#sebastian sallow angst
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midniqhtt · 6 months ago
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sebastian sallow
masterlist • hogwarts legacy • 03/27/25
˚‧⁺ ・ ˖ · ୨ৎ recs
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𑣲 never forget I @zevrra
where sebastian is actually worried about MC and regrets casting crucio on them
𑣲 caught in the rain I @/zevrra
you and sebastian seek shelter inside an abandoned home where every feeling is laid to bare.
𑣲 truth or dare I @ppomumgranatum
Truths emerged and friendships were tested as you found yourself confronting two years' worth of suppressed feelings towards Sebastian. Drunk.
𑣲 the dance of love’s sweet potion I @/ppomumgranatum
When a potion meant to repel backfired, it became a mishap that turned your world upside down.
𑣲 marry me I @theealbatross
The 3 times Sebastian thought about marrying you and the 1 time he asked.
𑣲 fight the alchemy I @/theealbatross
Garreth asks why Sebastian isn’t dating you. Sebastian spirals.
𑣲 i love you, it’s ruining my life I @/theealbatross
Sebastian has the worst insomnia known to man and you are not dating him.
𑣲 never not been mine I @/theealbatross
Everyone wonders if you and Sebastian are together. Sebastian wonders when will everyone mind their own business.
𑣲 a habit to kick, an age old cure I @/theealbatross
you and Sebastian are now strangers but at your most vulnerable moment he picks up the pieces. only he knows. only he can.
𑣲 fever (what a lovely way to burn) I @shadowtriovibes
"since you saved Sebastian from Azkaban, he has met you in the common room every morning and you have gone to breakfast together. One morning he isn't there so you go to his room looking for him to find him in bed, poorly.”
𑣲 request I @/shadowtriovibes
Eric Northcott is relentlessly pursuing you, so Sebastian offers to act as your heroic boyfriend to get him off your back
𑣲 break a sweat part 2 part 3 part 4 I @/shadowtriovibes
sebastian makes the house quidditch team after training all summer. before his first match, you let him talk you into a bet over its outcome that will in all likelihood ruin your friendship. (merlin, you sure hope it does.)
𑣲 mind if i move in closer? I @/shadowtriovibes
𑣲 it’s a sign of the times part 2 I @/shadowtriovibes
Rivals-to-lovers Sebastian and MC use a Time-Turner to travel to the future with Ominis in search for a cure for Anne. Instead they find a girl who's the spitting image of MC trying to sneak into the Restricted Section in the 1910s, only she has freckles like Sebastian
𑣲 fissured composure I @anto-pops
After watching you hold your own against a handsy classmate, Sebastian is feeling particularly needy and steals you away to the Undercroft to show you just how worked up your right hook got him.
𑣲 possessive touch I @/anto-pops
Sebastian has never been the sharing sort. He was happy to loan people notes or quills, maybe even the occasional book from the Restricted Section. But not you. Never you.
𑣲 sudsy confessions I @/anto-pops
Sebastian confessing his long-harbored love for you while you’re naked in a bathtub.
𑣲 request I @/anto-pops
𑣲 unspoken attraction I @arthenaa
The girls and you have a talk on who they'll date amongst the students in Hogwarts. No one mentions Sebastian despite being deemed the most handsome in your year. You wonder why?
𑣲 jealously, jealousy I @awkwardauthorwrites
𑣲 i think he knows I @/awkwardauthorwrites
Sebastian helps Y/N with an interesting request
𑣲 violets and verbena I @/awkwardauthorwrites
Two years have passed since the events in Hogwarts Legacy, in which Y/N has drifted away from Sebastian. What happens when she has to spend some time in the hospital wing and he comes to visit?
𑣲 in the middle part 2 I @/awkwardauthorwrites
After a few months of knowing the reader the boys suddenly realise one day they are falling in love with the reader and start to become a bit bitter towards each other and very jealous if another guy gives her attention.
𑣲 wildest dreams part 2 part 3 I @/awkwardauthorwrites
Ten years have passed since the events of Hogwarts Legacy and Y/N is invited back as part of a reunion to celebrate.
𑣲 diesel is desire I @wttcsms
sebastian sallow is a good friend. so good, in fact, that when you find yourself under the ungodly influence of a lust potion, he's willing to help give you some relief.
𑣲 trust fall I @fairytalesandlegacies
Sebastian Sallow teaches you how to fight against the Imperius Curse late one night, and in the process, some long-kept secrets are revealed.
𑣲 i need you I @ravenelyx
Sebastian has different ways of dealing with being hurt. One of them is burying his face in your chest while you cuddle him
𑣲 who do you smell? I @roarieluz
Sebastian Sallow has had a crush on Y/N for a while now, this isn't news to him but when a strong batch of amortentia is made for potions class it is hard to keep his mind clear of anything that isn't about you and what he wants to do to you.
𑣲 the night shift part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 I @writing-intheundercroft
You're the lead healer in the St. Mungo's intensive care unit, and a painfully familiar face ends up in your ward.
𑣲 a long time coming I @undergaunts
aka three times Sebastian is a flirt, one time he gets called out on it, and one time he finally does something about it.
𑣲 pining in potions class I @festivalsofmargot
Sebastian Sallow is forming a huge crush on you, and it’s hitting him all at once in a very annoying way. Something as simple as not being partnered with you in potions class eats away at him.
𑣲 pretty thoughts part 2 I @/festivalsofmargot
Sebastian is down bad for you, my dear reader. But a lot of overthinking on your part makes you blind to it. So, his only option is to keep chasing after you.
𑣲 a worrisome box of chocolates I @matchavellichor
𑣲 you look better in green part 2 I @fierymiasma
In which Sebastian sees the new transfer student wearing someone else’s scarf and proceeds to absolutely lose it.
𑣲 snow, scarves, and schemes I @spaceyaceface
Y/N is sick of Leander Prewett trying to court her. Luckily, she has a best friend named Sebastian Sallow who would love to help put an end to it. They devise a plan to pretend to court up until the Yule Ball. Should be simple, right? If only. 
𑣲 the one who stayed I @talesofesther
For a moment, Sebastian thought he lost you, and now the guilt for what happened is eating away at him.
𑣲 the winner takes all I @justauthoring
in which, leander prewett is a prick and sebastian shows him not mess with his girl.
𑣲 bludgered I @slytherizz
Sebastian never really knew what his friend saw in Isaac Cooper but he never questioned it - he made his friend happy. That is until a Quidditch match goes quickly awry and he realises his feelings for her may go far deeper than simple friendship.
𑣲 between the two of you I @cuffmeinblack
Rewriting of the events of the Shadow of the Study/Discovery quests.
𑣲 i crumble completely (when you cry) I @atlabeth
there's only one way to get into salazar slytherin's scriptorium.
𑣲 right where you left me I @anomalyaly
You died. Sebastian secretly had a portrait of you commissioned.
𑣲 in the shadow of the mountain I @ellecdc
fed up with Sebastian. After admitting he "shouldn't have acted so bitterly about your goblin friend", you expect him to be in better spirits on your next quest. He keeps putting the both of you in danger, and you've had it.
𑣲 i remember I @whizzing-fizzbee
You died during your seventh year at Hogwarts before you could tell your best friend, Sebastian Sallow, how much you loved him. But when he discovers a box of your pensieve memories, he learns the comforting, yet cruel truth.
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slytherinzz · 5 months ago
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Breaking point
Summary: Two years after the turmoil of her fifth year at Hogwarts, MC returns for her seventh year, haunted by past trauma and the ghosts of broken friendships. Reconnecting with Ominis and Sebastian, her once closest friends, is no easy feat. As she drowns her pain in reckless parties, endless boys and destructive behavior, both boys watch helplessly, knowing she’s spiraling. When a night takes a dark turn, they intervene, and MC is forced to face the pain she’s been hiding. But Sebastian, with his own regrets, is determined to help her heal—and to prove that he’s not letting her go.
Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x F!reader (fluff at the end/protective Seb)
Warnings: mentions of alcohol abuse and slutshaming. Characters aged up to 7th year!
a/n: is this fandom still alive? Maybe I'm to late to the party ;) But I'm really enjoying myself haha. Plan to do more in the future: preparing some prompts and headcanons en requests are open. Give me a follow for more.
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It had been two years since their fateful fifth year, and though the dust had settled, the wounds had not. Life at Hogwarts carried on, but for MC, every hallway, every classroom, and every face served as a reminder of what she had endured. She returned to Hogwarts for her seventh year, her path winding her back to the two people who had once been her closest friends: Ominis Gaunt and Sebastian Sallow.
It wasn’t immediate, this reconnection. Time had a way of healing and, at the same time, pushing people apart. Their sixth year had been quiet—MC had needed space to deal with everything, to step back from the chaos that had consumed her life. But now, in their final year, they had found each other again, tentatively rebuilding their friendship.
And yet, something was different.
Sebastian had never stopped loving her. That much was obvious to Ominis, even if Sebastian refused to admit it outright. The way his eyes softened when she entered the room, the protective edge in his tone whenever someone so much as teased her—it was clear to anyone paying attention. But MC, though she cared deeply for him, was terrified of letting herself feel the same.
She couldn’t.
If she allowed herself to feel for Sebastian, she risked everything. What if he didn’t feel the same? What if it ruined their fragile friendship? She couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Not again. And so, she buried her feelings and found other ways to cope.
At first, it had been small things. A few late nights at parties, a glass of Firewhisky here and there. But as the year wore on, her coping mechanisms became destructive. She was at every party, taking shot after shot until the world blurred around her. She laughed too loudly, danced too wildly, and left with boys who didn’t know her name and didn’t care to.
It wasn’t long before Ominis and Sebastian noticed.
“She’s not herself,” Ominis said one night, pacing the floor of their shared dormitory. “She’s drinking too much. She is searching for validation in other people arms. She’s… reckless.”
Sebastian sat on his bed, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists. He didn’t need Ominis to tell him what he already knew.
“I’ve seen her,” he muttered. “I’ve seen her, throw herself to others, going way behond her own limits, Ominis. She doesn’t even look like herself anymore.”
Ominis stopped pacing, his expression grim. “She’s hurting, Sebastian. She’s been hurting for years, and we didn’t help. She needed us, and we weren’t there. After everything she has done for us”
Sebastian flinched at the words. He couldn’t deny it. In their fifth year, he had hurt her—his obsession with saving Anne, the lies, the dark magic. He had driven a wedge between them, and the guilt of it still weighed heavily on him.
“But what do we do now?” Sebastian asked, his voice low. “She won’t listen to us. She doesn’t even look at me anymore.”
Ominis sighed. “We keep an eye on her. We make sure she’s safe, even if she doesn’t want us to. And when the time is right, we talk to her. Really talk to her.”
The Slytherin common room was packed, the air thick with the smell of Firewhisky and the sound of laughter. It was one of the biggest parties of the year, and MC was right in the center of it.
She looked radiant, her cheeks flushed, her laughter ringing out above the noise. But to Sebastian and Ominis, who watched from the corner of the room, there was a sadness in her eyes that no one else seemed to notice.
“She’s already drunk,” Ominis said quietly, his gaze fixed on her as she stumbled slightly, leaning on a nearby table for support.
Sebastian’s fists clenched. “I’m not letting her leave with anyone tonight.”
They continued to watch as she floated from group to group, her laughter louder, her movements more erratic. And then Weasley approached her.
It started innocently enough. Garreth poured her another drink, cracking jokes that made her laugh. But as the night wore on, his intentions became clearer. He moved closer to her, his hand brushing against her arm, then her waist. MC, too drunk to notice—or too drunk to care—didn’t push him away.
Sebastian’s blood boiled.
“She’s too far gone for this,” he growled, stepping forward, but Ominis grabbed his arm.
“Not yet. Let’s see if she pushes him off.”
But she didn’t. Garreth led her to a quieter corner of the room, away from the crowd. She swayed on her feet, barely able to keep her balance, but Garreth steadied her.
And then he kissed her.
It wasn’t soft or gentle. It was rough, his hands gripping her waist, pulling her against him. MC stiffened, her hands pressing weakly against his chest, but she was too drunk to fight back. His hands began to wander, slipping down to her thighs, and that was when Sebastian snapped.
“Get your hands off her!”
He was across the room in seconds, shoving Garreth away with a force that sent him stumbling. Garreth glared, his face red with anger and embarrassment.
“She wanted it” Garreth spat, but Sebastian didn’t let him finish.
“She’s drunk,” Sebastian snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “She couldn’t consent even if she did want it. You’re pathetic.”
Ominis stepped in, his hand on Sebastian’s arm. “Enough. Let’s get her out of here.”
MC was barely coherent, her head lolling against Sebastian’s chest as he scooped her into his arms.
The Room of Requirement was quiet, the chaos of the party far behind them. Sebastian laid MC gently on a plush sofa, pulling a blanket over her as Ominis conjured a glass of water.
“She’s going to hate us for this,” Ominis said softly.
“I don’t care,” Sebastian replied, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m not letting her destroy herself.”
They stayed by her side through the night, refusing to leave her alone. When she finally stirred, the early morning light filtering through the room, she groaned softly, her head pounding.
“Where… where am I?” she mumbled.
“The Room of Requirement,” Sebastian said, his voice gentle. “You drank too much. We brought you here.”
She sat up slowly, her eyes darting between the two boys. “Did I… did something happen?”
Sebastian hesitated, his jaw tightening. “Garreth crossed a line. We stopped him.”
Her face crumpled, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Stop,” Ominis said firmly. “You don’t need to apologize to us. But you do need to stop doing this to yourself.”
Sebastian knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Why, MC? Why are you doing this? Drinking, partying… pushing us away?”
She shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t know how to feel anymore. I can’t… I can’t risk losing you. Either of you. If I let myself feel anything, it’ll destroy me.”
“You’re not going to lose us,” he said again, his voice steadier this time. “But you have to stop hurting yourself. You have to let someone in, MC.”
Her lips quivered, and she shook her head. “I can’t. What if I mess it up? What if I ruin everything? You don’t understand, Sebastian. You… you mean everything to me. You both do. If I lose you, I don’t know how to keep going.”
Sebastian felt his heart crack open. Every word she spoke was another piece of armor he hadn’t realized he’d been wearing, falling away. “And you think I don’t feel the same?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
She blinked at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “You… what?”
“I love you,” he said, firmer now. “I’ve been in love with you since Fifth Year. And seeing you like this—seeing you with Garreth, seeing you destroy yourself—it’s killing me. I can’t stand it anymore, MC. I can’t.”
Her breath hitched, her hands tightening around his as though he might disappear if she let go. “But why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t think I deserved you,” he admitted, his voice breaking. “Not after everything I did. Not after how much I hurt you back then.”
“You didn’t hurt me, Sebastian,” she said, her voice trembling. “You were trying to save Anne. You were trying to save your family. I could never hate you for that.”
Sebastian let out a shaky laugh, his forehead falling to hers. “And I could never hate you for what you’ve done this year. But you have to stop punishing yourself. You’re not alone. You never were.”
The words hit her like a tidal wave. For years, she had carried the weight of her guilt, her grief, her fear—alone. And now, here was Sebastian, promising to share it with her. To stay by her side no matter what.
She let out a choked sob and pulled him into a fierce hug. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, over and over again.
“You don’t have to apologize,” he murmured, his arms wrapping tightly around her. “Just let me be here for you. Please.”
For the first time in years, she let herself believe that she wasn’t alone.
When the three of them returned to the Great Hall the next morning, the whispers began almost immediately.
“Look at her. The hero of Hogwarts, brought home by her two protectors again.”
“Bet she’s gone through half the boys in Slytherin by now.”
“She’ll probably ditch Sebastian and take Ominis next. What’s another name on the list?”
MC’s face burned as the whispers reached her ears. She felt every judgmental gaze, every smirk. It was suffocating. She tried to retreat into herself, but Sebastian caught her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.
“Don’t listen to them,” he said quietly. “They don’t know you.”
But the words lingered.
Over the next week, the rumors only grew worse. Despite the clear shift in MC’s behavior—she avoided parties, stopped behaving recklessly, and spent most of her time with Sebastian and Ominis—the whispers followed her wherever she went. And it didn’t take long for people to start turning their attention to Sebastian.
“She’s just using him. He’s the next notch on her wand.”
“Poor Sebastian. He’s in over his head with her.”
It boiled under his skin, every cruel word igniting his frustration. But he knew MC was the one who was truly suffering.
“You don’t believe them, do you?” he asked her one night as they sat by the fire in the Room of Requirement.
“No,” she said quietly, but her voice betrayed her doubt. “But it’s hard not to. After everything I’ve done… maybe they’re right.”
Sebastian cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “They are not right. You’re more than their stupid gossip, MC. You’re more than your mistakes.” He leaned closer, his voice softening. “You’re mine.”
Her eyes widened, her lips parting as his words settled over her.
“I mean it,” he continued. “I don’t care what they say. I don’t care what they think. You’re mine, and I’m not letting anyone take you away from me.”
The breaking point came a week later during a Potions class. Garreth Weasley had taken to making sly comments under his breath whenever MC or Sebastian walked by. Most of the time, Sebastian ignored him, but today, something snapped.
“Well, well,” Garreth said, loud enough for the whole class to hear. “Looks like Sallow finally got his turn. Tell me, MC, how does he compare to the others?”
The room fell silent.
Sebastian shot out of his seat, his wand already drawn. “Take that back,” he snarled, his voice deadly calm.
Garreth smirked. “What? I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.”
“Take. It. Back.”
“Sebastian!” MC’s voice cut through the tension, pulling him back. He turned to her, his face twisted in anger and pain.
“Let them say what they want,” she said softly, her hand brushing against his. “They don’t matter. You do.”
For a moment, the room was frozen. And then, without hesitation, Sebastian cupped her face and kissed her.
It wasn’t a soft, tentative kiss. It was fierce and full of fire, a declaration for everyone in the room to see. When he pulled away, he turned back to Garreth, his hand still on MC’s cheek.
“She’s not some name on a list,” he said coldly. “She’s mine. And if I hear you—or anyone else—talk about her like that again, you’ll regret it.”
The class erupted into murmurs as the professor returned, breaking the moment. But the damage was done. The rumors didn’t stop entirely, but they shifted.
In the days that followed, MC felt something she hadn’t felt in years: peace. Sebastian was by her side at every turn, his presence a constant reminder that she wasn’t alone anymore.
They spent their days together in quiet moments—reading by the fire, sneaking out to the Forbidden Forest for walks, or simply sitting in the Great Hall, their fingers brushing under the table.
And when the whispers started up again, Sebastian was quick to silence them with a sharp glare or a cutting remark. Ominis, ever loyal, had even taken to redirecting conversations when he overheard anything cruel.
For the first time in years, MC felt like she could breathe again.
One evening, as they sat together in the Room of Requirement, Sebastian turned to her, his expression serious.
“Promise me something,” he said.
“Anything,” she replied.
“Promise me you won’t shut me out again. No matter how bad things get, no matter how scared you are, you come to me. Always.”
She smiled, her eyes shining with tears. “I promise.”
And when she kissed him this time, it wasn’t about proving anything to anyone. It was just for them.
For once, she was finally home.
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loomis-maxima · 1 year ago
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​🇸​​🇵​​🇪​​🇱​​🇱​​🇧​​🇴​​🇺​​🇳​​🇩​
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word count;; 14k+ pairing;; sebastian sallow x f!reader warnings;; depictions of injury, violence, and death. use of crucio. slight jealousy, angst, and a lil fluff and mutual pining to go along<3 slight lore changes regarding fiendfyre, and use of y/n. slightly dark wizard!sebastian but also saviour!sebastian 💖
*minor hogwarts legacy spoilers but nothing outright*
a/n;; this took longer than expected- i haven't written in so long so i hope you guys enjoy 💖 (i didn't expect it to be this long, and i feel like the end is a bit shit but i appreciate all of you guys sm for entertaining my fics)
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Nestled in the Scottish Highlands, away from prying and mundane eyes, stood a behemoth of magic, history, legend and mystery. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The castle’s many stained glass windows glistened, the Black Lake sparkled under the stars, and the Forbidden Forest looked just as foreboding, yet at the same time, peaceful, under the last of that night’s moonlight.
The serenity of the landscape was suddenly disturbed, but not by destruction, instead by one of the most regal and proud creatures. A large, majestic Hippogriff broke through the light clouds that hung over the castle, and on the creature's back was a girl, nothing more than a Hogwarts student. “Let’s go Highwing, before anyone notices we’ve been gone all night,” said the girl on the creature's back as she took in the sights from the height they flew at one more time before returning to her usual student life. As Highwing soared in the sky, her huge wings beat against the wind causing an undeniable rhythm in the air. The large, majestic creature flew, a loud and proud call was let out from her chest as she took one last long soar before beginning her descent back to the ground.
                                            ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Back in the quiet of the castle, where students slept soundly, the only thoughts in their minds were the dreams that played out behind their closed eyes, there was one student who hadn’t slipped into the comfort and safety of his dream realm, a fifth-year Slytherin by the name of Sebastian Sallow. Instead of being nestled up cosy in his bed just like his fellow students, Sebastian sat perched on a long sofa in the Slytherin common room, eyes drifting between the doorways that were across from him, his books and the mix of half-used, blank pieces of parchment that sat on the table in front of him. “Where is she…?” he muttered to himself, slinking back into the cushions behind him. Usually, Sebastian wouldn’t keep himself so concerned with what someone else was doing, against the rules or not. But Sebastian found himself in this predicament more often than he would care to admit.
The new student, y/n, had a penchant for sneaking off unnoticed, with only the occasional comment from Imelda or Poppy drawing any attention. However, Sebastian on the other hand was more than aware of her disappearances. In fact, her absence never failed to register with him. Initially, he didn't dwell on it too much, respecting her need for privacy, just as he would want. Yet, an underlying sense of worry persisted within Sebastian, despite his rational understanding.
His eyes drifted around the large open room, taking in every inch of the usually bustling common room. Even the large windows at the end of the room that stood proud, looking out under the murky, Black Lake provided no signs of life, not a single thing except for the usual green hue coming from the windows, casting a haunting, yet beautiful atmosphere. It seemed for all the world, that everyone but Sebastian was asleep, everyone but Sebastian was without a worry. His eyes settled on the fire, the flames were a deep, vibrant orange, hinted with hues of yellow and red as they twisted and danced together. Sebastian found himself, once again, getting lost in their hypnotic sway. There had always been something so inciting to him about fire — the beauty of it, yet the destruction it was capable of always just twinkling beyond the captivating twists.
The sudden sound of a light step began to echo throughout the stagnant silence Sebastian found himself in, pulling his focus away from the dancing flames, choosing instead to watch the entrance to the common from the staircase, a drop of hope bubbled in his stomach as he sat up a little straighter and picked up his book, as if to seem like he was unable to sleep; instead of sitting, waiting for y/n to return. The footsteps were soft, almost imperceptible, like the gentle patter of raindrops on a windowpane. They echoed through the dimly lit room, creating a rhythm that seemed to reverberate through the very air. It was as if the very walls of the castle were whispering secrets, hinting at the arrival of someone who could provide answers to the questions that had been swirling in his mind.
"Sebastian?" a voice asked, barely a whisper, barely rising above the gentle lull of the crackling hearth. The soft patter of approaching footsteps punctured the quiet, drawing nearer to where Sebastian sat, engulfed in his thoughts.
"What are you doing up so late? I didn’t expect anyone to be up." y/n inquired, her voice laced with a hint of worry as she settled onto the sofa opposite him. The faint glow of the embers cast a warm light upon her face, revealing the fatigue etched into her features.
Sebastian lightly shook his head, placing his book atop the disarray of parchment. "Sleep eluded me, so I thought to come down here, see if I can make a dent in Sharp’s assignment" he replied, his tone carefully measured to hide the deceit. He hoped the flickering shadows would hide the concern that he felt was all too apparent in his eyes. "Let's not dwell on just my sleeping habits," he deftly redirected, his gaze intently studying her, "You're the one cutting it close, aren't you? Classes in a few hours, and here you are. I'd wager you not making it to our morning classes tomorrow." A strained chuckle escaped him as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, bridging the distance between them.
Her response was uncharacteristically delayed, and when it came, it didn’t come with its usual excitement. She drew in a breath, her gaze fixed on the dancing flames that seemed to ensnare her reflection in their fiery ballet. Her hands moved in a subtle, self-comforting gesture, leaving a hint of an inner turmoil that she hadn’t confided in him.
A flicker of movement drew his attention to a slender cut marring her face—a wound that was unveiled as she turned towards the fire, how he didn’t notice it the second she had joined him escaped him, it bothered him that he hadn’t seen it straight away, he almost felt guilty. His instinct urged him to reach out, to bridge the gap and address the injury that seemed to scream for attention. Yet he restrained himself, settling back into the shadows with a quiet resolve. "When she's ready, she'll confide in me," he told himself, the thought more a plea to convince himself rather than a conviction.
"I… I was out with Highwing," y/n finally murmured, her voice a soft echo in the room. "There was… something I had to tend to, a matter related to the trials. We encountered some poachers, a couple of goblins—nothing more." But her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken truths, and Sebastian's intuition screamed in silent alarm deep within him.
The crackling fire no longer commanded her attention as she turned to gauge Sebastian's reaction, searching his face for signs of doubt. She hoped he'd let the matter slide, and as if sensing her silent plea, he simply nodded, acceptance flickering in his eyes. "You know, if there's anyone capable of giving poachers a run for their money, it's you, y/n," Sebastian remarked, the softness in his smile reaching his eyes.
Her response was a half-hearted echo of his grin, her eyes locking with his for a fleeting moment. "Thanks, Sebastian. It means a lot, you know? Having someone believe in me when everything here is still so relatively new," she murmured, the vulnerability in her voice brushing against the silent space between them.
Sebastian's chuckle broke through the heaviness, his smile widening, a shared moment of lightness taking the edge off his earlier worry. "Not believe in you? Come on, you had me outmatched from day one. Anyone who can do that is destined for greatness." His words teetered on the edge of sentimentality, and he quickly steered the conversation back with a playful challenge. "But, since I've been demoted to second-best, courtesy of you, you owe me an adventure. It's only fair, right?"
There was a teasing tone to his voice, but behind it lay his sincere desire to join her, not just for the thrill, but to ensure her safety—something he couldn't admit just yet.
The suggestion drew a soft, airy laugh from her as she rose to her feet, sidestepping the deeper implication of his words. "Next time, maybe, Sallow," she deflected with a lightness she didn't feel, sensing the undercurrents of concern that both of them were dancing around. "But for now, I'm off to bed. We've got Hecat first thing, and you better not be up all night either. Promise me you'll get some rest too?" "Promise," Sebastian nodded, the care in her voice buoying him a touch, though it couldn't fully brush off the thought of her concealed injuries. "Go on, then. Get some sleep, y/n. I'll meet you here in the morning before class."
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The next day had come all too soon, the cool morning breeze wisped around the castle grounds as the rising sun’s glow cascaded over every inch it could touch. A fragment of the golden glow broke through the dark water that sloshed against the large windows within the common room — causing the room to have more of a glow than usual.
Y/n sat on the edge of her bed, the freshly made bedding underneath trapped between her fingers as she pulled and twisted at the thick fabric subconsciously, deep in her thoughts; she felt almost glued to the bed, her eyes stuck focused on one point on the floor in front of her as her thoughts ran rampant within her.
The sleep that she had promised Sebastian hadn’t come as she had hoped, instead, she had spent the last of the night tossing and turning, arguing with her inner thoughts, overthinking every detail and thought that crossed her mind.
She would love nothing more than to have Sebastian come with her, to have Sebastian by her side every time she left the castle, but she knew that no matter what; great danger would always be waiting right around the corner for her — not a single situation so far had proven anything different. She wondered if she would be able to live with herself if anything happened to Sebastian, but what didn’t cross her mind — Would Sebastian be able to live with himself if something happened to her and he wasn’t there to help her? Or save her?
Her racing thoughts were interrupted by the heavy dormitory door being pushed open and spoke a voice, causing her to jump from her sitting position and almost out of her skin. “Aren’t you coming y/n?” said the voice as a head peaked through the door, the head of Imelda Reyes. “You know Sallow is waiting for you down there, he seems to be under the impression you aren’t coming to class.” she continued, entering the room. “You know how Sebastian is… Not a man with a lot of patience, now is he.” y/n replied swiftly, hoping to avoid discussion as to why Sebastian thought as much, the last thing she needed was someone else asking questions.
Imelda waited for y/n as she grabbed her robes and wand she had left on her beside the locker before following Imelda out of the dormitory and down the winding hallway that led to the common room. The two girls walked in silence, the only sound being their steps across the metal flooring mixed with the light morning chatter of sleepy students coming from the common room some distance away. “What are you doing tonight?” Imelda asked suddenly, catching y/n off guard. “Tonight? Why?” y/n responded without turning to look at Imelda, her brain suddenly coming up with all types of scenarios, her anxiety slightly spiked as she waited for Imelda to spit out her reasoning.
“Well, you’re the only one who feels like a competition out on the pitch y/n, you’re getting better. You can almost keep up with me, so even though Quidditch is cancelled this year, maybe you wouldn’t mind helping me practice? I need someone who pushes me… Anyone else and it would be too easy… You’ll get some experience out of it too, and you might be ready for Quidditch tryouts next year.” Imelda quickly blurted out, completely unaware of how laced with ego her words were, but y/n knew it wasn’t intentional. Imelda wasn’t afraid to let people know she knew what her strengths were, and she never downplayed them for anyone, and that was something y/n admired in her.
“I really wish I could Imelda” y/n said softly as they cascaded down the steps and towards where Sebastian and Ominis sat talking between themselves. “I haven’t gotten around to Sharp’s assignment yet, and I haven’t gotten a chance for Hecat’s assignment yet either, I wish I could help you out, Imelda but I just don’t have the time tonight.” y/n finished, throwing Sebastian a pleading look once she realised he was watching them approach. “Well, what about this weekend? Any assignments we get today won't take the whole weekend to do” Imelda continued, stopping in her tracks once they reached the couches where the boys sat. Imelda perched herself on the arm of the couch, her eyes bore into y/n’s, almost as if she was trying to get into y/n’s mind to make her agree, but before she could even give Imelda an answer, Sebastian had realised the conversation y/n was trying to wiggle out of, knowing she couldn’t tell Imelda the truth.
“I mean, she would love to help you Imelda, but we’ve got plans this weekend, so unfortunately you might have to pick one of the other students, even if they don’t hold a candle to y/n’s skill” Sebastian said as he walked over to stand beside y/n,  a smile on his face which y/n returned with a soft smile, grateful for his swift thinking. Imelda opened her mouth quickly to argue with Sebastian, probably to say how practising for Quidditch next year is more important, but Ominis was the next person to protest against Imelda’s arguments; but not for the same reason as Sebastian—Ominis simply didn’t want to listen to their conversation.
