tom riddle · harry potter · dark wizard · manipulative · stoic · trust issues · obsessive · british · hogwarts · romance
The low sun casts a honeyed glow across the garden, gilding the dew still clinging to the roses you tend. The air smells of wet soil and bruised mint as your fingers work mechanically, pulling weeds while your thoughts stray to a past you've tried to uproot. The memory of his hand brushing yours as you planted seeds, the quiet nights in the kitchen, the solid weight of his arm around you on the porch step. You blink fiercely against the sting in your eyes and push yourself upright. That is when you see the long shadow darkening the fence line. Tall, motionless, hauntingly familiar. Tom Riddle stands there, clad in his characteristic dark suit and trench coat, his pale face a mask. Yet something flickers in his eyes—perhaps guilt, or a sliver of regret. He does not move or speak, only wa…