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ravenelyx · 2 years ago

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I love you in every timeline - Chapter 1: My Love Is As a Fever, Longing Still

← Prologue

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Fem!Reader

Words: 14.9k

Chapter Warnings: angst, Harry Potter characters appearance, no name usage for reader (only a few blank spaces), use of 2nd person for the reader, Sebastian is confused and doesn't know how to handle his feelings, and he's also struggling with his personality, veeeeery slow burn

Summary: "He couldn't risk being emotionally stuck somewhere he didn't belong just because his heart was grieving and crying out for a memory of the girl it broke and pieced itself back together for. He couldn't do that to you. He couldn't do that to himself. He couldn't do that to her". In which Sebastian, in his search for a cure in the Dark Arts, finds himself 100 years into the future and meets his most trusted companion's descendant (who looks far too similar to the girl he was once secretly in love with).

A/N: this is long, and more is to come. It's gonna be a very slow burn apparently, but I hope you will like it. Finally Chapter 1 is here, it's been a while. Also, as much as I love fanon! Draco and Pansy, I decided to follow a more canonical approach here, sorry. Again, english is not myfirst language so I'm sorry if I made any mistakes. Never am I going to write about time travel again,my brain hurts.

I also made a playlist inspired by this because why not.

You can find the whole fanfiction here on ao3

"My love is as a fever, longing still For that which longer nurseth the disease, Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill, Th’ uncertain sickly appetite to please." - William Shakespeare, Sonnet 147

You weren't her.

Then who the hell were you?

You briefly smiled at Sebastian and then turned back to the red-head, squinting. "Do you have the book or not?"

Ron gulped, avoiding your eyes. "It's probably in my dorm or something... I didn't have class, so I didn't take it with me."

"In your dorm, isn't that right?" Your eyes narrowed even more if that was even possible, and Sebastian was pretty sure you were about to hex him on the spot. Your leering didn't go unnoticed by either of the two Gryffindors and Hermione’s throat bobbed ever so slightly, eyes widening a little in alert.

"Well, as I said—"

"Here," interrupted Hermione suddenly, voice slightly squeaking. She looked into her bag and extracted her own copy of Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants. "Use this in the meantime. I take notes on the book too, unlike Ronald here, so it should compensate."

You accepted the book, seemingly calming down a bit. “Thank you, Hermione,” you said, enunciating her name sarcastically as you shot the other boy a nasty look, and Sebastian couldn't help but feel a touch of schadenfreude as Ron hung his head low, cheeks as red as his hair.

“I said I'll give it back,” said Ron, scowling. “It’s not like you need it anyway. Sprout doesn’t even make us open books!”

You politely smiled at Hermione, your eye slightly twitching at his remark, before said smile turned into a sneer as you looked at Ron again. “Then what the hell is taking you so long?"

Hermione sighed softly, dejectedly, and Ron shrinked on himself, sending Sebastian an unconfident look. But that only seemed to propel you to continue.

"And most people do open books for Herbology, my dear Ron, but I don’t expect you to know that. You’re too busy trying to find ways to whine and beg others to help your lazy ass later when they have other, more important things to do.”

Sebastian saw it happen, in a gradual, torturous slowing of time. There was something about you, in the way your lip quirked up, in the way your brows furrowed, giving life to that crease. Something that you couldn't stop, washing over you like a tsunami, drowning any possible thought of rationality and empathy. Control, in that moment, was appearance and nothing more.

He felt, for a moment, afraid; chilling his veins until goosebumps raised on his skin: a thrill, as if she was there. As if he was watching her unleash that godly power in all her beauty.

You were still, hands clammy at your sides, as he could see you open and close them repeatedly, and you weren't gloating. It was different; like that thick, foggy feeling that floods your brain when your opponent misses a step whilst casting Protego, or opens their arm a bit too much, making it easy for a well-aimed Stunning Spell to pass through, and it makes your cheeks turn red and your chest flutter, and Sebastian saw that twinkle in your eyes as you ignored Hermione’s pleading look.

The same thrill that makes his heart tug when he inevitably, nimbly raises his wand back. When the spell goes right where he intended it to go, and the deaf sound of a wand hitting the floor fills his ears.

It was that innate human side that took pleasure in pain. That part that could turn from a lambent glow into a Fiendfyre if you're not careful. Or if you really put your mind to it.

But you weren't duelling.

Sebastian wasn’t sure what to make of the way with which you were slandering your — he supposed — friend. And in front of him, too. It made him slightly tremble, his lip slightly twitch. Part of him wondered if he was invisible, part of him felt a little too alert, part of him pitied the girl in front of him.

And while it seemed Ron and Hermione were just as shocked, they had a sort of weary gleam in their eyes. And any attempt at smoothing things over was futile. Hermione feebly tried to intervene. “Oh, we don’t need to go further—”

“You see Ronald, for a Prefect you should really put some thought into the impression you’re making on new students, not to mention the one you should give of our school—” you ignored her and sarcastically gestured towards Sebastian, who felt his breath hitch at the sudden spotlight put on him, “and yet, you’re always so comfortable acting like a dimwit . Pull yourself together and be responsible for once.”

Ron’s jaw fell open, completely at loss for words at your harsh words, and he shared a look with Hermione that Sebastian was able to understand completely.

What the hell just happened?

He couldn't agree more.

“I think you’re overreacting,” said Ron sternly.

“I think you’re disrespectful,” you replied just as eagerly.

“Alright, that’s enough!” said Hermione, putting herself between the two Gryffindors. “It so happens we have a guest here!”

Sebastian felt his heartbeat quicken ever-so-slightly as both you and Ron turned to him like you had just seen him for the first time. He shifted his weight uncomfortably; an attempt to get rid of that eerie shiver that ran down his spine as your incensed gaze fell on him.

That seemed to snap you out of it, and your cheeks flushed a bit in regret. “Fair enough...” you muttered, nodding at Sebastian. “Sorry.”

He nodded back, unsure about what to do as he shifted his eyes between you and Ron, letting them linger on your face each time he looked at you. Your nose had that same curve he always wished he could kiss, run his lips over with reverence… He shook the thought out of his head immediately.

“I should receive an apology as well,” muttered Ron, and Hermione nudged his arm as a warning not to add fuel to the fire.

"You have one day. Just one." You gave Ron an ultimatum, your tone sharp and, Sebastian thought, quite frightening. He hoped to never find himself in Ron's place. “And don’t expect me to help you ever again, I'm tired of it!”

You didn’t wait for an answer and began to walk away, only stopping briefly to look at the Slytherin boy. "I wish you the best of luck, especially if he— " you glanced at Ron again "—has to be the one guiding you through this maze they call a school."

Sebastian gasped and opened his mouth to reply, but his words seemed to be stuck somewhere between his throat and his tongue. He let his eyes fleet over your face again, heart beating out of his chest as he tried to make out your features, like in a dream.

"I hope we'll meet again soon enough." You forced a smile on your face that looked almost guilty and embarrassed, and with that, you were gone.

His eyes followed you until you turned a corner and vanished from his sight, thoughts racing at a hundred miles an hour — questions with no answers clouding his mind more and more each second. Who were you? Why did you look like her? And above all, why did you bear her family name?

Even after the theatricals that he had just witnessed, there was a certain hope in his heart: traitorous and wrong. A hope that she was really there, somewhere, waiting for him. A hope he immediately wanted to crush as soon as the image of your eyes and red robes flashed in the window of his vision again.

Sebastian Sallow was utterly, completely, absolutely losing his mind.

He was aware of the gravity of his situation — his body still spasmed uncomfortably every now and then as a result of having travelled through space and time — but, Sebastian realised, it felt more like a trance. A painfully aware and too tight reverie he couldn't find a way out of. After all, just the night before, Natty had asked him if he wanted to take part in Summoner's Court with her the next day, hadn't she?

And just a few hours after that, Sebastian had decided to try his last chance, opening the artefact that, he had believed, would bring him back to a time where her sister wasn't cursed — a time he could have avoided the disaster. And not just one at that.

He took a deep breath, willing the halls of Hogwarts to become brighter in his vision, more real. He was indeed in the future, he repeated himself, his ribcage evidently too small to contain the excruciating throbbing he felt in his chest. He had to accept that. He did. Probably.

“Bloody hell!” Sebastian heard Ron mutter as he also stared at the point from which you had just disappeared. “What was all that for?”

“Honestly, Ronald…” said Hermione curtly. “We’ll deal with this later.”

Still, Sebastian felt painfully calm at his situation: the sort of calm that he only experienced when he knew he was in trouble and couldn't do anything about it, or when he knew he was in trouble and had the solution for it lying in his hands, teeming down his throat like a treacly and old pint of Butterbeer, or a briquette of ice, whipsawed by the choice of safely travelling down his stomach and melt and leave him warm and satisfied or change direction and chill his lungs and cut his breath and bring him to a freeze.

What would Sebastian, a calm and collected person (and he believed he was, or tried, at least), do in a similar situation?

Two options came to his mind, clear and painfully bright.

To freak out completely until he was in shambles on the floor, addled and ready to break himself and cut the edges of his persona to fit into the new reality he now essentially belonged to, though he still didn't feel like it.

Or estrange himself from said reality, seeing it through lenses, analysing the world around him as if he weren't there until he found a way to go back, like a spectator, a reader. And he was indeed a reader.

In a way, the very core of one was tantamount to the other — both would completely destroy him. And Sebastian Sallow could not allow himself to be destroyed. Not like this.

But then there was another, the one Sebastian desperately willed himself to adopt, keeping his edges glued to himself and the lenses away from his perfectly working eyes.

The one he followed when everyone had lost hope for Anne.

And that was any option available, and every rational thought, even if the sound of them — or anything else, really — was still drowned by the loud pounding of his heart reverberating at the thought of the girl who just flipped his world upside down.

“What did you say her name was again?” Sebastian asked the two students, his eyes never leaving the corner you had just turned.

Ron and Hermione both looked at him with surprise; Ron opened his mouth with a scowl, as if about to make a snarky remark, but Hermione interrupted him, repeating your name calmly.

That was indeed the name.

And so he tried to be as rational as possible.

“Thank you,” said Sebastian quietly, lips parted, gaze musing. “I’d forgotten that just there.”

You were her descendant, a hundred years from his time.

Sebastian couldn't remember her having any siblings or cousins who bore her surname, but if you did, you had to have received it from a male member of her family, didn't you? She couldn't possibly have given you her name unless she married someone from her own bloodline, and Merlin, he hated that thought.

Or she had married someone else and decided to keep her own surname instead, and, once again, Sebastian knew — it wasn't his first thought, of course, but certainly one that plagued his mind — that he couldn't have been the one she had married, because if one thing was true about Sebastian Sallow, it was that he'd have burned down the world just to get her to take his last name.

His thoughts circled back to her family, but try as he might, he couldn't pinpoint any related members from whom you might descend. He was starting to feel dizzy and sure to be on the brink of collapsing under the amount of information he was trying to process, but then Ron and Hermione pulled him out of his trance by starting to explain the rules of the castle, the classes to attend and some basic information about the Professors.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts changes every year; they say there's a curse on the chair or something," explained Ron, having calmed down a bit, and half-smiled, "so you won't have to see toad-face for long."

"Toad-what?" asked Sebastian absent-mindedly, his head still teeming with disjointed thoughts and meandering ideas which, Sebastian was sure of it, would never find a proper abode.

"Our new Professor. You'll see what I mean when you meet her for the first time."

Sebastian nodded occasionally as he listened to them talk about the other Professors, such as Snape, the Potions teacher, and also the Head of the Slytherin House. Ron kept going on about how annoying he was, trying not to show how much he was afraid of him. "You don't have to worry, though: Slytherins get special treatment from him," he said jokingly.

Ron, Sebastian decided then, was a nice fellow. He found himself wondering why you had reproached him so harshly. He had half-a-mind to ask, then, about your behaviour — and why both the two Gryffindors seemed to be far less surprised about it than he expected. He decided against it.

"Wait, what do you mean, she won't let you use spells?" Sebastian frowned as they talked about 'toad-face', alias Dolores Umbridge.

"She's from the Ministry," explained Hermione. "After what happened last year, we're sure they're doing everything they can to keep the school under control and make sure no lies—" she stroked the word sarcastically, "—are spread among the students.

"I'll explain everything later. We should focus on more important things, like your academic persona and your education," she added, noticing his confused expression.

She was definitely Prefect and worthy of her role too, at least if you went by the typical clichés.

The hours passed, and there wasn't a minute when Sebastian didn't think of her.

And of you.

Because the more time he spent walking, the more his rationality seemed weak and pointless.

He thought he'd go mad, her memories spoiled by your oh-so-similar but equally different features. He saw your eyes looking at him back in the Scriptorium, as she was ready to take the Cruciatus Curse rather than cast it on him. He saw a Gryffindor sitting by him in Herbology, stealing not-so-subtle glances while tending to the mandrakes. He felt like his mind was splitting in half, frustrated and embittered and close to tears as you tainted his remembrances of her.

He needed to see you again, talk to you, ask about your life, your family, your past. He needed to know every thought behind your eyes, every subtle expression towards him that could mean you recognised him, that you were her, that you remembered him, remembered your time together, that you'd follow him in all his antics, in all his mistakes, in all his choices, that your actions meant more than your words.

That you loved him as he loved you — as he loved her.

Her.

Not you.

Because he didn't need to talk to you. Because indeed your recent actions spoke louder than words ever could.

