Like the Stars in the Sky

Chapter Seven

Piper

"Do we know what we're looking for?" Sebastian ran his hand across the spines of the books on the shelf.

"I'm not sure. But I assume I'll know it when I see it." I went back to searching, scanning the shelves for anything that stood out to me.

"Why am I here then? I could be sleeping right now." He joked. He pulled out a book and started flipping through the pages absentmindedly.

"You wanted to come, remember?" I laughed a little. He'd been so adamant about coming with me. Making sure I was going to be alright.

Sebastian laughed. "No, you wanted me to come." I gave him a look. I would have been fine without him.

He laughed again. "Alright, I suppose I do." He paused. "Do you remember the last time we were here?"

The last time we'd been here was when he'd helped me sneak in to find a book for Professor Fig when I'd first come to Hogwarts.

"Of course I remember. Did I ever properly thank you for not ratting me out to Scribner?"

He stopped searching for a moment. "I don't remember. But, you saw that? I thought you'd left by the time Scribner was interrogating me."

I laughed. "I waited. I didn't want you to get in trouble. But, I appreciate you taking the fall for me. You didn't have to do that. Thank you, Seb."

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Maybe it was the way we were speaking how we did before, maybe it was me letting a nickname for him that I hadn't used in years slip out.

"It really was nothing. You've helped me plenty of times." He kept his eyes trained on the book in his hands.

We both went quiet, and I remembered all the times that I hadn't been able to help him. I swallowed the cold lump forming in my throat, and felt it plunk in my stomach, joining all the other things I didn't want to think about.

---

"Pip-" Sebastian started. I cut him off with a haughty scoff.

"What did you just call me?"

Sebastian started carefully. "...Pip?"

"Why would you call me that?" I had never been one to go by a nickname, least of all, one like Pip.

"You call me Seb. I thought I could call you a nickname." His voice sounded earnest, but with a hint of mischief.

"No. Not that one." I stated flatly.

He put on his whiniest 'don't be mean, Piper' voice. "Why?"

"I don't like that one."

Sebastian laughed. "Oh great Merlin! You've never asked me if I like 'Seb'. Why can't I call you Pip?"

"It sounds silly..." I paused for a moment. "...and undignified." I nodded curtly.

"So does Seb!" He exclaimed. He stuck his nose indignantly in the air. "I deserve a more dignified nickname."

I laughed. "Alright, would you prefer if I called you Mr. Sallow for the rest of your life?"

"Oh absolutely! Give me the respect I deserve, Miss Harward."

We both fell into fits of laughter at that. It felt so good to hear Sebastian's laugh. It was rich and boyish. One of those laughs that carry, and get everyone to laugh along with it. It had been so long since I had heard him laugh like that. It had been since...before. He hadn't laughed like he used to in so long.