A Change of Heart // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 56 - Epilogue

Florence sat on the front porch, admiring her husband carrying their three-year-old son on his back, doing laps around the yard with his arms outstretched, pretending to be a hippogriff. The sun peeked down on the both of them, their identical hair glowing a familiar golden brown. The laughter from them both warmed Florence's heart.

"You Highwing, I mummy!" William called at Sebastian, remembering the stories he'd been told at night to help him drift off to sleep.

"Wild, aren't they?" Florence whispered to the brown-haired baby girl she cradled to sleep in her arms.

She rocked back and forth, keeping her asleep while she watched Sebastian begin to tire from his laps around the yard.

"Alright, Will. Let's go get a drink, hey?" Sebastian said, plopping their son onto the grass before William ran inside and grabbing himself a cup of water. "Before Uncle Ominis and Aunty Poppy get here."

"How are my girls going?" Sebastian asked, sitting down on the step next to Florence, wiping the sweat off his brow and giving her a kiss, scooping their sleeping daughter into his own arms. "Come here, Olive." He whispered.

As they sat quietly, William joining them again with some water for himself, Anne swung open the gate to their yard, quickly running over to scoop up her nephew in her arms.

"Hello, Will!" she said, spinning him around in a warm hug before popping him back on the grass.

"And where's my little namesake?" she said, taking a still sleeping Olive from Sebastian. "There you are Olive Anne! I missed you!"

It made Sebastian so happy to know Anne was healed and living the life she deserved. And all it took was utilising his work as a curse-breaker. He managed to break it personally himself, proving he was right all along, even as a naive sixteen year old.

As they all sat on the porch, Ominis and Poppy entered, Poppy cradling their daughter, Noctua, almost the exact same age as Olive.

"Hello, Sweetings!" Sebastian chirped, standing up to greet Ominis with a hug and a firm pat on the back.

Ominis also found his happy ending. He fell madly, deeply in love with Poppy and they married. Ominis was able to finally free himself of the Gaunt name and reputation, choosing to become a Sweeting instead. A decision that took a huge weight off his shoulders and finally severed the ties forever with his family.

Sebastian smiled looking around at his life. He got to heal Anne using the right kind of magic, he had the best friends he'd ever hoped for, he got the cottage just on the outskirts of London so he could keep doing the job he was incredibly good at and he got to live the life he never thought was possible with the girl that almost got away.

Life was beautiful and for the first time in all of their lives, everything was peaceful, undisturbed and perfect.