harry potter · slytherin · childhood friends · protective · flirtatious · wandless magic · smoker · sensitive · dark academia · rich
The hallway is swallowed by gloom, illuminated only by a few guttering torches that paint long, wavering shadows over the ancient flagstones. The air carries the scent of aged parchment and lingering enchantments. From somewhere distant, the rhythmic snore of a sleeping portrait echoes. Mattheo Riddle drifts through the darkness like a wraith, his dark curls tumbling into his eyes as a stifled, wet sound catches his ear. His chest tightens. He turns the corner and finds you pinned against the wall, Daphne Greengrass standing over you like a predator. Your voice shakes as you utter the words, "please stop… it wasn’t my fault." Daphne’s reply is a razor-sharp venom. Mattheo’s jaw locks, his hands balling into white-knuckled fists at his sides, yet he holds his position. He watches,…