Bound By Blood.

ch.63~ Haunted.

"Under pressure, beautiful things can form.

Other times, they'll shatter. 

Which do you suppose we are?

I think I already know."

Recovered Translated Correspondents between Death Eater Mattheo Riddle, to Order Member Alexandra Brooks, 2004.

Undisclosed Location, 2003.

Mattheo.

"You're late." Were the last words I heard before her hex hit me directly in the chest. 

I didn't bother blocking, I knew she wasn't shooting to kill. 

She was simply shooting to annoy me. 

Mission accomplished. 

The warmth from the hex radiated through my body, wrapping me in an invisible cocoon of immobility. 

Oh, she's smart. 

I couldn't move, but I could still feel the tension in the air as she approached. 

Her footsteps were deliberate, echoing off the walls of her dimly lit room, and I could feel the anger emanating from her.

As she leaned over me, I caught a glimpse of the fire burning in her eyes. 

"What the fuck is your deal?" she spat, her voice low and dangerous. "You think you can just hex me on missions, tell me you're done, sneak into my room, taunt me, and then somehow wish me a happy fucking birthday like it's all some kind of joke?"

Her face was inches from mine, and I couldn't help but smirk. 

It was infuriating for her, and I thrived on that disruption. 

"You know I can't resist a good taunt," I managed to say, despite my rooted position. It was almost comical to see her face twist with frustration. "Especially when it comes to you."

I could see the fury simmering just beneath the surface, and I relished every bit of it. 

The way her chest rose and fell with each frustrated breath, how the tension around her brows tightened like a drawn string—she was like a coiled spring, ready to snap. 

"You think this is funny?" she repeated, her voice thick with anger. "You think you can haunt me and tell me you were better when you thought I was dead? Cut off my letters and appear in the night like a ghost stalking your prey?"

"Oh, come on," I shot back, the words rolling off my tongue easier than they should've. "Don't tell me you miss my letters. Not when you have George to cuddle with."

Her expression darkened, the anger shifting from simmer to boil. "Oh! You think you're so clever, don't you? Mocking me while I'm trying to figure out where all of this even leaves—"

"Maybe you should've thought twice before you launched that little fireball at my house," I shot back, undeterred. "It's hard to feel remorse when you started all of this."

Her face flushed, a mix of surprise and guilt flickering across her features. "That wasn't at you!" she hissed, pushing back against the boundaries of my immobility with every ounce of indignation she possessed. "You know these things happen in war. I reached a point and just... We're on opposite sides, and you know that—"