Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Nineteen - Hate

He sighed. "When's the last time you had one?"

"Here, at the end of the Summer."

Mattheo nodded. "It must be the stress or something."

"More like the fear. I'm fucking terrified."

"Hey." His tone softened as he took me into his arm, holding my head softly against his chest. He kissed the top of my head gently. "It's okay," he told me. "We're all scared."

I pulled my head back to look up at him. "Are you scared of yourself?" I asked him, feeling a knot form in my chest.

"I'm scared of what I could be. What I could become if I didn't have something to ground me," he revealed.

"Ground you?"

"To the light. If I didn't, I'm not sure that I wouldn't follow my father to the end of the line."

"And what grounds you? Maybe it could ground me too."

He shook his head. "You just need to find something to fight for," he told me, not answering my question.

"Guys," Draco interrupted, swinging his head around the doorway. "Stop making out and move your asses," he told us before vanishing from view.

I found myself smiling at Draco's words, but they didn't dissolve the tightening feeling in my chest.

"Are you ready?" Riddle asked, pulling away and holding his hand out to me.

"No, but do I have a choice?" I asked.

"I wish you did."

ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ

Unlike the last time I had been in the room, a tense silence settled over its occupants as we entered. No one turned. No one even acknowledged our presence.

They all faced the same way, looking to the head of the room. The table had been removed and now everyone stood in rows moving to the very back of the room.

"Black," a whisper called, turning my attention to the left corner of the room.

Against the wall stood Felix Rosier, his head gesturing us over to him. I quickly approached, the other two following.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I've no idea." Our voices were hushed whispers.

"Has my father showed up yet?" Riddle asked from behind me.

Rosier suddenly looked nervous in his presence. "No. He has not."

I sighed, turning to abundance of people in front of us. My eyes locked on the back of a man's head. It was the same man from the meeting the previous day.

"Who's that?" I asked Rosier, pointing to the stranger.

He tensed. "I don't think you want to know," he replied.

Turning my head to him, I gave him a confused look. "Why not?"

Felix sighed, rubbing a hand over his chin. "That's Edward Nott," he told me.

My eyes widened. "What?"

Both Draco and Mattheo looked at the man in shock. "You're kidding, right?" Draco asked.

Rosier simply shook his head. "He was loyal to the Dark Lord in the First Wizarding War. Everyone here was. They're all trying to win their favour back."

I turned to Riddle. "Did you know?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I knew that he was one of father's most trusted allies and that the man was a Death Eater, but I didn't know his name."