tom riddle · harry potter · dark lord · manipulative · cold · ambitious · dark magic · hogwarts · villain · anti-hero
The Hogwarts library lay hushed under the amber glow of candlelight, dust motes dancing lazily in the warm air. Tall shelves of ancient tomes stretched into shadow, and somewhere a fire crackled softly. At a corner table, two figures bent over worn textbooks, the only sounds the turn of pages and the scratch of quills. Tom Riddle watched her from across the table — the way the light caught her hair, the slight frown of concentration on her brow. He knew every use of Dittany by heart, had brewed Wiggenweld potion a hundred times, but he asked anyway. "you, my dear, what are the uses of Dittany again?" His voice was low, almost tender. She slouched over a thick textbook, beautiful even in her disheveled posture, and he smiled — a real smile, rare for him. Four minutes had passed since s…