Riddle - The untold secret

Chapter 7 (English)

Mattheo was still standing in front of me and I mentally went through my
options.
How could I extricate myself from this unpleasant situation?
I could scream out loud, but with my bad luck, Dad would probably come in and after how he had behaved yesterday, I could hardly expect any help from him.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure behind Mattheo and grinned slightly.
This couldn't possibly be true.
"I'd duck if I were you.", I said and Mattheo, visibly confused, moved a bit away from me and turned around.
I took the opportunity, withdrew my hand and took cover myself.
"Now!", I shouted and immediately a big gush of water hit Mattheo right in the face.
Laughing, I ran out of the bathroom back to my room.
Not a second later, my savior in need appeared, whom I looked at
admonishingly, but also gratefully.
"You know you're not supposed to come here anymore, Dobby."
The little house elf stood on my desk and scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Dobby keeps an eye on Y/N all the time to see if she's okay. Y/N had always been good to Dobby."
I shook my head with a smile and dropped into the chair.
On the one hand, I was glad that Dobby was now a free elf, but on the other hand, I missed him too.
Then it occurred to me that I didn't even know what Dobby was actually doing in the meantime.
"What are you actually doing now?", I asked curiously and Dobby grinned, but also looked a little nervous.
"Dobby took a job at Hogwarts.", he confessed and I looked at him with a smile.
"That's wonderful, Dobby. Why didn't you told me about it?"
I wonder if he had been watching me at Hogwarts too.
"Y/N is constantly around young Draco Malfoy and he scares Dobby. Still, Dobby tries to keep an eye on
Y/N."
I laughed and stroked the elf's head.
"Thank you, Dobby.", I said as I heard footsteps coming from the hallway.
Startled, Dobby and I looked at each other.
"Hurry! Go, before Dad sees you!", I whispered and before my door even opened, Dobby had disappeared again.
Draco stood in the doorway, looking around with a furrowed brow.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Me? To myself. Sometimes I talk to myself, you know? Increases your thinking ability.", I replied and had to stifle my grin.
Snorting, he raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't seem to do much for you, does it?", he said and I stared indignantly after him as he turned back around.
"Come on downstairs, we want to eat breakfast.", he said as he walked away and pouting I followed him.
Once downstairs, Mom and Dad were already sitting at the table and - to my
displeasure - so was Mattheo.
Silently, I sat down across from him. Draco sat down next to me and stared
Mattheo down.
While we ate, no one said a word and I barely got any of the food down. I had never had such an uncomfortable and tense breakfast in my life.
Draco was also poking around rather listlessly in his scrambled eggs.
"How did you actually do that earlier?", Mattheo suddenly asked me and I smiled innocently at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He leaned forward a bit and looked at me urgently.
"The thing in the bathroom when we got a little closer.", he grinned and Draco looked up.
I put my fork aside and gave Mattheo a disparaging look.
"I don't know what you mean by "getting a little closer", but I call that kind of thing harassment."
"Y/N, behave yourself.", Dad chided me and I clenched my hand into a fist.
The fact that he kept taking sides for this strange guy....
Reassuringly, Draco put his hand over mine and I smiled weakly at him.
"Say, Draco. Am I speaking slurred?", asked Mattheo suddenly, but Draco just ignored him.
Mattheo stood up without taking his eyes off Draco. A cold shiver ran through me as he took out his wand and waved it loosely between his fingers.
"I told you not to touch her.", Mattheo said and Draco got up as well.
"I already understood that. I just don't care."
Dad cleared his throat and Mom sat tensely as she stared silently at the table.
Mattheo clicked his tongue and looked back and forth between Draco and me.
I looked away.
I had to do something... Before this all ended in disaster.
"I see... You guys kissed."
Caught, I looked up and wanted to say something back, but I couldn't think of anything.
I couldn't even deny it.
Even Mom and Dad knew the truth.
With an arrogant smirk, Mattheo turned to me.
"So you made out with HIM...", he pointed the tip of his wand at Draco.
"...even though you thought he was your brother? That's pretty naughty, Y/N."
"I forced myself... on her. Y/N is not to blame.", Draco said softly, but
Mattheo just laughed merrily.
"But you liked it, didn't you?", he asked me.
I didn't know what to say.
I wished that everything here was just a terrible dream from which I would
soon wake up.
"And you? Do you regret what you did, Draco?", asked Mattheo.
I heard Mom take a deep breath in and out and closed my eyes.
I want to wake up!
"No.", Draco said simply.
"Mhmm. That was the wrong answer. Crucio!", shouted Mattheo and Draco fell to the ground.
Startled, we all stood up and quickly I got down on my knees in front of Draco, who was writhing in pain.
"Are you insane?! Stop that right now!", I yelled at Mattheo, but he didn't seem impressed.
Sweat was running down Draco's forehead and I was overcome by tears.
I looked to Mom and Dad for help, but they made no move to stop Mattheo's
actions.
I took Draco's hand, which had completely cramped, in mine and wept silently.
Why was he doing this?
What had we done to him?
"Beg me."
I turned to Mattheo.
"What?", I whispered in disbelief and he beckoned me over.
"Come here and beg me to stop."
Angrily, I gritted my teeth and looked once more at Draco.
Slowly, I stood up and walked towards Mattheo.
"Please stop..."
"On your knees.", he instructed me, smiling kindly.
Ignoring my pride, I got on my knees and lowered my head until it almost
touched the ground. My tears dripped incessantly from the tip of my nose to the floor and I squinted my eyes.
"I... beg you.... Stop... stop it...", I pressed out.
I heard Draco stop whimpering and exhaled in relief.
Mattheo moved away from me and I ran back to Draco.
His eyes were all glazed over.
I put his head on my lap and stroked his hair soothingly.
"Oh well, before I forget..." said Mattheo, who had already half left the room.
"I've changed my mind. I'm not leaving yet. I'm going to accompany you. You, Draco and me together at Hogwarts. It'll be great.", he said with a wink as I gave him a hateful look.
For all I cared, this Mattheo Riddle could drop dead in an instant.

