The Serpent Trio

Part 17- The Tome of Salazar Slytherin

Hey all!

Welcome to the first update in almost a year! Hope you enjoy the angst <3

Sebastian POV

I awoke from my sleep feeling more alive than I had in some time. I stretched out to find the bed next to me empty. They hadn't come back. Where were they? Panic gripped me. What if something had happened to them both?
I threw the duvet aside and quickly changed into my uniform. Deek was stood near the door.
"Do you need anything Master Sallow?" He croaked, eagerly looking at me.
"No." I replied as I briskly walked past him. I knew where I needed to check first, the hospital wing. If either were too hurt to return here that's where they would be. I spoke with the Matron who informed me that they hadn't been in the wing. I took off again, perhaps they had been spotted heading to the room of requirement so instead slept in our dorm room back at the common room. I made use of the floo network and practically raced through the hallways. I burst into our room to find it empty, the beds untouched. My heart hammering in my chest. Just where were they?
There was only one other place I could think of checking- the undercroft.

Cressida POV

I struggled to find deep sleep, every time Ominis changed his breathing or flinched in his sleep I woke and took time to check he was alright. I couldn't help the guilt that rose in my chest again. Would Sebastian understand why we had come here to rest? Or would he be angry at us?
When we awoke I could tell Ominis hadn't slept well either, he looked paler than ever and his eyes bore dark purple circles under them. I placed a hand on his cheek, he leant into the touch and placed his hand over mine.
"I suppose this will all be worthwhile if he finds a way to heal Anne." Ominis' voice came out quiet and strained.
"It doesn't forgive what he did to you though, he needs to know he cannot do anything like that, ever again." I stroked his cheek with my thumb, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
"Then we go find him and talk with him." Ominis stood, shakily and offered out his hand to me.
"Agreed." I said as I pulled myself up, using his outstretched hand. "Let's head to the room of requirement then. It's likely he stayed there last night." Ominis pulled his wand out of his robes and we began to walk out of the Undercroft. A slight chill caught my spine. Sebastian would listen. He has to listen, right?

Ominis POV
My dreams were vivid and full of pain. I tried my best to mask it so Cressida wouldn't realise the depth of my pain but she knows, I know she knows. Over and over, crucio was being cast on me, my parents, taking turns, one then another and then at last, Sebastian. He took pleasure in it, enjoyed the pain he caused, all for a greater cause. But what about me, my life, my soul. A soul that has been ripped apart time and time again. Then I heard Cressida cry in pain, if he hurt me could he hurt her too?
I don't want to believe that. I can't believe that. We would talk with him, he'd listen and we'd slowly return to normality. We would, I couldn't take it if we didn't.
As we exited the Undercroft my wand hummed and guided me through the school corridors. I held Cress's hand with my other and we wandered in a comfortable silence. When we reached the room of requirement the air grew colder, it was a large commanding space which made it trickier to navigate with my wand.
"Ah! Master Gaunt, Miss Felwyn." Deek called out to greet us both. "You have just missed Master Sallow."
"Oh." Cressida sounded taken aback by this. "Do you know where he was headed?"
"No miss, he left in a hurry." Deek's cheerful reply came. "Would either of you like some food?"
"No thank you Deek." Cressida began to pull me over to the bookcases. "We'll just wait here for Sebastian to return." I felt her guide me to one of the plush sofas and I sank into it. I heard her kneeling down and moving books and papers around on the floor.
"Hmmm." Her voice sounded pensive.
"What is it?" I asked, leaning forward to try and decipher what she was seeing that I could not.
"It appears Sebastian took the tome up here after we left the crypt." I heard more papers rustling. "And he has been looking at different artefacts and their locations. I can't make much sense of it but given the amount of papers and books here, he must have worked on it late into the night."
"I wonder if he found what he was looking for." My hand drifted back to my chest where the crucio scar still throbbed. "Nothing good can come of this, I really worry about what could happen to him." I felt as Cress's hand wrapped around my own.
"We'll speak to him, and he'll listen." Her other hand reached up and softly stroked my cheek. I leant into the touch for a moment before using her hands as a guide to run my own hands through her hair, it felt so soft and silky. My hands wrapped around the back of her head and I pulled her slowly towards me until our lips met. I kissed her slow at first before I felt my need and urgency to have her took over, I pulled her up onto my lap and we hungrily bit and kissed each others lips. The flapping of wings startled us both and I felt her break away from me, turning to face the noise.
"It's an owl for me." She was breathing heavy but pulled herself upright, I heard rustling as she pulled the message free from the owls claw. "I- I need to go." She sounded concerned.
"Cressida, what is it?" I stood, holding my wand up to sense her presence.
"Don't worry, stay here, I'll be back soon." I stood helpless as she sped out of the room. I sunk back into the seat and rubbed my hands over my face. Both her and Sebastian are terrible at sharing, and that only serves to worry me more. I heard Deek shuffling over.
"Excuse me Master Gaunt." He was right next to me.
"Yes Deek." I lifted my head out of my hands in response to his voice.
"Miss Felwyn dropped her note, do you think she needs it?"
"That depends, who is it from and what does it say?" I felt irked, how am I meant to know, she left so fast I couldn't even tell her to stay safe.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly read it without her permission..." Deek was fidgeting as he said this, clearly he had already read it.
"What does it say Deek?" I was fast losing patience.
"Oh, em, well-" he stammered.
"DEEK! Read out the damned note!" I leapt to my feet, this was by far the most infuriating thing.
"It is a note from Master Sallow, asking Miss Felwyn to meet him in the secret place. Alone." Deek was trembling. "And for her not to mention it to you..." he let out a small sobbing noise before he rushed away. I felt all my anger drain and replace itself with cold anguish. After what had happened I thought she would have told me, why did she just leave and not let me know? Because Sebastian asked her not to? Does she care more for his feelings than mine? I straightened my wand arm and guided myself out of the room, heading to the only place they could both be. The Undercroft.