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“What are you doing?” I asked Sebastian as I arrived to his cottage after quickly helping one of his neighbors in Feldcroft with an errand. I didn’t have much time left and I wanted to enjoy the last of it with him.
Not that he knew.
Sebastian had a mischievous look on his face with the way half of his lip was upturned. I knew that smirk.
It reeked of a plan I wouldn’t like.
“Considering how much you liked the beach; I figure I should treat you before Prof. Hecat has you all to herself tomorrow. With a little evening snack” Sebastian said as he packed dried meats, cured cheese, bread, fresh fruit and bottled butterbeers into the picnic blanket before he looked up to me with a worried glance. “Why does she even need you anyways? I thought you were done looking up into ancient magic and all that other stuff since…well, since Fig died.” Sebastian said, giving me a worry once over.
He always hesitated to bring up his name, now that he knew that Professor was my adoptive father. In his mind, he probably thought that we were now kindred spirits again, in the sense of both of us having dead parents/guardians. His Uncle Solomon, who lawfully adopted him, was dead and so were his parents.
While Prof. Fig may have been dead, that didn’t mean my parents weren’t.
Not that Sebastian knew that.
They were still in the future, waiting for me unknowingly. Unaware that their daughter accidentally traveled back in time and was stuck in the past.
Sebastian had thought I was an orphan, that I had no one like him with Fig dead and all. He thought that Prof. Hecat will just be a temporary guardian until the courts will emancipate me, like they did with him after it was officially declared that Solomon Sallow passed in his sleep.
Under the eyes of the magical law, Sebastian Sallow and Anne Sallow were declared legal adults at the age of 15, despite not being 17 yet. Sebastian refused to seek another guardian, claiming that he was old enough to fend for himself and his sister.
His sister, however, already claimed emancipation before she left. We found out that she filled the paperwork with the help of Ominis without us knowing.
Either way, both Sallow twins were now legal adults in the eyes of the magical world.
In theory, if I wanted to, I could follow his footsteps considering Prof. Hecat was just my temporary guardian as assigned by Professor Fig. I was closer to being 16 (as far as the law knew with how Professor Fig had falsified my paperwork to be documented as a magical citizen in the UK after my untimely arrival to the past) than Sebastian was.
In theory, it would be easier to get the courts to declare me emancipated.
However, considering how the kneazle was let out of the bag in how I played a major role in defeating Ranrok and how cruel the magical world could be to a minor, especially in obtaining guardianship for superficial reasons over a gifted magical child, there was no way I was touching emancipation with a 10-foot pole.
At least, that was what Prof Hecate told me.
“Not that it will matter when you’ll go back to your time period shortly. If everything goes well, you should be able to travel back during the summer solstice, when your ancient magic should be at its strongest. It should be able to send you back home with as little issue as possible compared to traveling an ordinary day of the year Iñaki.” Dinah told me as we spent the afternoon reviewing paperwork of my new guardianship over tea a week after Fig died.
As I lowered my teacup, Dinah gave me a sad smile.
“It will also be best if you said your goodbyes without much fanfare. It’s not good for a time traveler to be involved so much in the past like you did. You should’ve left at the equinox like Prof. Fig had originally intended for you to leave.”
I glanced down at my teacup, finding the tea leaves at the bottom interesting all of a sudden.
“Mr. Sallow should be fine now. I saw how he had managed to find company again with your peers after his late uncle’s passing.” I looked up to Dinah, who gave me a bittersweet smile and a sad look in her eyes. “It’s time to go Iñaki.”
“Iñaki?”
“Hm?” I blinked, bringing his cottage kitchen back to focus as Sebastian studied me, eyes worried with a hint of guilt in them as he stood by the round dining table. “Sorry, was lost in thought.” I told him.
Not that it was a lie.
He gave me a smile. A fake one, more for my comfort than his with how it didn’t reach his eyes.
“No worries Iñaki, I shouldn’t have brought it up. Now, come on. Let’s go before the town drags us into helping prepare for Midsummer next week again.”
“Grian-stad an t-samhraidh. That’s how you say it in Scots, right?” I gave him a nervous smile, hoping he’d take the bait.
“Right, you finally got the pronunciation right Yank.” He said my nickname rather affectionately, as if he could Pavlov-ed me in keeping my efforts from not disengaging from the world like I did after Fig died…
I was trying to prepare myself to time travel back to the present at the spring equinox, but failed.
