#hogwarts legacy angst

[nari-chanxd]

Pain, Guilt, Regret.

Here have more Sebastian Sallow angst

Someone please give this boy a hug 💔

[hyuckkaiji]

only mine - sebastian sallow x f!reader

summary; " sebastian has been on the run for several years, hiding from the ministry of magic. his sole purpose is to find you again. he's obsessed and no one can stop him from having you again. no one. " he's finally found you, alone in the dark. pt.2: my love / pt.3: ominis , pt.3 sebastian

word count; 4.7k

warnings; 18+, explicit sexual content, dark themes, dubcon, porn with a plot, dark!sebastian, sub/dom dynamics, cheating/infidelity

note; this is based on dark!sebastian ai created by @seabass-swallows characters are obviously aged up, early 20s. Also this is my first time actually writing smut, so be kind

You were fifteen when you lost the love of your life. You were fifteen when he ran from the ministry. "A dark wizard, a fugitive, rewards for his capture" words you could never forget hearing. Words that were repeated in whispers by students, commands by aurors.

"You will tell us if you hear anything?"

"Of course, Sir." It was a lie. You would never give Sebastian up, even if you did know where he went. But you didn't. He was there one day and gone the next. No one knew where he'd disappeared to, not that the aurors believed you when you said as much. How could his lover not know where he went nor his best friend? They thought you and Ominis were lying.

They watched the both of you for months, the only two left that the Sallow boy trusted. His sister, Anne, had succumbed to her curse well before he ran. He had nothing and no one but two other fifteen year olds, two other children.

All of you only really had each other, but three had become two. And fifteen had become nineteen when Ominis took you to wife. You didn't love him, not like you loved Sebastian, but he was all you had. You had latched onto him for so many years, telling yourself you could love him. One day, possibly.

So you married him, always telling yourself the day would come. But nineteen turned to twenty, then twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three. And here you stood, loving him no more than you did at fifteen.

You watched as he sat anxiously, drumming his fingers against the hard wood surface of your dining table. The dark suit jacket discarded, his vest open, his shirt a few buttons loose as his other hand pulled free his tie.

"Do you find me incapable of defending myself?" You snapped at him. You were always snapping at him these days, his presence no longer a comfort but a nuisance. A cage you willingly walked into. A choice you wished you could take back.

"No," He sighed, standing as he pulled the vest and tie off, walking a few steps forward to hold your face in his warm grasp, "I just-"

"Worry." You push his hands away, turning your back to him . "Yes, I know. You worry. You've worried your whole life, and you'll never stop."

His arms wrapped around you from behind, his body strong and solid as he presses against yours. He brings his head down to rest at the crook of your neck, pressing soft chaste kisses. You lean back, resting your head against him. A comforting, relaxing gesture, not your comfort, but his.

"It's a dangerous world." He whispers the words into your skin. You give an involuntarily shudder in response. "It's just tea, Ominis. This is Feldcroft. Nothing is dangerous here."

He turns you to face him, his arms snaking around your waist. He looks down at you into your eyes, like he can see your soul, like he has a different kind of sight. You raise your arms to wrap around his neck, a move to ease him, to stop him from further examining. Lest he sees the lack of love, the falsity of your touches.

You press a kiss to his soft lips, "Just tea, husband, I'll be back before you know it." He nods, "Be safe, wife." A pause, "I love you."

You pull yourself free of his grasp, "I know Ominis, as do I." You grab your coat, hurrying out into the chill spring night before he could say anymore. You had never told him you loved him, never said the words outright. It would be a betrayal to Sebastian, to yourself, to Ominis.

You suppose he must know you don't love him, you hope he doesn't love you, hope he's lying every time the words pass his lips, you wish he'd stop saying them. You feel so guilty every time he does, guilty, as you only hum in response or reply with the words you conditioned yourself  to say.

Your thoughts and actions shame you constantly. He deserves better. You know he does, but you just cannot bring yourself to be the woman he deserves. So round and round you go, playing this game of pretend where you both lie to yourselves, to each other, pretend to be the good auror and his loving wife.

You could no longer even love him as a friend. You haven't been able to for years. You lost that comfort the first time he bedded you, the first time you felt him inside you, filling you with painful, unfamiliar sensations.

You waited till he slept that night to sneak away, to sit in the living room of your new home and sob yourself to sleep. He heard you, though he never told you, he woke as soon as you left the bed, trailing behind you silently. He sat in the hallway listening to your soft sobs for hours, listening until you could cry no more tears. He went back to your bed and never said a word about it. He woke you the next morning with a plate of hot steaming breakfast.

It got better, as good as it could be. The routine you fell into, what was painful became pleasure, you stopped crying after every encounter, started sleeping beside him instead of the couch. Spent your mornings beside him, kissed him before he left for work. Welcomed him home with open arms in the evenings.

Until you couldn't take it anymore, until every false kiss chipped away at your soul. Until you screwed your eyes shut, picturing Sebastian's face every time Ominis was inside you. Until you spent every waking moment fantasizing about running away, praying one day Ominis just wouldn't come home. But he always did, and you kept welcoming him. What choice did you have? You have nowhere to go, no family, and Ominis didn't deserve to come home to an empty house.

You don't know how long you walked. You just walked until your thoughts silenced themselves. You had lied to Ominis as you so often did. Not leaving for tea with a friend but just leaving to be away from him and that god forsaken house. You walked until your face felt numb, and the moon hid away, leaving you in pure darkness. You should go home, Ominis is definitely worried.

But the thought of laying beside him again made you want to claw at your skin. Hands grabbed you, pushing you up against the nearest wall, their grip on your shoulders firm but not painful. They say a persons response to danger is fight of flight, but you just stand there frozen in fear. "Please don't hurt me." Your voice is barely above a whisper.

"Oh, how I've missed you. I would never hurt you." The voice coos at you, deep and husky. The hands sliding off your shoulders to trail down your arms. You recognized the voice, though the years had altered it, you could never forget it.

"Sebastian." You gasp

"Yes, my love." He pulls out his wand, casting a spell that only dimly illuminates the dark expanse around you.

He looks like a different man, a hardened criminal, but you can still see the traces of the boy you knew underneath. His baby fat has melted away, leaving only muscle in its wake. He had grown several more inches, towering over you now. A dark shadow of a beard begging to grow clings to his jaw, his hair is longer and shaggy. Most notably, a scar runs in intricate swirls from just below his left eye, across his cheek, and midway down his neck. Only dark magic could scar a person as such.

"Get off of me." You attempt to pull your arms from his grasp, but he holds tight. "Have you not missed me, y/n? There is no need to be so hostile." He leans in, his warm breath fanning your face, it smells of cinnamon toast, sweet, just like when you were children.

"Do not touch me." You are afraid, afraid of this stranger, this man before you is not your Sebastian.

"I have spent years waiting to touch you again. You're mine, mine to touch how and when I see fit. Do you truly expect me to let go?" His voice holds no malice. He speaks as if these are mere facts.

"I am a married woman. Get off of me." You continue to struggle, to no avail. Sebastian pauses, pulling away slightly but not releasing you.

"Married?" The word sounds venomous coming from him, "To whom?"

"Ominis." A look of pure disbelief washes over Sebastians face. "You..." His tone is accusatory. He takes a few steps away from you, letting his hands fall to his side, "You ... married ... Ominis."

You shrink back in fear. A soft, quiet anger far more terrifying than a fiery rage. "How could- why?" You can see the way his hands slightly tremble as they ball into fists.

You contemplate saying nothing. Imagining your response may only make this worse, but after a beat of silence, you decide to speak anyway. "He was all I had." You confess, still silence, so you continue.

"After you ran, after your actions came to light and aurors spent months at the school waiting for you. We became pariahs. Me more than Ominis. People whispered about me, about you, about me loving you, knowing what you did, lying about where you were."

"He stayed by my side through it all, the only one I had, have still. After we finished school we were wed. All these years, and he's the only one that shared my loss, understood it, understood me." A means to your end, your salvation. Ominis always puts you first. You don't think he'll ever stop.

"This isn't real." Sebastian is muttering to himself, shaking his head, looking to the ground instead of you. You should run. It might be your only chance, but your legs refuse to obey you, staying glued to the spot, pressed against the old stone wall. "You said you loved me!"

"I did!" You raise your voice in response, hurt, anger, betrayal, old long buried emotions bubbling back to the surface. "I did love you, I wanted to be your wife, I wanted to spend forever with you. But you ran, you left me all alone, Sebastian." Tears are streaming down your face, "I would have gone to the ends of the earth for you but you left me."

You close your eyes, taking a shuddering breath. Ominis, you need to get back to your husband. Ominis, you repeat his name like a prayer, willing him to appear, to save you, to take you home. Ominis, your poor sweet husband. But he doesn't appear. You have no savior. Only the fugitive standing before you.

"Tell me something." His voice is soft, like he's speaking to a frightened animal. "Have you had his children?"

"No, of course not." The words leave your mouth without a thought to how they might sound, what they might imply. Sebastian only sighs in relief. 

"I don't understand," He brings his hand up to caress your cheek, brushing away the tear streaks with the pad of his thumb. "How could you have moved on. What... what we had ... it was special." You look up into his eyes, and for a moment, a split second, he was your sebastian. Your sweet, sad Sebastian.

"Tell me you don't love him," he whispers, only inches from your face now, "Tell me y/n. You cannot possibly love him like you love me."

"I do, Sebastian. I love him. He's my husband."

"He's nothing." Sebastian is gripping your face in one rough hand, so hard you worry it might bruise. He's gone. This is not a man you know, this is a stranger. A stranger that frightens you, a stranger that's hurting you. "You belong to me. Our connection is special."

"Please stop." Your tears beg to fall once more.

"Tell me you still love me."

"I love Ominis." A lie, though in this moment you wish it were true. You wish you had stayed home, crawled into bed with him. Felt his cool fingers brush along your skin, felt his warm mouth press kisses into your most sensitive parts. Let him find his release with your body, use you until you fell asleep in the safety of his arms.

"You still love me, I know it." He lips brush the shell of your ear as he speaks. You shut your eyes again, trying to picture your home, safe. But the smell of Sebastian settles on your senses, he smells the same as he did so long ago. "I do not love you." Is that a lie, you aren't certain. "You... you are terrifying me." That at least was true.

His hand finally leaves your face, coming to rest at your elbow as his thumb rubs soothing circles, "Oh but you do. You can't escape me."

"Kiss me my love, like you did all those years ago. All I ask is one, grant it and I'll allow you to run back to your husband."

You look at him, searching his gaze with your own. "Promise?" Your voice trembles , Sebastian nods in response.

You take a steadying breath, pressing both hands against his chest. You push him back both of you moving a few steps, just enough for you to stop feeling trapped, just enough to feel the cool night breeze.

You look up at him as he brings his hands to rest at your waist. This is your sebastian, your sebastian, you tell yourself this over and over trying to banish your fear. You raise to the tips of your toes, bringing your hands up to wound themselves in the hair at the nape of his neck.

You ghost your lips over his, feeling as his breath hitches, allowing him to pull you into his chest before your lips meet. It's soft, a kiss of longing, a kiss of lost children. Then it's deepening, passionate and he pulls away before you're ready. He pulls away and you chase after him, one hand at the crook of his neck and the other buried in his hair. You pull his lower lip between your teeth, dragging his mouth back to yours. Only pulling away when you need to breathe.

You let you head fall against his chest, let yourself breathe in his scent as he runs soft fingers through your hair, both of you breathing heavily. Only a second passes before you regain your senses, before you remember the husband waiting for you. You pull back quickly, "I-" guilt and shame course through you.

Ominis deserves better, a better woman, a woman that loves him. It's been eight years, eight years since sebastian left you, eight years you have used Ominis as a means to your ends. And never have you felt such desire for him as you feel now in this dark alley with a man you no longer know.

"This is wrong." Your words are barely audible, when you get no response you take the opportunity to run or try to run. Because Sebastian has his arms around your waist, catching you before you could even make it five feet.

"Why are you here?" You cry. But he only holds you in place as you kick, claw, and try to bite your way out of his grasp, to no avail. "You said I could go back to my husband, you said one kiss."

Sebastian chuckles darkly, "I lied." Then he's dragging you away, three feet, four, six, ten. It's dark, and you can't see, but quickly, he's shoving you through a door. You land on your hands and knees as he releases you. You scramble away, still on the floor just trying to put distance between you and him. Sebastian only laughs, walking over to the fading fire place, he tosses in a log before taking a seat on the sofa.

He splays out, legs falling open, one bent for him to rest a hand on and the other straight ahead , his left arm thrown over the top of the sofa. His black button down shirt is loose at the top, opening just enough to expose a glimpse of his collar bones. His dark trousers strained at his thighs, where his right hand thrummed mindlessly.

You eye him wearily, waiting for his next move. "Are you my pet now, love? On the floor, at my feet?" You say nothing. He only bothers to glance at you, so sure you won't try and run again. Or maybe just that he knows he can catch you if you do. "Are you waiting for my instructions, pet?"

"Come sit with me." He continues to watch the crackling fire and you continue to stare at him. "You once called this place your second home. Do you hate it now?" You didn't look, didn't notice but now you do. You take in the room around you, the home he dragged you into. His home, Anne's home ... Solomon's home.

Sebastian huffs, loosing patience with you. "Join me, y/n. I will not ask again." He leans forward his elbows at his knees as he watches you. "I do not care if you must crawl over here, do it or I will drag you here myself."

Ominis, Ominis, Ominis you wish he could sense you call out for him. That he would save you from this madness as he did so many years ago. But this house has sat abandoned for eight years, Ominis hasn't step foot in here for eight years.

So you take your only option, standing slowly dusting yourself off in the process, trying to muster some false dignity. You walk over sitting as close to the edge as you can manage, attempting to put as much space between you as possible. But Sebastian is much larger than you remember and seated in the middle you could sit no where without feeling his leg press against yours.

"I've know since the moment I first laid eyes on you, we were destined to be together." You watch him but his gaze reminds fixed on the fire, now back in his comfortable position.

"I belong with Ominis." Sebastian gives an exasperated sigh, tossing his head back to rest on the sofa, though he's tilted just enough to meet your stare. "I know you want me, just as I want you. You may fool yourself into thinking you're happy with Ominis, but I know." 

You aren't happy with Ominis though, you know that. You know you've never been happy with Ominis. That's why you left tonight, isn't it. Your thoughts are a jumbled mess, incomprehensible.

Sebastian grabs you, pulling you into his lap with ease. You don't fight back this time, why have you been fighting this, trying so hard to get back to Ominis. Isn't this exactly what you've been dreaming of for years, fantasizing about every day. Sebastian let's out a satisfied hum as you settle into his lap, one hand resting on your knees the other holding your hips in place.

"I told you, I could feel it. The love you still bare me." His lips are at you neck pressing open mouth kisses to the exposed skin. "I know how badly you craved me, my love. I craved you just the same." He pulls your coat off. "How I missed you."

You're like a statue, not fighting but giving in just yet. Sebastian continues his assault none the less. Nimble finger undoing your blouse as his teeth nip at any exposed skin he can find. You don't attempt to stop him as he tears chemise straight down the middle, leaving you exposed to him.

His gasp is soft, his tone loving, "You're more beautiful than I could have ever imagined." He's tearing the ripped material free from your body. Moving out from beneath, he sits you on the sofa and kneels before you. "I hate that he had you first, touched you, tasted what's mine."

He ghosts his fingers over chest, his thumb coming to brush over a pert nipple. You shudder, "I am not yours, I-I..." You catch his hand in yours, pulling it away from your breasts, holding the one in both of yours.

"You're not Ominis'." No, he's right. You stare at his hand, your thumb stroking over his knuckles. "Tell me you don't want this, want me." He's not asking, he already knows your anwser.

He pushes your skirt up so it rests just below your hips, pulling you in with a rough hand at the nape of your neck and the other gripping you waist. His lips are against yours, angling you to deepen the kiss. You open your mouth slightly, allowing him to intertwine his tounge with yours. The soft moan that emits from you is involuntarily, a sound that only urges Sebastian on.

He pulls you into a standing position, his mouth never leaving yours. You let your hand travel the expanse of his clothed back, contured with muscles he didn't have before. "Take this off." He hooks a finger in the waistband of your skirt, letting it snap back against your skin.

He takes a seat, watching you with hungry eyes as you follow his command. You stand before him, exposed as you have only ever been exposed to Ominis. "So fucking beautiful." His words are nearly a growl.

"Tell me where you belong?" You pause at his words, there is no going back now. "With you. I...I always belonged with you." He hums, satisfied with your anwser, "Be a good girl and kneel."

Your knees hit the rug beneath you with a soft thud, you steady yourself with a hand on Sebastians knee. Your heart hammering away in your chest with anticipation of his next command.

"Tell me you still love me." His voice is low and husky.

"I still love you, I never stopped." A shameful confession for a married woman, but you didn't feel that. All you could think about was how hot your skin felt, flushed and begging to be touch.

He leans in, letting his breath fan your face. He's looking at you like a beast ready to devour its prey. "I told you, you belong to me. No man will ever compare."

"I belong to you." You whisper back, you mean it. You've been his since the moment you met. And all you want in this moment is him, every part, to show him how much you missed him.

"Prove it..." he says quietly, his gaze dark, "I expect you to treat me like a God. I am your God." He chuckles softly, "Aren't I, pet." He brushes his thumb over your cheek, a falsely sweet gesture. When you don't respond quickly his hand drops to your breast, harshly twisting an erect nipple. "I said, aren't I, pet."

"Yes, yes." You yelp, "You're my God." You should be ashamed, kneeling before him, groveling like this. But it's so different from what you're used to Ominis touches are soft, gentle, with your pleasure at the forefront of his mind. This, Sebastian, makes fire burn inside you, sending waves of shock to your core.

"Show me how much you worship me." He releases his rough hold on you, leaning back expectantly. You crawl your way onto his lap, breathe hitching as your exposed core makes contact with his clothed bulge.

He watches you with half lidded eyes, you make quick work of unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, even popping a few of them in your haste, causing Sebastian to let out a breathy chuckle. You feel like a woman gone mad, more beast then witch. Your body aching to be touched, bitten, marked, filled by him. You need it like you've never known need before.

He shrugs the loose shirt the rest of the way off, displaying this pale freckled chest. If there is a heaven, this is it. From his skin flushed a pale pink to the trail of soft hair leading down into his trousers.

You kiss every part of him you can reach, sucking angry red splotches into his skin, teeth sinking in at some parts like he's the last meal you'll ever eat. His chest is falling and rising in rapid breaths as he fights to maintain his composure. 

"You're so wet. I can feel it soaking through. Is that all for me, pet?" His voice is low and rough, the words forcing their way pasted gritted teeth. You said nothing, only rocked your hips against his, your mouth still marking his abused skin. The moan he let's out is sinful.

"I can't." You don't have time to wonder what he means before he's flipped you onto your back. "Sebastian, my love." He's between your legs, already licking a strip up your aching core. He hums his approval, "Even sweeter than I imagined."

You buck your hips, chasing after his mouth. "Tell me what you want, pet?"

"You" is the only word you can muster.

"Big girl words. Details. Did you fantasize about me when you fucked our friend, fucked your husband?"

You whine, feeling pathetic, fully at his mercy. "Every night I was in his bed, I pictured you. Your mouth Sebastian, your hands, your cock inside me. It's the only way I can finish." You're panting, he so close to where you want him, where you need him, his breath alone sends waves of pleasure that leave you shivering.

Then he's delving in like a man starved, lapping at your core like it's his last meal. Pleasure racks your body with intensity you've never experienced, you can do nothing but cry out and tangle your fingers in his mess of brown curls.

You see white before you feel it, the coil snapping deep in you. Your body tensing as he draws out your orgasm with a skilled tongue before you drop, heavy and unable to move. But he isn't finished, he's waited far to long for him to be done now. His pants are on the floor, discarded with a kick. His cock springs free, lightly slapping against his stomach. Angry red tip already leaking.

You can only look at him, too weak to move Yourself. So he moves you around himself, picking you up like a loose limbed doll, his to do with as he pleases. Laying you gently on the rug, legs hiked up around his waist. He leans in pressing a chaste kiss to your lips before finally sliding into your wet, willing hole.

The sound he let's out is animalistic, almost a snarl. "Fuck y/n. I dreamed of this. You," his hips are snapping against yours in a rough motion, "you were made for me. Taking me so well, pet."

He finds his rhythm with a bruising grip on your hips holding you in the air, a string of curses and incoherent pleas tumble out of your mouth. "Fuck fuck fuck, seb, my, please, fuck seb."

"My pretty girl."

He wraps an arm around your back to keep you in place, bringing his other hand to rub quick circles into your swollen clit. Your mouth falls open in a silent moan, body tensing as another orgasm tears its way through you.

Sebastians hips stutter as you clench around him, shooting hot thick spurts into you. "I'm gonna put a baby in you, love." He's rolling his hips against yours, drawing out both your pleasure. When he finally stops you both collapse, too tired, too drained to do anything but lay in his arms and listen to his heart beat.

"I should have taken you with me. I promise I'll never leave you again." You should have told him no, you still have a husband to go back to but you only hummed. Letting yourself fall into a fitful sleep with the sound of Sebastian's heart beat and his fingers running through your hair.

[mochroialainn]

Despite everything

Title: Despite Everything Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy Characters: Sebastian Sallow x reader Plot: Despite everything he did, despite everything he said to you, the months of pain caused he caused you. Some part of you still saw the good, saw the kind and the caring and the protective. Most of all you still saw the hurt and the pain he suffered, so despite everything you gave him back the one thing he loved most in the world. His sister . Themes: Angst, hurt/comfort Warnings: Asshole Sebastian, mild hurt/comfort, love confessions, fem!reader. Word count: 6,769 Notes: This is based in 7th year, all characters are ages up to 18. I also have yet to finish the game, so please excuse any errors! This also got very out of hand very quickly and I apologise for the length

Golden light filtered through the windows of the Sallow home in Feldcroft illuminating everything inside in a warm honey glow that gave Anne a feeling of hope as she watched the person who had slowly became her best friend over the past year and a half, fiddle with her wand, twirling it between her fingers and twisting and turning it absentmindedly as her eyes scanned over the piece of parchment in her hands. 

It was an unlikely friendship, but one that was true and ran deep. It was a friendship built on trust and love and seeing every part of the other. For too long all people saw in Anne was her illness, the dreadful curse that had taken over her life too long. They pittied her and feared her at the same time, they didn’t want the same thing to happen to them and even though it wasn’t contagious people tended to stay clear of her. But [name] wasn’t like that, she saw Anne wholly for who she was. She saw her as a person rather than her illness, 

She saw the Anne that many thought was lost the day she was cursed, she saw the daring adventurous girl she once was. [Name] always revelled in reading and hearing the stories of Anne and Sebastian when they were children, their mischieviousness and the trouble they would get into, she proclaimed one day that Anne and Sebastian were probably the reason Solomon had grey hairs, causing the two girls to fall into a fit of giggles. 

And Anne saw [name] as more than the Hero of Hogwarts, she saw past the facade of strength and courage to see the crumbling girl beneath who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. The girl who was suddenly whisked into a world of magic and was the only one with the power to stop it from crumbling. She saw the vulnerability and the fear hidden deep below the mask. But she also saw the kindness and the protectiveness, saw it in the way she spoke of her friends. Of Ominis and Sebastian and how she would have burned the world to the ground if anything were to happen to them, and those two boys were the most important people in her life and as soon as she saw how [name] cared for them she was quickly added to the list. 

Since their initial meeting, the girls had sent each other countless owls back and forth and [Name] would visit Anne any time she could, though her visits became less frequent towards the end of their 5th year. Anne had asked about in her letters, saying she missed [Name] and even tried to sweeten it by saying that even Solomon missed her because he loved the way Anne’s eyes would light up anytime [Name] was around and he was happy she had a friend like her. Something had changed,she just didn’t know what and though [Name] never divulged the information she had a feeling it was to do with her stubborn, hard-headed brother who couldn’t see a good thing if it him in the face with same force as a bludger. 

It was during the summer of their sixth year that Anne finally pulled the information from Ominis who had come to see her and Sebastian. Sebastian and Solomon had gone off to do some shopping, the pair slowly mending bridges together, and Anne had asked Ominis about [Name]. She had noticed the way he fidgeted uncomfortably, pulling on his sleeves and chewing on hislips nervously. After much pestering from Anne’s side, Ominis had finally relented and told her what happened. 

About her working with a goblin and Sebastians reaction, him calling her ignorant and icing her out as if she had never meant anything to him. To how he was treating her like she meant nothing to him, like she didn’t even exist. And Anne swore if she could she was going to beat her brother black and blue because she was simply the best thing to ever happen to him. Ominis had sensed her getting worked up, the tension and heat in the room rising, and he had let her know that Imelda Reyes already landed a punch on Sebastian that landed him in the hospital wing with a broken nose and Gareth Weasley had accidentally spilled a potion on him that made him smell like sour milk for 2 whole weeks. That had got a chuckle out of her and Ominis promised to tell [name] that she should come visit and that was enough for Anne. 

So [Name] did just that, she and Ominis conspired with Anne and Solomon to have her go over when Sebastian wasn’t around so the girls could talk. It was during one of these visits that [Name] revealed she hadn’t stopped looking for something to help Anne, even if she couldn’t find a cure she wanted to find something that could illviate the pain and make it so Anne could return to Hogwarts. Anne was gobsmacked when she said it, not wanting her to loose herself in the dark magic the same way Sebastian had. 

That was when [name] explained to Anne that she wasn’t going anywhere near dark magic ever again, her use of it had left her scarred and broken and she was still putting herself back together with the help of her friends, and she revealed her connection to ancient magic and how she could wield it. She told her of Isidora taking the pain away from her father and how Sebastian had damn near lost her mind when she refused to do it. She explained to Anne she simply didn’t know enough, she had seen what happened to Isidora and those she claimed to help by taking away their pain and she was not prepared to take Anne out of one torment to throw her straight into another. She had to study it more and she didn’t care how long it took but she would find a way to help Anne that didn’t involve dark magic or Isidora’s method. 

[Name] always kept Anne informed of her research, telling her what she had learned and the progress she had made even if she was only half a step closer, she also told her stories of Hogwarts and the spells they were learning how the more she researched healing the more she wanted to become a healer. This continued for over a year, the two becoming best friends and sneaking around Sebastian but never mentioning him, both recognising the pain he had caused [Name], and to now. 

It was two weeks before the end of summer and [name] returning to Hogwarts for the 7th and final year. She had spent most of her summer researching and working and perfection and finally, finally she found the last bit she needed and as soon as she had confirmation from Anne that Sebastian was out of their home and would be gone for a few hours she used floo powder to travel to the Sallow home where had been pacing and re-reading for the last hour as Anne watched on amusedly, hope blooming in her chest. 

Finally [Name] folded the parchment that had been in her hand up and returned it to her pocket and faced Anne with a smile. “Are you ready?”

Anne nodded and whispered a quiet “yes” just loud enough to [Name] to hear, but it was all she needed to hear. If Anne was ready, so was she. She stood beside Anne’s bed, the point of her wand nearly touching her hair line, she spoke a soft encatation the tip of her wand glowing blue, the familiar surge of ancient magic flowing through her and making her feel feather light. 

Moving the wand slowly down Anne’s forehead a trail of light followed from the first point, she stopped at point below between Anne’s eyebrows she repeated the incantation again and another pool of light followed as she repeated the steps again moving her wand down Anne's body, stopping at her throat, the center of her chest just slightly right of her heart, at the base of her strernum, at her belly button, and finally at her feet, the trail of light following the path. 

Once she finished the last incantation, he moved her wand once again, placing it directly above Anne’s heart a repeated another incantation this one different can causing the magic to spread out around Anne until every inch of her body was covered in the brilliant blue of ancient magic. The tip of [Name]’s wand dug into the soft flesh of Anne’s chest, not hard enough to cause pain but enough for it to be felt and for her to control the magic working its way through Anne’s body with a lot more precision and she closed her eyes. 

It was an intense feeling, being able to move and see the magic rolling  through someone's body. Being able to locate the curse that had buried itself deep inside Anne. She found it quite quickly, seeing it as dark, throned vines that had twisted itself around Anne’s nervous system and rooted right in her heart. Slowly, [Name] started untangling the vines using her magic to weaken their grip on Anne’s body, pulling them away and covering them in the light of ancient magic causing them to wither and wilt away, she started with the vines twisted around ther nerves slowly killing them all before moving on to the organs and then the muscles and finally to the root of the dark magic lodged inside her heart. This one was a little trickier and required a lot more care and patience, slowly she pulled at the roots, pulling them out one by one and killing them until only one remained and then until none remained. 

Slowly, she opened her eyes and and removed her wand from Anne’s chest, the light at the end extinguishing as the ancient magic around Anne faded. The golden light that had been shining in the room previously had gone, now the room was illuminated in a silver hue the full moon outside the window shining on the two girls and providing the only light in the room. 

“How do you feel?” [Name]’s voice was soft, exhaustion making its home in her body as her muscles started to feel heavy and her brain started to fog. She knew the magic would take it out of her, knew it would leave her exhausted but she wouldn’t let Anne see that, she would only worry [Name] had done too much at once and fuss over her. 

“I feel… good.” Anne smiled, the pain she usually felt gone, the tension in her muscles easing. Breathing was easier and her chest felt light for the first time in years, she took a deep breath and reveled in the fact that it didn’t hurt. A smile quickly came to her lips as she sat herself up, back leaning against the headboard, tears pricked at her eyes as the joy took over and she couldn’t help but let a few slips past and a joyous laugh feel from her lips. [Name] started tearing up as well, reaching out to take Anne’s hand as she mumbled out ‘thank yous’ between the tears. 

“What are you doing here?” An angry voice cuts through the sobs of Anne and causes both girls to whip their head to the door to see Sebastian standing here his face red and nostrils flared as he glared directly at [Name]. The girls eyes widened as she stood in shock, she knew there was always a risk he would come home but she thought she had enough time to leave before he did but the spell must have took much longer than she thought. She wanted to apperate out there and then, to disappear and not face the angry face of the boy she still cared so deeply for despite everything. Beside him Ominis stood, his hand outstretched across Sebastians chest to stop him from charging forward. 

“Sebastian…” Ominis’ voice was a stern. It was a warning to his friend not to do anything stupid or in anger. Sebastian simply growled in response placing his hand on Ominis’ and pushing his friends hand away as he stalked towards [Name].He was taller than her now, she remember being able to look him in his eyes in 5th year but he had shot up in 6th year and now he towered over her, eyes cold and harsh as he glared. 

“What.are.you.doing.here?” His voice was harsher than his glare, the sound of it actually struck fear into [Name]’s heart as she strugged to come up with a response. The exhaustion had fully sank in now, her muscles were giving in on her and she could feel her legs shaking, barely holding her weight up and her head felt like it had been submerged underwater and everything seemed so far away and so close all at once. Her chest constricted, breathing hard to do as every breath felt like a sharp pain. Her body was starting to shut down, she needed to rest and if she didn’t leave soon she was going to collapse. 

Anne’s hand left hers and instead grabbed Sebastians, drawing his gaze away from [Name] just in time as she tumbled slightly backwards. Anne saw it happened from her periphery, the way [Name] was struggling to standing and seemed to sway from side to side, but she knew she needed to calm Sebastian down before she could help her friend.Sebastian’s glare softened slightly when he turned to his sister and the hand she wasn’t holding closed over the top of hers in comfort. “Sebastian, she was helping me. She found a cure.”

Sebastians eyes widened at her words, the harshness melting away and making room for shock instead as his eyes darted between Anne and [Name]. “What?” His words caught in his throat,a lump forming and stopping any more words from coming out as he eyed his sister up and down and reached out to cup her cheek and rub it gently with his thumb. Anne nodded her head as a confirmation that it was true, “I’m cured Sebastian.” 

That was the last thing [Name] heard before she hit the floor, the exhaustion finally taking over her body and rendering her unconscious. Ominis jumped at the sound, eyes immediately landing on the spot where [Name] had fallen, his hand was in his hand leading him to hear before Sebastian could even mutter a word or get close to her. His hands were gentle as he felt for her arm, fingers moving slowly down until he reached her wrist he pressed into it gently a relieved sigh leaving his lips as he felt the her pulse. “Sebastian, go get Solomon.” 

Sebastian nodded and released Anne’s hand and face, rushing down to get his uncle. Anne slowly moved from her place on the bed, so used to being careful with her body to join Ominis on the floor and placing [Name]’s head in her lap as she ran a hand through her hair gently and placed her forehead against hers as a silent thank you for what she had done through she knew [Name] couldn’t feel it. Sebastian and Solomon quickly returned, Solomon’s shock of seeing Anne up and not in pain quickly being replaced with mild panic at the sight of the unconscious witch in her lab. 

