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Sadie Sallow was practically vibrating with excitement.
The moment she had stepped into Diagon Alley with her parents, she had gasped so dramatically that Elisa had to hold herself back from laughing. She could hardly believe it—her baby girl, her sweet little Sadie Anne, was finally old enough for Hogwarts. It didn’t seem possible to her or to Sebastian; hadn’t it only been a few months ago that she was toddling around the cottage, clutching Sebastian’s finger in her tiny hand? Hadn’t it only been a few years ago that she was standing on a step stool next to Elisa in the kitchen, ‘helping’ her bake cookies?
“I finally get to go to Hogwarts!” Sadie twirled around, her red hair flying with her as she took in the cobblestone streets, the towering buildings, and the endless hustle of witches and wizards. She had an infectious grin gracing her freckled face.
“Yes, you do. Our sweet little firecracker is going out into the world.” Responded Sebastian, who was standing beside Elisa. He had his arms crossed as a small smile was on his lips, an unmistakable look of pride. He’d been going on about this day for months, insisting that Sadie was going to be the most brilliant witch Hogwarts had ever seen.
Elisa had a bittersweet look on her face as she gently whacked Sebastian’s arm. “She isn’t leaving right now; we still have some time with her.” Her tone was playful, but there was clearly a hint of sadness seeping in at the idea of their daughter being away from home.
“Yes, yes, doll, I know,” Sebastian chuckled before taking her hand in his as the three of them continued their walk through, Sadie a bit ahead. “Come on, let’s go get her supplies. Where to start?”
Sadie nearly bounced with excitement. “The wand store! I want my wand!”
Sebastian nodded, grinning. “Ah, of course. Alright, Sadie bug, let’s go get you your wand. I am certain you will be a force to be reckoned with, just like your mother. Brave and brilliant.”
Sadie turned her big brown eyes up at her father, who gave her those same eyes, brimming with pride. “I am brilliant, and I will be a powerful witch!”
Elisa smirked. “And humble, too, just like your father.”
Sebastian laughed. "Indeed, you got the best of us both.”
“I want to be kind, though, as well.” Sadie mentioned quietly.
“Bug, you already are very kind.” Elisa responded with a sweet hum.
They made their way into Ollivanders first, where the air smelled like aged parchment and dust. Sadie practically skipped up to the counter, bouncing on her heels as Mr. Ollivander himself turned his wise eyes onto her.
“Ah, you look like a young one. Looking for a first wand?” he asked, smiling down at her from the shelving ladder he stood upon.
Sadie nodded so hard Sebastian was sure her head might fall off. “Yes!”
Ollivander chuckled. “Alright then, sweetheart, let’s see what we can find for you.”
What followed was several minutes of absolute chaos, as expected. Mr. Ollivander proceeded to try and find the right wand for the little Sallow, carefully considering his selection amongst the wide array of boxed up wands haphazardly stacked on the shelves. But as always, some of the wands held a bit of resistance to the little wielder.
Sadie tried wand after wand, each reacting in a new, disastrous way. One caused the front door to aggressively swing open with a tumultuous gust of wind. Another made the shelves rattle so hard that Sebastian instinctively pulled Elisa back, shielding her in the event of anything falling. But, despite it all, Sadie was having the time of her life. She had a goofy grin plastered on her face as each wand backfired on her, her sweet giggles filling the store.
“Perhaps we should try something a little different,” Ollivander mused, looking through the stacks of little wand boxes. After a moment, he pulled one off the shelf with an ‘ah’ sound, opening it up to show Sadie.
"Try this one—twelve inches, chestnut wood, dragon heartstring core.”
Sadie took it in her hand, and the moment her fingers wrapped around the handle, warmth spread through her arm. A small spark of light flickered at the tip.
"Oh! This one feels perfect!” Sadie gasped, her little yellow sundress twirling with her as she spun back to face her parents. “Did you see that?! Did you see?!”
Elisa felt her heart melt at her daughter’s excitement. “I saw, sweetheart. How exciting!”
