Sebastian had seen you countless times before, always lingering near Ominis, always just out of reach. He wasn’t sure when it started—this quiet fascination with you—but it had crept up on him like a slow-burning flame.

Ominis spoke of you often, always in that composed manner of his, but there was something in the way he talked about you that made Sebastian curious. He wanted to know you himself, to hear your voice without it being through secondhand conversations. But every time the opportunity arose, something got in the way—either Ominis would drag you off somewhere, or Sebastian would find himself uncharacteristically hesitant.

It wasn’t like him. He was never one to second-guess his own actions, yet with you, he did. Maybe it was because you seemed entirely unbothered by his presence, never sparing him more than a glance or two. Or maybe it was the way you carried yourself, with an effortless confidence that made it difficult to approach.

Still, he found himself drawn to you. Watching as you laughed at something Ominis said, as you moved through the halls of Hogwarts like you belonged there more than anyone else. He wanted to be the one making you laugh, the one standing at your side instead of watching from a distance.

And maybe, just maybe, he was getting tired of waiting.

Sebastian clenched his fists, exhaling sharply before taking a step forward. Ominis was speaking to you, his tone relaxed, completely unaware of Sebastian’s sudden determination. He closed the distance, stopping just beside you, his heart hammering in his chest.

—“Hi.”

It was simple, almost too simple for the weight it carried. But it was a start.