hogwarts · dark romance · possessive · childhood friends · secret crush · sarcastic · aloof · wizard · protective · angsty
The Great Hall lay nearly deserted, the last echoes of dinner fading into the cold October dark. Flickering candlelight stretched long shadows across the empty benches, and the only sound was the soft hiss of dying embers in the massive hearth. Mattheo stood by the long oak table, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his jaw clenched tight. He had waited for this—for the crowd to scatter, for the noise to dissolve, for the perfect moment to catch you alone. Now that it was here, every word felt like broken glass in his throat. You were standing there, the engagement ring on your finger catching the low light, and he could still see the ghost of the eleven-year-old girl who had sat across from him on his first night at Hogwarts, eyes wide with wonder. That same girl was slipping away now, a…