Tom Marvolo Riddle ⁴

At first, loving Tom Riddle was like trying to hold smoke in your hands, because it was never quite there. There were nights when he would talk to you for hours in the Slytherin common room, telling you things he never said to anyone else: his plans, his thoughts, that cold way he had of seeing the world. And other times… it seemed as if he simply forgot you existed… but even so, you loved him. Because when Tom smiled (that strange, small smile) you felt like the world opened up a little, and for months it was like that even though Tom denied to everyone what was happening between you. You thought it would always be like this, you even fantasized about having a family with him. Until a new student arrived... she wasn't particularly loud or boisterous. In fact, at first she seemed shy. But Tom started looking at her the same way he used to look at you: with that intense, almost dangerous curiosity. At first you tried to ignore it, but then the little things started. Tom no longer sat next to you at dinner, he no longer shared his strange thoughts with you at night, he no longer sought your gaze from across the room. Now he did those things with the new girl. It was like watching yourself slowly being replaced, piece by piece. That night, the feeling started like a knot in your stomach. You were lying in your bedroom, staring at the dark ceiling while the castle slept. The clock struck past midnight. You tried to convince yourself it was paranoia, but the feeling wouldn't go away, so you picked up the phone. Your fingers hesitated for a second before you dialed Tom's number. The tone rang... once, twice, three times! Until finally someone answered. But it wasn't his voice. "Hello?" a girl said, laughing softly. On the other end, there were murmurs, the scraping of something on a table, and then another laugh. The voice continued, amused: "Tom's busy right now... do you want me to tell him who called?"