Anne narrates the Summoner's Court between Enoch and Sephronia for Ominis while Sebastian and I share our bottle of mead. His arm leans behind me to keep himself propped up as my head rests on his shoulder.
I can feel Anne stealing glances at our intimate exchanges with a small, satisfied smile, and I relish in Sebastian's open affection. Ominis finally starts to loosen up when the pair make their way through half of their bottle of mead, aiding in returning Ominis to his typical banter with Sebastian.
At near lunch time, Sebastian volunteers to grab the four of us some lunch from the Great Hall. Anne, half-drunk, leans her head against my shoulder with a loose smile on her lips. "I have never seen my brother look at anyone the way he looks at you." Ominis's attention turns towards us with amusement on his face. "Nor have I seen him so..." She trails off to find the right word. "Oh, Ominis, assist me." Her head lazes in his direction.
"Happy, Anne. We've never seen him so happy."
Anne rolls her eyes. "Do you think I'm that dense that I wouldn't be able to think of the word happy on my own?"
"Dense, no. Drunk, possibly."
Anne turns back to me. "While Ominis is correct that I haven't seen Bash so happy since our parents died, it was not the world I was looking for, and I will return to the conversation once I've thought of it." Our conversation pauses as Enoch greets Ominis after his match, but once we realize the two are engaging in a private conversation, Anne returns to ours. "I know I have my hesitance in restoring my relationship with him, but seeing how he is with you gives me faith that one day, things may return to normal."
"To be frank, I don't things will ever be normal again," I caution her. "We share a burden unlike any other, the four of us." I weigh the depth of the conversation I want to have with her given our partially intoxicated state and the pleasant state of the day thus far. "Meet me in the Undercroft after dinner tonight. I think there are somethings you should know that may provide you with some insight."
Anne, ever curious, opens her mouth to inquire more only to be cut off by a berry muffin dropping into her lap. "Nearly had to fight Natty for it, but they were always your favorite," Sebastian interrupts. Anne gasps and immediately tears a piece off of the muffin. Sebastian sets an enchanted picnic basket down in front of us and starts removing sandwich halves, cured meats, cheeses, and an assortment of fruits. The five of us form a small circle around the basket and dig into our lunch.
The rest of the afternoon fills with pleasant conversation, friendly banter, and a wonderful opportunity to get to know Enoch better. He seems to be an incredibly intelligent and pleasant individual. Most importantly, Ominis appears comfortable with him. I'm not sure the extent of their relationship, and if I weren't already meeting Anne after dinner, I'd be sure to ask him.
I'll have to tomorrow.
When Anne and I are finished eating, we both rise from the table, earning a curious glance from Sebastian. "I'll meet you back in the common room later," I assure him. It's also issued as a subtle warning to stay out of the Undercroft to allow us some privacy. Sebastian nods but still looks on hesitantly as we depart.
Our walk to the Undercroft is silent. I'm apprehensive to see Anne's reaction to some of the things we've uncovered and kept from her. Though, if anyone deserves to know, it's her.
"Well, we're here. What did you want to tell me?"
I take a deep breath in as I contemplate where to begin. "I guess I should start from the beginning." I gesture towards the couch Anne had summoned not long ago. We both claim opposite sides of the plush cushions. "There are a few things that are important for you to understand as I'm telling you all of this. First, this is by no means by request of Sebastian. He and Ominis have been the most incredible secret keepers, and I need to have your word that my secret is safe with you as well."
She nods, a curious expression etched into her features.
With that, I dive into a retelling of last year. I tell Anne of my ancient magic, of Fig, my hunt for Harlow with Natty, Sebastian's dive into dark magic, and Ominis's hesitance. I take some of the blame off of Sebastian, even if it was something we disagreed upon at the time. I tell her of Isadora, how Sebastian saw what she was capable of doing and pleaded for me to learn to harness my powers to heal her, and then I tell her the real reason Sebastian killed Solomon.
Anne's features are stoic as she processes. "Solomon...he tried to kill you?" There's tension in her voice as she's coming to terms with her displaced anger.
I nod. "Perhaps I'm not the influence you thought I was on Sebastian, and I apologize sincerely for that."
"Quite the contrary. I can't imagine how deeply he'd have fallen if you weren't there."
"Please do not regard me as the hero," I beg her. "I'm not. I am responsible for so much tragedy."
