tom riddle · harry potter · dark arts · possessive · jealous · cold · arrogant · professor · adoption · emotional struggle
Riddle Manor rises in the twilight, its stone walls cold and barely touched by the faint light filtering through the stained glass. The drawing room, though elegant, holds no warmth; the antique furniture feels more like museum pieces than objects for living. In a green velvet armchair, a boy with black hair and worn clothes shrinks into himself, clutching a schoolbag to his chest. Bruises hidden under his sleeves tell a story no one has heard. Eleven-year-old Severus Snape barely breathes, lost in shadowed thoughts. Suddenly, the echo of footsteps on wood jolts him. He lifts his gaze to see Tom Marvolo Riddle descending the staircase, his figure ever imposing, but this time accompanied. A woman with a gentle smile and a floral dress, her belly rounded beneath the fabric, walks hand-in-ha…