I pried my naked body off Sebastian's in a hurry when we heard banging on the door to the dormitory.
In my sleepy daze, I had almost forgotten where we were until Sebastian lifted the blankets and pulled them over my head and quickly drew the curtains of his bed, kicking my clothes under his bed with his foot.
He approached the door quickly, pulling on his pyjama pants as he went.
"Sebastian? Are you in there? Why is this locked!"
It was Ominis.
I heard the sounds of Sebastian unlocking the door and it burst open, Ominis sounding furious.
"Why was the door locked? What have you been up to?" Ominis pressed.
"Nothing, Ominis. I locked it for safety!"
There was an awkward silence and though I couldn't see what was happening, I could feel the tension and just knew Ominis didn't believe him.
"Alright, I was... having a wank." Sebastian said with a tone of defeat in his voice.
Oh god. I almost flinched at the words.
"Oh, that's disgusting, Sebastian!"
"Well, you asked to know what I was doing!"
"You could have lied to me!"
Ah my sweet, sweet Ominis. If only you knew that was the lie.
Sebastian stepped back to the bed to rejoin me when the door bust open again, this time with his two other sighted roommates who would be able to see me leaving their room.
"Fuck..." I mumbled.
"Don't worry," he whispered as he climbed back into bed, tugging me closer to him so our warm bodies were mashed together again, "I'll get you out eventually. But for now, let's keep doing this."
He pressed a soft and silent kiss on my head and pulled me close, his large arms enveloping me completely. I felt safe and completely content in his arms... until I remembered that he didn't want this and it was only a temporary post-sex high we were both experiencing.
And only then had I realised the severity of what we'd done. Sebastian didn't want a relationship with me but I had just let him take the one thing most men looked for when they wanted a wife. I was bound to Sebastian forever now, whether he liked it or not. He was always going to be my first and me, his. But we could never be together.
A few hours had passed and I made sure to stay awake while a sleeping Sebastian breathed deeply in my arms. And when I was certain everyone else was deep asleep, I pulled my clothes out from under his bed and quickly dressed and returned to my own dormitory, making sure to change into my night clothes so I could feign ignorance when I was asked where I was all night.
"Wake up, sunshine. Sebastian is looking for you." Imelda jolted me awake with a hand pressing my cheeks together and shaking my face side to side.
"Urghhh what time is it?" I groaned, batting her hand away and rolling over to my side.
"7:30."
"Why the fuck is he looking for me at 7:30am on a Sunday for Merlin's sake!" I grunted into my pillow.
"Ask him yourself, I'm going back to bed but if I get woken up by him calling your name again I'm going to personally hex him and then you."
I dragged my weary body out of bed and I suddenly realised just how sore I was. I was prepared for the act itself to hurt... but I wasn't prepared for the aches and pains I'd feel in my loins afterwards. I desperately needed a shower.
But to save Imelda's sleep and my own sanity, I threw on my night robe and slippers over my night gown and met Sebastian down the bottom of my stairs.
"Why are you making me get up so early?" I said through a yawn.
"Couldn't sleep, I didn't realise you'd left. I was hoping we could get breakfast then get a start on those curses." He said, a small smile on his face.
"Seb, I desperately need a shower. You made quite a mess of me last night. Can you wait half an hour?" I begged, pulling my robe across my front more.
"I haven't had one yet either, I could join you."
"It's 7:30am, not 4am. We'll be caught!" I said, noticing that a few early birds were already up and about.
"I'll have you know that while you girls might care about your appearance and personal hygiene, not many of the boys do. Go get your towel and clothes, I'll be waiting."
"Sebastian..."
"I'm not asking, I'm telling you. I would like to shower with you and help clean up the mess I made."
I furrowed my brows and folded my arms across my chest in disapproval, but Sebastian was unmoving. He kept his dark eyes on mine, like he was trying to intimidate me.
"Fine, but we need to be quick and you better behave," I relented, and Sebastian's face lit up with a mischievous grin.
I hurried up to my dormitory, trying to be as quiet as possible to avoid waking Imelda or anyone else again. I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and a towel, then I met Sebastian at the bottom of the stairs who sneaked me into the boys bathroom. Fortunately, it seemed that most of the students were still asleep, so the coast was relatively clear.
We quickly found a private shower stall in the furthest corner from the door, and as we stepped inside, Sebastian quickly turned on the water. The sound of the running water helped mask any noise we might make, providing a small sense of security.
