"What are you doing?" Ciel asked when he noticed how the trio kept looking behind him. "Is there something on my back?" He craned his neck to look, but saw nothing.
"Where's Sebastian?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I sent him to run some errands. He should be back by lunch time." Ciel said. "Why? Do you need his help with anything?"
This morning, Ciel had sent Sebastian to Gringotts to retrieve some money for his upcoming shopping trip to Honeydukes.
"No, it's just, he's always… there with you. It's weird to see you without him." Ron said.
Harry and Hermione nodded.
"We're not always together. Sometimes he has to go to run some errands or others." Ciel said.
"But Ciel, you heard what Professor Dumbledore said. The entrances are guarded by Dementors." Hermione said.
"Sebastian can handle himself just fine." Ciel said.
"But he doesn't have any magic." Ron said. "What if something happened to him?"
"Don't worry. My butler is very capable." Ciel reassured them.
They had let the others believe that Sebastian was without magic. Dumbledore told them that if anyone were to ask, they could always say that Sebastian was a squib, a wizard-born Muggle, which would explain how he knew about magic.
"You don't sound worried." Harry said.
"That's because I have nothing to worry about." Ciel said.
They arrived at the dungeon and entered the Potions classroom. It went as it usually did, with Snape favouring his own house students above the others and bullying Neville. The incident with the Boggart had spread throughout the school in no time and since then, Snape had been merciless. He would bully Neville every chance he got and make the boy's life even more difficult.
"Oh, look who's without his servant today…" Malfoy said after class. "Where is he, Phantomhive? Has he finally gotten sick of you and left?"
"I don't believe that's any of your business, Malfoy." Ciel said. "Now, if you excuse us."
Malfoy reached into his robe, took out his wand, and pointed it at Ciel, his mouth opening, ready to cast a spell, but Ciel was faster. Really, what did the boy expect? Outmatching a demon? Not bloody likely.
"Expelliarmus!" Ciel cried, pointing his wand at Malfoy. The blonde was knocked back and his wand flew into the air before anyone even noticed what was happening.
"If you thought you could bully me when my butler is away, think again, Malfoy. I told you, I'm better than you could ever dream to be." Ciel said before walking away.
A black clad figure walked leisurely along the path that led to the castle entrance as a group of wraith-like creature floated above the man, getting closer to him.
Sebastian paused in his tracks and looked up at the Dementors impassively.
"What do you lot want?" The demon asked, although he didn't expect any answer, at least, not verbally.
As if to answer his question, the group of Dementors descended upon him, circling him. A few Dementors floated closer, until they came face to face with the demon.
Sebastian remained unfazed, but his garnet eyes shifted into their demonic shade of fuchsia.
Undeterred, a Dementor reached out to touch the demon, but a tendril of shadow grabbed it by its neck and flung it at the other Dementors, thus scattering the group.
"Do not touch me with your filthy hands." Sebastian said in disgust as the dark shadow retreated back into the demon and his eyes reverted back to their usual garnet colour. He straightened up his coat before resuming his walk.
It was almost lunch time and his master was waiting for him.
On Halloween morning, the castle was buzzing with excitement. Ron and Hermione tried to cheer Harry up, but no matter what they did, the boy still looked very gloomy. Finally, it was time for everyone to leave and Harry went with them to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing at the door with a long list of names.
"Bye, Harry!" Ron, Ciel, and Hermione waved at their friend as they joined the line.
"Bye, guys. Have fun." Harry said with no trace of enthusiasm.
Ciel was practically bouncing on his feet as they were queueing.
"Please settle down, Young Master." Sebastian said in amusement.
"Well, I'm also excited because it's been a while since our last date." Ciel said in low voice. "Two months or so?"
"I hardly think that we could call this trip a 'date'. Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will be with us, not to mention, all these children. Imagine what would they say if anyone saw us holding hands?" Sebastian asked.
Ciel smirked. "Isn't that part of the excitement?"
