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“I’ve been thinking—”
“A dreadful idea, truly.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Sebastian said, annoyed at being interrupted by his friend, “that our new friend never got to experience seeing Hogwarts from the boats during first year.”
Ominis looked in his friend’s direction over the top of the Daily Prophet he was currently scanning, pausing in his reading of an intriguing article talking about the winter’s newest fashion trends to reply. “Well, I never really saw it either, you know.”
A scoff came from the brunette across from him, Sebastian leveling him with an unamused stare that his friend may not have been able to see, but he definitely would be able to feel.
“You know what I mean, you blighter.”
The blond chuckled lightly to himself, a sardonic glee in his tone. “Please explain further, then. I am not a mind reader, Sebastian.” He said, fluffing the paper once again before going back to scanning his fingers across the braille.
Sebastian quickly got up from his seat, rounding the long table they were seated at in the Great Hall before sliding into the seat next to the Gaunt boy, taking the paper from his hands and throwing it on the table. The brunette leaned heavily against the other Slytherin, ignoring his stutters in protest at their close proximity as he wrapped his arm around his shoulder and gestured outwards with his free hand, painting a picture with his words.
“Just imagine it, Ominis! It’s halfway through our seventh year, and they have never experienced the beauty of seeing the castle at night over the Black Lake. Not like this, at least.” He looked at his friend, adjusting his hold so he had him by both of the shoulders. “It would be the perfect night, my friend. Snow falling all around us, not one person out because of the cold weather outside. Stars all across the sky for as far as the eye can see above us as we sail in from Hogsmeade station. The water still and quiet around us as we lean close for warmth. Well, I can’t think of anything more romantic, can you?”
Ominis looked at Sebastian with a blank stare, his eyes barely hiding his contempt as he pinched the boy’s green cloak sleeves between his finger and thumb, picking up the hands on his shoulders and dropping them back to the brunette’s sides. His glare was scathing as he scooted purposely farther away from his touch, trying to gain back some semblance of the personal space his friend was hellbent on decreasing.
The blond sighed in exasperation, almost hearing that stupid grin of Sebastian’s stretch across his cheeks. “Yes, I imagine that would be very romantic. Why this though? There are thousands of other things they missed leading up to fifth year.”
Sebastian scoffed again, like the question was completely preposterous. “Surely you remember the feeling of going across the lake? It was magical! Much more magical than anything else in the castle. And, that was when you and I met! You must remember that day fondly.”
Ominis tutted, rolling his eyes at the brunette’s antics and grumbling under his breath. “What I remember is you and Anne almost sending us tumbling into the water from your incessant movement.” He sighed, accepting his fate in this conversation. “How do you plan on getting them to join you, then? Aren’t they quite focused on studying for our NEWTs? Something you should also be focusing on, mister-future-healer?”
Silence spanned between the two friends as Sebastian’s grin only got wider, mischief swimming in his brown eyes as he looked at the Gaunt boy piece together his plan without words. A light-bulb went off in Ominis’ mind, the quiet smugness of his friend the only answer he needed to his questions; he could feel his eyes burning into the side of his face, mapping his expressions like one would map out the seven seas. His eyebrows furrowed downwards, his nose wrinkling and a frown taking over his angular face as he waved his hands in front of him.
“Absolutely not! I am not going to help you sneak out after curfew just so you can woo them with your little plan. You promised you would stop using my prefect privileges for your own personal gain.”
The brunette leaned closer to the blond again, jutting out his bottom lip in an entirely insincere pout as he pleaded his case, his hands clasped in front of him like a beggar.
“Oh please, prefect Ominis! Help me woo the person of my dreams before I die a lonely bachelor in the countryside— only a tiny crop of chickens and cows to keep me company until I die all alone, no one to carry on the Sallow name.”
Ominis looked at him with distaste, vexation screaming in his unforgiving gaze. “Anne is still very much alive, Sebastian, and courting someone right now, lest you forgot. The Sallow bloodline will continue on for the unforeseeable future— much longer than it likely should, I would say.”
A gasp accosted his ears as the freckled boy moved out of his space, crossing his arms indignantly across his chest and glowering as his friend reached down to grab his copy of the Daily Prophet for the third time in their lunch period. “You’re quite rude, you know.”
