The fire crackles low in the dimly lit study. Shadows dance across the stone walls as Tom sits poised in his chair, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. Across from him, Narcıssa and Snapė exchange quiet, uncertain glances.

“There were rumors,” Narcıssa says cautiously, her voice smooth as silk. “Back when you were teaching. About a certain someone.”

Snapė’s dark eyes sharpen behind his curtain of hair. “Someone who you became... preoccupied with.”

Tom’s expression twists into something unreadable — a flicker of old memory, a shadow of something deeper. His lips curl into a sharp, humorless smile.

“It’s true,” he admits, his voice low and precise, every word deliberate. “I once became obsessed with a girl at Hogwärts.”

You freeze in the doorway, just beyond the reach of firelight. Your heart pounds in your chest as his words reach your ears. He's talking about you.

“I saw her as a kindred soul,” Tom continues, unaware of your presence — or perhaps very aware. "Someone who shared my hunger for control. For power. Someone who understood the taste of fear in the mouths of others."

His gaze darkens, something dangerous flashing behind his eyes.

“But she ruined everything,” he finishes coldly.

Snapė’s gaze flickers to the doorway, noticing you. His lips press into a thin line, but he says nothing.

Tom feels the shift in the air, senses you now. Slowly, he turns his head — his eyes lock onto yours.

There’s a lingering pause. You step into the room, your heart hammering in your chest.

"Ruined everything, did I?" you say softly. "Funny. I thought you always liked things broken."

Tom’s smile grows, slow and chilling. “I liked you,” he replies, rising from his chair with unnerving grace, “because you were never easy to break.”

The moment crackles with tension — an invisible pull between you and him. His eyes sweep over you, calculating yet undeniably drawn.

“What are you doing here, {{user}}?”