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“Quidditch hasn’t been all that exciting this year if I’m honest,” you admitted, slurping down what was left of your soup. The Great Hall glistened this time of the year, complete with beautiful cherry blossom petals gently drifting down from the ceiling. “Last year was better, probably due to all the hype around the sport returning to Hogwarts. I thought about being on the team back then, but quickly changed my mind after chatting with Imelda about it. I have to deal with enough headaches already.”
Ominis laughed, trying not to choke on his sandwich. “That’s understandable. She is, uh, competitive, to say the least. I’m not the best at catching things, so Quidditch wasn’t for me.”
“I can’t imagine why that could be,” you chuckled, beginning to clean up your lunch area. “Hell, I am so ready to graduate.”
“Oh, me as well. It’s been a long seven years. Only three for you though.”
“Indeed, though still a very grueling three years, especially having to catch up as fast as I did.”
“That is quite the accomplishment,” Ominis told you, his voice trailing off. “Would you be willing to join me for a stroll outside the castle? I need to tell you something in private.”
“Of course, I don’t mind doing that at all. Do you wish for us to chat right now?”
“Yes. Please.”
A few moments later and you were wandering about the grounds with Ominis, anxious for whatever it was he had to say. "So what's going on, Ominis?" you asked with concern.
"It's Anne," he replied, eyebrows knit tightly. "She's...fading fast."
Your face dropped. "Oh no. I saw her mere days ago, she wasn't doing well then but you're saying she's been declining even faster?”
"I think she has days, possibly hours, left."
"Damn it," you kicked a rock. "So many possibilities in the Wizarding World, and we still can't undo a bloody curse! I bet if Sebastian were here, he would've figured it out by now."
"Sebastian?" Ominis stopped in his tracks, causing you to turn and face him.
"I apologize. I probably shouldn't have said that.”
Your friend folded his arms. "Perhaps you're right, but at what cost?" You didn't respond, earning a deep sigh from Ominis. "I'm going to see Anne this evening if you'd like to join me. I honestly think that after years of suffering, the poor girl’s time is coming very soon.”
"I would love to accompany you tonight. Where shall we meet?”
"I'll meet you just outside the South Wing at five o'clock.”
“If for some reason I cannot make it, please go on ahead. I would hate to keep Anne waiting.”
“You’re sure?“
“Completely.”
“Send an owl then. You’d better have a damn good reason for not showing.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Ominis. Anne is our friend.”
Later that day, after attending your final class, you stopped by both the Slytherin Common Room and the Undercroft to grab some items for the excursion. Over the years, you and Ominis had been storing several potions and ingredients inside of the Undercroft, where they could be kept safely hidden and taken to Anne if necessary, most being unsuccessful attempts at a cure for the girl’s condition.
You figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring a few of these now just in case.
As you rummaged through the various chests inside the Undercroft, you came across the Slytherin’s Spellbook, just as charred as you remembered it. You did wonder—and why you hadn’t wondered this before you didn’t know—if casting Reparo would restore the legendary journal. While this book hadn’t particularly caught your eye in the past, you were a fan of collecting relics.
After gathering your things, you picked up the scorched Slytherin Spellbook and pulled out your wand. “Reparo,” you said quietly, waving your wand in the direction of the item. For some reason, it didn’t work. “That’s odd.”
Frustrated, you tried once more.
Nothing.
“Set the thing down and try again,” a familiar voice said from behind you, causing you to hold your breath. The voice continued on, circling around you—except no source was in sight. “It’s subtle, but holding both it and your wand will sabotage the wrist movement. What the fuck have they been teaching you here, hm?”
It was impossible to find the words, especially when you could sense a taller figure practically looming over you. A moment later and the feeling was gone, the voice making itself known once more, clearly located behind you again but a bit closer than the last time.
“Are you just going to stand there looking dumb, ignoring my instructions?” He drawled on, his next words whispered instead of spoken. “That’s a shame. You used to listen so well.”
Using your very dry mouth, you managed to get one thing out. “S-Sebastian?”
“In the flesh,” the teenager retorted condescendingly, giving you enough space to allow you to peer back and catch him curtsying as he revealed himself to you, seemingly deactivating the Disillusionment Charm. You expected Sebastian to be covered in blood or in prison garb, but instead he was dressed in what appeared to be casual black clothing and a grey trench coat. You were beyond horrified of the implications of him being here, most likely armed, and more notably outside the walls of Azkaban. In an attempt to act quickly and not bring him harm, you twirled around, threw the book at him and tried casting the Hover Charm. Before you could even finish the incantation, you were met with Sebastian waving about a wand of his own and shouting, “Expelliarmus!”
