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Chapter Text

Sebastian Sallow sat at Slytherin’s table, lazily watching the Sorting Ceremony. It didn’t seem possible, but he was sure that the first-years grew smaller with every year. He watched the younger students with detached interest – the ceremony had become a dull routine after so many years. 

The last time he’d really paid attention to it was when Anne was still well, laughing and sitting on his left side. That seat was empty now – the second-year who tried to sit there swiftly disappeared after receiving Sebastian’s heavy look. It was Anne’s place. They used to whisper bets to one another as the Sorting Hat decided where the new students belonged. Anne always knew. Well, not always, but in about eight out of ten times. Sebastian’s lips curled at the memory, a mixture of affection and sorrow. Anne had an uncanny sense for people, for their deepest qualities. He wished he had her intuition now, especially when it came to finding the cure for her. The echoes of the past filled his mind – the ghost of Anne’s laughter at their old game, the sound of her voice teasing him for getting the Sorting wrong once again. But now, with Anne bedridden and far away from him, that sound was replaced by this uncomfortable quiet, a reminder that things were broken. That his twin was broken.

Sebastian’s eyes drifted back to the crowd of first-years. They were all so hopeful, so excited. But for him, the future felt murky – locked in the shadow of a curse that had no answer. No answer yet, he corrected himself.

His fingers twitched. He had a plan, of course. He always did. After the feast, he’d make his way to the Restricted Section of the library. Maybe he wouldn’t find the cure tonight or tomorrow, but it would be a start. He would do anything. He had to.

Ominis would not understand, of course. Sebastian quietly watched his best friend. It was hard to read his mood, both because of his unseeing eyes and his self-contained nature – remarkable even for a highborn pure-blood. Still, Sebastian knew him well enough to know that Ominis was thinking of Anne. Of their stupid game, which he complained about so often. Of Anne’s laughter and snarky remarks. Of the uncomfortable silence at their side of the table.

The ceremony ended, and Headmaster Black, with his usual displeased expression (although, when was his face ever anything other than displeased?), left the Great Hall. Soon enough, he entered again, this time with a girl in black robes hastily walking beside him. She looked to be about Sebastian’s age, definitely too old to be a first year, and despite being shorter and slower than the Headmaster, she managed to trail beside him with some kind of grace.

“You are just in time,” Professor Weasley smiled warmly, placing the Hat on the girl’s head.

“She’s too old to be a first year,” Sebastian heard from the other side of the Slytherin table.

Ominis slightly smirked. Of course, his best friend, true to his name, was almost omniscient. How he could know more about everyone at Hogwarts – despite his lack of sight and close friends other than the Sallow twins – remained a mystery to Sebastian.

“She will start classes as a fifth-year. She got her letter this year,” Ominis said quietly. Sebastian muttered a “hmm” to himself. He looked at the girl more attentively.

Her black hair was tied in a messy bun, as if it had originally been styled perfectly, but then she’d climbed a couple of mountains. Her black robes were obviously transfigured, and her shoes were dirty with mud, which contributed to “climbed the Scottish Highlands to get to Hogwarts” theory. Her grey eyes were clever and observant, piercing through the Great Hall. She was slightly nervous, but not with the usual nervousness of a first year. She looked like she expected an ambush at any moment. Although she relaxed a bit after Weasley’s warm welcome, there was something intense about her gaze.

She was of average height, with a slim frame, though it was hard to judge properly beneath the thick black robes. Sebastian’s gaze lingered on her a moment longer than he’d intended. Rather pretty, he thought. Although, cold beauty was more fitting – there was a sharpness to her features that made her seem distant, untouchable. Definitely not his type. He didn’t need to be distracted by another pretty face when his mind was so firmly focused on Anne’s cure. Girls, at this point, felt like a distant thought – a distraction he couldn’t afford, especially not now.

It turned out that he was an exception at the Slytherin table. The older boys, much more experienced and callous, didn’t seem to have the same level of restraint. They leaned in close, their voices low as they discussed the new arrival.

“Yeah, I heard she’s a Mudblood,” Yaxley, a seventh-year said, tapping his fingers on the table with a bored expression. “Stupid, but pretty, I suppose. They’re often pretty, aren’t they? You don’t marry one, you don’t get caught with one. Still, they’re good enough for fun.”

“You know what they say about Mudbloods. Ready to do anything for a chance to marry a proper wizard. Fill their stupid little heads with promises, and they’ll do anything,” another added, and Sebastian cringed at his disgusting tone.

“She looks too much like a Black, though. Are you sure she’s a Mudblood?” asked one of them.

“What if not? Maybe one of the Blacks spent some quality time with a Muggle whore. Obliviate exists for a reason, after all,” Yaxley answered, and they burst into laughter. Sebastian really hoped the new girl wouldn’t land in Slytherin – for her sake.

Speaking of the sorting, it took longer than for most of the first years. Finally, the Hat loudly exclaimed, “Ravenclaw,” and Sebastian let out a sigh of relief. Ominis slightly squeezed his hand, undoubtedly having heard the unpleasant remarks of the other boys with his enhanced hearing.

Ravenclaw, huh. Fitting for her piercing, studying gaze. Second-worst choice for a Muggle-born, with Ravenclaws being individualists and not looking for each other the way Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors did. Still, even Ravenclaw was miles safer for her than Slytherin, and Sebastian joined the polite clapping.

Only lying in bed after the feast did Sebastian remember that he had planned to go to the Restricted Section, but thoughts of the new fifth-year had distracted him.

Sebastian’s mood was sour as he dragged himself out of bed the next morning, already irritated by the early start, and the knowledge that they would be wasting time on Summoner’s Court during the Charms lesson. He used to admire Professor Ronen – back in first year, when they were invited to watch the older students play, the game had seemed thrilling and almost magical. But by fourth year, after they had finally learned Accio, the novelty had worn off. Now, in fifth year, it felt ridiculous. A pointless game when they could be learning something actually useful – hexes, curses, defensive spells.

“Waste of time,” he muttered under his breath, hardly paying attention to the match.

The new fifth-year – Selene Harrington, as Ronen had introduced her – was spectacularly losing to Natsai Onai. Sebastian didn’t bother hiding his frustration. He wasn’t entirely sure which of them he wanted to win. Harrington was an unknown factor, a distraction. And Natty? Once, she had irritated him to no end, always boasting about how much better Uagadou was than Hogwarts. But she was competent, and she had earned his respect over time. Even if he still found the way she constantly praised wandless magic exhausting.

“Can’t agree more,” Ominis muttered beside him, clearly just as unimpressed with Summoner’s Court. Sebastian could feel his friend barely holding back a more acidic comment.

To their disappointment, Ronen declared Natty the winner and announced a second match. Sebastian exhaled heavily. This was all a waste. Or so he thought – until the match actually turned out to be interesting.

The Ravenclaw had apparently figured out a way to beat Natty. She wasn’t as precise with Accio, but she was clever, using her own balls to knock Natty’s balls off the platform. Sebastian’s lips curled into a quiet chuckle. Sneaky witch.

In the end, Harrington actually won.

She seemed to have some cunningness in her. If it weren’t for her blood status, Sebastian thought, she’d fit right in with Slytherin. But the Harrington name was about as Muggle as they came – no doubt she was Muggle-born, which meant Slytherin had been out of the question. Sebastian was proud of his House, but he wished their obsession with blood purity didn’t keep talented witches and wizards like her from finding their place there.

As they left the courtyard, Sebastian found himself in a debate with Ominis – whether Accio could be cast on a wizard themselves or just their clothing during a duel – while Natty had latched onto the new girl, excitedly explaining more about her old school and wandless magic. Harrington nodded along, polite and engaged, but when her gaze flicked to Sebastian, he caught the faintest glint of mischief in her eyes.

He gave her a subtle nod before turning back to Ominis, hiding a smirk of his own.

Sebastian couldn’t help but appreciate Professor Dinah Hecat. She was competent, sharp-tongued, and as no-nonsense as they came. He respected that – though, today, he felt a flicker of annoyance when she broke up his impromptu duel with Prewett before his Bombarda could land a dragon scull squarely on the redhead’s foolish head. He could understand Hecat’s attachment to the dragon skull, but the interruption had cost him the satisfaction of teaching Prewett a lesson.

Her choice of using Levioso on Prewett, of all things, was almost cruelly amusing. It wasn’t the most advanced of spells, but seeing the redhead flailing helplessly in the air was too satisfying to ignore.

But that wasn’t the real surprise of the day. No, that came when Hecat called out his and Harrington’s name.

“It’s time to duel.”

First, he was taken aback – had the professors really decided to throw her straight into the deep end? First, Natty, one of the best players in Summoner’s Court, and now him, probably the best duellist at Hogwarts and certainly the most skilled in the class. He suppressed a smirk.

“Time for a proper Hogwarts welcome,” he muttered sarcastically to no one in particular, climbing the steps to the duelling platform. Harrington gave him a short bow – a gesture that struck him as more of a respectful nod than a formal bow. Sebastian raised an eyebrow. How did a Muggle-born know the rules of duelling etiquette? It wasn’t something all pure-bloods bothered to follow.

Before he could dwell on this oddity, Harrington was already in motion. Her movements were precise, deliberate, and far too practiced for someone who was merely a beginner. For a moment, Sebastian considered going easy on her, his earlier snarky remark more bark than bite, but now, as the duel began, he realised he would have to be fully engaged.

Her eyes glinted with silent determination. As he launched his first spell at her, she raised her Protego before it even reached her, blocking the impact with a practiced ease. The following exchanges of Protego, basic casts, and Levioso only served to make Sebastian more certain – this girl had far more duelling experience than he’d initially thought.

“This can’t be your first duel,” he murmured, mostly to himself, but loud enough for her to hear over the sounds of the duel and the cheers from their classmates.

“Let’s say I’m a quick learner,” she replied lightly.

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he adjusted his stance, preparing for her next move. He sent a powerful basic cast her way, the force of it enough to rattle the air. She didn’t manage to shield from it entirely, but somehow, she kept her feet on the ground.

“This had to hurt,” Prewett laughed from the sidelines, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Sebastian fought back the urge to launch a hex in Prewett’s direction, but his fleeting moment of distraction would cost him. As he refocused on the duel, he saw Harrington’s opportunity.

In a flash, she sent him flying off the platform, crashing to the ground with a grunt.

The room fell silent for a split second before the applause erupted around them. Sebastian’s chest tightened, a mix of admiration and frustration stirring within him. That was no lucky shot. He had underestimated her, and for a brief moment, Sebastian wondered just how much more she could do.

“Not bad for a beginner. You give as good as you get,” Sebastian said, his voice laced with amusement as he watched her flash a light smile while Professor Hecat awarded points to Ravenclaw. Her expression, calm and collected, only heightened his respect for her. She gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

“I enjoyed that. It was certainly good practice,” she replied lightly.

“Practice?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “It felt more like I was duelling an expert. Perhaps it wasn’t your first duel. Sebastian Sallow, by the way,” he added, suddenly realising she probably hadn’t even caught his name.

“Selene Harrington,” she answered smoothly. “And in fact, it was my first duel. Perhaps I have a knack for it.”

Sebastian chuckled, impressed despite himself. “Be coy if you like, but I know better. Magic requires intention and talent.” He couldn’t entirely fault her for not wanting to share the full truth with a stranger – though the skill she’d demonstrated was undeniable. “You know, you might be a good fit for a certain unsanctioned and exclusive duelling organisation.”

He hadn’t expected to be inviting a new fifth-year into Crossed Wands, but then again, he hadn’t expected her to actually best him either.

“Exclusive and unsanctioned?” She raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Count me in.”

Sebastian smirked. “Good. I knew I was right about you. If you want to make the most of your time at Hogwarts, you have to break the rules every now and then. Whether it’s joining a secret duelling club or sneaking into the Restricted Section of the library – you just have to be clever enough not to get caught.”

“Thank you, Sebastian,” she replied, her voice more serious now. “I’m looking forward to learning how to fight better.”

For the first time, Sebastian truly believed the sincerity behind her words. Before he could dwell on it further, his attention was pulled to Ominis, who stood across the room, looking more irritated by the second as he watched the exchange between Sebastian and Selene.

“Well,” Sebastian said hastily. “It was a pleasure practicing with you. I’m sure I’ll see you soon. Perhaps somewhere unsanctioned.” He quickly explained how to find Lucan and gave her a brief nod before turning to join Ominis, the latter’s increasing frustration hard to ignore.

Chapter Text

Sebastian stood near the large doors of the Central Hall, his eyes flickering around the corridor. Students hurried past him, chattering excitedly about the free afternoon ahead. He tugged at the sleeve of his robes absently, trying to suppress the frustration gnawing at him.

It could be worse, he thought, exhaling slowly. It could always be worse.

True, it was an unfortunate turn of events that he’d been assigned to escort Selene Harrington to Hogsmeade for the afternoon. The last thing he wanted to do this afternoon was to play tour guide. But still, it was better than detention. He had narrowly avoided that fate after his reckless attempt to sneak into the Restricted Section earlier. Merlin, he had been so close – but no. Scribner had been on her guard.

He let out another frustrated sigh, shaking the thought from his mind. Next time, he promised himself. After curfew, maybe. He’ll just need to be more careful.

His thoughts drifted back to Selene.

She had put up quite a fight in their duel. Too quick, too precise, too experienced. He’d tried to brush her skill off as beginner’s luck. He managed to have a quick chat with Lucan (Merlin, the kid should spend his time on something other than Crossed Wands from time to time) and Lucan excitedly told him how Selene had her first match and won. Against Astoria Crickett and Lawrence Davies at the same time. Not that those two were remarkable duellists, but they were still good enough, far too good for a beginner Muggle-born to take both of them down.

It was clear she had something to hide. He could feel it. Her attitude, the way she hesitated when asked certain questions, the look in her eyes – there was something there. Something she wasn’t willing to share yet.

He leaned back against the stone wall, crossing his arms, and waited. Maybe he could find out more on their way to Hogsmeade. He wasn’t entirely sure what he hoped to learn, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Selene than just being the “new fifth year.”

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and Sebastian straightened, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of her – a dark-haired figure walking toward him with the same confident stride she had earlier that morning.

Let’s see what secrets you’re hiding, Selene.

“Hello, Sebastian,” she greeted him with a polite smile.

“Ah, my new charge,” he replied with a hint of sarcasm, though his smile was sincere. “Fancy meeting you here. I’m told you’re in dire need of supplies, and I’m to accompany you to Hogsmeade. Is this your first foray into the village?”

“It is. I haven’t left the castle since I arrived,” Selene answered, and Sebastian felt that this time she was truly sincere when claiming unfamiliarity with something.

“Well, I shall endeavour to be the very best of guides then. Shall we?”

Selene gave a polite nod and followed him out of the castle. The awe on her face as she gazed at the expansive Courtyard, with the beautiful fountain and the distant Scottish mountains as a backdrop, was genuine as well. Sebastian smirked to himself and jogged toward the north exit of Hogwarts. To her credit, Selene seemed to be in good shape – she didn’t appear winded and kept pace easily.

“I’m glad Professor Weasley asked me to join you today,” he said, warmness in his voice surprising even him.

“As am I. Thank you for agreeing to this, by the way,” Selene replied, her tone sincere.

“Of course. You're the only one who's ever bested me in a duel. The way I see it, I'd be wise to keep an eye on you.”

Selene chuckled softly.

“Professor Weasley gave me a choice between you and Natsai Onai. I chose you, since you came closer to actually beating me than she did.”

“Huh. I'm still surprised that a professor would entrust me with anything, given my detention record.”

“Spend much time in detention, do you?” Selene asked, her tone now more curious.

“Just enough to keep me well-rounded. Speaking of detention, this trip to Hogsmeade might have saved me from one. Madam Scribner, the librarian, was on the hunt for me. As is often the case. Professor Weasley came to retrieve me and was able to convince ol' Scribner that I had somewhere to be.”

“How did you manage to get on the librarian’s bad side?” Selene asked, clearly intrigued.

“It’s a matter of differing opinions. She thinks I shouldn’t be allowed in the Restricted Section, and I, of course, disagree.”

Selene laughed again.

“I can see how that could be a problem. As a Ravenclaw, I can only approve of a thirst for knowledge. Glad I could be of service.”

Sebastian glanced over at her. She stopped and was carefully collecting Lacewing flies.

“They’re lovely to look at, but they make a powerful potion ingredient,” he commented. But by the time he spoke, she’d already gathered them all.

“That’s true,” she added calmly. “Used in Focus potions and Polyjuice potions, among others.”

“Someone’s done her Potions homework,” Sebastian remarked, a note of sarcasm in his voice. “How do you know this before we’ve even had our first Potions class this year?”

“I’m a Ravenclaw,” she shrugged, her tone matching his. “I read it in a book. You’re not the only one with a thirst for knowledge here. Oh, look, Leaping Toadstools!”

Sebastian patiently waited as she collected the Toadstools, his mind still puzzling over how she knew so much.

They continued their journey in companionable silence until Sebastian suddenly let out an exclamation.

“Merlin’s beard, look at that! From the Forbidden Forest!”

Selene followed his gaze, her breath catching in her throat. “Are those… hippogriffs?” she asked, eyes wide with awe.

“They are. How do you –” He paused, then shook his head with a smirk. “Never mind. You’re a Ravenclaw. You probably read about them in a book.”

“I saw pictures,” she admitted with a warm smile. “But seeing them in real life is incomparable.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Well, if you already know so much, I doubt you even need a guide to Hogsmeade.”

Selene laughed softly. “I don’t know everything. For example, I have no idea who Poppy is.”

She was clearly referring to a conversation they had overheard from a group of students earlier.

“Poppy Sweeting. Hufflepuff, our year. A bit odd, but nice enough,” Sebastian explained. “She prefers magical creatures to people, but she’s passionate and skilled when it comes to beasts. That, at least, I can respect.”

“She sounds nice.”

“You’ll meet her in Beasts class. She’s the best in it – beasts seem to trust her instantly. Wouldn’t surprise me if she ended up adopting a pet dragon by seventh year.”

He noticed Selene stiffen slightly, the colour draining from her face.

“You alright?” he asked, frowning as he bit his tongue. He should have known better than to mention dragons – not after what happened on her way to Hogwarts.

For a brief second, she hesitated, then flashed him a mischievous smile. “Of course. Just got distracted by the hippogriffs.”

A lie. She was clearly rattled by the mere mention of dragons, and Sebastian couldn’t blame her. They walked in silence for a few moments before she spoke again.

“You can’t actually adopt a dragon… can you?” she asked, her tone wary.

Sebastian gave her a sceptical look. “No, of course not. That was a joke.”

“But you could train one, right?”

He sighed. “You should ask Professor Howin when you have Beasts class. I’m not exactly a dragon expert. I do know the goblins at Gringotts keep them – trained, or more like tortured.” His voice turned cold, laced with barely concealed hatred.

“Goblins can be terrifying,” Selene murmured under her breath.

Sebastian glanced at her. Maybe she’s been to Gringotts to exchange Muggle money for Galleons, he thought. But something in her tone suggested it was more than just an encounter with an unfriendly goblin clerk.

“You aren’t a Muggle-born, are you?”

Selene blinked, caught off guard by the question.

“My father is a Muggle,” she said carefully. “And my mother… she’s no longer with us. Does it matter?”

Sebastian hesitated for a moment. “It doesn’t matter to me. And I’m sorry about your mother.”

She gave a small nod. “Thank you.”

He studied her closely. She hadn’t entirely answered his question, but he knew better than to pry. Loss of parents was something he understood all too well.

“You should be careful,” he said after a pause. “There are, unfortunately, a lot of people with prejudices against Muggle-borns. Especially Muggle-born girls.”

Selene narrowed her eyes. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“Stay away from pure-blood Slytherin blokes,” he said simply. “That’s all I’ll say on the matter.”

She let out a soft laugh, a sound so light-hearted it almost put him at ease – almost.

“Well,” she mused, “it might be too late for that.”

Sebastian stiffened, his stomach twisting – until she added, “You’re a pure-blood Slytherin bloke, aren’t you?”

He exhaled in sudden relief.

“I am,” he admitted. “But I wasn’t talking about myself. Or Ominis Gaunt. We’re not… we mean you no harm. But some others might.”

She held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “I’ll be careful, Sebastian.” Her tone was more serious this time. Then, as if remembering something, she added, “By the way, I think I saw Ominis earlier. Tall, blond, told me not to get cocky after I beat you. Charming bloke,” she said dryly.

Sebastian chuckled. “Ominis can be difficult to approach, but he’s a good person. The Gaunts are infamous for their pure-blood fanaticism, but Ominis has no love lost for his family or their beliefs. He might seem standoffish or arrogant, but he’s not this – just… guarded. His disability makes it hard for him to trust people. Ominis was born blind and no spell could reverse it.”.

Selene’s brows furrowed slightly. “Has he ever tried Polyjuice Potion?”

Sebastian stopped mid-step, staring at her. “What?”

“Polyjuice,” she repeated. “It lets you change your appearance. If he drank some with a hair from someone who isn’t blind, he might be able to see – at least temporarily.”

“I –” Sebastian floundered for a moment. “I don’t think he’s tried that. It’s an advanced potion, only covered in N.E.W.T.-level classes. And Ominis isn’t planning to take Potions after this year. He can’t brew a decent Wiggenweld to save his live, not to mention something like Polyjuice.”

“It’s not that difficult to brew,” she murmured under her breath.

Sebastian let out a breath, forcing himself to let it go. If he asked how she knew that, she’d just give him the same answer as always – I read it in a book.

“Have you had much of a chance to explore the castle?” he asked instead.

“A little,” Selene replied with a smile. “It’s positively enormous.”

“It is that. I’ve been there five years and barely scratched the surface. Loads to see. Places to discover”.

Selene paused for a moment, her gaze drifting toward a carriage drawn by Thestrals. She could see them.

“Oh? Any secrets you’d like to share with the class?” she asked, turning back to him.

“Perhaps one day.” He met her gaze with a smirk. “I can’t go giving away all my secrets, now, can I? Especially when you still haven’t told me how you got so good at duelling. Not to mention your advanced knowledge of the wizarding world.”

“Professor Fig is a good teacher,” she answered simply.

Sebastian snorted. Like hell old Fig had taught her how to duel like that.

Deciding to change the subject, he glanced at the Thestrals. “I’ve always thought Thestrals pulling a carriage a bit grim,” he mused. “Thought I suppose most people don’t actually see them at all.”

“But you do.” Her voice was quiet.

He nodded. “Unfortunately.”

She didn’t press for details, but he could tell she understood.

“You’ve seen quite a bit yourself,” he said, his voice softer now. “Most notably, that dragon attack.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. Damn it. He bit his tongue in frustration. “Hopefully the rest of your year isn’t as eventful,” he added quickly, though it felt like a pathetic attempt at recovery.

Before Selene could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them – Mr Moon, the caretaker, muttering incoherently about Demiguises. The man was clearly intoxicated, likely from too much pumpkin juice spiked with something stronger. Sebastian exchanged a few words with him, but it was impossible to make sense of anything he said. Deciding it was pointless, they continued their walk toward Hogsmeade.

Once they were far enough away, Sebastian sighed. “Mr Moon is quite the character. My sister Anne thinks he’s lovely, but I’d say he could stand to improve a bit as a caretaker.”

“Oh? Is your sister a Slytherin too? Is she in our year?” Selene asked curiously.

Sebastian stiffened, just for a second.

“Yes. We’re twins, and she is – or was – a Slytherin too,” he said. “She’s not well at the moment, but she’ll be better soon and back at Hogwarts.”

His voice was light, casual – too casual. Like Anne had nothing more than a simple cold and not a bloody curse slowly destroying her.

If Selene noticed his insincerity, she was tactful enough not to mention it.

“Send my regards to her. I’m sure she’s lovely,” she said warmly.

Sebastian smirked. “Well, obviously, I got the good looks in the family, but Anne’s a force to be reckoned with herself. She’s even more talented than I am – though I’ll deny ever saying that.”

Selene laughed. “I look forward to meeting the even more talented Sallow sibling. And probably the more humble one, too.”

Sebastian laughed as well. Something inside him eased, just a little. For the first time in what felt like forever, he could breathe. He didn’t know if it was because of what Selene had said or because they were close to Hogsmeade, but whatever it was... it felt good.

They entered Hogsmeade before long, and Sebastian couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Selene’s face, lit with excitement and admiration for the village.

“Honestly, if one could bottle the magic of this place… I don’t know if it’s the shops or the people, but there’s just something about Hogsmeade. We all flock to it like moths to a flame.”

He might have sounded a bit pretentious, maybe even pompous, but Selene didn’t seem to mind. She was too busy taking everything in, her head turning as she tried to see everyone and everything.

“I see what you mean,” she said, crouching down to pet one of the many Hogsmeade cats.

Sebastian chuckled at the sight. “So how would you like to do this? Weasley told me you had a list of things to get – a wand and some other bits?”

“Yes. Dittany seeds, some spellcrafts, and some potion recipes,” she said, now petting a second cat.

“Perfect. Can’t wait to see what you do with a new wand. And a short list gives you plenty of time to poke around the village. I just have to pop into a shop to find something for my sister. Let’s meet up in the town circle when you’re finished.”

“Sounds great.” She finally tore her attention away from the cats and flashed him a bright smile.

“Remember – have fun. It’s Hogsmeade.”

She nodded and headed toward Ollivander’s.

Sebastian made his way to J. Pippin’s Potions, where he bought a Shrivelfig, promising the shopkeeper he’d pass his regards to Anne. His chest tightened at that – everyone loved Anne. Their classmates, their teachers, even the Hogsmeade shop owners.

He waited in the town circle for some time. Sure, he could have gone with Selene – it probably would’ve been quicker than letting her gather everything on her own – but it was her first trip to Hogsmeade. He wanted it to be special, just like his first trip had been.

To her credit, Selene didn’t make him wait long. Soon enough, he spotted a familiar dark-haired figure weaving through the crowd – though she looked slightly different from when they had parted.

“I officially have all my supplies,” she proclaimed proudly, her smile betraying her excitement.

“And a bit more than you were asked to get,” Sebastian noted, gesturing toward her outfit.

Instead of her plain black school robes, she now wore a stylish blue leather overcoat over a dark navy ensemble – fitted leather pants, a matching jacket, a crisp white ruffled blouse, and knee-high grey boots. She beamed at him.

“I stopped by the Gladrags Wizardwear,” she admitted. “This is called a Cobalt Debonair Ensemble with an Embellished Cobalt Overcoat. The shopkeeper recommended it as soon as he found out I’m a Ravenclaw.”

“It has Ravenclaw colours,” Sebastian said, nodding. “But don’t expect to be able to wear it at Hogwarts.”

She shrugged. “Well, we’re not at Hogwarts right now, are we? And besides, no one will know what I’m wearing under my school robes.” Her grin widened. “I’ve really missed wearing pants. Who knew wizarding fashion is so much more progressive than Muggle? Mr Hill even said I have a sharp eye for fashion and asked me to stop by again.”

He’d say anything to get the Galleons, Sebastian thought to himself. But in the end, it didn’t really matter. Selene looked happy, and even though he had no real interest in fashion, he had to admit – she looked good.

Without the bulky school robes hiding her frame, he could finally take proper notice of her figure. She was slim but not too slender, her waist accentuated by the short jacket. His gaze lingered a bit too long before he caught himself. He completely understood the need for a school uniform – there was no way a castle full of teenage boys could focus on their studies if the girls walked around dressed like this.

Before he could think any further about her curves (or before she could catch him shamelessly ogling) she asked,

“Did you get what you needed for your sister?”

“I did. So, I suppose the world is our oyster now. Let’s see what else we can get up too.”

But before they could discuss their next move, a massive, ugly troll came barrelling in the town circle, swinging a club large enough to flatten a carriage. Sebastian barely had time to process the sight before Officer Singer fired a Bombarda at its back. The explosion sent a shockwave through the square, momentarily staggering the beast.

“That got its attention,” Sebastian muttered, gripping his wand tighter.

He could hardly catch his breath. Singer and a handful of villagers had barely managed to lure the rampaging troll away from the buildings when the air split with another, even louder roar and a second troll emerged. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it stormed into the town circle – right where he and Selene stood, alone.

“Selene, move!” Sebastian shouted.

She was already ahead of him, dodging with a surprising swiftness as the club came crashing down, shattering the cobblestones where she had been a heartbeat ago. Wasting no time, Sebastian flicked his wand forward. “Confringo!”

The troll barely even flinched.

“Are we even weakening him at all?” Selene called, sending a flurry of Basic Casts at the beast.

“Keep at it! We’ll wear him down eventually!” Sebastian replied, just managing to sidestep a devastating swing himself.

Selene frowned, then with a flick of her wand, a wooden barrel flew straight into the troll’s face. The impact made the beast stumble for the first time since the fight began.

“Nicely done!” Sebastian called, impressed – but he had no time to admire her skill. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her make another quick motion. Without an incantation, a wooden crate rippled through the air, striking the troll squarely in the chest. A nonverbal Depulso? He didn’t have time to wonder. Whatever she was doing, it was working.

“That’s right, you lumbering lout!” He fired a precise Diffindo, slicing into the troll’s side, forcing it to stagger. “A few more hits should do it!”

His confidence might have been his undoing.

The troll roared in fury, swinging its club faster than Sebastian anticipated. He barely had time to react – he knew he wouldn’t dodge in time. His stomach twisted as he braced for impact.

But then a flash of white light erupted beside him.

Selene’s wand glowed so intensely that it hurt his eyes, the brilliance swallowing everything else. For a moment, time seemed to stop as the light shot forward, slamming into the troll with an overwhelming force. It didn’t just knock the creature back – it erased it. The beast disintegrated before his eyes, dissolving into a swirl of ash, which lingered in the air for only a moment before vanishing entirely.

Sebastian stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat.

“What the hell was that?” he finally managed.

Selene, still gripping her wand, looked just as stunned as he was.

“Accidental magic?” she proposed carefully.

“You’re too old for accidental magic.”

“I’m also too old to just be starting at Hogwarts, but here we are.”

Before he could argue, Singer arrived, looking thoroughly shaken.

“Goodness! A second troll? Did you two take on a fully grown troll by yourselves?”

“I suppose so. It’s all a bit of a blur, to be honest,” Selene answered.

“Merlin’s beard. Are you both alright?”

“We are. And we were happy to help.”

Sebastian stood behind Selene, listening as Singer praised her bravery – said she had the makings of an Auror. He barely managed to stifle a snort. He didn’t have much respect for authority figures in general, but Singer, who had let Rookwood and Harlow conduct their dark business for years right under her nose, had little room to talk. Now she was patting Selene on the back while convincing her to help repair the town square. Truthfully, Selene had probably done more for Hogsmeade by vaporising the troll than Singer had in her entire career.

Of course, Selene agreed to help – probably hoping to distract the villagers from whatever it was she had done to the troll. Begrudgingly, Sebastian took out his wand and cast a series of Reparo spells on whatever could be easily fixed.

When she mended the last broken stall, he turned to her.

“I’d say we’ve earned a Butterbeer or two, wouldn’t you? Might help me forget that I was almost pulverised by a troll.”

Selene gave a small smile, though the shock still lingered in her eyes.

“I’d say I agree with you.”

“Perfect. The Three Broomsticks is just this way.”

As if they hadn’t had enough shocks for one day, Sebastian spotted a dark figure descending the stairs in one of Hogsmeade’s shadowed alleys. The high top hat alone was enough to give him away – Victor Rookwood himself. They exchanged a quick glance and, without a word, slipped behind a nearby wall to follow him.

“You said you could get to the child when she came to Hogsmeade,” an exceptionally ugly goblin growled. His sharp, narrow teeth flashed as he sneered at Rookwood. “All you needed was a distraction. I gave you a distraction.”

“I just watched a student take down your distraction,” Rookwood spat back.

The goblin narrowed his eyes, trying to appear menacing, but it didn’t seem to faze Rookwood in the slightest.

“Who is this child?” Rookwood demanded. “What are you not telling me?”

“All you need to know,” the goblin snarled, “is that if you cannot get to the girl, then you have no value to me.”

Selene gasped – too loudly. Rookwood’s head snapped around.

“Let’s go,” she whispered.

Sebastian didn’t need to be told twice. They turned on their heels and hurried away.

“Did they see us?” Sebastian asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

“I don’t think so,” Selene said, still breathing heavily.

“What was that goblin doing with Victor Rookwood?”

“Ranrok is working with Rookwood?” Selene muttered, more to herself than to him. It was clear she recognised the goblin rather than the wizard – exactly the opposite of Sebastian.

“The goblin from the Daily Prophet?” Sebastian frowned. “I knew I’d seen him somewhere before.” He shook his head. “Come on. Let’s get inside the Three Broomsticks.”

Selene followed him quietly, clearly shaken.

When they entered the Three Broomsticks, another goblin – a far less intimidating one than Ranrok – was just leaving the pub. Sebastian followed Selene to the bar, where they both took seats on the high stools.

“Now, what can I – Oh. That’s a face I haven’t seen before.” Sirona greeted them.

“It’s my first time here,” Selene replied with a smile, visibly relaxing a bit.

“Welcome! Butterbeers on me.” Sirona returned the smile and flicked her wand. Two mugs flew effortlessly toward the large Butterbeer keg behind her. “Heard about the attack. I shall be looking in on the other shopkeepers and residents shortly. Glad to see you two escaped injury.”

“Thanks to this one,” Sebastian said, raising his own mug toward Selene. “Single-handedly took down a troll!”

“Is that right? Well done,” Sirona nodded approvingly at Selene.

“Thanks for this,” Selene said, lifting her Butterbeer in a quiet gesture of appreciation.

“My pleasure,” Sirona waved it off. “I’d say... trolls in Hogsmeade. That’s never happened before. Something’s not right.”

Sebastian knew Sirona was a Ravenclaw – far more perceptive than one might expect from a pubkeeper.

“The only brutes we usually deal with are –” Sirona didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. The door swung open, and none other than Victor Rookwood and his loyal lackey, Theophilus Harlow, stepped inside.

“How timely,” Sirona muttered, letting out a sigh before moving from behind the bar to stand between Selene and the two men.

Selene swallowed audibly, looking even paler than before. Sebastian squeezed her hand, offering a small, reassuring smile, but it didn’t seem to help. Sirona continued talking to Rookwood in the meantime.

“Not to worry, Victor,” Sirona said dryly. “Once you both leave, the calibre of my clientele will greatly improve.” She turned to Harlow with a pointed look. “Wouldn’t do that if I were you, Theophilus.”

Harlow, looking like he was about to draw his wand, made Sebastian tighten his grip on his own. Selene followed suit, still pale but now clearly determined.

“Come now,” Rookwood said, gesturing for Harlow to put his wand down. “No need for theatrics. I’m only here for this one, anyway.”

Immediately, Sebastian stood up when Rookwood pointed at Selene, and she stood as well, prepared.

“My friend is enjoying a well-earned Butterbeer,” Sirona said, her voice calm but laced with hidden threat.

Rookwood waved her away dismissively. “I only want a quick word.”

Sirona blocked his path. “Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I said my friend is busy.” The threat in her voice was now unmistakable.

Sebastian could hear the other guests in the pub standing up and drawing their wands.

“One would think you’ve had enough bloodshed for one day,” Rookwood said, his voice dripping with mockery, clearly not willing to escalate things with the entire pub of wizards watching. “Come, Theophilus. The Three Broomsticks isn’t what it used to be. Let’s take our Galleons elsewhere. Can’t drink Butterbeer forever.”

At the last sentence, Rookwood took a half-step toward Selene, his eyes lingering on her, but then he turned abruptly, signalling for Harlow to follow. 

Selene let out a shaky exhale, not averting her gaze from the door until they were gone.

“Seems you’ve made an unfortunate enemy,” Sirona remarked. “Watch your back. Rookwood and Harlow are worse than any troll you might encounter.”

Selene still looked shaken, but Sebastian couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.

“Trolls, Ranrok, and Rookwood? What aren’t you telling me?”

Selene hesitated, then sighed, glancing around as if expecting an ambush at any moment. “I promise I’ll tell you everything. But it’s probably best if I do that later.”

Sebastian nodded, his concern deepening, but he didn’t push further.

“And on that note,” he added quickly, “I think we should get back to the castle.”

“Use my fireplace,” Sirona said in a low voice, catching their attention.

Selene looked at Sebastian, uncertainty in her eyes, but he nodded in agreement. It was safer to use the Floo, especially with night falling.

Sirona led them to what appeared to be her private room and handed Sebastian a small bag of Floo powder.

“I assume you’re familiar with this.” Sirona’s voice was calm but firm. “My fireplace is connected to the one in the Hogwarts Greenhouses. Make sure she gets to her Common Room safely.”

Sebastian nodded. “I will. Thank you, Sirona.”

He took Selene’s hand, and together, they stepped into the fireplace, disappearing into the swirling green flames.

Chapter Text

“A dragon, a troll, a goblin, and two Dark wizards,” Selene repeated absently as they stepped out of the fireplace. “At this point, I won’t even be surprised if a basilisk attacks me on my way to the loo.”

“There are no living basilisks in Britain. And even if there were, they certainly wouldn’t be hiding in the girls’ bathroom,” Sebastian replied dryly. “And you promised me an explanation.”

“I did,” Selene admitted. “But I’m still not sure this is the best place to discuss it. What I have to tell you… it’s not just my secret to keep.”

Sebastian considered this, then nodded. “Understood. We can talk in the Undercroft.”

“Under… what?” she asked in confusion.

“This way.” He glanced around to make sure no one was watching. “There’s a secret passage just here.”

She followed him.

“How did you find this place?” she mused as she stepped into the Undercroft.

“Ominis Gaunt showed it to me. Someone in his family told him about it. We used to sneak in here all the time – me, him, and Anne. We played Gobstones for hours. Merlin, what I wouldn’t give to lose to her again.” His voice turned wistful as he leaned against the wall, momentarily lost in memories.

Selene offered a sympathetic smile.

Sebastian shook off his thoughts. “Alright, your explanation. Why are Rookwood and Ranrok after you?”

She took a deep breath. “It’s not easy to explain, but I’ll try. Ranrok and Rookwood believe I took something from a vault in Gringotts.”

Sebastian blinked. “When were you at Gringotts?”

Selene met his gaze. “You have to promise to keep this between us.”

At his nod, she continued. “I can see traces of ancient magic – an old, powerful form of magic. But I didn’t even know about it until recently. Professor Fig and his friend, George, accompanied me on my way to Hogwarts.”

She told him everything – the discovery of the Portkey mere moments before the dragon attack, how she and Fig barely escaped, only to find themselves at Gringotts. She described their encounter with Ranrok and how the goblin had killed the Gringotts clerk without hesitation.

Sebastian listened intently, his jaw tightening. He wasn’t one to pity goblins, but something about Ranrok so easily killing one of his own kind unsettled him. He shoved the thought aside.

“Professor Fig and I think Ranrok has found a way to harness the power of ancient magic,” she finished.

Sebastian stiffened. “Are you telling me that goblins might be wielding wizard magic?” The very idea made his stomach twist. That would explain how Anne was cursed.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” she said with a weary sigh.

His mind raced. If Anne had been cursed by this ancient magic, and Selene could control it…

“This ability of yours – does it allow you to wield that magic too?”

She hesitated. “I… I don’t know.”

Sebastian studied her for a long moment before nodding. Whatever she had done in the fight with the troll had been as much a mystery to her as it was to him. But if there was even a chance she could use it to help Anne, he needed her to find out exactly what she was capable of.

“When you do know, tell me,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. But deep down, the urge to drag her straight to Feldcroft and demand she try something – anything – burned within him. Being in the Undercroft without Anne felt unbearable.

A silence stretched between them before Selene spoke again, more hesitantly this time. “Can I ask you something, Sebastian?”

“Sure,” he said, lost in his own thoughts.

“Are trolls sentient?”

Sebastian blinked. “What?”

“Are they intelligent? Closer to humans or animals? Do they have language, culture, society?”

Sebastian frowned, trying to recall what little he knew about trolls. “I suppose they have some kind of language, but no real society. They mostly live in isolated caves, and culture? Unless you count clubbing innocent villagers a cultural trait, then no.”

Selene frowned. “The troll that attacked us was controlled. The red glow on its armour was the same as on Ranrok’s and on the dragon’s collar. I didn’t notice it at first, but now, it all makes sense. It wasn’t its fault, but I killed it. A creature resembling a human, even though it wasn’t truly responsible.”

Sebastian studied her carefully. “It was self-defence. That thing would’ve killed you, controlled or not.”

“But it wasn’t trying to kill me,” she countered. “Only knock me out or distract me. I might have even seen Rookwood in the background, but I’m not certain.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Well, lucky you. The troll might not have killed you, but I’m fairly sure it would’ve flattened me. So, thank you for saving my life – and I am sorry if that makes you feel bad and you would’ve preferred the troll’s life over mine.” 

Selene sighed, rubbing her temples. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Saving us, and the villagers, was the right thing to do.”

Sebastian gave a satisfied nod. “Precisely. Now, even assuming this ancient magic business is true – which, frankly, I’m inclined to believe – it still doesn’t explain how you know so much about the wizarding world. Too much for a typical Muggle-born.”

Selene hesitated, clearly debating whether to answer. “There’s an explanation for that as well. But again, it’s not just my secret to share. And actually… there are two secrets.”

Sebastian smirked. “Well, no time like the present.”

She shook her head. “I’ve already told you a lot. Besides, I can’t just go around revealing all my secrets in one night, can I?”

Sebastian crossed his arms. “Well, considering I did you a favour and accompanied you to Hogsmeade…”

“And I told you about ancient magic, which is much bigger than my advanced knowledge of the wizarding world.”

“Fine. Then I’ll just trade you another favour.”

Selene tilted her head. “Two favours. Since there are two secrets.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Fair enough. Two favours.”

“And I already know the first one. Teach me Confringo. I saw you use it against the troll.”

He smirked. “I was going to teach you anyway, since it’ll be useful for your next Crossed Wands match. So, one favour down.”

“That’s very Slytherin of you.”

“Like you’re one to talk. You just bargained two favours out of me. Are you sure the Hat put you in the right House?”

Selene laughed. “The Hat actually gave me a choice. Said I’d do well in any of the Houses. We had a lovely chat, and I chose Ravenclaw.”

Sebastian pretended to be angry. “Your lovely chat was the reason I nearly starved at dinner.”

“Oh, please. The Hat was just thrilled to finally have a proper conversation with someone more mature than the usual first-years.”

“And it still put you in the wrong House,” he muttered. “Cunning, ambitious – you’re the full package. You could always transfer.”

Selene smirked. “I’ve spent an absurd amount of money on blue clothes. So, no. And besides, Ravenclaw Common Room is breathtaking.”

“Our Common Room isn’t bad either!” Sebastian protested.

“Maybe. But dungeons and serpents? Not my style. Speaking of which, shouldn’t you escort me to my Common Room? You’ll get to see it firsthand.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Sure.”

They left the Undercroft, only for him to suddenly realise how it must have looked – Selene, her hair messy from the troll attack; him, his hair naturally dishevelled; both of them stepping out of a hidden passage after dark.

“Do me a favour, Selene,” he said dryly. “If any other bloke invites you to a hidden passageway or an abandoned classroom after dark – don’t agree.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I can defend myself.”

“I know you can,” Sebastian said patiently. “I’d just rather you didn’t have to.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll be careful.”

They walked in silence for a while before Selene spoke again. “Did you know that in the Muggle world, schools are separated by gender?”

Sebastian frowned. “Really? Muggles don’t study together? How do they even get to know each other?”

“There are other ways, depending on status and wealth. Some families even use matchmakers. But a school like Hogwarts, where boys and girls study, eat, and spend time together, would be considered highly improper in many Muggle societies.”

Sebastian mused. “Huh. Never thought the wizarding world would be more progressive than Muggles.”

Selene smirked. “It is in many ways. For example, girls in Muggle schools often aren’t taught the same subjects as boys, and women aren’t allowed to vote.”

“Oh, that’s ridiculous!” Sebastian exclaimed. “How are women supposed to change things if they’re not even allowed to vote in the first place?”

“Exactly,” Selene said with a chuckle. “Some women are fighting for change, but they face harsh opposition. Many men refuse to give up power, even the ones who have none. A poor, powerless man can still feel superior if there’s a poor, powerless woman beneath him.”

Sebastian shook his head, disgusted. “That’s awful.”

“It is,” she agreed. “I’m lucky to have finally ended up in the wizarding world, but I feel for the Muggle women who don’t have that choice.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “‘Finally’, huh? So you admit you knew about the wizarding world before you got your letter?”

Selene’s expression faltered – just for a moment.

“I might have heard a thing or two,” she admitted. “But that’s a conversation for another day.”

Sebastian smirked but let it go – for now.

As they approached Ravenclaw Tower, he glanced at Selene again, taking in the confident way she walked and the way her tight leather pants hugged her hips (now that she had removed her overcoat), he sighed. Perhaps the Muggles weren’t entirely wrong about separating boys and girls. Girls could be… distracting.

Sebastian watched as Selene effortlessly solved the riddle to enter the Ravenclaw Common Room.

“So, what happens to the ones who can’t solve it? Do the stupid ones just have to sleep in the corridors? And people say Slytherins are cruel.”

“There are no stupid ones in Ravenclaw,” Selene replied with a smirk as they stepped inside.

“Selene! Oh, thank Merlin you’re back! Are you alright? Should one of us take you to the Hospital Wing?” Samantha Dale rushed forward, wrapping Selene in a quick hug.

“Eh… hi, Samantha. And no, I’m fine,” Selene replied, clearly bewildered by the attention. Sebastian found her expression amusing.

“Is it true that you fought a troll? Did you manage to collect some Troll Boogeys?” Clopton bounced over eagerly.

Selene blinked at him. “I did fight a troll, yes, but I didn’t collect any… ingredients.”

“Ah, that’s a shame. Maybe next time.”

“Let’s hope there isn’t a next time and that Selene never has to fight another troll, Everett,” Samantha said sternly. “By the way, could you run to Professor Hecat and tell her that Selene is back and unharmed?”

“Why me?” Clopton grumbled.

“Because I said so.”

Sebastian shot Clopton a look – the kind that said "I’m the best duellist at Hogwarts, and you don’t want to test me". Clopton hesitated before sighing dramatically.

“Fine, fine. I’ll go find Professor Hecat.”

“Thank you,” Samantha turned back to Sebastian, offering him a warm smile. “And thank you for bringing Selene back safely.”

Sebastian grinned. “You know me, Samantha – perfect gentleman Sebastian Sallow, always ready to save a damsel in distress.”

“Are you really Sebastian Sallow?” a high-pitched voice piped up. Sebastian turned to see a small girl, probably a first-year, staring at him with wide eyes.

“I just said so, didn’t I? And you are?”

“Zenobia Noke. Is Anne Sallow your sister?”

Sebastian tensed. “She is.”

Zenobia didn’t seem to notice his reaction. “Well, tell her she should get well soon and come back, because I really want to play Gobstones with her. Everyone says she’s the best at Hogwarts.”

The words caught in Sebastian’s throat. He swallowed hard before managing, “I will, Zenobia. And she is the best – I reeked of that foul liquid for months in my third year.”

Zenobia’s eyes lit up. “That’s so cool!”

Despite the tight knot in his chest, Sebastian couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m glad you’re back too, Selene,” Zenobia added, turning to her. “That means we can play later!”

“Maybe another time, Zenobia,” Samantha interjected gently. “Selene’s had a long day.”

“I have,” Selene agreed with a small smile. “Another time.”

Zenobia didn’t look thrilled about it but nodded and scurried off.

“I think I should just head to bed,” Selene said, stifling a yawn. She turned to Sebastian. “Thank you for walking me back. And, of course, for coming with me to Hogsmeade.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Sebastian said smoothly. “See you soon. Maybe somewhere… unsanctioned.”

“Oh, don’t you dare invite Selene to your fight club, Sallow,” Samantha scolded. “She just started at Hogwarts.”

“It’s a duelling club,” Sebastian corrected with a smirk. “And I already did.”

“Come on, Selene, let’s get you to bed before – oh no,” Samantha groaned as an overly enthusiastic Amit Thakkar abandoned his telescope and rushed toward them.

“Selene! We’re so glad you’re back and alright! Professor Hecat’s friend was in Hogsmeade today, and she saw you and Sebastian fighting a troll! Everett asked me if I could point my telescope at Hogsmeade because he read in some Muggle book that you can see the past through a telescope, and I had to explain that it only works at very large distances, but he still wouldn’t let it go, so then I said –”

“Amit,” Samantha interrupted, exasperated. “Not now. Selene is tired.”

“And you’re wearing our colours!” Amit continued, undeterred. “Blue really suits you, Selene.”

Sebastian felt an odd twinge of irritation. Definitely not jealousy – just mild annoyance at an overly chatty Ravenclaw.

“It does suit her,” he agreed before adding, “but she really should rest now, Amit.”

Amit finally got the hint. “Oh! Of course, of course. We’ll talk tomorrow, Selene.” He hurried back to his telescope, allowing Samantha to finally lead Selene toward the girls’ dormitory.

As Sebastian made his way back to the Slytherin dungeons, he found himself reevaluating his assumptions about Ravenclaws. They weren’t just a bunch of bookish know-it-alls – they genuinely seemed to care for one another.

And as for that strange feeling when Amit commented on Selene’s outfit… that was definitely not jealousy. Just simple annoyance. That was all.

Definitely.

“Glad you’re back.”

Ominis’ voice greeted Sebastian the moment he stepped into their shared bedroom. As the son of the Headmaster’s friend, Ominis had been granted the rare privilege of a two-bed room in the Slytherin dorms, and Sebastian was more than happy to share that luxury with him.

“There were some ridiculous rumours about your troll fight,” Ominis added, his tone a mix of scepticism and exasperation.

Sebastian smirked. “For once, the rumours are true.”

Ominis sighed. “Could you at least try to be less reckless?”

“I wasn’t reckless at all, Ominis. The trolls attacked Hogsmeade out of nowhere.”

“Trolls don’t behave like that.”

“Well, those two did.” Sebastian crossed his arms. “Shouldn’t you just be happy I’m back unharmed? Half of Ravenclaw looked ready to throw Selene a party, and all I get from you is snide remarks? Where’s the justice in this world?”

“The new Ravenclaw?” Ominis frowned. “She was with you in Hogsmeade?”

Sebastian hesitated. “Well… yes.”

Ominis’ expression tightened. “Of course she was.”

“Hey, it’s not like I asked her out!” Sebastian huffed. “She needed supplies, and Weasley gave me a choice: escort Selene or serve detention. What’s reckless about that?”

“And why did Weasley even have a reason to assign you detention in the first place?”

Sebastian shrugged. “I might have tried to break into the Restricted Section.”

Ominis let out a long-suffering sigh. “Sebastian, you are just… unbelievable.”

It seemed like he was too exhausted to even lecture him this time.

“But I am glad you’re unharmed,” Ominis admitted. “And for that to stay the case, you should stay away from the new Ravenclaw.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Why? It’s not her fault the bloody trolls attacked Hogsmeade.”

Well, technically it wasn’t, though he knew that it was still because of her.

Ominis, however, looked genuinely unsettled. “I just have a bad feeling about her,” he murmured.

“Oh, come off it. Just because she beat me in a duel? Admit it – you’re just jealous she managed something you never did,” Sebastian grinned, expecting a retort, but Ominis remained serious.

“I’m not sure I should be telling you this,” he said finally. “If I know you, it’ll only make you more interested in her.”

Sebastian leaned against his bedpost, intrigued. “Go on. You can’t just say something like that and not explain.”

Ominis hesitated before relenting. “Fine. You know how my hearing and sense of smell are sharper than most people’s?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Like you’d ever let me forget. Merlin forbid my breathing keeps you up at night.”

Ominis ignored the jab. “Well, there’s something more to it. I can feel magic.”

Another one with a weird ability to sense something others couldn’t. What a day, Sebastian thought grimly.

“You feel magic?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. Like… signatures. Magic carries traces of the person it belongs to. Your magic, for instance, is very similar to Anne’s. Natsai’s feels like her mother’s. Even Garreth Weasley’s has similarities to Professor Weasley’s – though his is far more chaotic.” Ominis shook his head. “I can recognise people by their magic and even locate them, to an extent. But her…” He trailed off.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “What about her?”

“Her magic is different. Unlike anything I’ve ever encountered.”

Sebastian waited, but Ominis seemed to be struggling to put it into words.

“I hate to admit it, but my family is right about one thing,” Ominis continued reluctantly. “Pure-blood magic feels different from Muggle-born magic. Half-bloods, too, though there are still similarities. But her magic…” His voice lowered. “It’s alien. No other witch or wizard, no creature, not even a house-elf, has magic like hers. And I don’t believe those ridiculous rumours that she’s related to the Blacks, either, because her magic is nothing like the Headmaster’s or his sons’.”

A chill ran down Sebastian’s spine.

“So that’s why you want me to stay away from her,” he said slowly.

“Yes.” Ominis crossed his arms. “There’s something unnatural about her, and I’m not keen to find out what.”

