised. He had never expected to be in the dungeons socially, he had never been a big fan of the dungeons or of the class that was taught there. Matthew was flattered that the girl thought he was a good teacher, he had indicated to her that he was but it had just been a line to get her on the dance floor. It seemed to have worked out in the end as they danced together quite smoothly, there wasn't exactly steps involved when it came to slow dancing, just swaying and turning her under his arm which he had enjoyed very much but in terms of actual teaching, nothing much had been required.

There was a little chill in the dungeons which made him glad he gave his jacket to the girl. If he could feel it through his shirt she would have felt it more on her bare shoulders. Matthew chuckled when she asked him if he was always that gentlemanly. At first he didn't know how to answer, it felt like a strange question but he didn't really know why. "Is that what I'm being? I didn't realise, isn't this how all guys treat girls, or rather you? If this is weird for you then your not hanging out with the right kind of guys, or maybe I'm the weird one," He smiled at her and placed his hand on the arm that she slipped through his own. Matthew hadn't spent a lot of time with girls, he didn't know how he would act around them until he met the Slytherin girl. He never considered the way he would act would be considered different. "If it makes you feel any better I don't think brothers are supposed to be nice to you, at least that's what I've heard," Matthew wasn't exactly an expert on siblings given that he didn't have any, at least none that he knew of.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana remained silent as Matthew pointed out that his behavior wasn't abnormal, or at least shouldn't have been considered odd. It wasn't like the girl had been in this position many times. Her parents thought she was too young to date, though not too young to become engaged apparently, and Alana herself had not been really interested in boys until this year. The teenager shook her head. "I don't think you're the weird one" she replied. He was right. She definitely wasn't hanging around the right type of guys. Chaos was the only other guy she'd spent significant time around this semester and she couldn't see him doing any of the things that Matthew had done this evening. It was just another mark against the expelled teen, another mental tally that the red eyed girl was keeping. "I suppose you're right about that." Alana didn't mind Lorin much. Now that they were older, they mostly stayed out of each other's way.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, Alana turned in the direction of the Slytherin common room. "Do you ever come down here for anything besides Potions?" the teenager asked. The red eyed girl loved the chill of the dungeon area and enjoyed exploring down here. She knew that the Gryffindors tended to avoid the dungeons except for class or the dueling club. They didn't just roam in the Slytherin's territory. The Ravenclaws had always been a lot more friendly with the Snakes though. Alana knew she wouldn't have minded running into Matthew again, though he wasn't sure he would feel the same if he found out that she was much younger than he was. That's why Alana planned to keep that information to herself. She didn't want to ruin a perfectly fun night.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew smiled as the girl informed him that he wasn't the weird one after all. It wad good to know, Matthew didn't have much experience with girls so it was good to see that he was coming across well. He was disappointed to hear that the girl wasn't used to be treated the way Matthew was treated her which was, as far as he was concerned he was just being nice, were guys her age not nice anymore? It made him a little concerned about the company she kept and it made him wonder if he would see her again. "That is a shame, if how I'm treating you is how you want to be treated then maybe you need to find someone who will treat you like this," Matthew just smiled, he didn't suggest that she'd already found one. She may have him for the evening but Matthew didn't know if he would see her again or even if she would want to see him again, it was entirely possible he was reading too much into everything.

"Oh no, I've never set foot in this part of the dungeon, I don't have reason to be here other than Potions, I don't know many Slytherins, not all of them are as pleasant as you after all," The truth was Matthew didn't socialise with many people not just Slytherins but it did mean there were some parts of the castle he didn't visit socially and the dungeon was one of those places,he judt had no desire to poke around and explore it, not alone anyway.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana continued walking and nodded her head as she listened. Looking up with a slight twinkle in her eye, the fourteen year old replied, "Maybe I will." In her own mind, she wondered if maybe she had found such a person. The Slytherin girl had only the vaguest concept of boyfriends and girlfriends, mostly from what she'd seen with the school couples. For the first couple of years of schooling, she hadn't paid attention to any of that at all. This year, with all of the Chaos craziness, Alana had found herself paying more attention to what couples did around the school. This, the dancing, the walking together, seemed awfully like the things a couple did but Alana wasn't even let herself think that far ahead. She barely knew Matthew, and while he seemed quite nice, she knew that first impressions could be deceiving.

She liked that Matthew thought she was pleasant and with that, she knew that she didn't want the night to end just yet. Reaching down, Alana tugged off her shoes, dropping a couple of inches. Much more comfortable already, the Slytherin walked past the entrance to her common room. "I'll give you the really fast grand tour then. We have a few minutes before curfew. C'mon" she stated excitedly. "There's the common room entrance" she announced as she walked past it. The door was open, students entering and hovering around the entrance as they said good night to their dates. She continued past, the dungeon growing even darker. The Slytherin house ghost floated past them slowly. A little further down, a couple stood in the shadows snogging, which made Alana giggle nervously. Finally, she stopped in front of a door. It looked like one anyway though there was no handle and it was partially covered by some sort of plant. There was a small hole where the knob should have been. "Take a peek" she urged him. "No one has ever been able to get inside" she added.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew knew that there had been some sort of spark between him and the Slytherin girl since they met earlier in the night which was a strange thing to think about as the Ravenclaw didn't even know the girls name which seemed to make the whole thing that little more exciting. There was no doubt that it had been one of the best nights of Matthew's life, everything between him and the mystery Slytherin girl had come so natural, nothing was forced, nothing was an act he just felt comfortable with her and everything had come so easy. The thought of it made him smile even as they went deeper into the dungeon.

One minute the two were walking slowly towards the Slytherin common room the next she had dropped down a couple of inches and told Matthew that she would give him the quick tour. He looked at her skeptically, clearly she didn't want the night to end and he didn't either so any chance to extend their time together, he would jump at it. They walked past the entrance to the common room and ventured into the darker parts of the dungeons. Matthew swallowed hard as they did so doing his best not to show any discomfort about being this deep into Slytherin territory. As they walked through the corridor they noticed a couple huddled in a corner practically glued to each other. Matthew tugged at his collar and he heard the girl beside him giggle. The sound snapped his attention to the now shorter girl walking next to him, giving him a tour of her little world and thought for a moment, maybe even longer than a moment, what it would be like if they were the two huddled in the shadows desperately trying to make the most of their last few moments together before curfew. Matthew didn't dwell on such a thought for long, he had only just met her and wasn't even sure if the two of them would see each other again and the most important thing was making the most of her while she was there. "Oh I see, is that what you've brought me down here for?" Matthew chuckled motioning his head at the couple in the corner. He smiled at her, knowing it wasn't the case but suspecting it could be amusing to see her reaction to such a comment.

The girl stopped in front of a door a little further down the corridor and Matthew looked at it quizzically. The door had no handle and was partially covered by a plant. It was a very strange sight and he hadn't seen anything else like it anywhere in the castle. "What is this?" He asked turning to the girl who was now urging him to take a peek in a small hole where the door knob would usually be. It was a very strange request, but he wouldn't be a very good Ravenclaw if he wasn't curious so he stepped forward and pressed his eye to the whole. "Yeah I don't see anything, it's just darkness,"

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana was still blushing from his comment just a few seconds before. She'd never kissed anyone before, and while she'd thought about it a lot, it was something that she thought would be happening any time soon. Not until tonight anyway. She gestured him forward again and watched as he leaned forward to peek in. As he mentioned that it was too dark to see, Alana bent down so she was on her knees beside the door and pulled her wand out. She'd had it in the pocket of her dress. "I know. Just keep watching" she uttered as she cast a quick spell. "Lumos" she stated, her wand near a small crack at the bottom of the door. The light was enough to illuminate a small part of the room, dust particles floating everywhere. Anyone looking in could see that it extended back a lot. You couldn't even see how far back it went. "Some people say you even hear things moving around in there but no one has ever seen anything" she added in a hushed tone. It was one of the school's many mysteries. People had made all sort of claims about seeing creatures inside, but Alana didn't believe any of them. She just thought it was an old classroom or something. Why it had been sealed away was the more interesting part. Students had tried all sort of spells, but nothing ever worked to open the door or wall or whatever it was.

