Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Fourty: The Killing Curse

Sebastian's hand clenched mine through my robes, fumbling for my fingers. I could feel the slight panic radiating off of him. Why had she looked at us as she spoke? Why had she singled us out when talking about killing damaging the soul?

Did she know something that we weren't aware of? Had we not been careful enough in hiding what had happened to Solomon?

There was no way she could know.

Beyond that, I wanted to know where she got off talking to us, as indirectly as she had been, about the state of our souls. My soul was perfectly fine, not damaged in any way. Sebastian's soul wasn't damaged either, and I refused to let him think that. I knew better.

I'd felt his soul, felt it when I bound us together. His soul was powerful, stronger than anything I had ever felt, and wholly intact. It was warm and inviting and wholly him.

Dark magic had strengthened the soul. It didn't weaken it.

The class around us burst to their feet, startling me slightly, and causing me to jump lightly. I didn't hesitate before taking Sebastian's hand in mine and leading him out of the classroom, ignoring Poppy's call to meet in the library after lunch.

I touched the Floo Flame just outside the door, telling it to take me to the grounds outside the Beasts classroom. I needed a private space with him, one where Ominis couldn't find us, where Poppy didn't know how to get in.

Sebastian appeared behind me seconds after my own knees had hit the ground, helping me stand and looking at me curiously. I just shook my head at him and started walking as I pulled my braid out and marched down away from the gathering crowd of the Care of Magical Creatures class. His brown eyes were concerned, his freckles pinched, but he followed me as I wordlessly guided him down through the grounds.

The only sounds were our boots crunching lightly frosted grass and gravel, and after a few minutes of walking, I saw the cove, smiling gently as I reached into my bag and pulled out the offering of toast required to enter our space.

"Abbi, wait," Sebastian called as I took off at a sprint, my heart racing as I thought about the last time we'd been here.

"Come on!" I said excitedly, rushing up the pebble beach and thrusting the toast onto the granite table. Sebastian laughed behind me as he watched the giant squid reach out and take my offering, the wall vanishing instantly and letting us into our own space.

I placed the new jade green vase and enteral flower next to my others, the collection shimmering beautifully upon the desk. My heart soared as I looked at the small pile of gifts he'd given me, fluttering madly. He'd taken the time to find perfect flowers for me and enchant them so they would never wilt. He'd done so fifth year too. I didn't know how on earth I wasn't aware that he loved me until he'd said it out loud.

He let out a small cough, causing me to jump and spin around to look at him.

His brown curls were a mess, his face still pinched in concern as he watched me. There were bags under his eyes, evidence that he hadn't been sleeping since we left Feldcroft. He probably hadn't slept well since Solomon, if I was honest with myself. He'd looked tired for years.

I spoke before he could.

"Professor Hecat doesn't know what she's talking about. Your soul is perfectly intact."

"It's not," he said, smiling sadly.

"It is, Sebastian. I know it is!"

"What do you know about souls, Abbi?"

He wasn't being cruel, or vindictive, or harsh. He was genuinely asking, his voice cracking at the end as he desperately hoped to know that he wasn't broken because of the things he had done.

He'd been so full of power earlier today, and it broke my heart to think that he wasn't feeling that anymore.

Taking a step towards him, I pressed my palm to his chest and closed me eyes, willing my magic to awaken his. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as my magic touched his.

"Do you feel that?" I asked, my voice a whisper, as his magic pulsed with mine.

"Yes," he breathed out, voice just as low as mine.

"Your soul is stronger because of the things we've done, Sebastian. Do you think your magic would be as strong as it is if your soul was damaged?"

I looked at him, shrouded in the darkness of the cave, and waited, willing him to feel what I did, to see himself as I did.

"How do you know what we're doing is right?" Sebastian asked, his voice still small, but a smile starting to form on his lips.

I leaned close, lips brushing his neck, causing his hands to cling to my waist and fingers to dig into my hips. "You said it yourself. Slytherin could see wisps too. That has to mean something." I paused and looked briefly at my hands, which were still glowing faintly with the red tendrils of my magic. "And then there's this development."

"I read about that in the spell book," Sebastian said, grinning wickedly. "I know how we can hone in on that talent of yours."

"What is it," I whispered, feeling myself get more excited, which in turn, resulted in my magic flaring up in my palms.

"You can harness your magic without a wand," Sebastian said, taking my hand in his. He traced his finger delicately on the lines of red magic twisting their way around my palms. "Slytherin said he was able to use it while simultaneously casting."

"Do you see?" I said, pulling back and looking him in the eyes, my own filled with wild and reckless abandon. "If Slytherin could use this while casting, if I can, how could our souls possibly be damaged? This is- this has to be powerful magic."

I lifted my hands up to my face and let the magic pool before I breathed in, relishing at the power surging through my veins.

"No one broken could carry this power," I whispered, feeling the euphoria of my magic roll and twist around me. "You need more, Sebastian. You need to experience this."

I was sure I looked mad. I sounded mad. The way my voice lilted from my lips was no way I had ever spoken before, but it just felt right to say these things. We weren't broken for wanting to give into this power, and I certainly wasn't doing it to appease the Gaunt family.

He was powerful.

I was powerful.

And I didn't need to hide that anymore.

"I don't know that I can," he said, watching my every move while biting his lip, his eyes heavy and full of desire. "I want to."

"I think I know how," I said, pulling him towards me suddenly by his tie, his face stopping inches from my own, his lips pulled up in a smirk.

"How?"

"The Repository," I said, voice dripping with desire. "We have to go back there."

I pressed my lips to his, still holding him captive by his tie, relishing the way his lips instantly moved against mine, how he kissed me back with such force that I was thrown momentarily off balance. His hands tangled into my hair, pulling hard as he kissed me, pushing me roughly into the stone wall, his tongue dancing against my lips as everything about him enveloped me.

I briefly wondered if I would ever get used to kissing him. Just as quickly, I decided I never wanted to get used to kissing him. I wanted every interaction to be like this; hot, intense and rough, almost as though he were demanding my soul and I would willingly provide it to him.

We broke apart, breathless, and Sebastian looked quite as mad as I had felt moments before.

"Lead the way."