Partner X Mattheo Riddle
MasterList
Harry Potter Universe Masterlist
Monday, 19:27 Y/N: Hey partner.
Mattheo: Partner?
Y/N: Potions partner, Riddle. unless youāve got another one hidden somewhere?
Mattheo: Iām aware. What do you want?
Y/N: Merlin, straight to the point arenāt you. just checking weāre still good for tomorrowās brewing.
Mattheo: We are. Donāt be late.
Y/N: Donāt boss me about, dark prince.
Mattheo: Donāt call me that.
Y/N: noted, dark prince. see you tomorrow xx
He didnāt reply. Typical. I laughed, tossing my phone on my bed. For someone who looked like heād stepped out of a gothic painting, Mattheo Riddle took himself very seriously.
Tuesday, 21:02 Y/N: canāt believe you corrected Slughorn today. thought his moustache was going to fall off in shock.
Mattheo: He was wrong.
Y/N: yeah but you didnāt have to humiliate the man.
Mattheo: I didnāt. I educated him.
Y/N: remind me never to get on your bad side.
Mattheo: I already knew that.
Y/N: smug git.
He didnāt answer again. I rolled my eyes, but I was grinning. There was something about his short replies that made me want to poke until he cracked.
Friday, 18:10 Y/N: how do you manage to get perfect draught consistency every time?
Mattheo: Patience. Focus.
Y/N: lies. dark magic.
Mattheo: Believe what you want.
Y/N: oh i will. next time Iāll bring garlic and a wooden stake.
Mattheo: Wrong mythology, Black.
Y/N: oh, so you do have a sense of humour.
Mattheo: Donāt push your luck.
I smiled down at the screen, weirdly pleased with myself. One small crack in the marble statue that was Mattheo Riddle.
Sunday, 20:53 Y/N: revision night. you revising?
Mattheo: I donāt need to.
Y/N: ok, genius. care to tutor your humble potions partner?
Mattheo: I doubt youāre humble about anything.
Y/N: fair. but Iām charming, which is basically the same thing.
Mattheo: Debatable.
Y/N: admit it, youād miss me if I stopped texting.
Mattheo: You think highly of yourself.
Y/N: I do. itās part of my charm.
No reply. I threw a pillow at the wall. āStone-hearted snake,ā I muttered, even as my phone buzzed again a moment later.
Mattheo: Donāt fail tomorrow. I donāt partner with idiots.
Y/N: wow, so encouraging. Iāll try not to let my idiocy shine through.
Mattheo: Good.
I was fairly sure that was his version of affection.
Weeks passed like that. Teasing, pushing, small exchanges that grew longer, warmer. He started initiating sometimes usually with something snide, but it counted.
Thursday, 22:15 Mattheo: Slughorn asked if weāre dating.
Y/N: what did you say?
Mattheo: That Iād rather be poisoned.
Y/N: how romantic.
Mattheo: I try.
Y/N: careful, Riddle, that almost sounded like flirting.
Mattheo: Donāt get used to it.
Y/N: too late. screenshotting this moment in my heart.
He sent a single eye-roll emoji. Progress.
Then came that night.
Saturday, 23:41 Y/N: hiiiiiiiiiii
Mattheo: Black?
Y/N: yeah. thatās me. black by name, gryffindor by chaos.
Mattheo: Are you drunk?
Y/N: noooooo. maybe. little bit. not drunk just⦠hydrating. with firewhisky.
Mattheo: Brilliant. Where are you?
Y/N: at the party. common roomās a riot. i danced with a lampshade. she was lovely.
Mattheo: You shouldnāt be texting me.
Y/N: why?
Mattheo: Because youāll regret it when youāre sober.
Y/N: doubtful. i like talking to you. you pretend to hate it but you like me.
Mattheo: Youāre delusional.
Y/N: tell me iām wrong.
He didnāt reply for a while. I stared at the phone, blinking through the haze. Then it buzzed.
Mattheo: Go get some water.
Y/N: yes sir.
Mattheo: Donāt call me sir either.
Y/N: fine, my lord.
Mattheo: Y/N.
Y/N: what.
Mattheo: Are you alone?