Because no matter how much Sebastian fooled himself into thinking that he wasn't alone, stuck in a world that had gone on without him for a hundred years, that she returned his feelings the way he thought she did, that somehow you'd look at him and know that she was meant for him, that you were meant for him, you weren't her . You didn't know him. You could never know him as she did, and not because he wouldn't let you in — he'd run to you even now and lay his heart open if it meant finding a faint resemblance to what it used to be — but because he couldn't allow it. He couldn't risk being emotionally stuck somewhere he didn't belong just because his heart was grieving and crying out for a memory of the girl it broke and pieced itself back together for. He couldn't do that to you. He couldn't do that to himself. He couldn't do that to her.

At that moment, Sebastian made the decision to stay as far away from you as possible.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he reached the Great Hall. He hadn't noticed that it was already lunchtime.

"Do you think Dumbledore will make a speech to introduce him or not?" asked Ron, not caring that the Slytherin boy could hear him loud and clear.

"I don't think he'd just let it go, but I hope it won't be as big as last year's," noted Hermione.

"Those were two bloody new schools, Hermione. This one must be different."

He felt like a new Honeydukes product hitting the shelves for the first time.

It turned out the Headmaster hadn't made a speech to introduce him, and Sebastian almost would have preferred it if he had, because he felt like a circus monkey sitting at the Slytherin table with a hundred eyes staring at him like he'd just broken into their home and stole a particularly rare card from their Chocolate Frogs collection. He looked around at the other tables and saw heads turning away so quickly that he was sure he would be the culprit in a mass murder with a thousand broken necks. He sighed as a girl with dark hair and green eyes sitting opposite of him handed him mashed potatoes.

"Do you want to eat or not? No one poisoned your food just because they don't know you."

Sebastian glanced at her and accepted her plate, munching his food slowly as if he didn't quite believe her.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson."

"Sebastian Sallow."

"Sallow? Never heard of that name. What's your blood status?"

He almost choked on his food at her blunt question. What kind of uncivilised conversation was this? And the way she looked at him, waiting for his answer, he knew that that question alone could decide his entire future — hopefully a short one — in that House.

"I'm a pureblood like you, I suppose," he lied, lifting an eyebrow as he blankly stared at the girl.

"I see," said Pansy, narrowing her eyes as if not fully believing him. And Sebastian knew it was probably time for him to make up a story, a lie he could tell everyone in the indefinite amount of time he was to spend among them.

He had put a great deal of thought into what wanted to tell in the past hour — he could, after all, be anyone. Anyone he wanted.

He could change his past, he could avoid his mistakes, he could pretend to be a normal boy with a normal life. He could just be.

In the end, it didn't matter, because while other people might look at him and see only a picture-perfect new student with a thirst for knowledge, he would look at himself and see the boy who tortured his friend, the boy who murdered his uncle.

They might not know, but he would.

He kept the edges tight against his body, and decided to opt for a half lie that made it easier for him to play on and not forget any details.

He told her that he wasn't from the Highlands. He told her how his parents were Professors at another magical school but died prematurely, and left him to live with his uncle, a former Auror. And he told her about his timely death as well, omitting, of course, his involvement in it.

"When he died, too, I decided to move here," he concluded simply, hiding the tremble of his lips behind a glass of pumpkin juice.

Part of him expected sympathy from her, or at least a hint of hesitation; that look he had become so accustomed to whenever people came to know about his tragic tale or something along those lines.

Surprisingly — though, for some reason, Sebastian wasn’t surprised in the slightest — Pansy Parkinson didn't seem to care at all.

"Were your parents true purebloods or filthy blood traitors like the Weasleys?" she asked instead, clearly showing where her priorities lay, and it was enough for him to know that his earlier hope that there would be no more discrimination was merely a child's prayer.

"They have magic. That's the only thing you need to know." Sebastian cut short before focusing on his food. He noticed the familiar badge on her robes and silently thanked Dumbledore for assigning him to the Gryffindor Prefects instead. At least they never judged him, not even for dwelling with time and space like a bloody idiot — though he believed he had seen a gleam of reproach in Hermione's eyes as she'd uttered the word 'misadventure .

"All right, I believe you." She shrugged.

Sebastian wasn't convinced.

Pansy nudged a boy beside her, who looked at him with his piercing grey eyes. He was pale, with sleek blond hair so light it almost looked white, and also wore a badge. He reminded Sebastian of Ominis. That must be Malfoy.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," — it hadn't been so hard to guess, though now Sebastian thought he'd rather not meet him at all — "I saw you walking around today with that skint blood traitor and that mudblood Granger. You should have been assigned to us. It's not worth it to taint your blood status by associating with such filth," he spoke venomously, a mocking tone punctuating his sentences.

Skint blood traitor. Mudblood. He was exactly like those boors Sebastian so enjoyed thrashing in Crossed Wands when they had the guts to join. Perhaps he could do the same with him — blast him with Bombarda until his hair turned black (or he went bald; any of them would do).

Sebastian didn't know why he suddenly felt like defending the honour of two people he had met that same day, but he wished he could poison his food instead.

"Maybe next time you'll be considered fit for your assigned role. I suppose all that purity didn’t take you that far this time," he replied just as rudely.

Draco Malfoy made a weird face — a mix between stunned and angry and that half smirk that had begun to creep up his face as he had expected Sebastian to agree with him, and that had died on his lips but not yet fully, and the whole thing was so comical Sebastian had to hold back a snort. Because that was not (not in a million years, no matter how many artefacts he accidentally opened) going to happen, and when Draco Malfoy realised it, he seemed to have a hard time closing his mouth back to a dignified expression.

"I'd be careful if I were you, new student. I'm a Prefect!" he threatened, squinting his grey eyes and finally gaining enough control to curl his lip into a small smirk.

Spoiled bragger, Sebastian thought.

"And what exactly are you planning to do — take points away from your own House?" replied Sebastian, smirking back, enjoying how his face turned back to that ferret-like countenance.

"We share the same dormitory. Choose your words carefully." Draco Malfoy pursed his lips, his face becoming even paler. Sebastian wondered if he had even an ounce of blood in that body of his.

"We do indeed, so I suggest you sleep with one eye open," retorted Sebastian. Part of him knew that, logically, he should have been more mature about the situation.

But Merlin, he was starting to despise the brat.

(And the other part of him was still fantasising about that Bombarda-induced vengeance).

"You think you can scare me?"

Draco Malfoy snickered, and the line of Slytherins sitting on his side began staring at the two boys with piqued interest, wondering what all the fuss was about. It was quite unusual for two Slytherins to argue so openly, and even students from other Houses had begun to turn their heads towards their direction. Two big students beside Draco Malfoy snickered, too, as if on cue. Sebastian felt a wave of repugnance at how pathetic they looked.

"Definitely not, especially when you have your guard dogs next to you." Sebastian nodded at the two students mockingly. "Tell me, does your father pay them to be by your side? They can't be that stupid to volunteer to be in your presence."

The blond appeared to want to eat him alive, while the other two took a bit longer to fully understand his words before reproducing the same angry expression. Perhaps Sebastian understood your outburst: it was indeed gratifying to pour his disdain out. Though, unlike you, Sebastian didn't feel an ounce of regret.

"All right, Draco, enough of this," interrupted Pansy with a sigh, before giving Sebastian a hateful look. "He's a blood traitor like Weasley, and he'd better take care of his priorities."

Sebastian ignored her, focusing back on his food and already dreading the idea of having to share his Common Room and dormitory with people like that. Maybe he could sleep in the Undercroft for the rest of the year. He wondered if that place still existed at all.

Strangely enough, the aftermath was quite unsatisfactory, and Sebastian felt his cheeks warm up as he realised he had indeed acted like an immature git, stepping down right at their level. He stared at his half-empty plate, abashed.

The time passing, then, felt particularly chilly under his skin.

After he felt content enough with his lunch, Sebastian stood up, ready to meet the two Gryffindors again. He faltered a little as he looked around their table, his chest squeezing as he caught a glimpse of you. And not just a glimpse.

He watched you as you engaged in a happy conversation with a red-haired girl next to you: she scarily resembled Ron, so he deduced that she must be his sister. The two Prefects sat opposite you, and on your other side was a boy with messy black hair and round glasses.

Sebastian noticed how you tried to avoid Ron's eyes, only glancing up at him through your lashes from time to time before looking back at the girl, and he wondered if you would even apologise or if you were waiting for the red-head to do so. How proud were you? How much did you care? To which length were you willing to go for the people you loved? Sebastian felt a compulsive need to know it all, a new wave of hunger right in the pit of his stomach, completely empty even after his heavy, albeit displeasing, lunch, and ready to be fed by what all he could find about you. He needed to know every last bit of information, if it was the last thing he did in that new world.

That eerie calm chilled his bones again, moderately assuaging his desire, like a glass of cold water before supper. Sebastian realised he was stuck, so he had no rush to do exactly that. He didn't need to be greedy, to devour — though the idea was tempting indeed — and to gobble up every bit of you yet. He could feast, he could savour, he could indulge in his sumptuous meal like he deserved. And then he would find his way back, satiated beyond belief.

Now that would take his edges off.

He shook his head, derailing that tingly feeling running down his lower stomach before it nestled, and averted his eyes, instead noticing that barely anyone had left the Great Hall, and he was the only Slytherin standing. He quickly walked out of the room and rested against a column, wondering if he should wait for Ron and Hermione to finish eating and meet him, or if he should just go alone.

Sebastian decided to walk to the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, to the Undercroft, praying it would still be there, untouched by other students. When he arrived, he saw the familiar clock, and his heart swelled in fear and anticipation as he took out his wand and flourished it like he had done so many times he practically relied on muscle memory alone.

The clock hands started to turn, and he breathed a sigh of relief as a door opened to the familiar room that he considered an analogue to his house. He stepped in carefully and looked around. The furniture hadn’t moved an inch in a hundred years, still in the same position that Ominis knew by memory. He wondered about him: if he knew Sebastian would one day disappear forever only to remain stuck in the future, if he had waited for him in that same room hoping for him to come back, or if he was glad he was gone after all.

Sebastian wondered if he would ever return to his time: if Ominis and Anne had been waiting for him their entire lives, getting old without him, and if they had hoped that they would one day see him again, and then he had another terrifying thought: what if he went back yet it was too late?

What if all of his pals were much older than him once he did? What if, upon his return, he discovered Anne still suffering the effects of the curse, or worse yet, already deceased? What if Ominis had been made to return to his family, where he would have either changed into one of them or been tortured and murdered? What if she had found someone else to fall in love and share the rest of her life with, or what if the perilous journeys she was compelled to take killed her and he had not been there to save her?

"Scourgify!" he declared, pointing his wand at various objects around him to clean them, wishing he could reproduce the same effect on his mind.

Once he was done, he sat down, leaned against a column, and put his head in his hands, breathing deeply and feeling his eyes burn.

The calm had gone, replaced by pure, utter despair and panic. It had only been a few hours since he'd found himself there, confused and startled, and he knew it would be many more until he went back — if ever.

If ever.

The thought cut at his lungs like sharp glass, drawing quiet and wet sobs. He didn't know whether the artefact could ever be repaired at all. He didn't know whether he could control it enough to go back if it was repaired. For all he knew, he'd find himself in bloody Mesopotamia, if he was lucky enough to survive another travel. Or he'd get stuck between time and space, forever embedded in the threads between realities.

Based on those thoughts alone, Sebastian felt like he should be grateful to have found himself still in Hogwarts, as safe as he could be, but he wasn't.

He missed his routine, his life, his friends. He had disappointed Ominis, but he would give anything to hear his voice now, even if he yelled at him, to see Anne even if she did not want to see him, to read their old letters over and over again, to accompany her on whatever adventure she was setting out on. Heck , he wanted to hear Headmaster Black's voice scolding him for his horrible detention record, listen to Poppy ramble about her dear magical creatures, see Garreth blow up his potions, and even wanted to hear Imelda complain about Quidditch being cancelled. He missed it all.

He spent some time there alone — he did not know whether it was minutes or hours — weeping silently to himself. His wrists copiously moved to his eyes in a weak attempt to dry his tears, which kept falling nonetheless, undaunted, wetting his cardigan and shirt and skin.

Sebastian had always prided himself in his capacity to bottle up emotions, to avoid the crying and instead channelling those goopy feelings into something more useful, like studying or spellcasting. That had backfired, and Sebastian had to learn, awfully, that doing that didn't mean those emotions wouldn't force their way out in a way or another, and after what had happened in the Catacombs, where his feelings had exploded in the worst way imaginable, he had reluctantly decided that crying alone was the best way to let them flow naturally. With that and everything that had happened to him within a few weeks, not to mention the previous events, he felt overwhelmed.

He hated it.

After drying his tears as best he could, hoping that no one would notice his glistening eyes or swollen face, he decided to leave the Undercroft and find Ron and Hermione again; they were to give him his timetable, as he would join their class starting the next day. That was before he abandoned them.

He stepped out of the room and froze in his steps. You were sitting on the ground just outside, back against the wall, focused on your textbook. You looked up once you heard a noise, and saw a dishevelled and surprised Sebastian staring straight at you.

"Oh, well, hello again, new fifth-year!" You smiled politely.

He cursed under his breath, turning his face away slightly and rubbing the back of his hand under his nose again, in case any stray tears were still present.

"'Didn't know about another secret passage in the school," you continued, apparently ignoring his actions, before muttering to yourself, "It wasn't on the Map."

