limerence | mattheo riddle

Mattheo Riddle has never cared much for rules.

Skipping classes, picking fights, collecting detentions like trophies-it's all become second nature. But when his reckless behavior finally pushes Hogwarts to its limit, Professor Snape gives him an ultimatum: become the designated buddy of the newest transfer student or face expulsion.

For Mattheo, the choice isn't really a choice. With the Dark Lord's demands growing heavier by the day, being thrown out of Hogwarts would ruin everything.

Then there's Celeste Aracosa.

Transferred from Ilvermorny under mysterious circumstances, Celeste is sharp-tongued, beautiful, ruthless, and completely unimpressed by Mattheo's reputation. She doesn't fear him, doesn't admire him, and certainly doesn't make his life easy. If anything, she seems determined to get under his skin. And somehow, she succeeds.

What begins as forced companionship slowly twists into something darker. An unwanted fixation. The sound of her laughter lingers in his mind long after she's gone. Her insults replay in his head like treasured memories. He notices every glance, every smile, every detail he should have forgotten.

But as secrets buried beneath Hogwarts begin to surface, and the truth behind Celeste's arrival threatens to unravel everything, Mattheo finds himself trapped between loyalty and obsession. Between the darkness he was born into and the girl who makes him question it.

Because some lies are deadly and some truths are impossible to survive. But by the time Mattheo realizes what Celeste truly means to him, there may not be enough time left to tell her.

After all, limerence isn't love. It's the kind of obsession that destroys you first.