Y/N: ummm not exactly. people everywhere.
Mattheo: I mean, are you safe?
Y/N: course i am.
Mattheo: I donāt believe you.
Y/N: you worrying about me, Riddle?
Mattheo: Someone has to.
I frowned at the message. That didnāt sound like his usual smug tone. I was about to type something teasing when a hand landed on my shoulder.
Some drunk older Slytherin whoād crashed the Gryffindor party Cavan, I think...leaned too close. I could smell the mead on his breath.
āCome dance.ā
I tried to laugh him off, stepping back, but he followed.
My phone buzzed again.
Mattheo: Y/N?
Y/N: yeah. fine.
Mattheo: You donāt sound fine.
Y/N: iām okay just some guy being weird.
Mattheo: Name.
Y/N: doesnāt matter.
Mattheo: Name.
I hesitated, then typed:
Y/N: Cavan something. tall, dumb, thinks heās gods gift.
Three dots blinked. Then...
Mattheo: Where are you exactly?
Y/N: common room but iāll just go upstairs. iām fine, really.
Mattheo: Stay where you are.
Y/N: no need to make a big deal
He called me. I stared at the screen, heart racing. Then picked up.
āMattheo?ā
āWhere are you?ā His voice was low, sharp, like a blade drawn quietly.
āBy the couch wait, how do you even plan to...ā
āIām on my way.ā
āWhat? Youāre coming here? you lunatic!ā
He hung up.
Ten minutes later, while I was trying to convince Cavan to get out of my space, the portrait hole swung open.
Mattheo Riddle, looking very out of place in Gryffindor red light and drunken noise, stormed in. Heads turned. Conversations stopped.
He didnāt care. He went straight to me, grabbed my wrist gently but firmly, and glared at Cavan.
āShe said no.ā
Cavan muttered something about minding his own business.
āTry me,ā Mattheo said, eyes cold.
Cavan backed off. Everyone pretended not to stare as Mattheo guided me out of the room, hand at the small of my back.
He didnāt speak until we reached the corridor.
āWhat were you thinking?ā
āI wasnāt,ā I mumbled. āI was drinking.ā
āClearly.ā
āWhyād you come?ā
āYou texted me.ā
āI texted you loads before. You never came running then.ā
He looked away, jaw tight. āThat was different.ā
āHow?ā
He exhaled sharply. āBecause this time, you sounded scared.ā
My heart stuttered. I didnāt know what to say. He looked furious but not at me. Protective fury. The kind that made your stomach twist in strange ways.
āIām fine,ā I whispered.
āYouāre not,ā he said quietly. āYou think being Sirius Blackās daughter makes you untouchable. It doesnāt.ā
āYeah? And being Voldemortās son makes you what, exactly?ā
He flinched. The words hung heavy in the air.
āI didnāt mean...ā
āYeah, you did.ā
āNo, I...Mattheo, Iām sorry.ā
He shook his head. āGo to bed, Y/N.ā
He walked away before I could answer.
The next morning, my head was pounding. I dragged myself to Potions, dreading seeing him.
He was already there, sitting at our table, arms folded.
āMorning,ā I said cautiously.
He looked up. āYouāre alive.ā
āBarely.ā
āYouāre an idiot.ā
āThanks, I feel the love.ā
āIām serious.ā
āSo am I. You worry too much.ā
He sighed. āDonāt do that again.ā
I leaned on the table, smirking. āDonāt what? Go to parties? Or text you when Iām drunk?ā
āBoth.ā
āBut if I hadnāt, Cavan mightāve...ā
āI know.ā His jaw clenched. āThatās why you donāt do it again.ā
āBecause you care,ā I teased.
He didnāt rise to it. Just stared at the cauldron, the muscles in his jaw working.
āMattheo,ā I said softly. āYou do care.ā
He glanced at me, eyes tired but warm in a way I hadnāt seen before. āOf course I do, you idiot.ā
That shut me up.
He smirked faintly. āFinally, silence.ā
I laughed. āDonāt get used to it.ā
He looked at me then, properly, and for the first time, his smile wasnāt cruel or guarded. It was small. Real.
āWouldnāt dream of it,ā he murmured.
