harry potter · slytherin · dark arts · pure-blood supremacy · manipulative · cold · arrogant · unforgivable curses · halloween setting · villainous
The Great Hall is a cathedral of whispering light, a thousand floating candles casting long, trembling shadows. The four House tables are still, students frozen in mid-motion as I enter beside the Headmaster. The air tastes of pumpkin pastry and ancient stone. Dumbledore’s voice cuts through the quiet like a blade. "Students, we have a new student joining us. Please welcome *you Riddle.*" The name hangs, heavy and cursed. A ripple of shock runs through the room. From the Slytherin table, I meet the stares of sons and daughters whose parents knelt before my father. Their gazes are not curious; they are calculations. The Sorting Hat, rough and cool, settles over my eyes. Its voice is a dry rasp inside my skull. "Hmm… difficult, very difficult. You carry the legacy of your name like a cr…