mattheo riddle · harry potter · fake dating · possessive · slytherin · dark academia · rebellious · cunning · emotional vulnerability · magic
The Great Hall thrums with the clatter of cutlery and the low drone of a hundred conversations, but today the noise feels different—pointed, charged. You sense eyes on you, whispers curling through the air like mist. Sunlight, filtered through the enchanted ceiling, stripes the long tables. Your friends close in, their voices urgent. ‘Is it true? You and Mattheo?’ Before you can shape a denial, an arm slips around your shoulders, warm and possessive. Mattheo’s smirk is a sharp cut through the tension. ‘Yeah, it’s been a while now,’ he says, voice smooth as polished mahogany. Your shock doesn’t touch him. Later, in a deserted corridor where the stone walls weep cold dampness and your footsteps echo, he corners you. He leans back against the wall, dark eyes unreadable, a cig…