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From the moment that Sebastian had met Aspen Valentine, he knew there was something different about her from the very start.
He could have never guessed just how different of course, Aspen seemed to be full of nothing but surprises from the moment she first started telling him about this supposed “ancient magic” that she could see. It took him a few weeks to piece it together in his mind of why he seemed to care for the new fellow Slytherin so much. Perhaps it was because of their shared interest in learning more about magic than what Hogwarts had to offer, or maybe it had been how easily she found her own place among him and Ominis as if she had been their friend for years. Even as those thoughts crossed his mind, he knew they weren’t the reasons she stood out so much to him.
“Sebastian, why don’t you just go talk to her?” Ominis asked with a sigh.
“I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sebastian said.
He couldn’t help but quickly tear his gaze away from her as soon as Ominis spoke. He’d been catching himself watching Aspen more and more as the days went on and the closer they became as friends. He couldn’t help but be distracted by her yet again in the common room tonight as she sat by the fireplace, deeply focused on whatever it was she was reading and, hopefully, oblivious to him being there at all, much less staring at her like a lost Puffskein looking for a new home.
“Oh, please, Sebastian,” Ominis said, “I don’t need my sight to be able to tell that you’ve been doing nothing other than staring at Aspen for the past fifteen minutes while I’ve been trying to have a conversation with you.”
“Could you maybe say that a bit louder so she can hear you across the common room?” Sebastian asked, nothing but sarcasm clear in his tone.
“Actually, maybe I should,” Ominis said, getting to his feet, “Then maybe you would finally tell her that you like her and we can all save ourselves from this awkward dance around each other you two are in the midst of.”
“Would you please sit down,” Sebastian hissed under his breath, grabbing his friend by the arm and pulling him back down onto the sofa, “Aspen is our friend, nothing more.”
“You’re a surprisingly terrible liar whenever it comes to how you feel about someone,” Ominis said, “Just how long do you plan on ignoring the fact that you like her?”
“I don’t like her,” Sebastian said, “I mean, not like that. She’s been a wonderful friend and with whatever else she has going on, she’s still trying to find ways to help me find out something for Anne and…she’s just…Merlin’s beard, I don’t know.”
She couldn’t help but catch his eye over and over again, even in the smallest things that she did in just the few weeks he had known her. He knew he at least had formed a crush on her, it was hard not to with her stunning beauty - her long black hair that reminded him of the night sky on a moonless night, her bright blue eyes that should have been haunting and cold with their beauty but only made his heart beat just a bit faster when they were focused on him and only him, the light splash of freckles across her nose and cheeks - he could go on for hours about her if he let himself. Certainly, he had started to notice girls since last year, but none had captured him so quickly and so easily as Aspen managed to do without even trying.
“If I’m to be honest, I suppose it’s because I’m scared of losing her,” Sebastian said.
It was always easy to be honest with Ominis, they were practically brothers in every sense of the term short of an actual blood relation. But even just admitting that small fear out loud had felt like one of the hardest things he had ever made himself say.
“I know you like having her around too,” Sebastian said.
“I have to admit, it’s nice to have someone else around who seems to be able to reason with you even when I can’t,” Ominis said with a small grin, “But you would rather watch her from afar than simply tell her what you feel?”
“If it’s the difference between keeping her at my side or losing her forever because she doesn’t feel the same, I’d choose to keep her every time,” Sebastian said.
“Would you stand by so silently if someone else showed an interest in her then?” Ominis asked.
“Why? Is there someone?” Sebastian asked, feeling jealousy already rise to the surface.
“Not that I know of, but after hearing that response, I doubt you would be so silent then,” Ominis said, “But it shouldn't take jealousy for you to admit your feelings for her.”
“Easier said than done,” Sebastian said, “If it were you and there was someone you couldn’t get off of your mind, would you be able to walk up to them and simply tell them that? Especially if it was someone you considered a good friend?”
“...I suppose you’re right,” Ominis said, “But I still stand by what I said, you will have to tell her sooner or later, preferably before it’s too late.”
“I will…I promise,” Sebastian said.
Sebastian let his gaze drift again towards Aspen, closing the book she had been reading and looking around the common room until her eyes met his and just her smile alone seemed to brighten the room just a little bit more in his eyes. When she went to grab her books and make her way towards them, it felt like his heart wanted to leap out of his chest from how quickly it began beating.
He couldn’t think of a word for it at first for how he felt whenever Aspen was around. It couldn’t have been love already, at least not yet, and it certainly had already felt like more than just a simple crush, as if it would be something he could easily get over at some point. No, it took until now in this moment to realize that he was utterly enchanted by Aspen…and he only hoped he could summon up the courage to tell her that someday soon.