If Sebastian had to hear the name Lucan Brattleby fall from his wife's beautiful lips one more time that week, he might very well implode.
The bright-eyed Gryffindor boy who used to worship the ground Sebastian and Claire walked on had now become a perpetual thorn in his side. Ever since Claire became Head of the Auror Office, one of her core duties was seeing to any new additions to her department. Brattleby was one such new addition, and the boy - now a rather strapping young man - trailed after her incessantly everywhere she went.
How might Sebastian know such things when he spent all of his time at Hogwarts, teaching Magical Theory? Certainly it had to do with the fact that Claire still found Lucan just as delightful as she had in school, and told Sebastian every annoying little detail about the new Auror-in-training each night at supper.
Sebastian attempted to keep his jealousy in check, succeeding only in bending his spoon with the brutal force of his grip, as Claire prattled on fondly about something Brattleby had said to her earlier that day. He had barely been paying attention to the words tumbling from her smiling mouth, painfully aware that she had yet to mercifully change the subject. One particular sentence got his attention though -
" - and so I told Lucan he should simply train directly under me from now on. I can work more closely as his mentor."
"Directly under you?" Sebastian choked on his drink, and Claire waited patiently for his coughs to subside before answering him.
"Yes - I recalled how helpful it had been to work hand-in-hand with Professor Fig in my fifth year, and Lucan is such a talented wizard that he could benefit from a similar approach." She explained.
Trying to keep his tone even, Sebastian asked, "Wouldn't that burden your already heavy workload?"
Smiling slyly, Claire shot him a mischevious wink. Any other time he might have gotten a thrill from her flirtatious behavior, but the fact they were still discussing another man when she did it caused him to lose his appetite for the meal in front of him. He subtly pushed his plate away, trying to will the bile back down his throat.
"Well that's the beauty of it, darling - when I've got him trained just how I like him, I'll promote him as my partner and we can share the work."
Loud scraping echoed through their cottage as Sebastian's chair shot out from under him, and he was suddenly on his feet. Claire had to steady the dining table to keep it from spilling over as well.
"What's the matter - "
"As I recall, Lucan Brattleby prefers to organize duels rather than fight in them himself. I'll be damned if I entrust my wife's safety to some cowardly little twig." Sebastian was seething now - trying to justify his outburst - his new and sudden loathing for their school friend. No, it wasn't that he felt threatened by Brattleby. It was that Claire was constantly thrust into life or death situations, and she needed someone trustworthy by her side. Someone like - "Natty. Natty would be a fantastic choice as your partner. I never forgot she took a cruciatus curse for you in fifth year."
Claire looked horrified by the suggestion, and the way her face contorted in confusion had Sebastian second-guessing himself. But pride would not allow him to back down.
"Natty is in Magical Law Enforcement, yes. However she has absolutely no aspirations of becoming an Auror. Her passion lies in securing local communities, not chasing Dark Wizards across the globe. And I certainly donotselect Aurors on the basis that they will take an unforgivable curse in my stead, Sebastian." She fixed him with an accusatory glare.
Waving her wand, she cleared the dishes from the table - dinner was clearly over as neither of them had an appetite any longer. Sebastian wasn't finished with the discussion, though.
Perhaps a different approach -softer this time. She was resting against the countertop now, elbows propped up on the surface to hold her now aching head.
Sebastian carefully approached her from behind and slid his arms around her middle, pressing tender kisses against her neck and the exposed tops of her shoulders. She melted back into him and sighed. A good sign he hadn't fallen too far out of her good graces.
"I'm not trying to start an argument, love." He soothed, rubbing small circles into her hip with his thumb. "I just think there are far better options for such an important decision."
She stiffened in his hold and spun around to face him, deep scowl marring her pretty features. "I handpicked Lucan for this role - if my judgement is so poor that I can't even hire a proper Auror, then perhaps I've got no business being in the department at all - let alone heading it."
It was meant to be sarcastic - a kinder way to remind Sebastian he had no right to tell her how to do her job. However, it wouldn't be a proper argument with Sebastian Sallow if he didn't stick his foot in his mouth at least one more time.
And so he said, with all the grace of a newborn Graphorn, "Perhaps you're right. Become a Professor at Hogwarts instead. The Defense Against the Dark Arts position will be open once Hecat retires at the end of the year. You'd do well in the role. It's safe - and it's with me."
"You-you did not just - " She sputtered, unable to wrap her head around this dense, stupid man she deigned to call her husband. Claire was not normally one lost for words, and Sebastian knew in an instant that he'd fucked up miserably.
And that was precisely how Sebastian wound up struggling through the worst night of his adult life, cramming his long limbs on the tiny sofa of their living room while Claire slept alone in their locked bedroom. Despite the discomfort and unfamiliarity of sleeping bitterly by himself, he'd still somehow managed to drift off at some point in the wee hours of the morning. He'd only startled awake when the front door slammed shut, a fair indicator that his beloved did not wake up in a more forgiving mood than she'd went to sleep with.
Grousing by himself the rest of the morning, Sebastian struggled to find the motivation to do anything. There was no Hogwarts in the middle of summer - no classwork or needy students to distract him from his sour mood. He'd rarely fought with Claire in all the years they'd known each other, and never once had they had a fight like this in their marriage. And now he'd sent her off to spend the day with another man who was clearly eager to garner her attentions, while she was livid with Sebastian.
That wouldn't do at all.
Still one for tinkering with difficult magic in his spare time, Sebastian had perfected a new spell. New for him, at least. It was something he'd intended to surprise Claire with - perhaps use it to play an innocent joke on her when she least expected it. Now, he could see a much more practical use for his long-endured ritual of becoming an unregistered Animagus.
Having visited Claire at work on multiple occasions already, Sebastian found it painfully simple to sneak in - moreso as a lithe, coffee-colored cat. There were several other cats roaming the Ministry; familiars to the various witches and wizards working there. He doubted he'd stand out.
Trotting throughout the maze of hallways on four soft paws, he swiftly navigated the way to Claire's corner of the world.
The words Auror Department were emblazoned, bright and imposing, above a set of large double doors, and Sebastian slipped through when a group of ministry officials exited, weaving between their legs to avoid being stepped on. Slinking past the rows of desks, his ears perked in the direct of a familiar voice. Abandoning his earlier destination for her office, Sebastian followed the sound of Claire's voice until he could make out what she was saying.
"Next!"
A small, booming noise and a pained grunt echoed into the hall.
"Next!"
Her steady, commanding tone led him to a large training room - a line of nervous witches and wizards in Auror robes stood against the wall. Claire stood toward the center of the room, wand drawn and looking positively menacing. Sebastian skirted in through the door, watching with keen interest. He'd visited her before - brought her lunch and flowers over the summer months - but never had he actually gotten to witness her working.
A pale, young wizard stood at the front of the line, foot wavering hesitantly in the air. He didnotwant to step forward. His peers pushed him from behind, and he stumbled out into the center of the room to face Claire. To the untrained eye, her demeanor would seem composed and professional. To Sebastian, her rigid shoulders and the way her mouth pressed into a thin line spelled heightened danger.
"Hesitation will get you killed." She said, discontent dripping from her every word.
Sebastian thought the young wizard was right to be afraid. Had he been in the lad's shoes, he might have even run at that moment. To his immense credit, however, he raised his wand and pointed it at Claire. A flicker of a smile crossed her features before she mercilessly shot the wizard backward with a streak of angry red light from her wand. A burning smell filled the room, and her opponent groaned while his peers helped him to his feet.
"Next." She commanded, eyeing the next in line.
"I knew I should have called out sick today. Who'd have thought Sallow would want us to run combat drills with her? It's always just a one-sided spar - if you can even call it that." Sebastian heard one of the witches toward the end of the line whisper.
"If you ask me, I'd wager she's in a foul mood. Normally, she'll at least let us get an offensive spell off. Today she's only using nonverbal spells before we even have a chance to shield. We don't stand a chance. Best to get it over with quickly, I say." The witch's companion replied quietly.
"Oh dear - she's letting the trainee participate? What was his name again?"
Brattleby.
Sebastian had the distinct urge to hiss, but held back. Lucan was presently squaring up against his wife, and he wanted nothing more than to watch her throw him painfully into the back wall like she'd done with the others.
He certainly was a good-looking young man now - taller than most of the others, and he'd filled out handsomely over the years. He still had that same bright smile, and it sickened Sebastian to see it directed at his wife. What infuriated him further was that her own gaze softened when he stood against her, holding his wand out confidently.
"Can't think of a better way to test my progress with nonverbal shielding charms than to go up against the very best. Don't hold back on me just because I'm new!" Lucan grinned.
"Have it your way, Brattleby." Claire raised a brow and smirked, before aiming an unrelenting streak of red directly at his chest.
Sebastian held his breath for a moment, but released it with a disappointed sigh at the same time the others in the room let out a simultaneous gasp. Lucan had deflected the attack, a bright purple bubble surrounding him protectively. He grinned proudly up at Claire, but was instantly blown back by a blue-ish grey spell and flung into the onlooking combatants. Lucan let out a groan from the floor.
"Never let your guard down. Next!"
Satisfied that he'd seen Lucan get laid out indiscriminately, and not wanting to raise suspicion by having a room filled with trained Aurors hear a laughing feline, Sebastian slipped back out of the room and paced toward Claire's office.
Her office door was wide open, and so he simply let himself in. He'd been inside dozens of times before, but never by himself. Now, he could take his time exploring where his other half spent so many of her days away from him.
The office was just so uniquely her - warmly lit by wall sconces, all the furniture crafted from deep wood and leather. Ceiling-high bookcases and shelves stretched along most of the walls, jammed full of strange artifacts and weathered tomes about dark magic. A massive writing desk took up much of the floor-space, its surface almost entirely obscured from view under mountains of paperwork.
To anyone visiting, it would seem she kept a relatively mundane workroom, save for a few small, framed portraits perched neatly along the perimeter of her desk. Sebastian, however, was not just anyone. Deftly leaping onto a shelf, he'd spied a few familiar sprigs of dried dittany flowers - ones he used to fasten to his many letters to her while they were still in school.
Across the room were various other nostalgic objects - the preserved bouquet she'd held on their wedding day, a pair of battle-worn dueling gloves he'd gifted her several years ago for her first Crossed Wands competition, and a small vial of perfume she'd received from Anne for Christmas last year - a few drops still sat in the bottom that Claire simply refused to use, reluctant to finish the scent she loved so much. Sebastian made a mental note to fetch her a new bottle on his way home.
If he inspected the room more closely, he was certain he'd find countless other personal effects - each containing a wellspring of meaningful memories. He knew his wife was sentimental, but seeing so many pieces of himself and the others most important to her littered around her office was touching. Guilt began eating away at him for ever doubting her, for even considering he might lose her to anyone else. She'd always been his, and he knew it.
Just about ready to leave, he caught sight of a rather large stack of ragged, yellowed pages strewn messily over a corner table - she had obviously been pouring over these old papers frequently, given their wrinkled state. He landed gracefully on the floor, a soft thud as his paws met hardwood, and scampered over to get a closer look. He wasn't sure why, but something about the stack of papers nagged at him.
He didn't have to wonder for long, however, as he instantly recognized the letters and their mortifying contents the moment he rested his front paws on the table to get a closer look.
Poetry he'd written for her, back when he had been a lovesick seventh year.
If cats could blush, he'd be a rather vibrant sight to see. Glancing over a few of the lines on the top page, he thought he might just die from sheer embarrassment. She simply couldn't keep these at work any longer- what if someone else saw? Sebastian, himself, didn't even want to see them. They were dreadful.
Desperate to rid the world of any evidence of his attempts to woo his then-girlfriend like some kind of lovelorn bard, he fit as many pages as he could in his small jaw and tugged. He'd drag the cursed letters into the candle fire of her sconces if he had to.
In his haste to burn away his shameful past, he failed to hear voices approaching until they were just outside the door. Sebastian looked up, eyes wide with surprise, to find Lucan Brattleby and a highly-amused Claire standing in the doorway.
"Did you get a cat, Claire?" Lucan asked, stating curiously down at Sebastian.
"I did not. Prewett is the only one on this floor who brings his cat in - perhaps his darling pet got lost?" She smiled fondly before walking over and scooping the cat in her arms, gently prying the offensive letters from his mouth.
"Mustn't touch what doesn't belong to you, little one." She crooned, stroking under his chin.
She hadn't touched him since she'd gotten home from work the previous evening, and he melted into her hand. Even if she viewed him as nothing more than a cat at the moment, he relished in her gentle ministrations. Perhaps he'd buy her a cat to go with that perfume, since she seemed so fond of them.
"Anyway, what did you need to discuss, Lucan?" Claire took a seat behind her desk, carefully maneuvering the cat to sit in her lap so that she could continue stroking it, drawing out low purrs.
"It was more of a personal matter, actually. It can wait until after work if you're busy right now." Lucan said sheepishly, pointedly eyeing the dozens of incomplete reports on Claire's desk.
A personal conversation? Sebastian tried to look nonchalant, but both his ears pricked up to listen intently. Perhaps hewasright to be concerned.
"Nonsense - I can always make the time for my juniors. Now, go on and spit it out." She replied patiently.
"Well, I was only wondering if you'd had a chance to speak with Sebastian yet. About what you and I discussed." Lucan asked softly, his cheeks tinted ever so slightly.
