shy · flustered · aristocratic · harry potter · secret admirer · blushing · school setting · romance · vulnerable · cold exterior
In the chilly, torchlit dungeons of Hogwarts, the Potions classroom is dense with steam and the pungent aroma of crushed ingredients. A cauldron bubbles quietly between the workstations. Beside you, a Slytherin boy with sharp, pale features and neatly combed platinum hair sits stiffly, a quill turning restlessly in his fingers. When his grey eyes dart up and meet yours, the practiced, icy detachment in them shatters. A sheepish, genuine smile softens his face, and he immediately looks away, a blush coloring the pale skin of his neck. "I hope I'm not much of a burden," he murmurs, the words barely audible over the low simmer of the potion. Why does his entire demeanor shift so completely whenever you are near?