Borrowed time; Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 42

Bellas pov

The others held true to their word as they showed up later that evening with enough food to feed an entire village. I had told Mattheo that I wasn't ready to tell the others and he understood, so we both put on happy faces as they arrived and tried our best to keep them on even when topics of graduation and summer plans came up. I saw Mattheos face drop when it first was mentioned and grabbed his hand to comfort him. I have had time to come to terms with it all but Mattheo just found out a few hours ago. It hurts me to see his face as he realizes how little time there is left. 

Mattheos pov

The dinner was dreadful. Those fuckers kept talking about summer plans and other stupid shit that won't fucking matter unless Bella does them with me. It felt like a waste of time to sit there when I could be finding ways to cure her.

We went to bed soon after they left that evening, Bella was understandably exhausted from reliving her trauma and I held her close the entire night listening to the steady bet of her heart. 

Bella eventually stirred beside me as the morning sun rose. My eyes burned from the lack of sleep but my mind never allowed me a single moment of peace as the night had passed. I dragged out the morning making sure she was 100% fine before I left her. It was Saturday and I wish more than anything that I could stay in bed with her for the entire day... but you don't ignore my father when he calls. 

I saw the other boys emerge in to the common room and we headed off together, making sure to not be spotted looking suspicious as we left the grounds. Potter and his friends have been more annoying than normal lately, sneaking around the room of requirement and sitting closer to us in classes and the library. It wouldn't surprise me if Dumbledore have requited them to his order of birds or whatever he calls it. 

Once we were out of the grounds we followed the pull of the mark as we appeared and ended up in-front of Malfoy Manor. My father usually holds his meetings here as only a selected few are allowed to know the location of his own house. The mood was damper as we approached the big dubber doors were a house elf opened the door for us. Draco greeted his parents and the concerned look on Mr Malfoys face told me everything I needed to know about how todays meeting was gonna go. 

I quickly greeted my aunt before heading for the meeting room. It was only the inner circle precent and all the boys took their seats beside their parents as I walked to the head of the table greeting my mother. She was always on my fathers left while I was on his right. I noticed Snape sitting further down the table next to Theodor and his father, our eyes meet for brief second before my father entered drawing everyones attention. 

Nagini slithered behind him as he slowly walked his way down the table and took his seat. The room was silent, the only sound coming from Nagini as she wrapped around my fathers chair. 

"Mr Nott, any news on the ministry?" his voice sounded calm but from the look in his eyes I could tell there was something burning inside him. 

"Yes my lord, everything is in order and Thicknesse is ready to take over whenever you decide to move. But I do believe it to be best if we wait until the board meeting has been done, that way-"

"Wait?" my father interrupted him. "Do you not think my plan is good Mr Nott? The plan I have been working on for nearly two decades?!" he raised his voice and Mr Nott covered back in his seat. "Answer me!"

"I.. I think your plan is excellent sir.. I just thought-" he kept on going. Does this man have a death wish or something?

"You seem to be doing a lot of thinking today. Why don't you come up here and take over then? You want to be the one in charge? Make all the plans? Do all the thinking? Please be my guest" my father rose from his chair gesturing for Mr Nott to take a seat, but all he did was sit back in his chair and shake his head apologizing. Stupid. 

"Very well then, crusio"

Mr Nott trashed in his chair screaming in agony while Theodor sat with his eyes fixated on Lorenzos across from him, trying his best to hold it together. 

Theodor joined a little over two years ago, wanting to make his father proud as he gave himself over to mine. Lorenzo joined soon after not wanting to leave Theo alone in it and already knowing his parents were planing for him to eventually join. I still don't really know why Blaise joined, he never gave a reason. But he joined last, a few weeks after Enzo. 

I was obviously the first to join out of the boys, being his son I got the mark at 10. Draco got it at 15, his father had fucked up a task and gave Draco over to lessen his punishment. To say Narcissa was mad was an understatement, she didn't speak to Lucius for a month.  

Either way they had all handled it good. We aren't given any big tasks as my father wants to keep it hidden that were death eaters. My father was afraid the teaches at school might suspect we had joined, especially me, so he had a concealment charm made. Not the normal one that's I use on my scars that anyone with a revel charm can remove, a stronger one that only we ourselves could cast and undo.  It worked wonders when Potter once decided to, as he claims it, accidentally shot an revelio charm at Draco when he were out by the black lake at the end of 6th year. 

The screams stopped as Mr Nott passed out and my father retook his seat. Going over some other information with remaining death eaters he eventually dismissed everyone, including Mr Nott who eventually woke up. 

"Boys" the five of us stopped in our tracks as we were about to leave. "Please sit back down" he motioned for us to gather farther up the table to were he was, so I took my normals seat seeing Draco hesitantly sit in my mothers while Theo sat next to him and Blaise and Enzo came up next to me. 

"As you all know we are eventually taking over Hogwarts. Which means we need a way to get in there. A few months back I gave young Draco a task... He is to mend the vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement so that we can enter the school.." I saw the realization hit them when they realized that's what Draco and I have been up to when we disappeared lately. "And then Draco is going to kill Dumbledore". Theo's eyes widened as I'm sure the others did too. Draco remained calm but I could see his hands trembling as he grabbed the armrest. 

"Now the cabinet seems to be taking a bit longer than anticipated to be fixed so I'm gonna need you all to work together and fix it before the end of the month.. or there will be consequences" Seeming content with his little speech he stood up and exited the room. 

"You're gonna kill Dumbledore? How the fuck are you gonna manage that?" Theo asked still looking puzzled. 

"He'll manage. Now one problem at a time, we need to fix this fucking cabinet. Draco has been working on it for about 4 months and I have helped him the last 2" I spoke grabbing their attention. 

"And?" Blaise spoke. 

"We managed to a few get a living birds to the other cabinet and back" I continued.

"Thats exactly what we want right? Thats good?" Enzo chipped in

"It would have been if the birds came back alive" I explained. 

"Well shit" 

"How long ago sense you made any progress?" Blaise asked looking worried. 

"We had a bird come back alive about 2 weeks ago but it died within 20 second of returning" I explained knowing we were in big trouble if we didn't meet the deadline.