Beg For Me- Mattheo Riddle x Reader

19. Successfully Ruined

"What took you so long? I've been biting my nails to stubs!" Emily's voice, laced with genuine concern, sliced through the tension-filled air as she hurried toward you. Worry etched deep lines across her face, mirroring the turmoil inside you. "Did he expel him?"

Your ears buzzed, the echo of Mattheo's passionate anger still resonating within you. Words spilled from your lips, your own surprise evident in the tremor of your voice. "Expel who?"

"Mattheo," Emily pressed, her brows knitting together in confusion at your reply. "Did Dumbledore expel Mattheo?"

"Oh, no," you said, mentally cursing yourself. You needed to get yourself together, and quickly. "He's...uh, he's making him choose between a months worth of detention coupled with therapy, or a mentorship program."

"Mentorship program?" Emily's eyes widened, reflecting the disbelief that gripped you. "Under who?"

The weight of secrecy pressed upon you, and you hesitated before admitting, a subtle excitement bubbling beneath your surface.

"Under me..." as soon as the words left your lips, a look of disbelief clouded Emily's eyes as she processed the revelation.

"Under you?" Her voice carried a tone of concern, threaded with caution. "I don't know if that's a good idea...I mean, he's trouble, and you know it. Taking on that mentorship might just end up dragging you down...there's no fixing someone like him."

At her words, conflicting emotions churned within you. Sure, Mattheo appeared dangerous and careless to others, but to you, he was your sanctuary, a paradoxical blend of chaos and safety. You acknowledged the storm that brewed beneath his surface, yet you were willing to brave it, ready to endure any challenge to help him find his way. Despite the maddening frustration he often caused you, the exhaustion from merely attempting to understand him--you felt an unwavering, inexplicable determination to stand by him, no matter the cost.

"Yeah, maybe," you responded, a sly smile playing on your lips, one you tried to conceal but failed miserably at. "But Dumbledore believes in me, I think it's worth the effort..."

As you continued talking, you noticed Emily's eyes darting over your shoulder, her gaze distant and distracted. Her features softened with admiration, and she seemed entranced, seemingly ignoring your words.

"Em?" Confused, you blurted out, "what the hell are you looking at?"

Turning around, your stomach twisted into knots as you caught sight of Mattheo, that devilish smirk playing on his lips as his eyes met yours from down the hall. Alongside him was his brother, Tom, his penetrating dark eyes also peering in your direction, the two of them accompanied by Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott--the lot of them making their way toward the dungeons for potions.

Your pulse increased at the sight of Mattheo, noting the clear anger simmering beneath his skin, a residue from the way you had left him only minutes earlier. Despite the tension, an inexplicable excitement coursed through you, fueled by the palpable frustration that radiated from his demeanour. Shooting him a brief, teasing roll of your eyes, you forced your gaze away from the group and turned back to Emily, who had finally snapped back to your attention.

"What was that?" you asked, attempting to redirect the focus of the conversation, though the memory of Mattheo's gaze lingered in the back of your mind, leaving a trail of anticipation in its wake. "Were you looking at Tom?"

Emily blinked, her expression momentarily caught off guard before she quickly composed herself.

"No, no, I wasn't," she stammered, her denial a little too quick and her gaze a touch too evasive, leaving you with a lingering suspicion that she was not being entirely truthful. "We should get going, we're going to be bloody late."