After a moment, Alana removed her wand and stood up. They really didn't have much time before curfew. She looked at the older boy, leaning against the wall as she did. Her red eyes took him in for the millionth time tonight, still unable to believe that she'd managed to keep his interest for so long. The fourteen year old had never tested her femininity out to such a degree and found that she rather enjoyed it all, the dancing, the talking. All of it. She knew it was made better by the company she'd had. She didn't think she would have enjoyed herself as much with some of the other boys that she knew. Boys in her year were so stupid. "Pretty interesting, right?" she finally stated, hoping he did find it interesting.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew was actually quite impressed with himself when he noticed the deep blush on the girls cheeks, it was so deep it almost matched her eyes. He had never made anyone blush before, at least not until tonight so he considered it a victory. He wondered if she was now thinking what he had been ever since they walked past the couple huddled in the shadows. Admittedly he was trying his hardest not to think about it, but it wasn't easy. It was the first time Matthew had been in such a position, he had never been able to hold the interest of a girl for so long, ever since he got her out onto the dance floor he had been in uncharted territory and was improvising. He'd never admit it but a few of the moves he had used tonight he had stolen from movies, right down to slipping his jacket onto the girls shoulders and walking with her arm in arm.

After saying that he couldn't see anything the girl placed her wand under the door and lit up the inside partly. Matthew once again pressed his eye to the hole where the handle should have been. The room inside was dusty and it was clear there was much more to it than what was lit up, Matthew wondered how far back the room stretched. "That is, amazing, a whole room just sealed off with no explanation. Only at Hogwarts," Matthew smiled, Hogwarts was filled with little mysteries but he had never seen or heard of anything like this room before. "It sure is interesting, I've never seen anything like it," Matthew got to his feet, the girl was now leaning against the wall looking up at him. Matthew leaned his shoulder against the wall next to her and looked her over once again. Matthew had lost count of how many times he had looked at the girl head to toe, he couldn't believe how beautiful she was and couldn't help but wonder what she was doing with someone like him. "The same goes for you, I can honestly say I have never met anyone like you," He smiled making contact with those piercing red eyes knowing that soon she would have to disappear into the Slytherin common room. He had no idea if he would see her again.

 

[Alana Finch]

As Matthew stood up straight and leaned on the wall beside her, Alana couldn't help but feel low they were sharing another moment like the one they'd shared when she'd nearly fallen on her face on the dance floor. At least she thought they had shared a moment then. She really didn't know about any of this having never been in this sort of position before. All the Slytherin girl knew was that it had been a very good evening, one of the best she'd had. It was definitely better than any other moments she'd had this semester. She ducked her head, her eyes dropping for a moment before she caught his gaze again. Alana had never been complimented so much before, and she was really enjoying it all. The area where they were was fairly quiet, the only sounds coming from the couple that was only a short way from them. Alana was trying her best to forget they were there, but it was hard to do that.

"I'm glad that I banged into you, Matthew" she responded boldly, a smile on her face. The teenager couldn't have imagined the night going now perfectly, and even though she had been embarrassed at first, she was now glad that had happened. She wouldn't have spoken to him otherwise. She was sure of it. Even now, she couldn't believe that she was speaking with him. Alana mostly kept to herself, her teammates and only a few other third years were her only acquaintances. Hearing more noise coming from the direction of her common room, Alana glanced over the teen's shoulder. "I...I think I should get going back to my common room." She really didn't want to get on Styx's bad side, especially since he'd let her get away with being out past curfew once. "I had a lot of fun tonight" she stated as she moved from the wall and went to rush past him. Then, she remembered she had his jacket and paused to take it off, holding it out to him with one hand. "Thanks again."

