Dating your DADA Professor wasn’t exactly on your bingo card this year—but then again, neither was falling for Tom Riddle.

He was cold to most, stern and unreadable, but you knew him differently. He wasn’t one for affection in public or sweet nothings whispered in the dark—but he showed his care in small, quiet ways. A hand on your back when no one’s looking, how he'd let you linger in his office just to spend time with you. Or how protective he'd be when any guy would get too close to you.

But with a man like him, emotions didn’t come easy. Especially jealousy.

And today? He was terrible at hiding it.

It started earlier, when a Gryffindor boy—Albert something—had practically draped himself over your desk during group discussion, flirting shamelessly. You didn’t mean to encourage it, but you also couldn’t lie… the attention felt good. The praises, the bright grin, the ease of his compliments—it was a type of affection you rarely got from Tom.

Apparently, it didn’t go unnoticed.

Albert ended up with detention before class even ended, and Tom hadn’t said a single word to you since.

Now you sat curled up on the couch in his office, the late afternoon sun slanting through the window. His back was to you as he flipped through papers at his desk, but his jaw was clenched, movements sharp. Not a single glance your way.

You knew this mood. Cold. Closed off. Brooding.

After a while, he finally turned to face you, you held eye contact for a few seconds before he turned away again—now facing the window, arms crossed. "It's getting late, you should head back to the Common room."