Chapter Text
The Chamber of Secrets had always felt too large, with so many sections being utilised and people shouting, calling and practising their magics. Despite the silencing and protective wards surrounding each section for safety purposes, Silvius always felt like it was bustling. Much like the manor had during the summer holidays, and like it is, no doubt, going to be during the Yuletide holidays.
However, this was completely different. Staring into Blaise’s violet eyes made him feel at peace, made him feel so far out of reach from the political war front that it seemed to be all a dream. But the heat spreading from his hand, where Blaise’s hand was wrapped around his own in a tight, reassuring grip, reminded him that it was all completely real. But tonight, just for this evening, it didn’t matter that much. Not when he had Blaise looking down at him with all the love they had built together over the past 3 months or so. And wasn’t that saying a lot? Just four months ago, he would never have believed that he could be so utterly head-over-heels and devoted to one person, but here he was, sitting in the middle of the Chamber with his soulmate. The one person in the world who would stick by his side unconditionally.
Silvius was brought out of his thoughts when the hand which was wrapped around his own tightened, fingers lacing between his own in a more secure fashion, while warmth blossomed up his arm and through his chest. Even the stones beneath their feet and the air surrounding them seemed to warm noticeably, responding to their bond, which seemed to have come to life. He exhaled slowly, nodding, finally agreeing with Blaise’s words.
“Blaise?” Silvius’s voice was quiet, not out of fear or nerves but because he didn’t want to break the tranquillity of the evening with anything louder at the moment. He wanted to preserve what was held delicately between them for a moment longer. “Would you dance with me?”
The question settled between them, a delicate weight that allowed Blaise an insight into Silvius’s thoughts in that second. He glanced down at his boyfriend, his expression softening even further, and he stepped forward, crowding the younger teenager. He saw how relaxed Silvius was and felt relief flood his veins at the lack of bracing; something he had noticed Silvius seemed to do an awful lot when he thought he was about to be rejected. It was a privilege to witness. His usually powerful, composed and strong Silvius, the Leader of the In Dolus Intortis, was choosing to be vulnerable and submissive with him, and it melted his heart.
“I’d be honoured, Tesoro,” Blaise muttered, bending down to brush a soft kiss to Silvius’s forehead. And when he stepped even closer, it wasn’t with the sharp decisiveness of a duellist or even the possessiveness of a claim that would come later. This was measured, filled to the brim with respect. The kind of closeness that asked for permission before it took anything. Blaise’s hand settled at the base of Silvius’s back, warm and solid as it pulled Silvius as close as he could, while his other lifted the one still wrapped in his own with a practised ease.
“I’ll lead,” Blaise murmured, voice pitched low in a way he knew melted Silvius and made his knees quake. “Unless you wish to?”
Silvius immediately shook his head. “I would follow you anywhere, my Destined.”
Music unfurled around them as Blaise guided them to take the first step, as if it had been waiting for permission to begin. Low strings echoed softly through the Chamber, resonant and old, the melody threading through stone and silence alike. It wasn’t music meant for performance, not like the dances they were expected to perform and know by heart for formal events. This was more for listening, for syncing hearts together. It was designed for couples who already knew a lot about each other but were delighted to discover something new.
Blaise guided Silvius forward. Their first steps were slow and careful, as if their bodies were trying to find the correct flow for the music, but after a few beats, Blaise seemed to have found the rhythm, not through instruction but through intuition. There was no counting, like Silvius had become accustomed to whenever he practised his dancing with his father and uncle Lucius; no correction came if he made a mistake and stumbled, just the quiet reassurance that Blaise would never allow him to fall. And Silvius followed.
And for the first time since rejoining the wizarding elite, Silvius discovered, with a small jolt of surprise, that it was easy. He didn’t need to anticipate, or plan or even adapt to the sudden change in direction; he didn’t need to force his brain to overwork as he tried to remember the steps three beats ahead or keep an eye on other couples to make sure he didn’t bump into anyone. This was their dance, and Blaise’s presence was a constant, his lead clear without being forceful, his touch firm enough against his back and hand to guide but not firm enough to restrict.
And it seemed as if the Chamber responded to their dance by releasing its own magic into the air. Sparks dance around their feet, enchanting the stones they stepped on to glow faintly with various colours, adding sparkles, like glitter, to their air and making the light from the flame dance around the air to catch off the glitter particles at seemingly random intervals.
