Chapter Text
Sebastian Sallow was usually much more excited about the Sorting Ceremony. In the years before, he and his sister Anne had been known for sitting near the edge of the Slytherin table so that they would have easier access to the first years. It was easier to tell them made-up stories about the Slytherin common room that way. They would spend days trying to guess what would be served during the feast and which absurd rule Headmaster Black would try to implement in school. Life was good. But, unfortunately, things had changed.
It had been a long time since his sister got sick. Cursed, by what they could comprehend. They had tried everything, from Hogwarts to St. Mungus, but nothing seemed to work. Sebastian had not given up, of course, but his uncle, Solomon, had, and it made his life much harder than before. As if the never-ending fights about his many rules and expectations weren’t enough, now Sebastian could barely comfort his twin without being scolded for, as his uncle used to say, “filling her head with pointless hope”. How could hope to be pointless? Anne’s sickness was debilitating, draining her energy and giving her chronic pain. She had spent most days of summer stuck in her bed, too weak to go outside. Shouldn’t it be painful enough for her to be forced into this? Why shouldn’t she be given at least a pinch of hope? Sebastian knew that a cure existed, there had to be one. Someone, somewhere, should know how to vanish with this curse forever.
Because of her estate, she had not been able to go back to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year. She also did not manage to go to the platform to see Sebastian off, leaving him to enjoy the exclusive presence of their uncle. Solomon did not say much before he boarded, just for him to behave, and then he was off. That man drove him crazy most of the time, always treating him like a bad child. Sebastian wasn’t bad, at least he hoped that he wasn’t, even if his uncle’s attitude towards him insisted on saying otherwise.
Sebastian sighed, walking through the Hogwarts Express. The narrow corridor had always surprised him with how many students it could fit. There were so many people walking around, looking for their friends, cabins to sit or simply chatting without even realizing how much space they were taking. He began looking for Ominis among the crowd. Sebastian knew that his friend managed to navigate with his wand, however, crowded spaces made his wand wary and unstable. They did not understand how it worked or how it knew that Ominis was blind, but it had always been enough to make him sense his surroundings when it came to inanimate objects. A swarm of excited students was much different.
“Sebastian!”
A voice called, prompting him to turn around. Coming in his direction was Garreth Weasley, a slender boy with pale skin, a freckled complexion, and bright ginger hair. He wore a brown sweater, certainly hand-knitted if Sebastian knew the Weasleys well enough, with a G right in the middle of the chest area. It was a family tradition, Gareth had explained to him, for every Weasley to have a sweater with their initial on it. They had known each other for the past four years, having met on that exact train when they were about to begin their first year at Hogwarts. When life was good, Anne was healthy, and Sebastian wasn’t being his uncle’s scapegoat all the time.
“Weasley,” Sebastian smiled, accepting the side hug his friend offered and shaking his hand. “How have you been?”
“Good,” Garreth responded. “What about you? How’s Anne?”
That was a good question, Sebastian thought, and the worst one he was expecting to receive. Anne was not feeling well. On rare occasions, he had managed to sneak her outside for a stroll near Feldcroft, only to hear his uncle berating him for doing so later in the evening. His sister used to be happy and lively, now he was forced to watch her wither away just like a harvested bouquet of roses. He refused to lose her without putting up a fight against this curse, whatever it was.
“Resting,” he answered. “Folks at St. Mungus recommended rest and medicine, that’s what she’s been doing for a while now.”
“Well, that’s great,” Garreth smiled. Such a dumb smile the Gryffindor had. Unaware of the gravity of what they were talking about. Unaware that the nurses and doctors told Anne to rest because there was nothing else they could do. Anne was dying. They were simply trying to ease her passage.
“I hope she’s better soon,” the ginger continued. “I’ve sent her a letter before coming to the platform, to cheer her up.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy,” Sebastian answered. “She’s been in need of things to cheer her up. Old Solomon is not really good at that.”
