Chapter 5
Somehow, I had managed to convince Ominis to take a seat in front of the reignited fireplace. Even without resorting to the Imperius Curse; lucky me, I guess.
Now he was sitting on the two-seater, staring straight ahead of him, his misty eyes betraying none of his emotions.
Oh, this was bad.
He hadn't uttered another word and was still firmly clutching his wand while looking as if we were waiting for an enemy, not our… friend.
I sighed, setting up three glasses of Firewhisky on a serving tray in the living room, slipping back into the kitchen for some more ice when I heard Sebastian coming down the stairs.
Through the door to the living room, I watched how he walked past Ominis silently, dropping down into the wing chair I had pulled up.
He had put on a fresh jumper and trousers and had dried his hair, through which he now ran his fingers in discomfort, just like he always did.
Some things never change, apparently.
Some things do change, however, I thought watching the two of them sit as far away from one another as my seating arrangement allowed them to.
How in Merlin's name did we get from being inseparable to this?
Oh, Sebastian, you sweet, yet foolish, man and your well-intended but ill-advised actions.
I grabbed two drinks from the serving tray, handing one to Ominis and the other to Sebastian, who didn't even so much as look at me.
The last one I took for myself before sitting down next to Ominis.
The thick curtain of silence hung between us, with nothing but the slow ticking of the grandfather clock breaking it.
Tick, tock.
My eyes switched from Sebastian to Ominis and back.
Tick, tock.
I took a sip of my drink, watching as Sebastian did the same, followed by Ominis.
Tick, tock.
I watched Sebastian's fingers comb through the thick of his hair for what felt like the hundredth time this night.
Tick tock.
I finally lost my patience.
"So... I guess we should―" I began.
"You know you're harbouring a fugitive from justice, right?" Ominis interjected, and I noticed his knuckles had turned white.
"What―?"
"Whatever your department thinks they have on me are blatant lies, Ominis!" Sebastian called out, downing his drink in one go,
"That confidential case you were working on… it was about Sebastian?" I breathed, feeling my heartbeat quicken.
"No, at first, it solely involved Oliver Thompson's illegal trading of magical creatures. However, that case turned out to be much darker than we had first anticipated," Ominis explained.
I was shocked. I knew it was a confidential case, but I knew I would have told Ominis if it somehow involved Sebastian.
"There has been a break-in at Gringotts earlier this week. The burglar's description fitted Sebastian quite well." Ominis went on.
"That wasn't me. Thompson must have had someone impersonating me. You and your department have heard of Polyjuice Potion, I believe?" Sebastian retorted, and I could see him starting to get really angry.
"Fine, let's say I believe you. Then why were the only things missing Dark Artefacts that were kept at Gringotts for safekeeping? Dark Artefacts are still your speciality, aren't they?" Ominis questioned.
"Thompson is planning something sinister involving Ancient Magic, a ritual, to steal Ryna's ability, which will kill her in the process. Those Artefacts must be needed for that ritual." Sebastian explained.
"Then what are you doing here in the middle of the night? Are you planning on bringing her to your boss Thompson?" Ominis went on.
I furrowed my brows.
Ominis sounded just like he did when questioning a suspect during his investigations. It didn't sit right with me at all.
"Ominis…" I began, laying a calming hand on his arm, only to feel him flinch at my touch. His whole body was tense, ready to bolt or to attack, whatever was needed.
"Thompson isn't my boss. I've been infiltrating his organisation for the last three years, trying to find out all I can about his plans to stop them. I'd do anything to protect the two of you." Sebastian explained, exhaling a ragged breath.
A split second later, he looked at his drink. "There's Veritaserum in this, is it not?" he asked, glaring at me.
I shook my head. "N-No, I didn't―"
"Yes, it is. My doing; now back to the questions." Ominis stated dryly.
Sebastian jumped out of his chair, whipping out his wand. "I won't sit here and be questioned like a criminal. Not even by you, Ominis!" He shouted.
Ominis was up on his feet instantly, aiming his wand at Sebastian in return.
"You are a criminal, Sallow, you always have been. The end neverjustifies the means. Haven't you learned that already?" He spat back.
Merlin's flaming pants, that was it.
"Expelliarmus!" I bellowed, casting the spell at both of them and catching their wands with my free hand, my eyes shooting daggers at them.
"There will be no duelling, cursing or jinxing each other in my home. We will talk this through calmly."
