Risk // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 75: Rekindling*

"Yep... like old times..." I murmured before he walked off.

Fuck.

Sebastian caught up with me at lunch like he always did, Lawson and Ominis joining us soon after.

"So, are you going tonight?" Lawson asked us.

"Where would I be going?" Sebastian replied with a curious eyebrow raised.

"Uh, Leander's asked everyone to go to the Leaky Cauldron tonight and... I may have accidentally committed." I admitted, feeling a twinge of guilt for not discussing it with him first.

Sebastian looked surprised. "You did, did you?"

I nodded, my cheeks flushing a bit. "Yes, I did. It was Leander who invited me. I didn't really think it through."

"Clearly, what about Eloise?" He asked.

It was a genuine question. I didn't really consider her when I jumped to agreeing to go out.

"Eloise is with Mum," I explained, "I could see if she could have her a few more hours and we can just pick her up later?"

Sebastian nodded. "Alright, then. If she doesn't want to, I'll just go home with her and you can have fun."

Sebastian's response surprised me. He seemed more relaxed and accommodating than I had expected.

As lunch concluded the workday continued, I sent mum an owl asking if she could keep her a little later, and to my surprise, I got one back very quickly.

"Of course! Who'd say no to this adorable little face. I can keep her overnight if you like and you can collect her tomorrow. I have everything here she might need. Enjoy yourselves x."

A whole night away? Seemed daunting. Eloise had never been away from us for more than a few hours while we worked. I managed to catch Sebastian in passing in the afternoon.

"Mum said she can keep Eloise overnight if we want," I said, catching up to him quickly on my way back to my desk.

Sebastian paused. "It could be nice, you know? And Eloise adores her grandmother. She'll be in good hands."

I couldn't deny that it did sound appealing. A whole night to ourselves, a sleep in past 6am... "Alright, let's do it."

With our decision made, I sent a quick reply to Mum, thanking her for the generous offer and letting her know that we'd collect Eloise the next morning. She replied once more with a reminder to enjoy ourselves.

The rest of the workday felt surprisingly light-hearted, as if the idea of an evening child-free with Sebastian had lifted a weight off my shoulders and had me actually feeling excited.

As work concluded, we met up with Lawson and Ominis and made our way through the bustling end-of-work-day rush, finally reaching Diagon Alley.

We arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Sebastian holding the door open for me. The pub was already full of chatter and laughter from the nregular Friday night patrons and some familiar faces, some we hadn't seen in years.

As we entered, the room seemed to fall quiet for a moment, and all eyes turned to us. I felt self-consciousness wash over me, realising that we were the center of attention. These people had no idea why Sebastian and I left Hogwarts so abruptly and without so much as a goodbye.

The only person I noticed though, was the one I held the most guilt over leaving behind.

Imelda Reyes.

My best friend.

She was standing at the bar, cradling a drink and staring right at me.

I didn't know if I should approach her. Would she hit me? Ignore me?