briarchves
annelise lupin spent most of her life being known before people ever met her-daughter of a marauder, expected to be brave, kind, and endlessly good. and she is good, in the quiet sort of way. she stays after class to help first years, remembers everyone's favorite tea, and somehow still believes there's something worth saving in people even when nobody else does.
mattheo riddle is the exact opposite of everything she's supposed to stay away from.
he's late-night wanderings through the castle, too many detentions, a reputation built on rumors and half-truths, and eyes that always look like he's waiting for people to leave first. people say he's difficult. cold. too much like his father. annelise thinks he just looks tired.
they aren't meant to become friends.
it starts with accidental meetings in the library and turns into sharing silence that doesn't feel awkward. she learns he likes when people stop talking long enough to actually listen. he learns she isn't naΓ―ve-she just chooses kindness anyway. she doesn't ask him to change, and he doesn't understand why she never seems scared of him.
their relationship becomes something built in secret: walking back from astronomy tower together, passing notes in class, studying until midnight, small smiles nobody else notices. mattheo slowly lets his guard down around her, and annelise starts realizing being good doesn't always mean doing what's expected of you.
the problem is that hogwarts notices everything eventually.
and suddenly annelise has to decide whether she wants to keep being the girl everyone expects-or the girl who chooses him anyway.
started june 2026.