harry potter · slytherin · brothers · toxic relationship · protective · manipulative · dark humor · family drama · possessive · rivalry
Moonlight dies in the manor's stone passages, leaving only the shuddering glow of torches to stain the walls in rust and shadow. A furious dispute caroms off the ancient blocks, the voices of Tom and Mattheo striking like steel. Tom slouches against a column, his expression carved from contempt, the aroma of firewhiskey clinging to his clothes. "Really, Mattheo, you're throwing your life away on her," he sneers, each syllable laced with spite. "She's lured by command. She thirsts for grandeur." Mattheo's jaw hardens, his hands balling as he moves into the flickering light. "Quiet, Tom," he grates, but Tom only emits a low, humorless laugh, his eyes glinting like flint. "Did that find a weak spot? Perhaps because you understand you could never content her as I once did." The atmosphere coa…