Author's note: Hello, dear readers! Here is chapter four! I want to thank all who have read so far, it truly means alot! Anyway, hope you enjoy, and I do not own anything, all characters belong to Warner Bros. Happy Reading!
"So…are you the one who taught the Unforgivable Curses to my daughter?" There was glint in his dark brown eyes that Sebastian didn't like, and his breath reeked of alcohol. Despite the worry and fear he felt for his friend, Sebastian drew himself up to his full height, (he was almost as tall as the man before him,) and jutted his chin out defiantly.
"And what if I am?" He declared, his voice issuing a clear challenge. Behind Marston, Ominis had managed to get Vivienne up on her feet, one arm slung over his shoulders. She was holding her side and seemed to have trouble finding her footing. It looked like it took all her strength to raise her head to meet his eyes. Her mouth moved, seemingly calling his name before she slumped forward. Ominis rushed to catch her before she fell, calling her name in a desperate plea to stay awake. He looked at Sebastian then, his expression horrified.
Sebastian cut his eyes back to Marston, and his features twisted in a dark scowl. "I don't know what game you're playing at, but it ends now. We're taking her with us, and if you don't want to end up in St. Mungo's you had better step aside."
Marston threw his head back and laughed. "Such a powerful threat coming from you, boy. Seeing you now, let me hazard a guess…" He turned his back, pointing at Ominis with his wand. "You are the Gaunt boy, are you not? I thought I recognized the slithering face of your father." Ominis's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond. Turning again, Marston fixed Sebastian with a calculating glare.
"Then you must be…Sebastian Sallow." The boy in question straightened, not liking how his name sounded coming from this man. "Yes, I can tell it's you from all your letters. Very interesting reading, those. Yours and the blind ones." He jerked his head back toward Ominis.
Ominis scowled. "You read our letters? You stopped her from contacting us? Why?" Marston raised a brow, his expression unreadable.
"Well, to prevent this…whatever you call this, for starters." He said, waving his hand around in a dismissive gesture between the two boys. "I had to get her in the proper mindset, for another. Can't have her wallowing in misery then thinking someone is coming to her rescue, now, can I?" Sebastian's hand tightened around his wand. Behind Marston, Ominis also looked outraged.
"What do you mean…mindset?" Sebastian said through gritted teeth. Marston gave him an incredulous look. "Exactly what I said. In order for her power to work, she needs to be in pain. Despair. Hopelessness. It's all fuel for people like her. Give her enough, then…" He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing slightly. "Magic happens. Magic that can give, take, and transform pain. It's what she did to her mother. Did she ever tell you that story?" Marston put his hands behind his back again, looking like a teacher about to give a lesson to an unruly student.
At Sebastian and Ominis's lack of reaction, he adopted a look of mock surprise. "Oh? She didn't? But… I thought you were friends…" He chuckled again, high and mirthful.
"Such devotion in your letters…such friendship… too bad its wasted on the likes of her." He threw Vivienne a dirty look. Sebastian needed to think, and fast. Marston still had his wand, and a dementor at his disposal. With Ominis busy with Vivienne, it meant that he was very alone in the dueling department. And Marston knew it. It was why he was even having this conversation. It was all a ploy to buy time, to plan to attack.
"So, tell me Sebastian: How did she manage to ensnare you so?" Sebastian said nothing, so Marston continued. "She must have done…something, in order to get you to do her bidding. Tell me boy; did she open her legs to you first, or did she simply suck your cock like the disgusting whore she-"
He didn't finish his sentence before Sebastian had him pinned to the wall. His wand clattered to the floor as Sebastian thrust his arm against his throat, his own wand touching the bridge of his nose.
"How dare you talk of her that way." Sebastian snarled, digging his elbow in a little deeper. But, far from being cowed, Marston began to laugh.
"So, instead of offering you her body, what is it she has offered you? Love?" He sneered, his laugh abruptly ending a choked gasp as Sebastian thrust his arm forward again.
