Chapter Text
September 2nd, 1886
History of Magic with the Ravenclaws was boring and awfully long, but Defense against the Dark Arts was incredible. After lunch, Sebastian was feeling a bit better about the school year. Maybe it was just that he hadn’t eaten much the last 24 hours and the food put him in a good mood, but either way, he clinged to the feeling. Charms would be hard to get used to, and very frankly he did not want to get used to it. He knew his mum was a better teacher and she would have taught them something actually fun and useful on the first day of term. Thankfully, DADA began with Professor Hecate moving the students’ desks and setting up students in pairs to learn and practise their first spell, the Disarming Charm, which Sebastian grasped immediately.
“Well done, Mr. Sallow. On that note, I’d like to talk about your first assignment. This week we will continue practing the Disarming Charm until you all can do it in your sleep, and then we will spend the rest of the class learning about our first dark creature; Vampires.”
Murmur and an excited energy filled the classroom as Hecate dismissed the students.
“Where did the two of you sneak off to during lunch?” Ominis asked.
“The Undercroft,” Anne spoke before Sebastian could, “We have some of our parent’s spell books we figure we could learn some things from.”
“Like?” Ominis accused. Sebastian could tell by the wrinkle in his light brows that he wasn’t completely onboard with the idea of learning spells the teacher’s weren't showing them.
“Like a certain fire making spell that is a lot more handy than Incendio.”
Ominous gave him a stern look like he was a bloody prefect, “I just want you to be safe about it, is all.”
“That’s why we’ll learn together, in the Undercroft. We can help each other, protect ourselves after hours.” Sebastian taunted, mocking Marvolo.
“I guess I wouldn’t mind learning it. Marvolo did in his third year before they updated the DADA book.”
“Put us on a level playing field with him, hm?” Anne said, making Ominis flush a shade pink.
“Since when did you get into trouble?”
“Not trouble, Ominis. Just some fun.” Sebastian climbed the stairs down to the dungeon, passing the common room to the potions classroom. The room was dark, damp, and still had that odd smell it had last year.
“Welcome, welcome. Settle down second years,” Mr. Sharpe drawled, walking between tables with his hands stiff behind his back, “Pick a station and we will get right into it. First things first – we will revise our Wiggenweld potion from last year. Pair up, take out your books, and I will evaluate your potions at the end of class. Begin.”
Ominis found the station next to Sebastian, and the two worked efficiently as a team.
“Can you grab more salamander blood?”
“On it.”
“And ten lionfish spines, too.”
“Mhm.”
They were the second group to finish, only after a pair of Gryffindor girls. Professor Sharpe let them leave early, and they went to their dorm. Astronomy wasn’t until half past 8, and it was only 4 in the afternoon.
“Chess?”
“Sure.”
Ominis moved his pieces with precision, Sebastian doing so more sloppy, less focused on the game.
“What’s on your mind?” Ominis prodded.
“Hm? Oh. Just, mum. I really liked her teaching.”
Ominis smiled. “I did as well. I think everyone did, she was wonderfully attentive. I could tell she wanted us all to succeed, you know?”
Sebastian nodded fervently, staring at his lap.
“Hey, you two,” Nettie bounced on the couch next to Sebastian, her blonde hair falling in her face after taking her hair from her bun. “How were classes today?”
“Alright. Haven’t seen Marvolo all day so I’m doing quite wonderful,” Ominis teased.
“Ugh. Tell me about it, finally don’t have to hear that miserable git babble all the time about Prefect bullshit.” She laid her head on a pillow next to Sebastian and pulled a ball out of her pocket, levitating it lazily with her curly wand.
“Charms was…that man seems nice. But your mum was the best.”
“Nettie.” Ominis cautioned, not wanting to make Sebastian feel anymore upset that he already was.
“S'alright. Yea, he’s fine.”
“I’m sorry, Sebastian. Here, I got this for you from one of dad’s old books.” She reached in her navy bookbag and pulled out a pretty bookmark that looked like Merlin himself conjured it.
“Oh, wow, Nettie. Thanks. This is beautiful.”
