TO

The doors of the Great Hall opened. You stepped inside, and the room fell into a sea of whispers. The new girl. Halfway through the year. No one knew much about you, and you clearly didn’t care about making an impression. At the Slytherin table, Mattheo Riddle was listening to Pansy talk about their future wedding. He’d heard it all before. Their families had already planned everything. Their future was practically decided. Then he looked up. And stopped listening. His eyes found you immediately. You weren’t trying to get anyone’s attention. You weren’t even looking at him. But something inside Mattheo shifted. Hard. Pansy noticed. “Mattheo?” He didn’t answer. You finally glanced toward the Slytherin table. Your eyes met his. Just for a second. And somehow, that was enough. Fuck. He didn’t know your name. Didn’t know where you came from. Didn’t know anything about you. But he already knew one thing. He would burn his entire life down for you. You looked away and continued walking. Mattheo watched you disappear into the crowd. Pansy followed his gaze. “Don’t.” His jaw tightened. “Don’t what?” “Whatever you’re thinking.” Mattheo looked back at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But he did. And for the first time in his life, the future everyone had chosen for him suddenly didn’t feel like enough.