"Not. Another. Word." He breathed, his nostrils flaring. The blood was pounding in his ears, and his fingers itched to reduce the man before him to dust. Taking a deep breath, he addressed Ominis, but he kept his eyes on Marston's.
"Take Vivienne outside, get her out of here. I'll follow after I…clean up a bit." The last words were spat out, as though he tasted something disgusting. Ominis looked like he wanted to argue, but thought better of it. He began to half drag-half carry Vivienne to the cellar door.
"You and I, are going to have a little bit of fun." Sebastian said softly, the tip of his wand beginning to ignite a bit, causing a scorch mark to appear on the older man's face. Marston narrowed his eyes, and he gave Sebastian an evil smile, showing several gold teeth.
"Do your worst, boy." He spat. Sebastian released him roughly, gesturing toward his fallen wand. "Pick it up. Let's see what you're made of Marston." He watched as he bent to pick up his wand, eyes never leaving the other. Sebastian stepped forward, wand held high, about to strike when-
"Please. Please, no." It was a small, thin voice, laced with pain and exhaustion. Sebastian turned and saw that it was Vivienne who had spoken. She had regained consciousness, and was looking at Sebastian with pleading, tear-filled eyes.
"Please, no more fighting. He isn't worth it Seb, he isn't." She begged, holding out a blood-stained hand. "Please. Let's go." Sebastian was frozen, breathing heavy, still in a fighting stance. Suddenly, he heard high, cruel laughter.
"Yes, please Seb. You're better than this. You don't need to fight." Marston mocked in a high voice, ending in cackling laughter. "We both know that you do need to fight, don't you Sebastian?" He began to pace back and forth, like a lion about to pounce.
"I can see it… I could feel it when you cast Crucio on me…you and I…are one and the same." Marston said, his voice soft. Sebastian growled. "We are not the same!" "Oh?" Marston said, raising both eyebrows.
"We both are willing to cause pain to get what we want, we both enjoy the feeling of power we get, knowing that another's life is inour hands-"
"NO!" Sebastian roared, and he fired Crucio again, only this time Marston managed to repel it with Protego. "NO! STOP IT!" Vivienne screamed, trying to escape Ominis's hold on her. The two wizards continued to fire spells and curses, but it seemed they were evenly matched. Ominis tried to get Vivienne to the door, but she continued to put up a fight, although her protests were growing weaker and weaker.
Her legs finally giving out, Vivienne crumpled to the ground, nearly taking Ominis down with her. "Vivienne, please. Sebastian can handle this; we have to go! Vivienne? VIVIENNE!" Ominis's cry caused Sebastian to look round. Vivienne was unconscious once again, though this time, something wasn't right; her body was eerily still.
Too still.
Ominis was trying frantically to wake her, and he bent his head low over her face and chest. Then he started screaming:
"SHE'S NOT BREATHING! SHE ISN'T BREATHING!" Ominis was shaking her shoulders, slapping her cheeks, all the while screaming "VIVIENNE, WAKE UP! WAKE UP DAMMIT! VIVVIENNE!"
Sebastian had never in his life heard Ominis yell like that, had never known he could even make such a sound. At his desperate cries, his eyes went wide. Everything seemed to slow down. No… Without a second thought, he abandoned his duel, turned his back on Marston, and started to run towards them.
He hadn't gone more than three steps before he felt it; the room had gotten even colder; ice had begun climbing the walls and frosting the floor. Sebastian's breath came out in silvery puffs and he stopped dead in his tracks.
He could hear it. A long, slow, rattle… like something long dead was using decayed lungs… with each intake the room began to get colder still. Against his better judgement, Sebastian looked around.
Marston had dropped the shield surrounding the dementor, and quickly backed away from its path. It glided across the floor, its arms raising, advancing on Sebastian. Marston's evil cackle rose in his ears, as well as Ominis's continued screaming. He clenched his wand, ready to fight.
