Doors open.

Prove it.

The look on his face made me uneasy. Hearing the pain, the remorse in his voice, made it even worse.

"Mattheo, I didn't mean too-"

"You didn't do anything, yn." I still didn't recognize his voice, "Thats what the boggart does. It exposes your inner most fear.. and yours is me."

I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat.

Mattheo's eyes seemed to bore into my soul, his gaze burning with a mix of sadness and longing. "You've always been afraid of me," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. "Afraid of what I might do to you, of what I might become."

"Thats not true, Matt-"

"I never meant to hurt you, yn." His voice was on the verge of breaking, the red that lined his eyes grew deeper, and I heard his breath catching, "I have hated myself every single day, since we returned to school. Your the last person on earth I would ever want to hurt. I had to-"

"Mattheo, please!"

"I had to push you away!" His voice finally broke, "I needed to protect you. I needed you far from me, so he wouldn't hurt you! It was the only way I knew how! If he would've done anything- I am so fucking sorry!" he turned away from me, "I'm your worst fucking fear, and its all my fault!"

"Matt, just let-"

"I am so fucking in love with you! I still am, and that is why I did what I did, yn!" He was shouting now, "You have no idea how badly it killed me to put you through everything, all the nights I spent wanting to run to you! To be with you! I would do it again, and again for your safety! I did it because I fucking love you, and I rather have you fucking hate my guts than anything worse!"

"MATTHEO!" I finally screamed over him, getting him to stop his rambling and finally look at me. "Stop saying that! YOU are not my worst fear! Losing you is my worst fear! Didn't you see?!"

Mattheo's body jerked in response to my words, and he spun back around to face me. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, and his face was etched with a mix of pain and desperation.

"I wasn't afraid when you appeared, I was afraid when I saw you bleeding! When you were dying in front of me and I didn't know how to help you! I was terrified I'd lost you!" I threw my hands up in frustration, "That is my biggest fear Mattheo! Losing you!"

He took a long breath, like it was finally sinking in.

I continued, my voice shaking with emotion. "I could never be afraid of you, because you're the one person who makes me feel safe. You're the one person who sees me, who truly knows me. I could never be afraid of you because I love you, Mattheo."

Mattheo's eyes locked onto mine, his gaze piercing and intense. He took a step closer to me, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath.

"I understand now, why you pushed me away," I whispered, "I wish you didn't, but I understand. You thought you were helping me, but you weren't. I was terrified I had lost you, I was terrified that you didn't love me anymore, that what we had didn't mean anything to you," I took a deep breath, "But I know that isn't true, I know you thought you were protecting me."

Mattheo's eyes never wavered from mine, his gaze burning with a deep intensity. I could see the pain and regret etched on his face, and my heart went out to him.

"I was just trying to protect you," he said, his voice low and rough. "I thought I was doing what was best for you."

"You are whats best for me, Mattheo." I whispered.