The Brave Slytherin

Prologue

New year means new students at the school. I just arrived at Hogwarts and I'm sitting in the Great Hall because of the sorting ceremony and the feast. I'm talking to Draco about which houses some of the first-years will be sorted in. The last two years we've been trying to guess and most of the time we guess correctly. 'That kid with the black hair and glasses, definitely a Ravenclaw.' Draco said. 'Maybe, but it wouldn't surprise me if she ended up in Hufflepuff.' I responded. 'No way, with the glasses and all, she should be a Ravenclaw.' 'Maybe she just has terrible eyesight, Draco.' 'Okay, five galleons, that she'll be sorted in Ravenclaw.' 'Deal.' 'Rose Zeller, Hufflepuff.' The Sorting Hat called out. 'YEAH! Give me the money Draco.' I said while laughing. 'Fine, but next one, I'm getting right.' 'Yeah, yeah. That's what you always say.' 
Before we could start guessing the next one, a murmer started throughout the Great Hall. 'Next up, someone who will be joing the fifth year students, Mattheo Riddle.' Dumbledore spoke. I looked at Draco and said: 'Riddle? As in son of...' 'Son of Tom Riddle, the dark lord? Yes, that's him.' 'What? I didn't even know he had a son.' I responded in confusement. 'Harry?' I said. Harry was sitting behind me at the Gryffindor table. 'Yeah?' he responded. 'Did you know that you-know-who had a son?' 'No, you?' 'No me neither.' I turned back around to face the sorting ceremony when the Sorting Hat called out Slytherin. No surpise that Mattheo Riddle would be sorted into Slytherin. 

Mattheo walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down across from me. We were all sat in shock and nobody said anything, until I decided to introduce myself. Maybe, he wasn't like his father at all, so I should give him a fair shot right? 'Hi, my name is Y/N. Welcome to Slytherin.' He didn't respond. 'If you need any help finding your way around Hogwarts, I'd love to help you. Just let me know.' 'I'll find my own way.' He said with a slight irritation in his voice. 'That's fine. If you change your mind, just come find me.' He kept quiet once again. 
I couldn't really start a conversation with him, so I just left it for now and focused on the next person at the sorting hat. The next student was once again someone joining the fifth years instead of the first years. Draco looked at me and said: 'Slytherin, 100%.' 'No, I guess Gryffindor.' 'You'd be wrong Y/N.' 'You want to bet again? 5 galleons. Maybe you can win your money back.' 'Deal.' 'Theodore Nott, Slytherin.' The Sorting Hat called out. Draco started laughing: 'Pay up, Y/N.' 'Fine, here's your money back.' Theodore walked to our table and sat down next to Mattheo. They said hey to eachother like they already knew eachother. I once again introduced myself: 'Hi Theodore, my name is Y/N. Welcome to Slytherin as well.' He just responded with his name 'Theo' as a way to correct me. 'Sorry, Theo. Welcome. I just told Mattheo, but the same goes for you. If you need any help finding your way around Hogwarts, I'm happy to help you.' 'No, thanks.' He responded and for the rest kept just as quiet as Mattheo did. This is going to be a fun pair I think... 

After the feast we were all on our way to the Slytherin commonroom and the dormrooms, when Mattheo and I were stopped by Dumbledore. 'Y/N, Mattheo. I know you two just met, but I have to ask something of you.' 'What is it professor Dumbledore?' I asked him. 'Since we weren't expecting two extra students to join Slytherin in fifth year, we don't have enough dormrooms for you all to have your own. Now, I wanted to ask you two, if it would be alright if you share one.' Mattheo didn't say anything and I didn't mind, so I just said: 'Yeah, I don't think that will be a problem.' 'Oh good, thank you for your cooperation.' 'No problem, professor. Anything to help you.' 
Dumbledore started to walk away and Mattheo and I kept walking towards our dormroom. 'I hope you don't mind sharing a room as well.' I said to Mattheo. He still didn't answer me and just walked out of the room again. I later found him smoking outside, but didn't want to bother him, so I just walked back inside our room. Once it was around 11 at night, Mattheo walked back inside our room and we both went to our own beds to go to sleep. 'Goodnight Mattheo.' I said just before falling asleep. 

