. ݁⋆ ꫂ᭪ ݁˖ . ݁ slow dancing with gryffindor!chris late at night . . .
from the hogwarts universe !!
after wandering the castle for nearly an hour with no destination in mind, both you and chris somehow end up in one of the oldest corridors in hogwarts.
it’s honestly routine at this point. whenever the two of you can’t sleep, you always sneak out of your common rooms and meet up just to wander the halls together, hoping you don’t get caught. the thrill and just being with chris, clearing your head is what makes it all so worth it in your eyes.
the moonlight pours through the tall arched windows, silver washing over the stone floor. portraits slumber quietly in their frames, and somewhere far away, you can hear the grandfather clock in the entrance hall strike one in the morning.
“we’re definitely getting in so much trouble if we’re caught,” you murmur.
chris smiles. “yeah, probably.” he doesn’t seem particularly worried, he never does.
the silence between you isn’t uncomfortable. it hasn’t been in a long time. you’ve talked about basically every topic possible tonight, like your classes, quidditch, memories of your first year, the moving staircases that still occasionally confuse you, you laughed until your stomach hurt, it’s always like that whenever you’re in chris’s presence.
and now…now you’re just walking. your shoulders brush every few steps, but neither of you says anything about it.
chris suddenly stops, you take another step before realizing he isn’t beside you anymore. turning around, you find him standing in the middle of the corridor, looking at you with the tiniest smile.“what?” you question him.
he shrugs. “do you hear that?”
you listen. at first, you hear nothing. then, faintly…soft music. somewhere in the castle, it’s barely even audible this far away, the orchestral melody echoing softly through the stone halls.
you laugh. “you’ve got better hearing than i do.”
“or maybe i just wanted an excuse.” chris’s tone softens.
“for what?” you lock eyes with him.
instead of answering, he walks toward you, slowly. he stops just in front of you, close enough that your heart immediately begins behaving differently. then, he places his hand out for you. “may i have this dance?”
you stare at him. “…seriously?”
he gives an exaggerated little bow. “please?”
you can’t help smiling. “the music is so far away, though.”
“you can hear it pretty clearly if you pretend hard enough.” he winks charismatically.
you shake your head, laughing quietly. “you’re ridiculous.”
“that’s not a no.” chris taunts in a sing-songy tone.
it isn’t a no, not at all. after another second, you sigh dramatically before placing your hand in his. “one dance.”
his face brightens immediately, his fingers curl carefully around yours, warm against the cool night air. his other hand settles lightly at your waist, hesitantly, like he’s making sure you’re comfortable before touching you at all. you rest your free hand on his shoulder. for a second…neither of you moves, you’re both suddenly very aware of how close you are.
then chris begins swaying, slowly, kind of awkwardly. “you’re leading this dance?” you laugh.
“trying to.” he looks down at his feet.
“you’re kinda terrible.” you joke as you look into his blue eyes. being this close to him is making you realize how truly charming his features really are, it was obviously a given, but seeing it up close was something even more special.
“chill on me, i’ve literally never done this before.” chris rolls his eyes, his grip on you tightening slightly.
he laughs, the sound quiet enough not to wake the portraits. “wow. brutal.”
“you’ll survive.” you just shrug.
“i’m not so sure.” chris replies, the words slipping off his tongue in such a quiet, and soothing way.
you begin following his slow steps anyways. left. right. a tiny turn. back again.
the music somehow becomes easier to hear, or maybe you’re just imagining it.
it feels like the corridor disappears around you, there’s only soft moonlight, the gentle scrape of shoes across ancient stone, his thumb absentmindedly brushing against your side. you don’t notice you’ve drifted closer until your forehead nearly brushes his chin, your breathing slows. so does his.
“you know…” chris says quietly.
“i used to think about this.”
you glance up. “what? dancing?”
“yeah, with you.” he admits in a whisper.
he smiles sheepishly. “not…here specifically.”
you laugh under your breath.
“just…” his eyes soften. “i don’t know, moments like this i guess.”
you don’t know what to say. because somehow, despite everything, this feels so natural, like you’ve always known how to fit here.
your fingers tighten slightly around his hand without thinking. he notices almost immediately, but doesn’t mention it. instead, he gently spins you. it’s clumsy, you nearly lose your balance, but he catches you before you can stumble, laughing as you collide softly against his chest.
you huff. “that absolutely did not count as a proper spin.”
“looked pretty impressive, if i do say so myself.” chris exclaims.
you’re still laughing when you realize neither of you has stepped back. his hands are still around you, and your faces are only inches apart now.
the laughter slowly fades into the atmosphere, the corridor becomes impossibly quiet. his eyes begin to search yours carefully.
your pulse quickens, his breath brushes softly across your face. for one suspended moment, it feels like the whole castle has stopped moving.
then somewhere nearby, a portrait snores loudly.
you both jump, and immediately burst into laughter. real, uncontrollable laughter. chris doubles over, shaking his head. “our dance was completely ruined.”
you wipe tears from your eyes. “completely.”
he offers you his hand again. “can i walk you back?”
you take it without thinking. “yeah.”
neither of you lets go all the way back to ravenclaw tower. but when you finally do, your hand feels colder than it did before, missing the warmth of chris’s fingers intertwined with yours.
💌: was it casual when we slow danced together in the hogwarts corridors
baratheonpilled
stormborns
jacobvanloon
yousharknotpass
2087
