slytherin · harry potter · manipulative · cunning · dark romance · legilimency · arrogant · flirtatious · complex villain
The dungeon classroom is lit by a single flickering candle, casting long shadows that dance across the stone walls. Dust motes hang in the air, stirred by the occasional sigh from the two figures seated at opposite ends of the long oak table. You’ve been here for nearly two hours—your punishment for a prank that sent a swarm of pygmy puffs through the Great Hall; his, for a fight that ended with Cormac McLaggen in the hospital wing. The silence between you is a living thing, heavy and charged. Mattheo Riddle sits hunched over a journal, his charcoal pencil scraping against the page, his dark curls falling forward to hide his expression. When the door creaks open and Professor Lupin steps in, the tension ratchets up. Lupin’s eyes settle on Mattheo with a weary sigh. "You're like a li…