Hogwarts Legacy: The Dark Veins In Time

The Deviltry in Divination

**graphic violence and spicy content warnings - enjoy**

Y/N POV

"I'm certain he was spying on us Y/N! The Undercroft does not just open and close on it's own for no reason. That means he heard everything we were saying and now has more insight on the betrothal contract." Ominis had been furious purely at the principle that Sebastian was spying on us while I felt more of the guilt that we had secrets he had to spy on us for in the first place.

Sebastian saw right through my attempt at callousness to keep him from entering his name into the Goblet of Fire, that's why he stuck around. I wonder if he's going to tell Professor Sharp? I'll have to visit Aesop later tonight and find out..

We checked everywhere outside the Undercroft and there was no sign of Sebastian anywhere within the bottom floor of the Dark Arts Tower. I had not much time to continue searching for him further, so Ominis left me to seek him out in the Slytherin common room while I rushed to keep my promise of having afternoon tea in the Great Hall with Natsai and Poppy. The hallways of the castle were mostly quiet and empty with the occasional small group of first years passing by with their Prefects giving them the grand tour. All of the happiness and bewilderment on their faces put my heart at ease - I was worried over the trauma the attack on the train may have left behind but everyone I had seen appeared alright, at least on the surface.

We are completely safe on campus.. I told myself. Aesop will take care of Leander and Andrew, and the search of the train brought forth no more masks found except the one Sebastian had lost. We are safe here. Completely safe. There was a tension in my neck as I was now fighting to convince myself that it was true.

I did not know if we were truly safe even within the grounds of Hogwarts. The new defensive charms after the goblin attack are supposed to be far more superior to the ones in place before and other enchanted security measures had been added that I didn't know all the details of. I wanted to believe that Hogwarts was once again 'impenetrable' but there was a stabbing feeling in my stomach that told me if the Red-Devils wanted in, they were going to get in.

And I'll be ready for them.

When I arrived at the Great Hall it was practically empty - the few pockets of people that were still awake enough to enjoy afternoon tea were spread out along the Gryffindor table's length with teapots and trays filled with cakes and sandwiches. At the very opposite end towards the head of the room sat Sacharissa surrounded by a small gathering of students standing around and waiting to have their cards read, including Natsai and Poppy accompanied by Garreth and Thomas.

I hurried over to join them with a surprise attack of hooking my arms across the back of my best girlfriend's shoulders, then squishing between them to soak in their teamed up hugs around my person. I instantly noticed how much Natty seemed to age in such a short time - she appeared taller and her face was less rounded with the height of her cheekbones making her features come off as if she were far more mature than her age. She had let her hair grow out just a few more inches into a beautiful overflowing fluff of dark curls and there were now several golden piercings down the outline of her ears. I never knew her to wear perfume before but now as I was clinging to her she smelled of frankincense, myrrh and exotic florals - a somewhat familiar scent that made me think of my parents coming home from Egypt.

"What happened to having tea?" I asked them as I peered between some heads overlooking Sacharissa's current session with what I guessed was a second or third year blonde Hufflepuff girl that was sweating in anticipation over the meaning of her draw.