Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

Echoes of My Life

Song Inspo: Million Years Ago - Adele

Word Count: 900

It feels like it was a lifetime ago when I first saw him–standing at the edge of the Great Hall, shrouded in an aura of mystery that seemed to draw everyone's attention, yet kept them at bay. He was a Slytherin, of course, with the sharp, angular features that seemed to mirror his reputation. Cold, unapproachable, and fiercely independent. But there was something else too, something that drew me to him, even when I knew I shouldn't.

His name was Mattheo Riddle, a boy who wore his indifference like armor, keeping the world at a distance. I was just another Gryffindor girl back then, full of life, surrounded by friends, and yet always feeling a stranger's emptiness, as if a part of me was lost somewhere I couldn't reach. And then, there was Mattheo–quiet brooding, and completely indifferent to the things that everyone else seemed to care about.

I don't know when it started, this inexplicable pull towards him. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, with a certain sadness in his eyes that only I seemed to notice. Or maybe it was the way he never looked at me, as if he was determined not to acknowledge my existence, and in doing so, made me feel even more drawn to him.

There were days when I would catch myself staring at him across the room, wondering what it would be like to know the thoughts that swirled in his mind, the secrets he kept hidden behind that mask of indifference. And then there were nights when I would lie in bed, unable to sleep, my mind filled with questions that I would never dare to ask him.

One day, by some twist of fate, we were paired together in Potions. I remember the way his eyes flickered over me, assessing, calculating, before he gave a curt nod and went back to his work. We didn't speak much that day, but there was something in the air between us, something unspoken but undeniably present. It was the beginning of something, though I didn't realize it at the time.

As the weeks passed, we spent more time together, working on assignments, exchanging brief, clipped conversations that always seemed to leave me wanting more. I began to see the crack in his armor, the moments when his cold facade would slip, revealing the boy beneath–a boy who was just as lost as I felt.

But it wasn't just about his vulnerability. There was a strength in him, a determination that I admired, even when I didn't fully understand it. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with him. It wasn't a grand, dramatic moment–just a quiet retaliation that he had somehow become the most important person in my life.

I wish I could say that it was a happy love, that we found solace in each other and everything fell into place. But life isn't like that, is it? There were too many things between us–his past, his father, the walls he had built around himself. And me, with my own fears and insecurities, always wondering if I was enough for him, if I could ever truly understand him.

There were moments when I thought we could make it work, that our love was strong enough to overcome anything. But then there were other times, dark times, when I felt like I was losing him, Like he was slipping through my fingers, becoming a ghost of the boy I had fallen in love with. I remember the last time I saw him, really saw him, before everything changed. We were standing by the lake, the wind tugging at my hair as I looked up at him, searching his face for something, anything that would tell me he felt the same way I did. But all I saw was that same indifference, that same distance that had always been there.

And in that moment, I realized that I had been chasing a dream, a fantasy that could never be. He wasn't mine to keep, and I wasn't the girl who could save him. I loved him, but love wasn't enough.

Now, as I walk through the halls of Hogwarts, everything feels different. The laughter, the whispers, the magic–it's all still there, but I'm not the same. It's like I'm living the shadow of a life that I no longer recognize, a life that feels like it belongs to someone else.

Sometimes, I think back to those days, to the girl I used to be and it feels like it was a million years ago. I miss her, that girl who believed in love, who thought she could change the world with her heart. But she's gone now, and all that's left are the memories, the echoes of a love that never really was.

And Mattheo? He's still here, somewhere in these halls, but we're strangers now. I see him sometimes, across the room, and our eyes meet for the briefest of moments before he looks away. It's as if we're both trying to forget, trying to move on from something that never truly began.

But no matter how much time passes, no matter how much I try to convince myself that it doesn't matter, a part of me will always remember. A part of me will always love him, even if it feels like a love from a million years ago. 

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What'd y'all think? I hope you liked it :)

Stay Beautiful <3