And then, their bond, which had been lying fainting under the surface, stirred. Silvius inhaled sharply at the flood of magic surging playfully through his body, a mix of his and Blaise’s magical energies swirling together as if it too were dancing to the music. His fingers tightened around Blaise’s, eyes lifting to match the surprised gaze of his boyfriend, who immediately tugged him just that little bit closer, his expression impossibly soft.
This was different from anything he had felt before. Usually, the bond didn’t make its presence known unless one of them, usually himself, was in danger or seeking the presence of their Mate. It was beautifully precious, almost like he was being seen for the first time. Like he was allowing himself to be truly seen by his Mate for the very first time, and he didn’t feel scared. He knew that Blaise was feeling the same; he could hear the hitch in his breathing and the beating of his heart through their connection.
“Blaise,” he breathed, not out of fear but out of reverence.
“I know,” Blaise responded immediately, his voice just as breathless as he adjusted their pace without breaking the flow of the dance. His thumb traced a grounding circle against Silvius’s knuckles, a touch that anchored without demanding attention. “Easy. We should let it move, don’t fight it.”
“I’m not fighting it,” Silvius said quietly, a quiet laugh slipping out despite himself. “I just… It’s never done this before. Not without…”
“You being in danger.” Blaise finished gently, shifting his grip when Silvius leant forward and rested his forehead against Blaise’s shoulder.
They turned, slow and fluid, Blaise guiding him through a simple pattern and then repeating it. A short, easy-to-follow sequence that allowed Silvius to keep his attention on the flow of magic merging between them, around them and through them. It was magical, more so than usual. He felt the familiar tension ease from Silvius’s shoulders and smiled against black hair because this was the most relaxed he had seen Silvius since before he found out about the plot against his father.
“Our bond woke with a start because of the sudden release of magic blocking your creature inheritance and because we had been in close proximity before when it was trapped behind magical dampeners. This is the bond learning the correct language of our relationship.”
Silvius swallowed; he hated how true that was. That instead of very slowly edging him towards Blaise through every interaction they had throughout the years, his creature inheritance had been forced to watch its Mate slip away time after time. And then, when they finally had a chance to connect with each other, before it had a chance to settle properly, he was attacked. Not to mention the incident with Draco during the holidays before they had officially confessed their feelings for each other.
“Pain. Fear. Survival.”
“Yes, but now we are showing it the true purpose behind our bond.”
They moved again. Blaise’s hand remained firm and secure at his back, a steady anchor as the bond morphed, reshaped and stretched between them. It didn’t tighten, didn’t threaten or demand attention, but it was almost like it was testing, like a child discovering the world for the first time and finally having the freedom to explore.
“Our love,” Silvius commented, nuzzling against Blaise’s shoulder with a deep sigh. He felt the magic surrounding his creature inheritance slowly fading away, trusting the Chamber and Blaise to keep him safe no matter what. Enough for him to truly allow his creature to emerge. He felt his wings rip neat little holes in his shirt and couldn’t bring himself to care much; he could always repair it later. He felt his hair shifting and knew that his horns had solidified on his head, while his teeth elongated and his tail popped out, flicking in the air behind him.
“One of the strongest emotions in the world,” Blaise muttered back, and Silvius felt a shift beneath his forehead. Blaise’s physique seemed to broaden, muscles becoming more defined, more solid beneath his hands. He pulled back just enough to see that his Mate had responded to his open vulnerability with some of his own, powerful black and red wings lightly flapping behind him.
“I always forget how beautiful your Cambion form is, Destined.” Silvius raised his hand from Blaise’s arm and stroked his boyfriend’s face, a soft smile forming when Blaise turned his head and placed a kiss on the palm of his hand.
“You are the beautiful one, Tesoro. My Mate, my love.” Blaise pulled Silvius back against him, feeling his submissive nuzzling against his shoulder and neck while inhaling his calming scent. He chuckled briefly, loving how adorable Silvius could be with him. He guided them in a slow turn.
“It feels different…” Silvius allowed his eyes to flutter closed as he melted into Blaise’s secure embrace, allowing himself to be guided around the Chamber with careful reverence. He didn’t pay much attention to when the music shifted, not when their steps lengthened, not when their structure softened. Their movements became less about form and flow, and more about the conversation.
“How? What do you feel?”
