Delicate - Mattheo Riddle

the last horcrux

Me, Ron and Hermione. Walked back from the chamber of secrets. Breathless and weak. We walked to the main hallway, all covered in ruins and rubble. Hermione and Ron hand and hand.

"I knew it by the way." I looked up at them. Both of them smiling through the blood on their faces.

"Yeah yeah." Ron chuckled, breathless. His eyes fixated on their hands connected.

I ghosted a smile and let out a quiet and breathy laugh. everything was in ruins, people dead, hogwarts covered in blood and tears, but we were close, so so close to finally beating voldemort once and for all. All we needed was to destroy two more horcruxes, we knew that one of them was nagini, but not the last one quite yet.

As soon as we walked up the stairs, Harry met our eyes.

He was alive.

I smiled. and walked towards him. He didn't back. His gaze focused on the ground.

"Harry?" I whispered. Walking closer to him.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked.

"We thought you were going to the forest." Ron said, Harry walking past us.

"I'm going there now." His voice was low.

"Harry? You can't give yourself up to him." I held his shoulder, He shoved me off.

He stood there for a moment. Silence surrounded us. Hermione looked at me. I knew she knew something. Harry did too. All we could hear was the sound of our breaths until he spoke up.

"There's a reason I can feel them. The horcruxes. I'm one of them. A part of himself is inside of me and the only way to bring him down is to..." His voice hitched. He stopped mid-sentence.

I knew exactly what was going through his mind.

I always did.

It was like we just got each other, I always loved knowing what he felt.

Except for this moment.

"No..no no no no. There has to be another way!" My voice cracked and tears streaked down my cheeks, as I held his arm back.

"There isn't Elle. I'm sorry." He turned to face me,  I could smell the absence of his tears.

"No you're not! You're not doing that!!" I beat on his chest with my hands. He closed his fists around mine.

He looked down at me, barely. We were almost the same height. He breathed. In, Out. In, Out.

"Do me a favor. After he's gone, find Enzo, find Mattheo. Find everyone and say I loved them okay?" He pressed his lips together and let go of my hands. I collapsed myself into his arms as he tightly hugged me back. His head pressed into my shoulder.

He let go of me after a few moments and hugged hermione as well, who was now crying.

He smoothed her hair down and nodded at Ron. Who nodded back. Tears filled his eyes as well.

He turned away, took a deep breath and walked off without another word.

I watched him walk away, footstep by footstep. His breath heavy. The farther away he got the quieter his breaths. Hermione's hand closed around my shoulder.

"Come on. Let's go. There's one more horcrux we have to destroy." Ron's voice spoke. Low and raspy.

I nodded, turning around and facing the both of them. Hermione's mascara was streaking down her face. I wiped her tears with my thumbs and embraced her tight. "It's gonna be okay." I whispered. Ron joined me and hugged the both of us.

Our breaths mingled and I could smell both of their sweat. But it was perfect. Every second and every moment of it.

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