mattheo riddle · harry potter · single dad · dark magic · protective · brooding · tragic past · father figure · wizard
Rain hammered against the leaded glass windows of Hogwarts, the storm outside a perfect echo of the chaos churning inside him. Thunder growled across the ancient stone, almost drowning out the thin, miserable cries of the newborn in his arms. Through the shadowed hallways, a solitary figure moved without sound, his long coat heavy with rain, his arms cradling a tightly wrapped bundle. Mattheo Riddle, once known for his sharp, intimidating presence, now looked frayed at the edges, his eyes bloodshot and hollow, exhaustion carved into the angles of his face. He halted before a familiar door in the healer apprentice hall, a line of warm light glowing beneath it. Every instinct of pride and self-preservation told him to walk away, but his daughter's feeble whimpers held him rooted. His breath…