...about this.
Mattheo had decided today was going to be the day. He was finally going to tell his girlfriend who he was. Although, his name didn’t determine who he truly was and what he believed in… He needed to tell her. Hiding a secret that big from her had been a tough journey. He had asked her to keep their relationship confidential. He had lied, justifying the need to keep quiet by saying his parents didn't want him to date during his school years. He was sure that the pretext he had given had never entirely fooled her, but she remained by his side, hidden in the dark of some obscure hallways at night… Love blinded her to an extent… She must have felt like his dirty little secret, which she technically was. The dark lord’s son, willingly snogging a ‘mudblood’ wasn't to be witnessed by any curious eavesdropper. His real identity had not been discovered yet, but he couldn't take the risk of this information being reported to his father… He honestly didn't care about the repercussions that could befall him. He was scared for her. The sole fact that he was dating her was a risk, but he couldn't stay away for some reason… He had learned camouflage tricks from a young age, as well as occlumency. It was good enough for him to live their romance in a kind of peace…
Peace wouldn't last. War was coming and he knew it. She needed to know, to decide for herself. To fight or to hide. He would be granting her any wish. She just had to ask and he would do anything. She was never safe with him, not really… and he wanted her to know. ‘You shall not lie to your partner.’ Mattheo believed in that value. He had never buried anything away from her. He was always honest in everything he told her, anything he had ever ranted about… all true… apart from that one thing…
With Draco's help, he was going to attempt an apprehensive revelation. A witness wasn't necessary, but Mattheo had asked him a favour. Anthea’s reaction could be going any way… though he had a feeling it was going to be bad… She might hex him right away! He would let her. No hesitation. There's nothing she could ever do that would truly hurt him. He knew any reaction she could have, he would deserve it. The thing was, if he wanted to keep her safe, he had to stay on the ‘dark side’. This meant he had to stay alive, in a relatively healthy state. That’s why Draco was there. He was there to prevent any bigger issue than a verbal lash out. Mattheo had allowed the blonde to cast either a freezing spell or an obliviate, depending on the outcome. The boy could obviously cast the spell himself, but he didn't want to harm his girlfriend in any way. Especially not after announcing such revolting news. He had asked Draco to do it in his place. Call that cowardice or hypocrisy, but desperate situations called for desperate measures.
“Matty?” The girl called in a loud whisper, entering the corridor. It had become their daily routine to meet at curfew time in this part of the castle. They were allowing themselves to spend some time together out of people’s sight. In the beginning, it had felt like they were taking part in some illegal activities, meeting in the dark to conspire in secret. Let alone the major possibility of being found out by teachers, or prefects patrolling. Soon enough, Anthea had relaxed, her detention concerns ceasing as nobody ever seemed to walk by this area. She might have suspected Mattheo of wrongdoing, since the boy apparently had knowledge of some dark locations, but she had never questioned him.
“Here!” The boy responded in the same way, his voice leading her in the shadows. He already felt some tension in the back of his neck due to his apprehension. He wasn't one to get anxious about tough discussions, but this was a particularly delicate one. When she walked up to him in the moonlight, Mattheo immediately caught her switch in mood.
Her smile quickly vanished as she noticed not one, but two faces hiding in the dark. “Oh.” The arms she had extended in his direction, in order to indulge in their usual cuddles, went straight back down at her sides. Her eyes filled with a slight expression of dread.
Her face turned to Draco, and they exchanged an awkward look. “Hi.” She greeted him simply. The blonde nodded in response, lips sealed. He was just a few feet away, far enough to give them some sort of privacy, but close enough to intervene when the moment would come.
The girl glanced at her boyfriend, perplexed. “It’s okay.” Mattheo reassured her, keeping the tone of his voice as soft as he could. He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. “He knows.” The boy smiled, looking in Draco's direction for a split second.
The blonde was standing still, silently observing them. He had not dared to refuse the favour that had been asked of him. He was honestly scared of the repercussions his refusal might ensue. A part of him still thought this whole orchestration was a test. Was he loyal and strong enough to curse a person if ordered on the job? Although, the spells that he had been asked to cast were far from harmful. If this was a test, it certainly lacked some intensity.
