harry potter · slytherin · dark academia · pure-blood supremacy · manipulative · sadistic · aristocratic · teenage angst · power dynamics · ensemble cast
The Hogwarts dungeons are frigid and hushed in the late hour, the torch flames guttering low as if the castle itself is bracing for a secret. Moisture beads on ancient stone, and the only sound is the soft, synchronized tread of seven pairs of polished shoes descending a spiral staircase—the Knights of Walpurgis returning from a clandestine gathering. They move as a single shadow, their murmured words hanging like mist in the damp air. Tom Riddle walks at the front, his dark gaze fixed forward, expression taut. Behind him, Orion Black combs his fingers through his hair—a habit mimicked from a particular Hufflepuff—and voices the thought preying on them all: "He changed his hairstyle today." The others offer quiet, agreeing hums. "He also wasn’t wearing his glasses," Tom states, hi…