There are two types of people: those who would kill for love and those who would die for it. And they usually end up attracted to each other. • {slow burn friends to lovers, arranged marriage, morally grey characters, fluff and angst, happy ending}
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🎧 I have not only one, but two song recommendations for this chapter!
Until It Sleeps - Metallica (Darker, teenage-rage Sebastian)
Girl Crush - Harry Styles cover (Sad, heartbroken Sebastian)
*****
Sebastian Sallow's POV
June 6th, 1892
It was my 18th birthday.
My house at Feldcroft had never been so vibrant with the sounds of laughter and chatter echoing around me. Besides my best friends, many other Slytherins attended, along with a few close Feldcroft acquaintances. But most of my guests were friends of Carolyn. She fostered way more genuine connections than Ominis and I ever did in Hogwarts.
It was my fucking birthday, and yet, I felt detached. Like an observer in my own life.
I just stood at the edge of the living room holding my drink, letting my eyes watch as my girl moved through the room. She followed Ominis like a shadow, her movements mechanical, her expression vacant. It was as if the light inside her had been extinguished. Still, she looked as beautiful as always, and I stared so hard that my eyes could have burned holes through the tight bodice of her summer dress.
Her dress was red, of course. That was her colour. Everytime I closed my eyes, that was all I'd ever see. Red. Burning red, so scarlet...
"... It was maroon!!" Garreth Weasley hollered across the living room, bringing his chatter circle to laughter.
"It was not!" Nellie Oggspire interjected. "The quidditch uniform has always been bright red to contrast with the gold accents, to ensure we have a good visibility!"
I swear to Merlin, I wouldn't last a day in the Gryffindor quarters.
This birthday felt so different from the last, and yet, the same emotions lingered.
A year ago I was here, in my living room, drowning in despair for Anne. This time, I was a shadow of myself again, with the weight of the last six months crushing down on me. With every passing day, the sound of Carolyn's laughter became more distant, like they belonged to another lifetime. I was grieving the loss of her like I had grieved for Anne's curse.
The evening progressed in a blur. My eyes were still fixated on how close Carolyn was standing to Ominis, her eyes never leaving him in a zombified state. He seemed to be in a constant state of discomfort though, until Phineas approached him and whispered something.
It looked like the perfect opportunity to lie to myself and say that I would distract her for their sake, while my actual intention was to torture myself, engaging in a hollow interaction with her.
