Cursed

Chapter 3

Screaming hung in the air like the smoke in the aftermath of a freak wildfire. Explosions of ancient magic erupted from the sky, making blue earth-shaking blasts send pieces of ground into the village houses.

Juniper woke up startled. It was dark out again, and her skin was sticky from sweat, making her hair plastered against her face.

I can't do this. I can't keep having these dreams.

She quickly jumped out of bed. She decided she needed an out. Something to stop the nightmares from happening. Maybe there was a way she could null them with a potion or a spell. Maybe she could extract them from herself. Was that possible? In any case, the more she knew about her power, the quicker her quest would end. Might as well do more research. Rookwood castle had many textbooks that could prove to be useful, they had before, so it was worth trying again. Knowing it would be a long ride to the hamlet of Feldcroft, she dressed for a potential cold night. With her broom in hand and wand in holster, she headed towards the nearest exit. She had just cracked open the heavy doors when a voice called out to her.

"Where are you going this early in the morning?"

Morning? In her haste, Juniper had not even thought of checking what time it was.

"I'm starting to think that you must be watching me sleep. I can't imagine how else you find me, Sebastian." She said in a frustrated tone. He most definitely was stubborn, and she wouldn't have minded it in any other situation.

"I was in the library reading when I heard a familiar shuffling of footsteps." He answered nonchalantly.

She ignored the blatant lie. "Good, that means you will have plenty of years left of eavesdropping. Now, if you'll excuse me."

A tug on the end of her broom made her let out an irritated sight. Sebastian held the end of her broom with a large and strong hand followed by an equally strong and veiny forearm.

"Where? I can't imagine any good reason for you to be wondering about this early in the morning. Unless you're off to meet some secret and forbidden lover..." He baited

She bit. "If you have to know, I am going on a quick flight to clear my mind from the stuffy and suffocating air that you've brought with you. I'd invite you, but I think that wouldn't fix the problem." She yanked her broom from him and walked out the cracked door.

He followed her, a crooked smile on his lips. "Couldn't wait 'til the sun shined?"

"Why is it that you only use questions to communicate?" She exclaimed while throwing her broom to the ground and turning to him with her arms crossed.

"June -"

"No. No more talking. No more questions. I have a serious problem I want to resolve, and questions aren't going to give me answers." Juniper's lips formed a tight line, and Sebastian's turned into a large grin. Stupid, stupid girl, she thought to herself. Of course, that's how you get answers.

"Fine. I won't ask any more questions, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious. I'll come with you to..."

"Feldcroft."

His face gave a confused expression. "Feldcroft?"

"Rookwood Castle, to be specific."

"Why -"

"No questions!" She brought her broom to a flight and hopped on. "If you're coming, better make haste. The sooner we get there, the sooner we come back."

__________

The pair sat on the old and filthy wooden floor. Clouds of dust filled the air and shimmered when caught by the candlelight. They had flown for hours to reach the castle and spent even more looking through the old books and disintegrating papers. Juniper mentally kicked herself for not thinking of traveling with floo powder instead.

"I think I'd be of better help if I knew what I was searching for. We've been at this for hours." Sebastian said. The hunger and tiredness were becoming too hard to ignore.

"Go back, then."

"Just tell me what is going on, June." He said, annoyed at her tone.

"I'm looking for anything on ancient magic and possible repositories."

"Like the one Ranrok took over, and you almost died trying to stop?" He stretched, his muscles aching from being hunched over.

"Exactly. Although I'm not in the search for world domination. I just want to strengthen my own power for... personal uses."

"I suppose world domination is excluded from personal uses." He said sarcastically.

"Can you just keep looking? Please."

"What about that journal that one goblin found? Lock... something or other."

She threw an old book over her shoulder. "Lodgok. Ranrok took it when he murdered him. Only Merlin would know what happened to it."

"Well, if it's ancient magic, then maybe the place to search would be the ruins in Feldcroft for clues since Isidora's father lived here when she first started experimenting with ancient magic" Though trying to be helpful, this was Sebastian's attempt at potentially swaying Juniper to give up the search for the night.

She looked at him for the for the first time since they left Hogwarts. She sensed his exhaustion and felt that of her own. And he was right, not that she was eager to admit it.

"That's an idea, definitely beats rummaging through dust." She replied as she brushed said dust off of her clothing.

Sebastian, watching her as he waited, noticed how much Juniper had changed since their fifth year. The way she carried herself was that of confidence and maturity, a wild elegance and grace. He couldn't help but realize how attracted he was to this new aura that surrounded her. A sense of security in her own skin. He took notice of how her hair curled from tucking it around her ear and how it shimmered in the dim light. How her usually tan skin had paled from lack of exposure during the colder season. How her supple her lips were...

"Are you coming?" Her voice pulled him out of his trance. She was always pretty, but had she always been this pretty? He simply nodded in response to her question and partially to his own.