Oblivious // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

2. The Undercroft

I couldn't force myself to look up on our way to the Undercroft. Just the idea of having to confront Sebastian freaked me out. Even talking to him scared me. Before, I had been so brave. I acted as if I could call him out for everything he's done the past year easily, but when it finally came to it, I was a chicken.

We walked together but with plenty of space between us. He occasionally looked over at me, but I stayed looking down. We were dead silent, but despite that, it wasn't as awkward as I thought it'd be. Last year, we would spend hours without talking after fighting goblins, inferi, and dark wizards together, just processing what we had done. The silence felt right, and I realized how much I had missed his company.

"Did you have a good summer?" Sebastian spoke, being the first to break the silence. "You didn't mention much in the train ride."

I did. In the plenty of owls I sent you that you never responded to.

"It was alright. I spent some time over at Poppy's, then I babysat Lucan a few times. He and I live rather close to each other," I responded, looking up at him for the first time.

He hadn't changed that much over the summer if you didn't count the extreme darkness under his eyes. He looked as though he had a restless summer. Maybe Anne's curse wouldn't let him sleep.

"Apparently, his parents don't trust him enough to leave him alone at home," I continued.

"They'd be right not to. He had a whole dueling club operation under the faculty's nose last year," laughed Sebastian, shaking his head.

I chuckled along with him, nodding in agreement.

"No, I swear! We went out for errands together and he had stolen a bunch of sweets. I was mortified! I had to go back and pay for them." I started explaining, a smile forming on my face.

"Y/N," Sebastian interrupted me, "is Garreth courting you now?"

"What? No! Of course not." I shook my head quickly.

Sebastian nodded, looking back at the ground. "Got it. I was just curious, after everything back in the station and in the train—"

"I swear nothing has ever happened between me and Garreth! Nor will it ever happen! Ever. I would never dream of it," I laughed, tucking some loose strands of hair behind my ear. "I can promise you that."

Sebastian chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, you don't seem the Gryffindor type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, raising a brow.

"What I mean is that I doubt you'd have the patience to put up with their antics," he said, nudging my shoulder with his, closing the space between us.

"I put up with all of yours last year. I've grown patient, can't you tell?" I joked, crossing my arms.

"I'll see that for myself," he replied. "Is it true you'll be trying out for Quidditch though?"

"Definitely. Slytherin forever," I said, hinting at the inscription on our brooms. "We've got to beat Gryffindor, and at least send a few Ravenclaws to the hospital wing in our games too."

Sebastian laughed, nodding. His laugh was unforgettable. We would spend hours together near the hamlets outside of the Hogwarts grounds just making each other laugh. I had heard his laugh so many times that I had it committed to memory. The way his shoulders went up, the hiccups he let out similar to how Anne did, and the way the corner of his eyes wrinkled as if he had stared right into the sun. Some part of me hoped he had subconsciously memorized my laugh too.

Before we knew it, we were already right by the Undercroft, going down the stairs where I had first run into Zenobia. Merlin, finding her gobstones was tiring, and her voice was insanely aggravating. It was no wonder so many students disliked her.