“You know Imelda, maybe more people would want to practice with you if you didn’t speak down to them and act as if you were a gift from Merlin himself. You’ve no chance of changing their minds, you’ll learn, as well as I, that there’s no changing their minds once they’ve decided something, together.” The way Ominis spoke left a feeling of bubbling guilt between Sebastian and y/n as they exchanged looks. Was that really what Ominis thought? Y/n began to worry that her and Sebastian’s adventures so far were driving a wedge between Ominis and Sebastian, the last thing she would want would be to cause a rift between the two lifelong best friends, but a nudge to her arm pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up to meet Sebastian’s gaze. He just shook his head lightly, indicating for her to not start overthinking Ominis’ words.
Imelda rolled her eyes at what Ominis had to say, but she didn’t have a retort for him; instead, she turned her attention back to y/n and Sebastian. “Well. Enjoy your adventures. Don’t come crying to me when you need someone to fly with y/n” The snark from Imelda was natural, something anyone who knew her was used to; even y/n already understood despite her short time at the school. “Oh, Imelda you know that’s not-” y/n began to speak, but Imelda was quick to shut her down, her willingness to talk back to y/n but not Ominis didn’t go unnoticed. “Save it, I don’t have time. Some of us have actual responsibilities. I’ll see you in class.” Imelda snapped as she turned to leave, her nose turning even more upwards than it had been in its natural position, leaving the three friends in silence.
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“She’s going to kill me the next time I turn down practising with her.” y/n said as she walked with the two boys towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, she knew she’d definitely get an earful from Hecat over not having the assignments, so being late wasn’t an option. “Surely the girl who beat me at Crossed Wands can put up a fight against Imelda unless she had something to hide about our duel..? Maybe, Felix Felicis?” Sebastian said, turning his head and giving her a look, a sly smile on his face. Anyone who didn’t know him would think this was a real accusation, that he was genuinely accusing her of cheating in their match—but his two closest friends knew it was just lighthearted banter.
“Oh please Sebastian, you know I didn’t know how to brew Felix Felicis back then, tell him Ominis, I won fair and square.” y/n said, looking between the two boys. “She’s not wrong Sebastian, she had only just gotten to Hogwarts, she probably didn't even know that potion existed. She won out of skill, like she said, fair and square” Ominis said tauntingly, getting a scoff from Sebastian. “Well, she’s had actual help and time with professors to learn! Oh, leave it..” Sebastian finally said defeatedly. He would have been annoyed at what Ominis was saying if it hadn’t been about y/n, hearing that he just wasn’t good enough to win did sting him a bit.
They left the warmth of the castle, the cool autumn breeze ran over the friends as they made their way through the grounds of Hogwarts. As they crossed the Viaduct courtyard, y/n noticed the decorations that seemingly appeared overnight. Cobwebs seemed to be hanging on arches, doorways and corners, pumpkins lay strewn about in a range of sizes. Even the smaller decorations and candles had seemingly been placed in such a fashion that it almost transformed the feeling of Hogwarts, even in the morning time.
“Well, those little house elves were hard at work last night,” Sebastian said looking around at their passing surroundings as they crossed over the Viaduct Bridge. “They’re always hard at work… They never get a break.” Ominis muttered, his voice low. The two other friends exchanged glances, knowing where Ominis’ sudden attitude change came from. For a Gaunt, Ominis’ views were unheard of.
The Gaunt’s were cruel.
They were descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself, their heritage and lineage were of utmost importance to them. They had no time for Half-Bloods, and most definitely no respect for Muggle-Born witches and wizards. When it came to house elves, they were no different. They viewed the elves as nothing more than what their purpose served, and at that, there was no respect. Violence was common, physically and verbally, and that didn’t stop at house elves… Their obsession with blood purity, obsession with the Dark Arts,  their sadistic ‘hobbies’ Ominis hated everything about their beliefs and what they did, choosing to have his own set of beliefs instead. Any time Ominis spoke about his family, it was never positive. Y/n knew there was more to his story, but she didn’t want to press him about his family and the Dark Arts; knowing the subject would be sensitive.
Y/n hated hearing her friends sound anyway upset, she racked her brain for something to say, to maybe comfort him somehow. “I agree Ominis” she said, placing her hand lightly on his arm as they continued into the Astronomy Wing of Hogwarts. “..but Hogwarts is the best place for them. If they were left to their old masters, who knows what could happen to them.” her voice matched the soft, sensitive nature of the conversation. However, as soon as her hand reached his arm, Sebastian had become all too aware of it. A strange feeling started brewing inside of him as he watched and listened to them. Was he jealous? Was her hand on his arm more than a friendly touch? Sebastian’s mind filled with questions, questions fueled by his sudden jealousy. “I know, I know, but there’s not much comfort in knowing they are still being worked to death,” Ominis spoke glumly, y/n looked sympathetic towards his feelings, and Sebastian wanted to know why it bothered him so. “That’s all they know Ominis, at least they’re safe here..” y/n  said, her hand dropping from his arm, not knowing what else to say to ease Ominis’ pointed feelings on the topic. Sebastian felt calmed when her hands dropped to her sides, but now he had to face the fact he was jealous, and over such a small thing. They walked in silence up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, unsure of where to take the conversation after it hit such a sensitive tone.
“Hecat’s going to have my head you know.” y/n said trying to divert the conversation, and their moods. Sebastian and Ominis both let out a small laugh at her sudden statement. “You didn’t finish your assignment?” Ominis asked, almost as if he was disappointed in her. Y/n shook her head as they crossed the marble flooring and up the right staircases and corridors to reach Hecat’s classroom. “Well, someone was out all night causing trouble,” Sebastian said giving y/n a knowing look, a slight smirk played on his face. “Maybe she will let me hand it in late? If I tell her some of what I was doing? Surely she’d understand right” y/n asked, unsure of how Hecat would handle the situation.
Ominis just shrugged before he spoke, “I wouldn’t know. I like to get my assignments in on time.” y/n just smiled before rolling her eyes, “Gee, thanks Ominis. That is a great help” she said jokingly. Sebastian took the situation a little more seriously, since he knew more than Ominis about what she had been doing.*
“What are you going to tell her?” Sebastian asked, looking down at her. “What if you just tell her you were out gathering supplies or something, and you got into some trouble? She can’t disprove it, and it’s not really a lie, you’re just… withholding the full story. Plus, you still have that cut on your face still too so surely she’ll believe you..” Sebastian said in a hushed voice, genuinely trying to help her situation. A sigh left her as they approached the classroom, “I guess we’ll find out won’t we..” She said, opening the classroom door and entering, Sebastian and Ominis behind her.
As usual, they were the last few students to walk in besides a couple of stragglers that waltzed in after them. The class was lively, chatter coming from every direction as students spoke among themselves. Ominis walked and took his usual seat in the middle of the class, not bothering to speak to anyone, instead just preparing his belongings for class, the thought of his family heavy on his mind again. Sebastian perched himself on top of his desk at the back of the class, preparing for the incoming babble and nonsense as he watched Garreth Weasley approach him. y/n on the other hand made a direct beeline for the steps up to Professor Hecat’s study, repeating the excuse in her brain. She knocked on the door lightly and it was just a few seconds before the door opened and a voice spoke gently. “Come in, come in” said the older voice, y/n followed her instructions and walked into the little room above the classroom. “Professor Hecat, would you have a few moments?” y/n asked, her voice unwavering but she was still nervous nonetheless.
Hecat turned from the array of books she was sorting, directing her attention fully to y/n. “Of course, what is it Ms. y/l/n?” Hecat asked, raising an eyebrow slightly at the girl's words, stepping closer to her student. “I, I don’t have the assignment Professor” y/n said while looking at the ground, she looked up at her professor before continuing; “I intended to finish it last night but-” Hecat cut swiftly across her sentence; “but you thought you could come with excuses instead of the assigned work?” Hecat asked, her hands crossing over themselves in front of her. Hecat examined her student’s reaction to her words, suddenly noticing the mark on y/n’s cheek. “Merlin, what happened to you child? You’re hurt” Hecat said almost in a distressed voice, y/n simply just continued on her ramble in hopes Hecat would let her finish. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Professor. While I was out, we came across a poacher camp. I couldn’t leave without doing something, and I understand my studies are important..” y/n spoke fast, but Hecat listened to every word, just as y/n hoped; she prayed Hecat would understand the excuse she had, considering Hecat’s past of fighting poachers.
“But with all due respect Professor, I won’t let poachers or any other horrible person get away with their actions just so I can do an assignment” The words came from her before she even could think about them, it was kind of what she wanted to say; but it came across a lot more disrespectful than she expected, or so she thought.
Hecat’s face remained stoic as she took in her student's last few words, giving the impression that she was not happy. Suddenly a small smile cracked across her face as she looked at y/n. Hecat had not expected such a valid excuse in her mind, never mind expect such with passion, conviction and sincerity. Hecat merely nodded, her smile never once fading now. “I’ll give you until our next lesson, I see no reason to punish you for something I would have done as a student, someone’s got to do something about that lot,” Hecat said, her voice was light now, almost as if what y/n had said to her reminded her of herself.
“Thank you Professor” y/n said as she turned around to leave the study, unsure of what else to say; this wasn’t the outcome she had expected. She reached just outside the door, on the balcony looking down at the class, her eyes instantly looked at Sebastian. Her heart began to race slightly as she realised he was looking directly back at her, ignoring whatever nonsense Garreth was spewing at him. Hecat’s voice calling her pulled her attention back from Sebastian, turning around once more to face the Professor. “Oh and Miss y/l/n? Next time you decide to take on poachers, be prepared. Never go wrong with carrying some essence of dittany with you as well as your usual potions” She took Hecat’s words seriously, nodding once again at the older woman. “Of course Professor, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” 
Y/n made her way back down the short flight of steps and across the classroom as she ran through the thoughts of how lucky she had gotten with Hecat, how lucky she had gotten that Hecat saw some of the young student in herself. She took a seat beside Sebastian, letting out a sigh of relief as she sank back into her chair. “I see you’ve still got your head.” Sebastian laughed, turning to look at her. “She was… Okay with it. I told her about the poachers and that seemed to work in my favour.” y/n  said, the worry that was present in her voice before class was now gone, finally able to think of more important things than an assignment. The class passed by relatively slowly, but no student was surprised. Even in such an interesting class, theoretical studies were always dragging time along, seemingly never-ending. So once Hecat dismissed the class, students almost threw themselves out of the door to get to their next class in hopes that whatever was next was more lively.
Ominis left the class without a word to anyone, leaving Sebastian and y/n to throw each other worried glances. They knew better than to follow Ominis and hunt him for answers as to what was wrong, instead, they gathered their belongings and made their way from Hecat’s classroom, making their way back down to the Potions classroom.
“So, about our adventure,” Sebastian said, the two walking side by side across the hallways, they moved slightly every now and then when another student, or group, pushed their way past. “I was thinking we could go tonight, I don’t have much to get done and I’m sick of being in this castle.” Sebastian’s words were filled with hope, and something else that she couldn’t put her finger on.
“I don’t know Sebastian I-”
“Oh come on y/n, I’m not some fragile little thing that’ll get hurt the second we leave, I can defend myself you know.” Sebastian’s voice didn’t have its usual joking tone to it, causing y/n to look up at him while they walked.
“I never said you were Sebastian, I know you can but-” He cut her off again. “So it’s decided then. Tonight, we’re going on an adventure.” Sebastian’s voice was light again as he spoke, basically telling her rather than asking now. “Fine Sebastian. But we’re doing it my way. There’s something I have to do, so promise me you won’t do something reckless?” her words were serious, and a tone of defeat was lingering in her voice. “I promise y/n, we’ll do it your way.”
She didn’t know if he was being honest or just telling her what she wanted to hear, but she had accepted it, knowing Sebastian would not let it go, not until he got to come along with her. ‘This is the last thing I need..’' she thought to herself, as she mulled over the fact that any task would only be made more difficult with Sebastian there, his tendency to charge in guns blazing all of the time left little space for plans to be executed with stealth and precision was something y/n knew could be an issue and could possibly jeopardize the task at hand.
They walked the rest of the way to Potions without talking anymore about the topic, instead just talking together like normal friends, no talk of dark magic, no talk of danger or poachers, no dark wizards' name even graced their lips… It was something she wished was more common, but between her life and her friends that she held close; having a ‘normal’ friendship was off the cards. Between her two best friends, one a Gaunt who defied his family’s expectations, and the other with a longing for dark magic and power, she knew that the current flow of normal conversation wouldn’t last long; the trio were anything but regular students of Hogwarts.
Sebastian, Ominis and y/n all chose the same workstation, each friend on each side of the large table between them, a collection of cauldrons, ingredients and vials laid strewn about on every table; chatter was lively in the class as the students worked on their potions. Professor Sharp walked around the room, his injured leg causing his steps to falter occasionally as he made his rounds, not affected in the slighest. He inspected everyone’s potions, some gaining compliments; others causing him to say nothing more than a grunt before moving to the next. Ominis avoided joining much of the conversation as y/n and Sebastian discussed their plan for that night, y/n on the other hand didn’t delve too into detail about what she had to do, not wanting to speak about it in such a busy environment.
The potions class seemed to fly by relatively fast, some students received praise for their attempts at the potions; other students would have been lucky to be ignored by Sharp. One of those unlucky few students being Garreth Weasley. The trio looked up as they heard Sharp clear his voice as he approached Garreth, who was standing by his cauldron. The potion Garreth had brewed seemed to stench up the class the longer it brewed, the mixture seemed to expand in the cauldron before it swelled up; a large bubble formed on the top; shaping into a hand that seemed to reach for saving from the dreadful potion — the desperate potion’s stretched hand deflated with an amusing “poof”, the sound it made seemed like the last painful exhale from something that had been holding onto the last few seconds of it’s life before letting out that last, pathetic sound.
Garreth’s failure earned him a deep frown from Sharp. “Mr. Weasley, I cannot keep repeating myself. Please follow the instructions that are provided to you and refrain from your own… concoctions. You may yet still have time to pass this class and prove you’re not a failure. Please keep your own ‘potions’ for when you have mastered the simplest, yes?” Sharp said as he looked down at the ginger boy who was fighting off a frown of his own from falling upon his freckled cheeks.
Sebastian, Ominis and y/n couldn’t help but chuckle amongst themselves once they heard Professor Sharp’s words and watched Garreth’s attempt at the potion dissolve the shape it had taken and recoiled back into the large cauldron. 
Professor Sharp had taken notice of the three best friends joking amongst themselves as he made his way towards their shared table, not failing to compliment Amit’s potion to a high extent as he passed by the table Amit shared with Garreth and Poppy— Amit always had a way of succeeding, even if it wasn’t a strength of his. He held himself to a high standard within his classes, so it was no surprise that this class was no exception.
The three friends subdued their light laughs and mutterings towards each other the closer that Sharp got, turning their attention back to the potions that had sat in front of them. Sharp didn’t speak a word as he made his way around the table, glancing at each of their brewings intently. They stood and almost held their breath — hoping that their potions, at minimum, were passable. A thoughtful ‘hmm’ left Professor Sharp as he stood up a little straighter after studying their potions. “For three who seemed most interested in watching others, you haven’t disappointed me completely” Sharp said in his usual indifferent tone, his eyes flittering between Ominis, Sebastian and y/n. “Next time, please pay attention to your own cauldrons and not other students,” Sharp said bluntly, causing y/n and Sebastian to look at each other. Professor Sharp turned his attention to Ominis fully now; “Well done Mr. Gaunt, I assume you’ve been practising? This potion is well brewed — Ten points to Slytherin.” Sharp said before he turned and made his way back to his desk. Sebastian and y/n turned to Ominis, a smile on each of their faces. Ominis hadn’t been the best at potions — but he was determined to overcome the struggle that came along with the class due to the pressure he applied to himself. A satisfied smile came across Ominis’ face upon hearing Sharp's words. A sense of contentment washed over Ominis as one of two friends spoke; “Nice work Ominis, I guess we should probably practice too” y/n said with a chuckle, genuinely happy that her friend managed to overcome a hurdle that he too often struggled with.
Luck had been on their side as the three had received compliments on their potions, clearly showing they had some skill when it came to the careful craft, but Professor Sharp didn’t hesitate to let them know they still were not up to his high-held standards, that they still had some growing to do within the area.
Once the class had tidied away their potions and cauldrons, returning ingredients and books to their rightful place, the rest of the day passed with surprising ease. Most of the classes seemed to pass swiftly, and the friends were not about to complain about that — all complaints had been reserved for their History of Magic class. The class dragged on as Professor Binns’ dull, monotone voice filled the room. The odd student took notes, and paid attention to the dry words that left the ghost professor's mouth, the rest of the students feigned interest. Some students watched Binns float as he lectured on, staring through the transparent man, and some passed notes (taking full advantage of the professor’s obliviousness). Sebastian sat with his head resting on his hand; his eyes fighting to stay open. Ominis sat in silence, his gaze turned towards the window as he let Binns’ lecture float by his ears — his mind elsewhere. Y/n’s energy to the class was not much different, her body language showed she was listening intently to Binns’ words, but rather her mind was somewhere else — somewhere far away.
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As nightfall came, the usual hustle and bustle of the castle quietened down, most students now working on assignments, while others wandered about the castle or loitered around talking to friends. The only chaotic noises to break the relaxed environment and subdued chatter came when some of the ghosts of Hogwarts flew past, Peeves was tormenting a couple of first years,  and the usual screams and shouts of Eddie Cleaver rang through the halls as he wisped past.
Outside of the castle, the Halloween decorations came even more to life, the candles cast their golden, warm hue upon parts of dark passageways, corners of the courtyards, casting an a beautiful but ominous glow over the decorated areas — the aura hanging on each of the old stones of the castle radiated halloween charm.
Where festive scenes were lacking, there was one student, beyond the walls of the castle, beyond the care of Halloween decorations. Flying above the Forbidden Forest was a large creature with a small figure on its back. The autumn breeze blew past y/n as she perched on Highwing, she took in every sight below her, taking advantage of her high vantage point. She knew this task wasn’t going to be easy, she knew this was where danger truly lay. Highwing and the girl made their way lower to the ground before Highwing began to gracefully saunter through the forest, the creature knew of every twist and turn within the treacherous forest. Y/n’s senses were on high alert as all sorts of noises happened around her, but she and the Hippogriff continued on, not willing to be shaken or have her focus thrown off.
Back in the safety of Hogwarts, Sebastian stood outside of the Slytherin common room, frustration bubbling in him. Y/n had been an hour late meeting him and it bothered him deeply. He marched briskly up the steps leading to the main part of the castle, praying in his mind that she would be around the corner — though his silent pleas had not been answered. Instead when he rounded the corner, to his surprise, he saw Ominis sitting on one of the seats near the entrance to the library, his wand in hand and a rather thick book in the other.
“Sebastian? What are you doing here?” his voice was confused as his attention to the book he held dropped. “I thought you were going on your adventure?” Ominis’ voice was heavy, his tone dropping at the last word. “I was but, Y/n. She was meant to meet me outside the common room an hour ago. I’ve been looking all over for her.” Sebastian sighed, approaching his friend. “What?” Ominis asked bluntly, suddenly a tone shifted in his voice to slight concern. “Sebastian, she left already. I passed her before she as she was on her way, she said you were meeting near the forest.” Ominis finished his sentence, the genuine concern now present in his voice. “She said what?! She intentionally left without me? And lied? Why-” Sebastian was now full of emotions, a mix of worry, concern and a tinge of anger that she would lie to him, that she would leave him behind; Sebastian’s thoughts and emotions were then flickering all over the place.
“You don’t think, do you, Sebastian? She doesn’t want to drag you into trouble, or danger.” Ominis said knowingly, and he was right, she didn’t want to but Sebastian in any dangerous, or stupid, situation — but this logic didn’t sit with Sebastian in the slightest. “So it’s okay for her to run towards danger alone but not with me?” Sebastian’s voice showed all of his emotions at once, causing Ominis’ eyebrows to rise and a sigh to leave him before he spoke.
“She just doesn’t want you getting hurt Sebastian.”
“And I don’t want her getting hurt, but she doesn’t care about what I want, so why should I care about her wanting to go it alone?” Sebastian had a good point that even Ominis couldn’t argue against, and Ominis didn’t argue his friends point; instead what he spoke next was the quite opposite.
“Then go after her Sebastian, she was heading to the forest. She seemed flustered when we met, she was quite anxious…” Those were all the words Sebastian needed for his mind to decide his next course of action. “I’ll talk to you later Ominis,” Sebastian said as he turned on his heel and began to jog briskly from his friend before he began to run towards the large doors that were at the end of the large hall, every fibre of his being told him something was wrong.
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Y/n was quiet and careful with every step she took. Her wand was held tightly in her hand, ready for anything. She took note of the surroundings, seeing what she could use to her advantage. Just on the edge of where the poachers set up camp, was a clearing, giving a view of the night’s starry sky over the hill’s ledge. She thought about being able to cast the poachers off the steep edge that looked over the forest, she took note of where the forestry ended, the last thing she would want is to end up burning down an entire magical forest. To her advantage, the trees stopped just before the encampment, allowing for the use of fire spells; a favourite of y/n’s.
She watched from behind the bushes as poachers spoke to each other about plans, not knowing of the student who lurked not far from their camp. She stepped quietly across an opening in the trees, Highwing not far from her. Highwing’s safety was a major concern to her, even in such a tense moment. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if anything happened to the creature.
“What will we do with the egg?” said a poacher, y/n’s head snapped around the tree to get a better view. “Cage it, don’t know if it’ll hatch. Keep it safe. That’s a lot of money.” said another poacher with a laugh, y/n’s stomach twisted at the sound of capturing and selling any creature or egg. “How d’ya reckon they managed to capture that beast ‘nyway? Nowt’ easy ‘bout a Horntail, ‘n’ bet a few of ‘em ended up crispy” said a poacher who sat by the fire that burned in the middle of the camp. There were a few tents set up around the area, all around the fire. Cages were all over the ground, some empty, and a couple contained little Nifflers that looked terrified, Y/N’s heart cracked as she saw the full scene, but her mind was now in overdrive.
A Horntail? Captured? How? This added a whole new layer to everything going on, added something else that she felt that she needed to take care of. The thoughts of her initial reasoning for being out that night swarmed her mind, now with the added stress of releasing the Nifflers and a dragon egg. Her mind spun with solutions to the situation that seemingly got more dire the longer it dragged on.
She couldn’t stand there anymore, looking at the creatures and listening to the horrible conversations between the poachers.
As poachers continued to talk about the dragon amongst themselves, y/n  made her way closer to the camp, taking a mental note of where every poacher was located. She glanced back at Highwing who stood proudly in the shadows, the Hippogriff took another step forward. Y/n’s breath caught in her throat, afraid Highwing would catch the attention of the poachers. ‘I should have never brought her’ y/n thought to herself, swearing at her own stupidity and recklessness, thinking now she may have put Highwing in danger too — that Highwing would draw attention. Thankfully, as if Highwing would read her mind, the creature didn’t make a sound, and y/n pressed on, relieved.
She noticed a lone poacher close to her, his back turned to the student. She closed the gap between them while raising her wand, a whisper then left her lips, only loud enough for the incantation to work; “petrificus totalus”
The lone poacher seized up as if frozen before his body dropped to the ground. Y/N breathed a sigh of relief once he was down, ready to approach the rest of the camp. She took note of the three poachers that were left, thinking to herself; “only three, okay..” She had dealt with more than three poachers in the past, so this didn’t cause her any concern. Instead of taking a tactful approach, she took advantage of how little poachers were at the camp.
She leapt from the shadows pointing her wand directly at the poacher that sat by the fire. “Depulso!” she shouted, a blast of light came from her wand, directly hitting the poacher and sending him flying into the high burning fire that once provided a source of warmth for the poachers — and now it was being used for their demise. His screams filled the air, even as his body was engulfed in the flames, his screams were still audible but now mixing with the sound of the fire crackling in an attempt to break down the foreign mass of skin and bone that had been forced into its core.
The remaining two poachers were suddenly caught off guard as turned to see her standing there, her Hogwarts robes billowing in the breeze that drifted by — but the robes were  a dead giveaway as to who she was, a situation she had not predicted happening. “You!!” shouted a poacher, his wand quickly got drawn as he got prepared to fight. “Confringo!” came from the poacher, a burst of fire headed straight for y/n, she quickly rolled out of the way, barely missing the intense attack that had been directed at her.
Her heart began to beat faster, and she realised she made a mistake wearing her robes; now giving everyone a sign that she was the student causing trouble for them, the student that Rookwood was pursuing rather intently. She ran across the camp, firing at both poachers but neither seemed to b giving up or dropping anytime soon. Neither she nor the poachers gave up their relentless casts, and the situation only seemed more dire when a couple of more figures started approaching. Y/n noticed this and she panicked, causing her to almost get hit with a powerful cast of Reducto that someone just fired at her.
“Highwing!” she yelled, not seising her casts or wand movements once, “Get out of here! GO!” she screamed at the Hippogriff to leave her behind, knowing if more poachers came that they wouldn’t hesitate to try take the creature — or worse. Highwing hesitated, watching the student who cared for her so much fight off the oncoming attack from multiple directions. “NOW HIGHWING!” y/n screamed, her voice breaking as she deflected a jinx hurling towards her. Highwing didn’t take another second before sprinting out of the forest, understanding the urgency of the situation. The Hippogriff’s heart was now beating fast as she ran back through the forest and towards the school — hoping to catch someone’s attention, anyones attention that could help.
Y/n kept fighting and dodging curses, not stopping for a second. She knew if she didn’t put her everything into this, she wouldn’t be coming out of this fight, not alive anyway.
“Reducto!” she got a hit on a poacher that was moving closer to her, the man suddenly burst into nothing but ash that lingered in the air before settling on the ground, every atom of the poacher was simply reduced to nothing but specks of grey that settled on the ground where he once stood.
Despite her success so far, it had seemed to her as if every time one poacher went down, another appeared in the last’s stead. Frustration began building in her as she did everything she could to try to keep her mind focused on the fight, but as soon as she found it, the focus was snatched away with blunt force. Y/n’s full attention was pulled from the fight by a swirling stream of purple smoke that twisted its way to the ground, as the smoke dissapated, y/n got a clear view of who had just joined the fight, and the stakes were raised tenfold when she realised who had just joined the fight. “You’re the little bitch Rookwood wants!” shouted a scratchy female voice, the insult cutting through the air like a knife.
Ashwinders…
Y/n cast a quick protego shield as the poachers kept their attack going, she knew she had to get out of this and fast. Her mind ran through spells, jinxes, curses anything that would give her a leg up on the competition now but it seemed almost impossible, her knowledge finally halted her, leaving her with little choice. She kept letting off fire spells one after another, the bombardment somewhat helped the odds of the fight be in her favour for a moment — just a moment. A familiar swirling sound was light upon y/n’s ears. She forced herself to pay no heed to the sound, until a second purple tornado-like smoke appeared before spreading. Once the violet smoke disappeared, in it’s wake stood another Ashwinder, this one seemingly larger than the first.
“Petrificus totalus!” shouted the new Ashwinder, this time a male voice came from the Duelist. He landed a perfect hit on her without much effort, causing her entire body to freeze up. She had lost complete control of her body as her wand fell from her hand and landed by her feet. She was completely defenceless. She screamed obscenities in her mind, unable to open her mouth even the slightest bit. She was done for. Her body didn’t even have a chance to fall and hit the ground before another spell was cast at her now statue-like body. “Wingardium Leviosa!”
She was at the complete mercy of the Ashwinders and the last remaining poachers, the poachers were clearly exhausted from the fight, retreating away from the duelist who now walked closer to the camp. The Ashwinder that cast the Levitation charm pulled y/n closer to them as they closed the distance, leaving her suspended in the air, frozen, unable to defend herself. “Do you realise how much of a nuisance you’ve been? How many problems you’ve caused for us?!” screamed the male of the duellists, his voice was full of venom and hatred, and at that moment y/n truly feared for her life.
“Well no more! No more stupid little brats thinking they can stop us!” the Ashwinder controlling her lowered Y/n so he could stare directly into her eyes as he spoke with his cruel voice. Y/n had no option but to listen, to hang onto every word spat at her.
The looming female Ashwinder began walking towards her accomplice and the frozen student. Once again the scratchy, female voice spoke while stepping up to the suspended girl; “…and when your little friends hear about how we tortured you, how you begged for your life before we ripped you to shreds, they’ll learn not to interfere. They’ll learn their place. Like Rookwood says, ‘Children should be seen and not heard’” the female Ashwinder continued in her vicious, venom-laced voice. The Ashwinders were wholly and completely unaware of the tiny bit of information she had just given y/n, and she knew exactly what she was going to do with it if she got out alive… Even in that moment, she forgot about the threat to her life; only thinking about what the female Ashwinder had just said, information that could help Sebastian and his sister. 'Children should be seen and not heard'
A poacher suddenly appeared, pulling an empty cage with him. The cage wasn’t much bigger than what a couple of Niffleres were in, but that wasn’t something that either the Ashwinders or poachers cared for. “Someone get a word to Rookwood! Tell him we got the little bitch.” said the female Ashwinder as she glanced at the cage, ideas running rampant through her head. “..until then, we’ll have some fun, wont we girl?.” Y/n was suddenly dropped to the ground, but her still frozen body was then shoved into the cage, the girl left completely defenceless, completely overrun with terror.
The remaining poachers and the Ashwinders watched as y/n lay motionless in the cage, finding no amusement in the idea of caging her anymore, not when she couldn’t express her fear, not when she was quiet. Y/n saw the female duellist raise her wand once more, suddenly casting at y/n with something she couldn’t defend herself against; even if she had her wand.
“Crucio!”
There was a split second before the curse hit her that allowed her mind to register the curse and the bright green sparks that emanated from the tip of the Ashwinder’s wand.
The pain was unbearable, y/n’s body was no longer frozen; the Unforgivable Curse that was cast on her overpowered the weak-by-comparison charm. A searing pain washed over her entire body, feeling as if every inch of her skin was set on fire; it felt like a million cuts all over her body that were being cleaned with pure alcohol. The pain caused her to writhe in the cage, her body tensing and dropping, and tensing again. The only sound that came from her was sounds of pain, screams that pierced the night air rang out through the forest, the pain didn’t feel like it was ever going to stop and when it did, the relief didn’t last long before the curse was cast on her again, this time even more painful. Her screams reached a pitch she didn’t think possible, the screams were so bloodcurdling that they set her own hair on edge, anyone nearby surely would think there was a banshee wandering about.
She wanted to beg, to plead for them to stop, but the more she tried to make words come out, the more intense the pain soaring over her body got and the more she in turn screamed.
Some distance away, Sebastian walked towards the Forbidden Forest, his ears caught a scream, a scream that sent a shiver down his spine, and his blood ran cold when it broke through the air. “Y/N!” he said to himself, panic rushed over him as his feet began moving faster, Sebastian was now sprinting towards the sounds. He was so focused on following the directions of the screams and watching the ground for obstacles he had to divert around, that he didn’t notice the white creature heading toward him until it was too late.
