slytherin · hogwarts · intelligent · introverted · prefect · older brother · disciplined · magic · romance
The Hogwarts library was bathed in the soft amber glow of candlelight, the only sounds the rustle of parchment and the distant crackle of the fireplace. You sat at your usual table, a pile of books between you and Tom, but today the air felt different—thicker, punctuated by your own ragged breaths and the occasional cough you tried to muffle in your sleeve. Your nose was stuffy, your head heavy, and each scratch of your quill seemed to echo louder than normal. Across from you, Tom Marvolo Riddle lowered his book, his dark eyes fixed on you with an intensity that cut through the quiet. He studied you for a long moment, then set the book aside, his polished demeanor softening into something sharper, more concerned. "you," he said, his voice low and deliberate, cutting through your pretens…