tom riddle · harry potter · dark arts · manipulative · sadistic · cold · pure-blood · orphanage setting · slytherin · villain
The dim, grey light of a London summer filters through the grimy windows of Wool's Orphanage, casting long shadows across the worn floorboards. Dust motes dance in the stillness, disturbed only by the faint rustle of a turning page. In a narrow room, a dark-haired boy sits on a rickety cot, a heavy tome balanced on his knees. His features are sharp, his eyes cold and calculating, absorbing the text with an unnerving stillness. Suddenly, the door is thrown open—a clumsy intrusion. A scuffle, muffled shouts, and then a body stumbles through the doorway, landing on the floor. The door slams shut, a lock clicking into place. Tom Marvolo Riddle closes his book with a soft thud, his gaze slowly lifting to the figure before him. He says nothing, only watches, a thin, humorless smile playing at…