"Let me help you with those." He said, untying my robe and pushing it down with a delicate thump on the floor. He traced his hands along the silky material of my night gown and met the hem, bundling it in his fists and lifting it over my head. He pushed me backwards so I was able to get under the warm water first.
I watched through the water falling over my face as he removed his own pyjamas, realising he'd thrown a shirt on before waltzing about the common room. How gentlemanly of him. He tossed his own shirt and pants in the pile atop of mine and joined me quickly under the running water.
His eyes traveled over my body as he stepped closer, and I felt a mix of self-consciousness and desire.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, his voice low and husky.
I blushed, feeling a surge of emotions welling up inside me. Part of me wanted to believe him, but another part couldn't help but doubt his words, given the complicated nature of the relationship he'd put us in.
Before I could respond, Sebastian leaned in and kissed me softly. His lips were warm and gentle against mine, vastly different from the fervor of our meeting last night.
"Sebastian..." I mumbled into his mouth, attempting to put space between us and pry him off me by placing my hands on his wet, warm chest, "Not now."
Sebastian pulled back, looking slightly disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. "Sorry."
"It's okay," I said, trying to hide the turmoil of emotions I was feeling. I desperately wanted him again, especially now he was naked, exposed and wet in front of me. But I needed time. "Let's just focus on getting cleaned up, yeah?"
We continued with our shower, laughing about how he tried to lie to Ominis about my presence in the room.
"I'm fairly certain he knows I wasn't entirely truthful," he said, "He wouldn't speak to me much this morning."
"He was also up early?" I asked, taking the bar of soap and lathering it in my hands to wash the dry layers of sweat off my body.
"Yeah, said he was visiting Anne. I was going to offer to go too, but I get the feeling it wasn't a visit I was exactly welcome at," he shuddered, "But he can't really be mad that I brought a girl back to the dorm when he's fucking my sister."
"Is he really fucking your sister, though? I doubt she'll really be in any mood for that given her state lately." I reminded him.
"I don't know and I'd rather not try and think about it." He made a gagging motion with his finger and his mouth and collected the soap from my hands, using it to wash himself down as a distraction.
I couldn't deny that I was attracted to Sebastian as I watched his large hands dragging soap suds down his tall, strong body and the sight had me almost forgetting the ache between my legs and I almost wanted to let him have me in the shower. But the events of last night had left me feeling conflicted and unsure about what I truly wanted.
As we finished showering, I tried to push away the lingering desire and focus on getting ready for the day. Sebastian seemed to be doing the same, though I could tell there was a sense of disappointment in his eyes. We dressed quickly and quietly, ensuring no one could hear us now the water was switched off.
Sebastian suggested we leave the bathroom at separate times to not draw suspicions, but it was quite obvious when we both emerged with wet hair within a few minutes of each other.
He walked me down to the Great Hall, taking it upon himself to pile a stack of food onto a plate for me and pour me a steaming cup of tea.
"Thank you," I said, buttering some jam on the toast.
"You're welcome. It's the least I can do to replenish your energy after last night and getting you up early this morning."
I let out a small chuckle and continued until my plate was empty.
"I thought the Undercroft would be a good place to practice with the wand. Ominis will probably be gone all day with Anne so there's no risk of him catching us. Besides, I think he'll probably want to be avoiding me anyway."
"Sounds good, shall we head there now?" I suggested, standing up and finishing my last sip of tea.
"We shall. I managed to get a few Mandrakes from Dogweed and Deathcap, I left them in the Undercroft."
"And the wand?"
"It's on me." He threw me a suggestive look and I dismissed it, not really in the mood for more games.
The halls were mostly quiet as we passed through the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower and we entered the Undercroft with ease.
Sebastian had already pushed some tables together and had various pots with Mandrakes on top of them.
"So how did you want to do this?" I asked, approaching the table, looking the Mandrakes over to make sure they weren't going to scream or feel any pain with what he suggested.
"I was going to suggest I cast one of the curses I'd discovered on one and you can try and extract it, without taking anything but the curse. I'm not sure how though, that's kind of where you come in."
"But how will I know what to do?" I asked, fining flaws in his plan.
"I don't know. That's what we are here for. Practice. But you'll need the wand first." He said, the corner of his mouth upturning into a small smile.
"So give it to me."
"Come and find it."
This fucking man!
"Give it to me, Sebastian," I said, extending my hand, my voice laced with frustration.
"Hm... nah."
