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Friends Don't
Word Count: 4.2k
Themes: fluff, pining
Summary: Y/N comes to a startling revelation when brewing Amortentia in potions class
Warnings: All characters aged up to 18+. Potential spoilers for HL
Meet me in the Common Room, midnight - S
Y/N looked across the cauldrons at Sebastian and nodded once, a small smile on her face. He grinned back, before turning to face Professor Sharp before he could get caught not paying attention.
“Is that a love letter from Sallow?” Imelda leant forward, a teasing smirk on her face.
“Come off it,” Y/N rolled her eyes and tucked the note into her textbook. “You know we’re just friends.”
“Friends don’t look at friends that way,” she shot a look over at Sebastian, who was standing over his cauldron with a confused look on his face. His brow was furrowed as he looked between his textbook and the potion he was making, which was supposed to be a teal colour, but was currently navy blue. “Point proven.” Y/N turned back to her with an unimpressed glare as she stirred her own potion (which was the correct shade of teal).
“You need a new hobby. Clearly Quidditch isn’t keeping you busy enough.”
“Watching you and Sallow pine after each other like lovesick Crup puppies is my new hobby.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“And you’re in denial,” Imelda smiled sweetly as Y/N and turned back to her potion as Professor Sharp made his rounds by their station. He stopped by Sebastian’s smoking cauldron with a sigh and quiet reprimand (You’re usually better than this Mr Sallow) before moving onto the next group of students.
“If you’ve been following the instructions in your books,” Professor Sharp called out, “your potions should start turning pink as you stir it. Once it’s the right shade you may place the final ingredient in.”
Y/N watched in fascination as the contents of her cauldron began to change colour with every clockwise rotation of her wand. Although she had now been attending Hogwarts for two years, magic never failed to amaze her. She couldn’t believe she had gone the majority of her life not knowing it existed. The colour eventually shifted to the pale pink that Professor Sharp had spoken about and Y/N added the crushed moonstone and watched it take on a pearlescent sheen.
“Ten points to Slytherin, Miss Y/L/N. Would you care to share with the class?” Sharp loomed over her shoulder, peering into her cauldron. Y/N watched as the class looked over curiously and caught Sebastian’s eye. He raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed with her, and looked down at her potion as if to say well, go on then. She leant forward to smell the contents of the cauldron, trying to decipher the scents coming from in front of her. Petrichor, wildflowers and…oh. Y/N blinked and leant back so she could pick up the coffee beans Sharp had left on each station so they had a palate cleanser. After a quick smell of the bitter grounds she turned to her cauldron again. Oh.
“Well?” Imelda asked her.
“If it’s all the same, Professor. I’d rather not,” Y/N muttered, her face flaming. The class broke into a chorus of whispers, all trying to guess what scent had turned the Hero of Hogwarts a pretty shade of pink. Although it was hidden well, Y/N watched as Sharp’s mouth twitched up in amusement before he moved on from her.
“What did you smell?” Imelda whispered to her. Y/N shook her head, her heart thundering in her chest. She couldn’t tell anyone she had smelled Sebastian’s smoky cologne, the one that seemed to stick to him all day even though he barely used it. Imelda looked between Y/N’s red face and her cauldron before looking across the station to Sebastian and a knowing smirk fell on her features. “Sebastian…” Y/N shot her a warning look, which Imelda pointedly ignored. “What do you smell?”
“Nice try, Imelda,” he chuckled and stirred his own potion. “I’m not falling for that.”
“You’re both no fun.”
“Just because yours is probably something predictable like broom polish doesn’t mean we’re not fun for not wanting to share,” Y/N shot. Imelda let out a laugh and patted her friend’s hand.
“Careful there Y/L/N, I’ve still got some cards up my sleeve for you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Y/N glared at the girl next to her, stomach churning nervously. Imelda just grinned at her before adding her own crushed moonstone to her cauldron, signalling the end of the conversation. Y/N was vaguely aware of Sebastian watching them curiously from across the potions station and turned to face the raven-haired girl next to her, clutching the sleeve of her robes. “Imelda.”
“Calm down,” she laughed quietly and leant in so no one else could hear. “Your not-so-secret crush on Sallow is safe with me. I actually quite enjoy watching you two act like you don’t have feelings for each other.” With a wave of her wand, Imelda tidied her potions station and left the class swiftly, just as the bell rang outside. Y/N cursed the day she met the girl, and more specifically, became friends with her after completing all of her stupid broom trials, and quickly cleaned her own station before leaving the classroom. It wasn’t until she was halfway to the Great Hall for dinner that she realised what Imelda had implied with her parting words.
Sebastian couldn’t have feelings for me, she wondered, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully, could he? No, that’s ridiculous, she shook her head to rid herself of the assumption.
“Careful, Y/N,” a hand grabbed the back of her robes and gently tugged her back a couple of steps before she could fall off the Grand Staircase. “You’re usually more aware than this, where did you go?” Sebastian looked concerned and pulled her away from a crowd of students that was walking their way. Y/N looked up at him, craning her neck more than she used to when they met in fifth year. Sometime in the summer between fifth and sixth year Sebastian had really come into his own. He had always been attractive, but somewhere along the way, without her really noticing, he had suddenly shot up and filled out. The jumper he wore to fight the perpetual chill in the dungeons did little to cover up the muscle that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
“Dinner, I’m starving,” she lied, freeing her robes from his grasp so she could continue to walk towards the Great Hall. “How’s Ominis? I haven’t heard from him much since he went on his unsanctioned visit to see Anne.” Although he grumbled like he was annoyed, Y/N knew deep down Sebastian was a little pleased that his best friend and sister had finally started to court a few months ago. Apparently watching Ominis pretend he hadn’t been in love with her since they were children was sickening to say the least.
Y/N was relieved when Anne reached out to Sebastian at the beginning of their final year at Hogwarts and extended an olive branch. She watched as Sebastian had read the initial letter, a wide smile on his face and unshed tears in his eyes before he brandished the piece of parchment at her excitedly. The twins weren’t as close as they used to be, but they were slowly mending the bridge that had burned down with their Uncle’s untimely death.
“Where do you keep going? What are you thinking about?” Sebastian asked her. His hand came out to smooth the crease in between her eyes, lingering for a moment before he pulled away.
“You.”
“Oh really?” he arched an eyebrow, a sly smile falling on his lips. “Is this where you finally admit I’m the most handsome student at Hogwarts?”
“I thought you had three years worth of self-imposed trophies to say just that.”
“Yes, but none of those mean anything without your agreement.” Something danced behind Sebastian’s eyes, a look Y/N couldn’t quite decipher. She was used to his charming nature and the confidence he seemed to exude, but every so often he said something and paired it with a look that was different. He looked…uncertain? Hopeful, maybe.
“I didn’t realise my opinions held so much weight for you.”
“And here I thought it was obvious that I hold you in the highest regard.” The air around them changed. Y/N couldn’t pinpoint it exactly - it wasn’t tense, but she felt a palpable shift in energy. She looked away from him and hoped he couldn’t see the blush that she felt rise to her cheeks as she walked into the Great Hall and made her way to the Slytherin table. She found Poppy seated with Imelda, heads bent together as they chatted quietly. They looked up as Sebastian and Y/N sat down, and a downright devilish grin was plastered on Imelda’s face.
“The rumours about what you can smell in Amortentia and refused to share in class are already circling.”
“Don’t start,” Y/N groaned as Sebastian filled her plate with food.
“The majority seem to think you can smell something that relates to Sebastian or Ominis,” Poppy added.
“Ominis?” Sebastian stopped filling Y/N’s glass with pumpkin juice, his tone incredulous. “That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”
“How would you know?” Imelda shot at him. “Has Y/N told you what she could smell?”
“This whole conversation is ridiculous,” Y/N cut in, rolling her eyes. She grabbed the large bowl of mashed potatoes and spooned some onto Sebastian’s plate.
“It’s not that bad, Y/N,” Poppy gave her a reassuring smile. “I think it’s sweet. What you can actually smell, that is.” Y/N paused, the piece of chicken intended for Sebastian’s plate wobbling precariously on the serving spoon.
“How do you know what she can smell?” Sebastian looked up at her sharply, though there was no malice in his voice.
“Imelda told me.”
“Imelda,” Y/N hissed at the girl across the table from her at the same time Sebastian gave her a reproachful look.
“You told Imelda?”
“I didn’t tell her anything,” Y/N protested. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She could hear a few of her classmates around them mutter about her, all supplying options for what she could smell in the love potion. “I think I’m going to grab something from the kitchens instead,” Y/N stood and quickly made her way out of the hall before any of them could follow her. The moment Y/N was out of earshot Imelda leant across the table to hit Sebastian across the back of his head.
“Ow,” he rubbed his head and gave the raven-haired girl a disapproving glare, “what was that for?”
“You’re an absolute idiot, Sebastian Sallow.”
“Imelda…” Poppy nudged the girl gently before offering Sebastian a sympathetic smile. “What she means is - ”
“Oh, I have no doubt she meant it.” Later Sebastian would vehemently deny to anyone that he was pouting like a scolded child after being accosted by Imelda Reyes, but at that current moment all he could do was sulk as he pushed some peas around his plate.
“I did,” Imelda offered him a saccharine smile and shrugged unapologetically at Poppy, who looked disappointed at the pair. “If you don’t go after what you want, Sallow, others are going to take it from you.”
“Y/N isn’t some belonging that people can just have, least of all me. She’s a person with her own thoughts and feelings.”
“Who said I was talking about Y/N?” Sebastian’s head shot up to meet Imelda’s self-satisfied smirk and let out a low groan. “My point is,” she continued as he (rather dramatically, Imelda thought) lay his head down to rest on the table, “you’re in Slytherin. We’re ambitious to a fault, and when we know what we want we strive to achieve and obtain it. What’s stopping you from going after Y/N?”
“We’re just friends.” The lie Sebastian muttered on a daily basis felt thin to even his ears, and clearly neither Imelda or Poppy was impressed either.
“Why could you smell her in the Amortentia then?” Poppy asked.
“How did you know I - oh. I’m impressed, Sweeting. That was very Slytherin of you,” Sebastian laughed and shook his head in disbelief. “What would you both have me say then? Y/N I’ve been in love with you since fifth year when we fought a troll together in Hogsmeade?” he asked rhetorically. If his face wasn’t red with embarrassment before, it was now as the words slipped out of his mouth. “I don’t - I mean, I do? I think. I didn’t mean - ” His stammers were interrupted by Poppy’s quiet laugh.
“Oh Sebastian, you don’t need a pair of working eyes to know that you’re in love with Y/N Y/L/N. I think the only person oblivious to your feelings is Y/N herself.”
“What if she doesn’t feel the same? What if I ruin our friendship?” he asked quietly. The girls shared a look, and if Sebastian would have looked at either of them he would have noticed a silent conversation happening between the pair.
“Okay, look. I told Y/N I wasn’t going to tell you this, but you’re behaving like a lovesick second year and it’s making me sick,” Imelda flicked a pea at Sebastian in disdain. “Now, I can’t confirm it, but I strongly suspect that her Amortentia did smell of you.” Sebastian gave her a disbelieving look and sent the pea back across the table at her. “I agree that it lacks proof, but I do happen to know for a fact that she does have feelings for you. She told me herself.”
“She what?” That caught Sebastian’s attention, and that of a few people around them as well. Imelda shot them all a glare and they quickly turned back to their own conversations.
“If you tell her I told you I will hunt you down like the animal you are and use you as target practice for the beaters. I know where you sleep, Sallow.”
“She…” Sebastian was at a loss for words as he looked at Poppy for confirmation, who nodded uncertainly in agreement. “I need to go speak to her,” he muttered, more to himself than the girls in front of him. He continued to murmur quietly to himself as he hauled himself up and out of the Great Hall, his expression wavering between surprise and bliss as he left.
“When did Y/N tell you she liked Sebastian?” Poppy asked once he had left.
“Oh, she didn’t. But I think we can both agree neither of them was going to do anything without a nudge, don’t you? Could you pass the pumpkin juice?”
*
Y/N let out a quiet sigh as she snuck back into the Slytherin Common Room. It was nearing midnight, and although she wanted nothing more than to fall into her bed she trudged through the silent room instead to sit and wait for Sebastian by the fireplace. After leaving the Great Hall, Y/N had trekked her way up to the Room of Requirement to spend some time taking care of the various magical beasts in her vivarium. The animals couldn’t pester her like people did, asking her questions she didn’t want to answer, and worst, ones she didn’t have the answers to. She couldn’t understand why everyone was pushing their way into her business; why did it matter what (or who, she thought dryly) she could smell in the Amortentia? So what if she could smell Sebastian, and who was Imelda freaking Reyes to tell her she had feelings for her best friend.
Well, Y/N chewed on her lower lip as she stared into the dying embers, he was rather handsome. Something he would take great satisfaction in if she admitted it out loud. And she supposed, if she was really thinking about it, he was quite funny, and charming, and smart, and possibly the kindest person she knew, and - oh Merlin, she had feelings for Sebastian Sallow.
He was her best friend, and hadn’t her aunt always told her those made for the best life partners? Not someone who you just existed with, but someone who knew you, knew every part of you, and would still stand by you. Not that she was thinking about spending the rest of her life with him. Y/N felt a blush rise to her cheeks as an unwarranted image of her in a white dress and Sebastian looking absolutely striking in a suit came to mind.
“Penny for your thoughts?” A low voice startled her, and Y/N pressed a hand to her chest as she took note of Sebastian sitting in the armchair next to her. He bit his lip in amusement at her shock, but was smart enough to keep his comments to himself.
“How long have you been sitting there?”
“Long enough to watch you groan to yourself twice and turn the most enticing shade of pink,” he teased. “Where do you keep going today?”he asked, a hint of concern in his eyes.
“I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
“Anything I can help with?” Sebastian offered. Yes, Y/N thought to herself, you can start by bathing in bubotuber pus.
“I’ll be fine, Sebastian. There’s no need to fret.”
“You battle trolls for fun, I think there is some need to fret.”
“You’ve battled more than one troll with me, too.”
“Ah, but there’s the obvious difference. You don’t worry for me the same way.”
“You can’t mean that,” Y/N sat upright in her chair, a withering glare on her features. “Of course I worry about you, you idiot.”
“Why is everyone calling me an idiot tonight?”
“Clearly it’s warranted,” Y/N sniffed in annoyance and sank back down into her seat. How dare he say she didn’t worry for him, all she’s done for the past two years was worry about him.
Sebastian could tell he had said the wrong thing. He knew - of course he knew - that she worried and cared for him. No one else would have witnessed and experienced everything they had together in their fifth year and still stood by him afterwards. It was never a question to Y/N whether he needed forgiving. Even Ominis, who had been with him since before he could remember, needed a while to come back around and speak to Sebastian again, but she didn’t. Granted, it had taken a couple of weeks as things had happened in quick succession, from the death of his uncle, to fighting Harlow, then Rookwood, to finally defeating Ranrok; but there Y/N was, sitting next to him at Professor Fig’s memorial, silent tears running down her face as she clutched his hand tightly for comfort.
“I apologise,” he reached out to take her hand. “It seems I’m not quite done putting my foot in my mouth whenever you’re around.”
“Yes, it seems so.” Her words were flat, but she squeezed his hand back gently to let him know all was forgiven. Sebastian had the overwhelming urge to take Y/N into his arms and never let go, but also reprimand her at the same time. She was always the first to call him out when he was being a prat - which, he admitted to himself, happened more often than not - but she always forgave him for it moments later.
He took a moment to watch as she stared into the flames once more. His eyes roamed over her features, from her brilliant eyes, down the slope of her nose and rested on her mouth. Y/N could give any Ravenclaw a run for their money with the amount of wit she fired, and even though Sebastian was often on the receiving end, he loved it. He loved the way she rolled her eyes at him when she shot a particularly sarcastic or dry comment his way; he loved when she teased him and made him question his sanity and oh, he adored it when she would shoot him a rare, flirtatious comment.
He loved her.
The thought took his breath from him. He had said it out loud in the Great Hall earlier, but it was unintentional, and he wasn’t quite sure of it then, but now…now he was sure. He was in love with her. Every part. He wanted to share every day, every night, every moment with her.
“You’re staring.”
“You’re beautiful,” he replied without thinking. He watched as a faint blush dusted Y/N’s cheeks and his heart stuttered in his chest. How could he ever doubt how he felt for her? “What did you smell in the Amortentia?” Sebastian asked, a sudden surge of confidence hitting him.
“Sebastian,” Y/N sighed heavily, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Y/N turned to look at him, a pleading look on her face. She was tired, so tired, at having to pretend she wasn’t irrevocably head over heels for the man next to her. She feared if he asked her any more questions he would see straight through her, and then their friendship would be ruined and he would want nothing more to do with her. No, the logical part of her brain replied, Sebastian is too nice for that. Instead he would let her down gently, with the soft tone one would reserve for an injured animal or a sick child.
“I could smell you,” he blurted out. Y/N blinked once, not quite sure she had heard him properly, before looking over at him slowly. “Your perfume, to be more specific. And the smell of rain, from the night we danced out in it. Also those strawberry tarts you love to eat at breakfast.” He stood from his seat before sinking to his feet so he could kneel in front of her on the stone floor. “All I could smell was you.”
“Sebastian…”
“What did you smell?” he asked her again, a hint of desperation in his eyes. She thought there was nothing more between them but friendship, that he could never look at her the way she wanted him t, but the look in his eyes right now…Merlin, how could she ever think that? Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked down at him and watched as his hands came to rest on her knees gently. She could feel the heat of his skin through the material of her trousers and all she could think of was more. She wanted more. “Darling? I’m putting my heart on the line here.”
“It was you,” she whispered after a moment, afraid to say it much louder. “You, when we danced in the rain. You, when you showed me the clearing full of wildflowers. Just…you. It was all you, Sebastian.” She met his gaze, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “It’s always been you, I just didn’t realise it until lately.”
“You’re supposed to be the smart one,” he teased lightly. He raised his hand to wipe away a stray tear, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. “Why are you crying?”
“I…” Y/N let out a sound that was between a sob and a chuckle and slid down so she was kneeling on the floor with Sebastian. “I think I was too scared to tell you before, so I pretended like it didn’t exist. These feelings have been bottled up for so long, only to be let out now…” she wiped away her own tears this time and offered him a rueful smile.
“Oh darling,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, “it seems we’ve both been a little slow, hm? How could you not see I’m hopelessly head over heels for you?” He rested his forehead on hers, watching with slight satisfaction as her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation and longing. “You have been, and always will be, my one and only.”
“You’re going to make me cry again,” Y/N protested weakly. Sebastian chuckled quietly and brushed a stray hair from her eyes. He watched as the wheels turned in her head, and knew she was deep in thought when she started to chew on her lower lip thoughtfully.
“Come back to me, what are you thinking?”
“It’s highly improper.”
“My favourite,” he smiled crookedly and ran his thumb across her lower lip. “Tell me.” Instead, after a brief moment of hesitation, Y/N closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his gently. She pulled away all too soon for Sebastian’s liking, her eyes darting across his face for any reaction he disapproved of - or worst, didn’t enjoy - their chaste kiss. He pulled her back in slowly, giving her more than enough time to pull away should she choose to do so, and pressed his lips back to her sweetly.
From the other end of the Common Room, Imelda watched quietly as the couple kissed each other with stomach-churning sweetness, and as she turned to leave she made a mental note to boast to Poppy first thing in the morning that she was right yet again.
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow fluff#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#hogwarts game#hogwarts#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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awkward-author replied to your post: have you ever forced and innocent Mexican to watch a scary alien movie????? Don’t liee
okay, let me rephrase this then. Have you ever forced an innocent Mexican to watch an alien movie that was very scary to the Mexican’s point of view?
okay, then yes.
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Jealousy, jealousy
Word Count: 5.5k
Themes: fluff, pining, Sebastian is a bit of an ass. I left Y/N’s house as ambiguous as I could so you can use whichever one you like :)
Warnings: All characters aged up to 18+. Potential spoilers for HL
“You’re staring,” Ominis murmured before letting out a quiet sigh. “Again.”
“She’s talking to Weasley,” Sebastian muttered back, his arms folded across his chest.
“Which one?” he asked, a wry smile slipping into his face. Ominis didn’t need to be able to see to know Sebastian was glaring at him.
“Garreth, you prat.” A brief silence fell over the pair as Sebastian continued to watch the interaction between Y/N and Garreth Weasley. Y/N threw her head back and laughed at something Garreth said, and Sebastian felt something in his chest tighten as the sun caught on the natural highlights hidden in her hair. “He can’t be that funny.” Garreth muttered something to Y/N and she turned in his direction to catch his eye. He felt every nerve in his body as she smiled sweetly at him and waved her fingers to say hello before looking back at the wizard in front of her. “He’s just using her.”
“How can you be so sure?” Ominis’ eyebrows shot up in surprise as he turned his head to look at Sebastian (he hoped he was, at least).
“Isn’t everyone?” Sebastian asked. Ominis had been there with him that fateful day in the bathrooms. They had both heard what had been said, had both heard the chorus of laughter and agreement that followed.
“Everyone but you, you mean.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ominis,” he looked away from Y/N to narrow his eyes at his friend beside him. “You’re not using her either.”
“Aren’t I?” Ominis asked. There was a beat of silence between them before he laughed loudly at the lack of response from the brunet, and he could almost picture the incredulous look being shot his way.
Sebastian would blame the sun, he decided, if anyone asked why he was frowning in your direction. It had come out today, and the trio had taken advantage of the warmth it provided to sit in the gardens by the north entrance for the castle. It seemed they hadn’t been the only ones to have the idea and it wasn’t long before Y/N had leapt from her position in the grass next to him to greet Natsai Onai and the red-clad gaggle that seemed to follow. Sebastian couldn’t help but begrudge Natty (who was a wonderful witch despite being in Gryffindor) from stealing you away from him. He had been content with your arm pressed against his, your legs touching as you stretched out beside him, head almost resting on his shoulder as you watched the clouds drift by.
Ominis twirled his wand idly in his hands, the sensor pulsing every-so-often to let him know Sebastian was still brooding beside him. Although he didn’t need it to, because if he listened carefully he could hear Sebastian mutter to himself occasionally as he more than likely watched Y/N from across the gardens. It wasn’t loud enough for Ominis to hear everything he was saying, but he did manage to catch phrases such as stupid Gryffindors and was just going to hold her hand. The latter made Ominis snort in amusement. Sebastian had been working up the courage to admit his feelings for the third member of their little group since the beginning of their sixth year, and now here they were nearing the end of their seventh and final year.
He had tried to tell Sebastian - time and time again - that there was nothing to fear and that he strongly suspected you returned his feelings, but he refused to listen. Ominis wouldn’t outright betray your trust and inform Sebastian of the late night conversations they shared where you voiced your concerns for the brunet, voice tinged with more than just friendly admiration. Instead, he subtly tried to push the pair together with flimsy excuses to explain his perpetual absence. Not that it did any good when either of you refused to acknowledge the Erumpent in the room.
It could be worse, he mused, I could actually have to witness the pining between them, instead of just hearing about it.
“Get up,” Sebastian nudged Ominis gently and stood up. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to save Y/N,” Sebastian replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Y/N doesn’t need saving,” Ominis rolled his eyes, but stood up nonetheless, brushing grass from his robes. “In fact, I need to remind you that she has saved us. Several times.”
“Well, call this us returning the favour,” he tugged Ominis in the right direction softly before letting go of his robes and stalking over to where Y/N and Garreth were sat talking, set a little apart from the rest of the Gryffindors. “Y/N…Weasley.” He nodded once at the wizard and came to a stop right next to Y/N. Ominis, wand held aloft, offered the ground an awkward smile. “I can’t believe you left us for a bunch of Gryffindors,” he looked down at her, forcing a chuckle so he didn’t start an inter-house fight. “Are we not enough for you?”
“Don’t start,” Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes at him. “Garreth was just telling me about his newest potion idea.”
“Planning on getting her into more trouble by making her sneak into Sharp’s office for supplies again?” The comment earned Sebastian a nudge in the ribs from Y/N, but Garreth chuckled and shook his head.
“Actually, I was hoping Y/N would accompany me to the Forbidden Forest soon to gather some ingredients.”
“Not man enough to go it alone?” Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. The tips of Garreth’s ears were tinged pink as he looked between the three of them, before an easygoing smile fell across his features.
“Is that why you keep asking her to join you on trips to spider caves?” Ominis let a laugh slip out at Garreth’s words, and Sebastian shot him a glare for it. Y/N shuffled nervously on her feet between them all, sensing some tension simmering under the surface. She wasn’t sure why they were both standing there, chests puffed out, and had a feeling she didn’t want to know. The only one who didn’t seem to be stancing was Ominis, who looked just as out of place as she felt.
“I don’t mind going into the forest,” Y/N supplied quietly. Two pairs of eyes shot her way, and Ominis looked a little to her left. “I mean, I need to go anyway. Ms Bugbrooke asked me to go and check in on a unicorn she named Hazel and find a way to keep her safe.”
“I thought we were going to go do that this weekend?” Sebastian asked.
“You could all go,” Ominis supplied. He could feel Y/N relax from beside him, her hand reaching between their robes to squeeze his arm in gratitude. “Saves for multiple trips to the forest.”
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Sebastian frowned, crossing his arms. Garreth gave them all a half-hearted smile and shrugged.
“You let me know, Y/N. I’ve got to get to Charms, I can’t be late again or Ronen will tell my aunt,” he shuddered at the thought and waved goodbye to the three of them before turning to walk away. Y/N offered Garreth a forced smile as he left and waited until he was well out of earshot before whirling around to face Sebastian and hit him with her glove.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Don’t play dumb, Sebastian. It doesn’t become you.”
“Sweetheart, everything becomes me,” he sent her a cocky grin, his body language loosening now that Garreth was gone. “Do you want me to walk you - both of you - to class?” He bent down to pick up her discarded bag and slung it over his shoulder.
“Don’t change the subject,” she sighed in annoyance, her eyes narrowing. “You always seem to do this whenever I’m speaking to someone.”
“I don’t do it to Poppy, Natty, Imelda, or Ominis.”
“Please, leave me out of this,” Ominis muttered, looking away from them as they began to walk to the castle for class. Even though he knew he couldn’t see it, Sebastian still shot his friend a look as if to say way to back me up, help me out here and hoped he would get the message. The trio walked in silence until they passed the History of Magic classroom.
“Why don’t you let me talk to any of our classmates?”
“You’re talking to me, aren’t you? And you speak to Ominis all the time,” Sebastian gestured at his friend, who cringed internally at being brought back into this. He hoped if he kept silent that they would forget he was there, and perhaps he could sneak off and make it to class on his own. Not that it would do much good - he shared his next class with Y/N, and Sebastian was sure to follow. They had overheard a conversation between her, Imelda, Poppy and Natty about the chivalrous actions some of the wizards at the school took to get the attention of the witches and which ones in particular seemed to charm the girls the most. Ever since then Sebastian had held her school bag and walked her to every class.
“Stop trying to be charming, Sebastian. I’m annoyed at you.”
“You think I’m charming?” Sebastian grinned down at her, earning a quiet whack as she hit him with her glove again. “Why are you so violent today?”
“Why are you so bothersome today?” she shot back. Ominis smiled to himself and walked a little faster. As much as he enjoyed hearing Y/N rip into Sebastian, he did not want to get caught in the middle.
Y/N wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fight the chill that lingered in the stone walls after the warmth they had felt outside. Sebastian had been acting differently lately. Some days he was attentive, almost sweet; others like today, he was a nuisance, plain and simple. She never knew who she was going to get - the man who greeted her with coffee and a smile in the mornings, his hand lingering on hers after he handed her the mug, or the sulking mass walking by her. Her eyes fell on his back, watching as his muscles rippled through the white shirt, at her bag hanging on his shoulder.
He never aimed that gruffness in her direction, she realised. Even now, he was holding her bag for her and looked over his shoulder to see if she was still with them, a breathtaking smile falling on his face when he caught her eye. It was only ever when one of their male classmates spoke to her, standing a little too close that he began to act out, and despite his protests that she spoke to Ominis, she had seen him do it with him too. It was to a lesser scale, but even this morning he had placed himself between the pair as they all sat in the sun, his shoulder pressed against hers.
“Why won’t you let me speak to any men?” the words slipped out of her mouth before she could process them. Sebastian came to a stop and looked at her in confusion. She was vaguely aware of Ominis slowing as well from in front of them, a low groan escaping from him.
“What?”
“That conversation you were having with Garreth wasn’t exactly pleasant, and it’s not the first time this has happened.” Sebastian watched as she twisted her fingers together nervously and longed to take her hand in his. “Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“You think Weasley is going to make you happy?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
“I-I don’t know! But how am I meant to find out when you keep…”
“When I keep…?” His casual tone infuriated Y/N, and judging by the amusement in his eye and the twitch in the corner of his mouth, he knew it.
