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Sebastian had never bothered with the hopeful ideals that cluttered his twin sister’s brain, always ignored the people who felt the need to chime in with their cliche aphorisms at any sign of trouble. What use were empty words when they did nothing to solve anything?
A sardonic point of view, perhaps, but a realistic one.
It was that cynical perspective that had dictated all of Sebastian’s actions; he’d never waited for the opportune moment or accepted the idea that every terrible thing that had happened to him was for a reason. Things just happened, he knew, and if you wanted anything- well, you just had to go and take it. He’d lived like that for so long, throwing caution to the wind and acting on every single impulse. Sebastian wasn’t hedonistic, obviously, but Anne always had to remind him to think before acting. To the young Slytherin, there was no practical use for hope when your entire world could come crashing down at any moment.
You, however, had a different mindset.
To Sebastian, the folks in the Highlands who were constantly flagging you down to find their lost Kneazle or settle a dispute with their cousin were taking advantage of your generous nature. To you, time was never wasted on a good deed or a kind gesture. You were the first to reach for a Wiggenweld potion at the sign of an injured classmate, always encouraging your friends and supporting them in their endeavors. The professors loved you- there was no better person to be called the Hero of Hogwarts than the one who so wholeheartedly devoted their attention to the well-being of others. You were the bright sunshine that ceaselessly tried to peak through the shadowy trees of the Forbidden Forest, willing to spread light in even the darkest of places.
It was this sentiment that ate at him, your differing outlooks on life. He felt as if he were another dank cave for you to brighten up with a single utterance of Lumos.
You were just too good for such a pathetic man as him.
Tragedy had dictated Sebastian’s life; the accidental deaths of his parents, Anne’s incurable sickness from that awful ancient curse, and of course…
No, his unhealthy obsession with the Dark Arts could not be excused by anything that had happened to him in his past; there was no coming back from an Unforgivable Curse once you’d used it. Those thoughts gnawed at him each night, the night terrors so vivid that he’d felt he was reliving each moment his choices hurt someone he loved. It was bad enough that he had cast Crucio on you in the Scriptorium, though you constantly reminded him that it was either that or death. He knew deep down that you had to mean it for the spell to work, and the idea that he had wanted to hurt you--even for the sake of saving your life--destroyed him.
Sebastian wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d never spoken to him again, if you’d given up on helping him find a cure for his ailing sister. But no, you stood by him the entire time.
You’d watched Sebastian murder a man- you stood there helpless as he cast the Killing Curse at his uncle, Inferi surrounding and your powers drained. You couldn’t stop him at that moment; it had been too late for you to try to protect Sebastian from himself. What made someone as good-natured as you forgive him after such a terrible act? Why were you still keeping this secret for him, keeping him away from the fate that awaited him in Azkaban? Solomon had been dead for two years now, though Sebastian experienced his death--no, murder--on a nightly basis. With Anne safely hidden from him somewhere in England, and Ominis still keeping his former best friend at arm’s length, you were the only one willing to support Sebastian.
Not only that, you’d fallen in love with him.
A shell of a sixteen-year-old- a boy who only had an abandoned house in Feldcroft to his name, who would be hiding the true nature of his uncle’s untimely death for the rest of his life.
Sebastian was broken, but you’d helped put him back together.
Throughout the summer, you’d visited him there in his empty childhood home for weeks at a time, holding each other through sleepless nights as the nightmares took over. You’d ignored the whispers that swept the small hamlet, rumors of indelicacies and impropriety, and built a small garden to give Sebastian a distraction. When you returned to Hogwarts together for your sixth-year, it was obvious to everyone that your friendship had been irrevocably changed.
Lines had been blurred in Feldcroft, though nothing indecent came from it, and platonic companionship turned to something more. His little crush on you had deepened, and it was no longer something he could ignore.
Sebastian was shocked that you agreed to his offer of courtship.
It had been a long time coming, especially considering how much time you’d spent alone together. Sebastian had blurted the question out as soon as the idea came to him, quickly adding that he wanted to be a gentleman and respect your decency. He’d no idea yet how much you loved him, how you had longed for him to see your intimate friendship as a foundation to build a future on. It was your optimistic attitude, your belief that there was something good inside of him, that clouded your judgment, Sebastian thought. The intensity of his feelings for you, strengthened by the forgiveness that you’d shown him, softened his own perceptions.
If someone like you could love him despite everything he’d done to prove himself unworthy of your trust, your protection, then maybe he wasn’t such a bad person.
At least, not anymore.
It mattered that he’d hurt those around him, you included, and it was important for him to make amends. He needed to leave behind the pessimism, the self-loathing. Of course he didn’t deserve you, he thought, but he could.
---
Sitting there in his garden, Sebastian watched as you delicately picked up a daffodil, the diamond on your engagement ring sparkling as you touched the flower’s white petals. The last rays of sunlight for the day made your figure glow, a golden halo shining behind you.
Sebastian stood, ignoring the dirt on his hands, and swept you into a fierce hug; he tightened the embrace as your arms slid around his waist, giving you a soft kiss on the crown of your head. You felt like home.
Maybe Sebastian didn’t deserve this beautiful life he now had, but that wouldn’t stop him from following in your footsteps and trying to be a better person every day.