Chapter 9

The days went by, and the ever-present knot between Y/n and Mattheo tightened more and more. It was hard not to think about him all the time, especially when his proximity made her involuntarily feel how much the tension between them was growing. But there were other things that were developing as well.

One evening, while Y/n and her friends were sitting in the Slytherin common room, Regulus suggested playing a game to lighten the mood. "How about a round of truth or dare?" he asked with a mischievous smile that seemed a little too treacherous.

"Why not?" Y/n agreed, although she knew that the game often caused more chaos than anything else. It was the perfect way to distract herself from all the unspoken tensions - even though she knew that these very tensions could develop a dynamic of their own.

The room was well attended, all the Slytherins sat close together, and the mood was lively. The first round was harmless, everyone faced either a funny question or a harmless dare. But as the round continued, the game took a much more intense turn.

When it was finally Y/n's turn, she felt the eyes on her. The challenge was palpable in the air, especially because Mattheo was still nearby. His eyes watched her from a distance, and she could see the slight but clear sparkle in his eyes - something that she almost interpreted as a claim of ownership. But at that moment, the tables turned when another boy from the group spoke up.

"I have a challenge for you, Y/n," he said. It was none other than Barty Crouch Jr. He had a wide, confident grin on his lips that betrayed a bit of mischief and provocation. "I dare you to kiss someone."

The others' eyes wandered from Barty to Y/n, and then to Mattheo's nervous, almost panicked look. Y/n could feel the wave of uncertainty that suddenly rolled over her. Mattheo still hadn't really commented on the situation, but he was watching her even more intensely now. It was almost as if he was trying to read what she would do.

"And who?" she asked, her voice almost imperceptibly challenging. Barty grinned even wider as he looked over the group.

"How about me?" he said with a sharp look in Y/n's direction. It was clear that he knew what he was doing. But it was also a challenge, something that drove Y/n into a corner that she knew she couldn't escape so easily. She could practically feel the whole group waiting to see what would happen.

The tension rose noticeably, and Mattheo, sitting in his corner, now looked visibly more tense. A thin line of his lips suggested a mixed emotion - frustration, jealousy, and maybe a hint of anger. Y/n knew he felt more than he showed, but it was hard to tell how much he was actually willing to admit.

Glancing at Barty, who was obviously trying to turn the game to his own advantage, Y/n finally made a decision. She stood up, slowly walked over to Barty, stepping as close to him as she could as she closed the distance between them.

"Fine," she said quietly, "I'll do it." And with a confident look at the group, she turned back to Barty and kissed him. The kiss was anything but tender, it was fleeting, almost forced. It was a game - a game she was playing right now, and the whole group was watching as the game continued.

But as she turned away from him again, she felt a piercing gaze on her, burning into the back of her neck. When she turned around, she met the eyes of Mattheo - and she knew immediately that he had seen everything. It was as if his gaze was piercing her, and Y/n could practically hear his heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her attitude towards him was suddenly different, much heavier than before. The tension between them had now reached a point that was inevitable.

"I guess that's it," Barty said with a grin as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on Y/n and Mattheo.

But at that moment, Y/n realized how much the kiss, so fleeting and deliberate, put her in an even more difficult position. Her eyes did not move away from Mattheo. It was clear that this kiss had meaning not only for Barty, but especially for Mattheo. She couldn't help but see the spark of jealousy burning in his eyes.

"I think that's enough for today," Y/n finally said, sitting back down in her seat to escape the awkward silence that filled the room. But even though the game continued, she knew that the real "kiss" was still to come – the one between her and Mattheo. It was now only a matter of time before he would allow it. And it was clear that Barty's kiss was just the beginning.

The game continued, but the atmosphere in the room was now noticeably different. Y/n had sat down and was trying to sort out her thoughts, but her eyes kept flying to Mattheo. It was as if the moment between them was just not the same after Barty's kiss. There was a certain expectation in the air, and Y/n knew that she could no longer escape reality.

Mattheo stood up abruptly shortly afterwards, without another word. The room seemed to freeze in that moment. All eyes wandered to him as he walked past Y/n and out. She didn't know exactly why, but it was like a magnet that drew her to him. Something about his posture, his speed - and the looks the others left for him - made everything around her seem unimportant.