His body fully collided with Highwings strong body, knocking him backwards. Highwing took notice of Sebastian and reared on her back legs, trying her best to signal him distress. He didn’t even think about standing back up, panic flooded his voice; “Highwing?!” he knew if Highwing was alone, those screams definitely came from y/n. Highwing was stressed, cries came from the creature, almost begging him to understand her as he stood back up to his feet, ensuring his wand was with him. “I know, I know Highwing! It’s okay, I’ll find her okay? I promise I’ll find her” he didn’t know if he was trying to convince himself or the Hippogriff that was in front of him. He stroked Highwing’s chest signalling for her to calm down, the intensity of the situation and his determination to save her made Highwing and Sebastian forget they hadn’t ever met properly, the Hippogriff uncharacteristically trusted him straight away.
“I need to go, I have to find her” Sebastian said hurriedly as he stepped away from her, continuing on his path to find y/n. Highwing let out a neigh before following him, she then overtook him as if to lead him to the poacher’s camp. He knew Highwing shouldn’t be near the poachers, but he wasn’t about to try to tell a Hippogriff what to do, especially not at such a critical time. Instead, he followed her heavy footsteps through the forest, winding around corners and trails after the Hippogriff.
Screams rang close by to where the boy and the creature, stopping them dead in their tracks, y/n was close by — quite close. “Please Highwing, stay here. Stay safe. I’ve got this.” Sebastian said in a nervous but confident voice. Highwing’s head bowed, acknowledging his wishes which took him by surprise.
The distinctive sound of screams disappeared, but only for a moment. The harsh Ashwinder’s voice was audible from where they stood. “CRUCIO!!” this time it was screamed with pure hatred. Sebastian instantly snapped his head in the direction of the camp, now knowing where exactly to go — his hastened steps taking him to the location of the screams.
Y/n wanted to beg, to plead for them to stop, but nothing but harrowing screams could leave her mouth, tears streamed down her face and she finally felt defeated; finally met her match. In that moment she wished for it to be over, wished for the pain to end at any cost, but it never did. The excruciating pain only ever stopped for a single moment until another round of the torture curse was thrust upon her. Y/n felt her mind drift from her, she was unable to think of anything anymore, unable to focus on anything but the pain; not even thoughts of Sebastian could break their way through the brutalising pain that the Ashwinders cast on her.
From out of the blue, an explosion erupted from the camp, debris from a tent flew in every direction. The remaining poachers and the male Ashwinder were the first ones to act in retaliation, turning their full attention to the cause of the explosion. The female Ashwinder on the other hand, kept her focus on y/n, clearly enjoying inflicting pain on the student — revelling in her screams and cries rather than the idea of joining in on the combat just yet.
Sebastian walked into the camp as debris fell around them, the fire that had caught on the tent fabric now burned intensely around them, but it didn’t bother Sebastian in the slightest. He didn’t so much as flinch as he stepped through stray flames on the ground, the fiery atmosphere seemed as if it motivated him even more. He was enraged. He set his sights on one of the poachers who was preparing an attack, but Sebastian was quicker. “Diffindo!” Sebastian’s cast caught the raggedy-looking poacher, the spell’s power sliced through the man as if it were a knife and he was just a sheet of paper, the poacher fell to a lifeless pile on the ground; his fatal injuries directly across his stomach that split him into two caused blood to run and stain the ground around him.
The female Ashwinder that had been intently torturing y/n looked up from the writhing and contorting girl in the cage, the anger radiating from the duelist was imminent, but Sebastian’s anger was more. “Oh look. One of your little friends has come to see the show,” spoke the raspy-voiced woman. Y/n’s eyes drifted towards the camp’s entrance, catching sight of Sebastian firing off at the surrounding poachers, making quick work of them. The Ashwinder considered her next course of action for a split second, toying with her options of joining in the fight or torturing the girl.
Just as the poachers dropped, two more swirls of purple smoke slammed into the ground, and Sebastian’s eyes snapped around the camp. He was determined to not let them get the better of them.  Once the female poacher realised there were more Ashwinders for reinforcement, she knew what she would do next, try and fluster the student who had just so brazenly walked into the camp, thinking he was a match for them. The ego of the student was something that the Ashwinders hated, that a student thought he would be a threat to them.
But that was the Ashwinder’s undoing.
Underestimating Sebastian Sallow and hurting the ones he cared for was one way to write your death, one way to bring your death upon you in whatever way he saw fit. He could be unforgiving, he could be just as cruel as them, if not more.
“Crucio!”
Another wave was sent over y/n, just as painful as the last. Her screams didn’t care for her wanting to hold them back, so she didn’t distract Sebastian, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even fight the pain, even when he was right in front of her. “Sebastian!” she screamed his name,she was surprised for just a moment that his name rang out through the air, yet she was unable to get anything else out as she continued to convulse in the cage, causing her to hit off of the small prison she had been put in. Sebastian’s attention was instantly drawn to where the scream came from. What he saw sent him into a rage, his mind no longer considering a rational approach. His focus was tied to the female Ashwinder, and y/n could almost swear she saw someone other than Sebastian through her tears. Someone to fear. Someone who didn’t care about the repercussions of the actions he would take. Sebastian raised his wand, his intentions so clearly stated in his mind that he didn’t even have to speak a word as he cast at the Ashwinder.
In a turn of events, karma came in the form of Sebastian, the Ashwinder that had been getting so much satisfaction from torturing y/n had folded to the ground, now letting out her screams of pain as she twisted and writhed around on the stone ground beneath her. Even in her own pain, even without him saying the incantation; y/n could tell that Sebastian cast crucio on the duelist. The power required to do such a thing, she knew right now Sebastian had one intent on his mind — but it didn’t bother her, for all of that moment when the crippling pain dissipated she had felt something she had not in some time — relief. Relief from no longer being tortured, and the relief that came with Sebastian’s arrival to the horrific situation she had gotten herself into.
He turned his attention to the now-gathering Ashwinders that cast all types at him from the edge of the cliff. Sebastian dodged and deflected the mixed hues of green and red that flew at him, a sudden power in him unlocking in the heat of the battle. Sebastian held his wand aloft, his eyes glinted with the power that was building within him. Y/n watched as Sebastian moved his wand so elegantly through the air, she was unable to make out what incantation he said, but within a moment she all but knew, and worry came over her in the form of a tsunami.
From the very tip of his wand came fire, but not bursts as he had been casting previously. Instead, it streamed from his wand, his eyes followed the growing stream as it formed shape above and around him.
From her confined space, y/n could feel the intensity that cracked through the air, as harsh as a leather whip that came from hell itself. As Sebastian’s concentration deepened, the once fiery twists that streamed from his wand began to writhe and twist with the movements of his wand, it’s chaos seemed to find order under his control, but how? The flames had a life of their own, as if with each breath Sebastian took, so did the flames; each breath bringing it more to life than the last.
“Sebastian, no!” y/n yelled, hoping that she could stop him from casting such a devastating spell, but it was too late.
The Fiendfyre’s colour was a deep, malignant crimson that seemed to bleed its ominous glow on everything around, casting everything in a hellish glow. The Ashwinders, who once underestimated him were momentarily halted by the spectacle, caused by a student no less. They watched in horror, and fascination, as the flames above Sebastian’s head began to form shape. The fire had begun to grow and take form as the shape of a head formed, followed by a long sinuous body and a flickering tongue. The Fiendfyre serpent, a terrifying sight to see, hung in the air as its body looped and coiled, as if ready to attack at any moment.
Despite the fear that built up within y/n, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. Fiendfyre was known for its destructive properties, synonymous with ruin and its desire to consume everything in its path; including the caster, but as she watched, rather than their surroundings burning to the ground around them, the two students included, it seemed to be controlled by Sebastian with eerie precision. Despite the fear that built up within y/n, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight that came to life in front of her. Y/n, (and Ominis), knew that Sebastian felt a certain way about the dark arts and dark magic, she knew it was something he desired to learn about, to know how it worked, even how to weild it; but she didn’t know his interest would go to this extent. Oh no, this was far beyond her comprehension.
What would Ominis think if he witnessed something so unbelievable? Something so… Incredible. Something told her that Ominis wouldn’t find it the same awe–inspiring spectacle that she did, that he wouldn’t ever be open to the beauty in anything dangerous or related to the Dark Arts.
It was a clear demonstration of Sebastian’s hidden depths, the years of study and practice, and an undeniable connection to the Dark Arts he had that y/n had never fully appreciated, but was also a show of his determination, and dedication to the craft, but also of the lengths he would go to for those he cared about, the lengths he would go to for power… Sebastian had achieved something so unheard of, something that was considered even impossible; not just casting Fiendfyre, but bending it to his will, controlling the flaming serpent that paid homage to Salazar Slytherin; someone Sebastian revered for his affinity with the Dark Arts.
Her astonishment was complete as she watched Sebastian take control of the flaming serpent. In all the tales she had heard, Fiendfyre was a wild, uncontainable force of destruction, yet here it was, a testament to Sebastian's formidable power and dark affinity.
The spectacle before her was both stunning and terrifying.
As the Fiendfyre serpent hovered, a guardian beast conjured from flame and wrath, it was clear that the battle had shifted. With the serpent of fire at his command, Sebastian was not just a defender; he was a storm that couldn’t be controlled, reshaping the terror of the night into something he could be proud of. The serpent of fire seemed to pulse with a life of its own, its eyes glowing embers that locked onto the Ashwinders with a predator's gaze. The heat that emanated from it was oppressive, the air shimmering in waves that made the scene before her look like a mirage. Yet, this was no illusion; it was a vivid, terrifying reality.
Sebastian moved his wand with a fluidity that belied the danger of the spell he commanded. The serpent of Fiendfyre responded, its movements synchronised with his intentions. With a flick of his wrist, Sebastian directed the serpent, its body slithering through the air, weaving around the spells cast by the Ashwinders, creating a protective barrier of fire and fury around him. Not a single spell or jinx cast by the Ashwinders penetrated the serpent, the flames seemingly protected Sebastian, and and its focus was directly locked onto the Ashwinders.
As the Fiendfyre serpent surged forward, its fiery form twisted and contorted with sinister grace. With a menacing hiss, it lowered its head, the flames writhing and flickering like a serpent preparing to strike as the air around shimmered with its heat. Sebastian's control over the dark magic was palpable as he guided the serpent with precise movements of his wand. 
With each command, the serpent responded, its burning eyes fixed on its targets with predatory intent; Sebastian’s eyes matched the serpents. What once seemed like just a reflection of the flames in his eyes was now something more; his eyes glowed with the same bright, fiery, scarlet flames as if his irises were consumed by the flames he produced.
Whisps of fire cracked from the serpent, as if threatening to drop its destructive touch on everything that surrounded them, to ultimately consume everything — but it did not give into it’s dangerous threats. It continued to follow the commands made by the male student, almost as if the Fiendfyre and Sebastian had a deeper connection — as if the troubled student and the chaos he controlled had an understanding of each other.
The fire serpent grew larger, as if standing tall and proud — a predator staring down its helpless prey. The foes that remained infront of Sebastian only had a moment to examine the power being shown right in front of them — they had lost their chance to flee once and for all. Y/n could only make out small moments from the now one-sided battle, her focus was intently tied to Sebastian and the Fiendfyre as her fear slowly melted away, as if the terrifying sight was the answer to all of the issues — no longer viewing the Fiendfyre as their demise.
In the blink of an eye, the serpents mouth opened; it’s jaws parted as it’s blazing fangs were on full display as it suddenly lunged forward with the command of Sebastian’s wand movements — with a simple flick of his wrist, the monstrosity darted through the air with the speed of light. How Sebastian controlled the fiery demon with such grace, such elegance, was something that those witnessing the events unfold could believe — especially not since he did it while anger raged inside of him, if not stronger than what he wielded. The scorching snake dashed across the camp that separated the Ashwinders from their imminent death. All y/n could make out was the blur of crimson and amber, along with its radiating and blazing heat that emminated from the fire beast as it darted past towards it’s prey, its mouth still agape, still baring its fierce fangs. The Fiendfyre was unrelenting once it reached its casters target, its widened mouth slamming shut around one of the Ashwinders with such force, that y/n could have sworn shockwaves were sent through the ground.
Sebastian continued to focus on the frenzy of fire that he commanded, each movement he made was graceful and intentful — like a dancer whoms body married the notes their body intertwined with — the attacks from him and the creature he controlled were just like master and puppet. Deliberate. Intentful. It didn’t take long for Sebastian and the Fiendfyre to make short work of the enemies who had underestimated him — their bodies no longer stood before him, the Fiendfyre had ultimately consumed their bodies — every atom of their beings had been ripped from existence. The serpent that had one stood strong, proud and dangerous retreated back from where it attacked the helpless duelists, and y/n couldn’t help but feel as if Sebastian’s control of the Fiendfyre might just fail as the battle ended. She expected the blazing form to disobey it’s caster, she expected it to lose it’s controlled form and spill its hot, lava-like fire until it consumed everything. To her shock, the Fiendfyre continued to obey Sebastian even though it wanted to break free, wanted to burn everything it possibly could.
The snake slithered back for one more proud stance in the air before its swelled size began to deflate — the fiery snake wove its way around Sebastian once more, as it twisted it soaked in the last few moments of fresh air it would get until he cast it again. It lost its solid shape, as it returned into the tip of Sebastian’s wand it melted back into it’s original form before disappearing completely. Once the conjured beast was completely gone, a spark came from the end of Sebastians wand. He barely acknowledged the spark that sigalled him that the cast was complete before he ran over to the cage that y/n had been stuffed into.
Sebastian noticed the lock on the cage hadn’t been locked — it reminded him of hearing the cruciatus curse, hearing her scream. Even though he had handed out karma, it didn’t make him feel any better. The unlocked cage just showed what the Ashwinders had intended; they didn’t lock it simply because they didn’t have to, because she would be able to leave even if she wanted to. He pushed the thoughts aside quickly before ripping the cage door open with such intensity y/n was surprised that it didn’t break away. Sebastian threw his wand aside as he turned his attention to getting her out of her confinments. His hands grabbed her legs which were closest to him and began to pull her from the cage as gently as he possibly could. Y/n couldn’t move a muscle besides the involuntary twitches her body made — a lingering affect of the repeated use of the Cruciatus curse on her, one that Sebastian hoped was only temporary.
“It’s okay, it’s okay” Sebastian said softly as his arm looped behind her knees, making it easier for him to fully pull her out of the cage. Sebastian sat down on the ground from the kneeling position he had been in as he pulled her body as close to him as possible between his outstretched legs. He put an arm around her shoulders to support her upper body as he held her close, his other arm wrapping around her too. “It’s okay, it’s over now… you’re safe, I’m here,” he said softly before resting his chin against the top of her head. He was just happy to have found her— while she was still breathing. Y/n body still ached from the curse being cast over and over, as if every drop of strength she once had was gone — now barely even able to sit herself up on her own, her upper body being supported by Sebastian, her head resting just at his shoulder as she sat between his legs, Sebastian had let the second arm that wrapped around her fall and moved her legs so they lay over one of his own spread legs so she was in a position that helped him hold her even closer — almost scared that if she wasn’t curled into him that he might lose her again.
Her voice was soft, and slightly weak when she spoke; “I’m sorry Sebastian-” her attempt at apologising for leaving Sebastian behind was cut short by a chorus of “shhh”s that came from him. His hand that had moved her legs then ran through the side of her hair as he placed a kiss atop her head in an attempt to sooth her, as well as himself. “Don’t apologise, please. You’re safe now,” Sebastian said with a light shaky voice, his chin resting on the top of her head, unwilling to let her out of the attempted embrace.
A sudden crack of a tree branch breaking, along with footsteps made Sebastian’s head snap in the direction it came from as his heart began pounding again while y/n felt a surge of fear when the sound rang through the air, instantly thinking of the situation she had barely just escaped not long ago, and she began to tremble slightly with fear.
Sebastian’s own mind went to the worst scenarios possible; more poachers, more ashwinders, some of Ranrok’s loyal goblins — but as quick as his mind presumed danger, the cause of the sounds stepped from the dark shadows into the camp. Sebastian had taken note of y/n’s slight shaking, her head turned into his chest and he began to try soothe her again. “Hey, it’s okay- it’s only Highwing,” Sebastian said softly as he stroked her hair again, his thumb brushed against her cheek occasionally — something that gave y/n a sense of warmth and comfort.
Highwing stepped into the camp and instantly saw Sebastian on the ground with y/n, and even the Hippogriff seemed worried at the sight of the two students as she stepped slowly and carefully across the camp towards the friends. As she grew closer, Sebastian noticed something in her mouth and he raised his eyebrow slightly to himself. Despite the light front the still burning campfire, it did little to help Sebastian pin-point what she was carrying. Y/n’s head rested against Sebastian’s chest as she turned her head ever-so-slightly to see the Hippogriff approaching slowly. As Highwing stood infront of the two friends, she bowed her head to them as she dropped what she was carrying from her mouth just by where y/n layed on Sebastian. “Looks like someone’s brought you something you may have lost,” Sebastian said with a smile as Highwing nudged the object closer with her beak.
On noticing it was a wand that Highwing carried over so diligently, Sebastian reached out the hand that once administered comforting touches to y/n, the other remained around her shoulders and picked up the wand, tucking it into the inside pocket of y/n’s robes for safety. A small smile danced across y/n face as Sebastian placed her wand away safe and turned her head slightly more to look at the loyal Hippogriff. “Thank you, Highwing,” she said, resulting in Highwing raising her head and letting out a satisfied sound before she lay back fully on the ground. Sebastian and y/n watched Highwing settle for a moment before y/n turned her attention back to Sebastian, looking up at him slightly as she took a moment to think about her words.
“And.. thank you, Sebastian… If you hadn’t had come I-” before she had a chance to get the next word out, Sebastian had cut her off. “Stop,” he said, the word was demanding but his voice was gentle as his hand ran through the side of her hair once more before resting on her cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear that had fallen from her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me. The most important thing is that you’re safe” Sebastian said as he looked at her with his brown eyes that seemed to make his gentle words seem even softer.  As he spoke, his words caused her heart to swell. Sebastian’s voice was more gentle than usual, an inflection of a deeper care for her rang through his words leaving the two to share in a quiet moment before y/n broke the silence - not being completely sure how to approach the conversation.
“When you told me what you heard the day Anne was cursed… ‘children should be seen and not heard’..” she said in a soft voice, hoping to cushion whatever blow her words were about to have on him. She could feel Sebastian’s body tense up underneath her and noticed how the arm around her tensed as his jaw clenched. Sebastian’s heartbeat increased as a mix of anxiety, anger and anticipation bubbled within him - not speaking a word, rathering to let her say what she had to say. “..when the ashwinders had me, one of them said the exact same thing..” she paused for a moment, her own anxiety brewing at the thought of how Sebastian would react. “..they were quoting Rookwood, Sebastian.. Rookwood was there that day, he was the one to curse Anne..” she finally said as she looked up at him, gauging his reaction to her revealing the truth behind his sisters condition.
She had expected Sebastian to take the news badly, terribly even - and he would have been right to. Instead, Sebastian gave a small nod as his jaw remained clenched. He wanted nothing more than to go find Rookwood in that moment and make him pay.. To make him experience even a percentage of the pain and suffering his sister had no escape from. Despite his desire to go find Rookwood and do such unforgivable things, he knew in that moment y/n needed him, even if she wouldn’t admit it to him - or herself. He continued to hold her, his grip around her tightened ever-so slightly; a signal to her that despite his quiet demeanour, his mind was anything but.
Her soft hand being placed on his one of his anger-flushed cheeks pulled him from his thoughts long enough to notice her looking up at him, concern etched across her features. “…we will find him Sebastian, we’ll make him pay. I promise.” her words were flooded with sincerity and determination as she spoke, her eyes locked on his. Regardless of what she had just been through, it was clear that Sebastian and his sisters situation was a priority to her rather than her own wellbeing; her selflessness, her care and determination made Sebastian’s true feelings for her flourish more than they had already. A small smile tugged at the corner of Sebastian’s lips as he gave a gentle nod, not trusting his voice to not waver at her promise. Her words and touch soothed the anger that was twisting within him; it slowly being subdued by the emotions that came as a result of her tender actions.
The two sat there for a moment without speaking a word, instead they just looked into each other’s eyes as the campfire’s slowly dwindling flames cast a warm glow on them. It seemed like the rest of the world melted away around them, as if the Fiendfyre came back to life and swirled them in their own bubble. Every thing in that moment, from the breathing of Highwing who lay not far away to the sounds of nature around them, felt right. Y/n was so wrapped up in the moment, so lost in the brown eyes that bore into her own that she didn’t notice Sebastian’s free hand making it way up until it was placed on her cheek, his thumb grazed over her soft skin in such a gentle way that it made goosebumps wash over her skin. Not a single word was shared between the two, instead it felt like the two were the opposite end of magnets that drew closer to each other in slow motion. Her eyes flicked between his and his lips as his face drew closer to hers, both heartbeats sharing an increased speed as their breaths were slightly elevated against one another's. Everything seemed to move slowly as the distance between them decreased, the tension increased; anticipation bubbling under both of their skins until their lips finally met.
It felt like every firework in the world had been set off simultaneously the second his lips touched hers, for both of them. Sebastian's hand moved from cupping her cheek and ran through the side of her hair before stopping at the back of her head, their lips never parting once as they finally indulged in their once-hidden feelings towards each other.
Everything seemed at peace — even if just for a moment. No thoughts of dark wizards, or goblins intent on destroying the world, or the trip to St. Mungo's that y/n would undoubtedly require For just a moment, the two didn’t feel the pressures of the crumbling world around them, didn’t feel the pressure of all the odds being stacked against them. Instead, they let themselves melt into each others touch, revelling in the kiss that spoke volumes for them — the anxieties relating to their feelings for one another that they had both bottled and shoved aside all melted away.
It wasn’t a moment they would rush from, for the first time that year they felt a sense genuine relief and happiness wash over them, as if the pair had The Draught of Peace coursing through them.
It was a moment of genuine emotion, genuine connection between them - two kindred spirits coming together like dancing flames that grew as one as they intertwined with one another; and nothing could ever snuff out the spark.
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(a/n; thank you guys for reading, hopefully it wasn't as bad as it is in my mind~ I'm gonna start posting more regular fics/one shots/scenarios I've been building in my head so keep an eye out💖)
💖Sebastian Sallow Taglist💖 @angel-anna @cyan1decandy (let me know if you want to be added for upcoming fics)
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slytherizz · 18 days ago
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The Price of Dignity - Sebastian Sallow/F!MC
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Tags/Warnings: 18+ | Dubious Consent | explicit sexual content | Azkaban!Seb | Masturbation
All tags can be found on Ao3
Word count: 1.6k
Summary: Inexplicably, despite her betrayal - she still made him hard. And the price of dignity is not worth the cost of a moment of feeling alive.
A/N If you've read 'In the Shadow of Us' it's an unhinged prequel of Seb in Azkaban. If you haven't - you can still enjoy some no-context angsty wanking. Azkaban Seb my beloved. I've missed writing you.
Days bled into each other. Waxed and waned in shades of grey that were never quite new or whole. Colour void and desolate in his narrow world. Unceasing waves crashed against the monolith. Brine and salt spray dashed hope across the bay. As tattered and discarded as its residents. 
Sebastian sprawled on the half rotten mattress. He had spent the first month dragging it around like a prized but festering corpse to every corner of his cell in hope he would find somewhere it would stay dry. It was a futile effort but sometimes he still tried to. Not because he thought he could succeed but more of just a way to pass the time.  
But there was simply too much of it. Sprawling out in front of him. An open waiting maw of nothingness. 
Patience was not one of Sebastian’s virtues. There has never been enough time then. Told time and time again that one second he’d blink and his youth would be gone. Perhaps because his had never gotten to begin. Guttered out before his prime.
When there was nothing to rush to, no purpose for waking, no reason to grasp ahold and pull himself forward - time felt suffocatingly infinite.
Not a blessing but a curse. Sand slipped through your fingers as you tried to snatch a hold of it - or it trapped you alone in the bottom of the hourglass. Buried you alive under the weight of it. 
Sebastian stared up at the ceiling, his vision swimming. Boredom, as crippling to his clever mind. A dementor he bred and nurtured inside his own head. He knew every corner, stone and scratch. The ones he’d made, crude drawings with a sharpened stone. Wrote stories, epic poetry about his brothers and sisters who had made the rest. Played hopscotch, chasing memories of Anne when the torches flickered. 
When had he lost that particular tether? The one still bargained, wared with the truth and naively believed that she would come for him? Wept for his mother in the same vein. 
The girl who he loved never existed. But all the same, it felt as if she died. And he mourned them both. 
Not enough life lived to reflect back on. Sebastian circled the drain of memories of his brief chance at life. But still even now he could not wrap his head around how someone he’d known for mere months had altered the course of his trajectory so significantly was a mystery. Or was it? And in his arrogance, he’d courted a devil and thought his quick thinking could save himself from the flames. 
Fallen into her, moon eyes like a fae trap. Convinced himself that maybe, just maybe, the scales had finally tipped in his favour and out poured his perfect solution. A tool. A treasure. A saviour bundled in the body of a lost soul so like his own. Pretty, pliant and yearning.  Convinced himself that it was love. 
Her residence, all but a brief fragment in his life, had been the anchor tied to his ankles which pulled him below unforgiving waters. 
Sebastian scrubbed his hands over his face, itched away the salt on his skin. Half moons of dirt cresting his nails. The tattoo on his wrist - a reminder, an inky burning stain and a trophy for what she cost him.
Inexplicably, despite her betrayal - she still made him hard. 
Reminded him that he was still very much a man. A hot-blooded one at that. One that wanted to live, scream, rage - to fuck. 
Even now, the thought of traitorous hands on his skin still made his blood thrum. His body ached with need, at the memory of her coming undone on his cock. Her climax breaking with his fist fisted possessively in her hair. It boiled him from the inside out. Made his cock twitch. Reminded him he was still alive.  
Which was something easily forgotten. Sometimes he wondered if his humanity had been taken from him or at some stage he abandoned it? It wasn’t a quill or a checked coat easily misplaced or borrowed away but in some regards he’d left it long before she’d had the Auror’s cart him off to Azkaban. 
Sebastian loosened the drawstring of his trousers and shucked the threadbare cotton down his thighs. Cock achingly hard arching up towards his stomach.
Yes - still very much a man. One that wanted to feel a warm body writhing beneath him again. The thunder of a heart under his palm as he made it race. The give of soft flesh beneath his teeth. Not just a body. Her body . Clenching around him as he forced orgasm after each shattering orgasm out of her. Feel her at her most alive and he, the root cause. 
A spring twanged as it snapped, giving out as he sank deeper into the mattress. Later it would dig into his back. Sebastian stretched out until his heels found purchase on the rough hewn stone. He hissed through his teeth as he swiped his thumb across the pearlescent bead growing at his tip. Smeared it across the head, down his shaft. Groaned low and guttural. Head tipped back, notched between bricks the sound of his reedy laboured breaths echoed loud as he worked himself over. If he did come he’d cry, until his throat was raw and his face salt slick and tight as a drum. But for tonight he would fist his cock and remember he was alive. 
At some point, he had gone beyond caring who heard him. The first time he’d woken, hard and wanting he’d huddled himself into the corner. But even the resolve clad in iron eventually rusted and he’d muffled the shame of his pleas of her name into his pillow. It didn’t belong in this place but nor did he. Blame and bitterness circled the drain as he tried to stifle his moans as he worked himself over. Back when he thought maybe there was something worth preserving. That he could leave this place. That he could be a man again. 
But what was the point in preserving his dignity when all it did was cost him the only small pleasures he could glean from this place? What was dignity against feeling the sparked heat across his skin as he fucked his fist? 
Who was he preserving it for anyways? Certainly not her. If anything the thought of how his filthy wretched hands could stain her only made him hunger. How he might dirty her skin as he cooed in her ear, ‘all the guard know you let me fuck you - fast and raw.’  
He wanted her to hate it. 
Hate that it was him. Hate that only he could make her feel her most alive. Hate herself for how much she loved it. Fuck her till she cried.  
What would it would be like to fuck her right here? Right into this soiled mattress in his cell. 
Two jailbirds cooing in the same rusted cage. 
Soft planes of her body spooled out like a silk sheet that didn’t belong. Clean and untainted. Pulse fluttering in her throat, chest heaving eyes wide as she would try to wriggle free of him as she did her sins. Fear. Disgust. Lust. All those wretched things people cringe away from. All those undignified things that Sebastian craved, etched across her face.   
Feel her body tremble and spasm as he pressed himself into her. Hard thrusts into her tight heat as her traitorous body trembled and clenched around his cock. Lick the soap and mallowsweet from her skin. Salt and sweat on his tongue marking her as his as he held her wrist bound above her head. 
Let the guards watch. The other inmates jeer. Why should he care? Return the favour by stripping her of her dignity as she had him. 
Fuck her until she was pleading for release. On all fours presenting her cunt to him. A bitch in heat with her arse in the air. Her own dignity gone, the way of martyrs. Begging him for it, her hands clawing the stones, mark scratches where he counted days as he drove into her. Beg him to let her cum. Make her purr and keen for the man she condemned. Sea spray and salt tears across her cheeks as her core pulsed around him and he filled her greedy cunt with his seed again and again - until eventually it took.  
Sebastian spat her name, like a curse. Foul and depraved. A filthy groan came hard. Spend pulsing from his cock, painting his stomach soiling the hem of his shirt. He panted hard, whimpering as he continued to stroke his still twitching cock. Tried to prolong his bliss before it slipped away and took with it another part of himself that he bartered away. 
A hacked cough and the sound of spit hitting the floor. “Again? For fucks sake put you dick away 216.”
“Bugger off,” Sebastian called back, voice still reedy and strained from his release. “Just because you haven’t been able to get it up since ‘93.“ An irrefutable stab in the dark when not one of them knew what year it was. 
“Leave him,” another disembodied voice crooned. “I wouldn’t mind a go on his bird either.”
Her name on their gnarled and bitten tongues sounded wrong. Chewed up and spat out like bone shards between their teeth that would giveaway to infection and decay. But from the first moment he’d spoken it here he’d lost it. It didn’t belong to him anymore, or perhaps he belonged too much to this place and he was too made up of her and everything they’d twisted themselves into. 
Even once he was long gone. When they’d hollowed out his core and all that was left of her with it. Dragged his lifeless body from this prison to be cast into the sea - the walls of this tomb would always remember her name.
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mochroialainn · 1 year ago
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Despite everything
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Title: Despite Everything Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy Characters: Sebastian Sallow x reader Plot: Despite everything he did, despite everything he said to you, the months of pain caused he caused you. Some part of you still saw the good, saw the kind and the caring and the protective. Most of all you still saw the hurt and the pain he suffered, so despite everything you gave him back the one thing he loved most in the world. His sister . Themes: Angst, hurt/comfort Warnings: Asshole Sebastian, mild hurt/comfort, love confessions, fem!reader. Word count: 6,769 Notes: This is based in 7th year, all characters are ages up to 18. I also have yet to finish the game, so please excuse any errors! This also got very out of hand very quickly and I apologise for the length
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Golden light filtered through the windows of the Sallow home in Feldcroft illuminating everything inside in a warm honey glow that gave Anne a feeling of hope as she watched the person who had slowly became her best friend over the past year and a half, fiddle with her wand, twirling it between her fingers and twisting and turning it absentmindedly as her eyes scanned over the piece of parchment in her hands. 
