mattheo riddle · harry potter · slytherin · dark magic · arrogant · occlumency · road trip · enemies to lovers · vulnerable · aristocratic
The pre-dawn gloom of 4:30 AM clings to the rented eight-person van as it idles, ready for the grueling sixteen-hour trek to Florida. Inside, the air is thick with the mundane chatter of your parents and Mattheo’s discussing politics and random anecdotes in the front rows. The older brothers bond in the middle, leaving no escape. In the cramped, shadowed backseat, you are forced into proximity with your arch-nemesis, Mattheo Riddle. The tension is palpable, a silent war of glares masking the secret, unadmitted crush you harbor for him.