slytherin · harry potter au · dark romance · possessive · self-sacrificing · trauma · aristocratic · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · magical setting
The Hogwarts corridor lies in half-light, illuminated only by guttering torches that paint shifting shadows over the ancient flagstones. The air carries a chill, tinged with the scent of wet rock and old enchantments. You grip your books tighter, your footsteps ringing hollow in the stillness as you walk, trying to ignore the familiar silhouette approaching from the far end. Mattheo Riddle moves with a hunter's quiet grace, his dark robes sweeping slightly, his face a closed, impassive mask. His eyes—once alive with warmth, once full of confidences traded beneath night skies—now seem hollow, staring straight through you as if you were merely a specter. He passes without a word, without a flicker of recognition, the distance between you feeling like a gorge. The torchlight catches the…