Long Road Ahead // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

28

***

"Yes that's it! Keep it up!" Professor Hecat was cheering me on from behind me. Any day now, I should be heading out to save my parents. The Hogwarts students had graduated and Orion was living full time in Feldcroft now.

I had my wand pointed down at my hand and an orb of swirling blue magic was growing larger and larger. I built it until I felt my arm quiver and I shot it towards the training dummy. It flipped in the air until finally landing towards the edge of the quidditch grounds.

"Yes! That was bloody brilliant!" Professor Sharp and Hecat made their way towards me and I put my wand away.

"I would say you have mastered that ancient magic now in combat terms."

"Yet, I'm still no closer to finding out my specific."

"You shouldn't put yourself down on that dear. Remember, you are supposed to figure that out naturally, not forcefully." I understood what Professor Hecat was saying, but it did nothing to put my mind at ease.  I knew that any morning now, I would wake up and it would be time to travel to Mr. Cromwell. There was no way I would be bringing the black unicorn's hair to him, which would in turn, create a duel for my life and my parents life.

***

"A beautiful morning, isn't it?" My eyes opened and I was once again in the stone room covered in the blue haze. I turned to see Mr. Cromwell in the corner of the room.

"Is it time?"

"It is young one. Make your way to my home. You should be arriving a little after the noon sun. That is, if you leave immediately. Don't make me wait long, or your parents will suffer." The blue haze overtook the room and I woke up.

I shot straight up in my bed. Sebastian was still asleep next to me. I rubbed his shoulder, which quickly made his eyes flutter open.

"Is everything all right my love?"

"It's time."

"I got the brooms ready to go a few days ago, just let me change clothes." He stood up and started getting his clothes out of the dresser.

"Sebastian, no. I need you to stay here."

"If you think that i'm going to let you go there alone, then-"

"I won't loose you again!"

"You think I want to loose you!? I will do everything I can to prevent myself from feeling the way you did when I was sent away. Except this time, you could be killed and I would have no chance of bringing you back. I wouldn't be able to go on like you could. You, you are so full of light and beauty. You could move on and find another to love. I couldn't. Loosing you, making me wait here to find out if you survived or not, that would kill me. Knowing that I could have protected you, but instead I stayed here and did nothing. Please, do not make me go through that. I will follow you until the end."

"Sebastian, please."

"You won't loose me again. Now get dressed." He tossed my clothes to me and I got dressed. I knew protesting past this point was going to be useless. He would follow me no matter what I said. Before we set off, I gave Orion his instructions for the day. One of the hippogriffs went into labor overnight, so he was going to be keeping an eye on her for most of the day.

Sebastian and I had set off with the directions that Mr. Cromwell had given me last fall. the trip was quiet with barely a word spoken between the two of us. There was an overhanging gloom that hung around us as we drew closer. The sun had become high and the heat was beginning to make the ride uncomfortable. As we continued over the various scenery below us, the ruined castle began appearing in the distance.

"Sebastian, let's land just before the trail gets to the castle."

"Where those trees start?" He pointed down and I nodded at him. We landed our brooms and rested them against a tree that had fallen over. I took the time to take a few deep breaths as Sebastian made sure his wand was hidden from view. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go." We quickly made our way to the castle ruins where we were met by two poachers. They didn't speak, but instead opened the large iron gate doors. We passed through and a poacher led us to a large area that was in the ruins. It was large and made of stone, very clearly the room that was in my dreams. The ceiling was taller than I would have expected. The ceiling was littered with multiple large cages that varied in size, but one large one was in the center.

"Ahhh, finally! You have arrived, and you brought the boyfriend too. How lovely."

"Give me my parents."

"Once I have the unicorn hair, I will."

"That is not how this will work. Once I have my parents, you can have the hair."

"We exchange at the same time then." I pulled a small piece of bundled paper tied shut with twine from my pocket. His eyes focused on the piece of paper then to one of his poachers. He nodded at him which caused him to pull a lever. The giant cage tilted to one side and I could see my parents. They hit the side which made the door open and they began falling towards us. Mr. Cromwell used accio to take the paper from me as I moved to catch my mother who was closer to me. "Sebastian, catch my Father!" We both rose our wands in the air and were able to guide them towards us, gently landing them on their feet.

Sebastian's P.O.V.

I caught her father and made sure he was alright. He looked stunned and then met my face.

"I'm assuming you are the Sebastian I have heard so much about?"

"You would be right sir. We can talk later though. I don't think this is the right time to ask you for your daughters hand in marriage."

"If you get the three of us out of here safely, You can have anything you want." I looked at Mr. Cromwell who was now smelling the hair that was in the bundle. His smile faded and then looked at (Y/n).

"Sly bitch. This is Thestral hair." We became surrounded by poachers who were approaching quickly. Mr. Cromwell came down from the stage that he was standing on. 

The battle began.

One by one I took out the poachers while protecting (Y/n)'s parents. She focused her attention on holding back Mr. Cromwell, but they seemed to be equals. I took out the last poacher and tried to focus on Mr. Cromwell, but he was moving around to quickly.

"Enough of this! Let's even this battle shall we?" He pointed his wand at me. "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" (Y/n) jumped as the green light rushed towards me. I couldn't move quick enough before the spell had reach her and she was knocked back into me. I fell over and she landed landed next to me. She wasn't breathing and she had gone completely limp. I held her head in my lap and tears started to rush from my eyes, landing on her cheek. I brushed her hair out of her face as her parents walked over. I could hear Mr. Cromwell's laughter in the background.

"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she moving?" Her mother knelt down and held her daughters hand.

"He used the killing curse on her. There's no coming back from it. It's instant death." I looked at her mother whose tears began after she processed the information I told her. Her father then knelt down and wrapped his arms around his wife. I laid her head in her mothers lap and grabbed my wand off the ground. I stood up and pointed my wand at Mr. Cromwell.

"That was a cheat way to make it even. You'll pay for this bastard!"