Anthea’s gaze switched back and forth between the two boys, incredulous. She looked down at her hand, locked with her boyfriend’s in a tender hold. Her eyes traced the path from their fingers up to his arm, chest, throat, lips, nose, to rest on his eyes, staring straight into them.
Mattheo smiled shily. He always displayed confidence in every situation, imperturbable, but this felt different. Admitting his feelings for his girlfriend in front of someone was one thing, but publicly showing her affection was a level higher. He trusted Draco, but the urge to protect his little muggle-born was enough for him to let nervousness win him over. He remained composed nonetheless, the rose tint of his cheeks rapidly fading. Anthea might have felt overwhelmed by the same sensations as she happily rose on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. Mattheo grinned widely at the contact. He missed her gentle touch every day, looking forward to their daily encounter. He squeezed her hand once, reciprocating her gesture with a peck of his own.
Draco wished he was blind for a second. He rolled his eyes, looking away to avoid the lovesick scene happening before his eyes. He held back the comment that he wanted to make, choosing to remain respectful over the oncoming storm…
Mattheo was enjoying the feeling of his girlfriend's warm skin against his own, the lingering sensation of her lips that had previously kissed him, saving it all in memory. As he pulled back from her cheek, still holding her hand, he side-eyed Draco’s expression. It was a mix of disgust, jealousy and… He didn't have a word for it, but he understood the intent perfectly. That was right. The boy had demanded his presence because he had a purpose, a harsh truth to tell.
The lovebirds' exchange ended as Mattheo retracted his hand, his features tearing into a more grave face. Anthea pouted at the sudden loss of contact. She nodded towards the blonde seemingly spying on them with her boyfriend’s authorisation. “What’s he doing here?”
The two boys silently shared a knowing look. Mattheo was about to ruin his girlfriend's day… His gaze shifted back to her. “He’s here to… help.” He was hesitant, but there was no turning back. “Thea, there’s something you should know.”
The girl chuckled lightly, letting words out in a sing-song voice. “Sounds serious.” She was obviously trying to lighten the atmosphere, half a smile perking up at the corner of her mouth.
“Because it is.” Mattheo replied, resolved. He could not stand the way Anthea’s smile disappeared once again. He reluctantly continued. “Before I tell you anything, I need to show you…”
She arched an eyebrow, intrigued. “Show me what?”
Mattheo glanced at Draco, trying to gather some courage. That was clearly a wrong move. The boy seemed to be even more tense than he was. He had his hands clenched into fists, one gripping his wand as though he was to break it.
Mattheo took a deep breath before he slowly slid his left sleeve up to his elbow. He felt his girlfriend’s eyes on him, watching his every move. He then pulled his wand out of his robes’ inner pocket, aiming it at his own arm. “Revelio.”
It was like an invisible veil had been lifted, and here it was… The skull, the snake, the black ink printed into his flesh… The dark mark. The inky scar was rippling beneath his skin, indicating that the dark lord was indeed alive, and once again the powerful dark wizard that he had been back then. This was the symbol of death eaters’ allegiance to their master. Mattheo’s own allegiance was null and void and had been for quite some time now. That was what he meant to tell her.
Anthea was staring at his forearm. She was so stoic that she literally looked petrified. Mattheo had to verify if Draco had not cast a spell without his permission. The blond had not moved an inch, his wand was down, hanging beside his thigh. This meant that Anthea was actually so shocked that she could not move. Mattheo was not able to read the expression on her face. Her eyes were fixed on his arm, but it seemed like she was staring into space. No sound, no movement, nothing. She was awfully silent. There was a muggle saying that he had heard a few times. What was it again? Oh yes, ‘the calm before the storm’…
After a moment, Mattheo caught the change in her breathing. It was louder, quicker, air entering her nostrils and leaving her system almost immediately. Her chest was heaving just as thunder rumbling. Mattheo was not going to wait for the lightning to crack. He was about to break the silence when-
“Fuck!” Draco could not hold back the curse that slipped out of his mouth. Anthea’s palm had just landed on her boyfriend's cheek, with such a force that the noise resonated through the empty space. For a short egoistic second, the blond was glad not to be on the receiving end of that slap. It reminded him of the day Granger had punched him in the nose. Now that he reflected on that, he might have deserved it at the time. Nobody, except his two classmates, had ever heard of the incident. No one was ever to find out that a Malfoy had been defeated by a filthy mud-... Even the word tasted awful on his tongue. Damn it! Had Mattheo completely brainwashed him into respecting these… people? Draco shook his head, coming back to reality. He had a task to complete. He lifted his arm, wand at the ready.