Sebastian exhaled, mulling over his words. Well, that certainly confirmed what Selene had told him about her unique ability – not that he needed confirmation, not after watching her disintegrate a troll.

“You make her sound like a monster,” he said at last. “But she’s just a girl, Ominis. Curious. Easy to make laugh. Slightly obsessed with fashion. A normal fifteen-year-old girl who’s excited to be at Hogwarts.”

“She’s sixteen.”

Sebastian blinked. “She is?”

“Yes. She should be in sixth year, but they placed her in fifth to give her a chance to pass her O.W.L.s.”

“Huh.”

That meant Selene was actually the same age as him and Anne. The Sallow twins had started Hogwarts a year late because of Anne’s health – she had always been the weaker one, sickly as a child. It had frustrated Sebastian back then, but now he was grateful. It had given them one more year with their parents. And it had led him to Ominis.

And now, to Selene.

“Not the point I was trying to make, Sebastian,” Ominis said, unimpressed. “Her age is the least concerning thing about her.”

“You’re exaggerating. Maybe her magic just feels different because it is different – her abilities woke up late, so that might have affected it.”

Ominis pursed his lips. “Maybe. But still. Stay away from her.”

“I understand.”

“You didn’t say you agree. I’m not stupid, you know.”

Sebastian sighed. “No, you’re not. But neither am I, Ominis. I can handle myself – even if she were dangerous. And she’s not.”

Ominis sighed, rubbing his temples. “Just… be careful. I can’t lose you. Not after we lost Anne.”

Sebastian’s smirk faltered.

“You won’t lose me,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “And we haven’t lost Anne, either. I’ll find a cure soon.”

Ominis didn’t argue, but the scepticism in his expression was unmistakable.

“I miss her,” he murmured.

Sebastian swallowed against the familiar tightness in his chest.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice rough. “Me too.”

Everything had been better with Anne. Her presence had softened their bickering, made it light-hearted instead of bitter. Now, it was just the two of them, and every day without her felt heavier.

But it wouldn’t last forever. Tomorrow, he would keep searching. And maybe, just maybe… Selene’s strange, alien magic could be the answer he needed.

Chapter Text

“Can’t you just cheer up a little, Ominis? Look, the sun’s shining, the weather’s nice.” Sebastian grinned. They were sitting in the Transfiguration Courtyard, enjoying what was likely one of the last warm, sunny days of the season.

“Very funny, Sebastian. Like I would know what sunshine looks like,” Ominis muttered dryly.

“Well, you can still feel it, can’t you?”

“I can,” Ominis admitted. “And yes, it’s better than rain. The rain is too loud.”

“So, no reason to be grumpy then,” Sebastian pressed, trying to cheer him up. “We’ve survived Weasley’s cauldron explosion – can’t we just appreciate the fact that we’re still alive?”

Ominis snorted, loud enough that it caught the attention of a few passing students. Sebastian didn’t mind. He understood his friend’s mood all too well. Ominis hated Potions for good reason – between the overpowering smells, the constant clatter of cauldrons, and Weasley’s explosions, it was a sensory overload. And it wasn’t like Ominis was the only one grumpy about it. Sebastian himself couldn’t help but feel the sting of Professor Sharp’s words: “It can heal some injuries, but not all.” Those words, after Amit’s answer about Wiggenweld, had hit too close to home. Wiggenweld had been the first thing they tried on Anne – and it had been utterly useless.

“Just think about it – this year will be your last year in Potions. No more cauldrons, no more smelly ingredients, and no more Weasley.” Sebastian tried to lighten the mood, but Ominis just shook his head.

“That’s not it,” he said, his tone turning serious. “I overheard something.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You know how people often assume I’m deaf in addition to being blind?” Ominis began, his voice full of annoyance. “I hate it, but sometimes it’s useful. I went back to class to hand in my summer assignment and overheard something between Professor Sharp and the new Ravenclaw.”

“She has a name, you know,” Sebastian said. But Ominis waved off his irritation.

“She asked about an advanced variation of Wiggenweld,” Ominis continued. “The one used by Aurors.”

Sebastian’s interest piqued. “Huh. I didn’t even know there was an advanced version of Wiggenweld.”

“Exactly.” Ominis’ tone darkened. “Now, how would she know that Sharp was an Auror?”

Sebastian shrugged. “Maybe she saw his badge? He always keeps it on his desk, though I’ve never understood why.”

“How would a Muggle-born know what an Auror badge even looks like?” Ominis pressed.

“Well, maybe Fig or another student mentioned it. It’s not like it’s a secret.”

“Maybe,” Ominis agreed reluctantly. “But where would she have learned about an advanced Wiggenweld? And more importantly, why would she need it?”

“She’s a Ravenclaw, probably just read about it in a book.” Sebastian couldn’t help but be amused at how easily he was using Selene’s own excuse on Ominis. “And honestly, I’m not surprised she’d want something like that, especially after surviving a dragon and a troll attack in the span of two days.”

“Exactly. Call me paranoid, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence. Something strange is going on with her, and I don’t like it.”

“You are paranoid,” Sebastian said, though he knew deep down that Ominis had a point. “What did Sharp say about this advanced Wiggenweld?”

Ominis’ voice softened, understanding Sebastian’s reasons for asking. “He said it works like the regular Wiggenweld, just more concentrated. You can heal with less of it, but it’s harder to brew and requires more ingredients. It’s not covered at Hogwarts. He said he might teach her it later, but only if she proves she can handle more complicated Potions. That’s when he saw me and told me to leave, so I didn’t hear much else. But they were still talking when I left.”

Sebastian exhaled deeply. “For a moment there, I hoped it was something simple. Just an advanced Wiggenweld.” 

“I know. That’s why I stayed and listened, hoping for some clarity. But it was a disappointment,” Ominis admitted.

“Oh really?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t stay just because you’re paranoid about Selene?”

Before Ominis could respond, both of them had to dodge as Clopton zoomed past them, shouting and cheering wildly. A moment later, another blur of blue streaked past, this time louder than before.

“Don’t tell me that was…” Ominis groaned.

“Yeah. It was her,” Sebastian smiled. Even though he couldn’t see her face from the distance, he recognised the bright blue overcoat immediately. “And Clopton.”

“Clopton’s got a dungbomb where his head should be, and she… She’s simply dangerous. You can’t deny it now.”

“I think Selene just had her first flying lesson. She’s just having fun. And honestly, after what happened yesterday, she deserves it,” Sebastian smiled again, hearing the distant cheers still ringing in the air.

Ominis wasn’t impressed. “Don’t defend her. She almost killed us both!”

“She didn’t,” Sebastian countered, grinning. “It was just a brush of the wind. She was high enough up not to hit anything.”

“Right. That’s supposed to calm me down?”

“Actually, yeah. It should.” Sebastian chuckled. “Come on, Ominis, Selene can be pretty nice.”

“My family can be nice too, when it suits them,” Ominis muttered darkly.

“That’s just unfair.” Sebastian frowned, his voice turning serious. “You don’t have to like her, but comparing her to your family is a bit much.”

Ominis didn’t reply immediately. After a moment, he sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Selene didn’t hear him, of course, but the apology satisfied Sebastian.

“Oh, by the way,” Sebastian said casually, “She said you’re charming.”

Ominis raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical. “Am I supposed to believe this?”

“It’s true,” Sebastian said with a grin. “It might have been a bit sarcastic, but she said it. Apparently, she heard your advice about not being too cocky after winning against me.”

Ominis snorted. “Well, that’s actually believable, then.”

After lunch, Sebastian went to the Clocktower Courtyard. Lucan was already there, making Sebastian wonder once again if the kid ever slept or ate.

“Hello, Sebastian! You’ll be pleased to know that your protégé won another match!” Lucan greeted him happily.

“My protégé?”

“Yes, Selene! She said your duel taught her a lot. And she also blasted one of the training dummies into pieces, but that’s alright, I’ll find a new one. It looked impressive!”

“I think so,” Sebastian laughed. Lucan clearly had a crush on Selene (or on her abilities).

“Any new matches?” he asked Lucan, who smiled broadly.

“Well, not really. After Selene’s win against Constance Dagworth, Hector Jenkins, and Nerida Roberts, and after blasting the dummy, I had to account for three technical losses, since people simply refused to fight her. I might have to ask Leander and Charlotte if they’re up for a duel.”

“Sure, do that. I’ll ask Selene in the meantime as well.”

“What will you ask me?” Selene approached them, smiling.

“Selene! You’re back!” Lucan grinned. “You know, I found a second dummy, so you can train again if you want to.”

“That’s very nice of you, Lucan, thank you,” Selene smiled at him. “But I don’t think I’ll do that right now. I spoke with Leander in Herbology, and he mentioned he’s a member of Crossing Wands too. He’s going to fetch a couple of other members and head there.”

“Perfect. Then we can organise the semi-final match.”

“Oh? Is it already time for the semi-final? The school year barely started.”

“Well, yes, but some members straight-up refused to fight you, Selene, so you’re now tied with Sebastian, followed by Leander and Charlotte,” Lucan explained. “You and Sebastian can either duel each other, or team up against anyone else who dares challenge you.”

Selene looked at Sebastian, studying him.

“I’d prefer to fight alongside Sebastian, not against him. We make good partners, I suppose.”

“Same,” Sebastian nodded shortly. His ego was still slightly bruised from losing to Selene, but he felt better knowing that she wasn’t just another witch with normal abilities, confirmed both by her and Ominis. He still wasn’t looking forward to losing to her again.

“Sallow,” Prewett greeted him unfriendly, then nodded at Selene. “We met today already. And I hate to say it, but you can’t use Chinese Chomping Cabbages in the Crossed Wands tournaments.”

“Don’t worry, Prewett. Selene doesn’t need any cabbages to beat you, not that anyone would need them,” Sebastian snorted.

“Alright then, should we get started?” Lucan almost jumped from excitement. “So, it’s Sebastian and Selene against… let me see, Leander, Charlotte, Eric, and Nellie? Anyone else?”

“You’re fighting with him?” Prewett almost spat the last word, nodding at Sebastian.

“I am, Leander. If yesterday is any indication, Sebastian and I make a good team,” Selene replied calmly.

“Eh… sure, I suppose, but you’d have better chances of winning fighting on my side than his.”

“I like my chances as they are, Leander, but thanks for the offer. Oh, Lucan, could you hold this for a minute?”

“Of course,” Lucan replied, receiving Selene’s school robes. She remained in another outfit, similar to the one from yesterday, blue pants and a white blouse with short sleeves.

“I bought more clothes at Gladrags yesterday. Mr Hill was kind enough to owl me this and the rest of the clothes today so I have something to change into,” Selene explained, smiling. She was oblivious to how Prewett swallowed hard, looking at her from behind, and Sebastian fought the urge to turn the redhead into a pile of ashes before Lucan even announced the start.

“Alright then, future champions, prepare your wands! Ready, and go!” Lucan cheered, and the duel began.

For some reason, Prewett focused entirely on Sebastian, ignoring Selene, even after she managed to hit him. She held her ground well, mostly using Protego and Stupefy, and quickly knocked Eric out of the game. Sebastian was steadily winning against Prewett when Charlotte unexpectedly fired a Depulso at him.

“Protego!” Selene shouted, and that was the only thing that saved him from being knocked out.

“Confringo!” Prewett yelled, pointing at Sebastian.

“Oh, hell no,” Selene muttered and sent Prewett flying with Levioso. She kept hitting him with basic spells until he yelled loudly,

“Fine, fine, I give up!”

It didn’t take Selene and Sebastian long to knock out Charlotte and Nellie, and Lucan proudly proclaimed them the winners.

“Not bad at all, Selene. I’m proud to have fought against you,” Prewett exclaimed pompously.

“Use Confringo on any of my friends again if you ever miss fighting me,” she smiled sweetly, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Prewett raised his hands in surrender.

“It was just fun, Selene. Me and Sallow have had our share of Confringo against each other.”

“That’s true, Selene,” Sebastian said, putting his arm around her shoulders. She tensed but didn’t say anything, though Prewett almost turned red with anger. “Prewett did learn Confringo from his parents after I burned his eyebrows off with it in third year.”

“Not my fault you don’t have parents to learn from, Sallow.”

Before Sebastian could even react, Selene already had her wand out, pointing it at Prewett’s neck.

“Apologise for that,” she growled at him.

“I… I’m sorry, Sallow. That was really low of me. I apologise.”

“Apology accepted,” Sebastian said. He didn’t like Prewett, to say the least, but he also knew that while the redhead was cocky, annoying, and full of himself, he wasn’t a complete jerk. This remark seemed like an accident, and Prewett did look sorry.

Selene put her wand away.

“Come on, Sebastian. We’re done here.”

“You go, Selene. I need a small chat with Prewett. I’ll meet you outside.”

She glared at him, then sighed.

“Fine. Try not to burn each other’s eyebrows off; you’d look weird.”

She grabbed her robes from Lucan and left the Clocktower yard. Sebastian looked at Prewett and spoke in a low voice.

“Selene can see Thestrals. And she lost her mother. Even you should be able to connect the dots, you moron.”

“I… I’m really sorry. I didn’t know…”

“Well, you knew about my parents, so that alone should’ve stopped you. But whatever. You and I have a history of differences, but if you ever hurt Selene again, whether with words or anything else, you’ll be missing much more than just your eyebrows.”

“I won’t,” Prewett said seriously. “And please tell her I’m truly sorry.”

“You can tell her yourself. After she calms down a bit. I’ll make sure of it,” Sebastian said, sadistically enjoying the anger on Prewett’s face.

“It goes both ways, Sallow. If you hurt her, you’ll regret it, and even your ominous friend won’t be able to help you.”

Sebastian snorted.

“That’s the worst pun on his name I’ve ever heard, and believe me, I’ve made and heard many of them over the years. And don’t worry about me, Prewett. Selene can defend herself just fine.”

Prewett still looked angry, but reluctantly nodded.

Selene was standing outside the Clocktower, thankfully having her robes put on. She still looked angry, but her expression softened when she saw him.

“Still got your eyebrows, I see,” she said.

“Prewett has his as well.”

“I’ll check on this later. I have a Summoner’s Court match with him tomorrow.”

“The guy just enjoys getting his arse kicked by pretty girls. Can’t blame him, though.” Sebastian shook his head, and Selene laughed. Then her expression grew more serious.

“What he said earlier, about your parents… Is that why you can see Thestrals? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Yes. And it’s okay; it’s been several years now. The first time was really hard, though, for both me and my sister. We had to move in with our uncle, and that… wasn’t always easy.”

“I’m sorry, Sebastian.” She gently stroked his arm and smiled sympathetically.

“It’s alright. I didn’t want to distract you from your well-deserved victory with my family drama. By the way, why didn’t you let Charlotte fire her Depulso at me? You would’ve been a solo winner, and that sounds much better than a co-winner.”

“People would ask questions,” she shook her head. “This way, everyone will assume I got lucky and you took them all down, but if I won single-handedly, there’d be more attention than I need right now.”

“How very Slytherin of you,” he teased and laughed at her expression.

“Oh, please. We’ve already had this discussion, and you said it yourself: I look good in blue.”

“You do. But you wouldn’t look bad in green either.”

“Hmm. But you know who are the real colour disasters? Leander and Garrett. Redheads should think twice before going to Gryffindor – they look like they’re trying to make our eyes hurt.”

“Maybe that was the intention.” Sebastian suggested.

“How very Slytherin of them.”

And they both laughed.

“Are they related?” Selene asked.

“No, at least not more related than any two pure-blood families.”

“Waste of potential if you ask me. Just imagine the redheadedness if a Weasley marries a Prewett,” she snorted. “And all their ridiculously red-headed kids end up in Gryffindor.”

“Making half the school wish they were colourblind,” Sebastian muttered.

“Exactly!” Selene beamed. “Glad you get me.”

He was glad she could laugh and smile like this. He wished Ominis could hear her laughing. No way could he continue with his ridiculous paranoia against Selene.

“Speaking of fiery things – ready to learn Confringo? I promised you, after all.”

“Of course.” Selene’s expression shifted to determination in an instant.

“Very well. Undercroft it is. Lead the way.”

She found her way surprisingly quickly and mastered Confringo not-so-surprisingly fast. After she fired off several spells at candelabras, they both sat down on a dusty sofa that he and Ominis had found and brought to the Undercroft during their third year.

“So, I have done my part. I’ve earned a secret,” he said, looking at her. Selene sighed.

“Right. I can tell you, but please, not a word to anyone else. It’s pretty personal and… humiliating for me.”

“Not a word, Selene. I promise.”

Selene sighed again and started, not looking at him.

“Everything I’ve said to you until now was technically the truth. My father is indeed a Muggle, and my mother… I don’t know exactly if she’s still alive, but she’s probably not in Britain. I was raised thinking that she died in childbirth, but my father told me the truth when I was fifteen. She was a witch – a Muggle-born witch from a poor family. She seduced my father, a wealthy bachelor, using Amortentia.”

“I’m very sorry, Selene,” Sebastian said softly. She nodded.

“That’s alright. Well, her plan worked for a while. He married her, almost got disowned from his family, but in the end, everyone accepted his choice, especially after she got pregnant with me. It could have worked if an old childhood friend hadn’t visited my father and her for a 5 o’clock tea. My father hadn’t seen him since they were eleven, before this friend left for a mysterious boarding school no one had heard of.”

“Hogwarts,” Sebastian guessed, and she nodded.

“My mother didn’t know this. So, she served my father his usual Amortentia tea. The friend was a competent wizard – he was even an Auror – so he recognised it immediately.”

“Oh no,” Sebastian muttered.

“Yes. My father finally saw my mother for who she really was. Since she was very pregnant, he couldn’t just kick her out, and the child – me – was innocent in all of this. She faced an Azkaban sentence for breaching the secrecy laws, and my father, being a kind man, didn’t want that for the mother of his child, no matter what she had done to him. So they reached an agreement. She stayed with him, gave birth to me, and then left the country. My father gave her enough money to start a new life in America. In exchange, she made the Unbreakable Vow never to contact my father or me again.”

Selene was slightly shaking, and Sebastian placed his hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.

“That’s alright, Selene. You don’t have to continue.”

“I want to, though. I’ve never told anyone this, and it kind of… feels good to share,” she hesitated for a moment. “Anyway, she left, and all I have from her is my name. Apparently, I was born on a full moon night, and she somehow wanted to commemorate that. My father and his friend thought that I might be a witch myself. So, his friend helped my father learn about the wizarding world as much as possible. He helped him buy books and shared everything he knew. I didn’t show any accidental magic as a child, but there was still a chance, so my father tried to prepare me. He loved me, and he was already aware of how the wizarding world treats Muggle-borns – especially witches. So, he wanted to give me a better choice than what my mother had.”

Selene sighed again.

“I want to hate her for what she did to my father, but… can I really blame her, knowing the choices she had? She could hardly become anything more than an undersecretary to an undersecretary, no matter how brilliant she was, all while seeing pure-bloods being handed positions, status, and money, no matter how dumb they were?”

“Was she brilliant?” Sebastian asked.

“If you believe her, she had eight N.E.W.T.s, five of them Outstanding. Plus, she was able to brew Amortentia, which is not an easy potion.”

“Well, seems like you got your intelligence from her, then,” Sebastian tried to cheer her up, but Selene shook her head.

“Her Muggle family was poor too. So, she had a choice between being a nobody in the wizarding world or a poor woman in the Muggle world. She chose to be a rich woman. Can I blame her? I was born into a rich family already, and I would never have to know poverty. It’s easy to blame her without knowing poverty firsthand.”

Sebastian exhaled.

“I don’t know that much about the Muggle world, so I can’t speak to her choices there. But here, she could have been a researcher, a professor at Hogwarts!”

“How many Hogwarts professors are Muggle-born, Sebastian?” Selene asked quietly, and he had to think about it.

“Well, Garlick is Muggle-born,” he said carefully, remembering how Ominis had told him of the scandal and how his and other pure-blood families had opposed her position.

“Yes. Who else?”

Sebastian thought hard, but couldn’t come up with any others. 

“You’re right. My parents were professors too, and I never thought it was easier for them just because they were pure-bloods. Our family isn’t anywhere near as influential as the Gaunts or Blacks, but still, I was never treated the way pure-bloods treat everyone beneath them.”

Selene sighed.

“My father tried his best. He really thought I was a witch, so he hired tutors – mostly Muggle-born ones – to teach me about magic. I learned everything I could without actually doing magic. I read books on History of Magic, Arithmancy, Runes – everything. I even brewed potions. I practiced wand movements and duelling stances with a training wand. It was risky, and probably expensive. But it was worth it to my father, because even as a girl, I needed to be able to defend myself in case someone wanted to harm me.”

“As you effectively demonstrated,” Sebastian said, and she actually smiled a bit.

“I turned eleven, then twelve, then thirteen, and still no sign of magic. I started practicing Occlumency, since it was something even a Muggle could do, hoping it would somehow awaken my magic. My father was about to give up and pressure me into a Muggle marriage. I was about to give up too, but shortly before my sixteenth birthday, I finally managed to burn the drapes in our living room. That made me almost as happy as the magic itself. I hated those ugly things.”

Sebastian laughed, imagining Selene being shocked, then happy both about the drapes and the magic. Selene looked at him and laughed as well.

“I had to be careful with Professor Fig, not showing him exactly what I already knew and could do. He didn’t seem to suspect anything, saying that I was an exceptionally hardworking and dedicated student. And now, with all this ancient magic… if I know a thing or two more than I technically should, it pales in comparison.”

“That’s true,” Sebastian said slowly. “Your knowledge about Hippogriffs impressed me way less than blasting that troll into pieces.”

“I still don’t know how I did it. There’s so little information on ancient magic, and even Professor Fig’s wife, Miriam, couldn’t find much on it. There are hardly any mentions of people like me, or what’s possible with my power. And… it’s scaring me a little.”

“It shouldn’t scare you. Yes, you have power, but you also have a choice in how to use it. Disintegrating a troll to save our lives was a good choice.”

“Maybe. But would disintegrating a human or a goblin be a good choice? In self-defence, or in cold blood? If I murdered Ranrok in his sleep, is that good or bad?”

“You won’t get any objection from me for killing a goblin, self-defence or not,” Sebastian growled, and Selene looked at him in confusion.

“Goblins are treated no better than Muggle-borns by wizards, maybe even worse. They are no less intelligent than humans, so killing one would be equivalent to –”

“No, it wouldn’t, and you’re not foolish enough to actually think that!” Sebastian snapped. Selene frowned, and he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “I’m sorry. The goblins… they cursed my sister.”

“Cursed? I thought she was just unwell.”

“Cursed. Simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They said children should be seen, not heard. I’m looking for a cure, but it feels like I’m the only one who hasn’t given up on her. Everyone else seems to have accepted that there’s no hope.”

“There are no unbreakable curses, as stated in the “Fundamental Laws of Magic” by Adalbert Waffling,” Selene said, and Sebastian gave her a puzzled look.

“What? Professor Fig is a professor of Magical Theory. He was kind enough to share some articles on the subject with me.” 

“Nothing. Go on,” Sebastian urged.

“I’m by no means an expert in magical theory, but there are Laws, and all magic – the normal, my ancient magic, even the twisted goblin magic – must adhere to those Laws. They’re not unlike Muggle Newton’s Laws, and I suspect Professor Waffling might have drawn inspiration from them.”

“Newton’s Laws?” Sebastian asked, intrigued.

“Well, the very existence of magic seems to contradict Muggle science, but it doesn’t. Magic simply has its own scientific rules, as outlined by Professor Waffling, and they oddly resemble Muggle fundamental laws.”

“Alright, then. Tell me about these Muggle fundamental laws.”

Selene regarded him sceptically.

“Sebastian, I tried explaining them to Professor Fig, and it took him quite some time to grasp them fully.”

“I’m not stupid, you know.”

“I’m not saying that you are. I’m just –”

Selene didn’t get to finish her sentence before the gates to the Undercroft opened, revealing none other than Ominis.

“Sebastian, there you are. I was – wait a second. You’re not alone, are you?”

“Hello, Ominis. And no, I’m not alone, but that’s alright. You’re welcome to hear Selene’s lecture on Muggle science.”

“Her,” Ominis hissed the word so venomously that for a moment, Sebastian thought his friend had used Parseltongue. “Please tell me you weren’t snogging here.”

“Selene has a name, Ominis. I’ve told you that already,” Sebastian said, lowering his voice. “And no, there was no snogging. At least, not yet.”

Selene turned a slight shade of pink at this. Ominis, of course, couldn’t see it.

“You’re unbelievable, Sebastian. Absolutely unbelievable. You know how much the Undercroft means to us, to me, and yet here you are, inviting her, of all people, this… this… Muggle-born.” Ominis seemed to restrain himself at the last second.

“So much for opposing your family’s views, Ominis. The true nature has shown itself at last. Go ahead, tell Selene what exactly you just tried to call her. You should write a letter to your father. He’d be so proud.”

“You know damn well I didn’t mean it like that. I hate her being here because you betrayed me, not because of her being a Muggle-born, if she even is one!”

“Maybe I should write to Mr Gaunt then. Tell him his son will stay with his family over the summer, not with some blood-traitor. That’s what your family calls us, the pure-bloods who don’t go around cursing Muggles and Muggle-borns, right? And she has a bloody name!”

“Stop it! Both of you!” Selene yelled, her voice trembling with emotion. Sebastian saw the tears welling in her eyes. Ominis, of course, couldn’t see, but he could probably hear them. Selene took a deep breath, then spoke with more strength. “Ominis, I’m sorry for invading your privacy. That was not my intent, and if I’d known how much the Undercroft means to you, I wouldn’t have come here with Sebastian. I’m sorry.”

She sighed, and Ominis’ face softened a little, but she continued in a firm tone. “However, that still doesn’t give you a reason to call me – or try to call me – that word. I haven’t done anything to you personally, except for being here.”

“I apologise. I shouldn’t have said that,” Ominis admitted, his voice quiet. “I still don’t like you being here.”

“Fair enough,” Selene nodded, then turned to Sebastian. “And you. Are you out of your bloody mind? After what Leander said to you today, you stoop so low as to mention Ominis’ family? If you really believe your family defines you, then you shouldn’t waste your time with me, after what I told you about mine.”

Sebastian was taken aback by her words.

“No, I don’t believe that. I just got angry after he almost called you… you know what.”

“I can protect myself, Sebastian. Thank you,” Selene answered, a bit irritated. “And no more jokes about snogging. It’s vulgar and makes me long for a girl-only education.”

“Technically, it was Ominis who mentioned snogging first.”

“You’re not helping, Sebastian,” she sighed. “Now, I think I should leave and let you two talk.”

“Please stay. I still want to hear your lecture on Muggle science,” Sebastian pleaded.

Selene sighed again, looking at Ominis curiously. She wasn’t very skilled at communicating with him – after all, he couldn’t read her facial expressions or tell if she was looking at him. 

“What do you say, Ominis? Do you want to hear about Muggle science? Or are your prejudices too strong?”

“Sebastian,” Selene warned, her voice low.

“Alright. I’d like to learn about your Muggle science then. Assuming you’re truly a Muggle-born, and not just pretending.”

“Okay, then,” Selene replied and began.

It took a while, but Sebastian finally grasped the concept behind the three laws. Surprisingly, Ominis caught on much faster than him, likely due to his Arithmancy proficiency.

“And Muggles came up with all this? Fascinating. So simple, yet elegant,” Ominis said to Selene, examining her drawings with his wand.

“Yes. I could probably ask my father to send me some of my old books on this. They explain it better than I can,” Selene suggested. “I saw you reading books with your wand, Ominis.”

He shook his head.

“I can’t read Muggle books unless someone reads them aloud. The ink wizards use is slightly different and has just enough magic for my wand to react to it.”

“Oh. I’m sorry about that,” Selene said, looking a little sad, but her face brightened. “Do you know French, by any chance?”

“Of course, I do,” Ominis replied, slightly offended. “French, Latin, and German were taught at home whenever my family wasn’t hissing at each other in Parseltongue.”

“Parseltongue… the snake language?” Selene’s eyes widened. “Are you a Parselmouth?”

“Yes. My whole family is.”

Sebastian immediately understood why Ominis disliked discussing his family, and even Selene seemed to realise this too.

“That’s a rare and fascinating ability, but… the fact that you know French is more important.”

“Why?” Ominis asked with suspicion.

“Because there are books written in a language that even the blind can read. Even Muggles. Well, technically, in several languages, but my point stands.”

“What do you mean?” Ominis asked, completely confused.

“There are encoding systems that allow the blind to read with their fingers. Each letter is represented by a combination of raised dots on a page, and a person can learn to read it with their fingers. The most popular system in France is called Braille, created by a blind French Muggle named Louis Braille. Many books are written in this system in French. There are also English books, but the system isn’t as widespread in Britain as in France. There are other systems used in the USA, but they aren’t common in Europe, and ordering books from America can be difficult.”

Ominis was quiet, deep in thought.

“I always wondered how the blind Muggles read. I even asked my brother once, and he replied that Muggles are filthy animals who can hardly read, even if they can see. He told me I should be glad I was born a wizard. Then he hexed me, which didn’t exactly make me glad about being a wizard, and I never asked again.” Ominis said dryly.

“I’m really sorry about that, Ominis,” Selene reached out and touched his hand, being cautious, unsure if it was alright. Ominis flinched slightly but allowed her touch. “No child should ever be punished for curiosity.”

“Words of a Ravenclaw,” Sebastian muttered sarcastically but placed a hand on Ominis’ shoulder, knowing his friend needed support when his family came up.

“I can write to my father and ask if he can find any materials in Braille. Maybe in English first, and some resources on how to teach it to adults.”

“Why?” Ominis asked, still suspicious.

“So that I – or someone else who can see – could help you learn. I’m sure you’d be able to, since you already use your wand to read.”

“I mean, why would you do that for me? Especially after what I almost called you.”

The suspicion in Ominis’ voice tightened Sebastian’s chest. He was reminded of his younger self, unable to trust that anyone could genuinely want to help him.

“It wasn’t a nice thing to say, but you didn’t actually say it, and you were provoked.”

“Still, why would you do this for someone you don’t even know?”

“Because I can,” Selene said simply. “Because I see someone I can help, and why shouldn’t I?”

Ominis still looked wary.

“Fine. If it’s not too much trouble for you and your father, I would very much appreciate any Braille materials and any help learning. You’ll be compensated for your time and any expenses.”

“I don’t need anything,” Selene protested, but Ominis waved her off.

“Please. Nothing would make me happier than wasting my father’s money on Muggle things. I can’t get Muggle money, but I hope you’ll accept Galleons.”

Selene giggled.

“All right, then. I’ll write to my father, and he can deduct the expenses from my allowance. I’ll get wizarding money from you. It’s more convenient anyway. Father hates going to Gringotts.”

“Your father goes to Gringotts?” Ominis asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Eh… once or twice, yes. He needed to change Muggle money to Galleons for my supplies.” Selene explained.

“And clothes. Too many clothes,” Sebastian added.

“Not my fault my baggage got destroyed! Samantha loaned me clothes for my first day, but I had to buy everything else again.”

“Your baggage got destroyed?” Ominis asked, concerned.

“Yes. Thankfully, nothing too important – just clothes and supplies. Professor Fig and I were lucky to survive at all, so it could have been worse.” She spoke quickly, probably not wanting to dwell on the death she’d witnessed.

“I’m sorry. And I’m glad you survived,” Ominis said quietly, and Selene smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Selene doesn’t seem like a monster now, does she, Ominis?” Sebastian said before he could think. Selene’s eyes widened, and tears welled up in them.

“You thought I was a monster? Why?” Selene asked quietly, her voice a mix of surprise and hurt.

“Thank you, Sebastian,” Ominis responded sarcastically, letting out a weary sigh. “I never called you a monster. I only said your magic felt different.”

Selene blinked, the sadness still in her eyes, but curiosity now taking over. “You can see ancient magic too?”

Ominis shook his head slightly. “I can’t see anything, as you might have guessed. But I can feel magic. Well, my wand can. And yours feels different.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. But is that really enough to call me a monster?”

“I never called you that.”

“You implied it,” Sebastian chimed in.

“And I never implied it. I was just suspicious of you – a new girl with different magic and too much knowledge of the wizarding world.”

“There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for both her knowledge and her magic,” Sebastian said. “You might have heard it, Ominis, if you weren’t so suspicious and tried to be nice to her.”

“That’s alright. I can understand you being cautious, especially if you can feel my magic,” Selene sighed. “I really should go now. I promised Zenobia I’d play Gobstones with her, and she’s probably waiting.”

“Selene, please.” Sebastian begged, but she shook her head.

“It’s fine. It was nice meeting you, Ominis. I wish it had been under better circumstances. Sorry again about the Undercroft, and I’ll let you know when I hear from my father.”

With that, she left.

“Nicely done, Sebastian. Just awesome,” Ominis said sarcastically. “Did you really have to tell her this?”

“Selene deserves to know the truth about what you thought of her.”

Ominis shook his head. “You are unbelievable. As always.”

“Well, thanks to you, I don’t get to hear about the three very important magic laws she was about to tell me. And it might’ve helped me cure Anne!”

“There’s nothing in the three fundamental magic laws about reversing curses!”

“I don’t care! If anything, it was nice talking to someone who believes there’s a cure for a change!”

“Well, excuse me for interrupting your talking slash snogging session here!”

“There was no snogging!”

“You said ‘yet!’”

“It was a bloody joke!”

Sebastian exhaled heavily, and Ominis sat beside him.

“It was just… so easy when Anne was around. We never fought,” Ominis said quietly.

“It was,” Sebastian agreed. “And it will be again. With or without Selene’s help, I’ll find a cure.”

“I’m sure you’ll do anything for this, Sebastian. I just don’t know if the purpose justifies the means.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? What could be more important than Anne’s life?”

“Your own life? Your soul?”

“Don’t start on this again, Ominis.”

“I just want you to stay away from anything Dark.”

Sebastian had to take a deep breath to calm down. “I’m not doing anything Dark,” he said, though his thoughts contradicted him. “And I really have hope for Selene’s magic. I’ve seen her do things that seem impossible, so who knows what else she can do? And her magic isn’t Dark.”

“No, it’s not,” Ominis responded quietly. “It’s just different, but it doesn’t feel Dark at all. I should know.”

“Exactly.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“What did she mean, ‘after what Prewett said to you today?’” Ominis asked suddenly.

“Prewett was pissed that Selene and I won the Crossed Wands duel. I said he learned Confringo from his parents, and he replied that it wasn’t his fault I didn’t have parents to learn from.”

“Oh, he didn’t say that,” Ominis growled.

“He did. But before I could respond, Selene already had him at wand-point and demanded he apologise.”

“I would’ve hexed him. You two provoke each other enough, but saying something like that… unforgivable.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but feel slightly amused seeing his usually composed friend so enraged.

“Selene certainly looked like she would. Prewett apologised, but I’m afraid being threatened by her only made him like her more. She can be positively terrifying when she’s angry, but Prewett seems to be into it,” Sebastian smirked. “He has a crush on her. He barely even attacked her during the duel, tried to impress her with the Chinese cabbages, and the look on his face when she took off her robes for the duel was enough to make me want to fry him with a Confringo.”

“And you?” Ominis asked quietly. “Do you have a crush on Selene?”

Sebastian was silent for a while.

“She’s not bad-looking, and she’s really smart, and I like it when she smiles or laughs, and it’s just nice talking to her, teasing her, and she’s absolutely adorable when she blushes, but…”

“It sounds like you do have a crush on her,” Ominis murmured.

“But I don’t have time for that. I need to find the cure. I might need Selene for this. I’m not risking whatever friendship we’ve managed to build for some stupid teenage romance. It’s not important right now. Besides, she’s not even my type.”

“How do you know your type?” Ominis asked sarcastically.

“Blond, curly hair, preferably a Hufflepuff. Sweet and nice,” Sebastian answered, thinking back to his brief crush on Adelaide Oakes last year.

“Selene seems nice. Probably not blond, since everyone compares her to the Blacks.”

“No, not blond. And yes, she’s very nice, always ready to help a stranger and pet half the cats in Hogsmeade. But that’s not the point. I don’t have time for this, and Selene doesn’t seem to be interested in boys right now. She turned as red as a tomato when you mentioned snogging. Muggles don’t even have schools where boys and girls study together, you know?”

“They don’t? How do they even get to know each other?” Ominis asked, his voice full of shock. Sebastian laughed.

“I asked her that too. She seemed pretty uncomfortable with the topic, so I let it go.”

“Surprisingly tactful of you.”

“I can be tactful, you know.”

“That’s the surprising part, like I said.”

“It’s surprising that there’s something you don’t know. After all, you are…”

“Don’t you dare…”

“Omniscient.”

“Really? You just said that?”

“Hey, it’s still better than what Prewett called you today, my ominous friend.”

“Ugh. Sometimes I wish my family had thought more carefully about how they named their children. Unfortunately, it’s not even in the top ten of their worst crimes, but it still stings.”

“Hey, at least it’s better than some names. There’s this annoying first-year in Ravenclaw named Zenobia. Who in their right mind calls their child Zenobia and lets her play Gobstones? It’s like her parents wanted her to be bullied.”

“Zenobia’s still better than Ominis, you know.”

“I can always call you Zenobia if you want. Or Sophronia, another excellent Ravenclaw name. Ravenclaw seems to attract weirdly named individuals.”

“Selene isn’t a weird name,” Ominis commented.

“No, it’s not,” Sebastian said, his voice suddenly tight.

“I’ll talk to her later,” Ominis said. “But not now. She needs some time.”

“Agreed. Let’s go grab some dinner. I’m starving.”

Chapter Text

Sebastian was glad that the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables were adjacent. He would’ve hated eating next to the loud Gryffindors, or the slightly less loud Hufflepuffs. The Ravenclaw table was the quietest, with at least half of the students buried in books, and the other half engaged in scientific discussions that he couldn’t understand, so he could just tune it all out as white noise. Today, however, there was an intense discussion taking place around Selene. He was sitting close enough to overhear, but the Ravenclaws were smart enough to keep their voices low. Sighing, he whispered a quick spell to improve his hearing. Ominis shook his head disapprovingly, but leaned closer, clearly curious as well.

“She is not a true hatstall, Everett, I’ve already told you,” Samantha said, her voice tinged with annoyance. “Selene spent only four and a half minutes with the hat. A hatstall takes at least five minutes.”

“That’s close enough, if you ask me,” Clopton said, not getting the hint to shut up. “I always wondered what the hat would say in cases like that.”

“It’s too personal to ask, Everett. And ‘close enough’ seems to be your motto, which is why we lost house points today. You were ‘close enough’ not to get caught by Kogawa, but here we are.”

“I was flying too,” Selene tried to interject, but Samantha brushed her off.

“At least you earned some points earlier – for the duel with Sallow in Defence and brewing the perfect Wiggenweld. Everett, on the other hand, is nothing but a constant points drain,” Samantha sighed.

“Speaking of Sallow, is it true you duelled him at Crossed Wands today? Lucan from Gryffindor can’t stop talking about it,” Sophronia Franklin, who was in the same year as Lucan, asked.

“It’s true,” Selene answered carefully. “But I couldn’t have done it without Sebastian. He’s a really great duellist.”

“Not to mention, he’s hot,” Constance Dagworth commented, and Selene, who had just taken a sip of pumpkin juice, started coughing loudly. Samantha quickly thumped her on the back.

“What? Sallow is hot. Don’t you all think so?”

Ominis looked like he was struggling to suppress a laugh, while Selene turned the same shade of pink she was earlier when Sebastian mentioned snogging. Sebastian felt flattered but weirdly embarrassed being talked about like that.

“I don’t think of him like that. Sebastian is a friend,” Selene managed to say finally.

“Well, you went to Hogsmeade with him, didn’t you?” Constance prodded.

“I did. I needed supplies, and Professor Weasley asked him to accompany me because I’m new. There’s nothing more to it,” Selene replied, still blushing. Meanwhile, Ominis snorted loudly.

“Awesome. So, you won’t object if I ask Sallow out to Hogsmeade?” Constance continued. “Just checking, because I really don’t want to end up at the wrong end of your wand again.”

“No, I won’t object,” Selene said quietly.

“I don’t know, Sallow’s not bad-looking, but he’s not the hottest Slytherin if you ask me. Gaunt’s way hotter. Blond, pale as a ghost, mysterious, can’t see shit – and you don’t have to worry about makeup ever again. Plus, he’s rich. Perfect husband material,” a dark-haired Ravenclaw said, and Sebastian had to press his hand to his mouth to suppress a laugh. 

“Like hell would the Gaunts allow him to ever marry you, Isolde,” Constance snorted, and Sebastian remembered: Isolde Vane.

“There are potions for that,” Isolde shrugged, and Ominis hastily pushed his pumpkin juice away.

“Don’t you bloody dare. Don’t you even think about it. I’ll hex you if you ever whisper anything about love potions again,” Selene hissed, her eyes blazing with the same fury she’d shown when Prewett mentioned Sebastian’s family.

“You’re doxy-shit crazy,” Isolde muttered, but quickly looked away. “Claiming both hottest Slytherins for yourself, you little wanton… Muggle-born.”

She pronounced the last word with such disdain that it was clear which other term she meant.

“Call me whatever you want, I don’t care,” Selene shot back, her wand pointing at Isolde now. “But hurt my friends, and whatever’s left of you will have to be collected in a shoe box.”

“You’re nuts,” Isolde whispered, but she quickly stood up and left the table.

“You’re all nuts,” Clopton commented. “The hottest in the whole school? Professor Garlick, dear Mirabel, sweet as her name.”

A collective “Eww” rang through the table.

“She’s a professor! Not to mention, older than us!” Samantha exclaimed.

“She’s only a few years older! Half the sixth-year girls take Potions just because they think Sharp is hot, and he’s ancient compared to Mirabel!” Clopton argued.

“How do you know what sixth-year girls think?” Astoria asked loudly.

“Can we please talk about something else?” Selene said, now completely red. “I really need to get used to boys and girls studying together.”

“Oh, Muggles don’t study together? Well, get used to it. There are lots of tasty morsels here, whether you’re into boys, girls, or both. Professors’ table has something to offer as well, if you’re weird like Everett,” Constance teased.

“I’m not weird!” Clopton protested.

“You are, but that’s not the point. It’s fifth year, Selene. Most of us are going to start dating soon, if we’re not dating already. So, I’ll ask Sallow out this weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if Prewett asks you out, the way he looked at you during Herbology.”

“Leander might be into me?” Selene asked in disbelief. Constance laughed, and Sebastian smirked. Selene was smart, but she was as blind as Ominis when it came to understanding relationships.

“The way he looked at you? Hell, yeah. I wish Sebastian would look at me like that – like he’s undressing you with his eyes.”

“You’re lucky Anne Sallow isn’t here this year, Constance,” Samantha said, “She would have hexed you for talking about her brother like that.”

Constance swallowed hard.

“The Slytherin twins are overly protective of each other, that’s true. Sebastian duelled three seventh-years just because one of them looked at Anne’s arse,” Astoria said. “They all ended up in the Hospital Wing, lost a hundred points, but Slytherin still won the cup because the Headmaster is a pretentious, biased douche.”

“And when Sebastian came back from the Hospital Wing, Anne cursed his hair pink for daring to protect her when she didn’t need it,” Constance added. “He walked around with pink hair for three days until Anne was merciful enough to reverse it. But he still looked hot, even with pink hair.”

“Anne seems fun. I wish I could meet her,” Selene said, laughing, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from Sebastian’s hotness.

“We all miss her dearly,” Constance said affectionately, and Sebastian’s chest tightened. “There’s just something about her that makes you love her instantly. She’s smart, witty, but also so sweet and kind.”

“Not to mention cute. Not as cute as Mirabel, though,” Clopton added, and Sebastian grimly thought that Clopton really needed to be hexed soon. Ominis had long since given up on trying not to laugh and was giggling at the mention of Anne turning Sebastian’s hair pink.

“Are you both drunk? Or high?” Imelda glared at them suspiciously.

Later, lying in bed, Sebastian couldn’t help but comment:

“Heard that, Ominis? You are husband material.”

“Better than a tasty morsel, thank you very much,” Ominis shot back, and Sebastian snorted.

“Merlin, if I knew that girls talk about us like this...”

“I’ll ask Professor Sharp to show us how to identify Love Potions. I’ll probably be able to smell some, but who knows what smell-less potions exist,” said Ominis.

“If you believe Clopton, Sharp himself needs to be on his guard. Can you imagine that some girls find him hot?”

“I know that my own sister had a thing for Headmaster Black, so I’m not surprised by anything at this point,” Ominis responded dryly.

“Eww. He’s old and married, not to mention an empty-headed moron. At least Sharp is single and competent.”

“Didn’t seem to bother her. Still better than marrying your own uncle if you ask me.”

Sebastian almost barfed. It was true – Ominis’ older sister had married her father’s younger brother. Ominis was positively disgusted by this.

“I don’t want to think about this.”

“Aunt Noctua offered it to me once,” Ominis said after some silence.

“What?”

“An arranged marriage. My father always had a soft spot for her, and since she and I were pretty much the only halfway decent Gaunts, she thought it would make sense. Pretend to follow the tradition, pure-blood and all, while living together as friends. She was only a few years older, so it would’ve been believable enough. I refused. I still wonder whether she would’ve gone to discover the Scriptorium and gone missing if I’d agreed. Maybe I should have agreed.”

“You shouldn’t have, Ominis. Even pretending to be in love with your own aunt is disgusting enough for most people.”

“For normal people, yes. Not for my family.”

“Not to mention that, in that case, both you and your aunt would lose the chance to marry someone you would actually love,” Sebastian added.

“Not that any of us would’ve had this chance anyway,” Ominis murmured. “Aunt Noctua was the nicest Gaunt in probably hundreds of years, but she still wasn’t brave enough to leave this forsaken family behind.”

“Maybe. And you?” Sebastian asked. “You left this family. And you’ve heard girls talking. Blond, mysterious, rich, husband material and all. Girls seem to like it.”

“I’d rather not marry someone under the influence of a Love potion, thank you very much. Even my family doesn’t go that low. Gaunts are too proud for Love potions. They simply stick to brainwashing children into thinking that marrying cousins is normal.”

“How very noble of them,” Sebastian snorted. “But the point stands. You could find a girl who wouldn’t be your aunt.”

“I... even if I could, I wouldn’t. I just can’t continue... this,” Ominis said in a very low voice. “My blindness is a result of generations of incest marriages. Considering that my siblings ended up being merciless psychopaths, I deem blindness as a better option. I just can’t have children, thinking about what other family curse I could pass on to them, and it’s unfair to any girl to not be able to give her children.”

“There are girls who don’t want – or can’t – have children. And I bet you can have healthy children with someone as unrelated to you as possible, maybe a Muggle-born or a Muggle.”

“I can’t live in the Muggle world without my wand guiding me. Not to mention that any non-pure-blood girl would have a target on her back for marrying me. You can’t imagine what lengths my family would go to,” Ominis added grimly. “And no girl deserves that. Not even the one who was ready to drag me with Love potions.”

“Selene was born like this. Her Muggle-born witch mother dragged her rich Muggle father with Amortentia,” Sebastian said quietly. “It seems to bother her a lot.”

“Poor Selene,” Ominis responded quietly. “I just hope that she won’t ever discover what is thought of Amortentia children.”

“What do you mean?” Sebastian asked in confusion.

Ominis sighed.

“It’s thought that children conceived under Love potion would never be able to feel love or empathy themselves. Basically, they’d be loveless psychopaths.”

“Don’t you dare tell Selene this,” Sebastian growled.

“I’m not stupid, Sebastian. Of course, I would never tell her this. But she will find out, sooner or later.”

“Let’s hope for later. It’s bad enough that her father told her even that much. I have no idea what he was thinking. Some truths are better left untold.”

“I agree. I would have preferred not knowing that my father and my mother are cousins, and probably related in at least half a dozen other ways.”

“I would have preferred not knowing what Uncle Solomon thinks of me, but here we are,” Sebastian said sarcastically.

“Selene might know already,” Ominis added quietly. “She didn’t care much when I almost called her a... you know what. But she burst into tears when you tactfully said that I thought she was a monster. It seemed to really hurt her.”

Shit, Sebastian thought. Ominis, as always, was surprisingly perceptive.

“Selene is not a monster. She felt guilty for killing a troll in self-defence. She almost cried when I told her about Anne’s curse. She pet every second cat in her eyesight and patiently listened to Amit’s astronomy rambling.”

“The last one seals the deal, then,” Ominis commented sardonically. “But I agree. I misjudged her. She volunteered to help me with Muggle reading after I called her names.”

“You rarely misjudge people. One might even say...”

“Don’t you dare...”

“You are omniscient,” Sebastian laughed.

“Twice a day with the same pun? That’s a new low, Sebastian.”

Sebastian knew that Ominis was still smiling.

“Are you attracted to girls? Or boys?” Sebastian asked.

“I am. To girls,” Ominis answered quietly. “Not that it changes anything in my plans.”

“How? You can’t even see if the girl is pretty.”

“There’s more to attractiveness than looks. Voice, smell. I suppose the tactile sense as well, although I’ve never touched a girl like that to know,” Ominis blushed slightly. “And the personality, of course.”

“Huh. Makes sense, I guess,” Sebastian said.

“Of course, it makes sense. Girls are not only looks, they have character and brains, you know. One can even say...”

“I feel like a very bad pun is coming,” Sebastian murmured.

“You are shallow, Sallow.”

“Yes. Knew it. Your puns are like a hundred times worse than mine, Ominis. They are...”

“Oh, come on!” Ominis threw a pillow at him with a surprisingly good aim for a blind person.

“Your puns are ominous,” Sebastian threw the pillow back.

“Throwing objects at a blind person? That’s low, Sebastian.”

“You started first!” Sebastian protested. Ominis snorted in return.

“Are you attracted to Anne?” Sebastian dreaded the answer, but had to ask now.

“I love her more than anyone else, save for maybe Aunt Noctua. But no, I’m not attracted to Anne and never was. She is a sister to me, in everything but the name. We all three have basically adopted and raised each other, didn’t we?” Sebastian could hear tears in Ominis’ voice.

“Yeah. Yes, we did,” he replied.

Ominis was silent for some time.

“I’m not attracted to Selene either. She has a nice enough voice, but her magic is throwing me completely off. I have a hard time concentrating around her.”

“I didn’t ask whether you were attracted to her.”

“You thought about asking,” Ominis replied, perceptive as always. “I like her enough, and I admit that I was wrong about her. If you want to go to Undercroft with her again, I don’t mind. Just... be careful. Don’t hurt her and don’t get hurt yourself.”

“I won’t, Ominis. Selene and I are friends. You heard her today; she’s not interested in me or other boys.”

“You didn’t say you were not interested yourself,” Ominis noted.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters now is finding a cure for Anne. After she’s cured, there will be time for other things. I can’t afford a distraction right now.”

Ominis sighed but didn’t respond to that.

Sebastian spent the rest of the week studying instead of going to the library. All the teachers seemed determined to make sure everyone understood the importance of the upcoming O.W.L.s, showering them with extra homework. Normally, Sebastian would agree about the significance of the O.W.L.s, but not now, with so many more pressing matters at stake.

Ominis had spoken to Selene. They both went to the Undercroft after lunch on Friday, with Sebastian staying outside, and spent far too much time in there for his liking. When they finally emerged, Selene looked as though she’d been crying, though she held herself together well. Ominis, as always, was unreadable.

“Oh, you’re here!” Selene exclaimed, clearly not expecting him.

“Yes. Did you cry? Did Ominis say something awful to you?” Sebastian asked, part worried, part angry, but she shook her head.

“No, of course not. Quite the opposite. I was the one doing most of the talking, and Ominis told me exactly what I needed to hear.” She met his gaze, her eyes serious. “You’re very lucky to have him as your best friend, Sebastian. Ominis is very empathetic.”

“I’ve been telling him he’s lucky to have me as a friend since our first year, but my efforts have been in vain,” Ominis commented dryly.

“Wait until she hears about your snoring, Ominis. My left ear is practically deaf because of it.”

“Oh, please. Who’s talking? You breathe louder than a Graphorn!”

“Why don’t you two just use Quietening Charms?” Selene asked curiously.

“The last time I used a Quietening Charm, Ominis woke me up because he thought I was dead,” Sebastian replied.

“Like you were actually sleeping and not doing something else at the time,” Ominis murmured. “And who told you about Quietening Charms, Selene?”

“The Ravenclaw girls. On my first night here. They mentioned some students cast them on their beds because of snoring.”

“Well, well. Who knew Ravenclaw girls were so knowledgeable about such charms?” Sebastian remarked, amused.

“Oh, please. One’s quoting potion recipes, the other sings in her sleep. The O.W.L.s year just started, and they’re already on edge. It’s impossible to sleep,” Selene sighed.

Selene seemed completely unaware of the true purpose of Quietening Charms on the beds of teenage boys (and probably girls too). Sebastian thought about teasing her about it, but ultimately decided against it.

