Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter FORTY TWO - Flying

(Another chapter dear to my heart and of course a song to go with it. Hearing - Sleeping At Last)

Sebastian had been all too excited about the prospect of flying and had promptly took my hand, dragging me up the stairs, through the halls and sneaking us out to the front lawn of the castle. I worried my palm might be sweating against the heat of his but even as we stopped in front of a large wooden shed, he didn't let go. I took that as a good sign.

His eyes darted around the open grounds, squinting against the dark, his voice dropped to a whisper - just in case.

"Look Barlowe, I know you're on track to becoming the worlds greatest Auror and all, but I need you to look the other way- for tonight..." He shrugged as I eyed him suspiciously. "We need to borrow a couple things."

"Oh boy."

With a final squeeze, he dropped my hand and reached into the inside of his robe, collecting his wand and placing it close to the lock on the door.

"Alohomora." His whisper tickled the hair on the back of my neck.

The hinges creaked as the lock clicked into place and snapped open, swinging slowly towards us. Sebastian held a finger in my direction and then ducked inside the darkness, the only evidence of his presence the slight rustling of fabric from within the shed.

He emerged a few moments later, two tattered wood brooms in his hands, and smiling proudly.

"Your chariot my lady." He offered me the one in his right hand and I hesitantly accepted it.

Closing the shed doors behind him and clicking the lock back into place, he hooked his broom under his leg and looked to me expectantly. The low moonlight dancing over the hair on his head and bouncing off the teeth of his grin.

I stood frozen.

"Barlowe? You alright?"

I nodded and moved to straddle my broom but flexed my fingers against the wood, thoughts of my body falling through the air into the trees below scraped the edges of my brain.

Sebastian was off his broom and at my side, hand outstretched. "Give me the broom Barlowe."

"I'm sorry, I can do it- I- um. I-"

His single raised eyebrow stopped me mid sentence and his fingers gestured again toward my broom. I stepped up and over it again, placing the handle into his outstretched palm.

He then took a step over to the shed and leaned the broom against the wall before stepping back over his broom and situating his body near the front. He turned his head to look at me over his shoulder, lopsided grin and all.

"Hop on."

Both my eyebrows shot up in the air and I let out a disbelieving sputter.

"No way."

He tilted his head. "C'mon now. I promise I won't let you fall." His fingers flexed against the handle before lifting his fist out to me, pinky raised, eyebrow quirked. "Promise."

I felt all restraint slip to the floor and I raised my pinky to his, shaking it once and hiking my leg up and over the broom behind him. It was a tight fit but it would do. 

"Put your-" He cleared his throat, started again. "-put your arms around my waist."

I sputtered and felt my heart immediately began to beat heavy drums against my chest. Swallowing any embarrassing thoughts, I scooted closer to Sebastian, sliding my arms around his waist and tucking them up against his chest.