“We need to get her to a healer, now”. 

༺═────────────═༻

When [Name] awoke she was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, Matron Blainey standing over her with wand in hand as she did some basic checks on her body. “Ah, look who’s awake” 

“Matron Blainey? How did I get here?” Confusion clouded [Name]’s mind, the last thing she remembered was Sebastian towering over her, his icy glare piercing through her entire body. It hurt to try and remember anything else, she tried to sit up but Matron Blainey placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head gently.

“You’re exhausted dear, you’ve been unconscious for two days. Solomon Sallow brought you in alongside a very healthy looking Anne Sallow who explained you had used ancient magic to cure her.” [Name] lay back down, head hiting the pillow with a soft ‘thump’ as she out an exacerbated sigh, she hated being confined to a bed and not being able to move. More than that she wanted to see Anne and make sure she was still okay. Matron Blainey placed a hand atop her forehead as she continued speaking, “the magic you used exhausted you and caused you to collapse in the middle of Anne’s bedroom. Solomon tried to find a healer in Feldcroft but they were of gathering supplies and so he apperated you here, he was just lucky I was doing some final checks before the new school year started” 

[Name] nodded her head gently, the movement causing immense pain in her head as her body finally registered the aches flowing through it, including the migraine that was now blaring right behind her head. “And Anne?” Matron Blainey took out a wiggenweld potion and gently had [Name] drink it, “For the pain” 

She capped the empty potion bottle before turning back to the station beside the bed and lifting a hot towel and laying it gently against [Name]’s head. “She’s good, I checked her over myself and she seems to be in tip-top shape thanks to you. In fact I believe they are currently speaking to Professor Black about her returning to Hogwarts after the summer.” A smile broke out onto [Name]’s lips which Matron Blainey returned, “Now rest. Your parents have been informed of what has happened but I want to keep you here for observation for a bit longer”

Relief filled [Name]’s body, it had worked and Anne was okay with that, she closed her eyes and feel into a deep slumber. 

༺═────────────═༻

[Name] spent 3 more days in the hospital wing, most of it she spent sleeping and recovering under the careful eye of Matron Blainey who informed she had quite a few visitors, Anne for one was coming almost daily alongside Ominis and they spoke to her as she slept. Talking about how excited Anne was to get back to Hogwarts and how she would have extra assignments to do to catch up, she might have to do an extra year to complete bother her O.W.L.S and her N.E.W.T.S but she didn’t mind as long as she was back. Matron Blainey told her Ominis usually just watched Anne talk but joined in occasionally mostly just to vent about his summer had been terrible with his family and catching up with Anne. She had also said Solomon had visited a few times and when asked about the flower at her bedside, the matron had informed her that Sebastian had left them it was beautiful bouquet of blue hyacinths and daffodils. 

[Name] was shocked Sebastian had came, he hadn’t spoke to her in over a year and a half and openly spoke bad about her to friends, berating her and undermining her skills and efforts and yet here he was visiting her and leaving flowers. When Matron Blainey commented on the blue hyacinths and daffodils being an unusual combination, [Name] had simply replied, “In the language of flowers, blue hyacinths are a symbol of remorse and sincerity and daffodils mean forgiveness and hope” 

The flower choice was deliberated, Sebastian knew [Name] had a small fascination with the language of flowers and had spent time in her 6th year learning it with Professor Garlick, she assumed he had gone to either her or Ominis for advice on the flowers to use. But she appreciated the sentiment all the same. Matron Blainey had simply nodded her head and commented that he must be trying to apologise for something incredibly bad if he was going to such length. Though she didn’t verbalise it, [Name] definitely thought ‘you can say that again’. 

After the 3rd day in the Hostpial Wing, [Name] was allowed to return home and get ready for the upcoming school year, it was only a week and a half away after all. Her parents fussed over her a little, making sure she was okay before scolding her softly for beingso reckless with such a powerful spell and then they told her how proud they were of her for what she did. 

The week and a half leading up to school was uneventful, she got owls from Imelda, Poppy, Garteth and Anne about the upcoming year and she answered them all as quickly as she could. She was excited to start the new year, learning new spells and polishing up all her other spells and skills but yet one thing niggled in the back of her mind, a constant thought that never seemed to disappear no matter how hard she tried to push it away. That thought was simply Sebastian Sallow. 

She didn’t know what to think, didn’t know what to do about the curly haired boy. She had loved him since 5th year, even after he called her ignorant and began ignoring her. Began speaking bad of her to anyone who would listen, he had broke her with that. She thought he had cared about it, at one point thought he loved her like she loved him but that didn’t seem to be the case. And then he goes and sends her a bouquet of forgiveness and turned her mind upside down once again with thoughts of him. Whatever thoughts she had of him and wanting to forgive him though were pushed to the side, she had spoke to Imelda and Poppy in her letters about what happened and they both had the same sentiment that flowers were not enough and an apology and they would want more, well Imelda would want him to beg for forgiveness while Poppy would want more of a show of remorse and though she might not agree with how they want the forgiveness to be asked for, she agreed he need to earn her forgiveness and the flowers were simply not enough for him breaking her heart. So as she boarded the Hogwarts express, she pushed all thoughts of him to the side and joined her friends in a carriage to have a proper catch up of what they did over the summer. 

༺═────────────═༻

It was two weeks into the new term and Sebastian still hadn’t made a move to properly apologise to [Name], instead he just stared longingly at her across the tables in the Great Hall and in classes watching as she laughed and smiled with her other friends, with Gareth Weasley. The sight of the red-head making her laugh filled him with jealousy, jealousy that was undeserved mind you and he knew it. He knew he had no right to be jealous,[Name]  wast his and she never was  no matter how much his heart called out to her . He was the one that pushed her away, he was the one who couldn’t see past his anger and his stubbornness to see she was only trying to help and by the time that word got to him that it was Rockwood who had cursed Anne and not goblins it was too late, the damage was already done. He didn’t think there was anything he could say now that could make her forgive him, even if Matron Blainey had told him she adored the flowers and took them home with her, somewhere deep in his mind told him she would never forgive him and that part of him always won over the side that told him to at least try. 

A ‘smack’ to the back of his head brought him out of reprieve and he turns to his sister in shock, eyes wide and a look of ‘what the fuck was that for’ flitted accross his face. Anne simply huffed and crossed her arms over her chest and she stared at her brother incredously, “You can’t be serious?”  

The look of shock turned to a questioning one as he looked at his sister, “What?” Beside Anne, sat Ominis who rolled his eyes at his friends denseness, the action was almost in synch with Anne’s as she face palmed and rolled her own eyes. “You are such a dumb ass Sebastian Sallow”

“What for?” Sebastian knew he did a lot of stupid things, a lot, but he genuinely did not know what his sister was talking about until she motioned towards [Name] and raised an eyebrow, “You still haven’t talked to her?”

Anne knew he hadn’t, [Name] had told her as much the night before as she, [Name], and Imelda sat in around the fire in their dorm rooms gossipping. Imelda made a comment about how he didn’t deserve forgiveness anyway which caused the other two girls to roll their eyes, Anne knew where Imelda was coming from. She knew [Name] didn’t solely rely on her for female friendship and Sebsatian was her brother so she didn’t want to bring her problems about him to Anne and Imedla had stayed up many nights holding a crying [Name] in her arms as she got through the heartbreak that was loosing Sebastian Sallow, she was the one who helped her pick up the pieces of her broken heart and slowly glue it back together. 

But Anne knew her brother, knew he wanted to apologise. Wanted to fix things. He was just stupid and stubborn and an absolute fool when it came to manners of the heart. Sebastian cast his eyes down to his hands, fingers fiddling together as he avoided Anne’s intense gaze and shook his head. It was strange to see him so demure, so shy, he was usually so confident about everything. Thats when Anne knew he didn’t know what to do. 

She let out a sigh and dropped her hand to his, prompting him to look up at her through his eye lashes, “Just tell her how you feel Sebastian before you loose your chance.” As she said that, his eyes looked up at your again just in time to see Gareth tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and subtly glance down at your lips as if he wanted to kiss you. A pit formed in Sebastians stomach, the jealousy now turning into something tangible and real and dangerous, he couldn’t loose you. Not to Weasley, not to anybody. He stood from his spot at the table quickly, and abruptly stormed out of the room the dramatics of his actions drawing attention from the other slytherins near him. 

“What’s gotten into him?” Imelda asked as she eyed his back, Ominis’ simple response was “he finally grew a pair” causing a chuckle to leave the mouths of the surrounding slytherins, including Anne. 

༺═────────────═༻

A haggard sigh slips through [Name]’s slips as she walked into her dorm room, the light of the lanterns illuminating the space in such a way it feels homely and welcoming, it's a comfort of a home away from home to come back to at thend of a long school day, Imelda sits on her bed, booked surrounding her as she studies and scribbles away on her parchment. It seemed the only time the quidditch captain and prefect had to study as in the early morning dawn before the sun even kissed the sky before quidditch practive  and at dusk as the moons silvery moon starts to illuminate the black lake in an etheral light before she has to attend her prefect duties. She glances up at [Name] briefly offering a small smile and pointing to the other girls bed with her head, “There’s something on your bed”

Confused, [Name] turns towards her bed and walks towards it cautiously afraid one of the other slytherins had got the wrong idea and thought she was an easy target for a prank. Instead of an ill-fated prank on her bed there is a bouquet of flowers, a plain velvet box and a note. Her fingers trail over the bouqert gently, this one is fuller than the one at the hospital wing full of wisteria (her favourite flower), carnations, and tulips. She smiles gently and lifts the bouquet, taking a smell of the flowers and letting out a content smile. The flowers were symbolic once again, wisteria is associated with long life and love, carnations meant deep affectionate love, and the red tuplips were usually conveyed that a person was your one true love. 

Conjuring a vase, she places the flowers inside them as her heart hammers inside her chest, feelings she thought long forgotten bubbling to the surface as she turns back to her bed and lifts the velvet box and opens it. She gasps gently as she pulls out a gold chain with a beautiful moissante heart, she turns it over in her hands admiring the beauty and craftsmanship of the piece and an inscription catches her eye, ‘tuum in aeternum’, her heart beat quickens once again as her latin lessons finally come in handy as she quickly translates the phrase in her mind to ‘yours forever’. 

Tears start forming in her eyes as she places the necklace back in its box and slips it into her pocket before reaching for the note, its simple and reads ‘im sorry. Please meet me in the undercroft tonight at 12 - S.S’. She lets out a shuttering breath and blinks the tears back, she didn’t know what to expect if she went. Didn’t know how she would react to him. To speaking to him again, with the way her heart was beating and how touch she was at the gifts he gave her she didn’t know if she could stop herself from immediately throwing herself into his arms. 

Imelda’s voice pulls her out of her rolling thoughts, “Who’s it from?”

Clearing her throat, she turns to Imelda and looks back down at the card her voice coming out as barely a whisper, “Sebastian…” Imelda doesn’t ask for more information, she knows she doesn’t have to instead she just raises and eyebrow and waits for her friend to continue, “He wants to meet tonight at 12.”

At this Imelda rolls her eyes and placed her quill down, she was going to chastise her friend for breaking curfew and going back to Sebastian when he didn’t deserve it but the look on [Name]’s face as she stared at the small piece of paper has her biting her tongue. She see’s the hope in her eyes that this might be their chance at reconciliation, that they could make up and she sees the love there as well. The love her friend had pushed so far down inside of her Imelda worried she had stopped herself from feeling the motion ever again and she lets out a sigh. “Let me know what corridor you need clear and I’ll keep the other prefects away”

༺═────────────═༻

[Name] would have to thank Imelda a million times over for this, she knew her friend didn’t hold Sebastian in high regard after everything that had happened in 5th year and she still held the memory of Imelda turning round and socking him right in the nose when she heard him speak badly of [Name] for the first time. It shows that Imelda cared, despite how prickly she could be. As Imelda promised, the corridor leading to the UnderCroft was clear, giving her a clear path without the risk of any prefect seeing through her disillusionment charm. Standing before the entryway to the UnderCroft [Name] takes a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves bundling up inside of her and turning her stomach into knots. 

After removing her disillusionment charm, she  takes a few before she feels fully confident in going down and as she descends her hands roughly card through her hair and they start picking at the skin around her nails in nervousness. They let out another shuddering breath as the doors open to the UnderCroft, their heart feels like it's about to beat out of their chest as they take the first step out and the knots in their stomach seems to deepen to the point that they feel nauseous and that feeling only intensifies when she see’s Sebastian leaning against on the pillars with his arms crossed over his chest and his head facing the ceiling, eyes closed in contemplation. 

He looked so handsome, he had always been handsome but something about him was different. She realised she hand’t really looked at him since that day in 5th year, after all she had been avoiding him, but his jawline had gotten sharper and there was an air of maturity around him that she hadn’t seen before. She knew he was taller, he had towered over her in the Sallow home in Feldrcoft after all, but he was broader too. He had well and truly grown into himself and he was so devestaingly handsome it almost killed her. 

His eyes opened and his head snapped towards her, his gaze was piercing but not the way it was in his home. Then it was full of anger and it had scared it. This time, it was different. It was as if he was looking right through her, like he was staring straight into her very being and could see how nervous she was. His eyes also held something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on but it was gentle and kind and as his gaze went over her entire body she felt like she was being draped in warmth and comfort, the same kind of feeling she got on a stormy day and she wrapped herself up in blankets with hot chocolate and a good book. 

She takes a step closer to him and he does the same, they stay silent as their eyes take each other in fully for the first time in a year and a half. Sebastian wasn’t the only one who changed, she had too. She had changed her hair style, courtesy of Poppy’s advise, and it shaped her face beautiful and accentuated her features, the shape of her eyes, the slope of nose, the plumpness of her lips and he wanted to reach out and kiss her. And though she didn’t grow quite as tall as he did, she had grown some and with that growth came other changes that he would be ashamed to admit he noticed, the plumpness of her hips and thighs, it made her hip dips more noticeable and made her look even more beautiful. 

He would never admit it to anyone, he barely admitted it to himself but he had spent many nights dreaming of how her body would feel in his hands, her silk skin against his and her bare thighs pressing against his, her bare chest pressing against his. He had spent many sleepless nights fantasising about having her because he believed it would never really happen. 

They take a few more steps towards each other until their standing toe to toe, they stand in silence for a bit the only sound being their breathing and they don’t move, they simply bask in each others presence. Sebastian is the first to move, he takes one of her hands in her own and presses a gentle kiss to knuckles before muttering “You’re absolutely beautiful.” 

Blush quickly seeps over [Name]’s face, dusting her cheeks rosy pink, “And I am an absolute fool.” His other hand comes up to cup at her cheek and he rubs gentle circles into the apple of hit as he continues, “I couldn’t bear the thought of loosing you to goblins. Of falling into their schemes and traps I thought you were abandoning me for them, I thought you had given up on me.” 

A sad smile form on [Name]’s face as she reached her own hand up to cup the one Sebastian has on her cheek, “I never would have abandoned you Sebastian”

“I know. But I’m stubborn and hardheaded and a complete and utter asshole.I felt betrayed and I was hurt and angry and I thought by hurting you I would hurt less. I thought if I could convince you to hate me it would be easier for me to hate you for betraying me. But it wasn’t.”

He lets out a shuttering breath, his words soft as he speaks them. Almost as if someone else will here them and his words are only means for you, “It was the hardest damn thing I ever had to do. Acting like I hate you. Like I hated the ground your walked one, when in actuality I wanted to worship it. I wanted to worship you.” 

[Name] turns her head slightly and kisses the palm of the hand holding her cheek, urgin him to continue, “You are simply amazing, a powerful witch in your own right who could kick my ass in a duel anytime. But you are also sweet, and kind and compassionate, you are the most courageous peson I know and you protect and care for those you love. You are better than I am in every way and I am so undeserving of you and your love. But I love you, I love you so much that it hurts. I have loved you since your first day in Defense Against the Dark Arts when you kicked my ass in your first every duel, that was the day I gladly ripped my heart and placed it in your hands for safekeeping and I thank Merlin every second of every minute of every hour or day that you decided not to crush it. My heart is and always be your eternally”

“Tuum in aeternum” [Name]’s whisper is soft and finally she recognises the look in his eyes, the one that felt like warmth and comfor and home, it was love. Sebastian always kept a mask on, acting cool and collected and calm, his true emotions rarely shining through his carefully built facade to keep people from getting too close, but for her, for her, he dropped the mask and his walls he had built to keep his emotions to himself were crumbling before her very eyes. 

His eyes brightened at the recognition of the phrase and he can’t stop his excitement seeping through, “You got the necklace?”

[Name] nodded her head and pulled the velvet box from her pocket and opened it, the moissonite twinkling below the torches in the UnderCroft. “I did. Will you help me put it on?” He quickly nods and she hands him the box as she turns and pulls her hair out of the way, his hands are gentle as he places the necklac against her chests and clasps it at the back of her neck. She turns back to him and cups his face gently in her hands. 

“Despite everything, despite the pain you put me through this past year and a half, I still and always will love you Sebastian Sallow. My heart has been yours since you took the fall for me with Scribner. I have seen the dark sides of you but I have also seen the light.I have seen the kind and caring person you are, how much you love and care for Anne and Ominis and how you would burn the world down to protect them. You are not wholly bad Sebastian, you are good too and you are deserving of love and more. I am still hurting from what you did to me, but I forgive you”

Shock covers his features and Sebastian is quick to wrap [Name] in a tight embrace,pulling her close against his chest and leaning his head into her shoulder, “I will spend every minute of every day making it up to you, I promise you that.”

Sebastian pulls away from the hug and quickly ducks down to place a chaste kiss on [Name]’s lips, testing the waters for how far he can go. He goes to pull back but she is wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back for more, their lips crash together in a passionate kiss and as they pull apart again they both whisper the same words “Tuum in aeternum”, their solemn vow to one another to love each other, eternally.

[arthenaa]

a daffodil's camellia— ominis x gn!reader

summary: you think your purpose has always been to love him.

warnings: angst/no comfort, arranged marriage, indirect exclusion, HEARTACHE, unrequited love, reader is kinda a pushover but its bc of generational trauma guys !!! imelda is a great friend, the imelda bias here is unreal so sorry im just projecting, ableism behavior guys bc these mfs are too privileged, i am fr trying to break ur heart ig. NOT PROOFREAD im lazy.

note: HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!! i slept on this mb,,,,, the angst ominis fic that i talked abt last time but didn't upload until now .... oc cameo from @localravenclaw and @esolean !! (Ren and Lydia) hope u guys enjoy this! anys have fun reading

All your life, you think that this was what you’ve been born to do.

It’s engraved in years of tradition and history, a role you had to partake in the moment you came out of the womb. It was predetermined that your fate would end up in this situation.

Purity was an important factor for the historical families of the Wizarding world. Those who had come down from powerful bloodlines consider the tradition of keeping the family pure a sacred tradition of their power and authority over society.

A pedestal created from years and years of bloodshed to hone the perfection of wizardry and magic today. You suppose it was only an act of gratitude to be part of a long-lasting dynasty that preserved the sacred power of your ancestors. You know it’s an honor to be tasked with this role—to be given the duty of creating more branches for future generations.

You should know because this was what you were born to do.

Born and raised to be a bridge for other Pureblood families to lengthen their authority and claim over their self-built thrones. They say it’s a privilege—to be part of a family descended from the Great Four or just have connections with them through their ancestors’ relationships.

To be pure is to be great.

To be pure is to live a life filled with luxuries.

Opportunities are immediately given with just a snap of their fingers. Their authority precedes those whose blood is stained with the lesser. You’d think living a life of a pureblood would just entail all roses and gold.

Y/N would beg to differ.

“Keep your head bowed and hands on your lap,” Your mother’s voice is ever so cold. The carriage rustles with each bump against rocky terrain. You suppose it's about time you've gotten used to her tone but the booming surprise of her voice has a way of sinking its claws deep within your small heart. As a child, obedience was the foremost value you learned to be of importance. You knew that if you flick your head slightly off angle to your usual disposition due to an interest in your surroundings or the people around you, you would only get the receiving end of your mother’s wand. You knew that you'll be locked down in that dreaded abyss if your bow stuttered due to a misplacement of your foot in front of other pureblood families.

At a young age, you knew enough to not make a mistake.

Born third to the Rosier family's eldest son, you knew that your duty was to form connections—Marry off into other pureblood families and create the next generation of talented pureblood wizards. Wizards have the natural right to take what’s theirs because of their authority over society. A vision that threatens those beneath them.

So you keep your head bowed and palms tucked nicely on your lap with one palm over the other. Your mother is a cold and moving force beside you as you tried to match her pace despite your small little legs. At the age of 7, you are brought by your mother for marriage negotiations.

“Your husband will be an esteemed member of the Gaunts,” You remember your father declaring over tea. He sits menacingly in the front of the table, the glow of the flames behind him making his figure all the more unreachable. You know to only nod and not question any further. He makes a point by knocking on the wooden surface of the long dinner table that seems to stretch farther with each day. You wonder if the spaces beside you will ever be filled. You turn to him at the beckoning of your attention. “You listen carefully to your future husband, child. I cannot afford another failure.”

His words engrave deeply within your poor meek heart. You know that if you deny it, you’ll suffer the same fate that of your older sister—the one who tried to get a glimpse of the love and normalcy she desperately wanted yet ended with a tragedy.

You remembered that day in such vivid detail—the cold looks of your parents as they looked down at the state of their eldest daughter, who bawls and claws at any sort of reaction from the still and lifeless figure of her former lover.

So just like the obedient perfect child that you are, you nod and bow—subservient to the influences of those who claim to be wiser than you. You can only do so much to control your faith so alas, you let go and let the others hold the reigns.

That is until you meet him.

You were faintly aware of what he looked like. A boy with eyes as bright as the clouds, hair so smooth—so blonde that it gleams perfectly in the sunlight, and moles that litter his face, mimicking the night sky. These were murmurs of him from the servants in the halls of your manor. They say his beauty is compared to that of Rowena Ravenclaw and his demeanor spoke true as a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. However, there were also whispers of his only flaw.

“They say the young lord does not see.”

You wondered before how true the nature of the gossip of the young lord was when you took your first step inside the Gaunt estate, but now, as you stand before him who seems detached from the world with his eyes as dull as the morning sky on a rainy day, you suddenly make a conclusive remark about him.

He was truly a sight to behold.

“This is the young Lord, Ominis Gaunt," His mother declares proudly from her place, chest puffed and earrings dangling from the heaviness of the jewels that clung tightly to their placements. His father stands idly and lets his wife do all the matching. Your mother only smiles, placing a firm hand on your back—reminding you of your duty.

You bow with the elegance that of a noble—A move you’ve honed to perfection from years and years of teaching and practice. You rise back up with the same pace, eyes peering up at him from your lashes. He only seems to daze off into the distance.

“This is Lady Y/N Rosier. We’ll serve you well.”

The silence is unbearable.

You think that maybe after the taxing interaction with the grown-ups and being able to interact alone with the young lord would allow you to finally discover his true personality.

That, however, continues to be a difficulty.

"Do you like fencing, my lord?" You ask, trying to break the ice as you sit across from him in one of the receiving rooms of the Gaunt's huge manor. "Or perhaps history?"

"Stop asking." He replies curtly, stance devoid of interest. You continue to dig deep into that shell of his, hoping that your incessant need to make conversation would crumble the defensive walls he put up.

"I hear you're quite skilled in astronomy, my lord—"

"Don't call me that."

"What do I call you then?" You perk up, cheeks gleaming with a smile. The furrowing of his eyebrows only digs deeper.

"It appears that I am an avid fan of silence. I suggest not speaking at all," For a 7-year-old, his voice is cold and authoritative. You suppose it's because of his closeness to the Great Four that he is granted with such ability to freely talk however he wants. Your eyes glimmer in awe.

"I just want to get to know my future husband," You retort, trying to make sense of your fiance. You pout like a child, feet swinging back and forth—allowing yourself a moment of reprieve from the stiffness of tradition. "Mother says it's customary for us to be familiar with one another at a young age to establish proper connec—"

His hands slam hard at the wooden surface of the table in front of you. You flinch, a bit surprised by his sudden show of strength. You admit that maybe you've gone a bit too far with the questioning, but it was all for a good purpose anyway! You two are to be one in due time. So, what was so wrong about getting to know him?

You wonder if you'll ever be like him someday. To carry himself in such a stance that he doesn't need to nod or bow to anyone. He tilts his head in the direction of your voice, face contorted into a glare.

"I'll be on my way," He murmurs, voice calm, and yet his disposition evokes anger and frustration. You watch him with bated breath as he walks towards the double doors, the servants bowing and opening it for him with ease.

You know that this should be the final nail in the coffin. To detest the boy you'll soon marry as he turns into a man whose values and inhibitions clung onto him like a wolf who won't release it's jaws onto prey. You know and yet your fingers crumple the fabric of your skirt, eyes looking forward to your next meeting.

The next time you meet him is over tea. It was the turn of the Gaunts to visit your manor as dictated by the tradition of courting within noble houses. You've practiced this scenario over and over. Countless of times alone, with your governess, and with your mother. It's engraved within the depths of your mind as the wounds of the past sting with each sip of your drink.

Act like a noble. Drink like a high-born. Be a pureblood.

The thoughts ring harshly with each thump of your beating heart. Your fingers twitch, and your form stiffens—all for the sake of tradition. The words branding the forefront of your mind as you feel the intensity of your mother's gaze.

I have to do good. I need to do good.

"Your estate is a wonderful place, Lady Rosier," The Gaunt Matriarch addresses your mother with an esteemed elegance—to which your mother only responds with a courteous smile, a part of her façade.

Your mother never liked purebloods but she respected tradition. She smiles and bows in front of her peers but mocks and beseeches them in the comfort of her room.

You don't understand your mother but as a young child, validation from her was the only thing you ever wanted.

And so you try.

"It's all due to our ancestors' hard work in keeping the Rosier history alive through the manor's architecture," You respond, lips contorted into a gentle smile. The Gaunts seem impressed by your interest in the conversation and from the corner of your eye, you see your mother shift in her seat.

"I see," Lord Gaunt eyes you with a glint of interest in his eye, and he shifts his attention to your parents. "Lord and Lady Rosier, you've raised a daughter worthy of her blood. I applaud you."

Your mother smiles and for the first time, you feel your heart thump at the recognition of doing good. She then responds, "As they should be. It is their role to be worthy and I'm sure she'll be a wonderful spouse to the young master."

Your attention then shifts to the quiet blonde sitting idly in his seat. His face is stone cold, eyes dull, and fists clenching the material of his seat so hard it turns white.

Anger was the first emotion you've seen on Ominis's face.

You wonder if you'll get to see more.

"Aren't you excited?"

You squeal, influenced by the utter joy of finally attending school. It's your first year.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where most wizarding families are built and made from. Many of your relatives built their name from their experiences as a student in Hogwarts—after all it was in your blood to be ambitious. To dream of the impossible and achieve it by any means. That's why your family house dons the colors of green and silver—a direct allegiance to the house of Slytherin, that of which many of your blood relatives reside during their time as a student.

While being excited about Hogwarts was already a given factor as a child of magic, there's also one thing you're most excited about.

"Stop bouncing about, Y/N," Ominis grumbled as he heaved his bag over his shoulder. "We still have to find our damn car."

Your relationship with Ominis did progress in some ways. He's less grouchy now and tolerates your personality enough to let you stay by his side. You've gotten used to its indifference but you think that it's good progress with how he talks more with you albeit still with glares and a cold demeanor.

He pays you no mind as he traverses through the narrow pathway of the train with the guide of his wand. You follow closely behind, hands carrying your suitcase as Ominis guides you to your assigned car.

"I can't help it, I'm literally bursting with energy," You whine as Ominis finally reaches your destination, slides the door open, and places his things inside. He plops down to the farthest corner and leans back to rest. You immediately claim the seat next to him to which he grumbles.

"There's plenty of seats for you to take," He scowls, gesturing to the empty seats in front of you both. You only giggle as you snuggle up next to him.

"Oh don't be such a stone-faced troll, Ominis!" You whine, slapping his arm. He tenses with anger at the gesture. "It's natural for me as your fiancée to be as close to you as possible."

"Stop calling yourself that," His eyebrows furrow in annoyance, jaw clenching in anger. You roll your eyes, not minding his hostility.

"But I am though?"

"I swear to Merlin's name and everything he holds dear, if you don't—"

The slide of the door halts your conversation as your eyes and his head flick toward the sudden disturbance. Two brunettes pop in, one seemingly looking like a direct copy of the other. They blink, eyebrows raised as they stare at the two of you.

"116?" The boy asks with an awkward smile. "Are we interrupting something?"

You pull yourself slowly from Ominis's space at the prospect of new friendships. You smile. "No worries, just a lovers' quarrel. I assume you're the ones we'll share the car with?"

"There is no lovers' quarrel." Ominis firmly states. The two purse their lips in slight hesitance. "Please, do join us though. Merlin knows I need it."

The two then make their way to sit in the remaining two empty seats, placing their luggage in the compartment under. You smile as they settle down in their seats, bright smiles plastered on their faces.

"Right," The boy starts. "Uh, I'm Sebastian Sallow and this is my sister, Anne. It's nice to meet you both."

You nod excitedly at the introduction, delighted to make friends at the present opportunity.

"I'm Y/N Rosier," You respond. You then gesture to the blonde next to you. "And this is Ominis Gaunt, my fian—"

"Friend." Ominis cuts through, overpowering your voice. You turn to him with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. "They mean friend."

The twins glanced at the two of you, puzzled by the shifting of the balance in your dynamics. Anne breaks the silence.

"Well, we'll be spending quite a long while here, I hope to make your acquaintance," The Sallow girl beams. Sebastian nods at his sister's words while Ominis responds with a hum of agreement.

There's not much to say when the group falls into silence once more. The four of you were strangers after all, still not used to the presence of someone new but the feeling is welcomed.

Your eyes glance at Ominis who seems to have been resting his eyes, leaning his head against the wall—waiting for the train to begin its course. The corner of your lips curl up at his iridescent beauty.

The train sounds its whistle beginning your journey.

"Are you dumb?"

Imelda blatantly states as she stares at you with disinterest in her eyes. She takes a bite of her apple. "Or just purely ignorant of what's actually happening?"

On your 3rd year at Hogwarts, you somehow get grounded to reality through the presence of Imelda Reyes.

You suppose it's all in due time that you'd be awakened from the trauma-inducing nightmare of tradition and sacred rules of your family. The need to fulfill your role. To give Ominis a home he needs, a family he wants, and a lover he deserves. You suppose that your role overshadowed your judgment of his character and behavior.

You had gotten used to it. To his blatant ignorance of your efforts, the glares, sarcastic comments, seething scoffs, or the fact that sometimes, he doesn't see you at all.

He's always like this, you think. You were never bothered by his indifference. You believed that you could love him enough for the both of you.

You were stupidly wrong about that too.

Sebastian and Anne are terrific company. After being acquainted in your first year, your little group had been formed then and there. The two of them stayed for the past 2 years and you were truly grateful for them. However, the twins were mostly close to Ominis. You didn't mind the gaps between you and the siblings seeing as you prioritized your relationship with Ominis more than anything.

You never really considered it to be a bad thing.

That is until Imelda begins to scratch at the surface of your finely built walls.

You purse your lips, minding your own business as you continue to sew a new stitch into the stretched fabric. You were unfortunate enough to share the dorm room with Imelda and while you enjoyed the rambunctious' Slytherin Quidditch Captain's companionship, this was certainly not something you'd rather talk with her. Everything was fine and there was no need to nitpick at every detail.

Your needle pokes through the hole, goes in, then out—thread sliding swiftly in the path you've carved out for it.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Imelda," You try to deflect her inquisitive nature. She rolls her eyes.

"It's just–" She pauses to readjust her position, leaning forward to rest her arms on her knees—she eyes you with keen interest. "I'm truly amazed how you've gone 3 years with him."

You glance up at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Stop speaking ill of Ominis."

Imelda lets out a loud laugh at your response. "And you even dare to defend him? Are you sure you're not dumb?"

You forcefully drop your sewing tools on your lap as you heave a sigh at her words. You turn to face her fully. "What do you want?"

"Why stay?" She responds, direct. She takes another bite of the apple.

There's a momentary pause of silence as the question rings in your mind. You had half a mind to just drop the conversation and leave but some part of you somehow wanted to defend yourself.

