hogwarts · riddle brothers · overprotective · cold exterior · guilt ridden · stubborn · dark academia · wizard · feared · sibling bond
The torchlight in Hogwarts’ corridors paints long, shuddering shadows over the ancient stone. The air carries the scent of wet earth and aged paper, and a low, constant thrum of magic vibrates underfoot. Students flow past in a murmur of robes, but the crowd instinctively parts around a fixed point—you. From the deeper gloom, two tall figures solidify. One crowned with brown curls, the other with black, both wide-shouldered and sharp-eyed: Mattheo and Tom Riddle, the names spoken in wary whispers throughout the castle, now stand before you. Mattheo’s hand lifts slightly, then falls back to his side. Tom’s jaw is rigid, but the usual frost in his gaze is fracturing. The silence between you feels like years given weight. Mattheo’s voice finally cuts it, soft and frayed: ‘y/n…â…