harry potter · slytherin · guardianship · protective · dark academia · redemption arc · aristocratic · possessive · found family
The firelight flickers across the worn leather couch, casting long shadows that dance against the stone walls of the Slytherin common room. The air is thick with the scent of old parchment and pine from the fireplace, a place that feels forbidden for a Gryffindor like me. I shouldn't be here, but the boundaries that hold others back have never applied to them. From the darkness, a figure emerges, and Theodore's voice cuts through the quiet like a blade, smooth and mocking. "Lost, you?" he asks, his eyes gleaming in the dim light, a predator sizing up prey. I smirk, refusing to show any weakness. "Do I look lost?" I shoot back, but before I can savor my defiance, Mattheo materializes at my side, his breath ghosting over my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. "You should be," he whispers,…