FROM EDEN | Mattheo Riddle

XVI. Home

Stillness.

There was a rare sense of stillness on the train ride back home to Hogwarts. Home. It was funny how the strange, old school was more of a home than their cold mansion. How Dumbledore seemed more like a father than her own. Violet thought back again at her "mission," could she really do this when failing would result in her death, and possibly her family's demise too? It felt as if there was a guillotine above her head, hanging on brittle threads that held her life.

She looked out the window, snow was still falling across the fields of green. A stark contrast behind the sea of orange and blue that washed over the sky. She's taken this ride countless times now, eating and chatting along with Pansy and Daphne. Giggling over Daphne's failed flings or Pansy's silly infatuation with Draco.

She recalled the first time the three of them met. After the sorting ceremony, stuffed and anxious about their respective roommates. Pansy being Pansy chose to introduce herself to the shy blonde, Daphne, by saying, "What are you doing on my bed, bitch?"

The blonde replied lamely, "I don't see your name on this bed, and I got here first....bitch." She said the last word with so much innocence, confusion, and regret, Violet couldn't contain her laughter. Soon enough, the three of them started laughing together. And since then, they were as thick as thieves, inseparable like the golden trio. Violet unconsciously smiled at the thought, and then suddenly, an epiphany rippled over her. It wasn't Hogwarts that felt like home, it was her friends, Pansy and Daphne. They were her home. And she hoped, prayed to some divine being, that they would always be safe.

But then, a certain raven-haired boy with intense dark eyes managed to wedge himself between her thoughts, occupying a small space in her head. Perhaps he's always been there, waiting to be acknowledged, crawling over her thoughts until he's consumed most of it. What was home to him? Does he even have a home? Who were his friends? Was I a friend to him?

However, a specific question carried more weight than the others, "What am I to him?"

"What is he to me?"

Back in the Great Hall, there was a palpable, thick tension that swirled around the Gryffindor table...Hell, Violet could feel it from where she sat. Apparently, Ron had been poisoned and muttered Hermione's name instead of his girlfriend's. Now, the golden trio sat significantly spaced away from each other, picking at the cold turkey on their plates while Lavender was staring at Ron across the table with glassy eyes and a frown, clutching her spoon tightly. The other half of the table was occupied with swarming Katie Bell like a bunch of moths drawn to the light, asking her what had happened. Busybodies. Then, out of nowhere, Harry stood clenching his fists, angry energy crackling around him as he stomped away from the hall.

"What's with Potter?" Pansy asked, taking a big chunk from her muffin. "I don't know he's always either mad or nervous, that kid," Daphne answered. "I would be too when I have a bald noseless circus freak out there trying to kill me," she whispered.

"Girls, I have to tell you something," Violet interjected, rubbing her bicep nervously as she avoided their eyes.

"Oh my god, y-you're pregnant, aren't you!" Pansy exclaimed loudly, earning several surprised stares from their peers.

"W-what!! I AM NOT!" She shouted just as loud to make it clear to everyone that she is NOT pregnant. The rest turned their focus back to their plates, no longer interested in them. Again, busybodies.

"Then what is it? Oh my god, you slept with him, didn't you?" She asked in a hushed voice this time.

"No, we did not."

"Not yet."

"Daphne!" Violet said sharply, "I thought you were on my side."

"What is it then? Spill it out."

"I'm betrothed...to Mattheo."

A grin split from Pansy's face as she turned towards Daphne, "Ha! Pay up, bitch! I told you so."

"Ugh," the blonde sighed audibly, "I was sure it would be in our 7th year." She passed a sack of galleons to the brunette with a frown.

"You guys bet on it? Seriously?" Violet deadpanned, eyes narrowing at her two best friends.

They both grinned cheekily, "You know we love you Vi....So, when's the wedding?"

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes, "You guys aren't mad?"

"Mad at you for what?" Daphne asked, tilting her head to the side, her blonde curls falling over her face.

"Mad for not telling you guys sooner," Violet frowned, guilty that she kept it a secret.

"Of course not!" Pansy assured her, "We'd never force you to tell us something you aren't comfortable discussing." Her words were so sincere, Violet was filled with warmth and love for her friends, enveloping her in a gentle embrace. Her eyes glassed with unfallen tears.

"I love you, guys," Violet sniffled, "you guys mean so much to me." She hiccupped as she wiped the pooling tears from her eyes.

"Stop crying my mascara is expensive!" Daphne exclaimed, swatting the tears slowly falling on her cheeks. "I LOVE YOU TOO GUYS!" She cried even more.

"I LUV YOU THWEE." Pansy shouted with a mouthful of food, getting glares from the quiet onlookers enjoying their lunch.

<3

The three of them were making their way towards the dorm, arms linked together, chatting about Violet's soon-to-be husband (much to her chagrin) and Daphne's boy of the month, Blaise.

"How are things with Blaise?" Pansy inquired, wiggling her brows suggestively.

"Hmm....I like him enough to suck--"

"-YOU!!! I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, RIDDLE."

"What the fuck was that?" Violet whispered, stopping in her tracks.

"I think it's coming from the boy's bathroom at the end of the hall," Daphne said in a hushed voice.

"Come on! Let's see," Pansy pulled both of their hands, dragging her friends towards the boy's bathroom.

"We are NOT going inside the boy's bathroom, Pansy! it smells like shit in there." The blonde remarked, trying to pull her wrist away from the brunette's grasp.

"So you've been there, ey?" She winked, dragging the two girls outside the lavatory, stopping short from the entrance.

"You hexed her didn't you?" Potter's voice reverberated clearly across the hall.

"It wasn't me, Potter." A husky voice drawled. Then, a sudden blast was heard followed by a mirror shattering.

"Holy shit! Potter and Riddle are fighting!" Pansy whispered, taking a peek inside the bathroom. More sounds of blast and water sprinkling were coming out of the room, "We have to stop them!"

"Oh, go ahead, Pansy! Put yourself in the middle of two boys trying to kill each other!" Violet argued, crossing her arms.

"Should I?" She asked dumbly, missing Violet's sarcasm.

"NO!!" Violet and Daphne exclaimed at the same time.

"At least one of us has to get professor Snape," she countered, "I'll go!" Daphne volunteered, already sprinting away from them.

"Sectumsempra!" A voice rung out, Violet wasn't sure who said it, but the other fell with a thud. She took a peek inside the room, and the latter was on the floor with blood and water pooling around him. It was Harry.

And in front of him was Mattheo, clutching his wand.

Professor Snape whizzed past her and towards Harry, his cape catching the water as he moved. "What did you do, Riddle?"

He didn't reply, he just stared at her.