Sebastian's eyes flashed ever so briefly. "You're such a bad child…"
"I'm not a child!" Ciel protested, glaring.
They continued to move forward until they reached the front and soon enough, they were on their way to Hogsmeade.
Ciel forgot all about his supposedly date when he entered Honeydukes. His visible eye was busy taking in everything and he didn't know where to start.
"I want this, this, this, this, this…" Ciel said as he put everything into the basket, filling it in no time and Sebastian left to get another one.
"Whoa!" Ron said when he saw Ciel's four full baskets about half an hour later. "You're getting all those?"
"Yes." Ciel nodded.
"That's a lot of sweets..." Ron muttered, looking at his own half-filled basket.
Sebastian paid for their purchase and they left the store. They followed Ron and Hermione around the village, stopping here and there to check out the shops.
When they got back to the castle, Ciel reluctantly joined the others for the Halloween feast even though all he wanted to do was to stay in his room and eat the chocolates that he bought earlier.
"Really, Master?" Sebastian said with raised eyebrows when he stepped out of the bathroom and found Ciel sitting at his desk, munching on yet another chocolate bar. "And how many of those have you consumed?"
"Phree." Ciel said and swallowed.
Sebastian's eyes slid to the numerous bags of candies at Ciel's feet. "Are you certain? It definitely looks like you have eaten more than three."
"Well, three of this kind." Ciel showed him. "They're just that good."
"I certainly hope that you're not going to spend the entire night eating chocolate."
"What else am I supposed to do then?"
"You could study." Sebastian pointed out. "Or do your homework. You have a History of Magic essay due on Tuesday that you haven't started."
"But it's the weekend!" Ciel protested. "We're supposed to relax and enjoy ourselves on the weekends."
"I suppose you're right." Sebastian said thoughtfully. "But it seems that you're the only one who's enjoying yourself with all those chocolate."
"Then why don't you rectify the situation and find something that both of us can enjoy?" Ciel asked and put his chocolate away for later.
"Yes, I think I will." Sebastian said. He approached the smaller demon and scooped him into his arms.
Ciel immediately wrapped his arms around the older demon's neck and his thin legs encircled Sebastian's waist.
Sebastian walked to the big bed and lowered Ciel onto his back before climbing on top of him. He kissed the young demon passionately and Ciel returned the kiss with equal fervor.
As they continued to make out, they started undressing each other with practiced fingers. Sebastian managed to get Ciel's pajama top off him and his own shirt was fully unbuttoned. He shrugged it off without breaking the kiss and Ciel immediately ran his hands greedily across his mate's chest and abdomen.
Just as things were heating up, they felt a presence approaching their door and pulled apart reluctantly.
Sebastian quickly put Ciel's pajama back on him, along with a robe, before he hastily dressed himself in his uniform.
"What the hell does he want?" Ciel huffed in annoyance as he tried to calm down and will his arousal away.
When there was a knock on their door, Sebastian opened it to reveal Dumbledore.
"Professor." Sebastian greeted the wizard. "What brought you here at this hour?"
"We have a problem." Dumbledore said without preamble.
"Let him in." Ciel said and hopped down from the bed.
Sebastian stepped aside and Dumbledore entered the room.
"What happened?" Ciel asked.
"There has been a… break-in at the Gryffindor dormitories." Dumbledore said.
"Let me guess, Black?" Ciel asked and Dumbledore nodded. "What do you want us to do? Hunt him down?"
"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "You are to join the other students in the Great Hall."
"Not going to happen." Ciel said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not a child. I'm not going to join a bunch of kids at a sleepover. I can hunt down Black. If he's anywhere on the school grounds, we'll find him."
"Chances are, he's long gone." Dumbledore said. "According to Peeves, he was here during the feast. The castle is surrounded by Dementors and still, he could slip inside undetected. Right now, the Dementors are agitated and if you go out there, they're going to attack you. Besides, it will look suspicious if you're the only one who's not in the Great Hall."
