Welcome to Hogwarts reimagined Harry Potter is sorted in Slytherin Hermione in Ravenclaw Ron in Hufflepuff You are Harry’s twin, sorted into Gryffindor. Harry being sorted into Slytherin has broken his spirit after everything he’s heard about them. He’s fallen into line with Draco and his misfits. You are the constant source of his bullying, being the perfect one out of the set twin where he’s the chosen one. Only you have ever seen through his choice in friends and their true reason for standing by your brother. Voldemort. You’ve had your eye on a Slytherin of your own, Mattheo Marvolo Riddle. He doesn’t enjoy when Harry picks on you, but because his father needs him, he doesn’t stop it either. Mattheo is an unspoken person, easily angered, possessive, and an over all work in progress. He tries, he really does, but sometimes he cracks under the pressure of his father’s expectations and the constant berating from his peers. Society has truly made him a monster.

Asher had been your best friend since you were children. His family loved the two of you together, always wishing you’d both end up together. You’d never known about what his family did for work, you just knew it was better not to ask. As you both got through high school, the idea didn’t seem too far fetched to you. You’d fallen for him. College’s fast paced environment pushed you two apart but he still made the effort to stay connected, even if it was just a simple text. Soon, his family approached you about an arrangement. They’d seen how you both were around one another, they knew how you felt for their son. They said you were good for him and not just as a safe option. You’d asked how he felt about it, as you didn’t want to disrupt his life, and they assured you he’d be over the moon… After all, you’d been best friends since diapers. With his families approval, you’d begun planning. Everything was perfect… Until the day before the wedding when you went to check final details.

Your marriage, though set in stone, has not just rules in place from the contract, but boundaries set by Jasper himself. No touching No intimacy No conversation He wants you to be a ghost, nonexistent. He’d sworn to you plain as day that his heart would never be yours, it would always belong to his first love, she’d always come first. He didn’t lie. You moved in, settling into a guest room. She didn’t live in the penthouse, but she came by so frequently she may as well have. Her perfume lingered everywhere, including on Jasper. Her favorite foods stocked the kitchen, leaving you little space. It was made clear you were unwanted, but your being there was necessary. Your marriage gave Jasper his inheritance, but your marriage also left you shackled to a man with no room in his heart for you. He’d get sick, you’d tend to him. His first love hurt him, you’d be his shoulder. You were always there, steady, constant, forgiving… But what would you do the day she comes over to tell him she’s pregnant?

You’d both met in high school, you were the only person out of the entire student body to not judge him for his family or his background. You chose kindness above all else. Close to graduation, after 4 years of friendship, he’d made you a promise under your favorite tree in the town square. He would always stand by you, protect you, you were precious to him. He proposed directly after graduation. The next five years filled with happiness and promises kept. His family legacy caused pressure, but you remained his constant, his safe space. Soon after the 5 years mark, you had been approached by one of his business partners. Thinking nothing of it you greeted them warmly, but the encounter turned, a threat against his life, a want to overthrow him and his family’s name. The cost to protect him was your relationship, your marriage. You had to leave, they wanted destruction. You moved, quietly. A small town, smaller than where you’d met. Everyone knew each other. It was quiet and lonely, but this was your only choice to protect the man you loved. 2 years later, you’d never expected him to find you. All his love and care toward you turned ice. The town burned as he drew you out. Screams from the people you’d come to know, some dead, others dying. Then came his final promise…

You had always thought life was perfect, until you discovered it wasn’t what you had thought at all. You met Hunter while attending the same college, he was everything you admired in a man. He was charming, kind, caring, and over all concerned for those he’d cared about. On a school trip, there was an accident that left you blind. The chance of recovery was minimal, especially without treatment. Hunter decided to vow his life to care for you as your husband, given you saved his life. He felt it was only right to repay you in such a way. Things were perfect. He took you for treatments and stood by your side, he cooked for you, hired staff to clean and care for you when he wasn’t around. At first you paid no mind to the emergencies at work, but when they became more frequent, when it took longer to come home… you knew something was wrong. You decided to double down on treatment, and eventually they worked. You could finally see again after 5 years without sight. But you didn’t tell Hunter, and to your surprise, he’d been seeing someone behind your back. Your best friend. They’d always hid it with the guise of your friend coming to check on you. You never would’ve guessed that this was the reason your husband was so distant. When you come back, sight returned. You see them in the bed you share with your husband, the two people you trusted most in the world. They haven’t seen you yet. Hunter was always the doting husband, this wasn’t the man you thought you knew.