“Do you want to hear the three fundamental magical laws? I haven’t had a chance to tell you yesterday, but I have time before our Beasts class today, so I could…” Selene asked, sounding a bit nervous.

“Right. Of course I want to hear them. Lead the way.”

They all returned to the Undercroft and Selene began her lecture.

“The first fundamental law is that the further someone goes towards meddling with the deepest, most underlying laws of magic, the more drastic and terrible the subsequent consequences will be.”

“And what does that mean?” Sebastian asked, curious.

“That means dark magic has consequences, you idiot,” Ominis said, and Selene gasped at his language. “What? I’ve been telling him this for years. I should know.”

“Well, in short, yes. Creating a Horcrux would prevent you from going to the Afterlife or becoming a ghost, and other horrible things come with equally horrible consequences.”

“Yes, but there are lots of dark wizards who don’t seem to face any consequences!” Sebastian protested.

“The consequences don’t always target the caster. There are family curses that persist only because an ancestor did something terrible!” Ominis explained. “My own blindness, my siblings’ madness – it’s not because I or they did anything wrong. It’s the result of generations of inbreeding and making enemies powerful enough to curse an entire bloodline.”

“Amortentia children are often believed to be heartless monsters incapable of love, even though they’re not at fault for what their parents did,” Selene said quietly, and Sebastian tensed. “Magical laws are not fair or unfair; they just exist, like the sun, the stars, and the universe.”

“You know you’re not a monster, Selene, and I’ve already told you that the rumours are unfounded,” Ominis said gently, but she waved him off.

“I... let’s not talk about this. The second law is that the potency of magic is bound to the clarity and resolve of the caster’s will, growing stronger with unwavering intent and faltering with the chaos of an unsettled mind.”

“So basically, know what you’re doing, or you’ll mess it up?” Sebastian said, and she nodded.

“Yes. That’s why precision and concentration are so important.”

Sebastian couldn’t really argue with the second law. She continued.

“And the third law is that the fundamental nature of things is to resist change. No transformations, charms, or magical alterations are permanent unless actively maintained or reinforced.”

She sighed.

“The laws are very fundamental and very theoretical. They are rough outlines; they can’t define all the nuances of magic. If you do something really terrible, someone will suffer the consequences, but not necessarily the caster. If you cast a spell without precision, it may misfire, or it may not cast at all – or cast something entirely different. And, finally, there are no unbreakable curses and no truly permanent charms. It’s just sometimes it’s not practically possible to break the curse or undo the charm, but the theory behind it still stands.”

“So, Anne’s curse isn’t unbreakable?” Sebastian said, his voice filled with hope. “Why does everyone say there’s no cure, then, if there are no unbreakable curses?”

“Curse-breaking is a dangerous and demanding profession, and most curse-breakers work with inanimate objects that can be blasted to pieces if necessary. Curses on people are far more nuanced and much more difficult to break without killing the person in the process,” Ominis said. “My family tried and failed many times.”

“Well, maybe your family just didn’t try hard enough or were afraid to explore other forms of magic,” Sebastian snapped.

“Really? Gaunts were afraid of Dark Magic?” Ominis sighed. “No curses are truly permanent. Even Petrificus Totalus is technically a curse, but it doesn’t last long. Many curses fade with time, or with the death of the caster, or – “

“Brilliant,” Sebastian said.

“I regret saying that,” Ominis muttered.

“No, Ominis, you were brilliant. If we find and kill this goblin, the curse will disappear. How did I not think of this?”

“Sebastian, that’s not what I meant –”

“I don’t care. I have to try,” Sebastian said resolutely.

“How are you even going to find the exact same goblin?” Ominis protested. “Anne didn’t even see him!”

“They’re still around Feldcroft. Kill them all – can’t kill the wrong one. Who knows who else they’ve cursed?”

“No,” Selene said firmly.

“What?” Sebastian turned to her, confused. “What are you saying?”

“You’re not killing innocents.”

“There are no innocent goblins! They’re all conspiring against wizardkind, dreaming of killing us. We can only win if we strike first.”

“There are innocents. There always are. The goblin at Gringotts tried to stop Ranrok, and his death saved me and Professor Fig!” Selene almost shouted.

“Well, another goblin’s death might save my sister. And even if it doesn’t, it might make me feel better. I’ll take what I can.”

“No, you won’t,” Selene snapped, standing tall and pointing her wand at him. “I kicked your arse once, and I’ll do it again if it stops you from becoming a killer. I understand you’re angry and hurt, but there has to be another solution. No killing innocents.”

“Big words from someone who was born a heartless monster,” Sebastian said before he could stop himself. Selene gasped, took a step back, her mouth falling open in shock. It was as though he’d slapped her. He could hear Ominis muttering, “Idiot,” and couldn’t agree more. “Selene, that’s not –”

“That’s exactly what you meant, Sebastian,” she said, her voice calm but filled with hurt. “Maybe you’re right. But even if I was born this way, I can still make choices that don’t make me one. And I will not stand by and let innocents die if I can prevent it.”

Sebastian could see the tears in her eyes. She angrily wiped them away, still holding her wand. “Besides, you don’t even know if it was a goblin. We saw wizards working with Ranrok. ‘Children should be seen and not heard’ – that’s a very English expression. Only someone fluent in English would say that. Most goblins prefer speaking Gobbledygook among themselves, not English.”

Selene sighed deeply.

“And there aren’t many records of goblin curses. Goblins tend to kill wizards on sight. Cursing is more of a wizard’s way of thinking,” she continued.

“How noble of them,” Sebastian said, mocking. “Just screams innocence to me. You surely know a lot about goblins. Are you sure you’re really so against Ranrok?”

Selene sighed and lowered her wand.

“You know what? I’m done here. You can make your choices. I’m making mine. You’ll need to learn as much as you can about the curse, so try to at least leave someone alive to interrogate.”

With that, she turned and left the Undercroft.

“I can practically feel what you want to say, Ominis, so let’s just get it over with,” Sebastian said tiredly.

“You are the biggest, dumbest idiot at school, Sebastian.”

“I know.”

“She cares about you. Like I do. Like Anne cares. And you’re exploiting her vulnerability, her biggest fear, the secret she entrusted you with –”

“And you, too,” Sebastian interjected.

“Because she needed to talk to someone who understood – someone who knew what it’s like to feel shame for what your ancestors have done. Because she trusted me not to use it against her. Same as she trusted you. But I guess she was wrong about you.”

“Well, maybe she should stop telling her secrets to everyone she meets.”

“I think she’ll stop, that’s for sure. I doubt she’ll ever trust you with anything again.” Ominis’ voice was heavy with disappointment.

Sebastian sighed and sat next to Ominis.

“I need to apologise, don’t I?”

“It won’t be easy. And Selene has every right not to forgive you.”

“She does. But what she said... can it be true? Could it have been a wizard?” Sebastian asked, still struggling to believe it.

Ominis sighed.

“It’s not impossible. But we’ll never know for sure. Anne didn’t see anything. We can’t go back in time.”

“Actually, there are –”

“Don’t you even think about Time Turner, Sebastian. Some things are just too much, even for you.”

“Yeah, there are,” Sebastian said grimly. Time Magic was terrifying. He knew that Professor Hecat used to be an Unspeakable and was about the same age as Headmaster Black. He didn’t even want to imagine what kind of magic had made her look twice her age.

“I’ll apologise after dinner,” Sebastian muttered to himself. “She said she has Beasts classes now anyway.”

“Hopefully Poppy will cheer her up and make her forget what an idiot you are.”

Sebastian had honestly planned to apologise to Selene after dinner. He was on his way to the Ravenclaw dining table when he heard her babbling happily.

“...and I really enjoyed hugging Gerald, and I think he enjoyed it too, because he looked very happy when I hugged him. And his tongue – Merlin, I didn’t know his tongue was so long – well, it felt a bit wet and confusing, maybe ticklish, but still very nice. But I still didn’t expect Gerald to actually do this, you know…”

Ravenclaw girls laughed at this.

“Well, now you know, Selene. Be careful with boys’ tongues.”

“Yes, but –” Selene tried to interrupt, but the Ravenclaws burst into another round of laughter, enjoying her embarrassment.

It was beyond Sebastian’s understanding how she could look so embarrassed and blush after just describing snogging someone else. He stood there, watching her. She briefly looked at him, but quickly turned her gaze away.

“Hey, Sallow,” Constance Dagworth spotted him as well.

“Dagworth,” he nodded.

“Got plans for tomorrow? I’m going to Hogsmeade and wanted to ask if you want to accompany me.”

Sebastian should have said no. He knew since yesterday that Constance wanted to ask him, and he knew he had to refuse because he didn’t have time for girls. But hearing Selene describe Gerald’s tongue made him answer without thinking.

“Sure, why not? And call me Sebastian,” he gave Constance his best flirtatious smile. He noticed Selene’s smile grow weaker, but she didn’t say anything.

“Alright then, I’m Constance. Or Connie, if you want,” she shrugged. “Meet me at the Courtyard after breakfast tomorrow.”

“That’s a date, Connie. See you tomorrow.”

He returned to the Slytherin table.

“Do you know any Gerald, Ominis?”

“I can’t think of any student or professor named Gerald,” Ominis responded calmly.

“Whatever. Maybe it’s a nickname, or another name she mispronounced. Wouldn’t put it past her to snog with a guy she doesn’t even know the name of.”

“You’re sometimes the most thoughtless, dumbest fool at this school, Sebastian, and I say that after years of sharing classes with Clopton and Weasley.”

“Whatever you say, Ominis. Whatever you say.”

Sebastian’s already foul mood darkened further when Selene became the topic of discussion in the Slytherin common room.

“And that little, annoying thing Sweeting just comes in and starts – ‘Her name’s Persephone,’” Macnair mocked Poppy’s voice with a smirk.

“Did you teach her a lesson?” another Slytherin asked.

“I haven’t yet, but I will. I couldn’t, because this new Mudblood was there, and Isolde warned me to stay away from her,” Macnair replied.

“I warn you as well, Macnair. You call her ‘Mudblood’ again, or as much as breathe the same air as her, you’re a dead man.” Sebastian’s voice was calm, but the threat was clear as he locked eyes with Macnair.

“You don’t know what she did!” Macnair stammered.

“Oh? And what exactly did she do?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

“She looked at me – like she was going to curse me to death right then and there!”

“The girl looked at you. I know it doesn’t happen often, but there’s no need to be so terrified of that, Macnair.”

“You’re a traitor, Sallow. She’s a Mudblood. Are you even a proper pure-blood if you’re defending her?” Macnair sneered.

Before Sebastian could respond, Ominis, who had been playing chess with Nerida, waved his wand with an almost casual motion.

“Serpensortia,” he uttered smoothly.

At least half a dozen black snakes slithered out of the tip of his wand. Ominis hissed at them, and the snakes immediately turned to face Macnair.

“The hell is wrong with you? You’re mad as a nest of Fwoopers, Gaunt!” Macnair screamed, trying to scramble away, but the snakes had already surrounded him. They didn’t attack, but their hissing was threatening enough to send him into a panic.

“Fwoopers are not mad, they cause madness. Why are you even in Beasts class if you don’t know the basics?” Ominis’ voice was cool. Sebastian knew that Ominis had a way of making someone feel like the dumbest person alive. “Now, let me tell you about snakes. They have poor vision – something we have in common – but they have an excellent sense of smell.” Ominis hissed once more, and all the snakes simultaneously flicked their tongues in unison. The sight would have been almost comical, had it not been for the mortified look on Macnair’s face.

“Like this,” Ominis continued, “they are smelling. And they’ve already memorised your scent. Snakes don’t care whether you’re a Muggle or a wizard; they strike with the speed of lightning. A competent wizard – which you are not – might kill one or two, but the others will still have their chance to bite. They can bite through metal, and their poison kills in mere minutes. A quick, but agonising death, with only a faint bite mark to detect. I doubt anyone would bother. In the absolute darkness of your dormitory, the snakes have the upper hand. They’re used to not being able to see. You, on the other hand, are not. Now, do you still want to call someone ‘Mudblood’ or ‘blood-traitor’? Perhaps I’m not pure-blood enough in your eyes?”

Macnair’s face drained of colour, his body shaking with sweat.

“I... I don’t think... you are a pure-blood, and Sallow too, of course. And her... I’ll never call her that again. I’ll drop the Beasts class – just... just take them away.” His voice was nearly pleading.

“Lovely,” Ominis said dryly, his tone utterly unimpressed. He hissed once more, and the snakes slithered back to him. “Vipera Evanesca”.

The snakes vanished into a cloud of black smoke. Macnair squeaked loudly and bolted from the room, likely heading straight to his dormitory.

“Bishop to G7, Nerida,” Ominis said with eerie calm, resuming his game of chess as if nothing had just happened. Nerida swallowed hard but followed the order obediently.

“What in Merlin’s saggy tits has happened here? You all look petrified. Did I just hear screaming?” Imelda Reyes strode into the common room, her broomstick in her hand.

“Hi, Imelda,” Grace Pinch-Smedley smiled nervously. “How was flying today?”

“Not bad. This new Ravenclaw even managed to beat my record. Beginner’s luck, but still,” Imelda snorted. “Half of you wimps didn’t even try. I told her to get her own broom, and then we’ll race over the lake until someone falls off.”

“But the lake –” Grace began, a note of concern in her voice.

“Oh, come on, Grace. She can swim. I asked,” Imelda added dismissively.

“She can swim? You think I can ask her to –?”

“She’s not diving for your damn astelobe,” Imelda interrupted.

“Astrolabe,” Grace corrected. “And I’d even pay her – like, 20 Galleons. That should be enough for her.”

“Her shoes cost more, trust me. She won’t swim for 20 Galleons,” Nerida commented dryly. “Knight to F6, Ominis.”

“That’s actually true,” Grace mused for a moment, before brightening. “Well, maybe she’ll dive for the sake of Ravenclaw curiosity!”

“You’re not asking her to dive into the bloody lake, Grace,” Sebastian interjected, his voice firm, unknowingly drawing Imelda’s attention.

“Sallow! Good you’re here. Get your arse outside, the Ravenclaw asked me to fetch you.”

“What? She’s standing in front of our Common Room? Alone, at this hour?” Sebastian rose from the sofa, shocked and worried.

“Aye, she is. I couldn’t exactly drag her inside, could I? You snakes would eat her alive,” Imelda retorted.

“Please don’t talk about snakes,” Nerida muttered, her face paling again.

“Seriously, why do you all look like this? And who screamed?” Imelda asked, raising an eyebrow as she scanned the room.

Sebastian didn’t hear whether or not anyone answered her. He was already heading out the door, searching for Selene.

Chapter Text

“You came,” Selene said, her eyes meeting his. She was standing near the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, leaning with her back against the wall.

“Imelda said you’re here. Have you lost your mind? I told you to stay away from Slytherin.” Sebastian said angrily.

“A heartless monster like me has nothing to be afraid of,” Selene replied. “Imelda and I heard screaming. What happened in there?”

“It’s the Slytherin Common Room. We tortured Muggles, what else?” Sebastian said dryly.

“It did sound like a girl screamed,” Selene mused, her gaze thoughtful. Sebastian couldn’t help but snort loudly.

“What? Who was it? Did someone get hurt?” Selene asked, her curiosity piqued.

“It wasn’t a girl, I can assure you of that much. Why are you here?”

“Because you still owe me a favour. And I really need one.”

“Do I look like someone who wants to do you any favours?”

“Do you think I’d ask you of all people if it wasn’t something important?” she narrowed her eyes.

“You can ask Gerald,” he suggested sarcastically.

“Very funny, Sebastian,” she replied tiredly. “Fine, whatever. I’ll do it myself.”

“Selene, wait. What is this favour you need?” he asked, his voice softening.

“I need to get into the Restricted Section. Tonight. You mentioned you know how to do it.”

“I do,” Sebastian admitted. “And what do you need from the Restricted Section?”

“We found a map that leads there. We believe it could contain something important for my magic.”

“Your special magic. You’re not that special, you know,” he muttered, the words more biting than he intended.

“You can insult me all you want, as long as you get me in there,” she replied, her voice tinged with the same tiredness. “And what do you even mean by that?”

“Fine. Let’s go,” he said, ignoring her question. “I owe you a favour, and I will keep my word.”

She followed him hastily, but soon enough, he had to steer her into an empty classroom.

“What on Earth –” she started, but he shushed her and quickly closed the door behind them, casting a Quietening charm.

“Prefects. They change the patrol routes every half hour, so we’re stuck here until they leave.”

“Awesome,” Selene groaned.

“Don’t be cranky. I doubt you’re new to hiding in classrooms with boys. Sorry if I’m the wrong one,” he said angrily.

She shot him a shocked glare before moving to the opposite end of the classroom. Sebastian instantly regretted his words – he had clearly crossed some line.

“Imelda seems to be in awe of your flying skills,” Sebastian said, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence.

“I did okay, I think. Imelda seems nice,” she replied.

Sebastian snorted in disbelief.

“What? She’s nice. A bit ambitious, but that’s just Slytherin,” Selene added.

“I still think you should have been a Slytherin. Could have fooled me with your acting.”

“What do you even mean by all that? You’re being ridiculous!” she snapped.

“Blushing and calling me vulgar for a snogging joke, all while snogging with Gerald and describing it in detail to half of Ravenclaw. I overheard you,” he said bluntly.

“I did not snog with Gerald! Eww! How could you even think that?” Her face twisted into disgust, and Sebastian had the sudden feeling that he was missing some crucial piece of the puzzle, but the anger inside him was too great to stop now.

“Oh, but you seemed so impressed by his tongue,” he shot back.

“Do you even know who Gerald is?” Selene asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Well, in contrast to you, I don’t know every boy at Hogwarts, so no, I’m yet to meet him,” Sebastian said defensively.

“He’s a puffskein, Sebastian,” she said flatly.

Sebastian stared at her in disbelief.

“What?” he managed.

“Gerald is a puffskein. Poppy’s favourite. She let me brush him, feed him, hug him, and he licked my cheek afterward, but I’d hardly call that snogging.”

Sebastian just stood there, processing what he’d just heard.

“I feel like an idiot,” he muttered finally.

“You should,” Selene replied angrily.

“I was jealous of a bloody puffskein,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yes, you… wait, you were jealous?” 

“I was… never mind,” Sebastian said hastily.

“Don’t ‘never mind’ me, Sebastian. You’re going to Hogsmeade with another girl and have the audacity to be jealous?”

“I wasn’t jealous – jealous. I was just confused because I thought you’d never snogged anyone, and then hearing you describe another bloke’s tongue –”

“Puffskein’s tongue!” 

“Well, I didn’t know that at the time! Anyway, I was confused and thought you were lying to me,” he admitted, his voice quieter now.

“I never lied to you, Sebastian,” she said, shaking her head. “And if you hadn’t said what you did earlier, I would have told you all about my Beasts lesson, including Gerald. But I really didn’t want to see you at that moment.”

Despite the dim lighting in the classroom, Sebastian could see the tears in her eyes. He stepped closer and took her into his arms. Selene tensed at first, but didn’t push him away, which he considered a good sign.

“I’m sorry. Truly. I didn’t mean what I said,” he whispered, his hand gently brushing her hair as she sobbed quietly against his chest. “You’re the farthest thing from a heartless monster, even farther than Gerald.”

“Oh, don’t say that. We have a boy in Ravenclaw who’s terrified of puffskeins,” she muttered into his chest, and he chuckled softly.

“Puffskein Dunkein? Yeah, I’ve heard of him.”

“He ran away the second I started telling others about Gerald. I felt bad for him.”

“He’ll be all right. I’m sure of it,” Sebastian said with a snort. She pushed him gently in the chest, and he reluctantly let her go.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped…” he started, though he didn’t feel sorry in the slightest.

“That’s all right,” Selene sighed. “I’m getting used to it.”

“So, have you ever...?”

“Have I what?”

“Have you ever kissed a boy? Other than Gerald.”

“Eww! And no, I haven’t. Have you?”

“No, I’ve never kissed a boy,” Sebastian said, grinning.

Selene hit his arm with surprising strength.

“That hurts! Fine, fine, I’ve kissed a girl before.”

“Oh. Were you dating?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, kind of. We went to Hogsmeade a couple of times last year, and it just... happened.”

“Are you still together?” Selene asked, her voice quieter.

“I’m not even sure we were together to begin with,” Sebastian replied, his grin fading. “But no, we’re not together anymore. We exchanged owls a couple of times over the summer, and then Anne was cursed... and, well, I had other things to worry about.”

“I’m truly sorry about Anne,” she said softly.

Sebastian nodded.

“Thank you. But I’m going to find a cure, and then I can worry about girls. And... oh Merlin, when Anne returns to Hogwarts, I’m going to have to worry about all the boys chasing after her, won’t I?” He groaned.

“Ravenclaw girls say she’s pretty, so yeah, I’d say that’s a yes,” Selene teased, laughing lightly.

“Of course Anne is pretty, she’s my twin,” Sebastian rolled his eyes.

Selene snorted.

“You can’t deny that you find me handsome, Selene,” Sebastian added with a smirk.

“One can dream,” she said with a mischievous grin.

“Well, I find you pretty, and I’m not ashamed to say that.”

“You should rather worry about finding Connie pretty,” she snorted again.

“Do I hear jealousy?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

“More like mild annoyance. I’ll have to postpone my Hogsmeade visit tomorrow because of you both. Don’t want to run into you and ruin your date.”

“What Hogsmeade visit?”

“I need to get more ingredients from J. Pippin’s and a few other things. But Connie asked me to do it after you both return, so here we are.”

“You’re not going to Hogsmeade, Selene,” Sebastian said firmly.

“And who’s going to forbid me?” she crossed her arms.

“I am,” he replied. “Are you out of your mind? Rookwood’s after you, and you want to just walk right into his grasp?”

“I need my supplies. Professor Sharp is refusing to teach me Depulso if I can’t brew Maxima and Focus potions, and I don’t have the ingredients.”

“I’ll get you the ingredients. Write me a list, but you’re not going by yourself.”

“By that logic, you shouldn’t be there either, since Rookwood knows your face,” she shot back, but Sebastian waved her off dismissively.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Sebastian! You can’t just forbid me to do something and then go do it yourself!” she exclaimed in frustration.

“Watch me,” he grinned.

“You can’t physically hold me off!”

“If you don’t have your wand, I can,” he said with a smug smile.

“I always have my... oh! Let me down, immediately!” Selene screamed, starting to hit his back when he lifted her off the ground.

“See? Anyone could just snatch you and carry you away,” Sebastian teased, finally setting her down.

“I’m still going to Hogsmeade,” Selene breathed heavily, though she couldn’t have gotten that out of breath from a small struggle.

“You’re not if you want my help today,” Sebastian replied firmly.

“That’s low. You owe me a favour.”

“I don’t care if it’s low. I prefer you mad at me and safe than the other way around.”

Selene still looked angry, but sighed in defeat. “Fine. Will you really get me the Potions ingredients?”

“I will,” he promised.

“And the broom booklet from Spintwiches Sporting Needs? Imelda said they have some, and she’ll help me choose a broom.”

Sebastian wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Selene getting a broom and joining in Imelda’s risky activities, but he still nodded. “If you say so.”

“And the catalogues from Mr Hill? He said he’s about to get some new ones.”

“Selene…” he groaned.

“And Chocolate Frogs! I didn’t even get to buy any last time, and I love them.”

“Fine,” he sighed, almost regretting this agreement. “I’ll get you all of this if it prevents you from going to Hogsmeade.”

“You don’t have to, though. You can enjoy your date with Connie instead.”

“It won’t be a date. I only agreed because I was thinking of Gerald. I’ll talk to her tomorrow and explain the situation, and I will get you all the things you want.”

“Please be kind to Connie. She’s nice. She taught me the Quietening Charm and introduced me to Helena.”

“Who’s Helena?” Sebastian asked, intrigued.

“Our house ghost. The Grey Lady, but she lets Ravenclaws call her Helena. She seems a bit posh and arrogant at first, but she’s actually very kind.”

“Is there anyone at this school you don’t find kind?”

“Yes.” Selene’s voice turned serious. “Headmaster Black is very rude to Professor Fig. Isolde Vane is not kind – she talks about Love potions – and her Slytherin boyfriend was mean to Poppy and Persephone.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about the last one. Macnair won’t be attending Beasts class anymore.”

“How do you know?” Selene frowned.

“Remember the scream you heard in the Slytherin Common Room? That was him. He was bragging about bullying Poppy and trying to bully you.”

“What did you do to him, Sebastian?” Selene asked suspiciously.

“I didn’t do anything. It was all Ominis.”

“Ominis?” Selene asked, looking confused.

Sebastian quickly explained what had happened in the Common Room. By the end of it, Selene had her mouth wide open in surprise.

“Wow. I had no idea Ominis could be so...”

“Ominous?” Sebastian asked with a smirk.

“Well... yes, I guess that’s the word.”

“Honestly, me neither. It was the first time I heard him use Parseltongue. Normally, he refuses to acknowledge anything about his family.”

“It sounds impressive. I wish I could’ve seen it.”

“It was quite a sight. But unless you have a Time-Turner, you won’t be able to.”

“I don’t have a Time-Turner. But... of course,” she said, her face lighting up. “I can ask my father to give me my Pensieve.”

“You have a Pensieve? How?” Sebastian asked, his eyes wide. “Not even all wizarding families have one!”

Selene shrugged nonchalantly. “I always wanted one since I first heard about them. My father gifted me one for my thirteenth birthday.”

“How did a Muggle get one?” Sebastian asked, baffled.

“I don’t know, and he refuses to tell me. My theory is that it was for sale at some shady shop, and my father posed as Black to get it.”

“Your father looks like Black? I always assumed you took after your mother.”

Selene shook her head. “My father would look a lot like Headmaster Black, except for the beard. Headmaster Black seems to notice that, too. He looks like he’s eaten something sour whenever he sees me.”

“Don’t take it personally. He always looks like that.”

Selene laughed. “Anyway, I’ll pass a note to my father through Professor Fig. He’ll pack the Pensieve in my bag with extending charms. And when I finally get my Pensieve, I want to see your memories of tonight. It sounds hilarious.”

“It was hilarious,” Sebastian agreed. “Do you like Ominis?”

“Yes, sure,” she said. “He’s very understanding, and talking to him was exactly what I needed.”

“I mean romantically,” Sebastian clarified.

Selene shook her head, a slight laugh escaping her. “Ominis is right about you all. Hormonal teenagers. No, I don’t like him romantically. And before you ask, I don’t like any other boy, or even girl that way.”

“Huh. What about Gerald?” Sebastian teased.

Selene hit him pretty hard in the shoulder. Sebastian pretended to moan in pain but was still laughing.

“It was just an innocent question!” he protested.

“There’s rarely anything innocent about you or your questions, Sebastian. Can’t you just...”

“I can’t. That’s just who I am – handsome and flirtatious,” he said with a grin.

Selene snorted, then got serious again. “You know, it bothered me. All of you seemed to be... well, hormonal teenagers, while I didn’t care about that much. I thought it was because of... the circumstances of my birth.” She tensed slightly, as if expecting Sebastian to bring up the same cruel words as before. His heart sank, and he felt terrible. “But I talked to Ominis, and he convinced me that it’s normal. Everyone grows up at a different pace. I even talked to a few others about it, and it’s true. Amit went on a date with a girl last year without realising it was a date. He thought she just wanted to look at stars with him, and he freaked out when she tried to kiss him. Imelda said that the only thing she needs between her legs is her broom.” Selene blushed a little, while Sebastian burst out laughing.

“I love how Imelda can be so brutally honest,” he said, still chuckling.

“Me too,” Selene smiled. “I really like her.”

“Romantically, or...?” Sebastian teased, before yelping when she hit him again. “Ouch! That really hurts when you do that!”

“Well, maybe try thinking before saying anything next time!”

“You’re the Ravenclaw, you’re supposed to do the thinking! Besides, sometimes you overthink things. There are other fifth years who aren’t hormonal teenagers.”

“It’s hard not to overthink when I’m the oldest of them.”

“You’re not the oldest,” he said.

“I turned sixteen in June. Technically, I should be a sixth-year.”

“I turned sixteen in May, so there’s that.”

“Why are you so old?” she asked, half-laughing.

“Why are you so old?” he teased back.

“You know why. Now answer the question.”

“Fine. Anne got really sick the year we were supposed to go to Hogwarts. She was always smaller and weaker as a child, so it wasn’t surprising. Naturally, I refused to go without her. I was angry back then, but now I’m glad. We had the whole extra year with our parents, and we adopted Ominis as an honorary Sallow.”

“I’m really sorry about your parents, Sebastian,” she stroked his arm lightly, offering a sympathetic smile.

“You have to understand why it’s so important for me to find the cure. Anne is all I have left. The only family.”

“What about your uncle?”

“He’s a prick. He never liked that he had to take us in – especially me. He cares about Anne, though, so I’ve learned to tolerate him over the years. But that’s it.”

Selene continued to lightly strike his arm.

“We’ll do anything to find the cure. Anything except Dark Magic... and killing innocents. I promise,” she said, her voice firm.

“Even believing that this is possible means everything to me, because Merlin knows, everyone else has given up.”

“I won’t give up,” she promised. “As long as I have ideas, I’ll try. And I’m a Ravenclaw – I’ll always have ideas. Maybe it’s something in my special – though not-so-special, as you put it – magic, or maybe it’s something else. But I will try and try.”

“Your magic is special, Selene. And you’re special too,” Sebastian said quietly. She tensed at his words.

“You said the opposite not long ago,” she said bitterly.

“I was being stupid. Because I’m a hormonal teenager.”

“You are,” she agreed, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Are you still very mad at me?”

“Not very. But mad, yes. What you said really hurt,” she said quietly, averting her gaze.

“I know, and I felt horrible the second I said it. I’ll never –”

“Don’t say that, Sebastian. Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I mean it,” he insisted. “I’ll never hurt you again. I promise.”

Selene sighed, meeting his eyes directly. Sebastian, in turn, didn’t realise that his arms had come to rest on her shoulders, pulling her closer. Only when he saw the look on her face did he realise she had just noticed it too.

Sebastian knew what he could do. He could pull her even closer, rest one hand on her waist, the other on the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair, and kiss her. She might freeze, she might try to push him away, but there was hardly anything she could do without her wand. And even if she pushed him away, he would still have her first kiss, the taste of her lips, the feel of her waist in his hand, the warmth of her body against his.

But Sebastian also knew what he should do. So, he pulled his hands away, swallowed hard, and said:

“I think the prefects should be gone by now. I’ll go check.”

The prefects were indeed gone.

“What exactly are you expecting to find in the Restricted Section?” Sebastian asked as they moved farther away from Scribner’s watchful eyes.

“I’ll know when I see it,” Selene answered.

“You’re being awfully cryptic,” Sebastian murmured. “Do you think it’ll be like Gringotts? Those statues you had to fight?”

Selene hesitated before answering.

“Professor Fig doesn’t think so. He says it’s just a library. But he didn’t want me to go there until I learn Incendio. He was supposed to go with me today, but he got called to London urgently, so I had to ask you.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Sebastian said. They didn’t speak much after leaving the empty classroom, aside from Sebastian teaching her the Disillusionment Charm. “Because I’m coming with you.”

“You are not. You can stay here and look for the cure, or go back to your dorm, but you’re not coming with me.”

“Try and stop me,” Sebastian said firmly. “You might need help with those statues.”

“You can’t see the magic I can see,” she protested.

“Well, Ominis can’t see anything at all, and he’s doing just fine. I’m coming with you.”

She sighed in frustration, but didn’t argue further. They made their way down a dark corridor, only to find their path blocked by broken armour.

“I know just the spell,” Selene murmured, raising her wand, but she was interrupted.

“And what are you two doing here, of all places?” A ghostly figure appeared before them. She was tall, with long dark hair, and an aristocratic air. The Grey Lady, Ravenclaw’s ghost. She would have been beautiful if not for the haughty expression and furrowed brows. Unlike most ghosts, she wasn’t floating – she walked, carefully holding her skirts.

“Helena!” Selene exclaimed. “We didn’t expect to see you here.”

“That much I assumed,” Helena replied, her voice dripping with condescension. “I expected better of you, my newest friend. Sneaking around in dark corridors, with a Slytherin boy, no less.”

“It’s not what it looks like, Helena, I promise! It’s about my magic, the secret I told you about. It leads right here.”

Helena studied her for a moment before sighing and smiling sadly.

“I know what lies ahead of you, my dear. But there’s nothing a true Ravenclaw can’t handle. Please, though – be careful.”

“I’m coming with her,” Sebastian said resolutely.

Helena shook her head, her disappointment clear.

“It’s not your burden, nor your path, Slytherin. You go back to your dormitory now, or I will call Madame Scribner.”

“Like a mere detention would scare me away,” Sebastian muttered. “I can’t let her go alone.”

“Sebastian, please!” Selene hissed at him. “We’re very grateful you’re not reporting us, Helena. Thank you.”

“I don’t report on you because I understand the importance of your mission. But the Slytherin? That’s a different matter.” With that, Helena gracefully ascended the stairs.

“You need to leave! Right now!” Selene’s voice was full with concern.

Sebastian felt torn.

“How can I –?”

“I’ll be fine, I promise. You heard her – nothing a true Ravenclaw can’t handle. Maybe I’ll just have to solve some riddles,” she smiled, but there was an edge of unease in her eyes.

Sebastian sighed heavily, then, on impulse, pulled Selene into an embrace. She squeaked in surprise but didn’t push him away, instead awkwardly patting him on the back.

“Be careful,” he said softly, pulling her closer.

“I will. I promise. Now go!” She gave him a light shove on the back, and reluctantly, he let her go.

He managed to make it to the dungeons unnoticed, though he spotted Helena speaking to Scribner as he left the library. Relieved to have escaped the librarian’s wrath, he returned to the Slytherin Common Room.

“Done snogging the Ravenclaw for tonight?” Imelda asked, still sitting there, playing chess against herself. Everyone else was probably already asleep.

“We weren’t snogging, not that it’s any of your business.”

“Aye, that’s where you’re wrong. I like the Ravenclaw, and I need her for my next trial. If she’s too much of a whiny-sissy to fly because you were an arse to her, I’ll be angry, you know that.”

“Selene’s tougher than you think,” Sebastian replied. “I was an arse to her today, and she still showed solid flying skills, didn’t she?”

He barely managed to catch the heavy book Imelda tossed, obviously aimed at his head.

“Good reflexes,” she nodded. “Try for Keeper next year, would you?”

“Good night, Imelda.”

Sebastian lay in his bed, tossing and turning, struggling to fall asleep. Despite the late hour and overwhelming fatigue, his thoughts kept drifting back to the Restricted Section. Was Selene right? Did she just need to solve some riddles, or was she facing those stone statues she mentioned? Should he have stayed with her?

“Cast a bloody Quietening charm, I won’t try to wake you up again,” Ominis growled when Sebastian turned yet again.

“You’re not sleeping.”

“Obviously.”

“Did you know Gerald is a puffskein?”

“I did.” He could almost hear Ominis grinning.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I told you I don’t know any student or professor named Gerald. You never asked about Puffskeins. Did you apologise to Selene?”

“I did. Not before saying even more hurtful things because I thought Gerald was some bloke she snogged.”

“That sounds like you.”

“Couldn’t you have told me about Gerald earlier? Would have saved me from a few embarrassing moments.”

“Do I look like I want to save you from embarrassing moments?” Ominis replied. “Though I should’ve probably said something, yes, before you hurt her even more.”

“Ominis Gaunt admitting he was wrong? What a day.”

Sebastian caught the pillow and tossed it back at Ominis.

“What did Selene want?” Ominis asked.

“Wanted me to take her to the Restricted Section.”

“And did you?”

“Yes. I had to leave her there alone, though, because Grey Lady ran off to Scribbner to snitch on me. She seemed to dislike me on sight, for no reason!”

“She dislikes Slytherin boys, especially if they’re after Ravenclaw girls,” Ominis said thoughtfully.

“Why is everyone assuming I’m after her? Imelda just accused me of snogging her.”

“Because of the way you look at her.”

“Like you would know,” Sebastian snorted.

“Well, I can hear the changes in your voice when you talk about her. But I’m assuming the others can see something too.”

“Huh,” Sebastian mused.

“Please use the Quietening Charm when thinking about her.”

The surprised squeak from Ominis’ bed told Sebastian that his pillow had landed squarely on his friend’s face.

Chapter Text

Sebastian finally fell asleep just as the sun began to rise, and he was in an awful mood when Ominis woke him up for breakfast.

“Go to hell, Ominis.” Sebastian tried to bury his head under a pillow.

“Breakfast, Sebastian. And a date after breakfast for you.”

“I’m not going. To either.”

“Don’t you want to know if Selene’s returned safely?”

“Shit!” Sebastian shot up in bed immediately. “Wait for me, I just… shit!”

He scrambled to get ready in record time and rushed to the Great Hall with Ominis. Selene wasn’t there yet.

“Hey, Connie! Is Selene alright?” Sebastian asked, spotting the familiar blonde.

“Hi, Sebastian,” Connie smiled. “Ready for your date later?”

“Yes, absolutely, but is Selene –”

“Hey, Sallow!”

Sebastian had never considered himself a coward, but he couldn’t help but flinch when a very angry Imelda Reyes stormed toward him.

“Hey, Imelda, did you – ouch!” Sebastian barely had time to react before Imelda punched him in the shoulder with the force of a Bludger. He had mistaken Selene’s punches for painful. Imelda’s left him seeing stars.

“What did you do to the Ravenclaw yesterday, you prick?”

“Nothing! What do you mean? Is she alright?”

“She’s limping worse than Sharp on his worst day. I wanted to fly with her today, you dungbomb head.”

“What do you mean… oh, shit!”

Sebastian saw Selene, carefully supported by Samantha, limping down the staircase. He rushed toward them.

“Selene! Are you alright?”

“Not so fast, Sallow. What did you do to her yesterday?” Samantha asked, her eyes burning with anger.

“Samantha! I told you all already, I just twisted my ankle on the bloody stairs! Sebastian had nothing to do with it.”

“Reyes said she saw you both together yesterday and you came back to the dorm only in the morning, limping and looking worse for wear.”

Sebastian’s stomach dropped. She’d come back only in the morning – at least three hours after whatever had happened in the library.

“Did he force you to do anything?” Samantha asked, her voice low, positioning herself protectively between Sebastian and Selene.

“No, of course not! He just helped me sneak into the library. I was reading until late, then I hurried back to the dorm and twisted my ankle. Can I talk to Sebastian?”

“Sure,” Samantha looked at him suspiciously, but reluctantly stepped aside.

“Twisted ankle? What happened in the library, Selene?” he asked quietly, offering his arm to help her keep her injured leg suspended.

“There might have been more of a fight than I was prepared for,” she admitted, wincing. “But I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine to me. Why didn’t you go to the Hospital Wing?”

“Because I can’t explain the injury to the nurse. I’ll be fine, I just need to brew more Wiggenweld. I’m starving. Can you help me to the Great Hall?”

“Of course,” Sebastian replied, scooping her up in a bridal carry. She squeaked in surprise but had no choice but to hold onto his neck.

“I meant give me a hand, not carry me!”

“Oh. Maybe I misunderstood you,” he chuckled. Selene didn’t look too disappointed, though, more relieved that she didn’t have to walk down the stairs.

Walking past Connie, who surprisingly didn’t seem angry but rather amused, and past other students (some of whom even dared to whistle) felt oddly satisfying. Sebastian knew that by the end of breakfast, everyone at school would assume he and Selene were together. They weren’t, of course, but this way, he could be sure that Prewett and others would think twice before bothering her with their advances.

“Morning, Selene,” Ominis greeted calmly as Sebastian carefully set Selene down next to him. There was plenty of space around Ominis: the entire Slytherin table had chosen to sit as far from him as possible.

“Morning, Ominis. Sebastian, this is the Slytherin table,” she said, frowning.

“Yes, I am aware of this,” Sebastian grinned, taking a seat next to her.

“I can’t possibly sit here!” she exclaimed when he settled next to her, making it hard for her to get up.

“I think you can. Come on, you said you were starving. What do you want?”

“A Wiggenweld,” she murmured grumpily, but accepted a piece of toast from him.

Ominis took a deep sniff of his favourite black coffee, then, with a solemn sigh, waved his wand to empty the cup. He filled it with water from the Aguamenti charm. Clearly, his friend was still paranoid about Love potions. Selene watched him curiously, but said nothing.

They ate in silence. Some of the Slytherins dared to glare at Selene, but they quickly looked away when Sebastian met their gazes.

“At least I’ll be sure you won’t storm off and run to Hogsmeade,” Sebastian tried to cheer her up.

Selene sighed. “Very funny, Sebastian,” she said tiredly. It was obvious she hadn’t slept much better than he had. “But that reminds me.”

She placed a parchment and a heavy bag of Galleons on the table in front of Sebastian.

“My list. And the money.”

Sebastian quickly skimmed through the list. “Selene, you gave me much more gold than I need for this.”

“I did not,” she said firmly. “I’ve written to spend the rest on Chocolate Frogs.” She pointed to the end of the list, where the note was scribbled. Sebastian noticed that her knuckles were slightly bruised.

“I can’t possibly carry so many sweets, Selene.”

“Well, you’ve just proven you can carry me around, whether I like it or not.”

Ominis smirked. “Did he really carry you to our table?”

“He did,” Selene confirmed. “I twisted my ankle, so I can’t walk by myself right now. I asked for a helping hand, not for a spectacle.”

“If you keep eating so many Chocolate Frogs, you’ll get too heavy for me to carry you around,” Sebastian murmured.

“Good. Then you can finally stop.”

“Fine. At least I’ll be quicker today. I doubt Constance would still want to go to Hogsmeade with me after… well, this ‘spectacle,’” Sebastian said, gesturing vaguely to the table.

“Oh no, Sebastian, don’t you dare hope,” Selene said, grinning mischievously. “Connie will gladly go to Hogsmeade with you. You’ll be running my errands while keeping her happy on her date.”

“You are cruel,” he groaned.

“That’s what you called me yesterday.”

“Still mad at me?”

“A little. But I’ll be less mad once you get me my things.”

“What are you doing today?” Sebastian asked.

Selene shrugged. “Go brew Wiggenwelds in Potions class. What else?”

Sebastian had already spotted Weasley’s red hair.

“Hey, Weasley! Can I talk to you?” he called, hurrying after him.

Weasley stopped. “What is it?”

“I need some Wiggenweld. Do you have any?” Sebastian asked quietly. Weasley glanced over at Selene, who was chatting with Ominis at the Slytherin table.

“Sure. I’ve got one on me right now. You want it?”

“Yes. How much?” Sebastian inquired.

Weasley waved him off. “It’s for Selene, right? Then it’s free. I owe her one. Wait... you didn’t hurt her, did you?” 

“Of course not!” Sebastian said defensively. “She twisted her ankle on the stairs.”

“Ah, that’s fine then,” Weasley said, shrugging. “Cressida said you shagged Selene so hard you broke her leg. She also said Gaunt summoned a basilisk and made it eat three students alive. Probably both lies, but I figured I’d ask.”

Sebastian opened his mouth in awe. Weasley was oddly calm about the strange rumours. He’d known Cressida had a big mouth, but he never realised how quickly gossip could spread.

Sebastian returned to the Slytherin table and placed a vial of Wiggenweld in front of Selene. She eyed it sceptically but still took it.

“I feel better, Sebastian. Thank you,” she said with a faint smile.

He nodded. “There are already rumours about us, you know. Don’t want to make them worse by you limping around.”

“What rumours?” Selene narrowed her eyes.

“That I broke your leg yesterday by doing certain... things.”

“What things?” she asked impatiently, but then the realization hit her, and her face flushed. “Oh.”

“And that Ominis summoned a basilisk and commanded it to eat three students alive, but that’s less interesting.”

Ominis sighed. “I’d prefer to be a basilisk summoner than a leg breaker, thank you.”

“You’re both just jealous of my reputation,” Sebastian muttered with a grin.

Selene snorted, then quickly stifled it. Sebastian, wanting to tease her while she was still blushing, was interrupted when hands suddenly covered his eyes.

“Guess who!” a high-pitched voice proclaimed.

“Constance,” he said, tensing. He really didn’t like being deprived of sight.

“You’re correct!” Connie chirped and, before Sebastian could react, sat herself in his lap.

“I saw you enjoying carrying girls around,” she teased. “I’m not jealous, don’t worry, but you’ll have to carry me to Hogsmeade. Kidding, kidding – but that look on your face was priceless. Now come on, dear, Hogsmeade is waiting.”

She kissed his cheek and jumped off, waving as she walked away.

“Merlin, when did she get so dumb?” Sebastian muttered to himself. “She was… normal.”

Selene was pressing her palm to her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter. Ominis was smirking, clearly fighting back a laugh as well.

“You’re both enjoying this, aren’t you?” Sebastian grumbled. “It’s not funny, you know. I’m stuck on a date with a girl who suddenly got ten times dumber.”

Selene finally burst into laughter. As much as Sebastian usually enjoyed hearing her laugh, he couldn’t appreciate it at the moment.

“She’s right, though,” Selene managed between giggles. “The look on your face was priceless. Now, chop-chop. Connie’s waiting.”

Indeed, Connie was standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, waving enthusiastically. Sebastian groaned. It was going to be a long day in Hogsmeade. Though, he thought with a hint of optimism, maybe Ranrok would send more trolls today.

Connie was hanging on his arm (thankfully, not the one that had taken Imelda’s punch) and babbling on with an endless stream of nonsense as they went to Hogsmeade.

“And then we could go to the Three Broomsticks, you know? Sirona’s a dear, and she’s always so helpful with young love. Maybe she’d even let us get a room –”

“I’ve got a list of errands to run. For Selene.” Sebastian interrupted, hoping to spark some jealousy in Connie. But she seemed impervious.

“Oh, that’s alright. I’ll help you, but then I’ll have you all to myself,” she chirped.

“Aren’t you jealous? I carried her to breakfast today. And yesterday, she came back to her dorm late.” Sebastian knew it was a low blow, but he was getting desperate. Spending the whole day with the bubbly, clueless Connie was starting to wear on him. To his surprise, she just waved him off.

“Please, I’m not jealous of Selene. She’s a sweet little mouse, but her face just screams ‘innocence.’ Whatever you two were doing, I know that Cressida’s stupid rumour is unfounded. But,” she leaned in closer, licking her lips, “I’d like to test out if you can really break a girl’s leg by shagging. Bet it’s worth it.”

Sebastian felt his face heat up. “I’m not interested, Connie.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be shagging at first. We can start slow,” Connie whispered in his ear, suggesting things Sebastian had only heard about from older boys. But hearing it from her, from a girl, made his teenage hormones react in a way that made him glad for the bulk of his robes.

“Connie…” he breathed, feeling overwhelmed. He gently pushed her away. “Listen, it’s very flattering that you want to do this to me, but I’m not interested in you romantically.”

“It doesn’t have to be romantic, you know. We can be casual. Whenever, whatever you want with me, I’m your girl.” She lowered her voice, making the offer more enticing. “I can get Polyjuice, and getting Selene’s hair will be easy since we share a dorm. No one will ever know.”

Sebastian’s mind raced, his thoughts briefly fixating on the idea of Selene – no, Connie, wearing Selene’s appearance – doing that to him. The thought of it sent a shiver down his spine, and not in a good way.

“Merlin, Connie,” he groaned, feeling both disgusted and confused. “What is wrong with you?! I’m not interested. And I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I only agreed to go to Hogsmeade with you because I thought Selene was snogging with Gerald. I didn’t know that Gerald is a puffskein.”

Connie looked at him, her lips trembling like she was about to cry.

“You’re not interested in me?” she asked quietly, her voice hurt.

Sebastian sighed, trying to make himself clear. “No, I’m not. You’re pretty and smart, and I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding some other guy to do... whatever you want with him. It just won’t be me. I’m really sorry.”

Connie blinked, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Merlin, Sallow, your face – priceless!” She was practically in tears from laughing so hard.

Sebastian blinked, thoroughly confused. “What do you mean?”

“You actually believed it?” Connie grinned, still laughing. “That I was that babbling idiot who wanted to do all that with you?”

“Well, yeah! Are you not?”

“Of course not, dummy.” Connie wiped a tear from her eye. “It was just a little revenge for you being such a prick to Selene.”

Sebastian just stared at her, still trying to process what had just happened. “I don’t understand.”

Connie snorted.

“We are not in the same House, and now I see why. You were a prick to her. She ran to her Beasts class in tears, and you don’t need to be a Ravenclaw to know it was you, because the last people she was with were you and Gaunt.”

“And why didn’t you think it was Ominis?” Sebastian asked, trying to defend himself.

“Because he can think before he speaks,” Connie shot back.

“I can think too!” Sebastian protested, but Connie ignored him.

“Anyway, after Beasts, Selene was babbling like crazy. That’s what she always does when she’s nervous or hurt. And her rambling got about ten times worse when she saw you. Poor girl couldn’t catch her breath. So I decided to teach you a lesson. And then, when she came back to her dorm limping and hissing in pain, telling me that you said even more hurtful things to her because you were jealous of a bloody puffskein – well, it sealed the deal.”

“So you weren’t interested in me?” Sebastian asked, still a little bewildered.

“I wasn’t. And don’t pretend you were interested in me either.”

“I heard you say you found me hot!” Sebastian said, weirdly insulted by her words.

Connie suddenly looked guilty.

“I said I find Sallow hot. I never said it was you.” She looked down, her cheeks reddening.

“I don’t… wait. Do you fancy Anne?” Sebastian asked, suddenly realising something.

Connie shifted uncomfortably, looking shy for the first time.

“I... I’m not sure. I started noticing her last year because, well, you know how she is. You can’t just not notice her. I thought what I felt was just the love of a friend. Then I thought I fancied you, and she just reminded me of you. I wanted to talk to her this year, but…” Her voice faltered, the words stuck in her throat.

But Anne was cursed and never returned to Hogwarts. Connie swallowed hard.

“So I thought if I went on a date with you, I might find some clarity – figure out which one of you I really fancy,” she finished, her voice soft.

“And?” Sebastian asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Connie said with a sigh. “May I kiss you?”

Sebastian hesitated for a second. Connie wasn’t unattractive. Her malicious plan had amused him, and he could still feel heat in his face from everything she had said. He’d kissed Adelaide before, but that had been messy and confusing for them both. He wondered what a kiss with Connie would feel like.

“Sure,” he said finally, and Connie pressed her lips gently against his. It was soft and pleasant, but it didn’t have the butterflies in his stomach that he had felt with Adelaide. It was purely physical, nothing more.

“So?” he asked once the kiss ended.

Connie looked straight into his eyes, his brown eyes probably reminding her of Anne’s, and smiled sadly.

“You’re the wrong Sallow for me,” she wiped away a tear quickly. “What about you?”

“You’re the wrong Ravenclaw for me,” Sebastian said, before he even thought about it. Connie laughed lightly, but then her expression turned serious.

“Don’t hurt her, please. She’s already fragile.”

“I won’t,” Sebastian replied quietly. “And you... don’t hurt Anne.”

Connie shook her head.

“I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Anne refuses to meet with me. I asked several times if I could visit her, but she doesn’t want to see me.”

“She doesn’t want anyone to see her,” Sebastian said grimly. “She’s changed. That bloody curse... Anne is a shadow of her former self.”

“A curse?” Connie’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I thought she was just ill.”

“No,” Sebastian replied angrily. “She was cursed by bloody goblins.”

He briefly explained to Connie how Anne had been cursed and the pain it caused her.

“Merlin’s bollocks,” Connie muttered, her face darkening. “Bloody goblins! Poor Anne... what have they done to her?”

Sebastian almost smiled at Connie’s fierce anger, but the gravity of the situation kept him serious.

“I’m looking for a cure,” he said quietly. “That’s why I was in the Restricted Section with Selene yesterday – until your house ghost snitched on me.”

“Helena really hates Slytherins, especially boys – especially when they’re after Ravenclaw girls,” Connie said thoughtfully.

“I wasn’t after Selene,” Sebastian replied, feeling the need to defend himself.

“Why? You clearly fancy her.” 

“I… it doesn’t matter. I need to find a cure for Anne. Everything else can wait.”

“Don’t wait too long,” Connie warned. “Prewett was standing in front of our Common Room today, trying to ask Selene to Hogsmeade after breakfast. She rejected him, of course, mentioning her leg, but it won’t stop him next time.”

Sebastian groaned.

“I have to ask her out, don’t I? If I don’t want Prewett or someone else to get there first?”

“You do,” Connie said firmly.

“I won’t, though. The friendship we have, and the help she promised with Anne’s cure – it’s more important. Even if Prewett or someone else asks her out.”

Connie shook her head.

“Sometimes I’m glad I like girls. You boys can be so stupid.”

“Maybe you’re right, Connie,” Sebastian said with a wry smile. “I can’t imagine dating a bloke myself. We’re a mess.”

She laughed, then asked in a low voice, “Did Anne ever mention if she likes girls?”

“She didn’t. If it’s any consolation, she never mentioned liking boys either. Unsurprisingly, since Anne teased me mercilessly about Adelaide, and I swore revenge whenever she starts dating herself.”

