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            We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a fifth-year student.

            Term begins on 1 September.

            Preliminary supplies have been collected for you and will accompany you on your journey to the castle.

            As you may be aware, the Decree for Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery prohibits the use of magic by those under the age of seventeen outside school. However, due to your unique circumstances, the Ministry has graciously agreed to allow Professor Eleazor Fig to help you hone your spell-casting before escorting you from London to the castle for the start-of-term feast and the Sorting Ceremony.

                                                                                    Yours Sincerely,

                                                                                                Professor Weasley

                                                                                                Deputy Headmistress

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           “I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” Rhea said nervously, looking in the mirror as her mother stuck pins into her unruly hair, trying to coerce it into a neat bun for what was probably the fifth time that morning.

            “Darling, you should try and look as presentable as possible today, of all days,” her mother sighed, pulling the pin out once more. “This is a magnificent honor.”

            “Apparently so,” Rhea sighed, wincing as the pin twisted the wrong way and pulled at her roots.

            “Apparently so,” her mother echoed with an encouraging smile. “That nice Fig man seemed so utterly convinced that you belong at this school. And well, I believe him. I’ve heard such great things about Hogwarts.”

            “But what if it’s nothing like what he says,” Rhea questioned. “What if I can’t catch up to the other students? What if there’s a mistake and I’m not actually meant to go there?”

“Oh you hush with all of that, Rhea,” her mother scolded. “Now listen here: you won’t know until you try. And if you don’t fit in, or if you can’t keep up, that’s perfectly fine. You don’t need magic to live a full and happy life. And that’s from personal experience, so you know I’m not just pulling your leg.”

            “But you grew up with magic, mum,” Rhea pointed out. “It’s different…”

            “Darling, being a squib is hardly growing up with magic,” Mrs. Pennywhistle chortled. “I was never good at magic; I couldn’t even find a wand that suited me. I tried and tried—I stole wands, I borrowed wands, I tested every wand at Ollivander’s… That’s a disappointment I know you won’t have.”

            “But how can you know that?”

            “Well, for one, you are an incredibly bright young witch. Why else would they want to bring you to school as a fifth year?” her mother continued, taking Rhea’s hair completely out of the bun and trying a sixth time to tame it. “And for another, your Aunt Merys was a fine study. And now she works for the Ministry of Magic!”

            After a few moments of anxious silence, Mrs. Pennywhistle lowered her hands and gave a defeated sigh as she inspected her daughter’s copper curls. “Are you… not excited at all, dear?”

            Rhea glanced at her mother before staring down at her lap again. “It would be a lie to say that I haven’t dreamed of exactly this happening before… When I was eleven and cousin Bertie got her letter and I… didn’t…” she sighed and shook her head. “I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed, that’s all.”

            “It is a lot to take in,” her mother nodded, running a brush through her daughter’s hair carefully before tying it back into a ponytail. “But I do hope you’ll find time to enjoy yourself. You get to learn magic from some of the best and brightest witches and wizards in the world. You get to find a wand that speaks to who you are, that will guide you through your studies and through life. You’re going to make some wonderful friends and it’ll be like a second home to you. A chance like this is… absolutely priceless darling.”

            “Mom what am I going to do without you?” Rhea asked quietly, looking back up at her mother through the mirror.

            “You are going to do brilliantly,” her mother smiled proudly, hugging Rhea tightly. “And you can borrow an owl from the school and write to me every day if it’ll make you feel better. Now, let’s get you to that Professor.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Ah!” the old man exclaimed, buckling closed the final strap holding the luggage onto the carriage. Rhea wasn’t sure what all the fasteners were for; surely the carriage ride wouldn’t be that turbulent. “It appears we are almost ready to depart.”

            Rhea smiled as he came to join her near the door to the carriage, “I’m excited to be off.”

            The professor smiled wryly and looked slightly disappointed, “It’s a pity we didn’t have a bit more time to spend on spell-casting. Though, I presume you’ve been practicing the spells we worked on?”

            “I have, Professor,” Rhea smiled, demonstrating one of the wand grips he’d taught her. She rather liked the borrowed wand the school had provided for her. It had a peculiar bounce to it, and it didn’t always do exactly what she wanted it to, but she’d had no trouble shooting sparks out of it during practice.

            It seemed the professor had much the same opinion as he continued, “Very good, very good. I’m quite sure I’ve never seen anyone take so quickly to a second-hand wand. You’ll be a force to be reckoned with when you get your own.”

            “Thank you, Professor Fig!” Rhea beamed, tucking her borrowed wand away for the time being. “I just want to say that I really appreciate your working with me before the term begi—”

            There was a sharp popping noise and suddenly they weren’t alone on the misty street. A well-dressed man in a green peacoat spun around, getting his bearings. Rhea stared openly, not bothering to finish her sentence. She’d heard about apparition the few times she’d had the opportunity to visit with her mother’s family, but she’d never witnessed it—let alone done it herself. It sounded terrifying in concept, but it just looked a bit silly in her opinion.

            The man spotted the pair and gave out a booming greeting, “AH! Eleazar!”

            “George,” Fig began, “Glad my rather cryptic description of our location did not thwart your finding us.”

            “I’ve Apparated to more vaguely defined destinations than this,” George said with a laugh. He was dressed smartly, and his round face bore a part of small, round glasses. “Though, I confess I may have miscalculated slightly on my first try. Gave quite the fright to some theatre-goers in the West End!”

            Rhea laughed politely when the man grinned at her before Professor Fig grabbed both of their attentions.

            “It’s been much too long. When I received your owl, I must say I—”

            The man suddenly turned serious, the joking tone immediately leaving his voice as his smile fell, “Best not speak here, Eleazar, hm?” His eyes darted around the seemingly empty street anxiously. Professor Fig also glanced around, catching George’s way mood instantly.

            “Of course,” Fig nodded sharply. “Why don’t we speak enroute to Hogwarts? We have a start-of-term feast and a Sorting Ceremony to get to.”

            “Wonderful idea!” George exclaimed, turning to inspect the carriage. “As long as your young charge here doesn’t mind me tagging along.”

            “Not at all, sir,” Rhea provided quickly. She was eager to be on the road. The anxious looked the man had been giving the empty street had set her on edge, and she knew she would feel much safer once they were on their way to school. She had enough to be concerned about with her first… everything at Hogwarts quickly approaching.

            They all quickly began piling into the carriage and George continued to rattle on, much more jovial that he was a few moments prior. “Ages since I’ve been to the castle,” he said. “Would be good to see the old pile of rocks.”

            George hesitated slightly before climbing in after Fig and Rhea, as Big Ben began chiming loudly in the distance. He shut the door quickly behind him and the carriage immediately sprung into action, no horses in sight. All the security straps for the luggage suddenly made sense as the carriage took to the sky. Rhea still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around how it worked, though she was certain she’d learn more at Hogwarts. She watched through the window for as long as she could, London’s lights winking out slowly the further away they got.

            As they flew up and through the clouds, Fig gave George Osric a proper introduction to the pair. They’d been flying and making comfortable chit chat for about an hour before George leaned forward intently. “Glad I caught you before you left for Scotland.”

            “Just barely,” Fig pointed out, grinning slightly at Rhea, who listened politely, unsure if she should be actively participating in their conversation or not.

            “So tell me more about your traveling companion,” Osric said. “We’ve been introduced, yes, but I’m afraid I know nothing else.”

            “As I’m sure you’ve gathered, she’s a new student,” Fig said, giving Rhea a proud sort of look.

            “New?” Osric asked, glancing between Rhea and Fig, seeming confused.

            “Yes sir,” she explained. “I’m starting school as a fifth-year.”

            “How extraordinary,” George said, sounding as if he was truly impressed.

            “It is, indeed,” Fig nodded. “None of the faculty has ever heard of anyone being admitted to Hogwarts so late.”

            “Nor have I,” Osric added.

            “You certainly have had us all in a tizzy getting prepared to welcome you to the school,” Fig told her. “Trying to find a way to teach you four years’ worth of work in as short a time as possible is certainly a challenging task, even for our brilliant faculty. Of course, as the other fifth-years will have been honing their magical sills for four years now, the Headmaster asked if I could get out new student up to speed a bit before the term begins. At least give her a little head start before the rest of the faculty gets a turn teaching her.”

            “Well,” Osric said brightly, “You couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. Professor Fig is not only an exceptional teacher, he is also a remarkably intuitive—and gifted—wizard.”

            “Mr. Osric is prone to flattery,” Fig said to Rhea, glancing at Osric with a mischievous look. “I daresay it’s one of the reasons he’s risen so far at the Ministry.”

            Fig chuckled, but Osric’s face grew grim as he pulled out a newspaper and presented it to Fig. “Have you seen this?” It was a front page bearing the likeness of a grim looking Goblin, warning about how dangerous he, and his loyal supporters, had become.

            “I have,” Fig sighed. “Opinions differ as to how great a threat Ranrok really is, of course.”

            This was something that Rhea hadn’t really heard anything about. Up until a few weeks prior, this hadn’t been a part of her world at all. With any luck, the ministry would get a handle on things and she’d be able to focus on her studies instead.

            Something caught her eye as she looked away from the paper. Outside the carriage, below them, she thought she saw a formidable looking shadow lurking within the clouds. She shook her head slightly. There was no way there was anything there. Mr. Osric’s uneasy mood had clearly just fed into her already anxious mood.

            “Although I’ve yet to convince my colleagues at the Ministry, I believe he is a significant threat,” Osric was saying as Rhea turned her attention back to the conversation. Perhaps knowing a bit more about this situation would ease her worries. “And It was your wife, Eleazar, who alerted me to his activities months ago.”

            “Miriam?” Fig asked, leaning forward, his interest thoroughly grabbed. “How?”

            Osric sighed, seeming a bit downtrodden, “She wrote to me about Ranrok before she died—wondering what the Ministry knew about his activities. Before I could respond, I received this.” He paused and brought out a small cylinder, ornately carved and slightly glowing, a strange symbol latching it closed. “It was the last thing she sent me, Eleazar. It came to me via her owl—but with no correspondence. I can only assume—”

            “That she had to get rid of it quickly to keep it safe,” Fig interjected, reaching out to take the item from George’s grasp quickly, his eyes glinting curiously behind the sadness in them.

            “Presumably from Ranrok,” George finished solemnly. “I cannot open it. Whatever magic protects this is powerful indeed.”

            “It looks like goblin metal,” Fig noted, holding the cannister up to the light to get a better look at it. “That symbol—”

            At this point Rhea noticed that neither men seemed to note the most obvious feature of the container and she blurted out, “But what’s that glow?”

            Fig looked at her sharply, as did Osric, before looking back at the container, “I don’t see a glow.”

            “Nor do I,” Osric added after a short moment, looking up at Fig with a bewildered expression. His eyes then rested on Rhea, who was still looking curiously at the container.

            Fig didn’t need to hear any more about it, and carefully placed the container in Rhea’s hands. She readily took it, though she was filled with a buzzing feeling of worry. As she held it, the glow shifted from the strange fire-like symbol and shot out to the ends of the cannister before lighting up in two silvery rings. Two small doors popped open and inside lay an ornate key, forged with the same symbol as the lock.

            “Merlin’s beard how did you—?” Osric started as Rhea began to reach for the key.

            “Wait!” Fig exclaimed, grabbing Rhea’s hand suddenly to stop her while his other took the box back from her, “We do not know what—"

            Then everything went to hell.

            The carriage was thrown about, ripping rather cleanly, though violently, in half. As Fig and Rhea struggled not to slide out of their seats—and subsequently out of the carriage, they saw what had struck them. While their half of the carriage continued to fly on, spurred on no doubt by fear, Osric’s half of the carriage was stuck within the mouth of a fearsome dragon.

            Its glowing red eyes were fixed on the other half of the carriage as it smashed the half it possessed with in its mighty jaws. Fig let out a pained sounding curse as he tried to secure the key and container. Rhea whipped around in her seat, shock gripping her as she peers through the broken window to where their driver was sitting. Beyond him, a ripple flashed out and suddenly four great, dark, skeletal beasts were flying frantically in front of the carriage. The carriage driver began aggressively spurring the creatures on, fear sinking in now that the remains of the carriage were stable.

            Unfortunately, just like in all the stories, dragons breathed fire. And that’s precisely what caused Professor Fig to yell “JUMP” while simultaneously pushing Rhea out of the carriage just as the dragon shot a wicked spout of flame in their direction. Everything grew white hot as Rhea lost which direction was up. She was panicking for real this time—first day of school be damned. This was much scarier.

            She struggled to right herself, though she became aware of Professor Fig shouting over the wind for her to take his hand. She reached out blindly, a scream caught in her throat. She heard the professor shout a spell, saw the dragon speeding towards them, jaws wide, and then suddenly felt as though she was being squeezed rather tightly through a swirling drainpipe before hitting the ground hard.

Chapter Text

            Rhea knelt on all fours for a few moments, gasping for air. She was met with frozen, salty air and sandy gravel under her hands. She glanced beside her and saw Professor Fig, also doubled over, catching his breath.

            “Are you alright,” he asked hurriedly as he hauled himself to his feet.

            Rhea moved to do the same but let out a cry of pain as her ankle twinged and gave out beneath her.

            “You’re hurt,” Fig frowned in concern, quickly pulling a vial out of his magical pocket.

            “Perhaps a bit,” she said as he pressed the bottle into her hand.

            “Take this,” he explained. “It’s Wiggenweld Potion. That stuff’ll right you in a second.”

            She uncorked the bottle and reluctantly chugged it down. It didn’t taste that horrible, but it wasn’t incredible. It burned its way down her throat, but almost immediately she could feel the healing properties at work. She wondered if this was something she should be planning on keeping close at hand. Once her head was clearer, she looked up at Professor Fig, fear finally sinking in now that they were safer.

            “What happened?” she asked, feeling lost.

            “Poor George…I can’t believe he…” Fig started before anger seeped into his voice. “What the hell got into that damned thing? Attacking a carriage mid-air? A typical dragon would never—”

            “Professor,” Rhea started, though she could tell Fig wasn’t paying attention to her. “Sir,” she said more forcefully, “Where are we?”

            Fig paused, slowing his breathing before turning back to face her, “I’m not sure. But that key you discovered was clearly a Portkey.”

            “Portkey?” she asked, confused.

            “An item enchanted to bring whoever touches it to a specific place,” Fig explained briefly, looking around the cave intently.

            “I’m feeling better, sir—if you’d like to look around a bit,” Rhea said, picking herself up off the ground at last.

            “I would,” Fig admitted. “But stay close. We’ve no idea who created this Portkey—or why.”

            With that, the pair made their way towards the bright mouth of the cave, greeting b crashing waves and a rushing waterfall jutting out of the cliffside. Seagulls darted about playfully as the wind broke against the rocks around them. A short way across the water was a precariously formed pillar of stone. Sheltered from the majority of the wind and practically welded into that natural stone itself was an ancient looking ruin, a crude path leading up to it below them on the cliffside.

            Rhea stared in disbelief and called out, “How far did that Portkey take us?” She’d never travelled magically before—this was quite a shocking turn of events.

            “Farther from London than the carriage travelled,” Fig responded, looking around hastily to try and gather some sort of bearing. “We’re somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, I think.”

            “Sir—those ruins… Do you think—”

            “—the Portkey was meant to lead us there?” Fig finished. “I absolutely do.” He glanced at her, concern on his face as she looked nervously at the ruins across the chasm. “This has not been the day either of us expected. But Miriam—my dear wife—sent hat Portkey to George for a reason. And I believe that she—and now George—died in pursuit of whatever it was meant to lead to.”

            He paused before continuing, looking at her appraisingly, “If you’re sure you’re all right, and wouldn’t mind indulging me, I’d like to have a look around.”

            “Absolutely, sir,” she heard herself saying before he’d even fully finished his sentence.

            “Good,” he replied, just as quickly. “Let’s see if we can find a path—however faded it may be. Now, be sure to mind your step.”

            The pair began snaking their way along a wide cliffside path that had clearly suffered over the many years since its creation, though stray bits of cloth and pottery remained intact and littered frequently along the path. It was curious that they weren’t battered into dust by the wind and the rain, but it made the whole area feel just a bit more alive than it otherwise would have been.

            “Where do you suppose your wife got the Portkey that brought us here?” Rhea asked. “Could she have been the one that made it in the first place?”

            “That’s a good question,” Fig said brightly. “Miriam spent years searching for evidence of a long-forgotten form of ancient magic.” They began clambering over taller rocks and less clear pathways as they entered the first of the cliff’s precarious archways and windows.

            “Ancient magic?” Rhea asked dubiously. She barely knew anything about regular, modern magic. The fact there were people dedicating their lives to studying extinct version of magic was beyond her.

            “Yes,” Fig said. “Theoretically, it was a powerful magic wielded by a rare few— it doesn’t help that it seems to have been lost to time. Hogwarts castle was built by, and is itself a stronghold of, that ancient magic. I admit, I don’t know where she came into possession of the Portkey. But I am certain it was to do with that search.”

            They continued making their way down the path as carefully as they could. But it was proving more difficult than the beginning of the path had led them to believe. By the time they reached a wall of magic blocking their path, both professor and student were out of breath.

            “But sir—why was your wife searching for evidence of lost magic?”

            “Miriam wanted to understand why such powerful magic disappeared from the wizarding world—spoke of the good it could do. But magic is no different than any power. What really matters is the one who wields it.”

            The pair turned their attentions to the wall before them. “Is that ice?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “It’s not cold enough here,” Fig pointed out. It appears to be a sort of enchantment. Someone wanted to block this path. But this is a perfect opportunity to see some of that wandwork you were practicing.”

            Fig, ever the professor, walked her through the basic spellcasting he’d taught her previously and stood by as she worked at chipping the enchantment away. It seemed easier than she had expected it to be and the way forward was clear in what felt like no time.

            “We’re close now,” Fig said as they continued on their way. “It’s just ahead.” They came out from the shelter of the cliffs into a much stronger wind than they had experienced back up towards the cave. Fig proceeded ever closer to the edge of the end of the path, readying his wand. “Steady yourself!” he cautioned as the wind nearly took him off his feet again. “Reparo!”

            Large boulders began to raise themselves from below the waves, sending a salty spray up into the wind as the old pieces of the bridge began to swirl around, magically mending themselves into the old pathway. Once the debris settled into place, Fig charged forward, leaving Rhea to follow awestruck in his footsteps.

            The ruins were spectacular, even as decayed as they were. Greenery was beginning to reclaim the island, sprouting up through cracks in the elaborate stonework, light filtering through empty window frames high above them.

            “Why would someone have built this here?” Rhea asked, spinning around to look at the entire room they were in. There were several empty alcoves off to the right side of the room, but she couldn’t immediately spot any staircases built into the remaining framework.

            “I suspect they valued their privacy,” Fig half joked as they made their way to the center of the room. “That Portkey led us here for a reason, though. We should have a look around for anything that seems… out of place. Don’t wander too far; there’s no knowing what sort of magic we’re dealing with here.”

            “Of course, professor,” Rhea nodded, but the old man was already making his way to the far wall where a massive carving was etched into the stone. It seemed to have taken a fairly strong beating over time, but a good portion remained mostly untouched. “I wonder who carved this… and why,” she said, joining the professor at the mural.

            He leaned in close, curious as well, “Hmm—perhaps our host was a noted Seer… Interesting…”

            Rhea looked closer, wondering what Fig saw that she couldn’t. There were two figures in different parts of the mural. One was surrounded by stars wielding what looked to be a telescope. The other was sitting near a desk strewn with cards, holding an orb that seemed to have a glow represented by a star in the center. She supposed that Fig was right; that did seem an awful lot like a crystal ball, though she couldn’t speak to any of the rest of the mural’s intention.

            She decided to leave the professor to his intense inspection of the ancient stone and turned her attention towards the only other item of note in the decayed room. A massive statue of a robed wizard holding another orb out in front of him, gazing into it, a book nestled in the crook of his other arm. He even looked as if he could maybe be the wizard from the mural Fig had chosen to investigate.

            “Professor, this statue—” she called, trying to gain his attention.

            “This may have been his home,” Fig postured, moving to join her near the statue, though he seemed reticent to draw himself away from the mural.

            Rhea did another turn, looking for anything else of use and noticed a crumbling path near the mural wall. While Professor Fig inspected the statue for any writing or information about who may have created this place, Rhea set off around the building, carefully picking her way through the rubble. It was definitely worse on this side of the building than it was inside.

            A new room came into view and she hurried towards it, forgetting Fig’s words of caution as she spotted more of the enchanted, crystalized stone. And if it was anything like the section that they had encountered earlier, it must be blocking something. This time it was different though. It seemed to be imbedded in part of the wall instead of blocking an entire cave system. Additionally, it seemed as if it held a similar glow that the box and key had both shared before.

            She slowed down, approaching it cautiously now that she’d noticed the magic swirling inside of it, remembering how quickly things had escalated last time she’d noticed a strange glow. As she got closer, a low ringing noise began to grow in the back of her mind and whispers began to coalesce in her ears. As she came face to face with the enchanted stone, the glow shifted from a shapeless mass into the same symbol they’d been following from the carriage ride.

            “Professor Fig!” she exclaimed as the magic began to pulse.

            The man came running instantly, and he was puffing by the time he reached her. “How odd,” he mused, looking at the stone curiously. “Why would someone have conjured that enchanted stone here?”

            “And how is there a room behind it?” Rhea asked, peering through the stone taking care not to touch it. There truly did seem to be a room behind the stone, though she knew that the wall opened up to the open sea instead of the room she was seeing.

            “What room?” Fig asked, looking at Rhea with the same look he’d given her back in the carriage. “I don’t see anything.”

            “It’s a large circular room,” Rhea said. “There’s a gate on the far wall and there’s a podium in front of it. There are tall columns and the floor is a beautiful patterned marble. I don’t see anyone in there but the lights are on… And the glow is just there again, on the wall—like the glow on the Portkey container! That’s why I called you over.”

            When the professor didn’t respond, she reached her hand out to tough the glow, as she’d done with the Portkey container earlier. Instantly, the light winked out then expanded suddenly, revealing a clean stone wall in front of them. It was as if the magic had simply vanished.

            “Godric’s heart…” The professor breathed as he looked around, startled. He turned and gasped again, muttering rapidly under his breath as he tried to understand what sort of magic they were dealing with.

            Rhea turned and saw that they had somehow gotten into the room she’d seen. “This is the room I was telling you about!” she exclaimed, looking around in awe. “Where are we? Do you know?”

            “I don’t believe it…” he mused, cautiously approaching the podium at the far side of the room. He cleared his throat a few times, motioning to Rhea to stay close and keep quiet. Still unsure of what was going on, she was more than happy to allow him to take the lead.

            With a startled yell, the snoring inhabitant of the room jerked awake, accidentally sending his quill flying. The goblin peered at them in confusion over the edge of a very large book for a few moments, not quite understanding what he was seeing, for whatever reason. After a few beats of silence his pointed ears perked up and a large smile sprouted across his face.

            “It can’t be!” he said excitedly. When Fig and Rhea remained silent, looking back at him with more confusion than excitement, the goblin shook himself back into action saying, “Just a moment!” He then turned and hastily clambered down from the podium he’d been sleeping at and made his way around to greet them properly.

            When he was before them, he gave a deep bow and said, “Welcome to Gringotts Wizarding Bank! Vault number twelve, I presume?”

            “Precisely,” Fig replied after a brief moment of hesitation.

            The goblin started at him expectantly for a few seconds before reaching out a hand and saying, “The key?”

            Fig seemed to pause again and Rhea leaned over and muttered, “Your wife’s Portkey…”

            “Ah, yes, of course,” the professor said quickly, pulling the key out of his coat and handing it to the goblin with a smile.

            The goblin inspected the key briefly before gesturing over to a set of rails, “This way, please.”

            The trio boarded the rickety looking rail car and settled in as the Goblin readied it for departure. “Keep your hands inside the cart if you don’t wish to lose them,” he said with a chuckle.

            They then set off, blasting through massive cave systems that caused Rhea’s jaw to drop in surprise. She’d learned that Gringotts was located in London from her cousins at one point, so somehow, they’d gone from London to the Highlands and back in next to no time at all. She’d heard the bank was massively impressive, but she hadn’t expected all this to be lurking under London.

            “How many vaults are there in Gringotts?” She asked over the howling wind rushing past them as they made their way deeper into the caves.

            “Hundreds,” the goblin explained. “In fact, you’ll see quite a few on our way to vault number twelve. As we speak, we’re just beneath the main lobby. The vaults you see now are the newest.”

            “Are private entrances to the bank common at Gringotts?” Fig followed up quickly.

            “They are most uncommon,” the goblin replied. “Only one with great wealth or power—or both—could have arranged for such a service.” The cart began rotating around them as they passed through another cave and entered into a large chasm with a waterfall lined up perfectly to intersect the tracks. “You’ll want to take a breath,” the goblin warned.

            “A what?” Fig asked sharply, looking at the waterfall with apprehension. But there was nothing to be done as they barreled through and continued on their way.

            “The waterfall washes away all enchantments,” Fig explained once they had made their way past the waterfall. “It’s a security measure.”

            “Experienced the Thief’s Downfall before, have you?” the goblin asked curiously.

            “Heard of it,” Fig corrected.

            “These are the lower vaults that we’re passing now,” the goblin said, gesturing off to the sides of the track.

            “How deep are we going?” Rhea asked, looking up at the cavernous ceiling far above them and then turning her attention to the gaping maw of the earth below them.

            “Vault number twelve was commissioned shortly after Gringotts was founded over four centuries ago. It resides in the deepest part of the bank! Settle in; we’ve quite a distance to go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            After what felt like an hour or so, the cart slowed as they approached a platform. Rhea sat up straighter, hoping that they were at their destination finally, but she was disappointed when they were greeted by a rather surly looking Goblin who paid them no mind. His focus was on the banker driving the cart.

            “Vault number?” he growled, his face pinched up into a suspicious snarl.

            “Vault twelve!” the banker exclaimed proudly. “Momentous day!”

            The guard stared at them for a moment, grumbling slightly to himself before gesturing broadly further down the track, “On your way.” He sneered then at them all individually.

            Rhea felt a nervous tingle run down her spine as he pointed them forward, her eye catching on a silver band around his arm that was glowing with a dark sort of energy, a bolt of fear striking her, though she tried not to show it.

            Once they slowly began to make their way forward again, she caught a glimpse of the mean goblin staring at their cart as he boarded and drove his own off, far quicker than their was going. However, now that she was certain he was out of earshot and sight of their cart, Rhea leaned over to Professor Fig and quietly said, “Professor—the arm band that guard was wearing was glowing…”

            “Like the glow you saw on the Portkey container?” he asked just as quietly.

            “No, darker,” she explained. “I saw that same glow on the collar the dragon was wearing. I’ve only just remembered it…”

            “What was that?” the goblin asked, finally catching wise to their conversation.

            “We were just wondering about that goblin back there,” Fig explained briefly. Enough of the truth that it wasn’t an outright lie.

            “He watches over the oldest section of the bank,” the goblin explained. “Rare anyone goes there anymore.”

            Rhea glanced behind them, worry on her face. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the same dark swirling magic from the dragon attack was also present here in the bowels of Gringotts. Considering her apparent ability to see whatever this swirling silver magic, none of this could be considered up to chance. There had to be something much bigger going on here.

            From their last stop, it was only a short distance to the vault in question. Situated in its own rock formation with no other vaults or mine tracks in sight, it looked ominous. The dark and humid fog of the Gringotts mines definitely didn’t help to make it a cheery sight, regardless of the suspicious circumstances that had led them there in the first place.

            The goblin led them to the door of the vault eagerly.

            “When was the last time this vault was accessed?” Fig asked, looking around in wonder.

            “A goblin has been stationed at my desk for hundreds of years,” the banker explained. “In that time, no one has visited vault twelve—until today, until you two.” He slotted the key into the lock and the magical gears and levers whistled and clicked as they released for the first time in centuries. The goblin stood back and allowed them to enter.

            “What do you suppose we should be looking for?” Rhea asked, following Professor Fig inside cautiously.

            “I’m not sure,” Fig admitted. “Sir, I wonder if you might—” he turned back to face the goblin, who had remained outside of the doorway.

            “The instructions for vault twelve indicate that I am to grant access to the holder of the key—and then close the door,” the goblin said matter-of-factly.

            “Wait—!” Fig shouted, reaching towards the door, but the goblin had already waved his hand and the door slammed shut, all the pistons locking into place. The chamber resonated briefly after the final lock clicked into place and the silence was almost deafening.

            “Best of luck!” they heard from the other side of the door, followed by even more overwhelming silence.

            “Professor?” Rhea asked, looking for any level of reassurance that what had just happened wasn’t actually happening to them.

            “That was certainly unexpected,” the professor said, not picking up on his student’s fear. “Let me think… There must be something here. Hmm… Revelio, perhaps…”

            “Revelio?” Rhea asked skeptically. She really wished that they’d given her more than a history book on magic to study before term. A little bit of wandwork could only get her so far at this point.

            “Yes,” Fig said. “It’s a revealing charm. No time like the present to give you another quick lesson. Let’s see what we’re missing, shall we? All you need to do is ready your wand and focus.”

            “But I don’t know the spell yet,” she pointed out. “Surely you’re more than capable of finding what we’re looking for.”

            “Under normal circumstances I would be inclined to agree with that line of thought,” Professor Fig admitted, “But considering you’ve been seeing an awful lot more than I have today, I think it would be best for you to keep a wary eye out. Now, watch closely.”

            He spent a few minutes going over the charm with her and critiquing her wand movements before letting her loose to investigate the vault. It was a shockingly empty and small room. For being a place of such significance and secrecy, one would assume there would be more… well anything.

            She walked slowly about the room, so focused on casting the spell correctly that she almost missed a door appearing on the far wall. The same symbol was on the front, glowing with the same magic she was starting to grow used to seeing, though it wasn’t exactly a welcome sight to her just yet.

            “Well that’s a start,” Fig said, approaching the door. “There’s that symbol again… I don’t suppose you see a way to—?”

            “I do, Professor!” she exclaimed, hope rising in her chest that they wouldn’t be stuck in the vault much longer. “That symbol has the same glow as the one I saw on the Portkey container.”

            “At this point, I think it’s safe to say that you can see more than I can regarding this. And if what you can see reveals the way forward, then I daresay we are about to discover the secret of this vault!” Fig said, a thread of excitement hidden in his tone, though it remained serious. “Lead the way.”

            Rhea took a shaky breath and held out her hand, wondering how her day had gone from first day of school jitters to hoping that the strange magical glow she was seeing wouldn’t get them killed in the end. Or that it would at least let them escape the tiny dark vault they were currently trapped in.

            Like before, the magical glow brightened and flared until the door and walls melted away and all they could see was the symbol emblazoned in the air, surrounded by nothing at all. Then, it winked out, leaving them in complete darkness.

            It didn’t last long as the professor called out, “Lumos!” and the darkness was broken by a soft glowing white light at the tip of his wand. Rhea looked around but couldn’t see very far at all. She really wished he’d taught her this spell as well so she could have contributed at least a little bit of light.

            “This is no ordinary vault,” Fig said after a moment. “I suspect we will need to earn our way out of here…”

            “What do you mean, earn our way out? Do you think this is some sort of test?” Rhea asked.

            “I do,” Fig said, starting to wander in a random direction, trying to find the end of the massive room they found themselves in now. “But to what end, I can’t say. Stay close. There will be no Disapparating if things go poorly—not out of Gringotts.”

            They walked for several minutes, peering hopefully into the darkness for any type of sign that they were heading in the right direction with no luck. Until Rhea exclaimed, “Professor, I see something up ahead!”

            A silver mist was emanating up from the floor with a faint glow similar to what they had been following for the past few hours. She made her way towards it, glad for another source of light with Professor Fig following close behind her, his eyes scanning the darkness, unable to see what she was heading for.

            “What is it?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

            “That glow again,” she replied, “But it’s on the floor this time…”

            She reached the glow and circled it for a moment, searching for anything different in it compared to the last two portals they had encountered. Not seeing anything, she stepped towards it and knelt down, reaching out her hand. The closer she got to it, the humming noise she’d heard earlier at the ruins grew louder again and the whispers came back into the deepest corners of her mind. The magic erupted, reaching towards her outstretched hand, a swirling mass of glowing silver. As if guided by some unseen force, when her hand touched the magic, she raised her wand towards the ceiling and the magic shout out and diminished to nothing just like before.

            Fig must have been affected by the blast in some way, as his light was snuffed out. He quickly re-lit it and the soft white glow filled the chamber again. Now, in the glowing light, they could see that the room had indeed changed again, like the other times before.

            Rhea was still knelt down, bracing herself with her free hand as she tried to get her bearings again. Her heart was racing and she knew it was because of whatever magic had just surged through her. She hadn’t had any control over it at all…

            “What happened?” Fig asked, seeming hesitant to rush over to her, trying to raise his wand as high as possible to cast the light as far as he was able to.

            Rhea started to raise her head but something below them had caught her eye. The floor beneath them had changed into the same enchanted and crystalized stone that they had run into at the ruins before. But it was different still than the ones they saw earlier; instead of a strange glowing symbol or a secret bank entrance on the other side, there was a reflection of… nothing?

            Below the surface there was a knight kneeling down on one knee, sword in hand and pointed towards the surface of the stone. She stood and urged herself to focus again. She took a deep breath and replied, “When I moved towards the glow, it suddenly seemed as if the ground was swirling about…”

            “Are you alright?” Fig asked gently. The care in his tone almost surprised Rhea. She knew that he was a kind man, but she also hadn’t known him for very long. And in that time she’d learned a few tiny pieces of magic that made her feel almost completely useless in their current predicament… But then again, she supposed, Eleazar Fig couldn’t see anything that she could. He couldn’t see the glow, he couldn’t affect the glow… Perhaps he wasn’t just ignoring her worry. Perhaps he was trying to be brave in the face of a mystery he couldn’t understand. He was missing an integral part of the puzzle, and he needed her to be his eyes. They needed each other to get out of there.

            “Yes, sir,” she said with a nod, trying to give him a reassuring look. “I’m fine. Just startled… that’s all…”

            “You seem to have caused the floor to change,” he said after a moment.

            Rhea let out a brief sigh of relief—so he could still see some of it all. “That statue—” she started, though she was cut off.

            “What statue?” Fig asked, looking around, confused again.

            She briefly took a moment to steel herself. They needed to communicate clearly if they were to solve this puzzle. She needed to be more specific for him. “I see some sort of statue, but only as a reflection in the floor.”

            She walked towards the front of the statue’s reflection, looking curiously down at it. She screwed up her face and pulled out her wand again. She glanced at it nervously, hoping it wasn’t about to take control like it had with the swirling pool of magic and cast the revealing charm again.

            In an instant, the true statue appeared before them, kneeling in exactly the same position she’d seen before, as if the knight were trying to drive the sword through the ground. However, when she looked at the reflection, she saw that it had changed. Instead of lining up with the stature between her and Fig, the reflection was facing away from her.

            “I assume this is what you saw reflected in the floor?” Fig asked, walking closer to inspect the knight further.

            “It is,” she told him. “The reflection’s still there, but the statues’ positions don’t match. They’re facing in different directions…” She continued to watch the pair of statues, trying to figure out what she was missing when Fig decided to move towards her, still inspecting the statue. That’s when she saw the shift in the crystal.

            “Wait!” She exclaimed, holding out a hand to stop him briefly. “When you moved, the reflection turned in the direction of the light! That has to be what it was following.”

            “Perhaps if we were to put the light in the direction this statue is facing, they’ll line up again,” Fig suggested. “I think you should cast Lumos and see what happens.”

            “I don’t know that one, sir,” Rhea said.

            “As good a time as any to learn,” Fig said. “All you need to do is point your wand up and recite the incantation. Some people find it works best when you imagine the light blossoming from the tip of your wand.”

            It took a few tries, but Fig was patient and encouraging, and soon a warm light was emanating from Rhea’s wand tip. She was almost so delighted by her success that she almost forgot the purpose of the exercise. She looked down and saw that the reflection was facing her, though there was a light shooting out from the two statues across the floor. She walked hesitantly to line up with it and saw that the statues began to change once more.

            The statue rose from its position to stand, holding the sword proudly. It slowly raised it as the pair of wizards watched, worry growing in the pit of their stomachs. The knight brought the sword down sharply, the sound reverberating through the crystal. There was a faint rumble and suddenly more knights appeared, all with their swords at the ready. They stood slowly, then attacked.

            The battle went by quickly, with Rhea trying feebly to use her basic knowledge of wand work to attack the mighty stone soldiers. She was increasingly grateful for Professor Fig, who was dealing considerable damage to the guardians. She managed to remember how to cast Protego to shield herself at least, but she was certain that if she’d been alone, she would have surely been overwhelmed by the foes.

            When the waves of enemies stopped, Fig reached out to wave her back over to him, warning her to stay close, as they didn’t know what was going to happen next. However, as she moved to rejoin him, the lights winked out again.

            Her heart rate rising rapidly, Rhea spluttered out the light charm only to find that she was suddenly and completely alone. “Professor? Professor Fig?” she called quietly, nervously. Then, more urgently, “Professor, where are you?”

            When she got no response, she took a cautious step forward. When her foot hit the ground, small shoots of flickering light raced off to the side. She paused and watched them flicker out before taking another step in the direction they were heading. More lights erupted from the ground and shot into the distant darkness. She continued to make her way slowly towards where the magic was leading her, uncertain of what else she could reasonably be doing.

            “This isn’t good,” she muttered, watching the lights dance and play around her feet before zipping off to her unknown destination. She was really hoping that wherever she was heading, she would find Professor Fig waiting for her. She didn’t like that the magic had separated them. What if he got stuck there forever since he couldn’t see the guideposts?

            As she continued to walk forward through the darkness, she finally spotted more swirling magic. She looked at it reticently before kneeling beside it again. She steeled herself, at least knowing this time what might happen when she reached out for it. And the same thing did happen, except for one—or rather two—small changes. Instead of a single knight reflected in the floor, there were three.

            Rhea took a deep breath and readied her wand. This was going to be a bit tougher than the last fight. But she had no plans to die in a giant magical cavern under central London. She was going to get out of there. She was certain of it.

Chapter Text

            When the lights went out a third time, Rhea wanted to scream in frustration. She was tired, she was hurt, and she only knew less spells than she could count on a single hand. The fight had been a challenge, but she wasn’t entirely certain how much more she could handle. She’d felt confident going in, but without Professor Fig’s help, the knights proved more challenging than she was fully expecting.

            Resigned to this weird purgatory she found herself trapped in, she began walking again, changing her course to align with the swirling pieces of magic that were leading her through the darkness. However, things were… different this time…

            The symbol she had been following all day was glowing before her, magic and silver made solid, glowing through the darkness and towering above her head. She approached it slowly, unsure of how to proceed. It seemed to grow brighter as she got closer, but she still had no idea what to do.

            The sparks still flew up from her feet as she walked, coalescing nearby, and she noticed it pooling and swirling in a similar fashion to the ones she’d investigated before. She reached out her hand, and this time, as she felt the surge of power rush through her, the statue seemed to melt down into nothing before springing up into the shape of an ornate archway.

            A shimmering surface covered the inside of the arch, showing her a new room, one filled with ornate walls and soaring ceilings, a singular fountain sitting in the middle. She stepped towards it and stepped through, her wand still drawn.

            She walked towards the center of the room, cautiously. She didn’t see any more reflections or statues, but the whispers and humming seemed to almost surround her now, as if the entire room was made up of the curious glowing silver she’d been following.

            She approached the center basin and discovered a vial floating above it. She took it gently and found no resistance. As she inspected it, a loud clanking noise came from somewhere off to her right. She spun, brandishing her wand in case it was a trap, only to find that a door had opened and Professor Fig was rushing through it towards her, relief etching across his wizened face.

            “There you are!” he exclaimed, hurrying to meet her. “How did you--? What is this place?”

            “I don’t know,” Rhea said honestly. She held out the vial to him, “But I found this floating above that basin. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be. Or how it was worth all the trouble it took to get here.”

            Fig looked past her for the first time and his face grew curious and excited once again. “That is no mere basin! That is a Pensieve—for viewing memories.” He took the vial from her and opened the top. “I wonder…” He upended the vial over the basin and a wispy blue light poured out, but it moved slowly, like fluid without gravity and melted into the Pensieve. Fig looked up at her almost apologetically but said, “Follow my lead.” And gently placed his face into the bowl of strange looking water.

            Seeing no other option, Rhea followed suit. There was a brief fog that enveloped her senses and she found herself drifting, almost as if she was following the gentle current of the substance held within the basin before the strange vial—a memory, she supposed—was added. Then the world reappeared.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            An old wizard with a funny looking hat was waving his want, an intense expression on his wrinkled face. His robes were well-sewn and glittered with flecks of silver and gold, as if the metals had been woven directly into the fabric. He held the small silver vial in his other hand as he waved his wand, summoning great columns in the familiar looking room.

            Rhea noted with a small gasp that he resembled the man from the statue and mural on the island. There wasn’t any chance of mistaking him for anyone else. Across the room, there was another man, portlier than the first, also using his wand to build the vault chamber.

            “All is in place,” the portly man said, turning to face the first wizard, sounding resigned.

            “The Portkey is well hidden,” the first man said reassuringly.

            “Perhaps too well,” the second man sighed. “I wonder if the path we’ve created—”

            “May be impossible to follow?” the first man finished. It will only be impossible for one who cannot see traves of ancient magic—as I can.”

            “Your ability to see what others cannot will not be enough, Percival,” the second man said wryly. “We are entrusting the one who embarks on this path with powerful secrets—with knowledge others will do anything to obtain.”

            “Yes,” Percival agreed. “And if we are correct, Charles, the witch or wizard who completes the trials will have proven themselves worthy of that knowledge and the responsibility that accompanies it.”

            Charles sighed and looked around the room one more time before saying, “Then we’ve done all that we can…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The memory started to get fuzzy around the edges and Rhea felt herself being pulled upward as Percival raised his wand to his head and began extracting the memory they had just witnessed. She and Fig were brought back to the very room they’d just seen the creation of and looked at the Pensieve in awe.

            But it wasn’t the same as it was before. The mysterious liquid inside had vanished, and at the bottom of the basin was a locket. Rhea didn’t have time to comment on the glow around it before Fig had picked it up and tucked it away safely.

            “So that’s what you’re seeing?” he asked, looking up at Rhea curiously, “The glow that surrounded them?”

            “Yes, sir,” Rhea confirmed, practically watching the gears turning in the old wizard’s head.

            “Astonishing,” he said after a few beats of silence.

            “Can I see… magic?” Rhea asked, doing her best to interpret the information they’d gained from the memory.

            “Traces of ancient magic, to be precise,” Fig told her. “The magic that Miriam had always believed existed but could never…” He paused, a deep sadness washing over him as he struggled to put what he knew into words. He turned to face Rhea, his face serious, “Miriam—and perhaps George—died in pursuit of knowledge that has been dormant for centuries. And you, it seems, are the key to understanding why. We wou—”

            There was a loud knocking sound from the doorway Fig had come through. The doors seemed to have closed themselves, but they could hear faint conversation growing louder through them.

            “It all looks rather different than it did a moment ago,” the goblin banker who had shown them to the vault was saying.

            Fig’s demeanor instantly changed. Before the interruption, he had been speaking earnestly, trying to impress upon Rhea the seriousness, and magnificence of their discovery. Now, he was closed off and his brow tightened as he took a guarded stance and turned towards the doorway, muttering rather obviously, “Someone’s coming…”

            “Who were they?” they heard a gravelly voice bark out.

            “I don’t know,” the banker replied. “But sir—you shouldn’t be in here!”

            That was when the doors swung open and in walked a small troupe of goblins, including the guard who had stopped them earlier, the banker, and the goblin from the newspapers. They approached swiftly, seeming ready for a fight.

            “I was right,” the lead goblin sneered, a smug look plastered on his face.

            “Ranrok,” Fig spat back, advancing slightly on the goblins, anger in his eyes.

            “Seems my reputation precedes me,” Ranrok chuckled dryly. “I was beginning to think no one was ever going to visit Rackham’s vault.”

            “And why are you here?” Fig asked, drawing his wand aggressively. Rhea hastily pulled hers out as well, pointing it at the lead goblin as well.

            “No need for that,” Ranrok said dismissively. “Just give me whatever it is you found here, and we can let bygones be bygones.”

            There was a tense standoff between the Professor and the radical goblin. Rhea almost felt as if it were truly going to come to blows until the goblin banker piped up once more.

            “Sir, they had the key to the vault,” he said insistently.

            “Choose your next words wisely,” Ranrok said quietly, his voice grave.

            “I… I only meant that the instructions for vault twelve were quite clear,” the banker elaborated. He glanced over at Rhea and Fig for a moment before turning back to Ranrok with what could only be described as a steely resolve. “Sir, I must insist. I was to grant access only to one with the key. And you didn’t have—”

            A rolling wave of dark energy just like the one on the dragon’s collar surged through Ranrok’s armor as he outstretched a hand and lifted the goblin banker into the air with an angry grunt. He never looked away from Rhea and Fig as he lifted the banker higher before slamming him into the ground with a sickening crunch.

            “I have no patience for traitors.” He lowered his hand and the surge of magic dissipated. He fixed his eyes firmly on Fig and continued, “Now, where were we?”

            “I’m not giving you anything,” Fig said with a determined snarl.

            “Mmh, well…” Ranrok mused for a moment before tilting his head slightly to the side and activating a part of his magic. He looked directly at Rhea now and continued, “Perhaps your young friend here will be more helpful.”

            That, apparently, was the last straw for diplomacy. Rhea wasn’t sure who acted first, but Fig and Ranrok were suddenly locked in combat, each one trying to force the other’s magic back at them. However, it seemed that Ranrok was more prepared than Fig had realized. The goblin stretched out his other hand and released a bolt of magic that sent the pair of humans flying across the room.

            However, even Ranrok was unprepared for the effect his magic had caused within the chamber. As he made to move across the room towards Rhea and Fig, the floor began to ripple and pulse, ancient magic bubbling to the very center where the Pensieve had been. The walls began to shake and suddenly a massive warrior made up of ancient magic shot up from the floor and began to attack the intruding goblins.

            Rhea scrambled to her feet, grateful for the distraction, and rushed to help Professor Fig up as well. He was coughing roughly, as he grabbed his wand and righted himself. Rhea looked around frantically, searching for anything that could be of help to them.

            As luck would have it—or perhaps it was by design—she spotted another shimmering wall nearby and started to rush towards it, tugging on her mentor’s sleeve to bring him along. He started to follow but faltered as the gigantic warrior took a massive hit and struck the column nearest to them, sending debris flying, nearly crushing the old professor in the process.

            “I know a way out!” Rhea called, trying to regain Fig’s attention as he looked back at Ranrok. “Professor!”

            The man snapped himself from his trance and turned to find her. Thankfully, the warrior managed to right itself and returned to attacking the intruders, though the column above Fig began to fall in earnest. Fig raced as quickly as he could towards Rhea, his hand reaching out for hers. As soon as they made contact with one another, Rhea slammed her hand onto the crystalized stone and suddenly, they were gasping in fresh, open air.

            Rhea’s hand was still pressed against a stone wall, but this time, it was in the middle of a forest under a beautiful night sky. She was still tense, her mind reeling from the sudden transportation yet again. She wasn’t sure if she liked magic if this was what most of it was…

            The Professor, however, breathed a deep sigh of relief and let out a slight chuckle. He looked back at Rhea, who was wringing her hands anxiously and looking around worriedly. He scolded himself slightly—he really kept forgetting that she had no idea what was going on. Of course, he wasn’t sure he knew much for certain either—but this was supposed to be her first day. He needed to be more careful to check in with her.

            “Are you alright?” he asked carefully before looking around again for any clues as to where they were.

            “Fine, sir,” she said breathily, slowly removing her hand from the wall and giving it a shake. He couldn’t tell if she was being truthful with him or not.

            “I’ve never seen so powerful a goblin,” Fig admitted. “He seemed wholly unaffected by my magic…”

            Rhea grimaced slightly and took a moment to look around. She couldn’t help but feel even more lost than before. “Where are we this time?”

            Fig seemed to spot something in the distance and an incredulous grin broke out across his whiskered face. “It can’t be…” He turned back to Rhea and beckoned for her to follow as he continued, “It seems those who set up the Pensieve, the locket—and the path to both—wanted someone with your ability to end up here…”

            Rhea looked at Fig, confused. The man smiled in earnest this time and gestured further down the lantern lit path he’d led her to. “Come. We’ve a Sorting Ceremony to get to.”

Chapter Text

            Fig pressed his ear to the massive door to what he’d told Rhea was the Great Hall for a few moments before he scurried back a few steps to speak to her. “Not to worry—we didn’t miss the Sorting Ceremony. I’m no expert, but a school uniform might be a touch more appropriate,” he said, waving his wand at her tattered and dirty clothes. In an instant, they were transformed into a plain black Hogwarts uniform.

            And once she was in the robes, all of her worries about starting school came flooding back. If her experiences between London and Hogwarts were anything to go off of, she wasn’t certain she would ever be ready.

            “Now, I need to study this locket we retrieved from the vault as soon as I can,” Fig said, drawing the piece out of a magical pocket in his cloak. “But first I must contact the Ministry. They need to know what happened to George—and be warned of Ranrok. For the moment, I ask that you keep all that’s happened this evening between you and me.”

            “Of course, sir,” she nodded adamantly.

            “Thank you,” Fig said genuinely. “Now, are you ready for the Sorting Ceremony?”

            Rhea gave him a weak nod and Fig peeked his head into the Hall, looking to see if it was an appropriate time to bring her in. However, he swiftly came back into the entry way with a grim look on his face. “Phineas Nigellus Black,” he said with a tired sigh. “Prepare yourself to meet the Headmaster.”

            Moments later the man himself arrived. He had neatly combed black hair and a well-trimmed goatee. He was dressed smartly and formally and stood with impeccable posture. He stared down his long nose as Rhea and Fig with an impatient and haughty attitude.

            “Fig,” he said sharply. “Nice of you to join us. The Sorting Ceremony’s over.”

            “There were… complications…”

            “Complications??” the headmaster barked incredulously.

            Fig hesitated a moment before saying, “It seems the goblin problem has—”

            “Enough,” Black groaned irritably. “Goblins… I’ve no time for rumors, Fig. And I’m rapidly losing whatever patience I had left.” The headmaster turned away from Fig, who looked as though he were going to continue his explanation but shut his mouth at the dismissal. Black looked back at Rhea appraisingly, “If you’re lucky, we might still be able to get you sorted this evening.”

            With that said, the headmaster turned on his heel and set a quick pace back into the hall. Rhea glanced at Fig, alarmed, who gave her a reassuring look and told her that he would be in touch before shooing her after Black. She followed, walking quickly to try and catch up, barely even registering the number of students who turned to look as they walked down the center of the hall.

            “Professor Weasley!” the man exclaimed, walking up the steps towards a single stool in the center of a raised platform. “We’ve one more to be sorted after all, it seems.”

            Rhea stepped up towards the stool, waiting nervously for instruction. She’d hoped to spend her time traveling here asking Fig questions, but that obviously hadn’t gone to plan. She had no idea what to expect.

            “Welcome! You’re just in time,” a kindly witch a few years older than her mother said. “Have a seat!”

            Rhea turned and sat on the stool, suddenly confronted with just how many eyes were on her. She could see some of the students whispering to one another, though a few remained focused on eating their food.

            The witch placed a bedraggled looking hat on her head and stepped away. Rhea suddenly felt as though the hat were… moving?

            “Ah, yes… a bit older than the others, aren’t you?” a voice murmured both from above her and in the back of her mind. “You come here with preferences and preconceptions—certain expectations…”

            “I…” she started to respond but faltered. “I suppose I can’t decide what I’m more eager for—starting classes and learning more about magic or exploring Hogwarts and world beyond the castle and grounds.”

            “Indeed,” the sorting had said. “Much can be gleaned by having an adventurous spirit, but your professors have a great deal to teach you as well.” The hat paused again before beginning again. “Hmm… I wonder… I detect something in you… A certain sense of—what is it?”

            The hat fell silent, clearly expecting an answer.

            “Curiosity,” Rhea provided, thinking that was apt enough.

“You’re clever, indeed. You have the ability to reflect clearly on that which puzzles others. And you’ve a ready mind. Quick to learn. Perhaps you belong in Ravenclaw,” the hat mused. The had paused for a few moments before letting out a booming bellow of “RAVENCLAW!” for all the rest of the hall to hear.

Rhea was almost shocked when the entire hall burst into cheers. Professor Weasley—the one who had sent her the acceptance letter so recently—ushered her to the side of the hall as Headmaster Black took his place at the center of the platform to address the students.

“And one more thing,” he started. “Due to the unfortunate injury on the pitch in last spring’s final, this year’s Quidditch season has been cancelled.” The man paused and there were echoes of disappointed sighs and outraged words at this revelation. After a few moments the man let out an exasperated sigh and continued, “Enough. It’s not as though I’ve banned flying altogether. But don’t tempt me. You are here to focus on your academic futures. I’m sure you all have plenty to do before classes begin tomorrow.

The hall remained mostly silent, and Black looked around irritably before repeating, “I said—I’m sure you all have plenty to do before classes begin tomorrow.”

Reluctantly, the student body stood up and began making their way out of the hall. The youngest students waited patiently for two people wearing traditional pointed hats to collect them before making their way out of the halls. Rhea watched them all filter out, wondering just how she was going to fare with this lot. Not many looked back at where she was standing with the deputy headmistress, but then again, all she wanted was a chance to refresh herself and find something hot to eat before going to bed.

“Quite an entrance,” Professor Weasley said with a friendly smile. “It’s lovely to meet you, officially. I’m—”

“Professor Weasley—” the headmaster interrupted. “Would you be so kind as to show our new student to her common room?”

“I shall see to it, sir,” Weasley nodded dutifully. The man nodded curtly in response and turned to make his way out of the Great Hall. She turned her attention back to Rhea with another smile, “As I was saying—I’m Professor Weasley. Pleased to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well, Professor.”

“As Deputy Headmistress, it is my distinct honor to show you to your common room. Right this way…” She turned and began leading Rhea through a twisting maze of stairs and corridors.

It seemed as though the Ravenclaws lived at the top of the tallest tower in the school. Rhea wondered how she would ever get to class on time with all the stairs she was going to have to do, let alone with how confusing the castle’s layout had seemed to be. She was used to a small home, just her and her mother. This was all just a bit overwhelming.

“It’s quite uncommon for a student to begin as a fifth-year,” Professor Weasley was saying as they reached the top of the tower. “Might be a bit of a challenge, but one I’m certain you’re up for.”

“I am, Professor,” Rhea said, though she wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure the older witch or herself.

“This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room,” the professor continued. “You must solve a riddle to enter. And if you can’t, well, that’s what these spare pillows and blankets are for. I won’t be of much help, I’m afraid. This sort of this has always confounded me.”

Rhea stepped forward hesitantly at Professor Weasley’s urging and knocked on the door with the big bronze ring that was clutched in an eagle’s talons.

“Who lived longer, the ghost or the poltergeist?” the eagle asked with a disembodied and whimsical sounding voice.

“A ghost or a poltergeist?” Rhea wondered aloud for a moment before thinking quietly to herself. “A non-being can never have been… A ghost lived longer, because it was actually able to live in the first place.”

The eagle knocker did not reply. Instead, it simply folded its wings and opened the door silently. Rhea stepped forward, eagerly, pleased to have passed the first of many challenges in the coming days. A riddle was much easier to handle than summoning ancient magic no one had wielded in centuries, that was for sure.

“Well done,” Professor Weasley said with a proud smile. “Now, go on in and get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. I shall be back in the morning to collect you for your first class.”

“Thank you, professor Weasley.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy your first night at Hogwarts. Sleep well,” the deputy headmistress smiled as the door closed behind the newest member of Ravenclaw.

By the time Rhea had made her way to her assigned bunk, her classmates had already gotten themselves ready for bed and had drawn their privacy curtains closed. Thankfully, that was what Rhea had been hoping for. She collapsed in her bed, all of her concerns about dinner, ancient magic, and goblins forgotten for the time being. All she needed now was a good, long rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning came too early for Rhea’s liking. She hauled herself out of bed and looked around. It seemed as though her roommates had already departed, so she took a short amount of time getting herself ready all alone. It was nice to have a quiet moment to herself before what was most definitely going to be a long day.

She pulled her hair back into a loose braid and looked at herself in the mirror thoughtfully. There was a slight crease in her forehead from worry that she tried to soothe with a few slow, thoughtful breaths to no avail. She practiced putting on a smile, but found it felt forced and anxious. Perhaps when she tied it out when actually meeting her classmates it would go better. She stood and made her way into the common room, trying not to appear as nervous as she felt. It was a new day, and nothing could be quite so bad as her day had been yesterday.

As she finished the climb up into the main common room, she heard a voice muttering excitedly, “Just have to wait for the right moment—!” She turned and stepped toward the voice, curiously and found a portly young man with messy dark hair and round spectacles lurking behind a grandfather clock.

He turned at her approach and grinned mischievously, holding up a hand and saying, “One moment, please—watch this!” He turned then and lobbed a small smoking satchel into a corner of the common room where two older girls were sitting and chatting casually.

The one wearing a pointed hat exclaimed, “Oh what is this?” She didn’t sound as enthused as the strange boy had by any means.

“Ugh,” her companion agreed, “Someone threw a Dungbomb—Let’s get out of here…” The two wasted no time in abandoning their post and hurrying away, waving their hands to dismiss the smell as they went.

The young man turned back to Rhea with a disappointed and slightly guilty look on his face. “That wasn’t quite the reaction I wanted…”

“What did you hope would happen?” Rhea asked skeptically. She thought the girls were completely justified in their disgust. She could smell the dungbomb from where they were hiding and it certainly was far from pleasant at a distance. She didn’t want to know what it would be like to have one lobbed directly at your feet.

“I suppose I hoped it would lighten the mood,” he said with a small frown, glancing after the girls. “Ravenclaws can be a bit on edge the first day of class. I’m Everett by the way. You seem downright calm next to some of these characters—and you survived a rather harrowing trip here!”

“I’m glad to be here,” she said truthfully. “Ready for classes to start.”

“Good,” Everett nodded. “Glad to hear it. Truly there’s no reason to be nervous. Most professors are firm but fair. I mean, not all of the tricks I play are as simple as a tossed Dungbomb, and I’m still here.”

“Wait, did you say most professors are firm but fair?” she asked worriedly.

Everett let out a short laugh and said, “I did; but its probably for the best that I let you judge for yourself. I do tend to push their limits. I should wander off before someone traces that Dungbomb back to me. Nice meeting you though!”

“You too, Everett,” Rhea started to say, but the boy had already darted off, eager to hide his little prank. Rhea turned and looked around the common room, hoping to find anyone she could latch onto.

She spotted a young woman who looked about her age worrying over a plant at a nearby table and meandered over, hoping to strike up a conversation. She didn’t even have to initiate though, as the girl looked up and immediately began unloading on her.

“I want him to be in the perfect place,” she said, gesturing to her plant. “A place he’ll be happy with. But I can’t seem to find it. Great golden Gobstones, I just want him to thrive here.”

“Golden gobstones?” Rhea asked, uncertain if she had heard the girl correctly.

“My own little expression,” the girl explained quickly. “I brought this dittany seedling from home and I so want him to feel cozy. Dittany is amazing, isn’t it? So much healing power in such a little plant.” The girl laughed and seemed to blush slightly. “I’ve a bit of a thing for plants, as you can see. Pleased to meet you. I’m Samantha.”

“Nice to meet you, Samantha; you can call me Rhea,” Rhea said kindly. “Is dittany used in Wiggenweld Potion?”

Samantha’s eyes lit up with excitement at the question. “It is!” she exclaimed. “Looks like someone’s been studying up on their Potion-making!”

“I’m afraid not, actually,” Rhea admitted. “Professor Fig told me about Wiggenweld Potion.”

“Oh, of course!” Samantha said, as though it should have been obvious from the get-go. “I heard you were studying with him before term. He’s an enigma, Fig. Teaches about theory yet seems to know a lot about practical magic.”

“Professor Fig does seem to know a great deal about, er, different forms of magic,” Rhea agreed. He knew a lot more than most people probably suspected. And hopefully it would stay that way for a little while longer. It was startling that people had already heard so much about her and her journey to Hogwarts. She wasn’t sure how she would handle being the only person who could wield ancient magic if absolutely everyone knew about it.

“Well, I hope he told you about more than Wiggenweld,” Samantha was saying. “You’ve lots to catch up on, I’m sure.”

“I do…” Rhea said with a grimace. “I’m not afraid of hard work, but I can’t imagine any of the teachers are going to go easy on me for not knowing anything.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you,” Samantha told her. “The first couple of days are usually just about reviewing stuff from last year that we may have forgotten about. But if you knew half the people in our class, you’d know that we tend to forget a lot over summer. Most of us Ravenclaws get by on everything just fine at the start of term, but mostly we all retain more information from our favorite subjects. Mine’s Herbology, so I’m eagerly awaiting our return to the Greenhouses later this week!”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Fig mentioned something about an affinity for Herbology being more closely associated with Hufflepuff?” Rhea mentioned curiously.

“Ordinarily, perhaps,” Samantha agreed. “But it runs in my family. We’ve a full plot of these little fellows back home. I suppose you could say Herbology is in my roots!” She let out a twinkling laugh that ended in a small snort.

“So is it common practice for students to grow their own ingredients?” Rhea asked. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything… well anything at all really.”

“Oh, yes!” Samantha said emphatically. “In fact, our Herbology teacher, Professor Garlick, encourages it. And I don’t think Professor Sharp—our Potions master—cares where you get your ingredients as long as your brews are all perfect.”

Rhea smiled and nodded, “Well, thank you for talking with me Samantha. It was really nice meeting you but I should probably say hello to another new person then try and find my way back to the Great Hall… And good luck with your dittany—I’m sure he’ll thrive wherever you settle him.”

“Thank you!” Samantha said brightly. “And good like to you too, on your first day!”

Rhea grinned again and turned to head towards the front of the common room when she heard a sharp voice berating itself.

“That’s just brilliant, Amit. Brilliant. You’d think you could—ugh… That is not how that—” there was a young dark sinned man adjusting a telescope, clearly frustrated by whatever was going wrong. She was about to make some witty remark when the boy spotted her and stood up straight and beckoned her over. “Why, hello! Would you like to take a look?”

Rhea smiled hesitantly but obliged, looking through the telescope. It was… bright.

“Can’t see too much in the day,” the young man was saying. “Well, except for stars like Sirius, Canopus, Vega, and Arcturus. I’m Amit, by the way. Pleasure to have you in Ravenclaw.” He paused for a brief moment before barreling on, “Never met someone who’s been so close to a dragon before.”

“Can’t say I recommend it, frankly. It’s nice to meet you, Amit. I take it you like Astronomy?” she replied, gesturing at the abandoned telescope.

“Oh, yes,” he confirmed. “So much to be learned from the stars. Also, there’s something about the open air and night sky above the tower. It’s invigorating. You will just adore astronomy. Professor Shah is incredibly knowledgeable.

“I do hope astronomy is on my schedule,” Rhea said with a smile. “It sounds rather interesting.”

“Well, then I have good news for you: you are most definitely taking Astronomy,” Amit said with a grin. “It is required for all fifth-years. You will be enthralled with the tower. Plus, a quality telescope can show you thinks you never dreamed of!”

“I suppose I’ll see you in class, then,” Rhea said with a smile.

“Yes!” Amit said with a vigorous nod, “Oh, and speaking of class, better get to my first one of the year. Nothing like the smell of fresh parchment and old books, is there? Be seeing you!”

As Rhea turned to make her way out of the common room, she heard someone call out, “Hey there, new Ravenclaw! Professor Weasley is looking for you just outside. You had best not keep her waiting!”

Rhea sighed and started hurrying towards the exit of the common room, hoping part of Weasley’s agenda was, in fact, breakfast. As expected, the with was waiting patiently just outside the common room, hands clasped in front of her. She smiled politely as Rhea approached and said, “Good morning. I trust you’re ready for your first day at Hogwarts?”

“It’s a dream I used to have as a child,” Rhea said. “I can’t quite believe it’s finally happening for real this time… I can’t quite believe I’m here.”

“Well, you are here,” Weasley smiled. Make the most of it. You only have one first day at Hogwarts. Now, in light of your unique situation, joining us as a fifth-year, you’ll need to catch up with your classmates—and not fall behind. Especially as you’ll be expected to complete your O.W.L.s at the end of the year.”

“O.W.L.s?” Rhea asked, sounding skeptical. She wasn’t quite sure she had heard right. “Owls?”

“Yes,” Weasley said as if it was obvious. “Your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. They will determine what type of career you can have when you leave here.”

“After much discussion with the Headmaster and the Department of Magical Education at the Ministry, we’ve devised something extraordinary to ensure your success.” The professor waved her hands and a book appeared out of thin air. She caught it deftly and placed it in Rhea’s hands with a look of respect. “Here you are.”

As Rhea turned it over in her hands, the book sprang to life, glowing, flipping pages, and shooting out magical beams of golden light. She quickly grabbed the book and shut it, hoping it wouldn’t do that every time she tried to use it. “What is it?” she asked, holding it more carefully now.

“It is a Wizard’s Field Guide,” the professor explained. “It will help you to keep track of what you’re learning so that you master all that’s expected of a fifth-year. You would be wise to take full advantage of this exceptionally valuable resource.”

Rhea nodded and tucked it away into the secret pocket dimension Fig had taught her about. She was almost certain that she could manage to summon it back to her hand if she focused hard enough. They hadn’t really practiced that one much… “Thank you professor,” she said gratefully. “But what you do mean it will keep track of what I’m learning?”

“It will gain knowledge as you gain it. And regularly you and I will have a meeting so I can check the progress you’ve made in filling up the book. It’s not quite a perfect system, but you will understand how it works better the more you use it. All you must do is simply point your wand at the book, and the wand will transcribe the information you wish to record. Now, allow me to give you a brief tour of the castle while we make our way to Central Hall.”

Professor Weasley set off at a quick pace, leading Rhea through more twists and turns than she had the previous night when showing her the way to the Ravenclaw Tower. Rhea watched in awe as her wand hovered a few centimeters over the Field Guide, a golden beam of light searing the information her professor was telling her in real time. She made sure to try and ask a few questions, noting that the Field Guide also recorded those, as well as the answer. That was going to be incredibly helpful for revision.

“And here we are,” Professor Weasley said at long last. “These stairs lead directly to Central Hall. You can get almost anywhere in the castle quickly from Central Hall.” The teacher led Rhea down the massive grand staircase towards a large statue of what seemed to be a Unicorn fighting a werewolf. “Always something happening here. It’s the heart for the hive. Our very own King’s Cross station, so to speak.”

Once they reached the center of the impossibly large room, the Deputy Headmistress turned and gave Rhea a warm, but somehow equally stern smile, “That should be all for now. You’ll be expected to attend both Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes today. And I’d like to be sure you get to Hogsmeade as soon as possible to replace the supplies you lost on the way here.”

“A few more questions, if that’s all right, Professor?” Rhea asked, tucking the Field Guide away and stowing her wand for the time being. “What will I be learning in Charms class?”

“Exactly what you might expect,” the Professor said, as if it were obvious. “Spells, charms, jinxes. All terribly useful. I think you will enjoy Professor Ronen. He’s a clever and entertaining wizard—and a talented teacher.”

“And can you please tell me more about the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?” Rhea asked eagerly.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts, as the name implies, focuses on how to defend oneself against the evils that lurk beyond these walls,” the teacher replied. “A mastery of Defense Against the Dark Arts is required for those who aspire to become Aurors. Fortunately, we are lucky to have the ever-gifted professor Hecat in charge of our students’ education in that regard.”

“And you mentioned Hogsmeade, Professor?” Rhea asked. “I’m afraid I don’t exactly know what that is… My cousins weren’t exactly… eager to discuss anything with me before we realized I had magic.”

“Hogsmeade is the only all-wizarding village in Britain—and is home to an array of shops and pubs. You should be able to find all of the school supplies you require in Hogsmeade. You will also, I imagine, enjoy many a Butterbeer there with friends in due course.”

“Thank you, Professor Weasley,” Rhea said gratefully.

“A lot to absorb on your first day. And you have much to learn,” the professor nodded sagely. “Happily, your professors have agreed to create additional assignments for you outside of class. You’ll be up to speed in no time. Judging by your note-taking in the Field Guide, I’d say Professor Fig at succeeded in at least showing you the basics.”

“He did, Professor,” Rhea said quickly. She wasn’t exactly keen to discuss the other professor. She’d hoped he would have come up with some sort of story to excuse their tardiness the previous evening, but she hadn’t heard anything from him yet. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally get caught out in a lie.

“He’s been terribly vague as to the events preceding your arrival,” Weasley said, confirming Rhea’s worries. “Specifically, about what happened after that awful dragon attack. My suspicion is that there’s more to the story than a search for belongings and an extended trip up to the castle.”

Rhea almost breathed a sigh of relief. That was more information than she’d had before. At least she knew what line to stick to if the professor kept pushing to learn more. She gave a sheepish smile and said, “I’m sorry, Professor, but I’m afraid that’s all there is to it.”

The older witch started at her with a scrutinizing gaze and tutted slightly to herself before saying, “Almost precisely what Professor Fig said.”

Rhea felt her palms growing sweaty. She wasn’t sure how much more she would be able to say without inadvertently contradicting what Fig had said. For all she knew, the Deputy Headmistress was pulling a fast one on her and had heard something entirely different from Fig. Luckily, Rhea was spared from having to deny any suspicious activities when Professor Fig himself appeared, heading eagerly towards the pair.

“Speak of the Devil,” Weasley muttered, turning to greet her colleague. “Professor Fig. Your ears must have been burning.”

Fig looked mildly confused, coming to a stop a short way away. “Oh?” he asked, managing to look polite instead of worried.

Professor Weasley continued on as if there was nothing the matter, “Yes. You seem to have provided our new fifth-year with a solid foundation in the basics of spell-casting.”

“Ah,” Fig said with the hint of a relieved chuckle in his voice. “I’m afraid I can’t take all the credit there, Professor. They’ve a rare aptitude for magic, it seems.” He smiled at Rhea before focusing his attention back on his superior.

“Hmm,” Professor Weasley mused for a moment. “Well, I’m just glad you both arrived in one piece. Perfectly good boats and carriages to Hogwarts and you chose to fly in the path of a dragon.”

“I wouldn’t say I chose the dragon’s path, Professor,” Fig said with a smug and knowing grin. “Rather, unfortunately, it would seem that it chose us.”

“Very well,” Professor Weasley sighed, sounding a touch exasperated. “Enough chit-chat. I need to get to class myself. Might I rely on you, Professor Fig, to explain the details of the map provided in Miss Pennywhistle’s Field Guide?” The Deputy Headmistress turned to Rhea and said, “And remember to use your Field Guide. It will be invaluable to you and to me, as I’ll be using it to keep up to date on your progress. Come and find me in my classroom after you’ve attended both classes today, and I’ll explain more about those assignments I mentioned earlier. And we’ll see if we can’t get you to Hogsmeade for those supplies.”

Rhea nodded gratefully as Professor Weasley hurried away, clearing a path through a few groups of students who leapt out of her way as she passed. Rhea wondered if the Professor was usually as kindly as she had been so far, or if she landed more on the firm side of the firm, but fair scale Everett had told her about.

“It’s good to see you professor,” Rhea said when she was certain Weasley was well out of earshot.

“And you,” Fig agreed. “I was hoping our paths would cross today before you immersed yourself in studies. Did I hear you masterfully evade Professor Weasley’s interrogation regarding our late arrival?”

“I did try to evade her questions, though I feel a little deceptive,” Rhea said with a small frown. “That said, I’m fairly certain she suspects that we’re not being entirely forthcoming.”

“Yes, well,” Fig said wryly. “Professor Weasley is a brilliant, and astute, witch. It was right to keep the details to yourself for now. We don’t know where this path we’ve embarked upon will lead. It may require a bit more… flexibility with your time than she would approve of. And she may feel obliged to share details with the headmaster that would be better left between us.”

“Understood, Professor,” Rhea nodded firmly. “If what we learned is true, this anomaly hasn’t been seen in a very long time. I’d rather not become an experiment, if I can avoid it.”

“Good,” Fig agreed. “Now, as capable as you are, I believe the ability you possess obliges you to be well-trained. As you said, this presents an invaluable opportunity for us to learn more about magic on a grander scale than we previously believed possible, but keeping your ability to ourselves will make it easier to keep you safe. Happily, in the meantime, you have the benefit of an extraordinarily skilled team of witches and wizards to guide you.”

“Speaking of guides—” he chuckled, “And so that I may avoid another not-so-subtle reproof from Professor Weasley— why don’t I show you the clever enchantment we included in the Field Guide’s map?”

Chapter Text

            “I didn’t think this school year could come fast enough,” Ominis said, slipping into a seat near the front of the class. “My father was in rare form this summer.”

            “Surprised you noticed, considering how much time you spent at mine,” Sebastian said, settling into the seat beside his friend. “I for one am not as keen to be stuck in classes. I was enjoying exploring the countryside. Found some interesting things up near Keenbridge.”

            “Sounds like you spent less time at your home than I did,” Ominis chuckled. “But it doesn’t matter—We’ll have plenty of time to cause mischief over the year. Just try and avoid getting so many detentions this year.”

            “My grades are good enough that the detentions are barely a slap on the wrist,” Sebastian said dismissively. “Besides, I reckon the professors are going to be even easier to avoid this year, what with that new student everyone’s been talking about.”

            “The professors get new students every year, Sebastian,” Ominis pointed out. “I doubt one new student will change anything.”

            “Well I guess we’ll see,” Sebastian said, his eyes fixing on the entrance to the classroom where the subject of their conversation had just meandered in. He wondered if he had looked so moon-eyed the first time he saw the castle. He was positive he looked at least half as lost as she did, though. The castle was pretty intimidating, even though he’d been living there for four years.

            “Well—some of us will,” Ominis muttered, cackling at his own joke as Sebastian continued to watch the new student with growing curiosity.

            Rhea lingered near the entrance, looking around the classroom, trying to figure out the seating arrangements. She wished that Professor Weasley hadn’t put Fig in charge of showing her around. It would have been nice to have a friend to walk to classes with her and show her the ropes.

            There were a few students already seated in the classroom, talking animatedly with one another. A few more students filtered in behind her and Rhea realized she was probably blocking the way. She stepped slightly to the side, still trying to decide where to go.

            “Here!” a voice called, though Rhea didn’t pay it much mind. It probably wasn’t meant for her anyways.

            “New student—behind you!” the voice called again, and Rhea turned, a surprised look on her face. “There is an open seat here!”

            The voice belonged to a friendly looking young witch wearing red-trimmed robes. Gryffindor, if Rhea was remembering that correctly. She moved quickly to join the kind student with a grateful smile, “Thank you. I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed…”

            “Hello,” the girl said when Rhea reached her. “I am Natty. So you’re the new student?”

            “I guess I am. My name’s Rhea,” Rhea said. “Part of me was hoping it wouldn’t be that obvious, but I suppose if you’re studying with the same group of people for four years, you’ll probably notice a new face.”

            “Have you met Professor Ronen yet—?” Natty asked, but someone cleared their throat loudly on the other side of the room.

            The class all turned their attention to the short staircase on the far side of the room, conversations falling into silence as Professor Ronen stood waiting.

            The man opened his arms invitingly and said, “Shall we begin?” before trotting down the stairs. He seemed to practically bounce with every step he took, a warm chuckle leaving him as he continued his opening monologue, “Welcome to year five of Charms. Now, this will be a crucial year in your education on the art of Charmwork, but I am confident that we will take hold with the passion and rigor requisite of such a challenge!”

            He’d reached the students by this point, and most of the class was mirroring his infectious smile—that is, until he continued speaking. “Right, now everyone, please open your textbooks to page five one seven! But, before we begin, can anyone here tell me the difference between the incantations of the Color Change and Growth Charms?”

            Rhea felt the blood drain from her face—she didn’t need an incantation for a color change. She hadn’t expected to be quizzed so immediately. When Samantha had told her the professors typically would hold a review of the previous year on the first day, she hadn’t thought that meant answering questions she didn’t know the answer to.

            Natty seemed to sense her distress and subtly slid her open textbook over to Rhea. Rhea shot her a grateful glance and peeked down at the pages. She had no intentions of answering the question, but she also didn’t think it fair that she was expected to already know the information, given her unusual circumstances.

            Apparently Professor Ronen didn’t care that she never had the chance to learn the material, however, as the book flew off of the table straight into his hand. “Ah, ah, ah, ah—I am afraid it is too late to study,” he said, wagging a finger at the corner Rhea and Natty were seated in.

            The new girl sank down in her chair a little bit, blushing furiously, and Sebastian winced slightly. He was sure if he was in her shoes, he’d probably be a bit embarrassed too. But then again, if what he’d hear was true, she hadn’t gotten any training before. It wasn’t like she was a transfer student—she was brand new to magic. Trying to spare her any more eyes on her after that call out, Sebastian put his focus back on Professor Ronen, which was more than some of his fellow classmates did. He even thought he heard a couple of snickers.

            “My, the summer months must have really taken a toll on you all,” the professor mused with a chuckle. “By the looks of it, you all spent your holidays practicing Obliviate on one another. The professor let out a loud laugh, looking around expectantly, but he was met with blank stares and some cringes instead of amusement.

            “Do you even remember how to perform a basic Summoning Charm?” Ronen asked. “Hmm? Anyone?” He was met with more silence, and students actively tried to avoid catching his eye. Rhea was holding her breath slightly, not wanting to accidentally commit another classroom faux pas.

            “Well, it seems that we are in dire need of review!” he exclaimed, turning on his heel and marching to the other side of the classroom again. “Everyone, get into pairs and take positions on opposite sides of the classroom.”

            The students stood, some reluctantly, some eagerly, all trying to catch the eye of their preferred partners, eager to avoid getting paired up with anyone they weren’t as fond of. Natty turned to Rhea and gave her a grin before darting to the other side of the classroom.

            “Now, let’s put those textbooks to use as the blunt objects you so believe they are and take turns summoning them out of one another’s hands,” Ronen instructed, handing Natty her textbook back as she passed him to take her place opposite Rhea. “Only one book will be needed per partnership, Miss Dale, though I appreciate the enthusiasm. Get into place now, please, thank you.”

            Samantha grinned sheepishly at him before standing and waiting for her partner to line up across from her. Once the class was lined up, Professor Ronen instructed them to begin, and books began flying across the classroom.

            Rhea looked across at Natty nervously. She really wished she’d been the one to start with the book. It was hard to cast a spell when you’d never learned it before. She shrugged slightly across at her partner, uncertain of what to do.

            Natty pulled out her wand and tried to discreetly demonstrate the wand movement for the spell. Rhea frowned and copied her, trying to figure out what the other girl was mouthing at her without Professor Ronen noticing, as he darted back and forth across the classroom, attempting to make a game of dodging between the books.

            Luckily, Samantha caught sight of Natty’s struggle and turned around to speak to Rhea. “Hello again—it’s really quite simple, don’t worry,” she said. “All you need to do is point your wand at whatever you want to summon—in this case, Natty’s book—and then arc your wand towards yourself quickly while saying Accio! Give it a go!”

            Rhea smiled briefly in thanks before focusing her attention on the book in Natty’s hands. The Gryffindor girl nodded encouragingly as Rhea pointed her wand and sharply brought it back towards herself, muttering Accio.

            To her absolute delight, the book arced through the air towards her. She fumbled slightly with her wand, but managed to catch the book when it reached her. Dropping it wouldn’t have been a good show.

            “That is not bad!” Natty called over, seeming pleased for the new girl.

            Professor Ronen walked closer and gave Rhea an appraising look, “You are a swift learner! I see a lot of potential—but remember, potential is nothing without practice. Keep at it, and you might just rival Miss Onai here.” He gestured over towards Natty who shot Rhea a smug smile. Clearly, she was used to this kind of praise from her professors.

            “Well, as you all seem to have the basics down, and it is an exceptionally lovely day, I was thinking that we might have ourselves a little excursion outside for a spot of fresh air! After me!” the professor declared, turning on his heel once more and marching out of the classroom door.

            The rest of the students quickly followed suit, abandoning their bags and textbooks on the desks and darting after the professor, chatting excitedly. Rhea followed the crowd, glancing behind her for Natty, who was squeezing between students, trying to meet her.

            Sebastian and Ominis were towards the front of the group, the latter holding his wand to navigate as he always did.

“Always an interesting lesson to be had in this class,” Ominis was saying. “Though just once I’d like to cast this spell without getting hit in the face by whatever I’m summoning.”

Sebastian laughed along with his friend as they continued to follow along with the rest of the class. The new girl was looking around excitedly, though she did seem a little nervous as well. As she turned to look towards the back of the group again, she accidentally caught Sebastian’s eye. She gave him a shy smile that turned into a relieved one as Natty slipped past him and joined her, already rattling off anecdotes from the previous year’s classes.

Sebastian watched her curiously for a moment. She didn’t seem like she was bothered much by the fact that she’d almost been killed by a rogue dragon the day prior. The fact she was more nervous about being alone in a group of her peers said a lot. Kind of made the Ravenclaw sorting make sense.

“What’s got you so quiet?” Ominis asked. “You’re normally way chattier than this.”

“I’m not quiet,” Sebastian said. “I’m just avoiding detention in my first class—or did you want me to cause a ruckus?”

“You just seemed like you were thinking harder than usual,” Ominis quipped. “I was going to be worried, but I suppose being a bit more responsible wouldn’t hurt you.”

“Oh come off it—” Sebastian laughed, nudging his friends gently. “Honestly, I’m just wondering what Ronen has in store for us this time.”

“I hope it’s something good!” Poppy Sweeting, an exuberant Hufflepuff girl said, falling into place on Sebastian’s other side. “I mean, it’s usually always good when Professor Ronen brings us outside for class, but—oh you get what I mean.”

“Ah,” Ominis sighed, “Sweeting, I had no idea you were in this class.”

“Ominis, what do you mean?” Poppy asked, a frown on her face. “We all have the same classes.”

“I simply thought that perhaps you would have already found another poor beast to coddle and skip class to care for,” Ominis said sarcastically.

“Ignore him, Poppy,” Sebastian said, rolling his eyes slightly. “Our grim friend here accidentally lobbed a book into his face and is a little embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed, I’m frustrated,” Ominis snapped. “And for good reason.”

“Oh,” Poppy said, sounding slightly worried. “Maybe there’s a fix you can figure out to make it easier?”

“I don’t need things to be easier,” Ominis said. “I’m perfectly capable of figuring this out on my own.”

Poppy frowned but turned to Sebastian instead, “Well, I suppose Ominis wasn’t too far off—I did manage to rescue a few rather interesting beasts over the summer! Did you and Anne get up to any fun this summer?”

Sebastian frowned at the mention of his sister but tried to put a smile back on his face, “Oh, yeah, we got up to all sorts of trouble. I’m sure my uncle’s relieved that I’m back at school and not slipping baby chomping cabbages in his coat pockets.”

“Well, I imagine anyone would be happy to have all ten fingers intact,” Poppy laughed. “I was sad to learn that Anne wasn’t coming back this year.”

“Try not to worry too much,” Sebastian said. “She’ll be back on her feet in no time, I’m sure of it.”

Ominis grumbled slightly beside him, but Sebastian elbowed him sharply. Anne’s illness—her true illness wasn’t common knowledge. His uncle didn’t think it was wise to go spouting the real reason for why Anne wasn’t able to return to school this year, and it was something Sebastian was actually inclined to agree with him on. He didn’t need anyone giving him—or Anne for that matter—any pity.

The class stopped on the lawn as Professor Ronen turned to address them. “I’ve always found that fun goes hand in hand with master, as I’m sure the Quidditch players amongst us would agree,” he said, waving his wand and setting construction in motion behind him as he spoke, “So, what better than a bit of sport to put our prowess with the Summing Charm to the test? Right?”

When the two raised platforms had finished construction, he gestured for Rhea to join him saying, “So, why don’t we have our newest student start us off? Very simply, cast Accio on one of the spheres, and relinquish your charm at the last possible moment.”

She reluctantly stepped up and listened to the instructions as her classmates seated themselves on the grass to either side of the game board. Thankfully, very few were paying any attention to her; she supposed this was probably a game that was more interesting if you were actually participating.

“Now, think of this like--- Gobstones, if you will. But instead of throwing the marbles out, you are summoning them toward you!” the professor said, attempting to be helpful as she pulled the targets towards herself.

“Sir, would now be a good time to tell you that I’ve only been a witch for a couple of days?” Rhea asked. “I’m afraid I don’t understand the reference.”

The professor chuckled and said, “Well, it doesn’t seem as if you need to—you’ve only gone and gotten yourself a perfect score. Points to Ravenclaw!”

“Oh,” Rhea said, sounding surprised. “Splendid. Perhaps I should allow some of the other students to have a chance to play?”

“You want to stop now?? But there’s certainly no sport in playing without some friendly competition?” The professor asked, sounding surprised. He scanned the students sitting on the grass and smiled, “Miss Onai, would you care to give our new student a bit of a challenge?”

Natty was up in an instant, grinning at Rhea as she clambered onto the platform, drawing her wand. “You’re in for a fun time! I love a bit of competition.”

“I just hope I can keep up,” Rhea said, trying to keep the nerves from affecting her voice. The last thing she needed to do was give Natty the satisfaction of intimidating her. She was already nervous enough as it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Very good, all of you! Well done,” Professor Ronen praised the class once they were back in the classroom. “Class is dismissed; Gather your things on the way out.”

“Good game back there!” Natty said as she put away her textbook. “I must admit, I think I underestimated you. It took me weeks to become proficient with Accio”

“Well, considering I’d only just learned the spell about ten minutes before that game, I think you were justified,” Rhea shrugged. “I think I just got lucky.”

            “It took weeks for me to get anything right when I transferred here,” Natty said. “It gets easier, I promise.”

            “Did you always go to Hogwarts?” Rhea asked as they started making their way to the door, pausing to allow a pair of Slytherin boys pass by.

            “Oh, no; I transferred here from Uagadou just before my fourth year,” Natty explained. “My mother received an offer to teach Divination here. Before I knew it, we had left Uganda and were halfway around the world at a new school in a new country.”

            “A word, if you would, Miss Pennywhistle, before you go!” Professor Ronen called.

            Rhea paused and looked apologetically at Natty, who waved her on. “Don’t worry,” the girl said. “It’s just time for lunch now; I’ll wait for you to finish here and I can walk you down to the Great Hall.”

            “Thanks, Natty—this should only take a moment,” Rhea said gratefully, hurrying back into the classroom and over to where the professor was waiting expectantly. “You wanted to speak with me, Professor?” She asked, hoping she wasn’t about to get scolded for the textbook incident earlier.

            “I did; I trust your first Charms lesson lived up to expectation?” the professor asked kindly.

            “I must admit, an outdoor competition wasn’t exactly the lesson I was expecting, sir,” she said truthfully. “But it was very fun.”

            “What charm is there in the expected?” he chuckled, a twinkle in his dark brown eyes. “You did well, managing to best as gifted a student as Miss Onai.”

            “Thank you, Professor,” Rhea grinned. “I enjoyed the match—though I must say there must have been some beginners luck on my end.”

            “Miss Onai is always a fierce competitor. Though I sense that she is a bit distracted of late,” the professor told her. He paused a moment then cleared his throat, clearly regretting that last comment. “Now, Professor Weasley has asked that your professors give you instruction outside of the ordinary curriculum. You should expect to hear from me soon regarding a special assignment that I am preparing for you.”

            “Of course,” Rhea said with a nod. “Have a nice day, sir.”

            The professor gave a short bow in thanks, and Rhea took that as her cue to leave. When she stepped out into the hall, Natty immediately fell into step beside her. “What did he want?” she asked. “I hope I didn’t get you into trouble earlier.”

            “Oh, no,” Rhea reassured her. “Because I’m starting as a fifth-year, Professor Weasley’s organized a system to get me caught up to the rest of you. Professor Ronen was just letting me know I’d be hearing from him soon about extra assignments I have to do.”

            “On top of the rest of your homework?” Natty asked, sounding taken aback. “Is it at least just fourth year?”

            Rhea laughed, “No, it’s all four years that I missed. Crammed into extra work. I have no idea how I’m going to get through it all; I just have to hope that the professors are really good at organizing a rushed curriculum.”

            “So you haven’t learned any magic before?” Natty asked incredulously. “And you still managed to master Accio in a single class period?”

            “Professor Fig gave me a few lessons before we arrived yesterday, but I haven’t really been around magic before,” Rhea said. “My mother doesn’t use magic, but her sister works for the Ministry. My family has magic, and we didn’t think I did. But now I’m here.”

            “That’s unheard of,” Natty commented. “Surely there were hints before now that you were gifted?”

            “Not that I know of. My mom could be lying to me, I suppose,” Rhea frowned, “But that’s not really something she would do…”

            “Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re here now,” Natty said. “We needed some fresh blood. And it’s nice to not be the new face in class anymore, if I’m being completely honest.”

            “Thanks,” Rhea grinned. “You mentioned Uagadou before—is it much bigger than Hogwarts?”

            “Uagadou School of Magic is the largest wizarding school in the world,” Natty said. “So yes. Bigger than Hogwarts. But it never seemed intimidating or overwhelming to me. It always felt like home.”

            “And Hogwarts?” Rhea asked.

            “Hogwarts was intimidating in its own way,” Natty admitted. “Going from such a large class to smaller classes meant I got more attention—which was both good and bad. It meant that I had to get used to my classmates knowing when I struggled, but it also meant that I had more contact with my professors, so I was able to improve faster. Don’t get me wrong—Uagadou’s professors were attentive and skilled; there’s just something… more intimate about Hogwarts’s style of learning.”

            “Is Uagadou a castle, like Hogwarts?” Rhea asked. She hadn’t really considered that there might be more schools of magic across the world. In hindsight it felt as if it should have been obvious.

            “Its address is Mountains of the Moon,” Natty said with a wistful look on her face. “It is not so much a castle as a beautiful edifice carved out of the mountainside. I remember the first time I saw it. The mist was so thick I could hardly make out anything at all. And then it just materialized before me, this enormous school that seemed to be floating in mid-air.”

            “That sounds incredible,” Rhea said, doing her best to picture the school in her mind’s eye as Natty described it. “Do you miss it there?”

            “Oh it is,” Natty said. “Perhaps you’ll get to visit there one day. And yes, sometimes.” Natty paused here, seeming to be trying to find the right words to describe what she meant. “I think we all will have a special place in our hearts for our first immersion in magic. For me, that happened at Uagadou. I’ve never lived without magic, but when I think of Uagadou and my time there, it feels like home to me.”

            “This may seem an odd question,” Rhea prefaced, “but is magic the same there as it is here?”

            Natty thought for a moment, seeming a little surprised by the question, “Mostly, yes, I would say. But I did have to learn how to use a wand when I arrived here. Hardly anyone at Uagadou uses one.”

            “You can cast spells without a wand?” Rhea asked, her jaw dropping open slightly.

            Natty grinned sideways at her, “Oh, yes! I find wandless magic to be much more instinctive—not to mention quite convenient if one is without their wand. Imagine you get disarmed in a fight against another wizard using a wand, and they think they’ve finished you—and then you hit them with another spell! But I must admit, however, that I am growing quite fond of using a wand. It feels very dramatic.”

            “It’s nice to learn about another wizarding school,” Rhea told her as they reached the doors of the Great Hall. “Kind of makes all of this a bit more normal for me.”

            “There’s nothing normal about this school,” Natty laughed. “Though I’m sure you’ll learn that by the end of the day. “Anyways, I know you missed dinner here last night, but generally, students from each house sit at their corresponding tables. That one’s Hufflepuff’s, then my table—Gryffindor—, then yours, then Slytherin.”

            “Oh, okay,” Rhea said, trying not to feel put out. She was enjoying chatting with Natty; it seemed like they were on their way to becoming friends. But she supposed if she was supposed to eat with her housemates, she should probably put more energy into becoming their friends as well. “Maybe I’ll catch you sometime after lunch then,” Rhea said.

            “My mother asked me to come and see her in the Divination Tower, so I doubt it—but I’ll absolutely be seeing you in class, I’m sure,” Natty said. “And thank you for indulging me in my ramblings about Uagadou. It’s nice to reminisce.”

            “Of course,” Rhea said, giving Natty another smile and a small wave as she wandered towards the Ravenclaw table. With equal parts disappointment and relief she noted that it was considerably more empty than the rest of the tables in the Hall. It seemed many Ravenclaws were already so deep in their studies that they failed to make it to lunch.

            Rhea sat herself down and dug into whatever was on the table in front of her. She’d managed to grab some fruit on the way to Charms, but she was certainly feeling her missed dinner at this point. And if she had another class that was as participation based as Charms had turned out to be, she needed to keep her energy up.

            After her (shockingly) impressive display in Charms class, she wanted to keep up with the rest of her peers more than ever. It was going to be a challenge, for sure. But she was starting to actually believe what Professor Fig had told her before: she was certainly up for the task.

Chapter Text

           Rhea rushed down the hall, trying her best to avoid arriving out of breath to Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She’d taken a wrong turn a few corridors back that had led her on a wild goose chase trying to find her way back to the correct hallway. She was trying her best to use the map in her Field Guide sparingly. It was all well and good to have on hand, but she needed to learn how to navigate the castle without it—especially if the Field Guide was only going to be with her for one year.

            She entered the classroom, hoping she wasn’t late. However, she needn’t have worried about it. The desks were shoved to the side of the classroom and her classmates were all lingering around the sides, letting out cheers and boos as two young wizards dueled in the center of the room.

            She watched in amusement as they traded spells back and forth, trying to decide if this was a friendly match between friends, or if it was more serious than that. She assumed that one of the other students would have intervened if it actually posed a threat to either of the duelists. Was this what this class was going to be like every day?

            The ginger haired Gryffindor on the far side of the room fired off three spells in quick succession, and Rhea was impressed—though the Slytherin boy let out a laugh and asked, “Is that all you’ve got?” after he masterfully deflected all three shots.

            He let out a little grin and fired off a different spell—definitely not one that Rhea recognized. The Gryffindor boy managed to deflect it at the last second, but it didn’t exactly go according to plan, it seemed. The explosive bolt shot upwards, towards the massive skeleton hanging from the ceiling of the room.

            There was a loud cracking noise and a few students gasped. There was the briefest pause of silence before the skull fell from the ceiling. The Gryffindor boy—instead of diving to the side like an intelligent person—fell to the floor, staring up in panic at the dragon skull as it dove towards him.

            A loud cry of Levioso sounded out and the dragon skull froze in place just before it hit the young Gryffindor. It hung there for a moment before levitating upwards, back towards the skeleton. Descending from her office was a feeble looking old witch, brandishing her wand.

            “Perhaps you’d be good enough to blast each other to pieces on your own time,” she scolded. “I get knew students every year, but I only have one Hebridean Black skull. It was a token from the Great Poacher Raid of 1878. No doubt you’ve heard of it.”

            The students set about putting the desks back into their proper places and some began taking their seats as the professor made her way down to the front of the room. The teacher watched them appraisingly and continued, “Now you may be asking yourself how an old woman like me single-handedly took out the largest poacher ring in eastern Wales and lived to boast about it.”

            There were a few mutters from around the classroom, but the teacher shook her head. She wasn’t looking for suggestions. “Knowledge,” she said simply. “To the wise, age matters very little.”

            “Now, move those desks back where they were,” she said. “Today’s lesson is practical; we’ll need the space. Today we will review a spell that has saved me from death at the hands of Dark wizards more times than I care to remember: Levioso.”

            “Levioso? A levitation charm?” the Gryffindor boy sneered incredulously.

            Instead of a reprimand, or an explanation, Professor Hecat spun around and cast the spell at the Gryffindor boy, levitating him in place. Leaving him hanging there for the moment, the professor turned to the rest of the class and explained, “A surprised opponent is a weak opponent.” She turned back to the levitating student. “Care you defend yourself, master Prewett? No?”

            A few students were stifling laughter now, including the Slytherin duelist from before. Professor Hecat waved her wand, lowering the Prewett boy to the ground once more before she continued her lecture.

            “One thing I’ve learned as an Unspeakable is the value of simplicity, especially in the heat of battle,” the teacher told them. “Now, let’s practice what we’ve just learned—starting with something small.”

            She waved her wand and a bundle of large green feathers floated through the air and landed on every desk. “Work on levitating these for the time being. Then once you’ve all got it, we’ll move on to something a little more exciting. Watch closely now…”

            The class spent a long time levitating and lowering their feathers for Professor Hecat. She took the time to critique each student, or offer a word of praise if they were doing particularly well, but she didn’t make a point to linger or single anyone out. Rhea rather liked it. She didn’t feel like she was being scrutinized by the whole class like she’d felt in Charms. And she rather liked Professor Hecat, as well. The old witch was stout and intelligent, and seemed to know exactly what to say to get the best work out of her students.

            After she was satisfied with their use of Levioso, Professor Hecat wheeled out a few training dummies and stuck them all in small groups to practice on the large target. Rhea made small talk with her group mates, one of whom was Samantha. She was very good at using Levioso, and wasn’t shy about offering advice to their other group mates.

            Once Hecat had seen enough success against the training dummies, she clapped her hands and brought everyone back together. “Very good—however, the best way to practice is by dueling,” the Professor declared. She pointed in Rhea’s direction and said, “We’ll start with you two.”

            Rhea turned to see who else Professor Hecat meant and found herself face to face with the Slytherin boy who had been dueling at the start of class. She gave him a shy smile, noting that she’d almost met him in Charms class earlier, and he gave her a sly grin as he said, “Time for a proper Hogwarts welcome.”

            He moved towards Professor Hecat, standing where the Prewett boy had been before. Rhea moved towards the other side of the room, trying to squash down her nerves. Sure, she’d never dueled before… and sure, this boy seemed like he was very familiar with dueling… but maybe her beginner’s luck would strike twice in one day. As long as she wasn’t stuck dangling upside down in front of the whole class for too long, that would be enough.”

            “Now I want a fair duel using only Levioso, your basic spellcasting, and Protego,” Hecat said. “And yes, I mean you, Mr. Sallow.

            Rhea stumbled as the floor shifted below them and they were suddenly suspended on a floating platform in the air. The Slytherin boy stood across from her, a smirk on his face and his wand at the ready. She pulled hers out and began running over the forms Fig had taught her in her mind.

            And then Professor Hecat began the duel.

            The Slytherin boy moved first, casting the shield spell. He paused slightly and Rhea squinted at him—it seemed like he might be trying to give her a chance to attack him. Well—that wouldn’t do at all.

            Rhea let out a quick stream of spells, managing to break his shield and suspend him in the air, firing off a few basic casts for good measure. If she was going to catch up, she needed to show her classmates that they didn’t need to hold back for her sake.

            When the boy fell to the ground, he scrambled back to his feet and called, “You’ve got good form!”

            She wasn’t sure what came over her, but she called back a simple, “I know.”

            And she rounded on him again. This time, she saw the smirk on his face fall slightly before an excited grin took its place. His spells came faster now, causing her to reassess her strategy. However, she managed to fend him off for the most part. He didn’t seem to use the shield spell as much as he should have, but that was her main focus. She was there to learn the spell, so she was using it as much as she could manage.

            By the end of the duel, both participants were breathing hard, but a winner was solidly decided when Rhea sent a final spell whizzing towards the boy and he flew backwards off of the platform entirely.

            Professor Hecat laughed and clapped her hands, “Good work! Sweeting! Dale! You’re up next!”

            Rhea hopped down off of the platform and got out of the way, sitting on top of one of the desks on the side of the room. Her opponent made his way over to her and leaned against the desk as well, facing the duel, his wand tucked behind his ear.

            “That can’t have been your first duel,” he said matter-of-factly.

            “Hmm… Let’s just say I’m a quick learner,” she said, a proud little smile on her face as they watched their classmates attempt the same duel.

            “Well, you aren’t bad at all for a beginner,” he said. He paused for a moment, and Rhea thought he was going to keep the conversation going but instead he said, “You give as good as you get… If you’ll excuse me, I have to go relay my terrible loss to my friend.”

            She watched him wander off towards another Slytherin boy—also from Charms class—who was sitting slightly by himself, seemingly staring off into nothing. She mentally kicked herself for not introducing herself to the boy properly. Step one of making friends was to actually try and meet people.

            By the end of class, everyone was laughing and chatting excitedly, gathering their stuff to head to their free periods. Like Professor Ronen, Professor Hecat held Rhea back, looking for an introduction.

            The old witch smiled at her, “I put you on the spot and you rose to the challenge. Points to Ravenclaw.”

            “Thank you, Professor Hecat,” Rhea said. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to practice some more. This is all still quite new to me.”

            “Well, if what I’ve seen today is any indication, we can expect great things from you,” she replied. “If that’s the kind of dueling you can produce with barely any background in magic, then I expect you’ll go far. As long as you keep up with your studies, of course. I demand excellence from my students. They are capable of achieving it—and they must achieve it; A classroom duel is one thing, but battling Dark wizards—or as ever more likely, goblins—is a different kettle of Grindylows entirely.”

            “Understood, Professor,” Rhea said with a nod.

            “So, I’d advise you to keep practicing whenever you can. Perhaps Mr. Sallow will have some ideas for you,” The professor said, glancing towards the entrance to the classroom. Rhea turned to look as well and saw her dueling opponent lingering out in the stairwell. “Again, well done today. I shall reach out soon with additional assignments.”

            Rhea nodded and thanked the woman again before making her way towards the exit. It was still weird not having any books or bags to carry around. She hoped that Professor Weasley meant what she said about getting to Hogsmeade that day to replace her lost things.

            “Nice work,” the Sallow boy said as she reached where he was very obviously waiting for her.

            “You know, I think I actually enjoyed that,” she said, grinning at him.

            “That duel was quite something,” he agreed. “Everyone’ll be talking about it by dinner, I guarantee it.”

            “It was good practice,” she said honestly.

            “Practice?” he laughed, pushing off the wall to stroll down the stairs, his hands in his pockets, wand still tucked behind his ear. “It felt more like I was dueling an expert.” He stuck out a hand towards her, “Sebastian Sallow, by the way. Didn’t expect a new student to be so deft with a wand. Then again, perhaps this wasn’t your first duel.”

            “Oh, I hate to break it to you, Sebastian, but it was, in fact, my first duel,” she said, shaking his hand politely. “Perhaps I simply have a knack for it.”

            “Be coy if you like, but I know better,” he said with a small smirk. “Magic requires intention and talent. And between that thrashing you just gave me and your performance in Charms earlier, I’d say you have both.”

            “Now you’re just trying to flatter me,” she laughed slightly. “One successful duel does not a talent make.”

            “Say what you will, but I reckon it’s true,” he said. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’m quite the duelist. And you beat me fair and square.”

            “Perhaps that’s why,” she quipped. “Hecat seemed to think you were going to try and cheat.”

            “I don’t cheat,” he bartered, “I just… take advantages of my opponent’s weaknesses. It’s what any smart witch or wizard would do. If I stick to all the drills the professors assign, then there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to duel effectively against an opponent that isn’t using the exact same drills as I am.”

            “That’s why you beat that Prewett kid?” she wondered.

            “Oh, no— he’s just not good. Didn’t you see him dueling before?”  Sebastian asked. “Not when I dropped a dragon skull on him—the second time. Adelaide Oakes was absolutely wiping the floor with him. She hates dueling, but she tries really hard. Prewett loves dueling but doesn’t have any of the discipline to actually perform well.”

            “And you think I do?”

            “Absolutely,” he said confidently.

            “You’ve dueled me once,” she said, “how can you be so certain?”

            “It’s just a gut feeling. But you know, you might be a perfect fit for a certain exclusive… unsanctioned… dueling organization,” he mused, shooting her a furtive glance as they exited into one of the courtyards.

            “Exclusive and unsanctioned?” Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Sounds intriguing.”

            “So?” he asked, urging her for a proper response.

            “Count me in,” she said after a moment of thought. If the professors wanted her to practice as much as she could, this sounded like the perfect solution.

            “Excellent,” he grinned, pulling his wand out from its perch. “Knew I was right about you.” He gestured toward her Field Guide and held out his other hand. “You have a map in there, right? Let me give you directions. You’ll need to talk to Lucan Brattleby—small, third year, Gryffindor. He’s a good kid; organizes all the duels.”

            Rhea opened her book to the map section and Sebastian held his wand tip to the paper. Off to the side of the map, a note appeared, and a faint glowing line showed the directions to the location of the dueling club. She let out an impressed whistle. “This thing is so fascinating…”

            “The things I could do with a resource like that…” Sebastian agreed. He grinned at her slyly and said, “I’m sure you already know this, but if you want to get the most out of your time at Hogwarts, you’re going to need to break the rules now and then. Whether it’s joining a secret dueling club or sneaking into the Restricted Section of the Library—you just have to be clever enough to not get caught.”

            “Thank you, Sebastian,” she replied. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

            “You better,” he said, “I could use some company in detention this year. Last year was dreadfully lonely. But for now, it’s been a pleasure chatting with you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon. Perhaps somewhere unsanctioned? We’ll see if your performance today was actual skill, or sheer luck like you said.”

            With a final grin, he trotted off towards the far side of Central Hall, leaving Rhea alone again, a matching smile on her face.

Chapter Text

            Rhea stood outside the Transfiguration classroom, hoping that her meeting with Professor Weasley would be quick. She didn’t want to have another encounter like they’d had that morning. She hadn’t heard any more from Fig, and she really didn’t want to be put in another position to lie to the Deputy Headmistress.

            She pushed open the door and entered quietly, thankful that she hadn’t just interrupted a class. The professor was seated at the far side of the room at her desk, speaking quietly to a small creature, a kind smile on her face.

            “What about the room, Professor?” the elf asked.

            “I was thinking the same thing, Deek,” the professor agreed. “Perhaps you could help—”

            The pair looked up as they noticed Rhea approaching, falling silent. The elf mumbled something to the professor that Rhea couldn’t quite make out before snapping his fingers and disappearing with a loud pop. The professor stood and beckoned Rhea closer.

            “Ah! There you are,” Professor Weasley said, “I trust your first classes went well?”

            “They did, Professor,” Rhea nodded.

            “I heard as much from Professors Hecat and Ronen,” the woman confirmed. “Seems Professor Fig taught you quite a bit before you arrived. I’d wager there’s a good deal more to your travels here than what you’ve told me—isn’t there?”

            Rhea cursed inwardly, searching for an appropriate response. She hadn’t expected the woman to immediately begin interrogating her again. It was almost unfair. She put on a smile and replied, “Nothing more, Professor.”

            “I see,” the woman said curtly, the friendly tone in her voice disappearing. “Like trying to get a sonnet from a Streeler… Regardless, you must continue to build upon what you’ve learned. In that regard, I’ve asked your professors to help hasten your progress with some extra assignments.”

            “Professor Ronen did mention something about that,” Rhea admitted, happy that the older witch was quick to change the subject.

            “In fact, Professor Ronen will mee you outside momentarily to assign your first one,” Professor Weasley said matter-of-factly. “Now, regarding the trip to Hogsmeade I mentioned earlier. We’ve arranged to replace the supplies lost on your way here, including seeds, potion recipes, and spellcrafts. And Mr. Ollivander will connect you with the perfect wand.”

            “Really?” Rhea asked, her excitement growing. “I’m going to get my own wand?”

            “You’ve managed your classes well with a borrowed wand, but you’ll find the magic you cast with your own wand to be far superior,” the professor confirmed.

            “So there really is an Ollivander’s in Hogsmeade then?” Rhea asked.

            “There is,” Professor Weasley confirmed. “Most people are familiar with the shop in Diagon Alley. We’re fortunate to have someone like him nearby. Mr. Ollivander is a genuine craftsman and highly skilled wandmaker. I would trust no one else to pair me with a wand.”

            “I can’t wait to go,” Rhea admitted. “Today has been a fun challenge, but I feel as though I’m already behind without any supplies.”

            “Very well,” Professor Weasley smiled. “However, I would like you to make your first visit to the village with a classmate. They’ll help you get your bearings outside of the castle. And it would be a good opportunity to continue making friends. Perhaps Sebastian Sallow or Natsai Onai? Your professors noticed you were getting along well with them in class.”

            “Sebastian, I think,” Rhea said after a moment of thought. “Natty mentioned that she was going to be busy this evening.”

            “Glad to hear it,” Professor Weasley nodded. “Mr. Sallow is a capable young wizard, and he knows the area. And perhaps becoming friends with you will keep him out of trouble this year. But for today at least, he’ll keep you well clear of any of Victor Rookwood’s undesirables enroute.”

            “Rookwood?” Rhea asked, frowning.

            “A rather unsavory local. Best to avoid him and his associates—including his right hand of sorts, Theophilus Harlow—if you can. Once you’ve finished Professor Ronen’s assignment, your friend will meet you at the castle doors. Now, no time to waste: the sooner you complete your work, the sooner you can enjoy a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.”

            Rhea nodded and turned to hurry to meet Professor Ronen. She was eager to get to Hogsmeade. Just as Professor Weasley said, she found the strange man waiting out in the courtyard. He waved her over enthusiastically.

            “You have a new spell for me to learn, professor?” Rhea asked.

            “Indeed, I do,” the man nodded. “And an exceedingly useful one at that—the Mending Charm. Reparo. Fixes things right up. Makes a broken object good as new in the blink of an eye. It comes in handy more frequently than one would imagine.”

            “As professor Weasley mention, I am not the only one who will be teaching you spells outside of class in an effort to catch you up with your peers,” Ronen continued, “A number of your professors have agreed to do so as well. But first, each shall ask that you complete a few preliminary tasks to hone your magic.”

            “Why must I complete tasks to learn a spell?” Rhea asked.

            “To give yourself a better understanding of what you are doing. No lesson or lecture can compare to first-hand experience. And these tasks we’re going to give you should provide you with just that. Such experience is invaluable when mastering any new bit of magic.”

            “So what am I supposed to do?” She asked.

            The professor smiled widely and led her to the other side of the courtyard where a beautiful statue was waiting. “I want you to destroy this.”

            “What?” she asked in disbelief. “You want me to break this statue? Surely it’s ancient—is this really necessary?”

            “Of course it is!” the professor exclaimed. “For you to better understand how to fix things with magic, you need to understand the gravity of destruction. Besides, for you to be able to fix anything, we’ll need something that’s broken. And this is a perfect chance for me to assess your problem-solving skills. There are many ways for you to destroy this statue—but only one way to put it back together again.”

            Rhea looked at the statue skeptically. She supposed the professor was right. Destruction and mending did go hand in hand. But destroying the statue by any non-magical means was certainly out of the question. But she wasn’t sure that any of the spells she knew would be destructive enough to damage the stone. Old as it was, the school was well intact, despite years of constant spell casting.

            Perhaps if she tried to weaken the base… old statues like these were usually mounted on their pedestals, not connected to the stone. If she was able to destabilize it, it might topple over with a little extra encouragement. She bent down, aware that the professor was watching her carefully.

            The statue wasn’t on a raise platform, but it seemed as though the stone circle it was on had simply been lowered into the floor around it. Her plan should work. She made her way around the circle, using her basic cast to try and loosen the base of the statue. Then she stood and inspected the top of the statue.

            She supposed she could try summoning the statue itself and hope that she was able to break it against one of the columns of the alcove they were standing in. But that might not be enough. She hadn’t tried summoning something so large and heavy yet. For all she knew, she wouldn’t be able to summon it at all. So instead, she untied her tie from around her neck and tied it around the top of the statue before stepping back.

            She inspected the stone floor briefly, deciding to pull the statue towards the short steps at the entrance to the alcove. With any luck, gravity and the sharp edges of the stairs would assist her in her destruction of the statue. She took a few extra steps back, just to be safe. All she had to do now was hope that her tie was strong enough that it wouldn’t immediately rip when she summoned it.

            “Accio!” she said firmly, summoning her tie. Instead of drawing her wand fully towards herself, however, she drove her wand down toward the ground, hoping her basic understanding of magic and physics would prove correct.

            The statue wobbled and resisted at first. There was also a faint tearing sound as the tie struggled to unwind itself from the statue. But after another tense moment, the magic won out, and the statue tipped towards Rhea. It teetered for a moment in midair before she ended her pull on the tie, and it crashed to the ground, shattering.

            “Ah! Well done!” Professor Ronen praised. “I must admit, I wasn’t sure how you were going to get this finished. But you performed spectacularly!”

            “Did all my classmates have to destroy an old statue when you taught them Reparo?” Rhea asked, retrieving her tie and dusting it off.

            “No,” Professor Ronen laughed, “Just you. But you clearly know your way around basic charms. Now, let us give the old mending charm a try, then, shall we? Remember to be deliberate in your enunciation and movements—I want to see some vigor.” He took a basic grounded stance and waved his wand around like a lasso, almost like a stirring motion. “This is how it’s done. Remember, your wand is a conduit of your magic. It won’t work properly without your focus and attention.”

            Rhea focused on the statue and cast the mending spell, focusing on making it whole again. With a slight rumble, the stone shifted and swirled around in a counterclockwise motion before stitching itself back together seamlessly.

            “Allegedly this statue symbolized heartbreak,” Ronen told her. “It’s been broken before; Perhaps a jilted lover thought it too accurate and lashed out.” He inspected the statue briefly and nodded encouragingly. “That worked like a charm, eh?” he laughed. “Very well done, Miss Pennywhistle. Now, you better scurry along. I believe Professor Weasley’s arranged for you to leave the castle, no?”

            “Yes, Professor,” Rhea said. “Thank you for the lesson.”

            “And thank you for working hard. I’m certain you will be caught up in no time at all,” Professor Ronen said, waving a hand before turning and wandering off, summoning small paper swans with his wand and making them dance above his head.

            Rhea smiled before pulling out her Field Guide to inspect her map. She was delighted to see that all of her lessons had recorded themselves in her book on their own. That was going to be incredibly handy for practical lessons. She wondered how it worked… But that was a distraction for another time. She flipped to the map and pointed her wand at it, focusing on finding the castle exit. Thankfully, it was only a short walk away.

            She spotted Sebastian leaning against the wall near the doors and waved a greeting as she approached, “Hello, Sebastian!”

            He stood up straight and grinned at her, “Ah, my new charge! I’m told you’re in dire need of supplies and I’m to accompany you into Hogsmeade for them.” He walked towards the doors and they opened before him as Rhea scurried to catch up. “Is this your first foray into the village?” he asked, glancing to the side at her.

            “It is,” Rhea said. “I haven’t left the castle since I arrived. I’m pretty excited. Professor Weasley made it seem like an exciting little place.”

            “Well, I shall endeavor to be the very best of guides then,” he told her. “And exciting… not quite the word I’d use. But it is a rather charming little place. Self-contained, too. We should be able to find everything that you need.”

            “Excellent,” she said, looking around at the grounds again. She hadn’t been able to wander too far during Charms class, but it was nice to be outside, at least. She pointed past the gate towards colorful, towering stands, “What’s that over there?”

            Sebastian dismissed the note of surprise he felt and answered, “That’s the Quidditch Pitch. You might remember yesterday evening when Headmaster Black cancelled the sporting season for it this year. Maybe next year it’ll be back. But I suppose they’ll be sticking you in a flying class, so you’ll learn a bit more about it from the instructor there. It can be an exciting sport—as long as it doesn’t take a week to finish.”

            “What sort of a sport takes an entire week to finish?” Rhea asked incredulously.

            “Quidditch has hundreds of rules, and most of them are extremely specific,” Sebastian tried to explain. “I have to admit I don’t really know most of them. I tried out in third year but took a bludger to the gut and nearly fell off my broom. I’ve tried to avoid the sport since then.”

            “Wait— did you say flying class before?” Rhea asked, sounding taken aback. “What do you mean flying class?”

            Sebastian looked over at her, “You really are a beginner then? You weren’t just pulling my leg before?”

            She turned slightly pink at this and clammed up a little bit. Wrong thing to say, he supposed. He tried to give her a reassuring smile and continued, “Don’t worry about it—it’s all going to make sense soon. But yes, flying class. Exactly as it sounds. They teach us how to fly on brooms here. The teacher can be a bit intense, but she’s good at motivating her students. I imagine you’re going to enjoy it once you get the hang of it.”

            “If you say so,” she said, looking almost queasy at the thought. “Last time I went flying it wasn’t exactly… fun…”

            They walked in silence out of the gates before Sebastian spoke again. “You know, I was glad Professor Weasley asked me to join you today.”

            “As am I,” she replied. “Thank you, by the way. This Field Guide is useful, but it’s a little confusing to use to navigate.”

            “Of course,” Sebastian said, waving away her thanks. “You know, you’re the only one who’s ever bested me in a duel. The way I see it, I’d be wise to keep an eye on you. I have to say though, I was disappointed you didn’t show up for Crossed Wands earlier.”

            “I wanted to go,” she told him, sounding almost guilty. “Professor Weasley had already summoned me for a meeting once I was done with classes so she could organize this little outing. And then I was going to go, but Professor Ronen had an extra assignment for me.”

            “Extra assignment?” Sebastian asked. “Trying to give you a leg up on the rest of us?”

            “Not exactly,” she explained. “Because I didn’t attend Hogwarts—or any magic school for that matter—until today, I’m extremely behind. I don’t know nearly as much as the rest of you. So their brilliant solution is to give me assignments outside of class time—on top of the regular homework they’re assigning.

            “Oh that sounds awful,” Sebastian frowned. “Well, I hope you have time for unsanctioned clubs as well—It’s like Professor Hecat said earlier: the best way to practice is to duel.”

            “Well, if Professor Weasley has her way, I’m not sure I’ll have the time, as much as I’d like to participate,” Rhea said sourly.

            “Speaking of Weasley, she seems to have taken quite a shine to you,” he told her.

            “Has she?” Rhea asked, a surprised look crossing her face as they plodded down a long hill. “That’s nice to hear. She always seems so frustrated with me when I talk to her.”

            “Oh, I can relate to that,” he laughed. “I’m still surprised that a professor would entrust me with anything, given my detention record.”

            “Spend a lot of time in detention, do you?” she asked with a chuckle.

            “Just enough to keep me well-rounded,” he quipped back.

            “Professor Weasley seemed to think that we could be fast friends. She suggested rather strongly that I keep my eye on you, actually. Try and keep you out of trouble this year,” Rhea mentioned.

            “Speaking of detention,” he added, “This trip to Hogsmeade might’ve saved me from one.”

            “Well, I’m glad I could be of service,” Rhea said, pausing slightly on the bridge they were passing to look back at the castle. It truly was an impressive sight. She hadn’t been able to make out too much when she and Professor Fig had been rushing up the road. It didn’t look quite as intimidating in the sunlight as it did in the pitch-black night.

            “Madam Scribner, the librarian, was on the hunt for me—as is often the case,” Sebastian continued as they resumed their walk, this time uphill. “Professor Weasley came to retrieve me and was able to convince ol’ Scribner that I had somewhere to be.”

            “So how did you manage to get on the librarian’s bad side?” she asked him, her grey eyes sparkling curiously. “Overdue book?”

            “On the first day? Please,” Sebastian laughed, “In all honestly, I suspect it’s just a matter of differing opinions. She thinks I shouldn’t be allowed in the Restricted Section, and I, on the other hand, am inclined to disagree.” He paused slightly and gently pulled her over to the side of the path where there as a small garden and a bench. “While we’re here—This is an excellent spot to gather lacewing flies. They’re pretty to look at, but if you stew them long enough they make a powerful potion ingredient.”

            “Good to know,” Rhea said, quickly jotting the information down in her Field Guide. Sebastian peered at it over her shoulder with interest as they resumed their journey.

            There was a loud rumbling noise, followed by the sound of powerful, flapping wings. Sebastian let out a gasp and jogged forward a bit, waving his hand for Rhea to keep up, “Merlin’s beard! From the Forbidden Forest! Look!”

            “What’s going on?” Rhea asked, hurrying to catch up with him. Sebastian leaned close and pointed towards two creatures flying quickly from the trees toward the lake. Rhea’s jaw dropped. She’d never seen a creature like them before. They were absolutely stunning.

            “Quite a sight, isn’t it?” he asked as the creatures flew out of sight. “You don’t see that every day. They continued on their way and Sebastian pointed off to their left again. “That’s the Forbidden Forest. Out of bounds to all students.”

            “Hence the name,” Rhea mused.

            “Precisely,” he replied. “They think it's too dangerous. I think they need to have more confidence in our defensive abilities.” He pointed again, this time just past the dense, dark trees. “You can see Hogsmeade just past those ruins up ahead.”

            The little village poked out from the mountainside at odd angles, looking about as whimsical as the name implied. Rhea felt her excitement bubble, but she recalled her mother’s story about being unable to find a wand. She hoped that the fact she was able to use the borrowed wand so well was enough to indicate that she’d definitely find the right wand today, but the fact didn’t do much to assuage her fears.

            “Are you alright?” Sebastian asked, noticing that she’d gone quiet. He had a concerned look on his face to match hers, but he couldn’t tell what had caused her sudden mood change.

            “Yes,” she said, unconvincingly. “Well… mostly. I’m a bit nervous to get my wand.”

            “I’d say that’s a silly thing to be worried about, but I’m sure you’ve a good reason,” he said. “What’s going on?”

            She glanced at him, seeming almost… torn? He wondered what that was about. He’d meant to ask her a bit more about herself on this outing, but he’d gotten a little sidetracked showing her the sights and talking about—well, himself… Not the best first impression…

            “I don’t really know what to expect,” she said simply. “This wand has been really helpful, but… I don’t know. Everyone talks about having such a strong connection to their own wand and to magic, and that both are incredibly important. But I only found out that I have magic about a month ago at this point. I’ve had a single day of lessons. And I just… what if I can’t find a wand?”

            “That’s a lot,” he said, unsure of how to respond to such a fear. “But just because your start with magic was a bit delayed, it doesn’t mean you aren’t a powerful witch. Hell—I can’t believe you’ve been using a borrowed wand all this time. That’s incredible!”

            “My… my mom struggled a lot,” she said. “Finding a wand, I mean…”

            “That’s perfectly normal,” he said. “Ollivander had me try close to twenty before we found the right one. And my friend Ominis had to get his made special. Everyone’s different, just like every wand. Sometimes it takes a little bit to find the right fit, but once you do its—well, magic.”

            “So you think I’ll be alright then?” she asked.

            “Absolutely,” he said firmly. “I reckon you’ll find your wand fast. And that’s not just me hoping you get all your chores done early enough that we can seek out a spot of fun before we need to get back to the castle.”

            “Fun?” she asked, her mood brightening slightly.

            “Oh yes, there’s loads of fun to be had in Hogsmeade if you know where to go,” he told her. “Have you had much of a chance to explore the castle yet? There’s loads of fun to be had there, too.”

            “Only a little,” she said, “It’s positively enormous.”

            “It is that; I’ve been there five years and barely scratched the surface. Loads to see, places to discover,” he told her.

            “Oh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Any you’d like to share with the class?”

            “Perhaps one day,” he mused. “I can’t go around telling you all my secrets now, can I? You still haven’t told me how you became so good at dueling when you’ve only known you were a witch for a month.”

            “The short version is that Professor Fig gave me a hell of a crash course on basic spellcasting,” she said. “But officially there’s not much more to it than that. Ours was my first duel against another wizard. But if it helps soothe your hurt feelings, I reckon if it were a proper duel, no holds bar, you would have wiped the floor with me.”

            “I don’t know,” he said. “I meant it when I said you had good form. You were more impressive than half of our classmates. I think when you come to Crossed Wands tomorrow, you’ll see what I mean. And if you ever need a bit more practice, I’d be more than happy to lend you my time.”

            He quieted as a carriage pulled closer, and Rhea saw his face visibly fall. She looked at the carriage and was startled to see the strange leathery beasts that were pulling the carriage she was in the day prior were also pulling this one. She frowned, still unsure of what they were, or why she couldn’t see them before. Was it some sort of invisibility charm?

            “I’ve always thought Thestrals pulling a carriage a bit grim,” he said quietly, stepping to the side of the road to allow the carriage to pass with ease. She stood next to him, looking back as the carriage trundled on. “Though, I suppose most people don’t actually see them at all…”

            “But you can see them?” she asked, looking at him thoughtfully. He wasn’t paying attention to her though, he was looking after the carriage, his eyes far away.

            “Unfortunately,” he said, sounding almost bitter. “But you’ve seen quite a bit yourself first-hand too—most notably that dragon attack. Hopefully the rest of your year isn’t as eventful.”

            “Not to expose my ignorance again but—what are they, exactly?” she asked as they slowly began to wind their way up a new cobblestone pathway.

            “Thestrals are… Well, they’re creatures that you can only see once you’ve witnessed death,” he said. “Not exactly a welcome sight for most folks.”

            “I suppose that makes sense,” she said quietly. “Mr. Osric… The dragon killed him yesterday. I couldn’t see the Thestrals when I boarded the carriage. One of the last things I remember before Professor Fig and I fell from the carriage was them appearing…”

            “I’m sorry,” Sebastian said. “That sounds terrifying.”

            “Can’t recommend it,” she said with a dry chuckle. “But there’s nothing to be done about it now.”

            “Well, I’m glad you survived,” Sebastian offered lightly. Luckily, they were saved from the depressing conversation as the boy spotted a figure leaning against a streetlamp. “Mr. Moon!” he called, waving. He turned to Rhea and motioned for her to follow him as he changed trajectory to greet the stranger. “He’s the Hogwarts caretaker. Looks a bit worse for wear though.”

            “Hello, Mr. Moon,” Sebastian said. “Have you met our new fifth-year yet?”

            “Hello sir,” she said with a friendly smile.

            “Pleasure,” the man groaned. He looked lazily at Sebastian and said, “You might want to turn back Mr. Sallow. Turn and and –hicc—run.”

            “Is everything alright sir?” Sebastian asked, glancing at Rhea with a slight frown.

            “Oh, it looked right at me—eyes big as saucers!”

            “What did, Mr. Moon?”

            “Demi—hicc—guise. Ugly and hairy and terrifying!” the man pushed himself upright and stumbled a few feet past them, calling back, “I shall be at the castle where it’s safe. Good luck to both of you.”

            “A Demiguise?” Sebastian scoffed quietly as they continued towards Hogsmeade. “I don’t’ know what he’s putting in his pumpkin juice, but he’s obviously had too much of it. I’ve never seen Mr. Moon in such a state.”

            “What’s a Demiguise?” she asked. “Is it… dangerous?”

            “No—actually they can be rather adorable. But they can see the immediate future,” Sebastian said. “I suppose if you were hunting one it would be extremely frustrating, but hardly terrifying.”

            “What a peculiar fear,” Rhea mused, though she supposed she’d have to wait to form a judgement until she actually knew what a Demiguise looked like.

            “Mr. Moon is quite the character, so it checks out, if you ask me,” Sebastian said. “My sister Anne thinks he’s lovely, but I’d say he could improve a bit as caretaker.”

            “Is your sister in Slytherin, too?” Rhea asked.

            “She is—or rather, she was,” Sebastian said, trying to shield his emotions once again. He needed to stay positive. Everything was going to be fine. “She’s not well at the moment, but she’ll be better soon and back at Hogwarts.”

            “I hope so,” Rhea said kindly. “Perhaps she and I would be friends.”

            Sebastian smiled to himself as he led Rhea through the covered bridge and into Hogsmeade. How was she so… unassuming? She was just simply kind—and she didn’t feel the need to pry. Perhaps that was a benefit of her being new to the world of Hogwarts and magic. She could ask as many questions as she needed, but she knew that some things should be taken at face value. No need to ask invasive questions. If he wanted to tell her, he still felt like he could.

            He heard her gasp in delight behind him as they walked up the main street of Hogsmeade and he turned to face her, walking backwards. “Honestly, if one could bottle up the magic of this place… I don’t know if it’s the shops or the people, but there’s just something about Hogsmeade.” He gestured around at all the people milling about with a fond look, “We all flock to it like moths to a flame.”

            He paused at the center of the village and put his hands in his pockets, “So how would you like to do this? Weasley told me you had a list of things to get, but didn’t say what. A wand, obviously, but I don’t know what other bits.”

            “Yes,” Rhea said, pulling out her Field Guide again to check, “Dittany seeds, some spellcrafts, and some potion recipes.”

            “I can’t wait to see what you do with a new wand,” he mused, almost to himself, a peculiar smile on his face. She grinned back, feeling a bit embarrassed. “And a short list gives us time to poke around the village. I just have to pop into a shop to find something for my sister. Let’s meet up in the town circle when you’re finished. Let me see your map—”

            “I don’t know if the map is meant to work out here,” Rhea admitted. “Weasley said that it was supposed to help me navigate Hogwarts; she didn’t mention anything about the rest of the area.”

            “Well, this thing records all the stuff you learn, right?” Sebastian asked, walking to stand beside her and inspect the book. “What if I tried to put a map of Hogsmeade in there for you? It should record it, right?”

            Rhea thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with a solid answer, so she just held the book out so he could see it better. He lifted his wand and pointed it at the pages like he had before when he was putting in the information for Crossed Wands. A silvery blue light sparked at the tip of his wand and dripped, almost like water, onto the pages, and a new map bloomed before their eyes.

            Sebastian let out a low whistle, looking impressed. “I really hope you’re up for some mischief at some point because this is absolutely incredible…”

            “Not too much mischief,” she said, sounding slightly disappointed. He hoped it wasn’t in his rule-breaking attitude. “Professor Weasley’s supposedly going to be inspecting my Guide periodically to make sure that I’m keeping up with all my tasks and assignments. I don’t think recording our rule breaking would be the best idea.”

            “Perhaps we can learn how to recreate one on our own,” he mused, pleased that she seemed as eager to snoop about the school as he was. She grinned at him, looking almost impressed at the idea. “But that’s a problem for later, at the Three Broomsticks. For now, go and get all your supplies, I’ll see you in a bit.

            Sebastian watched for a moment as she trotted off down one of the streets, nose in her Field Guide, glancing up every now and then to check she was going the right way. She paused slightly before snapping the book shut and striding into the nearest shop.

            He didn’t know what he’d been expecting from her. She was wittier than he’d anticipated—which was, of course, a wonderful thing. It was always nice meeting someone who could keep up with him. She did seem to be a bit shy, but did seem like she was starting to open up a little bit. He supposed she was going to take a little time to get really chatty though; she was doing a lot of learning right now. Once she had a better handle on how things worked at the school, he was certain she’d be just fine.

            He wound his way towards the north side of the village, heading for Dogweed and Deathcap. His most recent foray into the Restricted Session—no he hadn’t wasted any time getting started on finding a cure for Anne—had produced a rather simple book on basic medicinal herbology. It was a bit of a long shot—everything was—but it suggested that there was some credence to the theory that Shrivelfigs could help cure more than just physical ailments.

            He was certain that his uncle wouldn’t approve, but he needed to be certain that he was trying everything he could to help Anne. The fact she couldn’t attend Hogwarts anymore because of her illness was devastating. The year already felt strange. Instead of Ominis and Anne leading him towards mischief, it all rested on him. Ominis had grown more somber as the summer had progressed, and Anne…

            But he was going to fix it. Maybe not with a Shrivelfig, maybe not with a potion, but he would find something—anything—to make it right.

Chapter Text

            Rhea sighed happily, almost all of her purchases obtained. She was just heading to Ollivander’s. Thankfully, Professor Weasley had gone ahead and written to all the shopkeepers to let them know she would be coming by to collect some things. She didn’t even have to pay—the school was covering it all, thank goodness. She didn’t want to think about how expensive those potion recipes probably were—not to mention an entire wand.

            Rhea entered the shop and was shocked (not for the first time that day) at the sheer size of the place. The shops in Hogsmeade seemed to be the subject of some type of expansion charm; they were all rather small on the outside, but bigger inside than they reasonably should be. There were hundreds of wands in that front room alone, and it looked as though the shop went further back, though it was blocked off my a small counter.

            She reached for the old bell sitting on the counter to inform the clerk he had a customer, but the bell danced out of her reach and rang itself, settling down after it was done. She grinned at it in surprise. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to that.

            “I’ll be right with—” a bespectacled old man with frizzy, white hair said, rushing past with several boxes in his arms. He doubled back suddenly though, having spotted who was waiting in his shop. A smile grew on his face, “Ah! It’s you! Just a moment, please!” He disappeared and was followed by the clatter of dozens of wand boxes falling to the ground. He appeared a moment later and approached the counter, looking frazzled but friendly.

            “Hello, sir,” she said. “I’m looking—”

            “For a new wand, yes,” he said with a nod as he lightly dusted off his counter. “It’s about time.”

            “Yes, I—” she paused, her head tilting to the side slightly. “About time?”

            “Well, you are our new fifth-year student, are you not?” the man asked. “Oh, what am I saying? Of course you are.”

            “I am,” Rhea said. “I suppose I just didn’t expect so many people to know about me…”

            “It’s not every day someone starts as a fifth-year, though Professor Weasley’s letters to inform the shopkeepers of the village of your arrival and dire situation regarding supplies certainly spilled the beans, as it were,” the man chuckled. “Gerbold Ollivander’s the name! But of course, you’ll have heard of the Ollivanders, I’m sure. Finest wandmakers in the world.”

            He moved around the counter to greet her properly and began to size her up, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, truly. Now, let’s find you the perfect wand, shall we?”

            “Can it really be that simple?” She asked as he began muttering and inspecting the shelves.

            “Oh, sometimes,” he said. “Occasionally we manage to match the witch or wizard to their new wand on the first try. But something tells me you might be a touch tricky, so we’ll start with these two and move on from there…”

            Those first two wands, as it turned out, were not a great place to start. The first one barely responded, and when she tried to really swish it as the wand maker suggested, it burst into a stream of fireworks. The second on didn’t feel right at all, and demonstrated it aptly by flying out of her hand and disrupting half the shop. Ollivander managed to quiet it and tuck it away, fixing the shop with a wave of his wand.

            In the process, though, he managed to catch sight of a box far up on the shelf. He instantly summoned it to him. He turned, an excited twinkle in his eye as he opened the box, urging her to take it. It was a notched brown wand made of Dogwood with a Dragon Heartstring Core. The man described it as surprisingly swishy and it was thirteen and a half inches.

            When she took it in hand, a familiar hum and whisper began quietly in the back of her mind, as if she’d just accessed more ancient magic. She supposed she had, in a way. This tradition of finding a wand was as old as she could imagine. She felt a rush of electricity run up her arm and a strong, warm glow lit up at the tip of the wand, causing her to smile brightly.

            “Ah, ha!” The wandmaker exclaimed, “Another wand, another beginning of a bright and magical future! Now, how did that feel?”

            “Good,” Rhea said, struggling to put it into words. “Different? I sensed a sort of surge of some kind…”

            “A match,” Ollivander explained. “Your connection seemed particularly powerful. The right wand will learn from you just as you learn from it.”

            “I’m eager to try it out,” Rhea admitted. “We did a lot of wandwork in class today, but since everyone says magic feels different with your own wand, I’m curious to see the differences.”

            “I would imagine so,” the man chuckled. “A wand with a dragon heartstring core is capable of dazzling magic. And the bond between you and your wand should only grow stronger. Do not be surprised at your new wand’s ability to perceive your intentions—particularly in a moment of need. But I’ll let you get to it—Do come and see me again if I ever can be of further assistance.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea practically skipped her way to the point Sebastian had marked on her map, utterly delighted with the day’s successes. When she arrived, he hadn’t spotted her yet, and she allowed herself a moment to have a bit of fun. She got as close as she dared without letting him spot her, then whispered, “Levioso!”

            He let out a yelp as he was hoisted into the air, spotting her after a moment and giving her a loud laugh, “Alright, I must admit that was pretty clever of you.”

            “Sorry, I just figured that I should be putting our lessons into action,” she said as innocently as she could, “What was it Professor Hecat said? A surprised opponent is a weak opponent?”

            “And here I just thought you were testing out your new wand,” Sebastian chuckled as she released him from the spell. “See? I told you it would be painless. What’d he give you?”

            Rhea presented her wand and Sebastian nodded thoughtfully for a moment before he said, “I don’t know why I asked, I don’t really know anything about wands.”

            “Well, it doesn’t matter because I officially have all of my supplies and am now free to loiter to my heart’s content.”

            “Excellent,” Sebastian grinned.

            “Did you get what you needed for your sister?” she asked, taking him slightly off guard. He wasn’t expecting the concern in her voice, nor for her to remember when she just had the extraordinary experience of finding a match with her wand for the first time.