“It’s not pulling this time,” Silvius said slowly, testing the sensation against his words. “It’s almost like it is… listening.”
Blaise smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Silvius’s head. “That’s the trust building between us.”
With each bar of the music, their bond seemed to settle against them further, weaving itself quietly through each shared breath, each shared motion, as if it was building a connection that rivalled anything Silvius had seen before. When Silvius relaxed further, it smoothed. When he laughed softly at one of Blaise’s ridiculous murmurings about their friends, it seemed to brighten, a gentle pulse of shared amusement that startled him with the level of intimacy that was mixed in.
“It’s responding to our emotions,” Silvius commented after one such moment, more to himself than to Blaise.
“It always would have, if it had been allowed to,” Blaise replied. “This is proof that our bond is strengthening and growing every day.
They continued to speak in hushed tones, topics shifting between nothing in particular. Classes, ancient magics they were learning, the absurdity of attempting to regulate traditions older than the Wizengamot itself. Blaise teased Silvius into smiling more than once and loved every second that delicate flush stayed painting Silvius’s cheeks. Though it did earn him a fair few dry retorts that only widened his grin. Each exchanged carried a subtle echo through their Mating bond, as though it were categorising joy, love and affections with careful attention.
Between dances, Blaise adjusted his grip subtly, always attentive and always aware of how Silvius was holding himself. When Silvius leant closer without thinking, drawn by warmth and trust rather than need, the bond answered with a quiet resonance. When Silvius burrowed himself within the space between his shoulder and neck, Blaise accommodated without much fuss. Always ready with a smile and kisses. Each shift and each reliance on himself as the dominant Mate had the bond answering with quiet resonance, and his chest feeling full and settled.
“I don’t feel like I am going to disappear,” Silvius admitted quietly at one point, forehead once again buried against Blaise’s neck.
“You wouldn’t,” Blaise responded immediately. “A true bond doesn’t erase anything, doesn’t change who you are. It reflects.”
They paused briefly, swaying to the music as if softened around them, but neither one of them pulled away; instead, it seemed like Silvius shuffled even closer. He gently detached his hand from Blaise’s and wrapped both arms around his boyfriend’s ribs in a tight embrace.
Blaise froze for a fraction of a moment, not from surprise; Silvius had always been an affectionate person, especially when he was relaxed and surrounded by those he trusted. No, he froze out of care. He could feel Silvius’s breath fan gently against his neck and suppressed a shiver. Blaise didn’t tighten his grip on Silvius’s waist, but his free arm did join the other on Silvius’s back. While his wings wrapped around them both. The bond surged in response, not a loud proclamation but more a deepening.
“That,” Silvius whispered, his voice unguarded and warm. “Felt important.”
“It was,” Blaise said just a soft, his expression stunned but also delighted. “You trusted me with your weight. All of it.”
They danced one final time, slower than all the ones beforehand, their movements unhurried as they stayed pressed together, leaning against each other. Silvius traced absent patterns along Blaise’s sleeve, allowing himself to get lost in the warmth surrounding him and the constant shift of magic beneath his skin while Blaise guided him in a steady rhythm.
“It’s quiet,” Silvius admitted, “in my head.”
Blaise guided him gently into stillness when the music faded into silence. “Good. That means it is no longer shouting to be heard.” Blaise dropped a kiss to Silvius’s forehead, then the tip of his nose and smiled. Finally, he drew Silvius into a close embrace, not too tight and not too possessive but encompassing. Silvius went willingly, arms wrapping even tighter around Blaise’s back, face pressed against his chest so he could feel the rapid beating of his heart.
After a long moment, Blaise took half a step backwards and tilted his head. “May I?”
Silvius lifted his gaze, his amber eyes meeting sparkling violet. “Always.”
The kiss they shared was soft and unhurried, unlike last time. Their lips brushed at first, then settled, a promise growing between them rather than a claim. Magic hummed low and approvingly around them, the bond glowing quietly, content in a way that felt earnt and appreciated. When they finally pulled back, Silvius was breathing slightly heavier.
“Tonight, something has changed.” He whispered, breathless and happy.
“And it is all because of you, Tesoro.”
Hand-in-hand, they left the Chamber with no hesitation in their hearts. Candlelight dimmed behind them, magic settled back into the ancient stones, carrying with it the knowledge that this bond, once balanced on a knife point of fear and pain, was finally settling into a role of love and trust.
