Sallow's Soft Side-10 Years Later

Chapter 7 - Exploring Lumos

*Sebastian POV*
It's been a week since Y/N left, and I miss her always. I sent her an owl yesterday to inform her I have a few days free that I could come visit her, and that as soon as I get one in return I'm walking up to the floo station. I have a feeling she'll reply rather quickly, so I've already got my bag packed. It's funny how you can spend ten years without someone and you're able to seemingly pick up right where you left off as soon as you see them again.
This thought makes me think of Ominus. I wonder how he's doing. We haven't been in touch since the summer after finishing school at Hogwarts. He stayed with me for a couple of weeks to get away from his family. The Gaunts have a dark history and encourage the use of Dark Magic, which Ominus is firmly against. I've sent him a couple of owls, but I have not gotten any in return.
I get to work on my garden chores to pass the time. I'm on my knees digging up the potatoes that are ready for harvest when all of a sudden an owl swoops down and lands on my head. Peculiar thing, they typically drop the envelope and continue flying. I take the envelope, but it doesn't fly away. I give it a little pat and say thank you, and it still doesn't leave. It squeaks a little, so I decide to see if maybe it's just hungry. I pull a radish from my produce bin and hand it up to the owl. It takes it in its beak and flies off.
The letter is clearly from Y/N, as I can tell from her swirly handwriting on the envelope and the bits of dirt from what I assume is repotting plants for her store. Her letter tells me to come any time and that she's always got time for me. She claims she could use a helping hand in her shop anyway. I pop into the house to grab my suitcase and say goodbye to Emilia and Raven.
I make no stops to admire my surroundings on my quick walk up to the floo station.
—-
I've arrived in Lumos Valley. Y/N was spot on when she told me it reminds her of Hogsmeade. It's a cozy yet bustling little town. A take some extra time before walking to her home at Silent Mandrake to browse into the windows of some of the little shops in the main part of town. There's a couple cafes, a tavern, a large candy store, and several kinds of retail stores just in this part of town. I follow the street signs to find my way to the Silent Mandrake and tap on the door. Right away I hear footsteps trotting down the stairs and to the door.
"Sebastian!" she exclaims while practically jumping on me. "I can't believe you're at MY house! Welcome!" She then proceeds to give me a kiss.
"You were right, this is a lovely little town. Care to show me around your store?" Her store and her home are magnificent. The sides of the main floor are all made up of large windows covered in vines of flowers, and the upstairs bas stone walls without windows directly on the walls, but rather on the ceiling, and is open kind of like a loft, only much larger. She shows me around the main floor before bringing me upstairs to her personal space. It's even larger up here than I thought. It's complete with a big bathroom, a bed and dresser that are blocked off by room dividers, a full kitchen and dining area, and a living room with a fireplace. Of course she put in a fireplace. I hope she enchanted her plants to be fireproof.

"I need to shop for a new lock for my door. I can show you around if you care to join me." she says from the other room. "I just need to change into something more suited for the warmer weather. I was melting up until now."

"Sure," I answer. "Anything you want to do, I'm just happy to be here."

She steps out after changing and finds a pair of sandals to put on. I swear, this woman will be the death of me. Does she have the slightest idea how radiant she looks? She has her hair tied up, a few strands straying around her face. The summer dress she chose to wear fits snugly to her curves down to just above her hips, then flows loosely to her knees. The short sleeves of her dress rest just slightly off her shoulders. The top portion shows just the slightest bit of cleavage. The fabric is an off white that is decorated with a pale, delicate blue and green floral pattern. Have I mentioned how lucky I feel lately?

We wander through the market square and stop occasionally to browse the wares of some of the local farmers. We sample some jams, we stop to listen to a man playing music on a corner, and soon after that we arrive at a vendor selling hardware. Y/N insists on needing a completely unbreakable and unpickable lock no matter the price. I have a feeling that has to do with the scum that she gave the boot recently. Does she feel unsafe for some reason now? That concerns me.