~Twisted Loyalties~ Matheo Riddle x OC x Theodore Nott

chapter 14

~Eris pov~

When we returned to the manor, everyone went their separate ways. I decided to follow Lydia to the library. The questions swirling in my mind wouldn’t leave me alone, especially about my wand. Was there more to it than what I already knew? Could it help me unlock something deeper?

Lydia barely spoke as she led me through the shelves. She pulled out a few old books, laying them on the table before quickly slipping away. I could tell there was something she didn’t want to explain. Maybe she knew, or maybe she was just hesitant to get involved.

I sat down, placing my new kitten—who I still needed to name—on the table beside me. He curled up in my sweater, purring softly. I opened one of the books, trying to decipher the ancient words. Most of it was in Romanian, filled with terms I could barely make out.

"Covenuri de Argint... Arborele Argintiu," I whispered as I scanned the text. It talked about a coven, the Silver Coven, known for using a magical tree called Arborele de argint
The wood of this tree was something rare, powerful, and used to craft wands unlike any other.

As I read further, the words grew darker. "Sigilii de sânge," blood sigils. These weren’t just any markings—they were burned into the skin to amplify the power of spells, drawing directly from the wielder’s life force. My stomach churned at the thought, though a part of me felt the allure of that kind of strength.

I traced the diagrams showing how they crafted wands, merging the Silver Tree's magic with blood to unlock dangerous abilities. But it wasn’t just about the tree—it was the rituals, the sigils, the blood that made it possible to reach new heights of magic. "Leagăn de Vrăji," a cradle of spells. These sigils could be used to channel spells far beyond the ordinary.

I stared at the text, piecing together the importance of it all. My wand was special. It had potential tied to this ancient practice, but I hadn’t gone that far yet. I hadn’t burned any sigils into my skin.

My kitten stirred beside me, batting at the corner of the book. I sighed, closing the text for a moment. There was so much more to learn, and a heavy weight settled on me. Could I handle this? Did I even want to?

I sat there, my new cat curling up beside me as I flipped through the pages of the old book. Every now and then, he'd let out a soft meow, almost as if urging me to keep going. My eyes kept catching the word "silver" — "argint" in Romanian — scattered throughout the text. I smiled, looking down at him.

“Argint,” I whispered. "That’s what I’ll call you."

The cat blinked up at me, as if he approved of the name, and nestled deeper into my sweater.

Deeper and deeper, I dived into the books surrounding me. Piles of them stacked on all sides, I was so lost in their contents that I didn’t notice my eyes starting to droop. It wasn’t until a soft clatter broke the silence that I looked up, surprised to see Theo sitting across from me. He slid two plates onto the table, one in front of me.

“You missed dinner,” Theo said, pushing one of the plates toward me.

"Oh my God, I totally lost track of time," I stammered, feeling embarrassed. I hadn’t realized how long I’d been reading. Theo chuckled softly.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Little dove, you're so pretty when you're flustered,” he teased, his voice light and playful.

I felt my cheeks heat up, even more flustered than before. “Stop playing with me, Theo.”

A part of me was terrified that this was all just a game to him, that he was messing with me as I used my fork to push my food around on the plate, too nervous to meet his gaze. But Theo’s expression softened.

“Eris, I would never do that to you,” he said earnestly. “I want to get to know you better.”

His words, so genuine and warm, made me smile despite my nerves.

Shortest episode so far 😭 but I wrote so much in the last  one