Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

Time Traveler's Regret

Word Count: 1135

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The world felt smaller after Mattheo disappeared. Hogwarts, once a maze of warmth and familiarity, turned into a cold labyrinth of unanswered questions. Y/N had spent sleepless nights searching for clues, her mind spiraling into endless "what-ifs". Why hadn't she seen the signs? Why hadn't she done more to keep him grounded, to keep him safe?

The shopkeeper had warned her. "Time is a delicate web, miss. You can't pull on one thread without tangling the rest. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Her answer had been immediate. "Yes."

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Y/N's POV

The heavy weight of the time-turner around my neck felt both promising and condemning as I stood in the dim light of my small flat. I stared at the golden hourglass, watching the sand slip through its center. It was maddeningly simple—one twist, and I could go back. One twist, and I could undo everything. Or at least, I could try.

It had been three years since Mattheo Riddle disappeared. Three years of questions that no one seemed to have answers for. His absence had left a gaping hole in my chest, one that no amount of time or closure could fill. The rumors had ranged from betrayal to death, but none of them felt right. None of them felt like him.

Back in our sixth year, we had been inseparable. Mattheo was sharp, reckless, and a bit of a menace—but he had a soft side only I seemed to know. It was the way he'd tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear when we studied, or how he'd defend me in the chaos of the Slytherin common room, even when it meant taking the heat himself.

But his father, Voldemort, had other plans for him. Slowly, Mattheo had been dragged deeper into his father's missions, forced to make sacrifices that chipped away at the boy I loved. By seventh year, he wasn't the same. The fire in his eyes had dimmed, his laughter was a rare ghost of itself, and he had become a shadow of the person I had once known.

And then, one night, he vanished. No goodbye. No note. Nothing.

For years, I searched for answers. I scoured libraries, questioned former Death Eaters like Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Lorenzo Berkshire. I practically begged anyone who might know something. But Mattheo was gone, as though he'd been wiped off the face of the earth. Until now.

The time-turner was my last resort. It was illegal to use for personal reasons, of course, but when you've lost someone the way I lost Mattheo, laws start to feel like suggestions.

I gripped the chain tightly, took a deep breath, and twisted the hourglass.

Into the Past: Sixth Year

The world spun, and when it stopped, I was standing in the middle of the Hogwarts library. The familiar scent of parchment and ink wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. My younger self sat a few tables away, her brows furrowed as she scribbled notes for a Potions essay.