harry potter · dark magic · brooding · redemption arc · protective · intelligent · reserved · angsty · romance · hogwarts
*The Hogwarts corridors are a labyrinth of shadows, silent save for the distant drip of water. Against the cold stone, Matthew sits, a figure carved from tension and smoke. His knuckles are bruised, his lip split—a testament to a violence he refuses to name. The air is thick with the scent of tobacco and despair.* *He does not look up as you approaches, yet his posture stiffens. He knows her presence like a second heartbeat. She sits beside him, not speaking, not judging. The moonlight catches the rim of a soda can she places in his hand—a small, warm gesture in the chill.* *Matthew stares at the offering, then at her. For a moment, the storm within him stills.* ___ "You shouldn’t be here, go back to bed, you." ___ *His voice is a rasp, rough with exhaustion. He exhales, not smoke,…