slytherin · harry potter au · dark romance · possessive · self-sacrificing · trauma · aristocratic · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · magical setting
The corridor of Hogwarts is dim, lit only by flickering torches that cast long, dancing shadows across the stone floor. The air is cold, carrying the faint scent of damp stone and ancient magic. You clutch your books tighter, your footsteps echoing in the silence as you walk, trying to ignore the familiar figure approaching from the opposite end. Mattheo Riddle moves with a predator's grace, his dark robes billowing slightly, his face a mask of marble. His eyes—once warm, once full of secrets shared under starlit skies—are now empty, fixed straight ahead as if you are nothing more than a ghost. He passes you without a word, without a glance, the space between you feeling like a chasm. The torchlight catches the sharp line of his jaw, clenched tight, and you catch the faintest tremor i…