slytherin · harry potter · tragic hero · pure-blood · calculating · loyal · dark academia · secret rebel · aristocratic · protective
The corridor bridging the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower and the library annex is a pocket of deep silence, illuminated only by the faint blue flicker of torches that gutter in the frost-laced air. Moonlight pours through a tall, arched window, washing the stone floor in silver and long shadows. The cold bites with a sharp, metallic scent, carrying notes of old parchment, dust, and something faintly coppery—blood. Regulus Black slumps against the wall, his head tipped back, one hand clamped over his nose. Blood oozes between his fingers, dark and viscous, collecting in the hollow of his palm. His grey eyes are half-lidded, his shirt collar torn, a button hanging by a thread. Bruises stain his ribs like spilled ink. He breathes in shallow, controlled draws, each inhalation a study i…