A Date in Ten Years | Sebastian Sallow (Hogwarts Legacy)

A Date in Ten Years

Head Girl. Ravenclaw. Fool.

In my seventh year, Sebastian Sallow went down on one leg and asked me to the Yule Ball.

At a balcony at Hogsmeade overlooking Hogwarts castle, the two of us laid a beautiful picnic before the sunset. A much more intimate setting than our usual excursions, like chasing butterflies in the Forbidden Forest or throwing Ashwinders off a cliff. I regretted wearing my azure robes, thinking this was another day. But though we were strange, we never acted strange to each other.

When he held my hand to ask me to be his date, kissing its inner palm and hold it against his cheek with such sincerity, I melted in indescribable joy. Perhaps feelings of love were there all along, buried deep under grave secrets and a strained friendship. He was Slytherin's rebellious spirit; I was Ravenclaw's darling. But that mattered not. I got my hopes up, thinking and dreaming of so much more.

Yet only a few days later did I come across a gaggle of Slytherins in the Clock Tower Courtyard, cackling jokes and casting jinxes at passersby. Thankfully for them, I was never serious about my responsibilities as Head Girl, a position imposed upon me by Headmaster Weasley. I am no snitch, so a verbal warning was enough to keep up appearances. The group stared daggers at my approach, already expecting a fight.

But the scene in front of me soon became beyond my ability to fathom. My heart sank, fists clenched, and voice ached to bellow from the depths of my soul. A certain Violet McDowell sat playfully on top of Sebastian Sallow's lap. I held my breath as she whispered into his ear, caressing it with her delicate fingers—to his delight. I had thought myself to be the only one to know his ears were ticklish.

The audacity.

Forcefully, I tempered my emotions. Maybe I should have expected this, as time and time again before did Sebastian take advantage of and disappoint all of his friends and family. I was a fool to think I was anything special. Ignoring the group, I focused my attention on Sebastian, already anxious and unable to say a word. Violet was also confused by my presence, looking back and forth at us, annoyed by the interruption.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian," I said, pacing my tone to be as neutral as possible. "I can't keep my promise to go with you. Please understand."

I was an imbecile to think of anything more. We never agreed to be a couple, nor exclusive. It was just a ball. After such a difficult time with the events surrounding the Sallows, then the years of fallout that Ominis and I had helped heal, I had hope in something new. Something special. My hopes were dashed against the concrete, along with silly dreams of a future together.

I immediately turned and sped toward the door. Though I heard shuffling and Sebastian's voice yelling after me, the white noise in my ears started to fill my head. I could not tell if I was crying or in rage, but the students I passed certainly kept distance. Except one.

"After you," a certain fair-faced chap said with a worried tone, as he opened the door for me.

Isaac Cooper, my fellow Head Boy, was as disinterested as me in our role as student leaders of the school, but strangely more protective of me in any and all affairs. We had grown close through our positions, often joking over Prefect bathroom rights or which student to punish for the week. But for once, his face was seething in a rage I did not think possible. As I ducked and made my way inside, I noticed him beelining toward the Slytherin group I had confronted seconds ago.

-----

After my disastrous display of tears throughout the castle, followed by the sudden week detention for both Sebastian Sallow and Isaac Cooper, a cascade of rumors followed the three of us wherever we went. It was impossible to get a moment's peace to study or think, especially from my dormitory mates who constantly barraged and bullied me over the two boys. To my surprise, one was so obsessed over Isaac, she "accidentally" burned my bed.