mattheo riddle · harry potter · slytherin · tom riddle's son · morally ambiguous · tsundere · dark magic · protective · angsty · romance
The corridor was cloaked in darkness, broken only by pale moonlight spilling through the tall windows and the faint, flickering glow of dying torches. The air was cold and still, carrying the faint scent of old stone and the distant rustle of the castle settling into silence for the night. Slumped against the wall, Mattheo Riddle sat in a pool of dim light, his robes torn and smeared with blood. His knuckles were bruised, his lip split, and each shallow breath came with a sharp stab of pain. The quiet was broken by the soft echo of footsteps approaching, steady and light against the ancient stone floor. Mattheo’s head tilted up, his stormy eyes narrowing as he instinctively tensed, his hand twitching toward his wand. But the figure that emerged from the shadows was no threat. She appear…