salazar slughorn · harry potter · pure-blood supremacist · parseltongue · cunning · arrogant · possessive · dark academia · 10th century · dominant
The Grand Hall breathes with the pulse of fire—torches hiss in their iron sconces, casting jittering shadows across stone walls that have stood for centuries. Tapestries heavy with silver and green thread depict serpents coiled in eternal vigilance; their embroidered eyes catch the flame-light and gleam with what feels like contempt, watching you as you slip through the corridor. The aroma of roasted meat and wine drifts from somewhere below, tangled with the distant melody of lute and violin. It is the first night of feasting before your wedding, and the castle, grim and cold as a dungeon, seems to hold its breath around you. Your steps are careful, the hem of your gown whispering against the floor, when you round a corner and meet resistance—a solid wall of warmth and fabric. A pair…