Entombed // Sebastian Sallow

fifty five - catch

"Now that you're all here, I think we have a wedding to plan!" My over-eager mother exclaimed across the dinner table to all of us as we gathered for our usual Sunday night meal. Her words were met with a mix of groans and uncomfortable glances. Louis, quickly spoke up, sensing my uneasiness.

"Mum, they just got engaged," he said, trying to diffuse the situation. "Give them some time to enjoy it."

"He's right, mum. We aren't in a rush, I only got my exam scores last week and I'm waiting to hear if I got into the course I want." I said, agreeing with my brother.

I had surprisingly done really well in my N.E.W.Ts despite the circumstances at the time, achieving O in everything except for Herbology, that I got an E for. I had sent through my application immediately, hoping to train to be a mediwitch. Despite my reluctance at first, I gained a passion for Quidditch and while playing it didn't seem like an optimal career choice for me, being involved by joining the medical staff did.

"Ah, don't be silly. You can do both! Now," mum said, dragging out a bloody huge book filled with hand written notes, newspaper clippings and drawings from underneath the table and slammed it down, causing the table to shake and all of us to be slightly startled by the thump. "I can get the church ready as soon as we need to."

Sebastian flicked me a scared look. I knew exactly what he was thinking. While muggles embraced the idea of God and Jesus, wizards did not. The closest equivalent they had was Merlin but he didn't really have places of worship, unless you count those bloody statues Nora Treadwell had me complete for her.

Adding to that, he had no family left to attend. He'd be standing in an unfamiliar place, declaring his love for me in front of a bunch of strangers under the eyes of a deity he knew nothing about and truly didn't care for. I also didn't particularly care for it anymore though I could never tell my parents that. I was certain the things I'd had to do over the last few years would definitely not sit well with the big guy upstairs.

I laid a reassuring hand on his thigh and gave it a squeeze, letting him know I would talk to him about this later.

"Mum, please. Do we have to do this now?" I begged, wishing the world would just swallow me up.

We should have just eloped and told them after.

Fortunately, my father intervened. "Alright, here's a compromise. How does July sound? A summer wedding? That gives you two months to sort out living arrangements and your jobs."

I nodded and gave Sebastian a quick kick in the shin, making him nod too, with a slight wince from the kick.

"Alright... I suppose that gives me time to order flowers," my mother sighed, resigned to the delayed planning.

So, we'd dodged a bullet... temporarily.

Sebastian had gotten a new wand, eerily similar to the one he'd had before, complete with the matching dragonheart string core, so he'd been apparating us back and forth from Feldcroft to London each day. Mum and dad thought we were living with Louis sleeping in separate beds. Hah.

He'd also taught me the anti-nausea charm, but he always insisted on casting it on me himself before we traveled.

As we left the dinner table, Sebastian and I excused ourselves, taking the opportunity to escape the wedding discussion. We joined my brother, Louis, and his wife, Cecilia, before slipping away into an alley and apparating back to our cottage in Feldcroft.

"So, about the church..." Sebastian began before I had even taken my shoes off.

"Seb, I know. I'm not too keen on getting married in a church either. I certainly don't feel I fit the bill for their criteria after everything I've done."