Sebastian needed me.
I wasn’t going to abandon him.
“We’ll make a proper Scots lass out of you yet!” He said cheerfully with a smile in his eyes, as if his own cheerful efforts could be enough for the two of us.
And if that didn’t work…
“Soon, we’ll wash that rough New York accent off of you in exchange for a proper Scottish one.” He teased.
I snorted, my future grief unable to tamper down my smug smile I gave back to him.
“Once a Yank, always a Yank Sebastain.” I said back, with as heavy of a Yankee accent I could produce.
…he knew how to take the mickey out of me to get me to banter with him.
“Hmm, maybe, but its sure weaker compared to when I first met you Iñaki.” Sebastian mirrored back my smirk as he packed the last of the food.
“Touché, but that doesn’t mean I’ll won’t get it back.” I grinned. Just the thought of home made me feel better, like seeing the sunrise during a winter morning.
“How will you get it back? You’ll still be here in the UK until you graduate Hogwarts at least. Or is there a future plan you have in mind?” Sebastian said as he picked up the picnic basket and made his way towards me. We both left his cottage and locked it before we made our way to the trail where Highwing would be waiting for us deeper in the woods near Feldcroft.
I frowned, biting my tongue.
I wouldn’t be graduating from Hogwarts Sebastian. I answered in my mind. Even if my tongue couldn’t say it, it was hard for my mind to not reply. I’m going back home to the future where you and everyone I befriended in this time period will be dead. And even if I will be going back to Hogwarts in my timeline, I’m not going to graduate from her…I’ll be moving back home within a year or two and go back to my school, Excelsior, in New York.
I sighed in defeat.
It felt as if most of my non-verbal responses were like that after Fig’s death.
“Hey…it’s okay if you don’t know what’s next.” Sebastian said, a beat after his question as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I looked at him and he gave me a quiet reassuring smile. He hated it when I went quiet.
Considering after Fig’s death, wake and funeral I had moments of elective mutism, he had done all he could to make me talk again.
I just didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t know what I could say, being from the future, far from home and unable to tell the truth.
And I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I would tell the truth.
Which was this:
I was Marty McFly.
Marty McFly with no Doc to help me to navigate the past.
Because Doc is dead and unlike the movie, I can’t find a way to prevent it.
What was done is done.
I sighed as Sebastian wrapped his arm around my shoulder, squeezing it with his hand.
“Hey, I think you’re going to enjoy where we’re going to next.” He said as the trail ended to Highwing basking in the sunlight as she laid on the grass. She stood up to greet us as we got closer and we greeted her properly in turn with a polite bow.
The two of us got on her and we flew off, with Sebastian guiding our flying steed.
…
The view in front of us was pretty.
The sky looked as if cotton candy and a phoenix had a baby. The darkening blues of the night sky merged with pink cotton candy clouds. Underneath those pink clouds was a fiery orange sky with the golden sun, a half disk as it sat on the edge of the water. The water shimmered orange and pink as the waves rolled foam on the beach a few feet away from where we set up our picnic.
The wind had a bite to it despite the warmth that came with the upcoming summer months, but it was hard to focus on that with the way Sebastian had his arm around me. I sat next to him on the picnic blanket as we leaned back on Highwing, using her as a back rest while she laid down behind us.
Between Highwing and Sebastian, it was hard to feel physically cold as we watched the sunset in bittersweet contentment for me. Our bellies were full, our bottled butterbeer spiked with Firewhiskey were half empty and I felt sad despite the happy mask I wore as I cuddled next to him as we sang ole Celtic folk songs.
“O you take the high road, and I’ll take the low road / And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye /But me and my ture love will never meet again /On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.”
I sang, ending the song as I took another swig of the spiked butterbeer.
“Ye know, ah really hate th’fact the Loch Lomond is yer favorite song.” Sebastian said, his Scottish accent thicker with the buzz we had from our drinks. He huddled me closer, as if his body knew what his mind didn’t after I sang the chorus to him again. It was the only part of the song that I knew the words to.
Sebastian had to sing the other verses.
But honestly, considering what was going to happen, it was fitting that I sang the chorus part…
“Not my fault it has a nice beat.” I started back with a grin.
“Aye, bit it’s a dowie song wi’ a dowie meaning. It’s th’ story o’ two Scots soldiers who wur imprisoned wi’ one of thaim executed ’n’ th’ other set free. You’re singing th’ executed soldier’s part.” He whined.
