DELGADO || Sebastian Sallow (Hogwarts Legacy)

Part 66 - Waves and Sweat

ꕀꕥ〡~𐀔~〡ꕥꕀ

❝ Even then, you fight your battles with a heavy heart and a fierce will❞

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Sebastian nudged my shoulder. "Angella," he murmured against my hair, his voice still rough with sleep. "Wake up."

I groaned quietly, trying to burrow deeper into the pillows. He chuckled, brushing his fingers along my arm. "Come on, gorgeous. I have a surprise for you."

Blinking up at him with heavy eyes, I mumbled, "Sebastian, if this is about running laps around the house, I'm going to kill you." His grin was pure mischief. "Not laps. Something better."

Still half-asleep, I crawled out of bed, threw on some light clothes, and followed him barefoot, my hair a mess. Of course, he had packed a bag, slinging it over one shoulder as he pulled me close. His hand steady on my lower back, we apparated.

The air smelled of salt.

And then I saw it, the sea. Glittering like a field of diamonds stretching to the horizon. The world opened into endless blue. The beach...

My breath caught, emotion tightening inside me.

"You need to laugh again," Sebastian said softly, watching me. "You need to feel free."

He dropped the bag onto the sand and pulled out something massive and colorful, grinning as it unfurled in the breeze: a giant kite shaped like a phoenix, its red and gold wings shimmering in the morning light.

I gasped and stepped closer, my fingertips brushing the vibrant fabric. "A phoenix," I whispered.

He shrugged lightly, though his eyes held something fierce. "It felt right. For you. For us."

Swallowing hard, I looked up at him. He was trying so hard, building something bright from the wreckage.

Sebastian handed me the string. "Ready?" I nodded, a fierce smile breaking free as the wind tugged at my hair.

We ran along the shoreline together, laughing as the phoenix soared higher and higher, cutting wide, graceful arcs across the sky. I laughed, loud and unrestrained, a sound I hadn't realized I'd missed. I twirled in the sand, arms outstretched, hair wild in the ocean breeze. "Look at it!" I cried, beaming. "It's flying!"

Sebastian watched me more than the kite, his expression open and soft. "You're flying again," he murmured.

Later, we collapsed onto the sand, breathing hard and flushed with sun and laughter. Sitting close, our knees touching, I taught him how to build sandcastles, ridiculous ones. Sebastian was awful at it, but I was determined, showing him how to shape the wet sand, how to carve out tiny windows and arches with a shell.

When we finished, Sebastian smirked. "You know this could be a war tactic, right? Build a fortress to lure your enemies, then drown them with distraction."

Laughing, I tossed a handful of sand at him. "You're such a weirdo," I teased, sprinting toward the ocean.

He was right behind me, tossing aside his shirt as we ran into the waves.

The ocean was cool and sharp against my warm skin. Sebastian dove under, sleek and fast, surfacing with a triumphant yell. I chased after him, splashing and laughing, forgetting for a while all the dark things that clung to us.

At one point, he grabbed my hand and pulled me under with him. Beneath the surface, everything was quiet, blurred, dreamlike. We floated in a world apart, linked only by our hands. When we broke through the surface, gasping and laughing, the sun was high, gilding his skin in gold.