Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Thirteen: Fresh Start

As suddenly as his smile had appeared, it was gone his face darkening, and I swore I saw his features swim before me for a second. I tensed.

When he spoke, his voice was the slightest bit different, the slightest bit not his.

"We can rule everything, you and me."

I laughed, unable to help myself.  "Rule everything? Sebastian, what are you talking about?"

"The magic in the Repository. We can use it- we can take away everyone's pain, and we can make the entire Wizarding World happy."

I shook my head- this wasn't how this goes. It was dark, yes. Him praising me for using an Unforgivable Curse, there was nothing that should have been romantic about it- but it was our first kiss. Now, it was happening again, my changing memories- changing dreams. I didn't want this memory changed by whatever this was.

"No," I choked out. His arms dropped me and I stumbled back into the bookshelf. I cried out as my head made rather harsh contact with the shelf.  "Sebastian, you shouldn't know about that yet."

He stepped back and picked up the relic, the once dim red light suddenly bright, burning even brighter than in the catacomb. "You'll see, Abbi. You're just not there yet."

He raised his wand again, just as he'd done in my last dream.

"Imperio!"

I was on the floor.

I was breathing heavily, tangled in a mess of sheets, my feet the only thing left touching my mattress, the green velvet tapestries of my four poster bed in the Slytherin dormitories open. I remembered I hadn't been bothered to close them as I'd fallen into bed earlier.

I looked around the room as I disentangled myself and stood. All the other girls were still tucked into their four poster beds, none the wiser to my rattled state. I glanced over at Imelda's bed, half hoping she was awake. But after a moment with no movement from her bed, I snatched up my robe and left the room.

The fire sounded nice again.

I walked down the cold metal hall floors leading from the dormitory to the common room, not even regretting my bare feet. The cold helped settle me back from my dreams.

These dreams seemed to connect with mine and Sebastian's casual use of the Dark Arts fifth year, and the fact that we were studying them again. What I couldn't figure out was why this dream Sebastian was talking to me about the Repository. He still didn't fully understand what was under the school, even after I'd told him how Professor Fig had died, and how I'd killed Ranrok.

Though if I was right in my suspicion that Sebastian had shared this dream too, he'd have more questions about that Repository now.

All that was left of the fire as I approached was a few red coals. I changed direction and headed to the large windows at the end of the room. The lake may be pitch black, but it was better than staring at pitiful coals.

I sat there by myself for a while. The dream was replaying over and over in my mind, but I couldn't remember anymore how I noticed the change in Sebastian. How was it even possible? It was a dream, so vivid it was as though I was in a Pensive memory, before... what? There was a tell, a way to spot what suddenly made it shift, but the harder I tried to focus on it, the faster it slipped through my fingers.

"You too?"

His voice should have made me jump in the silence, but I just stayed in my position, arms wrapped around myself, staring unblinking at the black water.

"I was wondering if you had it too," I said simply. "I could tell when it shifted, but I can't remember how."

He stood next to me, holding his hands together behind his back, rocking on his heel just a little. "I would never use it on you."

"I know, Seb, I know."

He released a long breath. Like he'd been anxious I thought he'd use an Unforgivable on me. We stayed in silence for a minute more, both of us just looking forward into the depths. Our cove was not far away from us now, somewhere just beyond sight of the water.

"You know," he started softly, "I've been trying to figure out why we are having the same dreams."

"Any luck?" I asked him, finally turning from the window to look at him. His face was concerned, but thoughtful. I'd seen him look more concerned before, and somehow that calmed me. We weren't to panic yet.

"The only thing I can think is Legilimency, but I've never heard of a Legilimense being able to alter memories before. They'd have to be particularly powerful."

"Mmm," I hummed thoughtfully at the words. "We didn't know the Imperius Curse could be fought off before either. Perhaps we need to just do more reading."

He smiled lightly and held his arm out to me. "Care to walk?"

I hesitated, unsure. I wanted to go with him, wherever he wanted to go. But that didn't change that I didn't know what our relationship looked like. I couldn't navigate it. We weren't supposed to be friends, and yet that was all I found myself wanting. My friend.

"Sebastian, I need to ask you something."

"Okay?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way."

"You're starting to concern me, Abbi." He said it with a smile, and I could see the teasing boy I'd met so long ago bubbling under the controlled surface.

"Are we friends?"

It was a weighted question and I knew it wasn't fair. He'd asked me point blank at the start of term feast if we could be friends again, and I had turned him down. And now, only a week after, I was asking if we were indeed friends. Add in the shared dream of our first kiss, and things were complicated, to say the least.

His smile faded a little. "Ah, that."

I waited, still hugging myself tightly, eyes locked on his slowly lowering arm. I didn't respond, making it clear he needed to answer me.

"I think we are," he answered shrugging. "I never really stopped wanting you in my life."

I nodded, biting my lower lip. "And what about our dream tonight?"

"Abbi, we don't have to go back to that." I recoiled a little at the emphasis. "We can just start over. We are going to be together a lot, thanks to Professor Hecat. We may as well be friends."

I stared at him for a moment, weighing his words. I couldn't help the small pang in my chest at the tone upon referring to our kiss. We may have closed that door in fifth year but I never wanted it locked.

"Do you want to go back to that?"

He didn't answer me. Instead, he gave me a scathing look, his jaw clenched and eyes flashing in a way I couldn't decipher in the dark common room.

"If I want to go back to that?" I whispered, looking him in the eyes. He sucked in a deep breath.

"You think that's a good idea?"

I looked away, regretting the words as soon as they left my lips. Of course he didn't want to go back to that. But maybe starting our friendship from ground zero would be good for us.

"Friends then." I said it a little sharply, unable to help the sting of rejection as our kiss played over and over in my mind.

Sticking my hand out to him, I smiled. If we were going to start over, I may as well reintroduce myself to him. "Abigail Crane, but you can call me Abbi."

He laughed, and though he hid it well, I detected sadness to it. He took my hand in his. "Sebastian Sallow."

"Well, Sebastian, since we are friends now, I suppose it would be rude to deny your offer of a late night walk."

He grinned a little at me. "You'll want shoes for that. I've got some more questions for you, since we're friends."