"Y/n," Pansy whispered next to her. "What's going on between you two?" Her voice was quiet, but with a worried undertone. Y/n was about to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat. She didn't know for sure herself.

Without thinking too much about it, she stood up and left the room too. She had to know what was going on between them. Her feet carried her almost automatically in the direction Mattheo had gone, and soon she heard the sound of the heavy door opening with a slight creak. She stepped into the hallway, the darkness of the late evening enveloping her, and in the distance she saw him standing - Mattheo, completely isolated, his gaze directed at the ground. His posture was somehow even angrier, more vulnerable.

"Why are you just leaving?" asked Y/n as she approached hesitantly.

He didn't react immediately. Then, with a jerk, he turned to her, his eyes now flashing with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"I... didn't know you would take it so seriously," muttered Mattheo, his voice a blurred mixture of anger and... something he himself couldn't grasp.

"What do you mean?" she asked, the uncertainty she had felt since the kiss resting on her tongue.

"What was the game, Y/n? What were you thinking?" His voice was almost biting now, and Y/n could hear the desire in his tone, the desire to finally grab her at that moment - but he held back. A furious battle raged inside him.

"It was a game, Mattheo! You know very well that it wasn't a real kiss, but you... you're making the whole situation much more complicated than it is," she replied. Her anger came so suddenly, like a wave crashing against a rock that she hadn't felt before. "Why don't you just be honest with me if you really want this?"

Mattheo took a step closer, her proximity sending a strange tingling sensation across her skin. "Maybe... maybe I want it honestly, Y/n. Maybe I've known for a long time that it wasn't just a game. But you're making it so damn hard that it's driving me crazy."

Y/n listened to his words, her heart racing in her chest. She had suspected these words for the past few days, but to finally hear them - it felt both crushing and liberating.

But before she could say anything, someone suddenly stepped between them. Another, familiar but surprising figure: Regulus Black. He had entered the hallway and was looking at both Mattheo and Y/n.

"Is now really the time for you to talk about it?" Regulus asked quietly, but with a sharp edge in his voice that couldn't be ignored.

Mattheo immediately seemed annoyed. "What do you want, Black? Leave us alone!" The aggression was in him, and for a moment it was as if the walls in Y/n's mind were shaking.

"Well, there are things that have to be done," Regulus replied, his face buttoned up and his eyes cool and thoughtful. "But one thing is certain: if you're really serious, Mattheo, then stop playing."

The sentence hung in the air like an impending danger, and Y/n could feel the painful look between the two men. There was something between them that was much older than this moment - a hidden history, an unspoken purgatory.

"I've had enough of this," Mattheo said abruptly, his voice shaking a little as he glared at Regulus. "You know what? Enough. You're only making things worse."

"Stop ruining everything," Regulus replied coolly, "and them too. You need to use your head again, Mattheo. If you don't, it will only end in chaos for you."

"Leave me!" Mattheo pushed Regulus roughly to the side, an explosion of emotions in the night. "I will do what I think is right."

Regulus turned to Y/n with an ironic smile and walked away, whispering only: "You've got it, Y/n. But take good care of yourself."

The atmosphere between the two was now almost too tense, and Mattheo stood there with his head buried in his hands. Y/n could see that his anger was directed not only at her, but at Regulus as well. What exactly did that mean? Was it really anger or maybe something else - another unspoken feeling?

"Mattheo," Y/n whispered, taking a step toward him. She hesitantly placed her hand on his arm. "What's really happening here?"

He looked up and let out a long, deep breath. It was the moment she had felt. The moment when everything in her head was spinning and that was closer to the truth than she had ever dared.

"I'm sorry, Y/n. I'm really sorry that everything is so twisted. But, if you let me... I want you to know that I can't give up."

"But what does that mean?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. Her fear that everything would be lost in an endgame almost broke through. She was ready to find out, but Mattheo had to be ready to face the truth. And she was now sure that if this was ever going to be whole between them, he would finally have to be ready to bear the weight of the words.