Smoker (Mattheo Riddle fic)

25: Corruption

I reach the bottom of the stairs and walk out, spotting Cedric bargaining with my father at the end of the corridor. My father says something angrily, putting an abrupt end to the conversation, then walks away, leaving Cedric stunned.

"What the actual fuck?" I ask, approaching him.

"Evelyn, I had no idea what he was going to do." He replies.

"Well I guess it doesn't even matter because the only one getting punished now is you."

He pauses. "I don't want to leave." He says quietly.

"Yeah well you don't have a choice do you. I'm so dangerous you should be practically running to the next school." I push past him.

"You shouldn't have hit me."

"You shouldn't have pissed me off. You shouldn't have side with them. I'm shouting now. "You shouldn't have stood there and watched as they treated me like that. When she-" I trailed off. I don't particularly want to relive that part too much. I walk this time and he doesn't stop me.

I'm fucking fuming, I would have hit him again and again and again if it wouldn't make the situation worse. There's not long left of the period before we have to be in Charms. and I should go back to get my things and calm down.

"What was that about?" Pansy asks as I enter the common room.

I try my hardest to act natural. "Nothing significant."

"Snape came all the way up here for 'nothing significant'?" Mattheo questions.

Before I can answer the bell ring. It's not a huge deal, they will find out soon enough anyway, but so angry I'm afraid if I open the lid I wont be able to shut it. "Go ahead I've got to grab my charms book." I head for the dorm without waiting for a response. I open my bedroom door, finally able to let some anger out. I step inside and walk to the window and back to the door, my hands in my hair. I pick up the nearest pen pot on my desk and launch it across the room in frustration. It hits the wall and the pens scatter around the room. I exhale deeply and put my hands on my hips, looking at the ceiling.

"What happened?" Mattheo asks from the doorway. "Don't even say 'nothing' because I just watched you launch that across the room and that's not a kind of throw you would use over 'nothing'."

I sit down on the bed and he sits next to me.

"My Father is pulling Cedric from Hogwarts. Apparently I'm a danger and a corrupting influence, along with my Slytherin friends. Dumbledore agrees, thinks it would be good until we solve our family dispute. He tried to get me kicked out but he didn't have enough fuel for his fire." I'm looking at my hands in my lap as I twirl my ring around my finger.

"Who the fuck does Cedric think he is?" Mattheo stands up shouting.

"He doesn't even want to go, but he's only ever sided with my Father, why stop now?"

"Evelyn he's your brother, he should be siding with you." He leans down towards me. He's clenching his jaw and the look on his face is filled with anger. "I'll talk to him."

"No you fucking won't." I stand up so we are face to face. "I will not have him going after you too."

"He's your family, he shouldn't get to-"

"They are all my family." I say back, I'm almost shouting. "They have never treated me as such, they are not going to start anytime soon, so don't even fucking try, because it wont work."

We stand in silence for a bit, just looking at each other. He pushes the hair out my face, and he kisses me.