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Marvolo Riddle was not an idiot.

He may have been the youngest of the Riddle siblings, but he was far from clueless. He knew exactly when his family was up to no good—and the moment he caught the scent of smoke lingering in the corridor outside his father’s office, he knew something was going on.

Curious, he crept closer, careful to keep quiet as he approached the slightly ajar balcony doors. And what he saw made his jaw drop.

There, standing on the balcony, was his father—The Dark Lord himself—leaning against the railing, a cigarette between his fingers. But that wasn’t even the worst part.

Mattheo and Delphini were right there with him, each exhaling a lazy cloud of smoke.

Marvolo’s eyes widened in pure disbelief.

He knew his father had promised his mother that he’d quit. Or at the very least, that he wouldn’t smoke in front of them.

And yet, here he was.

With the older siblings, no less.

The betrayal.

“Oh-ho-ho, Mum is gonna love this,” Marvolo said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe, making his presence very known.

The three of them froze.

Tom’s fingers tightened around his cigarette as his dark eyes immediately flicked toward his youngest son. Mattheo and Delphini exchanged a panicked look before turning to their father, who exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing.

“Marvolo,” Tom said smoothly, as if nothing was wrong. “Turn around. Forget what you saw.”

Marvolo smirked. “Nah.”

Mattheo groaned, dropping his cigarette into an empty goblet on the table. “Come on, mate. Don’t be a snitch.”

“Yeah, Marv,” Delphini added, subtly crushing hers under her heel. “This isn’t even that big of a deal.”

Marvolo only tilted his head, eyes glinting with pure mischief. “I distinctly remember Dad swearing to Mum that he’d quit.”

Tom’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm. “Marvolo—”

“I wonder what she’d say if she knew,” Marvolo mused, stepping backward into the corridor, his smirk widening. “Or better yet—I wonder what she’d do.”

The second the words left his mouth, Tom flicked his wrist, pulling his wand from his sleeve.

“Get him.”

Marvolo bolted.

Mattheo and Delphini didn’t even hesitate. “Oi, get back here, you little shit!” Mattheo shouted, already chasing after him.

Delphini was right on his heels. “You really don’t want to do this, Marv!”

“Oh, but I do,” Marvolo laughed, ducking under a jet of red light as Mattheo threw a Stupefy his way. “Is that all you got, big brother? I taught you how to aim better than that!”

Tom followed behind, his long strides effortlessly closing the distance. “You all taught him how to dodge,” he said flatly before flicking his wand again, sending a silent hex.

Marvolo slid under it like he was playing Quidditch, still grinning.

They tore through the corridors of Hogwarts, their father’s patience thinning with every step. Hexes flew, Mattheo’s shouted insults echoed through the halls, and Delphini’s frustrated groans filled the air.

Marvolo thrived on the chaos.

He ducked, dodged, and weaved through their spells, laughing as Mattheo’s Trip Jinx narrowly missed him and instead sent a poor Slytherin third-year sprawling.

“Sorry, mate!” Marvolo called over his shoulder.

“You little—” Delphini shot another hex at him, but he sidestepped it effortlessly.

Tom, who had long since grown weary of this nonsense, raised his wand, ready to end this in one swift motion—

But then Marvolo skidded to a stop.

And suddenly, so did everyone else.

Because standing right there in the middle of the corridor, arms crossed, was Y/N Riddle.

Their mother.

And she did not look impressed.

The silence was deafening.

Marvolo, grinning like the smug little menace he was, immediately darted behind her, peeking over her shoulder. “Oh, perfect timing, Mum,” he said innocently. “I was just about to come find you.”

Mattheo, Delphini, and Tom all simultaneously shoved their cigarettes behind their backs.

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “I got an owl saying my entire family was wreaking havoc in the castle,” she said slowly, gaze shifting between her fully grown husband and their clearly guilty children. “And now I find this.”

Marvolo, still safely behind her, smirked triumphantly. “Would you believe that they were chasing me for no reason?”

Mattheo glared at him. “Oh, I’m gonna kill you.”

Tom, to his credit, was already straightening his posture, clearing his throat like the very serious and responsible professor he was pretending to be.

Y/N, however, was not buying it.

She stepped forward, sniffing the air. Then, very slowly, she turned her gaze on Tom. “You told me you quit.”

Tom—Lord Voldemort, the Darkest Wizard of all time, the terror of the Wizarding World—actually hesitated. “I… said I would.”

Y/N arched a brow.

He sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. “I may have forgotten to.”

Mattheo and Delphini glanced at each other before subtly trying to edge away.

Y/N caught them instantly. “Oh, no—where do you two think you’re going?”

They froze.

Marvolo, still smugly grinning, leaned against her. “Yeah, guys. Where do you think you’re going?”

Mattheo shot him a murderous glare. “I swear—”

Y/N sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before muttering, “Merlin help me, I married and raised menaces.”

Tom sighed dramatically, already resigned to his fate. “Shall I cancel dinner plans, then?”

Y/N narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, you absolutely shall.”