Later that night, 21:17 Y/N: so iām your favourite idiot then?
Mattheo: Donāt push it.
Y/N: come on, you care. you admitted it.
Mattheo: Temporary lapse in judgement.
Y/N: liar.
Mattheo: Go to sleep, Black.
Y/N: you first, dark prince.
Mattheo: Still not funny.
Y/N: still adorable when you pretend you donāt like me.
Mattheo: Goodnight.
Y/N: goodnight, Mattheo.
Monday, 16:35 Mattheo: Slughorn paired us again for the new project.
Y/N: he knows chemistry when he sees it ;)
Mattheo: Iāll poison you.
Y/N: kinky.
Mattheo: Youāre insufferable.
Y/N: you love it.
Three dots blinked, stopped, blinked again.
Mattheo: Maybe I do.
I stared at the message for a long time, heartbeat echoing in my ears. Then I smiled, typing back with shaking fingers.
Y/N: finally, some honesty. took you long enough.
Mattheo: Donāt make me regret it.
Y/N: too late. youāre stuck with me now.
Mattheo: Merlin help me.
Y/N: he wonāt. he ships it.
I tossed my phone aside and fell back on my bed, grinning so wide it hurt.
Mattheo Riddle. The boy whoād built walls higher than Hogwarts itself. And somehow, Iād found the door.
Friday, 22:04 Y/N: what are you doing?
Mattheo: Reading.
Y/N: boring.
Mattheo: Peaceful.
Y/N: wanna come to the tower? not a party, just⦠stars and stuff.
Mattheo: You mean stargazing?
Y/N: yeah. Iāll bring snacks.
He took a while to respond. Long enough that I assumed he wasnāt coming.
Then...
Mattheo: Ten minutes.
Y/N: knew you couldnāt resist me.
Mattheo: Shut up.
Y/N: canāt. too busy falling for you.
Mattheo: ā¦youāre impossible.
Y/N: and yet youāre still coming.
Ten minutes later, he was there. No phone needed. Just him, quiet under the stars, sitting beside me.
We didnāt talk much that night. Didnāt need to. His hand brushed mine once, then stayed there.
I looked over at him, his face silvered in moonlight.
āSee,ā I whispered. āTold you youād like me eventually.ā
He smirked. āI never said I didnāt.ā
And that was that. No grand declaration, no dramatic confession. Just his hand in mine, warm and steady, like a promise.
Sunday, 10:12 Y/N: morning, riddle. still thinking about our late-night astronomy lesson?
Mattheo: You mean when you fell asleep halfway through my explanation of the Andromeda constellation?
Y/N: correction: fell asleep on your shoulder.
Mattheo: My shoulder still hurts.
Y/N: liar. you loved it.
Mattheo: Maybe I did.
Y/N: careful, Riddle. keep being soft and people will talk.
Mattheo: Let them.
I grinned at the screen, cheeks warm. Who knew the dark prince had a heart after all?
It had been weeks since the stargazing night, and everything between us had⦠shifted. He still pretended to be stoic, still rolled his eyes at my jokes, but he smiled more now. Proper smiles. The kind that crept up on him before he could stop them.
We still hadnāt put a label on whatever this was, but there was an unspoken understanding between us. Heād wait for me outside class, Iād save him a seat in Potions. If anyone made a snide remark about his family name, Iād glare daggers until they shut up. And if someone so much as looked at me the wrong way, Mattheoās stare alone would do the job.
Wednesday, 19:02 Y/N: you know you have a resting murder face right?
Mattheo: Excuse me?
Y/N: today in class that Hufflepuff boy asked to borrow my quill and you looked ready to hex him into another dimension.
Mattheo: He was staring at you.
Y/N: thatās what people do when theyāre talking, riddle.
Mattheo: He was staring too long.
Y/N: possessive much?
Mattheo: Cautious.
Y/N: protective, you mean. admit it.
Mattheo: ā¦Maybe.
Y/N: Merlin, look at you catching feelings.
Mattheo: Donāt push it, Black.
Y/N: too late. i live to push it.
