Surviving Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Eight - The DADA position

Word Count: 2,945 words. 

Warnings: None. 

I was early to our first class of the year, seating myself at the back of our Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Sighing heavily, I opened the book in front of me, scanning the contents of its pages. It was a new book, one that Narcissa had given me with a pile of others before school started. It was NEWT level.

My mind, although looking at the words on the page, was somewhere completely different. It was on yesterday. Aberforth's words seemed so simple. The memory that I had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve seemed even simpler. Both of the Dumbledore brothers were trying to tell me something, and yet, I couldn't fix my mind on it. I couldn't figure it out.

"Alright," a voice spoke up, sitting beside me. "You need to tell me what you were really doing yesterday."

I sighed, flicking the page of the DADA book in front of me. I didn't turn to Mattheo. "I got a job," I told him.

Riddle's expression turned confused. "A job?"

"Yes," I started now turning to look at the boy. "Since my father died and my uncle bolted, I have no money that belongs to me and before you ask –" I pointed to the boy as he opened his mouth – "I'm not seventeen yet and therefore cannot use the Black fortune and so I decided to get a job. It'll keep me busy."

He leaned closer to me as other began to enter the room. "We have plenty of things to keep us busy. Like fixing the cabinet. Like trying to find a way –"

"To kill Dumbledore?" I finished the sentence for him, looking back to my book. "I could kill him anytime if I wanted to."

"Then why not do it?"

My gaze shot to his. "You think it's that easy to just kill someone?" I asked.

The boy noticed his mistake and licked his lips. "I'm sorry. I just... my father doesn't like tardiness. He likes things to be done quickly and efficiently."

"Well he can wait," I told Mattheo. "If I'm as important as everyone claims I am then he can wait a couple months for me to kill Dumbledore. Besides," I started, watching as the rest of our friends entered the room. "Wouldn't it be better to fix the cabinet first? Then kill the Headmaster."

Riddle opened his mouth to speak but I quickly looked back to my book as Draco sat himself beside me, Theo, Blaise and Pansy taking the chairs behind us.

"He giving you trouble?" Theo asked me, gesturing to the boy on my right.

"Not at all," I replied, flicking the page again. I wasn't reading any of it. In all honestly, I was taking very little information in from the DADA book. Mostly, I was using it as an excuse. An excuse not to talk to him.

Riddle leaned his head closer to me, whispering. "I want to fix this Lyra," he told me. "I want to fix us."

"Well I don't," I replied, swallowing.

"Lyra –"

Mattheo reached forward, touching my arm gently and turning my attention to him.

My mind went elsewhere, room going dark around me as I stood. I moved backwards, turning in circles.

"No, wait, you'll lose you-"

A shout broke out of the darkness, the world around me becoming clear. I was on the Black Lake. The water was frozen over like it did during the Winter months at Hogwarts.