It was an unlikely friendship, but one that was true and ran deep. It was a friendship built on trust and love and seeing every part of the other. For too long all people saw in Anne was her illness, the dreadful curse that had taken over her life too long. They pittied her and feared her at the same time, they didn’t want the same thing to happen to them and even though it wasn’t contagious people tended to stay clear of her. But [name] wasn’t like that, she saw Anne wholly for who she was. She saw her as a person rather than her illness, 
She saw the Anne that many thought was lost the day she was cursed, she saw the daring adventurous girl she once was. [Name] always revelled in reading and hearing the stories of Anne and Sebastian when they were children, their mischieviousness and the trouble they would get into, she proclaimed one day that Anne and Sebastian were probably the reason Solomon had grey hairs, causing the two girls to fall into a fit of giggles. 
And Anne saw [name] as more than the Hero of Hogwarts, she saw past the facade of strength and courage to see the crumbling girl beneath who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. The girl who was suddenly whisked into a world of magic and was the only one with the power to stop it from crumbling. She saw the vulnerability and the fear hidden deep below the mask. But she also saw the kindness and the protectiveness, saw it in the way she spoke of her friends. Of Ominis and Sebastian and how she would have burned the world to the ground if anything were to happen to them, and those two boys were the most important people in her life and as soon as she saw how [name] cared for them she was quickly added to the list. 
Since their initial meeting, the girls had sent each other countless owls back and forth and [Name] would visit Anne any time she could, though her visits became less frequent towards the end of their 5th year. Anne had asked about in her letters, saying she missed [Name] and even tried to sweeten it by saying that even Solomon missed her because he loved the way Anne’s eyes would light up anytime [Name] was around and he was happy she had a friend like her. Something had changed,she just didn’t know what and though [Name] never divulged the information she had a feeling it was to do with her stubborn, hard-headed brother who couldn’t see a good thing if it him in the face with same force as a bludger. 
It was during the summer of their sixth year that Anne finally pulled the information from Ominis who had come to see her and Sebastian. Sebastian and Solomon had gone off to do some shopping, the pair slowly mending bridges together, and Anne had asked Ominis about [Name]. She had noticed the way he fidgeted uncomfortably, pulling on his sleeves and chewing on hislips nervously. After much pestering from Anne’s side, Ominis had finally relented and told her what happened. 
About her working with a goblin and Sebastians reaction, him calling her ignorant and icing her out as if she had never meant anything to him. To how he was treating her like she meant nothing to him, like she didn’t even exist. And Anne swore if she could she was going to beat her brother black and blue because she was simply the best thing to ever happen to him. Ominis had sensed her getting worked up, the tension and heat in the room rising, and he had let her know that Imelda Reyes already landed a punch on Sebastian that landed him in the hospital wing with a broken nose and Gareth Weasley had accidentally spilled a potion on him that made him smell like sour milk for 2 whole weeks. That had got a chuckle out of her and Ominis promised to tell [name] that she should come visit and that was enough for Anne. 
So [Name] did just that, she and Ominis conspired with Anne and Solomon to have her go over when Sebastian wasn’t around so the girls could talk. It was during one of these visits that [Name] revealed she hadn’t stopped looking for something to help Anne, even if she couldn’t find a cure she wanted to find something that could illviate the pain and make it so Anne could return to Hogwarts. Anne was gobsmacked when she said it, not wanting her to loose herself in the dark magic the same way Sebastian had. 
That was when [name] explained to Anne that she wasn’t going anywhere near dark magic ever again, her use of it had left her scarred and broken and she was still putting herself back together with the help of her friends, and she revealed her connection to ancient magic and how she could wield it. She told her of Isidora taking the pain away from her father and how Sebastian had damn near lost her mind when she refused to do it. She explained to Anne she simply didn’t know enough, she had seen what happened to Isidora and those she claimed to help by taking away their pain and she was not prepared to take Anne out of one torment to throw her straight into another. She had to study it more and she didn’t care how long it took but she would find a way to help Anne that didn’t involve dark magic or Isidora’s method. 
[Name] always kept Anne informed of her research, telling her what she had learned and the progress she had made even if she was only half a step closer, she also told her stories of Hogwarts and the spells they were learning how the more she researched healing the more she wanted to become a healer. This continued for over a year, the two becoming best friends and sneaking around Sebastian but never mentioning him, both recognising the pain he had caused [Name], and to now. 
It was two weeks before the end of summer and [name] returning to Hogwarts for the 7th and final year. She had spent most of her summer researching and working and perfection and finally, finally she found the last bit she needed and as soon as she had confirmation from Anne that Sebastian was out of their home and would be gone for a few hours she used floo powder to travel to the Sallow home where had been pacing and re-reading for the last hour as Anne watched on amusedly, hope blooming in her chest. 
Finally [Name] folded the parchment that had been in her hand up and returned it to her pocket and faced Anne with a smile. “Are you ready?”
Anne nodded and whispered a quiet “yes” just loud enough to [Name] to hear, but it was all she needed to hear. If Anne was ready, so was she. She stood beside Anne’s bed, the point of her wand nearly touching her hair line, she spoke a soft encatation the tip of her wand glowing blue, the familiar surge of ancient magic flowing through her and making her feel feather light. 
Moving the wand slowly down Anne’s forehead a trail of light followed from the first point, she stopped at point below between Anne’s eyebrows she repeated the incantation again and another pool of light followed as she repeated the steps again moving her wand down Anne's body, stopping at her throat, the center of her chest just slightly right of her heart, at the base of her strernum, at her belly button, and finally at her feet, the trail of light following the path. 
Once she finished the last incantation, he moved her wand once again, placing it directly above Anne’s heart a repeated another incantation this one different can causing the magic to spread out around Anne until every inch of her body was covered in the brilliant blue of ancient magic. The tip of [Name]’s wand dug into the soft flesh of Anne’s chest, not hard enough to cause pain but enough for it to be felt and for her to control the magic working its way through Anne’s body with a lot more precision and she closed her eyes. 
It was an intense feeling, being able to move and see the magic rolling  through someone's body. Being able to locate the curse that had buried itself deep inside Anne. She found it quite quickly, seeing it as dark, throned vines that had twisted itself around Anne’s nervous system and rooted right in her heart. Slowly, [Name] started untangling the vines using her magic to weaken their grip on Anne’s body, pulling them away and covering them in the light of ancient magic causing them to wither and wilt away, she started with the vines twisted around ther nerves slowly killing them all before moving on to the organs and then the muscles and finally to the root of the dark magic lodged inside her heart. This one was a little trickier and required a lot more care and patience, slowly she pulled at the roots, pulling them out one by one and killing them until only one remained and then until none remained. 
Slowly, she opened her eyes and and removed her wand from Anne’s chest, the light at the end extinguishing as the ancient magic around Anne faded. The golden light that had been shining in the room previously had gone, now the room was illuminated in a silver hue the full moon outside the window shining on the two girls and providing the only light in the room. 
“How do you feel?” [Name]’s voice was soft, exhaustion making its home in her body as her muscles started to feel heavy and her brain started to fog. She knew the magic would take it out of her, knew it would leave her exhausted but she wouldn’t let Anne see that, she would only worry [Name] had done too much at once and fuss over her. 
“I feel… good.” Anne smiled, the pain she usually felt gone, the tension in her muscles easing. Breathing was easier and her chest felt light for the first time in years, she took a deep breath and reveled in the fact that it didn’t hurt. A smile quickly came to her lips as she sat herself up, back leaning against the headboard, tears pricked at her eyes as the joy took over and she couldn’t help but let a few slips past and a joyous laugh feel from her lips. [Name] started tearing up as well, reaching out to take Anne’s hand as she mumbled out ‘thank yous’ between the tears. 
“What are you doing here?” An angry voice cuts through the sobs of Anne and causes both girls to whip their head to the door to see Sebastian standing here his face red and nostrils flared as he glared directly at [Name]. The girls eyes widened as she stood in shock, she knew there was always a risk he would come home but she thought she had enough time to leave before he did but the spell must have took much longer than she thought. She wanted to apperate out there and then, to disappear and not face the angry face of the boy she still cared so deeply for despite everything. Beside him Ominis stood, his hand outstretched across Sebastians chest to stop him from charging forward. 
“Sebastian…” Ominis’ voice was a stern. It was a warning to his friend not to do anything stupid or in anger. Sebastian simply growled in response placing his hand on Ominis’ and pushing his friends hand away as he stalked towards [Name].He was taller than her now, she remember being able to look him in his eyes in 5th year but he had shot up in 6th year and now he towered over her, eyes cold and harsh as he glared. 
“What.are.you.doing.here?” His voice was harsher than his glare, the sound of it actually struck fear into [Name]’s heart as she strugged to come up with a response. The exhaustion had fully sank in now, her muscles were giving in on her and she could feel her legs shaking, barely holding her weight up and her head felt like it had been submerged underwater and everything seemed so far away and so close all at once. Her chest constricted, breathing hard to do as every breath felt like a sharp pain. Her body was starting to shut down, she needed to rest and if she didn’t leave soon she was going to collapse. 
Anne’s hand left hers and instead grabbed Sebastians, drawing his gaze away from [Name] just in time as she tumbled slightly backwards. Anne saw it happened from her periphery, the way [Name] was struggling to standing and seemed to sway from side to side, but she knew she needed to calm Sebastian down before she could help her friend.Sebastian’s glare softened slightly when he turned to his sister and the hand she wasn’t holding closed over the top of hers in comfort. “Sebastian, she was helping me. She found a cure.”
Sebastians eyes widened at her words, the harshness melting away and making room for shock instead as his eyes darted between Anne and [Name]. “What?” His words caught in his throat,a lump forming and stopping any more words from coming out as he eyed his sister up and down and reached out to cup her cheek and rub it gently with his thumb. Anne nodded her head as a confirmation that it was true, “I’m cured Sebastian.” 
That was the last thing [Name] heard before she hit the floor, the exhaustion finally taking over her body and rendering her unconscious. Ominis jumped at the sound, eyes immediately landing on the spot where [Name] had fallen, his hand was in his hand leading him to hear before Sebastian could even mutter a word or get close to her. His hands were gentle as he felt for her arm, fingers moving slowly down until he reached her wrist he pressed into it gently a relieved sigh leaving his lips as he felt the her pulse. “Sebastian, go get Solomon.” 
Sebastian nodded and released Anne’s hand and face, rushing down to get his uncle. Anne slowly moved from her place on the bed, so used to being careful with her body to join Ominis on the floor and placing [Name]’s head in her lap as she ran a hand through her hair gently and placed her forehead against hers as a silent thank you for what she had done through she knew [Name] couldn’t feel it. Sebastian and Solomon quickly returned, Solomon’s shock of seeing Anne up and not in pain quickly being replaced with mild panic at the sight of the unconscious witch in her lab. 
“We need to get her to a healer, now”. 
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When [Name] awoke she was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, Matron Blainey standing over her with wand in hand as she did some basic checks on her body. “Ah, look who’s awake” 
“Matron Blainey? How did I get here?” Confusion clouded [Name]’s mind, the last thing she remembered was Sebastian towering over her, his icy glare piercing through her entire body. It hurt to try and remember anything else, she tried to sit up but Matron Blainey placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head gently.
“You’re exhausted dear, you’ve been unconscious for two days. Solomon Sallow brought you in alongside a very healthy looking Anne Sallow who explained you had used ancient magic to cure her.” [Name] lay back down, head hiting the pillow with a soft ‘thump’ as she out an exacerbated sigh, she hated being confined to a bed and not being able to move. More than that she wanted to see Anne and make sure she was still okay. Matron Blainey placed a hand atop her forehead as she continued speaking, “the magic you used exhausted you and caused you to collapse in the middle of Anne’s bedroom. Solomon tried to find a healer in Feldcroft but they were of gathering supplies and so he apperated you here, he was just lucky I was doing some final checks before the new school year started” 
[Name] nodded her head gently, the movement causing immense pain in her head as her body finally registered the aches flowing through it, including the migraine that was now blaring right behind her head. “And Anne?” Matron Blainey took out a wiggenweld potion and gently had [Name] drink it, “For the pain” 
She capped the empty potion bottle before turning back to the station beside the bed and lifting a hot towel and laying it gently against [Name]’s head. “She’s good, I checked her over myself and she seems to be in tip-top shape thanks to you. In fact I believe they are currently speaking to Professor Black about her returning to Hogwarts after the summer.” A smile broke out onto [Name]’s lips which Matron Blainey returned, “Now rest. Your parents have been informed of what has happened but I want to keep you here for observation for a bit longer”
Relief filled [Name]’s body, it had worked and Anne was okay with that, she closed her eyes and feel into a deep slumber. 
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[Name] spent 3 more days in the hospital wing, most of it she spent sleeping and recovering under the careful eye of Matron Blainey who informed she had quite a few visitors, Anne for one was coming almost daily alongside Ominis and they spoke to her as she slept. Talking about how excited Anne was to get back to Hogwarts and how she would have extra assignments to do to catch up, she might have to do an extra year to complete bother her O.W.L.S and her N.E.W.T.S but she didn’t mind as long as she was back. Matron Blainey told her Ominis usually just watched Anne talk but joined in occasionally mostly just to vent about his summer had been terrible with his family and catching up with Anne. She had also said Solomon had visited a few times and when asked about the flower at her bedside, the matron had informed her that Sebastian had left them it was beautiful bouquet of blue hyacinths and daffodils. 
[Name] was shocked Sebastian had came, he hadn’t spoke to her in over a year and a half and openly spoke bad about her to friends, berating her and undermining her skills and efforts and yet here he was visiting her and leaving flowers. When Matron Blainey commented on the blue hyacinths and daffodils being an unusual combination, [Name] had simply replied, “In the language of flowers, blue hyacinths are a symbol of remorse and sincerity and daffodils mean forgiveness and hope” 
The flower choice was deliberated, Sebastian knew [Name] had a small fascination with the language of flowers and had spent time in her 6th year learning it with Professor Garlick, she assumed he had gone to either her or Ominis for advice on the flowers to use. But she appreciated the sentiment all the same. Matron Blainey had simply nodded her head and commented that he must be trying to apologise for something incredibly bad if he was going to such length. Though she didn’t verbalise it, [Name] definitely thought ‘you can say that again’. 
After the 3rd day in the Hostpial Wing, [Name] was allowed to return home and get ready for the upcoming school year, it was only a week and a half away after all. Her parents fussed over her a little, making sure she was okay before scolding her softly for beingso reckless with such a powerful spell and then they told her how proud they were of her for what she did. 
The week and a half leading up to school was uneventful, she got owls from Imelda, Poppy, Garteth and Anne about the upcoming year and she answered them all as quickly as she could. She was excited to start the new year, learning new spells and polishing up all her other spells and skills but yet one thing niggled in the back of her mind, a constant thought that never seemed to disappear no matter how hard she tried to push it away. That thought was simply Sebastian Sallow. 
She didn’t know what to think, didn’t know what to do about the curly haired boy. She had loved him since 5th year, even after he called her ignorant and began ignoring her. Began speaking bad of her to anyone who would listen, he had broke her with that. She thought he had cared about it, at one point thought he loved her like she loved him but that didn’t seem to be the case. And then he goes and sends her a bouquet of forgiveness and turned her mind upside down once again with thoughts of him. Whatever thoughts she had of him and wanting to forgive him though were pushed to the side, she had spoke to Imelda and Poppy in her letters about what happened and they both had the same sentiment that flowers were not enough and an apology and they would want more, well Imelda would want him to beg for forgiveness while Poppy would want more of a show of remorse and though she might not agree with how they want the forgiveness to be asked for, she agreed he need to earn her forgiveness and the flowers were simply not enough for him breaking her heart. So as she boarded the Hogwarts express, she pushed all thoughts of him to the side and joined her friends in a carriage to have a proper catch up of what they did over the summer. 
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It was two weeks into the new term and Sebastian still hadn’t made a move to properly apologise to [Name], instead he just stared longingly at her across the tables in the Great Hall and in classes watching as she laughed and smiled with her other friends, with Gareth Weasley. The sight of the red-head making her laugh filled him with jealousy, jealousy that was undeserved mind you and he knew it. He knew he had no right to be jealous,[Name]  wast his and she never was  no matter how much his heart called out to her . He was the one that pushed her away, he was the one who couldn’t see past his anger and his stubbornness to see she was only trying to help and by the time that word got to him that it was Rockwood who had cursed Anne and not goblins it was too late, the damage was already done. He didn’t think there was anything he could say now that could make her forgive him, even if Matron Blainey had told him she adored the flowers and took them home with her, somewhere deep in his mind told him she would never forgive him and that part of him always won over the side that told him to at least try. 
A ‘smack’ to the back of his head brought him out of reprieve and he turns to his sister in shock, eyes wide and a look of ‘what the fuck was that for’ flitted accross his face. Anne simply huffed and crossed her arms over her chest and she stared at her brother incredously, “You can’t be serious?”  
The look of shock turned to a questioning one as he looked at his sister, “What?” Beside Anne, sat Ominis who rolled his eyes at his friends denseness, the action was almost in synch with Anne’s as she face palmed and rolled her own eyes. “You are such a dumb ass Sebastian Sallow”
“What for?” Sebastian knew he did a lot of stupid things, a lot, but he genuinely did not know what his sister was talking about until she motioned towards [Name] and raised an eyebrow, “You still haven’t talked to her?”
Anne knew he hadn’t, [Name] had told her as much the night before as she, [Name], and Imelda sat in around the fire in their dorm rooms gossipping. Imelda made a comment about how he didn’t deserve forgiveness anyway which caused the other two girls to roll their eyes, Anne knew where Imelda was coming from. She knew [Name] didn’t solely rely on her for female friendship and Sebsatian was her brother so she didn’t want to bring her problems about him to Anne and Imedla had stayed up many nights holding a crying [Name] in her arms as she got through the heartbreak that was loosing Sebastian Sallow, she was the one who helped her pick up the pieces of her broken heart and slowly glue it back together. 
But Anne knew her brother, knew he wanted to apologise. Wanted to fix things. He was just stupid and stubborn and an absolute fool when it came to manners of the heart. Sebastian cast his eyes down to his hands, fingers fiddling together as he avoided Anne’s intense gaze and shook his head. It was strange to see him so demure, so shy, he was usually so confident about everything. Thats when Anne knew he didn’t know what to do. 
She let out a sigh and dropped her hand to his, prompting him to look up at her through his eye lashes, “Just tell her how you feel Sebastian before you loose your chance.” As she said that, his eyes looked up at your again just in time to see Gareth tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and subtly glance down at your lips as if he wanted to kiss you. A pit formed in Sebastians stomach, the jealousy now turning into something tangible and real and dangerous, he couldn’t loose you. Not to Weasley, not to anybody. He stood from his spot at the table quickly, and abruptly stormed out of the room the dramatics of his actions drawing attention from the other slytherins near him. 
“What’s gotten into him?” Imelda asked as she eyed his back, Ominis’ simple response was “he finally grew a pair” causing a chuckle to leave the mouths of the surrounding slytherins, including Anne. 
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A haggard sigh slips through [Name]’s slips as she walked into her dorm room, the light of the lanterns illuminating the space in such a way it feels homely and welcoming, it's a comfort of a home away from home to come back to at thend of a long school day, Imelda sits on her bed, booked surrounding her as she studies and scribbles away on her parchment. It seemed the only time the quidditch captain and prefect had to study as in the early morning dawn before the sun even kissed the sky before quidditch practive  and at dusk as the moons silvery moon starts to illuminate the black lake in an etheral light before she has to attend her prefect duties. She glances up at [Name] briefly offering a small smile and pointing to the other girls bed with her head, “There’s something on your bed”
Confused, [Name] turns towards her bed and walks towards it cautiously afraid one of the other slytherins had got the wrong idea and thought she was an easy target for a prank. Instead of an ill-fated prank on her bed there is a bouquet of flowers, a plain velvet box and a note. Her fingers trail over the bouqert gently, this one is fuller than the one at the hospital wing full of wisteria (her favourite flower), carnations, and tulips. She smiles gently and lifts the bouquet, taking a smell of the flowers and letting out a content smile. The flowers were symbolic once again, wisteria is associated with long life and love, carnations meant deep affectionate love, and the red tuplips were usually conveyed that a person was your one true love. 
Conjuring a vase, she places the flowers inside them as her heart hammers inside her chest, feelings she thought long forgotten bubbling to the surface as she turns back to her bed and lifts the velvet box and opens it. She gasps gently as she pulls out a gold chain with a beautiful moissante heart, she turns it over in her hands admiring the beauty and craftsmanship of the piece and an inscription catches her eye, ‘tuum in aeternum’, her heart beat quickens once again as her latin lessons finally come in handy as she quickly translates the phrase in her mind to ‘yours forever’. 
Tears start forming in her eyes as she places the necklace back in its box and slips it into her pocket before reaching for the note, its simple and reads ‘im sorry. Please meet me in the undercroft tonight at 12 - S.S’. She lets out a shuttering breath and blinks the tears back, she didn’t know what to expect if she went. Didn’t know how she would react to him. To speaking to him again, with the way her heart was beating and how touch she was at the gifts he gave her she didn’t know if she could stop herself from immediately throwing herself into his arms. 
Imelda’s voice pulls her out of her rolling thoughts, “Who’s it from?”
Clearing her throat, she turns to Imelda and looks back down at the card her voice coming out as barely a whisper, “Sebastian…” Imelda doesn’t ask for more information, she knows she doesn’t have to instead she just raises and eyebrow and waits for her friend to continue, “He wants to meet tonight at 12.”
At this Imelda rolls her eyes and placed her quill down, she was going to chastise her friend for breaking curfew and going back to Sebastian when he didn’t deserve it but the look on [Name]’s face as she stared at the small piece of paper has her biting her tongue. She see’s the hope in her eyes that this might be their chance at reconciliation, that they could make up and she sees the love there as well. The love her friend had pushed so far down inside of her Imelda worried she had stopped herself from feeling the motion ever again and she lets out a sigh. “Let me know what corridor you need clear and I’ll keep the other prefects away”
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[Name] would have to thank Imelda a million times over for this, she knew her friend didn’t hold Sebastian in high regard after everything that had happened in 5th year and she still held the memory of Imelda turning round and socking him right in the nose when she heard him speak badly of [Name] for the first time. It shows that Imelda cared, despite how prickly she could be. As Imelda promised, the corridor leading to the UnderCroft was clear, giving her a clear path without the risk of any prefect seeing through her disillusionment charm. Standing before the entryway to the UnderCroft [Name] takes a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves bundling up inside of her and turning her stomach into knots. 
After removing her disillusionment charm, she  takes a few before she feels fully confident in going down and as she descends her hands roughly card through her hair and they start picking at the skin around her nails in nervousness. They let out another shuddering breath as the doors open to the UnderCroft, their heart feels like it's about to beat out of their chest as they take the first step out and the knots in their stomach seems to deepen to the point that they feel nauseous and that feeling only intensifies when she see’s Sebastian leaning against on the pillars with his arms crossed over his chest and his head facing the ceiling, eyes closed in contemplation. 
He looked so handsome, he had always been handsome but something about him was different. She realised she hand’t really looked at him since that day in 5th year, after all she had been avoiding him, but his jawline had gotten sharper and there was an air of maturity around him that she hadn’t seen before. She knew he was taller, he had towered over her in the Sallow home in Feldrcoft after all, but he was broader too. He had well and truly grown into himself and he was so devestaingly handsome it almost killed her. 
His eyes opened and his head snapped towards her, his gaze was piercing but not the way it was in his home. Then it was full of anger and it had scared it. This time, it was different. It was as if he was looking right through her, like he was staring straight into her very being and could see how nervous she was. His eyes also held something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on but it was gentle and kind and as his gaze went over her entire body she felt like she was being draped in warmth and comfort, the same kind of feeling she got on a stormy day and she wrapped herself up in blankets with hot chocolate and a good book. 
She takes a step closer to him and he does the same, they stay silent as their eyes take each other in fully for the first time in a year and a half. Sebastian wasn’t the only one who changed, she had too. She had changed her hair style, courtesy of Poppy’s advise, and it shaped her face beautiful and accentuated her features, the shape of her eyes, the slope of nose, the plumpness of her lips and he wanted to reach out and kiss her. And though she didn’t grow quite as tall as he did, she had grown some and with that growth came other changes that he would be ashamed to admit he noticed, the plumpness of her hips and thighs, it made her hip dips more noticeable and made her look even more beautiful. 
He would never admit it to anyone, he barely admitted it to himself but he had spent many nights dreaming of how her body would feel in his hands, her silk skin against his and her bare thighs pressing against his, her bare chest pressing against his. He had spent many sleepless nights fantasising about having her because he believed it would never really happen. 
They take a few more steps towards each other until their standing toe to toe, they stand in silence for a bit the only sound being their breathing and they don’t move, they simply bask in each others presence. Sebastian is the first to move, he takes one of her hands in her own and presses a gentle kiss to knuckles before muttering “You’re absolutely beautiful.” 
Blush quickly seeps over [Name]’s face, dusting her cheeks rosy pink, “And I am an absolute fool.” His other hand comes up to cup at her cheek and he rubs gentle circles into the apple of hit as he continues, “I couldn’t bear the thought of loosing you to goblins. Of falling into their schemes and traps I thought you were abandoning me for them, I thought you had given up on me.” 
A sad smile form on [Name]’s face as she reached her own hand up to cup the one Sebastian has on her cheek, “I never would have abandoned you Sebastian”
“I know. But I’m stubborn and hardheaded and a complete and utter asshole.I felt betrayed and I was hurt and angry and I thought by hurting you I would hurt less. I thought if I could convince you to hate me it would be easier for me to hate you for betraying me. But it wasn’t.”
He lets out a shuttering breath, his words soft as he speaks them. Almost as if someone else will here them and his words are only means for you, “It was the hardest damn thing I ever had to do. Acting like I hate you. Like I hated the ground your walked one, when in actuality I wanted to worship it. I wanted to worship you.” 
[Name] turns her head slightly and kisses the palm of the hand holding her cheek, urgin him to continue, “You are simply amazing, a powerful witch in your own right who could kick my ass in a duel anytime. But you are also sweet, and kind and compassionate, you are the most courageous peson I know and you protect and care for those you love. You are better than I am in every way and I am so undeserving of you and your love. But I love you, I love you so much that it hurts. I have loved you since your first day in Defense Against the Dark Arts when you kicked my ass in your first every duel, that was the day I gladly ripped my heart and placed it in your hands for safekeeping and I thank Merlin every second of every minute of every hour or day that you decided not to crush it. My heart is and always be your eternally”
“Tuum in aeternum” [Name]’s whisper is soft and finally she recognises the look in his eyes, the one that felt like warmth and comfor and home, it was love. Sebastian always kept a mask on, acting cool and collected and calm, his true emotions rarely shining through his carefully built facade to keep people from getting too close, but for her, for her, he dropped the mask and his walls he had built to keep his emotions to himself were crumbling before her very eyes. 
His eyes brightened at the recognition of the phrase and he can’t stop his excitement seeping through, “You got the necklace?”
[Name] nodded her head and pulled the velvet box from her pocket and opened it, the moissonite twinkling below the torches in the UnderCroft. “I did. Will you help me put it on?” He quickly nods and she hands him the box as she turns and pulls her hair out of the way, his hands are gentle as he places the necklac against her chests and clasps it at the back of her neck. She turns back to him and cups his face gently in her hands. 
“Despite everything, despite the pain you put me through this past year and a half, I still and always will love you Sebastian Sallow. My heart has been yours since you took the fall for me with Scribner. I have seen the dark sides of you but I have also seen the light.I have seen the kind and caring person you are, how much you love and care for Anne and Ominis and how you would burn the world down to protect them. You are not wholly bad Sebastian, you are good too and you are deserving of love and more. I am still hurting from what you did to me, but I forgive you”
Shock covers his features and Sebastian is quick to wrap [Name] in a tight embrace,pulling her close against his chest and leaning his head into her shoulder, “I will spend every minute of every day making it up to you, I promise you that.”
Sebastian pulls away from the hug and quickly ducks down to place a chaste kiss on [Name]’s lips, testing the waters for how far he can go. He goes to pull back but she is wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back for more, their lips crash together in a passionate kiss and as they pull apart again they both whisper the same words “Tuum in aeternum”, their solemn vow to one another to love each other, eternally.
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reinerismwrld · 13 days ago
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You Drew Stars Around My Scars
PAIRING: Sebastian Sallow x Reader x Ominis Gaunt (implied poly-relationship)
SUMMARY: Sebastian and Ominis knew better. NEVER ask about how you got your face scar, but you’ve known them for 2 years now, almost 3, and curiosity got the best of them.
GENRE: Fluff, angst
WARNINGS: Mentions of blood, violence, torture, and traumatic past.
WORD COUNT: 1.6k words
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“You know, a painting would be better and will last longer.” You didn’t move your sight from the book in front of you. The seventh year had just started, but somehow, you managed to have enough homework, and you felt like you were already falling behind.
Sebastian didn’t move. It wasn’t like it was the first time you caught him staring intensely at you.
“Well, not my fault you’re such a beauty.” You shook your head and chuckled at Sebastian’s comment. You knew he was looking directly at your scar, but who were you kidding? You always loved the attention he and Ominis gave you.
“Well, maybe if you actually started to study, you would actually improve.”
“Please, I’m already good. I even dare to say the perfect student,” Ominis snorted. After Sebastian hadn’t said anything to Omins, you knew he was up to something.
“Spit it out, Sallow.” The silence that filled the Room of Requirement was unsettling. You could hear the faint rain coming from one of the potting tables, which you may think could be relaxing, but when you are used to hearing Sebastian and Ominis (and even yourself) banter, the silence was more than telling. It was Ominis who finally decided to say something.
“We’ve known each other for some years now, we are even together now, so… Can we ask you about something? I will understand if you feel uncomfortable, sweetheart.” 
“Ominis, what’s happening?” You were starting to get nervous.
“Do you trust us?” What kind of dumb question was that? Of course, you trust them. They’ve been by your side since your first year in Hogwarts, the 3 of you have been in the most dangerous situations, which brought you even closer. Why the sudden and stupid question?
“Of course I do.”
“Well, then. How did you get that scar?” You tensed up. It always amazed you how, sometimes, Sebastian had zero tact.
“For Merlin’s sake Sebastian, couldn’t you be more insensitive?” 
“It’s ok, Omi,” you sighed. “A cat scratched me when I was 5.” You could’ve been honest, but you weren’t that sure if you wanted to tell them the truth now.
“Please, I’ve heard you tell better lies to Professor Weasley,” Sebastian said.
“Fine, fine… I was struck by lightning right on my face. But well, not even the gods could get rid of me,” you giggled. The lack of comments from Sebastian and Ominis was everything you needed to decide to finally open up to them. You sighed. “Just, promise this won’t change anything.” You could see Ominis’ questioning expression and Sebastian’s expectant one.