            “I did, actually,” he told her. “So, I suppose the world is our oyster now. Let’s see what else we can get up to.”

            As he finished speaking, there was a loud rumbling and a distant growl. After a moment, it sounded again, much closer. The pair of teens glanced at each other nervously, gripping their wands tightly as a precaution. The noises grew louder and louder until a troll came charging into view, smashing through one of the vendor carts in the square.

            The village folk immediately sprang into action, rushing to attack the creature. As if by instinct—or perhaps this was an example of her wand sensing a need for action as Ollivander had suggested—Rhea fired off a spell as well. When it struck the troll, the creature paused and turned to lay its glowing, beady eyes on her. It let out a snarl and began to charge.

            Sebastian fired at the creature, terror in the pit of his stomach. Why did it focus on them?? Was it—wearing armor? Where the hell did a Troll get armor like that?! It was getting dangerously close for his liking, and he stuck an arm out to try and grab Rhea’s hand to convince her to run from the fight, but she simply grabbed his and yanked him out of the way of the club the troll was swinging at them instead.

            Luckily, one of the other villagers struck the troll with a stronger spell and it changed trajectory, rushing after the adults as they lured it out of town. Rhea turned to check that Sebastian was okay, but before either of them could speak, there was rubble flying through the air and they were knocked prone. Rhea scrambled to her feet, searching for her friend. He had been thrown several feet away and was also getting up, a look of panic on his face as he spotted what had happened.

            A second troll had burst through one of the houses near them. The beast roared and immediately charged at Rhea. She thought she heard Sebastian shout for her, and she saw spells flying through the air, but she barely had time to react to the dangerous mass flying at her. She managed to roll out of the way, barely getting back to her feet in time to spin around and find the troll staring her down. It reached towards one of the piles of destruction and hurled a massive hunk of stone at her.

            She raised her wand and cast Protego, managing to deflect the boulder. The beast roared again but stumbled as Sebastian hit it with a few more spells. It roared and charged at him this time. He managed to roll out of the way at the last second, still firing spells. Rhea didn’t recognize a single one he was using, but she was desperately glad that he’d joined her on this outing. She wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted to again though, after this.

            “Are we weakening him at all?” she called to Sebastian, her panic starting to flee in the face of life-or-death adrenaline.

            “Keep at it!” he called back, “We’ll wear him down eventually! Just try not to get hit, someone will come and help us soon, I’m sure of it!” He followed this up by taking his own advice, dodging another charge from the troll at the last second. This time, however, the troll didn’t stop in time and ran into another building.

            She took the brief moment of respite to look around for anything, or anyone, that could help them. Six witches had drawn off the first troll—how were they going to defeat this one on their own? Her eyes came to rest on the troll and her mind reeled briefly. The troll was clad in glowing, pulsing, ominous looking magical armor—the goblin silver the dragon collar had been made of. This was about… her. This was about ancient magic—maybe there was more she could be doing to help this fight.

            She dodged another rock, feeling her wand guide her arm through the air, grabbing the rock and flinging it back at the troll. It struck the beast in its ugly face and the creature roared, clutching its head in pain. She heard Sebastian let out a laugh—how was he laughing right now? —as he shouted, “What was that?!”

            “A taste of his own medicine!” Rhea called back, dodging a swing of the massive club, reaching out for another piece of debris and throwing it at the creature.

            “Well whatever it is—keep it up!”

            And she did, repeatedly dodging and redirecting pieces of the environment to hit the troll. Sebastian kept up his onslaught of spells. The more Rhea used the unfamiliar skill, the louder the humming grew in her ears, and the duller the Troll’s enchanted armor looked to her. She felt a surge go up her arm and she moved instinctively, twirling her wand above her hand, feeling the power charging up inside, before brandishing her wand at the troll again.

            It stopped mid-stride, a brief look of fear and pain on its features before it simply disintegrated. Rhea stumbled back, eyes wide, stomach turning. Sebastian was at her side in an instant, making sure she didn’t fall.

            “I’m sorry, but I can’t believe you’ve never dueled before,” he said, sounding shaken. “What the hell was all that?”

            Rhea turned to respond, but suddenly they were surrounded by villagers again, all running towards them in concern. She clammed up and he watched her face carefully. She barely shook her head, trying to give him a meaningful look. Not now. Seeming to understand, he gave a small, short nod before turning to the adults as they finally reached the pair of students.

            “Goodness!” a woman in a sleek black robe and top hat exclaimed. “A second troll?” She looked between the two students incredulously, “Did you two take on a fully-grown troll—by yourselves?”

            “I suppose so—” Sebastian said, as Rhea replied, “It’s all a bit of a blur, to be honest.”

            “Are you two sure you’re alright?” the woman asked, looking over their various scrapes and growing bruises.

            “We are,” Rhea said.

            “And we were glad to help,” Sebastian said. “We may just be students, but Hogsmeade reminds me of home. I’d defend it any day.”

            “I’d say help is a bit of an understatement,” the woman said. “Nerve like that? The makings of an Auror, if you ask me. If you are unharmed, perhaps the two of you wouldn’t mind helping me put a few things back to where they were.”

            “Of course, Officer,” Rhea nodded.

            “Singer,” the woman said. “Officer Singer. And thank you. Again.” She turned and walked off, waving her wand to repair various portions of the town as she did.

            Rhea and Sebastian turned and looked at the destruction on the street and grimaced simultaneously. Rhea stepped forward and began casting Reparo, focusing hard and hoping that the spell would put things back exactly the way they were; she didn’t exactly remember what it looked like before it was smashed to pieces this time.

            Sebastian turned and did the same, but stopped abruptly when he heard someone calling over to them. “I’ll go and see what he wants—are you sure you’re alright?”

            “I’m fine,” Rhea said, waving her wand at another pile of rubble, “I’ll catch up in a moment.” Rhea was grateful that her Reparo lesson was getting some action already. It really made the cleanup process quicker than she was anticipating.

            She turned and made her way over to the building Sebastian had wandered into and waited for him to exit. He did shortly, holding a rather large bag that he held out to her when he spotted her. “Mr. Hill in there was just singing your praises. He wanted you to have this. Some spare uniforms, I think,” he said.

            “Oh that’s too kind of him,” she said.

            “He insisted,” Sebastian told her with a wry smile, “I couldn’t exactly tell him no when it wasn’t for me. But he’s right—you will need more than one uniform if you’re going from fights dragons to trolls on a day-to-day basis.”

            “You’re telling me near-death experiences aren’t a normal thing to experience around these parts?” She asked sarcastically, taking the bag from him. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful for the gift. I just feel like successfully avoiding death is a little bit of a reward itself…”

            “I’d say we’ve earned a butterbeer or two, wouldn’t you?” he said, leading her to a different part of the village. “Might help me forget that I was almost just pulverized by a troll.”

            “I’d say that I agree,” Rhea said with a heavy sigh, tapping the bag with her wand and stowing it in the magical pocket Fig had taught her to use.

            “Perfect—we’ll head to the Three Broomsticks, then,” he said. “Assuming it isn’t utter bedlam in there, you might even meet Sirona, the owner. She’s a good one to know.”

            The rest of the town seemed to be almost fully repaired as they walked down the cobbled streets. But something didn’t seem right. Rhea felt the hair on the back of her neck raise and she turned to scan the street nervously. Sebastian noticed and stopped to check on her, but she was staring straight past him.

            Down an alley, there was a tall man in a top had walking slowly away from them. The pair glanced at one another with furrowed brows. They didn’t need to exchange more than that glance before they were both sneaking over to hide behind a nearby building, throwing furtive glances down the alley after the strange man.

            Rhea peered around the corner, suddenly aware of just how close Sebastian was as he peered around her. Her distraction was shatter though as she heard a familiar voice grate out, “You said you could get to the child when they came to Hogsmeade.”

            “Oh Merlin…” she muttered, blood draining from her face. She realized too late that it was likely a mistake. Thankfully, Sebastian was paying attention, and pulled her back behind the wall, briefly covering her mouth with his hand to silence her. After a few moments he released her with an apologetic smile, but she shook her head—he’d done the right thing.

            The pair carefully peered back down the alley where, thankfully, the meeting was proceeding without issue.

            “You said that all you needed was a distraction,” Ranrok growled angrily. “I gave you a distraction!”

            “I just watched a student take down your distraction,” the strange man snapped back. “Who is this child? What are you not telling me?”

            “All you need to know is that if you cannot get to the child, then you have no value to me,” Ranrok said, reeling his tone back sharply. He paused, looking past the top hat man, directly at their hiding spot.

            “We need to go,” Rhea insisted quietly, slinking away quickly, tugging on Sebastian’s arm as she went, though she didn’t need to. He was following as quickly as he could.

            “Did they see us?” he asked as they darted towards the Three Broomsticks.

            “I’m not sure,” Rhea said. “We could barely see them—I don’t think they could see us. At least, not enough to recognize us.”

            “What was that goblin doing with Victor Rookwood, anyways?” Sebastian continued.

            “Ranrok must be working with Rookwood,” Rhea replied, mostly talking to herself though.

             A look of understanding dawned on Sebastian’s face as he said, “The goblin from the Daily Prophet? I knew I’d seen him somewhere…” His face grew harder though as he looked back up the street they’d come down and he urged her towards the door. “Quickly—let’s get inside. They’re coming.”

            The pair burst into the main drinking hall, trying to appear casual but struggling with the way the doors flew open. A friendly looking goblin was just leaving, and gave them a nod before slipping out the doors behind them. Sebastian led Rhea over to the bar, looking around nervously.

            The pair said down, giving each other an anxious look as the woman behind the bar came over to greet them. “What can I— Oh,” she said, catching sight of Rhea. “There’s a face I haven’t seen before.”

            Rhea looked over at her sharply, trying to put on a friendly face and push down her nerves. “Oh, yes. It’s my first time here.”

            “Welcome,” the woman said, waving her wand and setting two large mugs beneath the keg to fill. “Butterbeers on me.” Her face fell slightly as she continued, “Heard about the attack. I shall be looking in on the other shopkeepers and residents shortly. Glad to see you two escaped injury.”

            “Thanks to this one,” Sebastian grinned, raising his much in Rhea’s direction with a cheeky grin. “Single-handedly took down a troll.”

            “I didn’t do it alone,” Rhea protested. “Sebastian did just as much as I did.”

            “Well done, either way,” the woman said, looking thoroughly impressed. “You can call me Sirona, by the way. I own the place.”

            “My name’s Rhea,” Rhea replied with a smile. “Thanks for this, by the way. It’s delicious.”

            “My pleasure,” Sirona smiled.

            “I knew there was something I was forgetting,” Sebastian muttered.

            “I’m sorry?” Rhea asked, shooting him a confused look.

            “We’ve spent hours together today. We fought a troll together. And I forgot to ask for your bloody name,” he said with a loud laugh. “My mother would have been absolutely appalled by my manners.”

            “If it helps, Sallow, I’m appalled by your manners,” Sirona said, rolling her eyes at the young man. “But you two just take a moment to relax. You did well today—even if you forgot how to hold a basic conversation. But I will say… trolls in Hogsmeade? That’s never happened before. Something’s not right…” Sirona started into the middle distance for a moment. Rhea and Sebastian shot each other another worried glance, doing their best to enjoy their Butterbeer. “The only brutes we usually have to deal with are—”

            The moment of tense calm was interrupted by the doors flying open again. Rhea froze slightly, taking another long pull from her flagon, trying to calm her nerves. Sebastian was staring daggers over her shoulder at the newcomers and a sour look crossed Sirona’s tired face. “How timely,” she muttered, sounding almost bored. Without hesitation, she stalked out from behind the bar to greet the two newcomers, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face.

            “Was that Lodgok I saw leaving just now?” a voice asked. “Your clientele’s not what it used to be, Sirona.”

            Rhea looked at Sebastian questioningly and he gave a small shake of his head and mouthed, “Rookwood” behind his flagon. He seemed like he was at ease at first glance, but Rhea noticed that he was clutching his wand tightly at his side. Somehow, it was comforting to know he was just as unsettled as she was, even though he didn’t understand entirely why.

            “Not to worry, Victor,” Sirona said, “Once the two of you leave, the caliber of my clientele will greatly improve.” The second man made a move to draw his wand, stepping forward threateningly, but Sirona stood her ground. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Theophilus.”

            “Come now,” Rookwood sneered. “No need for theatrics. I’m only here for this one anyway.”

            Rhea could feel the man’s gaze on her and she couldn’t help but turn to look at him. He was an unsettling man, especially up close. She could practically feel the darkness in his state and she resisted the urge to shudder and the chill that went down her spine. There was a threat in his words; she could feel it.

            “My friend is enjoyed a well-earned Butterbeer,” Sirona said, stepping to the side to put herself more between Rookwood and Rhea.

            “I only want a quick word,” Rookwood said, attempting to stride past Sirona.

            Rhea shot out of her chair and had drawn her wand, taking a step back. At the same time, there was a loud chorus of scraping as the other patrons also stood and drew their wands. Sebastian had somehow managed to place himself between Rookwood and Rhea, his free hand pulling her further behind him. She wasn’t even sure if he’d done so intentionally— it had seemed almost instinctual more than anything. 

            “Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” Sirona said, her voice like ice. “I said my friend is busy.”

            Rookwood stared around at the rest of the patrons, obviously assessing his odds. “One would think you’d all had enough bloodshed for one day… Come Theophilus. The Three Broomsticks isn’t what it used to be. Let’s take our Galleons elsewhere,” he sneered. He shot Rhea a lingering glare and gave a small bow as they turned to exit, saying, “Can’t drink butterbeer forever.”

            As soon as the doors had closed behind them Sirona rounded on the pair of students, looking at Rhea intensely. “Seems you’ve made an unfortunate enemy. You need to watch your back. Rookwood and Harlow are worse than any troll you might encounter. I’m going to fetch some floo powder. I’m sending you back to the castle directly. I don’t want you walking back in the dark with those two thugs lurking about.”

           When she had turned to go and fetch the powder Sebastian quietly said, “Trolls, Ranrok, and Rookwood? What are you not telling me?”

           Rhea took a half step closer and said urgently. “I promise to tell you everything, but its perhaps best I do that later.”

           Ten minutes later the pair were walking into the Great Hall for dinner, more quiet than they were before their Hogsmeade visit. Sebastian glanced at her, concerned. She clearly was in some type of trouble if Rookwood was looking for her. But what could it possibly be that Ranrok, the unhinged, newsworthy, goblin radical was sending armored trolls to get a hold of her? Part of him wasn’t sure that he wanted to know.

           “I’m certainly glad Sirona was there,” Sebastian said as they stopped briefly outside of the hall to compose themselves. “Told you she was one of the good ones.”

           “She didn’t seem at all intimidated by Rookwood and Harlow,” Rhea replied. “I wish I were as brave as she was. I could barely look the man in the eye.”

           “I think you’ll need to tell me why Victor Rookwood has you in his sights,” Sebastian said. “But we can discuss that later. And for the record, you were the bravest one out there today. I wouldn’t have been able to face that troll without you there. But you should get your story straight about all that weird magic you were doing—no I didn’t forget about that—because Weasley’s certain to hear about the troll attack soon if she hasn’t already. She’s going to want to know how you did it.”

            “But I didn’t do anything,” Rhea said, giving him a pointed look. “We used teamwork and quick thinking to incapacitate the beast.”

            Sebastian gave her what could only be described as a fond look. “Whatever you say, troll slayer. Now, let’s get some dinner, quick. Kitchens will be closing down soon, and we don’t want to get caught out after curfew. I can’t risk another detention just yet.”

Chapter Text

            Two weeks passed before she realized it. She’d been keeping an eye out for Sebastian, hoping to grab him for a chat but it was almost as if he’d completely forgotten about her. She saw him in class a few times, but the professors kept them all too busy for idle chatter—though this was a moot point as they somehow managed to sit on opposite sides of the room in every class so far. And with all of her extra work and assignments, she hadn’t been able to catch him after classes, though that would have been nearly impossible as well. He seemed to disappear as soon as their classes were dismissed, and rushed through all of his meals. He didn’t even hang out in any of the school’s common areas—she’d checked. It almost felt as if he were avoiding her. Not that he owed her anything—they were barely friends…

Rhea woke up that next morning to excited chatter in the dorm room. She hauled herself out of bed to see Samantha Dale chatting with another dark haired fifth-year about something or other—Rhea couldn’t remember her name. She really couldn’t follow the girl’s excited train of thought after just waking up, so Rhea waved a hand in greeting before readying herself for the day.

            She managed to find her way back down to the Great Hall almost entirely without using her map, which she counted as an official success. She opened her Field Guide as she ate alone, as was her custom. The past few weeks had been made increasingly easy as the Field Guide not only led her through the castle, but it also kept track of her schedule, extra assignments (of which there were many), and free time (of which there was little)

            As she finished eating, she was startled as an owl swooped down, dropping a note onto her empty plate. She looked around, confused as to where the owl had even come from, but quickly picked up the note and read it.

            Come and see me. I’ve discovered something in the locket we found at Gringotts.

            Rhea felt her heart almost skip a beat. It was about bloody time Fig contacted her. Luckily, Professor Weasley—and most of the student body—were finally finished discussing her peculiar arrival at the school. She tucked the note away—not in her Field Guide—and hastily gathered her school bag. She hurried towards the entrance to the Great Hall, barely paying attention to her surroundings when she felt a hand grab her arm and slow her down.

            She turned, slightly flustered, and was surprised to see Sebastian.

            “Sebastian!” she exclaimed, “There you are!”

            “There you are!” he replied, releasing her arm. “It’s been ages—where the hell have you been hiding?”

            “Me?” she asked incredulously, “You’re the slippery niffler here, Sallow. I’ve been trying to find a time to talk to you literally since Hogsmeade!”

            “Well, why didn’t you try to talk to me before classes?” he asked.

            “Why didn’t you?” she countered. “Look, it just seems like we’ve just been two ships in the night so far—and I really hate to run, but I have a meeting with Professor Fig that I really, really need to get to.”

            “We’ve got Herbology in fifteen minutes—are you sure you’re going to be able to get there in time?” he asked, frowning. “Can we just try and—I don’t know—set a time to meet up? I haven’t forgotten what happened—and you promised to explain everything.”

            “I’m sure Fig can send me with some sort of note so Professor Garlick doesn’t get upset with me if I’m late,” Rhea said. “But I’m sorry Sebastian, I really do need to go—we’ll talk later today—I mean it!” And with that she was darting off, leaving him looking after her, unsatisfied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea knocked sharply on Professor Fig’s office door as she cracked it open. The man’s face lit up as he saw her and he beckoned her in quickly, “Close the door behind you, if you will, thank you!”

            She followed his instruction swiftly and hurried over to his desk, “Professor I am so glad to see you. So much has happened that I need to tell you about!”

            “And I you,” the professor nodded. “Thank Merlin you’re in one piece. I hear about the attack. Trolls—in Hogsmeade?”

            “Sir, the trolls were wearing armor,” Rhea said quickly, eager to finally talk about what had happened with someone who might know what it all meant. “It had that dark glow, like the dragon collar and the arm cuff on that Gringotts guard.”

            “Goblin silver,” Fig told her. “Ranrok used it to control the dragon. But how? And why send trolls to—”

            “They were there because of me,” she interrupted. “I overheard Ranrok talking to Victor Rookwood. Rookwood was supposed to ‘get to the child’ while Ranrok distracted the villagers, but he failed. Ranrok was angry with him. Then Rookwood tried to get to me in the Three Broomsticks—thankfully Sirona Ryan stood up to him and got me back here safely.”

            “Ranrok was in Hogsmeade? With Rookwood?” Fig mused, seeming deeply concerned. “This is grave news, indeed. If Ranrok’s goblins and Dark wizards are after you, they certainly want what we found in that vault.”

            “Speaking of the vault, do you think that Ranrok is working with any of the other goblins at Gringotts?” Rhea asked. “There was that one who clearly alerted him to our arrival at the vault…”

            “I can’t be certain, but I doubt it,” Fig said. “Gringotts goblins aren’t typically the friendliest of beings, but they have a great deal of integrity. Recall our banker friend who tried to oust Ranrok when he came after us in the vault.”

            “We never even asked his name,” Rhea said quietly, guilt flooding through her. The goblin may have just been doing his job, but he was killed because of it. On their behalf.

            “Certainly after his sacrifice, I think we can rest easy knowing that the goblins at Gringotts are no followers of Ranrok,” Fig said sadly.

            “So Rookwood and Ranrok are after the locket, then,” Rhea said. “But why? You said you discovered something in it.”

            “Yes, yes,” Fig said quickly, clearing off part of his desk and spreading a yellowed parchment on top of it. “I discovered an inscription. When I read it aloud, this map appeared. Clever enchantment. It’s a map of Hogwarts, to be sure, but I do not know where it leads…”

            Rhea leaned over the desk and looked at the map curiously. She pulled out her Field Guide and turned to her map of the school. She couldn’t navigate it by sight, but the enchantments in the book would at least help her identify where things were on the other map. After a moment she pointed at a corner of the map and said, “It leads to the Library. The Restricted Section, to be precise. And a bit beyond, I think. I see traces of magic there on the map.”

            “I suspected you would see something,” Fig said with a satisfied nod.

            “Shall we go?” Rhea asked. “I have Herbology shortly, but I have a free period the rest of the day—we could—”

            “I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Fig chuckled slightly, “And I’m eager to discover what we may find there as well, but if our experience at Gringotts, let alone what happened to Miriam and George, taught me anything, it’s that the path we’re on is incredibly dangerous. I’d like you to work some more with Professor Hecat before we proceed.”

            “But sir, how dangerous could the library be? Perhaps we’re only after a book,” Rhea said. “And you’re a professor, so we won’t really have to worry about the Librarian kicking up a fuss over us going into the restricted section.”

            “Perhaps we are only after a book,” he agreed. “But we should be prepared for anything. Recall when we were separated and you were left to battle alone? Once you’ve honed your defensive magic further, we’ll consider this again. But until then, I’ll let Professor Hecat know to expect you during that free period of yours.”

            Five minutes later, Rhea was practically sprinting down the stairs, her late excuse note from Professor Fig flying ten feet ahead of her. A short time later she entered Herbology, the note having arrived before her. Thankfully Professor Garlick hadn’t yet started the lesson and was passing around sets of cotton balls to each student as they took their places at their planting stations.

            Rhea thanked the professor quietly as she took the cotton balls and turned to approach her station. She stopped short for a moment, a confused smile growing on her face when she spotted her new neighbor. Sebastian was standing at the station next to hers, an amused twinkle in his eye as he fought to suppress a grin.

            “Running into you twice in one day?” she asked jokingly as she approached. “You’re awfully clingy, Sebastian.”

            “Me? Clingy?” he quipped back. “If I recall, you’re the one who said she’s been desperate to get a hold of me.”

            “How’d you manage to swap stations?” she asked. “I thought Garlick assigned these plots.”

            “She sort of does, but there’s no hard rule against changing stations—I just asked if Poppy would swap with me. Since we haven’t got anything growing right now, she agreed,” Sebastian said. “Though, she did make me promise to help her track down a Puffskein den near Hogsmeade at the weekend. But for the time being, this means we at least have one guaranteed time we can catch up.”

            “Ah so it’s just your way of holding me to my word, is it?” she asked, giving him a sly look.

            He paused a moment, and looked as though he were going to say something before shaking his head and fiddling with his planting station. Though he didn’t respond or meet her eye, he was smiling and laughing slightly to himself.

            “What was that?” Rhea asked, leaning towards him and pushing his arm slightly. “Sebastian Sallow not wanting the last word? Between this and swapping stations, I might just start to think you like me or something.”

            “Jury’s still out,” he muttered, shooting her a quick grin.

            Rhea opened her mouth to respond, but Professor Garlick clapped loudly for everyone’s attention. She supposed Sebastian had in fact gotten the last word after all.

            “I know I’ve said this before, dear little rosebuds, but I believe that it bears repeating: How thrilling it is to have everyone back together again! This year will be filled with enchantment and excitement, but the most important thing cultivated in Herbology is knowledge,” she began. “The prudent Herbologist is no more afraid of the Venomous Tentacula than the Bouncing Bulb. Now then. Today we will be acquainting ourselves with the mellifluous tuber known as the Mandrake Root.”

            Professor Garlick turned to summon a nearby collection of plants. While Garlick sent each plant to the class’s work stations, Rhea nudged Sebastian again and whispered, “Mandrake?”

            “Oh you’re in for a treat,” he whispered back, a sly grin on his face.

            “Good treat or bad?” she asked, and he just shrugged evasively in response. Reluctantly, she turned her attention back to Professor Garlick, quickly setting up her Field Guide to take notes again.

            “Let’s see if we can make our fibrous friends a bit more comfortable, shall we?” the professor asked. “First, let’s protect our ears.”

            “Our ears?” Rhea muttered, glancing around the classroom as everyone began stuffing the cotton ball into their ears. Rhea quickly followed suit, and turned back to watch Professor Garlick intently, missing the look of concern Sebastian shot her as he checked to make sure she had, in fact, put her ear buds in properly.

            “Now, everyone grip their Mandrake by the tendrils and give it a firm tug!” Garlick shouted so they students could maybe hear her over their plugged ears. The room erupted in ear splitting shrieks and screams as over a dozen mandrakes were yanked from the compact soil and hoisted into the air. There was an even louder shattering noise from above them all as the glass roof of the greenhouse began to splinter and crack.

            “Quickly! Place your Mandrakes into the new pot and pat down the soil!” Garlick shouted, though none of the students could hear her. Rhea glanced around, not seeing a spare pot, trying to not lose a grip on her struggling mandrake. It was large than her head!

            Sebastian slammed his mandrake into his pot and glanced over, noticing Rhea’s plight. He ducked down and grabbed a pot from under his potting station and placed it on her station, using his wand to summon a fresh sack of soil for her. She shot him a grateful look and put the mandrake down, frantically filling the pot with new soil.

            Once all the mandrakes were replanted, the class removed their earbuds, laughing at the panic they’d all had dealing with the pesky plants.

            “The soil should envelop the root like a warm, dirty blanket, putting the Mandrake right at ease,” the professor continued, as if nothing had gone wrong. The professor cast the mending charm at the roof and the glass instantly sealed itself again. “Now, if you all would begin planting your next trays of dittany and meadowsweet, that would be just grand.”

            As the students set about gather supplies, Professor Garlick hurried off her podium and intercepted Rhea as she and Sebastian moved to work on the assignment. “One moment, if you please,” she said to Rhea, ushering Sebastian to move along. The boy glanced at Rhea and gave her a quick thumbs up, indicating he’d grab her a share of the supplies while she was busy. She shot him a grateful smile before directing her attention to the professor.

            “Firstly,” the woman said with a sing-songy voice, “well done with your Mandrake. They can be rather difficult to get a grasp of.”

            “I mostly enjoyed it, actually,” Rhea said. “I couldn’t help but catch your enthusiasm. Though I didn’t have a pot big enough, so it’s really thanks to Sebastian that I was able to get my mandrake replanted.”

            “I’m very sorry about that,” Garlick said, an apologetic look on her bright face, “Yours was a bit mature, I’m afraid. I must have put him on the wrong cart. But that’s very kind of you to say. It seems you’re already taking to Herbology like a Mandrake to fresh soil. Now, as I said before, we’ll be planting new seeds today—are you prepared?”

            “Yes, Professor. I managed to get some in Hogsmeade last time I visited, courtesy of Professor Weasley,” Rhea told the long-haired woman.

            “You’ve visited the Magic Neep?” Garlick asked enthusiastically. “Wonderful—a prepared student is bound to bloom!” The woman let out warm, tinkling laugh and clasped her hands together. Plant jokes seemed to be her favorite part of teaching. She motioned for Rhea to return to her task as Sebastian returned with their planting trays before making her way back to her own station.

            “Thanks,” she said gratefully, copying the way he set up his planters.

            “What did she want?” he asked. “Did she give you grief about the pot?”

            “Not at all,” Rhea said. “She actually apologized for the Mandrake I got.”

            “I should think Professor Garlick would be more careful with her Mandrakes,” a bored sounding voice said from Rhea’s other side.

            She jumped, startled by the boy’s sudden appearance. He tucked his wand away and leaned gently against the edge of her potting table, seeming to look straight through her. Rhea glanced at Sebastian who was shaking his head slightly to himself.

            “Things could have gotten a lot worse if it had been a fully grown Mandrake, that’s for sure,” he agreed. “Probably just a bit too much fertilizer in that pot.”

            “Sebastian!” the boy exclaimed, sounding surprised. “So this is where you’ve got to! I thought you were just ignoring me earlier.”

            “Oh, right,” Sebastian winced, “Sorry I forgot to mention it, Ominis, but I swapped stations with Poppy Sweeting for this class. But who did you think you were talking to if not me?” Rhea glanced at Sebastian for a moment, confused before it finally dawned on her. Ominis was blind.

            “Yes, I’d noticed. Sweeting said I’d find you over here; I just wanted to see if it was true,” Ominis snapped. “Thanks for that, by the way. Just wonderful.”

            “Poppy’s plenty nice, Ominis,” Sebastian said.

            “Yes, she is,” Ominis agreed. “But I don’t want to be subjected to nice—what am I even supposed to talk about with her? Oh, did you see the Hippogriffs the other day? Why no Poppy, I didn’t. Why’d you move anyways? That was rather sudden; we literally walked here together today. When did you even have the time?”

            “Believe it or not, Ominis, you aren’t my only friend at this school,” Sebastian said, grinning at Rhea who wasn’t sure if she should join the conversation or not.

            “Oh, is this about that troll girl you were telling me about?” Ominis asked. “I thought she was avoiding you.”

            “Actually, I think he was avoiding me,” Rhea piped up. “And I’d much rather you call me Rhea than troll girl. Not exactly a glowing description.”

            Ominis jumped, muttering a curse as he put a hand to his heart, “How long have you been standing there?”

            “The entire time, I’m afraid,” she said. “Do you not like Poppy? She seems nice enough.”

            Ominis sighed and shook his head slightly, “I already said I agree that she’s nice.”

            “Do you not like nice, then? Is that it?” Rhea asked.

            “No, nice is…”

            “Nice?” Sebastian offered cheekily.

            “Oh shut it,” Ominis grumbled. “I just would have liked a warning, that’s all. It would have been pretty unfortunate if I’d said something to her that I shouldn’t have, is all.”

            “Sounds tantalizing,” Rhea said, glancing between the two boys curiously. “What could you possibly have to say to Poppy that wouldn’t be appropriate?”

            Ominis shot a glare in her direction and Sebastian shook his head at her gently, plugging seeds into his tray a little more harshly than he probably needed to.

            “Sorry—didn’t realize it would be such a touchy subject,” Rhea said placatingly. “Forget I said anything… I’m just trying to learn more about my classmates. Poppy’s always been so absorbed in her classwork that I haven’t had the opportunity to introduce myself to her yet.”

            “And now you won’t have to,” Ominis said. “Saint Sebastian took it upon himself to do what he thinks is best. He simply wishes to torture me.”

            “Oi, you know how I feel about that nickname,” Sebastian said. “I’m no saint. And I didn’t do this for any reason in particular. And if I did, it wouldn’t have been to torture you.”

            “Sounds like something someone would say if they did actually have an ulterior motive,” Rhea pointed out. She turned to Ominis as she reached for her watering can, “He told me he did it so that he’s guaranteed at least a class period to bug me about our Hogsmeade trip.”

            “I suppose that makes sense,” Ominis said. “He somehow has managed to not stop talking about it since it happened while also not telling me anything in detail. I’d ask you what the big deal is, but I suspect it’s less interesting than our friend here seems to think it is.”

            “I guess it’s all a matter of perspective,” Rhea said. “Perhaps you just had to be there.”

            “Well, I hope this new arrangement sates his curiosity,” Ominis said with a sigh. “If not, I fear you’ll be stuck with him permanently.”

            “Oi, stuck with me is better than stuck with half the people in our year,” Sebastian pointed out, “At least I know how to have fun.”

            “And yet your fun usually ends with you and your co-conspirators in detention,” Ominis pointed out. “I’m afraid this year I won’t be participating in your antics as much. My parents have yet again impressed upon me the importance of my success to the continued respect of our family name. And for once I am in agreement. I can’t go around getting in trouble. If I’m going to truly overturn the preconceived prejudices associated with my family name, I need to start putting in real effort.”

            Rhea glanced at Sebastian curiously and he mouthed Later at her, shaking his head side to side ever so slightly. Clearly, this was another rather touchy subject.

            “Mister Gaunt, have you completed your seed trays?” Professor Garlick asked, gliding over after inspecting another student’s work.

            “Sorry, professor, I’ll get right to it,” Ominis said. “I was simply wondering where Sebastian had gotten to, but it seems he’s putting down new roots over here.”

            Sebastian squinted at Ominis’s words as the boy made his way back to his own potting station, but Rhea wasn’t paying attention, as Professor Garlick was speaking directly to her once more.

            “Now that you’ve got your seedlings started, what say we branch out a little?” the young professor suggested. “Introduce you to a different sort of flora—the Chinese Chomping Cabbage. You’ll find that some plants are better suited to uses outside of a cauldron. The cabbages do get testy without something to chew on. Fortunately, I have a dummy for them to gnaw on. Would you please be a dear and let them have a good chomping?”

            Rhea nodded uncertainly as the professor continued, “They’re in the other greenhouse. It’s just at the end of the footbridge leading out of this room.”

            “I can show her where they are, if that’s alright, Professor Garlick,” Sebastian offered quickly. “I’ve already finished my planting as well.”

            “That’s very generous of you, Mr. Sallow, but your classmate, Mr. Prewett, has already kindly offered to accompany our new friend to the other greenhouse. But do come back and see me when you’re finished, Miss Pennywhistle,” Professor Garlick explained. “Oh, and—mind your fingers. They do bite.”

            The professor wandered off after Ominis, giving a few students gentle words of encouragement as they continued their planting.

            “Sorry,” Sebastian said with a frown. “Can’t say I didn’t try.”

            “Which one’s Prewett again?” Rhea asked, looking around the room.

            “The prat,” Sebastian muttered sourly.

            “Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Rhea said, though she was fairly certain she’d heard exactly what he’d said.

            “Nothing,” Sebastian said, shaking his head. “It was rude of me. You’ll find out soon enough, anyways. He’s just over there.” He nodded to the stairway behind her, a disappointed look on his face as he began cleaning his tools with a spare rag.

            Rhea nodded and turned to see the ginger-haired Gryffindor boy from Hecat’s class, the one that had been Levioso’d. He was watching her carefully when she approached and stood with impeccable posture.

            “Hello,” he said politely. “Nice to finally meet you. I’m Leander. I’ll be showing you the Chinese Chomping Cabbages. Up these stairs’ll take us there, but—your lead.”

            “Nice to meet you, Leander,” she said. “I’m Rhea.”

            “Nice work in Defense Against the Dark Arts, by the way,” he said. “I know it was a while ago now, but I’ve been meaning to mention it. Just haven’t found the right time.”

            “Excuse me?” Rhea asked as they reached the top of the stairs.

            “Your duel with Sebastian,” Leander said, as if it were obvious. “And he’s good. Ha—thinks he’s really good. But you outright slaughtered him. It was brilliant.”

            “Oh. Well. Thank you, I guess,” she said. She felt like Leander was taking a little bit too much pleasure from the outcome of that duel, but he’d had his ass handed to him by Sebastian shortly before, so he was likely just excited the other boy lost.

            “I nearly put Sebastian in his place, myself,” Leander continued to say, as if she hadn’t spoken. “I mean, I would have, if Hecat hadn’t stopped me.”

            “I seem to recall Hecat stopping a dragon skull from crushing you, actually,” Rhea said, feeling her hackles rise slightly. Maybe she had heard Sebastian correctly.

            Leander scoffed loudly, shaking his head as they made their way into the second greenhouse, “Typical Slytherin trick, dropping a dragon skull on someone during a fight. We Gryffindors fight with honor.” When she didn’t respond to this, he added, “And uh, Ravenclaws, too. At least you did…”

            Leander was saved from dealing with another uncomfortable silence as he quickly sped ahead of her and proclaimed, “Here we are. Home of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage. All you need to do is chuck the cabbages on the ground—gently—and they’ll do the rest. Nothing to it, really.”

            “Are you not going to help?” she asked as he leaned over against one of the potting stations, watching her as she put on her dragonhide gloves.

            “No, Garlick was quite clear that this is just your task,” he claimed. “I’m just here to supervise.”

            “Right,” Rhea mumbled, digging up the cabbages and gently lobbing them towards where a rather battered looking training dummy was sitting. “Do I need to pick them back up once they’re done chomping?”

            “No, Garlick said she’d handle that. Besides, class’ll be over pretty soon, and the cabbages need more time than that,” Leander paused, watching the cabbages attack the dummy with what seemed like delight. “Vicious little bastards, aren’t they? My kind of plants—not like stupid Bubotubers and Bouncing Bulbs. The kind of plants that’d have your back in a fight.”

            “Not saying you can’t go it alone, of course,” he added after a moment of thought. “But—well, imagine that wasn’t a dummy.”

            “Just because those cabbages will chomp on a dummy it doesn’t mean they’d do the same on, say, a goblin,” Rhea said.

            “But you can never be too careful,” Leander said, seeming irritated by her disagreement. “It’s chaos out there—trolls in Hogsmeade and such. You can’t be above throwing a cruciferous vegetable if necessary.”

            “Yes, I’m well aware of the trolls in Hogsmeade,” Rhea said, keeping a smile on her face, though it was tight. She was definitely certain she’d heard Sebastian correctly—and she agreed wholeheartedly. Leander was a prat. “I fought one, actually. With Sebastian. And let me tell you, a troll isn’t going to bat an eye at a cabbage with sharp teeth.”

            “Well, there’s more to the world of combat than wands and cabbages,” Leander snapped. “Dogweed and Deathcap has other plants too—ones your parents wouldn’t plant in the garden. You get the idea, I’m sure. Anyways, we probably ought to head back to class.”

            “Sure thing,” Rhea said, turning and heading back the way they came, Leander walking beside her tersely.

            It was a silent walk this time, neither pleased with their first introductions. The classroom was mostly empty when they got back, as Professor Garlick had clearly dismissed the rest of the students. A few were lingering though, including (to Rhea’s delight) Sebastian. He gave her a small wave, but she held up one finger apologetically as she made her way back to Professor Garlick. The boy nodded and sat back down on his garden stool, twirling his wand absent-mindedly as he waited.

            “The cabbages are chomping away, Professor,” Rhea told the woman.

            “Remarkable plants, aren’t they?” Professor Garlick smiled, inspecting Rhea closely. “I hope they weren’t too much trouble—don’t see any bite marks or—missing digits. Which is good—as you do seem to be quite green-fingered. I’m eager to see your skill in the soil continue to blossom.”

            “As am I,” Rhea said. “My mother was very fond of gardening, but I’ve only grown up with muggle plants. Magical plants have so much to offer. I’m eager to learn more about them.”

            “I’m glad,” the professor said with an emphatic nod, “Herbology is a bounteous subject. Tend to your garden, and it will tend you. But I’ve kept you long enough today—do come by for a chat sometime. I so enjoy checking in with my new students. And at some point, I will be contacting you about some extracurricular tasks you’ll need to complete.

            “Of course, thank you Professor,” Rhea said, quickly hurrying to clean up her station. However when she reached it, she found that her tools had been cleaned and organized. She looked at Sebastian who had a somewhat guilty look on his face. “Did you do all this for me?” she asked, gesturing to the potting station.

            He shrugged and replied, “Look, I just figured that if we didn’t have to wait twenty minutes for you to clean up your station properly, we might be able to have an uninterrupted conversation for once.”

            “That’s clever,” Rhea said, shrugging her bag onto her shoulder and following Sebastian out of the greenhouses. “Except—”

            “No—you can’t be serious,” Sebastian said incredulously. “There’s no way you’ve already filled up your entire free period. This is making me think that you actually were avoiding me. What’s it gonna take to be your friend, Rhea? Do I need to swap seats in every class? Is that it? Ominis is going to be furious.”

            “You know what, I can handle a little bit of anger from Ominis if it means I never have to talk to Leander Prewett again,” Rhea said, shaking her head. “Literally how is he suck a prick?”

            “Ooh, what did he say?” Sebastian asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you angry. Are you okay? Your face was so red when you came back from the other greenhouses.”

            “I think he tried to compliment me?” she asked, a confused look on her face as they made their way into Central Hall. She pulled out her Field Guide to check the way to Hecat’s classroom. She needed to talk to the professor as soon as possible. She didn’t want to have to wait even longer to explore the library when she knew there were answers waiting there for her.

            “What, you don’t like being insulted politely?” Sebastian laughed, glancing at her book over her shoulder. He started heading for Hecat’s classroom with her without missing a beat.

            “It’s worse than that!” Rhea told him. “He was going on about our first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson—he was raving about our duel, but not really? He just seemed pleased that I knocked you down a peg.”

            “For the record, you didn’t knock me down a peg—” Sebastian said. “Until we duel one another in Crossed Wands we’re basically equal.”

            “I didn’t say I agreed with him,” Rhea said, “But I did beat you—I won’t let you forget it until I lose to you.”

            “I suppose that’s fair,” Sebastian said with a somewhat reluctant nod. “It’s not like I lost to Prewett.”

            “That was the other thing—” Rhea exclaimed, grabbing his arm in excitement as they made their way up the main stairway. “He tried to tell me that he was about to beat you—”

            “No!”

            “—Yes! That’s exactly what he said, but that Hecat stopped him!”

            “That’s not what happened at all!”

            “That’s what I said!” Rhea laughed. “I was literally there.”

            “What did you even say to that?” Sebastian asked. “Literally that’s such an absurd lie…”

            “I told him I remembered Hecat stopping him getting crushed by her dragon skull,” Rhea said, “And he had the audacity to say that you dropped the skull on him on purpose to cheat and win the duel!”

            “If I wanted to drop the skull on him, I would have cast at the skull instead of his ugly mug!” Sebastian exclaimed as they made their way across one of the covered bridges. “It’s not my fault he’s bad at deflecting spells! That’s like, half of dueling!”

            “He didn’t stop there,” Rhea continued. “He didn’t even blame you specifically.”

            “What do you mean?” Sebastian asked, a note of confusion in his voice.

            Rhea straightened her back and made herself as tall as she could, putting on a snooty and blasé deep voice and said, “Typical Slytherin trick! Not like Gryffindors! We fight with honor!”

            “He really said that?” Sebastian asked incredulously. “Also that was an incredible impression, I’m going to need to hear that from you about twice every day from this point on.”

            “Pretty much,” Rhea said, pushing his arm at the joke. “Then he sort of realized his mistake and tried to tack Ravenclaws onto that train as well. Then walked it back again and tried to say that I at least dueled with honor.”

            “What a prat—he didn’t even duel you!” Sebastian said, shaking his head as they wandered along yet another staircase. “I cannot wait until I face him in Crossed Wands… Speaking of which, once you’re done with Hecat, maybe you can swing by? I can get Lucan to add you to the roster for the day, if you want.”

            “Hopefully Hecat isn’t busy right now,” she said, frowning slightly. “My meeting with Professor Fig earlier wasn’t as productive as I was hoping it would be… I basically lost my entire free period because of it.”

            “So does this have to do with all the secrecy then?” Sebastian asked. “Your weird dueling and all the foul characters harassing you in Hogsmeade?”

            Rhea glanced at him, biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. “Yes,” she said simply. “I’m sorry, Sebastian, but until I talk to Professor Fig later, I don’t think I can tell you more.”

            “I can be patient when I need to be,” Sebastian said. “Besides, now that I know swapping seats in class is actually a very effective way to get your attention, I’m sure you won’t be rid of me any time soon. So, why are you heading to Hecat’s if Fig’s the one you need to talk to?”

            “Part of my extra assignments,” Rhea said sourly. “Fig thinks I need more training in my defensive spellwork.

            “You know…”

            “Don’t say Crossed Wands, Sebastian, please,” Rhea said, shaking her head. “I do want to go.”

            “Good,” he grinned. They stopped outside Hecat’s classroom and stood silently for a moment before he said, “Well, the first part is usually just drill practice—spell combinations, dummy work, all that nonsense. If you don’t think this meeting will take too long, I can wait for you?”

            “I have no idea what Hecat will have in store,” Rhea admitted. “It might be best if you head along without me.”

            “Well, I’ll stick around for a little bit, and if you finish quickly, all the better. If not, you have the Field Guide,” Sebastian said. “I actually should probably check on Ominis really quick anyways; make sure he’s not too upset I moved spots without telling him. He’s not fond of change.”

            “I gathered,” Rhea said kindly. “Alright, well—Be seeing you then?”

            “Sooner or later,” he replied, sauntering off down the stairs, twirling his wand aimlessly as he went.

Chapter Text

            “Come in, come in,” Professor Hecat waved as soon as she spotted Rhea peeking into he classroom. The old woman watched as the newest fifth year slipped inside and shut the door carefully behind her. She was used to all manner of timid first years, but by this point in the semester most of those young ones had settled in and were starting to test the limits of misbehavior. But this girl was still treading softly, and that wouldn’t do.

            “I’m here about the new spell you wanted to teach me, Professor,” the girl smiled meekly as she reached the front of the classroom.

            “Good,” the old woman nodded. “Professor Fig indicated a certain urgency to you completing your defensive magic assignments. As such, you are to learn Incendio, the Fire-Making spell. Handy for lighting torches, burning away spider webs, and—when necessary—defending against those who would wish to do us harm.”

            “Sounds versatile,” the girl said, taking notes in her Field Guide as the professor spoke. She almost wished that Professor Weasley hadn’t been so insistent on giving the girl such a powerful magic tool to help her catch up to her classmates. The girl was clearly very competent, given her performances in class, even without four years of background learning. Professor Hecat was a woman who had grown to appreciate action over passivity, internalized knowledge over extensive note-taking.

            “Quite,” Professor Hecat said. “But before we get started, I’d like you to complete a few tasks. I suspect you will be surprised by them… Astonishing how much students don’t think their professors know.”

            “I’m not sure I follow, Professor,” Rhea said, a confused look on her face as she put away her Field Guide.

            “I would like you to find your way to the Clock Tower and find a young man by the name of Lucan Brattleby. I’m sure you’ve already been approached about the secret dueling club he runs,” Hecat said. “As I told you on the first day of class, there is no better teacher than experience. And as capable as you and Mr. Sallow proved to be against that troll in Hogsmeade, I wouldn’t bet in your favor twice.”

            To Hecat’s surprise, the young Ravenclaw’s face burst into a grin at the revelation. “Not so unsanctioned, then.”

            “Beg pardon?” the woman asked.

            “When I was invited to join, it was touted as being both exclusive and unsanctioned,” Rhea said. “It was a good advertisement tactic. It’s funny that they think they’re being so secretive about running an illegal dueling ring on school grounds.”

            “We had a similar group when I was a girl here in Hogwarts,” Professor Hecat said. “Different students may walk the halls now, but they have the same vim and vigor as all the students who walked here before them. Although I must admit—Crossed Wands is a significantly improved name for the club compared to what we had in my day. To be honest, I’m not sure we even got around to naming ourselves.” The old woman shook her head and waved the girl away, “When you’re finished putting some overconfident students in their place, come and see me. Then we shall begin working on Incendio.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Sebastian leaned against the banister of the stairwell near Hecat’s classroom, arms crossed. He wasn’t sure why he was so dead set on waiting for Rhea. They had no idea how long she would be spending with Hecat, and while he wasn’t as fond of Lucan’s combination practice sets, he had to admit they were bloody useful.

            He glanced behind him, towards where the secret passage to the Undercroft was. He really had wanted to check on Ominis. He knew his friend wouldn’t be too mad at him for swapping seats—but there was a chance he was upset about who Sebastian had swapped with. He knew Ominis sort of fancied Sweeting, and he was afraid his friend thought that was the real reason for the swap.

            This wasn’t the case, of course—Sebastian really did just want to become better friends with Rhea—but he wasn’t sure how to convince his friend of it. It hadn’t even crossed Sebastian’s mind that Ominis might have been upset by Poppy setting up shop next to him. He supposed he could have warned the boy—but it was odd that Poppy hadn’t said anything to Ominis before class had started. She was normally so chatty.

            The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom swung open and Sebastian stood up straight quickly, scolding himself for the startled response. A confused grin sprung onto his face as Rhea scurried down the steps toward him eagerly.

            “What’s got you in such a hurry?” he asked as she reached him and continued past without breaking stride. He gave a small jog to fall into step with her, readjusting his bag as they continued on their way.

            “You’re gonna love this,” Rhea said. “Your little dueling club isn’t unsanctioned—but you didn’t hear that from me.”

            “What?” Sebastian asked, confused. “It’s not sponsored by any teachers, it’s fully student run— it’s not an official school club.”

            “Professor Hecat won’t teach me Incendio until I join Crossed Wands and work on my spell combinations. She wants me to duel more before she teaches me what I need to know,” Rhea said. “She knows all about the club—I think she basically is your teacher sponsor, she’s just not in charge.”

            “Is it bad that it takes away a little bit of the thrill for me knowing that Hecat approves of our little dueling circle?” Sebastian asked. “If any of the professors were going to know about it though, I’m glad it’s her.”

            “We definitely won’t be telling anyone about that little nugget of information,” Rhea said. “I would hate for the students to have that mentality and scatter before I get what I need.”

            “So ambitious,” Sebastian mused. “And in it for yourself—are you sure the hat didn’t mean to put you in Slytherin?”

            “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Rhea asked with a small smirk. “I wouldn’t be able to hide from you in the common room.”

            “You cheeky little—you were avoiding me!”

            Rhea let out a laugh and Sebastian couldn’t help but join in. He was enjoying teasing her, now that he knew she wasn’t actually avoiding him. It hadn’t bothered him at first—settling in at the start of term took time, and she had more work than literally everyone else at the school, so it made sense that she was hard to track down. But his curiosity was too strong and—despite his occasional detention—he had been getting nervous when she’d continued to be hard to get a hold of.

            “No,” she finally confirmed as they continued towards the Clock Tower Courtyard. “But I’m a woman of my word. And once I learn that spell from Hecat, and have a more productive chat with Fig, then I’m all yours. Any question you have, I’ll answer.”

            “Quite the promise,” Sebastian said. “I’ll hold you to it.”

            “I expect you to,” Rhea said. “Besides—friends share, friends talk. Speaking of friends—is Ominis okay? I’m not sure we got off on the right foot.”

            “I couldn’t actually find him,” Sebastian said. “He wasn’t where I expected him to be; he must have gone back to the common room instead. But I’m sure he’s okay. I think it was just a misunderstanding; it wasn’t a reflection on you. If he was irritated, it was just with me.”

            “Does he not like Poppy?” Rhea asked. “I haven’t really had a chance to meet her yet, so I have no idea what she’s really like.”

            “You’ve been standing next to one another in Herbology for two weeks and you haven’t met her?” Sebastian asked sounding surprised. “She’s awfully chatty usually, I’m shocked she didn’t immediately introduce herself to you.”

            Rhea shrugged, “She was always talking to Everett. I didn’t want to butt into the conversation. And I can’t afford to slack off in class yet.”

            “Still, that’s odd,” Sebastian said. “Something must be bothering her.”

            “Are you two friends?” Rhea asked.

            “More or less,” Sebastian explained. “You don’t go through four years of school with the same twenty people and not make friends. But it’s more of an in-class friendship, if that makes sense. That’s the one downside of house common rooms; you primarily make friends within your house.”

            “Really?” Rhea asked, sounding skeptical.

            “What, you aren’t chummy with your bunk mates?”

            “Not especially,” Rhea said. “I think they’re very… cliquey? It’s like you said, you’ve all been going to school together for four years—it’s kind of hard to break that mold, so to speak.”

            “Well that’s just silly,” a friendly voice said, falling into step on Rhea’s other side.

            Rhea turned and was pleasantly surprised to see that Natty Onai had joined them. Sebastian gave the girl a friendly nod as she led them through the next set of doors.

            “Have you really not made any friends in your house?” Natty asked Rhea, sounding concerned.

            “Well, I’m friendly with Samantha, I suppose,” Rhea said. “But she’s always either hanging out in the greenhouses or chatting with one of our other bunkmates.”

            “You don’t even know her name?” Sebastian laughed.

            “I find that very surprising,” Natty said. “Everyone was so excited to meet you, you know.”

            “Doesn’t really feel that way,” Rhea said. “Maybe it’s a Ravenclaw thing. Everett sort of indicated that our house isn’t exactly good at taking breaks. The first few weeks of school are tense and everyone’s eager to impress the teachers. I thought maybe we’d all at least have breakfast together, but they all sort of have their own routine and I don’t think I really fit into that.”

            “Maybe I’m right and you did actually belong in Slytherin,” Sebastian said. “We’d have loved to have you.”

            “Are you kidding me, Sallow?” Natty laughed in disbelief, “If anything, Rhea would fit in best with the Gryffindors—you were there, you saw her take down that troll. Standing her ground like that—well there’s only one house that sort of behavior represents.”

            “I didn’t take down the troll,” Rhea insisted again, “Sebastian and I used teamwork. If I’d been facing it alone, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

            “Don’t listen to her Natty, I barely did anything,” Sebastian said, leaning around Rhea to shoot Natty a serious look. “She’s a monster—vicious—you don’t ever want to duel her. Trust me, I’m the only one who knows how dangerous she truly is!”

            Rhea shoved him gently with her shoulder and he veered off course briefly before falling back into place beside her, cackling at his own humor.

            “I suppose that rules out Hufflepuff then,” Natty joked as they reached their destination. “But I suppose there’s a chance I’ll find out just how impressive her skills are soon enough.” Natty gestured over to a small, curly haired boy with a clip board standing near a massive set of troll armor, “That’s Lucan—you’ll want to talk to him about joining.”

            “We’ll leave you to it then,” Sebastian said. “Good luck.”

            Rhea gave the pair a nervous smile as they turned and headed down the stairs towards a small group of students who were practicing various stances and wand positions. She watched as the group opened up and welcomed the two latecomers and began talking excitedly and pointing at a large chalkboard on the other side of the room.

            Rhea walked over to Lucan, who was absorbed in his clipboard, consulting another chalkboard, using his wand to levitate a piece of chalk to take notes. He glanced up when she came up and held his clipboard to his chest, “Can I help you?”

            “Lucan, right?” Rhea asked hesitantly. She wished she would just speak more confidently. She’d been explicitly told this was the young man she needed to speak to. Natty wouldn’t lie to her about that. Sebastian might—but given his repeated attempts to gain her trust and convince her to duel with him again, she supposed he probably wouldn’t either. “I’m interested in joining Crossed Wands. Sorry I didn’t come sooner, I’ve just been incredibly busy.”

            “Who’s your sponsor?” Lucan asked, checking his clipboard with a distracted frown.

            “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Rhea said. “Sponsor?” Something told her she wasn’t supposed to let on that Hecat was aware of Crossed Wands. She probably shouldn’t have even mentioned it to Sebastian, but he would have had questions about why she left Hecat’s so quickly otherwise. The truth was just the easiest then, but perhaps not now.

            “Crossed Wands is invitation only,” Lucan explained. “I didn’t invite you, but you’re here so someone must have.”

            “Well, Sebastian’s been pestering me to come along since the first day of classes, so I suppose it’s him?” Rhea replied. She wished Natty or Sebastian had told her she’d need to prove she was invited. Then again, it had probably been a few years since they had joined the club. Maybe they simply forgot.

            “Well, if Sebastian vouches for you, that’s all I need to know,” Lucan said with a short nod, scribbling something down on his clipboard. “You must be Rhea, then. I’ve heard your name tossed around a bit. You’re the one that fought a troll in Hogsmeade, right?”

            “Yes,” Rhea said. “Sebastian and I got cornered by one and fought it off together.”

            “So you already have experience with partnered duels—good to know…” Lucan said thoughtfully, tapping on the chalkboard with a calculating frown. “As I’m sure you’ve been told, I coordinate duels for Crossed Wands. It’s invitation only, so you must have really impressed Sebastian. He was school champion for the past two years.”

            “Honestly, I’m flattered to hear that,” Rhea said. “Sebastian keeps insisting that he wants to duel me again now that I’ve learned a few extra spells.”

            “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to arrange that,” Lucan said with a frown. “Our single duelist brackets are already fully lined up for the year, and we’ve started the challenges. All these kids you see here aren’t even all of the club. How it works is I send out an owl when it’s time for your bracket to compete. You show up, you practice, you duel. Rinse and repeat.”

            “However,” Lucan mused, “The club’s grown a bit too big for only hosting one on one duels. So my clever idea this year is to also run partnered duels. Multiple opponents at once. That sort of thing. A real test of a duelist’s skill, if you ask me. Do you have a partner?”

            “Oh um—”

            “Don’t worry. Since you and Sebastian have already dueled together, you can partner up with him today. Next time, you can bring whoever you like. I’m still working on putting together official teams so now’s the time to shop around for the perfect partner,” Lucan said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some serious work to do on this bracket… Some people just aren’t as committed to dueling as the rest of us it seems.”

            “What do you mean?” Rhea asked. “I’m pretty good at problem solving; maybe I could help you?”

            Lucan looked at her appraisingly for a moment and said, “I use a very specific system for confirming the brackets. Once it’s written, it’s permanent. No alterations, no substitutions. That’s why I can’t let you into the single’s bracket this year, even though we’ve just lost a competitor.”

            “So you have an uneven number of competitors?” Rhea asked.

            “Yes. Poppy Sweeting won her duel last week, but today she came in and withdrew completely out of the blue,” Lucan complained. “This throws off the whole system. Her opponent can’t rejoin the bracket because he lost very badly, and honestly, was too much of a sore loser to deal with. But that’s besides the point because I can’t change the roster.”

            “That does sound like trouble,” Rhea frowned. “I wonder why she withdrew…”

            “Well, whatever the reason, I hope it was worth all the trouble it’s caused me,” Lucan sighed. “Theoretically I can just… pretend their duel didn’t happen, but this dumb chalkboard keeps putting Poppy in the schedule. And her leaving means that her next opponent has no one to duel. And it’s not fair if I just advance that person to the next round because they wouldn’t have even dueled yet.”

            “Oi, what’s going on over here?” Sebastian asked, wandering over. “Lucan explaining the rules?”

            “I’m attempting to help him with a little snag, actually,” Rhea said.

            “Something wrong?” Sebastian frowned, looking at Lucan with concern. “I invited her, that’s not the issue, right? She can still join, right?”

            “Yes, yes,” Lucan said, rolling his eyes as he waved Sebastian’s questions away. “It’s actually to do with the singles bracket.”

            “Oh, I’m very excited for our duel, Pennywhistle. I intend to give you a real duel this time,” Sebastian grinned, though it was short lived when he saw Rhea shake her head gently.

            “That’s actually the issue,” Rhea said. “Single’s bracket is full and already under way—I can’t join this year.”

            “What?” Sebastian asked. “But how else will we prove who’s actually the best duelist between us?”

            “Lucan actually had a brilliant idea about that,” Rhea said, nodding towards the young boy.

            “Partner dueling,” Lucan said. “The whole point of Crossed Wands is that we present each duelist with a challenge. And we have so many participants this year that we need to find ways to accommodate the growth. So—at least for this week—I’ve paired you two up. You can decide to drop one another next week if you like, but for now, since you two’ve fought together already, it’s a good introduction for her and good practice at teamwork for you.”

            “Okay… So that sounds like a resolved problem to me,” Sebastian said with a frown. “What’s the issue?”

            “Poppy Sweeting dropped out today,” Rhea said. “And she’s already won a duel.”

            “But then there is space in singles…” Sebastian said, confused.

            “No alterations, no substitutions,” Lucan repeated, his frustration starting to show through again as he aggressively scribbled out yet another note on his clipboard.

            “Then it’s simple,” Sebastian said, shrugging as though the solution was painfully obvious. “I’ll withdraw from the singles bracket as well. Assign me to Poppy’s next duel, call it a draw and eliminate us both. Then the rest of the tournament should go on without a hitch. And I’m more than happy to demolish the competition in partner dueling.”

            Lucan stared at Sebastian with his jaw hanging slack, stuttering slightly as he processed.

            “Sebastian, no,” Rhea said, “Your title—”

            “Will be waiting for me to make a triumphant return next year,” Sebastian said. “Unless you manage to beat me out for it. Besides, we can duel on our own time, settle our debate that way.”

            “Are you sure?” Lucan asked, finally recovering. “The rest of the club might not like it…”

            “Yeah, but you’re the one that’s in charge, Brattleby,” Sebastian reminded him. “What you say, goes. If it helps, just tell them I have standing detention on Tuesdays for the next few weeks, so I can’t make the singles’ duels. I’m disqualified, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

            “I guess it would make sense to hold team dueling on different days than singles…” Lucan mused, checking the chalkboard with a frown, though his brow did look less tense. “I don’t like it… but if you’re certain, I think that’ll work. The eliminated duelist won’t be happy though…”

            “He already lost, fair and square,” Rhea pointed out. “And it’s like you said. It’s a strict no substitutions, no alterations situation.”

            “It’s not perfect, but it’ll do,” Lucan sighed, sounding relieved as the chalkboard recorded the correct information at last. “I owe you one big time, Sebastian.” Lucan turned and picked up what looked like a drum mallet and quickly hit it twice against the troll armor, getting the attention of the rest of the club.

            “Listen up you louts!” he said loudly, his soft voice carrying a surprising amount as the crowd of kids quieted and gathered around. “A few announcements, if you will—We’ll be hosting two tournaments this year instead of one—Any of you who want to participate in team dueling can pick a partner and talk to me later in the week. Additionally, there’s been a small change to our singles tournament lineup. The next duel was meant to take place between Poppy Sweeting and Sebastian Sallow. However, Sallow has just informed me he will be unable to attend. Additionally, Poppy Sweeting has withdrawn from the running entirely. Therefore, neither will be allowed to participate in this competition further this year. Yes, that means that the title of Champion is up for grabs.”

            An excited murmur shot through the crowd as they digested the news. Some shot Sebastian irritated looks; gaining the championship title didn’t seem quite as appealing when the resident champion wasn’t in the running, apparently. Still, there were more than a few excited students chattering eagerly at the new opportunity. As Lucan indicated—anyone could wind up the new champion.

            “Now, everyone into position!” Lucan continued, “Find a dummy and listen up; these combinations might be a bit more complicated than you’re used to.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea was exhausted by the time Lucan Brattleby released them from practice. She hauled her school bag onto her shoulder and joined Natty and Sebastian near the exit.

            “Sallow, I cannot believe that you aren’t competing this year,” Natty told him, shaking her head. “Winning isn’t going to be nearly as satisfying now.”

            “Someone’s confident,” Sebastian grinned. “Look, all you gotta do is find a partner for doubles and you can still compete against me. And you’d get a crack at beating Rhea as well.”

            “You two have already partnered up?” Natty asked, sounding almost irritated. “It doesn’t seem fair to me that you get to snag the bracket’s wild card.”

            “You can take it up with Lucan,” Sebastian said, raising his hands in surrender, “He’s the one that assigned us for the practice duels. But I have a sneaking suspicion the Troll Thrashers are in it to win the whole thing.”

            “Troll Thrashers?” Rhea asked, “You’ve already given us a name?”

            “Intimidating, right?” Sebastian asked. “It’s a good callback to our origin story.”

            “It is rather dramatic,” Natty said, warming up to their partnership. “I think it’s a great name. Besides, the singles tournament doesn’t have fun names—just our own. We already back individual duelists like they’re Quidditch teams—it’ll be nice to actually have a team or two to root for since that was officially squashed this year.”

            “I guess you’re right,” Rhea nodded, secretly delighted by the notion. “I hope everyone else comes up with fun names.”

            “Maybe I’ll ask Garreth if he’ll partner up with me,” Natty mused. “I’ve not done any partner dueling since I moved here. It would be good to get the practice in.”

            “You sure your mother would approve?” Sebastian asked.

            “What she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her,” Natty shrugged. “Besides, this is technically school work, after all.”

            “Oh I like your attitude, Onai,” Sebastian grinned as the trio made their way to the Great Hall, continuing to discuss the finer aspects of dueling with or without a partner. Rhea did her best to follow, and the other two were gracious enough to answer her questions thoughtfully.

            When they reached the Hall of Herodiana, Rhea paused, ready to say her goodbyes.

            “Where do you think you’re going?” Sebastian asked, pausing when he noticed her falling behind. “It’s dinner time.”

            “I have to speak to Professor Hecat,” she said. “Extra assignments and all that…”

            “They really do keep you so busy,” Natty frowned. “I feel like I’ve barely seen you since the first day.”

            “You’re not the only one,” Sebastian agreed. “I think they’re running you ragged. Are you sure you can’t just go back and visit her tomorrow? She’s probably down at dinner anyways.”

            “It wouldn’t hurt to check,” Rhea said. “And dinner only just started, so it’s not like I’ll be missing much.

            “If you say so,” Natty shrugged. “Come on Sallow—I want your opinion on this new spell I learned over the summer.”

            Sebastian gave Rhea a small wave, and she could almost swear he looked disappointed, but she simply waved back and turned to head up the stairs to Hecat’s classroom. Sebastian glanced back over his shoulder as he and Natty headed downstairs in the opposite direction. He almost wished they hadn’t gone to Crossed Wands. He still didn’t have any answers from her about what had happened back in Hogsmeade. Then again, at least he knew they were about to be spending a lot of their free time together perfecting their dueling.

            He supposed things could have been worse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Professor Hecat?” Rhea asked, standing in the doorway of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. “Are you still here?”

            “Just a moment!” the professor called before emerging from her office. “Ah! You look like you’ve been in a fight or two—did Lucan put you through the ringer, then?”

            “That he did,” Rhea nodded, putting her bag down on one of the desks at the front of the room and leaning against it as the teacher came down the stairs to meet her. “I was too late to join the one-on-one tournament though. Luckily, he decided to implement a doubles bracket this year, so I’ll still get consistent dueling practice at least.”

            “Doubles bracket?” Hecat asked, sounding delighted. “Oh Ronen and Sharp are going to have a field day when they find out. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces—this is going to throw a wrench in the betting league for certain.”

            “Do all the teachers know about the dueling club?” Rhea asked, grinning. “And you all bet on the outcome??”

            “What better way to assess our students than to see how they perform under pressure that they choose to embrace, rather than in the classroom?” Hecat smiled. “Of course, you’ll forget I said any of this—but yes, most of the teachers know. I think you can take a stab at the ones who might not approve of such a thing. Though, not everyone participates in the betting. Something about it being unethical…”

            Rhea’s grin widened and she nodded, “Of course professor. I won’t tell a soul.”

            “So I take it you’re participating in this partnered bracket?” Hecat asked.

            “Yes—Sebastian Sallow is my teammate.”

            “An excellent choice,” Hecat nodded thoughtfully. “You two are quite well matched. I imagine you’ll make a formidable team. Though I hope Mr. Sallow remembers to focus on the singles tournament, as well. He’s had an impressive history with that competition so far.”

            “About that,” Rhea said, wincing slightly, “He sort of dropped out…”

            “Why on earth would he do that?” Hecat asked sharply. “This completely changes things…”

            “Well, Poppy Sweeting also dropped out, and he figured that the easiest way to fix the issue was to remove himself from the running. He said he’d rather win the championship next year when he can beat me fair and square,” Rhea explained.

            “Sweeting dropped out as well?” Hecat exclaimed, sounding astonished. “Oh, Ronen won’t like that one bit…” She stewed for a minute before shaking her head slightly and saying, “Well, in any case, now that you’re set up to continue practicing and incorporating the rest of your extra work into your dueling, I feel confident that you should be ready to learn Incendio.”

            “Should be, Professor?” Rhea asked, her brows knitting together in mild confusion.

            “Yes. I’m sorry to say, I’ve visited enough careless colleagues at St Mungo’s to assure you that fire is a fickle servant,” Hecat nodded. “Your spell-casting has impressed me thus far, but please maintain focus. Remember to copy my wand movements exactly, and you should be just fine.”

            They spent the next twenty minutes repeating the spell and drilling it with a training dummy until Rhea could produce a solid burst of flame instead of just sparks. Satisfied, Hecat nodded, but reminded her to remain vigilant when using the spell.

            Rhea hurried down to dinner, recording her lesson with Professor Hecat in her Field Guide as she went. When she reached the Great Hall, she caught sight of Professor Fig sitting at the teacher’s table at the far end of the room and tried to catch his eye.

            However, the professor was completely absorbed in a rather large and old looking textbook and didn’t look up once—until, that is, a small out swooped down and dropped a small scroll onto his plate. He glanced around, surprised, but unraveled the note and scanned it, a frown growing on his face. When he finished, he slammed his book shut and stuffed the note into his pocket, hurrying from the hall.

            Rhea frowned after him with a sinking feeling, stabbing absently at her roasted potatoes. She suspected it was going to be a little while before she got a hold of the man again.

Chapter Text

            The rest of the week slipped by faster than Rhea had wanted. She and Sebastian still hadn’t found the time to sit down and talk about what had happened during their visit to Hogsmeade, and it was starting to frustrate them both. Even though they were spending a long time with one another practicing for their upcoming duels, they were unable to discuss anything because of how many other duelists wanted to use the practice space. And the few times they did happen to be alone for longer than a walk between classes, they often managed to get sucked into regular conversation. She was enjoying his friendship almost too much.

            And so, she was sourly setting up her potion station and waiting for class to begin, vowing silently that today had to be the day. She wouldn’t take no for an answer—and she wasn’t going to seek out yet another extra assignment. She had too much homework to catch up on as it was. She took out her Field Guide and set her wand in place before turning to organize her various ladles and knives.

            A note fluttered over to her work station as the rest of the class went about their business setting up. She picked it up delicately, unfolding it carefully.

            I think I have a solution to our communication issues. S

            She turned to glance at the Slytherin boy whose station was located near the exit. He jumped slightly, glancing down at his cauldron before looking back up at her, seemingly embarrassed that he’d been caught staring, despite his efforts to get her attention. She raised her eyebrows questioningly, holding up the note slightly. He nodded slightly and mimed writing. She glanced around the classroom and shook her head slightly to the negative; that didn’t seem like a good idea. He nodded again, ignoring her worry, motioning for her to hurry up.

            With an exasperated sigh, she dug a quill out of her book and hastily scrawled a response. She folded the note up carefully and slid the page to the edge of her desk, glancing back at him pointedly. It was harder for her to look over at him subtly, as she was closer to Professor Sharp’s desk. Sebastian glanced at the other students at his work station before casting the summoning charm under the table, muttering the incantation quietly to be discreet.

            The note zipped towards him, and none of the other classmates seemed to notice. However, the small hint of triumph at successfully passing notes in class was short lived as Professor Sharp entered the classroom from him office, ever the impressive figure despite his pronounced limp.

            “Wand away, Sallow—I’m not above taking house points from my own class for errant casting,” he said drily, stomping up towards the front of the room.

            The entire class turned to watch Sharp, though a few stared openly at Sebastian. Rhea took the opportunity to shoot him an I told you so look, which he rolled his eyes at, before turning her attention to Professor Sharp again.

            “You’ll all recall that Potions is one of the most challenging and hazardous subjects taught at this school. As fifth-years you will be required to reach new heights of both discipline and intellect. But we all have to start somewhere—and today we will be starting with the Wiggenweld Potion in preparation for our first poison week of the year next week.”

            “Mister Thakkar, can you tell us why this particular potion might come in handy?” Sharp asked, leaning against his chalkboard to inspect the class.

            “Yes, Professor Sharp!” Amit said quickly. “The Wiggenweld Potion can be used to sterilize and even heal a variety of injuries.”

            The professor nodded slightly, almost shrugging as he thought about the boy’s answer. “It can heal some injuries, but not all. Points for Ravenclaw. Now, this potion will not be helpful in dealing with poisons next week. For the first part of the lesson, you will brew a Wiggenweld potion to keep. Yes, I know that is out of the norm for this class, but I believe that it is an important tool to have handy at all times. Sometimes you might not be able to reach the hospital wing if you—I don’t know—get into an illicit duel, or crash one of those bloody broomsticks.”

            A few glances passed around the class, but Sharp pretended not to notice, “Once you finish with your Wiggenweld potions and I give them my approval, you will move on to both the Antidote to Common and Uncommon Poisons—yes, we will be brewing three potions today. Wiggenweld and Antidote to Common Poisons will be before lunch, as they are both relatively quick to brew. Antidote to Uncommon poisons, however, will require much more attention and care, so we will spend the afternoon portion of this lesson focusing solely on that.”

            The first portion of the class went by rather quickly. Rhea found that potions were incredibly fascinating, though she could see why her classmates had groaned in annoyance when Sharp had told them the plan for the day’s class. Brewing potions did truly require an intense focus. But there was something almost relaxing about the practice. Following the instructions from the textbook was easy enough, and the meticulous chopping, grinding, and stirring required to prepare the ingredients created a nice rhythm. Potions was quickly becoming her favorite class.

            The students finished their potions at varying times, some with more success than others. Professor Sharp held up a vial of Rhea’s potion to a light, squinting at it appraisingly. “You did well,” he told her, handing the potion back. “You might want to bottle up a few of those, given what I’ve heard about your previous exploits in Hogsmeade. Have you considered practicing brewing other potions? Perhaps the defensive Edurus potion?” He held up her Antidote to Common Poisons as well, shaking it slightly and making a noncommittal grunt. She wasn’t sure if it was positive or negative.

            “I’m afraid I’ve not heard of that one, sir,” Rhea admitted.

            “Not to worry—the recipe should be in that book Professor Weasley had you purchase from J. Pippin’s,” Sharp said. “While the rest of the class is running to lunch, I’d like you to take a crack at brewing one. It’s a rather fast one to whip up, but just in case, I’ll ensure that Mr. Sallow brings you back a plate. That should give you two the opportunity to speak instead of passing notes across half a classroom.”

            Rhea turned slightly pink, shocked that the man had spotted their note-passing. “Sorry professor.”

            “It’s no matter; class hadn’t started yet,” he told her with a wry smile. “I used to do the same when I attended Hogwarts; however, it should be noted that flying bits of paper in a room filled with dangerous chemicals and open flames might not be the best idea. Save it for History of Magic, if you must.”

            “Yes, sir,” Rhea said, doing her best not to smile.

            “Now, seeing as I’m springing this challenge on you so suddenly, it would be unfair of me to not give you a fair shake at it. For this project you may access the ingredients in my office, but take care to only take what you need,” Sharp allowed. “In the future you’ll be expected to provide your own ingredients, however. Some can be harvested from the plants you grow in your Herbology class, and rarer ones can be purchased in the village. Others still, however, maybe harder to obtain and will require you to be a bit more… resourceful, shall we say.”

            The man gave her a nod and took a moment to point her to his office before turning to inspect another group of potions. She frowned, checking which ingredients she still had plenty of and which she would need to collect more of before the next class. She also turned her book to the Edurus potion and began reading, making notes on a slip of paper to help her gather the proper ingredients from storage.

            A Slytherin girl at her table looked at her as she packed up her station, two brilliantly brewed potions sitting off to the side. “Don’t fret too much if you run out of ingredients,” she said simply, eyeing the number of dittany leaves Rhea still had left critically. “I simply grow most of what I need.”

            “Imelda, she doesn’t need your help,” Ominis Gaunt said with a sigh from the other side of the table. “Go polish a broom handle or whatever it is you do for fun.”

            “Piss off, Gaunt,” Imelda snapped, though she grabbed her bag and headed off, falling into step with Samantha Dale on the other side of the room. Samantha gave Rhea a small, friendly wave but didn’t linger.

            “So,” Ominis said after a moment of silence. “Surprised Sebastian didn’t try to swap seats with her yet. Though, she would be the type to say no just to spite him.”

            “He was only joking when he said he’d do it for every class,” Rhea said gently. “And thank you for scaring her off. I think she literally forgets that we’re in all the same classes and that the rest of us are also growing the ingredients we need. She tried to give me advice in Charms the other day. Pretty sure she doesn’t actually know my name. Kept calling me fifth-year as if it was supposed to be an insult or something.”

            “I wouldn’t take it personally; Imelda’s just like that,” Ominis explained. “Her priorities are never in the classroom, unless she thinks she has a chance to prove she’s smarter than the rest of us.”

            “Competitive, is she?” Rhea asked, a distasteful look on her face. A little friendly competition could be good, healthy even. But competition for the sake of being better than everyone else, or making other people feel bad… that wasn’t ideal.

            “She’s worse than that Prewett prat,” Ominis confirmed. “I suppose it’s to do with that Slytherin ambition… But luckily, I don’t really have to deal with her much.”

            “Why’s that?” Rhea asked.

            “Oh, she’s been spending every waking moment she isn’t in class setting up old flying courses. She took the Quidditch cancellation terribly hard,” Ominis explained. “She’s got aspirational dreams of playing professionally.”

            “At least it keeps her occupied,” Rhea said. “I’m actually a bit nervous for my first flying lesson.”

            “I don’t blame you,” Ominis said, his face screwing up in distaste. “I can’t say I enjoy the sport myself.”

            “Makes sense,” Rhea agreed. “Not that I’m looking to shake you off or anything, but don’t you want to head to lunch? I have to stay and work on another potion.”

            “Unfortunately, so do I,” he grimaced in response. “My Wiggenweld Potion’s utter rubbish. It would be so much easier if I could just replace it with one from J. Pippin’s…”

            “That would defeat the purpose of learning, Ominis,” Sebastian said, reaching their table. “Hey,” he grinned at Rhea.

            “Hey,” she replied, identical grin on her face.

            “So, we all heading to lunch, then?” Sebastian asked, looking back and forth between his two friends. “You two don’t look like you’ve packed up at all.”

            “That’s because we both have the misfortune of receiving extra work today,” Ominis sighed, gently feeling for one of the ingredients on his desk, inspecting it closely. “Tell me—is this dittany or mint? They feel too damn similar.”

            Rhea glanced at it, “I think that one’s mint. Looks green and lumpy to me.”

            “Why don’t you just smell it?” Sebastian asked, frowning.

            “Oh yes, that’s a brilliant idea, Sebastian,” Ominis said, rolling his eyes. “Sniffing all the potentially hazardous ingredients we’ll be working with in the coming weeks will be just a wonderful habit to get into. I can’t do that; I’ll wind up getting myself killed…”

            “Mr. Sallow, you have been dismissed what are you still doing loitering here?” Professor Sharp called drily from his seat at his desk.

            Sebastian spun around, “Thought I was heading to lunch with my friends, sir. Didn’t realize they weren’t going. I’ll be off in a moment.”

            “Do hurry,” Sharp said. “And bring them back something if you’re so keen to see them. I’m afraid they’ll be here for the entire break.”

            “Is eating where we brew even safe?” Rhea quietly asked Ominis while Sebastian and Sharp spoke.

            “Honestly, probably worse than smelling the ingredients,” he told her. “Unfortunately, I think we’ll just have to deal with it this time or go hungry.”

            Rhea nodded slightly, “I suppose we did just brew Antidote to Common Poisons… We’ll probably be fine this once…”

            “I hope it really is just this once…” Ominis grumbled as Sebastian turned back to them.

            “Well, I guess I’ll just go have lunch by myself then,” he said with a grimace. “My favorite… Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back something good. Good luck, you two.” He gave Rhea another quick smile before heading off, hands in his pockets.

            “He needn’t be so dramatic,” Rhea said, returning to making her list for her jaunt into Sharp’s office. “I eat alone all the time, and you don’t hear me complaining about it…”

            “That just might be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Ominis commented lightly. “I must say I’m surprised if that’s true. What about your housemates?”

            “Most of them seem to run in and grab a quick bite to go. I think they spend most of their time in the Library or the common room studying or working on projects,” Rhea told him with a frown. “I haven’t really managed to properly befriend any of them. They’re a slippery lot… Natty and Sebastian also thought it was astonishing I wasn’t friends with my housemates yet.”

            “Well, I suppose neither of them are the best examples,” Ominis mused. “From what I understand the Gryffindors all get along pretty well, raucous bunch that they are… And the Hufflepuffs… well they get along with just about everyone. And we Slytherins do get along for the most part, but really, we only have a few friends most of the time. Up until this year, it was just me, Sebastian, and his sister Anne. Now, well…”

            “You both must miss her,” Rhea said softly.

            “It’s not quite the same without her,” Ominis admitted, his face slightly dejected. “But that’s neither here nor there.” He paused, his frown deepening as he skimmed his hand over the desk, searching for something. “Blast it… Do you see where I put my mortar and pestle? I need to grind this dittany…”

            Rhea picked up the missing instrument and placed it gently in front of him. He thanked her, though he sounded a little reluctant. Ominis didn’t like admitting when he needed help—he thought himself rather self-sufficient. But sometimes there were things that just weren’t worth accidentally sticking his hand in the cauldron fire.

            “Excuse me?” a fluffy-haired Gryffindor boy asked, tapping Rhea on the shoulder.

            “Yes?” she asked, turning to face him. She wasn’t sure she’d met him yet—at a certain point, faces just blended together, especially now that she was talking to so many more people at Crossed Wands.

            “I’m Did I hear Professor Sharp say that you have permission to go into his office?” he asked quietly, urging her to move a bit further away from the potions table, shooting a wary glance at Ominis who was firmly grinding his dittany leaves into a fine powder.

            “Yes,” Rhea said looking at him suspiciously, “but why does that matter to you?”

            “Brilliant!” he exclaimed quietly. “And it matters because you can be a part of something truly creative. I’m Garreth, by the way. Garreth Weasley. Bit of a prodigy with potions, if I do say so myself.”

            Ominis scoffed slightly, shaking his head as he felt his powdered dittany to see if it was the proper texture. Garreth shot him a slight glare, but put a smile back on as he looked back to Rhea, waiting for a response.

            “Pleasure to meet you,” she said. “I’m Rhea. Pardon me if it’s a dumb question but, are you related to Professor Weasley?”

            “She’s my aunt,” Garreth said, though his face was one of chagrin. “She keeps too close an eye on me for comfort. But she can’t be everywhere. Specifically, this classroom. Even more specifically, Sharp’s office. Listen, anyone with a troll-sized brain can brew an Edurus Potion. I’m working on something that’s certain to be spectacular. I’m just missing one tiny, last ingredient that will add that extra spark.”

            “I suspect this is where I come in,” Rhea said with a frown.

            “You’re as clever as I’d hoped,” Garreth grinned charmingly. “I simply need a single Fwooper feather. As you’ll already be in Sharp’s office with his permission, perhaps you could grab it for me?”

            “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Rhea said with a frown, glancing around for the Professor. “I’m no thief, Garreth.”

            “Oh come on, he’d hardly miss one single feather—I bet he has loads in there; Fwooper feathers aren’t even that valuable,” Garreth pleaded. “I’d owe you one, big time.”

            “Then you’ll have no trouble going and buying one for yourself,” Rhea pointed out. “I’m sorry Garreth, but my answer is no. Perhaps another time.”

            The Weasley boy looked a bit disappointed but no less enthusiastic. “It’s not a problem. I’ll just have to find another way to get one. Don’t worry about it.”

            “Thank you for understanding,” Rhea said as he turned and made his way back to his station.

            “That was a good call,” Ominis said lightly. “I appreciate your integrity. And I’m willing to bet Sharp will too.”

            “I’m not one to break my word, or to betray trust placed in me,” Rhea said. “Sharp’s doing me a good favor, I’m not going to take advantage of him for it.”

            “You know, I suppose you’re all right,” Ominis said after a moment, gently adding a few pinches of dittany to his cauldron. “I had my reservations at first, considering how eager Sebastian’s been to get in your good graces. I thought maybe he just had a bit of a crush or something. But you’re actually fairly pleasant to talk to. I can sort of understand why you two are friends now.”

            Rhea blushed slightly and was glad the rest of the class had left at that point, “Thank you. I’m glad we’re getting a chance to talk more. Sebastian talks about you all the time, but it’s nice getting to know you outside of his perspective.”

            “I rather think the same,” Ominis said, a half-smile gracing his features before he turned back to his cauldron.

            “I’ll be right back,” Rhea told him, picking up her completed list and making her way towards Sharp’s office. She was looking down, reading over the list carefully when she reached the office and didn’t notice the Weasley boy lurking outside—but then again, that was one of the benefits of using the Disillusionment Charm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The rest of the lunch period passed without much issue. Rhea and Ominis continued to chat, even sharing a few laughs as they worked. He grew more comfortable asking for her assistance with his brew—particularly when it came to assessing the color changes. He’d been getting by based on rough timings he’d memorized from studying with Anne, but now that she wasn’t there to help, he’d been floundering a little bit.

            “Well,” Rhea said, sounding satisfied. “I think we both have successfully managed to complete our tasks.”

            “Thank goodness,” Ominis said. “I was about ready to start gnawing on those mint sprigs… Maybe we can still make it to lunch before we need to be back…”

            “No need for that,” Sebastian called, sauntering into the room with two sandwiches wrapped in napkins. “Your savior has arrived, it seems, just in the nick of time. No need to thank me, but of course you may if you so desire.”

            “Thank you, Sebastian,” Rhea said, rolling her eyes as he placed one of the sandwiches into her hand. The pair of students dug in gratefully and Sebastian pulled up a chair, inspecting each of their potions in turn, nosy friend that he was.

            “Aaand now we add the mallowsweet, and—that’s… odd…” Rhea heard Garreth Weasley muttering.

            “Is that—?” Ominis asked, sounding surprised, pausing mid bite.

            “What?” Sebastian asked, glancing at Garreth in confusion before looking back at his friends.

            “I think it was,” Rhea whispered back.

            “What?” Sebastian repeated.

            “I thought you said—”

            “I did!”

            “What is going on?”  Sebastian hissed quietly at the pair of them.

            All three turned their attention to the Weasley boy who now wore a panicked look and was glancing around to make sure Professor Sharp wasn’t nearby. The cauldron began to shake and bubble, shooting off blue and purple sparks as it began to grow more volatile.

            “Not again Garreth!” Amit groaned, rushing over to protect his textbook from the aggressive sparks. The cauldron began to lurch from side to side, the liquid inside bouncing and splashing higher into the air, beginning to overtake the entire table.

            “WEASLEY,” Sharp barked, stomping out from his office, a furious look on his face. “How many times do I have to warn you about experimenting in my class? That’ll be points from Gryffindor—again.”

            “Sorry, professor,” Garreth said dejectedly, vanishing the potion in his now mostly melted cauldron.

            “Miss Pennywhistle, could I have a word with you?” Sharp called. “And bring your Edurus Potion, please.”

            Rhea muttered a curse and handed the remaining half of her sandwich to Sebastian, giving him a threatening look to not sneak a bite. “Wish me luck, I guess…”

            “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Ominis said quickly. “If Sharp tries to nail you for that stupid potion, I’m more than willing to vouch for you.”

            “Seriously what happened while I was at lunch?” Sebastian asked. “I feel like I’ve missed a crucial detail or two.”

            Rhea sighed and grabbed her potion, heading over to Sharp’s desk. She handed him the potion for inspection, but he simply put it on his desk and gave her a hard look.

            “I suspect Mr. Weasley did not do this on his own,” Sharp told her. “I’m surprised you had the time to brew this Edurus Potion. You seemed rather busy helping Mr. Weasley brew chaos.”

            “But sir, I didn’t,” Rhea insisted, an irritated frown on her face. “I spent the entire lunch period working on this potion and assisting Ominis in perfecting his Wiggenweld. Garreth Weasley did ask me if I would steal a Swooper Feather—or something like that—from your office. For record, I have no idea what that is—but the fact of the matter is that when he asked, I told him no. I wasn’t going to spurn your good faith in me.”

            Sharp looked at her with that same grim stare before it softened slightly around his eyes and he looked down at her potion, “I believe you mean that he asked for a Fwooper feather. F W, not S W. And that mistake is more than enough to acquit you in my eyes. I apologize for my harsh attitude. But taking responsibility for one’s actions—and likewise proving oneself trustworthy—does go a long way with me. I appreciate your candor.”

            Rhea breathed a sigh of relief and gave the professor a nod, “I’ll remember that, Professor.”

            “As for the work you did today at your own cauldron, I will say you’ve done well,” he continued. “I confess I was skeptical, given the advanced nature of this class, and the fact that you are a new student. But I must admit you have exceeded my expectations thus far, which is a rare occurrence indeed. That said, you’d do well to remember that you’re not a Potions master quite yet. Now, return to your station and send up Mr. Gaunt for me, will you?”

            Rhea nodded and let out a sigh once her back was turned. She plodded back to her station and snatched the sandwich back from Sebastian. “Your turn, Gaunt,” she said, taking a large bite. She shot Garreth’s back a sour look, unsure how he’d taken advantage of her permission to go into Sharp’s office but one this was for sure: she really was not a fan of Gryffindor boys.

Chapter Text

            Rhea knocked on Professor Fig’s door two days later, hoping the man was finally back from his last minute trip to London. He was becoming incredibly difficult to speak to, but she was more than ready to finally uncover the secret hidden beneath the restricted section. She’d taken to spending the evening in the library, watching the librarian and the restricted section probably more than she should have. But perhaps with Professor Fig’s permission to explore, the librarian wouldn’t shoot her a dirty look any time she entered the room.

            “Enter!” Fig called. Rhea heard some shuffling behind the door and the sound of something falling to the floor, followed by a short string of quiet curses. She opened the door and poked her head in, seeing that Fig was attempting to cover the map. He looked up, attempting to appear nonchalant but he dropped the act as soon as he recognized who it was, “Ah, there you are. I was just about to send you an owl.”

            “Hello, sir,” Rhea said, closing the door behind her. “You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve working on my defensive magic with Professor Hecat.”

            “So I hear,” Fig confirmed. “She tells me you’ve taken rather well to your new wand. And that you’re likely going to make an impressive showing in this year’s dueling competition—good luck, by the way. But even still, you must continue to work with her—and your other professors—to improve your skills. That said, I don’t wish to postpone our visit to the library any longer. So, shall we proceed?”

            “Absolutely sir!” Rhea exclaimed as the door burst open and the headmaster marched in.

            “Fig, I have work for you,” he said firmly, not even acknowledging that Rhea was there at all. “Come.”

            “Headmaster, I am with a student, and my schedule is—” Fig began to protest.

            “You schedule will wait, Fig—indefinitely if it must. As will your student,” Professor Black snapped. “I would think that after all the trouble you’ve caused me with Osric and the Ministry you would be eager to make amends. My office. Five minutes.” And with that, he turned and marched back out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

            Fig winced and wouldn’t meet Rhea’s gaze for a moment, clearly embarrassed by the dressing down. He let out an aggravated sigh before turning back to her, “That man is exasperating. Unfortunately, our trip to the Restricted Section will have to wait a bit longer—I know, I’m sorry. But we have no choice. It would be unwise to provoke our illustrious headmaster further. Rest assured, I shall find you when I’ve completed what toils I must endure.”

            Fig then ushered her out of his office, closing the door behind her with another apologetic look. Rhea waited a moment before stomping down the stairs and out of the Magical Theory classroom. She’d really been hoping for a better outcome than that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            It was at long last the weekend and Hogwarts students were allowed to wander outside the castle grounds. Several had set off early towards Hogsmeade or the other nearby hamlets. Sebastian, however, had planted himself on one of the couches near the self-playing string quartet in the Hall of Herodiana. It was a good spot for people watching, but more importantly, it was a good place for spotting a certain pretty Ravenclaw that never took a day off. She passed through the hall at least three times a day, rushing about, not paying attention to the world around her.

            It was almost admirable, the focus she had. He didn’t know how she was able to get so much school work done. She was doing almost double the work of the rest of the student body and was still edging into the class’s top student position. But she wasn’t going to get away with putting off their conversation any longer. He didn’t truly think she was avoiding telling him. She’d said she had to talk to Fig first—how the old man tied into any of it, Sebastian was yet to discover.

            But today was the day. And luckily, just as he’d hoped, he saw her practically flying down the stairs. However instead of the usual curious look of admiration she had on her freckled face as she wandered through the castle, she looked downright angry. Truly, she was stomping her way down the stairs, more than her usual eager bounce. He almost didn’t want to bother her she seemed in such a stew.

            However, she spotted him before he could decide what to do and changed trajectory, heading straight for him. He would have felt nervous if it weren’t for the fact her expression softened when she realized it was him. He rather liked that…

            “I need your help,” she said sharply, practically throwing herself down on the couch next to him.

            “Hello to you, too,” he said. “What the hell’s got your wand in a knot?”

            “You wanted to know why I’ve got Victor Rookwood’s attention. Correct?” she asked, ignoring his teasing.

            “Well, yeah,” he said, leaning forward, his joking tone turning serious. He’d certainly never seen her this determined before. He glanced around, making sure that there weren’t any idle students in earshot before looking back to her. Part of him wanted to whisk her away to the Undercroft for true privacy, but she didn’t seem like she was in the mood to be patient as she continued on.

            “It’s to do with Ranrok,” she said. “And Ranrok is after something I found at Gringotts.”

            “When were you at Gringotts?” he asked, a concerned frown crossing his face.

            “Professor Fig and I ended up there after the dragon attack,” Rhea said. “And there’s much more to it than that—there was this Portkey—”

            “A Portkey? To Gringotts?” Sebastian asked skeptically. Such a thing was completely unheard of. “I’m not sure I follow.”

            “I barely follow myself, and I was there,” Rhea said. “Anyway, we ended up in this ancient vault where we found a map. A map that leads to the Restricted Section.”

            “What are the odds of that?” Sebastian asked.

            “More likely than you’d expect, apparently,” Rhea said. “And I’m sorry but I can’t tell you much more right now. Professor Fig has insisted that I not tell a soul about any of this. I’ve definitely said too much, but it’s too late to worry about that now. I understand if you don’t want to hear any more, or if you don’t want anything to do with me after this, but when we first met you mentioned being ‘clever enough not to get caught’ in the Restricted Section—”

            “Say no more,” he said quickly. “You can trust me: your secret is safe with me, whatever it is. And it’s like I told you before: I’m a patient man. And you haven’t given me any reason not to trust you. So meet me outside the Library tonight and I’ll show you just how clever I am. Just be sure you tell no one about this.”

            The look of utter relief that crossed her face was deeply endearing. She must have truly been worried that he’d be scared off by her strange—extremely strange—tale. But he was made of sterner stuff than that, and—despite Ominis’s teasing—he was genuinely fond of the girl.

            “Thank you!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug, “This means more than you know. And again, I promise I’ll tell you more as soon as I can.”

            He chuckled and returned the embrace briefly before she pulled back and jumped to her feet. “No worries,” he said, a little surprised at the closeness.

            “I’ll see you later tonight them—what time?” she asked.

            “Late,” he said. “Midnight at the earliest, I reckon.”

            “Alright then,” she nodded determinedly. “Midnight. Central Hall?”

            He nodded and she returned the gesture before saying goodbye and rushing off, her usual bounce having returned to her step. He found himself smiling after her and mentally kicked himself. He couldn’t go getting distracted now; he had a little heist to plan for his dueling partner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Rhea!” Natty called, waving as Rhea hurried down the ramshackle path along the Black Lake. She offered a wave and Natty moved to meet her halfway. “It is good to see you out and about at last! You’ve been so busy that I’ve been getting worried you might be burning yourself out.”

            “Is that why you suggested meeting in Lower Hogsfield? Get me out of the castle and into the fresh air for a spot of exercise?” Rhea asked with a smile.

            “Just an added bonus, I suppose,” Natty said. “I simply wanted to talk farther away from prying ears. I figured it would be safe here.”

            “Is something the matter?” Rhea asked.

            “No… well, yes,” Natty frowned. “I’ve been worried about you, my friend. I went to Hogsmeade last weekend and I overhead Theophilus Harlow asking around town about you. Or, well, a student that sounds an awful lot like you, at least. I don’t know of any other new students who got into a spot of trouble with a fully grown troll.”

            “Try not to worry, Natty,” Rhea said, looking down at her feet guiltily. “It’s all under control. I’m sorry, but I can’t really say more about it. All you need to know is that it’s being taken care of, and I’m safe.”

            “Regardless, it’s clear to me that Rookwood and Harlow are a threat to all of us at Hogwarts,” Natty said. “That’s really why I wanted to speak to you.”

            “I’m not sure I follow,” Rhea said as they walked along the short dock jutting over the lake.

            “You displayed such courage fighting that troll,” the other girl said, looking down at her hands as if she were uncertain. “And Sirona wasn’t intimidated one bit by Rookwood and Harlow from what I heard. Both of you have inspired me to take a stand of my own.”

            “What sort of stand?” Rhea asked.

            “Men like Rookwood and Harlow are the reason my mother and I left Matabeleland,” Natty said, with venom in her voice. “I am not going to sit by and watch them destroy my new home.”

            “But what are you going to do?” Rhea asked. “You can’t exactly drop out of school and become a vigilante.”

            “I know, I know,” Natty sighed. “To be honest I’m not exactly sure where to start—but I have been snooping. Rumor has it that Theophilus Harlow runs Rookwood’s day-to-day operations. Taking him down would cripple Rookwood’s entire enterprise.”

            “I mean, I suppose that’s true,” Rhea said, chewing her lip nervously as they sat at the edge of the dock, aimlessly flicking rocks across the glassy surface. “But… I don’t know, shouldn’t Officer Singer handle someone like Harlow?”

            “You say this like I haven’t already exhausted my options,” Natty said, sounding frustrated. “I spoke with Officer Singer. She was polite, but perhaps understandably would not discuss details with a mere student. And I overheard some of Rookwood’s lot talking about a massive poaching operation that Harlow is planning. I was thinking that we could investigate a bit—try to get the evidence Officer Singer needs to pin it on Harlow.”

            “I’m just worried you might be jumping right in over your head,” Rhea hesitated. “The thing you’re missing is that I’m not seeking out trolls or dangerous criminals. I’m trying to lay low—hell, I’m just trying to survive the term!”

            “Well maybe you shouldn’t be,” Natty snapped. “They’re after you, and you sitting around worrying about your Charms essays or trading secret notes with Sebastian all the time is just giving them more time to figure out how to get to you. If you strike them first, maybe we can stop them before they get more of a hold on the Valley.”

            Rhea bit the inside of her cheek and took a few deep breaths through her nose, looking over the water irritably. She was doing something. She just couldn’t tell Natty about any of it. Hell, she shouldn’t have told Sebastian anything either. But she’d promised him before she promised Professor Fig. She couldn’t just decide to break that promise now.

            “All right,” Rhea said tensely after a short moment. “Suppose you’re right. How are you going to get evidence against Harlow?”

            “I am going to watch and listen,” Natty said. “I’m going to find out precisely what Harlow is up to. And then I’m going to figure it out from there. I’ll let you know when I know more. Maybe you’ll have changed your mind by then.”

            With that said, Natty stood up abruptly and stalked away, fists clenched at her side.

            Rhea remained seated where she was, not wanting to half to walk all the way back to the castle with the angry girl. And Natty wasn’t the only one that was frustrated. Rhea was furious again. First Professor Black decided to interrupt her incredibly important meeting with Professor Fig, and now Natty was essentially calling her a coward for using her common sense.

            It wasn’t fair. All she wanted was to go to school, make friends, and learn magic. Instead she was being hunted by two of the most dangerous men she’d ever encountered, a power-hungry goblin, and dealing with the fact that she was the only person alive—that they knew of—who could learn ancient magic. All this responsibility was piled on her when it should never have been.

            And yet, here she was, fighting back tears because one of her new friends thought she was being childish. Part of her wanted to follow Natty and make her understand that some things were just too dangerous for them to seek out. But she knew that part of her agreed. They couldn’t afford to sit idle and drop their guard simply because they were safe inside Hogwarts. She couldn’t live locked away in her common room, nose stuck in her Field Guide.

            But they couldn’t move forward without a plan. And Natty had brought her there to—what? Tell her that she’d been eavesdropping on people she shouldn’t have been? That her grand plan to find more proof was to continue doing exactly the same thing? She had nothing concrete and all she was doing was potentially drawing attention to herself.

            The thought did cross the girl’s mind to go and have a chat with Professor Onai—but what a terrible conversation that would be. Hello, Professor Onai—we haven’t met yet, but your daughter is planning on hunting down the second most dangerous man in Hogsmeade this weekend because she overheard that they’re after me! Oh—why are they after me? Haha, I’m a magical anomaly! Yes, please, do experiment on me! No thank you.

            All she needed to do was hold out until that night. Sebastian was going to get her into the Restricted Section. She was going to find the bloody book or whatever it was that they were after. She and Fig were going to figure everything out. Nothing to it. She hoped.

Chapter Text

            Sebastian was pacing outside of the Ravenclaw Common Room rather impatiently. He had no idea if the Ravenclaw Prefects had left for patrols that evening or if they were even on the schedule. Normally he kept a better eye on things, but he’d been… slacking on that front so far. But he did wish Rhea would hurry up. Sure, they’d agreed to meet in Central Hall, but what good would it do if she got caught on her way there—she still had a hard time navigating without that Field Guide in the day time. She couldn’t exactly walk around with Lumos up waiting for the Guide to show her where to go.

            He stared at the giant eagle knocker sourly, folding his arms across his chest. “Come on, give me a riddle you great big pigeon.” The knocker, much to his disappointment, remained silent. He resumed pacing back and forth, occasionally shooting a glare in the direction of the bird. It was a peculiar bit of magic that went into the common room doors.

            After another few minutes the door swung open and Rhea slipped out, aggressively shushing something on the other side. She turned and let out a startled squeak when she spotted him.

            “What the bloody hell are you doing here?” she whisper-shouted at him, rushing down the steps to meet him.

            “I thought this might be better for us,” he said quietly. “Prefects patrol parts of the castle at night and I realized that I forgot to nab a copy of the schedule from one of my house’s prefects for the week. I didn’t want you to get caught because I was careless.”

            “That makes a lot of sense,” she replied, continuing her whispering.

            “Rhea, you don’t need to whisper,” he said softly, “There’s no one up here but us. Besides, whispering actually is louder than speaking normally at a lower volume.”

            “Oh,” she said quietly, shooting him an excited grin. “I’ve never done this sort of thing before!”

            He stifled a laugh as they started down the Ravenclaw tower stairs, “I can tell.”

            “So, what’ll happen if we get caught?” Rhea asked. She somehow didn’t sound nervous at all, but he suspected she was putting on a bit of a brave face. Or perhaps the excitement of breaking a few rules was making her more excited than she was worried.

            “Detention, no doubt,” he mused. “But a word of caution or two will help—for one, avoid Peeves the Poltergeist. Aside from wanton destruction of property, he loves nothing more than telling on the likes of us.”

            “And just how concerned should I be about the librarian?” She asked. “She’s been giving me dirty looks whenever I’m in the library—I think my shoes might have a bit of a squeak to them.”

            “You didn’t wear those tonight, did you?” he asked, looking down at her feet sharply. Neither of them were wearing their school robes. They seemed to have had a similar idea and were wearing dark clothing and soft-soled shoes—slippers really. Two peas in a pod.

            “No, but I still don’t think the librarian likes me very much.”

            “I wouldn’t really worry about Madam Scribner,” Sebastian said. “She doesn’t take kindly to clandestine activities taking place amongst her precious books, so we’re going to do everything we can to avoid her. She and I have had our entanglements, but I can hold my own against her. You may not be so lucky.”

            “That’s really comforting, Bast, thank you,” she said sarcastically. She peered around the corner of an intersection. Seeing nothing of note she gave him a nod and they continued on their way.

            “Bast?” he asked, a small smile on his face. No one had ever called him that before—at least, not that he could remember. Most people usually stuck to his full name. His parents used to call him Seb… But Bast… It had a nice ring to it.

            “Sorry, do you not like nicknames?” she asked, giving him a wide eyed look, clearly worried she’d upset him somehow.

            “No, it just took me by surprise is all,” he said. “You can call me whatever you like.”

            They shared a private smile as they finally reached Central Hall. Here Sebastian reached a hand out to caution her, raising his other to his lips to indicate silence was best. He crouched down and crept towards the high railing of the main stair case. He waved a hand for her to follow, and she carefully joined him, sticking closer than he’d expected.

            Shaking the sudden nerves from his head, he pointed carefully through the posts of the banister toward the left-hand library entrance and quietly told her, “See there? That’s the door we need to reach. And all those prefects standing guard would love nothing more than to rat on us to Scribner, so don’t let them see us—understood? She’s usually gone by now, so once we’re through that door, we should be home free.”

            She raised two fingers to her forehead in a small salute and replied with a soft, “Aye, aye captain.”

            He fought down another smile. They shouldn't be joking like this; it was time to be serious. He reached a hand out to grab hold of her as she moved to head for the stairs down and continued, “Hold on now, don’t be so hasty.”

            “I can be sneaky,” she insisted. “Let’s go!”

            “Be that as it may, there’s a spell you should know,” he told her softly. “The Disillusionment Charm. Good for getting places you’re not supposed to be. Cast it and you’ll appear as little more than a trick of the light. Just as long as you keep your distance and stay quiet.”

            “You’ve known an invisibility charm this whole time and you’re just telling me about it now?” Rhea asked, looking at him incredulously. It was… rather endearing, actually.

            “Something like that,” he reasoned. “It’s not as foolproof as a cloak, but those are expensive. And spells… well, spells are free. Now, let’s see how quick a study you are…”

            A very quick study was the answer. It took maybe three tries for her to get the spell down just right. Sebastian gave a supportive smile in the direction she had been standing before and cast the charm himself.

            “All right,” he said. “Now stay close.”

            “How am I supposed to do that, I can’t see you…” he heard her whisper from his right.

            “If you focus you should be able to see me,” he said. “You know I’m here.”

            After a moment, he felt gently fingers touch his arm and feel their way towards his hand. Suddenly he hoped that she couldn’t actually see him as a faint blush rushed to his ears. But that was irrelevant right now, even if the thought of maybe holding her hand for something other than sneaking around was a touch exciting. Curse Ominis and his meddling… His friend had taken to teasing him incessantly about his friendship with the new Ravenclaw. In fact, he'd been insisting that Sebastian simply must fancy her with all the attention he was dedicating to her recently. But Sebastian didn’t want to deal with that right then—he didn’t want to deal with it at all actually, if he could help it.

            “Let’s go,” he heard her say, and it almost sounded quieter before.

            “Remember—silent as the grave…”

            The pair made their way cautiously down the stairs, pausing in shadows, plotting their route, waiting for lurking prefects to turn their backs. Once they were safely inside the library, Sebastian let out a sigh of relief. They each began to release their grip on each other’s hands when Sebastian caught movement out of the corner of his eye and grabbed Rhea’s hand tighter, pulling her towards a nearby row of shelves.

            “You said the librarian would be gone by now!” Rhea hissed quietly.

            “I said usually,” Sebastian corrected. “But it’ll still be alright, don’t worry. You see her desk over there?”

            “Yes,” she breathed, moving closer inadvertently as she peered around the shelves to get a peek.

            “The key is in the drawer of that desk,” he told her softly. “Now, here’s what we’re going to do: I’ll create a distraction to draw her away. You focus on getting the key. I’ll meet you outside the Restricted Section.”

            “Why do we need a key?” she asked. “Isn’t there a spell for this sort of thing?”

            “Ole’ Scribner caught wise to the fact I knew Alohomora and jinxed the lock. Now the spell doesn’t work on it,” he told her quickly. “So it’s the key, or we’re not getting in there tonight.”

            “Okay then. You distract; I get the key. Understood,” she said firmly.

            “Try to relax,” he said, pulling her into his position, effectively swapping places with her. “I said I’d get you in, and I always keep my word. Trust me.” He released her hand somewhat reluctantly and began to slip away.

            “I do,” he heard her reply, soft as cashmere, sending a small shiver down his spine. Ominis and his prying questions were going to absolutely be in for it once this whole thing was finished.

            Rhea waited in the shadows, nervously. From the other end of the library there was the faint sound of a spell zipping through the air and then one of the many globes at the center of the room exploded. Hell of a distraction, at least.

            The librarian’s head whipped up from the book she had been expecting and she made her way around the desk, squinting suspiciously at the source of the sudden racket. She walked forward cautiously, her wand drawn. “Peeves is that you again?” she snapped when she spotted the broken globe. Her careful, slow walk turned into a brisk stride as she began to repair the broken item.

            Once the woman passed the row of shelves Rhea had been hiding behind, she quickly slunk forward, quickly rifling through the desk drawers as quietly as she could, thankful that none were locked. She grabbed the only key she found there and peered over the desk carefully. She had no idea where Sebastian had gotten to, she could only hope that he wasn’t about to get caught. She slipped back the way she’d come just as the librarian finished repairing the globe. She dodged out of the woman’s path and made her way around the library the long way.

            She hurried to the Restricted section and quickly stuck the key into the lock, glancing around for Sebastian, though she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to tell where he was.

            “Good work,” she heard a soft whisper say from her left.

            “Oh, good, you’re still here,” she replied, turning the key and quietly removing the lock. She pushed the door open and it swung silently on the hinges. She slipped through and Sebastian followed quickly, closing the door carefully.

            “Remember to keep your focus on the spell,” Sebastian said softly as they continued to creep through the shelves. “And don’t touch anything with a chain until I have a look at it—some of these books make an awful racket.”

            “As you say,” she nodded, though she knew he couldn’t really see her. She peeked at one of the books displayed next to a strange looking skull.

            “Oh, that one’s charmed to look more useful than it is,” Sebastian warned. “It’s fooled me twice. Never judge a tome by its cover, I say…”

            “Good to know,” she replied. “I think what I’m looking for might be down below.”

            “This way…”

            The pair of students slunk down the stairs, careful to step lightly so as to not trigger any creaky boards. Rhea reached the bottom and began to step around the corner when she felt Sebastian grab her arm and pull her back quickly.

            “There’s a few ghosts up ahead usually,” he said softly, “We can’t let them see us—one of the limits of Disillusionment is that it only works on the living…”

            “What are we supposed to do then?” she asked quietly.

            “We distract them” he said after a moment. “Like this…”

            The Slytherin boy leaned around the corner of the wall and pointed his wand at a suit of armor that was on display. He sent a small bolt of red light at the armor and it fell apart with an unsettlingly loud clatter. He waited for a moment before grabbing at Rhea again, searching for her hand. Once he’d gotten hold of it, he pulled her forward and they snaked around two balconies, ducking behind banisters and bookshelves, slipping past the two lingering ghosts completely unseen.

            Once they reached the next floor down, Sebastian dropped his Disillusionment and her hand, doing his best to look relaxed. “We should be in the clear now—No need for us to be skulking about.” He wandered over to one of the shelves and tilted his head to the side, reading the titles with a focused frown.

            Rhea stood and dropped her charm as well, glancing at him briefly before scanning a different shelf herself. “So what is it you’ve been looking for down here?”

            He paused slightly and turned around. She could see the hesitation on his face when she turned to look at him. He shook his head briefly then looked up at her, seeming resolved. “I’m looking for a cure to help my twin sister, Anne—so that she can return to Hogwarts… Merlin knows everyone else has given up on that dream…”

            “Why do you think you’ll find a cure in the Restricted Section?” Rhea asked curiously, wondering how far she’d be able to pry. She didn’t want to overstep her bounds as his friend, but she was terribly curious. His mood was sometimes downright chipper when he spoke of Anne, but other times he seemed almost bitter. “Does the Hogwarts matron have nothing that can help Anne?”

            “No,” he said, shaking his head as he picked up a book and flipped through it briefly. He snapped it shut with a look of disappointment and placed it carefully back in its place. “We’ve tried everyone from Nurse Blainey to St Mungo’s… But I can research that on my own. No need to concern yourself with that right now. Let’s focus on what you’re after.”

            Rhea nodded, grateful for the nugget of information she’d gotten. She continued into the next room, peering around curiously at the strange artefacts and paintings that lined the walls.

            “What exactly are you after, again?” Sebastian asked.

            “I’ll know it when I see it…”

            Sebastian frowned to himself as he followed her deeper into the Restricted Section. She really was wandering with no real direction. She was scanning the bookshelves as she walked, but not with any thoroughness that he could tell. She was barely reading the titles, if at all. Despite not knowing what she was after, however, she was walking with purpose.

            He’d hoped that sharing a little bit more with her about what he was after might prompt her to do the same. But with the way she was inspecting the most mundane items in the room, he thought that perhaps she really didn’t know what she was after.

            “You’re being awfully cryptic,” he told her as he flipped over the front over of another book aimlessly. “This might go faster if you let me help.”

            “Eager to be rid of me, are you?” she asked, shooting him a grin over her shoulder as she paused and inspected another book more closely.

            “No, I just figured you might like an extra set of eyes,” he said. He stepped up beside her and looked at the book she was peering at. “Secrets of the Darkest Arts?” he asked, sounding a bit surprised. “I’m impressed…”

            “One should be well read,” Rhea said quietly, staring at the book with a deep frown on her face. “What’s the purpose of preserving things like this if they don’t want anyone to read it… It’d be like if they stopped teaching history classes… Easy to make the same mistakes as everyone else if you blunder through life completely ignorant…”

            “I don’t like the Dark Arts,” Sebastian said as they moved further into the storage rooms below the library. “But I’d be lying if I didn’t think about them… more than I probably should… It’s not that I admire them, or condone Dark Wizards—I don’t… But I don’t know…”

            “You think there might be more to it than we’re being told,” Rhea offered.

            “More or less,” he said as they turned a corner.

            Before them was a large pile of troll armor scattered about the ground. Rhea took out her wand and began to cast the mending spell. But as she approached the broken armor a color blur melted through a nearby bookcase and began taunting, “Who have we here?”

            Sebastian let out a short swear under his breath as he hurried forward to intercept the poltergeist.

            “Sebastian Sallow and his new little friend out exploring where they shouldn’t be!” the poltergeist teased, floating around them in circles. “Naughty naughty, you’ll get caughtyyy!”

            “Peeves, don’t you—” Sebastian said, his tone serious.

            The poltergeist didn’t let him finish, however, as Peeves flew straight through Sebastian’s chest chanting, “I’m going to tell! I’m going to teelll! I’m got to teeeelllllll!”

            “Blasted Peeves!” Sebastian exclaimed, staring after the poltergeist irritably. “I’ve got to stop him, or at least get to the librarian with a good excuse for all of this…” Without hesitation, he began to move to follow Peeves back the way they had come.

            “Wait!” Rhea exclaimed, lunging forward and grabbing his arm to stop him, “I don’t want you getting into trouble for me.”

            “I have a way with the faculty when it comes to disciplinary matters,” he said, giving her a slightly cocky smile. “Besides—I like having friends who are in my debt.” He gently removed her hand from his arm and turned her back towards the troll armor, “Now, you need to get going. Good luck in your search. I’ll see you on the other side.”

            She turned back to watch him as he began to leave, worried. Perhaps she should have waited for Professor Fig before coming here. Sebastian glanced back at her, shooting her a reassuring grin before he cast Disillusionment on himself again and began darting away, muttering, “Now where has that damned poltergeist got to?”

            Rhea turned back to the armor and re-cast her mending charm, wincing at the clanging and scraping that occurred as the metal linked itself back together and mounted itself on the wall above the door frame. She hurried through the archway and into the next room, which was significantly smaller than the store rooms she had just made her way through. There was a single solid wooden door in the room and she proceeded through it, thankful it wasn’t locked.

            The door led to a short spiral stone staircase that led to a large stone room that had no door. It was tall and made of finely carved stone. Two staircases circled the outer edge of the room and an ornate arch stood in the center of the floor below the landing. She approached the edge of the landing and looked down at the arch, recognition dawning on her face.

            She took a step to make her way down the stairs and flecks of light and magic flew out from the ground around her feet. “Of course,” she breathed, “Traces of ancient magic…” She hurried her pace, following the traces until they led her to the source of the anomaly. As before back in Gringotts, Rhea knelt down and reached for the magic and summoned it this time.

            It whirled and bubbled and flew towards the arch, creating a glass-like sheen to appear, like when she found her way back into the Gringotts vault. She approached it and hesitated briefly before reaching out and stepping through.

            She found herself descending a long spiral staircase that seemed to practically float freely in the air, connected to tall pillars haphazardly. As she proceeded downwards, large torches on the walls sprang to life, as if beckoning her further into the cavern. At the bottom of the stairs, there was polished marble all across the floor, leading to an all too familiar set of doors bearing the same symbol she’d been following since her first day as a proper witch.

            She reached her hand out and touched the symbol. The door glowed and opened before her, shining so brightly she had to look away. Once it had faded and she could look back again, she found she had once again been teleported away to somewhere mysterious and new.

            Above her, a strange light filtered down through a large gap in the roughhewn stone above her. The walls and floor were made of the same familiar marble and gilded tiles lines the walkway. She walked down the steps, coming to a wide gap between her and the next doorway. She looked around critically. This had to be a puzzle of some sort. The last chamber hadn’t been easy to get to; she’d had to battle several enchanted knights. Perhaps this time she needed to build a bridge or something.

            She leaned over the edge and looked below, reeling back when she only saw an ominous darkness looming there. She turned her attention back to the doorway, noticing a faint glow on a silver symbol set into the doorframe. She frowned and took out her wand. She wasn’t sure exactly how she’d used ancient magic against the troll in Hogsmeade, but perhaps this puzzle wasn’t as complex as that. She cast a basic bolt at the symbol and its glow burned brighter, forming a pathway in the gap.

            She let out a grin and hurried across. Her pleasant mood was, however, dashed when she entered the next room to find more of the guardians she’d encountered in Gringotts coming to life and turning towards her threateningly.

            “I should have known,” she grumbled as she set about dispatching them. It thankfully didn’t take too long this time, and she was pleasantly surprised when she continued on to the adjoining room rather quickly. It was a wonder how much easier it was with more than two spells in her arsenal.

            The following rooms presented similar puzzles and battles, though each slightly different than the last and she found herself falling into a rhythm. In the first rooms she’d been nervous that perhaps the librarian or Sebastian would have tried to follow her, but given that the magic only worked seemingly for her, she grew more confident that she wasn’t at risk of being discovered.

            The further she went the more curious she became about how all of this was managing to fit beneath Hogwarts. She assumed that she was far below the mountain the castle rested on at this point, but she didn’t understand exactly how it had remained hidden for so long. Or exactly who had built it… The two men she saw in the Pensieve were terribly vague.

            She walked through the final door and found a pedestal in the center of a long rectangular room. Above it floated a book, a faint mist emanating from it. The pedestal glowed and as she slowly approached, she realized it was actually another Pensieve. She reached out to take the book,  but before she could touch it, it turned onto its side and the pages began to furl until it reached a particular spot. It then tipped toward her, and another silvery wisp of a memory poured like liquid smoke into the cloudy water below.

            Once its purpose had been accomplished, Rhea was able to take the book, storing it away in her bag for safekeeping. With a brief amount of hesitation, she glanced around the room again, making certain that she wasn’t going to be surprised by another set of guards. She stepped up to the Pensieve and plunged her face into the frigid waters.

Chapter Text

            Dry grass crunched beneath their feet as the sun beamed down on a dreary little hamlet. Four companions were making their way up to a crest overlooking the drought-stricken little village. They reached the cliff and looked down on the hamlet, concern written across their faces.

            Four small huts circled a singular well at the center of the walled town. Trees stood bare and dirt swirled about in the parching air. Few people were outside, all moving slowly, and their coughs were audible even at a distance. It was a simple place, once a beautiful sight. Though it had been many years since any of the four had been there. Much had changed; the hamlet, quite simply, was dying.

            Percival Rackham looked over the town, feeling the sorrow emanating from the land itself. He turned his head, spotting movement to his left. Far off on another plateau, there was a large witch elm, its branches sickly and empty of leaves. The grass was brown and unkempt though a well made house rested on the land there. Another well stood nearby.

            A man stood near the house, watching two children walking around the garden. One child—a boy—was leaning heavily on a crutch and wobbling back and forth, his coughs joining that of the hamlet below, drifting on the arid wind. The little girl darted from his side, reaching for the heavy pail that sat on the edge of the well, seeking to help her brother. But the bucket was filled with nothing but dust, like the well it came from.

            Rackham turned to glance behind him at his dear friend, almost as if he were looking for permission. The woman stood tall, with her hands clasped behind her back. She gave him a regal nod, her face placid.

            Rackham returned the gesture and raised his wand to the sky, drawing silvery wisps of magic from the ground as he did. The bursts of magical lights shot up, far into the clouds where they exploded outward.

            More clouds began to gather above the tired valley, thunder rumbling as a storm manifested from nowhere above them. And with it came blessed rain. First one drop, then a torrent. The villagers looked to the sky, raising their arms and crying out, tears of joy mixing with the rain. The drought was ended and the earth could begin to heal.

            Where the wells stood, both in the hamlet center and on the homestead plateau, a rumbling burst of energy rippled out across the ground, bringing with it new life. The once dry and dusty grass became verdant and lush, and flowers bloomed where once there were weeds.

            As Percival continued to weave his magic, his companions each joined him it his efforts, sending magic sprawling across the hilly valley, bringing it back to life. With a final glow settling over the hamlet, the storm broke and a cheerful sun shone through on the celebrating denizens.

            The four wizards turned happily to one another, offering congratulations and kind words of support to one another. They inspected their work with pride and awe. But not all was well in the hamlet.

            On the neighboring plateau, the father and his children were huddled together, not looking around in wonder at the life that had just impossibly blossomed around them, but at each other. The boy succumbed to another fit of coughing and the father did his best to comfort the boy. The girl remained close but was gazing at the four up on the hill with both envy and wonder.

            Percival Rackham turned away from the hamlet and suddenly Rhea felt herself tumbling and whirling through the Pensieve. When she landed in the next memory, she realized that things had changed significantly.

            The four wizards were present once more, all spread around a cozy room that looked rather like an office. There was a large fireplace along one wall and a proud looking desk off to one side. The four turned as one and looked to the door. For a moment, it felt as though they were looking straight at Rhea. However, this feeling was driven away when a newcomer passed through Rhea’s shadow self as part of the memory.

            A young woman entered the room, clad in blue clothes and a stately black school robe. Her hair was tied back into a neat bun at the back of her head and there was a look of both fear and excitement on her face as she looked around at the occupants of the room.

            “You wanted to see me, Headmaster Fitzgerald?” she asked, looking at the woman expectantly. Her eyes drifted to the man behind the desk as well, “Professor Rackham?”

            “Miss Isidora Morganach. Welcome,” Professor Rackham said warmly, turning from his desk to welcome her in.

            Isidora stepped further into the room and greeted the remaining members of the faculty, “Professor Rookwood. Professor Bakar.”

            The headmistress looked kindly at the young woman, giving the girl a warm smile, “We understand that you are adjusting well to life at Hogwarts.”

            “I am,” the girl said, a bright and eager smile growing as she spoke.

            “I am glad,” the headmistress replied, “Especially in light of your unusual situation, starting as a fifth-year.”

            Rhea felt her heart skip a beat as she moved forward to better inspect the young woman. A fifth-year… just like her. It was almost as if history was attempting to repeat itself.

            “As it happens,” Rackham added, “I was also admitted to Hogwarts as a fifth-year. I’ve never heard of another like us.”

            Before the girl could respond with what Rhea assumed were reasonable questions that she too wanted answers for, Charles Rookwood, the second man from the original memory spoke up.

            “Miss Morganach, when we spoke yesterday after class, you asked about the beautiful swirls you saw years ago, when we visited your hamlet.” Rookwood stood slowly from his chair and gave the girl an appraising look.

            “I recognized you all immediately,” she said quickly. “I cannot thank you enough for what you did.”

            “We were glad to help,” Niamh said simply, bowing her head slightly in gratitude for the praise.

            “And, yes,” Isidora continued, “I did see swirls of magic—everywhere—that day. My father insists it was my imagination running wild. But it was certainly real to me.” She had a fond look on her face when she was discussing the memory, but her expression grew almost tired when she mentioned her father’s reaction to her tale.

            “It was not your imagination,” Rackham told her, and for the first time, Rhea noticed there was almost a sense of… relief on the man’s face. He looked at Isidora with what she believed to be hope.

            “Percival—Professor Rackham—can see them too,” the headmistress explained. “But we’ve never known of another who could.”

            Instead of relief at the confirmation of what was dismissed as a figment of her childhood imagination, or excitement that another shared her talent, Isidora looked around at them all in confusion. “I don’t understand—what are they?”

            “The whispers—or traces—that appear when a particular form of ancient magic is wielded,” Professor Rackham rattled off as if from a textbook.

            “Ancient magic?” Isidora asked, the eagerness beginning to show, though for what it was unclear.

            “Few are capable of wielding it,” Professor Bakar said, stepping forward and gesturing to the walls around them, “Hogwarts itself is a stronghold of ancient magic.”

            “So, if I can see traces of ancient magic, does that mean I can wield it too?” Isidora asked, looking at Professor Rackham. She’d pinpointed him as the expert, it seemed.

            “With the proper training,” he cautioned, pointing at her with a stern finger.

            “But let us not get ahead of ourselves, Miss Morganach,” Bakar added.

            Rackham nodded and continued, “Before I can train you to wield such magic, you must first master all the Hogwarts has to offer.”

            The young woman nodded eagerly, though there was a determined glint in her eye that did not put her professors’ worries at ease. The headmistress stepped forward, her voice stern and even, “A magic this powerful can do great harm in the wrong hands. It must be wielded by a select few. As such, we ask that you not speak to anyone about what we have discussed here today.”

            Giving a short nod the student turned and made her way out of the room, a smug look on her face. Rhea could practically see the gears turning in the young woman’s head. It sent a chill down her spine. She certainly hadn’t had the same reaction to learning about her own ability. There was something unnerving about it. But that was everything that Rhea was permitted to see this time and she found herself back in the chamber with the Pensieve with more questions than she had gone in with.

            She walked around to the far side of the room, seeing another piece of enchanted glassy stonework. As before, she reached out with a delicate hand and found herself transported instantly. When her vision cleared, she realized she was inside the library once again. She ducked quickly behind a shelf and peered around nervously. She wondered if the librarian had gone to bed yet? Or if Sebastian—

            “Sebastian?” she whispered, creeping down the rows of shelves, searching for the boy. She had no idea how much time had passed while she was gone. Perhaps it had been hours? Perhaps it had been minutes? Across the library she saw a flash of blue and pink and orange and heard a shrill voice shout, “SNEAKING in the Restricted Section—again!”

            Rhea quickly dove behind a row of short shelves in the middle of the room, trying to get a better look at the situation. Peeves was circling around Sebastian, who was backing up slowly from the charging librarian. The librarian barely took a pause to breathe before she was barreling on with her tirade.

            “I had thought we were through with this mischief,” she snapped. “Clearly detentions are insufficient. I’m afraid I must take this to the headmaster.” Sebastian began to protest but the librarian stepped closer and made her voice somehow more serious. Perhaps it was because she was speaking softer… “That being said, Peeves informs me that you didn’t come alone tonight. If someone has coerced you, I would have you tell me.”

             Sebastian remained silent and Rhea did her best to stay hidden. She was torn—on the one hand she didn’t want Sebastian to take the fall for this all by himself. Perhaps turning herself in before he said if he was truly alone or not would result in a less severe punishment for him. She peered around the shelves again and she saw he was glancing around anxiously. She wondered if he was looking for her or simply trying to think of a way out of his predicament.

            “You’re a bright boy,” Madam Scribner continued, in a tone that sounded rather like a threat to Rhea, “Don’t waste this.”

            Sebastian turned to the side slightly, almost making a show of thinking up a response to this. Rhea could have sworn that he’d glanced right at her. But—too quickly for her to jump in—he was turning back to the librarian and saying, “There was nobody else. I came alone.”

            “Oh Sebastian,” the librarian tutted, turning away from the boy and waving for him to follow her, “What will your uncle say?”

            Once they had left the library—thankfully Peeves decided to stick around and taunt Sebastian as he was taken back to his common room—Rhea stood up and leaned against the shelf, chewing her lip nervously. She wished she’d jumped in and said something. There were loads of books in this library; she could have stashed her bag and come back for it in the morning. And then maybe Sebastian wouldn’t have to worry about getting in trouble with his uncle or the headmaster.

            But she couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d known she was watching, and that his sacrifice was one hundred percent deliberate. She shouldn’t have been surprised—he’d told her he was happy to take the fall if it meant that she might owe him a favor later. She wasn’t sure how that would come back around to bite her, but she hoped that Sebastian would be kind about it.

            She let out a sigh and dug the key and lock for the restricted section out of her bag and relocked the doors before putting the key back where she had found it. If the librarian supposedly believed Sebastian when he told her he was alone—or rather believed the student over the tattletale poltergeist—then perhaps she wouldn’t believe he was in the Restricted Section if the doors were locked and her key in its place. It was the very least she could do for him.

Chapter Text

            Whatever it was that Professor Black had demanded of Professor Fig, it seemed to be much more time intensive than Rhea had been hoping. She’d tried to study the book she’d found under the library on her own, but she was at a total loss. Her Ancient Runes class was less focused on ancient magic and more focused on ancient civilizations like Egypt or Rome, so she wasn’t even able to rely on tangential references.

            On Sunday she’d tried to find Sebastian but hadn’t had any luck. Eventually, when she found Ominis wandering around the Hall of Herodiana, he mentioned that Sebastian was hiding out until Madam Scribner calmed down. It turned out that the headmaster was also away on business and thus the young man had escaped a harsher fate than had been threatened.

            And so on Monday morning, she proceeded to class, eager to see her friend, but with less answers to give him about their library escapades than either of them would have preferred. However, when she went to take her usual seat, she was shocked to find someone else already sitting there. She hesitated briefly, but instead of attempting to get her seat back, she resorted to taking a seat closer to the back of the classroom. She pulled out her textbook and Field Guide and settled in, eager for class to begin and unbothered by the disruption.

            It was one of Professor Hecat’s rare classes where she actually lectured. Though she was a woman who valued action over written word more often than not, she was always a supporter of knowledge above all. Unlike the usual dull lectures provided by Professor Binns, however, Hecat’s lectures usually included personal anecdotes from her time working for the Ministry that always sparked lively discussions among the students.

            As the lecture wound down, Rhea didn’t bother packing up her bag as Professor Hecat had sent her an owl requesting her attendance for another supplementary lesson. It seemed each professor who had agreed to help catch Rhea up to speed had claimed a particular day of the week that they sought her out for extra teaching. Suspiciously, her Thursdays were always clear—though she supposed that it was Hecat’s doing. As the woman had indicated, the teachers were all rather invested in Crossed Wands. Rhea wondered if Sebastian’s detentions had been scheduled to leave his Thursdays free for practice and tournament duels as well.

            When the class was dismissed, she remained seated, doodling absently on the corner of one of her notebooks. A shadow fell over the pages and she looked up at the source. A friendly smile jumped onto her face when she realized who it was.

            “Bertie!” Rhea exclaimed, “I was wondering when I was going to run into you!”

            “Yes, well, I’ve been ill,” the girl said, a polite smile on her face, though she didn’t seem as excited to see her cousin as Rhea was. “But I’m glad to be back. I must admit when mother told me you were going to be attending Hogwarts this year, I was utterly shocked!”

            “Gave my mum and I a bit of a shock as well,” Rhea told her honestly. “Admittance as a fifth-year is definitely a rarity, but supposedly not unheard of. I’ve been doing a bit of research into it and apparently the Book of Admittance can snap shut on a child’s name if the initial displays of magic aren’t showy enough. I reckon that’s probably what happened with me.”

            “Well, what triggered it then?” Bertie asked, leaning against the desk. Her eyes drifted from the half-hearted doodle to the Field Guide appraisingly.

            “Well,” Rhea said, floundering slightly at the obvious judgement in Bertie's tone. “I—”

            “Albertine Crenshaw, don’t you have someone else to bother?” Sebastian asked, sliding into the seat beside Rhea, looking up at Bertie with what was almost a glare. He seemed almost too bored with the girl to commit to a full look of irritation.

            “Whoever it is will have to wait,” Bertie said, eyeing Sebastian with a tight smile. “You see, I made a promise to my dear mother that I would make certain my dear, sweet cousin was receiving the very best welcome to Hogwarts that I can provide.”

            “Surely you did that by just… not being here for the first month of the semester?” he said, frowning at her. “I swear the common room has never been so peaceful as it was this month.”

            “Not that you would know. Imelda says you’ve been sneaking out almost every night,” Bertie said, narrowing her eyes at him. “What’s the point of attending school if you’re going to waste the opportunity by getting yourself expelled for breaking literally every rule in the book? Not exactly the sort of example we’re looking to emulate in our family…”

            “Imelda doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Sebastian told her. “And you don’t have to worry about me corrupting your dear, sweet cousin. We’re already getting along famously, and I think she’s really helping me turn over a new leaf.”

            “Actually Bertie,” Rhea said, jumping into the conversation—she reckoned that they would continue to go back and forth indefinitely, stubborn as they both were, if she didn’t intervene— “I have a meeting with Professor Hecat soon, so I can’t actually catch up today. Perhaps we can go into the village for a butterbeer at the weekend?”

            Bertie stared down Sebastian for a few more seconds, while he gave her a smug look in return, his hands clasped politely on the desk. She looked at Rhea and said drily, “I’ll see what my plans are. But no promises. So much to catch up on, you see; I’m sure you of all people understand…”

            Rhea nodded politely as her cousin turned and left. Rhea looked after her, and she couldn’t help but feel a little bit put out. She’d thought that Bertie would be excited to see her again—it had been quite a few years since their families had met up, but she had so many fond memories of their childhood friendship. She wondered what had changed…

            “You never mentioned that you were related to Crenshaw,” Sebastian said sourly, grabbing Rhea’s quill and adding his own doodle to her still open notebook.

            “You two don’t get along?” she asked.

            “She and my sister never got on,” he told her with a deep frown. “And anyone who makes a show of being mean to my sister for years on end is on my bad side. To say we don’t get along is an understatement.”

            “She was always so kind as a child,” Rhea frowned. “But she didn’t exactly seem pleased to see me.”

            “I doubt she would be—she probably doesn’t think you belong here,” Sebastian said simply. “It’s absolute hogwash though—you’re more than meant to be here, trust me. And I reckon half the class already likes you a whole lot better than they like Crenshaw.”

            “Well, I won’t speak ill of her,” Rhea said, “but I admit, it was rather irritating that she took my seat in class. It’s not so bad back here, but I rather liked my spot.”

            “She nearly gave me a heart attack,” Sebastian said. “I turned around to slip you a note and to my shock and horror her pinched little face was glaring back at me. Nearly jumped out of my skin.”

            “Passing notes will not be tolerated in my classroom, Mr. Sallow,” Professor Hecat said drily, standing in front of the desk and looking expectantly at the two students. “Now I hate to interrupt, but I do believe it is my turn to steal a bit of our newest student’s time. You should be getting on your way.”

            Sebastian jumped slightly, his ears turning a bit pink as he stood up, closing Rhea’s notebook as he did. “Of course, Professor,” he said, smiling at the old woman before heading out of the room.

            “What are you doing all the way back here?” Hecat asked, sitting on the bench of the desk in front of Rhea’s. “It took me a moment to spot you all the way back here; Normally you’re much more front and center.”

            “My cousin’s returned from St Mungo’s and it seems she rather liked the view from my seat as well,” Rhea said. “I didn’t want to cause an issue so I simply relocated.”

            “Next time you should say something,” Hecat said. “There are times to be meek and there are times to stand up and say what’s on your mind.”

            “Surely a simple seat change isn’t worth the hassle, though? “Rhea asked. “I’m more than happy to stick up for myself, but this seemed… trivial, I suppose.”

            “Taking a moment to ask a classmate to move their seat may not be on the same level of fortitude as challenging a rabid troll, or fighting dark wizards, but practicing boldness, however small will help us form the habit,” Hecat said. “Passivity is the enemy of courage.”

            “You sound like a Gryffindor,” Rhea mused.

            “On the contrary, I am a proud member of Ravenclaw house, same as you,” Hecat told her matter-of-factly.

            “Has Hogwarts changed much over the years?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “The castle itself, as I’m sure you have surmised, is full of surprises,” Hecat said. “I daresay more than the staircases change around here, but we’d have no real way of knowing how much, or how often. As for the students—well, they seem to get more capable every year. Although, we got up to just as much mischief in my day as you seem to now. I used to look the other way at all sorts of roguery when I was Head Girl.”

            The woman smiled slightly, remembering her youth. “I can tell you, however, that I did once admonish a certain Phineas Nigellus Black for enjoying a Sugar Quill during a lecture.”

            “You and Professor Black were students here together?” Rhea asked, trying—and failing—to hide her surprise at the revelation.

