Emerson Wilmore was an exemplary Ravenclaw student, known for her unwavering dedication to academics and an unyielding moral compass. However, things took a twisted and deviated turn in her life after her boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, was murdered by L...
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The emerald-green flames spat Mattheo out into the Ravenclaw common room, the world tilting violently as his shoes struck the floor. He caught himself against the mantel for balance, his hand smearing blood across the polished stone. His body screamed in anguish and agony with every movement and breath. Blood trailed beneath him, soaking into the woven rug by the hearth.
The Ravenclaw common room was quiet and almost empty, bathed in the soft glow of the dying fire. Shadows stretched across the carved walls, curling into the corners like spectres.
The only person left behind was sitting curled in an armchair by the fire, despite the extremely late hour. For the briefest flicker of a second, through the haze in his vision, Mattheo thought it was Emerson. He could see her brown hair falling loose in the firelight and head bent in quiet focus. The sight sparked something desperate in him.
But then she lifted her head, and the hair was pale gold, not brown. It was Olivia.
Her book hit the floor with a thud at the sight of him.
"Mattheo?" The sound of his name was horrified. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him with the blood staining his shirt. She shot to her feet, hands frozen as if her mind couldn't yet decide whether to catch him or scream.
He managed half a step closer before his knees buckled. The room spun violently around him and the cuts that Voldemort carved into him flared into a blinding inferno. His body finally betrayed him and he fell forwards.
"Bloody hell—Mattheo!" Olivia lunged forward just in time to try and catch him, but his weight dragged them both down to the floor. He collapsed heavily onto the rug in front of her chair, the warmth of the fire hitting his blood-slicked skin. His dark curls clung damply to his forehead, his lips drained of all colour.
The copper tang of blood filled the room. Olivia's hands hovered helplessly above him, trembling. "Oh shit—what happened to you?" She cried, voice trembling between panic and disbelief.
Mattheo tried to push himself up, swallowing the groan clawing at his throat. "'M fine," He rasped, the lie spilling out of habit. "Don't—don't scream and wake up the whole of Ravenclaw Tower."
Olivia pulled her wand free from her pocket. "What—Merlin, what happened to you?" She didn't wait for an answer, whispering healing incantations under her breath. But the spells sputtered against the ragged and curse-torn wounds that marred his skin. The marks barely reacted, dark and deep as they were. Mattheo hissed, his whole body flinching violently as the dark magic fought against Olivia's spells.
"Stop—stop," He ground out, forcing himself upright, though the room tilted dangerously with the effort. "Don't, Liv. It's not working. You'll just make it worse."
Her green eyes burned with frustration at the fact that she could not help him. She felt powerless. "You're going to bleed out right here, and you want me to stop?"
