blame the champagne || s. sallow one-shot

part 1: blame the champagne

"an odd pairing, wouldn't you say?" the second woman chimed in, her voice betraying her amusement. "the hero of hogwarts and a pureblood heir. i wonder how they ever came to be."

"if all the rumors about her past are to be believed, there has to be a conspiracy behind this. perhaps she slipped him an amortentia or, merlin forbid, blackmailed him."

the second woman raised her glass in mock contemplation, her eyes gleaming with the sort of cruelty that only gossip seemed to nurture. "or maybe it's for status," she mused, "a marriage of convenience, perhaps? the hero marrying into a respectable family for a bit of security. a trade, if you will."

he would have been inclined to agree—if only they hadn't so thoughtlessly insulted the woman he once (still) loved. he could almost feel the heat rising to his face, the bitter sting of their insinuations making his hand ball into a fist at his side. but stepping in would be too over the line, even for sebastian. because she wasn't his to defend anymore. she'd made sure of that by giving her hand to some pureblood prick that wasn't him.

"well," the first woman continued, her voice turning sly, "whatever the case, she's certainly fortunate. there aren't many men left nowadays willing to be tied down, what with all the modern notions of 'free love' and 'unconventional living.' most prefer the arrangement where marriage is simply a word they needn't bother with. she'll never want for anything, i suppose."

"come to think of it, wasn't she in a long-term relationship just before this? witch weekly was quite abuzz about it. detailed how they've been together since their time in hogwarts and how everyone thought they'd be married by now, only for them to end in ruins all of a sudden."

"oh, i think i remember that. though, as i recall, they never revealed the identity of her beau." the first woman pondered, tapping her fan against her cheek. "such a mysterious fellow, wasn't he? can you imagine what it must be like for him? finding out his beloved is to marry one of the wizarding world's most eligible bachelors so soon after their parting?"

"oh, i'd be positively reeling," the second woman chimed in, a wicked grin playing at her lips. "i'd hardly be able to hold my glass steady."

that was it. he'd had enough eavesdropping for the night. no, scratch that—his whole life, actually.

this was precisely why he never engaged in gossip—not because he didn't know it was often rooted in half-truths or outright falsehoods, but because on the off chance it was a truth, he couldn't endure the sting of it. the incessant chatter, the giggling, the way their voices danced around his very existence like a cruel little game. it was as though they had found some perverse pleasure in prying open wounds that had barely even healed, turning them over in the light for sport.

but there was nothing like alcohol to cleanse the wound, so he had the snack steward pour him a fresh glass of champagne to flush out the muck that clung to the gash.

and it shouldn't even hurt in the first place. he was over this. he'd already accepted how things had come to be. hell, he wouldn't be here at this godforsaken party if he hadn't. this was not the time or place for this. he was a professional, damn it. he had been through worse than a half-forgotten heartbreak in his time, for merlin's sake. this wasn't about him, or what he thought he could have had. he was fine.

it was just the champagne. the party had so much damn champagne. it had clouded his head and muddled his thoughts. it made everything hurt more than it should. he just needed fresh air, something sobering, something to clear the fog.

so he excused himself without a word. before he knew it, he was standing on the balcony, the cool night air hitting his face with an almost brutal clarity.