Weighted Hearts & Gilded Feathers

Mattheo and Hermione began spending more time together, innocently, of course, studying and walking around the black lake. There was a strange peace that came over the both of them when they spent time together, and they took time to learn things about each other that had absolutely nothing to do with the wizarding world.  For instance, he had told her of his love for slasher films, and she’d talked to him about her love for classic literature and ancient mythology from around the world. 

Crookshanks spent more and more time with Mattheo and his familiar, and Evan slowly but surely warmed up to Hermione’s presence. She’d been nervous the first time she petted the large cat, who batted at her with a paw the size of her face, but Mattheo chided him and he allowed her to scratch behind his ear. 

Unbeknownst to most, Hermione had come under the weather and made multiple trips to the hospital wing to get pepper-up potions from Madam Pompfrey. Nothing was showing up on the diagnostic charms the Madam had cast but Hermione didn’t feel better. Her magic had become increasingly hard to control, and she’d been getting fevers after pushing her magic during DA training sessions. Luna had noticed the beads of sweat on Hermione’s head at the last meeting and said “Ahh, you’re getting closer to breaking through,” 

Hermione had no idea what the witch meant but she shook the comment off, some things just don’t make sense. 

Harry and Ron had surprisingly been somewhat supportive of her occasionally spending time with Mattheo, although she tried to schedule it during Quidditch practice that way she had time for the boys. While she appreciated the budding friendship with Mattheo, she didn’t value that over Ron or Harry, she couldn’t risk her relationships with them. 

Fall was in full swing and with Samhain a week away Hermione was excited to make a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend. She’d agreed to meet up with Mattheo after having lunch with Ginny and the others at the three Broomsticks, the Weasleys and Harry were planning on heading back to the castle early to get in some extra Quidditch practice. 

After a pleasant lunch with her friends, Hermione made her way to the bookstore where she had agreed to meet Mattheo. She stood outside, her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and hair blowing wildly around her when she saw Mattheo approaching with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle in tow. 

Hermione stiffened when she noticed the boys, not prepared to deal with whatever vitriol Draco was going to spew at her today but it wasn’t him who spoke at all. Goyle chuckled when he noticed her, “I thought he was joking when he said he was meeting you at the bookstore Granger, but here you are. I wonder do you have a secret fascination with snakes? I’ve got one in my trousers if you are interested”

Hermione’s face reddened in embarrassment and outrage but before she could say anything Mattheo had whipped around and punched Goyle straight in the face. Goyle went down like the troll in first year and Mattheo was straddling him in a second, whaling on him. Crabbe went to grab him but Mattheo wouldn’t let up, finally, Crabbe got an arm around Mattheo’s neck, locking it in place before Goyle, now fueled with rage at the attack from someone in his own house reared back and ran his great club of a fist straight into Mattheo’s face. 

Hermione rushed forward at the same time as Draco, she cast an immobilus on Goyle who was getting ready to punch Mattheo again, and pulled at the grip Mattheo’s left hand had on Goyle’s now purple face. “Mattheo, you’ve got to let go, please” she pleaded with him, not wanting him to get into trouble on her behalf, or kill a fellow student in the middle of Hogsmeade no matter how much of a waste of space she thought Goyle to be. 

Finally, the boys were separated, Goyle was still lying on the floor bleeding, and Draco was holding Crabbe, she grabbed Mattheo’s shoulder and pulled him around to face her, so she could get a good look at his face, he had a split lip and eyebrow, she was also pretty sure his nose was broken. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a chance to check before Crabbe decided that now was the perfect time to offer his wisdom, “Oi, I don’t care how good a piece of ass the tart is, you’re supposed to be the heir of Slytherin not attacking purebloods on behalf of a filthy little mudblood,” he spat the last of it out of his mouth like the word tasted as dirty in his mouth as he imagined Hermione’s blood to be. 

Mattheo turned around slowly, his eyes flashed and went turned from the dark brown Hermione had grown accustomed to, to molten gold, he stalked towards Crabbe reached his hand out and wandlessly sent him crashing to the ground. 

