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

Chapter 2

After the sorting ceremony and the feast, we all headed back to our respective common rooms. I headed straight for my dorm, not wanting to socialize with others too much tonight. There was a lot going through my mind right now, though I wish there wasn't. I don't know why I froze so much tonight at the sight of Sebastian. I saw him plenty of times last year and didn't wince like I did tonight.

Maybe it was the fact that he's grown.

He's taller and more muscular, and his hair had grown out a bit. I can tell he's still a bit haunted by his past; the tell-tale signs are the deep dark circles under his eyes, and the fact that his signature smile is rare at best. I wish I could be there for him, but I could tell by the fact that he hadn't answered a single one of my owls that he didn't want to talk to me. 

I was roomed with Imelda Reyes and Nerida Roberts like last year. Though I didn't talk to Nerida much anymore, Imelda had become one of my better friends, despite our rocky start. We had a mutual respect for each other now that went deep.

I flopped face down on my mattress and let out a sigh. I was tired from the ride here, but didn't want to go to sleep just yet. I still got nightmares, and sleeping wasn't something I enjoyed anymore.

"Sebastian couldn't keep his eyes off of you during the entirety of dinner, y/n," Imelda sighed as she entered the dorm. "Quite annoying actually, was trying to have a decent conversation with him, but he kept completely spacing out."

"That can't be right," I laughed. 

"Oh, it's right, you should've seen him," Nerida interjected. "Imelda was trying to talk quidditch with him but he couldn't keep his mind straight for two seconds."

I thought of this as silly, seeing as he hasn't wanted to speak to me in over a year. 

"That can't be right!" I exclaimed. "You know firsthand how he's treated me since our fifth year!"

"I thought you were dating in your fifth year. Everyone thought so. But after hearing what happened between the two of you..." Imelda trailed off. 

"I know. It sucks. He was a good friend."

"You liked him as more than a friend though, anyone with eyes could see that much," she told me.

"Whatever." I sighed and flopped back down on my bed. I wasn't in the mood for her honesty. And yeah, maybe I did, but we never advanced past our little flirty chats. There was way too much going on between Ranrok, Anne, and The Keepers to make time for any romance. She knew that, but she still liked to tease me about it. 

After Professor Fig died, Professor Weasley and I decided to disclose what had happened with the rest of the wizarding world over time. We thought that if the ministry and everyone knew about it, then it would be better protected in the future. I know I was the only one who could see the traces of the ancient magic; I considered the risks of being the only one able to keep others from accessing that reserve. It was almost too much for me the first time, and imagining having to do that all over again was painful. 

I needed to stop thinking about everything. 

Nurse Blainey had given me a special potion to help calm me down and help me sleep when I couldn't stop thinking about it. I'd gone through bottles of the stuff, even though it was only a few drops I needed at a time. I pulled the bottle from my trunk and put a few drops in my mouth. I fell asleep almost instantly after that, but I still had odd dreams.

Sebastian stepped out of the treeline, almost completely covered in blood. 

"You did this, you hurt me," he accused.

"I didn't- I-" he interrupted me before I could speak again.

"You did this, y/n, you hurt me."

He approached me with a pained expression on his face. He reached a hand out to me, which I hesitantly took. 

"See? You did it again," he whimpered. The look of hurt on his face was enough to send me reeling. Where I was just barely grasping onto his hand, blood poured out and dripped to the ground. I wasn't even gripping him that hard. I let go, but the blood only gushed faster.

"You're doing it again, why did you let go?"

"Because I was hurting you!" I squealed. Pressure was building in my lungs, making it hard to breathe. My heart rate quickened at the sight of him in such pain. "I needed to let go."

"Being around you hurts, y/n, but not having you? Not being close to you, that's what kills me."

After that, everything faded to black, and I woke up in a cold sweat back in the dorm. It was dark, and I glanced back and forth to make sure I hadn't woken Imelda or Nerida. They were still fast asleep thankfully. I cursed the potion, which has been working less and less for me over time. Where it still helped me calm my mind and sleep, my dreams still haunted me. The details of my dream were hazy, but I couldn't wipe the sight of Sebastian out of my mind. 

In my fifth year, a dream like this would send me sneaking into his dorm to wake him. he'd always ask what was wrong, but I'd pretend it was nothing. He'd let me drag him out of bed for a small adventure into the Forbidden Forest and head back to sleep. I often have dreams of him getting hurt or killed, and sometimes all I needed was to see him okay again. The adventures were just an excuse for the fact that I'd woken him. 

I sighed, wishing I  was still able to do that. It's been over a year. I shouldn't still have dreams of him like this. Why did I still care for him so much?