Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter FIFTY EIGHT - Owls and Ink

I woke in a fit of my own sweat, gasping for air and realities that weren't so.

Thankfully the early morning light was already tickling the sheets around my feet. I tucked my shaking hands against my chest and took a few deep, settling breaths before rolling off the edge of the bed as quietly as I could. I dressed quickly, pulled my hair back into a messy, thick braid and grabbed my quill, ink, envelope and roll of parchment from my nightstand. Tucking them gently into my book bag, I snuck out of the room and across the common room floor.

The fireplace was crackling softly, warming no one but the empty space. Reds and oranges lapping at a shell of a normally lively room.

Memories scratched strings of my lungs as the nightmares married my shadow and drug their heavy weight along my back. I needed to get out to the fresh air - to breath it in and cleanse the black sludge that clung to me, remnants of my dreams.

My back ached as I crawled through the portrait hole and pushed the frame outwards, it swung gently as I tucked my feet through to the floor and I let it shut peacefully behind me.

I was about to take a quick step ahead but my boot caught on something stiff and I toppled forward, tossing my arms out to catch my weight, knees scraping against the floor.

"Oof."

I swung my head around quickly to see what my clumsy ankles had smacked and was surprised to find a groggy student, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

His messy hair flicked out at all angles and as he dropped his hands I spotted a familiar set of freckles.

"Sallow?"

He tried to pull his eyes open but squinted against the faint light, lazy smile still painting his lips. "G'morning Barlowe."

Crawling to his side from the spot I had tumbled, I pulled my knees to my chest and tucked my back against the wall to his right. The quickly rising sunlight coated each strand of his hair in a golden glow.

"Should I even ask why you're sleeping outside the Gryffindor common room?"

"You said not to stay away long, so I figured I would be here when you woke up."

My heart swelled and immediately smashed my nightmares back into their cages.

Wrapping my fingers around his hand in his lap, I smiled. "Thank you Sebastian."

He shivered and grinned devilishly, eyes still squinted nearly shut against the morning light.

"Say it again."

I scoffed. "You want me to thank you again...?"

He giggled warmly. "No, not that. My name- my first name. I like hearing you say it." Voice still low and gravely with sleep.

I let my grin crawl up my cheeks. "Sebastian?"

"Hmm?"  He hummed, eyes still shut but chin towards me, waiting for a question.

I leaned in to press a kiss to his temple. "Good morning."

His cheeks heated.

"Please tell me you didn't sleep here all night..."

He bat a hand in my direction and tucked his other fingers into the corners of his eyes, wiping away a bit more of the drowsiness. "Nah. Couldn't sleep much so I snuck down here a couple hours ago. Ominis wanted to come too but I made him stay in bed."

"He did?"

"No." He laughed. "He was snoring when I left. Sleeps like the dead that boy."

I smiled to the air and shifted my book bag on my shoulders, remembering the quill and ink inside. "I was going to take a walk, I wanted to write back to Anne..."