Hermione watched in horror as Mattheo crouched near Crabbe’s head, cheek pressed against the dirt, and spoke “Apologise” 

Crabbe was visibly shaking now, unable to lift his body off the ground, Draco and Goyle stood and watched silently, eyes like saucers, “I won’t” Crabbe shakily responded. 

Mattheo laughed, it was cold and cruel and sent shivers up Hermione’s arms, Mattheo stood to his full height and pressed the bottom of his boot on Crabbe’s exposed cheek before speaking “I really hate repeating myself but I understand that you and your mate over there are a bit thick, apologize.” 

Crabbe was once again silent, refusing to debase himself, he’d rather be thoroughly trounced than lower himself to apologize to her. Hermione wondered if she should speak out, and tell Mattheo enough was enough, but she wanted them to learn their lesson, while she’d rather be the one to teach it herself it was arguably better for one of their own to do it. 

Mattheo had obviously lost his patience and began to press his boot harder into Crabbe’s face, Hermione was sure Crabbe had soiled himself as the smell of urine filled the air around them and the ground underneath him grew darker. Finally, Crabbe let out a garbled cry before apologizing, pleading with Mattheo to stop. 

He looked up at her golden eyes flashing, returning to their chocolate brown shade, and lifted his foot off of Crabbe with a smile on his face. He looked deranged Hermione thought, blood still filling the cracks between his teeth, and streaming down his face. “That wasn’t so hard now was it?” He reached down and pulled Crabbe to his feet, pulling him close he whispered in Crabbe’s ear, the boy’s face turning a puce shade before nodding furiously. He turned to Draco “Get them cleaned up and back to the castle I’ll speak to you when I return.” 

Draco grabbed both boys by the shoulder and shoved them down the path veering off to an alley between shops most likely to clean the evidence off. 

Hermione just stood there, she wasn’t sure if she should thank Mattheo or run back to the certainty of her friends, he must’ve sensed her trepidation because he held his hands up in surrender “ I’m not going to hurt you Hermione, I just… lose my temper sometimes.” 

She huffed and walked over to him “Let me get you cleaned up,”  she tore a strip of cloth from her scarf and transfigured it into a towel before dabbing the wounds on his face, she noticed his nose was definitely broken and his knuckles were split. She wiped each would thoroughly before casting a simple episkey on his nose and began healing the smaller wounds. A strange glow settled in the air around them growing stronger the longer she healed him, Hermione backed away in shock when she noticed it, unsure of what it meant and afraid she’d done something wrong when she’d healed his wounds. 

She knew she’d read about magical reactions like this before, usually between people who had magical bonds, her heart started to race in panic at the implication that came with their magic reacting like that to each other. She backed away slowly, Mattheo was speaking to her but she couldn’t hear him over the cacophony of her mind, she mumbled her apologies before heading back to the castle alone, abandoning their outing altogether. 

____________________

Evan sat at the edge of the trees, watching Hermione run away after her and Mattheo’s magic mingled in that odd way. He was unsure of what to think about this new development, but he knew he’d be expected to report it back to the Dark Lord. 

Once a week, usually on the weekends, he’d make a floo trip to Malfoy Manor to debrief his Lord on the happenings at Hogwarts. He could attempt to hide this information, but it would eventually be pried from his mind anyway. 

He worried for Mattheo, he’d had friends at Drumstrang of course, though he used them more like tools at times, they each had something to offer Mattheo that made them useful, but Evan could tell his friendship with Hermione was comforting, offering him something he’d had taken from him as an infant. 

Evan walked up to Mattheo, nudging him with his head towards the castle, he couldn’t afford to shift out here and be seen by anyone, they needed to retreat to the privacy of their room. Mattheo took a cigarette out of the pocket of his robes and lit it before taking a drag, “let’s fucking go, I’m over this day,” 

Once they made it back to the Slytherin common room, all the snakes who were back from Hogsmeade, or just didn’t go were huddled in small groups whispering amongst themselves, Evan had worried about this and slinked around Mattheo, raising his hackles he prowled the room, adding a rumbling growl the closer he got to the conspiring groups of students. They shrunk away from him, all thoroughly frightened by the time he made it in front of Crabbe and Goyle, he lowered his front half stalking him like the predator they thought he was, shaking, both boys backed up and looked beseechingly at Mattheo, begging him with their eyes to call Evan off. “Evan, to me,” Mattheo called.