“When you keep acting so possessive!”
“Maybe I’m just a good judge of character and know none of those simpering idiots who keep coming over are enough for you.”
“Enough for me - ” Ire flared at his words and she gave him a withering look. “You have some nerve, Sebastian Sallow. And you,” she glared at Ominis, who had the decency to look a little frazzled at her anger. “I expected better from you, you’re always by his side whenever this happens. Care to explain yourself?” Ominis shook his head slowly and backed away a few steps as Sebatian came forward.
“Don’t take it out on him, he had no part in this.”
“Good to know the stupidity started and ended with you, then,” Y/N snapped. She turned her back on him and walked a few steps away to calm down. “Why do you always do this to me, Sebastian? Give me one good reason why you keep acting out like this.”
“I’m only looking out for your best interests. You need someone who will challenge you,” Sebastian stood taller, annoyance flashing in his eyes. “Not a lapdog who will roll over every time you call their name. You need an equal.” Ominis grimaced at his best friend's words and slowly began to back away. He didn’t make it too far before someone bumped into him, pausing to listen to the argument occurring in the hallway.
“Who are you to presume anything about my happiness?” Y/N stalked forward to poke Sebastian in the chest roughly. “Who would even fit within your insane standards for me? Who would challenge me, make me happy, treat me as their equal?” she asked, all but spitting the words at him. “You?”
“Maybe.” Sebastian shrugged, not quite meeting her eye as he shuffled between his feet nervously.
“You…” Y/N let out an incredulous laugh. “You’re something else, Sallow.” In all the times Y/N had imagined Sebastian admitting he may return his feelings for her it never went like this, in a corridor attracting the attention of their classmates with their fight. “I have done nothing but wait for you to notice me for two years, Sebastian. And when I finally realise you’ll never see me the way I want and decide to move on, that’s when you’re determined to want me?”
“I don’t just want you,” his voice was hoarse with her declaration. Two years? How could she not see that I’ve noticed her, that I've only ever noticed her? How could this have gone wrong so fast.
“You’re nothing but a jealous coward.” With one final poke to the chest, Y/N took her bag and started to walk away from him and the little crowd that had gathered.
“You think I don’t know how selfish I’m being?” Sebastian called out, suddenly finding his voice. He followed her path, near enough pushing anyone aside who stood in his way. “I would give anything - anything - to go back to that day we first met. Back when all you were was Atë personified, before I realised how absolutely breathtaking every inch of your soul is. You’ve ruined me, Y/N!”
“And that’s my fault?”
“I’m not saying that!” Sebastian groaned and reached for the sleeve of her robe to pull her to a stop. He quickly rescinded his hand when she shot him a menacing glare as if to say I dare you.
“Then what are you saying?” she asked. Doubt clutched him, stopping the words from leaving his mouth. He must have waited a beat too long to respond because Y/N sighed, and the disappointment on her face was enough to bring him to his knees as she continued to walk away from him, the students they had attracted parting to let her through. She had made it halfway down the corridor when sharp panic squeezed his chest tightly.
“I’m in love with you!” he shouted after her. His face flamed at the confession, at the sudden whispers of those around him as his words echoed down the stone corridor. Y/N stopped, and for a second Sebastian felt hope that she would turn around and say she loved him too. That it was him she wanted, who she always wanted.
“Well, you have a funny way of showing it.” He watched in despair as she walked away from him, slipping through the doors that would take her into another hall. There was a dull roaring in his ears, drowning out the sudden whispers that had started around him. A gentle hand landed on his shoulder and he looked over slowly to see Ominis, a grim look on his face. Sebastian couldn’t bear to see the sympathy in his gaze, to hear the voices around him talking about his rejected confession.
“All right, show’s over!” he growled, shaking Ominis’ hand from his shoulder. “Everyone clear off.” He rolled his shoulders and stood a little straighter before stalking down the corridor. The younger students jumped out of his way, and he caught the looks of pity from those in his year. Poppy tried to step forward and speak to him, but he just shook his head at her and walked out of the hall and made his way to the Undercroft.
*~*~*~*~*
It had been nearly a week since Y/N and Sebastian’s argument in the middle of the hallway and she could still hear people whisper about it as she walked by, as if she couldn’t hear a word they were saying. A group of Ravenclaws were sitting at a table in the library near Y/N, Poppy and Imelda, and every-so-often they looked over and started to giggle.
“Just ignore them,” Poppy murmured to her.
“No,” Imelda glared at the group, who immediately quieted down and looked away. “They need to learn to keep their mouths shut, or I’ll do it for them.” She raised her voice just enough for them to hear her threat and they quickly packed their things and left in a flurry of navy robes.
“You can’t threaten everyone in the school, Imelda,” Y/N said with a sigh, not looking up from her Charms textbook. Another group would soon come and replace that one, and the cycle would just repeat itself.
“Watch me.” Her grin was unnerving to say the least. “What’s he doing in here?” Y/N looked up to see Sebastian walking up the stairs into the upper part of the library where they were currently sitting. He looked around, a little unsure of himself and Y/N’s heart clenched in her chest at the sight. He always looked so confident, even when he was utterly terrified, but now he just looked lost. “He better not come over here.”
“Imelda,” Poppy sighed and shook her head. “We don’t even know if he’s here for Y/N, he could be here to study.” Even though Poppy was right, Y/N couldn’t help but wish that he was here for her, that he wanted to speak to her.
“No you don’t, wipe that look off your face,” Imelda pointed her quill at Y/N. “Don’t go mooning over him after what he’s put you through. You don’t need someone who’s going to treat you that poorly.”
“He doesn’t exactly look great himself.”
“Who’s side are you on, Sweeting?”
“I didn’t realise there were any.” Y/N rolled her eyes as the pair continued to bicker, her gaze turning back to Sebastian, who had turned in their direction as he heard Poppy and Imelda arguing. He caught her eye and began to slowly make his way to their table, casting a weary glance at Imelda as he neared.
“What do you want, Sallow?” Imelda snapped at him, turning on him as he got closer.
“Hello, Sebastian, are you alright?” Poppy nudged her in reprimand and offered him an awkward smile.
“I-I’d like to speak to Y/N, if that’s okay,” he asked, not quite looking at any of them.
“Come to shout more declarations of love in my face?” It was a low blow, and Y/N knew it. She watched as he flinched slightly and looked away from her, his shoulders slumped in defeat. She was vaguely aware of Poppy grabbing onto Imelda’s robes to pull her away while the latter protested as she stared at him. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days, and his shirt and robes were rumpled. “Sit down,” she muttered, closing her book. “You look like you’re about to pass out from exhaustion.”
Sebastian listened, his hands running through his hair as he slumped down into a seat. He looked awful, Y/N noted, eyes wandering over his frame. It went beyond the creased clothes and the lack of sleep. He looked paler, and Y/N watched as he sighed heavily and rubbed a hand down his face.
“I’m sorry, Y/N. I went too far.” There was a different level of weariness in his voice, it went down to his bones, his very soul. The man in front of her was not the one she had fallen for. Her heart ached as he looked up at her slowly with dull eyes. “I always go too far.”
“You do,” she murmured. His eyes slid shut at her words and he braced himself for a blow that wasn’t coming. “And yet, somehow, I always forgive you for it.” She hated admitting it out loud, but once her rage had simmered and the adrenaline had left her a few hours after their fight, she had forgiven him. She could never stay mad at him for long. Even after their only other argument that had happened in the Undercroft years ago when he had called her ignorant for trusting a goblin and stormed out she hadn’t been hurt or angry, just concerned for him.
“I don’t deserve you.”
“No, you don’t.” She waited until he looked at her before giving him a small, teasing smile. They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, each drinking in the different ways the other had changed in the past few days until Y/N sighed and looked away again. “I’m not an object to be possessed, Sebastian. You can’t just stake your claim on me.”
“I never…I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be like this. I just…” he sighed and tried to sit a little straighter in his seat. Y/N waited patiently for him to finish his sentence, waited as the wheels turned in his head and he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, his heart constricting in his chest and he saw the matching dark rings under her eyes.
“I’m not going to fight you, Sebastian,” Y/N said gently, reaching his hand. She stopped before she could touch it and instead started to fiddle with the quill Poppy had left behind. “You can say what you need to.”
“It’s not pleasant.”
“None of this has been.”
“No, it hasn’t,” he smiled without humour and finally looked her in the eye. “Ominis and I once heard a conversation in the bathroom. I don’t think they realised we were in there, and they were gone before we could confront them. They were talking about you. About how they wanted to spend time with you and ask you to accompany them - alone, might I add - to the Three Broomsticks so that they could be seen with the Hero of Hogwarts.” Sebastian all but spat the nickname out, hating it in that moment. “They all left before I could see who they were. Ever since then I’ve stood between you and anyone who looked like they were trying to express interest because I didn’t know who was genuine and who was just using you.”
“Garreth…” Sebastian hated himself for being the one to break the news, for putting that heartbroken expression on her face. Y/N felt her stomach churn in revulsion and grief. She wasn’t stupid, she knew there were people in the school who only wanted to be seen with her because of what she was as opposed to who she was. She knew some of the requests she politely turned down for company and a drink in Hogsmeade weren’t out of attraction, but rather a ploy to get into her graces. She never suspected Garreth would be one of them. She was hurt - not because she had feelings for him, but because she had thought they were friends.
“No, I made a mistake with him.” He pulled a face as he admitted he was wrong. “It turns out he actually wants to get to know you - the real you.” Oh. Oh. Y/N felt her face flush and Sebastian looked away. He couldn’t bear to watch her blush over Garreth Weasley, or anyone, for that matter.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Your delivery was less than ideal but…did you mean it? Do you mean it?” she asked nervously, her voice no more than a whisper. Sebastian hated the look on her face, hated seeing her so unsure of herself.
“Y/N, I’ve been in love with you since our fifth year.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he held a hand out for hers, letting her make the decision if she wanted to take it or not. A few seconds passed, and he was just about to rescind the offer, when she shyly placed her hand in his. He squeezed her hand gently, his thumb brushing her knuckles as he tried not to think about how perfectly her hand fit in his. “It means that I want you to be happy,” he murmured, “and if Weasley makes you happy - or anyone else who wishes to genuinely court you - I’ll take a step back.”
It hurt him to say the words out loud, to voice the possibility that after all this she wouldn’t want him anymore. Not the way she had once, the way he currently still wanted her. He let her collect her thoughts, watched as she chewed on her lower lip.
“What if…what if I don’t want you to?” Y/N asked, voice so quiet he almost missed it.
Sebastian’s heart stuttered at the blush that rose to her cheeks, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, to be the only one that made her blush like that ever again. For the rest of their lives. The thought startled him slightly, but he realised it was true. He wasn’t saying he wanted to marry her (although, a rather enticing image of Y/N floating down the aisle to him in a white dress did flash to mind), but he wanted to stay by her side. Whether that was in a friendly capacity or more. Merlin, did he hope it was more.
“I meant what I said too, about waiting for you to notice me,” she continued.
“Darling, I’ve not noticed anyone else since the day I met you.” He brushed his thumb across the back of her hand again and squeezed it gently before pressing a kiss to her knuckles. He watched in satisfaction as her blush deepened, and tried to read the flicker of emotions that passed across her face. “I’m more than aware my confession was…something, to say the least (Y/N rolled her eyes at this) but I meant what I said. I’m in love with you, Y/N Y/L/N. I have been for a while now.” She looked away, unable to handle the deep emotions swirling in his eyes, that are written clearly on his face for anyone to see. She didn’t doubt for a second that he was telling the truth. “I don’t expect you to say it back.”
“I…I’m not good with all of this. I can’t quite say if it’s love but…” Her face burns, and she feels as if it will be a permanent shade of red after this conversation. “I am entranced by you, Sebastian Sallow. I’ve never been in love before, never felt it in anything more than a friendly capacity, but with you…it’s different. It runs far deeper than I can explain.” She presses a hand to her chest, right above her heart that is beating so hard it’s a wonder he can’t hear it. “I can’t picture my life without you in it, whether that is as a friend or more.”
Y/N doesn’t know how else to put it into words. She can’t seem to say that it’s been him from the very beginning. From the moment she beat him in their first duel and he was thrilled instead of being put out she knew she was in trouble. She’d only fallen faster and harder since then, from their first trip to Hogsmeade where he flirted with her the whole way, until the day his uncle had died and she had talked Ominis out of sending him to Azkaban.
“You don’t need to say it back,” Sebastian repeated, his grip on her hand tightening as he took note of the adoration in her eyes. “I mean, how could you not be in love with me?” Y/N laughed loudly before clapping her hand over her mouth suddenly. They waited with baited breath for Scribner to come and reprimand them, only relaxing when they couldn’t hear her making her way up the stairs.
“You have to apologise to Garreth.” Sebastian groaned at her words, but there was a smile on his face that he couldn’t quite hide from her. Already he looked better. He still needed a good night’s sleep, in Y/N’s opinion, but life was returning to his eyes and he sat a little straighter, a little taller.
“Where does this leave us?” he asked, shuffling his chair closer to hers so their knees could press together under the table. He hooked one foot under her ankle and tangled their legs together, enjoying the look on her face as he did so.
“I’m still mad at you. But knowing you did this to be noble…to protect me. That lessens the blow.” She gently squeezed his leg between hers, grinning to herself as she watched him take his turn to blush. “I do hope you know I don’t need protection though.”
“My still-healing ego from our first Defence Against the Dark Arts class together remembers.”
He’s rewarded with her laugh again, her real one, and he makes a silent promise to make her laugh the same way every day for the rest of their lives. Every muscle in his body loosens at the sound, and he feels like he can finally breathe again when she grins at him and tugs him a little closer by his tie.
“If you ever pull a stunt like this again…” Although there was still a smile on her face, the threat was evident in her eyes. He nodded quickly, throat bobbing as she twirled his tie between her fingers and let go. She watches as he looks down at her lips nervously and gratification shot her through as his face slowly flushed. A smirk falls on her face at this, and she raises an eyebrow at him when he finally looks up to meet her gaze. “Feeling a little warm?”
“What, no.” He leans back and rubs the back of his neck, his blush deepening.
“Ah, so you’re just blushing like a third year at the thought of kissing me.”
“I’m not blushing.”
“So you want to kiss me?”
“Darling, I always want to kiss you.” The look he gives her makes her stomach flip. “Can I…”
“Not until you ask me properly.”
“To kiss you?”
“Sebastian.”
“Alright, alright, fine,” he grins, loving the way she rolls her eyes at him. “Will you do me the honour of joining me on a trip to Hogsmeade?”
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
“Sebastian, it’s nearly curfew.”
“And when has that stopped you before?” he laughs and begins to gather her things into her bag before slinging it over his shoulder. He holds a hand out to her expectantly and waits until she grabs a hold of it before they leave the library, waving goodbye at Imelda and Poppy (who are doing their very best - and failing - to eavesdrop). They make it as far as the doors that lead to the greenhouses when Sebastian pulls her under the stairs, ensuring no one can see them as they dip into one of the shadows. She meets him halfway, pressing their lips together in a long overdue kiss.
“Do you have any final demands for this? For us?” he murmurs against her lips.
“Only one.” Her fingers run through his hair and his heart stutters in his chest. “I’m never going to make this easy for you. I'm going to challenge you every day for the rest of our lives.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x reader#sebasian sallow angst#sebastian sallow fluff#jealous!sebastian sallow x reader#jealous!sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x gryffindor!reader#sebastian sallow x ravenclaw!reader#sebastian sallow x hufflepuff!reader#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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What If (You Were Made For Me)
Word Count: 6.2k
Themes: pining, angst if you squint, two idiots in love, fluff
Summary: Halsin realises he’s in love with his best friend, Tav
Warnings: brief mentions of alcohol. Like one swear word. I almost made myself cry writing this.
(I haven’t written since The Devil Doesn’t Bargain, please be nice. BG3 and specifically this druid has me in a chokehold, your honour I love this man, I am feral for him, he consumes my every waking and sleeping thought)
Halsin watched Tav from across the campfire, his brow furrowed as she spoke to Astarion with a smile on her face. She had been avoiding him recently and no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn’t seem to put a finger on why. It had started small, with going on supply runs with anyone except for him until she gradually stopped training with him, she steered clear of his favourite parts of camp, and eventually it built up to her making excuses to not spend any more time with him than completely necessary. The explanations she gave always sounded sincere, but it had all been happening for weeks, and now there she was, sitting on the opposite end of the campfire instead of next to him and laughing and talking with Astarion.
He felt himself begin to frown as Tav gave Astarion a playful shove, a laugh escaping her as the rogue tried to wrap an arm around her shoulders to pull her back in. He watched with bated breath as Tav’s eyes lit up when Astarion held his hand out in front of her again, slowly showing her how he twirled a coin in between his fingers and how to make it look like it disappeared with a flourish. Halsin couldn’t understand it - it felt like only a few weeks ago that Tav and Astarion had regarded each other with cool indifference, but ever since the days they took to recuperate she had practically been glued to the rogue’s side. Tav took the coin from Astarion and attempted the sleight of hand herself, her face one of pure concentration. She made it to the final turn of the coin before she fumbled it and it slipped from her grasp, a low groan slipping from her as it fell to the floor.
Halsin didn’t want to admit how he was feeling as he watched them interact, but he hated it. His chest felt tight and his gut rolled with anger and jealousy. Especially when Astarion leant in to murmur something in Tav’s ear, his voice too low for Halsin to hear what he had said to make her face flush the most delicate shade of pink. She laughed again and shook her head, her nose wrinkling the way it did when she found something unbelievable. She nudged Astarion again, softer this time as he scoffed and stood up, stretching her arms above her head as she let the pale elf know she would be right back before she wandered into the treeline. Halsin watched her disappear from sight and wanted nothing more than to follow her and ask her what had happened, to figure out when everything had changed between them. The thing in his chest clenched tighter at his heart with every second she was gone and he was torn between waiting for her return or going after her.
“You know,” Astarion drawled, breaking Halsin out of his thoughts. “You can go after her, if you’d like.”
“And you can mind your own business,” Halsin snaps back, feeling unlike himself as he glares at the rogue. “She’s more than capable of taking care of herself, especially when she’ll only be gone a few moments.” To his credit, Astarion doesn’t flinch at the druid’s harsh tone or at the way his eyes flash gold in warning to reveal the beast that is itching to be released.
“Oh?” Astraion smirks, his fingers twirling the coin Tav had been holding earlier with practised ease. “With the way you’re acting like a scorned lover I never would have guessed. Green may be your colour but jealousy doesn’t suit you.” Halsin’s fists clench by his side and before he can even think about what he’s doing he’s stood from his seat and stalking his way across to Astarion, his jaw tight with anger and annoyance. The more rational part of his brain is telling him to calm down, that he can’t beat Astarion to a pulp just because he had struck a (annoyingly accurate) nerve, but the bear inside him is fighting its way out and wants to -
“Halsin,” Tav’s voice rings out from behind him, her tone sharp. He stops a few steps away from Astarion and turns to face her, his ire slowly seeping away as he looks at her. She looks equal parts confused and concerned at his out of character anger, although she also seems to be a little annoyed with him too from the glare she’s giving him. “I don’t know what Astarion said to piss you off, and I’m sure he deserves the punch you’re about to give him, but why don’t we leave the violence for the near daily threats we face, hm?” Her eyebrow is raised and she looks less than amused at the scene in front of her while Astarion dramatically places a hand on his chest, feigning outrage at her words.
“I…I apologise,” he mutters, embarrassment settling in his gut at his behaviour. He risks a glance at Astarion, who is watching him with vague interest and a hint of a smirk, before shaking his head and turning back to Tav. “I don’t know what came over me.” Her gaze softens as he looks back at her and she takes a few steps forward until she’s right in front of him, standing closer than she has been in weeks. Her hand grasps one of his fists to loosen his body language and she gently tugs at his sleeve.
“Come take a walk with me.” It’s not so much a request as a demand as she lets go of his sleeve and takes his hand in hers and begins to pull him away from the campfire. Astarion begins to whistle the tune for a bawdy ballad and without missing a step Tav leans down to grab a rock and throws it at his head. She doesn’t stop to see if it hit him or not (because of course it didn’t, thanks to his ability to uncannily dodge every blow that comes his way) and leads Halsin into the treeline, ignoring how loudly Astarion is laughing behind them.
“What’s happening? Is something wrong?” Her touch is like magic, and if he didn’t know any better he would think she’s cast a spell on him with how fast the tension leaves his body as he wraps his hand around hers. All the anger, the annoyance, the jealousy that he had been feeling earlier fades away as she pulls him deeper into the woods until they come across the small river they use to wash up in.
“You tell me,” she says, letting go of his arm once they reach their destination. She turns to face him, a fire in her eyes as she crosses her arms and looks up at him. “You’re the calmest person I have ever met. So tell me why you were about to swing at Astarion with more anger than I saw you direct at Minthara when she tried to raze the Grove to the ground.”
“Astarion-” Halsin breaks off, feeling slightly uneasy with the glare she’s directing at him. He had seen her use the look more times than he could count, but it was never directed at him. “It was nothing. It was stupid.”
“Clearly it wasn’t nothing because you looked seconds away from shifting into your bear form and ripping him to shreds,” she snaps. Halsin’s head dips down and he runs a hand through his hair warily as her tone suddenly makes him feel like he’s a boy all over again being chided by his tutors. Tav sighs and she steps forward slightly, her hand brushing his. “Look at me,” she says softly, the anger draining out of her voice.
Halsin lifts his head fractionally to look at her and sees nothing but kindness and concern in her gaze. Her expression is soft as she steps closer, and he itches to pull her into his arms and never let go but he can’t. He can’t because she is his closest friend and he doesn’t want to scare her away and despite believing the heart should be able to roam free he isn’t sure if hers belongs to Astarion or not and he doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries.
“What did he say?” Tav asks again, her voice gentle. “I’ve never seen you that angry before, Hal, so it can’t have been stupid.” Halsin’s heart thuds in his chest as she steps so close he can feel the heat from her body, and the way the nickname she’s given him rolls off her lips makes him want to fall to her feet and beg for forgiveness.
“He called me a scorned lover,” he mumbles angrily, turning away from her again. His face feels hot under her gaze and he doesn’t have it in him to watch her reaction as he repeats the rogue’s words. “He insinuated I was jealous of him because you’re spending more time with him than me.”
“Oh.” Tav blinks, clearly not expecting that answer and stumbles back a few steps, her teeth tugging at her lower lip in a nervous habit that set Halsin on edge every time she did it. “So you...you were going to hit him? Because he made some false, asinine insinuation that he and I were together and I had tossed you aside?” Halsin can’t tell if she sounds angry or not and he’s suddenly apprehensive at replying to her. He can usually read her like the back of his hand - and she can do the same for him - so why couldn’t he tell what was running through her mind right now?
“Is it false?” he asks, turning to face her again, his voice quiet. “You’ve been avoiding me for weeks, you’ve been spending your time with him. How could I not think that?” Halsin knows he’s said the wrong thing the minute the fire flashes back in her eyes and she steps closer to him again, her finger prodding him in the chest as she speaks.
“So what if I was seeing him? We’re not together Halsin, we never have been. You don’t get to throw punches at every person I meet just because I spend a little time with them!” Her voice rises steadily as she speaks and she turns her back on him and takes a few steps away, a hand running through her hair in frustration before she whirls back to face him. “I’m not seeing Astarion, by the way, and not that it matters, but I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
“So why not me?” he blurts out, his eyes shining gold in suppressed rage. “Why is he the one you spend your time with and not me? Why does he get to steal you away from me? Why can’t I be the one to make you laugh for hours and be the sole recipient of your affection and time?”
“You-” Tav lets out a hollow laugh. “You’re joking, right? I’ve waited months - months - for you to stop looking at me like a child that needs protection. For you to look at me the way I’ve wanted you to since the moment we first spoke properly at that party after we saved the tieflings and the Grove. And now you start acting like you want me back?” She’s not shouting, but every word has Halsin flinching as if she had. “Now that I’ve finally decided I shouldn’t pine after you anymore because I’m nothing more than your best friend and you’ll never look at me the way I want you to?”
“You…” Halsin can feel his heart pudding in his chest at her revelation. He feels like someone has just yanked a rug out from underneath him and he’s free falling, but at the same time his heart soars knowing she feels the same way as he does. That she wants him just as much as he wants her. “Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you just tell me?” He reaches out so he can touch her, so he can hold her. “I never thought…I didn’t want to let myself hope-”
“How could I tell you?” She steps away before he can touch her and he swears his heart cracks as her eyes go misty and tears begin to well up. “You’re my best friend, Halsin. How was I supposed to tell you that somewhere along these months of travelling you’ve tripped me up and I’m head over heels in love with you?” The tears fall down her face and she wipes at them angrily. “How was I supposed to tell you that after you slept with someone else only a few days after I drunkenly came onto you?”
He feels his heart shatter at the sight of her tears, as he vaguely recalls the evening she’s talking about. They had stopped for a much needed break at a tavern and every single one of them had gotten ridiculously drunk as they unwound for the night. She had come up to him, her face red from either the alcohol or nerves and had run a hand down his chest in a way that set every nerve of his alight as she seductively murmured in his ear and asked him to join her in her rooms for the night. He had declined, even though every part of him screamed not to. He didn’t want her to regret things in the morning when she woke and had a clear head, he didn’t want to put their friendship at risk like that. A few nights later in the same tavern an elven warrior had come over to him when they were all significantly less drunk and had barely finished propositioning him before he whisked them away to a room for the night.
“Tav,” his voice is hoarse and he feels like someone is running a sword through him. She never brought up asking him to sleep with her in the following days and he had assumed that meant she was embarrassed or didn’t remember doing it. When the elf had come up to him later and asked the same from him he never stopped to think about how it would make her feel. How it would look to anyone else. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” he asks eventually, “because you’re in love with me?”
“Yes,” she takes another step away from him as he tries to get closer. “I’m not proud of it, and seeing your face drop every time I made an excuse not to be around you felt like someone was shoving a dagger into my heart,” she puts her hand to her chest, the tears falling freely down her face now, “but I had to do it. You…you’re everything I’ve ever wanted and more and I couldn’t be around you because it killed me to know you would never feel the same. The final nail in the coffin was when you slept with that elf. They were fucking stunning and I knew then you would never want me like I want you.”
“How can you say I don’t want you like that?” he rasps. “Have you not seen the way I’ve looked at you? Do you know how much effort it took to resist you?” He tries to inch closer to her, his body screaming to wipe her tears away and pull her into a tight embrace.
“Congratulations, would you like a medal?” Her tone is sarcastic as she slips away from his touch yet again. “Well done on showing some restraint with me when the Oak Father knows you’ll fuck anyone else with a pulse.” Her breathing is heavy as she glares at him in equal parts anger and heartbreak. “You thought Astarion and I had something going on and you almost ripped him to shreds. Imagine how it felt for me, watching you take someone else to your bed.”
“You’re right,” he admits. “How many times have I done this to you? How many times have I pushed you away, assuming I know what’s best for you when you’re more than capable of deciding yourself who you want to sleep with. Who you want to be with.” He takes a deep breath and he lowers his walls so she can see just how much she means to him. “You’re everything I want - everything I have ever wanted. And you always will be.” His words have the opposite effect he was hoping for and she sinks to the ground, a gut-wrenching sob leaving her as she covers her face and begins to cry.
He falls to his knees beside her, his arms reaching out to pull her into his embrace and tell her just how in love with her he is, but he hesitates inches away knowing she will only pull further away from him if he follows through. His hands land uselessly at his lap and he feels his own eyes burn as tears threaten to well up at the sound of her anguish. He blinks them away, he hasn’t earned the right to be upset, not when he’s hurt her so deeply.
“I understand if you don’t believe me,” he says instead, his voice low and full of emotion. “If you tell me to leave right now, I will. Or if it will make you feel better to yell at me some more I’ll stay and take it. I’ll do whatever you want - whatever you need.” He pauses, hoping the words he’s about to say don’t hurt her further. “Please believe me, Tav.”
“Would you have told me?” she asks, her voice thick with tears. “If you hadn’t thought I was with Astarion, would you have ever told me?” She looks up at him and her red-rimmed eyes only cleaves his heart further in two. “If you didn’t think my heart belonged to somebody else would you even have realised how you feel about me?” He pauses as she speaks; he doesn’t want to lie to her, but he knows in his soul she won’t be pleased with the answer he’s going to give her.
“No,” he whispers eventually. “It took seeing you with him to realise I was in love with you, and I wish every day that I hadn’t needed that reminder. I should have seen it the moment we met, the way you made me feel…” He lets out a shaky breath and rubs the back of his neck. “I’m an idiot.” Tav inhales sharply at his words and nods to herself, her jaw clenching tightly as if she’s trying to stop herself from falling apart again.
