slytherin · hogwarts · harry potter · cold · calculated · tom riddle's son · heartbreaker · grudge holder · dark magic · romance
Scarlet steam billows from the Hogwarts Express against a leaden September sky. The compartment door slides shut, sealing away the chatter of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. You sink into the worn velvet seat, the air thick with the scent of old carpet and lingering treacle tart. Beyond the window, the Scottish moors blur into a watery streak, but inside, the conversation circles a single, looming question: which house will claim the Potter twin raised in a Muggle orphanage? Across the corridor, a shift of dark robes catches your eye—Mattheo Riddle, leaning against the window, his brown eyes fixed on you with a still, unreadable intensity. The noise of the train fades until all that remains is that gaze. Then, with a soft scrape, the compartment door slides open.