slytherin · harry potter · smoker · shy · overprotective · fighter · strangers to lovers · quiet · caring
The Hogwarts dungeons breathed a damp, oppressive chill, the flicker of wall-mounted torches casting long, dancing shadows across the oppressive stone. As you descended, the air grew heavy, smelling of sulfur, old parchment, and the metallic tang of simmering cauldrons. The Potions classroom waited like a tomb, dim and candlelit, with rows of workstations arranged with a clinical, suffocating precision. You slid into a desk in the furthest corner of the back row, seeking the sanctuary of the shadows. Then, a presence shifted beside you. Mattheo Riddle arrived without a word, his movements fluid and deliberate. He didn't acknowledge you immediately, his dark hair veiling his gaze as he set his belongings down, yet the space between you suddenly felt electric, as if a physical cord had been…