A Tale of Sallow

Chapter Five: Life As We Live

Spotify: The Heart Of Life by John Mayer

After we have calmed down from our burst of emotions, I suddenly became aware of Sebastian's heat radiating from his body pressed against me. Immediately, the heat transferred to my face painting it bright red. I jumped back, throwing me off balance. That must have shocked Sebastian as well because he looked at me with wide eyes and upon seeing my red face, he too became infected with the blush on his face.

He coughed.

"Uh.. thanks for the soup? Maybe I can now eat?," he said with a lopsided smile on his face.

"Oh. Right. Right. A moment please, while I scoop some out into the bowls," I replied.

"No, I'll do it. You cooked. I shall serve and wash," Sebastian said calmly as he took over the task.

As we were enjoying our soup, I couldn't help but notice that Sebastian has lost some of his mass. Once the youthful cheeks of his are now sunken and dark shadows cast under his eyes. His hair is longer, clearly not being tended to. And is that patches of tiny hairs around his mouth facial hair I see?

Sebastian caught me observing his features and blushed faintly.

"It must be a sight to see me like this. I haven't been taking care of myself for the past few months."

Maybe the feminine senses in me were activated and I suddenly felt like I needed to take care of this lost sheep.

"Well, clearly. You will not be skipping meals and you will take a bath today, Sebastian Sallow. And please do something to your hair?" I nagged.

"I don't know. I kind of like this length. A bit like Weasley's, don't you think?," Sebastian teased while twirling his hair.

"I like you better with short hair, though," I blurted out without thinking and immediately regretted.

"As a friend, of course," I quickly added hoping that Sebastian wouldn't notice my heated up cheeks.

"Of course," he replied.

Okay. Time to change the subject. Think, Lilian, think. What else to say to him that will make this less awkward? Hmmm... oh Anne's letter!

"Oh! How could I have forgotten? I have a letter that you would be happy to receive. It's from Anne!," I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement.

"Here, let me grab it out of my pouch," I said as I pulled out a bunch of letters from my mokeskin pouch.

As I handed Anne's letter to Sebastian, he made no reaction. Just staring at the letter like it is the plague itself.

"Go on, open it. I'm sure Anne wrote to you because she has forgiven you. Or at least she is ready to talk again," I encouraged him.

He looked hesitant at first but he eventually got around to picking up the letter. I scanned his face for any signs of emotion as the clues for the contents of the letter but I couldn't make anything out of his poker face.

After about five minutes have passed, Sebastian put down the letter. But said nothing.

"Well?," I prompted.

"You can read the letter. I don't mind," he said as he handed over the piece of parchment to me.

"Dear Sebastian

I hope this letter reaches you well. I'm still not ready to forgive you for what you've done but I had a few months to reflect on the events. I couldn't help but feel that part of the blame should have been on me. It is because of me that you have made such dark decisions. Please, forget your obsession with searching for the cure for me. I understand your best intentions but I cannot let you ruin your life just because of me. If anything, you would be doing me justice by living your life to the fullest. Live, for the both of us.

I also wish to update you on my well-being in case you worry yourself too much. Ministry has assigned me a home and they are extremely nice people. I'm doing well and I shall contact you with an address once I am ready to face you again.

Until then, I wish you all the best for your sixth year at Hogwarts, my brother.

Love always
Anne"

"Seems like Anne may be coming around sooner than we expected," I tried to cheer Sebastian up.

"And she is at a foster home and not alone. I may send an inquiry to the Ministry to make sure she is comfortable there," I said. That did make me anxious a little, considering what I saw in Bainburgh. But I didn't try to imply anything more as I did not want to make Sebastian worry.

Sebastian looked like he was lost in thoughts and did not make any response.

"Sebastian?"

"H- huh? Oh right. Yeah, okay. Thank you, Lilian. For coming down, and for bringing me Anne's letter. For everything, really. I really am grateful for your friendship," Sebastian said with sincerity in his eyes.

Friendship.. yup that stings a little. But it's alright. At least I still have him by my side and that is enough for me. For now.

I smiled and teased, "You're welcome, Sebastian Sallow. You can count me in anytime to drag you back to Hogwarts. Where would I be without my duelling partner that I could occasionally humiliate in front of Professor Hecat's class?"

"Really funny, Lilian Posh," Sebastian scoffed.

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After making sure that Sebastian would not change his mind about coming back to Hogwarts, I left Feldcroft around noon. That would have been enough time for me to fly back to Hogwarts but I had another stop on my mind that I had to make. So I floo flamed to the Ministry of Magic and looked for the department of social and family affairs. I informed them of the situation in Bainburgh and they told me that they would look into it immediately. I also inquired about Anne's whereabouts and confirmed that she was placed with an elderly couple who were willing to adopt her despite her age. As Anne may not have wanted me to track her down, I did ask the officers to check in on her. Being an ancient magic wielder that saved the wizarding world from an evil goblin does have its perks after all.

After about two days since I made the trip to Feldcroft, I received news that Sebastian will be joining us next week. A few days later, I heard back from the Ministry informing me that Anne is indeed happy to be with the elderly couple. The couple had lost their daughter, who was about Anne's age at the time of her passing, a decade ago. To honour her memories and also to have sort of a companion in their old age, the couple decided to adopt someone. They were a bit of healers for each other, I supposed.

All's well and life's good. Now another long countdown to next week...