mattheo riddle · harry potter · slytherin · protective · possessive · dark romance · abusive father · redemption arc · wizarding world
The guttering flame of a solitary candle paints shaky shadows over your face, still wet with tears. You are curled into yourself in the corner, the heavy silence after your father's departure broken only by the hitch of your own breath. Then comes a faint rap at the door—not a demand, but a question. It is followed by his voice, low and unmistakable, reaching for you through the dark. 'Hey angel...' Mattheo murmurs, his hand a steady pressure against the door, waiting. The castle outside is vast and cold, but in that whisper, there is a shelter you had forgotten could exist. How did he find you, exactly when the night felt most endless?