The Archer

by endless_starlight

Summary:

Sebastian Sallow went to Azkaban for 9 years. Finally released, he has no one and the loneliness is painful.
He sees an advertisement for an escort service. He just needs someone to pretend to be his friend for one night.

He meets "Amelia" who is used to having to pretend to be what men want. But Sebastian doesn't want fake, he wants real. It's hard for "Amelia" to learn how to embrace being her true self.

The two find companionship and eventual love in each other.

Chapter 1: "I jump from the train, I ride off alone"

Sebastian never expected to be at a point in his life where he would have to pay someone to be his companion. But alas, here he was waiting for Amelia to arrive to the pub.

About a month ago he had seen a small advertisement for an escort service. At the time he had scoffed at the idea of it. But with each painful day he spent alone, the idea grew. Until he found himself finally desperate enough to send the letter off.

Within a day, he got a response back. The letter told him he was assigned a woman named Amelia. There was a photo of her attached. His first thought was that she was beautiful. Her lavender hair was braided and her grey-blue eyes were staring intensely. Even though it was only a photo, it felt like she was gazing into his very soul. Intrigued rather than intimidated, he quickly agreed to the terms listed in the letter.

He spent the entire next day preparing himself. Yes, he was paying for this meeting, but he still wanted to look semi-presentable. He shaved his raggedy beard and trimmed off several inches from his unkempt and messy hair. Feeling slightly more like a person again, he peered at himself in the mirror. His eyes looked tired and his skin so pale that the freckles had almost entirely disappeared. He rarely went outside of his house nowadays.

Finally satisfied that he would not frighten her off (at least not immediately), he headed to the agreed upon meeting spot. He had planned to grab a table facing the door so that he would see her come in, but that turned out to be unnecessary.

He saw her striking hair color the moment he stepped through the doorway. Taking a moment to appraise her privately, he noted that she was dressed more provocatively than he expected. Her top was so low that her cleavage was practically spilling out. The little fabric the dress did have clung to her skin so tightly that he could see every curve her body had.

A flutter of arousal warmed him for the first time in years. But this was not why he hired her. Sex was not even on the table in his mind. He just needed someone to pretend to be his friend for one night. Someone who would look into his eyes with warmth and kindness, even if it was just pretend.

A part of his brain reminded him that sex would, in fact, be quite nice to experience. He quickly tried to suppress that thought. The last thing he wanted was to have a noticeable erection in public. Especially in front of a woman he was meeting for the first time (her job aside).

Adjusting his pants discreetly, he approached the table Amelia was seated at.

“Amelia?” he asked. He was certain this was the woman he was meant to meet, but it felt rather presumptuous to sit without an invitation.

Amelia’s eyes met his and she lit up. “Ah, you must be Sebastian!” She smiled, white teeth flashing briefly.

At that, Sebastian allowed himself to take a seat.

“So Sebastian,” Amelia began, not allowing even a moment of hesitation to fill the space, “tell me about yourself. I’m sure someone as handsome as you has many interesting stories.”

Blinking in shock at the unexpected flattery, he struggled to think of some kind of response.

“Erm…. Well I’m 25 years old. I used to want to be a Curse Breaker, but I’m not sure if that will ever be in my future now. I – “ He paused. There was nothing he could think of to share. Nothing that was lighthearted at least. He hardly wanted to advertise that he had been in Azkaban for 9 years. That would surely scare her away.

Sensing his inner turmoil, she smiled softly. “It’s okay if you don’t have anything you want to share. We all have our secrets after all.” She winked playfully.

Sebastian sighed and dropped his face into his hands. “I’m sorry. Maybe this was a mistake.”

After a long moment, he heard Amelia make a sympathetic sound. “It’s okay, Sebastian. This is a no pressure dinner. We can talk as much or even as little as you’d like. If you want to just sit here in silence, we can share a relaxing meal together. But if you need me to leave, that’s okay too.”

He peered through his fingers at her. Her teasing façade had faded away and she was looking at him with unexpected kindness.

“Truly, Sebastian. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You asked for a companion, here I am. Whatever you need from me, I can be.”

He dropped his hands back into his lap and straightened. “Honestly, I just want someone to be my friend for tonight. Someone to chat with… laugh with. It’s been… a long time.”

Tilting her head in consideration, she nodded. “Of course.”

It was odd watching someone’s entire personality change in front of him. When he initially sat down, Amelia was the embodiment of someone he would have called a flirt. But now she was sitting back, casual. Mannerisms more expected of a friend than a potential lover.

“So,” she started, “what would you like us to chat about?”

Sebastian searched his brain for anything. Just something that would be fun and meaningless.

“Have you read those Sherlock Holmes stories?” he finally settled on.

He had discovered the books soon after getting out of Azkaban. It was a nice reprieve from the darkness in his mind.

