Addicted || Mattheo Riddle

15 || The dark mark

Octavia Lestrange

I wake up to a stinging pain in my arm, just like yesterday evening, only this time, the pain is worse.

Way worse.

Groaning, I sit up and turn on the lights before staring at my arm. The mark is darker, more sticking out like the feeling of a scar, and there's only one thing that could mean.

He is coming back, the dark lord is going to come back soon.

I shake my head at the feeling, before rubbing my arm. I tried to wash it off so many times when I got it, I tried to use magic, to scrub the skin, hell, I even tried to cut it off, but nothing worked. The mark was etched into my skin, the dark magic coursing through my veins, the mark forever there, only going to fade when the dark lord would be really gone.

I stand up and put on my robe, before brushing my hair and putting it in a ponytail. My arm is hurting way to much to do my makeup now, so I leave it with just a little bit of mascara, and then I walk down to the common room.

Mattheo is sitting there in one of the chairs looking like he just woke up, staring at the fire, the look in his eyes is sad, and somehow I feel sorry for him.

I glance around the common room, but no one is there, so I sit down in the chair next to Mattheo before looking at him, swallowing hard. "You feel it too, huh?" I ask, and his eyes shoot up at my face.

"what are you talking about?" He asks, shifting in his chair. I shake my head somberly and stare at his eyes.

"The mark, Matt. You feel it too, I can notice it" I say, glancing at his arm, and he bites down on his lips. He looks absent.

"Yes, it fucking hurts. It's been like this the whole night, I can't sleep or eat, my mind is just somewhere else. It's like i'm not entirely here" He speaks softly, facing me.

I stare at him, my eyes slightly watering, I feel bad for him. We both know his father is coming back, and I know he's going to suffer because of him.

Multiple people enter the common room, and Mattheo's head shoots up at them. I stand up and hold out my hand. "Come on, it's Saturday, we're free, we can talk in my dorm" I say, and he grabs my hand, standing up and following me towards my dorm.

When we're inside, I close the door and sit down on my bed. Mattheo zones out for a minute, and then he sits down next to me.

I stare up at him, before opening my mouth. "He's coming back, isn't he?" I ask, my eyes somber, I don't know what changed between us, but it's comfortable to talk with him.

He stares at my face, and somehow he looks even sadder. "Oh Via, he's already back" He says, his eyes watering. Never in a million year had I thought I would see Mattheo Riddle cry, but here we are.

"What do you mean, he is already back?" I ask, confused, but then the puzzle pieces fall together.

Mattheo being absent the last few lessons yesterday, the dark mark acting up all night, it all falls right into place, and my throat turns dry as I look at him, realizing he witnessed it all.

"Oh Matt, i'm so sorry" I say, and as I slowly wrap my arms around his shoulder, he completely breaks down right in front of me, heartbreaking sobs leaving his throat.

"They made me do it, they made me witness it all, I feel so fucking bad Octavia, I made him come back and all the blood that is going to spill is gonna be because of me" He says in between sobs, and he fists my shirt as I hold him tighter.

"It's okay Matt, you can't do anything about it, and you're safe now" I tell him, trying to calm him down, but he just starts to sob even harder, clinging onto me like a lifeline as he cries onto my shoulder.

"I haven't slept all night, his face fucking haunts me, I can't do this again" He says, and I softly stroke his back, before placing the softest kiss on top of his head.

"You're brave, Mattheo, I realized long ago you are nothing like your father, and you can still do the right thing" I tell him. He seems to calm down at the sound of my voice, so I continue speaking.

"You are here, back at Hogwarts, surrounded by your friends, no, your family, we are all here for you Matt, and we're going to help you. We're going to survive" I speak, before grabbing his shoulders.

His sobs turn softer, but his entire body is still shaking as he stares at his hands.

"Hey, Matt, look at me" I ask him, but he doesn't move, so I softly grab his chin and force him to look at me.

"We're going to be fine, Matt. We're going to survive" I tell him, but I struggle to believe my own words.

I just hope they are true. The last wizarding war made the world fall down, and a lot of innocent people were killed. I can't imagine what it's going to be like now, for a second time, and somehow I already know it's going to be worse.

"do you wan't to talk about it?" I ask eventually, when he's fully stopped crying, and he simply shrugs his shoulders before looking at me.

"There isn't much to talk about, Via, he is back, and he's going to take over the world again, He told me his plans" He says, staring at his arm. "He's going to infiltrate the ministry, and then he's coming here, at Hogwarts, he wants to take over the school and make it one of the purest ones known to all wizards and witches"

I stare at him. This is bad, so fucking bad, and we're going to need to be careful, making sure we know exactly when he is coming here, and then we need to fight.

"We're going to be fine, Mattheo, I promise you. Once he comes here, we'll team with Potter and then your father will be gone for good" I speak, my voice soft.

"Only I can't, Octavia" He says, his eyes growing dull as he notices my confused expression. "The unbreakable vow, he made me take it when I was seven. I have to stay loyal to him, if not, I die"

"Oh Matt, i'm so sorry" I say, grabbing his hand. "What has to be done must be done, and we'll find a way to destroy your father, even without your help" I say, nodding my head.

Mattheo shrugs his shoulders, and then he takes off his shoes, and I grab his hand tighter, noticing how incredibly tired he looks.

"Here" I pat my bed, opening the blankets for him. "You should catch up the sleep you've missed. I'll wake you for lunch" I say, and Mattheo looks at me with the most gentle expression I've ever seen from him.

"Thank you, Octavia, thanks for helping me" He says as he lies down, and then he closes his eyes.

I stare at him, at his dark lashes and beautiful curls, and something shifts inside me at the sight of him inside my bed. I feel happy, and at the same time sorry for him.

"No need to thank me, pretty boy" I whisper when I surely know he's asleep, and then I press the softest kiss against the side of his head before letting him sleep peacefully.

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, unbothered by all the things happening inside the world, and I look outside the window, the rain pouring harder outside, the world turning around.

I wonder how it happened, how his father came back. I thought he was dead, but somehow he found another way to come back. It's like he's immortal.

Somehow, I know this is about to get serious, and I pray for all of us to be alright and safe through all of this.

A/N

The next chapter will contain some smut, and although i have absolutely no experience with writing it, I'll try my best to make it as enjoyable as I can!

Love

Aelyn<3