"What are you doing?" I whispered as Sebastian tried to delicately roll me out of his arms, startling me from my sleep.
I blinked my bleary eyes a few times to see that it was now morning. And I wasn't the only female in the dorm.
Lawson's bed was empty and their other dorm mate had a 7th year Wampus girl I recognised in his bed.
"Shhh. Taking my potion." He whispered, uncorking a purple vial he'd pulled from his bedside.
Thank Merlin.
I hadn't actually thought to even ask last night when we were in the middle of our hate-turned-love fuck.
"You brewed it?" I asked.
"No. That one over there?" He whispered, pushing his curtains to the side and pointing to the bed directly opposite his, "He's got different girls in his bed every weekend. I noticed and asked him about it. He takes them too so I've been buying them off him."
"Oh... how did we not hear them last night?" I asked, snuggling back into his arms now he'd taken the potion.
"You might not have heard them, but I certainly did. He usually casts a silencing charm but I suppose they were too drunk from the ball." Sebastian said with a shudder.
The ball. I'd left Lawson high and dry and I was now feeling awful about it. He hadn't even come to bed.
"Why did you want to talk to Lawson last night anyway?" I asked.
"I was actually going to ask him how you were and thank him for looking after you. I knew you were upset but I couldn't bare to face you myself. Cowardly of me, I know."
I hummed at his response, not wanting to say I agreed with him, even when I did.
"I am truly sorry again... I wish this had never happened, I don't even know when it started or what the obsession is. There's nothing that's super special about me..."
"Oh, I beg to differ." I said, playfully tracing my hands down his body.
Sebastian groaned, "As much as I'd love to have a repeat of last night, though perhaps with a little less of the teasing, I don't really fancy having my roommates be subjected to it like we were."
"Hm. You're no fun. I'd have thought for sure you'd want to make it up to me." I whined.
"And I will. Just not right now. Besides, is there not a Veela you'd be hoping to deal with today? It's a Sunday so there won't be many professors about."
"Oh I'll take care of her alright. But speaking of her, I did want to ask one more thing... the last time we were together, you didn't have any contraceptive potions. We were broken up until last night... why did you start buying the potions?"
Sebastian's face went white and his mouth gaped, though words didn't come out.
"Sebastian?"
"I... I don't know. I'm certain we didn't... I..." he trailed off.
"It's fine. I'll just ask her myself today. Did you happen to bring that leftover Veritaserum over with you?"
Sebastian couldn't help the wicked grin that grew on his face as he realised just what I was going to do.
"I didn't. But I'm sure my friend over there can help. He's quite the potions master. Though he's actually good. Not like our old friend at Hogwarts."
I snorted back a laugh knowing he meant Garreth.
"Well. I will go back and freshen myself up. When your friend wakes up and you get the potion, let me know."
I peered out from behind the curtains of Sebastian's bed, the other two were still asleep.
Perfect.
Because I was naked and had nothing but my gown from last night to put on, I was doing a walk of shame.
I bent down and scooped the dress up, pulling it into Sebastian's bed and shimmied my way back into it in the least delicate fashion possible.
Sebastian watched me in awe as I navigated the many layers to slip my legs through and pulled it up to cover my chest.
"Wish me luck with my walk of shame, thanks to you." I said, my voice low.
"You were the one who started it. I blame you." Sebastian replied, sitting up and smiling, tugging me towards him for a deep kiss before I scooted out of his bed, scooping up my shoes and trying to tip toe out barefoot.
I made it out of the room unscathed, though the common room was littered with people. Though I wasn't the only one in my clothes from the previous night.
"Lawson?!" I said, looking at my very dishevelled date from the night before, sprawled out on one of the lounges still in his suit.
"Olive? Good. I'm glad you're alright. I missed you." He said, his eyes still staying closed.
"Are you alright?" I asked, approaching him quietly.
I could now tell he was very hungover.
"I will be. Maybe a nice tactical vomit will help." He said, dragging himself off the lounge.
Lawson marched himself in the direction of the boys bathroom and I decided to wait for him. When he emerged a few minutes later, he was standing straighter, but he still looked like shit.
I offered Lawson a sympathetic smile as he approached me, his disheveled appearance only making me feel guiltier for abandoning him last night. "I'm really sorry about last night," I began, "I didn't mean to just leave like that. It was... complicated."
"What happened with Sebastian? Did you get to talk to him?" Lawson asked, rubbing his weary eyes.
"Yeah. Talk. But I figured out what was wrong with him. Francesca had him on Amortentia. That's why he smelled like daisies to you. It was the potion lingering on him." I explained.
"Daisies... Amortentia... wait..."
I cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
"I... uh, this is awkward. I went to the dorms of one of the other 7th years last night. And she smelt like daisies too. Is she...?"
"I don't think she's laced with Amortentia if that's what you're asking. I think she may have been what you were smelling on the Amortentia Sebastian was giving off."