“Well, you won’t hear any arguments from me.” She looks up at him for a few seconds before she looks away again, tears welling back in her eyes as she stands up. “I’m tired. I’m going back to camp.” She doesn’t ask him to follow her, but he does anyway, stumbling to his feet as he follows her back through the trees. He walks in silence by her side as she leads them back to camp, his body heavy and his mind spinning. The one person he wanted in the world was right next to him and he had never felt so far away from her. They return to the camp and all eyes are on them, especially when they take note of the tears that have yet to dry on Tav’s face.
Astarion sits up as she walks over to him and throws her arms around his shoulders and begins to sob into his shirt. The vampire clearly doesn’t know how to react, but after a moment he wraps his arms back around Tav and holds her close, walking her away so that everyone in camp isn’t privy to her breakdown. Halsin bites the inside of his cheek and looks away as Astarion does what he can’t and comforts Tav as she cries. He knows now that she doesn’t have romantic feelings for the pale elf, but that doesn’t stop his chest from clenching tightly as Astarion’s hands rest on her waist and run through her hair comfortingly.
“You’re an idiot, you know,” Shadowheart sidles up to him, her tone dry. She has an unamused expression on her face as she stares up at Halsin, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Karalch gives her a gentle nudge and offers Halsin an apologetic smile.
“I know,” he agrees instantly. “I want nothing more than to give her the comfort he’s providing her right now, and it breaks my heart that I’ve caused her this much pain without even realising it. Seeing Astarion hold her like that…I wish it was me, but I’m glad she kind find some solace in someone here.”
“She doesn’t love him, you know. They’re only friends.” Shadowheart nods her head towards Tav and Astarion. “He’s been trying to help her catch your eye for a while now.” Halsin blinks, the information catching him off guard.
“Astarion is trying to help her?”
“And you,” Shadowheart turns her head to glare at him. “Astarion has been trying to help her with her confidence so she could test the waters and flirt a little with you. And then you had to go and reject her when she finally tried to tell you how she felt only to sleep with someone else a few days later?” The cleric looks mad now, and Halsin has no doubt in his mind that if they were in a more secluded part of the camp she would be yelling and cursing him out for treating Tav the way he had.
“Nothing I say will ever be able to erase what I did, no matter how much I wish it could.” He lets out a sigh and looks over at Astarion and Tav again. The rogue has pulled her across the camp to her tent and through the open flaps he can see she’s lying down on her bedroll, her head in Astarion’s lap as his fingers run through her hair. “How long has he been trying to help?”
“Does it matter?” Shadowheart asks, her tone sharp. “You never even looked twice at Tav until you thought Astarion was interested in her. No one wants to be made a choice after they become unobtainable - or in this case assumedly unobtainable.” There’s a soft expression on Astarion’s face as he comforts Tav, one Halsin has never seen before. For a split second he wonders if she’s better off without him in her life, whether that’s as a friend or more, but the selfish part of him can’t bear to leave her.
“Just give her some time, soldier,” Karlach steps forward, ignoring the glare Shadowheart shoots at her. “She’s hurt, it won’t do any good to speak to her right now, you’ll only push her further away. Give her a few days.” He gives Karlach a nod and looks back over at the campsite, wanting to disappear into the trees and give Tav the space she clearly needs, no matter how much it will hurt him.
Shadowheart and Karlach walk away, leaving Halsin alone again. He watches Astarion cup Tav’s face in her hands and wipe away the last of her tears, muttering something he’s too far away to hear before he kisses her on the forehead. Tav lets out a weak laugh and shakes her head, and the scene grips Halsin’s chest painfully tight. He shakes his head and walks back into the treeline, his eyes glowing gold as he shifts into his cave bear form and darts into the woods.
*
One Week Later
Halsin trudges back into camp, feeling weary and more than a little exhausted, and is a little surprised to see everything is still in its place and the group hasn’t moved on without him. He shifts back into his elf form, shuddering slightly as his body protests and walks towards his tent, giving awkward smiles and nods to Gale and Jaheira, who wave in greeting at him.
“Hey, soldier!” Karlach grins when she sees him, raising her tankard of ale in greeting as she bounds over. “Welcome back, it’s good to see you.” For a moment it looks like she’s about to pull Halsin into a hug, but decides against it at the last minute. She watches his eyes dart around the camp, no doubt looking for Tav or even Astarion, and his hopeful expression falls when he sees neither. “She’s in town gathering supplies,” the tiefling lowers her voice considerably so no one can hear them. “We’re running a little low after she all but forced us to stay here and wait for you to come back.” Halsin looks at her in surprise, but she just shrugs as if she hadn’t said anything and takes another sip of her drink.
“I assume Astarion has gone with her?”
“You assume wrong.” The white-haired elf walks by, a book in his hands. “I’d say it’s good to see you again but…” Astarion grimaces and takes in Halsin’s dishevelled appearance. A week of wandering through the woods as a bear has left him looking more than a little worse for wear, with dirt and dust covering him from head to toe, and what felt like a small bird’s nest worth of twigs tangled in his hair. “You look like shit. You should get cleaned up before she’s back, the gods know she’ll only be more upset at you dragging yourself back here looking half dead.” He walks away and settles outside his tent, sipping idly from a glass of wine as he continues to read.
“Wyll went with her,” Karlach fills the awkward silence. “We needed a lot, so he’s gone to help her carry everything.” Her gaze softens as she looks him over, taking note of his tangled hair and the dust on his clothes. “She’s missed you, you know. She’ll be glad you’re back.” Halsin feels something in his chest loosen at the words and he hopes the barbarian is right.
“Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“Soon, probably. I’m not saying Astarion was right but uh…you might want to consider getting cleaned up before then. No offence,” Karlach wrinkles her nose playfully and Halsin can’t help but let out a quiet chuckle, the sound foreign to his ears. He runs a hand through his hair, wincing as he catches on a large knot and lets out a quiet sigh. The thought of Tav coming back to see the state he’s in pushes him to move, and he mutters a quick see you later to Karlach before making his way to his tent to grab some clean clothes and his supplies.
He’s soon down by the river, trying not to think about the last time he stood there and the heartbreak on Tav’s face as he strips down and scrubs the week in the forest from his body and his dirty clothes. He pulls more twigs and leaves out than he thought possible and it isn’t long before he’s walking back to camp, a towel slung over his shoulder and his now cleaned and dry outfit in his hands while he wears fresh clothes. Karlach is still drinking when he returns, her feet propped up on a bench as she basks in the sun, Shadowheart curled beside her as she sips from her own goblet.
“Halsin?” He would recognise her voice anywhere. He turns around to see Tav a few feet away, a large supply pack hanging from her shoulder. It falls to the floor with a thump as she takes a hesitant step forward. “Is it really you? Are you back?” Her voice is as soft as a whisper, and he barely registers as Wyll picks her discarded pack up and walks away, giving them both some much needed space. Halsin feels like his heart is caught in his throat. All at once he wants to pull her into his arms, he wants to fall to the floor in front of her and beg forgiveness, he wants to hide from her again but he also wants to yell from the mountains that he loves her and will do anything to fix what he broke.
“Oak Father’s blessings, Tav,” he places his fist on his chest in greeting, his voice hoarse. He takes a small step closer to her before hesitating. He wants her to decide where they go from here. She is all he wants, but he doesn’t want to push himself onto her. He doesn’t have time to finish the thought in his head before she’s dashing across the camp and throwing herself at him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders tightly, her legs dangling because of their height difference. Her head is buried in his neck and for a moment he forgets how to breathe let alone hug her back. He’s stunned for a few moments, and more than a little relieved that she hasn’t outright told him to shove off, and his arms wrap around her waist, holding her close. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice catching in his throat. “I’m so sorry.”
She doesn’t reply, and instead she holds onto him a little tighter and he can feel the collar of his short go damp as she begins to cry silently. His eyes slip closed as he pulls her closer and he wills himself to keep it together as he uses one of his arms to grip her legs, prompting her to wrap them around his waist so that they aren’t dangling in midair. He presses a kiss to her forehead, his heart stuttering as she doesn’t pull away or snap at him not to touch her and he’s only vaguely aware that the rest of the camp is being ushered away by Shadowheart and Karlach so the pair can have their moment. Once everyone has disappeared, Tav pulls back and steps out of Halsin’s arms. He itches to pull her back but the glare she’s sending him makes him reconsider.
“Don’t ever do that again!” she snaps, pushing him slightly. She doesn’t do it with enough force to move him, but surprise and confusion flits across his face. “You can’t just disappear like that for a week, Halsin! No one knew where you were, you didn’t leave a note - what if something had happened to you? How was I supposed to know you weren’t hurt or captured or even dead?”
His mouth flops open uselessly at her reprimand, an apology on the tip of his tongue that suddenly feels unbearingly inadequate. He can see it on the exhaustion on her face, in the dark rings under her eyes. He thought leaving and giving her some space was the right thing to do, but just like when he had slept with that elf he hadn’t stopped to consider how it would make her feel. At the time he didn’t think she would care he was gone - she was an inconsolable wreck when he left - he hadn’t realised that Tav, let alone anyone else, would have no way of getting into touch with him while he was away. The silence between them is so loud that his ears ring, and yet he still can’t find the words to say. Sorry doesn’t even begin to cover the pain he’s put her through.
“You’re… you’re not hurt, right?” she asks, the anger leaving her voice as she stares at him, assessing him for any damage that she can’t see. He tries to respond with a quip or a clever comment, but he can’t. The guilt weighs too heavy on his heart right now.
“My pride, perhaps.” He offers her a weak smile as she scrutinises him. “I didn’t mean to worry you while I was away. I just wanted to give you some space.” She opens her mouth to reply but it seems it’s her turn to be unsure of what to say. She wraps her arms around her waist and looks around at the now empty camp and tilts her head towards the unlit fire.
“We should probably talk. I promise I won’t shout and poke you this time.” A weak smile falls on her lips as she makes her way over and sits down on one of the logs. Halsin gives her a weak smile and follows, sitting on the tree stump opposite her. He has so many thoughts rushing through his mind, so many things he wants to say to her, but when he opens his mouth to say them all that comes out is an incoherent mumble followed by a low sigh.
“I don’t know where to start, either,” she laughs nervously and runs a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry for how I reacted last week. I didn’t mean to explode on you. It’s not an excuse, but I was just so hurt and angry and I felt a little betrayed and…I’m sorry.”
“I deserved it.”
“Maybe,” she gives him a faint, teasing smile and he feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. “Hal…” She hesitates again, chewing on her lower lip. “Did you mean what you told me? When you said I was everything you want and that you-” she breaks off, her face flushing, but the words hang in the air. Did he mean it when he said he loved her? His face softens and he nods.
“I did. I meant every word and I still do.” His voice is soft as he slides into a seat closer to her and holds a hand out in offering. He’ll let her decide if she wants to take it. From here on out she makes the calls on where they stand. He can live with being just a friend to her if it means having her in his life. “I understand if you don’t feel the same way about me anymore, given all that’s happened, but I want you to know.” She fidgets in her seat and her face turns the most enticing shade of pink as she places her hand in his and squeezes gently. Halsin has to struggle not to pull her onto his lap and wrap his arms around her, but he reminds himself that she’s in charge here.
“I meant what I said too. Somewhere along the way while we’ve travelled I...I just fell so hard and fast for you. You mean the entire world to me, Hal. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She swallows and looks up at him and how did he ever think she didn’t have feelings for him when she looked at him like that? He was blind to have not seen it before. “I’m not going to lie, it stings that you only wanted me after you thought I was taken by someone else. But...I’m selfish. I love you, Hal. I-I’m putting my heart on the line here, I want to be with you. I want to be yours and I want you to be mine.”
“Tav,” he whispers, pushing himself to his knees in front of her. “My heart does not stir easily, but…” he pauses to let out a quiet, warm chuckle. “I feel like it never truly started beating until I met you. Nature outdid itself with you, and the Oak Father will have truly blessed me if he allowed you to be by my side. My heart is yours, as is every other part of me.” Tav lets out a breathless laugh at his words and sinks down so she is also kneeling in front of him, her hand winding around his shoulders so she can fiddle with his unbound hair.
“And mine is yours,” she murmurs, a smile flitting across her face as his hands come to rest on her waist. He pulls her onto his lap like he’s wanted to since he first realised he had fallen for her, and he’s rewarded with a beautiful blush and coy smile.
“You’re all I want. I don’t even want to look at anyone else but you.” He leans in, his lips brushing across her jaw softly before he places a kiss on her cheek. “My love, my heart, my soul; they’re all yours.” Her breathing hitches and her fingers tangle themselves in her hair in response and she leans in, her lips a breath away from his
“Halsin, may I kiss you?”
“I was hoping you would ask.” He closes the gap between them, his lips brushing hers tenderly once, twice and a third time before he grips her hips and kisses her like he’ll never have the chance to again. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the feeling of her hands in his hair, or the sweet sounds she makes as he pulls her impossibly closer, but he relishes the feeling all the same as they more than make up for their lost time.
#halsin fanfiction#halsin x tav#halsin x y/n#halsin x you#halsin x reader#halsin#halsin bg3#halsin x fem!reader#halsin fluff#halsin angst#astarion#astarion ancunin#baldur's gate 3#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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I Think He Knows
Word Count: 5.2k
Themes: fluff, pining
Summary: Sebastian helps Y/N with an interesting request
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters 18+ and in seventh year. I’m not an expert at flirting please don’t take any of this advice on board
Y/N found Sebastian in the Slytherin common room, tucked into a quiet corner next to the large windows with a book in hand. She smoothed her skirt down as she made her way over to him, thankful that the common room was almost deserted. It was a rare, sunny day and it looked like most of their house mates had taken the opportunity to sit outside, leaving only one or two stragglers to sit indoors.
“Hey, you,” Y/N smiled sweetly at him as she neared and took a seat next to him on the couch, leaving a considerable gap between them.
“Hey, yourself.” Sebastian offered Y/N a charming grin and sat up straighter, his book held loosely in his hands. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I need a favour.”
“Are you about to ask me to go out and battle trolls with you again for potions ingredients?”
“No,” Y/N shook her head with a quiet laugh. “Nothing like that, I promise.”
“Good,” Sebastian set his book to the side and crossed one leg over the other. “How can I help then?”
“It…it’s a bit of an unusual request.”
“Oh?”
“I was wondering if you could teach me how to flirt.” Y/N shuffled in her seat nervously, tucking her legs beneath her so she had an excuse to avoid Sebastian’s surprised expression. She was eternally grateful that he liked being secluded and the other people in the room were too far away to hear her embarrassing request.
“You want me to teach you to flirt?” he repeated. He wasn’t quite sure what he thought she was going to ask him, but it certainly wasn’t that. “Why?”
“Why else?” Y/N feigned a laugh to mask her anxiety and fiddled with her hair. “There’s this guy. He’s quite charming, but every time he flirts with me I freeze up. I want to be able to flirt back and show him I like him.” She could feel her heart in her throat as she said the words and prayed that Sebastian would mistake her red cheeks for the sheer awkwardness of the request.
“So you’ve come to the expert.”
“Don’t start.” Y/N rolled her eyes at him. “If you’re going to make me regret coming to you for help I’ll go to Ominis instead.”
“Ominis?” Sebastian gave her an incredulous look. “Ominis can’t flirt.”
“He’s quite poetic when he wants to be,” Y/N shrugged one shoulder. “Some people like that.”
“I refuse to let you go to Ominis for this,” Sebastian sat up a little straighter and turned his body to face her. “Let me help you.”
“Do you promise to not be a pain?” she asked, one eyebrow raised. Sebastian sighed wearily and nodded his head, acting as if it pained him, when in reality he was trying his hardest not to grin.
“I promise.” He raised one hand and a rare serious expression crossed his face before he was smiling again. “Do I get to know who it is?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t have you teasing me for it.”
“Well, do I at least get to ask if I know him?”
“You can ask, it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” Y/N couldn’t help but to laugh at his mock affronted expression.
“So I’m meant to help and give you all my secrets without anything in return?”
“I did offer to go to Ominis instead.”
“Not a chance.” Sebastian rolled his eyes at her. “Can I know if he’s a student here?”
“He is.”
“Well, if that’s all you’re going to give me,” Sebastian muttered. He didn’t need to worry about upsetting her with his grumpy behaviour - he knew she could see through his act and that he was just curious as to who this mystery man was. “The key to flirting is to be subtle. You need to be able to get across to him that you’re interested, but you don’t want him to think you’re needy or desperate. Can you tell me a little about him? I can give you some tips based on what he’s like, but just know it’s down to you to make all the pieces fall into place. Not everyone can be a natural charmer like me.” Y/N rolled her eyes and flicked the back of Sebastian’s hand (which was stretched out across the back of the couch in her direction) and thought about how to describe the man in question without actually saying too much about him.
“He’s good looking - unfairly so - and charming, and smart, and funny and flawed but deep down he’s got this heart of gold that he keeps hidden from everyone who isn’t close to him.”
“But you’re close to him?” Sebastian asked, watching as Y/N nodded. “Do you think he likes you back?”
“I don’t know,” Y/N sighed as she admitted it out loud, a pale flush coming to her cheeks. “Poppy and Imelda both reckon he does, but I’m not sure. I told you he’s a charmer, he’s nice to everyone but sometimes he looks at me and it’s…it feels different.”
“You sound like you have it bad.”
“I do,” Y/N groaned and covered her face so Sebastian couldn’t see her burning cheeks. “That’s why I need your help. Please, Seb?”
“I already agreed to help you,” he chuckled. “It just so happens I know the type of person you mean and I can help. You need to start with subtle hints to gauge his reaction - a wink here, a cheeky comment there. If he catches on and looks like he’s enjoying the attention he should do the same back.” Sebastian watched as Y/N nodded thoughtfully, her head tilted to one side slightly as she took the information in. “I know that look. That means trouble.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she laughed and shook her head. “I just…can you help me practise? Pretty please?”
“Trouble.” Sebastian pointed at the expression on her face, but still smiled and patted the space next to him on the couch. “Come here. You need to get used to the proximity that comes with flirting and you can’t do that from all the way over there.” Y/N pretended to grumble, but slid over so that she was sat right next to Sebastian, their legs not quite touching. “What do you think you need help with the most?”
“I think I need help with my confidence.” She twisted her fingers as she spoke and Sebastian couldn’t help but smile softly at the endearing action. “He could literally just tell me my hair looks nice that day and I struggle to reply.”
“So you need to get used to him complimenting you?”
“Yes - but when you say it with that grin I have a feeling I’m not going to like where this is going.”
“Have a little faith, Y/L/N,” Sebastian chuckled quietly as he nudged her, silently asking her if she was ready. She nodded hesitantly and he cleared his throat before a sly smile slowly graced his features. “You know, I heard from a few people that you were beautiful, but I didn’t realise you would be Aphrodite incarnate.” He gauged Y/N’s reaction to his words and was delighted to see a pretty pink blush cross her cheeks. “Oh, you’re adorable.”
“Stop teasing me.” Y/N covered her face and looked away from Sebastian.
“How can I when you’re so endearing?” He grasped her wrists gently and pulled them away from her face. “If you blush with him like you are now then I’m sure you’ve already won him over.”
“Well then why won’t he say anything?”
“Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move,” Sebastian shrugged casually and leant back in his seat again. “Would you like me to try again so you can respond?”
“No, because I’m going to blush again and you’re going to make fun of me.”
“Tease, Y/N. I would never make fun of you. You said you wanted to work on your confidence.”
“How am I ever going to be able to flirt back when I can’t even take a simple compliment?”
“I mean, you don’t necessarily have to. Some guys love leaving a woman speechless.”
“I’m always flustered and speechless with him when he flirts, I just want to be able to do it back and leave him blushing for once.”
“Catch him off guard then. All those things you want him to do - the compliments, the actions, the looks - you do them.” Sebastian was giving away most of his tricks at this point, but he found he didn’t particularly care as he taught Y/N what to do.
“So if I wished he would touch my hand I should just…?” Y/N casually brushed the back of Sebastian’s hand with hers, making it look completely natural as she shifted in her seat.
“Exactly. Just like that.” Sebastian nodded with a large smile on his face. “You can’t let him have too much control, you need to keep him on his toes. Tell him how good he looks before he can tell you how pretty you are.”
“You think I’m pretty?”
“Shut up, you’re gorgeous and you know it,” Sebastian rolled his eyes at her and ran his hand through his hair. “Some men don’t tend to get too many compliments, so when they get one from someone special like you it’ll stick. And you don’t just have to tell him he looks handsome that day - you can focus on his talents too. Don’t force it, a genuine compliment will earn you his favour far faster.”
“Why are you complimenting me?” Y/N narrowed her eyes at him.
“Isn’t that the point?” Sebastian asked, “to get you used to him complimenting you.”
“Oh, so you just called me gorgeous and special because you’re trying to build my confidence, not because you mean it,” Y/N gave him a teasing smile and raised an eyebrow. Sebastian couldn’t help but chuckle (but not unkindly) as her obvious flirting and shot her a disarming wink.
“I mean, the fact that you are gorgeous helps. What talents does your guy have? Do you know if he’s good at anything? Does he care about his grades?”
“He’s incredible at duelling. He’s really smart as well, but doesn’t really focus on school work too much. He could easily be at the top of the class if he wanted to.”
“Is he in Crossed Wands?” The words slipped out of Sebastian’s mouth before he could process them, followed by a quiet chuckle when Y/N shot him a playful glare. “Compliment his duelling then, make sure he knows he’s good at what he’s doing. He’s not the top of the class but that doesn’t mean you can’t comment on his potential or intelligence. The goal is to let him know he impresses you.”
“So if I were to…” Y/N took a moment to think before a coy smile fell on her lips. “You were brilliant at the Crossed Wands tournament the other day, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone duel as well as you or look so good while doing so.”
“So he is in Crossed Wands. Wait, please tell me it’s not Prewett.”
“Prewett? No!” Y/N grimaced. “In what world is Leander Prewett charming?”
“Good. I was starting to question your taste,” Sebastian wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Your admiration for his duelling skills was good, and you told him you find him attractive. That’s two birds with one stone.” Sebastian looked at her from the corner of his eye and a mischievous grin appeared as he turned his head to face her properly. “On that note, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you look absolutely stunning tonight.”
“Not at all.” Y/N managed to tamper down the blush this time, and eyed Sebastian appreciatively with a soft smile. “You look pretty handsome yourself. Green is a good colour on you.”
“Why, thank you. I do my best to dress well, although no one can look better than you do.” Sebastian winked at her, feeling slightly proud that she hadn’t gotten flustered at his words and had even managed to flirt back. “You’re getting better at this.”
“Practice helps. I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“Yes, well, I’m sure you remember how much I like having friends in my debt.” He gave her a smirk before looking out of the window they were next to and out into the lake. “Do you have anything else you want to ask me? Anything I haven’t mentioned or you think I’ve missed?”
“What haven’t you mentioned?”
“A lot,” Sebastian chuckled. “Mostly simple things. You’ve already got down how to respond if he flatters you without me even mentioning it. Give him that smile of yours when you say something nice to him and you should get him all worked up and right where you want him.”
“What smile?”
“That one.” Sebastian pointed at her lips. “Merlin, you really don’t know what effect you have on people, do you?” Sebastian didn’t give her the time to respond before he continued giving her advice. “You should make him work for it if he asks you something more personal - but know your limits.”
“What do you mean?”
“How well does he know you? Does he know your favourite colour, favourite flower, favourite animal? If he doesn’t then make him work for the answer and ask him to guess. Just don’t do it for every question or it’ll get annoying fast.”
“Do people still ask things like that? Do you even know my favourite animal?”
“It could be literally anything but for the sake of it…a horse?”
“Not quite.”
“You’re going to make me guess, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Sebastian groaned as she toyed with him but couldn’t help but grin with pride at how fast she was picking all of this up. “Give me a hint.”
“It’s small and cute.”
“Is it magical or normal?”
“Magical.”
“A puffskein?”
“Almost,” Y/N laughed quietly and readjusted in her seat, her arm brushing Sebastian’s as she did so. “It has a penchant for shiny objects.”
“If it’s a niffler I might revolt.” He looked at Y/N from the corner of his eye and watched as she grinned widely and nodded. “A bloody niffler?”
“They’re adorable!”
“Nifflers are greedy little shits that dig through the trash of the wizarding world. Why am I not surprised you like the one creature that was never intended to be appreciated.”
“Alright, what’s your favourite magical creature then?”
“Probably a hippogriff. Or a phoenix.”
“Phoenix’s are probably my second favourite. There’s something poetic about them rising and being reborn from their ashes.”
“Hm,” Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. “I think that’s why they might be my favourite. The idea of death resulting in a cycle of rebirth is strangely comforting when compared to the alternative. It’s nice to be reminded sometimes that life moves on without you, even if it means your own passing.”
“That was…really insightful, Seb. I’ve never thought about it like that before.” Y/N tilted her head at him with a soft smile before looking away with a sudden blush.
“I do try.” He couldn’t help but be intrigued by the flush to her cheeks and wondered why it had appeared so abruptly. “It’s important to remain genuine even when it’s difficult or may not benefit you.”
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re about to ask me something that I’m not going to like.” Sebastian laughed quietly at this and his arm that was still stretched out along the back of the couch brushed Y/N’s shoulder gently.
“Well, in the spirit of being authentic…why are you blushing?” She pulled a face at the question and the flush on her cheeks deepened.
“The light from the lake was on your face when you were talking and I realised how handsome you look.”
“Oh.” Sebastian blinked once and felt his cheeks start to burn. The compliment had caught him off guard and now that she wasn’t simply responding to one of his own advances he realised how much he liked it.
“Do you want me to spare you the teasing?”
“Please.”
“Only because I’m a bigger person than you.” She watched the smirk appear on his face and gently flicked his arm. “Not one comment about my height.” Sebastian raised his hands in surrender and mimed zipping his lips.
“You said it, not me.”
“Alright you.” Y/N gently hit him with one of the throw pillows on the couch and let him grab it from her hands. “I have more questions.”
“Of course you do.”
“How do I know if he’s flirting with me because he likes me and not because he’s a flirt?”
“Ah, that old conundrum.” Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck while he thought about his answer. “To be fully honest with you, it depends on the guy. You can usually tell by how he acts around you. Is he quick to offer to help you with something? Does he smile and laugh a lot around you? You need to look at the whole picture to find the answer. Does he flirt with a lot of girls or just you?”
“He’s kind of charming with everyone. I don’t think it’s malicious or that he’s a player, he’s just naturally a charming person.”
“From the sounds of it I’d say he’s interested at the very least. Do you like spending time with him?”
“I could sit and talk to him all day.”
“That’s definitely a good sign, especially if he feels the same. Being able to stand a person’s company for hours without getting bored is something to note.” Sebastian placed his arms behind his head and turned to look at Y/N. “What kind of things does he talk to you about?”
“When he’s not flirting, you mean?” she asked. “Just normal things; life, family, school.”
“He doesn’t sound like a player, but you would know better than I do about his motives considering you won’t tell me who he is.”
“Maybe later.”
“Really?”
“I said maybe. I need to be sure of a few other things first.”
“Well, if it’s whether or not he likes you it sounds like he likes you plenty.”
“How do you know that without knowing who he is?”
“I don’t know many guys - let alone players - who would sit and talk about their family with a girl they had ulterior motives for. I can’t guarantee anything, obviously, but make sure he makes you happy before anything else.” Sebastian paused and raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you happy with him? Despite being a flustered mess, do you find yourself wanting to tell him everything?”
“Yes.”
“And he does the same back? Does he share his life and hobbies?”
“Yes,” Y/N smiles and crosses her legs, her knee brushing Sebastian’s thigh gently. "He’s told me a lot about his family. He adores his sister and would do anything for her.”
“Hm.” Sebastian has a small smirk on his face, but didn’t voice his thoughts out loud, instead he turned to her with another question. “Are you always nervous around him, or is that just when he flirts? It sounds like you’re pretty comfortable most of the time.”
“It’s just when he flirts. When we’re just talking I’m fine.”
“That’s completely natural. I’ll let you in on a secret; men get nervous around women we like, too.” He saw the query in her eyes and continued on before she could ask. “Again, this changes from person to person, but if he’s the charming type he’ll probably maintain eye-contact up until you flirt back. If you catch him off guard he’ll more than likely blush and look away. He might become fidgety and scratch the back of his head or rub his neck. Everyone has different tells, but most people tend to have these. Have you noticed any of them?”
“A few.”
“I think you should take the plunge and ask him what he likes about you - you can always play that question off as being platonic. I think he’s flirting with you because he likes you.” There was a look in Sebastian’s eye that Y/N couldn’t quite read, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared as he turned to stretch his arms and legs out.
“Am I bothering you with all these questions? Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
“No, nowhere I need to be - nowhere I’d rather be, either. Asking questions has never bothered me - how else are you meant to learn without them? Besides, I’m enjoying your company.”
“Well I’m glad, because I’m enjoying talking to you too.” Y/N brushed the arm that was resting on the back of the couch more confidently this time, and even Sebastian couldn’t play it off as an accident. He felt his mouth go dry and felt his face heat up slowly and tried to turn his head so that Y/N wouldn’t catch his blush, but of course, he wasn’t that lucky.
