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kay9leo · 2 months

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At First Glance... Part VII

Chapter 6 <<< ||| Chapter 7 ||| >>> Chapter 8

...On Hippogriffs

It was by chance he recognized the exact location of the final piece of the triptych.

During their pause on their friendship, Sebastian found that the third best thing to clear his head aside from talking to MC or to Ominis and dueling was to take his broom and fly off.

While Imelda might focus more on breaking her latest speeding record and MC would focus on whatever misadventure she could get herself into (that girl don’t know the meaning of taking it easy), Sebastian couldn’t care less about either thing. The thing that he cared about was feeling the wind against his hair and the cool breeze against his face.

It was almost meditative.

He could always count on mindlessly flying to keep his mind off of things…such as his wayward friendwho decided that apparently getting in trouble with Garreth in potions was more fun than hanging out with him.

Yet, somehow when he spotted MC leaving the dungeons with Weasley after a Saturday’s morning detention of scrubbing caldrons clean and prepping materials for the next potion’s class –all done by hand mind you– with a fat smile before laughing at something Weasley said, Sebastian found that he couldn’t even be in the same building as the two.

So, he took off on his broom and started flying.

Usually when things bothered him, the first person he would go to was to MC to figure out how to resolve it. Then it would be Ominis –if it was something he didn’t want MC to worry about, like his thoughts on her.

Sebastian didn’t dare to bother Anne. Not with this.

And if he was being honest to himself, not since she was cursed.

Before (because there was always a before when things were better), Anne was always his go-to person. The person who knew how to handle things with a mischievous plan that would work nearly 75% of the time. His twin knew him better than anyone else…

…Until she got cursed.

Then it was as if a new person replaced her.

A more docile, behaved worried girl instead of his headstrong, playful, cheeky sister.

Telling his problems to Anne would only make things worse. She didn’t need to worry her pretty, mischievous head over him. It wasn’t the first time he kept her in the dark over something like this.

Lying to her however, made his stomach feel like it was filled with lead as he told her another made-up story over what the three of them were doing.

Anne SHOULDN’T feel the need to worry about her healthy twin brother when she was the one who was cursed. Who consistently needed bedrest. Who got weaker each time he saw her. He couldn’t bear to place weight on her weaken shoulders about his problems when half the battle of fighting a curse was having an optimistic attitude towards it.

If his sister couldn’t muster the strength to be optimistic about a cure, when their Uncle kept saying that it was pointless, that curing her was a lost cause, then he’ll be the one to do it.

He’ll be strongly optimistic for the both of them!

And if lying to her about his non-hiatuses friendship with MC would make her feel better, why should he tell her the truth if it will only make her feel worse?

Anne was over the moon to see that he made a new friend.

That it wasn’t just him and Ominis and an abandoned Undercroft.

Or that he wasn’t wasting his youth away trying to find an unknown cure.

Anne was happy that for once he was actually sneaking out to go on adventures, spending time at Hogsmeade, drinking butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, dueling for fun, talking at dinner, playing with beasts, traveling over the Highlands, pranking the prefects, playing cards, exploding snaps, Jacks, gobstones, manhunt, quidditch, soccer, quodpot, chicke–

Basically, anything that involved Sebastain acting like the adolescent he was instead of behaving like he was some old, grayed hair wrinkly olive-spotted researcher–healer with his nose buried in a book. Anne had countlessly teased him that he was becoming an old fart out in Hogwarts quicker than she was in her bed at Feldcroft.

Then all her teasing stopped when he met MC.

He sent letter after letter about their daily activities and mishaps they got into…minus a few parts…

…Such as fighting goblins…

…Or MC’s ancient magic that attracted trouble like moonlight to mooncalves…

…speaking of which, did MC remember to feed her mooncalves with that new feed they created in Beasts class?

He huffed and rolled his eyes.

She probably has Weasley helping her this time. The two seem pretty chummy for potions partner–

His train of thought stopped when he spotted two hippogriffs above him, front talons locked between them, tumbling and cartwheeling down.

A Death Spiral. Sebastian thought to himself with bated breath. They’re completing their courtship ritual.

“The reason why hippogriffs feathers are often used as part of an exchange in marriage ceremonies in some cultures is due to their symbol of love and companionship. According to records, hippogriffs are born of an unlikely union of male griffin and a mare. As you can recall, it isn’t uncommon for a griffin to prey on horse, but even love can tame the wildest.”

Sebastian recalled the words Prof. Howin lectured during class as he watched the pair fall in front of him on his broom.

“This extraordinary joining of two species that are typically seen as adversaries embodies the concept of love overcoming barriers and defying expectations. And their connection to love symbolizes the transformative and often unpredictable nature of romantic relationships, highlighting the profound impact that love can have on overcoming obstacles together. They are portrayed as a faithful and devoted companions who can form meaningful bonds with those who approach it with respect and humility.”

The two hippogriffs held tight, neither letting go, zooming down on a crash course to earth, each trusting the other on when to let go.

“When it comes to the end of their courtship ritual, they will perform a death spiral, similar to eagles, in which they lock talons and spiral downwards. It is a test to determine each other’s fitness and trustworthiness of a potential mate.” Prof. Howin stated.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Isn’t there a risk that they might die?”

Some of his classmates asked.

