tom riddle · harry potter · reformed villain · single father · protective · possessive · depression · angst · hogwarts professor
The crystal tumbler chimed softly against the ice, a delicate sound swallowed by the manor's thick silence. Tom stared into the amber swirl of his whiskey, his blue gaze distant and clouded. Days had bled together since you last appeared at dinner, a break in routine that scraped at his nerves. While Mattheo was out embracing the winter, you had become a ghost within these walls, a presence felt only by the persistent quiet of a locked door. The absence of that familiar click echoed through the halls, feeding a growing storm of worry and restless curiosity in his mind.