In the Shadows - Sebastian Sallow x reader (English)

Chapter 9

Time had flown by and it was now October. On a Monday morning, Professor Black announced that there would be a big celebration at the castle for Halloween. All the students in the Great Hall were chattering excitedly. "I had hoped that there would be another celebration this year. We could go tot he party as a dorm together. With Poppy, of course", Natty babbled in anticipation. "And what if one of us gets asked out?" Poppy, sitting to my left as usual, had a good point. It was still three weeks until Halloween. A lot could happen in that time. "Well, then she goes with her date. But it's nice to know that none of us have to go alone", Nellie explained. "How is Halloween celebrated in the wizarding world? Muggles dress up as monsters or, well, witches at night. How is it done here?" I had no idea if the traditions of the two worlds were similar. "The kids dress up too, but everyone here dresses to impress for the party." Poppy's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "It occurs to me: Shall we go for a little stroll in Hogsmeade on Saturday? I need a new dress. My old ones are all too small for me now." We agreed in unison.

All week, excited girls could be heard throughout the castle being asked out by their crush on a date to the celebration. During a break on Friday, the five of us friends sat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower in the tea corner, each enjoying a cup of hot leaf brew. So far none of us had been asked out. Cressida hoped Garreth would ask her and I eagerly awaited Sebastian's question. "Oh, Merlin! Luke, of course, I'm going to the party with you", a Ravenclaw girl squeaked a few feet away from us. Annoyed, Nellie rolled her eyes and Cressida frowned. "Why hasn't anyone asked me out yet? It can't be that hard!" "Maybe everyone's scared of you, Cressida", Nellie teased. "Ask Garreth if you want to go to the celebration with him," I suggested. "He can't say more than no." "You're also waiting for Sebastian to ask you out on a date. You ask him!" Perplexed, I started to stutter. "T-that's something completely different! You've known Garreth a lot longer than I've known Sebastian." "It's nothing different." Did Natty just stab me in the back? "You two are waiting for your crush and neither of you has the courage to ask your chosen one out yourself." "Merlin, I'm glad I don't have to deal with something like that", Nellie mumbled into her cup. We drank up our cups in silence and made our way to our next lessons. Poppy and I were doing Charms while the other three were going to Transfiguration.

We were practising Aguamenti, the incantation for water when a small piece of parchment landed on my desk.

Meet me in the undercroft after class

-Sebastian

My heart skipped a beat. Will Sebastian ask me out on a date? Or did he find something in the books from London that might bring us one step closer to Anne's healing? Either way, I couldn't wait for the evening to come. Poppy seemed to sense my excitement as she grinned at me and whispered: "Is it a party invitation?" I shook my head. "No, just that I'm supposed to meet him after class." "Well, still can be." The Hufflepuff gave me a meaningful wink and I had to suppress a laugh.

