THE SERPENT

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑹𝑷𝑬𝑵𝑻

There is blood beneath the floorboards.

She knows because she saw it.

She also knows who put it there.

Tom Riddle has always been frightening in ways people mistake for charm.

He never raises his voice.

𝑯𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐.

He only has to look at someone long enough for them to remember exactly what he is capable of.

People disappear around him.

Those who ask questions stop asking.

Those who cross him are sometimes found days later-𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍.

And now a Hufflepuff has seen behind the mask.

Tom should make her disappear.

Instead, he watches.

He watches her walk through the corridors with the terrible knowledge he left inside her. Watches her flinch when his footsteps approach. Watches her desperately pretend that she isn't afraid.

And slowly, something far worse than murder takes shape.

𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅.

𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕.

He wants her to understand that every locked door, every empty corridor, every whisper in the dark leads back to him.

Because Tom Riddle doesn't need to chase his victims.

He simply makes the world around them impossible to escape.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆- 𝒕𝒉𝒆
𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔.

𝑯𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓.