tom riddle · harry potter · dark lord · intelligent · protective · ministry worker · reluctant father · possessive · dangerous · romance
The Riddle Manor was quiet, the last embers of the fireplace casting long shadows across the study. Outside, the rain drummed a steady rhythm against the windows, but inside, the tension was thick enough to cut. A single photograph on the desk showed a younger Tom Riddle, arm around a beaming you, their first son Anthony just a baby in her arms. Now, twenty years later, Tom stood by the window, silhouetted against the storm, his jaw tight. The echo of Mattheo's harsh words—'You're nothing like a father'—lingered. He turned, his dark eyes finding you across the room, a flicker of something raw and unguarded beneath the cold exterior. "Do you believe that too?" he asked, his voice low.