“Are you blushing again?”
“Shut up.” The words came out slightly harsher than he expected, but luckily for him, Y/N only laughed in response and tucked her legs back underneath her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…is it obvious?”
“Not really, it’s only because I’m sitting so close. It’s kind of sweet, you’re cute when you blush.”
“Alright, enough of that. I have a reputation to maintain - I can’t have people thinking I’m a blusher.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Y/N mimed zipping her lips shut and winked at him.
“Give me a secret in exchange instead. What’s your biggest fear?”
“Spiders.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I know you’re probably looking for an answer like ‘being alone’, but spiders creep me out.”
“I was looking for an honest answer and you gave it to me. I don’t blame you, to be honest. Remember all the spiders we fought in that cave in fifth year?”
“Don’t remind me,” Y/N shuddered. “Worst day of my life. What’s your biggest fear?”
“Being forgotten.”
“I don’t think anyone who’s met you could ever forget you, Sebastian. I certainly won’t.”
“I’m not that impressive,” he disagreed with a shake of his head. “You, on the other hand, are. You aren’t afraid to show who you really are, or step out of your comfort zone and be challenged. Don’t ever stop being you, Y/N, you’re one of a kind.”
“As sweet as that is of you to say, I’m not all that great at stepping out of my comfort zone. Battling trolls and Ashwinders is one thing but I can’t even tell the guy I like that I like him.”
“You’ve already made it past the first hurdle - admitting to yourself you like him. Sometimes that can be the scariest step. Now you just need a leap of faith and tell him how you feel.”
“I don’t know if I’m brave enough for that, yet.”
“That’s fine.” Sebastian’s fingers brushed her shoulder again as he shrugged. “Start slow and work your way up. Talk to him about something he’s passionate about and listen to him. He might be a guy but he’s still human at the end of the day.” Y/N’s knee bounced nervously as he spoke and tried to push out the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she was entirely distracted by the light from the lake shifting again to land on Sebastian’s face and lighting up his eyes. She couldn’t say what she really wanted to, but she could always express her admiration in other ways.
“You have lovely eyes, Seb. They’re really pretty.” Sebastian swallowed heavily and silently cursed himself as he felt his cheeks start to burn again. This woman will be the death of me, he thought to himself as he stared down at the floor with a small smile on his face. He felt something shift between them and knew he couldn’t miss the opportunity to return the compliment - it felt too important to pass by.
“You’re one to talk, Y/N. You have incredibly beautiful eyes. I love how they light up when you smile.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one. Your eyes are a kaleidoscope of golds and browns. I’ve never seen such a nice colour.” She leaned forward slightly as she spoke, her body shifting closer to him. Sebastian couldn’t help but to sit up so that he could be closer to her, their shoulders brushing gently with every breath. Her breathing had stilled and he could feel the energy radiating from her. Y/N blushed and looked away as his hand skimmed her knee gently.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked her, his voice low. “What do you think about me? Not as a friend, or a classmate just…me.” That look was back in Sebastian’s eye - the one she couldn’t quite put her finger on - and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was flirting with her. Of course, they had been this whole time while she ‘practised’, but something about his low tone made this seem different. It made it seem real.
“You are the kindest soul I have ever met, Seb. You’re funny, charming, ridiculously handsome…” she trailed off as she realised what she had said, her face flushing once more. Meanwhile, Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his face a matching shade of pink as he thought over her answer.
“You’re the most wonderful person I have ever met in my life.”
“Look who’s talking,” she pointed at him briefly, “you’re one of the best people I know.”
“Well now I know you’re lying to me,” he narrowed his eyes playfully.
“I would never.”
“Never, hm?”
“Nope.”
“Tell me this then, are you flirting with me?” There was a knowing smile on his face, but he wanted to watch her squirm just a little bit. He was enjoying her flirting immensely but a part of him wanted the girl back who got flustered when he so much as winked at her.
“I’ve been trying to for the past hour, but thanks for finally noticing,” Y/N laughed quietly and nudged his shoulder gently.
“As part of your ‘practise’ or…?”
“What do you think?” She gave him a levelled look and Sebastian placed a hand on his sternum dramatically.
“I knew it, this whole time you were only using me for my knowledge. Shame on you for toying with me like this.” Y/N laughed again and shook her head at his theatrics, her hand coming to rest on his knee. She didn’t pull away this time, didn’t pretend she was only brushing past and so Sebastian covered her hand with his and laced their fingers together. His stomach flipped pleasantly at the contact, and he was absolutely enthralled by the colour that was blooming on her face.
“How ever will I make it up to you?” Y/N asked, hoping he didn’t notice how breathless she had gotten.
“I guess I can forgive you if you try your best to win me over.”
“And how do I do that?”
“Well, I’d say you’ve made some decent progress by holding my hand.” He gave her a mischievous smile as he gently squeezed her fingers and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’ll leave you to decide what to do for the second half, lest I make a suggestion you hit me for.” He didn’t think Y/N could blush any deeper, but he was delighted to be proven wrong as her face turned the most enticing shade of red as she looked down at his lips briefly. Sebastian felt his eyes slip close in anticipation as she began to close the gap between them, only for them to fly open again as she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.
“I’ll take the final step to win you over on one condition.” She still hadn’t pulled away from him, her face was so close Sebastian could count the different colours in her eyes.
“Is the condition more questions?”
“A couple.”
“Make them good ones.” He gave her a lazy grin and reached up to brush some hair away from her face.
“How do I know if he wants to kiss me? Not to say that he did, but because he wants to?”
“He’ll probably be holding your hand,” Sebastian squeezed her fingers again, “look into your eyes, look down at your lips.” His gaze drifted lower to watch as that maddeningly gorgeous smile slowly appeared on her lips. “You’ll feel it in the air too - the energy between your bodies.”
“Should I let him make the first move or do you think he’ll like it if I do it?”
“He would be thrilled if you made the first move.”
“Sebastian?”
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
“I would love nothing more,” he said, a knowing smile on his face. He looked into her eyes as Y/N traced his jawline gently before slowly leaning in and giving him a feather-light kiss.
“I have a confession before I do that again.”
“Darling, you have to give me more credit than that - I worked it out a while ago.”
“Would you just let me tell you I have feelings for you?”
“Well, if it helps, I’m a little fond of you myself.”
“Only a little fond?” Y/N asked, a teasing smile on her face. She covered it well, but Sebastian could see the insecurity in her eyes. He could see how unsure she was about how he felt after she had all but put her heart on the line.
“Fine, you caught me, I’m completely fond of you.” Y/N rolled her eyes and tried to pull away, but Sebastian slid both arms around her waist and held on to her. “You are gorgeous beyond belief, and I’m utterly smitten with you, Y/N. Do you believe me, or do I need to prove it to you?”
“Prove it,” her answering grin was nothing short of wicked and Sebastian adored it.
“How would you like me to prove it to you?” He was playing into her game now, but he didn’t care. He watched as she faltered slightly, the same beautiful blush coming to her cheeks. He loved leaving her flustered and speechless. He never thought she would have the guts to approach him today and attempt to play him like a violin (because, of course he knew as soon as she mentioned him being the best duellist in the school) but he was ecstatic she had because he was crazy about her. “Well?” After all the progress they had made today he wasn’t about to let her struggle to find the words, but he was patient.
“I…” She swallowed hard and he could feel her hands shaking very slightly. “I don’t just want pretty words and some kisses. I want you to prove it to me by giving me all of you. I want your heart Sebastian.” He paused, taking in her words - Y/N had just put everything on the table. What she wanted was exactly what he did - a bond that went beyond mere interest and was grounded in both physical and emotional commitment.
“Darling, it was already yours.”
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow fluff#sebastian x reader#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow drabble#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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Wildest Dreams - Part One
Word Count: 6.6k
Themes: fluff, pining
Summary: Ten years have passed since the events of Hogwarts Legacy and Y/N is invited back as part of a reunion to celebrate.
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters are aged up and around 25/26 years old
Dear Miss Y/L/N,
You are cordially invited to the ten year reunion of the events that marked you as the Hero of Hogwarts. We look forward to your attendance as our guest of honour, please RSVP at your earliest convenience.
Y/N grimaced at the letter she had read time and time again, sorely regretting that she had allowed Poppy to talk her into attending. While it would be nice to see her classmates again, she wished it was under different circumstances - it didn’t matter how much time would pass since she defeated Ranrok and saved the school, she didn’t want to celebrate something that had taken such a significant piece from her that she could never get back.
She didn’t regret protecting Hogwarts, and inadvertently the rest of the world, but sometimes she did wish things had gone differently. Hogwarts had been her first real home and sometimes, in the middle of the night when she was alone with her thoughts, she just wished she had been able to attend as a normal student. From eleven like a regular first year with no ancient magic or goblins bent on wizard destruction. She still had people come up to her to thank her for her deeds and she hated it every time. She hated the handshakes, the tears, the praises they sang to her as they put her on a pedestal as if she were a Saint, as opposed to the terrified child she had been. She knew, of course, that they all meant well but Y/N couldn’t stand the constant daytime reminders of everything that caused her sleepless nights.
“Are you excited?” Poppy asked from beside her, her voice soft as she broke Y/N from her thoughts.
“That’s one word for it,” she muttered, stuffing the parchment back into her pocket. Despite her sour thoughts Y/N was excited for the reunion. Reminder of the worst time of her life aside, she was looking forward to seeing her classmates again, to catch up with them all and see what had become of their lives.
“I heard Imelda managed to get the night off from training with the Holyhead Harpies,” Poppy continued. “It’ll be nice to see her properly this time.”
“Without a dragon in between us, you mean?” Y/N smiled wryly at the memory. She didn’t think Imelda would ever forgive her for ruining one of the bigger matches of her career, but apparently saving a couple of dragon eggs from a group of poachers and returning them to their mother would do the trick.
“Yes, well, she did request we leave the dragon behind this time,” Poppy laughed as they made their way down the cobbled street. They dodged a few shoppers as they walked through Hogsmeade and expertly avoided the throngs of students who seemed to be everywhere but in class, considering it was the middle of the day.
“Sorry.” A tall, dark haired wizard walked by them, accidentally bumping into Y/N. He barely spared the pair a glance as he continued on, hands stuffed into his pockets.
“Sebastian?” his name fell from Y/N’s mouth before she could process it, and they both watched as he came to a stop and turned to face them. “Sebastian!” She shot forward, narrowly avoiding a student, and launched herself at him once she was close enough, her arms wrapping around his shoulders to pull him into a tight hug.
“Was that…?” Poppy trailed off, an unsure expression crossing her face as she watched the man walk away from them.
“Oof,” Sebastian had only just recognised the figure barrelling towards him before her body hit him. He took a step back to steady them and make sure they weren’t going to fall over before he wrapped his arms around her waist firmly. “Y/N, give a man a chance, will you?” he laughed, squeezing her affectionately.
“ShutupImissedyouyouidiot.” Her words were unintelligible as she mumbled into the crook of his neck, although he could feel her smile against his skin. His grip tightened in response, lifting her off her feet as he embraced her.
“I missed you, too, sweetheart.”
“Sweetheart?” Y/N pulled back fractionally and narrowed her eyes at him playfully. “I see you’re still the charmer you were back in school.”
“Only for those I hold in the highest esteem.” He grinned down at her and finally loosened his clutch. “Hello Poppy.”
“Hello, Sebastian,” Poppy had a sly smile on her face as she watched the pair ease their hold on each other but made no move to let go. “How’ve you been?”
“Great, although I hear you’re both doing better than me,” he glanced back down at the woman in his arms. “Did you really take down Ratcliffe, one of the biggest poachers in the country? You just can’t stay away from trouble, can you?”
“Trouble can’t stay away from me, you mean. Nothing changes,” Y/N offered him a teasing grin, finally (and reluctantly) pulling herself from his arms.
“Some things clearly do,” he murmured, eyes roaming down her figure. Although they occasionally sent owls to each other, it had been years since the pair’s last meeting. The lanky limbs and awkward persona from the girl he knew before was long gone, only to be replaced by soft curves and a gracefulness he couldn’t quite explain. “Look at you, all grown up.” And rather gorgeous, he noted. He grinned as she nudged him playfully, but was delighted to see a faint blush on her cheeks.
“I’m not the only one who’s done some growing.” He had always been a couple of inches taller than her, but now her head just about came up to his shoulders. Rather broad ones, Y/N thought to herself, which paired nicely with the muscles she could see despite the jacket he was wearing.
“Shall I leave you two alone and come back later?” Poppy asked, breaking the pair from their trances. It was now Sebastian’s turn to flush as he looked down at the former Hufflepuff, who had also grown into a beautiful young woman even though he still towered over her.
“Come here, Sweeting,” Sebastian rolled his eyes at her, tugging her into a hug as well. Poppy laughed and patted his back before extracting herself from his hold. “What are you both doing here? Are you here for the reunion as well?”
“We are,” Poppy nodded. “We thought it would be nice to get here early and check in on the shop. Maybe take a walk around as well.”
“You have a shop?”
“We do,” Y/N nodded. “We bought the Brood and Peck a couple of years ago. All the beasts we save - magical or not - go there. Ellie Peck still does most of the management and finds them all good homes.”
“I thought it looked bigger,” Sebastian looked impressed, “did I see a shop in Diagon Alley too?” His smile widened as both Poppy and Y/N nodded bashfully. “Who would have thought, Poppy Sweeting and Y/N Y/L/N, a beast’s best dream and a poachers worst nightmare.”
“It was mostly Y/N’s idea, she couldn’t bear to release the creatures just for poachers to grab them again.”
“Stop it, Poppy. You know I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you.” Y/N’s face flushed at the praise and she turned back to Sebastian as her friend started to protest. “Please tell me you’re going tonight. I’m going to need all the friendly faces I can get.”
“Well now that I know you’ll be there, how could I say no? Should we make our way together?”
“We could, but I should probably warn you that we’re getting there ridiculously early. It seems I have the absolute pleasure of opening the doors to welcome everyone inside.”
“Ah yes, how could I forget I’m standing with our honorary guest?”
“Don’t start.” Y/N was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes and he caught a flicker of emotion passing across her face before she could hide it. He remembered how much she had disliked the attention for saving the school in their sixth and seventh year, and even though a decade had passed since then it didn’t seem like that had changed much. “Where are you staying? I have a house on the outskirts of the village with more than enough room, if you want.”
“Ah, I’m over at the Three Broomsticks,” he nodded at the pub that was a couple of hundred feet from them. “I stopped by earlier for some lunch and when I told Sirona I was thinking of heading home in between to get ready she told me I had a room there if I needed and it was best not to fight her on it.” Although Sebastian rolled his eyes, the affection for the older witch was still visible in the smile on his face.
“Well, we can all meet for a drink before we go then,” Poppy suggested, looking so excited at the idea that Y/N and Sebastian didn’t have the heart to disagree with her. “Imelda and some of the others are going to be there before the reunion as well. Will Ominis be joining us?”
“No, he’s taking care of Anne. They both told me to say hello if I saw you. Anne said it’s been too long, and if I don’t bring you back for tea after all of this she will keep me away from my soon-to-be-born niece or nephew.”
“Oh, she told me she was expecting, but I’ve not had a chance to come see her yet. Are you excited to be an uncle?” Y/N grinned, her hand reaching out to squeeze Sebastian’s arm with such elation he could feel his heart flutter in his chest.
“I can’t wait to spoil them. I think Ominis has learned every child safety spell he can get his hands on,” Sebastian let out a quiet chuckle and slipped his hands in his pockets once more. “I still have a couple of errands I need to attend to for them, but I’ll see you both later at the Three Broomsticks?” The three of them made quick plans for when they were going to meet before Sebastian left them with a grin and a wave.
“That man couldn’t keep his eyes off you,” Poppy commented, nudging Y/N playfully. Y/N rolled her eyes and nudged Poppy right back, but couldn’t help to look over her shoulder at Sebastian, who was currently doing the same thing. Y/N couldn’t read his expression from this far away, but she did catch the slow smile that formed on his face and couldn’t help but to smile back, her heart thumping in her chest.
*~*~*~*~*
Y/N looked up at the Three Broomsticks, the hood of her cloak protecting her from the light rain that had started. She fiddled nervously with the lace of her dress as she waited patiently for Poppy - who had stopped to pet a cat she had seen - to catch up. She felt out of place, and not just because she was standing in front of the pub in a ball gown that was fit for a castle in one of the novels Poppy loved to read. Although, Y/N mused, she supposed she was on her way to said castle. She sighed and smoothed down the fabric of her forest green skirts, wishing she was in her usual attire of a tunic and light pants (fighting poachers while wearing a corset and heavy skirts did not go well the last time).
Y/N looked back down the street, the last of the light fading as the sun set behind the hills. At this rate she could make her escape before Poppy would even notice and she weighed the pros and cons of not attending in her head for what felt like the hundredth time. Imelda would likely hunt her down if she didn’t attend, and she didn’t particularly feel like battling the witch tonight. Sebastian would forgive her - in fact, she could even owl him to see if he wanted to scrap the whole event with her. Anne had been hounding her to come round for tea and she would much prefer to see her and Ominis than to be paraded in front of her old peers like a prized calf. With a low groan Y/N dragged her feet into the pub, deciding the least she could do while she waited for Poppy was to get warm and have a chat with Sirona.
The Three Broomsticks hadn’t changed much since Y/N had first stepped inside all those years ago, practically glowing from defeating her first troll with Sebastian by her side. The smell of butterbeer and burning logs greeted her and a familiar warmth that had nothing to do with the fires burning in their hearths ran from her head to her toes. Sirona had added a couple of new booths over the years, as well as a particularly comfortable pair of armchairs that were placed next to one of the fireplaces.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” Sirona had a large smile on her face as she dried her hands. “Is that Y/N Y/L/N in my pub? Where’s your other half?” Y/N couldn’t help but laugh as Sirona rounded the bar and pulled her into a hug.
“Poppy saw a cat. You know how she is,” Y/N released the older witch and let Sirona look her over as she removed her cloak.
“Well, I’d ask what kind of trouble you’ve both been in since I last saw you but…” she glanced at the still-healing scar that ran from Y/N’s eyebrow across to her temple. “Is that one waiting for you?” she gestured with her head to the man that was sitting in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, and Y/N realised that it was Sebastian. He looked to be deep in thought as he stared into the flames.
“He is,” Y/N turned back to Sirona with a smile. “Could I trouble you for three glasses of firewhiskey?”
“On the house,” Sirona winked at her and made her way back behind the bar just as Poppy walked into the pub. She waved hello at Sirona and came to stand by Y/N’s side, her gaze landing on Sebastian as well.
“Well, he’s certainly not the same boy we went to school with,” Poppy muttered. Y/N couldn’t help but murmur back in agreement. He had been considered attractive back at school (and knew it), but now…Y/N couldn’t help but appreciate how devastatingly handsome he looked in his dress robes, the warm glow from the fire lighting his face. Sirona placed the three glasses on the table next to him, breaking him out of his thoughts, and he finally looked up with a smile as he took note of both the girls.
“There you both are, I was beginning to think you had forgotten all about me.” He stood to greet them with a smile and looked between the pair, his eyes lingering on Y/N. There was an unreadable expression on his face as his eyes roamed over her dress slowly until he finally met her gaze. He was vaguely aware that his staring was bordering on indecent when the door opened again and a large, rather loud, group walked in. Poppy looked between the pair, a small smirk on her face when she caught the matching telltale flush on their faces. She filed the thought away for later when she could get Y/N alone and turned to look at the group who had just walked in, her smile widening when she caught sight of Imelda.
“Kneazle caught your tongue?” Y/N cocked her head to the side, a teasing smile on her face.
“It’s entirely your fault for looking so ravishing tonight,” Sebastian caught her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles before handing her one of the glasses of firewhiskey. Y/N couldn’t help but laugh quietly and reach up to straighten out his tie.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr Sallow.” She gave him a coy smile as her hand lingered on his chest for longer than necessary, feeling the telltale thump thump thump of his heart. A voice calling her name from behind them broke their stares and Y/N let her fingers trail down his chest slowly as she turned to walk away.
“Have you got nothing to say to me, then?” Imelda met Y/N halfway, eyebrows raised and arms crossed.
“It’s good to see you again, Imedla,” Y/N pulled the girl in for a hug, who laughed in response.
“Yes, it’s much better seeing you here on the ground, instead of interrupting my match by riding a dragon. Honestly, Y/L/N, if you wanted to come see me at one of my games all you had to do was ask.”
“You rode a dragon?” Sebastian finally seemed to snap out of his stupor and took a couple of steps forward to greet his former housemate.
“I had to get your attention somehow, didn’t I, Reyes?” Y/N shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as Sebastian stood by her side.
“Showing up in that dress would have worked just as well,” Imelda’s eyes roamed over her appreciatively. “Green has always looked best on you.”
“I’ll bear that in mind for next time.” Even though the wink wasn’t aimed at him Sebastian felt his mouth go dry and quickly took a sip of firewhiskey to chase away the fluttering feeling in his stomach. He lingered by Y/N’s side as they caught up with Imelda and a couple of their former school mates, his arm brushing against hers every-so-often in a way that made his face burn. Sebastian decided he would blame the firewhiskey if anyone (especially Imelda) tried to call him out on blushing like a first year every time his hand brushed past hers.
“To our saviour!” Leander Prewett called out, raising his glass in Y/N’s direction. A couple of the others followed suit, not noticing how uncomfortably still Y/N had gotten as she glanced around the room. Y/N felt her skin prickle as a few people turned to openly stare at her, expressions varying between awe and gratitude. She offered them a tense smile as Poppy shot Leander a glare and tugged his arm down, whispering harshly at him as he sipped from his glass.
She could feel her chest tighten at the attention and willed herself not to scream at them all that she didn’t deserve their praises. That she wasn’t a saviour, she had just gotten lucky. It had taken Y/N far too many sleepless nights to come to terms with what had happened to her under the castle, and even longer to fully grasp that it wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t save everyone. Moments like these - with people muttering about how she was a hero - made her feel like a fraud.
“Hey.” Sebastian felt Y/N jump slightly as he placed a hand on her lower back gently. “Come with me?” He set their empty glasses down before leading her to the door, only stopping to grab their cloaks as he led her outside. Thestrals were tethered to a carriage a couple of feet away from the pub, the Hogwarts emblem carved onto the side - no doubt meant to take Y/N up to the castle for the event. “Are you still with me?”
“Just about,” Y/N’s eyes flicked up to meet his as he draped her cloak around her shoulders and fastened it for her. “How did you know?”
“You had that look on your face you used to get in our sixth year.”
“I didn’t realise you paid that much attention to me.”
“How could I not?” The corner of his mouth lifted up in a barely perceptible smile as he brushed a stray hair from her eyes. His fingers lingered on her jaw before gently tilting her face to his.
“You’re a rake, Sebastian Sallow.” She narrowed her eyes at him playfully, a smile falling on her painted lips. Sebastian had the overwhelming urge to close the gap between them and kiss her but managed to restrain himself and settled for pulling her body closer to his.
“You say rake, I say dashing rogue, who’s to say which one of us is right.” Y/N laughed quietly and brought her hands up to rest on the lapels of his jacket. “Either way, I can’t help but to be charming in the presence of such a stunning woman.”
“Is that what you say to all the pretty ladies you meet?”
“Just the one.” Y/N’s fingers tightened around his jacket at his words, at the look in his eye. She wanted nothing more than to pull him into a searing kiss she had imagined more times than she could count but refrained, unsure of his reaction. “What are you thinking about?” Sebastian brushed her cheeks gently, his face inching closer to hers.
“Whether we should make our escape or not.”
“Do you not want to attend anymore?”
“I didn’t particularly want to attend to start with.”
“Do you want me to get you out of here?” He looked so concerned for her wellbeing that Y/N felt her heart crack in her chest. How long had it been since someone had taken care of her? Of course, Poppy was always around to patch her up with things that went south against the poachers but even she didn’t know how deep the internal wounds went. Or if she did, she never commented on it.
“No, not yet. I think Imelda would hunt me down and drag me back, anyway.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Y/N. I’ll fight Imelda myself if I have to.”
“You would fight Imelda ’The Muscles’ Reyes for me?”
“Darling, I don’t know how to make it any clearer that I will always fight anyone who tries to harm you.”
“My hero,” Y/N couldn’t help but roll her eyes, a laugh bubbling up as she took in his mock affronted expression. She leant up to press a gentle kiss to his cheek, mindful not to get any lipstick on his face. The arm around her waist tightened fractionally, holding her in place against him as he processed what had just happened. “Sebastian?”
“Hold on, I’m trying to remind myself that you’re one of my closest friends and if I kissed you like I really want to right now you would probably punch me.”
“You want to kiss me?”
“Always.” He made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Oh.”
“Oh?” The door flew open before Sebastian could question her further and both Poppy and Imelda came to a stop when they took note of how close the pair were standing.
“Are we interrupting something?”
“Not anymore,” Sebastian sighed. He brushed a thumb down Y/N’s spine gently, a silent gesture that they would be continuing this conversation later away from prying eyes, and reluctantly released her. “Is Imelda joining us up to the castle?”
“Someone had to come along so Sweeting wasn’t a third wheel,” Imelda shot a wicked grin at Y/N and made her way over to the carriage. The footman jumped down to help the women in first, only climbing back up when Sebastian insisted on closing the door himself. The carriage started to pull away before he could get fully seated which resulted in him falling into his seat next to Y/N, his body pressed against hers in a way that frayed his nerves.
“Oof. There’s no need to throw yourself at me like that, Seb. There are other ways to get my attention,” Y/N playfully pushed him away from her.
“You mean like earlier when you tackled me and nearly sent us both to the ground?”
“You weren’t exactly protesting when you clung into me like a niffler with gold.”
“What can I say, I seem to have a penchant for pretty women.”
“You’re both disgusting,” Imelda cut in. She tried to frown at the pair, but there was an obvious smile playing on the corners of her mouth. “If you both are going to flirt the whole way there I’d rather walk.”
“At least you didn’t have to watch them earlier when we first saw Sebastian,” Poppy adds with a laugh. “I might as well have not been there.”
“You’re both welcome to walk the rest of the way to the castle,” Y/N raised her eyebrows at the pair and tried to fight the blush that was rising to her face.
“I’m sure you and Sallow would love it if we left you alone,” Imelda remarked dryly.
“Alright you,” Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes. “I forgot how needy you two are when you’re together. I love all three of you equally, I promise.” Protests erupted from the two girls in front of Y/N and she listened in amusement as they started to bicker about which one she preferred.
“I’d like to add my own two sickles in to say I’m offended at being placed in league with Reyes,” Sebastian leant in, his voice low so as not to attract any attention. “We all know I’m your favourite.”
“Are you?” Y/N turned her head up to give him a teasing smile, only to jolt slightly when she realised how close his face was to hers. She heard his voice echo in her head, the pure sincerity as he had said he always wanted to kiss her. It could have just been one of his lines, but it still made Y/N’s stomach flutter and a blush rise to her face. She was thankful that the carriage was dimly lit and no one could call attention to her red cheeks.
“You’re a cruel, beautiful woman.”
“You’re ridiculous.” Y/N rolled her eyes at him and turned to look out of the window so he couldn’t see the smile on her face. The carriage rolled through the north entrance to the castle, skirting round the fountain that lay in the middle of the courtyard and came to a gentle stop outside the doors. Sebastian climbed out before the footman could grab the door for them and helped the girls out, his hand lingering on Y/N’s after she was back on solid ground. A small part of him had been worried he had gone too far when he told her he wanted to kiss her, but the small blush that seemed to appear on her face whenever he stood too close made him wonder. Could she possibly want him as much as he wanted her?
The doors swung open before they could step forward, revealing the inner halls to the group and Y/N felt a rush of warmth come from within the castle gently caress the magic inside of her. It felt like greeting an old familiar friend, as if Hogwarts was saying welcome home. Y/N looked at the entrance hall in front of her as a million memories flashed through her mind. From the first time she walked through these doors with Professor Fig by her side, to returning from her battle with Rookwood while clutching an injury she had sustained to her side (which had left her with a scar). She saw flashes of laughter with everyone she had been friendly with at school, from Poppy to Imelda to Natty, Garreth, Ominis, and finally Sebastian. Hundreds of moments with Sebastian flew through her mind - laughing with him, sneaking into the restricted section, sneaking out of the castle, meeting up in the Undercroft. She had heard people say it since she had left school, but Hogwarts was, and always would be, her home.
“Are you coming, Y/N?” Poppy’s soft question brought her back to the present, where the three of them had already made their way through the doors and were waiting patiently for her. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she wanted to get out of there. She shook her head at him with a small smile and walked towards them, holding her skirts in one hand.
“Yeah, I am.” The group made their way through the familiar halls in semi-silence and Y/N couldn’t help but remember how nervous she had been the first time, when she had been late to her own sorting. The ever-present pang of pain flickered as she thought of Professor Fig and how kind he had always been to her.