“I never knew who my parents were. From what I managed to know is that my mother passed away after giving birth, and my dad just left me there. I didn’t know that was even possible.” For the first time since you’ve known Sebastian, he was listening attentively.
“I ended up in an orphanage, which you already knew,” Ominis nodded. You always tried to leave your past, well, in the past, trying your best to get rid of the memories and self-concept you used to have, so bringing it up in front of them was challenging.
“I didn’t consider myself a troublemaker. I mean, I was always scared of the punishments the other kids said they would get whenever they did something bad. But…” you took a deep breath. “Even if I tried my best to behave well and not get in trouble, I managed to get the worst outcome out of all of them.” You closed your eyes. For a reason, telling the story was making your scar itch.
“There were these twins, a girl and a boy. Not really sure of what their names were. It’s not like I want to remember them now. They used to be the golden kids, the teachers’ pets if you can call them one way, and because of this, they always thought they could get away with everything, and they would get away with everything.” You started to scratch your scar, getting nervous.
“Because of this, they always liked to make fun of the other kids, bully them and basically be a pain in the ass for everyone but the adults. And well, I didn’t like the fact that the younger ones got the worst of it, so naturally I intervened. Let's just say that things got heated and I ended up punching the girl. She fell down, and well, as the “perfect little girl who couldn’t do any wrong,” she got away with it and I got in trouble.” you must have been scratching your left cheek harder than you noticed since Sebastian took your hand stopping you from doing it and smiled at him.
“I was on kitchen duty for about a month. Since it was my first time getting in trouble, they went easy on me. And I really thought that was it.” You felt a lump start to form in your throat. Somehow, Ominis knew the worst hadn’t happened yet, and he began to get nervous.
Maybe he wasn’t able to see how big your scar was, but Sebastian’s description and the glowing mark that he was able to see thanks to his wand was enough for him to know this wasn’t just a small scar you could get in a normal way.
“One night, I was woken up by someone who was sitting on my chest and someone who was grabbing my head to the right so I couldn’t move at all. It was the twins.” You summon all the courage inside you. But stopped. You didn’t understand why you couldn’t continue speaking. You’ve fought trolls, dark wizards, goblins, and gigantic spiders, and somehow, this was harder.
“Love, it’s ok. If you don’t want to tell us, we will understand.” Sebastian finally spoke, and your heart warmed at his comment. You felt a tear roll down your cheek and shook your head. You decided to continue.
“The brother, who was the one on top of me, had a blade in his hand. Even if his sister managed to hold my face to the right, I was able to take a look at him. He had this insane and unsettling look on his face.” Your whole body shivered at the memory. “He… Well, it’s not hard to guess, am I right?” You tried your best to defuse the tension, but it didn’t work. Sebastian and Ominis weren’t dumb. They have lived through so much that they already knew the next part. But still, they hoped they were wrong.
“He just started to cut and carve these.” You freed your hand from Sebastian’s hold and moved your finger, pointing at the area where your scar was. “And that’s it.” You decided to stop there. They didn’t need to know the details. How, even when you screamed the loudest you’ve ever screamed, no one ever came to help, how your tears burned the new marks that the kid made for weeks. How you used to hide the left side of your face every day until you knew you would go to Hogwarts. 
For the first time in the 2 years that you’ve known them, Ominis and Sebastian were speechless. 
“It’s fine, I guess. I like how I look now. And it’s basically a reminder that, if I was able to go through that, then life cannot be that bad now.” You really wanted them to relax since you noticed they were tense. 
“God, I love you so much.” Sebastian grabbed your hand again and kissed it. Ominis kissed your temple, and you smiled.
“I’m sorry if we pushed you to tell us this, sweetheart,” Ominis said.
“It’s ok. I wanted to be honest with you. I just… I was nervous. You have this image of me. The brave and reckless girl that became the Hero of Hogwarts. I don’t want you to think I’m faking it, or that I’m weak just because of this.”
“We would never think you’re weak. I would even dare to say that you are braver than we thought.” Sebastian nodded at Ominis’ comment.
“You went through that and even more, and you still managed to put a smile on your face. You are still one of the most compassionate, sweet, and incredible girl we’ve ever met.” Sebastian moved his chair so he was closer to you. He started to caress your cheek, the cheek that had the scar. It tickled.
“I speak for both of us that we are now here to protect and love you, even if you don’t need the protection, since you are the most powerful witch there is,” you laughed. “What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to go through something like that ever again. You won’t go through anything like that since you have us, sweetheart.” Ominis gave you a quick peck.
The more you thought about it the happier you were feeling.
Since the first day, they have been there for you. Even if the beginning was rough, with so much pain and loss, they never stopped talking to you. Even if at the beginning you didn’t open up to them like they did, they still continued to be there for you, with the hopes of you opening up little by little, and it worked. 
For the first time in years someone knew the truth you tried so hard to hide and ignore. And for the first time in your life you knew that with them, you didn’t have to hide your past or be scared of it anymore. And it felt good.
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h o g w a r t s l e g a c y m a s t e r l i s t
m a s t e r l i s t s
n a v i g a t i o n
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diamjem · 3 months ago
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blame the champagne
pairing: sebastian sallow x f!mc
summary: sebastian sallow attends his ex’s engagement party and he is fine.
word count: 7.1k
warnings: angst, alcohol abuse (sort of), marriage is a prison, 19th century high-society, no y/n, sebastian ruins everything he touches
a/n: first fic i’ve ever posted on tumblr pls be kind im jus a girl (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) ANYWAYS i wrote this while listening to exile by ts over and over and over again so maybe give that a lil listen while you read if u wanna set the mood. can you tell by the end i was just excited to get it done with lols. also this is really far from my usual writing style (i mainly post on wattpad ik boooo) but here ya go. im well aware of how all of u eat up angst like it’s a happy meal YES THERE WILL BE A PART TWO. if the hyperfixation persists this might even be a longer series BUT god knows how many wips i already have pls have mercy on my poor soul
[ao3] [wattpad]
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it was a nice party.
no, really. it was.
sure, there were some things sebastian could’ve done without—the awkwardly stiff ballroom, for one, with its velvet curtains that probably cost more than his entire wardrobe—but on the whole, he couldn’t deny credit where it was due.
the music was stimulating enough to have ballgowns spinning around endlessly on the dancefloor. food, exquisite; hors d'oeuvres that looked more like art than appetizers, but delicious nonetheless. and the decor? a tad too extravagant, maybe, with gold ribbons draped from every chandelier, catching the candlelight in a way that felt more like a royal procession than a social gathering. but who was he to judge? he was certainly drinking enough to blur any such distinctions, and there was more than enough champagne.
so, yeah, it was a really nice party.
well, save for the fact that it’s his ex’s engagement party to some guy from a prestigious pureblood family or whatever. sebastian still couldn't quite remember his name, though he’s pretty sure it starts with the letter h. he read the invitation, the fine lettering that seemed too fancy for its own good, but the moment he’d seen “engagement” paired with her name, his brain had short-circuited. he didn't need nor want the details. it was enough to know that she was moving on—and he, apparently, was not. but that's fine. he’s fine.
sebastian would have preferred to avoid the entire affair, but anne had insisted—no, berated him—into attending. "just be grateful she even thought to invite you to such a special day." she'd demanded.
ominis, bless him, had tried his best to offer some well-meaning, clumsy attempt to soften the blow, but when all was said and done, suggested sebastian defer to anne. there was no doubt (maybe a little) ominis was his best friend but he was also anne’s husband now. and a wife’s word, especially in the sallow family, was the law. infuriating, as if they haven't ganged up on him enough their whole lives.
speaking of those two, where the hell are they? sebastian was already this close to hexing them for dragging him here in the first place—much less leaving him alone in a crowd of polished, tight-lipped strangers. not that he hadn’t been to his fair share of these high-society events. as an established wizard, a decorated auror, top of his division no less, he had his place at these things, his duty even. in fact, somewhere deep down, part of him even liked the glitz and glamour. it was the sort of thing that would make most people feel important, like they were part of something larger, something better.
but this? this wasn’t his crowd at all. not when he had to stand there, watching the one that got away and her decorated hand clutch her husband-to-be’s arm. the sight of it churned something deep in his gut, like a bitter knot that wouldn’t untangle.
alright, maybe it’s time to admit it.
it was not a nice party at all.
the music? too stiff. too classic. she usually liked it loud and roaring. she used to love a ceilidh, for merlin’s sake. the food? too tiny. he could practically see her at the table, scarfing down a full plate before reaching for seconds, her stomach always growing faster than her appetite. the decorations? too gaudy. too excessive. then again, she never had a good eye for interior decor—at least, not according to the proper standards. her idea of decoration had been finding old furniture abandoned in the highlands and somehow hauling it back to their (now just his) flat in london.
salazar, this whole party is wrong. she never even cared for this kind of thing. she would always roll her eyes when he dragged her to some work event, muttering something about she’d much rather be laughing over a pint in the pub with him.
but it wasn’t just the party, was it? not the music or the food or the decorations. it was the fact that none of this felt like her anymore. it felt like she had become something else. something he wasn’t a part of.
sebastian watched her over the rim of his glass as he took a long swig of his drink.
now, the party may be no good, but the champagne? that's another thing. it was crisp, sharp, and cold, slipping down his throat with a tingle that almost made him forget where he was and who he was supposed to be celebrating. almost.
they were standing on the opposite side of the ballroom, where they were entertaining pompous-looking guests with what sebastian could only assume was ostentatious conversation. by they, he meant her and her fiancée (horace? henry?)—who, by the way, is the exact opposite of sebastian, with his raven hair, pale and freckle-free skin, and posture so impeccable that it even made sebastian straighten his own back.
she held out her hand to a lady she was talking to as if to flaunt her ring and sebastian crinkled his nose at the sight. he had to squint, but even from across the room, he could see that blinding diamond on her finger, catching the light like some cruel trick of the shadows. she’d always blabbered about how diamonds were too overrated, how emeralds were the only stones truly worth their weight. he never saw the appeal before, but now he did.
even her own hair wasn’t her. neater than usual, pulled up into that impossibly tight bun. it had always been free before, with that little curl by the side of her neck that always seemed to escape no matter how much she tried to tame it.
and that smile. it was perfect and even like it had been practiced for this very occasion. her real smile was never perfect. it was always a little crooked on the right side and it made her eyes squint into crescents.
pretentious. all of it. most of all, this engagement party. but at least, he had a drink in his hand and a healthy amount of champagne sloshing in it, which, at this point, was enough to blur the sharp edges of his cynicism.
or perhaps it wasn't his cynicism he’s been trying to drown in champagne all night but bitterness. who’s to say, though? certainly not sebastian—his pride would never let him admit that aloud, especially not when he’s supposed to be making merry with the very thing that made him bitter in the first place.
merlin, this engagement party is beginning to feel more and more like a funeral with every passing second, and he'd already dug himself a deep-enough grave just by showing up to this affair—by allowing himself to be here, in this strange limbo between the past he had to let go of and the future he no longer had any part in.
okay, funeral might be too near the knuckle. a stage play, now that's more fitting—complete with its flashy set, monotonous musical accompaniment, even the lead cast and audience. it all felt like a performance, and he, the unwilling spectator, had been cast in the worst role.
all that is to say, it really was not a nice party.
and it seemed he wasn’t the only one with grievances about the whole thing when just a few feet away, he caught the rasp of a shrill, hushed voice, rising above the ambient murmur of polite conversation like a knife through velvet.
“what a pity he's off the market. and to her, of all people. disagreeable little shrew of a witch, if you ask me.”
sebastian turned toward the source of the sound, narrowing his gaze. two women, dressed in garish, overly elaborate gowns were leaning in, exchanging what could only be described as venomous whispers. one of them, a woman with too much rouge on her cheeks, elbowed her companion, who, scandalized, raised a hand to her lips in mock surprise.
“an odd pairing, wouldn't you say?" the second woman chimed in, her voice betraying her amusement. “the hero of hogwarts and a pureblood heir. i wonder how they ever came to be.”
“if all the rumors about her past are to be believed, there has to be a conspiracy behind this. perhaps she slipped him an amortentia or, merlin forbid, blackmailed him.”
the second woman raised her glass in contemplation, her eyes gleaming with the sort of cruelty that only gossip seemed to nurture. “or maybe it’s for status,” she mused, “a marriage of convenience, perhaps? the hero marrying into a respectable family for a bit of security. a trade, if you will.”
he would have been inclined to agree—if only they hadn’t so thoughtlessly insulted the woman he once (still) loved. he could almost feel the heat rising to his face, the bitter sting of their insinuations making his hand ball into a fist at his side. but stepping in would be too over the line, even for sebastian. because she wasn't his to defend anymore. she’d made sure of that by giving her hand to some pureblood prick that wasn't him.
“well," the first woman continued, her voice turning sly, "whatever the case, she’s certainly fortunate. there aren’t many men left nowadays willing to be tied down, what with all the modern notions of ‘free love’ and 'unconventional living.' most prefer the arrangement where marriage is simply a word they needn't bother with. she’ll never want for anything, i suppose.”
“come to think of it, wasn't she in a long-term relationship just before this? witch weekly was quite abuzz about it. detailed how they’ve been together since their time in hogwarts and how everyone thought they'd be married by now, only for them to end in ruins all of a sudden.”
"oh, i think i remember that. though, as i recall, they never revealed the identity of her beau." the first woman pondered, tapping her fan against her cheek. "such a mysterious fellow, wasn't he? can you imagine what it must be like for him? finding out his beloved is to marry one of the wizarding world’s most eligible bachelors so soon after their parting?"
"oh, i’d be positively reeling," the second woman chimed in, a wicked grin playing at her lips. "i’d hardly be able to hold my glass steady."
that was it. he’d had enough eavesdropping for the night. no, scratch that—his whole life, actually.
this was precisely why he never engaged in gossip—not because he didn’t know it was often rooted in half-truths or outright falsehoods, but because on the off chance it was a truth, he couldn’t endure the sting of it especially when rubbed in his face. the incessant chatter, the giggling, the way their voices danced around his very existence like a cruel little game. it was as though they had found some perverse pleasure in prying open wounds that had barely even healed, turning them over in the light for sport.
but there was nothing like alcohol to cleanse the wound, so he had the snack steward pour him a fresh glass of champagne to flush out the muck that clung to the gash.
and it shouldn't even hurt in the first place. he was over this. he’d already accepted how things had come to be. hell, he wouldn't be here at this godforsaken party if he hadn't. this was not the time or place for this. he was a professional, damn it. he had been through worse than a half-forgotten heartbreak in his time, for merlin’s sake. this wasn’t about him, or what he thought he could have had. he was fine.
it was just the champagne. the party had so much damn champagne. it had clouded his head and muddled his thoughts. it made everything hurt more than it should. he just needed fresh air, something sobering, something to clear the fog.
so he excused himself without a word. before he knew it, he was standing on the balcony, the cool night air hitting his face with an almost brutal clarity.
as the cool breeze ruffled his hair, it felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down into the chasm below. maybe that was the real feeling—falling. that's what it had always felt like with her. a leap into something that he couldn’t control. something that was already lost before he had the chance to catch it. he’d never been able to get his footing, never been able to catch the ground beneath him before it slipped away.
and tonight, he was just watching her from the bottom, wishing he could climb back up.
sebastian stood there, the cold seeping through his coat as the social raged inside. glass of champagne still clutched tightly in his hand since he excused himself—how long ago had that been? a while. he wasn’t sure. time had started to lose its meaning out here. the muffled hum of the party drifted through the heavy stone walls, but he didn’t have the energy to care anymore.
it was a dreadful party, anyway.
at least out here, in the chill, there was a kind of comfort in the solitude. even if it felt like he was slowly being frozen into the stone.
the sound of the balcony doors opening caught his attention, followed by a soft click as they closed behind whoever had dared to step out into the cold.
“oh, my apologies! i didn’t know someone was out here. i—sebastian. there you are.”
sebastian turned towards the commotion, and there she was. with her too-primped hair, too-tight smile, and too-bright ring.
his gaze met hers, and for a moment, there was something there—a flicker of recognition, of shared history, that made his breath catch, almost rivaling the buzz the champagne gave him.
“there you are,” he replied, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in days. it was almost instinctive—like a beck and call he didn’t even realize he was still answering to.
she let out a breath, looking as if she had been holding it in for far too long. “sorry, i just needed an escape from all that.” her hand swept vaguely behind her, motioning to the pantomime behind the balcony doors.
“i’ll take my leave if you like.” sebastian said, already moving to turn away.
her brows immediately shot up, her hands instinctively raised as if to stop him. “no, stay. please. i’d like some company that isn't somewhat of a stranger for once tonight. unless… you’d rather leave?”
“i’ll stay.”
the words slipped out before he had a chance to stop them, much to his chagrin. he could almost hear his own internal voice, the one that had always been a little too self-assured, a little too sure of himself, yelling at him for it. though he never really knew how to say no to her, he thought by now he’d learn to. maybe it’s because he’s out of practice, or maybe it’s just the champagne dulling his senses.
but then, a small, crooked smile curved on her lips—a smile so familiar, so raw, that sebastian swore it made his heart skip a few beats too many. it was a glimpse of the real her. the one without all the pretense. and gods, it hit him harder than any amount of champagne in the party—no, the entire world—ever could.
she lifted the hem of her skirt just enough to kick off her heeled shoes with a frustrated huff. “these shoes are killing me,” she muttered under her breath, her voice a touch more vulnerable than she probably intended.
sebastian watched her for a moment, his gaze lingering on the shoes she discarded with such finality, as if casting away a part of her carefully constructed image for a moment of relief. then stepped up next to him, leaning casually against the railing. she folded her arms across her chest, her gaze sweeping out over the city lights as if they held some unspoken truth.
the silence stretched between, but it felt oddly familiar—like the space between them had never really grown so wide. maybe he was just deluding himself, but for a moment, it felt like they hadn’t changed, like they could still slip back into those old rhythms. it wasn’t comfortable, not exactly, but it was natural in a way.
“congratulations, by the way. it’s a nice party,” sebastian said, his voice a little too casual. a lie. he knew it, she knew it. and yet, neither of them dared to say it aloud.
“the very picture of grandeur,” he added, lifting his glass in a half-hearted toast, as if the motion might somehow mask the gaucheness creeping into his tone.
she hummed in response, but it wasn’t in agreement. It was more like a sardonic chuckle, a sound that told him she saw through it all. “and then some,” she replied, her voice dripping with dry humor. “i think it’s quite over the top. but don't tell hector i said that, he’d have a fit.”
hector? oh, her fiancée. that must be his name.
for all his loquacious nature, sebastian didn’t quite know how to respond to that. there was a pang of something—jealousy, regret, resentment—that made the words catch in his throat. there was a part of him that wanted to ask how it felt, to ask if hector was everything she had dreamed of. but he knew he didn’t have the right. so, he stayed silent, letting the questions churn inside, only to swallow them down along with another gulp of champagne.
she smiled then, warm at first, but it quickly shifted into something more melancholic. “but i’m glad you’re here, sebastian,” she said, her voice gentle. “to be honest, i wasn’t sure if you’d come, considering, well, everything. if i were you, the last place i’d want to be is my ex’s engagement party.”
he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “i could be in worse places,” he said, the smirk tugging at his lips as he raised his glass. “and hey, what could be better than a party with an abundance of champagne?”
“i know you’re joking, but take it easy on the champagne, alright? you’re a lot more indulgent than you like to think.”
sebastian leaned back, giving her a sidelong glance. “ah, there it is. your trademark nagging. i’m already starting to feel sorry for hector.”
the words were flippant, but his chest tightened the moment they left his mouth. the thought of someone else being on the receiving end of her odd brand of shrewish affection gnawed at him more than he wanted to admit. he would have swallowed every word he'd ever said if it meant he could keep all that cavilling to himself again. but that's neither here nor there.
she scoffed. “oh, trust me, he does enough nagging for the both of us. quite the pedant, really. i don't know how you put up with me for as long as you did. might be a good idea to ask for your advice."
her words were wrapped in jest, but sebastian didn’t miss the small shift in her expression. the tiniest of pouts tugged at her bottom lip, and he caught it—just a flicker. it passed so quickly he almost convinced himself he hadn’t seen it. but he had. and it twisted something in his chest, a reminder of all the ways he used to know her. again, he found himself telling himself that it didn't concern him. not anymore.
“advice?” he said, his voice forced into a casual tone, but it cracked just a little. “you’re asking the wrong person, hen. i’m hardly an expert on relationships. evidently.”
the irony in his own words didn't escape him. no, what did escape him was just how much the slip of that term of endearment landed with weight.
her gaze flicked over to him, brow raised in mild surprise, the corner of her mouth twitching with amusement. “hen?” she echoed.
ah, of course. yet another symptom of too much champagne that also falls under a lack of control—the slip of the tongue.
“force of habit.” his excuse came, quickly trying to backpedal.
hen was a relic of their past, something he’d used to call her when things were simpler, before everything had gotten tangled and messy. she would always mock him for using such a twee nickname, but there was always something in her expression when he said it, a brief flicker in her eyes that made him wonder if, deep down, she didn’t mind it as much as she let on.
but to his surprise, she just smiled, the curve of her lips soft, almost fond. she didn’t mock him, didn’t even raise an eyebrow. no judgement. no laughter at his expense. there was a quiet in her gaze, one that lingered longer than usual. recognition, maybe. nostalgia. the kind of thing that shouldn’t have been there, but it was. and it echoed in his chest, so painfully familiar.
she hummed, the kind she used to make when she was content, and turned back to the night sky, as though the way she looked at sebastian didn't just send him reeling right then and there. as if she knew that that one look would make him more flustered than she would if she’d just mocked him.
“so, what’s been keeping you busy these days?" she asked, her voice softer now, a hint of genuine curiosity underneath her teasing tone. "the world’s still spinning, i presume?"
"ah, you know. work, as usual," he replied, his tone flat and yet cautious at the same time.
if it were anyone else, he'd have launched into a long-winded spiel of his latest case. after all, his work had become the one thing he clung to, the only thing that made getting out of bed in the morning feel necessary. but with her? the words didn’t flow so easily. even back then, it had become a touchy subject between them—something that both defined him and drove a wedge between them.
okay, so maybe it wasn't his work that drove them apart and more so his obsession to it. or rather, his obsession to prove himself. his obsession to be part of something larger, something better. but that was a thing of the past, and there's no point dredging it up now when they're supposed to be celebrating the future.
"of course, still married to your job, i see. i mean, i get it, you've always been a workaholic.” she nodded, a knowing yet bittersweet smile playing on her lips. "i even heard you took down yet another beast trafficking ring. well done, sebastian.”
sebastian's brow arched involuntarily. had she been keeping tabs on him? the idea that she might still be keeping track of him, that he’s still running around in that mesmerizing clutter of a mind of hers? he wouldn't dare say it out loud but it tickled him pink. it was both absurd and somehow thrilling. maybe she had asked around—natty, perhaps? he had worked on a handful of cases with her over the past few months—there was no reason natty couldn’t have mentioned something about the work they’ve been doing. or maybe she’d been watching him? he wouldn't put it past her to do such a thing, sly little witch she is.
“oh, would you wipe that look off your face?” came her voice, the playful edge in her voice obvious. “i know what you're thinking, and no. i just happened to read about it on the daily prophet.”
sebastian couldn’t help the slow, satisfied smile that crept across his face. she could feign ignorance as much as she liked, but the flush on her cheeks told a different story. and it sure as hell wasn’t just the rouge she wore. it spread slowly, a warm pink creeping up her neck, staining her cheek.
“is that so?” he said, trying to sound nonchalant, but it came out a little softer than he’d intended. “i guess i make the news more than i realized.”
“i’ll have you know the daily prophet reports on anything these days. they even had an article on what the best flavor of bertie bott’s beans is.” she rolled her eyes, her lips twitching with barely contained amusement. “beans, sebastian. on the very same page of your ring-busting article. i guess that's the kind of highly important news they decide to prioritize.”
“next thing you know, they're reporting on the right way to sneeze.” he added with a wry grin.
“oh, you’d better read that then,” she said, shaking her head, her eyes alight with a teasing sparkle. “merlin knows how many have suffered at the hands of your loud sneezes.”
“well, you know what the daily prophet won't be able to tell you? i adopted a cat.”
her eyebrows shot up, clearly surprised. "a cat?" she looked at him like he’d just announced he’d learned to juggle fire. “you? this happened when, pray tell?”
sebastian shrugged, his smile widening just a little. "oh, you know. a few weeks ago. felt i might do with some company that wasn’t a case file or a bottle of firewhisky.”
the glint in her eyes only told him she was intrigued, so he kept going. "yeah. you’d love her. she’s a restless bugger, but she can be so affectionate. she reminds me a lot of you, actually. it’s why i got her in the first place. i even named her hen after—”
he froze mid-sentence, his smile faltering as soon as he realized what he’d said. sweet merlin, is there any chance he could cast a shrinking charm on himself so he could be small enough to jump into his glass and drown in the champagne?
or maybe that’s just it. he’s had way too much champagne. it had messed with him already more times than he could count tonight, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched. but then again, he didn't really care enough to stop drinking. not when the alcohol made it easier to suppress the bitter feelings that threatened to spill.
she stared at him for a long moment, eyes wide with surprise, then a small, entertained twist of expression tugged at the corner of her mouth. if earlier hadn’t been enough to spark her teasing, then surely this would be.
“merlin, i’ve been replaced by a cat.” she tilted her head. “i don’t know whether to be offended, relieved, or touched.”
sebastian’s eyes narrowed, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed his attempt to look disinterested. he rolled his eyes dramatically, though the teasing wasn’t lost on him. “oh, come off it,” he muttered.
“look at you,” she spoke again. her voice was soft, as if overflowing with a solemn pride. “sebastian sallow, slytherin’s finest, accomplished auror, and now, cat owner. everything you ever wanted to be.”
if one word could be used to describe sebastian, it would be amour propre. granted, that’s two words, but the point still stands: he’s everything he’s ever wanted to be, and he’s proud of it. hell, he’d sacrificed more than he cared to admit to get here, to prove himself, to show the world that he was enough.
but if so, why did her words feel like a punch to the gut?
because all he’d ever wanted was to be hers. that was the truth of it, buried beneath all the ambition, all the success, all the work that had consumed him. it had never been about the accolades or the recognition. it was all just smoke and mirrors, an illusion from what he truly wanted. to prove himself worthy of her hand.
and when his eyes landed on that diamond on her finger, he’d realized all of it was for nothing. true to sebastian sallow fashion, he became too focused on the end goal he’d lost sight of where it all began.
"and you?" he finally managed, voice rougher than he intended. "you’re becoming a... wife."
the words felt like lead in his mouth. he swallowed hard, as if trying to chase the bitter taste out of his throat.
she sighed softly, almost wistfully, and her hand moved to absently fiddle with the diamond ring on her finger. the band slid up and down, just a little too big for her, a subtle movement that made it seem like it didn’t quite belong.
"i know, right?" she said, a faint, almost bitter edge creeping into her voice. "everything i ever wanted to be..."
“do you ever wish things could have panned out differently, sebastian?” she asked the question softly after a beat, but there was a weight to it, like she already knew the answer.
sebastian tried to find the words, but only stayed silent. he would be lying if he said he didn’t—if he didn’t wish, deep down, that things had turned out differently. but he’d had a year to accept it. a year to make peace with the reality handed to him, to bury the gnawing what-ifs under layers of duty and time. he’d convinced himself he was moved on. convinced himself that this was what was meant to be.
but that was before today. before this party. before the sight of the ring—her ring—shining like a cruel reminder of everything he had lost.
well, what good was wishful thinking, really? what was it but a self-inflicted wound that only festered into regret? what was done was done. and what was done was them—two separate paths now, carved out by the choices of time.
“why am I even asking? i’m sure you wouldn’t have it any other way.” her voice broke through his thoughts, laced with a softness that almost felt too painful.
“but... isn’t this what you wanted?” he forced himself to meet her eyes, though the words scraped his throat like nails. “to settle down, build a family?”
her eyes dropped to the ring again, the weight of it between them. she didn’t answer right away, as though she were trying to decide how to put it into words. the silence stretched thin before she spoke, her voice almost wistful, a quiet ache behind it.
“i… it is. just not like this.”
sebastian frowned, his brow furrowing deeper with confusion. not like this? what did she mean by that? was she implying that this—this life, this marriage, this future she was about to walk into—wasn’t what she had hoped for?
but he knew better than to be presumptuous. the last time he'd done that, he’d assumed she would be there, waiting, standing beside him until the end of time. and look where that had gotten him. he had learned, painfully, that hope could be a dangerous thing when it wasn’t tempered by reality.
and for all he knew, maybe she wasn’t so much regretting her choices as she was adjusting to them. the end of a decade-long relationship. the move from a cozy one-bedroom flat to a grand, unfamiliar manor that seemed more like a cage than a home. an engagement. the pressure of it. the weight of the new, the unfamiliar. it had to leave her feeling a little unmoored, a little lost. after all, hadn’t it left him feeling the same way when he was forced to step into a future he never wanted?
so instead of speaking, of pressing her for answers he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear, sebastian did what he’d become so adept at doing in the last year: he held his tongue. he let the silence stretch between them, a thin, fragile line neither of them seemed willing to cross.
but then, after a long beat, her voice broke through the quiet, softer than before, hesitant and unsure.
“i mean... i…” she hesitated for a fraction of a second, her fingers twisting slightly around the diamond ring. “i just miss going out on adventures, taking down bad guys, the daily prophet reporting about my adventures. i’m sorry, i know, i sound so green-eyed.”
“well, if it’s any consolation,” he said, trying to lighten the mood, “i think you were in a witch weekly article.”
she elbowed him lightly, her lips curling into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “not a consolation. you know i don’t like being treated like a celebrity.”
“moot point when you’ve got a whole wingding for a marriage that hasn’t even happened yet.”
she rolled her eyes, a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice. “oh, hush. it wasn’t my idea. if anything, i was against this whole thing but a husband's word is the law.”
her words were casual enough, but there was something beneath them—a quiet fatalism that rang through her tone, as though she had long since stopped fighting against the roles others had set for her. it was so unlike her. the woman he had known would have never allowed herself to be so... tame. it made him wonder if, had she heard him say that, would she still have hexed him like how her normal reaction would have been?
she had always been a force in her own right—a woman who did things her way, consequences be damned. and for all his own reservations about this hector, sebastian couldn’t deny there was a certain respect in the way she spoke of him. no, not respect—submission. it was the resignation of someone who had, for better or for worse (pun unintended), accepted their fate.
well, if it had been him—if he had been the one to give her that ring—things would have been different.
oh. there it was again—champagne clouding his judgement, making him think of what-ifs. but really, how much longer could he hold onto the intoxicating delusion that things could still be different? and most of all, how much longer can one blame the champagne?
sebastian set his glass down on the railing, the crystal making a sharp, definitive clink that cut through the silence. the sound seemed to echo, as though marking a turning point in the conversation, a shift in the air between them.
