Cursed

Chapter 6

The post-ejaculation clarity hit Sebastian like a landslide. He vomited. He felt disgusted by the way his skin felt around him. He felt dirty, used, betrayed. His body, damp with cold sweat, shivered. He looked over to Juniper, who lay in fetal position, sobbing. She, too, felt repulsive.

The woman stepped back in, still with her gas mask on. She opened the cell, and with a quick movement of her wand, she dragged Juniper out of it, laying her on the ground next to the cauldron.

"Good thing animals don't feel shame when they assault each other. Otherwise, all my research would go to waste. Now..." She mumbled. She extracted a large syringe from the drawer.

"What are..." Sebastian started but was interrupted by another wave of nausea.

"A curious one, aren't you?" She said, annoyed. "You see, this girl is gifted. After the effects of the potion wear off, typical intravenous blood is a dark red, almost brown in color. I collect samples of all my subjects in order to study them. But hers," she waved her hand, gesturing at Juniper. "Her blood is bright. Almost shimmering. It has been a great source of further studies, and her samples have been giving wonderful results in perfecting the potion." She giggled.

Juniper started panicking. The last time this happened, she lost so much blood that she had to be practically carried back, and Gareth wasn't in better shape either. She knew exactly what would come next: after the blood draw, the witch would cast a final spell to make them unconscious and make her escape. She couldn't let that happen again. She spent too long blaming herself for it, thinking it was somehow her fault that she was forced to take part in the sexual acts that traumatized both her and Gareth. It took her too long to feel comfortable in her own room, in her own clothes, in her own skin. She was not going to let the deranged witch get away with it again.

Juniper glanced at Sebastian. He was on the ground, tears falling from his eyes. If she was going to stop the woman from continuing the horrible routine, she was going to have to do it on her own. But with no wand to focus her magic with, there was no way for her to stop the witch. The woman bent down, her gas mask painting a scene of horror in Juniper's eyes. The panic settled deep in her bones. Her breathing became ragged and labored. As the woman picked at her skin to insert the giant needle, Juniper screamed. Her world turned pitch black.

But only her world. The moment she blacked out, an explosion of light burst from her body, sending the witch flying away from where Juniper laid. Sebastian sat up startled. Juniper was standing over the witch's limp body, her eyes blazing with a blue fire-like aura that licked around her face. She glowed, almost inhuman. 

The thought of Juniper killing the woman crossed his mind. He still had nightmares about what he did to his uncle, whether he deserved it or not, it was still the reason he was still estranged from his sister. He did not want a similar fate for Juniper.

The air around them crackled with static. The buzzing from the enchanted trap was drowned by the humming that filled the cave. The hairs on Sebastian's arms stood up. He noticed the same with Juniper's wavy locks, now frizzy. He stood up cautiously.

"June... don't do it." He meant it as a warning, but it came out more as begging. Begging her not to make the same mistakes he did.

"This is the price she pays for her sins, for harming the innocent." Her voice sounded like it was coming for everywhere at the same time. It was her voice and not hers at the same time. A hint of danger pricked Sebastian.

"Killing her would be mercy." Juniper said. She raised her hand. The tips of her fingers glowed with electric power as Sebastian watched her remove a tether from witch's body and inhaling it, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.

Sebastian was stunned by her action. He had come to terms with the fact that Juniper never removed his sister's curse to protect her. Now he understood why. The already unconscious woman now looked dead. With paper white skin and dull sunken eyes, Sebastian would have thought she was dead if not for the light up and down movement of her chest.

Juniper's breathing hardened. The air was so thick it could've been cut with dull shears. Sebastian watched as the tether that was removed from the woman seep into Juniper's skin. The flames around her eyes burned brighter.

"Juniper?" He approached her slowly, mere inches from her, certain that the person in front of him was, in fact, his Juniper but at the same time the aura around her was that of a stranger. She turned to him, glaring. Her eyes were bright lights that wisped into flames at the corners. Her irises were not visible. She was consumed with ancient magic.

"Juniper." He whispered hoarsely. He wanted to embrace her, to forget everything that had happened in the last hour that would haunt his dreams for a while, but the thought of hugging her repulsed him, the thought of him touching her after that made his nausea return. Emotions of wanting her and hating her battling in his mind. He reached out a shaky hand to her cheek, allowing only the tips of his fingers to graze her skin.

"June, please."

Her eyes flickered. A faint outline of her irises fighting the brightness of her eyes. Sebastian allowed himself to place his palm against her cheek.

"Seb...?"

She fell to the ground. The noise, the light, everything was replaced with a deafening silence and darkness.

         __________

Back at the infirmary in Hogwarts, Juniper awoke to the sound of people having a hushed argument. She listened.

"...realize you have to make an official report."

"I... I don't know. Can you wait until she wakes for me to make a decision?"

Professor Weasley let out a sigh. "I understand."

Her receding footsteps echoed throughout the spacious and empty room, leaving Sebastian alone with what he thought was a sleeping Juniper. He sat gently on the bed next to her, lightly caressing her hand.

He sighed. "You awake?"

She gave him a little smile. "Could you tell?"

He quickly moved his hand and began fiddling with his fingers. "You're a bad liar. The only thing you're worse at is acting." He chuckled.

"What happened? How did we get back?" She asked, sitting upright.

He told her everything, including the parts she remembered. The trap they fell into, the witch's drugged vapors, the force of power that knocked her out, the tether she extracted from the woman, and how he carried her unconscious body to the nearest floo flame station to return back to the castle. He left as fast as he could, not remembering to search for their wands and brooms.

With every added part to the story, Juniper's worried expression intensified. She began to think that maybe her dreams were more than just dreams, but predictions of the future. If her theory was correct, she would have to act fast if she wanted to successfully fulfill her quest.