Dusk and Desire - A Mattheo Riddle Story

The First Woman Who Broke Mattheo's Heart

The air outside of Azkaban Prison was as cold and desolate as the landscape surrounding the two Riddle brothers. They stood there on a nearby rock as vicious waves crashed around them, playing a symphony of destruction held back only by the charm that Tom placed upon where they stood. Mattheo shuddered when he heard the silence in between each crash. There were no birds out in the sea, no fishermen, no boats. Nothing but the water to break up the sound of screams from the triangular stone prison in front of them.

Tom nodded at a few of the dementors, giving them a stony look that Mattheo imagined said "Don't fuck with me." Dementors were curious things. They were found centuries ago to be guarding Azkaban—a place stumbled upon by wizards and later turned into a prison when they were unable to decipher who... or what... built it. They guarded it like it was their messiah, patrolling the edges and containing their victims within.

Azkaban wasn't a place one wanted to visit for a lovely holiday. Most prisoners went insane within a matter of weeks. Mattheo was sure his mother was no exception. The only one who seemed to be was his uncle, Sirius Black, who Tom broke out of Azkaban during Mattheo's third year as an unconventional Christmas gift. Sirius, while kind and warm, wasn't the best uncle or caretaker. Mattheo rarely saw him; he was usually far too busy visiting the Potter boy to care about his little cousins. Even Evelyn saw him less and less throughout the years, though she didn't seem to mind as Tom filled every gap. Mattheo didn't mind, either, because most of his family was horrible. Sirius, at least, couldn't let him down any more than the rest.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tom asked as he eyed the prison with mild disinterest. Only Tom could be bored by the highest security wizarding prison surrounded by deadly soul-eating monsters.

Mattheo stared into the hooded face of one of them and shivered. He wished he could grab onto his brother's arm for comfort but Tom would probably give him a dark look before smacking him. He also wished Evelyn were here, but Tom would probably murder Mattheo for even suggesting she get near a dementor and Mattheo would much rather be smacked than killed. He swore, his brother was so pussy-whipped.

He looked at the prison and sighed. Did he want to do this? Honestly, no. But part of him felt like he needed to if he wanted to prove to Nora that he wanted to grow and be better for her. He had to confront his past if he wanted to start his future. And since his father was dead, that left only one option.

"Yup," Mattheo said softly. "Take me in." Take me into this awful place so I can leave and get back to Nora.

Tom eyed him warily before grabbing onto his arm and apparating him inside the highest security place in the wizarding world as if he were just going to the house next door. Merlin, the bloke was scary sometimes.

It didn't take a genius to realize Tom had come here earlier in the day to prepare for Mattheo's visit. For one, there was a few guard bodies that were either stunned—unlikely—or just meant work for Mattheo later. And the prisoners were surprisingly docile, as if they knew the one there wasn't their saviour but their doom. Mattheo tried not to let his fear overtake him as his older brother led him through the hallways to a door in the corner. 

"Let me know when you're ready to go," Tom said gruffly.

Mattheo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You're staying?"

It might have been a shift in the light but Mattheo swore he saw his brother's eyes soften. "I'm not leaving you."

Before he could even think about it, Mattheo lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his big brother, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you," he whispered. He broke the hug before Tom had the chance to jinx him, slipping inside as he chuckled at his brother's shocked face. It wasn't as if they were known for their affectionate nature. While the hug was nice, it was odd. Still, it gave him the strength to face the cell with renewed energy, knowing his big brother always had his back.