“Give the man a break,” Garreth sighed. “Everyone’s probably doing their best. But enough with that, you sure look like you could get some cheering up, and I think I’ve got just the right thing,” he teased, pulling Sebastian to the side until they were leaning against the train’s window. “Fresh news from my aunt. Don’t tell anyone, ok? Except for Ominis, because I already know you will,” he pointed out, taking a deep breath before breaking the news. “We’ll have a new student in our class this year.”
Sebastian frowned, slightly tilting his head to the left, as he often did when something sparked his curiosity. There were no “late enrollments” at Hogwarts. Either you started in the first year when you were eleven, or you did not start at all.
“What do you mean new student?” He asked, leaning closer to Garreth, who was a few centimeters shorter than him. “There are no new students at Hogwarts.”
“Well, now there is!” Garreth cackled. “Look at your face, I bet I was the same when Aunt Matilda told me about her. Asked me to help her get used to the new school and all.”
“She? It’s a girl?”
“Aunt Matilda said so,” the ginger shrugged. “Don’t know her name, though. I told Arthur and Poppy. Both of them said she’s going to be a Hufflepuff. I bet Arthur one galleon she’ll be a Gryffindor.”
Sebastian sighed. Good to know that Garreth still did not have a full grasp on the concept of “secrecy”.
“Why is she entering Hogwarts this late?” He asked.
“That’s the weirdest part!” Garreth whispered. “I asked my aunt, and she said the Ministry did not explain. They simply said that the Trace must have failed, and she was undetectable until a few months before summer. She’s muggle-born too, so, no one went looking when she didn’t get her letter. And the Quill of Acceptance, you know, that magical quill that writes wizarding kids' names on that magical book, just activated this year. It has been driving Aunt Matilda nuts all summer. Now they’re enrolling her.”
“That’s really puzzling, Garreth. There’s much more to this story. Do you realize that?” Sebastian asked, but Garreth was not listening anymore, already looking around, probably looking for the next person he intended to tell that secret.
“Yeah, totally,” Garreth murmured, his eyes lighting up all of a sudden. “I see Natty over there. She’s already talking to Poppy, but I have to tell it first hand.” He began walking down the hallway, turning around to say. “See you later, Sebastian! Good luck finding Ominis.”
Sebastian sighed, watching his friend disappear among the other students. Garreth was as good at keeping secrets as in brewing his potions. Professor Weasley had probably spent a few days deliberating if she should tell his nephew about the new student and only told him minutes before heading to the platform, Sebastian imagined, knowing well that half the school would already know about it when the new student arrived.
The boy continued walking, his already troubled mind now busy with the puzzling mystery that had been presented to him. Every underage wizard had the Trace, a way for the Ministry to control their usage of magic. How unlucky of them for the regulations to have been invented right when they were born. It should be fun to play with magic outside of their home when no one was looking. The thought made him smile, imagining everything that he and Anne could have done. Sebastian shook his head. That was pointless now.
Suddenly, his dark brown eyes met a tall figure leaning against a window, holding a wand with red sparkles leaving its tip. The sandy blond hair, always brushed and tidy, left no doubt that it was his friend. Sebastian smiled, sliding in between students to reach him. However, soon enough his grin faded away, turning into a frown as he realized that Ominis’s brother had decided to redecorate his jacket. The word “Squib” had been magically painted across the back of his coat, imperceptible to his friend, who had to rely on his touch.
“Ominis,” Sebastian called, softly brushing his finger against Ominis’s sleeve, trying to make his presence noticed among the ruckus.
The sudden touch startled the boy, who had been lost in his thoughts for the past minutes. It was usual for him to wait until most students found a place inside the train before he went out to search for Sebastian. It was easier to do so with fewer people moving inside the narrow hallway.