"Map?" he said in a rough, unfamiliar voice, surprising even himself.

You examined him, a quizzical expression on your face. "Have you been crying?" you asked bluntly, raising your eyebrows in surprise.

Great job, Sebastian. Perfect disguise.

He felt his cheeks warm up, and he turned away again. "No... not at all." He cleared his throat, trying to find a way to switch up the conversation when his eyes fell on your book. "What are you reading?"

You frowned slightly, obviously not believing him, but understanding that he wasn't willing to talk about it, and looked back at your book. "My Herbology book. Ron gave it back to me at lunch. Finally, I’d say."

Sebastian paused for a moment, unsure whether it was appropriate to ask about what happened in the corridor, but then he felt that ache again, right above his navel, and the words slipped from his mouth without restraint. "Did you two—"

"Don't." You interrupted him and averted your eyes, staring down at the cover musingly. "Don't bring it up again. That was already embarrassing as it was."

Sebastian stayed quiet, his eyes never leaving your form. He would very much have liked to just plunge into your brain at that moment and make himself at home there.

Perhaps he needed to add 'Learn Legilimency' to his to-do list.

"How so?" he asked at length, quite stupidly, he realised.

"I lost my temper," you said simply, and forced your eyes back towards him. Your next words seemed to eject out of your mouth painfully, like they were unfamiliar to you, and it took a while for you to utter them. You sighed, "I— I suppose… I owe you an apology."

An apology never felt so forced and so sincere at the same time. "Oh, you don't have to—"

"I do. It wasn't the best impression I made of myself." Your lips parted as you leaned your head back on the wall. "I suppose I have to apologise to Ron as well — properly, I mean."

Sebastian stayed quiet, observing you curiously. Why were you telling him all that? "I... suppose," he uttered, not knowing what else to say. That appeared to be enough for you because you didn't even seem to acknowledge his words.

"He was looking for you, you know? Hermione, too. They said they needed to give you your schedule."

"Ah, yes, they mentioned that before," said Sebastian, glad to change the topic. "I’ll meet them promptly then, I was—"

"—Too busy hiding in a place no one else knew about," you continued for him.

That made him still in his steps, a chill running down his spine. Your eyes met: his open wide, yours unwavering and daring him to contradict your statement.

Perhaps the previous topic was way better.

"I just..." Come on, Sebastian, think!

"I just stumbled upon it!"

Usually he was one to conjure lies out of thin air, but being around you made his brain seem to melt. Sebastian thought that it was because he didn't really want to lie to you, or perhaps it was because, with the way your eyes pierced him, he felt as if you already knew all his secrets, all his lies, and you certainly wouldn't be fooled, not even if he made up a whole story full of intricacies and chapters worth publishing.

He knew, however, that the answer was neither, and it lay deeper than anything he was willing to admit to himself so loudly that he had to face it.

"Right."

You closed your book and stood up, facing him. He couldn't read your expression properly, but he felt his body start to uncharacteristically shrivel at the intensity with which you stared him down. He was in Ron's place.

"Strange, isn’t it? how the new student suddenly stumbles upon a secret room on his first day — a room not even Fred and George know about."

You had spoken that last part quietly, as if only to yourself. In fact, Sebastian didn’t know who Fred and George were at all. And, frankly, he didn't want to. "What can I say? I’m full of surprises," he replied smoothly.

"Or full of lies." You hadn’t missed a beat.

It was frightening how easily you had switched back to the girl he had met in the corridor. And he pitied it. And he liked it. And perhaps he was a fool for liking it, and an even bigger fool for pitying it. "I didn’t know it was illegal to be in this room," he said, scowling.

"Illegal? Oh, not at all. But certainly unusual for someone who has supposedly never set foot in this school before."

You took a step towards him, and he had to fight the urge to take one back himself. There was something wrong in the air — something goopy and misty and heavy, penetrating his skin like Mallowsweet fumes, inebriating and dizzying and frighteningly close to losing control. He had only felt it once, in Hogsmeade nonetheless. Electric and impatient, but, now, shrouded. That day, it had been galvanising. Now it was almost shy — almost… veiled.

"Hermione told me that she barely only took you through the first two floors. You're not even supposed to know about the classroom's whereabouts, and yet you seem all too comfortable with your surroundings," you continued, unaware.

He felt his heartbeat accelerate. Why did you have to be so inquisitive? Was he supposed to tell you the truth now?

Dumbledore’s voice came back to his mind: "...unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I don’t know what you're talking about. It was an accident, as I said," replied Sebastian in a poor attempt to reason again, knowing full well you wouldn't believe him.

"Certainly a convenient one." He twitched involuntarily, like he had just got a shock. The corners of your lips lifted in a sneer. "You are an interesting case... Sebastian, was it?"

He nodded hesitantly and narrowed his eyes, baffled at your countenance and your confounding words. An interesting case?

You shuffled on your feet in a nimble movement and pressed your back against the wall again, leaning onto it. "Don’t forget to show me that room sometime, too."

"And why would I do that?" Sebastian was growing impatient at your behaviour, while some part of him was thrilled at your nonchalance. The more you bantered with him, teasing him like that, the more he felt his stomach flutter. He hated himself for it.

He felt a sudden urge to leave. To run to his Common Room, or back into the Great Hall, where the noise cramming his ears would be enough to shut down each and any possible much-too-loud beat of his heart, as if the mere sound of those tiny pulses would beguile him into wandering proscribed feelings. A deceit of his own body he wasn't willing to face, not even through his love of the forbidden. The hunger and ache had to stay just that: mere curiosity, more about her and her family than you.

But he stayed in the silence of the corridor, with a loud pounding noise in his ears.

"Because it would be a shame if other people in, let’s see, higher power were to know about it, too, wouldn’t it?" You moved a hand through your hair to push it back, clearing your vision, and Sebastian watched as your locks fell around your face, a twinge in his chest. "Although I do believe Professor Flitwick would love to have another room for his choir practice. Is there a good acoustic in it?" You peered over his shoulder and towards the now closed door with a playful smile, clearly only teasing him, but the way the light fell on the tresses framing your visage was a bit too familiar to him. His mind stalled for a moment, and he didn't want those beats to stop anymore.

"Why do you care about this room so much?" Sebastian shifted his weight, now taking a step forward as well, and your eyes flickered down when you perceived the movement. Your lip twitched a bit.

"Why do you?" You simply replied, shrugging. "A secret room is a secret room. Don't you want to be a proper new student and get in good with the Professors?"

Sebastian felt his stomach boil at your singsong tone. "That seems to be more of a Gryffindor trait."

"Is it? And how much does a supposed stranger know about our Houses?"

His breath hitched and his resolve crumbled immediately at your quick retort. Sebastian warmed all over and stilled in his steps, feeling a bit too heavy on his legs. The image of the girl who lost her temper in the corridor was the one he had expected to evoke, pity even, yet she was nowhere to be found as your half-lidded gaze stared at him impishly.

"Besides," you continued, clearly feeding off his reaction with increasing confidence. "You should really get to know your Slytherin peers a bit more. Hopefully you won't become like them, but alas if you do, you'll end up snitching on this place yourself."

The thrill gradually disappeared, replaced by unadulterated annoyance. He found himself lowering his head, and he glared down at you, heart pounding in his ears. Your eyes stayed unwavering in his, though Sebastian noticed your crossed arms tightening marginally around your chest. "You can only wish to be like us," he hissed.

As you lifted an eyebrow daringly, he stepped forward again, finally free of that marbly perception that had spread through his body at your mockery, and towered over you. You tilted your head up, eyes never leaving his, the red and gold making them stand out in a way that only sent a new wave of anger through Sebastian's bones.

You could only wish to be like her.

"My dream in life."

Your voice rustled softly against your teeth, stretching with the smirk you wore, daring him to retort again. Sebastian felt it spread before he could even process your words entirely, burning through his guts all the way up to his trembling hands. That hunger. Craving. Ache. And something else — something that made the corners of his mouth tingle and his head tilt forward slightly more. He inhaled deeply from his nose, breathing out gratingly, air straining against his throat.

"Shall I serve as your future proxy and tell the faculty about it now?" you continued, voice glottal and purring, faring on the satisfaction of his heavy breathing on your face. "Might save you time ahead."

A low chuckle left his lips. "Even if you told the faculty about it, I could always pretend you were the one who showed it to me and kept it a secret all this time. After all, I am the new student, aren’t I?"

He grinned to himself as your smile fell slightly, squinting as you looked at him, but it only lasted a moment before you spoke again.

"And why, pray tell, would anyone believe that I would fraternise with a Slytherin enough to show said person a secret room?" You leaned your head on the side, and Sebastian’s heart jumped again. "And why would I turn myself in, given I would have, supposedly, kept my room hidden for five years?"

"It's my room," replied Sebastian lowly, instinctually, voice slightly trembling, blood rising to his head. Despite the height difference, he was starting to feel smaller and smaller every time you spoke, crushing his resolve word by word. It made him shrivel. "I knew it before. You're not welcome in it, nor is it any of your business."

"You knew it before," you repeated blankly, like you didn't care. "So you’re admitting to having learnt about this place already?"

What?

A heartbeat, a glint in your irises, and Sebastian's heart dropped pathetically as he realised he had given you exactly what you had been searching for — what you had wanted him to admit all this time. He shifted his weight back, leaning away from you. "No, I never said—"

"—I believe the Professors know about your true history — especially Dumbledore, you can't trick that one — so I know they won’t be fooled," you continued undaunted to shut each and every one of his possible retorts. "Plus, even if you told them that lie after I snitched on this place, they’d still let it go and take control of this room — Filch in particular. I won’t get into trouble just for keeping an insignificant room secret, but you would lose your special place."

His mouth fell open, for once at a loss for words. He could only stay silent as you threatened to reveal his hidden spot with that undeterred ragging tone of yours. Sebastian would usually brush off any threat against him, especially if it involved getting the help of teachers of all people — he was known for breaking rules on any occasion — but he couldn't ignore your words. He knew you had no idea how much that room meant to him; would you have cared if he told you? Would you have taken your words back? Why would he care if you had? He had promised himself to stay away from you, and that was exactly what he was planning to do. This conversation had gone on for too long.

"Who—Who says it's my special place?" Sebastian tried to salvage it, although his disingenuous and trembling voice betrayed him almost immediately.

"You reek of dust and humidity," you said with a satisfied smile, as if insouciantly waiting to shake his hand after your checkmate. "As if you've spent a lot of time in there just now. Also, no student in Hogwarts with more than a pea for a brain would ever refuse the comfort of a secret room no one has discovered yet."

You had deduced it... by his smell?

Sebastian had still been processing when you gathered your things and looked back at him, breaking into a genuine smile. "You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, and mind you, there are a lot of them in this school, so you'd better get used to it."

The corner of his lips quirked up against his will, heart gradually slowing down again. "Well, you did just threaten me in a way."

You chuckled — an unfeigned, carefree chuckle with no malicious hint — and shrugged. "I was never going to snitch on you, that would have been incongruous. I just wanted to see how this would go."

"I don't follow," he said at length, tilting his head slightly and raising an eyebrow at that. "Were you just playing with me?"

Sebastian didn't know why he had asked. It had been quite clear since you started talking that you had only run rings around him like he was a bloody amateur. He chewed on the insides of his cheeks in chagrin. You averted your eyes with a smile still on your face, and Sebastian wasn't sure whether to feel impressed or annoyed.

"Call it an investigation." You raised your hands in surrender. "I’m no Sherlock Holmes, of course, but..."

"Sherlock who?"

"He... Never mind." You shook your head, and looked back at him for a moment, biting your lip as if facing a conundrum. You sighed. "The thing is, from your perspective my threat should've appeared empty, or unfounded, because, as you said, the Professors would have believed that I was the one who showed you the room, as a more experienced student."

Sebastian listened intently, growing more confused the more you spoke. "Wait, so—"

"So, if you had nothing to hide and had really just found out about the room, you would've been less... defensive ," you explained, and Sebastian found no contempt in your voice: it was neutral, a bit excited maybe, but not mocking — perhaps only a little condescending, he noted bitterly. "Or, more specifically, you would have been defensive about me being out of line rather than about the room itself — more annoyed , I believe, at the fact that I got all up in your personal business uninvited."

The way you spoke, with unalloyed certitude and indisputable pride — though with an almost riveting aspect in your self-assurance, if he dared to admit it — seemed almost preposterous to Sebastian.

"Also," you continued, "if you had really stumbled upon it so easily, you would've been more shocked about the fact that no one else in the school had, wouldn't you?"

That actually... Made sense.

“What if I were just a new student who had accidentally found a room,” began Sebastian hesitantly, although he couldn't stop himself from being rather dazzled — and envious. And definitely ill at ease at your aptitude at reading people — him specifically. “And had completely panicked when another more experienced student threatened to reveal me as if I had done something horribly wrong?”

You looked at him, eyes shifting between his right and left one in a sequence. “Yeah,” you finally countenanced with a blithe nod. “That would have been perfectly plausible, too.”

Sebastian’s face fell, exasperated beyond measure. He suddenly felt a wave of lassitude wash over him and let out a world-weary sigh that earned him a small smile from you.

"Just know that you don't know me as much as you think you do," he said at length.

“I don’t know you at all,” you confirmed with a bright smile. “But I definitely enjoyed this. "

You pointed between the two of you, and Sebastian faltered, following your hand with his eyes for a moment before his gaze fixed on you again. "What?"

"It's just… I didn't lose my temper this time, and... well — it was sort of... nice."

