The Call of the Void (Sebastian Sallow x F!MC)

XIV: F e l d c r o f t

"It was my fault, sir," Sebastian explains, sounding more serious than usual. "I didn't know how else to snap her out of the trance, so I just..."

Siobhan slowly looks at him as he trails off, his thumb sneaking beneath the sleeve of her jumper to gently sweep across her inner wrist. Professor Fig eyes the gesture, his features softening.

"I might as well have stuck my hand in an open flame," Sebastian elaborates, waggling his fingers. "It happened in Hogsemeade, too. Sloane was...glowing. It seemed to stop when I touched her."

"You can see it?" Professor Fig asks in alarm.

"No," Sebastian shakes his head. "At least, not in the way Sloane does. But I can sense it, I think, whenever she uses ancient magic."

"For how long?"

Sebastian shrugs, not understanding the gravity of his revelation. "Since we met?"

Siobhan's pulse spikes. What does he mean since we met? Hogsmeade? The duel in Hecat's classroom? She meets his gaze, remembering rather vividly the first time she saw him on the first day of classes, when she was still too nervous to speak to anyone. Had he sensed it then?

Sebastian offers a sheepish grin that does nothing to quiet her nerves.

The professor rubs his chin in thought. "Interesting."

If he has more to say, he doesn't have the chance as Nurse Blainey returns with a tray full of supplies, including a foul-smelling potion that Sebastian recoils from.

"Drink," she sternly instructs, before eyeing Siobhan with concern. "Forgive me for not asking before, but are you injured, Miss Sloane?"

"I don't think so," she replies, which doesn't put the Matron at ease. Other than a few superficial scratches and dirt on her clothes, she's physically unharmed. Mentally...well, it's nothing she can't compartmentalize, just as she's done time and time again. Once she can take a bath and get some sleep in a proper bed, she'll be fine. She can worry about the consequences of her actions later.

Nurse Blainey pulls a few glass vials from her apron and tucks them into Siobhan's hand. "Some calming draught," she explains with a sympathetic smile. It's the same potion she provided after Siobhan's fainting spell. "You need rest."

"And so does Mr. Sallow," she adds, switching her focus back to him. "Though I doubt he'll listen."

"You know me so well," he chuckles, but remains still as she tends to his wounds.

Siobhan lingers to observe until Professor Fig places a hand on her back, gently guiding her from the room. She looks over her shoulder at Sebastian, who breaks from a dramatic grimace to flash a crooked smile.

In the corridor, the professor considers all that's been said. "I had not realized how...involved Mr. Sallow has been with your research."

"Sebastian is who helped me access the Restricted Section," Siobhan explains, feeling strangely defensive. "He's one of the few people I can rely on when you aren't here."

"Apologies, my dear," Fig sighs, lowering his head for a moment. "It's good that you have someone else you can trust."

She can trust Sebastian, right?

"What do you think it means?" she asks, steering the conversation in a slightly different direction. "I didn't think anyone else could sense ancient magic, not unless they could also wield it."

"Miriam could."

"Sir?" Siobhan prompts, surprised to hear him mention the name. The professor hasn't divulged much about his late wife, only that she was researching ancient magic and was the one who discovered the vault key.