Sallowed By You | Hogwarts Legacy Sebastian x MC fanfic

A Day in Feldcroft

The days went by fast at Hogwarts. I continued my adventures in the Scottish Highlands, and the keepers kept me relatively busy. I was exhausted from the constant mental toll everything placed on me. When Sebastian approached me one afternoon and suggested we visit Feldcroft the following weekend, I was all too happy to oblige. While I was nervous to meet Anne, I needed a break from everything.

The next Saturday, I met Sebastian in Feldcroft. He wanted to escort me there, but I refused. I could hold my own, and besides, sometimes I needed to clear my head while riding a broomstick. It took 30 minutes to get to Feldcroft. I landed at the Hamlet and caught sight of Sebastian standing on a tall wooden watchtower.
"Sebastian!" I yelled, waving from the ground.
He motioned for me to come up.
I groaned and climbed the stairs. I hated stairs.
"Aura, how was the flight?" He asked.
"I flew by the ocean. It truely was a sight," I smiled.
I paused to take in the view.
"Enjoying the view?" I asked.
"I'm just keeping an eye on things. Feldcroft isn't what it used to be. No one feels safe here ever since Ranroks loyalist took interest in that castle over there."
"Isn't anyone doing anything about them?" I frowned.
"No. My uncles a former Auror but he refuses to look into it. Even after Anne was cursed by a Goblin," he said.
"Well, I think we will just have to take a look," I said, matter of factly.
"Yes let's look for answers. If I'm to cure her, I need to understand what happened to her. Anne was always the most mischievous of the three of us, and knowing me and Ominis, that's saying something. I'm hoping a surprise visit from me and a new friend from Hogwarts will help lift her spirits," he said.
I smiled. It incredibly was sweet how much Sebastian cared for Anne. It made me wish I had someone who cared that much for me.
"Let's go," I said.

Sebastian led me to a small cottage. It looked quite quaint, especially for a former Auror. He opened the door silently, turned to me, and pressed his finger to his lips.
"Shhhhh," he said.
Sebastian tiptoed into the cottage. I followed quietly behind him. The cottage was warm and cozy inside. The door opened directly into the dining room. At the table, a frail girl sat, reading over a book.
As Sebastian tiptoed up behind her, he reached out grabbed her shoulders and said, "boo!"
Anne jumped.
"Sebastian! What are you doing here?" She laughed.
Her eyes drifted to me, and then quickly back to Sebastian, as he pulled something out of his cloak. It was a pink garlic shaped plant.
"Is that... what I think it is?" She asked.
A large man came out from the other room, snatching the plant from Sebastian's hand. It must've been Sebastian's uncle.
"We've been over this boy. Shrivel figs cannot reverse a curse," he said, turning to Anne. "Nothing can."
"The sooner you accept that reality, the better," his uncle added. Then, he tapped it with his wand, and the shrivel fig disappeared.
"But we haven't tried everything!" Sebastian exclaimed.
"There is no cure," his uncle yelled. "When will you accept that?"
"Never! I will never accept it."
"Ahhhhh," Anne yelped in pain.
My eyes darted to her. She hunched over in pain. There was a lot going on.
"Now look what you've done," his uncle said, turning to Sebastian.
"I'm sorry," Sebastian said, desperately.
"Leave!" Their uncle said through his teeth.
Sebastian backed out of the room, leaving the cottage without making eye contact with me.
I ran after him, and found him pacing outside.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He nodded, "I just need to be alone for a while."
Sebastian turned and walked off. I watched him for a few seconds. How could his uncle be so cruel? Especially when he cared so much?

