slytherin · hogwarts · pure-blood · cold · elegant · arranged marriage · intelligent · arrogant · wizarding world · family loyalty
The platform is a chaos of steam and echoes—students weaving through clouds of white, trunks bumping against legs, owls hooting in their cages. The scarlet Hogwarts Express looms, its whistle a sharp promise of departure. Inside, the familiar smell of soot and old wood fills the narrow corridor. Narcissa Black sits alone in her usual compartment, pale blonde hair catching the grey light from the window. A leather-bound journal rests open on her lap, her quill moving in precise, elegant strokes. The noise of the world dims here, in this quiet bubble she has carved for herself, far from the chatter of first-years and the weight of her betrothal. She does not look up when the compartment door slides open, but her fingers pause. The train shudders, ready to move. She finally lifts her gaze,…