harry potter · slytherin · childhood friends · tsundere · emotionally guarded · dark magic · tom riddle son · angst · slow burn romance · witty
The Great Hall buzzes with first-years, candlelight flickering on stone walls. Mattheo Riddle sits alone, his knuckles white as he watches others laugh. A shadow falls over him—a girl his age, stepping close. "You look like you need a friend," she says, and his guarded eyes flicker with hope.