            Professor Hecat was unphased, however, and gave the girl a reassuring smile as she nodded. “Appearances can be deceiving,” she said simply. “You see, I was once wounded by time itself.”

            “Oh… that’s…” Rhea struggled to put it into words.

            “Fascinating?” Hecat offered, “Awful? Doesn’t matter. It was the risk I took with my prior position. You may or may not have heard that I was an Unspeakable at the Ministry for years. And, as you might suspect, I cannot speak about what we did. Suffice it to say, the job was not without its—hazards… But, I hope I’ve satisfied your curiosity for the moment—shall we get on to our lesson?”

            “Yes, thank you,” Rhea said. “I completed all of your assignments over the weekend, yes.”

            “Well done. Then you’re ready to learn Expelliarmus,” Hecat said with a nod. She stood and made her way across the room, waving her wand to clear the desks and make room for the dueling platform, though this time it remained imbedded in the floor and did levitate like in the first class.

            “Now, there are several ways to win a fight against a fellow witch or wizard,” Hecat said. “And sometimes, fighting is not what you need to do at all. Expelliarmus, as you might expect, disarms your opponent. A terribly useful tool to have in your arsenal. Now, watch my stance, my wand movements. I would like you to try and cast this one on me without a lecture. I want to see how quickly you can pick things up now that you’ve gotten the hang of your school work.”

            Rhea watched as the Professor demonstrated the spellwork a few times before attempting to cast it on the other woman. She felt a slight tug when she cast it and the professor nodded encouragingly. She tried again and the tug felt almost sharper.

            “You’re doing well,” Hecat told her, “But it seems your intention may be lacking. I can feel the attempts you’re making, but as you can see, my wand remains firmly in my hand. I can feel it trying to pull away. You need to dig deeper for the spell to take full effect. You need to disarm me. Or else…”

            Hecat fired off a spell at Rhea suddenly, and without warning. Her wand flipped from her hand and Rhea looked at the older professor in shock. Hecat pretended to cast another spell at Rhea but no light left her wand. “And now you’ve been cursed,” she said, lowering the wand and giving Rhea a stern look. “Pick up your wand and try again. This time you have the benefit of knowing that I’m about to be casting at you. Try not to use Protego, though, dear, we’ve already learned that lesson, and deflecting my own spell back at me defeats the purpose of learning Expelliarmus at all. Prevent me from casting, or I’ll simply have to push you harder.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “How many detentions did Scribner give you in the end,” Ominis asked, his feet propped up on the arm of an old dusty loveseat, twirling his wand aimlessly.

            Sebastian looked over from one of the many desks that had been shoved into storage there where he was working on deciphering a particularly droll text from the early 13^th century. “I think three? She said she expected I’d take another crack at breaking in sometime soon, so she didn’t want to lump them all in at once. If I already have detention, there’s no sense loading more on; something about there only being so many days in a year…”

            “So she’s simply going to assign them each time you break the school rules ad infinitum, then,” Ominis said with a curious hum. “I wonder what she’s going to do to prevent you from getting the key next time…”

            “She actually didn’t mention anything about the key,” Sebastian said. “She didn’t even ask me for it back—which was good because Rhea actually had it—”

            “Rhea?” Ominis asked, sitting up and looking in his friend’s direction, “Why on earth was she there? You said you told Scribner that you were alone.”

            “And I did tell Scribner that… And to be truthful, the Restricted Section was Rhea’s idea,” Sebastian said, then winced. He probably should have phrased it better; Rhea and Ominis seemed to have a bit of a tenuous friendship and he was worried that he may have just ruined things for her. Ominis may be from one of the most morally corrupt family of wizards in the whole of the United Kingdom, but he was a stickler for rules and respect for authority. “No, no wait—before you get all up-at-arms that’s not what I meant…”

            “Well then take a moment to collect your thoughts,” Ominis said sarcastically. “You know one of these days you might learn to think before you speak. Otherwise you might say the wrong thing to the wrong person and really put your foot in it…”

            “What I meant was that she asked if I knew how to do it,” Sebastian said, “How to get into the Restricted Section. She was a bit cagey about why she wanted to know, but I didn’t think much of that. I was cagey with her about why I knew how to do it in the first place…”

            “And she let you get caught?” Ominis asked, “Not a very good friend if you ask me…”

            “No, she was brilliant,” Sebastian said with a grin, shaking his head slightly as he stared off into space remembering their jaunt to the library. “For one thing, she’s way better at spells than she lets on. At first, I had thought that Professor Fig had actually taught her loads of stuff before term, but she didn’t know Disillusionment so I had to teach it to her and she got it after like two tries. Even Anne couldn’t do that one that fast—do you remember?”

            “I couldn’t forget it,” Ominis said, shaking his head slightly. "You two were pranking each other nonstop when you finally mastered that one. And then you moved on to pranking me when pranking each other lost its kick..."

            “And also, Rhea was the one who got the key from Scribner’s desk,” Sebastian said. “She hid and I went and cause—”

            “—Caused a distraction—”

            “A distr—yeah, a distraction—and she snuck around to the desk and grabbed it and got away before Scribner had even finished mending the globe I blew up. Then she met me over by the Restricted Section and we were home free!”

            “Except you weren’t?”

            “Except we weren’t,” Sebastian nodded. “We were almost fully down past the storage room but there was some broken troll armor strewn about—and then Peeves of all the bastards popped out of a wall and caught us. Luckily, he didn’t know who she was, but obviously he and I are… well acquainted at this point. So I made her stay behind and find whatever it was she was looking for and I went up to try and fend off Peeves.”

            “And that’s why you got caught?” Ominis asked, a frown on his face, “You sacrificed yourself? For her?”

            “I didn’t sacrifice myself, Ominis,” Sebastian said with an exasperated sigh, “She tried to stop me from leaving her alone down there. She said she didn’t want me getting in trouble on her behalf. And then when Scribner caught me, I saw her lurking behind one of the shelves and I could just absolutely tell that she was going to pull a selfless move and own up to the trespassing. So, I told Scribner I was alone before she could tell her otherwise.”

            “So you sacrificed yourself,” Ominis repeated drily.

            “Must you be so dramatic?”

            “I’m not the one taking the fall for another student because I have a silly crush on her,” Ominis jabbed back.

            “No, you just give her the silent treatment and pout when she sits by you in class,” Sebastian said. “Thank you, by the way, for putting all that nonsense in my head—really good for staying focused.”

            “What, were you distracted by her?” Ominis asked.

            “No!” Sebastian protested, slightly flustered. “Well, I guess sort of—you kept going on about why I wanted to befriend her, and why I wanted to swap seats in some classes, and why I was so keen to talk to her. You kept pushing it and—I do not have a crush on her!”

            “Took you long enough to say it,” Ominis mused, “I reckon that’s bargaining…”

            “So then you’re still in full denial over Poppy, then, is that right?” Sebastian asked.

            “I’ve told you a thousand times, Sebastian—”

            “You realize I’ll stop bugging you about Sweeting under one of two conditions, right?” Sebastian pointed out. “Either you ask her out for a butterbeer or a pumpkin juice or whatever, or you stop teasing me about my good friend Rhea.”

            “Good friend…” Ominis sighed, shaking his head and resuming his original relaxed position.

            “What do you even have against her, anyways?” Sebastian asked.

            “Oh… nothing, really…” Ominis said noncommittally. “There’s the usual explanation, I suppose. She’s… very different from the rest of us. And I don’t mean anything untoward or offensive… I simply mean that it’s absolutely unheard of that a witch or wizard be admitted to Hogwarts as anything other than a first-year. Even with her seemingly prodigious skills… And I suppose the less obvious answer is that I’m concerned about… well, us—our friendship—Anne…”

            “What about Anne?” Sebastian asked warily.

            “Well, I know we’ve both been missing her presence here at school, and here in the Undercroft especially,” Ominis explained slowly. “You and I will always be like brothers, Sebastian, but we’re missing our partner in crime. It’s always been the three of us here. And I suppose I worry that you’re so intent on me becoming friends with Rhea because you’re… I don’t know, trying to replace Anne in some way.”

            “There’s no replacing Anne,” Sebastian said sharply. “I would never try to replace my own sister, Ominis. And if I were trying to find a substitute for Anne, it certainly wouldn’t be Rhea—”

            “—Because you fancy her—”

            “Ominis, please— But even Anne would want us to have other friends. Anne was the most sociable of any of us. She and Poppy were practically bound at the hip last year, if you care to recall. And I think when Anne is better and comes back to Hogwarts, she and Rhea will get on famously.”

            “Sebastian—”

            “Ominis, please, don’t start…” Sebastian sighed, rubbing his tired eyes as he turned back to the book in front of him, “I’m never going to give up on her.”

Chapter Text

            Later that day, Rhea was lurking curiously outside of Professor Fig’s office, hesitating on the steps outside the open door. She was eavesdropping rather shamelessly and was disappointed she hadn’t arrived earlier.

            “You cannot be serious,” Professor Sharp was saying incredulously. “Goblins working with Rookwood? Makes no sense…”

            “It is… rather unorthodox, to say the least,” Fig admitted.

            “Unorthodox? It’s inconceivable, actually,” Sharp said, his voice raising, well, sharply. Rhea chose this moment to stomp her way up the steps and knock on the door, sparing both professors the oncoming argument as gracefully as she could. “Ah—Fig, you seem to have a visitor. I’ll see what I can find out. I’ll see you at dinner.”

            Rhea waited for the professor to close the door and she heard his footsteps fade before turning to Professor Fig and speaking quickly lest they be interrupted again. “Sir—I was able to search the Restricted Section while you were with Professor Black. It was a book we were after.”

            “What?” Fig asked, “That’s—wait…” He leaned forward across the desk, a suspicious glint in his eye. “You accessed the Restricted Section? But how--?” he asked, stopping abruptly as he thought about it for a few more moments. “Thinking on it, perhaps it’s best you spare me the details…”

            “That’s fair enough… Can’t go giving away all my secrets, can I?” she joked slightly. “The book was below the Restricted Section, as it appeared on the map. But I’ll admit it was quite a hassle to get to it, just like the vault in Gringotts.”

            “I want to hear everything,” Fig told her eagerly. He held out his hands and said, “But first, let’s have a look at this book!” Rhea pulled the book out of her bag and passed it over, coming around the desk to look over Fig’s shoulder.

            He turned the pages delicately, but quickly with the practiced hand of a researcher. However, as he flipped through, he came to a spot near the center of the book where two rough tears were present down the spine. Rhea let out a huff of disappointment as Fig said, “Oh… Oh dear… Some of these pages seem to be missing. It appears someone has got to the book before us… Still, I will need time to study what remains. Perhaps we can still salvage something useful, though it may take some time.”

            He leaned back in his chair and looked at the book thoughtfully, running a hand across his mouth and sideburns in a soothing gesture. “I wonder why it was here… Below Hogwarts…”

            “Sir, once I reached the book, it dropped more memories into another Pensieve,” Rhea told him. I saw two more memories, and I think I know why the book was here, sir. The man we saw before—Percival Rackham—was a professor here. The first memory showed him and three other professors using ancient magic to restore a hamlet from a drought.”

            “Miriam was right…” Professor Fig said softly, a proud and sad smile crossing his wrinkled face. “And the second memory?”

            “In the second memory they were talking to a student who started as a fifth-year, like I did. She could see traces of magic too. She was also from the hamlet in the first memory. And in the second memory, Professor Rackham mentioned that he also started as a fifth-year.”

            “But why those memories?” Fig wondered, “Perhaps this book will explain… I’ll have to take it with me, I suppose… The headmaster has insisted that I speak directly to the Minister about George’s death, so I’m back off to London yet again. It seems I can’t catch a break this term… my poor students…”

            “I suppose I thought that had already been handled,” Rhea frowned. “What will you tell them about Mr. Osric’s death?”

            “I did write to them, but Professor Black insisted that I not send the letter,” Fig explained. “I, of course, had to inform him upon our arrival and the conclusion of the Sorting Ceremony what had happened. He was… less than pleased, to be generous for the man. But I don’t know how much I dare say. George tried to convince the Ministry about Ranrok, but to no avail. My instinct is to follow the path we are on for the moment and keep the details to ourselves until we know more.”

            “I understand,” Rhea said. “I suppose I can try and learn more about the missing pages while you’re gone… Though, I’m not too sure where to start…”

            “Good,” Fig nodded slowly. “Don’t neglect your studies. Your wandwork is improving by the day, but you’ll want to continue to pay attention in all of your classes. There’s more to magic than spell-casting, after all.”

            “I’ll try and keep that in mind next time Professor Binns waxes poetic about Uric the Oddball,” Rhea said with a wry smile. “I rather think it’s a bit obvious that wearing a jellyfish atop one’s head is simply ridiculous and serves no real magical purpose other than to make you a notable figure in the history lectures of a dead man.”

            “Point taken.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea sat her books down at a table in the top floor corner of the library with a sigh. The librarian had thankfully not been around when she came in. She was worried that the woman would somehow see her and know that she was responsible for the weekend break-in.

            She’d eaten dinner quickly, eager to get to the library. She had three scrolls of parchment due by the end of the week for as many classes and she’d barely made a dent in them with her weekend activities. Try as she might to focus, she was feeling too guilty over Sebastian’s detentions to get much of anything accomplished. And now she was on a wild goose chase after missing pages from a book that had been sealed in a secret chamber of ancient magic for Godric knows how long.

            She shook her head and pulled her Defense Against the Dark Arts books closer and reluctantly got out a fresh scroll of parchment. The first few weeks of class had been more focused on practical skills, as Hecat had encouraged in class dueling and taught them a number of jinxes, as well as their respective counter-jinxes. But now she was pivoting to teach them more about other aspects of the Dark Arts, including creatures they may encounter out in the world. One parchment front and back on Ghouls. Tedious work compared to the start of term.

            She opened her notebook and flipped the pages, opening it to her notes from the day’s lecture. In the corner, she saw her doodles and smiled noting Sebastian’s small additions. He was certainly more of an artist than she was—though she frowned when she noticed a piece of paper tucked in the center of the notebook. How she’d not noticed it before—or even when he’d stuck it in there in the first place—confounded her.

            I’ve not forgotten about our library venture—how did you fare? If you’re keen for some illicit spell practice, meet me outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom before Crossed Wands on Thursday. I know a discreet place near there. S

            Rhea smiled fondly at the letter but glanced around nervously. She folded it up and tucked it into her bag quickly, not wanting the librarian to walk by at an inopportune time. She put the note out of her mind for the time being. Wondering about it wouldn’t bring the day around sooner.

            She had been working for an uninterrupted hour or two when someone cleared their throat quietly nearby. She looked up, her eyes tired from the low lighting. She was almost surprised to see Natty standing there, books stacked in her arms. She was shifting back and forth almost… nervously?

            “Yes, Natty?” Rhea asked, sitting up straighter and looking at the girl warily. “You aren’t here to yell at me again, are you? I don’t think Madam Scribner would appreciate that very much…”

            “No,” Natty said quickly, seeming to find her voice again. “I actually came to apologize. I believe I may have been too harsh with you…”

            “Too harsh?” Rhea asked, raising her eyebrows. “You called me a coward because I told you the truth.”

            “Just because it is the truth it doesn’t mean that it is the way things should be,” Natty said, a note of frustration entering her voice. She took a moment to take a deep breath. “But that is beside the point. I don’t believe that that you are a coward, and I should never have said that you were. I can only hope that you’re willing to forgive me so we can return to becoming good friends.”

            “Natty, it’s okay,” Rhea told her, gesturing to the other open seat at the table. “I just… I just want to be a normal student as much as I can be. I’ve already had far too much excitement for my taste and I don’t want to cause any more ripples if I can avoid it. And I don’t want you to think that I don’t agree with you, because I actually do. I think that Rookwood and Harlow should be stopped. I just don’t think that’s our job. There are so many more people more qualified to handle this situation.”

            “I understand,” Natty said, sliding into the seat with a nod. “I just am not certain that I can agree. I’m certain that there is something we can do to help Officer Singer get a leg up on these terrible men… I just don’t know what that is.”

            “Well, I’m happy to think on it,” Rhea offered. “Brainstorming isn’t exactly the same as dueling dark wizards in our free time, but it might help us find something to do to help.”

            “You would do that for me?” Natty asked. “I tried to talk to Poppy about it, but she and I have different priorities at the moment… Have you met Poppy?”

            “No,” Rhea said, shaking her head after a moment of thought. “We used to work near each other in Herbology but Sebastian traded places with her.”

            “Oh?” Natty asked, raising her eyebrows at Rhea as she began spreading out her own essay work. “Why would he do something like that?”

            “I don’t know,” Rhea said evasively, feeling a bit guilty lying to Natty. “We’re sort of friends and seeing as he’s always in detention and I’m always doing extra work for our professors, being able to chat in class is almost the only time we get.”

            “All those hours in Crossed Wands aren’t enough, I take it?” Natty asked. “You were awfully quick to partner up together. And while I’m eager to beat both of you in the tournament this year, I am a bit disappointed we can’t topple the king of duels together.”

            “Well, Crossed Wands practices are still mostly group work. It’s not exactly one-on-one casual hanging out with friends. But you and I can make this a standing study session and we can keep up with one another here,” Rhea said. “I’m definitely going to be needing help soon; I think we’re moving out of the year one and two curriculums and more towards third and fourth years.”

            “Is this a ploy to keep an eye on me so I don’t do more investigating?” Natty teased, but the look she gave Rhea was almost wary.

            “Look, I’m pretty certain that if I let you wander off to fight dark wizards, your mum might actually make me fail her class,” Rhea laughed.

Chapter Text

            Rhea was poring over her charms notes, trying to remember the exact assignment Professor Ronen had given them on concealment charms. Something about exploring the world around them and there being more to Hogwarts than there seemed to be. Were they supposed to find concealed things around the castle and write an essay on it? Rhea appreciated that the man did his best to keep his students engaged, but she wished he would be a little bit more specific sometimes.

            “What, are you just going to walk by and not say hello?” she heard someone call from a few steps behind her.

            She looked up and found herself standing in front of a large window at the top of some stairs. To her right there were two tall black detectors, their piercing eyes watching her every more. She turned around, a confused look on her face. At the bottom of the stairs, leaning casually against the banister was Sebastian, a bemused look on his face.

            She snapped her book shut and scurried down the stairs, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks as she sheepishly greeted her friend. She hadn’t realized how engrossed she’d been in her notes. She didn’t even remember reaching the Hall of Herodiana in the first place.

            “Sorry about that,” she said. “Professor Ronen’s assignment has me a bit confused.”

            “I’m not actually certain that he assigned us anything,” Sebastian told her as he gestured for her to follow him. “I think he just wants us to be more aware of what’s going on outside our own perception. Which, I see, isn’t a lesson that’s taken hold for you just yet.”

            “Why can’t he just say that then?” Rhea asked with a sigh, “I thought I had to actually go hunting for concealed things…”

            “Well, I’m happy to inform you that you’re definitely going to be finding some concealed things,” Sebastian told her. “I have something to show you.”

            “First though, I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to really talk since the weekend,” Rhea said as he led her around the corner. “I wanted to thank you for what you did in the library. You took the fall for me, and that counts for something, in my book.”

            “Scribner just gave me a few detentions,” Sebastian shrugged, though Rhea could see a small smile fighting its way onto his face as he led her further into a secluded part of the Hall. “Barely a slap on the wrist. I think the fact she didn’t actually catch me in the restricted section helped. And thank you for putting the lock and key back in place—that probably helped as well. Did you at least find what you were looking for?”

            “I did,” Rhea said, glancing behind them at the students milling about the Hall. None of them seemed to even notice them as they slipped out of sight, thankfully. “But something was missing—I’m not sure here is the best place to discuss it.”

            “Understood,” he nodded, turning to face her as they reached the end of the line. “We can talk more in here. Not even the professors know about this place. There’s a secret passage right here.”

            Rhea looked around skeptically. There was a large standing clock in the corner, but nothing else of note in this particular corner of the Hall. There wasn’t exactly anything else that could disguise the passage, unless it was in the floor or wall itself. She supposed a wall could open up; in a castle where the stairs changed position beneath you, a disappearing wall wouldn’t exactly be out of place. “It’s well disguised.”

            Sebastian grinned at her, “Only if you don’t know you’re looking for anything. It might just look like it’s a clock, but it’s actually the entrance to the Undercroft.” He stepped forward and tapped his wand at the center of the clock and stood back as the many hands of the clock spun and shifted. There was a click and the front of the cabinet popped open invitingly.

            He stepped forward and pulled the door open, bowing slightly as he gestured for Rhea to enter the secret passage first. She did so hesitantly, lighting the tip of her wand as she shuffled further inside. Sebastian followed closely, pulling the door shut with another click before lighting his wand as well.

            The passage was dim and had a rather musty smell to it. Ancient braziers lined one side of the tunnel, but cobwebs hung on them. They clearly hadn’t seen use in a long time. She supposed that if you were able to create light with a simple incantation, you didn’t need to have so many lit torches around the castle. The walkway was narrow, and Sebastian had to squeeze past Rhea to show her the correct path. There were some passages that shot off on the sides every now and then, but Sebastian told her that most of them were actually dead ends, meant to confuse people who weren’t welcome.

            Eventually, after a few twists and turns, they reached a solid iron gate. Sebastian tapped a brick in the left side of the wall twice and the gate in front of them slid up into the ceiling. Rhea looked at it in awe, making note of the brick Sebastian had tapped before stepping through the entrance.

            Rhea’s jaw dropped as she turned her attention to the rest of the room. It was simply massive—how no one in the school knew about this place was lost on her. There were four columns in the center of the room supporting high, vaulted ceilings. It was at least fifty feet deep and twenty feet tall. Truly, it might have been Hogwarts’ best kept secret. Spare furniture lined the walls in large stacks and piles, some covered in protective sleeves, all  covered in a few thick layers of dust. Floating candles drifted about the room, throwing a surprising amount of light.

            In one corner, there was a large square desk piled high with books and papers. There were a few plants in pots, as well as a makeshift potions station. A large rug had been set out there as well, featuring many thick looking pillows, a handsome set of armchairs, and a rather worn out looking couch.

            “How did you even find this place?” Rhea asked, wandering over to the comfortable area, running her hand along the top of one of the armchairs.

            “Ominis, actually,” Sebastian said. “He’s the one that named it the Undercroft. We used to play Gobstones here all the time with Anne. She loved that infernal game… What I wouldn’t give to lose to her again…”

            “Well this is incredible,” Rhea said, a bright smile on her face as she looked over the room once again.

            “I should tell you,” Sebastian warned after a moment. “I swore to Ominis I would safeguard this place. So, please, keep this between us. I’m not sure he’d be as pleased about you being here as either of us.” He sank into the chair at the desk, looking tiredly at the notes that were on display there.

            Rhea sat on one of the armchairs and leaned forward, a concerned look on her face, “I promise I won’t breathe a word of this. And I’ll make myself scarce—I don’t want to upset Ominis… I’ve been trying to befriend him but he’s…”

            “Difficult,” Sebastian nodded. “He’s a loyal friend, and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He never confides in anyone, but he’s trusted me since the day we met. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize that…”

            “I understand,” Rhea said. “But… telling me about this place—bringing me here—that’s risky.”

            “I’m going to tell him,” Sebastian reassured her. “Ominis may be taking a little longer to come around to this, but I promise he will. And aside from that, I trust you. With a little luck, that’ll be enough for him. But for now, just keep this between us, eh?”

            “Of course,” Rhea nodded.

            “We used to sneak in here almost daily,” Sebastian continued as Rhea made herself comfortable, looking around almost fondly. “We’ve never been caught. A little surprising, given Ominis’s wand navigation. It’s really a fascinating charm—I have no idea how it works. But it does and that’s what matters. His wand seems almost sentient. Not surprising, I suppose. Ollivander always says, ‘the wand chooses the wizard.’”

            “Do you reckon that’s how he found this place?” Rhea asked. “Maybe it led him here?”

            “No,” Sebastian told her with a shake of his head. “Someone in his family actually knew about it. The Gaunts are full of secrets. I’ve never heard anyone else speak of it—and I’ve certainly never seen anyone else here. I know you’ve already agreed but mention this to no one. Especially Ominis. He has no love lost for his family or their secrets, but this place is special to him—to us.”

            “No love lost?” Rhea asked curiously, not wanting to pry but hoping for more information.

            “His father’s family are direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin,” Sebastian said. “His family are connected to the foundation of Hogwarts through him. Most of them are obsessed with blood status, though. Ominis cannot abide them—as he’ll be the first to tell you. But naturally, he doesn’t exactly like to talk about it. I’m not surprised you didn’t know.”

            “Terrible morals aside, that’s an incredible connection,” Rhea said. “Salazar Slytherin might not have been the most… tolerable man, but he has quite the legacy here within the school.”

            “Not all legacies are good,” Sebastian sighed. “Ominis thinks it’s all on him to fix his family’s legacy.”

            “That’s a big task to take on,” Rhea said. “But I’m sure he’ll turn things around eventually.”

            “If he actually decides to make more friends,” Sebastian said. “Hard to change people’s perception of you and your family if you don’t actually talk to them.”

            “Does he not have many friends?”

            “It’s just been me, him, and Anne for all our years here. Anne was still here last year but then she got sick. So now it’s just the two of us,” Sebastian frowned, staring into the middle distance, deep in thought. “I have to say, it might be my fault he hasn’t fully warmed up to you yet. He’s worried I’m trying to replace Anne with you, but that’s completely ridiculous. You and Anne would get along great, but you’re still very different people.”

            “Well, I can’t say I’m a big fan of Gobstones, so that’s one difference right there,” Rhea said, trying to lighten the mood. Sebastian cracked a small grin and she continued, “There’s this third year in Ravenclaw—Zenobia Noke—She’s obsessed with Gobstones. She has this massive collection that she brings to the common room. She makes anyone she can corner play it with her. A few students in our year actually stole her set and hid them around the castle.”

            “That’s a little bit mean,” Sebastian laughed. “Is she any good?”

            “Oh she’s brilliant at it,” Rhea said. “It’s almost unbelievable how consistently she wins. The issue is she’s such a sore loser. I almost don’t blame Everett and Astoria for stealing the set. But she was almost worse without her Gobstones. Wouldn’t stop moaning about it and just made everyone more miserable.”

            “I think I heard Imelda talking about that with your cousin the other day,” Sebastian said. “She hid one in the rafters apparently.”

            “Oh they hid them all over the place,” Rhea said. “Took me a week to find them all. You would not believe how many high places there are in Hogwarts. Zenobia didn’t even know where they all were.”

            “You actually went and got them all?” Sebastian asked, incredulously. “Imelda was so mad about that. She didn’t know it was you though.”

            “Please don’t tell her,” Rhea said. “I don’t need her mad at me. She’s already rude enough in Potions…”

            “She wouldn’t swap seats with me when I asked,” Sebastian frowned. “Last year it was me, Ominis and Anne at one potions station. As you can imagine we got up to all sorts of mischief. And all our potions grades were Exceeds Expectations. Now I’m barely skirting an Acceptable…”

            “Well, Ominis and I are managing to hit Exceeds Expectations, at least,” Rhea said. “Sharp has me doing extra potions practice on days we have Double Potions, and since he’s brewed them before Ominis has been kind enough to answer some of my questions. In return I help him with the potions we have to learn for class.”

            “Yeah, he’s been rubbing it in that he’s finally doing better than me in that one. Truth is, Anne was better than the rest of us,” Sebastian said. “I’m a duelist, Ominis is the historian, and Anne was the potion master.”

            “A formidable crew,” Rhea said with a grin. “I hope I can meet Anne someday. She sounds really special.”

            Sebastian smiled, looking down at his hands before standing up and saying, “Hopefully you will. But, anyway, the Undercroft has been a perfect place to sneak off to away from prying eyes. It’s even been perfect for practicing otherwise forbidden spells.”

            “Like what?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “Like the Blasting Curse,” Sebastian said. “It’s not strictly forbidden. They do teach it to us in theory. But the professors say it’s not an appropriate spell to teach students.”

            “A proper magical education ought to include all magic,” Rhea said firmly. “It might be a bit dangerous, but it’s more dangerous to leave just anyone to try and teach it to themselves—did you see that blast mark near the History of Magic classroom? That was from whoever created the Bombarda spell! Leaving students to their own devices isn’t the best way to teach us control.”

            “My thoughts exactly,” Sebastian smiled as he led her to the center of the room and waved his wand. One of the training dummies she’d been working on in her other spellcasting lessons wheeled itself into position across from them. “A spell like Confringo is only truly dangerous in untrained hands. Such spells should be properly taught, not banned.”

            “This is the one you like to use in Crossed wands, isn’t it?” Rhea asked as Sebastian demonstrated the spell once. While the dummy righted itself and moved back into position she continued, “So many of our opponents seem to like it as well. It’d be nice to be able to send it back their way sometime.”

            “Good,” Sebastian said. “That’s precisely why I invited you here. It’s one of my favorite spells. To be fair, I’m admittedly partial to more fiery forms of magic, but I think you should learn it as well. Here in the Undercroft, I can teach it to you safely, and we don’t have to worry about being caught by any nosy teachers.”

            “Well then, Professor Sallow,” Rhea said, raising her wand, “I’m ready to learn.”

            They spent the next hour working on the spell. It was a little trickier than Disillusionment had been, but by the end of it, Rhea was able to cast the spell perfectly, passing every test Sebastian threw at her. He’d seemed a little impressed even, and that excited Rhea. It was one thing for her professors to tell her she was doing well at something new—that was part of their job. Encouraging students helped them to perform better. But Sebastian would tell her if she was doing poorly, she was sure of it.

            “I have to say, I actually rather enjoyed that,” Rhea told him as she sat back in the armchair again, putting her feet up on a low table nearby. “That spell’s got some kick to it.”

            “The first time Ominis and I practiced Confringo we singed our eyebrows,” Sebastian told her. She let out a twinkling laugh and he couldn’t help but chuckle as well. “I swore we’d never live it down. At first, I thought it was just Ominis. Until I tried to ask Adelaide Oakes to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. She was kind enough about it, but her friends were laughing and she was laughing when I walked away as well.”

            “Wait so none of them told you—?”

            “No, none of them,” Sebastian said with a grimace. “She said no as well, so I thought they were just laughing at me even asking her. I immediately came down here to hide and Anne burst into laughter when she saw me as well.”

            “Do you never look in the mirror?” Rhea asked, doing her best to quell her laughter.

            “Well, I hadn’t that day,” Sebastian said. “I was riding high off of successfully not setting the school on fire, and my blast hadn’t been as dicey as Ominis’s so I didn’t think that maybe I’d messed up a little as well. This is why the professors should teach us some more stuff like this. It would have saved me a whole lot of embarrassment…”

            “Well, if it’s any comfort, it looks like your eyebrows grew back nicely,” Rhea said. “And this is the sort of magic I’ve been starting to be more keen to learn about. Flipendo is nice and all, but it hasn’t exactly been very helpful yet.”

            “What, and blasting curses will be more helpful?” Sebastian asked curiously.

            “My trip to the restricted section was just a touch more exciting than yours, I’m afraid,” Rhea said. “I would have had an easier time with Confringo in my arsenal, that’s for sure.”

            “Well, there’s more where that came from,” Sebastian told her. “I’ve been practicing similar spells here for ages. Although, I didn’t tell Anne and Ominis about all of them. They’re a little bit more worried about getting caught knowing stuff we technically shouldn’t, even though Anne was a bigger trouble maker than Ominis and I combined. You might actually give her a run for her money if the blasting curse is something you actually need to use outside of Crossed Wands.”

            “It must not be the same without her here,” Rhea said. “If there’s anything I can do—”

            “Actually,” Sebastian said quickly. “Perhaps the next time I head to Feldcroft, you could come along. Meet Anne. She could use some cheering up, and maybe a new friend would do the trick. Ominis can’t come this time—his father has an important business dinner at the Ministry sometime over fall break and apparently their whole family is being forced to attend. Hopefully he can find some time to sneak away later in the week though.”

            “As long as it isn’t an imposition,” Rhea said, “I’d love to meet her. I’m sure she misses you both.”

            “She does… She misses Hogwarts too,” he nodded, trying to ignore the seed of excitement that had settled into the pit of his stomach. It was accompanied by a touch of nervousness, which he stomped down far more aggressively. He wouldn’t let Ominis be right about his feelings for Rhea. He barely knew her, after all. She was his friend. “She’s been stuck at home with our guardian—Uncle Solomon. Unfortunately, you’ll have to meet him too. But I think meeting you will be precisely what Anne needs to boost her spirits.”

            “I look forward to it,” Rhea said, opting to not push the comment about his uncle. She was almost overwhelmed by the display of hospitality he’d offered her, and the amount of personal information he’d been sharing over the course of the afternoon. From the Undercroft to his embarrassing stories, he’d been extremely open and honest with her. It was… endearing.

            “By the way, what was it you couldn’t discuss out in the hall earlier?” he asked, sitting up in his chair a little straighter as he remembered her reluctance.

            She seemed to balk a little at the question, glancing at her hands nervously as she said, “I’m… not exactly sure where to start…”

            “You said something was missing from what you found in the library,” he prodded slightly. “I assume it’s to do with what you told me—about the Portkey and Gringotts and Ranrok.”

            “Nothing gets past you,” she quipped, a hesitant smile on her face. “But yes, it is. As I’m sure you suspect, there is a bit more to all of this than I’ve told you so far…”

            “I’m listening,” he said softly, leaning forward intently. She looked so nervous it was almost making him worried. Given everything he did already know—though it wasn’t very much—it seemed like she might be tied up in something incredibly dangerous. The fact Ranrok was involved—he knew that much at least was true considering the clandestine conversation they’d witnessed behind the Three Broomsticks so long ago—was enough to set him on edge. Goblins like Ranrok weren’t to be trusted.

            “You must promise to keep this between us,” Rhea said sternly, her gray eyes boring into him.

            He blinked for a moment, swallowing a lump that had risen in the back of his throat. She very obviously believed that this was a matter of great significance. She was a fairly serious person normally, but the level of intensity she spoke with was almost alarming, if a little exciting. Her brow furrowed the longer it took him to respond and her grey eyes darted across his face attentively, searching for confirmation that he understood just how important his secrecy was. He nodded firmly, noting in the back of his mind how pretty her eyes looked in the candlelight, “I trusted you with the knowledge of this secret Undercroft, and I refused to give you up to Scribner. I would never betray your trust.”

            “Alright,” she said with a heavy sigh. She sat up a little straighter and turned to face him more directly. She placed her hands in her lap and said quickly, “I can see traces of ancient magic.”

            She was watching him still with those stormy eyes and he wasn’t sure how to respond. It almost felt like she was staring into his soul. He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant, either, which didn’t exactly help him understand the significance of her statement, though her body language indicated it was quite the secret. “Ancient magic,” he asked uncertainly. “I don’t know what I was expecting you to say, but it wasn’t that… What, uh… what does that even mean?”

            “Honestly, I’m not entirely certain,” she admitted, sinking back into her chair slightly, seeming relieved that he hadn’t responded poorly. “All I know is that I can see whispers of an old magic that hardly anyone else can. I haven’t met anyone else who can do it. And it seems to be… progressing?”

            “Progressing?” he asked with a frown. “Wait—is that what happened with the troll? When you started throwing things at it?”

            “Yes!” Rhea exclaimed. “I’d almost forgotten about that! It started with just seeing this weird glow around objects and then shortly after that I started finding portals—that’s how we wound up at Gringotts—and I thought that was going to be it but then we got locked in the vault we had been led to.”

            “A banker locked you in one of the Gringotts vaults?” Sebastian asked sharply, alarm clear in his voice.

            “Yes—but it wasn’t malicious—I swear,” she said quickly. “It was part of the instructions for the vault. Whoever had the key—the key was the Portkey—was to be sealed in the vault. If the correct person was there, they could solve the problem. Luckily for us, that person appears to be me. There was another portal. It took us to a massive pitch black room filled with guards and traces of ancient magic. We had to fight our way through them. But once we did, the room went dark again and Professor Fig was gone. I had to fight more guards on my own.”

            “I knew you had dueling experience,” Sebastian said suddenly, and Rhea couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

            “I don’t think it counts!” she exclaimed. “The knights had swords, not wands. They weren’t exactly fighting back like they were in a duel—they just wanted to behead me.”

            “I mean, they were magical, surely,” he countered. “I feel like it still counts.”

            “We’ll have to agree to disagree, I’m afraid,” Rhea said. “You were my first proper wizard duel, Bast, no doubt about it. But back to it—I got through them, obviously. And then I sort of… created a portal? I’m still not exactly sure how that one works—it’s almost like my wand has a mind of its own. And when I went through the portal I was in this massive chamber inside the vault and Professor Fig showed up shortly after. It seems he was essentially cast out of the chamber—it’s like it recognized he couldn’t see the magic.”

            “I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Sebastian frowned. “That must have been a particularly difficult enchantment…”

            “I think it was a test of some sort,” she told him.

            “A test? But for what exactly?”

            “There was a Pensieve in the room,” she continued. “There was a memory waiting as well. We entered it and witnessed the creation of the vault. There were two men talking in it about challenges and needing to protect something. They weren’t certain that what they were doing would pay off—but that this was the best option they had. They had to trust that someone would find their test and prove themself worthy of it. Whatever it is…”

            “Who were they?” he asked, frowning deeply.

            “At the time I didn’t know, but the trip to the library actually helped explain at least a little bit more,” Rhea said. “They were both professors here at Hogwarts a long time ago. Percival Rackham and Charles Rookwood.”

            “Rookwood?” Sebastian asked, suspicion entering his tone.

            “I clocked that as well,” Rhea nodded. “Ranrok working with Victor Rookwood is awfully concerning on its own, but the fact that someone who might be Rookwood’s ancestor is so closely associated with the vault Ranrok broke into can’t be a coincidence.”

            “I’m still struggling to see how the goblins play a part in this—what could they have to gain from an old Pensieve?”

            “Fig and I think that Ranrok has somehow found a way to harness that magic’s power,” Rhea said. “He’s using some sort of ancient magic—like what I can.”

            “Are you telling me that goblins may be wielding some sort of wizard magic?” he asked incredulously.

            “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Rhea said. “So far all we really know is that he can use some sort of dark magic. There’s this glow about him when he does—and the dragon that attacked us on our way to Hogwarts had a similar glow around its collar. Some of the goblins at Gringotts had an arm band that also glowed the same way. And that troll in Hogsmeade—its armor was the same. Fig says its goblin silver—so that’s a big clue that we just… don’t know what to do with right now.”

            “So this magic—you’re sure you can wield it?” Sebastian asked. “I can only assume that’s what it was in Hogsmeade—you wielding that magic. Do you think you can be trained? You said you learned a bit more during our library venture? I feel like I would have remembered it if I stumbled on a book of ancient magic down there…”

            “Is that what you’ve been studying down there then? Ancient cures for Anne?” Rhea asked back. Perhaps he had found something unintentionally that might help her decipher some of the symbols from the book.

            “I’ve been studying archaic forms of magic for ages. Perhaps we can help each other,” he said. “But I asked you first, Rhea. What happened down there?”

            “There was an empty archway in the room below where Peeves caught us—” she began.

            “I know that room! There’s loads of space down there, I don’t know why Scribner hasn’t expanded the storage levels into there,” he said, sounding excited. “I always thought it was weird it was so empty down there…”

            “As soon as I stepped inside the room, traces of ancient magic were flying towards a particular spot where there was a much larger trace of power. I—I don’t know—connected with it and it formed another portal in the archway. I went through it and there was another challenge, similar to at Gringotts. Once I made my way through that I found a book. I don’t have it anymore, though. Professor Fig has it. But there were a few pages missing. We don’t know what the book says, but if someone went to so much trouble to hide it from everyone, surely the missing pages are terribly important.”

            “Oh I wish I could see that book,” Sebastian muttered. “This is far deeper than I could have possibly imagined. Is this why the teachers are so insistent about getting you up to speed?”

            “No,” Rhea said, “They don’t know—they can’t know. Not until Professor Fig says we can trust them. His wife was murdered, and George Osric—the man from the dragon attack—was killed in pursuit of this knowledge, whatever it is. They were after the container that carried the Portkey…”

            “And now Ranrok and Rookwood are both after you,” Sebastian finished, leaning back in his chair with a worried brow. “I suppose practicing the Blasting Curse a bit more wouldn’t hurt…”

            “Well, I guess that’s what Crossed Wands is for,” Rhea sighed, her hands shaking slightly from relief. She wasn’t nervous anymore—at least, not in the same way. She knew in her gut that she could trust Sebastian with this information, even if Fig didn’t agree with sharing anything. But he’d proven himself enough to her and he was more than willing to return information in kind.

            “Unfortunately I think we may have missed practice today,” Sebastian said, glancing at a nearby grandfather clock. “But it wasn’t as if we didn’t work hard. Confringo is yours now, and Lucan will certainly be impressed by our first round next week. But for now, it’s probably best if you head on down to dinner. Ominis and I usually meet here beforehand and walk down together, but I need time to butter him up before breaking the news that you’re the newest member of our exclusive little club.”

            “I’ll be careful, I promise,” Rhea said. “If you two have managed to avoid being caught for four years, I imagine I can manage it one time…”

Sebastian led her to the exit and showed her the proper way to get out of the Undercroft without getting trapped in any of the passages. He bade her goodbye and watched as she hurried down the secret passage, glancing back at him with a smile as she rounded the first corner confidently. He had no idea what he was getting himself into with this friendship, but he couldn’t wait to find out more. She was pretty incredible, it seemed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the exit to the Undercroft. She tapped her wand on the cabinet door on a spot that had been carved with a small x to indicate the correct spot. She stepped out, tucking her wand away and glancing out the window, seeing that it was actually starting to get dark out.

            “Hello, Sebastian,” she heard from her left. She spun silently, her eyes wide as Ominis strolled closer to the Undercroft entrance. He paused slightly at the lack of response, his face scrunching up suspiciously for a moment.

            She stepped backward, unintentionally, trying to put a little distance between them. If she was careful she might be able to completely slip past him and make a run for it. She couldn’t believe she’d been caught immediately.

            “I may be blind but I can still hear you,” Ominis pointed out. He moved his wand back and forth in front of him, the silent red light blinking to alert him to items in the space there. Unfortunately, this time that included her. His wand stopped right in front of her and he cocked his head to the side. “Who might you be?”

            “Hello, Ominis,” Rhea mustered quietly, frantically looking for an excuse for her presence there that didn’t point back to Sebastian betraying Ominis’s trust.

            “Rhea?” he asked, dropping his wand, at first sounding a touch relieved before his expression grew slightly darker and he asked, “What are you doing here?”

            “I’m heading to dinner…” she said simply.

            “No, I didn’t ask what you were doing,” he said sharply. “I asked what you were doing here.” He pointed in the direction of the Undercroft entrance and he continued, lowering his voice, “Did you just come from the Undercroft? I’d know those hinges anywhere—How did you get in there?”

            “I—I don’t know,” Rhea said. “I was engrossed in my charms notes—You know how Professor Ronen was going on and on about hidden areas and Concealment charms—I was just practicing and then I found this cabinet. I didn’t know what it was though—”

            “I don’t believe you,” Ominis said, shaking his head. “This isn’t the sort of place you just stumble upon. No one outside of—” He stopped short and sighed heavily, looking up at the ceiling in frustration before leveling his empty gaze in her direction. “Sebastian showed you, didn’t he?”

            She opened her mouth to deny it but he cut her off and continued, “You don’t need to say anything. I know you’re going to tell me it wasn’t him but I’m not going to be able to prove you’re lying…”

            “He didn’t tell me about it,” she said weakly once Ominis paused, shaking his head irritably.

            “You breathe a word about this place to anyone and not even your precious Professor Fig will be able to help you,” he snapped viciously. “My father is friends with the Headmaster and I’m not afraid to exploit that connection if I have to.”

            “Ominis you don’t need to threaten me,” Rhea insisted. “I’m not going to say a word about it. Clearly this means a lot to you—but it’s unfair of you to immediately accuse Sebastian. You two are best friends, and he values your trust immensely.

            “I don’t need you to tell me about my oldest friend, thank you very much,” Ominis snapped.

            “Ominis, I just meant—”

            “I know what you meant, and I don’t care,” Ominis snapped. “Sebastian gets himself in enough trouble—he doesn’t need your help getting into more. Yes—he told me about your little stunt in the library. Needless to say, I don’t approve. You should have been the one serving detentions all week.”

            “I tried to take his place,” Rhea snapped back. “It’s not my fault Peeves showed up and you know it.”

            “That doesn’t matter!” Ominis exclaimed. “He shouldn’t have been there in the first place! And neither should you! He’s already in hot water from his antics last year, and this year is actually important for the rest of us—not that you would understand any of that.”

            “I’m just doing my best—”

            “Your best to get my only friend expelled? That much is clear,” Ominis hissed, turning his head slightly as a door opened somewhere else in the hall, sending the echoes of footsteps and friendly chatter around the building.

            “Listen, Ominis, you’re being incredibly unfair right now,” Rhea said. “I understand that you’re angry with me, and apparently there’s nothing I can do to fix that aside from inventing time travel. But Sebastian is capable of making his own decisions. He chose to go down to the library that night, he chose to chase after Peeves, and he chose to take the blame.”

            “I don’t care that he made those choices—that fact that he had to make them is what’s upsetting,” Ominis said, exasperation clear in his tone. “We were doing just fine before you came along.”

            Rhea paused and didn’t respond. She really couldn’t tell if that was actually what Ominis was upset about. She had really thought they were becoming better friends through their mutual need for potions help. They’d even been having some pleasant small talk in between classwork. At least, enough that she didn’t think he hated her.

            She swallowed the lump in her throat that was threatening to turn into a frustrated cry and said shakily, “I just wanted to be your friend, too. I know this situation clearly isn’t helping anything in that regard—it’s extremely obvious now that you really just don’t like me. I thought we were getting along well in Potions, but I suppose that’s just you putting on an act for a better grade. Rest assured, I won’t bother you or Sebastian again—here or in class.”

            “Now that’s n—”

            “No, that’s enough; thank you, Ominis. I’m ready for this conversation to be over,” she cut him off. “I have enough self-respect to know when it’s time to walk away. And to be frank, I have no desire to be yelled at any longer. I hope you have a pleasant evening. Good night.”

            She skirted around him, keeping her jaw set to avoid allowing the stress tears to fall until she was tucked away safe in her dorm bed. Dinner didn’t seem quite as appealing after that talking down.

Chapter Text

            Ominis had lingered outside of the Undercroft entrance for a few minutes after his encounter with Rhea, uncertain how to feel. His mind was a torrent of different emotions and thoughts, tumbling around like a maelstrom. He took a deep breath and turned to make his way to dinner, alone. He suspected that Sebastian was in fact waiting for him in the Undercroft, but he didn’t want to face his friend just then. At least not until he’d sorted through the mess in his head.

            It had all devolved so fast… He winced slightly as he began to rehash the situation from the beginning. The only way he could work through this was to take it all point by point until the answer was clear to him.

            Rhea knew about the Undercroft. Whether Sebastian told her, or she found it on her own, that was something that he couldn’t change. Well… if he wanted to Obliviate her… no, that was out of the question. There was nothing he could do. The number of people that knew about the secret room had grown and it… wasn’t the end of the world, he supposed.

            He’d brought Anne and Sebastian to the room halfway through their first year when they’d all decided to stay in the castle for Christmas. It was a special place—it was their own secret hideaway safe from the judgements and cruelties of their classmates and the older students. The Undercroft, in many ways, was another home for him. There he felt safe and secure.

            So why did Rhea knowing about it make him feel so on edge? She wasn’t exactly dangerous—she was just Sebastian’s friend. She had almost been his friend—he frowned sourly at this part.

            The fact of the matter was that she hadn’t misread him—he had been starting to enjoy their little system. Potions was one of those magical arts that eluded him for the obvious reason that he couldn’t see the potions he was making. The number of times that he’d overboiled or under steeped a brew simply because he couldn’t see what shade of purple it had cooked to was unfairly high. Sebastian and Anne had done their best to help keep him on the right track, but Anne was naturally very good at it and Sebastian was often running behind on the lesson because he was doodling in his textbook instead of paying attention.

            He made his way to the Slytherin table and took the spot he usually sat in, two benches down, three steps forward. Thankfully, Sebastian wasn’t there yet—he had to have been in the Undercroft then… As he carefully made himself a plate of food, Ominis allowed his thoughts to return to the task at hand.

            Rhea was attentive and inquisitive. She always apologized before asking him a question about an old potion they’d learned about, but as time had gone on it really didn’t bother him that much. If anything, it was helping him review better than previous years. Turns out it’s easier to explain things to other people if you yourself understand the subject.

            And she returned the favor without him really needing to ask. It was almost as if she was watching his potion more than her own half of the time. She’d already inadvertently brought his grade up to Exceeds Expectations. When they’d gotten their first assignment back she’d leaned over and quietly asked him what that grade had meant. She’d thought it was a bad thing to get— ‘If you’re exceeding their expectations, surely that means they didn’t expect much of you? Why not just say ‘Excellent Work!’ Or something like that?’

            It almost made him chuckle until he remembered that they were in a fight—if you could be in a fight with someone that wasn’t your friend that is… But this did sort of feel like the sort of arguments he would sometimes get into with either of the twins…

            No, she’d been very clear: they were not friends.

            Unfortunately she’d been almost too clear on that one…

            Her story was essentially the same as Sebastian’s had been. She hadn’t asked him to take her to the library. She’d asked him if he knew how and had hoped he might tell her—for what reason, Ominis couldn’t tell. Sebastian had been reluctant to explain that beyond the vague description he’d given back in the Undercroft. She was looking for something, but he didn’t know what it was.

            She didn’t want him to get in trouble—she’d asked him to stay with her, presumably to find another way out without getting caught by the librarian. She felt bad that he had gotten in trouble on her behalf. And she was right: they may not have been the smartest decisions, but Sebastian was capable of making his own choices. And though they definitely weren’t exactly smart, they were exactly what he would expect of Sebastian. Once Sebastian decided you were his friend, he became extremely loyal.

            Things like this were simple when it came to Sebastian, and Ominis should have understood it sooner. Rhea needed to find something below the restricted section and confided in Sebastian why. He’d decided she was worth the risk, and wouldn’t let her leave there without succeeding in her mission. He wouldn’t have gotten caught if it weren’t for Peeves—he would have followed her to the end of that journey, wherever it took them. She needed something, and he made sure she got it whatever way he could.

            And she didn’t even have to ask him to.

            Sebastian was, indeed, a rare friend. From their first time meeting one another on their very first day in their dorm, Ominis had been grateful for Sebastian’s friendship. It hadn’t taken much for them to become friends in the first place, but things certainly hadn’t been easy for either of them in the years since then. Neither could have gotten through their respective troubles without the other.

            He needed Sebastian, and Sebastian needed him. But maybe Sebastian needed Rhea, too, for whatever reason. Or maybe Rhea needed Sebastian. It wasn’t Ominis’s place to try and undermine that friendship. He certainly wouldn’t have been happy if anyone made it difficult for him to make friends with Sebastian… And he supposed if their roles were reversed and he was the one making a new friend, Sebastian wouldn’t be angry over it…

            He supposed he was almost… jealous?

            That wasn’t quite the right word, he decided after a moment’s thought. But it was as close as he could figure at the moment.

            Anne was gone—at least from Hogwarts. She would never return, despite Sebastian’s insistence that her absence was merely a temporary thing. He’d effectively lost one of his best friends, and now his one remaining friend was spending half his time seeking out the new student that mysteriously enrolled at the last minute over the summer.

            He sighed again and shook his head as he took a long drink of pumpkin juice, irritated that he’d come to the obvious conclusion.

            He was over-reacting. Rhea didn’t deserve the vitriol he’d thrown at her based on Sebastian’s actions—if he was going to be mad, he needed to be upset with Sebastian. And even if he wanted to be upset with his friend, he didn’t exactly have any sort of moral high ground to be angry from anymore. He’d confronted and insulted Rhea based on his own assumptions instead of listening to reason, and that ultimately wasn’t just going to affect him. It was going to affect Sebastian as well.  

            Beyond that, he truly didn’t hate her. He didn’t like the circumstances of her arrival—there was definitely something she was hiding—but it wasn’t his business. And most importantly, he trusted Sebastian. If Sebastian trusted her enough to risk getting in trouble for her—if he trusted her enough to show her the Undercroft of all places—then that should be good enough for him. And while he may not like that Rhea was interested in breaking some of the rules, but he couldn’t rightly judge her for it. He, Sebastian, and Anne had all gotten up to their fair share of mischief over the years.

            He could only hope that he could find a way to explain all this to Rhea personally without her running off, ignoring him, or hexing him… She wouldn’t do that… right?

Chapter Text

            Despite Ominis’s best efforts, Rhea had been true to her word for the rest of the following week. She hadn’t spoken to him in Potions, except for when he asked her for help identifying ingredients. He quickly realized that those were the only questions she would answer, but he could hear the hurt in her voice as she provided him with answers. It did little to dissuade him from trying to hold a normal conversation with her, however, as her willingness to continue helping him despite his deplorable treatment of her only reassured him that she was, in fact, a good person.

            Unfortunately, this curt behavior had caught Sebastian’s attention, as she had also kept her word in that department, it seemed. She’d told Ominis she wouldn’t bother Sebastian anymore, and apparently that meant she only interacted with him the bare minimum possible for the activities they did together. She would respond in a friendly manner when Sebastian would tease her or ask her questions, but she didn’t offer jokes or start conversations. Apparently, she was even more ruthless during their Crossed Wands round that week. It was the fastest duel the competition had seen all year.

            Sebastian had also been moping more than usual since Ominis’s secret fight with Rhea. Ominis hadn’t told his friend about the encounter until almost a full week later when Sebastian had thrown himself face down onto his bed in their dorm, lamenting loudly over not knowing what he’d done wrong. Rhea had just seemingly decided that she wanted almost nothing to do with him, and he couldn’t understand why.

            Ominis had felt bad pressing for information but had done it all the same. Sebastian had been reluctant to say anything at all, really, but he did admit that he’d brought Rhea to the Undercroft. He’d known that she’d needed a safe place to practice her spellwork that wasn’t in Crossed Wands. If she only learned spells for dueling, she wouldn’t be a very well-rounded witch, after all. But he’d made her promise she wouldn’t tell a soul about it.

            Cue more guilt for Ominis. Rhea had kept her word. He bitterly allowed that despite lying to him about Sebastian showing her the room, she’d proven herself trustworthy by keeping her promise to him. She hadn’t ratted him out when he’d accosted her outside the Undercroft.

            Sebastian wouldn’t say much about what they’d been talking about in the Undercroft, except that it had to do with whatever it was she’d needed to visit the Restricted Section about. But he had made it seem like they’d had a good time, that they’d become closer friends. He’d even invited her back to Feldcroft to meet Solomon and Anne. He’d never invited anyone back home. Well, aside from Ominis but he barely counted; he practically lived there.

            That was when Ominis had quietly told Sebastian about the fight he’d gotten into with Rhea. About how she had chosen to keep Sebastian’s confidence, and how she’d promised to keep their secrets, and how she’d promised to leave them alone if it would make Ominis happier about the situation.

            Sebastian, thankfully, had been kinder about the situation than Ominis had, but he had certainly been upset with the other boy for keeping it from him. But unfortunately, it just meant that both of the Slytherins were stuck in the dog house. Sebastian couldn’t get Rhea to talk about anything outside of class and Crossed Wands, and Ominis couldn’t get a moment alone with her to apologize.

            On the bright side, Sebastian had mused, at least they knew she was actually trying to avoid them, unlike the first few weeks of term. Not that it was much of a comfort…

            The pair had trudged through the mid-October mud and drizzle towards Care of Magical Creatures, mulling over their collective issue as best they could. Rhea and Natty were chatting jovially a short ways ahead of them, laughing and joking over a muggle novel Rhea’s mother had sent her for a bit of light reading. Apparently, it was very romantic.

            The girls reached the class and took up their places at separate tables. Natty said some sort of apology about agreeing to partner with Garreth Weasley in this class—apparently his aunt had made a special request. Rhea waved off Natty’s concern and stood alone at her table. She accidentally caught Sebastian’s eye and her smile fell into a slight frown as she turned quickly to face the front of the class.

            “She’s alone,” Sebastian said. “Are you going to try to talk to her, or should I? Maybe you can ask her to partner with you for class?”

            “Sebastian, I can’t see the beast we’re dealing with today, how can you expect me to help her out? She’s never handled them either,” Ominis muttered.

            “Well, if that’s your logic, I can’t work with her either because you need my help more,” Sebastian said. “Do you think Professor Howin would notice if all three of us worked at the same station? Three heads are better than one, after all—I’m going to go ask before class starts—”

            “That’s not how it goes…” Ominis sighed as Sebastian rushed off to find the professor.

            Rhea looked up as Sebastian rushed past her, shooting her an eager grin as he headed towards the teacher with a clear sense of purpose. She felt bad treating him so coldly. She didn’t want to, but it was hard to be chummy with him when she’d made that stupid promise to Ominis. And she wasn’t about to go back on her word unless she got a proper apology. That was the only way forward that she could accept, as childish as it may seem.

            She watched out of the corner of her eye as Sebastian spoke emphatically with the professor for a few short minutes. She turned slightly and watched as Ominis carefully laid out his wand and notebook, setting it to take notes the same way she was able to use her Field Guide. She wondered if the teacher’s had taken inspiration from him for the book, or if this was a commonplace magical tool.

            Sebastian shuffled past her, a disappointed look on his face. She glanced back at him as he set up next to Ominis quickly, quietly muttering to the other boy, whose expression fell as well. She turned her attention back to the front of the classroom just before Sebastian looked up at the back of her head with a concerned frown.

            “Welcome everyone,” the professor called, taking her place at the front of the class. “As you can see, there are many beasts that we’re going to be taking care of in this class. Though, be advised, none of these creatures should be taken lightly. They are all, in their own way, dangerous—especially if one does not know how to handle them properly. However, it does seem that many of you are out of practice. Let’s take some time to review the basics of how to care for a beast, shall we?”

            Professor Howin waved her wand a set of instructions appeared on the boards behind her and several pails and brushes appeared at each of the learning stations. Howin approached Rhea’s table and said, “Welcome to your first Beasts Class. I’ve asked Miss Sweeting here to assist you with the lesson today.”

            “Hello!” a warm voice said, approaching the bench. Rhea turned and spotted a short, dark-haired Hufflepuff girl standing a few feet away, looking hesitant. She had a bright smile on her face and clear brown eyes. “I’m Poppy! Poppy Sweeting!”

            “I’m Rhea,” she replied, smiling nervously. She’d heard so much about Poppy that it was strange to be meeting her at last. “It’s nice to meet you, Poppy.”

            “Don’t worry about Professor Howin’s speech,” Poppy said quietly once the teacher moved on. “She overexaggerates sometimes. All the beasts in this class are perfectly—” As she spoke, however, the Puffskein cuddled in her arms shot out an abnormally long tongue and struck her in the face. She let out an alarmed squawk and nearly dropped the creature in surprise.

            Rhea was too shocked to laugh, as Professor Howin chided, “Miss Sweeting, pay attention, please. The tongue of a Puffskein can be a slippery devil.”

            “Yes, Professor,” Poppy called, slightly embarrassed as she placed the Puffskein down on the table. “Well, this is Gerald. He’s a sweet guy, just watch out for his tongue. But that sort of behavior means that he’s hungry! So I guess that’s a good sign for us!”

            Rhea picked up one of the brushes and listened as Poppy rattled on about Puffskeins—she really did see to know a lot about the little buggers. “Just remember to be gentle—their fur is thick so it can get pretty knotty. Oh, and think pleasant thoughts. I like to think it enriches his experience!”

            “You really seem to love animals,” Rhea said lightly as Gerald rolled onto his back, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth lazily.

            “How could anyone not fall in love with a little man like this,” Poppy laughed, gesturing to the Puffskein on the table. “They’re truly incredible, if you ask me. I think they have a lot more to offer the world than a few potion ingredients or magical fabrics.”

            “They’re worth more than their use to us,” Rhea muttered as Poppy began laying out some food pellets for Gerald now that Rhea had finished brushing him. He began sticking the individual pellets with his tongue and chewing happily, his wide eyes looking between Rhea and Poppy adorably. “He seems very nice.”

            “He is!” Poppy exclaimed. “Kindness is one of his best qualities. Right after ambition. And cleanliness.”

            Rhea smiled as Poppy pulled out a stick with a feather on it, dangling it in front of Gerald playfully.

            “Good work everyone,” Professor Howin called. “Now, let’s make our way to the pens and select another beast.”

            “Ohh, come on,” Poppy said excitedly, “I know just who you should meet next!” She tugged gently on Rhea’s arm, leading her to a pen full of strange chicken looking birds.

            As they were making their way over, Poppy paused, a deeply concerned look on her face as her head turned toward a pen full of odd looking cats where a Slytherin boy and Astoria Crickett were beginning their classwork. Poppy changed trajectory and began approaching them cautiously as their conversation drifted over.

            “Coupla’ Kneazle whiskers oughta’ get me a few Knuts, at least,” the boy was grumbling. “Enough to buy something from Honeydukes…” Astoria chuckled with him and nodded encouragingly as the boy took out his wand.

            Rhea couldn’t see exactly what was happening but there was a loud, unpleasant yowl from the pen. That was more than enough to set Poppy off. She was charging over, rage in her normally friendly face. “What in Merlin’s name are you doing?” Poppy shouted, shoving the Slytherin boy out of the way.

            He stumbled but turned and looked at Poppy with derision. “Tsk tsk, peculiar Poppy. Worried about a worthless little rodent.”

            “Kneazles aren’t rodents you pompous arse,” Poppy snapped. “And her name is Persephone!” Poppy had drawn her wand and was boring a hole in the boy’s head with her glare.

            He wasn’t fazed, however, and shot a smirk in Rhea’s direction as she reached the group. Astoria snickered as well as the boy mocked, “Her name is Persephone!” He let out a raucous laugh and glanced at Rhea to see if she was joining in on making fun of Poppy.

            Rhea was giving him a hard look, no sign of amusement on her face at all as she snapped, “That’s really not funny.”

            The boy’s grin dropped to a sneer as he squared his shoulders and faced Rhea, who stared up at him coldly. The boy stepped closer but glanced to the side and spotted Professor Howin watching them closely. Rhea didn’t budge, keeping her eyes on the troublemaker.

            He deflated slightly under the stern gaze of the professor and muttered to Astoria, “Let’s go…”

            Rhea stared after him, a glare on her face. She met Professor Howin’s watchful gaze and her intense look dropped sharply. She gave a sheepish smile to the professor who gave a slight nod before she turned to follow the other two to their next pen.

            Rhea felt eyes watching her and she scanned the class, spotting Sebastian and Ominis lurking at a nearby pen, concerned looks on their faces. Sebastian’s wand was even in his hand. He straightened up quickly when she spotted them and ran a hand through his hair, raising the other one in a half-hearted wave. She glanced worriedly at Ominis but gave the boys a nod all the same before rejoining Poppy who had climbed into the Kneazle pen to check the bullied creature.

            “Those two don’t belong anywhere near this class,” Poppy said shakily as Rhea took a seat beside her. One of the Kneazles walked up and rubbed its head into her back while the one whose whiskers had been yanked was curling up halfway in Poppy’s lap. “Poachers-in-training… Persephone was onto them instantly…”

            “That was very brave of you, Poppy,” Rhea said as she began to brush one of the Kneazles.

            “I don’t know if I’d call it that,” the girl replied, sniffing slightly. “The slightest confrontation and it sets me off crying…”

            “But you stood up to them,” Rhea pointed out. “Besides, I cry at less intimidating stuff all the time. And you know what? It just shows how much you care about Persephone’s well-being. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

            “It’s only in part because of the animals,” Poppy admitted quietly as a third Kneazle came up and began licking at the girl’s shoulder affectionately and lazily. “I just… They’re so cruel… And I’m sure Professor Howin will punish them for it, but that’s… that’s not enough. I mean, you saw how dismissive they were of me. You did more than I did—that glare you’ve got is really something.”

            “Well, I just told him the truth,” Rhea said dismissively. “It wasn’t funny. And as much as I’d have loved to see you hex him, it’s probably best Professor Howin showed up when she did.”

            The Kneazle rubbing against Rhea’s back came around the front and laid down, exposing its belly, hoping for more brushes. The girl complied and Poppy smiled, watching the scene with some small sense of relief.

            “The Kneazles seem to have really warmed up to you,” Poppy said. “They know a good egg when they see one. As do I. I hope it’s okay if we remain partners for the rest of our time in this class?”

            “That sounds lovely, Poppy,” Rhea said with a smile.

            “I’m sorry it took me so long to introduce myself, as well,” she said. “Natty talks about you all the time, and I’ve heard that you’re really making a strong impression on the Crossed Wands crowds.”

            “It’s unfortunate that you had to drop out,” Rhea told her. “Lucan was beside himself over it.”

            “I know, I’m just… this year has been a little bit hard for me,” Poppy said softly, a small frown settling on her face. Instantly all of the Kneazles began purring soothingly and it brought another smile to her face. “But even so, we’d had quite a few Herbology classes, and I didn’t take the time to introduce myself. I’m just… I’m a bit shy around new people and frankly, you’re very new. I hate to say it, but I was a bit relieved when Sebastian asked if I would trade stations with him. Nothing against you, of course. I just… I’m more comfortable with the familiar.”

            “No, don’t worry,” Rhea said, shaking her head. “I understand well enough; Our teachers have been rather helpful introducing me to our classmates. And who knows—Sebastian could ask you to swap back in Herbology…”

            “Is it because of Ominis?” Poppy asked, her tone concerned and her dark eyes wide. “He was so out of sorts when we first switched seats, I felt so bad startling him the way I did—I thought he knew about the swap. But I suppose he’s never really been very friendly with me. I should have expected to get the cold shoulder.”

            “I’m sure he likes you well enough,” Rhea said kindly, though now she was frowning instead. “It’s nothing to do with you, I promise. But I think Sebastian and I—well, mainly Ominis and I aren’t exactly on friendly terms at the moment. I imagine Sebastian will prefer to stick by his old friend instead.”

            “That’s a shame,” Poppy frowned, glancing at the boys in the next pen over. Ominis was leaning against the gate, cackling loudly as Sebastian chased a teleporting Diricrawl around the pen fruitlessly. “I’m sure whatever it is will blow over soon. They’re really lovely people…”

            “I think they are too,” Rhea sighed, watching the boys as well. Sebastian slipped in the mud but got a hold of the bird. He hoisted it into the air triumphantly, a wide grin on his face while Ominis gave him a slow clap. Sebastian caught sight of the two girls watching from the Kneazle pen and stumbled, losing his footing and his grasp on the bird. It disappeared with a pop, appearing outside the pen with a vacant look in its eyes.

             Rhea and Poppy laughed slightly, but it wasn’t a malicious sort of amusement. Sebastian smiled, his gaze lingering slightly longer on Rhea, an almost questioning look in his eyes. Her smile faltered, and she glanced at Ominis before shaking her head at him slightly. His smile fell, and she could practically see his shoulders slump before Professor Howin called over to dismiss them all.

            “Miss Pennywhistle, if you could stay back for a moment, I would like a word with you,” Professor Howin called over to her as Poppy locked up the Kneazle pen. Rhea dusted herself off and made her way over to the professor, putting the Slytherins out of her mind as best she could. “How did you find your first Beasts lesson?”

            “It was wonderful,” Rhea said. “I believe I’m really going to enjoy this class.”

            Howin smiled warmly, “Good. You seem to understand that when beasts are properly controlled, they can play a vital role in our lives. Some provide us with magically imbued materials—if cared for correctly. Which does not include torturing them for whiskers. Well done, by the way. Probably best to let me handle it next time.”

            “All I did was tell them they weren’t funny. Poppy was the one who stood up to them,” Rhea said.

            “She’s a bright and kind girl. She always fights for our dear creatures—but those students weren’t listening to her. You, however, did manage to get their attention, however briefly,” Howin told her. “Rest assured, they will be punished accordingly, and I will recommend that they be removed from this class immediately. I do believe Miss Sweeting is correct—they should not be allowed around these animals until they learn proper respect.”

            The Professor sighed and stared over at where the two students were trying to make themselves scarce before the teacher could corner the, “They’re nearly as bad as the savages in Rookwood’s Poacher Pack… Sadly, we’re the ones who suffer for their actions… Stumbling over dead beasts… Terrible waste of resources.”

            “Surely the poachers can be brought to justice by someone—the Ministry, perhaps?” Rhea asked. This was the first she’d heard of poachers in the area. And the fact that they were so closely connected to Victor Rookwood was enough to pique her interest, however grim it may be.

            “An optimistic idea,” the professor grimaced, though she shook her head to dismiss the subject. “Now, why don’t we focus on more immediate matters that we can control? Professor Weasley has asked me to prepare some extra assignments for you to help you catch up to the other fifth-years. I’m afraid my assignments will be significantly less practical than some of your other classes. Lots of essays in your future—though I’m certain that you could convince Miss Sweeting to assist you in your endeavors. She does love discussing this class. Meanwhile, I also encourage you to study as many beasts as you can on your own time.”

            The professor gave Rhea a satisfied nod before turning and marching after Astoria and her friend who were trying to speedily make their way to the castle to escape the irritated professor. Rhea quickly packed up her bag, uncertain of where she stood with Sebastian after today. She’d hoped she’d at least given him the hint that her issues had nothing to do with him specifically. Instead, she worried that she’d simply hurt his feelings more by confusing him.

            She spotted him and Ominis near the path, talking quietly and intently. She wondered if she should say something to them, or simply try and slip past them with Disillusionment… She instantly chided herself, however—trying to sneak by using magic she’d learned from Sebastian was truly childish. She could be mature about this and simply walk past them without an issue. Probably… Maybe…

            “Rhea, can I speak to you?” Poppy asked, lingering near the desks. Rhea spared one more glance for the Slytherin boys, accidentally catching Sebastian’s eye again before she turned and headed back towards Poppy.

            “Yes, what is it Poppy?” Rhea asked, pulling her bag onto her shoulder.

            “I just—I wanted to thank you,” she said. “I realized I didn’t say it when you stood up to those brutes. Thank you for saying something so that I didn’t have to. You were an Augury at noon in the desert!”

            “I certainly hope that’s a good thing,” Rhea said, a bemused look on her face. “I’m sorry—I haven’t begun any extra training in this class yet, so I’m afraid I don’t understand the reference.”

            “It’s something my gran and I say,” Poppy explained. “It means that something or someone is a welcome surprise. At least, that’s what we decided it meant.”

            “If I’m honest, you inspired me,” Rhea said. “You were so ready to stand up to them, but they were just continuing to be cruel… And I couldn’t very well stand there and watch them harm the poor thing or speak down to you like that.”

            “We’re of a similar mind,” Poppy smiled, seeming almost relieved. “Actually, in light of that, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. In the Forest… And I know it might seem a little forward, but I need you to trust me on this: it will absolutely change your life.”

            “Now?” Rhea asked, sounding and looking rather surprised.

            Poppy nodded eagerly, “We get a free period after Beasts Class usually, so we’ll have more than enough time to pop out and back before dinner. And we won’t risk being late for Astronomy either, if that’s a concern. We’ll be back with plenty of time to catch a quick nap.

            “Very well,” Rhea said after a moment of thought, “Lead the way, Poppy.”

            Poppy began leading Rhea away from the school, waving slightly at Sebastian and Ominis, who were still lingering, looking curiously after the pair of girls. Rhea gave a small smile as Sebastian waved back, a questioning look on his face, though he said something to Ominis and the pair turned and slowly began making their way back to the castle.

            “They seemed like they were waiting for you,” Poppy said lightly, glancing back at the boys as she led Rhea up a hill towards the owlery. “Perhaps they’re looking to set things right between you?”

            “I suppose they could be,” Rhea frowned. “I feel so stupid about it all. I’m actually nervous to talk to them—to either of them. I can’t even explain what the fight was about without potentially causing another one…”

            “It’s okay to feel nervous,” Poppy said. “I frequently feel nervous when dealing with our classmates. But I suppose they might feel nervous too. Neither party knows what the other is thinking. The only way to clear the air is to actually sit down and talk it out. It won’t be nearly as bad as you might think.”

            “I suppose,” Rhea said, “But that’s a problem for later. Can I ask who we’re going to meet?”

            “It’s a bit of a surprise—and hard to explain,” Poppy said, grinning brightly. “And I must say, I wouldn’t just take anyone there—in fact, you’re the first. Not even Natty’s been there with me. But it’s not too far now.”

            They’d reached the top of the hill and were carefully picking their way down the dirt and loose rock path. Poppy was hurrying as she went, chattering aimlessly about her favorite lesson from the previous year’s Beasts Class.

            They reached the bottom of the hill, which opened up into a large, open clearing. Poppy turned and held up a hand to stop Rhea saying, “Stand back a bit, okay?” She then turned and stepped further into the clearing, letting out a clear, sharp whistle. There was silence for a few moments, interrupted by a few bugs and the sound of the wind playing in the tall grasses.

            Then there was a loud sound of flapping wings as a stunning white Hippogriff descended on the clearing. She trotted around the clearing proudly, her large and dark eyes greeting Poppy before turning on Rhea warily.

            “Rhea, please meet Highwing! Isn’t she just magnificent?” Poppy introduced, starting in awe at the wondrous creature. Rhea had never seen a Hippogriff up close before—the closest she’d seen them was the day Sebastian took her to Hogsmeade for the first time. Poppy glanced at Rhea, noticing her hesitation, “Go on, introduce yourself to her. But be careful—you must always show Hippogriffs the proper courtesy before you approach them. All you have to do is bow, and if Highwing bows back, you can go and greet her.”

            Rhea stepped forward and gave Highwing a deep bow. After a moment, the Hippogriff returned the gesture and Poppy let out an excited squeal.

            “I knew it!” she said breathily, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Hippogriff take to someone this quickly!”

            “How did you two meet?” Rhea asked as the Hippogriff allowed her to stroke its neck gently.

            “It’s a long story,” Poppy said, watching Highwing protectively. “I’ll tell you some other time. But now that you’ve met Highwing you can come and meet her whenever you like. I come and check on her every once in a while—bring her pasties, tell her what’s going on in the castle… You wouldn’t know from looking at her, but she’d a dreadful busybody.”

            The girls chatted for a little while longer, tossing treats for Highwing until the Hippogriff gave a loud call and took to the skies again. The pair watched her fly off before turning and making their way back up to the castle.

            “So?” Poppy asked. “What did you think of Highwing?”

            “She was incredible,” Rhea said honestly. “I’m a little shocked you introduced me to her—we made a good team in class, sure, but you and I don’t exactly know each other very well.”

            “I know enough,” Poppy shrugged. “I suspected you two might get along.”

            “So are you the reason students have been seeing Hippogriffs flying above the Forbidden Forest?” Rhea asked. “I remember seeing some a while back on my way to Hogsmeade.”

            “Hmm, perhaps,” Poppy mused, though she didn’t sound convinced. “Did you know that once you earn a Hippogriff’s trust, they’ll always be there for you? The short version of how we met, now that we have a little time, is that I rescued her from poachers a few years back. Got her to safety and, well, she was fine. Until recently. Poachers are something of a problem in the area right now. So I worry they could get her again, and that I might not be there next time…”

            “Professor Howin mentioned the poachers as well… She seemed to imply that we couldn’t rely on the Ministry to help,” Rhea said, a frown crossing her freckled face.

            “I don’t often agree with Professor Howin,” Poppy admitted, her voice growing angrier as she continued on, “but on that, I fear she’s right. The poachers’ influence is growing. I see them every day in the village: lingering, talking to people—they’re up to something. I’m just not sure what it is.”

            “That is a little bit strange,” Rhea frowned. “If they aren’t locals, it’s a little suspicious that they’re being so chummy with the townsfolk—especially if those people haven’t been associated with poachers before… Sounds as if maybe they’re planning something? Gathering information?”

            “I think I’m going to look into it,” Poppy said after a minute or two of thoughtful silence passed between them. “I need to find out what’s going on, what they’re doing…”

            “This is why you backed out of Crossed Wands,” Rhea said suddenly, looking at Poppy curiously.

            “Yes,” Poppy admitted wryly. “I can’t focus on dueling other students when creatures like Highwing are being snatched right outside of Hogwarts without anyone to help them. I know there isn’t much that I can do a student, but I want to work out some way to help them more directly.”

            “You’ve a much better attitude than Natty’s got about it,” Rhea said lightly.

            Poppy laughed and replied, “Yes, I was thinking the same thing about you!”

            Rhea grinned and shook her head slightly, “Don’t get me wrong, I think it's more than admirable that she wants to take down Harlow and Rookwood, but I can’t abide her just jumping in the deep end like she wants to.”

            “I agree,” Poppy nodded enthusiastically, “Information is power, but she’s too riled up to not pick a fight with the first lonely henchman she finds! She’s a talented duelist but I don’t know if she understands exactly what she’s getting into with that lot. I heard they’re trying to find a way to get at a student here. They didn’t say who it was of course, just that they were an annoying brat…”

            Rhea feigned surprise at the news but nodded all the same. “Luckily, the more information we can uncover, the better we can keep Highwing safe—perhaps we can talk to Sirona, see if she’s overheard anything about it? Maybe we can contact your gran? Or my mum? They might know someone to inform about all the poaching.”

            “It’s worth a shot,” Poppy shrugged as they entered the castle. “We can’t be in Hogsmeade all the time, and my gran studies creatures for a living—she’s probably dealt with loads of poachers like these ones in her time…”

            “Oh, we could ask Professor Hecat!” Rhea exclaimed, “She said she obtained that dragon skeleton in a poaching raid a long time ago!”

            “That’s actually a great idea,” Poppy exclaimed, giving Rhea a beaming smile, “I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that sooner! Professor Hecat will absolutely know what to do about all of this.”

            “If you like, I can ask her about it next time she calls me for an extra lesson?” Rhea asked. “Maybe she’ll know some sort of protection charm we can use to help Highwing stay hidden better.”

            The pair chattered on, making plans as they made their way to the Great Hall for dinner, a comfortable friendship blossoming as they went.

Chapter Text

            “And your reading is… the Dragon,” Adelaide Oakes mused, leaning close as Nerida Roberts turned over an oracle card before class began. “That’s exciting, I suppose. Perhaps you’re due for an adventure!”

            Rhea stifled a yawn as she leaned her head against her palm, barely keeping from laying her head down on the table. Amit was next to her, absorbed in an old star chart, as per usual. They’d only had day classes before, but Professor Shah was finally convinced it was time for them all to have a practical lesson. Which meant class was late at night, and Rhea was struggling to remain awake.

            The girls across the room giggled again, pointing at the cards eagerly, glancing around the room. Rhea watched them, only half curious. Adelaide glanced over at where Sebastian was slumped over the table in front of him, not even attempting to try and remain awake. Ominis sat beside him, head bobbing occasionally as he fought off sleep. Rhea did her best to avoid acknowledging the small twinge of irritation that struck her as she noticed the soft look Adelaide was sending towards the Slytherins. Nerida let out another giggle and nudged the Hufflepuff teasingly, causing the latter to blush deeply.

            “Ladies,” Professor Shah chided, appearing behind the busybodies. “Astronomy is not Divination. You won’t find the mysteries of the cosmos charted out on your palms, or at the bottom of your teacups. Alas, the heavens remain hazy to the starry-eyed.”

            The professor began to circle the table, tapping on the table to wake her struggling students as she went, continuing to lecture, “Now, if you were to devote yourselves to persistent and painstaking observation, you just might catch a glimpse. With that in mind, please take your telescopes—tonight we will be on the observation deck.”

            The students reluctantly stood and grabbed their telescopes and accessories, making their way towards a rickety old staircase near the back of the room, trudging their way up into the frigid night air. Rhea hung back slightly, hoping to ask the professor if there was a telescope she could borrow, but the woman was off and up the stairs almost as quickly as Amit.

            She sighed and made her way to the observation deck empty handed, aside from spare star chart paper and a pencil.

            “Hey,” Sebastian yawned, falling into step beside her.      

            “Hello,” she replied shortly, not turning to look at him.

            “I know now’s not really the right time,” Sebastian said, “But Ominis and I would really like to talk to you. We tried to wait for you after Beasts Class earlier but you went off with Sweeting.”

            “Yes, she and I had a lovely walk,” Rhea said politely.

            “Well, that’s good, I guess,” Sebastian said, “But I just wanted to say that Ominis told me about what happened—he wants to apologize. And I’d like for things to get back to the way they were.”

            “Nothing’s stopping him,” Rhea said noncommittally.

            “Then join us for class tonight,” Sebastian offered. “Ominis can’t exactly use the telescope, so it would just be the two of us, really. He’d still be there, of course, but it might give you a chance to talk.”

            “You’re afraid I’m going to wander off again after class, is that it?” Rhea asked, glancing slightly at him.

            “Well, you are apparently very good at making yourself scarce,” Sebastian joked as they reached the observation deck.

            Professor Shah was on Rhea like a hawk instantly, “Still don’t have your own telescope?”

            Rhea opened her mouth to respond but the teacher continued, “You cannot be the new student forever, you know. You can share with Mr. Thakkar for tonight.” The Professor gestured to where the Ravenclaw boy was carefully taking notes while staring intently through a rather large telescope.

            “I’ve actually offered her a spot at mine, Professor,” Sebastian tried, though he backed off at the silent glare the Astronomy professor gave him, stifling a frustrated sigh as he trudged over to where Ominis was shivering in the cold.

            Amit jumped as Professor Shah tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing to Rhea and saying, “Mr. Thakkar, you will be sharing your telescope with Miss Pennywhistle tonight, as she has yet to procure her own telescope. Remember to pay particular attention to the position of Jupiter’s moons.”

            Rhea stepped up, shooting a grateful smile in Amit’s direction as she peered through the lens. She frowned and reached her hand up to adjust the focus, but Amit rushed in, pushing her back as he frantically offered to adjust it for her. She stumbled slightly, a slightly irritated frown crossing her features, though she tried to push it away as quickly as she could.

            “No, no—Mr. Thakkar,” Professor Shah chided, swooping in again and waving him off. “She is perfectly capable of bringing it into focus on her own. Besides, your eyesight may be different from her own—how could you adjust the focus for her?”

            The boy sheepishly stepped away from the telescope, wringing his hands anxiously. Rhea returned to the task at hand, feeling Amit’s anxiety washing over her. She really wished that Professor Shah hadn’t put her with Amit, as good at Astronomy as he was. She supposed that maybe this choice was more a lesson for him though, than her. She had no problem sharing, but Amit was clearly very possessive of his instruments.

            The rest of the class passed with little conversation and much shivering. The wind was biting and persistent, and Rhea soon found that her fingers had gone numb. Amit didn’t seem to be as affected as the rest of the class, but Rhea noticed that he was barely taking any notes by the end of it, only adjusting the telescope when he absolutely had to.

            “Now, I expect all of you to put in your stargazing hours outside of class, is that clear?” the Professor called as she circled the deck, watching her students critically as she went.

            “But Professor, it’s freezing out!” Leander Prewett called back in an awfully pitiful voice. Rhea made a disgruntled face as the group turned to pay attention to Professor Shah. Across the deck, Sebastian was making a similar face. He caught Rhea’s eye and smothered a laugh, pulling his green scarf up to hide his amusement at their near identical reactions. Rhea’s expression softened and she turned her focus back to Professor Shah, who was looking around at the class, as if only just realizing how disgruntled and miserable they all were.

            “Mere cold didn’t stop the great stargazers of the past,” she pointed out. “Look only to the Astronomy Tables they erected throughout the Highlands, from which they gazed, millennia ago, on the very selfsame stars above us.” She turned and appraised them all once again before she let out a disgruntled sigh. “Class dismissed.”

            Unlike when they made their way up to the deck, the students moved with great haste to get back inside the warm castle. Rhea turned and joined them, her determined gaze resting on Sebastian and Ominis, who were reluctantly trying to remain out of the throng of students rushing forward so that they could fall into step with her. However, Amit popped up between them, stopping Rhea with an apologetic greeting.

            She forced a smile on her face as the boy stopped walking. She waved Sebastian and Ominis on reluctantly as she slowed to a stop to continue her conversation with Amit.

            “I want to apologize for earlier,” Amit said. “My telescope is very precious to me—I haven’t let anyone else use this one yet, actually. That’s why I was so…”

            “Eager?” Rhea offered politely, rubbing her hands together quickly.

            “Well, yes,” Amit nodded sheepishly. “Did I hear Professor Shah say that you don’t have your own telescope? I have a spare one you could borrow for the rest of term!”

            “That would be incredible, actually,” Rhea said. “If it’s no trouble, of course—I wouldn’t want to impose at all… Are you sure you won’t need it?”

            “I’m certain,” Amit nodded, gesturing for Rhea to follow him to the storage deck. “It’s my old one. I finally got my hands on the new Celestia Contemplor! You’ve heard of it, I assume? I mean, of course you have—it’s only the pinnacle of all personal stargazing implements. But my old model’s not too shabby either: Goblin-cut glass, first-rate optical enchantments. Hate to think such a find instrument is just collecting dust.”

            “Well, I…” Rhea paused, fighting off a shiver as the boy pulled out a worn looking case and handed it to her, “Thank you, Amit. This is very kind.”

            “Think nothing of it,” he said. “And I promise this isn’t just me avoiding sharing my new telescope again. It will be easier for you to perform well in the class with your own tools, after all. I have some, uh, reading to finish on the lower deck. Would you mind joining me for a little while? There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

            “Me?” Rhea asked, surprised. “Sure, Amit—but can I possibly convince you to move inside at least? I’m absolutely freezing out here…”

            “Sure, sure—we can check on the telescope, make sure all the pieces are still working.”

            They returned to their original seats in class and Rhea took out the telescope, allowing Amit to rattle off everything he knew about the instrument, which was a shocking amount. “As you can see, I would not offer a prospective stargazer a third-rate Lunascope. But there is, um, something else I’d like to discuss.

            “What is it?” Rhea asked as she carefully packed the telescope back up.

            “You remember those Astronomy Tables Shah was going on about?” Amit asked, lowering his voice slightly. “It just so happens I’ve been reading up on them a little myself. And it seems there may be one right here at Hogwarts. I believe we could use it to find hidden constellations!”

            “And what? Do you need someone to help you find it?”

            “Precisely,” Amit said. “I knew you were a clever one! No one from the Gobstones Club will join me. Said they’d rather get spit at by a stone than… well, they are cowards. Would you mind going with me now?”

            “Err,” Rhea faltered, “I’m really sorry Amit, but I don’t think tonight is the best night for me—I have a lot of work to catch up on this weekend and I could really use a good night’s sleep.”

            “Not a problem!” Amit exclaimed. “I’ll probably do some searching tonight myself, but if I find it, I’ll let you know and you can check it out on your own! I do tend to prefer working on my own to working in groups.”

            “Alright Amit,” Rhea nodded, “I’d like that. Maybe we can search for it another time if you don’t find it tonight. And thanks for understanding—I’ll see you round the common room sometime, I’m sure.”

            The boy nodded, making his way back up to the observation deck, barely saying goodbye as he wandered off. Rhea sighed and resigned herself to the long trudge up to the common room alone. She wished the Ravenclaw Tower wasn’t the tallest one for about the thousandth time since the school year started, but as much as she hoped and prayed it never got shorter.

            “What did Amit want?” Sebastian asked, picking up her telescope to carry it for her as she made her way towards the exit. She must have been exhausted, because she hadn't even noticed him waiting for her. “I see you convinced him to at least let you come inside and avoid frostbite.”

            “Oh, he’s hunting down those Astronomy Tables Professor Shah was going on about,” Rhea said, waving her hand dismissively. “He wanted to go out hunting for them tonight, but I told him I have to spend the day working tomorrow so I won’t have time tonight.”

            “How much of a lie was that?” Sebastian asked. “Because Ominis and I were planning on sneaking down to the kitchens for some late night snacks to bring back to the Undercroft. You’re more than welcome to join us—in fact, if you’re amenable, we insist on it.”

            “I suppose this is an apology?” Rhea asked.

            “Well, it will be, if you agree,” Sebastian mused. “He feels really bad and wants to make you feel welcome in the Undercroft. Please come?”

            Rhea frowned and began to shake her head slightly, “I do have a lot of work to get done tomorrow…”

            “But if we’re all friendly again you can come and study with us in the Undercroft,” Sebastian said encouragingly. “Besides, he told me all about it—I know you’re only being weird around me because you promised him you’d leave me alone. Weird promise, by the way…”

            “I thought it might make him like me better,” Rhea said. “Or at the very least make him tolerate me more sincerely if he believed that I really never meant to get you in any sort of trouble. And that I wouldn’t be seeking you out for more help in that regard… Seems like it just made a bit of a mess.”

            “Well, it worked,” Sebastian reassured her. “For the most part. He didn’t like that you lied to him about me telling you how to access the Undercroft, but the fact that you stood by your promise to me went a long way.”

            “That’s nice and all, but he wasn’t exactly kind when he was yelling at me,” Rhea pointed out.

            “Look, you’re under no obligation to forgive him or even like him,” Sebastian said. “But he really wants to apologize. And since you haven’t made a mad dash for the Ravenclaw Common Room yet, I think you might want to talk to him.

            “I don’t know…”

            “Come on, Rhea,” He pleaded. “For me? A second chance, that’s all I’m asking for.”

            She looked at him with an uncertain frown. He was giving her an earnest look, seeming sincere. She wanted to say no. She wanted to go to bed and wake up tomorrow like nothing had happened. But that wasn’t fair of her. Sebastian hadn’t done anything wrong and abiding by her promise to Ominis just seemed to be hurting him. Plus if what Sebastian said was true, and Ominis did actually want to apologize...

            “I’ll hear him out,” Rhea agreed quietly, readjusting her bag on her shoulder to give herself something to do.

            “Brilliant!” Sebastian exclaimed, a bright smile breaking out across his face. “As much as I’d love to take you along to the kitchens, perhaps it would be for the best if the two of you got a moment alone to hammer things out? Just try not to hex him, alright? And if you do, keep it to something tame, like Bat Bogeys or Jelly Legs, sound good?”

            Rhea smiled weakly, giving him a nod. Shockingly, none of her extra lessons had included any of those yet. She made a mental note to ask about those ones again if things worked out with Ominis. Sebastian sent her another excited smile, handing her telescope back to her and racing off down the stairs to the basements.

            Rhea hesitated but ultimately set a course of the Undercroft. As appealing as running away was at the moment, it wouldn’t solve anything. Besides—Sebastian might bring back some delicious treats. Some lemon bars might make an awkward reunion more enjoyable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The Undercroft was not as warmly lit as it had been that last time Rhea had been there. In fact, it was both colder and darker, the only lights present around the corner that the boys hung out in most often. There were blankets, of course, but there was no fireplace to warm the massive room, so she wasn’t certain how useful the quilts would be, but for now, at least, her nerves were keeping her warm.

            Ominis was busy across the room, pacing across the well-worn rug, seemingly muttering to himself as he did. As he walked, he also counted on his fingers, as if he were making a point-by-point list of what he was planning on saying. As the gate to the Undercroft slid up into the ceiling, Ominis’s head whipped to look in that direction and he straightened up.

            “Hello!” he called, his voice shaking slightly. “Is that… Sebastian?”

            “I’m afraid it’s just me,” Rhea said quietly, walking over to join him. She took a tentative seat in the armchair she’d picked out on her previous venture to the Undercroft.

            Ominis nodded and cleared his throat, pacing for another moment before he took a seat on the couch, his posture rigid. “I… I’m afraid I’m not sure where to begin, now that we're actually here.”

            When Rhea didn’t respond he took a breath and began again, “I want to apologize to you, Rhea. I should not have insulted you, I should not have yelled at you, and I should not have threatened you. Worst of all, I should not have condemned your friendship with Sebastian. After you left, I spent some time reflecting on our conversation, and I came to the conclusion that I had overreacted.”

            “Ominis, you don’t need to be so formal,” Rhea said softly. “You can just… speak from the heart…”

            “You’ll have to forgive me,” Ominis winced slightly. “My family is not exactly fond of expressing our feelings in a healthy manner. Formality is… well, it’s something of a small comfort for me.”

            “If it helps you, then don’t worry,” Rhea offered.

            Ominis sighed and shook his head, “How are you being so gracious right now? I was terrible to you last week.”

            “Well, we’re here to have a productive conversation, aren’t we?” Rhea asked with a slight frown. “If it’s easier for you to be sincere with formal speech, then why would I mock you for it?”

            “That’s fair, I suppose,” he said, frowning in turn. “Well, firstly, I am ashamed of the way I spoke to you. You were simply trying to be friendly, and I immediately jumped to conclusions about your intentions regarding the Undercroft. I… I’m very sorry. I was just surprised and shocked to discover you there. I hadn’t realized that Sebastian trusted you enough to bring you here.”

            “We’ve never really had any hard rules regarding this place,” Ominis explained. “It was always just the three of us. And it was a small reprieve for me—getting away from the busy nature of the castle. Here it is quiet and safe—well, safe enough when Sebastian isn’t practicing spells. Or when Anne wasn’t messing with more advanced potions than we were allowed to learn that year.”

            “And I suppose, after some thought, I realized that my worries about preserving the safety of my bubble here in the Undercroft extended to our friend Sebastian,” Ominis said. “You know a little about the circumstances of Anne’s departure from Hogwarts this year, but I fear it has hit me harder than I try to let on. I was afraid that you knowing about the Undercroft and becoming closer to Sebastian was changing things too much for my comfort. I didn’t even give you a chance to explain properly.”

            “I also don’t believe that things were better off before you arrived,” Ominis added. “That was unfair of me to say. I’m sure that you’ve had trouble adjusting to this new life, and speaking from experience, I know that having good friends can make living here at the castle much more tolerable. As soon as I met Sebastian, he and I became inseparable. I was afraid that while he was spending time with you, I was slowly losing my best friend.”

            “And so the fact that he chose to save you from detention by taking the fall himself… Well, it set me off. It was none of my business, and I must assure you that he’s told me nothing about whatever it was that you were after, so it continues to be none of my business. But then again, that also means that Sebastian’s business isn’t mine, either. If he wants to get into trouble, I know that he’s going to do it with or without help. And I suppose I’d rather him get into trouble with a friend there beside him. Even if it isn’t me.”

            “None of these are excuses by any means,” Ominis said quietly, “I merely hope to explain my actions. And I have to tell you, you weren’t wrong. About you and I getting along. I find that I do enjoy your company. I’ve rarely gotten as much enjoyment out of Potions class as I did when we were helping each other. And frankly, I’m not sure how much more of Sebastian’s moping I can take.”

            Rhea smiled slightly. As far as apologies went, it still left a little to be desired, but she could tell that Ominis felt bad about the way things had transpired between them. He was being genuine and was trying his best to have a difficult conversation about something that was clearly not a comfortable topic for him. The effort was enough to absolve him, in her mind.

            “I was enjoying potions class as well,” she told him quietly. “And I just want to tell you that I’m sorry as well. I felt terrible lying to you. Sebastian made it very clear that the Undercroft was a special place, and we’d essentially agreed that I wouldn’t come here again until he’d had a chance to talk to you about it. The only reason he brought me was to teach me the blasting curse before Crossed Wands, and then when we’d finished he’d told me a little more about Anne.”

            “She’s the best of us,” Ominis said with a fond smile.

            “I’m eager to meet her,” Rhea said. “I don’t know if he mentioned it or not, but he invited me to visit for part of the fall break that’s coming up. He thought it might cheer Anne up to meet a new friend.”

            “He did?” Ominis asked, sounding a touch surprised, though he wasn’t troubled by it. Sebastian had, of course, already informed him of that particular development, but he appreciated Rhea telling him as well. It showed him that there was still room for their friendship to recover. “He’s never invited anyone to visit before.”

            “He thought that Anne and I would get along if she was here,” Rhea explained. “And that maybe she and I could still be friends.”

            “I rather think he’s right, actually,” Ominis said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to visit this time around, unfortunately. At least, not for the entire week, as I'd prefer.”

            “He mentioned that—something about a Ministry banquet?” Rhea asked.

            Ominis grimaced and nodded, “It’s terrible. Some sort of conference about pureblood superiority. I’m still looking for a way to get out of it. Perhaps if I fall down the stairs…”

            “That sounds terrible,” Rhea said. “Your parents really support all that?”

            “Unfortunately,” Ominis said. “I’m sure you know a little about my family’s history. Blood of Salazar Slytherin himself. Thankfully I can spend most of the holidays with the Sallows, but I haven’t managed to quite wriggle out from under my father’s cruel thumb. Someday, though. You mark my words. Our name will be free of its terrible reputation.”

            “Well if you need any help along the way,” Rhea offered. “I’d be more than happy to assist you.”

            “What else are friends for?”

Chapter Text

            Greetings. I understand you’re quite the enterprising young Ravenclaw. Professor Fig tells me you found a long-lost book for him. If you’re amenable, I’d like to talk to you about it.

            My friend Eleazar Fig is aware that I’ve been searching for a family heirloom for some years now, alas to no avail. He suggested that you might be just the one to find it, given your luck with this ancient tome he’s been so focused on of late.

            Please stop by the shop at your earliest convenience. I Would be in your debt should you choose to assist the Ollivander family in this matter.

                                                                                                                 Kindest Regards,

                                                                                                                              G. Ollivander

                                                                                                                              Proprietor, Ollivander’s Wand Shop, Hogsmeade

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The owl had taken Rhea by surprise. She’d been leaving the library when it had suddenly swooped down and dropped the letter at her feet. She had no idea how it had known where she was, or how it had gotten into Central Hall—typically owls only delivered letters to the Great Hall. But here it was, delivering a letter for her from the one and only Gerbold Ollivander.

            What’s more was that he seemed to be quite chummy with Professor Fig. Part of her was relieved that someone else knew about the book—Professor Fig spilling some details to his friend certainly made her feel better about confiding in Sebastian. She wasn’t regretting that decision, however many questions Sebastian had about her mysterious ability. Luckily it didn’t seem like Ollivander knew quite as much as the Slytherin boy did. Besides, Ollivander only mentioned the book in passing—he likely didn’t know anything about its true origins or purpose.

            And so she found herself well on her way to Hogsmeade, though not for butterbeer as Sebastian expected. She would have gone on her own, but she was worried about going into town alone, especially since her run in with Victor Rookwood and his trolls. She wasn’t afraid, exactly—she just didn’t want to get caught up in any danger by being needlessly careless.

            “I think that we should hit Zonko’s first,” Sebastian was saying, “And then we can go to Honeydukes, pick up something for Anne, maybe a few treats we can hide in the Undercroft—we’ll pick something up for Ominis too; I think he’s a little stressed over his last essay from Hecat’s class. He went a little too preachy about the Unforgivable Curses when she was looking more for the history of legal spells and she nailed him for it. Said it was supposed to be about the facts, not his extremely valid opinions.”

            “Oh, and then we’ll have to hit the post office so I can send Anne her care package,” he continued as they wandered up the cobbled street. “And then—as long as we don’t get attacked by anything on the way, we can end at the Three Broomsticks.”

            “That sounds perfect,” Rhea said with a grin, “Except…”

            Sebastian let out a groan, “Don’t tell me you have to run off again? Come on, we need a break—you need a break!”

            “And I’m going to take one,” Rhea laughed, “We’re going to do everything on your list, I promise. At the very least, all the stuff for Anne. But I have an extra pit-stop to make along the way.”

            “Oh, did you need to restock on potion ingredients, too?” Sebastian asked. “I think I’ve run out of mallowsweet, but I was just going to nick some from the Herbology greenhouses—I think Professor Garlick actually doesn’t mind. Her plants stay pruned and her students stay engaged with their classwork. A win-win, really.”

            “I do actually need to pick up some mallowsweet as well, but now that you mention it, I’m sure Professor Garlick won’t miss a little bit,” she mused, “But no, that wasn’t it. I actually received a letter from Mr. Ollivander. He asked if I could swing by the shop sometime, and I was nervous to come out here alone.”

            “Is that why you asked if I wanted to come with you?” Sebastian asked. If she didn’t know better, she thought that perhaps he sounded a little disappointed.

            “Well, only partly,” she admitted honestly. “I haven’t been to Hogsmeade since the troll attack and considering no one else exactly knows about our run-in with certain undesirables, I thought it would be best if I didn’t come alone.”

            “So I was the convenient option?” Sebastian asked. She was almost certain now that he was just teasing her.

            “You know I enjoy spending time with you,” Rhea said, pushing him slightly. He veered off to the side slightly before falling back into step beside her, arms brushing lightly as they continued to walk. “And besides, we didn’t get to do anything fun last time. World’s our oyster or whatever it was you said?”

            “Well, I suppose I’m glad you asked me anyway,” Sebastian mused. “I enjoy spending time with you too—even if it means answering owls from near strangers. What exactly did he want?”

            “That’s another reason I asked you to come, actually,” Rhea said. “In his letter he mentioned the book I gave to Professor Fig—the one from the secret library chamber.”

            “Do you think Fig told him about you?” Sebastian asked with a concerned frown as they slowed to a stop in front of the shop in question. He looked the door up and down thoughtfully as Rhea shrugged noncommittally.

            “I’m not sure,” she told him. Her brow furrowed slightly and she tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear as the wind tried to toss it around. “The letter just mentioned that Fig said I’d found it, and that it’s been lost for a long time. None of that is a lie, but it didn’t say anything about how I actually found it. And now Mr. Ollivander thinks I might be able to help him find an old family heirloom.”

            Sebastian nodded slightly, “Well, I suppose that’s no reason to really be alarmed. Do you want me to come in with you, or do you want me to wait out here?”

            “I assume since he wrote to me directly, he’s not exactly eager to share many details with just anyone—no offense,” Rhea mused. “I guess I’ll go in alone, and then once I’m done we can get started on that list of yours?”

            “Suits me fine,” he nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The bell rang as Rhea stepped into the shop, the door rattling shut behind her. Gerbold Ollivander was busy shelving boxes of wands in the front room, turning and giving her a welcoming smile when he realized who it was.

            “Good of you to come!” he exclaimed. “My friend Professor Fig speaks highly of you—and of your resourcefulness. He also says that you’ve taken to your new wand quite spectacularly. He was… vague as to detail, but mentioned your having tracked down a difficult-to-find book.”

            “Yes, sir,” Rhea nodded. “It was a bit of a challenge, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

            “Well, then I’ll just get right to it—I was wondering if you’d be willing to do a little detective work on my behalf,” the man said with a pleased nod and hopeful expression. She smiled and nodded back, encouragingly. “You see, about a century ago, an heirloom applewood wand with a fair wing core went missing from this very shop.”

            “My great-aunt suspected that a student named Richard Jackdaw was responsible for the theft. He’d been serving as an assistant here and suddenly vanished,” the main continued.

            “Richard… Jackdaw?” Rhea asked. The name didn’t sound exactly… real to her. It sounded like the sort of name someone used when they didn’t want to give their true name.

            “Like the bird, yes,” Ollivander told her. “In fact, he was known to frequent the Hogwarts Owlery. We searched there, of course, but found no wand. We did find a series of statues similar to jackdaws, however. I’m certain they’re a clue, but I cannot figure out where they lead. The rest of the family thought they were just the result of the boy’s woodcarving hobby. Jackdaw was last heard tittering about some ‘pages’ with a map he’d stolen from Peeves. As you can imagine, the poltergeist was less than helpful.”

            “Why did you stop searching the Owlery?” Rhea asked. “And, respectfully sir, why do you need me to do it? Surely you’re able to do that yourself.”

            “One would think,” the man mused, sounding frustrated, though it wasn’t directed at her questions. “However, the Headmaster does not take kindly to an old wandmaker loitering about the place. Can’t say I blame him. Also, I have perhaps been looking for too long. I feel a fresh set of eyes—and a bright mind like yours—is sure to solve this riddle.”

            “Forgive me again, but is there anything special about the wand?” Rhea asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a wand with that core before, though I must admit my knowledge on the subject is strictly limited.”

            “Oh, yes—it’s terribly special,” the man nodded. “But not in the way you might think. It won’t grant special powers to the caster, no, nothing like that… But it will ease the hearts and minds of the Ollivanders to know of its return. And that power is immeasurable.”

            “Why would the thief have taken the wand?” Rhea asked. “You seem quite set on the fact that you believe it’s Jackdaw’s doing.”

            “I must admit I have no idea,” Ollivander admitted. “From what I can gather, he fancied himself an adventurer of sorts. Always looking for trouble. In fact, after he went missing, rumor had it his ghost was seen in Hogsmeade. Never heard much about him after that. But it seems as if his adventurous spirit may have got the better of him. Perhaps he thought the wand had some special power simply because of its esteemed lineage… Astonishing how misunderstood the art of wandmaking is…”

            “As for your second question, I’m afraid the answer is much simpler,” the man continued. “There were never any other solid leads. Jackdaw was the only viable culprit that we could point to. Even the authorities believed it was his doing. Hard to follow clues that aren’t there, after all.”

            “I’ll have a look for you,” Rhea told the man. “You’ve certainly given me plenty to go on for a small investigation, at least. Besides, my friend was just telling me that I could use a break from my schoolwork.”

            “Oh, you’ve brought hope to this old wandmaker’s heart,” Ollivander smiled, his dark eyes twinkling behind his large glasses. “Professor Fig was right: you are a remarkable student.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “So, what was it that he wanted from you?” Sebastian asked when the door clicked shut behind Rhea.

            “No, no, it can wait until after we run our errands,” she said. “If I tell you now, there’s no promises that I won’t go running off to investigate by myself.”

            “Must have been juicy to get you changing your tune about pranks, candy, and butterbeer,” Sebastian mused.

            “I haven’t changed my tune one bit!” She exclaimed, smacking his arm playfully. “But Mr. Ollivander has definitely gotten my attention.”

            “Just go on and tell me,” Sebastian said as he held the door to Zonko’s open for her. “But in the meantime—help me pick out a nice looking Nose-Biting Teacup, will you?”

            “Nose-biting—?” Rhea asked, sounding bewildered. “That’s a prank?”

            “They have some more tame options too—though that was one of them, in my humble opinion,” Sebastian told her. He pointed to the left, “Those are Mimicry Mice—they do exactly what you’d think. It’ll repeat a short phrase repeatedly. And over there you’ll find some frog spawn soap—pretty nasty once you get it going.”

            “There’s also some hiccupping sweets, but I don’t mess with those,” Sebastian said. “It’s a harmless prank, but a truly annoying one. There’s also some belch powder, which I’m going to get some of. I’m sure we’ll find a use for it at some point.”

            “And here I was beginning to think that your mischief-making was reserved only for sneaking into the library,” Rhea said. “If I help you pick out a teacup will you promise not to prank me with any of this stuff?”

            Sebastian made a tsking noise and shook his head, “You drive a hard bargain, Rhea… I’m not sure that’s a fair trade. Imagine how funny it would be if I gifted you one of these harmless yo-yo’s?” He picked one up and gave it a whirl. It let out a shrill screech as it moved back up the string, causing Rhea to jump in surprise. “Or, say your shoes need new laces—Stumbling Shoelaces. Or, or you need to take notes in class but you’ve run out of ink? Well your good friend Sebastian just happens to have a spare bottle! But then later when you go to study—oh no he must have given you vanishing ink! What a silly prank, that was!”

            He stepped closer to her and slung an arm around her shoulder, gesturing to the rest of the shop, “There’s a whole world of pranks out there, Rhea, and you want me to limit myself? I thought we were kindred spirits.”

            Rhea fought a blush as he continued taking her around the shop, pointing out his favorite prank items, some more complex than others. He seemed content to leave his arm draped across her shoulders as he went, seemingly lost in his tirade over her simple request. She hoped that he wouldn’t notice her subtle delight at the situation; after all, they were just friends. This was a friendly gesture, no doubt about it.

            “Surely there are more deserving people?” Rhea asked. “I don’t care if you prank anyone else—I just don’t fancy being pranked myself.”

            “Well, no one enjoys being pranked, Rhea, that’s part of the beauty of it,” Sebastian pointed out. “But I suppose I could refrain from adding you to my list of targets… for a price.”

            “What sort of price would that be?” Rhea asked. “I’m already sort of in your debt for that whole library business. And I’m sure you’re storing that up for something particularly risky.”

            “You know me so well,” he said, bringing both his hands to his heart with an affectionate smile. “And you would be correct—you do already owe me. But I rather like the idea of having two potential favors from you.”

            “The second you prank me the deal’s off,” she warned. “If one of these backfires and you get me instead, that counts. And I expect you to own up to it, too—I’m not afraid to ask Ominis if it comes to it.”

            “Ominis isn’t my keeper, Rhea,” Sebastian said. “I’m my own man… But I accept these terms. I shall never prank you, so long as I live—and you in return will owe me one favor—a favor that does not include your agreement to help me pick out a teacup.” He stuck out a hand for her to shake, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

            She made a show of contemplating over the situation, tapping a finger thoughtfully to her chin before grinning and shaking his hand. He gave their hands a brief bounce before lifting them both and spinning her around, stopping her when she was facing the opposite direction, putting a hand on her shoulder and pointing with the other at a wall of very inviting looking crockery.

            She let out a laugh as he guided her over and began pointing out a few he had been considering. The teacup was actually for his Uncle Solomon, whose birthday was apparently coming up. Sebastian had already bought him a book written by a well-respected herbologist, but he wanted to send something a little more interesting as well. Anne would know immediately what the teacup was, but it had been years since Solomon had visited Hogsmeade, let alone Zonko’s, so Sebastian was hopeful that it would take the man by surprise. And perhaps it would give Anne a good laugh too.

            The rest of their time in Hogsmeade passed happily and they left with a bag full of goodies each, watching the owl they’d hired to carry Sebastian’s gifts to his family fly over the village. They’d even managed to pop into The Three Broomsticks for a small lunch, which Sirona joined them for, though the witch kept a firm watch on the door the entire time the pair were there. Rhea hoped that Rookwood and Harlow had stopped giving Sirona trouble for sticking up for her at the start of term.

            “So,” Sebastian said as they approached the castle, “Are you going to tell me what Ollivander wanted now?”

            Rhea hummed slightly and squinted up at the clock tower in the distance. It was still several hours before dark and the afternoon was sunny and cold. She supposed she might have time to make a start on the wandmaker’s request…

            “I’ll tell you on the way,” she said, changing direction and heading around the castle gates towards the Owlery. “If you want to join that is.” She didn’t even need to ask, as he fell into step beside her. She smiled to herself and began explaining everything Ollivander had told her about the wand and Richard Jackdaw.

            “Sounds a bit like a wild goose chase if you ask me,” Sebastian said uncertainly. “If so many people have looked into this and not found anything, surely that means that there’s nothing to find, right?”

            “I don’t know,” Rhea said. “That’s sort of my thinking on it as well. But I didn’t even tell you the best part yet. You know how the book I found in the Athenaeum was missing a few pages?”

            “Yeah?” he asked, glancing at her curiously.

            “Ollivander said that at one point there was a rumor that Richard Jackdaw was going on about some pages that he’d stolen from Peeves,” she said.

            “And you think that those pages might be the same one you’re looking for?” Sebastian asked, sounding intrigued. “It’s certainly plausible, I’ll give you that… But it’s a tenuous connection at best.”

            “I agree,” Rhea nodded. “But I don’t exactly have any other leads to pursue. Maybe Fig new about those rumors and that’s why he mentioned the book to Ollivander? Maybe he thought there was a chance Jackdaw’s pages are the same ones we need.”

            “And you can’t just go and ask him, can you?”

            “No, he’s been away practically since I gave him the book,” Rhea said with a frown. “Something about Ministry proceedings and Mr. Osric’s death. Not to mention whatever hoops Professor Black is making him jump through.”

            “Well, it’s better than nothing,” Sebastian said. “You sure you want me tagging alone?”

            “Absolutely,” Rhea said. “Ollivander said he wanted fresh eyes on this situation—I reckon between the two of us we’ll hopefully figure out something useful. Even if we don’t find the wand or the pages, it’s at least a fun little challenge. And it probably will keep us out of trouble…”

            “Probably?” Sebastian asked.

            “I don’t know—a basic search of the Owlery didn’t yield much information,” she shrugged. “I reckon that maybe that means the answer’s a little harder to decipher. And well, that might mean a little bit of rule bending…”

            “And you need a professional,” Sebastian concluded. “Well, you came to the correct person.” Sebastian continued to joke about his skills in rule breaking as they made their way to the Owlery, thoroughly pleased every time he got Rhea to laugh and shake her head at his antics.

            Eventually, they reached the top of the Owlery, panting and trying not to gag at the scent of the place. Rhea delicately put her bag down on a spot that seemed to be mostly guano free and turned to investigate the area. Several owls were roosting there. Some cracked an eye open to watch the pair, while some remained fully asleep. Others hooted and shook their wings eagerly, clearly expecting to be put to work, or at least fed a few treats.

            “This the statue Ollivander was talking about?” Sebastian asked, approaching an empty set of roosts. In the center there was a serene looking wooden statue of a jackdaw. There was five other slots that stood empty, and no owls seemed to want to settle there.

            “I imagine so,” Rhea said, reaching out and delicately picking it up to inspect it further. “I wonder why no one’s removed it before?” There was a small click as she lifted it up and both students looks sharply at the roost as a small pedestal lifted from the base. Rhea carefully put the statue back where they had found it and the pedestal sank back into the stone with another clicking noise.

            “Do you think…?”

            “That this is the puzzle the Ollivanders were missing?” Rhea finished, “Absolutely. But… do you think this is a spell of some sort? Or do you think these peculiar roosts were part of the original design?”

            “I suppose with some basic transfiguration magic and a few other bits and bobs, you might be able to add this sort of thing in after the fact?” Sebastian mused. “I bet Fig would love this—probably something about it in his Magical Theory class. Theoretical uses for different forms of magic and all that… But I reckon we can figure this out without knowing how it came to be.”

            “So… The statue made the pedestal retract,” Rhea figured, “and those little pedestals are on these six roosts… So… maybe if we find more jackdaws and put them in these slots, something will happen?”

            “It’s worth a shot,” Sebastian said, pulling out his wand.

            The next hour was spent scouring the length of the tower. About half an hour into their search was when they found the first statue when an errant spell revealed a blocked off roost. From that point on, finding the statues became much simpler. Sebastian even climbed up the tall ladder to the highest part of the tower to find the last statue. He even found a vague looking map at the top that he carefully floated down to her. It wasn’t anything to do with the missing pages or the wand, but she tucked it away nonetheless.

            When Rhea placed the last statue in the recess, there was a slight rumble and a sudden wind began to blow within the top chamber. Sebastian hadn’t yet climbed down the ladder and was looking down at her in concern. Her copper hair was whipping about, pulling itself from her already untidy braid and she stumbled as the wind picked up speed.

            Feathers and hay were picked up by the wind and Sebastian could see a whirlwind forming around Rhea. He panicked slightly, running through any spell that he thought might potentially be useful, but before he could do anything, she’d been raised into the air and was sent flying up past him to a higher level of the Owlery that he couldn’t reach.

            She landed in a painful heap and let out a groan. She sat up and looked around, confused at how she’d gotten there. She glanced over the edge and saw Sebastian roughly twenty feet below her, looking up with concern and confusion on his face.

            “I’m okay!” she called down, coughing as she caught her breath. “Sebastian, I’m safe!”

            “What the bloody hell was that?” He called up. “I didn’t even know there was anything up there!”

            “Clearly neither did the Ollivanders,” she joked back. “I’m going to look around a little bit. Just stay there, I’ll find my way back down!”

            Rhea heard a hearty chuckle then. She hoisted herself to her feet and turned to spot a ghost that looked only a year or so older than her floating nearby, holding his head by his side. He smiled at her and lifted his head, fixing it firmly back on his shoulders.

            “Could it be?” he asked, sounding amused. “Has someone solved my puzzle after all these years? Well done indeed… Good news for you though: if you’ve got something to hide, you’ve found the perfect spot. Richard Jackdaw, at your service!” The ghost dipped into a bow, slapping a hand to the top of his head to stop it from falling off as he did so.

            “The Richard Jackdaw?” she asked, though she wasn’t exactly shocked. “So, Mr. Ollivander was right. He wants his family wand back, you know.”

            “Goodness!” the ghost exclaimed, looking surprised, “I’d forgotten about that wand. I assure you I don’t have it on me. I’m almost certain I dropped it the moment I was beheaded in that cave. Oh, it was sheer folly to follow that map…”

            “This map?” Rhea asked, pulling out the map Sebastian had given her.

            The ghost squinted at it for a moment before shaking his head, “No, I’ve never seen that map before in my life… Is that even a map? It’s just a picture of some candles and a bridge and the forbidden forest…”

            “Then what map?” Rhea pushed eagerly.

            “Ridiculous, really,” Jackdaw snickered. “Found it on some yellowed, old pages Peeves had pilfered. Thought I could impress a girl. But that’s a story for another day.” He smiled sheepishly and looked Rhea up and down slightly. She cocked her head to the side slightly when he gave her a slight wink when she caught him looking.

            “So—you stole a wand and then followed a map on some pages that you took from Peeves, and followed that map to your doom?” She asked, trying to make sure she had all the facts straight.

            The ghost winced slightly but shrugged, “Odd to hear it all reduced to such absurdity, but, yes. Why do you care about some old wand? You seem to have a perfectly good one already.”

            “I don’t, really,” Rhea admitted. “Ollivander does. It’s the pages I’m after. Might they be with the wand in the cave?”

            “Indeed!” Jackdaw nodded. After a moment a mischievous look crossed his face, “Say, here’s an idea—why don’t you meet me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest? I’d be more than happy to show you where to find them. You up for a little adventure, young Ravenclaw?”

            “Absolutely,” Rhea said. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions though? I still have some answers I’m looking for.”

            “Fire away, madam,” he said with another, less enthusiastic bow.

            “So, I think I can guess how you died, but who—or what—did it to you?”

            “I was simply having a look about when suddenly I sensed a refreshing breeze—after which I felt, well, light-headed,” he let out a hearty laugh, “That’s all I remember. Hence, if you do visit the cave, be prepared. I can’t tell you what for, specifically, but you seem a perceptive sort. Beware a light breeze.”

            “Can I ask why you stole the Ollivander family wand?” she continued once his giggles had subsided a bit. She felt like it would have been insensitive to laugh along with him, considering how morbid a topic it was.

            “The family were always going on about how special it was, so I took it,” Jackdaw admitted, his hands in his pockets as he casually leaned against one of the nearby arches. “Who could resist? And frankly, I was trying to impress a girl. Sadly, it wasn’t special enough to save my neck or my love life. I fully intended to return it once I learnt it was only special for sentimental reasons. But, as you can see, I never got the chance.”

            “Okay, last thing—How is it possible to steal from Peeves?” Rhea asked. “He’s a poltergeist—not exactly corporeal, is he?”

            “I suppose steal is a little bit of an exaggeration—reputation of a thief I suppose…” the ghost explained. “I didn’t steal the pages from his ghostly form, though. I merely found them in the wake of his destruction. He’s got a penchant for wrecking things—books, bottles, suits of armor—whatever’s likely to cause the most chaos. I doubt he even noticed they were gone, if he knew about them at all.”

            “Well, then I’ll meet you at the forest soon,” Rhea said, wishing she had a watch on her.

            “If you don’t mind the sight of a—well, my decapitated skeleton, the wand and the pages are yours for the taking,” the ghost said. He held out a spectral hand to Rhea and she instinctively reached out for it. The ghost smirked and leaned down, placing a phantom kiss on the back of her hand, using his free one to keep his head in place. When he straightened, he waved his hand and the wind picked up again, gently depositing Rhea back where she’d come from.

            Sebastian was scrambling down the ladder, a hundred questions threatening to burst out of him. However, he faltered when he saw the pink in her cheeks. As he rushed to check on her a voice drifted through the air, though neither student could see the speaker, ““I’ll see you at the forest, darling.”

            Sebastian stood up straighter, a frown on his face, “What does that mean?”

            “I… I think I have a date with a ghost?”

Chapter Text

            Rhea was rushing out of the Owlery, her mind racing as she explained her conversation with Jackdaw to Sebastian, who for some reason seemed to be a little hung up on the ghost’s parting words.

            “You’re going to go into the Forbidden Forest? With a ghost? To the place said ghost died?” Sebastian asked. “After he flirted with you a little? Are you sure this is the best idea?”

            “Well how else do you expect me to get the pages?” Rhea asked. “I can’t back down from this now, Bast.”

            “It’s going to be getting dark soon,” he pointed out. “The Forbidden Forest is off limits because of its dangers at the best of times—surely it’s worse at night. What if you run into another troll? Or a werewolf? Or what if the centaurs catch you? They aren’t exactly fond of wizards.”

            “The sun will still be up when I get there, and curfew is a long way off—” Rhea said, panting slightly from the pace she’d set. “If I hurry, maybe I can get this done before anyone notices I’m not at school.”

            “Okay, well, at least let me come with you?” Sebastian asked. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be wandering around alone. I heard that poachers and Ashwinders have taken to camping out in the forest—what if you get caught by them?”

            “Well, I suppose that’s what Disillusionment is for,” Rhea said. “I’ll stay low and quiet and hidden if I run into anything dangerous.”

            “Okay well, what if something dangerous spots you first?” Sebastian asked.

            “I’m sure I can handle it,” she said calmly. “Besides, if both of us go running off, Ominis will get—”

            “Suspicious.”

            “I was going to say worried, but given our track record, you aren’t wrong,” Rhea sighed. “We should have been back hours ago at this point. He’s probably getting ready to rally a search party.”

            “Okay, so, say I go back and meet him in the Undercroft without you—what am I supposed to tell him?” Sebastian asked. “I don’t want to lie to him. And you know he’ll be even more worried about you if he finds out you’ve gone at this alone.”

            “Tell him I had to work on a project for Professor Fig,” Rhea said. “It’s the honest truth. There’s no reason for him to know I’m following Richard to the place he died.”

            “Richard?” Sebastian asked.

            “What about it?”

            “First name basis with the ghost, then?”

            She frowned at him, “I’m just being polite. It’s probably been a long time since he actually met anyone—especially if he spent all his time in the Owlery waiting for someone to figure out that puzzle.”

            “Well, at least let me make sure you reach him safely,” Sebastian said. “And I promise I won’t just follow after you. I’ll actually go back to the castle, and I’ll reassure Ominis that we aren’t getting up to anything fun or dangerous without him. I just want to make sure you get to the right place.”

            “I think I’ll be fine, Sebastian,” Rhea said. “Besides, you can’t risk getting into any more trouble until after break. Scribner might actually start giving you detentions on Thursdays, and Hecat might not be able to stop her like she has been. Natty has been talking a big game about Crossed Wands—I’m not risking getting knocked out of the tournament on account of either of us getting in trouble.”

            “But this could get you into serious trouble, Rhea,” Sebastian pointed out.

            “Yes, but I’ve never had detention. And if Weasley busts me, maybe it’s for the best—it might mean that Professor Fig will tell her about all the things we’ve discovered. Sure it might make things a little more complicated, but I think the benefits outweigh the risk in this regard,” Rhea said as they came to a stop outside of the Forbidden Forest. She stared through the gate, chewing the inside of her cheek nervously.

            “I just—I don’t like the idea of you going through all this alone,” Sebastian muttered, also staring into the darkening trees. “But I suppose if I can’t change your mind, it’ll be better if you get going immediately. We’re just wasting daylight at this point.”

            “I’ll find my way to the Undercroft as soon as I’m done here,” Rhea said, placing a hand on his arm comfortingly. “I’m going to be fine, I promise.”

            “You can’t promise that,” he told her, avoiding meeting her eye.

            “Well, when I come back unharmed, I’ll have kept the promise whether I say it out loud or not,” Rhea said. She took her bag off her shoulder and handed it to him. He took it, worry plastered on his handsome face.

            “Just… be safe, yeah?” he asked, looking down at her at last. She gave him a soft smile and nodded.

            “I’ll be back before you know it,” she told him.

            Neither of them moved, resulting in an awkward laugh.

            “I’m not taking a step towards that castle until you’re in there,” Sebastian told her, nodding towards the forest. “You should go before I change my mind and follow you.”

            “If this has anything to do with Ancient Magic, I’m afraid you might end up like Jackdaw, Bast,” she sighed, drawing her wand and stepping forward. “I’ll give the ghost your regards!”

            Sebastian chuckled drily, watching her stride confidently into the forest, Lumos already emanating from the tip of her wand. Once the warm light had disappeared between the trees, Sebastian reluctantly turned and made his way back to the castle, glancing frequently over his shoulder at the dark and monolithic trees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea followed the path, carefully watching for errant roots or branches in her way. There were no ambient noises within the trees, only the occasional snapping of a twig or rush of water from the nearby river.

            Rhea spotted Jackdaw a short way into the trees, leaning casually against a large, oddly shaped tree. He straightened when he saw her, a wide smile on his face, his hands clasped behind his back.

            “Here, I am,” he said. “Good as my word.”

            “Yes, we meet again Richard Jackdaw,” she laughed. “It’s been such a long time!”

            The ghost chuckled and smiled down at her before gesturing towards the path to his right. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you. Only a Ravenclaw would travel this far in pursuit of knowledge.”

            “Well said,” Rhea grinned. “Shall we?”

            Jackdaw began floating down the path, waiting for her a short distance away as she caught up, “We shall. I will lead you as far as I can, but I fear I may remain a tad reluctant to revisit the scene of my demise. But, in case you somehow lose me before then: Keep your eyes open for a birdbath. When you find it, say intra muros. I think it’s Latin. Or Greek.”

            “I believe it’s Latin,” Rhea offered as they walked.

            “As you can imagine, I never paid much attention in school,” he said. “My skills lay elsewhere when I was alive.”

            “So, aside from the birdbath, is there anything else I should look for?” Rhea asked as they approached a rundown looking stone bridge.

            “Indeed,” Richard said with a risky nod, “A few landmarks—a stone bridge, a waterfall, and if I recall, a lake. You’ll see soon enough.”

            “You’ve been very helpful,” Rhea told him, “I can’t thank you enough.”

            “These pages must be very important to you,” the ghost commented. “I can’t imagine loving a book so much, myself.”

            “These pages very well might be the most important thing in the world right now,” Rhea said. She wasn’t certain that she was exaggerating or not. Finding the pages certainly meant a lot to her specifically, though she wasn’t sure if there was any way for her to explain that to Jackdaw without giving away more information than she was comfortable with.

            They continued on in a fairly comfortable silence for a short while before the ghost spoke again, “It’s surprising how much of this is—rather unfortunately—coming back to me…”

            “Is this… your first time coming back?” Rhea asked gently as the ghost slowed down near the entrance to another cave at a fork in the road.

            He nodded reluctantly and said, “Yes… You know, the closer we get the, uh… The more I’m remembering. I hate to abandon you after I promise to bring you there but… it’s probably best I leave you to it… Simply stick to the path and keep a sharp eye out for that birdbath.”

            “Thank you, Richard,” Rhea told him, punching down the pit of nerves that had settled in her stomach. “I’m sure I can handle it from here.”

            “Well then, I bid you Adieu—Is that Latin? Or Greek? Hmm…” the ghost mused.

            “Neither,” she laughed slightly.

            “Well in any case Miss…” the ghost straightened slightly, looking a bit distraught, “I’m afraid I never got your name.”

            “Rhea,” she said with a kind smile.

            The ghost extended his hand again and she, once again, met him in the middle. He bent and kissed her knuckles, leaving a chill there when he released her. “Good luck, and be well, Rhea.”

            “I’ll be seeing you, Richard Jackdaw,” she grinned before turning back to the path and continuing on her way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The path forward, to Rhea’s surprise and delight, was exactly as Jackdaw had described. The path, however, became less clear the further she traveled, with massive roots covering the ground, slowing her progress significantly. The trees above her were too thick and tall for her to see how late in the day it was getting, and an eerie mist seemed to always drift along the forest floor.

            Eventually, she came to the lake and off to her left on a bushwhacked little side trail, she spotted a clearing with a birdbath at the very center. She hurried over, doing her best to remember the pass phrase Jackdaw had told her to whisper to it.

            There was a moment of silence before a mystical whirring and the grinding of stone started up. A strange formation of stone buried in the side of a small cliff near the bird bath began to emanate light and swirl into a funnel until a tunnel appeared, spewing out blue mist across the dark forest floor.

            As Rhea moved to approach it, she heard a series of clatters and grunts as several goblins, glowing with dark magic flooded the clearing around her. One of the Loyalists stepped forward, a sadistic grin on his face as he mocked, “Aren’t you a little far from home?”

            She drew her wand and faced them, keeping her gaze on both of them, not allowing them to surround her further.

            “Ranrok knew you’d eventually lead us to whatever it is you’re hiding,” the goblin continued, stepping forward and drawing a part of axes from the sheathes on his back. “Attack!”

            Rhea had never been more grateful to Professor Hecat than she was during that fight. She managed to disarm the goblins enough that they spent half their time scrambling to chase after their weapons. She was also regretting sending Sebastian away. Well, only partly. She didn’t want to drag him into danger with her more than sharing information him was already doing. She could handle this. She could absolutely handle this.

            And she could, though she wished she could erase the fight from her brain. She’d reached out to Ancient Magic and lashed out, sending the goblins flying. After a few moments, they didn’t return and she’d cast Disillusionment, hoping that she’d simply scared them off. However, upon closer investigation, she’d found them floating across the lake. She couldn’t tell if they were dead or simply knocked out, but she wasn’t about to wait around to find out.

            She hurried back to the entrance to the cave and charged inside. As she stepped through the mist, she found herself within the mountainside, the entrance sliding shut behind her. She hurried down the path, hoping the goblins hadn’t overhead her giving the password—if they were still alive, that is.

            At the bottom of a steep path, near a sharp cliff, there was a strange door, and three familiar symbols glowing with faint traces of Ancient Magic. Remembering the last challenge she’d encountered, she reasoned that she needed to activate the symbols, like when she’d needed to forge bridges. She cast at them, taking special care to aim carefully, but the door did not immediately open. The symbols began clicking, as if they were clocks. She took a breath and tried again, cast with more haste than before.

            When she finished, the symbols glowed more brightly than before, and she heard a great rumbling. She carefully leaned over the cliff, looking down at the massive cavern and hidden lake below her. Monolithic pillars were rising out of the water, and a haze of ancient magic swirled around them, forming part of a bridge.

            She hurried through the now open doorway and crept through the cave carefully, dispatching several spiders on her way. There were two more sets of rune disks and blocked doors, the second of which was guarded by two absolutely massive spiders. She wasn’t even sure what species they were—she just knew that to them she was dinner.

            Each time she unlocked a door, more pieces of the bridge fixed themselves, drawing her closer to her goal. She wondered if Professor Fig would be willing to come back here with her sometime to inspect the place. Once she crossed the bridge, the cave transitioned to the usual sprawling and grand halls that Rhea had become accustomed to. Her suspicions about the missing pages were all but confirmed as she walked up the steps and into a room lined with the oh-so-familiar guardians she’d learned to fight.

            At the entrance to the room, there was an unfortunate skeleton with two swords impaled through its neck. Rhea winced and felt a twinge of pity pass through her. What a terrible way to die—alone and afraid. At least it went quickly for poor old Richard Jackdaw. She approached cautiously, keeping an eye on the resident knights as she bent down and retrieved a part of dusty pages and two scraps of a twig. It appeared the wand had broken in the scuffle.

            She continued into the room her wand at the ready as multiple waves of enemies began to come to life and attack her. She was breathing hard by the end of the battle, and drank a Wiggenweld Potion. Professor Sharp was right—it was terribly useful to have on hand. She made a mental note to borrow the potion making station in the Undercroft when she got back. If this was what she was going to go through any time she wanted to learn anything about her special abilities, she was going to need a lot of Wiggenweld. Perhaps she could look into brewing something stronger, even.

            As she approached the end of the grand hall, the giant swirling structure at the end that nearly reached the ceiling turned to liquid magic, sinking into the floor before emerging again as a beautiful doorway. It stood empty and daunting as she approached, and flecks of magic flew up from the ground. This was becoming almost a small comfort to her. Someone had walked these steps before, someone like her.

            She reached her wand to the sky, sending the Ancient Magic swirling into the archway. It was becoming easier, in a way, to connect with her ability. It was warm, now, instead of jarring. It made her feel more in control than before. As the magic settled into place, she stepped forward, a new room visible beyond the threshold.

            She took a breath and stepped through, finding herself in a long, rough stone passageway, occasionally lined with ornate arches. Another set of doors lay beyond the next archway. As she stepped into the room, the cavern began to flood suddenly, but as she braced for the impact of the water, she was surrounded by a field of Ancient Magic. She passed through unharmed, though she didn’t make a point of lingering.

            She stepped though the doors into the most ornate room yet. A large circular platform lay at the center of the room, dark and reflective. There were two staircases leading up to a platform above the door she’d just come through. Across from her were four blank Canvases, gilded and soaring up to the ceiling high above her. She spun around, looking at the room in awe—she’d never seen such splendor.

            As she reached the center of the room magic began to swirl around the empty picture frames, and four different backgrounds appeared in the empty space. She looked on, her jaw slack as she inspected each one. They seemed almost… incomplete.

            As she watched the magic dissipate, a man stepped into frame in the second portrait from the right. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the wizened features of Percival Rackham. She couldn’t help the relieved smile that broke across her freckled face as she stared up at one of the only Ancient Magic Wielders she knew of.

            “Can it be?” he asked, sounding both relieved and surprised as he regarded her carefully. “Has someone finally found our Map Chamber?”

Chapter Text

            “It’s you,” Rhea breathed in disbelief, staring up at the massive portrait in awe. “I recognize you from the Pensieves. You’re Professor Rackham.”

            “I am, indeed,” the man nodded, though he was giving her an appraising look. “I must confess that I am surprised to see someone so young standing before me.”

            “I’m the same age that you and Isidora Morganach were when you started at Hogwarts,” Rhea told him. “I’m starting to think it might be a pattern.”

            “You’ve certainly paid attention,” the man told her. “And, might I presume, you share our… ability?”

            “To see traces of ancient magic?” Rhea confirmed. “Yes, sir, I do.”

            He nodded again thoughtfully before he continued, “As you have likely realized by now, our ability gives us a unique relationship with all forms of magic. We can access expressions of magic that few others can. As you proceed, opportunities will arise that allow you to sharpen this rare talent. Do not squander them.”

            “I won’t, Professor,” Rhea said earnestly, “Thank you.”

            “We have much to discuss,” the man told her. “But first, a map found in a certain book led you here. Please place the book on the pedestal.”

            Rhea’s smile faltered and the man’s eyes narrowed, picking up on her disappointment. “I… I’m afraid I don’t have the book with me, sir. When I found it, I brought it to my sponsor—the man who first discovered my ability—and we discovered that the pages were missing. He is currently away on business, and I’m afraid he took the book with him. I only have the map pages at the moment.”

            “That is… unfortunate,” the man frowned, stroking his long beard thoughtfully. “I’m afraid we must pause our conversation until you return with the book.”

            “Can I at least ask a few questions?” Rhea asked. “I’ve been operating on a lot of blind faith recently, and I would appreciate a few answers, if you’re able to spare them.”

            The man hesitated for a moment but nodded for her to proceed.

            “Why is this room called the Map Chamber?” she asked.

            The man chuckled, seeming almost amused by her question. She wasn’t sure if he thought it a ridiculous question, but he answered nonetheless, “I’m afraid that is an answer I cannot yet give. I assure you, however, than all will be clear once the book has been placed on the pedestal.”

            “Okay, that’s fair, I suppose…” she conceded, before perking up again. “The statues and carvings in the house on the cliffside—those are of you. Are you a Seer?”

            “I am,” the man said proudly.

            “Did you know that I would find my way here?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “I cannot say more on that at present,” Rackham said, a twinkle in his eye. “Except to say that your presence here does not entirely surprise me.”

            “Very well then,” Rhea nodded slowly. “I’ll retrieve the book as soon as my professor returns.”

            “Good,” the painting nodded. “We shall speak again once the book is in place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea had never run so fast in her life as she hurried to the Undercroft. The whole ordeal in the caves had only taken her about three hours—the portal back to the Map Chamber had been a real time-saver in the end. The Map Chamber was hidden deep below Hogwarts. There was still a while left during dinner time, but despite her grumbling stomach, she’d promised Sebastian that she would meet him in the Undercroft.

            As she hurried through the dark passages, she went over every detail she could remember, eager to tell Sebastian before she forgot anything. It would hopefully help her remember more for whenever Professor Fig returned from his travels.

