It’s been another week and Sage is almost done with her detentions. She has successfully hid her scars on her hand that now seems to never stop bleeding from all of her friends. 

Mattheo is slightly worried as she hasn’t been as talkative to the Gang. Whenever someone asks her about it she just says she tired and walks away. 

Sage is walking to her final detention when Mattheo cuts her off. 

“Oh, hello Mattheo,” she says walking past him. His face falls and he follows her. “Are you alright? You’ve been off lately,” Mattheo asks. 

She nods. “Ok, we’ll don’t forget the party tonight. Everyone’s coming so you better be there,” he says with a smile small. 

“I don’t know Mattheo. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I’m going to be late for detention,” she said walking off leaving a defeated Mattheo. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Before you get started, Sage, I wanted to speak to you about something,” Umbridge says with a devious smile. 

“I have done a history check on you and it seems you have some family issues, is this correct?” Sage’s eyes widen as she has never told anyone about her family. 

“Where’d did you-“ she began but Umbridge cut her off. 

“That doesn’t matter. But I just so happen to know that today is a particularly special day for you, yes?” 

Sage’s eyes start to tear up and she says sharply, “you have no right to any of that information.” 

“Your little brother, what’s his name again? Salem,” Umbridge asks tilting her head. “How long has it been since he died?”

As soon as she said that Sage stood up and ran from the room. She didn’t know where she was going but she didn’t care. 

Soon enough Sage got tired of running and went to the common room. Completely forgetting about the party, she was shocked to see so many Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins all in one room together. 

“Sage, you made it,” exclaims Hermione with Harry and Ron following her. “Mattheo said you probably wouldn’t show up for awhile because of Umbridge. Are you ok, your eyes look a little red,” Harry said. 

She nods and says, “I’m going to go find the Gang. See you.”

She looks around for awhile befor spotting Mattheo on a couch. Next to him, is a Gryffindor girl who seems to be flirting. 

Slightly taken aback, Sage walks away and comes across a table filled with punch that is obviously spiked.

She shrugs and fills a cup, downing it. She spots Pansy dancing with Draco a bit away and decides to find Lorenzo. 

Filling another cup to the rim, she finds him talking to a Ravenclaw and Lorenzo waves her over. 

“Hey! That was a quick detention. Glad you could come,” he said. She smiles and takes a big sip from her cup. 

“You may want to go easy on that. The Weasley twins poured a whole thing of Fire whiskey in the punch bowl.”

“Come on it’s a party! We should be having fun,” Sage exclaims. She has never drank a day in her life, so this was a new experience for her. 

Shes experienced first hand the effects getting drunk cause. She wanted to forget about her little brother’s death and the thought of Mattheo with another girl, for some reason. 

Lorenzo looks at her worried for a minute before smiling. They start dancing together and not too far away is a jealous Mattheo watching them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soon enough, Sage was full blown drunk and dancing her heart out to the blaring music. It’s around eleven o’clock now and Mattheo has had enough once he sees a guy from Ravenclaw come over and try to dance with Sage. 

“Ok, I think you’ve had enough to drink tonight,” Mattheo says trying to take a cup that she is trying to fill away from her. 

“Hey give that back,” she slurs trying to reach it. He shakes his head and says, “Sage, you’re drunk. You need to go to bed.”

“You can’t tell me what to do you’re not my boyfriend.” He looks slightly hurt at this. 

 The Ravenclaw walks to them and says, “she’s right. Get out of here, if she wants to party let her.” He puts his arm around her but she looks uncertain. 

“Don’t touch her,” Mattheo says pushing him. “What are you going to do, huh? Curse me,” he laughs looking back and forth at his friends. 

“No. But I’m going to do this.” And Mattheo punches him in the face, knocking him down. 

After the Ravenclaw runs away with his friends following, Sage rolls her eyes and grabs another cup filled with punch. 

“I’m serious, you need to stop,” Mattheo says trying to grab the cup. 

“No! You aren’t the only one who can have fun, with your arm around another girl, all flirty and happy and having fun! I’m gonna drink if I want and you can’t stop me! Just because you seem so happy without a care in the world doesn’t mean everyone else is! Did you ever stop to think that maybe I’m doing this to actually be happy for once! My little brother died, a year ago from today and I don’t want to remember that! I don’t want to have to sit and think that I could’ve stopped it from happening! So yes, I’m going to get as drunk as I can, because that’s better than feeling anything!”

Everyone gets silent and Mattheo looks at her with surprise and sadness. 

“I-I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” he says stepping towards her. Sage puts the cup down and walks away with Mattheo following her. 

“Sage, just wait a minute! Talk to me. I can maybe help you.” She turns around making him stop in his tracks. 

“How, Mattheo? How can you help me? You can’t bring him back. Nothing can! And it’s all my fault! If I had just stopped my mother then he would still be here! He was six,” she exclaims crying. 

Mattheo walks toward her and envelopes her in hug. “He’s dead and it’s all my fault,” she sobs. 

“It’s going to be ok. I promise. Let’s get you to bed,” he says picking her up bridal style and taking her to his dorm. 

Mattheo lays her down on his bed and sits next to her. “Do you want to talk about? It’s ok if not.”

“My mother’s an alcoholic and is very abusive. Usually she would take her anger out on me but one day my brother got tired of it and walked in front of me as she shot a curse. Salem was only six and his body couldn’t handle the pain,” Sage says putting her hands to her eyes. 

“If I made sure Salem wasn’t in the room, then he would still be here.”

“No, Sage that is not your fault. No one should ever have to go through that. Especially not you,” he says. 

“I’m sorry I screamed at you,” Sage says. Mattheo shakes his head, “it’s ok. But, right now you need sleep,” he says standing up about to walk away. 

“Please don’t leave. Stay with me,” she says grabbing his hand. “Ok.”

He climbs into his bed next to her and asks, “are you sure you’re ok with this?”

In response, Sage cuddles into his side and soon falls asleep.