Where Snakes and Lions Roam |Sebastian Sallow|

XXI

Why does she always have to look so perfect.

Sebastian watched Emilia as she took in the room. Her eyes lit up with the same innocent wonder that he had seen from her many times before. She always took everything in stride with a smile and can-do attitude. He wondered how she even fell in with someone like him. She really was reoccurring force in his life that kept him grounded. That was part of how everything got to bad fifth year. Had he not turned her away, he knew things would have been different. If anyone else had gone to the catacombs he wasn't sure his uncle would still be alive, and who knew what that would have done to Anne.

He pushed those memories away. It was in the past. And there she was, right in front of him. She was beautiful and intelligent and had a wicket sense of humor. She knew his faults and didn't leave. There weren't many people who knew everything about him. Of course his sister would know, and Ominis. He was more like a brother than a friend.

The party kept on into the night. Garreth's mystery potion was some kind of alcohol he had hidden in his dorm. It wasn't particularly strong, but it did give everyone a nice buzz. The Prefects promised secrecy as long as they had a steady stream of the drink for the duration of the party. Students from every house ended up in and out of the room as time progressed. Someone had spread that there was a party and that brought the crowds.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a walk. I need some quiet," Emilia said to him.

"I'll come with you, I could use some quiet as well," He said as he followed her out of the room.

They walked in silence through the halls. That was one of the things he loved about their relationship. The silence was never awkward. It was comforting to just be in each others presence. He found her sliding her hand into his as they walked. Still no words passed between them. He wasn't going to complain. Every time he was around her he had to fight himself to keep from kissing her. He wasn't sure how he was getting away with all the little kisses he would plant on her forehead, but he was going to show her every bit of affection he could. She deserved to feel loved and he was the man to do it. He did love her after all.

Before long they had stepped out onto the grounds. The sky was a sea of stars. The moon was full and bright. He could see the light reflected in her blue eyes as she turned her head to look at him.

"You know, I can't believe this is our last year," She said, continuing to walk along the path.

He hadn't given it a whole lot of thought, their last year. The last year they would spend together as students. Who knew what would happen to them after. Would they still talk often? Would they still see each other? He wasn't sure he would do to well if he couldn't see her. He wasn't too sure what an Auror's day to day consisted of. Would she have to travel a lot? Would she be safe? Well obviously there would be some dangers, that came with the job. But would she know everything she needed to keep herself safe? They would train her, but did those who were training her know about the Dark Arts well enough? Had they dealt with them first hand? Maybe he should teach her about the things he knew.

"Sebastian?" She stopped and squeezed his hand.

"Hmm? Sorry, just lost in thought. I hadn't really thought about it being our last year. You're still going to visit me after, right? I don't know if I could take being away from you too long."

She started walking again, leaning into his arm and wrapping her free hand around his bicep. He smiled to himself at her touch. It was quiet, just the sounds of crickets. They didn't have to focus on anything but each other. He wanted to stop time. They had a rough few years together, but none of that mattered in the moment. It was perfect.

"Well, of course, silly. That's like asking if I'll ever stop watching the stars."

"Well, you love the stars."

She mumbled something he couldn't quite hear before moving on, "I'm not sure how my parents are going to take me going behind their backs. It might not go well. I'm going to tell them after I know if I've been accepted or not, which should be soon. In the event that it doesn't go well, do you think I would be able to stay with you and Anne for a little while while I look for somewhere? I know it's small, but I wouldn't take up much space and I wouldn't even mind sleeping on the floor."

Emilia? In the same house as him? Every day? Her sleeping there? It wasn't a very big cottage, but he would do whatever his uncle wanted if Solomon would say yes.

"You can have my bed. Don't you worry your pretty little head," He said.

He felt her burry her face in his arm. She still blushed every time he told her she was pretty. It was cute, and sometimes he would tell her just because he liked that he could get her to blush. He felt her start to shiver slightly as a crisp breeze blew past them. He didn't hesitate to take his jacket off and drape it around her shoulders.

Damn, she looks good in my clothes.​​​​​​​

He always thought she looked good in green. Sometimes he thought she might have done well as a Slytherin, but that might just be him rubbing off on her. She looked at him and bit her lip. His knees felt weak. It was just a look, but it was a dangerous look. She took a step toward him, and he found himself doing the same. His hands hovered above her waist. He wanted to grab her and crash their lips together, but he didn't want to ruin what they had. She looked up at him through her lashes.

It's like she's trying to get me to kiss her.

​​​​​​​Why was she torturing him? He didn't know, but it was agony.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes?" His voice was a whisper, barely audible. He could barley get himself to speak.

"I'm going to preface this with one thing, this is a one time only situation. And I don't want you going to your sister about it, either."

What was she going on about?

"Kiss me," She said as she pulled him down by his loose tie.

Zero hesitation. His hands found their place where they had been aching to rest for what felt like an eternity and he pulled her into his chest. The force of his haste had almost knocked the wind out of him, but he didn't care. He smashed his lips onto hers. She quickly slid her hands up his chest and into his hair. He felt tingling wherever her hands touched. He loved when she did that. It drove him mad.

What all would she let him get away with? Might as well find out. He slipped one of his hands off her hip and on to her bum, giving a light squeeze. She gasped, which gave him the perfect opening to slide his tongue into her mouth. She tasted sweet. Her breath was quick and shallow. She pushed her body into his and tugged on his hair lightly, causing him to make a small groan.

Am I about to get lucky right now?

​​​​​​​And then he remembered she had had some of Garreth's alcohol. She probably wouldn't even have asked him to kiss her if she was sober. That thought made him sad. He wished she wanted to kiss him that badly without the 'liquid courage'.

He pulled back with a small sigh, "You aren't yourself right now. If you still want to kiss me in the morning, you know where to find me. But for now, I think we should get you to bed."

She pouted at him, "I feel perfectly fine, but if you insist."

She took his hand again and began to walk back, pulling him behind her.

Why do I hate myself. I could have had a wonderful night, but I had to have morals.