Aelys
Classes were starting again today but the tension between students was still present. As we were sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast, we could hear some people talking about Granger or the upcoming war. Most of the Slytherins were silent and it was no surprise since a lot of us were involved in this more than we wanted to be. I heard Theo's and my name several times but I bit the inside of my cheek to refrain myself from snapping.
My head shot up toward Theo as I felt his warm hand squeezing my thigh. His face was filled with concern but I could see the glimmer of anger in his chocolate brown eyes.
"Don't listen to them, love." He whispered.
I nodded and sighed, returning to eat my muffin. He was right, I had to ignore them. I already had enough to deal with to add to the list.
My eyes wandered through the Slytherin table before stopping on three boys. Pucey was talking loudly about some girl he had hooked up with while Flint was grinning disgustingly, intently listening to his friend. Then there was Tom. His blue eyes were fixed on his cup of coffee and he seemed lost in thoughts. I didn't know if I should talk to him. Us arguing didn't change the fact that he was my friend.
I noticed Mattheo looking to see what had caught my attention and he huffed in annoyance. My brown orbs returned to his and I frowned.
"What ?"
He just shrugged and I sighed. I loved his jealous side, but sometimes he was overreacting. But I didn't have the energy to argue with him today.
"Did you two talk yet ?" I whispered.
He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Everytime I try, those two assholes are there and they refuse to leave us." He growled.
My gaze returned to Tom but this time our eyes met as he was already looking at me. I frowned and tilted my head toward Mattheo in a silent question. He rolled his eyes and poked his tongue to his cheek, looking back to his coffee. I turned my attention back to my fiance who was watching me intensely and I smiled softly.
"Perhaps you should ask him to come to our dorm. He'll be alone and you'll get to talk."
He sighed and nodded, knowing it was the better option since he couldn't have a conversation with his brother as long as Pucey and Flint were there. He looked at Tom and I noticed how the younger Riddle tensed, probably because Theo was communicating with him through his mind. He looked at his brother and nodded before getting up, clicking his tongue causing Pucey and Flint to stand up as well, then they left the Great Hall.
"That was weird." I muttered.
Theo nodded, frowning. Tom seemed to be some sort of leader for them and I knew Theo didn't like it one bit because I didn't. They were Death eaters, that fact had been established right away, but Death eaters were supposed to follow orders from the Dark Lord and Theo only. He was the future Lord and his Father's right hand. In the absence of the Dark Lord, it was Mattheo we had to listen to. For Pucey and Flint to act like Tom was their Lord was disconcerting and concerning. I truly hoped Tom didn't have some sick plans to steal the throne from his brother. If he did, it would only complicate things and we didn't need that.
¤
I sat on the bed, my back against the headboard, a book in my hands but my eyes focused on my pacing fiance. The day had been awfully long and filled with dirty looks and whispers our way. Mostly from Gryffindors but there had been some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw as well. They were all gossiping about our wedding and its role in the war.
After the announcement of our engagement, the gossip had died down quickly, but ever since Granger's death, they had all started again. No one was accusing us personally, but they were still accusing us of being filthy Death Eaters that were going to kill them all one day. But it wasn't just us that were targeted. It was every Slytherin. People were just accusing Theo and I to be their leader while being in the castle. The worst part was that they were right. We were Death eaters and a lot of Slytherins were too. We also will have to fight them one day and it would be a bloodbath.
It was obvious the other houses didn't know any dark magic spells but we Slytherins did. Our families had raised us with dark magic, we knew how to duel and we were fucking good at it. It was in our blood.
Once we'll have to fight our classmates, we won't hesitate. In a war, we all did everything to survive and that's exactly what we were going to do. We had been raised to thrive in the darkness and there was no way we were going to get ourselves killed while affronting them. I knew I was planning to do everything I could to stay alive with Mattheo and all our friends by my side. They were my family and I was going to protect them, no matter what.
A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts and my brown eyes followed my fiance walking to it and opening it. Tom entered the dorm, his blue eyes stopping on me before quickly looking away toward his brother. Theo closed the door and renewed the spells to make sure no one could eavesdrop or come in without being invited. He crossed his arms on his chest and his face hardened as he looked at his brother.
"Why the fuck Pucey and Flint are Death eaters ?" He growled.
Tom put his hands in his pockets and raised his chin, silently defying Theo, a devilish smirk on his lips.
"They came to me begging me to let them join the winning side of the war." He started. "So that's what I did. I took them to meet our Father and they proved themselves worthy of the mark."
Mattheo scoffed, rolling his eyes. His jaw clenched and he took a step toward his brother, fists balled at his sides. I tensed and narrowed my eyes, preparing myself to separate them if needed.
"And tell me, brother, why would they go to you when everyone knows I'm the oldest and the Future Lord." He spat.
Tom's smirk vanished and his jaw clenched as well. His eyes darkened and he glared darkly at his brother.
"Well, good to know you remember that, brother." He snarled.
"What that's supposed to mean ?" Mattheo growled through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing on Tom's face.
The younger boy shrugged nonchalantly and inched his face closer to Mattheo's, their noses almost touching. I got up, knowing a fight was most likely going to happen between them.
'Love, don't. I don't want you to get hurt again so sit your pretty ass back down on that bed.' Mattheo's voice growled in my mind and I nodded softly before obeying him.
"Ever since you've been with her, you've been neglecting your role as our Future Lord, brother." Tom spat. "You're Father's right hand and yet, you don't fulfill your role as you used to. What a leader !" He chuckled darkly.
As soon as the words have left his lips, Mattheo's fist connects with his jaw. Tom stumbles back grunting and his hand flees to his aching jaw. Mattheo doesn't wait for him to react before sending another punch, this time on his nose.
Tom's eyes water under the shock but he quickly recovers and sends his fist on Mattheo's right eye. He grunts in pain and the fight intensifies as they fall on the ground. First, Mattheo is on top of his brother, sending punches after punches, but the next second, Tom flips them over and does the same, hitting Mattheo repeatedly.
This goes like this for a while and I just sit there, looking at the now bloodied boys. I decide that's enough and separate them with wandless magic. They glare at each other for a few seconds before Tom wipes the blood from under his nose.
"That's not over." He growled.
Then, he storms off the room, slamming the door shut behind him. I sigh and walk over Mattheo, waiting for him to stand up.
Without a word, I take his bloodied hands in mine and lead us to the bathroom. I point at the counter with a stern look and he sits obediently. I grab a clean towel and some disinfectant for his cuts and knuckles. I wet the towel and began by cleaning the blood off his face, being careful to not press too hard on the already forming bruises. I then move to clean his knuckles, once again being careful to not hurt him.
I then throw the towel away and take sterile compresses to disinfect the cuts. He doesn't flinch once as I apply it, his warm chocolate brown eyes intently watching me. I take my wand and point it at his face.
"Episkey."
His cuts and bruises slowly heal and I repeat the same spell on his hands, his split knuckles healing as well. I put my wand back on the counter and sigh, my thumb gently rubbing his now healed knuckles. His free hand cups my cheek and he forces me to look up at him.
"I'm sorry, darling."
I shake my head and lean to press my lips on his. He sighs into the kiss and his hand moves to the back of my head to deepen the kiss. We separate and I lean my forehead against his, closing my eyes.
"I think Tom is planning something, Theo..." I whispered.
I feel him nod softly and he sighs again while putting his hand back on my cheek and stroking my skin with his thumb.
"I think so too." He mumble. "We're going to find out what, sweetheart, don't worry."
I nodded and he got off the counter and engulfs me in a hug, pressing me tight against his body. Even though I knew I was safe in his arms, I couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't going to be fine.