slytherin boys react - II

mattheo riddle: their best friend being involved with your death

it had been weeks since your death, but mattheo couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. not just with your death, but with theodore. his best friend had grown distant, colder, detached, as if he were haunted by something far deeper than grief.

mattheo had tried to rationalize it. maybe it was theodore's way of coping. maybe he just didn't know how to handle emotions well. but tonight, something snapped.

it started with a memory, a flash of the last time he saw you alive. he recalled the fear in your eyes, the panic, and how you had fought against your attacker. you had left your mark on them, a deep cut across their arm, slashed in desperation before they fled. but in the chaos, it had been the last thing on his mind. until now.

he is with theodore in their dorm, both sitting in silence. theodore has been rolling up his sleeve absentmindedly when mattheo sees it, a glimpse of a jagged scar running down his forearm.

his heart stops. the room feels like it is closing in, and mattheo's voice catches in his throat. "that scar... where did you get it?"

theodore's head snaps up. his eyes darken as he pulls his sleeve down quickly. "it's nothing. got it a while ago."

mattheo's breath hitches as his eyes lock onto the scar. his mind races, a whirlwind of disbelief and rising anger. that scar. it is unmistakable. the same jagged line you left on your attacker in your final moments. theodore is lying.

his pulse quickens, pounding in his ears. "a while ago?" mattheo echoes, his voice dangerously quiet. his fingers curl into fists as he steps closer. "don't lie to me, theo."

theodore tenses, his expression guarded as he backs away slightly, but it only fuels mattheo's suspicion. the anger bubbling beneath the surface finally explodes. before theodore can react, mattheo grabs his arm, yanking it forward with a force he barely recognizes in himself.

"mattheo, stop-" theodore hisses, trying to pull away, but mattheo isn't letting go. not this time.

without a word, mattheo forcefully tugs up theodore's sleeve, revealing not just the scar, but the dark mark etched into his skin. mattheo stumbles back, the air suddenly knocked out of him. a death eater. the room seems to blur, the betrayal cutting through him like a blade. his heart pounds in his chest, his vision narrowing as he stares at the dark emblem burned into theodore's forearm. "you..." mattheo's voice is a broken whisper. the words refuse to come out.

theodore turns away, his face twisted in shame. "i didn't want you to find out like this."

mattheo's world spins. the dark mark. his best friend. the one person he thought he could trust more than anyone. "you're one of them." his voice cracks, filled with a raw mix of disbelief and rage. "you're one of them."

theodore stands there, silent. he doesn't deny it. theodore's expression falters, pain flashing across his face. "i didn't want to drag you into this mess. i thought i could handle it alone. i thought i could protect you by keeping you away."

"protect me?" mattheo scoffs, incredulous. "you think hiding this from me is protecting me? you've only made it worse! i lost you the moment you decided to join them!"

silence stretches between them, heavy and suffocating, until theodore's eyes shimmer with unshed tears. "i'm sorry," he whispers, his voice cracking. "i never wanted any of this."

mattheo feels his heart constrict painfully at the sound of his friend's voice breaking. the betrayal and anguish twist together inside him, choking off any rational thought. "you think that's enough?" he snaps, rage boiling over again. "you think sorry can fix this?"

theodore drops his gaze, his shoulders slumping under the weight of mattheo's words. "no, i don't," he murmurs. "but i need you to understand-"

"understand what? that you're a coward?" mattheo yells, his fists shaking at his sides. "you chose yourself over her! you chose them!" without thinking, mattheo lunges forward, throwing a punch straight at theodore's face. the force of it sends a shockwave through the room as theodore staggers back, blood trickling from his lip. but he doesn't raise a hand to defend himself. instead, he just takes it.