Heād grown softer in little ways. Bringing me tea when I was late to breakfast. Pretending to grumble when I dragged him out for walks by the lake. But then, there were moments when that cold, dangerous Riddle edge came back and it was always when someone else hovered too close.
Iād been sitting in the library, revising, when a Slytherin boy named Callum leaned over the back of my chair.
āBlack,ā he said smoothly, āYule Ball date is being announced soon. You got a date?ā
I snorted. āPlanning to take pity on me, are you?ā
āThinking about it,ā he said with a grin. āCould be fun.ā
Before I could reply, a shadow fell across us.
āFind someone else, Callum.ā
Mattheo. He stood behind me, arms folded, jaw set.
Callum raised his eyebrows. āDidnāt realise she was taken.ā
āSheās not,ā Mattheo said evenly. āBut sheās not interested either.ā
Callum smirked. āHow do you know?ā
āBecause I said so.ā
I rolled my eyes and tugged on Mattheoās sleeve. āDown, boy.ā
He shot me a glare, but Callum got the message and left.
Once he was gone, I whispered, āYou canāt just threaten every boy who talks to me.ā
āI didnāt threaten him.ā
āYou said, because I said so. Thatās basically a threat.ā
He looked away. āHe shouldnāt assume things.ā
I crossed my arms, teasing. āWhat things? That I might go with someone who isnāt you?ā
He stiffened. āExactly.ā
I smiled softly. āYou do realise you sound jealous.ā
āIām not jealous.ā
āUh-huh. And Iām not a Black.ā
He glared, but the corner of his mouth twitched. āYouāre insufferable.ā
āAnd yet you like me anyway.ā
He didnāt deny it this time.
Sunday, 08:01 Mattheo: Donāt forget your scarf today.
Y/N: wow, good morning to you too mum.
Mattheo: Itās snowing.
Y/N: you could just say āstay warmā like a normal person.
Mattheo: Stay warm.
Y/N: thank you, my sweet caring boyfriend.
Mattheo: Not your boyfriend.
Y/N: oh? tell that to everyone whoās seen you glowering at anyone within ten feet of me.
Mattheo: Thatās crowd control.
Y/N: sure, Riddle. whatever helps you sleep at night.
Mattheo: Youāre lucky youāre cute.
Y/N: finally he admits it.
Mattheo: Donāt let it get to your head.
A few nights later, I was curled up in bed, reading, when my phone buzzed.
Mattheo: Are you in the tower?
Y/N: yeah why?
Mattheo: Heard thereās going to be a snowstorm. Stay inside tonight.
Y/N: youāre like a weather prophet.
Mattheo: Just stay inside.
Y/N: are you secretly the ministryās storm informant?
Mattheo: Y/N.
Y/N: fine, fine. iāll stay in.
Mattheo: Good.
Y/N: you really do worry too much.
Mattheo: Only about you.
My heart did an embarrassing little somersault.
Y/N: careful, Riddle. if you keep saying things like that, i might start believing you have feelings.
Mattheo: Maybe I do.
Y/N: oh merlin, stop being so soft, i canāt handle it.
Mattheo: Go to sleep.
Y/N: goodnight, my broody guardian angel.
Mattheo: Youāre impossible.
We fell into a rhythm. Witty texts, late-night walks, him pretending to be annoyed while making sure I ate breakfast, me pretending not to notice how his hand always brushed mine in the corridor.
We were something. Not quite a couple. Not quite just friends. Something in between - messy, magnetic, unspoken.
Then came the Yule Ball date announcement.
It was all anyone could talk about. Dresses, dates, decorations. Mattheo, predictably, acted as if he couldnāt care less.
Until I decided to tease him.
Wednesday, 17:30 Y/N: guess who got asked to the Yule Ball ;)
Mattheo: Who asked you?
Y/N: ooo straight to the point. jealous much?
Mattheo: Who.
Y/N: why, planning to hex him?
Mattheo: Possibly.
Y/N: relax, dark prince. itās just Callum.
Mattheo: The same Callum I told to stay away from you?
Y/N: the very one.
Mattheo: And you said yes?
Y/N: well you didnāt ask me first, did you?
Mattheo: Thatās not the point.