“Ah, there you all are,” Professor Weasley stood in front of them, a large smile on her face as she pulled each of them into a hug. “It’s so good to see you all again.”
“Likewise, Professor,” Poppy’s excitement was infectious and Y/N soon found her dark thoughts scattering as she took a look around the Great Hall.
“Matilda, please. You’re not students anymore.”
“Might take some getting used to,” Imelda pulled a small face but laughed quietly nonetheless, quickly excusing herself as she spotted their old flying teacher. Poppy trailed after her, unable to hide her eagerness to talk to Professor Howin. Professor Weasley (Matilda, Y/N reminded herself) looked between her and Sebastian casually, taking note of how close the two stood next to each other.
“How have you been, Prof - Matilda?” Sebastian asked, saving Y/N from making awkward conversation. “Are the current students just as chaotic as we were?”
“I don’t think anyone could cause as much trouble as you did, Mr Sallow.” There was a teasing smile on the older witch’s face as she ran her eyes over Y/N, taking note of a few new scars that littered her arms (and the still-healing one on her face). “How are you holding up, Miss Y/L/N?”
“Y/N is fine, especially if we’re to call you Matilda,” Y/N forced a smile on her face and shuffled on her feet nervously. “I’m doing fine, no rest for the wicked as they say.”
“Hm…I hope you’re making sure she’s taken care of, Mr Sallow.”
“Oh, we all try. I’m sure you remember how stubborn she was in school though.” Sebastian shot Y/N a cheeky smile in hopes that the teasing would loosen her up. She rolled her eyes back and nudged him gently.
“I can take care of myself.”
“No harm in letting others help,” Matilda smiled to herself as she watched her former students interact with each other. It had been painfully obvious to all the staff that the two were meant for each other when they were back in school and it looked like they still hadn’t quite worked that out for themselves yet. “Anyway, are you ready, Y/N?”
“Ready for what?”
“To dance. Surely someone has informed you that you would be opening the festivities tonight with a dance?”
“No…no they did not.” Y/N slid her eyes shut in annoyance, her stomach churning with nerves. Maybe it wasn’t too late to say she wasn’t feeling very well and just leave? Surely if she threw up like she wanted to that would buy some points in her favour.
“Oh…well now you know.” Matilda fussed with her hair and glanced around awkwardly. “I’m sure Headmaster Black wouldn’t mind being your partner for the evening.” I would rather battle Ranrok again, Y/N thought to herself, this night cannot get any worse.
“There’ll be no need for that, Professor Weasley,” Sebastian grasped Y/N’s elbow lightly, an easy smile on his face. “I’ll lead Y/N for the dance.”
“Oh…thank you, Mr Sallow.” Y/N could have sworn the corner of Matilda Weasley’s mouth twitched up as she looked between her and Sebastian, but the smile was gone as quickly as it appeared. “It looks like others are starting to arrive so we shall start soon.” With that she quickly turned and walked away to greet some students who had just entered the hall, leaving Y/N and Sebastian behind.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” Sebastian shrugged and turned to face her. “It saves you from having to dance with Black and I get an excuse to hold you close. There’s no losers this way.” He bit back a smile as he watched her look away from him nervously, the same pretty blush coming to her cheeks. He didn’t know if she was flustered because she wasn’t used to the attention, or because the attention was coming from him, but Merlin did he hope it was the latter.
“You won’t feel that way when I step on your feet. I’m a horrible dancer.”
“And here I was thinking there was nothing you couldn’t do.” He brushed his fingers along her hand subtly to get her to look back at him. “Lucky for you, I’m an excellent dancer.”
“There’s plenty I’m not good at,” Y/N disagreed and tore her eyes away from the crowd of students who had just walked in. Leander was amongst the group and if she looked at him for a moment too long all she could hear was him calling out a toast in her name and it simultaneously made her want to throw up and punch him.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” He watched as she fiddled with her fingers anxiously, her eyes darting around the room as more of their former school mates began to trickle in and wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from it all. He didn’t understand why she was subjecting herself to this when she clearly wanted nothing more than to be away from here.
“If I could have your attention, please,” Phineas Black stood at the top of the room where the staff table would usually be, an orchestra in its place. “I would like to welcome you all to the ten year anniversary of our very own Y/N Y/L/N saving our school.” He gestured towards her and Y/N wished the ground would swallow her whole as they all turned to face her. “If our Hero of Hogwarts would like to make her way over we can officially start this reunion with the opening dance.”
Y/N placed her hand in Sebastian’s and let him escort her to the middle of the dance floor, her heart skipping a beat as she squeezed her hand reassuringly. He turned to face her with a small bow, a cheeky smile on his face as he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Y/N narrowed her eyes at him playfully but couldn’t help to smile at his antics.
“You can do this,” Sebastian murmured, pulling her close as the music started. She placed one hand on his shoulder as his own came to rest on her waist, eyes darting to the crowd that surrounded them.
“Everyone’s staring,” Y/N mumbled.
“Just keep your eyes on me, I’ve got you, darling.” Her eyes snapped up to meet his at the term of endearment only to see his eyes were already on hers, a teasing smile on his face. He started to lead her into a waltz, standing a little closer than needed so he could continue to speak to her.
“You’re being far more charming than you usually are.”
“How could I not when you turn the prettiest shade of pink every time?”
“You’re a rake.”
“You know, that’s twice you’ve said that now and I have to disagree.” He placed both hands on her waist as the music swelled and lifted her briefly. “If I were a rake, I’d be flirting with every woman I met.”
“You've been flirting this whole time? I never would have guessed.”
“Don’t start,” he rolled his eyes at her and tugged her closer, leaving no space between them.
“You could have given me some warning, maybe I would’ve liked to flirt back.”
“Now that I would pay to see.”
“What are you implying, Sallow?”
“I’m not implying anything,” he chuckled and span her in a gentle circle before tucking her back in place against him, “I’m just saying it’s usually me who flirts and showers you with compliments.”
“I didn’t think you needed me to tell you how good looking you are.”
“Probably not,” he shot her a devious grin, “but it would be nice.”
“Do you want me to start now?” Y/N lowered her voice considerably, her arm leaving his shoulder to wind around his neck and pull him impossibly closer. “Would you like to hear about the thoughts that ran through my mind earlier when I saw you in the Three Broomsticks?” she murmured in his ear. She felt him falter slightly as he led her and laughed quietly, her thumb brushing the back of his neck gently. “I don’t think you could handle hearing the way I think about you.”
“Think about me often, do you?”
“Always.” She pulled back slightly so he could see the serious look on her face as she repeated his early words with just as much conviction. The sound of applause startled them both slightly, and Y/N belatedly remembered there were other people in the room watching them dance indecently close to each other. Sebastian brushed a thumb down her spine again, signalling that their conversation would be tabled for later. He led her off the floor and towards Imelda, Poppy and Natty, who all wore matching wicked grins as the pair neared.
“Well I don’t know about you two but I feel positively scandalised at that display,” Imelda teased as they walked within earshot.
“Jealous, Imelda?” Y/N offered her friend her own sly smile. “I’m sure I can make time for you later if you feel left out.”
“Depends, does Sallow share?”
“Absolutely not,” Sebastian tightened his grip on Y/N’s waist, which he had yet to release. “You’ll need to find your own dance partner, Reyes.”
“I’m sure Prewett would love to join you,” Y/N added. Sebastian shook in silent laughter from next to her as Imelda glared at the pair of them.
“On that note, since I know how much you hate being the centre of attention - are you ready to accept your award?”
“My what?”
“Imelda! It was supposed to be a surprise!” Natty chastised her.
“Well, I’m glad I told her because she looks like she’s going to be sick.” The Scottish witch wasn’t wrong, Y/N could feel her stomach start to churn and the lingering buzz from dancing with Sebastian disappeared. She didn’t deserve an award for what had happened. Poppy gave her a concerned look as Imelda and Natty started to bicker about ruining the surprise, although Y/N was too far gone in her thoughts to realise. Echoes of what she had been through flashed through her mind, but there were no good thoughts sprinkled within this time. All she could see was Ranrok in his strange dragon form as she fought him, followed by Professor Fig lying on the floor and dying by her side.
“Hey,” Sebastian took hold of Y/N’s elbow gently and leant in to whisper in her ear. “Let’s go. No arguments this time.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. Just say the word and I’ll make it happen.” She looked up at him, panic still lingering in her gaze along with such pure agony that Sebastian could feel his heart shatter.
“Let’s go.”
Part Two
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow fluff#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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Wildest Dreams - Epilogue
Word Count: 2k
Themes: an unbelievable about of fluff
Summary: Set two years after the reunion, and Y/N and Sebastian are (finally) getting married
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters are aged up and around 27/28 years old. Quote in bold italics is not mine. It’s from the film Corpse Bride and I love it too much to pass on using it.
Find Part One here and Part Two here
Two Years Later
Sebastian stood by the fountain at the north entrance of Hogwarts castle and couldn’t help but think of the last time he had been here - how it felt like he couldn’t get Y/N out of there fast enough. It was a stark parallel to the present, where he shuffled between his feet with nervous energy and willed her to move a little faster so that he could finally see her. When he approached Headmaster Black about getting married in the gardens he had half expected the man to laugh in his face and reject him. Instead, he clapped him on the shoulder and agreed without a second thought, muttering about how it would do wonders for the image of the school if the Hero of Hogwarts chose to return there for the most important day of her life. Sebastian itched to shake him off and find a different venue instead, but he knew Y/N wanted nothing more than to get married in the first place she had truly called home, and so he begrudgingly thanked his old Headmaster and informed him of their plans.
They had decided to get married in the summer, partially so they wouldn’t disturb any students, but also because it offered them the best weather for their outdoor ceremony. They would have both much preferred a winter wedding so they could see the grounds covered in snow, but decided it would be easier (and warmer) to get married earlier in the year so they didn’t have to worry about constantly casting warming charms. Sebastian had to admit, the summer flowers added a beautiful touch to the whole affair, his eyes darting over the different array of colours in the gardens around him.
“Stop moving so much,” Ominous nudged him gently. “You’re making me nervous.”
“You’re nervous?” Sebastian laughed and nudged his friend and brother back. “I’m so sorry for putting you out on my wedding day.”
“Apology accepted.” Ominis smirked at him, his head tilting to the side slightly as the guests in front of them talked amongst themselves. Sebastian began to fiddle with his cufflinks as he watched their guests arrive and take their seats, nodding in greeting to those who caught his eye. “You seem jumpier than usual, are you alright?”
“I can’t wait to see her.”
“I remember that feeling.” He smiled softly to himself as he remembered his own wedding day with Anne, how anxious he had been as he waited for her arrival. He would have much preferred to run away and elope as opposed to having all the attention on them both, but he knew she wanted a proper ceremony and he wanted to do things right by her. “We should be starting soon. Are you ready?”
“I was ready the day she said yes.”
“You’re not going to burst into song, are you?”
“Shut up, you prick.” The pair laughed as the music that was playing quietly in the background swelled and a hush fell over the guests. The officiant walked over to Sebastian and Ominis, a large smile on his face as he shook both of their hands and they waited for the bridal party.
Sebastian watched with bated breath as the doors to the castle swung open right as the enchanted instruments started to play the bridal march. The guests stood and turned to watch Anne walk out first, gently leading both of her twins down the aisle. Arabella threw flower petals at random intervals while Alexander clung to his mothers skirts, a toothy grin coming over the toddler’s face as he noticed both his father and his uncle waiting at the other end of the aisle. Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh as Alexander wrapped his arms around his knees while Arabella ran for her father, the rest of the flower petals forgotten. He scooped his nephew into a hug and pressed a kiss to his chubby cheek before passing him off to Anne who gave his arm a gentle squeeze before standing on the other end of the altar.
Poppy and Imelda came out next, both of them looking beautiful in their bridesmaid dresses, with the former giving Sebastian an encouraging smile as the latter sent him a glare and mimed that she was watching him. He chuckled and pulled both of the girls in for a hug before they joined Anne, muttering to Imelda about how he knew she was secretly pleased they had finally decided to tie the knot. She flicked his shoulder, but there was an obvious smile on her face as she stood by Anne and Poppy. The music swelled and went quiet for a few moments before picking up again softly as Y/N appeared in the doorway.
Sebastian felt all the breath leave his lungs as she came into view and he unconsciously pressed a hand to his chest as she caught his eye and gave him a heart stopping smile. He felt his eyes burn as she started to walk towards him slowly and willed the music to play faster so she could reach him quicker and he could take her in his arms. Y/N had always been the most beautiful girl he had ever seen - even back when he had first met her - but the words did not do her justice in that moment as she practically floated down the aisle towards him.
“Breathe, Sebastian.” Ominis nudged him gently and he took in a shaky breath and quickly reached up to brush away a tear before it could escape. He couldn’t look away from her even if he wanted to. He would never be able to put into words how absolutely ethereal she looked, her white dress almost glowing in the afternoon sun. Y/N (finally) neared him and took his hand and Sebastian was hit with a sudden moment of realisation at just how lucky he was. He was so much closer to spending the rest of his life with his best friend and he couldn’t wait.
“Hey, you.” Y/N smiled shyly at him as she took her place by his side, his hand clutching onto hers tightly. Her gaze softened as she noticed the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes and reached up to brush them away gently. “Good tears, I hope?”
“Merlin, yes.” Sebastian breathed, his voice cracking slightly due to his emotions. “The best.” He resisted the urge to tug her against him and kiss her like they weren’t surrounded by their friends and family, and instead settled on standing a little closer than necessary and pressing his lips to her knuckles softly. “You are stunning.”
“Look who’s talking.” Y/N’s gaze ran over his suit appreciatively and his grip on her hand tightened fractionally as he remembered that they needed to get married first before he could whisk her away and have his way with her. He was vaguely aware of the officiant starting the ceremony, sharing anecdotes about love and friendship that he couldn’t pay attention to as he stared at the woman standing in front of him. He didn’t know what he had done in a past life to deserve her, but he would spend every day of the rest of his life - the rest of their lives - showing her just how much she meant to him.
“I love you,” he mouthed the words, his lips twitching into a smile as he watched her flush delicately.
“I love you more.”
“Impossible.” He frowned playfully and shook his head as she continued to stare at him with pure adoration on her features.
Neither of them could believe this day was finally here. If anyone had told Sebastian and Y/N when they first met all those years ago that they would be standing where it all started, surrounded by their loved ones, both of them would have blushed and stuttered in protest; but here they were, and Sebastian could think of nowhere else in the world he would rather be. He always thought his favourite version of Y/N would be her first thing in the morning, and that had been true from the very first moment he had woken with her in his arms two years ago up until that exact moment. Nothing would ever compare to how completely and utterly captivating she was, looking like his own personal divine being.
“...Sebastian?” Y/N muttered his name, a coy smile playing on her face.
“Sorry. I’m here,” he offered the officiant a sheepish smile and shrugged one of his shoulders while tilting his head in Y/N’s direction as if to say, can you blame me? “Could you repeat that, please?”
“Do you, Sebastian Sallow, take Y/N Y/L/N to be your wife? To - ”
“I do.” The minister, as well as their audience, laughed as Sebastian interrupted with a cheeky smile on his face as he glanced at Y/N. He had waited so long for this moment and now that it was here he just wanted to skip forward to the most important part. He knew he should be a little more patient and show some restraint, but had been waiting for this for longer than he would ever admit. He wanted to be able to finally call Y/N his wife.
“Very well, then.” The preacher turned to Y/N, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “And do you, Y/N Y/L/N, take Sebastian Sallow to be your husband? To live together in matrimony, to love, honour, comfort and to keep in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” A tear slipped down Y/N’s face as she took in the look of pure devotion on Sebastian’s face. She had never been more sure of a decision in her entire life.
“You each have a ring for the other,” the officiant looked between the pair, taking note of both of their living smiles and unshed tears. “These are placed on each other’s fingers as a visible sign of the vows which you have taken today which have bound you both together as husband and wife. I hope they always remind you of your promise and love for each other.” He looked over at Sebastian, who in turn took the ring from Ominis’ outstretched hand. He thought his hands would shake during this part, but they remained steady as he slipped the ring on Y/N’s finger, his heart thumping in his chest as he did so.
“With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine.” He brushed a stray tear from Y/N’s face and gently kissed the piece of jewellery before letting her turn to Anne so she could get his ring.
“With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine.” She repeated the vow back to him, her voice wavering slightly as she slid the wedding band onto his ring finger, the metal gleaming in the afternoon sun.
“I’ve been told you have both been through many adventures together, but let us begin this one with a kiss. I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Sebastian was already tugging Y/N towards him before the words were finished, both of his hands resting on her waist as he dipped down to press his lips to hers. He thought his heart was about to beat out of his chest as she wound her hands up to the back of his head and pulled him in closer, the crowd fading out of his mind as he held onto her tightly. Imelda whistled loudly as their kiss lasted long enough to be indecent and Y/N broke away to laugh, her face flushing as Sebastian tried to chase her lips and pull her back into another kiss. She grinned at him and pressed a sweet, chaste peck on his lips.
“How do you feel about being a married man, Mr Sallow?”
“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, Mrs Sallow.”
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian x mc#sebastian x reader#sebastian sallow fluff#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow fic#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#hogwarts game#hogwarts#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthor#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthormasterlist
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Wildest Dreams - Part Two
Word Count: 4.1k
Themes: fluff, pining, tension
Summary: Ten years have passed since the events of Hogwarts Legacy and Y/N is invited back as part of a reunion to celebrate.
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters are aged up and around 25/26 years old
Find Part One here
Sebastian apparted them to a quiet hillside with a beautiful, large cottage resting at the top. Although it was dark out, the faint light coming from the full moon allowed Y/N to see the intricate stonework of the L-shaped house and the garden that lay outside that was obviously well taken care of. She couldn’t see it, but she could hear the gentle swell of the ocean and smell the salt in the air.
“Where are we?”
“Ominis and Anne’s house.” He turned to hold his hand out for hers before guiding them forward slowly. “I moved in so I could help Anne with her pregnancy and the first few months with the baby. They live in that section of the house, but they’re hopefully fast asleep.”
“Trying to sneak me in like a late night conquest?”
“First, you would never be a conquest to me.” The look Sebastian sent her sent a flash of heat through Y/N’s body that warmed her all the way to her toes. “Second, is it that bad I want you to myself for a while before my sister steals you from me?”
“Ah yes, the infamous Sallow charm,” she gave him a teasing smile as he led her inside, a hand on the small of her back as he guided her through the dark interior and into the kitchen. With a slight wave of his hand the lamps that were dotted around the room came to life, revealing a figure sitting at the table.
“Fuck - Ominis!” Sebastian glared at his brother-in-law. “What have I told you about sitting around in the dark?”
“Is it dark?” Ominis tilted his head to the side. “I couldn’t tell.” Y/N couldn’t help but laugh quietly at his words despite her heart still racing and he turned his head in her direction curiously. “Y/N? Is that you?” He stood up and made his way over to them, one hand skirting along the table to help him navigate.
“It’s good to see you again, Ominis.” Y/N pulled him into a tight hug before releasing him and taking a step back so she stood next to Sebastian again.
“I’d say the same but…” He chucked at his own poor joke and held his hands out to her, a silent request to trace her features. Y/N took his hands and placed them on her face, her eyes slipping closed as his fingers moved over the scar on her temple. “Still starting fights?”
“Does it really matter who started it as long as I finish them?”
“No, I suppose not.” Ominis released her face and took a small step back. “Why are you back so early?”
“It got boring,” Sebastian shrugged and leant against the kitchen wall, his gaze not leaving Y/N.
“So you decided to steal the guest of honour as you left?”
“I’ve got to be a bad influence on her somehow for old times sake.”
“Hm.” Ominis didn’t exactly sound pleased, but Y/N could see the smile on his face. “I’m going to head to bed. I assume you’ll be spending the night, so I’ll see you at breakfast, Y/N.”
“That’s a bit presumptuous.”
“Am I wrong, though?” Ominis offered her a wry smile before making his way up the staircase located in the back corner of the kitchen. Y/N heard a soft click as a door closed and Sebastian came to stand behind her.
“Do you want to get out of this dress?” Y/N turned to look up at him with raised eyebrows and watched his face turn red. “I didn’t - I mean, I wouldn’t mind but that’s not…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “What I meant was, do you want me to lend you something to wear?”
“Yes, please.” Sebastian stopped to grab a bottle of firewhiskey from the cupboard, as well as two glasses, before leading her out of the kitchen and to the right, through what Y/N assumed was the living room. There was another staircase on this side of the house and Sebastian ushered her up and pointed her in the direction of his room. Y/N closed the door behind them as he walked over to his dresser and set their drinks down before rummaging through one of the drawers.
“I can’t give you anything of Anne’s without waking her up, is this alright?” Sebastian pulled out a long sleeved shirt and some pyjama bottoms for her.
“Only if you help me out of this dress,” Y/N watched as Sebastian visibly gulped and his face and neck turned a brilliant shade of red. She turned her back to him and brushed her hair out of the way to show him the small buttons that ran up the back of the dress. “Please?”
“You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Save the theatrics for when I’m in your clothes.”
“Darling,” Sebastian groaned, his hands coming to rest on her waist from behind. “When I asked you to flirt with me I didn’t think it would be like this.”
“Like what?” Y/N brought her hands up to hold the bodice of her dress in place as Sebastian began to undo her buttons, his fingers brushing against every inch of exposed skin in a way that set Y/N’s nerves on fire.
“Don’t play coy, you know exactly what you’re doing to me.”
“I did warn you,” Y/N laughed quietly as she felt him undo the last of the buttons.
“You did,” he agreed, voice low as he trailed a finger down her spine softly. “Is it later?”
“Give a girl the chance to get dressed first, Sallow.”
“Oh right. Yes. I’ll - hallway?” Sebastian stammered, one finger pointing at the door behind them. Y/N bit her lower lip to hold back a smile as she took in how flustered he was. It was a rare sight (in fact, she didn’t think she had ever seen it before) and it brought a sense of gratification knowing she was the one who had turned the charming man into a stuttering mess.
“Just turn around.” Sebastian nodded once before turning his back to her, resting his head on the wall gently. Y/N quickly shed the dress and pulled on Sebastian’s clothes, pulling a face as she tried to hitch the pants up as far as she could. “I feel like a child playing dress up.” Sebastian chuckled and turned back around to face her, his eyes darkening as they roamed over her. “I look ridiculous.”
“You look ravishing.”
“Oh shush,” Y/N turned her back to him so he couldn’t see her blush and poured out two drinks for them while he quickly changed as well. She picked the pins out of her hair while she waited for him and took a sip of the firewhiskey to steady her hands as she listened to him shuffle out of his clothing. She didn’t dare move until he came to stand behind her, his hand resting on her waist gently as he leant over to grab his glass. Y/N grabbed the bottle and her own glass before taking a seat on the bed and crossing her legs so she could face him.
“To us,” Sebastian toasted.
“To later,” Y/N clicked her glass against his and took another sip of the drink. The liquid burned the back of her throat, but warmed the rest of her body and gave her the surge of confidence she needed. “You said earlier you always wanted to kiss me. How long have you felt that way?”
“Since fifth year.”
“Sebastian, that was ten years ago!”
“What can I say? I’ve always known what I wanted.” The look he gave her offered more heat than the drink and Y/N found herself drinking a little more to calm her nerves.
“Am I just a want to you?”
“No. Definitely not.” He brushed some hair from her eyes. “You are everything to me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“How long have you felt the same?”
“Since fifth year,” Y/N murmured shyly. She had assumed all of the under-the-radar flirting he had done back in school was just a part of his charm and that he was the same with all the other girls, but that hadn’t stopped her from thinking about him all the time. It had only gotten worse the more time she spent with him and she started to realise that not only was he charming to a fault, but he was also kind and smart and funny and flawed.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Touché.” They sat in a comfortable silence, both absorbed in their own thoughts. “I wouldn’t mind either, by the way.”
“Mind what?” he asked. Y/N gave him a look and waited for the sickle to drop. It took him a moment to recall the words he had said in the kitchen, how he wouldn’t mind getting her out of her dress in a less than pure sense. “Oh. Oh.” He tilted her chin up gently, his fingers brushing along her jaw in a way that made it feel like every inch of her was on fire. “While I would love nothing more, we have all the time in the world for that later, darling. Plus, it would probably be better to wait until we don’t have to be quiet because my sister and best friend are sleeping a few doors down.”
“Silencing charms were invented for a reason.”
“And you call me the rake.” He took her empty glass and set it on the bedside table next to his, turning back around just in time to catch her stifling a yawn. “Oh I’m sorry, am I boring you?” Y/N nudged him and looked like she was about to snap back at him but instead let out another yawn before groaning dramatically and flopping onto the bed so she was laying down. Sebastian brushed some hair from her forehead, his fingers lingering on the mark on her temple gently. “Do you want me to leave you to sleep?”
“No, stay. Please?” The look on her face melted his heart and he couldn’t find it in him to say no. Instead he lay down himself and covered them both with the blanket before rolling over to face Y/N and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead.
“Get some sleep, darling. I’m right here.”
*~*~*~*~*
Sebastian woke up to the sunlight streaming in through a small gap in his curtains and looked down at Y/N, who was still fast asleep beside him. At some point in the night she had curled up to his side, her head nearly resting on his shoulder as she slept peacefully. He gently brushed some hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek for longer than necessary. He watched as she began to stir and her eyes fluttered open to look at him.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” Y/N smiled shyly and Sebastian was delighted to notice a faint flush on her face. He brushed her cheek gently, a teasing smirk on his face as her blush deepened.
“I could get used to this,” Sebastian trailed his fingers up her jaw slowly, moving round to the back of her neck before lightly running down her back.
“Get used to what?”
“Waking up beside you.” He rested his hand on her lower back and gently pulled her closer. Y/N buried her face into the pillow and pulled the blanket up to cover her face. “Where have you gone?” he laughed, trying to tug the duvet away from her.
“It’s too early for you to be this charming.”
“I’m always charming.” He succeeded in getting the blanket away from her and was rewarded by her demure smile. “You, on the other hand, could do with being a lot less gorgeous first thing in the morning. How is that fair?” Y/N couldn’t help but laugh quietly at his response, her hand hesitantly trailing over his bicep. She watched his throat bob as she lightly traced her way over his collarbone and came to rest over his thundering heart.
“Nervous?” she asked innocently, a coy smile playing on the edge of her mouth. “Pretty woman in your bed, and all that?”
“Darling,” his voice was considerably lower and he reluctantly removed his hand from her back to hold hers against his chest. “I thought we cleared up last night that you’re the only woman I want in my bed.”
“All you said was you wanted to kiss me since fifth year.”
“I’m pretty sure I followed that with telling you that you mean everything to me.” He narrowed his eyes at her playfully and tugged her closer, her body pressed against his in a way that set every nerve ending on edge. “Were you not listening to me?”
“My mind was occupied.”
“With what?” he asked. Her answering grin and raised eyebrow was nothing short of wicked and Sebastian felt his heart stutter in his chest. Y/N laughed quietly and wound her hand up his chest to play with the hair on the back of his head. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“I’d say I’m sorry but - ”
“Sebastian, are you awake?” There was a gentle knock on his door. Y/N froze, her eyes going wide as Sebastian groaned quietly, his eyes sliding shut.
“I’m up, Anne. I’ll be out in a moment.” His forehead came to rest on her shoulder and she could hear him mutter about his sister’s poor timing.
“I’m about to do the washing, do you need anything cleaned?” Anne tried to open his door. “Why is your door locked?” Sebastian rolled out of bed, moving faster than Y/N had seen him before, waving his wand to unlock the door.
“Must have just been stuck,” he opened the door to greet his sister, his frame blocking her view of the room, and more importantly her still in his bed. “Nothing needs cleaning, I’ll be down in a moment.”
“Why are you being strange?”
“I’ve not long woken up, Anne, give me a break.”
“Is there someone in your room, Sebastian?”
“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Morning everyone.” Y/N felt herself physically cringe as Ominis joined the twins in the hallway. “Is everything alright?”
“Sebastian has someone in his room.”
“Anne,” he groaned and lightly banged his head on the doorframe, “no I don’t.” Y/N didn’t need to be able to see through doors to know Ominis was tilting his head to the side.
“Good morning, Y/N.”
“Morning,” she grimaced and climbed out of the bed to stand by Sebastian, attempting to tame her hair as she did so. Anne looked surprised to see her and although Ominis was looking slightly to her right, she could still see the smirk on his features that was meant for her. “It’s good to see you both again.”
“A bit presumptuous, was I?” Ominis chuckled and placed a hand on Anne’s shoulder. “Come, my love, Sebastian can show Y/N where she can freshen up for breakfast before we accost them.” He pulled her back down the hall gently, shooting a glance at the pair before they both went down the stairs.