Lawson looked to be in thought for a moment as he considered what that meant.
"So... I...?"
"Do you like her?" I asked with a smirk.
"I think so. Well, I'd hope so. We did things that people generally do when they like each other..." He trailed off.
"Alright, gross." I said, shaking my head.
"And I suppose things went well for you considering you're still in your dress from last night." Lawson said, grinning widely at me.
"Uh, yeah I suppose they went well..." I mumbled, no doubt turning red in the face.
"And you're wearing your rings again." Lawson noticed.
I peered down at my hand. I was. I had my husband back.
"Well, you might want to consider having a few glasses of water and some breakfast," I suggested, quickly changing the subject. "You had quite a night."
Lawson nodded, looking as if he may vomit again and I left him to it.
I managed a quick shower to wash away the sweat from the night before and entered my dormitory in my towel to see Sebastian sitting on my bed, clearly having already had a shower himself. His hair was still wet, droplets falling onto his white collared shirt below, making it slightly transparent.
Fucking gorgeous.
"Hm. Suddenly I wish there was an enchantment on the stairs..." I mumbled, pulling my towel tighter as I dug through my trunk.
"I couldn't really hang out in my room for long. He gave me the potion then kicked me out because his little friend woke up and... well..."
"Say no more, please." I said, cringing.
"Anyway, here you go." He said, digging out a small vial from his pants and tossing it at me.
I caught the vial that Sebastian had thrown to me and inspected it closely. It was filled with a clear, silvery liquid. Veritaserum.
"Thanks," I said, "So how do we want to do this? I imagine it won't be easy to get Francesca to willingly take this..."
Sebastian leaned back on the bed, his wet hair glistening in the soft light of the dormitory. He thought for a moment with a furrowed brow.
"I've been thinking about that," he said, "Francesca is a Veela, and they have a certain allure about them."
I listened intently, curious about his plan.
Sebastian continued, "We know she's interested in me. That's how this whole mess started. So, what if I invite her for a private conversation? Tell her I want to clear the air or talk about what happened last night. Make it seem like I'm genuinely interested in her."
I nodded, but I wasn't happy about it. "Alright, that could work. But how do we get her to drink the Veritaserum without raising suspicion?"
Sebastian smirked, "We'll have to be discreet about it. I just have to offer her a drink, and we'll ensure that she takes the one with Veritaserum. Maybe I'll take her to the hall."
Sebastian's plan was good but I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the thought of him getting closer to Francesca, even if it was just a ruse.
"Don't worry. It will be fine. Just remember I love you and I married you." He reminded me.
Sebastian's reassuring words brought a sense of comfort that stemmed my rising jealousy, just enough. I nodded, trying to push the rest of those feelings aside. "I know, and I love you too. This will hopefully put an end to it."
I followed Sebastian down to the hall, but let him go inside by himself. I took a strategic spot in the corner so I could watch on. And as if luck was on our side, Francesca was already sitting at a table with her friends.
Poor unfortunate people...
I watched Sebastian approach her and she stood up quickly, an angry look on her face. He talked her down and she cracked a smile, pulling him in to kiss him.
Oh how my blood was boiling. I knew we had a plan but I just wanted to say fuck it and throw it all out the window.
Sebastian tried to recoil but it was like he remembered he had a job to do and let her do it.
Avada Kedavra is quite the permanent solution...
He sat her down and seemed to indulge her in some small talk before pouring himself a tea and appeared to offer her one too.
He was lucky she had her friends around because they were keeping her well distracted.
I watched as Sebastian subtly slipped the Veritaserum into Francesca's tea. He was quite skilled at it, and if you didn't know what to look for, you would think it was just an innocent gesture.
Francesca, continued to chat with Sebastian and her friends, obviously unaware of what Sebastian had just done.
As the conversation continued, I saw Sebastian taking sips from his own tea, as if he was making Francesca feel more at ease about drinking hers. I held my breath, hoping that everything would go smoothly.
It didn't take long for Francesca to pick up her tea and take a sip. She seemed perfectly relaxed, not suspecting a thing. I felt relieved.
After a few more minutes, Sebastian whispered something in Francesca's ear and she smiled, hopping up with a pep in her step and following Sebastian out of the hall. I assumed I had to follow.
And he took her right back to our common room and into his dormitory. I saw her smug little look as he turned to shut the door behind them.
If they hadn't slept together before, she was certain they would now.
I crept towards the door and pushed my ear towards it, hearing their muffled voices. It wasn't much use, but knowing it was just the two of them now, I pushed all thoughts aside and just burst into the room.
The first thing I saw was Sebastian's smirk, the second was Francesca's shock.
"Wh-what's she doing here? You broke up with her! You're going to leave her! Remember?" Francesca yelled, pointing a finger at me as she seemed to quiver.
Probably thought I was going to punch her out again. Which wasn't a bad idea, honestly.
"Yeah... about that..." Sebastian said, pushing his hand in front of her, letting her see his ring was back where it belonged.