            The gate slid open, and Rhea burst into the room, rushing over to the seating area breathlessly. Sebastian jumped at her sudden appearance and leapt to his feet when he realized it was her.

            “Merlin’s Beard, what happened to you?” Sebastian asked, reaching forward and picking something out of her hair with a gross look on his face.

            “You’re not going to believe it, Bast—” she gasped, leaning against the desk in an effort to regain her breath. “I—I don’t even really know where to start!”

            “Well, just go from when I left you,” he said, trying to wipe off the massive spiderweb he’d untangled from her hair. “I take it you ran into a lot of spiders…?”

            “Ugh, yes—so many spiders,” she complained with a shudder. “When I left you, it was pretty easy to find Jackdaw—but he didn’t stick with me for very long. The closer we got to the cave where he died, the more morose he began to feel. So he couldn’t take me all the way to where I needed to go. But he apologized and kissed my hand and then disappeared—”

            “The ghost kissed your hand?”

            “Yes, he did it at the Owlery too,” Rhea said dismissively, “And then when I found the birdbath and said the secret password, a wall opened up in the cliffside. But before I could get inside some of Ranrok’s Loyalists showed up—”

            “You’re kidding! Are you okay?” Sebastian asked, grabbing her shoulders and looking closely at her face, as if he could tell just by looking at her more closely. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but the amount of concern in his furrowed brow was almost jarring.

            Rhea felt her face get hot as she avoided making eye contact. She reached up and removed his hands gently as she continued her story, “I took care of it—don’t worry. And the passage closed behind me, so if they tried to follow me somehow, they couldn’t. So that’s safe. And that’s when I started running into all the spiders. There was this massive cave system—I had no idea any of it was there. I followed the path, built a bridge, and found Jackdaw’s remains.”

            She waved her wand and pulled the recovered items out of her magic pocket to show Sebastian. “These are the missing pages from the book. It sounds impossible, but it’s true. They were exactly what I was after. And this is the Ollivander Family wand. It’s broken, of course, but Ollivander said that they’re able to do repairs on wands—so maybe he’ll still be able to fix it.”

            “So how did you get back here?” Sebastian asked.

            “There’s a secret room below the castle!”

            “What?”

            “Even deeper than the dungeons—a massive magical chamber,” she described, “Oh you have to see it to believe it. But I can’t take you there—not yet, at least. I spoke with the portrait of Professor Rackham while I was there. But he couldn’t tell me much of anything—apparently despite having the map pages, and being able to wield Ancient Magic, there are certain protocols that need to be followed. I need the book.”

            “The book that Professor Fig took with him,” Sebastian concluded. “I can see how that’s a bit of a problem.”

            “It’s a little bit frustrating, if I’m honest,” Rhea said with a heavy sigh as she grabbed her bag that Sebastian had kindly delivered for her. “After all that hard work I’m still without answers. And I’m stuck until Fig is able to get back.”

            “Well, tomorrow we can go back to Hogsmeade and you can return the wand to Ollivander—maybe he’ll know when Fig plans to get back. You said they were friends, after all.”

            “I suppose that might work,” Rhea mused, trying to pick another cobweb off of her robes. She eventually gave up and just took off the outer robe and tossed it over one of the chairs. “What are the odds a house-elf knows about this room and will take care of that?”

            “Not especially likely,” Sebastian shrugged. “But let’s get you down to the Great Hall for something hot to eat. Today was supposed to be a break for you, and yet somehow you tricked me into letting you do work.”

            “One should always strike while the iron’s hot,” Rhea told him as they exited the Undercroft. “And now I can properly relax— I don’t have the looming worry of where those pages could possibly be because I have them, I managed to finish Sharp’s essay on the properties of moonstone this morning, and I’ve already finished my extra assignment for Sharp as well, so after next potions class he’s going to teach me Depulso.”

            “I really don’t understand how you can get so much done in a day,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m lucky if I can finish one assignment, let alone three…”

            “You’re spreading yourself a bit thin, maybe,” she suggested. “You’re so focused on finding a cure for Anne maybe if—”

            “I can’t stop searching—” he said quickly. “And that’s a little rich coming from you, don’t you think? I’m not spreading myself too thin, I’m doing two things. You’re fighting goblins and dark wizards as an extracurricular. If anything, I should be doing more.”

            “I wasn’t going to suggest you stop searching,” Rhea said. “I was actually going to suggest that you let me and Ominis help a bit more. Maybe if we all take on a bit of that load, you’ll actually get a full night’s sleep for once.”

            “I sleep through the night…” he grumbled half-heartedly as he opened a door for her.

            She rolled her eyes slightly and said, “I’m letting you help me with my stuff—I’m just saying that I’m willing to return the favor. At least think about it, okay?” She gave him a smile and a lingering look before she turned and made her way to the Ravenclaw Table. Sebastian wasn’t sure how him looking out for her turned into her trying to take care of him, but he was beginning to realize that eventually he would have to tell her the truth about Anne.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea didn’t manage to get to Hogsmeade the next day. She’d barely taken two steps into the common room before she was cornered by Samantha Dale, who was chipper as ever. She was getting ready to work on Professor Garlick’s assignment on the anatomy of a Dittany plant and its basic properties, and she was really hoping Rhea wouldn’t mind working with her.

            Overall, it turned out to be a rather pleasant day. Samantha told Rhea a little bit more about herself, and about her family’s herbology legacy, as well as her older brother William. She seemed a little frustrated when she spoke about William and told Rhea that she was better off without siblings—all William did was drive Samantha up the wall.

            Rhea had humored the small talk, wondering where Samantha’s sudden interest in being her friend had come from. She had always been friendly, but it was most of the way through October and the girl had never asked to study together before. However, Samantha seemed content to chit chat and share notes, even telling Rhea some extra information about the plant that Samantha’s family had learned through generations of raising the plants.

            The only downside to the day spent getting to know her fellow Ravenclaw was that by the time the assignment was done and Samantha had exhausted her favorite topics of conversation, there wasn’t any time left to go to Hogsmeade. Rhea had also tried to make her way to the Undercroft, but had been intercepted by Natty on the way, asking if Poppy could join their Monday study group.

            Rhea had no issues with this arrangement, but it had led to an impromptu conversation about some of the things that Natty had overhead around Hogsmeade so far. There wasn’t anything concrete yet, but the situation was definitely getting more tense. If anything, Natty had overheard even less chatter than usual. She didn’t think that it was because anyone knew she was investigating anything though—if anything it seemed as if they might be plotting something.

            Rhea couldn’t help but feel almost relieved. Despite the fact that Natty was still intent on investigating, the fact she wasn’t finding anything of use was a comfort. Theophilus Harlow hadn’t even been spotted in Hogsmeade for a few weeks, which set Rhea’s mind at ease. Her most recent trip hadn’t been as dangerous as she’d been expecting it to be, and now it made sense why. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt though to continue going with her friends; she’d had a lovely time with Sebastian, after all.

            By the time Rhea and Natty had caught up, it was time for dinner and the pair headed down. Rhea sat down on her own, as usual, shooting Sebastian a small wave and an apologetic smile when she passed where he was sitting at the Slytherin table. However, instead of having a quick meal like she usually did, Everett Clopton and Duncan Hobhouse sat down across from her and began discussing a few different muggle novels.

            She’d been confused at first but Duncan told her that he’d overheard her telling Natty about the Jane Austen novels her mother had sent her. He also wished her a belated congratulations on her birthday before launching into a critical analysis of Sense and Sensibility and how it would have been more impactful if Austen had kept its original epistolary format, while Everett argued the opposite.

            Rhea wasn’t sure exactly what her role in the conversation was meant to be, but it was certainly a lively debate. She found herself staying longer at the table than she usually did, starting to understand the perks of being friends with people from her own house. She adored her other friends, of course, but it was nice not having a meal alone for once.  She hadn’t realized how much it had been bothering her, but it almost made her feel like she was a normal student for once.

            The next morning the boys had even waited for her when she decided to leave the common room, this time asking her opinion on Wuthering Heights, of which she thought little. They’d seemed surprised by her dislike of the novel but it made for more interesting conversation at the very least. She found it rather refreshing to be able to discuss muggle literature—it was something she missed most when she thought about her mother. She made a mental note to include this new little book club to the woman next time she wrote.

            Once breakfast was done, she walked with Everett to the main lawn of the castle, chatting aimlessly about their preferences when it came to the romance of Austen or Brontë when Sebastian joined them, looking politely interested in the conversation, though he floundered when Everett asked for his opinion.

            “I’m afraid I haven’t heard of him” Sebastian said, shaking his head, looking at Rhea for help. She winced slightly and a blush rose to the Slytherin’s cheeks as Everett snickered.

            “Jane Austen is a woman,” Everett said matter-of-factly, “I’d have been impressed if you’d heard of her. Perhaps Rhea can loan you one of her books so you can educate yourself on fine literature.”

            Sebastian grimaced, though he attempted to put a polite smile on his face, “Perhaps she can. I’ve been interested in learning more about muggle arts and cultures, but the muggle studies class was all full up this year. I would love to borrow one of these novels Rhea.”

            “It can be a bit of a challenging read,” Everett said lightly, though it wasn’t clear if he was insulting the Slytherin’s intelligence or not. It almost seemed like that was simply the normal cadence of Everett’s voice, though Rhea couldn’t be certain.

            “I’m sure I can handle it,” Sebastian smiled calmly. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for flying class Everett? I’m sure Kogawa is eager to see you again.”

            Everett’s smug look fell slightly but didn’t leave entirely, “Oh, please—I’m her favorite student by far. Though… perhaps a little warm-up lap before she shows up is in order…” The boy hurried off, perusing the rack of broomsticks as he went, hefting a few to inspect them, though Rhea had no idea what for.

            “So I suppose we decided against Hogsmeade yesterday?” Sebastian asked. “Ominis made me work on that essay for Sharp all day. He told me I could stop when you showed up and then you never did. If I don’t get an O on this one, I’m going to start thinking that this whole school thing is just a sham…”

            “I wasn’t sure how to get a message to you,” Rhea said apologetically. “I woke up yesterday and then Samantha asked to work on Garlick’s assignment together, and I haven’t really made any good friends in my house yet so of course I said yes. And that took most of the day. Then when I was heading for the Undercroft, I ran into Natty and we wound up taking a walk around the grounds and catching up a little bit. And then it was dinner time and Everett and Duncan decided that they were going to start sitting with me. How they figured out the books my mum sent were a birthday gift, I will never know, but now it seems like we’re friends too? At least when it comes to discussing literature… You know, they probably just overhead it when Natty and I were chatting, come to think of it…”

            “Okay, I have a few comments,” Sebastian said with a nod, holding up a hand and extending a finger for each point her made as he continued, “First, since when have we had an assignment due for Herbology? Second, I’m going to need to borrow that book; I can’t have Clopton insulting me like that again, it’s just a matter of pride. And third—your birthday has already happened? And you didn’t think to mention it?”

            Rhea’s face turned a little pink as she gave a sheepish shrug, “It didn’t cross my mind… My birthday’s always been a rather quiet thing. Usually its just my mum and I and we go on a short hike and come home and have a little bit of cake. It’s not a big deal.”

            “Well, I love birthdays,” Sebastian said. “Back when mum and dad were alive we used to take a weekend holiday every year. Sometimes we went camping, sometimes we went to town and stayed at a fancy inn—it was always fun. My parents were… well, they got quite absorbed in their work for most of the year, but they took the time to remind us that we were important and part of that was celebrating our birthday. A day—a weekend—that was always entirely about us and how much we all loved each other.”

            “When is your birthday?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “December 8^th,” Sebastian said matter-of-factly. “Plenty of time for you to find me an incredible gift and win my undying loyalty.”

            “Splendid,” Rhea chuckled, “Though, I must admit I thought I already had that—you’re incredibly clingy, remember?”

            “I’m not clingy,” Sebastian protested. “I thought we’d simply decided that you were avoiding me.”

            “Hmm, definitely not that,” Rhea said, pretending to consider his point for a brief moment. “And as much as I would love to rehash this debate, I do have class to get to.”

            “Your first flying lesson!” Sebastian grinned. “I might stick around for this one. It’s sure to be amusing.”

            “Try not to laugh too hard at my expense,” Rhea said, glancing nervously at where her classmates were slowly gathering. She almost looked a little green at the prospect of learning to fly on one of those rickety old school brooms. “I’m a little nervous… Also, why are there so many fifth-years? I thought this was a first year level class…”

            “It’s a pick-up class, essentially,” Sebastian said. “If Madam Kogawa doesn’t pass you, you have to take it again. And she can fail you for just about anything if she thinks it affects your ability with a broom. Clopton’s actually a fair flier—he just is a bit of a show-off. As I’m sure you’ll no doubt witness.”

            “And if you really are feeling worried about it, just remember that story I told you about my encounter with a bludger,” he continued. “Out here, you’re safe. Kogawa won’t make you do anything too strenuous, and you certainly won’t have to contend with any murderous sports equipment.”

            She chewed the inside of her lip deep in thought, her delicate brow furrowing as she did. A breeze caught her copper hair, pushing the shorter bits out of her face as the sun broke through the cloud layer, lighting it up like a flame. Sebastian did his best not to stare, but he was almost… entranced. She really was quite pretty.

            Her grey eyes flitted back to him and he shuffled slightly, glancing at the students gathering for flying class, trying not to feel embarrassed about being caught watching her. He swallowed hard and glanced at his feet before saying, “You shouldn’t be worried. You’re a natural in literally every other area of magic you’ve tried. You’ve no reason to suspect you won’t be a good flier, too. Just remember to breathe and listen to Kogawa. She’s not going to let you get hurt.”

            Her worried expression turned into a small smile as she glanced back at her classmates who were starting to grab brooms and stand in two separate lines, facing one another. “I guess that’s my cue,” she said. “I’ll see you after class, maybe? I think I’ve got Arithmancy this afternoon.”

            “Unfortunately, you would be correct,” Sebastian said with a grimace. He did not like Arithmancy. “Which reminds me, I have a little note charm I want to teach you later—that way you don’t always have to go all the way to the Undercroft to get a hold of me. I think we can make some tweaks to it to make it a little more… discreet, though. Now, go show them some real flying.”

            She nodded, shooting him a grateful grin before she hurried off, grabbing the last broom left on the stands. She hurried over to the group, with Everett stepping to the side and opening a space for her in the line. The rest of the students had placed their brooms on the ground, but Everett was spinning his around, doing some small tricks.

            “Mr. Clopton—your attention, please,” Madam Kogawa said sharply, coming to a stop in front of the offending student. Everett apologized and carefully dropped his broom to the ground, straightening up and waiting impatiently for instruction. “The goal of today is to remind all of you how to maneuver on a broomstick safely, as broom flight is first and foremost a means of transportation. This, I fear, some of you have forgotten.” Here she paused and shot Everett a hard stare before she continued.

            “Diving, rolling, and loop-the-loops will not be taught or, in fact, tolerated in this class—we’ll leave that to professional Quidditch players like the Toyohashi Tengu.” One of the students across from Rhea booed at this reference and the teacher turned and quipped, “Not a fan, I take it? Now, let’s see how well everyone kept up with their practice over the summer holidays.”

            “For those who need a refresher, step up to your broom, say up firmly and clearly, then kick your leg over and rest your weight on the seat,” the instructor described as she demonstrated the proper technique, pausing a moment before looking at her students expectantly. There was a chorus of commands and after a few minutes, each student was seated carefully on their brooms. Then, Kogawa continued, “One leg over so there’s a leg on each side—none of that side-saddle nonsense; a gust of wind will throw you right off. Now, if you hear my whistle while you’re in flight, ground yourself at once.”

            The students all pushed off the ground, with Rhea trailing behind by a few seconds. She wobbled a little, managing to avoid overcorrecting as she drifted up to the level of the rest of the class. She looked down as she rose, a giddy feeling settling into the pit of her stomach. She was flying—and not in a carriage. A wide grin spread across her face and she didn’t even bother trying to hide her excitement.

            Kogawa had set up a few different series of rings for students to fly through to get accustomed to flying. The class was fairly well balanced in its range of skill levels. There were a few people struggling to get higher than a few feet off the ground without losing their balance. But for each of those students, there was also a very skilled flier zipping skillfully through the rings. Rhea, thankfully, fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. It was very strange adjusting to how the broom worked, but after a half hour of carefully guiding herself through the rings, Rhea started to feel more comfortable.

            After a while, Kogawa flew over to her, stopping sharply a few feet away, “Well done. Now that you’re acclimatized to your broom, let’s see how well you manage with a more advanced exercise, shall we?”

            Rhea nodded and followed the woman to another course of rings that led around the castle grounds. Kogawa sent her off unsupervised, trusting her to fly carefully as she sped off to help a student who had somehow managed to fall off their broom and was now hanging from the handle rather precariously.

            As Rhea set off, Everett went whipping by her, cackling like a mad man. Despite her nerves about flying, Rhea sped up, trying to catch up to her classmate. Eventually, Everett slowed down to fly beside her, pointing across the water at a small shack at the bottom of a massive staircase. “That’s the old boathouse!” he called over the rush of wind, “I wish you could have experienced crossing the lake as a first year! It’s a truly stunning experience!”

            He sped up again, leading her through the rings, egging her on as they got a little more difficult to navigate. When they reached the end of the rings, he waved for her to follow him shouting, “A bird doesn’t learn how to fly by staying in the nest! Don’t give up now!”

            Assuming he was showing her more of the course Kogawa had set up, Rhea sped after him, feeling increasingly comfortable on the broom. They were only flying for a few minutes when they heard a shrill whistle. Everett let out a short swear and sped towards the ground, not waiting for Rhea any longer. She took a breath and shot after him, leaning low against the handle of the broom, adrenaline beginning to take over the fear as she went into a speedy dive. She let out a laugh as she braked and dismounted, walking her broom back to the stand with Everett, who was offering her flying tips as they went.

            “And just where have you two been?” Kogawa asked, appearing behind the pair with her hands on her hips. Rhea turned, confusion written on her face. They hadn’t done anything wrong, to her knowledge. They’d come back when Kogawa whistled.

            “Oh, hello, professor!” Everett said, a tight smile on his face as he turned. His hands fidgeted with the broom guiltily. “We were just getting in a bit of extra flying practice!”

            Kogawa gave him a hard stare, looking over both of them sternly. Her gaze lingered slightly on Rhea, whose look of confusion was evident. “Hefty points will be taken from each of you, for not following my instructions. Mr. Clopton, I’m disappointed in you. You’re in this class because you’re sti—”

            “I—” Everett tried to interrupt, but Kogawa didn’t give him a chance, speaking louder over him.

            “Because you’re still not showing yourself—or frankly, your broom—the proper respect. Enough, now. Class is dismissed. Detention, Clopton. Thursday.” Kogawa snapped. Everett looked irritated but nodded and went to put up his broom before stomping his way back into the castle. Kogawa turned to Rhea with a critical eye, “As for you, you’d do well to use better judgement in the future.”

            “Yes, professor,” Rhea said dejectedly.

            “Were my instructions not clear enough for you?” the professor prodded, though Rhea couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. She certainly wasn’t happy by any means.

            “They were perfectly clear, professor,” Rhea told the woman. “And I don’t mean to make excuses, but I’d like to tell you what happened, if that’s alright?”

            The woman gave Rhea a hard stare before nodding her approval briefly. Rhea nodded back and continued, “I did the course as you instructed. Everett was flying with me, and I followed him at the end of the course because I hadn’t realized that was the end. I thought it continued, and that he was being a good Samaritan and showing me where to go. I didn’t consider that he might be breaking the rules, as we didn’t leave the school grounds and we returned when we heard your whistle.”

            “That was actually my third whistle,” Kogawa said simply.

            “My apologies, professor,” Rhea said. “If I’d heard it, or known we were out of earshot, I would have returned immediately. Again, I don’t intend to make excuses for the rule breaking—I just hope that I’ve adequately explained myself.”

            “Understood,” the professor nodded. “I suspected this was what had happened. And your honesty and confusion are the only things that saved you from joining Mr. Clopton in detention. The point deduction, however, will remain. But chin up, Pennywhistle. That was some rather good flying.” The woman had a twinkle in her eye and was clearly struggling to hide an impressed smile.

            Rhea put away her broom and was making her way up the stairs to the transfiguration courtyard on her way to lunch when Everett sidled up beside her. “Sorry about that business with Kogawa, but you have to admit—those views were worth it.”

            “Perhaps,” Rhea said, “But we did get in trouble and Kogawa could hold it against us.”

            “Rotten luck, that,” he admitted, hoisting his bag higher on his shoulder as he pushed open a door and slipped through, holding it for her on the other side. “I didn’t think she’d see us. But it’s no matter. You seem at home at a broom for a first-timer. Bet if you had a fancy model you could fly laps around Imelda with some practice. She’s Kogawa’s favorite. And distinctly absent from our class."

            "That’s what happens when you follow the rules,” Rhea pointed out. “I enjoy twisting the rules sometimes, but I wish you’d just asked me. We might not have gotten reprimanded and you might have avoided a detention that way.”

            “Wait did you not get a detention?” Everett asked incredulously.

            Rhea shrugged and said, “Call it beginner’s luck, or just a first offense. Kogawa didn’t seem to think it necessary. Still lost the points though, so there wasn’t total forgiveness for my transgressions.”

            “I suppose that’s fair,” Everett grumbled reluctantly. “Still, I reckon I could show Imelda a thing or two if I had my own broom. Hate having to return the school broom after class.”

            “Is it terribly useful?” Rhea asked. She hadn’t considered that she could purchase her own broom.

            “You can fly for miles—you could even go further afield than the Hogsfields if you had your own broom,” Everett said. “I don’t get out much, as you can imagine. Wish I could.”

            “Perhaps I’ll get one—if I can made up the money, somehow,” Rhea mused.

            “Well, I recommend visiting Albie Weekes at Spintwiches in Hogsmeade. He’s always looking to test new models. I’ll keep an eye out for you in the skies if you do,” Everett said with a grin as he opted to head to the kitchens directly instead of the Great Hall, leaving her to a slightly more lonely meal yet again.

Chapter Text

            “Wait, you’ve already finished Garlick’s assignment?” Natty asked, skimming through the small planning book she had to keep track of the things she needed to do. Poppy was writing diligently in her own notebook, planning out her week rather meticulously.

            “Yes,” Rhea said. “Samantha and I did it on Sunday. It’s really not too difficult—the hardest part was actually drawing references of the plant. But you could probably get away with tracing a clipping and adding details afterward.”

            “Finally getting to know your house mates?” Natty asked. “I noticed you’ve been chatting with Duncan some more. He’s a nice guy, though he couldn’t hack it in Gryffindor.”

            “Puffskein Dun-kein,” Poppy muttered, still absorbed with her notes.

            “What?” Rhea asked, confused. “Puffskeins? What have they got to do with it?”

            “It’s a rather mean nickname Leander Prewett started spreading,” Poppy said, pausing to re-ink her quill. “Duncan isn’t exactly the most… bold student at Hogwarts.”

            “He’s a coward,” Natty said firmly. “He’s afraid of so many things. You’ll see once we review boggarts with Professor Hecat at the end of the month. Last year his boggart couldn’t even settle on a shape long enough for him to cast Riddikulus on it.”

            “Coward’s a bit mean, Natty,” Poppy chided, tapping the end of her quill against her chin as she looked across the table at Natsai. “Fear is a healthy emotion. It keeps us from doing things that are too dangerous. Or at least cautions us enough that we don’t jump into situations we can’t handle without a little bit of forethought.”

            Natty looked at Poppy with a slightly exasperated expression, “Sure, coward might be the wrong word—but I don’t appreciate your insinuation. I think more than enough before I leap.”

            “Usually,” Rhea added. “You could use a bit of Duncan’s fear, if you ask me.”

            “You can be brave and still be afraid,” Natty said defensively. “Being afraid is natural, but being brave is a choice. I would rather choose to be brave than wait for my fear to drive me into inaction.”

            “I suppose that’s a notion I can get behind,” Poppy admitted. “But you sound like such a Gryffindor.” The Hufflepuff giggled, and Rhea joined in, laughing at the proud look on Natty’s face. It wasn’t meant to be an insult, but Natty obviously took it as praise instead regardless.

            “The Sorting Hat knew exactly what it was doing,” Natsai said. “I’m just itching for a way to prove it chose correctly.”

            “No one will think you aren’t brave if you leave hunting dark wizards to the authorities,” Rhea pointed out. “If anything they’ll respect you for recognizing your limitations.”

            “I don’t need respect,” Natty countered, “I need justice.”

            “Now you sound like a Hufflepuff,” Poppy quipped, pulling a dusty old book towards her and scanning the table of contents, “Sharp’s assignment’s on moonstone, right? Do you think it matters what type of moonstone we write about?”

            “There are different types?” Natty asked, leaning forward to read the pages upside down.

            “I don’t think it matters,” Rhea said. “I chose three different types and used those for three separate sections. It really helped boost the length of my essay.”

            “Wait you’re done with that one as well?” Natty demanded, looking at Rhea as if she had two heads. “How are you so far ahead on your school work?”

            Rhea shrugged, “If I do it when the professors assign it, I don’t have to do it at the last minute. Plus it gives me more time to work on my other assignments. I’ve got twice the load of homework that you lot have got—if I don’t stay ahead, I will drown in it.”

            “And that’s Ravenclaw for you,” Poppy added. “All we need now is the Slytherin.”

            “Surely being a week ahead on assignments so you can do even more assignments is ambitious enough to count as a Slytherin?” Natty suggested.

            “No, I think that’s still firmly Ravenclaw territory,” Poppy mused. “I think Slytherin would be more of forgetting to remind your classmate that you have an assignment due, so you can get a better grade than them…”

            “Surely there’s a bit of each house in all of us?” Rhea asked. “No one is only brave, no one is only loyal. We’re all daring, fair, clever, and ambitious in our own ways. Do you ever think that the house system divides us more than it should?”

            Poppy and Natty glanced at each other before looking back to Rhea without an answer.

            “I mean, I guess?” Poppy offered.

            “It would certainly make the house tournament more boring,” Natty said. “I like the level of competition it inspires.”

            “Speaking of competition,” Poppy said, perking up, “Natty’s doing really well in the Crossed Wands solo tournament so far!”

            “And yet, she’s still not going to best the champion,” Sebastian sighed, sauntering over to the table with Ominis reluctantly in tow. He shot Natty a teasing grin, but the girl just scowled in return.

            “Mark my words, Sebastian Sallow—you will be eating those words next year,” Natty said, pointing a stern finger at him scoldingly.

            “What about the doubles tournament?” Ominis chimed in, carefully leaning against the table. “Not feeling confident enough to best him there, Onai?”

            “I’m confident I could win against Sebastian,” Natty said, matter-of-factly. “It’s Rhea I’m uncertain of. I’ve seen her in practice—she’s a formidable duelist already. Which one of you taught her the blasting curse? It feels punchier than when I cast it.”

            “Yours truly,” Sebastian said, giving a bow and shooting Rhea a friendly wink as he straightened. “She’s a quick study—and I’m not about to let my partner step into the ring without the proper arsenal of spells at her beck and call.”

            “You two must be practicing outside of sanctioned hours,” Natty pointed out. “I don’t know if that’s exactly fair—is it Poppy?”

            Poppy jumped slightly, having sunk back into her chair when the boys had arrived. She glanced at them before addressing Natty, saying, “Can an unsanctioned club have sanctioned practice hours?”

            “Excellent point, Sweeting,” Sebastian nodded, taking the seat on Rhea’s other side, though he didn’t take out any work. Ominis reluctantly took a seat next to Natty, seeming somehow even more uncomfortable than usual. “If we can’t have official practice hours, then all practices can be considered official. You just need to have the resources to make it work.”

            “And you do?” Natty asked. “In the name of fair competition, surely you’d be more than willing to open your doors to other competitors?”

            “Sorry, Onai, that’s now how it works,” Sebastian said, tsking slightly as he shook his head.

            “He’s right, unfortunately,” Poppy added quietly. “It’d be like if I challenged Imelda to a race on brooms and then got mad when she’s faster than I am—She makes so much time to practice, and I don’t. I could—but I choose not to. You could find your own place to practice if you wanted…”

            “It’s not a choice when we’re up to our ears in homework,” Natty frowned, noticing the hole in her logic now.

            “Well, only some of us are,” Poppy giggled, nudging Rhea. “Some of us are clever Ravenclaws who do their homework as soon as it’s assigned.

            “Oh are you lot working on Sharp or Garlick?” Sebastian asked.

            “Sharp,” Natty and Poppy said in unison.

            “Damn,” Sebastian grumbled. “I’ve already finished his.”

            “Let’s see it then,” Natty said, holding out her hand for his essay.

            He leaned back in his chair, looking at her as if she’d just offered him a cockroach cluster, “Absolutely not. I worked so hard on this essay. Can’t have Sharp thinking I copied one of you lot because you’re more consistent at turning in good work than I am.”

            “You realize that you wouldn’t have to worry about Sharp thinking you cheated off them if you simply did your work with more effort and intention, right?” Ominis asked drily, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned back in his chair lazily.

            “Come on, Sallow—Rhea already told us we can’t borrow hers,” Natty whined, reaching her hand out further towards the Slytherin.

            “I think that Rhea has set an excellent example, personally,” Sebastian said defensively. “And if she won’t loan you her work, then I shan’t loan you mine!”

            “Of course you would choose now to exercise your morals,” Natty huffed, retracting her waiting hand and pulling another resource book towards herself.

            “I already told you what I did for my essay,” Rhea pointed out. “And I gave you some tips for Garlick’s assignment as well!”

            “Wait you did?” Sebastiana asked. “Do you mind repeating it?”

            Rhea shot him a look and shook her head, “Sorry, Sebastian, the moment’s passed.”

            “Well, shit,” he grumbled. Ominis snickered, shaking his head. He had finished both his assignments at the weekend, like Rhea had. Sebastian probably would have as well, if he hadn’t spent so much time moaning about Rhea abandoning their plans to visit Hogsmeade again.

            “I’m sure you’ll be done in no time,” Rhea said, patting him on the shoulder.

            “So what are you doing here if you don’t have any work to get done?” Ominis asked almost pointedly. “Thought you might be elsewhere on such a nice day.”

            “I couldn’t abandon Poppy and Natty,” Rhea pointed out. “We’ve decided this is where we’ll be every Monday. Why, were you missing me?”

            “Hardly,” Ominis smirked. “But Sallow here might have been.”

            “Oi, I was not,” Sebastian said defensively, “I was supposed to teach her a new spell this afternoon, but I couldn’t track her down.”

            “What spell?” Natty asked curiously.

            “Down, girl,” Ominis said, rolling his eyes. “It’s not a dueling spell. It’s a way to send letters without enlisting an owl.”

            “Oh, but the owls do so love carrying letters,” Poppy said dreamily. “I mean, they are incredibly slow fliers, and loading them up with packages is a little unkind because of that—though I suppose that’s why we have spells to make items lighter as well as smaller.”

            “An owl’s a little conspicuous, though,” Sebastian pointed out, “Cute as they are.”

            “I would quite like to learn that spell,” Natty said. “It would be helpful to get a hold of my friends without wandering around the castle or having a standing date in the library once a week. And besides, not all of us can have a secret hideout where we practice spells and hang out.”

            Ominis’s posture went rigid, and Sebastian glanced at him in concern. Rhea looked down at her notes intently, hoping that someone else would say something to distract from the awkward moment. They really should come up with some sort of response to throw people off the scent.

            “Oh I wouldn’t call it secret,” Sebastian said, quickly stepping in with a lie. “It’s just the Crossed Wands room after hours. That’s where we practice. But believe me, I bet that even if I did have access to a secret hideout, it wouldn’t make it any easier to find my friends when I need them.”

            “You five might want to consider keeping your voices down,” Professor Weasley said, appearing suddenly. The students jumped and looked at her with wide eyes, hoping she hadn’t overheard too much of their previous conversation. “Madam Scribner doesn’t take kindly to babbling, as I’m sure you all well know, by this point.”

            “Yes professor,” Poppy said quietly, smiling apologetically. The other four murmured the same, turning back to their respective assignments or activities.

            “Miss Pennywhistle, if you could meet me in the seventh-floor corridor as soon as you can,” Weasley continued, gesturing towards the spiral staircases down to the lower level. “You’ll want to bring your things with you; I have a new assignment for you but I’m afraid this might take quite some time. But if all goes well, you’ll be able to continue your studies without… distractions.”

            “Of course, professor,” Rhea said, beginning to pack up her things. Weasley nodded and made her way down the stairs.

            “Are you in trouble or something,” Sebastian asked quietly, glancing around to make sure Scribner wasn’t lurking anywhere.

            “No,” Rhea replied softly as she sorted the library books from her textbooks on the table. “Weasley said she’d be checking my Field Guide throughout the year—perhaps this is one of those times?”

            “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” Poppy said comfortingly. “Professor Weasley is secretly a sweetheart under that tough exterior.”

            “I guess we’ll see,” Rhea said with a shrug as she stood and bade her friends goodbye. As she moved to the stairwell, Ominis and Sebastian joined her, waving to the other two students.

            “Will we be seeing you later?” Sebastian asked. “I’ve got a few ideas on how we can improve the note spell we’re going to teach you, but I’ve never tried it and I have a feeling you’re going to be a little bit more successful than either of the two of us with the experimentation.

            “I wish I could tell you,” Rhea said, walking slowly so they could keep their voices down as they passed by the ever vigilant librarian. “My meetings with Weasley have been pretty extensive in the past and she never warned me about it taking very long with those—I imagine this will take quite a bit more time considering she warned me beforehand. If I don’t make it to dinner, it’s safe to assume I won’t make it to the Undercroft later.”

            “That’s fair, I suppose,” Ominis said. “Perhaps after Divination tomorrow? As long as Onai doesn’t keep you for an extra lesson?”

            “She shouldn’t,” Rhea frowned. “I think Sharp’s the only one on my schedule this week.”

            “Why do you reckon Weasley didn’t wait until Transfiguration later this week?” Sebastian asked. “Don’t the professors usually keep you after class when it’s time for you to study with them?”

            “Maybe we aren’t studying,” Rhea said. “Maybe it’s something else entirely.”

            “Like what?” Ominis asked. “Do you think she overhead us discussing secret hideouts?”

            “She came round a bit after that, I doubt she overheard it,” Rhea told him, shaking her head slightly.

            “Didn’t like how spot on Natty was—do you think she suspects anything?” Sebastian asked, glancing back towards the library, as if the girl would be seen following them.

            “Yes, that was a little too close for my comfort as well,” Ominis said with a frown. “There’s no way she knows about the Undercroft—we’ve all been incredibly careful so far. And it’s been four years without anyone catching us going in.”

            “Well, she’s incredibly clever,” Rhea said, “But she hasn’t mentioned anything about being suspicious so far. I’m willing to bet that she’s more concerned about her investigations in Hogsmeade than she is about what you two get up into in your free time.”

            “What’s she investigating in Hogsmeade?” Ominis frowned, stepping to the side to avoid an approaching student, his wand blinking rapidly as they got closer and eventually passed by without incident.

            “Officially nothing,” Rhea said quietly. “But she’s been concerned about Rookwood and Harlow—more specifically Harlow. She thinks if she can help Officer Singer find a way to put Harlow in Azkaban, then Rookwood and his lackeys will have less influence in the valley.”

            “Good for her,” Sebastian said, sounding slightly impressed. “Can’t imagine her mother’s very pleased about that, though.”

            “Her mother doesn’t know,” Rhea said softly. “And neither do either of you. You aren’t to breathe a word of it to anyone outside of the Undercroft—if even there. I’ve been trying to talk her out of investigating altogether. We have no idea what Officer Singer is working on in that regard and we could very easily mess everything up for her by meddling.”

            “We?” Ominis asked. “Tell me you aren’t insinuating that you’re in on it in some way?”

            “I’m only in on a technicality,” Rhea told him. “I’d rather know what Natty’s getting up to with all this so I can help talk her down if I need to—I have no intention of joining her in this madness.”

            “Just be careful,” Ominis warned. “If she jumps, she’ll be dragging you down with her. You have to be prepared for the consequences that come with that connection.”

            “She’s not planning anything yet,” Rhea nodded, “But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. And if it does, I’ll make sure her mother hears about it.”

            “Never figured you for a snitch, Pennywhistle,” Sebastian teased. “Might have to cut back on my rule breaking or you might start turning me in.”

            “There’s a difference between some harmless pranks or library prowling and hunting dark wizards,” Rhea pointed out.

            “Well, Sebastian, if she doesn’t decide to turn you in, I just might,” Ominis said. “Then again, the detentions don’t seem to be teaching you anything anyways.”

            “Well, if I suddenly start getting more of them, the two of you better watch your backs,” Sebastian said. “I’ll take a page out of Natty’s book and take you down with me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Professor?” Rhea called, wandering down the seventh floor corridor. It had been nearly twenty minutes since she’d left the library and Professor Weasley was nowhere to be found. Rhea crossed her arms, pacing back and forth in front of a tapestry about trolls, deep in thought. Weasley had said that she wanted to discuss ways for Rhea to study without distractions…

            Distractions… Her friends? No, Weasley wouldn’t want to isolate her like that… But she had chastised them for chatting so much when she’d discovered them. Maybe she meant something about privacy? Some…where private? Away from prying eyes?

            As she paced, trying to figure out what Weasley could have possibly meant—if anything—the blank wall next to her began to shimmer slightly as an ornate door melted out of the stone and opened slowly, invitingly. Rhea stopped in her tracks, looking at it curiously. Could this have been what Professor Weasley had been hinting at?

            Rhea stepped forward, peering inside in confusion—why would there be a secret door in this corridor? What was the purpose…?

            “Forgive me, the Headmaster stopped me and I—” Professor Weasley huffed, coming around the corner suddenly. She faltered slightly when she spotted the door, a surprised look on her face. She smiled at Rhea and said, sounding impressed, “Merlin’s beard… I see you’ve wasted no time. Well done.” The Professor then nodded and gestured for Rhea to follow her into the mysterious room.

            As they entered, the door shut behind them, but they weren’t left in darkness. There were several floating candles and lanterns scattered about the cavernous room. Rhea couldn’t make out an end to the room in any direction—it was as if it went on forever. It wasn’t empty, either. Massive piles of furniture and random items covered nearly every inch of the place, soaring up into the rafters in precarious towers. There was a small, winding path twisting into the distance, though Rhea couldn’t tell where it went—it seemed to double back on itself frequently.

            “What is this place?” Rhea asked, eyes full of wonder.

            “This is the Room of Requirement,” Professor Weasley said, grandly spreading her arms to sweep over the room. “It only appears when one is in real need of it. Ordinarily, a student might stumble upon this room entirely by accident—if ever. I’d only planned to suggest to you how to find it—by walking back that bit of wall focusing on what you need. But you’ve managed to reveal the room on your own. While I’m here, we should take advantage of the moment. There’s someone I’d like you to meet—I believe he must have sneaked past and gone ahead.”

            “Who is it, professor?”

            “Deek,” the woman said matter-of-factly, “He is the house-elf I was speaking to in my classroom on your first day. Thought he might help you use the Room once you found it.” Professor Weasley then set off at a jaunty place down one of the easier to navigate paths, and Rhea hurried after her, not keen to get lost in such a place. Though, if it was a room that adapted to whatever it was one needed, perhaps it would show her an exit if she got too turned around.

            Eventually they came to a blocked path and Professor Weasley turned and explained that this venture was more than just a way for Rhea to study peacefully—though how Rhea could study without distraction in a room like this, she had no idea—it was also an opportunity to teach Rhea a few things about Transfiguration spells that she couldn’t learn in other areas of the school. They began with Evanesco, which vanished objects with a faint popping noise.

            When Rhea had successfully demonstrated the spell on the blocked path, Weasley continued into the next area calmly and with few words of support. As they continued, the professor let out a delighted noise, rushing to a tattered old bag. It was apparently her old school bad that she’d lost part way through her last year at school. She waved for Rhea to explore a little on her own so that she could take a small stroll down memory lane.

            Rhea continued to wander through the massive room, certain that she was going to have a hard time finding Weasley again. Despite the vague sense of worry she felt in such a cluttered space, she couldn’t help but feel like a kid again, playing in what was quite literally the world’s most magnificent fort. She crawled under and clambered over various pieces of furniture until she eventually came to a small clearing, where random items were being flung from the top of one of the taller piles.

            She approached cautiously, her wand drawn but not pointed yet. She ducked as a goblet went flying past her head suddenly. She squinted up and spotted a house elf sitting with his back to her in an old school trunk, inspecting various bits and bobs that the room had collected over the years.

            “Careful!” she called as she dodged another piece of silverware.

            The house elf jumped and spun around, looking at her apologetically as he clambered out of the chest. “Oh, there you are!” he exclaimed, pulling a bag out of the trunk with him, “Wait right there! Deek will come to you!”

            This was when Professor Weasley decided to reappear, a little out of breath from navigating the packed room. “Ah, Deek, we’ve been looking for you!”

            “Apologies, Professor Weasley,” Deek said sheepishly. “Deek was looking through some of what’s appeared in the Room since Deek was last here.” The elf then turned to Rhea and gave a deep bow, “Deek is honored to meet you!”

            Rhea grinned and returned the gesture, though the house elf merely looked surprised in response.

            “Deek has been a friend since I was a second year,” Professor Weasley told Rhea with a fond smile. “We actually discovered this room together. I mentioned you to Deek shortly after we met. We believe that you might be able to benefit from this room like I did. Deek, would you be so kind?”

            Deek gave another bow before turning back to Rhea and explaining, “The Room of Requirement will always been equipped for the seeker’s needs. It’s unplottable, so won’t appear on any map. Most happen upon it by accident—if ever. Deek’s seen students in need of an extra phial for Potions stumble upon the Room filled with them. You seem to have accessed it in its form as the Room of Hidden Things.”

            “I was thinking about needing a place away from prying eyes,” Rhea told the elf. “Brilliant… What I need specifically is a place where I can catch up on my schoolwork without distraction.”

            “Well then—the Room can provide you with precisely that!” The elf exclaimed, “Now, it’s time to focus on what you need. Just close your eyes and Imagine the Room precisely as you need it. The Room will do the rest.”

Chapter Text

            Two days later, Rhea found herself the Undercroft, wishing this room worked like the Room of Requirement did. She’d learned that when Deek said that the room would adjust to meet her needs—it truly meant any need. She’d forgotten to go to dinner after Professor Weasley had left her to her own devices on Monday, and a roast dinner appeared in the center of the room. The Undercroft, while having the benefit of containing her friends, could not magically make hot and delicious meals appear whenever she wanted it to.

            She hadn’t told anyone about the Room yet— Professor Weasley hadn’t been clear or not if this was supposed to be kept a secret between them. She really hoped that she could talk about it soon—she was just going to wait a little while before spilling the beans. She just wanted to make sure Professor Weasley wouldn’t find out she was bringing her friends to her private study room. Then again, maybe they could get use out of the room as well.

            Rhea reached into the bright blue bag that was nestled on her lap as she flipped the page of the book she’d purchased on spellcrafts at the start of the year, popping a small, croaking, peppermint toad into her mouth. Sebastian had been right about hiding Honeydukes candies around the Undercroft for emergencies. This wasn’t exactly an emergency, but she was enjoying the sweet treat nonetheless.

            Ominis was lounging on the sofa nearby, listening to a soft, disembodied voice read his potions essay back to him. Rhea was fascinated by the charm but was holding out on asking him about it. He seemed to be deep in thought, but it had been several minutes since he’d last moved, and Rhea had a sneaking suspicion that the Slytherin might have actually been napping instead of revising his homework.

            She turned another page with a heavy sigh. She enjoyed being done with her homework and spare assignments, but she wasn’t enjoying how restless she was feeling. It had been several days now since she’d discovered the Map Chamber and the answers that were waiting practically at her fingertips down there. And Professor Fig was nowhere to be found. She was beginning to think that he’d been secretly sacked by the headmaster and that was why he was away so often now. Surely they would have announced that to the school already if that were the case though. Or at least brought in a substitute teacher. As far as she knew, Professor Weasley was already filling in for Fig, but she insisted it was only a temporary position.

            The gate on the opposite side of the room slid open noisily and Ominis jumped visibly, sitting up slightly before remembering where he was. The bag in Rhea’s lap croaked irritably as she shifted to wave at the approaching Sebastian. He looked… well he looked an absolute mess.

            “You look like shit,” she told him, “What happened to you?”

            “Apparently Cressida Blume enchanted her books incorrectly and now they’re flying all around the library. I tried to rescue one for her, but Scribner saw me and immediately assumed it was my fault that the books were divebombing people. I tried to explain that it wasn’t me, but Cressida refused to back me up. So Scribner had me scrubbing trophies in the trophy room by hand for the past few hours.”

            “That’s terrible,” Rhea frowned, holding out her back of sweets to the boy, who gratefully plucked a few toads out of the pouch before collapsing onto one of the piles of pillows on the rug.

            “I can’t say I’m surprised that Scribner didn’t believe you,” Ominis said. “You don’t exactly have a wonderful track record with her. Of course, I suppose neither does Cressida. Not very Gryffindor behavior of her, though.”

            “I don’t think I’ve met her,” Rhea said, shaking her head. “But it’s not fair for her to skirt out on detention when you were just trying to help her.”

            “What’s done is done,” Sebastian sighed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand to avoid getting silver polish in his eyes. “Merlin’s beard I’m tired… Did you know that manual labor is difficult? If she keeps assigning me that for detention, I might decide to stop risking detention every other week…”

            “Well, if it’s any comfort to you, I managed to teach Rhea that note spell you were banging on about,” Ominis told him, stretching his entire body before sitting up and dismissing his recitation charm.

“We think we managed to get the ink to disappear properly as well,” Rhea told him. “It’s been about four hours now and there haven’t been any weird ink stains appearing.”

“So it was a spell for the parchment, not the ink then?”

“Well, the ink was actually a part of the enchantment in the end as well,” Ominis said. “We could probably fix the spell so it can be used with regular ink, but the disappearing ink you bought from Zonko’s turned out to be the perfect short cut.”

            “It’s nowhere near perfect, yet,” Rhea admitted, but she sat up and snatched a small piece of paper from the desk and handed it to Sebastian. He sat up and turned it over in his hands curiously. It looked just like normal parchment—to the point that he couldn’t be certain they weren’t pulling a fast one on him.

            Rhea pulled out another piece of paper and grabbed a quill off the nearby desk. She hid the paper from him and scribbled something on it, watching the paper in his hand eagerly. He stared at it and for a moment it seemed as though nothing was going to happen. But then, dark ink swirled across the sheet and his face broke into a grin.

            “I can’t believe you two got this working,” he said, watching as the ink faded back into nothing until he was holding an inconspicuous scrap of paper. “So we each have one then?”

            “Just you two for now,” Ominis said. “We couldn’t quite get the ink to raise properly on mine. It’s going to take some time.”

            “We also think that we might be able to tweak the spell a little bit so that we can avoid prying eyes catching wise to this,” Rhea said, waving her scrap of paper around slightly. “The Homunculus charm wouldn’t exactly get the intended effect, but it’s a decent starting point for us to begin experimenting.”

            “Maybe a drop of blood mixed with the ink?” Sebastian suggested thoughtfully. “Tune each sheet to us specifically—maybe only we could read it then?”

            “We can certainly try,” Ominis said. “Now that we can reliably produce the charm in the first place, we’ll have an easier time of it.”

            “That was really clever work, by the way,” Rhea told him. “Ominis told me how long you’ve been working on this—it’s really impressive. Just getting the spell to duplicate the writing was tricky enough.”

            “Oh, I can’t wait to put these to the test properly,” Sebastian grinned, his ears turning slightly pink at the praise. “This is brilliant—you’re both brilliant.”

            “We are,” Ominis agreed. “And I think that we should make one for Anne once we get everything perfected. Why bother sending owls if we can communicate instantly.”

            “Assuming the charm works over that sort of distance,” Rhea pointed out with a frown, “We’ve only done tests within the Undercroft. We have no idea if the paper will work at any other distance.”

            “Well, mid-term break is coming up really soon—we can work on it more in Feldcroft,” Sebastian pointed out. “We can also see if Anne has any suggestions on fine-tuning it. I assume the message goes to each piece of paper, not to individual ones?”

            “For the moment,” Ominis explained, “But again, it’s not as big an issue since you two have the only finished set of notes. If we wind up making more, we will have to tackle that issue, I’m sure. But regarding Feldcroft, I may be able to come along after all—at least for part of the break.”

            “That’s excellent news!” Sebastian grinned. “Oh, Anne will be thrilled. And Solomon will… be Solomon about it. But that’s neither here nor there. Rhea, have you spoken to your mum any more about it?”

            “I wrote her a few letters,” Rhea nodded. “She’s going to come up to Hogsmeade a day or two before we’re meant to go to yours, and then we’re going to travel down to Feldcroft together before she heads home. She just wants to meet your uncle and Anne before allowing me to visit on my own.”

            “Understandable,” Ominis nodded.

            “That’s more freedom than I hoped for, honestly,” Sebastian nodded, looking slightly surprised. “I suppose that means we’ll get to meet her as well?”

            “Ominis is actually going to travel with us from Hogsmeade. Sirona agreed to let us use her Floo for the trip. Mum’s going to spend the day in Feldcroft and then Solomon is supposed to send her back to the Three Broomsticks,” Rhea said. “And my mum’s sister is going to get her from there for a little reunion.”

            “I didn’t think muggles could get into Hogsmeade?” Sebastian frowned.

            “Well, I wouldn’t know,” Rhea shrugged, “But Aunt Merys didn’t seem concerned about it. I figured she probably knows what she’s talking about.”

            “I still can’t believe your aunt is Merys Crenshaw,” Ominis said, shaking his head. There was a sour sort of look on his face. “My parents don’t particularly like her, but they respect her. That’s… well, just as unfortunate if you ask me…”

            “I haven’t seen her in years,” Rhea admitted. “Once Bertie started at Hogwarts the family sort of… drifted apart. I have no idea what happened between my mother and Aunt Merys that made them stay apart. I feel like I remember them being quite close as I was growing up. Bertie and I also used to be pretty close.”

            “Albertine Crenshaw,” Sebastian grumbled, shaking his head as he tucked the enchanted parchment into his pocket and pointed at the bag of chocolate toads, hoping for another treat. “It’s absolutely bewildering to me that the two of you are related. She’s terrible.”

            “She’s not that bad,” Ominis said with a shrug. “She’s not that great, but she’s better than…”

            “No one!” Sebastian cut in after Ominis paused for slightly too long. “You can’t think of anyone else at the school you like less!”

            “That’s not true—I rather dislike that Clopton fellow,” Ominis frowned. “He’s always overexplaining very basic things to anyone he can corner in the halls, and when he’s not being a know-it-all, he’s pulling some annoying prank. After the fourth dungbomb he chucked into the loo as I was leaving, I rather hoped people might stop teasing me and realize he’s the culprit.”

            “Okay, I admit it—I laughed the first time,” Sebastian told him. “But if you want him to stop pranking you, all you need to do is say the word. We have a spy within his house now—he wouldn’t suspect a thing from his good friend Rhea.”

            “I don’t know if I want to get into a prank war with Everett,” Rhea frowned. “He’s rather… peculiar, yes—but he’s not so bad…”

            “You just think that because you haven’t been the target of any of his mischief,” Ominis pointed out. “But it’s only a matter of time before it happens. He can’t help himself—he just loves to act like a prick.”

            “He’s better than Imelda, at least,” Rhea said with a frown. “Every time I try and talk to her, she just sort of gives me this look as if I’ve got something stuck in my teeth.”

            “She looks at everyone like that,” Sebastian said, waving his hand dismissively. “She’s focused on her flying, and we like it that way. She’s up in the clouds and the rest of us stay down here and ignore it.”

            “She was rather nice in first year,” Ominis mused. “Back when she and Nerida were still close.”

            “Anne never liked her,” Sebastian frowned. “She liked Nerida well enough, but once Nerida and Imelda had their falling out, Imelda started getting closer to Albertine. The rest is history from there. She’s an absolute menace, your cousin.”

            “She hasn’t followed up with me yet about getting to Hogsmeade,” Rhea frowned. “I actually had been hoping to properly catch up with her. Ask her some questions about Hogwarts and how her mum is doing.”

            “But we’re the ones that tell you all about Hogwarts,” Sebastian said, sitting up with a frown, the tone of his voice rather hurt.

            “Well, yes,” Rhea sighed, throwing another peppermint toad at his forehead and shaking her head slightly. “I just—she was supposed to be my automatic friend. She was the only person I knew coming to this school, and I’ve seen her for maybe five minutes after class. And at every other point she acts as if I’m not even here.”

            “Well, you said it yourself—once she came here your families drifted apart,” Ominis pointed out. “She just doesn’t know you anymore.”

            “But we’re family…”

            “Family doesn’t mean anything,” Ominis said firmly, shaking his head. “She’s someone you used to be close to. She’s your cousin, yes—but she isn’t your friend, and she doesn’t seem to want to be. And that’s fine, that’s her choice. But you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it or feel obligated to earn back whatever friendship you had with her that she decided to discard.”

            “I suppose,” Rhea frowned. She wasn’t sure she agreed with this line of thinking—at least, she didn’t entirely agree. She had no obligation to Bertie, and Bertie had no obligation to her. But she wasn’t certain she believed her cousin was as unredeemable as they seemed to think she was. She just needed to get her alone, reminisce about old times, find some sort of connection to the Bertie she used to know.

            “Oh!” Sebastian exclaimed suddenly, sitting back up sharply, reaching out to pat Rhea on the shoulder, pulling her from her reverie with a start. “I meant to tell you straight away— all that hard work and silver polish must have addled my brain a bit: when I was on my way to detention, I overheard Professor Weasley talking to the headmaster. Fig’s supposed to get back today.”

            “Fig’s back?” Rhea exclaimed, righting herself in the arm chair, nearly dropping the bag of chocolates. She snapped her spellcrafts book closed and handed the bag of toads to Sebastian quickly. She pulled her shoes back on and leapt to her feet, nearly forgetting her bag as she hurried to the entrance of the Undercroft.

            Sebastian had scrambled to his feet as well, noticing the suspicious look on Ominis’s face. He chose to ignore it and hurried after Rhea saying quickly, “I don’t know if he’s actually back yet—I just know that he was supposed to return today. Black didn’t seem exactly pleased, but then again, when does he ever? And Weasley seemed… I don’t know, exasperated? She’s had to cover so many of his classes, I think she was fishing to see if Black was going to send him away again or not. I reckon she’s tired of substituting at this point.”

            “Well, if he isn’t here, I’ll know soon enough,” Rhea said firmly. “But if he is, I can’t stand to wait another minute to find out what’s in that book—what Rackham is hiding from me. I just need answers, Bast.”

            “Well, as long as it doesn’t take too long, I’ll be here and you can come and unload it all on me,” he told her. “Believe it or not, I am terribly eager to learn more about this whole ancient magic business as well.”

            “Hopefully Fig’s actually here,” Rhea said with a small smile. “I just hope that this isn’t another puzzle or another challenge.”

            “If it is, I’m sure you’ll excel,” he told her reassuringly. “What do you want me to tell Ominis? He looked a bit… confused about your need to meet up with Fig.”

            “Oh, well—” she glanced back to where Ominis had laid back down on the couch, now munching on the bag of toads Sebastian had forgotten in his haste. “I don’t think you should tell him the truth about ancient magic and me… I feel like that’s something I should tell him—eventually. I just don’t think I’m ready yet.”

            “I’ll just tell him it’s one of those extra assignments you’ve got,” Sebastian nodded. “Not really a lie.”

            “Enough of the truth,” she grimaced, glancing sadly between the two Slytherin boys. “I really hate to lie to him…”

            “Hey, if you aren’t ready, you aren’t ready,” Sebastian said comfortingly. “Perhaps after Feldcroft, if you’re up for it?”

            She hesitated slightly before nodding. It was a decent compromise. Honesty was incredibly important to her, and to Ominis. It was one of the biggest things they had in common so far. She could only hope that when the time came to tell him about her abilities he wouldn’t be too wary of her. At least, not more than he already was.

            “Good,” Sebastian nodded in response to her gesture. “Now, go find Fig, and remember to take a breath every now and then. Good luck.”

Chapter Text

            Rhea was grateful for the central location of the Undercroft. Just a few flights of stairs taken far too quickly later she was walking into Professor Fig’s open office, her eyes going wide when she saw the man leaning over his desk, deep in thought. At the sound of her footsteps approaching, the man straightened, seemingly unsurprised at her arrival.

            “I was hoping you’d show up,” he said. “I asked Miss Onai to let you know I was searching for you once I returned. It seems she must have found you.”

            “Actually, Sebastian heard a rumor you were back,” Rhea said. “I haven’t seen Natty since class earlier today.”

            “Well, in any case, I’m back now,” Fig said with a wry smile. “Finally. Minister Spavin talks more than he listens. Ranted on and on about rogue dragons. Wouldn’t listen to a word about goblins. Speaking of which—”

            “Professor, I’m sorry to interrupt, but so much happened while you were away,” Rhea said quickly, her patience having finally run out. “Your friend, Mr. Ollivander, sent me an owl asking for help finding an heirloom wand that was stolen from him and so I went to the Owlery, like he said. And there were all these statues there—jackdaws—like Richard Jackdaw. He had this secret hideout at the top of the tower, and I found it and I found him! Richard Jackdaw himself! Or rather, his ghost—”

            “I’m afraid I’m not quite following,” Fig said, a confounded look on his face as he tried to follow her stream of consciousness monologue as she ignored his question and barreled on.

            “Jackdaw was a student here a long time ago. But he told me about this secret cavern he died in—while he was following some random map that he found in the wake of Peeves’s destruction. Two pages. So I made him tell me where to go, and I went and right next to Jackdaw’s skeleton were the missing pages. The ones from the book! We have the full book now!”

            “That’s incredibly lucky,” Fig said, a surprised look on his face. He clearly hadn’t expected her to find the pages.

            “It is! But that’s not even the best part—because Jackdaw had followed the map they contained, when I found the pages, I found the location on the map. Believe it or not, it led to a room below Hogwarts.”

            “Why didn’t you lead with that!” Fig exclaimed, shooing her towards the door eagerly. “Let’s go and see this room.”

            “You need to bring the book,” Rhea said quickly, pointing back to his desk. He turned and glanced at it before looking at her curiously.

            “Why?” he asked.

            “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “But we need the book. I left the pages there so I wouldn’t misplace them.

            Fig summoned the book and gestured for her to lead on, which she did gladly. As they walked they shared more in depth details of the past few weeks since they’d had a chance to talk. Rhea was careful to leave Sebastian out of her tale—she didn’t want Professor Fig to lecture her on being careful. She trusted Sebastian with her life—she’d had to since the very first day they met. However, she wasn’t certain that Fig would understand or even tolerate it. He’d lost not only his good friend Mr. Osric, but his wife as well.

            When they reached the hall leading to the secret entrance Rhea slowed down so Fig could take in the next few minutes at a more comfortable pace, though it didn’t stop her talking. “The room is called the Map Chamber, by the way. And a portrait of Percival Rackham awaits us there. He’s the one who told me I needed the book to proceed.”

            “Professor Rackham,” Fig breathed almost in disbelief. “I look forward to meeting him… How did this Jackdaw get the pages from the book again?”

            “As I mentioned, Peeves. Supposedly Peeves stole them—though I don’t know if it was from the book itself, or if they had been removed and hidden before the poltergeist got his grubby little paws on them. Peeves caused some havoc and Jackdaw sort of stole them from him.”

            They hurried down the steep spiral staircase that had opened up in the center of the large circular room at the end of the corridor. Rhea couldn’t help but watch Fig as he entered the Map Chamber for the first time. He was the picture of awe and wonder, book clutched tightly to his chest as he looked around.

            “To think this was beneath us all this time,” Fig mused.

            Rhea turned her attention to the portraits and frowned. Rackham wasn’t in his portrait; the frame stood just as tall and empty as the others that surrounded it. She turned to Fig and gestured to the pedestal, “I think this is where Rackham said the book needs to go. I assume that he’ll return when it’s placed there.”

            As she spoke, the pedestal began to glow. It wasn’t quite the same as the usual ancient magic glow she’d grown used to, but there were traces of that as well. Fig’s eyes were also fixed on the pedestal, and Rhea heard him mutter something about it looking promising as he placed the book there gingerly. She supposed he must see at least part of the glow after all.

            Cracking echoes were heard throughout the chamber and Fig looked around nervously, his eyes on the ancient pillars supporting the room and the expansive caverns beyond it. Rhea’s attention was on the pedestal, and then the floor as swirls of ancient magic shot out from the now glowing book. It ran along the landing, down the stairs, and pooled into the center of the glassy floor, a small maelstrom of light and power.

            The rest of the floor began to glow and shift as the magic compressed in on itself at the center of the room. She vaguely wondered how much of this Fig could see, as his eyes had become glued to the floor as well. The glass like stone turned to shimmering liquid and shot out from the center to encompass the entire floor.

            The dots of magic began to isolate themselves as the floor seemed to sink deep below the surface of where the floor had been. The floor remained dark save for these glowing little stars that shifted still below the surface. Before she had a chance to move herself, Fig had darted down the stairs and onto the floor below, circling the map with an evident and eager curiosity.

            To her surprise, the floor was still solid, small traces of magic rippling out from his feet like water. As he walked across, he began pointing at clusters of stars excitedly. She hurried down to join him, delight filling her as the image below the surface began to take solid form.

            “A map,” he was saying, “There’s Hogsmeade! And over here—the Forbidden Forest! And, of course, Hogwarts… It’s magnificent…” He looked up and did a double take as he finally caught sight of the giant portraits that lined the far wall. They still stood empty, but Fig straightened, smoothing his scarf slightly as he took a few steps closer to the wall.

            His mood had mellowed significantly from a few moments before as he gazed at the empty frames, no doubt reminded of his own recent losses. He looked back down at the floor wistfully, a deep sadness settling into his tone. Rhea expected she wasn’t meant to hear him as he softly said, “If only you could see this…”

            As Rhea wondered if she should offer some words of comfort to the elderly professor, movement caught the corner of her eye and Fig straightened once more. Professor Rackham had stepped into his frame and was staring down at them curiously. He was eyeing Professor Fig with a significant deal of caution and suspicion as the man approached, a thousand questions seeking to pour out. Rhea took the liberty of speaking first to remind the professor that there was more at stake here for the moment. There would be plenty of time for his questions after they heard what Rackham had to say.

            “Hello, Professor Rackham,” she said eagerly. “We’ve placed the book on the pedestal, as you asked. And this is my mentor, Professor Fig. His wife was the one who found the Portkey that led us to your home and eventually to here.”

            “How do you do, Professor Fig?” Rackham asked, inclining his head in a respectful little bow, though his eyes never left the aged man. Suspicion didn’t warrant a lack of manners, it seemed. He glanced at Rhea briefly as he said, “And you, my young friend, see now why you needed to return with the book.”

            “I do,” she nodded adamantly, “I also see why you refer to this room as the Map Chamber.”

            “That you have come this far tells me that you possess extraordinary magical ability—the potential and power of which will unlock, should you prove yourself worthy. The location of each of four trials will, in time, appear on the map. Trials that will test you—and give you access to invaluable knowledge. Trials that you must complete on your own.” His gaze returned to Professor Fig, burning into the man as if to better impress upon him the importance of that last point.

            When neither of the living pair spoke, Rackham turned his attention back to Rhea and continued, “Do you recall the Pensieve memory you viewed in my vault in Gringotts?”

            “You and your friend Charles spoke of the Portkey—and of the trials you’d created for one who could see traces of ancient magic,” Rhea recited readily.

            “Precisely,” Rackham nodded, “Charles is another of the Keepers—a designation we gave ourselves centuries ago in light of the knowledge that we have been bound to keep hidden. Until, perhaps, now.”

            “So the passage from your ruins to Gringotts, everything in the vault, the Restricted Section, finding this room—none of these was a trial?” She asked slowly, feeling a touch of anger rising up that she aggressively tamped back down. She needed to remain cool and collected about this—at least when dealing with the Keeper. She didn’t want to give him any reason to doubt or mistrust her.

            “They were an important part of the journey, but they were not trails themselves. The fact that you have come this far, however, bodes well,” the ancient professor said in what Rhea assumed was meant to be a reassuring manner, “The trials were designed to ensure that the power and knowledge we have kept secret for so long does not fall into the wrong hands. They will test your abilities—both innate and learned. But of equal importance: everything you witness as you complete the trials will inform what you choose to do with all that we share. You will need patience. The trials have much to teach you, and it will take time.”

            “I’m afraid we don’t have the luxury of time,” Fig said gently, speaking up for the first time since the conversation began.

            “We have waited this long, Professor Fig,” Rackham said calmly, though his tone indicated the matter was no up for debate. “Surely a few more—”

            “Respectfully, sir, while I do not know the secret you keep, I do know that our young friend here has seen traces—well, traces of a powerful Dark Magic being wielded by goblinkind,” Fig explained. “And we encountered an uncommonly powerful goblin wielding such magic as we prepared to leave your vault at Gringotts. I’m afraid we may already be too late.”

            “This is grave news indeed,” Rackham said after a few tense moments of thoughtful and troubled silence. “Young friends, do you trust Professor Fig?”

            “Absolutely, I do,” Rhea said.

            “Then, in light of your considerable skill and all you have already accomplished, we shall soon begin,” Rackham said with a firm nod. “I will need to discuss matters further with your mentor here, but nonetheless, you will find the location of the first trial marked on the map below you. Whilst Professor Fig may assist you in locating the trials, they may be completed only by one with our ability.”

            The professor in question had already turned from the conversation and was inspecting the map eagerly. Indeed, the map had changed—but only slightly. A tower had appeared in the corner of the map nearest to where they had been talking to Rackham, glowing brightly. Rhea looked at it with a frown, glancing over at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade and the Forest, trying to determine if there was anything familiar about the tower.

            Professor Fig asked her if she knew of it but she shook her head slowly in the negative. She’d barely left the school—much to her chagrin. She loved it in the castle and the grounds were stunning. She loved Hogsmeade, and wished that she had carved out more time in the warmer months of term to spend her weekends out there. With Scottish winter bearing down on them, and Halloween drawing nearer, the weather was beginning to cool significantly, particularly on rainy days when the sun barely peeked through the heavy clouds above the valley.

            “Well, in any case, that’s fine—for now, at least,” Fig said after a moment or two. “You best be getting to dinner and then to your common room. I have much to discuss with Professor Rackham before we can get you on your way to this trial. We will have to find an excuse for you to leave the school… Perhaps over the half term break?”

            “I’ll be spending a few days in the Feldcroft region towards the end of the week, I’m afraid,” Rhea said with a thoughtful frown, “So it would have to be earlier in the week. But my mother is also coming to visit, and I’m afraid she would take extreme issue with these… extracurriculars I find myself enrolled in…”

            “This is a responsibility that might not cater to your personal life, I’m afraid,” Fig warned. “You’ve managed to keep up with your school work but there may come a time when even that must fall to the wayside to ensure our successes—your successes—here. In this instance, yes it seems things favor your holiday over this quest, but do not think this is going to be the norm.”

            Rhea bit the inside of her cheek slightly, keeping her mouth shut. She gave a begrudging nod, even though she wanted to argue with the man. She wasn’t shirking her responsibilities. Promises and keeping them were important to her. Besides, it could take Fig a while to actually find the tower. The map, while helpful in picking out large landmarks like the castle and the village, wasn’t exactly as detailed as the one in her Field Guide. And it certainly couldn’t give her a magical glowing trail to follow if she got lost near the Astronomy Tower.

            “Now, once I find this tower, I think that the least I can do as your mentor is go ahead to make sure it’s safe. You will join me when I send you an owl telling you to do so. I had hoped to commandeer your half-term holiday—with so many students traveling over the break, you might not be missed by Professor Weasley under such circumstances. Bust alas, it’s not meant to be… Now, off to the Great Hall with you.”

Chapter Text

            The following day flew by, and Rhea found herself eager for Crossed Wands to finish for the day. She hadn’t had the chance to tell Sebastian about what she’d learned—which admittedly wasn’t very much, and the sooner they were able to duck out of the club for the day, the sooner they could talk freely.

            They’d made eye contact across their respective tables in the Great Hall the previous night and he’d scribbled her a quick, concerned note on the enchanted paper, but before she could fish hers out of her bag, Samantha Dale had seated herself between them and begun unloading a rather anxious speech about a fight that had happened between her two best friends. Rhea had leaned around her to shoot Sebastian an apologetic look before putting her focus on Samantha, limited as it was by her frustration with the ancient magic situation.

            Apparently, Imelda and Bertie had gotten into a spat over a little promise they’d made one another the previous year. Samantha couldn’t tell her what it was, of course, but Imelda insisted that she didn’t do anything to break the promise—in fact she had absolutely no desire to ever break their promise. But Bertie didn’t believe her. She’d heard through the grapevine that Imelda was definitely planning on going back on their agreement. And now Samantha had been stuck directly into the middle of it. Bertie thought she was right, but Imelda thought she was right instead.

            Rhea had listened in an almost stunned silence. She and Samantha had had a decent time working on their Herbology assignment at the weekend, but she hadn’t thought that it meant they were proper friends or anything. On their way to being friends, surely, but not quite to the level of giving and asking advice over the spats of their other friends.

            When Samantha had stopped talking, looking up at Rhea earnestly, she’d almost not known what to tell the poor girl. She was clearly very distressed by the situation. But she supposed that one of the girls had to come around at some point. Perhaps she could talk to both of them and find some common ground between them so they could talk calmly about whatever it was. If Bertie thought Imelda broke a promise, there had to be a clear reason why. And if she talked to Imelda about it, she’d be able to—ideally—tell the truth and work things out.

            Samantha had accepted this concept surprisingly slowly. She was a terribly bright girl, Rhea knew from her thoughtful additions to several of the classes they shared, but it seemed as though this basic level of problem-solving escaped her. But Samantha had been receptive and left dinner with a significantly improved attitude about the situation.

            However, it had taken longer than ideal, and by the time they were making their way out of the hall and up to the common room, the prefects were just beginning to patrol. As soon as she’d gotten to the common room, she’d closed her curtains and scribbled a quick note back to Sebastian apologizing for not making it to the Undercroft that evening.

            He’d taken it well—though he had been more excited to know that the paper did in fact work over longer distances. It was no short walk from the top of Ravenclaw tower down to the deepest parts of the dungeons where the Slytherins lived. For being so proud of being a Slytherin, he might not have done poorly as a Ravenclaw, in another universe.

            And now they were dueling in their final fight before half term, soundly stomping their competition. Rhea hadn’t had a chance to get to know Constance or Lawrence, but they were putting up a decent fight. They didn’t seem particularly comfortable with one another, and it showed. In a normal duel, the pair might have stood a chance, even with their missteps and misfires. However, both Rhea and Sebastian were more motivated than ever to finish their duel quickly. Sometimes they enjoyed drawing it out, dueling for fun over competition. But they had business to attend to.

            It was a solid victory, nonetheless. Constance and Lawrence were gracious in their defeat, but they were officially out of the tournament. Natty and Garreth had their duel round scheduled for that day as well, and Rhea insisted that they stay and support their friends. Sebastian had muttered that he wouldn’t consider Garreth a friend, per se, but Rhea had elbowed him and he’d conceded that they had time to watch the duel before slinking off.

            They stood behind one of the gates, watching the duel curiously. Lucan only usually scheduled a sparse handful of duels at a time, sometimes only adding one to a particular week. More interestingly, Natty and Garreth made a formidable team. Their duel wasn’t going as flawlessly as that of the Troll Thrashers, but they were easily holding their own against their opponents.

            Ominis had joined them, clapping Sebastian on the back and giving Rhea a grin as he pocketed a small pouch of coins. While he couldn’t fully appreciate the art of dueling, he certainly appreciated the opportunity to relieve his fellow students of their allowance through strategic betting. Rhea shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to the duel while Sebastian pestered Ominis, claiming that the pair of them deserved part of his winnings if he was going to keep taking advantage of their skills.

            A few minutes into the duel, Poppy rushed in, breathless and took up a space beside Ominis, peering through the gate excitedly, “Oh I hope I’m not too late! Who all is dueling today?”

            Ominis jumped sharply, having not realized it was Poppy who had appeared. His cheeks turned a bit pink over his own reaction and he mumbled a sheepish hello before fiddling with a rough spot on the gate in front of him, ignoring the question.

            Sebastian wasn’t very helpful either, as he was trying his best to contain his amusement at Ominis’s obvious discomfort. Luckily, Poppy didn’t seem to notice as she pushed off from the gate and hurried around the boys to stand beside Rhea, repeating the question as she stood on her tip toes to get a better view around the storage boxes that were kept in the Clock Tower.

            “Well, Natty and Garreth are up now,” Rhea said. “I’m not sure about who else. Sebastian and I have just finished our round, so we were going to leave after this one. We have a little bit of homework to go over before class tomorrow. And by we, I obviously mean these two buffoons.”

            Sebastian and Ominis were back to bickering silently, though they were speaking much softer than before. Rhea couldn’t even make out what they were saying over the sounds coming from the duel before them.

            “Oh, I missed it?” Poppy asked, a regretful frown growing on her face. She looked at Rhea with wide eyes, as if she expected the taller girl to be upset with her. “I was so excited to watch—I just—I was checking in on Highwing.”

            “Don’t worry about it, Poppy,” Rhea said, patting her friend reassuringly on the back. “We made it to the next round, so you’ll get to see us again. If we have our way, we’re taking the entire bracket out. But is everything okay? Is Highwing alright?”

            “I’m not sure,” Poppy said with a nervous frown, her gaze going a bit unfocused as she stared past the bars into the middle distance. “I thought I saw her this morning during Beasts class and it… I don’t know, it felt like something was… off. She doesn’t come that close to school usually. But she also didn’t come when I called.”

            “Perhaps she was just out of earshot,” Rhea suggested. “You can try again tomorrow—Or I can if you have things you need to get done before half-term?”

            “Unfortunately, I leave early tomorrow,” Poppy said with a heavy sigh. “That’s part of why I’m running late today. I had to turn in all my final assignments today before I need to get to the train station to meet my grandmother tomorrow morning. Luckily, I’m done with that now, but I’m still not feeling wonderful over Highwing’s behavior today…”

            “Oh, that’s a shame,” Rhea said with a frown, “I’ll definitely go and check on Highwing for you, then. I’m sure she’s fine. But I’m glad you’re here because I wanted to see if you had time to go to Hogsmeade with us later this evening. We have plenty of time before Astronomy, and Ominis just exploited Sebastian and I’s dueling skills for a small fortune, so butterbeer will be on him tonight. Natty and Garreth are going as well, I’m pretty sure.”

            “I suppose I have time for a quick jaunt to the village,” Poppy mused, glancing at the two Slytherins, whose attentions had turned back to the duel. They were still chatting quietly, but Ominis was smirking slightly. Rhea suspected that meant he was currently earning some more galleons. “When do you think you’ll be going?”

            “We’re all meeting in the Bell Tower main hall in maybe an hour. It’ll depend a little bit on how long Natty and Garreth drag this one out; last time they took twenty minutes, but I think most of that was them trying to one-up each other,” Rhea told her. “I’m going to wrangle these two into finishing their assignments now though, so let me know how the match turns out.”

            She elbowed Sebastian, who tuned into the conversation just as she finished speaking. “Oh, right, yes, Sharp’s essay on moonstone. I definitely need to review that one last time. I worked really hard on it but once we started revising each other’s essays to clean them up I realized that I needed some extra time on it…” He stepped back and slung an arm around Ominis’s shoulders, steering him to stand closer to Poppy and Rhea, “However, this young chap here needs someone to tell him what’s happening in the matches—he’s got some money tied up in this business today. His essay is already quite perfect, in my opinion. So, Sweeting, are you up to the task?”

            Poppy glanced between Sebastian and Ominis, her demeanor becoming slightly more sheepish as she said, “Of course, I’d be happy to help.”

            “Excellent,” Sebastian said, releasing Ominis and slowly backing away, “You’re a star, Sweeting! I’ll owe you for this one!”

            “See you later,” Rhea said, patting Ominis on the back and grinning at Poppy again. “Remember, butterbeers are on Mr. Gaunt here.”

            “What—?!” Ominis exclaimed, but Sebastian and Rhea were already out of earshot as other spectators filled in their empty slots.

            “Poppy says good work, by the way,” Rhea told him. “She was upset she missed our duel.”

            “Well, I think it worked out well regardless,” he said with an affirmative nod, though Rhea wasn’t sure exactly what he meant. “So, do I really have to work on my essay, or are you going to tell me what happened yesterday after you left?”

            “Well, I was thinking a bit of both,” she told him with a small laugh. “You could use another read through of your essay, and I’m more than happy to try and distract you from that task.”

            “So, Undercroft then?” he asked, holding open a door for her.

            She nodded the affirmative as she waltzed through the door, head held high. She turned around and walked backwards for a little bit as she asked, “So what was all that about Ominis’s essay being perfect?”

            “Well, it basically is,” Sebastian shrugged. “His strong point is in theory and history. He’s incredible at essays, even for potions.”

            “No, but we were going to work on fixing yours together,” Rhea pointed out.

            “Well yes, but he put bets on all of the duels,” he told her. “He can’t exactly come and help me with my essay if he’s got debts to collect on. I have no idea how he gets so lucky betting on Crossed Wands. He has a harder time with Summoner’s Court and Quidditch though.”

            “Ominis didn’t really strike me as a betting man,” Rhea mused. “But I hope he and Poppy can manage to get along until we all meet up later.”

            “Did you invite Sweeting?” Sebastian asked, his eyebrows shooting up in slight surprise, “How did I not think of that?”

            “Of course I invited her,” Rhea said, confusion crossing her features. Another weird thing for him to say... “She was a little bummed out, and she leaves tomorrow morning instead of at the weekend, so I’m glad I caught her today.”

            “Well, I hope Ominis actually talks to her today,” Sebastian sighed, shaking his head as she turned and fell back into step beside him, shooting him a curious look.

            “Why do you keep saying stuff like that?” she asked directly, watching his face closely.

            He didn’t seem phased by the question, offering a shrug and a light chuckle in response, “Well, it’s true! Ominis isn’t great at talking to or getting along with Sweeting—bizarre as that sounds. But I think they could get along really well. Problem is he’s just extremely shy.”

            Rhea squinted at him with a slightly frown, “If you say so…”

            “I do,” he said firmly. “And thank you for inviting her along. She’s good company.”

            “Well, as long as Ominis doesn’t scare her off,” Rhea said with a small, mischievous smile. “I told Poppy that Ominis’s winnings were going to cover tonight at the Three Broomsticks, also.”

            “Devious,” he laughed. “I’m sure he’s going to absolutely love that. I don’t know if he’s going to be willing to purchase for the Gryffindors. He might not like Salazar Slytherin, but he still has a significant amount of house pride whenever you bring up our rivals.”

            “Well, I doubt you convinced him to give us a cut for our hard work,” Rhea said with a shrug, “So I wanted to gently discourage him from being so greedy in the future. Or to at least take out a few bets on our behalf.”

            “Ooh, I knew you were trouble,” he grinned as they squeezed into the Undercroft passage, lighting his wand as they went. “Now, tell me about this whole Map Chamber situation.”

            “Well—there’s a map,” she said simply. “It’s controlled by ancient magic, but I don’t think I can affect it. I think it might be a very carefully crafted spell. It’s almost… timed? But it can’t be because the Keepers don’t know when things will happen… Oh, that’s what they’re called—the people whose memories I’ve been viewing. The Keepers. Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, Niamh Fitzgerald, and San Bakar. They used to be professors here at Hogwarts, a really, really long time ago.”

            “Rackham was accepted as a fifth-year, just like me,” Rhea continued. “And there’s also this girl—Isidora Morganach. She’s like us as well. Accepted as a fifth-year, sensitive to ancient magic. But down in the map chamber there’s these four massive portraits—one of them is Percival Rackham. I have to assume the rest are the other Keepers.”

            “Once we brought the book back, the map appeared: it’s of the entire valley—beyond it, even. There are places on the map that I’ve never seen or heard of before. Supposedly there are these… trials that the Keepers designed for people like me, to teach me and pass on their knowledge, whatever that may be. Rackham wasn’t exactly… forthcoming…”

            “Trials?” Sebastian asked. “What about all these adventures they’ve been sending you on?”

            “Apparently they don’t count,” Rhea sighed, shaking her head as she collapsed into her favorite armchair tiredly. “Those challenges were apparently very important for my journey, but they ultimately don’t do anything to prove anything about me or my character.”

            “That sounds like a load of Hippogriff dung to me,” Sebastian frowned, sinking into the pile of pillows, his essay ignored on the desk. “You’ve put your life on the line multiple times at this point. You, respectfully, don’t know very much at all about magic—let alone a magic that’s been virtually extinct for however long. They’re expecting a whole lot of blind faith…”

            “I don’t like it either,” she sighed. “I’d much rather know what I’m getting myself into… but I have to admit that it would be nice to know more about ancient magic. Learning how to control it, to understand it—that could prove invaluable.”

            “Surely it’s a practice thing—the more you use the ability the easier it gets?”

            “I’m not sure—this seems extremely complex. More so every time I find a new challenge to explore,” she frowned. “Speaking of which, I have another one… No idea when I’m going to get to go and do it—apparently it’s in a tower north of Upper Hogsfield by a rather significant amount. I haven’t been further than Hogsmeade yet. I’m honestly rather nervous about it all…”

            “And what, you’re just going to… go?” he asked incredulously, looking concerned.

            “Well, I kind of have to,” she replied with a noncommittal shrug. “Fig is going to go and scope it out first before I can go out there, but apparently I’m the only one who can complete the challenges. I think that’s why Fig was taken out of the challenge in Rackham’s vault back at Gringotts. The ancient magic protecting the Keepers’ secrets could tell he couldn’t complete the challenge. It singled me out. I think that if we’d failed—if I weren’t able to access ancient magic… we would have just been stuck inside that vault until we died.”

            “That’s… grim,” he winced, shaking his head slightly. “I’m not sure I like these Keepers…”

            “I don’t know what to think either,” she admitted. “But it’s the only lead I have. It’s the only way I can get any answers…”

            “Well, you said they were professors, right?” he asked, sitting up a bit straighter. “Surely there’s going to be some records or something in the library? We can always take another little jaunt down to the restricted section after class tonight if you think it might help?”

            “I can’t imagine school records being kept under lock and key next to cursed tomes,” Rhea mused. “But the library might be a good place to start. If anyone asks it’s an extra assignment for me from Professor Binns.”

            “We can investigate further after break,” Sebastian said. “There’s only one day left of term before break, and I reckon you’ve more than earned a break from all of this.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            When Sebastian and Rhea arrived in the Bell Tower to meet their friends, they found an interesting scene. Natty and Garreth were locked in a lively debate, talking loudly over one another as they waited. Ominis was standing off to the side, the look on his face that of someone who had smelled something rather foul but was too polite to point it out. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet as the Gryffindors remained locked in conversation. Poppy was hovering between the three of them, uninterested in the minutia of the Gryffindors’ debate, but uncertain of how to engage with Ominis.

            “There you two are!” Poppy exclaimed, relief flooding her face as soon as she spotted the newcomers.

            She wasn’t the only one excited for their arrival. Ominis’s face lost its sour expression, and in its place was a hopeful stare. Sebastian clapped him jovially on the shoulder, a strange smirk in place though he didn’t say anything.

            “Finally!” Natty exclaimed, impatiently waving Rhea into their little huddle. “Can you please tell Garreth that the Patonga Proudsticks would absolutely demolish the Tutshill Tornados if they were competing in the world cup together? He seems to think they would stand a chance and is not listening to reason.”

            Rhea must have looked terribly lost because Poppy gently said, “They’re Quidditch Teams…”

            “Oh… I…” Rhea fumbled, glancing at Poppy for more help, but the girl gave a small, sympathetic shrug and began leading the group out the massive doors into the late afternoon air. “I’ve never heard of them.”

            “How have you never heard of the Patonga Proudsticks?” Natty asked, as Garreth asked the same concerning the Tutshill Tornados.

“I’ve never actually seen a game of Quidditch before,” she admitted sheepishly.

            “You’ve never seen a game of Quidditch?!” Garreth exclaimed, his jaw dropping in shock.

            “Well, I wasn’t raised in the wizard world,” she said defensively. “And it’s not my fault here either—Professor Black’s the one that cancelled this year’s Quidditch Cup!”

            “I’m actually still really mad at him for that,” Garreth said with a disappointed grumble. Natty nodded her emphatic agreement. “Gryffindor, obviously, would have taken the Cup in the end—but it’s irritating we don’t get the chance to actually prove that.”

            “Oi, Gryffindor absolutely would not win the Cup,” Sebastian frowned, falling into step on Poppy’s other side, leaning around the Hufflepuff and Rhea to shoot a frown at the ginger boy. “Aside from the fact that we’re simply better at the game, we have Imelda Reyes.”

            “One player does not a winning team make,” Garreth tsked, shaking his head. “Imelda’s only good at Chasing, as it is.”

            “She was the youngest Quidditch Captain in half a century!” Ominis chimed in. “She’s best at Chasing, yes—but she could play any position on the team and thrive. Not to mention, she’s actively fighting Professor Black’s ban.”

            “That’s actually true!” Poppy added quickly, glancing around at her friends as she continued, “She found these old time trial courses in some library records and she and Kogawa have been setting them up. She’s planning on making a career out of Quidditch—this way she has a good challenge to keep up her skills!”

            “If anyone would actually race her, that is,” Sebastian added. “She’s been practically begging anyone in the common room to join her for practice. It’s actually been causing a bit of a stir.”

            “Is that because of the falling out she had with Nerida a few years ago?” Poppy frowned.

            “Yeah, whatever happened there definitely is adding some tension to the common room,” Ominis confirmed. “Crenshaw isn’t doing anything to help much either. Always stirring the pot.”

            “Apparently she’s been very busy,” Rhea muttered softly.

            “What was that?” Garreth asked, looking down at her curiously.

            “Nothing,” she told him, shaking her head, “Just thinking out loud.”

            “You do that a lot?” he asked.

            “Not really?” she laughed slightly. This was the longest conversation she’d had with the Weasley boy since their unfortunate encounter in Sharp’s class a few weeks prior.

            “Hmm, I do,” he told her. “Helps me think things through.”

            Ominis let out a derisive snort, but the Gryffindor paid him no mind. Sebastian elbowed Ominis for the short outburst but was glancing over at Garreth with a slight frown. Rhea chalked it up to the long-standing rivalry between the school houses.

            “I find talking aloud helps me think things through as well,” Poppy said, “But I much prefer speaking to the beasts we study in class. They’re very good listeners, and sometimes they chitter back as if they’re responding.”

            “I wish I was as good in Beasts class as you are, Sweeting,” Garreth said, shaking his head slightly. “And you, Rhea—you’re really impressive. You just seem to be a natural at, well, everything. I bet if you joined the Ravenclaw Quidditch team they’d probably stand a chance in the Cup for once.”

            Sebastian felt a sliver of irritation flash across his mind as Garreth spouted more praise for Rhea. He supposed that it wasn’t abnormal behavior—Garreth was fairly proficient in flattery, and there was a lot about Rhea that was praiseworthy, in Sebastian’s own humble opinion. But there was something in the faint blush that crept up into her cheeks that set him on edge, and he did not like it.

            “Oh, well, I suppose they’ll just have to suffer if Professor Black ever decides to bring the sport back to school,” she said graciously, shaking her head slightly. “I barely have time for Crossed Wands on top of all my other school work.”

            “But you’re always so ahead of the workload,” Natty said, “I’m sure you could at least try some of the courses Imelda’s set up for fun—half of our study sessions are you helping me and Poppy finish our assignments. You should have loads of free time!”

            “Oh,” Rhea said, fidgeting with her hands uncertainly, “Well, I guess, maybe—but I’ve been trying to pick up some spare pocket change by helping some folks in the village. I actually have to return something to Mr. Ollivander before he closes the shop for the day—you should all head into the Three Broomsticks without me when we get there, and I’ll catch up to you.”

            “I don’t mind waiting with you,” Sebastian chimed in quickly. “If we leave you unattended you might run into something worse than a troll—your track record for shenanigans in Hogsmeade is rather high.”

            “Now that would be a fun Hogsmeade trip,” Garreth grinned. “I wish I’d been in the village that day—then maybe you’d have wound up as my dueling partner instead of Natty.”

            “And what is that supposed to mean?” Natty snapped, pushing Garreth irritably. “She would have been my dueling partner before yours—you nearly got her in trouble in potions class!”

            “It doesn’t mean anything! You’re a great partner!” Garreth said defensively, shooting Natty a wary look.

            “Sounds like you don’t think you can beat us to me,” Sebastian taunted, grinning smugly at Rhea, who did her best not to return the look, but he could see a hint of pride twinkling in her eyes.

            “Oh, just you wait, Sallow—we’re going to thrash you when the day comes,” Natty snapped back.

            “Last time I checked, the Charm Chargers nearly lost their last duel,” Ominis pointed out. “The Stinging Streelers nearly took you out in those last few minutes.”

            “You guys almost got knocked out?” Sebastian asked incredulously. “Why didn’t any of you lead with that information?”

            “We knew exactly what we were doing,” Natty said firmly. “And it all worked out in the end anyways—we’re still in the tournament and we’re going to knock you down a peg.”

            “We’ll see about that,” Sebastian said with a shrug, “But I’m confident we’ll be more than ready to demonstrate exactly why we beat that troll at the start of term.”

            “So cool…” Garreth muttered with a grin, nudging Rhea playfully. She grinned and nudged him back as they reached the entrance to Hogsmeade.

            Sebastian felt that flash of irritation pass through him again but shook it off. He agreed with Garreth—it was impressive. Extremely impressive, actually. So why did it bother him so much that the Gryffindor boy thought the same thing he did? It was the truth, wasn’t it?

            But the feeling was gone in an instant as she waved the group along, stopping in front of Ollivander's, her grey gaze falling on him as she held open the door, waiting for him. Perhaps he was overreacting— there was nothing to be upset about. It was simply the age-old interhouse rivalries rearing their ugly heads, nothing more. He drove that point home in his head to the point that he could barely notice the satisfaction he felt watching the rest of the group wander off, and the furtive glance the Gryffindor boy shot back at them as Rhea closed the shop door behind them.

Chapter Text

           Rhea tapped the end of her quill against her chin as she read the questions on the page in front of her. Of course Professor Weasley had seen fit to spring a last minute exam on them their final class before half-term. The room was silent, save for the scratching of quills and the occasional cough. Every now and then Professor Weasley would circle the room behind the students’ desks, peering over their shoulders, tutting sometimes. Rhea wasn’t sure if that was an indication of a wrong answer or not, but she could practically feel the anxiety of the students who fell victim to that behavior.

            She’d finished her exam a few minutes prior, but she didn’t want to turn it in. Turning it in early might not be a bad thing, but she wanted to make certain she’d answered everything to the best of her ability. She had a lot more to prove than her classmates did.

            The time ticked by ever so slowly, and eventually Rhea couldn’t stand to read over her work yet another time. So she stood and placed her paper on Professor Weasley’s desk before returning to her seat. Other students followed suit—it seemed most of them didn’t want to be the first person to hand in their work and were simply waiting for anyone else to start the process.

            Rhea leaned back in her chair, looking around the classroom, fiddling with her quill slightly. Well, not her quill, she supposed. Professor Weasley had provided each student with a quill when they took their seats that day, and had insisted that they be returned to a box on her desk upon completion of the day’s exam. She hadn’t explained why, but the class hadn’t questioned it. Rhea made a mental note to ask one of her friends later.

            The seat directly beside her was empty—Poppy’s spot. She wondered if Professor Weasley had made her take the exam earlier in the week to account for her absence, or if Poppy would be getting an unpleasant surprise upon her return.

            Natty was still bent intently over her test, scribbling furiously. She didn’t even bother to glance up at the hourglass sitting on the professor’s desk, which was draining impossibly slowly. Rhea wondered if it was enchanted to look as if time was moving slower so that students wouldn’t feel rushed or panicked over how long they had left to finish their work. It was little things like this that made her realize just how little she knew about the wizarding world. She hoped that eventually she wouldn’t feel obliged to ask such simple questions like this. One day, she hoped she would simply understand the world around her without being overwhelmed by the simplest things.

            A few seats down on the opposite side of the room, Garreth Weasley was leaning all the way back in his seat, halfway slumped, his neck resting on the back of the chair. He was snoring softly, but it sounded louder in the nearly silent room. Professor Weasley was staring at the boy with an irked expression. Rhea was grateful that none of her relatives worked at the school. She couldn’t imagine the pressure of the headmistress being her aunt as well as his teacher. She was a kind woman, but she was certainly very stern.

            Rhea turned her attention to the pair of Slytherins sitting opposite her. Ominis was leaning over his desk, head resting lazily on his hands as he stared into the middle distance, clearly lost in thought. Rhea wondered if they might be able to use his exam as a method for learning more about the special charms the professors used to raise the ink off of his papers, allowing him to read his exam sheets. Then again, perhaps she could simply ask Professor Fig. The man was her mentor, after all. She wouldn’t have to tell him why she wanted to know—he was rather good at looking the other way when she came close to breaking school rules. He would certainly be less suspicious than any of the other Professors they could ask.

            Directly across from her, Sebastian was leaning back in his chair, doodling absentmindedly on a scrap piece of paper. Rhea wondered if he would be foolish enough to be using the enchanted note paper they’d created, but she was too nervous to take her own out to check. An exam definitely wasn’t the right time to conduct more experiments with it. Weasley would absolutely confiscate it in a heartbeat, and they’d be back to almost square one on it.

            As she watched his quill darting carefully across the sheet of paper it paused, and she glanced up at him. He’d caught her staring and had that typical teasing smirk on his face when she realized it. She rolled her eyes at him slightly, glancing briefly at Weasley to make sure she wasn’t watching. He stuck his tongue out at her silently, not bothering to hide his reaction. He continued his doodle, glancing at her every now and then with a mischievous glint in his eye.

            Soon enough, Weasley sat down at her desk and counted the tests that had been returned. She gave a short nod and thanked the students for their cooperation before dismissing them. The formerly quiet and sleepy room of students erupted into chatter and a clattering of chairs as they all collectively leapt to their feet and rushed out of the room. Some were discussing the exam, comparing what answers they could remember giving, but most were discussing their plans for half-term and their eagerness for the Halloween Feast that was set to happen the following day, though not many students were going to be in attendance.

            Natty congratulated Rhea on surviving most of her first term, but she seemed… distracted. Rhea watched as she hurried off without even a farewell or an explanation of her rush. She frowned after her retreating friend but was quickly startled from her concerned reverie when Sebastian and Ominis appeared on either side of her.

            “I can’t believe Weasley sprung a surprise exam on us,” Sebastian was saying. “I mean, I was as prepared as I was going to be for it, but it still caught me off guard.”

            “She does this every year,” Ominis pointed out. “I’m a little surprised you weren’t expecting it.”

            “And neither of you thought to let me know?” Rhea asked, feigning offense—only partially, though. She would have appreciated a heads up. “What was that whole business with the special quills about?”

            “Oh, Weasley likes to give us enchanted quills when we take her exams,” Ominis explained helpfully. “Supposedly we’re going to be given them for our O.W.L.s at the end of the year as well. They’re charmed to prevent cheating. I’m not exactly sure how it works, but it is effective. It’s standard practice for major exams as far as I’m aware.”

            “So, I know about the Ordinary Wizarding Levels, but what other exams are there?” Rhea asked with a frown.

            “N.E.W.T.s,” Ominis told her, “Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. You take then in seventh year.”

            “No,” she said shaking her head. “You’re pulling my leg with that one. There’s no way that’s what those exams are called. I absolutely refuse to believe that. Nastily Exhausting?”

            “I wish I were joking with you,” Ominis laughed. “That’s what they’re actually called. It’s like they’re trying to scare us off from them. And yet, they’re mandatory.”

            “Can we not talk about exams?” Sebastian asked with a tired groan. “Our holiday literally just started and you two are talking about O.W.L.s—they’re months away, we don’t need to start worrying about them until after Christmas—and that’s being generous if you ask me.”

            “Some of the students in my dorm have already started organizing a study group,” Rhea said. “They seem to be under the impression that they’re terribly important.”

            “They tell you what classes you qualify for in your next two years of school,” Ominis explained again, ignoring Sebastian who let out a prolonged sigh of frustration. “Basically, if you want to be a healer but you fail Herbology or Potions in your O.W.L.s then you can’t take them at the advanced level, so you can’t become a healer. You’ll have to pivot to something else.”

            “I didn’t realize I’d have to start thinking about my career now,” Rhea said. “I know so little about wizarding jobs…”

            “Like I said, we have plenty of time to worry about that later,” Sebastian said. “And you can always change your mind. So we’ll just choose something with a broad scope of subjects, and then next year you can sit down with your head of house and explain what you’re looking for. Now—do you reckon we hit the Three Broomsticks two days in a row? Celebrate passing Weasley’s pop quiz?”

            “I actually have an errand to run,” Rhea said, her face falling slightly. “I promised Poppy I would check in on one of her special projects today.”

            “Special projects?” Sebastian asked, raising his eyebrows curiously. “Pray tell, what exactly does that mean?”

            “I’m sworn to secrecy, I’m afraid,” Rhea said. “If you want to know, you’d have to ask her yourself—but I wouldn’t expect her to tell you. Apparently, I’m the only person she’s shared this with, and I’m not about to jeopardize that display of trust, as you two should well know by this point.”

            Ominis nodded almost grimly, remembering the last promise she’d made him rather begrudgingly. She could be quite stubborn. “Well, perhaps you and I go and work a little more on those notes, Seb,” he suggested. “Rhea can join us whenever she’d done with Sweeting’s project.”

            Rhea gave the pair a grateful look and a small wave as she hurried off towards the castle exit. Sebastian and Ominis continued on their way to Central Hall. As they were walking past the library on their way to nick some food from the kitchens, Ominis was nearly bowled over by a whirl of black and red robes darting out of the library.

            The pair of boys let out loud protests as the person turned briefly to apologize. As she turned again to leave, she caught herself in a double take, realizing who it was she had nearly run into. “Sebastian! Ominis! This is actually perfect—where is Rhea?” Natty asked quickly, practically bouncing on the spot, though it wasn’t excitement that drove her. There was an intense burn to her gaze that took Sebastian by surprise.

            “She’s doing a favor for Poppy,” he said, his confusion growing when Natty let out a frustrated huff at the news. “What’s got you so up at arms?”

            “I—Nothing; it’s nothing. It’s no concern of your,” she said, seeming slightly frazzled, her impatience almost getting the better of her for a moment. “Look, it is extremely important that you give her this letter for me. I have to go—I cannot wait for her, or try and find her myself right now. But you three are practically attached at the hip—you’ll certainly find her before I could. Just give her the letter as soon as you see her. Tell her, I’ll see her later tonight.”

            “Did you two have plans?” Ominis asked, his brow furrowed as Natty shoved a letter into his free hand.

            “No—yes—there is no time to explain. Just please do this—I will be in your debt,” Natty insisted, “Now, I really must go!” she turned and began to run, calling over her shoulder, “And do not even think about telling my mother about any of this!” As soon as she had appeared, she was gone, darting through the door they’d just left.

            “What do you suppose all that was about?” Ominis asked, weighing the letter thoughtfully in his hand.

            “I’ve no idea,” Sebastian said, snatching the letter from Ominis and holding it up to the light to try and peer through the thick envelope. “Must be important—Natty’s an impatient girl, but that was certainly more chaotic than usual… Do you think Rhea would be angry if we opened this?”

            “Almost certainly,” Ominis said quickly. “But…”

            “Natty seemed really concerned…” Sebastian finished, tapping the letter on his other palm thoughtfully. “Perhaps we skip the food and get back to the Undercroft? We’ll sent Rhea a note, hope she sees it, and wait there. We’ll give her the letter and beg her to tell us. She can’t be mad at us for that—we have no idea where she’s gone anyways…”

            “Natty did say it was urgent, though,” Ominis pointed out as they changed direction, walking quickly. “And I don’t like that she told us to avoid mentioning any of this to Professor Onai… That makes it seem—”

            “—Like it’s something she wouldn’t approve of,” Sebastian cut in again. “Yes. But I don’t know if Natty would just… leave like that if it was something really bad. She has enough sense to avoid getting herself in over her head… doesn’t she?”

            “This is a Gryffindor we’re talking about, Sebastian,” Ominis said. “If they’re good for anything, it’s jumping into dangerous situations without using their common sense…”

            “Maybe… asking Rhea for help is pretty smart,” Sebastian countered, turning the letter over in his hands absent-mindedly. “She said there wasn’t any time to explain to us what was going on though—maybe we could have helped somehow?”

            “Or maybe this is a problem only Rhea can help with?” Ominis suggested, “Though I’ve no idea what that could be about if that were the case. Sure, she’s been a quick study but she didn’t even know about the enchanted quills—it doesn’t instill much confidence…”

            He supposed that could be true… More true than Ominis was aware, at least. He knew Rhea and Natty were close—perhaps Rhea had told her about her talent for ancient magic? He wouldn’t be surprised, though he supposed he might be a touch hurt if that were the case. He hoped that if Rhea had told Natty that she might have looped him into that fact. And if this was about ancient magic, he certainly didn’t know what it was for—She’d told him that Fig still had some research to do regarding the tower.

            He chastised himself quickly. It was her secret. She could tell anyone she wanted to about it. He didn’t get a say in that and he knew it. But if Natty did know about it as well, surely she could have communicated that to him? Assuming she knew that he also knew… Which was clearly not the case. Perhaps he should open the letter—just to make sure this wasn’t something more serious…

            “You got awfully quiet there, Seb—are you alright?” Ominis asked. He reached out a hand sharply and snatched the letter after a moment of fumbling for it, “You aren’t reading the letter are you?”

            “No, I wasn’t reading the letter,” Sebastian said defensively. “I was thinking about opening it though… Just a little…”

            “You heard her before—trust and promises are important to her. We can’t butt into this more than Natty’s already forcing us to. We’re sticking to the plan. Undercroft. Note. Waiting.”

            Sebastian let out a grudging sigh as he eyed the letter that Ominis carefully tucked into his pocket, leaving his hand there to ensure the letter’s safety. He knew Ominis was right. He knew he was right himself—it had been his plan after all. He couldn’t let an inkling of jealousy lead him to potentially lose Rhea’s faith in his friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            A little over an hour later, Rhea was practically running back to the Undercroft. She was frustrated from her hunt for Highwing, which had proved fruitless in the end. The Hippogriff was nowhere to be found and was thoroughly uninterested in any of the snacks Poppy had told Rhea she loved. She couldn’t help it, but Poppy’s worries were starting to make more sense. This did feel rather unusual.

            Matters hadn’t gotten worse when she’d taken out her not to let Sebastian and Ominis know that she was on her way back. They’d written her a rather cryptic but panicked note explaining very briefly that they were worried about Natty. She was kicking herself as she tore through the Undercroft tunnels. She knew Natty had been behaving strangely after the exam. She should have run after her to make sure everything was alright instead of joking with her friends.

            The gate had barely lifted halfway before she was ducking under it and rushing across the room to where Sebastian and Ominis were scrambling to their feet. Sebastian met her halfway, sealed letter extended in one hand. Without a word, Rhea ripped it open and yanked the letter free, scanning it quickly, not bothering to hide it from Sebastian who had come around to stand beside her, reading it over her shoulder.

            Meet me near the ruins of Falbarton Castle. After dark. Do not tell anyone. Natty.

            “What the hell is that about?” Sebastian asked, looking up at Rhea, trying to gauge her reaction. She was being disconcertingly quiet. It wasn’t like her.

            Her mind was racing as she tried to piece together what the note meant. Obviously it had to do with Natty’s vendetta against Theophilus Harlow. There was nothing else it could be about. She rounded on Sebastian, who took a half step back, looking started at her sudden movement.

            “What exactly happened when she gave you this note?” she demanded, her voice lower and more serious than usual. It was almost scary hearing her speak that way.

            “She almost ran over Ominis,” Sebastian said. “She was in a huge rush and gave us this note. She told us to give it to you as soon as we saw you and that she didn’t have time to explain anything to us. It wasn’t very long after you left us, but she was gone before we could even try to tell her that. The last thing she said was that that we shouldn’t even think about telling her mother about any of it.”

            “What’s going on, Rhea?” Ominis asked, having managed to meet them in the center of the room, a concerned look on his face. He and Natty had never been the best of friends, but even he knew that something must be terribly wrong for her to behave so rashly.

            “She wants me to meet her at Falbarton Castle after dark—do either of you know where that is?” she asked.

            “You’re not planning on actually going after her are you?” Ominis asked, sounding taken aback.

            “You heard her—we can’t tell her mother—not yet, at least,” Rhea said. “Whatever she’s going there for, she’s not going to give up. The best we can hope for is to catch her before she gets too far.”

            “It’s already been about an hour and a half since we last saw her,” Sebastian said reluctantly. “If you’re going to catch her you’re going to need to move faster than her.”

            “She’s already got a massive head start,” Ominis protested. “Surely telling her mother would be better than rushing out to some place you’ve never been to find her. At least Professor Onai can apparate!”

            “Ominis, I know,” Rhea said, sounding almost as if she was pleading with him to understand. “If we tell her mother right now, she’s just going to find her way back there without warning anyone. The fact she told me she was going at all is incredibly fortunate. I’ve been trying to discourage her from meddling in Hogsmeade, but clearly it hasn’t been working. But she knows that I can’t just let her go out there alone. But if we send her mother out, she’s losing a lifeline, and we lose any hope of preventing her from doing any of this again.”

            “I would much rather be spending my evening here eating snacks and telling ghost stories,” Rhea said. “But please: how am I supposed to catch up to her?”

            Sebastian looked at Ominis briefly before turning his attention back to Rhea. “We need to steal you a broom.” Ominis threw up his hands and shook his head, walking back to his couch, clearly exasperated by the situation. Rhea looked regretfully after the other boy before fixing her steely firmly on Sebastian.

            “How?”

            “Kogawa locks them up in a shed on the edge of the castle—close to where she holds classes,” Sebastian exclaimed. “We should be able to use alohomora to get in. I don’t think many students steal brooms, so it shouldn’t be anything like the restricted section. All we need to do is get that door open, and fly you out of there. If we time it right, Kogawa will be preoccupied at dinner, but that would take some more time.”

            “I don’t know if Natty has that much time,” Rhea said. “What if she had the same thought as us?”

            “I’m pretty sure she owns her own broom,” Ominis chimed in glumly from the corner. He didn’t like listening to his friends plot more rule breaking, but he wasn’t about to let them make their own mistakes.

            “I might be able to borrow one from someone else?” Rhea suggested. She wasn’t exactly keen to break into the broom supply cupboard either. Especially so close to her mother coming to visit. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble right before their holiday break.

            “Rhea—I can think of exactly one person who has a broom to borrow and if that one went missing, the owner would murder whoever took it,” Sebastian said. “I think this is going to be the quickest option—not the best, but certainly the quickest. And with any luck, you’ll be able to get in, get out, and return it before Kogawa even realizes it’s missing.”

            “You still don’t know where Falbarton Castle is,” Ominis pointed out as the pair started to move towards the door.

            Rhea faltered, an exasperated look on her face, “Thank you, Ominis. Do you have any suggestions to that particular issue or are you just going to continue judging me?”

            “Natty was coming out of the library, and it hadn’t been very long after class was dismissed. Maybe there’s something there that you can look into. Ask Scribner for a map or something,” Ominis said with a heavy sigh. There was no stopping her. But she was right: if she couldn’t reach Natty, the foolhardy girl could get into some serious trouble. If Sebastian was running straight into trouble, he knew that Anne wouldn’t hesitate to go after him and help him. And neither would he.

            “That’s actually a great point!” Sebastian exclaimed. “I’m pretty sure there’s this prick of a painting in there that has a copy portrait in Hogsmeade! Maybe he mentioned something that set her off?”

            “Ferdinand Octavius Pratt,” Ominis called after him, “He’s a prat, not a prick!” But they were already gone, unable to laugh at his clever little joke. He wondered briefly if this was how things were going to go from this point on: Sebastian and Rhea off on poorly planned adventures, leaving him to worry after them alone in the Undercroft…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea was pressed up against one of the outcropped pillars on the outside of the castle, hoping that Madam Kogawa would hurry up and finish her broom inspections soon. Sebastian was similarly positioned, one pillar closer to Kogawa’s office. She glanced around at him and he shook his head slightly, jerking a thumb towards the open door behind him, which was lit up by a flickering torch.

            The sun had long since set, and the air was cooling now that the sun was gone. The grounds were decorated with large pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns of every size and face imaginable. It created a rather delightful effect, though Rhea felt as though thousands of eyes were on her. Perhaps she wasn’t as good at this whole rule-breaking thing that she’d gotten herself into. Perhaps she should just tell Professor Onai what Natty was up to…

            There was a loud creak as Kogawa waved her wand and closed the storage room door. It rattled in place and they heard the woman’s boots slowly fade. When the massive door to the castle echoed through across the grounds between them, Sebastian sprang into action. He cast Disillusionment and sidled over to the storage door, inspecting the lock Kogawa had activated.

            Rhea cast Disillusionment on herself and joined him. They’d been practicing the spell a bit in the Undercroft during downtime, so she’d gotten better at noticing where he was while the spell was active. She still struggled to see him clearly, but she saw the ripple in her vision that he caused when he passed in front of other objects better now.

            “It looks like it’s just a regular lock,” Sebastian frowned, turning the lock over in his hands cautiously. “Alohomora!” The lock clicked open and he quickly pulled it free, handing it to Rhea as he cracked the door open cautiously. When nothing happened, he slipped inside and grabbed the furthest broom from the entrance. If Kogawa came to inspect the brooms after dinner, she might not notice one in the back going missing for a few hours. If they were lucky, that was.

            Rhea waited outside the storage room, looking around nervously. This somehow felt much riskier than their secret jaunt down to the restricted section, and they’d actually been caught that time. Then again, there was a difference between visiting the library after hours and leaving the school entirely on a stolen broom no less.

            Sebastian was back outside in an instant, slipping the lock back into place before ushering her out of the torchlight and further away from the storage room. He pushed the broom into her hands but didn’t release it immediately.

            “You remember the instructions the portrait gave you?” he asked insistently. “And you remember that you’ll fly faster if you keep yourself within the tree line—out of the wind, right? And don’t fly too close to the mountains—they can get some pretty wicked winds up there.”

            “Directly east of Hogsmeade, on the mountain line, massive, can’t miss it,” Rhea recited, nodding with each point. “What are you going to do while I’m gone? I’m worried about Ominis… he wasn’t exactly supportive of this little trip…”

            “Don’t worry about him,” Sebastian said, shaking his head. “He’s not going to rat you out. He and Natty might not be the best of friends, but he likes you. He’s not going to turn you in. That’s not his way. Just come back safe and it won’t be an issue.”

            “I’ll send you a note when I find her,” Rhea said with an affirmative nod. “And if I think we’re in too much trouble, I’ll send another so you can go and tell Professor Onai what’s happened.”

            “I thought we wanted to avoid involving her?” Sebastian asked.

            “Truth be told, I agree with Ominis,” Rhea said. “But I also truly believe that keeping Natty’s trust as long as I can is the best way to keep her safe. Or at least will buy me some time to convince her to give this preposterous dream up…”

            “Look, I may not understand what’s going on, but I have to trust your judgement on this. Natty asked for you, and I’ve seen firsthand what you can handle,” Sebastian told her supportively. “Now go, before anyone sees.”

            She gave him a grateful look and mounted the broom. She took a shaky breath and kicked off, shooting into the sky and barreling across the lake towards Hogsmeade.

            Sebastian lingered for a few moments, watching her fade into the darkness around the castle and let out a worried sigh. Why was it that this was becoming a familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach? He really didn’t like sending her off all alone into danger—there was no chance this wasn’t going to be incredibly dangerous—and yet this was the second time he’d let her convince him she needed to go alone.

            He couldn’t help but feel almost proud of her though, despite his worry. He wasn’t certain they were doing the exact right thing, but then again, he wasn’t sure there was an exact right thing to do in this situation. She and Ominis both made excellent points. And he knew that if he ever found himself in a terrible crisis of conscience, or facing down some imminent threat, he’d want his friends to have his back. As he reluctantly returned to the castle, he resolved to make sure Rhea never had to go through her own struggles alone.

Chapter Text

            Rhea landed on shaky legs, uncertain of where exactly Natty had gotten to. There was a broken down outer wall near the main road. She carefully snuck around it, stashing the school broom in some bushes, hoping it wouldn’t be discovered any time soon. She cast Disillusionment on herself and crept closer to the looming castle before her. There were several flickering lights spread across the daunting walls that seemed to grow even taller the closer she got.

            She turned her attention to the path ahead, noticing a shadowed figure pacing back and forth behind a broken down wagon, pausing every now and then to peer down the road or up at the veritable fortress beyond them. As she got closer, she heard Natty whispering soothingly to herself some words of confidence.

            She dropped her charm and hissed, “What the hell are we doing out here, Natty? Do you understand the sort of trouble we could get in for this?”

            Natty jumped, pointing her wand at Rhea in fright before letting out a sharp hiss of a breath and tucking her wand away. She ducked back behind the wagon and waved the Ravenclaw girl over. “You should not have snuck up on me like that!” she whispered fiercely. “I could have seriously hurt you just then!”

            “Natty, answer me,” Rhea insisted, kneeling behind the wagon and looking around nervously.

            “I’m glad that your friends passed on my letter,” Natty said, still avoiding answering her directly. “We need to stay low and remain quiet. I’ve been doing some investigating to find out what Harlow is up to.”

            “So this is about Harlow,” Rhea muttered, her anxiety levels rising with each passing moment. Natty truly had no idea the kind of danger they were in.

            “I followed him to the Hog’s Head a few days ago,” Natty continued to explain, ignoring Rhea’s malcontent grumbles. “I noticed him reading a letter. All I could see was that it was signed by and bore the seal of Victor Rookwood. After I found out that Harlow was after you, I decided that you were the perfect person to join me in taking them down—for good.”

            “Natty, we’ve already talked about this!” Rhea exclaimed, causing the Gryffindor to shush her. The two paused briefly, but no movement came from the keep and Rhea continued at a lower volume. “I told you that we shouldn’t be sticking our necks out like this. Natty, we aren’t equipped to handle something of this magnitude. What do you think’s going to happen here? We’re going to waltz up there and knock on the door and hope he doesn’t immediately have us killed?”

            “Rhea, that letter is the tangible proof that Officer Singer needs,” Natty insisted firmly. “It is why I decided to follow Harlow here, and why I wrote to you. I need your help to retrieve it.”

            “Natty—I didn’t know how to get here,” Rhea replied. “I had to beg for the location out of that blasted portrait in the library. And Sebastian and Ominis are worried out of their minds over this.”

            “You told them?” Natty hissed, sounding genuinely angry at this revelation.

            “Natty—you were acting out of the ordinary, shoved a letter at them, and told them to leave your mother out of it or else,” Rhea pointed out impatiently. “I didn’t have to tell them anything for them to be concerned over all this! I had to talk Ominis out of going straight to your mother. And that damn portrait never stops talking! Even if those two boys don’t rat you out, there’s every chance that portrait spills your secrets. This is an incredibly dangerous and foolish plan.”

            “Rhea, my mind is made up,” Natty said. “I either do this alone, or you stay and help me. I rather fancy our chances working together.”

            “Okay, say you get this letter—why even go to Officer Singer? You already said she has no interest in listening to you about this,” Rhea asked, trying to pivot the conversation, searching for an irrefutable way out. “Why not go straight to the Ministry?”

            “Do you think they will listen to a student?” Natty asked. “If Officer Singer won’t take me seriously without proof, there’s no chance the Ministry would even give me the chance to prove anything. Only Officer Singer can start an investigation. The Ministry will come in later. We’re just trying to get the ball rolling here.”

            “Natty why are you so determined to stop Harlow?” Rhea asked, practically begging Natty to listen to reason.

            “I knew men like him in Uganda,” Natty said fiercely, fire burning in her dark eyes. “I know how bad things can get if they are not stopped.”

            “Natty, I need more than that,” Rhea pushed. “You’re asking me to put my life on the line for your vendetta. I deserve an explanation.”

            “It’s a long story,” Natty told her reluctantly. “One I promise to share when we have more time. But we’re here now, and we aren’t going to get another chance like this. Please, Rhea—help me.”

            “If I help you find this letter, you need to promise to take a step back, Natty,” Rhea said insistently. “Once we get this letter to Officer Singer, we stop investigating. You cannot go on like this.”

            “I know, I know,” Natty said with a heavy sigh. “I will be indebted to you, Rhea. Now, go and see if you can find another way in—I’m going to investigate the main gate. I have not seen any guards, but we should still try to be as quiet as possible. Harlow is here, after all. Remember, be quiet, stick to the shadows, and stay alert.”

            The girl cast Disillusionment on herself and darted away, leaving Rhea to furiously stomp her way down a side path all alone in the dark. She really wished she’d alerted Professor Onai—hell, she wished she’d told literally any of the professors. When she reached the castle wall, she paused, carefully pulling her enchanted note out of her pocket and placed the tip of her wand to the sheet delicately. She hadn’t tried using the wand writing method on it yet—but she didn’t have a quill on her, and she didn’t think that she’d have time to borrow one once they were inside.

            I found her. Don’t alert Onai just yet. Going silent for a while. Please don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Feed Ominis some of those secret chocolate frogs we stashed the other day, he could probably use a few.

            She let out a deep breath. She’d made the tough call. If they were going to get through this stealthily, she couldn’t risk any professors showing up while they were inside the walls of the keep. That would only make things much more dangerous—not to mention this was almost definitely reasonable grounds for expulsion, and that was a risk she couldn’t afford to take, ironically enough given the circumstances.

            She used Wingardium Leviosa to haul a large storage box close to a broken portion of the wall and scampered up, breathing hard once she was on top of the wall. Natty definitely got the easier end of this job... She hauled herself up and over another short wall and crept along the battlements, sticking close to the gate house behind her. She spotted a hole in the wall and squeezed herself through it. In the room there was a hatch in the floor and ladder leading down below. She peeked through and saw Natty lurking outside the gate uncertainly.

            “Natty!” she called quietly, “Up here!”

            “Can you open the gate?” Natty asked. “I cannot find a way in from this side!”

            “If you go around the side where I went, there’s a path up! It’s not too hard but there’s a bit of climbing!” Rhea called down. “I think that’s going to be significantly less conspicuous than opening the castle gates! That wouldn’t exactly be laying low and keeping quiet!”

            Begrudgingly, Natty agreed and after a few short minutes, she came creeping into the gate house, looking a little scuffed up from the journey, “The main keep is just on the other side of the gate house. My guess is that we’ll find Harlow and the letter inside.”

            The pair slunk out of the gate house and hurried towards the main keep, staying low and sticking to the shadows where they could. As they approached Natty said, “We’ll need to—” but there was a loud crashing noise from beyond the gate. The giant doors rattled and the pair of students dove to hide behind a crumbling portion of the wall, peeking around with wide, scared eyes.

            When the doors burst open, three figures backed out swiftly, wands drawn as a stately white Hippogriff charged forward, flapping its wings and slashing its talons at its captors aggressively. The wizards—one of whom was, in fact, Theophilus Harlow—continued to cast mercilessly at the beast, cowing it into submission before they were able to restrain it.

            Rhea let out a sharp gasp, her eyes wide as realization dawned on her. “Highwing,” she breathed, gripping her wand tightly. She knew what Poppy would do, if she were there. She just didn’t know if she had the courage.

            “Do you know that Hippogriff?” Natty asked quietly, looking at Rhea with surprise, but the cruelty at the doors quickly drew her attention once more as Harlow began barking orders at his lackeys. After a moment Natty nodded firmly and said, “Very well, new plan. I get the evidence and you free that Hippogriff. Agreed?”

            Natty was on the move before Rhea had even gotten a chance to respond, sprinting towards the closing doors as fast as she could. Rhea scrambled after her but was too slow. The doors shut tightly between them with an ominous thud and Rhea let out a shaky breath.

            “It’s okay…” she breathed. “It’s all okay… The roof. Harlow said to bring Highwing to the roof. There’s got to be another way up to the roof…” She looked around, spotting some more low ledges and scaffolding winding their way around the main keep and grimaced. She was in for quite the climb…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea burst out the archway at the top of the tower, panting heavily. She heard a few startles cries as two Hippogriffs shifted and leapt to their feet, eyeing her warily. Her face lit up as she took a half step forward before remembering what Poppy had told her the first time she’d met Highwing. Rhea gave a deep bow, hoping that the Hufflepuff had been right, and that Highwing would remember her.

            The Hippogriff bowed and Rhea quickly approached, petting the beast comfortingly, hoping that the other Hippogriff was alright with this proximity, given Highwing’s eager chirping. Rhea was inspecting the chains binding the Hippogriffs when Natty came rushing onto the roof breathlessly, letter clutched tightly in her hand.

            “There you are!” She exclaimed, glancing nervously behind her. She waved her wand, unlocked the chains holding each Hippogriff as Rhea hauled herself onto Highwing’s back. Natty looked at the second Hippogriff, her eyes wide as crashes and bangs erupted from a lower floor. Natty, forgetting herself slightly, rushed towards the second Hippogriff, but the beast leapt off the roof before she could reach him.

            Natty teetered on the edge of the castle, struggling to stop her forward momentum as Harlow crested the top of the stairs. He leveled his want at Natty and Rhea quickly shot a few hexes at him while Highwing charged towards Natty, grabbing her by the arms and leaping off the tower. Natty let out a shrill scream as she plummeted downward, her wand and the letter clutched in a death grip in each hand.

            Spells of all colors blasted past them, but it was if the Hippogriffs knew exactly where to fly to avoid them all. A streak of green shot past Rhea’s head at a dangerously close distance and she let out a shaky gasp, laying herself low over Highwing’s back, fingers buried in the beast’s soft feathers.

            As Highwing broke out of her dive, she gently dropped Natty onto the back of the other Hippogriff, which then let out a loud, joyous sounding cry. The beasts raced forward, breaking through the thick line of trees and rushing down towards the lake.

            The further they got from Falbarton Castle, the more the tightness in Rhea’s chest began to dissipate. She loosened her grip on Highwing and sat up slowly, taking a moment to look around as they flew across the lake. Water flew up in their trail, glittering in the starlight above them. She let out a shaky laugh as she slowly raised her arms above her head. Her hair was barely held back in her braid at this point and she breathed deeply as the loose strands whipped back behind her.

            There was a peculiar sense of… freedom. Her mind was racing—the luck of finding Highwing was almost overwhelming on its own. The fact she’d been able to rescue her was too much. Her mind leapt to Poppy, and she wished she had a way to contact her. She had no idea where Poppy lived—let alone if that was where she intended to spend her break.

            Tears prickled her eyes, though she couldn’t tell if it was from the stress of the evening or from the cold, late October night air. Whatever happened from here—she knew that riding a Hippogriff was far more thrilling than riding a broom.

            The Hippogriffs took a sharp turn and ferried the pair of students back to the castle. When they landed, Rhea slipped off of Highwing’s back. The Hippogriff bowed its head, nudging against her. She gently leaned into the beast, smoothing her feathers affectionately and whispering words of thanks and comfort to her. Highwing straightened and stretched her wings, head swiveling to inspect Natty who was offering a deep bow of gratitude to the other Hippogriff.

            The other Hippogriff returned the bow and chirped at Highwing loudly before turning and taking off. Highwing nudged Rhea gratefully once more before turning and taking off after her friend. Rhea and Natty watched them go, the entirety of their night sinking in as their new friends faded away into the darkness.

            “Do you still have the letter?” Rhea asked after a few minutes of heavy silence as the thrill of their raucous escape faded.

            “Yes,” Natty said solemnly. “I summoned it straight out of Harlow’s hands.” She laughed slightly. “I will say, I did not expect to see him cast the Killing Curse at us…”

            “He’s not going to forget this, Natty,” Rhea said. “I’d never even met the man and he was ready to cause me harm, even before we broke into his home…”

            “With any luck, this will be more than enough to convince Officer Singer of Harlow’s true intentions,” Natty said, scanning over the letter as best she could in the dark of the night.

            Rhea turned back towards the castle and began a slow trudge across the lawn. She winced when she saw the light in Kogawa’s quarters go out. She’d completely abandoned the broom… And there was no chance in hell she was going to be getting it back at this point. She just had to hope that the woman didn’t have any alarm spells protecting the brooms.

            “Rookwood’s looking for a phoenix…” Natty said quietly, clearly deep in thought. “Not sure where he will find one… Harlow’s been ordered to inspect that castle for the poachers… I think this is more than enough to connect Harlow to the crimes. I’ll deliver this letter to Officer Singer tomorrow. She’ll have to do something when she sees it.”

            Rhea made a noncommittal noise as they made their way up the steps of the castle. She winced at the loud noise of the castle door, slipping inside as soon as she was able. Natty followed suit and the pair began slinking through the halls, hoping to avoid getting caught.

            “Where did you meet those Hippogriffs?” Natty asked after a few minutes of careful silence.

            “I’ve only met Highwing before,” Rhea said. “Poppy introduced us, actually.”

            “Poppy Sweeting knows a Hippogriff?” Natty asked, sounding shocked. “I suppose on second thought that that makes a lot of sense, actually… I’m sure she’ll be relieved to know that Highwing’s safe. I suppose this was the favor you were looking into for her earlier?”

            “Yes,” Rhea admitted. “No one else knows about Highwing though, so it’d be best to keep those two creatures our little secret for the time being.”

            “I suppose you are right,” Natty agreed. “I… I’m sorry I did not give you much of a choice earlier. But it has all worked out for the best, I should think. I came to the right person for help.”

            “Just… we need to be more careful,” Rhea said, stopping and looking at her friend seriously. “The fact you didn’t expect him to try and kill us—Natty, that’s what men like him—like Victor Rookwood do. They don’t care that we’re children. We are in their way, and they will not allow us to remain there. We need to watch our backs. Closely.”

            Natty nodded, “I… should go. I normally meet my mother for tea after dinner. She’s probably worried sick about me. But we’ll talk about this soon. I have much to consider… Thank you, again. You are a true friend…”

            Rhea watched as Natty hurried towards the Divination classroom with an anxious frown. Once she was sure the girl was out of sight, she pulled her enchanted note out of her pocket and smiled fondly as ink blossomed across the page.

            Write to me as soon as you get back. Ominis is worried sick, of course. As you likely already suspect, I am completely unbothered by all of this and will absolutely be sleeping soundly whether you reply or not. I am, of course, the rock of our little group. Stay safe. S.

            His handwriting was cramped and a little less neat than normal, scrunching up smaller the further it went down the note. Perhaps they should have made the sheets a little bigger after all. She pulled out her wand and carefully wrote back.

            I have no idea what time it is—but we’re back in one piece and Natty accomplished her goal. I hope you tell Ominis that we’re safe and that I’m terribly sorry I upset him. I’ll make it up to him soon. I offer no such platitudes to you, of course, as you are a rock and are likely already sleeping soundly.

            She tucked her wand away, but kept the note out, watching as the ink faded. She slowly hauled herself up the stairs to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Thankfully the knocker gave her an easy riddle and soon she was collapsing into her bunk. She pulled her curtains closed and faintly saw ink appearing on the note.

            Thank Merlin… At least now we can relax—I can’t wait to show you around Feldcroft. I think you’re really going to like it there. But for now, rest easy. I would like to say that I will be doing the same, but Ominis snores like a banshee. S.

            Rhea let out a small laugh and placed the enchanted paper on her little windowsill, burrowing under the plush blankets eagerly. Sleep could hardly come fast enough, but there was still a small trace of a smile on her face as dreams of midnight Hippogriff flights came rushing back to her.

Chapter Text

            Rhea hurried up the main street of Hogsmeade, an excited look on her face. The wet cobblestones were glittering in the late afternoon sun and she was barely taking care to avoid slipping on the slick stones in her haste. She hoisted her travel bag over her shoulder and continued on her way to the Three Broomsticks eagerly.

            It had been two months since she’d left her childhood home to start her year at Hogwarts—two months since she’d last seen her mother. So much had changed in those two months that part of her wondered if her mother would be able to tell just from looking at her. Her step faltered slightly as the realization of the number of secrets she was going to be keeping from her mother.

            Rhea shook herself, pushing down her doubts as she opened the door to the Three Broomsticks, unwinding her house scarf from her neck as the heat of the pub pushed back the early November cold. She shivered as she began to warm up, looking around the room eagerly for her mother.

            Margaret Pennywhistle was standing near the large fireplace on the opposite wall, warming one of her hands as she inspected the mantle, a mug of butterbeer clutched tightly in her other hand. The pub was more busy than Rhea was used to seeing it, but no one seemed to pay any attention to the quiet woman standing by herself.

            Margaret heard a familiar voice call out over the din of the pub and turned, a loving smile spreading across her face as she saw Rhea weaving through the crowd towards her. She gingerly placed her butterbeer on the mantlepiece and turned with open arms to receive her charging daughter. She smoothed the girl’s hair back out of her face and placed a kiss to the top of her head affectionately.

            Rhea was practically bouncing in excitement, telling her mother all about her first months at Hogwarts. Margaret listened closely, hanging on to every detail, though it was almost as if she was hearing the story through a vacuum. There was a faint ringing in the back of her mind, and she felt a headache beginning to form at the base of her neck. She resisted the faint pain rising up and focused on her daughter’s tale.

            About halfway through the girl’s recitation the proprietor of the establishment came over, fresh drinks in hand. She handed one to Margaret and the other to Rhea, asking Rhea how she was doing and reassuring her that their travel plans were good to go. Margaret took the interruption as a moment to calm herself, sinking into a plush armchair as a dizzy spell began to well up.

            This had been happening on and off since… well, since Rhea’s letter of acceptance arrived back in August. She had… flashes of… well she wasn’t sure what they were. It had started out simple… She dreamed of dark corridors, dancing green lights floating across the floor as if she were underwater. She dreamed of warm, crackling fires and the smell of old books. Laughter and sweet treats on a long walk home, soaring towers in fading sunsets.

            And yet, those dreams began to seep into her waking life, even more often now that her daughter was gone from their home. She was alone with… well, they couldn’t be memories. She’d never been to Hogsmeade, let alone to Hogwarts. And yet when she stepped off of the train in Hogsmeade station and caught sight of the ancient castle looming in the distance, an overwhelming sense of familiarity had overtaken her.

            When her head had cleared, she’d found herself at the doors of the Three Broomsticks, as if she’d known exactly where to go. She’d walked in, almost hesitantly, but the warmth and raucous conversation of the pub had been welcoming, drowning out the little voice in the back of her mind begging for her to pay attention.

            “So this is your mother, then?” Sirona was asking, gazing appraisingly at the woman, a curious look on her face.

            Margaret offered a smile and a nod as Rhea replied, “Yes! This is her first time to Hogsmeade!”

            Sirona nodded slowly, drawing her watching eyes away from Margaret almost reluctantly as she glanced around the pub. After she was satisfied everything was in order she focused on Rhea once more. “Are we just waiting on one of your friends, then?” Sirona asked.

            “Yes,” Rhea nodded. “Ominis Gaunt should be arriving very soon. I’m afraid he was a bit vague about the timing for today.”

            “Well, his family are… meticulous in their scheduling,” Sirona said, a slight grimace on her face. “They like to do things by the book. He’s on their time now, unfortunately, not ours. But I’d be happy to get you two something to eat while you wait?”

            “If you could, that would be incredible,” Rhea said with a grateful smile as Sirona nodded and drifted away. Rhea picked up an abandoned chair at a nearby table and pulled it closer, watching her mother carefully.

            The woman seemed almost… morose, for some reason. She was staring wistfully into the fire, and it was as if she couldn’t see the flickering of the flames. Rhea gently put a hand on her mother’s arm a concerned look on her face.

            Margaret jumped slightly and the flashing images faded from the forefront of her mind. She met Rhea’s worried look with a warm smile and the ready excuse of being tired from the journey. Margaret felt a twinge of guilt lying to her daughter, but the relief that spread across the young woman’s face reassured her that it was the correct choice for the time being.

            “Now, why don’t you tell me about all your friends,” Margaret prompted gently. “I’m a little disappointed I won’t be able to meet all of them on this trip; your letters make them seem so interesting.”

            “They are very interesting, actually,” Rhea said, her smile growing as she thought of her friends. “Poppy Sweeting is my partner in our Beast care class and she’s just the kindest person I’ve ever met. But she’s also incredibly fierce! The first time we met she nearly hexed this terrible classmate who was tormenting one of the animals we were supposed to be taking care of.”

            “She certainly sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders,” Margaret said, unsure of how nearly hexing another child made Poppy kind. Perhaps it was the fact that she didn’t hex their classmate in the end? “And is she your Gryffindor friend? They’re supposed to be bold, are they not?”

            “No, no, Poppy’s a Hufflepuff—just and loyal,” Rhea said matter-of-factly. “Natty is my Gryffindor friend. Though I suppose Garreth might take issue with that classification. He’s in Gryffindor too, but we’re not especially close friends yet. But Natty’s the one who invited me to sit with her during the first class of the year. We’ve been friends since day one. I thought she was staying at Hogwarts over the break, but I haven’t seen her.”

            “And she’s the one whose mother teaches… Astronomy?”

            “Divination,” Rhea corrected gently. “But Garreth’s aunt is the deputy headmistress and the Transfiguration professor. Professor Weasley is a terrible stickler for the rules, I think, but Sebastian thinks she’s taken a bit of a shine to me. I don’t know if I believe that though—it’s pretty easy to avoid making teachers mad if you avoid breaking the rules. Which Garreth does frequently.”

            “Garreth… is he the one from potions class?” Margaret asked, her brow furrowing.

            “One of them,” Rhea told her with a nod. “Garreth’s the one who brewed a foul potion and nearly got me in trouble with the professor. Ominis is my other potions friend—you’re going to get to meet him soon, I think.”

            “He’s the one whose father works with your Aunt, correct?”

            “Correct,” Rhea said, her smile faltering slightly.

            “What’s that about?” Margaret asked, instantly noticing the slight shift in her daughter’s mood.

            “Well—it’s nothing really,” Rhea started, a little trepidatious. “Bertie was out of school for the first month or so, so we didn’t really get a chance to catch up. But she… she doesn’t really get along with any of my friends. She was also… I mean, I didn’t really pick up on it immediately, but Sebastian thinks she was being extremely rude to me when she first came to say hello.”

            “Why on earth would he think that?” Margaret frowned. “Bertie’s a lovely young lady.”

            “She was a bit… I don’t know, she seemed a bit skeptical of how I got accepted,” Rhea shrugged slightly, her frown deepening. “She wanted to know what magic triggered the acceptance, but I didn’t really have an answer. And then Sebastian joined the conversation and she was quite rude to him—he was just defending me. I tried to diffuse the tension by inviting her here to catch up and she said maybe, if she had time we could. And then said something about the importance of catching up and how I’d know all about that. And she hasn’t spoken to me since.”

            “Sebastian sounds like a good friend,” Margaret said, watching her daughter carefully. The slight pink tone the girl’s cheeks took on didn’t escape her, but she chose not to pull at that little thread for the time being. “Though, that doesn’t really sound like the Bertie we know and love, does it?”

            “That’s what I said,” Rhea said, relief crossing her features briefly, though Margaret was certain Rhea didn’t notice it. “But… it is strange that all of my friends agree. Even Samantha sometimes gets upset by Bertie. Bertie and Imelda had a spat last week that send Samantha into a tizzy. She was sort of caught between them and neither girl wanted to budge.”

            “Now, I must admit that does rather sound like Bertie to me,” Margaret laughed wryly. “She can be quite stubborn when she doesn’t get her way. You two used to fight all the time.”

            “Did we?” Rhea asked, frowning slightly, her head tilting gently to one side as she tried to remember. “I only remember playing games and chasing one another around the garden.”

            “Oh, you two did plenty of that, as well,” Margaret said. “But you each loved to be the hero of your make believe stories. She didn’t like sharing the spotlight, and you just wanted to have fun. If you asked Merys, you were just an attention hog. But you were both children and you almost always found a way to compromise, even if it meant changing the game entirely.”

            “Have I arrived just in time to hear some embarrassing stories from your childhood, then?” Ominis asked, appearing suddenly at Rhea’s side. She jumped and grinned up at him before standing and directly him into the chair she’d just vacated. Sirona appeared then with three plates of food and her wand in hand. She waved the wand and a small table appeared with an extra chair that Rhea sat in gratefully.

