Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 25 - Don't let it get to you

Sebastian discreetly glanced over to Clarissa, who still stood beside him as if frozen, watching the dark waters of the lake reflecting the light of the stars and the moon.

"That was quite a bold performance earlier," he finally said, attempting his typical sly smile. When Clarissa finally looked at him, he effortlessly caught the gaze of her dark eyes and seemed content when he noticed a small upward twitch of one corner of her mouth.

"Thank you. As soon as one takes their eyes off you for a second, you end up dueling with a guy like Marvolo Gaunt. You must be crazy, Sallow," she replied, gazing back into the night. Sebastian chuckled softly and took a step closer to her before picking up a small stone, winding up, and throwing it with a graceful arc onto the water. It skipped across the water's surface for a considerable distance, finally sinking after the fourth or fifth bounce.

"Then maybe you should keep a closer eye on me in the future," he said, grinning. Clarissa sighed, shaking her head but also grinning. She briefly smirked at him before making a swift motion, drawing her wand and stepping so close that Sebastian held his breath, wondering what she had in mind. 

Clarissa reached for his chin with one hand, ensuring her fingertips didn't touch his still slightly bleeding scrape.
"Hmm," she murmured, inspecting the injury and then lightly tapping it with the tip of her wand. Sebastian's skin tingled uncomfortably for a moment, but within seconds, the wound was completely healed. Clarissa released him with a satisfied expression. 

Sebastian ran his hand over his chin to assess her work and seemed quite impressed.
"Protective spells, Portkeys, healing spells - is there any magic you can't master?" he asked. Clarissa turned her gaze somewhat shyly away from him.
"You know very well that there's at least one spell that just won't work for me. Otherwise, we'd have already completed a new repository," she said, taking a few steps along the lakeshore and eventually sitting down in the tall grass beside the Portkey. 

Sebastian followed and sat down right next to her.
"This new repository seems to mean a lot to you. And you can't tell me you're doing it for Phina. The way you always look at her, it seems like you don't particularly like her," he said, casually wrapping his arms around his knees while Clarissa plucked a blade of grass from the ground to fiddle with as she answered.

"I just don't want anyone to possess that damned power. It should be securely sealed away forever until it's forgotten again. I'm just tired of being a Keeper. I've never liked it."

Sebastian observed Clarissa as she nervously twisted the blade of grass between her fingers, tearing small pieces from it. Whenever she thought of her father, she felt completely vulnerable to the wave of sadness and longing that ruthlessly washed over her, as it did now. 

Sebastian hesitated for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, but then gently wrapped an arm around Clarissa's shoulders.
"And how do you know Ominis' brothers and this Selwyn?"

He knew that this question was somewhat daring, as even though they had known each other for a while, their relationship wasn't all that intimate yet. It was also the first time they were truly alone together. Clarissa's slender shoulders quivered slightly under his arm, and she appeared quite tense, saying nothing. However, Sebastian wasn't ready to give up so easily and gently ran his hand over her arm.

"Come on, Clarissa. Even if you'd never admit it, it's quite clear at the moment that you're only human, too. A rather sad human. Go on... you can tell me," he tried to convince her, lightly nudging her from the side. Clarissa's eyes welled up with a few tears, but eventually, she leaned against Sebastian and sighed.

"Fine. Phina will tell you what she saw in the Pensieve during the trial sooner or later anyway," she said softly, closing her eyes while sniffing softly before she began her story. "I know the Gaunts because I owe them my scar. They didn't like how successful my father was. Apparently, they felt threatened. One night, they sent one of their death squads to kill my father, but he wasn't at home. They only found my nanny and me."