timeless // Sebastian Sallow

CHAPTER 27: Clean

"The rain came pouring down when I was drowning
That's when I could finally breathe
And by morning, gone was any trace of you,
I think I am finally clean."

🎧 Recommended song for this chapter: Clean - Taylor Swift

*****

August 11th, 1892

The hum of the sewing machines had become my favourite sound ever.

"Carolyn dear, once you finish folding the fabrics, I will have you perform the cutting incantations for the underlining of some unfinished gowns."

"Yes, Ms. Blume," I replied politely, still struggling to neatly stack silk. Even though there were charms for this task, the fabric always creased - this is why I always ended up relying on my manual skills.

Cressida kindly recommended me for a summer job with her mother at Gladrags, in London. I suspected that my Gryffindor girls came up with that idea as a team, talking to one another about my disastrous ending of 6th year. I couldn't have been more grateful - that was probably what saved my school break from misery.

July had gone by as a blur.

I thought it was an exaggeration whenever I heard stories or read books about heartbreak. During the first few days, I could barely get out of bed, replaying all the events of that night in my head, seeking reasoning for the rejection. But each revisit to the memories gradually eroded their vividness and clarity, until they became a faint echo of its original self. My memory of that night had become a gloomy fog of Ominis lips, Sebastian's arms, and the humidity and darkness of the Forbidden Forest.

The drought had been unbearable... But there is no magic, spell or potion as powerful as time. I thought it would have taken longer to heal, but by the second or third week of summer, the air felt breathable again and sleep came effortlessly.

As I opened the last box of silk rolls, several shades of green gleamed before my eyes.

At that moment, I realised that it had been a few days since I last thought about Ominis, his manor, or Slytherin in general. Then, I smiled to myself, noticing that the memories could still pang a little, but didn't tear me apart as much anymore.

I loved him like a drug. But I was finally clean.

In all honesty, the one thing I missed was spending my Sunday afternoons with Lady Guinevere. Natty and Ms. Onai wisely advised me to cease my visits to her, for any interactions that could remind me of Ominis' existence could only make it more painful. Guinevere Gaunt wrote to me several times, and by the oblivious content of her letters, I assumed that Ominis didn't tell her what happened. Therefore, it pained me that my dear "grandmother" thought that I had been avoiding her due to something personal.

"Levioso!" I levitated each fabric cylinder, unwinding the textiles to measure and cut according to Ms. Blume's patterns. The scissors glided effortlessly through the fabric, filling the air with a soft whisper that harmonized with the gentle swish of the fabric parting ways.

I truly cherished the simplicity of those moments. Since my very first day in the wizarding world, my life revolved around the duality and balance between danger and greatness, power and wisdom, good and evil. Yet, magic could also be manifested as unpretentious and delicate. And I loved it.

With a neatly stacked pile of silk before my eyes, in a gradient of green shades from sage to emerald, I felt proud of myself. "Ms. Blume, those are done!"

The lady swiftly levitated the fabric tower to a corner shelf. "I appreciate the help, dear. Now come this way, I have something for you."

Ms. Blume went behind the counter and pulled a cardboard box. "Cressida mentioned that you have a birthday today..."