In an instant, your wand flew away from you, causing you to take several steps back and distance yourself from the escapee.
“Well that was rather rude,” Sallow grunted, wand in hand and pointed at you. It appeared to be the one he used during your time together at Hogwarts. “And unusual, seeing as I can count on one hand the amount of times you’ve lost to me during a duel.”
“My head’s a little fuzzy at the moment,” you blurted without thinking, trying to sound confident. Your shaky voice and furrowed brow said otherwise. “Where did you get that?”
“You retrieved it for me.”
You blinked, shocked by his words. “I-I didn’t even know where it was being kept!”
“The Imperius Curse evidently said otherwise. Though I must admit, that harmless spell was indeed tricky to perform without a wand. I had to really desire control over you for it to work. Took a couple tries.”
Sebastian Sallow casting spells without a wand? You could hardly believe it.
“Relax, love! I only did it the one time,” Sebastian interrupted your silence, rolling his eyes as if this wasn’t a serious matter. “Did y’know,” he started pacing, “that truly powerful wizards can cast spells without a wand? I didn’t know until I began sneaking into the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library. Took me almost two years of ‘alone time’ to figure out how to do it myself, though. Lots of meditating and focus, and then poof! Apparated myself out of there. Ah, yes. Good times. It was quite nice teaching myself to do magic without a wand. Gave me something else to think about aside from you.” While you may have had Ancient Magic on your side, you’d never been able to cast a spell without your wand. “Dementors are bloody idiots, too, mind you. Obnoxious leeches.”
“I’m shocked you had me on your mind more than your sister,” was all you stated, worried he may never get to see his twin again. Then it hit you. “I was actually on the way to see her, but you’re sort of holding me back right now.”
Sebastian stopped pacing, turning to face you. “When are we going?”
“Going—? Oh! To see Anne, you mean?” You nervously smiled up at him. “As soon as you allow me to grab my wand, we can meet Ominis and be on our way.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t reply. He just stood there staring as you hesitantly shuffled over to where your wand had landed. Right as you began reaching for it, Sebastian exclaimed, “Levicorpus!”
You flipped upside down, hanging in the air by your ankle. In a panic, you worked arduously to keep your skirt from revealing anything. Meanwhile, Sebastian was simply laughing. “Oh, isn’t this fun? Learning new spells in the Undercroft, just like old times! Though I can't seem to recall where I left the paperwork I scribbled down regarding how to perform it. Oh well. I'm sure someone will find it.”
What an utterly bizarre curse. What was the point? Wishing sheer embarrassment upon your target? “What about your sister?” you fired back, anger festering within you.
“Anne can wait.”
How dare he utter those words. This was clearly not the same Sebastian you once walked the halls of Hogwarts with. Who was this person? More importantly, what did he want with you? He seemed equally interested in both rekindling your friendship and tormenting you.
“No, no she can’t wait!” you screamed as the wizard stalked towards you. “I need to see her! She’s dying!”
“She’s been dying for years and you didn’t care back then. Why care now? What about that Ancient Magic of yours, ever think to try that?”
For fuck’s sake. “That would have only made matters worse!” At this point, seeing as he was only a few feet away, you were getting desperate. “Sebastian, listen to me, please. You may never see her again!”
“You sentenced me to that back when you and Ominis sent me to Azkaban.”
“We were scared, we didn’t want anyone else getting hurt! Anne misses you!”
“You’re lying,” Sebastian finally stopped advancing, his face mere centimeters from your own. “What about me? The pain I had to endure? You did far more than just hurt me. I trusted you. I have half a mind to burn our precious Undercroft to the ground.”
“I gave Ominis my opinions and he ratted you out,” you snarled viciously.
“Ah, there she is,” Sebastian snickered, taking a few steps back. “That greedy, manipulative little Dark witch of a woman who’s now trying to pin the blame on her friend. Gotten to use the Dark Arts, have you? Has it been fun? You’re welcome, by the way.”
After all the yelling and hanging upside down, you were beginning to feel unwell, large amounts of blood having rushed to your head. “You know what you did was wrong,” you stated wearily.
“Merlin, shut up already! Stop acting like some sort of saint, you hypocrite. You should’ve turned yourself in with me.”