…It was the closest I’ll get to saying goodbye to him.
“Ye shuid be singing a happy tune!” He huffed. “Ye won, ye survived ‘n’ it’s by far time, ye stairt thriving Iñaki!” He declared, as if his word would allow it to come true. “We shuid sing tae yer win, nae yer doom!”
“I don’t know much that many Scottish folk songs Sebastian.” I hiccupped, the spiked butterbeer getting to me.
“Yer shuid mair than ken this one: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, / And never brought to mind? / Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And auld lang syne?”
He grinned at me.
“Ye ken this one Yank! Ah heard ye singing it afore. Sing Iñaki!”
I huffed but couldn’t help smiling despite the ache in my throat. I took a quick swing of the spiked butterbeer and sang as I looked at him with a smile.
“For auld lang syne, / my dear, / for auld lang syne / we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, / For auld lang syne.”
Then we sang the next part together:
“And surely ye’ll be / your pint-stoup! / And surely I’ll be mine! / And we’ll tak’ a cup o’ / kindness yet, / For auld lang syne.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I lifted my bottle for a toast as I looked at him.
“Cheers Sebastian, for another chance.” I grinned.
“Slàinte Iñaki.” He said as we clanked our bottles and took a drink.
I sighed with a buzzed smile as I looked at him.
Sebastian was so pretty.
He looked at me, his lips smiling contently as I saw his eyes look at mine before it glanced down to my lips and met my eyes once more.
It would be a mistake.
An enormous mistake.
The Victorian Era had different rules compared to the Two-thousand Era that I came from.
Kissing was only held for married couples. Frowned upon for unmarried couples, much less two people who weren’t and would never court.
But it was hard not to deny myself from something I wanted to do for a while now.
And Sebastian never really cared about following the rules.
A last true goodbye, though he would never know.
In a second, we both leaned forward.
I could’ve, would’ve, should’ve leaned back, and let the moment pass.
But I was tired of doing the right thing. Of following the rules. Of pretending I was aloof and didn’t care.
For once…I just wanted to completely care and met his lips.
He tasted of butterscotch and cinnamon, like our spiked butterbeer.
“Wow.” He said after our lips parted and I pulled back and felt both elated like my heart could fly and dread like a weighted stone in my mind when reality struck.
“Yeah.” I said I looked shyly down at my lap as I played with the white-silver feather that had fallen off Highwing earlier while I was petting her during our late meal.
I shouldn’t have kissed him…I want more now.
I sighed as I studied the feather as an excuse to not look at Sebastian once more.
A thought struck me.
Hippogriffs are a known symbol of love. Victorian Era people were known to give tokens of love as something to remember them by. And this would be my last day with him…before I needed to leave, to go back home to my time. But I could leave him something.
I looked up to him with a small smile and I handed him Highwing’s feather.
I felt my face blush with heat as he stared back at me and smiled. His own face was as red as I felt warm, with the glow of the orange sun, painting him gold wherever the sun reflected on him.
He took it and as if a thought hit him, he dug into his pocket and took out a purple-black hippogriff feather.
It was Caligo’s feather.
Highwing’s mate.
“Ah was grooming him earlier th’day when ye went out tae Hogsmeade tae stop by yer shop. ‘ere, it matches us.” He said as he handed me Caligo’s feather.
“Thanks Sebastian. I’m going to miss you tomorrow. You know, while I’m busy with Prof. Hecate.” I said, giving him a smile that I hoped expressed everything I couldn’t say like:
I’m sorry we can’t start this courtship.
I’m sorry that you lost your family.
I’m sorry that you’re going to lose me and there’s nothing you can do about it.
I’m sorry I can’t tell you that I’m going to leave.
I’m sorry for leaving you alone with just Ominis now.
And I’m sorry for not being able to tell you the truth.
“It’s alright, I’ll see you later this week.” He grinned as he opened his arm for us to continue cuddling and watching the sun set.
“Yeah, I’ll see you later this week.” I mumbled as I laid my head on his shoulder with a sad smile as we watched the sun set and stayed till the stars were shining bright above us.
It was the last sunset I watched with him, the last real moment we spent together before I went “missing” the next day.
.
.
.
Prof. Hecat did say it would be easier to leave without saying goodbye.
.
.
.
She was wrong.
***
