Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 38 - Defend and attack

[AI-art made by me]

The fresh air in Feldcroft thankfully quickly made Ominis' headache entirely disappear as he waited with Sebastian in front of the house for Nathan and Clarissa. He could faintly hear Anne humming in the adjacent garden and tried to recognize the tune of the song to distract himself a little from the thought of meeting Clarissa again soon. It wasn't that he had something against her, but her dismissive and somewhat arrogant manner didn't make it easy for Ominis to like her.

"Hey, where's Nathan?" Sebastian suddenly said. Ominis had been so distracted by Anne's humming that he hadn't even noticed Clarissa had arrived with them, apparently alone. She snorted somewhat disappointedly.

"The dear sir decided not to come after all. He said he has something important to take care of," she explained, and it was more than obvious that she was quite upset about it. Sebastian raised an eyebrow silently in response to Clarissa's fiery gaze, knowing full well that any wrong word could provoke the entire wrath of the Keeper descendant. She wasn't someone to mess with when she was in a bad mood, which might actually be advantageous for their training session. Clarissa now almost grimaced before speaking again.

"This Fitzgerald secrecy is driving me crazy."
While Ominis remained silent, Sebastian attempted to engage in conversation now.
"So, family matters?" he cautiously probed, to which Clarissa simply shrugged irritably.
"Yeah, apparently he had one of Niamh's paintings sent to Feldcroft so he can talk to her here too. Maybe it's about Phina's next trial or the repository, unfortunately, I wasn't welcomed as a guest in this conversation."

Sebastian stepped closer to her, gently placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Well, you are more than welcome here. Shall we?" he said, and his almost affectionate tone somehow irked Ominis, even though he couldn't quite explain why. Perhaps it simply hurt that his own best friend seemed to get along well with someone who clearly couldn't stand him and therefore remained constantly dismissive towards him. Clarissa looked at Sebastian now with a mix of gratitude and determination in her eyes.

"Definitely, the training you've planned is exactly what I need to blow off some steam now," she replied, and something about the way she spoke made Ominis suspect that nothing good was going to come out of whatever Sebastian had planned and discussed with her. Nevertheless, he had to go through with it. He had essentially promised Sebastian, and he certainly wouldn't show weakness in front of Clarissa by backing out.

Sebastian took the lead, guiding the two towards the edge of a small nearby forest. Despite the season, the area seemed rather dark and cool due to the dense trees and bushes, making it a perfect place for a strenuous workout.

"Alright, I think we can stay in this clearing here," Sebastian announced finally, his voice indicating he could hardly wait to start. However, Ominis didn't seem particularly motivated; he appeared introspective, if not slightly unsettled. Suddenly, Sebastian grabbed him by both shoulders and pushed him back a bit to position him.
"Okay, Ominis," he said, letting him go. "You stay here and no attacking allowed. You can only use defensive spells or evade. No matter what happens. Stay calm and focused, understood?"

Ominis initially stood somewhat stiffly in the spot where Sebastian had positioned him, as if he was a chess piece that Sebastian wanted to sacrifice in front of the opposing queen. And that was exactly how he felt as Clarissa, chuckling softly, took position on the opposite side of the clearing.

"Do you have healing potions with you, yeah?" she asked again, but Ominis could tell from her tone that she wasn't asking out of interest but solely to intimidate him. In that moment, a strange defiance slowly arose within him. He would be cautious not to underestimate Clarissa, as he had witnessed firsthand that she was a rather powerful witch. However, he certainly wouldn't make it easy for her. Sebastian placed a small bag under a nearby tree, causing a faint clinking sound as vials of various healing potions gently collided.