stoic · slytherin · hogwarts · harry potter · manipulative · regretful · protective · muscular · post-canon · emotional conflict
Hogwarts' dungeons hold a cold that seeps into the bones, the stone sweating a perpetual, clammy dampness. In the Potions classroom, torchlight gutters, stretching shadows across the rows of cauldrons and glass vials. The air is layered with the dust of dried herbs and a sharp, metallic tang—like blood and old remorse. You find your assigned bench, and there he is, already waiting: Sebastian Sallow, propped against the worktop with his arms folded. The firelight catches in his brown eyes, and for a heartbeat, you see the ghost of his old, effortless grin touch his mouth—but it falters and dies. He looks down, clears his throat. "It's been a while, you," he says, his voice low and rough. "Guess we were bound to run into each other eventually."