“Oh yes, you and Oakes, huh? Are you still…” Connie looked at him curiously. Sebastian shook his head.

“We dated for a while last year and exchanged owls over the summer. Then Anne got cursed, and you know Adelaide lives with her uncle, who works with goblins. She talked about following his steps. I burned all her letters after Anne was cursed without reading them. She stopped writing after some time.”

“Oh, you did not!” Connie hit him hard on the shoulder. “You’re such an arse, Sebastian Sallow!”

“Why are all the girls hitting me?” he exclaimed, clutching his shoulder in mock agony.

“Because you’re an arse! Poor Adelaide... what do you think she was thinking? Ignoring her like that! I retract my permission to date Selene. You’re clearly not mature enough! Ugh!”

“Hey, since when do I need your permission to date Selene? Not that I want to,” he added hastily.

“Sure you don’t,” Connie smirked sarcastically. “And you do need my permission since she was sorted into our House. She’s the most inexperienced and naive of us, so she’s our responsibility now.”

“I didn’t realise you were bloody Hufflepuffs,” Sebastian muttered.

“We call Samantha our Hufflepuff Mom,” Connie said with a grin. “She cares a lot about all of us and makes sure everyone’s doing well in Ravenclaw. First-years often cry because they miss their parents, especially Muggle-borns. We don’t tolerate weakness in public, but we help them adjust.”

“Huh. I thought you all were loners,” Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you Slytherins clearly feed your weaklings to the Giant Squid, so I’m not surprised you’re shocked,” Connie snorted.

“Is Selene crying too? Since she’s a Muggle-born in her first year?” Sebastian asked quietly. Connie glared at him, her expression serious.

“She doesn’t,” she replied. “She’s much older than the first-years. But she has nightmares.”

“Nightmares?” Sebastian swallowed.

“Yes. She woke up on her first night, screaming and shaking. We took her to the nurse, but she said there’s nothing to be done. It’s probably trauma from the Dragon attack. Blainey offered her Sleepless Drought, but Selene refused. We left her in the Hospital Wing that first night, but the next night was even worse. That bloody troll had to attack her of all students. So we made a plan. We have two dorms for the fifth-year girls, and one of us always stays with Selene while the others sleep in the other room. Samantha made a schedule based on our classes for who stays with her. Tonight was my turn. We use Quietening Charms on the door so we don’t wake the others, but one of us has to be there to comfort her.”

“Shit,” Sebastian muttered. “I had no idea. I almost teased her when she said you taught her the Quietening Charm.”

“You of course know the charms, huh?” Connie laughed.

“Ominis complains that even my breath is too loud,” Sebastian replied defensively.

“Sure he does,” Connie smirked. “No other reason.”

She grew serious.

“It gets better, though. Today, Selene didn’t wake me up at all.”

“It either got better, or she didn’t sleep at all,” Sebastian said grimly.

“Oh, dang it, you’re probably right. Poor thing. You still don’t have my permission to date her, though.”

“I don’t even want to!” Sebastian protested.

“Oh, cut the act, Sallow. I’m sure you’re using that Quietening Charm a lot more since you met Selene. And not many boys your age would reject a pretty girl offering to do everything, unless they’re head over heels for someone else.”

“You didn’t even mean all that!”

“Well, I might as well have meant it. I had to check how serious you are about her,” Connie replied nonchalantly.

“And?”

“You like her enough, but you’re still an immature arse. So, no permission for you,” Connie said with a teasing smile.

“You don’t have mine to date my sister either!” Sebastian shot back, regretting it as soon as the words left his mouth.

Connie’s expression shifted, all the teasing gone from her voice. “I don’t think I’ll be able to anyway,” she said quietly. “Anne’s hurting. She doesn’t even want to see me. And even if she’s healthy again, she might not be into girls, or into me specifically. It would ruin our friendship.”

“When. When she’s healthy again,” Sebastian corrected, his voice firm with determination. “I’m looking for the cure, and I will find it. She will come back to Hogwarts and then I can worry about boys, or girls, being after her. But not about her being in pain, cut off from the world, and stuck with Uncle Solomon of all people.”

“Is he that bad? He’s not hurting her, is he?” Connie asked carefully.

“He’s not. He cares for her. Seems to genuinely love her, I’ll give him that.” Sebastian sighed heavily. “But he’s still not enough company for someone like Anne.”

“I know. Anne was never alone.”

“I’m going to Feldcroft next weekend. I would’ve gone this weekend, but Anne asked me not to. Me and Uncle Solomon almost never get along, and our arguing is just tiring her out.”

“Take Selene with you,” Connie suggested. “It’ll cheer Anne up. And Selene never saw her when she was healthy, so Anne doesn’t have to worry about it.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” Sebastian said, nodding. “Another girl might cheer Anne up.”

They arrived at Hogsmeade, and Connie cast a sidelong mischievous glance at Sebastian. “We should expedite these errands for Selene,” she remarked lightly. “I’m certain you’re eager to return to Hogwarts.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t know what you’re on about. But you’re right, let’s divide the tasks and get this over with.”

He handed her Selene’s list. Connie decided to tackle Gladrags Wizardwear and the Spintwitches Sporting Needs, leaving Sebastian with the task of gathering potion ingredients and the Chocolate Frogs.

Half an hour later, they reconvened, having completed their respective errands. Sebastian found himself carrying a bag in the distinctive purple and gold of Chocolate Frogs, paired with a less glamorous bag containing potion ingredients and scrolls. Meanwhile, Connie’s arms were laden with several booklets from Spintwitches Sporting Needs and an abundance of colourful catalogues from Mr Hill.

“I barely had the heart to refuse any more of Mr Hill’s catalogues for Selene,” Connie complained, shifting the weight of the heavy bundles. “He nearly cried when I told him she couldn’t come herself because of her injury. Not that I’m surprised, considering how much she’s already spent there in such a short time.”

Sebastian smirked. “Poor bloke, whoever she marries. He’ll be knutless if she keeps buying clothes like this.”

“Selene will simply marry someone with deeper pockets,” she shot Sebastian a playful glance. “She certainly has the looks for that.”

Sebastian said nothing, momentarily lost in thought. He contemplated the profession he might pursue to earn enough to support Selene’s growing wardrobe. The idea struck him as absurd, and he quickly pushed the thought aside.

“Anne loves clothes too. Loved,” he said bitterly. “But with this curse… she's become so lifeless, so stripped of everything that once excited her.”

Connie’s expression softened. “If there’s anything I can do, Sebastian, to help with the cure, anything at all – I’m here. You need only ask.”

Sebastian looked at her, the sincerity in her eyes cutting through the tension. “I appreciate that, Connie. Thank you. But for now… just keep Selene safe. She has some ideas that might work.”

Connie raised an eyebrow. “Does that include keeping her from dating? Is that part of keeping her ‘safe’?”

Sebastian’s tone darkened slightly. “That’s not my concern, who she dates.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Connie replied sweetly, a sly smirk playing on her lips.

The rest of their journey was quiet as they made their way back to Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

Selene’s face lit up as Sebastian and Connie emerged into the Ravenclaw common room. She was comfortably settled on the sofa, her injured leg propped up on a plush footstool, surrounded by an eager cluster of first-years. They were sprawled around her – on either side, at her feet, perched on neighbouring armchairs. Zenobia Noke, particularly possessive of her spot, sat close to Selene’s injured leg, nearly leaning against her.

“You’re back,” Selene greeted them, closing the book she had been reading. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity. “How was your date?”

Sebastian let out an incredulous noise, his arms crossing defensively. “It was not a date! We were running your errands.”

“It wasn’t a date, Selene,” Connie added with a knowing smile. “We decided it’s best to just stay friends. So, Sallow is a free man. All yours.”

“I – what?” Selene’s face turned pink as she fumbled for words. “I’m not – I mean, I don’t…” She hesitated, clearly flustered, before finally managing, “I’m not interested.”

“Of course not,” Connie replied, amusement dancing in her eyes. “I’ll take your things up to the dorm.”

“Thank you,” Selene murmured, still avoiding Sebastian’s gaze.

Sebastian, ignoring her embarrassment, strode toward her and unceremoniously shooed away a timid-looking first-year who had been sitting near her healthy leg. The young Ravenclaw scrambled off in alarm, quickly reclaiming a nearby armchair instead.

“Sebastian!” Selene scolded him, but Sebastian ignored her protest, sinking onto the floor beside her leg and leaning back against the sofa with a contented sigh.

Zenobia huffed. “You can’t just push us aside like that! We’re Ravenclaws, and you are the intruder here.”

Sebastian smirked lazily. “Forgive me, but I’ve spent all day running errands and I am exhausted.” He closed his eyes for effect.

Zenobia narrowed her eyes but said nothing, while Selene merely shook her head, the corners of her lips twitching.

“Did you get everything?” she asked.

“I did,” he confirmed, studying her carefully. “Is your leg still hurting?”

She winced slightly. “A little. It’ll be fine by tomorrow, I’m sure. More importantly – where are my Chocolate Frogs?”

Sebastian smirked and placed the purple-and-gold bag in her lap. She lifted it, weighing it sceptically in her hands.

“It’s charmed with an Extension Spell,” he explained. “I might’ve bought out half the stock.”

Her eyes lit up in delight. “So I basically have a bottomless bag of Chocolate Frogs? That might just be the best thing about magic.”

Without hesitation, she passed the bag to Zenobia. “Go on – take one, each of you. Consider it a reward for listening to my reading.”

A chorus of excited squeaks erupted from the first-years as they carefully passed the bag around. Selene watched them with quiet amusement.

“Thank you,” she said, looking at Sebastian.

He tilted his head. “Not mad at me anymore?” he asked, keeping his tone teasing – though he dreaded the answer more than he cared to admit.

“Not mad,” she confirmed, her smile warm and sincere.

She looked beautiful like this – with her black hair woven into a long braid instead of her usual bun, and wearing a simple blue sweater. There were shadows under her eyes, evidence of exhaustion from yesterday night, but her smile was radiant, effortlessly captivating. And, for a moment, he found himself unable to look away.

A nudge to his arm pulled Sebastian from his thoughts, forcing him to reluctantly tear his gaze away from Selene. A first-year stood before him, clutching the bag of Chocolate Frogs. Sebastian passed the bag back to Selene, but she shook her head, still smiling.

“Take one,” she insisted. “Consider it a reward for running my errands.”

He nodded and plucked a Frog from the bag. Tearing the wrapper, he glanced at the collectible card inside – Rowena Ravenclaw.

A collective gasp rose from the first-years.

“Oooh…” Their jealousy was unmistakable.

Before he could react, Zenobia snatched the card right from his fingers.

“She looks like Selene, doesn’t she?” she mused, holding it up for the others to see. “Selene, can you do your hair like this?”

“I might try, Zenobia,” Selene chuckled. “But I doubt I resemble Rowena Ravenclaw.”

“Well, you’re just as smart – almost,” Zenobia declared. “You were reading the Tales in Runes!”

A chorus of eager nods followed, making Sebastian smirk. It was obvious the first-years adored Selene.

“What are you reading?” he asked, watching as she carefully dusted the crumbs of her Chocolate Frog from her fingers with a handkerchief.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard.” She held up the book for him to see. “Zenobia has a copy, and we figured some of the younger students hadn’t heard the stories before, so we started a little reading circle. Since I can read Runes, they asked me to read aloud.”

“Yes! And Selene was reading very nicely until you interrupted,” Zenobia huffed.

“I brought you Chocolate Frogs!” Sebastian shot back, feigning offense.

“That’s true,” Selene conceded with a playful smile. “But I did promise them at least three stories tonight.”

“Fine. I’ll stay and listen,” he sighed dramatically, leaning back against the sofa. It was a tight space between her and the armrest, not quite enough to sit beside her properly – but he didn’t mind. Sitting here, feeling the light pressure of her leg against his arm, was oddly comforting.

Zenobia scoffed. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Sebastian smirked lazily. “Can’t think of anything at the moment.”

He closed his eyes as Selene’s soft voice filled the air, telling the story of Babbitty Rabbitty and how she outwitted the foolish king. Before he realised it, his head tilted, coming to rest against her lap. Her thigh was warm, and the rhythmic cadence of her voice together with the quiet turning of pages, lulled him into a hazy comfort.

Sebastian had just begun to drift when Selene suddenly hissed, “Sebastian! Get off my lap!”

“Shh! He’s sleeping!” Zenobia whispered urgently.

Selene faltered. “Oh,” she murmured, suddenly sounding guilty. Her voice softened. “That’s alright, then.”

She resumed reading, but now, Sebastian felt the slow, absentminded motion of her fingers running through his hair.

It was soothing – so much so that before he knew it, he had surrendered to sleep.

“Sebastian, wake up.”

A soft touch brushed against his shoulder – gentle, yet insistent. He ignored it, feigning sleep for just a little longer, selfishly savouring the warmth of her touch.

“Your neck is going to regret this if you stay like that any longer,” Selene murmured, pressing his shoulder slightly. “And I really need to go meet Professor Fig. I know you’re awake.”

He groaned in protest but forced himself upright, rubbing the back of his neck. The first-years were still gathered around, watching him with varying degrees of amusement.

“How long was I out?” he muttered, running a hand through his hair, and likely making an even bigger mess of it.

“About half an hour,” Zenobia supplied helpfully. “But Selene has to leave.”

“I do.” Selene handed the book back to Zenobia. “Would you go find one of the older girls? I might need help getting to the Floo Flame.”

“No need,” Sebastian said, already pushing himself to his feet. He stepped closer, offering his hand and leaning in slightly. “Come on, put your arms around my neck. I’ll carry you.”

Selene let out an exasperated sigh. “You cannot just carry me around like a sack of potatoes, Sebastian.”

He smirked. “You’re prettier than a potato sack, I’ll give you that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How exactly did you manage to land a date today with compliments like that?”

“It’s because I’m devilishly handsome,” he shot back. “And for the last time, it wasn’t a date.” His smirk softened as he leaned in closer. “Now stop being stubborn.”

Something flickered in her expression. For a second, she just held his gaze – her stormy-grey eyes locked onto his. Then she swallowed hard, as if catching herself, and finally looped her arms around his neck. He lifted her effortlessly, and she let out a small sigh, whether in surrender or amusement, he couldn’t quite tell.

“You two act like children,” Zenobia huffed behind them.

Both Selene and Sebastian chuckled at that as he carried her toward the Floo.

“You cannot be serious. Goblins working with Rookwood? It makes no sense,” Aesop snarled, his usual gruff tone lacing every word.

Eleazar Fig remained patient. “It is certainly… unorthodox,” he said carefully. He chose his words wisely – he needed Aesop’s help, any help at all. But his old friend could be exceptionally stubborn.

“Unorthodox?” Aesop huffed. “It’s inconceivable, it’s –”

A sudden sound interrupted him – the distinct whoosh of the Floo Flame igniting.

Eleazar had never considered himself a coward (he was a Gryffindor, after all), but he had long since enchanted the area near his Floo Flame with a subtle charm: one that allowed him to hear anything that happened around it. It was a precaution, a means of recognising the very specific cadence of Headmaster Black’s pompous, expensive boots. That small advantage often gave him just enough time to slip away before being forced to endure yet another interaction with the man’s insufferable arrogance – and, worse, his unrelenting stupidity. But he didn’t hear Headmaster’s footsteps.

“You can finally put me down now!” A familiar voice, full with indignation. Selene.

“You wish.” The reply, undeniably male, carried the infuriating, easy confidence of a teenage boy.

Aesop let out a low grumble beside him, and Eleazar immediately understood – he recognised the voice.

“Sebastian! What would Professor Fig think?” Selene snapped. She was clearly unimpressed.

Sebastian Sallow.

“It was my fault that you’re hurt, Selene,” Sebastian declared stubbornly. “Stop being difficult and just enjoy being carried around.”

“Enjoy?!” Her voice dropped into a dangerous hush. “I would hit you if you weren’t carrying me!”

“See? All the more reason to keep holding you,” he quipped.

Against his better judgment, Eleazar smiled. They were so young – foolish, impetuous. He had almost forgotten what that was like. Aesop, however, did not share his amusement. His scowl deepened, his perpetual frown somehow intensifying.

“At least let me step through the door myself,” Selene pleaded.

Sebastian took his time before saying reluctantly, “Fine, fine.”

A knock sounded at the door, and a moment later, they stepped into the room.

Selene had one arm looped around Sebastian’s shoulders, while his arm was wrapped securely around her waist (far too securely, in Eleazar’s rather conservative opinion). She clearly couldn’t stand or walk on her own.

“Ah, Fig. You have visitors. I’ll see what I can find out.”

With a final glare at the students, Aesop turned on his heel and limped away. Selene lowered her gaze under the weight of his scrutiny, but Sebastian met Aesop’s eyes directly. Aesop huffed in irritation but said nothing more before disappearing down the corridor.

“Selene, dear, what happened?” Eleazar stepped forward in concern. But before he could reach her, Sebastian had already eased her into the armchair.

“I was researching the Restricted Section while you were away!” Selene burst out excitedly. “It was a book we were after –”

Eleazar raised a hand, cutting her off gently.

“Should we really be discussing this now?” His gaze flicked toward Sebastian.

Selene didn’t hesitate. “I’ve told Sebastian everything. He knows. Well – except about the Restricted Section. But this way, I won’t have to repeat myself.”

Eleazar sighed. “Is that wise?”

Selene’s brow furrowed, but her tone remained unwavering. “Sebastian was with me in Hogsmeade when the troll attacked. He was by my side when Rookwood and Harlow chased us to the Three Broomsticks. He’s already tangled up in this, whether he wanted to be or not. It’s only fair that he knows what’s going on.”

She sighed heavily.

“I trust Sebastian with my life,” she said finally.

Eleazar exhaled slowly. He could see there was no changing her mind. And yet, what truly caught his attention was the way Sebastian looked at her in that moment – his expression raw, unguarded. The boy was utterly lost to her. Whether Selene realised it or not, Eleazar certainly did.

It almost hurt to witness. Young love – so bright, so reckless, and so often, so cruel. But now was not the time for sentiment.

“Wait – you accessed the Restricted Section?” Eleazar’s gaze sharpened as he looked between them. “How?”

He didn’t miss the way Sebastian’s lips curled into a smirk – an expression that all but confirmed who had been responsible for that.

Eleazar sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “On second thought, perhaps it’s best you spare me the details.”

“Fair enough,” Selene chuckled. “In fact, the book was below the Restricted Section, as it appeared on the map.”

Selene reached into her robes, retrieving the ancient tome and placing it gently on the table.

Eleazar eyed it warily before nodding.

“Let’s have a look.”

He flipped through the fragile pages carefully, quickly scanning the text, already anticipating how long it would take to figure it out. He frowned when he reached the torn pages – ripped out roughly, almost violently.

“Oh dear,” he muttered. “Someone has gotten to the book before us.”

His gaze lifted to Selene. “I want to know everything.”

Selene did not hesitate. She recounted her journey beneath the Restricted Section – the concealed passageway, the enchanted bridges she had to activate with her magic, and the memories of Isidora Morganach, who seemed to share a connection to her abilities. But it was the mention of the Pensieve guardians that truly troubled Eleazar. More sophisticated than the constructs she had encountered in Gringotts, these sentinels were not only strong, but cunning.

“They have a new trick,” she said darkly. “Leaping into the air before plummeting straight down at you. I only managed to escape because I see the ancient magic seconds before they strike.”

“Those things could have killed you!” Sebastian’s voice rang out, laced with alarm. “That is why I should have come with you!”

Eleazar had been so wrapped up in Selene’s story that he hadn’t noticed the boy’s hands on her shoulders from behind her chair. Selene seemed to only notice now, because with a quick, light slap, she knocked one of his hands off. Reluctantly, Sebastian withdrew both hands.

“I’m fine,” Selene said dismissively.

“Fine? Fine?!” he growled. “I had to carry you around all day – like hell you’re fine!”

“I didn’t ask you to carry me!” she shot back.

“Perhaps you can continue this discussion later,” Eleazar interjected diplomatically before turning his attention back to Selene. “That reminds me…”

With a flick of his wand, he cast a series of diagnostic spells, his frown deepening as the results flickered before him.

“I am no Healer,” he said gravely, “but, my dear, you are in pain.”

“A little,” Selene admitted, averting her gaze.

Sebastian stiffened. “You’re in pain?” His voice rose. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Selene rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. I just need to rest my leg. One of those statues managed to land on it, but I took a Wiggenweld, so I’m fine.”

“You are not fine,” Eleazar countered firmly. “Your leg was broken, and the bone has mended improperly. You need to see the nurse immediately.”

Selene shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t exactly explain how I broke my leg, can I?”

“Selene, that is irrelevant.” His voice softened, but his gaze was firm. “Your health and well-being are far more important than any questions Nurse Blainey might ask.”

She hesitated, clearly reluctant. “I’ll think about it,” she muttered.

Behind her, Sebastian let out a frustrated growl.

“Mr Sallow,” Eleazar said smoothly, “can I count on you to accompany Selene to the Hospital Wing?”

Sebastian nodded. “Of course, Professor.”

“Wait, Professor – what about the book?” Selene interrupted hastily, throwing out an arm to stop Sebastian, who looked quite prepared to carry her off against her will.

“I’ll have to take it with me to London. The Headmaster has insisted that I speak directly to the Minister about George’s death.”

At the mention of George, Selene’s expression grew solemn.

“I understand,” she said quietly. “I’ll see what I can uncover about the missing pages while you’re away.”

“Good. But don’t neglect your studies, either,” Eleazar added meaningfully.

He went on to remind her to focus more on Herbology and Potions, earning a small smile from Selene.

“You’ve done exceptionally well,” Eleazar said, his tone warm with pride. “I look forward to seeing all that you’ve accomplished when I return.”

Selene beamed at the praise, but Sebastian was visibly growing more impatient with every second.

“Oh – and don’t neglect your friends,” Eleazar added, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “You may be surprised how much you can learn from them.”

Selene nodded. “Of course, Professor.”

And then, at last, she relented, allowing Sebastian to scoop her up once more. This time, however, there was no protest, no bickering – only exhaustion. The pain she had tried so hard to mask was beginning to wear her down.

Eleazar watched them go, a quiet sigh escaping him. So young, yet already burdened with so much.

After they vanished through the doorway, Eleazar caught the remnants of their conversation through his enchantment.

“Like hell I’m letting you go anywhere alone again, Selene. Especially if it has anything to do with ancient magic,” Sebastian muttered darkly.

“And who, exactly, do you think you are to make that decision?” she hissed back.

“You said it yourself – you trust me with your life.”

“You can be insufferable, you know that?”

“And you’re no delight either, with your stubbornness!”

“I feel more like a potato sack, honestly, with the way you keep carrying me around,” she grumbled.

Sebastian snorted. “Let’s hope Nurse Blainey has experience treating potato sacks, then.”

“Do I get a say in where you carry me now?”

“No,” he replied smugly. “You know, potato sacks are usually silent – Ouch!”

Eleazar smirked to himself as he imagined Selene swatting the boy in retaliation.

Though Selene continued to argue with Sebastian as he carried her to the Hospital Wing, her protests had lost their usual fire. Admitting to the pain seemed to have drained the last of her strength. As they crossed the threshold of the Hospital Wing, she only winced, but didn’t say a word.

“There’s no point in arguing, Selene. We’re already here,” he said at last, lowering her onto one of the infirmary beds just as Nurse Blainey rushed toward them.

“Mr Sallow? Miss Harrington?” she demanded, already waving her wand. “What happened?”

“I twisted my ankle on the stairs,” Selene murmured.

Blainey’s brows furrowed as she examined the results of her spell. “Twisted your ankle? Oh, dear – your leg was broken and has mended improperly.” Her tone sharpened. “What really happened?”

“I told you already,” Selene replied stubbornly.

Blainey’s eyes narrowed. “Someone hurt you, didn’t they? Who was it, Miss Harrington?”

Sebastian’s patience was wearing thin. “Can’t you just help her instead of asking questions she isn’t going to answer?” he snapped. “She’s in pain.”

Blainey turned her gaze to him. “Was it you?” she accused. “I’ve heard some rather ridiculous rumours –”

Sebastian bristled, his jaw tightening – but before he could retort, a new voice cut through the tension.

“It was not a living soul that harmed her, nurse,” came the cool, ethereal tones of the Grey Lady as she walked into the room. “And it will not harm her again.”

Blainey hesitated, clearly taken aback, as the ghost regarded her with a haughty air.

“The Slytherin is correct,” Helena continued smoothly. “Since the founding of Hogwarts, the duty of the school’s nurse has always been to heal first and question later. If you insist on interrogations, the children will learn to suffer in silence rather than seek the care they need.”

There was something faintly condescending in her words, and Blainey flushed. Muttering under her breath, she turned on her heel. “I’ll fetch the potions.”

Sebastian exhaled in exasperation. “Finally.”

Helena perched gracefully on the edge of the bed beside Selene.

“The Slytherin should have brought you here sooner.”

Sebastian scowled. “You do realise I have a name, don’t you? Or should I start calling you ‘Ravenclaw’?”

Helena remained infuriatingly composed. “I am Ravenclaw.”

Sebastian bristled. There was something about her, an air of quiet superiority that reminded him of Ominis. But before he could respond, Nurse Blainey returned, a small cart of potions in tow.

“No pain potions,” Selene said at once.

The nurse frowned. “Miss Harrington, you are in pain.”

“I don’t care. No pain potions.”

Blainey’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I will have to remove the bone entirely and regrow it with Skele-Gro. It will be excruciating, and it’s best done while you sleep. At the very least, I must give you a Sleeping Draught.”

“No,” Selene insisted, her resolve unshaken.

Helena sighed. “My dear, our potions are not the same as Muggle opium. You will not develop an addiction from a single Sleeping Draught.”

Selene held her stare for a long moment before finally relenting. “Fine. I’ll take the Sleeping Draught. But no pain potion.”

Helena nodded approvingly, as though she were granting the nurse permission herself.

Blainey turned to Sebastian. “Mr Sallow, I must ask you to leave.”

Selene, noticing the hesitation in his stance, spoke quickly. “I’ll be fine.”

“You said that yesterday,” he muttered darkly.

She offered him a weary smile. “I have to hold myself together when you’re here. And I am so tired, Sebastian. Please – I need the rest.”

His jaw tensed, but after a long pause, he exhaled. “Fine.” Reluctantly, he stepped back, lingering for a beat longer before finally turning away.

Helena rose from the bed. “Let the nurse tend to you, my dear. I shall inform the other Ravenclaws and have them bring your belongings.” She cast Sebastian a pointed glance before adding, “And I will see to it that the Slytherin does not disturb you today.”

“Thank you, Helena.” Selene managed a smile, though it was weak – too weak for Sebastian’s liking.

Helena turned to him with an air of finality. “Come along.”

He had little choice but to follow. As they reached the door, he hesitated, then held it open for her, despite knowing full well that she could pass through it. To his surprise, she paused and gave him a graceful nod.

“Thank you,” she murmured, almost reluctantly. “Your manners are unexpected.”

Sebastian smirked. “You carry yourself like a queen. Seemed only right.”

Helena’s expression flickered. “My mother wore jewels in her hair. I did too… for a time.” Her voice drifted, lost in memory. Then, with a quiet sigh, she refocused. “Do not make me stand guard at this door all night. Return to your dormitory.”

His expression hardened. “You know it wasn’t me who hurt her. You know I care about her.”

Helena regarded him carefully. “I do know. Both of those things. You have not hurt her – yet.”

Sebastian bristled. “I would never –”

“You are passionate,” Helena interjected smoothly. “Passionate men always hurt women, even when they love them.” Her tone was distant, as if she were speaking of something long past – something personal.

“I don’t know who hurt you, but I’m sorry.” His voice was quieter now, measured. “Let me guess… it was a Slytherin, wasn’t it?”

Helena’s gaze did not waver.

“But you can’t judge a quarter of the magical population based on what one of them did,” he pressed.

Helena gave a small, humourless smile. “It was never a quarter. Slytherins have always been a minority. Salazar only took those he deemed worthy. Pure.” Her voice was detached, thoughtful, as though her mind was elsewhere.

Sebastian frowned in confusion. “Wait… you knew him? As in, personally?” He blinked. “Are you that old?”

Helena turned on him with a sharp glare, clearly insulted.

“I was barely a year older than you are now,” she said icily. “And I will remain this age forever.”

“But you knew them,” Sebastian pressed. “Salazar, Godric, Helga… Rowena.”

“I did,” she replied with a solemn smile.

Sebastian’s mind raced with questions, but one, more urgent than the others, was the one he asked.

“There’s a legend – about Helga Hufflepuff’s cup. They say whoever drinks from it can be healed of any illness. Is that true?”

Helena’s smile remained, though tinged with melancholy. “Yes and no. Helga was a potioneer of unparalleled skill. She served her healing draughts in a golden cup, no matter who stood before her – a king or a peasant. To her, all were equal, all deserving of care. But the cup itself? It was merely a cup. It was Helga’s talent, her wisdom in the healing arts, that worked miracles.”

She paused, exhaling softly before continuing. “People love to weave myths around objects. And while some artifacts hold enchantments, the Founders’ treasures were only as powerful as those who wielded them. Godric’s sword – formidable, yes – but only in the hands of a warrior unmatched in skill. Helga’s cup – capable of healing, but only when filled with her own carefully brewed elixirs. Salazar’s locket – believed to grant insight into the minds of others, but in truth, it was Salazar himself who had the ability to read people as if they were open books.”

Sebastian absorbed her words, then asked, “And what of Ravenclaw’s diadem?”

At this, Helena’s expression darkened, her voice heavy with something close to regret. “Just a diadem. A beautiful sapphire piece. But it was not the diadem that made Rowena Ravenclaw the most brilliant witch of her time. It was her mind, her relentless pursuit of knowledge,” she let out a weary sigh. “Unfortunately, not everyone understood that.”

Sebastian felt a weight settle in his chest.

“You cannot heal your sister with Helga’s cup,” Helena said, her tone softer now. “Nor can you gain the brilliance to find a cure simply by wearing my mother’s diadem. If you wish to succeed, you must do so with your own hands. You have your Slytherin ambition, and Selene has Ravenclaw’s keen mind and her unwavering desire to help you. And even though your best friend bears Salazar’s bloodline, neither his lineage nor his abilities will hand you the answers you seek.”

Sebastian nodded, but then something struck him. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Wait… your mother’s diadem?”

Helena’s expression flickered, and for the briefest moment, she looked as if she regretted speaking at all.

“When I lived,” she said stiffly, “I was Helena Ravenclaw.”

Sebastian stared at her, stunned.

“You are the first non-Ravenclaw I have ever told that.” Her voice was laced with bitterness. “And I shall say no more.”

She straightened, once again the regal figure she always presented herself as. “Return to your dungeons, Slytherin. Do not disturb Selene today – she needs rest.”

Sebastian huffed, but didn't argue.

Chapter Text

Sebastian spent the remainder of the day (and well into the night) buried in the depths of the library. By the time he finally returned to his dormitory, the first traces of dawn had begun to creep through the castle windows. Unsurprisingly, he ended up sleeping straight through breakfast, only dragging himself out of bed closer to lunchtime.

When he descended into the Common Room, he was met with an unusual sight – a crowd of students gathered around one of the larger tables, all focused on Grace Pinch-Smedley, who was beaming with pride.

“See this engraving?” she declared, holding up a peculiar golden object – her long-lost astrolabe, by the looks of it. “P-S. That stands for Pinch-Smedley.”

Sebastian, however, had no patience for her enthusiasm. His eyes darkened. “Don’t tell me you asked Selene to dive for that.”

Grace huffed, crossing her arms. “And what if I did? I didn’t force her. She agreed – quite happily, I might add – after I explained how important the astrolabe is to my family. I even offered her payment, but she refused and gave me a Chocolate Frog instead.”

Sebastian’s expression hardened. “It’s bloody dangerous, Grace. She broke her leg just yesterday.”

Imelda, who had been listening nearby, narrowed her eyes. “Wasn’t that your fault, Sallow?”

Sebastian snorted. “I’m not entertaining these stupid rumours.” He turned back to Grace. “Where is she now?”

Grace, still looking slightly put out, sighed. “Last I saw her, she was in Lower Hogsfield, talking to Natsai Onai.”

Sebastian froze. “She was outside of Hogwarts?”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Yes? Obviously. My grandparents’ ship was presumed to have sunk near Lower Hogsfield –”

Sebastian didn’t hear the rest of her sentence. He was already moving, pushing his way out of the Common Room without another word.

He found Selene perched on a comfortable sofa in the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration as she scribbled notes into what looked like a broom booklet. She was so absorbed in her writing that she didn’t even notice him until he sat down beside her.

“Sebastian!” she greeted him, her smile bright. “How are you?”

He huffed. “I should be asking you that. Hardly out of the Hospital Wing, and you’re already diving into the lake?”

“I’m fine,” she waved him off. “The Sleeping Draught knocked me out the moment you left, so I woke up early and went for a walk.”

“Did it have to be a walk outside of Hogwarts?” he groaned.

“Well, Lower Hogsfield isn’t that far,” she said defensively. “Technically, according to Hogwarts: A History, it was still considered part of the castle grounds until –”

“You know what I mean.”

Selene paused, looking surprised by the seriousness in his voice.

“I know,” she admitted quietly. “But I didn’t come to the wizarding world just to be locked away in a castle, no matter how magnificent Hogwarts is.”

Sebastian huffed. “You’d make a beautiful princess in a castle.”

She rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a light tap – so light, he barely felt it. “I’d rather be an adventurer than a princess in a tower. Grace was really happy after I found her astrolabe. I even told her to come to the Ravenclaw Common Room later and show it to Amit. I’m sure he’d love to see it.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute – are you playing matchmaker, Selene?”

She shrugged, grinning. “Maybe a little?”

“And who do you think is worthy of you?” he asked, voice deliberately innocent.

“Haven’t met the one yet,” she replied airily. “There is this one boy, though… decent duellist, but his hair always looks like a mop, and he can be a real prat to girls sometimes.”

“Hey! I apologised and even brought you Chocolate Frogs!” Sebastian shot back, feigning offense.

“You did,” she admitted, smirking. “But I wasn’t just talking about myself. You still need to apologise to Adelaide.”

Sebastian groaned. “I do, don’t I?”

“You do,” she confirmed. “Connie visited me last night and said she won’t give us permission to date until you apologise properly.”

He blinked. “Wait. Are you considering dating me?”

“Not until you talk to Adelaide,” she grinned, eyes alight with mischief.

“I will,” he promised.

Then, in one smooth motion, he took her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, but only a little.

“You blush less,” he observed, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

“I do, don’t I? I think you’re a bad influence on me.”

“I’m an excellent influence,” he corrected. “I spent all of yesterday running your errands, and all I got for it was a measly Chocolate Frog.”

“Oh? You want more?” she handed him the purple-and-gold bag that had been resting in her lap.

“I wasn’t talking about Chocolate Frogs,” he murmured, leaning in closer. “I’m sure your brilliant Ravenclaw mind can think of other ways to thank me.”

She rolled her eyes again, but he caught the telltale hint of pink on her cheeks.

“Now you’re just provoking me to see if I blush,” she accused, attempting to sound unimpressed.

“I’m not,” he said smoothly. “But I do like the way your dirty little mind works.”

She scoffed, but there was no real heat behind it.

“In all seriousness, I need a favour – Potion essay.”

Selene groaned. “Fine. I’ll write your essay.”

She pretended to be annoyed, but there was something almost relieved in her expression.

“And for the record,” she added smugly, “I know there are things that would make even you blush. Connie told me about the little trick she played on you.”

Sebastian’s grin faltered for a second.

“Well,” he said after a beat, recovering quickly, “what can I say? A Ravenclaw girl can make even me blush.”

Ominis joined them later, settling into an armchair nearby with a book in hand. Selene was focused on writing Sebastian’s essay, carefully comparing it to her own in an effort to ensure Sharp wouldn’t notice the similarities. Sebastian, meanwhile, was reading a thick tome on curses, occasionally glancing at Selene as she worked. The quiet companionship was oddly soothing. If only Anne could be here, sitting in the second armchair, teasing him mercilessly about sharing a sofa with Selene. He would endure any amount of teasing if it meant his sister could be well again.

His moment of reflection was interrupted.

“Selene, can I talk to you?”

Sebastian looked up from his book, already irritated. Of course, Prewett had to intrude on their cozy peace.

“Sure,” Selene murmured, still deep in concentration, furrowing her brows at the essays. Prewett hovered uncertainly, clearly wanting to speak to her alone, but Selene wasn’t picking up on the hint – and, for a Gryffindor, he certainly didn’t seem brave enough to ask. Finally, she lifted her gaze.

“What is it, Leander?”

“I was wondering what your plans were after lunch?” he asked, shifting awkwardly.

“Well, I’ll probably finish some homework, then Zenobia asked me to help find her Gobstones, then Lenora Everleigh wanted to talk to me, then –”

“Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?” Prewett blurted out, finally gathering the nerve.

“She won’t,” Sebastian answered before Selene could even react.

“I wasn’t asking you, Sallow,” Prewett snapped.

“That’s a pity. I’ve been told I’m an excellent Hogsmeade date,” Sebastian smirked.

Selene snorted despite herself.

“I’m sorry, Leander, but I won’t. I’m staying at Hogwarts today,” she said sympathetically.

“Well, then maybe next weekend?” Prewett pressed.

“She won’t either,” Sebastian cut in again.

Prewett shot him an angry glare, while Selene gave him a surprised look.

“He’s right, Leander,” she admitted with a sigh. “The troll attack was traumatic for me. I’d rather stay within the castle grounds for a while.”

Prewett’s expression softened slightly. “Well, if you ever want to play Summoner’s Court later, or duel at Crossed Wands –”

“She just broke her leg yesterday, Prewett. Leave her alone,” Sebastian said impatiently.

Prewett frowned. “By the way, how did you break your leg, exactly?”

Selene gave him an innocent look. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumours.”

Prewett hesitated. “I… I have, but I never thought that… Is it true?”

“I don’t know,” she replied smoothly. “Ominis, is it true that you summoned a basilisk?”

“I might have to if you all don’t shut up,” Ominis muttered, still concentrated on his book.

Selene turned back to Prewett with a pleasant smile. “Well, it’s your housemate spreading the rumours – Cressida, isn’t it? Maybe ask her if they’re true.”

Prewett still looked confused, but before he could press further, Selene changed the subject. “And I am up for a Crossed Wands match later. You can summon everyone.”

“Selene, your leg –” Sebastian began, but she quickly cut him off.

“My leg is fine,” she said firmly, meeting Prewett’s gaze with determination. “What do you say, Leander? Ready for the final match?”

“I am,” he nodded, his expression serious.

“Chocolate Frog?” she offered her bag to him, and he took one with a grateful nod.

“Thanks,” he muttered. “Garreth was at Hogsmeade this morning and said someone bought up half the stock of them at Honeydukes.”

“The audacity of some people!” Selene exclaimed, feigning anger. Sebastian couldn’t help but snort. “Luckily, I came prepared. Let me know when the final match is, Leander.”

“I will,” Prewett said, then walked off.

Sebastian watched him go before turning back to Selene, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Well, well, well. First, you stop blushing. Then, you practically confirm the improper rumours to Prewett. And now, you lie about the Chocolate Frog shortage. What happened to the shyest Ravenclaw?”

But Selene didn’t meet his playful banter with her usual teasing smile. Instead, her expression became far too serious for the light-hearted conversation.

“I almost died that night,” she said quietly. Sebastian didn’t press her again.

“Are you sure we should have the final match so soon? The year just started,” Lucan asked, frowning.

“We really want to free you of your responsibilities. You probably have something else to do,” Selene smiled lightly.

“Right, I suppose I should get back to my school work eventually,” Lucan said, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “I wonder how my Herbology plants are doing. I haven’t tended to them in ages.” He paused for a second. “Well, let’s do it then. Leander is about to summon everyone.”

“How’s your leg doing?” Sebastian asked Selene, his voice filled with concern.

“I’m fine. Good as new. Actually, I have a new bone now,” Selene smirked.

“Selene, you’re still not at your top form.”

“I’m not,” she admitted. “But it will still be enough, won’t it?”

“It will,” Sebastian replied, though he wasn’t entirely convinced.

He had expected her to want him by her side for the match, but when Lucan offered, she shook her head.

“I need to learn to fight alone as well.”

She was about to face six opponents, including Prewett and Charlotte. Sebastian knew the others, all sixth and seventh years. But Selene didn’t seem worried at all.

“I offer you an additional challenge, Selene,” Prewett said, stepping up to her. “If I win this match, you’ll go to Hogsmeade with me.”

“Oh, hell no, Prewett!” Sebastian growled, but Selene stopped him with a hand.

“And if I win?” she asked calmly.

“Whatever you want,” Prewett said with a smirk, not even considering the possibility. “But you’ll fight without Sallow.”

“Fine by me. Whatever I want, huh? Well, I’ll tell you the secret then. It was Sebastian who bought half the stock of Chocolate Frogs yesterday in my name.”

“Well, I can buy you the rest of the stock then,” Prewett said pompously.

“Deal,” Selene said seriously.

“Selene, can we talk alone?” Sebastian asked, his voice low and serious. Without waiting for an answer, he swept her up in his arms and carried her away from the others.

“Stop treating me like a bloody potato sack!” she snapped. Sebastian reluctantly set her down, though he wanted nothing more than to carry her as far from Prewett and the match as possible.

“Are you mad? You can’t go to Hogsmeade with Prewett!” he exclaimed in exasperation.

“Are you worried about Hogsmeade or Prewett?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, both. But mostly Hogsmeade,” he lied quickly.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, her voice softening as she met his gaze. “It’ll be good practice. I’ll win, you’ll see.”

“You’re strong,” Sebastian admitted. “But the sixth and seventh years know non-verbal charms. You won’t hear them when they attack you.”

“Thanks for the advice, Sebastian,” she said seriously. “Now, off with you.”

She handed him her school robes, and he found himself with nothing left to do but join the spectators. He watched her walk back to the arena, a feeling of unease settling in his stomach.

Selene, to everyone’s surprise, held her ground admirably. The only girl remaining in the arena, aside from Charlotte, whom she had swiftly eliminated, she was lighter and more agile than the others. Time and time again, spells flew dangerously close, yet her reflexes were nothing short of extraordinary. With each near miss, she narrowly avoided disaster, her calculated gaze never faltering as she analysed the battlefield with precision.

Sebastian found himself captivated by the duel, though his worry for Selene never abated. He feared what her loss might mean, but in the moment, he couldn’t help but marvel at her resilience. She ran, leaped, and dodged with grace, all while casting powerful spells and raising shields in quick succession. One by one, she took down three opponents, but exhaustion was beginning to show. Her breaths came in rugged gasps, her energy visibly waning.

Sebastian observed that all the older competitors were Gryffindors, one of whom bore a striking resemblance to Prewett – most likely his brother or cousin. Though slow, they were persistent, wearing her down little by little while shielding Prewett from any harm. The sly Gryffindor clearly intended to face her in the final moments, determined to emerge as the victor. But Selene wasn’t about to hand him that satisfaction so easily.

With what little energy remained, she dispatched one of the final opponents – though not before he landed a Confundo spell on her. Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat. There was no way she would be able to fight effectively under the effects of Confundus. Selene staggered for a moment, her eyes unfocused, disoriented. But then, with a flash of defiance, she glared at Prewett, the only remaining, her focus snapping back into place. It was clear that the effort was immense, but she fought through it. A fifth-year, still new to the ways of magic, she didn’t yet know the counter-charm to Confundus, yet she resisted its influence with sheer willpower.

Though slowed, she wasn’t defeated. With a sudden surge of strength, she fired a Depulso with such force that it sent Prewett crashing into the stone wall.

“I admit defeat!” Prewett shouted as he struggled to rise.

“Selene is the winner!” Lucan called out, his voice filled with triumph.

At the sound of those words, Selene collapsed to her knees, her breaths ragged, the weight of the duel finally taking its toll.

Sebastian rushed to Selene the moment the barrier between the spectators and the arena vanished. Without hesitation, he cast the counter-charm, and she exhaled in visible relief, accepting his hand as he helped her to her feet.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice thick with concern.

“I am now. Just a bit tired,” she admitted, offering him a small, weary smile.

“How did you manage to fight through Confundus?” 

Selene smirked. “Ravenclaw mind. Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.”

“It is, huh.”

Sebastian didn’t care about the watching crowd or the curious stares. He pulled her into a firm embrace, ignoring the laughter and teasing whistles that erupted around them.

“Stop it,” she huffed, though she made no real effort to pull away. “I’m sweaty and disgusting. And everyone is watching.”

“I don’t care. Let them watch,” he murmured into her hair.

“To the victor goes the prize!” Lucan’s voice rang out, drawing closer. Sebastian reluctantly released her as she turned to accept her reward – an elegant pair of blue leather duelling gloves.

“They’re beautiful, Lucan! Thank you!” Selene beamed, running her fingers over the smooth leather. Then she hesitated, her brows knitting together. “Wait… why does the prize –”

“– suit you so well?” Lucan finished with a smirk. “I’m in charge of selecting the rewards, and I asked Sebastian what he’d want, assuming he’d win this year. He told me you love clothes, that blue is your favourite colour, and that he believed you would defeat him. And everyone else this year.”

Selene turned to Sebastian, her eyes filled with curiosity. “And when was this?”

“Right after our first Defence lesson,” he admitted.

She stared at him in disbelief. “You thought I would win the Crossed Wands back then?”

“I was certain of it,” he shrugged as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world. “And I may or may not have placed quite a few Galleons on you. So just accept it and be happy.”

Her expression softened. “Thank you for believing in me, Sebastian.”

“Of course,” he said, nodding curtly.

One by one, the other duellists came forward to congratulate her.

“You’re good,” Charlotte admitted, crossing her arms. “But I can still beat you in Summoner’s Court.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Charlotte.” Selene grinned.

“That was impressive,” one of the older Gryffindors added.

“A pleasure to watch,” another chimed in.

“I learned a lot from all of you. Thank you,” Selene said sincerely, nodding to her defeated opponents.

The Gryffindor who had cast Confundo on her shook his head in amazement. “How in Merlin’s name did you fight that off?”

She only laughed. “Ravenclaw mind.”

Prewett was the last to approach. He hesitated for a moment before attempting a smile. “I suppose you really didn’t want to go to Hogsmeade with me, huh?”

“I really didn’t,” Selene said with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Leander. And you don’t have to buy me Chocolate Frogs.”

He waved her off. “I do. You deserve the entire stock after that duel. I’ll bring them to your Common Room after dinner.” Then he turned to Sebastian. “Sallow. A word.”

Sebastian sighed but followed him a few steps away. “What is it, Prewett?”

“Are you two dating?” Prewett asked bluntly.

“What does it matter to you?”

“Just answer the question.”

Sebastian hesitated before finally muttering, “We’re not.” His expression darkened slightly. “And we probably won’t. I have to find a cure for Anne – I can’t afford distractions. Selene is my friend, a brilliant one, who might actually help me. I can’t risk that.”

Prewett studied him for a moment, then nodded.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Why do you care? If you think you still have a chance –”

“I know I don’t,” Prewett admitted. “But you do. And if it’s not me, well… it had better be you. Ask her out before someone else does.”

Sebastian said nothing, his jaw tightening. His gaze flickered back to Selene, who was still basking in the glow of victory, accepting more congratulations with that radiant smile of hers.

“I’ll talk to her,” he said at last, though the words felt heavier than they should.

Chapter Text

The Ravenclaw Common Room was full of excitement as everyone celebrated Selene’s victory. She sat relaxed on the sofa, smiling and handing out Chocolate Frogs to anyone nearby, whether they asked or not. It was hardly a surprise, given that she was expecting a fresh batch from Prewett soon.

What did surprise Sebastian, however, was the sight of Ominis in the far corner, encircled by a group of younger Ravenclaws. They leant in eagerly, curious eyes on Ominis, who was hissing to the snake curled in his lap.

“No, no, that can’t be right,” one of the Ravenclaws said, scribbling furiously. “The double ‘ssh’ sound appeared in both ‘yes’ and ‘hello,’ so it must be some kind of linguistic marker – perhaps an article?”

“An article? In Parseltongue?” another scoffed.

“There has to be a system – Ominis, say ‘goodbye.’”

Ominis exhaled heavily but relented, producing a slow hiss: Ssshsshsh.

The Ravenclaws exploded into rapid-fire analysis, arguing whether Parseltongue could be a tonal language like Mandarin. Sebastian smirked from where he stood, arms crossed as he observed the unfolding madness.

“At this rate, you lot are going to compile a Parseltongue dictionary.”

One of the Ravenclaws perked up. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Ominis hissed something under his breath (most likely a very unkind phrase in Parseltongue), but to his dismay, his audience immediately began dissecting that as well.

Sebastian chuckled as he observed Ominis, who, despite his usual unreadable expression, didn’t seem all too unhappy with the attention. The snake curled in his lap certainly revelled in it, hissing happily whether asked to or not.

Leaving Ominis to his admirers, Sebastian turned toward Selene. She was nestled comfortably on the sofa, Connie sitting beside her. That was good.

“Hey there,” he greeted. “Enjoying your fame?”

She let out a light laugh. “A bit. Chocolate Frog?” She offered him her ever-present bag.

“I’ll pass,” he said. “I just spoke to Adelaide and suffered a punch to the stomach.”

Selene raised a brow. “Oh?”

“But, besides the punch, she forgave me. She said she understands, and while I could’ve handled things better, she’s fine. She’s moved on but wishes me well.”

“Pfft. Soft-hearted Hufflepuff,” Connie scoffed. “I would have punched you somewhere else.”

“Connie!” Selene scolded, though amusement flickered in her eyes before she turned to Sebastian with a more sincere expression. “I’m glad you showed some maturity.”

He nodded.

Connie sighed dramatically. “Fine. You have my permission. Now, go – you two need to talk.”

Selene didn’t argue, simply nodding as she rose to her feet. As they walked toward the exit, she glanced over at Ominis, who was rubbing his temples as the Ravenclaws debated whether an odd or even number of hisses altered a word’s meaning.

“Should we rescue him?” she asked.

Sebastian smirked. “I think he’ll be fine.”

By the time they reached the Floo Flame, Selene turned to him. “Undercroft?”

“Yes. But let’s just walk there.” He wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to say yet, and the longer walk would buy him some time. “If your leg is up for it, of course.”

“My leg is fine,” she assured him. “Today’s duel was harder on my mind than my body.”

He nodded thoughtfully before glancing at her. “How did you fight through Confundo?”

She smirked. “I already told you about that ability of mine.”

It took him a moment to recall.

“Occlumency.”

“Exactly. I’m not particularly skilled at it yet, but it was just enough to keep me steady today. It wouldn’t have worked against a stronger opponent.”

“Let’s hope you don’t have to fight stronger opponents.”

“One can hope,” she murmured.

They walked in silence for a while.

“What did Leander want after the duel?” she asked.

Sebastian sighed. “Asked if we’re dating.”

“And?”

“I told him I was going to talk to you about it today.” His lips pressed into a thin line. “He admitted he doesn’t stand a chance, so he’ll leave you be.”

“Good,” she nodded. “I hate rejecting people.”

“You’d better get used to it,” he teased. “You’re pretty, and now you’re famous. The blokes will be chasing after you – and your bottomless bag of Chocolate Frogs.”

Selene laughed. “Well, if I decide to date someone, I hope the others will let me be.”

“If.”

“Exactly.” She gave him a small smile.

They lapsed into silence again, the castle corridors quiet around them.

“I think Helena hates me slightly less now,” Sebastian mused. “She was almost nice to me when we left the Hospital Wing yesterday.”

“Almost,” Selene echoed teasingly.

“It was an improvement,” he insisted. “She even told me her real name and that the Founders’ artifacts aren’t artifacts at all – just jewellery.”

“I asked her about Helga Hufflepuff’s cup. Very early on,” Selene admitted solemnly.

Sebastian glanced at her, struck again by how alike their minds worked.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

She waved him off. “It was pointless. I’m thinking of another way, but it’ll require waiting for Professor Fig and visiting Anne.”

“What way?”

She exhaled slowly. “If we want to understand the curse, we need to study it. We need Anne’s memories of that night. If we can view them in a Pensieve, we might notice something she didn’t even realise at the time. We need to know what we’re dealing with. We can’t study just everything – we don’t have time.”

Sebastian’s stomach twisted. Anne didn’t have time.

“Will taking her memories hurt her?”

“Not physically, no. But reliving it might be…” Selene hesitated. “Traumatic.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “We’ll talk to her. But she’s lost all hope. I don’t know if she’ll agree.”

“If you and she allow me, I’d like to talk to her,” Selene said gently. “I might be able to say something that convinces her.”

He studied her for a moment, then nodded.

“Next weekend. Feldcroft,” Sebastian said. “I’ll let you know the details.”

“Sure.”

They walked in silence until they reached the Undercroft.

Sebastian exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “So. We have to talk, huh?” He smirked, trying to force the nervousness from his voice.