Ominis Gaunt was a bright fifteen-year-old. He had excelled in almost every subject at school during the years prior, except for Potions, since he had to rely deeply on the vision that he did not possess to create proper mixtures. However, his excellent grades still proved not to be enough to put his family at ease with him. He had already accepted that being born blind in the Gaunt family, direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, made him a failure to them no matter how much he excelled in other fields. His parents prided themselves on the family’s pure-blood status, doing little to no effort to hide their disgust for muggles and muggle-borns. In between the screams of muggles being tortured for fun and his brother raging around the house after completing 17 years of age and becoming free to use magic as he pleased, Ominis had decided to stay in his room for most of the summer. He had his books and his wand to help him, and that was more than enough.
For the past three years, summers had been spent in the Sallow household. Solomon had been kind enough to welcome him there after Sebastian pleaded him to allow it and, as a last effort, told his uncle of the unorthodox punishments the Gaunts reserved for their children if they weren’t pleased with them. However, with Anne sick, Ominis did not wish to be another problem for Solomon to worry about. Even if the Sallows insisted, he had preferred to go back home that summer, giving them space to deal with the difficult situation that had befallen over them.
Summer had been quite uneventful, if he could ignore the tortures happening in the house’s basement and his blood curdling whenever Marvolo opened up his door, telling him that he had invented a new game for them to play. With time, he learned how to survive his family. He had learned that whenever his father said they had work to do in the basement, it was time to run upstairs and lock his door. He preferred going outside, but his parents would kill him if anyone in the nearby muggle village passed by and discovered that they had a blind child. He had learned that his sister despised being in the same room as him, so it was better to avoid her before she created some story to get him in trouble with their parents. He had learned to keep his wand underneath his pillow so that his brother would not steal it during the night, and to hold it tight whenever he felt any member of his family getting closer because he could not take any risks. That was why he had spent most of his time in his room, studying and writing to his friends with the help of his enchanted quill, hoping for the summer to end.
“Sebastian,” he smiled, stretching his hand until he could touch Sebastian’s arm, trying his best to locate him among so much noise. “Good to hear your voice. How are you?”
“I’m good,” Sebastian said, sending a furious look to a group of Gryffindor girls who walk past them giggling after seeing Ominis’s coat. “Anne has sent you her best wishes and asked me to tell you that you must visit her as soon as possible.”
“Consider it done,” Ominis responded. “Shall we find our seats?”
“Yes, in a minute,” Sebastian said, getting closer to Ominis. “First, take off your coat and hand it to me. Marvolo left a small treat on it, I’ll try to clean it off.”
The boy’s smile faded away. Frowning, Ominis took the coat off, revealing the dark green vest he wore underneath, as well as his perfectly aligned white shirt.
“What did he do now?” he asked, holding the coat against his chest, with the bright magical letters slipping over the edge of his arm.
“He wrote squib on your back,” Sebastian answered with a sigh.
Squib. Marvolo insisted on calling him that at home, inside the common room, and whenever they crossed paths. It was true that the 17-year-old spent most of his time skipping class, making it easier for Ominis to stay out of his way, but it was not any less uncomfortable when they ended up meeting at school. He was their parent's firstborn, the pride of the family, and their favorite child. Arabella, only one year older than Ominis, was their perfect princess. Unbothered by everything, she was ready to follow in their mother’s footsteps, marry into another prestigious pure-blood family and settle with perfect children. Then, there was Ominis. They tried everything to reverse his blindness, but everything failed. According to Marvolo, the only reason he had lived past the irreversible diagnosis was their aunt Noctua, their father’s sister, who had intervened in his favor, saying that even if blind, he could still be a wizard. The first signs of magic came when he was three years old, affirming to his parents that they had not brought a squib to life and allowing him a chance to live. Ominis did not know if he believed Marvolo, but it sounded just like them to do such a thing.
“Give it to me,” Sebastian said, taking the coat from Ominis’s hands. “Let’s find somewhere to sit.”
