Under Your Scars || Sebastian Sallow x MC

Flashback - Six Years Earlier

Summer, 1893

Sebastian POV

My eyelids fluttered open as the morning twilight seeped through windows of the Fontaine's guest room. I took a deep breath in and stretched my arms out to my sides. Even though he ditched us and the Auror Programme, I was thankful that Ominis had gone off with Poppy for the summer. I finally had the bed to myself. 

The sun wasn't fully up so I rolled over, pleased I could doze off for another hour or two. 

I was halfway back to my slumber when the sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the hallway. Without so much as a knock, Juliette burst through the door of the guest room, looking agitated but excited. 

She was already dressed in a navy jumper and black pants that hugged her curves perfectly. Her beautiful brown hair was tied back with a matching navy ribbon. Always blue with this woman, even though we graduated from Hogwarts almost two months ago.

"Uhhh good morning?" I sat up against the headboard, the blanket falling to my waist and exposing my bare torso.

Her jaw dropped ever-so-slightly, her eyes darting down to my midsection then back to my face. 

"Bloody hell, put a shirt on." she groaned in disgust but her eyes were telling me the opposite.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I said with a smirk.

"Get dressed and come down for breakfast." she huffed before twirling out of the room and down the stairs.

"But the sun isn't even up!" I called after her but she continued down the stairs, ignoring me. I rolled my eyes and thought it best to just do as I'm told and ask questions later.

I threw on a pair of pajama pants and one of my green jumpers and met Juliette in the kitchen. The woman was furiously putting together two plates. It was a feast of fruits, croissants, toast, jams, fried eggs and sausage. The perfect marriage of Scottish and French breakfasts. She must have been up for hours already, especially since she always insisted on not using magic when cooking. 

I inhaled deeply. "Smells amazing, Jules. Will your parents be joining us?" I nodded toward the two plates in her hands.

She turned, finally noticing my presence. A quick scan of my outfit had her rolling her eyes. 

"I suppose I should have specified to get dressed in actual clothes. And no, mum and dad are still in bed. It's Saturday."

"Then why are we awake at.." I looked at the clock. "six in the morning on a Saturday?"

"We have plans." she said passive-aggressively, as if I should have already been aware of this.

"No we don't?"

"Yes we do. Let's eat so you can go back upstairs and change."

It was odd to say the least. We never had plans on Saturdays, since Jules was usually off running errands on her own. I never complained. It allowed me to sleep in, roll downstairs and have breakfast with her parents whenever the breakfast aromas made their way to my room. 

But today my best friend wanted me awake, fed and presentable at six in the morning. 

"Where are we going?" I asked, expecting another cryptic answer. 

"It's a surprise." 

There it is. 

We ate breakfast together in silence at their rectangular dining table. I could not help but notice that she barely ate anything before getting back up and going to the kitchen to start tidying up. I was immediately overwhelmed with concern, since she only ever lost her appetite when she was really anxious about something.