"Young Master, he has a point. We need to play along for now." Sebastian said. "Going out there recklessly is not a good idea. We don't even know how the situation is like. There could be an entire army out there, waiting. Besides, Dementors could be quite troublesome."
Ciel reluctantly agreed. "Very well. We'll play along. What are you going to do?"
"The other teachers and I are going to search the castle, on the off chance that he's still here. We'll also seal off the doors to prevent the Dementors from coming in."
"Take Sebastian. He can do that faster and better." Ciel said and turned to his butler. "Sebastian, this is an order. Go and help the teachers."
Sebastian bowed and placed his hand on his chest. "Yes, my lord."
Ciel slipped into his sleeping bag in the Great Hall and Ron started telling him about what happened. All around them, people were still talking about the incident, coming up with their own theories as to how Black entered the castle.
"He could Apparate." One of the Ravenclaws said.
"Or disguise himself." A Hufflepuff suggested.
"He could've flown in." Dean Thomas told them his own theory.
Hermione sighed. "Didn't anyone else read 'Hogwarts, A History?'"
"Probably not. Why?" Ron asked.
"Because this castle is not only protected by walls. There are all sorts of enchantments and magic surrounding the whole building to make sure that nobody would be able to slip in undetected. You can't Apparate in here and I doubt that anyone could fool those Dementors with any disguise – Dumbledore said so, remember? And they'd have seen him if he were to fly in. Filch knows about all of the secret passageway, so that..."
Hermione's words were cut off by Percy, who told everyone to go to sleep.
In all honesty, Ciel found the older Weasley to be annoying.
All the lights went out and the room fell into darkness. The only source of light was the silvery shadow of the ghosts flying around, talking in hushed voice to the prefects.
Now that they had been here for a couple of months, the ghosts seemed to have relaxed around Ciel and Sebastian, although they were still wary of the two demons. Professor Binns was still avoiding Ciel's desk during classes, so the young demon had taken to sit at the very back corner of the room during History of Magic as to not disturb the class.
Ciel lay in his sleeping bag, looking up at the 'sky' above him. It was scattered with stars and he could make out a few constellations. It would be nice to be able to sit outside to stargaze, Ciel mused.
"Ciel..." Harry whispered, pulling the young demon out of his musing.
Ciel turned his head to look at the boy. "What is it?"
"Are you alright?" Harry asked. "You said that you can't sleep when there are people around and the whole school is here."
"Yes, well, it's not like I have any other choice." Ciel said. "But I'm alright. Just don't think I'll be able to sleep like this."
"It's okay." Came Ron's voice. "I can't sleep either, not after what happened."
"But we need to be quiet." Harry said.
"Then do be quiet, boys." Hermione hissed in the dark.
A few hours later, everyone had fallen asleep, although Ciel could tell that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still awake. Ciel himself had closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Some time later, he could hear Dumbledore and Percy conversing in hushed voices about the Fat Lady before the door creaked open and then he could hear Snape's voice.
"The third floor has been searched and there's no sign of him." Snape reported. "Filch has searched the dungeons and Phantomhive's butler has searched the Astronomy tower and the Owlery. They found nothing."
Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, Severus. I didn't expect him to linger."
"Do you have any idea how he could've gotten in?" Snape asked.
"Many, but all of them are unlikely." Dumbledore replied.
Ciel heard them talking about something that happened before the school year started, and he could hear the slight agitation in Dumbledore's voice. So, Snape thought this was an inside job? Someone had helped Black get into the castle. Interesting...
Before Ciel could gather more information, Dumbledore left and Snape followed him shortly thereafter.
"Have you ever encountered Dementors?" Ciel asked his butler.
"A few times, yes." Sebastian told him. "I actually encountered them last week, when I was on my way back from Gringotts."
Ciel looked surprised. "Oh? Why didn't you say anything? Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, sir. I didn't say anything because it's not worth mentioning." Sebastian said.
