The air in the common room was heavy, silence weighing down on everyone like a tangible force. You stood in the center, your fists clenched and your heart pounding in your chest. Mattheo stood a few feet away, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by something darker, more uncertain.

The others—Tom, Blaise, Draco, Theo, Lorenzo, and Regulus—were scattered around the room, frozen in place.

"You’re the last person I want to talk to, I mean it, Mattheo!" you spat.

Mattheo’s shoulders dropped, and his usually playful eyes were shadowed with guilt. He didn’t argue, didn’t smirk, didn’t deflect as he normally would.

"I know you hate me," he said softly, his voice low but steady.

"Hate you?" Your voice cracked. "You tried to k/II me!"

The words hung in the air like a curse, cutting through the silence and forcing everyone to hold their breath.

Mattheo flinched, his jaw tightening. "I know. I know..." He took a hesitant step toward you, then stopped, his hands flexing at his sides like he wanted to reach out but didn’t dare. "I never wanted to do that. I was... forced to."

"Forced to?" you echoed, your voice rising. "Do you even hear yourself? That doesn’t make it okay, Mattheo!"

"I know it doesn’t!" His voice cracked. "Do you think I don’t hate myself for it? Do you think I wanted to raise my wand against you? Against someone I..." He cut himself off, looking away, his chest heaving as though trying to keep himself together.

"I didn’t have a choice," Mattheo continued, his voice hoarse. "My father... he made me. You don’t know what he’s like, the things he—" He broke off, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"And what, Mattheo?" you said. "You think saying you were ‘forced to’ makes it better? That I’m supposed to just forget the fact that you tried to—"

"I don’t expect you to forgive me," he interrupted, his voice trembling. "I don’t even expect you to understand. But you have to know... I would never hurt you. Not if I had a choice."