Ominis hummed, trying to ignore the pestering Sallow and continue reading his article. Sebastian, of course, was not having that as he wrenched the paper from his hands once again, folding it neatly into fourths, before throwing it over his shoulder and nearly into the crackling fireplace just beyond.
The blond groaned, throwing his head back towards the ceiling in exasperation. “Sebastian, for Merlin’s sake, I was reading that—”
The brunette cut him off quickly, his tone nearing a whine. “Please, mate. I really need your help with this one— the professors have been breathing down my neck since I set a niffler loose in the trophy room. I can’t take a piss without Sharp being outside the door!”
The wiry boy leaned his chin against his hand, resting his weight on the table as he, albeit begrudgingly, laughed lightly through his nose. “That one was pretty good, I must say.”
Sebastian sighed, happily reliving the memory of the tiny, furry thing running around and grabbing at anything shiny with its little paws. “Like a third year in Honeydukes for the first time. But, anyway— please, my dearest friend. I will do anything.” He lowered his head, murmuring like his next words were a secret that no one else could know. “I really like them, Ominis. I truly mean it. I just want this to be perfect.”
Ominis pondered for a moment, the cogs turning in his head loud enough that the brunette could almost hear them, before sighing heavily, his shoulders slumping in resignation. A grin began to break across the freckled Slytherin’s face when the blond turned in his direction, his finger jabbing at the air near him and an exuberantly miffed expression on his face.
“You are doing my potions essays for the next month.”
The brunette silently cheered, quickly accio-ing the discarded Daily Prophet back into his hand before unfolding it and handing it to his friend. “Deal! Oh, I could kiss you right now!”
The blond ducked his head, his cheeks coloring a light pink from the verbal affection as he hid his face in the newspaper, humming lightly as a quick “you’re welcome.” Before the jovial Slytherin could bound away from the table, excitement shedding from him in thick waves, a thought surged to the forefront of Ominis’ mind, causing him to snicker silently to himself.
“Wait, don’t you remember what happened the last time you went near the Black Lake—”
“Oh pshaw, Ominis! That was years ago, I am a changed man!” Sebastian mused, puffing his chest out like a preening peafowl.
The blond shook his head, finally going back to the article he was determined to finish. “Whatever you say, Sallow.”
***
Sebastian was, decidedly, not a changed man as he looked across the inky darkness of the Black Lake, a shiver moving up his spine that was most definitely not from the chill in the air. As soon as the vast lake breached his vision, his nerves were a jumbled mess under his ribs. Sweat beaded at his brow, the little droplets making their way down his cheek before he can wipe them away and catching in the sage green of his scarf, dying it forest in small, oblong-shaped splotches. As if part of some anxiety induced checklist, his hands then began to shake at his sides, sending tiny tremors up his arms until they reached his stone-still shoulders— taut and harsher than the winter chill coloring the tips of his ears rose. It felt like his heart could fail at any moment, the organ roughly slamming against the expanse of his sternum like a Cornish Pixie in a birdcage, begging to be let out so it could wreak havoc across the entire Highlands.
He’s had this same reaction around the lake since first year; he didn’t know why tonight would be any different.
It was amazing the emotional response a little body of water could create.
Voices crested over the roar in his ears, your sweet cadence floating through the wind like a summer song, mingling with the soft laughter of Ominis, and making his cheeks grow warmer with happiness. Sebastian quickly righted himself against the wall at the sound of you approaching, smoothing down his cable-knit sweater and straightening the collar of his winter jacket as he tried to look as nonchalant as possible; he was terribly hopeful that his nerves were not as obvious as he felt they were.
Your words reached him first, a soft laugh in your tone as you chatted with the young blond. “Ominis, where are you taking me so late at night? What is this big surprise?”
The boy chuckled, unable to be anything but happy in your presence— you were the physical embodiment of sunshine on a cloudless day. “I cannot say any more than I already have, my dear— just that Sebastian asked me to fetch you and bring you to the underground dock, and have you dress warm.”
You huffed, the sound of your steps rounding the corner from the tiny lift and making your way towards the quietly nervous brunette. “If pretty boy gets me another detention, I’m going to wring his little neck.”
A smirk grew across Sebastian’s face. Pretty boy? That was new.
