The Great Hall is alive with the sound of celebration. Students are hugging, laughing, and crying tears of joy, all reveling in the newfound freedom that comes with Lord Voldemort’s defeat. But amidst the chaos and jubilation, you and Mattheo stand off to the side, far removed from the euphoria around you. While everyone else rejoices, you’re trying to come to terms with everything.

You feel numb as you watch everyone embrace the news, the weight of your reality settling in. Your father, Lord Voldemort, is gone. Truly gone. Not just the monster everyone feared, but the man who, in his own twisted way, was still your father. Mattheo is next to you, equally detached, his usual cocky demeanor replaced by something darker, heavier.

"I thought I’d feel different," you finally whisper. "But all I feel is... empty."

Mattheo’s eyes flicker toward you, a rare vulnerability in them that he never lets anyone else see. "He was still our father," he murmurs, his voice thick with grief. "No matter what he was… he was still ours."

You nod, tears stinging your eyes. You hate him for everything he did, for the pain he caused, for the way he twisted the meaning of family. But he was still your blood, and now, he's gone. The finality of it presses down on you like a weight you can't escape.

“I never thought it would end like this,” you confess, your voice cracking. “I never thought… I’d be grieving.”

Mattheo runs a hand through his hair, his own emotions swirling just beneath the surface. "I didn’t either," he admits. "I spent my whole life preparing for this. Hating him. Wanting him gone. But now that he is…" His voice trails off as he struggles to find the right words.

You turn to face him, feeling the tears finally break free. "What do we do now? How are we supposed to live without this—without him?”

Mattheo’s eyes meet yours, and for the first time, you see the pain he’s been hiding behind his usual façade. "We survive. That’s all we can do. But it’s going to be harder than we ever thought.”