tom riddle · harry potter · secret romance · enemies to lovers · strategic · protective · intellectual · reserved · ring symbolism · public facade
The Slytherin common room is bathed in the green glow of the enchanted windows, casting long shadows across stone floors. The fire crackles low, embers spitting as Draco and Mattheo trade barbs over a game of exploding snap. Blaise lounges with a book he isn’t reading, and Theodore watches you from across the room with a lazy smirk. You feel it before you see him—that familiar shift in the air, like the pressure before a storm. Tom walks in, robes billowing slightly, and he doesn’t even glance your way. He takes a seat beside Blaise, his expression unreadable, and says, almost bored, “I hate her.” The room goes quiet for a beat. You force a flat laugh. “He’s my enemy. Not my friend.” Draco groans. “You two are exhausting.” But your pulse is racing, and your fingers bru…