As the dementor lunged, Sebastian dived to the left, landing in a roll before springing back to his feet. The dementor stopped briefly, seeing that its prey had moved. Marston, however, was slowly creeping around the back wall, toward Ominis and Vivienne. He had his wand raised, the tip already glowing a sinister red; Sebastian paled. He was going to get to them, he was going to curse them both, and there was no way he could get there in time and avoid the dementor. There was only one thing to do:
Throwing himself forward, Sebastian screamed "INCARCEROUS!" and thick, vine-like ropes shot from his wand, wrapping themselves tightly around Marston. He toppled over cursing, his arms pinned to his sides. He writhed on the ground as the dementor slowly turned back towards Sebastian.
"At least now, they can get away." He thought. He was cold, so very cold…he closed his eyes as the dementor drew nearer, thinking only of his two friends. He braced himself for the end-
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A bright light suddenly filled the room, causing Sebastian to open his eyes then immediately shut them with a curse. Momentarily, the brightness subsided, and Sebastian opened his eyes.
A silvery blue fox bounded into the room, trailing wisps of vapor behind it. It charged towards the dementor and it seemed to hiss, backing into its corner, away from the pure light before whooshing away through the open door, out of sight. The fox lingered for just a moment, before dissolving into mist.
Immediately, the air began to warm, the frost melted away. It was as though the world around them seemed to breathe properly for the first time. Sebastian turned stunned eyes to none other than Ominis, whose wand was still held aloft, tears streaming down his face. By his side, still unconscious, was Vivienne.
She was deathly pale and still as Ominis put away his wand, looking heartbroken. He was openly sobbing now, his hands shakily caressing her face. Sebastian was frozen, despite the room becoming a normal temperature. No…No… she…she couldn't be...
He stumbled forward, letting his wand arm hang uselessly by his side. His breath was coming in quick, pained gasps, and he could feel hot tears pricking his own eyes. No…
As he stared, Vivienne suddenly let out a strangled gasp, coughing and sputtering as her lungs tried to get in air. Ominis, hearing her began to laugh, though his tears never ceased. Sebastian felt a few tears of his own fall, and he let himself smile; she was alive.
That smile faded, however, when he saw that Marston's ropes were coming loose. His eyes were fixed on Vivienne, and they held nothing but murder. Thinking quickly, Sebastian dashed toward his friends, sliding onto his knees beside them. He grasped both Vivienne and Ominis's hands, yelled "Hold on!" Before squeezing his eyes shut. The last thing he saw was Marston's furious face before it blurred into a whirl of color.
With a sharp 'Pop' The three of them landed in a heap just outside Hogsmeade village. The first rays of dawn were spreading across the meadow they had landed in. Already, early birds and crows were making their morning music. They had escaped.
Ominis rose first, muttering and hissing under his breath in Parsletongue. He dusted himself off before giving Sebastian a filthy look.
"You know, I absolutely loathe apparating. At least all my limbs seem to be attached, thank Merlin."
"Wow, thank you Sebastian, you really saved my neck back there." Sebastian retorted sourly. Seriously, where was the gratitude?
A low moan caught both of their attention, and in an instant, they were at Vivienne's side. She had landed on her injured back but had curled up into a fetal position.
"We need to get her treated. She's lost a lot of blood. Do you think we should go to St Mungo's?" Ominis asked, his hands now pressed into her side and back, where the blood was darkest. Sebastian shook his head. "No, too many questions. And we don't know if or when her father will come looking for us. Let's get her inside the Three Broomsticks for now; Sirona will be able to help."
Ominis nodded and made to grab Vivienne before Sebastian stopped him. "No, I've got her." He then slid his arms around her body and gently lifted her into a bridal carry. Ominis didn't protest, merely got to his feet to follow.
She was light…too light. Sebastian could feel her ribcage, the contours of her spine. She was clearly undernourished, and had lost a significant amount of weight. She whimpered slightly when he hoisted her up, followed by a hiss of pain as he started to walk in the direction of the pub.
"Shhh…." Sebastian soothed, not caring that Ominis was there and listening. "Shhh, it's alright, I've got you. You're going to be ok." Vivienne's eyes fluttered open, unfocused and glazed with pain. "Seb…Seb-as-tian? Om-Om-in-is?" Her voice was hoarse from screaming. Ominis gently placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing soothing circles. He was able to keep pace with Sebastian as they entered the village.
