『 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲 』

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗇𝗂𝗇𝖾- 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘴

"HERE YOU GO," whispered Callista Riddle, giving her son a wrapped gift.

8-year-old Alex Riddle looked at his mother, his eyes widening in excitement. "What is it?"

"You've got to promise me that you'll open it when you get your school letter."

"Why not now, mum?" frowned the little boy, excitement vanishing.

Callista smiled softly, pushing her blonde hair back. "Because I said so. Now, it's late. You've got to go to bed and sleep."

His smile returned when she kissed his head and put her hands on his cheeks, looking at her son fondly. "Okay, mum."

Alex Riddle sprung from his bed with widened eyes. He let out a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes, trying to comprehend what he just dreamt about.

It wasn't exactly a dream. When Alex was 8, that actually happened; his mother gave him a wrapped box, told him not to open it until he would get his school letter, kissed his head, and told him to go to bed.

As he opened his eyes, it landed on a box in the corner of the room; he never bothered to open it.

"Mother would be disappointed," mumbled Alex bitterly.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then walked to the corner of the room, grabbing the box.

Staring at it for a little too long, Alex finally started to open it.

A letter and a bracelet fell out.

He grabbed the letter, opening it immediately:
'The bracelet was your father's.
For you to have a piece of him through your school journey.'

The boy frowned, eyes reluctantly tearing up. "It's not his piece I want."

But he still put the bracelet around his wrist.

«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»

Alex looked up from the trunk he was packing when his dormitory's door slammed open, a frantic Draco rushing inside.

"I almost killed her," said Draco with widened eyes.

Alex's eyebrows rose. He waved his wrist, wandlessly closing the door, and stood up, walking over to the boy. "Who, Draco?"

"I— I didn't mean to! She was supposed to give it to Dumbledore! Not wear it herself!"

"Draco."

"And— and then she was suddenly in the air— and she was screaming! And I— I.."

"You ran?" asked the boy.

Draco nodded slowly. "The first thing I thought of was telling you."

Alex cleared his throat a few seconds later, then motioned for Draco to sit down. "Who did you almost kill?" He asked when the boy sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Katie Bell."

"How and why?"

"I had this cursed necklace. I put the imperius curse on her. She was supposed to give the necklace to Dumbledore, but that dumb Gryffindor wore it herself. Alex," Draco's eyes widened with fear again. "I almost killed a completely innocent person."

"It wasn't your fault, Draco—"

"It was."

Alex sighed, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to the boy. "It might help," he shrugged, not knowing how else to comfort the boy.

Draco took it, then frowned. "How am I supposed to do this, again?"

"You're supposed to light it up first."

The blond raised an eyebrow.

Alex pulled out a lighter from his pocket. "Put the cigarette in between your lips."

Draco did so.

The other boy sat down next to him, touching Draco's jaw softly, lighting up the cigarette for him.

Alex's blue eyes landed on Draco's grey ones, both of them looking at each other.

Alex immediately let go of Draco's jaw and stood up. "Then you inhale and exhale," he instructed, lips quirking when Draco coughed. "You'll get used to it."

Draco sighed, the cigarette now in between his fingers. "What am I supposed to do, Alex?"

"Kill Dumbledore with the killing spell."

"I can't do that," he shook his head. "You have to mean it when you use that spell."

"Practice it," shrugged Alex, walking back to his half-filled trunk.

"Alex.."

"I can't, Draco."

"Please," begged the boy desperately. "One more time."

"I can't help you again."

"He won't know—"

"I said I can't!" Alex repeated louder. "Why don't you get that?!"

Draco's shoulders slumped. He let out a shaky breath. "I don't want to kill someone," he whispered, not turning around to look at the other boy. "I don't want to kill anyone."

"Get fucking used to it," snapped Alex without looking at him, closing his trunk.

Standing up, Draco wordlessly walked out of the room, then stopped by the doorway. "Thank you for the cigarette," he looked at him, making eye contact with the other boy. "And for lighting it up."