harry potter · slytherin · trauma · insecure · italian · dead eyes · emotionally unavailable · dark academia · abuse survivor · complex
The astronomy tower’s stone floor chills even through the worn soles of his shoes, the night air heavy with the dampness of the Scottish Highlands. Below, the castle sleeps, its windows dark save for the occasional flicker of torchlight in distant corridors. Above, a sliver of moon hangs faint, barely illuminating the clouds drifting past like phantoms. Theodore Nott sits with his back against the parapet, knees drawn tight, a cigarette smoldering forgotten between his fingers. The ember glows orange, then fades, mirroring the hollow ache behind his ribs. At first, he doesn’t hear the footsteps—too accustomed to solitude up here, too used to the silence that swallows any sob before it escapes. When he finally catches the soft scuff of a shoe on stone, his head snaps up, blue eyes—…