He felt Ominis hold the back of his sleeve, making sure that he would not drift too far for him to follow. Crowded places were usually hard. Ominis did not know how to explain his wand. He simply knew where things were. It was not as if he could see or if the wand whispered things to him, as some of his colleagues had asked before. He simply knew. He knew that they passed through a door, entering another wagon, not only because of the sound, but he knew. He knew that they were in a crowded area, and he knew when to move aside when a group of second-years came running in his direction, chasing a poor mouse that had escaped. He knew, even if he could not see them. The problem with crowded areas was that there was too much for him to know, which made the information jumbled. To still be able to navigate, the area scanned by his wand had to be much smaller, slightly bigger than himself simply for safety reasons, making it easier for him to get lost and basically impossible for him to find anyone unless the person found him first.
“Here,” Sebastian said, opening one door. “This one’s free.”
Ominis followed him inside, sitting down as soon as he managed to find the seat. In the silence of the cabin, he allowed himself to put his hand away in his pocket. Sometimes, the world was too much information. It was good to be able to shut it down for a small bit, especially since he knew that things would get even more chaotic during the Sorting Ceremony.
“How the hell did he do this?” Sebastian complained, stretching the coat over his legs and studying the letters. “Shit.”
“Language,” Ominis said, leaning his head against the cold window. “How was summer, Sebastian?”
Sebastian raised his eyes to his friend, opening up a crooked smile.
“Language?” He snickered. “Sorry, mom , I did not want to offend you,” the boy laughed. “My summer was as crappy as it could be, how about yours? Perfecting the art of becoming an old lady?”
Ominis allowed himself to smile. There was not much laughter in his house, except, of course, for Marvolo’s, but that was never a good omen.
“Well, quite differently from you who’s perfecting the art of becoming a complete dimwit,” he laughed, listening to Sebastian laughing as well. “Summer was awful, as expected,” he responded with a sigh. “I’m done with them, Sebastian. I cannot wait to graduate and leave.”
“Just another three years, my friend,” Sebastian answered, raising the coat in front of him and touching it with his wand, whispering a spell to no avail. “And then, we’ll find a nice spot at Hogsmeade, open our own bookshop, and be free of any family drama. You, me… And Anne,” he stopped, lowering the coat back to his lap and raising his eyes to Ominis. His friend was good at hiding his true emotions, but as the corner of his mouth contorted under the mention of his name, Sebastian knew what he was thinking. He did not think that Anne would be there.
“So… I was talking to Garreth just now,” Sebastian mentioned, changing the subject. “He’s told me something that you won’t believe. We’ll have a new student in the fifth year.”
Ominis opened up his eyes, raising one eyebrow. Now that, Sebastian thought, has sparked his interest.
“A new fifth year?” Ominis asked, leaning forward. “I’ve never heard of something like this before.”
“Me neither,” Sebastian answered. “Garreth told me that she’s to start now, and she’ll be in our class. Apparently, Professor Weasley asked him to help accommodate her. Quite brave of her to trust this task to Garreth,” he snorted, placing Ominis’ coat over the bench and pressing his wand against it once more, whispering another spell.
“But why?” Ominis wondered.
“I guess that since he’s her nephew, she thought that he would be a good person to ask, I don’t know,” Sebastian mindlessly answered, analyzing the coat.
With that, Ominis sighed, taking out his wand and pointing it to the coat, whispering:
“Finite”
In a blink, the words faded away, absorbed by the fabric.
“Now that we solved that, could you please pay attention?” The boy asked, picking the coat from Sebastian’s hands, who was still staring at it in disbelief. “I’m not asking ‘why Garreth’, I’m asking why this girl is only entering school now.”
“You knew how to solve the coat thing all along?” Sebastian asked, completely ignoring him.
“No, I just thought that it was worth trying the simplest spell before the complex ones, since Marvolo is a pillock,” Ominis answered. “Will you focus? Why didn’t she enter Hogwarts at the same time we did? Is she from another country? Or perhaps an influential family who thought their kid could be homeschooled and then gave up on the idea?”
“From what Garreth has told me, the Ministry did not have a Trace on her up until recently. She was invisible to them until now. Isn’t it weird?” Sebastian explained.
“Definitely,” Ominis answered. “But her parents never wondered why she didn’t get her letter?”