Anne lets out a slow breath as she nods. She wrings her hands in her lap as she contemplates her next sentence. "Yes. Yes, you are." I let out a dry laugh in return. "That's not to say that you've done wrong, or that you haven't done wrong. You were simply doing what you thought was right, and so was Sebastian. He—Forgive me, I'm having a difficult time processing that Solomon was going to kill you. My own uncle. An ex-auror!"
"We're not sure which Unforgivable Curse it was, but we both have the same memory that's been verified in our occlumency lessons. I thought it was just a bad dream at first." I let my head fall back against the arm of the couch and watch the flames flicker in the candelabra overhead. "I've been told by many that Solomon was not a good man. It doesn't ease the trauma, but it makes it feel a bit more justified. If Sebastian wouldn't have cast that curse, there's a very high possibility that I'd be dead."
Anne's silence causes me to lift my head and look at her. Her teary eyes are still on her hands, wringing against themselves in her lap. "I just don't understand how it all went so wrong."
"It's a lot to take in," I confirm. "I ask myself the same question every single day."
"I need you to keep him safe, Allie," Anne implores. "We both know him and how far he's willing to go for the ones he loves."
I flinch as I relive the scene of Sebastian jumping in front of the Cruciatus for me over Christmas holiday. "I am intimately familiar."
Anne frowns. "I know I will never understand what the two of you have gone through, nor can I imagine the level of forgiveness you had to have in order to love him so freely."
"It hasn't been without its challenges, but we've had the benefit of time. It's a luxury you weren't afforded until recently. We've fought and dissected every little thing, and we're still learning how to overcome it. The fact of the matter is, I love Sebastian with my whole soul. There is no one more devoted or passionate or...I don't need to tell you about your own brother," I stop myself at the sight of Anne's amusement.
"No, but I'd like if you would. I quite like hearing about him through your eyes. Bash deserves someone as dutiful as him."
The pair of us remain into the undercroft well into the night, even at one point conjuring up another bottle of mead. That first bottle quickly turns into two more until Anne decides it's too late for her and retires to the guest chambers. I see her back to her room before making my way back to the Slytherin common room.
Due to my sustained state of intoxication, I opt to walk rather than take the Floo to ensure it doesn't make me sick. As I'm making my way down the stairs to the main landing before the library, I pause at the hushed sound of...voices? Certainly voices, but it doesn't sound like a conversation.
I allow my curiosity to get the better of me and follow the sound to an empty supply room just off of the Grand Staircase. The door to the room is closed, but curiosity killed the cat. I press my ear to the door to hear its inhabitants better.
At first, I hear nothing until a breathy gasp cuts through the silence, followed by a voice of concern that I recognize immediately. "Someone is certainly going to, ah, find us."
Ominis.
"Who? There's hardly anyone left in the castle. As long as it's not Peeves, I think we'll survive." And I know that voice as well—Enoch.
I can't contain my curiosity. My cat would absolutely be dead if I had one. With a wave of my wand for disillusionment, I twist the handle as slowly and quietly as I can, just enough so that I can peek inside. I can't make out much in the dim lighting, but there's certainly someone's shirt on the floor and a belt beside it. My eyes trail up until they meet a pale, bare back and an unruly head of blonde hair. I jump away from the door, clasping my hands over my mouth before squealing in both surprise and excitement for my friend. The sound causes the two to break apart.
I did not just run into the two of them hooking up.
I've never been more thankful for Ominis's blindness as I am in this moment, knowing that he can't see me as I bolt out of the eyeline of the crack in the door. I can almost make out their frantic, hushed conversation as I sneak away, left to scurry off to the common room to find Sebastian.
I don't bother knocking on his door, knowing that Ominis isn't in the room. I burst through in an ungraceful arrival and slam it shut behind me. I press my back to the door as a sense of safety finds me. "You are never going to guess what I just—" I let out another surprised shriek.
"Merlin, Allie!" Sebastian exclaims, nearly jumping out of his skin. My mouth drops open at the sight as Sebastian scrambles to retrieve his towel from the post of his bed. I explode in laughter at the sight of Sebastian frantically tying his towel around his waist.
"Oh, this night can't get any better," I howl, doubling over as the laughter plagues my body. "Leave it off, give me a show!"
"You nearly scared the life out of me!" Once in his pajama pants, Sebastian approaches me and pulls me upright. "Are you drunk?"
"A bit," I admit as I throw my arms over his shoulders. "Why, are you going to take advantage of me?"
"If I recall correctly, you're the one who just walked in on me naked." His hands come to grip my waist. "And I would never do such a thing," he scolds.
