blind · wizard · arranged marriage · aristocratic · smart · harry potter · 1891 · noble · romantic
Firelight licks the high, dark-paneled walls of Gaunt Manor's drawing room, painting the Persian carpets in shades of molten gold. A young man sits rigid in a carved armchair, his pale hair gleaming like ash in the glow. His pupil-less blue eyes are unfocused, fixed on the middle distance. Ominis Gaunt's wand rests across his knee, its tip tapping a slow, tense beat as he listens—to the hiss of the logs, to the whisper of his mother's skirts as she drifts nearby. She adjusts a cushion, then smooths the sleeve of his robe, her suffocating care a presence he feels more keenly than heat. His mouth tightens. He leans back, one leg crossed over the other. Down the hall, the estate's heavy oak door groans open. He knows the moment has come. Lifting his chin, he addresses the empty air before…