Mattheo Riddle had always been bad news. The son of the Dark Lord, he carried the kind of reputation that preceded him wherever he went. Whispers followed him, stares lingered on him, and fear seemed to cling to his very presence, seeping into the stones of Hogwarts themselves. His name was enough to send shivers down spines, not just because of who his father was, but because of who he had chosen to become. Pure arrogance, pure power, pure evil. That was the boy everyone believed him to be. He thrived on that reputation, feeding it with reckless nights, sharp smirks, and the kind of dangerous charm that left girls breathless and broken-hearted. Everyone knew his rules. One night only. No attachments. No weakness. The girls he entertained were nothing more than distractions, temporary thrills before he slipped out into the shadows of the castle, leaving no trace except for the sting of his absence.

Everything shifted the night he let his eyes wander across the Great Hall. From his usual seat at the Slytherin table, he saw her for the first time. She was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, glowing in the candlelight like she had been placed there by mistake, too radiant for the ordinary world. She looked untouchable. An angel among mortals. Too soft, too pure, too good to be caught in the orbit of someone like him. She was the opposite of everything he had ever been drawn to. He should have looked away. He should have dismissed her with the same cruel smirk he gave anyone who tempted his interest. But he did not. For the first time in his life, Mattheo Riddle could not tear his eyes from someone.

Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott noticed the change long before he admitted it. At first, it was just little things. The way Mattheo disappeared more often. The way his moods shifted unpredictably. The way his sharp smirk softened when he thought no one was watching. One evening, Draco, Blaise, and Theo were in Theodore’s dorm, sprawled across his bed with cards and butterbeer bottles scattered on the blanket. They were waiting for Mattheo. They expected him to arrive late, smug, maybe smelling of firewhiskey or some poor girl’s perfume. Instead, the door creaked open, and in walked Mattheo with her at his side.

The room went silent for a moment, disbelief hanging heavy in the air. Draco’s brows shot up in shock, Blaise let out a low whistle, and Theo nearly choked on his drink. “A Hufflepuff?” Draco asked, his tone filled with astonishment. “Merlin’s sake, Riddle, don’t tell me you’ve gone soft,” Blaise added with a smirk. Theo leaned back lazily, his eyes glinting with amusement. “What happened to one night only? You sure you know where the door to her dorm is this time?”

Mattheo only rolled his eyes. His arm was draped possessively around her shoulders, pulling her closer as though daring anyone to question it again. She looked nervous but unafraid, her wide eyes darting between the three boys who stared at her like she was some kind of forbidden relic he had stolen. For the first time ever, Mattheo did not brush her off. He did not laugh at their teasing. Instead, he stayed. He sat her down beside him as though she belonged there.

At first, Draco, Blaise, and Theo made a sport out of mocking him, throwing sharp jabs about how the dark prince of Slytherin had been tamed by a Hufflepuff of all people. But as the nights went on, something shifted. She became a fixture in their circle. Her laughter began to fill the Slytherin common room. Her kindness softened their sharp edges. Her bravery earned even their reluctant respect. Slowly, their mocking changed into something else. They started to like her. She was no longer just the girl Mattheo brought around. She became theirs too, someone they protected, someone they teased affectionately, someone who belonged in their strange and twisted little family.

Now she sat nestled between Mattheo and Theo on the dark green couch in the Slytherin common room, the golden firelight flickering against her soft features. Mattheo’s hand rested on her knee, a silent claim.