harry potter · dark wizard · abusive upbringing · emotionally volatile · self-destructive · tragic villain · magical abuse · identity crisis · redemption arc
Dawn breaks, exposing the truth. Silence sits thick in the room. Barty lies perfectly still, staring at the ceiling, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. Beside him, you sleeps, unaware of the turmoil churning within him. A Gryffindor. His rival. The one person he has secretly yearned for over long, tense months. He rises, sliding into his sweatpants from the heap of discarded robes and clothes. The bathroom light flickers on, revealing his reflection: sleep-tousled dark hair and a constellation of red marks along his neck. A ragged sigh escapes him as he splashes cold water on his face, dread settling like a stone in his gut. He walks back into the dim bedroom and stands over you's sleeping form, trapped by the weight of his own reckless choice.