In the Shadow of Darkness | Sebastian Sallow

Patronus

Defence Against the Dark Arts was abuzz that week, as we made our first attempts at learning the Patronus Charm. The previous week, had been devoted to learning about dementors—a class Sebastian had missed—and introducing the incantation for us to practice. Now, after some repetition, we were demonstrating our spell work to Professor Hecat.

Most of the students struggled to make more than a few streams of smoke come out of their wands, but a few—Natty included—were able to produce an almost-shield on the first try.

"But, how?" Leander asked in frustration as his fourth attempt yielded very little.

I looked at Sebastian, clearly frustrated, waving his wand repeatedly without much success. Ominis, too, seemed to be struggling. I wasn't doing much better, if I was honest.

"Remember, the memory you use must be strong," Professor Hecat reminded.

I thought hard about any truly happy memory I had. Before coming to Hogwarts, there were very few. In fact, the only one I could think of was a woman's voice singing softly to me. Then, there was the day Professor Fig showed up at the orphanage with my Hogwart letter. That man, I realized, had been a father figure I didn't know I needed, and though life at the orphanage hadn't been terrible, I had always known something was missing. Magic, I thought. It had changed everything I thought I knew about the world, and as I learned those early spells with the professor, I had formed a connection with it I couldn't explain.

"Expecto Patronum!" A shield of vapor expanded from my wand briefly.

"Very good, Miss Jerome!" Professor Hecat praised. "With time and practice, you can strengthen your charm, and it may be possible to produce a corporeal Patronus." To drive her point home, she waved her wand in the circular motion. "Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery eagle owl burst from Professor Hecat's wand, sailing around the room and sending the entire room into awe. A few students murmured as the beautifully glowing creature flew past them before disappearing into thin air. Moments like these reminded me how amazing magic was and of the endless possibilities that lay ahead. Though my further attempts at a Patronus Charm that day didn't yield more than a few wisps of smoke, I was determined to practice until I could at least produce a shield again. Professor Hecat reminded us all at the end of class both days that a Patronus Charm was some of the most complicated defensive magic a witch or wizard could wield and assured that many of us would get it in time.

"We will continue our practice later this week! Class dismissed," Professor Hecat finished.

Ominis, Sebastian, Poppy, and Natty gathered with me as we walked toward the classroom exit. "Brilliant work, both of you!" Sebastian complimented. "Though I'm not surprised. You two are probably the strongest witches in our year."

"I'm sure you'll both get it," Natty said kindly.

"Yes!" I agreed. "Look at me. It took half the class just to get a bit of smoke out of my wand. I'm sure you'll be producing a corporeal Patronus in no time."

Before we reached the door, Professor Hecat called out to me. All five of us stopped as she approached. "I apologize, Ms. Jerome, but something has come up during our meeting time this week. We can certainly reschedule, if you'd prefer, but I am comfortable allowing you to have that time back."

"Thank you, Professor. I will make good use of the extra time."

With a smile, she retreated back into the classroom as we continued toward the Library Annex.

"What was that about?" Poppy asked.

"Extra studies with Professor Hecat?" Natty followed. "What about?"

My teeth grazed my lip before replying, "Occlumency." Though Poppy and Natty looked genuinely intrigued, I couldn't help but notice Sebastian's uncomfortable glance and that Ominis stiffened beside me. "It's a means of protecting—"

"Protecting your mind from being accessed or influenced by others," Sebastian finished. Now, he looked thoughtful.

"I've heard of it," Natty said with a nod. "Very difficult, and definitely not part of our curriculum."

I nodded. "It's fascinating, really," I told them, lowering my voice, "and with my...talents, I figured it might be a worthy skill to learn."

All of them nodded, making different noises of agreement. Save for Sebastian, who hadn't been there when I'd recounted the story, all of them probably thought immediately of the repository and my need to protect it. Perhaps not at this moment in time, but it stood to reason I'd encounter many others besides Ranrok who sought to wield its power. Any means to do that should most certainly be top priorities.

Blessedly, Poppy changed the subject shortly after, back to Patronuses, and which forms she thought each of ours would take. All in good fun, I supposed, since none of us truly knew what aspect of our personalities would show if we were able to produce corporeal creatures. We all agreed, however, that Natty's would probably be a gazelle to compliment her animal form. The conversation continued until we reached the greenhouses, and Poppy waved goodbye to us before heading toward the library. The remaining four of us were laughing as we walked into the Herbology classroom.

Professor Garlick introduced us to the moly plant as soon as class began and taught us techniques to properly cultivate it for our potion needs. I had seen it growing all over the Hogwarts grounds before, and even picked some, but hadn't realized how powerful of an ingredient it could be.

Sebastian, who I'd partnered with per usual, leaned over as he smoothed some dirt. "They say that when the prince woke Sleeping Beauty, he either smeared a bit of Wiggenweld Potion or a moly flower on his lips before kissing her." His eyes moved down to my lips briefly, a smirk on his face.

My spine tingled, not only because of how he was looking at me, but because of his tone—soft and smoky. His eyes stayed on mine a beat too long, earning attention from Professor Garlick.

"Mr. Sallow, Ms. Jerome, if I have to separate you two, I will," she called sensibly from nearby, her eyebrow raised.

I blushed as a couple of giggles sounded from across the greenhouse. Sebastian's smirk turned into a mischievous little grin before he turned back to his work. I wondered if he'd heard from Anne, or if he'd made plans to see her. We hadn't spoken about it. In fact, he seemed to be avoiding the topic all together. As class came to an end, I planned to ask him, but before I could he pulled me aside. As I looked at him expectantly, he fiddled with his collar uncertainly.

"Is everything all right?" I finally asked.

That seemed to break the spell. He swallowed, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, I...uh...probably should have asked you this earlier, but were you planning on going to the Yule Ball?" His face had begun to turn red, highlighting his freckles a bit more than usual, and his eyes absolutely refused to meet mine.

My lips turned up into a smile, but my heart was racing against my chest in anticipation "Well, no one has asked me yet..." I trailed off coyly.

"Really?" His voice cracked, but he quickly recovered, voice once again taking on that smoky quality as he leaned in, those burnished eyes capturing my gaze. "Well, I'd be honored if you'd accompany me."

A thrill of energy shot through me. "I'd love that."

He hid the relief quickly, but not before I saw it. Had he truly thought I would say no? Glancing around quickly, he placed his hands on either side of my face, pressing his lips to mine before anyone could see. He then grabbed my hand, holding it all the way to the Great Hall, where we shared a meal with our three other friends.