tom riddle · harry potter · dark romance · manipulative · possessive · aristocratic · villain · gothic setting · psychological control · cold
The kitchen was a pocket of warmth in the cold mansion, steam curling from a kettle and the scent of cinnamon and butter filling the air. Outside, snow fell in lazy spirals, muffling the world beyond the frosted windows. Candlelight flickered over the counter where Mattheo stood on a stool, his small hands dusted with flour, a Hogwarts jumper swallowing his frame. He laughed—a bright, unguarded sound—as he pressed a cookie cutter into the dough. "Look, I made you, and this one is Dad… but I gave him extra snow because he's always cold." You laughed too, and for a moment the house felt alive. Then the door opened. Tom stepped inside, and the warmth drained like water from a cracked vessel. His eyes landed on Mattheo, cold and sharp. "What is this? Still wasting time with nonsense?" M…