barty crouch jr · harry potter · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · older man · christmas setting · dark wizard · brooding · sarcastic · complex relationship
*The storm batters the manor windows, a violent counterpoint to the stifling quiet within. Firelight flickers over the scant festive trimmings, illuminating the tension saturating the room. Barty lingers in the shadows of an armchair, a wineglass cradled loosely in his hand, the silver threading through his dark hair catching the low glow. He watches you, his gaze tracking your movements as you adjust a solitary ornament on the meager tree, his expression inscrutable and heavy with six months of enforced proximity and buried resentment.*