Shattered Mind - Trauma, Texting, and the Slytherins

24

TW:

February

Mattheo's POV

I rushed through the halls of Hogwarts, my destination Alice's dorm. I put two and two together, plus the boys told me everything. I didn't have to think twice before I made my way to her.

If that bastard hurts her, I'm gonna hurt him in a way that he will be begging me to kill him.

When I arrived at her dorm, I harshly pulled the door open. My eyes widened. "Get off her!" I yelled as I sprinted towards them and grabbed Jacob by his shirt, lifted him off the bed and slammed him against the nearest wall, so his head hit it pretty hard.

I snatched the knife from his hand and threw it onto the floor, before punching him a few times in his face, making sure to break his nose and jaw. Then I also rammed my fist into his stomach, before speaking up.

"If you don't leave this fucking school immediately, I'm going to make sure that you will regret your whole life. I don't want to ever see you again. Got it?" I said in a low and deadly tone, glaring at him.

But he only smirked. And somehow he got out of my grip and landed a punch on my jaw.

I spat out some blood, and looked at Jacob, who was pinning me now against the wall. He chuckled "Coming to save this unimportant, little girl. Pathetic." He tried to punch me again, but I dodged it and his fist landed in the wall.

At some point I was somehow on the floor, and he was above me. But then he let out a sudden groan of pain.

And I saw why.

Alice had gotten up from the bed and stabbed the knife from before into his shoulder. He turned around to look at her in anger, pain visible on his face. "This isn't over, darling." he said before he apparated away.

She dropped the knife and sat down on the edge of the bed, shaking and panting.

I wiped the blood from my knuckles and muttered something to myself, before standing up and looking at the girl.

She sat there, her expression shocked and vulnerable. She was holding onto her covers for dear life, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping them.

I slowly walked closer to her, but she backed off, her breathing ragged, and I stopped moving. "Alice, it's okay... I won't hurt you..." I said and was surprised by my unusual soft tone.

But she didn't seem to calm down. Sweat was running down her face and she was on the verge of tears.

My heart broke at the sight of her. If I ever see that guy again, I'm gonna rip him apart for only ever looking at her.

"Mattheo, I... I can't breathe..." she whispered, and I began to panic, but quickly composed myself. "Can I come closer...?" I asked her, and she hesitated, but nodded.

Without wasting a second, I slowly began to approach her again, and sat down next to her on the bed. Tears were escaping her eyes now, as she struggled to catch her breath. I thought a bit of what was the best I could do right now, I never dealt with a situation like this before.

I placed my hand on hers, and gently released her fingers from the covers, to intervine them with my own.

She gripped onto my hand tightly, not intending to let go soon. "Good. Now try to breathe, okay?" 

"I... I don't know how to..." She said through her breaths.

"Come on Alice, you're not dumb. You know how to breathe."

She let out a shaky chuckle, and I smiled a bit. "There you go. Now just breathe, you know how do it. Take your time. I'm here." I tried to reassure her, and still held her hand. It seemed so tiny, and her skin was so soft and smooth compared to mine.

I watched her as she took a few breaths, and after a few minutes she was calmer again, and her breathing wasn't so uneven anymore. "See? Everything's okay. You're okay." she let out a sigh and pressed her eyes shut together.

A few more tears rolled down her cheeks. I slowly brought my other hand up to her face, and wiped her tears away with my thumb. She opened her eyes at my touch.

Even though they were all red and puffy, and vulnerable, they were as beautiful as ever.

I leaned back against the headboard, moved my hand from her face around her shoulders, and pulled her closer to me, so her head was resting on my shoulder.

We sat there for a bit like this, until she spoke up again. "How did you know that he-" I cut her off before she could finish the sentence. "That's not important. I'm here now, everything's okay." she nodded in agreement, still clutching my hand.

Her nails were digging into my skin, but I didn't care. The only thing I cared about right now was her.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you much?" she asked, looking up at me. I faintly smiled. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"What if he comes back... Finishes the job..." she whispered.

"He won't. And if he does, I'll take care of it. We will take care of it. You're safe." I said with determination, trying to reassure her. But of course, I saw that she didn't buy it. I let out a sigh.

"Listen... The truth is that I don't know if he'll come back or not. He probably will. But when he does, I promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and alive." She looked into my eyes and her expression softened.

We sat there for a while, until Sophia came through the door. When she saw Alice and the state she was in, she immediately ran to us. "What happened?! Is she okay?!" she asked in a panicked voice and quickly came over to us.

I nodded at her question, and then slowly released my hand from Alice's grip, even if I didn't want to. "Okay, I'm leaving you two alone now, you don't need me here anymore." I said as I got up from the bed to walk out of the dorm.

"Mattheo?" I heard Alice's soft voice behind me, when I was in front of the door, and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks..."

A hint of a smirk tugged the corners of my lips "No problem, princess."