"Yes, it's us. We're here, and you're safe. We're going to get you help." Ominis spoke quietly, his tone soft and comforting. Vivienne's eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled. She took great, gasping breaths, looking from one to the other.
Worried she might hyperventilate, Sebastian adjusted his hold so her head was propped by his collarbone. He leaned his head against her cheek, nuzzling it softly.
"Hey, hey hey… its alright. Don't cry…." he said, pausing at the back door that led to the guest rooms of the pub. "Don't cry, sweet girl. Your safe, I promise you." He continued to croon soft words to her until they reached Sebastian's room. Ominis opened the door, and Sebastian strode in, going to the bed and gently laying Vivienne down. She whimpered again, her eyes wide and panicked. "Go and wake Sirona. I'll do what I can here." Sebastian said. Ominis nodded and left.
Sebastian began pulling potions out of his pockets, examining them one by one. Quickly he found what he was looking for; Wiggenweld Potion. He uncorked the bottle, and gently raised it to Vivienne's lips.
"Here now, drink this. You'll feel better." Vivienne took a moment to gulp down the potion, as though her throat wasn't used to drinking. Footsteps sounded and Ominis returned, with a very worried Sirona in tow.
"Godric's Heart, what happened to all of you?" Sebastian and Ominis both looked down at themselves, realizing that they were both covered in Vivienne's blood. Sebastian suddenly felt sick. Ominis looked no better, but that would have to wait.
"We'll explain later, but we need to do something. She's hurt, badly hurt, and we can't go to St Mungo's." Sirona nodded, looking at Vivienne worriedly. Though she had the Wiggenweld, her breathing was still labored. Sirona looked at Ominis.
"Go back to my room. In the top drawer of my bedside table is a bottle of dittany, as well as several Wiggenweld Potions. Bring them all in." Ominis nodded, then quickly left. "I just gave her one," Sebastian started, but Sirona shook her head.
"She's going to need more than that. When he comes back, drip some dittany on any open wounds you see. Do them one at a time, and after each one, give her another Wiggenweld. It's going to be painful. And I know you said you can't go to the hospital, but I have a friend who's a Healer. He can help us. I'll go call for him." Sirona left then, leaving Sebastian alone with Vivienne.
Now that he could see her properly, he realized just how bad her wounds were. Some were old and scabbing, others were fresh, and others were infected, but the Wiggenweld seemed to be combating that. Ominis returned, and after relaying the instructions given, they set to work.
It was hard. The dittany hissed when it made contact with her skin, sending thin tendrils of smoke that reeked of burning flesh. Several times Sebastian felt like he was going to throw up, but he pushed the bile back down. Each drop that they used felt like a dagger to his heart, seeing how it was making her flinch and whimper.
Quite a few times she nearly screamed, but her voice would give out and she would then lapse into silent sobs. Ominis and Sebastian took turns comforting her, feeding her Wiggenweld between words of encouragement; "You're doing so well, keep it up" and "That's my brave girl, just a bit more now, that's it…"
Finally, Sirona came back, and with her was a short, portly wizard wearing lime-green robes. He had a round, friendly face, ash blond hair and moustache, and kind blue eyes. He carried a carpet bag with him, and when he saw the two boys, he smiled kindly.
"Hello, I'm Healer Henry Warren, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Let's get started." He walked briskly over to Vivienne's bedside, setting his bag on the bedside table. He took out his wand, and slowly moved it up and down Vivienne's body. His eyes were closed as he did this, his brow furrowed. After a few moments, he pocketed his wand and sighed.
"Well, first things first. Let's get her cleaned up. Sirona, can you draw a bath, please?" The innkeeper nodded and went around to the partition at one end of the room. There was a large brass bathtub there, and soon Sirona had a steaming bath ready.
"Well, under normal circumstances I would insist the two of you leave, but-" "Were not leaving." Ominis stated flatly. Sebastian crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. Henry chuckled. He motioned for Sirona to get Vivienne to the bath. Sirona lifted the girl easily and disappeared behind the partition.