"Did they give you any trouble?"
"Nothing that I cannot handle." Sebastian said.
"I've been curious... How do you get rid of them? Can we kill them?"
"Unfortunately, you cannot kill something that is not alive to begin with. But if they do not feed for some time, they would eventually 'die'. And you could damage their physical form although you would need the Lævateinn or a death scythe to inflict any permanent damage. I believe that these magicians have a way to get rid of them, although not completely."
"The light." Ciel recalled. "Lupin used it on the train."
"Yes." Sebastian nodded. "It's only a temporary solution, but it works."
"Then I'm going to learn it." Ciel said.
"That seems like a good idea." Sebastian agreed. "If you could learn it, you'll have a better chance of defending yourself against them."
"I have Defense Against the Dark Arts class tomorrow. I'll talk to him then." Ciel decided.
The next day, after class, Ciel requested to speak to Lupin privately.
"Can I help you with anything, Ciel?" Lupin asked once the others had left, leaving him, Ciel, and Sebastian alone in the room.
"I'm hoping that you could teach me how to fight off Dementors, sir." Ciel said.
Lupin looked surprised. "Dementors? But, why would you even want to do that?"
"After the incident on the train and now that we're in this situation, with Dementors roaming the outer grounds, I'd feel much safer if I know how to protect myself against them. I'm not so stupid to go out there to challenge them, but I'd like to be prepared, just in case. After all, I've always believed that preparation is key in everything. If I'm not prepared and something happened, well…"
Lupin seemed to consider Ciel's request. "This particular spell is very advanced and complicated. I'm not sure if you're ready to handle it."
"We wouldn't know until we try, would we?" Ciel said.
Lupin nodded. "Very well, Ciel. But I'll be quite busy for the rest of this term. We can start your lesson after the holiday. Is that okay?"
"Yes, of course. Thank you, Professor." Ciel agreed.
"Where's Harry?" Ciel asked Ron as they walked to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class the week after his talk with Lupin.
"Probably busy talking to Wood again. The match is tomorrow and Wood is pretty obsessed about winning the Quidditch cup this year. It's his last year here in Hogwarts and Gryffindor has never won the cup in the past seven years, so I can understand why he wants us to win this year. Have you ever seen one?" Ron asked as they entered the classroom.
"No." Ciel shook his head. "I didn't even know such sport existed before I came here."
"It's a great sport. You're going to enjoy it." Ron said as they sat down.
When the door opened a few minutes later, they were surprised to see Snape instead of Lupin. The man walked to the front, but stopped at Ciel's desk.
"Phantomhive, I believe I've made it clear that your butler is to remain outside of the classroom during lessons?" Snape said disdainfully.
"Yes, sir, during your lesson. However, this is Professor Lupin's…"
"Professor Lupin is not here. I am. So this is my lesson and he is to wait outside." Snape said.
Ciel didn't see the point of arguing. Snape would've just deduct some points from Gryffindor, so he simply gestured at his butler to leave.
The class started and Snape was talking about how Lupin hadn't given him any pointer about where they were at. He was in the middle of his ramblings when the door opened and Harry stepped into the room.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I…" Harry started to explain before he realized that Lupin was nowhere to be seen.
Snape had deducted a total of fifteen points from Gryffindor before Harry finally sat down. Then Snape proceeded to say more bad things about Lupin and his 'lack or organization' before telling the class to open the textbook to page 394.
"Werewolf, huh…" Ciel muttered when he opened his textbook. All around him, the students were protesting.
When Snape called Hermione 'insufferable know-it-all', Ron came to her defense and earned himself a detention. After that, the class was very quiet as they made notes from the book while Snape walked around the room, criticizing anything and everything that he could criticize.
At the end of the lesson, Snape gave them a homework and dismissed the class.
"Stay behind, Weasley. We need to discuss your detention." Snape said.
Harry, Hermione, and Ciel left with the rest of the class and found Sebastian standing outside the door.
