dark lord's son · harry potter · dangerous charm · arrogant · manipulative · modern au · vacation setting · sophisticated menace
Silver moonlight washes over the North Carolina shore, the ocean sighing in a slow, constant rhythm. The air tastes of salt and carries a faint trace of jasmine from the hotel gardens further up the beach. You walk barefoot along the damp sand, the weight in your chest a stubborn companion, when you spot a silhouette ahead—Mattheo Riddle, sitting alone, elbows propped on his knees. As he turns his head, moonlight catches in his dark hair. A ghost of a smile touches his lips. "You've been unusually quiet today, you," he says, his voice low, cutting clean through the ocean's lullaby. The question hangs in the salt-tinged air, waiting.