Mind Over Matter || Mattheo Riddle

M A N O R

*JULIA*

My bag feels unnaturally heavy on my shoulder as I walk to the front doors of the school.

I ended up finding a packing list on my trunk last night, and I brought only what Riddle said I should. It consisted of a lot of dresses.

When I see him, Riddle smiles at me and walks over to me, taking my bag out of my hand. I'm relieved.

"You ready to go, Thatcher?" Suddenly I hated my last name. I wanted to be Jules to him. Merlin, I would even settle for Julia. Anything but Thatcher. Anything but my family name.

I nod simply, and Riddle leads me to a car waiting just outside of the castle doors. The car is being lead by two white horses—Pegasus, I assume—and there isn't a driver. I have a feeling that this will be a very awkward few hours with Riddle.

When Riddle steps into the car, I follow him. It's surprisingly spacious.

•••

The ride to Riddle's home was a lot of silence. There was the occasional conversation, about the situation in the infirmary and what not, but I could tell that he was worried about saying something wrong to me.

Now that we're actually standing outside of the manor that my fake boyfriend has lived in his whole life, this all feels very real.

"You ready?" He asks me, his hand lightly touching my arm.

"Not at all." I tell him, turning my head to look at him. He was already looking at me. "Is it too late to back out now?"

Riddle chuckles, putting his arm around me and starting to walk toward the door. The mansion only seems more intimating the closer I get to it.

When the front door opens, I'm greeted by the face of a woman I've seen in newspapers for years. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy to see you! I've been cleaning for hours in preparation for your arrival!" Narcissa Malfoy says as she steps just outside of the door to hug her nephew.

"And this must be your girlfriend, what a pleasure it is to meet you, dear!" She says as she shakes my hand. I look up to Riddle, confused, because I thought me coming was meant to be a surprise.

He smiles at me lightly while Narcissa tells us to step inside. "She's the only one who knows you're coming. Draco told her."

Lucius Malfoy walks to the door when Riddle and I step inside the giant house.

"How nice of you to tell us about the new guest that would be joining us over the break, Mattheo." His tone seems sarcastic, but I also can't tell. "It's nice to meet you, miss..." he says, shaking my hand.

"Thatcher. Julia Thatcher." His eyebrow raises when I say my last name.

"I'm going to get Julia and her things settled, will you tell my parents I've arrived?" Riddle asks his aunt and uncle. He sounds so respectful, so proper. "Come, Julia."

I follow him to his room.

The walk is surprisingly long, and he's very silent. I can tell how uncomfortable he is in this house.

When we finally make it through the door of his room, he places my bag on the floor and turns to me. "My parents are going to be infinitely worse than Lucius was about meeting you." Thanks, Riddle. Really instills a lot of confidence. "Do you have any questions before you meet them?"

"Not about meeting them, but I I did have one question." I said, and he takes a slight step towards me. "Why do you live in the Malfoy manor? Dont your parents have a mansion or something?"

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and takes a breath. "My father disappeared when I was barely a year old, and my mother went to prison." Shit. I knew that. "They couldn't raise me, so Draco's parents took me in.

"When they both came back, they weren't able to buy anything. Not because of money—they have a lot of that—but because they're both wanted by every person in the Wizarding world." He smiles at me lightly. "They've just started living here with all of us now."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that—" I start, but Riddle cuts me off.

"Don't be sorry. In this house, you get punished for that."

•••

Riddle seems far more nervous than I am about his parents meeting me. He's practically shaking and his blinking is much more intense than usual.

"Mattheo." We hear from behind us, and I can hear Riddle inhale sharply at the sound of his father's voice. When we turn, he who shall not be named is standing in front of one of the most dangerous witches in history.

"Hello, father." He doesn't address his mother. I'm not sure if he's allowed to—the tension is incredible. "This is my girlfriend, Julia Thatcher."

Bellatrix Lestrange steps in front of the Dark Lord, smirking. "Girlfriend? I presume she's a... pureblood?" She starts walking closer to me, but Riddle pulls me closer to himself and she stops.

I watch as Riddle looks at his father before answering. "A half-blood." His father tilts his head. "Is that a problem?"

You-know-who starts to speak, but Narcissa walks into the room just before he can get a word out. "Isn't Julia just the most amazing girl ever?" She walks over to me and lightly runs a hand over my hair. "She's gorgeous, isn't she? Not to mention that she makes your son happy," she says the last part directly to her sister.

"Hm... I just can't wait to get to know her better..." Bellatrix says, smiling and tilting her head while she looks at me. Her teeth are very clearly worn down and rotting, her hair is a mess, and her clothes look like they haven't been washed in a year. She terrifies me.

Narcissa Malfoy looks at me, a sweet smile on her face. Riddle was lucky to grow up with someone like her as a mother figure. "Why don't you two go get cleaned up for dinner, we'll be serving it in an hour."