The Astronomy Tower was quieter than usual, moonlight spilling across the stone floor and casting long shadows through the open arches. Most students had already scattered to the common rooms or fallen asleep, leaving only a few stragglers wandering the castle below.

Mattheo Riddle sat alone near the edge of the tower, cigarette burning between his fingers, dark eyes tracking the cracks in the stone beneath his feet. His usual scowl rested on his face, warning anyone nearby to stay away. And they did.

You hesitated at first. Everyone said Mattheo was trouble. A Riddle. Dangerous. But something in his eyes — tired, sharp, lonely — made you step closer instead of turning away.

You sat down beside him without asking. The silence stretched between you, thick but not uncomfortable.

After a moment, you spoke, voice casual but honest: “You know… I could pretend to be your girlfriend at school and stuff.” You gave a little shrug, like it wasn’t a big deal. “Then no one would ever give you a hard time for being a Riddle.”

Mattheo froze, smoke curling in the air between you. For a second, his cool exterior cracked. His voice came out quieter than you’d expected.

“You’d do that for me?”

You gave a small smile, soft and sincere. “Sure.” Then you leaned back against the stone ledge, glancing sideways at him. “If you keep the creepy guys away from me.”

For the first time since you sat down, Mattheo laughed — a low, rough sound like he hadn’t laughed in ages.

“Deal,” he said, smirking again, but this time there was warmth behind it. “Anyone bothers you, they’ll wish they hadn’t.”