Amelia’s brows shot up before she schooled her expression again. “I have,” she nodded. “Admittedly, I have been hunting down each new story when it comes out.”

“Have you really?” Sebastian in turn was surprised. He had not expected her to actually have read them and had anticipated having to spend the next few minutes explaining them to her.

“I love a good mystery. And Arthur Conan Doyle is a master of the genre,” she responded.

“Have you ever guessed the ending correctly?” he asked.

Her lips twitched. “Maybe twice. But I don’t like to try to predict the ending. I want to enjoy the adventure as its solved.”

Sebastian stared in fascination at her. He was the sort of person to take notes as he read, eager to prove himself as worthy a detective as Holmes himself. “What else do you like to read?”

Her eyes flicked with uncertainty. “I’m sure we likely read the same sorts of books. Why don’t you tell me more about what you read?”

His brows furrowed at the odd non-response. Nonetheless, he answered her question. “Anything I can get my hands on really. Though I will always gravitate more towards textbooks or nonfiction. Learning new bits of information about the world around us always intrigues me.”

“Any particular subjects you find yourself focusing on?” she asked, chin resting against her hand.

“Defensive magic, history, ancient runes, and even some books focused on muggle society.”

“You’re quite the well-rounded reader it seems,” she mused.

Sebastian shrugged. “I used to read far more but nowadays it doesn’t keep my attention quite as easily.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I know what you mean. I’ve always had a love of reading and learning myself but its just harder to have the time or energy now.”

He smiled bitterly. “I certainly have the time. But the energy and attention is lacking.”

A loud growl interrupted the conversation.

Amelia looked embarrassed, pink tinting her cheeks “I’m sorry. I…er haven’t eaten today.”

“Its evening!” Sebastian exclaimed.

Amelia bit her lip briefly before putting on a smile. “I just forget to eat sometimes.”

Aghast, Sebastian stood. “I’m going to bring us some food over. What would you like me to order for you?”

She hesitated before answering. “Just get me a salad.”

“A salad would hardly be filling enough! Is there anything additional I could order for you?” Sebastian implored.

Amelia blinked a few times. “Erm….I suppose a bread bowl of their chili would be nice.”

“Done!” Sebastian noted and ran off. He didn’t care if this wasn’t a real date or that they were even true friends. This was his first chance in years at spending time with someone and he wanted Amelia to enjoy herself as well.

Thankfully the pub was quick and the two got their chosen meals relatively fast. Neither spoke while eating, too fixated on their food. Sebastian hadn’t really wanted to eat since being out of Azkaban. His appetite was yet another thing he seemed to have lost from that time there. Though being out with someone seemed to awaken his enjoyment of food. As a result he was practically inhaling his fish and chips.

He would glace up on occasion to see Amelia trying so hard to eat gracefully. But he noticed she had small smears of chili around her mouth. Laughing to himself, he went right back to his fried fish.

Finally both full, they leaned back in satisfaction. Amelia took a napkin and wiped her mouth, red spreading across her cheeks as she realized how messy she had been.

“Sorry,” she apologized, looking at the table in embarrassment.

“Don’t be,” he smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Her eyes looked up and met his. For the first time, he saw her mask flicker. He had no doubt each persona she had put on so far was a well-practiced set of behaviors. But for that one moment he was certain he saw her true self.

Then she smiled and leaned back with her mask firmly back in place. “We have another thirty minutes together. Would you like to stay here or go somewhere else?”

Sebastian took a moment to consider their options. “It’s a lovely evening today. Would you feel comfortable going on a walk with me?”

She was nodding before he finished his suggestion. “That sounds really nice actually.”

Sebastian stood and offered her his arm. While dating was not a thing he had a chance to ever experience, he still had the ways of a gentleman ingrained in him by his father. He would treat Amelia like a lady regardless of this being a business transaction at its core.

 The two walked silently side by side as they headed towards the nearby river. Leaning against the railing, Sebastian looked into the darkened water. The moon’s reflection was all he could see in the moving water.

“I love coming here,” Amelia sighed, relaxed. “This area is one of my favorite places to visit.”

Sebastian looked up at her. His eyes softened as he took in her features. She truly did seem relaxed for the first time that evening. Uninhibited even.

“I can see why. I might need to start coming here just to read. It will be good to try to get out of the house more,” he mused.

“I often bring books here. I’ll go sit on a bench or bring a blanket and sit on the grass. Though I sometimes people watch instead of reading,” she admitted.

Amidst their conversation, Amelia took a look at her watch. “Our time is at an end.”

A spike of panic and pain rose through him. He wasn’t ready for her to leave. He wasn’t ready to be alone again.

Perhaps Amelia could see this on his face. “Sebastian, if I may speak plainly? You are a goodlooking man. And more importantly – you are polite and charismatic. I truly believe that if you put yourself out there, you will find connections. You don’t need to pay for time with someone. I am certain that you could easily find friends or partners.”

