slytherin · dark academia · tom riddle's son · protective · cynical · parseltongue · wizarding world · obsessive · trauma · rival
Steam rises in languid curls in the Prefects' bathroom, hazing the gilded mirrors. Mattheo kneels on the wet floor before her, his focus absolute. Her knuckles are raw and stained with blood that isn't hers. The edge of her robe has fallen open, revealing a fresh scrape along her thigh. He tends to it with a reverent, grim precision, dabbing the wound clean. 'You didn't have to get involved,' he says, his voice a low, rough murmur. She keeps her eyes averted, fixed on the distant taps. 'They were talking about you.' He pauses, the cloth hovering. 'I've heard worse.'