In the Shadow of Darkness | Sebastian Sallow

Room of Requirement

Friday evening, I stopped by the library before dinner to check out a text covering the basics of Occlumency. Madam Scribner raised her eyebrow, but said nothing if my reading choice. I stayed up later than I probably should have reading it, but like Legilimency, the concept of protecting one's mind from external intrusion was just as fascinating.

I fell asleep reading it, but my dreams had nothing to do with the subject. Instead, I dreamed of Sebastian. At first, it was like reliving the previous night in the Undercroft, but soon it changed. Instead of showing me a book, he pulled me close. We danced to unheard music as he leaned closer, lips parted slightly, mere inches from mine.

I started awake, heart pounding. I touched my lips, swearing I could feel the whisper of a touch there. I could see the light coming through the windows, so I put the Occlumency book away and changed out of my pajamas. I was the only person out of bed, so I quietly slipped out of the room and down the stairs into the common room. Grabbing a pastry, I headed for the corridor and toward the Astronomy Tower.

Sebastian was waiting for me. "You're early," I told him.

"Ominis woke me up bumbling about this morning, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Figured I might as well get an early start," he answered casually.

I took stock of him. His hair was tidier than I'd seen it all week. He didn't look well-rested, but he didn't look as exhausted. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Still a bit shabby, but...better. " It was honest. I could appreciate that. "So where is this surprise you want to show me?"

"It's not a surprise," I assured light-heartedly. "Follow me." He did, and we climbed the Astronomy Tower stairs until we reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Sebastian started to speak, but a noise to his left made him jump. "Whoa! What is that?!" he exclaimed as the doors to the Room of Requirement appeared on what had been a blank wall.

I walked to the door, opening it. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement," I said, gesturing him inside.

He followed hesitantly, and his eyes widened as he saw the sheer size of the room on the other side. He looked around, seeing the plants and the potions station, all of it. "You've got a little bit of everything in here! Is this—is this where you practiced all of your potions and the like last year?"

I nodded, happy to share the space with someone other than Professor Weasley and Deek. "Much of my studying was done here!"

"This is amazing!" He saw one of the vivariums and pointed to it. "What is that greenhouse?"

"Come with me." I offered my hand, leading him into it.

A slight breeze played with my hair as we stepped into the vivarium, and the fresh air was a welcome experience. Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking around in wonder.

A puffskein bounced over, trilling happily in greeting. I picked it up, snuggling it gently in the crook of my arm before showing it to Sebastian.

He smiled, reaching for the beast, who hummed as he gave it a scratch. A kneazle wandered over as well, sniffing Sebastian's shoe and leg before rubbing against him affectionately. Bending down, he said, "Hey, there, little fellow," before also giving it a gentle scratch behind the ears. It head-butted his hand ask for more attention.

I introduced him to all of the beasts in that vivarium. It wasn't long before we were sitting on the ground surrounded by jobberknolls and nifflers, as well. The beasts seemed to bring a peace to Sebastian that I had never seen, and they all seemed to enjoy his presence, as well. One of the kneazles had settled into my lap and fallen asleep while a puffskein had done the same to Sebastian. He looked at me affectionately as he stoked the beast. He reached for my hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you," he said contentedly, "for giving me something I didn't even know I needed."

He leaned back, putting his arms over his head to stare at the magical sky. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and closed his eyes. The kneazle in my lap made the sudden decision to lay down on his opposite side. It lifted its head sleepily to look at me before curling up at his hip. I turned to my side and leaned into the grass, propping my head up with my elbow, watching him.

His eyes were still closed, and he had the slightest of smiles as he lay there, his breathing even and completely relaxed. I thought perhaps he had fallen asleep until he spoke, "I can feel your eyes on me, Eleanor."

"Sorry." I looked away quickly, but he definitely wasn't fooled. He moved slowly—gently, so he didn't disturb the beasts—in to position that mirrored mine, and reached out his hand to tilt my chin. I met his gaze, his eyes reminding me of the chocolate he'd been eating so much of late. He brushed a strand of hair from my face before dropping his hand.

"It's easy to forget about the world in here, isn't it?" His words were soft, happy.

"It is." I smiled, closing my eyes to a gentle breeze.

When I reopened them, he had turned more serious, his eyes questioning. He brought a hand up to my face, cupping my cheek. My heart fluttered as he leaned in closer.

An excited chittering interrupted the moment. Sebastian let out a decidedly girlish squeak of surprise and wiggled into me. A niffler ran, full boar, out from behind his waistcoat holding a—pocket watch?

"Pilf, no!" I scolded, launching from my position on the grass, upsetting at least one puffskein in the process, as the niffler took off across the field. I took a running leap and grabbed the little thief squarely by his body and wrestling the pocket watch away from him.

Sebastian, only slightly behind, came jogging up slightly out of breath. He bent over with his hands in his knees before offering me a hand up. I handed him the pilfered item. "Thanks," he huffed out. "Did I...hear you...call it...Pilf?"

I chuckled. "A nickname. I found him outside Irondale last year with a mound of treasure he'd stolen from the hamlet."

He held up the pocket watch. "I was almost his next victim," he said, still a little breathless. He put the watch back. "Really, though, thank you for retrieving it. It was my father's."

"Happy to help," I brushed it off.

We stood there for a few seconds before we both burst out laughing.

"You should've seen your face!" he exclaimed.

"My face?! What about that school girl scream?!" I barely managed through my laughter.

"It tickled!" he defended.

"Those poor beasts were all asleep!"

"One poor thing went flying through the air!"

I threw my arms around him and sighed happily as his arms also went around me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed that hard. It felt good.

I spent a few more hours in the Room of Requirement, showing him how everything worked and even taking part in a duel for old time's sake. I tried not to think about our almost-kiss in the vivarium, but it distracted me enough to allow him to win a round. He was very smug about it.

Before we knew it, we'd spent almost the entire day in the Room.

"I love this place," he said as we started to leave.

"You can come here any time," I told him, putting a hand in his shoulder. "I'm not completely sure how the Room works, but if you're wanting to see my beasts or my practice room or whatever you'd like to call it, it should work for you."

"Thanks for showing it to me."

"Of course!" I leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Use it as often as you like."