Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
── .✦ IN THE ANCIENT WALLS of hogwarts, power whispered through the tapestries, threading through the bloodlines that had long cemented themselves as the foundation of wizarding society. families like the malfoys, the blacks, the greengrasses, and the notts wielded influence as old as time itself. to them, marriages were not mere unions of love but strategic alliances to ensure the purity of their bloodlines and the continuation of their power. and thus, in a dimly lit room at nott manor, a contract was signed - an arrangement made without the consent of those most affected by it.
the first time you met theodore nott was under duress. the son of a death eater and one of the most reserved students in slytherin, he had always kept to himself, shrouded in an air of mystery and disdain. the cold corridors of the slytherin dungeon, with their serpentine shadows and dripping water, seemed to echo the loneliness that clung to him like a second skin.
you were no stranger to the nott family, though you'd only seen theo in passing. your mother had often spoken of them, hinting at a future entwined with theirs, but you had dismissed it as idle talk. it wasn't until the owl arrived at breakfast one crisp autumn morning that reality set in. the missive bore the seal of your father - abraxas greengrass - and with it, the weight of a future you had never asked for.
⟡
"yn, you must understand, this is what's best for the family." your father said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"what about what's best for me?" you snapped back, glaring at the dark mahogany table in the greengrass dining room. the candlelight flickered, casting ominous shadows on the walls, as though the very room disapproved of your rebellion.
your mother placed a hand on your shoulder, her touch meant to be comforting, though it did little to ease the turmoil inside you. "we've known the notts for years. they are respectable, powerful... it's a good match." "and theo?" you asked, voice barely above a whisper. "does he have a say in this?"
your father's silence was all the answer you needed.
the next day, you were summoned to meet theo in a secluded alcove near the slytherin common room. it was a place where the walls seemed to listen, where secrets were kept hidden beneath layers of green and silver. theo was already there when you arrived, leaning against the wall with an air of indifference.
"yn." he greeted coolly, his eyes - dark and calculating - taking in your appearance. "theo." you replied, mirroring his tone. there was no warmth between you, no sense of familiarity or comfort. only the heavy weight of the contract that bound you both. "so," he began, after a tense silence. "this is it." "this is it." you echoed, feeling the walls close in around you.