 Mattheo shook his robes off, placing them on the back of a chair before rolling his sleeves, Evan knew what he was doing, had seen him do it before and it left him in awe because despite what Mattheo felt about himself, or what the Dark Lord even thought, Mattheo had a well of power so deep, it made the Mariana trench look like a kiddie pool. 

Slowly but surely he felt Mattheo’s power seep into the air around them, slithering around them like a boa waiting to constrict airflow. 

The room got warmer, he was heating the air as he pumped his magic through it, beads of sweat were forming on the foreheads of the students in the room, cloaks and robes shrugged off, and collars loosened. Finally when they began to pant Mattheo stopped, sucking the heat from the air in an instant, many sagged against walls or classmates next to them, their bodies trying to adjust to the rapid change in temperature. 

“Is there something you’d like to ask of me? Something you have to say about the actions of this afternoon?” 

Pansy, that stupid bint stepped forward, Draco went to grab her shoulder, presumably not wanting to experience another friend getting accosted, but she shrugged him off, “You attacked one of your own for a mudblood, explain that.” 

Mattheo laughed a full belly laugh and a cocky smirk lit his face as he slunk his way over to Pansy. Evan knew she’d been making attempts at Mattheo, always placing herself close to him, it was in her nature to attempt to connect herself to the most powerful man in the room.  

Mattheo lifted a lock of black hair in his hand twirling it around his finger before tugging on it sharply, Pansy gasped and Evan could see her pupils dilate, Mattheo shifted his stance, now standing directly behind her he ran his hands through her hair, lightly scratching at her scalp, pulling her head back resting at his chest now, he ducked his head and ran the tip of his nose up her throat, then he placed small kisses along her carotid artery. Pansy was arching her back now, leaning fully into Mattheo despite being in a room full of people, all her pureblood heiress training and thoughts of propriety went out of the window in the face of Mattheo’s charm. Mattheo wrapped an arm around Pansy’s waist tugging her even tighter to him before he spoke softly, barely above a whisper “Do you think your blood status gives you the right to demand answers from me?” 

Pansy whimpered in his hold, eyes which she’d closed in rapture snapping open in panic, shed been insnared by his aura and commanding presence and dropped back down to Earth with a thud. 

Mattheo didn’t move though, held on to the struggling witch, forearms flexing in effort, “I’m not going to hurt you, Pansy. You’ve received just a taste of my power now, intoxicating isn’t it?” Mattheo lifted the arm holding her around the waist and gripped her throat, turning her to face him, “Remember this the next time to dare to question me, remember how I made you a simpering mess in the middle of the common room like a Knockturn Alley whore.” 

He placed a featherlight kiss on her forehead before releasing her, she stumbled back into the arms of Theo who murmured to her quietly, checking on her. 

Mattheo clapped his hands together, once again gathering the attention of the whole room, “Leave Granger alone, or what I did to Crabbe and Goyle today will look like a walk in the park. I don’t want to hurt any of you, but I refuse to subscribe to the limits you place on yourselves due to blood status. I’ll conceed it was in poor taste to address the issue in mixed company, however, I wanted to make it clear I will not allow Hermione to suffer your disrespect, regardless of the time or place. Is that clear?” 

Murmured agreements rang through the room, and Mattheo nodded, “Very well, to make up for my slight, party in the common room at nine this evening” He looked at Blaise, Theo, and Draco signaling them to follow him to the room he shared with Evan. 

Once Mattheo had coordinated with the others for the last-minute party and dismissed them Evan quickly shifted back to his human form, “ I hope you know what you’re doing Mattheo” 

Later that evening once the party had commenced Evan slunk down to Snape’s office jumping up on the door, to catch Severus’ attention. 

Finally, the door opened and Severus stood in the archway, arms crossed over his chest eyebrow raised in annoyance, Evan just pushed passed him, into his private rooms and shifted, standing to his full 6’4” height. 

