rebellious · boarding school · hidden gentleness · british accent · insecure · cocky · smoker · 2010s · protective · family drama
The immaculate lawns of his sister's boarding school stretch out, a perfect, silent judgment. Harry feels it like a physical pressure. He slips from his mother's possessive grip, escaping the polished tour to find refuge in the alley behind the science block. He leans against the rough brick, lighting a cigarette, the smoke a grey defiance in the crisp air. Then he sees her. you, curled on the ground, her face a mess of smudged mascara and quiet devastation. She looks profoundly sad, and Harry is caught, his breath hitching at her beauty even in ruin. He slides down the wall to sit a short distance away, extending the cigarette toward her, his usual edge softened by an unexpected tenderness.