Y/N: actually, it kind of is.
Three dots blinked on and off for ages before his next message came through.
Mattheo: You shouldnāt have said yes.
Y/N: why not? you didnāt exactly stake a claim.
Mattheo: Because he doesnāt deserve to take you.
Y/N: and you do?
Mattheo: Yes.
I blinked at my screen, my heart racing.
Y/N: then why didnāt you ask me, idiot?
No reply.
I threw my phone onto my bed, groaning. The boy could be a genius in Potions but an utter disaster with emotions.
The next morning, he was waiting outside the Great Hall. Leaning against the wall, arms folded, hair slightly mussed.
I stopped in front of him. āAre you planning to scowl me into submission?ā
āMaybe,ā he said quietly. āDid you mean what you said?ā
āAbout what?ā I asked, feigning innocence.
āThat I shouldāve asked you.ā
I smirked. āOf course I meant it. What, you thought I wanted to go with Callum for his riveting personality?ā
He looked down, jaw tight. āThen donāt go with him.ā
āMattheo.ā
āIām serious, Y/N.ā His voice was low, tense. āHeās not..heāll try something, and Iāll end up hexing him.ā
āYou canāt fight everyone who looks at me, you know.ā
āI can try.ā
I sighed. āYouāre ridiculous.ā
He met my eyes then, and all the sharp edges in his face softened. āMaybe. But Iām yours anyway.ā
The words hung between us, fragile and heavy all at once.
āYou canāt say things like that and expect me not to melt,ā I said quietly.
He smiled faintly. āThen donāt melt. Just say youāll go with me.ā
I folded my arms, pretending to think. āHmm. I donāt know. You did kind of blow your chance the first time.ā
He took a step closer, his breath warm against my ear. āDonāt make me beg.ā
āBegging would be a good start,ā I teased, though my heart was thundering.
He smirked. āFine. Please, Y/N Black, go to the Yule Ball with me before I lose my mind.ā
I grinned. āThere it is. Knew you had it in you.ā
āSo thatās a yes?ā
āOf course itās a yes. But you owe me a dance for every day you made me wait.ā
He chuckled, shaking his head. āYouāre impossible.ā
āAnd yet you like me anyway.ā
āYeah,ā he murmured. āI really do.ā
Later that night, 22:16 Y/N: so i officially dumped callum.
Mattheo: Good.
Y/N: youāre not even going to pretend you feel bad for him?
Mattheo: No.
Y/N: savage.
Mattheo: He shouldnāt have asked you in the first place.
Y/N: you really are jealous, arenāt you?
Mattheo: Maybe.
Y/N: itās weirdly hot.
Mattheo: Stop.
Y/N: canāt. i thrive on your emotional discomfort.
Mattheo: One of these days, Black, youāre going to drive me mad.
Y/N: already have. thatās why you asked me to the ball ;)
Mattheo: Youāre lucky I like you.
Y/N: correction: you adore me.
Mattheo: Debatable.
Y/N: liar. see you tomorrow, dark prince.
Mattheo: Sweet dreams, trouble.
When the night of the Yule Ball arrived, he was waiting at the bottom of the stairs in a black suit that fit too well for my sanity.
He looked up as I descended, his usual sarcasm replaced by something else - something soft, awed.
āWow,ā he murmured.
āCareful, Riddle,ā I teased. āYouāre dangerously close to a compliment.ā
He smirked. āYou look beautiful.ā
āOkay, now youāre just showing off.ā
He offered his arm. āReady, trouble?ā
āAlways.ā
We danced. And for the first time, he wasnāt brooding or guarded he laughed, properly laughed, head tilted back as I spun too fast and nearly fell into him.
At some point during the night, his fingers brushed mine, then stayed there.
āYou know,ā I said softly, āfor someone who doesnāt do labels, youāre very good at acting like a boyfriend.ā
He smiled down at me. āAnd youāre very good at acting like you donāt love it.ā
TouchƩ.
Sunday, 11:27 Y/N: last night was perfect. even though you almost tripped over your own feet.
Mattheo: I was distracted.
Y/N: by what?
Mattheo: You.
Y/N: smooth.
Mattheo: I try.
