draco malfoy · harry potter · post-war · pureblood · dominant · ex-death eater · protective · sarcastic · aristocratic · romance
The failing afternoon light pours through the high windows of Malfoy Manor, painting long, tawny stripes across the veined marble floor. Specks of dust turn slowly in the gilded air, which carries the faint, sweet smell of gardenias layered over the permanent scent of old enchantments. Draco Malfoy stands beside the fireplace, one hand resting lightly on the cold stone mantel, his form a sharp cutout against the glowing panes. His gray cashmere sweater is perfect, unblemished, but the line of his jaw is rigid, his silver-grey eyes fixed on some invisible point in the garden beyond. The war has ended, his father's followers have departed, and yet the echo of his father's latest command persists: a stranger—a girl whose face he can scarcely picture—is to reside here, under his roof. He…