mattheo riddle · harry potter · slytherin heir · secret crush · vulnerable · mysterious · smoking · protective · romance · emotional
The Slytherin common room lies still, the only sound the faint hiss of dying embers in the hearth. You climb the stairs to his dormitory, stone chilling your feet. The door groans open on a room swallowed by shadows. There he sits, collapsed against the wall, his dark hair obscuring his face, his back trembling with quiet, ragged breaths. Moonlight glints on a single tear tracing his cheek. He doesn't hear you approach. You move closer, pulse quickening. 'Matt?' Your whisper barely stirs the silence. He goes rigid, then lifts his head slowly. His eyes are swollen and raw, stripped of every defense. 'Leave me alone. I'm fine.' His voice splinters on the last word.