Between The Shadows | Ominis Gaunt x Sebastian Sallow x Reader

A Promise (II.)

Sebastian POV

I finished the last paragraph in the chapter, raised my head and saw y/n, running towards me, robes flying behind her. She arrived at the gate gasping for air and her face flush from the effort, rested her hands on her knees. "Sorry... I'm... late," she managed to say between deep breaths.

"No bother" I said, "I made the most of the wait" and showed her the book I had been reading, 'The True History of the Opal Fire' "Do you need another minute or shall we be on our way?"

Her face started to return to its normal shade again as she adjusted her attire. "I'm fine, let's go."

It was a stunning day for a walk, with the beginning of autumn bringing warm weather and a soft, golden light that bathed the grounds. As we made our way, we encountered other groups of students who had also chosen to take a trip to Hogsmead that day.

Despite the crowds at Honeydukes, we were able to get our hands on Anne's favorite sweets. Y/n told me about the secret passage behind the one-eyed witch statue next to the main staircase in the castle. We agreed to use it next time to avoid the crowds.

We made a quick stop at Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. Sirona offered us the drinks on the house as she had a special fondness for y/n. Apparently y/n occasionally ran some errands for her but when I asked more about it, she just brushed it off as nothing important.

As we made our way back to Hogwarts, I was struck with a strong sense of deja vu. "This reminds me of our first trip to Hosmead two years ago, remember?"

"How could I forget? Luckily this time there were no angry trolls waiting for us."

I grinned at her. "If I had to choose anyone in the world to battle an angry troll with, it'd be you."

"With the level of your skills now you wouldn't even need me any more." she remarked. "After seeing what you did yesterday with Ominis' hand, I must admit, I was thoroughly impressed."

"Thank you" I replied "but that was healing magic, not combat magic. To be honest, I miss a good fight but I'm afraid I'm out of practice now."

Approaching the little bridge on the edge of the forbidden forest, she glanced at me and said with a daring look, "You can always practice with me."

I stopped walking. "Is this supposed to be a challenge, y/n?" This could be fun.

She also stopped and turned to face me. "Just an offer of a friendly duel, that's all."

"Like now? Here?" I gestured.

"Why not? There is no time like the present and... maybe not right here on the road but..." she pointed behind me. "Over there?"

"In the forbidden forest?!" I replied slowly, just to confirm that I had heard her correctly.

"Yes, it should be safe. The only creatures we might come across so close to the edge of the forest are butterflies."

I was beginning to lose grip of the situation. Y/n was casually challenging me to a duel inside the forbidden forest? There definitely had to be something else behind it. Nevertheless, she had piqued my curiosity and I decided to play along. "Alright, let's go."

We walked for several minutes in silence, past the second wooden bridge and then y/n suddenly came to a stop. She turned to face me, hands clasped behind her back, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I have two theories now." I said while walking closer to her. "Either you're not y/n but someone who used polyjuice potion to impersonate her and now you're trying to kidnap me, or..." She laughed at my first theory, and I closed the gap between us: "You wanted to be alone with me." I finished with a smirk.

"The latter," she said. "I have something to talk with you about and I didn't need any unwanted ears."

"Just talk?" I asked disappointedly. "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." Taking a step back I folded my arms "Alright, let's talk then."

"I think you were right."

"About...?" I was a bit confused.

"About Veritaserum being evil and it's use by the ministry. But alternatives like the Imperius curse, which inflict less damage, are prohibited and punished. It doesn't make much sense."

"Hmm.. I see.. But that's not a new thing, is it? We already went through this in fifth year. You and I, at least I thought we had this understanding."

Her eyes dropped to the ground when she said hesitantly "You didn't give up the dark arts, did you?"

I let out a frustrated sigh, if she was asking that then it was clear Ominis hadn't told her about my secret.

"I really did," I answered, "But it was Anne's choice, not mine. Look..." I showed her the scars of the vow on my forearm and explained how it worked. "See, I can still learn but I won't be able to use any dark magic to cure Anne... or even just to find the cure. Basically I can't use dark magic in any way that would matter to me."

First she appeared stunned, just as Ominis had been before. Then she grasped my hand to get a closer look at the scars, biting her lip and frowning. I thought she was getting angry but next she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer into a hug. "Oh, Sebastian, I'm so sorry. I wish I had been there for you more".

What I didn't expect was the wave of desire that suddenly rushed over me.

Now calm down, Sebastian. This is exactly what you wanted, don't screw it up.

Reader POV

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. An unbreakable vow...I could clearly hear the frustration in his voice. I knew what his sister meant to him, he was willing to do anything to help her even if it meant the whole world would burn. This side of him scared me but I also couldn't help but to admire his passion and couldn't even imagine what it had cost him to swear that vow to Anne. A feeling of guilt washed over me. We were friends, I should have been there for him.

I hugged him without a second thought. "Oh, Sebastian," I said, filled with regret. "I'm so sorry. I wish I had been there for you more".

I felt his hand on the back of my head. He held me close, stroking my hair for a moment.

"That's alright" He replied quietly, "You're here now. Knowing you have my back, that means a lot."

We broke the embrace as a few tears welled up in my eyes. "You can count on me now, I promise."

He wiped a tear from my cheek then traced the line of my jaw with his fingers and tilted my chin up slightly. He leaned down, his lips almost touching mine. "Do you swear, y/n?"

The deep and captivating tone of his voice was unsettling, immediately making my knees feel weaker. His long eyelashes casted a shadow, deepening the darkness of his eyes. I felt as though I couldn't catch my breath and words escaped me almost against my will. "I swear."

All of the sudden, as if scared of what had just happened, he let go of me and took two quick steps back. He cleared his throat and spoke again in a normal, lighter tone. "If you don't want to fight me in that duel then we should probably start making our way back."

I nodded, unable to put together a meaningful sentence but followed his footsteps along the trail and soon we were on the familiar road back to the castle.