"Yes, I figured as much. Sirona mentioned that you were very protective of your friend., Yes, you may stay, but you do need to keep out of my way while I examine and treat her." He fixed both boys with a mildly stern glare, to which Sebastian and Ominis immediately relaxed.
"Yes, yes of course." Sebastian said. "Please, help her." Ominis added. "May, may we… sit with her?" Sebastian asked, suddenly nervous. Henry gave him a gentle smile. "Yes, of course. But you might want to get…cleaned up first. And…change the sheets on the bed." Sebastian glanced down again, remembering that he was still caked in her blood. Stomach churning again, both he and Ominis left to try to wash off.
Sebastian was staying in one of the larger rooms the pub offered, with both a dressing room slash sitting room, as well as the main bedroom. In the sitting room, a large wardrobe stood next to an impressive set of drawers, opposite a roaring fireplace. There was a large bookcase next to the fireplace, with a comfortable couch and chair adjacent to that. The walls and furniture were different shades of blue and grey, with accents of bronze on the fireplace as well as the wardrobe. There were no pictures on the walls, not many personal effects. But that hardly mattered. Overall, it was homey, and Sebastian found it rather to his liking. Functional, but cozy.
They began undressing, facing away from the other, not speaking. Their clothes were ruined, and the sharp tang of iron hung heavy in the air.
"Damn, I haven't any spare clothes with me." Ominis muttered, removing his soiled shirt. Sebastian glanced at his friend, seeing not for the first time the web-like scar that sprawled on the middle of his back; a lasting reminder of the Cruciatis Curse.
"Help yourself to anything in the wardrobe." Sebastian replied, striding over to it and pulling out a fresh shirt and undershirt. Seeing the marks on Ominis again sent a wave of guilt to rush through him. Did…he leave a mark on Vivienne, after he used the curse? He wanted to ask Ominis what he thought about it, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
Once they were done, they returned to the bedroom. Henry had cleared the bed of its soiled sheets, which were piled into a corner. Both Sebastian and Ominis threw their garments with it. Surely, they would be burned. Sebastian fetched fresh linen from the chest of drawers against the wall, and he and Ominis remade the bed while Henry rummaged in his carpetbag, murmuring to himself.
It took several changes of bathwater before Sirona was satisfied. It was almost two hours later when she finally emerged, carrying a now clean Vivienne, who was clad in a soft-looking pair of pajamas. Though she was now clean of blood and grime, her injuries looked even more pronounced. Dark purple bruises, like ink on fresh parchment, seemed to bloom to life as Sirona gently returned her to the bed. There were so many cuts and lacerations covering her upper body, from her neck down to her navel. Her dainty feet were calloused, cracked and raw. And her face…
Her beautiful face looked like it had been clawed; several long, ragged gashes adorned each cheek, crisscrossing over the other in a gruesome pattern. He hadn't noticed before, her left eye was swelling shut, making the dark circles under them even more evident. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her throat had several long bruises, like she had almost been throttled.
The dittany seemed to help, as now she wasn't bleeding, though many of her injuries still looked raw and painful. Henry bent over her immediately, and Sebastian and Ominis both went to sit at her bedside. Ominis began stroking her hair, now returned to its burnished glow. And Sebastian took one of her small hands in his own, not liking how cold her fingers were.
Henry worked quickly, running his wand over her body repeatedly, muttering to himself. Occasionally his wand would flash, and Henry would either nod or shake his head. He would return to his bag periodically, always with a potion in hand. He would ask either of the boys to help him lift her head to drink one of the concoctions, then monitor the effects. Vivienne drifted in and out of consciousness, never speaking. But her eyes would flit between Sebastian and Ominis, as though checking they were still there.
Sebastian and Ominis kept up a string of soft encouragements as Henry worked, stroking her hair, her cheeks, or her hands. Henry and Sirona would look at each other every so often, exchanging knowing smiles. All was lost on the two boys, as they tended to their friend.
