Where the Flowers Used to Grow [Mattheo Riddle]

Chapter 19

June 2003

Florence felt a cold breeze trickle up her nose. The chill flowing down her throat, into her lungs and her stomach until she couldn't breathe. It felt just like the fog, the cursed fog that haunted her lungs. She forced her weary eyes open, sitting up in the bed suddenly. She looked around the bare, foreign room, her eyes darting around, her gaze slicing through the shadows searching for him as her heart beat began to rise. She suddenly looked at the window, noticing the curtains billowing in the gentle breeze. Breeze. She stood up, her legs taking her to the window to see the sun starting to rise over the city, peeking it's way through London's narrow streets. The window was fully open. She closed it quickly, running to turn the light on. There was no one there. Suddenly she felt it, she felt the weight of it and knew what it was. Her fingers slowly reached for her neck, falling in between her collar bones. She ran to the small, dusty mirror. Her fingers traced over the glass pendant, the small flower sitting there. She fell to the floor, her chest heaving as her breath tore through her throat like shattering glass. He'd found her. He'd finally found her.

---

May 1998

"Get in!" She squealed as the icy waves crashed into her waist.

"You're mad Florence Lake." He shook his head, his hands on his hips laughing as she twirled in the water.

"It's not that cold once you're in! I promise!" She laughed, shouting over the crashing. "Look I'll prove it!" She turned away from him, throwing her body into the coming wave, the water making her brain freeze as she dove, her body feeling weightless as if she was flying. She planted her feet back onto the sand, throwing her torso back up into the spring air. As her hands flew up to her wipe the hair out of her face she felt his hands grab her face, his fingers wiping the water from her eyes. She battered her eyelashes, looking up to him.

"Told you!" She giggled jumping up and planting a salty kiss on his lips.

"No you're a bloody liar it's fucking freezing." He grumbled, but his smile contradicted his words. As another wave came crashing he threw his arms around her waist to keep the water's power from knocking her over.

"Why did you pick to live by the seaside if you hate the sea!" She shouted over all the noise. He grinned down at her.

"Because I knew that you loved it." She blinked up at him. "You told me it was the last holiday you took with your parents, that night at the winter solstice." Her face dropped for a moment, the reminder of her life before the facade of their cosy seaside life jarring her. She never let herself think of her family, of her friends, of Hogwarts. Suddenly Mattheo lifted his hands from her, grabbing his head, his teeth grinding in pain.

"Theo?" He started to fumble in the waves as he grabbed his head. He started to fall, and her arms reached out for him but he was too large, too heavy. They both crashed into the water. She spluttered for air, looking down to see Mattheo crashing in the water, unable to swim with his hands stuck into his forehead.

"Theo!" She screamed, her arms flailing desperately trying to pick his head up out of the water. She grabbed onto his elbows and began dragging him towards the beach along with the waves, letting the tide guide them. She cried out as she dragged him onto the sand, her body exhausted by the weight of him. She sat in front of him, her hands landing on his cheeks, sand sticking to their wet skin.

"Theo! Theo look at me! You're ok, concentrate on me." This had only happened a few times since they'd moved, but it had never lasted so long. She threw her lips onto his, desperately trying to bring him back to her. He started spluttering into her mouth, his hands slowly releasing from his head.

"Theo? Theo are you ok?" She shouted. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at her as tears rolled down his cheeks. He slowly reached out to her, bringing her in for a forceful embrace.

"Theo please talk to me." She whispered as he clung to her desperately.

"Flo... I don't know what to..." He whimpered, his tone sending fear through her whole body. She forced herself off him, her hands gripping onto his cheeks.

"Did you let him in? Did he see where we are?" He could hear the tremble in her voice, and his heart sunk. The time had come, and he wasn't ready.

"We need to go back to the house." He started to get up, but she clung onto him fiercely.

"Talk to me, Mattheo. Tell me what happened."

"It's happening." He whispered down to her, grabbing her hands off his face and marching her towards the village.

"Mattheo!" She shouted, half in fear half in pain as she felt as if he was going to pull her arm off. "Mattheo please!" He suddenly stopped, looking down at her with a terrified expression that was filled with rage.

"It's happening! Fuck Florence, it's happening now and I'm not ready."

"What? What is happening?" She screamed. He grabbed her face, looking down at it, trying to take in every inch of skin, every water droplet falling from her hair.

"Him." He sighed, making her shiver. "He's attacking Hogwarts. This is it." Her eyes widened, her whole life she'd made herself ignore was crashing down along with the sounds of crashing waves.

"Harry." She whispered, making his fingers dig into her cheeks slightly.

"You deserve to know, but you have a choice. You don't owe that school anything Flora. You don't owe that boy-"

"I'm going." She whispered. He dropped his hands from her face, standing rigid in front of her. He turned heading towards the house. She followed in silence as they ran through the streets. Once inside she went and got changed, coming down to find him sitting on the sofa, his head in his hands.

"Theo." She sighed, going and sitting herself down in front of him, prying his hands off his eyes. "Theo please, you know I won't be able to live with myself if I don't-"

"I know." He growled, looking up to meet her pleading eyes. "That's why I told you. I knew at some point this would happen, at some point he'd have to try kill Potter, but I didn't plan on telling you." She clutched his hands tightly in hers.

"So why did you?" She asked gently.

"Because I knew you'd never forgive me if I didn't." She smiled, kissing his fingers. She stood up slowly, but he joined, rising from the sofa.

"I'm-"

"You're not coming!" She said sternly.

"Of course I'm coming, Flora. Who else is going to save you from yourself?"

"No, no no." Florence threw her hands up. "There's no way. You can't go against your father, Mattheo. It'll be too hard-"

"You seriously think I'll cave and become one of his followers? Fuck Flora-"

"No, I don't mean that." She placed her hands on his chest. "He'll try to kill you, you know he will. You turning against him was the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. There's nothing more dangerous than a narcissist with wounded pride." He smiled down at her, but inside his heart was racing. A part of him wanted to knock her out from pure desperation. Today was the day, the day he'd been preparing for but he'd never wanted her there. He wasn't ready for her to see him.

"There isn't a choice for either of us, I'm afraid. We're both going."