𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙎 | mattheo riddle

50 | tears of guilt

"I have to try." Layla says, looking up at Mattheo.

"She's gonna mess it up. Let's be real here." Draco says and Layla rolls her eyes.

"I have to try guys." Layla says looking up at them.

"This isn't even their decision." Liam says. "Layla, I trust you. Just do what you must." He says, and she nods, before taking a deep breath and looking at his wound.

Layla hovers her hand over his abdomen and closes her eyes, trying to focus the energy between the dark magic running through Liam's blood and the magic in her hand.

Suddenly, a bright light ejects out of her hand and Liam starts to scream out in pain. The boys begin to panic and tell Layla to stop.

"It's working just wait!" She exclaims, continuing to hover her hand over the injury.

Liam continues to scream out in pain so Mattheo instantly casts a silencing spell throughout the room so no one hears his wails.

After a couple of moments, Layla pulls back with a gasp, out of breath. They all hold onto Liam and look down at his wound.

"Oh my god..." Blaise gasps. "It's still there!"

"I'm so- I'm so sorry Liam!" Layla says, making sure he's okay.

"Don't worry... you tried your best." He says weakly, smiling at her, and tears begin to form in her eyes.

Layla and Blaise both sit beside Liam on the couch and give him a hug, whilst the rest of the boys just stand around looking stressed.

"Fuck!" Mattheo shouts, running his hands through his hair before he storms out of the common room to the dorms.

Layla watches and this only saddens her more, making her feel as if this was her fault.

"I'm sorry Liam." She says once more and he looks at her confused.

"Don't you dare be upset Layla." He says. "You tried your best, and it's okay. It's not your fault I got hit."

He gives her a reassuring smile and cuddles into his arms, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"We'll find a way Matthews. Even if we have to force the antidote out of Spector himself." Draco says and the other boys nod in agreement.

"Will... will it kill me?" Liam asks, looking at the boys and Enzo can't even look at him.

He turns the other way and rubs his face, not even wanting to think about that outcome.

"With my food it can't do any harm to you." Blaise tells him with a reassuring smile, but looking away, his face dropping instantly.

"I think we should all just get some rest." Theodore says.

"Agreed." Dylan sighs, rubbing his face.

"We'll talk about this in the morning."

As the boys scatter to head back to their dorms, Layla pulls Blaise to a side.

"Blaise?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not sure are you?" She asks him, and he looks down, his eyes watery.

"No Layla. I'm not sure."

"But I thought... your food. It was helping him. The healing properties should help him..."

"It was only relieving the pain." Blaise explains. "This magic Spector hit him with... it definitely is dark magic as you said. Something my food can't heal. That's why the mark hasn't gone."

"Oh god... I really thought my magic would work on him." Layla sighs.

"It's okay. None of us knew what was going to happen." Blaise says, pulling her in for a hug. "You did what you could."

"And I caused him pain along the way." She sniffles.

"Well if you didn't try, we never would've known."

"I guess so." She sighs. "Where's Mattheo?"

"He's gone to his dorm." He tells her and she nods with a smile.

"Goodnight Blaise."

"Goodnight Layla."

***

Mattheo's POV

"Mattheo open up it's me." She says, before knocking on my door once again.

With a sigh, I stop sharpening my knives and get up to open the door. When I do, I find her pretty face staring up at me, dried tears on her cheeks.

"You've been crying."

"I have." She sighs, not saying anything else but looking up at me.

"You can come in." I sigh, giving way for her to enter my dorm.

"Wow. I've never been in your dorm before."

"This'll be the first and last time."

"I don't know why... but I doubt that." She laughs, with a sniffle.

She looks around my room, as if to inspect everything. I just stand there and watch her, completely mesmerised just by her presence.

God, what is she doing to me?

I walk up to her and turn her around to face me, but she doesn't look up at me, she looks down so I hold her chin and tilt her head up so her eyes are on mine.

"Tell me. Why have you been crying?"

"You know why Mattheo."

"There's no reason for you to." I say, moving away and picking up the knives I was sharpening.

"And what do you mean by that? I just caused him pain for no reason!"

"Sounds like a you problem." I sigh, sitting down on the edge of my bed and continuing to sharpen my knives.

"Why are you being a dickhead for?" She asks me, looking at me confused.

"I'm not. I haven't done nothing."

"Your attitude fucking stinks Mattheo." She scoffs.

"That's nice." I say, looking down at the knives in my hand.

I notice she begins to get frustrated and she stands directly in front of me, looking down at me with utter disgust on her face.

"Why the fuck are you acting as if nothing happened Riddle!?" She shouts and I look up at her with a glare.

"Keep your fucking voice down Lopez!"

"No, how about you just say what you want to say, because clearly you're just ignoring everything that's happening. Either you're just a dickhead who doesn't give two shits about his mates, or you're just extremely bad at showing your emotions. Pick one. And bloody tell me!" She says, but I continue to ignore her.

I've got nothing to say to her.

In an instant, she whacks the knives out my hand and conjures up one of her own, swiftly pushing me down onto the bed and holding it against my throat.

She straddles me, pinning me down to the bed as I hold her waist with my hands, her knife still against my throat.

"You going to do something with that knife or just sit there?"

"Speak Riddle. Why are you acting like this?"