"I should've realized it the moment I saw Sebastian here." Harry said. "But I was late and I was in a hurry. But really, what's his problem with Lupin? He has never treated any other teachers like this. It's like he makes it his life mission to insult him."
"I don't know, Harry." Hermione said. "But I hope Professor Lupin will get better soon."
"I agree." Ciel nodded. He found Snape to be utterly intolerable. "I've had more than enough of Snape to last me an eternity."
Harry and Hermione laughed at that.
"Yeah, me too." Harry said.
It was six o'clock in the morning when Ciel stepped out from the library to go back to his room so that he could get ready for the day. Outside, the wind was howling and the rain was hitting the many windows of the castle. He briefly wondered if the match would be cancelled. He reached his room and the door was opened from the inside.
"Welcome back, Young Master." Sebastian said. "Would you like to freshen up first?"
"Yes." Ciel nodded and went into the bathroom. Sebastian gave him a bath before dressing him in his school uniform. Ciel drank his morning tea before they left their room to attend the match.
They met up with Ron and Hermione at the entrance and walked together to the stadium.
"Wonder if they could still play in a weather like this." Hermione said as they walked across the field. Her umbrella was swaying in her hand.
"Of course they can." Ron said. "A bit of rain won't stop anyone from playing Quidditch."
"I don't think this could be considered as 'a bit of rain', Ron." Ciel said as he walked alongside Sebastian, who was holding an enormous umbrella above their heads.
They reached the pitch and climbed up the steps that led to the spectator seats. They found some empty space and all four of them sat down.
Soon, the game began and they saw the two teams – Gryffindor and Hufflepuff – stepped into the field with their broomsticks. At Madam Hooch's signal, everyone mounted their brooms and shot up into the sky.
While it was difficult for humans to see anything in this weather, demons had no problem whatsoever. Soon, Ciel spotted the small winged golden Snitch flying around the field at incredible speed. It flew past the players, but nobody else had seen it yet.
Wood called for a short break some time later and Hermione left to help Harry with his glasses.
"What do you think so far?" Ron asked Ciel.
"It's an interesting game." Ciel said. "I've never seen anything like it before. I've watched the practice a couple of times, but the actual game is quite different. So, the game ends when one of the Seekers catches the Snitch?"
"Yes. The game will not end until the Snitch is caught. Sometimes a Quidditch game could last for hours, and even days." Ron told him.
"Days? That's some dedication." Ciel commented.
"It's a very important game." Ron said and they turned their attention back to the field as the game resumed.
"Looks like they've spotted the Snitch." Ciel said when he saw both Harry and the Hufflepuff Seeker whose name he didn't know started chasing the Snitch around the field.
Sebastian tensed up slightly, his eyes moving to the edge of the field.
"What is it?" Ciel asked, sensing his demon's tension, and followed his gaze. "Oh." He saw a group of Dementors entering the field, but nobody else seemed to notice them yet.
"Would you like me to do something?" Sebastian asked.
"No. Let it play out." Ciel decided. "We can't risk exposing ourselves."
Within minutes, everyone had noticed the figures gliding into the field and the stadium fell silent as all eyes were on the group of Dementors.
Ciel leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, eager to see how things would play out. He saw Harry sliding down from his broom and heading to the ground. He heard Dumbledore yelling as the old wizard made his way down to the field. He saw a series of silvery lights bursting out from the tip of Dumbledore's wand, warding off the Dementors before he tended to Harry.
The game had proven to be quite interesting, indeed.
Ciel and Sebastian joined Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Gryffindor team to the infirmary to check on Harry.
The boy was upset, understandably so. Whether it was because of the team's loss or the Dementors, Ciel didn't know.
The team debated briefly about their chance of still winning the Quidditch cup after losing their first game before Madam Pomfrey shooed everyone out, leaving Ciel, Ron, and Hermione in the room with Harry.