            “You three take your time,” Sirona said. “This one’s on me—just come and find me when you’re ready to leave, alright?”

            Margaret began to protest but Sirona shook her head and waved the woman off. The woman didn’t say as much, but she had been delighted when Rhea had asked for her assistance in helping take care of her mother during this visit. A meal on the house and a comfortable room was the least Sirona could do for the girl after that nasty business with the trolls.

            “Mum, this is Ominis Gaunt,” Rhea said, gesturing to Ominis, who was gently resting his hands on the table, finding his utensils with ease.

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ominis,” Margaret said, smiling warmly at the boy.

            He nodded politely and returned the sentiment, staring straight ahead with a kind smile on his face. “Thank you for allowing me to travel with you two to Feldcroft. I’m delighted to be able to go and visit—I rather think of it like a second home.”

            “Thank you for agreeing to be our guide, so to speak,” Margaret said. “I’m afraid this is all a bit overwhelming for me.”

            “Yes, Rhea mentioned that you’re… well not a muggle, of course—” Ominis started, though he wasn’t sure how to put it delicately.

            “But not a witch,” Margaret nodded, remembering to keep her voice low. “My sister Merys was a prolific student during her time at Hogwarts. I never got the opportunity.”

            “I would say that I’m sorry, but I don’t want you to think I’m like my family,” Ominis said. “Admittedly, they wouldn’t apologize. But they don’t think very much of muggles, and squibs are, well, just as bad in their eyes.”

            “The politics of the wizarding world have always eluded me,” Margaret said reassuringly. “My daughter approves of you, and that’s good enough for me. Family image be damned.”

            Ominis grinned openly, a slight look of surprise on his face as his eyebrows shot up briefly. He couldn’t remember a time in his life when someone had ever been so dismissive of his name. Perhaps maybe when he met Rhea—she didn’t even bother asking about his family when they became friends.

            The trio chatted until their plates were clean, laughing and joking at various stories from Rhea’s childhood and their first few weeks of school. Ominis also shared stories from his time staying with the Sallows in Feldcroft, which both Pennywhistles eagerly listened to. Most of the stories were about Sebastian and Anne getting into and out of mischief, pranks played on one another, and about how things were different now, but still good.

            When they were finished, the trio found Sirona and the barkeep led them into a private room that had a lone, dark fireplace. She pulled out a small bag of powder and pressed it into Rhea’s hands, explaining how the Floo Network worked. They were going to be traveling to an inn owned by a good friend of hers, Samuel Green of the Dancing Dirigible Inn.

            Ominis nodded his understanding—he was quite familiar with Mr. Green. He’d been kind enough to ferry the Sallows back and forth between Feldcroft and Hogsmeade for several years at this point. It was terribly convenient, though they hadn’t wound up making much use of the arrangement this year so far. He made a mental note to rectify that after the break.

            Traveling over the Floo Network was even stranger than travel by Portkey or Ancient Magic. Rhea felt as though she was spinning through the bright green flames. They were cool to the touch, tickling gently across her skin and whipping through her hair as she whirled past seemingly endless fireplaces. Eventually she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop her head from reeling at the sensory overload.

            And it was over nearly as quickly as it began. Her feet hit the ground and she stumbled forward, a helpful pair of arms catching her before she could fall further. She let out a cough and cracked open her eyes once she was certain she wasn’t going to lose her lunch. The room was still and Sebastian’s grinning face filled her vision, followed quickly by Ominis chatting with a portly man who sported a fancy waistcoat and a thick moustache.

            “Steady,” Sebastian said, making sure she wasn’t going to tumble over before he gently released her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and glancing at the fireplace almost nervously. “Your mother’s coming through last?”

            “She was nervous,” Rhea explained. “Sirona’s helping her, so if anything goes wrong, she’ll be able to go and find her.”

            “Nothing’s going to go wrong,” Sebastian said reassuringly, shifting back and forth on his feet a little bit. “Anne is back at the house for the moment. She wanted to come and meet you here, but our uncle insisted she stay home. He’s here now, though—just waiting in the pub. He figured he’d meet you and your mum here, and then can take your mother on a tour of the village while you, me, and Ominis go and see Anne.”

            “Are you… nervous?” Rhea asked, watching as he glanced back at the fireplace before fidgeting again.

            “I’m not nervous,” he scoffed slightly. “I’m eager to be getting on with things, that’s all…”

            “He’s nervous,” Ominis chimed in as the barkeep returned to the main room of the inn. “Nervous to meet your mum, nervous for you to meet Anne, and nervous for you all to meet Solomon.”

            “Should I be nervous?” Rhea asked, the thought having not occurred to her before what with the excitement of reuniting with her mother.

            Ominis laughed and shook his head as Sebastian quickly said, “Absolutely not. You’re a delight and they’re going to love you. But not a single word about detentions, thievery, or the Undercroft. We like keeping Solomon in the dark about our mischief making as much as possible.”

            “Except I’m certain he knows about every one of your detentions,” Ominis said. “I reckon Scribner writes to him personally at this point.”

            “Yes, he was quite… vocal about his displeasure when I first arrived,” Sebastian said with a grimace, glancing towards the main room to ensure his uncle wasn’t going to appear and reprimand him again. “But that’s also why we aren’t going to mention anything fun around him if we can avoid it. I’d rather save myself the embarrassment of being told off in front of my accomplices.”

            “There’s only one accomplice here, I’m afraid,” Ominis pointed out. “I’ve actually become the voice of reason I like to think…”

            Before Rhea or Sebastian could retort, the fireplace burst into gentle green flames and Rhea’s mother appeared, coughing slightly. Rhea moved to catch her, but Sebastian beat her to it. Once she was steady and her coughing had subsided, Sebastian gently looped her arm through his, standing up straight as he gestured with his other arm towards the main room of the inn, introducing himself smoothly as they went.

            Margaret smiled, noticing her daughter watching the young man with a surprised and impressed look. She had to admit, the young man was quite the gentleman, escorting her from the fireplace. It was clear that he wanted to make a good impression, though if it was for Rhea’s benefit or Margaret’s, Mrs. Pennywhistle couldn’t tell.

            The Dancing Dirigible Inn sported a spacious dining hall, which was emphasized by the nearly entirely empty tables that were dotted around the room. Mr. Green was standing behind the bar chatting amiably with a tall, dark haired man who was seated at the bar.

            He was simply dressed in a light green striped shirt and a dark waistcoat that was just a touch too short for his portly frame. He was fairly young looking, but his face was haggard and heavy wrinkles around his nose and eyes betrayed the truth of his age. His hair was cut short and was pushed back from his face, which was framed by a dark beard that was beginning to turn silver. He placed his mug down on the counter as he spotted the students emerging from the back room.

            His dark eyes sat under an equally dark and furrowed brow as he inspected the two unfamiliar faces make their way over to greet him. He stood and held out a hand to Margaret, shaking hers firmly as Sebastian stepped to the side and out of the way. He offered a grim smile, and Rhea wondered if it was genuine or not. It didn’t quite seem to meet his eyes.

            “Welcome to Feldcroft,” he said, his voice deep and slightly raspy. “You, ma’am, may call me Solomon.” He turned and offered a hand to Rhea, which she promptly shook, offering him a warm smile in return. “You may call me Mr. Sallow.”

            “I’m Margaret Pennywhistle, and this is my daughter Rhea, though I’m sure you’ve already guessed that,” Margaret said with an amiable smile. She gave Rhea an affectionate look before directing her attention back to Solomon. “I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality, sir. I’m delighted that Rhea has made such fast friends with your nephew. I’m certain she and your niece will get along swimmingly as well.”

            With the introductions finished, he pulled out a stool for Rhea’s mother, who gratefully took a seat. He turned to Sebastian and gave him a curt nod. Sebastian returned the gesture and motioned for Rhea to follow him as he made his way to the door. Once he was facing away from his uncle, his polite smile fell and an almost sour look crossed his face. Clearly there was more to their relationship than Rhea knew.

            Once they were outside the inn, Rhea let out a deep breath that she hadn’t quite realized she’d been holding. That hadn’t seemed to go… poorly. At least, she didn’t think it had.

            Sebastian glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and cracked a wry sort of smile, “Don’t worry too much about that… stoic greeting back there. Solomon isn’t exactly the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. Least of all when it concerns me. I’m sure things will go more smoothly now that it’s just him and your mum in there. And Greenie is a hell of a buffer when he needs to be.”

            Rhea nodded and took in another breath, turning her attention to the village before them, her mind slightly more at ease at his reassurances. Sebastian began walking towards the center of the village, which was atop a small plateau in a lush and lovely little valley. Ominis fell into step on his left side, leaving Rhea to hurry to take her place on his right. As they walked, Sebastian pointed at various houses and side paths that twisted into the surrounding hills, occasionally telling a short story or two about memories from his childhood.

            She couldn’t help but mirror his happy expressions. He seemed almost lighter here than he did at school. He was practically giddy by the time they reached the village center and the trio paused while he continued to give Rhea a very quick tour, spinning them around in circles as new thoughts popped into his mind that he absolutely had to share.

            While they were laughing, Ominis took a seat atop a low wall carefully. He knew Feldcroft pretty well and was able to mentally track the places Sebastian was describing to Rhea, who was eagerly asking questions and poking fun at Sebastian, who happily took it in stride. Though this was an entirely new situation, Ominis couldn’t help but feel some small sense of relief and familiarity in the jovial conversation. It had been a long time since he’d heard Sebastian speak so enthusiastically about his home. It was refreshing.

            Suddenly he was struck head on, the wind blowing out of him in a sharp huff as thin arms wrapped around him, tackling him to the ground. He rolled onto his back with a groan as the weight on top of him lifted and a laugh like birdsong rang out above him. He wordlessly stuck out a hand and it was met with a soft grip and he found himself being hauled to his feet. Sebastian was laughing loudly, a stark contrast to his twin’s delicate laugh.

            “Ominis! What a pleasant surprise!” Anne exclaimed, throwing her arms around him again in an affectionate hug once he was firmly on his feet again. “Sebastian didn’t mention that you would be coming this time, too!”

            “Oh, he didn’t?” Ominis asked, shooting a glare in the direction of Sebastian’s now wheezing laugh. The boy was having a hard time catching his breath and was leaning heavily against the low wall that Ominis had been tackled clean over. “I can’t imagine why on earth he might fail to mention such a thing to you. Perhaps we should punish him later?”

            Rhea shuffled slightly as she glanced between Anne, Ominis, and Sebastian, a hand pressed to her mouth in a failing effort to stop her laughter from bubbling over. It was almost like they were triplets instead of inseparable friends. Ominis just… fit. He seemed comfortable here, the same way he seemed completely at ease in the Undercroft.

            And suddenly, Anne was clambering over the low wall and rushing to pull Rhea into a tight hug. Rhea was startled, but returned the gesture, squinting against the glare of the low sun peeking through the clouds above them. Partially blinded by the light and trying to keep up with the sudden stream of consciousness pouring out of Anne, Rhea missed the tender look Sebastian gave her, watching two of his favorite people meet for the very first time.

            “You must be Rhea! Oh Seb’s told me so much about you, but I feel like he somehow hasn’t said anything at all!” Anne was saying. “Oh, I’m so glad that you were willing to come all the way out here just to meet me! I truly hope my brother didn’t have to twist your arm too much—he can be rather pushy sometimes.”

            “Sebastian's pushy? He isn't the one who just shoved me over a garden wall!” Ominis protested as he carefully clambered over the wall to sit facing them once more. Sebastian gave him a playful push and Ominis flailed in the other boy’s direction, nearly knocking him over.

            Anne rolled her eyes as she released Rhea and took a step back to inspect her. “You’re shorter than I thought you’d be! For some reason I thought you’d be quite tall…” She grabbed one of Rhea’s hands and made her twirl around once before she broke out into a wide grin, “That’s enough proof for me— you are in fact a real person and not someone my brother’s made up.”

            “Oi—” Sebastian started.

            “Oi, nothing! It’s a perfectly reasonable assumption!” Anne protested, cutting him off quickly. “A new fifth-year who beat you in a duel, won her first ever Summoner’s Court game with a perfect score, and took down a fully grown troll all on her own on her first day of school mere minutes after getting her own wand? You think that sounded believable?”

            “Well, when you put it like that…” Rhea mused, “I guess it does sound a bit exaggerated…”

            “Is it not exaggerated?” Anne asked, turning to her with a deeply curious expression. “I thought it must have been. I’ve never gotten a perfect score in Summoner’s Court.”

            “Have you taken down a troll?” Ominis asked jokingly, causing Anne to punch him in the arm.

            “I have!” Sebastian chimed in. “I helped Rhea. She’s very insistent about that. Told me off more than once for saying she did it by herself.”

            “You, Rhea, are undoubtedly going to be my new best friend,” Anne said, a serious look on her face. “You got my brother bending to your will just there. And that is a power I respect far more than taking down a troll.”

            “Oi, I’m not bending,” he protested weakly, searching for an excuse that he could throw out without revealing Rhea’s talent with ancient magic as their savior in that particular fight.

            “Did he tell you that he willingly took almost a week of detentions from Scribner to cover for her a few weeks ago?” Ominis asked.

            “He did not,” Anne said, her jaw dropping slightly in shock. “You’ve never taken a detention for me! I can’t believe this…” She turned to Ominis and poked him hard as she chastised, “And you haven’t written to me nearly as much as you clearly should have been. Our dear Seb seems to have some gaps in his memory.”

            “I didn’t want Solomon to find the letters,” Sebastian grumbled. “I know you sometimes read them to him…”

            “Well, I don’t read the stuff that could get you into more trouble,” Anne said, rolling her eyes as she hauled Ominis off of the wall and back onto his feet. “Now, let’s get back home before the old codger decides it’s time to go for a little walk and catch me out here."

Chapter Text

            The Sallow home was small, but comfortable. Anne took Rhea’s small travel bag from her and shoved it into Sebastian’s arms for him to carry, shooting him a challenging look. To her surprise, he didn’t try to argue, shouldering the bag and bringing it to Anne’s small bedroom, which the girls would be sharing for the duration of the visit.

            “Well, this is it!” Anne said, gesturing around the small living space. “Uncle Solomon has a room off to the side over there, Ominis and Sebastian are on the other side of that wall, and we’re just through there. It’s small, but it’s ours, and it’s all we ne—” The girl reached for a chair suddenly, collapsing into it with a pained groan.

            In an instant, Sebastian had emerged from Anne’s room and was kneeling at her side, gently rubbing her back and speaking soft, comforting words too low for Rhea or Ominis to hear. Ominis winced and stepped away slightly, allowing the twins a moment of privacy while Anne did her best to make it through the pain.

            Rhea stepped closer to Ominis, holding onto his arm tightly as she tried to avoid watching the scene before them. He placed a hesitant hand over hers, a small twinge of guilt crossing his mind. It was sometimes too easy to forget that Anne was sick, especially when the attacks came on so suddenly. And, he realized, that they never really spoke of it—especially around Rhea. They had done nothing to prepare her for meeting Anne. They hadn’t told her anything about her condition. Sick, they’d said. Anne was just sick… and now Rhea was frightened.

            Her grip on his arm tightened and released slightly in response to his small comfort, silently letting him know that she was okay, and that she appreciated him. Meanwhile he was counting the seconds, trying to keep track of how long the surge was lasting, waiting for Anne’s breathy voice to reassure them that everything was okay, that she was safe again.

            His worry was always warranted, of course, but quickly, her pain passed and she was breathing regularly again. He knew for certain it was over when Rhea’s grip on his arm loosened and disappeared. He allowed his hand to fall, but neither of them made a move to approach the twins.

            After a few more short moments, there was a shuffling noise as Sebastian stood and approached his friends, glancing back at Anne briefly before addressing them in a low voice, “Everything’s alright now, but Anne needs a bit of a rest. She’d like to be alone for a short time, if that’s alright?”

            Rhea nodded firmly, concern knitted into her delicate brow as she scanned Sebastian’s face, though he wouldn’t meet her eye.

Ominis cleared his throat and nodded as well saying, “Perhaps you two should have a bit of a chat… I’ll stay here and look after Anne. Tell her about how Sweeting’s been doing.”

Sebastian nodded reluctantly, glancing back at his sister again, who was sitting and staring at a tall cabinet across from where she sat at the table, silent tears drying on her cheeks as she settled into a new state of calm. “That would be helpful, thank you Ominis. We’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Take your time,” Ominis said gently, touching Rhea’s arm comfortingly before turning and making his way to the small table on the far side of the room.

Rhea avoided watching him go and turned to follow Sebastian, who was pulling the door open and waiting for her to proceed. She stepped out into the early November afternoon and shivered. The sun had hidden itself back behind the clouds and a more somber mood seemed to have settled over the hamlet.

Sebastian didn’t say anything yet, but put his hands into his coat pockets, nodding towards a ramshackle sort of tower that had been erected on the south side of town. She followed wordlessly, glancing up at his back as he led her forward in silence. She hadn’t seen this side of Sebastian before, and she found herself at a loss for what to do. She just wanted to help him—to help them both.

            When they reached the top, he sat, dangling his feet over the edge of the platform, resting his chin on the lower railing, sniffing slightly as he closed his eyes tightly for a few moments. Rhea followed suit, sitting close to him, but not reaching out. She wasn’t sure if her comfort would be welcome, so she simply followed his lead.

            They sat this way for a short time, and he continued to sniffle softly to himself, eyes closed. Unable to stop herself any longer, she reached over and placed her hand gently on his shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze. She felt him shudder as he reached a hand up to scrub at his eyes, letting out a harsh, almost gasping sigh.

            He reached his other hand up and took her hand in his. At first, she thought that he was going to cast it off but instead he gripped it tightly as his shoulders shook with silent sobs. Her heart aching for him, she scooted closer and swapped her hands, putting her now free arm on his back and rubbing it soothingly, leaning her head on his shoulder as he cried.

            They stayed this way until his tears dried and he sat up straighter. Rhea moved a touch further away, allowing him some breathing room as he steadied himself and finally opened his eyes. They were bloodshot and watery, and he still wouldn’t quite meet her gaze.

            “Sorry,” he said after taking a shaky breath, his voice a bit more gruff than usual. “Sometimes… sometimes it’s easy to forget what exactly she’s going through. Today was… today was supposed to be about cheering her up—about you two getting to know one another… but I admit, I’ve failed you.”

            “Bast—”

            “No, Rhea, it’s true,” he said quickly, cutting her off. “I shouldn’t have brought you here without warning you about what might happen—what did happen. Anne is sick… but it’s not… it’s not a normal illness, like we’ve been telling you. She was cursed… a little over a year ago…”

            “At first, we didn’t really think much of it—we were still consulting healers. She spent about half of last school year in the Hospital Wing, or on trips to St Mungo’s,” Sebastian continued quietly. “It started out… small… after the first one. The first one was… terrifying. Long and arduous. I thought she was dying… She barely remembers it…”

            After a momentary pause he cleared his throat and squeezed his eyes shut. Rhea couldn’t imagine what painful memories these must be for him. She reached out and pulled one of his hands into her lap, clasping it in both of hers in what she hoped was a comforting gesture for him. He nodded slightly, as if thanking her before he picked up the story again.

            “The fits were practically harmless at first. A twinge of pain here or there, nothing consistent. We thought maybe it was just a lingering sense memory of that first bout. But this pain started to come on stronger, more frequently. It wasn’t wholly consistent—it still isn’t. She has no idea when the pain will come, how strong, or for how long. And this year our uncle decided that it would be best for her to withdraw from Hogwarts…”

            “This was… devastating,” he whispered harshly. “Anne and I… we’ve never really been apart. But we agreed. He’s our guardian, he has our best interests at heart, surely he knows what he’s doing… He wants her to get better, we all do… She’s still visiting St Mungo’s at least… But despite their cheery bedside nature, I can tell they have no idea what to do— how to help her… And as time goes on, I’m afraid my uncle is… I’m afraid he’s going to stop seeking treatment for her.”

            “But he can’t,” Rhea gasped quietly, her voice small.

            “He can,” Sebastian said, his voice hollow. “He gets to decide what’s best for her… He says we’ve no reason to believe a curse like this can be lifted… But we don’t know what this curse even is. If we did, surely they’d be able to do something about it in St Mungo’s…”

            “He believes that curses can’t be broken?” Rhea asked with a frown. “Don’t… don’t curse-breakers exist?”

            Sebastian nodded glumly, “Yes, they do. But they don’t focus on this sort of thing—they’re not healers… Most of them work for Gringotts, for whatever reason…”

            “So that’s what’s so important about the Restricted Section,” Rhea said quietly. “That’s why you’re always sneaking down there.”

            He nodded, almost reluctantly, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his nose carefully. “I… I figured that if she was cursed, where better to look for a way to reverse it? Or to at least figure out what was done to her…”

            “That makes sense,” Rhea said gently, rubbing her thumb over his hand comfortingly.

            “Solomon… my uncle wouldn’t understand. I think he suspects it though—that I’m searching places I probably shouldn’t be for answers,” Sebastian explained, seeming somewhat calmer. “He used to be an auror. He was apparently very good at it… But he won’t tell us what he did… what happened when he left the Ministry. It makes me wonder if he knows more about it than he’s letting on…”

            “You don’t think—” she started to ask, appalled.

            “Oh, Merlin’s beard, no,” Sebastian backpedaled quickly. “He would never—he could never curse Anne like this. He just… I think he understands her condition more than he’s willing to admit. I believe he may have seen this sort of thing before.”

            “Are you able to talk to him about it?” Rhea asked. “Perhaps he’ll tell you if you explain your concerns.”

            Sebastian was already shaking his head before she’d finished speaking, “He won’t listen. He never listens… You remember that first day we went to Hogsmeade, and I was searching for something for Anne?” He glanced at her long enough for her to nod a confirmation that she remembered before he continued speaking, “I went searching for a Shrivelfig. I’d read that they used to be known for having some peculiar healing properties. And I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. So I got one from Dogweed and Deathcap and I sent it to her immediately.”

            “Apparently when it arrived, my dear uncle decided to destroy it,” Sebastian concluded. “He didn’t even give it a chance. I know that it’s a simple thing—it likely wouldn’t work but… what if it did? What if that’s as simple as it is and everyone’s looking for some big cure… and they’re overlooking to obvious solution?”

            “He just… destroyed it?” Rhea frowned, her concern growing. “I don’t understand why he would do that without even considering it…”

            “I don’t either,” Sebastian admitted. “That’s why I’m so worried he’s going to stop actively looking to help her… And Anne doesn’t tell us nearly as much about her daily life as she used to. I’m worried that keeping her all alone here, stuck up in that house all day every day is ultimately making her feel worse. She’s too isolated…”

            “And that’s where I come in, I suppose,” Rhea said quietly.

            Sebastian gave a half-hearted shrug. “Only somewhat. While I do think you and Anne will get along swimmingly, I’m really glad you agreed to visit. It’s been hard coming home alone. My uncle and I don’t really see eye to eye, but it goes a bit deeper than that. We don’t really get along—we never really have. I’m selfishly hoping that showing off my new, responsible, smart friend will get him off my back a little bit.”

            “Are you okay, Bast?” Rhea asked quietly, leaning against the railing and watching him carefully.

            He didn’t answer immediately, looking at his hand that was held in her own as he looked inward carefully. “I think I’m alright… I think I was just taken by surprise. Anne made it sound in her letters like she was getting better, but that one was worse than when I left for school. And Solomon and I were fighting earlier today. He wanted to call this whole thing off—he was mad I invited you without asking him. That didn’t really help…”

            “I don’t mean to make it sound like things are always bad here,” he added. “I love my family, even though we don’t always get along. Ominis is like a brother to us—he’s our family just as much as Solomon is. Hopefully with time, they’ll all see you like family as well.”

            Rhea smiled at the thought of returning to Feldcroft year after year, a nebulous future filled with friends, laughter, and a fully healed Anne. It was a beautiful thought, and she found herself wishing for it to become a reality. She looked at Sebastian and found that he’d finally found the courage to look at her. He still looked a little sad, but there was a ghost of a hopeful smile on his face as he gave a small tug on her hands and nodded back towards the house. It was about time they were getting back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            When the pair reached the house the sun had returned and Ominis and Anne were sitting in the garden playing Gobstones. Rhea sat in a small metal garden chair and watched curiously. She hadn’t played before and was extremely curious about it, though when Ominis got pelted with a rather pungent green goo, any eagerness to learn how to play instantly fled her mind.

            Sebastian sat on the ground beside the pair and smiled at Anne, silently checking in with her. She grinned back reassuringly and handed him the bag of Gobstones before pushing herself to her feet and moving to sit with Rhea at the garden table with a slightly nervous smile.

            “I’m sorry about earlier,” Anne said gently, keeping her voice low as the boys began a rather loud argument over who got to start the game. “I rather think that fit might have been my fault that time. I shouldn’t have tackled Ominis like that— Lots of activity can sometimes bring it on, I find. And I haven’t really been taking it too easy the past few days. Not many exciting things happen around here, so I’ve been really looking forward to this.”

            “I’ve been excited to visit,” Rhea told her honestly. “They really miss you. It’s interesting seeing you all interact.”

            “Well, if these two on their own haven’t driven you mad yet, I reckon the four of us will get on just fine,” Anne said with a laugh. “If things go well, I hope you’ll consider visiting again without these two buffoons.”

            “Perhaps we can convince Poppy to come along as well,” Rhea said. She recalled one of the boys mentioning that Anne and Poppy got along famously.

            “Oh, Poppy,” Anne sighed, sounding a little bittersweet. “I do hope she’s doing well. We were thick as thieves, but now that I’m stuck here, we haven’t had a chance to talk much. She sent me letters over summer, but I haven’t really heard from her recently. Is she okay?”

            “Oh, she’s doing well,” Rhea told her. “She’s just been a bit distracted lately, I think. She pulled out of Crossed Wands this year. Lucan was beside himself when he found out.”

            “She must be a bit more than distracted if that’s the case,” Anne replied. “She loved dueling last year. Sebastian said you’re competing together in Crossed Wands?”

            “Yeah, I joined Crossed Wands a little too late and the solo competition bracket was closed,” Rhea told her. “But Lucan decided to include partnered dueling as its own bracket this year. He paired Sebastian and I up because he’d heard about the troll situation, and we just sort of fell into it. Didn’t really see a reason to swap. Especially since he dropped out of the solo tourna—”

            “Sebastian Sallow!” Anne exclaimed with a loud gasp. The boys both froze and spun to look wide eyed at the girls, uncertain of what was going on. They’d been too wrapped up in their game to notice. “You dropped out of the Crossed Wands solo bracket and you didn’t tell me?”

            Sebastian’s ears went pink as he glanced between Rhea and Anne, trying to find the right thing to say. Rhea was suppressing a grin as he looked at his twin and said, “I don’t have to tell you every single thing that goes on in my life, do I?”

            “When it comes to giving up your dueling title you absolutely do,” Anne countered. “Why on earth did you drop out?”

            “Well, Rhea couldn’t replace Sweeting in the tournament, so I didn’t think there was much of a point,” he explained, as if it were obvious.

            “I don’t follow, Rhea please translate,” Anne said, shaking her head at her brother’s response and looking at Rhea imploringly.

            “When Poppy dropped out it sort of threw the solo tournament out of balance,” Rhea said. “Apparently the charms Lucan uses are a bit stronger than he thought they were. No substitutions, no late entries. Sebastian’s solution when he found out I couldn’t compete was to drop out himself. He’s dead set on winning against me properly. The only issue is he was banking on me actually being able to hold my own in the tournament.”

            “You’re a fearsome duelist, what are you talking about?” Sebastian scoffed.

            “She is carrying their team at the moment,” Ominis said matter-of-factly. “I think she could easily beat Sebastian if she had to.”

            “Well we won’t find out until next year,” Sebastian said. “It’ll be a challenge balancing knocking you out of solos and defending our titles in duos, but I reckon I can make it work.”

            “You’re assuming she’ll want to partner with you again,” Anne said. “When I’m back at Hogwarts I’m going to steal her from you and we’ll put you in your place.”

            “When you’re back at Hogwarts you and Sweeting might make a good pair, actually,” Sebastian said, a frown growing on his face. “I’d sooner convince Natty Onai to take you than lose my dueling partner. You’ll have to duel me for her, I’m afraid.”

            “You would turn me over to the enemy rather than allow Rhea to pick me to be her partner?” Anne asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

            “Rhea could have told me she didn’t want to be my partner,” Sebastian said, raising his hands in a small surrender. “We’ve bonded now. Hard to break that, if you ask me.”

            “I might be convinced,” Rhea said, a playful smile on her face. Sebastian looked at her, his jaw dropping slightly at her words. “Depends on how big his head gets when we win this year.”

            “Can it get any bigger?” Ominis asked, causing his friends to laugh lightly. Sebastian flicked a gobstone into the ring with relish. Rhea couldn’t tell who was winning, but it didn’t matter in any case, as, in the distance, Rhea saw her mother and Solomon Sallow making their way up the hill into the village slowly.

            “How do you reckon that conversation went?” Rhea asked, watching almost nervously. She had no idea why she was so nervous…

            “I’m going to say that it went well,” Anne said matter-of-factly. “They both appear to be in one piece, at the very least.”

            “I think he invited her to stay for dinner,” Sebastian said, glancing over at the approaching pair. “I think he’d feel obliged since she came all this way.”

            “They seem like they’re getting along. I think that was a laugh just there,” Rhea said, sounding hopeful.

            “I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Anne said with a smile as she reached over and patted Rhea’s hand reassuringly. “Besides, I’m not sure Uncle Solomon could say no to me after he’s been essentially holding me prisoner for two months.”

            The four quieted a little bit, watching expectantly as the adults approached. Margaret smiled affectionately at Rhea, who grinned back, offering a small wave. Solomon scanned the four teens appraisingly for a minute, his gaze ending on Anne slightly more critical than for the others.

            “Anne, shouldn’t you be back inside?” he asked. “You’re looking a little peaked. You should be resting.”

            “I’m fine, Uncle Solomon,” she said. “The fresh air and sunshine have been helping.”

            “She did have a little bit of an episode earlier,” Sebastian told the man quietly, though he didn’t turn to look at him. He glanced at Rhea and looked down at the grass, suddenly very interested in a small patch of clovers beneath him. “But it was fairly quick. Nothing to worry about.”

            “And you didn’t think to come and tell me?” Solomon snapped, though he seemed to be holding back. Even Rhea could tell that he was angry. She didn’t need to see Ominis wince, or Anne stiffen to see that. She didn’t need to see how Sebastian’s ears flushed pink or how his knuckles went white as he plucked a handful of clovers out of the earth with a sharp tug. Solomon Sallow was angry with his nephew.

            She bit back a snappish retort, opting to instead look down at her hands nervously though she wanted nothing more than to defend her friend. It was Anne who spoke up, “It passed so quickly that I would have been fine before he got halfway across the square. And he took care of me, just like he always does. You don’t need to worry so much when he’s home, uncle.”

            The man was silent, his jaw clenching as he sent a hard stare at the back of his nephew’s head. Sebastian continued to tear at the grass in front of him, not engaging with the tense situation. Anne continued to be the picture of grace and continued to smooth things over.

            She stood and hurried over, reaching out to pull Rhea’s mother into a hug, introducing herself sweetly. Rhea turned her attention to Solomon, who seemed to feel her gaze on him as he tore his glare from his nephew’s back and met her eye. His gaze cooled slightly as he realized he’d been caught, and he turned to engage with Margaret and Anne who were chatting jovially and glancing over at Rhea as they spoke.

            Rhea looked back to Sebastian whose mood seemed adequately dashed by the interaction. But as if he too could sense her gaze, he looked up and his expression softened. He gave an almost imperceptible shrug as Ominis flicked another gobstone into the ring, accidentally losing the game and spraying himself with more foul smelling liquid. The teens laughed and Rhea’s mother looked on in bewildered amusement at the scene.

            Rhea wasn’t sure how well Sebastian’s plan of getting his uncle off of his back would go, but as long as things kept progressing as they had when the teens were alone, she was expecting to have a wonderful time in Feldcroft.

Chapter Text

            The rest of the visit to Feldcroft passed with little incident. Solomon Sallow did his best to avoid the group of teens, only hovering when his concern for Anne overrode his willpower. Anne, however, went the rest of the trip without any major bouts of pain. There were some small bouts, but they passed quickly, and she didn’t seem as bothered by them as Rhea had expected based on that first day.

            “I can’t believe you lot are abandoning me,” Anne said sourly as the four trudged down to the inn. Sebastian was walking with his arm around his twin, enjoying the closeness before they were separated once more.

            “We’d take you with us if we thought we’d be able to get away with it,” Ominis told her kindly. “I’m afraid your uncle would likely take great pleasure in storming the castle to get you back, though.”

            “I think he started to warm up to me a little bit,” Rhea said. “But that’s not really saying much, I don’t think.”

            “He’s not a warm person,” Sebastian said, as if that should have been reassuring.

            “He likes me well enough now,” Ominis added, “but it took quite a while to reach that point. I wouldn’t take him being standoffish as a bad sign or anything.”

            “Don’t worry,” Anne continued, holding Rhea’s hand and swinging it back and forth as they walked. “I’m going to constantly tell him how much I enjoyed your visit. Maybe he’ll let you come back for our birthday in a few weeks. That would be such fun!”

            “December 8^th, right?” Rhea asked, shooting Sebastian a small smile. “I’m sure we might be able to arrange something.”

            “I also am going to start begging him to let me visit the castle at Christmas,” Anne said with a wistful sigh. “There’s no way I’m going to miss the Yule Ball again, that’s absolutely out of the question. And I really think that this visit may have proven to him that I am still capable of doing things and living a semi-normal life in spite of my illness…”

            “If it means you get to visit, I’ll stop getting detentions—if you think it’ll sway Solomon,” Sebastian said earnestly. “I’d love to see you back at Hogwarts.”

            “You turning over a new leaf would certainly go a long way, I think,” Anne told him with a smile as they squeezed through the door of the inn, releasing Rhea’s hand to wave at Mr. Green. The man nodded and gestured to the back room. “And, you know, it probably would just be really good for you to avoid getting in trouble regardless. I’m not there to take detentions for you anymore.”

            When they reached the Floo room, Ominis bade a fond farewell to Anne, hugging her tightly before stepping into the fireplace and heading back to the Three Broomsticks. Anne watched the flames flicker and die before turning to Rhea with a wide smile on her face.

            “I can’t thank you enough for coming here to meet me,” Anne said, reaching forward and taking both of Rhea’s hands in hers. “Please, please write to me. My brothers don’t write nearly as much as they should, and I have to admit that it’s nice to have another young woman who understands just how ridiculous those two can be. And, if it’s not too much trouble, please watch over my twin; he sometimes gets himself in over his head and needs help sorting things through.”

            Rhea glanced at Sebastian, remembering his tearful breakdown at the start of the trip, before focusing back on Anne. “I promise I’ll write soon,” she said reassuringly. “And I’ll do my best to keep him out of trouble where I can. No promises about Ominis—though both of you have sold him as a bit of a troublemaker and I’m not sure I believe you. He hasn’t gotten into trouble once since I’ve known him.”

            “Oh, then you could actually stand to drag him into a little bit more trouble, I think,” Anne said with a grin, glancing at Sebastian with a mischievous smile. She leaned forward and gave Rhea a tight hug before releasing her to step through the fireplace.

            When the flames had died once more Anne turned to Sebastian with a serious look on her face. It almost took him by surprise, given her tender goodbye with Rhea. Anne could often be quite serious, but the sudden switch was quite unusual as far as he knew.

            “Sebastian, you cannot lose her,” Anne said firmly. “I really like her, and I want to keep her around as long as possible. She is exactly what you lot needed this year. And now you’ve made a point of getting me to like her too—I’m not willing to stop being her friend if you decide to have a falling out with her at any point.”

            “Merlin’s beard, Anne,” Sebastian said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I thought you were about to tell me you hated her.”

            “Seb, I’m being serious,” Anne said. “I know you and Ominis never really warmed up all the way to Poppy, but I can see how much you both like Rhea—you especially. I haven’t seen you so happy to be back home— to the point that I don’t want to see you any other way. Just… look after yourself…”

            “I am happy, Anne,” Sebastian said, his ears turning a bit red. He pointedly ignored the narrowed eye stare Anne was giving him as she noticed the tell. “And if coming back to Feldcroft means seeing you, I’ll always be happy to come home.”

            “Seb, it’s different,” Anne said, watching him appraisingly. “I can tell something’s different this time.”

            Sebastian wasn’t sure what she was trying to get at. Of course things were different—Rhea was new. She’d never met Anne, she’d never been to Feldcroft, she was a breath of fresh air. He supposed she could mean that they’d never brought any of their friends home before but—and he kicked himself as he thought it—it was different with Rhea. She was one of his best friends—hell, she was becoming one of Ominis’s best friends. It only stood to reason that she’d become one of Anne’s too, if given the chance. He’d just wanted to give them that opportunity. There wasn’t anything more to it.

            But he didn’t know how to explain any of that to Anne, so he simply agreed and pulled his twin into a long hug. This part was always the hardest—leaving. He’d only had to do it a few times, but leaving Anne behind—be it in St Mungo’s or safe at home in Feldcroft—was always difficult for him. They grew up side by side—they weren’t meant to be apart. They needed each other, and he felt like he was abandoning her. But he promised to keep out of trouble and to write more often and stepped into the fireplace, watching his sister disappear in a flash of green.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Okay, so let me get this straight,” Poppy said quietly, putting her quill down gingerly. “You two broke into the home of Theophilus Harlow to steal a letter?”

            Rhea nodded, a grim look on her face as she glanced around the library, making sure that there weren’t any sneaky listeners hiding among the shelves. Natty remained unbothered, completely relaxed as she leaned over the table conspiratorially, an almost smug look on her face as she met Poppy’s steady gaze.

            “And you thought that was a good idea?” Poppy asked, looking between the two girls questioningly.

            Natty leaned back slightly and rolled her eyes, a wry smile replacing the smug expression as she raised an eyebrow at Rhea instead of responding, leaving it up to the Ravenclaw to explain.

            “Only one of us thought it was a good idea,” Rhea told Poppy, giving Natty a pointed look. “One of us ran off without telling anyone and the other got roped in because there was no point turning back without the one who ran off.”

            “I didn’t just run off!” Natty said, her jaw dropping slightly as she scoffed. “I left a letter with very clear instructions.”

            “With Ominis and Sebastian,” Rhea pointed out. “They were extremely confused and concerned—”

            “Oh, that’s sweet!” Poppy interjected, a soft smile on her face as she waited for Rhea to continue.

            “And by the time I found them, they were about ready to go and find your mum!” Rhea exclaimed quietly. “Not only did I have to convince them to not turn you in immediately, I have to convince them that it was a good idea for me to go after you. And on top of that I had to sneak out, steal a broom from Kogawa, and fly all the way in the dark to a place I’d never heard of before.”

            “I basically did the same thing,” Natty said, though it was a tougher sell. “But anyways, we got in and we got the letter in one piece.”

            “Barely,” Rhea added. “I set a bunch of beasts free, and I found an obscene number of galleons—is it really stealing if you’re taking money off poachers?”

            “I don’t think it’s stealing,” Poppy said firmly. “You should have taken more.”

            “That isn’t even the best part!” Natty said. “Tell her, Rhea!”

            Rhea grinned and said, “When we’d done what we went there to do, we raced up to the top of the tower where we had overhead they were taking a beast that had escaped. I reach the top and low and behold—Highwing is there.”

            “Highwing got captured?” Poppy asked, her hand slamming on the table in shock. “Is that why she didn’t show up?”

            “That’s exactly it,” Rhea said quickly. “That’s why she was acting so weird before she disappeared. And she didn’t show up when I went to check on her for you after you left. So it was a bit surprising when we found out she was there—obviously I didn’t really have time to explain to Natty what was going on—but we got her out. Or rather, she got us out with another Hippogriff. It was almost too exciting. Harlow wasn’t holding back…”

            “I don’t know if that’s a good thing…” Poppy frowned, glancing worriedly at Natty, who seemed unconcerned about the risk.

            “I know that’s not a good thing,” Rhea said emphatically. “But now that Natty’s gotten that letter to Officer Singer, we don’t have to worry anymore. It’s out of our hands and she can go ahead and open an investigation and get the Ministry involved. Right Natty?”

            The Gryffindor nodded half-heartedly and shrugged. “Yes, yes, it’s in Officer Singer’s hands now, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

            They turned back to their respective notes, preparing for their semester exams which were fast approaching after the late half-term break. This didn’t last long, however, as Poppy gave a loud sigh and put her quill down once more and declared, “I don’t think I can focus on revision right now.”

            “Is it about Highwing?” Rhea asked absent-mindedly, flipping a page of the Divination book in front of her. She wondered if it would be appropriate for her to utilize her connection to Percival Rackham to give her advice on the class. He was a noted Seer—perhaps he could tell her what the best method to take her essay on the nine uses of tea leaves was.

            “No, actually, it’s about the Yule Ball,” Poppy said, a slightly nervous tremor entering her voice.

            Rhea glanced up, confused, “That’s the second time I’ve heard someone mention that—what’s the Yule Ball?”

            “Oh, it’s lovely!” Poppy exclaimed, turning in her seat to address Rhea more head on. She was bouncing slightly in her excitement. “Every year at Christmastime the school puts on the Yule Ball for the students to celebrate the holidays, the end of exams, and half a school year gone by. It used to be part of something called the Triwizard Tournament—but they discontinued that a long time ago.”

            “Tournament?” Rhea asked. “Like a school wide thing?”

            “Multiple wizarding schools, actually,” Natty explained. “Each school would submit eligible students’ names to the Goblet of Fire and it would select a champion for each school. Those students would then compete, and the victor won the Triwizard Cup. The Yule Ball used to be a way to create camaraderie between the schools outside of friendly competition. After it was decided that the Tournament wouldn’t continue anymore, the headmaster and professors decided to continue putting on the ball. Some people think it was for the benefit of the students, but I think the professors just liked to let loose a little bit.”

            “Who doesn’t love a Ball?” Poppy giggled. “Dancing, good food, Christmas…”

            “But that also comes with the problem of finding people to dance with,” Natty said with a grimace. “And finding something nice to wear. And dealing with the cold and the snow.”

            “Do you not like winter, Natty?” Rhea asked with a frown. “Those other two points seem actually relevant— but the cold and the snow? That seems personal.”

            “Winter is fine,” Natty said with a scrunched face, “I just don’t like to be cold. I’d rather stay nice and warm by the fire than go out into the snow. It’s beautiful enough from the safety of remaining indoors in my opinion.”

            “The ball happens indoors though,” Poppy pointed out. “You’ll definitely stay warm.”

            “I think I’m actually excited for the Yule Ball,” Rhea mused as she turned back to the text in front of her. “I mean, it would be quite nice if someone decided to ask me, but I’d be just as happy to go alone for the experience. I’m sure I could dance with either of you if I wanted to. And you don’t have to go with someone to be asked to dance, you know?”

            “I think anyone would like to be asked,” Poppy agreed. “I certainly would. But you’re right. We’ll all still be able to spend the evening together anyway. And if any of us get asked, we can try and help find each other someone else to go with! A pact of sorts.”

            “I think if I’m going to attend with anyone, I will be doing the asking,” Natty said, pausing mid-sentence on her essay as the tip of her quill broke. She let out a small curse and set about fixing the issue. “Why should I wait to be asked by someone I might not want to go with when I could just ask the person I do want to go with instead?”

            “Do you have someone in mind already, Natty?” Poppy asked, leaning forward eagerly, her essay entirely forgotten for the moment.

            “Well, no,” Natty frowned. “I’ve been too preoccupied with tracking down evidence against Harlow. Perhaps it would just be better if we went as a group with our friends.”

            “There’s seriously no one you would want to go with?” Poppy asked with a frown. “Even if you had some time to think about it?”

            “Not really,” Natty said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t have a reason not to be honest with you about this.” She paused, eyeing the eager Hufflepuff up and down for a moment. “Why?”

            “No reason,” Poppy tried to deny, turning pink now that Natty was turning the conversation on her.

            “I don’t know if I believe that,” Rhea said with a laugh.

            “No, I think she’s hiding something,” Natty grinned leaning forward and looking eagerly at Poppy. “You fancy someone, don’t you?”

            “No!” Poppy exclaimed, the blush deepening as Rhea turned to look at her closely as well, suddenly very interested in the conversation. “Not really—”

            “Not really?” Natty asked with a disbelieving laugh. “That sounds like deflection to me. Tell us—we won’t tell another soul, Poppy.”

            “You can trust us,” Rhea said gently. “But if you really don’t want to tell us you don’t have to. It’ll drive us mad, of course, but we won’t push you. Or, at least, I won’t. I make no promises for Natty.”

            Poppy looked between her two friends nervously before looking down at her hands, picking at the bent corner of her parchment thoughtfully. “Well… I guess… I guess I’d rather like it if Sebastian were to ask me,” she admitted sheepishly, her voice somehow quieter than before. “I just think he’s very kind and—and nice to look at…”

            “You fancy Sebastian?” Rhea asked, barely managing to reel her shock back into mild surprise.

            “He’s always so nice to me,” Poppy said. “He always tries to check in and make sure that I’m doing alright. And he’s so witty and charming. Sometimes the way he talks… I don’t know, it just feels like maybe he might fancy me back.”

            “Well, does he?” Natty asked, turning to Rhea.

            It took Rhea a moment to realize what Natty was asking. At first she hadn’t even clocked that Natty had been asking her at all. “Pardon?” she asked, a deep frown popping up onto her face at the inquiry. Why should she know that?

            “You and Sebastian are good friends—surely he’d tell you if he fancied anyone,” Natty explained, as if the line of thinking was actually quite obvious. At the notion of a potential answer, Poppy perked up and gave Rhea a hopeful look.

            “We don’t talk about stuff like that,” Rhea said quietly, glancing uncomfortably back at her textbook, feeling her friends' eyes continue to bore into her. “We mostly study, if I’m being completely honest. He does think you’re very fun to talk to though, if that’s any indication.”

            “That’s a good start!” Natty said encouragingly, leaning across the table to poke Poppy with a cheeky sort of grin. “You should try and find out more, Rhea. And who knows, maybe he’ll ask you for advice on whether or not Poppy fancies him or not!”

            “That would… certainly be something” Rhea mused, glancing at her friends to try and make it seem less like she was bothered by the current conversation. “I think he talks to Ominis about that sort of stuff… probably.”

            “Oh, well, what about you Rhea?” Poppy asked, a pleased little smile on her face that only grew as she managed to foist the focus of the conversation onto Rhea instead. “Is there anyone you fancy?”

            “Oh, er,” Rhea paused, genuinely stopping to think for a moment. It wasn’t the sort of thing that had really crossed her mind before. At least, not at Hogwarts. She barely had time to get a full night’s sleep between homework, classes, extra assignments, keeping Natty in check, and learning about ancient magic—let alone any time to consider pursuing any form of romance. “I suppose I’d say yes to going to the Yule Ball with anyone, if I thought we would have a pleasant time. But I don’t really fancy anyone. I don’t have the time.”

            “Oh that’s so boring,” Natty chided.

            “You essentially said the same thing!” Rhea protested, a small tick of annoyance bubbling inside her at the criticism.

            “Well, what if you were doing the asking?” Poppy asked. “If you could have the pick of absolutely anyone—who might you ask to go to the Yule Ball with you?”

            Rhea looked back and forth between her friends uncertainly. For the first time, she felt as though she couldn’t truly be honest with them. As much as she didn’t want to lie to them, she felt as though she didn’t really have a choice—not with them staring at her like that. She wanted to be honest. She knew that she had a preference. She knew who she’d like to ask to the ball— who she’d like to ask her to the ball.

            But she’d seen the way Poppy’s face had lit up when she’d talked about Sebastian. And they were becoming such good friends now. There was no way she was going to look that kind and gentle and hopeful girl in the eye and tell her that she’d ask the boy Poppy fancied to the ball if she had to make a choice. She just couldn’t.

            “Ominis,” Rhea finally heard herself say. “If I had to do the asking, I suppose it would be him. We’re getting to be quite good friends. We’re getting along much better now than we did at the start of the year. I imagine we would probably have a really good time if we went together.”

            “Oh, he’s very cute,” Poppy said lightly, nodding encouragingly.

            “And he’s very smart,” Natty added. “I think you two would be a good match!”

            “I didn’t say I fancied him,” Rhea felt the need to repeat very clearly. “All I said was that if I had to ask someone to the ball, that I’d maybe consider asking him. But that doesn’t matter anyway because I would prefer to be asked to go.”

            “Well, I think we should work together to find each other people to go with,” Natty said matter-of-factly. “If we put our minds to it, I’m sure we can find people to make all of us happy. And we already have two down! Now we just need to help them realize what they need to do.”

            “It would be so fun if we all got to go with someone we fancied,” Poppy agreed.

            “Again, I never said I fancied him!” Rhea exclaimed, feeling as though her friends were completely ignoring everything she was trying to say.

            “Oi, keep it down over here, some of us are trying to study, Rhea,” Sebastian scolded teasingly as he slid into the empty seat on Rhea’s other side.

            While he was rifling through his bag to get out his supplies, the three girls exchanged furtive glances, trying to communicate silently. For the first time, Rhea spotted a nervous smile on Poppy’s face when she glanced sheepishly at Sebastian. How in the world had she never noticed it before? Sweeting was absolutely smitten!

            “So what did I interrupt over here?” he asked, leaning over to swipe the book Rhea had been using. “You three were doing an awful lot of whispering and now you’re silent as the grave.”

            Rhea leaned over and pulled the book he’d stolen back in between them, forcing her focus back onto her essay as best she could. She looked at her essay and gave a short sigh before rather aggressively scratching out an entire sentence as she read over her work ignoring his question rather pointedly.

            “We were talking about the Yule Ball,” Poppy said. “Are… you excited?”

            Sebastian paused for a moment before saying, “To be fully candid, I sort of forgot it was coming up. I feel like it should be much earlier in the year right now. And I’ve been trying to decide when I can next go and visit Anne—she says hello, Poppy, by the way—but I suppose I’ll be excited for the ball once I’m there.”

            “Are you planning on asking anyone?” Natty followed up quickly, watching the boy carefully. Rhea winced slightly—she certainly wasn’t being subtle about any of this. Sebastian glanced at Rhea and Poppy, who were both deeply absorbed in their essays by that point. Natty couldn’t be certain if Sebastian was looking at the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, though, much to her displeasure.

            “Considering I forgot all about it until exactly thirty seconds ago, not really,” Sebastian laughed, shaking his head, still glancing to his right at the other two girls. “But I might try and see if I’d be allowed to bring Anne. Christmas at Hogwarts has always been her favorite, and I know it would lift her spirits to come and visit. Might be able to convince Solomon to come up to Hogsmeade for the holiday for once. Actually spend it as a family, you know?”

            “That’s a wonderful idea, Sebastian,” Rhea smiled fondly, dipping her quill into the inkwell carefully. “It would be so nice to see her in her element.”

            “I really miss her,” Poppy sighed in agreement. “Has she been feeling any better, Sebastian? How was she over break? Did you have a good time visiting?”

            Sebastian almost winced at the line of questioning and Rhea paused mid-sentence, shooting him a concerned look for a prolonged moment before continuing her essay, seemingly satisfied that he was going to be able to respond well.

            “Some days are better than others, of course,” Sebastian said evasively. “And the visit was just lovely. It was nice to be home, if even for a little bit. And bringing Rhea to meet her seemed to put her into good spirits, certainly.”

            “Oh, you went to Feldcroft, too?” Poppy asked, surprised, glancing at Rhea questioningly. Rhea supposed she must not have mentioned the trip to her friends. It just hadn’t really crossed her mind. But then again, that was also before she realized Poppy fancied Sebastian.

            “Yes, I did,” Rhea said honestly. “Sebastian thought that it would cheer Anne up. I was glad to meet her—I think we’re going to be excellent friends.”

            “It’s just a bit of a head start for when she comes back to school,” Sebastian told Poppy. “I’m thinking of seeing if Professor Weasley might set up a Field Guide for Anne, like she’s done with Rhea to help catch her up.”

            “Oh, and then she could take her O.W.L.s with the fifth years!” Poppy exclaimed eagerly. “And we could all help her study since we won’t have any exams except the normal ones if she manages to come back next year!”

            “And we’ll all have passed with flying colors!” Natty concluded.

            A chorus of shushes echoed through their section of the Library as Poppy and Natty laughed and planned quietly, leaving Sebastian and Rhea to share a worried look.

Chapter Text

            Several days later, Sebastian rushed into the Undercroft, his jaw set in determination as he thought through the study session conversation that he’d cut short earlier in the week. Those girls had been acting strangely and he wanted nothing more than to figure out why. He’d have normally gone to Anne to try and figure that sort of thing out, but it would take too long for his letter explaining it all to reach her, unfortunately. And he couldn’t exactly ask Rhea about it outright—there was a reason they had all gotten so quiet when he’d joined them. And the root of it, he’d decided, was very simple.

            “My dear Ominis— I have been thinking—” he started.

Ominis let out a sharp cackle and shook his head as he quipped, “Well that sentence never ends well, does it?”

“Hilarious. It seems the Yule Ball is coming up fairly soon,” Sebastian said drily, ignoring his friend’s teasing. “Well, not soon, but soon enough that we’ll have to start actually thinking about it before long. So the question now is what are we going to do?”

            “We never think about the ball, though? Why should we start now?” Ominis asked confusion crossing his face as Sebastian joined him in the comfort area of the Undercroft.

            “Well, the girls were apparently discussing it when I went to meet them in the library the other day,” Sebastian said with an uncertain shrug. “I didn’t really think much of it, but something kept nagging at me: Natty wanted to know if I planned on asking anyone to go with me…”

            “You don’t think Onai—”

            “No, no,” Sebastian said, waving away the thought as quickly as he could. “Natty would never be caught wanting to go to the ball with me. Absolutely not.”

            “Well, then who else was there?” Ominis asked, indulging his friend’s curiosity despite his better judgement.

            “Er, Rhea and Poppy, actually,” Sebastian told him rather pointedly, much to the Gaunt’s displeasure.

            “Maybe Natty was asking for one of them,” Ominis suggested with a small shrug, trying not to give away any sign of discomfort.

            “Well, they did get awfully quiet when I showed up…”

            “So maybe one of them fancies you, I don’t know,” Ominis said, sounding slightly tense.

            “Well, it can’t be Rhea,” Sebastian said, shaking his head slightly, his frustration growing. Why couldn’t this just be simple? “I feel like I would have noticed if that were the case by now.” Despite himself, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the thought, but he shooed it away. Ominis chuckled, shaking his head, but he didn’t respond. “And I mean, it can’t be Sweeting. Not a chance.”

            “You don’t have to…” Ominis started, letting out an exasperated huff when his words failed him. “You don’t have to pretend that she fancies me. I know she doesn’t.”

            “Well she could for all we know,” Sebastian pointed out. “You’d have a better idea of it if you’d actually talk to her more often. Oh—that gives me an idea—what if we asked Rhea to do a little snooping for us?”

            “I don’t want to talk to you about Sweeting—what makes you think I’d talk to Rhea about her?” Ominis asked sharply. “I’ve still never admitted to liking her as anything more than a pleasant acquaintance or classmate.”

            “Ominis, if ever there was a time to admit how you feel about someone, it’s by inviting them to a ball,” Sebastian said matter-of-factly. “And I mean, I could ask Rhea hypothetically if Sweeting’s interested in anyone we know.”

            “Don’t you think that would make her think you like Sweeting?” Ominis asked with a frown. “I’m not… I just think that perhaps that might not be what you want to try. What with your silly little crush on Rhea…”

            “Are you still on that?” Sebastian laughed, though he was feeling anything but amused. “How many times have I got to tell you that she’s just a wonderful friend?”

            “I’m afraid you aren’t going to convince me otherwise,” Ominis said. “You know Anne was even asking me about it? I feel like that says more than I can about it.”

            “Well that’s just silly,” Sebastian said, unable to think of a better response.

            “Look, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here—even if you don’t fancy Rhea, getting her to think that someone fancies Poppy by asking in a roundabout way is going to make her think that you’re the one who fancies Sweeting,” Ominis said with a sigh, sitting up as he tried to make his case.

            “I just… Ominis, if you fancy Sweeting you should ask her to the ball,” Sebastian repeated. “Just consider it. I really do think she fancies you.”

            “And on that note, I’m going to go for a walk so I don’t have to sit here and be harassed about a girl I definitely do not fancy,” Ominis grumbled, hauling himself to his feet and making his way out of the Undercroft, his good mood officially soured.

            As he was exiting the secret passage, he heard a startled gasp and his heart sank into the floor. Of course now would be the one time he got caught leaving the Undercroft. Just what he needed to top off his bad day.

            “Ominis, you startled me—wait, are you alright?”

            Ominis let out a sigh of relief, “Merlin’s bloody beard, Rhea—you about gave me a heart attack!”

            “I’m sorry—I wasn’t expecting you to be leaving at the same time I was on my way in!” Rhea said defensively. “I guess you aren’t doing alright, then?”

            “No, actually, I’m not—” Ominis huffed, “And thank you so much for sending Sebastian into a tizzy over all this Yule Ball stuff.”

            “He’s in a tizzy?” Rhea half laughed, uncertain she could picture it.

            “Oh yes he’s down there plotting away, looking for ways to get under my skin and upset the balance we all hold so dear at this school,” Ominis said, shaking his head, beginning to walk away.

            “That seems a little dramatic, no?” Rhea asked, turning to walk with him a bit.

            “I don’t care if it’s dramatic,” Ominis sighed. “Just go and see for yourself, I’m sure he’s going to talk to you about it as well. His impulse control isn’t good enough to listen to good sense from one person. Maybe you’ll have more luck getting—”

            “Oi, Ominis—” Sebastian called, having remembered something else he’d wanted to say. He faltered slightly when he spotted Rhea, but continued on, shoving Ominis’s theories to the back of his mind. “Hey!” he said cheerily, smiling at her, “You looking for me?”

            “We have Crossed Wands in fifteen minutes, so yes, I was—but what have you done? You’ve upset Ominis here,” Rhea said, gesturing to the young man who was rubbing his eyes in exasperation.

            “I—” Sebastian started before snapping his mouth shut with a glance at Ominis’s sudden warning glare behind Rhea’s back. “I’ve done… nothing… wrong…” he said slowly before turning on his heel and hurrying in the direction of the clock tower courtyard.

            Rhea’s brow furrowed in confusion as she turned back to Ominis, but the boy was already walking quickly in the opposite direction, his wand flashing rapidly as he sped down the stairs and out of sight. With a confused shake of her head, Rhea turned to follow Sebastian but ran into a sturdy block.

            “Oh, sorry about that!” Garreth exclaimed, quickly reaching out to steady Rhea. “Absolutely my fault, that! Anyways—are you on your way to Crossed Wands now?”

            “Yeah,” Rhea said, stepping around him to try and see if it would be possible to catch up with Sebastian. She was concerned; he would often change topics quickly, especially when a lot was on his mind, and for some reason he’d seemed particularly keen to avoid that conversation. But the door was already swinging shut behind him and she reluctantly fell into step beside Garreth instead.

            “You know, I haven’t really gotten a chance to speak to you since that day we all went to Hogsmeade a few weeks ago—I hope you had a good break,” Garreth was saying. “I had a fantastic break myself, actually. I got a hold of so many Fwooper feathers, so you won’t have to run any untoward errands for me anytime soon—well unless—"

            The boy was tall and lanky, bouncing as he walked, as if there were springs in his shoes. Very different than the rest of her friends. And he was chatty. She tried her best to focus as he spoke to her, attempting to push Ominis’ and Sebastian’s strange behavior towards the back of her mind for the time being, thought it was a difficult task.

            “—And so Natty and I think that we’re going to do pretty well today at Crossed Wands; I didn’t get a peek at who you two were dueling against, but I’m sure you and Sallow are going to have absolutely no trou—”

            He really did just… keep going. Rhea wondered if he realized that she hadn’t said a single word to him since he’d asked if she was on her way to Crossed Wands. It didn’t seem as if he did, however, as he continued to prattle on without any encouragement. It was almost a talent, she thought, and one she sometimes wished she had, at that.

            “And so I guess I was just wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer with me sometime?” Garreth concluded, pausing before the entrance to the Crossed Wands headquarters. He turned to face her, twirling his wand lazily in one hand, the other casually in his pocket, the picture of effortless confidence.

            Rhea blinked for a moment in silent shock before she said, “I’m sorry?”

            Garreth shifted, his rather cocky smile faltering slightly before he repeated, “Would you possibly want to go to Hogsmeade this weekend and have a butterbeer with me?”

            “Oh—I—” Rhea started when the door burst open, startling the pair of students as they turned to look at the source of the interruption.

            “Rhea, we’re up—apparently we didn’t have fifteen minutes until Crossed Wands,” Sebastian told her. He glanced at Garreth, who was doing his best to not appear shaken, though he was glancing at Rhea as if he wanted to say something. Sebastian frowned slightly; he hadn’t seen this sort of reaction out of Garreth before, so he then said, “Alright Weasley?”

            Garreth turned to him and gave him a half-hearted grin as he said, “Never better, Sallow.” He slipped through the door but turned back to say, “Just have a think on it and let me know later, Rhea!”

            Sebastian frowned at Garreth’s retreating back as Rhea stepped past him into the room. He touched her arm lightly and quietly asked, “What’s that about?”

            “It’s nothing,” Rhea said evasively, and Sebastian could have sworn that her cheeks were flushed pink from more than just the cold mid-November air. “He had a question about this weekend—but it can wait. We have a duel to get to, yeah?”

            “What’s this weekend?” Sebastian asked curiously as they made their way into the chamber with the other duelists slated to compete that day.

            “Nothing,” Rhea said evasively, shaking her head. “Maybe—I don’t know.”

            “Well that makes it sound like some—” Sebastian started before he felt a gentle hand on his arm. He turned, mid-sentence to find himself face to face with Adelaide Oakes.

            She was smiling delicately and there was a faint blush on her cheeks as she greeted him. She tucked a stray golden lock behind her ear as she said, “Good luck in your duel today.” Her large blue eyes were shining as she met his brown-eyed gaze almost shyly.

            “Thank you—” he said, surprised by the interaction. He and Adelaide weren’t friends, and she hadn’t really spoken to him outside of class since she first rejected him when he’d singed off his eyebrows. He couldn’t help noticing that she was still just as pretty now—perhaps more so—than she had been back then. “Your duel was really impressive as well—congrats on your win.”

            “That’s high praise coming from the likes of you,” she said, beaming radiantly. “So, I don’t really want to keep you long, but I was just wondering—well, I know it’s a bit of a ways off right now— but would you maybe like to go to the Yule Ball with me this year?”

            Sebastian was almost too stunned to speak. In an instant, his hands grew clammy, and his heart raced faster than he was used to. He was partially transported back to that memory—asking her to the Three Broomsticks, just the two of them. Except instead of dread filling his mind he felt… almost excited? Something tugged at the back of his mind and twisted a knot in his stomach, but he knew that he needed to give her an answer quickly. He didn’t have time to figure out what was wrong.

            “Bast—it’s time, come on,” Rhea called.

            Sebastian felt a wave of relief rush through him at the sound of her voice and the spell was broken. He gave Adelaide an apologetic smile and said, “I’m so sorry—I have to go for the moment, but I’ll talk to you later, if that’s alright?”

            If the Hufflepuff was rattled, she didn’t show it, offering him a glittering and gracious smile as she wished him luck once more before slipping off into the spectator room. Sebastian spun quickly away and hurried toward Rhea, shedding his outer robe as was custom, tossing it on top of where Rhea’s was already carefully folded.

            “What did Adelaide want?” Rhea asked quietly as Lucan began inspecting their opponents’ wands.

            “She, uh, she… asked me to the Yule Ball,” he told her, finding himself searching Rhea’s face for any indication of what was going on behind her grey eyes. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and knitted slightly together. He frowned slightly, unable to tell if it was a look of concern, confusion, or anger. He wasn’t sure which he wanted it to be most.

            She opened her mouth to respond but suddenly Lucan was standing between them, holding out his hand impatiently for their wands and Rhea’s jaw snapped shut. Sebastian swallowed hard and offered his wand to Lucan once he’d finished with Rhea’s, his ears burning red as his mind raced.

            Why had Adelaide chosen then to ask him? Since when did she even fancy him? Why was he so nervous about it? He’d barely been nervous when he tried to ask her out and she’d rejected him. This somehow felt… worse?

            But then there was Rhea, who, for whatever reason, seemed distressed by the situation in a way that Sebastian just couldn’t understand. It wasn’t like her to respond like this; she always had something witty to say.

            Why didn’t she say anything? But what could he want her to say to that? She didn’t seem happy, whatever the case. But also why had she been so evasive about Weasley? He’d been acting strangely before as well… Did he ask her to Yule Ball? That knot was back in his stomach, and he was really starting to hate it.

            He was… spiraling. He was spiraling and he couldn’t figure out why.

            As he turned to take his position, he felt Rhea’s hand on his shoulder and he turned, worried at what he might find there. But her expression had softened significantly. The unfamiliar emotion he’d seen was still there, but there was also the usual glimmer of determination she got before a duel.

            “That took me by surprise,” she said quietly, her voice calm as she fixed him with a steady gaze. “I’m sorry. You seem to be a bit shaken. But that’s okay. Put it away for the moment—right now we have a duel to win, okay?”

            Sebastian nodded slightly, “We’re okay?”

            A bewildered look crossed her face as she smiled slightly at the question, “We’re always okay, Bast.”

            And the tense knot in his stomach released. He nodded again, a ghost of a smile crossing his face as he moved into position, his wand at the ready. She took up her place nearby, still and stoic, her gaze fixed firmly on the poor souls in front of them. Despite that confusing little hiccup, both knew that together, they were unstoppable.

Chapter Text

            With another opponent team knocked out of the tournament, Rhea and Sebastian were riding high when they left Crossed Wands, their previous uncomfortable situation all but forgotten. It was a short lived moment of relief however, as a rather pretty Hufflepuff sidled up on Sebastian’s other side, asking to pull him for a little chat to continue their previous conversation.

            Sebastian shot Rhea a slightly panicked look, but she just gave him a half-hearted smile and slipped away, glancing back uncertainly as he reluctantly turned to speak to his former crush. He put a friendly smile on his face and felt his stomach drop a little as she matched his expression, a hopeful glint shining in her eyes.

            “As expected, that was a really great duel,” she complimented. “I rather think I’m a little nervous to go up against you both next semester.”

            “Oh, did Lucan release the rest of the semester’s bracket lineups then?” Sebastian asked, surprise dawning on his face.

            Adelaide laughed slightly and shook her head, “No, but we don’t usually have Crossed Wands during revision period and that’s only a week or so away at this point. And the Ball is a little more than a month away… I suppose I did ask a little early—but I hope you find it flattering. If I’m honest, I was a bit nervous that someone else might ask you, or you might ask someone else before I got the chance.”

            Sebastian’s ears felt hot and he knew that he was blushing. Last year this would have been an incredible moment for him. So he wasn’t sure why exactly he wasn’t feeling as enthusiastic now. Even when she’d asked him before the duel, he’d at least felt a little bit eager. He was flattered, yes; she was spot on with that one. It was nice to be asked, certainly. So why was he so reluctant to talk about it?

            “You seemed a little… surprised,” Adelaide prompted when he didn’t immediately respond to her first hint.

            “I was,” Sebastian said, searching for a reason to avoid answering right away. “I suppose I thought that maybe you were trying it on as a way to distract me before my duel. Trying to get me out of the competition.”

            Her eyes went wide and she immediately began to apologize, “Oh, no! That hadn’t even crossed my mind once! I’m so sorry—but it seemed like you and Rhea had things properly in hand. I’m surprised the Golden Graphorns lasted as long as they did!”

            Sebastian let out a laugh and glanced over at the other end of the bridge where Rhea had been cornered by Garreth Weasley. She looked like she was trying very hard to pay attention to whatever inane babble the Gryffindor was spouting this time. All the same she was laughing and smiling along with the boy. “Well, according to Ominis, Rhea has been carrying us through the competition. I couldn’t ask for a better dueling partner.”

            “She’s proper vicious,” Adelaide said, glancing at Rhea with a small frown before focusing back on Sebastian. “She and Garreth look pretty close, don’t you think?”

            “I don’t know about that,” Sebastian said, a slightly confused frown growing on his face at the statement. “They’re not exactly friends… not really.”

            “Oh, I more just meant it looks like they’re getting along well,” Adelaide explained. “Nellie thinks he’s going to ask her to the Ball, so I thought that they must be close.”

            “I mean, you don’t have to be close to someone to ask them to the ball,” Sebastian said, though it didn’t exactly make him feel any better. Not that he was feeling negatively about anything. He just didn’t think Rhea would be interested in going anywhere with Garreth Weasley.

            “Exactly,” Adelaide said, her smile returning. “So… What do you think about my proposal?”

            Sebastian hesitated, bringing his focus back to the blond in front of him nervously. “Well, I suppose I’m just a bit surprised is all. After last year, I sort of wasn’t expecting this. To be completely honest though, I’m going to be talking to Professor Weasley to see if she’ll allow me to bring Anne so she can see all her friends, since she can’t be here for school this year. So I’m afraid I’m not really looking to find a date just yet.”

            “Oh, that’s alright,” Adelaide said, a smile on her face though it was obvious that she was feeling dejected as her shoulders slumped slightly. “I suppose that makes sense. It would be good to see Anne—and if you change your mind, my invitation still stands. No harm done, Sebastian.”

            She turned with another small smile and hurried off towards the far exit of the bridge, past Rhea and Garreth, who moved out of the way politely. Once she reached the doors, Nerida Roberts fell into place beside her and put an arm around the girl, shooting a sour look in Sebastian’s direction.

            Rhea watched the two girls leave before looking over at Sebastian with another one of those mysterious looks he couldn’t decipher on her face. But Weasley was still talking, and she looked back politely until she nodded and he gave her a Cheshire grin before sauntering off after the others.

            Sebastian approached hesitantly, watching Rhea carefully. She seemed… flustered, for some reason. It was much the same reaction she’d had when he’d popped out to fetch her for Crossed Wands earlier. When he reached her, she turned and the pair began making their way to dinner in silence.

            “So, Adelaide looked upset,” Rhea prompted quietly as they walked. She didn’t want to talk loudly about someone else’s business, but she couldn’t help feeling terribly curious. She insisted that it was simply out of concern for her friend. After all, he’d been mortified when he asked her out the previous year and he got rejected. She just wanted to make sure that he was feeling alright.

            “Was she?” he asked vaguely, going over the conversation in his mind once more. “I suppose she was…”

            “What happened?” Rhea asked. “Before the duel you seemed… out of it.”

            “She sort of just sprung it on me,” he explained. “I was surprised, I guess.”

            “I suppose I was surprised as well,” Rhea commented lightly, trying not to pry too much. He’d tell her whatever he wanted to share. And it wasn’t as if she could share any of this with Poppy or Natty, despite their repeated hope that she would use her friendship to meddle. “Well, I guess not too surprised. A few weeks ago she was making eyes at you before Astronomy.”

            “I don’t remember that,” Sebastian frowned.

            “You were asleep,” she said simply. “It was when Ominis and I made up.”

            “Oh…” Sebastian said, sounding surprised. “That was a little while ago then… Do you suppose she just asked to go with me as friends, or do you reckon she fancies me?” Even as he said it, he felt like he shouldn’t have said anything. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to Rhea—he definitely wanted to talk to her. But a small part of his subconscious was begging him to steer the conversation away.

            “I couldn’t tell you,” Rhea said, her tone a bit tighter than usual. He almost thought he was imagining it, but she seemed to tense a little as she hoisted her school bag higher on her shoulder. “I don’t imagine many people ask someone to a ball if they don’t fancy them a little bit.”

            Sebastian hummed noncommittally as they trudged on. He pulled a door open for her and watched her carefully for a moment before falling back into step beside her. She didn’t seem to be bothered—perhaps it was all in his head. But why would it matter? He didn’t fancy her, despite Ominis’s insistence that there was something more between them.

            “So what did you tell her?” Rhea asked after a bit of silence passed. “I don’t want to make assumptions, but as I said before, she didn’t seem exactly happy.”

            “Well, I told her that I was going to try and see if Anne could come, so I wasn’t really looking to go with anyone for the moment,” he said honestly. “She seemed to take it well when we were talking, but she did make it clear the offer was still on the table if I changed my mind.”

            “Do you not fancy her anymore, then?”

            “I don’t think I do,” Sebastian frowned. “The whole… eyebrow debacle kind of soured me… But that was a year ago, so I don’t know. She didn’t tell me if she fancied me last year or not, but the rejection sort of indicated she didn’t feel the same.”

            “So what about Weasley?” he asked after Rhea opted not to respond. “I feel like I was interrupting something earlier.”

            “Not really,” she said with a shrug. “I mean, I guess sort of— it wasn’t like I got asked to the ball right before an important match or anything, but he did ask if I wanted to go to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

            “Oh, who else is going?” Sebastian asked. Perhaps Adelaide was right and they were better friends than he thought they were. But then again, he supposed she did have more time in her day than she spent in the Undercroft with him and Ominis. Maybe she had a study group with Garreth like she had with Natty and Poppy. That would be just like her, focusing on school work while making friends.

            “Er, I suppose no one,” she told him, sounding reluctant to discuss it.

            “Well, I’d be keen to go, and I’m sure we can always convince Sweeting and Natsai—”

            “I’m not certain that’s the point,” Rhea said quickly, once she realized that he hadn’t understood.

            “What do you mean?” he asked, still somehow clueless.

            “I think he just wants it to be me and him this time around,” Rhea explained, staring straight ahead.

            “Wait, does he fancy you?”

            “He might,” Rhea said, wrinkling her nose slightly as she looked up at him. “He just talks so much, I didn’t catch everything. He could have told me straight up, but I must have missed it if he did. Do you reckon he could?”

            Now that the conversation had flipped, Sebastian knew asking her about Adelaide’s intentions had been a poor idea. He didn’t like how this felt one bit. He didn’t like thinking that Garreth was making moon-eyes at Rhea during lulls in class or at Crossed Wands. But it was surely normal to be so invested in his friend’s prospective romances, and the reason that it was strange for them to discuss was simply that they weren’t really friends with Garreth or Adelaide. They just didn’t know what those two were thinking, is all.

            “I suppose,” he said with another shrug, not meeting her gaze. “What did you tell him?”

            “I said I’d go with him,” she admitted. “I’ve never been asked for a butterbeer before… it’s a bit exciting.” There was a peculiar little smile on her face as she glanced downwards.

            “Well that’s nonsense,” Sebastian said. “I’ve asked you for a butterbeer before.”

            “Okay, well, then I’ve never been asked by someone who might actually fancy me,” she countered. “You didn’t know me back then, and Professor Weasley strong-armed you into it.”

Sebastian wanted to retort but snapped his mouth shut when he realized that there wasn’t much he could say to that, that wouldn’t imply that he actually fancied her. And that certainly wasn’t the case.

“It’s not like he’s asked me to the ball or anything,” she mused. “It is just a butterbeer. And it could be a completely platonic thing. That’s honestly more likely. He went from talking about Fwooper feathers, to dueling, and then he just sort of blurted it out.”

            “That’s just like him honestly,” Sebastian frowned, shaking his head. “He just goes and goes and you never know what he’s gonna say. It’ll certainly be an interesting day for you.”

            “He never stops does he?” Rhea asked, laughing slightly. “I just hope I can get a word in edgewise, honestly.”

            “I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time,” Sebastian said. “Like you said, it’s just a butterbeer. No reason to get stressed over it.”

            Rhea wasn’t sure what to make of Sebastian’s seeming indifference to Adelaide’s invitation to the ball. He’d been a little evasive when she’d asked. She could recognize that she hadn’t exactly reacted too thrilled when he’d first told her. But she’d seen the absolute blind panic in his face when Adelaide had stopped him, and the absolute relief he’d felt when she’d called him back. That had been surprising, but she supposed she felt similarly when he’d interrupted her conversation with Garreth.

            She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, either. Garreth was… handsome, to put it simply. His ginger hair was longer than Sebastian’s and looked incredibly soft. It bounced when he walked and he was often fussing with it, pushing it out of his face, which always had a wide, crooked grin on it. And he had a good laugh, as well, and he was often bursting into fits of it at the silliest things. His eyes were quite pretty as well, a nice cool green that twinkled kindly, especially when he laughed. Nothing like Sebastian’s warm, brown eyes and his knowing smirks and—

            And why in Merlin’s bloody beard was she comparing Garreth Weasley to Sebastian Sallow? It wasn’t as though Sebastian fancied her. That was the absolute last thing on her mind. He was definitely handsome; she didn’t think any girl in their year could deny that. But he was her friend—really, he was her first true friend at the school. She’s been friendly with Natty, yes, but they’d had a falling out so early in their friendship whereas Sebastian just… stuck.

            But it bugged her that he didn’t seem excited for her when she told him what Garreth had been after. He’d almost seemed disappointed by it. But that surely was simply because they usually went to town together, dragging Ominis along with them when he was up for it. Hogsmeade was their place— maybe he was just feeling a little territorial. She supposed the Undercroft counted as well, but even though they’d brought her into the fold, she felt as though that was a place that belonged to Anne, Sebastian, and—most of all— Ominis. It wasn’t hers by any stretch of the imagination.

            “So what do you think?” Sebastian asked suddenly, drawing Rhea out of her thoughts sharply. He was looking at her closely, searchingly. And she realized that she had completely lost track of the conversation.

            “I’m so sorry Sebastian, I’m going to need you to repeat all that,” she said truthfully. “I was just in my head a bit and I missed it.”

            He let out a short laugh, shaking his head at her, “I was asking what you thought of Poppy Sweeting?”

            Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had a lot of thoughts about Poppy Sweeting. All of them good. But she didn’t know the context of why he was asking. And she couldn’t risk giving away more information than she should, for Poppy’s sake.

            “What about her?” Rhea asked, hoping for clarification.

            “Well, do you reckon she’s excited for the ball?” Sebastian asked. “You three seemed to be deep in conversation when I joined you in the library, and she got a bit quiet. Sometimes I don’t think she actually likes me—I blame it on Ominis being so sour all the time. The fact we’re always together probably affects it, you know?”

            “She’s very excited for the ball,” Rhea said carefully. “She likes you plenty. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”

            “So does she have anyone in mind to ask to the ball?”

            Rhea’s stomach twisted slightly at the question, but she shook her head firmly, “She doesn’t want to ask anyone to the ball. She’d rather be asked, same as me.”

            “So like, theoretically,” he started. “If someone we knew fancied her, do you reckon that she would say yes if they asked her to the dance?”

            “I suppose it depends on who it is,” Rhea said with a casual shrug, though her mind was racing. “I can’t say for sure unless I know who it is.”

            “Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to say,” Sebastian said slowly. “Best guess?”

            Rhea winced slightly. So that was why he’d turned down Adelaide. She was certain he was being honest about trying to bring Anne, of course. But it must have really been because he was thinking about Poppy Sweeting. She was a kind, pretty girl with a big heart. It made sense that he’d fancy her.

            “If it’s who I think you’re talking about, I reckon she’d say yes.”

Chapter Text

            Sebastian was pacing back and forth in the Undercroft, lost deep in thought when Ominis arrived Saturday afternoon, letter from Anne in hand.

            “Dear Ominis,” Ominis began to recite, running his hand over sheet of paper gently:

            “And, if I’m being realistic, hello to Sebastian as well. It was so, so lovely to receive your letter. Obviously that bit was to Ominis, seeing as my brother hasn’t seen fit to write to me yet. But I’ll forgive him this first time—next time I’m going to send him a Howler. Perhaps that will remind him that his twin is alone and miserable at home.”

            “I’ve been taking things easy since your visit, but as promised I’ve been sowing the seeds in our dear uncle’s head regarding a visit to Hogwarts at Christmas. I’m certain that we would have a wonderful time—and it would be nice to stay in the Three Broomsticks and have a proper Christmas roast and some butterbeer instead of stew and a small glass of wine in Feldcroft. I think he might be coming around to the idea—so please remind my dear twin that if he gets one more detention this semester, he’ll have ruined it for all of us.”

            “I also regret to inform you both that once again, the Sallow twin birthday falls within the Hogwarts exam period and we will be unable to celebrate together this year. I am, frankly, gutted. I would try to convince Uncle Solomon to take me to Hogsmeade so we could at least visit for the evening after your exams, but I have reason to suspect that if we were to pick that trip, our Christmas dreams would be dashed. In the grand scheme of things, I would much rather wait for Christmas. We’ll celebrate our birthday together then instead.

            Please also let Rhea know—I was so looking forward to seeing her again, and I don’t want her to think that I’ve uninvited her. Perhaps don’t tell her this part, but I strongly suggest that one of you two should ask her to the Yule Ball so that she doesn’t decide to go home for the Christmas holidays instead of staying in the castle. It would be considerably less fun without her around, and I believe you both know that well enough.”

            “I can’t wait to see you both, and I hope that Rhea’s got your noses to the grindstone revising—you’re going to need all the help you can get, in my opinion. All my love, Anne.”

            “Well, are you going to ask Rhea, or am I? Think we should play a round of Gobstones for the honor?” Ominis asked, a very obvious joke in his tone. He found Anne’s concern for Rhea endearing, but he knew that he wouldn’t be asking Rhea to the ball out of respect for Sebastian. And Sebastian… Sebastian wasn’t responding. Ominis could hear him, his feet echoing from one side of the room to the other, worrying away over practically nothing.

            “Were you even listening, Sebastian?” Ominis asked sharply. “I don’t want to have to read it all again.”

            “What was it?” Sebastian asked, not answering any of Ominis’s questions. He was too preoccupied with thoughts of a pretty copper-haired Ravenclaw laughing with and batting her eyes at Garreth bloody Weasley.

            “Anne wants us to make certain that Rhea stays at Hogwarts over Christmas,” Ominis explained. “She thinks one of us should ask her to the dance, and I jokingly asked which of us should take her.”

            “Well, not you obviously,” Sebastian said without thinking. He let out a long sigh and squeezed his eyes shut as he realized how that would sound to Ominis.

            “Oh?” Ominis asked, quirking an eyebrow as he sank down onto his favorite couch and began to make himself at home. “Sounds like someone might have a crush.”

            “You know what I meant,” Sebastian sighed, opening his eyes to shoot his friend an exasperated look. He trudged over and sat in his usual spot among the pillows, absent-mindedly wringing his hands.

            “Yes, that you like her,” Ominis said smugly.

            “Ominis…” Sebastian started before he paused and shook his head, as if to shake the conversation off and start fresh. “I think that you should not ask Rhea to the Yule Ball because I think you should ask Poppy Sweeting instead. Rhea as much as confirmed that she fancies you—not that we need any more proof.”

            “Two things—” Ominis began listing, “First, is that you are a hypocrite, Sebastian Sallow. The second is that Rhea did no such thing. If what you told me is exactly true, word for word, she absolutely did not confirm that Sweeting fancies me.”

            “How am I a hypocrite?” Sebastian exclaimed, laughing loudly at the accusation though he was rather indignant sounding at the same time.

            “You sit here and tell me repeatedly that you believe that I fancy Poppy Sweeting and that I’m in denial, and yet you’re sitting here doing the exact same thing!” Ominis exclaimed.

            “Don’t you think that if I fancied her I’d be down in the Three Broomsticks crashing her afternoon with Weasley? Doing something utterly barmy out of jealousy?” Sebastian suggested, trying to fight his way out of the corner Ominis had very suddenly backed him into.

            “No, I think you’re more the type to pace back and forth in your secret hideout worrying about it in silence for hours before rushing down to the library to ask Ferdinand Octavius Pratt about it,” Ominis said drily.

            “Oh piss off...” Sebastian muttered, shaking his head, though it seemed to be directed less at Ominis than usual. It appeared that he was mainly talking to himself that time. He hadn’t considered talking to the insufferable portrait…

            “Well now that we’ve got that cleared up, you do understand why I’m not taking your word about who Poppy fancies right?” Ominis asked in a kinder tone. “If Rhea said my name, I might consider believing it. But she didn’t. She said if who she thought you meant was correct that Poppy would say yes. So it’s a question of who she was thinking you meant.”

            “Well who else could it be?” Sebastian asked, his brow furrowed. “It’s clearly not Garreth...”

            “No but it could be, well, I don’t know— Maybe the person asking who Sweeting fancies?” Ominis suggested sarcastically. “I swear you didn’t listen to a single thing I said the other day. I warned you this was a possibility.”

            “There’s no way I gave her that impression,” Sebastian said, though he was beginning to doubt himself.

            “But didn’t you say that you turned down Adelaide Oakes’s invitation to the ball? The person she knows you used to fancy asked you to the ball, and you said no. And you told her that you don’t really fancy Adelaide anymore. That would mean you must be admiring someone else, right? And then you asked her hypothetically if someone liked Sweeting, right after asking if she even wanted to attend the ball with anyone. That’s a really clear line of thought for Rhea to think you’ve got a crush on Sweeting. You can see that, right?” Ominis explained slowly.

            “But that’s not what I meant,” Sebastian frowned.

            “Doesn’t matter,” Ominis said, shaking his head. “Do I need to explain how that’s hypothetically bad for you if you actually did fancy her?”

            “No,” Sebastian snapped, wondering how the conversation gotten so far away from him right from the get-go. “Because I don’t fancy Poppy. And I don’t fancy Rhea. And it wouldn’t matter if I did or not because she’s out having butterbeer with Garreth bloody Weasley.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Garreth Weasley was a talkative young man; he always had been. Even when he was a little boy, he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He’d annoyed his older brothers to no end by prattling on about well—anything that popped into his mind.

            He talked about how delightful garden gnomes were—until one bit his thumb during a rather ill-advised game of tag that the gnomes weren’t aware they were supposed to be playing. He talked about the time he absolutely saw a dragon swoop down and pick up one of the Pritchard’s cows and fly off with it. He talked about how much he hated strawberries and why he was so upset that his family decided to grow so many of them in the spring.

            He’d never run out of things to talk about—especially when he started at Hogwarts. That was when he first got his hands on a proper cauldron and proper ingredients. He’d spent years while his siblings were at Hogwarts at home, alone, making pretend potions in the garden. It had always fascinated him. And so his already very active imagination went utterly wild.

            What if there was a potion that could make your regular shoes waterproof so that you could walk in the rain without wearing thick wellies? Or what if there was a potion that you could give to someone else that would make them belch non-stop—oh that would be such a good prank… What if there was a potion that could grow a beard on a person instantly? OR what if—

            He could go on for days. But that wasn’t always the best thing. It was all well and good chatting back and forth with his mates endlessly in the common room, but it wasn’t ideal when he wanted to try and get to know a pretty Ravenclaw a bit better.

            She was sitting across from him, grinning and laughing as he told story after story of his most embarrassing times. He was a confident person for the most part, but he found that when he led with the points in his life that made him want to hide in a hole, no one else could use those humiliating moments to knock him down. They were his stories to laugh at, not theirs. Unless he wanted them to. Which he did.

            And, per usual, it seemed to be working. The only trouble with being able to talk about absolutely anything indefinitely was that he had a hard time stopping himself. The whole point of the butterbeer was to get to know her as well. But here he was meticulously describing the training regimen that Natty had devised for them. Which he knew he shouldn’t be telling her—she was already a much better duelist than he was.

            He paused at the end of the story and took a long drink of butterbeer, hoping that she would take control of the conversation while he was occupied. But then, he supposed, he hadn’t given her much to talk about. How in the world were you meant to talk to girls? More specifically, how in the bloody hell did you talk to a girl you fancied without looking like an absolute fool?

            “I’m sorry I’m so… chatty,” he said when he lowered his flagon, willing himself to slow down and breathe instead of barreling on at the speed of sound. “I guess I’m just a little bit nervous. I’ve never asked a girl to Hogsmeade before.”

            “Don’t worry,” Rhea told him, a slight blush to her cheeks as she shrugged, “I’ve never been asked to Hogsmeade before. And chatty can be good; I’d apologize for being so silent, but I enjoy listening. Saves me from sticking my foot in my mouth.”

            “I do enough of that on my own,” Garreth joked lightly, feeling slightly more comfortable. “So… about you—erm, any suggestions?”

            Rhea gave the Gryffindor a questioning look but let out a chuckle and said, “Well, I really enjoyed the last Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Boggarts are absolutely fascinating!”

            “They’re interesting until you have to face one,” Garreth said, a hint of a warning on his face. “Apparently last year Hecat found one and brought it in so students could face one in a controlled environment.”

            “Do you reckon she might do that again?” Rhea frowned. “I’m not sure I’d want to learn what my worst fear is in front of all our classmates… What if that was my worst fear?”

            “It’d be a pretty simple one,” Garreth mused. “I’d expect you to be afraid of dragons or trolls after your experiences with them. But then again, you survived, so maybe there isn’t much left to fear from them. The judgement of your peers still somehow doesn’t seem like it’d be your downfall, if you ask me.”

            “Oh? What do you reckon my worst fear would be?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you,” Garreth said with a shrug. “Maybe you’re just super brave and have no fear.”

            “Surely I’d have been a Gryffindor then?” Rhea countered with a laugh.

            “The Sorting Hat works in mysterious ways,” Garreth said, grinning. “If you were a Gryffindor, you’d be in Gryffindor. Besides, you can be plenty brave in Ravenclaw. Hell, you already have, in my books.”

            “Thanks,” Rhea said with a sheepish grin. “I’m just glad the rest of the year’s been nice and calm.”

            “Calm?” Garreth chortled. “Didn’t you and Natty break into some dark wizard’s home a few weeks ago?”

            Rhea’s eyebrows shot up and she leaned forward, lowering her voice though it wasn’t calm when she spoke, “How do you know about that?”

            “Natty told me,” Garreth said, as though it was obvious.

            “Why on earth would she do that?” Rhea asked. “No offense, Garreth, but you never stop talking, why would she risk you blurting out that story?”

            “There are some stories I can keep to myself, you know,” Garreth admonished, though he didn’t seem upset in the slightest. “Last time I came to Hogsmeade she was just walking back and forth across the village acting strangely, so I went up and asked her what she was doing. She wasn’t even flustered by it, she just told me to shut up and come along or leave her alone. Naturally I went with her, and she explained everything.”

            “Everything?” Rhea asked, raising her eyebrows.

            “Yeah, I know all about your little late night broom ride,” Garreth said with a nod. “Don’t worry though, I’m sure Kogawa won’t find out. I’m pretty sure those brooms have a return spell on them. Kogawa will just trigger the spell when she finds out it’s missing and it’ll come straight back. She’s probably already done it.”

            “I certainly wish she’d told me you were in the know,” Rhea frowned. “What do you think of her vendetta?”

            “I think she’s very determined. And I think she’s right,” Garreth told her honestly. “If I were in her shoes, I’d probably be doing the same… Except I’d wait until I was in seventh year. Less chance of getting expelled—or at least I wouldn’t miss so much of my education if I were to get expelled for it.”

            “School’s important to you then?” Rhea asked curiously, wary of speaking too much about the Harlow situation in such a public space.

            “Extremely,” Garreth said. “I don’t particularly like half the classes—and I could really do with fewer essays—but I know that if I want a shot at becoming a master potion maker, I need to learn everything I can. And Hogwarts is my best shot at that. It also helps that Sharp’s a pretty unconventional teacher. He likes for us to make mistakes, he likes for us to experiment.”

            “It doesn’t seem like he likes it when you do it,” Rhea pointed out.

            “He may not like it, per se, but he doesn’t hate it,” Garreth said. “I do well enough on all his assignments that he really can’t fail me. The worst I can expect from him is detention at this point.”

            “I’m sure being the nephew of the headmistress helps,” Rhea said. “I can’t imagine that he’d be too pleased if I acted the way you did. He nearly reamed me for that Fwooper feather you stole.”

            “I am sorry about that, by the way,” Garreth said honestly, ruffling his hair. “But you seemed to handle it well enough. You’re good at rolling with the punches. I’m still working on that potion, by the way—that’s why I got my hands on so many different Fwooper feathers over the break.”

            “I wish you luck with the potion,” Rhea said kindly, taking a sip of her drink as he wound himself up into another story—this time explaining exactly what he wanted to achieve with the potion and where he thinks he went wrong at the start of the semester.

            Rhea was having a good enough time. This wasn’t exactly what she’d expected from an afternoon in Hogsmeade with a cute boy. She’d thought they’d be doing more getting to know one another. Well, at least—she was getting to know a lot about him. She thought that maybe he’d be interested in asking more about her. She’d been offering information freely since they met up just outside the castle, but he was mostly preoccupied with talking about himself. And they did have a bit of a laugh together, but it typically seemed to be at his expense more than from a natural enjoyment of one another’s company.

            She wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to take listening to his stories though. They were amusing for the first hour, but they were beginning to feel a little… well, boring. She didn’t think that was a good portrayal of the young man sitting across from her, though, so she didn’t immediately start looking for an escape route.

            Garreth could hear it—the rambling. He could tell he was wearing down Rhea’s patience, even though she was putting an admirable effort in to avoid looking bored with him. He supposed he should have practiced with Natty beforehand. Natty was her friend—she could have given him some tips on how to talk to her without stealing the spotlight. If she didn’t just laugh in his face for being so bad at talking to Rhea. He could tell this outing wasn’t what either of them had expected it to be…

            And yet he found himself blurting out an invitation to the Yule Ball. The look on her face wasn’t exactly reassuring—surprise was the predominant expression, but there was something else in there as well that he couldn’t quite place. She wouldn’t meet his eye when she responded, and he’d expected a rejection. But to his surprise, she simply explained that she had planned on going in a group with Natty and Poppy, but that they’d help each other find dates to the ball if any one of them was asked. She wanted to spend the evening with them, but she’d be happy to go with him if they had dance partners lined up as well.

            That was better than he’d expected by far. He could easily find a date for Natty or Poppy if it meant that Rhea would attend with him. It was a second chance that he was grateful for, so he agreed wholeheartedly. The whole walk back to the castle, he listed off potential dates for their mutual friends that he thought would be good fun to bring, if they hadn’t already asked someone to go.

            When they reached the castle for dinner, Garreth gave a dramatic bow and placed a brief kiss to her knuckles before sauntering off to the Gryffindor table, shooting her enthusiastic grins over his shoulder. Rhea, somewhat embarrassed by the display, quickly made her way to the Ravenclaw table and sat down, hoping no one had been paying attention to the people coming and going from the Great Hall.

            Unfortunately, as soon as she was seated, Samantha Dale slid down the table to sit across from her and began asking questions about what she had been up to in Hogsmeade with Garreth Weasley. To Rhea’s dismay, she also spotted Imelda Reyes and her cousin Bertie get up from the Slytherin table and hurry over to join Samantha in grilling her about her day. Rhea was overwhelmed, uncertain of what she was supposed to tell them. Even more so considering she wasn’t exactly friends with two-thirds of the little group.

            But then again, it didn’t really matter what she said—they were eager to discuss anything about it, all whispers and giggles and furtive glances at the Gryffindor boy across the Hall, who was animatedly talking to his housemates. Even though it hadn’t been a good date, the hubbub the nosy nellies were making over it was far more indicative of what people thought. It was drawing unwanted attention and Rhea did not like it.

            She answered their questions briefly, reluctantly and did her best to ignore the lingering stare burning her face from the Slytherin table directly across from her. When she finally relented and met his eye, Sebastian’s expression was… for once, completely unreadable. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but after a moment of silent looks between them, Sebastian looked past her to where Garreth was excitedly talking to Leander Prewitt, pointing to Rhea and a few other spots around the Great Hall.

            His brows barely knitted together, and his mouth twitched briefly to a frown while watching the bizarre exchange. It was his turn to feel insistent eyes watching him and he reluctantly looked back at Rhea. She had much the same expression on her face as she had when he’d blurted out that Adelaide had asked him to the ball. It had been days since then and he still had no idea what to make of it. But he remembered the way she’d taken the time to reassure him after her initial reaction and realized that she needed that right now—for whatever reason—from him.

            He offered her one of his usual smirks, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes like it usually did. For a moment he was worried she’d see right through it, but a genuine look of appreciation twinkled in her eyes and the corners of her mouth turned upwards for a brief moment. And then her eyes were back on Samantha in front of her, her small grin growing as the conversation continued, leaving him to wonder exactly why he was feeling like he was missing something.

Chapter Text

            Rhea rubbed her eyes tiredly as she squinted at the miniscule text in front of her. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was almost certainly later than the library was meant to be open. She was counting on Scribner to swoop down any moment to tell her she needed to vacate the premises. She didn’t want to keep studying, but she found herself compelled to keep going.

            Professor Weasley had taken a moment to pull her aside after her last Transfiguration lesson of the term to inform her that in addition to her winter exams, she was going to be required to demonstrate the spells she’d been taught in her spare time in accordance with the professor’s promise to keep up to date on Rhea’s use of the Field Guide.

            And so she was contemplating hiding in the library to pull an all-nighter. It was midway through the designated revision period the school mandated. She had been enjoying the lack of classes at first, until she realized that Ravenclaw tower had become an incredibly tense place to live. Students were sat at every available flat surface—including several groups spread across the rug laden floors—studying endlessly, surrounded by towers of precariously stacked books. Rhea had lasted a single day there before she fled to the Undercroft.

            The Undercroft was certainly more peaceful than Ravenclaw Tower, but it came with its own distractions. Sebastian, bright as he was, didn’t have the easiest time settling in for long periods of review, often needing breaks for food or practical magic. As the day dragged on, his focus wavered more often and he turned his attention to working on the Bis Scribe spell or researching stolen library books for any clue on how to help Anne.

            Ominis wasn’t as easily sidetracked as Sebastian was, but his method of studying was very meticulous and particular to his disability. He required hours of recitation and correction. Where Sebastian’s focus wandered often, Ominis’s was almost impossible to break… when he wasn’t dozing off. There was no in between with Ominis—he was either lasered in, an unstoppable revision force, or he was unable to lend his attention to anything.

            Rhea had lasted a little longer studying in the Undercroft than she had in her own house. She’d appreciated the breaks with Sebastian practicing practical aspects of revision, but she had more stamina for studying in silence than he did. She even had appreciated Ominis’s recitation spells. Listening to the soft voice read papers to him, and listening to him memorize the work out loud was soothing, and she found it had already been helping her to remember more information than she had expected it to.

            But even that hadn’t been the perfect arrangement. So she’d moved on to the Room of Requirement—that was the express purpose Weasley had shown it to her for, of course. It had been… almost too quiet. Where Ravenclaw Tower had been quiet, there had been constant chatter, debating correct answers or reciting paragraphs from old essay questions for peer discussions, and where the Undercroft had been made up of mostly spell practice and constant low recitations, the Room of Requirement was completely silent save for the gentle sweeping of Deek’s broom and the soft scratching of Rhea’s quill against parchment.

            Alone with her thoughts, Rhea had found her mind drifting all over the place. Sometimes it went to her Monday study sessions with Natty and Poppy. Sometimes it went to Garreth Weasley and his crooked smile. Sometimes it went to Anne and her concern for her friend. Other times it went to the beautiful smiles Adelaide had taken to sending Sebastian’s way in every class and the blush that went straight to his ears every time she did it. Not that Rhea noticed that.

            For obvious reasons, she couldn’t remain studying there alone. It was an utter minefield of distractions that she just couldn’t unpack just then. Despite her reluctance to think about the last week of term, she had to admit that it had been an eventful last week of classes.

            Thanks to Bertie, Samantha, and Imelda—and in no small part to Garreth Weasley as well—word had gotten around that Rhea had agreed to go to the ball with Garreth. Shortly after that, it had been heard through the grapevine that Sebastian had agreed to go with Adelaide, leaving Poppy in the lurch, though only three people knew about that particular bit of information.

            Poppy had been extremely disappointed when she found out, and Natty had scolded Rhea for not discouraging Sebastian from saying yes to Adelaide, despite the girl’s protests that Sebastian had told Adelaide no at first, and that he was perfectly capable of making his own decisions. Just because she was close with Poppy, it didn’t mean that she could manipulate Sebastian into asking her to the dance. Rhea hadn’t even told them about Sebastian’s peculiar questions about Poppy. She just couldn’t betray his trust like that.

            Even more disappointing was Garreth’s attempts to find students to escort Poppy and Natty to the ball. Rhea was almost positive that everyone he’d asked had already asked other people, and that technically, she wasn’t going to be going with him specifically in the end. He would have been more than welcome to join their little group, but unfortunately, he had managed to rope one Leander Prewitt into the fold.

            He’d asked Poppy after cornering her in Herbology class. Sebastian and Rhea had shared a worried look as the girl had stuttered uncertainly, eventually giving an affirmative answer, much to everyone’s displeasure. Even Ominis had gotten a sour look on his face, shaking his head to himself as he carefully, though aggressively chopped up a chunk of mandrake root that Garlick was teaching them about.

            And that had left Natty. Garreth, close to success, was struggling to find another person to ask Natty to go. But then again, Natty had been doing a lot to reject the hopefuls Garreth had sent her way. She wasn’t eager to go to the dance with just anyone and Rhea admired her stubbornness. This had turned into a much bigger hassle than she’d anticipated. She hadn’t thought Garreth would be so eager to help set her friends up, but he’d met the challenge with excitement and fervor. He’d called her bluff without even realizing it was one.

            Eventually, it had been Sebastian who had come up with the solution to the problem. He’d suggested that maybe Natty should attend with Ominis. Neither of them needed to worry about impressing the other, and then at least Garreth would stop bugging them in the halls asking for suggestions or begging Natty to have mercy on the poor souls he sent her way.

            Neither teen had been exactly thrilled about the arrangement at first, but they had eventually agreed. It wasn’t as if they weren’t friendly with one another, and they had agreed it would be nice to go with someone in the end, especially since all of their friend would have someone to dance the night away with.

            Poppy had half-heartedly wondered if Natty would consider trading Ominis for Leander, but that suggestion had been swiftly shot down. Poppy was good at hiding her disappointment, for the most part. She had been in a slump since Sebastian and Adelaide had started speaking to one another more often, and Rhea couldn’t help but agree. It was strange that he was seeking the blond out instead of spending most of his time in the Undercroft with Rhea and Ominis. Well, not strange… She supposed it made sense… But that didn’t mean she liked it.

            He was reluctant to discuss it, but that had been yet another reason why Rhea had needed to leave the Undercroft for her studies. Every time Sebastian would wander off, letting them know he was going to study with Adelaide, or go for a walk with Adelaide, or just to see Adelaide for a few minutes, Ominis and Rhea would put their work down and try to figure out what exactly was going on there. It turned out Ominis was just as skeptical of the situation as Rhea was. It was comforting, in a way.

            And that was why Rhea was entering her twelfth hour studying in the library that day, without hope of an end. She sat up and rubbed her eyes some more, savoring the relief it brought her. She opened them with a tired sigh and looked around. Perhaps taking a little walk around the library would make her feel better… But then, it was probably later than she needed to be there… She should at least try and get some sleep.

            She packed up her bag slowly, lethargy taking over now that she had given up on working for the moment. She hauled her bag onto her shoulder, placing her borrowed books on the cart that reshelved all of the books via magic reluctantly. She wasn’t looking forward to searching for them again the next day, but she knew that she realistically wouldn’t remember much from that last three hours of her studying.

            As she made her way down the spiral staircase, she yawned widely, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she struggled to keep her eyes open. As she made the second turn on the staircase, she spotted a peculiar shimmer near the restricted section. She paused mid-yarn, watching the glimmer move past the barricade and down the stairs with a note of worry passing through her. She glanced around, making certain that she couldn’t spot Madam Scribner before casting Disillusionment on herself and making her way towards the Restricted Section without another thought of making her way to bed.

            She reached the portion of the Restricted Section that Sebastian had told her was typically free of disturbances before she released her spell. She walked quietly anyways, making sure to peer around bookshelves before she wandered deeper.

            She eventually spotted Sebastian, lazily turning the pages of a rather nasty looking book, slumped in a dusty corner of the Restricted Section. She stepped out from behind the bookshelf quietly, watching him carefully. He seemed… tired… more than the last time she’d see him, at least. She cleared her throat gently, hoping that she didn’t startle him too badly.

            He looked up sharply, his hand twitching as if to reach for his wand before he realized who he was looking at. He visibly relaxed, the book slumping into his lap as he looked up at her with a sad expression. She wasn’t sure what he was upset about, but it wasn’t pleasant to see. She walked forward and slid down the wall next to him, reaching to take the book out of his hands. He didn’t resist as she inspected the tome herself, her own exhaustion rendered secondary as soon as she’d discovered her friend.

            “Necrosong: Tome of the Dead,” Rhea read, snapping the book shut once she’d finished. “Bast—what’s this one about?”

            He hesitated slightly before explaining, an almost shameful expression on his face. “I thought that perhaps the curse might be based in draining life force… So… Song of the dead… it sounded promising, I suppose…”

            Rhea let out a sigh and traced the bizarre glyph on the cover with a small frown. “Sounds to me like the sort of book to require ritual sacrifices… Or the sort to explain the many ways one can reach the realm of the dead. I don’t think this one will have anything to help Anne,” she said gently, placing it on the ground and shifting to face him more head on.

            He glanced at her before looking back to his hands, which he was tugging at absent-mindedly as he considered her words. He opened his mouth to respond but shut it quickly, shaking his head slightly. After a few more moments he began to speak, having found what he wanted to say instead. “How will we know it isn’t what we need until we read it?”

            Rhea frowned and glanced at the book on her other side before turning back to him and watching him carefully, “I think that there are probably some books that will have more pertinent information. Instead of pulling the first book we see with potential off the shelf, it might help if we came up with some key words or phrases to look for that are specific to the issue. I know there are a thousand different curses, and that new ones are invented all the time, but surely researching curses to find the one that affects her is better than randomly choosing a tome and hoping for a cure?”

            Sebastian nodded, though there was a pained expression on his face. He scrubbed at his eyes and nose with one hand before he replied, “No, I agree, that does make more sense… But I haven’t been able to find a book like that yet… Shockingly, dark wizards and people the ministry wanted silenced didn’t exactly get a chance to mass produce their evil incantations the way approved historians and charm makers were…”

            “That’s understandable,” Rhea said gently, her eyes still trained on him, even though he was doing his best to avoid looking back at her. “Why are you down here tonight, Bast?”

            He was quiet for a while before he softly said, “She’s doing worse than she lets on in her letters… Even when we visited her… That was worse than it had been before I left in September. She’s putting on a brave face… I wouldn’t be surprised if she was taking these fits on her own, without Solomon to watch over her and make sure she’s okay and not telling him about them. She doesn’t like to appear weak—she never has… But I can’t believe she’s been as good as she tells us… The bouts aren’t as frequent or as painful as that first week… but I just…”

            “You hate seeing her in pain,” Rhea said gently. “You hate the fact that she’s hiding it from you, even when its mild…”

            He nodded, “Sometimes it’s easy to forget that anything’s wrong at all… Even the fact that she isn’t at Hogwarts this year… It’s sometimes easy to forget that things haven’t always been that way… I just feel so… guilty… She’s my other half, Rhea… Everything we’ve ever done, we’ve done together… It’s… It’s difficult to remember that that’s not how things are anymore…”

            “I can’t say that I understand entirely,” Rhea said gently. “I obviously could never understand that connection. But… do you ever think that maybe Anne is trying to spare you from the truth, for whatever reason?”

            “Every single day,” Sebastian nodded, his voice smaller than Rhea had ever heard it. “Even if she’s hiding it, I know that she’s hurting, I know that she’s isolated… I know that even though she writes to us and says that she feels wonderful, it’s actually a lie… But I don’t want to waste my time fighting over it. And at the same time, I don’t want to take it lying down… Anne can’t search for a cure, and my uncle… he’s doing his best with the resources he has. I have this entire library to search through… I can’t sit here and say that I want to help her if I don’t try and search through everything at my disposal… Even the Tome of the Dead...”

            Rhea listened and nodded slowly, glancing at the bookshelf nearest to them, her eyes scanning the shelves as she absorbed what he was saying to her. She stifled another yawn, pausing for a long moment to convince herself to stay awake before she stood and looked closer at the shelves, her brow furrowed in a focused stare.

            Sebastian watched her curiously now. Normally she was quick to offer words of comfort and care when he was in one of these moods. At the very least she usually reached out a hand to comfort him in one way or another. As he considered their previous interactions concerning Anne’s illness, Sebastian couldn’t help but blush a little remembering their last encounter. She hadn’t said a single word about it since, but there was a tenderness in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in anyone else since then. She wasn’t feeling sorry for him… She was almost hurting alongside him, in a way.

            But now she was standing and inspecting the most clandestine shelves of the Restricted Section with such a focused calm that he was almost concerned for her. Her head was tilted to one side as she scanned the titles, her reddish braid falling over one shoulder.

            Sebastian watched for a moment, perplexed. Why was she so interested in the books all of a sudden? She’d started in on him so similarly to Ominis that he’d been expecting a scolding—he’d been bracing for it, even. But then, she and Ominis were completely different, as he knew so well. Her frown grew as she tugged at her braid absent-mindedly and she crouched down to look at the lower shelves. She was… beautiful.

            Sebastian kicked himself mentally. She was his friend. He could think she was pretty, objectively, and at any other time. But when she was clearly exhausted and sacrificing her own time to help him find a way to reverse the dark curse set upon his sister… Well, it wasn’t the sort of time to be admiring her in that way.

            He would be lying if he hadn’t been thinking more about what Ominis had said about him being a hypocrite. He wasn’t by any means ready to say that he fancied Rhea—they were, after all, incredibly well-matched friends and dueling partners. But he did find that he enjoyed his day more when he got to talk to her and spend time with her. But he’d agreed to go to the ball with Adelaide—who was also objectively beautiful, and kind, and interested in him.

            He just… wasn’t certain that he was interested in her. Yes, in fourth year he’d fancied Adelaide—he’d fancied her a lot. But he’d burnt off his eyebrows and it had dashed his confidence. And after that, he hadn’t really… noticed her. At first, he’d actively avoided her, reminded every time when she said hello of the embarrassment he’d suffered through. Over time, it had just become a bit of a habit. It wasn’t as if he went running when Adelaide was in the room or anything—but their paths hadn’t naturally crossed for a long time.

            It was getting easier—talking to her that was. She was clever but in a more… unexpected way. Her wit was fairly dry and sometimes it took him a moment to pick up on her jokes, but he was getting better at recognizing it. The left side of her mouth would quirk up when she was bantering, which she did a surprising amount.

            And despite himself, he was quite excited for the ball. He’d never gone with someone before, and the fact he didn’t need to stress over asking anyone was quite nice. But the space asking someone to the ball had—however briefly—taken up in his mind had been reallocated to worrying over Anne. That was a part of his brain that never switched off. But as the ball approached, Sebastian found that the pressure to find a way to help Anne was growing much stronger.

            So he’d taken a risk. He’d decided to come down to the restricted section despite his promise to avoid detention-worthy activities. What threw him off most was that he’d been caught—sure it wasn’t by Scribner, but he’d let his guard down when he shouldn’t have.

            Rhea sat back down next to him, another old tome in her lap. She took a moment to try stifling a yawn, but failed. She took a deep breath after and opened the book, her eyes tired and heavy. She looked like she was about to fall asleep right there on the floor if she stayed there too long, but she settled in and nudged Necrosong back at him with her foot gently. Another yawn cracked her face, and she shook her head gently as if willing the exhaustion away.

            Sebastian let out a resigned sigh and reached over, plucking the book from her lap. She reached for it, a grunt of protest escaping her as the sleep fled her expression. He held it out of her reach and shook his head, hauling himself to his feet and placing it back on the shelf. While his back was turned, she pulled Necrosong into her lap and started to open that one instead.

            He let out a laugh and shook his head when he turned to see her scanning the table of contents. He bent down and snatched it from her, sliding it onto the nearest shelf before she could jump to her feet and wrestle it from him.

            “Bast, you do realize we have to read the books to find a cure, right?” she asked, frowning up at him, her hands planted in fists on her hips. “We’re here now, we might as well take advantage of it and do a bit of research.”

            “You’re half asleep, Rhea; you aren’t going to be reading very much at all if I let you stay here,” Sebastian pointed out, still shaking his head in protest. “And we both know it would be a bad idea to push our luck with Scribner so close to exams—and so close to the ball. You catching me down here sort of knocked some sense into me. I shouldn’t be risking Anne’s visit like this.”

            “Are you sure?” Rhea asked. “I’ve been in the library for hours and haven’t seen Scribner yet—we might be in the clear.”

            “Absolutely certain,” he said gently, steering her towards the exit, grabbing her bag for her. “You’re practically asleep on your feet, and while you are quite possibly the cleverest witch I know, I’m not confident that you would retain any more information in that brilliant mind of yours if you were to try and read more tonight.”

            She sighed and allowed him to steer her towards the exit. She cast Disillusionment when he pulled out his wand and he guided them out of the library, locking the Restricted Section behind them as they went. It wasn’t until they were entering the Ravenclaw Tower that Rhea realized he was making sure she made it back to the common room.

            “You didn’t have to walk me back, you know,” she pointed out quietly, peering around a corner to make sure there weren’t any prefects or professors lurking about.

            “I had to make sure you didn’t fall asleep walking up the stairs,” he said with a shrug, stifling a yawn himself. He hoisted her bag higher onto his shoulder as they reached the top of the tower and came face to face with the proud eagle knocker. He looked at it sourly and handed Rhea her bag back after she knocked on the door. While the bird began its recitation, Sebastian looked around at the landing, noticing a small pile of pillows and blankets stuffed in the corner.

            You can swallow me, but I can consume you too.

            “So it really does ask riddles…” Sebastian muttered, mildly surprised.

            “It only asks one at a time as well—if you can’t solve it you get stuck,” she said, gesturing to the pile of blankets.

            “Well, this one seems easy enough—it’s got to be some bloody big snake or something, right?” he suggested. He wondered if the door would listen to him if he answered it directly. He eyed it suspiciously for a moment, but it remained stoic and silent.

            “Could be… I don’t think so, though…” Rhea frowned. “It’s usually a bit more… well, not complicated—there’s a lot of answers that can be considered correct… but I don’t think it’s a ‘bloody big snake,’ in this case…”

            “What about fire? That consumes stuff doesn’t it?” Sebastian suggested.

            “Cannibals?” Rhea countered jokingly, not addressing the door.

            “Pineapples?” Sebastian wondered.

            “Pineapples?” Rhea laughed, her confusion evident.

            “They’re so acidic! It feels like sometimes they’re melting my mouth when I eat them,” Sebastian said defensively.

            “Somehow, I don’t think this magic door knows about pineapples, Bast,” she cackled, leaning against one of the banisters for support.

            “Surely it does,” he laughed in disbelief. “I thought that this door was supposed to be smart!”

            “It’s outsmarting us, isn’t it?” she asked, her laugh dwindling into tired giggles. Merlin’s beard but she was tired. She let out a sigh and stared at the basket of pillows and blankets, a resigned frown on her face. It was looking like she might be stuck outside the common room for the night.

            “I think I’ve come up with some excellent answers to that riddle,” Sebastian said, watching her carefully.

            She scrunched up her nose as she looked back down at the pile of pillows and blankets and said, “Might have to swallow my pr…” she went silent for a moment, her face growing serious as she slowly nodded. He wasn’t quite sure what was going through her mind but her face broke out into a wide grin as she turned to the door and said firmly, “Pride. You can swallow it, and it can consume you if you aren’t careful.”

            Sebastian’s eyebrows shot up as the door clattered and clanked for a few short moments before swinging open before them. “That… was brilliant! I would have been stuck out here—how does your brain work like that?”

            “I probably wouldn’t have gotten it if we weren’t chatting,” Rhea admitted, stepping towards the common room entrance. She paused in the doorway and turned to face him again, her face tired but serious. “When we get back from holiday I’d like to help more—with Anne, that is. I know Ominis doesn’t like it when you sneak out to the Library at all hours of the night—but perhaps we can… I don’t know—take turns? That way there’s less of a risk of you getting caught, and we’re still able to look for ways to help Anne.”

            “I can’t ask you to do that,” he told her reluctantly.

            “You aren’t asking,” Rhea pointed out. “I’m offering. And I want to be there for you—support you. You don’t have to do this alone—that’s all I’m saying. Think about it, at least?”

            He felt his heart flutter at the softness in her tone and he found himself smiling in response. “I’ll think about it,” he said reassuringly. “Now go and get some sleep before that door locks you out again—I’m clearly not good at riddles.”

            She grinned slightly and nodded, pleased by his response. She stepped through the door and glanced back as it shut, offering a small wave and a lingering smile.

            He stared down the door knocker for a few more seconds before turning and carefully making his way down the tower. As he walked, he pulled out the Bis Scribe intending to send off a quick thank you to Rhea, having realized he’d only protested when she offered her help instead of showing his appreciation. However as he unfolded the note, ink blossomed across the sheet and another unbidden smile hit him. He really wished that for once, Ominis could just be wrong about him.

Chapter Text

            “Wait so neither of you asked Rhea to the ball?” Anne asked, taken aback. “After I specifically asked you to?”

            The three teens were getting ready in the boys’ room, thanks to the clever castle charms that allowed girls into the boys’ dormitory. Ominis and Sebastian were perfectly capable of getting themselves ready, but they didn’t have Anne’s keen eye for small details. She was a godsend for the pair of clueless young men who, despite themselves, were eager to make good impressions on their peers at the ball.

            “I got asked to the ball before your letter arrived,” Sebastian said defensively as he buttoned up his best waistcoat, almost glaring at himself with a critical—and shockingly nervous—eye.

            “Yeah, but you hadn’t said yes, yet,” Ominis pointed out as Anne helped to adjust his ascot. “In fact, I’m pretty certain you’d actually told her no.”

            “Yeah?” Sebastian asked, “And what was your excuse Ominis?”

            “Anne’s letter arrived after Rhea had already agreed to go with Weasley,” Ominis said simply. “We didn’t even need to plan for that anyway—she was always planning to stay; she was just going to go together with Poppy and Natty.”

            “Excuses, excuses,” Anne sighed, shaking her head slightly. “But I suppose being asked by Garreth Weasley isn’t too shabby. He’s quite handsome, for a Gryffindor. How did that happen, then?”

            “He asked her to Hogsmeade right before one of our duels,” Sebastian muttered. “Talked her ear off to the point she almost missed it. And that’s also right when Adelaide asked me to the ball.”

            “You don’t seem too thrilled, Seb,” Anne said gently, leaving Ominis to put on his shoes. She walked up beside Sebastian and looked at his reflection in the mirror thoughtfully. “A year ago you’d have been over the moon that Adelaide had even looked in your direction.”

            He shrugged as she smoothed out the shoulders of his jacket and fussed with his hair, which wasn’t eager to remain cleanly slicked back as she’d initially styled it for him. He glanced at her in the mirror, catching her eye and quickly looking away, adjusting his own cravat.

            “A year’s a long time,” Sebastian said quietly. “Some things are a bit more important than pretty girls…”

            “Fourth-year Sebastian would be devastated by this energy, Seb,” Anne said, shaking his shoulders slightly before gently resting her head against his arm. “Fifth-year Sebastian will be breaking his heart if he doesn’t at least give the Adelaide Oakes a wonderful experience at the ball. It’s just a ball—you aren’t exactly courting her…”

            “I was smitten last year,” Sebastian admitted quietly. “Shouldn’t I want to be courting her? She asked me to the ball over a month in advance, Anne. So why can’t I just be happy about that?”

            “I don’t know,” Anne said, shaking her head slightly, her tone sympathetic. “Perhaps tonight will shed some light on it all for you. Just promise me one thing, yeah?”

            He met her gaze in the mirror and asked, “What’s that then?”

            “Save me a dance?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea wasn’t used to walking around in a corset and bustle, and she was afraid it would show. She also was, unfortunately, not used to wearing heels of any size. And yet her mother had insisted upon them. As soon as Rhea’s letter updating her mother about the last few weeks of term had arrived, the woman had set to work finding her an appropriate gown to wear. Muggle fashions were a touch different from wizard fashions, but with a little help from Poppy, Natty, and Anne, Rhea had been able to convey to her mother what was expected. Her mother, naturally, had ignored nearly every piece of advice Rhea had scrounged up for her.

            On the plus side, after Rhea had carefully made her way down the stairs in the common room and was worrying about safely making it all the way down the entire Tower, she exited the Ravenclaw common room to find one Garreth Weasley outside, absently spinning a globe as he waited. He looked up quickly when the door opened, and his typical crooked smile burst onto his face.

            He bounded up the few steps between them and gave her an exaggerated bow before kissing her knuckles and helping her down the stairs. Chatty as ever, he was eagerly complimenting her as they wound their way down the massive spiral staircase and made their way to the Great Hall.

            Hogwarts at Christmas was quite possibly becoming Rhea’s favorite time of the year. She’d never seen so many decorated trees in one place in her entire life. In addition to traditional garlands and sparkling ornaments, there were endless twinkling lights floating through the hallways.

            When they entered the Great Hall with the throngs of other students flowing inside, Rhea felt her heart skip a beat. Shining Icicles decorated the walls and the largest Christmas tree she’d ever seen was situated where the teachers’ table usually sat, surrounded by tables of food and drink. There was a small string orchestra settled in one corner of the room and all the long house tables had been cleared from the room, replaced by a large dance floor and several round tables surrounded by chairs for breaks between dancing. To top it all off, snow was gently falling from the enchanted ceiling, melting into nothing before it reached the bottom of the hall.

            “First time’s always quite magical, if you ask me,” Garreth said enthusiastically leading her further into the room. “Do you reckon anyone else has arrived yet?”

            Rhea ripped her gaze from the enchanting sight before her and glanced around at all the attendees, a glowing smile on her face. Whatever doubts she’d been having leading up to that night were gone. Everyone she saw looked incredible, and the dancing couples floated across the floor as if they were in a dreamland. But she hadn’t yet spotted any of her friends.

            “Oh!” Garreth exclaimed, pointing across the hall to their right. “That’s Leander and Poppy over there dancing. Blimey, I almost didn’t recognize her with her hair up. Stunnin’!”

            Rhea craned her neck to see where he was indicating, and her smile grew for a moment until she saw Poppy wince. The Hufflepuff managed to keep a smile firmly on her face, but it tightened when Leander stepped on her foot again. Rhea could only imagine the pain—she wasn’t comfortable in her shoes, and she reckoned she wasn’t going to feel any better in them if Garreth managed to stomp on her toes.

            “Oh she looks so lovely,” Rhea said fondly, turning to look around for other friends since they couldn’t very well interrupt a dance or join it in the middle of a song. “Oh—I think I spotted Anne in the corner over there!” She pointed this time to the opposite side of the room, already moving to make her way over to her friend, leaving Garreth to follow along like an excited puppy, which he was more than happy to do.

            As soon as Anne spotted Rhea, she placed her goblet down on a nearby table and hurried over, taking care not to run or to trip over her long, green dress. She had long white gloves that went up to her elbow and puffed sleeves that exaggerated the shape of the corset. It was an incredible ensemble, and the young woman was simply radiant.

            She reached out with both arms and pulled Rhea into a hug, squeezing her tightly, “Thank Merlin you’re here! Ominis and Sebastian left me in the Slytherin Common Room to collect their fair ladies and I nearly had to spend the first part of the evening with your dear cousin!”

            “Oh dear, that would have been unfortunate,” Garreth said, wrinkling his nose at the thought. “It’s good to see you Anne—potions class isn’t quite the same without you there to give me some proper competition.”

            “Considering you rarely brew what Professor Sharp intends us to, I reckon you weren’t much competition for me anyway, so surely it’s not that different,” Anne joked, releasing Rhea and offering Garreth a friendly smile. “Although, I might be tempted to revise that particular opinion if you were to go and get us some little snacks and maybe a couple of butterbeers? Allow us ladies a moment to catch up, right?”

            Garreth nodded, a small smirk on his face as he turned and headed off towards the front tables, glancing back at the pair as they watched him leave. Once he had disappeared into the crowd, Anne rounded on Rhea, eagerly guiding her to a nearby chair so they could relax a little more.

            “You never told me that Garreth Weasley asked you to the ball,” Anne said matter-of-factly. “I feel like that should have been letter worthy news! I had to find out from my brother of all people.”

            “I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen!” Rhea laughed sheepishly, looking down at her hands for a moment before looking back up at Anne with a grin. “I gave him such a challenge, I didn’t think he was going to be able to get it done in the end.”

            “While I would have preferred for you to go with either of my brothers, I must admit this is a significantly better option than poor Poppy,” Anne said. “I can’t believe Leander bloody Prewitt convinced her to come with him. Did you see them?”

            “I’d expected him to be a better dancer than that,” Rhea admitted. “I’d be surprised if Poppy managed to walk away tonight with all of her toes.”

            “Nothing a trip to the hospital wing wouldn’t fix,” Anne said lightly before reaching into the small bag she had tied around her wrist. “Or at least nothing a little liquid courage couldn’t numb for a bit.” She wiggled a small flask back and forth below the table with a devious grin on her face. “I nicked it from the chest of my parents’ things that Uncle Solomon is saving for when Sebastian and I leave home in a few years. Thinks we’ll appreciate family heirlooms more when we’re older. I reckon we’ll appreciate a little firewhisky more tonight if we’re going to be putting up with the likes of Lord Leander Prewitt and Saint Adelaide Oakes.”

            Rhea bit back a grin as she shot a look around the Great Hall surreptitiously. She wanted to make sure they wouldn’t get caught by the watchful eye of any of the professors scattered around the hall. To her surprise though, several were dancing along with the students, hardly paying any attention to the students scattered about the hall.

            “Leander I can understand,” Rhea said, “But what’s so bad about Adelaide? From what I hear she’s a lovely girl.”

            “She’s nice enough,” Anne said with a shrug, frowning slightly. “But she let her friends laugh at my brother last year when his unfortunate eyebrow situation occurred. Call me crazy, but I think that rejecting him because he happened to have burned off his eyebrows right before asking her to Hogsmeade seems a little shallow.”

            “Surely it wasn’t just because of the eyebrows, though,” Rhea defended gently. “Surely she just didn’t have feelings for him.”

            “Do you have feeling for Garreth Weasley?” Anne asked, raising her eyebrows.

            Rhea bit her lip and let out a wry chuckle. Anne had her there.

            “And yet here you are, attending the ball with him,” Anne said matter-of-factly. “It’s not a necessity. And those things… I reckon they change with time. Who knows—by the time you leave you could absolutely be smitten with the lad.”

            “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” Rhea sighed. “I think we’re probably better suited as friends.”

            “The night is still young,” Anne reminded her. “Try and keep an open mind. Young Weasley could surprise you. And, well, firewhisky helps.”

            The girls shared a laugh as Anne hid the flask away again, just in case. Rhea glanced around the room, looking for their other friends through the crowds. Anne did the same, leaning back contentedly in her chair, a pleasant smile on her face as she took in the sight.

            Suddenly, she sat up and pointed across the room. Rhea followed her direction and spotted Sebastian walking arm-in-arm with a positively glowing Adelaide. Rhea couldn’t understand how the girl was able to walk so smoothly in her heels and heavy looking gown. She had never seen someone look so graceful while doing so little. The pair stopped and Adelaide admired the Great Hall in all its splendor while Sebastian scanned the crowd, likely looking for his sister.

            After a few moments, he spotted them. He raised a hand to wave, a huge smile growing on his face as he took a half step towards them, intending to lead Adelaide along. However, she resisted and pulled him back, speaking to him insistently. Rhea and Anne frowned at the boy across the hall as he rather reluctantly allowed Adelaide to tug him in the direction of the dance floor as the ensemble started up a rather lively jig.

            “Is now a bad time to admit I don’t know any dances?” Rhea wondered aloud as Sebastian and Adelaide took up the proper positions.

            “I wouldn’t worry too much,” Anne said. “Most reels are sort of call-and-response. Usually Professor Ronen shouts out instructions and everyone follows along. And all the other ones are usually really simple—but you don’t have to worry because if you don’t do them well, it’s all Garreth’s fault since he’s supposed to be leading you. Meanwhile, I’m hoping Natsai will be willing to share Ominis for the evening; I don’t fancy not dancing since I spent so long convincing Solomon to let me come in the first place.”

            “I don’t think you’re going to have an issue with that,” Rhea said, shaking her head. “Natty wanted to just come by herself. Setting her up with Ominis was really a last resort on Sebastian’s part.”

            “I’ve been having a good time teasing him over taking the enemy to the ball, at least,” Anne grinned. “Gryffindors and Slytherins don’t really mix very well, you see.”

            “Natty’s good people,” Rhea said with a fond smile as she spotted Ominis and Natty carefully weaving their way through the crowd towards the food on the far side of the room. “Typical Gryffindor, though.”

            “You’ll have to tell me more about that sometime,” Anne said, watching the pair closely as well. “Natsai came to Hogwarts last year, but between her keeping mostly to the Gryffindors and me being sick all the time, we never really crossed paths.”

            “She certainly seems to have come into her own this year,” Rhea said. “Not that I have anything to base that off of. She’ll be the death of me though, I swear…”

            “Sounds intriguing,” Anne grinned, raising one hand to wave at Garreth to remind him of where they were.

            The rambunctious Gryffindor was balancing three plates of food on top of three goblets and had Natty and Ominis trialing behind with their own plates and goblets. Garreth was chatting amicably with Ominis—or rather at Ominis, who had a look of concentration on his face as he did his best to follow the young man through the crowds and tables. Thankfully Natty was behind him, gently offering direction or warning Ominis to stop when Garreth got cut off or changed direction without warning.

            When they finally reached the table, Ominis let out a sigh of relief and collapsed into a chair beside Anne after a little prompting from Natty, who sat on his other side. Garreth took the seat beside Rhea and carefully placed the food and drinks in front of her and Anne respectively.

            “Garreth says you look lovely, Rhea,” Ominis said.

            “Somewhere in that deluge, I believe he did,” Natty joked, shooting Garreth a pointed look. Garreth simply shrugged and began eating quickly.

            “Sorry, but do you prefer to go by Natsai or Natty?” Anne asked, leaning around Ominis to stick a hand out to the Gryffindor girl, who was wearing an ensemble of several bright colors and patterns, her hair down for the first time Rhea had met her and curled both naturally and brilliantly. “I’m Sebastian’s sister Anne—we never really got the chance to meet properly last year.”

            “I’d like to say that I’ve heard a lot about you, but this lot are rather tight lipped,” Natty said. “They’re like a little exclusive club. Rarely find any of them without at least one of the other ones.”

            “Sounds like they replaced me!” Anne laughed, nudging Rhea with a sly grin. Behind her, Ominis winced and shook his head slightly, clearly disagreeing with Anne despite the joking tone she had.

            “There’s no replacing you, Anne,” Rhea said, shaking her head as well.

            “Nah, there’s no replacing you, I agree,” Garreth said firmly. “Rhea’s great at potions but even she can’t match the pair of us, Sallow.”

            “I’m just hopeless at them,” Ominis said. Natty nodded her agreement with a grimace; she wasn’t very fond of potions. It was a little too boring for her tastes. She much preferred practical magic, despite her mother’s position as the Divination teacher.

            “Are you lot talking about classes?” Sebastian asked, leaning against one of the chairs on the opposite side of the table, looking around at his friends with a confused expression. Adelaide stood next to him, her hands clasped gently in front of her, her back straight and a warm smile on her face. “We’re at a bloody ball—what are you talking about classes for?”

            “We’re just making conversation,” Ominis said defensively. “When have you ever seen this group of people together before?”

            “Almost never,” Garreth said, backing Ominis up with a nod as he reached for his goblet.

            “Besides, we’re eating,” Anne pointed out. “What else are we supposed to do but talk?”

            “That’s a fair point,” Adelaide agreed, a placating tone to her warm voice. “Why don’t you and I go and grab a little something for ourselves and join them?”

            Sebastian gave a slightly reluctant nod but offered her his arm and a smile, leading her across the Hall once more. Once the pair were out of sight, Anne quickly reached into her bag and brought out the flask, pulling her goblet below the table and pouring a small bit of firewhisky out. She placed it back on the table and repeated the process for Rhea and Ominis’s glasses. She hesitated for a moment before offering the same quietly to Natty and Garreth, who both accepted with sneaky looks at one another.

            “Don’t mention this to my brother, by the way,” Anne told them quietly. “The flask itself is his Christmas present—it belonged to our parents. Besides, I think it’ll be way funnier watching him make it through this evening completely sober.”

            “Unless he drinks his body weight in butterbeer, you mean,” Ominis laughed deviously, “Which is entirely possible with how much Adelaide typically wants to dance at this thing. He'll need quite a few to make it to the end of the night, if you ask me.”

            “She’s incredibly graceful,” Rhea said, hating that even she could hear how wistful her tone was. She didn’t want to think of herself as a jealous person, but from the glances she’d caught of the young woman waltzing around the room, she was reluctant to see how the girl looked when she was actually waltzing.

            “I’m sure you’re going to be more graceful than I am,” Garreth laughed reassuringly. “I’m not as good as Gaunt over there, but I can hold my own. That’s being a bit generous though.”

            “He’s right—” Natty laughed loudly, “He… tends to flail around a bit on the upbeat numbers. We went to the ball together last year—I left the dance floor completely intact for what that’s worth.”

            “Are we talking about Garreth’s penchant for—er—overenthusiasm?” Adelaide asked, gliding into one of the free seats around the table as Sebastian helpfully carried their newly acquired items. There was a small note of panic in his eyes, but his gaze was focused and his tongue poked out slightly as he did his best not to spill anything over his date.

            “If I had my way, we’d always be talking about my good qualities, Oakes,” Garreth said with a cocky grin as he lifted his glass to toast the newcomers casually. Rhea did her best not to watch the new arrivals too much. She hadn’t really had a chance to actually meet Adelaide before tonight—at least not outside of dueling in class or Crossed Wands practices. She wanted to make a good impression.

            “I think for the sake of the rest of us, we probably should find something else to discuss,” Ominis sighed. “No need to spend your time convincing all of us of your greatness when there’s only one it might matter to at the table.”

            Rhea fiddled with the food on her plate, cheeks blushing as she did her best to avoid eye contact with the rest of the table. There was a faint thud as Ominis winced, jumping slightly in his seat when it was followed by another swift and soft thud. He turned his head right and left a few times, glaring in the direction of both Anne and Natty, confused.

            Under the table, Rhea felt Anne gently reach over and give her knee a supportive little squeeze. Rhea was suddenly incredibly grateful that Anne had been able to come. She wasn’t sure she’d have been able to keep Ominis in line that night alone. As Adelaide began speaking animatedly to Garreth, Rhea looked up at Anne, a rather meek expression on her face.

            Holding her eye, Anne raised her goblet to her lips and took a long sip, raising her eyebrows at Rhea expectantly. Rhea couldn’t help the grin that grew on her face as she reached for her own goblet and tipped it back. She caught Natty’s eye as well, and saw that the Gryffindor girl was already in the process of drinking from her goblet, a mischievous spark in her eye. Natty coughed slightly when she finished drinking and the three girls shared a small laugh while Sebastian looked on in confusion.

            When Anne had been at Hogwarts before, she hadn’t really spent a lot of time around girls—at least not when he and Ominis were around. And even the few times that he’d met up with Anne while she’d been spending time with Poppy, he hadn’t seen this level of unspoken communication before. He wondered what the joke had been, or if there had even been one. They’d just looked at each other for Merlin’s sake.

            The three fell into comfortable conversation, with Anne listening intently to Natty’s story about when she met Rhea on the first day of classes. He sat silently, casually picking at some of the crudites that Adelaide had suggested he try, watching his friends across the table fondly.

            Natty wasn’t exactly his friend, but he enjoyed her company well enough to almost consider her one. And if she was important to Rhea, then he’d make an effort. Even without his other friends to consider, he was certainly enjoying their friendly, though slightly bitter, rivalry when it came to dueling. He almost wished he hadn’t dropped out of the solo tournament if only so they could spend a little more time bantering over the championship.

            Ominis looked happy enough; he and Natty got on about as well as Sebastian got on with her. Moreover, he was laughing enthusiastically as he contributed to whatever story Natty had moved on to. Sebastian had barely believed it when Prewitt had asked Sweeting to the ball in the last week of classes. He’d been so close to convincing Ominis to ask her as well. Or, at least, he was close to getting Ominis to ask Rhea about her opinion on it all, which essentially was the same thing in his book. Sebastian had looked at Rhea in utter shock when Poppy had agreed to go with Leander and had seen the same dumbfounded expression on the Ravenclaw’s face.