As you turned the final corner meters under the Viaduct Courtyard, you stopped dead in your tracks at the brunette waiting for you there, nearly sending Ominis tumbling to the ground from your sudden pause. You had known Sebastian for some time— seen him out of his school uniform on multiple occasions— but something about him being there waiting for you, casually leaning against the wall and a smirk on his face like a Gladrags model, made your heart skip a beat. His hair was wind tousled in the best way, the curls of it snug around the conch of his ear and brushing against the freckles stretching along his sideburns. The brunette was dressed smartly— neat, you would even say, something that you didn’t see much from him with his proclivity to having a romp around the Hamlet’s whenever he wished. There was not one speck of dirt on him, not one piece of clothing out of place. The forest green Slytherin jumper tucked into his black slacks hugged his body in a delicious way, the soft looking fabric hanging just the right amount to accent his shape and the color making the golden hues in his eyes look like tiny fires. When those eyes met yours, softening under your gaze before sliding away for just a second to acknowledge the boy just behind you, it was like time itself stopped.
“Thank you again, Ominis. I appreciate it.”
You squeezed the blond’s hand once in thanks, feeling him reciprocate the gesture before turning on the balls of his feet and making his way back to his prefect rounds, calling over his shoulder as he left.
“Potions essays, Sebastian. One month!”
Sebastian rolled his eyes at his friend, pushing off from the wall and making his way towards you, holding out his hand for you to take.
“Pretty boy?” He said, smirking at the light pink that took over the tips of your ears.
You playfully shoved his shoulder, laughing as he dramatically winced before taking his hand in yours, noticing its slight tremor but not saying anything on the matter. Perhaps he was as nervous about this outing as you were? You let him lead you towards the waiting boat docked just to the side. “Like you haven’t been called pretty before, Sallow.”
He chuckled under his breath, helping you down into the tiny boat before untying the mooring line and stepping on himself, pushing off from the dock and letting the magical boat take you out over the lake. “Yes, but never by you.”
You smirked, pretending his words didn’t fluster you endlessly as you flirted back. “Well, I suppose I need to say it more often then, don’t I?”
There was something unidentifiable in his eyes when he looked at you, the moon catching on his irises and making the color look like melted cosmos. “Only if I can do the same in return.”
Your heart leapt into your throat at how serious he sounded suddenly, taking in his all encompassing stare and the way the water reflected off his hair like curls of seaweed in the depths below. Clearing your throat around the lump of nerves restricting your airway, you cast your gaze across the lake before you, breathing in the beauty of the cool winter night swimming through the trees of the Forbidden Forest just across the bay.
“So, Sebastian, why did you have Ominis drag me out of bed at this ungodly hour to meet you on a rickety old dock?”
He smiled at you, one of those big ones that took up his entire face and made the butterflies in your stomach slam against your ribs, before throwing his arms out— freckled hands like asteroids against the never-ending night sky.
“Welcome to your first and only Hogwarts boat ride!”
A laugh bubbles out of your chest as his theatrics, your eyes confused but alight with mirth. He sees your puzzlement and continues his speech, hoping to clarify a little more. “When first years arrive at Hogwarts, they’re taken across the Black Lake instead of having to ride in on the carriages— a right of passage, so to speak. Since you joined us so late, I thought you might enjoy participating in something you missed out on.”
Your eyes softened at his words, your chest warming at the care he put into this idea of his. No one had ever done anything so sweet for you before. You had known before this night that you cared for the boy, much deeper than a friendship, but this truly solidified it for you.
You leaned your elbow against your knee, dropping your chin into your palm as you continued to stare at the gorgeous boy. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Sebastian.”
He smiled again— softer, gentler, kinder. “You deserve it, darling.”
Your heart soared. Darling.
You both sat in a comfortable silence as the boat dredged on, leaving little ripples through the black waters below that made everything look out of a storybook. The trees around you looked almost human in the winter light, the cool moon casting shadows across their branches until they looked like arms linked together in a forever dance. The calls of jobberknolls sang through your ears with a sweet musicality, swaddling the night in a calming ambiance that warmed you to your very soul. It was like you had sailed into a painting, the brush strokes of the stars above you swirling around in swatches of navy blue and pearlescent ivory. Even still, the glorious beauty of the world around you didn’t hold a candle to the man you were with.