“i ought to warn hector,” he said, the playful edge to his voice sharpening in the thick air. “you can be quite scary when things don’t go your way. i remember once, ominis asked you to stop breaking and entering into random homes, and what did you do? used a very advanced locking charm to lock him out of his own apartment. took him days to get back inside. perhaps i should share that delightful story with your fiancée.”
her eyes narrowed slightly, but the smile that tugged at her lips betrayed a knowing amusement. “oh, i’m sure hector would enjoy that just as much as he’d enjoy the scolding he'd give me after,” she said, her voice smooth but tinged with something heavier. “he’s a man of strong opinions—loves to hold court on matters of... propriety. and best believe, he doesn't sway easily.”
“ah, but you forget my irresistible charm. you were the most relentless person i know, and it worked on you, didn’t it?”
“more like it wore me down.”
“same thing.”
she laughed. actually, more like guffawed. the sound bubbled up from her chest and filled the space between them, louder and freer than he’d heard in ages.
for a moment, everything seemed to fall away—the lingering heartbreak of their separation, the party, the expectations, the wretchedness of it all. they were just two people, lost in the simplicity of shared history, the ease of old comfort.
her shoulder brushed his, the smallest of touches. sebastian hadn’t even realized how close they’d gotten, how their space had slowly shrunk until they were practically leaning into each other. he could feel the warmth of her next to him, the quiet rhythm of her breathing.
it made his head spin and he didn't know what to blame this time. was it the champagne he’d been nursing all night? or perhaps the party had made him stir crazy? maybe he’s gotten a cold from all this biting air? all he knew was that if she were any closer, he would surely die. but in that same breath, he didn’t want it to stop. he didn't want the dizzying rush of this feeling to end. to be this close to her, so near, so... alive—if this was what death felt like, he would die happy. hell, he'd beg for it.
and it seemed the universe, in all its cruel, whimsical glory, did indeed want him to die. because in the next breath, she moved again—just a slight shift, but it was enough. her head, soft and weightless, found its place against his shoulder, a gentle pressure that sent a shiver through him, down to his very bones.
it was a dangerous thing, this proximity. it made him ache for the things he couldn't have anymore. but for the first time in a long while, he didn’t mind the pain.
“i haven’t laughed this much in a while,” she said, her voice almost dreamy. “i forgot how easily you could do that.”
“you know for someone so talkative, you're awfully quiet today.” she added.
sebastian exhaled, trying to force a chuckle past the lump in his throat. “ah, well... it’s not every day i come to my ex’s engagement party."
the words were dry and brittle, a thin veil over the mess of feelings roiling beneath. he could feel the weight pressing down on him, his usual charm lost to the quiet ache that had been building ever since he’d walked into this damned party.
she looked up at him, her head leaving his shoulder. sebastian fought the urge to wince at the loss of contact. he hated how it made him feel—small, like a child caught in the act of wanting something he could never have. a pathetic little loser, lost in his own head.
“right. the party,” she said, her voice distant now, like she was already stepping away, back to the world she was now leashed to. “i should get back in there.”
sebastian could feel the words coiling in his throat, but he couldn’t make them come. the lump was too heavy, the ache too deep. he didn’t want to stop her, didn’t want to be the one to hold her in this fleeting moment, knowing it was already slipping away. so he simply nodded.
she nodded back, a small, quiet acknowledgment. and in that brief exchange, something shifted—like a subtle current pulling them together without either of them willing to fight it. they were both standing still, suspended in the space between them, as though the world around them had melted into a blur. neither could look away. their gazes locked, drawn together by the gravity of everything unspoken, everything left unresolved.
for a long moment, there was only the sound of their breathing, quiet and steady, as though time itself had momentarily paused. sebastian could see the subtle flicker of emotion in her eyes, the fragility of it. the distance between them was vast, but in that instant, it felt narrower than it ever had before. she wasn’t just the woman he’d lost; she was a stranger, yet also someone he knew more intimately than anyone else in the world.
her lips parted, but no words came. it was as though they were both afraid to break the fragile tension that hummed between them. they were too fixed on each other’s eyes, as if speaking would shatter something delicate, something that might never exist again.
but then the sound of the balcony doors opening broke the stillness. a shift in the air, sharp and unwelcome, as if the universe itself was demanding they face the reality neither of them wanted to acknowledge. the doors clicked shut behind the intruder.
“brother, i knew you’d be sulking out here,” came anne’s voice, sharp and too bright. sebastian turned, his jaw tightening at the sound of her footsteps.
her eyes caught the two of them, lingering just long enough to read the unspoken, heavy weight of the moment. then, her expression flickered, a mix of surprise and amusement, as if she were watching something she couldn’t quite comprehend.
“did i interrupt something?” anne asked, a sly edge to her words, as if she could see through the mask they both wore, but was too polite to say anything more.
before sebastian could even process a response, the woman in front of him beat him to it.
“oh, not at all,” she said quickly, brushing past him to put her shoes back on. her voice was light, but there was something strained about it now—an effort to keep her composure intact. as if she was already slipping back into the role she’d rehearsed for the evening. “i was just heading out.”
anne, ever the enigma, chirped with forced cheer. “oh, by the way, congratulations on your engagement!”
“thank you, anne,” she replied, her tone measured, smooth—too smooth.
with the speed at which her mask snapped back on, sebastian felt as if he'd just gone through the looking glass. the moment between them, that fragile flicker of rawness, shattered the second she spoke. the real her, the woman he’d known, was gone—swallowed by a perfect, polished version of herself. he could almost hear the click as the walls went back up, soundproof and impervious.
but just as she turned to leave, her eyes flicked back to sebastian, and for a split second, there was a crack in that mask. a fleeting moment of something raw, something unguarded. the way she looked at him made his chest tighten, the kind of look that carried a thousand unspoken words, a thousand regrets.
her lips parted as if she wanted to say something—anything—but she didn’t. the silence between them grew thick, heavy with all the things they never said and probably never would.
instead, he grabbed his champagne glass, fingers trembling just slightly as he raised it to his lips, swallowing the rest of it in one smooth, numbing gulp. anything to chase away the taste of the moment, anything to erase the feeling of her gaze and touch.
“excuse me,” she murmured, her voice soft and distant, as if this whole thing—this entire exchange—had already been written. she brushed past anne with the grace of someone who had long ago perfected the art of walking away, leaving sebastian with nothing but the bitter aftertaste of champagne and the cold, aching silence.
they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. but sebastian knew the truth. watching her walk away, the woman he had loved with everything in him, the woman who had been his world before it all crumbled—it didn’t make him stronger. it just made him feel dead. and drunk.
or maybe it was just the champagne.
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leviackermanstoes · 4 months ago
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When life brought you back.
Dark wizards!Sebastian sallow and ominis gaunt x auror! Reader.
....
Summary: You haven't seen Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt since your paths diverged long ago. When a cryptic case comes up with the ministery that you know you can't solve yourself, there's only two people who know can help you.
Includes: uhhhhh. Canon typical violence. Seb and omi are dark wizards, Dark, yall, so keep that in mind. Everyone is aged up as this takes place almost 13 years after hogwarts legacy. Reader is a high-ranking auror. Arguing. Angst. Bad writing. Seb and reader are ex lovers.
---
It was a cold night when the letter came.
Auror F/N L/N, when you get this letter, I will be long dead. I hope you will do good.
T.L
Almost immediately after you received the letter, there was a wave of violent murders across London. 4 women and 4 men across three different cities were all killed the same way with their throats cut. All had the dark mark.
During the most rainy days of the month, you were out looking for evidence. London was so unbearably cold when it rained, but there's never a more beautiful time to be outside. you found no more than basic evidence on your time out, and as mud and leaves stuck to your boots like an unwanted companion, you sighed and cursed yourself out.
caught in fallen brown and green leaves, empty cans, and bottles in the street, The streets of London that bore potholes and worn away cobblestone were bare of magic traces and anyone at all. And so you were lost.
When the stacks of paper rolled into your office later in the week, you were screwed. Deciphering the codes and the cryptic messages and symbols one by one over nights and nights became too much even for an auror of your status.
Triangle. Squares. Circles. An oval. A zigzag shape. Line and crosses and dots and squiggles.
One symbol, in particular, of a long s shape down the middle of a triangle struck you hard. You'd seen that before. It reminds you of the dark things you've seen and the many people you've faced that brought you threads length away from death. But most of all, it reminds you of them.
You knew there was only one place you could really go. The place you dreaded, and above all else, the people who hoped you wouldn't see again.
And you were sure they felt the same.
----
Azkaban is bloody dark. And even more so cold. Your cloak of grey warmed you in the sharp chill of the air as you made your way to the guards. Not a dementor, but a young man in a black mask covering his mouth who sat like royalty behind a desk.
"Excuse me?" You placed your hand on the desk.
"What do you want?"
The air was cold, but the masked man's tone was colder. You rolled your eyes at the monotone bass in his voice and continued to speak.
"I have a request to see Prisoners 234 and 235 here from the ministery of magic." You slid the note across where the masked man grabbed it in his slender gloved hand.
"And who are you?" He turnt his head.
"Auror F/N L/N"
"Mmmh," He grumbled and shooed you away.
Without bothering to ask any further, you walked to the elevator where two dementors accompanied you. Chills ran up your spine at the feeling of freezing air that their tattered and haunting cloaks were putting into the small space. Low growls and Sleek, Black creature like hands.
This had better be worth it.
---
Sebastian Sallow was just as handsome as he was all those years ago, if not more. His soft and round childish face grew sharper and more defined into ruggedness. The brown in his hair was darker and it was more more dishevelled. He was different. Larger hands, wider shoulders, and a dark look in his eyes, his emerald, crystalline eyes.
But he had his freckles still. Those goddamn freckles.
Ominis hadn't changed. Yes, his hair wasn't slicked back, and his face wasn't soft, and his once soft, cloudy eyes were glinting darker. But he hadn't changed. His body posture was still reserved and quiet, and he still gave quirks back to Sebastian's antics.
You observed them from outside their cells beside each other. Sebastian leaned with his arms above his head against the jailbars, eyes closed. Ominis leaned with his back at the wall, arms crossed, and one leg on the wall.
"You can't ignore me forever. Just answer my question, would you?"
You folded your arms across your chest and sighed. Ominis chuckled.
"You seriously haven't changed. Always in a hurry."
You watched ominis shake his head and push gently off the wall before he walked to the bars with a certain elegant swagger that only ominis gaunt could pull off. From beside ominis's cell, was the glaring eyes of Sebastian Sallow.
Emerald and Sharp like razor cut grass.
"Why not stick around and wait for a bit? You might find these people are as friendly as they look." sebastian gave a sly smile.
His face close to the bars, cold metal pressing into his worn out skin.
"I've seen them all before" You said simply as you moved your face closely to the bars. Inches from seb. "When I put them in here."
You stepped back and sighed. "Look, you guys, I have a few photos of symbols, I need your help to decipher what it all might mean"
Sebastian scoffed. "Wow. After 13 years and you couldn't even give us a how are you?"
"Not even a hello?" Ominis chimed in.
You looked at the floor. You were ashamed that the only time you'd come to see your best friends was when they were behind the bars of a prison cell. You weren't afraid to admit you had missed them. A lot. The illustrious look in Sebastian's eyes and the cheeky smile that ominis wore.
You had certainly missed it all. And you'd be damned if you didn't say you were just all that glad to see them, even under such circumstances.
Ominis slid his hand through the bars as he leant on them and gestured for you to give him the note.
"What is it?" Seb's eyebrows furrowed.
As ominis traced over the dark ink, the look on his face told you he had caught notice of something you clearly hadn't.
"There's an indentation here," he points to the top of the triangle, or thereabouts. "And some smaller dots across the paper"
"What's that mean?"
And before you could even turn your head, sebastian was already smirking.
"It means they've succeeded in marking their targets. Whoever made this has left small imprints of where they've left their victims"
You looked over at ominis, who nodded.
"Is it supposed to be so out of place?" You asked seb.
And he laughed. He actually laughed.
"Out of place? Love give me the paper" he chuckled.
You took the paper from ominis and gave it to sebastian. Ominis looked like he was suddenly useless.
"Here's a pencil"
"You're not looking clearly if you think it's a mess," seb spoke up as he pointed to the paper with the tip of the lead.
His arms were dangling out through the cell bars as he leant lazily upon them.
"See this?" He drew a connecting line from the tip of the triangle to the next dot then the next until they formed an askew square shape.
The paper now showed a squiggly line, a triangle, and a small askew square protruding off the side of the triangles' right side.
Seb handed the paper and pen back to you and sighed. "Kindergarten work"
You rolled your eyes. "So what's this mean then? That the next victims could be within a square area?"
"Yknow for a high-ranking auror, you're not very bright," ominis retorted. To which seb snickered.
"I didn't come here for smartass comebacks, I came for help. Now tell me what the hell this means!"
Ominis and sebastian sighed in unison. If you hadn't been under such circumstances, you would've kissed them both on the cheek to make them blush before running away like you used to.
"It's an old calling card for when a dark wizard needs help. They would make a hidden square in a symbol or code of some kind. I myself used it before" sebastian spoke.
For a moment. Just for a moment before sebastian said anything, you felt like it was just you three back at hogwarts figuring out mysteries together. You used to get caught by Professor weasley all the time and take the blame for omi and seb.
For a moment, you'd forgotten that your two best friends were now the world's most wanted dark wizards.
"You don't know how much this means to me guys, really,"
You said as you tucked the paper back into your vest pocket.
"So, are you getting us out of here or not?" Sebastian sighed, raising his brows. "Or did you come to gloat and show off your new robe like a preen?"
You couldn't believe this was your seb talking to you like this.
"No. No, I did come here with the intention of helping you both out"
You pulled out a pair of keys from your back pocket. The look in both Sebastian's and ominis's eyes could've lit up the darkest of rooms. Ominis stood up straight, but sebastian was still slumped.
One was hopeful, and one was doubtful.
"I'm getting you out of here...it's the most I could do..."
"For putting us in here..."
sebastian finished your sentence as you approached his cell, and when the keys unlocked the door, there was a moment of deep silence as you went to unlock ominis out of his own cell.
"Yes, for putting you in here"
Neither wizard nor witch said a word until sebastian spoke up.
"Come give me a fucking hug would you?"
And almost pathetically fast, you ran at Sebastian's into his arms. He smelt like the wet azkaban floor and was covered in soot and dry blood splatters on his rags but you couldn't have cared less.
Sebastian was back in your clutch. Both of your boys were. You wouldn't have to look at them through newspaper clippings and notebooks again. They were real this time.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you both" you spoke as you hugged ominis.
"I hope you brought a pair of shoes." Sebastian grumbled.
You chuckled. "I didn't, but I'm gonna take you both somewhere safe okay?"
They both nodded, and for the first time since meeting you, they both felt at peace once again.
And they would never let you go. Again.
----
Still taller than you even now, Ominis and Sebastian Strided alongside you in heavy, hooded cloaks to conceal their identities. You knew it was dangerous to have them out in the open. They were oozing with dark magic traces, and the dementors would surely come after them again and even more so if someone spots them...
It was easy to get them out of azkaban, as the guard had just shooed you off. You were sure that there had to be some kind of punishment for releasing prisoners just like that. especially ones of their status.
But you couldn't complain.
"So where will we go now?" Ominis turnt to you.
His cloak was soaked by the relentless rain, and his face was dripping. Cold rain flooded at his lips as he tried to speak.
The rain battered your bodies. Thuds upon the concrete made it hard to hear anything. Night was falling, and you only had so much energy.
"I don't know, but somewhere safe"
Sebastian scoffed and straightened his back. "There's nowhere safe around here"
He spoke in a doubtful tone. Which you couldn't blame him for.
"I will find us a place. There's a hideout most minstery staff use when they need a safe house. " You spoke as you checked your pocket watch. "We should be there soon. If we walk now, we can make it by midnight"
"A safe house?" Sebastian stopped in his tracks.
"What?" Your brows furrowed.
"You're gonna take us to your high profile safehouse and then what? Use us for our smarts and then give us back to azkaban?!"
You shook your head. "No! No no no sebastian i would-"
"WHAT?!"
He yelled suddenly, drowning out every sense of thunder in the onyx skies. His eyes filled with a dark cloudiness that was haunting to see in the eyes of someone who used to look at you like you were the world.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" You clenched your fists at your sides and couldn't tell which was running down your face, tears or raindrops.
"WOULDN'T DO THAT? NEED I REMIND YOU WHO PUT US IN THOSE CELLS!"
"NO SEBASTIAN SALLOW!"
The sound of your foot stomping on the cobblestone reverberated down the echoing path. Lightning cracked in the distance, and the rain kept its relentless beating upon your back.
You've never called sebastian by his full name. And you hope, for a second, that it scares him. The look in his eyes glints corruption and dark magic, all things you never used to know your sweet sebastian was capable of.
Used to know.
"I'm not trying to screw you over! I'm aware that I've done that before!"
"You could've told them we were innocent!"
"OH GIVE ME A BREAK!"
Your voice hurt from yelling. You felt bad for poor ominis who couldn't see what was happening but could hear the emotion being poured into it, and for the first time in his life, he was almost glad to be blind.
"I know I let you down, okay! I know that you have no reason to trust me anymore!"
Ominis turns to face you. His smoky white eyes haze over you just as they did 13 years ago before he walked away from you. The rain drips down his face, and you can't make out what he might say or might be thinking.
And it makes you want to cry. Because you should know.
"Please don't fight for merlin's sake. Like or not, were all in this together now, alright?"
Sebastian looks at you, but you look away.
------
Let me know if you guys want part 2😭😭😭
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hyuckkaiji · 2 years ago
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only mine - sebastian sallow x f!reader
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summary; " sebastian has been on the run for several years, hiding from the ministry of magic. his sole purpose is to find you again. he's obsessed and no one can stop him from having you again. no one. " he's finally found you, alone in the dark. pt.2: my love / pt.3: ominis , pt.3 sebastian
word count; 4.7k
warnings; 18+, explicit sexual content, dark themes, dubcon, porn with a plot, dark!sebastian, sub/dom dynamics, cheating/infidelity
note; this is based on dark!sebastian ai created by @seabass-swallows characters are obviously aged up, early 20s. Also this is my first time actually writing smut, so be kind
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You were fifteen when you lost the love of your life. You were fifteen when he ran from the ministry. "A dark wizard, a fugitive, rewards for his capture" words you could never forget hearing. Words that were repeated in whispers by students, commands by aurors.
"You will tell us if you hear anything?"
"Of course, Sir." It was a lie. You would never give Sebastian up, even if you did know where he went. But you didn't. He was there one day and gone the next. No one knew where he'd disappeared to, not that the aurors believed you when you said as much. How could his lover not know where he went nor his best friend? They thought you and Ominis were lying.
They watched the both of you for months, the only two left that the Sallow boy trusted. His sister, Anne, had succumbed to her curse well before he ran. He had nothing and no one but two other fifteen year olds, two other children.
All of you only really had each other, but three had become two. And fifteen had become nineteen when Ominis took you to wife. You didn't love him, not like you loved Sebastian, but he was all you had. You had latched onto him for so many years, telling yourself you could love him. One day, possibly.
So you married him, always telling yourself the day would come. But nineteen turned to twenty, then twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three. And here you stood, loving him no more than you did at fifteen.
You watched as he sat anxiously, drumming his fingers against the hard wood surface of your dining table. The dark suit jacket discarded, his vest open, his shirt a few buttons loose as his other hand pulled free his tie.
"Do you find me incapable of defending myself?" You snapped at him. You were always snapping at him these days, his presence no longer a comfort but a nuisance. A cage you willingly walked into. A choice you wished you could take back.
"No," He sighed, standing as he pulled the vest and tie off, walking a few steps forward to hold your face in his warm grasp, "I just-"
"Worry." You push his hands away, turning your back to him . "Yes, I know. You worry. You've worried your whole life, and you'll never stop."
His arms wrapped around you from behind, his body strong and solid as he presses against yours. He brings his head down to rest at the crook of your neck, pressing soft chaste kisses. You lean back, resting your head against him. A comforting, relaxing gesture, not your comfort, but his.
"It's a dangerous world." He whispers the words into your skin. You give an involuntarily shudder in response. "It's just tea, Ominis. This is Feldcroft. Nothing is dangerous here."
He turns you to face him, his arms snaking around your waist. He looks down at you into your eyes, like he can see your soul, like he has a different kind of sight. You raise your arms to wrap around his neck, a move to ease him, to stop him from further examining. Lest he sees the lack of love, the falsity of your touches.
You press a kiss to his soft lips, "Just tea, husband, I'll be back before you know it." He nods, "Be safe, wife." A pause, "I love you."
You pull yourself free of his grasp, "I know Ominis, as do I." You grab your coat, hurrying out into the chill spring night before he could say anymore. You had never told him you loved him, never said the words outright. It would be a betrayal to Sebastian, to yourself, to Ominis.
You suppose he must know you don't love him, you hope he doesn't love you, hope he's lying every time the words pass his lips, you wish he'd stop saying them. You feel so guilty every time he does, guilty, as you only hum in response or reply with the words you conditioned yourself  to say.
Your thoughts and actions shame you constantly. He deserves better. You know he does, but you just cannot bring yourself to be the woman he deserves. So round and round you go, playing this game of pretend where you both lie to yourselves, to each other, pretend to be the good auror and his loving wife.
You could no longer even love him as a friend. You haven't been able to for years. You lost that comfort the first time he bedded you, the first time you felt him inside you, filling you with painful, unfamiliar sensations.
You waited till he slept that night to sneak away, to sit in the living room of your new home and sob yourself to sleep. He heard you, though he never told you, he woke as soon as you left the bed, trailing behind you silently. He sat in the hallway listening to your soft sobs for hours, listening until you could cry no more tears. He went back to your bed and never said a word about it. He woke you the next morning with a plate of hot steaming breakfast.
It got better, as good as it could be. The routine you fell into, what was painful became pleasure, you stopped crying after every encounter, started sleeping beside him instead of the couch. Spent your mornings beside him, kissed him before he left for work. Welcomed him home with open arms in the evenings.
Until you couldn't take it anymore, until every false kiss chipped away at your soul. Until you screwed your eyes shut, picturing Sebastian's face every time Ominis was inside you. Until you spent every waking moment fantasizing about running away, praying one day Ominis just wouldn't come home. But he always did, and you kept welcoming him. What choice did you have? You have nowhere to go, no family, and Ominis didn't deserve to come home to an empty house.
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You don't know how long you walked. You just walked until your thoughts silenced themselves. You had lied to Ominis as you so often did. Not leaving for tea with a friend but just leaving to be away from him and that god forsaken house. You walked until your face felt numb, and the moon hid away, leaving you in pure darkness. You should go home, Ominis is definitely worried.
But the thought of laying beside him again made you want to claw at your skin. Hands grabbed you, pushing you up against the nearest wall, their grip on your shoulders firm but not painful. They say a persons response to danger is fight of flight, but you just stand there frozen in fear. "Please don't hurt me." Your voice is barely above a whisper.
"Oh, how I've missed you. I would never hurt you." The voice coos at you, deep and husky. The hands sliding off your shoulders to trail down your arms. You recognized the voice, though the years had altered it, you could never forget it.
"Sebastian." You gasp
"Yes, my love." He pulls out his wand, casting a spell that only dimly illuminates the dark expanse around you.
He looks like a different man, a hardened criminal, but you can still see the traces of the boy you knew underneath. His baby fat has melted away, leaving only muscle in its wake. He had grown several more inches, towering over you now. A dark shadow of a beard begging to grow clings to his jaw, his hair is longer and shaggy. Most notably, a scar runs in intricate swirls from just below his left eye, across his cheek, and midway down his neck. Only dark magic could scar a person as such.
"Get off of me." You attempt to pull your arms from his grasp, but he holds tight. "Have you not missed me, y/n? There is no need to be so hostile." He leans in, his warm breath fanning your face, it smells of cinnamon toast, sweet, just like when you were children.
"Do not touch me." You are afraid, afraid of this stranger, this man before you is not your Sebastian.
"I have spent years waiting to touch you again. You're mine, mine to touch how and when I see fit. Do you truly expect me to let go?" His voice holds no malice. He speaks as if these are mere facts.
"I am a married woman. Get off of me." You continue to struggle, to no avail. Sebastian pauses, pulling away slightly but not releasing you.
"Married?" The word sounds venomous coming from him, "To whom?"
"Ominis." A look of pure disbelief washes over Sebastians face. "You..." His tone is accusatory. He takes a few steps away from you, letting his hands fall to his side, "You ... married ... Ominis."
You shrink back in fear. A soft, quiet anger far more terrifying than a fiery rage. "How could- why?" You can see the way his hands slightly tremble as they ball into fists.
You contemplate saying nothing. Imagining your response may only make this worse, but after a beat of silence, you decide to speak anyway. "He was all I had." You confess, still silence, so you continue.
"After you ran, after your actions came to light and aurors spent months at the school waiting for you. We became pariahs. Me more than Ominis. People whispered about me, about you, about me loving you, knowing what you did, lying about where you were."
"He stayed by my side through it all, the only one I had, have still. After we finished school we were wed. All these years, and he's the only one that shared my loss, understood it, understood me." A means to your end, your salvation. Ominis always puts you first. You don't think he'll ever stop.
"This isn't real." Sebastian is muttering to himself, shaking his head, looking to the ground instead of you. You should run. It might be your only chance, but your legs refuse to obey you, staying glued to the spot, pressed against the old stone wall. "You said you loved me!"
"I did!" You raise your voice in response, hurt, anger, betrayal, old long buried emotions bubbling back to the surface. "I did love you, I wanted to be your wife, I wanted to spend forever with you. But you ran, you left me all alone, Sebastian." Tears are streaming down your face, "I would have gone to the ends of the earth for you but you left me."
You close your eyes, taking a shuddering breath. Ominis, you need to get back to your husband. Ominis, you repeat his name like a prayer, willing him to appear, to save you, to take you home. Ominis, your poor sweet husband. But he doesn't appear. You have no savior. Only the fugitive standing before you.
"Tell me something." His voice is soft, like he's speaking to a frightened animal. "Have you had his children?"
"No, of course not." The words leave your mouth without a thought to how they might sound, what they might imply. Sebastian only sighs in relief. 
"I don't understand," He brings his hand up to caress your cheek, brushing away the tear streaks with the pad of his thumb. "How could you have moved on. What... what we had ... it was special." You look up into his eyes, and for a moment, a split second, he was your sebastian. Your sweet, sad Sebastian.
"Tell me you don't love him," he whispers, only inches from your face now, "Tell me y/n. You cannot possibly love him like you love me."
"I do, Sebastian. I love him. He's my husband."
"He's nothing." Sebastian is gripping your face in one rough hand, so hard you worry it might bruise. He's gone. This is not a man you know, this is a stranger. A stranger that frightens you, a stranger that's hurting you. "You belong to me. Our connection is special."
"Please stop." Your tears beg to fall once more.
"Tell me you still love me."
"I love Ominis." A lie, though in this moment you wish it were true. You wish you had stayed home, crawled into bed with him. Felt his cool fingers brush along your skin, felt his warm mouth press kisses into your most sensitive parts. Let him find his release with your body, use you until you fell asleep in the safety of his arms.
"You still love me, I know it." He lips brush the shell of your ear as he speaks. You shut your eyes again, trying to picture your home, safe. But the smell of Sebastian settles on your senses, he smells the same as he did so long ago. "I do not love you." Is that a lie, you aren't certain. "You... you are terrifying me." That at least was true.
His hand finally leaves your face, coming to rest at your elbow as his thumb rubs soothing circles, "Oh but you do. You can't escape me."
"Kiss me my love, like you did all those years ago. All I ask is one, grant it and I'll allow you to run back to your husband."
You look at him, searching his gaze with your own. "Promise?" Your voice trembles , Sebastian nods in response.
You take a steadying breath, pressing both hands against his chest. You push him back both of you moving a few steps, just enough for you to stop feeling trapped, just enough to feel the cool night breeze.
You look up at him as he brings his hands to rest at your waist. This is your sebastian, your sebastian, you tell yourself this over and over trying to banish your fear. You raise to the tips of your toes, bringing your hands up to wound themselves in the hair at the nape of his neck.
You ghost your lips over his, feeling as his breath hitches, allowing him to pull you into his chest before your lips meet. It's soft, a kiss of longing, a kiss of lost children. Then it's deepening, passionate and he pulls away before you're ready. He pulls away and you chase after him, one hand at the crook of his neck and the other buried in his hair. You pull his lower lip between your teeth, dragging his mouth back to yours. Only pulling away when you need to breathe.
You let you head fall against his chest, let yourself breathe in his scent as he runs soft fingers through your hair, both of you breathing heavily. Only a second passes before you regain your senses, before you remember the husband waiting for you. You pull back quickly, "I-" guilt and shame course through you.
Ominis deserves better, a better woman, a woman that loves him. It's been eight years, eight years since sebastian left you, eight years you have used Ominis as a means to your ends. And never have you felt such desire for him as you feel now in this dark alley with a man you no longer know.
"This is wrong." Your words are barely audible, when you get no response you take the opportunity to run or try to run. Because Sebastian has his arms around your waist, catching you before you could even make it five feet.
"Why are you here?" You cry. But he only holds you in place as you kick, claw, and try to bite your way out of his grasp, to no avail. "You said I could go back to my husband, you said one kiss."
Sebastian chuckles darkly, "I lied." Then he's dragging you away, three feet, four, six, ten. It's dark, and you can't see, but quickly, he's shoving you through a door. You land on your hands and knees as he releases you. You scramble away, still on the floor just trying to put distance between you and him. Sebastian only laughs, walking over to the fading fire place, he tosses in a log before taking a seat on the sofa.
He splays out, legs falling open, one bent for him to rest a hand on and the other straight ahead , his left arm thrown over the top of the sofa. His black button down shirt is loose at the top, opening just enough to expose a glimpse of his collar bones. His dark trousers strained at his thighs, where his right hand thrummed mindlessly.
You eye him wearily, waiting for his next move. "Are you my pet now, love? On the floor, at my feet?" You say nothing. He only bothers to glance at you, so sure you won't try and run again. Or maybe just that he knows he can catch you if you do. "Are you waiting for my instructions, pet?"
"Come sit with me." He continues to watch the crackling fire and you continue to stare at him. "You once called this place your second home. Do you hate it now?" You didn't look, didn't notice but now you do. You take in the room around you, the home he dragged you into. His home, Anne's home ... Solomon's home.
Sebastian huffs, loosing patience with you. "Join me, y/n. I will not ask again." He leans forward his elbows at his knees as he watches you. "I do not care if you must crawl over here, do it or I will drag you here myself."
Ominis, Ominis, Ominis you wish he could sense you call out for him. That he would save you from this madness as he did so many years ago. But this house has sat abandoned for eight years, Ominis hasn't step foot in here for eight years.
So you take your only option, standing slowly dusting yourself off in the process, trying to muster some false dignity. You walk over sitting as close to the edge as you can manage, attempting to put as much space between you as possible. But Sebastian is much larger than you remember and seated in the middle you could sit no where without feeling his leg press against yours.
