After Dark | Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 1

Authors Note:
Hi!! I've been working on this for a while and I'm so excited to finally share it, I hope you like it!! ⠀
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀:¨ ·.· ¨:
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ '· . 𐙚

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Sebastian Sallow had perfected the art of pretending not to see Elara Black in the Great Hall. It wasn't hard - she sat at the opposite end of the Slytherin table, her dark hair pulled back sharply, her posture rigid as if daring someone to approach. He kept his eyes fixed on his toast, buttering it with deliberate, unnecessary force. The knife scraped against the bread loud enough for Ominis to sigh beside him.

"You're going to tear through the plate at that rate," Ominis muttered, stirring his tea without looking up.

Sebastian ignored Ominis' comment and took an aggressive bite of his toast, the crunch echoing louder than he intended. Across the hall, Elara's laughter cut through the morning chatter-sharp, mocking, and unmistakably aimed in his direction. His grip tightened around his fork. He didn't need to look to know she was smirking; he could feel it, like a cold finger tracing his spine.

"Is she staring at you again?" Ominis murmured, his voice low.

Sebastian scoffed. "Yes, let her." But the words tasted bitter. He could still remember the last time they'd spoken - her voice cracking as she shouted that she couldn't save Anne, that it wasn't her fault, that he was blaming the wrong person. He'd almost hexed her then. Now, two years later, the anger hadn't dulled. It had just grown quieter, coiled tight in his chest.

A first-year bumped into their table, sending Sebastian's goblet clattering. Juice splashed across his robes. "Watch it," he snapped, louder than necessary. The kid paled and scrambled away. Ominis exhaled through his nose.

Sebastian's eyes flicked back to Elara. She was leaning forward now, saying something to her best friend, Blanca Wren, that made her snort. The way her fingers drummed against the table - confident, impatient - sent a fresh wave of irritation through him. She'd moved on. Like Anne had just been an inconvenience.

The bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Sebastian stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor. Ominis hesitated. "You're not-?"

"I'll be fine," Sebastian lied, already striding toward the door. He didn't look back.

The corridors were crowded, students funneling toward their first lessons. Sebastian kept his head down, weaving through the throng. But then he heard it - the distinct click of heels against stone, too deliberate to be accidental. He turned just in time to see Elara step neatly into his path, her arms crossed.

"You're in my way," he said flatly.

She tilted her head, her dark eyes glinting. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing."

A group of Ravenclaws squeezed past them, throwing nervous glances. Sebastian didn't move. Neither did she. The air between them crackled, thick with things unsaid.

"Got something to say, Sallow?" Elara's voice was light, but her fingers twitched toward her wand.

Sebastian's jaw clenched. He could list every damn thing he wanted to say. But the words stuck in his throat, heavy and useless.

Behind them, a professor cleared her throat. "Move along, you two. Unless you'd like detention?"

Elara smiled - slow, sharp. "Wouldn't dream of it." She stepped aside, sweeping past him with a rustle of robes.