Where Snakes and Lions Roam |Sebastian Sallow|

XXXIII

Emilia shot up in her bed. Her body was covered in sweat and she could hear her heart beat ringing in her ears. She had the dream again. Well the nightmare, to be more specific. Sebastian standing over his dead uncle and the echoing of his laugh. She could still see the green flashes when she blinked.

It was starting to become a weekly occurrence. Her sleep was suffering for it as well. Something about what happened in the forest just didn't sit well with her. Not to mention, she hated keeping secrets from everyone. Sebastian had told her on no uncertain terms was she to tell anyone about how Jessica died. Not even Anne or Ominis. And it was especially hard to keep a cool presence when Officer Singer questioned them in the days following the incident.

She didn't like it one bit. But, as many have said before, love will lead you to do crazy things. Like keeping the use of the Unforgivables a secret for the sake of her boyfriend.

Boyfriend?

They had never really had labels. And that was mostly due to the nature of their relationship. Zero expectations and all. Though, if she really thought about it, she supposed that they really did fall into the boyfriend-girlfriend category. He had never called her such, but it fit.

She continued to think about the things that had been on her mind, and more, as she walked through the halls on her way to class. She had a Divination exam on tea leaves. She was nervous as ever, seeing as tea leaves were her worst enemy. She could never manage to pick the form properly. They just looked like a pile of brown at the bottom of a cup. She just hoped that Professor Onai would take it easy on her. The woman had a way of making her feel insignificant with words alone.

She shook her head as she approached the stairs that led to the classroom hatch. She looked up, watching other students ascend the steps. Some with a confident gate and others with their shoulders hunched with nerves. She could relate to the latter, almost too much. She sighed before making the climb herself.

It's now or never.

​​​​​​​After the class was over, she couldn't help but practically run down the stairs and away from that room. She shook her head as she thought about all of the answers she gave. She hoped it was at least a passing grade. She looked up from her feet as she landed on the next floor. Sebastian was standing against the wall next to the stairs. She assumed he was probably waiting on her. His arms crossed over his chest and his legs lazily crossed at the ankles as he rested his body weight on his shoulder.

He looked as dashing as ever. His robes flowed smoothly down his back and around his shoulders. The blazer and vest under nicely buttoned in place. His hair was messy, but in a way that she could tell he had just run his hands through it.

I want to run my hands through it.

​​​​​​​She bit her lip lightly as she approached him. His eyes lit up in the same way they always had around her. She probably would have caught on to his feelings for her sooner if she had noticed that before las year. She smiled up at him as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. His lips as soft as ever. She wished she could just melt under his touch.

"Good afternoon, my love," He smiled back at her.

She felt her stomach do a flip at the pet name. It was just one more to add to his growing list of things to call her that weren't her name.

"And what brings you to this part of the castle? Weren't you supposed to be in Beasts class?" She questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

He chuckled lightly, "We got out early. Ominis and Hobhouse got into it again."

Again?

"Dunkin? What ever for?"

Sebastian was trying to keep back his laughter, something he was not very successful at, "Ominis never liked the bloke. I don't know why. He does still call him Puffskein Dunkein though, and I don't think the poor chap will ever live it down. Ominis was almost chasing him around the beat pens." He couldn't keep it in any longer and barked out a laugh, clutching his stomach.

Emilia couldn't help but giggle a bit. Sebastian's laughter was infectious. She shook her head, "And so you decided you wanted to se little ol' me?" She looked up at him and attempted to put on the most innocent face she could muster.

He smirked at her playful remark, "There is no one I would rather see."

She blushed as a smile crept on to her face. Listening to him be genuinely happy for once was wonderful. His laughter.

And then her mind betrayed her. She heard that blood curdling laugh from her nightmare again. She could almost swear the sound was bouncing around in her skull. Her smile faltered slightly and she turned to walk down the hallway to hide it. He quickly turned on his heal to follow her. She hoped, non the wiser.

The next few weeks went by quickly, despite the ever more frequent nightmares. They were getting worse. It wasn't just Sebastian killing his uncle. Some nights it was Anne. Some nights Ominis. And what was worse than that, was that the last two nights, it had been her.

​​​​​​​She wasn't getting any sleep. And Sebastian was starting to act different. She noticed it last week. He was getting short with her. He wasn't using any of his pet names for her. Something was wrong, but she didn't want to believe it. She told herself that it was just the stress of the quickly approaching end of year. Everyone was stressed and always on edge. In the back of her mind, though, she knew something was wrong.

Anne and Ominis were still normal around her. Natty and Poppy as well. Even Imelda was acting cheerful. She wouldn't let herself think about the real reason that Sebastian was changing. She couldn't. Maybe if she let it run it's coarse, he would start acting himself again. It was only one time. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

The laugh was back, taunting her from the deep reaches of her mind. Though now, a voice joined it.

"You think you know me," It spat, "You know nothing."

​​​​​​​She couldn't help the tears welling in her eyes.