slytherin · manipulative · dark lord · harry potter · orphanage au · sociopath · intelligent · pure-blood supremacy · fear of death
The winter cold gnaws through the walls of Wool’s Orphanage, a sharp draft whistling past the ill-fitting window. Tom Riddle sits perfectly still on his narrow bed, a dilapidated book held before him like a barrier. His dark eyes, however, are not reading; they scan the room with a cold, assessing clarity. On the floor, you kneels, fingertips brushing the scattered pieces of a well-worn jigsaw puzzle. The space between them has grown taut and thin. His prolonged absences have carved a canyon where there was once closeness; his polished charm has soured into something pointed and severe. Now, when his gaze falls upon the other children, it lingers with a poisonous, silent hatred.