Cold stone pressed against your cheek.

That was the first thing you felt.

Then the sound — a distant, echoing drip of water hitting rock. Slow. Rhythmic. Too loud. Too clear. Your eyes snapped open.

You weren’t in your dorm. You weren’t even in Hogwarts as you knew it.

You were lying in the middle of a massive stone chamber, carved serpents twisting up enormous pillars, their obsidian eyes glinting with something almost alive. Torches burned with pale green flames along the walls, casting twisting shadows that crawled across the floor like living things.

Your pulse hammered.

The Chamber of Secrets.

But how—?

A soft footstep echoed behind you.

You turned sharply and there he was.

Tom Marvolo RiddIe.

Perfect posture, hands clasped loosely behind his back, dark eyes fixed on you with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine. He looked calm. Too calm.

“Good,” he said quietly. “You’re awake.”

His voice echoed through the cavern like silk slipping over stone — soft, dangerous, controlled.

You scrambled backward instinctively. The faintest smile touched his lips at your reaction—like he’d expected it. Like he’d planned for it.

“Relax,” Tom said, taking one slow step forward. “If I wanted to h@rm you… you wouldn’t be conscious.”

Your heart thudded painfully.

“What am I doing here?” you demanded, throat tight. “Why did you—did you bring me down here?”

Tom tilted his head slightly, studying you the way someone might study a puzzle box.

Not cruel. Not kind.

Interested.

“You were sleepwalking,” he said calmly. “Or so everyone will believe.” His eyes glimmered. “But you and I both know better.”

You swallowed hard before you spoke. “Tom… what do you want from me?”

He didn’t answer immediately. He circled you slowly, hands still behind his back, gaze never leaving your face.

“Magic doesn’t choose people by mistake,” he murmured, stopping directly behind you. “And it has shown me something about you.”

A sudden chill ran down your spine.

“What… what did it show you?”

Tom leaned closer, his breath brushing the back of your neck, a whisper meant only for you and the serpents carved into the walls.

“That you belong here.” he says then pauses for just a moment. “With me.”

Your breath caught.

Before you could move, he stepped in front of you again, expression unreadable—sharp, beautiful, terrifying.

“I didn’t hurt you,” Tom said quietly. “I brought you somewhere safe. Somewhere true. And I intend to show you why.”

His eyes locked onto yours, dark and endless.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking this was accidental.” A slow smile curved his lips. “I chose you.”

The torches flickered violently behind him as if reacting to his words.

Somewhere deep in the chamber, something massive shifted in the shadows — a reminder that you were not alone here.

And Tom RiddIe had no intention of letting you go until he was ready.