When I was on my way to the undercroft in the evening, I met Sebastian in the Transfiguration's courtyard. "It's good that you're here. I have to show you something." The Slytherin looked excited. Without hesitation, he grabbed my hand and hurriedly pulled me behind him towards the undercroft. His touch made my face blush and I felt like it was almost permanent now. Arriving at the big clock, Sebastian opened the entrance to the undercroft and bowed playfully. "After you, M'eudail." "M'eudail?" I giggled, startled, and entered the undercroft, the brunette close behind. "It's a Gaelic pet name like my dear." We entered the undercroft when I turned to him in surprise. "You speak Gaelic?" I was very impressed. Sebastian shrugged. "Just a bit. But I have to stay true to my roots somewhere if I'm not walking around in a kilt." We started laughing together. The idea of Sebastian in a kilt was too delicious. Men don't wear anything under a kilt, I thought. Eagerly I tried to throw the thought of a naked Sebastian out of my brain. "So, what I wanted to show you." Sebastian walked boldly to a table at the other end of the undercroft on which the books were stacked. I followed him curiously and my gaze landed on an illustration in an open book. A pyramid of bones was visible. "The relic", I stated. "It's a guide. We could recreate Salazar Slytherin's relic and finally heal Anne with it." I quickly scanned the instructions. "Blood from Slytherin, bones from..." I faltered. As expected from Salazar Slytherin, to create a relic you had to use not just one, but all three unforgivable curses on a victim. "Sebastian, this is madness. We need to kidnap someone, torture them, brainwash them and then kill them? After the incident in the catacomb, haven't you still left black magic behind, especially the unforgivable curses?" "Y/N, this could be Anne's salvation. You know I would do anything for my sister." Worried, I looked into his hazel eyes, which shone with hope and desperation. "You say it: could. And what if it doesn't help Anne? Then we have committed a cruel deed for nothing. We would torture and kill someone for nothing. I'm sorry, but I can't reconcile that with my conscience if we only act at our discretion." Sebastian's face darkened. "I have to try. If you don't want to help Anne, I'll do it myself." Anger boiled up in me. "Emotional blackmail doesn't work on me, Sebastian! I want to help your sister, but not out of the blue! And if you'd thought for just a moment, it might have occurred to you that it was still Victor Rookwood who cursed Anne. So we should be looking in his footsteps for clues to a countercurse and not in ancient Salazar Slytherin books!" "I tried that! I broke into the Rookwood estate over the summer looking for clues, but someone got there first. The property was completely looted. There was nothing there. And before you suggest me a tracking spell, I've tried that too! There were too many tracks. I couldn't find anything, especially since I didn't know what exactly to look for." I thought for a moment before speaking again: "And if I try again? If I use my ancient magic? Maybe we'll find a lead then." Sebastian nodded in agreement and his face relaxed again. "Fine, let's try it. Next Friday we'll leave right after class. We need to fly to the estate. Floo powder or Apparition would be too conspicuous. It's best to pack a small bag because we'll be on the way all weekend. And don't worry, we'll be back before classes start on Monday. So nobody will notice our absence." "Okay, then let's do it like this." We stood facing each other in silence for a moment. Ask me on a date already! I laced my fingers together in embarrassment. "So this celebration for Halloween. That sounds exciting. Are you going there with someone special?" Sebastian's cheeks were flushed red and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I'd like to go to the party with a special girl, but I haven't had the courage to ask her yet. How about you?" My heart skipped a beat. So he wanted to ask a girl out, but it definitely wasn't me. Or is it? I didn't know what to feel. "I'd also like to go to the party with a certain boy but haven't been asked yet. In fact, no one has asked me to be his companion." Sebastian's eyes showed something akin to regret. Did he pity me? "And if you ask him? Maybe he doesn't dare either." The irony made me chuckle sadly. "I'm afraid he's going to the party with another girl. Also, I don't think he feels the same way about me as I do about him. It would only destroy our friendship." Sebastian nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I feel the same way." He sighed. "If only love wasn't so complicated, right?" He's already talking about love? I definitely have no chance against his beloved. "Do you know how to waltz? In case you're going to the party with someone? The couples traditionally open the dance floor with a waltz." Openly and honestly, I admitted: "No, I don't know how to dance." Sebastian straightened up, offered me his hand and bowed slightly. "May I ask?" Embarrassed, I placed my hand in his and together we strutted a little further into the room. "In principle, you only have to remember three steps for the basic step: Step, Side, close up. The leading persons start with a step forward with their right leg, which means that the following person takes a step backwards with their left leg." Sebastian faced me and we took the first step. "Then the leading person puts their left foot aside, the following person puts their right foot aside." We also put this step together. I focused my eyes on our feet to avoid tripping. "And then just follow the other foot and hit it." Tap. "Then it's repeated on the other side. So you dance a square. Are you ready to try it to music?" I just nodded and Sebastian charmed a gramophone in the corner behind us to play a slow, romantic waltz. He took my right hand in his and raised it to about eye level. "You just put your left hand on my shoulder and come a step closer." He pulled me close to the waist so that we were almost full body contact. I got incredibly warm and when I realized that Sebastian's hand was resting on my hip, my heart began to race. "Ready?" the Slytherin whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine. "Ready." I felt Sebastian take the first step and did the same. However, I started in the wrong direction and stepped on my partner's foot. "Ouch! The bottom one was mine." "Sorry." Sebastian grinned crookedly at me. "No problem. Just remember that you start with a step backwards." "Got it", I nodded. We started to take our first steps again and this time I made no mistake. Sebastian led me through the dance and soon incorporated a twist. We whirled around between the pillars of the undercroft as if on clouds. I wanted this moment to last forever. When the music stopped we swayed in silence for a moment longer until Sebastian pulled away from me to bow again and place a kiss on the back of my hand. My heart threatened to explode and I caught my breath. "Thank you for the dance, M'eudail." "I have to thank you for teaching me", I ground out through a dry throat. A gentle smile crept onto Sebastian's lips. "Always happy. We should still slowly head to our dormitories. I don't want to get you in trouble if you get caught in the hallways during your night's rest. I grinned and pulled out my wand. "In a pinch, I still have this one." A loud laugh escaped Sebastian's throat. "That's my girl!" We both blushed as soon as he said those words. "I had a good teacher", I replied shyly. The brunette cleared his throat. "Well then, off to bed with you. See you. I'll get everything ready for Friday." With mixed feelings, I said goodbye to Sebastian and padded off towards the Gryffindor common room. As is so often the case, it would be a restless night for me, but I was looking forward to the day.