“We’re not even dating yet, and we already sound like a couple on the verge of breaking up,” Selene teased, but her tone was just as nervous.

“Yet?” Sebastian raised a brow. “I like how you consider that a possibility, given that two days ago, you swore you weren’t interested in boys.”

Selene sighed. “It’s all very new to me. And this week has been chaos. So much has happened, so many emotions. A week ago, I had never even been alone in a room with a boy. But now, seeing how none of you seem to think twice about it, I –” She hesitated, her voice quieter now. “I consider it. And I like you. I like how you look, how you hug me… and though I’ll never admit it, I might even like how you carry me around.”

Her gaze dropped, and Sebastian reached out, tilting her chin up so she had to look at him.

“I like you too,” he said softly, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. “I like how beautiful you are. How brilliant. How strong. I like the way you laugh, and smile, and blush, and argue with me. I like carrying you, though I wish you’d never been hurt to begin with. I like the way your hair feels when I run my fingers through it. The way your eyes glow when you’re excited. How curious you are. How you read aloud and stroke my hair when you think I’m asleep.”

Selene let out a mortified squeak. “You weren’t asleep?” Her face was already burning.

Sebastian grinned. “No. I was being a sneaky Slytherin, enjoying the affections of a pretty girl.”

She let out a breathless laugh.

“So,” she said finally, “we like each other.”

“Seems like that.”

She was beautiful in the dim glow of the Undercroft, her raven-black hair forming a dark halo around her face, the blue of her clothes deep and rich in the shadows. He wanted nothing more than to reach for her, to pull her close – but the words he needed to say felt like a knife to his throat.

Selene, perceptive as ever, caught the hesitation in his expression. Her brow furrowed slightly.

“But?” she prompted, already bracing herself.

Sebastian’s breath hitched. “But I can’t date right now. No one. Not even you. No matter how much I want to.”

There. He’d cut the limb off.

Selene didn’t flinch. She simply held his gaze, solemn and understanding, as though she’d known all along.

“I need to find the cure,” he continued. “I can’t afford distractions. And I can’t afford to lose you – not as a friend.”

She nodded. “I understand. Of course you’re right. And of course, I’ll do everything I can to help you find the cure.”

“Thank you.” He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the crown of her hair. “And when we do, when Anne is safe – we can talk again. But I’m not asking you to wait. I have no right to.”

She tilted her head at him, an almost teasing glint in her eyes despite the sadness there. “No, you don’t.”

Sebastian let out a quiet laugh. “And I still reserve the right to hex any idiot who so much as breathes something hurtful in your direction.”

That earned a soft chuckle. “That’s very Slytherin of you.”

“I aim to please.”

Selene closed her eyes for a second.

“Well,” she said finally, “there it is. We talked. After all our friends practically shoved us into it.”

Sebastian nodded. “Yes. And now we have clarity. No more awkward flirting, no more guessing what the other is thinking.”

Selene arched a brow. “If I know you, you’ll keep up the awkward flirting anyway.”

Sebastian smirked. “I might. You can hit me if I take it too far. My bruises are almost healed, after all.”

She reached out and brushed his arm gently. “I’ll hold you to that.”

He hesitated before asking, “Should I walk you back to your Common Room?”

She shook her head. “No need. I’ll stay here for a while. Maybe take my frustration out on a few training dummies.”

He nodded. “Understood. See you tomorrow, then.”

“Bye, Sebastian.”

He turned, forcing himself to leave.

Selene was much better at Occlumency than she gave herself credit for, Sebastian thought grimly. He couldn’t explain how else she managed to hold back her tears until he was gone.

Ominis hadn’t expected to find Selene alone in the dark of the Undercroft. He couldn’t see the darkness, of course – it was always dark to him. But the absence of warmth from the chandeliers told him the room was unlit. She was clearly crying, a distinct pulse of foreign magic on the sofa, her sobs muffled.

“Sebastian –” she started, then stopped. “Oh. It’s you, Ominis.” Relief and disappointment wove through her voice. “I’m sorry. I can leave if you want me to.”

“Please don’t. I told you before, you’re welcome here whenever you need.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, as she curled back into the sofa.

He hesitated before sitting beside her, careful not to touch her.

“What did that idiot say to you?”

“Ominis! He’s your friend,” she tried to scold him, but Ominis dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

“Precisely. Which means I’m more aware than anyone of just how much of an idiot he can be.”

He pulled a neatly embroidered handkerchief from his pocket, the silver “G” curling like a serpent, and passed it to her. Selene accepted it gratefully, dabbing at her face. He smirked at the thought of a Muggle-born wiping her tears with a Gaunt handkerchief. He wished his family could see it.

“He’s not an idiot,” she said softly. “He’s right. He can’t afford distractions, and we can’t afford to lose each other as friends. So we stay friends.”

Ominis exhaled slowly. “I stand corrected. He isn’t just an idiot. He’s a greater moron than Headmaster Black, Clopton, Weasley, and my entire family combined.”

Selene let out a laugh, half-choked by her tears.

“Please don’t be angry with him. I understand his decision, and I accept it.”

Ominis crossed his arms. “I remain resolute in my opinion.”

Selene probably shook her head, her voice lighter now. “How did you escape my housemates?”

Ominis winced. “Prewett arrived with Chocolate Frogs just as they were on the verge of dissecting me. Apparently, the temptation of sugar outweighed their scientific curiosity. So they let me go. Here.”

He placed her bag in her lap.

“We physically couldn’t fit any more Chocolate Frogs in there. Connie took the rest to your dormitory. Oh, and this.”

He pulled a small, heart-shaped box from his robes and set it beside her.

“Chocolate Cauldrons,” Selene read from the packaging before noticing the attached card. Carefully, she unfolded it.

“Congratulations on winning the tournament. If you ever change your mind about Hogsmeade or spending time together, please let me know. Yours, Leander.”

Selene sighed.

“You don’t have to respond to that.” Ominis said quietly.

“I know. It’s just… frustrating.” From the sound of rustling paper, she was already tearing into the package. “Want a Chocolate Cauldron?”

“Gladly.”

Ominis accepted one, bringing it to his nose first.

“If I suddenly start chasing after Prewett, you have full permission to hex me – non-lethally, of course – to bring me back to my senses,” he quipped.

Selene let out a small laugh. “Paranoid about Love potions?”

“A bit.”

“Huh. There’s a girl in Ravenclaw who likes you and once mentioned Love potions. I wonder if that’s connected… but how would you even know about it?”

“Sebastian has called me omniscient since our second year,” he said with a smirk.

The shift in her breathing was subtle but noticeable.

“…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned him.”

“It’s alright,” Selene said softly. “We share classes. We can’t ignore each other forever. And I did promise to help Anne, so…”

“You don’t have to.” Ominis sighed. “I love Anne dearly, but you don’t have to spend your time or energy trying to save her. Especially after how Sebastian treated you.”

“I want to help.” Selene murmured. “I’ll be fine. I just need more Occlumency.”

“Just don’t occlude too much.”

“Hmm?”

Ominis exhaled slowly.

“If you push everything aside, if you bury your emotions too deep, it becomes harder to feel them again. And when they do surface, it’s even harder to cope with them. It’s normal to feel. Even to hurt.”

“I feel like I’ve cried more this week than ever before,” she admitted quietly.

“It’s been a difficult week for you. And you’re allowed to cry. To feel hurt. I understand the need for Occlumency better than most, but…”

“I understand,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

She squeezed his hand tightly.

“And if you ever change your mind…”

“No,” Ominis said firmly.

He didn’t want to know. He couldn’t know. Whatever magic tied Selene to Ranrok, whatever it was that made her different – it could never reach his family. If he ever crossed paths with them again, and if his Occlumency wasn’t strong enough, the last thing he could afford was for the Gaunts to learn of it.

“I understand,” she said, her voice steady. “I won’t tell you anything.”

“Thank you,” Ominis replied. “You can’t begin to imagine the lengths Gaunts would go to for power.”

“I am unworthy in their eyes, though. Less than human.”

“You are. But your power is not.” His voice was grim. “If they ever learned about you and about what you can do – they would try to harness it. And when they inevitably failed, they would simply strip you of it, deeming it unjust that someone like you ever possessed it in the first place.”

“They would kill me,” she stated calmly.

Ominis shook his head. “Not before taking everything from you.” He hesitated before continuing. “There are… spells. Rituals. Ways to extract magic completely from a wizard’s body. To make one a Muggle. And then, yes – the killing would follow.”

Selene remained eerily quiet.

“Would those rituals help Anne?” she asked at last. “If one removes all magic from a body, it should remove a curse as well, shouldn’t it?”

Ravenclaw curiosity. Ominis sighed.

“I don’t know if Anne would even want to live without magic. And with how much the curse has already damaged her, she might be too fragile to survive the ritual itself.” He paused. “Please, don’t tell Sebastian that such things even exist.”

“I won’t,” she promised. “There are many things about magic that are simply too much.”

“Exactly,” he exhaled in relief. “Glad you understand that. My family is notorious for using this ritual. Their twisted logic deems any blood of Slytherin too precious to spill – unless, of course, that blood is stripped of magic. A Gaunt without magic is no Gaunt at all in their eyes. And so, they can be discarded.”

“They’ve actually performed it before?” Selene’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Several times,” Ominis confirmed. “It’s what happens to those few who try to escape this cursed family.”

She was silent for a long moment before finally asking, “Are you not afraid?”

“I am,” he admitted. “I’m afraid that one day, they’ll come for me. That they’ll tear through my Occlumency shields, leave me a mindless shell just to dig through my memories for new ways to hurt me.”

Selene let out a horrified gasp.

“Right now, there are still enough of us. My father married a cousin, not a sister. But my sister was forced to marry our uncle. And aunt Noctua – who was likely not my aunt, but my half-sister – would have been expected to marry either me or my brother one day, if she hadn’t…” He swallowed. “Disappeared.”

Selene remained silent, absorbing the weight of his words.

“I was left alone for a time,” he murmured. “But my sister struggled to conceive for years. Which means, soon enough, they’ll come after every last person with Slytherin blood.”

“I think I might barf,” Selene said, disgust evident in her voice.

“Suit yourself. The Undercroft is important to me, but ultimately, it’s a Gaunt legacy. A Muggle-born vomiting all over it would amuse me immensely.”

She laughed at that, although it still felt forced.

“I’m truly sorry about your aunt, Ominis,” she said sincerely.

Ominis sighed.

“She was born from my grandfather’s second marriage. His Gaunt wife had died, and he remarried – a much younger witch. Pure-blood, of course, but not a Gaunt. He already had heirs, and he was old, so he didn’t particularly care that her blood wasn’t Slytherin’s. He hadn’t expected her to bear children, just to take care of him. Disgusting, but honestly one of the less revolting things about my family,” he let out a bitter laugh. “But then Noctua was born, only several years older than me. My grandfather died not long after, and she was raised alongside us. Her mother was utterly terrified of my father, so she all but handed her over to him. Noctua was only half Gaunt, which probably explains why she was so kind. But my father loved her more than any of us. She couldn’t cast a single Cruciatus Curse to save her life, and yet… he let her be.”

Selene’s hand tightened around his. She’d caught his hesitation. Of course she had.

“He even would have allowed her to marry outside the family, to marry his best friend – but she refused, and again, he let her.”

“Headmaster Black,” Selene said, perceptive as ever.

“Yes,” Ominis answered evenly. “I sometimes wonder whether marrying Black or death would be preferable.”

Selene let out a quiet laugh.

“What happened to her?” she asked gently. Then, as if realising she might be pushing too far, she added, “You don’t have to tell me.”

“That’s alright,” he murmured. “Aunt Noctua, she thought like I do, didn’t agree with the family on the use of Dark Magic. She’d hoped to convince my family that there was more to Salazar Slytherin than worshipping pure-blood status. She’d heard of Salazar’s scriptorium, and thought its contents might shed some light on him. She even found the entrance, located in Slytherin dungeons. She wrote regularly to my father about her efforts to gain access, and then she simply vanished. No one else ever tried to enter.

“I’m so sorry, Ominis,” she wrapped her arms around him, and after a brief hesitation, he allowed himself to return the gesture.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

They sat in silence for a moment before Ominis spoke again. “Sebastian has been pestering me lately about the Scriptorium and I’m frustrated with him. He seems to think that it contains the answer to saving Anne. I think it’s likely full of Dark Magic that is better left untouched.”

“I understand,” Selene said. “Sebastian does have a curiosity for the Dark Arts.”

“He does,” Ominis agreed. “Thankfully, your arrival has distracted him from the Scriptorium for now, but I imagine he’ll start pestering me again next week.”

She hesitated before asking, “But don’t you want to find out what happened to your aunt?”

Bloody Ravenclaw curiosity.

“Aunt Noctua walked that path with good intentions, and she lost her life because of it. I don’t want the same to happen again. Not to me. Not to Sebastian.” He hesitated. “Not to you.”

“I’m not even a Slytherin. I shouldn’t even –”

Ominis cut her off with a hand.

“Don’t,” he said firmly. “Like you would ever let Sebastian do something like this without you.”

They sat in silence for some time.

“You want one?” she asked finally, gently pressing a bag of Chocolate Frogs against his hands.

“Sure.”

They ate quietly, the only sound the occasional rustle of wrappers. Ominis traced his wand over the collectible card.

“Salazar Slytherin. Of course.”

Selene let out a soft laugh. “Mine’s Laverne de Montmorency. The inventor of many Love potions. The last thing I need right now.”

“Not that you’d need any,” Ominis murmured. “Not with Leander and Sebastian after you.”

“Sebastian is not after me,” she gently corrected. “He just wants us to be friends.”

“He doesn’t,” Ominis countered easily. “He’s just being an idiot. Give it a week – he’ll come running back, begging you to take him back.”

“No.” She was probably shaking her head. “I don’t want that. And he’s right. It’s for the best.”

Ominis let out a slow breath. “How did you end up in Ravenclaw when you can be so…” He hesitated, unwilling to call her outright foolish. “Naïve.”

She sighed. “I made a choice. The Hat gave me one. And I look pretty good in blue.”

“Not that I would know what that even means. Or what blue is.”

“I’m sorry…” she started, but Ominis cut her off.

“Don’t be. If I don’t laugh about it, it’s just pathetic.”

She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Have you ever thought about Polyjuice Potion?”

He scoffed. “You’ve seen my Wiggenweld. It’s utter rubbish.”

“You don’t have to brew it yourself. You could buy it or ask someone else to make it.”

Ominis sighed. “I’ve thought about it, yes. But even if it worked…” he exhaled, choosing his words carefully. “I’m afraid. You all seem very attached to your sight – whatever that is. What if it feels good? And if it does – I can’t spend my entire life Polyjuiced, can I? Maybe it’s better not to know.”

“I understand,” she said gently. “But if you ever change your mind, I can brew it for you. It’s tricky, but manageable.”

“You’d also need a body part from someone who can see.”

She sounded embarrassed as she answered, “I suppose I could give you my hair, but it might be awkward for you to turn into a girl. Maybe Sebastian would be up for it?”

“Huh.”

Ominis had always wondered what it was like to see, but never seriously considered the possibility. And here she was, offering him the chance.

“I can ask him if you want,” Selene offered hesitantly. “But it’s probably better if you do.”

“He’ll agree. If only out of curiosity,” Ominis paused. “I’ll think about it. Thank you. Though I should be careful with Sebastian’s hair – I’d rather not catch his stupidity by wearing his face.”

“Sebastian is not stupid,” she argued.

Ominis sighed. There she was – this bright, almost blinding, how ironically, spot of magic. Pretty, if others were to be believed. A soft, warm voice, a Ravenclaw’s keen mind, and a heart too kind for her own good. Willing to do anything, even for the one who had hurt her.

Sebastian was an idiot, and no amount of arguing from Selene would convince him otherwise.

Ominis found his oldest (and stupidest) friend brooding in a dark corner of the Slytherin Common Room, likely buried in some book on Dark magic.

“Cast a Quietening Charm,” Ominis said, settling beside him.

“I never knew you liked me this way, Ominis,” Sebastian teased, but complied.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Ominis muttered.

“How is Selene?” Sebastian asked.

“Hurt,” Ominis said curtly. “Because of your stupidity.”

“It wasn’t –”

“It was, and you know it.”

Sebastian exhaled heavily. “I need to find a cure. I need to save Anne.”

Ominis waved him off. “That’s an excuse, and you know it. You had no trouble spending two whole days glued to Selene’s side without searching for a cure. So, tell me the real reason you rejected her.”

Sebastian was silent for a long moment.

“I’m afraid of hurting her.”

“Congratulations. You’re too late for that,” Ominis said dryly.

“No, not like this.” Sebastian’s voice was tight. “I’ve said hurtful things to her before, but this… She makes me feel things. And I can’t afford that. Not now. If we got together, there’d come a time when I hurt her even worse. And I need her, Ominis. Her mind, her power – she could help me find a cure for Anne.”

“So you’re fine using her,” Ominis said coldly. “Knowing exactly how she feels about you. Knowing what lengths she’d go to for you.”

“I’m not forcing her to help me, am I?” Sebastian snapped. “She helps everyone in this bloody castle – Zenobia, Grace. You. She offered to help you with those blind Muggle books. She took you to the Ravenclaw Tower just so you wouldn’t have to sit among the Slytherins who are bloody terrified of you.” His voice was laced with bitterness. “Go ahead. You can have her. I won’t stand in your way.”

Ominis was momentarily stunned by the sheer idiocy of it.

“I don’t want Selene that way,” he said evenly. “And she doesn’t want me – or anyone else. She’s crying her eyes out in the Undercroft because of you. You spent the entire weekend almost snogging her, then told her you should just be friends. She’s never even considered someone this way before, and this is what she gets.”

Sebastian’s voice was quiet. “Is she really crying?”

“She might as well be barfing all over the Undercroft,” Ominis muttered. “I told her about my family, and she was disgusted and horrified. But at least it distracted her from you.”

Sebastian was silent for some time. 

“And you really don’t –” he started hesitantly.

“We are not interested in each other,” Ominis cut him off. “Her thoughts are on you. And her magic is blinding me.”

“You’re blind.”

“Thank you, I haven’t noticed,” Ominis deadpanned. “I just assumed someone was turning the lights out wherever I went.”

Sebastian snorted.

“I’ll talk to her next week,” he said in a more serious tone.

“You won’t,” Ominis countered. “You’ll give her time to hurt and heal. You’ll only talk to her again when you’re absolutely sure you’re ready. When you’re not going to bolt the second you start catching feelings.”

“That might take a while,” he muttered.

“It might. And you better hope someone doesn’t get there first. Prewett sent her a heart-shaped box of Chocolate Cauldrons. Left a note saying she should let him know if she changes her mind.”

Sebastian stiffened. “Please tell me she didn’t eat them.”

“She did. So did I,” Ominis smirked slightly. “Don’t worry. So far, my feelings for Prewett remain unchanged. I doubt there was any Love potion.”

Sebastian let out a frustrated groan.  “Do you think she’ll fall for someone else before I catch up with my feelings?”

“I don’t know,” Ominis admitted. “But Sharp is teaching us how to brew Amortentia next week. If you really want to know, you could ask her what she smells in it.”

Sebastian hummed in thought. “Sharp is really going to do that?”

“Not by choice. Black made him. After Sharp blasted Black’s coffee cup out of his hands for recognising a Love potion in it. Though, if you ask me, I think Sharp just wanted to blast Black’s cup.”

Sebastian laughed. “I wish I’d seen that.”

“You would have, if you showed up to the Great Hall more often.”

Ominis got to his feet. “I’m going to bed. Let me know when you stop being a moron. And don’t go near the Undercroft today.”

“I won’t,” Sebastian muttered. “Why don’t you trust me, Ominis?”

Ominis didn’t bother dignifying that with an answer. He could feel the room shift as he stood – the quieting of conversations, the tension that followed. He didn’t regret putting Macnair in his place, but being feared was exhausting.

Maybe tomorrow, he’d visit the Ravenclaw Common Room again. Being a subject of curiosity was better than being a source of fear.

Chapter Text

Selene looked perfectly fine the next day – chattering with Ravenclaws, handing out her never-ending Chocolate Frogs, excelling in lessons. She greeted Sebastian, informed him that Professor Fig would return soon with her Pensieve and carried on as if nothing had happened.

But Sebastian wasn’t so easily fooled. He saw the shadow cross her face when she was alone, the way her gaze drifted when there wasn’t happy chatter to anchor her. She was pretending, and it infuriated him that she had to.

Then came the promised Potions lesson on Amortentia.

Sharp surveyed the class with an even heavier gaze than usual.

“I don’t expect any of you to produce a halfway decent attempt at Amortentia,” he said. “However, Headmaster Black insists that brewing it will somehow warn you against its dangers. If you wish to question this logic, I encourage you to take it up with Headmaster Black himself.”

A few students snickered.

“You will be working in pairs.”

Sebastian immediately made for Selene. Given her family history, brewing a potion her own mother had used might be traumatic for her.

“Mr Sallow,” Sharp said, “you will be working with Mr Gaunt.”

Sebastian froze.

“Miss Harrington…” Sharp hesitated. “You’ll be partnered with Mr Weasley. Try to prevent him from straying too far from the recipe. Even a properly brewed Amortentia is a dangerous potion, and I don’t even want to imagine what Mr Weasley’s ‘experiments’ might produce.”

“Yes, Professor,” Selene said smoothly, settling beside Weasley, who looked far too pleased with the arrangement.

Sebastian forced himself to focus, but it was impossible. His eyes kept drifting to Selene – her neatly tied hair, the rolled sleeves of her blouse, the way she furrowed her brows in concentration.

“Alright, Garreth, time to add the Pearl Dust.”

Weasley complied. Selene stirred the cauldron, still frowning. “Something’s not right.”

“I think it’s done,” Weasley declared.

“Yes, the colour is perfect, and the steam is spiralling properly, but the scent is wrong. Let me check the recipe again.”

Meanwhile, Sebastian’s and Ominis’ potion smelled like burnt fabric. Sebastian leaned toward Selene and Weasley’s cauldron, inhaling deeply. It was… pleasant.

“Selene, it’s perfect,” Weasley said.

“No, it’s not!” she snapped at him angrily. Then, catching herself, softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I just – something’s off, and it’s frustrating.”

Sharp, who had definitely heard her, limped over with his usual gruffness.

“Your potion is flawless. Points to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.”

Selene shook her head. “It’s not flawless, Professor, it’s –”

“I have been brewing potions longer than you’ve been alive, Miss Harrington. If I say it is flawless, I mean it.”

Selene swallowed hard, clearly struggling.

“Please, Professor. The smell is off.”

Sharp growled but leaned in to inhale the potion’s scent. For a brief second, his lips twitched, almost smiling. Then he schooled his expression back to neutral.

“It is flawless.”

“It can’t be!” Selene exclaimed, panic creeping into her voice.

Sharp’s gaze turned heavy. “Miss Harrington. Just because you smell something – or someone – unexpected doesn’t mean the potion is flawed. I suggest you compose yourself before Ravenclaw loses the points you just earned.”

Selene took a shaky step back from the cauldron as if it had turned into a giant Acromantula. Horror flickered across her face, tears welling in her eyes.

“No…” she whispered, barely audible.

Then she turned and bolted from the room.

Sebastian was on his feet in an instant, ready to run after her, but Sharp’s firm grip stopped him.

“I did not dismiss the class yet, Mr Sallow.”

Reluctantly, Sebastian returned to his Potions station.

“There’s always one,” Sharp muttered. “Didn’t expect a Ravenclaw, though.”

Sebastian barely heard the rest of the lesson. Sharp made them all smell Selene’s potion, warning of the consequences should anyone attempt to steal even a drop of Amortentia. But none of it mattered. Not the scent, not the lecture – only the way Selene had looked before she ran.

The second they were dismissed, Sebastian grabbed her bag and sprinted toward the Undercroft. Ominis was right behind him.

They found Selene curled up on the sofa, hugging herself, her red-rimmed eyes proof that she had been crying. She was still shaking.

“Hey there,” Sebastian said carefully. “Want a Chocolate Frog?”

She shook her head but still took the bag, clutching it tightly without reaching inside. Sebastian wanted to comfort her – wrap his arms around her, run his fingers through her hair, let her rest against his chest while he murmured something soothing.

But he couldn’t. He didn’t have the right. Not after how he had hurt her.

“Was it me?” he asked, his voice quieter. “Did you smell me?”

Ominis let out his infamous ‘my friend is a moron’ sigh, but Sebastian ignored him. He had to know.

Selene looked up at him, her tired eyes meeting his.

“No,” she said firmly. “I would be bloody happy if it was you.”

She wasn’t lying, but something was off.

Sebastian glanced at his friend. “Ominis?”

Another sigh. Another shake of her head.

“Not him either.”

Sebastian frowned. Then a thought struck him – the way Connie had looked when confessing her feelings for Anne.

“…Is it one of the girls?” he asked hesitantly.

To his surprise, Selene let out a small chuckle. “Not a girl. It was nothing.”

She didn’t want to tell him. His irritation grew, but he forced himself to take a deep breath.

“I get it – you don’t want to talk to me about it. But you’re not fine, Selene. Whatever, or whoever it was, you need to talk about it. If not to me, then to Ominis.”

He turned to leave, frustrated, when her voice stopped him.

“I told you already,” she murmured. “It was nothing.”

Sebastian turned back, confused. “Huh?”

“I didn’t smell anything,” she swallowed hard, bracing herself. “The bloody Love potion smelled like nothing to me. I am… I am incapable of love.”

Selene said it like a confession, like she was expecting him to lash out and confirm her worst fears. But Sebastian just scoffed.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” she asked, her voice eerily calm – drained from earlier hysteria. “It was you who called me a heartless monster.”

“I didn’t mean that, and you know it.”

She barely reacted.

“I thought…” she whispered. “I hoped I was more than my mother’s crime. But I was wrong.”

She let out a hollow chuckle.

“At least I inherited her talent for brewing Amortentia.”

“Selene, you’re wrong. You are so much more than what your mother did. And as for the potion – who cares? Maybe it wasn’t brewed correctly and Sharp was wrong. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“You smelled something, didn’t you?” she asked, and Sebastian reluctantly nodded.

“Old books. Mom’s lemon pie. Confringo blast.”

And her hair, when he held her in his arms. But Sebastian had no right to say that.

“Ominis?” Selene asked quietly.

“Black coffee. A summer evening on the shore in Feldcroft. Hogwarts,” his friend said just as softly.

“See? That’s it. Sharp was right – the potion was flawless. I am not, though,” she said, still eerily calm, stripped of emotion. Probably hiding behind her Occlumency shields.

“You are to me,” Sebastian said, moving closer and sitting beside her.

“Don’t say that,” she muttered.

“I mean it. You are flawless to me. Your heart – so gentle, so kind. You can’t possibly believe you are incapable of love. It’s simply impossible. Of all the people I know, you are the most –”

“No,” she interjected. “I am not. I am a monster stripped of love, no better than my mother. Me running errands, helping everyone – it’s just a bloody pretence. Just an attempt to convince everyone – and myself – that I’m better than her. But I’m not.”

“Selene!” Sebastian didn’t care anymore. He turned her toward him, taking her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “Stop this. You are capable of love. You are not a monster. I won’t let you think that.”

For a second, she looked vulnerable. Hopeful. Like she wanted to believe him.

But then she swallowed hard and whispered, “Incapable… and unworthy… of love.”

“No to both!” Sebastian shot back, his voice fierce. “You are capable, and you are worthy. Your father loves you.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done,” she muttered. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew. And he wouldn’t love me if he knew either.”

“Tell me, then,” he said impatiently.

“You will hate me.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

She studied his face for a long moment, then carefully pushed his hands away and curled into herself on the other side of the sofa, staring at nothing.

“I didn’t always know what I was. My father… you know how Amortentia works. It’s not love – it’s obsession. It doesn’t only create an illusion of affection; it makes you feel good. When my father found out my mother had drugged him, he stopped taking it, of course. But the need for something that felt good was still there. The closest thing in the Muggle world? Opium. He was an addict for the first ten years of my life.”

Sebastian froze.

“I thought he was numbing the pain of losing my mother,” she continued. “That he had loved her so much that her death had driven him to it. I was wrong.”

She exhaled heavily.

“The first ten years of my life, I was raised by nannies and my father’s friend. I only ever saw my father high or crying in pain. He wasn’t a father. He was a shell of a man, broken by my mother.”

Sebastian pulled her closer, stroking her shoulders. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice.

“Then my father’s friend died,” Selene whispered. “Somehow, it gave my father the strength to stop. Maybe he realised I had no one else left. That he had to get it together and raise me. And he did. He pampered me endlessly, trying to make up for the lost years. Trying to ease his guilt, trying to love me. I didn’t get my Hogwarts letter when I was eleven. He told me it would come next year – that maybe I was still too young. We waited and hoped. I asked him about my mother too many times, always receiving the same empty answers. But it didn’t sit right with me. I wanted the truth.”

She fell silent for a moment.

“What did you do?” Sebastian asked.

Selene closed her eyes.

“I brewed Veritaserum.”

Sebastian’s stomach twisted.

“I did what my mother did,” she confessed. “I drugged him with a potion to get what I wanted. Answers. And I got them. That she was probably alive. That she had done it to him. That she was the reason his friend was so cautious with me. That his friend believed I might end up a monster. My father didn’t believe it himself, but he was always a kind man.

She sighed heavily.

“There were only two questions I couldn’t bring myself to ask.”

“Which ones?” Sebastian asked.

“The House she was in. I was afraid of ending up in the same one. Father probably knew, but I was too afraid to ask. She could have been anything, right? Brave enough to pull something like this. Smart enough to brew Amortentia. Hardworking enough to keep brewing it for so long. And, of course… cunning. I decided I didn’t want to know.”

“And the second question…” Her voice wavered. “If he loved me.”

Selene started crying again – quiet, resigned tears.

“He told me he loved me countless times. But I was too afraid to hear his answer under Veritaserum. So I never asked.”

She let out a breath, her expression resigned.

“I felt guilt. And shame. And disgust with myself. Part of me wished I’d never done it. Another part was relieved to know the truth. But I never forgave myself.”

She exhaled heavily.

“And I think… my father knew what I’ve done,” she looked down at her hands. “He never said anything. But he knew.”

A heavy silence settled between them. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet.

“What you told me on Sunday, Sebastian… it hurt to hear. It really did,” she spoke slowly, as if forcing the words out required sheer will. “But you were right. Probably more right than you realise.”

At last, she turned to face him, and the resignation in her eyes made his chest tighten. “You deserve so much more. You are good, Sebastian. You are capable of love. And you deserve someone who can love you back,” she shook her head. “Not me. Not the monster.”

Something inside Sebastian snapped. He reached for her hands, but she pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Please, look at me,” he pleaded.

She shook her head, as if the very thought of facing him was unbearable.

“Selene…” Sebastian murmured, his voice softer now, coaxing. “You are not a monster, not your mother. You never were.”

She let out a short, hollow laugh, shaking her head again. “Aren’t I?” Her fingers curled against her arms. “I used a potion to force the truth out of someone. I let my own selfishness justify it. Just like she did. I told myself I needed answers. She told herself she needed his money.” She turned to him at last, and in her gaze, he saw the weight of self-loathing. “Tell me, Sebastian. How does that make me any different?”

“Because you regret it.”

The voice that answered wasn’t his.

Sebastian had been so focused on Selene that, for a moment, he had forgotten Ominis was even there.

“Because it haunts you,” Ominis continued. “Because you ask yourself if you had a choice. If there was another way. Because you actually wonder whether you are a monster.”

Sebastian had the distinct feeling that Ominis wasn’t just talking about Selene. He reached for her hands again – and this time, he didn’t let her pull away. Her fingers trembled in his grasp.

“I did something far worse than you, Selene,” Ominis said quietly. “I was taught the Cruciatus Curse as a child. My family’s tradition involved torturing Muggles. When I refused, I learned firsthand what Crucio felt like. And eventually I gave in. I cast it myself. When you witness suffering like that, when you are the cause of it – you never forget.” His voice was steady, but beneath it lay something deeply fractured. “Tell me, Selene… do you see me as a monster?”

“Of course not, Ominis!” She tore her hands from Sebastian’s and rushed to Ominis, clasping his hands in hers. “You are brave. You stood against –”

“Stood against?” He let out a hollow laugh. “No. I complied.”

“No. Call it whatever you want, but you are brave. And I will not stand here and let you call yourself a monster.”

Sebastian stood, stepping closer to her. “Then why do you expect us to let you call yourself one, Selene?”

“I had a choice,” she argued. “Ominis didn’t.”

“I had a choice too,” Ominis countered. “Unforgivable Curses don’t work unless you mean them. I had to want to cause pain. I had to mean it.”

She swallowed hard.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “But still – you are not a monster. You could smell Amortentia.”

“Who cares about a bloody potion?” Sebastian snapped. “Maybe you had sniffles. Maybe you couldn’t smell it because you brewed it yourself. Maybe Weasley botched it, and it worked on everyone but you.” His voice softened as he stepped even closer. “A potion doesn’t define you, Selene. A single mistake doesn’t define you. You are worthy. And you are capable of love.”

She exhaled heavily, her shoulders slumping.

“Promise me, Selene,” Ominis said. “Promise me you’ll try to forgive yourself. If you do that – I’ll try too.”

Her head snapped up, eyes wide with horror. “You haven’t forgiven yourself?”

Ominis shook his head.

“I haven’t even tried,” he admitted. “How can something like this be forgivable?”

“It is,” she whispered. “It has to be.” She hesitated, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Sebastian clenched his fists.

They had both made it clear there was nothing but understanding between them. And yet, watching Selene comfort Ominis, watching her hand rest gently against his back, sent something burning through Sebastian’s chest. He forced himself to take a slow, deep breath.

“I will, Ominis,” she murmured. “I will try.”

“Thank you,” Ominis whispered back.

Sebastian had no right to be jealous. No right at all. But watching Ominis soothe her, he had to do something.

Slowly, carefully, he pulled her into his arms. For a moment, she stiffened, but then something within her broke, and she sank into him, pressing her face into his chest. Sebastian held her as tightly as he dared, threading his fingers through her hair, his hand splayed against her back, feeling the way her breath shuddered against him.

“It’s very confusing when you hug me like this,” she murmured against his chest. “We are friends.”

“We are,” he agreed softly, his lips brushing her temple, his hand settling at her waist. “Friends hug sometimes. You just hugged Ominis.”

“Not like this.”

“If you want me to stop, I will.”

Selene hesitated, her fingers tightening in the fabric of his robes.

“I don’t,” she admitted. “But we should stop. Eventually.”

“Eventually,” Sebastian echoed, smirking against her hair.

Ominis let out yet another ‘both my friends are absolute morons’ sigh, but it didn’t matter. Not when Sebastian could feel her breath against him, not when her hair smelled exactly like Amortentia.

“You both know you’ll have to decide eventually,” Ominis said, his voice quiet but firm. “You can’t have it both ways.”

“Oh, don’t be jealous, Ominis,” Sebastian shot back.

“He’s right, though.”

With a heavy sigh, Selene stepped back, slipping from Sebastian’s arms. Reluctantly, he let her go.

“So,” she said, exhaling as if bracing herself. “Date or friends?”

“Let’s say it at the same time,” Sebastian suggested, a teasing glint in his eye.

She nodded. “Alright. One, two, three –”

“Friends.”

“Friends.”

“Date.”

Both Sebastian and Selene turned to Ominis in shock – the only one who had said “date”.

“And which one of us do you want to date, Ominis?” Sebastian asked, grinning.

“Oh, come on,” Ominis scoffed. “You’re both lying – to me and to yourselves. You already know how this will end.”

“It hasn’t started yet, though,” Selene countered.

“Yet,” Sebastian repeated, smirking.

“I’m surrounded by idiots,” Ominis muttered.

“I suggest you retreat to the Ravenclaw Common Room,” Sebastian quipped, “to raise the intellectual level of your surroundings.”

“I might just do that,” Ominis said thoughtfully. “If you two promise not to do anything stupid.”

“I promise,” Selene said sincerely.

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Ominis said dryly, turning toward Sebastian. “You, keep your hands to yourself.”

“You don’t even know where my hands are!” Sebastian feigned offense.

“Forgot that I’m omniscient?”

“Stealing my puns now? That’s low.”

“No,” Ominis said, entirely deadpan. “You are Sal-low.”

Sebastian actually laughed. “That’s a new one.”

“I’ve been saving it for a long time.”

Selene turned to Ominis, something raw and genuine in her eyes. “Thank you, Ominis.”

Her sincerity made something tighten in Sebastian’s chest.

“Thank you, Selene,” Ominis replied quietly. And with that, he finally left.

Selene looked at Sebastian.

“We both know he’s right,” she said quietly.

“Yes. One of his most irritating qualities.”

She laughed, a soft, fleeting sound.

“Can we really just be friends? Without all of this?”

“Friends hug sometimes,” he reminded her.

He pulled her closer by the waist, resting her head against his chest – if only to keep himself from looking at her lips.

“If you hug your other female friends like this, I’ll be jealous,” she muttered.

He chuckled. “A jealous one, huh? Didn’t take you for the type.”

“If we were dating and you hugged another girl like this, I’d hex your arse,” she warned. “You know I can.”

“Oh, I know you can.” His voice was calm, almost amused.

She hesitated, then asked, quieter now, “Is that why you want to stay friends? Because I’m stronger?”

“First of all, we don’t actually know if you’re stronger,” he smirked. “Maybe I was just going easy on you because you’re pretty.”

She rolled her eyes.

“And second,” he continued in a softer voice, “No. That’s not it. If anything, it makes me like you more.”

“How so? I’ve been told men don’t like women who are stronger and smarter than they are.”

“Some men, maybe. The weak ones. The stupid ones.” His fingers traced slow circles against her back. “But I’ve always admired power and intelligence. I have both, so why would I want anything less?”

“Don’t forget humility,” she murmured dryly.

“Of course,” he said with a smirk. “I always wanted someone equal to me – just as powerful, just as intelligent, just as hungry for knowledge. I never expected to meet someone who might surpass me.”

Her breath hitched slightly. “Was Adelaide equal to you?”

“She wasn’t,” he admitted. “She was kind in her own way, but never equal.”

“Connie? She’s a Ravenclaw, too.”

“No,” he shook his head. “She only went to Hogsmeade with me because…” He hesitated. “Because she was confused. Trying to figure out whether she liked me or someone else I reminded her of.”

Selene’s eyes widened slightly. “Anne?”

Sebastian exhaled. “Yeah. We kissed. To help her figure it out. To help me figure it out.” He didn’t want to tell her, but he wanted even less for her to hear it from Connie.

Selene swallowed hard. “And?”

“I’m not the right Sallow for her.” A small smile touched his lips. “And she’s not the right Ravenclaw for me.”

She averted her gaze. “I’m not either.”

“Don’t.” His hand slid up to cradle the back of her head, his touch gentle. “Of course you are. You’re the right girl for me, but…”

Selene met his gaze. “But?”

“But at the wrong time.”

She let out a breath, nodding. “Agreed,” she murmured.

“And if my fragile male ego ever feels bruised that you’re stronger, I can always just carry you around.” Sebastian smirked.

Selene narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you even – ah!”

She let out a startled squeak as Sebastian swept her up into his arms.

“Now I feel better,” he said, entirely too satisfied with himself.

She shot him an unamused glare but gave up quickly, resting her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“It is comfy,” she admitted.

“I’ll carry you all the time – if you promise not to break your legs again. And no more doing anything dangerous. At least, not without me.”

“You know I can’t promise that.”

“Then you don’t get to be carried around.”

Still holding her, he sat down on the sofa, settling her onto his lap. She blushed but didn’t move, her arms still around his neck.

“We can’t keep doing this,” she murmured.

“What? We haven’t even started anything interesting,” he smirked, watching the colour rise in her cheeks.

She sighed, relenting, and rested her head on his shoulder. “You know what I mean. We’re friends. Starting tomorrow, we’ll start acting like it.”

“Tomorrow, huh?” he asked, gently running his fingers through her hair. “Fine. But that’s tomorrow.”

With that, he pressed a lingering kiss to her hair, then her temple, then her cheek. Their eyes met, and just as he leaned in, just as he was about to kiss her – her fingers touched his lips.

“No,” she whispered.

He stilled with a sigh. Then, taking her hand in his, he kissed her fingers instead.

“Why?”

She hesitated before answering. “Because I’ve never kissed anyone. I want it to be special. Not with a friend.”

“Understood,” Sebastian said, forcing frustration out from his voice.

“You have no right to ask me to wait until the timing is right for us,” she said softly. “And I have no right to ask you the same.”

The mere thought of someone else kissing her made him irrationally angry.

“It’s fair,” he admitted. “I don’t have to like it, though.”

“No, you don’t,” she smiled sadly. “It’s not like I have anyone in mind right now, but that could change. And if we’re choosing to be friends, we have to accept that. No jealousy.”

He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “So you really don’t like anyone like that?”

Selene shook her head. “No.”

“Ominis?” he pressed. “I asked him if he likes you, and he gave me some bullshit excuse about your magic blinding him.”

Selene snorted. “He’s already blind!”

“Right? That’s what I said!” Sebastian grinned, then grew serious. “But really, do you like him?”

“Not like that, no.”

“Why?”

She let out a light laugh. “Are you going to make me list every boy at Hogwarts and tell you why I don’t like them?”

“Just Ominis. For starters,” he smirked. “Please tell me. If anything, he’s even more handsome than me. Why not him?”

She tilted her head, considering. “Well, he does have a better hairstyle than you.”

Sebastian gasped in mock offense, but she just smiled.

“And he is handsome,” she admitted. “Ironic, isn’t it? That he doesn’t even know it. But… I don’t know. There’s something distant about him. Like he doesn’t really belong to this world. He’s like a sculpture – beautiful, but untouchable,” she hesitated. “I just don’t see him that way. Not even if I tried.”

Sebastian nodded. “I think I get it.”

He didn’t. But her words calmed something uneasy in him.

“You know you have no right to be jealous,” she teased.

“Well, you have no right either if I ever hug another girl like this.”

Her expression shifted slightly. “Do you want to?”

“No. Not really.”

Gently, he guided her head back to his shoulder. She sighed, and this time, she let herself rest fully against his chest. His fingers found their way into her hair, absently tracing through the strands, while his other hand skimmed soothing circles over her shoulder.

“This feels nice,” she murmured.

“It does,” he admitted, his voice low. “I’m going to miss this.”

“Me too.” Her breath was warm against his collar, and for a moment, it was easy to pretend nothing else mattered. 

She closed her eyes. The tension from earlier had left her exhausted, Sebastian could tell. Maybe even a little drowsy. It made something ache inside him, knowing how raw she must have felt to let herself lean into him like this.

“What about Prewett?” he asked suddenly.

“Hmm?” Her response was sluggish, already halfway to sleep.

“Why don’t you like him?”

Selene groaned. “Are you going to go through the entire list of Hogwarts’ male population?”

“Yes. Indulge me. I won’t be jealous tomorrow, but today, I’m still entitled to my fragile male ego and a few answers to soothe it.”

She let out a soft chuckle. “He treats me like a girl.”

Sebastian arched a brow. “Well, you are one.”

“I am,” she conceded, tilting her head slightly against him. “But he goes easy on me in a duel. Tries to be protective when I don’t need it. He underestimates me.”

Sebastian smirked. “And me? Am I too protective?”

“Sometimes,” she admitted. “But not in the same way. Prewett treats me like I’m some fragile flower that needs to be locked away in a glass case. You try to protect me as an equal partner.”

“Duly noted.” His fingers brushed against her hair again. “No glass cases.”

She huffed a small laugh. “Something like that. You accept that I’m strong. And I accept that, sometimes, even strong people need help. That makes us a good team.”

“If your last duel was anything to go by, you don’t even need a team.”

She shook her head, smiling. “With you on my side, I could take down the whole school. And half the professors.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Tempting. We could do it, you know.” His hands slid to cradle her face, his thumbs brushing against her cheekbones.

She looked at him, eyes soft but certain. “Still no kissing.”

He exhaled, reluctantly letting her go. “Fine. If you insist, we can just shag without kissing, but that’s significantly less romantic.”

Her palm collided with his shoulder – hard.

“Sebastian!”

“Kidding, kidding.” He held up his hands in surrender, grinning. “Unless –”

The second punch was worth it.

Sebastian rubbed his shoulder with an exaggerated wince. “You hit hard, you know that?”

“You deserved it,” Selene shot back, though there was no real heat in her voice.

He smirked. “Maybe I did.”

Her expression shifted, suddenly hesitant. A faint flush crept up her cheeks. “Did you ever…” she faltered, then shook her head. “You know.”

He arched a brow. “No, I don’t know.” His smirk widened. “Not a clue what you’re talking about.”

She huffed in frustration. “You do. Answer the question. I’ve answered plenty of yours.”

“Well, mine were eloquent,” he countered smoothly. “I’ll answer if you can phrase yours properly.”

Selene shot him a glare, then took a breath. “Have you ever… with a girl… been together?”

Sebastian sighed, watching as she blushed mercilessly. It was almost endearing how awkward she was about it.

“Fine. I’ll answer, even though that might be the worst phrasing I’ve ever heard,” he tilted his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. “No. I never have.”

“Oh.” Her blush deepened. “Why?”

He caught her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. His thumb traced over her knuckles before he pressed a slow kiss to her fingers. There was something about them – long, elegant, impossibly delicate – that he found utterly captivating.

“Haven’t met the right one yet.”

“Haven’t you?” she asked softly.

His gaze flicked up to hers. A smirk tugged at his lips. “Well, there is one girl…” He sighed dramatically. “But she is far too reckless for her own good, has an unhealthy attachment to Chocolate Frogs and questionable taste in fashion.”

“Oh, questionable, is it?”

“Extremely,” he teased. “Also, she refuses to even kiss me, and I, being a traditional man, prefer my activities with a bit of romance.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Well, she can still kick your arse in a duel.”

“I was going easy on you.”

“Pathetic excuse.”

Sebastian’s smirk deepened. “We should settle this once and for all.”

She arched a brow. “Settle what?”

“Who’s stronger.”

Selene snorted. “Sebastian, we both know the answer to that.”

“Do we?” he leaned in slightly, his voice dipping lower. “Because I don’t recall ever officially conceding defeat. I was limited in my spell choice in class. But I’m not limited now.”

Her arms crossed. “Alright. You want to duel?”

“I need to duel,” he corrected smugly. “For the sake of my fragile male ego, if nothing else.”

She rolled her eyes, though her lips twitched in amusement. “Fine.”

Sebastian’s smirk widened. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head. “Let’s make it interesting, though. Prewett didn’t have a bad idea with a bet.”

Selene narrowed her eyes. “What kind of bet?”

“If I win…” He let the suspense hang for just a moment before grinning. “You save your first kiss for me.”

She scoffed. “You wish.”

“I do,” he admitted without shame. “Which is why I fully intend to win.”

She studied him, eyes piercing and assessing, then tilted her head. “Only until the end of the year. If you don’t claim it by then, it’s mine to give away.”

“Fine.” He leaned in. “And what if you win?”

Selene didn’t hesitate. “You never use Dark Magic.”

Sebastian’s smirk vanished. “Selene, you can’t ask me that. Not until Anne is cured.”

She sighed. “I know. Fine. No Dark Magic unless it’s literally to save someone’s life, and there’s absolutely no other option.”

Sebastian was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded.

“Deal,” he smirked again, though there was something more intense behind it now. “Prepare to dance, Ravenclaw.”

“Already dancing, Slytherin,” she extended her hand. “No Confundo charm. Deal?”

Sebastian clasped it, his grip firm, thumb brushing lightly against her knuckles. “And no Ancient Magic. Deal.”

Their hands lingered longer than necessary before Selene finally pulled away. She got up, took a step back, rolling her shoulders, then turned to the space around them. With a flick of her wand, the furniture in the Undercroft began to lift, floating effortlessly toward the walls to clear the room.

Sebastian leaned against a pillar, watching her work, his grin never faltering. He didn’t know exactly how he was going to win this duel. But there was one thing he did know – he was going to fight like hell for it.

Imelda Reyes was even more annoyed than usual.

The year could not have started worse. First, Quidditch was cancelled. Then, a Ravenclaw girl had the audacity to beat her record. And just when she was begrudgingly prepared to acknowledge her as a worthy rival, the girl had gone and broken her leg – with Sallow, of all people. Imelda didn’t know if they had actually shagged, but she was absolutely certain that Sallow was in some way responsible for the broken leg.

And now, as if the universe was determined to test her patience, she sat in the Hospital Wing, nursing a freshly mended arm. Blainey had healed it in under a minute, but protocol dictated she remain overnight for observation. So annoying.

The familiar whoosh of the Floo Flame interrupted her brooding, followed by the unmistakable sounds of moaning and bickering.

“You broke my bloody arm!”

“You broke my bloody rib! And ruined my costume! You know it’s my favourite.”

“Well, next time, duel in a school uniform. You were trying to distract me anyway. I consider it cheating.”

The doors to the Hospital Wing swung open, and in limped Sallow and Ravenclaw, both half-supporting, half-dragging each other inside. They looked like they had barely survived an attack.

Ravenclaw’s normally neat hair was in wild disarray – though, to be fair, Sallow’s was always a disaster. Her blue costume (Imelda begrudgingly admitted that it indeed looked good) was scorched, the fabric tattered with what looked like burn marks. She clutched her side, wincing with every step. Meanwhile, Sallow was cradling his arm, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen.

Imelda scoffed. “What happened to you two idiots?”

“We had a duel,” Sallow said matter-of-factly.

Imelda snorted. “Weird foreplay, but whatever. Who won?”

They turned to each other, then immediately started talking at the same time.

“Your injuries are worse, so –”

“Your arm is broken, you can’t fight without it, and I can still fight with my rib –”

“You were cheating, so you lose automatically –”

“Don’t even dream of it, Sebastian, because I –”

“Oh, shut it, both of you,” Imelda rolled her eyes. “Did you actually agree on any winning conditions, or were you just hexing each other for sport?”

Sallow sighed. “We didn’t. We just assumed one of us would give up eventually. But she’s stubborn as a damn mule.”

Ravenclaw huffed. “Like you are one to talk,” she winced, shifting her stance.

“So, who does win?” Imelda pressed.

Sallow shifted his weight before smirking. “Last man standing.”

With that, he let go of her, leaning heavily against the wall.

She did the same, pressing her shoulder against the stone beside him, breath still uneven.

“Next time, just shag instead of fighting. Morons,” Imelda scoffed, arms crossed as she regarded them with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

“We don’t want to shag,” Ravenclaw stated flatly.

“Speak for yourself,” Sallow quipped, his signature smirk returning – only to let out a sharp hiss of pain when she smacked him.

“Ouch! That was the broken arm!”

Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry!” She reached out instinctively, but he stopped her with a raised hand from his uninjured arm.

Imelda snorted. “You both want it. Pathetic.”

“We’re friends, Imelda,” Ravenclaw shot back, lifting her chin. “Well… starting tomorrow, at least.”

Sallow hummed in amusement. “If I win, I might still claim my prize.” His tone was laced with meaning, and Imelda cringed at the implication.

“Like hell you are,” Ravenclaw retorted. “Both my legs are fine. I can stand here all night.”

Imelda groaned. “Can’t you just call it a tie?”

The two of them exchanged a long look.

“I think we might…” Ravenclaw began.

“It might be the smart choice,” Sallow agreed.

“And it wouldn’t bruise either of our egos,” she added.

Slowly, they shifted toward each other, leaning for support as they made their way to the nearest beds. Carefully, they lay down at the same time, neither willing to be the first to drop.

But just as they settled, Ravenclaw’s eyes widened. “Wait! If it’s a tie, does that mean we both won? Or both lost?”

Sallow frowned. “I don’t know. Actually, it’s completely unfair. Either way, you benefit.”

She scoffed. “How exactly is losing beneficial to me?”

“Because,” he smirked, “I’m an excellent kisser.”

A pillow immediately came flying at him. He caught it with his good hand and smugly used it to prop up his injured arm.

Imelda grimaced. So that’s what this was about. She’d half-expected Sallow to demand something far more outrageous, but just a kiss? That was almost – almost – cute.

“You alright?” Sallow asked, his tone deceptively casual. But the way he looked at Ravenclaw suggested otherwise.

“I’m fine,” she replied, though she winced slightly. “Only my rib, my costume, and my pride are wounded. You?”

“Well, my hair and my arm took the hit. Not my pride, though.” He turned his head to smirk at her. “Because I’m still not accepting defeat.”

“Hey, Ravenclaw.” Imelda’s voice cut through. She wasn’t sure why, but watching those two idiots look at each other made something twist unpleasantly in her chest. “Got a new broom yet?”

“It should be delivered tomorrow,” Ravenclaw responded, and Imelda didn’t miss the slight frown that flickered across Sallow’s face.

“Care to fly after lessons on Friday? Second trial’s south of Hogwarts.”

“Sure.”

“I don’t like that you’re leaving the castle grounds,” Sallow interjected, his tone edged with something suspiciously close to concern.

