LUNACY ll Mattheo Riddle x Reader

71. ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀꜱ

It hurts so much, and I can't make a sound.

The Silencio that the Dark Lord cast on me over ten minutes ago holds up nicely during this period of incomparable duress. My tormented screams were disrupting his concentration, so naturally, they had to go.

The Dark Lord pulls away with a sense of finality. There is disgust and hatred present in his eyes, not necessarily directed at me, but he watches me with them, nonetheless.

"Useless," he snarls, with so much hissing mixed in at the end that I'm not quite certain he isn't speaking in Parseltongue. "Her memories are gone. Not a single moment from the past two years were spared."

There are only two other people in the room other than the Dark Lord and myself. My father stills upon hearing these words, the first visible reaction he's given since the Dark Lord first ordered him in here to watch as he put his daughter through mental torture.

And then there's the boy.

Mattheo Riddle's expression remains as impassive as it was when he bound me to this chair as per his father's orders. There is nothing about him that suggests he was disturbed in any way by the scene that played out before him. Save for the deadly grip he's got on the cushioned arm of his chair, tight enough that his nails have punctured the fabric. I don't have the mental capacity to try and figure out what that means anymore.

"Mattheo," the Dark Lord calls to his son. "Why don't you give it a try?"

There's no doubting he would. I'm not sure how long it's been since Draco rushed me into the parlour to have Mattheo Riddle figure out what's wrong with me, but there was no warmth in the boy's eyes even then. All he did was tell me to inform him of the last thing I remembered.

Not understanding but sensing the gravity of the situation, I answered truthfully. The last thing I could remember was arriving back in England after completing my Fifth Year in Bulgaria. I'd been met with my parents' usual cold greeting and my brother's lack of a hello, then had eaten dinner alone in my room before going to sleep. I had no explanation for why the dark shades of my wall and sheets had changed to a royal blue overnight. Nor did I remember any of the names Riddle listed for me- Lorenzo Berkshire, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini.

With each name that I ticked off, Draco grew weaker in the knees, but Riddle didn't do so much as blink the entire time. When he finished with his questioning, Riddle told Draco to leave for whatever luncheon it was that Narcissa had summoned him to, and informed him that he would be going to great lengths to solve this problem of mine.

Did my brother know what cruelty Riddle was capable of before leaving as he was told, entrusting his only sister at the hands of a madman? A part of me tells me that despite our differences, Draco would never do that to me. The other part wonders if Draco would even care.

"My abilities are nothing compared to yours, father, not to mention that it was the Elder Wand you used on her just now. Is there a reason you think I could do any better?"

The Dark Lord glowers at his wand as though it has done him a personal offense.

"So she left Berkshire Manor at over midnight last night?"

"Mulciber confirmed it to me, father. Investigation regarding the disturbance reported by the Leaky Cauldron's barkeep traced the Floo back to the fireplace in the Berkshires' drawing room. There is no way of knowing where she went from there. The fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron was activated again a little less than an hour after its first use."

"And what business would she have, running through the streets in the middle of the night?"

"Perhaps she was chasing a lead. Y/n did mention something to me a few days ago, about clues leading to where the Longbottoms have hidden themselves," Riddle replies. "Lucius, you were adamant in telling me that you had information on the Order that I could never dream up in my sleep. How probable is it, do you think, that your daughter was targeted by members of the Order last night?"