            The same Ravenclaw who had linked arms with his twin and was leaning into her, laughing as she pointed at Natty suddenly, correcting a part of the story herself. She was looking somehow both relaxed and elegant, practically oozing charm. Her long russet hair was pulled up, a few delicate curls escaping the soft braids knotted on the back of her head. She was wearing a particularly fetching powder blue gown that nearly had him blushing. She was, in a word, stunning.

            He realized he was lingering too long on her as he felt another set of eyes land on him. He shifted his gaze slightly and found his twin watching him carefully, a small spark of recognition dawning in her brown eyes. He blinked and shifted in his chair awkwardly as she continued to stare him down, a knowing smirk growing on her face at his obvious discomfort. He placed an arm on the back of Adelaide’s chair and shook his head almost imperceptibly at his sister, willing her to leave that embarrassing moment alone. Anne’s eyes narrowed slightly at the arm he’d moved and gave a gentle shake of her head as well, tilting it just barely in Rhea’s direction, her gaze insistent.

            He cleared his throat slightly and gently leaned in to interrupt the lively conversation Garreth and Adelaide were currently engaged in, asking if Adelaide was ready to get back out onto the dance floor. The girl let out a delighted gasp and leapt to her feet in an instant, grabbing his hand and pulling him away. Sebastian did his best to ignore the small, disapproving frown that followed him from across the table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Shortly after Sebastian and Adelaide departed again, Garreth convinced Rhea to join him for a few dances with firm promises that he wouldn’t step on her toes, leaving Anne, Ominis, and Natty alone at the table.

            “You two can go and dance, if you like,” Anne said with a smile at Natty. “That is kind of the point of a ball, isn’t it?”

            “Oh, Ominis and I were both on the same page when we decided to come together tonight,” Natty explained, shaking her head. “Neither of us is particularly interested in dancing with one another. This was simply a favor for our friends at the end of the day.”

            “How do you mean?” Anne frowned. “Sebastian and Ominis tried to explain it earlier but they weren’t very… well, good at it.”

            “Well, I admit I don’t know the whole story,” Natty warned before she explained, “But I know that it all started when Rhea, Poppy, and I were studying and discussing the ball. Rhea obviously was unfamiliar with it, so it was technically an educational talk. But we all were discussing who we would like to go to the ball with. I can’t really tell you who, but needless to say, none of us are here with the person we intended to go with. No offense, Ominis; I was intending to come alone.”

            “But then, later that week Garreth asked Rhea to go to Hogsmeade with him over the weekend, where he proceeded to ask her to the ball. I tried to interrogate him before the weekend, but he was evasive about it all. And of course, the school gossips got their claws into the pair of them so of course everybody knew about it by Monday when we were finally able to talk to Rhea about it. She wasn’t very excited at first, but she wasn’t going to go back on her word. The thing was though that she’d given him, well, a challenge of sorts. She said that the three of us wouldn’t go to the ball with anyone unless we all found someone to go with. That was all well and good, but then Garreth found out Leander fancies Poppy.”

            “And he wasn’t exactly in on the plan, was he?” Anne asked, glancing at Ominis, who was swirling his drink around his goblet, frowning at his lap.

            “Exactly. We realized that if I didn’t find anyone, Rhea and Garreth could just join me as a group, but then Poppy would still be stuck attending with Leander,” Natty said. “I don’t know how your brother and Rhea managed to convince Ominis to agree to come with me tonight, or why he agreed at all, but this way we have a better chance of stealing Poppy away. Many hands make light the work and all that.”

            “Sebastian convinced me, more than Rhea, actually,” Ominis said lightly. “I never intended to ask someone to the ball, but he decided that I had been and when the young lady in question became spoken for, he took it upon himself to look after my hurt feelings, as it were.”

            “You know, you should have asked Rhea to the ball, Ominis,” Natty said after a few moments.

            Ominis, who had been in the process of actually drinking his firewhisky instead of swilling it about in the goblet, nearly spat it out in surprise. It burned his throat when he swallowed, but he was shaking his head the whole time, in either disbelief or in protest.

            “That’s exactly what I told him,” Anne told Natty with a wide grin. “Well, to be more specific I told both of them that they should have asked her to come. But they dragged their feet about it and lost their opportunities.”

            “I know why you think we should have done that, Anne—but I don’t know why you would suggest such a thing, Natsai,” Ominis frowned, gingerly placing his goblet on the table in front of him. “That’s certainly a peculiar suggestion to make.”

            “No reason, really,” Natty shrugged. “I just think she’s not very comfortable with Garreth yet. Doesn’t she seem a bit nervous? That’s not very much like her if you ask me.”

            “She’s acting less strange than my brother, that’s for sure,” Anne said, frowning briefly over at the dance floor where, predictably, her twin was not entirely paying attention to his dance partner. She wondered vaguely how aware he was of how entranced he was by their new friend. She’d had her suspicions since he first mentioned inviting her back to Feldcroft with him, but she’d been too preoccupied enjoying herself for the first time in months to really dig any deeper than those initial musings.

            But now, she could tell that there was more going on inside her twin’s mind than simply finding a new friend for her to talk to, whether he realized it or not.

Chapter Text

            “See that wasn’t so bad, right?” Garreth laughed, as he led Rhea around the dance floor, searching for some of their friends. “I didn’t step on your toes, and we started out nice and slow with those last few. But they should be playing some more lively ones soon.” He pulled her to the outskirts and pointed towards where the orchestra had been, and she saw that it had been replaced by a smattering of traditional Scottish instruments. “That’s the configuration for a ceilidh band. It’s a Scottish thing—mostly a muggle thing, really, but even the purebloods love the dancing so they ignore where we got it from.”

            “So… line dancing?” Rhea frowned.

            “Some,” Garreth explained. “These are the call and response ones. See over there? Professor Ronen is organizing people into groups.” He stood up taller, looking across the floor before waving his arms frantically to signal someone further away. He reached down and grabbed Rhea’s hand, pulling her through the crowd eagerly.

            As they emerged on another part of the dance floor, Rhea found herself face to face with Adelaide Oakes, who was talking politely to Poppy. Poppy did a small double take when she spotted Rhea, her eyes going wide as she turned and hugged her friend.

            “Thank Merlin you’re here—Leander hasn’t let us stop dancing once so far, I can’t feel my feet!” Poppy whispered in her ear as Garreth began chatting to Leander and Sebastian while Professor Ronen continued to make his rounds. She pulled back, giving Rhea a grateful smile and gestured to Adelaide. “Rhea, this is Adelaide—we’re in the same house, as you know.”

            Adelaide extended a delicate hand and Rhea shook it politely, unsure of what to say. Thankfully—or almost irritably—Adelaide jumped at the opportunity first. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! Poppy here—and Sebastian—were just telling me a bit more about you.”

            “All good things, I hope,” Rhea laughed, a slightly worried frown on her face.

            Adelaide let out a twinkling laugh and said, “Of course—though you may be funnier than they let on. Have you been having a good evening so far? Has Garreth been a gentleman?”

            “A proper gentleman,” Rhea nodded, glancing at the boys. She was surprised to see Sebastian watching them out of the corner of his eye while Leander and Garreth were otherwise occupied discussing something or other. When he noticed her looking over, his eyes darted back to the pair of red heads in front of him. “And my evening’s been good so far. I’m excited to dance some more.”

            “I might be losing my shoes soon,” Poppy moaned, wincing as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, shaking her ankles in the air one at a time. “I’d almost be happy to never dance again…”

            “That’s not what I want to hear tonight, Miss Sweeting!” Professor Ronen exclaimed, appearing suddenly beside the group. The boys turned and gathered around as well as Professor Ronen slashed a hand between them, waving them apart slightly. “This looks like a wonderful group of dancers to me! We will be doing the Dashing White Sergeant next!”

            Rhea found herself standing beside Garreth, with Poppy on his other side. Across from Poppy stood Leander, looking rather irritated by the split from his date, though there was evident relief on Poppy’s face that she wasn’t even bothering to hide. Next to him stood Adelaide, her soft blond curls laying delicately across her shoulders. And finally, across from Rhea was Sebastian.

            He offered her a small smile and began to say something to her when Adelaide interrupted suddenly. “Sebastian, do you remember which one this dance is? They all do tend to blend together after a while,” she wondered.

            “Er, to be completely honest, I don’t remember any of the names,” Sebastian said with a slight frown as he turned towards her a bit more. “He’s split us into two groups of three, so I assume it’s one of those ones where you pass through one another and find another group after each set.”

            “That’s exactly right, Sallow,” Leander said, glaring around at him. Rhea wondered if perhaps that was just Leander’s usual face. Perhaps he got stupefied once while making a terribly unpleasant expression and that was why he so displeased looking all the time. She made a mental note to ask Sebastian later—he would undoubtedly get a kick out of the joke. She wondered what he’d been about to say before Adelaide had swooped in.

            But, as it turned out, she wouldn’t get the chance to ask about either point as Professor Ronen cleared his throat, his voice amplified by magic. The entire hall of dancers turned to look at him as he raised his wand and the musical instruments took up a jaunty little tune for a few bars. Then he began to explain the steps of the dance, having the students perform them slowly as he gave the instructions. Once all the steps had been explained, the tempo of the music picked up and he began offering the instructions slightly quieter than before as the dance began in earnest.

            She hadn’t quite absorbed the instructions, but suddenly both Sebastian and Garreth had grabbed her hands and the group spun to the left before spinning back to the right, bouncing all the way around. The boys dropped their hands and Garreth turned to Poppy, kicked his feet opposite her, spun her around on one arm before turning and repeating the process with Rhea. Across from them, the other trio was doing the same. The two lines then moved in a figure eight for a few counts before resting in their original positions.

            The two groups then stepped closer until Rhea and Sebastian were face to face. He was grinning down at her as they stomped their feet before they all stepped backwards and clapped their hands. Garreth then shot his arms into the air, dragging Poppy and Rhea’s up with his own and charged forward. Adelaide and Leander ducked under Poppy and Garreth’s arms while Sebastian ducked through on the other side. He spun when he exited the tunnel, watching almost wistfully as the trio flitted off to greet another group before turning and joining hands with his new circle.

            By the end of the dance, Rhea was almost completely turned around, laughing too hard to catch her breath. The longer the song went on, the easier it became to forget the steps, and the faster the beat got until everyone was whirling about and nearly crashing into one another. As the crowd clapped and Professor Ronen began to prepare the next set of dances, Poppy latched onto Rhea’s arm tightly and bent down to rub her foot, wincing as she did. Rhea helped to support her as Garreth stood nearby, ready to assist if he was needed.

            “So this is where you lot got to!” Sebastian called, hurrying over. Adelaide trailed behind him, with Leander in tow. His expression almost brightened when he saw Poppy, but her grip on Rhea’s arm tightened and she knew she needed to help her friend out.

            “Yes—I believe Poppy and I are going to go and sit down for a while,” Rhea said. “Our feet aren’t quite used to these shoes and it’s beginning to wear on us. “Leander, I’m certain that if you should like to keep dancing in the meantime, I spotted Samantha Dale sitting alone near the front tables! It would be awfully noble of you to ask her to dance, in my opinion.”

            Sebastian bit back a smirk as he picked up on what she was doing. He turned to Adelaide and said, “Unfortunately, I find myself to be in a similar situation as these two here. I got new shoes from Gladrags and well… let’s just say that their ready to wear magically worn in shoes haven’t been quite perfected yet. But I do believe that I can trust Weasley here to show you a good time until I’ve recovered.” He turned and gave Garreth an almost challenging stare.

            The Gryffindor stared right back, glancing at Rhea, who was busy fussing over Poppy. He never let his smile slip as he gave a rather curt nod and directed his attention to Adelaide, who was giving Sebastian a hurt frown. She recovered gracefully though and accepted Garreth’s arm as they moved closer to hear the dance instructions.

            “Alright, let’s get a move on,” Poppy said quickly, hobbling through the crowd of dancers until they reached the edge of the dance floor.

            Rhea quickly took the lead, leading them back to the table they’d claimed earlier where Natty and Anne were in deep conversation. Ominis had swapped seats with Anne and was slightly slumped in his seat. Rhea bit back a snicker as she wondered how much of Anne’s firewhisky he’d enjoyed since she last saw him.

            He perked up instantly when he felt movement beside him. “Are you back? Please tell me you’re back!” he exclaimed, earning him a swat from Anne, who never once took her attention off Natty.

            “We’re back,” Rhea said with a small smile as Sebastian kindly pulled a seat out for her. Poppy took the available seat next to Ominis and let out a loud sigh of relief, causing the unsuspecting young man to jump in surprise.

            “And we found Sweeting!” Sebastian grinned, sinking into the seat on Rhea’s other side, leaning close so he could see around her and speak to the rest of the group. Rhea rather liked the proximity. He smelled… really nice. She wondered if he’d splurged on a nice cologne or if it was just her imagination running wild.

            “Liberated, more like,” Poppy sighed as she managed to free one of her feet from her tall golden heels. “I thought I’d never get rid of that prick…”

            Sebastian let out a loud laugh and Ominis couldn’t hide the wide grin that crossed his face as the sudden outburst. “Was it going that badly then?” he asked uncertainly.

            “I’m not sure it could have gone worse, actually,” Poppy said honestly. “We’ve been here for hours now and ugh—it wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t insisted on dancing before most people had arrived. I haven’t sat down once since I left my Common Room. Also—I had to meet him here. He didn’t come to the dorm to escort me or anything.”

            “You’re joking,” Rhea gasped, her jaw dropping in shock. “Garreth met me right outside of Ravenclaw Common Room. I swear, if he hadn’t done that I’d have died on those stairs.” She hesitated a moment before succumbing and removing her own shoes. The flood of relief that went through them was astonishing—she hadn’t even realized how uncomfortable they had been after all the dancing.

            “I collected Natty,” Ominis said, “And I can’t honestly say that I’d ever even been to Gryffindor’s wing before. I’ve no reason to go over there class wise, so I just… don’t…”

            “And I escorted Adelaide,” Sebastian said. “If I’d known Prewett was going to prove himself an even bigger twat than we all originally thought he was, I’d have gone earlier and made sure you arrived with us. I can’t believe the audacity of him…”

            “Well, considering Natty seems happily occupied with Anne, I really hope you don’t mind if I force you to entertain me, Ominis,” Poppy sighed, finally freeing her other foot. “If Leander comes back to find me, I’m not above hiding under this table—and I’m absolutely going to need your support.”

            “I’ll just tell him I haven’t seen you,” Ominis snickered, taking another sip from his goblet of pumpkin juice.

            “Oh, that’s terrible!” Poppy exclaimed with a delighted giggle, “He won’t know how to respond to that at all!”

            “He can’t really,” Sebastian said, a wicked grin on his face. This was going well. “It’s a perfect excuse. Ominis Gaunt, knight in shining armor.”

            “If we manage to keep him away from me for the rest of the evening, I’m going to insist that you at least have a dance with me, Ominis,” Poppy said. “I need at least one good dance tonight.”

            “What, were Garreth and I not good enough for you?” Rhea laughed, nudging the Hufflepuff jokingly.

            “Oh, no, you were both lovely,” Poppy corrected. “I just couldn’t feel my feet, so I was mainly focused on not tipping over towards the end there.”

            “I’m sure Ominis would be delighted to lead you in a dance, Sweeting,” Sebastian said, grinning at the girl. Poppy nodded in response and looked down at her hands with a faint blush before grinning back at Rhea.

            “I’d love a chance to talk to Anne tonight,” Poppy said quietly, leaning back so she was nearly resting against Rhea. With how close Sebastian was sitting behind her, Rhea was practically sandwiched between them. He leaned in closer as well when Poppy began talking, resting his chin on Rhea’s shoulder comfortably. “But I think that I’d almost rather leave her to whatever is happening there…”

            Natty and Anne were thoroughly engaged with one another, barely acknowledging the other people at the table. They were sitting extremely close to one another as well, mirroring each other’s body language strangely closely. A small smile crept onto Rhea’s face as a hopeful thought crossed her mind.

            “You know what, I reckon we do leave them to it,” Sebastian said softly, his breath ticking the loose hair around Rhea’s ear, sending goosebumps up her spine. Poppy nodded thoughtfully and let out another sigh as she hoisted herself into a more upright position.

            “We’re going to get some more drinks,” Poppy said loudly, reaching across Ominis to gently touch Anne’s arm. At this, Anne did turn and gave Poppy an adoring look as she squeezed her hand kindly. Poppy smiled back before standing and placing a gentle hand on Ominis’s shoulder. He stiffened slightly at the contact but remained still. When Poppy straightened, her shoes were in her hand and she was tugging on Ominis’s sleeve insistently. She shot Rhea and Sebastian a pointed look and the pair rose as well, following the sprightly Hufflepuff as she weaved her way towards the top of the hall.

            “Do you reckon we could hide behind that tree for a while?” she asked, gesturing to the tree that sat where the teachers’ table usually resided. “I honestly think that Prewett would be more than willing to check under tables, but I don’t think he’s smart enough to check back there.

            “It’s always worth a shot,” Ominis said with a shrug, casting Disillusionment on himself and setting off. Rhea’s jaw dropped and she glanced at Sebastian, who looked equally surprised, though he was pulling out his own wand. He quickly muttered the incantation three times, tapping Poppy, Rhea, and himself respectively. He, out of habit, grabbed Rhea’s hand and tugged her along after him, swiping a few goblets as they passed the table.

            When they reached the back side of the massive tree, he released the charm and was surprised to see that Poppy had also thought to grab a pitcher from the table. She dropped her shoes and made herself comfortable, holding out a hand for one of the goblets almost impatiently. It was… very unlike normal every day Sweeting.

            Ominis lounged next to her, his wand tucked behind his ear, an almost smug look of satisfaction on his face. Rhea joined the pair on the ground, sipping butterbeer from the goblet with great pleasure. Sebastian took up a spot next to her, loosening the small scarf around his neck and breathing a small sigh of relief.

            “So… your first Yule Ball,” Poppy said, a small amount of nerves returning to her now that she realized that she’d relocated them to a slightly more intimate location than she’d initially anticipated. “How’s it treating you?”

            “It’s been a lovely evening so far,” Rhea said. “I feel a little bad hiding from Garreth. I completely understand hiding from Leander—but Garreth is actually quite nice. He’s only been sweet to me.”

            “Sorry for foisting him off on Adelaide, by the way,” Sebastian grimaced. “Like Leander, all she wants to do is dance, but I couldn’t subject her to pairing up with him. She and Weasley get along well enough so I figured it would be a decent match.”

            “Adelaide didn’t seem too happy,” Rhea said with a frown. “We should probably go rescue them from one another before too long.”

            “Of course she wasn’t happy,” Poppy grumbled. “She’s a nice girl, but I mean, you’ve seen her tonight. She’s floating around looking practically like a goddess. She enjoys getting attention, and Sebastian asking Garreth to take over isn’t exactly giving her the attention she wants. In fact, it’s quite literally doing the opposite. She won’t let you out of her sight if you go out there again.”

            “You make it sound like she’s some sort of bird of prey,” Ominis mused, frowning slightly. “I always thought she was nice enough. Not that we ever really spoke—especially not after the eyebrow incident.”

            “Oh, I remember that,” Poppy grimaced. “That was not her best moment…”

            “Not her best moment?” Sebastian asked, his eyebrows shooting up, as if to remind them all that they were, in fact, back and better than ever. “It wasn’t my best moment.”

            “You know, your eyebrows actually grew back quite fast,” Poppy said helpfully. “Almost everyone loses an eyebrow when learning new fire magic. It’s really not that big a deal.”

            “Rhea didn’t lose any eyebrows when I taught her Confringo,” Sebastian pointed out. “So maybe not that common.”

            “Oh, she doesn’t count,” Poppy said, shaking her head. “I’ve just sort of resigned myself to knowing that she’s impossibly talented. She won’t be getting any of those awkward magic hiccups like the rest of us got over the last few years.”

            “You hush,” Rhea said, her face bright red in embarrassment. “We were talking about the dance, not me.”

            “Well—we’ll give it a few more dances and then we can re-emerge, if the two of you ladies are up for a bit more dancing?” Ominis suggested. “Poppy should at least have a dance with someone who isn’t Prewett, after all.”

            “As long as I never have to put those shoes on again, I’d be delighted,” Poppy laughed.

            “More than happy to dance again,” Rhea said with a nod. “There’s one that my mum told me about that I’m keen to give a go.”

            “Which one?” Sebastian asked, downing his goblet and pouring himself a fresh butterbeer.

            “Er—She wasn’t sure of the name. It’s either Drops of Brandy or Strip the Willow,” Rhea said with a frown. “She didn’t do a very good job of explaining it, but she says it was one of her favorites when she was growing up. Said she met my father during that dance.”

            “One of my favorites, too,” Sebastian nodded eagerly. “I’d be happy to dance with you, if you’d like.”

            “That’d be nice, actually,” Rhea grinned. “I feel like I haven’t seen you all night. Or really at all this last week. It’s just been me and Ominis mostly.”

            “Yeah, there was a lot of work we had to do to arrange for Anne to come and visit. She’s not technically allowed to stay in the castle, either, so we had to arrange for her to get back down to Hogsmeade tonight. And Poppy generously insisted upon staying with Anne in the Three Broomsticks.”

            “Did your uncle not come in the end, then?” Rhea asked, frowning slightly. “I would have expected him to want to at least make sure she’s alright…”

            “I don’t actually know what the reason was, but he couldn’t come, according to Anne. I’m sure he wanted to be here but supposedly something else came up that was… more important, I guess,” he tried not to let the bitterness shine through in his tone, but it was difficult to tamp down, especially when it came on so suddenly.

            “Oh, I’m so excited,” Poppy said. “I can’t wait to drill her about that conversation she was having with Natty, as well.”

            “Please do,” Sebastian said with a nod, “And you’ll have to tell us all about it sometime as well. Anne and I are close but something tells me she isn’t going to be exactly keen to talk to me about any of that.”

            “I can try and ask Natty as well—though I don’t know if I’m going to be able to catch her before I leave for home in a few days,” Rhea frowned. “I wish my mum had wanted to come up to Hogsmeade for the holidays… Christmas has been so delightful around here that I can only imagine New Years being even more incredible.”

            “Hogmanay’s good fun,” Sebastian nodded, “though I haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing it in Hogsmeade before. I’ll be sure to write a review for you.”

            “If you don’t remember, I’ll be terribly disappointed,” Rhea said with a grin.

            The four remained where they were, chatting and refilling their goblets for what seemed like more than an hour until Sebastian shushed them suddenly, listening carefully with a frown on his face. After a moment it changed into a wide smile as he leapt to his feet and held out a hand to Rhea, pulling her to her feet quickly.

            “Strip the Willow’s up next,” he said. “Ominis, Poppy—it’s been a pleasure. Make sure you don’t forget Rhea’s shoes when you decide to reemerge from this perfect little Christmas bubble, alright?” Ominis nodded, and waved them off, turning back to Poppy, who was describing in great detail every ornament she could see on the massive Christmas tree with a wonderful little smile on her face.

            Not letting go of Rhea’s hand, Sebastian tugged her in the direction of the dance floor, not bothering to cast Disillusionment when they escaped from their hiding place. Most people in the hall were lining up for the dance, as it was. As they walked, Sebastian quickly did his best to explain the dance, reassuring her that Professor Ronen would walk them through it again before setting it off while also telling her that it was the simplest of all the dances she’d taken part in so far that night.

            Because of the size of the dance floor and the number of people wanting to join in, the dance was split into two groups. Within those groups, the dancers formed two lines, facing one another. Rhea and Sebastian were towards the back of one of the lines, directly across from one another. Every now and then a stray dancer would try to join the line, but Sebastian shooed them along, ensuring that he and Rhea didn’t get separated as the line shifted and settled.

            As the dance began, two dancers made their way down the line, spinning for sixteen counts before parting and dancing with the opposite line before returning to their partner and repeating the process all the way down. It was nice, Rhea thought, to start so late in the line. It allowed her time to practice a bit before it was her and Sebastian’s turn.

            He had the biggest smile on his face as they spun faster and faster before he practically launched her towards the next bloke in line behind him. She laughed loudly, spinning with the young man before turning to find Sebastian reaching for her and spinning her again, holding her with one arm by her waist instead of by the arm, twirling her towards the next partner, and the next, and the next.

            By the time they reached the end of the line, Rhea could barely breathe for laughing and dancing. After completing their final spins, Sebastian was in much the same state, beaming from bright red ear to bright red ear, clapping along to the music as he looked back up the line. Rhea watched her friend for a long moment, her heart pounding though her mind was still for once. If anyone else had been paying attention to the pair, they’d have seen a peculiar fondness growing in that look.

            But then there was Garreth, bursting into Rhea’s field of vision, ecstatic smile on his face as he picked her straight up off the ground and gave her a twirl before placing her not-so-delicately back on her feet before returning to Adelaide, who had finished a spin with Sebastian.

            Broken out of the brief reverie, Rhea glanced back at Sebastian who seemed to look away from her at just the same time her gaze reached him. There was a shuffling beside her as Adelaide appeared at her side, clapping along to the music with an unbothered smile on her face. She seemed to have nudged in between the dancers separating their pairs.

            “We’ve been looking for you two everywhere!” Adelaide called over the music. “Leander’s been in an absolute state. Samantha didn’t want to dance with him, apparently, and we haven’t been able to find Poppy to warn her he’s back to looking for her.”

            Rhea took a quick turn with an approaching dancer before she wound up next to Adelaide again. Adelaide took her spin and came to rest, still clapping along. “Poppy reckoned that he’d be smart enough to look under tables if he was determined enough, so she opted to find a new hiding spot. We were keeping her company for a little bit—she hadn’t had a chance to see any of us yet he was keeping her so occupied.”

            Another turn, and somehow Adelaide was on her left instead of her right. Another turn came and went, and Sebastian was moving in time with Adelaide instead, much to Rhea’s displeasure. The tall, blond girl made no move to fix the switch as she said lightly, “Part of the point of going to the ball with someone is to actually spend the time with them, though, don’t you think?”

            Rhea felt her hackles rise a bit at the very pointed dig. However, it was said with such a sweet tone that she didn’t feel like she could retort back in any manner that wasn’t polite, though she wished to in that moment. But then again, Adelaide did also have a point.

            More spinning and Rhea finally said, “It’s all well and good to spend time with a date—but sharing time with good friends is just as rewarding, I’d say. I’ve certainly had a splendid night with my friends and my date.”

            They were nearing the front of the line and Rhea glanced across the way with a frown, wondering if Sebastian had noticed the small bit of trickery Adelaide had performed so carefully and sneakily. She was horrified to see Leander Prewitt speaking loudly in Sebastian’s ear, though he wasn’t in the line. Sebastian shot Rhea a grim expression and rolled his eyes as Leander continued to speak.

            However, when Adelaide stepped forward to spin, a radiant smile on her face as she stared Sebastian down, it wasn’t the Slytherin boy who caught her, but Leander. As the two spun quickly and parted to make their way down the line, Rhea caught Sebastian watching the pair with a satisfied smirk, shaking his head slightly before reaching out to take her down the line again.

            When they reached the end of the row and rejoined the lines, Adelaide was nowhere to be seen. Rhea felt a small blip of satisfaction and glee run through her as the music came to a hearty stop, holding out the final note to encompass the applause of the delighted masses.

            She stepped towards Sebastian and said quietly, “I thought you said you couldn’t subject her to Leander Prewitt?”

            “I didn’t like the way she was looking at you,” he said with a shrug as he led her back over to the table where Anne and Natty were sitting, watching the dancers disperse. “Besides, I asked to dance with you that time, not her; I didn’t appreciate that bait and switch she pulled.”

            “But won’t that have ruined the rest of your evening?” Rhea frowned, looking up at him in concern.

            He grinned down at her and shook his head, “I’d rather ruin my chances with Adelaide Oakes than miss out on spending time with my best mates. Especially if it means I get to shove Prewitt around more often.”

            “Oi!” They heard Garreth call loudly. The pair turned and smiled as Garreth Weasley hurried over to join them, slinging his arms around both their shoulders and finishing the walk to the table draped over them. “This has been an absolutely fan-bloody-tastic ball, if you ask me. Absolutely above and beyond last years. Looks like your feet are feeling better as well, Rhea—”

            Garreth, as always, was eager to chat as the friends all rejoined one another. Ominis and Poppy had successfully made their way out from behind the massive tree without getting caught and were laughing with Anne and Natty, who were both a bit pink in the face.

            Sebastian felt his heart warm at the sight, resolving more than ever to make certain that his sister was able to come back to Hogwarts. She deserved to be surrounded by friends, full of life and laughter, not loneliness and perpetual pain. He looked around the table and breathed a sigh of contentment. Even if the evening hadn’t gone the way he’d originally hoped it might, it was undoubtedly going to be a night to remember.

            “—and I really do think that next year they should only use the ceilidh band—the orchestra is nice and all, but it’s not very… upbeat, do you know what I mean?” Garreth was rattling on. After a moment, Sebastian realized that it was directed to him, as Rhea was engaged with Poppy and Ominis, shooting excited glances towards Anne and Natty, who had returned to their own little bubble once the larger group had arrived. He chuckled slightly and gave a nod to indicate he had, in fact, been listening for the most part.

            “—then things really picked up once Professor Ronen got up there to set everyone’s heads on straight for those dances. Adelaide’s a phenomenal dancer—thanks for letting me step in there for a while. At first I was a little disappointed because I did want to spend a bit more time with Rhea, but you know, I think things have a way of working out for the better, you know? I’ve gotten to spend time with the whole lot of you as well, so I’m at least leaving the evening with a few new friends. It’s been a great evening, eh, Sallow?”

            Sebastian found himself grinning despite himself. It was rather annoying to admit, but Garreth Weasley had always had a knack for winning people over. He was funny and smart, and he was eager to brighten everyone else’s day, even at his own expense. And despite their differences, Sebastian couldn’t help but acknowledge that he’d never had a bad time when Weasley was around. “You know what? You might just be right about that, Weasley.”

Chapter Text

            Rhea was curled up on a wide armchair near the warm, crackling fire that danced in the red brick fireplace in her childhood home, reading the copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard that Ominis had given her for Christmas. Despite the fire, she was also wrapped up in a comically large Ravenclaw scarf that Sebastian had gotten for her which was, at the moment, serving as more of an oddly shaped blanket. It was cozy and comforting, nonetheless.

            On the rickety little end table beside her sat a small stack of books. On the bottom was one her mother had gotten for her—well, really it was a periodical; The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was one that Everett had excitedly asked about as the semester had continued, but Rhea hadn’t gotten her hands on it. She was eager to read it before she had to return to school.

            Atop that was a worn copy of Little Women that her mother had enjoyed throughout her own childhood. It wasn’t an heirloom by any means, but Rhea appreciated it as if it was one. It was like she was able to take a piece of her mother back to Hogwarts with her.

            On the very top of the pile was Anne’s gift, a rather large book titled The Origin of Eternity. It was apparently a rather popular romance novel among young witches. When they’d opened their gifts, both young woman had laughed uproariously, confusing Ominis and Sebastian. It turned out they had gotten each other almost the same thing. Rhea had given Anne a copy of Pride and Prejudice, much to the other girl’s delight.

            But for the time being, Rhea was enjoying the simple and emotional weight of Ominis’s gift. It was supposedly a wildly popular set of children’s tales, but she was delighted by them anyway. In a way it felt like she was catching up on the childhood she would have had if she’d grown up a witch.

            Her mother was humming and curled up on a corner of their small couch, wrapped up in a blanket that she was currently working on knitting. She was delighted to have her daughter back, even if it was for only half of the holiday. She’d been absolutely thrilled that Rhea had been asked to the ball, and even more pleased that she’d said yes, even if it had been a bit convoluted.

            Margaret was, however, surprised that it hadn’t been that polite young man, Sebastian. Her daughter was certainly quite fond of him, and he clearly was of her as well, given his eager invitation for her to visit his family home a few months back. Margaret hadn’t been expecting this… Garreth Weasley boy. But she supposed that her daughter wasn’t always going to tell her everything that went on in her life. And though the girl was tight lipped about it, Margaret could tell that her daughter had a special fondness for the Weasley boy, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.

            She’d been equally delighted when Rhea had returned with gifts from her new friends. Margaret hadn’t been exactly… worried about Rhea, that wasn’t the right word. But she’d been nervous for her; starting school at any age was a difficult thing to do, moving halfway across the country was as well. But moving halfway across the country to attend a magic school four years late… that had undoubtedly been a stressful situation for her daughter.

            And Margaret hadn’t even begun to try and approach the subject of what had happened after Professor Fig had picked up Rhea in London. She’d hardly believed a word of it when her sister Merys had informed her of the uproar Rhea’s arrival had been a part of. A Dragon attack the resulted in the death of a member of the Ministry for Magic.

            And then there had been that troll attack—Margaret had an equally hard time wrapping her head around that story. Despite growing up with Merys and her magical abilities, Margaret had never really had to… well, deal with any of the ramifications of it. And here she was, sending her daughter off into the unknown or, at least, a world unknown to her. She knew that part of Rhea growing up was that she couldn’t always protect her, but it shouldn’t be too much to ask that her child didn’t get murdered by dragons and trolls the second she was out of sight.

            She didn’t remember any of this sort of thing happening when… the ringing began again in the back of her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut as her vision blurred from the sudden migraine that struck her. These bouts had been coming more frequently than they used to. Part of her felt as though there was something… urgent in them. The panic that usually came with them certainly didn’t help her to view them objectively, but despite her fear that something was deeply wrong, she knew that they had to be happening for a reason. They were too pointed, too delicately placed to be coincidence.

            But then, the fear did work in peculiar ways; for all she knew, that sense of purpose behind the pain was nothing more than a desperate wish for her suffering to mean something. She opened her eyes and looked across the room, doing her best to drown out the pain in her head with distractions.

            As her gaze fell on her daughter, the young girl’s eyes darted way, back to the book in front of her as she hugged the scarf closer. It was a move meant to comfort herself—undoubtedly, Rhea had been beginning to catch wise when it came to her mother’s strange illness. Though the teen did her best to hide that she’d noticed anything wrong, Margaret could see the frown hidden behind the scarf.

            “Are you excited to see your cousin tomorrow, Duck?” Margaret asked, her hands slowly resuming their task of knitting.

            Rhea looked up, a thoughtful expression on her face. Margaret recalled their previous conversation about her sister’s daughter with a small seed of discomfort. It didn’t sit right with her that Bertie hadn’t wanted to reach out—Merys always talked about how much Bertie had missed Rhea when she started at Hogwarts. If what Rhea—and subsequently her friends—said was true, then Merys must have been projecting her own memories on to the situation.

            “I’ll be interested to see if she’s any different outside of Hogwarts,” Rhea said. “It would be nice to know whether or not we could become better friends again.” She hesitated slightly before continuing, “But… if we can’t find some sort of common ground… would that be okay?”

            Margaret gave her daughter a bemused look, “Of course it would. Why do you ask?”

            “I don’t know,” Rhea shrugged, turning back to reading her book for a few moments before closing the book with a slight huff. She readjusted herself in the chair and faced her mother more directly, holding the book to her chest, fiddling with one corner of the scarf absentmindedly as she formulated what exactly she wanted to say. Whatever it was, it was clearly bothering her more than she wanted it to.

            “I just… You and Aunt Merys aren’t very close anymore,” Rhea said slowly. “And I know you two are sisters, and Bertie and I are just cousins but… You not being able to go to Hogwarts… that changed things for you didn’t it?”

            Margaret nodded, “Some things, of course.”

            “Well… like what?”

            “Well,” Margaret hummed thoughtfully as she tried to access the memories. There was still a slight ringing in the back of her head but nothing seemed to be triggering her migraines just yet. “I suppose one thing that changed was that she and I had different friends, but that would have been the same even if we’d both gone to Hogwarts. Another thing that changed was that she and I developed, shall we say, different tastes, different interests? She was living this beautiful, magical childhood—off learning magic spells and potions in a magically hidden castle. And I was living a peaceful life learning to do work with my hands and my heart instead.”

            “But that’s the past,” Margaret said. “And she and I never lost one another—we simply developed different paths in life. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

            “I know there isn’t but…” Rhea’s frown deepened and she paused for a long moment before continuing, “We used to see Aunt Merys and Bertie and the rest of the family a lot more before Bertie was accepted to Hogwarts. Is that because of me?”

            “How on earth would that be because of you?” Margaret frowned, sitting up carefully placing her knitting to the side to give her daughter her undivided attention.

            “Well, I mean, you two grew apart when Aunt Merys went away to Hogwarts. And then when Bertie went to Hogwarts it seemed like it happened again… I can’t help but feel like me not being able to go to Hogwarts created more of a divide...” Rhea explained softly.

            “Rhea it wasn’t to do with you,” Margaret said gently. “With Bertie no longer at home, Merys took on more responsibility at the Ministry. And with both of them away from home, there was no way for us to see them as often. But we still saw them over holidays when we could, and we never stopped loving each other. Sometimes life can get in the way of things for a short time, but we don’t let go of the people we love.”

            “But if I’d had magic—” Rhea started, but Margaret was already shaking her head.

            “If you’d had magic—if you’d gone to Hogwarts, perhaps you would still be friends with your cousin. But there’s every chance you wouldn’t. Just look at yourself now—you’ve chosen wonderful friends. If you’d gone to Hogwarts when Bertie did, you simply would have met them and loved them earlier. And if you’d gone to Hogwarts when you were eleven, Merys still would have taken on more work at the Ministry, and I would have continued my own life. The only thing that would be different is that you and I would have lost out on so many incredibly memories over the last few years.”

            “You’re meant to be at Hogwarts now, Duck,” Margaret said firmly. “Not when you were eleven—now. All that matters to me is that you’re happy and safe. If that means that maybe you and your cousin aren’t friends, that’s okay. And if your cousin tries to make you feel badly about yourself because you haven’t been a witch for very long you have my permission to set her straight however you see fit.”

            Rhea couldn’t help but crack a grin. She couldn’t think of a single situation where her mother wouldn’t support her. The woman would much rather her daughter follow her own intuition than tell her how to handle difficult situations. Still, it was comforting to have the reassurance as she was looking forward to a new semester.

            She turned back to the book in her lap, still fiddling with her scarf thoughtfully. She hadn’t forgotten her offer to Sebastian that night she’d found him in the Restricted Section. She knew her mother wouldn’t be too thrilled if she started getting detentions, but she also knew that despite the distance between them, her mother would do anything to help her sister if she had the means to do so.

            Margaret watched her daughter for a few more moments as the girl relaxed back into her chair, her mind seemingly at ease. Margaret then turned her attention to the fire, closing her eyes and watching the flames dance on the inside of her eyelids. They were softer like that, and they almost soothed the headache that was slowly building back up to full strength again.

            Things had been going so well at first but thinking about that school… it had a strange effect on her. Perhaps… perhaps it was just worry—it was nothing more than concern over the dangers of magic… but even that didn’t seem to quell the brewing storm in the depths of her mind. Something was scratching there, eager to be free—to be known. And some small part of her yearned to unleash it, whatever it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            New Years Eve in the Sallow household was surprisingly jovial that year. After the successful visit to Hogwarts for the Yule Ball, Anne’s health hadn’t suffered. There was, of course, the occasional bout of pain, a constant reminder of the curse, but nothing as severe as they had been seeing since withdrawing her from her place at Hogwarts.

            While the twins had been at the school, Solomon had done his best to arrange for a pleasant visit home. It was the first time since Anne was cursed that he and his nephew had avoided falling into some argument or another. Despite himself, Solomon had to admit that this time, at least, Sebastian had been correct, at least in part. It had been Anne who had swayed his mind, in the end. It was always Anne.

            Solomon was in the small kitchen, making a fresh batch of stew while his brothers children sat close together at the dining table, bent over that muggle book Anne had received from that new friends of theirs. Rhea something or other.

            He wasn’t certain what to make of that particular friendship. He had been skeptical of the Gaunt boy at first—he did not like that boy’s family one bit. They were needlessly cruel and bigoted, and they had a tighter leash on the Auror agency at the ministry than everyone was reluctant to acknowledge at the best of times. And yet, the Gaunts never missed an opportunity to squeeze compliance out of those under their oppressive thumb.

            But Ominis himself had proven time and again to be a lad with his head on straight. While Anne and Sebastian had often been pinned as the troublemakers Solomon knew that they were, Ominis rarely got dragged into detention with them. And while his nephew and niece continued to be as mischievous as ever, the number of detentions had decreased over time, until there was maybe only a handful throughout the entire year. Whether that meant they were simply sneakier, or that they’d almost entirely stopped causing trouble, Solomon didn’t know for certain—but he was positive it was at least in part due to Ominis Gaunt.

            The arrival of this new friend was… timely, to say the least. Solomon wasn’t a fool. He’d heard all about the dragon attack—the entire wizarding world had. Rogue dragons, a new Hogwarts student, and the death of a Ministry official. And yet it had been so neatly swept under the rug. It was suspicious to say the last. And that had only been the tip of the iceberg, it seemed. She’d been attacked by a bloody troll the very next day. Not only that, but that attack had put his brother’s son in immediate danger.

            He should have put his foot down then. That girl, whether she realized it or not, was a great danger to those around her. Of course his reckless nephew would gravitate towards her. He hadn’t realized the extent of the attachment until Sebastian had written to ask permission to bring his new friend home for part of the fall break. He would have said no—should have said no. But Anne had practically begged, and he couldn’t say no.

            So he’d arranged it all. The girl’s mother even came with her to visit Feldcroft for a short time to make sure everything was safe and comfortable. They’d made polite conversation, but Solomon had been very firm about his reluctance around the situation. And when they finally went to find the children they’d been outside and Anne’s face was more hollow looking, her eyes watery and red despite her smiles and laughter. Solomon knew what that meant.

            Despite seeing a smile on Anne’s face for the first time in months, Solomon wasn’t entirely sold on this new friendship his charges had developed. But they adored the girl, as did Ominis. She seemed to slot into their lives like a missing book on a shelf. And for some reason that didn’t sit well with Solomon. She seemed to be just what those children needed. There had to be a catch.

            As much as he wanted to pick and pry, he kept his distance, watching and waiting for anything untoward to reveal itself. However, nothing came of it. The visit went off without a hitch. She was polite, intelligent, and charming. She seemed eager to get on his good side. And he couldn’t deny the improvement in Anne’s attitude since she became friends with Rhea. And Sebastian… well, it was clear to see the boy was attached, to say the least. So Solomon had decided for the moment that he would put up with this peculiar friendship.

            The past two years had been particularly difficult for the Sallows. The largest factor was, of course, the Goblin raid and its subsequent effect on young Anne. A bright and lively girl turned melancholy and hesitant. Despite the brave face Anne put on for her friends and brother, she was often in pain. And when she wasn’t feeling the effects of the curse, she was living in fear of the next round. She was more broken, Solomon thought, than she ever wanted them all to know.

            Deep in his heart he knew she was getting worse. Things had been fairly stable for her over the second half of the past year—it had almost seemed like removing the pressure of hospitals and healers had eased her mind, in a way. She wasn’t being fussed over twenty-four hours a day anymore, she had room to breathe and relax. They’d developed a system and it seemed to be easing her mind, if not her illness. But Solomon knew this sort of thing could never last.

            In all his years as an Auror, he hadn’t seen any curse quite so advanced as the one placed on his niece. He’d seen his fair share of… unpleasant side effects—hell, he’d been on the receiving end of a number of curses. But he’d turned out fine in the end. They’d been minor, or they’d caused him immediate physical harm. He was more than familiar with handling slashes and burns. But this… this curse—it seemed to be a part of Anne. It was unlike anything he had encountered before and it scared him deeply.

            He knew that there was nothing else he could do to help his niece. It was all that he could do to simply ensure that she was safe and comfortable. He’d resigned himself to watching over her and filling her last years with love and support. He had no doubt that this curse would take her from them sooner or later. He knew that he was going to have to watch her die, slowly and painfully.

            Sebastian believed that he was giving up—that he’d lost all hope. What his naïve nephew didn’t understand—could never understand—was that only fools were the victims of hope. Hope blinds in situations where clearer heads must prevail. Hope did nothing for Anne, no matter what Sebastian believed. Hope wouldn’t cure her—nothing could. A curse of this magnitude could never be broken. It had never been done, and there were no precedents in place to try.

            That boy... He was so much like his father…

            Solomon shook away that train of thought. The visit had been pleasant for once. He wouldn’t let himself be the reason the peace was broken, and the longer he thought about his nephew’s foolish quest to cure his twin, the more angry Solomon became. The only way to preserve this strangely calm holiday was for him to avoid finding fault with the boy. It was just a few more weeks before Sebastian went back to school, and for Anne’s sake, Solomon was determined to maintain law and order in his own home, even if it meant biting his tongue when the children discussed a return to Hogwarts that would never come.

            Solomon was not the only one struggling to keep the peace. Sebastian noticed the pitying looks Solomon would send towards Anne when he thought neither of them were looking. He noticed the bitter glares directed his own way without provocation. And he noticed the way his uncle ground his teeth when Anne talked about how excited she was to return to school once she was better.

            While Solomon saw hope as a bad thing, it was all Sebastian had. Hell—that didn’t even matter to Sebastian: hope was all that Anne had. Solomon had taken her out of school, away from her friends. She lived at home in Feldcroft with no one but their uncle to take care of her. She had no one to talk to save through letters. She had nowhere to go, nothing to occupy her. All she had were books that taught her to dream of a different life—a better life.

            And she wasn’t shy about expressing that hope. Sebastian had been doing his best to meet Solomon in the middle over this holiday from school, to make the most of his time with Anne. But it was hard not to indulge her. He shared the same dream—that she could be cured and that she could return to Hogwarts with him as soon as that happened. And if there was one thing his parents had taught him it was that dreams weren’t just fantasy—they could be achieved and made reality with diligence, care, and optimism. They were full of hope for the future—it would be a disservice to their memory to lose hope, even in the face of such staggering odds.

            Anne nudged him in the ribs with her elbow and shook the book they were sharing impatiently. Sebastian shook himself and focused on the words in front of him. Rhea and Everett were right—Jane Austen was an excellent author. He could understand why Rhea liked her work so much. Even he couldn’t deny the charm and romance of the regency era. It made him recall the ball for the thousandth time and the way her powder blue dress had twirled in the glittering lights.

            Another jab to his ribs brought him back to reality once more and he turned the page, if only to appease his sister. He’d have to make a trip to Tomes and Scrolls to see if Mr. Brown could locate a copy for him so he could read it on his own time. There was no way Anne was going to put up with his near constant distractions while reading for much longer.

            Besides, it was only a few days until Ominis inevitably sent an owl begging them to allow him to come for a visit because his family was driving him absolutely insane. Of course, this was becoming a more frequent occurrence when they were all home for school breaks. It wouldn’t surprise Sebastian if come summer Ominis simply decided he was never going back to the Gaunt household. Hell, he would encourage it if he thought his friend was ready to make that decision.

            For the time being though, Sebastian did his best to focus on these last few weeks of freedom before he had to return to Hogwarts and leave his twin behind. As she eager turned another page in the book, he breathed deep and tried to memorize that exact moment. A peaceful memory with his family, looking forward to a future he was committed to making a reality. More than ever, Sebastian was ready to make their dreams a reality.

Chapter Text

            Rhea stood uncertainly, staring at a rather nondescript looking brick wall. She checked the letter she’d been sent by Professor Weasley again, truly bewildered by the instructions it contained. She was supposed to… charge at the wall… And pass through to find the Hogwarts Express. She had thought she was getting more used to the absurdities that seemed to permeate the wizarding world, but this was definitely setting her back a bit.

            But the letter was very clear—there was no other way that she could interpret its message. So she tucked it away and grabbed ahold of the luggage trolley she’d wrangled and put it in front of her. She braced both hands on the steering bar and set out at a brisk pace directly at the wall. She kept her head held high and continued against her instincts to stop, trusting the magic and the headmistress.

            As usual, it paid off and she found herself standing on another platform entirely. It wasn’t unlike the sensation of passing through ancient magic portals, so she wasn’t as disoriented as she had expected to feel. Before her stood a massive, brilliantly scarlet steam engine. She had seen it before, from one of the public gardens in Hogsmeade, but this would be her first time arriving to the school on it. It filled her with a sense of wonder and excitement.

            As Rhea was walking slowly down the platform, looking for a clear spot to hop onto the train, she spotted her cousin Bertie and Aunt Merys standing on the platform. Merys was tall and beautiful, her hair done up in an elegant bun and a lipstick so red it rivalled the train painted on her smiling lips.

            She was speaking with a taller gentleman with a rather pinched looking face. He was peering down his nose at her, his high cheekbones accentuated by the rather gaunt nature of his face and his slicked back hair. He wore a fine suit and a rather frail looking woman was clutching his arm. She was dressed just as elegantly and was giving Merys Crenshaw her undivided attention, a tolerant smile on her face.

            Beside them stood Bertie, who was already wearing her school robes, hands clasped obediently behind her back as she listened to the adults’ conversation diligently. Beside her, to Rhea’s surprise, was none other than Ominis, looking positively miserable, and every bit as well-dressed as his parents.

            She hesitated slightly, uncertain if she wanted to try and approach him while his family was there or not. Certainly Bertie and Merys would notice if she did and she wasn’t positive she wanted that—and given the things Ominis had said in the past about his family, she did not want to meet them at all.

            So she lingered for a moment longer before making her way onto the train, levitating her luggage to make it easier on herself since she was alone. She chose a seat that was near where she’d seen her friend and kept an eye on him until his parents turned. His father gave him a stern handshake and his mother straightened his tie before turning on the spot and apparating away. Rhea was shocked by the unemotional departure—her own mother had cried all morning before bringing her to the station.

            When Ominis turned and began to drag his luggage over to the train, Rhea poked her wand out the window and levitated it for him. He stumbled slightly at the loss of weight, a concerned and mildly irritated frown on his face before he heard her calling his name. He pulled out his wand and began echo-sensing, making his way over to the train while she continued to hold his luggage for him.

            “How long have you been here?” Ominis asked. “I could have used a rescue, as I’m sure you noticed." Rhea glanced back to where her Aunt Merys was saying goodbye to Bertie affectionately, though more formally than Rhea would have expected. “Then again… given the company, I’m sure you made the correct decision.”

            Rhea grinned down at him and said, “I’m sat about three compartments down—get on the train to the right, door’s on your left. Don’t worry about your trunk, I’ve got it well in hand.”

            “Cheers,” Ominis said, turning and following her directions. Rhea leaned out the window to carefully stow his trunk in the under-train storage and sat back in her seat, waiting for her friend to arrive.

            Once Ominis had made it into the compartment, Rhea touched him on the arm to let him know where she was before pulling him into a quick, friendly hug. She really was quite glad to see him. She couldn’t imagine this train journey was going to be short by any means, and she was eager for company. She released him and sat back down. He took a moment to settle in before letting out a relieved sigh.

            “I swear, one of these days, I’m just going to go to Feldcroft and never go back,” Ominis said. “But that’s a problem for the future. How was your winter break, Rhea? I did appreciate your letter, though my parents did ask several questions about who the hell was sending me letters. I hope you don’t take it personally, but I didn’t exactly tell them I’d made any new friends this year.”

            “Really? What sort of questions?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “Oh, you know—the usual; who the hell is this from? Is that the one from the dragon attack? And the troll attack? Why on earth are you friends with someone who gets into so much trouble? Is she a pureblood?” Ominis listed sourly. “I told them you were, by the way. It was just easier than explaining that I actually don’t care about that sort of thing so I’ve never asked.”

            Rhea frowned slightly, “You know, I don’t actually know myself. My mum never really talks about my father. I feel like I have a few memories from when I was little but they’re… not very clear. I have no idea if he was a wizard or not.”

            “Just as well then,” Ominis said with a grimace, “I trust you have good judgement of character, of course—but better to lie and say your blood is ‘pure’ to keep a target off your back—especially given the current climate up in Hogsmeade with Victor Rookwood’s lot running about spewing nonsense. But enough of that dreadful stuff—I got enough of that over break. You never answered my question about your holiday.”

            “Sorry, you’re right,” Rhea said, shaking her head to reset a little bit. “My holiday was good—thank you again for that book of stories! It was absolutely a delight. I didn’t do much more than read over the break, if I’m honest. I pretty consistently got books across the board as gifts. Anne, you, my mother—I’ll have my own library by the end of next year if you all keep this up.”

            “Anything to keep you out of trouble,” Ominis said wryly. “And because I know you’re terribly polite, I’d like to jump ahead a little bit and implore you to not ask me if I enjoyed my holiday. I’d like to say that I, in fact, did not, and for the moment leave it at that.”

            “Of course,” Rhea nodded, understanding his desire for privacy. She had hoped that perhaps he would have warmed up to her more by the end of last year, but clearly she still had some work to do in that department.

            After a few moments of prolonged silence he added, “I don’t mean it in a bad way—that I don’t want to talk about it. I just… I’d like to ignore it, actually. As I’m sure you’ve picked up on, I don’t have a particularly good relationship with my parents—or the rest of my family for that matter. Hogwarts, Feldcroft, and this train ride are my time to pretend none of them exist.”

            Rhea laughed slightly to reassure him as she said, “Don’t worry, Ominis I’m not upset with you.”

            "I just… don’t want you to think that after all this time I don’t trust you, or something like that. You’re the sort to overthink, and I can practically hear the gears whizzing about in your head,” Ominis said with a wry smile. “The Undercroft incident was enough to teach me my lesson about setting you off.”

            “Setting me off?” she laughed incredulously. “How about you? You’ve got such a temper on you.”

            “Only when I care about things,” Ominis said defensively. There was a note of irritation in his tone, and he scowled when he noticed it. “Alright, perhaps I do have a little bit of a short fuse,” he admitted. “But growing up with Sebastian and all his antics, can you blame me?”

            There was a loud whistle out the window as the train announced its departure. Rhea leaned towards the window to watch as Ominis made himself more comfortable, leaning against the windowed wall and putting his legs across his bench casually.

            “You better settle in,” Ominis said. “It’s a long ride to Hogwarts and I don’t intend to be very good company—I could use a good nap.” He wiggled into his seat a little further, shutting his eyes to do just that.

            Rhea watched the train depart for a little while longer before she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Bis Scribe, hoping to pass the time with conversation, despite Ominis’s reluctance to engage. Her heart swelled a bit with excitement as she unfolded the paper and ink bloomed up to meet her gaze. Perhaps it would be an amusing journey after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Sebastian leaned impatiently against one of the massive house point hourglasses, watching the excited and eager faces of the student body making their way in through the front doors to the Great Hall. This welcome feast wouldn’t be quite as grand as the one from the start of the year, but it would still be spectacular enough.

            He tapped his foot slightly, arms crossed against his chest to keep him from fidgeting. He was eager to reunite with his friends. It had only been a few days since he’d seen Ominis, but it had been weeks since he’d seen Rhea and he was keen to pick right back up where they’d left off. Their friendship aside, he’d come to a few conclusions over the winter break that he was eager to discuss with her.

            The first was that while he’d been enjoying seeing the improvements to Anne’s health, both mental and physical, he was more determined than ever to find a permanent way to help her. And he had realized that he was never going to be able to do that alone. His uncle may not be willing to accept help any longer, but Sebastian wasn’t Solomon. He never would be. So he was going to accept her offer to become more involved in the research. He was going to share everything he could with her, and hope that together they could uncover the impossible.

            The second was that he wanted to help her more with all her strange ancient magic stuff. She’d been quiet about it all towards the end of term, but he knew that it was a constant point of anxiety for her. She was supposed to be preparing for a trial. A proper one—not like the ones she’d stumbled into before. She needed to practice, somehow. And he was going to try and help her out. He didn’t understand quite what she was up against, but he knew that when one wanted to be the best dueler in the school, they practiced spellwork and dueled any chance they got. So, naturally, if she was going to prove herself to the Keepers, she needed to learn more about ancient magic.

            “Mr. Sallow I shouldn’t have to remind you that you should not be lounging against such an ancient and prestigious artefact!” Professor Weasley called over the din of the crowd. Sebastian couldn’t even pinpoint where the woman was but he straightened immediately, using a corner of his robe to wipe any smudges he may have accidentally left the glass.

            That had been another resolution he’d committed to: he was going to… well… shape up a bit. Getting detentions, being sloppy in his rule breaking—it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Not in either of the two main goals he’d given himself for the year. Of course, both of those things would almost certainly result in trouble of some sort—he knew that, he wasn’t completely idiotic. But it would help if he wasn’t getting in trouble for simple, avoidable things—like forgetting to turn in homework, or disrupting class, or failing his O.W.L.s.

            And so, listening when his professor told him to not lean on the hourglass was an easy change. He turned back just in time to see Rhea and Ominis walk through the front doors. He waved to grab her attention and the smile that was already on her face grew brighter when she spotted him. She tugged gently on Ominis’s sleeve, pulling him through the crowd towards their friend eagerly. When they were clear of the river of students, Sebastian stepped forward and gave her a big hug, lifting her off her feet and holding her tightly to him before putting her back down, matching her grin as he released her.

            “It’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed, laughing as she took a step back, seeming a touch surprised by the display of affection. “Clearly you missed me!”

            “Did you two have a good train ride?” Sebastian asked, his cheeks beginning to hurt from the smile that was plastered there.

            “There wasn’t a single dragon attack,” Rhea told him, “Delightfully uneventful. And Poppy found us, eventually, so that was lovely. Got to catch up with her a little bit. Ominis here didn’t seem too thrilled, but I caught him smiling a few times.”

            “I was asleep, I’ll have you know,” Ominis said defensively.

            “Do you usually stifle laughter in your sleep?” Rhea asked. “If so, I don’t know how you can stand to room with him every year, Bast.”

            “Oh, he’s more of a snorer, actually,” Sebastian said with a grin and a nod. “And I put a muffling spell on his bed—keeps the noise contained and the rest of us don’t lose any sleep over it. Learning that spell was a real game changer.”

            “All students must proceed into the Great Hall!” Professor Weasley called. “I understand it’s exciting to see one another, but you’ll have plenty of time to get reacquainted with one another when classes begin tomorrow!”

            Rhea sighed but turned and began making her way back towards the throng of students, turning to beckon the other two to follow, but she was swept away by the crowd before they could join her. It was all fine though, as the students began to settle at their house tables. By the time Sebastian and Ominis reached their usual spot, Rhea was in an animated debate with Everett Clopton, probably about some interesting muggle literature they’d discovered over the break.

            “Who the hell is Bast?” Ominis asked, his face scrunching up slightly as they settled into their seats, waiting for the headmaster’s start of term address.

            “It’s me, you numpty,” Sebastian said, nudging Ominis in the ribs, feigning offense. “She was literally talking to me; I feel like that much was obvious.”

            “Since when have you gone by Bast?” he asked, confused.

            “I don’t, really,” Sebastian said, his ears turning pink as he glanced over at the Ravenclaw table, where Duncan had joined Everett and Rhea enthusiastically.

            “But you let her call you that?” Ominis asked bluntly.

            Sebastian grimaced slightly, knowing that particular tone. Ominis would want nothing more than to tease him about this, once again try and make him admit that his feelings towards Rhea were more than platonic. But luckily, the Great Hall was too public a space for such lines of interrogation. As much as Ominis wanted to be proven correct, he wasn’t going to go out of his way to embarrass his best friend.

            “I kind of like it,” Sebastian admitted. “It’s got a nice ring to it. You, however, may not call me that.”

            “Yes, it seems like the sort of thing that would be much nicer coming from a pretty girl,” Ominis said drily. “Don’t worry. I will never call you that, even if you were to beg.”

            “Luckily for you, I’m not the begging sort, then,” Sebastian smirked as Professor Black took his place at the front of the room, ready once again to be the center of attention.

Chapter Text

            Professor Fig stared at the stack of papers that waited for him on his desk almost bitterly. As soon as he recognized the emotion, he chastised himself. He was allowing himself to become distracted—something that had been happening far too often of late for his own liking. Ever since Miriam had passed, he had found that his focus, his passions, and his attention yearned to be anywhere but where it needed to be.

            Eleazar loved teaching—it was truly one of the greatest joys of his life. Of course, he hadn’t always wanted to be a teacher. That was something that had simply… happened to him.

            No, ever since he had attended Hogwarts, he’d wanted to lead an active, adventurous life. It hadn’t been a surprise when he’d been sorted into Gryffindor, and it hadn’t been a surprise when he settled on becoming an Auror as soon as he graduated from school. Little did he know, Aurors weren’t always out in the field. There as an awful lot of paperwork—to a point it was a glorified desk job and he’d become too dead set on it to change his mind. He was looking at a life he never envisioned for himself.

            And then Miriam had come into his life, a savior in her own life. He found himself enchanted by her—by her interest in theoretical magic, the way she got excited by the littlest discoveries, the way she cared for all living things. Everything about her drew him in, and he couldn’t deny that pull.

            He’d abandoned his Auror training without a single second thought. It was as if that dream had never existed. He had a new dream, and he was pursuing it with his whole heart. Being by Miriam’s side brought him back to life in a way that he hadn’t realized he’d needed. His dream of adventure was coming true every day as he followed her around the world, learning about ancient forms of forgotten magic. She believed so firmly in the work that she was doing that he couldn’t help but believe in her, and in it.

            But she was driven by her pursuit of knowledge in a way that he couldn’t relate to. He was driven by her, by his love for her. And her nonstop life eventually became too much even for him. He never stopped loving her, and she never stopped loving him. But he needed to slow down, find something more solid and contained. The world, it turned out, was sometimes too big even for him.

            She settled down, for a time—relationships were about compromise, after all. They’d spent decades following her dream, pursuing her passion. And Miriam, bless her, understood his weariness with the lifestyle she was so used to leading. But she loved him as much as he did her, and she was willing to follow him in turn.

            That was when Hogwarts came knocking, so to speak. He wasn’t a natural teacher—not in his own opinion. He could explain things—complicated things—but he didn’t know how to relate to students, or to sit still. He was afraid of that desk job he’d left behind to join Miriam in the first place. He thought that agreeing to become a professor at Hogwarts would be much the same sort of sentence.

            To his delight and surprise (but shockingly not to Miriam’s), it rather suited him. He fell in love all over again, this time with teaching. He didn’t feel trapped by the work—in fact, he almost craved it. The bright minds that attended his classes were pushing boundaries that even he hadn’t dreamt up when he was a student. He loved helping guide them and he learned more than his fair share from them. Beyond that, all his time spent traveling with Miriam had turned him into something of an expert in his field. Theoretical magic was all about taking what they knew and learning how to apply it, how to shape it, to push the limits of what they knew magic to be. It was an adventure all in its own.

            But the calm life they led wasn’t for Miriam. After years of analyzing her research from the safety of the castle walls by Eleazar’s side, she began to yearn for the open road once more. Eleazar knew that the time would come. And he would never dream of stopping her. So he’d kissed her sweetly and she’d run off on her own, chasing her dream again. He was still by her side, and she was by his— just not physically.

            It had all been so perfect. Whenever they came back to one another, they eagerly listened to one another go on for hours about their dreams, how fulfilled they were. And they helped one another when they hit tough spots in their respective lines of work. Despite the changes in their methods, their interests were still deeply intertwined. So much so that he had, several times, been tempted to take a short leave of absence from his position to join her. He still joined her during the summers, but sometimes that just wasn’t enough. He began to yearn for their joint adventure once more.

            But not enough to leave his own dream behind. Teaching had become part of who he was. He couldn’t bear to give it up, and she never once asked him to. They knew where they belonged. He remained at Hogwarts, while she flitted about, getting ever closer to the truth of her research.

            If only she knew how close she had truly come—how close they both had. When Miriam died, Eleazar was wracked with guilt. If he’d been there—if he had chosen to relinquish his life at Hogwarts, perhaps she would be alright, perhaps she would still be with him. He was never even able to recover her wand.

            His regrets were all consuming for several months and he dove into deciphering her research to find some small piece of her left behind. He became ravenous for more, to understand why such a terrible thing would happen to her because of this research. He didn’t care if he reached the same fate—it would simply lead him back to her. But he wanted to see her research realized.

            And then George Osric had stepped into the picture. They’d been friends for many, many years but he had always been closer to Miriam. And as luck would have it, he’d been assigned to retrieving a new student from London, giving him the perfect opportunity to reconnect with George and hopefully find some peace over Miriam’s death.

            But then… Oh then so much had happened. By some unknown power—perhaps Miriam’s gentle hand guiding fate—he’d found exactly what Miriam had been looking for. The container, the portkey—it was the last of her work and it was back in his hands. And beyond even that, the key to unlocking it all sat beside him.

            This young woman had the ability to see and manipulate traces of ancient magic—which his theoretical mind suspected meant that she had the ability to wield it in her own right. She didn’t need the traces to perform the magic—or at least, she could learn to channel it without the traces as guides. She was what Miriam had spent so long looking for, longing to discover.

            So he’d done his best to protect the girl and take her under his wing, despite the headmaster’s constant meddling and busy work. And then she’d found the book and the Map Chamber—ohh the Map Chamber… To think it was there under his very nose all this time and they would never have found it if it weren’t for the child. They, he thought, as if Miriam was still working at his side…

            He and Percival Rackham had held many incredible conversations about Miriam’s work—rather, the portrait of Rackham listened very politely as Eleazar discussed her discoveries. He didn’t offer much information in return—he insisted that it was for Rhea to discover. He had a certain amount of respect for Fig, as her mentor, but it was clear that he was reluctant to trust the man.

            And now this trial… Rhea needed to complete it for them to continue their work. And Eleazar wanted nothing more than to charge in and get the job done. But it wasn’t his responsibility to complete the trial—it was hers. His job was to research, to scout ahead, to make certain she made it where she needed to go. It was the adventure he’d been yearning for, for so bloody long.

            He was conflicted, however. Despite his reluctance to focus his efforts on his school work, to ensure he was able to remain employed there—and thus remain close to the subject of Miriam’s life’s work—he found himself even more reluctant to lead the girl to her trial. Ultimately, he knew it wasn’t his place to decide for her—but he could feel that sense of guilt surrounding Miriam’s demise creeping up on him.

            Miriam was an adult—she knew that there would always be danger in exploration. She knew that there were risks and she chose to take them. Rhea was little more than a child—and certainly didn’t know nearly as much about magic as she needed to yet. He wanted to keep her safe for as long as possible. And sending her into a trial that he couldn’t assist her with, with no knowledge of what lay ahead—that set him on edge.

            But the Goblin threat was growing every day—slowly, but consistently. More raids were happening in nearby hamlets, and there were increasingly reports of dark wizards roaming the countryside, brazenly attacking travelers and villages where they saw fit. Time was running out and he knew it. There was no guarantee that she was ready—but they wouldn’t know until they sought the challenge out. He knew that despite his own hesitations, it was time to begin in earnest.

            And so, with a reluctant grumble, the man pulled the stack of papers towards himself and began to read, intending to summon Rhea just as soon as he’d finished marking the exam papers he’d put off all winter break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Okay, so, where do we start?” Rhea whispered, looking at the chained wall of books. She hadn’t had the displeasure of working with these particular books before, but she didn’t feel as though chains were a good sign. Were they in place to keep the books from being taken from the library—or were they there to keep the books in line? She’d noticed several of the books would open by themselves or shake whenever she drew near without anything to stop them. That made these ones before her all the more terrifying.

            “Well, I usually just sort of… pick one at random,” Sebastian told her quietly, scanning the titles of the books with his head tilted fully to one side. He leaned close and squinted carefully at them—for all that Scribner was invested in preserving these books, she didn’t seem to take care of them nearly as well as she should. Half the titles were barely legible, if they had proper titles at all. Sometimes there were just skulls in place of words, which wasn’t exactly encouraging.

            “I thought you said you had a system?” Rhea asked quietly, choosing a shelf of books that didn’t have chains hanging off the contents.

            “I do, and I’m not sure I appreciate that tone, Rhea,” Sebastian said with a frown. “My system thus far has been pick one from this one shelf, put it back, pick up the next one, put it back, and so on and so forth. With this many books, it’s not exactly easy to make loads of progress. I only started sneaking in a little less than a year ago—there’s a lot still to cover…”

            “Surely there’s a better way to do this, though,” she muttered, though it seemed to be mainly directed at herself, as she deftly plucked a book from the shelf and made herself comfortable on the ground to begin reading.

            Sebastian didn’t respond, yanking a book off the shelf and quickly casting a silencing charm on it. He’d accidentally picked up a screamer before—that was an experience he never wanted to have again, if he could help it. He had no idea if the silencing charm actually worked on the books—he supposed it must, unless he hadn’t had the misfortune to find another screamer since the first. It would eventually be the sort of thing that would get him in trouble if it didn’t work, so it only made sense to keep up the habit.

            He padded over to where Rhea was sitting, a thick notebook in her lap as she leaned forward to read the book that she had placed on the floor. She was tapping her nose gently with a short quill, brow furrowed as she scanned the table of contents. He slid down the wall next to her and cracked open his book as she scribbled out a few lines on her notebook quickly.

            It warmed his heart that she was taking this so seriously. It wasn’t that he wasn’t taking it seriously, of course, but he had never really been good at taking notes. He usually relied on Ominis’s class notes more than his own due to the amount of detail his wand was able to take down. The thought had never really crossed his mind that he should have been recording his findings. He supposed that being caught with notes from dark sources within the restricted section would likely lead to much worse than detention, and he almost wanted to stop her—but she wasn’t him. She was careful, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her if he could help it.

            She glanced at him feeling his gaze on her and gave him a bemused smile. “What?” she asked, her eyes scanning his face thoughtfully.

            There was something guarded about her expression that he couldn’t quite place—something that he’d never really seen from her before. But he shook his head slightly and said, “Nothing—don’t worry about it…”

            She shrugged and returned to her reading, the soft tapping of her quill resuming as he turned back to his book.

            Normally he felt so on edge in the Restricted Section. It was dark, it was cold, and there were so many spiders. He could never truly focus down there when he was alone—between avoiding the terrible little critters and keeping an ear and an eye out for Scribner, he was honestly surprised at how much he’d actually been able to learn in the first place.

            But he felt more at ease with Rhea curled up next to him. The gentle scratching of her quill was soothing and their close proximity added a bit of warmth to the space that wasn’t normally there. The only downside was that he still wasn’t focusing as much on the words in front of him as he probably should have been because he was so preoccupied with how nice it was to not be dealing with this work entirely by himself.

            Ominis said he wanted to help—and he did to an extent. There was, however, only so much that he was able to do. He mainly spent his time and resources obtaining rare medicinal books from Mr. Brown at Tomes and Scrolls in Hogsmeade—but none of those had turned anything up that could help yet.

            There was decidedly little on curses that did damage like the one that plagued Anne—at least, there was very little in the realm of medicine and healing magic. Potions, too, were less than helpful. Rhea had suggested that perhaps he try and find some muggle texts—apparently muggles had spent decades researching pain and illness in ways that wizards didn’t. Where wizards had the Cure for the Common Cold, muggles had… well, almost nothing—certainly nothing that worked nearly as well. They had to be innovative where wizards looked to an easy answer.

            He'd been skeptical at first, but the more he looked at how little he’d been able to discover so far in fully legal magical resources, he was beginning to come around the idea. He still believed that the best shot they had at finding a cure for Anne lay within the Dark Arts, somehow, but he noticed the worry and concern in his friends’ faces when he would tell them anything about the books he’d discovered in the Restricted Section.

            They were afraid—Rhea was afraid. But it wasn’t of the Dark Arts. She’d said herself that she had a healthy respect for them—that she believed there was no reason not to teach them if they were also taught with caution and care. She believed that it was nearly impossible to fully protect oneself without knowing and understanding what exactly they were up against. She made no effort to seek the Dark Arts out, of course—but here she was sitting on the dusty floor of the Restricted Section, combing through dark tomes likely bound in human skin all to help him.

            No, she was afraid of what they could do—of the temptation they represented. If anything, she was afraid for him. He was ambitious to a fault, when it came to things that really mattered to him. And even she knew that there was nothing more important to him in the entire world than his twin sister. She just wanted to make sure that he didn’t lose himself in the process of digging for information that very well could never be uncovered.

            In truth, the overwhelming feeling that Sebastian had while he was down in the Restricted Section was one of loneliness, of isolation. He was fighting a battle alone. He knew Anne was struggling, and that her burden far outweighed his own—but she was fighting her battle the only way she could, and he needed to follow her lead and do the same. But spending his nights in a cold and lonely dungeon of a library was almost too much to bear.

            But things were different this time. He wasn’t alone, and the library didn’t seem as grim. There was a friendly and terribly clever Ravenclaw at his side diligently helping him. She just didn’t realize how much she truly was helping him. It was more than just research. It was more than simple company—it was belief. Belief in hope, belief in a cure, and most of all: belief in him. And he was not going to let her—or Anne—down.

Chapter Text

            Rhea was sitting on a blanket on the side of the Black Lake, reviewing an article she’d found on different types of fertilizer and snacking on some fruit Sebastian had nicked from the kitchen. He was lounging nearby, a book about chronic illnesses laying over his face as he napped in the afternoon sun. Ominis as well, was sitting on the blanket, reciting their latest potion recipe aloud, starting over every time he messed up, which unfortunately seemed to be often that day.

            “I think you’re supposed to stew the lacewing flies for five minutes, not seven,” Rhea offered when he stumbled again. “And then you add seven drops of horklump juice.”

            “And then it should be… purple?” Ominis asked.

            “More of a pinky purple than a dark one,” Rhea said. “If your cauldron’s at the right temperature it should only take about three minutes or so.”

            “Hundreds of years of potion making in the wizarding world—you’d think that they might have learned how to brew a potion without relying on colors all the time…” Ominis grumbled, reaching for a small square of cheese and a cracker. Rhea pushed the tray into his path helpfully, taking her quill from behind her ear to make note of an interesting quote she wanted to remember for her essay.

            “And yet instead, they just focus on creating endless variations of dragon dung fertilizers,” Rhea said wryly, “Did you know that in 1849 alone they invented twenty-three distinct variations?”

            “Professor Garlick has at least that many in her storage room,” Sebastian grumbled from beneath the old tome, his nose stuffy from the age and dust. “My last detention for Scribner was to move them all into the second year greenhouses which was clear across the building. And I wasn’t allowed to use magic to do it either…”

            “Perhaps that will teach you a lesson,” Ominis tsked slightly, shaking his head.

            “Oh come on, Ominis, you know that my actions don’t have any consequences!” Sebastian countered, propping himself up on his elbows, allowing the book to slide down onto his chest. “Rhea, can I have some of those grapes?”

            She nudged the bowl in his direction, her eyes continuing to scan the paper.

            “No, come on, take a break from studying,” Sebastian whined slightly. “Toss me a grape—I don’t want to get up.” He watched her carefully, concern on his face. They’d been sneaking to the Restricted Section several times a week since the term started and they had managed to avoid getting caught so far. There were a few close calls, but they had managed to skirt by without getting noticed in the end. But he could tell it was beginning to take a toll on her.

            On top of their clandestine activities, she’d been studying as usual with Natty and Poppy on Mondays, dueling in Crossed Wands on Thursdays, completing extra assignments and lessons at least twice a week, and she had begun training with Professors Fig and Rackham in the Map Chamber on every other free night she had. She was running herself ragged, and he couldn’t help but be concerned about it.

            “You have two perfectly good sets of limbs on you, you’re more than capable of getting them yourself for once, Bast,” she muttered, reaching over nonetheless to pull off a small cluster of the fruit and chuck it at his head.

            He ducked and they missed, but there was a playful look on his face as he reached out and grabbed them, “Not quite the spirit of slacking off I was hoping for with this little picnic, but that is a bit better. Why are you researching fertilizer anyways?”

            “Professor Garlick and Professor Howin decided to tag team me with an extra assignment. I’m supposed to research if there’s some sort of significance between fertilizer recipes across different types of beasts and then I have to write an essay on it,” she explained. “I think they’re starting to catch on that I’ve been getting more help on my extra assignments so they’re trying to think of ways to make it so I can’t just squeeze answers out of you lot from last year.”

            “We haven’t been very helpful so far, if that’s the case,” Sebastian mused.

            “Speak for yourself— I’ve been incredibly helpful,” Ominis said, sounding almost offended. Rhea nodded in agreement, shooting Sebastian a sly smirk before refocusing on her work.

            “If you’re researching beasts surely Sweeting could help you?” Sebastian suggested.

            “That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Rhea muttered, turning a page lazily, finding it hard to focus on work again after all.

            “See, that was helpful!” Sebastian exclaimed, throwing a grape at Ominis, who jumped in surprise as it struck him in the forehead. “I can be helpful too.”

            “She’s surprisingly hard to track down, you know,” Rhea mused, finally setting the text aside and reaching across the blanket to steal a piece of cheese from the bowl. She popped it into her mouth and looked across the lake, where the giant squid was twisting its tentacles lazily into the air and smashing them down, sending water raining through the air like little rainbows as the sun caught in them. “I almost nabbed her at dinner the other day, but she left early. I basically only have time to talk to her during our Monday study sessions, but our professors seem intent on assigning us even more work now that our O.W.L.s are only a few months away. We’ve barely been scratching the surface so far.”

            “Rhea, I’m not certain I can handle much more of you studying like this—you’re starting to sound a bit like Scribner,” Sebastian teased.

            “You take that back,” she threatened, shooting him a glare over the weathered paper, her brow deeply furrowed.

            “Look, I’m just saying you study a bit too much,” he said defensively, though his expression was entirely mirthful. “I’m starting to feel like perhaps you don’t like just hanging out with us anymore—I’m worried that you’re going to start abandoning us for your Monday friends. Are we just not enough for you anymore?

            “Perhaps if you studied more, I might like you better,” Rhea joked back. “No need to worry—I still like you both well enough. But school isn’t all duels and secret hideouts, you know. A well-rounded witch or wizard seeks variety in all aspects of their life.”

            “Studying impresses the token Ravenclaw? Well color me shocked,” Sebastian mused. “I would have never guessed.”

            “And that’s why you’re almost failing all the classes that you don’t need a wand for,” Ominis pointed out. “It wouldn’t hurt you to study with us a bit more. Or to at least take a break on all the extra library prowling you’ve been doing recently.”

            “You’ve been going back to the Restricted Section again?” Rhea asked, feigning surprise, her brow furrowing slightly as she turned her attention to Sebastian instead of the lake.

            “There’s no need to act like you’re shocked, Rhea,” Ominis said, shaking his head in exasperation. “It’s fairly obvious that you’ve been helping him, what with how many times you’ve fallen asleep in History of Magic so far this term.”

            “Binns is just so boring,” Rhea whined. “I adore history—and I thought it was going to be so fun learning about the history of the wizarding world and of magic but he just takes all the joy out of it. I can’t help it!”

            “Well I sense a difficult time in your O.W.L.s if you both don’t focus up a little bit,” Ominis said. “And before you get all defensive, I’m not saying that we stop helping Anne—I’m saying that you’ll be no good to her if you fail out of school. Perhaps we just, I don’t know, cut it back to once a week? Or maybe just the weekends if you really need to go more often than that?”

            “That’s exactly what I’ve told him,” Rhea said with a firm nod and a smug look in Sebastian’s direction. “Though, weekends would probably be a decent compromise. I hadn’t considered that. We’ve just sort of been going arbitrarily.”

            “Rhea, can I join your study group?” Sebastian asked with a resigned sigh. He knew that his friends were right.

            “Are you capable of existing in the library without setting Scribner off?” Rhea asked him curiously. “I think I’ve maybe seen you in there one time during regular hours.”

            He paused, and the silence was deafening. “I don’t know, I’ve never tried for longer than a few minutes…”

            There was another pause and then the three of them were laughing. It was rather ridiculous after all, that despite all the time Sebastian spent in the library, almost none of it was sanctioned. Madam Scribner would probably throw a fit the second he set eyes on that half of the library—especially considering there wasn’t anything she could actually do about it if it was during the allotted work hours.

            However, despite Sebastian’s newly reforged resolution to study more, the trio was finished for the time being, chatting and snacking for a while before they heard someone shouting nearby. Sebastian sat up fully, a concerned look on his face. Ominis grabbed his wand uncertainly as the shouts got closer. Rhea stood and took a few steps in the direction they were coming from, an anxious knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

            A short time later, Poppy came dashing over the hill. She spotted the picnickers and waved her arms in the air frantically as she hurried towards them. “Rhea!!” She shouted, “Oh thank Merlin, I’ve found you! I’ve been looking all over the place, but no one knew where you’d gotten to!”

            “Poppy?” Ominis muttered, confusion written on his face.

            “Sweeting, slow down,” Sebastian said, getting to his feet quickly.

            “What’s the matter, Poppy? Is it…?” Rhea asked, suddenly conscious of the two Slytherins who certainly didn’t know anything about a particular Hippogriff friend of Poppy’s.

            “No!” She exclaimed suddenly, a look of relief on her face, “No, nothing about that—Everything’s still fine.”

            “If everything’s fine, then what’s all the shouting about?” Ominis asked, joining the others, careful not to trip over the picnic setup.

            “It’s Natty,” Poppy explained poorly, “She was eavesdropping on people in Hogsmeade and she heard something—I didn’t catch quite what it was—but I think it might have been about Theophilus Harlow! She just muttered something about Lower Hogsfield and ran off. I tried to go after her but she just sort of vanished! I ran all the way here and didn’t see her once! I have no idea how she got to be so fast, but I’m worried about her.”

            “You don’t think she’s trying to find Harlow again, do you?” Rhea asked, concern flooding her mind. She should have done more to discourage Natty—she should have told the girl’s mother that last time she decided to run off all alone. Professor Onai would have known how best to keep Natty from doing anything reckless. “She wouldn’t—would she?”

            “I don’t know,” Poppy admitted, wringing her hands anxiously. “She didn’t really want to chat much—I admit I didn’t either. We just sort of happened to be investigating some of the same people—believe it or not there’s some overlap in the poaching community and Harlow’s thugs… A lot of it, really…”

            “You’re investigating poachers?” Ominis asked Poppy, sounding both surprised and impressed.

            “Course she is,” Sebastian interjected. “It’s not exactly surprising. She’s Hogwarts’ great champion of beasts. Of course she’s going after the poachers.”

            “No, I’m not doing that!” Poppy insisted. “I’m just… listening… It’s not my fault people talk loudly around me. They just don’t realize I’m there… All I’m doing is seeing if there’s any information we can take to Professor Hecat—did you talk to her yet, Rhea?”

            “No, she didn’t call me for any extra lessons after the last one,” she said. “And Howin and Garlick have got my time this week. But that doesn’t matter right now—you said Natty was on her way to Lower Hogsfield?”

            Poppy nodded emphatically, still catching her breath. Rhea nodded and turned back to the picnic, scooping up her wand and quickly pulling her shoes back on. She hurried back and put a comforting arm around Poppy’s shoulders, guiding her to the picnic blanket.

            “Now, you just stay here for a bit, catch your breath, and try not to worry,” Rhea said. “Sebastian and Ominis will look after you until you’re calmed down. Don’t worry, they don’t bite, so they’re already better behaved than some of the beasts we deal with in class. We’ve got some pumpkin juice and some fruits and cheese—take all the time you need, Poppy.”

            Once the girl was comfortable, Rhea turned and began hurrying along the lake shore towards one of the paths towards Lower Hogsfield. Having been focused on helping calm Poppy down, the boys hadn’t immediately noticed, until Sebastian glanced up and noticed Rhea was hurrying away.

            “Just a moment—” he said quickly, scrambling to his feet. “Ominis, cheer her up!” He dashed after Rhea, calling after her.

            “Wait—!” Ominis protested weakly, sounding nervous at the prospect of being left alone with the distressed Poppy.

            Rhea turned, hearing Sebastian’s hasty approach, though she didn’t stop charging forward. “Sebastian, you should go back and help Poppy,” she told him as she hurried along.

            “Rhea, slow down a moment—what exactly are you planning on doing here?” he asked, gently grabbing her arm to stop her. She carefully removed her arm from his grasp, continuing on her way.  “Are you really going to go running after Natty all by yourself? Again? Isn’t that exactly what you decided you weren’t going to do anymore?”

            “I’m just going to try and talk to her,” Rhea said. “Maybe I can convince her to calm down and think about this for half a second. There’s a chance she’ll listen and I need to go as quickly as I can—or else she might dive headfirst into a situation she can’t handle alone—again.”

            “I hate to say that that’s typical Gryffindor behavior, but I’m not surprised she’d gone and done this again,” Sebastian frowned. “Why’s she after Harlow anyway?”

            “She wants to stand up to him and his lackeys,” Rhea said. “She hasn’t really spoken about it since the last incident. But I know she gave the letter to Officer Singer, at least.”

            “And you think it’s a good idea to go charging in after her? She clearly didn’t listen to you the first time, or last time— what makes you think this will go any differently?” Sebastian asked. She began to answer but he cut her off quickly as realization struck him, “Wait, wait, wait— I’m getting too far ahead of myself. Theophilus Harlow? Again?? As in the Harlow that works for Rookwood: the one that’s after you.”

            “Yes, I thought I’d made that clear last time,” she said with a bitter frown. She didn’t like that he was voicing all the worries that were running through her own mind. She wasn’t certain that Natty truly understood the risks she was asking Rhea to take. But Rhea didn’t want to explain the true reason for Rookwood’s and Harlow’s aggression towards her.

            “Rhea this is a terrible idea, you can’t go! What if this is all some sort of trap to lure you out there?” he asked seriously. “What if they’re just looking for a way to get you away from the castle, and away from anyone who can help protect you? They know you left to invade that damned Ashwinder den with Natty before—it stands to reason they would assume you’d be willing to do something like that again!”

            “Sebastian, there isn’t time to argue,” she sighed, turning to look at him. “This is my fault—I thought Natty and I had come to some sort of understanding about this—that we weren’t going to investigate, and certainly not alone. She’s lucky Poppy was out there too. But now I have a chance to at least have her back if she does decide to do anything stupid.”

            “Lower Hogsfield isn’t that far from here—if I hurry I might be able to catch up with her,” Rhea continued. “I doubt Harlow is even there—there’s hardly anything out in Lower Hogsfield. I just need to talk to Natty. And I need you to understand that I hear you—I fully recognize the risk that I’m taking here. But Natty doesn’t. And I need to help her.”

            Sebastian frowned, hands on his hips as he paced in frustration. He wanted to stop her—he wanted to drag her back up to the castle and spill everything to Professor Onai. She shouldn’t have to take this risk—but she was so damn stubborn. He also knew that if their roles were reversed, and Anne, or Ominis, or Rhea had run off into the forest chasing Dark Wizards, there was no chance he’d let anyone stop him from helping them.

            He shook his head before giving Rhea a determined look, “Fine. I don’t like any of this, but I won’t stop you. But mark my words, if you two don’t show up for dinner tonight I’m going straight to Professor Onai. Go, find Natty. And don’t get yourself into trouble.”

            “Let’s be realistic, Bast—trouble tends to come after me,” Rhea said wryly. “It’s not exactly a choice.” She patted him on the arm and gave it a bit of a reassuring squeeze before turning to leave.

            As her hand fell from its place on his arm, Sebastian reached out and grabbed it for a moment. His heart was pounding, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the run or from his concern for her. He really was starting to hate how confusing this whole friendship thing was getting. “Hey…”

            She turned back, a question on her face.

            “Be Safe?” He gave her hand a squeeze.

            She grinned, a bemused look rising to replace her worry as she returned the gesture. “I will—try not to worry; I’ll be back before you know it. Now, go save Ominis, he looks like he’s going to be sick or something…”

Chapter Text

            Rhea spotted Natty walking swiftly towards Lower Hogsfield and called out, nursing a cramp in her side. The Gryffindor girl spun around, halfway drawing her wand before a look of relief washed over her features. She offered Rhea a smile and paused so her friend could catch up.

            “Natty what are you doing here?” Rhea asked, stepping in front of her friend to stop her in her tracks. “Poppy was in a panic—she ran all the way from Hogsmeade looking for you. She said you just ran off, muttering about Harlow!”

            “I’ve learned of a wizard who is being harassed by Harlow,” Natty explained, trying to side step around Rhea, but the Ravenclaw stepped with her, not allowing her to pass. Natty gave Rhea an exasperated look. “He may be able to provide the evidence we need to take Harlow down.”

            “So tell Officer Singer!” Rhea insisted, “There’s no need to go rushing in here—besides, what is this man going to tell you? You’re a student, not an Auror.”

            “Look, if you’re so concerned, just come and talk to him with me,” Natty begged. “Just talk, nothing else. And it’s as you’ve said—if he doesn’t want to tell us anything because we’re students, then we will be no worse off than we are right now.”

            Rhea chewed her lip thoughtfully; she didn’t like this. Talking wasn’t exactly harmful… And there was every chance the man would just… refuse to see them. She sighed and said, “Fine. But we’re just going to listen to what he has to say. And we aren’t going to do anything with that information except hurry back to Officer Singer. Who is going to tell us to leave this issue alone.”

            “Fine, fine, yes,” Natty said quickly, darting around Rhea and hurrying into the little hamlet.

            Rhea followed at a short distance, her good mood from earlier officially soured. She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to understand Natty’s frustration a little bit. She wasn’t exactly eager to pursue Theophilus Harlow—truly she’d rather not—but she knew something of feeling helpless.

            She’d been waiting for months for Professor Fig to tell her that it was time for her to travel to Rackham’s tower and complete the first trial. She was beginning to notice more strange things around the world—traces of ancient magic both faint and strong. She felt drawn to them, and each time she discovered more of them, she could feel the power within her grow.

            It was… exhilarating in a way. But she remembered the caution that Rackham had treated her with, and the warning in his tone whenever they spoke of the power and its potential. There was much more to this situation than he was willing to tell her. Unless she completed the trials. Which was nearly impossible when her mentor was avoiding her like the plague. Sure some of that had been because of exams and the winter holidays—but he had said he didn’t think it would take very long to reach the tower. She was beginning to consider going after it all on her own.

            Of course, she hadn’t really mentioned that to Fig. She supposed if she became desperate, or if the man continued to delay her progress, she would easily be able to tell him as much. Perhaps it would encourage him to pick up the pace a little. She hadn’t even spoken to Sebastian about this little contingency plan of hers. And given his reaction to her following after Natty, she wasn’t sure he would entirely understand where she was coming from.

            They had barely taken a few steps inside the gates that surrounded Lower Hogsfield when a woman ran out of her house, shouting for a child. Something in her tone set Rhea’s nerves on edge. She glanced at Natty, who was frowning suspiciously at the scene.

            “Are you alright?” Rhea asked, approaching the distraught woman.

            “We’re looking for Mr. Bickle?” Natty added hopefully.

            “My husband—” the woman sobbed, burying her face in her hands. She ran one hand through her hair, and the other went to gently pat her chest in a comforting gesture. “My husband is dead… He killed him!”

            “I’m terribly sorry,” Rhea said gently, shocked and appalled. “Who killed your husband?”

            “Theophilus Harlow!” the woman exclaimed, venom in her distressed voice, “I’m sure of it! He’s been threatening my husband for weeks and—where is my son? Where is Archie?” She took another moment to shout out hopefully for her son.

            “Who was your husband, ma’am?” Natty asked sharply, her concern deepening. The lack of surprise in Natty’s voice was a touch disheartening, but Rhea was unsurprised by it. She supposed that Harlow wouldn’t want there to be any loose ends that could lead back to him—particularly after their theft of that letter.

            “Herman Bickle—I’m Johanna Bickle,” the woman explained, “Our son—Archie—is missing.”

            “He must be around here somewhere,” Rhea offered, “Perhaps we can help—when did you last see him?”

            Natty glanced at Rhea, surprised. Though… she supposed there was a bit of a difference between helping a mother find a lost child and hunting down a dangerous dark wizard.

            “Archie was home with his father while I was out,” the woman said, her voice shaking. “His satchel’s missing. Hopefully he’s just gone wandering, as he’s prone to do. I hope he wasn’t here when… when my husband…”

            “Do you know which way Archie might have gone?” Natty asked softly, reaching out to comfort Mrs. Bickle.

            “He has a little hideout in the forest a bit south of here,” Mrs. Bickle said after a moment spent gathering herself. “He never wanders far, but if he witnessed Harlow doing something to his father—I’m afraid to leave, in case he comes back home…”

            “Mrs. Bickle, is there anything more you can tell me about Harlow?” Natty prodded.

            “He’s Victor Rookwood’s second in command,” Mrs. Bickle said, shaking her head as she tried to focus. “A miserable, awful creature—vicious and murderous.”

            “Natty…” Rhea muttered, shooting the girl a warning glance.

            “What reason would Harlow have to kill your husband?” Natty continued, shooting an irritated look at Rhea, but keeping her voice soft and careful for the grieving mother.

            “Herman had been looking into Harlow’s dealings and discovered some of what he’s been up to,” Mrs. Bickle explained. Her face crumpled as the memories hit her, “I begged him to leave it alone, but he—he was convinced that—” And that was enough to send the woman into another bout of crying.

            “We will find your son, Mrs. Bickle,” Natty said firmly.

            The woman gave a half-hearted nod as another Lower Hogsfield resident rushed over to help her as she stumbled towards her house. The woman wasn’t paying them attention any longer, but Rhea was watching her with deep worry.

            “So we know Archie probably went south,” Natty said. “We should head that way— Mrs. Bickle is right—she should stay here and wait for Archie just in case he comes home. And I’m sure Officer Singer is already on her way here to help investigate Mr. Bickle’s death. You don’t have to come if you do not want to—but I need to see this through.”

            “I’m going with you,” Rhea said with an exasperated sigh.

            “But you clearly do not want to be involved,” Natty said with a frown. “And last time—”

            “Last time you ran straight into Harlow’s own home and didn’t give me a chance to say yes or no,” Rhea said. “Searching for a lost child—that’s something anyone with a heart would do. Besides—I just didn’t think it was very appropriate to ask a traumatized woman about your personal crusade when there’s still so much at risk for her.”

            “But she wouldn’t be willing to talk with us after Officer Singer arrives—” Natty tried to explain before shaking her head and stomping off in the direction of the woods, leaving Rhea to follow behind her.

            They walked mostly in silence until they spotted a rather spectacular hideaway tucked in a small grove just off the road. There were drawings and books scattered about and there was Hebridean Black scale tucked inside the makeshift hideout. Mere feet away lay the rest of the skeleton. Natty looked at it in awe and muttered something about needing to bring Poppy back here once they found the boy.

            Rhea picked around the hideout, struggling to understand what she was looking for, really. It was messy, but it was difficult to say if it was because it had been turned over, if there had been a struggle, or if it was simply the average mess of a child.

            “I want you to know that this wasn’t my first instinct,” Natty said, “Well.. It was, but it wasn’t what I did first when I found out about Mr. Bickle.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Officer Singer actually told me about Mr. Bickle when I gave her the letter,” Natty explained. “I was very surprised, but I think she was trying to give me a bit of information so that I wouldn’t seek any out on my own. But she wasn’t worried for the man at all. She didn’t think there was much of a threat.”

            “And then when Poppy and I were walking around, I overheard some people talking about him. They didn’t know he was dead but… they certainly knew that something was going to happen to him, at the very least. And I didn’t think that Officer Singer would take me seriously, so I decided to come here instead.”

            “And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, tell Poppy what was going on?” Rhea asked. “She already knows everything about our infiltration from last year—why wouldn’t you take the time to let her know what you were thinking?”

            “It just didn’t cross my mind,” Natty said. “This is my problem to deal with, not hers.”

            “But it’s mine, somehow?” Rhea asked with a frown as she cast Revelio, looking for more information around the small encampment.

            “No—yes—I honestly don’t know,” Natty frowned back. “It’s no secret that Harlow doesn’t really like you—the threats in the Three Broomsticks were nothing to sneeze at…”

            “And yet nothing’s come of them,” Rhea muttered. “Still—I don’t go out alone if I can help it.”

            “Is that why you came after me?” Natty asked. “So I wouldn’t be alone?”

            “Partially,” Rhea said. “But if Ominis or Sebastian asked, I came to stop you.”

            “I think I see some tracks this way—” Natty said, pointing further South.

            Rhea nodded and began following alone, though she took out her Bis Scribe and quickly scribbled an explanation of what had happened to Sebastian. If she knew him at all, he was busy cracking jokes and making sure that Poppy was alright—but he was easily worried. They had plenty of time before dinner, but she didn’t want to worry them more than they undoubtedly already were.

            She tucked it away before Natty could notice and hurried to catch up, keeping an eye out for any trace of the boy. After a long trudge following muddy footprints left on the ground, Rhea spotted a bright yellow item hanging from the low branches of a tree. She broke into a jog, worry seeping deeper into the pit of her stomach.

            “Archie’s satchel!” she called back to Natty who was struggling to keep an eye on the ground for the trail they were following. “He wouldn’t just leave this behind, would he?”

            “I have a bad feeling about this,” Natty said quietly, as she found the trail again and started off after it. Rhea put Archie’s satchel around her shoulders and followed quickly, drawing her wand as a precaution. “Harlow must have a reason for pursuing Archie…”

            “Whatever the reason, I hope he didn’t see Harlow kill his father,” Rhea said with a frown.

            “He would never overcome it,” Natty said, her voice shaking slightly. “At least, not in any way that I can imagine…”  They continued in silence, eventually rejoining the road, where they began to see multiple footprints instead of the two sets they had been following since the hideout.

            “This must be where Harlow caught up to him… This isn’t good,” Natty said with a deep frown. She glanced at her friend anxiously and said, “Look, I know we said we were just going to look for him…”

            “If we can find him, we might not have time to go back for help…” Rhea said with a grim expression. “I can get a message to someone quickly if we need to, but they might alert your mother if they think we’re getting in over our head.”

            “What if we can sneak in and take Archie without getting noticed?” Natty wondered. “If we send a message to let Officer Singer know where we are maybe she can come and witness it all for herself?”

            “That’s assuming we find anything,” Rhea pointed out. They could simply apparate away and she’ll never find them.”

            As they hurried along the road, their heads swiveling around to keep an eye out for any potential ambushes, the hair on the back of Rhea’s neck began to rise. There were shadows lurking in the spare trees that began to set her on edge until Natty let out an awestruck gasp.

            “Thestrals!” she breathed, “They are just so beautiful…”

            “You can see them too?” Rhea asked, her fear receding as she recognized the dark skeletal figures relaxing in the early spring shade.

            “I witnessed death when I was nine,” Natty told her almost reluctantly. “Saw my first Thestral shortly thereafter. To be honest, I found comfort in it. I still do. I think those of us who have witnessed death deserve some comfort.”

            “I’m sorry you witnessed something as horrible as that at so young an age,” Rhea said, her voice empathetic. It certainly made her understand Natty’s reluctance to back down a little bit more. She’d seen horrible things—and now her friends were in danger of seeing the same things.

            “I, uh… I was with my father when he died,” Natty admitted. “My mother was away, and I felt quite helpless… It was a long time ago, I suppose… But sometimes it feels as if it was only yesterday. I still see him so clearly…”

            “You must miss him,” Rhea said gently as they paused to watch the peaceful scene before them.

            “My father was a wonderful man,” Natty said. She seemed as though she almost wanted to say more, but she shook herself and set off at a brisk pace, her face determined.

            “I never met my father,” Rhea said lightly, hurrying to keep up. “I can’t say that I understand what loss like that means… But I would have liked to have known him. He’s not dead, as far as I know… My mum… she just doesn’t really talk about him. I used to ask when I was younger, but she—she gets these… headaches, sometimes. She thinks I don’t notice—or at least, I don’t think she realizes that I know… But eventually I just stopped asking about him… it just wasn’t something she wanted to talk about…”

            “Does that upset you?” Natty asked. “Not knowing?”

            “Sometimes,” Rhea admitted. “It never really… mattered, I suppose… that he wasn’t around. My mum is all I’ve ever known. I can’t remember him, if he was round when I was little… But with all this… blood purity nonsense, I suppose it’s been on my mind a little bit more than usual… Ominis said that I should just pretend I’m a pureblood, even if I’m not… I think he has a point—which is terrible… but it also doesn’t change the fact that my mother doesn’t have magic, and I was essentially raised as a muggle…”

            “If he is alive… if he is a wizard… would you want to meet him?” Natty asked curiously.

            “Of course I would,” Rhea said with a slight frown. “At least, I think so. I mean, it would be nice to know my father but… I suppose he wouldn’t be my dad, if that makes sense… I think it’s one of those hurdles I’ll have to deal with in the moment, if it ever comes to it. But given a track record of almost a full fifteen years without contact… It’ll be tough…”

            “I would give anything to see my father again,” Natty told her. “I would keep an open mind if I were you. There must be a reason he hasn’t been there for you and your mother.”

            “One can only hope,” Rhea said wryly as they slowed slightly. In the distance there was a massive tent with several figures milling about outside it. There was a large bonfire roaring in front of it, but it looked anything but inviting.

            “That must be where they’re keeping Archie,” Natty whispered, ducking behind a large boulder and peering down at the encampment uncertainly. “What do you reckon? One mile Southwest of Lower Hogsfield? Follow the road straight on for another mile?”

            “I think that’s about as accurate as we can be,” Rhea admitted. “I’ve never been to this corner of the valley before… I haven’t really gone much of anywhere, to be honest.”

            “Well, no time like the present,” Natty pointed out. “Do you think that you can send that message so we can get some help down here?”

            “Should we… I don’t even know what we can do,” Rhea said. “There’s at least three of them out front… And we can’t afford to get caught as well… There’s undoubtedly more of them inside.”

            “Probably not that many though,” Natty mused, squinting at the tent curiously. “I reckon maybe at most four are in a tent of that size. Easy enough to distract, if you ask me. I just need you to trust me—you send that message, and I’ll work on a distraction. Once those guards have moved away from the tent, you hide yourself and sneak inside. We aren’t going to engage with anyone unless we absolutely have to. And we aren’t going to give up on Archie when he’s so close…”

            Rhea gave a reluctant nod. She still didn’t like how eager Natty was to throw them both into immediate danger but she knew that the girl was right—about some things… not all… If Archie was in there, there was every chance that the Ashwinders would snatch him and leave if they thought they were under attack. They needed to make certain he was there.

            When Natty skulked off to find a better vantage point, Rhea whipped out the Bis Scribe and stared at the worried message Sebastian had sent. He, naturally, was still extremely against the whole ordeal, and she knew that the current situation would only upset him… But they needed immediate help, or things would get increasingly dangerous the longer they spent watching the Ashwinders.

            We think we found where Harlow took Archie Bickle! There’s a tent a few miles from Lower Hogsfield—Southwest from there, past Archie’s hideout, through the brush, to the road and down past the Thestral dens. Tell Officer Singer—she should be in Lower Hogsfield. And… don’t tell Professor Onai, if you can help it. We’ll leave that to Singer.

            She waited a few moments until ink blossomed back:

            On my way to Lower Hogsfield now— Try not to do anything risky—stay safe until she gets there.

            She grimaced at the message but tucked the enchanted paper securely away and peered back around the boulder, wondering where exactly Natty had gotten to. She couldn’t spot her friend, but she did notice that the Ashwinders positioned at the front of the tent were missing and she cursed under her breath. There was a slight ripple near the front of the tent and she swore again, with more power behind it as she cast the Disillusionment charm on herself and ran haphazardly down the steep hill after her friend.

            When Rhea slipped inside the tent, her eyes went wide and her jaw hung open slightly. There was no one in the immediate vicinity of the entrance, but that was what was even more shocking. The tent was far larger inside than the outside indicated. She had never seen an enchantment like this one before. This suddenly got a whole lot more difficult a challenge than it had been a few minutes prior. She heard Natty whisper to her from behind a stack of crates and hurried over. She was surprised that she hadn’t spotted the girl for a moment, before she remembered that focus was required to see through Disillusionment. Now that her attention had been drawn, she could see a faint outline of Natty and her eyes didn’t drift away nearly as easily as they had when Sebastian had first taught her the spell.

            “I did not expect this tent to be so large on the inside,” Natty admitted, sounding extremely nervous this time. “This certainly complicates things a little.”

            “Natty, we should leave,” Rhea said. “We should go back out and wait for Officer Singer—Sebastian’s on his way to give her our message this very moment.”

            “We don’t have a choice now,” Natty pointed out. “There are Ashwinders waiting outside this tent again by now—my distraction wasn’t designed to last very long. If we leave now, they may spot us. I think it would be better for us to scout ahead. When Officer Singer arrives, perhaps we’ll be able to slip back out unnoticed.”

            “We have no idea how big this place is,” Rhea argued. “Officer Singer could be completely overwhelmed! There could be dozens of Ashwinders in here…”

            “Then we’re out of luck anyways,” Natty said firmly. “I’m going to go further in—stay here if you must, but I can’t sit here and do nothing.”

            She pushed past Rhea and hurried further into the tent. Rhea let out a frustrated, but intentionally silent, groan and turned to follow yet again. Her hands were shaking slightly and she tightened her grip on her wand. Her palms were getting a little sweaty as she instinctively began running over dueling techniques in her mind as she crept slowly along.

            She found Natty crouched behind another set of crates to the left of the walkway that opened up into a larger circular section of the tent. Rhea hurried forward and crouched behind another set of crates across from Natty, watching her friend carefully as they listened to a nearby conversation.

            “You don’t think he saw it happen, do you?” a gruff sounding man asked, his tone far more concerned than Rhea had been expecting it to be.

            “Course he did,” a nasally sounding woman snapped back, “Why else would he have run?”

            “He’s just a child,” the first man said, sounding more uncertain. His voice was sounding louder, as if he was getting closer. “We should release him…”

            “Harlow will decide what to do with him once he gets back,” the woman said firmly, the sound of two sets of footprints accompanying her. “It’s not our place to decide. What Harlow says goes.”

            Rhea almost breathed a sigh of relief at the news until the two Ashwinders passed directly between their hiding places. She held her breath and kept as still as possible. Across from her, there was a furious look on Natty’s face and the girl’s wand was gripped so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were turning pale from the pressure. Rhea silently begged her friend to remain calm and keep her righteous anger in check for once as the Ashwinders walked by them.

            Luckily, they were too involved in their conversation to check their surroundings and the two students remained unseen despite the tense moment. When they were out of earshot and eyesight, Rhea darted around the barricade she was hiding behind and cautiously made her way to another safe space, hoping that Natty was behind her. This tent was too much like a maze for her liking. Rhea hurried along, not wanting to be there for any longer than they absolutely had to.

            As they got deeper inside the tent, they did encounter a few more Ashwinders, but they were able to sneak by them with little issue. And eventually they began to hear soft cries coming from up ahead. They glanced at each other nervously, uncertain of what they would find if they were to continue. They’d only been lucky so far—there was no knowing what would happen if their luck ran out.

            There was a loud booming noise from somewhere above them and the girls ducked behind a separation screen as a group of Ashwinders burst around the corner, rushing to the entrance of the tent muttering amongst themselves in nervous tones. Once they had passed, Natty and Rhea pressed onwards, hearts pounding. They could only hope that it was Officer Singer arriving with back up, and not anything more nefarious.

            Eventually they emerged in some sort of storage room. The cries were louder here, though they sounded as if someone were trying to stifle them. Rhea hurried towards the sound as Natty did a loop around the room, checking for Ashwinders. When Rhea reached the source of the noise she found a rather large wooden cage. She looked on in horror as she realized that a young boy had been shoved inside it. He was sitting with his head resting on his arms, hugging his knees to his chest as he rocked back and forth slightly, sobbing.

            She dropped her concealment spell and crouched down beside the cage, speaking softly and urgently. “Are you Archie Bickle?” she asked quietly, leaning close to the bars.

            The young boy looked up, startled and shuffled away from her slightly. He was clearly incredibly scared but his brow was furrowed in confusion. She didn’t look like the people who took him… “How… how do you know who I am?”

            “Your mother sent us to find you,” Rhea half lied. The boy perked up immediately and scrambled to his feet, rushing toward her side of the cage eagerly. “Natty—can you come and take care of this lock? I’ve got him!”

            Natty hurried over and did just that while Rhea turned and kept an eye out for any lingering Ashwinders. Fortunately, none arrived to keep an eye on their important acquisition. “We really should teach you this spell sometime, Rhea…” Natty muttered as she pulled the cage door open. The boy stumbled out and hugged her tightly before rushing to hug Rhea as well.

            “Come on,” Rhea said comfortingly. “Let’s get you back home.” She turned to Natty and said, “We’re going to do this the exact same way we got here: silent and slow. You go ahead and make sure we have a clear way out—don’t engage then unless you absolutely have to. If you find Officer Singer, even better. I’ll follow along with Archie. Remember to focus on your Disillusionment. It’s our best shield right now.”

            For once, Natty nodded and did exactly as Rhea suggested. It was a nice change of pace—though she suspected it probably was more due to the number of Ashwinders that they had passed on the way than an actual mellowing of the girl’s temperament. Rhea turned to Archie and said, “Okay, I’m going to tap you with my wand and you’re going to become nearly invisible. Don’t move a muscle until I tell you to. I’m not going to let you get lost, but you’ll need to trust me, okay? You won’t be able to see me once I cast it on myself unless you really, really focus. But I’ll still be here with you.”

            The boy nodded uncertainly and winced slightly as Rhea drew her wand. Her heart ached for the poor boy, and she couldn’t imagine what he was going through just then. But no one could ever say that the boy wasn’t terribly brave. He disappeared with the gentle muttering of the incantation and Rhea kept one hand on him as she cast the spell on herself. With focus, she was able to see the boy, and she took his hand, gently tugging him along in the direction of the exit.

            “Are you okay?” Rhea asked quietly as they walked along cautiously.

            “A man called Harlow—he killed my father,” Archie said, his voice sounding impossibly small.

            “And we aren’t going to let him get away with it,” Rhea told him firmly. “Officer Singer should be just outside taking care of those terrible people who were hiding you here. And once we reach her, we’re going to take you straight back to your mother.”

            She felt the boy nod as they continued through the massive structure. Near the entrance, she spotted Natty ahead of them, her illusion gone as she spoke excitedly to Officer Singer who was giving her a stern look that Natty really didn’t seem to notice. Rhea quickly dropped the illusions she’d cast on her and Archie and hurried forward, dragging the boy behind her.

            Officer Singer turned at the sudden movement, still clearly tense from whatever battle had taken place outside the tent. “Are you alright?” she asked tersely, looking Rhea up and down for a moment before giving Archie a more tender expression—it almost bordered on pity.

            “I’m fine, Officer Singer, and I’m terribly sorry about this—it won’t happen again,” Rhea said quickly. “Archie seems to be okay, aside from more delicate pains. I have a spare Wiggenweld if you think it’s necessary, though.”

            “I’m not happy about this,” Singer said quietly as she began leading the boy out the door, though she was speaking to the two Hogwarts students who fell into step beside her. “And you, Miss Pennywhistle. I thought fighting that troll would have been enough to scare you out of situations like these. But first that reckless trip to Falbarton Castle, and now this… I want to thank you for at least letting me know you’d found them—but, Merlin forbid this happens again, don’t go rushing in. Or I’ll have to alert the headmaster to this situation. And you, Miss Onai—I will be speaking to your mother about this, you mark my words. I told you to be done with this.”

            The two girls walked in silence. An embarrassed flush erupted in Rhea’s cheeks at the admonishments. She glanced at Natty and saw the red in her face matched her own, though she couldn’t tell if it was from shame and guilt or anger that their good deed wasn’t going to be recognized as she’d expected it to be.

            “Officer Singer?” Archie asked quietly as they made their way to an open backed carriage drawn by two Thestrals. The group clambered inside as other witches and wizards began turning the Ashwinder camp over. “My father’s friends are in danger. I heard the people who took me talking about them! Please, you have to help them!”

            Officer Singer sighed and shot Natsai a warning look before turning back to the boy and gently prodding him to give her more details. “Who were they talking about, Archie? I can make sure they’re alright if you tell me.”

            “Mr. and Mrs. Rabe, Mr. Philbert, and I think they also said Otto’s name,” Archie listed carefully and slowly, trying to make certain he had heard correctly.

            “Very well,” Officer Singer nodded firmly, “I will go and check on them as soon as I’m able. But first, we’re going to get you home to your mother.”

            They spent the rest of the ride in silence and arrived rather quickly in Lower Hogsfield. The journey to the camp had seemed so much longer than it actually was. When the carriage pulled up, Rhea immediately spotted Sebastian pacing along the dock that jutted out over the lake. She breathed a small sigh of relief at the sight of him. She hadn’t realized how tense she had grown over the course of that ride.

            “Run home, Archie—and tell your mother I’ll be along to speak with her shortly,” Officer Singer said, patting the boy gently on the back. He didn’t need telling twice, however, as he practically leapt off the carriage before it had come to a complete stop and began shouting for her mother who ran to meet him halfway.

            As they exited the carriage, Officer Singer turned back to Rhea and Natty with another stern look. “Neither of you are to speak to Mrs. Bickle again. Leave the woman in peace. And you are not—I repeat, not—allowed to investigate this any further. I tolerated your questions, Miss Onai because I thought that giving you sensitive information would put your mind at ease. Instead it seems to have convinced you that you are an Auror yourself. This is not suitable work for a fifth-year student. Now, both of you are to head back to the castle and report to your heads of houses for punishment. I will be speaking with them later to explain the situation further, but I have sent a message ahead to inform them that they should be expecting you.”

            The girls nodded meekly, unwilling to meet the woman’s eye. She paused for a moment and said, “You did good work today. I admire your bravery—truly. I wouldn’t have been able to do what you did today when I was your age. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should or that you have the skills to do so. If either of you had been caught, today may very well have ended in tragedy instead. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

            “Yes, Officer,” Rhea nodded. “I promise, we won’t ever do something as foolish as that again. Thank you for coming to help when we called.”

            “It’s my humble duty,” Singer said. “Now hurry along.” Something in the woman’s tone had softened by the end of the conversation. Rhea suspected that she was perhaps proud of the two of them, behind her harsh words. But she entirely understood the message the woman was trying to instill in them. She just didn’t have a way to communicate that she’d been trying to convince Natty of the same thing practically since the day they met.

            Once the woman had departed to greet Mrs. Bickle, who was still sobbing and holding onto her child, Natty turned to Rhea and said quietly, “Why would you make a promise like that when you know I won’t be able to keep it?”

            Rhea gave her friend an incredulous look, “Natty, please. Enough of this. You heard her—she’s willing to go to the headmaster over this. This isn’t just about doing what we think might help anymore—this is about us, about our futures. We’ve done more than enough to help—”

            “A job half-done is not a job well done,” Natty snapped. “I cannot believe we are still having this same argument.”

            “Natty, please, just listen to reason!” Rhea exclaimed. “I understand that you want to do this—but it’s not our responsibility! All we’re doing is making Harlow angrier—and eventually we are going to step into something we can’t handle—we need to listen to Officer Singer, or we’ll end up dead.”

            “I am more than willing to take that risk,” Natty said firmly.

            “And what good is throwing your life away?” Rhea asked. “What do you plan to do once you get to Harlow? Are you going to kill him? And once he’s out of the way, what then? Are you going to move on to Rookwood himself? Are you going to go after every single dark wizard until one of them takes you out?”

            “If I have to, yes!” Natty snapped. “I’m not afraid of these men—I’m afraid of the terrible things they do to the people I care about. I cannot sit idly by while they roam around causing harm. Not this time—not again!”

            “Again?” Rhea asked, taken aback. “What do you mean, again?”

            Natty seemed shaken—regretful even. Whatever that was about, she hadn’t meant to say it. She stiffened a bit and shook her head bitterly. “It means nothing,” she said, her voice sounding more hollow than impassioned now. “You are right. I am just too angry to want to admit it. That was a foolish thing for us to do, even if it did work out in the end. But… I can’t do nothing.”

            “So eavesdrop,” Rhea suggested. “If oyu absolutely can't keep your nose out of it, send Singer the tips anonymously. And never go investigating alone. One of these days, something could go terribly wrong and then no one would be able to help. Just… keep me in the loop, that’s all…”

            Natty gave Rhea a half-hearted smile and nod before gesturing to the castle, “Shall we?”

            Rhea shook her head slightly and gestured over to the dock where Sebastian was still pacing anxiously. “I have to go collect the messenger,” she said simply. Natty nodded and turned to head back alone, likely dreading the storm she would face when her mother found out what had happened.

            Rhea made her way around the small pond towards where Sebastian was waiting. As she got closer, she still had no idea how to explain to him what had happened, but before she had a chance to say anything, he’d spotted her. He rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug before releasing her and looking at her with what she thought was his best impression of Officer Singer’s stern scowl.

            “I can’t believe you went after those bloody Ashwinders!” he exclaimed. “You said you were just going to talk to someone—and then suddenly you’re looking for an abducted child?”

            “And to think all you and I did was fight a troll,” she joked weakly.

            He shook his head, clearly taken aback by her ability to joke about the situation, though she could tell deep down he wanted to laugh. “Look, it’s just really worrying, that’s all,” he said. “Especially when I could have helped you two out.”

            “Bast you did help us out,” Rhea insisted as they began the trudge back to the castle. “Without your help, Officer Singer never would have found us, and we never would have been able to get Archie out safely.”

            “Our little invention did come in handy, didn’t it?” he asked after a few moments of begrudged silence.

            “Like a charm,” Rhea grinned, linking her arm with his before regaling him with the entire tale from the beginning, sparing no detail and embellishing a touch where she saw fit. For the time being, she wanted to enjoy a peaceful moment of triumph. While it hadn’t been what she’d had planned for her day, she couldn’t help but feel pride at the accomplishment. She only had to hope that Professor Hecat would see things more favorably than Officer Singer did.

Chapter Text

            Professor Hecat had not, in fact, seen things more favorably than Officer Singer. She was more forthcoming with praise for taking initiative, but she had made it extremely clear that it had been a mistake not to wait for Officer Singer to arrive. She avoided telling Rhea to avoid such conflicts entirely, however—a fact that was not lost on the young woman, though she pointedly ignored it in case it was a bait or mistake.

            A week’s worth of detentions spread over the course of two weeks was a small sacrifice for seeing Archie Bickle reunited with his mother. However, it did make the rest of her schedule pretty hairy. There was no sneaking off to the Restricted Section with Sebastian, there was no extra training in the Map Chamber—all she had time for were homework, detentions, and Crossed Wands. She didn’t even see the inside of the Undercroft during those two weeks.

            However, her last detention was, rather miraculously, scheduled with Professor Fig—and she was going to insist that he take her to the tower to complete Rackham’s trial as soon as they could find the time. She wondered if he actually had a proper detention planned for her, or if it would be a write off—she certainly hoped it would be the latter, at the very least.

            She was on her way to meet him, having eaten an early dinner, when Natty managed to catch her on her way out of the Great Hall. They had spoken a little since the incident, neither with their temper entirely cooled after their fight. Natty didn’t like admitting she was wrong, so she had been less than keen facing Rhea after their conversation after Officer Singer’s reprimand. It wasn’t that they were on bad terms, by any means, but things were… a little bit tense. Rhea was certain that once their respective punishments were over, things would be better for each of them.

            “My mother wants to speak with me today,” Natty said with a frown. “She was extremely angry when Professor Weasley told her why I had gotten so many detentions, and she said she needed some time to calm down before we spoke. I am hoping she may be easier on me if you are there.”

            “I don’t know if that’s the best idea, Natty,” Rhea said with a frown. “She’s your mother—surely it won’t be that bad?”

            “Professor Onai is very different from Mudiwa Onai,” Natty said, leading Rhea in the direction of the Divination tower. “And I have no intention of keeping her waiting or of facing her alone.”

            “Natty if I get into trouble—”

            “You won’t,” Natty said shaking her head, “This should only take a few minutes.”

            Reluctantly, Rhea continued to follow along and the two discussed the detentions they’d been serving. As it turned out, Professor Weasley had given Natty more detentions than Professor Hecat had given Rhea, but they were shorter than Rhea’s. Shockingly, the Gryffindor head of house was a terrible stickler for the rules.

            When they reached the Divination Tower, Professor Onai was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, standing calmly with her hands clasped in front of her. There was an extremely stern look on her face that got a touch colder when she realized her daughter had brought a friend along to the meeting. The mother was clearly not pleased with that turn of events, but pursed her lips instead of immediately admonishing her daughter.

            “I’m here mother,” Natty said simply. “What did you want to speak to me about?”

            Professor Onai tilted her head slightly, surprised at her daughter’s nonchalant tone. “I had expected to speak with you alone, Natsai.” Her tone was even and relaxed, though her gaze was hard and sharp, never leaving her daughter. She seemed content to fully ignore Rhea’s presence, which was just as well, as far as Rhea was concerned. If she thought she could slip away without either woman noticing, she would have.

            “You said you were concerned about an unusual creature that was spotted in the woods near Hogsmeade,” Natty said quickly, “That could have been anything.”

            Rhea glanced at her friend, confusion and surprise flooding her mind. This hadn’t been what Natty had indicated at all. Professor Onai’s calm demeanor turned to one of blunt anger, but she held herself together with ease.

            “You know what it was, Natsai,” Professor Onai said, her voice filled with warning.

            “I’m allowed to leave the castle,” Natty said sounding annoyed, her fists clenched tightly at her side. It seemed she was struggling to keep a hold on her temper. “I am always careful, Mother.”

            “Careful?” Professor Onai snapped, her voice lowering to a dangerous tone that all mothers seemed to have down perfectly. “Officer Singer disagrees. She sent me an owl telling me that you have been trying to collect evidence of some kind against Dark wizards. She berated me for not keeping a closer eye on you, and she is right. I do not want you visiting Hogsmeade for the near future.”

            Natty began to protest adamantly, but she didn’t get a chance to make her case as Professor Onai continued, her tone softer this time, more imploring than before, “My little gazelle—you are well-intentioned, but you must not meddle in the affairs of dangerous people.”

            Rhea was feeling incredibly uncomfortable—this didn’t feel like the sort of conversation she should be a part of. And yet, once again, the Gryffindor had managed to drag her into the middle of a mess that she had no reason to be in the midst of.

            “If someone had meddled in Matabeleland, Father would still be with us!” Natty shouted suddenly.

            Professor Onai stiffened, and a defeated, shaky sigh escaped her as hurt and guilt flashed across her face in equal measure. She stood up straighter and gave her daughter a sad look before she said in a low voice, “I have papers to grade. Perhaps your friend can get you to listen to reason.”

            Natty didn’t respond to her mother’s obvious dismissal and simply turned on her heel stalking down the tower stairs in anger instead. Rhea gave the professor an embarrassed and apologetic look before hurrying after Natty.

            As she practically flew down the stairs Natty exclaimed, “So frustrating!” She barely seemed to notice Rhea calling for her to slow down and just talk to her for a second. “She never listens to me!”

            “Natty—it’s not her job to listen to you!” Rhea pointed out. “All she’s trying to do is keep you safe. What was it she called you? Her little gazelle? That’s a term of endearment, isn’t it? She just wants you to understand what she’s telling you.”

            “It’s specific to me,” Natty snapped. “No doubt she used it to try and get back on my good side… I am the unusual creature in Hogsmeade that she mentioned. Self-transfiguration is not taught at Hogwarts, so I am gently discouraged from practicing it. However—I am an Animagus, nonetheless, and I worked hard to become one. I don’t want to just let my ability be wasted when it can be so useful.”

            “It is in my gazelle form that I have been able to wander the Highlands rather freely until now. Much to my mother’s obvious chagrin,” Natty continued to explain. “It’s how I was able to spy on Rookwood and Harlow.”

            “How did you become an Animagus?” Rhea asked. She had seen a few mentions of it in books from the Restricted Section, but she hadn’t found much. She did have to admit that it was a rather intriguing subject, though it was certainly a level of magic that she wasn’t ready for just yet.

            “The process is quite elaborate,” Natty said. “It involves holding a Mandrake leaf in one’s mouth for an entire month. Then you place the leaf in a crystal phial so that it is imbued with moonlight. Then you add one of your own hairs. Among other things. That’s really just the beginning. Self-Transfiguration is common among students at Uagadou. But Professor Weasley considers it much too dangerous to teach at Hogwarts.”

            “So… why a gazelle, then?” Rhea wondered. She hoped that calming Natty down before pushing her mother’s agenda would make her friend a touch more receptive to it.

            “You cannot choose the form your Animagus takes,” Natty explained. “It is based on personality. My mother is convinced that my form is a gazelle because I adapt well to any situation. I believe it is because I can sense danger and keep my wits about me. The first time you transform… well, it can be a bit unnerving. I felt a kind of searing pain and a strong double heartbeat. It gets easier the more you do it. I no longer feel any pain and I must say, I find a sense of comfort in the double heartbeat. I love being able to view the world from a different perspective… I love transforming but Mother is less enthusiastic about it.”

            “Natty, if you truly love viewing the world from a different perspective—why are you so reluctant to listen to your mother—to me, even?” Rhea asked.

            “If I were to listen to her—I would never be allowed to transform, to explore,” Natty said, exasperation growing in her tone again. “She says that no creature—especially one as rare as a gazelle—should be bounding about where poaching has become so prevalent.”

            “Well—she’s right, Natty,” Rhea said honestly. “I’ve never seen a gazelle before in my life—not even in a newspaper. You would be a prime target for poachers.”

            “She claims that she has foreseen tragedy befall me in my gazelle form,” Natty grumbled. “But she has used her Sight to control me too many times. Frankly, I no longer believe her. I will not let her stop me from making a difference, from using my talents to stop those horrible people.”

            “Natty, no one wants you to give up,” Rhea insisted. “You said that you keep your wits about you when you’re facing danger but—I don’t think you quite understand what it looks like to everybody else. The gazelle is a prey animal. If you keep pushing these dangerous people, you are going to be hunted down. Gazelles are resourceful, yes, but they know when it’s safe to graze and when they need to turn and run from danger. I respect you deeply, my friend, but I think you could learn a thing or two from them.”

            “You aren’t being a very supportive friend to me,” Natty said bluntly, turning to glare at Rhea.

            Rhea gave her a hard stare back, “Natty just because we’re friends it doesn’t mean I have to support you all the time. We can be friends and still be able to criticize one another if we disagree with each other’s choices. And I don’t think that you can reasonably make that claim right now. This is the third time you’ve pulled me into this vendetta of yours, and I have made it extremely clear that I don’t agree with your methods. That conversation with your mother—when you yelled at her? I shouldn’t have been there. But you didn’t give me a choice— you charge ahead unwilling to listen to reason.”

            “I understand your frustration better than you probably think I do,” Rhea said firmly. “I really, truly do. There are things that I want to do, things that I know need to be done—but I also know that I’m not ready for them. I know I have so much more to learn about magic and about myself. I know that sometimes, waiting for the right time to act is the smarter choice.”

            “Well it doesn’t matter, does it?” Natty snapped. “I’m stuck here in the castle for the foreseeable future. My hands are tied. There is nothing I can do. And now I know that I cannot rely on you.”

            Rhea opened her mouth to protest but Natty turned and rushed off, not once turning to glance back at the Ravenclaw, too angry and lost in her own head to understand her friend’s well-intended speech. Rhea bit her tongue and watched the girl storm off. She wanted to be alone, so Rhea wasn’t going to chase after her. Not that it would do any good. Rhea was beginning to worry that there was no reasoning with Natty—and she couldn’t help feeling like a hypocrite as she turned and began making her way to see Professor Fig to beg him to allow her to complete the first trial.

            She wished she could tell Natty about all of it. Maybe then she would understand that Rhea truly understood her predicament and wasn’t simply shooting down all of her ideas. But she knew that she couldn’t risk telling Natty anything about ancient magic—given how headlong she ran into danger with Harlow. If she knew the extent to which Ranrok and Rookwood wanted Rhea for… whatever it was they were planning, Natty would stop at nothing to make it alright. It was admirable, but ultimately foolish.

Chapter Text

            Rhea was pacing back and forth inside the Undercroft, quietly listing off the points she wanted to make. It had been two more weeks since her fight with Natty and she was tired of the distance that had grown between them. She was tired of awkwardly sitting in silence during Charms lessons because both girls were too proud to sit anywhere else. She was tired of watching the library door for Natty when they were supposed to meet Poppy to study. She was tired of feeling like she’d let her friend down.

            “Slow down—you’re going to wear a path in the floor if you aren’t careful,” Sebastian mused as the gate slid closed behind him.

            “Sorry, I was just lost in thought,” she said with a small frown, coming to a stop in front of him.

            “I take it that it has to do with whatever it was that made you want to meet here so early?” Sebastian asked. “Ominis hasn’t even woken up yet.”

            “Well, I figured the best time to go would be the weekend, but I want to visit Hogsmeade today,” Rhea said.

            “I suppose I could find the time for it,” Sebastian mused, moving past her to empty out his school bag so that he could carry their loot more easily later on. “I have been meaning to send Anne a care package—and I think we’re running low on emergency Honeydukes, so we should probably stock up while we’re in the village.”

            “That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” Rhea said hesitantly, walking over to join him at the desk.

            He paused and turned to her with a wary look on his face, “Why do I get the feeling you aren’t going to invite me out for a butterbeer?”

            “Because I’m not,” she confirmed, a wry smile on her face. “Not this time, at least—or rather, that’s not where we’re starting our day. Once we get our tasks done, we can go and see Sirona for a bit—but ultimately I need to fix things with Natty.”

            “I still don’t think you did anything wrong,” Sebastian said shaking his head slightly as he let out a sigh. He crossed his arms and leaned against the desk watching her carefully. “You’ve been trying to talk her out of all this Harlow nonsense for so long now and she clearly doesn’t want to hear it. She doesn’t even give you a choice if you want to help her—she just expects you to.”

            “I mean, can you blame her?” Rhea frowned slightly. “We’re friends. Even if I don’t think she’s right all the time, that doesn’t mean I should just… abandon her. She needs my help, and she should be able to rely on me.”

            “I think there’s a very big difference between asking a friend for help and expecting it, that’s all,” Sebastian said. “Take us for example—you basically asked me to help you find that book. I graciously obliged. And you offered to help with Anne—”

            “And you said no,” Rhea pointed out.

            “At first, yes, I did—but then I asked if you were still willing to help,” Sebastian continued. “I never expected your help, and you never expected mine. We asked and we accepted. Has Natty ever asked for your help? No—she just charges right in and assumes you’re going to be right there behind her picking up the pieces in her wake.”

            “Well, luckily, this time that won’t be the case,” Rhea said. “I’m going to continue what she started. As a peace offering, I’m going to go around and talk to Mr. Bickle’s friends and figure out why Harlow might be targeting them. The thing is, I’m going to do this my way, not Natty’s. So I’m asking if you’ll come with me. You don’t have to talk to any of them—I’d hate for you to get stuck in the same boat as I’m in with Rookwood’s lot—I just… shouldn’t go alone, and I trust you more than anyone else.”

            “Well when you phrase it like that, how can I possibly say no?” Sebastian grinned. “Happy to help—but the celebratory butterbeers when we get the information you need will definitely be on you this time.”

            “Perfect,” Rhea grinned as she turned and made her way to the door, a small bag already hanging from her shoulder.

            “So what’s the plan then?” Sebastian asked. “You know, after the Three Broomsticks?”

            “Well, I’m going to ask these people about the problems they’ve been having,” Rhea said. “And then I’m going to give my notes to Natty. She can’t leave the castle currently, and I’m afraid she’s going to sneak out and do something foolish. But if I can get this information to her before she does something regrettable, then maybe she’ll be willing to take a step back and listen to me a bit more.”

            “I doubt it’ll be that simple,” Sebastian mused. “You’ve been on her mum’s side so much, she probably thinks you’re a stickler for the rules.”

            “Well, I’m taking a page out of her book and taking action for myself,” Rhea said. “That’s got to be enough to convince her I’m on her side.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “You really only found two of them?” Sebastian asked as they settled into a small booth near the fireplace. He had trailed around after Rhea for most of the day, mainly keeping an eye out for anyone looking sideways at her. But they’d decided it was best for him to not be as deeply intwined as Rhea was in Natty’s plot to take down Harlow.

            “It’s actually surprisingly difficult to track down people you’ve never met before,” Rhea told him. “Agabus Philbert apparently spoke out against Rookwood, then Harlow broke into his home and incapacitated him. The Bickles tried to convince him to go to Officer Singer but he was scared stiff by that attack and he refused.”

            “And then Otto Dibble—well, his started off a little bit sweet but things got pretty hairy for him. He fell in love with Mr. Hill’s daughter Rosie, and the two are actually engaged, but Mr. Hill doesn’t know a thing. Harlow has been extorting Mr. Dibble for some time now, stealing from Gladrags. And he wants out but he’s in too deep and it’s going to ruin his chances of convincing Mr. Hill that he and Rosie should be together.”

            “And what sort of leverage did Harlow get on them?” Sebastian asked curiously as he waved to Sirona. The witch waved her wand and set two flagons to fill as she continued working elsewhere in the pub.

            “Philbert had an ornate book of poetry written by his late wife and Otto Dibble lost a love letter,” Rhea said. “I have no idea what Natty’s going to do with any of this information… Officer Singer had already told Archie that she was going to look in on these folks, so I don’t think it would be terribly useful for me to pass along my notes to her…”

            “I mean, they could have lied to her,” Sebastian pointed out. “You said it yourself that Philbert was terrified to come forward about Harlow before Mr. Bickle was killed—now that that chap’s gone, there’s no way he’d willingly confess anything to Officer Singer.”

            “If that’s the case, then why would he tell me?” Rhea wondered. “It feels a bit suspicious…”

            “Honestly I haven’t the foggiest,” Sebastian said. “I’m just glad we’re done for the day and you have your peace offering.”

            “Two butterbeers,” Sirona said lightly, placing the flagons down on the table before looking at the pair appraisingly with her hands on her hips. “You two seemed to be having a rather serious conversation. I’m not interrupting anything special am I?”

            Sebastian’s ears flushed red and he refused to look over at Rhea in case she noticed. Meanwhile, across the table, Rhea had quickly grabbed her butterbeer and had begun drinking it to avoid answering, equally embarrassed and trying to hide it from her friend. Sirona bit back a small smirk at the suddenly very awkward tension that she’d created before Sebastian piped up.

            “Say, Sirona—have you seen either of the Rabes around here recently?” Sebastian asked. “We’re a little bit curious about what it’s like to work for Gringotts. Given the current political tensions. Spot of history homework for ole Binns.”

            Sirona paused slightly, her eyes narrowed before she responded, “Funny you should ask—Daisy’s just upstairs at the moment. She seemed a touch upset when she arrived, though. I’m not sure she’s really in the mood to chat.”

            “Oh, well, I can go and speak to her really fast and see if she can spare a moment,” Rhea said quickly, jumping to her feet and scooting around Sirona towards the nearby staircase. “We don’t both need to go and accost her. Why don’t you stay here, Sebastian, and keep Sirona company!”

            Sirona looked down at Sebastian thoughtfully for a moment before she said, “I don’t need company, I have work to do. If you have any questions, best ask them quick.”

            Leaving Sebastian to distract the concerned barkeep, Rhea bounded up the stairs until she spotted a rather pretty young woman sitting at a table by herself, head resting in one hand while the other fiddled with a rather crumpled handkerchief.

            Rhea approached cautiously, keeping quiet until the woman looked up at her. Her expression was guarded, but she seemed mainly confused as to why a Hogwarts student was looking at her so intensely.

            “Mrs. Rabe?” Rhea asked. “I wondered if I might be able to speak with you and your husband about Theophilus Harlow. I’m a friend of the Bickles and am trying to gather evidence against him. Do you might if I sit with you for a moment?”

            The woman sat up straighter and looked Rhea up and down thoughtfully before giving a small nod, though she did not offer a smile or a welcome. “Poor Johanna and little Archie… You’re one of the students who got sweet Archie back, I take it?” Rhea nodded briefly and the woman let out a bitter sigh as she continued, “I’m afraid that he’s taken my darling Isko, as well.”

            “What do you mean?” Rhea asked, though she had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly what the woman meant. “Why would he take your husband?”

            “I’m a security guard at Gringotts,” Mrs. Rabe explained hesitantly, “and my husband is a curse-breaker for them. Harlow… he approached me about helping him extort my colleagues into giving him treasures from the vaults.”

            “How terrible!” Rhea exclaimed, “What did you tell him?”

            “I declined, of course—repeatedly,” she said, as though it was obvious. “I thought they’d given up, since they stopped harassing me directly. Until I came home a few days ago and found my husband gone—and a note affixed to my door with a knife. The note stated that I only had a few days left to reconsider helping with some banking needs—and that my husband would appreciate it if I acted quickly. Not a very thinly veiled threat… But the help Harlow wants is help that I cannot give. And my dearest Isko is paying the price…”

            “Wait, why wouldn’t Harlow extort your husband?” Rhea asked gently. She was surprised by how forthcoming the grieving woman currently was, and she felt a bit guilty pushing the matter. But she needed answers, and this was far more damning evidence against Harlow than Otto Dibble’s love letter or Agabus Philbert’s missing book of poetry.

