Shadow of the Key | Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 48: Always

"I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met."

- Lord Huron

~

This chapter is a collection of Sebastian's memories from the first day he met Amelia to the present day. There will be some snippets of previous chapters as well (identical chapters will be italicized if you'd like to skip them). This is the LONGEST chapter in the fic. I'm not joking, this is almost 8k words. Get your tissues ready, take plenty of breaks, and hydrate ♡

Sebastian's POV

Fifth Year
The Sorting Ceremony

Sebastian Sallow sat between Imelda Reyes and Ominis Gaunt inside that crowded Great Hall. A permanent frown marked his lips, his cheek resting against his palm as he impatiently waited for the Sorting Ceremony to finish.

Everyone was so eager for this random new fifth year to arrive, but Sebastian couldn't care less about them.

It was another year without his twin sister who was becoming more sick from her curse with each passing day. There was no room in his mind to care about anything else.

Not even uncle Solomon cared. After taking Anne to every healer known to wizardkind, he'd resigned to the fact that she would eventually die, and any time Sebastian would attempt to give Anne a bit of hope that he'd find a cure, Solomon would lash out.

What were once arguments turned into screaming matches, and those soon escalated into beatings.

But that wouldn't stop Sebastian from saving his sister.

"The ceremony is almost over," Imelda commented, shaking Sebastian out of his thoughts. She crossed her arms over her chest with a confused eyebrow arch. "Was all that talk about the new fifth year just a rumour?"

"Hopefully," Sebastian replied in a bored tone.

"It's not a rumour," Ominis cut in, "She has a twin sister in Ravenclaw that's been talking nonstop about it."

Sebastian's head slightly perked up at that. "The new fifth year is a girl? And she's a twin?"

"That's what I heard—"

Ominis' words were cut off when the entire room burst into excited chatter as the giant double doors opened.

Sebastian took a side glance over towards the doors, and once he caught sight of the new girl walking alongside Professor Fig, his breath caught in his throat and his hand unconsciously fell away from his face, straightening up as he took her in.

Her auburn waves flowed down her back like a reddish-gold waterfall, sections of it tied together by a black bow. Her wide, anxious blue eyes darted all around the room, and as she strolled past Sebastian while twiddling her thumbs, he noticed mesmerizing green specks that sparkled in her irises. He could also see a few freckles scattered across her cute button nose, and her soft, pink lips perfectly mirrored the pink in her cheeks.

Merlin, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life.

But she also looked familiar.