Y/N: donāt let it go to your head.
Mattheo: Too late.
Y/N: so⦠what are we then?
He didnāt answer straight away. I watched the dots blink on and off, my stomach twisting.
Finally...
Mattheo: Whatever we are, I donāt want it to end.
Y/N: good answer, Riddle.
Mattheo: Now stop overthinking.
Y/N: fine. but only because you looked stupidly good last night.
Mattheo: You looked better.
Y/N: okay, who kidnapped Mattheo Riddle and replaced him with this flirt?
Mattheo: Maybe he finally stopped pretending.
Y/N: i like this version.
Mattheo: So do I.
And that was it. No label. No definition. Just us bickering, laughing, learning each otherās edges and soft spots.
Mattheo Riddle: the boy who swore he didnāt care. And me: the girl who made him admit that he did.
Mattheo: Canāt meet tonight. Fatherās got me doing something.
Y/N: āDoing somethingā sounds ominous. You robbing Gringotts or just terrorising first-years again?
Mattheo: Ha. Something like that.
Y/N:Be careful, yeah?
Mattheo: Always am.
Except he wasnāt.
At first, I told myself it was fine. That he was just busy. That whatever dark tangle his family had him in, it would pass. But as the weeks went by, the messages grew shorter, his replies later, his tone distant.
He stopped sitting next to me in Potions. He stopped waiting outside the Great Hall. He stopped⦠showing up.
And I hated that I noticed.
Days turned to weeks, and my phone stayed stubbornly silent except for the occasional one-word reply that felt like a ghost of the boy Iād grown to know. I told myself not to care. That we werenāt official, that I had no real claim. But Merlin, try telling that to the ache in my chest every time I saw him laughing with his friends, pretending like nothing had changed.
Iād catch his eyes across the corridor sometimes, and for a split second, Iād swear I saw it that flicker of softness, of guilt. But then it would vanish, swallowed by that cold mask he wore so well.
So I laughed louder. Flirted harder. Pretended I didnāt care.
If he could disappear, then so could I.
āOi, Y/N, you coming to the courtyard?ā Blaise called, leaning against the doorframe. āEveryoneās out there apparently, someone bet Theo he couldnāt charm a broom to hover upside down.ā
I smiled. āIs that before or after he concusses himself?ā
āJuryās out.ā
I followed him, forcing the bounce in my step that had become my daily act. Out in the courtyard, laughter echoed, the autumn sun spilling across the cobblestones. I joined Pansy, who grinned wickedly.
āYouāve been getting quite a bit of attention lately,ā she said, sipping from her pumpkin juice. āFlintās been staring at you for ten minutes straight.ā
I rolled my eyes. āHeās staring at my sandwich, not me.ā
But she wasnāt wrong. People had started to notice. With Mattheo gone, there was no invisible barrier keeping anyone away. Iād spent months being āhisā without the label, without the protection of definition and now, apparently, I was fair game again.
Y/N: You alive? Havenāt seen you in forever.
Mattheo: Busy.
Y/N:Wow. The charm is dazzling tonight.
Mattheo: You donāt understand.
Y/N: Then help me. Make me understand.
Mattheo: I canāt.
That one hurt.
I stared at the screen until the words blurred, then typed something sarcastic...something flippant and deleted it before I sent it. What was the point?
I wasnāt going to beg for attention from someone who used to give it so freely.
It was late - curfew long gone when I found myself wandering toward the Astronomy Tower. The night air bit at my skin, but I liked it; it made me feel alive when everything else had gone numb.
I sat on the stone ledge, staring at the stars.
āThought Iād find you up here,ā a voice said behind me.
I turned not Mattheo. Crispin Flint. The boy Pansy had teased me about. Tall, broad, handsome in that arrogant sort of way.
āCareful,ā I said lightly. āYouāll ruin your bad-boy reputation if people catch you stargazing.ā
He smirked, sitting beside me. āDonāt tell anyone. Iāve got an image to maintain.ā
We talked. He flirted. I flirted back - a little too easily, maybe.
Because it was easier than thinking about the one person who wasnāt here.
The next morning, I didnāt even notice Mattheo until he slammed his fists down on my table.
