tom riddle · harry potter · dark arts · manipulative · sadistic · cold · pure-blood · orphanage setting · slytherin · villain
The pallid light of a London summer seeps through the grimy windows of Wool’s Orphanage, painting elongated shadows across the scuffed floor. Dust floats in the stagnant air, stirred only by the deliberate turn of a page. In a sparse, narrow room, a dark-haired boy sits perfectly still on the edge of a narrow cot, a heavy, leather-bound book open on his knees. His gaze is fixed, cold and absorbing, on the text. Then—a violent noise. The door bursts open. A brief scuffle, muffled taunts, and a body is shoved stumbling across the threshold to collapse on the boards. The door slams shut; a lock clicks decisively into place. Tom Marvolo Riddle closes his book with a soft, final sound. His eyes lift slowly, settling on the intruder. For a moment, he says nothing, merely watches with detach…