When Harry asked about his broom, Hermione told him that it hit the Whomping Willow. Ciel didn't know what it was, but whatever it was, it must be bad because Harry's face fell and he looked even more upset than before.
"S-Show me..." Harry said, bracing himself.
Hermione did, taking out the broom, or what was left of it, from the bag and Harry looked like he'd just been shown his best friend's dead body. He held the splinters carefully, almost reverently, and for a moment, Ciel thought he was going to cry. But he didn't say anything and finally, they left him alone to mourn the loss of his broom.
Much to everyone's relief, Professor Lupin was back at work on the following week. He did look tired and weary, but he taught the class with the same enthusiasm that he had always shown. He even told them that they didn't have to do the homework essay given by Snape last week, much to Hermione's disappointment because she had already finished it.
After class, they packed up their bags and left, but Lupin asked Harry to stay back.
"Go ahead, guys. I'll catch up." Harry told them and they left.
At lunchtime, Harry told them that Professor Lupin had agreed to teach him how to defend himself against the Dementors. When Ron and Hermione were pre-occupied with their own conversation, Harry leaned in closer to Ciel.
"Professor Lupin said that you'll be joining us too." Harry whispered.
"Yeah, I talked to him about it a couple of weeks ago before he got ill."
Harry nodded. "I understand. I, it must be difficult for you too to be around them. Given what we've lost..."
Ciel decided to risk it and asked, "What happened to you? When they got near you..."
Harry looked around, making sure that nobody was listening, not even Ron and Hermione, before he shifted even closer to Ciel and continued in hushed voice.
'I heard... my mother. Screaming. I reckon that's what happened that night when, when Voldemort killed them. I was too young to remember any of it, but it's in here somewhere." He tapped the side of his head. "They don't... understand." He glanced at their other two friends. "What it's like to lose your parents, to be all alone in the world. They tried to be there for me and I appreciate it, but's... different, you know."
Ciel did. He knew exactly how it was like. In the past, his cousin, Lizzie, always tried her best to cheer him up. Soma, the servants, his aunts, everyone tried to help him, but no matter what they did, he still felt all alone. "It's like... there's this emptiness inside that can never be filled." He said, mostly to himself. "I'm alright now and I've accepted it a long time ago, but there are times when I wished that if only I could have more time with them, if only I could remember them a little better..."
Harry nodded grimly. "Exactly."
Ciel noticed how his demon shifted closer to him, wanting to comfort him, and he gave Sebastian an appreciative smile.
Later that evening, Ciel didn't go to the library. He spent the entire night being held in Sebastian's arms as he allowed himself to remember.
He reminisced about his parents, his past, and his life. It was such a long time ago, but he could never forget anything that had happened to him that month. The fire that took his parents from him, the occult, the cage... The humiliation, the horror, and how his own desperation had driven him to summon his demon.
"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes." Ciel wrapped his arms tighter around Sebastian's waist. "Just... reminiscing."
"You have gotten closer to the boy." Sebastian observed.
"If we're going to get to Voldemort, the fastest and the most effective way is through him. It's clear that Dumbledore is hiding things, not only from Harry, but also from us. We can't rely on him anymore." Ciel said. "What do you think would happen to me if I get exposed to them and you couldn't pull me back? Harry said he could hear his mother screaming. Would I also hear them? Among other things…"
"I do not know, sir." Sebastian said. "But if possible at all, I would rather we never find out."
"Me too." Ciel said. "I've moved on, truly. But I can't forget. I don't think I ever will."
"That's alright. Remember them and reminisce about them as much or as little as you need to. But please also remember that you're not alone. Never forget that you're loved and cherished." Sebastian tightened his arms around his mate.
Ciel nodded. "No matter what happens, I'll never be alone. We'll always be together. You will never leave me and I will always have you."
"Yes, my soul." Sebastian said, brushing his lips across the slate hair. "Until the end of time itself."
Ciel nodded and finally relaxed in Sebastian's embrace at the reassurance. "Until the very end."