Your eyes drank him in like an alcoholic downed shots of firewhiskey, taking in everything he was offering you that night and even more. You weren’t lying before, he truly was pretty. Sebastian Sallow was always the talk of the girls dorm; it was all you heard when you first arrived. He had filled out some since then, his boyish charm giving way to the dashing man before you. He looked breathtaking in the moonlight, all shadow and mystery until you reached his eyes— like sunsets and midnight's meeting each evening in a burst of oranges and golds; halcyon. Liquid gold, you called them. Never to anyone else, especially Ominis, just to yourself. His eyes were your own personal Felix Felicis. While you couldn’t see it behind you, the lights of the castle caught on the tiny dots of freckles scattered across his cheeks, turning them into the glowing constellations just above your heads— you didn’t need to look to know that the entire sky was right there with you, within arms reach for the first time. Not even the most noteworthy, the most famous astronomers could say the same.
Focusing your eyes again, you caught him gazing at you with what was likely a very similar look to the one you were sporting. He seemed just as enthralled as you were, looking at you like he was but a simple stargazer and you were a fleeting comet, something that only came around once in a lifetime— like he wanted nothing more than to chart your path for the rest of his life, just content in following you until you burnt out in a great ball of flame and stardust. There was something else in his eyes, though, something concerning. His pupils shifted around, one moment looking at you and the next glaring at the forest or at the water below like it affronted him. His fingers were white against the mahogany-toned boat, his knuckles nearing a muted purple from the cold and the strength he was using to keep himself still. You could tell he was trying to hide it, but a brave smirk could only hide so much if it was also wobbly at the corners. Could it be anxiety? Nerves for a first date? You were feeling similar things, if that was the case. The atmosphere was certainly romantic. But, if that wasn’t the reason, what was going on with him?
Your answer came upon docking at Hogsmeade, your little boat jostling against the wooden pier near the train station and sending you rocking about, waves crashing against the helm in its wake. Sebastian looked like he had seen the ghost of his late parents, eyes wide and the whites of his sclera ghastly. The wood under his hands creaked as he grasped at it even tighter, surely burying little splinters into his skin that would certainly persist for days after. That was when it dawned on you: he was scared.
Your concern grew exponentially seeing him like this— you had never seen him this frightened before. Prying one of his hands from the starboard, you gently cradled it in yours, forcing him to look away from the onyx water and meet your gaze. Your eyes were soft and questioning when you spoke, your tone caring and inquisitive. “What’s going through that mind of yours, Sebastian? Why are you so afraid right now?”
He sighed heavily, his shoulders already relaxing minutely at the warmth of your hand in his. He desperately hoped that you wouldn’t notice his anxious energy. “I thought I was hiding it well. Nothing gets past you, I guess.” He took a deep breath, like preparing to confess his sins at the pews of Notre Dame. Your heart constricted with your own nerves. “I’m afraid of the Black Lake. I thought everything would be fine for this trip— thought I’d grown out of it. I see now that I have not.”
Sebastian didn’t think your expression could get any softer as he looked at you through his eyelashes, wholeheartedly embarrassed because of his unprecedented fear. It was just a bloody body of water, for Merlin’s sake! He was supposed to be the best duelist in the school— the bravest Slytherin to walk the halls of Hogwarts since Salazar himself! He had cleared out caverns of inferi, taken down countless camps of Ashwinder’s and poachers, killed hundreds of Goblin’s during Ranrok’s rebellion; but he drew the line at some dark water?
Your soothing voice broke him from his self loathing, setting his heart aflame in his chest. “Why are you afraid of the Black Lake?” His eyes darkened at your question, filling with apprehension— shoulders stiffening to an intense degree like he was considering fleeing rather than answering the question. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but know that I would never judge you for something you were afraid of, even if it was a bit silly.”
He sighed again, his shoulders sagging again and his hand gripping yours with a firmer grip. He began to glide his thumb across your knuckles to self-soothe as he began the story. “I fell in during my first year— decided it would be a good idea to mess around on the docks of the boat house. I knew how to swim by then, but I got snagged by some of the seaweed under the pier. Would have drowned if it wasn’t for the giant squid. Didn’t even know how it happened— one minute I thought I was a goner and the next I was coughing up lungfuls of lake water, watching this gigantic tentacle disappear back into the depths.”