Nice. The word you had used was nice. Sebastian found it anything but that: it had been humiliating to say the least. But again, he was the loser.

"You didn't lose your temper alright," said Sebastian, looking away. "Though we may need to get even on that."

Your eyebrows lifted and you broke into a giggle. "Yeah, perhaps. Even if I'm sure I'm not as much of a smooth talker when you’re not in… well… emotional distress."

To his own surprise, Sebastian smiled back, genuinely and widely and almost tenderly, letting his chest tingle freely and a little more than needed. "So you took advantage of me."

"That I did." You nodded at him. "It’s a pleasure doing business with you." And with that, you started to walk away, leaving him stunned but smiling in the middle of the corridor.

"Ah, before I go," you suddenly added, turning around and walking backwards, and his eyes shot to you once more; "last time I saw Ron and Hermione, they were near the Grand Staircase, on the second floor. If I meet them, I’ll send them to you."

You waved at him and turned around, walking down the stairs and disappearing from his sight.

[Read more]

Taglist:

@lovely-maryj @yuzuhasbae @mosf13 @rbfacee @prichuchan-blog @h0neeyy @lina-prongs @moonlightsolo @ninicol @gayandfairycore @nanako-sakura @epicy0n @shiro-from-cafeberry

(I'm having trouble tagging some of you, sorry :( )

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bookie-bookdust · 1 month ago

Text

About this bitch, Bookie

I've been on Tumblr since the dawn of time™️so these little pinned bios are wild to me, BUT:

HELLO THERE:

You can call me Bookie, Bookdust, a simp - I don't care. I am happy to brain rot about many things, but the little demon in my head makes me hyperfixate over Hogwarts Legacy, metalcore/alt/emo music, and writing. Feel free to reach out to me. I like caps lock.

Ravenclaw - INFJ - Gemini sun, Cancer moon, Libra rising - Tired

I'm an ADULT here so I will share NSFW content and I really like to fucking curse. If you're a minor, figure it out and ask your mom if you should stick around idk. That being said, I write a variety of teen to explicit-rated content. A little something for everyone. You should always assume my characters are 18+ unless stated otherwise.

FAN FICTION (the literature🧐):

My most popular work is Sebastian Sallow Fucking Sucks, which I am genuinely stunned that so many people have enjoyed it. Seriously thank you so much for all the support. It started as something to write when I had writer's block, and now I'm obsessed lololol.

Where you can read my deranged writing:

ao3 - I am most active here. This is also where I post all of my chapter fics and one shots.

Wattpad - I'll post all chapter fics and some of my one shots here. I hate WP, and I don't have the patience for it.

That's it lol. If you find my garbage anywhere else, let me know because then I'd have to go break some legs.

One Shots:

How to Defuse a Ravenclaw - Seb finds himself violating his newest rule - do not think about fucking the Ravenclaw // porn with plot // ao3 - wattpad

Secret for One - In which using some anti-cheating ink reveals what you and Seb were up to (kissing – the answer is kissing) // teen-rated cute and secretly conniving // ao3

Pass the Ring, Not the Potatoes - Seb gets the flu on Christmas Eve, the night he plans to propose, and starts...hallucinating // holiday explicit comedy // ao3

Little Sis - Anne Sallow POV where Dark Seb attempts to use the relic to heal her // Horror // ao3 - wattpad

Other fanfic related content:

Shitty Sebastian headcanons

Shitty Ominis headcanons

Stupid things Sebastian would do to get you to talk to him after a fight

Eventually more will be hereeeeee maybe lol

OTHER STUPID SHIT:

I will always write Sebastian with MC. Not sorry one bit lol.

I do love Ominis though too, but Sebastian just rots my brain.

Poppy is a sweet baby angel who will smack anyone as needed.

I have a tendency to write Anne as semi-antagonistic (swear I don't mean to idk why it keeps happening).

I love the morally gray zone of Dark Magic and how it affects characters.

I don't like Draco Malfoy lol.

WE NEED MORE RAVENCLAW REPRESENTATION!!!!

My female characters are gonna be messy. Always. They don't jog for fun. They have constant bedhead. Poor impulse control. Love to torture themselves. I'm on the complex female character bus, and I will run over all pedestrians.

My main MC does actually have a name. I'll soft launch her eventually with a backstory and a bio. I love her deranged little head.

I'm pretty strict on AI. You do NOT have permission to feed my work into AI. I will curse your entire bloodline if you do. I'm like 5'1" of pure vengeance and fury, trust me.

I don't tolerate rudeness, bullying, misogyny, racism, or homo/transphobia. I will find you and eat your bones if you try shit. (I'll actually just ignore and block you, but you never know). Also fuck JK Rowling lol.

If you read all of this, then you've earned a tiny shard of my soul in thanks, friend. Here's to more delusion and fanfiction.

Thanks for stopping bye! 🥰

#hogwarts legacy #bio #hi wtf is this

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talesofesther · 1 year ago

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is it too late to call you mine? | ch 2

Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Summary: In Sebastian's prettiest dreams, you'd wear a gown of a color that matched his tie, he'd take your hand and dance all night until morning came. But those dreams felt like a farfetched reality. Would you even consider going with him? As more than a friend?

A/N: Right I lied before, we're gonna have one more chapter for this story after this one lol. Written for @spaceyaceface's HL Writing Challenge. Hope you guys like it. <3

Masterlist | Read ch 1 here

"One would think that with a library of this size, the school would have more books about this," you mumbled under your breath, brushing your hand over the cover of the thick book to rid it of the dust.

Hogwarts library had to be one of the most enchanting libraries you've ever been to; with its tall dark wooden bookshelves, high windows, spiral stairs leading up to the second floor, paintings, warm orange lighting, and desks and armchairs scattered about for each student to read to their heart's content—it all made you adore spending hours in here. It was common for Sebastian to join you, you'd both sit together and exchange thoughts about the books you've been reading until Madam Scribner had to kick you out so you'd be back in your common rooms before curfew.

Today, however, you were alone; skimming between stacks of books which were mostly forgotten and had a layer of dust covering them.

The Yule Ball was less than a week away, and it only just occurred to you that you didn't know the first thing about dancing. At least not the kind of formal dancing that one does at an event like this, with a partner.

You stared down at the book in your hands for a few long seconds before closing your eyes with a sigh.

Praying that the single book you managed to find would help you, you turned around to make your way to Madam Scribner's desk so she could check out the book for you. Once you rounded a corner, however, you bumped straight into something firm and warm, a startled oof escaping your lips as your feet lost their balance.

Only it wasn't something, it was someone. Gentle hands quickly took hold of both your elbows so you wouldn't end up falling to the floor. When you finally looked up, you were met with a familiar array of freckles and a dazzling grin.

"Picking up a new book? Without me?" Sebastian slowly pried his hands from you, his dark eyes giving a quick glance up and down before he laid one palm over his chest; "I'm wounded."

You chuckled, your knuckles going white around the book because of how close he was standing. "I'm not picking up a new book… Well, I am," you hesitated, "but you won't be interested in this one, I'm sure."

Sebastian raised a curious eyebrow at you, the golden candlelights of the library shaping the outlines of his face and highlighting the auburn of his hair to perfection. "Oh? And what book might that be?"

You bit at the inside of your cheek, not directly answering him but loosening your grip on the book ever so slightly. There wasn't a thing you could hide from him anyway.

Reaching a hand out, Sebastian tilted the book away from where you held it against your chest, coming to stand right beside you so he could properly read what was on the cover. And you could suddenly feel the warmth radiating from his body; his shoulder brushing yours and raising goosebumps on your skin while your lungs already lacked air. You could hate Sebastian for the obvious effect he has on you.

"Dancing techniques through the ages?" Sebastian read the title of the book out loud, and when he turned to look at you, the expression on his face was nearly comical, "are you even interested in that?"

You gave him what was half a smile and half a grimace, hugging the book closer to your chest again and taking half a step away from him. If you weren't so flustered you probably would've noticed the slight bit of hurt that flashed through his eyes because of your movement. "Yes?" You tried, and then groaned, "not really, but I kind of have to read it."

"Why? I don't remember us having any classes on dancing," Sebastian shrugged, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Yeah, I know, I know," you sighed, then closed your eyes as you spoke, much quieter; "it's because of the Ball."

"The… Ball? Why would you-" Sebastian cut himself off when he finally understood, he hesitated, his plump lips hovering for just a second, "oh, you don't-"

"No, I don't know how to dance," you huffed, feeling your cheeks immediately warming up. You avoided Sebastian's eyes then. There was really no reason to feel ashamed, dancing wasn't a skill everyone was expected to have. Yet, you couldn't help but feel at least a little self-conscious under the gaze of those dark eyes.

"And you expect to learn that from a book?" The smile could be heard clearly in Sebastian's voice; not mocking, at least not your lack of skill, maybe just your choice of a solution.

You glanced up at him again, raising your eyebrows as if to say; 'yeah, what of it?'.

An amused chuckle stumbled past his lips just before his cheek molded back to that smirk of his. "It's like learning to duel by reading a book about it. Doesn't work."

More often than not, Sebastian frustrated you to no end. It was just his luck that he looked damn good while doing it. "How else am I supposed to learn anything about it, Sebastian? The Ball is in less than a week." You argued, dropping the book on top of the nearest table as you grew restless.

Sebastian stayed quiet for a few beats, his lower lip stuck between his teeth as he apparently mulled over his next words. "I could teach you… If you'd like."

He refused to look you straight in the eye as he spoke, and you doubt you'd ever heard him sound this… timid. Hesitant. Changing his weight from one foot to the other as he picked at a loose thread on his sweater while waiting for your answer.

Sebastian was nervous.

"You know how to dance?" You were surprised at how your own voice sounded somewhat shy. The thought of Sebastian teaching you—his hands holding you close, guiding your movements; his body close to yours, personal space forgotten—made you feel all warm.

Sebastian hummed, his teasing smile making an appearance again, "you pick up a thing or two if you attend enough parties. I could teach you the basics at least, you won't be completely at a loss of what to do then."

You breathed in deeply, pursing your lips as you nodded. "Alright." It was a much better option than just reading a book about it anyway.

"Alright," Sebastian repeated after you, his throat working through a gulp, "meet me near the Undercroft entrance after curfew tonight."

"Not in the Undercroft?" You frowned.

"Not quite," his sultry voice kissed your ears, "no music in the Undercroft, after all."

── ·❆· ──

The hallways of the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower were completely empty as you walked, the pristine tiles reflecting each of your steps. It was past 10 PM and the moon was high in the sky, you could only hope you wouldn't run into any of the ghosts… again.

Sebastian waited for you with his back leaning against the wall near the Undercroft, just as he said. His arms were crossed over his chest as his foot tapped the ground rhythmically. He perked up once he laid eyes on you, a gentle and sincere smile coming to his lips.

"Ready for some dance lessons, my lady?" He asked in an over-the-top courteous voice that got you endearingly rolling your eyes.

"As I'll ever be," you smiled softly then, feeling your hands growing a bit sweaty, "thank you for doing this, by the way."

Sebastian only shook his head, his own smile still playing on his lips. He avoided your eyes, "don't mention it," he told you quietly, before pushing himself off the wall and walking past you, "come on then."

You followed Sebastian up the stairs, trailing behind him until a gentle, familiar classical tune reached your ears. He lead you to the enchanted violins and cello that were constantly playing in the tower, and now you finally understood why he said 'not in the Undercroft'.

"I suppose it's close enough to what will be playing in the Ball," Sebastian gestured to the enchanted instruments.

You chuckled, taking half a step closer to him, "clever."

As the soft melody swirled around you, the air seemed to shift between you and Sebastian. Different from the usual commotion during the day, the DADA tower was entirely too calm tonight; dimly lit as it was bathed in various shades of golden coming from the candlelights that reflected against the polished floor, completely devoid of any presence save for you and him—what once reminded you of Professor Hecat's assignments, now felt like a private ballroom, tailor-made to hold this moment alone.

Sebastian cleared his throat. You wondered if he felt the shift too. "Right so, in a dance, you'll want to be as relaxed as possible, trying to move in sync with your partner," he told you, "I doubt that-" he hesitated then, words seemingly heavy on his tongue, "I doubt that Weasley is much of a dancer, so if you know a basic waltz it should be more than enough."

There was something about the way the candlelights shone against Sebastian's features, all soft and pretty, turning his expression into something akin to adoration. For you.

Your heart was suddenly in your throat. Sebastian's stare was almost too much. You'd gladly drown in that 'too much'. It holds you hostage, pierces like the afternoon sun.

"May I?" He asked, one hand outstretched, waiting for your permission to hold your waist.

You only nodded, not trusting your voice.

Sebastian looked as nervous as you felt, and you didn't want to dwell on why that was. Not now.

With a delicacy only you had the privilege of knowing, Sebastian placed a hand on your waist; the other finding your own hand so he could intertwine your fingers with his. His chest was a hair's width away from touching yours.

Your free hand came to rest on his shoulder then, as if your souls were always meant to be this entangled. You refused to look him straight in the eyes, praying that he wouldn't feel the shaking of your fingers when you squeezed his hand.

"Relax," Sebastian whispered, his voice so close to your ear that it sent shivers down your spine.

But the shaking of the syllables betrayed his own statement. Sebastian's hand on your waist tightened its grip, as his mind drowned in the possibility of you and him. Here, in this fraction of a moment, with your heartbeat following the rhythm of his own, the dream felt almost within reach.