Imelda barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but Ravenclaw only responded lightly, her voice teasing.

“Glass case, remember? You can come watch me fly, if you want,” she paused, then added, almost too quickly, “Like a friend.”

Sallow exhaled, unimpressed. “Fine. I’ll come.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Like a friend.”

Imelda groaned. “You’re both morons,” she muttered under her breath.

There was a beat of silence before Sallow leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just low enough that he probably thought Imelda wouldn’t hear.

“Maybe I’ve got a concussion, or maybe it’s the terrible lighting in here, but you look especially beautiful right now.”

Ravenclaw turned her head toward him, smiling. “You don’t look bad either,” she admitted. “Your hair is still a mop, though.”

“Whatever,” he dismissed easily. “You don’t like me for my hair.”

She hesitated for a moment before answering. “No. Not for that.”

And then they just… looked at each other.

Imelda didn’t understand why it made her stomach churn. It was infuriating, watching them dance around whatever this was, pretending they didn’t want to tear each other apart. But beyond that – deep down, somewhere she didn’t want to examine too closely – there was something else. Something that made her wonder if anyone would ever look at her like that.

Chapter Text

On Friday after lessons, Sebastian found himself with Ominis and Imelda, lingering at her second trial while they waited for Selene to complete it. In the distance, a bright blue blur streaked across the sky, accompanied by her triumphant cheers.

“I don’t understand why I’m here,” Ominis muttered under his breath as he and Sebastian stood beside Imelda, who was watching Selene fly.

“You’re here to keep an eye on Sallow and make sure he keeps his hands to himself when she lands,” Imelda snorted. “And also because you’re hiding from all the Ravenclaws who want to dissect you.”

Ominis sighed. “Alright, the last part is actually true. As for the first – I’ve long since given up on controlling Sebastian and his hands.”

“Hey!” Sebastian protested. “We’re friends. I’m taking her to Feldcroft tomorrow.”

“Introducing her to the family already?” Imelda smirked, but then bit her tongue, looking almost guilty. “Sorry. I know you just want to cheer Anne up. I just wish she’d let me visit her too.”

Sebastian’s expression darkened. “She doesn’t want to see anyone who remembers her different,” he admitted reluctantly. “But she agreed to let Selene visit. Probably out of curiosity, but I’ll take what I can get.”

“What curiosity, Sallow?” Imelda asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I might have described Selene as though I liked her romantically. Which I don’t. We’re friends,” he said firmly.

Ominis and Imelda immediately began scolding him at the same time.

“Oh, cut the act –”

“You’ll be the death of me –”

“If you think anyone believes that –”

“Hey, stop it! Everyone believes we’re just friends. You two are the only ones being paranoid,” Sebastian insisted.

Just then, Selene swooped closer, still hovering on her broom, not yet ready to dismount. She looked so effortlessly radiant – dressed in another dark-blue suit, her hair tied back, cheeks flushed from the wind.

“How did I do, Imelda?” she called.

Imelda checked the board. “Five seconds behind me. Not bad for a first try.”

“I’ll try again,” Selene declared and took off.

“It’s a pity she’s not a Slytherin,” Imelda mused as they watched Selene disappearing in the distance. “She’d make a good Chaser. Maybe even a Seeker.”

“You know why she’s not a Slytherin.” Sebastian said grimly.

Imelda sighed. “I do. Still a pity.” Then, her smirk returned. “Anyway, back to the topic. Me and Gaunt are not the only ones who see through your act, lovebirds. Why do you think Blainey let you stay in the Hospital Wing overnight but sent Ravenclaw back to her dorm? She probably thought you’d jump each other’s bones the second she left the room.”

Sebastian scoffed. “Oh, please. She would have done the same for any boy and girl our age.”

“She let you and me stay, though. Why do you think that is?” Imelda pressed.

“Because she knows where I – or any other bloke – would end up with a Bludger bat if we so much as looked at you improperly.”

“Aye, she does;” Imelda nodded. “So, tell me, why can’t you finally shag the Ravenclaw instead of breaking each other’s bones, losing House points, and earning detentions?”

“We haven’t lost that many points,” Sebastian scoffed, conveniently ignoring the first part of her comment. “And detentions are a joke. All we have to do is find a few stupid Demiguise statues for Mr Moon and we’re fine.”

Imelda rolled her eyes. “You do realise that just because I like sports, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid, right? Answer the bloody question, Sallow.”

“Because he’s a moron,” Ominis answered before Sebastian could. “He’s so afraid of catching feelings that he doesn’t realise he’s already neck-deep in them.”

“I do realise it, Ominis,” Sebastian argued. “I just choose not to act on them.”

“If what you’ve been doing so far is ‘not acting on them,’ then I dread to find out what ‘acting on them’ is,” Ominis muttered.

“Well, for what it’s worth, we haven’t kissed or shagged, if that makes you feel any better,” Sebastian added. “Though I did win her first kiss in a duel. Technically, I can claim it any time before next year.”

“You didn’t win – it was a tie,” Imelda scoffed.

“If I hadn’t been holding back, hadn’t been careful not to hurt her – I would have won,” Sebastian countered. “For now, at least.”

Imelda raised an eyebrow. “That was you not hurting her? And what do you mean ‘for now’?”

Sebastian crossed his arms. “I know more spells and have more experience. But she has power, pure and raw. Give her time to train and learn, and she’ll surpass me easily. That’s why I had to make the bet now – because in a few months, maybe even weeks, I won’t stand a chance.”

Imelda tilted her head, considering. “So you’re admitting she’s better than you at something you pride yourself on – and you still have feelings for her? Most blokes whine and whimper when a girl outmatches them.”

Sebastian smirked. “If someone is afraid of what you’re capable of, if they’re intimidated by what makes you brilliant – they’re not worth your time. Find someone who admires you, not someone who fears you.”

Imelda scoffed, but Sebastian noticed her expression turn thoughtful. “Well, I don’t need anyone,” she muttered. Then she smirked again. “So, are you planning to snog her?”

“We still haven’t decided if the tie meant we both won, or that we both lost,” Sebastian shrugged. “I haven’t decided which I prefer.”

Imelda huffed. “And what could possibly be so important that you both losing might be preferable to finally getting to snog her?”

Sebastian hesitated, but he didn’t have to reply, because the very next second he was nearly deafened by Imelda’s sudden, triumphant yell.

“She did it! She bloody did it! My record!”

Selene landed beside them, grinning. “So? How was I?”

“You did it, you bookish Ravenclaw!” Imelda shouted, clapping Selene on the back so hard she winced. “You beat it! By three seconds!”

Selene beamed, allowing Imelda to pull her into a crushing hug, though she flinched slightly at the force.

“Don’t break her ribs, Imelda,” Sebastian snorted.

“You think you have the exclusive right to break her bones, Sallow?” Imelda shot back, though she loosened her grip.

“Thank you,” Selene said sincerely, meeting Imelda’s gaze. “Your trials are really helping me improve.”

Imelda waved a dismissive hand but was clearly pleased. “If you don’t try out for the Ravenclaw team next year – and don’t let me kick your arse on the pitch – I’ll hex you, you know that?”

Selene laughed. “Might as well hex me now. Or try to,” she smirked. “I’m not interested in Quidditch – too much action. I love flying, though. And thanks for the broom advice.”

“You got a good one,” Imelda nodded. “Talk to Albie about upgrades, yeah? You’ll get even more out of it.”

“Congratulations, Selene,” Ominis said. “I couldn’t see it, of course, but judging by the wind howling past and the deafening cheers from Imelda, I assume it was impressive.”

“Thank you, Ominis,” she gave him a warm smile. “And thanks for coming to support me. It means a lot.”

Sebastian stood there, unable to find the right words. Part of him wanted to lock her inside Hogwarts just so his heart wouldn’t stop every bloody time she flew too fast, too high, too close to the cliffs. But another part of him wanted her to always look like this – hair windswept, cheeks flushed, eyes glowing with happiness.

“Congratulations,” he managed finally. “It was… good.”

“Thank you.” She nodded, but didn’t look at him.

The silence that followed was almost suffocating.

“Wow,” Imelda muttered. “That was weird.”

“I agree,” Ominis added quietly.

Selene sighed, finally turning to face Sebastian. “Are you upset with me?”

He blinked. “What? No.”

“Then why do you look like you’re about to hex something?”

Sebastian clenched his jaw. He wasn’t upset with her. He was upset with himself – with the way his stomach twisted every time she pulled a stunt like this. But how was he supposed to say that?

“…You fly too fast.”

It sounded pathetic, even to his own ears. Imelda scoffed, but Sebastian ignored her. Selene smiled – soft, knowing, utterly unfair – and it made Sebastian’s chest ache.

“I appreciate the concern, but you don’t have to worry,” she said gently. “I love flying. And I’m good at it.”

Sebastian hesitated. His mouth opened, then closed. She looked happiest when she was flying. Like nothing had ever hurt her – like nothing ever could. But that wasn’t true. She knew the risks – she just chose to ignore them.

Imelda groaned again, throwing her hands up. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake – just snog already!”

“Imelda!” Selene scolded.

“What? I’m right! The tension is unbearable, and I’m bored,” she glanced at Ominis. “Gaunt, want to place a bet on when they’ll finally stop this weird foreplay and just kiss?”

Ominis sighed. “I refuse to participate in whatever this is.”

“Coward,” Imelda scoffed, clapping both Sebastian and Ominis on the back. “Come on, let’s head back to Hogwarts before Ravenclaw decides her record wasn’t good enough and flies again. I don’t want to be responsible for Sallow having a heart attack at sixteen.”

“You go back to Hogwarts,” Selene said. “I’m flying to Hogsmeade.”

“Like hell you are,” Sebastian muttered.

She sighed. “You’re not telling me what to do, Sebastian. I need to go to Hogsmeade. I have to visit Mr Hill after someone burned my favourite costume, and I need to talk to Mr Ollivander. Plus, I wanted to stop by Honeydukes, and –”

“You’re not going,” Sebastian said firmly.

“I am,” she crossed her arms. “You can come with me or sulk about it back at the castle. But I’m going.”

Imelda scoffed. “Oh, come on, Sallow. Go with her. The girl just asked you to Hogsmeade. That’s a step in the right direction, if you ask me.”

Selene rolled her eyes. “We’ve already been to Hogsmeade, Imelda. It doesn’t mean whatever you’re implying.”

“Aye, it means everything,” Imelda said smugly. She grabbed Ominis’ arm. “Come on, Gaunt, I’ll help you hide from the Ravenclaws.”

With that, the two left, leaving Sebastian and Selene standing alone.

“I’ll go to Hogsmeade with you,” Sebastian said at last.

“All right,” she mounted her broom. “But I’m flying. You’ll have to sit behind me. Hands in front, but don’t try to steer. Consider it my little revenge for treating me like a potato sack.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but smirk. “I’ll get my revenge once we’re back on the ground.”

“No, you won’t. Not anymore,” she said calmly.

He didn’t know what to say to that.

They took off, soaring past Hogwarts. For a moment, Sebastian forgot to be tense, distracted by the sheer beauty of the view – the castle, the lake, all bathed in golden light.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured.

“It is,” Selene agreed.

She slowed down, letting them both take in the scenery.

“Ominis agreed to try Polyjuice,” she said suddenly. “If you don’t mind donating some hair, I want to take him flying with me. Everyone deserves to see Hogwarts like this, from the air.”

Sebastian bristled slightly at the thought of Ominis sitting behind her like this, but he couldn’t exactly argue with her reasoning.

“Can you even brew Polyjuice?” he asked, mostly to distract himself.

“I haven’t tried yet, but yeah, I think I can. It’s not the easiest potion, but it’s still easier than Veritaserum.”

Her tone was too calm. Something was wrong.

“You’re using Occlumency right now,” he guessed.

“I am,” she admitted. “Being around you without it is still too confusing. But it’s getting better.”

She landed them just outside Hogsmeade, and they dismounted.

“So you don’t feel anything for me right now?” he asked.

She met his gaze, unflinching. “I do. I just shove those feelings so far away that I can ignore it.”

Sebastian didn’t know what to respond to this.

“Keep your broom in your hands,” he said instead. “If I say you have to go, you mount it and fly at full speed back to Hogwarts.”

Selene crossed her arms. “We’ll be fine. They wouldn’t dare attack us in the middle of Hogsmeade.”

“And if they do?” he shot back.

“Then I’m sure as hell not leaving you behind.”

“You’re ignoring your feelings right now so you can.”

She sighed. “You’re my friend, Sebastian. Regardless of everything else.”

He hesitated, then changed the subject. “What do you even want from Ollivander?”

“He asked me for a favour. Wanted me to track down a family heirloom – a wand. I found it and figured I should return what’s left of it.”

Sebastian studied her carefully. “Why do you keep doing this? Helping everyone?”

Selene let out a breath. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m trying to prove to everyone – and to myself – that I’m not a monster. Maybe I’m trying to feel worthy. Maybe I’m just distracting myself from other things,” she glanced at him and he swallowed.

“But mostly,” she continued, “I just like it. Tracking down this wand was challenging, but interesting. And, believe it or not, it led me to some discoveries about my own magic.”

“Was it dangerous?” he asked.

Her silence was answer enough. He clenched his fists.

“I should have gone with you.”

“No, you shouldn’t.”

“Yes. I am your friend, like you said, regardless of anything else. I should have been there.”

She winced. “There was a shit-ton of spiders.”

Sebastian grimaced.

“Nasty wankers, if you ask me,” she muttered. “But honestly? I was glad to be alone. Didn’t have to worry about anyone else’s back.”

“You still haven’t beaten me in a duel,” he pointed out.

“That’s because we agreed to fight without my magic,” she countered.

“And Confundus,” he reminded her. “I would’ve won with that – your magic or not.”

She smirked. “Let’s be glad spiders can’t cast Confundus.”

They stopped in front of the Ollivanders.

“Wait here,” she said. “Mr Ollivander might share something interesting if I go in alone.”

For once, Sebastian didn’t argue. If anything, he preferred to stay outside, scanning the street to make sure that no one had followed them. Soon enough, she returned and led him towards Gladrags.

Mr Hill practically lit up at the sight of Selene.

“Selene, my dear! I was devastated when your friend told me you twisted your ankle and couldn’t come. I’m so relieved to see you well.”

“I’m fine, Mr Hill. Thank you. I need Cobalt Debonair Ensembles.”

“Multiple?” He raised an eyebrow. “I must say, it suits you splendidly, but do you really need more than one?”

“The two I bought were damaged beyond repair,” she explained. “I need at least three replacements.”

“Oh dear. What happened?”

“One was caught in a Confringo blast. The other got tangled in spider webs. I tried all the usual cleaning charms, but nothing worked.”

“Confringo? Spiders?” Mr Hill’s expression darkened with concern. “Selene, I know you’re a formidable duellist – after all, I saw what you did to that troll – but please, be careful,” he sighed. “I’ll place the order for your costumes immediately.”

As Selene paid, Sebastian’s attention drifted to the end of the shop, where a familiar glint caught his eye – a Demiguise statue. Keeping an eye on Mr Hill, he swiftly pocketed the moon inside it. Just three more, and they could finally rid themselves of Mr Moon’s detentions.

“Let me know when you decide on your Yule Ball dress, Selene,” Mr Hill continued talking. “It’s still early, but most girls place their orders by October to ensure it’s ready in time.”

“Yule Ball?” Selene asked curiously. “That’s a thing?”

Mr Hill chuckled. “Oh, of course – you weren’t at Hogwarts last year. Yes, my dear, the Yule Ball is a highlight of the winter term. Any student from the fourth year onwards may attend. And you will need a dress.” His eyes twinkled knowingly. “I know you favour blue, and it suits you beautifully, but perhaps you should wait until you have a partner to coordinate colours.”

Selene smiled, politely but distantly. “I don’t think I’ll find a –”

“Nonsense!” Mr Hill interrupted. “You’re lovely. Trust me, you’ll have a queue of boys asking you to the Ball.”

She smiled again, but there was something sad in her eyes.

“I’ll let you know, Mr Hill.”

“Please do, dear. You have a sharp eye for fashion. Be sure to stop by.”

At last, they left the shop.

“I got another statue,” Sebastian murmured. “We’ll be rid of Mr Moon soon.”

“That’s great,” she replied, though her voice was distant and her thoughts were obviously elsewhere. “Have you ever been to a Yule Ball?”

“Yes. It's actually quite spectacular. I’ll give Black credit for one thing: he may be a moron, but he certainly knows how to organise an event. The music, the decorations – it’s really something.”

“Did you go with a partner?”

He hesitated. “Me, Anne, and Ominis went together. Why?”

“No reason,” she turned away with a faint blush.

Sebastian opened his mouth, ready to tease her and ask her to go to the bloody ball, but then he saw them. Dark figures in the crowd were watching them too attentively.

His posture stiffened. “Get on your broom and go, Selene. Now.” His hand went to his wand.

“I see them,” she whispered. “We’re going to Honeydukes. Trust me.”

He had no choice but to follow her.

The shop was bustling with Hogwarts students. As they slipped inside, Sebastian couldn’t help but smirk at the large sign outside:

“CHOCOLATE FROGS SOLD OUT. NEXT DELIVERY ON MONDAY.”

Selene led him swiftly past the shelves to a door at the back. Just as they passed through it, the shop bell jingled and rough male voice cut through the air.

“Where are they?”

“Quick,” she whispered, grabbing his hand.

Sebastian barely had time to register what was happening before Selene pulled him down the narrow staircase into the dimly lit Honeydukes cellar. The air was thick with the scent of chocolate and caramel; barrels and crates of sweets lined the walls. Selene moved with purpose, weaving through the supplies until she reached the far corner.

“There’s a secret passage that leads straight to Hogwarts,” she said, dropping to her knees and running her fingers along the floor. “There it is.”

With a soft click, a hidden trapdoor creaked open to reveal a stone staircase descending into the darkness.

“Come on, Sebastian. We need to get out of here.”

He didn’t have much choice but to obey. And he was right – there were a lot of stairs. They walked in silence for some time, their wands casting pale blue-white light with Lumos, shadows flickering along the rough stone walls.

Eventually, Sebastian broke the silence. “How do you even know about this passage?”

“Garreth told me.”

Sebastian stiffened. “Weasley?”

“Yes. He needed some Billywig stings from the cellar. His aunt watches him way too close, so he asked me to fetch them for him. In exchange, he told me about this passage.”

“So you’re stealing for him now, huh?”

“It wasn’t stealing. I left Galleons. Probably more than the Billywig stings were worth.”

“It was still stealing. Interesting what you’re willing to do for a boy.”

“Fine, it was stealing,” she admitted, rolling her eyes. “Are you worried about my morals or the fact that I did it for Garreth?”

Sebastian huffed. “Your morals, of course.”

Selene gave him a knowing look but didn’t press the matter. “I felt bad for snapping at him in Potions. Besides, my knowledge of this passage might have just saved us both from a fight.”

Sebastian didn’t dignify that with an answer. They kept walking, the tunnel stretching endlessly before them.

“It takes about an hour to get to Hogwarts,” Selene said absently. “I don’t think I can hold my Occlumency for that long. If there’s anything you want to ask me, do it now.”

He didn’t hesitate. “So you and Weasley are –”

“I’m not interested in him.”

“Why?”

“Not a fan of freckles.”

“Hey!” he scoffed, running a hand over his own freckled face in mock offence. She snorted.

“Sorry, it was just there,” she sighed. “Garreth’s alright, I suppose. I don’t know him that well, but he seems decent. Still, he’s not my type.”

“Why not?”

“You can’t force an answer to that,” she glanced at him. “The same way you can’t really explain why we’re drawn to each other.”

“There are reasons for me,” Sebastian countered. “I already told you – you’re brilliant. Beautiful, smart, strong, yada yada.” His tone was teasing, but his gaze was unwavering. “And there’s a reason for you too. You just don’t want to say it.”

She exhaled, slowing her stride. “You have darkness in you.”

Sebastian blinked. “What?”

She leaned against the wall, the soft glow of her Lumos illuminating her face.

“You know it’s true,” she said calmly. “Not like Ominis, who was forced to confront the darkest magic against his will. Not like Rookwood and his lackeys, who are already too far gone. You have your own kind of darkness.”

Sebastian didn’t move, watching her carefully.

“You have this morbid curiosity,” she continued. “You don’t know when to stop. You have this drive, this need to push forward, no matter the cost. You’ll justify any means to reach your goal. That makes you dangerous – to yourself and to everyone around you,” she tilted her head, smirking slightly. “Guess that makes me reckless too. Because, instead of scaring me, it draws me in.”

Sebastian swallowed, feeling his heart beat a little too fast.

“Oh, and you’re devilishly handsome, too.”

“Huh,” he managed, momentarily lost for words.

She smiled lightly. “So how could I compare you to any other boy? The one who spends his time in Summoner’s Court and gets his older brother to fight his duels for him? Or the one who’s busy brewing some Fizzing Whizzbee-inspired drink? How could I compare them to you – the boy who wants to follow me into a nest of spiders or fight a troll at my side? The one who sees me for who I am and doesn’t look away?” Her gaze lingered on him. “Do you really think Leander, or Garreth, or anyone else our age wouldn’t be terrified of what I can do? But you’re not – because you’re the same. Powerful. Reckless.”

Sebastian swallowed hard.

“Let’s keep going,” he said finally.

Selene nodded, and for a while, neither of them spoke.

Then, at last, Sebastian let out a dry chuckle. “Devilishly handsome, huh?”

Selene sighed. “Of everything I said, that’s what you’re latching onto?”

“Well, I figured I’d focus on the compliment rather than the part where you basically called me a reckless, dangerous lunatic.”

“I didn’t say lunatic.”

“No, but you were thinking it.”

She smirked, but didn’t argue.

Sebastian glanced at her sideways, studying her in the dim light. “So what does that say about you, then? If you’re so drawn to all that darkness?”

“You already know,” she said calmly. “A girl raised by books, then by a father who couldn’t say no. A girl who brewed a notoriously difficult potion for her own selfish reasons. A girl who wonders if she’s a monster, who still doesn’t know if she helps others because she has a kind heart or because she wants to believe she does. A girl hiding behind Occlumency because she’s afraid of the answer.”

She sighed heavily.

“A girl who vowed to save your sister, even though she thinks you’re using her.”

“Selene, I am not –”

“Don’t.” Her voice was tired. “I understand. I would have done the same.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “Ominis told you, didn’t he? He has this theory that I’m using you.”

“No, he didn’t. I came to this conclusion on my own.” She met his eyes. “You like me, of course. But you’re afraid to lose my friendship because you think I might hold the key to the cure, and you don’t want to risk that. Your jealousy stems from that, too – you’re afraid that another boy will distract me from searching for the cure.”

“Selene, that’s not –”

“It’s not only that,” she corrected. “But it is that. At least partly.”

Selene sighed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t get distracted. I’ll meet you at Feldcroft tomorrow, ask Anne about her memories, and then I’ll do everything in my power and beyond to cure her.”

“You really believe that?” he asked, suddenly afraid of the answer. “That we can cure her?”

“I do,” she nodded. “I’m sure of it. What I’m not sure of is whether the goal will justify the means. But I know the cure exists.”

“That’s what Ominis keeps saying. That the goal doesn’t always justify the means.”

“Ominis has the least darkness of any of us. Ironically, given his family,” she exhaled. “But you and I have to fight the darkness that calls to us. It doesn’t define us – our choices do. And I’ll be there to help you make the right ones,” she smirked. “As a friend, of course.”

“Sure,” he smirked back. “So, you understand me, then? That magic is just magic, neither good nor bad?”

She sighed.

“Since I killed that troll, I’ve been wondering.” Her voice was quiet and contemplative. “I’m powerful. My power is growing faster than I can acknowledge. I don’t feel any remorse about killing spiders because I doubt they’re intelligent. But how easy would it be to walk into a goblin camp and kill them all? Could I do it? Could I reach Rookwood and Ranrok and destroy them? And if I did, could I live with myself?”

Sebastian growled. “You already know my opinion about goblins.”

“Some ambushed me near a cave in the Forbidden Forest. I didn’t kill anyone. But fighting without restraint would have been easier. If I didn’t care about killing an intelligent creature.”

“You were in the Forbidden Forest. Alone. Fighting goblins,” he groaned. “Reckless is the understatement of the year.”

“I was mostly fighting spiders!” she countered.

“Not helping,” Sebastian muttered. “I’m starting to think Prewett is right. Maybe you should be locked in the castle for your own good.”

“You can try,” she shot back, smirking, “but I’ll kick your arse.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“I already did. Twice.”

“We tied.”

“Only because I was holding back.”

“I was holding back!” Sebastian argued.

She let out a soft sigh. “So we’re back to this. Neither of us wins. Neither of us loses.”

“What would you prefer?” he asked.

“We both win. You don’t use Dark Magic. In return, you get my first kiss.”

His brows rose slightly. “Tempting. Though, as I said, it benefits you more.”

“If you don’t accept, I’ll just go and snog Prewett, or Weasley, or whoever else is up for it,” she crossed her arms.

He blinked at her, caught between amusement and surprise. “How very Slytherin of you. Blackmailing me, huh?”

“Well, it’s your choice,” she met his gaze steadily. “Either you get my first kiss and swear off Dark Magic, or you can do whatever you want, but you'll never get my first kiss.”

Sebastian leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, studying her intently. Then, with something dark flickering in his eyes, he murmured, “Throw in your other first time, and we have a deal.”

Her eyes widened. Even in the dim glow of her Lumos, he could see the deep blush rising in her cheeks. She swallowed hard.

“…Fine.”

His smirk vanished. “Really?”

“Yes,” she exhaled slowly and closed her eyes for a moment. “If it stops you from using Dark Magic, you can have it.”

“No.” His voice was firm. “The first kiss is enough. Not the other things.”

She let out a breath – perhaps a sigh of relief.

“Alright, then,” she said. “We both win.”

“We do.” A slow, knowing smirk returned to his lips. “So, I can claim it anytime?”

“I suppose you can.” Her voice wavered slightly, her Occlumency struggling to remain steady.

“Even now?” He stepped closer.

She moved back instinctively, but the narrow passageway left her with nowhere to go and soon she was pressed against the wall. He lifted a hand and rested it near her head. Leaning in just enough, he studied her up close.

“You said my darkness doesn’t scare you,” he murmured.

She met his gaze, her breath unsteady. “I said it draws me to you. Not that it doesn’t scare me.”

“But you admitted you’re reckless.”

His fingers brushed against her cheek, lightly and gently.

“So tell me, Selene,” he whispered. “Can I claim my prize now?”

“You can.”

She didn’t look away.

“But I won’t,” he leaned in just enough to warm her ear with his breath. Her breathing hitched. “Not yet. Another time. We’re just friends now, after all. Let’s keep going.”

They walked in silence for a while.

Then, as they neared the end of the passage, Sebastian said casually, “Meet me at the North Exit after breakfast tomorrow. And don’t eat too much – Apparition can be hard on the stomach.”

She turned to him, curious. “You can Apparate?”

He smirked. “Since I was fourteen. Anne taught me.”

“She taught you Apparition at fourteen? Merlin, your family is ridiculously talented.”

Sebastian chuckled. “You’d fit right in – with your potion brewing and your ancient magic.”

“If I ask Anne out, Connie will probably hex me. So I’ll pass,” she smirked.

Sebastian huffed. “Really? You just said that?”

“Well, I haven’t met her yet. What if she’s even more attractive than you? I might have to reconsider which Sallow I like better,” she said playfully.

His smirk faded. “You’ll love her. Everyone does.” His voice lacked its usual teasing edge.

She looked at him for a moment before quietly taking his hand in hers. “We’ll save her.”

He squeezed her hand tightly. “We will.”

Chapter Text

Anne was tired. So very tired of pain, her constant and unwelcome companion. Sometimes it was dull, gnawing at the edges of her mind. Other times sharp, forcing her to cry out, to plead for it to end. Anne was beyond wishing for relief. She no longer wanted for the pain to stop – she wanted everything to stop.

After just a week, she had asked her uncle to remove all mirrors in the house. Only seven days under this bloody curse, and she already looked more like an illustration in a book on Dark Magic than a once-attractive sixteen-year-old girl. She had never thought of herself as vain, but this – this was cruel. To take not only her peace, but also her looks.

The constant bickering between her brother and uncle didn’t help. Why did they have to be so stubborn? One, insisting there was no cure. The other, refusing to give up. It frightened her. Anne loved her brother more than anything in the world – he was her twin, her second half, her best friend. But that only meant she understood him better than anyone else. He was not evil – of course not – but he was curious, smart, and powerful. Curious enough to ask dangerous questions. Smart enough to find forbidden answers. Powerful enough to act on them. And she was terrified of what he might discover in his search to break her curse. She hoped Ominis would be able to reason with him. But deep down, Anne knew the truth – she was the only one who could stop him.

This stupid fight over the stupid Shrivelfig only exhausted her further. Her latest bout of pain wasn’t caused by it, of course, no matter what her uncle believed. But it was still draining. Anne was so consumed by it that she didn’t even notice the girl at first.

A Ravenclaw, dressed in blue robes. Dark hair, keen grey eyes. Attractive enough that Anne felt a sudden stab of jealousy – one that she immediately regretted. Once, she might have been just as pretty, if not for the bloody curse.

“Hello, Anne.” The girl offered a light smile. “I’m Selene, Sebastian’s friend.”

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Anne said, trying to smile in return. “These bouts of pain are difficult to bear.”

“Please don’t be.” Selene settled beside her. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“You didn’t. Truly.” Anne hesitated, then added, “It’s nice to meet you, by the way. So, how did you and Sebastian meet?”

“During a duel in Defence Against the Dark Arts class,” Selene smirked. “I won, for the record.”

Anne arched a brow. “Impressive. Sebastian is good.”

“He is,” Selene agreed. “Though I also know that someone once cursed his hair pink for three whole days.”

Anne couldn’t help but laugh.

“I can’t believe he told you that.”

“Oh, he didn’t,” Selene admitted with a grin. “The Ravenclaw girls did. I would’ve paid to see it myself, though. Shame I wasn’t at Hogwarts back then.”

“I had to serve detention for that,” Anne admitted with a wink. “Well worth it, if you ask me. And I do miss Hogwarts.”

“You’ll be able to come back once you’re cured, Anne,” Selene smiled gently and took her hand in hers. Her hands were beautiful – graceful, with long fingers. Not sickly thin and yellowish like Anne’s had become.

“There is no cure,” Anne shook her head. “Sebastian seems to have convinced you otherwise, but he’s wrong. I can feel it.”

“Do you like fairytales, Anne?” Selene asked suddenly.

Anne blinked. “I did as a child. But why –”

“Can I tell you a fairytale? A Muggle one.”

Anne hesitated, then shrugged. “Sure, I suppose.”

Selene smiled again, and there was something about that smile that made the tight knot in Anne’s chest loosen just a little. Sebastian had been lying his arse off in his letters, describing the girl as if he were on the verge of proposing, but not everything he wrote had been an exaggeration. He did like her. And Anne could see why.

“Once upon a time, there was a little Muggle girl,” Selene began. “Her mother was a witch who died in childbirth, and her father was a Muggle. But he knew about magic and bought magic books for his daughter. Although there was no magic around her, she read and read, believing that one day, she would be part of that world. That she would get a wand, wave it, and move mountains.”

Selene’s eyes glimmered as she continued.

“But she didn’t receive her letter at eleven. Still, she didn’t stop believing. She thought she simply needed to read more books. She didn’t get her letter at twelve or thirteen either. The girl started brewing potions because that was a kind of magic, too. And she never lost hope. She read, she brewed, she waited.”

Selene smiled softly with a bit of sadness.

“But eventually, her father lost hope. When she was fifteen, he tried to arrange a Muggle marriage for her. She fought against it, tooth and nail. In that moment, when her refusal to give up made her hope burn hotter than ever before, she set fire to the ugliest drapes in existence. That was when her magic finally manifested. And soon enough, the girl was sitting on a stool in the Great Hall with a hat on her head that sorted her into Ravenclaw.”

Selene gave Anne a small wink, her fingers brushing the blue-trimmed edge of her robes.

“The girl was happy, but also worried. What if she was the weakest student? What if she wasn’t worthy? The others had been using magic for years, after all.”

Anne leaned forward. “And what did the girl do?”

Selene smiled again.

“She managed to beat a Slytherin boy in a duel,” she said. “He was an arrogant arse, of course, but he had a good heart. He even fought a troll alongside her. But he was hurting. His sister was unwell. So the Ravenclaw girl swore that she would find a cure – not just for his sister, but for him too. She couldn’t stand to see him suffer.”

“And she will find it,” Selene finished, her voice steady with conviction. “Do you know why? Because the Ravenclaw girl has never allowed herself to lose hope.”

Anne swallowed hard, not realising her eyes were brimming with tears.

“The Slytherin boy is not a bad person,” Selene said gently. “But he is capable of making bad choices. He’s thinking about Dark Magic. His blind yet all-seeing friend knows this, but he can’t stop him – not really. Do you know who can?”

Anne shook her head.

“The Ravenclaw girl.” Selene’s voice was steady. “She convinced him that there are other ways to find the cure that don’t involve darkness. And he believes her. But for them both to succeed, they need one thing.”

“What thing?” Anne whispered.

“They need the Slytherin boy’s sister to have hope.” Selene brushed a stray lock of hair from Anne’s face. “The one who is even more brilliant and talented than her brother. The one everyone at Hogwarts misses dearly. The one who will be cured one day – and who will help the Ravenclaw girl hex the hell out of the Slytherin boy for treating her like a potato sack.”

“Potato sack?” Anne let out a surprised laugh.

“Yes. The Ravenclaw girl broke her leg during a treasure hunt, and the Slytherin boy carried her around all day, despite her protests.”

Anne smirked. “Sounds like him. What treasure hunt?”

Selene’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “It’s a fascinating story. I’ll tell you when you’re back at Hogwarts.”

“That’s unfair!” Anne feigned offense.

“I need you to have something to look forward to,” Selene said simply. Then, she pulled out a leather journal. “I asked a few people to write something inside it – something they wanted you to read. I had to remove Clopton’s passage, though, to prevent a bloodbath in Ravenclaw Tower if either you or your brother read it.”

Anne laughed. “Merlin, I miss even that dork. What did he write?”

Selene grinned. “‘Anne Sallow has a smackable arse.’”

Anne burst out laughing. “Oh, Merlin. If Sebastian ever read that, he’d kill Clopton.”

“Exactly. I might have asked Garreth Weasley for a few results from his experiments and slipped them into Clopton’s pumpkin juice, though.”

Anne laughed again – properly, freely. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d laughed like this. Before the curse, certainly. Selene watched her with a soft smile.

“They miss you, Anne. All of them. I see it in their eyes. You have to come back.”

“I want to. I want to hope. But how can you believe there’s a cure when we don’t even know what curse it was?”

Selene’s smile turned knowing. “I was hoping you’d ask that.”

She reached into her robes and pulled out an empty glass vial.

“I have a Pensieve,” she explained. “We think you may have seen or heard more than you realise. If we can study your memories, we can understand the curse and find a cure. But it all depends on whether you’re willing to share your memories.”

Anne swallowed hard.

“Will it hurt?” she asked quietly.

Selene’s expression was solemn. “Only as much as you allow your memories to hurt you. Not more.”

Anne took a deep breath. “Tell me what to do.”

“Concentrate on the night when it happened,” Selene instructed, squeezing Anne’s hand. “As clearly as you can.”

Anne closed her eyes and did as she was told. A moment later, she felt the gentle touch of a wand against her temple.

“It’s over,” came Selene’s warm voice. “You can open your eyes.”

Anne did, watching as Selene carefully guided the swirling silver strand into the glass vial.

“Thank you, Anne. This will help us immensely.”

Anne exhaled shakily. “Take care of him, will you? Stop him from doing anything dangerous.”

“I will. I promise.” Selene cupped Anne’s face in her hands. “He’s important to me. But don’t tell him that – his head is already big enough.”

Anne smirked. “I think he knows.”

Selene chuckled. “Well, all of the Slytherin boy’s and Ravenclaw girl’s friends are pushing them together, insisting they finally snog, but so far, they’re both resisting.”

Anne’s smirk widened. “Wait until I get back to Hogwarts.”

Selene’s smile softened. “I can’t wait for that. Truly.”

Anne swallowed, unsure of what to say.

“The Ravenclaw girl didn’t have hope every second of her life before she went to Hogwarts,” Selene said softly. “Despite being brilliant, beautiful, and strong – not her words, by the way, the words of the Slytherin boy – she’s only human. She had moments of despair, times when she nearly lost hope.”

“And what did she do?” Anne asked quietly.

Selene reached into her robes and pulled out a small purple-and-gold bag emblazoned with the Chocolate Frogs logo.

“She ate chocolate,” she said simply, pushing the bag toward Anne. “There are Chocolate Frogs in here. Take one any time you feel close to losing hope.”

“You should have brought a bigger bag, then,” Anne tried to joke, but Selene shook her head.

“It’s charmed. I managed to fit almost the entire Honeydukes’ stock in this bag.”

“Selene, I can’t possibly –” Anne began, but Selene gently took her hands and closed them over the bag.

“It’s yours, Anne. I don’t need it anymore – I’m already at Hogwarts. But you still need hope. Take one whenever you feel despair creeping in, and remember the tale I just told you. Besides, you’ll be back at Hogwarts before the bag is empty. You can return it to me then.”

“Thank you,” Anne murmured in gratitude. “How did you even end up with the Honeydukes’ stock?”

“I asked Sebastian to buy some in my name, so that part’s not very interesting. The other part…” Selene smirked. “I won them in a duel. I’ll tell you the story when you’re back.”

“Oh, that’s unfair!” Anne protested. “I’ll just ask Sebastian or someone else, then.”

“You could.” Selene’s smile was playful. “Or, maybe, you could invite someone else from school to visit and ask them.”

Anne’s expression darkened slightly. “I… I really don’t want them to see me like this. They remember me differently.”

“They do,” Selene acknowledged. “But true friends won’t care. Everyone misses you, Anne. Many of them are hurt that you won’t even let them see you. Please, just think about it.”

“I will. I promise.” Anne managed another small smile. She had been holding up well, drawn in by Selene’s story and presence, but Selene must have noticed something.

“You should rest,” she said gently. “I’ll go talk to your uncle and Sebastian and try to reason with both of them.”

“Thank you. Again.”

“Of course.” Selene stood and, with a teasing glint in her eyes, added, “It was nice to finally meet the more talented Sallow sibling.”

With those parting words, she left. It wasn’t long before Anne finally drifted into sleep, and for the first time in weeks, she slept without pain.

When Anne awoke, Uncle Solomon was still nowhere to be seen, so she reached for the leather journal Selene had brought her. Taking a slow, steady breath, Anne traced her fingers over its surface before carefully opening it. The first page held a simple note in neat handwriting, likely Selene’s:

“For Anne Sallow, from everyone who eagerly awaits her return to Hogwarts.”

Swallowing against the sudden tightness in her throat, Anne turned the page.

“Dear Miss Sallow,

Hogwarts is not quite the same without your spark. Even the incantations seem to echo a little less brightly through the halls. I tell the students that magic is more than wandwork – it is the joy, curiosity, and determination we bring to it. You embody all three, and that is why I am certain we will see you back here again.

Professor Abraham Ronen”

Anne smiled despite herself. She missed her Head of House, his warm presence and his ever-cheerful disposition.

Turning the page, she found the next entry, written in a sharp, precise hand.

“Miss Sallow,

Battles are not won in a day – they are won by refusing to yield.

Your talent in Defence Against the Dark Arts is undeniable and no curse could stand in the way of a witch of your potential. When you return, I expect you to be ready to train harder than ever.

Professor Dinah Hecat”

The next message was written in a steady, confident script.

“Miss Sallow,

Your brother has been quite the persistent presence in my classroom, insistent that potions hold the key to your recovery. I believe there is much you can teach him about patience.

Professor Aesop Sharp

P.S. The liquids (I refuse to call them potions) that your brother and your friend, Mr Gaunt, have been brewing in your absence reek atrociously. For the sake of my sense of smell, please return soon.”

Anne let out a small laugh. She could practically hear Sharp’s dry, unimpressed tone in her mind.

The next note was shorter.

“Anne,

I don’t do sappy words, so here’s the deal: You need to get better and get back here. Your brother is a menace, and I need someone else to knock some sense into him. Gaunt hasn’t been much help so far. So hurry up already.

Imelda”

Anne turned the page again.

“Anne,

You’ll be pleased to know that the Pinch-Smedley family astrolabe has miraculously been found. If anyone can manage a miraculous return and prove everyone wrong, it’s you.

I believe in you.

Grace”

Anne turned another page and froze. The handwriting was all too familiar.

“Anne,

After all the owls we’ve exchanged, it still feels strange writing to you like this instead of just talking to you. I miss that. I miss a lot of things about you, actually, but I’ll spare you the list – it’s embarrassingly long.

Hogwarts isn’t the same without you. But you will be back. And when you are, don’t be surprised if I’m the first one dragging you to the Three Broomsticks. I miss drinking Butterbeer in your company. And just being in your company.

Also, with my Ravenclaw brilliance and your Slytherin cunning, we’ll surely come up with a plan to finally make your stupid-arse brother start dating… someone. Then we can sit back, watch them embarrass themselves, and tease them mercilessly – because after all this dancing around each other, they deserve it.

Yours,
Connie”

Something in Anne’s chest tightened. Connie had been the one writing to her the most over the summer – patient, understanding, never pressing when Anne refused to see anyone. And yet, even she admitted she missed simply talking to her. Maybe Selene was right and real friends wouldn’t care how she looked.

She turned the page.

“Dear Anne Sallow,

You don’t know me yet, but I’ve heard plenty about your unbeatable Gobstones skills. No one else around here is much of a challenge – not even my fellow Ravenclaws.

Your brother has been hanging around our Common Room far too often. He keeps distracting Selene from reading to us. Once, he did bring Chocolate Frogs, but still. Please come back and have a stern talk with him.

Zenobia Noke”

Anne couldn’t help but laugh. The slightly uneven script, the playful yet firm tone – it had to be a first-year. She could easily imagine a younger student growing increasingly frustrated with Sebastian’s presence.

The next letter was more formal, yet no less intriguing.

“Dear Anne Sallow,

We hope this message finds you well – or at least as well as possible given the circumstances. We won’t waste time with pleasantries (though we are all hoping for your swift return) because we have an important matter that requires your unique influence.

We’ve been conducting extensive research on Parseltongue, but as you can imagine, reliable sources are limited. Your classmate Ominis Gaunt is, quite literally, the only person in Hogwarts who could help us. At first, he was willing – he even assisted us twice, though somewhat reluctantly – but after that, he started making himself scarce. Your brother and our fellow Ravenclaw, Selene Harrington, have been no help whatsoever. In fact, we strongly suspect they’re aiding Mr Gaunt in his disappearances.

We were hoping you might convince your friend to continue contributing to our research. We assure you, our intentions are purely academic – no sinister plans involved. The idea of dissecting his brain to locate the specific part responsible for Parseltongue was only mentioned once and discarded immediately, both for ethical and practical reasons.

We eagerly await both your response and, of course, your return to Hogwarts.

The Hissing Archives
The Club of Parseltongue Researchers”

Anne laughed so hard her ribs ached. The thought of Ominis evading overly enthusiastic Ravenclaws across the castle was too amusing.

She turned page after page. Some messages were long, filled with heartfelt words. Others were short, just a few lines, but no less meaningful. Professors and classmates, so many of them. Selene must have spent hours collecting them all.

At last, on the final page, she found Selene’s elegant handwriting once again.

Dear Anne,

If you are reading this, it means that we have already met. I hope our first meeting went well.

This journal is a testament to hope of so many people who eagerly await your return. If ever your own hope is not enough, read this again and again.

I have asked Professor Ronen to charm this journal. If you wish to conceal its contents, tap it with your wand and say, “I have hope.” To reveal them again, tap it and say, “I need hope.”

My dear, I know you are already burdened beyond measure, and yet I must ask one more thing of you. Do not let your uncle know about our talk. It will only deepen the rift between him and your brother. I ask you to hide your hope, yet still hold onto it. A burden, yes, but nothing a true Slytherin cannot bear.

I, meanwhile, will bear the burden of preventing your brother from doing anything spectacularly foolish. When you are back at Hogwarts, we can discuss whose burden was harder.

Take care,
Selene

Anne let out a shaky laugh, tears slipping down her cheeks. Slowly, she reached for her wand and whispered, “I have hope.”

And for the first time in what felt like forever – she truly believed it.

Chapter Text

Sebastian watched grimly as Selene spoke with Solomon outside his house. She had spent a long time talking to Anne earlier, and he could only hope she had retrieved the memories. What he couldn’t understand was why Selene would willingly engage with his insufferable uncle after the disgraceful scene he had caused. But Sebastian knew better than to interfere – he wasn’t eager to suffer Solomon’s wrath again.

At last, Selene was finished and walked back to him.

“What were you talking about?” Sebastian asked grimly.

“I told him what he wanted to hear,” she replied. “That I truly believe there is no cure. That I only wish to cheer Anne up and I’ll try to convince you to give up.”

“That’s bollocks,” he scoffed.

“Of course,” she agreed easily. “But we need him to lower his guard. If he thinks I’m on his side, he’ll trust me. And then, he’ll let me visit Anne without suspicion.”

“How very Slytherin of you,” he remarked.

Selene shrugged. “Men like him think of women as weak and foolish. All you have to do is agree with them. Play the part – the naive girl with a kind heart, who only wants to care for another poor girl.”

Sebastian studied her. “I never expected you to think this way.”

“I was raised in the Muggle world,” she said simply. “I’ve been taught this my entire life – how to pretend, how to hide my intelligence so as not to threaten my future husband. And we need that right now – for your uncle to trust me. You should consider pretending to give up as well. He won’t believe you immediately, but in time, he might.”

Sebastian let out a derisive snort. “I will never give up, and you know that.”

“I do. But he doesn’t have to. Be a Slytherin, for once.”

“It’s hard to pretend to believe in his bigotry,” he muttered.

Selene gave him a knowing smile.

“Right,” he sighed. “You had to pretend your whole life. I… I’ll try.”

“Thank you,” she sighed. “I told Anne a bit about my life before I had magic, and it reminded me of what my fate could have been if my magic had never awakened.”

“And what would it have been?” Sebastian asked.

“Marriage. Childbearing. Dying in childbirth. Or spending my life in the shadow of a man unworthy of me, pretending to be stupid and worthless.”

“That’s horrible,” Sebastian said quietly. “So you’re terrified of marriage?”

She looked at him for a long moment. “I brewed a small vial of poison once,” she admitted. “I needed to know that even if I never got magic, I would still have a way out of an unwanted marriage.”

Sebastian blinked in surprise. He didn’t know whether Selene’s calm tone or macabre topic unsettled him more.

“I have Anne’s memories,” Selene continued. “We can go back now.”

“Not so fast,” Sebastian replied. “I have something I want to show you.”

Sebastian led Selene toward the ruined estate, recounting how the goblins had turned it into an excavation site and how Anne had been cursed. They drew close enough to hear goblins grumbling amongst themselves.

“No killing.” Selene grabbed his arm briefly before letting go.

The fight was quick. Even against his instincts, Sebastian stuck to her absurd no-killing rule. Selene moved swiftly, her Petrificus Totalus and Stupefy spells striking with precise efficiency. He couldn’t help but notice the way she moved – fluid, almost like she was Apparating between enemies. Within moments, the goblins were incapacitated, leaving them free to explore.

“Sebastian! I’ve seen this house in memories,” Selene said, her voice laced with excitement. “This estate belonged to a Hogwarts professor hundreds of years ago. Isidora Morganach. She could wield Ancient Magic… just like me.”

Selene turned toward a large, dust-covered portrait marred by deep burn marks. “Do you think this was damaged the night Anne was cursed?”

“Could be,” he muttered, studying it. “Either way, we have more than enough reason to search this place – you for your Ancient Magic, and me for what happened to Anne.”

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

Selene found a hidden cellar – one the goblins had apparently overlooked. Sebastian followed her down, watching as she dealt with Devil’s Snare. Amidst the rubble, he spotted two torn parchment pieces – journal entries.

“Isidora lived through a plague… probably the Black Death,” he murmured, flipping through the fragile pages. “She was considering using her magic for healing.”

Selene, now focused on a particular section of the wall, suddenly stiffened.

“You’re not going to believe this,” she whispered, eyes wide. “I can see Undercroft.”

Sebastian blinked. “What – like in a daydream? Happens to me too.”

She shook her head. “No. I can see it, like looking through a window. It’s happened before. I think it’s my ability – these passages, these ‘windows,’ let me travel through them. Professor Fig couldn’t see them, but he could travel with me.”

“Wait, you’re saying we can get to the Undercroft from here?” His lips quirked. “Ominis will be floored.”

Selene’s expression darkened. “We’re not telling Ominis.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

She sighed. “He doesn’t want to know about my magic. He thinks it’s too risky if his family ever gets to him.”

Sebastian nodded. He shouldn’t have felt so smug that there was something Selene shared with him, but not with Ominis. But he did.

“Well then,” he said, grinning. “Invisible, secret, Ancient Magic passage – here we come.”

Selene huffed a soft laugh. “Come on. It’s much better than Apparition.”

“I hope so. You looked positively green after I Apparated you.”

“Let’s just say I prefer brooms and secret passages to Apparition.”

“Can’t agree on the broom,” he muttered. “Yet to test the secret passage.”

She smirked, took his hand, and stepped through the wall. In an instant, they emerged in Undercroft. The wall shifted, revealing a triptych with two missing pieces.

“That symbol…” Selene’s fingers traced the parchment in the centre. “I know it. It was everywhere on the way to the Map Chamber.”

“Map Chamber?” Sebastian echoed.

“That’s what Professor Rackham calls it. I found it when I was searching for Ollivander’s wand in the Forbidden Forest. There’s a portrait of him there – he could wield Ancient Magic too, just like me. Just like Isidora.”

Sebastian’s gaze drifted to the journal entries in his hand. “She seemed to believe your magic could heal.” He handed them over.

Selene read through them quickly. “I suppose so,” she murmured. “But she focuses more on emotional pain than physical. I need to learn more.”

“Do you think you can –”

She shook her head. “Even if my magic is capable of healing, I’m nowhere near skilled enough to use it on Anne. So far, I’ve only used it to fight – not to heal.”

Sebastian let out a slow breath. “Understood. Well, hopefully, you’ll learn more about it – and be confident enough to try.”

Selene looked at him, her expression solemn. “I promised you I would do everything in my power. I just don’t know yet what that will be – my magic, my research… we’ll see.”

“You saw why this is important to me,” Sebastian said, his voice tightening. “Why we can’t take our time.”

“I did,” she admitted, her expression solemn. “Anne is a lovely girl. No one deserves this, and especially not her.”

She reached into her robes and retrieved a small vial of memory, the liquid swirling silver inside. Sebastian took it, turning it over in his palm.

“It looks so harmless.”

Selene’s voice was quiet. “All memories look the same in this form. No matter what they hold.”

She hesitated, then straightened. “I need to see if Professor Fig is back.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sebastian said, but she shook her head.

“No. I need to talk to him alone.”

His brow furrowed. “Why? What happened to ‘I trust you with my life’?” he asked mockingly.

She exhaled. “Nothing. I just think it’s better if I speak to him alone.”

Sebastian crossed his arms. “I still don’t see why –”

“Because I’m using Occlumency right now,” she interrupted, her voice eerily calm. “Because I have to use it around Professor Fig. And being around you drains it.”

“So I’m a menace now?” He let out a scoff. “Fine. If you can’t even stand being around me without throwing up some wall, then go. Talk to Fig. Talk to whoever the hell you want.”

“Sebastian –”

But he was already walking away, frustration burning through him – at her, at himself, at everything.

“How did the visit to Feldcroft go?” Ominis asked carefully over lunch.

“We got what we wanted.” Sebastian’s voice was edged with irritation. “Uncle Solomon was a moron as always, but Selene seems to think we should manipulate him so that he lowers his guard.”

“It makes sense.”

“It does. Did you know she’s Occluding around me? Almost constantly?”

Ominis hesitated before admitting, “I did. I tried reasoning with her, but she insists it’s the only way.”

Sebastian scoffed. “Maybe I should just free her from my company, then. Let her do whatever she wants, with whoever she wants, while I find the cure myself.”

“Selene doesn’t want to do anything with anyone else, and you’re not stupid enough to actually believe that,” Ominis said, unimpressed. “You’re just angry. And jealous.”

“You seem to know a lot about her.”

Ominis sighed. “We train Occlumency together. It would be hypocritical of me to demand she stop when I’ve been doing it for years. If anything, she’s trying to convince me to let go, to confront the memories, little my little.”

Sebastian frowned. “You were occluding? I thought you were just self-controlled.”

Ominis let out a quiet laugh. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

“What memories do you mean, Ominis?”

Ominis’ expression darkened. “Let’s just say I’ve never told you – or anyone – the worst things my family has done. But Selene thinks I need to face it. My own trauma,” he sighed. “Maybe she’s right. I can’t run from it forever.”

