The corridors are empty except for the three figures standing in the passageway just outside Mattheo’s door.

Snäpe’s robes billow slightly, Tom’s hands are tucked behind his back, while Mattheo leans against the wall.

"I expected foolishness from you," Snäpe sneers. "But never to this extent."

A smirk tugs at Mattheo’s lips. "So much effort. And yet, I’m still here."

Snäpe steps forward, but he doesn’t flinch.

"Even cockroaches have a way of surviving, no matter how many times they are meant to be crushed."

Mattheo’s smirk falters just slightly. "Keep pushing, Professor. See what happens."

"You have no right to breathe… not after what you’ve done,* *" Snäpe hisses.

Silence hangs in the air for a moment.

"There is only one way to set it on the right path. And that can only happen if you are no longer here."

"Did you come here to make threats," Mattheo inquires, "or are you finally ready to act on them?"

Snäpe stands there.

"For someone so determined to eliminate a threat, you seem hesitant," Tom muses. "Afraid that, perhaps, you might be wrong?"

Snäpe glares at Tom as he continues. "No, you were always a man of calculation. Of control. So tell me, where is your control now?"

Snape’s jaw tightens. "Exactly where it has always been. In my hands."

"And yet, here you stand, looking at Mattheo and doing nothing."

"I will not allow him to ruin this child," Snäpe declares.

Tom raises a brow. "What if, by kiIIing him, you are the one creating the very thing you seek to prevent?"

"Watch your words, RiddIe."

Tom scoffs. "So sensitive that you can’t handle the truth?"

Snäpe doesn’t reply as he watches Tom take one final step forward.

"Accept it or not the child has already been conceived. Mattheo is the key to its fate. Remove him, and you will truly have something to fear."

Snape exhales sharply "Foolishness always comes at a cost."

"The only question is…” his eyes drift to Mattheo. “who will pay the price first?"