“Well,” Sebastian let out a breath. “There goes my plan to pretend I asked you round for breakfast this morning.” His face flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he looked down at her. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”
“No harm, no foul. Although, I feel like Anne is currently assuming the worst of me.”
“She would never.” Sebastian’s voice was full of conviction, as if it was a ridiculous notion that Anne would ever think of her poorly. “By the time we make it downstairs she’ll be over the shock and will probably be telling me I told you so over breakfast.” He led her down the hall, showing her where she could freshen up before shutting the door quietly behind her. Y/N moved as quick as she could, splashing water on her face to remove the traces of makeup she had forgotten to remove the night before and tying her hair in a simple braid. She made her way back to Sebastian’s room when she was done and walked in without knocking, her eyes going wide at the sight in front of her.
“Sorry!” Y/N’s face burned as she turned around and pressed her forehead to the cool wall as she covered her eyes. Sebastian laughed from behind her and stepped close, his finger running down her spine gently before he turned her back around.
“All of those flirtatious remarks last night and you go the colour of a Gryffindor’s robes when you see me without a shirt on?” Sebastian teased, grasping her chin gently so he could angle her face towards his. “You’ve seen me like this before.” Y/N couldn’t help but look back down at his bare torso, his shirt unbuttoned and hanging from his shoulders. The fluttering in her stomach that seemed to appear whenever Sebastian was around had turned into a full-fledged swarm as a kaleidoscope of butterflies ran amok within her.
“No I haven’t.” She made herself look back up and above his head so she wouldn’t have to see the shit-eating grin on his face.
“Yes you have,” Sebastian chuckled and tried to meet her eyes again. “Or do you not remember the day I saved your life in the lake?” The confidence he exuded with the sentence made Y/N eyes snap back to his, a glare on her features as she flicked him in the arm.
“I think we remember that day very differently, considering I wouldn’t have needed saving if you had just trusted me.”
“You were swimming into a whirlpool in the middle of the lake, you’re lucky you didn’t drown.”
“There was a cave there! If anything, what nearly made me drown was some buffoon clinging onto me as we both went under.”
“This buffoon pulled you out into said cave.”
“And right into a spider den,” Y/N laughed as he shuddered at the memory and belatedly noticed that her hand was on Sebastian’s chest, her fingers tracing over a raised mark on his right pectoral. “What’s this?”
“Oh,” Sebastian chuckled nervously and placed his hand over hers, hiding the mark from view. “You’re going to laugh.”
“Probably.” She swatted his hand away and stood a little closer, her finger moving along the curved line slowly. “Is this…?”
“Yes,” he sighed in defeat and gave her a sheepish smile. “Ominis and I thought it would be fun to try and give each other tattoos when we turned eighteen after leaving school. You can probably tell we didn’t do a very good job of it.” That was the understatement of the year. The mark held no ink, and if anything, it looked more like an old faded scar than a tattoo. Y/N tilted her head as she traced the shape again, a sly smile on her face.
“So you both decided that out of all the things you wanted permanently etched to your skin you wanted the snake from the Slytherin crest?” Her lip twitched as Sebastian nodded bashfully and she repressed the urge to laugh.
“Does Ominis have a matching one?”
“His took a little better because of his pale skin - the prick - but yes, he does. It’s faint, but it’s there.”
“What did Anne have to say about this?”
“Oh, she was furious. Kept telling us how only criminals and people in the circus marked themselves like this.” Y/N finally let the laughter bubble out as she imagined Anne reprimanding the pair and they both more than likely stood there and took it like scolded school boys. Sebastian’s features softened at her laugh, his heartbeat picking up speed as Y/N began to subconsciously trace shapes between the freckles that covered his chest.
“You know, I’ve always wondered how far that blush goes,” Y/N commented innocently, her finger winding its way down his chest slowly. Sebastian gulped as she came to a stop at the bottom of his sternum and gave him a demure smile. “I didn’t think it would be here.”
“Where did you think it would stop?”
“I’ve always pictured you with a full-body blush.”
“You’ve pictured me?”
“Mhm.” The light movement of her fingers on his bare skin burned as she slowly trailed between each freckle on his chest. He knew she could feel how embarrassingly fast his heart was beating in his chest but he didn’t care. He was enamoured by her and he didn’t care who knew it. He brought a hand up to rest on the back of her neck, gently pulling her forward until there was little space left between them as he tangled his fingers through her hair. “Seb?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Are you ever going to kiss me?”
“Would you like it if I did?”
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him and wound an arm around her waist to pull her closer. Y/N cocked her head to the side, remembering that smile on his face from their fifth year. More often than not it meant trouble, but sometimes, like right now, he paired it with the same look on his face that he had right now. One that was almost soft.
“Use your words, darling. What do you want?” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip as he leant towards her, his forehead resting on hers. Y/N narrowed her eyes at him and tried to close the gap between them to kiss him, but Sebastian pulled back fractionally, amusement sparkling in his eye as her frown deepened and a gorgeous pout fell on her lips. “Have I told you recently how beautiful you are?”
“Apart from earlier when you had me in your bed?”
“I believe the word I used then was gorgeous.”
“Well, if you want to be pedantic about it. Not since last night.”
“You did look beautiful last night,” Sebastian nodded thoughtfully, his nose bumping hers softly, “I think this version of you is my favourite, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Right now, first thing in the morning. Barely awake and tucked to my side…” Y/N brought both of her hands up to rest on his chest as Sebastian’s grip tightened on her waist, her fingers brushing his collarbone delicately. “I meant what I said earlier. I could get used to waking up beside you. Every day.”
“For how long?”
“For the rest of our lives.” Y/N’s breathing stilled at his words, at the raw emotion and sincerity on his face as he spoke. She felt the back of her eyes burn and tried to look away but he held her in place and kissed her cheek gently. “Do you know what you do to me? How completely and hopelessly you enrapture me? You’re bewitching.”
“Was that a pun?”
“Shall I use a different word?” he murmured. His thumb stroked her cheeks gently, her skin burning in its path. “You’re exquisite, flawless, downright ethereal.”
“Seb…”
“From that very first day you smiled at me, you had me. I fell for you harder and faster than anyone I’ve ever met before. My heart was yours before I knew nothing more than your name.”
“My heart is yours too, you walnut. It’s only ever been yours. From the very first moment.”
“I adore you, Y/N Y/L/N.”
He finally closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers so gently that Y/N thought her heart would burst out of her chest. She wound her hands up and into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer as she kissed him back and he nipped at her lower lip. His grip on her waist tightened pleasantly, holding her body against his so every inch of them was touching, and Sebastian swore he had died when she pushed his shirt off his shoulders and ran her fingers down his back. They broke away as Ominis called for them from downstairs, both of their faces tinged pink as they took in each other’s swollen lips and tousled hair. Sebastian leant back in to press one more sweet, toe-curling kiss on her lips.
“I’m going to marry you one day,” he muttered against her lips, his mouth curling into a smile as he heard her breath hitch.
“I’ll be the one in white.”
Epilogue
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow fluff#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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Violets and Verbena
Word Count: 3k
Themes: fluff
Summary: 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?
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL
Noreen Blainey, hospital matron at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stood in front of the two witches, holding the curtain partition open slightly and blocking the view of the hospital cot and its owner.
“Someone’s here to see me?” Y/N shared a confused look with Poppy, who sat next to her bedside. “Do you know who it might be?”
“Natty and Garreth both have Charms right now,” she shook her head in confusion. “Maybe it's Amit or Adelaide?”
“I’ll see them,” Y/N agreed, still sounding uncertain. Nurse Blainey nodded once and left, the curtain fluttering closed behind her once more. “I wonder who it could be.”
“Maybe it’s Imelda, come to apologise for knocking you off your broom,” Poppy suggested. Y/N let out a quiet laugh and shook her head.
“You know it was an accident, and she’s already apologised more than enough.”
“Chocolates make for a good apology.”
“I don’t come bearing sweets, but I could come back with some, if you want?” a deep, masculine voice came from the other end of the partition, before Sebastian stepped into view. He fiddled with his robes nervously and gave them both a small smile. “Hi, Y/N…Poppy.”
“Sebastian?” Y/N’s eyebrows shot up slightly in surprise. After everything that had happened in their fifth year Y/N and Sebastian had drifted and stopped talking to one another, with the exception of the occasional hello as they passed each other in the halls. She still spoke to Ominis at times, but they didn’t spend as much time together as they used to. She knew he missed the man that stood in front of her, but wasn’t sure how to approach him after the death of Solomon Sallow. “You know you needn’t bring anything,” she shook her head with a small smile and gestured to the seat next to Poppy. “Come and sit.”
“So there was no need for me to stop and steal these from the gardens?” He produced a small bouquet of wildflowers from behind his back, and Y/N picked out some violets and different colours of verbena clusters among the bunch that would definitely get him into trouble with Mr Moon. Poppy jumped up to get a vase for them, shooting a look at Y/N behind Sebastian’s back as she went.
“These are beautiful, Sebastian. Thank you,” Y/N reached over to squeeze his hand in gratitude as Poppy returned and set them by her bedside. “Are these forget-me-nots? A happy coincidence, or…?” Y/N trailed off slowly and picked out the different flowers she could see.
“You told me they were your favourite once, I hoped they would help cheer you up.”
“How thoughtful of you Sebastian,” Poppy commented lightly. She turned the vase slowly as she took note of the flowers scattered within the bouquet. “Did you know one of the meanings for verbena is protection and healing?” Poppy touched the petals, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she looked over at Sebastian. “Amongst other things.” A faint pink dusted his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yes, well. The quicker Y/N gets back on her feet, the quicker she can get to doing better than me in almost every class,” he played it off with a nervous chuckle and avoided Y/N’s gaze. “It's getting a little boring being on top.”
“It’s been three lessons,” Y/N laughed quietly and turned to look back at him. “I didn’t think you would miss me so much, Sallow.” Sebastian didn’t have a response to this, and went silent. Y/N couldn’t read the look on his face; another testament to how long it had been since they really spoke. Ominis once joked she was a Legilimens, because she could practically read Sebastian’s mind and predict what he was going to say before he actually said it.
“Is that the time?” Poppy jumped up from her seat and grabbed her bag. “I’m going to be late for Potions, Professor Sharp is not going to care that I was on the opposite end of the castle.” She dug into her bag and pulled out a herbology book before handing it to Y/N. “Here’s the book I said I would lend you, you’ll find what you need in chapter seven.” With a quick wave at a confused Y/N and a still-quiet Sebastian, Poppy turned and left.
Y/N took a moment to study Sebastian, who didn’t seem to be in a rush to get to class. He had always been attractive, that much Y/N would admit to herself only, but he had really grown up in the past two years. The last of the baby fat had disappeared from his cheeks, and his jawline had become far more pronounced. His muscles had filled out as well. He had once mentioned to her, shortly after the death of his uncle and Anne had left Feldcroft, that he had taken to fixing up the house and garden there, and she couldn’t help but appreciate how he looked.
“You’re staring,” he murmured, breaking Y/N out of her train of thought. She felt her cheeks heat up and looked away from him as if he could read her thoughts plainly on her face.
“Don’t you have class to get to?”
“Not one I care to attend,” he moved to the chair closer to her, the one Poppy had been occupying and leant back to stretch. “Not without you, anyway.” He shot her a cheeky grin and crossed his arms across his chest.
“I didn’t realise you would miss me so much,” Y/N let out a quiet chuckle to mask the strange feeling in her chest. This was the Sebastian she remembered, the one who made her constantly question if he was flirting or not. “It’s not even been a day.”
“It’s been longer than that, Y/N,” he said seriously. “Far too long.”
“Sebastian, I’m so - ”
“You better not be about to apologise to me,” he shook his head with a dry laugh. “Not after everything I put you through.”
“You didn’t - ”
“I crucio’d you,” he interrupted once more, near hissing the word out as he leant forward. Y/N sucked in a breath at the sudden reminder of the excruciating pain. “Not to mention the path I started to lead you down. My uncle…” he trailed off, his eyes going glassy. “I didn’t - and still don’t - deserve your kindness. Anyone else would have reported me and let them send me to Azkaban.”
“Sebastian…” Y/N reached forward hesitantly and took his hands in hers. “I forgive you. I forgave you before you even raised your wand. I told you to cast the spell on me.”
“You have to mean it to cast an unforgivable, Y/N. It wouldn’t have worked - I wouldn’t have been able to hurt you if I didn’t mean it.”
“If you hadn’t we would have been dead a long time ago. You, me and Ominis. You did what you had to in order to get us out.”
“How can you still defend me after everything that I’ve done?” his grip tightened before he let go and leant back in his seat once more. “I came here to make sure you were alright and here you are, making sure I’m alright.” He let out another humourless chuckle and looked at the cards and chocolates by the bedside. “Looks like our whole house has stopped by to see you.”
“Sebastian…” Y/N trailed off, unsure what to say to him. His sudden change in topic signalled he didn’t wish to continue the previous conversation, but she couldn’t let him keep blaming himself for everything that happened.
“Has Imelda stopped by?” He continued as if she hadn’t spoken and plucked one of the cards from the table.
“Between you and Poppy you would think Imelda tried to actively kill me,” Y/N rolled her eyes and settled back against her pillows. “It was an accident, and she did stop by. The hamper is from her.” She gestured to the largest present on the table, a giant basket from Honeydukes.
“Maybe I should let Reyes knock me off my broom, if that’s how she says sorry,” Sebastian let out a low whistle and picked up another card. “Is this from Ominis?” his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I didn’t realise you two still spoke.”
“Not as often as I’d like, but we chat occasionally when paired together in class.” She watched as he read the message on the card and cocked her head to the side slightly. “Have…have you spoken to him recently?”
“No. Not in a way that matters, anyway.” He sighed and placed the card back down. “I wouldn’t know what to say to him.”
“I find hello is always a good place to start,” Y/N offered. Sebastian laughed, a real laugh and leant forward once more so his elbows rested on his knees. “He misses you, you know.”
“I know. I miss him too. I miss you both. But like I said, I didn’t know how to approach you both.”
“All it took was me falling fifty feet to get us here,” she remarked dryly. “I missed you too. More than I realised.”
“More than you realised, eh?” he raised a single eyebrow and there was a coy smile playing on his lips. “Old feelings resurfacing?” he teased. Y/N’s jaw fell open and her face flamed.
“What? No,” she spluttered. “I never - I don’t - did Ominis say something?”
“No…but you did. Just now,” he grinned widely and took in her red face. “Did you used to have feelings for me, Y/L/N?”
“Shut up, Sallow,” she muttered, feeling utterly embarrassed. “You can go now.”
“No, don’t,” he laughed quietly and reached out to squeeze her hand gently. “Believe it or not, I used to have feelings for you too.”
“No you didn’t,” Y/N scoffed and pulled her hand out of his. Her heart leapt at the confession, even though she refused to believe he wasn’t just saying that to make her feel better.
“Yes I did. I thought I was so obvious about it. Ominis used to joke about how he was glad he couldn’t see because he didn’t have to watch me pine after you.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Y/N,” he sighed, but there was still a small smile on his face. “You’re hopeless. Give me that book Poppy passed you.”
“What?”
“The herbology book. I recognised it immediately. Turn to chapter seven like she said.” He set the book between them and let her flip through until she reached the right page. The chapter was titled Flowers and their meanings. “Do you recognise any of them?” he nodded towards the bouquet he had given her earlier as she pulled the book closer.
“Some. The Forget-Me-Nots, verbena, dwarf sunflowers…” Y/N trailed off as she made her way down the page in front of her, reading the meanings behind the flowers he had picked for her.
“Now, I will admit, the forget-me-nots were because they are your favourite, but that doesn’t mean I respect you any less,” he leant forward, face tinged pink as he read respect and true love next to a picture of the small blue flowers.
“I didn’t think…I thought you had just given me whatever you could grab from the gardens.”
“You didn't think I would put effort into something I gave you?” He gave her a teasing smile and watched as she found verbena on the list. Admiration and respect next to an image of the red clusters that sat in the vase next to them.
“I’m sensing a recurring theme here.” That strange feeling had returned to Y/N’s chest in full force, the one she thought had disappeared with time and distance. Dwarf sunflowers, adoration & admiration. “Sebastian…” She looked up at him, catching sight of a flicker of emotions across his face. “Are these…do you still…?” Y/N wasn’t sure how to finish the question.
“Do I still…?” he repeated quietly. His fingers brushed against the back of her hand gently and Y/N felt her heart stutter in her chest. “Have feelings for you? Yes.” He admitted, finally catching her gaze. “Unless you don’t think you could feel the same after everything that happened. Then no.” He added quickly. Y/N let out a breathless laugh, one that seemed to relax him. “I thought they went away some time last year, but when I heard you fell today…” he stopped and grimaced. “I felt like my own heart had stopped inside my chest. I couldn’t breathe until I heard from Poppy that you were okay.”
“Poppy?”
“It seems everyone knows how I felt - feel - about you. Except for you of course,” he paused to laugh and shake his head. “I thought you were meant to be smart.”
“When did you…how long?” To say Y/N was surprised was an understatement. She never would have thought Sebastian saw her as more than just a friend. To find out he returned her feelings from before - that he still felt the same - had left her speechless.
“I’m assuming you’re oh-so-eloquently asking when I first started to have feelings for you?” his eyes sparkled with more life than Y/N had seen in a long time, and she felt her heart swell for him. “I’ll only answer if you do as well and if you go first. I can’t keep putting my heart on the line without knowing anything in return.” His fingers brushed her hand again, a little more firmly as he gained confidence.
“That night in the library. When you took the fall for me.” Y/N watched as he gave her a surprised look.
“That soon?”
“You didn’t know me,” she defended her decision. “You had no need to get yourself into trouble and lie for me like that. I didn’t realise it until later, but that was the catalyst.” He mulled over her words for a few moments before standing and sitting on the bed, turning so he could face her.
“If I’m being fully honest, from the moment you walked in late to your own sorting I was intrigued. I needed to get to know you.”
“Is that why you were so snappy the first night in the common room when I introduced myself?”
“Not my finest moment, I’m sure we can agree,” he looked abashed. “I feel it's safe to assume I made up for it, though?” He watched as she nodded in agreement, a breathtaking smile coming over his face. “Looking back I started to fall for you when you beat me in our first duel in class. I didn't realise until later though, like you.”
“What do you think would have happened if we told each other back then?”
“Honestly, I don’t think it would have ended well. I think I needed to do some growing to become worthy of you.”
“You were always worthy,” Y/N took his hand in hers again and laced their fingers together. Her heart jumped as he squeezed her hand affectionately. “We both needed to do some growing, I think.”
“You still haven’t answered the most important question.”
“What’s that?”
“Are old feelings resurfacing? Can you get past everything I’ve done?”
“Sebastian,” Y/N used her free hand to gently cup his face, her thumb running over his cheekbone. “I already told you, I forgave you a long time ago.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Y/L/N. If it's alright with you, I would love nothing more than to kiss you right now, but I won’t unless I know you feel the same.” He turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand and leant towards her slightly. “And if you consent, of course.” His eyes darted to her lips briefly before locking back with hers. Y/N felt her heart stutter in her chest as her hand slipped from his face to rest on the back of his neck. It wasn’t even a question she needed to think about. She thought her feelings for the man in front of her had disappeared, but if her thundering pulse was any indication, they had just lay dormant until now.
“It's okay with me,” she said quietly. He muttered a quick thank Merlin under his breath and let go of her hand to reach up and cup her face in his hand. He closed the gap between them slowly, giving her more than enough time to pull away if she wanted to, and paused right before his lips met hers. She looked into his eyes and saw he was already staring at her, a small smile playing on his features. “What?”
“Nothing,” he shook his head gently, his nose bumping hers. “I just…I adore you,” he said quietly, before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers gently. Y/N felt her heart leap out of her chest and wound her hand into the hair at the back of his head as he kissed her sweetly. He was right earlier, she realised, when he said they wouldn’t have lasted had they started seeing each other in their fifth year. They both had to go through some much needed growing. It hadn’t been their time back then, and as he pulled away from their kiss, Y/N could only hope that now was.
#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x y/n#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts game#slytherin reader#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow fluff#awkwardauthor#awkwardauthorwrites#masterlist
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The Devil Doesn't Bargain
Word Count: 4.5k
Themes: angst, very brief mention of abuse? Imelda is a piece of work in this but she means well
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters are 18+ in their 7th year of Hogwarts.
If anyone’s curious this song here is the one I had on repeat while writing this
Y/N twirled the quill she was holding, her work forgotten in front of her as she looked across the library to where Sebastian was sitting a few tables away. He was frowning as he looked between his textbook and the parchment he was scribbling on, deep in thought as he worked on whichever essay they had been assigned. He looked more tired than usual and Y/N couldn’t help but roam her eyes over him carefully, looking out for any other signs that everything was not okay.
Their friendship has never quite been the same after the untimely death of Solomon Sallow in their fifth year. Despite not turning Sebastian in (the easiest decision Y/N had ever made in her life) and his reassurance that he was glad they were friends and that she had come to Hogwarts, he had begun to pull away in the beginning of their sixth year. It started slowly; from passing on visits to Hogsmeade and skipping the odd class because he wasn’t feeling well to barely acknowledging her when he walked by her in corridors, not even a nod in greeting. There was only so much she could do - so much she could take - before Y/N began to retreat as well, opting instead to spend more time with Ominis, Imelda and Poppy.
“Don’t do this.” Imelda kicked Y/N under the table gently and she reluctantly tore her gaze away from Sebastian to send a glare at the raven-haired girl.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Y/N rolled her eyes and flicked through her textbook, skimming the page for the information she needed. If she hadn’t been studiously avoiding the eyes of her friends she would have noticed the look the two girls shared followed by Ominis’ quiet sigh.
“Don’t play stupid, it doesn’t suit you.”
“I see we’re back to the tough love route,” Ominis said, the corners of his mouth twitching up in amusement as his fingers trailed across the braille in his book. “Do you think this discussion will end in throwing objects again? I don’t like my odds of ducking to avoid Y/N’s inkpot.” He turned his head in Poppy’s direction, who laughed quietly even though she was watching Imelda and Y/N nervously.
“I would much rather we didn’t discuss this at all, actually,” Y/N couldn’t help but look over at Sebastian again, if only just to piss Imelda off, but was surprised to see him looking back. She offered him a small smile in greeting, her stomach flipping pleasantly when he smiled back. She quickly turned back to her work, her leg bouncing under the table in elation. Apart from occasionally meeting her eyes as they passed each other in between classes, that was the most interaction she and Sebastian had shared in months.
“I know that look in your eye,” Imelda pointed her quill at Y/N, her eyes narrowing. “Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you thought he was coming back around?” Y/N stifled an annoyed sigh and bit the inside of her cheek, if only to stop herself from lashing out. She knew Imelda was right, knew she was only being so firm because she cared. “Sebastian Sallow doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.”
“He cares about Anne,” Y/N muttered petulantly. Imelda kicked her ankle again in reprimand and Y/N hissed in pain. “Fuck, stop kicking me!”
“Stop being stupid then!” Imelda leant forward, her voice lowering considerably.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re better than this. He’s ruthless, he’s a liar. He’s abusive.”
“Sebastian would never hurt me.” If looks could kill then Imelda Reyes would be ten feet under. Y/N knew what her friend was saying came from a well-meaning place, but how dare she. How dare she speak about Sebastian that way - speak about her that way. She wasn’t an idiot any more than Sebastian was the devil Imelda made him out to be.
“Again, you mean?” Imelda snapped. Y/N sucked in a sharp breath at her words, at the sudden reminder of the agony the cruciatus curse had caused. Ominis stilled at the witch’s words, his amused expression dropping as he stopped reading his book. Poppy and Imelda shared a look between them. Y/N and Ominis never told them everything that had happened in their fifth year but they had worked out more than enough.
“You don’t know anything.” Y/N leant forward to hiss the words at her friend.
“I know you don’t want to let go.” Imelda crossed her arms and leant back in her chair, a smug expression on her face. “People talk, Y/N. Sallow’s fascination with the dark arts wasn’t exactly a secret, even before you joined the school.”
“That’s enough Imelda.” Ominis turned his head to glare at the girl, his words icy. “I thought you of all people would be above petty gossip.” His hand drifted under the table to gently squeeze Y/N’s knee, reminding her to breathe. ���I may not talk to Sebastian anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to sit here and disparage him like this.”
“Oh? Care to tell us exactly why you both stopped talking to him after his uncle died?”
“Imelda…” Poppy had a pained expression on her face as she looked between her friends, before darting her gaze over to Sebastian, who had his head buried in a book. “You’re going too far.”
“Apparently there’s no such thing when Y/N is concerned. She’ll forgive me and come crawling back, just like she does with Sallow.”
“So what if I do?” Y/N snapped, her voice rising. Madam Scribner shushed them sharply and sent them a glare, not that Y/N could find it in herself to care as she leant across the table to growl at Imelda. “Sebastian is one of my best friends, Reyes. Present tense. I don’t care that he’s not spoken to me in months - I will always be there for those who need me. I’ll always be there if he needs me.” Y/N looked over to Sebastian as she took a steadying breath, her eyes meeting his again. He watched her carefully, his head tilted to the side as he recognised the tell-tale signs of her anger. She couldn’t bring herself to look away from him as she spoke softly, justifying it with how far away he was sitting. “You have no idea what happened to us in our fifth year, absolutely none, so don’t pretend just because you listened to some bullshit gossip that you’re omniscient. The shit we went through - what the three of us went through - was something that’s bound us together for life. You don’t experience what we did and have the ability to stop caring for the other person - not that you could ever understand that.”
Something shifted in Sebastian’s gaze as Y/N spoke about him, and a small part of her wondered if he had somehow gained the ability to read lips and knew exactly what she was saying. She swallowed heavily as the air between them changed, her heart thumping nervously in her chest. Words from their fight echoed in her mind, but they were all drowned out by every good action he had ever taken for her, every good thing he had ever said to her. Y/N wasn’t quite sure if she could ever pull away from his hypnotising stare, but it seemed Imelda had made the choice for her as she leaned across the table and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back at them.
“You can lie to me all you want, but I was there.” Imelda held Y/N’s chin firmly as she spoke, not tight enough to hurt, but enough that she couldn’t pull away. “Every single time you came back to our dorm room crying because he hurt you, I was there. I saw what he put you through and he doesn’t care. He’s not worth it. I won’t pretend to know what happened with the three of you in fifth year but he will never change. He’s only going to hurt you over and over again and you keep letting him. The devil doesn’t settle, Y/L/N.”
Y/N finally smacked Imelda’s hand away and broke free from her grasp, her eyes burning with humiliation and anger. Poppy looked taken aback at how forceful their friend was being, while Ominis gripped the edge of the table in frustration. He couldn’t tell exactly what was happening in front of him, but the tone of voice, followed by the sharp slap of skin, was indication enough. There was a tense silence at the table as Y/N and Imelda glared furiously at each other, neither of them willing to break the silence first. Y/N blinked back the tears of frustration that were welling in her eyes and stood up, muttering to the table that she needed another book for her essay, and ignoring Poppy as she quietly called after her.
She had to pass by Sebastian’s table as she walked away, her shoulders tight with tension as she very obviously avoided his eye so that he couldn’t see her tears. He stretched his arms out casually as she moved past him, his hand brushing hers gently. Y/N didn’t know if it was an accident or not, but she didn’t let it stop her as she made her way towards the shelves she needed and rounded the corner, disappearing from the immediate eyesight of her friends (and yes, as rage inducing as Imelda was, Y/N still considered her one).
Her shoulders slumped once she was hidden from view and Y/N couldn’t help but to gently press her forehead to one of the shelves to calm the mixed emotions that were running wildly through her. She was angry at Imelda, because how dare she speak to her like that - how dare she grab her like that. She was frustrated at herself, because even though Imelda’s approach was far from ideal, she was right. Y/N always got her hopes up whenever Sebastian would flash her a warm smile in passing, and it normally led to her crying or screaming in their dorm within the week because he had gone back to his usual routine of ignoring her. The final feeling (one she didn’t want to linger on for too long) was how her heart was racing wildly as the casual touch of Sebastian’s hand as she passed by him. She didn’t want to admit what the sensation was, not even to herself, and instead tried to convince herself that the fleeting graze of his skin on hers was nothing more than an accident.
“Imelda is sorry.” Poppy said softly, her quiet footsteps stopping a couple of feet away. Y/N let out a humourless laugh and wiped away a tear before she looked over her shoulder at the Hufflepuff.
“You and I both know that’s a lie. Have Ominis and Imelda sent you to corral me back?”
“No. Imelda wanted to march over and drag you back herself but I told her to leave you alone and give you a little space. Ominis agreed with me and said he knows first hand what your anger is like?” Poppy phrased the end like a question, earning a surprised chuckle from Y/N.
“I think I’ve scarred him for life after he took my coffee from me the other morning.”
“Poor choice.” Poppy laughed softly, knowing first-hand how grumpy Y/N could be in the mornings before her caffeine. The pair fell into a comfortable silence as Y/N turned to face the shelves again and pulled a book out to see if it held any information that could help with her work.