"He's just Ominis. He's always been like that," You respond, chest puffed in self-proclaimed confidence. "We grew up together. We're promised for each other. That's all I need—"

A sudden burst of laughter from Imelda catches you off guard. You flinch in surprise as you watch the brunette Slytherin double down in laughter. Somehow, the clawing feeling inside you becomes more prominent with each giggle and huff from the woman's lips. Your nail begins to scratch at the skin of your thumb.

"H-Holy shit," Imelda sighs in laughter, brushing off a stray tear. She giggles a few more times before finally settling down with a smile. "You're worse than I thought."

She tilts her head with a condescending look on her face.

"Have you ever seen him with the twins? Alone?" She asks. That sets off wave after wave of uncomfortable thumping within your chest. You let out a shaky breath. "I suppose you don't because you're always so focused on your dearest fiance—Actually, y'know! If you just tried to properly look at him. Maybe, just maybe, you'd finally get a grasp of yourself."

Your jaw clenches and palms sweat.

"Stop it." You try to get a hold of yourself. To take control of the situation and get a grip on your thoughts that seem to get more and more chaotic as time passes. However, despite your tries, Imelda overpowers you once more.

"Y/N," She leans forward to rest her arms on the wooden surface of the table. "Maybe, you don't know much about him at all."

Your eyes are locked on hers at the prompt of her words. You can't bring yourself to deny despite the flurry of emotions bursting within you. She tilts her head and gives you a sympathetic look.

You walked out with no response.

On your 5th year, the presence of a new student shook the halls of Hogwarts.

It was uncommon, of course, that a wizard would get admitted at such a late year and while the idea of a new 5th year would turn a few heads in curiosity, this was not the only source of attention.

Over the course of the first few days back to school, you hear talks of the new 5th year's incredible feats of surviving against a dragon attack. There were exaggerations, of course, and different variants of the story with how widespread the gossip had reached, but it all reached the same conclusion at the end.

This new girl had already made her mark as a formidable wizard.

You admired her at first, wanting to know how she did it and what brought on such circumstances. However, there was a slight uncomfortable nagging deep within the depths of your heart at your first meeting. While you felt regretful of such impression despite her kind deportment, you still felt uneasy at the arrival of her presence.

It was probably partly because of Anne's leave of absence since the start of your 5th year. Sebastian was quite privy to the details concerning Anne's sudden absence. You knew she was sick, but other than that, you were quite left in the dark. You convinced yourself that maybe Sebastian feels conflicted when talking about it, and his sudden avoidance of you bringing up the topic proves a testament to that. However, you've seen him and Ominis on the train when you came back after getting refreshments. You've seen Ominis give him a comforting hug—an affection you've barely received from him if there was any at all. You've seen Sebastian tap Ominis to stop talking whenever you enter the room.

People tend to have that misconception that you're awfully unaware of your surroundings due to you being characterized as a 'pushover.' You knew that your bond with Ominis or Sebastian was way different than what they had for each other. You knew it and chose not to dwell too much on the semantics. You'd rather focus on Ominis. On being the person he deserves.

This was solidified when Sebastian began including her in your lunch hangouts.

You were unfortunate enough to be separated from Sebastian and Ominis for your Potions lecture. You had to scour across the castle just to get with them for lunch. They were usually at the same place—lounging around in the Defense against the Dark Arts Tower or the Undercroft.

This time, however, you were finding it quite hard to spot the two.

"Look," Lydia Parkinson, a Ravenclaw from your year, twirls the cup of drink in her hand as she lazily looks up at you due to the lulling atmosphere of the afternoon. "Maybe you could just have lunch with us. Just saying."

Seated beside Lydia is Ren Aries, your potions seatmate (also a Ravenclaw). She has rumored romantic ties with Sebastian, which brought you to their spot in the Great Hall in the first place. Who else would know Ominis's best friend better than you?

Your eyes turn to Ren, who merely rests her chin on her palm propped up by her elbow on the table. "Don't look at me."

"You're basically dating!" You whine, hands grabbing on your books tighter. "Of course, you know where he is."

"No, we're not." Ren answers swiftly.

"Wrong." Lydia raises a breadstick and accusingly points it at Ren.

"Is she talking to you? I don't think so." Ren swats her hand away, causing the breadstick to fly across the table and into a group of first years. The three of you immediately turn your heads, not willing to face the confused glances on their faces.

Just as the first years begin to mind their own business, Lydia begins to lean in with pursed lips. "Well, I might've heard that the two left the Great Hall with the new fifth—"

Suddenly a loud slap intercepts her words. You flinch back at the sudden movement, watching as Lydia rubs her arm as she crumples over the table. Ren sends a glare toward Lydia before turning to you with a half-lidded stare.

"Don't mind her. She's delirious after drinking the pumpkin juice." Ren intercepts easily, not minding her best friend wincing beside her. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

"I heard what she said?'

"No you didn't."

"I mean ..." You trailed off, eyes glancing between the two. "I just heard her say the new fifth year."

There's an uncomfortable silence as the two gaze at you with an unreadable stare. Somehow, this gaze seems quite familiar. You've seen it from Imelda, from Anne during your short moments together, and now these two. A budding stem of annoyance begins to grow in your skin.

"Why are you looking at me like that? They're probably just hanging out." You shrug it off like you've always had. It is no use fretting over such simple matters.

"Sure they are—" Lydia chuckles before Ren sends a nudge to her ribs. The redhead merely groans and grabs at the edge of the table. You look at her in concern.

"As I said, delirious." Ren lightly curls the corners of her lips to give you a polite smile. There's a pause of silence before Ren sighs—eyes gazing with an unreadable expression on her face. Your fingers twitch at its familiarity.

"They're in the Undercroft, Y/N." She says, nodding slightly. There's a slight hesitance to her tone of response as if telling you where they were wasn't something she was supposed to be doing. "Sebastian dropped by our table to tell me that, just in case I wanted to join."

Sebastian referred to Ren. Just in case she wanted to join. You wanted to ask if Ominis at least told her to tell you, but you're too much of a coward to do that.

You couldn't will yourself to look at her eyes, afraid that you might finally recognize the emotion that lingers in the depths of her mind. You suppose the inquisitive and empathetic nature of Ravenclaw runs deep within Ren's blood.

You nod as a thanks and left without a word.

You hear laughter first. Your footsteps halt at the archway of the Undercroft—breath faltering as your eyes find the familiar tufts of blonde you've grown to love over the years.

Normally, you would've already bounced over to him, reveling in his attention no matter how negative or neutral it might appear. You would've teased him and wormed your way into his arms.

However, things were quite different from where you were standing.

You hadn't had the opportunity to meet the new 5th year. You only relied on hushed whispers and murmurs across the halls of Hogwarts just to get a glimpse of what she was actually like. You take slow steps towards the source of laughter, eyes trained on their figures—smiles, and gleeful expressions plastered on their faces.

You're caught off guard by the unfamiliar presence of the new fifth year—hair as dark as midnight with a touch of silver strands that decorate the front of her hair like the stars that litter the sky. She's as pretty as they say, as radiant as they whispered about, and evokes the aura of a true born wizard.

However, the true reason for her shock lies in the fact that Ominis—the man she'd known to be stoic, unmoving, and unphased, was laughing. Ominis was laughing.

"Oh, Y/N." It's Sebastian who notices you first. You flinched at the greeting, watching as the other two paused—the new fifth year turning towards you with wide curious eyes, and Ominis subtly turned his head away from you. Your breath hitches at his actions. Sebastian awkwardly glances between the two of you. "I think this is the first time you actually met Nora. Nora, this is Y/N Rosier. Y/N, this is Nora Finley."

Nora waves at you with a smile. "Hi Y/N. Hope you don't mind me intruding."

"None at all." You reply eyes glancing at Ominis who continues to have his back towards you. You decide to continue the conversation. "I was looking for you guys. I thought we were going to have lunch."

"Oh," Sebastian scratches the back of his head, hesitantly glancing at Ominis who continuously remains silent and indifferent. "We already had lunch. Sorry."

You slowly nod in an understanding, a stiff smile plastered on your face.

"That was because you were too hungry to wait," Nora intercepts with joking shove. "Apologies, Y/N. I didn't know they were waiting for someone else."

Your finger twitches slightly at her words. "It's fine."

"I was waiting for Ren! Ominis was just being an asshole." Sebastian defends himself which earns a slap on the arm from Nora. Then, you suddenly hear Ominis speak up.

"Not my fault you were actually coward enough to not go to her yourself," Ominis says. This earns a laugh from Nora who bumps her shoulders against Ominis. "I had to pull you over." The three laugh at the situation at hand, faces plastered with glee and comfort.

So Ominis was there, with Ren and the others. Yet no one thought of telling you where they were. An anxious heavy feeling settles over your chest.

Suddenly, you feel out of place. Your ears ring, zoning out, as their motion becomes more distorted in your eyes. You feel as though you shouldn't be here—that you're the one intruding instead. The ache overwhelms you.

Your feet shuffle a few steps back. "I-I'll get going." You say, voice weak as you announce your departure. Sebastian gives you a moment's glance before nodding. Nora gives you a big wave (you feel bad, she's too much of an angel). However another reason piles onto your aching heart—mind in a daze as it beats fast with anxiety.

Ominis had not once acknowledge your presence.

You leave with your dignity intact.

Seeing Nora is now a regular occurrence.

You didn't mind it at first. You liked the girl. She was a social butterfly, easy to talk to, and her presence brought comfort whenever she was around. You couldn't argue the comfortable nature of Sebastian and Ominis around her. While you were also a generally talkative and social person, it still varied among your peers. Your personality often ventures between the lines of introvert and extrovert—only becoming active to a certain amount of people, and silent to the rest.

However, despite your positive impression on Nora, there was also the case between her and Ominis. You've seen them hanging about in various points of the castle. Even going out together when they leave classes. You haven't had much alone time to spend with Ominis as he somehow begins to become more non-approachable and cold as days pass by. Somehow, he becomes more indifferent than before.

Back then, Ominis indulges in your whims despite his initial opposition. You suppose it's probably to get you to stop, but he had always listened—one way or another. Now, he merely leaves without a word—cutting you off mid-talk and bouncing off to Nora who had just entered the room.

Your heart begins to waver and your breath speeds up. You couldn't deny the hurt that flows through you with each indifferent response of your fiance. Your fiance. He was yours as much as you were his.

So why does it feel like you're the one intruding?

"What do you think we should get Anne, Omi?" You smile, siding up to Ominis whose hands run through the braille engraved on his book. "Do you think we should get her some scented candles?"

"Anne has a sensitive nose." Ominis furrows his eyebrows before slightly tilting his head towards you. "Didn't you know that?"

"I did!" You respond with a defensive tone. Of course, you did. Anne was your friend. "I was going to buy her those simple scented candles. Just to help her with the stress."

Ominis scoffs at your words before going back to reading his book. Just as you inquire a little more about his day, you hear Nora and Sebastian chattering as they reach your spot. You were about to greet them when you felt Ominis nudge your hold away from his arm. You flinch at its intensity as he rises from his seat to walk towards the two—specifically in Nora's direction.

Your heart thumps loudly against your chest, knocking against your ribs like an ache you can't explain. You sit silently, eyes watching as they chatter amongst themselves. The looming realization begins to crawl under your skin, chipping at you—limb from limb. Your breath falters.

"Y/N!" Nora greets like the angel that she is. You smile back, albeit forced and hesitant but welcomed her warmth with open arms. She slides up to you, before calling over the two. They follow with ease. You feel Nora's arm intertwine with yours, thumbing the cloth of your robe.

Just as the two have finally settled down, Nora begins the conversation. "I'm glad you don't have DADA with these two. It's always a chaos."

You nod, still quite perplexed by the whole situation. "Really?"

"Please, Nora." Sebastian teases, arms propped on the table. "Just say you're mad that I beat you at a duel."

"Throwing a ragged cloth to my face before casting a Levioso isn't a win that you think it is." Ominis intercepts with a disappointed shake of his head.

"Blah, blah. Looks like a skill issue to me." Sebastian leans back, arms crossed over his chest. He rolls his eyes playfully. "Life isn't fair on the battlefield, Finley."

Nora turns to you with a scrunched nose. "Are you really friends with these guys?"

You find yourself pausing at her question. Thankfully, she laughs afterward, pulling tease after teasing towards Sallow. The question begins to etch into your brain as your mind conjured every possible interaction you had with Sebastian. Was he even your friend? You remember the silence and the awkward tensions whenever Ominis had to go to the bathroom or get called up by Professor Weasley. Even before then, when Anne was present in your little group of 4, the twins were always stuck to the hip, if not with Ominis. Never the three of you alone together.

Never with you.

You suppose Imelda was right. Blinded by the idea and concept of love through duty, you unintentionally neglected the possible ties that you could've had with the twins. You felt helpless.

"Oh, yeah. Before I forget, what are we getting Anne this weekend?"

Your head turn towards Nora in surprise. "You're coming?"

There's a momentary pause at your question. You wouldn't have minded it before, but now you feel the stares clawing at your skin.

"Of course, she is." Ominis replies with a tone of disbelief. "Don't be ridiculous."

"She hasn't met Anne, though? I don't think—"

"Don't speak for my sister, Y/N." Sebastian cuts through the tension with an offhanded response. You turn towards him in surprise. Nora shifts uncomfortably beside you. "We already planned this. Let's just go with it."

"You didn't tell me anything?" You're not sure as to why your voice suddenly begins to rise. Your hands clench under the table.

"My bad?" Sebastian shakes his head in confusion, as if he's the one incovenienced. "Listen up, next time then? Instead of you know—ogling Ominis, all the time?"

"Sebastian!" Nora calls out, perplexed at the sudden hostility. The brown-haired Slytherin merely turns his head away. A dreadful feeling submerges over your body as you glance at Ominis who sports an indifferent look in his face. There's a paused silence before Sebastian stands from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Nora asks, worried.

"Out. I'm floo-ing to Hogsmeade for the gift. Catch up if you guys want to." Sebastian mumbles in response. He leaves abruptly, robe trailing behind him.

Just as you were about to turn to Ominis, he stands up. "Omi?"

"You should've known better." Ominis mutters. Your breath hitches at his words. He follows through with Sebastian. Your hand clenches into a fist.

"Y/N," Nora grasps at your arm with slight comfort. You couldn't be mad at her even if you wanted to. "Are you okay?"

Your head is lowered, hair framing your face as you try to gather your emotions. You then turn towards her with a smile you've practiced from your childhood days.

"I'm fine."

The silence was unbearable.

You're not sure when was the last time you and Ominis were seated together in a room, alone—much less the receiving room of your manor. You can feel the nervousness clawing up your throat. Your mother had persisted on the two of you visiting the manor during your winter break. You wanted to accept the invitation at first, seeing as this was an opportunity to spend time with Ominis.

But seeing the disdain on his face as soon as you told him the news, somehow regret only fills your body. You had no choice either way.

"Is Hogwarts treating you well?" Your mother sips her tea with the elegance fitting for her role as the matriarch of the house. You shift in your seat, uneasy from her attention.

"Well enough," Ominis answers from your side. His face lacks the enthusiasm of talking to your family.

Your mother furrows her eyebrows at the response but doesn't say anything regardless. "I do hope you're both preparing for your engagement once you graduate in 2 years. Merlin knows how much both of our families have prepared for it."

You nod submissively, unable to resist the pointed stare your mother gives you. Ominis stands abruptly at her words, not opting to pardon himself as he walks out of the room. There's paused silence before your mother scoffs.

"Insolent child," She seethes, taking a sip out of her cup. "If it weren't for his family name and heritage, we would've found you a more suitable heir to marry. Merlin knows his family's treating him like a dispensable asset, when his brother's already married and up to take the role as head of the house."

You sit silently, eyes focused on the untouched cup of tea. Your mother's voice booms through the room, causing you to flinch at its sudden intensity.

"Go after him, Y/N. Beg on your knees if you have to. Keep him tied to the leash before he goes off pawing at others." Your mother orders. "Your sister's a testament to that. Do I make myself clear?"

Your mother's word was law. Everyone in the house knew that. Even your father, who is recognized as the head of the house. She easily controls those around her to do her bidding, and those who resist are met with dire consequences. You'd rather be by her side than against her blade.

"Yes, mother."

You found him by the courtyard.

Your family dog, an Alpine Mastiff that was gifted for your father by a collector of muggle creature, pants against his lap—enjoying the gentle caresses that Ominis runs through his fur. He sits against the huge tree in the middle, the leaves giving his face a gentle shade from the light. You make careful steps before standing in front of him.

"Feeling lethargic, Omi?" You smile. The dog, Xavier, looks up at you with its sleepy eyes before yawning against Ominis's touch.

"I told you to stop calling me that." He replies, eyes devoid of emotion. He merely runs back and forth Xavier's fur as if its stimulation calms his nerves.

"You never allow me to call you anything." You retort, voice calm as you look down at him with a forlorn expression. He doesn't need to know that.

Ominis shakes his head, a sarcastic smile on his lips. "That's because we're not friends."

You purse your lips before responding. "If you say stuff like that, I'll get hurt, Omi."

Ominis chuckles. "You've bound me to your chains, made me a spectacle with your jokes, and you're worried about getting hurt over the truth?"

You stared at him as he continues to pet the massive dog on his lap. You've gone through this routine before, and you'll go through it again. Why get hurt now?

There's a miniscule pause of silence before you let out a laugh at his words. "So touchy with everything, Omi. You really hate me that much?"

It's a joke. Don't take it to heart.

"Yes," He answers with no hesitation, face devoid of any emotion. He finally looks up and its as if those beautiful cloudy blue eyes could stare through you. "Yes, I do."

It's not true.

You've observed Ominis enough to know what he's thinking.

As much as others regarded him as an intimidating figure, he quite wears his heart on his sleeve. You know when he's angry, when he's joking, being sarcastic, sad, or whatever version of Ominis you're facing for the day. You didn't spend 8 years of your life loving him just for you to not recognize every detail on his face.

You've known him well enough to recognize patterns on his behavior, subtle differences to his emotions, and his current mood of the day. If anything, you're well versed in Ominis's body language, that you've grown well accustomed to how you act around him based on it.

That's why besides you're being hit with two realities, instead of one.

You've watched them from across the hall, chatting up a storm as the three of them were huddled in the corner. You've long since opted to observing them rather than being in the group itself, and ever since then, you've begin noticing things you weren't supposed to.

"What's got you looking so focused there?" Imelda's voice reaches your senses as a figure settles beside you. You give her a glance before looking back at the trio. She hums, following your line of sight. "Looking at your asshole of a lover boy again?"

"Don't I ever?" You sarcastically remark, laughing slightly. Imelda looks at you with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

"Wow," She nods. "That's improvement. You don't make sarcastic remarks when I point out your obsession with white boy over there."

You glance at her, heaving a breath as you contemplated letting Imelda know of your thoughts as of late. You suppose that she's the only person who has been real with you since the start. Everything's been a blur since your visit with Ominis to your manor. You've been trying your hardest to appear normal but things had just gone way off. You've started to distance yourself as well, only responding when asked or talked to—which most of the case is Nora's doing. Though, with Sebastian's constant needs for adventure and Nora's inquisitive nature, she had also lost the attention towards your interaction with the group.

With Ominis, you knew well enough that wherever Nora and Sebastian went, he went to as well. You've seen the three of them flee the Great Hall, not minding your lack of presence to the group. 4 years as a group of friends and 8 years with Ominis, and they haven't had a single thought about you that passed through their minds.

You suppose you should've gotten used to their exclusion to your presence. You're partly aware that this is due to the engagement between you and Ominis, how much he despises the centuries-old tradition of marrying those of the same stature as he is. How much he detests the forced nature of your relationship. You wished you had the power to null it, to start over, and meet him under different circumstances. To dream of a reality where he actually finds love in you, and wishes for a future with you in it.

But alas, life is hard for someone like you. To hold so much authority within your fingertips but be shackled by tradition and generational trauma. You've long accepted your demise.

"Ominis likes Nora." The words slips out of your mouth with ease. Like what you just said was something out of the news. Imelda chokes at what she hears. You look at her with concern.

"E-excuse me?"

"Ominis likes Nora." You repeat calmly. Imelda sweatdrops, moving to stand in front of you as she analyzed your facial expression.

"You're saying that like it's the weather—are you okay?" She asks, worried.

You shrug, eyes looking down at your twiddling thumbs. "It's inevitable. Everyone knows about it, no?"

Imelda pauses, face cringing as she places her hands on her hips. You chuckle at the silent admission. "I'm always a bit too late."

"Look, Y/N," She sighs, taking a step forward as she places a hand on your arm. "Ominis was doomed to be your fiance from the start. He's an asshole and just overall rude! You've got nothing much to lose anyway!"

Your tongue darts out to lick your bottom lip before pulling between your teeth. "I do. That's not how it works, Imelda."

You glance up at her, finally meeting her concerned eyes. She lets out a breath at your forlorn expression.

"I always knew Ominis didn't like what we had. I've spent most of my childhood years with him to not know the familiarity of his disdain." You reply. You recall the times you've received cold and indifferent actions from him. "He's made himself clear. I was always the one who wanted more."

"Y/N," Imelda sighs.

"I don't think Ominis ever considered me to be someone dear to him," You whispered. "I had always been something he easily cast aside. A nuisance—I've seen the way he whispers to Sebastian whenever I've said something they considered out of line. I was never something he deemed important."

Imelda is silent. You heave a sigh.

"He's happy now." You mutter. "Nora's everything I'm not, and even if I wanted to hate her, despise her—she's so pure and likeable that it's so unfair. Why is it so unfair?"

You feel tears well in your eyes. Imelda's breath hitches at the sight. She looks around, trying to see if anyone was watching. She then hears the familiar voices of the three. Soon enough she sees them walking over to pass by their area. Imelda did what she could only think of.

She pulls her off her robe before throwing it over your head, shielding you from their stares. She pulls you in her arms as the three near towards you. You couldn't see a thing but you could hear them.

"... Imelda?" Sebastian's voice comes out as confused, probably because of her hooded figure. "What's up?"

"Hey!" Imelda smiles, hands making gentle pats to your back. "Friend's not feeling well. Hope you don't mind."

There's pause of silence before Ominis responds. You feel your heart speed up. "Ah, hope they'll feel better."

"They hear that quite well!" Imelda responds with enthusiasm. You slump against her hold, feeling lethargic from thinking.

"Alright, we'll get going." Sebastian waves before the two follow them off. Just as the three of them began to make their way down the hall, you hear Nora suddenly backtrack.

"Ah, by the way, if you do see Y/N around, tell her that Professor Weasley's asking for her?" Nora says. Your body freezes and its as if Imelda had felt it as she had pulled you closer.

"S-sure." Imelda responds. The three of them began to go on their way, chatting and laughing as they disappear down the hall.

Imelda finally pulls her robe off you, eyes filled with concern. "Y/N ..."

"They knew I wasn't around," You mumble, breath trembling, and eyes devoid of emotion. "They knew. He knew."

Imelda raises a hand to fix your hair before smiling. "There's nothing much I can say that will be of help, but I do hope that you'll take care of yourself—Of what you'll do from here on out."

You pause at her words before nodding silently.

The realization settles in and its heartbreaking and grueling. However, despite that, things haven't been much clearer than before. You'll set things right. For him. For yourself.

Because love is your greatest weakness, no? Your greatest threat. Love for him, and love for your family.

Whichever will prevail?

A/N: before yall ask, yes this will have a part 2 ... i just really wanted to finish this and it went beyond what ive planned. stay tuned mwehe!!! this will not have a happy ending btw. the title daffodil's camellia is in reference to their meaning in love. daffodil can mean new beginnings but it can also mean unrequited love, camellia means romantic love or devotion. just wanted to let yall know that!

[toppersbitch]

Okay okay I saw this prompt : Cry all you want… I’m starting to think you’re enjoying this.

Maybe your character somehow liking it when Sebastian used crucio on you?😭 idk

Cry All You Want // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

All underage characters are aged up to 18+!

Summary: Although you HATED having crucio cast on you, the way Sebastian cared for you after made you kind of like it…

Word Count: 600

Warnings: Hogwarts Legacy spoilers, changing of events and dialogue,  kinda sadistic, torture, throw up

Prompt: “Cry all you want… I’m starting to think you’re enjoying this.”

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"I can teach you Crucio or I can cast it on you."

"Wait, you didn’t know how to cast crucio." Sebastian’s words took you aback. Why in Merlin’s beard did he know how to do that?

"Because I'm not sure I do," he retorted, "but Ominous has left us no choice; I don't want us to follow in Gaunt's footsteps; I can cast it if I have to," he gestured at himself, touching his chest.

"I won’t cast it on you; you have to cast it on me," you said, with almost no thoughts running through your mind before agreeing.

"I'm not going to forget this," he said, reaching out his hand to grab your shoulder.

You stood, preparing yourself for Sebastian to cast the spell; you couldn’t imagine the type of pain that was about to hit you. A curse you'd heard so much about, with so much fear attached to it.

"Ready?" You watched as he raised his wand, squeezing your eyes shut.

"I’m ready," you readied yourself, placing your feet apart and bracing yourself.

"Crucio!" Sebastian yelled, and you felt a blast push you back and a rush of aches and pains. It was debilitating; you wanted to run and hide, and you grabbed at your clothes. It burned and stung, and whatever other words you can think of to describe the pain. Your eyelids were bright red; that’s all you saw.

Then it finally stopped, all at once, with the pain still echoing through your body.

"Are you alright?" You heard a voice right beside you and felt a hand grab your arm. You flinched and smacked it away. You began to cry, whimpering, holding yourself in comfort.

"Hey," Sebastian said, wrapping his arms around you and rubbing his hand across your back.

Your body heaved against his as you cried; you could hear Ominous’s footsteps in the back. This definitely freaked him out. You let go of your stomach, wrapping your arms around Sebastian; it was the tightest embrace. You let your breath even out, tears slowed their flow, and your body felt nothing at all—such an odd sensation.

You took a deep breath, shakily letting it out. You moved back, slouching against the wall; your body was exhausted. You felt a churning sensation in your stomach. You closed your eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply. Sebastian grabbed your hand, providing a sense of support. You grabbed on, turning to the side and allowing dinner to come up. You slouched once more, beginning to giggle in relief, first quietly, then loudly. Tears are still streaming down your face.

"What?" Sebastian questioned you, and you clutched your stomach, feeling the pain from laughing so hard, and you clutched Sebastian's arm, keeping you from rolling to the ground.

"Cry all you want; I'm starting to think you enjoyed it," he said, grabbing your shoulders to keep you steady.

"I did not enjoy that," you said, staring him dead in the eyes. Crucio was a miserable curse, and you hoped to never go through that again. But if Sebastian held you like that every time, it might not be the worst thing in the world to deal with.

"Then why are you laughing?" He was puzzled, his eyebrows furrowing. He wiped your leftover tears away, wiping them on his green robes.

"I just feel amazing now; I feel so light," you said, jumping up with a springy action. You were never going to tell Sebastian that you liked his touch. You just hoped he would do it again, even if that meant Crucio again.

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I hope this take on your request fulfills what you wanted, I can't imagine anyone liking Crucio being cast on them haha <3

My other stuff can be found HERE <3

Check out my other stuff HERE

[slytherins-heir]

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word count;; 14k+ pairing;; sebastian sallow x f!reader warnings;; depictions of injury, violence, and death. use of crucio. slight jealousy, angst, and a lil fluff and mutual pining to go along<3 slight lore changes regarding fiendfyre, and use of y/n. slightly dark wizard!sebastian but also saviour!sebastian 💖

*minor hogwarts legacy spoilers but nothing outright*

a/n;; this took longer than expected- i haven't written in so long so i hope you guys enjoy 💖 (i didn't expect it to be this long, and i feel like the end is a bit shit but i appreciate all of you guys sm for entertaining my fics)

Nestled in the Scottish Highlands, away from prying and mundane eyes, stood a behemoth of magic, history, legend and mystery. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The castle’s many stained glass windows glistened, the Black Lake sparkled under the stars, and the Forbidden Forest looked just as foreboding, yet at the same time, peaceful, under the last of that night’s moonlight.

The serenity of the landscape was suddenly disturbed, but not by destruction, instead by one of the most regal and proud creatures. A large, majestic Hippogriff broke through the light clouds that hung over the castle, and on the creature's back was a girl, nothing more than a Hogwarts student. “Let’s go Highwing, before anyone notices we’ve been gone all night,” said the girl on the creature's back as she took in the sights from the height they flew at one more time before returning to her usual student life. As Highwing soared in the sky, her huge wings beat against the wind causing an undeniable rhythm in the air. The large, majestic creature flew, a loud and proud call was let out from her chest as she took one last long soar before beginning her descent back to the ground.

                                            ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Back in the quiet of the castle, where students slept soundly, the only thoughts in their minds were the dreams that played out behind their closed eyes, there was one student who hadn’t slipped into the comfort and safety of his dream realm, a fifth-year Slytherin by the name of Sebastian Sallow. Instead of being nestled up cosy in his bed just like his fellow students, Sebastian sat perched on a long sofa in the Slytherin common room, eyes drifting between the doorways that were across from him, his books and the mix of half-used, blank pieces of parchment that sat on the table in front of him. “Where is she…?” he muttered to himself, slinking back into the cushions behind him. Usually, Sebastian wouldn’t keep himself so concerned with what someone else was doing, against the rules or not. But Sebastian found himself in this predicament more often than he would care to admit.

The new student, y/n, had a penchant for sneaking off unnoticed, with only the occasional comment from Imelda or Poppy drawing any attention. However, Sebastian on the other hand was more than aware of her disappearances. In fact, her absence never failed to register with him. Initially, he didn't dwell on it too much, respecting her need for privacy, just as he would want. Yet, an underlying sense of worry persisted within Sebastian, despite his rational understanding.

His eyes drifted around the large open room, taking in every inch of the usually bustling common room. Even the large windows at the end of the room that stood proud, looking out under the murky, Black Lake provided no signs of life, not a single thing except for the usual green hue coming from the windows, casting a haunting, yet beautiful atmosphere. It seemed for all the world, that everyone but Sebastian was asleep, everyone but Sebastian was without a worry. His eyes settled on the fire, the flames were a deep, vibrant orange, hinted with hues of yellow and red as they twisted and danced together. Sebastian found himself, once again, getting lost in their hypnotic sway. There had always been something so inciting to him about fire — the beauty of it, yet the destruction it was capable of always just twinkling beyond the captivating twists.

The sudden sound of a light step began to echo throughout the stagnant silence Sebastian found himself in, pulling his focus away from the dancing flames, choosing instead to watch the entrance to the common from the staircase, a drop of hope bubbled in his stomach as he sat up a little straighter and picked up his book, as if to seem like he was unable to sleep; instead of sitting, waiting for y/n to return. The footsteps were soft, almost imperceptible, like the gentle patter of raindrops on a windowpane. They echoed through the dimly lit room, creating a rhythm that seemed to reverberate through the very air. It was as if the very walls of the castle were whispering secrets, hinting at the arrival of someone who could provide answers to the questions that had been swirling in his mind.

"Sebastian?" a voice asked, barely a whisper, barely rising above the gentle lull of the crackling hearth. The soft patter of approaching footsteps punctured the quiet, drawing nearer to where Sebastian sat, engulfed in his thoughts.

"What are you doing up so late? I didn’t expect anyone to be up." y/n inquired, her voice laced with a hint of worry as she settled onto the sofa opposite him. The faint glow of the embers cast a warm light upon her face, revealing the fatigue etched into her features.

Sebastian lightly shook his head, placing his book atop the disarray of parchment. "Sleep eluded me, so I thought to come down here, see if I can make a dent in Sharp’s assignment" he replied, his tone carefully measured to hide the deceit. He hoped the flickering shadows would hide the concern that he felt was all too apparent in his eyes. "Let's not dwell on just my sleeping habits," he deftly redirected, his gaze intently studying her, "You're the one cutting it close, aren't you? Classes in a few hours, and here you are. I'd wager you not making it to our morning classes tomorrow." A strained chuckle escaped him as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, bridging the distance between them.

Her response was uncharacteristically delayed, and when it came, it didn’t come with its usual excitement. She drew in a breath, her gaze fixed on the dancing flames that seemed to ensnare her reflection in their fiery ballet. Her hands moved in a subtle, self-comforting gesture, leaving a hint of an inner turmoil that she hadn’t confided in him.