She shrugged, “I don't use it, and I always see bloody napkins and quills sticking out of your books. A studious boy like you needs a nicer bookmark,” She laughed.
“More than Ominis has ever done for me,” Sebastian feigned dramatically.
“Ha ha.”
“Coming to Crossed wands with us, Nettie?”
“Nah. I have potions at 8, I can’t. Though I’d like to see you beat Willaim’s arse,” She snarked.
“Don’t give his ego any more fuel,” Ominis joked, flicking his wand as his rook piece shifted on the board.
“Not my fault I’m dethroning some of the duelists in my first year,” Sebastian moved a pawn, then rested his hand in his palm.
“Well,” Ominis checked his knight, “better keep it up this year then.”
* * *
Sebastian, Ominis, and Anne hiked the Astronomy Tower to class with the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. The view from the tower was amazing, he could see a plethora of stars and a number of constellations he couldn’t recall the name of from last year.
“Hi Ominis,” came a soft voice from their left. Julia Brown stood, shy as ever, with a blush on her freckled cheeks.
“Oh, hello Julia,” Ominis replied, acting like someone trying to avoid eye contact.
Anne moved around the boys, walking up to a girl she’d made friends with last year, Natsai.
“How are you? Both of you, I mean,” Julia squeaked, obviously only interested in Ominis’s answer. Sebastian wasn’t sure what drew the Hufflepuff to his best friend. It couldn’t be his blood status, she was muggleborn. And it definitely was not friendliness - that was not Ominis’s defining trait unless you were close with him. Whatever it was, her liking towards him had not waived in the slightest over the summer.
“Alright. Hoping to learn more about the descriptive part of stars.”
“Oh, me too,” she said hopefully.
Sebastian shrugged, wishing he was anywhere else but here. He always got tired of Astronomy. He wasn’t sure if it was the time of day, Professor Shah’s slow, flowing voice that, if tuned out just enough, sounded like a melody playing in the background of his head. The class began with a review of last term, pretty similarly to how all the others had. The thing Sebastian did like about this class was that the professor was inclined to give students individual work; it was rare Professor Shah ever paired them up, or Merlin forbid gave them group work to do. To his pleasure, the first assignment was a simple 12 inches of parchment on whichever star or constellation interested you the most. Sebastian knew he’d do his on Corvus, a rectangular like constellation that represents Apollo’s crow, one his father always found fascinating.
Class dismissed and he flew down the stairs to the Clock Tower Courtyard, Anne and Ominis trying desperately to catch up.
“Where are you in such a rush too?” Anne stopped him, putting a green gloved hand over his shoulder.
“Crossed Wands. Are you coming?”
“After the first day? I’m going to get some assignments out of the way tonight and hopefully catch up on some sleep,” Anne replied, like the idea of doing anything but school work or sleep today was preposterous.
“I should do the same,” Ominis spoke, standing closely behind Anne.
“Suit yourselves. Goodluck on your work.”
“And goodluck to you, Mr. Duelist champion.”
Sebastian smiled, hoping she was right. He was so distracted today, and as much as he didn’t want to blame himself it was hard not to. He wanted to control the one thing he could – his quick, cunning spell casting abilities.
The metal gate like doors in the Clock Tower squeaked, altering the few students inside.
“Sebastian!” Lucan’s high-pitched voice came from the middle of the room, “Good to see you. Fancy some practice, tonight?”
“You know it,” Sebastian smirked, setting down his heavy bags with a thud. He took his cloak off, hanging it on the gate as he rolled his shoulders back and pulled his wand from his pocket.
“There aren’t too many students today, so if you’d like to join them with the practice dummies, and then have a proper match at the end if more students show up.”
“Works for me.”
“Happy practising.”
Exactly three more students came in, reminding Sebastian to check the clock. He’d been practising for nearly 45 minutes, though it had felt like a mere few.
“Alright everyone, come up and I’ll assign you a partner.”
Lucan paired two Ravenclaw’s together, Anne’s friend, Natsai, and a Hufflepuff boy, and Sebastian with…William. When the hell had he shown up? Was Sebastisan beating him tens of times not enough for him to duel with someone else? Or just not at all? Just seeing his face irritated Sebastian. He despised bullies, especially ones that made Slytherins’ already rocky reputation worse.
