How Could I Ever Forget You? // Sebastian Sallow / Professor Sallow x reader/mc

"Goodbye, Sebastian"

You felt entirely stranded, facing a reality nothing could have ever prepared for you. It was as if the eyes you had so lovingly gazed into had transformed into a stranger within a matter of seconds.

"Y- your girlfriend?" You said ever so sweetly, through the biggest smile you could force upon your face. Every muscle in your body had failed apart from those holding up the edges of your lips with sheer force, puppeteering the most incredible performance of fake happiness there ever was. You could feel your eyes begin to swell, your throat begin to close, but you powered through. Absolutely nothing was going to make you crack, not now.

Ostara, who you'd noticed was violently pretty, tugged Sebastian closer to her. It was the kind of embrace that screamed 'you're mine', and god was it loud. Sebastian had not broken his gaze, as if to torture you even further. His eyes practically begging for some kind of response.

"I-" you began to grit through your teeth, stumbling for the right thing to say. Ostara just smiled at you, without a single care in the world, as yours was crashing down by the second.

As if by some miracle, you were interrupted, by the only face you honestly wanted to see right now. Natty, briefcase in hand was weaving through the busy pub in an attempt to get to you.

"Hello everyone," she said with a grin, before noticing what was going on.

"Natty," Sebastian greeted, finally chiming in to the mess he'd created, as if nothing of note had just occurred. Natty smiled and brought her attention to the girl still gripping him. Her eyes suddenly darted back to you, then back at him, and back to Ostara within a matter of seconds. You could see the tone of her smile adjust as she noticed the sheer panic beaming from your eyes, teeth still gritted together in a stone cold smile.

"MC, would you join me outside for a moment? Ministry business," she said in an attempt to rescue you. And with a nod and a smile, you got out of there.

The moment you hit the fresh air you were breathless, holding back the tears was instantly harder than ever.

"What- who in Merlins name was that?" Natty questioned, reaching out to you.

"His... girlfriend," you sighed, staring at the cobblestone path below you.

You could practically feel the anger boiling up inside Natty as she tried to process the situation.

"Why that slimy little-" she paused, turning to you and grabbing your shoulders. "We are not letting him win, you hear me? We are going back in there and we are going to tell him all about what a high ranking witch you are. We are going to throw ourselves at his teammates. Don't let him think he's getting to you, even if he is. I won't stand for it, okay?"

You nodded as she spun you around and pushed you back in the door. You truly felt relieved that the table was now filled with his other teammates, and that Ostara had finally detached herself from him. With every step closer you felt yourself stray from rationality. It was time for the performance of a lifetime, and you were committed to the role.

You soon found yourself back in your seat, opposite him once more. But this time with Natty beside you, and she was more than ready to fight your battles.

"So Natty, how's the Auror life treating you?" Asked Sebastian, in an attempt to be polite.

"It's a thrill, especially with MC by my side. She's the best Auror-in-training at the Ministry, quite frankly she's ranking above the qualified wizards. But I'm assuming she's told you all about that," Natty lied. You hadn't even considered becoming an Auror, despite almost everyone pressuring you.

"No," he paused, raising an eyebrow. "She uh, didn't mention it." Sebastian stuttered, barely being able to grasp the information. Flustered, you fiddled with your necklace, staring down at the drink in front of you. You were not a good liar, so you could only hope that he didn't have any further questions regarding the matter.

"But wow look at you," Natty continued. "It looks like you finally overcame your commitment issues..."

Sebastian choked on his drink, slamming it onto the table and wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"...With Quidditch of course," Natty added with a chuckle. Oh she played dirty.

You were practically bright red by this point, desperate for a change of conversation. Thankfully Ostara was too busy chatting with the other players to have heard a thing. However, you kept finding yourself looking at her. She was beautiful, it was no wonder he was in love with her. The way she spoke was as delicate as her skin appeared under the dim lighting, and every so often she would flick her hair behind her shoulder with such elegance. Ostara was everything you wished you could be, and that made it all the more agonising.

As the night went on you found yourself mingling with all sorts of people. There were of course Sebastian's team mates; Rune, the teams Keeper who was absolutely hilarious. And Cassian, their Seeker who was a little too friendly after a few too many drinks. You had also met a writer called Althea, who worked for the Daily Prophet. The one responsible for all of those flattering articles about Sebastian's performance. It was pretty clear she was also rather fond of him, but you couldn't blame her, you supposed. All of the attention he seemed to soak up only made you feel more insignificant as the evening rolled on. You smiled and laughed for his sake, but by now you were only a shell of emptiness. Completely hollow, where his love used to consume you and run through your veins.

"We should probably get going," Natty said, pulling you towards the door. "I have work in the morning and the Ministry waits for no-one."

"Alright," you agreed, "just, let me say goodbye first."

You took a breath, walking up to Sebastian. He looked so beautiful, you thought to yourself. You didn't care if you weren't supposed too. You had always thought that of him, and a couple of hours of torture were not enough to change your mind. 

"Sorry to intrude," you muttered to the group. Sebastian immediately stepped away, almost seeming eager to talk to you.

"Look MC, I-"

"Don't worry about it," you interrupted. "Sebastian, I am truly happy for you," you ached for him, staring into his eyes with everything you had left in you. It hurt you to lie to him, but you had nothing in you to hurt him. Even if Natty disagreed.

You stepped forward, grabbing him into a hug. Once again that warm rush of magic swept through you, making your heart leap into your throat. It was so loud you could have been sure he heard it, no matter how impossible that was. Sebastian lifted his hand and cupped the back of your head, running his soft fingers through your hair. Why. Why, why, why. His affection felt almost evil. Perhaps he still meddled with dark magic after all, because this felt... sickening.

You squeezed him tighter and quickly pulled away, stepping backwards towards the door behind you. Neither of you broke eye contact, taking in the final sip of each other's essence. It felt like he craved you just as much in those moments, but you knew you were kidding yourself.

"Goodbye Sebastian," you whispered as you stepped out into the moonlit street. Emotions overcoming you the moment you were free of him, falling into Natty's arms as you released the silent sob that was bottled in your throat all evening. She held onto you the entire walk home, observing the damage that had been done to her treasured friend.

As the door swung shut, Sebastian dabbed away the glint of a tear that shimmered in his eye.  Speechless, basking in the silence she had left him in.

He stood there for a few moments, spiralling at everything he didn't say, before taking a breath and accepting defeat.

"Goodbye, MC."