A flicker of movement drew his attention to a slender cut marring her face—a wound that was unveiled as she turned towards the fire, how he didn’t notice it the second she had joined him escaped him, it bothered him that he hadn’t seen it straight away, he almost felt guilty. His instinct urged him to reach out, to bridge the gap and address the injury that seemed to scream for attention. Yet he restrained himself, settling back into the shadows with a quiet resolve. "When she's ready, she'll confide in me," he told himself, the thought more a plea to convince himself rather than a conviction.

"I… I was out with Highwing," y/n finally murmured, her voice a soft echo in the room. "There was… something I had to tend to, a matter related to the trials. We encountered some poachers, a couple of goblins—nothing more." But her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken truths, and Sebastian's intuition screamed in silent alarm deep within him.

The crackling fire no longer commanded her attention as she turned to gauge Sebastian's reaction, searching his face for signs of doubt. She hoped he'd let the matter slide, and as if sensing her silent plea, he simply nodded, acceptance flickering in his eyes. "You know, if there's anyone capable of giving poachers a run for their money, it's you, y/n," Sebastian remarked, the softness in his smile reaching his eyes.

Her response was a half-hearted echo of his grin, her eyes locking with his for a fleeting moment. "Thanks, Sebastian. It means a lot, you know? Having someone believe in me when everything here is still so relatively new," she murmured, the vulnerability in her voice brushing against the silent space between them.

Sebastian's chuckle broke through the heaviness, his smile widening, a shared moment of lightness taking the edge off his earlier worry. "Not believe in you? Come on, you had me outmatched from day one. Anyone who can do that is destined for greatness." His words teetered on the edge of sentimentality, and he quickly steered the conversation back with a playful challenge. "But, since I've been demoted to second-best, courtesy of you, you owe me an adventure. It's only fair, right?"

There was a teasing tone to his voice, but behind it lay his sincere desire to join her, not just for the thrill, but to ensure her safety—something he couldn't admit just yet.

The suggestion drew a soft, airy laugh from her as she rose to her feet, sidestepping the deeper implication of his words. "Next time, maybe, Sallow," she deflected with a lightness she didn't feel, sensing the undercurrents of concern that both of them were dancing around. "But for now, I'm off to bed. We've got Hecat first thing, and you better not be up all night either. Promise me you'll get some rest too?" "Promise," Sebastian nodded, the care in her voice buoying him a touch, though it couldn't fully brush off the thought of her concealed injuries. "Go on, then. Get some sleep, y/n. I'll meet you here in the morning before class."

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The next day had come all too soon, the cool morning breeze wisped around the castle grounds as the rising sun’s glow cascaded over every inch it could touch. A fragment of the golden glow broke through the dark water that sloshed against the large windows within the common room — causing the room to have more of a glow than usual.

Y/n sat on the edge of her bed, the freshly made bedding underneath trapped between her fingers as she pulled and twisted at the thick fabric subconsciously, deep in her thoughts; she felt almost glued to the bed, her eyes stuck focused on one point on the floor in front of her as her thoughts ran rampant within her.

The sleep that she had promised Sebastian hadn’t come as she had hoped, instead, she had spent the last of the night tossing and turning, arguing with her inner thoughts, overthinking every detail and thought that crossed her mind.

She would love nothing more than to have Sebastian come with her, to have Sebastian by her side every time she left the castle, but she knew that no matter what; great danger would always be waiting right around the corner for her — not a single situation so far had proven anything different. She wondered if she would be able to live with herself if anything happened to Sebastian, but what didn’t cross her mind — Would Sebastian be able to live with himself if something happened to her and he wasn’t there to help her? Or save her?

Her racing thoughts were interrupted by the heavy dormitory door being pushed open and spoke a voice, causing her to jump from her sitting position and almost out of her skin. “Aren’t you coming y/n?” said the voice as a head peaked through the door, the head of Imelda Reyes. “You know Sallow is waiting for you down there, he seems to be under the impression you aren’t coming to class.” she continued, entering the room. “You know how Sebastian is… Not a man with a lot of patience, now is he.” y/n replied swiftly, hoping to avoid discussion as to why Sebastian thought as much, the last thing she needed was someone else asking questions.

Imelda waited for y/n as she grabbed her robes and wand she had left on her beside the locker before following Imelda out of the dormitory and down the winding hallway that led to the common room. The two girls walked in silence, the only sound being their steps across the metal flooring mixed with the light morning chatter of sleepy students coming from the common room some distance away. “What are you doing tonight?” Imelda asked suddenly, catching y/n off guard. “Tonight? Why?” y/n responded without turning to look at Imelda, her brain suddenly coming up with all types of scenarios, her anxiety slightly spiked as she waited for Imelda to spit out her reasoning.

“Well, you’re the only one who feels like a competition out on the pitch y/n, you’re getting better. You can almost keep up with me, so even though Quidditch is cancelled this year, maybe you wouldn’t mind helping me practice? I need someone who pushes me… Anyone else and it would be too easy… You’ll get some experience out of it too, and you might be ready for Quidditch tryouts next year.” Imelda quickly blurted out, completely unaware of how laced with ego her words were, but y/n knew it wasn’t intentional. Imelda wasn’t afraid to let people know she knew what her strengths were, and she never downplayed them for anyone, and that was something y/n admired in her.

“I really wish I could Imelda” y/n said softly as they cascaded down the steps and towards where Sebastian and Ominis sat talking between themselves. “I haven’t gotten around to Sharp’s assignment yet, and I haven’t gotten a chance for Hecat’s assignment yet either, I wish I could help you out, Imelda but I just don’t have the time tonight.” y/n finished, throwing Sebastian a pleading look once she realised he was watching them approach. “Well, what about this weekend? Any assignments we get today won't take the whole weekend to do” Imelda continued, stopping in her tracks once they reached the couches where the boys sat. Imelda perched herself on the arm of the couch, her eyes bore into y/n’s, almost as if she was trying to get into y/n’s mind to make her agree, but before she could even give Imelda an answer, Sebastian had realised the conversation y/n was trying to wiggle out of, knowing she couldn’t tell Imelda the truth.

“I mean, she would love to help you Imelda, but we’ve got plans this weekend, so unfortunately you might have to pick one of the other students, even if they don’t hold a candle to y/n’s skill” Sebastian said as he walked over to stand beside y/n,  a smile on his face which y/n returned with a soft smile, grateful for his swift thinking. Imelda opened her mouth quickly to argue with Sebastian, probably to say how practising for Quidditch next year is more important, but Ominis was the next person to protest against Imelda’s arguments; but not for the same reason as Sebastian—Ominis simply didn’t want to listen to their conversation.

“You know Imelda, maybe more people would want to practice with you if you didn’t speak down to them and act as if you were a gift from Merlin himself. You’ve no chance of changing their minds, you’ll learn, as well as I, that there’s no changing their minds once they’ve decided something, together.” The way Ominis spoke left a feeling of bubbling guilt between Sebastian and y/n as they exchanged looks. Was that really what Ominis thought? Y/n began to worry that her and Sebastian’s adventures so far were driving a wedge between Ominis and Sebastian, the last thing she would want would be to cause a rift between the two lifelong best friends, but a nudge to her arm pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up to meet Sebastian’s gaze. He just shook his head lightly, indicating for her to not start overthinking Ominis’ words.

Imelda rolled her eyes at what Ominis had to say, but she didn’t have a retort for him; instead, she turned her attention back to y/n and Sebastian. “Well. Enjoy your adventures. Don’t come crying to me when you need someone to fly with y/n” The snark from Imelda was natural, something anyone who knew her was used to; even y/n already understood despite her short time at the school. “Oh, Imelda you know that’s not-” y/n began to speak, but Imelda was quick to shut her down, her willingness to talk back to y/n but not Ominis didn’t go unnoticed. “Save it, I don’t have time. Some of us have actual responsibilities. I’ll see you in class.” Imelda snapped as she turned to leave, her nose turning even more upwards than it had been in its natural position, leaving the three friends in silence.

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“She’s going to kill me the next time I turn down practising with her.” y/n said as she walked with the two boys towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, she knew she’d definitely get an earful from Hecat over not having the assignments, so being late wasn’t an option. “Surely the girl who beat me at Crossed Wands can put up a fight against Imelda unless she had something to hide about our duel..? Maybe, Felix Felicis?” Sebastian said, turning his head and giving her a look, a sly smile on his face. Anyone who didn’t know him would think this was a real accusation, that he was genuinely accusing her of cheating in their match—but his two closest friends knew it was just lighthearted banter.

“Oh please Sebastian, you know I didn’t know how to brew Felix Felicis back then, tell him Ominis, I won fair and square.” y/n said, looking between the two boys. “She’s not wrong Sebastian, she had only just gotten to Hogwarts, she probably didn't even know that potion existed. She won out of skill, like she said, fair and square” Ominis said tauntingly, getting a scoff from Sebastian. “Well, she’s had actual help and time with professors to learn! Oh, leave it..” Sebastian finally said defeatedly. He would have been annoyed at what Ominis was saying if it hadn’t been about y/n, hearing that he just wasn’t good enough to win did sting him a bit.

They left the warmth of the castle, the cool autumn breeze ran over the friends as they made their way through the grounds of Hogwarts. As they crossed the Viaduct courtyard, y/n noticed the decorations that seemingly appeared overnight. Cobwebs seemed to be hanging on arches, doorways and corners, pumpkins lay strewn about in a range of sizes. Even the smaller decorations and candles had seemingly been placed in such a fashion that it almost transformed the feeling of Hogwarts, even in the morning time.

“Well, those little house elves were hard at work last night,” Sebastian said looking around at their passing surroundings as they crossed over the Viaduct Bridge. “They’re always hard at work… They never get a break.” Ominis muttered, his voice low. The two other friends exchanged glances, knowing where Ominis’ sudden attitude change came from. For a Gaunt, Ominis’ views were unheard of.

The Gaunt’s were cruel.

They were descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself, their heritage and lineage were of utmost importance to them. They had no time for Half-Bloods, and most definitely no respect for Muggle-Born witches and wizards. When it came to house elves, they were no different. They viewed the elves as nothing more than what their purpose served, and at that, there was no respect. Violence was common, physically and verbally, and that didn’t stop at house elves… Their obsession with blood purity, obsession with the Dark Arts,  their sadistic ‘hobbies’ Ominis hated everything about their beliefs and what they did, choosing to have his own set of beliefs instead. Any time Ominis spoke about his family, it was never positive. Y/n knew there was more to his story, but she didn’t want to press him about his family and the Dark Arts; knowing the subject would be sensitive.

Y/n hated hearing her friends sound anyway upset, she racked her brain for something to say, to maybe comfort him somehow. “I agree Ominis” she said, placing her hand lightly on his arm as they continued into the Astronomy Wing of Hogwarts. “..but Hogwarts is the best place for them. If they were left to their old masters, who knows what could happen to them.” her voice matched the soft, sensitive nature of the conversation. However, as soon as her hand reached his arm, Sebastian had become all too aware of it. A strange feeling started brewing inside of him as he watched and listened to them. Was he jealous? Was her hand on his arm more than a friendly touch? Sebastian’s mind filled with questions, questions fueled by his sudden jealousy. “I know, I know, but there’s not much comfort in knowing they are still being worked to death,” Ominis spoke glumly, y/n looked sympathetic towards his feelings, and Sebastian wanted to know why it bothered him so. “That’s all they know Ominis, at least they’re safe here..” y/n  said, her hand dropping from his arm, not knowing what else to say to ease Ominis’ pointed feelings on the topic. Sebastian felt calmed when her hands dropped to her sides, but now he had to face the fact he was jealous, and over such a small thing. They walked in silence up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, unsure of where to take the conversation after it hit such a sensitive tone.

“Hecat’s going to have my head you know.” y/n said trying to divert the conversation, and their moods. Sebastian and Ominis both let out a small laugh at her sudden statement. “You didn’t finish your assignment?” Ominis asked, almost as if he was disappointed in her. Y/n shook her head as they crossed the marble flooring and up the right staircases and corridors to reach Hecat’s classroom. “Well, someone was out all night causing trouble,” Sebastian said giving y/n a knowing look, a slight smirk played on his face. “Maybe she will let me hand it in late? If I tell her some of what I was doing? Surely she’d understand right” y/n asked, unsure of how Hecat would handle the situation.

Ominis just shrugged before he spoke, “I wouldn’t know. I like to get my assignments in on time.” y/n just smiled before rolling her eyes, “Gee, thanks Ominis. That is a great help” she said jokingly. Sebastian took the situation a little more seriously, since he knew more than Ominis about what she had been doing.*

“What are you going to tell her?” Sebastian asked, looking down at her. “What if you just tell her you were out gathering supplies or something, and you got into some trouble? She can’t disprove it, and it’s not really a lie, you’re just… withholding the full story. Plus, you still have that cut on your face still too so surely she’ll believe you..” Sebastian said in a hushed voice, genuinely trying to help her situation. A sigh left her as they approached the classroom, “I guess we’ll find out won’t we..” She said, opening the classroom door and entering, Sebastian and Ominis behind her.

As usual, they were the last few students to walk in besides a couple of stragglers that waltzed in after them. The class was lively, chatter coming from every direction as students spoke among themselves. Ominis walked and took his usual seat in the middle of the class, not bothering to speak to anyone, instead just preparing his belongings for class, the thought of his family heavy on his mind again. Sebastian perched himself on top of his desk at the back of the class, preparing for the incoming babble and nonsense as he watched Garreth Weasley approach him. y/n on the other hand made a direct beeline for the steps up to Professor Hecat’s study, repeating the excuse in her brain. She knocked on the door lightly and it was just a few seconds before the door opened and a voice spoke gently. “Come in, come in” said the older voice, y/n followed her instructions and walked into the little room above the classroom. “Professor Hecat, would you have a few moments?” y/n asked, her voice unwavering but she was still nervous nonetheless.

Hecat turned from the array of books she was sorting, directing her attention fully to y/n. “Of course, what is it Ms. y/l/n?” Hecat asked, raising an eyebrow slightly at the girl's words, stepping closer to her student. “I, I don’t have the assignment Professor” y/n said while looking at the ground, she looked up at her professor before continuing; “I intended to finish it last night but-” Hecat cut swiftly across her sentence; “but you thought you could come with excuses instead of the assigned work?” Hecat asked, her hands crossing over themselves in front of her. Hecat examined her student’s reaction to her words, suddenly noticing the mark on y/n’s cheek. “Merlin, what happened to you child? You’re hurt” Hecat said almost in a distressed voice, y/n simply just continued on her ramble in hopes Hecat would let her finish. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Professor. While I was out, we came across a poacher camp. I couldn’t leave without doing something, and I understand my studies are important..” y/n spoke fast, but Hecat listened to every word, just as y/n hoped; she prayed Hecat would understand the excuse she had, considering Hecat’s past of fighting poachers.

“But with all due respect Professor, I won’t let poachers or any other horrible person get away with their actions just so I can do an assignment” The words came from her before she even could think about them, it was kind of what she wanted to say; but it came across a lot more disrespectful than she expected, or so she thought.

Hecat’s face remained stoic as she took in her student's last few words, giving the impression that she was not happy. Suddenly a small smile cracked across her face as she looked at y/n. Hecat had not expected such a valid excuse in her mind, never mind expect such with passion, conviction and sincerity. Hecat merely nodded, her smile never once fading now. “I’ll give you until our next lesson, I see no reason to punish you for something I would have done as a student, someone’s got to do something about that lot,” Hecat said, her voice was light now, almost as if what y/n had said to her reminded her of herself.

“Thank you Professor” y/n said as she turned around to leave the study, unsure of what else to say; this wasn’t the outcome she had expected. She reached just outside the door, on the balcony looking down at the class, her eyes instantly looked at Sebastian. Her heart began to race slightly as she realised he was looking directly back at her, ignoring whatever nonsense Garreth was spewing at him. Hecat’s voice calling her pulled her attention back from Sebastian, turning around once more to face the Professor. “Oh and Miss y/l/n? Next time you decide to take on poachers, be prepared. Never go wrong with carrying some essence of dittany with you as well as your usual potions” She took Hecat’s words seriously, nodding once again at the older woman. “Of course Professor, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” 

Y/n made her way back down the short flight of steps and across the classroom as she ran through the thoughts of how lucky she had gotten with Hecat, how lucky she had gotten that Hecat saw some of the young student in herself. She took a seat beside Sebastian, letting out a sigh of relief as she sank back into her chair. “I see you’ve still got your head.” Sebastian laughed, turning to look at her. “She was… Okay with it. I told her about the poachers and that seemed to work in my favour.” y/n  said, the worry that was present in her voice before class was now gone, finally able to think of more important things than an assignment. The class passed by relatively slowly, but no student was surprised. Even in such an interesting class, theoretical studies were always dragging time along, seemingly never-ending. So once Hecat dismissed the class, students almost threw themselves out of the door to get to their next class in hopes that whatever was next was more lively.

Ominis left the class without a word to anyone, leaving Sebastian and y/n to throw each other worried glances. They knew better than to follow Ominis and hunt him for answers as to what was wrong, instead, they gathered their belongings and made their way from Hecat’s classroom, making their way back down to the Potions classroom.

“So, about our adventure,” Sebastian said, the two walking side by side across the hallways, they moved slightly every now and then when another student, or group, pushed their way past. “I was thinking we could go tonight, I don’t have much to get done and I’m sick of being in this castle.” Sebastian’s words were filled with hope, and something else that she couldn’t put her finger on.

“I don’t know Sebastian I-”

“Oh come on y/n, I’m not some fragile little thing that’ll get hurt the second we leave, I can defend myself you know.” Sebastian’s voice didn’t have its usual joking tone to it, causing y/n to look up at him while they walked.

“I never said you were Sebastian, I know you can but-” He cut her off again. “So it’s decided then. Tonight, we’re going on an adventure.” Sebastian’s voice was light again as he spoke, basically telling her rather than asking now. “Fine Sebastian. But we’re doing it my way. There’s something I have to do, so promise me you won’t do something reckless?” her words were serious, and a tone of defeat was lingering in her voice. “I promise y/n, we’ll do it your way.”

She didn’t know if he was being honest or just telling her what she wanted to hear, but she had accepted it, knowing Sebastian would not let it go, not until he got to come along with her. ‘This is the last thing I need..’' she thought to herself, as she mulled over the fact that any task would only be made more difficult with Sebastian there, his tendency to charge in guns blazing all of the time left little space for plans to be executed with stealth and precision was something y/n knew could be an issue and could possibly jeopardize the task at hand.

They walked the rest of the way to Potions without talking anymore about the topic, instead just talking together like normal friends, no talk of dark magic, no talk of danger or poachers, no dark wizards' name even graced their lips… It was something she wished was more common, but between her life and her friends that she held close; having a ‘normal’ friendship was off the cards. Between her two best friends, one a Gaunt who defied his family’s expectations, and the other with a longing for dark magic and power, she knew that the current flow of normal conversation wouldn’t last long; the trio were anything but regular students of Hogwarts.

Sebastian, Ominis and y/n all chose the same workstation, each friend on each side of the large table between them, a collection of cauldrons, ingredients and vials laid strewn about on every table; chatter was lively in the class as the students worked on their potions. Professor Sharp walked around the room, his injured leg causing his steps to falter occasionally as he made his rounds, not affected in the slighest. He inspected everyone’s potions, some gaining compliments; others causing him to say nothing more than a grunt before moving to the next. Ominis avoided joining much of the conversation as y/n and Sebastian discussed their plan for that night, y/n on the other hand didn’t delve too into detail about what she had to do, not wanting to speak about it in such a busy environment.

The potions class seemed to fly by relatively fast, some students received praise for their attempts at the potions; other students would have been lucky to be ignored by Sharp. One of those unlucky few students being Garreth Weasley. The trio looked up as they heard Sharp clear his voice as he approached Garreth, who was standing by his cauldron. The potion Garreth had brewed seemed to stench up the class the longer it brewed, the mixture seemed to expand in the cauldron before it swelled up; a large bubble formed on the top; shaping into a hand that seemed to reach for saving from the dreadful potion — the desperate potion’s stretched hand deflated with an amusing “poof”, the sound it made seemed like the last painful exhale from something that had been holding onto the last few seconds of it’s life before letting out that last, pathetic sound.

Garreth’s failure earned him a deep frown from Sharp. “Mr. Weasley, I cannot keep repeating myself. Please follow the instructions that are provided to you and refrain from your own… concoctions. You may yet still have time to pass this class and prove you’re not a failure. Please keep your own ‘potions’ for when you have mastered the simplest, yes?” Sharp said as he looked down at the ginger boy who was fighting off a frown of his own from falling upon his freckled cheeks.

Sebastian, Ominis and y/n couldn’t help but chuckle amongst themselves once they heard Professor Sharp’s words and watched Garreth’s attempt at the potion dissolve the shape it had taken and recoiled back into the large cauldron. 

Professor Sharp had taken notice of the three best friends joking amongst themselves as he made his way towards their shared table, not failing to compliment Amit’s potion to a high extent as he passed by the table Amit shared with Garreth and Poppy— Amit always had a way of succeeding, even if it wasn’t a strength of his. He held himself to a high standard within his classes, so it was no surprise that this class was no exception.

The three friends subdued their light laughs and mutterings towards each other the closer that Sharp got, turning their attention back to the potions that had sat in front of them. Sharp didn’t speak a word as he made his way around the table, glancing at each of their brewings intently. They stood and almost held their breath — hoping that their potions, at minimum, were passable. A thoughtful ‘hmm’ left Professor Sharp as he stood up a little straighter after studying their potions. “For three who seemed most interested in watching others, you haven’t disappointed me completely” Sharp said in his usual indifferent tone, his eyes flittering between Ominis, Sebastian and y/n. “Next time, please pay attention to your own cauldrons and not other students,” Sharp said bluntly, causing y/n and Sebastian to look at each other. Professor Sharp turned his attention to Ominis fully now; “Well done Mr. Gaunt, I assume you’ve been practising? This potion is well brewed — Ten points to Slytherin.” Sharp said before he turned and made his way back to his desk. Sebastian and y/n turned to Ominis, a smile on each of their faces. Ominis hadn’t been the best at potions — but he was determined to overcome the struggle that came along with the class due to the pressure he applied to himself. A satisfied smile came across Ominis’ face upon hearing Sharp's words. A sense of contentment washed over Ominis as one of two friends spoke; “Nice work Ominis, I guess we should probably practice too” y/n said with a chuckle, genuinely happy that her friend managed to overcome a hurdle that he too often struggled with.

Luck had been on their side as the three had received compliments on their potions, clearly showing they had some skill when it came to the careful craft, but Professor Sharp didn’t hesitate to let them know they still were not up to his high-held standards, that they still had some growing to do within the area.

Once the class had tidied away their potions and cauldrons, returning ingredients and books to their rightful place, the rest of the day passed with surprising ease. Most of the classes seemed to pass swiftly, and the friends were not about to complain about that — all complaints had been reserved for their History of Magic class. The class dragged on as Professor Binns’ dull, monotone voice filled the room. The odd student took notes, and paid attention to the dry words that left the ghost professor's mouth, the rest of the students feigned interest. Some students watched Binns float as he lectured on, staring through the transparent man, and some passed notes (taking full advantage of the professor’s obliviousness). Sebastian sat with his head resting on his hand; his eyes fighting to stay open. Ominis sat in silence, his gaze turned towards the window as he let Binns’ lecture float by his ears — his mind elsewhere. Y/n’s energy to the class was not much different, her body language showed she was listening intently to Binns’ words, but rather her mind was somewhere else — somewhere far away.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

As nightfall came, the usual hustle and bustle of the castle quietened down, most students now working on assignments, while others wandered about the castle or loitered around talking to friends. The only chaotic noises to break the relaxed environment and subdued chatter came when some of the ghosts of Hogwarts flew past, Peeves was tormenting a couple of first years,  and the usual screams and shouts of Eddie Cleaver rang through the halls as he wisped past.

Outside of the castle, the Halloween decorations came even more to life, the candles cast their golden, warm hue upon parts of dark passageways, corners of the courtyards, casting an a beautiful but ominous glow over the decorated areas — the aura hanging on each of the old stones of the castle radiated halloween charm.

Where festive scenes were lacking, there was one student, beyond the walls of the castle, beyond the care of Halloween decorations. Flying above the Forbidden Forest was a large creature with a small figure on its back. The autumn breeze blew past y/n as she perched on Highwing, she took in every sight below her, taking advantage of her high vantage point. She knew this task wasn’t going to be easy, she knew this was where danger truly lay. Highwing and the girl made their way lower to the ground before Highwing began to gracefully saunter through the forest, the creature knew of every twist and turn within the treacherous forest. Y/n’s senses were on high alert as all sorts of noises happened around her, but she and the Hippogriff continued on, not willing to be shaken or have her focus thrown off.

Back in the safety of Hogwarts, Sebastian stood outside of the Slytherin common room, frustration bubbling in him. Y/n had been an hour late meeting him and it bothered him deeply. He marched briskly up the steps leading to the main part of the castle, praying in his mind that she would be around the corner — though his silent pleas had not been answered. Instead when he rounded the corner, to his surprise, he saw Ominis sitting on one of the seats near the entrance to the library, his wand in hand and a rather thick book in the other.

“Sebastian? What are you doing here?” his voice was confused as his attention to the book he held dropped. “I thought you were going on your adventure?” Ominis’ voice was heavy, his tone dropping at the last word. “I was but, Y/n. She was meant to meet me outside the common room an hour ago. I’ve been looking all over for her.” Sebastian sighed, approaching his friend. “What?” Ominis asked bluntly, suddenly a tone shifted in his voice to slight concern. “Sebastian, she left already. I passed her before she as she was on her way, she said you were meeting near the forest.” Ominis finished his sentence, the genuine concern now present in his voice. “She said what?! She intentionally left without me? And lied? Why-” Sebastian was now full of emotions, a mix of worry, concern and a tinge of anger that she would lie to him, that she would leave him behind; Sebastian’s thoughts and emotions were then flickering all over the place.

“You don’t think, do you, Sebastian? She doesn’t want to drag you into trouble, or danger.” Ominis said knowingly, and he was right, she didn’t want to but Sebastian in any dangerous, or stupid, situation — but this logic didn’t sit with Sebastian in the slightest. “So it’s okay for her to run towards danger alone but not with me?” Sebastian’s voice showed all of his emotions at once, causing Ominis’ eyebrows to rise and a sigh to leave him before he spoke.

“She just doesn’t want you getting hurt Sebastian.”

“And I don’t want her getting hurt, but she doesn’t care about what I want, so why should I care about her wanting to go it alone?” Sebastian had a good point that even Ominis couldn’t argue against, and Ominis didn’t argue his friends point; instead what he spoke next was the quite opposite.

“Then go after her Sebastian, she was heading to the forest. She seemed flustered when we met, she was quite anxious…” Those were all the words Sebastian needed for his mind to decide his next course of action. “I’ll talk to you later Ominis,” Sebastian said as he turned on his heel and began to jog briskly from his friend before he began to run towards the large doors that were at the end of the large hall, every fibre of his being told him something was wrong.

                                        ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Y/n was quiet and careful with every step she took. Her wand was held tightly in her hand, ready for anything. She took note of the surroundings, seeing what she could use to her advantage. Just on the edge of where the poachers set up camp, was a clearing, giving a view of the night’s starry sky over the hill’s ledge. She thought about being able to cast the poachers off the steep edge that looked over the forest, she took note of where the forestry ended, the last thing she would want is to end up burning down an entire magical forest. To her advantage, the trees stopped just before the encampment, allowing for the use of fire spells; a favourite of y/n’s.

She watched from behind the bushes as poachers spoke to each other about plans, not knowing of the student who lurked not far from their camp. She stepped quietly across an opening in the trees, Highwing not far from her. Highwing’s safety was a major concern to her, even in such a tense moment. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if anything happened to the creature.

“What will we do with the egg?” said a poacher, y/n’s head snapped around the tree to get a better view. “Cage it, don’t know if it’ll hatch. Keep it safe. That’s a lot of money.” said another poacher with a laugh, y/n’s stomach twisted at the sound of capturing and selling any creature or egg. “How d’ya reckon they managed to capture that beast ‘nyway? Nowt’ easy ‘bout a Horntail, ‘n’ bet a few of ‘em ended up crispy” said a poacher who sat by the fire that burned in the middle of the camp. There were a few tents set up around the area, all around the fire. Cages were all over the ground, some empty, and a couple contained little Nifflers that looked terrified, Y/N’s heart cracked as she saw the full scene, but her mind was now in overdrive.

A Horntail? Captured? How? This added a whole new layer to everything going on, added something else that she felt that she needed to take care of. The thoughts of her initial reasoning for being out that night swarmed her mind, now with the added stress of releasing the Nifflers and a dragon egg. Her mind spun with solutions to the situation that seemingly got more dire the longer it dragged on.

She couldn’t stand there anymore, looking at the creatures and listening to the horrible conversations between the poachers.

As poachers continued to talk about the dragon amongst themselves, y/n  made her way closer to the camp, taking a mental note of where every poacher was located. She glanced back at Highwing who stood proudly in the shadows, the Hippogriff took another step forward. Y/n’s breath caught in her throat, afraid Highwing would catch the attention of the poachers. ‘I should have never brought her’ y/n thought to herself, swearing at her own stupidity and recklessness, thinking now she may have put Highwing in danger too — that Highwing would draw attention. Thankfully, as if Highwing would read her mind, the creature didn’t make a sound, and y/n pressed on, relieved.

She noticed a lone poacher close to her, his back turned to the student. She closed the gap between them while raising her wand, a whisper then left her lips, only loud enough for the incantation to work; “petrificus totalus”

The lone poacher seized up as if frozen before his body dropped to the ground. Y/N breathed a sigh of relief once he was down, ready to approach the rest of the camp. She took note of the three poachers that were left, thinking to herself; “only three, okay..” She had dealt with more than three poachers in the past, so this didn’t cause her any concern. Instead of taking a tactful approach, she took advantage of how little poachers were at the camp.

She leapt from the shadows pointing her wand directly at the poacher that sat by the fire. “Depulso!” she shouted, a blast of light came from her wand, directly hitting the poacher and sending him flying into the high burning fire that once provided a source of warmth for the poachers — and now it was being used for their demise. His screams filled the air, even as his body was engulfed in the flames, his screams were still audible but now mixing with the sound of the fire crackling in an attempt to break down the foreign mass of skin and bone that had been forced into its core.

The remaining two poachers were suddenly caught off guard as turned to see her standing there, her Hogwarts robes billowing in the breeze that drifted by — but the robes were  a dead giveaway as to who she was, a situation she had not predicted happening. “You!!” shouted a poacher, his wand quickly got drawn as he got prepared to fight. “Confringo!” came from the poacher, a burst of fire headed straight for y/n, she quickly rolled out of the way, barely missing the intense attack that had been directed at her.

Her heart began to beat faster, and she realised she made a mistake wearing her robes; now giving everyone a sign that she was the student causing trouble for them, the student that Rookwood was pursuing rather intently. She ran across the camp, firing at both poachers but neither seemed to b giving up or dropping anytime soon. Neither she nor the poachers gave up their relentless casts, and the situation only seemed more dire when a couple of more figures started approaching. Y/n noticed this and she panicked, causing her to almost get hit with a powerful cast of Reducto that someone just fired at her.

“Highwing!” she yelled, not seising her casts or wand movements once, “Get out of here! GO!” she screamed at the Hippogriff to leave her behind, knowing if more poachers came that they wouldn’t hesitate to try take the creature — or worse. Highwing hesitated, watching the student who cared for her so much fight off the oncoming attack from multiple directions. “NOW HIGHWING!” y/n screamed, her voice breaking as she deflected a jinx hurling towards her. Highwing didn’t take another second before sprinting out of the forest, understanding the urgency of the situation. The Hippogriff’s heart was now beating fast as she ran back through the forest and towards the school — hoping to catch someone’s attention, anyones attention that could help.

Y/n kept fighting and dodging curses, not stopping for a second. She knew if she didn’t put her everything into this, she wouldn’t be coming out of this fight, not alive anyway.

“Reducto!” she got a hit on a poacher that was moving closer to her, the man suddenly burst into nothing but ash that lingered in the air before settling on the ground, every atom of the poacher was simply reduced to nothing but specks of grey that settled on the ground where he once stood.

Despite her success so far, it had seemed to her as if every time one poacher went down, another appeared in the last’s stead. Frustration began building in her as she did everything she could to try to keep her mind focused on the fight, but as soon as she found it, the focus was snatched away with blunt force. Y/n’s full attention was pulled from the fight by a swirling stream of purple smoke that twisted its way to the ground, as the smoke dissapated, y/n got a clear view of who had just joined the fight, and the stakes were raised tenfold when she realised who had just joined the fight. “You’re the little bitch Rookwood wants!” shouted a scratchy female voice, the insult cutting through the air like a knife.