The Ravenclaws went first, the boy claiming victory over the girl quite fast. Natsai and the Hufflepuff were next, breaking a few barrels and boxes (to Lucan’s enjoyment) and eventually Natsai finished her duelling partner off with a neat flick of her wand, like she didn’t even need it to beat him. Sebastian stood up, his stomach in knots. He came here to relieve some of his stress, not create more. William had a stupid smirk on his face that made Sebastian roll his eyes. He knew he smirked quite a lot as well, but not stupidly like William did.
“Ready to get your ass beat, Sallow?”
“Don’t plan on it. What you should be doing is looking out for yourself.”
William tutted, Lucan coming between the two to begin their match, “Ready?” The two nodded. “Begin!”
Sebastian started off sharp, taking a more defensive approach right off the bat knowing how aggressive William's style was. Sebastian was quite an aggressive dueler as well, but he wasn’t arrogant. He knew when the time was to be more on the defence, and it was now.
“Stupefy!” He spoke swiftly and clearly, through gritted teeth nonetheless. William flew back, his wand out of his hand. He lay on the ground, one hand on the stone floor, the other over him as his face was blank.
Sebastian felt the room grow impossibly large and small all at the same time as he was thrown back into his parent’s cellar; their blank, lifeless faces and hands torturing him again. He could see his mother’s still hands, his father’s blank eyes, Anne’s scream for him, the hot food burning his hands, his ankles weak and his legs defunct.
“Bombarda!”
Sebastian flew back fiercely into a pile of barrels in the back of the room, his back aching as he fell forward, clutching his side. The breaking wood on his poor frame caused him to fail to notice the short snap on the other side of the barrels. A couple students scurried to him, but he couldn’t have told you which ones they were. His vision was awful, black and white specks coming and going like aggressive ocean waves.
“Sebastian!” Lucan cried, helping him up at a gentle pace despite his tone.
Lucan and another student that he thought was a girl helped him to the other side of the room, a velvet couch cushion floating into view from another student’s help. Sebastian sat on the cushion against the old stone walls, still clutching his left side. It felt like it was on fire along with the top side of his back. His shoulders were stiff, his breaking wavering and quick.
“Fucking Merlin,” he groaned, lying his head against the wall as gently as he could.
“Get him some water, please.” He realised it was Natsai who spoke, picking up on her frankly lovely accent as she talked to Lucan.
“Aguamenti.” He handed Sebastian a small cup with lukewarm liquid, but it went down his throat satisfyingly like frozen butterbeer in the summer.
“Thank you,” Sebastian mumbled, finding his voice again.
“Should I get the nurse?”
Sebastian shook his head, “I'll be fine. I’ve got some Wiggenweld in the common room from potions class.” Sebastian heard Lucan dismiss the students despite the throbbing in his head, and he told Lucan he’d be alright to walk back alone.
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind Sebastian, I’m the one who set this club up; I do it all the time,” he laughed lightly.
“It’s really okay. I need to fetch my wand and some food from the hall anyway.”
Lucan nodded tentatively, “Alright. But I better not see you here the rest of the week.”
“Yes. I’ll rest,” Sebastian rolled his eyes, though he was secretly glad to have someone to care for him like Lucan did with all the club members; he was a great leader. Such a Gryffindor.
“Bye, then. Be careful with yourself.”
Sebastian bid him goodbye, and sat in the silent, far too tall tower and thanked whatever higher being existed that no one had asked him how he didn’t see William’s extremely predictable blast coming. He finally stood, shakily, but did so nonetheless. He groaned at the pain in his back, though it had subsided after a bit of sitting. It still hurt like hell, though. But what hurt more, infinitely more than most other pain he’d ever felt physically, was the subbed hole in his stomach as his eyes found his wand among the broken wood. His beautiful, sturdy, light ash wood wand lay snapped clean in two pieces like a dead rose among a fallen garden. He swore his luck would get him killed one day.