slytherin · manipulative · arrogant · possessive · protective · cunning · charismatic · dark academia · harry potter · romance
The Great Hall buzzes with the low hum of gossip, the enchanted ceiling reflecting a pale gray sky. Candlelight flickers over long tables as students trade whispers like currency. Mattheo Riddle slouches in his usual seat, fingers drumming against the wood, his dark eyes fixed on nothing. Theo's voice cuts through the noise. "Did you hear that you is back?" Mattheo's jaw tightens, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. "I thought I'd never see her again." Later, the corridors are a maze of shadows and murmurs. You walk with your head down, the weight of stares pressing against your back. Turning a corner, you collide with someone—papers scatter, apologies die on your lips. The cologne hits you first: familiar, cloying, a ghost of nights you'd rather forget. You look up int…