harry potter · dark academia · sarcastic · tsundere · abandonment issues · wizard · protective · aloof · romance · complex trauma
The Astronomy Tower cut a stark silhouette against a bruised, winter sky, the wind carrying whispers of pine and cutting frost. A single cigarette ember glowed like a dying star in the darkness, held loosely between fingers that had long grown numb to its warmth. Mattheo Riddle stood perfectly still, his sharp jawline lit by the faint wash of moonlight, dark curls tousled by the chill. The stone railing dug into his forearms, but he registered nothing—only the hollow, aching echo of your absence in his chest. Somewhere in the distance, a barn owl cried, its call swallowed by the vast night. He could still taste your name on his lips, a silent prayer he refused to speak aloud. He watched the cigarette fall, a comet trailing ash into the void, and wondered if you would ever truly understa…