Magic and Mistrust ~ Mattheo Riddle

13

"Yeah, he's been on me for recruiting."

I hear a familiar voice as I turn the corner.

"Have you got anything with that girl?" Another boy says and then drops his voice, "Madelyn?"

"Huh? No, not someone like her," Mattheo says. My eyebrows shot up, and I wanted to walk in there and smack him. Someone like me? What did that even mean?

I took a peek at who he was speaking to, Theodore Nott. Maybe he could help me.

I wasn't in the mood to talk to Mattheo after last night, so I decided to approach Nott later.

~

I take a stroll around the corridors close to the Slytherin Common Room. It was almost dinner time, so he had to come out soon.

I paced back and forth, not making it obvious that I was waiting for someone. I still got dirty looks from the slytherins.

Theodore Nott finally comes out of hiding in that common room forever, and I approach him, glad that he was alone. I didn't think I'd be able to talk to him because of his huge gang and Mattheo.

"What's up?" He asks when I start walking next to him casually.

"I overheard something; I just wanted to know if it was true." I act like this is going to be a normal conversation.

"Wow. Straight to the point. No wonder Mattheo was hanging around you."

"Not anymore." I shut the comment down and changed the subject. "I heard something about recruiting and Mattheo saying someone like me couldn't do something. I don't know; I'm confused."

"And annoyed." He adds with a chuckle and then tries to find me an answer. 'Wait. You were eavesdropping?"

"Maybe." I look away. "Just tell me what he meant."

"He meant that you couldn't be recruited as a Death Eater." He lowers his voice and looks around for anyone listening.

"What?" I was confused. "So he was evaluating me on how good of a death eater I would be?"

"Pretty much, but don't get too upset. I think he liked you."

"Liked me?" I scoff and speed up my pace.

I can't believe this idiot really thought I would be a death eater. I just wasted my time with him.

I roll my eyes and make my way to the great hall for dinner.

Harry and James waved to me as I entered and sat down.

"Hey." I tried not to sound too mad.

"Oh hi," James says, a bit too shocked.

I looked over to Harry, and he looked nervous.

"What's up with you?" I ask.

"Hermione may have told Mattheo about you being a bit of a spy." He says it quietly. He looked embarrassed, as if he had done it.

I rolled my eyes. I honestly didn't care that he knew; I wanted him to know. I wanted him to know that I wasn't hanging out with him because I enjoyed it. I was using him like he was using me.

Suddenly, I felt my appetite fade away.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight guys." I tell the boys, and I make my exit.

This wasn't how I thought the last days of the holidays would go.

"Wait,"

I turn around. The great hall doors close, and Mattheo stands in front of them. He was the last person I wanted to see.

"Madelyn, can we talk?"

"I heard what you said about me."

"What did I say?"

"That someone like me couldn't be recruited,"

"What that's not-"

"So you just wanted to recruit me?!" I couldn't keep my voice down.

"That's not why I was interested in you! I had other reasons!" He yells back.

"Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying, Madelyn!" He runs a hand through his hair, "Just listen,"

"I can't do this anymore," I shake my head. I reached for the ring on my finger and threw it at him.

"Madelyn, please."

My tears blur my vision. "You got what you wanted," I sob, thinking about when he tried to make me forget about Lorenzo's part in being a death eater. He wanted to hurt me so bad that I wouldn't tell a soul. "You made my life miserable."

I turn and walk away, wiping my tears.

"Madelyn!" He calls after me.