Ashwinders…

Y/n cast a quick protego shield as the poachers kept their attack going, she knew she had to get out of this and fast. Her mind ran through spells, jinxes, curses anything that would give her a leg up on the competition now but it seemed almost impossible, her knowledge finally halted her, leaving her with little choice. She kept letting off fire spells one after another, the bombardment somewhat helped the odds of the fight be in her favour for a moment — just a moment. A familiar swirling sound was light upon y/n’s ears. She forced herself to pay no heed to the sound, until a second purple tornado-like smoke appeared before spreading. Once the violet smoke disappeared, in it’s wake stood another Ashwinder, this one seemingly larger than the first.

“Petrificus totalus!” shouted the new Ashwinder, this time a male voice came from the Duelist. He landed a perfect hit on her without much effort, causing her entire body to freeze up. She had lost complete control of her body as her wand fell from her hand and landed by her feet. She was completely defenceless. She screamed obscenities in her mind, unable to open her mouth even the slightest bit. She was done for. Her body didn’t even have a chance to fall and hit the ground before another spell was cast at her now statue-like body. “Wingardium Leviosa!”

She was at the complete mercy of the Ashwinders and the last remaining poachers, the poachers were clearly exhausted from the fight, retreating away from the duelist who now walked closer to the camp. The Ashwinder that cast the Levitation charm pulled y/n closer to them as they closed the distance, leaving her suspended in the air, frozen, unable to defend herself. “Do you realise how much of a nuisance you’ve been? How many problems you’ve caused for us?!” screamed the male of the duellists, his voice was full of venom and hatred, and at that moment y/n truly feared for her life.

“Well no more! No more stupid little brats thinking they can stop us!” the Ashwinder controlling her lowered Y/n so he could stare directly into her eyes as he spoke with his cruel voice. Y/n had no option but to listen, to hang onto every word spat at her.

The looming female Ashwinder began walking towards her accomplice and the frozen student. Once again the scratchy, female voice spoke while stepping up to the suspended girl; “…and when your little friends hear about how we tortured you, how you begged for your life before we ripped you to shreds, they’ll learn not to interfere. They’ll learn their place. Like Rookwood says, ‘Children should be seen and not heard’” the female Ashwinder continued in her vicious, venom-laced voice. The Ashwinders were wholly and completely unaware of the tiny bit of information she had just given y/n, and she knew exactly what she was going to do with it if she got out alive… Even in that moment, she forgot about the threat to her life; only thinking about what the female Ashwinder had just said, information that could help Sebastian and his sister. 'Children should be seen and not heard'

A poacher suddenly appeared, pulling an empty cage with him. The cage wasn’t much bigger than what a couple of Niffleres were in, but that wasn’t something that either the Ashwinders or poachers cared for. “Someone get a word to Rookwood! Tell him we got the little bitch.” said the female Ashwinder as she glanced at the cage, ideas running rampant through her head. “..until then, we’ll have some fun, wont we girl?.” Y/n was suddenly dropped to the ground, but her still frozen body was then shoved into the cage, the girl left completely defenceless, completely overrun with terror.

The remaining poachers and the Ashwinders watched as y/n lay motionless in the cage, finding no amusement in the idea of caging her anymore, not when she couldn’t express her fear, not when she was quiet. Y/n saw the female duellist raise her wand once more, suddenly casting at y/n with something she couldn’t defend herself against; even if she had her wand.

“Crucio!”

There was a split second before the curse hit her that allowed her mind to register the curse and the bright green sparks that emanated from the tip of the Ashwinder’s wand.

The pain was unbearable, y/n’s body was no longer frozen; the Unforgivable Curse that was cast on her overpowered the weak-by-comparison charm. A searing pain washed over her entire body, feeling as if every inch of her skin was set on fire; it felt like a million cuts all over her body that were being cleaned with pure alcohol. The pain caused her to writhe in the cage, her body tensing and dropping, and tensing again. The only sound that came from her was sounds of pain, screams that pierced the night air rang out through the forest, the pain didn’t feel like it was ever going to stop and when it did, the relief didn’t last long before the curse was cast on her again, this time even more painful. Her screams reached a pitch she didn’t think possible, the screams were so bloodcurdling that they set her own hair on edge, anyone nearby surely would think there was a banshee wandering about.

She wanted to beg, to plead for them to stop, but the more she tried to make words come out, the more intense the pain soaring over her body got and the more she in turn screamed.

Some distance away, Sebastian walked towards the Forbidden Forest, his ears caught a scream, a scream that sent a shiver down his spine, and his blood ran cold when it broke through the air. “Y/N!” he said to himself, panic rushed over him as his feet began moving faster, Sebastian was now sprinting towards the sounds. He was so focused on following the directions of the screams and watching the ground for obstacles he had to divert around, that he didn’t notice the white creature heading toward him until it was too late.

His body fully collided with Highwings strong body, knocking him backwards. Highwing took notice of Sebastian and reared on her back legs, trying her best to signal him distress. He didn’t even think about standing back up, panic flooded his voice; “Highwing?!” he knew if Highwing was alone, those screams definitely came from y/n. Highwing was stressed, cries came from the creature, almost begging him to understand her as he stood back up to his feet, ensuring his wand was with him. “I know, I know Highwing! It’s okay, I’ll find her okay? I promise I’ll find her” he didn’t know if he was trying to convince himself or the Hippogriff that was in front of him. He stroked Highwing’s chest signalling for her to calm down, the intensity of the situation and his determination to save her made Highwing and Sebastian forget they hadn’t ever met properly, the Hippogriff uncharacteristically trusted him straight away.

“I need to go, I have to find her” Sebastian said hurriedly as he stepped away from her, continuing on his path to find y/n. Highwing let out a neigh before following him, she then overtook him as if to lead him to the poacher’s camp. He knew Highwing shouldn’t be near the poachers, but he wasn’t about to try to tell a Hippogriff what to do, especially not at such a critical time. Instead, he followed her heavy footsteps through the forest, winding around corners and trails after the Hippogriff.

Screams rang close by to where the boy and the creature, stopping them dead in their tracks, y/n was close by — quite close. “Please Highwing, stay here. Stay safe. I’ve got this.” Sebastian said in a nervous but confident voice. Highwing’s head bowed, acknowledging his wishes which took him by surprise.

The distinctive sound of screams disappeared, but only for a moment. The harsh Ashwinder’s voice was audible from where they stood. “CRUCIO!!” this time it was screamed with pure hatred. Sebastian instantly snapped his head in the direction of the camp, now knowing where exactly to go — his hastened steps taking him to the location of the screams.

Y/n wanted to beg, to plead for them to stop, but nothing but harrowing screams could leave her mouth, tears streamed down her face and she finally felt defeated; finally met her match. In that moment she wished for it to be over, wished for the pain to end at any cost, but it never did. The excruciating pain only ever stopped for a single moment until another round of the torture curse was thrust upon her. Y/n felt her mind drift from her, she was unable to think of anything anymore, unable to focus on anything but the pain; not even thoughts of Sebastian could break their way through the brutalising pain that the Ashwinders cast on her.

From out of the blue, an explosion erupted from the camp, debris from a tent flew in every direction. The remaining poachers and the male Ashwinder were the first ones to act in retaliation, turning their full attention to the cause of the explosion. The female Ashwinder on the other hand, kept her focus on y/n, clearly enjoying inflicting pain on the student — revelling in her screams and cries rather than the idea of joining in on the combat just yet.

Sebastian walked into the camp as debris fell around them, the fire that had caught on the tent fabric now burned intensely around them, but it didn’t bother Sebastian in the slightest. He didn’t so much as flinch as he stepped through stray flames on the ground, the fiery atmosphere seemed as if it motivated him even more. He was enraged. He set his sights on one of the poachers who was preparing an attack, but Sebastian was quicker. “Diffindo!” Sebastian’s cast caught the raggedy-looking poacher, the spell’s power sliced through the man as if it were a knife and he was just a sheet of paper, the poacher fell to a lifeless pile on the ground; his fatal injuries directly across his stomach that split him into two caused blood to run and stain the ground around him.

The female Ashwinder that had been intently torturing y/n looked up from the writhing and contorting girl in the cage, the anger radiating from the duelist was imminent, but Sebastian’s anger was more. “Oh look. One of your little friends has come to see the show,” spoke the raspy-voiced woman. Y/n’s eyes drifted towards the camp’s entrance, catching sight of Sebastian firing off at the surrounding poachers, making quick work of them. The Ashwinder considered her next course of action for a split second, toying with her options of joining in the fight or torturing the girl.

Just as the poachers dropped, two more swirls of purple smoke slammed into the ground, and Sebastian’s eyes snapped around the camp. He was determined to not let them get the better of them.  Once the female poacher realised there were more Ashwinders for reinforcement, she knew what she would do next, try and fluster the student who had just so brazenly walked into the camp, thinking he was a match for them. The ego of the student was something that the Ashwinders hated, that a student thought he would be a threat to them.

But that was the Ashwinder’s undoing.

Underestimating Sebastian Sallow and hurting the ones he cared for was one way to write your death, one way to bring your death upon you in whatever way he saw fit. He could be unforgiving, he could be just as cruel as them, if not more.

“Crucio!”

Another wave was sent over y/n, just as painful as the last. Her screams didn’t care for her wanting to hold them back, so she didn’t distract Sebastian, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even fight the pain, even when he was right in front of her. “Sebastian!” she screamed his name,she was surprised for just a moment that his name rang out through the air, yet she was unable to get anything else out as she continued to convulse in the cage, causing her to hit off of the small prison she had been put in. Sebastian’s attention was instantly drawn to where the scream came from. What he saw sent him into a rage, his mind no longer considering a rational approach. His focus was tied to the female Ashwinder, and y/n could almost swear she saw someone other than Sebastian through her tears. Someone to fear. Someone who didn’t care about the repercussions of the actions he would take. Sebastian raised his wand, his intentions so clearly stated in his mind that he didn’t even have to speak a word as he cast at the Ashwinder.

In a turn of events, karma came in the form of Sebastian, the Ashwinder that had been getting so much satisfaction from torturing y/n had folded to the ground, now letting out her screams of pain as she twisted and writhed around on the stone ground beneath her. Even in her own pain, even without him saying the incantation; y/n could tell that Sebastian cast crucio on the duelist. The power required to do such a thing, she knew right now Sebastian had one intent on his mind — but it didn’t bother her, for all of that moment when the crippling pain dissipated she had felt something she had not in some time — relief. Relief from no longer being tortured, and the relief that came with Sebastian’s arrival to the horrific situation she had gotten herself into.

He turned his attention to the now-gathering Ashwinders that cast all types at him from the edge of the cliff. Sebastian dodged and deflected the mixed hues of green and red that flew at him, a sudden power in him unlocking in the heat of the battle. Sebastian held his wand aloft, his eyes glinted with the power that was building within him. Y/n watched as Sebastian moved his wand so elegantly through the air, she was unable to make out what incantation he said, but within a moment she all but knew, and worry came over her in the form of a tsunami.

From the very tip of his wand came fire, but not bursts as he had been casting previously. Instead, it streamed from his wand, his eyes followed the growing stream as it formed shape above and around him.

From her confined space, y/n could feel the intensity that cracked through the air, as harsh as a leather whip that came from hell itself. As Sebastian’s concentration deepened, the once fiery twists that streamed from his wand began to writhe and twist with the movements of his wand, it’s chaos seemed to find order under his control, but how? The flames had a life of their own, as if with each breath Sebastian took, so did the flames; each breath bringing it more to life than the last.

“Sebastian, no!” y/n yelled, hoping that she could stop him from casting such a devastating spell, but it was too late.

The Fiendfyre’s colour was a deep, malignant crimson that seemed to bleed its ominous glow on everything around, casting everything in a hellish glow. The Ashwinders, who once underestimated him were momentarily halted by the spectacle, caused by a student no less. They watched in horror, and fascination, as the flames above Sebastian’s head began to form shape. The fire had begun to grow and take form as the shape of a head formed, followed by a long sinuous body and a flickering tongue. The Fiendfyre serpent, a terrifying sight to see, hung in the air as its body looped and coiled, as if ready to attack at any moment.

Despite the fear that built up within y/n, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. Fiendfyre was known for its destructive properties, synonymous with ruin and its desire to consume everything in its path; including the caster, but as she watched, rather than their surroundings burning to the ground around them, the two students included, it seemed to be controlled by Sebastian with eerie precision. Despite the fear that built up within y/n, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight that came to life in front of her. Y/n, (and Ominis), knew that Sebastian felt a certain way about the dark arts and dark magic, she knew it was something he desired to learn about, to know how it worked, even how to weild it; but she didn’t know his interest would go to this extent. Oh no, this was far beyond her comprehension.

What would Ominis think if he witnessed something so unbelievable? Something so… Incredible. Something told her that Ominis wouldn’t find it the same awe–inspiring spectacle that she did, that he wouldn’t ever be open to the beauty in anything dangerous or related to the Dark Arts.

It was a clear demonstration of Sebastian’s hidden depths, the years of study and practice, and an undeniable connection to the Dark Arts he had that y/n had never fully appreciated, but was also a show of his determination, and dedication to the craft, but also of the lengths he would go to for those he cared about, the lengths he would go to for power… Sebastian had achieved something so unheard of, something that was considered even impossible; not just casting Fiendfyre, but bending it to his will, controlling the flaming serpent that paid homage to Salazar Slytherin; someone Sebastian revered for his affinity with the Dark Arts.

Her astonishment was complete as she watched Sebastian take control of the flaming serpent. In all the tales she had heard, Fiendfyre was a wild, uncontainable force of destruction, yet here it was, a testament to Sebastian's formidable power and dark affinity.

The spectacle before her was both stunning and terrifying.

As the Fiendfyre serpent hovered, a guardian beast conjured from flame and wrath, it was clear that the battle had shifted. With the serpent of fire at his command, Sebastian was not just a defender; he was a storm that couldn’t be controlled, reshaping the terror of the night into something he could be proud of. The serpent of fire seemed to pulse with a life of its own, its eyes glowing embers that locked onto the Ashwinders with a predator's gaze. The heat that emanated from it was oppressive, the air shimmering in waves that made the scene before her look like a mirage. Yet, this was no illusion; it was a vivid, terrifying reality.

Sebastian moved his wand with a fluidity that belied the danger of the spell he commanded. The serpent of Fiendfyre responded, its movements synchronised with his intentions. With a flick of his wrist, Sebastian directed the serpent, its body slithering through the air, weaving around the spells cast by the Ashwinders, creating a protective barrier of fire and fury around him. Not a single spell or jinx cast by the Ashwinders penetrated the serpent, the flames seemingly protected Sebastian, and and its focus was directly locked onto the Ashwinders.

As the Fiendfyre serpent surged forward, its fiery form twisted and contorted with sinister grace. With a menacing hiss, it lowered its head, the flames writhing and flickering like a serpent preparing to strike as the air around shimmered with its heat. Sebastian's control over the dark magic was palpable as he guided the serpent with precise movements of his wand. 

With each command, the serpent responded, its burning eyes fixed on its targets with predatory intent; Sebastian’s eyes matched the serpents. What once seemed like just a reflection of the flames in his eyes was now something more; his eyes glowed with the same bright, fiery, scarlet flames as if his irises were consumed by the flames he produced.

Whisps of fire cracked from the serpent, as if threatening to drop its destructive touch on everything that surrounded them, to ultimately consume everything — but it did not give into it’s dangerous threats. It continued to follow the commands made by the male student, almost as if the Fiendfyre and Sebastian had a deeper connection — as if the troubled student and the chaos he controlled had an understanding of each other.

The fire serpent grew larger, as if standing tall and proud — a predator staring down its helpless prey. The foes that remained infront of Sebastian only had a moment to examine the power being shown right in front of them — they had lost their chance to flee once and for all. Y/n could only make out small moments from the now one-sided battle, her focus was intently tied to Sebastian and the Fiendfyre as her fear slowly melted away, as if the terrifying sight was the answer to all of the issues — no longer viewing the Fiendfyre as their demise.

In the blink of an eye, the serpents mouth opened; it’s jaws parted as it’s blazing fangs were on full display as it suddenly lunged forward with the command of Sebastian’s wand movements — with a simple flick of his wrist, the monstrosity darted through the air with the speed of light. How Sebastian controlled the fiery demon with such grace, such elegance, was something that those witnessing the events unfold could believe — especially not since he did it while anger raged inside of him, if not stronger than what he wielded. The scorching snake dashed across the camp that separated the Ashwinders from their imminent death. All y/n could make out was the blur of crimson and amber, along with its radiating and blazing heat that emminated from the fire beast as it darted past towards it’s prey, its mouth still agape, still baring its fierce fangs. The Fiendfyre was unrelenting once it reached its casters target, its widened mouth slamming shut around one of the Ashwinders with such force, that y/n could have sworn shockwaves were sent through the ground.

Sebastian continued to focus on the frenzy of fire that he commanded, each movement he made was graceful and intentful — like a dancer whoms body married the notes their body intertwined with — the attacks from him and the creature he controlled were just like master and puppet. Deliberate. Intentful. It didn’t take long for Sebastian and the Fiendfyre to make short work of the enemies who had underestimated him — their bodies no longer stood before him, the Fiendfyre had ultimately consumed their bodies — every atom of their beings had been ripped from existence. The serpent that had one stood strong, proud and dangerous retreated back from where it attacked the helpless duelists, and y/n couldn’t help but feel as if Sebastian’s control of the Fiendfyre might just fail as the battle ended. She expected the blazing form to disobey it’s caster, she expected it to lose it’s controlled form and spill its hot, lava-like fire until it consumed everything. To her shock, the Fiendfyre continued to obey Sebastian even though it wanted to break free, wanted to burn everything it possibly could.

The snake slithered back for one more proud stance in the air before its swelled size began to deflate — the fiery snake wove its way around Sebastian once more, as it twisted it soaked in the last few moments of fresh air it would get until he cast it again. It lost its solid shape, as it returned into the tip of Sebastian’s wand it melted back into it’s original form before disappearing completely. Once the conjured beast was completely gone, a spark came from the end of Sebastians wand. He barely acknowledged the spark that sigalled him that the cast was complete before he ran over to the cage that y/n had been stuffed into.

Sebastian noticed the lock on the cage hadn’t been locked — it reminded him of hearing the cruciatus curse, hearing her scream. Even though he had handed out karma, it didn’t make him feel any better. The unlocked cage just showed what the Ashwinders had intended; they didn’t lock it simply because they didn’t have to, because she would be able to leave even if she wanted to. He pushed the thoughts aside quickly before ripping the cage door open with such intensity y/n was surprised that it didn’t break away. Sebastian threw his wand aside as he turned his attention to getting her out of her confinments. His hands grabbed her legs which were closest to him and began to pull her from the cage as gently as he possibly could. Y/n couldn’t move a muscle besides the involuntary twitches her body made — a lingering affect of the repeated use of the Cruciatus curse on her, one that Sebastian hoped was only temporary.

“It’s okay, it’s okay” Sebastian said softly as his arm looped behind her knees, making it easier for him to fully pull her out of the cage. Sebastian sat down on the ground from the kneeling position he had been in as he pulled her body as close to him as possible between his outstretched legs. He put an arm around her shoulders to support her upper body as he held her close, his other arm wrapping around her too. “It’s okay, it’s over now… you’re safe, I’m here,” he said softly before resting his chin against the top of her head. He was just happy to have found her— while she was still breathing. Y/n body still ached from the curse being cast over and over, as if every drop of strength she once had was gone — now barely even able to sit herself up on her own, her upper body being supported by Sebastian, her head resting just at his shoulder as she sat between his legs, Sebastian had let the second arm that wrapped around her fall and moved her legs so they lay over one of his own spread legs so she was in a position that helped him hold her even closer — almost scared that if she wasn’t curled into him that he might lose her again.

Her voice was soft, and slightly weak when she spoke; “I’m sorry Sebastian-” her attempt at apologising for leaving Sebastian behind was cut short by a chorus of “shhh”s that came from him. His hand that had moved her legs then ran through the side of her hair as he placed a kiss atop her head in an attempt to sooth her, as well as himself. “Don’t apologise, please. You’re safe now,” Sebastian said with a light shaky voice, his chin resting on the top of her head, unwilling to let her out of the attempted embrace.

A sudden crack of a tree branch breaking, along with footsteps made Sebastian’s head snap in the direction it came from as his heart began pounding again while y/n felt a surge of fear when the sound rang through the air, instantly thinking of the situation she had barely just escaped not long ago, and she began to tremble slightly with fear.

Sebastian’s own mind went to the worst scenarios possible; more poachers, more ashwinders, some of Ranrok’s loyal goblins — but as quick as his mind presumed danger, the cause of the sounds stepped from the dark shadows into the camp. Sebastian had taken note of y/n’s slight shaking, her head turned into his chest and he began to try soothe her again. “Hey, it’s okay- it’s only Highwing,” Sebastian said softly as he stroked her hair again, his thumb brushed against her cheek occasionally — something that gave y/n a sense of warmth and comfort.

Highwing stepped into the camp and instantly saw Sebastian on the ground with y/n, and even the Hippogriff seemed worried at the sight of the two students as she stepped slowly and carefully across the camp towards the friends. As she grew closer, Sebastian noticed something in her mouth and he raised his eyebrow slightly to himself. Despite the light front the still burning campfire, it did little to help Sebastian pin-point what she was carrying. Y/n’s head rested against Sebastian’s chest as she turned her head ever-so-slightly to see the Hippogriff approaching slowly. As Highwing stood infront of the two friends, she bowed her head to them as she dropped what she was carrying from her mouth just by where y/n layed on Sebastian. “Looks like someone’s brought you something you may have lost,” Sebastian said with a smile as Highwing nudged the object closer with her beak.

On noticing it was a wand that Highwing carried over so diligently, Sebastian reached out the hand that once administered comforting touches to y/n, the other remained around her shoulders and picked up the wand, tucking it into the inside pocket of y/n’s robes for safety. A small smile danced across y/n face as Sebastian placed her wand away safe and turned her head slightly more to look at the loyal Hippogriff. “Thank you, Highwing,” she said, resulting in Highwing raising her head and letting out a satisfied sound before she lay back fully on the ground. Sebastian and y/n watched Highwing settle for a moment before y/n turned her attention back to Sebastian, looking up at him slightly as she took a moment to think about her words.

“And.. thank you, Sebastian… If you hadn’t had come I-” before she had a chance to get the next word out, Sebastian had cut her off. “Stop,” he said, the word was demanding but his voice was gentle as his hand ran through the side of her hair once more before resting on her cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear that had fallen from her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me. The most important thing is that you’re safe” Sebastian said as he looked at her with his brown eyes that seemed to make his gentle words seem even softer.  As he spoke, his words caused her heart to swell. Sebastian’s voice was more gentle than usual, an inflection of a deeper care for her rang through his words leaving the two to share in a quiet moment before y/n broke the silence - not being completely sure how to approach the conversation.

“When you told me what you heard the day Anne was cursed… ‘children should be seen and not heard’..” she said in a soft voice, hoping to cushion whatever blow her words were about to have on him. She could feel Sebastian’s body tense up underneath her and noticed how the arm around her tensed as his jaw clenched. Sebastian’s heartbeat increased as a mix of anxiety, anger and anticipation bubbled within him - not speaking a word, rathering to let her say what she had to say. “..when the ashwinders had me, one of them said the exact same thing..” she paused for a moment, her own anxiety brewing at the thought of how Sebastian would react. “..they were quoting Rookwood, Sebastian.. Rookwood was there that day, he was the one to curse Anne..” she finally said as she looked up at him, gauging his reaction to her revealing the truth behind his sisters condition.

She had expected Sebastian to take the news badly, terribly even - and he would have been right to. Instead, Sebastian gave a small nod as his jaw remained clenched. He wanted nothing more than to go find Rookwood in that moment and make him pay.. To make him experience even a percentage of the pain and suffering his sister had no escape from. Despite his desire to go find Rookwood and do such unforgivable things, he knew in that moment y/n needed him, even if she wouldn’t admit it to him - or herself. He continued to hold her, his grip around her tightened ever-so slightly; a signal to her that despite his quiet demeanour, his mind was anything but.

Her soft hand being placed on his one of his anger-flushed cheeks pulled him from his thoughts long enough to notice her looking up at him, concern etched across her features. “…we will find him Sebastian, we’ll make him pay. I promise.” her words were flooded with sincerity and determination as she spoke, her eyes locked on his. Regardless of what she had just been through, it was clear that Sebastian and his sisters situation was a priority to her rather than her own wellbeing; her selflessness, her care and determination made Sebastian’s true feelings for her flourish more than they had already. A small smile tugged at the corner of Sebastian’s lips as he gave a gentle nod, not trusting his voice to not waver at her promise. Her words and touch soothed the anger that was twisting within him; it slowly being subdued by the emotions that came as a result of her tender actions.

The two sat there for a moment without speaking a word, instead they just looked into each other’s eyes as the campfire’s slowly dwindling flames cast a warm glow on them. It seemed like the rest of the world melted away around them, as if the Fiendfyre came back to life and swirled them in their own bubble. Every thing in that moment, from the breathing of Highwing who lay not far away to the sounds of nature around them, felt right. Y/n was so wrapped up in the moment, so lost in the brown eyes that bore into her own that she didn’t notice Sebastian’s free hand making it way up until it was placed on her cheek, his thumb grazed over her soft skin in such a gentle way that it made goosebumps wash over her skin. Not a single word was shared between the two, instead it felt like the two were the opposite end of magnets that drew closer to each other in slow motion. Her eyes flicked between his and his lips as his face drew closer to hers, both heartbeats sharing an increased speed as their breaths were slightly elevated against one another's. Everything seemed to move slowly as the distance between them decreased, the tension increased; anticipation bubbling under both of their skins until their lips finally met.

It felt like every firework in the world had been set off simultaneously the second his lips touched hers, for both of them. Sebastian's hand moved from cupping her cheek and ran through the side of her hair before stopping at the back of her head, their lips never parting once as they finally indulged in their once-hidden feelings towards each other.

Everything seemed at peace — even if just for a moment. No thoughts of dark wizards, or goblins intent on destroying the world, or the trip to St. Mungo's that y/n would undoubtedly require For just a moment, the two didn’t feel the pressures of the crumbling world around them, didn’t feel the pressure of all the odds being stacked against them. Instead, they let themselves melt into each others touch, revelling in the kiss that spoke volumes for them — the anxieties relating to their feelings for one another that they had both bottled and shoved aside all melted away.

It wasn’t a moment they would rush from, for the first time that year they felt a sense genuine relief and happiness wash over them, as if the pair had The Draught of Peace coursing through them.

It was a moment of genuine emotion, genuine connection between them - two kindred spirits coming together like dancing flames that grew as one as they intertwined with one another; and nothing could ever snuff out the spark.

(a/n; thank you guys for reading, hopefully it wasn't as bad as it is in my mind~ I'm gonna start posting more regular fics/one shots/scenarios I've been building in my head so keep an eye out💖)

💖Sebastian Sallow Taglist💖 @angel-anna @cyan1decandy (let me know if you want to be added for upcoming fics)

[slytherinsprincesss]

Ominis and Sebastian fighting (about unforgivables) in the undercroft after Sebastian killed his uncle.

Ominis: Oh for Merlin’s sake Sebastian, you made your choice and I made mine. Just because YOU can’t live with YOUR choice, doesn’t mean you should shame me for living with mine.

Sebastian:… Ominis… I’m sorry…

[uhohwhathaveidone]

If you're taking requests, do you think you could please write something for either Sebastian Sallow or Ominis Gaunt? Maybe the reader gets hurt pretty bad while being reckless fighting poachers or something and just a bunch of cute fluff with them all worried. Please and thanks >< ♡

Tip of the day: never run of out Wiggenweld Potions!

Reckless (S.S) (O.G)

I have the Max amount of health potions because ik that if i glitch I'll die so it's always good to stay stocked up. This is rather short, I apologize.

      You huff as you pull the hidden door open, wincing as a sharp pain stabbed into your side. Tears pricked your eyes as you held your side, squeezing through the small opening you made as you entered the Undercroft. Sebastian sat with Ominis on a couch they had conjured up, flipping through the pages of a book as he listened to Ominis talk about what he had overheard from some professors earlier that day. You sighed as you closed the makeshift door, leaning against the wall adjacent to it in an attempt to catch your breath. “Y/n? Is that you?” Sebastian called, not looking up from the book. You let out a small chuckled, wincing as the vibrations irritated your wounds. “Who else would it be, Garreth?” You breathed, raking a few steps forward as you shielded your eyes from the light. Sebastian frowned slightly as he listened to you speak, hearing the strain in your voice.

       “Are you alright?” He asked, turning his head towards you. Ominis turned as well, concern etching onto his face as he listened to your breathing. “Peachy. Just a little tired, I suppose.” You responded, your grip on your side tightening as each step brought a new surge of pain through your body. Sebastian turned to fully look at you now, eyes widening as you smiled slightly, dirt smeared on your face. Blood, too? Ominis frowned, following Sebastian. “You don’t sound fine, Y/n.” Sebastian scoffed as he shook his head, walking over to you. “Fine? You’re covered in…dirt and…is that blood?” You shrugged, wincing. “Blood? What in Merlin’s beard were you doing?” Ominis asked, crossing his arms.

      You were unable to reply, your legs finally giving out as you tumbled to the cobbled ground, hissing in pain. Sebastian quickly dropped to your side, hands shaking as he tried to figure out what was wrong, frowning as his hands quickly became warm with blood. “Ominis! We have some Wiggenweld potions around here somewhere, find them quickly!” Sebastian shouted, putting pressure on your side as you tried to smile. Ominis quickly began to search the room, pushing items aside as he felt around. “What did you do?” Sebastian asked, unsure what else to do as he brought his wand out to add some light, taking a look at your wounds. You chuckled slightly, wiping your face with your sleeve. “Got into it with some poachers. I ran out of potions halfway through, they got some good hits in, that’s for sure.” Sebastian scoffed, noticing the multiple puncture wounds in your side; shallow, yet still dangerous. “Good hits? You’re bleeding out! How could you run out of potions?”

      Ominis shouted in frustration, unable to find anything that even remotely felt like a vial. Sebastian called Ominis over, taking his hands and placing them over your wounds. “Keep pressure there, I’ll go find them.” Sebastian breathed, his voice shaking as he took a glance at his hands, your blood slowly staining his skin just as it was staining Ominis’ now. He quickly stood up, glancing around the room as he searched for the green vials. Ominis stayed by your side, frowning as you shook. “I bet this wasn’t in your plans today, right?” You asked, trying to lighten the mood. Ominis shook his head angrily, biting his lip as he shook. “No, it was not! Are you crazy?” He snapped, causing you to jump slightly. “My apologies, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you, but you can’t just make small talk when you could die.” You nodded, sighing as another shiver made its way up your spine.

      “Found it!” Sebastian yelled, grabbing a handful of the vials, and rushing over to where you laid, setting you head into his lap so you could drink the healing liquid. You hissed at the sudden movement, frowning as you took one of the vials from Sebastian and chugging it, gagging at the weird taste. A small wave of relief washed over you as the numbness in your legs began to dissipate, the throb in your side, however, unchanging. You placed the empty bottle down as you took another one, eyes tightly shut as your side began to tingle, your more superficial wounds closing up, leaving only the large gash in your side, one you got from a poacher who decided that magic wasn’t enough, and took a broken board and slashed at you with it. You sighed in frustration, dropping another empty potion bottle. “How badly were you hurt?” Sebastian sighed, handing you another potion. You shrugged as you drank the liquid, smiling slightly as the warmth traveled down to the wound, finally sealing it.

      “Pretty bad, apparently. I’ve never had to down three potions before.” You sighed, sitting up with the help of Ominis. The two boys helped you over to the couch, setting you down before waving their wands, getting rid of the blood that covered their hands and your robes, as well as the blood and dirt that covered your face. They took a seat on either side of you, Sebastian sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. “You need to stop trying to add stress into our lives. I can feel the white hairs coming in already.” He chuckled, shaking his head. Ominis scoffed beside you, frowning. “At this rate you’ll be dead in the woods somewhere, and we wouldn’t know until Merlin knows when.” You stretched, your back popping as you let out a content sigh. “That would never happen, Ominis. You’d miss me in the first hour.” “Doubtful. I think I would revel in the quiet for a few hours before thinking of finding you.” You faked a gasp, looking over at Sebastian with a playful smile on your face. “That was rather harsh, don’t you think?” Ominis shook his head as he leaned back, resting against the soft cushions. “What happened, really? How does one casually find themselves in the middle of a fight with poachers?” Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow.

