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

"Isn't this a nice surprise"

Your cold knuckles left a gentle knock on the soon-to-be potion shop door, as the sign you stared at fogged over with your deep breaths.

The door swung open with a creek, as a smiling face appeared through the remaining mist.

"Isn't this a nice surprise," his warm voice greeted as you stood shivering in the snow.

"Garreth-"

He interrupted you with a finger, that he placed gently on your chin, resting his thumb at the bottom of your face. Startled, your lips parted, beginning to explain the reason for your visit. However, before the words could reach your tongue, his hand lifted. Pushing your chin up towards the cloudy sky, guiding your gaze to the wooden porch shelter that shielded you from the gentle snowfall.

You stared for a moment, looking at the old wooden ceiling above you, puzzled at why he would silently insist you look up there. You began to speak again, before noticing a stem unwinding from above, as leaves magically sprouted, dangling atop your head.

Mistletoe.

Your heart leapt. It was awfully romantic, you had to admit. But your heart remained elsewhere, it always had, and that was precisely the reason you stood at the Weasleys doorstep.

"Garreth," you repeated, lowering your gaze and gently removing his touch.

As you looked back down at him, you discovered him leaning over, eyes closed and his lips already puckered, cheekily expecting you to return the favour.

After a few seconds too long, his eyes fluttered open, to find you standing there, staring at the ground.

"Garreth.. I'm so sorry."

He stood in the doorway, his auburn hair catching the wind and his nose beginning to numb, silent and defeated.

The weight of your actions came tumbling upon you, harder than ever. Sebastian's change in attitude had been too much of a distraction from everything. Garreth was far too lovely to deserve what you were doing to him, but might you have continued if you hadn't gotten caught? Was Sebastian's condition clouding your grasp on reality all that much?

The silence lingered on as you watched the green eyes before you darting back and forth across the snow, trying to make sense of the situation. You couldn't bare to see him suffer any longer, you had to rip the dressing from the wound, you had tell him the truth.

"I.." you stuttered hesitantly.

"....am in love with Sebastian?" Muttered back a dull voice.

You stomach dropped, leaving you gawking at him, wide eyed and speechless. Was it really that obvious? Did his aunt tell him?

"I see the way you look at him, you always have done really. I probably should have known. The moment he entered the room that night you couldn't take your eyes off him.."

You wanted to say something, you truly did, but the universe forbid you. The guilt unraveling in your head was all consuming, holding you there like a prisoner to your own actions.

"It's alright," he said, forcing a smile upon his cold lips. "Just, be careful, okay?"

You nodded. If only he knew how much danger you were actually getting into, how being careful was simply not an option. Perhaps in another life you could have been safe with Garreth, but that life would simply not exist in any universe with Sebastian.

And you were okay with that.

~~~

The school day was coming to an end as you made the trek back up to the castle, your eyes fixated on the lake that swarmed your mind, with Professor Weasleys voice still ringing in your ears. What was down there?