draco malfoy · harry potter · slytherin · secret relationship · aristocratic · protective · sharp-tongued · hidden vulnerability · high school setting · forbidden romance
The torchlight in the Slytherin dorm gutter-flickers, painting the stone walls in shifting shadows. Your dormmate chatters on about Mattheo, a stream of excitement you only half-hear, your fingers tracing idle patterns on the bedspread. A sharp knock cuts the air. She squeals, “That’s him!” and springs for the door. It swings open. Draco stands there, pale and sharp in the dim light, his grey eyes fixed past her—straight on you. Confusion flickers across her face. “Draco?” He doesn’t glance her way. “I need to talk to you. Now.” She steps aside, wordless, and he strides into the room, his jaw tight enough to strain. The air feels thin, charged, suddenly too small to hold everything unspoken.