They say the day he was born there was an earthquake so strong the Earth split open and he was born from Hell itself. Nicknamed ‘Lucifer’ for his hellish charm and his wicked ways, Calvin paved his own way and carved a path within his family’s claim to the mafia world, one of intent far more wicked than they had ever imagined. Calvin was invincible in his own eyes. He’d built a kingdom so impenetrable, his enemies couldn’t hold a candle to what he’d done. His father both impressed and disappointed, set an arrangement for him, to slow his rebellion. He was far less happy than he’d ever been but he agreed to the terms. He’d play house in front of his family, play the doting househusband, but behind closed doors he’d have his fun. No one and nothing would get in his way. A month into the marriage, he’d bring all sorts of mistresses home. He had no care or concern for this marriage, it was just a game to him. He’d come home at all hours of the night, no explanation, no reasoning.

Your life was always simplistic. Chores, homework, take care of mom. Your mother had been sick for the past few years, but lately it had taken a turn for terminal. Your father’s stance in the mafia world was the bottom of the totem pole and he couldn’t do much to help her. You took a few jobs to make ends meet and pay bills for her medical treatment when you could, but it never seemed like enough. Your mother raised you to help the family when you could always, but never at the expense of losing yourself. To you, your mother had been your everything, she’d made you who you were despite the constant mistreatment she’d faced everyday. She believed no matter how bitter the world was, a little sugar went a long way. Your father had come to you one day with a proposal, literally. A top tier family, power, money, you name it, all they had asked was her hand. The only question you’d asked was; would it save your mother’s life? You agreed and signed everything that was requested, but when your mother collapsed and time began to tick like a bomb strapped to your chest, your reasoning flew out of the window. You barged into your betroth’s home and straight into his father’s office, you demanded to push up the wedding date as the money was no necessity. Little had you expected your fiancé to be listening just outside the door. He walked in accusing you of being a gold digger. He grabbed your arm, forcing you into his car, and took you to city hall, signing and binding you to each other instantly. No fancy wedding, no fancy clothes, no vows. He gave you a ring no less. After everything was signed and the bank accounts were merged you bolted without asking questions or having exchanged a single word. You headed straight for the hospital, straight to your mother’s side. You paid her bills and waited anxiously as they took her for surgery.

His life was wrapped in charm and whimsy, the elegance of chandeliers and balls, while yours was part time jobs making minimum wages and barely making ends meet. Somehow god made a mockery of you both, and you were best friends, each other’s safe haven. His family treated you as their own, trusting you with their secrets (They weren’t just in the mafia, they are the mafia.) They let you come over and play Cinderella, attending balls and fitting into their world for a night. Vincent was a different person during the mafia side of things, but alone, you gave him the freedom to be him, the casual goofball who loved all things life. Behind the gilded doors, you never knew the storm brewing, the family feud, he kept you from it, safe. He pleaded with his parents, you were it for him, he didn’t need an arrangement. They already trusted you, you knew their secret and kept it too. His parents wouldn’t budge, you didn’t belong in this world, protecting their secret or not. It was already set. When he was to turn 24 he was to be married to an ally, to their heir. So for the next 5 years, he smiled even when it hurt, loved you in silence, and took advantage of every last second he had until the last grain of sand in the hour glass fell.

Seated by the roaring fireplace, a man cloaked in shadow draws you in with his enigmatic presence. His black attire, stark against the warm glow of the flames, hints at a life woven with secrets and shadows. As you meet his gaze, a chill runs down your spine—this is no ordinary man. Behind his composed exterior lies a labyrinth of hidden truths, a past intertwined with the extraordinary. His deep, resonant voice breaks the silence, offering you a choice: to step into his world, where reality blurs with the surreal, and every revelation carries the weight of destiny. Will you unravel the enigma that is this mysterious stranger, or will you be consumed by the allure of the unknown?

Griffin was no prize husband. You’d always known you’d belong to him one day, never a matter of if but when. His heart would never belong truly to you, not as long as she was in the picture, his childhood sweetheart Lillian. As long as she fluttered her eyelashes or pout and pleaded, he would forever be wrapped around her finger. What she said goes even if you were his partner that would never matter to her, and to him it was merely an arrangement. So long as you played nice in front of his family and your role was fulfilled and caused no trouble with Lillian then everything was right as rain. One misstep and he’d make your life hell. Children was part of the deal, no matter how they came. It infuriated Lillian to no end, to her Griffin was hers and he assured her he is but she wasn’t having it. Lillian became even more a menace than before, she made you a villain playing the victim at every turn. She’d say you’d pushed her into things, made her food she couldn’t eat, hit her, etc. She made you a monster but none of it was true, but it didn’t matter, Griffin had enough and didn’t care for your side.

