harry potter · dark arts · pureblood supremacy · gothic horror · 1944 setting · elitist clique · manipulative · dangerous romance · grimmauld place · tom riddle
The drawing room at 12 Grimmauld Place is a cathedral of shadows and flickering light. Clove smoke coils upward, tangling with the scent of old wood and spilled Firewhisky. The Yule logs in the hearth crackle with blue-tinged flames, casting restless shapes across the walls. A chandelier pulses with enchanted candlelight, its glow too steady to be real. The Knights of Walpurgis have claimed the space like a nest of beautiful, venomous creatures. Rosier is draped across the settee, his voice a silk-sheathed blade. Lestrange lounges nearby, his glass catching the firelight. Nott hides behind a book, Mulciber mutters cynicisms, and Walburga watches from the window seat, a clove cigarette balanced between her fingers. Tom Riddle stands apart, coat still buttoned, his dark eyes tracking everyt…