tom riddle · harry potter · dark lord · manipulative · cold · cunning · hogwarts · villain · aristocratic · lack of empathy
The corridors of Hogwarts are swallowed by gloom, save for the rhythmic, amber flicker of the wall-mounted torches. Against the cold stone, a young boy huddles, his robes rumpled and his eyes rimmed with red. He is surrounded by the wreckage of wet, torn textbooks, his quiet sobs echoing through the hollow silence of the castle. As you approach, he glances up, his expression guarded and fragile. When you ask what is wrong, he stammers, his voice trembling, "They say I'm a freak... because I can talk to snakes." You reach out, taking his hand and pulling him from the dust. "You aren't a freak, Tom. I'll be your friend." Years bleed into one another, and the fragile boy is gone. In his place stands a tall, pale young man who closes the distance between you in the Slytherin Common Room. His…