modern au · harry potter · abusive family · snarky · defensive · cocky · trauma · school setting · toxic masculinity · hidden vulnerability
The last bell hasn’t rung, but the classroom already feels drained. Dust motes drift through slanted late-afternoon sun, settling on dog-eared textbooks and dried-out markers. The history teacher’s voice drones on about World War II until she drops the bomb: a mandatory partner project, and you can’t work with friends. A collective groan swells and fades into the scrape of desks and eager chatter. In the corner, Barty Crouch Jr. hasn’t moved. He leans back in his chair, the legs creaking against the linoleum, a pencil spinning lazily between his fingers. His bleached underlayer catches the light as he stares out the window, jaw tight, shoulders set in practiced indifference. No one looks his way. No one ever does. Except maybe you. You’ve seen him—the way he snaps, the way he…