Birth, 1864 | Sebastian is born the future Viscount Cheltenham to an influential muggle family, the second child to an older sister who takes none too kindly to being displaced. His father, the previous Viscount Cheltenham, and his mother, a prominent socialite and former countess who made a scandalous love match, set high expectations for him from an early age.
Early Childhood | As a child, Sebastian is frequently teased by his peers for being the runt of their group. He's smaller, and less vocal than the others, and his peerage - that he is to inherit - sits so far down the food-chain compared to the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Duke of Nottingham's sons. But their mamas are his mother's closest friends; have been since all the little brats were born. He's stuck with them, like it or not. The worst of them is, however, Clarissa Harrington: the Duke of Somerset's daughter. Mama is sure they will marry one day, but Seb definitely has his doubts.
At age 8, Seb accidentally shatters a pot in the greenhouse after Clarissa begins to laugh at him (and his family) for thinking they could ever be good enough to marry him to a future duchess. The pot shattering is a shock to everyone, but it doesn't end there. Little incidents keep happening around him, things the adults seem perfectly happy to explain away, but that Sebastian himself sees less than coincidental. When he finally learns about who and what he is, he is excited to share with his friends, determined that this will finally be the thing to make him shine. Obviously, it doesn't go quite as planned, considering he made Clarissa's big head swell up with warts all over, and the Ministry is forced to intervene. Obliviators come to erase all memories, and Seb is firmly talked to before they vanish again, as quickly as they came. The whole experience leaves him with a sense of isolation and estrangement from both muggle and magical societies. How could these... wizard people, just poof into his life - tell him all these things - and then vanish again? Wasn't he supposed to go with them or something? Couldn't they give him more answers than he had questions?! Interactions with the others become more strained after that. They are distant now, and suspicious of him, feeling something might be off. Even though they can’t remember, Seb is left haunted by this memory, regretting his arrogance.
Later that same year, he meets Colin Harper, the gardener’s son, and they become quick friends. Where the others see him as lesser, Colin doesn't seem to see his title at all. They bond over a shared interest in horses; Colin works in the stables most of the time and Seb rides the horses he cares for (duh). They soon become relatively inseparable, much to his governess and later mother's chagrin. Throughout their friendship however, Seb is careful not to mention anything about his magical ability and their friendship grows into a source of genuine connection. It's unconventional but he appreciates it, despite what others might think.
Hogwarts | At 11, Sebastian receives his Hogwarts letter. Those wizard people return, though this time it's some old man in a beard, and tell him all about what he's to expect. His parents are frightened by the encounter, and discourage him from pursuing any kind of magical education. It's a big row but in the end, he manages to make it to the train with all his things and hopes that come winter holiday, they might be able to smooth things over. He is promptly sorted into Slytherin House, and as expected, his time at Hogwarts is marked by struggle. If he thought being an outsider within the peerage to which he rightfully belonged was difficult, this was a whole new level of misfit.
It was as much a shock as it was refreshing (maybe) for his title to mean very little, but his muggle background carried a stigma with it that Sebastian had not been prepared for. Where in one world he was used to being above at least the common folk, here he was lower than a working class pureblood all because he hadn't been born into magic. It was something to get used to, certainly. The competitive nature of Slytherin House only heightened his internal conflict, and over the years quiet Sebastian Talbot became outspoken, rude, and a bit of a bully.
Family Tragedy | During his sixth year at Hogwarts, Sebastian’s father passed away. This loss thrust him into a position of greater responsibility and heightened the pressure to uphold the family’s reputation. His elder sister, recently debuted, had done a good job of it so far-- she'd had two marriage proposals in her first season and was now engaged to the Marquess of Townshend. The summer holiday that followed, and each thereafter, brought with it intensive classes on what it meant to uphold the family title but the event created a rift between him and his remaining family. Seb, away for the majority of the year, felt even more isolated in his role as Viscount in the dungeons of Hogwarts.
Graduation and Return to Muggle Society | Despite the personal upheaval, Seb continued into his seventh and final year. He engaged in activities like Quidditch to maintain what little status he managed to claw, lucky that his fanaticism for polo translated to riding a broom. It's in this seventh year that he buckled down to complete his animagus transformation too. (If he was to take anything from his magical education, he was determined for it to be that. And, of all his professors, Thompson seemed to be the most understanding despite how horrendous he was at Transfiguration.)
After graduating from Hogwarts, Sebastian returned to his muggle life, taking on more responsibilities as Viscount Cheltenham. He navigated his role in society, balancing the expectations of his late father with his own struggle to reconcile his magical heritage with his muggle title. He became more involved in upper-class muggle society and continued to pursue polo and art, both of which offered him a way to manage his competitive nature and find moments of escape from the complexities he faced day to day.
Her, 1887 | At 23, Sebastian met (or more aptly re-met) Irene Crawley, Colin's fiancé. He recognized her immediately from his days at Hogwarts, having stumbled across the Gryffindor once or twice during his time there. He remembered her face particularly well because—despite his better judgment and determination to save face among his peers—he had found her beautiful, graceful, and interesting. All things he continued to think as he was now thrust upon the reality that she was to wed what was still his best friend. Colin had, in his own right, studied to become an artist and was making a successful go of it. Even though they didn’t see each other as much as they once had, Seb was still fiercely protective of his friend and said friend’s affections.
Driven by a mixture of jealousy and a desire to control the circumstances, he subtly influenced Colin to break off his engagement with Irene after Colin confided in him about the magical world, his father, and everything else. Being a member of said magical world, Seb understood (or thought he did) how hard it would be for Colin to similarly straddle the line between magical and muggle, not to mention carrying the burden of his father’s death. He never once betrayed his own interest (in either the magical world or, admittedly, Irene), and the wedding came and went without consequence. Sebastian did not learn that Colin left her at the altar until some months later when, driven by guilt and anger, Colin announced that he had decided to move to France to further his studies.
Here and Now, 1888+ | It's been almost eight years since the incident with Irene and Colin, and Seb has continued in his struggle to straddle the line. His mother has become ever more insistent that he take a bride (a muggle one, obviously) but Seb himself wonders if perhaps taking on a pureblood magical one might not improve his circumstances? If he managed to find someone with her own circle and support network with a firm standing, he would inherit that by proxy. Perhaps then he might find a foothold and manage to ease some of the burden.