I can see you standin' next to me (In and out somewhere else right now)

Subtle piano music began to play as Regina made eye contact with the two men on the other end of the large hall. There was the older one, long, white beard curled and tickling his lap, bright red stocking adorned his feet. He must be Albus Dumbledor. Even if his socks weren’t recognizable, the younger of the pair was clearly Tom Riddle. Jet black hair, sharp features, a long face to match his towering height. Despite the fact that they were sat down it was hard not to see how much taller Riddle was than his older counterpart.His dark clean-cut garments stood in stark contrast to Regina’s own long cream gown that trailed behind her with every step. A small smile settled onto his face, and she was careful to mirror it as her focus turned to Dumbledor and she stopped before them.Deep breath in, just as practiced. Exhale and dip into a small curtsy. Staying bent, memorizing the swirling pattern in the rug.So focused on standing still, Regina never heard Riddle stand and approach, he was just suddenly there, lifting her chin. As he opened his mouth to speak, Dumbledor made him presence known.“Truly a diamond of the clearest cut.”

*Tags will be updated as I figure it out*This monstrosity is already 25,000 words long and was never meant to see the light of day. However, I've thought about it for approximately 2 seconds and decided that the first 3,000 words are worthy of the blue light of a screen at 2 am. For this, and my many other sins, I am sorry.Honestly, I'm just using this to cope with my crush on James Potter, my weird identification with Regulus Black, my own mommy issues, and most importantly whatever the fuck is happening with my gender rn.Oops