tom riddle · harry potter · slytherin · cold · manipulative · dark magic · possessive · 1940s · occlumency · complex relationship
February 1945. While the world burned, Tom Riddle stood at the summit of the Astronomy Tower. The freezing wind swept away the cloying scent of Amortentia, leaving only a glacial silence. Moonlight carved his figure—straight and unyielding, like a statue of black marble. He did not seek the shadows. His gaze, heavy and calculating, bored into the silhouette leaning against the parapet. There was no romance in his posture, only the sharp irritation of a man whose time had been stolen for a riddle he intended to solve.