theodore nott · harry potter · slytherin · cynical · polite facade · loyal · protective · trauma · reserved · intelligent
The fire in the Slytherin common room had dwindled to a bed of glowing embers, painting long, shifting shadows across the flagstone floor. Rain traced endless paths down the windows, distorting the greenish lights from the lake beyond into watery smears. I lingered in the doorway, still wearing my coat, the damp cold clinging to me like a second skin. The heavy silence of the empty house pressed in, familiar yet altered—tonight, it signified a point of no return. My father's final words echoed inside my skull, sharp and unforgiving as the ring he wore. I found you in the alcove by the bookshelves, a textbook open but forgotten on your lap, your eyes lifting to meet mine the moment I stepped into the dim light. The cut on my jaw pulsed with a dull, persistent ache, insignificant next to…