There’s no way revenge hadn’t been on his mind this entire time. “Please. I just want to see Anne. Come with me,” you begged.
“Anne. Can. Wait,” he repeated himself, dragging out each word as the tip of his wand lined itself up with the space between your eyes. He then slowly let the tip drift upward—or downward in your case—along your jaw, down your neck and collarbone, and then let it rest at the center of your sternum. The magical instrument flashed red, visually amplifying the fearful beating of your heart. “I’d much rather fuck with the people who took everything from me instead.”
All of a sudden, Ominis came bursting into the Undercroft, tears cascading down his face. “Anne is—“ he paused, aware of another person’s presence in the room. “Anne’s dead,” he added without further hesitation, knowing exactly who else was with you. “She had died before I even got there. I’m so sorry, Sebastian.” The news made your blood run cold, possibly even returning some of the liquid back to the lower half of your suspended body. You were surprised Ominis didn’t bother rattling off questions, but at the same time, Anne had just passed.
“Imperio!” Sebastian abruptly yelled, and you watched helplessly as the Imperius Curse brainwashed Ominis. “Ah, Ominis! How glad I am to see you. We were just talking about you, you see. Now, be a doll—I should probably rephrase that—do me a favor and use the Cruciatus Curse on our friend here,” he demanded, Ominis absentmindedly locking his eyes on you.
You didn’t even have time to react, immense pain overtaking every limb, organ and muscle. Your body fell to the floor, continuing to writhe and squirm upon impact. Meanwhile, you could make out Sebastian watching with tearful eyes and a bizarre smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
“That’s plenty,” Sebastian commanded, the pain gradually fading away. You coughed, breathing heavily as you attempted to gather your bearings and sit up. “Well done, Ominis.”
“Why are you doing this?” you panted, looking up at Sebastian. “Torturing us?”
“Hm. I suppose I missed hearing the noises you’d make back when we fought goblins and spiders and Dark wizards,” he explained, lowering his wand. “Every gasp, moan, and scream. Accio!” Your wand flew towards Sebastian, landing in his grasp. Ominis stood nearby, clearly still under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Had Sebastian not released him yet?
“You need help, Sebastian,” you admitted, managing to stand up. “Let us help you.”
“Oh, like you helped my sister?” he spat.
“I promise you, we did everything we could to save her.“
“Everything except keep me around.” Sebastian thought quietly for a moment, feeling extra bold afterward. “Well, I suppose I could really use a hug.”
You were not expecting that. “A hug, Sebastian?”
“Yes. Give me a hug.” Ominis began walking toward Sebastian. “No, not you!” Ominis then ceased all movement. Under drastically different circumstances, that exchange would have made you laugh. “I went through a lot of trouble these past few years. It’s truly the least you could do after turning me over to the Ministry and killing Anne. Had I stayed at Hogwarts, I’m certain she’d still be with us.”
Art by FloraBlergh/@florahufflepuff on TikTok
“Fine,” you murmured, taking cautious steps towards your old classmate.
This was agonizing. You knew how powerful you were, but this man had you feeling like an earthworm right now. Then again, he also had your wand, and this could be the perfect opportunity to get it back.
“What the hell did they do to you in Azkaban? You’ve changed.”
“It’s not so much that as me reliving all the mistakes I’ve made in my head. Harboring hate for those who stabbed me in the back. Those sorts of things can really transform a witch or wizard, you know. The guards didn't help either, of course.” You now stood directly in front of him, your arms finding it difficult to do anything but be planks at your sides. “Isolation plays a huge role. The only person around to talk to is yourself.” Witnessing Sebastian stuff your wand inside his pocket, you took the liberty of embracing him, ever so carefully trying to feel around for your wand. That was until he hugged you back, making it nearly impossible to move your arms at all. “This is nice,” he whispered, digging his face into your hair and neck. “Don’t you agree?” You had to admit, when compared to illegal methods of torture, it was quite nice.
“Are you going to release Ominis from that curse anytime soon?”
“I forgot to do that, didn’t I? Silly me.” He leaned back, raising an eyebrow at you. As far as you could tell, he intended to leave Ominis entranced until he was done with you. “And thank you. I think that did help a bit. Now how about a kiss?”
“W-What?” you gasped, baffled by his request. Now that the two of you were somewhat physically separated, you continued to delicately reach around for your wand.
“I thought you wanted to help me. Was one measly hug the best you could do?”
