In the Shadows - Sebastian Sallow x reader (English)

Chapter 11

The following week dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. I'd spent the evenings after class in the Room of Requirement, replenishing my supplies of potions and herbal helpers and tending to the magical creatures in my vivariums. When I wasn't there, the house elf Deek took care of the animals. It was Thursday evening and I was feeding Highwing and her black companion Caligo when Deek arrived. "Deek noticed, that Miss Y/LN is a little quieter today than usual. Is Miss Y/LN okay?" I sighed and let my shoulders sag. Deek was very empathetic and quickly noticed when something was wrong. I absently stroked the hippogriff's silky white feathers. I've got a lot on my mind right now, Deek. But I couldn't pour my heart out to him. The risk of him having to tell Professor Weasley about it was too great. "I won't be able to take care of the animals at the weekend. Will you do that for me, please?" Deek nodded with a friendly smile. "Deek likes that very much." I still couldn't believe that such a good soul was terribly mistreated and it broke my heart again and again when I thought about Deek's story. I thanked the house elf and turned my attention to the puffskeins, who were rolling happily across the meadow.

The next evening, after the last lesson, I hurried to the dormitory to pack my bag for the next few days and put on my combat gear. I had equipped my bag with an expansion spell for easy travel. Just as I was stuffing the last of my stuff into my luggage, Natty walked into the dorm. "What are you doing?" Fuck. "Natty, I'll explain everything to you later. Please watch my back, okay?" This wasn't the first time I'd had to ask my friend for this favour, and she was already used to the drama. Natty sighed and shook his head. "Okay. Take care." I scurried out of the dorm room, giving the Gryffindor a tight hug as I passed. "I thank you."

I rushed to the big bridge where Sebastian was already waiting for me. He paced restlessly like a tiger with cage fever. However, I couldn't resist taking a closer look at him. He wore a black coat to match his black trousers over a maroon embroidered sweater. His emerald green Slytherin scarf was wrapped around his neck. A cold autumn wind whistled through the treetops and I wrapped my sky-blue scarf tighter around my neck. When I arrived at Sebastian's I was greeted with a gentle smile. "Thank you for accompanying me. Shall we go now?" I just nodded and together we walked away from the castle. "The manor is north of here. We won't be able to make it there tonight, so we'll have to find somewhere to sleep for the night", Sebastian explained. When we had enough distance between the school and ourselves, we summoned our broomsticks and flew north. The cold wind whipped my face and made my nose go numb.

We had already flown for two hours and the sun had long since been replaced by a glittering starry sky with an increasing moon when Sebastian suddenly exclaimed: "Oh, shit! That looks like it's going to rain." The Slytherin pointed to a black cloud front building up a few kilometres in front of us. "Hopefully we stay dry," I called back. Sebastian pointed to a small dot in the distance. "There's a small, abandoned hut over there. If we hurry, we can get there before it starts raining."

We didn't. The rain had caught us about half a kilometre from the hut and soaked our clothes in cold wetness. When we landed at the cabin, we were both wet to the bone. The cold wind topped it all off and I shook like a leaf. "A-alohomora." Also shivering from the cold, Sebastian picked the lock and motioned for me to enter the abandoned hut first. Once in the dry, we dried off with a swish of our wands, promising at least some relief. The hut was small but nice. A chimney was built into the wall diagonally opposite the door. A small kitchenette including a dining table rounded off the corner to the right of the fireplace. On its left was a bed, with a second directly opposite. The hut didn't have more to offer, but we didn't need more. I went straight to the chimney. "Incendio." Flames erupted and in an instant, a warming fire crackled at my feet. "Merlin, I'll freeze my ass off otherwise." I happily warmed up by the fire, but that didn't help much. I heard a clink behind me and a moment later Sebastian was standing next to me with two bottles of Butterbeer in his hand. "What do you think if we warm these up? I packed some sandwiches too." "That sounds good."

