what if? // sebastian sallow

In the Shadow of Reality

The next morning, I wake up still sprawled on the couch in the Room of Requirement, Sebastian's arm lazily thrown over me. I shift slightly to look at him and can't help but smile when I realize that he's still asleep. I take a moment to appreciate his soft freckles and his long eyelashes fluttering against his skin. My heart feels warm.

Unexpectedly, he blinks his eyes open before I can look away. When he catches me staring, his first reaction is to smile. I can't seem to tear my eyes away from him.

"Admiring me even in my sleep, huh? Want more after last night?" he asks, smirking.

I roll my eyes and hit his arm playfully. "Stop it! It's too early for this," I say, laughing.

"It's never too early for me to want you," he counters. He leans over and kisses me, soft and slow, making me go silent. I could lose myself in those lips forever.

When we break away, I glance at the clock on the wall. "Merlin, we're going to be late for class! I need to go get ready," I say, shooting up from the couch.

He stretches slowly, looking up at me with those seductive, rich, brown eyes, and it takes every fiber of willpower in my being not to collapse into his arms all over again.

"I guess you're right," he says finally, standing up as well.

We head over to the Slytherin common room together in a comfortable silence, the events of last night rushing through my mind in a warm blur.

You're my girlfriend from now on, and I want everyone to know it.

The memory of his words sends a thrilling shudder down my spine.

We part ways at the common room, and I rush to the girl's bathroom to freshen up and get ready for the day. As soon as I enter the bathroom, I see Imelda and she practically runs up to me.

"I know for a fact that you didn't come back to the dorm last night, Jasmine. You better spill immediately if you know what's good for you," she says, her eyes glued to mine, hungry for the details.

I laugh, starting to wash my face in the cold water of the sink, breaking her intense eye contact to make the telling a little easier. "You've probably already guessed...I was with Sebastian," I admit, laughing.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Imelda yells, drawing the attention of some of the other girls in the restroom.

"Imelda, hush! You're making a scene!" I exclaim.

She laughs and claps a hand over her mouth. "Okay, okay, I'll be quiet," she says in a dramatic whisper. "Now, please don't tell me you're spending time with Sebastian without demanding an answer from him about why he ghosted you for all these years. And don't you dare let him get close to you until he gives you a good reason and a commitment that it won't happen again."

"He was afraid of hurting me after how fifth year ended, and he thought that distancing himself would be better for the both of us. But as the years went by, he's grown. His opinions have changed. And it's been hard for him to maintain that distance," I tell her, as honest as I can be, given the circumstances.

Imelda looks at me skeptically. "Why didn't he just tell you back then he needed some space though? And how is he assuring you that it won't happen again?" 

"To be honest, Imelda, I don't think he really had a good reason other than that he was irrational and immature about dealing with difficult feelings and a tough situation back then. I can see the changes in him now though, genuinely. I think a lot of that impulsiveness has calmed down," I say, thinking about how calmly he had started to talk about Anne, the way he hadn't been losing his mind anymore over finding a cure. The way he had put my safety and comfort first when I had first suggested using my ancient magic.