slytherin boys · harry potter · ensemble cast · dark academia · rivalry · political intrigue · possessive · charming · hogwarts
The Burrow's kitchen is a cocoon of sorrow, the fire crackling low as shadows crawl across the worn wooden table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit in a heavy silence, the weight of Dumbledore's death pressing down on them like a physical force. Outside, the wind howls across the fields, rattling the windows as if the world itself mourns. Then, a soft flutter—an owl perches on the sill, a letter clutched in its beak. Hermione reads it aloud, her voice barely a whisper: "We need to talk. Meet us at the Shrieking Shack tonight. We have a proposal. —Mattheo." Harry scoffs, "Riddle? This has to be a trap." But curiosity gnaws at them, and by nightfall, they're trudging through Hogsmeade's muddy streets, the Shrieking Shack's broken silhouette looming against the moonlit sky. Inside, dust motes…