You didn't know, but every minute with you was torture for him. Every minute you dangled something in front of him, something he knew was unattainable.

Every minute that you weren’t his was another droplet from his bleeding heart.

"What now?" you breathed suddenly, quiet as to not break the peaceful bubble around you, yet still startling him back to reality.

Several emotions were swimming behind Sebastian's eyes then, too many for you to put a finger in any of them. A soft blush formed under his freckles, barely noticeable against the faint candlelights.

But you saw it. There was a beat before either of you said anything, a beat where you just looked at each other, wondering whether the other person’s feeling the same way.

"Right, it's not hard," Sebastian straightened in his posture, adjusting your joined hands as he took one deep breath, "just try to follow me, slowly, from one side to another."

Surprisingly, Sebastian was quite a skilled dancer. At first, he did most of the work, guiding your body through each step and turn, getting you comfortable until you were aware enough to follow him quicker and on your own. And you found that it was easy to follow him; your feet, hips, and hands complemented his movements as if you were one.

You weren't sure how long it had been, all you knew was that Sebastian's hands were warm on you, your body feeling as light as a feather as you waltzed around the empty tower. Any tension any of you had felt before was long gone now. Sebastian's smile was soft and his chuckles were a music better than the one of the enchanted violins. Your soul moved in tandem with his and your bold hands pulled his body closer to yours.

If anyone were to glance, you two could easily be mistaken for the dancing ghosts that sometimes appeared around the castle.

"I think it's safe to say you're a natural," Sebastian said in between laughs, amused at the way you were dragging him around now.

You felt the squeeze of his hand on your waist, fingertips tracing the curve of your spine. "It's much more fun than I thought it would be," you told him, just a little breathless. "But I had a good teacher too, I suppose," you teased, tilting your head with a smirk.

You let go of his shoulder then, allowing him to twirl you around and then straight back into his arms. This simple night turned into a moment you'd be happy to live in forever.

Sebastian's own smile gets a little loose and gone when you do this—staying too close, smiling at him, touching—but you seem oblivious to it.

Whatever the future may hold, he was happy to say you were his; if only for this night.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Read ch 3 here

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keep me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment if you want. <3

You do not have permission to repost, copy or translate my works on any platforms (even with credit), please respect.

Sebastian’s taglist: @milkiane @v1ci0us @auxiliare @arawai

#sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow imagine #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow x f!reader #sebastian sallow x f!mc #hogwarts legacy x reader #imagine #fanfic #angst #fluff #sebastian sallow fanfiction #my story

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thefangirltreehouse · 2 years ago

Text

sebastian sallow | general thoughts / headcanons with gryffindor!mc

this is just overall thoughts on the sebastian arc and his general characterisation (yes, i am continuing to update this on my second playthrough)

spoilers below

the amount of times i’ve caught sebastian looking at mc through the start of my now second play-through is hilariously adorable, like don’t get me wrong the herbology one is absolutely the best, but i noticed that throughout charms sebastian is just staring at mc (like he’s straight up starts ignoring ominis speaking to him when they walk in the room) also the slight glances in defence against the dark arts before the duel is so cute.

he does it again whilst sirona and rookwood are arguing, like he just turns to them and similes

you can’t convince me otherwise that mc didn’t grab at least his arm to pull him away from ranrok, like it genuinely looks like that and if you squint hard enough it looks like he does the same thing when heading into the three broomsticks

listen i’m specifically playing as fem! & gryffindor! and the missions with ominis feel so reminiscent of the golden trio (i’m calling it now, they’re the electrum trio - a metal mixed with gold and sliver) especially the crucio side-mission

saw someone in a comment sum their dynamic up perfectly from my perspective

“i used to have beef with ominis before this (crucio) quest happened and now it’s me, a gryffindor dragging two slytherins by their shirt collars”

slight tangent but ominis is so sweet if you start as a slytherin! i saw my friend start his game and meet him in the common room and i was like “i’m sorry, is this the same tory bastard that yelled at me for nicking his pal?”

if anything sebastian comes off worse in that section.

almost every streamer i’ve came across assumes he’s flirting, like this was absolutely intentional

when either of the boys, particularly sebastian is speaking to imelda and the conversation of mc comes up she absolutely refers to mc as “that gryffindor of yours”

i mean, it’s the age old rivalry that just gives everything that extra oomph! despite the fact nobody seems to be questioning that a gryffindor has closely befriended not one, but two slytherins because that certainly isn't suspicious (i'm surprised one of the gryffindors didn't bring it up - particularly leander)

speaking of leander, why are the more prominent gryffindors (and ravenclaws) so antagonistic or hellbent on getting us in trouble?

sebastian’s jealously towards both his friends is dripping in the crucio quest like, in the line below i know he means because mc and ominis have special abilities but...

"between the two of you, i'm starting to feel left out"

the constant proud "that's my girl" look on his face

"never know who's watching - although that hasn't stopped us before." "strictly speaking, it has. we were caught."

also at the start of the library mission, anyone notice the way he's casually waiting on mc against the banister smiling up at her? or whilst he's waiting on her and ominis to figure out the location of the scriptorium? like, this boy knows he's the shit.

listen, there are certain things that sebastian said and did during his storyline that even at that age, i would’ve noped out of but i went in with a “yes, corrupt the little goody-two-shoes gryffindor madly infatuated with you” attitude and honestly it was so much fun. cause objectively yeah, sebastian should be expelled at the very least but my mc was not gonna let them do that (they're very much giving jd and veronica)

that said, mc isn't about to let him walk all over her, she's a gryffindor for a reason, she's just had some misguided judgement

don’t love how there isn’t much of a reaction from either boy after crucio is cast on mc, especially from sebastian (again, massive red flag) but also, think the devs missed the mark on that one like sebastian is still mc’s friend, yeah he really wants to see anne healed but a little sympathy shown would’ve been nice and a proper acknowledgement of what'd he'd done.

even if sebastian shrugged it off quickly he should've helped them walk or at least offered a hand to stand up

i love the wee house jibes, i wish we got more of them!

"you're not a bad chap, for a slytherin" "you gryffindors don't have a monopoly on bravery y'know"

an awful lot of english folk in the scottish highlands

sebastian and poppy are talking whilst leaving a class and my brain was like “omg her bf + gf are talking!”

i want triwizard and yule so badly!

the red and the green / gold and silver looks, look so good!

mc makes a comment about how amazed sebastian will be when she tells him that she took down the ashwinders by herself

"it'd be wise to keep an eye on you"

_____

general headcanons (oc-ish)

he'd absolutely mutter continuous little digs and comments throughout their classes simply to get under her skin and make her smile whilst she's trying to listen to their professors (he used to do this to ominis but he's able to ignore sebastian now after years of the torment)

whilst having dinner in the great hall they won't be sitting together but they'll lightly tap or nudge one another on the back if they're passing behind each-other's designated tables

sebastian refers to the fat lady painting as the "golden gate keeper of mediocrity" after walking mc back to gryffindor tower, which earns him a mildly deserved elbow jab

he gives mc piggy-backs during their trips to hogsmead and the quidditch pitch

whilst she's walking to and from classes with cressida or natsai, sebastian is regularly seen inserting himself between them, putting an arm over mc and / or pinching her away over to ominis and nerida

"who would've thought, all it took was a snake to tame the lion" cressida noted to a disinterested leander, peering over at the scarlet robes peaking beneath the sea of green

mc likes to softly poke at his blushing cheeks, joking that if sebastian "gets any redder, he won't be allowed back into slytherin" or that "he might have to come back to gryffindor with her"

mc has on occasion accidently fallen asleep, resting her head on his shoulder during history of magic

most of the gryffindors (nellie, leander and garreth in particular) will tease sebastian as he waits for her outside the common room, claiming "she was ours first" and attempt to distract her for as long as possible beyond the painting just to 'knock 'im down a few pegs'

they're well aware she's highly capable of holding her own, but not only is he a slytherin, he's also sebastian sallow so they're protective

he much prefers bumping into natty, who'll make a light "lost puppy" joke, share laugh and proceed to actually go get mc or he would actively seek out lucan because he knows the kid sucks-up to him but eventually the older gryffindors caught-on and would bribe lucan with chocolate frogs to stop him in his tracks

mc enjoys exposing sebastian to muggle trinkets and snacks, she grew up in a travelling circus with her parents, a ringmaster and fortune teller who never attended hogwarts in their youth (i'm gonna do a separate oc bio)

the trio all share a love of pumpkin pasties and lavender tea so whoever has a free period (or when sebastian has detention) will pop down to the kitchen to collect some

forehead kisses, hugs and interlocked arms whilst exploring the castle are everything to these two (their subtle little height difference is adorable, especially when you remember fem!mc is wearing wee wedged shoes at the start of the game)

highwing isn't his biggest fan (prefers ominis) and mc relishes in that

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #harry potter #my gif looks like ass #i forgot how to make them look good and im not used to getting clips from my ps5 #i'm gonna make a gif set with my second playthrough cause i missed screen recording a lot of their best scenes first time around

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undergaunts · 5 months ago

Text

Call Me Baby (Chapter 1)

Sebastian Sallow x Ominis Gaunt (Modern!AU)

Summary: The text chat logs between Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt during their 6th and 7th year at Hogwarts. (or Sebastian and Ominis can't bear to be apart for longer than 5 minutes, so spend their entire summer, winter and spring breaks texting and calling each other)

Rating: Teen & Up (this will go up in the next chapters!)

Word count: 4.1k

Recommended to read on AO3 as the layout is better but it’s also below the cut <3

SUMMER

July 2nd, 2:08pm

SBSTN hey

Ominis Good morning.

SBSTN morning ?! it’s like 2pm

Ominis I’m aware. I was joking.

SBSTN OH

LMAO

sorry im half awake

Ominis At 2 in the afternoon? What a shock!

SBSTN alright grumpy

just because u already miss me doesn’t mean u can be mean

Ominis I don’t miss you. I’m enjoying the peace and quiet.

SBSTN oh im sure

brb breakfast

2:42pm

SBSTN k back

Ominis Did you enjoy your ‘breakfast’?

SBSTN ya it was basically just toast lol

Ominis You’ll spoil your appetite for supper if you eat so late.

SBSTN I could eat more AND still eat dinner

im a growing boy!

Ominis Horizontally or vertically?

SBSTN >:(

gonna ignore that

Anne says hello

Ominis Hello Anne, how are you?

SBSTN she says shes good

she asks how u r

Ominis Well, for where I am, thank you. Missing you already!

SBSTN HEY >:(

u just said u don’t miss me

Ominis Indeed, but I miss Anne.

SBSTN piss off

she’s laughing at me

ur both bullies

Ominis :)

SBSTN >>>:((((

ok she’s dragging me out, imma leave my phone here cos solomon said he wont buy me a new one if i lose it again lol

speak later ?

Ominis Have a nice time. Speak later.

SBSTN phone?

Ominis If you’d like.

SBSTN kewl

BYE

Ominis Goodbye.

July 6th, 10:19am

SBSTN *image*

LOOK

wait

LOL

sorry

basically we saw this like albino cat and it reminded me and anne of u

it had little beauty marks and stuff as well

u sure ur not in feldcroft?

r u an animagus and u didn’t tell me ?!

Ominis Good morning.

SBSTN MORNING

prev mssgs plz

Ominis I’m most certainly not an animagus Sebastian.

SBSTN no i was joking

ik u wld tell me :P

not the point

CAT!OMINIS

Ominis Yes, very sweet.

SBSTN u ok?

Ominis Never been better.

SBSTN :/

sure ?

Ominis Yes, thank you.

SBSTN ok

sure ur sure

Ominis Yes, Sebastian. I’m perfectly well.

SBSTN Alright

July 9th, 12:30pm

SBSTN any plans the next couple weeks then ?

Ominis Much the same. Sit in my bedroom. Ponder life. I may even dare to eat some food.

SBSTN please eat lol

i can come to little hangleton and hang out if u want me to

@ GAUNT MANOR

lol mad ur family is so rich

Ominis I couldn’t think of anything worse.

SBSTN oi

being srs, floo straight in thru ur fireplace

bam, sebby and omi party time

if i was there u might venture further than ur kitchen lol

Ominis Absolutely not. I would send you straight back.

SBSTN :(

u wound me ominis

Ominis It’s not that I don’t want to see you. I’ve heard word is to.

SBSTN huh

Ominis Apologies. Damned speech to text. I was whispering. Some of these House Elves will report anything. Oh who cares. My mother and father are returning soon. Probably within the next week.

SBSTN oh

sorry :(

Ominis No need. I will do my very best to avoid them.

SBSTN i could still come for a day

b4 they get there

might make the next 2 months a bit bearable if u c me again

well not see me but u know what i mean

1:12pm

SBSTN hello?

Ominis Apologies.

I’d like to see you, but coming here is not a good idea.

SBSTN y?

Ominis You know why.

SBSTN ya but

surely having a friend over is fine right

i am also pureblood btw

Ominis Sebastian.

SBSTN well i am lmao

ik im not rich and there is probably some muggle blood in me from like … 5 centuries ago but

im all wizard, all man B)

anyway surely they aren’t even gonna be there for a few days yet

and even if they turn up i can just

bam floo straight back home

Ominis No.

SBSTN Ominis.

Ominis Sebastian.

I’ve said no. My decision is final.

