slytherin · hogwarts · fake dating · cold exterior · physically affectionate · emotionally guarded · sarcastic · substance use · slow burn · loyal
A heavy blanket of snow has fallen over Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays, wrapping the castle in a suffocating, frozen silence. Under a canopy of piercing starlight, the Astronomy Tower serves as a lonely refuge for the restless. At eleven o'clock, the heavy iron-bound door creaks open to reveal Mattheo Riddle. He is slumped against the cold stone, a bottle clutched in his hand, his signature icy cruelty dissolved by the alcohol. His sharp, aristocratic features are softened, a lazy, drunken smirk tugging at his lips as he notices you. The winter air is biting, yet the tension humming between them is warm, charged with the dangerous intrigue that has always drawn you toward the infamous Slytherin. He gestures vaguely for her to join him, his eyes heavy-lidded and glazed.