“She’s muggle born,” Sebastian explained.
Before their discussion could continue, they heard the trolley lady calling from the corridor, announcing her sweets.
“I’ll be right back,” Sebastian announced, getting up. “Do you want something?”
Ominis shook his head, listening to the door opening and closing while Sebastian went after his multi-flavored beans. Sitting by himself, the boy allowed his mind to wander, dragging him through his thoughts. A muggle-born in their school. Another one. He hoped that Marvolo did not find out. They were his favorite kind of prey, aside from himself, of course. The truth was that the wizarding world was a cruel place. Ominis was completely aware of his privileged position, but he still knew that their society was deeply affected by years of prejudice, and being part of his family, he saw how disastrous the results of certain philosophies were. Among the disdain for muggles and simply inhumane conditions for house elves, not to mention their disgust for goblin kind and other magical creatures, he knew how horrific wizards could be. He hoped that the girl was a quick learner. Hogwarts was a good place in general, but Headmaster Black probably wasn’t thrilled about having to receive another muggle-born student. Some of their own colleagues believed in blood status and would probably not receive her with open arms. Between those who treated muggle-borns with disgust to those who treated them as an inferior kind of wizard, they were all rotten in Ominis’s opinion. He knew the path it would lead them. Everything was fun and games until they ended up meeting someone who did more than witty jokes. Someone like his parents.
“I barely could get anything,” Sebastian blurted out, opening the door and pulling Ominis away from his thoughts. His mouth was full, but he continued, “Those first-years are definitely enjoying themselves back there. I got some licorice if you’d like. And this is for you.”
He placed a pentagon-shaped box in Ominis’ hands before seating back in his place. The boy smiled, feeling the familiar shape. He had always enjoyed chocolate frogs. With one hand, he broke the seal, carefully pushing the lid upwards while he grabbed the enchanted piece of chocolate with his other hand. He could not let it run away. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the blasted thing, magic vanished, and it became a regular piece of chocolate waiting for him to enjoy.
“Thank you,” he said, taking one bite out of the chocolate before reaching for the card. He did not need his wand to feel Sebastian’s gaze over him, as curious as he was to know which card he had gotten. “It’s time, Sebastian. We’ve been waiting for Helga Hufflepuff for years now,” he said, pulling the card out of the box and handing it to his friend. “Please, do the honors.”
“I shall never forget this,” Sebastian added, with his overly dramatic voice.
Ominis felt the card slipping from his hand, and then there was silence. He could hear Sebastian’s shaky breath until his friend said:
“Congratulations, my friend,” he placed the card back into Ominis’ hands. “Hufflepuff it is.”
. . .
“First-years, follow me!” Mr. Moon, the caretaker, shouted. “First-years!”
Sebastian jumped out of the train wagon, holding Ominis’ bag so that he could walk safely downstairs. After handing him the bag back, the two boys began heading towards the castle, following the sea of students who were all attempting to get the already existing wagons without having to wait for the ones returning.
“This new student,” Ominis began, adjusting the satchel by his side, “do you think she took the train?”
“I believe it’s unlikely,” Sebastian answered. “Garreth was not dragging the poor girl around with him, I’m pretty sure he would be if she was there.”
“Makes sense,” Ominis chuckled.
“What new student are you two talking about?” A female voice asked from behind them, making Sebastian groan.
“No one, Imelda,” he answered, turning around to look at the girl. As usual, her dark hair was secured in a low bun, and she had already changed into her Slytherin vests. “Don’t you have nowhere else to be right now?”
“I was simply attempting to start the conversation,” she continued, following the two boys who kept on walking. “It’s rude to treat a girl like this. I hoped that you would have more manners, Sallow.”
“It’s a private conversation,” Ominis answered. “If anyone here should have more manners, it is you, Imelda.”
The girl rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her.
“Very well, keep your little secrets then,” she teased. “Just try not to lose any points to Slytherin doing whatever you're going to do. I have my own ways of finding out about this new student of yours.”
