After All This Time// Sebastian Sallow x Reader Hogwarts Legacy Fanfiction

I'd been up all night without sleep, ever since I talked to Sebastian. I understood that he would need time, but knowing that he, and now others, might know what really transpired that night, it was eating away at me. 

I was sitting at the Slytherin table in the great hall eating some toast, when Poppy and Natty plopped down beside me. 

"Hey," Poppy said. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," I said, keeping my answer as short as I could. 

"Ominis told us what had happened," Natty said, making my heart sink in my chest. 

"We just wanted you to know that we're here, if you need to talk about anything," Poppy told me. "I know you like to keep a lot of things to yourself, but it doesn't hurt to ask for help every so often."

"Thank you, but I'm really not ready to talk about it yet," I replied. I laced my fingers together in my lap under the table and kept my eyes on my plate of toast.

"Just promise that you'll ask for help if you need it," Poppy said 

"Merlin knows you have always been there for us in the past, we would just like you to know that we are here for you too," Natty added. 

"Thank you guys, I really appreciate it. And I promise that if I need something, I'll come to you," I finally said. 

After breakfast, I walked with Poppy and Natty to our potions class. I was dreading going to class, and hoped that Sebastian might skip potions today so that I didn't have to run into him. 

It's still odd for me- being in the same room as him, and not being able to be as near to him as I like. All of the emotions I'd ever felt for him were still there, always at the front of my mind. As we walked, I let my mind run a bit and wondered what he was thinking about everything. I really hoped that what I said hadn't burned the very fragile bridge I've been building with him between us over the past few days. Once we entered the classroom, I sat down at a potion station near the back of the classroom, secluded away from everyone else. 

I noticed that Poppy had sat next to Garreth, and the two still seemed to be getting along alright. Watching them talk, he often made her laugh and her face flush red, and it made my heart ache- knowing that I once had something similar with Sebastian. Part of me was jealous, and the other part of me just felt plain guilty for letting everything happen the way that it did. Still, I was happy for Poppy. 

Ominis and Sebastian finally came in right before class was about to start. I silently cursed myself, noticing that the only potions stations left were next to me. So much for staying secluded. Ominis slid into the seat directly by mine and Sebastian was across from me on the other side. Neither of them said anything before class started. 

Professor Sharp was going on about getting to know your ingredients better so you know why they go in the potion you're brewing, and Garreth kept raising his hand at questions, getting frustrated that he was never called on. He even lost points after Sharp called on someone else, for stating "oh come on, I knew that one!" in a loud manner. Poppy was just giggling beside him; we all knew that Garreth had a love for potions that his skill would never match. But it was always fun to see what trouble he got into during class, as it kept the rest of us entertained during Sharp's stern lessons. 

It helped take my mind off of the fact that I was sitting right across from the only person I've ever loved, and the only person that I think I ever will. 

I hated how cliche that sounded in my head, but I couldn't help but think that it was true. I have never loved anyone as deeply as I did Sebastian, and it was hard to imagine loving anyone else in the same way.