Sebastian couldn't help but look up at Claire, startled. What the hell was this about?
"I've brought it up with him a few times now, but you know Sebastian - mind always off somewhere else. I can hardly keep his attention at supper. I promise to press him for a proper answer this evening." She said apologetically.
Lucan brightened significantly at her assurance and grinned - the same lopsided smile he'd worn every time he saw them duel in the Crossed Wands - or perhaps it was every time Lucan saw Claire.
"Brilliant! Thank you, Claire. I'll get out of your hair then." He chirped, turning to leave.
"One moment, Lucan." Claire said firmly, and Lucan froze in his tracks.
She gingerly set Sebastian on top of her desk before wandering over to one of the massive bookcases, thumbing over the covers until she found the right one. A thin, cloth-bound book Sebastian immediately recognized from his first year at Hogwarts as 'Basics for Beginners' made its way from the bookshelf and into Lucan's hands. He eyed it, baffled.
"You made a dangerously novice error during our spar. It was a good shield charm, but you allowed yourself to become distracted. I know you're still just a trainee, but if you don't practice good habits now, you'll wind up getting yourself or one of us killed when it matters." She reprimanded him, and he flushed darkly. "Read that cover-to-cover and we'll try again another day. Off you go."
Muttering an embarrassed thanks, Lucan exited quickly with his head bowed. Sebastian was already on the floor near the doorway, ready to follow the mortified wizard out before he burst into laughter, but instead he found himself painfully hung upside down by his tail, paws dangling pathetically in the air. He yowled, frantically trying to right himself. A levitation charm.
"An unregistered Animagus dares to sneak into the Auror's Office? How brazen." Sebastian could hear the sneer in Claire's voice.
He yowled again, desperate to revert back to his form and tell her it was him. He didn't need to say anything, however, when she shed her robe and approached him swiftly - a mocking look on her face. She grasped him by the scruff and released the levitation spell before painfully jabbing his side with her wand.
Sebastian had never been forcibly changed back before, but it was decidedly less than pleasant. The room felt incredibly cold now that he lacked both fur or clothes, and Claire's robe fluttered over his now-bare form. He expected to look up and see her shocked face, but she had already made her way back to her desk, shuffling calmly through her reports. He gaped at her, drawing the warm fabric around him. It smelled like her.
"Well? Did you achieve whatever it was you snuck in here for?" She asked calmly, still not looking at him as she dipped her quill into an ink pot.
He stammered for a moment. Never in his life had he made such a completeassof himself. Sitting in the middle of his wife's office and draped in nothing but a thin robe, it dawned on him just how far his jealousy had driven him.
"Cat got your tongue, dearest?" She quipped again, now looking at him severely.
Oh yes, she was angry. The slight downturn of her lips and the way her eyebrows creased ever so slightly warned him that he should tread carefully, but true to form Sebastian did not know the meaning oftactwhere his feelings were concerned.
"Awfully cozy with Brattleby all alone in your office, eh?" He inwardly cursed himself - the impact of his petulant accusation was immensely diminished by the fact that he was still stark naked under the witch's robe.
"Alone? You were here the whole time, weren't you? I thought you seemed rather cozy while you made yourself at home on my lap."
"You say that like you knew it was me - "
"Of course I knew it was you, Sebastian."
"What? How? Since when?" He was certain he'd been careful not to get caught.
"Since you walked into my department. You really believe I don't have charms set up everywhere to alert me of intruders? That I wouldn't catch on to your littleschemesover the weeks - holding a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month? You really think I'm that ignorant?" She seethed indignantly, pressing down with her quill so hard that ink puddled out onto the paper, and she shoved the ruined report aside in frustration.
"I don't think you're ignorant at all. The real issue apparently lies in me overestimating my abilities." He said mournfully. "Why bother letting me carry on if you knew the whole time, though? You're so angry with me, I'm amazed you didn't hex me on the spot."
"Trust me, I was sorely tempted to do so. But, I wanted to see what you were up to. Snooping around my office and spying on a private conversation with my coworker - honestly, Sebastian, this has not been your proudest moment."
Burning with shame but still righteously indignant, he bitterly sought to defend himself. "Private conversation? Certainly sounded like you and Lucan had something to share with me. So go on - spit it out."
She sighed, sifting her fingers through her hair before shooting an exhausted look at Sebastian. She briefly reminded him of when he was a belligerent student, and Professor Sharp would give him the same tired look before doling out detention. He certainly felt just as small as he did then.
