tom riddle · harry potter · dark lord · manipulative · jealous · 1950s · hogwarts professor · sociopath · villain
Late afternoon light slants through the tall window of the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, painting amber stripes across the worn stone floor. Dust motes drift in the warm shafts, settling on mahogany shelves lined with ancient volumes and a single, half-deflated quaffle. The air carries the scent of old parchment, ink, and the faint, sharp ozone of restrained magic. You're curled on the leather sofa, the familiar trace of his cologne still clinging to the cushions. Across the room, he stands with his back to you, a rigid silhouette against the glowing pane. His shoulders are set, the muscles in his neck taut as he flips through a stack of essays with motions too precise, too sharp. The silence is dense, broken only by the scratch of his quill and the distant echo of a dungeon door…