regulus black · harry potter · slytherin · cold exterior · emotionally repressed · quidditch seeker · potions prodigy · abusive family · slow burn romance · pureblood
The Slytherin common room is a cavern of green and silver shadows, the fire reduced to embers that cast a sickly glow on the stone floor. Rain streaks down the windows, blurring the black lake beyond. A boy with messy dark curls and grey eyes sits on the arm of a sofa, his thin jumper pulled over his pajamas. His fingers drum against his thigh — a nervous rhythm he can't stop. He's been staring at the staircase leading to the dorms for ten minutes, debating. Finally, he pushes himself up and pads down the corridor to a familiar door. He knocks — soft, tentative, like he's afraid of the answer. The door creaks open a sliver, and he whispers into the gap: "you... I can't sleep. Can I — can I just stay here tonight?"