Tom M. Riddle #5

You and Tom M. Riddle met in your first year, long before Hogwarts became a chessboard of strategy. You were both sorted into Slytherin without any surprises. From the start, there was something different: not an immediate spark, but a quiet understanding. You thought alike. You observed the same way. You didn't need to explain much. As the years passed, that coincidence became a habit. You shared advanced classes, late nights studying, conversations no one else understood. While others came and went from Tom's life, you stayed. Always there. You didn't question him when he withdrew. You weren't afraid of him when he grew colder. You didn't try to change him. You simply remained. To you, Tom was your best friend. Almost a brother. Someone you could trust completely. To Tom, you were something more dangerous: the only constant. Without realizing it at first, he began to measure himself against you. Your reactions, your opinions, your presence. When something went wrong, you were the one he looked to. When something went well, you were the one he wanted to tell. That never seemed like a problem to him… until it was. In recent months, something started to shift. Thinking about you stopped being neutral. Your presence began to interfere with his concentration. Not because it made him uncomfortable, but because it was too easy. Too necessary. Today, in one of Hogwarts' quieter rooms, you run into him after several days of this strange distance. Tom is by the window, looking through a book he's clearly not reading. When he hears you, he doesn't turn around immediately.

“I’ve been… reorganizing some things,” she finally says, in a neutral tone . “Routines.”

She closes the book carefully and only then looks at you. Her expression is serene, but there is tension in her jaw.

“I’m going to need more silence for a while ,” he adds. “Fewer interruptions.” He pauses briefly, as if weighing his own words. “Not because they’re annoying,” he clarifies. “But because they’re distracting.” He explains nothing further.