Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 35 - Cultivate your friendships

It felt more than strange to see Professor Drewitt again. While Phina still felt safe within Hogwarts since he had to behave inconspicuously and lawfully within the school, she still found herself turning at every slight noise and walking faster when she was alone in the long corridors. 

In class, Professor Drewitt seemed to hold back for the time being, pretending as if he had never been involved in the abduction of one of his students. At some point, Phina even started questioning herself, wondering if she had really recognized him or if she had imagined it all.

Sebastian hardly left her side anymore, which was somewhat flattering on one hand, showing her that he was genuinely sorry and eager to convince her that she could trust him. On the other hand, it was occasionally bothersome, almost making her feel like the little girl in the orphanage who had to check in and out with the caregivers every time she wanted to go somewhere.

"Before I forget, I'm meeting up with Poppy and Natty tonight," Phina casually mentioned as she sat with Ominis and Sebastian at the Great Hall during lunch. Sebastian glanced at her somewhat thoughtfully from the side as he mashed his potatoes with a fork.

"What are you planning to do, and where are you meeting? Will you come back to the common room after?" he inquired, and Ominis, sitting opposite the two as usual, shook his head with a slight grin.

"Sebastian, you're not her father," he said, which immediately made Phina laugh. When she noticed Sebastian's outraged expression, she leaned slightly towards him and looked up.
"Don't worry, Daddy, I'll be home before midnight," she teased, widening Ominis' grin but leaving Sebastian grumbling sulkily.

"I'm just concerned," he complained, pushing some mashed potatoes into his mouth with his fork while Phina lightly nudged him with her elbow.
"I know, but you don't have to be. Poppy and Natty will look out for me, and we're staying in Hogwarts, I promise," she tried to cheer him up, and Ominis also seemed reluctant to seriously upset him.

"Then tonight, maybe we could practice some spells in the undercroft, just the two of us, like in the good old days!" he suggested, and his enthusiasm was genuine, as he had to admit he missed spending time alone with his best friend amidst all the commotion in this school year. They used to do it much more frequently before Phina had arrived at Hogwarts. Sebastian seemed to love the idea as well, finally smiling again.

"That sounds great," he said, washing down the remainder of his vegetables with a sip of lemonade. For a brief moment, Phina was enchanted by the excited smile that spread across Ominis' face due to Sebastian's response. Then, she focused back on her lunch.
"I better inform Madam Blainey then, she should get ready in case you two get carried away with fire spells again and end up singeing your eyebrows," she said, and Sebastian chuckled softly.

"Yes, that could happen. As far as that goes, we'll probably never learn," he replied, and one could tell that the memory of that incident significantly improved his mood. At that moment, Phina felt that now, with some time having passed and the summer holidays drawing closer, there was finally nothing standing between them anymore. While the issue with the Imperius Curse was not entirely forgotten, Phina no longer doubted Sebastian's motives. He hadn't mentioned a word about their ancient magic or Isidora's spell and reliably reported his meetings with Nathan and Clarissa for the new repository. Also, Professor Drewitt had fortunately left him alone since then, and one could see that he was immensely looking forward to spending a lot of time with Anne again, something he definitely didn't want to jeopardize.

"Say, what are you actually doing during the summer holidays?" Sebastian suddenly asked, interrupting Phina's thoughts. For a moment, she wondered if he might have directed his question to Ominis, but as he was looking directly at her, it seemed he was asking her. Phina shrugged, although inwardly she already knew what she wanted to do.
"I'm not entirely sure. I had an idea, but I'm not sure if I should do it," she said, prompting Ominis to become noticeably attentive. He didn't say anything, but Phina could tell he was interested in hearing her idea.