Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

Applause

In the dimly lit common room of Slytherin Dungeon, the fireplace cast flickering shadows across the walls. It was late, and the usual chatter had died down, leaving only the soft crackle of the fire and the rustle of parchment as students finished last-minute assignments. Among them sat a boy with tousled dark hair and a girl with eyes like emeralds, their quills moving in sync as they worked.

Mattheo and Y/N had been inseparable since their first year at Hogwarts. They were the type of duo that everyone knew, not just for their friendship, but for their rivalry. Both were top of their class, constantly pushing each other to be better, to reach higher. It was a bond forged in mutual respect and shared ambition, though it was far more complicated than anyone else realized.

As the years passed, their competitive friendship became something else entirely. Something unspoken but tangible, a thread of tension that neither of them dared to acknowledge. It wasn't love, at least not in the traditional sense, but it was something powerful, something that fueled their every interaction. They needed each other, though not in a way that would bring them together. Instead, it kept them apart, always striving, always competing.

Now, in their seventh year, the final chapter of their time at Hogwarts was unfolding. The headmaster had just announced candidates for Head Boy and Head Girl, the highest honor bestowed upon a student, and it was no surprise to anyone that Mattheo and Y/N were chosen. But only one could take the title.

It was Mattheo who had emerged victorious.

The night after the announcement, they sat together, just as they had done countless times before. But tonight, the air between them was thick with the weight of what had happened.

"Congratulations," Y/N said, her voice steady but void with the usual warmth.

Mattheo glanced at her, seeing the faint smile that didn't reach her eyes. 'Thanks," he replied, trying to keep his tone light. But he knew her too well. He knew that beneath her calm exterior, there was something else. Disappointment, perhaps. Or maybe something darker, something that mirrored his own guilt.

He had won, but it didn't feel like victory.

"You deserved it," she continued, her quill still as she stared into the fire. "You worked hard for it. We both did."

"Y/N," Mattheo began, but she shook her head, cutting him off.

"Don't," she said softly. "Don't say it. I know what you're going to say, and I don't need to hear it."

He fell silent, unsure of what to do. In all the years they had known each other, he had never seen her like this. It wasn't anger or jealousy–those were emotions she could handle. This was something else, something he couldn't fix with a clever realtor or a shared joke.

"I just thought it would be different," Y/N said after a long pause. "I thought if I won, everything would make sense. But now..."

"It does make sense," Mattheo interrupted, his voice firmer than he intended. "You're brilliant, Y/N. Everyone knows that. This–this title doesn't change who you are."

She turned to look at him, her eyes searching his face for something. "Doesn't it?" she asked quietly. "All those years of competing, of pushing each other. And now... what do we have left?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and unanswerable.

"I never wanted to hurt you," Mattheo said, his voice soft. "Not like this."

Y/N sighed, a sound that seemed to carry all the exhaustion of their years together. "It's not about that," she said. "It's just... I don't know who I am without this. Without us, competing, striving. What do I do now?"

He didn't have an answer for her. All he could do was sit there, the weight of his victory pressing down on him like a curse. He had won, but in doing so, he felt like he had lost something far more important.

Y/N stood up, gathering her things. "I should go," she said, not meeting his eyes. "There's still a lot of work to do before graduation."

Mattheo nodded, watching her as she walked away. He wanted to call her back, to say something that would make it better, but he knew it was too late. The moment had passed, and now all that was left was the echo of applause that would never be enough.

As she disappeared up the stairs to her dormitory, Mattheo was left alone in the common room, staring into the dying fire. The title of Head Boy felt hollow now, a shadow of the triumph it should have been.

In the end, all he could do was sit there, feeling the sting of a victory that had cost him the only thing that he had ever truly cared about and mattered to him. 

-----------------

idk how I feel bout this, but I hope you enjoyed it :)

Stay Beautiful <3