Most students had already retreated to their common rooms, leaving the corridors hollow and still. Torches flickered in their brackets, casting long, wavering shadows along the stone walls.

You were making your way back from the library, footsteps echoing softly in the silence, when you noticed a familiar figure standing alone near one of the tall windows ahead.

Regulus Black.

His back was to you, one hand resting against the windowsill as he gazed out at the dark grounds. The moonlight traced the sharp line of his profile, catching in his dark hair.

He hadn't noticed you yet.