“It is. It isn’t surprising to see a few juveniles dead either from a failed courtship.” Prof. Howin said as she petted one. The white hippogriff keened with each stroke Prof. Howin gave on her head. “Remember class, don’t let their size fool you. The female hippogriffs like this one here are larger than their male counterparts. They are just like birds in that aspect. Now look at their wings here. The primary feathers of their wings are used for the exchange before the rings during the marriage ritual. It symbolizes–

“Then why risk it?” Sebastian thought out loud.

Professor Howin glanced at him.

“I apologize for my outburst, but why? Why would you risk your life for a potential mate like that when it can also lead you to death?” Sebastian had a strong sense of self-preservation, especially since Anne was cursed a few weeks ago.

Professor Howin shock her head with a smile.

“Ahh, spoken like someone whose never been in love before. Do you want to know what’s the prize they get if they survive Mr. Sallow?”

Sebastian nodded.

Just when it looked like they were too cocky, too prideful for either to yield first, they both let go, flying parallel to each other a few feet above ground. They then landed nearby the edge of the forest before they started preening each other, like a couple of lovebirds.

He couldn’t help but smile.

“The prize that is won from a successful death spiral is a mate for life. A partner you can always rely on Mr. Sallow. Surely as someone who’s a fine duelist like yourself would know what a difference it makes to have a partner to watch your back during paired fights. And now, imagine having a fine partner like that to help carry your burdens. A partner who you could also share your good times with as well.” Professor Howin stated with a smile.

Sebastian couldn’t.

Sebastian stood seated, hovering far above the newly mated pair of Hippogriffs, watching them as they nuzzled each other before flying off. That’s when he recognized a familiar landscape in the direction that they flew towards.

Looks like we might not have to fight that much to the next triptych piece. Not with that Floo spot available nearby. Sebastian smirked before he felt an ache in his heart. The corners of his lips fell.

It doesn’t matter. I bet Weasley’s keeping her happily entertain to even remember about me. He snorted before he flew back to the castle.

That evening, he wrote Anne another letter about his encounter with the paired hippogriff’s death spiral. He described the awe that appeared in MC’s eyes as the hippogriff separated in time before nuzzling each other like lovebirds back in the ground before she shared a fun fact about how the females ‘griffs tended to be bigger than the male ones before he joked that big thing comes in small packages with a wink.

Not that his own package was small mind you…at least from what he figured…

…So, what if his own package was smaller than the British average of 5.17 inches? He still had good 5.05 inches on him.

Either way, at least that joke will for certain make Anne roll her eyes before writing something about him being a scoundrel and to stop treating MC as if she was one of the boys.

Then Sebastain would roll his eyes and reply that he is aware that MC is a girl thank you very much. Why else would he be bothered by the fact that the other boys in their year were being a bit too friendly with her? What guy would wear a citrus orange perfume? Or even make crown flowers?

For all the tomfoolery, tomboyish attitude and trousers that MC would wear, Sebastian was deeply aware that at the end of the day, MC is a girl.

A girl who had no idea how much her absence in their friendship had hurt him.

Either way, that crude joke should be enough to distract Anne from looking too deep into the details of why he hasn’t written much about MC recently.

Anne was happy to see that Sebastian living his life for once.

He wasn’t going to break that illusion.

Sebastian just wished he could’ve lived that lie he written with MC.

So, after mailing the insincere letter to his twin and seeing MC and Weasley still being buddy-buddy after their shared morning detention with the addition of Natty at dinner, Sebastian went to the Undercroft to review the second triptych painting.

The landmarks he saw earlier matched to what he seen in the last canvas piece they found. Looking at it gave him the same feeling just like it did the first time when he recognized the landmarks seen in the first and only canvas piece.

It was excitement, determination and hope.

It was an adventure waiting. A piece to understanding MC's ancient magic. A great mystery the two were going to solve…

…a mystery he ended up shelfing when he realized that that meant he would need to talk to MC. That he would need to yield.

But that was yesterday.

Before he dreamt of his mother.

Before he mailed out the apologize letter with an offer to help find the last triptych piece this Sunday morning.

Even if they disagreed about certain things like her goblin friend, he would always have her back. It didn’t matter the length of the pause of their friendship or that glare MC threw at him that spelt murder when she finally arrived at the stated location to meet him.

Sebastian will always have her back.

Just like she had his in every single duel, challenge or fight of their lives as together, they razed down goblins, Ashwinders and poachers who thought they could destroy the world without any consequences.

Like they did with his.

Nothing could defeat them.

Not when they can relay on each other like a mated pair of hippogriffs.

…

But it seems as if that small pause, that little hiatus in their friendship was enough for them to change while apart from each other.

...

Chapter 6 <<< ||| Chapter 7 ||| >>> Chapter 8

#at first glance #sebastian sallow #sebastian x mc #hogwarts legacy #kay9leo fanfic #The information about Hippogriffs I got online #As well as the average dick size from the UK #Note: I always pictured Sebastian as someone who is insecure despite not showing it on his face and fronts it with his charm and cockiness #The Brits used soccer as a term back in the 1890s they only called it football in the 19080s because they felt soccer became too Americaniz #The Brits also used the Imperial System until they switched to the Metric Sytem in 1965 #I headcanon that Hippogriffs mate by doing the death spiral like eagles do #And female hippogriffs are bigger than males just like in birds!#Oh and Sebastian definitely has survivor's guilt. You can't convince me that he doesn't #And he's such a teen boy as well with his package joke lol #Edited: Note that I changed up the chapters length to match up to what I have posted on Ao3 #And also due to the titles of each chapter matching to the themes within each chapter #Nothing new just moving stuff around

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