-----
The passage leading out of the Chamber curved gently upward, and ancient stone of long-abandoned classrooms gave way to corridors that felt less like an ancient cathedral and more like the lived-in stronghold it was. The air cooled as they walked, the deep resonant magic of the Chamber thinning into something familiar. Hogwarts wards, wrapping around them as the chill of the dungeons began to tickle at their skin.
The candles along the wall dimmed gradually rather than extinguishing all at once as the time slowly approached curfew for the older years, but that didn’t deter Silvius and Blaise from taking a casual stroll through the dungeon’s corridors. And it struck him then that this feeling welling up inside of him was new. Not the bond this time, or the magic of the castle surrounding them, but the absence of urgency that always seemed to play in his mind. Nothing clawed at him, nothing burnt, and the bond didn’t rush or tighten as they walked.
They didn’t speak at first; they didn’t feel the need to. Their hands remained linked as they stepped into the narrower passageways that led towards the entrance hall and, therefore, the Slytherin common room. Their boots echoed softly against the stone, the air slowly cooling, damp and carrying that familiar scent of potion fumes mixed with the mineral scent of Hogwarts’ lower levels, but even that seemed gentler than usual.
The bond stayed with them, less present than it had been in the Chamber, but they could still feel it pulsing beneath their skin. It merely seemed to be content feeding their emotions between them and covering them in a soft, warming glow that sparkled in the air as it caught the light of the torches.
Silvius tightened his grip around Blaise’s hand, but neither one of them commented on it. Part of Silvius noticed the impulse that sparked through him, catalogued it the way he always did when he came across something new, with caution and logic. He had spent years disengaging himself from things that clung too tightly, ensuring he didn’t get overly attached to anyone or anything. But this, he glanced down at their conjoined hands, didn’t feel like that. It felt chosen, mutual and perfectly right. Easy in a way that would have sent him running for the hills this time last year.
Blaise glanced sideways at him; his mouth curled into something unmistakably pleased when he caught sight of Silvius smiling down at their hands. So, he decided to tease him. “You’re still holding my hand.”
Silvius lifted his gaze, raised an eyebrow and smirked back at Blaise. “Am !?” He questioned.
“You are,” Blaise chuckled, tightening his own grip around Silvius’s hand. “Quite firmly, I might add.
Silvius appeared to consider these words for a moment, then he glanced down at their hands, raised them as if to inspect them and then intertwined their fingers together. “Huh. Would you look at that?” He dropped a kiss to Blaise’s knuckles.
Blaise laughed, a real one filled with warmth and unguarded affection, allowing it to echo down the silent corridors. The bond flickered in response, expanding, softening before it fell back beneath the surface. As if it too were amused by the situation.
Silvius felt the bond settle after a moment, as if the magic itself had finally decided that there was nothing dangerous and that there was nothing but love and tenderness being shared. It wasn’t an awkward silence that settled between them as they continued to walk down the corridor hand in hand, not after two months, roughly. It was definitely enough time to learn each other’s silences, to know that they were both content. Long enough for their silences to be filled with familiarity, softened with trust and affection. The danger that had once come with the awakening of the bond had been reshaped into something endearing rather than sharp.
“Should I be worried,” Blaise asked lightly, “That you’re becoming possessive?” His words were joking, showing his love for Slyvius’s more vulnerable side, more assertive in his claim over Blaise.
Silvius snorted, tightening his fingers around Blaise’s. “Hardly. I’m simply… preventing theft.”
“Of me?”
“Of my equilibrium,” Silvius replied with a shrug of his shoulders and a smirk. “You’re apparently an integral part of it now." The words came easily, maybe a little too easily, since he didn’t second-guess them or even question where they came from.
“It still hasn’t faded,” Silvius muttered, more to himself than to Blaise. He lifted up his free hand, studying the slight sheen of magic dancing beneath the surface.
“Why would it?” Blaise’s thumb brushed once across Silvius’s knuckles in a loving caress, his smile stretching just a little bit more.
“It always used to. Like it only existed when something was wrong before it disappeared again.” Silvius huffed a small breath of surprised laughter at the gentle gesture across his hand. It was a strange thing to think about. That their bond was becoming more active, but only when they both felt completely comfortable and peaceful. It was the complete opposite of the first time he had felt their bond activate.
