Though my heart ached to fall asleep against Sebastian's chest, the freezing air finally settled into our bones.
We'd spent the night tracing promises against each other's skin.
Sebastian's shirt had been the only article of clothing to be shed but I could feel the heat over every inch of my body.
A slight tingle still licked my shoulders and collarbone from his pleasant lips that had kissed stitches into my shattered heart.
I'd never wanted our moment to end but my body began to shiver and Sebastian had hummed against the top of my sternum.
"Lets get you inside sweetheart."
I'd protested but he'd wrapped me in his arms as well as he could and carried me around to the balcony door, nuzzling his forehead to mine before wrapping his tender fingers around mine and following me down into the Undercroft.
I'd collected my things and started to wish him a good night when he'd caught my hands and smiled gently.
"You don't really think I'm letting you be alone tonight did you? No no no my cabbage..." He pulled me to his chest and grinned down at me. "If you want to stay here tonight- I'll stay with you."
It was an easy decision.
We'd curled up on the green cushions and he'd enveloped me in his grasp. I'd tucked my head into his neck and let my lungs relax. He'd rested his chin against my hair and not long after had begun to breathe deeply, leaving me to my thoughts.
Normally I would have been terrified of them, but tonight- tonight Sebastian held my heart and that was all I needed to feel a little peace.
I'd let the smells of cedar wood and quill ink lull me to sleep.
I woke hours later to Sebastian running his fingers through my hair, my braid completely undone during the night.
I rolled to face him and was met with gentle red cheeks and deep, sleepy brown eyes smirking at me. We didn't say anything for a minute or two, just smiling like idiots as our hearts kissed in greeting.
"Good morning my cabbage." His voice was deep and raspy with sleep.
I grinned. "Good morning mon petit chou."
He'd chuckled "Show off" before pressing a kiss to my forehead, breathing me in.
"You know, I never got to tell you what I smelt in that amortentia."
"I mean you sort of mumbled it but-"
He held a finger to my lips.
"Don't spoil the romance of this moment Barlowe."
I'd bitten my bottom lip and raised a brow, waiting particularly impatiently.
"You know, when you look at me like that... I'm not sure I want to tell you now."
"I could just get up?" I began to roll away and he pulled me in tightly.
"Nope. No. Never mind I changed my mind. I'll tell you."
"Better hurry up Sallow, we've got classes to get to."
"Shut up Barlowe, its Sunday." He winked and pressed three quick kisses down my nose. "Anyway, as I was saying-" He drug out the word pointedly. "I smelled you of course. Go figure- but I smelled pears and fresh rain." He smiled proudly as if the admission was of any surprise.
"Mmm. Pears." I hummed, stomach rumbling.
He jostled my body and whispered. "This is the part where you tell me what you smelled. I know you took a sniff - I saw your face."
My lips had opened, ready to tell him all about the cedar and ink before I snapped it shut quickly - remembering my truth was also another's.
"I'm not telling." I tried to play my quickened heartbeat off as teasing.
"Oh for Merlin's sake." He rolled me onto my back and pressed his chest against mine, peppering my cheeks in kisses. "It was Ominis wasn't it. You smelled that simpleton. Or... oh Merlin Barlowe." His eyes grew wide and my heart panicked at the impossibility of him understanding. "You smelt Weasley. "
I let out a breath I hoped he wouldn't read too much into.
"Yes. Yes, I am particularly partial to bright red hair, potions and spearmint."
"Thats an awfully specific answer." He eyed me suspiciously though his smirk flushed all seriousness down the drain. "Suppose I'll just have to kick his ass in a dual."
The gate to the Undercroft opened with a loud squeal of metal and Sebastian and I scrambled apart.
"Oh yes, do cover yourselves before I see something I'm not supposed to." Ominis grinned as he made his way into the room.
Sebastian's hand was clasped over his heart and he sunk back into the cushions, letting his head fall backwards. "Merlin Ominis, you cannot keep sneaking up on me like that. This is what? The tenth time this week?"
"Third." Ominis ran his fingers across a small table against the far wall. "But really Sebastian, who else would be walking into the Undercroft."
Sebastian groaned and covered his face.
My heart had stopped pounding and my cheeks had cooled. "Good morning Ominis."
"Good morning Atley darling. My apologies for the intrusion but I left something here last night and I need to retrieve it promptly." He wound around to the other side of the room and it wasn't until he stumbled into one of the pillars that I noticed he wasn't using his wand.
Sebastian peeked from under his hands at the noise. "Oi mate. Did you forget your wand?"
"Yes Sebastian, I just forgot the one thing I need to get around."
"You can just ask for help you know." He rose quickly and began searching under the pillows. "How did you get back to the common room last night? You didn't think to come back and grab it after you left?"
Ominis grumbled. "Well I was going to, but I feared I would interrupt and hear you two studying."
Sebastian grinned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have too much confidence in us dear Ominis."
Ominis only scowled at the ground, tracing over each edge of the Undercroft.
"Hey- here it is." Sebastian stood quickly and stepped toward his friend, holding the dark wood between his slightly bruised fingers and my heart stitched.
Ominis turned back to the center of the room. "You had better not be naked Sebastian or I swear to Merlin-" He took a step backwards, hand out to catch himself on the wall but instead stumbled into the newly opened arch of the triptych, tumbling back against the wood frame.
Sebastian stilled, hand outstretched and my pulse froze.
"What the-" Ominis' hands ran along the new walls and over the empty setting. "What did you two DO TO THE UNDERCROFT?"