"Are you mad!?" She yelled, smacking his hand away.
"No. But you are." Sebastian said.
"What? I'm mad?" Francesca said with a hand across her chest, obviously dumbfounded by the accusation.
"Yeah. You are. How long did you think the Amortentia was going to work for?" Sebastian said.
Francesca was lost for words, her jaw clenched them relaxed and clenched again as she searched for words. Anything. But she came up with nothing.
"Sebastian and I thought we'd ask you a few questions. I'd love for you to answer them, unless you want another broken nose." I said, casting a lock on the door and taking a few steps closer to Francesca who was still sitting frozen on the bed.
"Why Sebastian? Why did you pursue him knowing he was married?" I asked, trying really hard to stay composed and not kill her before we got answers.
"I... I've been so used to getting any man I want and when he walked in here, I knew he was hot and I needed him. He was fresh meat and I just needed to get my hands on him before anyone else did. Then I learned he had a wife which only made me want to do it more." She said.
"And?" I pressed, just knowing there was to the story.
"When he was actually resistant to my Veela abilities, I got mad. And I was determined to ruin both of your lives."
She realised what she had just admitted to and smacked a hand over her mouth.
"What have you done?" She cried out.
"Just some truth-telling serum. Now I only have one more question. Did we sleep together?" Sebastian asked.
Ugh. The question I had been dreading. I knew it wasn't Sebastian's fault, but I knew I would struggle to handle the fact he'd done what we had previously only done together with someone else if they had indeed done that.
Francesca hesitated, her eyes darting between Sebastian and me.
Sebastian's gaze never faded as he waited for her response, trying desperately to hide the anxious look on his face
After a long, tense silence, Francesca finally admitted, "Yes, we did."
My heart sank. Even though I knew it wasn't Sebastian's fault, hearing those words stung. I feel like I knew it was true, but refused to believe it. I tried to be naive. I struggled to maintain my composure, my fists clenched at my sides.
Sebastian looked at me, eyes brimming with tears. "Olive... I'm so sorry, love. It wasn't me... I never would have, please... believe me."
I nodded, trying to hold back my own tears. I knew deep down that it wasn't Sebastian's fault, but the pain of the truth cut me deeply.
"Olive, I promise you, I love you more than anything. I never wanted to hurt you."
I nodded, "I know, Sebastian. I know it wasn't your fault."
Francesca spoke up in a small, trembling voice. "I'm so sorry... for everything."
No. No, she wasn't going to get away with this with a simple 'sorry'. She had essentially ruined my marriage. Before her, Sebastian and I had only slept with each other. Something that I was immensely happy about. We loved each other, we were married and have given each other everything we could. This was going to break me.
"You don't get to say sorry. You aren't sorry." I said, my fists clenching again.
Sebastian's eyes flickered between my face and my fists, clearly deciding whether to let me do what I wanted to do or stop me.
Francesca looked up at me, fear in her eyes.
"Get up." I demanded.
"What?" She said softly.
"I said get the fuck up. Now."
Francesca's face paled with fear as she slowly got up from the bed. She took a cautious step towards me, her eyes never leaving my face.
I couldn't deny the rage boiling inside me. Francesca had not only manipulated Sebastian with a love potion but had also taken advantage of his vulnerable state. I could have her fucking arrested for this.
But instead I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I shoved her in the chest and she stumbled back.
"You thought you could come into our lives and destroy everything we had," I seethed. "You used him, manipulated him, and now you're going to pay for it."
Francesca tried to say something, but her words were choked back by her fear.
I moved closer to her again, my fists clenched at my sides. "You don't get to waltz in here, destroy our trust, and then apologise like it's all okay."
I shoved her again. She was now stumbling against the wall.
"You've caused irreparable damage to our marriage. You used a love potion, you manipulated him, and you thought you could get away with it."
I brought my fists to her collar and bundled it tightly in them both. I was almost lifting her off the ground.
I leaned in close to her ear, my hot breath making her recoil and scramble to get away.
"If you so much as even think about looking at Sebastian ever again, I will end your fucking life. I've cast Unforgivables before and I'll do it again. Now. You're going to leave here and walk yourself down to Goldhorn's office and tell him what you did. If I find out you didn't, I'll personally cast Imperio on you and make you do it. But I'll make it much more embarrassing for you. You'll march in there to tell him in your underwear if that's what I want. So I suggest you think wisely about what you choose to do." I hissed in her ear.
Francesca was crying now as I let her drop back down and her legs nearly buckled beneath her.
And then I did something incredibly satisfying but also incredibly stupid.
I punched her again.
Straight in the jaw.
She dropped like a sack of potatoes.
There was blood.
There was more tears.
And Sebastian laughed.
But I almost cried.
Last time this happened, I got three weeks detention. I was sure this time I was getting expelled. So I ran away and left Sebastian to clean up my mess and hid in my dormitory... the one I shared with Francesca.
Shit.