      You took a few moments to explain what happened, mentioning how you hadn’t even meant to stumble upon their camp; just passing through as you explored the woods. You weren’t planning on a fight and tried to hide away before anyone saw you, but you reacted too late and had immediately been cornered, forced to fight your way out. “I think next time you decide that you want to explore the woods, we come with you.” Sebastian stated, resting against you as you scoffed. Ominis nodded, “Agreed, can’t have you dying now, can we?” You chuckled, resting your head on Ominis’ shoulder. “If you can handle it, then of course you can join me.” “Oh, we can handle it, better than you.” “I handle myself very well, thank you very much.” “Clearly.”

[dumpstermermaid]

A few more Sebastian and Ominis headcanons:

- If you send Sebastian to Azkaban, Ominis grows up to be taller than Sebastian. If he isn’t sent to Azkaban, Sebastian grows up to be taller than Ominis.

- Ominis lives alone for a while after graduating from Hogwarts (either because Sebastian is in Azkaban or because they grew apart after the events of fifth year). He gets a big, fluffy housecat because he can’t sleep without the sound of heavy breathing and light snores in the room with him.

- In Azkaban, Sebastian is mostly docile. He mutters softly to himself nonstop, and shambles about his cell when he has the strength. But on stormy nights, he fumbles fruitlessly at the bars of his cell door, scratching at where the doorknob should be, because somehow, deep down, he knows he’s supposed to *be somewhere*. *Someone needs him*. *It’s storming, and it’s late, and he’s supposed to-*

Big thanks to @trappezoider @blatantblue @brightened for inspiring me to think about these two Slytherins and their sad, beautiful, tragic love affair.

[undercrofttt]

hi!! i hope you’re having a wonderful day!! i had an Ominis Request if that’s okay?! Like the Ominis loves the reader and has since they met. she always on his side for everything? like she doesn’t want to help Sebastian and Ominis realizes that when he hears Seb practically forcing her to help with his mission and he sticks up for her?

She’s a pureblood and doesn’t believe in the “PureBlood Supremacy” like him and his aunt?

and since Wizards live longer than normal people, maybe they take in their Great-Nephew Tom Riddle Jr so he doesn’t turn into Voldemort and teach him right?

Sorry this is so much! It was just an idea i’ve had for a long long time and couldn’t write it myself!

𝙾𝚗 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚂𝚒𝚍𝚎 | 𝙾𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜 𝙶𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝

[ominis gaunt x fem!reader]

sypnosis: where a friendship slowly crumbles and a new relationship begins.

a/n: buckle up because this is a long one. cutting this up into two parts because this is massive, i tell you, and i didn't proof read so pls stay focus lmao. anyway, thank you so much the request! i'll make a part two as soon as possible, but i hope you enjoyed how i wrote this.

ominis' first encounter with you was by far the strangest he'd ever had. it was his first year in hogwarts and he had no luck making any friends as his childhood never taught him how. it never bothered ominis that he sat alone at the great hall table or the fact that he navigated through the halls with no one at his side. ominis gaunt was content and was fully prepared to go through his years at hogwarts that way.

that was until he met you, a month into his first year...

ominis was reading a book in a courtyard, comfortably sat on a bench. classes had ended a few minutes ago and he figured he'd pass time in the courtyard with his finger trailing across the braille filled pages. beside him laid his satchel filled of books and left over snacks from the day.

"oh, where did that blasted niffler go? i just knew sebastian's decision to keep it as a pet would end in disaster, but no, that idiot just had to-

ominis' eyes glanced up from his book and toward the feminine voice, which sounded a feet away and was clearly displeased at something. however, ominis paid no mind, bringing his eyes back to the book. no use poking his nose into business that wasn't his. that was until he felt something bucking against his thigh. his brows furrowed in confusion before one hand left his book to feel the leather fabric of his satchel beside him. what in salazar's name?, ominis thought as his fingers suddenly brushed against a tuft of smooth fur.

wait, fur?

ominis' fingers dug gently into the fur until he pulled out whatever it was that was hidden in his satchel. the mysterious thing in his hand began to purr and click and ominis tilted his head in confusion. an animal? ominis thought as his other hand placed the book aside, but then an abrupt gasp sounded from behind him.

"there you are, you little theif!" the same voice exclaimed and the pattering of footsteps rang in ominis' ear. with a sudden force, the unknown animal was taken from his hand and he could hear the struggling sounds of low growls in front of him.

"mmph, hold still, will you?!" the voice seethed and ominis could do nothing but stare at whatever scene was going on. "aha, i knew you took my locket! why, i ought to-" ominis ears picked up on the sound of coins clinking to the ground and other trinkets that sounded like jewelry.

"is that my ring?!" the voice huffed incredulously before receiving a growl from the animal. "and you're upset?! i have been looking for this ring for a week now! oh, my necklace as well?"

ominis heard about enough, albeit he was annoyed that his peaceful reading had come to a halt. "excuse me, do you mind?" he said with a bit of irritation his tone and he heard the girl gasp in surprise one again.

"oh, i didn't realize you were there!" the unknown girl sighed in distress. "did you steal from him too? c'mon now, cough it up, niffler!"

ominis nodded to himself as the sound of panicked purrs came from the animal, coming to a realization on what he had pulled out of his satchel. ominis grabbed his book and shoved it into his bag, before moving to get up. suddenly, a hand shot out and grasped his robes.

"w-wait, is this pouch of money yours?"

the voice asked as he heard a jingling of coins and he remembered that he had placed his pouch in his satchel that morning. his hand quickly dug into his satchel and as his hands felt for everything but the pouch, ominis let out a tired sigh and nodded. he meekly held his hand out toward the voice. the niffler certainly did steal his pouch.

"i told sebastian not to let this thing run loose." the girl growled and ominis felt the pouch weighing in his palm soon after. "sorry about all this. i didn't mean to disturb you."

"it's fine." came ominis' curt reply as he placed pouch into his bag. he was about to leave it at that when the girl began to talk to him once more.

"oh, you're ominis, right? ominis gaunt."

ominis pushed back a retort as he sighed, only nodding his head in response to the question.

"i don't believe i got to talk to you yet," the girl said amicably and ominis could guess that her face held a smile that matched the tone of her voice. "i'm (y/n) (l/n)! it's nice to meet you."

ominis silently nodded his head again, until something piqued his interest.

(l/n)?

the family name was familiar to him or rather ominis knew all too well about her family. a pureblood family that his own family often scoffed at when the subject was brought up at supper. although the (l/n)'s were rich and well known, ominis heard that the (l/n)'s weren't considered a part of the pureblood circle, only because their way of thinking differed from his family.

one, the (l/n) family weren't particularly fond of the unforgivable curses and made it clear that they would never use it by any circumstances. two, the (l/n) family didn't believe that only pureblooded wizard and witches should be able to wield magic. wether you were muggle born, half, or even a squib! if you had the power to wield magic, then you were a wizard/witch. there was never a thought of discrimination or prejudice in that family. it almost made ominis gaunt jealous as he looked at the girl, presumingly in front of him.

"well, i don't want to trouble you any further," the girl said after a moment of awkward silence. "i have to take this little thief back to sebastian and anne. i'll see you around, ominis!"

ominis scoffed at the thought of meeting her again, however a small twinge in his chest made him uncomfortable. it was not like what he had ever felt before. ominis felt warm from the interaction and it made him wary. he couldn't even see what she looked like, yet her voice was enough to make him feel this way.

oh, what rubbish, ominis thought as he brushed it off and adjusted the strap of his satchel on his shoulder.

like i'll be seeing her around.

-

oh how wrong ominis was because any chance that you spotted him in the hallways, you'd always happily greet him and walk him to any class that you had with him. any class that you had with him? suddenly you were sitting with ominis and chatting about something you did the day before. breakfast, lunch, and dinner? there you were with sebastian and anne sitting with him.

ominis couldn't escape your presence. not that he was annoyed...no, to his surprise, ominis grew quite fond of you and your friendly nature. before he knew it, ominis gaunt integrated into the friend group made up of sebastian sallow, anne sallow, and you. he had come to trust you all enough to show you the secret lair that he called the undercroft. it was a place that sealed the friendship. ominis wasn't sure how it had happened, but it did and his first year at hogwarts wasn't completely as lonely as he thought it was going to be.

and then fourth year came.

unfortunately, anne never came back to hogwarts after her third year due to a curse that was casted upon her. it pierced deeply into the now trio of friends, even with the many paid visits that you and ominis would make to the sallow's home during the break. it was clear to you both that anne sallow's health was deteriorating, but sebastian refused to accept the truth. the truth that anne wasn't going to make it.

"sebastian, you know that this-" ominis started only for his friend to growl out in anger. you flinched beside him and ominis felt you jolt into him which made him wrap an arm around you.

"you both are wrong!" sebastian had hollered, pointing an accusing finger at you and ominis. "there is a cure and i'm going to find it-"

"please, sebastian, not here." you whimpered with tears in your eyes as you gestured to the door which was anne's bedroom. "she's still asleep and-"

"i'll prove it!" sebastian yelled with his fists clenched at his side. his eyes glared at ominis, watching as he moved forward to place a hand on your shoulder.

"i don't care what it takes, i'm going to find a cure."

sebastian wasn't lying.

soon after beginning your fifth year, you felt the coldness of the undercroft. the undercroft that once held the chatter and laughter of your friends. the undercroft that once brought you four together in times of hard moments. whether it was the struggles of student life or ominis' heartfelt talks about his childhood. with sebastian using it as a pandora's box filled with theories and ideas for a cure, it no longer felt warm. it was just a reminder of what it once was.

you sat on the stone floor with your legs criss crossed. no warmth, no laughter. it just felt like you were sitting in a cold room that once was. you glanced down at your potions book on the ground with tears welling up in your eyes. the inked pages suddenly became blurred as your tears finally fell down your cheeks. droplets began to litter the page as you started to let out soft sobs.

"(y/n)?" you heard from behind and your body twisted around to find ominis walking into the room with his wand in hand. you quickly wiped the tears from your cheeks before letting out a soft laugh, wincing as you also sniffed.

"omins gaunt," you say with a forced smile on your lips as if ominis could see it before standing up. "sneaking up on me? and here i thought sebastian was the prankster."

you didn't receive a response, which made you tilt your head and walk up to him. your face fell as you noticed the grimace that ominis had. clearly your words filled with feigned cheer didn't get past ominis as he silently stood with his pale blue eyes gazing down at you.

you were about say something until his unoccupied hand came up to brush against your cheek. "ominis..." you sighed out with your eyelids softly fluttering to a close as you felt his cold palm on your skin. no response again as ominis' thumb brushed against your cheek. no doubt feeling the wetness of your tears that you failed to wipe away completely.

"you've been crying, haven't you?" ominis stated grimly. it wasn't really a question. "what's wrong, (y/n)? is it anne? sebastian?"

his tone held so much concern as he names off any possible reason you could be crying about. it made the tears that once were come once again. ominis picked up on the soft sniffles that you let out and he felt his hand being brushed away from your face by yours. you quietly stepped closer to him, wrapping your arms around his midriff while leaning your face into his chest. all he could do was pocket his wand and circle his arms around your waist.

"i-i'm sorry, ominis," you said in a hushed tone as you tried to talk through your sobs. "everything just isn't the same. not since anne-"

"don't be sorry, (y/n), it's alright to cry," ominis' voice sounded unwavering, but his chest clenched tightly around nothing as he heard your pained sobs. "but everything will be alright."

alright?, ominis thought to himself with a internal scoff. to hell if he knew if everything was even okay. when did ominis start thinking so optimistically? merlin, he didn't care. all that mattered to him at the moment was you. you, who was crying into his chest as if you had been hit with the worst curse in the book.

ominis wasn't sure what to do as he brought his hand up to brush through your (h/c) tresses. this was all he could do in an attempt to comfort you while cooing in your ear about how everything was going to be fine. although, you both knew the truth. anne wasn't going to live and sebastian was going to keep finding a cure for something that couldn't be undone, not even while he's withered away into ashes.

an hour later, you had finally stopped crying and ominis' arms never left your body. as soon as the tears subsided, you realized the close contact and your face flushed terribly. you pulled your face back from his chest and wiped your damp cheeks of any tears before looking up at him.

"thanks, ominis, you truly are a great friend." you say, however the word 'friend' singed your tongue as you spoke. it felt revolting to say.

"o-of course," ominis stammered, pulling away now with his arms to his side. you frowned at the loss of contact, crossing your arms against your body. "listen, i know it doesn't seem that way, but everything will be alright."

"i know, ominis, thank you." you replied and omnis heard you shuffle closer.

he has known you long enough to sense your presence and know your scent when it filled his nostrils. you were in front of him...very close. ominis felt your hands run up his chest gently and he couldn't help but stiffen at the warmth that your fingers held, even through his thick clothing. they brushed further up, reaching his neck and then to his face to which you encased his jaw with your palms.

"(y/n)?" ominis questioned in a soft voice.

you ignored him, bringing yourself to stand on your toes and lean your face upwards. ominis could feel your soft breathing against his skin now and his heart began to race nervously as you suddenly pressed your chest against his. then he felt something soft against his lips, which made his eyes widen.

you felt his hand grip your shoulders and pushe you away gently, which made your heart fall to the floor. damn you and your emotions. you couldn’t control yourself? what was the matter with you?

“ominis, i’m so sorry. i shouldn’t have done that-it’s just i’ve had feelings for you for so long and-i’m so very sorry...”

you kept on rambling, dreading the boy's silence and stilled body. ominis’ ears seemed to be ringing at your sudden confession. your words echoed loudly as if trying to engrave itself into his mind. you’ve had feelings for him after all this time? blasted it all, he thought you had feelings for sebastian with how close you two were. ominis had thought that for so long, yet here you were...kissing him and confessing?

"ominis?" you called out cautiously, tilting your head with a pursed lips. you could feel your face heating up in embarrassment. what if he didn't feel the same way? you wouldn't be able to let yourself live it. down. you wanted to curse out loud, but ominis wasn't moving a inch in front of you.

suddenly, you felt ominis' hand gently take yours and lifted it up to his face. you watched in silence as he pressed his soft lips upon it before feeling him smile against your skin. your face felt as though someone had casted incendio as he pulled you closer into his body. chest to chest now, he slowly let your hand go and placed it on your cheek.

"you've no idea how bloody long i've waited to hear those words come from your lips." ominis whispered as he bent down to draw his face closer to yours.

once again, his lips were met with yours and you closed your eyes in bliss with your arms coming up to wrap around his neck. ominis felt you pull him closer, as if you two weren't already molded together as it is. the kiss was gentle, yet feverish-almost needy. as if every word and thought that had been locked up and were relishing at the feeling of being freed.

however, you just had to feel him against you. the kiss was gentle, yet feverish-almost needy. as if every word and thought had been locked up and were now relishing the feeling of being freed. this kiss meant more to you and him than anyone could ever imagine. a feeling a disappointment waved over you as he slowly pulled away from the kiss.

"i love you, (y/n) (l/n)," ominis gasped softly. he was clearly winded with the passionate kiss that you two just shared, yet his words rang clear in your ears. oh, if ominis could see you now, your smile stretched from ear to ear at his words.

"and i love you, ominis gaunt."

-

you were humming with your books to your chest as you shuffled over to the undercroft. to your surprise, sebastian and the new fifth year student were huddled around the secret entrance, which made you all the more wary. it was already betraying enough that sebastian revealed their secret lair without you and ominis' knowledge, but to see them both standing there with grim faces made your blood boil. the nerve of them, you thought as you stood there with a glare on your face. it was clear that sebastian read the hostility and brought his hands up in assurance.

"(y/n), be calm, i know you're still angry about-" he started, but you huffed in response and turned your head away, flipping your hair on to you shoulder.

"angry?" you scoffed and pointed a finger to the new fifth year. "you let a stranger into our secret space and you want me to be calm? you know better than anyone how much this place means to me and you completely ignored it!"

sebastian winced at your words, knowing exactly what you meant. he had betrayed your trust in him. "i know, i know-but (y/n), we need your help!"

you glanced at the fifth year, who gazed at you with a sheep expression and then back at sebastian. your face softened a bit and you sighed heavily, before relenting. "well, what is it then?"

"it's best we not speak here," sebastian said in a hush tone before looking toward the new fifth year, who nodded in agreement. "c'mon, we'll talk in the undercroft."

you rolled your eyes as sebastian opened the entrance to the undercroft with the new fifth year following behind you two. the place that once was filled with happy memories were being replaced with secrecy. secrets that were bound to become trouble.

"alright," you say, setting your books on one of the old barrels that laid upright and turning around to face the both of them. "what is it that you need help with?"

"we need to find a scriptorium," the fifth year started and you tilted your head curiously. "it's hidden somewhere in this school and only one person knows where it is."

"well, i don't know where it is," you grumbled with your arms crossed against your chest and leaning your weight on one leg. sebastian seemed nervous now that you shot him a glance. he couldn't seem to meet your eyes as he glanced behind you.

oh, now i see what this is about.

"only one person in this school knows where it is," you say with a firm voice as you mostly addressed the fifth year. "and he also happens to be your longest friend, sebastian. so why not ask him?"

the fifth year now looked stunned as they looked back at sebastian, who seemed more nervous than before. you raised a brow at his timid posture and narrowed my eyes.

"i did-or rather, we did," sebastian stammered out, clasping his fingers together and licking his lips. "but, ominis refused to tell us."

"rightfully so," you scoffed, rolling your eyes. "merlin knows what you two are up to. clearly up to no good if its about the scriptorium."

"its to help anne," sebastian seethed, now feeling angry with your attitude. "and if you cared at all about her then you would do this. if not for me, then for her. that is if you ever even considered her a friend."

sebastian's brows were quick to smoothen out as he realized the words that had spewed out of his mouth. his face now held regret as you stood there with your fists clenched at your sides. you were visibly seething now with your face a bright red and your lips curled into a nasty growl.

"the absolute gall of you, sallow!" you hissed out causing sebastian and the new fifth year to flinch at your tone. although your tone held anger, sebastian could hear the hurt that was laced along with it. you stormed towards him until you were foot to foot with him and you grabbed him by his tie to pull his face down to yours. your glaring (e/c) eyes pierced into his very soul.

"how dare you imply that i don't care about anne? yes, she is your sister, but she is my best friend as well! all i've ever wanted was for her to get better!"

with every word sentence that you spoke, you jabbed a finger into his chest. sebastian very well felt that anger and hurt that snaked through your finger and into his chest. however, he was determined to find the scriptorium. as much as it hurt him to do this, he couldn't give up. not now. not ever.

"well, prove it then!" sebastian interjected with a glare. "if you truly cared about anne, then help me convince ominis. you're the only one he will listen to and-"

"ominis will not listen to me," you spat. "you know about ominis' family and his past. do not force me to do this. i will not, especially if it will hurt him."

"but he will listen to you," sebastian reasoned, visibly frustrated at your refusal. "you're the only person ominis cannot say no to! now that you're seeing him, he will surely listen."

"it sounds like you're using us," you drawled, narrowing your eyes at him.

"this is for anne. i need to find a cure before it's too late!"

"what would anne think about all this, sebastian? did you even think to ask yourself this?" you sighed before letting go of his tie and brining your fingers up to your temple. "sebastian, i will not ask ominis. either you convince him yourself or you stop finding a cure for anne."

sebastian's face was red with frustration as he glanced back at the new fifth year, who shook their head. there was a moment of exchange between them before sebastian looked at you with pursed lips. you dared him to say something that will possibly break your tie with him with your eyes.

"i was right about you," sebastian finally spoke, his brown eyes darkening as he glared down at you. "you never cared about anne! that's why you won't do this! something so simply that could help anne and you won't do it. how could you be so selfish?!"

your mouth parted in shock while your heart tightened in your chest. all you could was stare at him with an unreadable expression. it was as if an arrow had pierced through your chest.

"i've heard about enough!" a voice boomed from behind you all and sebastian whipped around to see ominis storming towards them with his wand balled in his hand.

"ominis," you called out and ominis was in front of you in an instant. you grabbed his occupied hand and held it to your chest tightly. your voice sounded small as if you were holding back tears. ominis' blood boiled at the thought of how crestfallen your face might've looked and he immediately let go of your hand to face sebastian. you peered behind his arm to find sebastian glaring at you both, almost in betrayal.

"take back what you said," ominis glowered and sebastian internally winced at how cold his tone was. "we have been friends for too long, sebastian. do not jeopardize this over something so trivial."

"trivial?!" sebastian roared in disbelief. "this is to find a cure for anne. i had no intent in hurting either of you. i just want-"

"we know what you want, sebastian," ominis interjected with a wave of his hand. "but this is not the way to do it. if i had known you would come to (y/n) about this, then i would've accepted your request."

the tension in sebastian's body slowly faded as omini' last sentence sparked a brink of hope. "so you'll do it? you'll show us where the scriptorium is?"

you snap your head up at ominis with a furrowed brow, hoping that he would say no, except there was a moment of silence. dread poured into your veins like a gush of water from a waterfall as you realized that ominis was actually considering it. you even felt yourself becoming sick as ominis let out a frustrated sigh.

"yes, i'll show you-but with a few conditions!" ominis said with a stern voice as sebastian's face lit up in satisfaction.

"of course, anything!" came sebastian quick response and the new fifth year simply watched the scene unfold with uneasy eyes.

"first, you leave (y/n) out of whatever you two are planning." ominis said and you took his hand into yours while gazing up at his solemn face.

"noted," sebastian said with a nod, now feeling like an arsehole as he refused to meet your eyes. "(y/n) will no longer be involved with our plan."

ominis nodded "second, after you find whatever it is you need, you must promise me that you will stop sticking your nose where it shouldn't be. no more dark arts, no more curses. you have to stop, sebastian."

sebastian's eyes widened slightly at ominis' proposition and glanced at the floor uneasily before hesitantly nodded. "alright, i agree to your terms."

"alright, i'll meet you two upstairs, i need to speak with (y/n) for a moment."

sebastian nodded at the fifth year to head on up and turned his head back at you with an apologetic expression. "i'm sorry, (y/n), i let my anger get the best of me. there's nothing i could possibly say to make you forgive me, but you have to understand that-"

"i know," you said coldly as you crossed your arms uncomfortably and looking away. "it's for anne's health, but please stay out of trouble. nothing good will come out of learning about the dark arts."

"this has to work," sebastian mumbled sadly before turning around.

"i'm sorry again, (y/n), i hope you forgive me." was the last thing he said before walking out of the undercroft with his heels echoing through the room.

you sighed sadly, which caused ominis to look down at you with a grim expression. you leaned your forehead against his back with your hand still grasping his as if he'll just fade away.

"ominis, was this really the right decision?" you asked and ominis turned around with your forehead on his chest now. he slowly brought his arms around your waist and kissed the top of your head.

"once sebastian finds what he wants, he will no longer pursue his research." ominis replied into your hair. "this had to be done."

"i wish there was another way," you sighed before pulling away from his chest and leaning upwards to place a kiss on his lips. "promise me you'll be safe. if they tell you to do something uncomfortable, please come back to me."

"i will, (y/n), do not worry to much." ominis replied with a fond smile on his face, yet the dim lights didn't hide the fearful undertone in his voice. "i will come back to you safe and sound. i can promise you that."

you let out a shaky breath before pulling him back into a kiss. ominis returned it just as eagerly, as if it would be the last. both of your bodies seemed to relax a bit as you pulled away.

"i love you, ominis."

"i love you too, (y/n)."

those were the last words that you both had before you watched ominis turn around to leave the undercroft. he left with a heavy heart and you stood there feeling as though half your heart was on his sleeve.

[booksdaydream]

The Lost and Found

*SPOILERS OF THE GAME HOGWARTS LEGACY AHEAD*

Characters: Dark!Sebastian; use of MC; GN!MC; Ominis Gaunt.

Summary: Based on this post by @avadakedavravravra​. Basically, Sebastian goes mad after hearing MC and Ominis decide to turn him in during IN THE SHADOW OF FATE quest in the game, so he plans to take Ominis’s place.

Warnings: mild violence; mild abuse (imprisionment); talks about death (Solomon); angst; pretty sad, I think.

Word count: 2K+

A/N: I found this idea very interesting and thought to explore, maybe add a little sprinkle of romance, maybe MC being a hero? Some potential for good ending. So far, I only wrote about Sebastian spiraling, but I intend to write a part II to continue developing his evil plan. Enjoy some angst!

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Masterlist

This chapter on AO3

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Sebastian wasn’t surprised when MC walked on him arguing with Ominis at the Undercroft. His last decision on using the killing curse against his uncle was a necessary evil on his quest to find a cure for his sister, but Ominis didn’t seem to understand that. His bestfriend of all people refused to see reason. He refused to understand that Sebastian didn’t mean to hurt his uncle, but doing so was the only way to save his sister. And now, Anne was considering turning him in. But she needed him. She needed her brother. Sebastian asked MC to convince Ominis of such, through a pleading tone and a desperate look. He had noticed that Ominis had started to listen to them, sometimes more than himself. They couldn't refuse him.

“No matter what happens from here – I’m glad we met”, he shot MC before turning his back on a distraught Ominis and a concerned MC. Sebastian left the Undercroft so his two friends could have a private conversation about it without his presence looming over their decision, and MC could thoroughly convince Ominis. Or so they thought. Sebastian could pretend to leave for their sake, but the decision was hardly a simple one for him to leave on their hands.

As soon as he opened the clock secret door, he casted a disillusionment charm on himself and silencio on his feet, descending the steps onto the Undercroft once more. He approached his pair of friends to hear their discussion without their voices echoing and getting lost on the room and hid behind a column. He watched MC reach out to Ominis’s arm in a comforting gesture, squeezing it while his breath got caught in his throat. “Ominis”, they called. “What a mess -“, he responded starting to rant about his concerns.

He told MC about meeting Anne and becoming aware of her distress, her battle between wanting Sebastian to face consequences for his actions and not wanting him to get further damaged was maddening. His voice was increasingly upset, quavering at his build-up emotions. But all Sebastian heard was his words. Cutting like knives, dripping his betrayal. “I don’t want to lose Sebastian, but I don’t think we have a choice”. The first part didn’t matter. Not anymore. Not with what he uttered right after. He wanted to turn him in. Sebastian held his breath, however, waiting for MC, hoping for their answer, he heard intently. They would disagree, they would stay by his side. He was sure of it. MC would support him even if his bestfriend – the word now had a bitter taste to it – wouldn’t. But the betrayal came in pairs that day. “We don’t have a choice. You’re right. You were right the entire time.”, MC responded in a quiet, almost whispery tone.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His most trusted friends colluding to have him sent away, probably to rot in Azkaban. He would never see them again, let alone see Anne. His blood rushed to his head, his heart pumping fast in his chest and his mouth drying out. He could feel his ears ringing and all the pieces he understood for the rest of the conversation sounded like accusations to him. His friends weren’t concerned for his future, Merlin, oh no, they were concerned with their own guilt. Saving their own arses by turning his in. “I’ll tell the Headmaster”, Sebastian heard Ominis say with a tired voice and a sigh. Then, his mind started racing. He needed a plan. Quick.

Sebastian waited quietly for them to leave the Undercroft, his mind racing. What could he do? Intercept Ominis? Try to convince him? No. He hadn’t listened. He had made his choice. Maybe he could get rid of Headmaster Black? He’d killed before, he could kill again. No. No. He wasn’t like this. Killing was what got him here in the first place. There must be a better way. Then his mind wondered to a room he heard about from one of the house elven in Hogwarts through a whisper. The Room of Requirement. A room that appears when one needs it. And who would be in more need of a hiding place than Sebastian at that moment. He had to find it, however, and for that he needed time.

Quickly he rushed to the DADA classroom, the closest, and hoped Professor Hecat wouldn’t be in. He was lucky. He entered her room and swiped some parchment, writing a quick letter for Headmaster Black. An excuse to take him out of his office. He told him to meet Professor Hecat on the other side of the castle near the greenhouses, something urgent about a duel between students and a hurt pureblood. That’d do. And sent it with a spell. He had no time for an owl.

Then, he rushed to the kitchens, he needed to find a house elf that would tell him where the room was hiding. He rushed like his life depended on it, and it did, tripping some students just then realizing his spells were still in place. Not bad for a fifth year, he thought with a smirk. It took him long and precious minutes until he found a house elf willing to talk, Gloria, she seemed nervous but excited to share the secrets of the room to a student in need. It was on an empty wall in the Astronomy Wing. Sebastian rushed, finally visible to the other students, except his former friend Ominis that didn’t seem to notice him as he moved towards the other side of the castle. Probably returning from an empty Headmaster’s office. Sebastian frowned. An idea forming in this head.

He sneaked into a corner and made sure he wasn’t seen by anyone, once again casting the disillusionment charm and the silencio on his feet. Sebastian looked around for Ominis and easily found him heading towards the transfiguration courtyard, likely looking for Headmaster Black. These corridors were slightly busy with other students but as mentioned before wasn’t Sebastian quite the lucky guy. Peeves floated into the scene and started tormenting some second years, quickly scaring the students away. Ominis was also spooked by the poltergeist hastening his pace urging Sebastian to act faster.

Sebastian approached Ominis from behind, still protected by his charms, and casted disillusionment on him. This wouldn’t have worked on anyone else but him as Ominis didn’t see anything change, except feeling a weird sensation that came with the spell. However, he didn’t think much of it, his mind was elsewhere. Buried in thoughts and worries about a very special friend of his. Sebastian struck Ominis general location, as now with him barely visible he had to guess, with a Full Body-Bind spell and heard a thud. Perfect! He felt around the place with his also barely visible hand and found Ominis laying on the ground. He picked him up and hoisted him over his shoulder. Sebastian was fit enough to carry his much skinnier friend with ease. He summoned Ominis wand that fell farther away from its owner and hid it in his inside pocket. In a hurry he left for the room of requirement.

Indeed, was he a lucky boy for the room made itself known almost immediately as Sebastian stepped in front of the wall. He was concerned the room would show itself for Ominis’s sake, but he was delightfully surprised to find it otherwise fit for his needs. The intricate door emerged from the rock-solid emptiness and opened quietly into a small room, with some simple amenities. A bed, a toilet, and a bath. Sebastian put his, now heavy with the many steps he had to climb, friend onto the bed and undid the disillusionment spell.

He was greeted with a confused stare, almost desperate. Without any sound made by Sebastian, Ominis must have been utterly confused about what was going on. And Sebastian wanted to keep things that way for now. He kept his friend bonded and took a deep breath. What now? He had Ominis. Entrapped. He had yet to speak with the Headmaster, as it seemed. Should he confirm it? Would Ominis lie? Should he try to talk some sense into his friend? The word felt bitter once again and Sebastian felt as if he had no friends anymore. Besides Anne he was now truly alone. The boy he captured was but a stranger. He turned around and left.

–

It took two days for the Headmaster to summon Sebastian to his office to enquire about Ominis’s whereabouts. By then he already had a plan. Wonky, but manageable. For Headmaster Black he told an elaborated lie about Ominis visiting distant relatives to rekindle his connection with his family’s Dark Arts as a result of a fierce fight between him and his sister after his uncle’s death, almost as if Ominis intended to slowly make up for his wrongdoings to his family’s traditions. The Headmaster seemed proud of his story and promised to punish him lightly upon return as having accumulated content to revise in class would be punishment enough – although Sebastian heard Professor Weasley much more disappointed reproval of Ominis’s “decision”.

To MC, Sebastian put on a happy front. Pretending they had decided not to turn him in and, oh, that made him so delighted. In his lie, they were the bestest of friends. About Ominis, however, he was concerned, but he understood that maybe the realization one could lose family so easily as Sebastian did his uncle, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ominis was suddenly afraid of losing the Gaunts. But it wasn’t as if MC fully believed his lies. They knew Ominis. His fears, his traumas, his family’s cruelty. He’d never return to them, much less to the Dark Arts. But until they could find him, putting up with Sebastian’s cheeriness was the least they could do. And Sebastian knew their suspicion too.

To Ominis, Sebastian said nothing. He fed him once a day with two pieces of bread and water. He never spoke to him, never even showed him his face. The only interaction he had with his former friend was to pluck a couple hair strands from his head after casting a Full Body-Bind spell for a second time. But it wasn’t as if Ominis had accepted his fate. In his first day, he familiarized himself with his new room and tried to get answers from his captor, only receiving a light scoff in return for his snappy mouth. He first tried questions which quickly turned into threats then pleads to then return to questions, all remaining unanswered. Whoever they were, they didn’t care he was a Gaunt, they were careful to take his wand and to keep him in a place he’d never been to before. Ominis spent the entire day touching the walls, the floor, trying to reach the ceiling and failing.