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew could feel the night coming to close as much as it pained him to admit it. He could hear the sound of Slytherin students dying down as most of the vanished into the common room to make the curfew. He wanted to keep the girl all to himself for just a little while longer, but he knew who her head of house was and wouldn't risk putting her on his bad side. As he leaned against the cold stone of the dungeon he looked into the piercing red eyes of the girl in front of him and he knew they were having another moment. Like the one they had on the dance floor, when she tripped over her own heel and Matthew had to drop to catch her. It had been something out of a high school prom movie, some of which Matthew had watched hundreds of times but never thought he would be living in one. There were times when he thought he might be going over bored with the compliments he was paying her, but then he remembered that he could wake up the next morning and never see this girl again. With that in mind he was going to tell her everything that popped into his head while he had the chance.

"I'm really glad you banged into me too, though I did apologise for being in your way even though it was totally your fault, but I guess I'm just a gentleman," Matthew smiled at her. He was still amazed that she had referred to him as gentlemanly. It wasn't something he ever considered himself to be, he always thought he was normal or at the very least a little weird. Then his stomach hit the floor when she said that she should be getting back to the common room. She even bolted off the wall and made her way past him before realising she still had his jacket on. She made to pass it to him, Matthew took it opened it up and placed it back on her shoulders. "Keep it, you can give it back next time you see me," He smiled brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Looking in to her red eyes he realised that this was his last chance to do what he had wanted to do all night. Matthew let his fingers trail down her cheek and cup her face and he leaned in to kiss her.

 

[Alana Finch]

When Matthew took his jacket, Alana was about to bolt away in spite of not really wanting to. Styx was a great motivator though. It turned out that a cute guy was a motivator to forget all of the rules. As Matthew placed the jacket back on her shoulders, Alana reached her hand up to make sure it didn't fall off of her shoulders. She beamed, happy that he might want to see her again. That he might be saying it in the heat of the moment never struck her. The teenager had never experienced heartbreak or disappointment from a guy, so she trusted that he meant what he said. "O...ok" she stuttered as he brushed a strand of hair off of her face.

They were standing close, almost as close as that couple had been. Even Alana knew what this meant. She braced herself, fear and longing to be right filling her, in the seconds before he leaned down, his lips drawing closer and closer to her face. Alana realized just how crazy she looked, heels and her wand wrapped in one fist and her other arm holding onto the jacket for dear life. Her eyes widened slightly before closing of their own accord just as their lips connected. The kiss was short and sweet, the moment over before she could truly appreciate that this was her first kiss. The teenager was speechless for a moment and then blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Good night, Matthew." The words were delivered with calm, though inside she was freaking out. Alana jogged away quickly not knowing what else to do, what else to say. She stopped just before she went around the corner that would lead to her common room, thinking of something else to say. "Alana. That's my name" she added before turning the corner and running full speed into the common room.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

It was all over too quickly for Matthew. He had no concept of how long a kiss should last given that it would be his first, not that he would ever admit that to anyone. Having your first kiss at sixteen was not something boys bragged about. He remembered closing his eyes just as the girl did the same, he remembered the feeling as their lips touched, it felt like there was a jolt of electricity running through him the likes he had never felt before. They seemed to naturally pull apart after what in Mathew's opinion was far too short. Then with a simple goodnight she bolted towards the common room. Some guys might have felt rejected by such a display but he knew better, breaking Styx's curfew was a terrifying thought and after practically ambushing her with the kiss she may have felt nervous or not known what to say and wanted to disappear before makibg herself look stupid.

For Matthew the key was that she had taken his jacket and seemed to have been clinging onto it for dear life. He took it as a sign that she planned on seeing him again. Matthew hoped that she would still like him away from the magic of the Yule ball. When he was in his uniform or his ratty old jeans not a finely pressed tux. Matthew was about to move and set offf back to the common room when the girl turned and finally told him her name. Alana. "I hope we bump into each other again Alana," he said with a smile before she bolted into the common room. Matthee put his hands in the pockets of his trousers and made his way out of the dungeon. Her name had been worth the wait, he liked the way it sounded as he spoke it. Alana. It fit her as much as a name could fit a person.

The only thought running through his mind as he emerged out of the dungeon was that he needed to see her again. It had been a magical night after all.