SBSTN ok :(

Ominis but thank you for caring

July 11th, 6:00pm

Ominis Bye

SBSTN WHAT

WHERE U GOING

dude what

Ominis Sorry. Speech to text is truly not understanding what I’m saying when I whisper. I’m trying to find my laptop, hold on.

SBSTN bruh u scared me

♫i wish u would step back from that ledge my friend♫

that’s probably not funny but i laughed

comedy with sebastian sallow

one night only

Ominis ok on laptop now. sorry if typing is bad

SBSTN terrible :’(

Ominis what wrong?

SBSTN LOL

when you do speech 2 text i can hear u speaking in my head but when ur typing u just sound like me

Ominis easier to tyoe this way

SBSTN hell yeah brother

Ominis don’t call me tht

SBSTN what brother?

Ominis yes

SBSTN HAHAHA

would u rather sister?

Ominis …possibly

SBSTN LOOOOOL

u weird

ANYWAY

what were u trying to say to me?

Ominis o, my mothr and father have come home

SBSTN ah

my condolences

how r they?

Ominis fine

SBSTN good

and how r u ?

Ominis fine

SBSTN :/

sure?

Ominis not entirly

SBSTN do tell

Ominis don’t want to burdem you

SBSTN rolling my eyes here

theyve popped out my head

bye eyes

enjoy ur life as free balls

lol

dude tell me

Ominis apprently they had beenin paris tofind suitable pureblood fsmilies or somthing

SBSTN what does that mean?

Ominis i think they trying to marry marvlo off

SBSTN OH

Ominis yes

SBSTN i mean it’ll get him out of ur hair right?

bye bitch

Ominis hopefully. think im jus nervous that once theyr done with him theyl look to me

SBSTN oh

Ominis yes

SBSTN ok well they cant do that until ur 18 and we r 16 so i think so we got time to think of a plan

if it comes to it ill kidnap u and we’ll go live in America or something

dw about it ok?

i got u

ok?

Ominis ok

thank you seb

SBSTN np

July 15th, 1:18am

Ominis Are you awake?

1:26am

Ominis Sebastian?

1:31am

Ominis Hello?

8:42am

SBSTN soz i was asleep what’s up

9:32am

Ominis Nothing, don’t worry.

July 18th, 5:51pm

SBSTN sorry for such a late message

how’s it hanging

Ominis Have you been busy?

SBSTN we went to London with Solomon

he left us at diagon alley for hours lmao

he said he had ‘ministry matters’ but i swear he just went and got drunk lol

he STUNK of firewhiskey

i can still smell it and hes not even in the house

Ominis Perhaps it’s his cologne? They usually have alcohol in them, I believe.

SBSTN nah

Ominis Perhaps he had drinks with someone from the ministry?

SBSTN oh good theory

maybe

it’s fine

Ominis I can’t see him taking you and Anne all the way to London just for him to drink.

SBSTN yeh ur right

Ominis As always.

SBSTN now now dear don’t go stroking ur own ego

Ominis Don’t call me dear, Sebastian. It makes me feel like an old woman.

SBSTN sorry

sister :)

Ominis I’d like to wring your neck.

SBSTN dont tease ;)

July 21st, 2:13am

Ominis Are you awake?

2:17am

Ominis Sebastian?

SBSTN yep yep here

Ominis Sorry.

SBSTN what’s up ?

Ominis Nothing. I apologise. Go back to sleep.

SBSTN wanna call?

Ominis I don’t want to bother you.

SBSTN ur not

promise

calling

SBSTN is calling Ominis

Call accepted

Call ended, 1hr 6min

3:25am

SBSTN ill ask him in the morning ok?

but i don’t see why not

Anne will be happy :)

so will I

in a macho way.

Ominis Of course. Thank you.

SBSTN :)

go sleep

Ominis I will try.

SBSTN sweet dreams baby boy

Ominis You too.

11:12am

SBSTN HELLO

HE SAID YES

U CAN COME WHENEVER U WANT BASICALLY!

U COULD COME TODAY

YAY

11:17am

SBSTN haha solomon said he’ll take my bed so u can bunk in with me

ik u would probably rather share with anne

but i think solomon would kill u before he let that happen lol

and she’s a kicker anyway

11:25am

SBSTN me and anne r gonna go hogsmeade and get some stuff :)

u want anything?

i will make sure to put a little chocolate frog on top of ur pillow :)

hehe

1:09pm

SBSTN ok at HM now

got a butterbeer sirona says hi

omgs if ernie lark doesn’t shut up imma make him

lmao

1:29pm

SBSTN Ominis?

Missed call from SBSTN

2:11pm

SBSTN yo can u just send me a message to lmk ur ok?

3:03pm

SBSTN Ominis

Missed call from SBSTN

3:48pm

SBSTN om

4:19pm

SBSTN OMINIS

ITS ANNE

WHY U NO RESPOND

Missed call from SBSTN

SBSTN hey we are leaving hogsmeade, i got u some stuff anyway but just worried.

6:05pm

SBSTN made an extra dinner portion in case ur coming.

call me when ur around ok?

7:41pm

Missed call from SBSTN

SBSTN ok, im hoping ur parents just dragged u somewhere today. hope ur ok.

10:34pm

SBSTN im gonna try to sleep. really hope you’re ok.

July 22nd, 12:06am

SBSTN ok can’t sleep.

here if u need me

2:38am

Ominis Sorry.

Ominis is calling SBSTN

Call accepted

Call ended, 28min

3:07am

Ominis I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.

SBSTN ITS OK

dude i only worry cos i care about u

stupid they took ur phone and laptop

ik it’s muggle technology or whatever but everyone uses them nowadays

but yeah I’d wait a couple days to ask them

don’t worry if u cant talk for a bit, but u know where to find me if u need me

alright go get ur beauty sleep

Ominis Thank you, again. I really hope to see you soon.

SBSTN u will :)

promise :)

Ominis Goodnight Sebastian.

SBSTN goodnight baby boy

Ominis I think I don’t mind that name

July 29th, 7:14am

Ominis Good morning :)

9:22am

SBSTN HI GORGEOUS

ur back :)

missed u

no homo

lol

Ominis I am indeed back.

SBSTN r u ok?

Ominis I am. Are you?

SBSTN now that ur back !!

again, no homo LMAO

no but srsly r u ok? been a bit worried, ik u were gonna lay low a bit but still

Ominis I’m fine. Good, even. My father has agreed for me to come and stay in Feldcroft. However, only for the last two weeks of the Summer.

SBSTN OKAY!

THAT STILL GOOD

:DDDDD

Anne’s gonna be so excited

Ominis It’s a shame I can’t come sooner. I think these two weeks might be the longest of my life.

SBSTN we’ve gone longer before my dude

we’ve just gone like 4 weeks so what’s like 3 more

Ominis Very true. You are wise sometimes, Sebastian.

SBSTN flatterer

August 3rd, 10:14am

SBSTN ur right it’s dragging

anne is making me go to gladrags with her

i want u here so we can do manly things

like skipping rocks on the water

long walks along the beach at sunset <3

LMAO jk but srsly haha I’m bored

August 5th, 12:36pm

SBSTN 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ominis Could you not have sent more exclamation points?

SBSTN srry

Ominis It’s almost like you aren’t excited.

SBSTN ill do better next time

Ominis I’m rather offended, actually.

SBSTN :(

Ominis :)

SBSTN :D

August 12th, 2:47pm

Ominis One week, I believe.

SBSTN UR RIGHT

I’m dancing

u can’t see me rn but i am

Ominis I can’t see at all.

SBSTN dude.

Ominis I saw the opportunity and I took it.

SBSTN u didn’t see anything

cos ur blind

Ominis Haha. Very funny.

SBSTN :D

1 WEEk!

August 18th, 6:04pm

SBSTN SO WHAT TIME U COMING

ill walk over and meet u

r ur house elves gonna bring ur school stuff later?

cos there’s not a lot of room here haha

but it’s cool if u need 2 :)

come at like just after midnight haha technically counts

ill wait up

Ominis I’ll probably come around midday, if that’s acceptable. I will have to speak to my father before leaving, I suppose. I am looking forward to seeing you. Very much.

SBSTN me too :)

we’ll have lunch and then maybe we can go exploring or something

there’s an empty cave down by the water that has all these old stones and bricks with weird patterns on them i think you’ll like

like they feel all weird

good hand feel

oh and the Ominis cat is back so you two will have to meet !

Ominis I cant wait.

SBSTN me neither

August 19th, 12:05pm

Ominis I’ll be on my way soon.

SBSTN just helping Anne finish the pie then ill head over :)

Ominis Are you covered in flour by any chance?

SBSTN u kno it baby

im a messy boy ;)

Ominis Looking forward to seeing you like that oh that doesn't make sense

At least look presentable for your guest.

SBSTN but u can’t see me?

lol

will do, dw

12:21pm

SBSTN ok heading over now

Ominis And I am just leaving.

SBSTN c u soon <3

Ominis

WINTER

December 20th, 9:24am

SBSTN changed their display name to xmaSeb

xmaSeb i have ur tie

found it in my bag

idk why i bought it home lol

gonna wear it like a bandana

Ominis How do you know it’s mine?

xmaSeb its got a little og on the inside

Ominis What is an og?

Oh. My initials.

xmaSeb i wrote it in all ur ties so they don’t get lost or someone else steals then

Ominis How sweet

Why didn’t you tell me this before?

Would it matter, as long as I had enough ties?

xmaSeb no

i guess not

i just like the house elves to know whose is whose

Ominis Well, thank you. I’ll collect it in a few days.

xmaSeb :)

how r the gaunts

Ominis I don’t think you want to know.

xmaSeb probably not

tell me anyway

Ominis Cruel, vicious, muggle-hating? I think about that covers it.

xmaSeb ah

so not much has changed

Ominis Of course not.

xmaSeb at least it’s only like what a week?

Ominis 4 days, 5 if you count the day it took to travel.

xmaSeb remind me why they wanted you to come back so bad ?

Ominis The family of the witch that Marvolo is supposed to be marrying are visiting tomorrow.

xmaSeb right

Ominis So I had to be in attendance to prove we are a worthy family, stronger together. Always in Power and whatnot.

xmaSeb right

Ominis So now I’m stuck here listening to my father rant about blood purity when all I want to do is to be with you.

And Anne.

Even Solomon.

xmaSeb lol

sure he’d be chuffed

Ominis I’d take 100 Solomon’s over one of my fathers.

xmaSeb how many mes would u take

Ominis 0

xmaSeb oh

</3

xmaSeb devastated :(

Ominis You know I jest.

xmaSeb :D

Ominis Excuse me. Apparently after breakfast I’m being taken for a suit fitting. I seem to have outgrown last years’ already. I’ll speak to you later.

xmaSeb nice

send pics

xmaSeb ;)

Ominis You know I won't do that.

xmaSeb :(

no fair

speak later?

Ominis Call?

xmaSeb anything 4 u baby boy

5:36pm

Ominis *image*

I’m not sure if I even got a picture. But I’m sending this anyway.

xmaSeb damn

u so fine

lol wear that at school and the girls will be all over u trust me

:)))

Ominis I don’t want

Do you really think

Thank you.

December 22nd, 12:32am

Ominis Thnk Merlin thts over

dmn key stuck

does work?

a a a

xmaSeb mine a works a just a fine a

Ominis on my laptop stupid

xmaSeb phone?

Ominis dead

xmaSeb charge

electric spell mate tht wht i do

Ominis fool

guests

loud

xmaSeb O YE

im 2 pretty 2 think

anyway how was it

Ominis horrid

apprently marv was makin bedrom eyes at her

thts wat my sister said

xmaSeb LMAO

was she pretty

do you kno

Ominis sis said she looked a bit like a horse

xmaSeb HORSE?

like NEIGH?

Ominis quote ‘very long face with very long nose, lovely mane thoug’

xmaSeb why does he want to screw her then

Ominis pureblood

xmaSeb don’t need to say anymore lol

how was it tho

Ominis painful

spent the whole night trying to remmber french

which i def butchered

and they kept grabbjng my chin to look at me and commenting about my eyes

but I coulndt hear them coming

xmaSeb LOL

so when u gonna speak to me in French?

ik some french

bonjour mon petit croissant

but yeh that sounds sucky dude

why r they all so weird

its a wonder u turned out so perfect ;)

Ominis not

xmaSeb yes

perfect baby boy :)

Ominis no

xmaSeb yes :)

Ominis no

xmaSeb YES

stop arguing

Ominis fine

xmaSeb i win!

only 2 days now

Ominis indeed

xmaSeb then u get to see ur bestest friend in the whole world!

Ominis anne

xmaSeb me!

Ominis joke

xmaSeb im gonna sleep now v tired

Ominis talk tomorrw?

xmaSeb don’t even need to ask <3

December 24th, 10:43am

xmaSeb good morrow sire

ur carriage awaits

(me, waiting for u to carry ur bag back home)

Ominis I shan’t be long. See you shortly.

December 25th, 4:52am

xmaSeb meryy chrismtas omii i lvoeu

oh ur ruyght there

I stikl lovu

even if i dnttell u

SPRING

March 25th, 10:14am

xmaSeb changed their display name to seabass

seabass haha just seen those last messages

Ominis You love me?

Were you drunk?

seabass noooooooo

tht just shows how drunk u were if u dont remember me being drunk

Ominis I was drunk too?

seabass we were all drunk baby

Ominis Merlin.

How do I not remember this?

seabass dont tell me u don’t remember our passionate night together as well?!

Ominis What

What

Sorry, what?

What?

seabass wow

broken hearted

was this why we never discussed it?

