In the Shadows - Sebastian Sallow x reader (English)

Chapter 15

TW: Sexual abuse/assault, violence

The time had finally come: the night of nights was coming up. The whole castle and grounds were eerily decorated with jack-o'-lanterns and spider webs. The dormitory was pure chaos. When four girls dressed up for a big event at the same time, things could only get wild. Like a bunch of startled chickens, we scurried through our dormitory looking for things to wear to the party. "Has anyone seen my necklace?", Cressida called out angrily. "You wear it around your neck, Cressida", Nellie snorted. "You better tell me where my second shoe went." "Why don't you use Accio?", Natty suggested. "Sure, if you want a heel to sting your eye, I'm happy to do that." I fidgeted with my hair desperately and got frustrated when the gold hair brooch didn't do what I wanted it to do. I glared at the small accessory in my hand and the small red garnets set into the flower-shaped brooch sparkled back like an Acromantula's eyes. "Now sit properly, you little bastard!" Again I tried to place the brooch on the back of my head, where my bangs ran together in two strands twisted into cords, at the intersection. In vain. Frustrated, I felt the need to throw the hair ornament into the next corner. But I knew very well that I would regret it in flight. Natty seemed to sense my anger because she took the brooch from my hand and placed it where I wanted it. "Here you go. Is there anything else I can help you with?" I shook my head happily. "Thank you, Natty. And no, I can handle the rest." I slipped stud earrings with garnets through my earlobes to match the hair brooch. I gave myself the finishing touch with some makeup. My lids sparkled golden with black accents on the outer corners of my eyes and my lips invited to kiss in a dark blood red. "Honey, you look adorable!", the talking mirror caressed my ego. You're damn right. And suddenly there was calm. We were all done and looking damn good. Nellie had her brown hair up in a loose bun and a silver necklace around her neck that matched her sky-blue dress perfectly. Cressida wore her street-mongrel blonde locks loose and applied lipstick to match her blood-red dress. Natty wore her hair up as usual. Her strict mother, Professor Onai, would probably not allow anything else. "Are you ready to have the evening of your life?" Nellie asked excitedly. "Let's go!"

As I descended the grand staircase, I saw Sebastian and Ominis waiting in front of the Great Hall. Sebastian paced back and forth impatiently again and Ominis seemed to reprimand him in an annoyed way. Both wore black suits, but that's all I could see from a distance. I stopped on the last landing and took a deep breath. "You okay, Y/N?" Natty asked me worried. "Yes, go ahead. I need a moment", I reassured my friend. I enjoyed the sight of the excited Sebastian for a moment and noticed how my hands started to sweat. I quickly wiped the unwanted liquid off my hands on my dress. As my friends walked past the two Slytherins, Sebastian looked after them searchingly and then turned to the stairs I was still standing on. Sebastian said something to Ominis with a wide grin, who then smiled softly and disappeared into the Great Hall with a pat on his best friend's shoulder. With a pounding heart, I descended the last steps of the grand staircase and was immediately greeted by a beaming Sebastian. The Slytherin looked incredibly handsome in his suit. The black bow tie on his neck hung at seven-thirty, as his school tie often did. A red handkerchief was tucked into the small pocket on his chest. Sebastian took my hand in his and placed a kiss on the back of my hand. "You look lovely, M'eudail." "Thank you," I stammered. "You too." My cheeks began to glow. "Well, I don't mean lovely, I mean good. Not the bad good, but the good good." What am I talking about? Sebastian laughed softly. "I like to look lovely, thanks. By the way, I have something for you here." The brunette pulled a red carnation out of his pocket and held it out to me with a steady gaze. With trembling hands, I took the small flower and sniffed the fragrant bloom. "Thanks, Sebastian." Desperately, I searched for a good place on me to store the carnation for the evening. "Wait, I'll help you." With that, Sebastian took the flower from me and put it in the left cord of my hair. He played with one of my strands with a gentle look. "And a few per cent prettier. If that's even possible." My counterpart's words made me blush. "We should go in. The opening dance will start soon", Sebastian explained softly. I just nodded. All week I had practised the waltz at every opportunity I got so as not to make a fool of myself at the party. Like the perfect gentleman, Sebastian offered me his right arm and I awkwardly linked his arm. Excited, we entered the Great Hall, which, like the rest of the castle, was eerily decorated. The ceiling was barely visible with all the floating candles and bats flapping around, and jack-o'-lanterns with different facial expressions stood in every corner. "Wow, Professor Garlick has let off steam", Sebastian stated with a laugh.