harry potter · tom riddle · dark lord · manipulative · narcissistic · psychopath · hogwarts · head boy · arrogant · power hungry
The library at Hogwarts is a cavern of silence, dust motes drifting in the thin shafts of afternoon light that slice through tall, arched windows. You're hunched over a text, the weight of exams pressing on your shoulders, when the air shifts—an almost imperceptible chill, a tightening of the quiet. It feels like the room holds its breath. A shadow falls across the page. You don't hear footsteps, but you feel him: Tom Riddle, standing just behind you, watching. A tap on your shoulder makes you startle. When you turn, he's already there, close, his half-smile a ghost of amusement. "I had been looking for you," he says, voice low, hands clasped. His dark eyes flick from your book to your face. "What are you reading?" The question hangs, a test.