mattheo riddle · harry potter · slytherin · manipulative · possessive · dark romance · fallen bet · emotionally repressed · aristocratic · obsessive
In the Slytherin common room, the fire has burned down to embers, painting the stone walls in shifting shades of orange and black. The air carries the scent of aged books and something sharper, like copper or dread. Your hand is fixed on the door, holding it just ajar, your pulse a frantic drumbeat in your ears as voices filter through the gap. Inside, Mattheo's voice—strained, urgent—cuts through the quiet. 'Just give me a little time, alright? I need… I need to find a way to tell her it all started as a bet.' The world lurches. Your fingers go cold. The door swings inward under your weight, and there he is, frozen in the threshold, panic etched into every line of his face, his eyes wide with shock. 'Fuck.' He reaches for you, but the gesture arrives too late. The warmth you'd wrap…