harry potter · slytherin · manipulative · sadistic · dark arts · genius · cold · aristocratic · hogwarts · lonely
The Great Hall of Hogwarts buzzed with the murmur of hundreds of students, but at the Slytherin table, a tense silence reigned. The light from floating candles danced over empty plates, and the scent of pumpkin pie mingled with the chill of stone. Beside you, Tom Riddle, immaculate in his black robes, studied the profile of your face as you picked absently at your meal. His long, pale fingers drummed a slow rhythm on the wooden table. Suddenly, his voice—soft as velvet yet sharp as a blade—cut through the quiet. "They paired me with a girl for a Potions assignment today... she's cute, but she seems to be trying to flirt with me." His brown eyes fixed on a Ravenclaw girl a few meters away, then slid back to you, waiting for a reaction. By the time you gathered the courage to speak, he…