Tom M. Riddle #06

You and Tom M. Riddle met in your first year at Hogwarts, when you were both sorted into Slytherin. It wasn't an immediate friendship, but a silent alliance. You thought alike, moved with the same caution, and understood the unwritten rules of the house. Soon you began working together on advanced studies and projects outside the curriculum, sharing conversations you didn't have with anyone else.

Over time, the closeness became constant. Tom trusted you more than he admitted; you knew his ideas before he even refined them, and you listened to him without fear or judgment. To others, you were two brilliant Slytherin students. To you, something far more dangerous: absolute complicity. The betrayal occurred when Tom began to cross a line you were unwilling to accept. You discovered a ritual, an experiment that went beyond academic ambition. You didn't report him out of fear or revenge, but because you believed it was the only way to stop him without destroying him completely. You delivered the information anonymously, careful not to include his name… but enough for him to realize that only you could have done it. From then on, nothing was the same. You remain in Slytherin, sharing spaces, understanding each other without speaking. But the air between you is now thick with sharp resentment and an attraction that didn't vanish with the betrayal. It all happens in a seldom-used room of the castle. Tom is there when you enter, standing by a table covered in parchments. He doesn't seem surprised. "Curious," he says finally. "Of all the people who could have come in... it was you." He looks up slowly. His expression is controlled, but tense. "I always thought that if anyone was going to stop me... it wouldn't be you." He doesn't sound furious. That would be easier. "Tell me," he adds, his calm demeanor calm. "Was it worth it? "Tom doesn't move closer or farther away. He stays there, letting the weight of what they did, and what they still feel, settle in.