Ominis I’m sorry, I really don’t remember, Sebastian. Why didn’t you mention this sooner?

seabass sigh

it was so amazing, so passionate

don’t think i could get u to stop talking about potions for a good hour

how much u HATE it

so much passion in ur heart!!!

Ominis I thought you meant

Oh, haha, very funny Sebastian. I was scared for a moment there.

seabass what of lol

trust if we ever were passionate we would both remember VERY clearly ;)

Ominis Enough joking around.

seabass never

but fine i’ll stop FOR NOW

how’s oui oui paris

(read tht with the french accent on paris so it rhymes plz)

Ominis Horrid. For the most part, I’ve managed to keep to myself, but this damned family might end up killing me.

seabass which one lol

gaunts or delacar

or however u spell it

Ominis Delacroix. I just had to spell that out, this phone is really poor at spelling.

Truthfully, it’s going to be one or the other. Marvolo is all over this Rosalié like a ravenous mongrel. Eleven year age gap, mind you. Their only topic of conversation seems to be about hating muggles in broken French and English.

seabass the horse girl

oh so she’s like only a bit older than us?

Ominis Precisely. Only just finished Beauxbatons last year, apparently. She also has a younger sister, who is very timid, unlike the rest of her family, but I’m certain my mother and father are already hatching the egregious plan to marry us when she comes of age.

seabass shit

i had to look up egregious lol

how old?

Ominis Eleven, I believe. Starting Beauxbatons in the Autumn if I understood her mother correctly.

seabass oh gross

yuck

but that does give us time to hatch a plan and run away

Ominis I could very well be wrong, but I have sat next to her at every dinner we’ve had together so far. It would certainly not surprise me.

seabass im so sorry baby

Ominis I’m here for another few days, then back home. I think I may not survive these two weeks.

seabass plz survive

i wouldn’t be able to go on

itll all be ok, dw :)

Ominis Do you promise?

seabass on my life

March 30th, 8:27pm

Ominis Home now.

seabass welcome back to to the British Isles

enjoy your tea and scones

me ol mucker

Ominis What on Earth are you on about now?

seabass haha

there’s this american muggle show thing and one of them is trying to do an English accent and its soooo bad

me and anne were watching it and couldn’t stop laughing

ill send a video hold on

u don’t have to see it just listen hold on

*video*

8:35pm

Ominis What did I just hear?

seabass HAHAHAH

absolute shambles

Ominis I think my ears may be bleeding.

seabass nooo don’t lose your hearing ur so sexy aha

Ominis Excuse me?

seabass meme

Ominis Clearly. If I did lose my hearing at least I wouldn’t have to hear you speak again.

seabass if u lost ur ears how would i even communicate with u?

Ominis No communication with you? Sounds like a dream come true.

seabass yeah but if we couldn’t talk at all i wouldn’t be able to do this

seabass is calling Ominis

Call accepted

Call ended, 2hr 3min

10:51pm

seabass <3333

Ominis Goodnight Sebastian.

seabass sleep well lovely <3

Ominis And you.

April 3rd, 11:36am

seabass good morning angelface

Ominis Angel face. That’s a new one.

seabass do u like

Ominis It’s not something I’ve heard before.

seabass so u DO like it

Ominis Hang on, I never said that.

seabass what do u prefer, sister or angelface

remember that hahaha

Ominis I do remember. It was only a joke.

seabass ikkkkk

k of all the names I call u what do u prefer

angelface

baby

baby boy

gorgeous

lovely

perfect

or dumbass motherfucker

Ominis You’ve never called me that last one. I dare not repeat it.

seabass not to your face >:)

Ominis Really? Then to who?

seabass just in my head

to myself

whenever i look @ u

Ominis You are an idiot, Sebastian Sallow.

seabass i think my fave ones r baby boy and perfect because that’s what u r :)

Ominis I honestly can’t tell if you’re flirting

I’m really getting mixed signals

I think you’re more perfect

Such a charmer.

I think I just prefer my name.

seabass ahhh no fun :(

i only give u these pet names because ily :(

Ominis What?

Sorry

In what way

I love you too, I have for

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck oh stupid phone stop listening to me I’m not trying to

11:52am

seabass sorry was that weird haha

ur just my best friend and stuff

sorry

Ominis Oh, of course

I thought you meant

Idiot

Don’t

Don’t apologise, if I’m honest I don’t mind the names. It’s certainly better than some of the things I’ve been called. Haha.

Ominis And I L Y too.

So much

seabass :D

i shall continue to give you cute little names then

Ominis Alright. Don’t expect any from me though.

Sweetheart.

seabass YES

hahaha

seabass changed their display name to sweetheart

sweetheart look

i changed mine

mine display name

change urs baby boy

Ominis What?

Oh, I’ve just heard it. Really?

sweetheart CHANGE UR NAME SO WE MATCH!!!!!

Ominis changed their display name to Baby Boy

Baby Boy Did that work?

sweetheart YEA

haha

this is dumb

still love it tho

NEW MESSAGE

From Natty<3 to sweetheart

April 3rd, 11:55am

Natty<3 It's happened! Congratulations guys <3

NEW MESSAGE

From QUIDDITCHQUEEN to sweetheart

April 3rd, 11:56am

QUIDDITCHQUEEN So you finally got your shit together then?

NEW MESSAGE

From pops to sweetheart

April 3rd, 11:56am

pops just saw yours and Ominis’ names! :)

very sweet :)

happy for you both :)

NEW MESSAGE

From Gazza to sweetheart

April 3rd, 11:57am

Gazza always knew you two would get it on haha

NEW MESSAGE

From LEANDER1 to sweetheart

April 3rd, 11:57am

LEANDER1 r u an gaunt gay or smth wots wiv the names

not judging idc

April 3rd, 11:58am

sweetheart we can change it back lol

Baby Boy Why?

I thought you loved it

sweetheart idk

im gonna

sweetheart changed their display name to sebastian

sebastian leave urs then

Baby Boy OK.

sebastian k

gtg c u friday

Baby Boy Is everything ok?

Baby Boy changed their display name to Ominis

Ominis Ok, goodbye then.

Love you.

April 4th, 12:07am

Ominis Sebastian?

12:19am

Ominis Are you there?

12:28 am

Missed call from Ominis

12:32am

Missed call from Ominis

12:40am

Ominis is calling sebastian

Call declined

#sebinis #hogwarts fanfiction #hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow fanfiction #ominis gaunt fanfiction #sebastian x ominis #ominis x sebastian #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #gauntlow #my ff

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writing-intheundercroft · 5 months ago

Text

20 Qs for fic writers

thank you for tagging me @pluviowriting my fellow toe <3

How many works do you have on AO3? 13

What's your total AO3 word count? - 353,267

What fandoms do you write for? - Hogwarts Legacy but ya girl is starting to dip her toes into other fandoms like Stardew Valley and Ninth House

Top five fics by kudos? - Your Ivy Grows (My Ominis fic, I promise I'll be back for you baby) When We're Older (my Sebastian longfic that is ALMOST DONE) You're Gonna Go Far (Modern AU Ominis) Tis the Damn Season (Garreth Weasley hehe) and The Night Shift (Auror!Seb)

Do you respond to comments? - I try not to go on AO3 every day because I fall into a dark hole of feeling like I'm not writing fast enough. Some comments fall through the cracks if I'm not checking every day but for the most part I do try!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - Of my published fics, it's currently Bite The Hand (Auror!Seb prologue).

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - Either Auror!Seb or You're Gonna Go Far but I promise all of my fics are happily ever afters

Do you get hate on fics? - I have not! and plz don't start

Do you write smut? - my autocorrect changes anything that ends in -ock to COCK so you tell me

Craziest crossover? - House of the Dragon and Hogwarts Legacy (simping over Knight!Sebastian right now)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? - No, and I hope to never!

Have you ever had a fic translated? - I have not but that would be so cool

Have you ever co-written a fic before? - My Modern AU Dad! Sebastian is practically a co-written fic because you hoes keep giving me such amazing ideas

All time favorite ship - Sebastian Sallow x Theo Caulfield duh

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - Priest!Ominis is one of my most diabolical and sad drafts I've ever written but also one of my favorites

What are your writing strengths? - Tender smut and soft Sebastian. I was also an english major and wrote for a zine in college (jfc did I just say zine) so I feel like I'm pretty good at editing.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - I wish I could write in another language; I studied french in college but I am pitiful at it in duolingo

First fandom you wrote in? - HP, THG, and the Jonas Brothers (I pulled a muscle in my face cringing at this because its aging me)

Favorite fic you've written? - When We're Older because Theo is my baby and I love her but also In a World of Boys, He's a Gentleman because Leander needs love too

No twentieth question but following suit - thanks to the HL fandom for consistently inspiring me to write. This was my first foray into a fandom, and I've met such amazing people and really came out of my shell in the last year. Ily <3

No pressure tags to some of my favorite writers out there: @blueraineshadows @slytherizz @intotheseas @legacygirlingreen

#writing-intheundercroft #tag game

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realityescapee01 · 1 year ago

Text

Opals and Rubies (part 1)

part 2 here

Ominis Gaunt x Garreth Weasley

Garreth is obsessed. Obsessed with his experiments with potions and on getting ingredients for them.

But there is another thing he is obsessed about: opals.

Care of the Slytherin student: Ominis Gaunt's eyes.

Garreth was staring at Ominis in their potions class. He wanted to go over and help him; the Slytherin boy has his fire too high and his cauldron is gonna spill over any second now.

But he didn't. He didn't go over because he doesn't know how to approach Ominis. He's a victim of the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry.

When he got into Hogwarts, he heard of that stereotype of their houses. At first, he gets it. Most Slytherin students are boastful and arrogant. And speaks highly of themselves. Ominis is kind of like that too.

When Garreth heard Ominis talk, there is a certain manner and air to it. His pure blood status is obvious when he speaks. But even so, Garreth couldn't hate Ominis.

There's just something about him. Especially when he sees Ominis smile and laugh. He just looks so precious. And his eyes. They cannot see and they do not look like normal eyes, but they are beautiful to Garreth. Very beautiful.

It got him obsessed with gems. Opals.

He even dragged Amit out to look for some. But they aren't as abundant as moonstones. So he was only able to get one from an old abandoned mine.

The said opal was in his pocket, he carried it with him all the time.

Garreth likes Ominis. He has a huge crush on the Slytherin. He finds Ominis to be beautiful and endearing. He couldn't tell anyone from his house because of that Gryffindor-Slytherin thing.

And it stresses him out. He can't talk about it to anyone, especially when he gets jealous of Ominis' friend, Sebastian Sallow.

When it all piles up, Garreth sneaks out to Hogsmeade and buys his potion needs. And to get some inspiration for any new experimental potion he is to make. It's his way of destressing.

One of those nights, he saw Ominis there too. Alone.

'Where is Sebastian?' -he thought as Ominis and Sebastian are always together.

Garreth followed Ominis around. And Ominis ended up in the Three Broomsticks. He sat there for a while and seemed to be waiting for someone.

It was quite a while. Garreth braved it and decided to approach Ominis. At least, this atmosphere is casual compared to the school; where there are lots of judgemental student eyes and ears.

At least here, they're not Gryffindor and Slytherin. They're just casual customers of Three Broomsticks.

Garreth walked closed to where Ominis is. And then he slowly pulled the chair and sat on it.

"Sebastian? Wait. No... who are you?!?" -Ominis was defensive.

"Hey, uhm, hi. It's Garreth. Garreth Weasley. We uh go to Hogwarts together."

"I remember. You're the troublemaker in potions class."

"Uh-yeah. That, I am... so, uhm, can I sit with you?" -Garreth doesn't know whether to be glad that Ominis remembers him, but as a troublemaker.

"You're already sat. Nothing much I can do about it."

"S-Sorry..." -Garreth let out a nervous laugh. "Well, you're waiting for Sallow?"

"Yes, have you seen him? We are to meet here after his... little adventure."

"Ah, okay. But it's late, you sneaked out?"

"And you are saying you didn't?" -Ominis snapped back immediately.

"Fair enough. Well, what's his little adventure?"

"I'm not telling you that."

"Alright. I'll sit with you while you wait for Sallow."

Garreth ordered butterbeer and some of his favorite snacks. He ordered for him and for Ominis too.

"Here, I got you some." -Garreth set the food in front Ominis.

Ominis lifted his hand, slowly and carefully try to touch the food.

"Where's your wand?"

"I loaned it to Sebastian."

"Why? Where is his?"

"In detention."

"Okay... here." -Garreth carefully set the butter beer glass to Ominis' hand.

Ominis took a sip. And then he carefully pushed the dish snack next.

"What are you making me eat?" -Ominis holding a piece of the snack.

"It's fried veggies and chicken."

"I don't like vegetables much." -Ominis was ready to let it go.

"Try it! I swear on my life it is good."

Ominis tried and he did like it. "It is good."

Garreth smiled. He started making small talks. And Ominis started to warm up to him and no longer answers in a sassy or irritated manner.

Garreth can't help but stare at Ominis' eyes.

Beautiful gems. Garreth reached into his pocket and touched the opal he's got there.

"So, uhm, what's your favorite Honeydukes treat?"

"I would say the chocolate frogs."

"You like chocolates? I know of another treat. It's their new one! Imagine this. A milk chocolate ball, covered in wafer covered in chocolate covered in crushed nuts. It's delicious!" -Garreth shared.

"That sounds intriguing." -Ominis was piqued.