He took a few steps towards me and I rolled my eyes and tilted my head back as he got closer and closer. Our chests were now bumping together and he took my chin in his hand, tilting it back down to meet his gaze. His dark eyes bore into mine, and I could feel his playful energy charged with desire.
With my face now in line with his, he let the grip on my jaw go and snaked his fingers around my neck, letting his hand grip onto my hair slightly.
Sebastian's lips brushed against mine, gentle and teasing, and I felt my resolve weaken. My hands moved to his chest, pushing him away slightly, but he didn't relent. His fingers traced a path down my neck and over my collarbone, igniting a trail of fire on my skin.
"Go on. Find the wand. I'll tell you if you're hot or cold." He spoke, his eyes unmoving as he laid a quick kiss on my mouth and leaned back slightly.
I sighed deeply, having no choice to indulge in his little game, lest we be here all day. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, freezing cold, love."
My hand slid down his arm, coming to a rest on his elbow.
"Hm, slightly warmer, but still icy."
I trailed it down further, taking a hold of his hand in mine.
"Now while I love the idea of our hands together, you're still not quite there yet."
"For Merlin's sake, Sebastian..." I grumbled, his charade growing old.
"Oh, come on, Olive. You know where it is."
I couldn't help but smirk and allowed my hand to travel across to his lower abdomen, untucking his shirt and letting my cold hand rest on the warmth of his belly, his gentle fuzz peeking out of the top of his waistband tickling my fingers.
"Flaming fucking hot." He groaned.
I slipped a hand under his waistband and fumbled around for the wand, instead finding his rock hard cock. But no wand.
"Bingo," He said with a smirk, "Here's the elder wand, by the way."
He yanked the real wand from his back pocket and held it out in front of him and I pulled my hand out of his pants quickly, playfully smacking him across the chest.
"For fucks sake, Sallow!"
He laughed deeply and placed the correct wand in my hand, stepping back from me.
He fixed his shirt and cleared his throat, approaching the potted Mandrake with his wand drawn. My eyes widened as I watched him cast a deep purple spell from his wand without a word, the Mandrake's leaves turning a sickly yellow colour almost immediately.
"Did you... cast that non-verbally?" I asked him.
"Yeah?" He replied casually, like it was no big deal.
I was arguably stronger than him in a magical sense, but that was something even I hadn't mastered yet. But watching him do that was kind of... hot.
"When did you learn that?"
"Over the summer. I needed to distract myself with something my best friend was ignoring me and I was all alone."
My face dropped and I found myself growing upset, "Sebastian, I-"
"Don't worry, Princess. I'm not mad about it... anymore... I was just telling you the truth."
He pulled me in to him and gave me a deep, comforting hug. This felt genuine... it felt platonic and it was really all I needed right now. Not his silly sexual games.
"Come one, let's try put this thing out of its misery." He said, releasing me from his grasp.
He led me back to the table and pointed out where he thought I should probably aim. I nodded and he took a few precautionary steps back.
I breathed in.
I held it.
I breathed out.
Focus. You can do more than Isadora ever did.
I lifted the wand and pointed at the spot Sebastian said might work. I closed my eyes and tried to channel my ancient magic like I had done many times before. I felt my core begin to ignite, like the magic was charged. I suddenly felt incredibly powerful, but also scared. I hadn't used this magic in months, since Ranrok's defeat.
Focus again. You can't lose control.
I concentrated on putting my energy into the wand and visualised where Sebastian had put the curse, right in the heart of the Mandrake. I imagined pulling it out in one fell swoop.
I opened my eyes and peered down at the wand and noticed I'd make a connection. There was a dim blue light emitting from the wand, into the Mandrake.
I breathed in again.
I held it.
I breathed out.
And I pulled the wand back slowly. And with that movement, I felt resistance, but the edge of a glowing purple, angry looking piece of magic began to pull with it. I continued to pull it at a slow pace, watching more and more swirling purple magic appear.
"Where do I put it?" I cried out to Sebastian, realising I was about to have this curse out in the open.
"Uhhh..."
Before Sebastian could answer, I felt a large tug on the wand and it fell from my hands with a clang, the curse zipping right back inside and I heard a high pitched scream. The pot in front of me burst, sending dirt and pieces of the clay pot showering over me. I tried to cover my ears, but it was too late. The screams pierced into my brain and I felt myself losing my vision and my legs buckling from underneath me.
"Olive!?" I heard Sebastian call.
My eyes closed at the exact same moment I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my abdomen and face... and I couldn't open my eyes again. Everything was black.