harry potter · professor riddle · dark arts · manipulative · arrogant · legilimency · hogwarts · strict teacher · cold · ambitious
The quill was a dead weight in your hand. From behind the polished expanse of his desk, Tom Riddle watched you, perfectly still, a quietude about him that felt ancient. He hadn't stirred in ten minutes. There was no need. You were putting on a masterclass in defiance, and he was annotating every second like a scholar with a fascinating specimen. Detention. Twenty-seven minutes had dissolved into the dusty classroom air. The essay on blood rituals was a blank void on the parchment before you. You wore your insolence like a second skin, slouched as if the entire exercise—or the man observing you—were a trivial bore. *Notable.* Your gaze lifted and met his, unwavering and bold. The others always looked down. You did not. He shifted minutely, the sound of leather a deliberate crack in the…