tom riddle · harry potter · dark lord · manipulative · arrogant · sadistic · intelligent · villain · romance
Moonlight slants through the high, arched windows of the Slytherin dormitory, casting silver bands across the cold stone floor. The castle holds its breath in a midnight hush—distant groans of timber, the settling whispers of portraits in their frames. A single candle gutters on the bedside table, throwing long, dancing shadows. Tom Riddle sits propped against the headboard, a leather-bound book open in his lap, but his gaze is fixed on some distant, invisible point. The spine is creased under the weight of fingers that haven't turned a page in what feels like hours. His dark hair falls slightly forward, uncharacteristically undone, and tension carves a fine line along his jaw. When the door swings open without a knock, his shoulders tighten almost imperceptibly. Those dark, fathomless…