In the Shadows - Sebastian Sallow x reader (English)

Chapter 17

"That's a blank wall, Y/N." We stood in the astronomy tower across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, on which he was trying to train trolls for ballet, and looked at the bare wall. "Wait a minute!" I thought of my Room of Requirement and when the door appeared, Sebastian was amazed. "Woah! What's that?" "That, dear", I explained as I pushed open the door and pulled Sebastian behind me by his hand. "is the Room of Requirement. In this case my Room of Requirement. It appears to anyone who desperately needs it or who longs for it and adapts to the needs of the person." Sebastian stepped to the centre of the room and looked around. His gaze lingered on my potion station and the many planting tables. "And your need now was to brew potions and grow plants?" "No", I laughed, stepping up to him. "I use the room regularly to stock up my supplies, study in private, or rescue creatures from poachers and provide them with new homes." "Impressive." The Slytherin looked down at me and grinned at me. "That's why you've always been so well prepared with potions and chewing cabbage." I nodded and shrugged. "Professor Weasley showed me the room at the beginning of my final year so I could have some time to catch up on missed classwork." "And you didn't say a word about the place even though I showed you the undercroft?" Sebastian pouted. I got a little closer to him and narrowed my eyes. "I can keep a secret, Sallow." Now Sebastian also came a little closer to me, so that the tips of our noses touched. "I can do that too, Y/LN. I just wanted to be nice when I showed you the undercroft." My gaze flicked briefly to Sebastian's lips and immediately back to his hazel eyes. I absentmindedly placed my hands on his chest. "Oh, Mr Sallow. My freckled knight in school uniform", I whispered playfully. "Let me reciprocate you and let you in on my secret about the Room of Requirement." Laughing out loud, Sebastian threw back his head. "It's Sir Sallow then." I couldn't keep up my masquerade any longer and burst out laughing, too. "Sir Sallow doesn't sound right at all. I'd rather stay with Sebastian." Sebastian's laugh turned into a mischievous grin. He pulled me close by the waist and whispered in my ear in a hoarse voice. "You can call me whatever you like, M'eudail." Oh, Merlin, have mercy! My knees went weak and a longing, desperate sigh inevitably escaped my lips. The Slytherin chuckled and gave me a knowing look. The bastard knows exactly what he's doing! I looked the brunette straight in the eyes with a challenging look. "Okay, dumbass." Sebastian's face fell in surprise. "Hey! I didn't mean it like that!" Grinning, I took a step back and strolled towards the lower vivarium. "Then you better watch what you say, dumbass", I called over my shoulder. "Come, I want to show you my protégés."

Sebastian was enthusiastic about all the animals that cavorted in my vivarium. But when a Niffler crawled into his pocket and plundered it, the fun was over for him. "Hey, you thieving magpie! Accio!" The Niffler, which had taken flight, took off from the meadow and floated towards Sebastian. He blinked at us with a confused look in his tiny black beady eyes. Carefully, the Slytherin took the little hairy thief in his hands, grabbed his feet and tickled his fluffy belly, causing the Niffler's loot to tumble from his fanny pack to the ground. Including the bottle with the calming drops and also a small, hand-carved comb made of dark wood. Sebastian quickly stuffed his belongings back into place and sat up. "You always carry the comb Anne gave you with you, don't you?", I remarked appreciatively. "Of course. Anne gave it to me as a talisman. The comb always reminds me of her. It's like carrying her by my side." His bond with his sister touched me and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Sebastian seemed to have noticed my change of heart because he looked at me with concern. "Hey, are you okay?" I quickly blinked back tears and smiled apologetically. "Yes, I'm fine." A telltale tear escaped the corner of my eye nonetheless and rolled down my cheek. Sebastian took a step towards me and wiped the tear from my face with his thumb. "Nothing's fine. What's going on?" I shook my head. "I just love how much you care about Anne and treat this comb as your own little sanctuary." The brunette gently stroked my cheek with his thumb. "I worry about everyone I care about. Anne, Ominis..." Sebastian took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against mine. "You", he whispered, causing goosebumps to spread all over my body. "S-Sebastain, I..." The Slytherin kept getting closer to me. Normally I would have longed for a kiss from him, but just before our lips could touch, the memories from last night flooded back and I backed away from Sebastian, who was looking at me as if he had done something bad. "Sorry, I can't do that. Not after last night. I still feel Leander on me. No matter how many times I wash, I feel dirty." The tears returned and are now streaming down my face. "Y/N, I... I didn't mean to hassle you. I'm sorry." Sebastian looked at me helplessly. He raised and lowered his arms as if he wanted to hug me, but wasn't sure if that wouldn't be too much at the moment. In response, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his nape. Sebastian carefully returned my hug and his nose sank into my hair. "I'll wait for you until you're ready, Y/N. And if I have to wait a hundred years. You are worth it. Tha gaol agam ort." "What does that mean?" I sniffled, leaning back a little to look at him. "N-nothing important", he stuttered, blushing. "Can I have a look at the other vivariums?"

I guided Sebastian through the other three vivariums. Arriving at the ruins, the Slytherin admired my unicorns, especially the golden foal. The horned horses approached us curiously and I summoned a few apples for my furry friends. "Thank you for letting me in on your secret. You can owl me anytime if you want to see me here", Sebastian smiled softly. Dreamily, he was stroking the mare Hazel's nostrils when a majestic squeal caught his attention. "Was that...?" As if on cue, the phoenix landed on the walls in front of us. The Slytherin laughed in surprise. "You have a phoenix?" "Well, yes. I rescued him from a poaching camp." Sebastian could barely contain his glee as he took my face between his hands and kissed my forehead. A tingling sensation spread across my forehead and I felt incredibly warm. "Do you know what that means?" Sebastian asked excitedly, my face still in his hands. His eyes glittered with excitement. "Erm... Saving a rare animal from ending up in stolen goods?" "Yes. But more importantly, the phoenix could heal Anne. Phoenix tears have healing properties. They heal even the worst injuries. Then why not Anne's curse as well?" "Sebastian", I sighed exhaustedly and took his hands in mine. "Again, that's just speculation. We don't know if this really means Anne's healing. Please don't get your hopes up too high." The brunette squeezed my hands. "But it's worth a try. In any case, we have to find Anne so that the phoenix can cry for her." "Sebastian..." "I'll be on my way immediately. Maybe I can reach Anne somehow." Sebastian rushed forward. "Don't you understand that she doesn't want to be found? Otherwise, you would have found her long ago, you pigheaded idiot!", I called after him angrily. Sebastian turned back to me with an evil look. "I'll keep looking for her anyway. She's my sister, Y/N." With that, the brunette stormed out of the Room of Requirement, leaving me speechless.

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Please excuse me if there are any errors left. I've got a concussion