"What if I asked you nicely?"
He gives me a stern look, though I can tell it's difficult for him to do so under the spell of my intoxication. "I thought you were with Anne. How did you end up drunk in my room?"
"A handful of reasons, but bold of you to assume that I've been sober at all today. The bottomless enchantment on the mead was your idea." Sebastian lets out a laugh and steps away from me to retrieve his pajama top. "And to assume that it won't become a trend. I quite enjoy keeping you on your toes. Anyways, do you know where Ominis is?"
He shrugs, his focus turning to the buttons on his shirt. "Never came back from dinner. I'm assuming you do." He finds great amusement at the giggles I try to suppress while building up the suspense. He peers at me from under his eyelashes as he finishes the last few buttons.
"Now, what would have given you that idea?" I let him go to feign surprise.
"Deductive reasoning. You're drunk, and you don't like the Floo when you're drunk. So, you likely walked back. Your message was clear that you'd be in the Undercroft. So, it's safe to say you probably passed him on your way back." As if to emphasize his point, he flops back on his bed with his arms behind his head and ankles crossed.
"More or less." I glance over his figure as he sprawls across the entire mattress. "You're not going to leave me any room?"
His arms pull from behind his head as he gestures to the mattress. "Sit wherever you'd like." I probably wouldn't do it if my bloodstream wasn't made of mead at this point, but I like a good tease. I drop down right on his lap, legs on either side of his hips. His hands find the skin of my thighs under my skirt almost immediately. "I could get used to this view."
I snort with laughter. "I'm sure you could," I retort. I fall forward until we're chest to chest and have him pinned with my arms on either side of his head. "Seems like you don't care to hear the hottest gossip in Hogwarts."
"Love, there's only one thing I want to hear right now, and it's—"
The door to the bedroom bursts open. "Alora Abbott, I could think of ten different ways to hex you into the next school year, and I would still not be satisfied," Ominis hisses.
"Hide me!" I shriek, diving off of Sebastian and onto the safety of the floor on the far side of his bed. I peek over the edge of the bed. Ominis's hair is still a mess, but it's clear he made an attempt to try and smooth it back before returning. His shirt is misbuttoned, and there's a light flush to his cheeks.
"Alright, now I'm interested in the gossip," Sebastian announces. He pushes himself up to sit off the end of his bed. There's a smirk toying on the corners of his lips. "Pray tell, Ominis. Where have you been?"
Ominis pulls lifts his wand. The tip flickers red as he scopes out the room. "Where is she, Sebastian? I know she's here." He turns towards me, causing me to yelp and attempt to crawl under the bed for safety. "Godric's heart, Allie, stop hiding like a child and face me like an adult." His shoes clack against the stone flooring until they stop in front of Sebastian's bed. Sebastian's bare feet meet the floor just in front of him shortly after.
"No, never!" I holler back. I can't fight the giggles as I watch Ominis's feet try to slip past Sebastian.
"Sebastian, I'm blind, not deaf. I can hear her."
"Unfortunately, I am not blind, and I can't unsee what I saw."
"What did you see?" the boys chorus. Sebastian drops onto the floor to coax me out from under the bed.
"If you tell me, you can stay the night," he bribes.
"You most certainly cannot!" Ominis objects, stamping his foot on the ground for emphasis.
Sebastian's chestnut eyes draw me in more than his offer does. The warmth and invitation in them seeks me out and bundles me up like a warm coat on a winter's day. "I never said we'd be staying here." Sebastian holds his hand out for me. "I'll even throw in a bottle of mead." I immediately throw my hand into his and let him tug me out from under his bed. "Now, will someone tell me what happened?"
Ominis and I stay silent as we both assess who's going to make the first move. I figure, if I can get out of the room fast enough, he won't be able to catch up to me. So, I blurt out, "I walked in on Ominis and Enoch hooking up and someone didn't have pants on."
"ALLIE!" Ominis roars, taking a lunging step towards me. I quickly skirt out of his reach and make for the door.
"I never said it was you!" I call over my shoulder as I book it down the hallway. I hear Sebastian's laughter and Ominis's shouts after me, but I don't stop until I make it to the Floo at the top of the common room stairs. I let the flames whisk me into the Astronomy Tower and the sanctuary of the Room of Requirement.
The room is empty, but I'm certain that Sebastian will find me here. At least, I hope he will. I'm more inclined to hear what he really wanted from me in place of the gossip.