A few minutes later we were sitting in front of the fireplace with a plate of sandwiches in front of us and a warm Butterbeer each in hand. I was still freezing, and despite the fire in front of me and the warm drink in my stomach, I was shaking wildly. Suddenly Sebastian got up next to me and grabbed a blanket from one of the beds. He shook it out and wrapped the soft fabric around my shoulders. "You're going to catch a cold", he explained as he sat down next to me and reached for another sandwich. "Thanks", I managed shyly, taking a long sip of Butterbeer. We sat next to each other in silence until we finished our dinner.

"Which bed do you want to sleep in?" Sebastian wiped the beds clean with a flick of his wand and gave me a questioning look. I was still sitting in front of the fireplace wrapped in the blanket and shivering. That damn rain. "That one." I gestured towards the bed on the wall next to the fireplace. Sebastian just nodded and started to undo his belt. What in Merlin's name is this going to be? "W-what are you doing?" At least my face was getting warm now. The brunette laughed out loud. "I don't want to sleep in my pants. This is way too uncomfortable. And before you get the next shock: I'll take off my sweater too. It's enough for me to sleep in my shirt and underpants." How embarrassing. I tried to look away from him but to no avail. I enjoyed the little striptease and in the end, the Slytherin was just standing there in a white shirt, under which you could only guess the fine lines of his chest, and black, tight-fitting boxer shorts, which left no room for fantasies. Sebastian seemed to catch my stare because he grinned smugly and shook his head but said nothing. I too was supposed to get ready for bed gradually and padded to my bag, which I had placed on the table. I dug out a fire-red long-sleeved shirt and grey baggy pants. Just as I was about to undress, I felt Sebastian's eyes on me. Outraged and embarrassed, I turned to him. "Would you mind watching something else?" He held up his hands apologetically. "The table behind you is a real eye-catcher. But yes, I'll turn around." No sooner said than done. I quickly changed into my comfortable sleeping clothes and carefully folded my combat gear on one of the chairs. The cold still didn't let me go and I hurriedly got into bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin. Sebastian crawled into the bed opposite. "Good night", he wished me. "G-good n-night." I just couldn't stop shaking.

After a few minutes of shivering throughout, Sebastian got up with a sigh and came over to me. "Scoot over, please." Confused, I complied. He lifted the covers and I was about to complain when he lay down next to me, wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me close. I looked at him perplexed with eyes the size of saucers and didn't dare to touch him anywhere. I didn't know where to put my hands. His brown eyes sparkled in the sparse light that emanated from the fireplace. "You are cold. You can't sleep like this and you can hear your teeth chattering all the way to Hogwarts. I thought you could use some warmth", Sebastian explained his actions. "You can snuggle up, I don't bite." I hesitated at first and then wrapped my left arm around his body as well, placing my right arm under me and being careful not to touch his sensitive area. When my hand touched his back, he cried out in a pitch only dogs could hear. "Bloody hell! You're fucking cold!" "You must have heard that at Hogwarts", I laughed. "Shut up." And with that, Sebastian pulled me even closer to him. I buried my face in his chest. The scent of cedar enveloped me and I listened to Sebastian's breathing and heartbeat. I finally got warmer. My breathing became more regular, my eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.

Sebastian's POV

I didn't want to impose on Y/N, but I couldn't take it that she was so cold. Of course, I could have enchanted her blanket, but I thought having her so close to me was a better idea. Feeling her relax in my arms and slowly drift off to sleep made my stomach tingle and my heart beat a little faster. Her body twitched slightly as she snoozed away and a contented sigh escaped her lips. Merlin, how can you be so cute when you fall asleep? I gently stroked her hair and inhaled her scent. I could have held her like this forever. My heart slowly calmed down and I found myself falling in love with her more and more every day. "Mh, Sebastian", it mumbled from my chest and caused my heart to race again. Does she talk in her sleep? And was that just my name? I had to pull myself together not to kiss her right out of my sleep. Like a princess from one of those fairy tales where she falls into a deep sleep and can only be awakened by a kiss of true love. It took a moment for my heart to start beating again and gradually I fell asleep.

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I was excited about this chapter since the idea of this story popped into my head. I hope you enjoyed reading it.