Echoes of Emotion (Sebastian Sallow x OC)

Chapter 20 - An Old Friend

The next day, Sebastian and I met at the common room entrance, suitcases in hand, ready to use a Floo Flame to travel to Feldcroft.
I felt butterflies build in my stomach at the thought of spending so much time together.
Just the two of us.
I was actually quite excited.
Especially since I finally wasn't spending Christmas alone.
I even managed to get him a present.

As I approached him, a smile made its way across my face, imagining what was to come.
When he saw me, he mirrored my reaction, walking over to me.
"Let me help you with that." he reached down and gently placed his hand on the handle of my suitcase, brushing my hand slightly as he did.
I froze at the sudden contact, his warmth always sending a shiver down my spine, but I quickly came to my senses and let him take it, hoping that he didn't notice.
"Thank you." I said, looking down at his hand, trying to hide how flustered I was at such a simple gesture.

"You ready?" he asked, beginning to make his way over to the Floo Flame.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
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As soon as we arrived, I took in the scenery.
The snow had already begun to fall, coating the ground so that there was nothing but white for miles.
I forgot how pretty it looked in the winter.
Or maybe I just hadn't had time to really notice before...

Sebastian instantly headed towards the house, either eager to get out of the cold, or avoiding his mind from wandering like mine.
I followed closely behind him, still looking around as people walked around the village.
Even with Ranrok's Loyalists gone, there was still an odd aura in the air.
But as I saw people begin to look over in our direction, I quickly put the pieces together.
The way they looked at Sebastian with pity, not daring to say a word to him as he stared at the ground.
They were still mourning the loss of Solomon.

Once we reached the house, we immediately headed inside, with Sebastian going in first and holding the door for me.
I thanked him as I walked past, before looking at my surroundings.
I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but I was still surprised to see that the place was exactly the same as when I first saw it.
However, there was a new feeling in the air.
The place seemed darker than before, and colder.
A shiver ran up my spine, my hands grabbing my coat in an attempt to contain whatever warmth I had.

Sebastian didn't seem fazed by this.
He just closed the door, put down his bag, and carried mine over to the bed hidden behind the curtain.
I followed behind, curious as to what he was doing.
He placed the suitcase on the bed, before turning to me.
"You can sleep here. It's a bit warmer since it isn't exposed like the other one." he said, looking down at the other bed.
I nodded slowly in agreement, not wanting to argue the case.

He shifted his gaze down to my hands, seeing how they clutched my coat.
I quickly tried to play it off, letting go and putting my hands at my sides, but he was already making his way over to me.
As he reached me, he grabbed one of my hands, his eyes widening slightly, before dropping it again.
"Merlin, you're hands are freezing!" he exclaimed, looking over towards the fireplace.
A frown appeared on his face as he saw it was empty.

"You wait here, I'll go get some firewood. Can't have you turning into an icicle on my watch." he smirked, causing me to nod in agreement.
I didn't quite know what to say in this situation.
I felt so flustered, which was odd, since I hadn't felt like that last time.
But I also felt uneasy.
Like Anne and Solomon would walk in any minute.
Like they would be sitting at the table.
Just like the dream...

I was pulled out of my thoughts at the sound of Sebastian shutting the door, causing me to jump slightly.
I decided not to dwell on such things, since that would only make it weird for both Sebastian and myself.
I was here to make sure he had a nice break.
Not to add to his worries.