He tried to make out what kind of room was he in. Was he still in Hogwarts? He must have been. Whoever took him didn’t walk so far. Did no one saw them leaving? Them carrying him? There were students around. Peeves was around. They must have been close to invisibility. They must be a student. Or a professor. Or a family member. Could they be a Gaunt? He’d shiver. His brother, Marvolo? Maybe a prank for all the years he had fought against their teachings. Surely, they wouldn’t come all the way to Hogwarts for that, not now. Why now? Perhaps it was a Goblin? No, MC took care of them. Besides, it was very unlikely he was away from Hogwarts. They hadn’t Flooed, nor apparated. He was awake when they left afterall. His thoughts kept him awake for many days and even when he repeated some of them to his captor, he only heard silence back. He didn’t know yet, but it was going to take him weeks before realizing who was keeping him. And months, before he finally gave up.

Sebastian needed to keep up these appearances for a month. Only a month. Until the Polyjuice finished brewing. And then, Sebastian would disappear and Ominis would return from his family holiday with a slight affinity for the Dark Arts. Or maybe, he could return from a month in captivity from the hands of Sabastian Sallow. Except he never escaped. And he was simply substituted. His friends wanted him to be a monster. No, they made him into a monster. They allowed him to become one. So, they would have it. The monster they created.

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*No reproduction of this text allowed without credit*

[nari-chanxd]

‘You made your choice’

His face here is so heartbreaking 🥺💔

[hyuckkaiji]

loyal she began, so she remains - sebastian x f!reader

summary; he waited too long to hold you in his arms again. he waited too long to give up now. you are his, and he will have you. pt.3

word count; 4.3k

warnings; 18+, explicit content, some physical violence, porn with a plot, mentions of cheating/infidelity

note; and they lived happily ever after. One for the Seb girlies hehehe. last last part to this little unofficial series. pt.1, pt.2, pt.3 Ominis

Sebastian twirled his wand with deft fingers, staring at the cold fireplace, listening, waiting.

It had been almost three months since he saw you. One would think three months would feel like nothing in comparison to eight years, but they would be wrong.

He longed for you, he dreamt of you, bided his time until he could hold you in his arms again. And the day came, you were there, his beautiful girl, you were in his arms after all that time. But when he awoke, you were gone, and that hurt him more than anything another wizard could ever do to him.

These months have been the worst of his life. To know where you are and not be able to claim you, it was tortuous. He doesn't blame you, he doesn't know how Ominis has messed with your head because clearly Ominis has messed with your head, there's no other explanation for you leaving his side and crawling back to that bastard.

He knows you don't love the auror, you could never love him. So what made you go back? He needs answers. He would have gotten them sooner, gotten you sooner, had it not been for your pest of a husband.

His old friend had been tracking him like a blood hound since the afternoon after the night he shared with you. But Ominis underestimated him, his skill, his intelligence. Ominis thinks he is the predator.

The door creaks slowly open, the hinges old and rusted. "You were a fool to come back here, Sallow." Ominis stood in the doorway, the grey light of the cloud filled sky seeping in behind him.

The auror took a few steps forward, letting sagging wood slowly groan as it fell shut. "You should have stayed away, I gave you your freedom, and you wasted it by trying to come back for her."

Sebastian leaned back, watching Ominis with a lazy gaze, his fingers still fiddling with his wand. "Of course I came back for her. You thought I wouldn't?" Sebastian tsks, "Truly old friend, you should have known better."

Ominis shrugs, "Your mistake, fugitive. They've already got your cell in Azkaban waiting for you."

"Have they?" Sebastian let's out a breathy laugh, Ominis' lips twitch in irritation.

"You never could take anything seriously."

"Ohh, you've caught me." Sebastian throws his hands up in mock surrender though he knows the auror cannot see the gesture.

"You've cornered the big bad fugitive. Haven't you, Gaunt?" Sebastian stands, Ominis points his wand at the abrupt action. "I cared about you once, Sallow. I have allowed that past affection to cloud my judgment. I have allowed you to walk a free man. No more."

"Free?" Sebastian sneers, "You keep saying that word, you must have forgotten its meaning for I have not been free in eight years."

"I have lived alongside the rats in sewers, I have starved, I have survived off rotting scraps. I have done much and more just to keep myself alive, and you call that freedom. What did I do to deserve that -"

"You are a murder, Sebastian!"

"I just wanted to save my sister! She was in unending pain, all I ever wanted was to help her! And you and my uncle tried to stop me! Only one person truly supported me!" Sebastian's breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling with heavy huffs.

Ominis features twisted in disgust, "My wife is not yours to claim. We are no longer children, and it has been many years since she was yours. If you had just accepted that, if you had just stayed away. The miserable existence you created for yourself would be no concern of mine."

"But alas Sallow, here we stand. All things must come to an end, you are no exception."

Sebastian barks out a laugh, "Do you plan to kill me, Gaunt?"

"You do not matter enough for me to soil my hands in such a manner."

Sebastian hums, "I only matter enough for you to personally track me for months."

"Only because you came near my wife."

"My point still stands, and I did more than just go near her."

Ominis' grip tightened on his wand, his knuckles draining of color. "Of course you would take pride in that little indiscretion. I'll have you know that my wife does not. That's why she came back home to me. She is waiting for me at home this very moment, swelling with my child."

A ball dropped in Sebastian's stomach, nauseous at the thought of you pregnant with the Aurors child. "You didn't."

A satisfied smirked pulls at Ominis lips, allowing himself to enjoy the blow, for a moment he pays no real mind to Sebastian. But a moment was all Sebastian needed. He lunged.

Sebastian's hand wrapped around Ominis', yanking his away his wand. Tossing it, where it hit against the stone corner of the fireplace, landing with the sound of wood cracking.

Sebastian couldn't explain what came over him, to fight like a muggle, to abandon his wand in the face of a fight. All he knew was he needed to feel his fists collide with Ominis face, he needed to feel the impact, hear the crunch of bone as he landed blow after blow.

He didn't know how long it went on, but when he pulled back, breathing ragged, fists covered in Ominis' blood and knuckles raw and cracked, Ominis wasn't conscious, the only sign of life was his chest rising and falling with shallow breathes.

Sebastian stood, grimacing at the scene before him. Silently thanking the gods, he hadn't lost himself enough to kill someone he once loved. He wasn't dead, and at the very least, Sebastian was grateful for that. He had done terrible things in these past years, but there were still things he could not bring himself to do. Things he could never forgive if he did. Not again.

This was for the boy he was, the boys they were. Sebastian left the auror there, a silent prayer that their paths never cross again.

When he stepped out of the worn down cottage, rain was falling, showering down on him, soaking through his clothes, washing away the blood that clung to him, washing away his sins.

He breathed in deep, closing his eyes. Letting the smell of fresh wet earth permeate his senses. He strolled through Feldcroft as if he owned it, as if he belonged, as if it was his home and his wife he was heading towards. As far as he was concerned, it was.

You are his home, his life, his everything. And only the thought of having you again got him through those long years. He had laid out his path, his future, your future. All that was left was collecting that which he loved most.

His hand wrapped around the handle, cold metal biting into his skin. He could feel the magic that was surrounding the house, protection charms on top of protection charms. But these charms were not meant to protect but trap.

Sebastian pulled his wand out, casting counter charms, breaking down layer after layer. It was not quick work, and truthfully not something he would have been able to do if not all that he had learned on the run. The magic he was using to break down the barriers is something others would call dark. Sebastian just calls it a different kind of magic, a necessary kind.

He finally broke through, the knob turning in his hand, the door sliding open to welcome him into the warm cottage. The smell of cinnamon toast was wafting through the air, nostalgic and inviting.

"You're back husband." Your voice was meek, docile. You came out from around the corner that led down the hall, your bare feet padding softly against the carpets you had laid out around the house.

"Sebastian." You stopped in your tracks, hands at your side, fists bunching into the fabric of your skirts. "Where is Ominis?" Sebastian's lip twitched in irritation at the question. "Gone."

"Y-you-" A gasp escaped, your hand coming up to press the tips of your fingers to your mouth in shock.

"For merlin's sake, I did not kill the man. He just happens to be ... indisposed." Sebastian waved a hand in the air. "But he'll come back to an empty home, you're coming with me."

You walked towards him, steps slow and cautious. Reaching a hand out to caress his cheek once you stood before him. Feeling him, in the flesh, your skin against his, that was your breaking point. You lauched yourself into his arms.

Violent sobs overtook you, your body shaking with the force of them as you clung to Sebastian. You held onto him as tight as you could, readjusting your grip to try and tighten it every few seconds. You crumpled in his arms, he allowed you to, sinking to the ground so you could sit in his lap. Arms around his neck, face buried in his shoulder as he cradled you.

"I'm sor-ry, I-m sorry, s-orry." You mumbled almost incoherent apologies into his shirt in between hiccups. "My sweet girl," he cooes, "you have nothing to apologize for." One arm holds you as the other hand runs through your hair in an attempt to soothe you.

He holds you, whispering soothing words and sweet nothings until you calmed down. "I shouldn't have come back ... I felt so guilty for betraying Ominis ... I-I," you shook your head, trying to articulate your thoughts.

"He supported me for so long, I felt like I owed it to him to come back. My own happiness be damned but ... he ... I've been trapped in this house for months, Sebastian. All this time, all I could think of was you," you brought a protective hand up to rest on your stomach, "and our child."

"Our?"

"This life that grows inside me, it could only be yours, my love. The thing about contraceptive potions ... you can make them for one person. The ones I brewed only kept out Ominis. It worked for years, I know it didn't just suddenly stop. This is your child, Sebastian, our child."

His lips are on yours in a hearts beat, soft and needy. His tongue swipinging over your bottom lip as his hand tangles in your hair. It felt like home, it was a feeling he longed for during the countless nights alone.

You moaned into the kiss, allowing yourself to finally relax, to feel safe in the Sebastian's arms. His fingers had come up to clumsily undo the buttons of your blouse, never breaking your kiss.

You pulled away, taking over, discarding your clothes in a rush, your fingers precise where his had been ill practiced. He did the same, tossing his clothes aside without a care before pulling you back into him, savoring the feeling of your skin against his.

"I am going to ruin this house the same way I ruined you." He pressed a kiss to your temple, fingers leaving a trail of goosebumps down your skin. "I'm going to fuck you over every surface of this house." He pushed you up against the nearest wall, a gasp escaping your lips at the sudden impact . His lips traveled down, warm kisses along your neck making a shiver run down your spine.

"I'll not leave a single room unspoiled for that insecure twat." He kissed his way down your torso, settling himself between your legs, pulling a leg over his shoulder to expose you to him, you sucked in a breathe as his breathe fanned over you.

"Fuck, you're so wet already. This is all for me, pretty girl?" His tongue swipes slow and torturous over your sopping cunt, flicking over your bundle of nerves at the end. "So fucking sweet."

He looking up at you with hungry eyes, every puff of air he breathes out hitting your clit, making you shiver above him but he make no move to continue. "Sebastian, please." Your words are breathless and a hand tangles in his hair as you attempt to push his face right where you need him.

"Beg."

"Sebastian." You throw your head back in frustration. You couldn't find the words to describe how you want him if you tried. "Stop playing games with me."

"I'm not." He leans just enough to let the tip of his nose graze the sensitive bub, "I just wanna hear you say it. Come on, just once." He presses a kiss, you sigh at the feeling.

"Please, Sebastian, I need you, please touch me."

Those words, the slight whine in your voice, sent a jolt to his already hard cock. He has one hand supporting your hip and leg over his shoulder, the other arm supporting your back and pushing you closer to him.

His mouth is pressed back against you, sucking, nipping, licking away as you grip his hair. You had always felt pleasure with Ominis, wanted him even but not like this.

Though the physicalities of it all were much the same, it was different, in your heart, in your soul. No other could make you feel the way he did, the way you felt right now.

Your legs tensed, attempting to close around his head. His arm dropped from your hip, wrapping around your thigh to pry your legs back apart, never stopping his ministrations against your throbbing clit.

Your orgasm racked your body, your head thrown back in pleasure. Sebastian stayed kneeling, peppering kisses along your inner thighs and hips. Chuckling to himself as he listened to your pants, your body trying to regulate itself again coming down from your peak.

Your legs wobbled as he stood, allowing you to plant both legs on the ground once again. He leaned in kissing you, allowing the taste of your cum to settle on your tounge.

"You're all fucking mine, now show where your bed is sweetheart." You lead him to your bedroom by his hand.

"How does your husband normally fuck you?" You hummed, crawling onto the bed before flopping onto your back, bringing your knees up just enough to give him space to join you, as Ominis normally does.

Sebastian clicks his tongue against his teeth with a tsk. "Everytime?"

"Near enough. Would you like something different?"

Sebastian walks over to you, bringing his hand to wander over your breasts, pulling a pert nipple between fingers. Twisting and pulling at the nub, earning a soft moan from you. He lets his fingers wander, trailing over your ribs, scratching his nails lightly over your stomach.

He stoops just below your hips, giving a quick tap. "Come here." You crawl back off the mattress, slightly uncertain in your movements. You stand before Sebastian, feeling even more exposed though nothing has changed.

He examins you, letting his eyes follow his hands path as it trails. He gathers your hair in one palm, pulling it behind your shoulders and letting it fall loose.

His fingers graze your collar bone, the way he's looking at you makes you feel like a piece of art, something that exists only for him to admire. Running his fingers over every curve and crevice like he's trying to understand how you were created. You shiver under his scrutinizing gaze.

He grips your chin between his thumb and forefinger, softly, just enough to bring your eyes to his. "Bend over." His voice is soft but commanding, leaving no room for argument. And you don't need to be told twice.

You gather all your pillows, pulling them to your chest to prop you up a bit as you lean over the mattress. The anticipation alone making your clit throb.

Sebastian brings a rough hand up to further feel as he looks you over, the sight almost rivals looking up at you from between your legs, almost. He grips the flesh of your ass, gods how many times did he have this exact dream?

"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever set eyes on, do you know that?" He let his hands settle in a firm grip on your waist, leaning over you, his hard cock pressed into your bottom as he pressed kisses into your spine, whispering as he went.

"I promise I'll make you happy, I'll give you anything you want or need. I'll give you a life you deserve."

He lined himself up with your dripping entrance, "You ready?" Letting his cock sink in slowly after you nodded your approval.

He groaned at the feeling of the wet warmth wrapping around him, quickly falling into a steady place. Sliding in and out of you with deep stokes, allowing the tip of his cock to bully your cervix.

You could feel the coil in your gut winding tighter and tighter with every stroke, so close to tipping you over the edge. You buried your face the mattress, muffling your cries and tangling your fists in the blankets.

"Oh no baby, I wanna those pretty little moans." Sebastian wrapped your hair in a fist, using it to pull you up into his chest. The grip of his other traveled from your hips to your stomach, pressing down just below your naval. The grip he had in your hair moving to keep a firm grip on your throat, keeping you pressed firmly against him.

This angle allowed him to fuck you at depths you'd never felt before, depths that had you tipping, the coil snapping inside you as you spasmed around him. Throwing your head back in pure ecstasy as another orgasm over took you.

Sebastian nuzzled his face into the exposed crook of your neck, sucking and biting in a fresh pink mark. His hips slowing their pace but continuing enough to draw out your pleasure.

"You didn't finish." You were panting, your skin covered in a sheen of sweat. You continued to clench around him, your body overwhelmed but still mindlessly chasing the pleasure only he could give you.

"I didn't want to yet." You could feel him smile against you."You're not satisfied yet, you animal?" You let out a breathy laugh but Sebastian only hummed bringing his fingers down to rub harsh circles into your swollen bud.

"I'll never be done with you." He pulled out, letting you lean against him, almost pure dead weight, unable to keep yourself standing.

He leads you to the kitchen on unsteady legs, arm around your waist supporting you the entire way. "Keel for me, love."

A good obedient girl, all his, only his. He smiled down at you as you struggled to fulfill his request, looking up at him through your lashes once you succeeded. "So pretty." He muttered, in awe of the sight before him.

You wrapped one hand around the base of his shaft guiding him into your waiting mouth. Your tongue wrapping around the underside of his shaft as you bob around him, your hand stroking what you can't fit. "Good fucking girl." Sebastian practically growls the words.

One hand shooting out to tangle at the roots of your hair, he uses the leverage to push you further down. You let him, your own hands gripping the flesh of his bottom, blunt nails digging in as you gag around him. Sebastian let's out a low hiss, enjoying the slight mix pain and pleasure.

He uses his grip to hold you in place as he thrusts, the tip of his cock abusing the back of your throat. Drool is dripping down your chin and tears well in your eyes but you let him use you, the sight of him with his head thrown back, eyes screwed shut, and teeth biting so hard into his bottom lip you think he might make himself bleed, it's too lovely a sight for you to try and pull away.

His thrusts become erratic before burying himself so deep you gag around him as your nose presses against his pubic bone. Tears finally falling free as his warm, salty cum shoots down your throat, he holds you there until he's sure you've swallowed all of it.

When he finally pulls free with a soft pop from your mouth, your lips are puffy and swollen with a line of drool still connecting the two of you.

He pulls you to your feet, still using your hair as his personal tool. He pushes you up against the table, your hands falling to grip the hard wood and steady yourself. Sebastian doesn't wait before dipping his head to the valley between your breasts, his tongue darting out the catch the drool that had slid down your skin, his tongue following the wet path up the collum of your throat ending at your lips.

His kiss is feral, possessive, all tongue and teeth nipping at your lower lip. His hands wrap around your thighs to hoist you up onto the wood. "Merlin, I need you like I need air." He speaks the words against your lips, his eyes falling shut as he presses his forehead to yours, a shuttering breath falling from his lips.

"I love you, Sebastian." You whisper back to him, using the back of a hand to rub against his cheek softly. He smiles at you, a man captived by what he never truly thought he would have, never thought he deserved. Truthfully he's not sure he does deserve this, deserve you. But he'll be damned before he lets anyone else have you.

He's using his tip to gather the slick from your still seeping hole, rubbing it over your clit, making you shudder. When he feels he's gathered enough he pushes back into you, making you gasp.

Your legs wrap around his waist and your arms around his neck, letting your head fall against a shoulder. He splays one large hand over your lower back and uses the other to balance against the table. His hips stutter at first, still sensitive from his orgasm, but he find his pace.

You had never realized how loving sex can feel, how his pace alone could convey that. The way his fingers dig into your skin with every thrust, every pant and groan that escapes him. You knew, all of it told you, this is a man that worships you, a man that has been enamored by you since he first met you. And though he may tell you, you're his, first and foremost, he's yours.

It didn't take long for either of you to reach another orgasm, both your bodies still so sensitive. You clung to him as your third orgasm overtook you. His grip on you was brusing as his hips jutted rhythmless against you, he muttered incoherent praises into your skin and his seed shot into you.

You stayed like that for a moment, just holding each other as you came down from your respective highs. "My sweet boy, my Sebastian." You mumbled against him as you stroked your fingers through his hair, the words made him cling tighter to you, part of him worrying if he lets you go this time he'll never hold you again.

"Promise you won't leave me."

"Oh my darling," you coo at him, bringing him up to face you, to look you in the eyes, "you have my heart, you carried it with you all these years. I couldn't leave you if I tried for I am yours, mind, body and soul. I think our love could transcend lifetimes."

∘₊✧───── ─── ─────✧₊∘

Epilogue;

"I am not, you insatiable beast." You giggled pulling your hands out of the soapy water you had just been using to wash dishes.

"You satiate me, love." He turns you to face him, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. "Beautiful." He mumbles, bringing a hand up to rest on the swell of your stomach. "Me or the baby?"

He hums, "Both. The most beautiful beings to every grace this gods forsaken planet."

You shake your head, "Well, you can't put another in me until this one is out. And we still have some time yet so I think you should focus on the here and now and go get ready for work."

You brush his curls out of his face, stroking a thumb over his cheekbone. He hums, smiling at you, "Yes, you are ever correct, wife."

"Husband." You give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Brother, it's mine!" The shrill voice of your five year old daughter echos through your house, followed by the mischievous giggle of her younger brother.

"Hey! Hey!" Sebastian calls out, rushing over to the running toddler in two quick strides, scooping the child up in his arms. The boy giggles wrapping his arms around his father. "We don't steal, my boy. Play nice now, you lot cannot be stressing your mommy while she's pregnant. It's not good for the baby."

He kneels, pressing the stolen stuffed rabbit back into his daughter's hands. She smiles quickly at him before scampering away, toy in hand. He shoos his son shortly after before turning back to you.

"What's the max?"

"I was thinking this might be the final one." You leaned against the counter, watching him with a glint in your eye.

"I was thinking at least one more." He responded.

"Aye perhaps. I could never say no to you." You walk over to him, throwing your arms around his neck.

"How do you think the muggles do it?" You asked.

"I don't think they do, bet they cry themselves to sleep wishing they had a silencio charm."

"Seb!" You scolded with a playful slap to his chest.

When Sebastian was young he thought himself the master of plans, thought himself brilliant even but nothing will ever top this, this success. The best plan he ever wrought, whisking you away to America. Muggles know nothing of him, nothing of you. His life is sweet, a dream come true. And he is most grateful.

[arthenaa]

Hi!!!! Can I request Sebastian and maybe ominis reactions to mc being chosen for the Triwizard tournament and mc competing? Kinda angsty more like hurt/comfort? Romantic please 🤭

triwzard tournament reaction: ominis x gn! reader, sebastian x gn! reader

content warnings: hurt/comfort, argument, boys worry over your well-being, angst. established relationship for sebastian, friends to lovers for ominis, theyre a bit mean on this one

a/n: heya anon! sorry it took awhile but here it is hehe im still not sure if i did it right to be honest. im fairly new to the hp world (even tho i did watch the movies, my knowledge fairly skimmed the surface of how the world works and its lore) anys here ya gooo. grammatical mistakes will be fixed soon sorrz its 3 am.

Sebastian Sallow

The moment he heard the headmaster announce your name as the champion for this year's triwizard tournament, he immediately fell silent.

You knew you were supposed to rejoice at the chance of representing your school in a tournament between 3 of Europe's biggest wizarding schools.

But the moment the brunette falls silent beside you, you couldn't help but look at him in concern

It was hard trying to assess the unreadable look on his face with how loud your schoolmates' cheers were.

You could feel Imelda's hands pulling you to stand up and join the other champions but you remain seated, eyes trained on Sebastian.

He finally notices your unmoving figure beside him and sends you a forced smile; encouraging you to take your place with them.

Eventually, you did. Trying to force yourself to be happy for being chosen.

After the headmaster called for a small break to allow the champions to mingle with their peers before the planning of their first task, you immediately went to find the brunette.

You had gone to Ominis first. The blonde told you that Sebastian immediately walked out of the hall right after the announcement but didn't know where. The blonde's guess was that he went to the undercroft.

And so you went to find your boyfriend to get the bottom of his sudden disappearance.

a/n: went hard on this one, was listening to september by sparky deathcap

"Sebastian." You called out as you entered the undercroft. You immediately spot his figure leaning against one of the pillars, eyes trained on the triptych in front of him. You stand, a few meters from him, hesitant in approaching due to his closed off body language.

He had been like this since the moment you were announced to be Hogwarts' champion for the Triwizard Tournament. It was an expected choice from the public, given your recent feats as a wizard but expecting your young friend to be happy for you—You're instead met with his silence.

You're suddenly aware of the tall and invisible wall that Sebastian had built up between the two of you once again. It happened once and it happened again, but this time it's because of you.

"Sebastian, what's wrong?" You ask calmly as you make slow and careful steps towards the boy. His eyes leave the triptych and now focus on the dusty surface of the floor. He smiles but its not reaching his eyes.

"It's nothing. Congrats." He mumbles, tone forced and stiff. You huff out a sigh as you stand in front of him with head tilted, face confused. Sebastian finally takes the moment to glance at you.

"Seriously? Are we doing this again?" You raise your eyebrows, eyes challenging him. After that thing with Anne and Solomon, Sebastian begun to distance himself around you and Ominis. It was understandable given the severity of his actions but it was ultimately an annoyance you have to deal with when he becomes closed off and reluctant to share his feelings.

It should've been that way. That he should be more open with you now considering what you both went through but apparently, it just hardened that stupid resolve of his.

"What are you— Look, I'm happy for you. Really. What else do you want me to say?" His tone becomes more frustrated and annoyed, your meddling certainly set off a fuse in his brain. You scoff at his indifference to your concern for him.

"I'm not asking about that, Sebastian. I already know you're not happy about it, no matter how many times you say it to my face," You retort, taking a step closer to him. He looks away, face contorted into a cold look. You raise your hand up, index finger pushing his chin to move his face towards yours. Your eyes meet brown. "I'm asking why you're suddenly closed off and angry about it. You left the hall out of nowhere, for Merlin's sake."

Silence lapses between the two of you as he looks at your eyes with a range of emotions. First it was indifference, then sadness, then desperation then finally, anger. He pushes your hand from his chin, stepping back as he runs his palm across his face.

"Sebastian—"

"Did you really have to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" He asks, voice wavering as he look up at you through his lashes. You heave a sigh, licking your lips as you're unable to answer his question.

It takes a while for you to answer but you did.

"Professor Weasley thought of me to be a great representative, Sebastian." You try to reason with him, watching as he paces back and forth. His hands become obsessively occupied with his hair, fingers running back and forth his curls that you have the urge to calm them down but then he suddenly stops to look at you with such misguided anger, you had to take a step back to fully process it.

"But did you really have to?" Sebastian asks once more but this time his tone was evident of irritation. "Y/N, you're threading on very dangerous waters. You've barely been accustomed to living here and yet—"

"Are you saying I can't handle it?" You raise an eyebrow at him, disbelief in his lack of trust on you. His shoulders lower as he raises his head to look up at the ceiling before raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. It was a habit he often did whenever he was exhausted or not in the mood. "Do you not trust me?"

Your heart begins to fill with heavy feelings.

"Stop putting words in my mouth," He snaps as turns around, hand rubbing his chin as he paces a few meters away from you.

"Really? Cause it very well sounds like you don't," Your voice begins to shake but you will yourself not to break in front of him. Suddenly, guilt and regret fills your body, an effect of Sebastian's irritation with your decision to join the Triwizard Tournament. You wanted to join and you knew you could handle yourself well. It was just so mind boggling that the moment you saw Sebastian's disapproving face that it would suddenly affect your decision altogether. But alas, you were already chosen and it was too late to back out now. "I can handle myself very well. Need I remind you of the things that I've done in the past few months? I even defeated you in DADA—"

"That's not what this is about, for fucks sake, Y/N!" He yells all of a sudden that it causes you to flinch. The emotions you've been repressing suddenly began to start rising. You fall silent, hands curled into fists to stop yourself from bawling in front of him. "This is more than that measly fucking battle we had back then. You don't realize what you're getting yourself into and it's killing me."

You couldn't understand why he was like this. If he only just told you why, you would certainly understand.

You bite your lip as thoughts began to fill up your mind. You felt pathetic and pitiful. You felt as if you've disappointed him and you knew that this was something that should've never bothered you but this was your boyfriend. The person you expected to support you first amongst a sea of people. It didn't hurt wanting a bit of validation from him.

You didn't realize that the waterworks had already started to fall until you notice Sebastian's face soften at you. He moves towards you with haste, hands cupping your face to wipe the tears that continuously poured down your face. "Merlin, I didn't mean to— Fuck, I-I'm sorry."

You push his hands away as your face contorted into a look of anguish. "Why? Why do you always do this?"

"I-I don't—"

"Why do you always close yourself off? To Ominis, to Anne. To me?" You whisper, eyes swollen and red from crying. "You put a wall around yourself before I can even have the chance to understand why. You don't want to make me understand you, Sebastian."

He falters in front of you, eyes brimming with tears as he hesitantly reaches to grasp your robes. He finds comfort in the fact that he's still able to reach for you even if it's just the material of your cloak.

"I won't be able to understand why you're so angry about this." You continue, sniffling as he looks down in shame. "I'm one fucking person. I can't read your mind."

"I know that—"

"Then fucking tell me what's wrong?!" You yelled in frustration. He flinches at your tone, eyes looking up at you in surprise. You take a step closer, grasping his face in your hands. "You have to tell me what you're feeling, love. Tell me so that I can understand, please."

You trail off as a tear escapes your eye. He licks his lips as his eyebrows furrow in contemplation. He heaves out a shaky sigh before leaning into your touch.

"I'm scared," He starts off, voice small and weak. "The Triwizard Tournament is dangerous and things can happen unexpectedly, Y/N. People died because of it."

Your eyes are trained on him as tears began pouring down his face. He holds your hands on his face, grip tight and desperate.

"I'm scared you'll get hurt because of something or someone and I won't be there to—" He cuts himself off, letting out a sob. "No one can help you in there, Y/N. Back then with Ranrok, I didn't feel like this because me and the others were there. But this, this is different."

Your face falls with realization as he takes a step forward to press his forehead against yours.

"I-I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I can't. I can't—"

You cut him off as you lift yourself up on your toes to press your lips against his. He immediately returns the kiss, allowing you to pull him close as you feel the taste of your tears on his lips.

There's no passion or lust evident in the kiss. It was only a silent communication between the two of you. Sebastian pours his unsaid feelings through the press of his lips against yours and you receive it wholeheartedly as you return his kiss. Right now, it was just you two. Sebastian and Y/N. Just two people trying to understand each other's emotions and feelings.

You're the first one to pull away. You look up at him with fond eyes. "Thank you for telling me."

He nods in understanding. "I'm sorry."

You shake your head, smiling as you watch a pout form on his lips. Unable to control yourself, you place a chaste kiss on his lips, giggling as the corners of his lips quirk up to a subtle smile.

"You're right. I'm sorry I made you feel like I didn't trust you." He mumbles, eyes trained on you.

"It's okay. I understand why you're so upset but the Professors reassured that things will be safe this time." You smile, rubbing your thumbs softly against his cheeks. "You've seen me take down a grown ass troll, I'm sure I can take whatever's waiting for me in the tournament."

He chuckles at your joking tone before nodding and pulling you into a hug. He pulls you tight against him, basking in your presence.

"Just be careful." He whispers against your hair. Your arms tighten around him. "I love you."

"I love you too."

After that drama shit, this mans whole ass is your cheer team

Imelda thinks its annoying but let the man be

He's there every step of the way and you always found comfort in knowing that he was there supporting you

When you win the Triwizard cup, he's all over you.

good luck

just sebastian being proud of his lover <3

Ominis Gaunt

MANS TRIED TO STOP YOU FROM PUTTING YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE

he was already so adamant on not letting you join

but sebastian was your bro and you really wanted to join so you two teamed up to slip your name in

surprise surprise, ominis was not happy

The moment the headmaster called out your name, Ominis walked out of the hall

it certainly got looks from your friends and housemates but you only willed yourself to stand up and walk to where the rest of the champions were staying

a bad feeling was stirring in your gut as you stood beside the other participants

After the headmaster had declared a feast to celebrate the announcement of the champions, you immediately went to Sebastian who met you with a guilty look on his face

"Go to him." Sebastian smiles, patting you arm. He mentioned to you that Ominis barely acknowledged him when he tried to convince the young Gaunt to be happy for you being chosen.

You immediately go towards where you'll expect him to be

When you go inside the undercroft, Ominis immediately sets off

"Some gall you have to show up here." Ominis could be very well seething at you from his spot by one of the pillars. He has his hands crossed over his chest, wand on one of his hands as he leans back against the rough surface.

You nod in understanding as you stand in front of him, hands wringing each other out in nervousness.

"Listen, Ominis—"

"No, you listen here." He removes himself from the pillar and walks toward you in long strides by the guide of his wand. You stumble back in surprise as he stops in front of you. "You and Sebastian are absolute fucking idiots. The Triwizard Tournament isn't something that the two of you could play around with. It isn't a fucking playground, Y/N."

Your heart stings at the harshness of his words.

"W-we're not playing around, Ominis. You know me, I can do this—" You try to reason with him but he only scoffs at your face.

"Really? 'Cause it sure doesn't look like it when you both were sniggering beside me. You think I wouldn't notice?" His voice had become emotionless and harsh to the point that you couldn't even recognize the man before you. You feel a lump in your throat, trying your best to keep it down as you feel your emotions slowly affecting your mind. "I'm very well aware of what you can do but that's not what this is about. For once, can you both take this fucking seriously?"

You feel your heart ache once more.