“What is it, Poppy?”
“I don’t want to upset you any more.”
“It can’t be any worse than what Imelda said to me,” she reminds her with a sigh. After a few more seconds Poppy still hadn’t responded so Y/N closed the book and turned to face her, holding the tome to her chest as she waited.
“I just…Imelda wasn’t all wrong,” the shorter girl shrugged and offered Y/N a sheepish smile as she looked at her in surprise. “Her delivery could have been a lot better, though.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Y/N muttered.
“Look, you know I’m not the type to lecture and condescend. All I want - all we all want - is what’s best for you. I know you might think Sebastian is it but I don’t think he is.” Poppy lowered her voice considerably and peaked around the corner as she said his name, taking care he wasn’t around to eavesdrop.
“I thought you Hufflepuff’s always saw the best in people.”
“We’re loyal to fault, and my loyalties lie with you, not him. I’ve seen you cry over him too, Y/N. I never told anyone about the fight you two had.” Y/N stilled at her friend’s words, her mind flashing back to the argument that that had happened a few months ago. After weeks of being ignored again Y/N had finally cornered Sebastian in the Undercroft, and much like a powder keg the whole thing blew up with harsh words flying back and forth between the pair. She had finally hit him with her worst fear; that he had only stuck around with her because she was a means to an end to cure Anne. Sebastian had gone silent before nodding, and turned to leave her alone in the room, his parting words of well if that’s what you think of me echoing around her long after he had gone.
“Why?”
“Why didn’t I tell anyone?” Poppy asked. “Or why do I think he isn’t what’s right for you?”
“Both.”
“For one, Imelda would probably hunt him down and actually kill him if I told her.” Poppy tilted her head to the side, a dry smile on her face. “But mostly it was because of you. If you wanted everyone to know they would - you wouldn’t have come banging on the Hufflepuff common room door past curfew asking for me.” Y/N gave her friend a rueful smile and dropped her head back on the shelf behind her to count the ceiling tiles so that she wouldn’t cry again. “As for still being mad at him…what you said was out of line, but he never fought to correct you or prove otherwise and I watched as that killed you. No one cries like that over a friendship. You both said some vile things to each other but he ripped your heart out of your chest and I don’t think I can ever forgive him for that.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“I was in the wrong for saying that to him.” Either of them could have apologised. It didn’t fall to just Sebastian. Y/N had said things to him that were just as nasty - if not worse - during their fight.
“You were,” Poppy agreed, “but that still doesn’t excuse his behaviour. You always make excuses for him. I’m not going to get mad like Imelda did but I will say I’m not surprised.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s obvious you’re in love with him.” Poppy gave her a sad smile and Y/N felt her cheeks burn as she froze, her eyes wide as she looked at her friend apprehensively.
“I never said - ”
“You didn’t have to.” Poppy reached out and squeezed Y/N’s hand gently before turning to walk away again. “I know you might think he’ll change this time, and maybe he will - I really hope he does, to be fully honest with you. But just remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The devil doesn’t bargain.”
Poppy walked back to their table, leaving Y/N alone with her thoughts once again. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and a small part of her was grateful that nobody really ventured into that corner of the library as she sank to the floor slowly. She pulled her knees up, resting her forehead against them as she tried to calm her breathing and hold back a fresh wave of tears. They were right - they were always right. Sebastian did this to her constantly; he kept pulling her in only to push her away again. The last time it had happened was around their fight, and she had been a wreck for weeks because of it.
“Y/N.” A pair of feet shuffled to a stop in front of her, and Y/N felt herself go still. She would recognise his voice anywhere. It was ingrained on her very soul. He sighed quietly and she heard the shifting of fabric as she sat down across from her, his legs stretched out in front of him so he could tap her ankle gently with his shoe. “I know you can hear me.”
“What do you want, Sebastian?” she asked, not raising her head to look at him, even though it muffled her voice. If she looked at him all resolve would break and she would either scream at him for leaving her or turn into a blubbering mess and she didn’t particularly care for either of those reactions at that moment.
“Look at me.”
“No.” Sebastian laughed, a genuine laugh which sent shivers down her spine. Y/N slowly lifted her head but still didn’t look at him and instead opted to stare at his polished black shoes.
“You’ve always been so stubborn.”
“I learnt from the best.”
“That Slytherin pride really did hit us both hard,” Sebastian mused. He was quiet for a few moments before he crossed his legs and scooted closer to her so that he was almost sitting on her feet. “Look at me, darling.” Y/N hated the way her body reacted to the term of endearment. She hated that her stomach flipped pleasantly, that her heart started to beat erratically, that she could feel her face burn. She finally looks up at him, meeting his warm brown eyes with a withering glare.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Are we still pretending you don’t secretly like it when I call you darling?”
“I’ll punch you.”
“Probably,” he chuckles quietly and reaches out to brush a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “Who did this?”
“Why do you care?”
“Contrary to what you shouted at me in the Undercroft, I have and always will care about you.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.”
“So we circle back to the pitfalls of Slytherin pride?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “You could have just as easily spoken to me first.” Y/N looked away from him, turning her head so that she could see Madam Scribner standing at her desk and watching them both like a hawk. He was right. Hadn’t she just thought and said the same thing when she was speaking to Poppy? “Was it Reyes?”
“Will you curse her if it was?” Y/N couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth and she instantly grimaced. “I didn’t mean - ”
“You did and that’s okay.” Sebastian pulled his hand away with a defeated sigh. “I haven’t touched dark magic since that night in the catacombs. I know some people think otherwise, but they’re wrong.” He catches the confusion on her face as she wonders how he knows that and runs a hand through his hair. “You’re all not nearly as silent as you think you are.”
“You heard everything?”
“Including your speech about how you’ll always be there for me.”
“What about…?” she looks away, stomach churning with nerves as she thought about what Poppy had said to her. ‘It’s obvious you’re still in love with him’.
“Your conversation with Sweeting stays between the two of you. That felt private.”
“And what we were saying at the table wasn’t?”
“Not when you were looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m worth saving.” Y/N felt her heart crack in her chest at the look on his face. She slowly shifted so that she was crossing her legs instead and reached out to brush the back of his hand.
“Everyone is worth saving.” He gives her a sad smile at that, noting that she still won’t quite meet his eye as she chews on her lower lip nervously. They sit in silence for a few moments as Sebastian watches the cogs turn in her head before she lets out a quiet sigh and finally looks at him. “I’m sorry for what I said to you.”
“I’m sorry I treated you so poorly that you even thought about it in the first place.”
“I didn’t mean it. I just…I was angry and hurt and I lashed out and wanted you to feel even a fraction of the pain I was feeling. I know you were never just using me in the hopes of finding a cure for Anne. You didn’t even know about my ability to take pain away until we had been searching for a cure for months.”
“It doesn’t matter if you did mean it - I forgive you,” he murmured, taking her hand in his. He mulls over his next words carefully, a small frown on his face. “I was stupid to push you away. I thought you both would be better off without me - especially you. I led you down a dark path and never stopped to consider the consequences of doing so. I ruined your life.”
“No you didn’t,” Y/N tightened her grip on his hand so that he would meet her eye. “I’m my own person, Sebastian. I chose to follow you down that path. You always asked if I wanted to learn and I said yes. You never forced me into anything. You didn’t ruin my life.”
“What do you think will happen if anyone ever finds out what happened to Solomon?” his voice lowered considerably as he spoke. “You’re not just going to get a slap on the wrist, Y/N.”
“No one will find out, Seb. Even if they do, it was my choice. I was the one who told Ominis we shouldn’t turn you in.”
“You…why?” Sebastian’s voice cracked as he asked the question and Y/N saw tears start to well in his eyes. “Why would you risk everything for me like that?”
“Because I - ” Y/N broke off as she felt her face burn. Now wasn’t the time to accidentally tell him that she loved him. “Because I would do anything for you.”
“You said that in the present tense.”
“I did.”
“Even after all the horrible things I said to you?”
“I wasn’t exactly a saint back, Sebastian.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“You do.” Y/N leaned forward and kissed his cheek before she could process the decision. “You deserve everything, Seb. You deserve to be happy.”
“You made me happy - you make me happy. Present tense,” he squeezes her hands gently. “I was an idiot to ever push you away.”
“Well, you won’t hear me disagree with that,” Y/N teased. Sebastian laughed quietly and she felt like a weight she didn’t even notice got lifted from her shoulders. “If you ever do this again…”
“Duly noted, no need to continue with that threat,” he chuckled. Footsteps walked in their direction - too heavy to be Poppy or Imelda and too purposeful to be any other student. The tell tale glow of Ominis’ wand lit up the stacks moment before he rounded the corner and came to a stop a few feet away from the pair.
“Y/N? Are you still here?”
“I am.” Ominis’ wand wavered to the left slightly, a barely perceptible frown on his face as he wondered who else was present, before he exhaled.
“Hello, Sebastian.”
“Ominis.” The pair stared at each other tensely (or at least, Sebastian stared at Ominis, whilst the latter looked slightly to his left) before Ominis turned to Y/N with a resigned expression.
“Shall I tell Imelda you’ve left? I can bring your things to the common room later.”
“She’s never going to believe it.”
“No, she won’t.” Ominis rolled his eyes and leaned against the bookshelf slightly. “She put two and two together the minute Sebastian walked in this direction, but Poppy is keeping her at bay.”
“She is?”
“She told me to tell you if you hurt Y/N again she will set a Hungarian Horntail on you,” Ominis turned back in Sebastian’s direction as he delivered the threat. “I don’t think I need to add what I’ll do if I ever have to listen to her cry again because of you.” Y/N looked away from Sebastian as his head snapped back in her direction, a look of distress on his features at knowing just how much pain he had caused her.
“Understood.” Sebastian stood up and brushed the dust from his trousers before offering Y/N his hand. She hesitated for a few seconds but took it nonetheless and let him pull her to her feet. Sebastian didn’t let go once she was standing and instead he laced their fingers together and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Ominis.”
“Don’t thank me yet. If it wasn’t for Poppy I would jinx you where you stand.”
“Well, thank Sweeting for me then.” There was a small grin on Sebastian’s face as he carefully tugged at Y/N’s hand, silently asking if she would go with him. She nodded before releasing his fingers so that she could pull Ominis into a tight hug. He froze, not expecting the contact, before weaving his wand-free hand around her frame and hugging her back.
“You tell me if he tries anything,” he muttered in her ear.
“Right after I hex him first.”
“That’s my girl.” Ominis released her with a chuckle and Y/N wandered back to Sebastian, who placed a hand on her lower back as he led her out of the library. They walked in silence until they reached the north exit for the castle and Sebastian let out a long breath and turned to look at her.
“I need you to know I’ll never treat you like that again. I can’t even begin to make it all up to you, but I’m willing to spend the rest of my days doing so,” he said. Y/N reached out for his hand and laced their fingers together again as she pulled him towards the gate that would lead them towards the path for Hogsmeade.
“On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You forgive me for how I spoke to you and what I accused you of,” she came to a stop and turned to look at him.
“Done,” he said quietly, a soft smile on his face. “I forgave you for that a long time ago, Y/L/N.” He brushed some hair behind her ear, his touch lingering on her cheek before he cleared his throat and looked away, his cheeks tinted pink. Y/N felt her stomach flip pleasantly and couldn’t help but smile shyly as they turned back towards the path. Now wasn’t the time to consider her feelings for him, or to tease him for his blush. But one day the bridges between them would be mended completely, and so she stored the information away for then.
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow fluff#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x gryffindor!reader#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x hufflepuff!reader#sebastian sallow x ravenclaw!reader#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#sebastian sallow angst#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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Somebody Else
Word Count: 3k
Themes: fluff. A little flirting but this one can be seen as pureply platonic
Summary: Definitely not inspired as some love to @ask-sebastian who seems to be having a tough time at the moment
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters 18+ and in seventh year. Absolutely not proof-read a million times like I usually do so please be nice.
If anyone is ever struggling, please feel free to message me. I will always respond as soon as I am able to. I never want anyone to feel overwhelmed, alone, anxious, or anything else. I love you, please take care of yourselves
Y/N let out a long breath as she landed back on the Hogwarts grounds. She had been looking absolutely everywhere for Sebastian and still had yet to find him. She had checked the Undercroft, the Restricted section, his dorm room - she had even flown to Feldcroft on the off chance he was there to fix up the old cottage - but he was nowhere to be found. She grumbled slightly to herself as she made her way back to the Slytherin common room, hoping at the very least she could catch him before dinner. Not that he would attend the meal anyway.
Y/N had been looking around for him for the past few days, but all she caught were fleeting glances in class before he bolted out of the room as fast as possible, looking more and more exhausted each time. It broke her heart to see him so rundown and she was determined to help him. She smiled in passing to Grace, who stopped her with a knowing look and pointed to the corner of the room where the large windows were. Y/N spotted the familiar mop of brown hair and thanked the girl before making her way over to him and slid into the spot next to him on the sofa.
“Hey, you,” Y/N smiled softly. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Sebastian turns his head fractionally to look at her and offers her a weak smile before looking out the window at the Black Lake again. She manages to catch sight of dark rings under his eyes and his pale face before he turns away from her to watch the fish swim by.
“How can I help?”
“Seb…” She feels her heart sink at his demeanour. “I’m worried about you. You’ve not been yourself lately.” He sighs heavily and leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
“What have you heard?”
“I haven’t heard anything.” Y/N shakes her head slowly and moves along the couch just a little bit so that she can lower her voice. “You’re my best friend, Sebastian. I can see that you’re not okay. You look like you haven’t slept in days, and I don’t think I’ve seen you eat a proper meal in that time either. You might have everyone else fooled into thinking you’re okay on the surface but I can see below that.” He mulls over her words for a few moments before looking at her with a half-smile.
“I’m just an open book to you.”
“Sometimes,” she admits with a quiet laugh. “I don’t want to pry, but please, if you need to talk to someone I’m here. I don’t want you to feel alone in whatever you’re going through.” Sebastian gives her a warmer smile, but his eyes still have a haunted look about them.
“Do you want the long version or the short version?”
“I’ll take whichever version you want to give me. I’m here for you, Seb.” Y/N holds her hand out for his, letting him decide if he wants to take it. He looks at it for a beat before quietly lacing his fingers through hers and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“I don’t deserve you.”
“You deserve the world and I won’t let you think otherwise,” Y/N’s tone is a little shaper than she intended, but he doesn’t seem to mind. “You told me once on one of my bad days that it’s not a race to the end. Take your own advice, Sebastian.” He huffs out a quiet, humourless laugh and shakes his head.
“Shame on you for using my own words against me.”
“Shame on you for not using your own perfectly good advice.” Sebastian rolls his eyes at that, before letting out a quiet sigh and leaning back in his seat.
“I think I’m just overwhelmed.”
“With school?”
“With everything.” His eyes slip closed and Y/N allows her mask to drop for a split second, allows all the hurt and pain she feels for the man in front of her to show before she quickly hides it again. “It’s school, it’s Anne, it’s Solomon. It feels like everything is piling up at once.”
“You’re speaking to Anne again?” Y/N asked, trying not to let the surprise show on her face.
“No, not quite. I…I sent her an owl asking how she’s been. Explained how sorry I am for what I did and told her that I missed her. That not a day goes by where I don’t hate myself for my actions in that tomb.”
“What did she say?”
“She misses me too, but it’s still too soon and she doesn’t know if she can forgive me yet.” Y/N doesn’t know how to reply to this without it sounding like she pities him, so instead she squeezes his hand gently again and places her free hand on top. “I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me.”
“I think she will, one day. I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to placate you or give you false hope - I genuinely believe Anne will forgive you. I know I barely had a chance to get to know her, but I saw how much you two love each other. She just needs a little more time.”
“I know,” he sighs and turns his head to look at her. “I just wish I could jump forward until then.”
“Would it be incredibly corny to say if you skipped forward to the best parts you might miss out on all the good things in between?”
“Definitely.”
“Too bad, I said it.”
“You’re incorrigible,” Sebastian laughs again, and Y/N feels her heart leap at the little bit of warmth she can hear in it. “I need you to know how much I appreciate you. Everyone else seems to think I’m fine except for you. You can see straight through me and I can’t quite work out if that’s terrifying or not.”
“Well, I’m biased, but I think it’s pretty great. Besides, you can see straight through my bullshit as well, so it’s only fair I can do the same.”
“That’s true, I guess.” Sebastian squeezes her hand again and turns in his seat to face her. “Thank you for checking on me, it means more than you will ever know.”
“You think I’m done mother henning you?” Y/N clicked her tongue in mock annoyance. “Get up, we’re going to the kitchens to get some food for you.”
“Why does it sound like we’ve fallen into the tough love part of the night?” Sebastian groaned as she tugged at his arm to pull him off the couch.
“Because we have. All I’ve seen you consume the last three days is coffee and the occasional blueberry muffin.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” he scoffs lightly as they walk out of the common room. “You don’t even drink water most days, all you drink is coffee.”
“Do as I say, not as I do.”
“You’re a hypocrite.” Y/N looked over her shoulder at Sebastian and couldn’t help but laugh at the pout on his face. She resisted the urge to pinch at his cheeks as she continued to lead him towards the kitchens.
“Well, I’ll make sure I drink a nice big glass of water if you eat a full plate of real food.”
“...multiple glasses of water.”
“Deal,” she rolled her eyes at him playfully and came to a stop outside the portrait for the kitchens. With her free hand Y/N tickled the pear, a small smile coming to her face as it softly giggled before swinging open for them both. She pulled Sebastian in after her and waved in greeting to a few of the house elves as she made her way over to a table.
“Miss Y/N!” Posie, a female house elf, darted over with a large smile. “Oh, it is so good to see you again! And you brought a friend!”
“Hi Posie. I’m sorry it’s been so long, I’ve been a little busy.” Sebastian felt his heart swell as Y/N gave the creature a genuine, wide smile and pulled him forward. “This is Sebastian. Could I trouble you for something to eat for him?”
“And you,” Sebastian nudged her gently. If he was going to be subjected to her fussy, caring behaviour then she was going to join him. “It’s nice to meet you, Posie.”
“And you, Mister Sebastian! Posie will go and bring you both some food right now.” The small creature dashed off in search of something to eat and Y/N couldn’t help but laugh softly as she sat down at the table.
“She likes you.” Y/N turned to look at Sebastian with a curious smile. “Posie, that is. Merlin, is there anyone you don’t have wrapped around your finger?”
“I’m not that special,” she laughed quietly. “I can think of a few people who definitely have it out for me.”
“Point them out to me and I’ll put them back in line.”
“I can do that myself, but thanks for the offer.” She laughs quietly and turns to smile at Posie as two plates alleviate in their direction, as well as a jug of water.
“Can Posie get anything else for you?”
“No, thank you Posie. This looks wonderful.” The house elf beams at Y/N’s words and lets them know to call her over if they need anything else before disappearing to help prep for dinner. Y/N gave Sebastian a pointed look as she poured them both, silently conveying she would not be taking a sip until he took a bite of his food. He sighed at her, but the corner of his mouth was slightly upturned as he took a large bite out of the chicken on his plate. She nodded in satisfaction and drank from her glass until it was finished and then refilled it. “You know, it’s a shame you haven’t been around, you missed my hair going through every colour of the rainbow for a few days.”
“You what?” Sebastian coughed slightly and looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise. “Why did you do that?”
“I didn’t! Not on purpose at least.” She laughed and began to pick at her own plate of food. “Garreth has been working on a fire-breathing potion that doesn’t hurt the user or burns things around it. I offered to test it for him and roughly every hour my hair would shift into the next colour on the spectrum.” Sebastian had no words for this, but he was quite clearly trying to hold back his laughter. “Personally I think I looked absolutely stunning with Slytherin green hair.”
“You’re absolutely stunning regardless.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could process them and he offered Y/N a sheepish smile. She rolled her eyes at his words, but there was a pleased smile on her face.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Sallow.” She nudged his foot with hers gently and gave him a small wink as they finished their meals in a comfortable silence. Y/N watched as some colour began to return to his cheeks, and even though he looked absolutely exhausted, he began to sit a little straighter as his body started to digest the much needed meal. They took some blueberry muffins with them as they left (with Posie making them both promise to come back soon) and even though he wasn’t quite back to his usual self Y/N could see the change in him from such a simple act of self-care. “When was the last time you slept?”
“Are you telling me I look tired? Way to make a man feel good about himself, Y/L/N.”
“Oh hush,” Y/N flicked his arm. “Stop deflecting and tell me.”
“I slept last night.”
“Enough?”
“Define ‘enough’.”
“I’m going to take that as a no.” She narrowed her eyes at him and began to lead him back to the Slytherin Common Room. “Are you going to blush and stutter and protest if I put you to bed?”
“Blush and stutter? No. Protest? Absolutely. I’m not five years old.”
“Well, stop acting like it and start taking care of yourself.”
“When did you swap from mother hen to this tough love act?”
“When you started to sulk and pout.”
“I am not!” he protested. Y/N raised an eyebrow at him, an amused smile on her face as he groaned in defeat. “I can’t stand you some days.”
“I love you, too, Seb,” she laughed as they walked into the Slytherin common room, not breaking her stride as she led him up to the boys dorm, not caring that a few people watched with wide eyes and probably assumed the worst. “Am I staying with you to chat and relax or would you rather just sleep?”
“Stay with me, please. At least until I sleep.”
“Okay,” she nodded once and sat on his bed, shoo’ing him towards the bathroom. “Take a shower while you’re in there, I’ll be waiting here.”
“Are you trying to tell me I smell?”
“It’s cute that you think I’m going to dignify that with a response considering your cologne smells amazing and you know it.” Y/N raised an eyebrow at him and all but pushed him towards the bathroom and shut the door behind him. She could hear him laugh from the other side before the door creaked open and he slipped back out.
“Before you reprimand me, I need clothes. I can’t very well come out in just a towel, can I?” he teased, watching as she flushed. She threw one of his pillows at him as he rummaged through his wardrobe for something comfortable and narrowly avoided it as he tossed it back, along with a large shirt. “My cosiest shirt if you want to get comfortable too.” He gave her a soft smile and retreated back to the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him. Y/N couldn’t help but smile as she toyed with the soft fabric before getting changed as quickly as she could, unsure of how long he would be in the shower for. The shirt fell down to her thighs, so she shed her skirt as well with a quiet sigh and got herself settled underneath the blankets and waited patiently for Sebastian.
She leant over to grab one of the many books that were laying on the floor by his bed, but instead she caught sight of the picture frames he had on the table. One was of an older couple and Y/N could only assume they were his parents. They seemed to be chasing two toddlers around a garden before scooping them up and smiling for a family picture. The next was a drawing of Sebastian, Anne and Ominis that only looked to be a few years old and Y/N recognised Feldcroft in the background.
The final picture brought a small flush to her cheeks and she carefully picked it up for a closer look. It was a drawing of her and Sebastian from last year - she would recognise that coastal background anywhere. A large group of them had made their way to the beach for the day when the weather was good, and Garreth had been doodling in his ever-present notebook with a sly smile. Y/N had asked him what he was doing, but he simply waved her off and muttered something about potions and equations. She knew he had been lying to her (especially when Poppy leaned over to have a look and began to giggle) but had brushed it off and turned back to her conversation with Sebastian, but what she didn’t expect was for him to be sketching a picture of the pair of them as they smiled at each other. She definitely didn’t think Sebastian would be in possession of said sketch, or that he would keep it by his bedside.
“Was that your grand plan, then?” Sebastian asked teasingly as he walked out of the bathroom, rubbing at his hair with a towel. “Send me to the bathroom so you could snoop?” He draped the towel over a chair and walked over to see what she was looking at. “Oh, Weasley gave me that a little while back, said he meant to give it to us after the beach but forgot.”
“And you decided to keep it on your bedside?”
“Of course. I don’t know if you noticed but only the most important people go there, and I didn’t have a picture with you before.” Sebastian said the words as if they were the most normal thing in the world while he climbed in next to her and lay down. “Do we get to cuddle too?”
“Do you want to?”
“Do I want - what kind of question is that, of course I want to cuddle,” Sebastian rolled his eyes at her playfully and tugged her over, his hand slipping over her waist. Y/N huffed out a laugh and placed an arm around his torso, her fingers trailing up and down his back soothingly. She felt his whole body relax against hers as he let out a content noise. “If you keep doing that I’ll be asleep in no time.”
“Good. You need it,” Y/N replied quietly. She ran her fingers through his hair, gently scratching his scalp before running back down his back again.
“No, I need to thank you first.”
“You absolutely do not, but if you really want to, you can wait until morning.”
“Will you stay with me?”
“Always.”
#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#sebastian sallow angst#sebastian sallow fluff#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthor#awkwardauthorwrites#somebody else
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Do It Like A Girl
Word Count: 2k
Themes: duelling, Leander slander, pining (in that order)
Summary: Y/N takes part in Lucan’s Last Man Standing tournament
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters 18+ and in seventh year. (ambiguous house, so feel free to pick your own)
(Edit; in typical me fashion, I forgot to add the song that I listened to on repeat while writing this. I hope you enjoy!)
Y/N squeezed through the crowd with Sebastian by her side, his hand gently gripping the back of her school robes so that he wouldn’t lose her. Considering the Crossed Wands was meant to be a secret club, the tournament that Lucan had organised this time had the largest turn out she had ever seen. Dubbed ‘The Last Man Standing’ (a name which grated Y/N just the tiniest bit), anyone could jump in and take part, with the only rule being that the winner stayed on until everyone decided they had had enough. Lucan had approached Y/N and Sebastian as soon as he had the idea, extending them an invitation to come and take part. Sebastian had nodded his head enthusiastically, but Y/N simply shrugged and said she would see how she felt on the day.
They finally made their way to the front of the group (being a seventh year had its perks) and watched through the bars that separated the clock tower from its courtyard. Leander Prewett was currently duelling a fifth year and showing no mercy as he shot a barrage of spells at the boy. The Ravenclaw could barely keep his shield charm up as Leander fired any and every spell he could think of at the younger student in an attempt to break through the hastily cast protego.
“This is brutal,” Sebastian muttered from next to her. Y/N hummed in agreement, a frown forming on her face as she watched Leander scowl and cast a particularly vicious bombarda at the Ravenclaw and finally shattered through his shield. The younger boy went flying, his wand leaving his hand, and Leander grinned and let out a victorious woop as he faced the audience that had gathered. The gate started to break open and Y/N quickly ducked underneath and made her way to the fallen student, a Wiggenweld potion in her hand as she knelt by his side.
“Are you alright?” she asked him gently, watching with a careful eye as he groaned and slowly sat up. His face flushed in embarrassment from the defeat, but he still nodded slowly and took the potion from Y/N. Lucan looked over worriedly, but Y/N gave him a thumbs up and helped the younger student stand up and walk towards the exit.
“Looks like Leander wins again!” Lucan called out. “Who wants to go next and see if they can beat him?” Y/N could see Sebastian grin wickedly and start to roll his sleeves up as he stepped forward.
“An actual challenge, please,” Leander drawled. “Not someone who fights like a girl.” Y/N shot the Gryffindor a scathing glare and was slipping her robe off before she could even process the decision.
“I’ll duel you.” Sebastian stilled in his spot, his hands still trying to roll his right sleeve up. His jaw was clenched in annoyance at Leander’s words, but the look on Y/N’s face was downright seething. He didn’t pity the man. Lucan looked at Sebastian, silently asking if he wanted to claim the spot, but he shook his head and took a step back, sticking his hands into his pockets. Leander sneered at her, twirling his wand in his hand.
“Fine. Just don’t expect me to say sorry and wipe away your tears when I beat you.”
“I would rather skin myself alive,” Y/N hissed at him. “I’m not a fifth year you can push around, Leander - let’s make this interesting. How about a wandless duel?” She held her smile back as she watched Leander’s smug attitude falter for the briefest of seconds - his wandless magic was subpar at best, despite all their professors hounding them to pick the trait up in their final year. “You can always use your wand if you feel more…comfortable?” she asked innocently. Sebastian watched from the sidelines, a large grin of pride on his face as Y/N toyed with Leander. Y/N began to roll her sleeves up the way she had seen Sebastian do, a small smirk on her face as she waited for Leander to respond. If anything, that seemed to aggravate the Gryffindor even more, and he forcefully stuck his wand in his pocket as he glared at her.
“Let’s get this over with.” Leander held his hand out of him, bracing himself to cast the first spell as the gate slid shut once more.
“With pleasure.” Y/N’s smile was near feral as she stood there, her hands casually hanging by her side. Leander cast the first spell, a poor excuse of confringo that sputtered out before it could even reach her. Y/N laughed at the shoddy cast and tilted her head to the side slightly, looking very much like a predator who was stalking their prey. “My turn.” Sebastian was too enraptured with her demeanour to focus as she (in startling quick precision) cast levioso, accio and confringo on Leander and blasted him backwards. The man barely had the chance to sit up before she was summoning him forward again and levitated him in front of her.