With that, the girl went ahead, joining her group of friends a few steps ahead.
“Blasted Imelda,” Sebastian grumbled. “Now everyone in our house will know.”
“Considering that Garreth knew, everyone in Gryffindor already knows,” Ominis chuckled.
“Oh, shut up,” Sebastian chuckled as well.
They continued moving forward, following their path and, for a moment, Sebastian allowed himself to dive into his own thoughts once more. He had to make the best out of his time at Hogwarts, since he knew that his best chance to find a cure was at the library. After Anne was cursed at the ending of the previous school year, he attempted to apply some techniques that he had found in some books that he had snatched from the library, but to no avail. He had to continue with his research.
“Sebastian!” A familiar voice called, making him search the crowd until he saw Samantha, a fifth-year Ravenclaw girl, coming towards him.
Samantha Dale had always seemed like a sweet girl. He did not have much contact with her, but they were in the same class and had talked a handful of times those past four years. The Dales were a traditional family in the wizarding world, with most of them working on the Ministry. From what Ominis had heard his father saying, they seemed quite progressive in their ways.
“Hi, Sebastian. Hi Ominis!” She greeted them. “Sebastian, how’s Anne?” Samantha asked, turning to face the boy. “Last I talked to her, she told me that she was not coming back to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year. Is it true?”
Sebastian sighed. He thought that he would be able to manage those questions better. It wasn’t supposed to be that hard. Just some questions from their friends and colleagues. However, when he had to repeat the same answer over and over again, he remembered the same pain of watching his sister getting worse, the pain of being unable to help.
“I’m afraid so,” he answered, trying to keep his composure. “Anne is still too weak to come back, so the doctors asked her to rest.”
“I hope she feels better soon,” Samantha said. “In fact, I brought a little trinket to her. Here.”
She reached into her bag, handing Sebastian a vial around the side of his fist containing a small garden inside.
“I did it myself with plants from our garden back at home,” she explained. “She’s always liked nature, so I hope she’ll like this. Could you give it to her when you go visit?”
The boy was taken aback by such kindness coming from her. Anne would be thrilled with any gift that she would receive, but that had reached another level. With a smile and trying to hold the knot that had formed inside his throat, Sebastian took the plant, holding it with both hands.
“I’ll make sure that she receives it,” he said, smiling. “Thank you, Dale.”
The girl smiled back at him, accompanying them while they walked.
When they finally managed to get to the wagons that would take them to school, they found Everett Clopton, already sitting on the wagon’s bench.
“Hello, everyone,” Everett said, watching Sebastian take the seat in front of him and holding the wagon’s side when it began moving. “How was summer?”
“Hi, Clopton,” Sebastian politely answered. “It was good, how about yours?”
“Terrific!” The boy said, perking up in his seat. “A friend of my father got us seats to see a few quidditch games, he even managed for us to meet the players. You cannot imagine the blissful experience of getting an autograph for Hornton himself!”
Sebastian gave him a polite smile, turning his head to see the thestrals pulling the carriage. He had never been fond of them. It seemed to him that it was quite grim to have creatures associated with death pulling carriages for the school. It was just like a morbid secret, one that only those like himself, who had the displeasure of witnessing death, could know.
In his mind, he could not avoid thinking of Anne. Life was an unfair little game, one that he was forced to learn how to play. First, they had their parents taken from them due to an incident with the lights in their house. They went downstairs to give them good night and found both their bodies lying on the floor, unconscious. The smell of the gas leaking from the lights was horrendous, but nothing worse than the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. Anne had to practically drag him so that he would move, he remembered. Life was good with their parents around. They were always encouraged to study, try new things, and learn everything they could. Uncle Solomon was quite the opposite. His attachment to rules and tradition was like a collar placed around Sebastian’s neck. In that little home in Feldcroft, the boy felt imprisoned. Now, life was trying to take away his sister as well.
Blasted things , he thought, looking away from the thestrals. So unfair. That was so unfair.
