Cigarettes [Mattheo Riddle]

the finale

author's note: i am so sorry i update once every few months. embers will not be like that. please play the song provided throughout <3

blaire awoke with a blotchy and sodden face. she had likely been crying all night. blaire lestrange had a premonition of warning in every bone of her body, every curve and indent of her skin, every crimson organ vibrating with the adrenaline. every path of her face, her eyes throbbing in paranoia.

the day on which she had fully recovered- her skin renewed, her body no longer nimble- was the day that draco malfoy was due to assassinate professor dumbledore. but, unknown to blaire... mattheo was ordered by snape to talk to draco- and step in to stop draco. you see, mattheo had no fear of his father's abilities- or any of his father's rats.

london, august, two in the morning
mattheo stood in a frostbitten alleyway outside borgin and burkes. his melancholy curls billowed with the whispering wind, his eyes wide, staring unblinking at the wall opposite him. his silver-ring covered fingers pressing against the stone behind him, wishing to sink into it and vanish from humanity- from life.
"mattheo... theo." a crisp, chilling voice whispered into his left ear. he could feel the coarse lips hovering millimetres away from his ear; the black curls inches from his ghostly skin. he turned to them.
lifeless, hollowed out features. as if skeletal- just bone and no flesh. a manic look in the eyes, a look of devotion and need.

"bellatrix," he whispered, his breath icy, visibly forming a misty cloud as he turned away immediately, returning focus to the stone wall. "do you really have to remind me?"
"itty bitty mattheo. no love for him. filthy scum!" she had vanished, yet her threatening whispers remained. "invaluable. worthless. a waste of the dark lord's heritage and blood."
"he's half-blood. and you speak of heritage."
"his blood is purer than mine. of a black." she spat with malicious intent.
"you do realise, tom riddle senior was a muggle? a 'filthy' muggle? and his mother a near-squib?" mattheo furrowed his brows at bellatrix's delusional obscurity.
"you lie!" her voice trailed off as she left.

mattheo breathed deeply, and left the alleyway. burrowing his hands in his pockets, he entered borgin and burkes.
the shop owner stared into mattheo's soul.
"hello, master riddle."
"alright," he frowned at the formality of this dark meeting. "has draco malfoy fixed that damn cabinet yet?" he looked up and met eyes with the trembling man.
"um, yes. yes, i believe so," the man came out from the counter and walked through the shop, mattheo following. "the cabinet has not been acting usual. it has been making noises, producing dead animals, birds, bitten green apples, fresh as a daisy." the man pointed a wavering finger at the mahogany case.
"okay, thank you. i'll inform my father on what a spectacular job you've done assisting us. it is greatly appreciated." the man bowed in thanks.

mattheo walked out and, in the form of a death eater, flew back to hogwarts.

"mattheo? where have you been? it's three in the morning." blaise asked, eyebrows deeply frowning, rubbing his face.
"meetings."
"not that again." blaise rolled his eyes and leant against his headboard.
"no, draco. i don't trust him to get the job done." mattheo spoke faintly, as draco was in the shower.
"i doubt it too. but we have to believe the dark lord." blaise rolled his eyes.
"i hate it." mattheo rubbed his nose bridge as his eyebrows knitted together.
"hate what?"
"my father. life. the death eaters. everything."
"even blaire?"
silence.
"what time is the attack?"
"supposedly.. 9pm." mattheo frowned at the window.

*~*+*•+~.
ravenclaw tower, nine in the morning

the sun had just shyly risen over the scottish horizon, on an eager autumn day. luna and willow were already awake. but blaire, not so much. cho was still away, forever mysterious and just as ill-known as the darkness that covers the mountains at dusk.
"no- you don't do that. you shuffle them, you don't just pick one." luna was dictating, as willow was trying to give her a tarot card reading.
"oh, blaire, good morning." willow smiled, as she put the cards away.
"today feels weird." blaire declared, frowning at the window beside her bed.