Boundless

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 (𝟏𝟗)

Olivia

The train ride back to Hogwarts was quieter than usual, but not in a way that felt uncomfortable. It was just us—me and Mattheo—stuck in our own little world, tucked away in the hidden compartment where no one could see us. The doors were locked, the curtains drawn, and all we had was each other and the soft hum of the train speeding us back to the school.

Mattheo's fingers were curled around mine as if he was afraid I might slip away. It was the first time in days where I could breathe freely, where there were no Death Eaters lurking in the background, no Sebastian's prying eyes, no pretending. Here, it was just me and him, the way it had always been, the way it was meant to be.

"I don't want to go back," he murmured, his voice low and rough like he was confessing something he hadn't meant to. His thumb traced the back of my hand, and I could feel every slow, deliberate movement like a promise. "Not with them."

"I know," I whispered back, my heart tugging. "But we don't have a choice."

I tilted my head to meet his gaze, and for a moment, everything else disappeared—the Hogwarts train, the long journey ahead, the people we had to pretend to be when we stepped back into that world. All I could see was him—the way he was staring at me like I was the only thing that mattered, like the rest of the world was irrelevant.

"How are we going to make it?" I asked, the question hanging in the air, unspoken but so heavy between us.

Mattheo sighed, resting his forehead against mine. "We keep pretending. We keep our distance when we have to, and we make every second count when we're alone."

I nodded, leaning into him. There was comfort in the silence between us, in the way our breathing synced. But as much as I wanted to stay like this forever, I knew we couldn't. Soon, we'd have to return to the charade—the act we played so well for everyone else.

The train jolted, and the moment passed.

"I don't know how I'm going to do it," I confessed quietly, my voice trembling with the weight of everything I was hiding. "I can't keep up with this, Mattheo. Sebastian... he has no idea."

"I don't want you to lie to him," he said quickly, almost urgently, his hands pulling me closer as if the words hurt him. "But you have to. Until we figure it out, until we're ready."

"Ready for what?" I asked, my heart racing.

"Ready for everything," he replied, his voice steady, despite the storm I knew was brewing just beneath the surface. "For us. For the world we're going to take control of." He paused, running his fingers through my hair gently. "We'll make it work. We always do."

I pressed my lips against his, not caring about the time ticking away or the world outside. I wasn't sure how we would make it work, but in that moment, with his hands in my hair and his heart thudding in my chest, I didn't need to know. We were here, and that was enough for now.

When the train slowed and Hogwarts came into view, I pulled back reluctantly, staring at the familiar turrets and towers that loomed in the distance. I could feel Mattheo's gaze still on me, as if he was trying to memorise every inch of me before the world forced us to change again.

"You'll be okay," he said, as though reassuring himself as much as me.

"Will you?" I asked, a little softer than I meant to.

"Always," he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up in a half-smile that made my heart skip a beat.

The train screeched to a halt, and the doors opened. The cool air hit me, snapping me out of my daze. We stood up, both reluctant to let go of the moment, but knowing that we had to step back into the roles we had to play.