Once he made it through the floo at Malfoy Manor he found Lucius leaning against the wall, “It’s a little early for your weekly visit, anything interesting happen?” 

Lucius was prying, obviously, concerned something had gone wrong at school, but Evan didn’t have the time or energy to evade his questioning right now and responded tersely, “Follow me, our Lord can decide if you need to know.” 

They quietly made their way to the west wing of the manor, which was housing the Dark Lord and previously Mattheo until the work on the Slytherin castle was completed. Stopping outside the door, Evan knocked quietly and waited for admittance. One of the manor elves opened the door for them before apparating out of the room. 

Walking into the room, both men bowed their heads in reverence before Lord Voldemort who sat on a chaise in front of the fire. 

“Evan, has something happened? Why are you here Lucius?”

“It’s hard to explain my Lord, I think it might be better to show you. It somewhat pertains to attitudes in the Slytherin common room and I figured it would be prudent to include Lucius in this conversation.” 

“Very well, I will look and decide,” His Lord motioned for Evan to kneel in front of him, looking into his eyes before whispering “Legilimens,” It didn’t take long for him to see the fight in Hogsmeade, and he felt his Lords surprise at the magical phenomenon that occurred when Hermione healed Mattheo. He chuckled when he watched the show Mattheo and Evan had put on in the Slytherin common room then withdrew from Evan’s mind. 

“Malfoy retrieve the pensieve will you?” he waved Evan off, giving him leave to sit at the settee across from him. 

“Of course, my lord,” Malfoy bowed and exited the room. 

“Mattheo and this witch, Hermione, do you think it is a romantic connection? Or do you share the same suspicion as Severus?” 

“I do not know my Lord, they have a certain peace about them when they are together but the interactions are not sexual in any way. I’ve asked Mattheo directly and he has no interest in her, at least not romantically.” 

Lord Voldemort nodded to himself, snapped his fingers, and requested a tumbler of cognac from the house elf who arrived, moments later the house elf returned with a vintage bottle and three glasses, setting them on a tray on the coffee table before retreating from the room once again. 

“I’d like a copy of the memory to watch later but Lucius will watch it with us this time, less invasive than us both invading your mind, wouldn’t want to tear apart your psyche.” 

Lucius returned and set the pensieve up in the centre of the room, waiting patiently at the bowl, Evan took a sip of his cognac and placed the tumbler back on the table before using his wand to transfer a copy of the memory to the pensieve. 

After the memory was over and they’d returned to the room, no one spoke for a few minutes, clearly all calculating either the interaction between Hermione and Mattheo or Mattheo and the Slytherins. 

Lucius, ever the politician, paced the room, surely trying to calculate the possible damage Mattheo had done to himself in defending Hermione. 

His Lord on the other hand seemed prideful at the display of his son’s power, the ability he had to allure everyone in that room so well, they’d watched the scene of his debauchery without a voice of complaint. Evan knew that the Dark Lord probably saw this as a reflection of himself, Mattheo’s power to him, just shone a light on the depth of his own power. 

“What was the sentiment in the common room when you left Evan?” Lucius inquired.

“I think they were all just trying to relieve the tension, but it seemed subdued.” 

“I’ll have to speak to Draco to form a true opinion, they will respect his power, but he’s making, in their opinion, questionable decisions by defending Miss Granger, especially in public. Crabbe and Goyle are broken branches on a small tree, but the other Slytherins will find offence with Mattheo’s slight. Regardless of his heritage, he is new to Hogwarts. He’ll need to tread carefully. Of course, there will be those who while disagreeing, care more about advancing themselves and will go along with Mattheo despite his actions, knowing he still can raise their social status through you.” 

“I have no doubt he will get them to fall in line, if it’s through fear or respect of his power it matters not, but I will not help in this, he must find his way, he has the privilege of a name, something I did not have, it’s up to him what he does with it.” 

He took a deep breath before continuing, “The pressing matter at the moment is Hermione, the way their magic reacted could mean many things, I’ll have to do some research in Slytherin’s library. Keep me abreast of any new developments, and watch the girl. If it is her, the seal on her magic will begin to break, being in such close contact with her magical twin will cause her magic to reach out to his. That will be all, you may leave.”