Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Nine - Hogsmeade

Word Count: 3,300.

Warnings: None.

It had been a week since the Boggart in the wardrobe. No one had talked about or mentioned the events of the class since it happened. It seemed that the entire year had forgotten about the creature. It was an odd situation, the Boggart. Stories usually spread like wildfire in Hogwarts, the repercussions hitting seconds after.

Even if it had spread throughout the school, no one had a chance of getting near me about it, Theo acting like a guard dog, staring down anyone who looked our way with any sort of question on their mind. He seemed more protective this year, and although it was a welcome change, it worried me.

"So, Hogsmeade?" Pansy proposed as we walked down the corridor. Double Care of Magical Creatures had just finished, ending another week at Hogwarts.

"I swear I was going to rip my eyes out if I had to listen to that oaf go on about Flobberworms again." Draco spat, ignoring Pansy's words. She looked at him with a hurt expression.

"Yes Pansy. We'll go to Hogsmeade," I answered her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"He ignored me," she muttered, "the motherfucker!"

I giggled lightly as she left my grasp, walking up to Draco with her book outstretched. The unsuspecting blonde jumped when the hard cover of our Care of Magical Creature's book came into contact with his head.

"They act like children." Mattheo muttered from my left, matching his pace with mine.

"We are Riddle," I answered, turning to look at him. "We are children."

Pansy was now on Draco's back as she repeatedly hit his head with her book. He was swatting behind him, as if she was a fly surrounding his head. Blaise and Theo were conversing with each other a couple of steps from the fighting, their focus away from them entirely. 

"Should we break it up?" Mattheo asked, his hands in the front pockets of his robes.

That was another thing that had changed. Mattheo had become more relaxed, becoming accustomed to the school. Taking my advice, he now ignored the looks and insults that were thrown his way. In the walk from Care of Magical Creatures to the end of the corridor, I had seen at least five students looking the boy beside me up and down. He hadn't looked at any of them. Mattheo Riddle was an official member of our Slytherin gang.

"Do you want Pansy to scratch your eyes out?" I replied with a question, earning a stern shake of his head.

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It was late Saturday morning before I decided to peel myself off the covers of my bed. After persistent muttering from Pansy about how I was 'too lazy,' 'anti-social' and a bunch of words that probably shouldn't be repeated, I finally awoke from my slumber but the truth was, I hadn't slept at all.

Taking my permission slip for Hogsmeade out of the suitcase I had yet to unpack, I was reminded of our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

I hadn't talked to him since 'the argument,' if you could call it that. I had attended all of our DADA classes but hadn't had a direct conversation with him in 8 days and counting. Moony had signed the permission slip weeks before school started, knowing that the both of us would have forgotten about it by the time the 1st of September rolled around. We had.

The mirror in front of me was of the same height, a perfect inverted image of me. A perfect copy of the girl I was, but one without the fear.

He had reached out towards me, his blood-encrusted hand reaching to corrupt mine. He was smiling at me. I had only noticed that when the Boggart disappeared. It was clear as day that my fear was Sirius Black. Was it?