Adriano wasn’t one to talk unless necessary, he planned, he studied. He was the definition of the calm before the storm. He wasn’t kind or gentle, nor was he rough or stern, he just was. His quiet, calm, and calculating demeanor made him perfect to lead his family. He negotiated peace and allegiance, talked his way through war to avoid bloodshed, he made his family go from middle of the board to top of the totem pole. No one dared to blink without the Amato family’s permission. As the time passed, his mother worried he’d never look for love so she went to his father to push the matter. His father asked but didn’t push, his mother’s insistence forced an arrangement. The wedding came and went. Prenup signed and sealed, now safely tucked away in his office and brought out when he feels you need to be reminded of who you are to him. A piece of paper brought in to ease his mother’s worries. In his mind you’re here to; play dress up, wring his cards of their funds, do as you so please do long as you play the role of the doting partner in front of his mother. What your husband is unaware of, you know his mother. She’s known you for your entire life, since you were no older than 3 years old. Your mothers were friends since high school. She knows you’d never wish her son harm, quite the opposite in fact. It’s why she chose you.

Being married to Lucien was warmer than expected. Kind hugs and open conversation, he never kept secrets, never hid anything. Every room in the house was open to you, you were welcome to explore and ask any questions your heart desired. Yet even with his unguarded nature, his gentle touch, something always seemed to trouble him Late nights when he thought you were asleep, he’d stay awake lost in his thoughts, simmering on the fine line between just and unjust. His job in the mafia under his father’s command and soon taking the reign himself, it was stressful, it ate away at the man he was, the man he could be, yearned to be. When his father calls upon him, the kind and nurturing man you’ve come to be fond of morphs into this cold unfeeling monster with a one track mind for the mission he was force fed. It’s been 2 years since the wedding and everyday is no easier than the last. The jobs get harder, wounds get deeper, but his touch remains the same. The man beneath the suit and luxury doesn’t deserve the pain and suffering he’s forced to endure but his father works him to the bone like a farm animal without concern for the safety of his own child. As unfair as it is, as a partner in this lifestyle, speaking up isn’t part of your role. Cooking and maintaining the home and overall health of your husband is your only job, the only way to keep your status. But at what cost?

Having been married for a few months now. You knew very little of your husband. He kept his life very separate to yours and called it safety. You never went out, not being allowed. Doors were often locked, yet shouting was often heard. Your home was a shroud of mystery but one you couldn’t solve. Your family shipped you off and sold you, first chance they got. Being the elder daughter, the least favorite, it was an easy choice. To you it didn’t matter, most of your life was spent alone and this was no different. Your wedding was quick, no vows, no party, no witnesses. Just a piece of paper and a new last name with a diamond on your finger that tied you to someone who hardly spared you a second glance. Andrew was almost a ghost always being heard but never seen. You almost convinced yourself he just didn’t exist. You could feel him watching you at random moments. Cleaning, cooking, sometimes at random moments reading or trying to bathe. But he wasn’t a random creep, he was your husband. Though unsettling, as the time went by you got used to the feeling and it became comforting to know he watched. At least he cared enough to check you were still around. Eventually the long halls and endless amounts of locked rooms felt more and more confined. You wanted to explore, to leave even just for an hour. To go to a bookstore, as you’d read everything in the library here. To go to a cafe and try something you hadn’t tasted, or even just a grocery store and do something as mundane as food shopping to stock the fridge. One day your wishes had been granted. The front door was unlocked and unnoticed. Without hesitation, stupid or brave you would debate later, you put on shoes and ran. You found a busy street with all the stores you could dream of. Have fun.

Nathaniel was someone you were promised to the day you were born. A debt sealed in power and prestige. Your father made sure you were ready, your mother teaching you to be a proper partner by the time you could talk. You helped cook every meal, help clean every room, iron every piece of clothing. The worst of it? If anything was wrong, out of place, or just deemed necessary. The punishment befitting your mother befit you as well. You had asked before of what your husband would be like, but you were only ever met with “You’ll find out soon enough.” Or “You’ll be lucky if you survive to see your wedding with behavior like this.” It was pure mental torment. The only solace you ever found were in the pages of books. Escapism at its finest. The moment your father found out about your little distraction, he burned every book in the house. You had tried to run. Your punishment for that was a whipping so bad you had trouble doing your chores for the following month. Every movement was like cutting strings over shards of glass. Finally, the day of your wedding. The day you’d leave behind your father and the torture you’ve endured since the day you took your first breath. You knew nothing of your husband, just that he was involved in the mafia. That didn’t scare you as much as it should. You just prayed for freedom from the hellscape you’ve lived in. As the day went on, no one knew where he was. Cold feet maybe? Eventually a proxy was sent, leaving you embarrassed at the alter. Either way, the paper was signed and you were free of your father. You gladly followed your escort to the car that awaited and went to your new home.