The sun was now in the sky proper before Henry straightened up, declaring he was done. Vivienne was now sleeping peacefully, her face relaxed, no traces of pain on her features. Some of the more shallow cuts were gone, the bruises fading. But the others were still mending. He went and sat in a chair by the fire, and Sirona went to fetch him a cup of tea. Sebastian and Ominis didn't move from their spots, but rather looked at the Healer expectantly.
"She…she's going to be alright, isn't she?" Sebastian asked. His voice was rough and scratchy from lack of sleep. Ominis too looked exhausted, though his hands never ceased their motions in Vivienne's hair.
Henry sighed, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. "She has a difficult road of recovery ahead of her. You did well to stop her bleeding, and it wasn't a moment too soon. Those Wiggenwelds probably saved her life." Sebastian gasped softly, looking down into her serene face. Ominis wore a similar stricken expression.
Henry stood, hands in his cloak pockets. He fixed the boys with a sorrowful stare. "Her injuries were…severe, to say the least. Several cracked and broken ribs, I counted more than seventy lacerations both new and healing. Whoever did this to her, the person responsible would torture, heal her somewhat, then repeat the process. She is malnourished and was bordering hypothermic. She's weak from blood loss, and her body seems to have endured enormous amounts of stress."
Sirona retuned, a large tray in her hands. She handed Henry a cup, then one to Sebastian and Ominis before sitting down across from where Henry stood with her own. Sirona took a sip, then looked at the two boys imploringly.
"I know I'm not one to really ask questions but…" she paused, setting her cup down before continuing. "I have to ask: What happened to her? How did she get into such a dire state after only six weeks? And is she still in danger?" Sebastian look at Ominis, now distinctly uncomfortable.
"I…we're not sure how much we should divulge…" Ominis said slowly. He was still stroking Vivienne's hair, his expression somber. Sirona opened her mouth to speak, but Henry raised a hand to stop her.
"Believe me boys, we want to help you. We don't believe you will get into any trouble yourselves. Surely the Ministry will see any magic you used as self defense for your friend. But why wouldn't you bring her to St Mungo's? Why the secrecy? I am willing to keep mum about this, but I need a reason to."
Sebastian sighed, and after glancing at Ominis, decided to tell the truth. Or rather, a part of it. "She was being held captive by her father. As to why…" He paused, glancing at Ominis who nodded. "We don't know for sure. He was torturing her, but he wasn't making any sense. He- "
"He's deranged. Mad. My father knows him." Ominis interjected, removing his hand and placing it in his lap. "He also works at the Ministry. Its why we are reluctant to report him; he might try to cover up his actions or find some way to blame it on us. Since we don't want to risk running into him, its also why we didn't go to the hospital. And yes, we believe she is still in danger."
Henry nodded, a look of deep concern on his face. "If what you say is true, then that is indeed quite a predicament. I ask this because… I noticed something else, while I was treating her. Sirona noticed it too." Sebastian looked rather startled as Henry made his way over to the bed, where he bent and grabbed the hem of Vivienne's nightshirt.
"This… is what I was truly concerned about." He gently pulled it up and away from her skin, stopping around her ribcage to preserve her modesty. There, sprawling from the dip of her waist were deep red lines, almost like spiderwebs, going up her ribcage out of sight, and down over the swell of her hip.
"Evidence of the Cruciatus Curse." Henry stated. Ominis's head shot up, and he quickly stood and walked around to the other side of the bed. Without a word he reached out a hand and very gently ran his fingertips over the cluster of lines.
"These are deep, very deep," He said, his voice breaking. Sebastian placed a hand on his shoulder. "Will they heal?" While Henry opened his mouth to speak, Ominis beat him to it, his voice sounding strangled.
"It…depends. On how l-long, the curse was used….and how f-frequent. It also depends on the v-v-victim…" Ominis shuddered, then stood abruptly. "My-my apologies. I…I need a moment alone." And with that he swept from the room. Sebastian looked on after him, a mixture of understanding and pity on his face.
"How…how does he know all that?" Henry asked, his voice soft. Sebastian gave him a pained look. "It… really isn't my place to say, but let's just say he's had…some terrible experiences with that particular curse." He looked at Vivienne, his heart clenching painfully. He carefully placed her night shirt back over her body, then covered her with a blanket.
