Two Worlds Apart - Fancast Slytherin Boys

Chapter 9: The First Crack In The Glass

He opened the trunk, slowly letting his hand glide across the variety of things. There were clothes, books, and other essentials all within, but none of those things caught his eyes. Instead, his eyes landed on what seemed to be an old letter at the very bottom of the trunk. Theo hesitated, his hand reaching out but slowly drawing back. This seemed too personal; perhaps it was a bad idea to rummage through his friend's things.

He thought back to Snape in Dumbledore's office. They will figure out who he is eventually.

Theo's hand grabbed the letter and pulled it out from underneath an old knitted jumper.

Mattheo Riddle, it read on the front in a nice cursive writing.

Theo's eyes widened, and his mouth fell slightly agape in shock. There was a pounding in his chest, and he almost felt like he was going to be sick. Mattheo said his father was a bad man, but Theo had never imagined that his father would be The Dark Lord himself.

The letter had been opened before. Theo pulled out an old piece of parchment.

Dear Mattheo,

It pains me that you must leave under such circumstances. I never thought it would come to this. If you're ever willing to see me again, know that I will be waiting for you with open arms.

Love, your mother

Theo folded the paper up erratically. His hands were shaking as he put the letter back where he found it. He shut the trunk and locked the lock before sliding it back under the bed. He turned his back towards the bed, his right hand gripping his shirt above his heart. He paused, trying to catch his breath. It felt like he'd just run a marathon.

He hurriedly got back on his feet and headed straight for his bed, falling down face first into the soft mattress. It was completely silent, and for a long time as well. The pounding in his heart saw no end, especially not once he heard footsteps approaching in the hallway on the opposite side of the wall.

Theo's mind spun, and he sat up quickly. The lock turned a few times, and the door swung open to reveal Mattheo in the dim light of the hallway. Theo wanted to yell. He wanted to scream at Mattheo and tell him he's a traitor and a liar for not telling them the truth about his family. But not a single word slipped out from between his lips.

Mattheo sighed loudly, scratching the back of his neck. "Filch caught me," he said, unaware of the dark secret Theo just discovered while he was away, "I had to beg him not to tell anyone."

Theo opened his mouth to speak, and just as he felt as though he was going to spill it all out, he stopped. "Good," he replied in the most steady voice he could muster.

"I thought you might've gotten into trouble," he added, putting on his best performance.

Mattheo shrugged and shut the door behind him. He tossed his key into the air and caught it again. "Not this time."

A shaky breath escaped Theo's lips.

Theo couldn't fall asleep that night. He spent the rest of the day pretending like nothing was wrong when in reality, he felt completely torn. It took everything within him not to lash out at Mattheo at any given moment. Suddenly, it felt as though a switch had been flipped within him, and the urge to rip Mattheo's head off overcame anything else. Everything Mattheo did set him off. Every word he spoke and every move he made, made Theo's blood boil. He felt so betrayed. But he knew he couldn't do anything. Not while all of his friends were away.

Theo fell completely silent. He knew that if he spoke, he wouldn't be able to lie anymore. If he opened his mouth, he'd yell and cause a ruckus right before Christmas. He didn't want that. Especially not without his best friends around to steady him again.

The following day when Mattheo tried to reach him, he didn't reply. He acted as if Mattheo didn't exist.

"Nott," Mattheo tried, his voice raising slightly as he tapped Theo's shoulder, "what is it?"

Theo didn't say anything; he merely pulled his shoulder away from Mattheo. Mattheo bit down on his lip, an eerie feeling filling his body. "What happened?" Mattheo tried again, taking a few steps back from Theo who was sitting on his bed with his back facing Mattheo.

Once Theo didn't reply the tenth time that Mattheo tried to speak to him, he finally stood up and rushed out, slamming the door on his way. Mattheo walked right past the broken window, wondering what went wrong.

A/N

Oh wow, here goes the angst. I've been quite exited to post this because it means we're finally getting into the good stuff. I'd really love to hear some thoughts on this if you don't mind!
I hope you enjoyed reading!