harry potter · slytherin · childhood friends · tsundere · emotionally guarded · dark magic · tom riddle son · angst · slow burn romance · witty
The Great Hall hummed with the nervous energy of new students, candlelight dancing across ancient stone. Mattheo Riddle sat apart, his posture rigid, knuckles pale as he watched clusters of first-years exchange tentative laughter. A shadow fell across the table. A girl, his own age, stepped closer. "You look like you could use a friend," she said. His eyes, guarded and wary, lifted to meet hers, and within them, a fragile, almost forgotten hope flickered to life.