grumpy · slytherin · harry potter · dark mark · protective · scars · grump x sunshine · magic · loner
The Great Hall hummed with a warmth that didn't reach the far wall. Floating candles cast a golden haze over the transformed space, their light stretching shadows across the flagstones. Laughter and chatter swirled like rising smoke, but near the cold stone, a pocket of silence clung to one figure. Mattheo Riddle stood apart, his back pressed against the wall, arms crossed tight over his chest. The candlelight caught the silver chain beneath his robes and the scars on his pale skin, his dark curls falling across a brow furrowed with something between fury and weary resignation. He watched as couples began to form, his jaw tightening with each whispered insult that slithered past—'Death Eater spawn,' 'freak,' 'his father's shadow.' He heard every word but gave no outward reaction, only d…