Sebastian leaned down beside Sadie, grinning. “Looks like you’ve got your match, little witch.”
“My own wand…” Sadie marveled, holding it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Ollivander nodded approvingly. "A fine match, indeed."
Sebastian placed a hand on her small shoulder. "Well done, Sadie. Now, let’s see if you can manage not to poke your eye out with it before you start school." He teased in his signature waggish tone.
Sadie rolled her eyes at her father, although her excitement was not dimmed. “I won’t, Dad.”
Despite her feigned chagrin toward her father, as they left Ollivanders, Sadie found herself clung to Sebastian’s sleeve, something she hadn’t done since she was much smaller. She wasn’t entirely sure why she felt the need to do so, but Sebastian wasn’t complaining. Although he wouldn’t show it as outwardly as Elisa, he was already missing his baby too.
Their next stop was Madam Malkin’s for her robe fitting. Sadie had eagerly stepped up onto the little stool upon the assistant’s instruction, stretching her arms out as the assistant used a measuring tape to assess the right size for Sadie’s plain robes. Once she tried on the adjusted size, Sadie wondered what color the robes would take on after she met the sorting hat.
Elisa watched, heart swelling, as their daughter stood proudly in her first ever Hogwarts robes. "You look adorable!" she squealed.
"I look cool, Mum." Sadie corrected, wanting to seem more mature.
Sebastian chuckled, stepping closer and adjusting the hem of her sleeve that had gotten bunched up. "You can be adorable and cool. How’s that?"
Sadie hummed, pretending to ruminate on his suggestion for a moment with a fist to her chin. Then, she grinned. "That works." She confirmed with a sweet giggle.
As the morning became the afternoon, Sebastian had been standing by Flourish and Blotts, tucking their purchases into a bag, Sadie and Elisa off to the side chatting about how excited Sadie was to find out which house she would be sorted into.
But then, as Elisa was reminiscing about her first day, although much different due to her coming in during her fifth year, Sadie’s focus was suddenly turned to something else. She watched as there was a small family—two parents and their son, who appeared to be a few years younger than her. It looked like they were shopping for their older son, and the younger one had come along. She watched as the younger one stood between his two parents, holding their hands with both of his own, before they lifted him up and began to swing him between them, eliciting an eruption of laughter.
She went quiet, because she remembered at that moment that her mother and father used to do that with her when she was that age. She remembered how excited she would get to see them every day, to go for walks with them, to play with her dad, bake with her mom, snuggle up to them in their big bed and read to them as she was learning the skill; safely nestled between the two people who were her entire world under the comforter.
She was going away for a bit. She wouldn’t be waking up in her bedroom in the cottage, able to try and pull pranks on her father whenever she felt like being mischievous, wouldn’t get to enjoy her mother’s cookies fresh out of the oven on a Sunday afternoon. Not regularly anymore, anyhow. She would have a dormitory in a giant castle, a new bed, different people around her—everything was going to be so different. Suddenly, the realization of the shift in her lifestyle hit her like a bludger. She felt her bottom lip start to wobble.
As Sebastian turned to face his wife and daughter, he froze. Sadie’s eyes, his eyes, were glossed over as the saddest tremble came over her lips--her eyebrows scrunched. He knew that look—it was the same sad look she had when her magic began to show and she accidentally broke his favorite glass, and the same look she had when Uncle Ominis scolded her when she almost gotten herself hurt by being reckless when he was watching her (even though it was her fault).
Oh no.
Elisa noticed a change in the air and paused her story as she felt a tighter squeeze come from Sadie’s hand, and when she looked down at her, her soft brown eyes full of concern, she recognized that face too. “Sadie bug, are you alright?” she asked, leaning down.
Sadie’s eyes welled up and tears began to spill out. She turned and slammed into her mom’s chest, squeezing her tight as if she was never going to see her again. “I-I don’t-- I don’t wanna go anymore!”
