Shadow of a Grave /// Sebastian Sallow

chapter two ✧ lighthouse

It was a warm summer day when everything had been simpler for Sebastian Sallow. It was the last day before they were supposed to return to Hogwarts for their final year as students. He woke up early to make sure that they would still be back to catch the train the following day. But he wasn't going to allow the summer to end early.

As most things went for him, there had been no plan that morning. They had been lying outside and watching the stars only hours earlier, it had just been a light chat about the future when Amelia Blackwood told him that she hadn't actually ever seen a lighthouse. Only that she loved the idea of living in one.

So the next morning Sebastian got out of bed early and woke Amelia up. It was a long flight by broom, but neither had known a faster way. Even though she had never told him, Sebastian knew that she hadn't been the greatest fan of traveling by broom. Her fingers dug deeply into his skin and her knuckles went white against his chest.

Once in a while, he'd start flying as fast as possible just to see how hard she might squeeze onto him. That had always been fun for him.

As soon as he saw the lighthouse he stopped to make sure that he was able to face her instead. He'd seen a lighthouse before and had never really given it a second thought. But he wanted to see her face when she saw one for the first time, wondering if it lived up to her dreams.

Her face glowed with excitement. As if the image that she created in her mind had finally come to life. As they landed on the top next to the light, she had been completely taken aback by the sight of it all. Unsure if she should be looking further up or all the way down to the shore.

That was the moment he had first realized that her eyes were the same color as the sea.

"Does it live up to how you'd imagined it?" He asked curiously.

"No," Amelia smiled, "It's better! Much taller than I expected if I'm being honest."

"Really?"

"It's almost as tall as the Ravenclaw tower, I didn't think it would be this large," She clarified.

The lighthouse had been taller than Sebastian remembered it as a kid although everything was always different from your childhood memories. The lighthouse seemed taller, the ocean less scary than when he was small, and even the wind was colder. Maybe it was because he had never been to the top that the wind blew cold even in the summer heat.

The view was much better from the top too. There wasn't an inch of sea that couldn't be seen. The waves rolled endlessly before they kissed the earth far below. Sandy shore stretching for miles on either side, peaceful and sleepy even in the middle of the summer heat. Being that high off the ground, even the clouds looked softer as if you could reach out and touch them.

Sebastian hadn't been looking at any of those things.

Instead, he thought the best view was how brightly Amelia had been smiling. He loved making her smile, it was the sole purpose of dragging her out of bed early to make the trip. Every chance he had he would make a joke or tell her something sweet just to make her smile. A soft light smile from her always made him feel accomplished.

But she hadn't been lightly smiling as she looked over the sea from the top of the lighthouse. Her smile had been the largest he'd ever seen, wide from cheek to cheek. It was a true joy for both of them.

"Amelia," He called toward her, pulling her ocean eyes back to him, "Will you please marry me?"

It was the fifth time that he had asked her and the second time that month, not that he had been keeping track.

But that time felt different. This time they were looking at their future together and he wanted to make sure he'd see that smile forever. He wanted to capture that moment in a bottle and keep it on his at all times. Spend every moment being the reason behind her joy. She was all his and he was all hers.