. . .
Sitting at the Slytherin table, Sebastian kept staring at his plate. It was too uncomfortable, too bad to spend that evening, which used to be so important for them, without his sister. Walking around Hogwarts, he felt as if a part of him was missing, one that he would never be able to replace. Sebastian sighed. For the first time, he did not care about the first-years. He did not care about the feast or about Black’s stupid rules for the school year. Simply staying there was painful, another reminder that Anne was locked at home.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” he heard Garreth Weasley say, squeezing in between him and Ominis in order to sit with them at the Slytherin table.
“What are you doing here, Weasley?” Ominis exclaimed. “Professor Sharp will kick you out.”
“Well, Professor Sharp will have to wait five minutes because I have news for you!” Garreth said, looking at the other boys before hugging their necks and pulling them closer. “I was just talking to Aunt Matilda, and she was terribly distressed. Do you want to know why?”
“Not really,” Ominis answered.
“Because,” the ginger continued, ignoring his friend, “Professor Fig and the new girl were attacked by a dragon on their way here!”
Sebastian widened his eyes, turning to look at Garreth in shock.
“A dragon?” He exclaimed. “Are you having a laugh?”
“I swear,” Garreth insisted. “They were traveling with a Ministry Official. Poor chap did not stand a chance, Aunt Matilda said, killed by a dragon in midair. Fig and the girl are fine, though. They are on their way.”
“Wicked,” Sebastian whispered. “But did they have a fight with the blasted thing?”
“Mr. Weasley.”
The three boys turned around in surprise, gasping as they saw Professor Sharp, head of the Slytherin house, standing right behind them. Garreth stumbled to get up, standing in front of the professor.
“Are you planning on changing houses by any chance, Mr. Weasley?”
“N-No, sir,” Garreth answered. “I was just telling them something before the ceremony started.”
“I believe that you already had enough time to talk to your friends, during your trip to the castle,” Professor Sharp pointed out. “Now, during your other meals, you may sit with your friends, but this is an official school event and I will have to ask you to go back to the Gryffindor table.”
Garreth nodded, watching the professor walk away.
“So,” he whispered, leaning closer to the other two, who were still seating. “I bet Arthur that she was going to be a Gryffindor. Do you want in on that?”
“Mr. Weasley, back to your table now!” Professor Sharp scolded from the front of the hall.
“Oh well,” Garreth chuckled. “Betting is over, I guess.”
The Sorting Ceremony was uneventful. The first-years got sorted and were well received by their counterparts. Sebastian tried to keep himself busy talking to Ominis and watching their fellow Slytherin students, analyzing the differences before and after summer. He spotted, on the other end of the table, Marvolo Gaunt, Ominis’ brother. He was chatting with his friends, occasionally glancing at his younger sibling and being received by Sebastian’s angry gaze. Not only once he had been forced to face the seventh year to protect his friend.
Everything was going on as usual, until the doors opened up one last time. He watched a girl come in, with ginger hair and a mesmerized look on her face. Her eyes were brimming with anticipation, and Sebastian knew that was the new fifth year. She was pretty, very pretty, and the boy immediately felt his stomach swirl.
“What’s happening?” Ominis asked.
“The new student just entered with the headmaster,” Sebastian explained, relieved that he could focus on another thing other than solely her. “She’s heading to the sorting hat.”
He watched her, fidgeting with her fingers and shyly walking around. He wondered how new all of that could be for her. Being born in a wizarding family, it was only natural that he would study at the same school his parents had before him. He had grown up on stories regarding that place. It was part of his life. For her, he could only imagine how different it could be.
Suddenly, they locked eyes. Sebastian felt as if a thousand needles had just pierced his skin, sending shivers down his legs. Later, he thought that he should have smiled, nodded, or done anything to make the situation less awkward, however, he did no such thing. When his dark eyes met her green gaze, he continued to stare until he heard Ominis say:
“And what is happening now?”
That grounded him once more, making him look to his friend.
