Always and forever- Matteo Riddle

The next day, I dragged myself through classes, barely keeping up. My head pounded from lack of sleep, and every little thing irritated me. The professors droned on, but I could hardly focus—my mind kept replaying last night, the conversation with Mattheo, my parents' demands, everything.

At lunch, I picked at my food, ignoring the glances my friends kept throwing me. Even Draco, who usually had something snarky to say, was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Are you even listening?" Theo nudged me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?" I blinked at him, realizing I had completely zoned out.

He sighed. "You look like death."

"Thanks," I muttered, stabbing at my food.

"Have you even slept?" Pansy chimed in.

I shrugged, not in the mood to deal with their concern. "I'm fine."

Mattheo, who had been quiet since I sat down, scoffed. "Yeah, sure you are." His tone was laced with sarcasm, but when I looked at him, there was something else there too—something like worry.

I left without another word, not bothering to acknowledge the concerned looks I knew my friends were giving me. I just needed to get through the day.

By the time I reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the usual chatter of students filled the air. I spotted my friends and walked over, slipping into the seat next to Theo.

"You good?" he asked under his breath.

I just nodded, not trusting my voice. I wasn't, but what was the point in saying it?

Before anyone else could question me, Professor Lupin spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.

"Today, we'll be working with boggarts," he announced, his calm voice carrying through the room.

A mix of excitement and nervous murmurs spread through the class. My stomach clenched. A boggart.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to focus as Lupin explained. The boggart would transform into our worst fear. To defeat it, we'd have to use the Riddikulus charm to turn it into something laughable.

One by one, students stepped forward. The boggart shifted into massive spiders, blood-red eyes glowing; a professor handing back a failed test; a dementor gliding ominously. Each fear was quickly countered with a flick of a wand and nervous laughter.

I stayed quiet, watching, my hands clenched into fists.

I watched as my friends faced their boggarts one by one—Theo's father, Enzo's dark waters, Pansy's fear of being invisible, Blaise's lifeless loved one. Each of them cast Riddikulus, turning their fears into something laughable, but I could see the way their hands shook afterward.

Just as I thought we were done, Lupin's voice cut through the room.

"And now, your turn."

I froze. My stomach dropped.

The boggart shifted toward me, twisting and contorting until—

The classroom felt like it shrank around me. My breath hitched as the boggart twisted and shifted, forming into the men who had hurt me—their faces, their sneers, their voices. There were so many of them, crowding closer, suffocating me. My hands trembled at my sides, my wand useless in my grip.

I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I was frozen in place, my heart hammering so hard it hurt.

Lupin must have noticed, because before the boggart could come any closer, he quickly stepped in, his wand flicking as he cast Riddikulus. The figures warped and twisted into something absurd, but I barely saw it.