Elisa hugged her back as Sebastian stepped back to them with the bags. “What? Why? You were so excited--”
“I don’t want to leave you or Dad,” Sadie cried into her mom’s blouse, her hot tears staining it.
Elisa frowned, now she was wanting to fight back crying because oh, her poor heart. “Oh, my love, it’s going to be okay! I know it’s scary, but we will only be an owl away, I promise.” She assured as she kissed the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles into her back.
Sebastian knelt beside them, his heart squeezing at the way Sadie’s small hands were clinging to Elisa’s clothes.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured, reaching out to smooth her hair. “You’re not leaving us. You’re just going on a grand adventure.”
Sadie turned her face, peeking up at him, her cheeks wet with tears. “But—but it’s so far away.”
“Not that far,” he assured as he set the bags down, offering a small smile as he wiped away some of her tears with his thumbs. “This will be very good for you; you’re going to adore Hogwarts. And, when it’s time for you to come home, we will be there.”
Sadie hiccupped. “Promise?”
He leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Promise.”
Elisa pulled back, brushing Sadie’s red locks from her damp cheeks, her voice soft. “Do you want ice cream before we go?”
Sadie nodded slowly.
Sebastian grinned, standing up to his feet and grabbing hold of her extra hand. “Then let’s finish up our shopping and go get our brave little first-year some ice cream.”
And just like that, Sadie was giggling again, walking with her dad hand in hand, Elisa taking some of the bags off his other arm as they walked.
By the time they had finished shopping, the sun was dipping onto the horizon, casting golden hues across the streets. Sadie had calmed down and was happily enjoying her ice cream, the three of them all seated at a table outside Florean Fortescue’s. Elisa smiled as she watched her ramble excitedly about going to school again. As bittersweet as it was to watch Sadie grow up, she was endlessly grateful that she had Sebastian by her side. She was confident their daughter was going to be a perfectly capable witch.
“I need more sprinkles.” Sadie announced, getting up off her seat and heading inside with a mission.
Sebastian shook his head before turning it toward Elisa, taking in the way the sunlight hit her copper hair and the soft fondness in her expression as she watched Sadie waltz off. He studied her for a moment—they had aged, sure, but she was still his sweet little Hufflepuff he met at sixteen. The same girl whose kind strength had pulled him out of the darkness—the same girl who he would sneak around the castle with past curfew into convenient broom closets or the Slytherin commons. The woman he married, and who gave him Sadie. To him, her brightness hadn’t dimmed one bit over the years.
Without thinking, he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers, pressing a kiss against her knuckles.
Elisa turned, blinking at him with soft surprise before smiling, her own fingers curling around his. “What was that for, love?”
Sebastian exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “No reason.”
She narrowed her eyes playfully, giving his hand a squeeze. “Sebastian.”
He huffed, pretending to roll his eyes, but his voice softened as he tugged her a little closer in their seats. “Just… You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me; do you realize that?”
Elisa’s breath hitched, her cheeks warming as she searched his gaze. She leaned over to him, planting a soft and sweet kiss to his lips—one that lingered. Sebastian melted into it, his free hand coming up to cup her cheek, prolonging the moment for just a few seconds longer.
When she finally pulled back, her forehead resting against his, she whispered, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Sebastian Sallow.”
He huffed a quiet laugh, brushing his nose against hers. “Mm, damn right, I am. You should say that more often.”
Elisa giggled, shaking her head at him. “You are so ridiculous,” but before he could pull her back in for another kiss, a voice piped up from beside them.
“Gross.”
They both turned their heads to find Sadie watching them with her nose scrunched in mock disgust as she licked at her ice cream. She plopped back down in her chair, her ice cream cone now covered in sprinkles.
Elisa leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder, still holding his hand as she admired Sadie once more. “You sure like sprinkles, don’t you, bug?”
Sadie nodded. “I do!”
And as they finished up their time in Diagon Alley, Sebastian and Elisa knew one thing for certain—Hogwarts had no idea what it was in for once Sadie Anne Sallow entered in.