I signed. Unsure what to do. This was a lot to take in. I decided to properly introduce myself to Anne. After a few minutes, I re-entered the cottage hoping she had time to recover. She smiled as she saw me and apologised profusely.
"I'm sorry about that. Those bouts of pain are difficult to bear."
I sat down. "Are you alright Anne? I didn't no mean to intrude."
"No you didn't, truely. And yes I'm okay. It's really no one's fault. It's the curse. Nice to meet you by the way, you must be the new fifth year Sebastian told me about," she said.
I felt a grin wash over my face. Knowing Sebastian was telling him sister about me, filled me with joy.
"I am. Sebastian and I met on my first day at Hogwarts, in the Slytherin Common room," I said.
"Oh! I adored the common room, especially teasing first years about mermaids," Anne laughed.
We had a small chat. Anne expressed to me how both Sebastian and her Uncle mean't well. She also explained how she believes her uncle is right. Stating that there is no cure, and Sebastian's efforts are futile. After more discussion about Hogwarts, and a little bit about Ominis, she excused herself to rest. I left the cottage, with a feeling of dread over me. Sebastian mean't well, that much was clear to all of us. While his efforts shouldn't consume him entirely, what was wrong with having hope?

As I dawdled in front of their house, deep in thought, Sebastian's uncle approached me.
"That boy doesn't know when to give up. I apologise for what you just witnessed. I'm Solomon Sallow," he said.
"I'm Aura. The new fifth year at Hogwarts. Sebastian is determined, but isn't it good to have hope? You never know what can happen," I said.
"There is no hope. He is being delusional. We've tried everything. The best healers in London couldn't help Anne. It's juvenile to believe he can," he said gruffly.
I felt it best to dismiss myself after that. Clearly Solomon had his mind made up just as much as Sebastian.

———————

I walked around the Hamlet searching for Sebastian. It was small and uncrowded, so it was relatively easy to spot him. He sat atop the watchtower, deep in thought. I climbed it and sat beside him in silence until he was ready to talk.
"See what I have to deal with?"
"I must say, he is rather cruel," I nodded.
"He's always like that. Ever since my parents died. After Anne got cursed, he only got worse. It's as if he resents me for all of it. My uncle says I'm my fathers son. As if that's an insult. He blames their research for getting them killed, and thinks I'm going down the same path. But he's just given up," he said frustrated.
"It sounds like his worried you'll do something you regret. But I don't see why he has to be so harsh about it. He could just explain himself."
"My uncle doesn't explain himself. He expects you to listen to exactly what he wants, no ifs or buts," Sebastian frowned.
I examined his face. It was clear Sebastian had been dealing with his uncle acting like this for a long time. I wanted to hug him, and comfort him. To tell him everything would be okay. But clearly it wouldn't be. You can't pick your family, and it seemed all Sebastian could do was put up with it for Anne's sake.
He turned to face me.
"Don't look at me like that," he said.
"Like what?"
"With pity. You don't need to feel sorry for me. I'm well aware of how dreadful my family situation is."
"Sebastian...I don't feel sorry for you. I'm just hurt that he treats you like that," I said.
"Why are you hurt?" He asked.
I paused. I didn't know how to tell him I didn't exactly have a family. The ministry found me in an muggle orphanage, unable to control my bursts of magic.
"I don't have a family. Well I did, but you know how it is, too many mouths to feed. I was abandoned when I was young. I think my mother was widowed and had no other choice. I can't really remember much," I said quietly.
He remained silent, although I could tell the tension in his face had built.
"See, now you're showing me pity. That's why I didn't tell you," I said.
"Aura...I'm so sorry," he said.
"It's not your fault. Besides, it wasn't all bad, I got to play with lots of kids my age," I shrugged.
"But still..."
I interlocked my arm with his and rested my head on his shoulder.
"It's fine. It hurts that you guys only have each other, and Solomon doesn't care about that. He's already lost your parents, and he's taking no care not to lose you," I said waving off my issue. I wasn't about to make this about myself.
"Oh I spoke to Anne. She is really sweet," I changed the subject.
"Yeah, she is," Sebastian said, resting his head on mine.
That was as close to a hug as I could give him in that moment, without him pushing me away completely. I sensed he was embarrassed, and possibly ashamed of what happened. I couldn't smother him with support, it would only make him feel worse. He was right though, Solomon did seem to resent him. Even if I gave his uncle the benefit of the doubt, and Sebastian did something to warrant in the past, he was still a teenager. Solomon was a middle aged man, he knew better.
Sebastian and I sat there for a while, talking about anything and everything to get his mind off it.