Sebastian sat back, his mind turning over Ominis’ words. Maybe there was something to it. Maybe he should allow himself to remember those first years with Solomon when he had been too small and weak to defend himself against a grown man. A bitter man who blamed him for the death of his parents. No one knew – not even Anne. Sebastian was certain that if she did know, Solomon would be hexed with something far worse than pink hair.

“She has her own traumas,” Ominis continued. “She told us as much. But this week, she started occluding – even as she tells me to stop. Neither of us can convince the other, so we just train Occlumency together. Regardless of what we do with our pasts, it is a useful skill.”

“So that’s what she’s been doing all week? Hiding away with you, occluding?” Sebastian asked, his irritation resurfacing. “I hardly saw her.”

Ominis shook his head. “Not just that. She also had errands to run. And she’s been preparing a gift for Anne.”

Sebastian’s brow furrowed. “What gift?”

Before Ominis could answer, Selene entered the Great Hall and took her usual seat. Without missing a beat, Sebastian muttered an Eavesdropping Charm. Ominis sighed but didn’t protest.

“Hey, Selene, everything alright?” Samantha asked, noting her pale complexion.

Selene smiled weakly. “Of course. Just a bit tired. I experienced Apparition for the first time today, and… well, let’s just say I’m still not sure I should be eating anything.”

“You can Apparate?” Zenobia’s eyes widened. She was seated close to Selene, glaring at anyone who so much as looked like they might take her spot.

“No, I can’t,” Selene admitted. “Sebastian can. We were in Feldcroft together today.”

A ripple of interest spread through the group.

“Oooh…”

“Together…”

“With Sebastian…”

The girls giggled.

Selene rolled her eyes. “Stop it, you lot. He just wanted to cheer Anne up, and she agreed to meet me, that’s all.”

“Well, I am still sad she won’t let any of us visit,” Connie said with genuine disappointment. “But I suppose it makes sense that she wanted to see her future sister-in-law first.”

The Ravenclaws dissolved into another round of giggles.

Selene rolled her eyes. “I just wanted to talk to Anne. And give her the journal.”

“Oh! Did she read it? Did she like what I wrote?” Clopton asked eagerly. As he spoke, a stream of rainbow bubbles poured from his mouth.

Selene sighed. “Thankfully, I caught it before she – or worse, Sebastian – saw it. I did tell her, though, and she genuinely laughed.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have removed it. I hoped you won’t notice,” Clopton huffed, still producing bubbles.

“It wasn’t me. It was Professor Sharp. He noticed when I went to ask him for his message for Anne and apologise for my behaviour in Potions.” Her voice dropped slightly at the end.

“Oh right! The Amortentia lesson!” Astoria grinned. “Cressida said you smelled Ominis Gaunt, and that’s why Sebastian challenged you to a duel. Then you fought, and then you both –”

“Astoria!” Selene yelped, clapping her hands over Zenobia’s ears.

Zenobia wriggled free. “What? You and Sebastian what?” she asked eagerly.

“Kissed, Zenobia,” Astoria declared with a wink. “They kissed.”

Selene shot her a glare as she removed her hands. “That’s a lie. No kissing, or anything else happened. You all need to stop believing every rumour Cressida spreads.”

“But the duel did happen,” Sophronia pointed out. “And you did smell something in Amortentia that made you storm out.”

“I smelled nothing,” Selene muttered, lowering her gaze. “And the duel was just to see who was stronger. Nothing else.”

“And? Imelda said Sebastian spent the night in the Hospital Wing.” Clopton’s voice was still accompanied by bubbles.

“I broke his arm, he broke my rib, and he ruined my clothes. So we agreed to a tie.”

“Oooh… he ruined your clothes, did he?” Astoria teased.

“With a Confringo!” Selene snapped.

“So you were on fire because of him?” Connie snorted.

Selene shot her a warning look. “We’ve barely even seen each other this week aside from the duel – and yet you all still think there’s something between us. It’s ridiculous. Can’t we talk about something else?”

“Yule Ball,” Samantha said, and the girls erupted into giggles again.

Selene groaned. “Isn’t it a bit early for that? Mr Hill already asked me about my dress.”

“Well, maybe,” Samantha admitted, “but boys will start asking in October, so you’d best be prepared.”

“Can’t you just go without a partner?” Selene muttered.

“You can,” Connie said, “but that’s basically admitting you’re a loser.”

“I don’t mind admitting that. Or can’t I just go with a friend? One of you?”

The girls sighed dramatically.

“Selene, going with a friend is admitting you’re even more of a loser.”

“Hey!” Sophronia interjected. “The Hissing Archives are all going as friends! We’re coordinating so the third-years can come too.”

“That’s actually really nice of you,” Selene nodded. “If any third-years need an invitation, I’d be happy to help.”

Sophronia crossed her arms. “No. The Hissing Archives think you help Ominis hide from us, so we won’t be helping you.”

“You want to open his brain up!” Selene shot back.

“It was just a suggestion!” Sophronia huffed.

Ominis, who had been listening quietly, paled significantly. Sebastian smirked.

“I would go to the Yule Ball with you, Selene, but I’m not allowed yet,” Zenobia said sadly.

Selene pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry. In two years, you can come too. I’ll invite you then.” She hesitated for a moment before adding, “Though I think I might skip the Ball this year.”

“Oh, please, Selene! You can’t miss the Ball – it’s positively magical!” Connie exclaimed.

“And the food is amazing!”

“And the dancing – “

“And I promise you’ll be invited,” Samantha said. “The clever boys ask in October, the majority in November, and the desperate ones in December.”

Selene shook her head. “I suppose you’re right, but I’d rather go with a friend. So, would any of you come with me?”

The girls immediately averted their gazes.

“Fine,” Clopton sighed, producing yet another stream of bubbles. “I’ll take you – but only if dear Mirabel refuses.”

Selene sighed. “Thanks, Everett, but I really don’t want to spend my evening hearing whether my arse is ‘smackable’ or not. Anyone else?”

“Sorry, Selene,” Connie said apologetically. “But like we said, going with a friend is basically admitting you’re a nerd and a loser. Nobody wants to admit that – not even Ravenclaws.”

“What’s all the fuss about?” Isolde Vane scoffed. “I’m sure Sallow or Gaunt will invite you – just take your pick. And Cressida said you and Prewett duelled for your –”

“Language!” Selene cut her off, clapping her hands over Zenobia’s ears.

Isolde smirked. “– maidenhead.”

The girls erupted into giggles.

Selene sighed and lowered her hands. “We didn’t duel for… that.” She shot Isolde a glare. “It was over whether I’d go to Hogsmeade with him. And I won, by the way. I don’t want him, or anyone else, anywhere near my… well, what you said.”

“What did she say?” Zenobia asked curiously.

“Lips, Zenobia,” Isolde said. “I meant kissing.”

“Eww,” Zenobia wrinkled her nose. “Boys are stupid, disgusting, and boring. And you owe me a Chocolate Frog for all the ear-covering.”

“Fine. I’ll give you one when we’re back in the Common Room.”

“Why not now?” Zenobia asked. “And where’s your bag?”

“I left it for Anne. She needs it more than I do.” Selene’s voice softened. “I told her to take a Chocolate Frog whenever she feels sad.”

The girls exchanged glances. Sebastian felt an unexpected tightness in his chest.

“That’s really kind of you, Selene,” Samantha said quietly.

Connie looked at Selene, her eyes almost brimming with tears.

“Thank you,” Connie whispered.

Selene gave her a knowing smile. “It’s alright. I can always challenge boys to duels when they try to invite me to the Ball – the loser gives me Chocolate Frogs.”

“Then only Sallow has a chance of inviting you,” Clopton remarked.

“Not even him,” Selene smirked. “We tied.”

“Oooh, did you make a bet? Like with Prewett?” Astoria asked.

“No. No bet.” Selene’s response was far too quick, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks.

Connie grinned. “I smell a bet.”

“There was no bet,” Selene insisted. “And even if there was, I wouldn’t tell you lot. You already tease me too much.”

“Well, you are bribing your future sister-in-law with sweets,” Clopton pointed out, “so it’s not like we don’t have a reason.”

Selene turned to him, exasperated. “Everett, have you really not had enough of my wrath today?” She gestured to the cloud of bubbles surrounding him.

His eyes widened. “That was you? That brilliant prank?” he grinned. “Merlin, I think I should invite you to the Ball.”

“Technically, it was Garreth. But you’re welcome to invite him instead.”

“Oh, so Garreth was involved?” Astoria giggled. “That means you’ve now got two of the hottest Slytherins and two Gryffindors on your list.”

Selene groaned. “Oh, shut it, all of you. There is no list.”

Her protest only made them giggle more.

She sighed dramatically. “Come on, Zenobia. Let’s go get your Chocolate Frog. Clearly, we’re the only ones acting like adults here.”

“Yes, we are,” Zenobia said proudly, following Selene out.

Sebastian flicked his wand, waving off the Eavesdropping charm.

“She left all her Chocolate Frogs for Anne,” he mused. “Huh. That’s a big gesture, considering how much she loves them.”

“It’s more than that,” Ominis said softly. “She spent the entire week running around the school, asking everyone to write a message in a journal – so Anne would know how much we’re all waiting for her.”

Sebastian’s brows furrowed. “How do you know this and not me? Why doesn’t she tell me these things?”

Ominis sighed. “Because her Occlumency still isn’t strong enough.”

Sebastian had no response to that.

Chapter Text

Selene was already in the Undercroft when Sebastian and Ominis arrived. She sat curled up on the sofa, absently tracing the embroidery on a small bag in her lap.

“Are you alright?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes.” Her voice was distant.

“If my mere presence makes you feel the need to Occlude, I can leave, you know,” he said, irritation creeping into his tone.

She sighed. “It’s not because of you. It’s… never mind. I have the Pensieve.”

Sebastian eyed her bag sceptically. “That tiny thing? And you are Occluding. You might as well admit that it’s because of me.”

“I’m Occluding because of my father,” she admitted in a low voice. “It won’t take Rookwood and Ranrok long to find out my name and my home address. They want me alive for something. But if they threaten my father – or Lady Fluffington – I know I won’t hold out. And that terrifies me.”

Sebastian opened his mouth, but Ominis spoke first, his voice unusually soft. “I’m sorry, Selene.”

She nodded. “Thank you. I spoke to Professor Fig, and he assured me there would be protections in place. But I am still worried.”

Sebastian, sensing she needed a distraction, seized the opportunity. “Wait. Did you just say Lady Fluffington?”

Selene let out a small laugh. “My cat. I was four when I named her. She was fluffy and carried herself like a lady.”

“You could bring her to Hogwarts,” he suggested.

She shook her head. “No. She’s safer with my father. And I’ll be staying at Hogwarts over the holidays – keeping my distance is the best way to keep them out of danger. If Rookwood and Ranrok are looking for me, I want them looking here, not in London.”

She closed her eyes briefly, then straightened. “Alright. Enough of that. Let’s just watch the memories. I’ll go first.”

She placed the embroidered bag on the table and gestured for Sebastian to help.

“Come on, give me a hand. The damn thing is heavy.”

Sebastian obliged, helping her wrestle the Pensieve from the bag.

“I’ll go first,” Selene said quietly. “If I see enough, then neither of you will have to.”

Sebastian didn’t respond, only gave a curt nod as he watched her pour Anne’s memories into the Pensieve. With a deep breath, Selene leaned forward and disappeared into the swirling mist.

She was gone for several minutes. When she emerged again, her expression was thoughtful for a second, but then her breath hitched, eyes widening in horror. Panic flashed across her face. Sebastian barely caught her before she hit the ground.

“Ominis! Please –” Her voice was small, raw with fear.

Sebastian’s heart pounded as he held her in his arms. He had never seen her like this, hands trembling, breath coming in shallow gasps.

Ominis moved instantly, standing beside them.

“Breathe with me, Selene,” he murmured soothingly.

Sebastian watched as Ominis took her hands and pressed them firmly against his chest in an almost intimate gesture. A cold weight settled in Sebastian’s gut as he watched her cling to Ominis’ hands, grounding herself in his steady presence.

It hurt. Deep down, it hurt in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Sebastian was holding her, but Ominis was the one she focused on, who knew how to help her.

Slowly, her breathing evened out. The tremors faded and she squeezed Ominis’ hands before finally opening her eyes.

“Good,” Ominis said softly. “You’re doing well.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Selene straightened, pulling away from Sebastian’s hold. She was still unsteady, but Sebastian couldn’t wait any longer. “What did you see? What happened?”

She didn’t reply, her eyes empty and guarded – hiding behind her Occlumency shields again.

“I can’t tell you,” she whispered.

Sebastian’s expression darkened. “Fine.”

Before she could protest, he plunged into the Pensieve.

He wasn’t prepared. The pain of reliving this moment was suffocating, but he forced himself to focus. The cold voice. The magic that hit Anne. Something was gnawing at the edge of his mind, just out of reach. He exhaled and pulled himself from the Pensieve.

Selene was still standing there, with her arms crossed, her expression neutral. Ominis had returned to the sofa.

Sebastian locked eyes with her. “You saw something I didn’t. Tell me, Selene.”

She shook her head.

“Did you recognise the curse?” His voice was taut with desperation. “Is it unbreakable?”

She didn’t answer. Only then did he realise he was gripping her shoulders. Selene winced slightly, and he forced himself to loosen his hold. Still, she averted her gaze.

“Look at me,” he demanded, cupping her face and forcing her to meet his eyes. “Tell me,” he pleaded.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

Sebastian turned to Ominis, suspicion creeping into his voice.

“You told him, didn’t you?”

Ominis was still as stone, his face unreadable. But Sebastian knew him too well. He saw it – the faintest tremor in his fingers. It was something – something that had shattered Selene’s composure and unsettled Ominis. And they were refusing to tell him.

Sebastian’s anger flared. “She is my sister. You have to tell me.”

Ominis’ voice was quiet, but firm. “He’s right, Selene. He has to know.”

She exhaled heavily, steadying herself. “Promise me you’ll stay in the Undercroft.”

“What?” Sebastian frowned in confusion.

Selene didn’t waver. “Promise me. I’ll show you another memory, but afterward, you stay here and we talk. All three of us.”

His jaw tightened, impatience creeping into his voice. “Fine. I promise.”

She studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod.

“We’ll do this together. I need to confirm it anyway.”

She carefully returned Anne’s memory to the vial, then reached up to extract her own. They leaned forward and plunged into the Pensieve.

The Three Broomsticks.

Sirona’s voice:

“Wouldn’t do that if I were you, Theophilus.”

Sebastian stood behind her, alongside Selene.

“Come now.”

Victor Rookwood.

“No need for theatrics. I’m only here for this one anyway.”

Sebastian wrenched himself from the Pensieve with a low growl.

It was him. Rookwood.

The same voice, the same mockery curling through his words. The man who had done this to Anne and wanted to do worse to Selene. Who hadn’t spared a second thought for either of them – who didn’t care about the curse twisting Anne’s life into agony, or the fate Ranrok had in mind for Selene should Rookwood deliver her to the goblin.

The man who had split Sebastian’s life into before and after.

The man Sebastian had to kill.

Right now.

He moved instinctively, rage burning in his body. He heard Selene’s voice, but barely registered it. Then – her hands grabbing at him, trying to hold him back. He broke free easily.

“Ominis, stop him!” Selene’s voice was desperate, almost hysterical.

“Arresto Momentum.”

The spell hadn’t fully stopped him – only slowed him, dulled his movements like he was wading through water. He cursed under his breath and muttered a countercharm, but it took him time.

Too much time. Selene was already there, standing between him and the Undercroft’s gate, blocking his way.

“Move.” His voice was low, simmering with anger.

She didn’t flinch. “No. I won’t let you do this.”

Something dark and dangerous twisted inside Sebastian.

She was perfect. Just as brilliant. Just as powerful. Just as stubborn. The only one who could ever match him.

And Rookwood had taken her from him. The man who stood between Sebastian and the life he should have had. A life where Anne was healthy and Selene was his.

Couldn’t she see? Didn’t she understand? His hands moved before he could stop them. He grabbed her, fingers tightening around her arms. She winced, but her eyes never left his.

“Sebastian, let me go.”

His pulse pounded, hot and furious. She was choosing this, choosing to stand in his way.

“You don’t want to do this,” she said, voice softer now. “Please. Don’t make me stop you.”

He wanted to believe she would never raise her wand against him, but it was already pointing at his chest. Sebastian had no choice but to raise his own, with both wands now aimed at each other’s hearts, almost touching the robes. At this distance, even a simple Stupefy would be dangerous.

“A stalemate, huh?” His voice was almost amused. “Who will cast first? You – because you want to stop me at any cost? Or me – because I have to go and kill him.”

“You won’t hurt me.” Selene’s voice was calm, firm.

Sebastian let out a low chuckle. “How do you know? Seems like people can run around and hurt girls without consequence.”

Before she could respond, another voice rang out.

“Expelliarmus!”

Both their wands ripped from their grips, flying across the room into Ominis’ outstretched hand.

Sebastian’s face darkened instantly. Selene was his equal – with a wand. Without it, she didn’t stand a chance.

His hands found her again before she could react. His hold was too tight, too rough, and she let out a startled squeak, a small and fragile sound, making something primal stir inside him.

“S-Sebastian!” she gasped, squirming against his hold.

Ominis took a step forward, his fingers tightening around the stolen wands. “Let her go.”

Sebastian smirked. “Give me my wand.”

Ominis’ face remained composed, but his grip on the wands didn’t loosen.

Sebastian leaned down, lips brushing against Selene’s ear as he spoke.

“I just need my wand, and I’ll be out of your way,” he murmured. His fingers dug into her arms, holding her in place. “You can have each other. I’ll just go find Rookwood.”

Selene struggled in his grasp, trying to shove him away, but he was stronger.

“Sebastian – stop!” she hissed, but he only tightened his hold.

Ominis’ jaw locked. Sebastian knew him too well – he could feel his hesitation, hear the tightening of his breath.

“I swear –” Ominis started, but Sebastian cut him off with a mocking laugh.

“What, Ominis? You’ll hex me? You’ll hurt me?” Sebastian’s voice was almost amused, but his eyes were wild. “You won’t risk hurting her.”

He turned his attention back to Selene, softening his grip slightly.

“You’re fighting me when you should be helping me.” His voice was almost gentle. “You know he deserves it.”

Ominis’ grip on their wands tightened, his shoulders tensing.

“Give me my wand, Ominis,” Sebastian said smoothly, “or she gets hurt.”

“You won’t –” Selene started, still struggling in his grasp.

“I will,” he growled. “I will take my prize from you. I will take more – everything I want from you, Selene.” He leaned in, his fingers gripping her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. He lowered himself until their lips were mere breaths apart. “You know what I asked of you in the tunnel beneath Hogwarts. I can still take it. You even agreed.”

She froze, her breath hitching.

“You said my darkness draws you to me,” he whispered. “How do you feel now?”

Her eyes widened in horror.

“Tell him to give me my wand back, and you’re free to go. You won’t even have to occlude in my presence anymore. You won’t have my presence anymore.”

“Fine,” she exhaled shakily. “Ominis, give –”

A violent explosion of light and sound tore them apart. Sebastian hit the stone floor hard, a sharp jolt of pain searing through his back. Across from him, Selene lay sprawled on the ground, her chest rising and falling in quick, uneven breaths.

Between them, a barrier of shimmering magic flickered in the air, visible, burning with raw energy. And on the other side of it stood Ominis.

“Let me tell you something about Gaunts, Sebastian,” Ominis said, his voice quiet and deadly. “They let a defiant one live, at least for a time. But they never let a weak one live.”

Sebastian swallowed hard.

“You think my blindness makes me weaker than you.” Ominis took a step forward. “If that were true, I would’ve been dead long ago. My own family would have seen to it.”

Ominis’ voice dropped to a chilling whisper. “Hurt her again, and you will know what I can do.”

For the first time, Sebastian didn’t recognise his friend. It was like Salazar himself was speaking through him, his voice carried through centuries of blood and legacy. Then, just as quickly, Ominis exhaled and continued in his usual voice, though the steel never left his tone.

“You are my oldest friend, Sebastian. And you were about to do something unforgivably stupid. As your friend, I stopped you. Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”

Sebastian didn’t answer. He was still struggling to catch his breath.

“Ominis,” Selene said at last, her voice calm and controlled. Her Occlumency was back in place. “Lower the shield, please.”

Ominis’ expression hardened.

“Selene, I can’t let him –”

“He won’t hurt me,” she spoke with such certainty that even Sebastian blinked. “Trust me.”

Reluctantly, Ominis obeyed, lowering the shield but keeping all three wands pointed on Sebastian. Selene stepped forward and sank down in front of him, her eyes searching his.

“You’re bloody stupid if you get any closer,” he growled.

“It wasn’t you,” she shook her head. “It was your rage.”

Her gaze didn’t waver. “And I understand it. I understand your anger, your need to go after him, to kill him, to avenge Anne.”

Sebastian clenched his fists. “Then why the hell are you stopping me?” he snapped.

“Because if you go now, you’ll only get yourself killed.” Her voice was firm. “And I promised Anne that I wouldn’t let you do anything stupid.”

Sebastian saw them – his own fingerprints, bruising her skin, staining her jawline. He had gripped her too hard when forcing her to look at him. A sickening weight settled in his chest. Slowly, his fingers reached for the marks, brushing over them with the gentlest touch.

“You can’t even talk to me without your bloody Occlumency,” Sebastian whispered. “And yet, after what I just did, you’re still here. How…?”

He didn’t realise his voice had started to break. Didn’t realise the tears in his eyes until the weight of everything – anger, jealousy, guilt – crashed over him.

Selene smiled sadly and lifted a hand, brushing his hair back in a quiet, intimate gesture.

“No Occlumency now,” she replied, her eyes raw with pain, tears slipping down her cheeks. “And it wasn’t you.”

“He has to be taken down,” Sebastian said, voice hoarse. “You have to understand that.”

“I do,” she said calmly. “And we will.”

He frowned. “We?”

“You and me,” she said, a faint smirk ghosting her lips. “We said we could take down the whole school, didn’t we? What’s one man more?”

He exhaled a breathless laugh. Gently, he reached out and ran his fingers through her hair.

“How can I even ask you to forgive me?” he whispered.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she slid her arms around his neck and leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. Carefully, he pulled her closer, stroking her back. Selene sobbed quietly, the sound muffled against his robes.

Sebastian turned to his friend.

“Ominis,” he said, voice rough. “Can you forgive me?”

Ominis stood still for a moment. Then, without a word, he set all three wands on the table and walked toward them. Without his own wand – a sign of trust.

He lowered himself onto Sebastian’s other side and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“I always knew you could be an idiot,” he said finally.

Sebastian let out a breathless chuckle and squeezed his hand in return. He closed his eyes as the weight of everything settled over them.

“Thank you. Both of you,” Sebastian whispered, still stroking Selene’s hair.

For a moment, Sebastian saw them as if from the outside – three teenagers, almost children. One of them not even sixteen yet.

The boy raised by sheer evil, yet the purest of the three. The girl asking herself if she was a monster, so blind to her own kindness.

And himself – born into happiness, only to have it torn from him too soon. Enraged and lost, swallowing his fury from childhood. At his uncle, who blamed him for his parents’ death. At his classmates, who still had their parents. At Victor Rookwood, who had cursed his sister. At his own weakness for being unable to hunt the man down right now.

And yet, here they were.

Selene, still trembling against him, her fingers clenched into his back – almost painfully, but it was a pain he welcomed, a reminder that she was still here.

Ominis, beside him, his hand resting on Sebastian’s, the faint glisten of unshed tears in his unseeing eyes.

And Sebastian himself, with the last remnants of rage and remorse burning behind his tears.

Children.

Lost, broken children.

Vowing to take down the most dangerous man in the country.

They sat in silence until Selene finally spoke.

“We need a plan.” Her voice was hoarse from tears.

“We do,” Ominis echoed.

She sighed, hesitating before turning to him.

“Ominis, it’ll be dangerous – and illegal. You don’t have to be a part of this.”

“That might be the stupidest thing a Ravenclaw has ever said,” Ominis responded calmly.

Selene snorted. “Really? Do you even know Clopton?”

Despite himself, Sebastian let out a quiet chuckle, and even Ominis allowed a faint smile.

“I don’t have any family I care about,” Ominis continued. “Only Anne, Sebastian, and you. I’m in this until the end. If anyone should walk away, it should be you, Selene. You’re the only one with a family to protect.”

For a brief moment, fear clawed at Sebastian’s chest. Selene had her father. They had known her for barely two weeks. She should be given the chance to walk away before this even began.

“He’s right, Selene,” Sebastian said gently. But she only looked at him with that stubbornness of hers.

“Together. Til the end,” Selene said, her voice hoarse but steady. She reached out a hand to both of them.

“Together. Til the end,” Ominis repeated, laying his hand on hers.

“Together. Til the end,” Sebastian concluded, taking both their hands in his. “We promise.”

They nodded, and for some time, all of them were silent.

“I’m in this,” Selene said finally. “Rookwood is already after me. I can’t even enjoy my visits to Hogsmeade.”

“You mean executing your shopping addiction,” Sebastian muttered.

She swatted his arm. He laughed, and before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a tight embrace again. Despite everything that had just happened, he was simply glad to have her back in his arms.

“Besides,” she continued, “you two are both rubbish at Potions. And we’re going to need a lot of them.”

Sebastian sighed. “We’ll need to train. Harder than ever.”

“Agreed,” Selene nodded. “And we’ll need Ominis to train us to fight in the dark. The Ashwinders are already using Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. There are spells that obscure vision, or blind opponents – even simple darkness is a weapon. We need to be able to fight in it.”

“We’ll also need Healing Charms,” Sebastian added after a moment. “Learning to fight means getting hurt. We can’t run to Blainey every time.”

“And we’ll need a way to communicate,” Ominis said. “Something secure. If nothing else, to coordinate our meetings here.”

Selene nodded, considering. “I’ll handle the Healing Charms and Potions. You two will work on the other Charms and teach me what I need to know. And as for communication – I have an idea.”

She rose to her feet, Sebastian and Ominis following her. She picked up their wands and handed them back before running her fingers over her own. The wood was white, almost ivory, curling into an elegant spiral.

“Aspen and dragon heartstring,” she murmured. “Particularly suited for martial magic. Mr Ollivander told me about a secretive duelling society called “The Silver Spears”. They only accepted members with aspen wands. The Ministry struggled for years to track them down until a Ministry worker uncovered their method of communication.”

Selene smiled slightly.

“The Silver Spears enchanted their Galleons with a Protean Charm. The numerals on the edge would change to indicate the time and place of their next duel. We could do the same.”

Sebastian stared at her, admiration mingling with something far more complicated. She was slightly frowning, her mind already unravelling the plan that would allow three teenagers to take down a man with years of experience, no conscience, and a small army of ruthless, equally skilled followers.

“We’ll need to go to the Scriptorium,” Ominis said.

Selene stepped closer to him. “We don’t have to –”

“No. We need every advantage we can get,” Ominis said firmly. “Aunt Noctua believed there was more to Salazar Slytherin than just Dark Magic.”

“We’ll find out what happened to her, Ominis,” Selene smiled solemnly and placed a hand on his shoulder. Strangely, Sebastian felt no jealousy this time.

“Maybe this is it,” Ominis murmured. “Aunt Noctua tried this alone. We could do it together. I just… I still need time to research, to prepare myself mentally. But we will go.”

“Now you’re willing to share?” Sebastian scoffed. “You wouldn’t tell me when I practically begged.”

Ominis remained infuriatingly calm. “It wasn’t you who told me what I needed to hear. And this only works if you don’t do anything reckless. You can’t go after Rookwood before we have a plan.”

“I won’t,” Sebastian muttered. “I won’t try to kill him beforehand.”

“Killing is not the goal,” Selene interjected.

Sebastian groaned. “If this is about your no killing rule –”

“It’s not that.” Her expression darkened. “We still don’t know anything about the curse. We need to capture him alive and interrogate him.”

Sebastian stared at her, stunned. He had assumed the goal was simple – kill Rookwood. But capturing him alive was infinitely harder.

“If we wanted to kill him, it would be easy,” Selene said, voicing his thoughts. “Slip poison into his drink. Slice his head off with Diffindo. I can think of at least a dozen ways any of us could do it. But capturing him alive will be the real challenge.”

“We’ll need Veritaserum,” Ominis said quietly.

Selene nodded. “And Polyjuice. It might help with your Legilimency.”

Sebastian frowned. “How exactly does Polyjuice help with Legilimency?”

Selene hesitated. “Ominis tried Legilimency on me, and he can hear thoughts, but he can’t decipher visual memories. We think it’s because he never learned to see. If he uses Polyjuice, it might help him to learn how to process visual memories. Maybe even allow him to see through someone’s eyes.”

“I was also considering snakes,” Ominis added. “It would certainly contribute to my infamous reputation. If I could see through their eyes, it would give me an advantage in battle. But first, I have to learn to see at all.”

Sebastian smirked, turning to Selene. “Let me guess – that was your idea? It sounds so Ravenclaw.”

“Of course it was,” she said with a pride. “Polyjuice. Potions for battle – Invisibility, Edurus, all of them. Healing potions, of course, which is why I’ll be handling Healing Charms. And a shit-ton of Wiggenweld.”

She hesitated.

“But some ingredients will be tricky to get. I can’t buy everything from J. Pippin’s – he’s friends with Professor Sharp, and Sharp’s already suspicious of me.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows shot up. “Sharp is suspicious?”

“Yes,” she frowned. “He said my brewing skills are way too advanced for someone who supposedly learned from Professor Fig. I tried to play it off as beginner’s luck, but he didn’t buy it.”

Sebastian sighed, pulling her into his arms again. This time, she didn’t even stiffen and let herself be held. Something inside him jolted at how easily she allowed it. Was she still afraid he’d hurt her? No – her breath was steady, her posture relaxed.

“Why can’t Sharp just believe you’re brilliant?” he murmured.

She laughed softly. “Not every man is an idiot, easy to fool.”

Sebastian smirked. “You never fooled me, you know. I knew your first duel wasn’t really your first, but decided to wait until you told me yourself.”

She chuckled. “You’re smarter than most men. But sometimes, you can be extremely stupid.”

“That he can,” Ominis muttered.

“Hey!” Sebastian exclaimed, feigning offense.

“Oh, come on, you two,” Selene laughed, then turned serious. “We have a lot of work to do. And besides all this, there are also O.W.L.s coming up. And I have to do… something else.”

Ominis stiffened slightly. “I get the hint, Selene. Don’t tell me more about your magic.”

She exhaled and turned to Sebastian.

“I do want to tell you, though. It might help us.”

Ominis hesitated. “Can I leave you two alone? You won’t hurt her?”

Sebastian met his unseeing gaze. “Never again.”

Ominis sighed. “Fine. Just don’t give Cressida more fuel for her rumours.”

And with that, he left.

“What did you want to tell me about your magic?” Sebastian asked quietly.

She sank further into his embrace, pressing her head against his chest.

“I feel like I might regret ever saying this… But it’s not about my magic,” she murmured. “We’ll have to learn Imperio and Crucio. I didn’t want to say it in front of Ominis.”

“I understand Imperio,” Sebastian said slowly. “But why Crucio?”

“Veritaserum can be fought – with an antidote or Occlumency. The antidote is difficult to brew, and I doubt Rookwood will have it on him. But we have to account for Occlumency.”

Sebastian’s grip on her tightened as she continued.

“There are ways to break through Occlumency. The easiest is torture.”

Her voice was quiet.

“That’s what they’d do to me if they ever caught me,” Selene whispered. “Try Imperio, then Crucio, then Imperio again. Over and over. And eventually, I’d break. I’d do whatever they wanted.” Her breath hitched. “I can’t let myself be captured.”

“You won’t be,” Sebastian said firmly. “You’ll stay in Hogwarts.”

“I can’t. We need ingredients for the potions, and I’ll have to go out with someone else. Help them.”

“No.” Sebastian’s voice was steel. “I’ll tell Prewett. He’ll lock you in the castle.”

She smirked. “Not planning to lock me up yourself?”

He shook his head. “I have no right to. Not after today.”

She stiffened, but he continued, the words catching in his throat.

“And I admit defeat.”

She blinked. “What?”

“In our duel. I admit defeat. You win,” he swallowed hard. “I’ll swear off Dark Magic. Unless… unless you allow me.”

He hesitated before adding, “And your first kiss is still yours. To give to whoever you choose.”

Selene pulled back slightly, just enough to look him in the eyes.

“Why?” she asked quietly.

Sebastian smiled, but it was sad – so unlike his usual smirks. He cupped her face gently.

“Because I hurt you even though I swore I never would. Because I can still see the marks my own fingers left on your skin. Because I don’t deserve your kiss, or your kindness, or your help. I don’t deserve anything from you, not even your forgiveness.”

Selene sighed, her gaze never leaving his.

“But I know you,” he continued. “You’re stubborn. You’ll help me anyway, no matter what I say. And I need your help.”

“You don’t have to –” she started, but he only smiled again, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“I do. Besides, you hit my wand arm before I hit your ribs. So it’s only fair.”

She lowered her gaze.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“I have one favour to ask,” Sebastian said. “No Occlumency around me. Please. It’s too painful seeing you like that – empty-eyed, distant, as if you can’t even face me.”

She hesitated before nodding. “Alright.”

Selene leaned into him again, and he ran a gentle hand along her back.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be friends. Alright?” she murmured.

Sebastian smirked. “How about we be friends during the week… and whatever we want on weekends?”

She actually laughed. “We can’t do this. And I’ll be busy tomorrow.”

“With what?”

“The first trial.”

She grinned at his confused expression.

“Actually,” she said, mischief twinkling in her eyes, “I can show you.”

She led him to the Pensieve, carefully removed the memory still floating inside, returned it to her temple, and extracted another one.

“The Map Chamber,” she explained. “Me talking to Professor Rackham – the one who had the same ability I do.”

Sebastian followed her, diving into the Pensieve.

The Map Chamber was breathtaking, with the glowing map of Hogwarts and the Highlands stretching across the floor. Selene smiled as she watched him take it all in before turning her attention to the memory – herself and Professor Fig speaking to a portrait.

“So the passage from your ruins to Gringotts, everything in the vault, the Restricted Section, finding this room – none of that was a trial?” Selene exclaimed.

Sebastian couldn’t agree more.

The portrait droned on about the importance of the journey and how the trials were meant to ensure that power and knowledge didn’t fall into the wrong hands. Sebastian rolled his eyes. There were literally no better hands than Selene’s in the entire world. She deserved all the power, all the knowledge. Everything.

They emerged from the Pensieve just before he could see the location of the first trial.

“I don’t like him,” Sebastian muttered. “You could’ve died just getting to this point – I don’t even want to know how dangerous the trials themselves are.”

Selene gave a small smile.

“Don’t worry,” she murmured. “I’ll be fine.”

“You really don’t have to do this,” Sebastian insisted. “It’s not your job to save the world. Let the Ministry handle Ranrok and the rest of it.”

She shook her head.

“There’s a chance Rookwood doesn’t know the countercurse. We have to explore every possible way to find the cure, including my magic. So I’ll do whatever Professor Rackham and the others ask of me.”

“I don’t want you risking your life,” Sebastian said.

She sighed. “I understand. I wouldn’t want you to risk yours either. But sometimes, there’s no choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” he countered. “You choose this. Instead of staying safe behind castle walls, you choose to go out, fly that bloody broom of yours as fast as you can, fight spiders, goblins, and whatever else comes your way. You’re more reckless than I am.”

“Something like that,” she admitted with a smirk. “Can you let me do this? Without the jealousy and overprotectiveness?”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I always wanted to meet a girl like you – powerful, brilliant, reckless. I just never realised how hard it would be to be around you without having a heart attack every time you throw yourself into danger.”

She laughed. “I’ll brew you a Calming Draught. And you don’t have to be around me, you know.”

Instead of answering, he simply pulled her back into his arms.

“Tomorrow,” he whispered into her hair. “Tomorrow, we’re friends again. Alright?”

“Alright,” she murmured, resting her head against him.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, holding her, letting the rest of the world fade away. For once, there was no trial, no curse, no danger – just this. But it couldn’t last.

“Should we go to dinner?” she asked cautiously.

“I suppose we should, especially since you don’t have your Chocolate Frogs bag anymore,” he smirked.

She laughed, then narrowed her eyes. “Wait. How do you know I don’t have my bag anymore?”

“Ominis told me,” Sebastian said quickly.

She shook her head. “I didn’t tell Ominis that yet.”

“Anne?” he tried hopefully.

She folded her arms. “You didn’t talk to her after we left, and she couldn’t have sent you an owl that fast.”

“Uh… I’m a Seer?” he attempted weakly.

“Sebastian,” she said, voice dangerously low.

“Fine,” he sighed. “I may have overheard you talking about it with some Ravenclaws.”

“Our tables are too far apart. Not even Ominis –” she stopped, then groaned. “Eavesdropping Charm. Isn’t it?”

“…Yes,” he admitted.

She groaned louder. “Can you be any more insufferable?”

“I was just making sure you were okay!” he protested, his voice full of forced innocence. Then, in a hasty attempt at distraction, he added, “Anyway – what was it Clopton wrote about Anne?”

Her expression darkened instantly. “I did not just save you from becoming a killer only to hand you another reason to become one.”

“Oh, come on! I have to know!” he groaned.

“I told Anne,” she said firmly. “Ask her if you want to know. But she doesn’t want her brother turning into a murderer at sixteen and getting himself thrown into Azkaban either. Besides, I’ve already had my revenge on Clopton.”

Sebastian frowned. “That hardly counts as revenge – he enjoyed it!”

“Still,” she said with a smirk. “Garreth doesn’t even have an antidote for this. No one knows when it’ll wear off.”

“Garreth, huh? You two seem close,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes. “Do not start with your jealousy while I’m already mad at you for violating my privacy – and girls’ privacy in general.”

“And Clopton’s,” he added quickly. “Can’t forget his privacy.”

She groaned, but he could see the reluctant smile tugging at her lips.

“I’ll forgive you,” she said, “if you promise not to do it again.”

“Fine. I promise,” he said seriously.

“And if you stop being jealous.”

“…That might be harder – ouch!” She smacked his arm, and he surrendered, hands raised in defeat. “Alright, alright! I’ll try.”

She shook her head, exhaling slowly.

“To take down Rookwood, we’ll have to try everything,” she continued. “I know a person or two whose interests align with ours. I can’t tell you yet because their secrets aren’t mine to share. But sometimes, I’ll disappear from the castle to help them. Sometimes, I’ll talk to Garreth because he’s actually a decent potioneer, and I’ll need his advice or a fresh perspective. Sometimes, I’ll talk to Ominis about our things we’re not ready to share with you.”

She sighed.

“You’ll have plenty of reasons to be jealous – not that you ever needed any. But if you act on it, I’ll start using Occlumency around you.”

“Blackmailing me again,” he sighed. “Fine. No jealousy.”

“Good,” she nodded. “I really want to kick your arse right now, but I’ll wait until I know more healing charms. I really don’t need Cressida talking even more if I land you in the Hospital Wing again.”

“That’s probably wise. I don’t need more detentions. If I see another Demiguise, I swear I’ll start trembling worse than Mr Moon.”

She laughed.

“Mine now, Demiguise,” she repeated, mimicking the phrase she’d used every time she found one of those blasted things. “Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed collecting them.”

“Only because I collected most of them!” Sebastian shot back.

She merely shrugged. “Come here,” she pulled him into an embrace. “Tomorrow we’re back to being just friends and all that nonsense, but tonight – I want this.”

“What if we sacrifice Ominis to your housemates and you move into my dorm instead?”

She laughed. “We need Ominis. And besides, we’re friends.”

“We are,” he agreed, stroking her back. Then, quietly, he added, “Be careful tomorrow, alright? You’re probably too heavy for me to carry you around after all those Chocolate Frogs.”

She snorted. “Anne did promise to help hex you if you ever treated me like a sack of potatoes.”

“She will,” he said with a grin. “And I’ll bloody enjoy it. I’ll wear pink hair, feathers, or whatever else her genius mind comes up with. Because I want her back.”

“She will come back,” Selene said with certainty. “She has hope. And the three of us? We have talent, creativity, and power. We can do this.”

She paused. “We just need a bit of luck.”

“Shame you can’t conjure luck,” Sebastian mused.

She hummed in agreement – then suddenly stiffened, a slow grin spreading across her face.

“You can’t conjure it,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “But you can brew it.”

His heart skipped a beat. “You’re thinking what I’m thinking?”

She nodded. “We’re brewing Felix-fucking-Felicis.”

Looking at her – brazenly swearing as she named literally the most difficult potion in existence – Sebastian found himself wondering if it was possible to fall for her any harder. And Merlin help him, he was utterly, helplessly doomed.

Chapter Text

Aesop Sharp was rarely at a loss for words – especially not because of a student – but now he was.

The new fifth-year, Harrington, had brewed a perfect Wiggenweld Potion. That might have been understandable – beginner’s luck, perhaps, or experience with Muggle cooking, which had a surprising number of similarities to potion-making. Given that she was Muggle-born, this seemed plausible. And yet, there was something peculiar about her.

To test her further, he had her brew an Edurus Potion – a more advanced concoction, but she mastered it just as effortlessly. When the Weasley menace tried to enlist her help with a Fwooper feather, she refused with composed indifference, accepting Aesop’s praise with an ease that unsettled him.

It reminded him, eerily, of Gaunt. The resemblance sent a chill through him, though their backgrounds could not have been more different – and Gaunt, obviously, was an Occlumens.

“May I speak with you, Professor Sharp?” she asked after the lesson.

He gave a curt nod.

“I’ve heard there’s a Wiggenweld variation used by Aurors,” she said. “More potent than the standard one.”

Aesop huffed. She was right – but how did she even know that?

“Yes,” he grunted. “Same effect, stronger concentration – less potion required for the same injury. Used by Aurors so they don’t have to carry a dozen vials. More complicated to brew, requires rarer ingredients. Not covered at Hogwarts.”

“Could you teach me?”

Aesop opened his mouth to respond but caught movement at the back of the classroom.

“Mr Gaunt,” he barked. “Forgot something?”

Gaunt strode over and handed in his summer assignment.

“Anything else?” Aesop pressed.

Gaunt hesitated, but finding no excuse to linger, left. The girl, however, remained.

“Could you please teach me?” she repeated.

“Why, Miss Harrington? A standard Wiggenweld is more than enough for a student. And you brewed it today with remarkable skill. Too remarkable for a beginner,” he fixed her with his most scrutinising gaze, but she didn’t so much as flinch.

“Professor Fig brewed some potions with me,” she said evenly, meeting his eyes without hesitation. “As for why – it seems useful.”

“It is useful,” Aesop admitted. “But so is every form of magic, every potion. Even a wizard’s lifetime isn’t long enough to learn everything. A typical Ravenclaw flaw – grasping at knowledge simply because it catches their interest.”

“Understood, Professor,” she replied with a nod.

She hadn’t agreed. Aesop, a Slytherin through and through, knew exactly what she meant. She would go to the library and not rest until she found the recipe herself.

“Let’s see how you handle more complex potions before I waste my time and ingredients,” he said finally.

“Yes, Professor. Thank you.”

He waved her off dismissively, yet later that evening, seated in Dinah’s cozy quarters with a cup of her superior tea, his thoughts circled back to the girl once more.

“She beat Sebastian Sallow in a duel,” Dinah remarked.

“The boy let her win, trying to earn her favour. He’s a decent duellist for his age, but he’s still sixteen, and sixteen-year-old boys all have the same thing on their minds.”

“No, he didn’t. She won fair and square. He invited her to the Crossed Wands, and she won her first duel there as well. Then they went to Hogsmeade together.”

Aesop huffed. “If they went to Hogsmeade, that only proves my point. The boy was after a date.”

Dinah chuckled. “Matilda sent him along to help her gather supplies, and they ended up fighting a troll of all things. If he planned it as a date, it certainly didn’t turn out that way.”

Aesop scowled. He had, of course, heard about the attack – two trolls, in fact. That incompetent menace Singer had managed to draw one away, leaving two students to deal with the other.

“I still wonder how she managed to disintegrate the damned thing,” Dinah mused.

“Bombarda. Or Evanesco, perhaps. Or, more likely, your friend exaggerated.”

Dinah shook her head. “I don’t think so. Whatever she did, it was something beyond what we understand.”

“She’s talented in Potions,” he admitted. “Better than most of my students, and they’ve had years of practice that she hasn’t.”

“Mirabel speaks highly of her, too,” Dinah added.

Aesop scoffed. “Mirabel speaks highly of everyone. She’s too much of a Hufflepuff to say a bad word about anyone.”

Dinah laughed softly, and for a moment, her laughter reminded him of a time long before – when they had both been different.

“Fair enough,” she said. “But the girl is capable.”

“I watched her closely, Dinah. The way she slices ingredients, the way she stirs – this isn’t raw talent. It’s practiced.”

“Eleazar likely practiced with her.”

He shook his head. “Eleazar is many things, but he’s no potioneer. He asked me which potions he could safely brew with her without blowing up her Muggle house.”

Dinah tilted her head. “He could have just invited you along.”

Aesop smirked slightly – a rare sight, and one Dinah alone was privy to. “Her father was paranoid enough to chaperone their lessons even with Eleazar. No chance he’d have let another man near his daughter. Muggle or not, Eleazar admitted the man intimidated him. Something about him resembling Black.”

Dinah hummed in thought. “I always assumed she was one of Phineas’ youthful indiscretions. But if her father looks like Phineas himself…”

“Who knows,” Aesop muttered. “Perhaps Phineas’ own father was more active in his youth than history records.”

Dinah chuckled. “That would explain a lot. No way someone that brilliant could have come from Phineas.”

For once, Aesop found himself in full agreement.

The peculiarity of the new Ravenclaw showed no signs of waning. By the end of her first week at Hogwarts, she had earned equal praise from all her professors. Dinah reported to Aesop that she had won yet another duel – this time against more advanced opponents.

“She was partnered with Sallow. The boy took everyone down for her,” Aesop scoffed.

“This time, I watched,” Dinah countered. “She fought bravely, and if anything, it was she who shielded him. And then she held Leander Prewett at wand-point for mentioning Sebastian’s parents.”

“Huh. Didn’t think Prewett would stoop that low.”

“He’s clearly enchanted by the girl and was jealous that she chose to fight alongside Sebastian instead of him. A wise choice,” Dinah nodded approvingly.

“Glad to see your pet project still amuses you.”

Dinah sighed. “I know you don’t think highly of Crossed Wands, but this is better than the alternative. They have energy, Aesop. It’s safer to give them this outlet rather than let them figure it out on their own. Lucan is a good boy; he always notifies me if a duel seems too dangerous.”

Aesop knew of Dinah’s little hobby – overseeing Crossed Wands. Let the kids be kids, she always said. Let them play their games, feel important.

A knock at Dinah’s door interrupted his thoughts.

“Good evening, Professor Hecat. Oh – hello, Professor Sharp,” Samantha Dale stepped inside.

“Hello, Miss Dale. Has something happened?” Dinah asked.

“We thought you should know – Selene Harrington will be spending the night in the Hospital Wing.”

Something inside Aesop tensed. Of course. The girl had been duelling in her very first week at Hogwarts – something was bound to go wrong.

“I’ll go check on her. Thank you for informing me, Miss Dale,” Dinah said, setting down her cup as she rose to her feet. “Aesop, would you –”

“I’ll come with you,” he grunted, though it was the last thing he wanted. Dinah’s armchair and the warmth of the fireplace soothed his leg far more than a walk through Hogwarts’ cold corridors. “I’ll ask Blainey if she needs potions.”

The girl was asleep when they arrived at the Hospital Wing, but it was anything but a peaceful rest. She stirred, her brow furrowing as if plagued by troubling dreams. Helena Ravenclaw sat by her bedside, careful not to touch her.

“Professors Hecat, Sharp,” Blainey nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

“What happened?” Dinah asked.

“The Slytherin boy, Mr Sallow, brought her in. She has a fractured leg – mended improperly.” Blainey glanced at Aesop. “Professor Sharp, if I may request more Skele-Gro.”

“Noted,” Aesop said grimly. “Pain potions as well, I assume.”

To his surprise, Blainey shook her head.

“Miss Harrington refuses to take pain potions. Says they sound too much like Muggle opium,” she hesitated before adding, “Opium is –”

“I know what opium is,” Aesop cut in. Just because he was a pure-blood didn’t mean he was unaware of Muggle remedies – especially ones used to dull pain.

“We barely convinced her to take a Sleeping Draught. The poor thing fully intended to endure Skele-Gro without it – after walking on that fractured leg all day.”

“More like being carried around all day,” Aesop muttered. The ugly scene in Eleazar’s office flashed through his mind – Sallow arriving with Harrington in his arms. It had irritated him more than it should have. They were teenagers, foolish as all teenagers were. It was natural.

“Did she say how it happened, Nurse Blainey?” Dinah asked, gently stroking the girl’s hair.

“She keeps mumbling about a twisted ankle,” Blainey huffed in irritation. “I suspect Mr Sallow had something to do with it, but I can’t imagine him outright hurting her.”

“It wasn’t a living soul who hurt her, Dinah,” Helena’s voice was as weightless as ever.

“Do you think this has to do with what you told me yesterday?” Dinah asked calmly.

Helena nodded. “Yes. The Slytherin boy is infuriating, but not guilty in this case.”

“Understood,” Dinah nodded. “Thank you for telling me, Helena.”

“Of course.”

Helena stood with her usual ethereal grace and turned her gaze to Aesop. She loathed all Slytherins, whether current or former, and, considering how she died, Aesop couldn’t blame her. He held her heavy gaze until she turned away, drifting out of the room.

Dinah smoothed the girl’s hair once more. “So young, and already burdened,” she murmured. “I miss Miriam. Eleazar is intelligent in his own way, but he’s not a Ravenclaw. Miriam could have guided her better.”

Aesop stiffened. “Does this have to do with whatever Eleazar is rambling about? Goblins?”

“Yes and no,” Dinah said thoughtfully. “He doesn’t tell me everything, but between what Miriam once shared and the questions he asks, I can form my own conclusions. I hope I’m wrong, though.”

She sighed, casting one last glance at the sleeping girl before stepping away. “Come. Let her rest.”

Aesop had little more to say on the matter. But something about the way Dinah looked at the girl unsettled him – worry and pity. And if there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that Dinah Hecat was almost never wrong.

Aesop watched the duel with grim intensity. Dinah had all but dragged him up to the Clocktower, insisting that the Crossed Wands final would be worth seeing. And despite his usual gruff complaints, he couldn’t exactly disagree. The new girl was holding her own against six opponents – four of whom were older than her.

“She’s good,” Dinah remarked, a note of pride in her voice.

“She is. But six at once - that’s too much.”

“Only four left now – no, three,” Dinah mused as the girl swiftly dispatched another opponent.

Aesop narrowed his eyes. “Why are they protecting Prewett?”

Dinah let out a small chuckle. “The boy was foolish enough to offer her a bet – if she loses, she has to go to Hogsmeade with him. As you can see, she’s fighting with everything she has to avoid that fate.”

Aesop growled. One, foolish enough to make such a bet. The other, foolish enough to accept. She was good – far too good for a girl who had only been at Hogwarts for a week. The way she moved, the precision in her stance, the effortless transitions between spells – it all spoke of training and experience. She fought like someone who had been in a real battle, someone who had fought to survive.

“Confundo!”

A pink flash of magic struck the girl, and for a brief moment, she faltered.

“It’s over,” Aesop muttered, but Dinah shook her head.

“Not so fast.”

Defying all odds, the girl collected herself and retaliated, sending Prewett flying against the wall with a Depulso so powerful that he crumpled on impact.

“Selene is the winner!” Brattleby declared loudly. Only then did the girl finally allow herself to sink to her knees.

“How?” Aesop exclaimed in disbelief.

“Willpower,” Dinah said lightly. “Or Occlumency.”

“I’d wager on Occlumency,” Aesop muttered. “But how would a Muggle-born –?”

“Perhaps Mr Gaunt taught her. The boy is obviously an Occlumens – he’s occluding more often than not,” Dinah glanced at him. “They seem close.”

“Even if he did, there’s no way she became this skilled in such a short time. She’s been practicing for far longer,” Aesop remarked with suspicion.

Down below, Sallow released her from Confundus and helped her to her feet – only to pull her into a tight embrace.

“He cares about her,” Dinah said softly, a wistful smile on her lips.

“Every Slytherin needs his Ravenclaw,” Aesop said quietly.

Dinah turned to look at him, something unspoken flickering in her expression.

“Yes.”

Neither of them spoke after that, watching as the girl was surrounded by cheers and congratulations.

Aesop kept a close eye on Weasley’s and Harrington’s cauldron. There were few potions in the world more dangerous than Amortentia, and few students more dangerous than Garreth Weasley. The thought of those two elements combined was enough to make his headache worse.

