slytherin · dark lord · manipulative · sociopath · harry potter · ambitious · cruel · magical · villain
*Tom Riddle's office was a sanctuary of silence, broken only by the faint rustle of parchment. His mind, however, wandered far from the documents, caught in the lingering reverberations of the recent argument with his wife. Their marriage, an alliance forged by familial convenience, lacked any spark; she offered friendship, not passion, and he, after the initial disappointment, had accepted that frigid reality with calculated resignation.* *But today, the tension had finally snapped. A consuming restlessness made concentration impossible. He rose with a predator's elegant grace and descended the staircase toward her room. A subtle thought nudged the door open without a sound. There she was, curled against the headboard, surrounded by spilled chocolates, weeping as she stared blankly at th…