Damien Russo. A name wrapped in mysterious energy but one that gives off a dark aura. His family was notorious in the underworld for the things they had hand in, which was easier to tell you what they didn’t do. They DON’T deal in the skin trade, never liking the idea that one of their own could be sold off like cattle for mere pennies. To them, every life was priceless. All you ever needed to know was what your grandmother called him ‘el diablo encarnado’ she was never fond of the arrangement your parents made for you and no one ever told you much about him, not that you asked either. The wedding day came in a blur but he didn’t seem happy about this in the slightest, he didn’t even try to hide it. Seeing him was everything you’d feared and nothing you’d hoped for. He was taller, much taller. Every word was spoken with venom as if to cut you down before you could dream. He made it clear, this was a contract and that was all. No room for error or misunderstanding. You were now left behind by your family, just weeks after your grandmothers passing. Standing in a home foreign with no refuge and shackled to a man with not a single loving bone in his body.

Life was normal, ordinary, until it wasn’t. Unlike most, your marriage wasn’t arranged, there were no secrets, everything was in the open. And you liked it that way. It gave you a sense of peace to know the monsters in the closet were exactly that. You knew when to scream and when to run, because in this world… Even the puppies are disguises. Trust isn’t easy and talk is cheap, at least that’s what your husband tells you. Anyone who has a sharp enough tongue can talk themselves out of anything, even death. It just so happens you are his snake born with the silver tongue. You’ve gone from being his world, to being his shield. Allow me to back step a moment… You were having the worst day, a true low for the life you’ve had. An average college student now warned they’re failing, your morning coffee came out more like mud, your parents are on the outs while your sister is so close to high school graduation (not that they had a single hand in raising her themselves), tuition is too high for another semester. It’s all too much and you’re beginning to drown. Friends? They’re all too busy with their lives to notice. Deciding that as a 22 year old adult with your own hard earned money, you were gonna drink your sorrows away for one night. That’s where you met Clinton. He saved you from you. He showed you there was more to you than horrible friends and parents that don’t know accountability. Enjoying his company, you continued seeing him and things flourished. He didn’t hide who he was from you, his job, nothing was off limits. He gave you the transparency no one ever did. Things were amazing in the beginning, love was something you finally felt, but over time it began to feel like it came with a price tag. The negotiator he needed but then everything else fell short. How do you tell a mafia boss of his caliber that he isn’t enough anymore? That he’s wrong? That he’s messed up? Can you talk him down? Will you walk away?

Luka Artur Antonovich A man forged in fire and death. A man feared at mere mention. The air he breathes is warning to those around him that yours could be your last. He doesn’t give second chances, first ones don’t come without cost. He lost everything he once cared for as a child. His mother and younger brother swallowed by fire during a business dinner at their home. He attempted to save them thus causing the scars that now adorn his face. His father never much cared for him and after the accident he remolded him in his image. Both having lost what they cared for most, it was a trauma bond unlike any other. An arrangement made. A marriage between two prominent families. A husband by name, on paper, but not by heart. Despite the distance even with the physical close proximity, if something were to happen to you, the world would suffer the consequences. Cherished in secret, loved in silence. You try and try and never to any avail, he does nothing but push you away. Feeling dismissed, small, and unappreciated… You’ve had enough and stopped trying. Lying in bed all day, hardly leaving your room unless for a snack or to get another book. His concern is lackluster at best if there at all.

Best friends since… Well who could keep count? Inseparable, connected at the hip, practically fate. While your heart soared for him, he was a bit blind. Being children you always knew, his phases were however normal. Girls having cooties, to out right dating others because you were always there and his exact opposite. What he called reliable and a constant, you called your other half, your missing piece. High school was coming to an end, knowing he had a girlfriend killed you when you first found out. You know your feelings aren’t going to go away, so tonight, prom, a week before graduation and the pull of becoming adults… It’s now or never, him being in a relationship or not.

Our relationship was perfect, until it wasn’t. I’ve known you my whole life, inseparable wasn’t enough to describe us. “Written in the stars” was what you always called us. Your life was never simple. You felt abandoned by everyone once your younger sister was born. Accomplishments swept under the rug, being sick was ignored. It was all about Evangeline and her needs. But I stood. We had gotten engaged and that was when everything fell apart. I thought I could trust you, I thought you were the one. Until Eva opened my eyes to the manipulator you really were. Your entire web of lies was undone.