To his surprise, the girl was managing to keep Weasley in check. He followed her instructions without protest, not even attempting to experiment. Aesop nearly scoffed. Foolish, young affections. Even Weasley, notorious for his disregard of the rules, could be tamed when there was a girl nearby to impress. And speaking of foolish affections – Sallow’s attention was nowhere near his own cauldron.

“Alright, Garreth, time to add the Pearl Dust,” Harrington instructed.

Aesop hadn’t expected much from their potion – Weasley’s involvement alone made success unlikely – but as he passed their workstation, he caught a whiff of something unmistakable. The potion was perfect.

He didn’t want to inhale. He didn’t want to be reminded of what Amortentia smelled like to him. Instead, he turned toward the pathetic excuse for a potion bubbling in Sallow’s and Gaunt’s cauldron.

“I just – something’s off, and it’s frustrating,” the girl muttered, frowning at her work.

Aesop had no choice but to limp over and assign points. But, to his surprise, the girl persisted. She didn’t accept his judgment, her usually composed demeanour slipping into something desperate, almost pleading.

She wanted him to smell it.

Aesop hesitated. He had always known her to be a respectful, level-headed student – yet here she was, openly defying him, demanding he confirm what she already knew. He didn’t know why he indulged her.

Summer. The sea. Dinah. A different time. A different life.

He forced himself to regain composure, schooling his expression into neutrality.

“It is flawless,” he said firmly.

And yet, instead of reassurance, his words seemed to send Harrington spiralling. Panic flickered across her face, her breaths shallow.

He sighed. He had to say it. “Just because you smell something – or someone – unexpected does not mean the potion is flawed.”

Aesop was irritated beyond measure. She was intelligent – brilliant, even. She should have known better. Who she smelled, whether it was Sallow or anyone else, shouldn’t have affected her like this.

And yet, she turned on her heel and stormed out of his classroom. Aesop barely had time to register it before Sallow moved to follow. He caught the boy’s arm.

“I did not dismiss the class yet, Mr Sallow.”

Aesop absentmindedly continued the lesson, keeping a watchful eye on Sallow and the other students inhaling Amortentia. There was no doubt whom Sallow smelled. But Harrington – her reaction was perplexing. She was too intelligent not to realise she was falling for Sallow, whether he was worthy of her or not (and Aesop was inclined to think he was not, though it was not his decision to make). Or had she smelled something – or someone – else?

He tried to turn his attention elsewhere, knowing he had more Amortentia lessons to conduct throughout the day. None of the other students managed to brew a perfect potion, so he had no choice but to use Harrington’s for demonstration. Before vanishing the contents of the cauldron, he indulged himself with one last inhale. Memories. That’s all it was. Memories of something long gone.

At their usual tea time, Dinah’s chambers were empty. When she finally appeared, she looked both amused and irritated.

“Sometimes I think too highly of them,” she sighed, settling beside Aesop. “I forget they’re still just children, foolish at times.”

“I’ve always said so, Dinah. Glad you finally agree.”

“Well, as Head of the smartest House, I occasionally indulge in thinking highly of them.”

Aesop smirked. “What happened?”

Dinah let out another sigh. “Sebastian Sallow and Selene Harrington had a duel. Both are in the Hospital Wing.”

Aesop stiffened slightly. “Are they alright?”

“Selene has a broken rib and is more upset about her ruined clothes than the injury itself. Sebastian broke his wand arm. Both are enduring Imelda Reyes, who’s also there with a broken arm and is teasing them mercilessly. She didn’t quite say it outright in mine and Abraham’s presence, but I’m sure you can imagine what she was implying.”

Aesop growled. Imelda’s sharp tongue was infamous, and he could certainly guess what she, and probably everyone else, thought of Sallow and Harrington after the way they acted around each other. Not to mention that ridiculous rumour about how Harrington had broken her leg over the weekend.

“They brewed Amortentia today,” he said gruffly. “Harrington actually succeeded. Maybe they inhaled too much of it.”

Dinah nearly growled herself. “Sometimes I wonder if Phineas can make any worse decisions, and yet he never fails to surprise me. Making fifteen-year-olds brew Amortentia?”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Aesop muttered. “Harrington kept insisting her potion was flawed, that it smelled ‘wrong,’ and stormed out of the classroom in panic when I told her it was perfect. No idea what or whom she smelled that unsettled her so much.”

Dinah’s expression softened. “Did you smell it?” she asked quietly.

“I did. Still the same,” Aesop replied curtly.

She held his gaze for a moment before closing her eyes. “I’m sorry, Aesop.”

“Don’t be. It’s been too many years for that.”

“For me especially,” she murmured, looking down at her hands – far too wrinkled for a woman only seven years his senior.

Seeking to shift the conversation, Aesop asked, “So, who won the duel?”

Dinah’s lips quirked into a small smile. “They agreed to a tie, though they’ve been arguing over whether that means they both won or both lost. It seems they made a bet out of it.”

“Children,” Aesop scoffed. “Sallow is a bad influence on your student, Dinah.”

“We assigned them detentions and took points, but it hardly mattered to them. Though at least Selene had the courtesy to look guilty. Sebastian was far more distressed when Blainey sent her to her dorm overnight and left him in the Hospital Wing.”

“A wise decision,” Aesop nodded.

“She justified it as ‘inappropriate’ – though she let Imelda stay with him.”

Aesop scoffed. “Well, I doubt we have to worry about Imelda’s virtue in Sallow’s – or anyone else’s – presence. But it’s certainly wise to keep him away from Harrington. The way he looks at her, pulls her into his arms at any given moment…” He trailed off, unwilling to continue the thought.

To his surprise, Dinah only smiled. “They remind me of us. Every Slytherin boy needs his Ravenclaw girl.”

Aesop had no response to that.

Aesop sat at his desk, correcting yet another stack of Potions essays. He was convinced that students grew dimmer with each passing year – their handwriting more atrocious, their phrasing increasingly inelegant. Notably, Sallow’s last two essays were perfect. While they didn’t bear enough similarities to Harrington’s to formally accuse them of collaboration, Aesop had no doubt about who had truly written them.

A quiet knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in,” he grumbled.

Harrington stepped inside, looking uncharacteristically dishevelled – hair in disarray, robes smudged with dirt.

“Miss Harrington?” his eyebrows rose.

“I came to apologise, Professor Sharp. For my behaviour in Potions this week.” Her voice was quiet, her gaze lowered.

“Apology accepted,” he huffed. “Anything else?”

She stepped closer to his desk, her eyes flicking over the mess of essays before meeting his.

“I brought some spider fangs. I thought you might them useful.”

He glanced at her in mild surprise, then gestured for her to place them near the potions station. She obeyed without hesitation. With a reluctant sigh, he got to his feet and examined her offering. The fangs were neatly wrapped in fabric, collected with care. They were of good quality and fresh – not from J. Pippin’s.

“Where did you get these?” he asked.

“I bought them at J. Pippin’s,” she said lightly.

Aesop’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like being lied to, Miss Harrington.”

She sighed. “I collected them myself, Professor. As an apology gift.”

“You behave like a cat,” Aesop said before he could stop himself.

“Huh?” she asked, visibly confused.

He internally groaned. “I had a cat when I was younger. Whenever he felt guilty, he’d bring me dead mice or birds as some sort of peace offering.”

She let out a laugh. “I have a cat too. I think I was partially raised by Lady Fluffington, so maybe I’ve adopted some feline habits.”

Aesop snorted. The name sounded oddly familiar.

“I was four when I named her!” she defended.

“You couldn’t have possibly been raised by a cat, though.”

She hesitated. “My father was unwell when I was little. I was raised by nannies, my father’s friend, and Lady Fluffington. I liked her the most.”

Something stirred in the back of Aesop’s mind, something important. But he couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Why couldn’t your father raise you?” he asked, his voice quieter now.

She hesitated again before answering. “Opium,” she admitted. “He managed to give it up when I was ten.”

Aesop didn’t press further – not about that. But there was still another question lingering.

“Where exactly did you get the spider fangs?”

She averted her gaze. “In the Forbidden Forest. I wasn’t expecting spiders, but to be fair, they probably weren’t expecting me either.”

“You have spiderwebs in your hair,” Aesop noted, removing them nonverbally before she could react.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

“I accept your ‘apology gift,’ as you call it. Though I’d prefer it if you were less reckless in the future. I’ve already had to brew far too much Skele-Gro because of you.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry, Professor. I didn’t realise… Of course, it makes sense that you brew healing potions. If I can help –”

He waved her off. “Not that I doubt your suspiciously advanced potion-making skills, but I’d prefer if you didn’t get injured in the first place. Or injure anyone else, for that matter.”

“I won’t duel with Sebastian anymore, Professor. Or harm anyone else,” she assured him. However, she didn’t promise that she wouldn’t be harmed herself. Aesop nearly rolled his eyes.

“Good. Anything else you needed?”

“Actually, yes,” she pulled a leather-bound journal from her robes and placed it on his desk. “I’m visiting Anne Sallow tomorrow. I’m collecting messages for her, so she knows there are people waiting for her return. If you’d like to leave one…”

Aesop took the journal and limped back to his chair. She sat across from him as he thumbed through the pages.

“It might be cruel to give her hope,” he muttered.

“How can hope be cruel, Professor?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

Aesop wanted to tell her. But she was too young to understand.

“Never mind. I’ll write something.”

She remained silent as he penned his message.

“Give Miss Sallow my regards,” Aesop said, handing her the journal back. “I miss her – and the way she made her brother’s and Mr Gaunt’s potions at least acceptable.”

Harrington smirked. “I will, Professor.”

“You might also want to remove the passage by Mr Clopton. I doubt Miss Sallow would appreciate it.”

Her eyes widened as she hastily flipped through the pages. “Oh, shit, Everett,” she groaned. “Thank you for catching that.”

“You’re welcome. No need to give Mr Sallow any more reasons for detention.”

“Something like this wouldn’t just end in detention,” she muttered, tapping her wand to the page. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

With that, she left.

Aesop sat in silence for a moment, trying to untangle the thoughts lingering at the back of his mind. Lady Fluffington. Opium. A connection just out of reach. But before he could grasp it, he was distracted by yet another spectacularly awful essay – this time from Cressida Blume.

Aesop sometimes regretted becoming a Potions professor. He possessed the necessary competence, sure, but his interests had always leaned towards the practical rather than the theoretical. Teaching, however, was an entirely different beast, never mind the endless throng of students, who managed to turn the art of potion brewing into a chaotic mess. The only consistency they brought was disorder.

The Potions Classroom, nestled deep within the cold dungeons, did little to improve his temperament. The damp air seeped into his aching leg, making it hurt more than usual. It left him irritable, though no one seemed to notice – or, perhaps, they simply didn’t care.

Even in the rare windows between lessons, he was tethered to this room, preparing for the next inevitable disaster. Today was no different – until the door suddenly burst open, and in came Harrington, half-dragging Gaunt behind her.

“Is she already here, Selene?” Gaunt exclaimed, his voice thick with congestion. “Where are we, anyway? I can’t smell anything.”

Aesop had no doubt his nose was utterly useless due to a cold.

“We’re in the Potions Classroom, Ominis,” Harrington replied, her voice gentle, as though speaking to a child. “Professor Sharp has generously volunteered his classroom as the venue for your date with Isolde. You know she likes Potions.”

As she spoke, she shot a pleading look at Aesop, silently urging him to play along. He sighed and, with a flick of his wand, traced the words “Love potion?” in the air. She nodded. He huffed but limped toward the potions station nonetheless.

“So, we’ll just sit here and wait for her,” she continued smoothly. “In the meantime, Professor Sharp will prepare something to calm your nerves. You can’t possibly meet Isolde in such a state.”

“That’s alright,” Gaunt said distractedly. “Can you conjure some flowers?”

“Of course. Orchideous,” Harrington waved her wand, producing a bouquet of blue roses. “Here you go, dear. Hold onto them while I speak with Professor Sharp about decorating the room.”

“You’re so kind, Selene,” Gaunt murmured, clutching the bouquet tightly.

She strode over to Aesop and put a Chocolate Cauldron onto the table.

“He ate at least three of them,” she murmured. “Since he’s got a cold, he couldn’t smell that they were spiked.”

Aesop sighed. “Would you prefer to brew the antidote yourself?”

“I’d rather keep an eye on him,” she admitted before returning to Gaunt, who was methodically plucking petals from his bouquet, murmuring, “loves me… loves me not…”

“Ominis, there’s no need to destroy the flowers. I’m convinced Isolde loves you just as much as you love her.” Her tone was soothing, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

“Thank you, Selene. I’m so glad to have you as a friend. What colour are the flowers?”

“They’re blue. Isolde is a Ravenclaw – she probably loves blue.”

“Thank you. I hope your Polyjuice experiment succeeds so I can finally know what blue looks like.”

Aesop’s head snapped up, fixing them both with a piercing glare.

“Damn it, Ominis,” Harrington muttered under her breath, rubbing her temple. “Professor Sharp is still here. Try to think before you speak.”

“My apologies, Professor Sharp. It was just a joke.”

Aesop decided it wasn’t worth a response and returned to his work. Gaunt, however, had no such reservations and launched into a long-winded monologue about the ethereal beauty of Isolde’s voice. Aesop had to admit that the boy had an impressive command of language when it came to romantic nonsense. Harrington nodded along with every word, still fussing over him.

“And don’t worry,” Gaunt added brightly, “once my date is done, you can use the Potions Classroom for your date with Sebastian.”

“I don’t need the Potions Classroom. Or a date with Sebastian,” she replied, exasperation creeping into her voice.

Gaunt, however, was undeterred. “Well, maybe not the Potions Classroom. But somewhere else. You two need to finally have a real date instead of skulking through secret passages and the Restricted Section.”

“We are not –” Harrington started before cutting herself off. “Ominis! Why don’t you tell me about the time you and Isolde were paired together in Transfiguration?”

Aesop huffed under his breath. Not subtle in the slightest.

“No, Selene,” Gaunt continued, undeterred. “You’ve done so much for my date – you deserve the best. I’ll speak to Sebastian. He should treat you properly, take you on a real date. The way you two look at each other, it should’ve happened ages ago.”

“You can’t even see how we look at each other!”

Gaunt grinned.

“Haha. I’m Ominis Gaunt, and I can’t see shit. But even I know that you both want to,” he paused before adding with a smirk, “Sebastian’s been casting Quietus every night since your arrival.”

Harrington groaned. “Yet another piece of information I never needed to hear.”

A moment later, Gaunt’s expression crumpled, and he let out a quiet sob.

“What is it? Why are you crying, dear?” Harrington cooed.

“I’m afraid of disappointing Isolde.”

“You won’t, I’m sure of it.”

“But what if she’s disappointed in my size?” he whispered miserably. “Can you help me practice Engorgio?”

Harrington turned red.

“Eh… I’m not entirely sure what you mean, of course,” she hedged. “But Engorgio only works on complete objects, not individual parts. And certainly not body parts. What you’re thinking of is human transfiguration.”

“Can you help me with human transfiguration, then?” Gaunt persisted. “You’re brilliant – you’re an Occlumens, you can brew Amortentia and Veritaserum, and you even beat Sebastian in a duel.”

Aesop stilled. Occlumens? Veritaserum?

“Ominis, I won’t help you,” Harrington said hastily. “If only because I doubt Isolde would appreciate me experimenting with… whatever it is you’re hoping to transfigure.”

“Oh. Of course. I understand,” he sniffled. “Besides, she’s probably a maiden, and I wouldn’t want to hurt her,” he brightened slightly. “You’re right, Selene.”

“Exactly. Thank you,” she exhaled, still visibly flustered.

Gaunt, however, abruptly started sobbing again.

“What now?” she sighed.

“I feel bad for you. Sebastian has been bragging about his manhood since last year, and if you’re still a maiden, he will definitely hurt you.”

“Ominis!” she hissed, scandalised. “I never wanted to know anything about… about this.”

“Right. I’m sorry,” he hesitated. “Maybe you should practice first – with someone less impressive. I just wanted to warn you, as a friend.”

“The drink is ready,” Aesop huffed, placing the vial in front of Gaunt. Harrington had turned an impressive shade of vermilion.

“Ominis, you have to drink this,” she coaxed him gently. “It will calm your nerves.”

“I won’t drink it,” he said moodily, like a petulant child. “What if it’s a Love potion? I can’t even smell them right now.”

Aesop couldn’t help but snort.

“It’s not a Love potion, I assure you.” Harrington insisted.

“How do you know? You can’t even smell Amortentia.” Gaunt shot back.

She flushed deeper, lowering her gaze. That was unexpected.

“Mr Gaunt, I assure you this is not Amortentia. Now drink it before your date arrives,” Aesop commanded.

Gaunt finally relented, drinking the vial’s contents. His expression shifted – confusion melting into pure mortification.

“Oh no…” he whispered hoarsely.

“Let’s pretend this day never happened, Ominis,” Harrington muttered, her face still burning.

He swallowed hard. “Thank you, Professor. And thank you too, Selene. And I… I’m sorry for what I said. I should probably go.”

He hastily removed himself from the classroom. Harrington instinctively moved to follow, but Aesop stopped her with a firm look.

“Stay, Miss Harrington. First, you’ll answer my questions.”

She cursed under her breath but knew better than to argue.

“Polyjuice? Seriously?” His voice was grim.

She sighed. “It was just an idea. We didn’t brew anything.”

Yet, hung unspoken in the air.

“Veritaserum. When did you brew it, and what did you use it for – or plan to use it for?” Aesop continued.

She met his gaze unflinchingly. “It was before Hogwarts. I used it only once, then I was ashamed of myself and discarded the rest. You can give me Veritaserum if you have any, and I will say the same.”

“Waste Veritaserum on an Occlumens? Do I look like an idiot, Miss Harrington?”

She sighed again. “No, you don’t, Professor. But I am telling the truth.”

Aesop found himself inclined to believe her.

“What did you use it for?”

Harrington swallowed hard. “I gave it to my father. To get answers about my birth.”

She was on the verge of tears now, and even Aesop – paranoid as he was – didn’t think she was lying.

“You can’t smell Amortentia?” he finally asked.

“I am an Amortentia child myself, Professor. My mother used it on my Muggle father because he was rich, and I was the result. So Amortentia doesn’t smell like anything to me. I am incapable of love.”

She trembled for a moment, struggling to maintain control – then, as if flipping a switch, she regained her Occlumency shields.

And suddenly, everything clicked in Aesop’s mind.

Years ago, Peter, his partner, had a Muggle friend. The Muggle had been ensnared by Amortentia, used by his already heavily pregnant wife, and only Peter’s intervention had stopped it. The Muggle later spiralled into an opium addiction – likely due to Amortentia withdrawal. Peter had feared that the child – the girl – might turn out wricked, stripped of empathy. Aesop had suggested gifting the girl a pet. Peter had chosen a half-Kneazle and later reported back: the girl had named the cat Lady Fluffington and had shown no signs of cruelty.

And now, years later, she sat before him, hiding behind Occlumency.

“Am I a monster, Professor?” Her voice was quiet, almost fragile. “Do you know of other cases like me?”

“I don’t think so,” Aesop responded. “You are reckless and suspiciously competent, but that doesn’t make you a monster.”

Harrington let out a weak laugh.

“But I can’t smell Amortentia.”

“Did you smell absolutely nothing?”

She frowned, searching her memory. “It smelled like the rest of the Potions Classroom. I didn’t notice any difference.”

And for the second time in mere seconds, realisation struck Aesop like a tidal wave. She wasn’t smelling nothing – she was smelling the Potions Classroom. Him. And she didn’t even realise it.

Harrington sat before him, her brows slightly furrowed. Brilliant and fiercely kind. Running errands, helping everyone in sight, protecting her friends with unwavering loyalty. A child, not even seventeen yet, with so many years ahead of her.

And him? If there were a more misplaced, unfitting, wrong object of her infatuation, he couldn’t think of one. A man twice her age, battered and crippled. A relic with no future. Even Sallow, or Gaunt, or anyone else her age would be more deserving, more worthy of her feelings.

Could he tell her this? Could he tell her the truth – that she was drawn to him in ways she didn’t even understand? Or would it be crueller to let her believe that she was a monster?

“Professor?” she asked again, her voice trembling. “Please… tell me if I am a monster.”

He sighed, heavily. “You are not, Miss Harrington. I was just trying to recall similar cases.”

Liar.

“I haven’t heard of anything like this,” he admitted. “As you can imagine, research on the topic is limited. But I don’t think you’re a monster. Not after seeing how you care for your friends.”

Harrington swallowed. “Then why can’t I smell Amortentia?”

“Maybe you’re simply immune to it.” It was a feeble excuse, but better than the truth. “Like I said, research is limited. Please don’t attempt to brew or consume it to test this theory.”

She let out a small breathy laugh. “Don’t worry, Professor. After witnessing what happened to Ominis, I really don’t want to experiment with Love potions.”

“I’m glad you understand. You may go. Perhaps check on Mr Gaunt.”

“I will. Thank you again,” she smiled faintly before slipping out the door.

Aesop sighed heavily. She was not the first student to develop some ridiculous feelings towards him, whether he deserved it or not. He didn’t blame them – they were young, and it was easy to be confused at that age, to mistake admiration for affection. He understood and even pitied them, but that didn’t make dealing with those misplaced fantasies less exhausting.

Chapter Text

Sebastian was in a foul mood after collecting yet another five Demiguise moons. The worst part was that he had somehow adopted Selene’s ridiculous catchphrase, muttering “Mine now, Demiguise” every time he picked one up. So, after spending half the day chasing down the damn things, he returned to the Undercroft. He had to admit, as tedious as gathering Demiguises was, it was still preferable to dealing with Ominis when he was sick. So, rather cowardly, he left that responsibility to Selene and only returned just before dinner.

As always, the Undercroft was dimly lit, its shadows familiar. He spotted Selene sitting on the sofa, with Ominis standing in front of her.

“I’m back,” he announced, but neither of them seemed to register his presence.

“Selene, you have to open your mouth.”

“I won’t.” Her voice... was that a sob?

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ominis said patiently.

“But you are hurting me,” she whimpered.

Sebastian’s stomach twisted at the unmistakable sound of tears in her voice. His eyes sharpened, his instincts flaring. When he finally took in the scene properly, his blood ran cold.

Selene was bound. Thick magical ropes coiled around her body, pinning her arms to her sides as she trembled. Her cheeks were tear-streaked, her wide eyes glistening with fear. And Ominis stood over her, gripping her face.

Sebastian saw red.

“Depulso!”

The spell tore through the air before he could even think. It slammed into Ominis, sending him flying across the room. But Sebastian didn’t care. All that mattered was Selene and her teary, terrified eyes. He rushed to her side, quickly muttering the counter-charm to Incarcerous.

“It’s alright, love, I’m here. You’re safe now,” he whispered, reaching to pull her into an embrace, to soothe her.

She recoiled instantly.

“Don’t touch me!” she squeaked on the verge of hysteria.

Sebastian froze, his heart twisting painfully. “Of course. I won’t touch you,” he exhaled, steadying himself. “Did he do anything to you? Did I come in time?”

She swallowed.

“He didn’t do anything. Just tried to keep me away from my true love.”

Sebastian blinked. That was unexpected.

“Huh?” he managed.

Selene sniffled, her teary expression hardening into something determined.

“Isolde Vane is my true love. And I am going to find her right now.”

She made to stand, but Sebastian barely had time to process her words before Ominis groaned from across the room where he was picking himself up off the floor.

“She took a Love potion, you moron! I was trying to give her an antidote!”

Sebastian’s stomach sank. “Oh, shit.”

With a flick of his wand, he bound her again with Incarcerous, catching her and easing her back onto the sofa despite her furious struggles.

“Let me go! I have to find her!”

She thrashed in his grip, her struggles wild and desperate, but he held her firm.

“Alright then – give her the antidote!”

“I can’t!” Ominis snapped, holding up his hand, where a shattered vial dripped its useless contents onto the floor. “You broke it, you absolute imbecile.”

Sebastian let out a heavy breath. This was going to be a long day.

Selene seemed to have lost all energy. She sat slumped on the sofa, sobbing quietly.

“I hate you both,” she whispered, her voice raw with exhaustion.

Sebastian felt a pang of guilt. Seeing her like this – hurt, bound, and crying – stirred something deep inside him. A primal urge to comfort her, to soothe her. And then, darker still, another thought slithered through his mind, unbidden and unwelcome – the awareness of her vulnerability, of her helplessness. He shoved it away violently, disgusted with himself.

“Can we take her to Sharp?” he asked, turning to Ominis.

Ominis shook his head. “She forbade me from taking her to Sharp. We’ve already been to him once today.”

Sebastian frowned. “What?”

“Because before she ate the Chocolate Cauldrons, I ate them,” Ominis explained flatly. “She dragged me to Sharp, he made me an antidote, and, well – here we are.”

Sebastian stared at him. “Then why the hell did she eat them if she knew they were spiked?”

“I told Sharp that she can’t smell Amortentia,” he explained wearily. “He had a theory that it wasn’t because she’s incapable of love, but because she’s immune to it.”

“Of course I’m capable of love – I love Isolde!” Selene interjected hastily.

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

“So she decided to test it,” he muttered.

Ominis nodded. “Yes. We still had some Chocolate Cauldrons left, so she prepared the antidote in advance and let me tie her up before giving her the Cauldron and then the antidote. Everything was going perfectly fine until you arrived.”

Sebastian scoffed. “Oh, forgive me for reacting badly to seeing her tied up and crying while you stood over her.”

Ominis folded his arms. “Really, Sebastian? You honestly think I’d do something like that to her? To any girl?”

Sebastian opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“I didn’t think,” he admitted after a moment. “I just saw her like that and –”

“Yes. Not thinking is your default state, Sebastian,” Ominis replied.

Sebastian let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples.

“Well, what do we do with her now?”

“We can wait until it wears off,” Ominis suggested carefully.

Sebastian turned his gaze to her. “Hey, Selene. A friend of mine accidentally took a Love potion and is wondering how long it’ll take to wear off.”

Selene turned her red-rimmed eyes toward him, sniffling. “Depends on the potion and the friend,” she muttered. “Might take hours. Might take days.”

Sebastian’s stomach sank. “We can’t really keep her like this for days, can we?”

Ominis shook his head. “We need an antidote. One of us has to brew it.”

“I am not giving her anything either of us has brewed,” Sebastian said grimly.

“Understandable,” Ominis sighed. “Well… I have read that a true love’s kiss can break through even Amortentia.”

Sebastian turned to him slowly. “Are you suggesting that I kiss her?”

“I don’t have any better ideas,” Ominis admitted.

Sebastian sighed again, turning his attention to Selene. She had stopped crying but still looked sulky, her eyes puffy from tears.

“Selene,” he murmured, leaning closer and gently cupping her face. “I’m going to kiss you now, alright? It’s for your own good.”

Her eyes widened in horror.

“Don’t you dare!” she squeaked, her voice high-pitched.

She tried to wriggle away, but Sebastian was already there, pressing her into the sofa with his weight, still holding her face steady.

“I only want Isolde to ever kiss me!” she shrieked.

“You don’t,” Sebastian murmured, searching her gaze.

Pure, unfiltered fear. A single tear slipped down her cheek, tracing over the remnants of the ones that had come before.

“Please…” she pleaded, her voice breaking as she sobbed again, twisting desperately to escape him.

Sebastian sighed and let go, leaning back against the sofa.

“I can’t,” he admitted in resignation. “I don’t want her first kiss to be like this. Bound, under Amortentia, helpless and terrified.”

“My first kiss will be Isolde’s,” Selene huffed. “I’m glad you finally admitted defeat in our duel.”

Ominis raised an eyebrow. “You admitted defeat?”

Sebastian sighed. “It’s not like I have any right to kiss her after that night.”

“That’s for her to decide,” Ominis said wisely.

Selene latched onto that immediately.

“Exactly! I wouldn’t have minded kissing you or anything else before, but, thankfully, I’ve discovered my true love today and don’t have to fantasise about you anymore,” she beamed.

Sebastian was momentarily stunned into silence.

“You fantasised about me?” he finally managed, his voice a little weaker than he intended.

Selene rolled her eyes. “Like I said, past tense. When I was pleasing myself.”

Sebastian choked.

“Well, now I won’t even have to fantasise about you,” she continued breezily, “or please myself because I’ll find Isolde, and we can please each other instead.”

Sebastian remained frozen, brain still buffering from the revelation, while Selene cheerfully launched into an explicit monologue about exactly how she intended to please Isolde – and how she hoped to be pleased in return.

He sat there, still struck by the sheer weight of it. She had fantasised about him. Selene, who turned pink whenever he so much as smirked at her. She had touched herself thinking about him. The realisation sent an uncomfortable heat through his body, and her detailed description of girl-on-girl pleasure wasn’t helping his current state in the slightest.

Sebastian swallowed hard, grateful beyond measure that Ominis was blind. He cleared his throat, attempting to steer the conversation anywhere else.

“How do you even know all that?” he asked finally.

Selene straightened proudly. “I read about it in a book.”

Of course she did.

“Connie gave it to me,” she continued, as if she were discussing an academic text. “It had a chapter about girls, a chapter about boys, and a chapter about a girl and a boy – though that one was boring. I read it, of course, but I’m so glad I read the girl-girl chapter as well, because now I know exactly what to do with Isolde when you morons finally let me go see her.”

She attempted to wriggle free but failed, eventually huffing in frustration.

Sebastian, despite his predicament, couldn’t help but notice the heat in her cheeks and the hitch in her breath. Even she wasn’t immune to the effect of discussing intimate topics in such detail. Unfortunately, her body’s reaction only made his worse. He shifted uncomfortably.

“I had no idea Amortentia could make someone so talkative,” he muttered.

“It’s like Veritaserum,” Ominis murmured, his voice still tinged with mortification. “Except all your thoughts are consumed by one person. And you can’t even use Occlumency to fight it.”

Sebastian blinked. “Occlumency! That might work!”

He turned to Selene, suddenly eager.

“Hey, Selene,” he began carefully, adopting a casual tone. “So, you were thinking about me romantically until recently, right?”

She shot him a sulky glare. “Yeah. But that’s in the past.”

“Right, right,” he said quickly. “But can you remember the exact moment when you stopped thinking about me and started thinking about Isolde instead?”

She frowned, considering it.

“I suppose I can,” she admitted. “I was here, in the Undercroft, talking to Ominis… and then it just hit me – I don’t like you anymore. I love Isolde. Because she’s beautiful, and she’s –”

“Yes, I’m sure Isolde is very beautiful,” Sebastian interrupted hastily. “But let’s go back to that moment. Can you use Occlumency to return to that thought? Try to occlude your feelings. Focus on me instead.”

Selene huffed. “I am not thinking about you or your oversized manhood anymore.”

Sebastian blinked. “My… what?”

Mouth slightly agape, he turned to Ominis, who remained impassive.

“Ominis told me that you’re well-endowed,” she continued matter-of-factly. “He wanted to warn me, as a friend. And it made me embarrassed, and terrified, and curious, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The things you might do to me. Whether it would hurt or feel nice. But then something struck me – it doesn’t matter,” she proclaimed triumphantly. “Because no manhood will ever go near me. I have Isolde now.”

Sebastian just leaned back against the sofa, a smug and thoroughly idiotic grin spreading across his face.

“And here I thought this day couldn’t get any better,” he muttered under his breath.

Ominis groaned. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake – wipe that look off your face, Sebastian.”

“You can’t even see my look!”

“I can imagine!” Ominis retorted.

Selene continued sulkily. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, but could you please let me go? We’re friends, after all. Even though I used to have feelings for you.”

Sebastian tilted his head. “What kind of feelings?”

“Sebastian, stop it,” Ominis warned. “She’ll be mortified later. This isn’t her.”

But Selene was already responding.

“It was in the past,” she admitted. “I used to like the way it felt to be in your arms. When you protected me. And – ugh – how your hair looks good, even though I call it a mop. And I’d think about you whenever I cast Confringo. And I had to occlude during our first Hogsmeade trip because of the things you made me feel that I didn’t understand. And I liked how you look at me. How you made me laugh, and I made you laugh, and when you smiled. And that I should have let you kiss me. And… everything else.”

She finally stopped for breath.

“But it didn’t matter,” she continued. “Because I thought I was unworthy of you. I thought I was a monster, incapable of love.”

Sebastian’s chest tightened.

“But those thoughts are in the past too,” her eyes glistened. “Because now I know I can love. I love Isolde. So much.”

Tears welled in her eyes.

“How could I have been so stupid?” she whispered, almost to herself. “How could I ever think I wasn’t capable of love? I can love, and I love her. And it’s the best feeling in the world.”

Sebastian swallowed hard. Selene was happy. Even if it was just the potion, even if it wasn’t real. She was probably the happiest he had ever seen her.

“Come here,” he murmured, gently pulling her toward him.

She didn’t resist, still lost in thoughts of Isolde, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

“You are not a monster,” he said softly. “And you were never unworthy of me. If anything, I am unworthy of you.”

She scoffed. “Of course you are. You are not Isolde.”

Sebastian managed a weak smile. “Right.”

She let herself relax against him.

“Don’t tell Isolde that you hugged me like this,” she mumbled. “It feels nice, but she’d probably be jealous.”

“I won’t tell her,” he assured, stroking her back.

She sighed. “Will you let me go see her now? Please? You’re my friend, Sebastian. I always help you. You should help me too.”

Sebastian exhaled slowly. “I’ll let you go if you try to occlude from your feelings for Isolde. Focus on why you feel this way. Can you do that?”

She furrowed her brows. “I don’t want to occlude from these feelings.”

“Please?” he asked gently. “As a friend?”

She hesitated, then sighed. “Fine.”

Closing her eyes, she concentrated. When she opened them again, her expression had changed.

“Love potion,” she murmured. “I ate a Chocolate Cauldron spiked with Amortentia. Then I stopped thinking about you and started thinking about Isolde. That was it.”

“Yes! There you go, Selene!” Sebastian encouraged. “Now I’ll untie you, and you can brew the antidote.”

But just as he reached for his wand, her gaze turned hazy again.

“What if it is a Love potion?” she whispered. “I don’t care. I finally don’t feel like a monster. I don’t want an antidote. I want Isolde.”

She struggled weakly against his grip, then slumped in frustration, fresh tears gathering in her eyes.

“Selene,” Sebastian pleaded. “It’s not real. What you’re feeling – it’s just a potion.”

“I don’t care!” she cried.

Then Ominis spoke. “Selene, I need your help.”

She sniffled. “What is it, Ominis?”

“You need to brew an antidote to Amortentia. For me.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I accidentally took some,” Ominis continued. “Because I have a cold and can’t smell anything.”

Selene gasped. “Oh, you poor thing! Of course I’ll help,” she turned to Sebastian. “But you have to untie me first.”

Ominis gave a small nod, and with a sigh, Sebastian released the bindings.

Selene immediately rushed to her potion station.

“Who spiked you with Amortentia, dear?” she asked as she began working.

“It was Sebastian,” Ominis replied smoothly. “He intended it for you, but it misfired. Now I’m hopelessly in love with this moron and can’t stop thinking about him.”

Sebastian stared at Ominis in utter disbelief. Selene, however, looked furious.

“That sneaky bastard!” she growled, whirling on Sebastian. “Look what you’ve done! Poor Ominis is suffering because of you! Not to mention Amortentia wouldn’t even work on me! Professor Sharp told me I’m immune. My love for Isolde is the best protection anyway.”

Sebastian, despite himself, smirked. “I regret it, Selene. I should’ve known you only have eyes for Isolde.”

“Exactly,” she huffed, then suddenly shot him a knowing look. “Although, after what Ominis told me about you today, some aspects of your behaviour make sense.”

Sebastian frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She gave him a mischievous smirk.

“Well, sometimes you’re really…” she paused for effect. “Cocky.”

For a second, there was silence. Then Sebastian burst into laughter and even Ominis snorted.

“We’ve corrupted her, Ominis,” Sebastian snorted. “Her puns are as bad as ours.”

Selene simply smirked to herself, finishing the antidote.

“Okay, Ominis,” she announced. “It’s ready. Drink it quickly – before you actually start falling for Sebastian and doing the things I read about in the boy-boy chapter.”

That mental image, at the very least, helped Sebastian rid himself of the lingering effects of Selene’s earlier confessions.

“I will, Selene.” Ominis carefully took the vial from her hands and stepped back. Sebastian acted swiftly, tightening his grip around Selene and lifting her off her feet.

“Hey! Let me go, now!” she squeaked, thrashing in his hold, but he had already carried her back to the sofa, pinning her down securely.

“Ominis, give it to me – now!” Sebastian commanded, pressing Selene into the cushions with his weight while firmly securing both her wrists in his grasp.

Ominis handed him the vial. The moment Sebastian released her hands, he grabbed her face, forcing the vial to her lips. Selene gasped in anger and fear, but before she could protest further, he managed to pour the antidote into her mouth.

“There you go,” he muttered soothingly, watching as her panicked gaze softened – only to turn to sheer mortification a second later.

“Get off me,” she scoffed, voice tight.

“Are you sure? Not running after Isolde anymore?” he teased but complied, shifting away.

Selene immediately curled into herself, scooting as far from him as possible on the sofa. She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head in utter humiliation.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

“We can if you want,” Sebastian teased.

“Sebastian!” Ominis hissed in exasperation.

“Is there any chance you both let me Obliviate you?” Selene mumbled, still refusing to remove her hands from her face. Even her forehead had turned red.

“Yes,” Ominis answered immediately.

“No,” Sebastian countered, grinning wider.

She groaned into her hands.

“Oh, come on, Selene. It wasn’t that bad. I can share my fantasies about you if it makes you feel better.”

That finally got her to remove her hands from her face, though she still looked mortified.

“Don’t you dare,” she said in a low, warning tone. “Ominis already told me that you use Quietus every night. I don’t need to know any more information about you or… well, you know what.”

Sebastian turned to Ominis, feigning offense.

“Ominis, you’re a snitch.”

“He was under Amortentia! You just don’t know what it does to you – it makes you dumb,” Selene defended him.

“Exactly, Sebastian. So far, you’re the only one who hasn’t experienced it. Maybe we should feed you the remaining Chocolate Cauldrons and let you embarrass yourself as well.”

Sebastian spread his arms in invitation.

“I’ll gladly tell you anything you ever wanted to hear – about my manhood, my fantasies, my feelings. No need for Love potions. Go ahead and ask anything. I have no shame.”

“That we can all agree on.” Ominis huffed.

Selene exhaled heavily.

“Alright, we should behave like adults and decide how to proceed with… with this new information we just learned about each other. I suggest we all pretend this day never happened. It’s not important in regard to the bigger things.”

“Speaking of bigger things –” Sebastian started, but she promptly threw a cushion at his head.

“Stop it. Right now. I can’t even look at you!”

Sebastian caught the cushion, laughing.

“I’m glad Ominis snitched on me. You always complain that I’m not humble enough. Well, now I don’t even have to brag. I already sparked your Ravenclaw curiosity. By the way, will you loan me that famous book?”

She groaned, leaning back against the sofa in exasperation.

“Today, I’m more convinced than ever that you two are perfect for each other.” Ominis sighed.

“Why?” Sebastian asked, raising a brow.

Ominis shook his head. “You’re both wanton.”

Sebastian snorted while Selene sat up abruptly, outraged.

“Some big words for someone who wanted to use Engorgio on his… you know.”

“I was under Amortentia!” Ominis exclaimed. “It made me dumb!”

“Well, so was I!” Selene argued.

“You were talking about your fantasies in the past tense, though,” Sebastian pointed out smugly.

Selene finally looked at him – only to quickly avert her gaze.

“Any chance you’d believe me if I said I was lying?” she asked, almost pleading.

“No chance at all.” Sebastian grinned. His cheeks were actually starting to hurt from how much he was enjoying this. “You want to hear my fantasies?”

“Please don’t,” she exhaled hard, forcing herself to compose. “There are far more important things we need to discuss.”

“Like what?” Sebastian asked, tilting his head.

She cringed slightly before answering. “Ominis snitched to Sharp that I planned to use Polyjuice and that I know how to brew Veritaserum. Sharp practically interrogated me – and he’s going to be even more suspicious of any ingredients I try to buy. So we’ll have to collect some ourselves.”

Sebastian’s grin faded. “You are not leaving Hogwarts.”

She scoffed. “You are not forbidding me.”

“Well, as an object of your fantasies, I think I can.”

“Oh, come on!” she exclaimed. “As an object of your fantasies, I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“Well, you can do whatever the hell you want to me regarding these fantasies, but nothing more.”

She groaned, rubbing her temples. “Right now, my biggest fantasy is to hex you.”

Sebastian smirked. “With Engorgio? Not that I need it, you know.”

Ominis let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d rather be with my family right now than endure another second of this conversation.”

“Nobody’s keeping you here, Ominis.” Sebastian shot back.

“You’re delusional if you think I’m leaving you two alone today.”

Selene turned an accusing glare on Sebastian. He leaned back against the sofa, utterly unbothered. “We both know Ominis secretly enjoys our banter.”

“I don’t.” Ominis deadpanned.

“Liar,” Sebastian smirked before shifting his attention back to Selene. “Now, what were you saying? Something about sneaking out of the castle – which, by the way, I’m still forbidding.”

Selene huffed, crossing her arms. “For the last time, you can’t forbid me.”

“Oh, but I can.”

“You can’t.”

“I can and I will.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Try and stop me.”

Sebastian leaned in, his voice dipping to a slow, taunting drawl. “Is that a fantasy of yours?”

Her breath hitched, but she masked it with an irritated scoff. “You are so infuriating.”

“You love it.”

Ominis cleared his throat loudly. “If you two are done with... whatever this is, can we focus?”

Sebastian chuckled, finally relenting. “Alright, alright. So Sharp is onto you. That means we’ll have to be extra careful gathering ingredients. What do we need, exactly?”

Selene exhaled, trying to refocus. “Most of what I need is common – easy to find, easy to pass off as ingredients for other potions. Some I can grow myself or gather around the castle grounds. But boomslang skin... I can’t buy it at J. Pippin’s. The other places that sell it are far from the castle.”

Sebastian frowned. “Boomslang’s a snake, right?”

Ominis let out a dry laugh. “Congratulations, four years at Hogwarts have finally taught you something.”

“Can’t you just summon one?” Sebastian asked, turning to Ominis.

Ominis hesitated, considering. “I’m not sure. I can summon snakes without much thought, but usually, I focus on whether they’re venomous or not. Summoning a specific species might be more difficult.”

“Let’s try,” Selene suggested. “There are books in the library with detailed illustrations. I can grab one, and you can summon the snakes. I will sit nearby and can confirm when we actually get a boomslang.”

“You’re not doing it, Selene. I am.” Sebastian said firmly.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s this or I go outside. Your choice.”

His jaw clenched, but after a moment, he nodded reluctantly. “Fine. You can do it. But I’m sitting next to you.”

She scoffed. “That’s not necessary –”

“It is.” He cut her off with a smirk. “Besides, you do seem interested in big snakes.”

The cushion hit him square in the face, but it was so worth it.

“I’m going to take a shower… until June.” Selene groaned, running a hand down her face. “Then I’ll find a book in the library, and we’ll meet back here.”

Sebastian grinned, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Will you think about me in the shower, Selene?”

She let out a strangled noise of frustration before storming out of the Undercroft.

Sebastian watched the gates close behind her, still grinning. “She didn’t even hex me. I think that’s progress.”

Ominis put a hand to his face. “You’re an idiot.”

Sebastian just waved him off.

Chapter Text

Sebastian was diligently working on his Potions essay (he had a feeling Selene wouldn’t be writing another one for him anytime soon, and he definitely didn’t want to get on Sharp’s bad side) when the gates to the Undercroft creaked open. Selene stepped inside, her damp hair confirming that she had, indeed, showered – thankfully not until June. She cradled a thick book in her arms.

“Alright, let’s do this,” she said, settling on the sofa. She conjured a small coffee table and two armchairs in front of it. “Ominis, you should sit in the armchair and try to summon a snake onto the table. I’ll try to identify it.”

Sebastian joined her on the sofa.

“Get off,” she scoffed. “There’s a second armchair for you.”

“Not interested,” he slung his arm around her, pulling her closer. “I’m about to cast Protego over both of us. Makes more sense to take up as little space as possible.”

She rolled her eyes, but he could feel her stiffening under his grip.

“Whatever. Cast your Protego. Ominis, the snake we’re looking for is three to five feet long, with very large eyes, and extremely venomous. It’s native to Sub-Saharan Africa. The colours can vary.”

Sebastian cast the protective charm over them both. Selene opened the book on her lap, flipping through its pages.

“Serpensortia!” Ominis cast, and a brown snake appeared on the table. It immediately hissed at Ominis, who hissed back in return.

“It looks like an eastern brown snake,” Selene observed, scanning her book. “It’s Australian and very venomous, but not the boomslang. Maybe try something a bit less venomous.”

Ominis dismissed the snake with a flick of his wand and summoned another – a black one.

“Not a boomslang. Australian again, from the looks of it,” Selene said, furrowing her brow.

Sebastian couldn’t help but watch her. The way she concentrated, the intensity in her gaze as she studied the snakes. She didn’t seem to notice him at all until she met his gaze.

“What?” she snapped finally after identifying another non-boomslang.

“Nothing,” he smiled softly. “Just thinking you’re beautiful.”

“You’re just teasing me,” she retorted. “Beaked sea snake, Ominis. Venomous, but it lives in the sea. Not what we’re looking for.”

“I’m not teasing,” he said quietly. “Well, not right now, at least.”

She held his gaze for a beat before looking away.

“That’s a cobra, Ominis,” she sighed, clearly frustrated. “But that’s a progress – we’ve moved from Australia to India. Now we just need to get to Africa. Try more westward if that makes sense.”

Sebastian hesitated, his voice soft as he finally spoke. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you today.”

She looked at him, her expression daring him to tease her again, but when she didn’t see any mischief in his eyes, she sighed.

“I embarrassed myself today. It has nothing to do with you. I don’t know what I was thinking, taking that damn Chocolate Cauldron. I think I just really wanted to hope,” she stared wide-eyed at the table. “Wow, that’s a big snake!”

The next snake filled the entire table, its massive form threatening to collapse the surface beneath it.

“It’s a boa constrictor,” she said, shaking her head. “Not poisonous at all, and native to South America. We need to head east again and go more venomous.”

She turned to Sebastian once more.

“Not even going to make a joke about the big snake?” she asked suspiciously.

He laughed softly.

“No, not now,” he replied. “What did you want to hope for?”

“That I’m not a monster. That Sharp is right, and I’m really just immune to Amortentia,” she sighed, hastily flipping through the pages of her book. “Echis colouratus. It’s native to the Middle East, so we still need to move further west.”

“You’re not a monster, Selene.” Sebastian’s voice was gentle. “And if what you said is true, and you’re not dating me because you think you’re unworthy –”

“Oh my god, just look at him! He’s so adorable, I want to hug him! He’s so blue!” Selene squeaked in adoration, reminding Sebastian of Anne’s reaction to a unicorn when she was eight.

The last snake summoned was bright blue and undeniably beautiful, though it looked like it had no intention of being hugged. Selene almost reached out, but Sebastian firmly held her hands.

“It might be venomous,” he warned.

Ominis exchanged a few hisses with the snake.

“Yes, he’s very venomous, and he doesn’t appreciate your squealing, Selene.”

“Can I at least say hello to him? In his language? Please?” she pleaded. Ominis nodded reluctantly and hissed again.

“This means ‘hello’, Selene.”

She tried to hiss, her brows furrowing, but the snake seemed unimpressed. Sebastian laughed and gave it a try. To his surprise, the snake hissed back.

“Sebastian’s Parseltongue is better,” Ominis remarked. “But he still wants to be returned to where he came from.” With a flick of his wand, the snake vanished.

Selene huffed.

“How are you better at languages than me?”

“Maybe only at Parseltongue. I am a Slytherin, after all,” he smirked, then leaned closer to her and whispered, “Or maybe I’m simply better at everything that involves tongue.”

She rolled her eyes, unfazed.

“Oh please,” she scoffed. “If today’s disaster taught me anything, it’s that I can’t possibly be more embarrassed in my life.”

“Challenge accepted,” Sebastian smirked. She didn’t even flinch.

“Rowena Ravenclaw could speak to birds. Though hardly anyone remembers it, because she was humble and never bragged like Salazar did.”

“Talking to birds would be so cool,” Sebastian mused. She smiled faintly.

“Helena can do it too, even as a ghost. But since she died before having children, and she was Rowena’s only child, that talent is lost forever.”

“Better than what happened to Salazar’s descendants, if you ask me,” Ominis muttered, summoning another snake.

“That’s a black mamba,” Selene observed. “But it’s good – finally, we’re in Africa, and it’s venomous.”

“Back to our topic,” Sebastian pressed. “So you refuse to date me because you think you’re unworthy of me?”

“Last time we talked about dating, you refused to date me,” she replied.

“I might’ve changed my mind,” Sebastian said, his tone sincere. “Especially after hearing how knowledgeable you are about certain things.”

“It doesn’t matter. I haven’t,” she responded flatly. “That might actually be a boomslang, or a green mamba. Ask it if it’s aggressive.”

Ominis started to hiss.

“Selene, this is ridiculous,” Sebastian said, frustration creeping into his voice.

“It’s not,” she countered. “Green mambas and boomslangs look alike, but green mambas are more aggressive. We need to –”

“I’m not talking about bloody snakes!” Sebastian exclaimed. “I’m talking about us. You literally said you think you’re unworthy of me because of this ridiculous Amortentia thing. Who cares what you smell and what you don’t?”

She sighed, her gaze dropping to the book in her lap.

“We’ve also got Anne’s curse as an excuse. We need to focus on this.”

“So, you’re admitting it’s an excuse?” Sebastian challenged.

“He says he’s not aggressive,” Ominis said, and Sebastian felt his irritation rise as Selene visibly relaxed in relief.

“Might actually be a boomslang. Let me find a green mamba illustration again,” she flipped through the pages almost violently.

“Selene, I asked you a question.” Sebastian’s grip on her shoulders tightened.

“Not all questions need answers,” she said absent-mindedly. She looked at the snake, then attempted to hiss again.

Sebastian had only milliseconds to react before the snake struck. He threw himself over Selene, shielding her from the obviously enraged creature.

“Get off me,” she murmured.

“No,” he breathed, his face mere inches from hers. “Ominis, evaporate this bloody thing!”

“We’re under Protego,” she hissed at him angrily.

“I don’t care,” he said, closing his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers. “I don’t bloody care. You could’ve been hurt.”

“And how is you getting hurt better?” she asked, her breath hitching.

He smiled weakly, gently stroking her face. Her gaze softened in response.

“The snake’s gone,” Ominis said from behind them, though his voice held a note of confusion. “I can’t see what you two are doing, but please stop.”

Reluctantly, Sebastian pulled away and sat beside Selene again.

“We weren’t doing anything, Ominis,” she said softly. “Please try again. It was probably a green mamba anyway, based on its behaviour.”

Her hands were trembling slightly as she turned the pages of the book.

“Bingo. A boomslang,” she muttered. “Ask him when he’s going to shed, and if he’s willing to donate his shed skin.”

Ominis began hissing in an almost conversational tone, while Sebastian’s gaze remained fixed on Selene. She didn’t look at him, but it was clear she was aware of his attention.

“Should I go eat the Chocolate Cauldron? Embarrass myself too, so you’ll believe me when I say everything I feel for you?” he asked in frustration.

At last, she met his eyes.

“I believe you,” she said quietly. “It still doesn’t change my opinion that us dating could be a disaster.”

“Disaster?” he repeated.

“Yes,” she said, her voice tinged with regret. “I’m incapable of love. Whatever I’m feeling for you, it’s just physical. And you deserve someone who can love you back, not just want you,” she spoke slowly, as if choosing each word carefully. “And yes, I understand that most boys our age – yourself included – aren’t opposed to something purely physical. I absolutely believe you when you say you have fantasies about me. But I also believe you feel more than just that. And I can’t return it. I’m simply incapable. Like missing an organ.”

She hid behind Occlumency again, walls going up. Sebastian almost groaned in frustration.

“He says he’s about to shed in a few days. He’s willing to donate his skin, but we need to provide him with an environment and some food,” Ominis remarked, his tone dry. “And, just to be clear, you both are aware I’m still here, right?”

Selene sighed, then stood, her movements deliberate. She waved her wand and conjured a large glass case, filling it with a tree branch and a small cup of water.

“Ask him if that’s alright,” she murmured, her voice eerily calm. “He can stay in the Undercroft.”

Ominis hissed again, his attention on the snake.

“Selene, you can’t believe this,” Sebastian said, his voice tight with frustration.

“Last hope shattered today,” she replied quietly, her words carrying a weight of finality. “At the cost of my embarrassment, but I feel closure. Even a bloody Potions Master was wrong about me and about what I am.”

She walked toward the table, where the remaining Chocolate Cauldrons still sat, untouched.

“Evanesco,” she murmured, and the package vanished into thin air. “I need to go and talk to Isolde Vane.”

Sebastian didn’t attempt to stop her as she left the Undercroft.