“I do want to help, but we should talk first, all of us, including Ominis! What about helping him? He’s distraught underneath that curse! Can’t you lift it?”
“Besides, I've missed you.” He pulled you closer to him, chills crawling up and down your spine as strong hands gripping both of your hips. “C'mon, kiss me,” he licked his lips, one of his hands moving to the back of your neck. “Or you could tell me to kiss you instead.” Luckily for you, this had been the exact boost you needed now that your fingertips were wrapped around your wand. “Go ahead, tell me to kiss you.” He then roughly grabbed your jaw and turned your head to the side so that you could see Ominis' spellbound eyes, whispering into your ear, “And if you refuse, there’s plenty of other ways to get you to comply…”
And with that, you yanked your wand out of Sebastian’s pocket and flicked it in his direction, shouting, “Depulso!”
The Slytherin went flying backwards into some crates, causing Ominis to return to his usual self and weakly stumble over to you. “What just happened?” Ominis asked you, rubbing his temples.
Before you could explain, your attention was occupied by an eerie cackle coming from Sebastian. “Clever girl!”
“Sebastian’s gone mad,” you told Ominis, wand at the ready. “He’s using the Dark Arts left and right and he’s very angry with us. He’s been so unpredictable, toying with me long before you arrived. I'm certain this is that heinous prison's doing."
“Sebastian, I truly am sorry for all this, especially when it comes to your sister,” Ominis declared, hearing but not interacting with your intel. “However, she’s in a better place now, I’m sure of it. Running happily, freely, painlessly. We all need to calm down this instant before we do anything rash."
Sebastian rose to his feet, dusting himself off. By the expression on his face, he wasn't exactly enjoying the conversation. “She died earlier today in my arms, Ominis,” he revealed, your eyes going wider than ever before. “And before they—the Ministry—took me away screaming, you both promised to help her.”
The memory he was referring to ate away at you, forcing you to interject. “Seb, I—”
"Save it. You may see yourself as the bigger person right now, but at least I make promises I know I can keep. She went on about nonsensical rubbish, insisting death was the ‘greatest cure.’ Worst of all, she seemed afraid of me. Seeing her that way nearly killed me, too. This morning,” you could see him clenching his fists, "I buried her."
You subtly glanced at Ominis for confirmation, receiving a sorrowful nod in response. No wonder Sebastian hadn't been interested in visiting Anne with you.
"I'm so sorry, Sebastian. Ominis and I both are," you paused, doing your best to maintain a calm demeanor. When Sebastian raised his checkered wand offensively, you panicked, resulting in an effort to keep the conversation going. "What if Anne was right?”
You noticed Sebastian's eye twitch. "Right about what?"
"Death." You could feel Ominis shoot a glare at you, despite him being blind, as you sheathed your wand to indicate your lack of interest in further violence. "Perhaps it can be a means of salvation."
“Then maybe it’s you who could use some saving,” Sebastian hissed venomously, his wand and eyes glowing green.
Reflexively, you took a step back. “You wouldn’t.”
“Avada Kedav—ah!” Sebastian suddenly froze mid-cast, arms parallel to his sides as he toppled backwards. Just in the nick of time, Ominis had struck Sebastian with the Full-Body Bind, having uttered the incantation “Petrificus Totalus.” You and Ominis approached Sebastian, your hearts utterly broken as you gazed upon your paralyzed friend.
“Why do I get the feeling he was just itching to use that curse?” You inhaled deeply through your nose, an invisible fog of despair settling in the cool air of the Undercroft as you equipped your wand once more. “What are your thoughts on the Memory Charm, Ominis?”
Ominis visibly stiffened. “I haven’t many. What are you thinking?”
“I’m going to do it. I’m going to erase Anne, Azkaban—all of it—from his memories. Once you and I have graduated, we can go from there.”
“We must be careful about this. Let me cast the spell—I know everything there is to know about Sebastian. We’ll have him back, but the Ministry will be after him and he probably won’t understand why.”
“Are you suggesting we harbor a criminal? What if this somehow gets undone? What if he finds out we did this to him?”
“I don’t care about all that. He was about to kill you.”
You sighed, putting your wand away. “He’s very powerful. He escaped Azkaban using magic.”
“I must be going deaf, too. Did you say magic? Without a wand?”
“That’s what he told me.”
“I guess we can ask him for more answers in a moment, though he may be lacking a few,” Ominis responded, taking aim as Sebastian’s bloodshot eyes bore into your own.
“ Obliviate.”