They climbed the last few steps, the corridor opening into the slightly wider dungeon halls with more torchlights dancing across the walls in a soothing dance. Greenish light cast shadows around them, shrinking away as they approached and growing once they walked away.
“That wasn’t the bond at first, not truly. That was survival.” Blaise responded carefully.
Silvius tilted his head, “And this is…?”
“Living,” Blaise replied without hesitation, lifting their conjoined hands so he could press his lips to Silvius’s knuckles.
The words and the gestures did something quiet and dangerous to Silvius’s chest. It wasn’t a sharp feeling that felt uncomfortable, and it wasn’t overwhelming either. It was warm and soothing, something irreversible.
They passed a sleeping portrait, the frame humming softly as the wards surrounding the main Hogwarts building settled back around them like a warm blanket in the middle of winter. The castle suddenly felt more… attentive. Not watchful, like the gazes of half the faculty, but approving perhaps, of their growing bond or of their recent actions, they couldn’t be too sure.
Finally, the two of them reached the familiar stretch of dungeon corridor that led towards the Slytherin common room, the air growing marginally warmer and smelling faintly of potion fumes emitting through the corridors from the potion classrooms around the corner. Silvius felt a subtle shift in the air, an awareness he hadn’t felt since he met Blaise in the Chamber earlier that evening. A realisation that sent amusement running through him as well as a chill.
Draco Malfoy was, no doubt, waiting for them to return. Whether to tease them or learn the gossip before their friends.
Silvius exhaled slowly, the flush that had been a permanent fixture on his face for the past 2 hours or so fading to showcase how pale his face had gone. “Draco is absolutely going to sense this.”
Blaise smiled. “Oh. Without question, but so are half the purebloods tomorrow at breakfast.
“He is going to be unbearable, though.”
“Catastrophically so.”
Silvius slowed his steps a little, bracing out of habit rather than necessity, and he glanced up at Blaise while biting his lip. “How bad do you think this is going to be?”
Blaise tilted his head in thought. “On a scale from mild smirk to theatrical collapse onto a chaise?”
Silvius grimaced. He could picture his cousin doing both once he sensed the magical bond swirling between them. “Please say smirk.”
“Oh, definitely not,” Blaise responded cheerfully, pulling Silvius closer to his side. “You danced with me, we shared a meal, you gave me your second courting gift, and our bond has deepened and strengthened.”
Silvius closed his eyes briefly, sighing. “He’s going to light candles.”
“He already has plenty of candles,” Blaise reminded him. “Multiple sets, and they're even colour coordinated.”
“And the dramatic sighs…”
“Practised. Every day in the mirror for sixteen years.”
Silvius huffed a laugh despite himself, the dread loosening into something almost fond. The bond warmed gently, sharing in the amusement, swirling through an invisible connection. It struck him right then, not for the first time but with more clarity than before, just how quickly this had all deepened and how unafraid they both felt about such a fact.
“I don’t understand why he is like this,” Silvius muttered.
“Because he grew up with his only male role models being Lucius Malfoy and Severus Prince…” Blaise smiled, rolling his eyes. “He is happy for you.”
Silvius glanced up at him, expression unreadable for the moment, before he smirked. “Happy jealousy.”
“Exactly,” Blaise said. “He’d never do anything to begrudge you this. He just sometimes… wishes he had something like this too.”
Silvius thought of the way Draco always watched people; this sharp yearning held behind a strong pureblood mask he had been utilising his entire life. He remembered seeing the partial vulnerability hiding behind his gaze sometimes when they went toe-to-toe, but the mask had slammed back down before he really had a chance to process what he had seen. It was almost worse when he had witnessed the small vulnerabilities when Malfoy thought no one had been looking, the fall of his smirk, the dimming of his eyes. But now, he could see Draco opening up more, caring less about his image and how he is perceived by people who don’t matter.
They soon came to a halt in front of the stretch of wall that concealed the entrance to the common room, allowing themselves to enjoy a few more moments of tranquillity before they faced the inevitable. The familiar cool stone, the faint ripple of magic that wavered around the ward protecting the entrance from unwanted visitors, and the sense of home all lent weight to that feeling of peace.
“He’s been waiting for an excuse to tease me more.” Silvius shook his head and rolled his eyes at the thought of his cousin pouncing on them the second they walked into the dorm room, that smug grin twitching at the corner of his lips while his arms were folded.
