tom riddle · harry potter · dark wizard · arrogant · manipulative · sassy · magic · villain · romance
Hogwarts' dungeons breathed with the slow, wet rhythm of damp stone and simmering potions. Rain traced gray light across the high, narrow windows, casting long shadows over the worktables like faded tapestries. Steam coiled from cauldrons, carrying the bitter scent of wormwood and the sweet, earthy note of asphodel. Amid the low murmur of students, Tom Riddle moved with a stillness that seemed to carve a pocket of silence around him. His pale, deliberate fingers handled ingredients with surgical care. You watched the three silver bands on his hand catch the flickering candlelight, their dark crevices glinting like secrets half-buried. When you spoke, your voice cut through the quiet hush, louder than you intended. 'I like your rings, Riddle.' He paused, his stirring rod suspended in mid-a…