Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

Forever Young

Song Inspo: Forever Young - Alphaville

Word Count: 939

The air was crisp as the autumn leaves drifted down from the towering oak trees surrounding the Black Lake. The castle of Hogwarts, though still as grand and imposing as ever, seemed quieter now, its stone walls holding the memories of generations that had passed through its halls. The sun hung low on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the grounds, where two old lovers sat on a weathered bench by the lake, watching the water ripple gently in the evening breeze.

Mattheo leaned on his cane, his fingers stiff from the years, but his eyes were still sharp as they gazed out at the lake. Beside him, his wife, Y/N, sat with a soft smile on her lips, her silver hair catching the fading light. They had spent many evenings like this in their youth, sneaking away from the noise of the common rooms to find peace by the water, where they could just be together. And now, decades later, it was as if time had folded in on itself, bringing them back to the same place where it all began.

"Do you remember, Mattheo?" Y/N asked, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "We used to sit here for hours, talking about everything and nothing at all."

Mattheo chuckled, his voice gravelly with age. "How could I forget? You were always the one who dragged me out here, even in the middle of winter. I swear, you loved this spot more than anywhere else in the castle."

Y/N smiled wider, her eyes sparkling with the memories. "It wasn't just the spot, Matty. It was being with you. Those moments... they felt like magic in a world already filled with it."

He looked at her then, his heart swelling with affection. Even after all these years, she still had that way of making him feel like they were young again, like nothing had changed between them. But they both knew better. Time had moved on, carrying them with it, and though their love had remained, their bodies had not. The youthful energy that once made them feel invincible was now a distant memory, replaced by the slow, steady rhythm of old age.

"I wish we could go back," Mattheo said quietly, his gaze drifting to the lake once more. "Just for a little while. To feel that way again."

Y/N reached over and took his hand in hers, her touch still as gentle as it had been when they were young. "I know," she whispered. "I've been thinking the same thing. If only we could be forever young... to relive those moments, to make new memories in the same way we used to."

They sat in silence for a while, the weight of their shared longing hanging in the air between them. The years had been kind to them in many ways—they had lived a full life together, raising a family, traveling the world, and finding joy in the small things. But there was something about their youth that felt untouchable, like a distant dream they could never quite grasp again.

"Do you remember the night of the Yule Ball?" Y/N asked suddenly, her eyes alight with the memory. "When we snuck out afterward and danced by the lake, just the two of us?"

Mattheo laughed, the sound rough but warm. "How could I forget? You insisted on twirling around in the snow, even though we were freezing. And you made me promise that we'd always find time to dance, no matter how old we got."

Y/N chuckled softly, squeezing his hand. "I did, didn't I? And we did, for a while. But life has a way of getting in the way of those little promises."

He nodded, a pang of regret settling in his chest. There had been so many moments like that—promises made in the heat of youthful passion, only to be forgotten in the busyness of life. But even so, those memories were what sustained them now, what kept them connected to the people they once were.

"Do you ever think," Mattheo began slowly, choosing his words carefully, "that maybe we didn't appreciate those days enough? That we were too eager to grow up, to move on to the next stage of life?"

Y/N sighed, her gaze distant as she considered his words. "Perhaps," she said softly. "But isn't that the way of things? When you're young, you don't realize how precious those moments are until they're gone. It's only when you're older, looking back, that you wish you could hold onto them just a little longer."

They both fell silent again, lost in their thoughts, the quiet sounds of the lake lapping at the shore filling the space between them. The sky was deepening now, the stars beginning to peek through the twilight, just as they had all those years ago when they first fell in love under the same sky.

"I don't regret any of it," Y/N said after a long pause, her voice steady. "Even if we can't go back, even if we can't be forever young, I'm grateful for every moment we had together. And I'm grateful for the ones we still have."

Mattheo turned to her, his heart swelling with love and gratitude. "I feel the same way, Y/N," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Every single moment."

They sat together, hand in hand, as the night fully descended around them. The stars above glittered like promises, and the memories of their youth lingered in the cool air. Though they couldn't turn back time, they could still cherish what they had, knowing that in their hearts, they would always be that young couple, dancing by the lake under the moonlight, forever young in spirit if not in body.

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Honest take-- I am so afraid of growing old. I think it's because when I really look at the human life span, everything goes by so fast. It makes me nervous that I won't have any memories to share or be able to say I've lived. Hella deep to say lmao.

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Love, the Author