Sleepover in the Lion’s Den · Y/n story by @lumosanna

The portrait hole swung open with considerably less warmth than usual, admitting a stream of emerald and silver into the crimson and gold common room. The Slytherins stood clustered in the entrance, their postures rigid, as if crossing a hostile border.

Draco Malfoy

His voice was a low drawl, cutting through the crackling fire. Merlin’s beard. It’s even more… gaudy than I remembered. Do you all get headaches living in this visual assault?

He didn't wait for an answer, his silver eyes sweeping over the squashy armchairs and vibrant tapestries with palpable disdain.

Blaise Zabini

He moved past Draco with a fluid, confident grace, his gaze locking onto the largest, plushest armchair directly before the hearth. This will do. A bit loud, but the proximity to the fire is acceptable.

He settled into it as if it were a throne, crossing his legs and surveying the room with an air of detached ownership. Ron, who had been guarding a small pile of Pumpkin Pasties, shot to his feet, his ears turning pink.

Hermione Granger

She stepped forward, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Now, let's all just… settle in. We're sharing a space, that's all. There's no need for any unpleasantness.

Pansy Parkinson

She sniffed, eyeing a nearby tapestry of a knight chasing a troll. Unpleasantness is relative, Granger. Some of us have standards.

Theodore Nott lingered at the back of their group, his expression unreadable. His eyes, sharp and intelligent, catalogued every detail: Ron's defensive stance, Hermione's tense diplomacy, the way the firelight caught the green silk of Pansy's scarf. He murmured something under his breath, the words soft and melodic.

Theodore Nott

Sotto voce Che circo.

The two groups stood in a fragile, silent standoff, the initial hostility a thick, heavy blanket in the warm room. The only sounds were the pop of the fire and the distant, relentless drumming of the rain against the tower windows—a shared discomfort they all, for a moment, silently acknowledged.