Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Thirty-One - New Beginnings

Dumbledore nodded his head, turning back around to face us. "Ms. Black? Is this the truth?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

Dumbledore nodded again. "Very well then. I will pass this testimony along to the Ministry. Expect to hear word from them concerning an on-the-record one."

I moved to rise from my seat. Mattheo followed. "Ms. Black?" Dumbledore called before we could leave.

I took a deep breath, turning my head. "Yes Professor?"

"I advice you to be careful Ms. Black. If you wish to lie your way through this situation, then you will need to improve your skills. Riddle seems to have them perfected."

ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ

Neither of us spoke on the way back to the Common Room. Mattheo's hand hadn't moved from mine since we left Dumbledore's office.

I killed him. I killed Barty Crouch Junior, and I felt nothing. No remorse, no regret, simply fear. Fear, not for what I did, but for how I did it. Rather than fearing due to the fact that I caused a man's death, instead, my heart was ramming out of my chest because of the fact that I felt nothing towards it.

It was funny. How feeling guilty for something could make you scared, but not feeling guilty for something, that was terrifying.

"Are you okay?" Riddle asked, breaking the silence.

"No," I told him simply.

He nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to be." Mattheo took a deep breath before continuing. "I was working with him. I was working with the spy, but I only wanted to –"

"I know."

"I wanted to tell you when I found out that he was that retched Gryffindor but he put me under –"

"I know." I pulled the boy to a halt. He turned to me, face guarded. "Crouch told me everything. I know."

"I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice. And this thing." He pointed to his Dark Mark. "It's like being under the Imperious curse itself. It didn't let me tell you anything. I can't promise that I won't have to keep things from you again."

"Mattheo..." I tried.

He shook his head. "Lyra, I never wanted to hurt you. I just want to keep you save and the idea of losing you to my father. It made my skin crawl."

"Mattheo..."

"And I know everything has gone to absolute shit and we are both so tangled in it and that that's impossible to fix, but I don't want you to leave me because of that." His voice cracked.

"Riddle..."

"I messed up. I lied to you. I know." He moved closer to me. "But don't leave me. Please." He was all but begging me.

"I –"

"My father is back and his followers are returning. It won't be long until he drags me into it. It won't be long until you're dragged into it." He sighed, shaking his head. "Let's not waste anymore time trying to figure it out, because we never will. All of our problems aren't supposed to be laid out like words on a page, but if we need to decipher then in order to live, I don't want to do it alone. Not when I have the option of doing it with you," he finished, panting.

I swallowed. "Mattheo, the glass has cracked and I can't seal it. I just killed a man and I feel nothing. No remorse. No regret. Just fear. Fear for why I killed him. I took that blasted necklace off and suddenly I was a ticking time bomb with the ability to kill someone when I got angry."