Malevolent // H.S

"You've got a bruise."

I flinch as I realize what he's talking about. Of course-it hadn't even registered. The bruise is small but noticeable, right on my forearm where I'd bumped it grabbing the chair earlier. But it's more than just a bruise. The way he looks at me makes my blood run cold.

"What?" I try to deflect with a smile, pulling my sleeve down further to hide the mark. "Oh, nothing. Just a little accident."

"An accident, huh?" His voice is calm, but I can hear the sharp edge of perception in it. "Sounds more like you've gotten in someone's way."

I want to tell him to mind his own business, to stay out of my life. But the way he looks at me-that gaze, as if he knows more than I want to admit-makes me falter.

"You talk like you've seen someone with bruises like this before," I say, my words colder than I intend.

Harry watches me, and an uneasiness settles over me. He has the calm of someone who knows when to stop asking questions but also knows how to get answers without asking. "Maybe I have," he says quietly, his tone unsettling. "Maybe I recognize it because I've heard similar stories before."

//
This is my first fanfic and I'm actually excited where this will go. Hope you'll like it as much as I do xx