what if? // sebastian sallow

In the Shadow of Broken Hearts

The next morning when I encounter Sebastian in the common room, he greets me with a soft kiss, but its usual heat is missing. His lips brush coldly against mine and he pulls away quickly.

"Seb...are you okay?" I ask him, scanning his clouded expression.

"How's your stomachache? Feeling better now?" he asks pointedly, ignoring my question. His eyes search mine in an oddly hostile way that suddenly makes me anxious.

"Yeah...I'm fine. I just needed to turn in early last night. Nothing that one night of sleep couldn't fix," I lie, laughing nervously, and I can see his eyes darken. His mouth slightly turns down disapprovingly.

"Hmmm...interesting. Glad to know you're feeling better," he says, before he suddenly turns and walks away without further comment, his frame slowly disappearing up the stairway towards classes.

The memory of his stormy eyes and icy kiss haunt me for the rest of the morning. Something is wrong.

***

As soon as I see Poppy entering Beasts class that afternoon, I sense she's hurting inside. The tell-tale tracks of tear stains glisten on her cheeks, and her eyes are filled with an overwhelming sadness.

Brushing past the other students in the class, I run over to her and throw my arms around her wordlessly. "What's wrong?" I ask in a low whisper, leaning in close to her ear.

The tension drops from her shoulders, as if she was just waiting for someone to notice. She crumples into my arms and starts to sob, drawing inquisitive glances from some of the students around us.

"Let's get out of here," I say softly, leading her out of class towards a private grassy area nearby, away from all of the other students.

We sink down onto one of the benches, side by side. She's still crying, but curls her fingers around one of my hands and squeezes. "Thank you for being here for me," she says quietly through her tears.

"Of course, Poppy. You can talk to me about anything. And I'll probably give better advice or insight than Buckbeak," I joke.

She manages a laugh, even through her sniffles.

"I have no doubt about that. Anyways, it's about... Ominis," she says, and the way her voice cracks as she says his name shatters my heart.

"What's happened?" I ask, gently squeezing her hand again, pressing her to continue.

"He broke up with me today. Well...I guess I can't say we broke up because we were never even officially together, but...he told me he thinks I deserve better than him and there's a better future out there for me. He said we need to set better boundaries for our friendship because I'm getting the wrong idea."

My brain struggles to put the pieces together. That doesn't sound like Ominis. Whenever he talks about Poppy, his eyes sparkle, and those are the few times he actually envisions a bright future for himself. I think about the soft way he smiles around her and his gentle kisses. The trusting way he fell asleep on her shoulder at the Three Broomsticks.

Poppy turns to me, her normally gentle eyes suddenly drilling fiercely into mine. "Am I crazy, Jasmine? I genuinely thought we had something. Please tell me if I was being delusional. I need a dose of reality right now."

"No, Poppy - you're not crazy. I've seen how Ominis is with you - I've never seen him be affectionate with anyone else, but with you, it seemed to come so naturally. There must be something else going on with him. You two belong together."

"Can you please talk to him?" A modicum of hope creeps into her voice and my heart aches for her.

"Of course I'll talk to him," I say, looking into her disheartened eyes. "I'll make him see reason."

***

That night, I wait in the Undercroft as the clocks ticks quietly in the dead of the night. I had sent an owl to Ominis to meet me at midnight because I'd thought I would spend most of the evening with Sebastian.

However, Sebastian had turned in early tonight with almost no explanation. Just a few parting words and another emotionless kiss that made my blood run cold. I was starting to wonder if he was upset with me for going to bed early the night before - surely he couldn't be that possessive.

I watch the clock, almost mesmerized, as it ticks on and on, excruciating slowly, past midnight. 12:15. 12:30. 1. It's not like Ominis to be late.

Finally, at 1:30 AM, he walks into the Undercroft. His robes are in disarray and his tie hangs loosely around his neck, secured only by a messy knot that's almost coming apart. His unkempt blonde hair hangs limply around his forehead, rather than neatly gelled back.

"You're late," I point out.

"I know," he retorts coldly.

The silence between us is heavy as I wait for him to offer an explanation for his tardiness but am given none.

"Why did you break up with Poppy?" I finally ask. I get straight to the point, already feeling irritated and tired by his demeanor.

"What do you mean, 'break up'? As you are well aware, I was never dating her," he replies stiffly.

My gaze bores into him, but all I see is the usual cloudy haze in his eyes, mysterious and unapologetic.

"Are you serious, Ominis? That's all you have to say for yourself? I know you care deeply about her! You're not fooling anyone. Tell me the truth."

His expression seems to soften for a flicker of a moment, but he quickly slips back into his eerily calm demeanor.

"Jasmine, this conversation is futile. if there's nothing else you want to discuss, I'm going back to the dormitories. I'm exhausted."

He turns and starts walking away, leaving me speechless, my words trapped in an angry tangle in my throat.

He hesitates for just a moment at the exit.

"It will be best if Poppy can forget me - I would appreciate it if you encouraged her to move on," he says quietly, his voice dark.

With those words, he leaves the Undercroft, leaving me perplexed in his wake.