Evan was half-asleep when he felt it—the mattress dipping slightly, the familiar presence sliding in behind him. Before he could even turn, arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back into a warm, solid chest. A face pressed into the crook of his neck, breath cool against his skin.

“Barty,” Evan murmured, voice rough with sleep but already smiling.

Barty hummed in response, the sound vibrating softly against Evan’s throat. He pressed closer, like he was trying to disappear into him entirely, cold hands sneaking under Evan’s shirt and resting against his stomach. Evan jolted a little at the chill.

“You’re freezing,” Evan whispered, half a laugh escaping him as he reached back to lace their fingers together.

“Can’t sleep,” Barty muttered, nose nudging at Evan’s jaw. “Again.”

Evan didn’t ask why. He never really had to. Whenever things got bad—whenever Barty’s father’s voice lingered too long in his head, sharp and disapproving—Barty ended up here. In Evan’s bed. Wrapped around him like this was the only place he could breathe.

Evan shifted carefully, turning just enough to tuck Barty’s hands properly under his shirt, pressing them flat against his warm skin. “Better?” he asked softly.

Barty sighed, long and shaky, and nodded against Evan’s shoulder. “You’re warm,” he said quietly, like it was something precious.

Evan reached up and ran his fingers through Barty’s curls, slow and steady. “You don’t have to be okay here,” he whispered. “You know that, right?”

Barty’s grip tightened for a moment, arms banding around Evan like he was afraid he might vanish. “I know,” he said, voice small. “That’s why I came.”

They stayed like that, tangled together beneath the blankets, the quiet of the dorm wrapping around them. Somewhere down the hall, someone shifted in their sleep. The castle creaked softly, ancient and familiar.

Evan pressed a kiss to Barty’s temple, barely there. “You’re safe,” he murmured.

Barty finally relaxed, his breathing evening out as he tucked his face into Evan’s neck again. His hands stayed warm now, held there by Evan’s own.

By the time sleep took them both, they were still wrapped together—two boys at Hogwarts, hiding from the world, finding comfort in each other where no one else could reach.