"We knew you wouldn't agree to it. What were we supposed to do?" You try to overpower his voice but his domineering aura only weakened your resolve. Damn you for having too much of a soft spot for Ominis.

"Right. Cause I know my thoughts matter least to Sebastian." He responds, bitterly. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion at the sudden mention of your best friend.

"I was the one who wanted to join— Why are you bringing Sebastian into this?" You question his sudden hostility towards the Sallow boy. The brunette hadn't even done anything but support you in your decision to enter. Well, he did distract Ominis so that you could put your name in but he didn't do anything worthy to be put in a bad light by Ominis.

"You sure? Cause it looks like this was a shared decision between the two of you. Encouraged you well, I assume?" Ominis has a snarky tone in his voice that a left a bad taste on your tongue. You couldn't allow this.

"Ominis, Sebastian is my best friend—"

"I'm your best friend too!" His voice suddenly raised causing you to flinch. He pants in anger before looking away in shame. "I at least expected that you would've thought over it but the way you tried to sneak behind me to put your name in the goblet just doesn't hit right with me, Y/N."

You fall silent at his confession. You were scared of his reaction if you told him that you really wanted to join. Out of the two, Ominis was the one you desired hearing validation from. You suppose it's because of your crush on him for the past few months but the young Gaunt was always an exceptional wizard. You were amazed by his adaptability in sensing his surroundings through magic as well as his overall, magical prowess. You hoped that Ominis would at least understand you by now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't take your feelings to account, I—" You cut yourself off as a sob threatened to leave your mouth. Tears had began pouring down your face and you had to cover your mouth so that Ominis wouldn't suspect thing.

You clearly had bad judgement.

"Oh, darling." He whispers as he walks up to you and embraces you in his arms. This time, you couldn't help the hiccups and sobs escaping your mouth as you pull him close. Ominis caresses your head with soft pets while he whispers sweet nothings into your ear.

"I-I didn't mean to—"

"Shh. No, it's okay." He mumbles as he feels for your face, softly wiping it with his sleeve. He smiles as he gently sees you with his touch, his thumb rubbing your cheeks then your nose then eyes then your lips.

You blush at the sudden feeling and before you could ask about the sudden touch, Ominis speaks.

"I-I was worried. The Triwizard Tournament isn't exactly safe as it sounds. There are cases of badly hurt students or even some that resulted in death. The worse part is that outside help isn't allowed at all and I'm scared that you'll get hurt and no one's there to help you." He whispers as his thumb moves back to rub softly against your cheek. He takes a moment to lick his lips in contemplation. "I'm sorry. I was being an asshole. You're dear to me, Y/N. More than Sebastian. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Your cheeks heat at the insinuation of his words. You stare at his face riddled with worry and concern. You're suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss him for his concern for your well-being. You admit, you had both gone over this the wrong way but you now know that his anger was for the right reasons. So you let yourself be guided by your heart.

Unable to help yourself, you grab his robes and lift yourself on your toes to press a fast kiss on his lips. The blonde stutters at the sudden feeling of your lips against his, not able to process it properly with how fast you pulled away. His cheeks heat up to a rosy tint. You smile at his flustered expression.

"Do it again." He whispers, leaning down towards you. You giggle as he tries to find your lips. Deciding to let the poor boy have what he wants, you pull him down to your lips to meet his in a sweet kiss.

The young Gaunt smiles as he pulls you close by your waist. It's soft, sweet, and gentle; A perfect exchange of your unspoken feelings for one another. You pull away softly, leaning your forehead against his.

"I'm sorry that I had carelessly ignored what you felt. I was scared that you'd be disappointed in me but I really want to do this, Ominis." You explain as you cup his cheeks, placing yet another peck on his lips. He smiles softly at the affection. "I'll be careful. I trust the headmasters to keep us safe. You know they will."

Ominis sighs before pulling you into a hug. You wrap your arms around him, feeling his tight grip around you. He lets out a shaky breath on his position on your neck.

"You have to come back to me." He mumbles quietly, basking in your presence. You would almost miss it but how could you when your undivided attention was always focused on this man.

You smile, feeling your heart warm up at the thought of coming back in his arms.

"I will."

mans was not as loud as sebastian but he was always there to watch you

always has sebastian communicating to him about what happened to you and stuff

just an overall worried bf that continues to support you

after you won the triwizard tournament, he was all smiley smiley and telling you hes so proud of you and that youre the best and that ofc you would win cause he never doubted your abilities (just worried youd get hurt)

overall hes the best and just concerned abt your well being

--

A/N: TADAH ITS DONE !!! they were both a bit of an asshole but its bc they care about u 🥺🥺🥺 anys lmk your thoughts hehe

[kathyy-21]

Ominis Gaunt x Hufflepuff!F!Reader | "bruises" |

Genre: Fluff/angst

Warnings: mention of verbal bullying/a physical fight.

Summary: Reader getting into a 'Muggle fight' with a Gryffindor students because he was about to put Ominis into an uncomfortable situation.

Relationship can be read as platonic? Maybe. Pre-relationship kind of situation.

Start of story

-------------------------------------------------------------

You had known Ominis for a little while by now. You being a Hufflepuff and him being a Slytherin, your paths still crossed rather often, and you didn't really deteste each other despite your differences.

Surprisingly, or maybe not that surprisingly, you grew rather fond of him over the weeks you'd know him, and he could say the same about you if he pleased to do so.

You were walking to your next class with Poppy, chatting happily as you noticed the blonde boy, who should now be headed to a different class. As you wanted to call out for him, you were interrupted by another student, doing just the same, in a much different tone you would have chosen.

,,Hey, Gaunt!", the taller boy yelled through the hallway, causing Ominis to perk up in your direction, his expression only changing into a slight frown.

You on the other hand, were almost pulling a grimace. Even though Ominis had not exactly opened up to you about them, you knew he didn't want to be assosiated with the Gaunts or his doings anymore. So bad, that it must have pained him to be called by his last name in such a voice, that was clearly trying to cause harm to the blind student.

Not thinking twice about it, your body took it upon itself to walk over and confront the bully, appearing to be a Gryffindor. Being at least a tad smaller than him, you had to look up at him, which didn't stop you from trying to put him in his place.

"Who do you think you are?",

You gritted out, voice already sounding pressed, as your opponent lifted his hands up in defense. His swollen voice only made your anger against him grow further.

"What do you mean, I just wanted to call him over by his name... is there anything wrong with it?"

Acting innocently, he pulled up his eyebrows into a concerned expression, only causing you to loose your composion further.

Poppy tried her best to reason with you, but even you insisted on having this issue off the table right now.

As you pulled him down at his tie, there was still hope for it to end peacefully. Ominis had made his way through to you by now, standing at the side of the circle that had formed itself around the two of you, next to poppy.

"Ominis, I'm sorry, uh.." she tried to collect her words to best describe what she was apologizing for, without offending him as well. Yet, the boy had already formed his own picture in his mind.

"But what is she doing..?",

His expression now seemed just as concerned, as he tried making sense of the noises and conversation, over the constant babbling of the other excited students around.

Poppy could only tell him so much:

"I'm not sure if they can find a peaceful solution to this"

His body stiffens, hoping, maybe even praying to Merlin, that this would not end in a duel, since he already had an Idea of what kind of Student you were currently offending, and it did never seem to Ominis that he was much of a fair duelist, ending up seriously injuring people in defends against the dark arts.

A stirrup of commotion in the middle of the situation had drawn both of their attention back to the scenario playing before them. A loud thud and an irritated groal drom the Gryffindor indicating, the situation to Ominis mind: he had already casted a spell at you, and you must be hurt on the ground already.

Trying to interfere in the fight already, Ominis wanted to step forward, but was held back by a hand on his shoulder, that was probably covered in a nervous sweat: Poppy.

"Stop, Ominis... it's not safe. We can't do anything about it right now!",

His expression changed to a softer, but definetely not less concerned one as he turned into her general direction. The girl seemed just as pained by the fact they were helpless right now as he was. Even He knew it wasn't like Poppy to just stand by and watch.

To his surprise, or much more confusion, the commotion wasn't over yet, but he couldn't really make sense of the noise either. As it came to a stop, he could hear both of your heavy breathing, and you both whispering. Ominis was probably the only one being able to hear it clearly, as the other students were already parting ways again.

"I'm... im sorry, okay?",

"Don't apoligize to ME.

This week, better tomorrow, I will ask him and you will have apologized to HIM.",

"Okay, okay, just let me leave, will you?"

"I better not hear from him that your apology wasn't good enough either",

Before the two of you could part, you were already held by professor Sharpe, who seemingly was called by another student to clear the scene and take responsibility of Necessary consequences.

Now that he knew there was a professor nearby, Ominis couldn't contain himself and immediately walked over to you, struggling to find what he wanted to say first. Addressing at sharpe, his voice sounded unusually shaken: "what does she look like, is she hurt..?"

The response only seemed to confuse Ominis more.

,,She looks like a darn troublemaker.",

Were you not the one being beaten up?

By an unfair duelist??

Sharpe promised appropriate consequences for you actions, as he took you to the hospital wing, where you were treated accordingly to your wounds and bruises, the door opening only a little while later, revealing the boy you had taken this all for.

,,Ominis",

You smiled lightly at his appearance, also knowing he was probably upset about your behavior. He seemed a little more pale than usual, and his body language seemed much more uncertain than you knew of him.

"You can sit down here if you'd like... uhm I want to apologize to you",

Ominis nodded understandingly, but immediately shook his head at your apology.

"Stop it.. you don't need to apologize... you got into this fight because of me, and even ended up hurt",

The hint of pain in his voice was not entirely new to you, yet you still had to get used to this vulnerability.

You sat up straight and furrowed your eyebrows once more, trying to understand what he was getting at.

"I'm okay... and it's not like you told me to fight him. It's not more than a few bruises, really.",

It stayed quiet in the room for a little while, until he felt like he could dare to raise his voice again.

"But.. how did you do that? I heard that it wasn't even a duel, but.. a 'muggle fight'",

You laughed at the expression and shook your head lightly to keep your composure. Careful not to spook him, you placed your hand on top of his and gave him a reassuring squeeze. Even though he first wanted to pull away, the warmth of your touch kept him there, just to experience your comfort. It felt so calming, yet scary, since it had been quite a while since he had allowed someone to keep physical contact upright with him for longer.

Turning his gaze to your general direction, he spoke a lot quieter now.

"But is he not.. much taller than you? I thought he had totally beaten you..I was.."

Ominis didn't manage to get the words out, but it was not hard for you to understand what he was trying to say.

"Worried.. I know. And that's why I'm sorry.",

Now taking his hand in both of yours, you continued: "I didn't mean to make such a fuss, but... he was clearly trying to make you feel uneasy.",

After those words, another wave of silence came upon the both of you, the blind boys face now seemed like he was thinking intensely, almost losing his attention on his surroundings at the thought. Then, as he had finally built the courage to say it, your heart skipped a beat at his request.

,,can I.. touch your face? I wish to convince myself of your wellbeing.",

A little tint of pink was on his face, knowing the question might be awkward to you, yet you couldn't contain a smile as you gave him your permission.

,,go ahead",

Leaning a littke into his direction, you took the wrist of his hand he had lifted, to guide him to your cheek. Your skin felt warm and fizzy at the contact, his hands being rather cold. A little giddiness ran through your body as he guide his hand and fingers across your features.

"Thank you...", Ominis whispered, also feeling childishly energetic at the scenario. His touch was careful and soft, yet you couldn't help but flinch away as he came across a particularely nasty bruise around your eye. Ominis expression became a mixture of worry and anger, as he let out a frustrated sigh, dropping his hand again, as he had felt enough.

,,how could you say you're okay, when you feel like this...? This moron really beat a girl like you.. in front of the whole year 6...", the way his lips curled downwards made you hurt inside. Yes, you knew it wasn't appropriate of either of you, yet you felt pretty offended at the thought that this guy, actually did try beating you up without shame. Yet, you give him an amused response.

"Well, I still won though. Apparently he only knows how to duel, but I will stay experienced in physical combat."

You look at him expecting of a little laugh, or anything that would show he's cheered up, yet there was nothing but sadness on his features. You could have sworn, tears were brimming at the corner of his eyes for a second.

The guilt now totally overcame you.

"Oh Ominis... I'd like to give you a hug, is that okay? I'm really sorry",

You knew he might not accept your offer, yet you just couldn't stand seeing him this way. It surprised you even more, when he quickly hugged you instead, clumsily laying his arms around yours, so you could only place your hands to his sides as he sniffled into your shoulders. It hurt a little, since he was putting pressure on another bruise, but you couldn't deny him this either.

Even though you were taken aback, you did not decide to bother him with further talk. You had never seen him like this before, and you were sure, he didn't know how to handle this feeling right now either.

[jeongyunhoed]

As seen on my FF.net

Following the events of fifth year, a new adventure awaits for Norah Lee. Boys, exams, school events, common room parties, and old foes outside of Hogwarts. Even battling pensieve guardians was easier than this.

Main Pair: OC/? Genre: Adventure/Angst/Fluff (it's a little of everything, tbh)

KEEP IN MIND: Characters are aged up (even if the story's got them in sixth year) to make it more appropriate. Time period is leaning towards the modern day so in case you might find anachronisms in the dialogue or references, this is why. This may also be quite a lengthy fic too.

BE WARNED: Social anxiety, mentions of blood and injury, grief, drinking, kissing but nothing more than that, death (this is Hogwarts Legacy, after all)

P.P.S: Sorry if the previous chapters seemed unformatted. I literally copy-pasted everything from my FF.net to here.

Masterlist

Chapter 5

"Does it get any more cozy than Hogsmeade?" Norah muttered to herself when she stepped inside the archway that marked the entrance of the village. Ernie Lark was once again conducting the enchanted musical instruments in front of one other shop, already getting a whiff of the sweet smells of pastries and treats emanated from its windows all the way from Honeydukes. There were more people than usual, perhaps lining up near Sprintwitches for broom upgrades after its shopkeeper Albie Weekes promoted posters for it. Dropping a few coins into the hat, she walked ahead, stopping by Steepley & Sons to see if she could probably stop for tea.

She wouldn't dare to go inside Madam Puddifoot's tea shop just yet, knowing that the place was full of couples on dates. The sickly sweet pink decor definitely provided a sappy couple setting for its patrons. Maybe one day, she'll go there on a date. Just maybe. Perhaps with the one she felt strongly for.

Norah turned her thoughts back to one big reason why she was in Hogsmeade during her free period. She was planning to see if of ' Potions needed any deliveries made. It was a way for her to follow on the lead Sebastian gave her the other evening, all the while making a few galleons along the way.

As she walked on, she said hello to several others who noticed her. That included Betty Bugbrooke, whose unicorn Hazel she was now taking care of. Norah informed her that Hazel has been thriving inside the vivarium with the other beasts, even handing her a sample of unicorn hair she got from brushing her.

"Oh, thank you, I miss Hazel every day, but I'm happy to know that she's doing so well, that stubborn girl," Betty smiled, holding the vial close. "You're very kind for remembering me for this."

Norah smiled. "It's no trouble at all. You found Hazel first, I thought you'd want to know how she's doing now."

Norah bid her goodbye and continued walking on, noticing Garreth Weasley about to go inside Honeydukes when he saw her as well. He approached her, his expression somewhat softening. "Hello Norah," He said.

"Hi Garreth. Still looking for billywig stings?" She teased.

A pink tinge appeared on his cheeks. "Just a few more and my brew will be done...again," He muttered. "It'll be done in time for the party next weekend. I hope you'll come."

"You do realize you're entering through the front and not the back, right?"

Garreth grinned. "I've managed to make a deal anyways. A few of those stings in exchange for a few errands at the back. He's surprisingly supportive once I told him what I planned on doing. Think Sirona might give my brew a go?"

"It's worth a try, you'll never know," Norah nodded.

"Thanks. I'll do just that. What brings you here?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, well, just looking around. I might help out again since he asked me to do a delivery for him last time," She shrugged. She wasn't sure how he'd react if she told him she was following a lead to Keenbridge. She needed a reason to go there after all.

Her reply seemed to convince the red-headed male. "Alright then. I'll see you back at the castle, yeah?" He said. "Oh, uh, would you be doing anything when you get back?"

"I...don't know, I'm wondering that myself," Norah said. "You need help with Transfiguration?" She teased.

A slight tinge of pink appeared on Garreth's cheeks. "Perhaps. You know my aunt. She's doubling down on me lately because I passed her subject."

Norah chuckled. "Well, if you think I can help you, just let me know, hmm?"

"I will, I will. I'll hold you to that, sure," He said.

Norah bid goodbye and turned to leave, stopping by the vendor selling copies of the Daily Prophet. Harlow was still last spotted in Keenbridge, the photo only showing the terrified witnesses. She quickened her steps further into the village, stopping when she arrived at the potions shop. As she had expected, the proprietor himself was hunched over the cauldrons at the back, all of which were brewing several different colors of potions.

"Oh hello, good to see you again. What'll it be?" He asked. "I've just finished a batch of pepperup potions if you need to cure a cold. Memory potions too if you want to retain whatever you'll learn in class."

"Actually, I've come to ask if you'd need any deliveries done. I was on my way to-" Norah didn't want to reveal where she planned to go just yet. If she did, he might have sensed that she was going to face off against Harlow again and word would get out. "Feldcroft to check in on someone."

"Well, that would be nice. I've got two bottles of cough potion to bring to a family in Aranshire and if you can, I've got three vials of the dreamless sleep potion for a lady in Brocburrow," He took out the vials and handed them over to her. "The delivery fee will all be yours if you do. I still have to keep an eye on these other potions I'm brewing."

"Got it. I'll deliver all of these today," Norah agreed, keeping the bottles into her small satchel.

Norah made a mental note to write to Anne before leaving Hogsmeade, just to let her know that if she was asked, she was coming to visit her. She went down the same route again, thinking that to fly would be better than to simply apparate straight to the hamlet. She had all day anyway. She also hoped Anne wouldn't tell Sebastian what she planned to do just yet.

She missed the feeling of flying long distances. As much as she appreciated the speed that floo flames took her, there was still something calming about taking the scenic route to wherever she planned to go. Yes, even if it meant dealing with goblin loyalists or poachers or even evil beasts along the way. Perhaps there were still hidden ancient magic spots for her to tap into.

As Norah took to the air, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wanting to savor the moment before leaning forward in her flight towards Aranshire. Hopefully the owl would come to Anne in time before Sebastian or anyone else asked.

It wasn't long before she arrived in Aranshire, being greeted by its residents, including Crispin Dunne, who often had business in the hamlet.

"The absconder assassin! How are you?" Edgar Adley greeted her the moment she was spotted. "What brings you here to our hamlet?"

Norah smiled and took out the bottles of cough potion. "Just here on an errand for . Two cough potions bound for Aranshire," She immediately spotted the woman who needed it, having been waving at her when she was informed that the potions would be arriving soon. She immediately thanked the woman who handed her a few hundred coins.

"I hope you're doing well, protecting yourself too," Edgar pointed out after noticing the exchange. "With Harlow on the loose and all."

"Don't worry, Mr. Adley, I'll be fine. I'm not afraid at all," Norah shook her head. She knew it. If Harlow wanted her, all he needed to do was come to her.

"You know, for someone as young as you, to have to do that already, I wouldn't be surprised if you became an auror now. I'll hold you to that," Edgar pointed out as she placed her broom into her satchel. "In fact, I'll bet you a butterbeer you become an auror when you leave Hogwarts."

"You have a deal," Norah smiled. "Best be on my way, it was nice seeing you and Mr. Dunne again," She said.

The sound of a whip cracking later and she apparated into Brocburrow.

-

Sebastian, after having managed to go through his detention period that day, rushed back to his friend in the common room. Once again, Ominis had taken it upon himself to trick the first-years into waiting for mermaids. "Alright, alright, that's enough you all, go and have fun elsewhere," Sebastian shooed away the hopeful looking students from the window. "You really need new hobbies other than get their hopes up."

"At least what I'm doing doesn't get me in detention often," Ominis pointed out. "But I don't know whether you sound either excited or worried."

"Both," Sebastian said, holding up a piece of parchment. "Anne said Norah was coming to see her."

"And? Isn't that nice?" Ominis said. "Although it does seem unlike her to suddenly want to visit Anne. She only goes if we're going-"

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then we'll need to head to Keenbridge before she gets herself into any trouble," Sebastian said, and the two of them rushed into their rooms to change into more casual wear.

It was in a situation like this that Sebastian and Ominis learned (again) how stubborn she could get. And they had once or twice expressed their annoyance at how she always felt like she had to go at something like this alone. Of course they understood her reasons, but if their adventure into the Scriptorium and the catacombs meant anything, it was that they worked better all together. Even with Natty, Poppy, and Amit.

Even Anne understood this side of Norah from the time they spent together, and privately expressed her worries to them. It took spending more time with her for Anne to even start to forgive Sebastian.

The two boys fled the common room, with Ominis quickly letting his wand guide him to where Sebastian was going. "Where are we going exactly?" The blonde asked, trying to keep up with him.

"Keenbridge. I suspect Norah's in Brocburrow now," Sebastian held up the letter again, having never let it go while they made their way to the central hall. "Anne said she was doing potion deliveries for on her way. At least she told Anne she was on her way."

Ominis cursed under his breath as they walked past several girls who immediately giggled upon seeing them. "I told her last year, there is such a thing as trying too hard."

"Yeah, and look what happened, she's the hero of Hogwarts," Sebastian said, once they were finally in the grounds. He too, didn't take notice of how several groups of girls were eyeing him as well as Ominis.

"Hey, what's gotten you two in a rush?" They bumped into Imelda, proudly clad in their house quidditch uniform. Naturally, Imelda served as the new team captain of their house team. "If you're looking for Norah, we spotted her going into Hogsmeade."

"Yes, we know," Ominis replied as the two of them approached the floo flame.

"If you see her, tell her we'll still need a chaser," Imelda reminded them. "She's got a spot on the team."

"Keenbridge," Sebastian muttered, and one by one, the two of them disappeared.

They soon appeared at the entrance of the hamlet, next to the floo flame, the two of them looking around for a sign of Norah. "Merlin, this girl's going to be the death of me," Ominis muttered, his wand guiding him and following Sebastian, who was trying to spot signs of the girl.

"Merlin, she's going to drive me mad," Sebastian frowned as they approached the nearest merchant, Fatimah Lawang. "She's going to drive us mad."

Even with the concern, Sebastian was trying not to be so excited about this pursuit, his heart racing with excitement at what they were going to do. But it wasn't the only reason why he got so excited.

He first came to terms with his feelings a little after the House Cup in fifth year. Sebastian Sallow long accepted the fact that what he felt about Norah had crossed beyond friendship and into romantic territory. But after everything they've been through, from accidentally killing Solomon, to going through the catacombs and fighting trolls, how could he not care for her so intensely?

As much as Sebastian wanted to tell Norah how he felt about her, he knew their friendship was much too valuable to cross the line. Even when he felt the green-eyed beast of jealousy whenever other guys would go near her, he always tried to remind himself that she was his friend. Even if he told her how he felt, Sebastian knew that there was always a chance that she would only see him as a friend too.

What Sebastian didn't know was, Ominis had also fancied Norah. She was the reason why he often slipped away in the common rooms and wrote to Anne. He wanted her advice on how to approach her. Ominis was aware of his and his family's reputation. Anne, as he read, was incredibly supportive. Not wanting to tell Sebastian, he confided in Anne about his growing feelings. Anne, however, would continuously tell him to pluck up the courage to do so, or at the very least, attempt to ask her to the Yule Ball.

Ominis knew the risks if he were to confess his affection for her. Knowing full well the reputation his family held in the entire wizarding community, Norah would be incredibly out of his league. It would be even worse if his family found out. They would absolutely despise her even more than they already do. It already didn't help that there were some people in Hogwarts who thought she deserved to be with someone just as accomplished, or at the very least, not from a wizarding family known for the dark arts.

It was a pedestal Ominis thought was too high for him to reach.

"Hello, I was wondering if you have seen Norah? She's got brown hair down to her shoulders, possibly coming here on a broomstick?" Sebastian asked. "Or maybe on a hippogriff? Or even, possibly...a graphorn?"

Fatimah looked at the brunette boy incredulously. "No graphorns and hippogriffs have come here. And no, I haven't seen Norah come here. How is she, by the way?"

"She's doing very well. Drowning in our NEWT exams like the rest of us," Ominis spoke.

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes an auror. Or a curse-breaker even," She said. "Well, I've got potion ingredients for you if you are in need of any."

The blonde seemed to catch Sebastian off-guard when he asked Fatimah about the headlines on the news. "I don't suppose you have heard about Harlow? He was last seen here, according to the Daily Prophet."

Fatimah leaned toward them, keeping her voice low. "Oh yes, he was last seen here not too long ago. It was a dreadful sight. He looked all...ghastly, but he's still as dangerous as ever. I was about to clear up the stand for the day when there were explosions everywhere. He's managed to gather a few more ashwinders, fugitives now, to his cause. Even pilfered some barrels of drink and nearly cursed the barkeep."

"So you think there'll be more of them?" Sebastian asked this time.

"I wouldn't be surprised. They're still so desperate for their cause, those fiends. Even after Victor Rookwood's death, he plans to take power," Fatimah frowned. "The beasts are in danger once again."

"I take it he's able to cast wandless magic," Ominis said.

"Which makes him just as dangerous as ever," Fatimah said with a sigh. "If you two know what's best for you, you'll be sure to keep away from places where those poachers and ashwinders are near. I'd advise that we leave this to the authorities, but if Norah had to intervene, they wouldn't be doing any good, would they?"

Just then, they saw Norah dismount from her broomstick and tuck it away in her satchel. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing the two boys. "Oi!" She called out to them, brow raised, making them turn around.

Sebastian crossed his arms while Ominis tilted to face her. "That's not very ladylike, isn't it?" He teased, and Norah slapped his arm. "What brings you to Keenbridge?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Norah pointed out. "I was on my way to visit Anne. I just needed her opinion on something rather personal. Hello, Ms. Lawang," She greeted the potioneer behind them.

"Hello Norah, these two asked for you earlier, wondering if you came here on a hippogriff or graphorn," Fatimah chuckled.

Norah smiled. "Ah, well, Highwing and his Lordship are currently resting from playing with other beasts in my vivariums," She said, with Fatimah's eyes widening at her explanation. "They love playing with others, especially the diricrawl offsprings. Fwoopers love playing with Highwing."

Fatimah looked impressed. Sebastian couldn't help but look proud, and a slight smirk played across Ominis' features. "Back to the question, why'd you stop here if you were going to visit Anne?"

"Can't I stop here?" Norah asked. "What are you two doing here anyway? I thought you were in detention and Ominis...was just there," She said.

"Norah, we know why you're here," Ominis said bluntly. "And Harlow's not here anymore."

Norah's shoulders dropped. She turned back to the potioneer. "Ms. Lawang, would you have an idea of where he might have gone?"

"I'm afraid I don't. I barely managed to leave the hamlet with everything intact at the time."

She sighed and thanked the woman, opening her satchel once again to take out her broomstick as she turned to looked over across the river, where Keenbridge tower was located. It gave her an idea. But before she could take out her broomstick, Sebastian caught her wrist.

"I suppose you two were also looking for Harlow," Norah glanced at him and at Ominis.

"We just had a feeling we knew where to find you. You really ought to let us help you this time, you know," Sebastian replied.

Norah stared at them. "I would let you help if I was sure none of you would get hurt."

The naturally stoic expression Ominis had began to soften. Sebastian's expression also softened. Norah raised a brow at them, anticipating what they would say next. But both of them knew to make some assurance.

"I would help knowing that you wouldn't get hurt," Ominis spoke, taking a step forward. "You can't just throw yourself into this without knowing that there are people who will help you. You once told me when we looked for the Scriptorium that I had the same thoughts as my aunt Noctua, and that when she never made it there alone, we could do it together and we did."

It was Sebastian's turn to speak. "You've helped everyone around you, no matter how silly it might have been. At least let us return the favor. I'm pretty sure Fig would've wanted you to do that."

The thing was, Fig never got to tell her anything else. Norah put her broom back into her satchel. "If I let you help me in this, you will see why I want to keep all of you out of it and safe," She said, her voice low, making her way toward the bridge to cross it. Ominis and Sebastian followed her closely, agreeing amongst themselves that they needed to be prepared.

They approached the ruins of the abandoned Keenbridge tower. Norah cast revelio a few times, as if trying to check for anything suspicious until she found a set of footprints. Multiple sets of footprints. One particular set seemed to stagger. "Harlow," Sebastian muttered upon seeing it. "He went in here," He pointed to the broken down entrance. "But it's quiet."

"Too quiet," Ominis added, taking a step closer toward the ruins as if to let his wand pick up any presence. "I don't think there's anyone in there. I can't hear anything else at least."

"Alright, but we should still check to make sure it's clear," Norah said. She had some idea of how Harlow, Rookwood, and their empire moved. Perhaps it wasn't so different this time. She led the way, wand at the ready. She was trying to assure herself not to worry about Sebastian and Ominis tagging along. Norah knew they could handle themselves, with Sebastian being an especially skilled duellist. Still, they were her friends and she cared about them, the last thing she wanted was to see any of them get hurt.

Norah, Sebastian, and Ominis climbed up the porch, seeing the doors somewhat broken down. If it wasn't because of her having busted it open, it was likely because of something else. They heard a little rumble, as if of feet. They moved a little closer, Norah's arms a little outstretched, as if posed to shield the two boys behind her. "Protego" Sebastian whispered, his wand-bearing arm out from over her shoulder, shielding all three of them instead.

"If it isn't the hero of Hogwarts herself."

From the shadows behind the broken down four-poster bed emerged the man himself. Theophilus Harlow unsurprisingly, looked the way they suspected he would. His tall, stocky frame was replaced by an almost frail looking stature. He looked gaunt, as if a lot of years had been taken out of him, yet now, it seemed like he was gathering strength.

"Harlow," She said.

"Seems like you brought friends with you," A grin slowly appeared on his face. "I knew we'd meet again sooner or later," He coughed. "Didn't think it'd be a lot sooner."

"You managed to escape those dementors, you must be desperate," Norah tilted her head, her tone almost mocking. "Face it. Your business empire is no more. Horntail hall's dissolved. The authorities are all on the lookout for you."

Harlow forced a cackle that mostly came out as a cough. "That's what you think. Much like how I expected you to come here. You're just itching to play the hero again, aren't you?"

Ominis swallowed hard. "We're surrounded aren't we?" He said.

Soon enough, they heard loud cackles coming in from all directions as several masked poachers and ashwinders apparated. "I'm going to enjoy this," They heard one of the female ashwinders, a duellist in their bright red coat and top hat, say.

Norah leaned back. "When I say 'go,' we go, okay?" She whispered.

"Okay," Sebastian muttered.

Once the shields were down, Norah struck a few with several rounds of banishing charms. Ominis was able to hold his own, levitating several while Sebastian sliced through them. Norah had a knack for the depulso charm, something both boys seemed to notice. It was only since discovering Herodiana Byrne's depulso training rooms that she gained an appreciation for the spell.

Norah was quick to shield Ominis from another crimson-clad duellist, suddenly retaliating with the spell they had tried to use all too often on her for the very first time. "Expulso!" She yelled, sending blue jets of light in the duellist's direction and then towards the taller, broader man, who was preparing to electrocute the three of them.

She banished them again, followed with a successful attempt at casting bombarda non-verbally, defeating the last of the Ashwinders that tried to corner them. Ominis let out a loud sigh of relief. "For a moment, I thought we wouldn't make it out of here alive," He said.

Norah sighed as well as she and Sebastian looked around. "Bloody hell, Harlow's disapparated," He said.

"We're back to square one, he's certain to come back for us," Norah frowned.

"We can fight him again another day," Ominis advised. "We can either go to Feldcroft or go back to the castle. I'm sure Anne will understand."

"Understand? She'll have it in for me if she finds out what we just tried to do," Sebastian groaned. "Merlin, she'll kill me."

"We should go back to the castle," Norah agreed. "I just remembered Garreth might need my help with Transfiguration."

The mention of the Gryffindor's name made Sebastian and Ominis turn to her, both of whom looked incredulous. "Weasley? You're meeting with Weasley?" Sebastian questioned as they walked out of the castle, the three of them nearly falling over in surprise when the wooden beams inside crashed behind them.

"Yeah, I ran into him when I went into Hogsmeade. Butterbeers? My treat," Norah offered, pointing to the pub by the entrance of the hamlet, non-verbally blasting the spider eggs nearby.

Merlin, she really was going to drive them crazy. But the two boys didn't mind one bit.