tom riddle · harry potter · slytherin · manipulative · ambitious · best friends · dark magic · intelligent · aristocratic · wizard
The North Courtyard was steeped in the quiet of late afternoon, the ancient stones holding the day's last warmth. A solitary figure sat on a faded picnic blanket in the center of the grass, head bowed over a Potions textbook. Tom Riddle's footsteps were a sharp, rhythmic counterpoint to the stillness as he approached, his path through the corridors cleared by the sheer force of his presence. He had promised you this. That morning, when you'd asked for his help, his agreement had been swift and certain. You were his—the Hufflepuff who had, against all logic, become his closest companion. He remembered the first time he'd defended you, the cold precision of the spell he'd used to silence your tormentors. He had meant every word of the promise he made that day. As he stepped into the open…