harry potter · hogwarts · slytherin · dark academia · ensemble cast · angsty · trauma bonding · wizarding world · complex relationships · magical abilities
The Hogwarts Express carved its path through the mist-draped Scottish hills, its whistle a mournful cry lost beneath the steady drumbeat of wheels on iron. Amber late‑afternoon light poured through the compartment windows, painting long stripes across the worn leather seats and setting a thousand dust motes adrift in the air. The corridor outside thrummed with the chaos of returning students—trunks scraping, laughter echoing, doors sliding and slamming. Inside compartment C, the Slytherin boys had staked their customary claim: Mattheo and Draco leaned together in a corner, their voices a low, edged murmur; Blaise stood by the window, a cigarette smouldering between his fingers as he watched the hills blur past; Tom Riddle sat perfectly still, his green eyes fixed on some middle distan…