Sebastian shivered as he relived the memory, turning his chin downwards so he didn’t have to look when you inevitably started laughing at his blunder. It was a foolish fear, he told himself. How could he still be afraid after all this time? It wouldn’t surprise him if you decided to leave right then and fly back to the castle on your own.
Instead, you did the opposite. You shifted closer to the boy, taking his face into your unoccupied hand and tilting it so he was looking into your eyes again. You could see his insecurity in them, the embarrassment and fear swirling around the copper color and settling in the inky black of his pupil. Your smile did not leave your face as you gazed at him, your thumb running across his cheekbone and your heart swelling with love as he leaned into your touch.
“Seems like a perfectly logical fear to me.”
He chuckled, all air and no sound but still filled with so much relief. “If you say so. I still think it's quite stupid, if I’m honest.”
You shook your head, giggling softly as a thought dawned on you. “Why did you take me out on the boat if you were scared? I would’ve been happy doing anything with you.”
He looked away then, gently pulling your hand from his cheek and holding it in his lap with your other one, still entwined with his. A soft blush crept up his neck, making his skin look otherworldly in the moonlight. “I thought you would like it. You mentioned missing out on some things because you started so late, so I wanted to give you one of my favorite experiences from my first year.” His gaze dropped to your hands, admiring how they fit with his like two missing puzzle pieces. “I, um— I thought it would make you smile. I would do anything to make you smile.”
Never had sweeter words been said to you before. Sebastian was not one for words, normally favoring action over linguistics, but you were entirely smitten with his confession. A blush covered your cheeks, your eyes shifting from how long his eyelashes looked in the shadows of that winter night to how soft and plush his bottom lip looked trapped under his teeth as he gnawed on it, teeming with nerves. You shuffled closer to him, nearly standing in your little boat as you leaned into his space, taking back one of your hands and using it to raise his chin so his face was level with yours. His eyes widened at the closeness of you, a barely there gasp breathing against your lips as your eyes jumped from his to his parted mouth again.
It was him in the end who closed the gap, capturing your lips with his in one of the most gentle kisses he had ever experienced. Your mouths moved in tandem— two petal-toned flowers meeting under a gentle breeze for the first time. It felt like you both swallowed fizzing wizzbees whole— like you were floating into the night sky above and all you could do was hold on to the person you were kissing with everything you had as you disappeared together. Your other hand released Sebastian’s, feeling along the fabric of his winter jacket as you reached up and thread your fingers into his hair, shivering when you felt him do the same. He pulled you closer, feeling you swallow his soft groan and release one of your own.
You shifted your weight on your feet, bending fully at the waist and moving to stand in between his parted thighs. The boat rocked underneath you, the waves getting rougher as you both explored each other with a newly found vigor. You began to grow unsteady, your hands falling to the brunette’s shoulders as your vessel pushed and pulled against the tide. Sebastian grabbed you around the waist, trying to keep you steady as everything around you tipped on its axis.
One moment you were dry, snogging the boy you loved, and the next you were underwater.
The coldness of the lake shocked you, pushing you to move your legs faster as you swam towards the surface. You both breached the surface at the same time, heaving lungfuls of air into your body as you shivered against the harsh cold. Moving as fast as you could, the two of you swam towards the shoreline, pulling yourselves out of the water under the weight of your soaked clothes and flopping onto the stones below. Your chests moved up and down at a rapid pace as you struggled more for air, your hair plastered to your face and your body fully vibrating from the chilled air hitting your wet skin.
You looked to Sebastian, expecting him to be panicking because of his past trauma, but instead he was already staring at you, those Liquid Luck eyes glowing in the soft moonlight and filled with more love then you had ever seen before— a smile turning the corners of his lips and a laugh beginning to bubble under his ribs. You smiled back, your own laugh slowly beginning to fill the night air— first a small chuckle, then full guffaws. His hand pawed around on the ground for yours, interlocking your fingers and pulling you closer as you continued to laugh together, his arm moving to cradle you against his chest and keep you both warm until you felt ready to get up and begin your trek back to the castle. His joy was the sweetest music you had ever heard— a symphony of mirth and pure, unadulterated delight.
You would surely be sick for the next week, but at that moment, wrapped in the arms of the boy you would do anything for— the boy that would do anything to make you smile— this little slice of paradise was worth a few sniffles.