Half of Mattheo’s face was stinging now. He had anticipated everything but muggle violence. He raised a hand up to the cheek that had just been slapped. It felt painfully warm, the skin vibrating beneath his fingers. He was sure that half of his head was scarlet red and that a handshape was imprinted on it.
He turned his face back to Anthea's, noticing the glimmer of hatred in her eyes. He had always seen it in the hateful glares of death eaters jabbering about mudbloods and blood traitors. This time, it was directed at him… From the corner of his eye, Mattheo caught sight of Draco, carefully stepping forward. The dark-haired lifted a finger in his direction, ordering him to stop. His gaze did not leave his girlfriend's.
Tears gathered in her eyes. Her face was red as well, anger written all over it. Her jaw was clenched, hands turned into fists. She was shaking, containing her fury. This tore Mattheo's insides apart. He had never meant to hurt her. He knew this was never going to be easy, but he had hoped to avoid… He didn't even know at this point. He just wished she would yell at him for hours, spitting out every unintelligible muggle insult he had never heard of, before she fell asleep in his arms from exhaustion. He would cuddle her until she was rested, telling her all about his journey. How she was the reason his beliefs had changed. How he planned on bringing his father down and all of his followers…
Anthea finally spoke, her voice coming out in shuddering breaths. “Don't you… dare… approach… me… ever… again.!”
Before Mattheo could argue, she turned to Draco. The blonde stood up straight, ready to intervene. He followed the girl’s watery gaze that had dropped to his left forearm. The dark mark was itching under his shirt, as if she could see right through it and the dissimulation spell. He automatically shied away, retracting his arm behind his back.
When their eyes met, all that Draco could see behind the tears was how wounded she was. He supposed that she intended to throw him a death stare. She hardly dared to look at the other boy, before she stormed off.
Mattheo found himself speechless for the second time this week. He was listening to his girlfriend's footsteps echoing through the castle as she walked away. His face was still stinging. He was rubbing his cheek, trying to ease the pain. The last bits of summer warm air were not helping much…
“You want me to-”
“No.”
“But you said that-”
“No.”
“But what if-”
“Leave her alone!” The boy found his voice back, immediately reacting to Draco's initiative. “She needs time.”
The blonde scoffed. “Yeah! Time to inform the whole school there’s two death eaters roaming the corridors!” Underneath the mocking tone, Draco was genuinely afraid. He feared being sent straight to Azkaban, of course, but this was not the worst sentence he could expect. If he was discovered by the school, it meant that he had failed his master. His enrolment was already a punishment for his father's own failure… He could not imagine what would happen to them if he… His father might be murdered, his mother too… Himself… or maybe… the dark lord would ensure that they suffer a fate worse than death… “You can stay here if you please, I’ll handle it myself!”
“I said NO!” Mattheo menacingly aimed his wand at the blonde, stopping him in his tracks. “You’ll do as I say!” Draco froze, and the boy instantly regretted his statement. He closed his eyes a second, taking a deep breath. He hated using his ‘dark lord's son authoritarian voice’. As if his status allowed him to mistreat people and order them around. Mattheo would rather be trusted than feared. This was one more thing that differentiated him from his biological father.
Draco did not budge. The father terrified him, but he did not want to fight the son either. He could not. Harming Mattheo would also cause him a lot of trouble for sure… After what felt like an eternity, Mattheo finally lowered his wand. The blonde relaxed his shoulders, putting his confidence mask back on. “Fine.” He sighed heavily. “But if she blows up our cover, you take the blame. I don't wanna face…” He had to look away, fear threatening to slip through the cracks. “...him.”
“Don't worry.” Mattheo responded calmly, his gaze lost in the empty corridor through which Anthea had fled. “If something goes wrong, it’ll be all my fault.”