Sebastian released a tense breath. “I appreciate your faith in me but its complicated. I shouldn’t be around people and they wont want to be around me once they know the truth.”

“That you were in Azkaban for years and were only released this past year?” she asked, knowingly.

He wiped his head so hard that his neck cracked. “What?” he let out hoarsely. “You knew?”

She looked at his sympathetically. “I remember when you disappeared from the school. Everyone was talking about it. So many people were upset and angry for you. They knew it was all for your sister.” She paused to give Sebastian a moment to take that in. “I remember how many people liked you – cared about you. Perhaps if you reach out to old classmates you will be pleasantly surprised how much support you still have?”

His head was spinning with all the new information. Anytime he gave thought to his classmates, he imagined them insulting him, cursing him, even trying to hurt him. He never thought he might actually have had support this whole time. As hopeful of a thought it was… he knew he still wasn’t ready to face anyone. What if Amelia was wrong? It was better to be alone than to face betrayal once again. After all, he was turned in by his own twin sister and best friend.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” he admitted to her. “I would like to see you again though. Would it be okay if I requested you?”

Amelia took his hand. “Of course. I look forward to our next meeting.”

She dropped his hand and disapparated. Knowing he would see her again, the loneliness didn’t sting quite as bad now.

Chapter 2: Would you hear me more if I whispered in your ear? Made all my inner thoughts sound like, "Ah, ah"

Eleanor threw herself onto her couch the moment she arrived home. It had been a long day with multiple clients.

She threw off her heels and tossed her bra. The freedom of it helped her body to relax. The final shedding of her ridiculously tight dress allowed her to truly drop her “Amelia” persona.

She wanted a bath but that would involve far more energy than she was willing to give. She would not normally be this tired but she did have more clients than normal. And that final walk at the end seemed to take the last bit of energy she had.

At least she ended her night on a good note. Sebastian was unusually kind and thoughtful. So many men wouldn’t have cared if she was hungry or eating enough. They definitely wouldn’t have asked her opinions on things. They tended to dominate the conversations.

Of course she did have the occasional man who, like Sebastian, was just lonely. They didn’t know how to really talk to people and just needed some help gaining the confidence to do so. Those always were her favorite clients. She would be so proud when they would tell her how she gave them the assurance they needed to meet people. She hoped Sebastian would turn out this way as well. He clearly needed some support.

It was really refreshing to get to act solely as a friend rather than a date for once. It allowed her to behave more casually instead of trying to charm. Perhaps next time she saw him she could dress down for once. Maybe wear a casual cotton dress. If they went for more walks at the river or around a park, flats or sandals would be much more comfortable. Her feet throbbed at the reminder of tonight’s walk.

She gave herself a few minutes to decompress before dragging herself to the shower to clean off the remnants of the day. Most men were polite enough not to physically touch her without permission but there was still the occasional person that thought they owned her. Today it was a man named Drew. He tried to grope her (in public) and when she would not allow it, he told her that he paid for her and therefore he should get to do what he wants.

She reminded him that no person in any job deserved that sort of treatment and he better learn what consent meant. He did not take kindly to her rebuke and unfortunately the owner of the pub had to step in.

She was thankful for him. Mark had been watching out for her ever since they went to Hogwarts together. She always tried to get first meets at that pub specifically so that he could help her if needed. Thankfully there had been very few occasions where he was needed.

Trying to push the incident out of her mind, her thoughts instead wandered back to Sebastian. It was refreshing to talk about books. Especially ones that she was so interested in as well. She hoped he would bring up more topics that she might enjoy. She missed talking about intellectual matters and solving the daily riddles to get into Ravenclaw Tower. But she would follow his lead. Like she said tonight to him – she would be who he needed her to be.

Finally clean, she stepped out of the running water and dried herself. Her makeup was smudged. She had forgotten to wipe it off. Sighing at herself, she used a quick spell to remove most of it. She would just deal with the remainder in the morning.

Daydreaming about his intense gaze, she compared the Sebastian she met with the one who she knew of in school. As a young teen, he was so bright and charming. All the girls had a bit of a crush on him, including her. Despite being in Azkaban, she could still see that same light shining through. It was a bit dimmed but she hoped that eventually he would find his way back.

If he did request her again, she would do all she could to bring back that light. With that hope in mind, she allowed herself to fall asleep and wipe away the trials of the day.

Notes:

This was a short chapter where we get a POV from Eleanor who goes by the name Amelia when she's acting as an escort.

Next chapter will be Sebastian's POV again!

Chapter titles in Eleanor's POV will be based on lyrics from Purple Lace Bra by Tate McRae.
Chapter titles in Sebastian's POV will be based on lyrics from The Archer by Taylor Swift.