“She’s on the stool. Professor Weasley is placing the hat on her head.”
It did not take long for the hat to announce her house. The boy could listen to the others talking, wondering what she knew and what she didn’t. The school had clearly done an excellent job displaying her in front of all students, Sebastian thought. If anyone had any doubt about whom the new students would be, now there was nothing else to fear.
“What does she look like?” Ominis asked.
“She’s ginger,” Sebastian described, watching her sit next to Poppy Sweeting. Their eyes locked once more, making him immediately look away. “I don’t know, Ominis. She’s pretty. And she has a nice smile.”
“What do you mean by a nice smile?” Ominis asked.
“It’s just a smile that is nice,” Sebastian answered, filling his place with food.
He looked at her a few more times during the meal, but he tried not to mind her too much. It was just a new student, there was nothing to worry about.
…
“She seems delightful,” Sebastian casually said while following Ominis to the Slytherin Common Room. “She’s totally hiding something, though. Did you see how she avoided talking about the dragon thing?”
Ominis let out a long sigh, stopping in front of the Common Room entrance.
“Aspiration,” he said, listening to the entrance appearing in front of them.
At that moment, the form of a snake appeared from the floor, revealing a hidden door that immediately opened up.
“Perhaps, Sebastian,” Ominis continues, “she avoided it because you were not the first person to ask. Garreth told half the school by this point, I’m pretty sure that the poor girl is tired of telling everyone the same traumatic story.”
“Traumatic?” Sebastian exclaimed, following him in. “There was a Dragon!”
“Who ate a person in front of her,” Ominis continued. “I am pretty sure that this creates some sort of trauma.”
The Slytherin common room was decorated in different shades of green. Being underneath the great lake, it had a set of three large windows that offered an exclusive view under the water. The entire room was set to give the feeling of the sea, Sebastian thought, always with a comfortably dim light and snacks scattered among the leather couches and armchairs.
“What? Of course not!” Sebastian answered, rushing to reach Ominis and follow him down the hallway by his side. “It’s a fucking dragon. I don’t see why someone would be traumatized by that.”
“It’s because your brain has been transmuted into a pudding by this point,” Ominis pointed out, coming to a stop in front of their bedroom door and turning in Sebastian’s direction. “Besides, you have the same emotional sensibility as a rock. And I’m still figuring out if the rock is not more sensible.”
Sebastian gasped, opening his mouth and watching with an offended expression while Ominis entered and walked to his bed.
“I’m a sensible person,” Sebastian argued. “I’m a fairly charming chap, alright?”
“You have that impression, Sebastian, simply because you act as if you would die if you do not flirt with at least one person per day,” the other boy pointed out, taking off his robe and carefully folding it, placing it over his trunk.
After locating his bed, he placed his wand over the bedsheets and took off his blazer, and loosened up his tie. With much care, and still listening to Sebastian’s complaints, he folded the tie and blazer, feeling the bed with his hands until he could sense the hardness of the trunk with his fingertips.
“What classes do we have tomorrow?” Ominis asked. “I believe that they have our timetable attached to the dorm room?”
“Oh, look who needs my help now,” Sebastian grumbled, but Ominis could listen to him walking around the room. “Defense Against the Dark Arts, and then Charms,” he answered. Ominous heard his steps approaching, coming to a stop a few feet away. There was clicking and the sound of a trunk being opened. “We’re going to start the year kicking some idiot’s ass,” Sebastian chuckled.
“Please do,” Ominis laughed back. “Leander Brown still needs some ass-kicking.”
The boys chuckled, taking their pajamas and heading to the bathroom to get changed.
That night, when Sebastian Sallow lay in bed, he felt quite different from what he did during the morning. Listening to Ominis calm breathing in the neighboring bed, the boy felt calmer than when he left his home. He had assumed that year in Hogwarts would be terrible in every single way, but it had started with the news: Amelia Carter.
He did not know yet what to think about the new girl, however, she had her secrets and Sebastian was very interested in discovering what they were.