Fred pulled her inside, the door closing with a soft click that sealed them in total darkness. Gwen's breath caught in her throat.
The closeness was intoxicating. Fred's scent enveloped her-smoke from Weasleys' latest experiments, fresh-cut grass from the Quidditch pitch, and that tantalizing hint of mint that was uniquely his. His breath caressed her cheek, warm and tantalizingly close.
She heard his low chuckle ripple through the darkness, the sound vibrating in the scant space between them.
Gwen pressed her foot deliberately onto his, not quite a stomp but a warning. "Pull yourself together, Weasley," she whispered, her voice betraying more breathlessness than command.
"Aye aye," he murmured, his mock-serious tone failing to mask the playfulness underneath. Even in darkness, she could sense his eyes-alive with mischief-locked on hers.
For several heartbeats, they stood suspended in electric silence. Not awkward-but charged with dangerous possibility, crackling with unspoken desires that threatened to ignite with the slightest spark.
The ancient castle seemed to breathe around them-creaking wood shifting like secrets, distant water echoing through forgotten pipes, Filch's footsteps fading into memory. But all Gwen could focus on was Fred's breathing, how it synchronized with hers, creating a rhythm that hummed between them.
"I think he's gone," Fred whispered, his voice husky and low.
"Hm?" Gwen murmured, her mind elsewhere.
"But maybe we should stay a bit longer..." His voice dropped even lower, sending shivers cascading down her spine. "Just to be sure." His eyebrows raised in silent invitation, his face now close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his skin.
"Fred." His name escaped her lips like a confession.
His soft chuckle resonated through her, her fingers were splayed against his chest, feeling the wild drumming of his heart beneath her touch-matching the frantic pace of her own.
Serena Malfoy has always lived in the shadow of her family's name-a name etched into the darkest corners of the wizarding world. As the twin sister of Draco Malfoy, her life has been a relentless balancing act, teetering between expectation and rebellion. But when the walls of Hogwarts begin to close in, and war looms on the horizon, Serena finds herself drawn to someone who embodies everything her family despises: Fred Weasley.
Fred is light where she is shadow, laughter where she is silence. And yet, the fiery Gryffindor and the sarcastic Malfoy can't seem to stay away from each other. Their sharp exchanges ignite into something far more dangerous-a forbidden love that threatens to unravel everything Serena has ever known.
With the return of the Dark Lord, loyalties are tested, secrets unravel, and the lines between right and wrong blur. As Serena walks a tightrope between family duty and her own heart, she must ask herself: How far will she go to protect the boy who makes her feel alive? And what will it cost her when the truth comes to light?
Enemies to lovers. Forbidden romance. Slow Burn. And a love that defies the darkest times.