Bound By Blood.

ch.103~When it crumbles...

"Haven't seen you in a little bit, 

starting to think you're avoiding me, Brookie. 

Tunnels, tonight?"

A note found in Order Member, Alexandra Brooks Potions Textbook in 1997, from Death Eater Mattheo Riddle.

Mattheo, 2004.

Hogwarts. 

Father had a freshly tailored suit brought to my room this morning. 

The darkest shade of black I've ever seen, tailored to perfection, the seamstress said when she dropped it to my door. 

"Your father wants you looking your best when you claim victory tonight," she said, placing it on a hook by my bathroom. 

Clear instructions along with it. 

Because obviously, my first thought was, how the fuck am I expected to fight in a suit?

Simple, when fighting we were permitted to take off out jackets, but then our dress shirts had to be rolled up, and cuffed, to show our marks. 

I must've stared at the suit for at least an hour before I put it on, knowing what came after I did.

The fabric beckoned to me, thick and luxurious, the sheen of the black catching the glints of light in my room. But with each passing minute, the weight of expectation pressed down on me harder.

When I finally put the suit on, it felt as if I were slipping into a second skin. 

The tailored fit hugged my form, accentuating not just my stature but the persona I was expected to embody. 

This wasn't just clothing; it was a costume for a role I had to embrace fiercely. 

I faced the mirror, smoothing my tie, each adjustment sending a shiver down my spine.

"Looking sharp, Matty." Theo's voice broke through the turmoil of my thoughts. 

He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, a slight smirk on his lips. I caught his gaze through the mirror.

I scoffed, shaking my head as I adjusted my collar again, pulling it taut around my neck. 

"No, I look like him." The words tasted bitter in my mouth, a reminder of who I was meant to be — who I was supposed to impress and mimic.

Theo's smirk faded for a heartbeat. He hesitated, and then, with a simple nod, he turned and left, leaving me alone with my reflection.

I stared into the mirror, disgust swirling within me. It wasn't just the suit. 

No, it was the way it made me feel — this wasn't a game. 

It wasn't a simple gathering where we might celebrate. No. It was a battleground where masks were worn, and the stakes were high, where reputations were built and torn down in the span of a single night. 

I looked at myself in that mirror the same way I was now looking up at the castle, at Hogwarts, as if the looming structure itself held the answers to my questions. 

The touches flickered like memories I couldn't quite grasp. 

Where the hell was she? 

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