“And now we’ve handed him one wrapped prettily in ancient magic,” Blaise chuckled lightly. “He’ll be insufferable for weeks now.”
“He wasn’t before?” Silvius joked, laughing alongside Blaise. He paused again, hand hovering just out from his side as if contemplating opening up the entrance to the common room before he glanced at Blaise out the corner of his eye. “You’re not overwhelmed?”
Blaise met his gaze steadily. “No.”
“Not even a little bit?”
“Not even a little bit.” Blaise leant forward and brushed his lips against Silvius’s temple, then his cheek and pulled him into a quick hug. “I have known for a long time that I would have a destined mate, but I had convinced myself that I would not meet them until a lot later in life. So, when our hands brushed, and I felt our magic connect, I was thrilled that I had found the one person in this world who was my perfect match. That you had come into my life at sixteen and not sixty.”
“I love you so much, Blaise. I am glad you are my destined mate as well. I know I haven’t known about the connection that is growing between us for as long as you have, but I am going to learn all I can and cherish this for the rest of my life.” Silvius leans into the hug, wrapping an arm around Blaise’s back before he pulls back again and smiles.
“I know, Tesoro.” Blaise brushes a strand of hair away from Silvius’s face. “Just as I will cherish you.”
They stayed in each other’s vicinity for another moment, enjoying the warmth that passed between them before Blaise dropped one more kiss to Silvius’s forehead and smirked. “So, are you ready to face the final boss?”
“I swear to Merlin,” Silvius sighed, stepping back to Blaise’s side and tightening his grip on the other’s hand, “if Draco has champagne, I am so blaming you.”
Blaise’s grin was unrepentant as was his laughter as he whispered the password and pulled Silvius into the almost deserted common room. “If he has a speech prepared, I am saving the memory in a pensieve.”
-----
The dormitory door clicked shut behind them, with a sound that felt much too loud in the quiet of the common room. Silvius barely had time to register the familiar feel of home and the fact that several torches around the walls were still lit before he froze just inside the doorway.
Draco Malfoy was sitting upright on his bed, fully dressed in his uniform, arms folded and posture rigid with theatrical disapproval. The covers were thrown back, just covering his feet, like he’d been prepared to spring into action at a moment's notice. It was unnerving
“There you are,” Draco said a little too brightly. “I was just debating whether you were going to miss curfew, or whether I needed to send out a search party.”
Silvius stopped dead, even slowing his breathing down as he looked at the frown on his cousin’s mouth. The furrowing in his brow. Meanwhile, Blaise, the traitor that he was, was making a valiant effort not to grin at their friend.
“You’re being dramatic,” Silvius said, already resigning himself to the next 20 minutes of interrogation and teasing.
Draco’s eyes flickered down to their hands, still tightly intertwined, then traced the way Blaise stood just slightly angled toward Silvius, as if the space between them had never quite closed again after their little date. He noticed how they both seemed more relaxed, more content than he had seen them in a long time and tried to hide a smile.
“Oh no,” Draco continued pleasantly. “I have every right to be as dramatic as I like, after you banned us from the Chamber so you could have your little date.”
Silvius felt heat climb his neck, not from panic or fear, but from embarrassment. He hadn’t thought what his friends would think after he had kicked them out for the evening, didn’t consider the fact that they would, no doubt now, sit up gossiping with each other about his plans as soon as he had left to set everything up.
“Draco…”
“That tone,” Draco replied smugly, “suggests guilt. What did the two of you get up to?”
Blaise cleared his throat, his thumb brushing along the back of Silvius’s knuckles. “We didn’t get up to anything, Draco. We weren’t even gone that long.”
Draco arched his eyebrow. “Weren’t gone that long, he says.” Draco scoffed, more amused than anything as he continued to watch the pair. “You left as soon as we were dismissed… and it is almost curfew. You have been gone for almost 3 hours. That is long enough for me to assume you’d fallen into an ancient magical alcove. Or worse, been caught by a Gryffindor prefect.
Silvius huffed despite himself, a smirk coming to his lips at Draco’s dramatic flair.
“You’re still humming, by the way.” He inhaled, gesturing between the two, while watching the very subtle waves of magic connecting Blaise and Silvius as if Mother Magic didn’t want them to be separated for long anymore. It was beautiful, the different colours swirling around each other.
