Aftermath | Sebastian Sallow

2: Chapter 28

Walking through here feels like walking through a wall of smoke. The air is thick in my lungs, it's hard to breathe.

It's over now. There's nothing more that can hurt you. I tell myself as I close my eyes.

I try to control my breathing into long, deep breaths. Making sure that I'm intaking as much as I'm exhaling.

Slowly I reopen them, and there's no smoke. There's nothing. The portraits that once showed the Keepers before are now barren.

I take a step forward and before I realize what exactly I'm doing, I find myself climbing through the Keepers Caverns.

I finally make my way down to the large opening below. This is where it all happened. This is where I defeated Ranrok. This is where..

This is where Fig died.

This is where I opened the Respiratory and took all of the dark ancient magic for myself.

I went against Fig, against the Keepers. I only thought I was doing what was right. That I'd be able to keep it safe.

Look at where that got me.

Still, I am grateful for the bond I share now with Professor Sharp for it. He's like a father, well a second father.

"I miss you." I whisper quietly to myself, standing in the middle of the vast space with nothing but destruction around me. So much destruction, so many lives lost because of this.

It will only continue to be this way. Felix and I could possibly be the last bearers of it, though if we're not then some order has to be set in place to keep it out of the wrong hands. Keep it safe, and contained.

Contained.. just as it would had it been put into the Repository to begin with. Now with the second one, somewhere out there, I wonder what fate would have in store for it.

My body freezes, and my heart beat quickens.

I have to find Sebastian.

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Sebastian sits on a chair in the Slytherin Common Room, book in hand.

I can't help but smile to myself as the sight has become so familiar to me. Like home. I've found him like this since the day that I met him.

"Hey you. Where have you been? I was starting to worry." Sebastian says, closing his book as I near closer to him.

"I.. was in the Map Chamber." I hesitate telling him at first, not wanting to freak him out. I can tell he's processing for a moment.

"Okay, what were you doing all the way down there? Are you alright?" He stands suddenly, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer to him. He starts to examine me head to toe.

This makes me giggle. "Yes, yes! I'm fine. Stop looking over me like that."

He smiles at me. "Well?"

"I'm not really sure. All this talk of a second Repository, Felix taking that magic.." My voice trails off.

"Ah, I see." Sebastian says, sighing.

"You do?" I ask.

He grabs my hand again and gently walks backward to sit in the chair, pulling me down onto his lap. "I do. It made you draw up memories of your own experience with that."

"You're so perceptive." I smile at him, then it slowly fades. "Yes you're right. To be quite honest, it frightens me. Knowing that it's out there somewhere, knowing that it could be discovered by the wrong person.. it could be disastrous."

"What if I told you that I've figured out where this second Repository is? Would that ease your nerves at all?" Sebastian asks me with a curious look on his face.

My mouth drops open. "What..? You did? How..?"

"You seriously doubt my capability to uncover it's location? I'm offended." He pretends to show an insulted face at me.

"It's not that I doubt you I just.. it's hard to believe. This makes it even more true." I snap my head to his. "What about Sharp? Did you mention it to him at all?"

"I was waiting for you." He gestures in front of us, motioning me to lead the way.

"It's late now, I'm not entirely sure he'll be in class still." I stand up from Sebastian's lap and he does the same.

"It's worth a try though, isn't it?" Sebastian asks. I'm hesitant, yet I nod at him and begin the walk to the Potions Classroom.

To my surprise, the door to the class is open. Upon entry I hear rummaging and clanging of glass jars and bottles against each other, along with Sharp's grumbling.

"Professor Sharp?" I ask, slowly walking through the doorway. I look at Sebastian who shrugs his shoulders. "Aesop?" I turn my attention back toward the direction of the sound.

Sebastian let's the door slam behind us with a loud thud. I hear Sharp grunt and finally he rounds the corner to meet us both face to face.

He looks.. tired. Sweaty. A bit frustrated if you ask me.

"Ah, you two. I'm surprised it took you this long. Where'd he run off to?" Confused I look at Sebastian beside me, then back at him.

"Where did who run off to?" I ask.

"That damned brother of yours. We met this afternoon, I wanted to talk to him about this dark energy building inside of him. It's taking control of him, Y/n. He became angry with me, tried to use the magic against me." I suddenly realize what he was doing, as I notice he's slightly holding the side of his body. "He was able to stop, muttered something about you then took off.. You're telling me you haven't seen him at all this evening?"

"No.. not at all." I say quietly, trying to take in this new information as well as Sharp's injury. How could he do this? Why would he hurt someone, hurt Aesop? I feel tears building up in my eyes but shove the feeling down. Now is not the time. "I was in the Map Chamber."

"The Map Chamber? What were you doing in the bloody Map Chamber? You could've gotten yourself hurt." Sharp says, clearly annoyed with me now too. He pops open a potion bottle and drinks it's contents down to the last drop, shaking his head at the end. Must not have tasted very well.

"I'm fine. It wasn't a problem." I know that by me saying this, I'm answering more than just the fact that I'm physically okay. He's wanting to know if I'm mentally okay as well. "Everything is fine.. I did have this idea, though. Sort of popped into my head when I was thinking about what happened that day. Having the chance to take or seal away the magic."

"Go on." Sharp says, leaning forward against the counter we're standing around. He rests the weight of his body on his hands, against the table.

"With this second Repository.." I start to say, looking over at Sebastian. I realize I'm confessing this idea to him for the first time as well. "Well, I believe it might present itself as some sort of second chance."

"That would be helpful if we knew where it's location is." Sharp sighs.

"I know where it is." Sebastian says proudly, of course. Sharp raises an eyebrow at him, always disapproving of his smart mouth.

"Good." He answers simply. "I think we're going to find it useful in more ways than one. Now we must be off."

"To the Repository? Now?" I ask him, confused.

"To Felix. Before he hurts himself, or anyone else."