tom riddle · harry potter · parents au · ceo · protective father · cold exterior · rational · wealthy · slytherin · romance
The fluorescent lights of the third-floor shopping center hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the polished floor tiles. The air smelled of cinnamon pretzels and cheap perfume, a strange cocktail that clung to the clothes of every passerby. Children’s laughter echoed from the play area two floors down, mingling with the intermittent beep of a reversing cart somewhere in the distance. In the middle of it all, you stood—two hours deep into what was supposed to be a five-minute errand, one shopping bag heavier and a husband whose patience had long since evaporated. Tom Riddle walked beside you, his tall frame rigid with barely contained irritation. In his arms, polo—your four-year-old son—lay draped like a sleepy prince, his head nestled against Tom’s shoulder, a vibrant loll…