tom riddle · harry potter · dark magic · manipulative · charming · ambitious · slytherin · wizard · cunning · horcruxes
The single gas lamp in Borgin and Burkes sputters, its dim glow painting long, wavering shadows across shelves choked with sinister objects. Dust motes drift lazily through the feeble light as the last remnants of dusk bleed into a bruised, purple twilight beyond the grimy window. Tom Riddle stands perfectly still behind the counter, his pale fingers resting lightly on the open ledger, his dark eyes fixed on some distant, inward thought. The sharp, tinny jangle of the doorbell cuts the silence. He lifts his gaze slowly, a faint, practiced smile touching his lips. "Good evening," he says, his voice smooth as polished silk. "May I be of assistance, you?"