Sebastian wiped the tears from my cheek and gave me a kiss. "I don't know what's going to happen, but we'll get through this together," he said, and let me give the correct password to the portrait.
We entered. Immediately, a number of people rushed up to him and asked how he could get better so quickly. "Didn't you see who was taking care of me? If Caelie and Sebastian take care of me, I can only be well again immediately. I can't show you the wound, it's freshly bandaged. Aunt Matilda will behead me when she has to rearrange them just because someone put their dirty fingers on them," he laughed. By Merlin's beard, Sebastian really studied Garreth, I thought to myself.
Jennie gave him a skeptical look and walked away. Had she noticed anything? I wondered.
"Come on Garreth, you wanted to finish unpacking your things.", I said lovingly and pulled him away from the others.
"Remarkable," I whispered to him as we turned him down the dorm room corridors. We entered the other's dormitory, but the room was empty.
"Caelie, sweetheart, you'd better unpack. Then we can meet outside in a moment. You know.", he winked at me. But I understood. He had sensed something. But she wouldn't show herself while we outnumbered her.
I saw as I walked that Sebastian placed Garreth's gramophone on his bedside table and began to bob along with the music, as Garreth often does.
Sebastian's point of view:
Come out, I felt you. Your aura is even darker than mine. Come on, Cressida, take the bait. Give me some fun, you nasty beast. Let me give you what you deserve.
I tried to imitate Garreth as best I could, so I began to move along with the music in a seemingly relaxed manner. I undid my tie a little and put my things in Garreth's closet. I thought my closets were full, but there were plants everywhere and his desk was stuffed from top to bottom. So I just looked for free places and pushed the stuff from the suitcase in between.
There were three photographs in his suitcase. I looked at them and immediately started to smile. Garreth had printed three copies of the photo we took at Feldcroft. One for each of us.
This photo wasn't just beautiful, it was absolutely perfect. You could tell it was a muggle camera and not a magic one, but I thought the picture was perfect just the way it was. At that moment the three of us were really happy. I immediately put it on Garreth's bedside table and chuckled to myself.
And it was the perfect trap. As soon as Cressida got a good look at this picture and how happy Garreth and Caelie in particular looked, she had to take the bait. She couldn't ignore that.
I felt a gust of wind on the back of my neck and turned just as Cressida was pointing a wand at me.
"Well, did you want to attack innocent people with diffindo again?" I asked softly and smiled at her. She turned deathly pale while my smile grew wider.
"You're not Garreth," she said panicked, taking two steps backwards. "Are you sure? Don't I look just like Garreth? And I sound like Garreth. I probably smell like Garreth. Then why would you think I'm not Garreth?" I asked softly while I grabbed her to caress her cheek. She was irritated and let me touch her.
"Your gaze is different. Ice cold. I didn't know those eyes could look so malicious.", she whispered.
My hand was resting on her cheek. I swung and struck.
Her whimpers were stimulating. I would have liked to kill her here and now, but I held back.
I aimed my wand at the door and locked it. The panic in Cressida's eyes grew steadily. I walked over to her with big strides and hit her again. And again. You could have called me a coward for hitting a young woman without batting an eyelid, but she only got what she deserved.
"Who are you?" she whispered anxiously. "I'm your competition, my love.", I smiled at her, "Oh wait, no, that's not true. I don't have to rape Garreth so that he fucks me for hours."
Now the fury was awakening in her. I didn't know if she realized that there wasn't another girl standing in front of her, but Sebastian Sallow himself. Actually, I didn't care either. It was just good to see how slowly but surely she was getting really angry. Her head turned red, her jugular and carotid arteries pumped blood diligently. Delicious. She was on the verge of losing her nerve.
She pointed her wand at me. I started laughing out loud and broke it in two without much effort.
Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my chest. She had drawn a dagger and attacked me. Now she stood smiling in front of me, "You will follow him. If you are not buried right away, you bad copy."
I had to laugh a little, but the pain was not to be underestimated. But, thanks to Solomon, I had developed a very high tolerance for pain.
"Petrificus Totalus," I said smiling as I pulled the dagger out of my chest and immediately began closing the wound. By Merlin, I was glad I let Gwen teach me. After a short time the wound caused by Cressida's bungling job was closed and I got up again.
I grabbed someone else's tie that was lying around and tied Cressida's arms behind her back. Caelie's was clearly too important to me for that.
I could have extradite Cressida at this point, but I wanted to at least have some fun with her. I unbuttoned her blouse slightly and pointed my wand at her chest. I approached her face and whispered "Diffindo".
Many small cuts now adorned her torso. Over and over again I used Diffindo superficially. She was crying, which made me want to hurt her even more.