            “Isko’s job is even more removed from the vaults than mine,” she explained briefly. “He travels the world for the bank. He couldn’t do anything for Harlow. Not like I could: I’m the one in the bank on a daily basis—which evidently makes me an enticing target for blackmail. But I still haven’t helped Harlow… I’m worried sick about Isko, but he’d never want me to compromise my integrity. I also know that he’s extremely clever…”

            She gave a slightly bitter laugh and told her, “That said, I was hoping he would have escaped by now. It makes me concerned as to—why he hasn’t…” She faltered slightly towards the end as the reality of their situation hit her once more. Her husband was in incredible danger, and there was very little that she would be able to do about it.

            “And you’re certain that note means that your husband was kidnapped?” Rhea asked, hoping the woman would put up with a little more prying.

            “What else could it possibly mean? Besides, I came home to find that someone had trampled the daisies in our garden,” the woman explained further, her voice getting softer as she spoke about her husband, “It may sound silly, but those were Isko’s pride and joy. He would never have let that happen to them.”

            “That’s terrible,” Rhea frowned. “But thank you, all the same, Mrs. Rabe. Knowing the lengths that Harlow will go to is helpful, albeit more than disturbing…”

            “Mr. Bickle was trying to help us, but now he’s gone—I don’t know what to do,” Mrs. Rabe admitted quietly, blotting at her eyes with the handkerchief carefully.

            “You can start by going to Officer Singer,” Rhea prompted. “My friend and I… we’ve been trying to find ways to gather evidence against Harlow. But we’ve been made to promise we won’t get involved but… for peace of mind, we simply wanted to know what’s been going on in the village.”

            The woman paused for a moment before a horrified look crossed her face as she sat back in stunned silence. She clearly hadn’t intended to share much information with Rhea, certainly not as much as she did. Knowing first-hand what Harlow was capable of, she was terrified at what this knowledge might result in for the empathetic student sitting across from her.

            “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave this well enough alone from now on,” she warned softly. “Please don’t put yourself in danger—least of all on my account. And… I believe you may be correct about informing Officer Singer… The risk at this point matter’s very little for me. I have to trust that my husband is capable of freeing himself from this predicament or hope that Officer Singer has found enough evidence to justify a search for him.”

            “Trust me, I have no intention of diving headfirst into trouble,” Rhea said. “Just searching for peace of mind for a friend. I’m sorry about your husband, and I hope he finds his way back home soon. Thank you for speaking with me Mrs. Rabe—good luck.”

            Rhea stood quickly and returned to the lower floors, writing in her notebook as she went. Mrs. Rabe had certainly been the most helpful of Mr. Bickle’s friends, though she also seemed to be facing the highest stakes of them all. Rhea almost wanted to go and ask Officer Singer if she knew anything of it, but she supposed that Sebastian was right. The pressure these people were facing was perhaps too strong and had persuaded them to avoid confiding in the Auror.

            When she got downstairs, Rhea saw Sebastian sitting with a concerned look on his face. His leg was bouncing under the table impatiently as he waited for her to return and he was looking around at the other patrons with a deeply wary expression. Rhea slid into the seat opposite him and he jumped when she broke his line of sight around the pub. He leaned in close and ushered her to do the same.

            When she obliged he said quickly, “Sirona said she’s heard people mention your name a few times in passing over the past few weeks—and Natty’s. I think we need to head back to the castle as soon as we can. I don’t feel like that’s just idle gossip.”

            “Perhaps that’s for the best,” Rhea said with a frown, reaching for her bag to pay.

            Sebastian waved her off and instead stood and began tugging on her sleeve to leave saying, “No, no, I already took care of it. Let’s get a move on, before anyone recognizes who you are.” She obliged, standing quickly and allowing him to shepherd her off.

            However before they even managed to make their way a few steps beyond the pub doors, they spotted Professor Onai charging down the main street of Hogsmeade, Officer Singer trailing behind her at a short distance. The professor’s eyes narrowed as soon as she spotted Rhea and Sebastian changed her trajectory, heading down the street towards them directly.

            “Where is she?” she demanded, stalking straight up to the pair of students, who took a few steps back at the fierceness of her tone.

            “W-who?” Rhea managed to get out. She took another half step back as the professor took another step towards her, but bumped into Sebastian, who had somehow wound up nearly cowering behind her.

            “Miss Pennywhistle you know exactly who I am speaking about,” Professor Onai said sharply. Her voice was low and shook with anger as she continued, her eyes darting around the cobbled street warily. “My daughter Natsai was seen sneaking out of the castle earlier this afternoon. Who else would know about this little game of deception my daughter loves to play? You have been assisting her from the start. So I will repeat it once more. Where is she?”

            “We don’t know,” Sebastian said quickly. Professor Onai raised an eyebrow over Rhea’s head at Sebastian, who clammed up instantly under the intensity of her gaze.

            Rhea jumped in before the professor could round on him further by saying, “He doesn’t know anything else—we just haven’t seen her today. And she and I are in a little bit of a fight, if I’m being completely honest. If she’s decided to go off and do something, I certainly don’t know about it.”

            “Why on earth are you two fighting?” Officer Singer asked with a frown. “You two have been thick as thieves all year breaking rules and promises to stay out of things that don’t concern you. Why the sudden change of heart?”

            “There wasn’t a change of heart,” Rhea said. “I’ve been trying to talk her out of things all year. When it becomes obvious that she isn’t going to listen to reason, I go along with her so she isn’t making mistakes all by herself.”

            “This doesn’t matter,” Onai said, turning to Officer Singer and speaking quietly. “My daughter is missing and there has been no sign of her anywhere. I am going to search the countryside. Please remain here and search for anyone who might have seen her near the village. My vision has yet to come true—and I am beginning to fear the worst.”

            The Auror nodded and Professor Onai hurried off in the direction of the countryside. Rhea and Sebastian lingered awkwardly, uncertain if they were dismissed or if they should help the Auror search the town. The woman let out a long sigh and closed her eyes for a brief moment, centering herself before turning to the two students with a serious expression.

            “You two should head back to the castle,” Officer Singer said. “Until we find Miss Onai, it is my recommendation that all students return immediately and remain there until I give the all clear. If you could go and inform Professor Weasley, I know she will do everything in her power to make certain those orders are followed. Do this and I will elect to ignore the fact that you’ve been snooping into this case all morning, despite explicit instructions to leave all this to me.”

            “How did—”

            “Never mind how I know this—it’s part of my job to be discreet,” Officer Singer warned. “Now hop to it, I don’t have time to escort you back to the castle myself.” The witch turned sharply and began stalking up the street, beginning a series of enchantments that Rhea didn’t recognize.

            “So… I guess we’re looking for Professor Weasley?” Sebastian asked, staring after the Auror with an apprehensive look. “Please say yes…”

            “Yes, we’re going to look for Professor Weasley,” Rhea said slowly, though Sebastian didn’t like the hesitant tone in her voice. It usually only came out when she was trying to think up something particularly clever. In this case, he wasn’t certain he liked where this was going to go. “But we’re going to start near the Hog’s Head.”

            “What, think ole Weasley fancied a pint, do you?” Sebastian asked as Rhea hurried down a nearby side alley, squeezing between two particularly close houses. “Somehow I can’t imagine her at the Hog’s Head if she did…”

            “Natty did a lot of lurking in that corner of Hogsmeade,” Rhea said. “If she’s run off, I think it’s highly likely that she’d at least have been there. I’m sure we can find someone to ask—just to put my mind at ease. And then I promise, Officer Singer’s instructions will be carried out without complaint from me.”

            They rounded the corner and hurried in the direction of the pub, careful to keep an eye out for the Auror. Sebastian pulled Rhea to the side of the pub before she could charge in, however. “Look,” he said quietly. “We can’t just go asking about Natty here—that could end up with you in a lot of danger, Rhea. People were asking about her and about you. I think it would be best if we didn’t do anything risky right now…”

            But Rhea wasn’t listening. She was staring at the ground near where they were standing in horror. There were a lot of muddy footprints scattered about and it seemed as though there had been a rather obvious scuffle. And yet that was not the most disturbing detail of the scene. In the middle of the dock, dropped rather haphazardly on the boards, was a wand of light bark, notched at several intervals—Natty’s wand.

            Rhea stepped forward and picked it up silently as Sebastian followed, confusion and worry settling over them. She turned it over in her hands thoughtfully before turning to him, a determined look on her face. “You need to go and get Officer Singer right now, Sebastian,” she told him firmly. “This is Natty’s wand. She can cast spells without it—so she must have left it for someone—for me—to find. Someone took her.”

            “Rhea, we can both go and find Officer Singer,” Sebastian said, shaking his head quickly, trying to pull her back towards the main street. “She’s going to kill us if we do anything less.”

            “No, Sebastian, one of us needs to stay and look for more clues—try and find the start of a trail,” Rhea insisted. “We’re wasting time arguing about this.”

            “What happened to you and I giving each other a choice?” he asked.

            “Bast, you do have a choice,” Rhea said. “I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. But we can’t risk anyone tampering with anything that’s here more than you and I already have. And we can be in constant communication with the Bis Scribe. If you want, I can go find her and you can stay and look for more of the trail.”

            He looked at her critically for a moment, seeming reluctant to say much of anything. Eventually he sighed and said, “You know, I’m starting to dislike how often you’re right about things… I’ll do it. I’ll go fetch her. Try not to draw any attention to yourself—I’ll be as quick as I can.”

            “Thank you,” Rhea told him. He gave her a short nod and moved to accomplish his task, setting out at a brisk walk to avoid gathering any unwanted attention. She was grateful for his help, despite his reservations. She didn’t like being so firm with her opinion of what they needed to do, but she couldn’t let this chance to help slip by. Especially since there was hard evidence that Natty was taken but her wand was left behind.

            She edged closer to the building and tucked herself away in the corner, trying to remain discreet while keeping an eye on the street and the door to the Hogshead from the shadows. She didn’t know what she had been expecting to find, if anything, but as the minutes ticked by she was becoming more and more anxious. Sebastian still hadn’t returned and he hadn’t sent her any messages through their enchanted notes.

            Just as she was preparing herself to go after him and find Officer Singer herself, she overheard someone laughing smugly, “Nosy little students get what’s coming to them.”

            Rhea’s blood ran cold and she peered around the corner, spotting a gruff looking man twirling his wand around haphazardly as he exited the tavern. He stumbled somewhat but turned and began making his way around the opposite side of the building. There wasn’t a road there, or any other buildings, so it struck her as rather peculiar behavior. When the man didn’t emerge after a few more minutes of Rhea watching carefully, she decided to investigate for herself. It was just a few feet away from her current hiding spot, and surely she’d notice when Sebastian and Officer Singer showed back up.

            Realizing that she had to make a decision here, she took a deep breath and did her best to casually emerge from her hiding spot and make her way to the opposite side of the street. This was too good a lead for her to pass up—she could only hope that Officer Singer would understand that when she eventually followed the train herself.

            Rhea steeled herself the closer she got to the corner. For all she knew, there would be a crowd of them waiting to jump her. This investigation was more than just a threat to Natty, and it was much more than a simple vendetta against them.

            But to her surprise, there wasn’t a single sign of the man she was following on the other side of the building. After a cursory glance behind her to make certain that no one was going to sneak up on her while she was distracted, she walked further past the edge of the building, scanning the ground carefully. There were a few sets of footprints on the ground here, and she was once again grateful for living in such a rainy place. The tracks were clear enough to see, but she couldn’t be certain they were what she thought they might have been. But the man was nowhere to be seen and the path didn’t simply end right there.

            It led to an unlocked cellar door along the side of the Hog’s Head. Rhea looked at it skeptically for a moment but shook herself—this wasn’t the time to allow fear to rule her. In the pit of her stomach, she knew that this had to be where Natty was being held. And there wasn’t any valid reason for her wait until Officer Singer showed up considering how long ago Sebastian had left her to go and find the witch.

            And so she strode forward and pulled open one of the doors to the cellar carefully and quietly. She stepped onto the stairs and made her way down, slowly closing the door behind her. As soon as she was certain it was closed and that she hadn’t alerted anyone to her presence, she cast Disillusionment on herself and looked around.

            It appeared to be nothing more than a simple cellar. Rhea frowned in surprise—there had been several sets of footprints leading to that room. There had to be some sort of trick to it, some way forward… She carefully walked around, trying to keep her guard up in the rather sparse room. As she neared the far wall where the rather large kegs stood, she noticed some unusual scuff marks across the stone floor. They looked a little too out of place, a little too worn.

            She made her way along the wall and found the same strange grooves in the floor in front of another keg that was set back deeper into the wall. As she glanced back towards the first keg, something clicked in her mind. She took a few steps back and looked at the wall of kegs head on and knew exactly what she needed to do.

            Before she cast Accio on the smaller kegs, Rhea pulled out the Bis Scribe and quickly explained to Sebastian where she had gone and how to proceed. She had a sneaking suspicion that the door might seal itself behind her, and just in case that happened she wanted to make sure she at least had a way out.

            Once that small goal was accomplished, she turned and began hauling on the kegs with the summoning charm. Once they were in their proper place, there was a loud clicking noise and the front face of the largest keg in the center of the wall swung towards her, revealing a secret doorway.

            Glancing towards the exit again, Rhea gave a short nod to herself and strode forward through the keg. The next room held several more kegs, as well as a few tables. Beyond it, the hideout continued as a short hallway before opening into a far grander room than Rhea had expected to see. She couldn’t be certain if this was all naturally nestled beneath Hogsmeade or if there was special magic like that of the Ashwinder tent that held Archie Bickle.

            She proceeded with caution and peered over the stone banister and into the room below. There were at least ten Ashwinders milling about, seeming relaxed and undoubtedly feeling safe in their secluded hideaway.

            Rhea looked around thoughtfully for a moment. She hoped that Officer Singer would be right on her tail, but she didn’t want to risk getting distracted checking the Bis Scribe in case any Ashwinders decided to go for a wander. She slunk down the stairs to the lower level, doing her best to stick to the shadows. The room was crowded and full of stacked boxes and furniture, so she was able to keep hidden fairly easily.

            As she went to sneak around a corner, a pair of Ashwinders came into view, heading straight for her hiding place. A wave of panic washed over her and she scooted backwards as quickly and quietly as she could, hoping that they hadn’t managed to spot her. As they continued to get closer, Rhea’s mind was becoming steadily more overwhelmed. She reached to the side and pulled herself through the legs of a rather large desk and hid underneath it.

            It was too risky to stay out in the open. She had half a mind to stay exactly where she was—it was decently hidden and there was actually a surprising amount of room hidden inside the stacks of furniture. Once she was certain that she hadn’t been noticed she pulled out the Bis Scribe, her heart pounding. She felt trapped, and she wanted to know someone was coming to help.

            When she laid eyes on the blossoming ink, her heart slowed fraction by fraction. The words of comfort and support that were there were all the reassurance she needed that help was not far away. The concern in the message was palpable, and she knew that she wasn’t stuck in a helpless situation. There was still more that she could do to help; Sebastian and Officer Singer hadn’t yet entered the cellar, no doubt because the Auror was reluctant to bring a student into the middle of a den of vipers that two had already run headlong into.

            But the delay was incredibly lucky in a way. Rhea quickly scrawled out a note describing exactly how many Ashwinders she’d seen and how the main room was set up, only including details that she thought Officer Singer would be able to use. Once her message sent, Rhea carefully peeked out from her hiding spot. She had an idea of where they may have been keeping Natty imprisoned, and she thought that with an appropriate distraction, she might be able to work her way secretly though the maze of furniture to reach the spot.

            But even if Officer Singer made her way down into the room, she’d be overwhelmed by the sheer number of Ashwinders hiding out there. So if Rhea was going to go and find Natty, she needed to move first, before any fighting started. Officer Singer was going to need all the help she could get.

            Rhea began slowly creeping through the clutter on her hands and knees, doing her best to avoid knocking anything over as she went. By the time she’d made her way over to the far side of the room, she was breathing heavily from the effort and was trying very hard to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. There was a loud crashing sound from across the hall, back the way she had come and she knew that she had a very short window of time during which she would have more freedom to search for and free Natty.

            She glanced toward the entrance and waited for her rescuers to appear, which they did. Officer Singer led the way, with Professor Onai in tow. Sebastian followed behind, but it seemed that he was instructed to keep back as much as possible, as he was acting in a similar way to how she had when she first arrived there—sticking to shadows and keeping an eye out. She wondered for a moment if the older witches had even allowed him in or if he had simply snuck in. In any case, she suspected they would all be in for a significant number of detentions if they survived this.

            The two women barely hesitated before they began firing spells at the mostly unsuspecting Ashwinders. They had caused a bit of a commotion on their way in, but not enough to alarm too many of them right off the bat. Rhea immediately rushed into action, darting carefully up a set of stairs to her left and prayed that her Disillusionment spell would continue concealing her. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the crossfire or run into an Ashwinder all on her own.

            She hurried down the hallway at the top of the stairs, not bothering to look behind her at the intense duels happening in the main room. She had her eyes glued in the direction she was going. She had no intention of being taken by surprise. She pushed past a heavy curtain and found herself in a rather large office.

            Along the walls there were massive bookshelves, but they didn’t hold many books. Instead preserved magical creatures and skeletons in glass domes lined the shelves like a morbid museum. In the center of the room stood an impressively crafted table surrounded by several ornate chairs. One even had horns affixed to it. Letters and papers of all sorts were scattered across the table haphazardly. It was a rather nice room—aside from the two large prison cells in either corner opposite the door.

            Rhea took a moment to peer closely around the room. She didn’t fully trust her eyes or intuition when it came to spotting concealment magic, so she cast Revelio to make certain she wasn’t about to be ambushed if she revealed herself. To her surprise and delight, a box appeared beneath the table. She hurried towards it and unlocked it, pulling out a rather short and crooked wand. She cast Revelio once more to confirm her initial reading on the room and when she didn’t spot anyone hiding with the disillusionment spell, she dropped her own and rushed to the left corner prison where Natty was grinning widely at her.

            “You found us!” she exclaimed.

            “Us?” Rhea asked, her relief at finding her friend turning to confusion. She looked over at the other cell where a tall spindly man was watching with a hesitant curiosity.

            “Yes!” Natty said quickly. “Speak to Mr. Rabe—he will tell you what you need to do to free us!”

            Rhea reluctantly left her friend but hurried over to the other cell. She glanced behind herself at the entrance and when she was satisfied that no one was nearby, she turned to the man and quietly said, “Mr. Rabe? Your wife told me you’d been abducted…”

            “You spoke with my wife?” he asked quickly. “How is she?”

            “Worried about you,” Rhea replied just as speedily. “Are you alright?”

            “I’m alright,” he nodded firmly. “Thank you for coming—I take it there’s…”

            “More than a single student acting as backup?” Rhea finished his sentence with a wry grin. “There is. Officer Singer and Professor Onai are handling the Ashwinders out there, but they may be outmatched—I really don’t know.”

            “Right, then we have no time to lose,” Mr. Rabe nodded, keeping an eye on the door while he began to give instructions. “These locks are cursed, and there’s an Anti-Apparition Jinx on the cells. Even Natty’s skill with wandless magic cannot free us. I need you to find my wand.”

            Rhea grinned proudly and produced the wand she’d found before she’d revealed herself. The man’s eyes widened and his face broke out into an equally impressed grin as he took the wand from her. It slotted perfectly into his grip and Rhea, for a moment, worried what would happen if she was to ever be without her wand. Perhaps she could teach herself wandless magic or learn some pointers from Natty. This experience had certainly been eye-opening for her.

            “Oh well done,” he told her seriously. “Now, you’d best stand back—go stand near Natty for a moment. One never knows how a curse will react to being broken.”

            Rhea didn’t need telling twice. She hurried over to Natty and let her know that Mr. Rabe was working on his cell for the moment. She pulled out Natty’s wand and handed it to her, “Bet you’re happy to see this, eh?”

            “I knew that you would realize I had left my wand on purpose,” she said, accepting the wand gratefully. “I’m so happy to see you, my friend.”

            “Natty, I’m just glad you’re alright,” Rhea said. “And I’m sorry for making you feel like you had to do this all on your own. I spent the morning talking with all of Mr. Bickle’s friends to try and make a peace offering for you.”

            “I know, I was on my way to do the same when Harlow’s goons jumped me,” Natty nodded. “I saw you talking with Mr. Philbert near his house. And I have to say that I am sorry as well—I should have listened to you, and to my mother… I do hope she won’t be too angry about this…”

            “Well you won’t have to wait long to find out,” Rhea told her. “She’s out in the other room battling the Ashwinders who took you. Officer Singer’s there as well, and so is—”

            There was a loud explosion from the opposite side of the room as Mr. Rabe’s cell door went flying off its hinges. The man stepped out, dusting off his sport jacket casually. He hurried over and instructed Rhea to take cover again. Natty tucked herself into a corner of her cell and covered her neck, head, and ears with her arms protectively as Mr. Rabe got to work.

            “I’m going to go and help the others,” Rhea called over before hurrying out of the room, wand at the ready. She glanced around a corner and was surprised to see a duel happening extremely close by. No doubt someone had heard the cacophony caused by Mr. Rabe’s liberation and come searching. She felt a quick flash of relief and a much stronger sense of worry as she recognized the Slytherin robes.

            Sebastian had his back to her and was dueling fiercely. All their time in Crossed Wands had certainly paid off. While he had been a skilled duelist at the beginning of the year as it was, he seemed more balanced than before. He certainly remembered to use his shield spell more often, at least.

            Rhea slunk down the hallway towards the duel, breaking into a sudden run as the Ashwinder managed to land a Levioso on her friend, leaving him helpless and dangling in the air. She leapt out from behind Sebastian and placed herself between him and his attacker, reaching out with her wand and her free hand towards a rather large barrel of firewhisky as the Ashwinder began to cast Incendio at his prey. Lucky for her, the Ashwinder hadn’t seen her coming, nor did he know to expect her strange magic.

            She yanked the barrel towards herself before slinging it directly at the Ashwinder, who had just managed to finish casting his spell. Rhea’s eyes went wide as the barrel ignited in a sudden and violent explosion. The Ashwinder got the worst of it. He was blasted backwards, small bits of the barrel slashing at him while the flames clung to him as if the spell had been deflected.

            But the flames didn’t stop there. It burst out in a massive sphere, preparing to completely flush out the room. Rhea didn’t even have time to think about throwing up Protego, let alone a chance to cast it. She was too close to the explosion and the flames were already bright enough to momentarily blind her as the searing heat began to wash over her. But whether it was luck or fate, it turned out that she didn’t need to worry.

            Sebastian landed just behind her as the levitation spell lost its power. He lunged forward, grabbing her with one arm around the waist and pulling her back with him as he threw up a protective dome over them both. The searing flames and shrapnel from nearby items skittered around the shield, scattering through the rest of the room.

            For a few moments they were completely surrounded by the wicked fire, but it felt like hours. She clutched his arm where it remained holding her close to him, as if it were a lifeline. Her thoughts were trampling over one another now that the immediate danger of immolation was over, fighting endlessly to the forefront of her mind. She was in shock. She had to be. She’d been reckless. She’d almost gotten herself—she’d almost gotten Bast—

            He was holding her tightly, her back against his chest. His heart was racing, and his breathing was heavy as he put all of his energy into maintaining the shield. They typically dropped shields with relative speed so they could gain ground in duels. It hadn’t ever been a matter of stamina before, but he was performing admirably—at least, he thought so. Vaguely. He wasn’t exactly forming too many coherent thoughts at the moment. All he knew was that he needed to keep this shield up, he needed to protect himself, and he needed to protect her.

            From behind them, three bursts of cold magic flashed into the room negating the worst of the flames. Sebastian didn’t let go of his shield, turning sharply to face the direction the spells had come from, brandishing his wand defensively at the two figures rushing into the room. When he saw that one of the newcomers was Natty he let out a sigh of relief and dropped the shield, panting heavily as he loosened his grip on Rhea, who was unconcerned about the Gryffindor charging into the room. Rhea was making sure that Ashwinder wasn’t going to get back up.

            But she shouldn’t have worried. The man was down for the count. She didn’t check further than a precursory glance, but she kicked his wand out of his rather limp hand so he couldn’t surprise them again. She turned back and hurried to support Sebastian, who had taken a knee in the middle of the room. She couldn’t imagine the amount of effort he’d had to put into that shield spell to maintain it as long as he had against such a powerful explosion.

            Mr. Rabe was doing a sweep of the room, checking in all directions to make sure they weren’t about to be ambushed while Sebastian recovered. Natty was covering the direction they had just come from in much the same way as the curse-breaker. Rhea quickly pulled out a Wiggenweld potion and pushed it into Sebastian’s shaking hands, gently urging him to drink.

            “That was brilliant Sebastian!” Natty said quietly when Mr. Rabe gave the students the all clear to follow him towards the larger battle in the other room. There wasn’t as much fighting noise now as there had been when the rescue team had first appeared. Rhea could only hope that that was a good thing.

            “Bloody hell,” Sebastian muttered as he straightened and hurried along with his friends. “Remind me to start drilling that sort of thing more often…”

            “What even caused that explosion?” Natty asked. “We could feel the heat the second we stepped out into the hallway—we didn’t expect to find anyone in there until we saw the flashes of debris hitting your shield spell.”

            “Err—I deflected an Ashwinder’s Bombarda back at him, but it went wide—hit a barrel of firewhisky,” Sebastian said quickly, his hand accidentally knocking against Rhea’s as they hurried after the curse-breaker.

            She barely resisted the urge to grab it for comfort, but she shot him a grateful glance for keeping her ancient magic a secret. Meanwhile she was distracted, trying to keep a wave of tears from spilling over. Now that they were on the move again, her fear had settled in, and her body didn’t know how to react to it. Crying, apparently, was the default. She certainly hoped it wasn’t going to become a habit.

Chapter Text

            By the time they reached the main room, Officer Singer and Professor Onai were collecting the wands of the wizards they had dispatched. Whether they were dead or unconscious, Rhea didn’t know, but she preferred it that way. Better to assume they were on their way to spending the rest of their lives in Azkaban for their cruelty than to assume the two witches who had saved them were murderers, though there was a definite argument to be made for self-defense.

            When Professor Onai spotted the group, she instantly dropped her task and ran over to them, pulling her daughter into a tight embrace. She didn’t try to hide her tears as she repeated words of relief and love into her child’s ear. Natty returned the hug, clinging tightly to her mother.

            Rhea and Sebastian averted their gaze, opting to give the small family a moment of uninterrupted privacy for their reunion. Mr. Rabe had moved to speak hastily with Officer Singer, but they were too far away to hear what was being said. However Mr. Rabe was gesturing a lot and pointed towards the idle students a few times. And then he was rushing off, no doubt to go and find his wife to let her know that he was safe and free.

            The Auror took a moment to digest the information before waving her hand at Rhea and Sebastian, urging them to approach. They did so side by side, sparing a brief glance for Natty and Professor Onai who were speaking softly now, undoubtedly about something not meant for prying ears.

            “Miss Pennywhistle, Mr. Sallow—I am having a difficult time deciding how to handle the two of you just now,” Singer admitted with a reluctant smile. “While I cannot encourage either of you to seek such initiative while you are students again— I cannot deny that you each played an important role in taking down this hideout. I do have a few questions for you both, however. I’ll need your input to complete my report on this incident.”

            “We’re happy to answer any questions,” Rhea said quickly. “And I am sorry that I keep disobeying your orders, Officer Singer.”

            “Keep your apology,” the woman said dismissively, though not unkindly. “How did you know where to go? I’m afraid Mr. Sallow here wasn’t very clear about it when he found me.”

            “Well, we were on our way to find Professor Weasley, like you asked us to, but I wanted to pass by the Hog’s Head on the way,” Rhea explained. “Natty had mentioned eavesdropping around there a few times, so I thought that maybe if she was hiding anywhere, it would be around there. But when we got there, we didn’t go in. Sebastian pulled me to the side so we could talk a little bit about what was going on. That’s when I noticed Natty’s wand on the ground.”

            “She can perform magic without a wand, so I was pretty certain that she could still defend herself at least a little bit,” Rhea continued. “And so that made me think that the wand might have been left intentionally. If the Ashwinders had taken it from her, it wouldn’t have been there—so they must not have known she’d dropped it. Then while Sebastian was searching for you, I overheard one of the men—” she paused and glanced at a few of the faces of the Ashwinders around the room before pointing to one “—that one, was talking about how students who stick their noses in business that doesn’t concern them get what’s coming to them.”

            “Then I followed him to the cellar—I waited for a while though, I made certain no one noticed me,” Rhea concluded.

            “And you were able to communicate with Mr. Sallow how?” the woman asked, glancing between the two of them.

            They shared a brief glance before Sebastian replied, “It’s just a simple charm on the paper. We’re still working out the kinks. Short sentences across short distances. Little faster than an owl. Usually only last a few hours before it wears off.”

            Officer Singer nodded slowly, though she gave them a hard look that almost made Rhea feel as though she didn’t believe them. She kept her face neutral, nodding along with what Sebastian told the woman. She had a feeling that the Bis Scribe they’d created wouldn’t exactly be allowed in school if any of their professors were to find out about it.

            “And what happened once you arrived down here?” Officer Singer asked. “I got a small amount of information from Mr. Rabe, and I’ll be following up with him tomorrow.”

            “I was getting cornered by Ashwinders—they didn’t see me, but I saw them coming—and I hid inside the stacks of boxes and furniture,” Rhea told her. “That’s when I sent the message about the room. Then when you all came in, I snuck upstairs and found Natty and Mr. Rabe. I found Mr. Rabe’s wand and he broke out of his cell before freeing Natty. While he did that, I returned to the balcony over there where Sebastian was dueling with a stray Ashwinder. He deflected an explosive spell and it hit a firewhisky barrel, but he managed to shield us both from the blast. That’s when Natty and Mr. Rabe arrived and put out the fire. Then we immediately came here.”

            “And what was it you were doing in Hogsmeade today?” Officer Singer asked. “I know you’ve been snooping about, bothering people who you shouldn’t be speaking to about such serious matters. But I also suspect that, perhaps, you learned something useful.”

            “Yes, Officer,” Rhea nodded, pulling her notebook out of her bag and presenting it to the woman quickly. “I went and spoke to Otto Dibble, Agabus Philbert, and Daisy Rabe. They each were the victims of blackmail by Theophilus Harlow. It’s all there in my notes. And I’m willing to be that since Mr. Rabe was being held here, there’s a chance that the other collateral items taken from Mr. Dibble and Mr. Philbert may be here as well.”

            The woman took the notebook and nodded quietly as she quickly looked over the notes. She gave a satisfied hum and looked back up at the students critically for a moment before saying, “Don’t do this again. But just this once, thank you. I’ll leave your fate to Professor Onai.”

            The Professor looked over and straightened, her hands folded carefully in front of her as she turned her attention to the other students. Officer Singer gestured for Natty to follow her, and the pair went on a little walk around the room, no doubt discussing her kidnapping for the Auror’s official report.

            Professor Onai gestured to a nearby set of chairs that seemed to be mostly unscathed by the damage of the battle. The trio sat in silence for several minutes before the Seer decided to speak. She looked up at them, the emotion from her reunion with her daughter still lingering slightly in her dark eyes.

            “I still have much to discuss with my daughter,” she began, “But I want to start by saying thank you. It takes incredible fortitude to put oneself in danger for one’s friends. I am honored that you value my Natsai so highly that you would come after her. As your professor, I cannot encourage you to continue with that sort of behaviour, but as a mother, I will be eternally grateful for what you have done for my family.”

            “If it were up to me, I would be giving you each an award for extraordinary services to the school for your actions today,” Professor Onai continued. “But the least I can do is avoid giving you detention for disobeying your superiors and putting yourself in harm’s way. I am trusting that by giving you a bit of leeway here, you will be more willing to act with caution instead of impulsivity in the future.”

            “You’re really not going to punish us?” Sebastian asked, sounding shocked. “I reckoned this would be worth two full weeks at the least…”

            “I am certain that some professors would be inclined to require you stay over your spring holiday,” Professor Onai nodded. “But I do not think that it would be appropriate to punish you for doing good. And this, though the execution certainly left something to be desired, was a very good deed. But if you are unsatisfied with my decision, I can certainly find some sort of punishment for you, Mr. Sallow.”

            “No, no, you’ll find no complaints from me,” Sebastian protested quickly.

            The woman smiled wryly and said, “I thought that would be the case. Given your detention record, it doesn’t seem as if that form of punishment particularly works to discourage you anyway. I hope you will not squander the trust I am putting in you.”

            “I’ll keep him in line, Professor,” Rhea said with a hesitant grin.

            “You are fixing to be just as much of a hellion as he is!” Professor Onai said with a grim expression. “The things I’ve Seen…” She stared at Rhea with a look that seemed to be almost pitying for a long moment. Whatever the Seer had witnessed in her visions clearly was not good, and it set a knot of worry deep in Rhea’s stomach. There was a fair amount of confusion in the woman’s eyes, so Rhea reckoned that perhaps her visions weren’t as intense as the professor would like. It was a small comfort though, knowing that perhaps the woman’s vision wasn’t complete—if she’d really seen anything at all. At the very least she didn’t seem to know about ancient magic, though that was something Rhea would need to address with Professor Fig very soon, just in case.

            The woman shook herself from her reverie and offered the pair a kind smile, along with an apologetic smile. “Forgive me—sometimes the Sight can be a heavy burden. It can overwhelm in unpredictable ways. Please forget what I’ve just said about the things I’ve Seen. It is a fool who places faith entirely in visions instead of reality. Once Officer Singer is done speaking with Natsai, I will escort you all back to the castle. And none of us will breathe a word of what has transpired today to anyone. This matter is best resolved with silence, I fear. I do not believe that our illustrious headmaster will be as lenient as I have been with you today.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The way back to Hogwarts was quieter than expected. Professor Onai led them quickly back to the castle, and the students had agreed to not discuss the day’s events—even with one another—so there wasn’t a natural conversation to be had. It didn’t exactly feel appropriate to discuss the week’s Herbology homework or how silly it would look if someone enchanted a training dummy to imitate Professor Ronen all day after they had all come close to certain death just a short while before.

            When they reached the Bell Tower, Professor Onai had put an arm around her daughter and steered her towards the Divination Tower, leaving Rhea and Sebastian to their own devices. The pair stood for a few moments in silence uncertain of what to do or say until Sebastian cleared his throat and stuffed his hands into his pockets and said as lightly as he could, “So… Undercroft?”

            “Yes, please,” Rhea said with a sigh of relief. “I understand the need for secrecy, but good grief it’s a tough ask, that.”

            Sebastian chuckled and began leading the way to the Hall of Herodiana. They fell into a more comfortable silence than the one that brought them to the castle. It was hard for them to be awkward around one another, it seemed. They put one another at ease in a peculiar, but not unwelcome way.

            Once the grate slid closed behind them, sealing them in the Undercroft, Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief. They made their way to their usual spots, both extremely grateful that Ominis wasn’t there at the moment.

            “I can’t believe that you went in there without me,” Sebastian told her. She laughed and was glad for his casual nature. Despite their strange congeniality in the face of danger, there was an unspoken tension that they had needed to ignore. The walk to the Undercroft had naturally caused it to grow, and the joking tone he had taken broke that tension in a positive way.

            “I knew that if I didn’t go, there was no way Officer Singer would have accepted our help,” she told him. “I was surprised that she let you go alone.”

            “She couldn’t exactly leave me behind with all the information you kept sending,” he shrugged. “Which was good thinking on your part—now we just have to hope that she doesn’t mention our little secret to anyone.”

            “Considering we technically weren’t even there—according to Professor Onai, at least—we hopefully shouldn’t have to worry,” Rhea said. “Good thinking, underselling its quality though. She probably won’t care about it as much. If she knew it could communicate over the true distance it can, then we would have a bit more of a problem.”

            “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Sebastian said with a slight nod as he pulled out two packs of Cauldron Cakes from one of the many sweets hiding places they’d created and tossed her one. “I have to say, I’m actually really impressed with that throw move you did—it seemed like it had more of a punch behind it than when we first fought that troll last year. I suppose all those practices with Professor Fig are really starting to pay off…”

            Rhea felt a flash of fear well up suddenly in her mind and she reached out to grab his hand almost instinctively, moving to sit on the floor with him. He looked up at her in surprise but didn’t pull his hand away. There was concern in his expression, but he wasn’t going to push her, which she appreciated as she was struggling to find the right words.

            “Bast I’m—I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t think… I should have grabbed something else—I can’t thank you enough for what you did. Without you I’d be—”

            “Hey, no, no, no, don’t even finish that sentence,” Sebastian said quickly, sitting up a bit straighter and putting his other hand over hers comfortingly. “Look, if you hadn’t shown up, that Ashwinder would have gotten me with something worse than Levioso. And yeah, maybe chucking a barrel of firewhisky at someone using fire spells wasn’t a very Ravenclaw move—but we made it out.”

            “But—”

            “Hey, I said none of that, remember?” he insisted gently. “All that today proved was that you have my back, and I have yours. Even if means certain death.”

            After a moment Rhea nodded. It was exactly what she’d thought as well. She could count on Sebastian even when things got difficult or dangerous. It was reassuring to know he’d be willing to fight at her side; if Ranrok’s rebellion or Rookwood’s influence got any stronger, they might not even have a choice but to fight.

            “You’re right,” Rhea agreed. “But I’m still sorry—and incredibly grateful. Is it bad that I didn’t even know that Protego could be used to shield other people?”

            “I mean, I can’t say I’ve ever really tried it that way,” Sebastian admitted. “I just… acted.”

            “Well, I’m really glad it worked,” Rhea said. “I’d have been toast otherwise. A fact we will not be sharing with Ominis until the summer, if we can help it.”

            “Oh, I absolutely agree. I think he’d have a lot to say about that if we told him…” Sebastian said. It sounded like there was more on his mind than fighting Ashwinders, but Rhea didn’t want to push it. Ominis and Sebastian seemed to have their own language at times, communicating with mere smirks and grunts. She never had a clue what was going on when they started elbowing each other mid conversation.

            “Honestly, I’m less worried about him and more worried about what Professor Black would do if he found out about it,” Rhea grimaced. “Scribner already threatened you once with him, and now Onai’s practically done it—hate to think it might be third time’s the charm for you.”

            “Yeah, expulsion isn’t exactly on my to-do list for the rest of the year,” Sebastian joked. “Next year, just maybe. Depends on how abysmally I do on my O.W.L.s.”

            “Have you thought about what you’re going to talk to Professor Ronen about for your careers meeting next month?” Rhea asked. Prior to taking their O.W.L.s students were required to discuss their futures with their heads of houses. Professor Hecat had already scheduled her entire dorm’s consultations and each week brought another horrified student back to the common room to sit in stunned silence under the covers of their bunk. Amit didn’t speak for two weeks after his meeting with the aged witch. Needless to say, Rhea was dreading hers.

            “Merlin, no,” Sebastian said, shaking his head. “I really haven’t thought about much beyond Hogwarts, to be completely honest. And even if I had, I’m not sure there’s anything I’d be particularly good at that doesn’t include the main subjects, so there isn’t really a reason to study extra hard to get a certain class schedule.”

            “Well, that might not be true,” Rhea said with a shrug. “You can always change your path next year, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least have a few talking points—Ronen loves talking, as I’m sure you well know.”

            “Like what?” he asked, rolling his eyes as she moved back to sit in her chair, her hand slipping from his. He started fiddling with his previously abandoned package of cauldron cakes. “What illustrious job can you see me doing once we’re out of school?”

            “Well, you seemed really in your element in the Ashwinder den today—maybe you could become an Auror like Officer Singer?” she suggested.

            “Or an Auror like Uncle Solomon?” Sebastian asked incredulously, shaking his head slightly. “Not a chance.”

            “Okay, well, what about a Healer?” Rhea suggested. “You’re so keen to heal Anne, maybe actually studying medicine and healing magic could help?”

            “I guess that’s not such a bad suggestion…” Sebastian mused. “But considering the people at St. Mungo’s couldn’t help Anne, I’m not certain I’m going to learn enough from them to heal Anne.”

            “Well—maybe you could be a curse-breaker then?” Rhea suggested. “That’s one on my list, for sure.”

            “Not really interested in working for a bank,” Sebastian said with a small frown. “Why do you?”

            “Well, I mean, surely not all the curse-breakers in the world work for places like Gringotts,” she shrugged. “There’s got to be freelance curse-breakers out in the world. And well, for me it’s two parts. There’s probably a lot more traces of ancient magic out there in the world—more ways that I can learn about my abilities. And frankly, I was also thinking about Anne. If we can break curses on objects or places, it stands to reason that we should be able to break curses on people as well.”

            “That’s… very well thought out,” he said, the frown persisting. “I probably should have expected you to have so many suggestions…”

            “We should try and speak to Mr. Rabe about his work for Gringotts,” Rhea said. “And if it doesn’t sound interesting to you, maybe you could speak with Professor Hecat about other work at the Ministry—the Unspeakables, or whatever they’re called. Maybe they work with magics that might help Anne in the future.”

            “That could be a good lead,” Sebastian mused. “But I don’t know if she’ll really be able to help at all—she can’t exactly speak about the work…”

            “She can speak about some things,” Rhea told him adamantly. “She told me once about an injury that she received from time.”

            “What, like… actual time?” he asked, an intrigued expression dawning on his face. “Time itself?”

            “Maybe so,” Rhea said. “She can’t get specific. But it’s why she seems so old—yet she and Professor Black were in the same class at Hogwarts. In any case, that’s at least something to offer to Professor Ronen when he calls you in for a meeting. All you need is just one thing to reassure him you aren’t completely clueless about it. And I’m sure he’ll have some suggestions for you of his own that might be useful to hear.”

            “I suppose you’re right,” he nodded. “And I expect Ominis will start asking me about it too, so it’ll be good to have an idea on hand for that inevitability—you two are actually quite alike, now I think about it. You both like reminding me of my responsibilities when I’d much rather be slacking off.”

            “I’ve never known you to slack off in all the time I’ve known you,” Rhea snickered, flicking a piece of her cauldron cake at him teasingly. “You’ve almost always got your nose in a book. I reckon in another life, you’d have made a fine Ravenclaw.”

            “Yeah, well I think you were actually meant to be a Slytherin,” he told her for what seemed like the hundredth time. “You’re too ambitious for your own good sometimes, you know.”

            “Says the one who committed to reading every single book in the Restricted Section by himself,” Rhea scoffed. “I don’t think they come more ambitious than you.”

            “I’m going to choose to take that as a compliment,” he said. “I’m flattered you think so highly of me. And well, you can’t say it isn’t deserved at this point—I did sort of save your life after all.”

Chapter Text

            “And you’re absolutely certain that your uncle won’t mind me coming to visit Anne later in the week?” Rhea asked as Sebastian and Ominis began levitating their luggage onto one of the carriages set to take students to Hogsmeade and Hogsmeade Station for the Easter Holidays.

            “Yes, he’s thrilled you’re coming to visit again,” Sebastian said reassuringly, though not entirely convincingly. Or rather, perhaps it was the guffaw that Ominis let out, his luggage clattering to the ground when his concentration broke. Sebastian pushed him half-heartedly before giving Rhea a small shrug and a wry grin, “Well, as thrilled as Uncle Solomon ever gets. Whatever the case, he’s going to be happy that Anne is happy. She’s had a relatively easy time since the Winter break pain wise, but it’s been picking up and her spirits have been dropping. So really, it would be cruel of you to not come for a visit, if you ask me.”

            “It’ll be nice to have at least one more voice of reason around to keep the twins in line,” Ominis said. “They always get rowdier in the spring because its getting warmer and sunnier. More time to cause mischief.”

            “I resent that,” Sebastian said, “I very much enjoy causing mischief at all times of the year.”

            “Yes, well, we can’t go getting in trouble or your uncle might not want to invite me back ever again,” Rhea said pointedly. “I rather like Feldcroft and it would be a shame to never see it again. Not to mention Anne.”

            “Well, in any case, it’ll be the same deal as last time,” Sebastian told her as he helped Ominis secure his luggage on the carriage. “When it’s time you go and find Sirona, then she’ll send you to the inn in Feldcroft. I’ll be there waiting for you. We all will.”

            “Well, maybe not Anne,” Ominis conceded. “We’ll have to see how tight Solomon’s leash is this time.”

            “I reckon he’ll let us wander down to the sea if we can borrow one of Mr. Green’s brooms for Anne to use,” Sebastian said optimistically. “It’ll be too cold to swim, but there’s at least some interesting stuff to find out there.”

            “That would be delightful!” Rhea grinned. It had been a very long time since she’d been to the seaside. It would be nice and refreshing—and of course, if muggle doctors were to be believed, it would be extremely beneficial for Anne to spend time down there.

            “So what are you doing here at the castle while we’re away?” Ominis asked. “I can’t imagine there’ll be much to do with your partner in crime gone.”

            “No plan, really,” Rhea said. “I think Professor Fig has a few assignments he needs me to do. I’m trying to get into Magical Theory next year, and there’s some gaps in my extra assignments from our other professors that don’t really cover what I’d need to qualify for his class.”

            “You’re using your break to do more school work?” Ominis asked, sounding aghast. “I’m sorry, that just sounds like far too much. Are you sure you don’t want to come early and stay at the inn? I’m more than happy to cover the bill for you—you need to take a break Rhea.”

            “Ominis that’s an incredibly generous offer, but I’m afraid I can’t accept,” she said. “By the time I got an owl off to my mum asking permission, it would be time for me to go and visit anyways. Maybe next year when I’m all caught up I’ll be able to commit to more time in Feldcroft.”

            “Well, if you change your mind, just let us know and I’ll arrange it myself,” Ominis said, patting her on the shoulder kindly before hauling himself into the carriage.

            “Well, I guess that’s my cue then as well,” Sebastian nodded when the Slytherin boy had disappeared. “I’ll see you in a few days. You be safe, you hear me? I don’t fancy my odds against Professor Fig, and I feel like I’d be obligated to fight him if he lets anything bad happen to you.”

            “I’m going to be fine,” Rhea said reassuringly. “Fig has spent months researching this tower—I think we know everything there could possibly be to know about it, short of how long it’ll be standing once I’m done there. Besides—Rackham seems much more confident in my abilities. It won’t be an easy trial, but I think I’m more than ready for it this time.”

            “You are,” he agreed with a firm nod. “I’m sure of it. Just—let us know you’re alright every now and then. You know how Ominis worries about you.” He gave her a sly grin and lightly dodged the swipe she took at his arm before backing towards the carriage and turning to climb aboard.

            “Wait! Sallow!” a loud voice rang across the courtyard as Natty came rushing down the stairs, skirts bunched up in her hand to avoid tripping over them. “You’re going back home now, are you not?” She came to a stop in front of the pair, breathing heavily.

            “I was trying to,” Sebastian said, standing on the low step of the carriage, halfway hanging out of the door as he hesitated. “Reluctant to see me go, Onai?”

            “Only if you left without this,” Natty said, brandishing a thick envelope towards the boy. He frowned slightly and deftly lifted it from her proffered hand, turning it over and moving to open it. Natty tried to snatch it back suddenly and he held it out of her reach, quirking an eyebrow curiously. “It is not for you, Sallow. It is for Anne. I was hoping you would give it to her.”

            Ominis stuck his head out of the carriage, peeking out from below Sebastian’s arm, “Are you sure it’s a good idea giving it to him Natsai? I could carry it for you if you’d prefer.”

            “As long as neither of you read it, I do not care,” Natty said. “As I said, it is for Anne, and Anne alone.”

            “Since when have you two been so chummy?” Sebastian asked, passing the letter over to Ominis who disappeared again to stow it properly.

            “We’ve been exchanging letters since the Yule Ball,” Natty admitted briefly. “I believe we are becoming… well, good friends.”

            “Well if that’s the case then perhaps there’s hope for the two of us yet, Natty. If you get alone with Anne, you’re automatically a friend in my eyes,” Sebastian said. “Besides, things’ll be easier if we don’t have to fight over Rhea’s attention all the time.”

            “Only one of us is fighting, Sallow,” Natty teased, linking her arm with Rhea’s. She began dragging the Ravenclaw back towards the castle with a smirk on her face. She called over her shoulder, “Give our best to the superior Sallow sibling!”

            “Talking to myself would just be silly Onai!” he called, giving the girls a wave before he turned and settled into the carriage across from Ominis. The door magically shut behind him and began trundling along the cobbled roads to Hogsmeade. Sebastian watched the castle grow smaller in the distance as he always did, but he found it hard to deny that he felt more dreary watching his friends disappear from sight.

            “Do you really think it’s a good idea leaving them with that letter?” Rhea asked. “Last time you did that, they nearly opened it. And when I opened it they were both hovering around like little green vultures.”

            “I figured it would be relatively safe. It is a short ride to Hogsmeade, and since they’ll be flooing to Feldcroft, that letter will be with Anne in no time,” Natty shrugged.

            “I suppose you’re right,” Rhea mused. “And Ominis has it now—he’s about forty percent of Sebastian’s impulse control on a good day. I reckon it’ll be safe enough.”

            “Excellent,” Natty nodded. “I must admit, I’m glad that I ran into you today. We haven’t really had a chance to talk properly since our run in with the Ashwinders. My mother has seen to that…”

            “Yes, she definitely made herself clear that we weren’t supposed to talk to anyone about what happened,” Rhea said quietly as Natty led her around the gardens. Rhea hadn’t actually done much exploring of the castle grounds before—she’d gone in search of the Hidden Herbology Corridor a few weeks prior, but she’d been on a mission to help Duncan then. It certainly hadn’t been a pleasant stroll with a friend.

            “I take it that you and Sebastian have spoken about it,” Natty said. It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t accusatory. It was a simple statement of what she believed to be fact—in this case, of course, she was correct. Rhea gave her a brief nod of confirmation and the girl returned the gesture. “My mother and I have spoken about it a lot. As time goes on, I can tell she is still very angry with me for continuing to pursue Harlow and his followers. But I think this incident scared her into trying a new tactic to discourage me.”

            “She took a similar approach with the two of us,” Rhea admitted. “No detentions, no report to Professor Black—just trust that we wouldn’t do it again, and that we’d keep our heads down and not get involved anymore. To be completely honest, I still can’t believe we escaped the Ashwinders. That was quite possibly one of the scariest days of my life—and I was the subject of a dragon attack and a troll attack back-to-back.”

            “It was terrifying,” Natty admitted. “I have rarely felt as helpless as I did when I was trapped in that cell—no magic I knew could dispel that enchantment… I have to admit, while I am glad to have been able to speak with my mother about what happened, I am glad that I did not tell her everything. If she knew any more about what I’ve gotten myself into, she would never let me out of her sight again.”

            “She’s only concerned for you,” Rhea said gently. “You know, I do believe that you should heed her warnings about that vision she had—the one about the gazelle. She mentioned something about Seeing something concerning me, but she wouldn’t give me any more information about it. But I could tell that whatever it was, it was upsetting her. I can only imagine how frightened she is for you.”

            “Well, she needn’t worry—I’m not eager to transform for a little while,” Natty said. “There’s been even more reports of poachers in the glens nearby. I have no intention of being captured again.”

            “I’m sorry about that,” Rhea said. “I know how much you love it… But I have to ask—has Officer Singer done anything with the evidence we provided?”

            “She has not,” Natty said bitterly. “She returned the items you told her about to the victims, but Harlow is as strong as ever. I’m certain that unless Officer Singer takes action soon, they will be targeted again—with less mercy than before, I fear. Someone needs to stop Harlow—and I’m beginning to think that it will not be Officer Singer. I had been hoping she would bend the rules a little bit once she saw how serious things were in that Ashwinder den. But it seems she’s as staunch as ever about doing things by the book.”

            “If someone had stopped the monsters like him in Matabeleland, my father would be alive today,” Natty said after taking a moment to calm the growing anger in her voice.

            Rhea paused but asked, “What exactly happened to your father?”

            “It was a beautiful day. My mother had gone to tend to a neighbor who was ill, so my father and I were galloping in the savanna,” Natty began softly. “My father was an Animagus as well— he could become the most majestic giraffe—and he would carry me on his back, my arms around his neck. We were on our way home when we surprised a group of bandits who had come from our village. One of them saw me just as he removed a scarf from his face. He shouted and then aimed his rifle.”

            “He was afraid you’d be able to identify him,” Rhea said, horror at the story sinking in.

            “Exactly,” Natty nodded bitterly. “In an instant, my father bowed his neck to protect me and was hit. As he fell, my father changed back into his human form. When the bandits saw this, they turned and ran in fear. Magic terrified them.”

            “But it was too late…” Rhea said softly, squeezing her friend’s arm a little tighter.

            Natty nodded, “He was gone, and it was all my fault.”

            “Natty no,” Rhea almost chastised. “You were a child—how could it be your fault?”

            “But that’s my point exactly, Rhea,” Natty explained. “He died protecting me—if I had been capable of protecting myself, he would still be alive today. My mother and I tried to go on without him, but it became too much for us there. A few years later, we left to come to Scotland.”

            “Do you think taking down the Ashwinders will avenge your father’s death?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “No… Vengeance is not what drives me. My father would not want that…” Natty said, shaking her head slightly. “He—and my mother—raised me to believe that it is a privilege to be able to fight for those who cannot. I understand that there is risk involved, but I feel it is worth it. I am glad you seem to think so, too, in your own way at least.”

            “So what do you think your mother makes of all this?” Rhea asked. “Now that you’ve been a bit more open about it with her?”

            “Well, as you saw, she worries a great deal. She is an excellent seer, but I think it bothers her to this day that she did not see my father’s death coming,” Natty explained. “She misses him, as do I. So I believe on some level she understands my need to seek justice in a small way—but I suppose she doesn’t view my actions as being small by any means. And she certainly doesn’t like it…”

            “Do you think your father would approve of the things we’ve been doing?” Rhea asked.

            “In theory, yes,” Natty said thoughtfully. “Although he would certainly worry, as my mother does. But I think he, of all people, would understand my persistence. My father never shied away from a fight for good, no matter how ruthless the foe. And I think he would have enjoyed knowing that I had a compatriot like you.”

            “Well, your father sounds exceptional,” Rhea said. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.”

            “He was,” she nodded solemnly as they turned and made their way towards the castle again, leaving the gardens behind. “But we all have our burdens. My father had a saying about that actually—”

            “Rain does not fall on one roof alone,” Rhea repeated. “I remember.”

            “Some days are more difficult than others,” Natty admitted quietly as they continued towards the castle. “There are times when my father’s absence drifts to the back of my mind and I feel peace for a day or two. But this is not one of those times. I miss him. I miss running with him. I miss Matabeleland.”

            Rhea could hear the wavering growing stronger in Natty’s voice as she began to cry, leaning on the Ravenclaw for support, which she freely gave. It was rare that Natty allowed this side of her to shine through. She had always been stalwart in her resolve and awash with confidence and bravery. But moments like these showed the frightened, heartbroken girl inside.

            “He should still be here, and I know you disagree but it’s my fault that he isn’t,” Natty continued, wiping her dripping nose on the sleeve of her robe.

            “You’re right, I don’t agree,” Rhea told her gently. “It’s not your fault, Natty. There’s nothing you could have done to prevent it.”

            “That is what my mother says as well,” Natty nodded bitterly. “But he died protecting me, and I cannot help but feel guilty over that. I find myself reliving the moment more often than I would like. I felt so helpless, watching him die… I believe I would feel less helpless now if I could truly put an end to Harlow and the rest of Rookwood’s miserable lot.”

            “Each day they remain free, they do more damage, leaving people like Archie Bickle to suffer the consequences,” Natty finished. “We’re going to do this, Rhea. We need to take down Harlow.”

            Rhea didn’t respond immediately. She hadn’t expected that their conversation would reach this point so soon. But she had to admit, as much as she didn’t want to find herself facing down more Ashwinders anytime soon, she had only survived because of Sebastian’s quick thinking. If Natty went in alone, she wouldn’t come out the other end without some supreme luck. Harlow wasn’t shy about using Unforgivable Curses, and he wouldn’t hesitate if Natty got in his way, Rhea was certain of it. She had to stick it out with her friend, for both of their sakes.

            “Natty, you are absolutely right.”

Chapter Text

            Eleazar Fig paced back and forth outside of the Hogwarts gates in the pitch black of night anxiously. It was time. He hadn’t been able to delay it any longer, and Percival Rackham had been certain that the time was right. Rhea needed to proceed with her trials at long last. And, truth be told, Fig had completed his research shortly after his pupil had brought him to the Map Chamber. Despite his personal reservations, he was utterly fascinated.

            A short time later, the young Ravenclaw appeared, wrapped up in a rather large scarf. Despite it nearly being April, Scotland was still frigid at night. She gave Fig a somewhat nervous grin when she spotted him and waited expectantly for him to explain the plan.

            “Good, you’re here,” he said with a firm nod. “I’ve gone ahead to confirm the location, but I’m afraid I must warn you—we won’t be alone there. Ranrok’s loyalists seem to have settled near the tower. Around a dozen I could spot, but there could be many more. We’re going to have to be very, very careful.”

            “I can be quite sneaky when I have to be,” she told him reassuringly. “And I’m certain that Petrificus Totalus is going to come in handy if we do get into a pickle. Thank you for teaching me that one, by the way.”

            “Well, I suspect you may be right. It’ll be good for maintaining secrecy and avoiding unnecessary duels,” Fig nodded. “Remember, all we need to do it get you to the trial unscathed.”

            “I mean, I suppose it’s almost reassuring that there are goblins there—it means we’re on the right track and Ranrok isn’t gaining as much ground as we feared,” Rhea said.

            “Yes, well, let’s hope that’s the case,” Fig grimaced. “Now, we’re going to apparate there. Because you do not know how, you will need to hold on tightly to my arm and keep your focus on me. It’s my job to get us there, but I can’t afford to lose you—or a stray limb along the way.”

            “That can happen?” Rhea asked, her eyes going wide. She didn’t know much about Apparation, just that it was something she might be able to learn in her seventh year—if she made it that far without dying to some random trial or dark wizard. So far, the odds had been in her favor, but two more years of school was a long time for that to change in.

            “Yes, but never you mind,” Fig said, shaking his head. “Splinching is typically easily fixed with some murtlap essence or Wiggenweld, as long as it isn’t a full laceration. And to my credit, I’ve never splinched myself, so you truly have nothing to worry about.”

            Rhea made a face but took Professor Fig’s proffered arm. She almost wished she hadn’t asked about it at all. She should have just ignored his throwaway comment about limbs and followed him without question—at least until it was over. She didn’t have much time to consider it though, as the aged professor turned on the spot and it suddenly felt as though the world twisted into a knot and was stretched impossibly thin before snapping back into place in an instant.

            Rhea stumbled slightly and the professor staggered in turn from the vicelike grip she had on his arm. She released his arm and carefully checked herself for any injury, stretching from side to side and rubbing her arms and legs gently. Satisfied that nothing was amiss and the Apparation had gone smoothly, Rhea turned to Fig and gave him a shaky grin.

            The Professor had been watching her appraisingly but nodded, clearly satisfied by her reaction. He seemed to be unfazed by the strange teleportation magic, but Rhea supposed he was used to it. These things were still quite unusual to her. She turned to look around their new location and was met with a disappointing sight.

            She pointed into the near distance and asked, “Why couldn’t we just apparate into the tower?”

            “We could,” Fig told her, “But we’ve no idea what’s in the tower. More importantly, however, I would like to know why they’re here. They’ve set up camp just ahead. I suggest we investigate a little before doing anything else. Let’s go.”

            He immediately set off towards the tower, pausing behind some rubble for her to catch up. Once she’d rejoined him, he took out his wand and tapped the side of his nose with a finger before casting Disillusionment on himself. Rhea nodded and quickly followed suit as the professor began leading the way up to the encampment.

            Fig was right—there were so many goblins camped there. Rhea paused slightly at the gate to the ruined estate, concerned about how to proceed. Professor Fig had done too good a job concealing himself—she couldn’t see where he’d gone for the life of her. The only indication she got as to where the professor had gotten to was when there was a slight grunt before a goblin collapsed nearby. Following his initiative, Rhea slunk into the camp and began petrifying goblins as she went, hoping that the spell would last long enough that she and Fig could do a little snooping without being snuck up on.

            Rhea slipped past two petrified guards into a sturdy tent and quickly did a once over of the large table on the far side. She found a letter and her mouth went dry as she read it, fear coursing through her.

            Search the tower and the surrounding area. Look for anything to do with the names. What you find here could be the key to goblinkind finally taking its rightful place in the world. Ranrok

            Rhea stuffed the letter into her pocket to hand over to Professor Fig then hurried back across the compound towards the base of the tower where her professor was waiting, seeming to be empty-handed. She dropped her illusion and handed him the letter quickly, her expression grim.

            “These orders indicate that they’re after something to do with names. What names? And why here?” he mused as he waved his wand an opened the massive tower doors. “Many goblins have always been antagonistic towards wizardkind—often times fully justified—but this is different somehow… But never mind that now. That’s something for me to worry about—you have a trial to undergo.”

            The tower, unlike Rackham’s home on the cliffside, was in considerably better condition than many other ancient sites Rhea had been to on this journey. There were several columns situated at the center of the room, and several were damaged, but they still held up the structure successfully. There was a low grade spiral staircase across the room that led further up into the tower.

            While Professor Fig inspected the lower floor, searching for any useful letters or books that would be better off in their care than the goblins, Rhea turned her attention to the upper floors, walking up cautiously. When she reached the next landing, she proceeded with even more care, worried that the floor would give out beneath her at any moment.

            Rhea rounded another turn in the journey up the tower and was met with a welcome sight: Percival Rackham stood at attention in a much smaller version of the painting from the Map Chamber. He was watching her calmly and gave her a pleased look when she spotted him, saying, “Welcome to San Bakar’s tower.”

            “Professor Fig! I’ve found it! Up here!” Rhea called down to the base of the tower, carefully leaning close to the edge so her voice would carry better. She turned her attention back to the portrait as her mentor made his way up to meet her. “Hello Professor. Did you say San Bakar’s tower?”

            The portrait nodded, “I did. Professor Bakar is a Keeper you have yet to encounter. I am glad to see that I was correct in presuming that you were finally ready to take on this challenge. It is good to see you outside of the Map Chamber. Though I surmise based on the commotion I heard, that you did not have a very easy time getting to me.”

            “It could have been easier,” Rhea admitted. “We encountered goblins outside the tower—it seems they’re searching for anything to do with some names. It doesn’t say whose, but it feels safe to assume it has to do with the Keepers.”

            “That goblins were aware of my vault is disquieting enough,” Rackham said grimly, “But if they have also made a connection to this tower, then the threat may be greater than I thought. All the more reason for us to move forward. Downstairs, near the entry, a reservoir of ancient magic—like those you’ve seen before—has been unlocked. Command it to access a doorway. I’m afraid I cannot say more.”

            “As Professor Fig cannot join you, he and I will, in time, see you back at the Map Chamber,” Rackham finished. He paused and said slowly, “Remember what you see.” With his job now finished, the man in the portrait turned and disappeared, no doubt returning to his portrait in the Map Chamber.

            Fig turned to Rhea as they began their descent to the bottom floor, “We’re going to need to understand how Ranrok’s Loyalists knew about a tower than once belonged to a Keeper. For the moment, however, you’ve more important things to set your mind to. A reservoir of ancient magic, I believe?”

            “Yes, sir,” Rhea said as they reached the entrance. “I’ll see you back in the Map Chamber.” She watched as her Professor hurried out the door and turned on the spot, disappearing with a loud pop. She turned her attention back to the room she was in and quickly managed to locate the enchanted portal. It was becoming easier to spot the magical anomaly that it centered on—perhaps all that practice had been paying off, after all.

            When the portal had been opened and Rhea stepped through, she found herself in yet another long, rather nondescript corridor. It was quite unsettling still, to go from one place to the next so seamlessly. She hurried along the hall, purpose heavy in her every step. She soon came to a larger room, surrounded by paintings and massive stacks of books haphazardly leaning against one another.

            Rhea wished that she could stay a while longer and inspect the books. But she knew that she had work to do. She did, however, hope that once she was done here, the Goblins would move on. If they did, she’d probably be able to convince Sebastian to come back with her—these books were impossibly old, and likely incredibly rare. There was a very good chance that San Bakar might have known of ways to break curses on humans. There could be a way to save Anne in that very room.

            She did wonder, however, why Professor Rackham’s trial was located within San Bakar’s tower. It seemed a bit peculiar to her, but she supposed she had already been to two places heavily connected to Percival Rackham. And as Rackham had indicated she was going to be meeting the other Keepers as time went on, if she managed to keep on surviving.

            At the far side of the room there was a set of ornately decorated doors. She was a bit perplexed by them at first as there were no swirls of ancient magic glowing around it. They just seemed to be… extraordinarily normal doors.

            They were also extraordinarily heavy doors, it turned out. She was breathing heavily when she managed to haul them open and slip through. Nex time, she needed to remember to use Accio. It surely would have been much simpler. As soon as she was inside she was greeted by the familiar glowing marble in a cavernous chamber. She could see multiple platforms in different areas of the room beyond and hurried towards it, certain that was where the real challenge was located.

            She found more traces of ancient magic and used them to form bridges, still in awe of the magic the Keepers had been able to perform. She walked confidently onto the bridge but stumbled and had to pause to regain her footing as the floor beneath her gave way and shifted strangle beneath her. She took a few more hesitant steps forward and the strange bridge began to lower the further she got onto it, leading her to an entirely new chamber of the trial.

            When she reached the new section, she found another pool of ancient magic before a tall, twisted archway. However, when she summoned the magic, it had a rather peculiar and unexpected effect. Instead of the typical blue glow that fell over the rooms when she created a portal, there was a red glow instead, and she didn’t immediately see what had changed in the room. There was a faint blue sheen within the twisted archway, but she couldn’t remember if it had been there before. The strange red mist clouded her vision slightly, making it difficult for her to recognize what she needed to do.

            Because the portal was the only thing she was familiar with, she decided to turn her focus to that for the time being. She walked around it, seeing no difference on either side, so she returned to the spot where she’d accessed the pool of ancient magic and walked through the portal, hoping that it was the correct move.

            When she emerged on the other side, she was greeted with a much smaller hallway of opalescent marble and have a satisfied hum. She was certainly somewhere new, and that in itself was a small comfort. She followed the corridor and saw more massive ornate columns stretching up to the impossibly tall ceiling and felt more confident with each step that she was going in the right direction. She hurried into the next chamber eagerly but she quickly slowed her pace as she saw what waited there.

            There were massive statues dotted throughout the room. They were all knights and they were all surrounded by frozen ancient magic. There was no glow about them, but the sheer number of them alone made Rhea uneasy. When she got about halfway into the room, her caution became warranted as several of the statues came to life. She readied herself for a prolonged battle, but found some small comfort knowing exactly what she was going up against.

            Once she’d dispatched the guardians—one of them was simply massive compared to the ones she normally faced—she hurried around a barrier separating two halves of the room. There she found a complex puzzle involving a moving platform and several anchor points that allowed her to navigate the chamber and avoid its fifteen foot drop to a floor below. She’d survive if she fell, but it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. On the far right side of the room there was another portal split between blue and red. Items around the room seemed to shift in and out of reality depending on which side of the portal she entered. This was getting extremely complex…

            But with a little time and effort she was able to make her way across the chamber and into the next part of the trial. In this room, she found herself faced with even more guardians, but this time they managed to actually take her by surprise, which was very nearly quite deadly as she got knocked down rather aggressively upon entering.

            Soon enough, she emerged victorious yet again—though she did have a roaring headache. This was rather inconvenient, as the next room contained another red and blue ancient magic portal that altered the room significantly. It took her a little while to figure out the exact right answer, but a short while later, she was standing in the next hallway, walking shakily along another one of the strange shifting floors.

            She let out a frustrated sigh as she found herself facing yet another group of guardians. Surely Rackham wasn’t actually trying to kill her. It was certainly starting to feel as if that might be the case. Once the guardians were eliminated, she turned to the next challenge and an incredibly unladylike curse fell from her lips as she stared in dumbfounded amazement at the next portion of the trial.

            It was similar to the previous ones she’d faced so far, but this time there was no safety floor below. Instead the challenge veered away from the beautiful magic-made structures she was so familiar with and jutted straight out into an impossibly deep cavern. It was deep enough that she couldn’t see the bottom, mist rising up from the depths to block her view. Not that she was looking—Rhea wasn’t exactly afraid of heights; she simply had a healthy apprehension of falling off of tall structures.

            Cautiously she stepped out onto the floating platform, just as she had before. She tried to convince herself that it was simply her imagination that it wobbled more than she was used to. As she hauled herself across the cavern, she felt her stomach lurch—particularly when she had to jump from platform to platform through a portal. She hadn’t been confident that the platform she saw would be waiting for her on the other side when she made it through, but her feet landed on relatively solid ground, though its stability left something to be desired.

            The toughest part of the challenge finished, she guided the platform over to another long and tall hallway, peering down it hopefully. At the end there was another ornate statue, though this one did not seem to house a guardian knight as the others had so far. She trotted down the hall and was pleased to notice two sets of stairs leading up and around the statue. She hurried up them, eager to be done and journeying back to the Map Chamber. She walked down the length of the chamber and didn’t hesitate as the doors swung open before her. She felt a moment of confusion as she entered a nearly identical chamber and another set of doors. The only difference was that the walls were rougher stone and the doors were taller, looming more ominously before her. They, too, opened when she approached, and her stomach sank as she got her first glimpse of the chamber beyond.

            It was another massive cavern, the biggest she’d seen since her ride through Gringotts back in September. The floor below was nonexistent and the mists that rose up from impossibly far below her seeped further into the room, casting a white haze around the entire chamber. Held up by massive columns and arches was a large circular platform that held up several more columns that stretched towards the cavernous ceiling above. As she stepped towards the room nervously, a staircase came rattling up through the mists, sending white tendrils whirling like small tornadoes around the room. When they clicked firmly into place she stepped into the room and the doors behind her closed with a deep thud, locking her into the arena like cave.

            Every one of her footsteps echoed throughout the chamber, creating a dirge-like march as she drew closer and closer to the central platform. As soon as she set foot on it, the stairs sank back below the mists, leaving her stranded. She readied her wand a several Pensieve Protectors landed around her. As usual, she handled them soundly, but something wasn’t right. No way forward appeared, and she knew that the battle wasn’t yet over.

            She stalked cautiously around the circle until a thunderous rumble began to shake the platform. She ducked to one knee, trying to keep her balance and her distance from the edge of the platform. That would have been a swift way to end the challenge if she wasn’t careful. A bright flash of molten goblin silver and ancient magic swirled and bubbled in the center of the platform. As it rumbled and shook, a figure began to rise from the center of the swirling mass. With dread, Rhea forced herself back to her feet as a massive guardian, nearly forty feet tall stood before her. It was exactly like the one that had manifested within Rackham’s vault at Gringotts—the one that had defended them against Ranrok’s attacks.

            Rhea instantly began firing spells at the massive guardian but scrambled to duck out of the way as it attacked in turn. It lifted its foot twice as high as she stood and slammed it into the ground, a radiant burst of purple energy raced through the ground towards her. When she regained her footing, she returned to her assault with renewed vigor. Now this was a challenge.

            The guardian paused and stretched its arms wide, creating a massive sphere of pulsating yellow energy before it. It seemed to glow brighter and brighter until the automaton balanced it on one hand and hurled it directly at her. She dove to the side again, rolling to her feet and breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide and she was panicking now. She’d gotten a little cocky and she was regretting it. She wasn’t sure how best to handle this beast before her, but as long as she managed to stay alive and avoid its attacks, she was certain she could dispatch it.

            A shimmering wave of blue, flame-like magic began radiating from the guardian and she dashed out of the way—this attack at least was similar to ones she’d seen before from smaller guardians. Getting out of the way was the most efficient way to handle that one. As she began testing the guardian’s defenses once more, she realized that while it packed a powerful punch, it was rather slow. While it could attack with speed, it took a long time for the creation to wind up for those attacks, allowing her ample time to prepare her own defense against it. She also realized that the glowing orb was rather like a shield spell—it simply needed a particular spell to counteract it. And as a premade construct, this guardian seemed very fond of patterns, giving her a distinct advantage once she figured out what patterns it followed.

            A wicked grin crossed her face as she caused it to stumble and she shook out her wand arm, bringing it back up to the ready position. Now that she understood what she was up against, there was no more holding back. Her basic combat spells were good for building momentum, for breaking down the creature’s defenses and attacks over a slower, longer period of time. Her speed was a definite advantage, and she was making full use of it. As she continued to fight, she felt magic begin to rush through her veins, rather like it had with the Troll and the Ashwinder.

            Instinctively she reached out, her arm arching up to the ceiling. The ground shook slightly and as she brought her arm down sharply, a bolt of pure energy streaked down through the guardian, sending it to its knees. It certainly wasn’t finished yet by any means, but there were definite signs of wear and tear. Her smile grew, even as her exhaustion did the same. She began her usual attacks, waiting for the magic to flow through her again. It was definitely getting easier, with practice—and clearly came with new skills the more she used it. She rather liked that lightning strike.

            It took a few more attacks of that magnitude to fell the great guardian and she needed to take a breather after that fight. She made a mental note to convince Sebastian to practice longer drills with her sometime—if they were going to be practicing endurance drills of Protego it wouldn’t hurt to practice longer drills than the ones Lucan was currently circulating for them. The boy was helpful, of course—but this was far more advanced magic than the third year had encountered, and Rhea needed to make certain she was well-prepared for the rest of the trials. If they were anything like this one, she was in for a difficult time.

            When the guardian had melted back into hibernation within the platform, a new platform shot into the air, leveling itself with the exit. Rhea hurried down it, doing her best to calm her breathing. There was a note of finality to that fight that set her at ease. She didn’t expect there to be anything more waiting for her—at least nothing quite so dangerous as that had been.

            The following room was by far the most stunning yet. It had all the same beautiful features of the map chamber and other challenge rooms that she had encountered over the past few months, but this one was distinctly different. Dominating most of the room was the most intricately carved—and enormous— statue that Rhea had ever seen. It was made up of beautiful swirls masterfully carved into textured stone. Two arms grew up out of the floor, reaching up and into broad shoulders and a massive, wizened and bearded face staring down at the floor. Dancing blue and silver lights lit it up from below and Rhea recognized the likeness of Percival Rackham, abstract though it may be. The statue gazed downward, a look of reverence and solemnity etched into his massive face.

            Below the statue sat a familiar sight: a simple pedestal supporting an inauspicious basin that was filled with swirling mists and magic. The Pensieve waited, almost beckoning her closer. Rhea stepped towards it expectantly, but the waters were more still than she was used to. Additionally, there was no book or vessel waiting for her to distribute the memory. She wondered briefly if there was already a memory waiting for her, but her thoughts were put to rest as the stone above her grated loudly.

            She looked up into the face of the first Keeper, her only connection to ancient magic, and saw the eyes blink once, twice, and then open fully. A silvery, glowing liquid began to pool beneath the right eye and eventually burst over, falling directly into the Pensive. Rhea watched the scene in awe, before stepping forward and plunging into the Pensieve in pursuit of Percival Rackham’s memory.

Chapter Text

            The sun was low on the horizon, the early morning light casting a faint blue hue over the misty ocean cliffs. The wind was as blustery as ever, but two figures stood resolutely against it, gazing across the water at a small island.

            Rhea breathed deeply. It was fascinating how visceral it was experiencing these memories. A sense of recognition filled her as she stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, stepping up beside Isidora though the young witch would never know she was there with them. Rhea turned to look at her fellow Ravenclaw curiously.

            The first time she’d seen Isidora she’d been a young child—not even aware she was a witch. Rhea wondered how she’d found out—if perhaps Isidora had received a similar letter and tutor like she had. She wondered if her father had magic of his own, or if he was a muggle. She supposed he must have been a muggle, considering how dismissive he’d been of Isidora’s claims of seeing ancient magic in the sky.

            The Isidora that stood before her now wasn’t much changed from the young fifth-year who had gone to the office and learned of the existence and importance of Ancient Magic and its secrets. That wasn’t to say she was exactly the same—Rhea would have had to be blind to not see the difference in the girl’s demeanor. She stood taller, more confident in her abilities. There was a steely look of determination in her eyes that barely concealed a glimmer of deep pride. Rhea wondered if they might have been friends, if only they’d lived at the same time. Sebastian’s support and friendship through her trials with ancient magic was deeply appreciated, but Rhea couldn’t help but yearn for someone who could understand—someone who could wield the magic like her.

            Isidora took a calming breath and extended her arm, her wand resting gently in her delicate hand. She deftly raised it, her dark eyes fixed across the water intently. Rhea tore her eyes from the girl and looked across the water, seeing columns blossom and bloom in the distance. She glanced behind them at where Professor Rackham stood.

            He had a solemn, appraising look on his face as he looked back and forth between Isidora and the island she was building on. His hands were clasped behind his back and he made no move to assist the young woman. There was a certain, guarded expression on his face, but Rhea thought that perhaps she could see a sliver of something more beyond it. She wondered if he was thinking similar thoughts to her own—Isidora was the first person he’d met who could wield and see ancient magic. He’d grown old with his ability, all alone through trials and tribulations. And here he was, guiding a new student along the same path. It must have been exciting for him, to not be as alone.

            “Your ability to transfigure the world around you is remarkable,” Professor Rackham said, slowly stepping forward to join Isidora near the cliff’s edge.

            Rhea glanced back at Isidora and saw that a bright smile had grown on her face in place of the determined glare that had been there before the professor had spoken. She continued to invoke ancient magic, giving her wand a delicate twirl as the professor nodded gently. However, after a moment she lowered her wand, hesitating. Her grin faded and was replaced with a faint look of sorrow.

            “What is it?” Rackham asked, concern evident in his voice.

            “My father isn’t getting better,” Isidora said, her voice as dismayed as her expression. She shot a sidelong glance at the professor, her eyes wide and watery. “I don’t think he’ll ever recover from the death of my brother…” After a brief moment her eyes turned to look back at the beautiful columns she’d erected. There was a questioning look in her eyes, but Rhea was uncertain what it meant. Rackham, it seemed, didn’t notice it at all.

            “It is agonizing to see those we love suffer,” he said, a forbearing tone to his words. This was a man who had experienced loss and had come to terms with its significance long ago.

            “The drought was years ago, but the pain of losing him is as deep for my father now as if it had happened only yesterday,” Isidora explained, sounding slightly confused, though not about the sadness itself. After a moment, a seed of anger settled in her confused expression as she exclaimed, “He doesn’t need pretty pillars. He needs peace.” She sounded helpless and Rhea’s heart ached for her. The pain in her was palpable, even through the memory of someone else.

            There was a beat of silence before Isidora turned to face Rackham directly. Rhea watched the pair carefully, an uneasy feeling settling over her before Isidora began speaking again. “What if I could help him, Professor?”

            There was a heaviness to her question that Rhea hadn’t expected, despite being able to see the pressure and fear directing it. The speed with which Professor Rackham replied gave Rhea an inkling that perhaps this was a conversation they had already had a few times before.

            “You do so much for your father already, you—” he began.

            “It’s not enough,” Isidora implored. “I want to take away his pain.” She stared at the professor with wide, earnest eyes, searching for any inkling of support or reassurance she could find. It was apparent that she held the professor in very high regard, and it was no wonder, considering the magic bond they undoubtedly shared through their unique abilities.

            Professor Rackham did not meet her eye for a few moments of silence before he took a half step closer and raised his gentle gaze to meet her imploring one. “It is tempting, I know, to use this magic that you’re mastering to transfigure more than the physical world,” he told her slowly. His gaze never wavered or left her face as he spoke, and his tone wasn’t chastising. If anything it was meant to be comforting, as far as Rhea could tell.

            Isidora looked away, seeming reluctant to listen to the old wizard. He ducked to the side to remain in her line of sight, attempting to regain her focus before the girl sank too deep into her own thoughts. “But human emotion is a potent force unto itself,” Rackham continued, straightening when Isidora looked back to him. “Even the most well-meaning and competent witch cannot possible know the consequences of irrevocably manipulating it.”

            “So I’m to watch as my father’s pain destroys him?” Isidora asked incredulously.

            Again, Rackham hesitated, though this time he seemed to be taking care to choose his words wisely. He’d offered sage advice before, but this direct question gave him pause. To answer the affirmative was to alienate the girl, to make her feel helpless. That was never his intention, nor what he believed to be true. To deny it, however, would be a lie.

            Eventually he said solemnly, “It is not your pain to take.”

            Isidora stared at him silently, her mouth hanging open in an unspoken response. After a moment she shut it and her expression lost its righteous anger, sinking into a resigned understanding instead. Without another word she strode past the professor, her face going oddly slack as he watched her go, worry settling into his aged brow.

            Rhea felt herself being pulled away and the beautiful seaside disappeared, swirling into abstract shaped and streams of magic before coalescing into a new vision.

            Rackham stood near a large fireplace, staring into the flames as another figure leaned forward in an armchair. Rhea approached slowly, still processing the weight of the previous memory. She recognized Charles Rookwood, who was watching Rackham almost curiously, though there was a slight darkness to his expression that she couldn’t quite place.

            “—every year a student sees something sillier than I could ever imagine in their tea leaves,” Rackham said, an amused expression on his face. He glanced towards the door, a pleasant expression dawning on his face. Rhea jumped slightly—it was still strange accidentally falling into the eyeline of someone in a memory. She turned and looked behind herself, seeing Isidora lurking in the doorway. “Miss Morganach. Welcome back to Hogwarts, Professor.”

            Rhea’s eyebrows shot up as she took in the sight of the woman before her. She had grown several inches taller, and was clearly several years older, but there was no mistaking the dark eyes of Isidora Morganach. Her hair was pulled into the same large, off-center bun that she’d sported in her youth, and her mouth still quirked up more on one side than the other as she smiled, greeting the professor warmly. Even Rookwood smiled graciously as the young woman entered the room.

            “That’s going to take some getting used to,” Isidora said with a grin. Her voice was slightly deeper, richer.

            “I was so pleased to hear that you accepted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor,” Rookwood said kindly.

            Rackham was practically bouncing with excitement as he gestured towards one of the plush armchairs near the fire. “Sit, sit, Isidora. Tell us about your travels!”

            “I was actually hoping that you and the others might join me at my home this evening,” Isidora said, an excited but delicate smile growing as she spoke. “There’s much I’d like to share with you.”

            “That would be delightful!” Rackham said, his eyes glowing with excitement. It was extremely clear that he had a deep fondness for the woman—it was almost as if she were a daughter in his eyes. “We shall let the others know immediately.”

            “Very well,” Isidora nodded, practically bouncing with eagerness. “I shall see you then!” And with her invitation agreed to, she turned and quickly strode out of the room, her smile never fading, that determined glint from before back in her dark eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea let out a gasp as she retreated from the Pensieve. She stared up at the monolithic face of Percival Rackham, her mind spinning as she grounded her focus in reality. The face stared back at her, empty and cold as the stone it was made of. There was a solemn air to it, and it seemed to settle into her as well.

            She dropped her eyes back to the Pensieve and watched as the liquid began to dissipate into smoke. She wished these vaults of knowledge would remain after she’d experienced them. She had no idea if she would be able to produce them again, should she ever need to show anyone else. However, she was struck with more awe and curiosity as the remnants of the memory compressed into a glowing orb that shone at the bottom of the basin. She reached out and tapped the orb with her wand and it disappeared with a faint pop. She had no idea where it had gone, but she had a sense that should she need to find it, she would be able to with ease.

            She wished she could have seen more of the professor’s memories. This trip into the Pensieve had almost left her with more questions than she’d had going into it. There had to be a specific reason why she was seeing the memories he’d chosen. They had to be of particular importance for Rackham to specifically set them aside for preservation. She could see the seeds of doubt and concern filling Isidora—but Rhea had to admit that the girl posed intriguing questions.

            Isidora had seemed so… helpless. All she wanted to do was help her father, to bring him some semblance of peace. But the Isidora from the second memory… Professor Morganach… She had seemed invigorated in a way that her younger self hadn’t. She’d jumped from disappointment and bitterness to excitement and eagerness. Rhea wished she’d seen something small from in between, to give her more context for the changes. She didn’t even know how many years had passed between the two memories. Even that much would have been helpful.

            She tore her eyes from the statue and looked around, searching for the way out. It revealed itself to her quickly, glowing faintly as she approached. She hesitated for a brief moment, glancing back around the room solemnly, feeling as though her burden was only going to get heavier with each memory she uncovered. She turned and stepped into the Map Chamber, relief flooding her at the familiar sight. She’d completed the trial.

            When her head cleared, she spotted Professor Fig across the hall and hurried towards him. A similar look of relief crossed his face, mixed with what she hoped was pride. Professor Rackham, too, was waiting patiently in his massive portrait. It wasn’t quite so impressively large as the statue of him had been, but it was a welcome sight nonetheless.

            As Rhea approached there was movement from another portrait and her eyes widened as Charles Rookwood slid into frame. He looked down at her in slight surprise, bemusement written on his round face.

            “Well, what do we have here?” he mused aloud.

            “I’m a student at Hogwarts, sir,” she told him. “My name is Rhea. And this is Professor Fig.”

            “Professor Charles Rookwood at your service,” he said with a slight bow, “Has someone completed the first trial?”

            “I have, Professor Rookwood,” Rhea said, halting slightly as she used his surname. It was strange using it to refer to someone other than the typical scoundrel. “I’ve seen you in the Pensieves—along with Professor Rackham.”

            “So, you found the Portkey to access Professor Rackham’s vault and you deciphered the map within the locket you found concealed within that Pensieve?” Rookwood asked. There was a slight skepticism to his tone, as if he were trying to test her in some way.

            “I did,” Rhea nodded. “I found something that I can’t identify floating within the last Pensieve as well.”

            “Ah, yes,” Rookwood nodded, seeming reasonably content with her answers. “You will find a similar artefact in each trial. You must take care to keep them safe. You will need them to complete the journey we have set forth for you. Once you have them all, we will tell you what to do with them.”

            “Very well,” Rhea nodded. “Are you able to tell me anything about the next trial?” She wasn’t exactly keen to proceed with the next trial, but the presence of Ranrok’s loyalists outside of San Bakar’s tower had concerned her deeply. If they knew about San Bakar and Rookwood, perhaps they knew of Rookwood already. Perhaps Rookwood knew about Rookwood—perhaps that was why Ranrok was allied with the wizard…

            “Before you proceed, I would like to speak with Charles regarding the urgent situation involving the goblins,” Rackham interjected slightly, seeming to have some similar thoughts to Rhea.

            “The goblins?” the second portrait asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

            “Rhea here has seen traces of a powerful Dark Magic being wielded by goblinkind,” Rackham said slowly, pointedly. That was… odd… “She and her mentor, Professor Fig, not only encountered goblins lurking outside of San Bakar’s tower, they also encountered a powerful goblin in my vault at Gringotts.”

            Rookwood barely hesitated before he answered simply, “I’m afraid it would be wise to halt the trials until we know more.”

            “We shall defer to you in this matter, of course,” Professor Fig nodded, though Rhea thought she heard a note of relief in his voice. Clearly he wasn’t ready for her to set out to complete another trial just yet either. Fig turned to Rhea slightly and gave her a brief nod, indicating that she should dismiss herself to get some rest. She had no idea how long it had taken her to complete the trial, but she couldn’t deny the weariness that had begun to sink deep into her bones the longer she stood there.

            With a small wave to the portraits and a grateful smile for her mentor, she turned and made her way back to the mostly empty Ravenclaw Common Room. She had no doubt that she would be waking up starving the next morning—if it was even morning when she woke up—but she needed rest, first and foremost. One thing she hadn’t quite gotten used to was the toll ancient magic took on her stamina. At the exit, she turned and glanced back towards the three professors with a small frown.

            Rackham and Fig were deep in discussion as Rackham explained to Fig what the challenge had entailed, and the memory held within. Rhea was grateful for their cooperation with one another—she didn’t have the energy to decipher the memories with her mentor just then, but she knew that it was terribly important. She glanced at Rookwood, who she found was watching her with a guarded expression, his earlier hospitality gone as he listened to Rackham and Fig, a deeply worried frown growing on his face. Rhea nodded at him briefly, hoping he understood that she, too, was gravely concerned about the issues they were facing, before turning and putting the trial behind her for the time being.

Chapter Text

            The waves were crashing loudly as Rhea sat on the shore, digging her toes into the sand. Her eyes were closed, and her face was turned up to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Anne lounged beside her on a thick wool blanket, turning the pages of a book lazily, squinting slightly in the sunlight.

            A loud laugh could be heard over the ocean breaking against the pebble-ridden sand and Rhea opened her eyes, turning towards the sound. Ominis was standing shin-deep in the waves, wobbling slightly when they hit him as Sebastian clambered up a massive boulder. He stood triumphantly at the top, soaked to the bone, but he waved over at the girls enthusiastically from his perch.

            “Do you think he’s thought about how he’s going to get down from there?” Rhea asked curiously. It was a rather steep boulder and the tide was coming in rather fast. Sebastian would be stranded if he didn’t keep an eye out.

            Anne looked up from her book and frowned, shaking her head, “I love my brother dearly, but foresight isn’t one of his strong suits. He’s an ask forgiveness, not permission sort. I reckon he’s just going to jump and hope he doesn’t land on another rock. That or he’ll try and convince Ominis to catch him.”

            “I just can’t believe they want to go in the water at all,” Rhea sighed. “It’s much too cold for my liking.”

            “Mine as well,” Anne told her, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t like the cold in general. Winter doesn’t suit me. Shame that’s when we were born…”

            “I think winter’s beautiful,” Rhea said with a shrug. “And there’s nothing quite like being warm and comfortable during a snowy Christmas holiday. It’s peaceful.”

            “You sound like Seb,” Anne nodded. “He loves our birthday.”

            “Do you not?” Rhea frowned.

            Anne shrugged uncertainly as she sat up, leaning on one arm as she watched the boys playing in the sea. “It’s a little complicated, I suppose. Back when we were younger it was always so fun. We shared everything, but it never bothered us—even on our birthday. And our parents used to take us on special holidays—sometimes to places that weren’t freezing cold, sometimes to places even colder. But it was always an adventure.”

            Anne paused for a moment as she thought a little bit more about what she was willing to share. “After they died it was just a reminder that they were gone. We didn’t get to go on trips, we didn’t get to make new memories. We just stayed here in Feldcroft and remembered old ones, lamenting the ones we wouldn’t get to make anymore. And now… well, now I barely even get to celebrate with my brother. He’s off at Hogwarts taking exams, unable to even come home.”

            “It’s almost like it’s not even our birthday anymore,” she explained. “We push it back until the winter holidays because it at least means we can celebrate it together, but it’s not the same. I sometimes think Sebastian is holding onto the good memories we had a little bit too tightly. He wants to recapture the magic we once saw there. But the longer I’m sick, the more it just reminds me that so much time has passed and I’m not getting any better. And no one is getting closer to a cure.”

            Rhea looked back over at the boys uncertainly. Sebastian had never truly struck her as much of an optimist, but she supposed he had to be. Anne was right, in a way. He was so positive about her illness—on the surface at least. And he was never going to give up on her. Even though he was consumed by his own fear and sorrow, he kept putting on a brave face for her. Forcing optimism in the hopes that it would eventually become true.

            “Perhaps you could use a bit of his enthusiasm,” Rhea said gently. “I’m not trying to… invalidate what you’ve said and what you feel but… I think it’s admirable that he’s working so hard to keep things positive. In the same way you feel like you’ve lost him to Hogwarts and whatnot, he’s lost you as well.”

            “It sometimes doesn’t seem like he misses me that much,” Anne admitted. “I’d imagine it’s easy to forget about his troubles—namely me—when he’s so far away and surrounded by exciting classes and wonderful friends.”

            “That’s not how it is, at all, actually,” Rhea told her. “He’s told me so himself. And I know he misses you because he hasn’t stopped searching for a cure for you once in the time I’ve known him. He’s even allowing me to help him search.”

            “As long as it isn’t anything too dangerous,” Anne said after a moment. “He still hasn’t been writing to me too often. Natty writes more than he does.”

            “You two seem to be getting along well,” Rhea said, taking the opportunity to change the subject while she could. Rhea wasn’t certain that she’d be able to convince Anne that Sebastian thought of her endlessly, despite her worry. But making Anne feel seen and appreciated was something she could certainly do.

            “We have a surprising amount in common,” Anne said with a small smile. “We both really love Quidditch, we love Transfiguration magic, we love Maggie Sedgewick’s novels… And she tells me all about what goes on at Hogwarts. Including certain escapades into Ashwinder dens.”

            “She wrote to you about that?” Rhea asked, her head whipping around to look at her friend sharply. “I can’t believe she’d risk writing it all down! Her mother practically threatened me and Sebastian with expulsion if anyone else found out. Imagine if your uncle had found it…”

            Anne winced slightly and a grimace grew on her face, “To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about that… I’ll have to bury it, I suppose. Or burn it… I’d rather not burn it, though… I like to reread the letters everyone sends me. Feels less lonely. I suppose it also means that I won’t be able to interrogate Sebastian about it in any great detail… You’re right; we wouldn’t want Solomon overhearing any of it…”

            “He saved my life, you know,” Rhea told her, looking back over at the boys. In the distance, they were pretending to duel, throwing imaginary spells at one another, making fizzling noises as they did to emulate the sounds of their magic, ducking and dodging in the surf. It was endearing to see them enjoying such a simple pleasure of youth, but Rhea couldn’t help but feel the irony of watching such amusements while speaking of such dire situations. “There was this Ashwinder about to set him on fire and he managed to deflect the blow, but I was in trouble, and he managed to shield us both from an explosion.”

            “No, Natty didn’t mention that,” Anne said. “She mostly talked about how scared she was when she was captured. And how grateful she was that you figured out how to find her.”

            “It was terrifying,” Rhea said. Natty hadn’t spoken at all about her experience being kidnapped. She’d avoided it, really. She wondered if her mother had been privy to that particular information, or if Natty had only confided in Anne. It didn’t make her feel jealous, at least—if anything it simply made her curious. They had all witnessed the acute interest the two had felt for one another at the Yule Ball. It would make sense if they were sharing secrets with one another—they’d clicked together so well.

            “She doesn’t seem like she’s going to stop hunting him anytime soon, does she?” Anne asked after a few moments. There was a note of fear in her voice that almost gave Rhea pause before she responded.

            “No,” Rhea told her simply. “She isn’t going to stop. I don’t know if she ever will, to be honest. First, it’s Harlow—next she’d going to want to go after Rookwood… And after that… I don’t know what she’ll do… But I don’t think she’ll be satisfied until she’s victorious… Whatever that entails.” Anne reached out to grab Rhea’s arm, worry in her face.

            “Promise you’ll take care of her,” Anne told Rhea. “Natty, I mean—don’t let anything happen to her. As a… favor. We both know she’s going to get into trouble again—and I know you’re going to be right there with her… Just… try and help her.”

            “I promise,” Rhea nodded, a little surprised at how insistent Anne was being. The look of relief on the girl’s face was worth her word though, and Anne went back to inspecting her book for a short time before putting it down and sitting up to look at Rhea with another one of her more serious expressions. “So, what about Weasley?”

            Rhea turned scarlet and looked down at her hands sheepishly, “What about him?”

            Anne gave her a playfully exasperated look, “You know exactly what I mean! How is he? Is he still trying to pursue you? You haven’t mentioned him much in your letters. I’m dying to know more.”

            “It’s… He’s…” Rhea stuttered slightly as she tried to find the right words to explain. “I’m not entirely sure. First, we had that date and it… I mean, I had some fun, and I suppose he did as well since he asked me to the Ball, but it didn’t go as well as either of us wanted, I don’t think. And we definitely had fun at the Ball, but we haven’t really… seen much of each other—not one-on-one, at least. I’ve just been so busy this semester that I haven’t had the time to seek him out.”

            “Do you think he somehow thinks you’re blowing him off or ignoring him?” Anne asked with a frown. “He doesn’t seem to be the type to be discouraged easily.”

            “I don’t know,” Rhea admitted with a small frown, picking at a corner of the picnic blanket absent-mindedly. “He did write to me once over the holiday, which was nice. It actually gave me a chance to chat back to him. He’s not conceited, so saying he likes the sound of his own voice is wrong, but he barely stops talking to breathe sometimes.”

            “A letter over the holidays is a good sign,” Anne nodded sagely. “Means he was thinking of you. Wanted to talk to you. Perhaps you can send him letters or notes in class. Then again, he isn’t exactly… subtle.”

            Rhea laughed, remembering some of his more… explosive potions mishaps she’d been witness to over the school year. “No, I suppose he isn’t,” she agreed. “But I guess that we’re at a bit of an impasse. We came back to school soon after I sent him a letter back, so I have no idea if he received it or not.”

            “What if he didn’t get it and thinks you’ve snubbed him?” Anne frowned worriedly. “You do fancy him, don’t you?”

            “I don’t know,” Rhea answered again, her voice smaller than before. “I… think I probably would if we took the time to pursue anything between us. But I barely have time to sleep between classes and extra work and helping your brother.”

            “While I appreciate the sentiment of helping my brother on his hopeless quest,” Anne said with a sigh, “I’d much rather appreciate being able to gossip about fanciable Gryffindors with you. You should take time to try and see him. Ask him what his intentions are and tell him exactly what yours are.”

            “I’m not that bold,” Rhea laughed, shaking her head at her friend, who was laughing at the thought as well.

            “Yes, you strike me as the type to prefer being wooed and won over,” Anne grinned cheekily. “He’ll need to put in some work, I think.”

            “I’m not some damsel, Anne,” Rhea told her, rolling her eyes slightly. “I just… don’t understand how he decided he fancied me. And that’s not some insult to myself or anything—I simply mean how do you know you fancy someone?”

            Anne shrugged and looked over at the boys where off in the waves, Sebastian fell backwards, losing the fake duel with Ominis who cackled and made his way out of the water as Sebastian emerged on the surface again. The boys began making their way over to the girls slowly, joking and laughing as they went.

            “Sometimes I suppose you just know,” she said. “Things just sort of… work. They blend. Sometimes, it’s easy.”

            “And when it’s not easy?” Rhea asked curiously.

            “I suppose it’s like Pride and Prejudice,” Anne mused. “Or any of Austen’s novels really. Sometimes it just takes time.”

            Rhea nodded thoughtfully and reached over, giving Anne’s hand a grateful squeeze. It wasn’t exactly enlightening, and it certainly didn’t make her feel certain of anything, but it was comforting being able to discuss it with someone. Ominis couldn’t care less about her supposed relationship with Garreth Weasley, and Bast… Well, they didn’t really talk about that sort of thing.

            Ominis flopped down directly on the sand and Rhea wrinkled her nose at the action. Her displeasure deepened as Sebastian came over, sopping wet, and planted himself next to her on her blanket. She let out a squeal as water fell on her and began to seep into the blanket, hurriedly vacating her blanket to take refuge on Anne’s instead.

            He mocked offense and flicked water at her from his hand teasingly, “No need for the theatrics—you aren’t a sugar quill, Rhea.”

            “No, but the water is frigid, and I cannot afford to go back with wet clothes—I only brought a few changes,” Rhea pointed out.

            “You could always borrow something of mine,” Anne told her. “But I agree—it’s much too cold for swimming. Maybe if she comes back in the summer, we could convince her to swim with us.”

            “I doubt it,” Rhea said, frowning slightly at the rough waves. “She didn’t say much about it, but I think my mum was disappointed I wasn’t going to see her this break. I should probably focus on spending my time with her this summer. I miss her…”

            “Well, maybe we can come to see you,” Sebastian suggested helpfully.

            Rhea, Anne, and Ominis laughed at this, prompting the other boy to frown in confusion. Ominis shook his head as they quieted down and told him, “Solomon is barely tolerating Rhea and me visiting at the moment—and he almost didn’t let Anne visit Hogsmeade at Christmas. There’s no way he’d be alright sending her to a muggle homestead for part of the summer.”

            “Unfortunately, he’s right,” Anne agreed. “But surely your mum would be alright sparing you for just a short visit over the summer… Maybe if I start writing to her, she’ll be more amenable.”

            “You can certainly try,” Rhea laughed slightly. As her friends broke back into friendly conversation, planning fun activities they could do over summer together, Rhea held back slightly. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her mother hadn’t been entirely truthful with her. She’d seen how the migraines were beginning to affect her. She worried that being away for the summer might do more harm than good. The headaches had certainly gotten worse after Rhea was admitted to Hogwarts. She was concerned about her mother, but she wasn’t even certain there was much to be worried about since her mother continually insisted that she was fine. Simple headaches would go away with time… But it had been months…

            Sebastian noticed that something was bothering Rhea. In fact, the look of worry that was still lingering on her face as she listened politely to Anne’s plans for the summer had arrived there when Rhea had begun speaking about her mother. He knew it wasn’t any of his business, of course, but he was curious about what could be worrying her so much. He wondered—rather selfishly, he was loathe to admit—how much he actually knew about her life outside of the wizarding world.

            When they decided it was time to head back to the hamlet for the day, Anne and Ominis walked ahead, arm in arm, singing an old walking song they’d learned from a rather tipsy Mr. Green a few years back. Sebastian stayed with Rhea to help pack up their basket of food and blankets, using a simple charm to shake out the sand before putting them away. He levitated the basket, and it trailed along lazily behind them as they followed the other two back.

            “So, what did you and Anne chat about while Ominis and I were having fun?” he asked.

            “About Natty, mostly. And about you, too, I suppose,” Rhea said. “Anne misses you.”

            “I miss her, too,” Sebastian said with a solemn nod, looking forward at where his twin was helping Ominis avoid loose rocks along the path.

            “You should let her know that sometime,” Rhea told him gently, glancing at him sideways before looking back at the others thoughtfully. “She knows you’re looking for a cure, and that Ominis and I are helping… But I don’t think that’s what she needs from you. I think she just needs her friend—her brother. Write to her, talk to her—about normal stuff. Tell her about Crossed Wands, or about how Adelaide Oakes won’t even look at you anymore, or about how weird Ominis is around Poppy. She’d probably want to talk about all of that stuff with you. She misses Hogwarts and that life just as much as she missed the two of you.”

            “You know, I think a part of her misses you now, too,” he told her. “She talks about you a lot.”

            “Maybe she’s just trying to get your attention, or something,” Rhea shrugged. “I think she’d be delighted to talk about anything at all. That subject would include me, your friend and dueling partner.”

            “Do you think she’d tell me more about Natty?” Sebastian asked. “They were so chummy at the Yule Ball out of nowhere. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about all that.”

            “Well, they’re certainly friends now, when they weren’t before,” Rhea mused. “But—I don’t know… Do you reckon it might be a bit more than that?”

            Sebastian frowned slightly, “I… suppose I hadn’t considered it. At least, not fully. I think it’d be nice though, for Anne to fancy someone. She needs… more in her life—more people, more to do, more to see—just… more. And you know, she could do a lot worse than Natsai Onai. For a Gryffindor she isn’t so bad, really. I’d prefer it if she wasn’t running after Dark Wizards all the time, but as long as Anne’s happy, then it doesn’t really matter. It’d just mean I’d have to start following the two of you into danger more often.”

            “I think they’d be sweet,” Rhea said. “Anne was awfully worried about Natty once she found out about that Ashwinder situation we got into.”

            “Anne knows about that?” Sebastian asked incredulously. “Bloody Hell, Professor Onai’s going to think I told her if she ever finds out… I can’t believe Natty told her about that.”

            “She didn’t tell her everything,” Rhea told him. “She didn’t know that you saved my life—or that you were even there to begin with. Apparently it was a very personal letter. Mostly about Natty’s feelings.”

            “It’s a good thing Ominis didn’t let me read it, then,” Sebastian mused. After a few moments he asked, “Do you really think Ominis acts weird around Poppy?”

            Rhea laughed and nodded as they crested a nearby hill, “He barely talks! She’s convinced he hates her.”

            “But they were getting on so well at the Ball!” Sebastian exclaimed. “He helped her hide from Prewett half the night. He even got a waltz in there. He wouldn’t have agreed to a dance if he hated her.”

            “That’s what I said,” Rhea told him carefully. She didn’t want to get too far into gossiping about their friend, especially given her extra knowledge about Poppy’s opinion of a certain Slytherin. “Apparently, he’s just as rigid and unresponsive in Herbology as ever.”

            “He really needs to learn to relax…” Sebastian sighed, shaking his head. “Ah, well, a lesson for another time, I suppose. And he is getting a bit better at making friends—he won you over in the end, after all.”

            “And he certainly had a real uphill battle on his hands with that,” Rhea laughed as they neared the top of the hill. “Then again, I suppose the firewhisky might have had something to do with how calm he was at the Ball…”

            “The firewhisky?” Sebastian asked, frowning over at her suddenly, “There wasn’t firewhisky at the Ball, was there?”

            Rhea grinned guiltily as she glanced sideways at him, “Technically, no, there wasn’t firewhisky at the Ball… Anne brought your Christmas gift with her and it was full of firewhisky, so we were slipping a bit into our pumpkin juice and butterbeer. Not a lot, just a little bit—but Ominis was sat with Natty and Anne for a long while by himself, he must have had quite a bit more than the rest of us.”

            “I thought he was just feeling confident,” Sebastian laughed. “I suppose liquid courage could do that… I’m just offended that you lot didn’t bother to share any with me.”

            “It was your Christmas gift!” Rhea repeated defensively. “Anne told us not to tell. Besides, you were gone with Adelaide so much that there was never really a chance to sneak you any without also giving some to her. And somehow, I doubt she would have been okay with sneaking any.”

            “So you, Anne, and Ominis had a bit of firewhisky without me,” he sighed, shaking his head in only partially joking disappointment. “Have to admit I’m feeling rather left out.”

            “Wasn’t just us,” Rhea admitted. “Garreth, Natty, and Poppy had some as well. Ominis nicked the flask off of Anne before we went to hide from Leander. He gave some to Poppy after you and I had gone to dance.”

            “That bastard…” Sebastian grumbled, shaking his head with a grin. “Well, it makes sense now why he was so grumpy the next morning. I just thought he was upset he was going home later that day.”

            “Well, it probably didn’t help,” Rhea mused. “He really does seem to hate it there…”

            “Absolutely,” Sebastian nodded. “I tried to convince him to just come back with me and Anne, but he refused. Said it wasn’t polite to simply show up without getting Solomon’s approval first, especially around the holidays when you’re meant to be spending time with family. I told Ominis we are his family and that he was being ridiculous, but he said something along the lines of manners maketh man and insisted that going home was important…”

Up ahead, Ominis and Anne were still happily chatting away, arms linked as they crested the large hill. They paused slightly as they waited for their companions to catch up so they could arrive at the house together. Anne glanced back at the pair, a mischievous grin on her face as she leaned in to say something to Ominis secretively.

“Wonder what those two are talking about…” Rhea wondered aloud.

            “Merlin only knows,” Sebastian said, though he had a vague suspicion. However, he knew better than to voice it aloud, given that the Ravenclaw beside him was central to his theory. This was a good visit, and he wasn’t about to go and make it uncomfortable for anyone, least of all Rhea… or himself.

            “Oh! This is actually the perfect moment—” Rhea exclaimed suddenly, grabbing his arm and slowing down their pace to a significantly more casual walk. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you anything about the trial!”

            “Beyond the usual don’t worry, I’m safe—no you haven’t,” Sebastian agreed. “So, go on then. What happened during your trial?”

            “Well, there was the usual endless stream of guardians,” Rhea listed off. “And life-threatening puzzles. This time it was actually a bit challenging, to be honest. There were different portals that changed the room they existed in, and I had to go back and forth and remember what’s changed and solve the puzzle using both realities. I don’t really know how else to explain it, but it was… baffling. And then once I got to the end of the challenge, there was this absolutely massive guardian—truly enormous! He was almost forty feet tall!”

            “And you fought it?” Sebastian asked incredulously, his thick eyebrows shooting up into his forehead. “I swear you might be a bit mad, Rhea…”

            “Well it was either fight it and get out or not fight it and be trapped forever,” she pointed out. “But I did it and I had to use ancient magic to do it—my regular spells didn’t do nearly as much damage as they normally do. But I summoned lightning, Bast—out of thin air.”

            “That’s… impossible,” he laughed, both confused and impressed.

            “Magic can do almost anything, if you know how to use it properly,” Rhea told him with an affirmative nod. “The fact of the matter is that I did it, and it worked—I took down the final guardian and made it through the trial. And then there were more memories.”

            “What did you see?” he asked eagerly.

            “So, Isidora—the student like me—was practicing using ancient magic to alter the world around her. Professor Rackham was also there. She paused and was having a difficult time talking to him, but eventually she told him about her father, and how he was still devastated over her brother’s death from a long time back. She talked about wanting to remove his pain…”

            “Pain?” Sebastian asked with a shaking voice, stopping in his tracks. Rhea took a few more steps before she stopped and turned back to him, a nervous look on her face. “Ancient magic can… remove pain?”

            Rhea didn’t respond immediately. She could see the hope growing in his eyes. Surely his heart was racing at the prospect. He was giving her a look of wonder, excitement, and admiration that under normal circumstances would have given her butterflies. But she braced herself for his disappointment and shook her head slightly, “I don’t know.”

            His face fell slightly, but his hope wasn’t fully dashed. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

            “Isidora was… arguing with Professor Rackham. He seemed to think it was a heinous crime against magic and the balance of the natural world. He said—human emotion is a potent force unto itself… I think she was talking about her father’s emotions—she didn’t want him to feel the emotional weight of her brother’s passing. But Rackham was firmly against it.”

            “Emotional pain… not physical,” Sebastian nodded slowly, a slightly bitter note entering his tone. “But… that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to use ancient magic to help Anne.”

            “I don’t know for sure,” Rhea told him honestly, nervously. “The Keepers are showing me things in a very specific way. The memories—they’re hand-picked. I think… I think there’s more to what they’re trying to tell me about all this. Completing more of their trials and challenges will reveal more in time, but I think it’s wise to hold some skepticism for what I’m seeing. This still has something to do with Ranrok and his strange magic, I’m certain of it.”

            Sebastian was quiet for a moment before he nodded slightly and began walking alongside her again. “I… I’m sorry if I’m a bit overbearing—about finding ways to help Anne. This is supposed to be about figuring out more about your special talents and how to stop the goblins.”

            “Bast, of course you’re concerned,” Rhea said gently, looking over at him with slight worry. “When I first saw the memory… Something felt… off. Something was… wrong about it. Sinister, even. But then I thought of you—of Anne. And how Isidora’s questions made sense. And I’m going to try and learn more—but just asking Rackham about it… I don’t think it would go well. This magic is unpredictable. I just… I was worried about getting your hopes up, considering I know so little about it.”

            “The fact you want to learn more—the fact that you trust me enough to even tell me about it given by biases… It means a lot,” Sebastian said slowly. “I just got a little excited, that’s all. But I’m firmly back in the grain of salt camp, I promise.”

            “We’re going to find a cure, Bast,” she said firmly. “I absolutely believe it.”

Chapter Text

            When the trio returned to Hogwarts at the end of their spring break, there was a peculiar energy within the castle. The shift from before the break was palpable as more students returned. Rhea wasn’t quite able to put her finger on it until Professor Hecat summoned her to her office a few days after classes resumed.

            The woman was sitting behind her large, heavy desk, scribbling away at a rather large stack of essays. She raised her gaze briefly when Rhea entered and tipped the top of his quill towards the empty chair in front of her before returning to the essay currently in front of her. Rhea sat quickly, waiting patiently for the woman to finish what she was doing. After a few minutes of prolonged silence the woman set the essay aside and looked across the desk at the young Ravenclaw with a critical eye. Rhea offered her a small smile, trying to maintain her calm demeanor.

            “You know why you’re here, I take it?” Hecat asked expectantly.

            “Not exactly,” Rhea said. “Not really. As far as I’m aware I’m supposed to have a meeting with you to go over potential future career paths open to me and what sort of results I need to aim for in my O.W.L.s to make that happen.”

            Hecat smiled wryly and said, “One should always aim for a result of Outstanding. As you well know, I expect excellence from my students, and I would never encourage them to sell themselves short by aiming for anything less than that.” Hecat waved her wand and a small tray in the corner floated over bearing teacups and a teapot. It began pouring two cups, magically knowing how each of them took their tea as Hecat continued to stare Rhea down.

            “That being said, the rest of what you explained is true enough,” Hecat told her. “These meetings are not only a way for you to learn more about where you might wind up after your time as a Hogwarts student is over, but also a way for your professors to pass on valuable knowledge about what careers may be of interest to you.”

            “Now, the way I like to run these little meetings is by simply listening to you, first,” Hecat explained, deftly accepting the teacup that floated over to her without taking her gaze from Rhea. “If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about your O.W.L.s, now would be the time to ask. Likewise, if you have any thoughts about what classes you may be interested in taking next year, or a career path you’re particularly interested in learning more about, this is also the time.”

            “So, I have to take the O.W.L.s for all the classes I’m taking this year,” Rhea said slowly, trying to make sure she was getting it right. Sebastian and Ominis had been about as helpful as they possibly could, but considering it was their first time going into O.W.L. revision season, they were less helpful than she would have liked. “But not all of those classes will be important for next year, and it depends on what careers I’m interested in? And… if I fail an exam, there’s no chance I’d be accepted into that class next year, is there?”

            “Yes, you will take an Ordinary Wizarding Level exam for each class you have taken this year. The one exception to this being that you will not have an examination for Flying Class,” Hecat confirmed with a short nod. “As for your other questions, it can vary, but that is generally how these exams will impact your future at the school and beyond.”

            “So if I wanted to be an Auror, what would I need to do?” Rhea asked.

            Hecat gave her a level stare, but Rhea thought there might have been a faint glimmer of surprise in the woman’s face. Nonetheless she replied, “Five O.W.L.s of Exceeds Expectations or Higher. The recommended exams for such a path include Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology. The basic classes. Do you really wish to become an Auror?”

            “I’d prefer to keep my options open,” Rhea admitted. “But Officer Singer has told me at least once that I could make a fine Auror if I put my mind to it.”

            “And could you?” Hecat asked. “Put your mind to it?”

            Rhea shrugged, “I don’t know. All due respect to Officer Singer, she’s a very talented and kind witch—but it seems to me that there’s a lot more good she could be doing for the area if only her hands weren’t tied.”

            “It is true that while being an Auror is a fulfilling and noble path, it is quite demanding,” Hecat said. “Demanding of your time and talent, as well as—in most cases—your obedience. If you were to become an Auror, you would be beholden to the law just as tightly as if you were a mere citizen. However, you would have to not only abide by it—you would need to enforce it. It takes a strong will to follow the letter of the law and not give in to personal bias.”

            “I don’t know if I could simply sit by when I could be doing more…” Rhea frowned. “I know Officer Singer does a lot of good for the area, but there’s still so many dark wizards and poachers calling the valley home.”

            “Well, what other careers might you be interested in?” Hecat asked, masterfully guiding the conversation.

            “Well, I have to admit, I don’t know very many wizard careers,” Rhea said. “I’ve considered looking into becoming a Healer for St Mungo’s—and I’ve become extremely curious about the Unspeakables, which I know is something you know quite a bit about.”

            “Why a Healer, might I ask?”

            “Well—I suppose that’s not exactly about me,” Rhea admitted. “My friend is very sick, you see, and so far no one has been able to cure her. I suppose I like the idea of becoming a Healer for the chance of helping her and others like her.”

            “But it’s not about you?”

            “No… It’s similar to the Auror situation, I suppose,” Rhea said after a few moments of thoughtful reflection. “If there was someone I thought I might be able to help, I might not be allowed to. I might have to watch someone suffer when they might not need to.”

            “You seem to find the freedom to act rather important,” Hecat noted. “What makes you think being an Unspeakable would be any different? You’d be working for the Ministry of Magic, just as you would if you became an Auror. And you will almost certainly be put in situations where you could help someone, but will be unable to do so because of the limitations of your field. Unspeakables, as we’ve discussed briefly before, are utterly unable to discuss their work. You could discover a cure for your friend, but be unable to tell her about it—let alone procure it for her.”

            “I suppose I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Rhea frowned. “I guess I sort of expected that there would be… I don’t know, exceptions to the rule, or something.”

            “Perhaps there could be,” Hecat reasoned, “But I can’t say that I ever encountered them myself.”

            “Do you get to choose what you work on as an Unspeakable?” Rhea asked. “You mentioned being wounded by time once—was that a result of choice? If you can’t answer me, I understand.”

            “There are limitations to what I can reasonably tell you,” Hecat told her with a grateful smile, “But the Unspeakables would cease to exist if there wasn’t a way to discuss the career as a whole. In my case, no. It was not the result of a choice I made. It was someone else’s. However, I made it clear that I was willing to work in any field as an Unspeakable. So indirectly… perhaps it was by my choice.”

            “So… theoretically, if they were studying medicine of some sort, and I didn’t want to work in medicine I could request something else?” Rhea asked carefully.

            “In my experience, yes that is possible,” the professor nodded. She had to admit she was rather impressed. The girl before her was quite possibly one of the brightest in her year, even with how far behind she had been at the start of the year. And yet, she was only one of maybe a dozen students in her years teaching at Hogwarts that had asked about becoming an Unspeakable. Well—not quite, she allowed. She’d received endless questions about becoming an Unspeakable during her tenure as Head of Ravenclaw House—but only that dozen had asked the right questions to actually get meaningful answers out of her. It was refreshing, not having to simply state that she wasn’t at liberty to discuss the matter.

            “I think that perhaps I could find purpose as an Unspeakable,” Rhea told her with a slight nod. “I wouldn’t commit to it right this second of course, but I think that as long as I have some control over my subject of research and work I’d be comfortable working for the Ministry.”

            Hecat nodded thoughtfully in response, sipping her tea and watching the student patiently. She respected the girl’s aspirations, to be sure, but it was as the young one had said—she wasn’t familiar with many wizarding jobs. Dinah suspected that there was something else that could perhaps suit the girl better than the obvious solutions. But the professor also knew that this was no ordinary student. She would have considered more than what she’d started with.

            The students were all the same, year after year. The ones who came prepared started with the safe options, the ones the professors expected to hear. The ones who didn’t come prepared, well, never had much to say. But Rhea had a lot to say, Dinah could tell. Call it a sixth sense, call it instinct, call it a touch of the Sight. But when she had an inkling, she was usually right. And this time was no different.

            After a few more moments of heavy silence, filled with the teacher’s expectation for the student to continue the conversation, Rhea hesitantly said, “I also have been a bit curious about curse-breaking, professor.”

            There it was. The prepared ones started safe, but once they were broken down a little bit, they offered up a nugget of gold. It was always the one that piqued their interest the most that they offered up last. Perhaps it was because they were afraid of judgement, or disappointment. But Dinah Hecat wasn’t in the business of shutting down ideas. On the contrary, she and her students thrived most when they made room for interesting conversation.

            “What about curse-breaking fascinates you so?”

            “Well, loads of things,” Rhea said with a shrug.

            “Try to narrow it down, then,” the professor urged, placing her teacup down in its saucer and reaching for a biscuit.

            Rhea sat for a moment, trying to compartmentalize the thoughts as best she could. She’d bene thinking of the career as a whole—not the individual pieces that made it up, and certainly now how it related to her or her interest in it. Truth be told, she was floundering to find a way to avoid blurting anything out about ancient magic in front of the professor.

            “I suppose part of it is to do with that friend I mentioned,” Rhea told her. “She was cursed, and everyone seems convinced that curses on people can’t be broken the same way they can be on objects or places. But we have smaller curses and jinxes that we learn here in school that have counter curses. In my mind, it stands to reason that if any of those can be broken, then there’s no reason we can’t break a curse on a person.”

            “And how would becoming a curse-breaker help if they only focus on places and things?” Hecat prompted curiously. She’d heard students voicing desires to be curse-breakers before but hadn’t heard this particular argument before. Normally it was about gold or adventure—not selflessness.

            “If I learn more about how to break curses, maybe it’ll give me more ideas on how to break her curse. I don’t know a lot about curses, to be fair, but that’s because I’m not exposed to them, I don’t have to figure out how to unravel them. But I’d learn.”

            “And is that all?” Hecat asked.

            “Not really,” Rhea continued. “I think that there’s a certain level of preservation that needs to be observed—or at least a respect for the history you unearth. It’s an opportunity to learn more about ancient civilizations, for one thing—but it’s also an avenue for uncovering ancient magical secrets. There could be so many wonderful and useful magical practices that we simply don’t know about because the knowledge is locked behind a curse.”

            Hecat considered pointing out the obvious response to this last portion, a word of caution or two—but the young Ravenclaw was already ahead of her on that point.

            “That’s not to say I don’t believe there could be great dangers locked behind these curses,” Rhea said. “And we should always treat them with care and caution… But at the end of the day, my concern is with the hidden knowledge and learning about it. Perhaps this isn’t the most glowing example I could use, but—the Restricted Section in the library...”

            Hecat raised an eyebrow but did not interrupt, motioning for the girl to continue when she paused hesitantly.

            “The Restricted Section supposedly houses loads of books on dark magic,” Rhea said carefully. “Those books just sit there and collect dust and rot away without ever seeing use. And I don’t mean use as in enacting dark magic. I mean, simple reading. What good is preserving knowledge if we can’t learn from it—even if it just means learning from the mistakes of others.”

            “Many of those books are cursed, you know,” Hecat pointed out after a short moment of thought.

            “Curses can be broken,” Rhea countered. She wasn’t sure why she was arguing so passionately about this so suddenly. “I would simply rather know my enemy than remain in the dark. Knowing what a curse entails would make it simpler to break.”

            “For a moment there I thought you were starting to advocate for the school to begin teaching the Dark Arts,” Hecat smiled wryly, a slightly joking note to her voice. “But I believe I understand what you mean. We read history because it reminds us of past mistakes in the hope that we will learn from them for the future. You believe that in studying curses, one might learn to break them. And you aren’t far off. That is indeed a major part of curse-breaking. You would be studying similar things here at Hogwarts if that is a path you intend to pursue.”

            “And… how many O.W.L.s would I need to try and do that in the future?” Rhea asked nervously.

            Hecat’s smile broadened, though it was more grim than pleasant, setting Rhea’s nerves on edge.

            “Eight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “Eight?!”

            “That’s what she told me,” Rhea said sourly as she pruned her young Venomous Tentacula probably a little more harshly than she should have been.

            “There’s no bloody way I’m going to be able to pass eight of my O.W.L.s,” Sebastian said, shaking his head slightly. “Did she at least say which ones we need?”

            “Well, the core five,” Rhea told him as she took a moment to gather up some of her better clippings to put into a small leather pouch to bring to potions at the end of the week. “And in addition to those, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and History of Magic are also required.”

            “Oh, I’m doomed,” Sebastian groaned. “Ancient Runes I can hack—even Arithmancy isn’t too bad once you recognize the patterns… But bloody History of bloody Magic will be the absolute death of me, I swear.”

            “Come on, Bast, don’t think like that!” she chastised. “Professor Hecat says that you should never get in your head about these things. Aim for an O because to aim for anything less is a disgrace to yourself—or something along those lines.”

            “Great advice,” he said bitterly. “I’ve always been bad at History of Magic…”

            “Well, that’s why you have me and Ominis,” she pointed out. “And I’m sure Natty and Poppy would be more than willing to have you join us for our study sessions for it—for a small price.”

            “A price?” he asked incredulously. “What the bloody hell could they want from me?”

            “Spell practice,” Rhea said simply. “You’ve got a great natural affinity for spellcasting of all sorts. And it’s not like they want to cast at you—they want to just review all the ones we’ve learned this year, mostly. The practical ones, not the dueling ones.”

            “I suppose that’s not too steep a price…” Sebastian mused. “I still can’t believe the year’s almost over… Just a few more weeks until Revision starts…”

            “Bast, Revision started the second we got back from break,” Rhea pointed out. “Apparently Amit has been studying for this since fourth year, so we’re technically very far behind.”

            “Well that honestly makes sense,” Sebastian admitted. “Amit is very eager to learn. The quicker he learns his other lessons, the sooner he gets to glue himself back to his telescope.”

            “He’s been a great help studying for Astronomy,” Rhea agreed. “I went and found a couple of nearby ancient Astronomy Tables earlier in the week. It was fascinating.”

            “Seriously, I don’t understand how you can handle how much you have on your plate,” Sebastian told her as he mixed a new batch of water-soluble plant food for the both of them. “Between your work for Fig and the other professors, corralling Natty at every turn, and our… extracurriculars, I truly have no idea where you find time to sleep. And now you’re telling me you’ve been wandering around with Amit half the night looking for Astronomy Tables that haven’t been charted in hundreds of years?”

            “There’s a reason the coffee at the Ravenclaw Table is stronger than the other houses,” Rhea grinned. “Honestly, I think I’ve been exhausting myself so much that when I sleep, I’m sleeping like the dead. And I’ve been sleeping with my window curtains open so whenever the sun starts to rise, I start waking up.”

            “You’re getting up with the sun?” he asked, sounding astounded. “Merlin’s Beard… that could never be me.”

            “Well, having a Common Room beneath the lake would tend to make that a little difficult,” Rhea pointed out. “Hardly any of the towers compare to Ravenclaw’s in height, so we get excellent light in the Common Room. Thankfully, I have a South facing window, so I don’t get blasted by the sun.”

            “Is the Ravenclaw coffee really stronger?” Sebastian asked curiously.

            “Definitely,” Rhea nodded. “I’ll try and find a way to nick some for the Undercroft next time you lot want to study with me.”

            “It’s not that I don’t want to study with you,” he sighed, “I just don’t want to study…”

            “That’s basically the same thing, given my schedule for the next month or so,” Rhea pointed out. “You might have to compromise a little bit.”

            “Maybe we just can’t afford to be friends during exam time,” Sebastian mused.

            “Hmm, maybe,” Rhea said, pretending to consider his suggestion. “You might actually fail those exams if I humored that theory, though, so best not risk it.”

            “No, best not,” he grinned, glancing at her in amusement. She was carefully feeding the many heads on her juvenile Venomous Tentacula fresh Chizpurfle legs that Professor Garlick provided for the class. She jumped a little every time one of the heads would snap shut on her tongs, a delighted little smile on her face.

            Sometimes he forgot that she was still so new to magic. Eight months ago, she’d never even cast a spell, and here she was talking about O.W.L.s and feeding a magical plant as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was almost inspiring, seeing how quickly she took to magic. She was eager to learn and to prove herself, and if anyone were to ask him, he’d say she was one of the best in their year. And she was achieving more than anyone had anticipated while also secretly uncovering magic that hadn’t been seen or used in hundreds of years. To say he admired her would be an understatement.

            He took a moment to simply appreciate the calm moment with his friend. Try as he might to focus on school and his quest to help Anne, he’d found his attention wandering the closer the school year got to its end. Normally he was excited for summer by this point—eager to return to his sister’s side, eager to wander Feldcroft freely, eager for simple rest. But instead, he found himself almost worrying about the upcoming holiday. Eight months ago when she’d arrived, he hadn’t expected her to become such a constant presence in his day-to-day life, but now it was almost like he was becoming bothered about the time off because he was already anticipating missing her. It was absolutely bizarre. Even when Anne had been at Hogwarts and Ominis had spent all his time away from school with his own family, Sebastian hadn’t felt that way. It was positively baffling.

            Suddenly, she was looking at him, a questioning look on her face. He straightened slightly, ears turning red as he was caught staring. It wasn’t like he was staring at her—he’d drifted off into thought, he couldn’t help it! But there was an expectant look in her gaze that had him floundering for an answer, though he didn’t know what it was she was waiting for. Oh Merlin did she just look at his ears? Why was she smiling all of a sudden? Did he have dirt on his nose?

            “Are you finished with the solution, Bast?” she repeated graciously.

            He let out a slight breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding and nodded quickly. He turned back to the small cauldron in front of him and began pouring the plant food into two separate watering cans, willing the blush to leave his ears as quickly as possible. He didn’t think he’d embarrassed her or weirded her out too much, at least. She wasn’t teasing him, which was nice. Maybe he hadn’t actually been staring at her, after all—maybe his gaze had shifted. He had no reason to feel awkward. Not with her.

            He handed her one of the watering cans and she thanked him with a grin, pouring a dose into the water tray beneath the potted plant happily. He followed suit, doing his best to put that interaction—or rather lack thereof—out of his mind. He shouldn’t be thinking about anything other than their upcoming exams. And Rhea was ultimately right—he did stand a chance of passing them all if he actually could focus and work with her. If only he could get those two things to not be mutually exclusive, then he’d be in business.

            “Did Lucan release the next round of duels?” Rhea asked after a few moments, pulling him back out of his thoughts once again. Sebastian seemed to be a little distracted, in her opinion. But then again, Herbology wasn’t one of the subjects he was most interested in, so it was normal for his mind to wander. She hoped that bringing up something he might actually want to talk about might help bring his head back down from the clouds.

            “Yeah, he sent round the quarter final lineups yesterday,” Sebastian said. “We’re up against the Ghastly Ghouls. The Golden Graphorns and Bloody Basilisks are up against one another this week as well, then next week it’s Charm Chargers against the Craic’in Clabberts and the Wild Werewolves against the Hex Hellions.”

            “It’s crazy how quickly time has gone by,” Rhea said, sounding a touch nervous. “I almost can’t believe we’re this close to the finals.”

            “Just four more weeks,” Sebastian grinned. “Four short weeks until we’re named the champions of the whole thing.”

            “Does the tournament usually cut it so close to the school’s revision period?” Rhea asked with a slight frown. “If I’m being completely honest, I thought that there would be a little bit more of a buffer between the competition and exams than there is. To be perhaps a bit too honest, I also thought we would have been out of the tournament by now.”

            “Oi, don’t put that out there,” Sebastian said, waving his hands towards her as if he were trying to get rid of a foul stench. “I’m a proven champion duelist, and you managed to beat me on your very first go around. I barely even took it easy on you, as well. Especially when you actually started fighting me back.”

            “I knew you were holding out on me,” she laughed slightly.

            “Look, I said it was only a little bit,” he reasoned. “You still beat me soundly, even when I started trying.” He shot her a grin and said, “To be honest, I’m not even sure that I want to duel against you again—you’ve got too many powerful tricks up your sleeve. I don’t really want you throwing things at me.”

            “I probably wouldn’t do that to you,” she told him, rolling her eyes slightly. “Maybe if you upset me terribly, I’d consider it. But I would hate to accidentally disintegrate you with ancient magic…”

            “Disintegrate?”

            She nodded with a light hum of confirmation as she carefully turned her plant around on the table, inspecting it closely, unbothered by the question.

            “You can really do that?” he asked incredulously, his eyes wide.

            “Yeah, I accidentally took out one of the training dummies Fig acquired for practice,” she told him with a shrug. “It wasn’t the intended effect, I admit. I was trying to show Professor Fig the smite I learned during the trial, but the dummy turned to ash instead. He thinks it might be less that I disintegrated it and more that I… unmade it.”

            “You’re a little terrifying sometimes, you know that right?” he asked with a slight chuckle. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

            “I doubt you could, at this point,” Rhea mused. “We just get along too well.”

            “Take it from me, Rhea,” Ominis said with a slight grimace as he appeared beside her, stealing her stool smoothly, “Sebastian will always find a way to get on your nerves eventually. I haven’t known a day of peace since I met him. Respectfully, I doubt you’re special enough to escape his unavoidable gift for annoying those he cares about.”

            “Oi, I resent that,” Sebastian said, pushing his friend gently and ducking out of the way of the retaliation swing. “You’ve known plenty of peace.”

            “Yes, well, at a certain point one must learn how to tune it out, so to speak,” Ominis said wryly. “And speaking of tuning things out, are you almost ready for History of Magic?”

            “Yes,” Rhea said, scooping excess soil and unusable clippings into a dustpan at the edge of her desk. “I just need to wash my hands and grab my books.”

            “Wait, class isn’t until after lunch, why are you getting ready now?” Sebastian frowned.

            “Oh, we were going to grab something quick and then study for a little bit in the classroom, maybe see if Professor Binns could answer a few questions if we had any,” Ominis said, matter-of-factly.

            “When did you decide this?” he asked, not remembering when this decision had been made.

            “Oh!” Rhea exclaimed, spinning around and grabbing Ominis’s arm with wide eyes. “Did you forget to tell him?”

            Sebastian’s eyebrows shot into the air, surprised by the sudden outburst and suspicious about what it could mean. “Tell me what?” he asked quickly, glancing between his two friends.

            “I suppose I did,” Ominis mused, looking equally surprised. “It must have slipped my mind… I thought you were going to tell him…”

            “What slipped?”

            “Well, tell him!” Rhea urged. “You did it, not me…”

            “Did what?” Sebastian asked, exasperated. This happened more often than he liked to admit. Ominis and Rhea had a nasty little habit of slipping into private conversation when he was sitting right there. More often than not, those conversations tended to be about him in some roundabout way, leaving him a little irritated that they didn’t seem to hear him, and a little lost as to what they could possibly be going on about.

            “I fixed the Bis Scribe,” Ominis told him quietly after a moment. “I finally got my ink to raise the right way without disappearing before I get a chance to read it.”

            “It’s more than that,” Rhea said excitedly, keeping her voice low as well as she turned to Sebastian, eyes shining with excitement. “He managed to make his ink entirely invisible on his note! That way, no one else can snoop over his shoulder while he’s trying to read it! At the very least, I couldn’t read it—we’re going to try and make another one so that we can test to see if the ink is just invisible or if it can appear to specific people only.”

            “Ominis, that’s incredible!” Sebastian grinned. “When did you manage that?”

            “Well, while you two have been spending your evenings lurking in dark corners of the library, I’ve been working on the spell,” Ominis said simply. “I will say, though, that I still haven’t figured out how to make it so we can use a single note to talk to each other. Rhea and I have a separate Bis Scribe now. And you and I would need our own. We might be able to make it so both of you can send them to me, but I might only be able to respond to both of you the same way. Shockingly, this is turning out to be a very difficult spell to make…”

            “That little hiccup aside, the fact he can have one now isn’t even the best part,” Rhea said. “He’s figured out how to make it so we know when we’ve been sent a message. At least, as long as we have the note on us at the time.”

            “How in Merlin’s name did you manage that?” Sebastian asked, sounding impressed.

            “It’s a simple temperature manipulation spell,” Ominis explained briefly. “Essentially, the note will put out a little burst of heat if you have a message, and it fades after you open it. There were a few dodgy attempts where I nearly set a pillow on fire, but Rhea snuffed it out quickly enough.”

            “Is that why it smelled like a chimney in the Undercroft last week?” Sebastian asked, the pieces slowly slotting together. “Wait—you’ve had this sorted for a whole week and neither of you remembered to tell me?”

            “Ominis did all of the hard work,” Rhea said defensively, pointing at the blind boy. “He was supposed to tell you about it.”

            “You two are practically joint at the hip, I figured she would have told you the first chance she got,” Ominis admitted. “Regardless, you’re welcome to join us before History of Magic—we set it up during one of our Bis Scribe tests. I suppose it was the same deal as telling you about the note modifications: we both assumed the other had told you.”

            “You two have gotten awfully chummy since the Yule Ball,” Sebastian said. “I know I’ve been wanting that to happen for the whole year, but I didn’t expect to become a third wheel of sorts.”

            “It’s a small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things, don’t you think?” Rhea asked teasingly, grinning at him fondly. “We can go back to fighting and ignoring one another if you prefer?”

            “Absolutely not,” Sebastian said, standing up and grabbing his things. “That was a dark time and we will never be going back to that. We’re better together. Even if it means eating lunch in a dusty old classroom with a ghost who doesn’t realize he’s died.”

Chapter Text

            The following weeks were probably some of the most intense that Rhea had experienced in her young life. It wasn’t quite the same sort of intensity as fighting a dragon or invading a den of Ashwinders, but for what it was, it came close. She hadn’t realized how involved the entire school became with Crossed Wands as the final duels drew every closer.

            The Troll Thrashers had abstained from library visits prior to their quarter final duel against the Ghastly Ghouls, opting to practice against one another in the Undercroft instead. Ever since their encounter with the Ashwinder when Natty was kidnapped, they’d been spending more time working on their strategic spellwork. Sebastian had been adamant that their stamina needed a boost, so they’d each practiced holding shields as long as possible against an onslaught of spells. Ominis had even agreed to help with this particular exercise, though he didn’t much like when he was on the receiving end of both Rhea’s and Sebastian’s casting.