"I was going to tell you the truth calmly, but he had to put Veritaserum into the mix." Sebastian accused.
I shot him an icy glance. "Oh, no! That was your trademark, right? Poor baby… deal with it," I growled, making him angrily grit his teeth. Good, I still knew how to get that reaction out of him.
"Also, knowing Ominis, I'm sure he spiked all our drinks, didn't you?" I asked.
Ominis nodded. "Fair's fair." he said, adding, "Also, I didn't know which drink you'd give him. So, better safe than sorry."
"See, we're all friends here. Now, I'll go freshen up so that the two of you can talk about what Sebastian already told me. I'll be taking your wands with me, however, and if one of you so much as harms a hair on the other's head, you'll get to experience what I can do with the Ancient Magic first-hand. I was told it's an… electrifying experience." I hissed.
When I was at the door, I turned around once more. "And Sebastian, don't worry about the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. I'd break that for both of you any day."
Thanks to Ominis' Veritaserum, they both knew I wasn't bluffing.
"You look like hippogriff crap," I told the young woman staring back at me from my bathroom mirror.
Dark shadows underneath the still bloodshot eyes, pallid skin, and the hair… a complete mess.
Never looked better… I joked in my mind, splashing ice-cold water into my face. It was helping a little.
My eyes darted to their two wands lying next to one another on the shelf above my washbasin.
Hawthorn wood and Dragon heartstring Sallow's wand gave off a powerful yet stubborn sensation, much like its owner himself. As I ran my fingers over its smooth surface, I could have sworn it hissed at me. It seemed to have adapted to Sebastian's temper.
Ominis' wand felt different. A warm, almost pleasant sensation went through my body when my fingers touched it. Ash and Unicorn tail hair.
Pure, yet powerful; gentle at the touch, but determined. And so much like its owner that it made my heart skip a beat.
I went to the ground, clutching my knees close to me as the tugging sensation took over my whole body. The more I tried to fight back the tears, the more the rest of my body hurt.
Damn that Veritaserum, and damn what everything has come to.
I hadn't planned on leaving both of them alone for too long, but the state I was in didn't allow me to exit the bathroom yet.
I went to the tub, turned on the water, and added some drops of lavender oil to it, the pleasant smell instantly rising into my nostrils. That was going to help, but it surely wasn't enough.
With a flick of my wrist, I summoned the little glass of dried Squill flowers into my hand, scattering some of them into the swirling waters. Felix Felicis would be far more potent, but using the flowers this way was the next best thing.
After stripping down naked, I eased my body into the pleasant warmth, sighing.
The two of them could wait forever, for all I cared right now.
At least with their wands out of their reach, they wouldn't burn each other or my house to a crisp.
I closed my eyes.
They had other ways to hurt each other, however, using just their words and hands, no magic was needed.
Maybe this was a mistake… I thought before quietly dozing off in the serenity of the waters surrounding me.
The Room of Requirement sure had changed much since I first led Sebastian and Ominis into it. For instance, it grew a lot, almost as if knowing it needed to house quite some personalities within it.
Ominis had taken on making potions, no, not making them but producing them like a maniac. Anything from Edurus to Wiggenweld and Draught of Peace.
Anything, he said, that could come in handy while exploring caves, tombs, or any part of the Forbidden Forest, really. I knew he feared for Sebastian's and my safety whenever we strayed off the beaten tracks without him and that the potions we took with us were comforting him.
Merlin's beard, how I loved him for that.
He became so proficient he even managed to brew his own stashes of Felix Felicis and Veritaserum. However, the three of us hadn't found a use for the latter since our first night together.
To say we were in love wasn't even beginning to describe it.
Whenever we were separated because of our colliding schedules for an hour or two, each of us was miserable.
Whenever one of us wasn't with the other two, we would talk about nothing else but how we missed them, eagerly awaiting their return.
It was madness, and it was dangerous.
Being so dependent on each other and each other's happiness was a concoction which could surely blow up in our faces if we weren't careful.
As I entered the Room of Requirement one late spring evening, I saw Sebastian sitting in his reading corner, all by himself, nose buried in yet another ancient book.
That boy's fascination with knowledge was admirable and a joy to watch.
I sat down in the wing chair opposite his, just watching him peruse through the worn pages, a smile forming on my lips.