I slapped her face. "You dare to cry? With what you did to Garreth and Caelie? Garreth may die, but you know what, dear Cressida? If he will, so will you. I'll find you. There will be no place in this world that will protect you from me. I'll look for you, then I'll torment you and then you'll die. You'll be begging me to kill you because you can't take the endless pain anymore." I said while smiling at her and giving her a small cut with her dagger.
Her facial expression changed from pained to surprised to a malicious smile. I saw the freckles on my hand diminish.
"Don't you rather think that I will torment you, Sebastian Sallow? Your potion has lost its effect. When I go out to the common room I'll say you raped and tormented me poor helpless girl. And then you're going to Azkaban." She smiled back.
Now that was really starting to be fun for me. "Cressida, you're playing your games with the wrong guy. Do you think I wouldn't kill you because I'd have to go to Azkaban? My dear, if Garreth dies I'll lose not only him but Caelie as well. And if he survives, will they both have a wonderful future without me. Do you think I have anything left to lose?" I asked softly, slowly shoving the knife deep into her shoulder.
"What about your sister?" she asked gasping. "My uncle has forbidden me to see her. And do you know why?", I bent to her head and breathed in her ear, "Because I know and can use the three unforgivable curses."
Cressida turned even paler. "Are you scared now? Your ugly face is even paler than it already is. If you want, I can dye it a wonderful blood red for you," I offered, still very friendly, and smeared some of her blood on the tip of her nose. "No, but we'll probably meet again in Azkaban, you psychopath," she answered.
"I'm not a psychopath. I'm just a little impulsive. And no, Cressida, we won't see each other again in Azkaban. Dead girls don't go to Azkaban, they get buried." I said, wrapping my hands around her neck and beginning to choke off her air supply, the panic growing in her eyes. My smile kept growing. It was wonderful to see her suffer like that. She deserved nothing less.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, "Garreth, are you alright?" I heard Caelie's worried voice ask. "Sure, come in, I'm just cleaning up the mess right now," I said happily, increasing the pressure on Cressida's neck with one hand while breaking the door's spell with the other.
Caelie entered and looked at me while I kept smiling and choking Cressida.
Caelie's point of view:
Sebastian knelt over Cressida's stomach and was about to strangle her while he looked at me, crying but also grinning maniacally. "Sebastian, stop it." I said in panic.
"Oh come off, it's so much fun squeezing the worthless life out of her right now," he said, smiling. "Stop it, she's not worth it," I said again. "Just a little more Caelie, soon she'll be dead."
I pulled out my wand and pointed it at Cressida as I walked towards Sebastian. At the last second, I held it to Sebastian's temple. "Relaxia".
Sebastian's movement broke. Cressida was able to breathe again and started coughing immediately. Some blood trickled from her mouth. She lay there crying. Sebastian continued to sit on her and now looked at me confused.
"Better?" I asked. He nodded while more tears rolled down his cheeks. "Caelie, if Garreth dies, I'll kill her," he said softly. "It's okay but Garreth won't die. He will live and we will both be by his side." I said and stroked Sebastian's head, which had sat on Garreth's bed.
Cressida continued to lie on the ground and watched what was happening. I went to her. I spitted her in the face before leaning over her and holding my engagement ring in her face. "Think of us next summer." I smiled while she started to scream.
I removed the evidence of Sebastian's nervous breakdown and healed the wounds that would reveal him. I grabbed her tie-handcuffs and dragged her behind me, lying on the floor. Sebastian drew his wand and pointed it at her as he followed me towards the Teachers Tower.
"Caelie, she cutted your tie," he said sadly, examining the hole in his shirt. The tie was a little cut.
"Professor, we've got her," I said as we met Professor Weasley in the hall. Her eyes widened as I threw Cressida to the ground in front of her and pinned her with my foot while she screamed loudly.
"She ambushed Garreth. Under Polyjuice I went to Garreth's dormitory, where she was already waiting for him. She also had a dagger with her.", Sebastian said and pointed to the hole in his shirt.
Professor Weasley leaned over to Cressida. She looked around and slapped her face with the palm of her hand.
"Seems like St. Mungo's Hospital isn't safe enough. I'll check with the Ministry. Then you will either go to Azkaban or some other secure environment. I can't let you hurt or kill my nephew or anyone else. Where's her wand?" Professor Weasley asked.
"It's still in the boys' dormitory. But I broke it when she tried to attack me with it.", Sebastian said softly.
"That's fine Mr. Sallow, I'm going to make sure Ms. Blume isn't allowed to have her wand anymore anyway. I'm going to fly to St. Mungo's Hospital and see how Gary is." Professor Weasley said. She called Professor Ronan over to watch Cressida while she spoke to the Ministry.
Sebastian and I walked down the aisle and held hands. We leaned on each other. How would things go from now on?
Sebastian reached into his robe pocket and handed me a photo. It was the picture from the Sallows' birthday. It was perfect. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I started to cry. Sebastian comforted me and kissed my head over and over again.
My forehead suddenly got a little wet. He also cried.