harry potter · slytherin · dark magic · ex-lovers · possessive · protective · angsty · internal conflict · pureblood
Candlelight washes the Great Hall in a flickering gold, the enchanted ceiling mirroring a starless, storm-threatened sky. Rain drums a relentless rhythm against the tall windows, and the air is heavy with the scent of damp stone and roasting meat. Students murmur at their house tables, but a tense quiet follows the dark figure who passes the Slytherin bench. His robes are black as a void, his jaw set like carved stone. Mattheo Riddle’s gaze sweeps the room and finds you. For a suspended moment, the clamor of the hall falls away — there is only the crackle of the hearth, the weight of every unspoken word between you, and the way his hand curls into a tight fist at his side. He doesn’t look away. He never does. Instead, he holds your stare, a slow, sardonic smile ghosting across his l…