āWell, look who decided to remember I exist,ā I said, forcing a smile. āShould I roll out a red carpet?ā
He ignored the jab. āWhatās going on with you and Flint?ā
I blinked. āExcuse me?ā
āDonāt play dumb,ā he snapped, voice low but sharp. āYou were out with him last night.ā
āYou mean I was out existing? Sorry, didnāt realise I needed to file for your approval.ā
āYou donāt need my approval,ā he said, eyes narrowing, ābut you donāt need to be so bloody attention-seeking either.ā
That one landed like a slap.
I froze, every bit of humour Iād armed myself with turning to ash in my throat.
āAttention-seeking?ā I repeated softly. āThatās rich, coming from someone who couldnāt even be bothered to look at me for two months.ā
He looked away, jaw tight. āYou donāt understand whatās been happening...ā
āBecause you wonāt tell me!ā The words burst out before I could stop them. āYou just⦠shut me out. No explanation. No goodbye. You made me feel like Iād done something wrong.ā
His eyes flicked up, guilt flashing there. āYou didnāt. You never did.ā
āThen why?ā I asked, voice cracking. āWhy did you pull away? I tried to be patient, Mattheo, I did. I told myself youād come back when you were ready. But watching you act like I didnāt matter...ā
I broke off, swallowing hard. My stupid voice was shaking.
He exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. āMy fatherās been⦠tightening his grip. There are things I canāt ignore anymore. Things heās making me do. I thought if I distanced myself, Iād protect you.ā
I laughed bitter and wet. āOh, brilliant. Because nothing says protection like breaking someoneās heart from a distance.ā
He looked pained. āI never wanted to hurt you.ā
āThen why does it feel like you have?ā
We stared at each other, the silence so thick it almost hummed. Around us, the Great Hall buzzed on laughter, clinking cutlery but it felt a million miles away.
āIām sorry,ā he said finally, voice barely above a whisper. āYouāre the best thing thatās ever happened to me, Y/N. You make everything⦠lighter. I didnāt think I deserved that. I still donāt.ā
āThen maybe stop trying to deserve it and just let yourself have it,ā I said, my voice trembling but steady. āBecause Iām right here, Mattheo. Iāve been here.ā
He reached across the table, fingers brushing mine.
āI donāt want to lose you,ā he murmured. āI canāt.ā
āThen fight for me.ā
Something in his expression cracked all the walls, all the guilt, all the darkness.
He stood, tugging me gently up with him. āCome with me.ā
He led me out of the Great Hall, down the corridors, into the quiet of the dungeons. We stopped outside the Slytherin common room, and before I could ask, he turned to face me eyes wild and desperate.
āIām done hiding,ā he said. āDone pretending you donāt mean everything to me. I want this... you. All of it. Officially. If youāll still have me.ā
For a second, I just stared torn between relief and disbelief.
āAre you sure?ā I whispered. āBecause if you disappear again...ā
āI wonāt,ā he cut in. āNot unless you tell me to.ā
I smiled a small, broken thing and stepped closer, resting a hand against his chest.
āYouāre an idiot,ā I said softly.
āI know.ā
And then he kissed me fierce, apologetic, real. All the words we hadnāt said pressed into the space between us.
When we broke apart, his forehead stayed against mine.
āGirlfriend,ā he whispered. āThatās what you are now. Mine.ā
āFinally,ā I breathed. āTook you long enough.ā
He laughed, that rare, genuine sound that made everything inside me feel warm again.
But even as I smiled, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered what happens when his darkness comes knocking again?
For now, though, I let it go.
Because for the first time in weeks, he was here. And so was I.
Mattheo: You asleep?
Y/N: Maybe. Why?
Mattheo: Just wanted to say goodnight to my girlfriend.
Y/N:Oh, thatās what I am now? Thought I was too attention-seeking.
Mattheo: Iām never living that down, am I?
Y/N: Not a chance.
Mattheo: Fair. You still love me, though.
Y/N:Unfortunately, yes.
Mattheo: Good. Because I love you too.
I smiled at the screen until my cheeks hurt.

















