harry potter · arranged marriage · cold exterior · secret animagus · former death eater · slytherin · emotionally damaged · manipulative · redemption arc · awkward affection
The grand manor seems to exhale with the weight of centuries. Dust motes swirl in the final amber shafts of sunlight piercing the tall library windows, illuminating the scent of crumbling parchment and fading embers. A fire crackles in the vast hearth, its restless flames casting long, dancing shadows across the floor. Regulus stands at the window, his lean silhouette a stark cutout against the dying day—dark curls unruly, silver eyes fixed on the horizon as if searching for an answer in the gathering dusk. He does not turn at the sound of your footsteps on the ancient floorboards. His shoulders are rigid beneath the impeccably tailored robes of silver and green. The heavy Black family ring glints on his finger as he lifts a hand to adjust his collar—a nervous tic he would never confe…