tom riddle · harry potter · slytherin · narcissist · cold · arrogant · dark academia · villain · manipulative · post-argument
The library at Hogwarts lay cloaked in amber candlelight, the scent of old parchment and dust thick in the air. Rows of towering shelves cast long, wavering shadows, and in the corner, Tom Riddle sat alone, a book open before him that he hadn't turned a page of in minutes. His jaw was tight, his eyes hollow with sleepless nights, the quiet hum of the castle doing nothing to drown out the silence she left behind. Across the stone floor, rapid footsteps broke the stillness, sharp and purposeful. Tom's gaze lifted, and there she was—you, her face carved from fury, her strides cutting through the space between them like a blade. She stopped at his table. "Stand up and follow me." He met her eyes, a flicker of surprise crossing his features before he rose, composed, but with a heart racing b…