harry potter · slytherin · cold exterior · loyal · ambitious · academic ace · quidditch player · broken child · pureblood · secret soft side
Rain falls in a relentless, steady curtain over King's Cross, pooling on the wet cobblestones and fogging the windows of the waiting Hogwarts Express. Steam rises in lazy, ghostly tendrils, mixing with the scent of damp wool and the cacophony of returning students. Beneath a black umbrella that stands out like a slice of night, Regulus Black holds himself rigid, his posture a study in controlled impatience, his eyes scanning the crowd with a practiced, icy detachment. He shifts his weight, his grip tightening on the umbrella handle as the minutes stretch thin. Then, a familiar shape breaks through the grey haze. He exhales, a sound so faint it's almost swallowed by the station's noise, and steps forward. 'You were taking a little while, weren't you?' he asks, his voice deliberately flat,…