Bound By Blood.

ch.101~Far away.

"You look for the good in people, when its long gone. 

I wish you wouldn't.

I'm doing this for you."

Undelivered translated correspondents between Death Eater Mattheo Riddle, to Order Member Alexandra Brooks, 2004.

Potter House, 2004.

Mattheo.

I didn't expect to end the night with my wand damn near pointed to her head, but she always had a way of bringing out the crazy in me. 

And not always in a good way. 

"Leave! Get out of here!" I yelled at her, the words tearing from my throat with a ferocity that surprised even me. 

But there she stood, unmoving, locked in place as if caught in some invisible grip.

Her presence anchored me, a reminder of the boy I used to be—the boy I couldn't afford to be right now. 

"Can't you fucking listen for once?! Leave!"

My voice was raw with rage, a boiling tide that threatened to drown us both. 

I needed her to go, to protect her from the storm that was my life, from the chaos that swirled around us like a storm.

But she was still here, eyes wide, searching for something in me that maybe even I couldn't find.

"Look around!" I shouted, desperately trying to make her see the reality of it all. "The Order is losing. Soon it'll be you they go for. And I won't stop them."

My words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. 

Because they were true...

I could see the panic etched across her face as she took in the chaos surrounding us—the cries of her friends fighting for survival. 

It struck a chord deep within me, a twisted sense of guilt for dragging her into this nightmare.

"You're lying." Her voice was a whisper, more a plea than a statement, urging me to reconsider, to come back from the edge.

I don't think I am...

"Want to see how truthful I am?" I challenged, pulling my wand from my side.

I didn't aim it at her, not yet, I don't think I could, but I wanted her to understand the power I wielded—the potential for destruction. 

Moving closer, I let the tip of my wand hover dangerously near her face—not to threaten, but to show her the precipice she was standing on. 

I needed her to grasp the danger, to run while she still could.

To get away from me. 

Far away. 

"Why would I lie, Brooks?" I asked, meeting her gaze head-on. I could feel that twisted exhilaration surging within me, but it was tainted by something deeper—something almost tragic. "Are you still seeing the good in me?"

The confusion and dread etched on her face mirrored the turmoil inside me. 

I didn't want to frighten her, but I knew I had to.

I had to. 

"Yes." She bit out defiantly, refusing the escape I offered. 

Like she always has.