The soft crackle, whenever he turned another page, was the only sound within the little alcove.
I had watched him for some time when his deep voice startled me.
"Anything you need, Ryna?" He asked, without looking up from his book.
And here I thought he hadn't even noticed me entering.
"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you," I whispered meekly.
As he continued leafing through the pages, I noticed he was somehow tense. His brows were knitted together in concentration, his lips were pursed.
It made me wonder what he was reading, which enthralled him so much. What if it was something dangerous?
No, I didn't want to think that way. Sebastian had changed.
Thankfully he was still the stubborn adventurer and risk-seeker at heart, but he had learned to curb his temper and thirst for the more… dangerous knowledge. Ominis, be thanked.
I hadn't noticed that I was still staring at him when he finally looked up at me with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"You did disturb me, however," he growled, slapping the book shut and making it disappear into thin air.
I flinched. It had been quite a long time since I had seen him angry.
"I'm sorry," I apologised, getting up from the chair and about to leave.
"That's not enough," Sebastian hissed.
When I tried taking another step forward, I froze. I was unable to move an inch. I looked at him over my shoulder, seeing him aiming his wand at me.
"What the Hell are you doing?" I exclaimed, furrowing my brows at him.
Sebastian shook his head. "Language, pet. Now come here," he ordered.
Usually, I would have obliged happily, but something was wrong with him. He was angry and didn't feel like being alone with him was a good idea all of a sudden.
"No, I said I'm sorry, now let me go," I said, still unable to move forward.
With a flick of his wand, he propelled me into the air, pulling me towards him and making me gasp in panic. As soon as I landed in his lap, I tried to wriggle out of his grasp. It was like trying to flee Devil's Snare.
"I think some punishing is in order, witch," he hissed into my ear.
Normally that phrase alone would have sent shivers of pleasure down my body, but not this time. This time it felt wrong.
"Please, Sebastian, I don't think this is a good―" I began in a calming voice.
"Do you want me to silence you?" He interrupted, grabbing my chin with his free hand harshly. I shook my head, feeling my eyes widen in fear. What in Merlin's name had gotten into him? "Smart witch. Now come here," he commanded, putting me across his knees.
I inhaled sharply as he pulled up my skirt. 'Oh no.'
"What did I tell you about wearing underwear in here?" He growled. "You're not making this any easier on you."
With a quick pull, he tore down the thin fabric covering my bottom. Everything he did spoke of the fury inside him, and I was afraid for him and myself.
I hadn't felt this way since the end of our fifth year, since we exited the Feldcroft catacombs. It was far from enjoyable.
As I opened my mouth to say something, he put his hand over it, pressing it shut.
"Quiet now. The only thing I want to hear out of your sweet mouth now is you counting to ten. You might need to count even further if you fail to do that. Are we clear?" he growled into my ear low and menacingly. Unable to talk, I nodded. "Good. You'll see, it'll be over quickly."
I let out a ragged breath, bracing myself for the impact of his hand on my buttocks. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad. It wasn't the first time after―
I didn't come any further as the searing pang made me yelp in pain.
"Count, witch, count!" Sebastian ordered, clearly only getting angrier.
"One―" I pressed over my lips.
Smack.
"T-two―"
Smack.
"Three―" I breathed, feeling the tears falling from my eyes.
Smack.
I pressed my eyes shut in agony.
"F-Four."
Smack.
The sound resounded from the alcove's walls.
"FIVE!" I cried out, my fingers boring themselves into the wingchair's armrest.
My whole body was shaking; I was feeling sick to the core and started sobbing.
"We're not done yet, witch," he hissed into my ear.
"Enough!" Another voice bellowed through the room.
'Ominis…' I thought, the waves of pain slowly washing away.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" he barked, and I could hear him navigate his way towards us.
"I'm just educating her," Sebastian retorted, still not letting go of me.
"No, you're hurting her, and not in a good way. Let go of her now," Ominis commanded.
"We're not done," Sebastian spat back.
I could feel Ominis' hands find my face, wiping away the wetness on my cheeks. He sighed.
"Look at her, Sebastian! Use those eyes for a change, will you?"
Reluctantly, Sebastian made me sit in his lap, making me wince in pain.
I looked away. I didn't want him to see me like this.
Silence.
