Return of Sebastian Sallow | 10 Yr After Hogwarts

Chapter 93: Curiosities & Velocities*

After a quiet moment on the Earth's edge, relishing the feeling of Sebastian helping himself to the skin of my neck, I begin to feel him walking us backwards from the doorway and I sigh. "I'd love to come back some time and float through space with you, Mister Sallow," I say as he pulls us away. "Who ever thought that would be a thing we could do together?"

Closing the door, he chuckles along with me and winks as he suggests, "now, the Brain Room is interesting. I haven't done any significant research there, just yet, but I do have a theory that we might find it useful," he says as he takes my hand and we walk through another door that Sebastian navigates us to. Once again, it looks exactly the same as the others to me.

"Muggle magic utilizes thought and intention, almost exclusively. And that's what this room is for – the research of thought. I'm certain there's a correlation. I just haven't taken the time yet to dig into it," he says as we enter a room that is large, spacious and sparse. Tanks of different sizes and full of various colors of liquid line the room. They are, unsurprisingly, full of brains. My morbid curiosity draws me close to the nearest tank. The water is a violet color and each of the brains are surrounded by an aura of soft, white-ish mist. As I get nearer, the mist seems to expand around each of the brains.

"You're not afraid." Sebastian states simply.

"No. Why would I be?" I ask, frankly, turning my attention towards him. He smiles and explains, "the brains are said to react to the thoughts of those around them, so I've heard. Personally, I've not had any negative encounters but I've heard stories of less disciplined minds who find the sight of them disturbing that have wreaked all sorts of havoc as a result."

"Well, I've seen my fair share of guts," I say with a shrug. "It doesn't bother me. I think it's...beautiful."

He smiles and tracks me as I walk lazily to the next tank of yellow-ish liquid. The brains appear to have sections of amber resin marbled throughout. "Are they human brains? Animal? Or conjurations of brains?" I ask Sebastian as the brains spin slowly upon my approach in the liquid.

"Not sure, to be honest..." he says as he takes my hand and my feet wander to the next tank of bright blue liquid. There seems to be a whisper coming from the top of this tank and the folds of the brains expand and contract gently, like the gills of a fish.

"Bash, what was the...shit what's the word..." I chuckle to myself, unable to think of it. I poke unceremoniously at his chest where his tattoo is in my stupor. "Your...the..." I stammer as words continue to fail me, and Sebastian's face alights with amusement in my struggle and soon we're both doubled-over in laughter at my expense. "Goddamn it, Bash! I can't think of the word! It's the energy things you told me about. All I can think of is the word 'chocolate.' Help meeee!" I beg, pulling in a desperate, silly way at his lapel and a look of realization dawns on his face.

"Chakras?" he asks with his eyebrows raised.

"YES! Thank you! The chakras! Don't these remind you of those? Don't they have a color? And an energy about them?" I ask, gesturing to the tanks around us and Sebastian's eyes go wide as he sees what I see – and more. He begins to laugh and pulls me by my face into a forceful, playful kiss, after which he looks into my eyes and says, "you bloody brilliant woman."

Excitedly, Sebastian dashes around the room from tank to tank, inspecting the vats more closely, and occasionally pausing to put his hands on the glass. He mutters words I can't quite hear and makes symbols with his hands in front of him, breathing deeply, and reverently tapping corresponding points of his body before his hands return to the vats. Though his eyes are closed, mine are not and it is a wonder to observe him as he is most definitely causing the brains in each tank to respond to whatever intention or power he's infusing through his hands and actions. It's like watching an intricate ballet of magic and energy.