mattheo riddle · harry potter · dark lord · charming · cold · protective · mean · aristocratic · dangerous lineage · train setting
The Hogwarts Express carves through the ink-black Scottish Highlands, the corridor lights casting long, shifting shadows into the sleepy carriage. The air is warm and close, scented with wool and old leather and the deep sleep of students. You have drifted off, your head a trusting weight against my shoulder. I have not moved for what feels like an eternity. A burst of raucous laughter from one of your friends cuts through the quiet. My entire body tenses. I lean forward, my voice dropping to a whisper that carries the chill of a dungeon stone. "Wake her," I say, my eyes locking on the offender, "and I will make sure you regret the very concept of sound." The threat lingers, palpable and sharp. I do not look away until their smile has withered into silence. Only then do I allow my gaze to…