Hogwarts Legacy: The Dark Veins In Time

Summertime Sadness, Part I

SEBASTIAN POV

The most dreaded two weeks of any firth year's life came and went like a hurricane, bringing absolute destruction with a small breath of peace that was only followed up with an extra side of destruction before it was over.

I had spent my entire life up to this point preparing for O.W.L.S. - having two professors for parents gave me the advantage in that. While I knew they had hoped Anne and/or myself would follow in their footsteps I had my eyes set just a bit higher, hoping to obtain the minimal of 5 Owls for a potential Auror position within the Ministry of Magic. I was confident in my abilities in Potions, Herbology, Charms, and of course, Defense Against the Dark Arts; four of the five recommended I needed, but the final one, Transfiguration was going to be questionable. In all honesty I could care less about the rest of the curriculum.

After catching Ominis and Y/N (potentially) in the act I drowned every free moment I had into my years of study notes to push that night as far into the back of my mind as I could. I found peace in the distraction of studying despite wishing Anne was here to participate with me. She had looked forward to this milestone since our very first day at Hogwarts. I vowed to exceed my own expectations in her honor, hoping to share my victory with her over the summer.

By the end of the week, I was confident in all of my testing thus far. I awoke each morning before Ominis, eating breakfast alone, and attended every class on time. Half of the fifth year student body were already throwing the towel as it were by the time our weekend came, especially those among Slytherin whom had famously overworked themselves in the past in order to collectively obtain more Owls than any other house, namely Ravenclaw. I stayed in bed a little longer on that first day off, my thoughts drifting to her as I pretended to sleep so Ominis would leave the room without disturbing me, trying to not think about them having another secret snogging session in the Undercroft. You have no proof that's true, that it even happened, don't go there. Only her - silken hair, warm skin, adorable smile, sweet voice... lips like crushed velvet...

My body beneath the covers began to heat up as it reacted to my memories of being with her, becoming slightly uncomfortable in certain areas. I crossed my arms over my face to hide my guilty pleasures from myself. The first time we kissed was in the Undercroft..
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It had been a couple months into her arrival. At this point she had begun to reel me in with the little tidbits of her secrets she would share with me. She was the only person who had shown interest in my mission to find the cure for Anne, always asking me about her well being and offering up anything I needed to help.

Our late night excursion into the Restricted Section of the library had lit a fuse for me. It wasn't the first time I had snuck into the place, but it was the first time I had such a willing party infiltrate it with me. She desperately needed something from it's shelves, and I saw the potential of having a favor owed to me tucked into my back pocket for a rainy day in exchange for my help. It was a thrilling experience, dodging Scribner and her ghastly sentries until Peeves showed up and ruined my plans for the rest of the evening as I took the fall for being caught. But she found what she needed.

I had made the serious effort to build my status as her confidant, hoping no one else would be privy to her mysterious quest or change her focus from Anne. Ominis made his exasperation of her increasing presence during our days well known to me, something I didn't fully understand at the time, especially after I had given her access to the Undercroft.

"Sebastian, this place is amazing!" She had exclaimed. I saw no big wonder in the room myself other than it's weird existence as some long forgotten storage room.

"I need you to understand something," I stated to her. "Ominis has trusted me since the day we met. This was his private sanctuary before he trusted Anne and I with it's location. He doesn't confide in just anyone, and I vowed to protect this secret between us. It's very important to me that I don't betray that promise, so please, do NOT tell anyone else of this place. In fact, it's best that he doesn't know that you know for the time being." I gave her a short rundown of Ominis and the plethora of secrets the Gaunt family had riddled in their dark history and obsession with pure bloodlines - his lineage directly to Salazar Slytherin was not something he was particularly proud of, even though he oddly made it known to everyone. She was clearly intrigued by it however, hanging on every word as I described a little of Ominis' tortured childhood before he found sanctuary at Hogwarts. "So, promise me. Tell. No. One. Not even Ominis, and never come here without me."