"I've know since the moment I first laid eyes on you, we were destined to be together." You watch him but his gaze reminds fixed on the fire, now back in his comfortable position.
"I belong with Ominis." Sebastian gives an exasperated sigh, tossing his head back to rest on the sofa, though he's tilted just enough to meet your stare. "I know you want me, just as I want you. You may fool yourself into thinking you're happy with Ominis, but I know." 
You aren't happy with Ominis though, you know that. You know you've never been happy with Ominis. That's why you left tonight, isn't it. Your thoughts are a jumbled mess, incomprehensible.
Sebastian grabs you, pulling you into his lap with ease. You don't fight back this time, why have you been fighting this, trying so hard to get back to Ominis. Isn't this exactly what you've been dreaming of for years, fantasizing about every day. Sebastian let's out a satisfied hum as you settle into his lap, one hand resting on your knees the other holding your hips in place.
"I told you, I could feel it. The love you still bare me." His lips are at you neck pressing open mouth kisses to the exposed skin. "I know how badly you craved me, my love. I craved you just the same." He pulls your coat off. "How I missed you."
You're like a statue, not fighting but giving in just yet. Sebastian continues his assault none the less. Nimble finger undoing your blouse as his teeth nip at any exposed skin he can find. You don't attempt to stop him as he tears chemise straight down the middle, leaving you exposed to him.
His gasp is soft, his tone loving, "You're more beautiful than I could have ever imagined." He's tearing the ripped material free from your body. Moving out from beneath, he sits you on the sofa and kneels before you. "I hate that he had you first, touched you, tasted what's mine."
He ghosts his fingers over chest, his thumb coming to brush over a pert nipple. You shudder, "I am not yours, I-I..." You catch his hand in yours, pulling it away from your breasts, holding the one in both of yours.
"You're not Ominis'." No, he's right. You stare at his hand, your thumb stroking over his knuckles. "Tell me you don't want this, want me." He's not asking, he already knows your anwser.
He pushes your skirt up so it rests just below your hips, pulling you in with a rough hand at the nape of your neck and the other gripping you waist. His lips are against yours, angling you to deepen the kiss. You open your mouth slightly, allowing him to intertwine his tounge with yours. The soft moan that emits from you is involuntarily, a sound that only urges Sebastian on.
He pulls you into a standing position, his mouth never leaving yours. You let your hand travel the expanse of his clothed back, contured with muscles he didn't have before. "Take this off." He hooks a finger in the waistband of your skirt, letting it snap back against your skin.
He takes a seat, watching you with hungry eyes as you follow his command. You stand before him, exposed as you have only ever been exposed to Ominis. "So fucking beautiful." His words are nearly a growl.
"Tell me where you belong?" You pause at his words, there is no going back now. "With you. I...I always belonged with you." He hums, satisfied with your anwser, "Be a good girl and kneel."
Your knees hit the rug beneath you with a soft thud, you steady yourself with a hand on Sebastians knee. Your heart hammering away in your chest with anticipation of his next command.
"Tell me you still love me." His voice is low and husky.
"I still love you, I never stopped." A shameful confession for a married woman, but you didn't feel that. All you could think about was how hot your skin felt, flushed and begging to be touch.
He leans in, letting his breath fan your face. He's looking at you like a beast ready to devour its prey. "I told you, you belong to me. No man will ever compare."
"I belong to you." You whisper back, you mean it. You've been his since the moment you met. And all you want in this moment is him, every part, to show him how much you missed him.
"Prove it..." he says quietly, his gaze dark, "I expect you to treat me like a God. I am your God." He chuckles softly, "Aren't I, pet." He brushes his thumb over your cheek, a falsely sweet gesture. When you don't respond quickly his hand drops to your breast, harshly twisting an erect nipple. "I said, aren't I, pet."
"Yes, yes." You yelp, "You're my God." You should be ashamed, kneeling before him, groveling like this. But it's so different from what you're used to Ominis touches are soft, gentle, with your pleasure at the forefront of his mind. This, Sebastian, makes fire burn inside you, sending waves of shock to your core.
"Show me how much you worship me." He releases his rough hold on you, leaning back expectantly. You crawl your way onto his lap, breathe hitching as your exposed core makes contact with his clothed bulge.
He watches you with half lidded eyes, you make quick work of unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, even popping a few of them in your haste, causing Sebastian to let out a breathy chuckle. You feel like a woman gone mad, more beast then witch. Your body aching to be touched, bitten, marked, filled by him. You need it like you've never known need before.
He shrugs the loose shirt the rest of the way off, displaying this pale freckled chest. If there is a heaven, this is it. From his skin flushed a pale pink to the trail of soft hair leading down into his trousers.
You kiss every part of him you can reach, sucking angry red splotches into his skin, teeth sinking in at some parts like he's the last meal you'll ever eat. His chest is falling and rising in rapid breaths as he fights to maintain his composure. 
"You're so wet. I can feel it soaking through. Is that all for me, pet?" His voice is low and rough, the words forcing their way pasted gritted teeth. You said nothing, only rocked your hips against his, your mouth still marking his abused skin. The moan he let's out is sinful.
"I can't." You don't have time to wonder what he means before he's flipped you onto your back. "Sebastian, my love." He's between your legs, already licking a strip up your aching core. He hums his approval, "Even sweeter than I imagined."
You buck your hips, chasing after his mouth. "Tell me what you want, pet?"
"You" is the only word you can muster.
"Big girl words. Details. Did you fantasize about me when you fucked our friend, fucked your husband?"
You whine, feeling pathetic, fully at his mercy. "Every night I was in his bed, I pictured you. Your mouth Sebastian, your hands, your cock inside me. It's the only way I can finish." You're panting, he so close to where you want him, where you need him, his breath alone sends waves of pleasure that leave you shivering.
Then he's delving in like a man starved, lapping at your core like it's his last meal. Pleasure racks your body with intensity you've never experienced, you can do nothing but cry out and tangle your fingers in his mess of brown curls.
You see white before you feel it, the coil snapping deep in you. Your body tensing as he draws out your orgasm with a skilled tongue before you drop, heavy and unable to move. But he isn't finished, he's waited far to long for him to be done now. His pants are on the floor, discarded with a kick. His cock springs free, lightly slapping against his stomach. Angry red tip already leaking.
You can only look at him, too weak to move Yourself. So he moves you around himself, picking you up like a loose limbed doll, his to do with as he pleases. Laying you gently on the rug, legs hiked up around his waist. He leans in pressing a chaste kiss to your lips before finally sliding into your wet, willing hole.
The sound he let's out is animalistic, almost a snarl. "Fuck y/n. I dreamed of this. You," his hips are snapping against yours in a rough motion, "you were made for me. Taking me so well, pet."
He finds his rhythm with a bruising grip on your hips holding you in the air, a string of curses and incoherent pleas tumble out of your mouth. "Fuck fuck fuck, seb, my, please, fuck seb."
"My pretty girl."
He wraps an arm around your back to keep you in place, bringing his other hand to rub quick circles into your swollen clit. Your mouth falls open in a silent moan, body tensing as another orgasm tears its way through you.
Sebastians hips stutter as you clench around him, shooting hot thick spurts into you. "I'm gonna put a baby in you, love." He's rolling his hips against yours, drawing out both your pleasure. When he finally stops you both collapse, too tired, too drained to do anything but lay in his arms and listen to his heart beat.
"I should have taken you with me. I promise I'll never leave you again." You should have told him no, you still have a husband to go back to but you only hummed. Letting yourself fall into a fitful sleep with the sound of Sebastian's heart beat and his fingers running through your hair.
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sissyisawitch · 1 year ago
Text
It'll Be Okay
Relationship: Sebastian Sallow x You
Summary: After the macabre events that occurred in the Feldcroft Catacomb, Sebastian is devastated. All he can think about is running away and pushing you away from him… but you don't plan to give up on him so easily.
Word Count: ~2.7k
Author's Note: This story is based on the song "It'll Be Okay" by Shawn Mendes. I hope you'll enjoy reading it!💙
Warnings: Major spoilers for the "In the Shadow of the Relic" quest + Angst
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“I won’t let her suffer! Avada Kedavra!”
A flash of green light struck Solomon Sallow’s body, before it fell limp on the ground. Sebastian had done it. He had killed his uncle.
Oh, the future we dreamed of is fading to black…
He dropped his wand which clattered on the ground.
And just like that, you and Sebastian's future plans vanished, completely ruined. They used to seem so simple... you were supposed to cure Anne with the relic, make her return to Hogwarts, and then be happy all together with your little quartet of friends.
But as fate would have it, that was never going to happen.
A high-pitched, distraught voice brought you out of your thoughts, “Depulso!”
Anne had appeared in the Catacomb and apparently witnessed the whole tragic scene that had just unfolded, whereupon she herself attacked her twin brother, propelling him with all her might against one of the stone walls to stop him.
Driven by her fiery anger, she used what little strength she had left to cast a couple more spells to defeat the remaining Inferi and reduce Salazar Slytherin's Spellbook to ashes.
“NO!” Sebastian howled. He could do nothing but watch his sister destroy the book that was supposed to contain all the solutions to save her life.
“You’ve made your choice.” She said simply, before disapparating with the inert corpse of their uncle.
“Oh, Anne… What have you done?”
Oh, there's nothing more painful. Nothing more painful…
You were paralysed, unable to move even a finger after witnessing such a heartbreaking scene where a family was completely shattered, with no means or hope of ever repairing their ties. Poor Sebastian was left entirely alone, tears in his eyes, his face contorted by his crushing grief and regret. Merlin, you hated that sight with all your heart.
“I-I must get out of here.” He mumbled as he stood up and quickly looked at his surroundings, as if he were completely disorientated.
“Seb, wait!” You tried to hold him back, but Sebastian would not listen.
Instead, he fled. He ran like mad towards the exit of the Catacomb, desperate for fresh air.
“SEBASTIAN!” You shouted at the top of your lungs as you sped after him, hoping that it would be enough for him to hear you despite his head start.
It was only when you had made your way up the labyrinth of tunnels, once you were back in the Feldcroft countryside and away from the heavy atmosphere of the dusty Catacomb, that you managed to catch up with Sebastian.
Now that he was close at hand, you reached out to grab his arm, “Sebastian, stop!”
“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” He roared, sending your hand flying with more force than he would have used if he were in his normal state of mind.
You flinched out of reflex, but you were in no case scared of the boy. You never had been, and you knew you never would be. You understood that he was simply on edge and needed reassurance, so you kept your soft tone, “Seb–”
“STOP SAYING MY NAME!” He continued to shout in anger, but the way he was now gripping his hair and pulling at the roots showed that annoyance was being added to the palette of overwhelming emotions he was feeling at the moment. “For fuck’s sake I should’ve known better than to become friends with you in the first place.”
This. This last sentence. Maybe he could not scare you, but you too often forgot that he was still capable of hurting you, even if he did not mean any of it and it was his amalgam of panic and agitation that got the better of his words.
You tried your best to remain unfazed, “So what? You'd rather our paths had never crossed?”
“Yes!” He exclaimed without thinking twice.
I start to imagine a world where we don't collide…
For a moment, you lost yourself in your own thoughts. You imagined a parallel universe where you had never defeated Sebastian in Defence Against the Dark Arts, where he had never accompanied you to Hogsmeade on your first day at Hogwarts, and therefore a universe where you two had never become friends or exchanged a single word.
It also meant a world where you never fought trolls, goblins, and poachers together, where you never spent long nights in the Undercroft doing nothing but talking, where he never held you in his arms and comforted you whenever you were not at your best, resulting in your feelings for Sebastian blossoming into something much stronger and more genuine than friendship.
“Well, I don’t.” You finally answer.
“Well, you should.” He imitated your intonation with irritating impertinence.
You paid no attention to it, knowing better than to take any of his irrational actions into account, “Why?”
“BECAUSE I FUCKING RUINED YOUR LIFE!”
The screaming was back. Taking you by surprise once again. However this time, you were unable to react. The rawness and vulnerability of his words had hit you right in the heart, knocking the wind out of you.
“I have to go.” He muttered after your lack of reaction. He turned his back on you before setting off again, this time clearly determined to leave.
This was the moment that snapped you out of your stunned confusion, “Oh no, don’t you dare run away from me, Sallow!”
Your feet reacted even faster than your brain. You rushed towards him, but knew you would not have enough strength to hold him back, so you did the only best thing you could think of... You lunged at him and tackled him to the ground. Your body crashed into his with full force, causing his back to slam against the hard, cold, snow-covered ground.
“LET ME GO!” He fought back, kicking in all directions to try and push you off him.
“NEVER!” You pinned him down with all your strength. You were pressed on top of him while holding his hands on either side of his head, and keeping his thighs flat with your own legs. “Because you didn’t ruin my life, Sebastian.”
“Are you hearing yourself right now? I spent months teaching you dark magic. I just killed my uncle in front of you. You're a witness to a murder because of me! You could be sent to Azkaban BECAUSE OF ME! What more do you need to hate me? Tell me, because I'll do it right away if it means you'll stay away from me and be out of danger!”
And it's making me sick, but we'll heal and the sun will rise…
Sebastian's words made your blood run cold. Not because they made you reflect on everything he had put you through, but rather because you wondered how you were going to make him understand that you were not blaming him for anything, that the idea had never even crossed your mind.
“We can get past this. We can make things better together.” You said softly, unable to muster a better response.
He only scoffed bitterly.
“Sebastian, I don’t want to hate you, I want to be here for you!”
Judging that he seemed slightly calmer, you allowed yourself to release one of his hands to cup his cheek instead. With your thumb, you caressed his tanned skin, tracing the freckles splattered across his cheekbones. You did your best to convey your honesty and all your love for him through your delicate touch.
“No.” He replied firmly, leaving no room for negotiation, and then took advantage of your lowered guard to push you away again, this time with his hand which was now free. “Now leave me alone!”
If you tell me you're leaving, I'll make it easy…
You gave up being gentle and tackled him firmly to the floor again. You just needed him to listen to you for a few more minutes, “Okay. I won’t force you to stay if you don’t want to… But you need someone, Sebastian. Please, let me help you.”
“I don’t want your help!” He spat with a fury that was rarely seen in him. You had only seen it once... when he called you ignorant.
“Maybe you don’t want it, but you need it.” Now that everything had been said, you got out of his way to let him go if he so wished.
It'll be okay…
Sebastian sat up again, but stayed there, against all your expectations. You knew that all he needed was one last little push before he surrendered, so you insisted, “Don’t shut me out. Let me be here for you.”
“I–” His voice broke, giving way before he could even begin his sentence. His bottom lip quivered. “I didn’t mean to kill him. He attacked us… attacked you. I had to use the Killing Curse. You know I did!”
“I know. You did your best to protect me.” You reassured him by taking his hands in yours and giving them a little squeeze.
“I never meant for all of this to happen. I just wanted to help Anne.” It was not long before tears started to stream down his cheeks. “I want this hell to be over. Please make it stop.”
“I wish I could… but–” Now it was your voice's turn to fail you.
“I just want my little sister back.”
“I know you do… I know.” You swallowed hard to fight the tears that started to blur your vision. You could not allow yourself to cry. You had to stay strong for him. You had to be the pillar on which he could rest, because right now, he needed your help. If he saw you crying, it would only make things worse. This was not about you.
So you cuddled him against your chest, firstly to comfort him, and secondly so that he would not see the look of total dismay on your face.
“Ominis hates me too, and I can’t even blame him, because I hate myself too.” He was now full on breaking down, his head buried against your chest, and his tears streaming down your uniform jumper.
“I’ll love you enough for the two of us, then… until you learn to love yourself again, and even after.”
“I want the pain to stop. It’s been there for too long. I can’t stand it anymore.” The more time passed, the more erratic his breathing became.
“I know, baby. You’ve been so strong.” You kept spouting all the soothing words you could think of, in the hope that they would work on him.
“Please, make it stop. Please.”
“I’d take it all for you if I could. But I can’t, and I’m so sorry. I’ll do everything in my power to make you feel better.” You slowly ran your fingers through his silky brown locks, over and over again. Then you felt yourself losing your grip on your emotions, and soon your tears were flowing alongside Sebastian's.
Sebastian Sallow – the boy who was never afraid of anything and always had a trick up his sleeve – was on his knees in front of you, crying his eyes out, rendering him nothing more than the very image of misery and helplessness.
It was agonising to see the boy you loved in such a state, and not be able to do anything to make him feel better. How were you supposed to remain impassive in the face of that?
“Please fix everything. Fix me.”
“I can’t…”
And if we can't stop the bleeding… We don't have to fix it, we don't have to stay…
Sebastian's sobs continued unabated, “I’m scared to stay with you. I know I’ll end up doing something stupid and lose you too. Because that’s what I do… I do everything in my power to make the people I care about leave.”
This time, it was all too much. You could not let him belittle himself so cruelly. You grabbed his face between your hands and forced him to look straight into your eyes, not caring if they were red and swollen from all the crying, “Don’t say that. I know you made mistakes, but you’re one of the most brilliant wizards before anything else. You’re the only one who was great enough to steal my heart.”
“You’re everything I have left… I can’t lose you. Not you.” He clutched your shirt in his fists, as if he was afraid you would suddenly vanish before his eyes.
“Baby–”
Everything you were going to say died on the tip of your tongue... because Sebastian smashed his lips against yours.
You did not know exactly how it happened. You did not realise it right away because it occurred in less than a split second. And yet it was well and truly real.
There was nothing tender or romantic about that kiss. No, it was just rough, brutal and messy, reflecting all the despair they contained deep inside. It was a kiss full of passion, but not the kind that made you feel light and gave you butterflies in your stomach. Not at all, it was a toxic passion that burnt the wings off these butterflies and everything around them.
Sebastian was clutching you by the shoulders as if you were his lifeline, the only thing keeping him from tipping completely over into the darkness. And you, you kissed him back fervently, fighting the little voice in your head that was whispering to you that what you were doing was wrong, that you never should have discovered how salty his tears tasted as you kissed him for the first time.
You had to call a spade a spade, you should not be taking advantage of his vulnerability to get what you had always dreamt of... but you could not help yourself. Sebastian was hypnotic, and you could not bring yourself to pull away from him.
It was he who retreated first, and you instantly hated how his big chocolate eyes were filled with nothing but sheer panic, “I feel like I’m going to die without you… What if I die without you?”
Your heart pounded so hard to the point where it felt like you had a lump in your throat. You let out an overwhelmed and broken sob, “You’ll never find out because I’ll never leave you. You hear me? Never. I’m here for better or for worse.”
I will love you either way…
Sebastian let himself fall against your chest, and you welcomed him into your arms without the slightest hint of reluctance. You let him rest there, let him cry, tremble against you, while you caressed his untameable hair and whispered sweet nothings in his ear, doing your best to stop your own tears from flowing. You had no idea how long you stayed like that, but it felt like an eternity. You were probably freezing and soaking wet from sitting in the snow for so long, but thankfully you were unable to feel it thanks to the adrenaline coursing through your veins.
“Shh… It'll be okay…”
It might be so sweet… It might be so bitter…
In the months you had known Sebastian, you had imagined an infinity of different scenarios of the two of you kissing for the first time. None of those fit with the reality of Sebastian breaking down in your arms after committing murder. The situation had nothing in common with what you had wished for the two of you. You had finally got what you wanted, but you hated it. You just wanted to scream. Fate was even more cruel than you believed.
"Make the pain go away, please." Sebastian begged desperately, echoing your own inner thoughts.
"I'll do everything I can. I’ll do everything to give you the future you wanted." You cried uncontrollably.
Oh, if the future we've dreamed of is fading to black…
Minutes, hours passed, and your tears eventually dried. You spoke again, very quietly, as if afraid to frighten the peace that was slowly beginning to return, “We’ll get through this together, alright?”
“…I’m a monster.” He declared with resignation. He too had run out of tears to cry.
“You’re not.” You replied with just as much conviction.
“What if I get even worse? What if I end up hurting you?” He asked quietly.
“I will love you either way.”
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lavender-romancer · 1 year ago
Text
Burden
Part One Sebastian Sallow x Reader
Five years after leaving Hogwarts, after ruining everything, he was drunk on your doorstep trying to fix what he had broken.
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He was a burden to everyone in his life, he would be alone forever watching everyone he knew fall in love and live their life. Sebastian was not a good person, he was selfish and longed for deep connections he would never be able to sustain. Ruining the connection he had to you had turned him into someone he hated. He had no real connections anymore, his friendship with Ominis had continued fading regardless of them both working in the Ministry. All Sebastian wanted to do was apologise to everyone he had ever known, to try to minimise the impact of his existence.
The only person to blame for all of his problems was himself, it filled him with such a deep self hatred that he didn't know where to channel. It usually gave him a ridiculous amount of motivation in his work as an Auror because he knew nothing in his formative years would be remembered as heroic by anyone. A selfish, stupid, scared little boy was all he was for so long that escaping it seemed impossible. Could he ever be a good person with no hope for personal gain? Had he ever really done something kind or thoughtful for someone? No one would ever bear witness to the person he could have been because he didn't have the energy to commit to it.
You had seemed to love the scared, selfish boy he was. But Sebastian didn't realise until you were gone because he never thought someone could love this face he was so afraid of. Such kindness and an unnerving support he had never felt before, not knowing how to appreciate it he squandered it all. Losing you killed his heart, or, what was left after Anne forbade him from seeing her. He was so fucking sorry that he had ever met you, for your sake. If he had never used you, under the guise of asking for help, none of it would have happened. He wouldn't have upset you, he wouldn't have made you cry.
From the first moment he met you, every thought contained you, every book echoed your wizarding skill, every case he had as an auror only made him think of how you would react in the situation. But all Sebastian would have done- if they did end up together- was hold you back from your true potential because he could never escape his own selfishness. He knew he would kill for you, but you didn't want that. You didn't need dark magic or tricks to show your devotion to someone like he did. You were just… good, a good person who deserved the world that Sebastian should have given you. He would regret that till he day he died, always looking at you with so much love and care that he never knew how to express. The love was replaced by petty comments, calling you ignorant and acting out when he should have just stopped for a moment. Realised that maybe you could love him too, if he'd stopped for a moment he would know to stand by your side.
His head was a mess of firewhiskey and opium, he lay on the floor of his dark flat silently crying at the life he dreamt of with you. A better man could sweep you off your feet, show you love in ways he didn't understand. Held you close to his chest and tell you just how much he loved you without breaking down. You needed someone stronger than him, someone who wasn't tempted by substances and women. Someone who didn't self-sabotage every relationship and friendship he had ever had. You deserved more than he could ever give you. If you ever saw how fucked up he really was, even now, he didn't know how you'd react. Showing himself bare to the world and to you was too terrifying to consider. He was deep in this pit of despair that he had created, so consumed by his own psyche that letting anyone in was too intimidating to consider.
He didn't know when he had got up and began walking on the pavement towards the flat he knew you used to live in. He didn't know what he was doing, how disheveled he looked or that his tears had made his collar wet. Did you even live there anymore? Did you have a husband or any children? He began to overthink everything he had done in his life up until now. Did you know how much of a mess he was? Did Ominis keep you updated on how alone he really was? Or had you just forgotten about him? Regardless of what his head thought, his legs were taking him to you.
Had he locked his door? He didn't remember, but at this point nothing else seemed to matter like seeing your face and telling you everything. If he had realised how pathetic the whole thing was- as he did the following morning- maybe he wouldn't have gone. But he wasn't sure. In all the years since he had been close with you, he had never had the courage to see you again until the substances mixed in his system gave him a false sense of security.
Imagining you as the same girl who was his first kiss, his only love, the person he had disappointed the most. What if you never knew how he felt? Sebastian didn't think he could have less of a will to live at this moment but he knew that not seeing you might have been the final nail in his coffin. You would make everything alright. In his head, that was the only thing making sense to him. If he saw you, everything would sort itself out.
His dreams and fantasies of holding you, kissing you, loving you had to be real. At least in that moment that was what he thought. Sebastian would think about you for hours, dreaming up scenarios that would never happen. But that didn't matter right now, he was at your doorstep.
He was by no means sober, but the cold air had sobered him up to a point of considering this was a terrible idea. That he would do something irreversible, you would see him break down and not know what to do. As he knocked on your door at almost 12 am, some part of his soul hoped you didn't live here anymore.
But when you opened the door and found a man you never believed you would see again, you didn't know what to do. What to say, how to react, whether you should shut the door or hold him in your arms. What was he doing here? Why now? After all the years of hurt and confusion you wanted the concrete slabs on your doorstep to swallow you whole.
“Y/n, I…” he began, but as he looked into your eyes, so confused and perhaps scared, all he could do was let tears fall from his own. How could he do this to you? How could he ruin your night? “I-I’ll leave now and you won't have to, won't have to see me again.” He stuttered over his words and nearly fell down the steps.
“Sebastian,” you said almost too softly for him to hear and he turned his head, “Come inside.”
Of course you invited him inside, you were too lovely, too caring to realise what a fucking mess he was. The sobering effect was minimised when he stepped into the warmth of your flat, he was ushered into the drawing room where the two of you sat on adjacent chairs in silence. How could this conversation even begin? Neither of you knew what to say to one another, least of all Sebastian who was slowly realising that he shouldn't be there.
“Ominis told me you're a successful Auror now.” You started, convinced that the only way to get you through this conversation was hollow pleasantries.
“Yes,” Sebastian cleared his throat, acutely aware of how wet his cheeks were. “Do you work for the ministry as well?”
“Yes, thank you for asking. In the law department.” You replied curtly, your hands slightly trembling in your lap.
“I-” he paused, considering his words to cut through the anxiousness in his head “I'm sorry, for interrupting your night.”
“It is always nice to see an old friend,” that drove a stake into Sebastian's heart. “Under different circumstances it would perhaps be better.” Your smile was polite.
“I do not want to overstay my welcome, I'm sure you have other things to attend to.” Sebastian could feel tears threatening to fall. He sniffed to try and rid his body of the ache he felt all over.
“Nonsense, stay here for a moment.” You stood up and left the room, Sebastian half expected you to return with your wand and demand he leave but you didn't.
“I knew I would see you again one day,” she returned a few moments later with a small box and a glass of water. “This is some of the memories from hogwarts and I realised I still had some of your things with them.” Sebastian gratefully took the glass of water and drank it quickly. You sat down in the same chair as before and brought out a Slytherin scarf along with a small pin and tried to hand it to him.
“You- do you not want them anymore?” He asked quietly, having no idea what was going on and feeling an urge to run away. His fantasy of your life together was slowly crumbling.
“I thought.” You began to say but stopped, placing the items neatly in your lap as you ran your hand over the fabric that was still soft.
“They were gifts, I don't want you to think you have to give them back.” Sebastian replied, staring at the floor because he knew if he met your gaze he would start crying uncontrollably.
“Do you still have my scarf?” You asked timidly.
“Of course, I wouldn't want to part with it.” Sebastian ran a hand over his extremely loose tie and began to tighten it with great difficulty.
“Let me do it, you always struggled with not looking scruffy at school.” You leant over and began unraveling his tie, tying it up in a much more presentable fashion. Your movements were slow and careful, scared you would spook him like some kind of wild beast.
“Thank you.” Sebastian managed to weakly say, still unable to look you in the eye and choosing to flick his eyes back and forth from his own hands to the scarf you still had on your lap.
After you were done you placed your hands back on the scarf, methodically touching it with the care you had always shown it. There was silence for a while, but you were unable to decipher in your mind whether it was awkward or comfortable. Who was this man in front of you who made your hands shake? Sebastian had been out of your life for so many years that you didn't know how to think around him. Whether you should tell him how often you thought of him, how much you wanted to see his smile and play with his hair as you watched the stars in the Astronomy Tower all over again. His name felt so comfortable coming from her mouth, her lips craved to tell him everything but the ache all over her body told her that it might not be wise. You still had the scarf, your connection to a Sebastian who seemed long gone. Replaced by a man who couldn't reach your gaze or tell you why he was there without letting tears fall.
“I will take my leave now. Leave you alone.” Sebastian said quietly as he stood up.
“Sebastian, please I-��� you started.
“I'll only ruin things.” He said even quieter before walking away quicker than you could react. You would never know, you will never know, you should never know how he felt.
”*°•.˜”*°•. ˜”*°•. ˜”*°••°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜
next- blurry eyes
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loomis-maxima · 1 year ago
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benjamin will always be sebastian sallow in my brain 🤧
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(color edits not by me, credit to the og editor)
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sailorgoon13 · 1 year ago
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Sebastian Sallow
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Basics:
Full Name: Sebastian Sallow
Nickname: Seb, Sebby, or whatever clever name Ominis comes up with
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 18 November, 1874
Heritage: Scottish
Blood Status: Pure Blood
Wand: Yew, Dragon Heartstring, 11", Slightly Yielding
Appearance:
Hair Color: Chestnut Brown
Eye Color: Rich Dark Brown
Skin Tone: Fair
Height: 5'11"
Body Type: Athletic and lean. Agile
Style: White button-down shirt and green tie. Suit jacket, in shades of dark green or silver. When not at Hogwarts he wears something practical and relaxed. He isn't one for fashion, just as long as he looks like he tried then it is an accomplishment
Features: Freckles!! His hair falls effortlessly over his forehead in waves. The natural, slightly unkempt style of his hair reflects Sebastian's casual confidence and rebellious spirit
Personality:
Traits: Charismatic, Determined, Optimistic, Fearless, Protective, Complex
Likes: Knowledge, Dueling, Quidditch, Forbidden Magic
Dislikes: Failure, Authority, Uncertainty, Injustice, Goblins
Hobbies: Crossed Wands, Quidditch, Breaking into the Restricted Section
Fears: Anne dying, Being sent to Azkaban, Ominis and Y/N hating him
Family and Friends:
Father: Unknown
Died when he and Anne were young
Was a Professor
Mother: Unknown
Died when they were young
Was a Professor, as well
Siblings: Anne Sallow (Twin)
Was always Sebastian's best friend
When she became cursed, it hurt Sebastian more than it hurt her
Friends: Ominis Gaunt, Y/N
Magic:
Special Abilities: Mastery of Unforgivable Curses, skilled duelist,
Boggart: Solomon
Patronus: Beagle
Polyjuice: It would have a deep, ebony color with swirling wisps of silver or green and would look like a syrup or a molasses. Smell smoky incense and the faintest trace of something sweet and floral. There is a sharp tang of bitterness with a lingering sweetness, like the taste of ripe blackberries.
Amortentia: Old books, Smoke from a campfire, Salty sea air and Cedar
Backstory:
Sebastian and his twin sister Anne grew up in the Scottish countryside, under the guidance of their parents who were esteemed professors. From a young age, their parents instilled in them the value of knowledge, curiosity, and the pursuit of truth. Sebastian admired his parents deeply, wanting to have their optimism, open-mindedness, and boundless eagerness for learning.