“We are not,” Silvius attempted to deny, glancing down with a fond smile as the bond still danced between them. He never wanted it to settle back down now, but knew that it would by the time they woke up in the morning.
“You absolutely are,” Draco countered. “It’s faint; no one without a deep affinity for ancient magics will be able to sense it, let alone see it. But it’s there. It feels like Mother magic herself decided to provide ambience whenever you stand too close from now on.”
Blaise glanced at Silvius, a fond and unguarded expression that dragged an eyeroll from Draco. The bond responded to the emotions, not a loud proclamation, not dramatically that Draco could feel, just… there. Aware but not invasive. Draco’s smirk dropped as the magic washed around the room for a brief second, waves reaching every inch before it retreated once more. He had never felt anything quite like that before, almost making him breathless.
“…Wow…” He murmured.
“You felt it too?” Blaise questioned quietly, guiding Silvius further into the room, so they weren’t loitering in the doorway.
“Of course I do, I am surprised Uncle Sev hasn’t come down here to investigate yet. For those who are sensitive to Dark magic and anyone with a mating bond themselves will be able to feel this from the other side of the castle. I can only feel it as strongly as I can because I have an unclaimed mating bond.”
“It listens to us now,” Silvius whispered reverently, as if he still couldn’t believe how deeply the magic connected them together. “It doesn’t just react.”
Draco exhaled slowly. Something in his posture eased at the gentle look on his cousin’s face, and he felt some of his envy fading away, not completely, but it was gentler now, and he was definitely happy for Silvius and Blaise. If anyone needed something like this to happen, it was the two of them, especially with everything going on at the moment. “Well,” he eventually commented, lips quirking. “That’s unfair.”
Silvius blinked. “Unfair?”
“You don’t get to look so settled at sixteen, it's rude,” Draco muttered, crossing his arms tighter over his chest with a huff.
Blaise smiled faintly, dropping Silvius’s hand only to wrap his arm around his boyfriend’s waist. “You’re allowed to be happy for us.”
“Oh, I am,” Draco replied at once, rolling his eyes when he saw the possessive grip Blaise now held around Silvius’s waist. “Don’t get me wrong. I am happy for you. Annoyingly so.” He leant back, gaze drifting upward, unfocused on the ceiling and thoughtful. “I’ve watched people force half-bonds, chase imitations, swear eternal devotion in October and detest each other by February.”
Silvius nodded; he had seen several relationships failing over the years as resentment settled where love had once blossomed. Both in the Muggle world and the wizarding world.
“And then we have the two of you,” Draco continued. “Two sixteen-year-olds who managed to unlock something incredibly ancient, stable, and undeniably strong.” He shook his head. “Poetic justice.”
“For…?” Blaise prompted when Draco remained silent for a moment longer.
“For me,” Draco said lightly. “I mocked fate long enough. It seems that it has finally decided to show me what it looks like when it works.” Silvius swallowed, and Draco noticed. “You don’t look like you’re bracing anymore. You don’t look like you are waiting for the other shoe to fall.”
“I’m not,” Silvius admitted, the affectionate smile on his face that he directed at Blaise saying more than any words could. Blaise dropped a kiss on his forehead.
“Good,” Draco nodded. “Because you deserve something that doesn’t demand blood first.” Then, mercilessly, he added, “And now that we’ve got all those feelings out of the way. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow morning to find the two of you playing tonsil quidditch.”
Blaise groaned, while Silvius covered his face. Draco smiled, satisfied with himself for drawing flushes from his cousin and his best friend. Some nights were about magic, some were about family, but tonight seemed to be about Draco Malfoy getting exactly what fate thought his ‘poetic justice’ was.
Draco’s smile lingered a second too long, eyes sharp, satisfied and entirely too perceptive from years of observing his parents. He glanced at them again, their hands which were intertwined around each other again. The way Blaise’s thumb settled along Silvius’s wrist as if it belonged there. A grounding presence.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Draco smirked. “I’m merely cataloguing evidence. I am going to send you the bill from my mind healer sessions.”
Silvius rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath and willing his blush to fade before he leant against Blaise’s side, sighing when he felt the grip on his hand tightening around his own. He seemed to forget his embarrassment for a while when his head came down to rest upon Blaise’s shoulder.
Draco’s grin widened. “Merlin, help me, I can’t believe you are doing this right in front of me. Do you have no shame?” He laughed.