Over the next couple of days, Mattheo never really said anything to me, but he did ask me to show him to the potions class. I said I would be happy to help him, so off we went. We were almost at the potions class, when a first-year Slytherin was bullying a first-year Hufflepuff. 'HEY, stop that. That's not nice. What did the Hufflepuff do to you, that you think it's okay to bully him?' I said to the Slytherin. 'Well, he bumped into me.' 'Did he apologize to you?' 'Yeah, but he still shouldn't have done it. Doesn't he know I'm a Slytherin?!' 'I'm sure he knows, but that doesn't mean anything. I'm a Slytherin as well, but do you see me treating people like that?' The Slytherin first-year just got annoyed and ran away after he saw Mattheo standing behind me. I turned to Mattheo to see, that he had a grin on his face after the first-year ran away. I turned back to the Hufflepuff and kneeled down a bit. 'Are you okay?' I asked him. 'Yes, I'm fine. Thank you.' 'No problem. If he ever tries to hurt or bully you again, you just come find me okay?' 'Okay.' I faced back to Mattheo, who kept quiet the whole time. 'What did the Slytherin see when he was looking at you, to run away from us?' 'Nothing.' Mattheo answered. 'So you were just grinning and putting your wand away over nothing?' 'Yes.' 'Okay, well whatever you did. Thank you, Mattheo.' 'You know, what. Don't thank me. I didn't do anything for you. And why are you so goddamn nice to everyone? Why are you so goddamn nice to me? Don't you know who the hell I am?' 'You can speak in sentences of more than one or two words?' 'Very funny, now answer my questions.' 'I know exactly who you are. You are the son of the man who tried to kill my family. But, I see that you're nothing like him. You're trying to look tough and scary, but deep inside you're just a sweet guy. Otherwise you would have gone against Dumbledore when he said we needed to share a room and otherwise you wouldn't have just scared off that Slytherin kid.' I responded. 'Wait, who is your family, Y/N?' 'If you paid any attention to who I hang out with, you could've figured it out already. Everyone knows who my family is.' 'I pay attention.' 'Do you though? Then who do you see me talking to, almost everyday?' 'You talk to Draco and Pansy. You're trying to talk to me and Theo, but neither of us really talk back to you. Which is shitty of us, because all you've tried to do ever since we came here, is make us feel welcome.' 'Well, at least you noticed that, Mattheo.' I got mad, that he noticed all I tried to do, was make them feel welcome and all they did was ignore me, so I started to walk away. 'Where are you going, Y/N?!' 'I'm leaving. Ignoring me and not noticing that I just wanted to make you two feel welcome is one thing. But, knowing that is what I was trying to do and still choosing to ignore me, is another. So, I think you can find your potions class yourself.' And with that I walked away. 

I had a couple of free hours, so I went outside to the lake. This was my happy, quiet place. So, I sat down and just started thinking about my conversation with Mattheo. I don't get mad easily, but he just hurt me. 
I sat at the lake for about two hours, before I got back to the Slytherin Commonroom. Mattheo was sitting on the couch and immediately got up, when he saw me come in. 'Where have you been?!' He asked me. 'What do you care?' 'You just walked away and left for two fucking hours.' At this point Draco walked into the room and started listening in. 'Yeah, so. What..Do..You..Care?' He just kept quiet, once again. 'You know what, Mattheo? Until you have an answer, just leave me alone.' And with that I walked away. While walking towards my dormroom, I heard Draco say that Mattheo fucked up. And yes, he did. 

After about half an hour, Mattheo walked into the room. 'Your last name is Potter.' He stated. 'I know.' I responded. 'That's what you meant when you told me, my father tried to kill your family. My father hates the Potters and tried multiple times to murder them.' 'Yes, thanks for bringing that up again.' I said sarcastically. 'Sorry.' 'He can apologize too? Sorry for what?' I wanted him to say what he was sorry for, not just saying he's sorry. 'I'm sorry for my father and I'm sorry for ignoring you. I spoke to Theo and we're both going to be nicer to you, because you don't deserve our shitty attitudes. And about earlier, I care, because you care.' 'Thank you, but don't be sorry for your father. You didn't make his choices, so you shouldn't be sorry for them either. And what do you mean with I care, because you care?' 'The moment I sat down at the Slytherin table you tried to make me feel welcome. You cared about me and Theo feeling welcome and you cared about that Hufflepuff first-year. So, I care what happens to you, since you only care about what happens to others.' 'Okay.' And from this conversation on, Mattheo and I started talking more and more to eachother. We ended up becoming best friends during this first year of going to school together. Potter and Riddle, a duo nobody expected.