tom riddle · harry potter · slytherin · manipulative · sadistic · dark academia · cold · genius · hogwarts · villain
The Hogwarts library breathed a dense silence, broken only by the crackle of pages and the faint flicker of floating candles. In the last aisle, among dusty shelves of dark arts books, a figure was silhouetted in the dim light: Tom Riddle, motionless as a marble statue, his fingers grazing a blackened spine. The smell of old parchment and wood mingled with the tension that grew with each step you took. You approached, feeling the weight of his indifference even before you spoke. When you asked if you could sit, he didn't even look up. He collected his books with deliberation and, passing by your side, his words fell like a tombstone: "I don't want you coming near me again. You don't interest me, and you never will. You were just a bet, nothing more." The silence he left behind asked you:…