“I do not.” Silvius denied, not out of embarrassment this time, but out of habit.
“You absolutely do,” Draco gestured between Silvius and Blaise. “You’re leaning on Blaise like someone who has discovered the tragic inconvenience of being disgustingly in love.”
Silvius felt heat flood his face. He opened his mouth, probably to deflect more, to shoot out a snarky remark, to literally do anything that would divert attention away from how he was still plastered to Blaise’s side, hands intertwined, bond steady.
“Of course I am in love, how could I not be?” Silvius eventually admitted, his words landing solidly in the room, while he lifted his head off Blaise’s shoulder to lock his gaze with sparkling violet.
Blaise stopped breathing, heartbeat stuttering in his chest. Then he melted. His grip tightened around Silvius’s hand, turned just enough that he could drop his forehead against Silvius’s shoulder as if the admission had physically knocked the air from his lungs. When he got himself under control and lifted his head, his expression was openly soft, eyes warm and bright in a way that he didn’t bother trying to hide.
Silvius swallowed at meeting such an expression. “I know I have said it before… a few times, but…”
“I know,” Blaise murmured, voice low but pleased. “I just… really like hearing you say it.”
Draco made a noise of deep suffering, a low groan vibrating from the back of his throat. “Oh, for the love of…”
Blaise turned his head slightly, ignoring his friend for a moment, lips brushing Silvius’s ear as he murmured back, “I love you too, Tesoro. Ridiculously. It’s becoming a problem.”
Silvius huffed out a laugh. He couldn’t help it when Blaise made comments like that, breath tickling his ear and neck. He felt delighted at receiving such open affections, but could feel a flush coating his ears, knowing that Draco was watching them with an expression stuck between fond and disgusted. Especially when Blaise tugged his even closer and pressed a gentle, yet unmistakably affectionate kiss to his mouth. It was brief and soft, entirely deliberate in a way only Blaise could manage.
Draco gagged loudly, “I am reporting the two of you to Uncle Reg.”
Silvius chuckled, shaking his head even as the heat along his cheeks heightened. “You are not.”
“I absolutely am,” Draco replied with a smug grin. “If you don’t start behaving, I will talk to your father about unnecessary public displays of mutual devotion.”
Silvius waved him off by returning a kiss to Blaise’s lips, emboldened by the familiar banter. “Hey! We are behaving perfectly. We didn’t even make out this time!”
Draco rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t get stuck. Blaise snickered, slipping behind Silvius so he could wrap both arms around his boyfriend’s waist, allowing Silvius to lean back and rest fully against his chest.
“I hate it here,” Draco muttered at the same time Blaise bent down and muttered. “I can always rectify that, Tesoro.”
Silvius’s breath hitched, just a little, not enough for Draco to notice, luckily. He settled further into Blaise’s embrace, tilting his head back so he could look into smouldering violet eyes. “Maybe later, when Draco falls asleep.”
“I can still hear you, you know.” Draco sniffed, glaring across at the couple who shot him identical innocent smiles, which makes his roll his eyes and laugh. “You guys are ridiculous.”
“Good. Glad we could be of assistance.” Blaise nodded once, his smile shifted into one of smug possessiveness.
“Your life would be boring without us, Cousin.”
Draco threw his hands up in the air, with a low groan. “That’s it. I am going to sleep in Theo’s room. With Vince and Greg… I refuse to be emotionally assaulted in the safety of my own dorm room.” He begins to storm off toward the door.
“You’ll be back in ten minutes.” Silvius teases, making Draco pause in the doorway.
“…Fifteen,” he corrected, knowing that his cousin was no doubt correct. “And if I come back to find snuggling, I’m confiscating pillows. Oh, I don't know if you are aware or not, but you seemed to have walked through the castle in full creature mode.” The door shut behind him with a dramatic click.
Silvius startled at his cousin's words and immediately raised a hand to his hair, where his horns were still nestled between locks of hair. He turned around, glancing over his shoulder and saw his tail lazily swishing back and forth, occasionally dragging against the floor. He felt a deep flush travelling along his cheeks and down his neck and chest. When he turned to glance at Blaise, he noticed that his boyfriend seemed just as confused and oblivious as he had been. Catching each other's gazes, the pair broke out into rambunctious laughter, not knowing that Draco was smiling to himself on the other side of the door before walking down the corridor to Theo's room.