Bound By Blood.

ch.43~ I should've.

"You're not in there anymore. 

I guess I truly did mourn a girl who died. 

I regret not doing it, I think."

Undelivered translated correspondents between Death Eater Mattheo Riddle, to Order Member Alexandra Brooks, 2003.

Interrogation house, 2003.

Mattheo  

I've been at this since the early morning, and I am fucking exhausted. 

If this one didn't begin speaking, the number of my "accomplishments" this week would have been too high to count. 

Yet, here I am, grateful for my "job," the outlet it provides for my simmering rage. 

Each time I get the news, I can't help but wonder if its her. 

And exactly what would happen if it was. 

This is the fourteenth Order member we've caught on our lines, which wouldn't be odd—we seize them frequently enough. But with Potter sending them lately, it feels less like a "threat" and more like a message aimed directly at me.

But here I was, for the sixth hour, working on some random Order member. 

Theo and Draco were nearby, exchanging sarcastic banter that broke through my grim focus.

"Maybe we should set a timer for how long it takes before he breaks," Draco suggested, brushing a thumb across his wand with a smirk.

Theo snorted. "You mean, how long until you break out the good cop act? I can see it now: 'Listen, mate, just tell us what you know, and we'll let you go,'" he mocked, affecting a faux-sincere tone.

"Or," Draco interjected, a wicked grin stretching across his features, "we could let him go and send him back to Potter with a little... reminder."

"Yeah," Theo chuckled darkly, "like a missing hand or two. That ought to send a real message."

"We've sent him worse, morons. Doesn't seem to do the job like them never returning." I sighed, annoyed with the fact that I was getting zero information. 

"We could just kill him." Theo suggested. 

Like we haven't fucking tried you idiot. 

I let out a pained groan, but despite the weariness, a small part of me appreciated their humor in the grim atmosphere. 

Their banter was a welcome distraction.

Then, just as I was letting my thoughts drift, my wards jolted to life, a pulse of warning that throbbed against my consciousness—someone was nearby.

I shot a glance at the boys.

"Stay here," I instructed, feeling the weight of the moment settle over me.

"Why?" Draco automatically shot up. 

"I need air, and he needs to start fucking talking," I huffed, adjusting my coat, "Stay."

It was an instinct ingrained in me; to go alone was always the preference. 

As I roamed the grounds, the cold air biting against my skin, I scanned the area with a sense of trepidation. 

The tall trees cast elongated shadows, and the crispness of the snow crunched beneath my boots with every cautious step.

And then, like an apparition, she emerged—standing low behind a gnarled tree.