| Girl on Fire |

100

MATTHEO RIDDLE

I knew the promise I made to Narcissa. I knew I told her I would keep it a secret from her children. But I couldn't. Not anymore. I couldn't do it. Veronica hated me. And it was causing her to risk everything including her life. I can't fulfill my promise to Narcissa if they are dead.

Veronica turned around to leave the ROR and in a split second, I yelled after her...

"She knew she was going to die." I said. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned around slowly. "What did you just say to me?" she asked. "Your mother. She was trying to get you out. She was going to try and negotiate your freedom with my father. Your father ratted her out before she could. It was a ploy to get back in his good graces for his failure at the Ministry. She knew that my father was going to kill her for disloyalty. He wanted to kill you and Draco as well. He thought you were in on the plan. I tried to convince him you weren't. He gave me a choice." I said. There were tears on her cheeks. "Veronica, should I-" I started. "Tell me." she said. I nodded and continued. "He gave me a choice. Prove my worth and my loyalty by killing your mother, or watch him slaughter all three of you. Your mother made me promise to pick her. She knew the only way to keep you and Draco safe was to sacrifice herself. Then she asked me to keep you two safe, since she couldn't. Once we got to school, I wanted to fix things. But you weren't ready. That's why I had been following you. I remembered Carrow and what he did to you. I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt again. But then I saw you leaving the notes and the stuff outside Gryffindor. Then I figured it out. I figured out your allegiance shifted and I knew if I didn't do something, my father would find out and kill you. Then everything your mother and I did would have been for nothing." I said. She was silent. A couch appeared and I wrapped my arms around her and sat her down. "Breathe Veronica." I said softly. She looked at me and I wiped her tears. "But- why- why did you leave me?" she asked. Her voice was shaky and she looked like a scared little girl. "Right after I did what I did, in that moment, on that day, the way you looked at me.... I couldn't stay. You hated me. I could see it in your eyes. You truly hated me. So my father sent me on mission after mission. I guess he wanted to toughen me up. But trust me, nobody hated me, more than myself." I said. She just nodded. "She planned the whole thing." she said. "She didn't want to leave you Veronica. She had no choice. She did what she did to make sure you would be protected after she was gone." I said. She looked at me and gently took my hand. "You." she said. I nodded. "Me." I said. She nodded. "You were right Veronica. Our relationship is toxic, and crazy, and self destructive. I manipulate you and you manipulate me. But everything I do, every choice I make, I do with one goal in mind and it's not power, or to rise up in the ranks of my father. You got that wrong, it's you." I said. She just smiled. "Toxic, crazy and self destructive is all I know how to do." she said. " I know," I replied. She laid her head on my chest and I draped my arm over her body. "I missed your love" I whispered. "I missed you too." she said. A few seconds later, she spoke again. "I should have known you'd come back for me... You always come back for me. Always." she said. "Always." I said as I kissed her forehead.

"I'm not going to stop being a spy, you know," she said. I sat up suddenly and looked at her. "You're joking right?" I exclaimed. "No." she stated. "Veronica! Your mother-" I started. "I know. But I also know this," she said pointing to her arm, "Isn't the life she wanted for me. And now I have the chance to do something good. Something better." she said. "What happened to helping me keep my promise about keeping you alive?" I asked. She smirked. "You wanna keep me alive? Then help me. Be a spy too." she said. I laughed. She hit my chest. "I'm serious." she said. "No. Absolutely not. Nobody is a spy anymore." I said. She climbed onto me and straddled my lap. She bit her lip as she ran her hands down my chest. "Come on" she said, moving her hair to the side. I rolled my eyes. "Sneaking around is kind of our thing." she whispered in my ear as she grazed my lobe with her teeth. I groaned as I felt the blood rush downwards. I reached up to touch her and she grabbed my wrists and pinned them down to the couch, our faces inches apart. "Say yes," she said. I sighed. "Fine, but we do it together. That means you don't do stupid shit without me. And you need my permission before you do anything." I said. She grinned and her hands went to the buttons of her blouse. "Yes sir." she said sarcastically as she pulled off her blouse. Her breasts sitting perfectly in her black lace bra. She pulled at the bottom of my shirt and I stopped her. She doesn't need to see this. Her face fell and she stopped. "Mattheo, take off your shirt." she said. "No, just keep going." I said. She grabbed her wand and waved it and my shirt disappeared. "Fucking hell Veronica, I said no." I spat. Her eyes watered and she stared in shock at my chest. Her hand reached out to trace the word nothing that was carved into my chest by my father. I grabbed her wrist tightly to stop her. "I said no." I said. "Mattheo, it's me." she said softly. She pulled her wrist away and kissed me gently. Then she dragged her fingers over the wound and a tear fell down her cheek. "Why?" she asked. "It's what I am to him. nothing." I said plainly. She shook her head. "Not to me. To me, you're everything. Do you understand me? Everything." she stated. I nodded. "I need you to say it." she said. "Veronica, I'm fine-" I started. "Say it. Say it so I know you listened and didn't just hear me." she said. I sighed.

"I'm everything to you." I said. She nodded and kissed me again. "Everything" she whispered.