Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 28 - Brace for the holidays

Ominis had been very relieved that Sebastian and Phina hadn't treated him like a complete invalid when he found them outside Professor Sharp's classroom. It had certainly helped that, thanks to his teacher's potion, he hadn't looked as concerning as he had right after his interrogation.

"I can't believe the professors allowed that Ministry guy to give you Veritaserum," Sebastian said, still quite outraged, as the three of them had settled into the undercroft that evening.
"Yeah, Drewitt nearly dropped his cup when that Auror asked me if I'd had recent contact with another Gaunt," Ominis replied, lounging on one of the sofas and raising one corner of his mouth. Sebastian, casually sitting in an armchair nearby, chuckled softly, while Phina, on the opposite sofa, couldn't help but grin.

"I would have loved to see that. You really scared the wits out of him!" Sebastian said, amused. Phina liked how Ominis' slight smile transformed into a somewhat proud grin in response.
"I admit, that was the best part of that awful interrogation. It felt good for a change to have a little power over him," Ominis said, and Sebastian's laughter grew louder as he leaned forward, ruffling his unsuspecting best friend's hair with one hand.
"I'm so damn proud of you, mate," he said, and although Ominis slightly pulled back from Sebastian's playful attack, he was also laughing. 

Phina almost teared up watching her two boys. It was unmistakable that Ominis had become much more confident and somehow stronger since they had finally reconciled. It was as if he blossomed in the presence of Sebastian and her, finally able to be carefree again. And compared to the previous school year, Sebastian also seemed so different, happier, and free from all the dark thoughts that had otherwise kept him awake and preoccupied. Anne was writing to him regularly again, and Nathan had assured him that every weekend he spent in Feldcroft, he visited her at least once. Sebastian had even arranged with his sister to visit her in Feldcroft during the upcoming Easter break. Perhaps then they would finally have the chance to talk about Solomon's death and put that subject behind them for good. Phina had a good feeling about it.

The school year was slowly coming to an end. She had successfully completed her first Keeper Trial, Nathan had fully recovered, and even Clarissa had somehow become more approachable. Especially Sebastian and she had been spending more time together outside of classes. And not just to continue working on the spell for the new repository for Phina's power, but also for studying. He had even taken her along to the Crossed Wands, causing Lucan to be bombarded with inquiries from classmates who all wanted to watch Clarissa and Sebastian in action, defeating one team after another. 

Phina's jealousy had faded a bit, although she fondly remembered the time when she herself had shaken up the small dueling club with Sebastian. But whatever kept Sebastian on the right track was more than fine by her. And after all, she still had those hours-long evenings in the library with him, continuing their search through various texts for potential cures for Anne's curse. 

The only thing that still worried Phina was the fact that Professor Drewitt continued seeking contact with Sebastian, calling him to his office or asking him to stay after class. Although Sebastian assured Ominis and her that these were absolutely trivial matters, her strange feeling wouldn't dissipate. She just couldn't imagine that Professor Drewitt was only inquiring about his general well-being or asking about questions regarding his current assignments. 

Ominis had repeatedly insisted that they should trust him when Phina had shared her doubts about Sebastian's meetings with Drewitt. Somehow, she almost felt ashamed for being so unfair to Sebastian because, despite everything he had done for her this school year, she still somehow feared he might slip back into old patterns. 

She let herself be too affected by dreams that she should simply dismiss as what they were: meaningless concoctions of her stressed mind. Reality was right in front of her, and in it were the two people she loved most in this school, alongside Poppy, relaxing with her in their small lounge in the undercroft, winding down after a taxing school day together.