"I…I'd better go talk to him. Will you stay here, Sirona? Until we come back?" Sirona nodded. "Go. We'll stay here." Sebastian sent her a grateful look before leaving.
He found Ominis in the bathroom, hearing him through the stall as he vomited over and over again, his breaths coming in sharp and ragged as he heaved everything up. After a few minutes, he heard the toilet flush, and Ominis staggered out, taking in great lungful's of air as he leaned against the stall.
Sebastian wasn't sure what to say. He knew he couldn't ask, "Are you alright?" because he obviously wasn't. And he couldn't say "Everything will be alright" because it certainly wouldn't be. Not for Vivienne, not for a long while. Ominis wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his face pale and sweaty.
"I…. I apologize. I wish…you hadn't seen that." he said, his voice shaking. Sebastian placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No, its alright. This night has been…a lot. For all of us." Ominis gave a weak chuckle, but there was no humor in it.
"Understatement of the century, really. I just…" He turned his eyes upward, trying to fight back tears. Sebastian had never seen him like this before, and before he knew it, he had grabbed his friend into a rough hug, and Ominis was now sobbing into his shoulder.
They stayed that way for a while. They just clung to each other, Ominis having returned Sebastian's embrace just as fiercely, still openly weeping. Sebastian felt his heart ache for his dearest friend. Ominis had always been so strong, putting on a brave face, hiding behind his clever words and cool façade. But underneath it all was a boy who had suffered terrible things in his past, and wanted no one to suffer as he had. No doubt discovering just what Vivienne went through sent him over the edge.
There was no telling how long they stayed that way, but slowly Ominis's desperate sobs faded to soft cries, then sniffles. Finally, taking a deep, shuddering breath, Ominis calmed down enough to pull away, rubbing his eyes. His normally pale face was a brilliant pink, his eyes swollen. Sebastian let him go, giving him the space he needed to collect himself. After a moment, Ominis gave a great sniff and sent Sebastian a watery smile.
"Thank you. I…I really needed that." Sebastian returned the smile, even though he couldn't see it. "Of course. You feel better?" Ominis gave a very unbecoming snort of laughter before responding:
"Well, yes and no. I doubt I will feel better until Vivienne makes a full recovery." Sebastian's smile faded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. If I may, how…how long did it take you? To recover?" Ominis looked away, and Sebastian immediately felt guilty. "Well, way to go Sallow," He thought. Quickly, he added "If you'd rather not answer, that's perfectly fi-"
"No, no its fine." Ominis said. He strode over to the sink and began to wash his hands. As he dried them on a towel he sighed. "Physically? A couple of weeks. My parents only did it a small handful of times, but it was enough to permanently leave a mark. Emotionally and mentally?" He snorted again, but this time it sounded much more like his usual self.
"I don't think I have, to be honest. And now, knowing what she has had to endure the last several weeks..." He drug his hand over his face, looking exhausted. "I hate knowing we let him go. I hate not joining you in that duel, and I hate that he still breathes."
Sebastian wholeheartedly agreed. If given the chance, he would have killed Marston right then and there, and have felt no remorse. However…
"If we had done anything, Vivienne would never have forgiven us." Sebastian said resignedly. He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head I'm almost-amusement.
"What has this girl done to us, my friend?" he asked, giving Ominis his trademark smirk. Ominis smirked back. "Nothing but wrapping us around her finger completely." He replied. They both laughed at that. Heading for the door, Sebastian looked back.
"By the way," He said, letting Ominis leave ahead of him "That was quite an impressive Patronus. Who taught you?" Ominis smiled, and though it was genuine, it held a trace of sadness.
"My aunt." He replied softly. With that, they both returned to Sebastian's room, back to Vivienne.
Authors' Note: Phew! This was the longest chapter to date! It took me awhile before I have happy with it. Anyway, I do so hope you have enjoyed this. Stay tuned for chapter 5, and please leave a comment or review! See you later!