"Let's try it out! Right now!" -Garreth was excited.

"I am waiting for Sebastian here. I cannot leave." -Ominis shook his head.

"We'll be back quickly. I promise you, Ominis."

"Alright." -Ominis agreed.

Ominis held his hand out. Garreth stared at it for a while. Ominis' hand is pretty with long sinewy fingers.

"Since I do not have my wand, you will guide me around." -Ominis declared, gracefully waving his hand.

"Ah! Yes. I forgot about that." -Garreth finally got it.

He reached out for Ominis' hand and took it into his own.

He held Ominis' hand the whole time. And he was blushing the whole time.

'Oh Merlin's beard! I'm holding hands with Ominis!!!' -Garreth was super happy. He couldn't believe his luck.

He was able to approach Ominis. Sit with Ominis. Drink and eat with Ominis. And hold hands with Ominis.

Kinda like a date.

'Did I drink the luck potion today?' -Garreth thought but he doesn't care anymore. As long as everything goes well.

They reached Honeydukes and Garreth picked up the chocolates he was telling Ominis. He took a piece from the sample jar and let Ominis try it.

Ominis chewed the small chocolate treat and then he smiled. "It is good. Really good."

And as promised, after getting the treat, they went back to Three Broomsticks where Sebastian was already waiting.

"Ominis! Where'd you go? I thought something happened... Why are you with Garreth?"

Ominis explained.

"Is that so? Well, I got what I came for. Let's head back." -Sebastian returned Ominis' wand.

Ominis let go of Garreth's hand then. Very much to Garreth's dismay.

The three of them headed back to Hogwarts. They were quiet the whole time. And Ominis was dipping his hand into the box of chocolate treat Garreth bought him.

"What are you eating, Ominis?" -Sebastian got curious.

"It's a new chocolate treat Garreth told me about. Too long to explain. Just try one."

Ominis offered, Sebastian took one from the chocolate box.

"It is quite good." -Sebastian took another.

They reached Hogwarts and was going their separate ways.

"Uhm, g-good day today, Ominis. Sebastian." -Garreth said.

"Thank you for the chocolates." -Ominis said.

Sebastian just nodded at Garreth and off they went to their respective dorms.

And that was the last time Garreth talked to the two Slytherins. For some reason, they were absent the next day. And pops in and out of classes the entire week.

"I never thought you liked gems." -Amit asked Garreth, who was fiddling and staring at his opal gem.

"Not really. Just this one." -Garreth rolled the gem through his fingers.

He looked at Ominis' seat, it was still empty.

And when they got back, they were back to being aloof to the other students.

Is it a Slytherin thing? Garreth thought as he sighed, watching Ominis in potions class.

And as expected, Ominis' cauldron boiled over. Garreth couldn't understand why Sebastian isn't helping his best friend.

Garreth panicked when he saw the boiling liquid flowing to the edge of the table, and ready to drip onto Ominis' legs; that would most likely burn them.

Garreth ran towards Ominis, grabbed him by the hand and then pulled him away from the table.

"Excuse me?!?" -Ominis was startled.

"Your cauldron boiled over. It was gonna spill onto you."

"That voice, Garreth?"

"Yes."

"Well, I supposed I should thank you then." -Ominis

"Oh, don't worry about it." -Garreth

"I got it." -Sebastian walked over to Ominis' table and turned the fire off.

Professor Sharp walked over. "Settle down!" and with the flick of his wand, he fixed all the mess.

"Everyone, get back to your seats!" Professor ordered. "And Mr. Weasley, you can let go of Mr. Gaunt's hand now."

"...Oh!" -Garreth let go of Ominis' hand. "Sorry."

"It's okay." -Ominis went back to his seat.

Garreth went back to staring at Ominis over at his table. He wanted to keep talking to Ominis. So he thought he'd give it another try later.

---

In Herbology class, Garreth approached Ominis again and gives him the chocolates again. Ominis smiled. He loves those chocolates now.

Professor Garlick arrived and Garreth went back to his seat. But he kept passing chocolates to Ominis as secretly as he can.

Casting wingardium leviosa to deliver the goods.

Ominis laughs a little every time a chocolate successfully flies over and lands on his hand.

At the end of class, Professor Garlick dismissed everyone but asked Garreth to stay.

"Mr. Weasley, I am impressed of your command of the spell wingardium leviosa. But please refrain from sending gifts to your love interest during class."

Garreth was so embarrassed. He thought he wasn't noticed.

"Are you courting Mr. Gaunt?"

"Wh-What?" -Garreth is in panic.

-+-+-+ ( to be continued ) +-+-+-

part 2 here

thank you. more on my master list here

I also have an AO3 account

my art/design shop here (for fanart and other things I do)

Like the gifs used here? See source under them. Reblog, do not repost. Thank you all gif creators here ♥️

#garreth x ominis #ominis gaunt #garreth weasley #imagine #fanfiction #hogwarts legacy

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nominalbutler · 7 years ago

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Sebaciel Week, Day 3 (late) - friends visit

(Here I am, late to the party, but par for the course. The friends came to them this time around, and Ciel is a brat)

…

“I didn’t know you had friends.”

“Is it strange to assume that I would?”

“You just don’t seem like the type,” Ciel said.

Several days earlier, Sebastian had explained that while he loved Ciel’s company, he would not be able to pick him up after work on Friday like he normally did. After a little more pestering, trying to convince Sebastian with kisses and soft touches, Ciel learned that Sebastian was hosting a poker game, to which he was not invited.

That did not deter Ciel in the slightest.

The boy hailed a taxi and somehow convinced the driver to take him all the way out to Sebastian’s. Of course, he left Sebastian to pay the exorbitant fare as he helped himself to a drink and a snack and made himself comfortable, kicking off his shoes in the middle of the living room floor and reclining on the couch. While he acted disinterested, it irked him that Sebastian did not want him there. Especially because it looked like it was going to be a good time; Sebastian had prepared several pitchers of drinks, and was currently elbow-deep in dinner preparations. It smelled good.

“What are you doing here, Ciel?” It didn’t happen often, but Ciel could tell that Sebastian was a little miffed; there was a crease in his brow and a tautness to his voice when he spoke.

“I wanted to see you,” he purred, smirking up at Sebastian from the couch. “And I thought you might want to see me too,” he added in a low, surprisingly sultry voice, which Sebastian had become quite familiar with during their somewhat brief stint of time together.

“Always,” he assured him with a weak smile. “But like I said, I’m expecting company tonight.”

“So I can’t be here?”

“Well, I didn’t think you would want to hang around a bunch of old guys while they play cards,” Sebastian explained carefully. He did not elaborate on how this poker game was something he and his friends held in high regard, almost like a sacred ritual. He did not want to say that Ciel’s presence would disturb it; there was no kind way to put that. Ciel often teased him for his peculiar habits and preferences, and he didn’t think he would understand that some things were just… special. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay, but I’m not sure how much fun it will be for you.”

“Well, your friends,” Ciel caught himself spitting out the word, and hoped Sebastian didn’t notice the icy tone as he continued, “won’t be here all night, will they? We can have some fun once they leave…”

Sebastian sighed. “I’m not so sure about that… There’s no telling with these people.” Ciel scowled, thinking that Sebastian was lying to him, trying to get him out, but it was true. On several occasions, Sebastian and his companions played late into the night, so late that it became morning. It was a monthly affair that they all took very seriously, betting real money, hoping that they would be the one to walk away with a couple thousand dollars in their pocket.

When the first person arrived, Ciel was still there, feet up on Sebastian’s coffee table with a plate of appetizers on his lap. Sebastian had made mini calzones in the shape of pinwheels, pigs in a blanket, beer-battered zucchini fries, a spinach bacon and artichoke dip, and given Ciel a sample of each, hoping it would tide him over while he finished up the peanut butter fudge brownies and set up the table in the breakfast nook. Ciel could hear the two conversing in the kitchen, though he was reluctant to stand and ingratiate himself right away.

“Ciel,” Sebastian eventually came for him, a bottle of beer hanging from his hand, “do you want to come meet everyone?”

Leaving his plate on the table, Ciel walked into the kitchen, interested in seeing the type of people that Sebastian kept company with.

It was a rather diverse group, and as Ciel met each one in turn, he had to wonder how they had come to know Sebastian, know each other. The first was a very tall Indian man, taller than Sebastian, who introduced himself with a warm smile and a strong handshake.

“It’s a pleasure,” the man said. “My name’s Agni.”

“Hi. I’m Ciel.”

One by one, Ciel met each of Sebastian’s friends as they arrived: Bard, an ex-Green Beret who now managed Sebastian’s restaurant; a lean Asian man named Lau that tended bar at the pub across the street from the restaurant; Sebastian’s money manager, a quiet older man named Tanaka who served as the dealer at each of their monthly games; a clumsy woman with glasses and a warm smile who introduced herself as Mey-Rin; a grizzled older man named Wolfram who Ciel later learned used to run covert ops for the government. The last to arrive was a very tall woman with bright red hair and the strongest handshake of the bunch. She introduced herself as Grell, and Ciel wondered how Sebastian ever became friends with such an ostentatious being.

“Where’s Undertaker?” she asked loudly, her bright red heels clacking on the kitchen floor as she made a beeline for the keg. “That handsome fucker is always late!”

Ciel gave Sebastian a look and whispered, “Undertaker?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian nodded. “His first name’s actually Carl. He’s the county coroner.”

“Weird… That’s kinda fitting though, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is. His family’s run a funeral home for decades.”

Eventually, the former mortician wandered in, a Tupperware container of cookies tucked under his arm, apologizing for his lateness in a raspy, yet somehow melodic voice. He cackled as he handed Sebastian the tub of cookies, and Ciel noticed they were all in the shape of bones and skulls.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sebastian said, setting the cookies out beside the pitcher of peach honey sangria, where the brownies were currently cooling, fresh out of the oven. “We haven’t gotten started yet. By the way, this is Ciel. He’ll be joining us tonight.”

“Hi.”

“Well hello there,” the man who went by Undertaker drawled. “It’s nice to meet you. You must be pretty special if Sebastian invited you to his poker game, eh?” He peeked out his gray fringe of bangs to inspect Ciel up and down, green eyes gleaming. Ciel couldn’t help but notice the faded, ashen scar that cut across the sallow skin of his face. A cold, clammy hand wrapped around his, and Ciel felt something hot in his throat that he couldn’t swallow down.

“Ciel invited himself, actually,” Sebastian interjected with an amused grin, offering each of them a glass of sangria and giving Ciel an opportunity to withdraw his hand. “Are we ready to get started?”

Everyone nodded in affirmation and moved to sit around the table with their refreshments.

“Ciel, right?” The other woman from earlier, Mey-Rin, spoke up. “Are you gonna play with us?”

“Well, cards aren’t really my strong suit,” Ciel admitted, flinching at his own unintended bad pun. “I don’t have any money to throw down either…” he added quietly as he noticed Tanaka collecting cash from Bard and Grell and handing them stacks of poker chips in various colors. Hearing the hesitation in Ciel’s voice, Sebastian moved beside him and whispered in his ear, grinning when the warm breath tickled Ciel and he flinched.

“I got you this time,” he offered. “If you lose it all, you can do my dishes for a week as payment, how’s that sound?”

“You have a dishwasher.” Ciel scowled, but took his place at the table all the same. Smiling almost maliciously, Sebastian set a meager stack of chips worth $200 in front of the boy and clapped his hands.

“Alright ladies, gentlemen, let the games begin.”

Sebastian could see Ciel growing more uncomfortable across the table with each hand, the number of chips in front of him dwindling in sporadic bursts. Ciel clearly had a sense of what he was doing, he was up some moments and down the next, but he was just not consistent. It became evident that the others at the table had already picked up on the young man’s unconscious tells �� the way he worried his lip between his teeth, how he casually rubbed at his bad eye as he studied the cards before him.

Grell and Undertaker both seemed intent on draining him of his funds rather quickly, and the two of them worked Ciel for all he was worth, until his last few chips. Sebastian was not looking forward to the sour mood it would surely put Ciel into and the complaining and berating he would endure after the others had left. As if trying to console him before the inevitable happened, a long, slender leg extended under the table until it brushed Ciel’s shin, a socked foot creeping up the inside of his left knee. Sebastian received a mild glare for his advance, even though there was an unmistakable glint in those azure eyes. And then, Ciel was up. In more ways than one.

He made quick work of those at the table, and after several more hands, Ciel had made back all the money Sebastian had lent him, and then some. Grell played much more aggressively once she realized she had been swindled by Ciel’s expert acting, losing a fair amount of money in the process. She was not the only one who had been fooled; Bard, in thinking he had figured Ciel out, went all in more than once, and was the first one to lose his place at the table. Lau ran out of chips too, and the two of them grumbled as they refilled their drinks and retired to the porch to split a cigarette.

At that point, Sebastian suggested they all take a break; while they had all been congenial at first, the animosity had grown noticeably heavier as Ciel continued to play his boyfriend’s own friends for chumps. Ciel was quite satisfied with himself after that round personally, pleased that he had been able to play everyone at the table so well. He suspected it was only a matter of time before Sebastian stepped in and prevented him from robbing his friends of all their money.

“I didn’t know you were so good at cards,” Sebastian mused as he brought Ciel another glass of sangria.

The boy smirked behind the rim of the glass as he took a sip of the sweet yellow nectar, “Is it strange to assume that I would be?”

#sebacielweek #my stuff #j writes

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