Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

Taming Him

Word Count: 838

Mattheo Riddle was known for his temper. Was he proud of it? A little–it kept up his reputation of being the Dark Lord's son, and this had been cemented long before his fifth year. He was a Slytherin with a fiery nature, quick to anger and even quicker to retaliate. His temper flared like an uncontrollable storm, leaving broken friendships and countless detentions in its wake.

The other students kept their distance, wary of setting him off. Even his little crew of Slytherin boys learned to tiptoe around him at various times, offering cautious wonders of advice that only seemed to fuel his anger even more. But then there was Y/N–A Hufflepuff, quiet and unassuming, yet somehow impossible to ignore. She had been the only one to stand up to him, the only one who didn't shrink away when he lost control.

The first time it happened was during Potions class. Mattheo had been on the verge of exploding at a Gryffindor who had made some snide comment about Slytherins being evil and not trustworthy. His hand was already bailed into a fist when Y/N had stepped between them, her soft brown eyes locking onto his.

"Mattheo, don't", she had said calmly, her voice cutting through the haze of his rage. "He's not worth it."

For a moment, Mattheo had been stunned. No one had ever dared to get in his way before, and yet here she was, this small Hufflepuff girl, standing in front of him like she wasn't afraid of him at all. His anger wavered, then faded, and with it, the urge to fight disappeared.

After that, something changed. Y/N seemed to have a way of appearing whenever Mattheo Riddle was on the verge of losing control. It was like she had an unspoken understanding of when he needed her, as if she could sense the storm brewing inside him before it even broke. She never said much, just a quiet word or gentle touch on his arm, but it was enough to ground him, to pull him back from the edge.

It wasn't long before Mattheo started seeking her out on his own. At first, it was just in moments of frustration, when he could feel his temper bubbling beneath the surface. But soon, he found himself looking for her even when he wasn't angry, just to be near her calming presence.

One evening, after a particularly difficult Quidditch practice, Mattheo found himself wandering the grounds, his muscles tense with frustration. The team captain had been on his case all practice, criticizing every move he made, and it had taken every ounce of willpower not to snap back. He needed something to hit, to let out the anger that was threatening to consume him.

Instead, he found Y/N sitting by the Black Lake, staring at the scenery. She looked his way as he approached, her expression softening into a smile when she saw him.

"Rough day?" she asked, patting the grass beside her.

Mattheo sank down next to her, letting out a long breath. "You could say that."

Y/N didn't press him for details, didn't try to pry into what he had happened. She just sat there with him, watching the sun set over the lake, the silence between them comfortable and easy.

After a few minutes, she spoke again, her voice gentle. "You know, Mattheo, it's okay to feel angry. It's a natural emotion. But you don't have to let it control you."

He glanced at her, his brow furrowed. "How do you do it? Stay so calm all the time?"

Y/N smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've had to learn. There's always going to be something that frustrates you, something that makes you angry. But you have to find a way to deal with it without hurting yourself–or anyone else."

Mattheo nodded, her words sinking in. He knew she was right. He had spent so long letting his temper rule him, lashing out at anyone who got too close, that he had forgotten what it was like to be in control of his own emotions.

"You make it sound easy," he said, his voice softer now.

"It's not," Y/N admitted. "But you're stronger than you think, Mattheo. You just need to trust yourself."

They sat together in silence for a while longer, the tension slowly draining from Mattheo's body as he focused on the stillness of the lake and the soft hum of the wind. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt calm–not the forced calm of suppressing his anger, but a genuine sense of peace that settled deep in his chest.

Y/N had given him that, he realized. She was the one who had shown him that he didn't have to let his anger define him, that he could be more than just the boy with the temper. She was his anchor, the one who kept him grounded when the storm inside him threatened to tear him apart.

And for that, he was more grateful than he could ever put into words.

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Stay beautiful <3

Love, the Author