Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter FORTY EIGHT - Ignatia

(Longer chapter coming soon friends. <3 )

After an eternity that felt entirely too short, Sebastian rolled onto his right side, arm beneath his head and I felt his eyes on my temple. I tilted my nose to him and his lips smiled gently, a sadness behind his eyes and weighing his brows.

"If... if I'm dreaming-" He swallowed, whispered into the night. "-I don't ever want to wake up."

I blinked slowly as his words brushed my lashes, I rolled onto my side to face him and was reminded of the morning I'd woken next to him in the Undercroft in almost exactly this position.

"You're not dreaming." I whispered. "If anyone's dreaming, its me." I half laughed, trying not to let the thoughts meander.

This has to be real.

Guilt began to bubble behind my heart. After everything I'd done, did I really deserve such a wonderful boy?

Sebastian reached out to my hand laying across my hip and pulled my fingers gently to his chest, the pounding of his heart beating against my fingertips.

"You feel that? -I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere Atley." His eyes were on mine and I swore that damned smile would be my undoing.

He brought my fingers back up to his lips and kissed them gently but I felt his muscles tighten, worry dancing over his face. "This- isn't too much is it?" He set my hand down gently in the grass between us. "Because I- I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. You just tell me to sod off Atley and I will! I mean it."

"Shut up Sallow." I smiled, lifted my aching muscles from the grass and held my body over his, hands on either side of his head as he had done earlier. He stared back up at me as if I held his heart in my hand- able to crush it in a single moment. "This is perfect ." I dipped my head and kissed his lips gently and then shoved my heavy soul back into my bones, standing and offering my hand once again to the blushing boy. "Now let's get back."

He took my hand and shifted his weight, pulling himself up beside me. He was standing so close. I pondered at just how electric the air still felt between us.

If butterflies could kill, I would have been dead long ago.

"Probably a good idea. I worry if we stay out here much longer, your poor lips would become incredibly chapped."

He grinned. Once again.

"C'mon now Barlowe." He brought his bag up onto his shoulder and began walking away into the night, side stepping flowers and I could have sworn I saw him skip a little bit.

We cut through the line of trees at the edge of the field and Sebastian laughed.

"Well that was easy."

Pushing past the bark, I peered around his shoulder.

There was the tower right ahead of us, the little courtyard on the far side and the place where we had left our broom not far behind that.

He elbowed my side and we walked hip to hip down and around the crumbling stone until we came upon a little dirt path I hadn't noticed before. It wound past the edge of the courtyard and out to a little cliffside where a small stone pillar was nestled among the trees. The stone almost looked like a tall gravestone, peak at the top and a weathered woman's face carved into the front. As our boots moved closer and closer I noticed a little metal plaque beneath the woman's face and a little empty basin just below that.

"Ignatia Wildsmith?" I read aloud and could almost see Sebastian's shoulders droop in the dim light as I stepped around him towards the stone.

"Oh Merlin. Please no."

"You can't imagine how inconvenient travel was before I invented Floo power!"

I startled backwards into Sebastian's chest as the little stone woman's shrill voice echoed over the trees.

Sebastian groaned, stood me upright and pushed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "Shut up Ignatia."

I crumpled my nose and turned to him in confusion, a bit amused by his disposition towards a statue.

"Do you two have history?" I laughed and he shot me an unamused glare.

"Don't tell me you don't know who this is?"

I shook my head.

"Lucky." He crossed his arms and glared at the stone.

"What is that though? What's Floo powder?"

I tapped his arm and he faced me again.

"The wizarding way of travel through the Floo Network. Fast, simple, just about instant. It's incredibly brilliant but- believe me Barlowe, I'm saving you a massive headache if we avoid her altogether."

"Off on another adventure are we?"

Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, fingers clenching into fists.

My eyes widened. "You mean, there's a way to travel without flying?"

"If you know where these little Floo powder... stations are. They're all over the castle. I'm surprised no one had showed you yet. How in Merlin's name are you getting to classes on time?"

I shrugged. "Why don't we use it this time?" I smiled. "Can you teach-"

"What are you up to now?" Shrill piercing voice smashed my sentence to pieces.

"I'm going to kill her." Sebastian was laughing, fists tight.

I was beginning to agree with his anger.

"Ok fine. We will fly back, but will you at least promise to teach me eventually? So I don't look like a complete idiot?"

Sebastian's gaze softened. "Atley, you could never look like an idiot to me."

I crinkled my nose at him.

"What? Too cheesy?"

"Yes. Definitely."

"Fine. You only sometimes look like an idiot." His grin entirely too large for his face. "Better?"

I rolled my eyes.

"How nice to see you my young friend!"

"Hold me back Barlowe."