Sebastian drew in a ragged breath. "I am so, so sorry, Love," he whispered. "I don't know what got into me, I―"
When I looked up at him, I could see his eyes had turned glassy, and I couldn't tell if it was he or me who was in more pain right now.
Ominis' voice cut through the air like a blade. "Never, never do something like that again. Not while I'm not around," Ominis fumed, his hands softly caressing my back.
"It won't happen again, I promise. I'm so very sorry, Love," Sebastian imparted.
Seeing him like this hurt worse than the slaps had.
I ran my hand through his hair, kissing his cheek softly. "It's fine," I reassured him.
"No, it's not; I lost control, I―" he stammered.
"I am fine; you know I can handle the pain." I continued.
"But I couldn't handle losing your trust, Ryna. I couldn't live with myself," Sebastian sobbed.
Yes, seeing him like this was hurting a hundred times worse.
Ominis' soft voice broke the silence once again. "We'll work through this together, as always," he assured us softly, pressing a kiss on Sebastian's forehead.
Together― as always…
The spasms wrecked my body. My lungs were gasping for the needed air.
My whole body was fighting for life.
I heard their voices talking insistently to me, but they were soft and muffled, like coming through a layer of thick cotton.
"R-Ryna―breathe, please!" Sebastian implored.
"Her lungs are filled with water. Turn her over!" Ominis commanded, and I could feel him aiming a spell at my chest.
Another spasm and the water was spouting out of my lungs, making me fall into a fit of coughing on my bathroom floor.
What on earth was happening?
"Ryna, say something! Can you hear us?" Ominis asked, his hands searching for my shoulders and pulling me towards him.
Everything was cold, so very cold.
"She's freezing. Get a towel!" Ominis commanded, and mere seconds later, a towel was being wrapped around my shivering body.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Ominis' worried look, with Sebastian's panicked gaze right next to him.
"Ryna! Are you alright?" Sebastian exclaimed.
"W-what happened?" I stammered, wrapping the towel tightly around my body.
"I think you must have fallen asleep while taking a bath," Ominis explained. "I told you to be careful when using Squill flowers," he scolded.
"I know, I'm sorry…." I whispered while my head was still spinning.
"Here, drink this," Ominis told me, putting the vial of Wiggenweld potion to my lips.
Being in no position to argue, I downed the potion, fighting back another fit of coughing. "Now, to bed with you," Ominis stated. "Sallow, do you mind…?" He asked.
"Not at all," Sebastian replied instantly, scooping me up.
"I'm fine, you don't need to―" I began complaining while Sebastian carried me out of the bathroom with Ominis closely following us.
"I damn well need to, Ryna," he whispered, making his way down the stairs and into my bedroom, putting me down gently on the mattress.
"Rest now. For as long as you need," Ominis said, kissing the top of my head.
My look must have betrayed my concerns, for Sebastian added softly, "There is no need to burn either of us to a pile of ash today, I promise. We'll behave."
I let out a heavy breath, the remainder of my strength leaving my body.
The look in his dark eyes made shivers run down my spine, and not the pleasant kind.
Here the two of us were, back in the Feldcroft catacombs. Merlin's beard, how I hated it here.
"See? I told you the Relic works!"
"Works?" I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the Inferi surrounding him. The ones currently not attacking me, unlike the other twenty or so I had just incinerated on my way here.
"They follow my commands only; because of the Relic."
"Sebastian... I just had to fight my way through two dozen of them to reach you," I whispered, clutching my wand firmly and taking a step back. The one on his right side looked kind of... hungry? Angry? Definitely not to be trusted.
"What? No, impossible. As I said, the Relic commands them, and I have the Relic," he told me, proudly presenting the now crimson-glowing Relic to me.
How on earth could anybody in their right mind possibly come to the conclusion that a Dark Relic, looking like some torture pyramid, be used to cause anything else but destruction or agony?
I shook my head. I had not the faintest idea how I could reason with him, not in his current state. Sebastian had changed so much during the school year. I almost didn't recognise him. His quest to find a cure for his twin had taken him on a journey so deep into the Dark Arts that even I didn't know if I could follow him any longer.
Ominis had been right all along. Damn me and my stupid curiosity. I wished I had listened to him. He had been going on about this since we had found Slytherin's book within the scriptorium.
Somehow, however, I was glad that he wasn't here right now. It would break his heart to see his oldest friend like this.
I needed to think fast.
"What have the two of you done?" Solomon Sallows' voice boomed through the crypt.