Mom and Dad didn't take us to Platform 9 3/4, but instead a good-humored Mattheo followed us and I kept my eyes on him at all times.
Draco hadn't spoken since earlier. Whether out of fear, or shame, I didn't know.
"Draco!", I heard Pansy's annoying voice and she came running towards us, with Blaise in tow.
Draco gave her a curt nod as she stopped by us.
"Who's that?", she asked curiously as her eyes fell on Mattheo.
Charmingly, he extended his hand to Pansy.
"Riddle. Mattheo Riddle.", he introduced himself and Pansy chuckled slightly as she introduced herself as well.
Without paying attention to the others, Draco got on the train and Blaise looked at me in irritation.
"What's wrong with him?"
I merely shook my head and looked around.
I wonder if Theodore was already here somewhere.
"I'll... go and search Theo.", I said quietly to Blaise and he just nodded
with a grin.
I looked everywhere outside for Theodore, but couldn't find him.
Disgruntled, I got on the train and ran into someone.
The person quickly grabbed my arm so I wouldn't fall over and I looked up into Theodore's face.
"Hey...", he breathed and I fell around his neck.
I could have cried on the spot right now.
Gently, he hugged me and stroked my
back.
"I... haven't heard from you.", he said softly and I kept nodding.
"I know.", I replied, still trying to hold back the tears that were welling up.
"I'm sorry...", I sobbed and closed my eyes.
If the Draco thing hadn't happened and I had gone to Theodore's place, would things have been different?
"It's okay. You must have gotten in a lot of trouble at home, right?"
For a moment, my entire body tensed.
Did he know what had happened between Draco and me?
Had Draco met him before me and told him about it?
Slowly, I let go of Theodore and looked at him questioningly.
"What do you mean?"
"About the Triwizard Tournament. I'm sure your parents were pissed."
I took one deep breath and stared at Theodore's white shirt, lost in thought.
So that's what he meant...
In fact, I hadn't talked to Mom or Dad about the tournament.
Did they even know I was participating? At least Dad should have heard something about it, right?
Theodore lifted my chin, looked at me thoughtfully and then frowned slightly.
"You cried.", he said and I laughed nervously as I avoided his gaze.
"What? I don't."
"Your reddened eyes say otherwise.", he said amused, but I remained silent.
This morning I had cried for a long time because of Draco and I also had a big fight with Mom and Dad. After Mattheo left the room and Mom sat down with me and Draco, I had slapped her hand away when she held it out to Draco.
I had been so angry with her, even now, that I hadn't let either of them touch Draco.
Theodore sighed and propped his head on top of mine.
"Was Draco mean to you again?"
"No.", I said quietly.
My problem went by the name of Mattheo Riddle.
And for the life of me, I didn't know how to get rid of it.
But now that Theodore mentioned Draco, I was suddenly reminded again of the conversation I had with Dad at the beginning of the vacations.

"Theodore Nott... weren't you once friends with that boy, Draco?"
"That was a long time ago."

I wondered if the two of them had really been friends once and why they weren't now.
"Say... were you and..."
A group of schoolgirls from all the houses walked past us.
They were all giggling, like crazy chickens.
"...seen him yet? He is SO cute!", gushed a girl from Hufflepuff.
"You mean the new one? He's not cute, he's hot!", retorted a blonde haired Slytherin who was a bit older.
"What was his name again? I was so excited when he took my hand that I totally forgot.", laughed the young Gryffindor girl and the Ravenclaw girl shook her head.
"Mattheo. Mattheo Riddle was his name, you airhead."
Apparently he scored well with the Hogwarts girls.
I snorted disparagingly.
Sure, they all didn't know what a psychopath he was.
"N/N?", asked Theodore and I focused on him again.
"Sorry, where were we?"
"You were about to ask me something.", he said and I took another quick look around.
More and more students were walking through the train.
"Later, when we're alone. There's too many strange ears here for me."
Theodore just laughed.
When some of the girls started shrieking loudly, I flinched in fright and turned around.
Mattheo walked slowly through the crowd and when he saw me, he twisted his lips into a smirk and came right up to me and Theodore.
By Merlin.... why?
"I was looking for you Y/N. You disappeared so fast earlier."
The girls around us all went quiet, literally soaking up every word Mattheo was saying.
"Could be because I don't particularly enjoy your company.", I said simply,
but he was still smiling, as if I just had complimented him.
"I was going to sit with Draco, but I can't shake the feeling that he doesn't
like me.", he said innocently.
"Rightly so.", I said coldly.
As Mattheo came closer to me, Theodore stood between us.
Since Theodore was taller, even Mattheo had to look up at him.
"We haven't been introduced yet. Mattheo Riddle, nice to meet you.", Mattheo said politely and held out his hand to Theodore.