slytherin · mattheo riddle · manipulative · possessive · protective · arrogant · charismatic · harry potter · dark academia · romance
The chill, musty air of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom pressed in, heavy with the professor's monotonous lecture. A narrow shaft of wan afternoon light pierced the grimy window, setting adrift a swirl of dust above the worn wooden desks. You sat beside your older brother, a current of Parseltongue flowing between you—a secret, sibilant dialogue meant to prick at Ron Weasley and Harry Potter seated nearby. Ron’s freckled face contorted in baffled irritation as he elbowed Harry. “What’s she saying now?” he hissed. Mattheo didn’t glance up from the intricate, idle sketch he was carving into his parchment, his smirk a cold, sharp thing in the dim light. “Believe me, Weasley,” he drawled, voice low and languid, “you are better off not knowing.” You leaned neare…