My eyes darted to him. The older man raised his wand aiming it at Sebastian, who did the same in return.
'No, no, no!' I thought, going between them.
"Let's all calm down, alright?" I tried, my eyes switching between the two of them.
Merlin's beard, this was bad.
"No, you've gone too far this time. You will face justice for what you did, Sebastian. And you, you are going down with him." Solomon spat out in disgust. "Accio Relic."
I watched in horror as the Relic flew over my head and into his hand. Breaking into pieces within Solomons' palm instantly.
"NO! You bastard! How could you do this to Anne? The Relic—" Sebastian cursed. "Expelliarmus." Solomon threw the spell at Sebastian, who immediately cast his shield.
Meanwhile, I watched the Inferi slowly advancing on Sebastian. Without the Relic, they weren't... docile any longer.
'Bloody...'
"Incendio!" I cried, burning three of the monstrosities to a crisp. "Stop fighting. We need to get out of here!" I cried while repelling the crazed Inferi.
Merlin, how I hated these things.
More and more Inferi found their way into the crypt. I could feel the Ancient Magic sizzle through my veins, ready to burst out, ready to be used, but how long would it last?
While I was trying to keep the Inferi at bay, Sebastian and Solomon threw curses at each other, ignoring me and our impending doom.
"Sebastian, stop. We won't get out of here alive if you don't stop fighting each other!" I yelled.
I saw the wear and tear on both their faces, but they didn't relent. I might as well have tried to talk the Inferi out of attacking.
"No! He doomed Anne. The Relic could have cured her!"
Sebastian was livid; throwing curses at his uncle while repelling anything the latter aimed at him.
"You're just like your father. He never knew when to stop either."
That's when I saw it in his eyes. The same look he had when I told him about my alliance with Lodgok, the same look when I angered him into using Crucio on me.
"Sebastian, No!" I shouted, too late.
"Avada Kedavra!"
When Solomon Sallows' body hit the ground, I froze. I looked at Sebastian, who dropped his wand. Going down to his knees in shock.
"Seb—"
I couldn't move or breathe while I watched Solomon's lifeless body on the crypt's ground.
When Anne appeared inside the crypt, throwing her brother against the wall, I stood still. Like a soulless statue made of pure ice.
When she blasted Slytherin's diary to pieces, I watched, unmoving and unblinking.
As Anne disapparated with their uncle's corpse, I watched how Sebastian's soul shattered into a thousand pieces.
I stood there and watched, my soul shattering alongside his.
I stood there and watched.
Just as useless as water to a drowning man or fire to a burning one.
I stood there and watched...
I woke up gasping for air. It was dark around me, and it took me several moments to realise I was in my own bed, in my own home.
I was alone, not a sound to be heard in the rest of the house.
Maybe it had all just been a dream.
Sebastian standing in front of my door in the middle of the night after three years of silence, Ominis and him threatening each other in my living room, and me almost drowning in my tub. That last thing, at least, I could live without.
My heart started racing. Was Sebastian really back?
I walked out of my room and went to the kitchen.
Empty.
I strode into the living room.
Empty.
My heart was now pounding against my throat as I raced up the stairs.
Please, let it not have been a...
"Ryna, what—?"
There he was, standing on top of the stairs, surprise and concern written on his face.
His face... a little older, scared and covered in stubble, yet still the same.
The same dark, but warm eyes, speaking of the darkness and the light within his soul.
The same straight eyebrows, making him look sterner than he was.
The same soft button nose, making him appear more harmless than he was...
I flew over the last two steps, flinging my arms around his neck, locking him in a desperate embrace.
It didn't take him a second to return my embrace with the same sense of urgency.
I felt his chest heave in ragged breaths as he quietly sobbed into the thick of my hair.
"I am so incredibly sorry for everything I did to you, to Ominis... How can I ever make this right?" Sebastian breathed.
"Stay," I whispered into his chest, my hands holding even faster to him if that were even possible.
I was still angry at him for disappearing as he did, but the relief of Sebastian having returned to our lives almost safe and sound now outweighed my anger.
Six years ago, within the Feldcroft crypt, I couldn't turn away from him, couldn't bear the thought of him standing trial and likely never to be seen again; to probably even accelerate his descent into darkness by turning away from him.
And today, I still couldn't turn away from him.
We were going to see this through.
Together, as always.