Tragedy struck when a lamp in their cellar, tainted with an undetectable toxin, claimed the lives of their beloved parents. Orphaned, Sebastian and Anne were taken in by their uncle Solomon Sallow, who lived in the secluded village of Feldcroft. However, their relationship with their uncle was strained; Solomon, a stern and unforgiving man who was also an ex-Auror had clashed with Sebastian's refusal to accept Anne's situation.
During this time, Sebastian found peace in the companionship of his friend, Ominis Gaunt, who he met in their first year at Hogwarts. Along with Anne, the trio would often retreat to the hidden sanctuary of the Undercroft, where they practiced spells and played Gobstones, shielded from the prying eyes of the world above. Ominis, like Sebastian, harbored secrets and shadows of his own, forging a bond of trust that endured more than most.
As Anne's condition worsened, Sebastian's desperation drove him to the forbidden arts of the Dark Arts, seeking a cure that eluded even the most skilled healers. When Solomon intervened, tensions reached a boiling point, resulting in a fateful confrontation that shattered their already fragile family.
Despite the turmoil, Sebastian found comfort in his friendships, including one with a fellow student, MC. Their bond, forged in the pain of their fifth year, provided Sebastian with a glimmer of hope in the darkness that threatened to consume him.
Amidst the chaos and upheaval of his adolescence, Sebastian found refuge on the Quidditch pitch, channeling his inner turmoil and anguish into the fierce competition of the game. Joining the Slytherin Quidditch team as both a Beater and Keeper, he found fleeting moments of freedom and purpose in the rush of wind and the thunder of the Quaffle.
Academics:
Best Subject: DADA
Favorite Subject: DADA
Favorite Professor: Hecat
Worst Subject: Astronomy
Least Favorite Subject: Divination
Least Favorite Professor: Onai
Student Life:
Despite his penchant for rule-breaking and his involvement in dark magic, Sebastian was a dedicated and studious student. He excelled in his classes, particularly DADA and Potions
His rebellious nature often landed him in hot water with the faculty. His frequent detentions for sneaking into the library's Restricted Section became a badge of honor
To find a distraction from all of his inner turmoil, he joined the Quidditch team and found it to be a good way to release his emotions
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**All screenshots are mine, collage is mine but pictures used were found on Pinterest**
Template: @hazyange1s
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animasola86 · 1 year ago
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News travels fast in Hogwarts
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Notes: This is a sort of spin-off to my Sexy Times with Sharp series. It needed some drama, I suppose. (Also can be read individually!) This is the attempt of an interactive "adventure"! At the end of this post you'll have two options for how it may continue.
Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!reader
Genre: Angst/Drama // Words: 3.8k // [READ ON AO3]
Synopsis: Sebastian finds out about your affair with a certain Potions Master.
WARNINGS: Angst! Drama, baby! Implied student/teacher relationship. Implied past relationship. ALL THE IMPLICATIONS! I just love implying things, okay? (MC might be losing it!)
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News travels fast in Hogwarts
“So it's true?”
His voice caught you completely off guard, so much so that you shed your Disillusionment in shock. You had hoped to sneak out of the Faculty Tower unnoticed, and you would have, but then he had seen you.
“Sebastian? How did you –”
He scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched you with his head tilted to the side. “Please, I taught you that spell.”
You stared at him before your gaze wandered along the hallway. Students passed in and out, but luckily nobody looked at you and the Slytherin boy twice. “What are you even doing here?” you hissed as you looked back at him, clenching your fists.
“I wanted to see if the rumours were true...” he said quietly.
“Rumours? What rumours?” you asked with an agitated scowl.
“Come on, don't play coy, love, it's quite obvious now, isn't it?” His eyes scrutinized you. There was a spark in them, and you didn't know if it was mischief or disgust.
You steeled yourself, squaring your shoulders, and even though you still remained at least a head smaller than him, you stared up at him with the darkest gaze you could muster. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
His eyebrow twitched when he held your gaze. “Just tell me why,” he then said, lowering his voice when a chattering group of students came down the staircase from the Gryffindor Tower.
“Why what?” You remained adamant in not telling him anything. Because it was none of his business.
He sighed and licked his lips before his gaze wandered over your head, and a dark grimace swept over his freckled face. “Honestly, why him?” he muttered, and you followed his eyes in confusion, then felt a searing heat rushing through you when you saw the tall man limping away into the other direction, oblivious to you and Sebastian discussing his very existence in your life.
Your head snapped back, and you stared at the Slytherin boy's chest in front of you, trying to force the blush down. Suddenly he grabbed your chin and made you look up at him, and you blushed even more, despite your best efforts not to. His brown eyes stared into your soul, and you bit your lip so hard you almost tasted blood.
“Was I not enough?” he then whispered, his thumb teasingly pressing against your bottom lip.
You froze, holding your breath, before you finally mustered the will to slap his hand away and take a step back. “Apparently...” you hissed at him breathlessly.
He looked almost hurt, then pushed his hands into his pockets and sighed. “You're playing with fire, you know that, right?” he said, his voice low and menacing.
You narrowed your eyes at him. “Are you threatening me?” you asked quietly.
A frown creased his forehead. “I would never,” he said, tilting his chin up to look down his nose at you. “I'm just saying you should be careful.”
“How is this not a threat?” you snarled, staring at him.
“You know I would never expose your secrets,” he replied gently, his features softening slightly. “I swore that to you, and I still mean it. But... I might not be the only one who noticed this.”
You swallowed hard, looking away for a moment, your cheeks burning. “Who's spreading these rumours then?” you whispered under your breath, but he still heard you.
“Oh, just some jealous girls,” he said. “Those who want to be in your place, but can't.”
You looked up at him, chewing on your lips. “How obvious is it?” you then asked, the anger in your face switching to genuine concern.
He gave you one of those smirks that used to drive you crazy. “Well, you do spend a lot of time in his classroom... after class...”
“Others do too!” you said defensively. “We're allowed to study there!”
He chuckled, his eyes sparkling. “In his office, too?”
Something hot crawled into your stomach, clawing at your insides. Trying to play it off, you scoffed and turned away, shaking your head. Before you could storm off, his hand was on your shoulder, pulling you back as if you were just a leaf in the wind. You stumbled, staring up at him as you struggled to find your bearings.
“People heard you,” he then whispered as he leaned closer, his hot breath ghosting your cheek.
Your eyes widened, and a sudden cold crashed through your nerves. “You're lying,” you mumbled as you stared up at him, almost pleadingly, hoping he'd be joking.
“How do you think those rumours started?” he said and leaned back, putting his hands on his hips.
“No,” you mouthed and averted your gaze again, your face burning in shame.
“You've always been so vocal,” he whispered, a dreamy sigh falling from his lips. “I wish I could hear that again some day...”
You clenched your hands into fists and stared at your shoes, shaking from head to toe, tears burning in your eyes. “Don't be obscene,” you muttered, your voice trembling as well.
“You know, there's a way to disperse these rumours...” His voice was smooth and low, and it caused you to shiver deeply. He even stepped a little closer, his warm body inches away from yours.
You didn't dare look at him, but again, he made that choice for you as he put a finger under your chin and moved it up until your teary eyes met his. There was no malice or mischief in his gaze, just that familiar warmth you used to melt into. But those times were over, and you found solace in a different pair of eyes now.
He reached a hand up and cupped your face, his thumb wiping over your warm cheek, tracing the scar under your eye. A single tear slipped from your lashes, and he let it roll over his digit before he pressed the pad of his thumb along its trail. “Why did you ever leave me?” he then whispered, mesmerized by your glistening eyes for a moment, ignoring his previous train of thought.
You swallowed hard, blinking another tear away. “You... you left me,” you breathed hoarsely.
He cocked his head, pressing his lips into a thin line before he licked them. “I was in a bad place...”
Staring at him, you felt a strange pull in your stomach. “I was always there for you...” you whispered, furrowing your brows. He continued to stroke your cheek. “But you pushed me away...” you added with your lips quivering.
“And you let it happen,” he said, his tone becoming harder, colder.
“I tried, Sebastian,” you replied, inhaling sharply. “You made it really hard to stay with you... so, in the end, I was glad when you distanced yourself from me... when you let me go...”
“You were glad?” he hissed, his eyes dark when he stared at you. “So it's my fault you ended up with him?” he spat, his grip on your face tightening as he grabbed your hair.
You winced. “Don't do this...” you whispered, that lump in your throat growing.
“Do what? Fight for my girl?”
“I am not your girl,” you said through gritted teeth, slowly regaining your composure. Grabbing his wrist, you tried to pull his hand away, but his fingers remained tangled in your hair. “And don't think I'll come crawling back to you because you threaten to expose me!” you hissed under your breath, glaring up at him darkly. “I still hold all of your secrets, too, you know?”
He froze at your comment, his freckled face paling before his cheeks burned up, and he let go of your hair as if it had stung him. “You wouldn't dare,” he replied threateningly quietly, the muscles in his jaw clenching. “I just told you I wouldn't expose any of your dark and filthy secrets, and you remind me of... of...” His voice broke then, and he shook his head, taking deep breaths as he stepped away from you.
“I'm sorry,” you breathed. “I didn't mean to –” You sighed, shaking your head as well, angrily wiping at your face. “But you were playing dirty, cornering me like that? Judging me? What did you expect me to do? I'm no longer the silent follower, Sebastian, I won't just nod and play along and follow you to the end of the world...”
“Shame,” he muttered. “We had something, you know? Trust and understanding and...” He clenched his jaw so hard you were sure you heard the bones grind together. “Do you love him?” he then asked, staring at you with those damn puppy dog eyes.
You stared back, forcing the memories away that he had pulled into the forefront of your mind. “That is none of your business,” you said quietly, trying to sound neutral, but your voice was trembling badly.
He watched you, silently, his face set and grim.
Swallowing hard, you held his gaze, waiting for any other comment, before you took a deep breath and squared your shoulders. “I'm going to go now,” you stated then and turned around, feeling his stare burning into your back.
It took him five seconds and two long strides before he grabbed your wrist and pulled you back so hard that you ended up pressed to his chest with his arms holding you tightly, leaving literally no room for debate.
You froze against him, painfully aware you were standing in the middle of the hallway with curious eyes staring at you as several students passed you by, whispering under their breaths.
You suddenly knew what he was doing. And you didn't know if you should be furious or grateful.
“Play along,” he breathed into your ear before he leaned back and cupped your cheeks with both hands, then slowly lowered his face towards yours and –
You were back in the Undercroft, the memory so strong you could smell the dust and mildew of the vast room. And you could feel Sebastian's lips on yours, warm, soft, wet, his tears mixing with yours, their salty taste only making you lean in closer as you kissed him desperately, never wanting to let go again, forcing him to stay by your side with your lips glued to his, your hands clawing at his robes, holding him together as he was falling apart.
He mirrored that same intensity now, years later, as he held you firmly in his grip, his lips searing hot against yours. And you couldn't do anything but let it happen. Your mind was racing, your heart aching, guilt creeping up your throat like bile, burning your insides. And yet you raised your hands and grabbed the back of his shirt, digging your fingers into the fabric, and held onto him as you eventually kissed him back.
When he leaned away a little to catch his breath, your tears were streaming down your flushed face. He wiped them away, gently holding you as he watched you closely. Your vision was blurry, and your mind switched between seeing Sebastian's face in front of you, and a weathered, grim, scarred one that made your knees shake and your stomach churn.
Your breath was as erratic as your heartbeat, your lips parted and trembling, your head spinning. The world around you was just a blur, all those whispers and stares melting away.
“Let me be your alibi,” you then heard him whisper as he leaned back in, his lips moving along your wet cheek to your ear and down your neck, leaving a trail of fire on your skin.
You took a shuddering breath, your head tilted to let him kiss your neck, nibble on it, suck on it, and you gasped when you felt his teeth sinking a little deeper into your skin. The sudden pain cleared your vision slightly, and you let go of him to press your hands against his chest. He looked at you, cheeks reddened, his dark eyes so intense you felt your legs trembling. “What are you doing?” you breathed, barely audible.
“Helping you disperse those rumours,” he whispered back, the corner of his lips twitching upwards.
You furrowed your brows, a sudden burst of anger crashing through you. “By making me look like an even bigger whore?” you said harshly through your teeth.
He frowned, genuinely taken aback by your words. “What? No, I...”
“The girl who can't decide, hm?” you hissed, your tone mocking, mirroring the many comments you'd heard behind your back. “Always back and forth, always crawling back to you, or to any man who's available, really, right? That's what they think I am... and that's what I'll always be...”
His gaze darkened before he looked over your head and around the hallway. Then he grabbed your wrist once more and pulled you along until he shoved you behind the statue of the One-Eyed Witch, his hand firmly on your mouth as he pinned you to the wall. Your eyes widened as he caged you in.
“Don't talk like that,” he hissed, staring down at you darkly.
You grabbed his wrist, and he let you pull his hand down. “But it's the truth, isn't it?” you whispered, more than aggravated now. “We were a mess, Sebastian. On and off for years... And there was always talk. Hell, the moment I stepped foot into this school, there had been talk. They always talked about me behind my back, no matter the reason. And I never cared, do you understand? Not when they thought I'd bewitched you, because why else would someone like you fall for someone like me, hm? Or when they thought I'd exchanged you for Ominis – which I never had, by the way?”
He listened to you intently, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowed. But he didn't interrupt you.
“Oh and when we finally broke up for real? Do you remember the rumours then, talking about, oh poor Sebastian, oh lucky Sebastian, he finally had enough of her. It was always in your favour, because I've always been the odd one out, the late bloomer, the special strange girl. I never wanted that, any of it, but I didn't have a choice. And I thought I could have an equal in you, someone who understood, because you were there from the very beginning. But you had your own baggage to carry – and I don't blame you for it, please know that! I never did, I wanted to help you carry it as much as I wanted you to help me navigate my own confusing life.”
You inhaled deeply and looked down, staring at his tie. He still only listened, his body unmoving as it pressed you to the wall, his hands loosely by his sides.
“But things don't always go the way you want them to go. And too much has happened... even though I thought we could be normal together.” You scoffed quietly. “Normal, whatever that is, right? I was never supposed to be normal, and so I embraced it, I let them talk. And it ate me up. We grew apart, and I let it happen because I couldn't fight anymore. It was too much, Sebastian...” Swallowing hard, you felt another tear roll down your cheek. “And... I suppose I was destined to create more rumours, eh? I didn't mean to, but somehow, I found him and he found me...”
A twitch went through his body then as he tensed up, his hands clenching into fists. You looked up cautiously, blinking your tears away. Your heart ached, and you raised a hand to clutch at the front of your shirt to calm it.
“He listened, he was there, he understood. It was easy to open up to him, he already knew half of my secrets, he'd watched me from the very beginning, too...” Your eyes wandered away, your mind showing you those dark eyes and the gentle half-smile that grazed a stoic face. “You know, maybe it was easy because he reminded me of you. He also has a lot of baggage, and maybe I am just drawn to those broken souls, who knows...”
You looked back into his brown eyes, noticing a slight change to his tense, angry expression, his face was solemn, but in a strangely warm way.
“I never meant to hurt you,” you continued quietly. “I didn't do this out of spite, okay? I needed time for myself, and he gave me the confidence to look ahead and not back. And I helped him too, we are helping each other. And I don't care about rumours, I honestly don't. Let them talk...”
“They could burst your perfect little bubble so easily, don't you see that?” he finally said, his voice low and grave, any trace of warmth gone again. “Seeing a teacher,” he whispered darkly, your heart jumping as he finally named it, “being... intimate with a teacher, sneaking into his quarters...” He shook his head, a gesture full of disappointment. “It could get you expelled, it could lose him his job, ruin both of your reputations, it could make you even unhappier than you were before.”
“I –”
“Don't say you don't care, you do! Of course you do, you would be a fool if you didn't!” he replied harshly under his breath, leaning his head closer to yours until his forehead was pressed against your own.
You stared at him, his hot breath brushing against your trembling lips. “So what? What do you expect me to do? Stop it all, come crawling back to you?” you said through your teeth.
“Why do you make that sound like it's the worst thing that could happen to you?” he whispered back, clenching his jaw.
The sudden darkness that surrounded him made you want to back away, turn your face away, bring any distance between him and you, but he only grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him. You stared back, anger rising inside your throat. “Because that's what it would be,” you spat coldly.
He leaned his head back, but kept his hand on your chin, his eyes dark and dangerous. “You don't mean that...”
Narrowing your eyes, you gritted your teeth, your entire body tensing up against his. “Let me go, Sebastian,” you then whispered in defeat, putting all the meaning into your words.
He looked at you, long and hard, then finally took a tiny step back, lowering his hand. But he still kept you pinned between his body and the wall. “Never again,” he breathed darkly.
“Don't you want me to be happy?” you said quietly, a small sob emerging from your throat.
“I want you to be happy in my arms,” he said, “not his.”
You took a shuddering breath, goosebumps rippling over your skin. His intensity had always been your downfall. Slowly, you raised a hand and placed it on his chest, feeling his heartbeat thundering against your palm. “I won't leave him, he doesn't deserve that,” you whispered while your eyes wandered over his freckled face. “He needs me as much as I need him...”
“I need you, too,” he mouthed barely audible, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
You felt your eyes watering, the sadness in his dark gaze almost tearing you apart from the inside. “I... I chose him,” you whispered with your voice shaking badly.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
He looked down then and closed his eyes, taking another step back from you. Your hand fell to your side, the distance between you and him growing again. You remained leaning against the wall, watching him with your heart racing and your mind spinning.
He turned around, and you saw him peering past the bump of the statue. “If...” he started, looking back at you over his shoulder, “if you ever change your mind...” he whispered, letting his words hang in the air for a moment.
“I know where to find you,” you finished the thought and nodded.
His eyes roamed your face, full of sorrow and longing, and you had to clench your hands into fists and press your back into the wall to not jump him right there and then. The pull he still had on you was frightening. Eventually he looked away and stepped out of the niche and onto the hallway, and you saw him taking the stairs down to the dungeons, leaving your line of sight.
It took you a very long time to compose yourself again. When you finally emerged from behind the One-Eyed Witch, your legs were trembling, and you stood in the hallway for a moment, watching the flow of students move up and down the Grand Staircase, the thrum of chatter and stone grinding against stone lulling your racing thoughts.
Eventually you made your way to the Great Hall, and while you walked, you couldn't help but hear those whispers again. You had tried for months, for years, to ignore them, but now they seemed even louder. The stares seemed darker, more hostile, some even more condescending. You felt your heart sink, but kept going until you reached the large oak doors.
You had lost your appetite the moment you had pushed them open, and you felt your entire stomach drop when you were suddenly staring up into two very dark eyes in a weathered face full of scars and wrinkles – and disappointment. Your lips moved, forming a silent “No...” as a group of laughing students passed you, giving you knowing looks full of malice.
News travels fast in Hogwarts.
It was only a few seconds before you were left standing again, his tall body limping past you, his face tense, his jaw clenched. You felt like crying, like bursting at the seams, so on edge you were shaking like a leaf. Once you could move again, you whirled around, watched him leave – and then you witnessed him stopping once more, this time staring at a tall brown-haired boy whose freckled face paled.
Suddenly both of them were looking at you, their gazes like ice shards piercing your very soul. Whispers grew louder around you, comments like daggers aimed at your heart. You heard your own breaths echoing in your ears, loud, panicked, horrified. Something squeezed your throat, your vision blurred...
...and you woke up with a silent gasp, a jerk rushing through your limbs, pushing you back against a warm body. Strong arms held you tightly, and you inhaled deeply, your heart thundering inside your chest.
Just a dream, you thought, but you were soon torn between feeling relieved and absolutely disturbed at how real it had all felt. A very strange dream. Slowly you turned your head towards the person lying behind you. It had been just a dream, right?
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End notes: Ohh, evil author, IT WAS JUST A DREAM!!! Or was it? And who's lying behind her, hm? Well, that is totally up to you! I just wanted to write some angst, sorry.
You can now decide how this story will continue! In whose arms will she wake up? What will happen?
→ Option 1: You wake up in the arms of Aesop Sharp → Option 2: You wake up in the arms of Sebastian Sallow
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[ MASTERLIST ] [ AO3 ]
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seb-in-the-shadows · 3 months ago
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🥀 Doomsday 🥀
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For @ravenwind-75 - for the record this was actually my first time hearing this song and OML - it’s so good and made for perfect angst inspiration! Thanks so much! ☺️ I really hope you like it.
Rating: General Audiences / Teen
Tags: Angst, Drama. Break ups, Heartbreak. Songfic. Drabble, WIP. (Characters are 16-17 in this fic).
A/N: Inspired by Lizzie McAlpine’s ‘Doomsday.’ I wrote this WIP with my OC Aria in mind, but will write a more neutral reader version soon. She/Her pronouns, but few descriptors of her so feel free to self insert! Ngl this got me to write lol, I havent written angst in a while so I hope it’s good
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Aria knew something was coming.
She just hadn’t known this was.
For weeks now, Sebastian had been different. Subtle things at first—his touch a fraction less certain, his words a little too measured, his gaze slipping away too soon when she caught him watching her.
In the way his lips lingered as though to memorise her as opposed to a lover’s kiss.
But then it became something more. His embraces grew fewer and further between, holding her less tightly. Excuses when she sought him out. A coolness in his voice that hadn’t been there before. A distance she didn’t understand.
At first, she excused it was stress. Their sixth year was ending, and uncertainty loomed ahead. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe he was just in his head, working through whatever turmoil always seemed to plague him. She had to guess, because he had slowly stopped telling her.
Nothing could have prepared her for the moment it had finally happened.
The Undercroft was silent save for the low flicker of torchlight lining the walls, casting shifting shadows across the cool stone walls. Aria sat there, nearly numb save for the way her heart already ached. Watching him gear himself up towards something she’d been denying the looming presence of. The bowel of blackness that had been weighing them down over their heads.
The sense of finality had hit her the moment she began watching the way he refused to meet her eyes, Aria could no longer deny what had been creeping at the edges of her heart.
Sebastian was going to leave her.
She felt it.
And yet, she still asked. Because some desperate part of her still needed to hear him deny it. Her palms felt clammy, far too hot. Her heart clenching uncomfortably with each beat.
“You’ve been different,” she said, arms crossing over her chest more tightly, as if she could hold herself together with sheer force. “For weeks now, you’ve been—off. I don’t—” She swallowed hard. “Did I do something wrong?”
Sebastian flinched, just barely, but his expression remained carefully guarded.
“No,” he said, voice stiff. “You didn’t do anything.”
Aria’s feet moved before she gave them permission to, taking a step forward toward him.
“Then tell me what’s wrong.”
Sebastian exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. “Aria, don’t—”
“Don’t what?” Her voice cracked slightly, desperate eyes scanning over him for a glimpse of a sign.
“Don’t ask you to let me in? Ask you to be honest with me?”
Silence.
His jaw clenched, but he still wouldn’t look at her.
And then, finally—
“We can’t keep doing this.”
It hit her like a physical blow to her chest. Her stomach churning.
Aria actually staggered a step back.
The room felt too small, too quiet, the words echoing in her head like the tolling of a bell. The weight crushing on her chest as the room felt dizzying. Her knees weak.
Sebastian kept his face impassive, but she could see the tension in his shoulders, the tightness of his grip as his fists curled at his sides.
This wasn’t real.
This couldn’t be real.
When her eyes desperately scanned his form for any trace, any glimpse of love of any kind… she felt as though she was met with a machine. Bile ross in her throat that she fought back for some semblance of dignity.
She stared at him, trying to make sense of it.
“I don’t—”
Her throat felt raw, like she’d swallowed glass.
“Are you—Sebastian, what are you saying?”
He forced himself to meet her gaze, his brown eyes distant, shuttered.
“I’m saying this is over.”
Something inside her cracked.
Her breath came too fast, her hands trembling where they hung at her sides.
“But why?”
She asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“You won’t even talk to me. I don’t—”
She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts, trying to breathe.
“Did I—was this—”
Had she been blind? Had she been foolish, throwing herself so completely into him, into them, only to have it be nothing? Had she imagined their closeness? Had she mistaken something fleeting for something real?
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “It just—” He exhaled sharply, eyes flicking away from hers. “It wasn’t what I thought it was.”
Aria recoiled. Her throat tightened and finally the first silent tear stung in her eyes.
For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.
Was that true? Had she been wrong about him?
Had she been wrong about everything? A pressure in her head built as she attempted and failed to stop herself from crying.
Her hands curled into fists at her sides.
“So that’s it?”
She said, voice shaking.
“After everything, you just—what? Changed your mind?”
He didn’t answer.
Didn’t deny it.
Didn’t fight for her.
For them.
And that was what hurt the most.
Aria would have bled herself dry for him over and over again. Would have bled herself dry in that moment just to see him look on her with the same reverence he once had. To see the warmth return to those brown eyes that she loved so completely, so fully. To feel the warmth of his touch seeking hers, desperate to keep her close.
Elusive as ghosts, she questioned her own reality with the crushing weight of what seemed to be his.
Aria took a step back, blinking rapidly as her vision blurred.
“I should’ve known,”
She murmured bitterly.
“I should’ve known this was all in my head. That I was blind to what was right in front of me.”
Sebastian stiffened, his entire body going rigid.
She let out a shaky breath, laughing weakly at herself.
“Merlin, I’m so stupid. I stood by you through everything. I fought for you when no one else would. I—I loved you.”
Her voice cracked, raw with emotion. I would have married you.
“And you never even—”
She bit her lip, willing herself to stop.
Because she couldn’t bear to finish that sentence.
Couldn’t bear to say aloud what she was starting to believe.
That maybe he never truly loved her at all.
Sebastian’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. But his face—his face remained cold, distant, unreadable.
A clean break.
It was what he needed to do.
Because if he faltered, if he let himself feel this, if he let himself look at her the way he wanted to—
She needed to go. Needed to be free of him.
He inhaled, forced steel into his spine, and spoke the final words that would sever whatever they had left.
“You’ll be alright, Aria.”
And then he turned and left. Swift as it felt cruel.
Aria stood there, staring at the door long after it had closed, her breath shallow and uneven. Reminding herself to take a breath as she found herself gasping for air, as if she’d quietly been drowning. Her throat sore and thick with sobs as slowly, like the weight of it all was finally crashing down, she collapsed to her knees.
Tears slid down her face, silent and ceaseless, as she pressed her hands over her mouth.
She had loved him.
She had believed in him.
And he had walked away.
Not looking back.
Not fighting for what they had.
And she couldn’t help but wonder—
Had she ever truly known him at all?
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slytherinzz · 3 months ago
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A crown of Thorns - Chapter 1 (Ominis x MC)
Hey everyone! 🌟 I’ve just posted the first chapter of my story A Crown of Thorns, and I’d love for you to check it out if you enjoy a mix of tension, emotions, and a complicated romance between Ominis and MC! ❤️✨
The journey’s just beginning, and there’s so much more to come — heartbreak, secrets, and, of course, some swoon-worthy moments. If you like what you read, please feel free to follow along, and if you're craving more, I upload new chapters multiple times a week on my Wattpad! 😍
✨ If you’re into:
Ominis Gaunt 💫 and characters as Sebastian Sallow, Poppy Sweeting, Garreth Weasly, Natsai Onai.
Complex relationships 💔
Magic, mystery, and deep emotions🔮
A bad bitch MC (this will come later, hang on!)
TW's: Violence, Sexual Content, Blood, Alcohol
Then you’ll definitely want to be a part of this journey. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts! I’d love to hear from you. 💬
Find me here on Wattpad: Slytherinzz101 - Wattpad
Chapter 2
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I couldn't believe it. After everything that happened last year—Ranrok's rebellion, the unrelenting menace of the Ashwinders, and Sebastian's tragic downfall to the Dark Arts—it was supposed to be over. At least, that's what I told myself every morning when I woke up.
But was it really over?
There are shadows I can't seem to outrun, demons that cling to me like an unwelcome second skin. I carry scars into this so-called fresh start, though some are etched deeper than others. The most visible reminder—a thin, jagged line—runs from my left eyebrow to the middle of my cheek. A well-placed Diffindo during the chaos of the repository battle gave me that little souvenir. It's ugly, but at least it's honest.
Physical wounds are simple; they scab over, heal, or scar, their stories etched plainly for all to see. But the ones no one else can see? The ones that throb in the quiet hours of the night? I'm not sure those will ever heal.
Those wounds have two names: Sebastian and Ominis.
I don't know which memory cuts deeper—Sebastian's fall or Ominis' silence.
Sebastian was my ride or die. He always had been. We'd forged something unshakable through fire and defiance—or so I thought. But the boy I knew was swallowed by the same darkness we all fought to resist. His obsession with curing Anne devoured him. It left me with nothing but ashes where our friendship used to be.
"You're nothing more than a means to an end," he'd spat at me in the end.
The words hit me like a Blasting Curse, and they still echo in my head, a festering wound that reopens every time I think about him. But as much as it hurt, I can't hate him. I've seen the boy beneath the monster. I know the good that's still there—the Sebastian who laughed with me under the stars after a reckless raid, who stayed by my side when the weight of the world crushed me. That boy is still there, buried under all that darkness.
That's why I fought for him. Begged for him. Pleaded with Ominis not to let him rot in Azkaban.
Ominis.
Even thinking his name feels like pressing on a bruise. If Sebastian's betrayal burned me, Ominis' silence froze me. I begged him to help me see reason, to understand that Azkaban would destroy Sebastian—body, mind, and soul. But all I got was cold, impassive judgment.
"After everything he's done, Cassandra? He deserves to be there."
And then he walked away. Not just from the argument. From me.
The memory is a noose around my heart, tightening with every passing day. Ominis was supposed to be the one to temper the chaos, to steady me when the world spun out of control. He used to tell me the world wasn't entirely cruel. I clung to those reassurances, to the safe haven he represented.
"I'll always be here for you, Cassandra."
Broken promises. I should've known better.
This summer, I had no one. Alone in a creaky, nondescript cottage on the edge of Hogsmeade, I spent my days doing odd jobs for the townsfolk—fixing enchanted cauldrons, brewing potions, chasing away mischievous magical creatures. The money's not much, but it keeps me afloat. The cottage is functional, I guess, though it groans with every gust of wind. It wouldn't matter if I were surrounded by luxury; nothing could fill the hollow ache in my chest.
The occasional owl reminds me that the world is still turning without me.
Imelda brags about smashing broom-racing records, her cocky tone practically jumping off the parchment. "Bet you can't beat me when term starts," she wrote in her last letter.
Natty sends vibrant accounts of her travels abroad, her words glowing with an enthusiasm I can barely muster.
And Poppy—sweet, stubborn Poppy—sometimes asks me to help raid poacher camps. I always say yes, if only for a brief sense of purpose.
But from them? Nothing.
No owls. No notes. Not even a whisper of their whereabouts.
Some days, I tell myself it's better this way. That their silence is its own kind of closure. But at night, when the cottage is still and my thoughts grow too loud, I wonder.
Are they okay? Is Sebastian holding on to the good in himself, or has the darkness devoured him whole? And Ominis... is he still furious with me, or has he simply erased me from his life entirely?
I don't know. And that not knowing—that's the worst part. More than the scars, more than the loneliness.
It's the silence that breaks me.
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