"If you'd paid attention to anything I've told you these past few weeks, you'd know that Lucan is desperately seeking to invite you out for a drink."
"What?"
"The poor boy's been hounding me for ages to pin you down for an evening before your teaching resumes. He and Nellie are engaged to be married in a few months time, and I expect he'd like to ask you to be a groomsman." She explained, exasperated.
"Who the hell is Nellie? And why would he want me in their wedding?" A rather dumbfounded Sebastian, brain fried and entirely missing the point, asked.
"Because Lucan Brattleby has fawned over you since his first year. He thinks the world of you, Sebastian - still does. I suspect he'd rather marry you than poor Nellie Oggspire - my dear roommate from Gryffindor if you care to recall." She hissed out, and Sebastian recoiled. "It's a wonder Lucan thinks so highly of you, considering how you've been behaving recently. Bet he'd die of shock on the spot if I told him you were jealous of him."
"J-jealous? Who said anything about that?" Sebastian sputtered, feeling shame and guilt settle firmly in his stomach. He'd been an imbecile.
"How long have we known each other? And you thought I couldn't tell?"
"Then why did you keep ceaselessly droning on about him if you knew I was bothered?" He grumbled.
Scoffing, Claire replied, "Because he's a dear friend who adores you, and I thought perhaps now that we're both quite a bit older you might have finally grown out of this ludicrous jealousy over me."
It was Sebastian's turn to scoff. "I am not a jealous man, Claire. But perhaps I did overreact."
"Overreacted like you did when I partnered with Garreth Weasley while you were sick during Potions class? Or how about when I went on that camping trip with Poppy Sweeting after graduation?" She began ticking off memories on her fingers. "Oh, and what about - "
"Alright, I get it. Perhaps I still have some work to do." He grumbled. "I apologize for troubling you. I suppose I owe Lucan an apology as well - and that drink. I had no idea he considered me such a good friend. You're right that this certainly wasn't my finest hour."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Claire said, "No it was not. That said, I married you knowing full well this side of you would come out at times, and as much of a menace as you can be when you get all worked up, I still find it rather charming."
Claire's chair scraped lightly on the wood floor as she pushed it back, stepping from behind her desk to approach her red-faced husband. He was still on the floor looking self-conscious, and she found it all the more endearing despite her earlier frustration with him. She knew him inside and out by now, and for all his bravado, she was intimately familiar with his many insecurities. They hadn't diminished with age - rather, he had simply gotten better at hiding them. She'd made it her mission to ease his worries over the years, but his most recent bout with jealousy had struck a serious nerve when he dared to call her competence into question. She figured he'd suffered enough now, and she ought to make amends with the sullen man rather than continue to punish him.
"Darling, the only thing I am confident about right now is that I am the polar opposite of charming." He looked up at her bashfully from the floor.
Kneeling down next to him, she brushed a few stray brown curls from his forehead and pressed a kiss there, chuckling a bit at how hot his flustered face felt against her lips. "Who else can say they have a husband who would sneak into the Ministry of Magic's most secure office simply because he thinks his wife is too alluring to be left on her own?"
"Can't exactly blame me when it's true." He gave her a crooked grin and slid an arm up to cup her cheek in his palm. The robe he was using as a cover slid down his arm, exposing his toned, freckled shoulder, and Claire shamelessly stared.
"And, I've received the added benefit of finding you in such a vulnerable position, while we're alone in my office." She bent down to whisper in his ear, delighting in the shiver she felt from him.
"I am feeling rather touch-starved after last night, you know." Sebastian confessed, returning her smile.
He allowed her to plant her palms on the floor on either side of him, caging him beneath her. Suddenly, the thin layer of cover provided by the robe felt stifling.
"You came all this way, I suppose it would be cruel of me to let you leave empty-handed." The implication of her words left his mouth dry. All their years together and she still had this effect on him.
Sebastian angled her face just so, and barely ghosted his lips across hers. "Perhaps you could let me burn those horrid old poems as well?"
Reeling back, Claire stared at him - equal parts amused and apalled. "I'll do no such thing - I still read them each and every morning. However, I promise to lock them in my drawer if you find Lucan after we're through here."
"I'll do anything you ask of me if you'll just stopsaying his name for one bloody day."
"I expect I'll only be saying your name for the rest of the afternoon, Sebastian." She winked, and he was ready to take her up on that. The robe slipped down and off his waist when he shot up, drawing a startled gasp from Claire. Reversing their position, he pinned her beneath him, towering over her slight form on the floor.
"I'll make sure of it." He promised, before taking her wand to lock the door.