Valentina never prepared herself for so much loss in one lifetime.
Let alone in a lifetime she has barely grown old in.
But with loss comes love.
Now the question is: how far will that love go?
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Mattheo Riddle finds himself seated beside his father at a Death Eater meeting in the Malfoy Manor with Lorenzo Berkshire, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, and other Death Eaters. None of them know what the meeting is being held for, but they do know of their teacher who is bruised and hurt, floating in pain above the end of the table.
"Severus," Voldemort drawls, and Mattheo looks over his shoulder to see his once Hogwarts Professor. "I was beginning to worry you had lost your way. Come. We've saved you a seat." Mattheo watches silently as Snape sits down between him and Theo. "You bring news, I trust?"
"It will happen Saturday next at nightfall," Snape answered him.
"I've heard differently, My Lord," Yaxley cuts in. "Dawlish, the Auror, has let slip that the Potter boy and the Black girl will not be moved until the thirtieth of this month. The day before the boy turns seventeen."
Mattheo's heart drops at the mention of Valentina who he has tried to protect for months—even made her hate him just so she wouldn't get harmed by his father, and yet she is now being mentioned during this meeting without any prior knowledge from his father. Keeping his face blank of any emotion, he looks around to see the boys are doing the same, but he doesn't miss the anger shown through their clenched fists. Anger that he himself shares with them.
"This is a false trail," Snape said while looking at Yaxley. "The Auror office no longer plays any part in the protection of Harry Potter and Valentina Black," Mattheo's heart drops further and he starts to struggle to refrain himself from killing his father where he sits for even thinking of bringing harm to Valentina. "Those closest to them believe we have infiltrated the Ministry."
"Well," a Death Eater interjects with a laugh. "They got that right, haven't they?"
The table erupts in laughs and even the boys fake a laugh to keep their true motives hidden.
"What you say, Pius?" Voldemort asks the Ministry of Magic official sitting at the end of the table.
"One hears many things, My Lord," Pius fearly answers. "Whether the truth is among them is not clear."
"Where will they be taken, the boy and girl?" Voldemort asks Severus and Mattheo straightens his shoulders, hoping that Severus won't have an answer.
"To a safe house. Most likely the home of someone in the Order,"—Mattheo feels relief at his words, knowing that Severus's answer has no detail of where exactly—"I'm told it's been given every manner of protection possible. Once there, it will be impractical to attack him."
Greyback chuckles and Mattheo looks at him with hatred, remembering what Valentina had told him about her mother and sister's murder. "I would like to be the one that kills Valentina Black," Greyback announces.
"No," Mattheo said, his voice sharp and his eyes cold as he looks at his father. "If anyone gets to kill that bitch, then it's me."
He hated having to call her foul names and pretending that she was worthless when deep in his soul she was his everything. She was the first person to not be scared of him. She was the first person to always defend him and have his back. She was the first person to fight for his love that he had to shatter, just to protect her.
Voldemort chuckles and nods to his son. "It would be no greater gift to give you that honor, my son," he then looks at all the Death Eaters. "No one else is allowed to kill Valentina Black, other than my son."
The Death Eaters murmur in agreement but Enzo stares down Mattheo for a few seconds before looking away.
Mattheo knew that volunteering himself to kill Valentina would end up ruining his own brotherhood with the boys, but he would rather her die at his hands than anyone else.