“Put me down!” Leander snapped, flailing his legs. Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh, along with the rest of the gathered crowd, as Y/N left him floating for a few more seconds before she cast a descendo that was so powerful Leander winced as his rear hit the ground.
“Anything that you can do, I can do better,” Y/N leaned down to hiss in his face, yanking at his tie so that he would meet her eye. “You wish you could do it like a girl.” Water appeared underneath Leander as Y/N silently cast aguamenti before freezing it over with a glacius charm. She stood up and took a step back before casting depulso without using her words, wand, or even a gesture. Leander went sliding back along the ice and crashed into the wall behind him. “Come on, Leander, do you really want to say you lost to a girl in heels?” she mocked, her shoes clicking against the stone floor as she walked towards him slowly. “I’d love to see you try to fight like a girl - to do anything like a girl.” She summoned him once more, and he flinched slightly as his knees dragged across the floor until he was kneeling in front of Y/N. “Yield.”
“Never!” He tried to stand, but Y/N managed to keep him down with an unknown spell, as she refused to say her incantations aloud.
“Yield.” She repeated, a ball of energy forming in the palm of her hand. Sebastian couldn’t tell which spell she was holding from this distance but he could see the occasional swirl of fire, as well as Leander’s terrified look.
“I yield! I yield!” He scrambled to get away from her spell and quickly got to his feet and took a couple of steps away from her. Y/N closed the palm of her hand, extinguishing the spell that had been sitting there and tilted her head to the side ever so slightly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that? Did you just lose to a girl?” Her eyes flashed dangerously and she raised an eyebrow at him. “Admit that you wish you could fight like a girl, Prewett. Admit I’m better than you.”
“You’re - ” Leander grimaced as the words caught on his tongue, and Sebastian could have sworn he stopped breathing as he leaned against the bars to watch as Y/N took an intimidating step in his direction.
“I’m waiting.”
“You’re better than me!” He all but spat the words out, his face twisting in anger.
“...and?”
“And - ” he growled in frustration before giving her the deadliest glare he could muster (not that it fazed Y/N in the slightest), “and I wish I could fight like a girl.”
“Good boy.” The smile she gave Leander thrilled Sebastian down to his very core, and he was left absolutely breathless as she turned to give him a wink. “I’m pretty sure that makes me the winner, Lucan.”
“Y-yes!” Lucan swallowed heavily and looked out to the crowd. “Our new winner, Y/N Y/L/N! Does anyone want to challenge her?” The crowd was silent as the gate slowly opened and Y/N watched in amusement as a few people took a step away from her. “Sebastian?”
“Oh, absolutely not,” Sebastian kept his gaze trained on Y/N as he spoke to Lucan. “I didn’t particularly like my chances against Y/N to start with, I think witnessing her brutalise Prewett may have just cemented that.” Y/N laughed quietly at his words, the anger that had been directed at Leander leaving her body as she grinned at Sebastian’s answer. “In fact, it doesn’t look like anyone fancies their odds against her. I think we’ve found your winner, Brattleby.” Y/N looked over at Lucan, her eyebrow raised in a silent question. The younger Gryffindor looked out over the crowd again before nodding slowly.
“Well, it looks like we have! Y/N Y/L/N, everyone! The first winner of our Last Man Standing tournament!” Y/N clicked her tongue in annoyance and let out a quiet sigh.
“I think it might be time to reconsider the name of your tournament, Lucan. Lest anyone else gets the same idea as Prewett and thinks that women can’t fight.”
“O-of course!” Lucan’s face flushed and with a wave of his wand the blackboard that held the name of the tournament amended itself to read ‘Last Person Standing’. Y/N nodded in approval and made her way to Lucan to collect her winnings, only partially aware of Sebastian sliding up to her, his arm pressed against her back gently.
“You’re breathtaking.”
“I know,” she smiled coyly up at him. He laughed quietly and placed a hand on her waist, tugging her towards him.
“I’m a little terrified to get on your bad side after witnessing that.”
“As you should be.” Sebastian laughed at this and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his heart pounding in his chest. “Darling, save it for when we’re in private,” Y/N teased, swatting his chest playfully. He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back, barely paying attention to Lucan as he handed Y/N her winnings. She turned her attention back to Sebastian, her arms slipping over his shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, his eyes sparkling with absolute adoration for the girl in his arms.
“Like I’ve hung all the stars in the sky and you’re dying to kiss me.”
“Maybe that’s just how I always look at you and you’ve only just noticed,” Sebastian lowered his voice considerably and slowly leaned in to press his forehead against hers. “I think I fell in love with you during that duel.”
“Oh? That’s nice.” He opened his eyes (when did he close them?) to see Y/N giving him a sly smile. “You should come back with that admission when you know and we’ll see how I respond then.” She tilted her head up slowly and watched in satisfaction as Sebastian’s eyes fluttered closed again in anticipation, as his grip on her waist tightened fractionally. She pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, a wicked grin falling on her lips as she pulled away and watched as his eyes flew open. “Shall we go to Hogsmeade? First round is on me,” she patted the pocket where she had stored her winnings and started to walk away, only stopping to pick up her discarded robe.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse as he watched the sway of her hips as she walked away.
“Probably,” she gave him a disarming smile over her shoulder and held her hand out to him. “Are you coming?” Sebastian didn’t even need to think twice before he took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together before playing a kiss on her knuckles. Merlin, the effect she had on him. He would follow her to the ends of the world if she asked.
“Lead the way, darling.”
#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x gryffindor!reader#sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader#sebastian sallow x hufflepuff!reader#sebastian sallow x ravenclaw!reader#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#leander prewett#crossed wands#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor#do it like a girl
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In the Middle - Ominis' Ending
Word Count: 1.3k
Summary: In the Middle - Ominis’ Ending
Warnings: read this first so this makes more sense
Y/N slipped through the doors that lead to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower, knowing she would always find the man she was looking for here - that she would always find both of them here. It wasn’t long until she found the familiar mop of brown hair walking in her direction, a charming smile falling on his face as he noticed her. Sebastian turned to say goodbye to the Ravenclaw student he was walking with and made his way in her direction, his arm winding around her waist to pull her into a hug as she neared.
“Hey you. Done avoiding us?”
“For now.” Y/N pulled away and offered him a sheepish smile, her eyes darting over to the group of students who were sitting nearby. “Can we go somewhere to talk?”
“Depends. Will I like where this is going?”
“Sebastian.” She let out a quiet sigh and shook her head, but the smile was evident on her face.
“Alright, alright,” he chuckled and titled his head to the left, signalling she should follow him. Y/N thought he would lead her to the Undercroft but instead he led her up a flight of stairs and towards Professor Fig’s old classroom. His position teaching Magical Theory had been filled the following year, but Y/N still avoided the class as best as she could. Sebastian gently pushed her along until they were sitting in the alcove across from the classroom and glared at the figure in the portrait until he left the frame with a loud, disgruntled sigh. “You have my undivided attention.”
“I’m sorry for avoiding you both.”
“It’s fine,” he shrugged nonchalantly and leant back in his seat. “We dropped a lot on you. Anyone would need a moment to think after that.” His eyes roamed over her, taking note of how she was avoiding his gaze and instead focused on her fingers which were currently being twisted together anxiously. “You’ve picked him, haven’t you?”
“What? How - ” Y/N looked up at him in surprise before exhaling slowly. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologising, you walnut?” Sebastian chuckled and came to sit next to her, his shoulder pressed against hers for comfort. “What we said in the Undercroft stands. You’re my best friend - you both are - and you’ll both continue to be after this. I won’t let this come between us.” He reached over to squeeze her hand gently.
“You’re my best friend too. I…I won’t blame you if you need some time.”
“Don’t be daft,” he nudged her with his shoulder. “Who else is going to put up with all my shit?” Y/N laughed quietly at his words, her eyes darting to the side as a couple of students left the Magical Theory classroom. “Have you told him yet?”
“No,” Y/N watched Ominis as he walked out of the men’s bathrooms, unaware of their presence. “I thought it would be fair to speak to you first.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sebastian rolled his eyes at her before letting out a low whistle. Ominis stopped in his tracks and turned slowly, a frown of confusion on his face. “Over here, Ominis.”
“Hello, Sebastian.” He walked in their direction, the wand guiding him towards the archway for the alcove. “I should have known it was you that whistled; only you would summon me like a dog.” Y/N laughed at his dry comment and watched as he turned in her direction, a breathtaking smile coming over his features when he realised she was there too. “Hello, love.”
“Hi.” Y/N felt her stomach flip pleasantly at the term of endearment, ignoring Sebastian as he playfully pretended to retch.
“I’ll leave you two alone, now.” Sebastian clapped Ominis on the shoulder and sent Y/N a cheeky wink as he stood up and walked away, his hands tucked into his pockets as he whistled a cheerful tune.
“Subtle.” Ominis’ lip twitched as Sebastian walked away, his heart thumping as he heard Y/N laugh quietly. “How have you been?”
“Oh, you know. Same old drama, different day.”
“Oh?” he smiled slyly and leant against the pillar for the archway and crossed his arms over his chest. “Anything good?”
“Would you believe both of my best friends admitted to having feelings for me?”
“Well, can you blame them?” Ominis played along.
“No, I suppose not,” Y/N faked a sigh, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth as she openly stared at the man in front of her. “I’m pretty remarkable.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.” They both chuckled quietly, a comfortable silence falling over them as Ominis shifted so that he sat beside her on the bench. “Have you made a decision?”
“I have.”
“I see.” He pocketed his wand and turned his head in her direction, his features void of any emotion. “And you’ve told Sebastian already?”
“It was only fair,” Y/N murmured, reaching out to brush the back of his hand. He turned it over without a thought and caught her fingers in his and tangled them together. “I didn’t want him to find out through the rumour mill that I had chosen you.”
“Me?” Ominis’ cloudy blue eyes met hers with startling precision, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “I thought…”
“You thought I’d choose Sebastian?”
“I mean…well, yes.”
“Ominis Gaunt, for someone who takes so much pride in their intelligence you can be really thick sometimes.” Y/N leant over to press a gentle kiss to his cheek, knowing very well that he did not like public displays of affection. “How could you not tell that I am completely entranced by you?”
“It’s not every day a beautiful woman would pick me over my best friend,” he said quietly, his fingers tightening around hers fractionally. Y/N felt her heart crack in her chest at how despondent he sounded and gently ran her finger over his cheekbone, tracing the beauty marks as she turned his head to face her again.
“Their loss.”
“Are you sure? Would you be able to handle…” Ominis trailed off and gestured to his face, his cheeks tinged pink.
“You better not be about to ask me if I can handle you being blind.”
“It’s not easy to deal with.”
“Maybe not,” Y/N shrugged and turned her body so that she was facing him completely. “Believe it or not, being able to see was not on my list when I made my decision.”
“You made a list?”
“Metaphorically, yes,” she rolled her eyes and let go of his hand to cup his face. “I want to be with you, Ominis. I don’t care that you can’t see.”
“Really?”
“Do you want me to shout it from the rooftops?”
“As entertaining as that would be,” Ominis paused to chuckle and raised his hand to touch Y/N’s face. He trailed his fingers down her cheek gently and traced his thumb over her lips. “Is there anyone around us?”
“No.”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Please.” Y/N felt her heart thud in her chest as he leant in and pressed his lips to hers briefly before pulling away and resting his forehead on hers.
“You have the most beautiful soul I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,” he murmured before leaning in to kiss her again. Ominis decided he would speak to Sebastian later, in private, to ensure he didn’t harbour any resentment towards Y/N’s choice. The three of them had some things to discuss on how they would proceed from here, but that could all be done at a time when Y/N wasn’t running her hands through Ominis’ hair in a way that set every nerve of his alight. He reluctantly pulled away from her and took her hand in his, pulling her to her feet so he could walk her to their next class with a wide smile on his face that he couldn’t quite seem to shake.
#ominis gaunt fanfiction#ominis gaunt x y/n#ominis gaunt x reader#ominis gaunt x you#ominis gaunt fluff#ominis gaunt angst#ominis gaunt#ominis gaunt x slytherin!reader#ominis gaunt x fem!reader#hogwarts game#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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Home - Part One
Word Count: 900
Themes: fluff, pining
Summary: Eight years have passed since Y/N Y/L/N has graduated from Hogwarts and she is now a notorious poacher hunter, along with her best friend Poppy Sweeting. After a particularly nasty injury on the job Y/N receives an owl from Professor Weasley with an offer to be the new Professor of the Beasts class. What could go wrong with Sebastian Sallow as the Potions Professor?
Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. All characters are aged up and around 24/25 years old
1st August, 1900
Dear Miss Y/L/N,
I hope this letter finds you well. In case you hadn’t heard, Professor Bai Howin has chosen to retire from teaching this year, leaving the position of Professor for our Beasts class open. Professor Howin has submitted a glowing recommendation for why you should be the one to take over her position. We could not think of a better person to take over this class, considering your exploits to handle the country’s poachers. Please reply at your earliest convenience to let us know if you are interested in the position.
I look forward to hearing from you soon,
Matilda Weasley, Deputy Headmistress
7th August, 1900
Dear Professor Weasley,
While I’m saddened to hear Professor Howin will be retiring, it brings me great joy to know she advocated for me to be her replacement. I humbly accept your offer to be the new Professor of Beasts.
I look forward to seeing you soon,
Y/N Y/L/N
9th August, 1900
Dear Miss Y/L/N,
We are delighted to hear your acceptance to join the faculty at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as our Beasts Professor. As I am sure you are aware, the term starts on September 1st, but feel free to arrive earlier. We look forward to seeing you again.
Yours sincerely,
Matilda Weasley (Deputy Headmistress)
Poppy was watching her expectantly from across the kitchen table, practically sitting on the edge of her seat as she waited for Y/N to finish reading the latest letter.
“Well?”
“I got the job,” Y/N laughed as Poppy jumped up to hug her. “I don’t know why you’re acting like it’s a surprise, they practically handed it to me.”
“We celebrate every accomplishment in this house,” Poppy reminded her as she pulled away. “Oh, we should tell Imelda! She’s going to be so happy for you.”
“Happy I’m not risking my life and limbs anymore, you mean,” Y/N stretched her right leg out carefully. A well-aimed diffindo had been shot at her a couple of weeks back by a particularly angry poacher, and even though the wounds had healed (thanks to a lot of essence of Dittany) she had been left with a nasty scar and a slight throb in her thigh if she did too much.
“Yes well, I’d love to say at least you’ll be safer at Hogwarts but…”
“Considering my track record it’s probably not true?” Y/N finished the sentence with a teasing smile. “Don’t worry Poppy, I promise not to get into too much trouble.”
“I take it you don’t know who the Potions Professor has been for the past few years then.”
“Sharp retired?”
“He took a sabbatical to do some consultation work with the Aurors and decided he preferred dark wizards over teenagers.”
“Who took over from him?”
“Sebastian.”
“Sebastian?” Y/N’s hand stilled as she reached for her coffee mug. “As in Sebastian Sallow?”
“Do you know any other Sebastians?” Poppy gave her a coy smile as she took a sip of her tea.
“I’m surprised Sharp let him take over.”
“It was a rather begrudging handover, but apparently he’s doing quite well and is a favourite amongst the students. Although that could just be because half of the girls have a crush on him.”
“Ah yes,” Y/N rolled her eyes playfully. “The infamous Sallow charm.”
“Remember it all too well, do you?”
“Don’t start, Poppy.” Y/N sighed but there was a small smile playing on the corners of her mouth as she thought about her former housemate and close friend. The first few years after they all graduated Hogwarts Y/N had kept in touch regularly with the friends she had made, but as it often does life got in the way and the contact became less and less frequent. It was hard to keep in touch with someone when she was off-grid for weeks at a time when scouting out poacher camps, and if she didn’t live and work with Poppy she doubted the brunette would be next to her either.
They still got together for the larger life events - they had all attended Ominis and Anne’s wedding a few years ago, and went out to celebrate when Imelda snagged a spot on the Holyhead Harpies - but it had been a while since she had seen them all. She missed Anne’s baby shower the year before; although if she had it her way she would have much rather been there as opposed to in a hospital cot in Saint Mungo’s with a decent chunk of her left arm missing (another scar ran across her forearm diagonally, but the Healers had done an excellent job to regrow the limb, and she was left with no pain in the arm whatsoever).
Y/N couldn’t help but smile as her thoughts drifted to Sebastian and the mischief they used to get up to when they were at school. Sneaking into the Restricted Section had become one of their favourite pastimes after the events of their fifth year, if only to say that they still could. She supposed they would have to behave themselves now that they were both Professors.
“I know that smile. Tell me again how you’re not going to get into any trouble this year?” Poppy laughed at the look on her face.
“Oh, shut up.”
#sebastian sallow fic#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian x mc#sebastian x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow fanfiction#sebastian sallow x y/n#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x fem!reader#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#hogwarts game#hogwarts#hogwarts legacy#awkwardauthormasterlist#awkwardauthorwrites#awkwardauthor
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Protector
Based on this request: I was wondering if you could write maybe some angst with fluff about how you and Sebastian are fighting against a villain and he takes the blow for you? thank you so much
Word Count: 2.6k
Themes: angst, fluff. Fem!Reader
Warnings: All characters aged up to 18+. Potential spoilers for HL
“How are you not tired, yet?” Sebastian glared over his shoulder at Y/N, who currently had her back pressed up against his in a defensive position. They had severely underestimated the size of the camp, as they had been fighting the bandits for the better part of an hour and they were only just beginning to thin out. Y/N just let out a laugh and shot a well-timed glacius-diffindo combination at the Ashwinder scout in front of her, eyes meeting his briefly so he could see the mischief that danced in them.
“Honestly, compared to what I usually go through, this whole situation has felt more like a leisurely stroll than a fierce battle.” Ancient magic surged at Y/N’s fingertips and she wiggled them experimentally, a sly smile on her face as she raised her hand in the air and called lightning down to hit the group in front of them. Sebastian would never admit it, but sometimes the sheer immensity of her power terrified him. It was breathtaking to watch, but seeing an Ashwinder disappear before his very eyes in nothing but a cloud of red mist was unnerving to say the least.
An Ashwinder duellist stepped towards the pair, waving their wand to cast a shield around themselves. A barrel flew past him, guided by Y/N’s ability, and smashed through it, stunning the duellist for a brief moment. Sebastian should have used the seconds bought to bring the attacker down, but instead he flung a shield up around Y/N as a spellbinder shot a spell at her. The duellist cackled, eyes narrowing as they took note of Sebastian’s attempts to protect Y/N, no doubt trying to find a way to exploit it.
“Reducto!”
“Diffindo!” Sebastian interrupted the cast with a severing charm, chuckling as the duellist was spun around and the curse hit a member of their team instead.
“You’re brilliant,” Y/N laughed, her hand reaching behind her to squeeze his arm briefly.
“Next time you want to sneak out of the castle we’re going to the Three Broomsticks for a drink.”
“First rounds on me,” Y/N twirled her wand between her fingers expertly and narrowly dodged a disarming charm an Ashwinder executioner threw her way. “You’ll have to do better than that,” she taunted.
“Y/N, please do not antagonise the angry murderers who are attacking us,” Sebastian groaned. He couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement as she laughed and cast expelliarmus at the executioner, causing him to lose control over the lightning storm he was summoning. Y/N tugged them both aside as the lightning crackled too close for comfort and took cover behind a tent.
“You’re no fun.” Her chest was heaving from exertion but there was a spark to her eyes he hadn’t seen in a while.
“Wasn’t it you who told me fun was relative?” Sebastian, Y/N noted, looked unfairly wellkept considering how long they had been fighting. Her hair had fallen from its updo a while ago and she dreaded having to work the tangles out of it later. Meanwhile, while he may have been more out of breath than her, Sebastian looked as if he had exerted no more energy than he would on a pleasant walk around the lake that bordered their school.
“And this is relatively fun,” she shot him a sinful grin as she quoted him and ducked back into the fray. Although he tried to look annoyed, Sebastian couldn’t help but chuckle, unable to deny her contagious enthusiasm. He shot a particularly vicious confringo at an explosive barrel that was located coincidentally close to a handful of soldiers, taking them all down in one go, before turning to watch Y/N as she levitated three men at once and summoned them towards her before blasting them away again with a particularly powerful bombarda.
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Sebastian let out a low whistle, eyes darting around to look for any more enemies. Y/N scoffed and rolled her eyes in response, looking across the quiet camp for any more Ashwinders who may have been lurking in the shadows. “Do you see Mr Pippin's chest anywhere?”
“I mean,” Y/N looked around, taking note of several chests dotted around the camp. “Revelio.” The spell lit the chests up, not pointing to any of them in particular. “Yeah I didn’t think it would be that easy,” Y/N sighed and began to make her way to the closest container when a loud crack echoed through the air around them.
“What have you done?” The Ashwinder boss roared at them, eyes full of rage as he took note of the destruction around them.
“Whoops?” Y/N offered. Sebastian grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose at her casual tone.
“Whoops?” he repeated, glaring down at her. “We have an Ashwinder boss in front of us, potentially ready to end our lives for what we did to their camp, and all you can say is whoops?”
“What do you want me to - ” Y/N started to protest, only to be cut off by the boss.
“Enough. You’ll pay for this. Both of you. Crucio!” The Ashwinder boss pointed his wand at Y/N, a vile grin on his features. Red sparks flickered at the end of the stick and time seemed to slow as a bolt of red lightning zigzagged its way across the field in her direction.
“No!” Y/N fell to the ground, her palms scraping the rough stone surface as Sebastian shoved her out of the way. She watched in horror as the curse hit him instead and could have sworn her heart stopped in her chest as he fell to his knees, arm clutching his stomach.
“Sebastian!” The scream ripped out of Y/N’s throat as she scrambled over the gravel to reach him. The arm that had been holding him up faltered and he fell to the ground with a loud yell that echoed around them. Y/N felt her stomach lurch as the boss cackled.
“Avada - ” He never got a chance to finish the killing curse. White hot rage filled every inch of Y/N’s body and ancient magic lashed out, no longer in her control as it found its target. She was vaguely aware of the sickening crunch as their enemy’s body collapsed in on itself and fell limply to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
Sebastian grunted in pain as he rolled over onto his back, the curse finally subsiding now that his attacker was dead. Y/N reached out for him hesitantly, only to recoil as his arm twitched violently - an after effect of the lightning coursing through his body. She wanted nothing more than to gather him in her arms and make sure he was okay but could still remember how painful it had been all those years ago when he had cast the same curse on her. How the pain had lingered in her bones, her very soul, far longer than she ever let him know. Tears spilled down her face as she watched helplessly as the spasms finally ended and he lay there breathing heavily, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
“Sebastian,” she hesitantly reached out for him and gently pulled her head to rest on her lap when he didn’t flinch away from her. “Why did you do that?” she brushed his hair out of his face and used the hem of her cloak to wipe away his sweat. “How could you be so stupid?”
“I couldn’t watch you in pain,” he groaned. “Not like that. Not again.” A harsh cough left his mouth, followed by a wince, before he looked up at her. “Why are you crying?” he raised a shaky hand up, as if to wipe away her tears and she watched, heart clenching in terror, as it fell limply to his side.
“Sebastian? Sebastian!”
*~*~*~*~*
A small part of Sebastian was convinced he had died as he floated in and out of a painless sleep. He was having the strangest dream, he thought to himself as he looked at the dryad who was fast asleep at his bedside, clutching his hand in hers as if it were her lifeline. He followed the lines of her half covered face and itched to run his hands through her long, green tresses. She shifted, moving the light with her, and he watched in fascination and confusion as her features morphed and her hair slowly cycled through various shades of colour until he recognised the woman asleep beside him.
“Y/N.” He squeezed her hand with what little strength he had left and watched as she slowly came to.
“Sebastian?” she murmured, still half-asleep. The hand that wasn’t holding on his rubbed at her eyes tiredly and she suddenly sat up as she realised he was awake. “Oh thank Merlin, you’re awake - ” Y/N looked as if she were about to fling herself on him in an embrace, but stopped as she realised she would only hurt him more. “Are you okay? Do you need me to get Nurse Blainey?”
“I’m fine,” he gently tugged at her hand so she would sit at the end of his bed. “How did you get me here?” Sebastian remembered jumping in front of the spell, not thinking about anything except for protecting Y/N; he had watched her writhe in pain once from the torture curse and he silently vowed to himself she would never have to go through that again as long as he was around. He couldn’t remember much after the Cruciatus Curse had hit him, apart from the blinding agony he felt.
“I apparated us as close to the castle as I could get and levitated you the rest of the way. Blainey wasn’t exactly pleased - or surprised - that I woke her in the middle of the night. She’s going to talk to Black and Weasley first thing in the morning. I don’t quite have your level of charm, I suppose.”
“You’re plenty charming when you want to be,” Sebastian squeezed her hand gently before slowly sitting up in the hospital cot. “Did you tell her what happened?”
“I didn’t have to - she knew immediately. Apparently I’ve earned a reputation for having students jump in front of curses for me,” Y/N rolled her eyes and fixed him with a glare. “Which was a completely stupid thing for you to do, might I add.”
“Hey,” he gave her a reproachful look and watched as she stood up, “I technically just saved you. You could be a little nicer.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Are you feeling better?”
“I…I guess I’m a little sore but all things considered, yes, I’m better,” Sebastian’s eyebrow furrowed in confusion as he watched her pace up and down.
“Well then, I’m furious.” Y/N stopped in front of his bed, eyes blazing with anger. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Protect you?”
“I don’t need protection!” her loud words echoed in the too-quiet room and Sebastian watched as her chest heaved in annoyance. “What if he shot a curse that was worse than crucio? What if he - ” Y/N broke off with a sob and fresh tears fell down her face. Sebastian thought the Cruciatus curse would be the nastiest kind of agony he had ever felt for the rest of his life, but seeing Y/N’s tear-stricken face and knowing he was the cause sent a crack through his heart.
“Y/N…” he came to a shaky stand and tried to reach out for her, but she shook her head and took a step back.
“You could have been killed.” She turned away and buried her head in her hands, quiet sobs shaking her shoulders. Sebastian took a couple of apprehensive steps towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned and flung herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around him as she cried into his chest. “I can’t lose you.”
“I’m here.” Sebastian felt a piece of his heart shatter and pulled her into a much needed, tight embrace. There was a burning sensation behind his eyes as he wound one arm around her waist and threaded the other into her hair, holding her in place against him. “I’m okay.” He kissed the top of her forehead as tears slipped out of his own eyes.
“This time.” Y/N meant for her words to come out sharp, for them to sting, but instead he took one of her hands and held it against his chest, right above his heart.
“I’m okay,” he repeated softly. “See? It’s still beating for you.”
“Don’t be cute at a time like this,” she glared at him but the blow didn’t quite land as intended when he caught sight of her tear stained face. He smiled gently at her and wiped her tears away, using the sleeve of his robe to dry her face.
“Okay.”
“And never do anything that stupid again.”
“I promise not to jump in front of a curse that will cause you debilitating pain ever again.”
“Sebastian.”
“Okay, okay. I promise. Anything else?”
“One more thing.” She used his tie to tug him towards her and placed a too-quick kiss on his lips. “If you ever, and I mean ever, so much as think about doing something so stupid again, I will make you wish you never taught me all three of the unforgivable curses,” she muttered against his lips. Sebastian blinked at her, his emotions torn between being frightened by her threat and flustered by the kiss.
“Duly noted,” he nodded, nose bumping hers gently before he leant back in to kiss her again.
“I mean it Sallow,” she pulled away from him, a blush rising to her cheeks. “I don’t need you to protect me and I will not hesitate to crucio you myself if you do that again.”
“Y/N,” he groaned, head landing on her shoulder gently. “I will promise you the entire world if you want it, but for now would you please stop talking and just let me kiss you back.”
“Only if you kiss me like you mean it.” Y/N fiddled with the knot in his tie as she avoided his gaze, suddenly looking very unsure of herself. A part of Sebastian wanted to berate her for it - how could she not tell that was all he wanted since the moment she bested him in their first duel two years ago? That she was the only person he ever wanted to kiss, the only one he wanted to be with? He may have had a few dalliances since meeting her (and he knew she did too) but it had always been her right from the very first moment.
“Darling,” he tilted her head up gently so he could look her in the eye, “later I’ll tell you all about how you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted, but right now I can definitely promise you that I mean it.” He closed the gap between them, trying to be a gentleman as he kissed her sweetly to convey how he felt about her, but Y/N was having none of it as she tugged at his hair and wrapped herself around him, her lips moving against his in frantic desperation. He groaned as she caught his lower lip between his teeth and tugged at it gently, causing Sebastian to reluctantly pull away from the kiss to look down at her, his eyes roaming over her tousled hair and swollen lips. “Easy now, we have the rest of our lives for that.”
“I like the sound of that.”
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