            One particular training exercise that Ominis hadn’t been a part of was testing the capacity of their shields. There had been a decent amount of awkward stumbling when they first approached the topic again, but thankfully they’d both been of similar minds regarding the benefits of sharing shield spells. The first time had been a very basic instinct, Sebastian’s desire to save his friend overwhelming his instinct to guard himself. He’d acted without thought then, but after a short discussion, they each began working on training this particular ability.

            Given the amount of spells that got flung around during duels, they had inadvertently blocked spells for one another before. Rhea had done a bait and switch behind Sebastian once to avoid an opponent’s spell while he had been fending off a different spell from the person’s partner. Both spells had ricocheted off of his Protego and allowed Rhea to knock down the duelist pursuing her with ease. It had been an accident, but it had turned the tide of the duel in their favor, ultimately leading to their victory in that round.

            So they began practicing protecting on another in various ways. They started with the basics, of course, first standing behind the shield bubble and sharing the space within a shield bubble, as they had done before. They even managed to cast their shields onto one another freely.

            It wasn’t something they were intending to use—they never went into their duels with a set plan for spell combinations. As good as drills were for practice, they each thrived by adapting to their opponents’ strategies which, more often than not, relied heavily on practice sequences that Lucan had provided for the entire cohort. However, they were delighted each time their strategy paid off in practice. Even if they didn’t intend to use the talents they were building, it was good to have in their back pocket. If they did wind up utilizing it in the competition, it would certainly throw their competitors for a loop.

            The day of their quarter final had arrived almost before they were ready. Though they were eager to prove themselves yet again, there was a growing sense of pressure as the championship began to draw to a close. The stakes were fairly low—bragging rights weren’t necessarily anything that Rhea was very interested in—but she knew that this was much more important to Sebastian, whether he wanted to admit it or not. He’d given up his shot at maintaining his title of Champion so that he could duel at her side for the year and she had no intention of letting him down.

            With that determination in mind, she and Sebastian had been well on their way to soundly defeating the Ghastly Ghouls during their quarter final duel, much to Ominis’s delight. He rather liked it when his friends’ hard work earned him a spare bit of pocket change. And as it turned out, Ominis could be quite a raucous spectator when he wanted to be. He’d taunted the Ghouls until Philip Cooper had let his irritation with the Slytherin boil over, sending a spell flying wide towards where Ominis was standing within the crowd.

            Thankfully, the gates blocking the spectators from the duelists had been rather cleverly charmed to deflect spells, keeping them contained within the arena. Unfortunately for the Ghastly Ghouls, this meant that when Philip Cooper turned and specifically targeted the watching crowd, it didn’t matter that he was aiming at one person—he disengaged from the duel with bad intentions. It had been a rare occurrence in the past, but it had been known to happen once in a blue moon: the offending team was immediately disqualified from the competition.

            What had been originally set out as a highly anticipated match turned into a landslide victory and a deeply shameful expulsion. This had only been the first match of the day, and everyone went into the second match between the Golden Graphorns and the Bloody Basilisks with a healthy dose of trepidation. Rhea and Sebastian hadn’t intended on staying to watch for long, but given the healthy number of glares being thrown Ominis’s way from several members of Gryffindor house, they decided that their friend—who insisted on staying because he’d done absolutely nothing wrong—needed protecting more than they needed a break.

            The match had started out trepidatious more than anything, each team careful to aim with intention, not allowing themselves to focus on anything but their own spellcasting. Despite his desire to voice his opinions, Ominis had the good sense to keep quiet—but his previous performance had definitely done wonders for riling up the already excitable crowd. None of the other students held back on heckling once the duelists fell into their stride.

            It was a long match—several minutes longer than Rhea and Sebastian’s had been, and surely one of the longest the competition had seen so far. By the time it finished, the Bloody Basilisks had been soundly defeated, laying on the floor while two seventh years set about making certain they were okay. The Golden Graphorns were in the semi-finals against the Troll Thrashers, and Rhea and Sebastian had gotten an ample look at the skills of their opponents.

            The following week had been filled with plenty of rest for Rhea and Sebastian, their energy going mostly into studying for their rapidly approaching exams, though Ominis did insist that they spent an hour or so each day drilling their trickier spell combinations in the Undercroft. He was, as it turned out, incredibly invested in the sport—and even more invested in his friends’ success in it. Sebastian suspected that there was some pressure on Ominis from Anne, who had been sending them multiple letters each week offering tips and suggestions. She was their self-proclaimed biggest fan, though one little fact that Rhea’s letters included that Sebastian’s didn’t was that Anne was dreading the near-inevitable duel between The Troll Thrashers and the Charm Chargers, Natty and Garreth’s team.

             Rhea and Sebastian had opted to avoid attending that week’s Crossed Wands matches, not wanting to allow the anticipation of facing one of the pairs of duelists to get into their heads. Besides, it wouldn’t matter who won those matches until the following week. If the Troll Thrashers were to take the entire tournament, they’d only be facing one of those four teams in the final. Better to keep the Golden Graphorns’ performance in mind going into the Semi-final.

            Ominis had still attended of course—he had placed small bets on each of the duels and it was necessary for him to collect his winnings. After the heckling incident, of course, he couldn’t very well attend the duels all alone. As such, Sebastian had enlisted Poppy Sweeting, who had been more than happy to assist once she had been thoroughly reassured that she wasn’t going to upset Ominis by hanging around.  Sebastian, naturally, assured her that there would be nothing at all wrong with her assisting Ominis—in fact, the young man was going to be absolutely delighted to spend time with her. They were friends after all.

            The Slytherin had not, in fact been thrilled by the prospect. He’d even specifically told Sebastian to sod off when it had been suggested. He’d worked himself up into a proper rant before realizing that Rhea was present with them in the Undercroft at the time, at which point he fell decidedly silent on the subject.

            Ominis was positively livid with Sebastian when he found out that his friend had gone ahead and asked Poppy to spend time with him, though he felt embarrassed when he realized how hard Sebastian had tried to convince Poppy to join him. It wasn’t anything that the boy or girl said that tipped him off, really, but Poppy had told him she was surprised he’d wanted to spend time with her, since she was convinced that he didn’t really like her. She’d thought that they’d had a good time hiding from Leander at the Yule Ball, but when he’d decided to mostly ignore her when she joined them on the train at the start of term she’d been doubtful. She hadn’t expected them to be best friends, but she’d hoped they’d at least be able to speak to one another normally.

            He hadn’t been certain what to say to that, really, other than a rigid apology. Truth be told, Sebastian was right. He did fancy Sweeting. He had for the past two years. But where he was stoic and indifferent, she was vibrant and deeply caring. He would never be able to understand the adoration she held for beasts, or the zeal she had for idle chatter, but he wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to be able to participate in simple and easy conversation with the girl. He just… didn’t really know where to start.

            He supposed that was part of why Sebastian had arranged for Poppy to keep Ominis company at the duels—he was giving his friend a chance to learn more about the girl, a chance to make a genuine connection. Only problem was that Ominis didn’t know how. He was bad at speaking from the heart at the best of times—it didn’t make it any easier considering how bloody nervous Sweeting made him.

            But regardless of his issues, it seemed Sweeting had next to none when it came to him. It didn’t exactly make him feel confident in the chances that she might fancy him back, but she was able to fill his awkward silences with comfortable conversation. Her biting wit wasn’t quite as wicked as it had been at the Yule Ball, but there was a ghost of it still in her words as she quietly gave him details about the duel they were attending, leaning close and sending a faint shiver down his spine when she touched his arm to warn him she was still there.

            He’d barely paid attention to tracking his bets because he was so focused on trying to make an effort to appear friendly to the girl next to him. Not that he wasn’t friendly, of course—he was definitely friendly—he just was bad at showing it, apparently. Well, not apparently—apparently it was pretty well accepted that he wasn’t very friendly if you didn’t know him. Or at least, he wasn’t very approachable. And he was working very hard to be approachable. Luckily, she had been paying more attention to the outcomes and his neatly written list of bets than he had been.

            Moving forward to the semi-finals were the Charm Chargers and the Hex Hellions, both immediately giving one another wary looks once the outcomes of their quarter-final duels had been decided. It was a classic Slytherin versus Gryffindor matchup—arguably the match to watch.

            The third week of the tournament’s final matches was far more tense than the previous ones. Each of the four teams were well aware that they were just two duels away from absolute victory—or one bad duel away from defeat. The competition was beginning to truly ramp up, to the point that Natty didn’t bother attending the usual Monday study session with her friends, leaving Poppy and Rhea alone for the day.

            Poppy was struggling to remain neutral at this point in the game, as she reluctantly told Rhea during the study meeting that Natty opted to miss. She was excited to see her friends all thriving in the competition, but it was becoming difficult to know who to support. Natty and Garreth had been her friends for a much longer time than Rhea and Sebastian had been, so part of her felt like the time put into those relationships had to impact her support for them in some way. But then there was Rhea, who she would forever be indebted to because of her help in ensuring Highwing’s safety. Who was she to disagree with a hippogriff?

            And then of course, Poppy simply couldn’t ignore the Slytherin boy. She still fancied him quite a lot, fully undeterred by his brief dalliance with Adelaide Oakes, the prettiest girl in their year. And he’d been starting to seek her out sometimes, which was exciting in its own right. She never knew what to say to him, so she just said everything that came to mind. And it didn’t matter that half the time he was asking if she would mind keeping Ominis company at some of the duels—it meant Sebastian was thinking of her, right? He wanted to make sure she attended the duels, Poppy reasoned.

            Rhea hadn’t been very talkative about it, which gave Poppy pause. Part of her understood the Ravenclaw’s reluctance to offer much more than simple exclamations and vaguely supportive attempts to steer the conversation in a different direction. She and Sebastian were incredibly good friends. It probably felt strange talking about him in a romantic sense—and it probably was not easy keeping such a secret from him. Poppy appreciated Rhea’s discretion in not telling the boy about her infatuation, of course—though she wished the girl was willing to be at all forthcoming with information about the handsome Slytherin instead. Of course, Poppy wasn’t sure she would be ready to hear anything about who held Sebastian Sallow’s affections, even if Rhea did happen to know.

            But despite the way that Poppy inadvertently kept bringing the conversation back to Rhea’s dueling partner, the Ravenclaw was hardly able to pay attention to it. She’d already made it incredibly clear that she had no desire to discuss boys or girls or anyone—her focus was solely on the competition and on passing her O.W.L.s. Little else could be nearly as important until those were over and done with. That was the simple truth of it.

            Thursday came around faster than the duelists would have liked—though at the same time it was one of the longest waits of their young lives. When they arrived at the arena, Rhea was struck very suddenly by the shock of seeing so many students crammed into the clock tower—it seemed that while most of the eliminated competitors attended nearly all of the duels, there were several more students outside of the club that were in the know. It was as if half the school was there.

            The Troll Thrashers were up against the Golden Graphorns first, and for the first time, Rhea felt… nervous going into the duel. She stood next to Sebastian while Lucan gave his announcements and did his best to rile up the already raucous crowd, anxiously tapping her wand against the palm of her hand, not really paying attention. When Lucan turned and started inspecting their opponents’ wands, Sebastian reached over and placed his hand over hers, stilling the repetitive motion gently.

            She looked up at him, searching for some reassurance or vote of confidence and he gave her a grin. There was excitement in his warm brown eyes, but a touch of nervousness as well. In a way it was comforting to see that he had his own reservations, even if they didn’t speak about it. The fact that he’d won Crossed Wands before meant that he was familiar with the nerves that came with making the finals and he knew what it was like to come out on top. If he was nervous, then it was almost okay for her to feel nervous too—she was technically a rookie, after all. He gave her a firm nod when he saw the worry in her furrowed brow lessen slightly, removing his hand from hers to give her a comforting pat on the back as Lucan bounded over to inspect their wands.

            A slight hush fell over the crowd as the duel began, leaving a faint ringing noise in Rhea’s ears as the echoes of cheers faded. It was a short-lived silence as the crowd immediately erupted into cheers and heckles once Lucan shot sparks into the air with his wand, commencing the duel.

            Despite her earlier worry, Rhea found that she and Sebastian were moving well together, deftly dodging and redirecting spells back at the Graphorns. Ffion Prowell, a sixth year Hufflepuff was immediately on the offensive, concentrating his fire on Sebastian, who retreated slightly to maintain distance from the boy. Rhea used Ffion’s focus against him, however, opting to ignore his dueling partner for a few moments to fire her own offensive spells against the Hufflepuff while he was busy trying to break Sebastian’s shield.

            When Joyce Wellins picked up that her passivity was part of Rhea’s tactic, however, she began firing spells back at Rhea to defend her teammate, allowing him to focus his energy back on Sebastian with less fear of retaliation. It was difficult for Rhea to get a hit on Joyce, however. The Hufflepuff girl was particularly adept at protection magic it seemed—it was rather difficult to find a crack to exploit in her shield spells. But in the end it wasn’t a big problem for the Troll Thrashers to handle the upperclassmen.

            All their training with spell stamina and maintaining shields was paying off. Sebastian was able to fend off Ffion’s barrage of spells with relative ease. This left the Hufflepuff frustrated, causing him to make riskier moves as he focused all of his efforts into charging up his spells so that they would hopefully break Sebastian’s ward. This was exactly what the Slytherin was hoping for. With his classic smirk, Sebastian deflected a rather nasty blasting curse back at his opponent before dropping his shield and bearing down on the young man with Incendio.

            This, in turn (and to the delight of the Troll Thrashers), had more than the intended effect of exhausting Ffion. As it turned out, Joyce was rather afraid of fire—she could barely produce sparks she was so nervous around large flames. And with all the practice they’d been doing, Sebastian was able to produce a veritable blaze. With Joyce distracted, Rhea was able to utilize Ffion’s earlier strategy—blasting hexes and curses at Joyce in rapid succession. With her mind focused on avoiding the flames that were directed at her partner and her lesser stamina with maintaining spells for long periods of time, even Joyce’s particular skill with protection magic wasn’t enough to stop Rhea from obliterating her shield.

            The duel was short work after that, and the Troll Thrashers managed to come out on top. Rhea and Sebastian helped up their opponents, congratulating them on an excellent match and wishing them luck in the duel they’d be participating in to determine what team would take third place in the championship. When they rejoined Ominis and Poppy in the spectator zone, the reality of their situation hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

            It was a crowded area, students seeming more like an overpopulated den of mooncalves all clumped together staring with wide eyes as Lucan performed the typical pre-duel rituals once more. There was excited muttering filling the hall as everyone crowded closer to try and get a decent duel. The large group had been kind enough to part enough to allow Rhea and Sebastian into their midst as they bunched up with their waiting friends.

            Rhea reached out and gently grabbed Ominis’s sleeve, using it to pull herself through the crowd, slipping her arm through his once she reached him, Sebastian following practically on her heels. Poppy gave a holler of excitement and gave Rhea a tight hug, which the girl returned with one arm, keeping a hold of her other friend, who was getting his hair rather aggressively ruffled by Sebastian, who was practically bouncing with adrenaline from the win. Poppy beamed up at the Slytherin, reciting several congratulations over the noise of the crowd. He grinned back at her and gave her shoulder a shake as he thanked her, slinging his arm around Ominis’s shoulders as they all turned to look back at the duel being set up behind the gate.

            As Lucan began inspecting Natty and Garreth’s wands, Sebastian gently grabbed Rhea’s shoulder and leaned down to mutter excitedly in her ear, quiet enough that their companions couldn’t hear. It was innocent praise, but it still made Rhea blush slightly as she turned and gave him a delighted look, eagerly returning the sentiments. They really had performed quite well that day.

            An even heavier silence fell over the crowd as Lucan called the room to attention. It seemed as if the audience was collectively holding their breath, the stakes of the prolonged silence rising with every moment. A shower of sparks and the duel began, in a word: explosively.

            Hattie Kemp was a rather vicious fifth year Slytherin. Rhea didn’t know much about her, but she’d seen her hanging around with Bertie more often than not. She supposed that was how Imelda Reyes had wound up as the girl’s partner for Crossed Wands in the first place. Both girls were bearing down on the Gryffindors without pause, focusing their joint attacks on Garreth instead of Natty. Instead of using shield spells, they simply did their best to duck out of the way of the Gryffindor girl’s attacks instead. Sometimes, they even just took them in stride, stumbling or getting levitated for a few moments before they were back to pummeling Weasley.

            Poppy was still giving Ominis a play-by-play of the action, helpfully checking his list of bets and keeping him up to date on which ones were currently going in his favor. Rhea shifted nervously, watching the duel progress. It was definitely far more reckless a match than the previous one had been, and Rhea gripped one of the bars of the gate in front of her tightly, anxious for her friends. Despite their skill, they seemed to be taking quite a beating. She felt Sebastian’s hand come to rest on her shoulder again as he gave her a comforting squeeze, watching the duel with the same intensity that she was. He certainly knew which team he would rather be dueling…

            The crowd was borderline deafening as the two biggest rivals of the school faced off. Rhea could see the frustration in Natty’s face as the Slytherins began to incapacitate Garreth completely. The Gryffindor boy fell to his knees, anger plain on his exhausted face as the Hex Hellions turned to take on Natty.

            The Gryffindor girl put up a valiant effort, befitting a true lionheart, but it was ultimately in vain. The Charm Chargers were knocked out of the running for Crossed Wands Champion. They still had a shot at third place against the Golden Graphorns, but neither of the Gryffindors were exactly thrilled about the prospect. There had been a lot of house pride tied up with their duel, and it was a nasty blow to be knocked out by their rivals.

            Once Lucan had made the final announcements for the day, opening the floor up to dueling practice and spell drills, the realization set in. Rhea turned around to look at Sebastian slowly, her expression filled with disbelief. He seemed concerned about the look she was giving him, but his face broke into a grin when he understood what was going on in her mind. They’d made the finals—they had a fifty-fifty shot of becoming school Champions.

            Ominis was utterly thrilled by the outcome of his strategic investments and was already in the process of scribbling out new predictions for the final round of Crossed Wands as the rest of the crowd began to filter out. Rhea shrugged out from Sebastian’s grip and took Poppy’s hand, pulling her through the crowd to go and find Natty and Garreth. Rhea wasn’t sure that the Gryffindors would be too eager to see her given their defeat, but she wasn’t about to abandon her friends when they likely needed support.

            To her surprise and delight, Garreth was already grinning when they found them, patting Natty on the back with a raucous laugh. When he spotted Poppy and Rhea his smile only grew as he stepped forward and pulled Rhea into a tight hug, lifting her and giving her a spin, similar to how he had at the Yule Ball. Around her surprise and delight at the gesture, Rhea realized that he was adamantly congratulating her on her performance and a smile broke out onto her face as he put her back down on the ground, slightly more carefully than he had at the Ball. As he turned to greet Poppy as well and accept her condolences, Rhea turned face Natty, who was halfway smiling, though Rhea could see the thinly veiled disappointment behind it.

            But Natsai Onai was a true friend, though and through. She wasn’t going to let her personal failure or disappointment spoil her excitement for her friends. She may not have a chance at winning the partnered Crossed Wands Tournament, but she was still in the running for the Solo Championship title— and she was more determined than ever to show Hattie Kemp who was truly the best duelist in the school. While she was disappointed that she wasn’t going to be able to test her mettle dueling against Rhea and Sebastian that year, there was always next year. Besides—if anyone was going to put the Hex Hellions in their places, it was always going to be the Troll Thrashers.

            One week later they were all gathered in the Clock Tower one last time and the tension was palpable in their air. The crowd was chattering excitedly as they peered through the bars at the same four teams who had dueled the previous week. Lucan was explaining how the day would work to the duelists, ignoring the clamoring students outside the magical barriers. They would hold the third place match between the Charm Chargers and the Golden Graphorns first before moving on to the main event. Keep the crowd on the edge of their seats, so to speak.

            There was little time after that point. Rhea and Sebastian moved back into the dedicated Safe area from where Lucan monitored the duels to watch the third place match. Imelda and Hattie joined them. The latter kept to herself, waving eagerly at Bertie across the makeshift arena, while Imelda joined Rhea and Sebastian in actually watching the match.

            “You know, I didn’t actually want to join Crossed Wands this year,” Imelda said shortly. “It’s a waste of my time, really. I should be bugging Professor Black about Quidditch instead…”

            “And yet, here you are,” Sebastian said. “You could always forfeit, you know.”

            “You and I both know you wouldn’t be happy winning like that,” Imelda joked drily. “No, we’re in it to the end. Though I suppose I have to admit—it probably wouldn’t be terrible if we lost to you two. You’re a tough team. And it’ll still technically be a victory for Slytherin—even if we have to share it with Ravenclaw.”

            “Touching,” Rhea commented lightly. “It was nice of you to help Hattie out, this year though. Do you reckon you might compete again next year?”

            Imelda let out a short laugh and shook her head, “Even if we win, I’m not going to rejoin next year. If I get my way—and I usually do—Quidditch will be back again, and I’ll be pretty occupied with that. It’s a wee bit more difficult than slinging spells at our classmates.”

            “Debatable,” Sebastian said. “We manage to keep very busy pretty much every day.”

            “Trained a lot for this then?” Imelda asked after the briefest pause.

            Rhea looked over at her with a furrowed brow and discreetly touched Sebastian on the arm when he went to respond. He managed to avoid relaying the true answer but glanced at Rhea in confusion. Imelda continued watching the match, waiting patiently for their response.

            “No, we’ve been mostly focusing on our O.W.L.s,” Rhea said. “Sometimes there’s overlap. Besides, not too much to practice in dueling. It’s just spells, after all.”

            Imelda made a noncommittal noise and wished them luck, sauntering back over to her partner who was practicing wand forms in a corner, ignoring the duel taking place. Rhea stepped closer to Sebastian and muttered, “Thank you for understanding. I think she was trying to… I don’t know… get in our head, figure out our strategy… something to throw us off our game.”

            “She does love a good competition,” Sebastian mused, keeping his eye on Natty and Garreth closely. “I wouldn’t put it past her to try and fish for information… Though mind games are more your cousin’s wheelhouse. Did you know she’s been actually pleasant to me the past few weeks? She hasn’t insulted me once this semester.”

            “Isn’t that a good thing?” Rhea asked with a slight frown.

            “Bloody odd is what it is,” Sebastian said, his gaze flicking to the dark haired girl across the room suspiciously. “She asked me to study with her the other day for Hecat’s class. I didn’t understand why, and I obviously said no, but I guess it makes sense. She must have wanted to tell Hattie and Imelda about the way I practice dueling or something… Did she ask you?”

            “Of course not,” Rhea said with a frown. It wasn’t pleasant, knowing that her cousin clearly just wasn’t interested in being friends with her again—less so knowing that she was willing to try and take advantage of Sebastian despite him being one of her rivals. It made Rhea think that perhaps her friends were right about Bertie. And she did her best to ignore the unsettled knot in the pit of her stomach at Sebastian’s revelation. She wondered why he hadn’t told her about it…

            But of course that didn’t matter—not really. If anything it was doing exactly what Imelda had been trying to do: it was distracting her. It didn’t matter what Bertie said or did. All that mattered for the moment was that she and Sebastian remained focused and did their best. Sure it would sting to lose, but they would put up a hell of a fight no matter the outcome.

            All too quickly, the third place duel was decided. Ffion and Joyce were relegated to fourth place in the tournament. Natty and Garreth were hugging and the Gryffindor boy was pumping a fist in the air triumphantly. The Charm Chargers had placed third. The winning duelists made their way to Lucan’s box where the finalists were waiting. Garreth once again picked Rhea up and gave her a spin, wishing her luck and quickly whispering some of the weaknesses he’d spotted when they’d lost to the Hex Hellions in her ear before placing her back on the ground. His cheeks red from the exertion of the duel or perhaps the thoughts running through his mind, he gave her a dazzling smile before quickly leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek, claiming it was for luck. That done, he released her and turned to give Sebastian a firm handshake, pulling him closer to impart the same last minute wisdom, though he didn’t offer the same display of affection. Natty gave Rhea a tight squeeze and told her to relax and simply have fun, though Rhea was scarlet in the face because of Garreth’s actions. She dueled best when she was confident and relaxed. There were no real stakes to the competition, after all.

            And then Lucan was urging the duelists into the ring and addressing the crowd. Rhea wished that the young Gryffindor would just get on with it and ignore the theatrics, but he was practically feeding off of the cheering and excitement that thrummed through the clock tower. Lucan gestured to the Hex Hellions who bowed for the crowd dramatically, smug grins on their faces when they returned to standing normally. Rhea felt Sebastian grab her hand and raise their arms into the air when Lucan gestured to them, urging her to bow with him, which she did, though she was about half a beat late out of surprise.

            Lucan turned and began the wand inspections and Sebastian took the opportunity to turn to Rhea, a serious look on his face. “Remember what we talked about—they don’t like using shields, but we do—we can fend them off, no problem. We’ve worked hard for this, and we aren’t going to give up now. You and I, we’re a proper team. They aren’t going to get the better of us today.”

            “Thank you for choosing me,” Rhea said quickly. “You took a risk agreeing to be my partner for all this. I’m glad you did.”

            “So am I,” Sebastian said with an affectionate grin. “Remember: breathe. I’m going to be right there beside you.”

            She grinned at him and turned to face Lucan, who was practically bouncing with anticipation as he reached for their wands. The young man certainly knew how to put on a tournament, that was for certain. Their wands, as usual, were perfectly fine and he sent the Troll Thrashers over to their corner of the dueling floor with a final wish of good luck. Sebastian gave Rhea’s hand a final squeeze of comfort and confidence before turning on the spot and readying his wand. Rhea sank into a comfortable stance beside him and leveled her wand at Hattie carefully.

            The crowd fell silent and the weight of it far exceeded any of the duels that had been held previously. It was almost as if someone had cast a silencing charm on the entire room as the seconds grew longer and longer. Lucan slowly raised his wand, holding it aloft for an agonizingly long moment before a rain of sparks shot out of his wand. At the same moment, the clock above the crowd let out an ominous toll, ringing loudly in the hall, breaking the tense silence.

            Immediately the Hellions were on the offensive, firing spells at both of the Thrashers. It seemed they were trying out a slightly different tactic than they had the previous week. They weren’t trying to isolate either of them—instead they were trying to keep the duel short and sweet. Hattie’s smug look had turned into a snarl the second the duel had commenced, taking long strides forward with every spell she cast at Rhea, gearing up for what was undoubtedly a close range blast of Incendio.

            As the first Hex Hellion bore down on the Ravenclaw, she felt a hand grab hers and yank her to the left. She smirked as Hattie looked on in surprise while Sebastian put up a shield around the pair of them, easily deflecting her spells. Rhea stood directly in front of the Slytherin boy and knelt down, firing spells back at the Hex Hellions through his shield, a wicked grin on her face as Hattie was hoisted into the air. Rhea quickly hit her with Expelliarmus and directed her fire towards Imelda instead, who was staring in confusion at the move the Troll Thrashers had pulled.

            With Hattie momentarily dispatched, Rhea dove out of Sebastian’s shield and put up her own, staying between him and their opponents. He sidestepped out from behind her and cast a few spells at Imelda, whose shield casting was slow and not as effective as theirs. She was effectively dueling alone while Hattie was wandless. The levitation spell lost its hold on the girl and she felt to the ground, managing to keep her feet but frantically searching for her, giving Rhea and Sebastian a few more moments to focus on Imelda.

            They swapped again, Sebastian taking over their shield and stepping back into Rhea’s space as she dropped hers and knocked Imelda off her feet with Flipendo. When she hit the ground, her wand slipped out of her hand, skittering across the floor as Hattie managed to get a hold of hers. However, as she turned to begin another barrage against the Troll Thrashers, Rhea dove out of Sebastian’s shield again, drawing the girl’s attention. As she began to focus on the Ravenclaw, who was making a beeline for where Imelda was struggling to her feet, Sebastian dropped his shield for a brief moment to disarm Hattie once more, sending the wand flying across the room behind him.

            He shot his housemate a devious grin and ignored her for a few more moments, casting a shield spell around Rhea as she continued casting at Imelda, who had regained her wand. She was frantically throwing up shields which Rhea was expertly shattering, a growing grin on her face. Imelda had been wrong. There was a lot more to dueling than simply slinging spells at their classmates.

            Rhea levitated the Slytherin and disarmed her intentionally this time before turning and rushing back to Sebastian’s side just in time to put up a shield around them both as Hattie turned and began firing on them and her partner dropped his shield spell. Sebastian took up the offensive, quickly advancing forward the same fervor that Hattie had exhibited at the start of the duel, Rhea following a step behind him. In a way, it was almost like they were dancing, perfectly timed, perfectly together.

            With a flourish, Sebastian managed to disarm Hattie again with a delighted laugh as the girl let out a frustrated growl. He turned to face Rhea, firing spells around her at Imelda who had been advancing on them from behind. Rhea kept her eye on Hattie who was making another dash for her wand, waiting for the right moment to drop the shield. Sebastian grinned slightly as Imelda came closer. Hattie regained her wand and Rhea gave an almost imperceptible nod.

            “Are you sure you wanna try this one?” she asked under her breath as Sebastian fired another spell at Imelda, trying to tempt the girl to lash out.

            “Oh, absolutely, I do,” Sebastian grinned devilishly. “On my mark, yeah?”

            Rhea nodded again, focusing on keeping their shield up. She wasn’t as good at maintaining the spell as Sebastian was, but he was counting on her, so she was giving it her all.

            One.

            Hattie was taking long strides forward, anger plain in her face. She didn’t like being toyed with—disarming her so many times was a dirty trick in her eyes, effective though it was. On top of that, she’d never seen anyone cast spells like these two had been. She didn’t even know it was possible to share shield spells—or how they were even doing it. At first, she’d thought that they were simply hiding behind each other, but up close, it was easy to see they were, in fact, sharing the spell at times.

            Two.

            Imelda saw the determined look in Hattie’s eyes as she stared daggers at the Ravenclaw. She stepped forward in time with her partner, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sebastian Sallow was a fierce competitor and a top notch duelist, but the spells he was firing at her didn’t seem to pack the same sort of firepower that they had been at the start of the duel. They were diminished even from the previous minute when he’d been bearing down on Hattie. There was also a glinting, mischievous look in his eye as he carefully aimed his spells in her direction almost as if he were daring her to lash out at Rhea's turned back. He placed his free hand on Rhea’s shoulder with a tight grip as he muttered something to her quietly.

            Three.

            It happened so fast that half of the spectators hadn’t realized what had happened at first. Hattie and Imelda had taken strong stances, waving their wands in sync, putting all of their willpower into their spells. In unison they cast Confringo, hoping that one would be able to break the shield while the other knocked out one of their opponents. Even just dealing with one of them would be better than both if they were going to keep up such a tough game of cat and mouse.

            This was, quite frankly, exactly what Sebastian had been hoping would happen. When Sebastian reached the end of his countdown, Rhea dropped her shield and Sebastian drove himself to the floor, pulling Rhea down with him. He twisted so that they were facing opposite directions and gave her a push before diving away himself, effectively removing them both from the line of fire. She rolled and came to her feet, wand pointed at Hattie, while Sebastian leveled his at Imelda.

            The blasting curses flew past one another, trailing wicked red sparks as they passed through the space the Troll Thrashers had occupied just a few seconds before. They careened through the air and impacted on each of the Slytherins, knocking them to the ground. The girls gasped and wheezed, unable to stand, their wands flung from their grasps as the realization hit them too late—both figuratively and literally.

            The previously loud hall had fallen silent in that moment, shock seeming to settle over the crowd. Rhea and Sebastian remained rigid, never dropping their focus as they waited for the inevitable rain of multicolored sparks that flew from Lucan’s wand.

            The hall erupted in cheers and Rhea dropped her arm to her side, a wide smile soaring onto her face as Sebastian rushed over and pulled her into a tight hug, rocking them side to side as he laughed. Suddenly, more arms wrapped around the pair of them as Natty and Garreth appeared, loudly cheering along with the rest of the group.

            They had done it. Rhea and Sebastian were Crossed Wands Champions.

Chapter Text

            The final day of classes was difficult to focus on. Everyone was eager to be finished with their exams and while summer was still a few weeks away, they were just as eager to take full advantage of their revision week. Fifth and Seventh years alike were becoming rarer to see on the castle grounds. Most flocked to the library while the rest invaded their house common rooms or found empty classrooms to use. The impending doom of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s had inspired fear of failure in even the most unmotivated students.

            Rhea was sitting at her desk in Transfiguration, tapping her foot impatiently as Professor Weasley graded their most recent essays. She knew that soon she was going to have to have a meeting with the woman about her Field Guide and she wasn’t completely ready for that to happen. She wanted to keep it but was worried that the deputy headmistress would take it away over the summer.

            The rest of the class was chatting excitedly in low tones. Professor Weasley had allowed them to spend the second half of the class period playing a pocket sized version of Summoner’s Court, one side of the room against the other. It was completely voluntary, but the usual suspects had eagerly jumped at the chance to play. Rhea was fairly uninterested, as the majority of the ones playing were part of the Summoner’s Court league and they were taking it far too seriously for her liking. As such, Leander Prewett was currently throwing a bit of a fit over a rather cheeky move Garreth had pulled by knocking one of Leander’s targets off the edge of the field.

            Sebastian and Ominis had joined Rhea, Poppy, and Natty on their side of the classroom to half-heartedly study, which was the other option Professor Weasley had provided for students that weren’t keen to play the summoning game. There wasn’t much studying going on, truth be told, but they made a good show of at least making it look like that was what was happening.

            Poppy and Natty were sitting at one desk, quietly explaining some old star maps to Ominis, who was practically resigned to failing his Astronomy O.W.L. It was nice that they were trying to help, of course, but he was only half listening—and by half listening, it meant he was mostly listening to Poppy, struggling to put his focus on Natty as well. Natty also seemed to be rather distracted, though she wasn’t willing to talk about it—not that any of them were asking.

            Ominis was squished on one side of Rhea’s bench, sandwiching her between himself and Sebastian, who had squeezed in on her other side. He was hunched over the desk slightly, scratching out a rough sketch with his quill as Rhea recited the anatomy of the venomous tentacular. He let out a small hum of approval when she reached the end of the list before reciting it back to her, frowning when he got anything wrong.

            Rhea looked down at his drawing with a delighted and small smile. She hadn’t expected him to be drawing their little group, but he was doing a decent job of it. He glanced up at the rest of the group and blushed slightly when he realized Rhea had finally noticed what he was working on, but he continued working all the same. He wished that he was a better artist than he was. He wasn’t terrible, by any means, but he certainly wasn’t incredible. He could never quite get Ominis’s nose right. He was quite good at Rhea, though, and he vaguely hoped that she wouldn’t notice.

            He wasn’t that lucky though, it seemed, as she closed her Field Guide and learned closer to inspect his work. He leaned back slightly to give her more room—the desks in Transfiguration weren’t meant for three people to crowd them. She was grinning and glancing at the other three, who remained oblivious, comparing the work to the real thing in front of her. She scrunched up her nose though the longer she looked and glanced at him with a slight shake of her head as she carefully pointed to herself. His stomach dropped slightly but she was smiling nonetheless.

            “You made me too pretty there,” she said matter-of-factly, a gentle teasing tone to her voice as she continued to shake her head slightly. “My hair’s never that neat.”

            “It’s literally just what you look like,” Sebastian said defensively, frowning slightly at her words. He wouldn’t have drawn her that way if she didn’t actually look like that. She was very pretty, that wasn’t up for debate—though he couldn’t very well tell her that. Especially not right before exams—before summer break. He had a hard enough time getting himself to think about it without chastising himself so telling her he thought she was exactly that pretty was out of the question.

            “I dunno—Ominis looks quite good though,” Rhea said with a slight nod, cheeks faintly pink at his rather blunt statement. “You got his eyes right…”

            “Really?” he asked, surprised as he leaned in to inspect the drawing again more closely. “I always have a hard time with his nose. Looks a bit too wide to me…”

            “That doesn’t look like studying to me,” Professor Weasley said imperiously, peering down her nose through her rectangular spectacles at the drawing. The two students jumped and looked up at her with wide eyes as she waited patiently for their responses.

            “We were studying Herbology,” Rhea said quickly. “He focuses best when he has something else to fiddle with, so he was drawing.”

            “Yes, I’ve seen his drawings many times before,” Professor Weasley nodded, handing them their essays before moving on. “Miss Pennywhistle, if you could stay after class, we’ll be going over your Field Guide. And I’d be more than happy to offer any advice concerning your revision for the O.W.L.s in two weeks.”

            Rhea grimaced and set her head down on the desk with a solid thunk. Sebastian quickly moved the drawing so she didn’t stick her face in the still-drying ink and began to doodle some more. He gently prompted her to continue with their Herbology Revision, which she reluctantly did, moving on to the Chomping Cabbages.

            A few minutes later, however, Professor Weasley dismissed the class with a warm smile around the room. She’d watched many of these students grow up from the very start of their time at Hogwarts, and it was always difficult to end her fifth year classes. It was difficult seeing the students so grown up, taking the first step towards their futures with the O.W.L.s. But it was an honor to guide them. As they all hurried out of the classroom, she kept an eye on the few lingering souls glancing back at the newest fifth-year.

            She was delighted that the girl had managed to make so many good friends throughout the year. She hoped that they would remain in touch over the summer, but she supposed it was none of her business. She was an educator, a mentor. And she was meant to guide this young woman throughout her years at Hogwarts. It didn’t matter that Professor Fig was her first teacher, or that Professor Hecat was her head of house. Matilda Weasley was determined to shape this young woman into a bright young witch.

            The girl approached the teacher’s desk with a small, but nervous smile. Rhea handed over her Field Guide and Professor Weasley accepted it with an approving nod before gesturing off to the side where her office was waiting for them. Rhea followed behind her somewhat reluctantly. Professor Weasley supposed it was natural for the young woman to be nervous—this was a big deal. It would determine how well she’d done throughout the year to catch up to her other classmates, and it would help determine what sort of adjustments would need to be made to her curriculum the following year.

            Thankfully, it appeared that the girl was a quick study. Matilda had witnessed it herself in the classroom, and in the rumors she’d heard of the girl’s escapades in the greater Hogwarts region. It had taken a good amount of influence to squash the rumors, but she’d made certain it was done. Professor Weasley was truly uncertain of how the girl had been passed over four years prior, when she should have been admitted to Hogwarts, and she wasn’t about to let some silly rumors and arguably good deeds undermine the girl’s opportunity to flourish in the magical world. No; while she was deputy headmistress, she wasn’t going to allow the Pennywhistle girl to fall off the proverbial wagon.

            Despite the talk about the girl’s extracurriculars, it seemed that it had no real effect on her coursework. The Field Guide was filled out dutifully, filled with fifth year lessons written out in meticulous detail. The lessons she’d learned from her professors outside of the regular curriculum were recorded in a separate part of the Field Guide, neatly organized by the year of school they had been a part of. Included in this section were additional notes written in different colored ink from the main body of text, the initials of her friends written alongside them. There was yet another section that seemed to have recorded notes from her independent study sessions outside of school hours, as well as extra research she had performed for assignments.

            “You know, I was worried when you first started school back in September,” Professor Weasley said, flipping the pages of the Field Guide thoughtfully. “Especially when I began heard about some of your adventures outside of school—freeing Hippogriffs, recovering a family wand for Mr. Ollivander, fighting Ashwinders…”

            “How—?”

            Matilda smiled knowingly and told her, “It’s harder to keep secrets around here than one might suspect. But those dangerous activities aside, you’ve more than proven your prowess with magic. And I must say, I’m just glad that you found such wonderful friends this year, particularly in Mr. Sallow. I believe it’s been a difficult year for him, with his sister away from school. He was lucky to have you; I can only hope that you will continue to be a good influence on him in the coming years. But there’s no need to discuss it further right now. What I would like to discuss is your Field Guide, here.”

            “What do you think, Professor?” Rhea asked, glancing down at the Field Guide almost nervously.

            “I think you’ve been incredibly busy this year,” the woman said frankly. “It’s no wonder the Sorting Hat decided you would be best suited to Ravenclaw, based on this.” She closed the book and slid it across her desk with a small smile. “There’s still quite a bit of room in here for more discoveries, I think. And you’ll most certainly be wanting to use it for last minute revision for your O.W.L.s.”

            She leaned back in her tall office chair and smiled slightly, “Professor Hecat says that you have some big goals for your exams. Unspeakable or Curse-breaker were your top picks during your careers chat, is that correct?”

            Rhea nodded, “Yes. For the moment, those are my two goals.”

            “Eight O.W.L.s, if I’m not mistaken?”

            “Yes, Professor. Eight,” Rhea said with a slight grimace.

            The woman laughed slightly and said, “Well, while you are a driven young woman, I hope that I do not need to remind you of the importance of leisure. Go and catch up to your friends. You’ve all earned a relaxing evening, if you ask me. Perhaps a visit to the Three Broomsticks to calm the nerves and celebrate surviving your first year of classes.”

            “I think I’d rather save the celebration for once we’ve finished our exams,” Rhea said with a small grin. “But I think that perhaps for tonight I could stand to take a short break. The rest of the hard work can start tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea stepped out into the Transfiguration Courtyard and let out a long sigh, breathing deeply in the late spring air. That chat with Professor Weasley had gone far better than she had expected it to—even though the woman seemed to know about far more than she had expected her to. But she was right: a break for the evening would do them some good.

            Rhea stepped into the courtyard and looked around for her friends, seeing no one. She deflated slightly, upset that no one had waited for her. Usually Sebastian was always lurking around a corner with that reckless little grin on his face when she spotted him. But he was nowhere to be found this time, much to her disappointment.

            “I told them all to run ahead,” Natty said, startling Rhea out of her reverie and search. The Ravenclaw spun to face her friend, surprised. Natty gave her a nervous grin, “I’m sorry to startle you. But I needed to speak with you immediately.”

            “Yeah, of course,” Rhea said, shaking her head slightly and offering her friend a smile as the Gryffindor began to lead her towards the exit closest to Hogsmeade. “What’s going on?”

            “I… I think that I’ve found a lead. A really, really good one,” Natty said. “But I can’t leave Hogwarts to pursue it… At least, not in any way that anyone would notice. And I really think we need to follow this trail, Rhea. I need your help. You got away from the castle to come and find me at Falbarton—how did you do it again? I think that is my best shot.”

            “Our best shot,” Rhea corrected, much to the other girl’s obvious delight. Rhea wasn’t thinking of her though—she was thinking of her promise to Anne. There was no chance she was going to help Natty escape alone—or follow up on this lead. “When do we need to go? Might take a little time until we can slip away—especially if the others are expecting us.”

            “They were on their way to Hogsmeade,” Natty told her. “Sebastian, Ominis, Poppy, and even Garreth will all be well occupied for the next few hours, at least. This way, you and I can get away from school before they even know we’re plotting anything—my mother thinks we’re going to meet them, so we’ll be alright leaving the castle—it’s just getting to where we’re going that’s going to be tricky.”

            “Where are we going?”

            “Manor Cape,” Natty said, sounding reluctant to inform her, though she knew it was necessary.

            “Where the bloody hell is that?” Rhea asked with a deep frown. “I’ve never heard of it.”

            “It’s downs South,” Natty said. “Beyond the Mountains. It will take us some time to get there. Which is why I was hoping you might have a better way to get there than waiting for a train or trying to apparate on our own. I can run far and fast as a gazelle, but I could never make it there with the speed we need.”

            “How far are we talking?”

            “Feldcroft is still far away,” Natty admitted. “It is my understanding that you know how to get there quickly. We can figure the rest out when we get there. Perhaps Anne could help us?”

            “I don’t think we could rely on Anne for this,” Rhea said cautiously. “She’s a capable girl, and she probably would be willing to help us, but we don’t have a way to contact her quickly. Not fast enough that she’d be able to do anything without Solomon finding out. He’s the one I’m afraid of in that scenario. He would absolutely turn us in and send us right back here—and Merlin knows the restrictions he’d impose on Anne if we dragged her into it…”

            “Well, getting to Feldcroft is still a better start than anything else we have to work with,” Natty said. “Even from there riding our brooms will take a long time. Someone will surely find out where we are.”

            “Well, I think that’s probably our best bet—we just shouldn’t involve Anne,” Rhea explained further. “But we will need to break some rules. And it might earn us some bad will with Sirona if she catches us.”

            “Can’t we just… ask her to help?”

            “Do you really think Sirona won’t tell your mother?” Rhea asked skeptically.

            “It’s worth a shot,” Natty said. “I’d rather us do this without earning a lifetime ban from the Three Broomsticks. Besides, we can’t go now—our friends are there; they’re expecting us!”

            “It’s a risk we’re going to have to take,” Rhea said. “They’ll probably be downstairs where we usually sit by the fire—if we go in the back we might be able to slip by them. But if you want to ask Sirona for help, we’ll need to be more careful.”

            “What if I go in the back and you go and ask Sirona?” Natty asked. “Perhaps I can take the Floo once Sirona leaves? She lets you go through to see Anne, then I follow. We sneak out and fly away.”

            “Okay, but we can’t exactly steal brooms in Feldcroft,” Rhea pointed out. “We need to bring them with us. Besides—don’t you have your own broom?”

            “I have a broom yes,” Natty nodded, though there was a bitter look on her face. “But my mother has confiscated it. I don’t think it would be wise to try and steal it for this purpose.”

            “Same place I got one last time then,” Rhea sighed with a disgruntled look. “We’re going to nick them from Kogawa.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rhea wasn’t sure what the best course of action was. She was sitting on a bench across from the Summoner’s Court Field watching the store room thoughtfully. They didn’t have much time to get what they needed and get to the Three Broomsticks. Kogawa seemed to be in her office, but it was much too early for dinner. And given the time she and Sebastian stole a broom last time, Kogawa probably hadn’t done her broom count that day. She was going to realize the brooms were missing sooner rather than later, which was less than ideal.

            Natty was sitting next to her, waiting for the Ravenclaw to come up with a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, she was going to be waiting for a long time if she wanted the plan to be brilliant. Essentially, Rhea’s plan was to snatch the brooms as soon as they had a good window to do so. Luckily for them—or perhaps unluckily—Imelda had just gone storming into Kogawa’s office, a large stack of papers in her hands. With any luck, the Slytherin would at least distract Kogawa from inspecting the brooms any time soon.

            Rhea found that luck was, in fact, on their side as Kogawa and Imelda emerged together shortly after the young woman entered. They were speaking urgently, nodding in response to one another as they hurried back towards the castle entrance. One the doors were closing behind them, Rhea leapt to her feet and walking quickly across the lawn, keeping an eye on the castle entrance. Once it was out of sight, she quickened her pace to scarcely less than a jog to reach the storage room as soon as possible. Natty was on her heels the entire way, keeping an eye out for nosy students instead. Thanks to impending exams, there were very few scattered about the lawns and even those present outside were absorbed in some work or other.

            Rhea quickly dispatched Kogawa’s lock and slipped inside, heading to the back of the storeroom and picking up two brooms from different shelves. Kogawa might not notice as soon if they weren’t taken from exactly the same spot. She hurried back out and Natty hurriedly replaced the lock. The two girls stored the brooms in their magical pocket dimensions and hurried away towards Hogsmeade. They didn’t want to take a risk by flying away—they could easily be seen if they were careless.

            They arrived in Hogsmeade twenty minutes later, huffing and puffing as they parted ways. Natty hurried further up the path to find one of the back entrances to the Three Broomsticks that let out on a higher floor while Rhea slipped in the front. She spotted her friends right away and gave them a brief wave before hurrying to the bar to try and flag down Sirona for a quick word. Her heart was having a hard time slowing down. She didn’t like how dangerous this was going to become. They had no idea where they were actually flying to—they were operating on what was essentially blind faith in an owl Natty had received from Johana Bickle.

            “There you are— I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Sebastian said, sidling up next to her at the bar, leaning against it with a grin. He nudged her with his shoulder when she jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance, letting out a short chuckle. “What’s got you so jumpy?”

            “Do you want the truth or do you want the cover story?” Rhea asked quietly, meeting Sirona’s eye. The witch gave her a friendly nod, but was clearly busy and needed a moment to finish what she was doing before greeting the young Ravenclaw.

            “Well, both when you put it that way,” he said with a sudden frown. “What’s going on?”

            “Natty’s going after Harlow,” Rhea said. “We’re going after him, I mean. At least, I think that’s what’s happening… I need you to tell Officer Singer for us. But we need a healthy head start. We can’t exactly apparate and we need to cover a lot of distance.”

            “Rhea, what’s happening?” he asked, his tone serious.

            “We’re going to try and get to Feldcroft. I’m asking Sirona to send me there,” Rhea told him quietly. “But that’s not our end goal. It’s Manor Cape, wherever the bloody hell that is.”

            “It’s about a three hour broom ride from Feldcroft,” Sebastian told her quickly. “Our parents took us camping there once. Dad was a bit of an amateur cartographer. Used to go flying all the time when he had a day off. He liked using Arithmancy to estimate travel times. Not the most exciting hobby, I admit, but he was enthusiastic about it.”

            “Bless him for that,” Rhea said seriously. “He may have just saved our entire operation. I’m going to send you a message as soon as we get where we need to be. And I promise—we’re not going to go charging into anything we’re not prepared to face. And with any luck, you’re going to be able to get us backup almost as soon as we arrive there.”

            “I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” he warned. “Last time it worked because Officer Singer had a plan—”

            “There’s not much of a choice right now,” Rhea told him, her voice dropping even lower. “If I go back on my promise to Natty—on my promise to Anne—and go and get Professor Onai, she’s going to go without me and we saw what happened last time when we all got separated. You nearly got Incendioed, Natty got kidnapped, and I walked into a den of nearly twenty Ashwinders by myself. She needs me with her.”

            “Besides, she hasn’t told me anything yet,” Rhea added sourly. “All she told me was where we’re going. I don’t know what information we’re following—just that it was from Mrs. Bickle.”

            “Let me come with you,” Sebastian suggested. “I can help!”

            “You don’t have a broom,” Rhea said. “And we have to move fast.”

            “At least let me get you to Feldcroft,” he insisted. “I’ll spend a few hours with Anne, Sirona won’t think anything of it, and I’ll be back with plenty of time to tell Officer singer where you are.”

            “And what about the rest of them?” Rhea asked, gesturing over to where their friends were sitting and laughing. “Ominis certainly isn’t going to be supportive of this—especially of you getting involved.”

            “Look, I’m not going to let either of you do this with the terrible plan you’ve settled on,” he insisted. “Ominis will have to deal with it, and he’ll accept it when I say I’ve decided to surprise Anne before revision.”

            “And then what about me and Natty?” Rhea asked. “It’s going to be awfully suspicious when we don’t come back with you—and you better believe the real story is going to get out when you go running for Officer Singer. Besides—you going to Feldcroft to surprise Anne without Ominis? He’ll be hurt.”

            “No—it’s only for dinner,” Sebastian said. “It’s not like I’m staying the weekend without him. Despite our being attached at the hip while we’re here at school, I promise we do actually do things without one another on occasion. He’ll be fine, and you’ll get where you need to go.”

            “What can I get for you?” Sirona asked, sliding down the opposite side of the bar to smile at the pair. “Congratulations again on your victory in Crossed Wands last week. Though, I recommend you advise that young Weasley to be less vocal about your secret club. It won’t be a secret for long if he carries on like that.”

            “Actually Sirona, we were hoping that you might be able to send us to Feldcroft,” Sebastian said quickly. “Last minute surprise for Anne. She’s been talking with our friend Natty a lot and we thought spending an evening with her before we all become absorbed by our O.W.L.s might be a nice treat.”

            “Just the three of you?” Sirona asked. “Gaunt doesn’t want to go?”

            “Between you and me, I think he’s having a really good time with our friends,” Sebastian said, glancing over at the Slytherin boy. “It would do him some good to spend a little time with them on his own. If he asks, tell him Rhea and I went on a walk around the village or something. Please? I promise—no more shenanigans in the pub after this one.”

            Sirona looked at the boy appraisingly for a moment before letting out a sigh and gesturing to the stairs that lead up to the higher levels. Sebastian shot her a winning grin before grabbing Rhea’s hand and pulling her up the stairs quickly.

            “See—I told you that would work perfectly,” Sebastian said gleefully. “And don’t bring up how we’re going to get out of it when you don’t come back with me from Feldcroft. I’ll just say you two must have landed at the wrong Floo exit. And if I get detention, so be it. It wouldn’t be the first time I served one on your behalf.”

            “Bast—”

            “Seriously, Rhea, don’t worry,” Sebastian told her, letting go of her hand as they rounded the last corner, meeting Natty at the top of the stairs.

            The Gryffindor girl looked between the two in surprise, her brow furrowed in irritation and confusion at the appearance of her Slytherin rival. “What in Merlin’s name is Sallow doing here?”

            “I’m actually your ticket to Feldcroft, free of suspicion,” he said smugly. “We’re all going to have dinner with Anne. But you, Natty, are going to slip off without any of us noticing. And Rhea is going to go after you so you aren’t alone while I come back here and raise the alarm.”

            “I thought we weren’t going to involve Anne!” Natty hissed accusingly at Rhea. “But Sallow suggests it and you agree?”

            “We aren’t including Anne,” Rhea snapped back defensively. “Sebastian’s right—Sirona wouldn’t have agreed to send us along if we didn’t have Sebastian with us.”

            “She’s been ferrying me and Anne back and forth for years,” Sebastian told the Gryffindor with an affirmative nod, “It would be suspicious to change the pattern so last minute. If I didn’t come with you two, it would be too suspicious. Now, Sirona will be up here any minute, so I suggest we stop whispering so intensely at one another and look like we’re ready to have fun.”

            Rhea grinned at him and leaned against the narrow wall of the staircase casually, pulling Natty to lean beside her, slipping her arm through her friend’s while Sebastian sat down on one of the top steps, leaning back on his elbows. How he was able to slip so easily into such a relaxed posture was beyond Rhea. She wasn’t feeling exactly calm herself, but Natty was as rigid as the planks of wood that made up the stairs. She was like a coil ready to spring at the slightest movement.

            Sebastian watched the two girls carefully as Rhea did her best to strike up a casual conversation with Natty about her first visit to Feldcroft. They were both on edge—understandable, of course. The fact that Natty still wasn’t telling Rhea everything she needed to know was frustrating to him, as he was certain it was frustrating to Rhea as well. He wished the Gryffindor would just trust her friends without reservation. It was easier to help with a problem if they knew exactly what they were up against.

            He was sorely tempted to join them on their trek out to Manor Cape. He did know where it was, after all. At least, he vaguely remembered where it was. He knew that he could be helpful to them in more ways than as someone who could sound the alarm. But he supposed he was the only one who could handle their issues on the Feldcroft side of things. Mr. Green, well-meaning as he was, might let slip that Rhea and Natty had shown up, and it wouldn’t be good if Uncle Solomon found out about that. Sebastian would definitely be found out for helping them if his uncle decided to investigate, and that would jeopardize his freedoms over the coming months and hurt any chances of Solomon warming up to Rhea. The man seemed to at least try a little, given his charges’ enthusiasm concerning her, but all bets would be off if he caught wind of Sebastian’s involvement in Natty’s hare-brained schemes.

            He really hoped that Natty understood what she was getting the pair of them into, though he suspected that she was underestimating the situation—whatever it was. It was truly infuriating that she wouldn’t tell them more. He settled his gaze on Rhea, who was doing a wonderful job of appearing unbothered, though he could see just the slightest dip in her brows that indicated there was much more going on behind the façade than she was willing to admit. She was nervous. She had the same shimmer in her eyes before the last matches of Crossed Wands, and when they had learned that Natty had been kidnapped. He knew, though, from both of those incidents that she was more than capable of handling herself.

            As he continued to watch her carefully, he wondered vaguely about something she’d said downstairs, about a promise she’d made to Anne. Of all people, that wasn’t what he’d been expecting her to say. Perhaps Poppy—they were all friends after all. Or maybe even Professor Onai. It would make sense to promise Natty’s mother that she’d keep her friend out of danger or trouble if possible. But Anne…

            He figured it must have had to do with their last visit to Feldcroft and Natty’s secretive letter to Anne. He’d really wanted to read it—and was glad he hadn’t, for the record. Rhea had said that it had to do with Natty’s feelings after getting kidnapped. She had been confiding in Anne over things that she hadn’t really confided in even Rhea about. If Natty valued Anne so much, he supposed it would make sense for Anne to reciprocate. He recalled the conversation he’d had with Rhea on the way back to the hamlet as well. She’d wondered if perhaps there was more to Natty and Anne’s friendship than mere comradery. He’s suspected she might be right back then—hoped so, even. But if Natty was going to continue dragging Rhea along into her personal vendetta against a man that absolutely had it out for Rhea, Sebastian wasn’t sure he wanted Anne getting dragged into it as well… Hell, he didn’t want to get dragged into it—but he’d already promised himself that he wasn’t going to let his friends face their troubles alone.

            It was only a few minutes before Sirona came bustling up the stairs, key in hand. She gave the students a once over before unlocking the door and ushering them inside—she only had a few moments before she needed to return to the bar and see to her customers. The students hurried inside and Sebastian immediately went to the shelf where Sirona kept the Floo powder and began distributing a small amount to his two friends, thanking Sirona for her help and reassuring her that they’d be back in a few hours.

            Sebastian went first, followed by Natty and then Rhea, so he could head off Mr. Green to explain their sudden appearance and apologize for not sending word beforehand. Once they made their way outside of the pub with surprisingly little interference from the old barkeep, Sebastian ushered Rhea and Natty further down the path away from the village, lest his uncle or sister be taking an early evening stroll through the hamlet and spot them.

            “It takes about three hours to get there,” he told them. “There’s a shortcut through the mountains that’ll take the time down a touch, but it’s a bit tricky to navigate so I don’t recommend it. Instead, you’re going to fly around the cliffs to the Southeast of here—but you need to be careful. The winds can get awfully strong there, particularly so this time of year. You can’t fly too low either—the waves are monstrous there. It’s arguably much more dangerous than the mountain path, but I expect you’re looking to have as much time as possible to get whatever it is you need done.”

            “Thank you, Sebastian,” Natty said with a firm nod. “For the advice and for your discretion. While I do not like the idea of my mother knowing, I’m certain Officer Singer will tell her immediately what we are up to.” She stepped towards the Slytherin boy and pressed a letter into his hand. “If you’re going with the story that we slipped away, then this should be enough proof to cover your involvement. Give that letter to Officer Singer when you find her. I’m certain she’ll know what to do.”

            Sebastian turned it over in his hands thoughtfully, “I suspect you don’t want me reading this one either?”

            “No,” Natty said. “At least, not until you’re ready to tell Officer Singer. It’ll make it more believable, I think.” She shot him a grin, “It should be no trouble for the king of mischief to pull a fast one on Officer Singer. Thank you, again, for all your help. This will all be over soon, I am certain of it.”

            Sebastian nodded slightly as Natty turned and summoned the broom Rhea had acquired for her. When it didn’t immediately go zooming off to return to the school, she let out a sigh of relief. Kogawa hadn’t yet realized the brooms were missing.

            “Thank you,” Rhea told him as well, drawing his attention from the open envelope in his hands. He glanced up at her and saw that familiar nervous glint in her eye. She wasn’t bothering to try and hide the fear that she’d been burying. “Truly, I won’t forget this. And I’m sorry that I’ve unwittingly dragged you into this whole business again.”

            “Just be careful,” Sebastian told her seriously. “I won’t be there to shield you like last time. I know you can handle yourself—I know you can handle whatever it is Natty’s gotten you two into. Just come back in one piece, and we can forget it ever happened.”

            “Does that count as one of the favors I owe you?” Rhea asked, a cheeky little grin replacing the worry on her face for a brief moment.

            “You know what?” he asked with a slight chuckle. “Sure—I’ll knock a favor off your docket if you come out of this safely. And let me know when you get there so I can make a scene back in Hogsmeade for you. You have the note, right?”

            Rhea patted a hidden pocket inside her robe with a weak smile—the nerves were creeping back in, despite his best efforts to comfort her. “Always do. Tell me once you find Officer Singer—I’m certain she won’t let you tag along this time, unfortunately.”

            “I will,” he told her firmly. “Now best get a move on or Natty’s going to leave you behind.” He stepped back as she summoned the broom she’d nicked for herself and mounted it, kicking smoothly off of the ground. Clearly her flying lessons had been paying off—she was much more comfortable in the air than she had been the first time he’d watched her fly off like this.

            He watched the two girls speed off, keeping fairly low to the ground to avoid the coastal headwinds as long as the could to make up some time and speed on their long journey. The late day sun was behind him and he sniffed slightly, feeling his eyes sting with the threat of tears. He shouldn’t be so upset over being left behind—it was necessary, after all. He just had a terrible feeling about this—about letting them go off alone, without him. But he knew that he had his part to play even if it wasn’t the one he wanted. So, he pushed the sudden emotion down and shoved his clenched fists into his coat pockets before turning and trudging his way back up into the hamlet to spend a nice evening with his family.

Chapter Text

            Rhea had never ridden a broom for such a long time. She was tired and her legs ached by the time they landed on Manor Cape. Sebastian hadn’t been lying when he’d said the path around the southern coast was difficult to traverse. The winds had been absolutely brutal and had only gotten worse as the late afternoon turned to evening. There was still remnants of light lingering when they landed and Natty turned to her with a serious frown on her face.

            “Are you ready to finish Harlow?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly as she stared at her friend expectantly.

            Rhea’s ears were ringing. She couldn’t be certain whether it was from the wind or from the words she’d just heard. This… was supposed to be a lead—the weren’t supposed to be facing any dark wizards, let alone Theophilus Harlow himself. She couldn’t have heard right. Natty would have told her back at Hogwarts—she wouldn’t have misled her, not intentionally.

            “I thought…” Rhea started, unable to put her anger and worry into words that wouldn’t upset her friend. She took a deep breath and started again, only slightly calmer than she was a few moments ago, “I thought this was about a tip you got from Mrs. Bickle.”

            “I received an owl from Mrs. Bickle. She wondered if we were having any luck going after Harlow,” Natty explained again. “She even suggested we could gather evidence from a friend near Manor Cape.”

            “This is a little bit out of Harlow’s usual realm of influence, isn’t it?” Rhea frowned. “And… she warned us to stay out of all this—was rather adamant about it…”

            “Precisely,” Natty nodded, leading Rhea up a short, muddy path to a small outcropping of rock where they could see the titular manor standing atop the highest part of the cape.

            “Harlow knows that we saved Archie,” Rhea continued, trying to process the information. Why hadn’t she thought anything of Mrs. Bickle’s involvement before? “And that we rescued Mr. Rabe…” She turned to face Natty, a stern look on her face, “This letter didn’t come from Mrs. Bickle, did it…?”

            “I do not believe it did,” Natty said grimly. “And I did not think it wise to check—He was probably watching Mrs. Bickle’s house if my suspicions are correct. I didn’t want him to think we were on to him. I believe Harlow intends to ambush us.”

            Rhea looked over the cape somberly as Natty’s secretive behavior finally made perfect sense. It was still flawed, of course; going in alone was still rather foolish. “But now we have the upper hand… He doesn’t know we know it’s a trap…”

            “We are stronger than Harlow, and he knows it,” Natty said firmly. “That’s why he’s resorting to this sort of trickery. We must go and face him. Harlow’s reign ends today.”

            With that, Natty began to pick her way down the path towards the Manor as the last of the light faded from the sky, plunging them into a twilit gloom. Rhea pulled the Bis Scribe out of her pocket and quickly explained the situation to Sebastian, urging him to hurry—they were undoubtedly in over their heads with this one. She worried what this would do to Natty’s growing friendship with the Slytherin. Rhea knew that Sebastian didn’t approve of their dalliances with danger regarding Harlow and his Ashwinders. This… well, this almost felt like a betrayal to Rhea. She didn’t want to face this fight—she wanted nothing more than to sit and wait for her professor and Hogsmeade’s auror to show up and whisk them back to the castle.

            But Natty was forging a path ahead and Rhea had promises to keep. She wasn’t going to let Natty face this all on her own. Just because she was hurt by the lack of trust that was evidently still stuck between them, she wouldn’t let her personal feelings override the task at hand. They would see this through to the end—together.

            “Are you worried about when Office Singer tells your mum?” Rhea asked as she caught up to Natty.

            “No—I’m tired of hiding it from her. I’m certain she suspects that I never stopped looking for ways to end the Ashwinders. But she needs to understand that I will not be safe from the Ashwinders until everyone is. I will pursue them until they are finished. And I think she knows that—as do you.”

            “That I do,” Rhea said, resigned to it at this point. “Just… next time, be honest with me right from the start. It’s easier to be on your side when you don’t keep me in the dark. I’m sorry I haven’t been as supportive as you’ve wanted me to be. It’s just…”

            “There is no need to explain,” Natty said, pausing outside of the entrance to the Manor, speaking softly. “We all have our reasons. And I’m sure that in your own time, you’ll be willing to share your story with me as well.”

            “I will,” Rhea nodded, slightly surprised by how sincere her words were in that moment. But she pushed all thought and worry over Professor Fig and their secret quest away. Now was the time to focus on the culmination of Natty’s journey. They needed to stop Harlow here and now. She felt the Bis Scribe grow warm in her pocket and she knew that they would have help soon enough. She briefly touched Natty on the arm and said, “It’s now or never. Officer Singer will be arriving shortly.”

            Natty nodded and took a deep breath before striding confidently into the Manor courtyard, looking around diligently for any threats that might come their way. Rhea followed her, getting a good look at the Manor for the first time in the growing darkness.

            Manor Cape was once a great and beautiful location. The hamlet of Bainburgh, which sat just at the northern most edge of the cape region, sat in the shadow of the great Manor. Bainburgh was actually named for the wizard who had originally owned the land on which the Manor sat, as well as the land that comprised the small hamlet. Lord Bainburgh had been a friendly, though eclectic man, even for wizardkind. He used his wealth and power to look over the hamlet with care and intention. There was little that he loved more than his home and the people of the hamlet.

            So great was his desire to protect the citizens under his jurisdiction that he withdrew from them. And while this may seem to be a rather counterintuitive move—as it did to the citizens of the hamlet—it was in pursuit of a more permanent means of protection for the township. Lord Bainburgh, in all his eccentricity, was also the wealthiest man on the cape. As such, he saw fit to put his enormous wealth into several different projects.

            The first was his manor. He spent countless galleons expanding it, making it difficult to navigate to any but those he welcomed with open arms. He expanded it, its figurative shadow over the hamlet growing as the years began to slip by.

            The second was the crypt. He built out the crypt below the manor that housed his ancestors, creating a secret entrance to the room that would allow him to house any number of the villagers if the hamlet were to come under attack. He carved out a special place for himself there—he was getting older and he was beginning to feel it, young though he still was.

            The third precaution was magic. Lord Bainburgh began to search for ways to protect his home and its people long after he reached his end. He tried all manner of experiments, absorbed deeply in his quest to help the cape. So absorbed, that he began to lose the will of the people. They began to grow wary of the Lord of the Manor, locked away in his palatial manor on the top of the hill. When whispers began brewing of the terrifying maze he’d created within his home, the dangerous traps that rested beneath the beautifully manicured gardens, and the beast lurking below in the crypts, several members of the hamlet—foolish ones—marched on the manor to demand answers.

            They were never seen again, and those left behind were too frightened to go after them. As time passed the manor fell into disrepair, several of the intricately designed rooms collapsing as weather and time took its toll on the once great Manor. In a way, the crumbling state of the house gave more credence to the awful rumors about it and the chilling disappearance of the land’s former protector, the Lord of the Manor.

            It was in this derelict state that Natsai Onai and Rhea Pennywhistle first saw it. The stark blackness of the manor rose up above them, taller than they’d expected against the fading blue of the last dregs of twilight. A perpetual state of gloom seemed to hang over the grounds and gravel crunched under their feet as they made their way up the weathered, cobbled drive.

            There was a stark silence in the air, broken only by the sound of their footfalls as they approached the large statue at the center of the courtyard. Once a beautiful fountain, the water was all dried up and the foundation of the stone basin was deeply cracked from years of disrepair. At the center was an enormous statue, a cloaked figure staring down at them from a darkened hood.

            Natty slowed, looking around with a deeply furrowed brow. There was no one there. She’d been so convinced that Harlow would be here, waiting. He was a twisted man and she suspected that he wouldn’t be eager to send others to do his dirty work. No, he would want to snuff out the Hogwarts rats that had been such a thorn in his side personally. So where was he?

            As Rhea slowed to a stop beside her friend, wand gripped tightly in her hand, there was a sudden flash of light and a dozen stone braziers leapt to life around the manor, casting wicked flame high into the night before settling down to a smaller, though vicious crackle. Beneath the statue, candles were blazing and around the glow of the fires, she spotted several twisting forms flashing through the air.

            Her heart dropped into her stomach as she readied her wand. Ashwinders began to crop up on the outskirts of the rings of fire, advancing menacingly on the pair of students. Natty was alert and waiting tensely beside her, ready to pounce at the drop of a hat. It was crucial that they didn’t do anything foolish—well… anything more foolish than walking into the trap in the first place. Atop the Manor stairs, a final figure emerged, his voice sending a dangerous chill down the girls’ spine.

            “Little Natsai Onai, isn’t it?” he sneered loudly. “And her excruciatingly loyal companion.” His eyes bore down on the two students viciously, practically gluing to the spot they stood as he began to make his way down the stairs towards them. As he moved, so too did the Ashwinders, lurching ever closer through the rapidly darkening courtyard.

            “You two have done quite a bit of damage to my business interests,” he let out a snarl of a laugh and continued, “But—I must grudgingly give you some credit. What was once a mere annoyance has become—well, remarkably problematic. Fortunately, I pride myself on my problem-solving skills.” Here he paused and raised his wand pointing it threateningly at the two students with a smug smirk that didn’t reach his cold eyes. “It’ll be my pleasure to end your life, Natsai Onai.”

            “I’d like to see you try,” Natty spat back, anger building inside her. The balled-up fist at her side shook, but when she raised her wand at Harlow, her hand didn’t shake one inch.

            “Gladly,” the man laughed cruelly half a second before he fired off a nasty curse that neither of the girls recognized. The pair dove out of the way and the rest of the Ashwinders descended like hungry vultures.

            It wasn’t long before Rhea lost track of Natty, maintaining a shield as she tried to get her head around how many Ashwinders they were facing. Of course, it would be easier to count if she weren’t being bombarded on all sides by jinxes. She dropped her shield and ducked behind the low wall of the fountain’s basin, firing Confringo a handful of times in the direction some of the spells against her had been coming from. She couldn’t see much, but there were some grunts of pain and impact sparks so she at least landed a few spells.

            Across the courtyard, Natty was battling two Ashwinders at once while Theophilus Harlow paced back and forth like a wolf toying with its prey. Rhea knew that her friend wasn’t going to be able to hold out if Harlow decided to join the fray. Especially not if he decided to cast the killing curse. They’d seen him do it before, and Rhea didn’t doubt that he would do it again if given the opportunity.

            She ducked as another stray spell went her way and steeled herself. This was no time to cower. She knew exactly what to do. She could feel the ancient magic rushing through her down into her fingertips as she stood and yanked one of the braziers out of the ground, instinctively throwing it at two advancing Ashwinders that weren’t fortunate enough to shield themselves in time. She turned and thrust her wand arm into the sky, pulling down a fresh stream of electricity and driving it through another attacker.

            The odds significantly altered in their favor, Rhea and Natty continued to fire spells at the Ashwinders. All she needed to do was stay alive until Officer Singer could arrive. Everything would be fine once Officer Singer arrived. Any minute now, surely…

            When the Auror continued to remain absent, Rhea doubled her efforts, barely keeping a tab on where Natty had gotten to. Eventually she found herself face to face with Harlow, her fingers practically itching with ancient magic as she stared him down. She hesitated, uncertain of what to do—she’d really expected someone more qualified for this particular battle to show up by that point. But she didn’t know where Natty had gotten to, and she knew that this was her fight now.

            She heard the killing curse fall from his lips, which were curled into a vicious smile as the green bolt erupted from his wand. She wordlessly cast an unfamiliar spell back in the same instant and a streak of silver shot out, twisting and flowing. The spells collided in midair and for a moment the world was completely still. All at once, it came rushing back as the impact ricocheted outwards with a powerful blast of wind, a rushing noise filling her ears. The spells were at war, a sheer wall appearing where they were connected.

            Harlow let out a yell of frustration and the wall shifted towards Rhea. Understanding dawned in her mind and she planted her feet, willing her spell forward with every fiber of her determination. For a moment, nothing happened. And then slowly, so painfully slowly, the wall began to edge closer and closer to Harlow. Both duelists’ wand arms were shaking from the effort of maintaining the spell connection, neither wanting to cede the battle of wills.

            The green of Harlow’s spell grew brighter on his face the closer the bridge got to the tip of his wand. Even at such a great distance, Rhea could see flashes of anger and fear in equal measure at war on his harrowed face, swirling like the battle between the silver and green illuminating the courtyard.

            Rhea’s ancient magic touched the tip of Harlow’s wand before bursting out into several smaller streams that shot into the man, knocking him off his feet and ending his curse. Rhea took a half step towards him in the now silent courtyard. The quiet night was almost deafening after the overwhelming racket their battle had created. Her ears were ringing and she was breathing heavily. She stared wildly at him, unable to tear her eyes away.

            The man lay still for a moment before groaning and slowly bringing himself to his knees. It seemed he was just as exhausted by that display of magic as Rhea felt, though she refused to lower her wand or let her guard down. Even defeated as he was, Harlow was a force to be reckoned with.

            “Rhea!” she heard Natty call. And for a brief moment, she was distracted. She made the mistake of glancing towards her friend, who was rushing to her side. And Harlow saw his chance.

            With a pained grunt, he leapt to his feet and thrust his wand towards Rhea as her eyes flickered back to him, bile rising in the back of her throat as she saw the streak of bright crimson light cascading towards her through the air like lightning. Rhea raised her wand to try and defend herself, but she didn’t know if it was possible to defend against such a curse. The word echoed in her mind as the spell drew closer. Crucio…

            But the spell never made contact—at least, not with her. A streak of brown and black and white rushed by her in a flash and Rhea let out a shuddering gasp as a gazelle crashed to the ground several feet away. She skidded a few more feet before coming to a halt, twitching in pain.

            Rhea quickly tore her eyes from her friend and focused in on Harlow, who was putting his full effort into maintaining the spell. She reached toward him with her wand and her free hand tightened into a fist. An invisible force gripped Harlow and hoisted him into the air. A look of pure fear grew on his face as she arced her wand arm through the air. His body followed the same path, slamming repeatedly into the earth before skidding to a halt as she released the magic, horrified by the result of her actions.

            Despite her fear she kept her wand levelled at Harlow, who was breathing raggedly, though he didn’t move an inch. As her own breathing slowed, she noticed another figure rushing towards Harlow as he barely began to stir. From the direction where Natty had fallen, Rhea heard Professor Onai’s cries as she cradled her daughter in her arms. Rhea felt her stomach drop when she realized that Natty had transformed back and was unresponsive to her mother’s pleas.

            Officer Singer had Harlow well in hand, thankfully, and Rhea allowed her arm to drop, falling to a seated position where she stood. She put her head in her hands and focused on breathing through the pounding headache that she had, trying to erase the noise of Harlow’s bones breaking as he hit the ground from her mind as best she could.

            Rhea didn’t know how long she sat there, but soon, several aurors were flooding the area, taking wounded Ashwinders into custody. Rhea didn’t even want to think about whether or not there were any casualties. She was still reeling from her battle with Harlow, which she told to Officer Singer in a hollow tone, her voice shaking as she did her best to recount it accurately. Somehow, she managed to conceal her use of ancient magic—at least, she hoped she had. If Officer Singer thought anything was amiss regarding her final blows to Harlow, she didn’t let on.

            The young Ravenclaw had been expecting endless reprimands, but none were forthcoming. A few villagers from Bainburgh arrived shortly thereafter, wondering what had happened. Officer Singer expertly put them to work taking care of Natty, Rhea, and the distraught Professor Onai who was doing her best to battle a nasty case of shock. Natty remained unconscious, though Rhea felt she looked more peaceful than she had ever seen her friend. Her job was done, for now. Harlow and his Ashwinders were going to be spending a long time in Azkaban if Officer Singer had anything to say about it, which, thankfully, she did.

            Rhea watched as the Aurors began Disapparating, bringing their criminal charges with them, undoubtedly taking them to Azkaban until the could at least face trial. She wondered vaguely how she would be getting back when she felt someone take a seat next to her on the cold cobbled ground. She jumped slightly and turned to look at the person, who raised their hands in surrender, eyeing the tight grip she had on her wand warily.

            She lowered it quickly, and gave a soft apology as she rubbed her free hand at her cheek to wipe away the tears that she hadn’t realized had fallen. Isko Rabe sat next to her, calm now that she had recognized him. He didn’t say anything right away, simply allowing her a few moments to collect herself before he began.

            “This was reckless,” he said simply. “I don’t know why Ruth didn’t think you two would do something like this again. What possessed you to follow that letter here?”

            “We knew it was a trap,” Rhea told him shortly, her voice still shaky. “Natty wanted to finish things once and for all. I thought… I thought Officer Singer would show up sooner than she did…”

            “You two were incredibly lucky,” the man said quietly. “A man like Harlow… he doesn’t care if you’re human or beast or anything else. He doesn’t care that you’re a child. I…” He sighed slightly and shook his head before continuing, “I don’t mean to scold you. You clearly understand the danger you put yourself in. Fortunately, you seem to have escaped the more dire consequences… At least, the ones that exist outside of your mind.”

            He watched her carefully for a few moments, but she didn’t meet his eye. She absolutely knew he was right. And she couldn’t help but blame herself for what had happened. She had no idea if Natty was okay—if she was going to recover. She hadn’t woken up yet, and Professor Onai was terrified. Her vision had come true. Natty had suffered a terrible tragedy while in her Animagus form. And Rhea didn’t know what to do to help.

            “I couldn’t let her come alone,” Rhea told him. “Not while I knew what happened when she got kidnapped. She needed her friend…”

            “It’s admirable,” Mr. Rabe said reassuringly. “But you need to think—”

            “Mr. Rabe, that’s just it,” Rhea said, louder this time, turning to face him. She was angry and hurt and scared and… just a kid. “I know this is out of our depth—I know that we shouldn’t have come. I know that I’m lucky nothing happened to me, and that if I had just told anyone about tonight, Natty wouldn’t be… I understand the risks we took, and I did not want to take them. I did think about the consequences, and so did Natty. She made up her mind to continue, and I couldn’t let her go through any of it alone. And I don’t think that was wrong of me.”

            “I don’t think it was wrong for us to want to help. I don’t think it was wrong of us to keep pursuing ways to take Theophilus Harlow and his nasty operation down. I don’t think it’s wrong that he’s on his way to Azkaban right now. He deserves it for all the terrible things he’s done. I don’t care if that makes me cruel—the fact of the matter is that Natty and I… We did things we were told we couldn’t do. Perhaps we shouldn’t have… But no one else was doing anything—at least nothing of substance, nothing that made any bit of difference.”

            “I have spent the entire year thinking about all of this,” she said. “At a certain point, you can’t just think something and hope it happens. You have to do better and actually go out and do something about it.”

            Mr. Rabe listened respectfully as she let it all pour out. It seemed to him like she was a young woman who had internalized responsibilities she shouldn’t have at such a young age. He didn’t know much about her, other than what he’d learned from Natty when they had been trapped together, but it was easily to see that the girl was under immense pressure beyond the harrowing situation she had just experienced. He didn’t pretend to understand it—he suspected that she probably didn’t fully understand whatever it was that plagued her just yet. But the least he could do was listen.

            “You know,” he said after a short silence passed between them. “I reckon you’re right. Between you and me—I think I would still be stuck in that cursed cell without your interference. I’ve been making the most of my freedom, and thanks to your young Sallow friend, I was honored to be here tonight, even though the fight was done by the time we arrived. And since I’m not sure many of your professors are going to say it: Thank you. There is still a lot of work to be done for us to be fully out from under the oppressive thumb of Theophilus Harlow, but with him gone… I think that people are going to be taking the Ashwinder threat much more seriously. You two don’t have to do this alone anymore. You’ve done a tremendous job here… Now pass the torch. Be a student.”

            Rhea gave him a weak smile, nodding slightly. She appreciated that he wasn’t speaking down to her or trying to minimize her thoughts and feelings. She hoped that she’d been able to convey her frustrations with the situation adequately without blaming Natty for their predicament. She was just as culpable as her friend—a friend she was indebted to. A friend in dire need…

            She looked around worriedly and spotted a pair of Aurors taking hold of Natty and her mother separately, preparing to apparate away, likely to seek out immediate medical attention for the unconscious girl. She tried to stand, but her knees wobbled and she almost fell. She slowed a moment to catch her balance and Mr. Rabe stood with her, holding out an arm to help. She took it and he checked once more to make certain that she was alright before turning on the spot and taking them away from the once great Manor of Bainburgh.

Chapter Text

            It was just three short days before the commencement of the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations, but the school was abuzz with concerns not related to finals for once. Word had quickly spread about the intense battle on Manor Cape with the leader of the Ashwinders. Two students had taken down Theophilus Harlow all on their own, believe it or not. While many didn’t quite believe it, one thing that could not be denied were the Daily Prophet headlines declaring the arrest. While it didn’t name the heroes that took care of the villainous man, it did praise Officer Singer’s tenacity in assuring the man remained behind bars.

            Rhea tossed the newspaper aside with a slight sigh as she began to pack up her study materials. She’d been sitting in her usual spot at the library, despite her desire to be anywhere else at all. Poppy hadn’t joined her that day—she was busy checking on Highwing and her new partner. Apparently, the other Hippogriff Natty and Rhea had rescued had bonded with the beautiful white beast. And Natty…

            Natty was her next order of business for the day. She hauled her school bag onto her shoulder and hurried to the Undercroft to be quickly rid of it. It was simply quicker than lugging it all the way back up to the top of Ravenclaw Tower when she needed to go in the other direction to get to the Hospital Wing. Natty had been admitted the second she’d arrived back at Hogwarts. Rhea hadn’t been allowed to see her.

            Professor Hecat and Professor Fig had been waiting for her arrival at the castle gates. Once she was in their custody, Mr. Rabe had taken his leave, giving Rhea a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. No matter what happened from there, he, at least, was on her side. But her worry had seemingly been for almost… nothing. No detention came. No meetings with the headmaster or deputy headmistress. It had been days without sign of punishment or word from her teachers. Fig and Hecat had simply escorted Rhea to Ravenclaw Tower and told her to rest up.

            She’d taken a long shower that night, crying quietly as the reality of the dangerous situation she’d been in struck her fully. Harlow had tried to murder her. He’d used Unforgiveable Curses on Natty and on her. She’d… beaten the killing curse, by some miracle. If she wasn’t busy having a breakdown, she would have been poring over that moment, filled with curiosity and wonder. Eventually she would seek it out, but for the time being, she wished to forget the events of the evening as best she could.

            When she crawled into bed that first night, she had never felt quite so alone. She wanted nothing more than to leap into her mother’s waiting arms, tucked tight underneath the covers like she had done when her nightmares as a little girl had been too overwhelming. But she couldn’t do that— she wasn’t even sure that she would want her mother to know about any of this. She closed her curtains tightly and lit one of the small candles she kept on the windowsill, sitting crossed legged and facing the window.

            She looked down at the Bis Scribe uncertainly. She’d received a few messages from Sebastian after the one he sent her letting her know that Officer Singer was on her way. The messages had all been short and filled with concerned words and questions. In the back of her mind, she made a point to remember that it seemed that the messages would all try to cram onto the sheet if they were sent in succession too quickly; some of his messages had been partially unreadable, but she understand his sentiment well enough.

            In the end, she’d simply wrote: I wish you had been there with us.

            The next day, she had woken extremely early. She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but she felt shockingly well rested for the ordeal she’d gone through. She’d half expected to be up half the night with thoughts of the battle swirling around her head, but she’d instead been blessed with a deep and dreamless sleep, much to her delight. She made her way out of the common room and into Ravenclaw Tower, uncertain of where exactly she was intending to wander so early, but she learned that she wouldn’t be wandering very far.

            As soon as she exited the common room, she found herself tripping over a pair of legs and just barely caught herself on the banister near the door. The sleeping figure awoke with a start, blinking blearily up at her from the pile of pillows and blankets typically reserved for those unfortunate enough to not know the answer to one of the door’s infamous riddles. In a flash, the now wide awake figure leapt to their feet, reaching towards her hesitantly. She let out a shaky gasp as tears pricked her eyes and she dove into Sebastian’s waiting arms, hugging him tightly.

            He may not have been able to be there on the cape, but he wasn’t going to let her be alone after such a terrible night. He had gently stroked her hair and muttered affirming sentiments to her until she had calmed down and pulled away. At that point, he’d guided her down the stairs to the Great Hall, sitting her down at the Ravenclaw Table and sitting right down beside her, giving her the opportunity to talk when she wanted to instead of asking endless questions like she was certain to get once the rest of the school got wind of the truth surrounding the incident.

            That morning had been one of the most precious moments of calm that she’d had all week. She felt anxious walking around every corner, and her heart beat faster every time she saw Professors Weasley and Black wandering around the school, frightened that somehow, she was going to lose Hogwarts. But the hammer never fell, and she went about her daily life almost completely normally. Somehow, she had not been connected to the stories about Harlow. But Natty had, of course.

            She’d been in the hospital for almost a full week. Professor Onai had been by her side the entire time, only sleeping once Nurse Blainey had insisted the woman take one of the spare hospital cots since she refused to leave the Hospital Wing at all. Rhea had tried to visit several times but had been turned away at the door. She felt so helpless, which only served to compound the guilt she was feeling. Deep down she knew that Natty had made her choice, and that it wasn’t her fault—but Natty was still hurting, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. If she hadn’t gotten distracted…

            She knew that it was pointless to torture herself with what-ifs and maybes. There was no changing what had happened with Theophilus Harlow. And she knew that Natty wouldn’t condone such thinking. Rhea couldn’t help but think that somehow it would all be just the tiniest bit better if she were able to see her friend.

            And so that was precisely what she was going to do. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer this time. She was going to march right past Nurse Blainey, no matter how hard the nurse tried to stop her. She was going to sit at Natty’s side and tell her everything she was feeling. Most of all, she was going to tell her friend just how grateful she was to know someone like her.

            But Nurse Blainey didn’t put up a fight. This time, instead of giving Rhea a pitying look and closing the Hospital Wing door in her face, the woman opened the door wide with a gentle smile, ushering the concerned Ravenclaw inside.

            Rhea hadn’t been to the Hospital Wing before, thankfully. It was a tall room with large windows on every wall except the entrance. Several pristinely white beds lined the outer walls of the room and soft, mint green privacy screens stood neatly between them. The room curved at the far side where several larger cabinets stood. Comfortable looking couches were scattered around the fringes, small end tables and shelves of books and potions adding the finishing touches. In the very center of this space sat a wicker lattice tea table with a comfortable looking armchair next to it.

            On the other side of the table sat two figures, one on a simple armchair, the other in a rickety looking wheelchair. They were drinking tea and talking quietly to one another. As Rhea approached, the two women looked up and Natty’s face broke into a wide smile.

            “Are you sure you are up for a visitor?” Professor Onai was asking softly, glancing between Rhea and her daughter, her focus mainly directed at the latter.

            “Yes, Mother,” Natty said reassuringly. “I feel fine. And it will do me good to see my friend.”

            “Very well,” the woman conceded with a slow nod. “But do not overdo it, Natsai. You need your rest.” The Professor stood and gave Rhea a tight smile before leaving the Hospital Wing. While Professor Onai might not have been pleased to see Rhea, she at least trusted her enough with Natty to break her constant vigil to allow them a small piece of privacy.

            “I’m glad to see you’re doing so well,” Rhea said, quickly taking the mother’s vacated seat and reaching to take her friend’s hand.

            Natty gave her a wry smile and said, “I am doing better than it appears. I am only here because my mother insisted—just to be safe. I was so relieved when she told me that you were alright.”

            “Only because of you,” Rhea admitted, smiling back at her gratefully. “How are you feeling?”

            “I’ve had better weeks,” the Gryffindor admitted with a chuckle. “But Nurse Blainey says that I am on the mend. I should be in perfect health by the start of O.W.L.s. I would not miss them for anything.”

            “I’m so sorry Natty,” Rhea said quickly, the urge to console her friend despite the girl’s cheery attitude overwhelming her. “It’s my fault you got hurt.”

            “What?” Natty asked incredulously. “No, Rhea, do not blame yourself for this.”

            “Natty, this wouldn’t have happened if I had just kept my focus on Harlow. I messed up and now you’re here because of it,” Rhea tried to explain, but her friend was having none of it.

            “The moment that I saw Harlow aim his wand at you, well—” Natty paused slightly, seeming to be searching for the right words.

            “You didn’t think,” Rhea said after a moment. “You acted on instinct…”

            “I did what I had to,” Natty agreed with a nod. “And I would do it again. I could not simply stand there and let you get hurt when there was something I could do about it.”

            Rhea paused slightly, a knowing grin starting to grow on her face as she contemplated her friend’s words. She looked up at Natty and said, “So… I shouldn’t feel guilty?” She let the question hang heavy in the air for a few moments, watching her friend with a pointed stare.

            “Of course not!” Natty exclaimed readily, her brow furrowing into a confused expression as she tried to follow Rhea’s meaning. “There was nothing that you—” She cut off sharply, tilting her head at Rhea as her concerned frown deepened before her eyes widened. “Oh!” she gasped. “Oh, my… I cannot believe it took me this long to see it… He made a choice based on instinct. My father!”

            Natty surged over and pulled Rhea into a tight hug, holding her there for a long time before releasing her. When she pulled back, she wiped at her teary eyes with a slight laugh. “You, my friend, are no more to blame for my injuries today than I am to blame for my father’s sacrifice years ago.”

            “It seems like there’s a lot of your father alive in you, Natty,” Rhea told her kindly. “From what I know of him at least, I think he would be proud of you.”

            “That’s very kind of you to say,” Natty told her. The girl seemed to practically be glowing at the self-discovery she’d just experienced. “I hope that you are right… This has all been a… a bit much, hasn’t it?”

            “Harlow is on his way to Azkaban,” Rhea said with a small smile. “We paid a small price to see it done, but it’s finally finished. Everything is safer now because of us—because of you, Natty. None of this would have been possible without you.”

            “I have to say though that I'm... I'm sorry. None of this would have happened if I had just been honest with you from the start. You followed me into danger blindly at my urging and you didn't deserve that. I should have given you a choice. I suppose I was afraid that if you knew what we were getting into, you would have abandoned the fight... Thank you for hearing me out; you are a true friend... At least now you have Harlow off of your back,” Natty said earnestly. “All that business from the beginning of the year—you can put it behind you now.”

            Rhea’s smile faltered slightly, but she nodded encouragingly to her friend, “You’re right. Harlow is gone now. Everything’s going to get better from here.”

            She felt bad for lying to Natty, yet again, but there was so little she could tell her about why Harlow had been after her in the first place. She was just glad that Natty hadn’t immediately set her sights on Victor Rookwood as well, who had been unsettlingly absent from Rhea’s life despite his threats in the Three Broomsticks. It was distressing, having to look over her shoulder all the time when she left the school, and rather annoying when she couldn’t go into town alone. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy spending time in Hogsmeade with her friends, but sometimes she wanted to curl up with a good book for an hour or two in Mr. Brown’s shop on her own.

            But she took joy in the fact that Natty was recovering well and her trauma surrounding her father’s death had lessened due to her realization. It seemed that being put in a similar situation to her father had clarified things for the young woman, who had moved on to discussing, of all things, the impending O.W.L.s. Rhea promised to return the next day with Poppy for a review session, but she could feel Professor Onai’s gaze on her from the other side of the Hospital Wing and she knew that her brief time with Natty was reaching its end.

            With a quick hug for Natty, Rhea stood and began making her way out of the Hospital Wing, proceeding straight towards the clock tower. As she exited the massive room, someone fell into step beside her, startling her.

            “Oh, sorry!” Garreth said sheepishly, “I probably should have said something, right? To let you know it was me?”

            Rhea shrugged slightly, “It couldn’t have hurt. What’s up?”

            He paused slightly as they reached the complex staircases that made up the upper levels of the clock tower before saying, “Well—I guess, I just… You’ve been really busy this semester, and we haven’t exactly had a chance to talk about—well, about much of anything outside of dueling.”

            She paused slightly and a worried look grew on his face so he quickly began to fill the silence, “Not that I’m blaming you or anything—you’ve had an eventful year, to put it lightly. I just… I had a really, really fun time at the Ball with you and I had hoped to continue having a good time with you until summer—I mean, not until summer, but—I’m rambling again, I can hear it myself this time, actually; I should probably just… let you say something instead…”

            Rhea’s cheeks were red and she paused on one of the walkways, her mind racing. She wished she could talk to Anne right that moment. Anne always had something insightful to say, and as she’d said over the spring break, she was eager to discuss romanceable Gryffindors. And Rhea certainly needed to talk about this with someone. But then again, she supposed it wouldn’t be terrible to actually talk to Garreth himself about it—if she knew at all what to say to him. Where he always knew how to fill the silence in some way or another, she was at a loss for words, which she knew wasn’t ideal.

            “I guess the short of it is that I do fancy you,” he said after another couple of moments, hoping that being direct instead of beating around the bush might encourage a more direct response out of her in turn. “And I’m hoping that you fancy me back.”

            Rhea nodded slightly and began slowly, “I also had a wonderful time at the Ball. And I’m sorry that I’ve been… preoccupied this term. Between school and my extra work, I was already at capacity for time pressures. And then this whole ordeal with Natty… Something you need to understand about me is that my friends will always be a huge priority to me, even if I’m overwhelmed with school or exams or whatever. I will always choose my friends.”

            Garreth grinned slightly at her words. Given the events of the past week when she and Natty escaped from Hogwarts to chase down Theophilus Harlow, Garreth had no trouble understanding what she was saying. However, a small part of him wanted to blurt out that she hadn’t answered his… well, it wasn’t a question. He’d told her he fancied her, and was hoping she felt the same. She wasn’t obligated to reply, though he really wished that she would be blunt with him. That same small part of him that compelled him to interrupt was nervous that this was all a build up to rejection and wanted to get it over with as swiftly as possible. But that wasn’t like Rhea, and he knew it. She liked to be thoughtful and deliberate, and he really liked that about her, even if it was a small torment for him.

            “I’m sorry to say that given that context, I haven’t…” she faltered slightly, a guilty look on her face. “I haven’t really thought about it—how I feel about you… I’m really sorry—I can’t say that I know that I fancy you. Logically I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t or wouldn’t. But romance isn’t often logical. I just… I don’t want to get your hopes up without reason. I don’t know how I feel, but I wish I did.”

            He nodded slightly, but for once his face was unreadable. Rhea was watching him carefully, hoping that she had been able to accurately convey her confusion while reassuring him that it was nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. She wished that he would say something, but she wasn’t sure what he could say to her at that point—truth be told, she wasn’t sure there was anything to really say. She’d as good as said that she didn’t fancy him, without really saying it. But that wasn’t exactly what she felt. She did sort of fancy him—he was handsome, and funny, and they got along well.

            “So, you don’t know,” he started, his gentle nod slowing slightly as it shifted to a shake, “but you don’t see anything that would indicate you couldn’t. Have I got that right?”

            Rhea nodded quickly, heart pounding. She wasn’t sure if this was going well or not—or even how she wanted it to go. But he hadn’t stormed off or gotten mad or anything negative so far. He seemed to actually be… slowing down for once. He was taking everything into consideration instead of charging ahead with his first impulses. If anything, it endeared him to her more. In a way, he was showing her that he was capable of considering her perspective as well as his own, looking for some sort of resolution.

            “Well,” he said, a grin growing on his face, “That doesn’t sound like a rejection to me. You just need some more time, I reckon. Not ideal, with summer just around the corner, but it’s at least something. We can go for a butterbeer or two sometime before then, if you’re willing. And then if that goes well, we can maybe exchange some letters over summer. I just want you to know that even if I fancy you and you don’t wind up feeling the same, it’s going to be fine. I still want to at least be your friend.”

            She paused slightly before a small smile wormed its way onto her face. “That sounds nice, Garreth. I’d like that.”

            “Great!” he exclaimed, his usual buzzing demeanor shooting back into place in an instant. He held out a hand invitingly and said, “You got a spare hour now? I could use a butterbeer and a study break. And I reckon you might need one too.”

            She laughed and gave a nod, hesitating for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand. This certainly hadn’t been how she’d expected her day to go, but he was right: she could use a break. She’d been working so hard for so long that she’d barely taken time to focus on the best and most enjoyable parts of her first year at Hogwarts. She was prepared for her O.W.L.s, as were her friends. There wasn’t much she’d be able to improve on in the next day or so. It wouldn’t hurt to spend some time with her friends, or a boy she might fancy. So she allowed him to pull her through the castle, cracking jokes and asking questions all the way to Hogsmeade.

Chapter Text

            Rhea was standing outside the Great Hall nervously, running through the list of charms incantations and uses that Poppy had compiled for them to make studying a bit easier. Amit was in a corner, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, trying to drown out his fellow anxious Ravenclaws. Samantha was pacing nearby, reciting mnemonic devices she’d concocted to remember the intricate hexes they’d covered just after Christmas. Everett and Duncan were off to the side arguing quietly about the particular spelling of some of the longer spells Ronen had rattled off without pausing.

            The fifth-years were roughly grouped by house was they waited for the proctor of the exam to come and fetch them. It was their last exam of the season, so they were all fairly comfortable with the process that would follow. They would line up, single file, alphabetically organized by house before proceeding into the Great Hall. They would sit silently at their desks as answer sheets were sent out and the Proctor spent some time going over the instructions. Once all instructions had been relayed, the test booklets would be sent out. Then, once all students had their exam packet, the giant hourglass located at the front of the room would flip and time would begin.

            Rhea spotted Ominis and Sebastian across the room, near the house point hourglasses, counting on their hands as they listed something or other off from the copious notes they had compiled as a group in the Undercroft. She caught Sebastian’s eye and he gave her a wave. For the hundredth time that week, she momentarily wished for once of two things: either that she had been sorted into Slytherin and they were able to wait for these damned exams together, or that they at least could have carried the Bis Scribe around that week. Ultimately, they had decided it was far too risky to even consider carrying the notes around. If they forgot the enchanted papers were in their pockets on the way into any of their exams, they would be barred from taking any of them. Given the amount of time and effort they had put into both studying and perfecting their masterpieces of spellwork, it wasn’t worth repeating their fifth year of school.

            She offered him an encouraging smile in return as he leaned towards Ominis and gave him the distant greeting as well. Ominis raised his hand slightly, a gentle wave, though he wasn’t quite facing the right direction. Rhea smiled affectionately at her friends and shook her head slightly. It was the thought that counted, after all.

            To her left were the Hufflepuffs, where Poppy was tapping her foot impatiently, not engaging with any of her housemates, who had broken into small groups of three or four and were chatting amicably about everything but the impending final O.W.L. of the year. She was staring at the doors to the Great Hall, as if willing them to open with nothing but the sheer force of her will for them to do so. It was still a good few minutes before the Proctor would emerge and demand their attention, but the girl’s gaze was insistent nonetheless.

            Natty and Garreth were sitting with the rest of the Gryffindors, all of whom were proving to be the loudest of the four houses, as per usual. They were arguing over the differences between counter-charms and counter-curses, the similarities between hexes and jinxes, and the twelve qualities necessary for a spell to be classified as a charm instead of a run-of-the-mill spell. When he spotted Rhea looking over Garreth’s face broke into a wide, crooked grin and he looked as though he was about ready to bounce up to his feet and cross the house divide. Natty noticed his brightened mood and shot Rhea a knowing smirk, raising her eyebrows slightly.

            Rhea hadn’t explicitly told anyone that she was going to allow Garreth Weasley to try and court her over the summer. No one had really asked, but she supposed if they had any idea, they would have. Natty knew, of course, being one of Garreth’s best friends, and Poppy knew as well, having run into the pair in Hogsmeade when they had gone into town for a butterbeer alone together. It had only been a few days, but there had been a marked improvement in their ability to spend time with one another properly. Garreth actively did his best to slow down and listen to her and ask her actual questions about herself and Rhea did her best to offer up more information freely, without prompting.

            Her Slytherins didn’t know yet, however, and she wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to tell them in the first place. Part of her reasoned that with summer approaching, it would perhaps be simpler to avoid the conversation until she and Garreth knew whether or not their letter-writing arrangement would be successful or not. But then she also knew for certain that they would be hurt if she didn’t tell them in person close to when it actually came to fruition. It had already been a week and the longer time went on the more nervous she got.

            Why, though? Why should she be nervous? She knew that they all hadn’t been the best of friends in previous years, but there wasn’t any outright animosity, as far as she was aware. If anything, they had all become better friends after the Yule Ball, and even more so once the Crossed Wands tournament had begun racing towards its finale. Garreth had kissed her on the cheek, for crying out loud and, while Ominis had a very good excuse for not noticing it, Sebastian had been right there and hadn’t seemed to clock it.

            Ominis finding out… Well, it could go one of two ways. Either he was indifferent in his typical logic and reason over emotional intimacy way, or he would be adamantly against it. Despite his hatred of his family’s origin, he was quite proud of his house. He wanted nothing more than to undo the terrible legacy Slytherin had branded his descendants with. However, it didn’t mean that he particularly liked the Gryffindors. He would probably make himself scarcer if the latter option was how things went, opting to remove himself from the situation to avoid causing unnecessary tension, and that was something that Rhea did not want to happen. Ominis was important to her; he was one of her best friends, whether he liked it or not, and it was important for her to know he would support her.

            Similarly, she wasn’t certain how things would go with Sebastian. Sebastian had a much better relationship with Garreth Weasley than Ominis did— of that much, she was certain. Really they were more similar than the lion or the snake would be willing to admit under normal circumstances. They were both extremely talented wizards, they both enjoyed a good duel, had a penchant for pranks, and—as far as she was aware, they cared about her. If they weren't both so stubborn, however, they would be able to see it for themselves. Somehow, she felt confident that if she made it clear to both of them that she expected them to be cordial and friendly with one another, they would both comply, even if they didn’t want to. She didn’t want it to come to that but…

            She recalled how uncomfortable the last week of term before the Christmas exam period had been for her and Sebastian. He hadn’t seemed very enthusiastic about her date with Garreth. But then she wasn’t sure how much of that was her fault—she hadn’t exactly been thrilled about his potential courtship with Adelaide at first. She supposed it was just growing pains, but it did give her some worry about reaffirming Garreth’s interest in her, and the fact that she was fairly certain she did, perhaps, fancy him.

            Garreth and Natty returned to arguing with Leander over the exact tense used in the modern translations of the growth charms, leaving Rhea to her thoughts. She watched them affectionately for a few moments before turning to scan the room again, but she didn’t quite get the chance.

            The doors of the Great Hall burst open and the students leapt into action, sorting themselves in their proper order before marching into the hall and taking their usual spot. Rhea shook her personal predicament from her mind and focused her attention on the Proctor. This was the final hurdle. Once she completed this exam, she would be done with the final day of her fifth, but first, year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            When the final grains of sand trickled down from the hourglass, Rhea felt a great weight lift off of her shoulders. The exam booklets sealed themselves instantly with magic and flew towards the front of the room. Students began craning their necks to look around the Great Hall for their friends, though they didn’t dare speak until the Proctor officially released them. As soon as they were properly dismissed, most of the students leapt to their feet and made a hasty beeline for the door. A few hurried to regroup with their friends on the way.

            Rhea took her time, knowing that by this point, her friends would find her and sometimes it was easier to simply move slowly to make it easier for them. However, she wanted nothing more than to fight her way through the throng of students to go and seek out one friend in particular.

            Sebastian and Ominis appeared on either side of her as she walked slowly behind the massive crowd trying to burst through the clogged doorway of the Great Hall. Sebastian clapped her on the back proudly and gave her a glowing grin, which she returned eagerly as Ominis began to congratulate her verbally instead.

            “As per end-of-year tradition, we are now free and thus will be celebrating in the Undercroft later this evening,” Ominis told her. “All nighter—maybe we can get up to some proper mischief for once, now that there won’t be many consequences. They’re sending us home in a few days, so we might as well make the most of it.”

            “We’re also going to go to Hogsmeade for the rest of the afternoon,” Sebastian told her eagerly, “We’re going to spend some time with Sirona, go to Zonko’s, Honeydukes—the works. You don’t have the excuse of needing to do homework anymore, so I fully expect you to be in attendance.”

            “That all sounds lovely,” Rhea grinned. “Though, I did promise Garreth a dinner in Hogsmeade, so I might not be able to join you for the whole Hogsmeade marathon. And I do actually really quickly need to go and find Professor Fig. I have a few more questions about what my summer break might entail that only he can answer.” She gave Sebastian a pointed look to remind him of the ancient magic trials she was currently barred from exploring, but he seemed to be suddenly rather distracted. She had hoped that by cramming the news about Garreth in, her friends might not immediately pick up on it, but it seemed that Sebastian was more attentive than she’d given him credit for.

            “Dinner?” Sebastian asked with the faintest frown, and worry began to blossom in Rhea’s chest at the strange disappointment in his tone.

            Ominis was quick to jump in, for once, as he said, “That sounds like a wonderful time, Rhea. Once you two are done with that, you’re more than welcome to join us for butterbeers; I’m sure we’re all going to be eager to celebrate the end of O.W.L.s for a long time today. And if you’re too busy, that’s alright—we can have our Undercroft celebration tomorrow after packing our things for the journey home.” Rhea gave his arm a grateful squeeze and he smiled slightly in return, though Sebastian was still taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

            “So what could you possibly need to talk to Fig about?” Ominis asked. “The summer rules are simple: no magic, wait for exam results, worry, miss school.”

            “That simple, is it?” Rhea laughed. “I just need to make sure those ones still apply to me. They did give me extra lessons before school started if you recall. I’m wondering if they might have anything for me to work on over the summer so I’m absolutely ready to return next year. Professor Weasley was impressed by my progress with the Field Guide this year, but she seemed to be rather insistent that I continue to fill it out whenever I can. That must mean there’s still so much more for me to learn that I haven’t yet.”

            “There’s always going to be more to learn,” Ominis told her, shaking his head slightly. “I reckon they’ll just want you to rest and recuperate after that eventful end-of-term adventure you went on. Which was rather foolish, I might add. I don’t think I’ve quite said it enough.”

            “Oh, you certainly have,” Rhea laughed, shaking her head slightly as she spotted Natty, Garreth, and Poppy waiting off to the side of the gigantic doors of the Great Hall. She waved at them and hurried along, her Slytherin entourage following behind her, as always.

            “How does it feel to be a certified Hogwarts student?” Garreth asked as Rhea came to a stop between him and Sebastian.

            “I feel like it’s nothing new,” she laughed in slight confusion. “Was I not a certified student before?”

            “Nah, it’s definitely different,” he laughed, placing an arm delicately around her shoulders, though he didn’t pull her very close. It was all still very new, and he clearly wasn’t certain what level of affection was appropriate or wanted just yet. He could only hope that she didn’t shove his arm off, and that it didn’t look as awkward to the others as it felt for him initiating contact. “You’ve lasted two semesters without any major magical mishaps, and you’ve finished your O.W.L.s!”

            “Crossed Wands Champion as well—can’t forget that, now, can we?” Sebastian added, finally finding his voice again after Ominis’s timely interruption. His typical friendly smile was on his face, but it just barely avoided reaching his eye—at least when he was addressing Garreth, though no one really seemed to notice, much to Sebastian’s relief. He felt his smile grow more genuine as Rhea grinned proudly back at him for the comment.

            She turned to speak to Natty and his smile faltered again as his gaze fell on the arm Garreth had casually slung around her shoulders. He couldn’t deny he was bothered by it. He couldn’t decide if it was the casual way she’d mentioned her plans with Weasley or if it was the fact that Garreth seemed so comfortable with her. He also supposed that as blindsided as he felt, he should have expected it. Rhea was a beautiful person, and they all already knew that Garreth had fancied her since before the Ball. He made her laugh, and he was fun to be around. Of course she’d fancy him.

            But then, he wondered why he hadn’t expected it. If he logically should have expected that Rhea and Garreth would be courting by this point, why hadn’t the thought crossed his mind since the Ball? She never really mentioned him unless it was to do with Natty and Crossed Wands. She didn’t really seek him out outside of class—she didn’t even sit with him in any of them. On top of that where did she find the time to be courted by Garreth Weasley? She was always flitting about studying, fighting dark wizards, or studying ancient magic. And when she wasn’t doing those things—or sleeping—she was spending time in the Undercroft with him—and Ominis, of course.

            Ominis hadn’t seemed terribly surprised when she’d mentioned it—he’d been quick to come up with a good response to the change of plans. Surely Ominis would have mentioned something before though, if he had known… And if he had known, would that have meant that Rhea didn’t want Sebastian to know? But then that would mean they—

            He immediately shut down that line of thinking as he nodded politely, listening to Poppy chatter about how she felt she did on the test to him and Ominis. It wasn’t fair of him to allow his thoughts to accuse his best friends of that. This wasn’t a big deal—he shouldn’t be this off balance because Rhea was having dinner with Garreth Weas—Garreth. Just. Garreth. There was no reason for him to be so hostile to the other boy. Well… no reason that he particularly wanted to admit, given the current reality of their situation.

            Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rhea turn to Garreth and speak quietly to him as Natty joined Poppy’s conversation excitedly. She was grinning up at him, but there was a slightly concerned look in her brow that made him wonder what exactly they were talking about. He was nodding along, an affectionate look on his face that made Sebastian’s heart squeeze slightly, though he did his best to ignore it. After a few moments, Garreth nodded a final time and she stepped away slightly, rejoining the group briefly.

            Sebastian returned his focus to the conversation, but his brief lapse of attention was not lost on either of the Gryffindors present in the area. Natty was watching him with a careful and appraising look. She wasn’t sure she liked what she saw, especially considering Poppy didn’t seem to catch it. For the hundredth time, she privately wished that Anne still attended Hogwarts so that they could pick apart that particular interaction together. As it was, she wasn’t entirely certain that she wanted to bring it up to the other girl—they hadn’t really done much talking about her twin, and Natty had to admit that she rather liked it that way. However, if Sebastian was going to become gloomy and standoffish whenever Garreth and Rhea were together, it might become unavoidable. Few people knew the Sallow boy better than his sister.

            Garreth, too, was well aware of the unusual glare he’d been on the receiving end of since the group had come together, however unintentional it had been on Sebastian’s part. Garreth wasn’t a stupid person. Sure, his babbling could border on inane at times, and it might not always seem like he was fully clocked in to conversations that other people were having around him, but he was very perceptive. And one of the things he’d decided was worth dealing with to get in Rhea’s good graces was placating one Sebastian Sallow. Ominis was a challenge on his own, but Garreth had never seen outright hostility from the Slytherin.

            Sebastian, however… From the very beginning of the year—literally since the first day of term—it had been clear that Sebastian Sallow was one of Rhea’s best friends. Nothing was going to change that. The two had been practically inseparable since they fought that bloody troll. But Garreth had done his best to carve out a small bit of Rhea’s time for himself, and now that he had it, he wasn’t very willing to let go of it. Even if it meant that Sebastian was short with him or stared him down from across the room.

            To Sebastian’s credit, he was always cordial, at least, even if his expression didn’t quite match his sentiment. And his mood always brightened when Rhea was around. Truly, to Garreth, it was almost painfully obvious that Sebastian was enamored by the pretty Ravenclaw. Garreth couldn’t pinpoint exactly when that had happened, but he’d noticed it first when Sebastian had turned Adelaide’s invitation to the Ball down. And then he’d noticed it again at the ball, when Sebastian and Rhea—and admittedly a few others—had disappeared for over an hour, only to return, dancing and laughing as if they had forgotten all about their respective dates.

            It wasn’t exactly disrespectful, and Rhea did spend much more time with Garreth as the evening had progressed, but Garreth had seen the shift in Sebastian’s gaze that night. He fancied her. And that meant that Garreth had competition, whether Sebastian or Rhea knew it or not. And then, after the holidays, nothing had changed. They were as inseparable as ever, distinctly friends more than anything else. But the wistful gazes in class had grown more frequent on Sebastian’s part and Rhea was none-the-wiser.

            Garreth intended to keep it that way. He wanted his fair shot at winning her favor, which he was currently doing a good job of, if he did say so himself. And it helped that he wasn’t much of a jealous person. He rather liked Sebastian, despite the hostility that came from their house rivalry, and it was clear that he was important to Rhea. He was, figuratively, going to kill the other boy with kindness. Sure, they might be rivals, in a way, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends as well.

            So Garreth grinned and joked with the group as Rhea slipped away, tugging on the other boy’s sleeve to pull him along. He wasn’t worried by the slightly triumphant expression that flashed ever-so-briefly across Sebastian’s face as Rhea dragged him up the grand staircase instead of Garreth. Rhea didn’t notice it—or if she did, she wasn’t bothered by it. And so, neither was Garreth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “So, you and Weasley, huh?” Sebastian asked once they were well out of sight of their group of friends that they’d left behind. He knew that he needed to say something—something to reassure her. He couldn’t help but feel guilty about his poor reaction to her news, especially when it was evident how happy she was. He was being a poor, poor friend and he knew it. He just wasn’t sure what he could say to reassure her.

            “I suppose so,” she said, a ghost of a chuckle bubbling out of her as she shrugged. “He asked for a fresh chance, and I decided to oblige him.”

            “A fresh chance?” Sebastian frowned. “I thought your previous dates with him went well?”

            “Well enough,” she admitted. It was strange discussing Garreth Weasley with Sebastian, but it wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as she’d been worried about it being. If anything, she wanted to talk more about it. She trusted Sebastian’s judgement more than almost everyone else’s. If he truly thought it was a terrible idea, he would tell her, even if she didn’t want to hear it. “I had fun, and he did as well. But this year was just… bad timing, I suppose? Between helping Natty and all my other duties, I barely had time for friends, let alone someone who fancied me.”

            “Summer’s coming, though,” Sebastian heard himself pointing out. “Are you at all worried about that?”

            “Garreth Weasley might not value brevity in casual conversation, but he can be quite contained when it comes to letters,” Rhea said. “We’re going to write to one another over the summer and see how things go regardless of the distance. It would be silly to simply ignore one another and try to pick things up at the start of next year.”

            “I suppose that makes sense…” he said, trailing off with a slight frown. It seemed the pair were quite serious about pursuing something with one another. He shouldn’t feel so disappointed, but there was a knot in the pit of his stomach and he wanted nothing more than to go and pace around the Undercroft with Ominis to sort things through.

            “Oh, don’t look so sour, Bast,” she chided, linking her arm with his and giving him a little shake, pulling him out of the small spiral he’d been falling down. He worried for a moment that she had seen right through him, but if she had, she never said it. “I’m still going to write to you and Ominis and Anne, I promise! And we still have the Bis Scribe—there’s no getting rid of me now, Sallow. I survived fifth year.”

            “Despite the odds being stacked against you,” he found himself joking, his confused and hurt feelings shoved to the side by the affectionate words. “So, why’d you want me to escort you to see Fig?”

            “I’m going to tell him about you,” Rhea said simply, as though it should have been obvious.

            Sebastian nearly missed a step on the staircase as he frowned down at her, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Didn’t he expressly tell you to avoid telling anyone about any of that ancient magic stuff?”

            “Well, yes,” Rhea said, “But only after I’d promised to tell you everything. You don’t count, in my opinion. You and I, we’re a packaged deal when it comes to this now. Professor Fig will just have to deal with it.”

            “If you’re certain you want to tell him, far be it from me to protest,” Sebastian said. “Do you have a plan?”

            “I’m going to talk to him about it all first,” Rhea said. “And then I’m going to just tell him. And I’m certain he’s going to want to talk to you once I have, and I’ll go and get you.”

            “Is there anything you don’t want him to know?” Sebastian asked, causing Rhea to stop in her tracks.

            That hadn’t even crossed her mind before, but now she realized that perhaps it should have. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Professor Fig—she trusted him with her life. She knew that he always had her best interests in mind. But he was gone so often, and Sebastian had always been there for her when she needed him. It wasn’t any fault of Professor Fig’s that he was away from Hogwarts for so long, but Sebastian had helped her several times in her quest for the book and its missing pages.

            “He doesn’t know how I got into the Restricted Section,” Rhea explained slowly. “And he doesn’t know that you helped me with the Jackdaw situation. I suppose it won’t matter if he knows you helped with Jackdaw now that I’m going to be telling him that you know in the first place… But it’s sort of a don’t-ask-don’t-tell situation when it comes to rule breaking.”

            “He’ll probably assume it was me that got you down there,” Sebastian said with a wry smile. “It’s kind of my specialty.”

            “Undoubtedly,” Rhea laughed, “but all the same. Mum’s the word on that one, Bast. Ominis and I will always know it was you who made that possible.”

            “That’s actually another thing I wanted to ask,” Sebastian said quickly at the mention of their friend. “Do you think that you’re going to tell Ominis? I know we talked about it a while ago, but I don’t think you ever resolved that…”

            “I think for the time being, it’s best that I don’t tell him,” Rhea said after a few moments. “I absolutely trust Ominis, but there’s still so much we don’t know about Ranrok and my abilities and what those things have to do with one another in the first place. I’d rather tell him when I have more answers, especially since I don’t think I’ll be getting many until next year. No need to worry him needlessly.”

            “Needlessly?” Sebastian scoffed slightly, “Do you know how many times you almost died this year when I was the only one who knew about it?”

            “Too many,” she admitted, wincing slightly at his very good point. “I promise I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

            “That’s good enough for me,” Sebastian said with a nod, “I don’t like lying to him. Luckily, he hasn’t actually asked any questions about how weird you are when Professor Fig comes back to school, so I haven’t had to.”

            “Well, with any luck, it won’t be so weird next year when you and I start taking Magical Theory,” Rhea said with a grin as they approached the empty classroom.

            “It all depends on what O.W.L.s we get,” he pointed out. “We could very well not earn good enough scores to be admitted to his class.”

            “Somehow, I reckon he’ll give me a pass,” Rhea said, rolling her eyes slightly. “And if all goes well today, you might get one as well.”

            With that last quip, she turned and darted up the short, curved staircase to the Professor’s office, giving a brief knock on the door before slipping inside, shooting Sebastian one last grin before closing it with a click. She turned and saw the Professor sitting at his desk, a thin pair of reading glasses perched on his nose as he pored over a rather musty looking old tome. It looked vaguely familiar to Rhea, but she couldn’t place where from until Fig spotted her and closed it quickly. There was a rattle of a chain as he did so and she realized it must have been from the Restricted Section.

            “Ah, there you are!” he exclaimed, a warm smile creasing his wrinkled face. “I’m sorry it’s been a while since we were able to discuss our special project, though I hear through the grapevine that you’ve managed to keep yourself incredibly busy. I believe several congratulations are in order. First for that nasty business with Theophilus Harlow and Miss Onai—that was incredibly brave of the pair of you, though I can’t say I can exactly encourage such behavior to continue. Your loyalty to your friend was certainly admirable, though I’m afraid I must implore that should another such opportunity to ignite change arise, you allow others to take up the cause instead. Your ability to control ancient magic is unprecedented and you are the only one we will likely ever find with such proficiency in the skill. You need to be careful, or we may lose everything we’ve been working towards.”

            “Secondly, congratulations on completing your fifth year at Hogwarts, and on surviving your O.W.L.s,” Fig continued as she took a seat across from him in one of his sturdy office chairs. He summoned some tea, and it began serving itself as he resumed speaking. “It is a mighty difficult task to perform so impressively under such stress. And yet, despite your late start, you have managed to impress every one of your professors, and I daresay several of your classmates. I look forward to seeing you in my class next year—I do believe studying Magical Theory will be an excellent help in uncovering more about your abilities. And it will give us more of an excuse to take some… unsanctioned field trips to search for more answers.”

            “On that note, Professor, I was wondering if Professor Rackham or Professor Rookwood had given any indication about what’s to be done about my trials over the summer?” Rhea asked. “It’s been months since I completed the first trial and while I understand the need for caution, I worry that Professor Rookwood might be a bit too reluctant to proceed. We have no idea how Ranrok’s rebellion is progressing at the moment, and I’m worried that if we wait too long, we may lose important ground regarding the trials. Ranrok has been ahead of us every step of the way and I’d like that to change.”

            Fig gave a wry nod and said, “Unfortunately, his resolve remains. I have tried to convince him myself, but I’m afraid that part of me agrees. Especially considering this upheaval in Victor Rookwood’s holdings in the valley. Theophilus Harlow was his right hand man—Victor Rookwood will be more dangerous than ever. Perhaps it is best to wait until next school year simply in the hope that Rookwood’s operations will weaken, or that he will at least forget about his vendetta against you.”

            “What if he comes for me at home?” Rhea frowned. “My mother doesn’t have magic, and I’m not supposed to use any outside of school…”

            “There are certain precautions that we can take to ensure your safety,” Professor Fig told her. “There are many that have already been put in place already. Which brings me to my next point: I have broken our deal to keep our activities between the two of us.”

            Rhea was stunned. It took everything in her to avoid dropping her jaw in shock at the Professor’s revelation. She hadn’t been expecting that at all. “You… You told someone?”

            “Yes,” Professor Fig nodded solemnly. “I decided that it would be in your best interests to have another ally here at Hogwarts who you could go to if the need were ever to arise. As such, I told Professor Hecat about your abilities and the true nature of the story surrounding our arrival at Hogwarts in September shortly after you completed Percival Rackham’s trial. I have not brought her to the Map Chamber, as I believe that the majority of the responsibility surrounding this situation is yours to bear.”

            “So… when I had my meeting about careers with Professor Hecat… she knew about my abilities?” Rhea asked, the woman’s masterful line of questioning making more sense. She hadn’t outright steered Rhea away from working for the Ministry of Magic, but she’d been so curious about her reasoning for becoming a curse-breaker that Rhea was surprised she hadn’t thought more of it. She thought the old woman had simply been doing her job—not trying to prod Rhea towards a career that would benefit her studies of ancient magic.

            “Yes, I suppose she did,” Fig mused. “She was quite impressed with your ambitions. I admit, I agree that you certainly have been discerning in picking a few potential careers going into your sixth-year.”

            “I suppose it is good that she knows,” Rhea mused. “If I get into any more trouble like I did with Natty, it might not be bad for my head of house to understand why I found myself halfway across the country fighting goblins or dark wizards… But… I must also confess that I was unable to keep my promise to you, as well, Professor Fig. On my first day here at Hogwarts, Sebastian Sallow accompanied me to Hogsmeade where we were attacked by one of Ranrok’s trolls. During that fight, I used ancient magic and Sebastian saw the result of it. In the end, it was ancient magic that allowed us to defeat the troll entirely. However, given the amount of danger I had put him in that day, though it was through no fault of my own, I decided that I owed him an explanation.”

            “He has been a very trustworthy confidant throughout the year,” Rhea said. “And I promised him the information before I promised you my silence on the matter. I have told no one else, and Sebastian has likewise remained silent. He has been a great help in multiple ways—from teaching me spells and defensive magic, to helping me solve the Jackdaw Riddle in the Owlery that led to the missing pages of the book.”

            Professor Fig was silent for a moment, sipping his tea as he thoughtfully absorbed the young woman’s admission. He placed the teacup in its saucer and delicately slid it onto his desk before nodding firmly, “That’s quite alright. It was, perhaps, too much for me to request your total silence on the subject. While it is the safest option, I understand that it would have been terribly isolating for you, especially at such a tumultuous time in your young life. I am glad that you have found such a good friend in Mr. Sallow. He is a capable young wizard, and I trust your judgement. If you believe he will keep your secret faithfully, then that is good enough for me.”

            “He’s just outside, if you want to speak with him,” Rhea offered, surprised that the man had taken the news so well. “And he’s interested in becoming a curse-breaker too, so you’ll get to know him better in class next year, I’m certain.”

            Fig paused for a moment before shaking his head slightly, “No, perhaps it is better that he remains separate from the two of us when it comes to these meetings. While there is no issue with you confiding in him, it would perhaps be more suspicious to certain other professors if our little group began to expand. And perhaps safer for him, should our journey take us into more dangerous territory in the coming year.”

            Rhea nodded her response. She had hoped that Fig would have wanted to speak to Sebastian, if only to confirm everything she’d told him before. There wasn’t much that Rhea was worried about, but she purposely avoided bringing up Anne’s mysterious pain and the parallel that Rhea could see between Isidora and her dear friend Sebastian. She did trust Sebastian, wholeheartedly, and she was glad that she still had Eleazar Fig’s trust as well.

            “So then I suppose this is it, until next year?” Rhea asked after a few moments spent drinking their tea in comfortable silence. For the first time, she was nervous about returning home. She was used to being unable to talk to Professor Fig, but she’d at least known where to find him. And she had magic to protect herself at school. But she was preparing to return to what was essentially the muggle world with next to no way of contacting her mentor should any issues arise.

            He smiled back at her with shining eyes. He was truly so proud of how far she had come since that first day when they boarded that fateful carriage. And while he was disappointed that summer had come so soon, when they were just beginning to test the limits of her abilities with ancient magic, he knew that she had more than earned a break. She deserved to rest and enjoy what little was left of her childhood before the stress of sixth-year bore down on her.

            “I suppose it is.”

Chapter Text

            The next few days passed quicker than Rhea had been hoping they would. While the fact that their exams were behind them was utterly delightful for the fifth-years, they didn’t have quite the freedom they had anticipated. As most of the other students at Hogwarts still had exams to take during those last days of term, the fifth and seventh years still had to respect curfew and quiet hours rules, much to their chagrin.

            Rhea had been trying to split her time between her friends as evenly as she could, but she’d come upon probably the best problem she’d ever had in her young life. While she was off spending time with Sebastian and Ominis, she found herself missing Natty and Poppy. The reverse was also true, and she wished that they could all simply spend all their time together. But despite being friendly with one another, the two groups weren’t entirely friends. At least, not friends who actively missed one another when they weren’t spending time together. Not like Rhea was feeling about them all.

            And then there was Garreth. Eager as ever, he was doing his best to find her when she was alone to take a nice walk around the grounds in the beautiful and rare Scottish sunshine. It had made her late to meet up with their other friends many times, but she didn’t entirely mind it, as he didn’t quite fit into either of the other groups. He wasn’t her friend anymore, not really.

            But try as she might, she never missed him the way she missed the others. It was a point of significant guilt for her, but she reasoned that she simply needed a chance to miss him. He managed to make himself so available to see her that there was hardly a time she was wandering the castle alone. It certainly made sneaking into the Undercroft a more difficult task, but she’d managed to avoid accidentally revealing the secret hideaway thus far. And she had no intention of betraying Ominis’s trust.

            She spent the final day packing up her dorm, chatting pleasantly with her dorm mates. They were friendly enough, and she hoped that perhaps the following year she would be able to become better friends with them now that they knew her just a bit better. She wouldn’t be that strange new anomaly upsetting the balance of the school. Perhaps there was some truth to Garreth’s comment about her being a fully certified Hogwarts student now…

            She’d even had a heartfelt little encounter with Samantha Dale, who thanked her for her support when it came to Bertie and Imelda’s small drama a few months back. While it had fully fled Rhea’s mind nearly as soon as it had happened, it had clearly meant more to Samantha, who had been stuck in the middle of it. She hoped that even if she didn’t become better friends with the rest of her dormmates, she wanted to get to know Samantha better. She was a kind girl, even if she managed to pick friends who thrived off of drama and gossip.

            The day passed by too quickly for her liking and eventually she began making her way down to the Great Hall. Most of the students in her year had already gone down to meet other friends before the end-of-term feast, leaving Rhea alone. At the start of the year it had been daunting, standing in front of those doors with Professor Fig. But now it felt almost… comfortable. She knew that she wasn’t alone. She knew that on the other side of those doors, she had several good friends that were just as sad about leaving her for the summer as she was about leaving them.

            She stood, frozen to the spot, tapping her wand absent-mindedly on her palm. It wasn’t the best nervous habit for her to have developed, but the repetition was comforting. She didn’t fully understand why she was so nervous to enter the Great Hall. Some small part of her insisted that this had all been such a wonderful dream—that when she entered the House Cup Ceremony, she would instead wake up, her life at Hogwarts nothing more than a dream. All of her friends—Natty, Poppy, Garreth, Ominis… Bast… nothing more than vibrant figments of her imagination.

            It was a terrifying thought. And she knew, logically, that it wasn’t true. Everything she’d experienced that year had happened. She had won Crossed Wands with Sebastian, her best friend. She’d defeated Theophilus Harlow with Natty, the bravest witch she knew. She’d accessed ancient and powerful magic under the tutelage of two of the most incredible professors she’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. And she’d faced countless dangerous challenges and come out on the other side successful and better off for her struggles.

            So walking through the ornate set of large doors before her should have been the easiest thing in the world.

            But it wasn’t.

            Ultimately, she knew, deep down, that she wasn’t ready to go home. She wanted to learn more. She wanted to be able to see her friends every day. Of course, she deeply missed her mother and their quiet little cottage on the moor. But her world had expanded beyond their sleepy little hamlet, and she was going to miss the freedom of school. She was going to miss the classes. She was going to miss picnics by the lake, and days in Hogsmeade. She was going to miss it all.

            It was a small comfort knowing that she would be back the next year. She simply wished that she could fast forward time so it would happen sooner rather than later.

            A hand gently pressed down on hers, stopping the constant tapping of her wand against her palm. She looked to the side and saw Sebastian’s freckled, smiling face staring back at her. There was the smallest glimmer of concern in his warm brown eyes, but he didn’t mention her nervous habit. His smile simply grew and gave her a slight nudge towards the doors with his other hand. A sense of calm washed over her as Ominis appeared on her other side, using his wand to open the door, allowing them entrance into the hall.            This was easier to face with her friends at her sides, that was for certain.

            The Great Hall was not nearly as fabulously decorated as it had been for the Yule Ball, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t looking extravagant. The typical four long tables ran the length of the room, all decked out in their individual house colors. Above each table were several banners sporting the house colors as well, floating candles flickering between them as they ambled almost aimlessly through the air. Fires were roaring in the massive hearths scattered along the outer edges of the hall, though they were enchanted to never burn too brightly or too hotly, crackling happily beneath the din of the waiting students and professors.

            The school’s finest place settings had been brought out; beautiful pieces of porcelain decorated with the emblem of each house. The standard pewter goblets had been polished to such a shine that one was able to see their reflection perfectly in it and though no food was present on the tables, the smell of it seemed to permeate through the kitchen ceiling and into the Great Hall, teasing the hungry feast-goers.

            Rhea gave Sebastian a grateful look as he and Ominis split from her to take their usual places at the Slytherin table. She hesitated a moment before heading towards her typical spot at the Ravenclaw table beside theirs. Everett and Duncan were animatedly discussing a few pieces of muggle literature they were looking forward to picking up over the summer. On her other side, Samantha was speaking with Astoria Crickett about a particularly juicy piece of gossip she’d heard about an older boy in Hufflepuff. Rhea took a deep breath and simply enjoyed the moment. While neither conversation was one that she wanted to participate in that evening, she was reminded that she still wasn’t alone. She enjoyed being surrounded by so many interesting people at any given time. And she was eager for the following two years of the same opportunity.

            Professor Black took to the podium, giving a short and rather dry speech about the hard work all the students and professors had put into that year and that he was proud to call such a school his home. He continued to prattle on about carrying forth the values imparted upon them all within those hallowed halls to the outside world. With those few, mostly hollow words said, he clapped his hands twice and the tables filled with food instantaneously. Rhea has seen this trick a few times before, but it was still exciting to see every time. Whether it was the magic itself, or simply that she was ravenous for the delicious food, she’d never be able to tell. And perhaps that was part of the point of it.

            Before long, bellies were full and some heads nodding as the crowd waited for the final words of the year from the headmaster. When Professor Black was well and truly finished with his meal, he delicately raised a napkin to clean his goatee before rising and making his way back to the podium. When he stood, the hall fell mostly silent, though an excited buzz began to ripple across the room. Even those succumbing to the particular sleep that comes after one has indulged in a particularly delicious meal were suddenly alert. All eyes were fixed on the headmaster as he cleared his throat and scanned the crowd once more.

            “Now, the moment you have all, undoubtedly, been waiting for: the winner of this year’s House Cup Tournament. It has been a rather uneventful year, though several moments of… chaos… do stand out. However, one of these such moments has stood out much more clearly than others. While we do not encourage our students to endanger themselves or others, we cannot deny the act of true and selfless bravery performed by one Natsai Onai against Theophilus Harlow, a vile man who threatened the safety of a number of our student body throughout the year. Miss Onai’s actions have been exemplary of the beliefs that are cornerstone to her house. As such, your professors have seen fit to award her one hundred points for her fortitude in the face of adversity. Which, ultimately, means that this year’s House Cup shall be awarded to Gryffindor.”

            The hall erupted into cheers and thunderous applause as the Gryffindor students leapt to their feet, whooping and hollering and hugging one another tightly. Garreth had pulled Natty to her feet and raised one of her arms into the air, pointing at her for the rest of the hall to see. While the Gryffindors were undoubtedly the loudest of the bunch, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were showing respectable support for the winners. Even most of the Slytherins were cheering, though they were markedly less animated than the rest of the students. Bitter rivals, indeed.

            Rhea couldn’t be happier for her friend. Natty seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, from what Rhea could see in glimpse through the crowd of students rushing to congratulate and thank her. None was more grateful than Rhea, but then again, she and Natty didn’t care much about house cups. Natty was rewarded by the simple fact that she’d taken a dangerous man out of a position of power… But then again, the glory of winning the house cup for Gryffindor certainly wasn’t anything to sneeze at when it made the Slytherins look so dour.

            The applause and cheering didn’t even die down as a few students hoisted Natty onto their shoulders and began to carry her out of the Great Hall. As far as they were concerned, they had been dismissed, and they had some last-night-at-school festivities to get cracking on now that they’d officially won the cup. It had been a fairly close race between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but the lions had won it in the end. Rhea supposed that she wouldn’t get to see Natty that night as the Gryffindors disappeared out of the Great Hall doors and the rest of the student body began to follow suit.

            Rhea waited for most of the Ravenclaws to filter out before she stood and made her way towards the exit, two familiar forms falling into step beside her. She felt one arm rest around her shoulders, another slipping around her waist as she grinned, wiggling to get her arms around her friends as well, squeezing them tightly as they made their way to the Hall of Herodiana, overnight bags already stashed and waiting for them in the Undercroft, filled with sweets and books and Sebastian’s special flask that was magically always full. While the big party of the year might belong to the Gryffindors, the true celebration of friendship was being held somewhere a little more private.

Chapter Text

            Rhea woke early, despite the lack of windows in the hidden Undercroft. The room was cold, despite the early summer temperatures that had descended on the castle in the final weeks of term. She pulled her blanket tighter around herself as she sat up off one of the loveseats Sebastian and Ominis had managed to find for her among the clutter of the room. She reluctantly cracked open her eyes and glanced around the dim room.

            Ominis was sprawled on his favorite couch, one arm hanging towards the ground and one leg dangling over the back of it as he continued to make his usual racket. Sebastian had been telling the truth: Ominis did snore like a banshee. But he was peaceful, even if he was terribly noisy. He had fallen asleep first, humming along to the mostly intact gramophone they’d found hidden among the discarded items shoved into the Undercroft. It was a rare find and they had enjoyed listening to the few records they had found there. They were particularly stuffy sounding classical pieces, but it had been a delightful find nonetheless, and one they would be taking full advantage of the following year.

            Sebastian was lying face down on the rug, surrounded by his usually mostly neat pile of pillows, arm clutching one tightly, blanket half off him. He’d been the most excited about their secret evening in the Undercroft, only disappointed that Anne was unable to be there. Rhea was a welcome addition, of course, but as they all knew, she was no replacement for the superior Sallow sibling, as Natty liked to call her. Rhea wondered how long he’d stayed up after she’d fallen asleep—she didn’t remember him falling asleep before her. In fact, she half-remembered him tossing another blanket over her as she drifted off herself.

            She yawned widely and peered through the dim light of the Undercroft at a grandfather clock Ominis had repaired just before Revision had started. The Great Hall would be opening its doors for breakfast soon, and she was filled with a small pang of sadness. It was going to be her last breakfast at Hogwarts for the year. Despite the massive feast they had all enjoyed the previous night, she was ravenous. She braced herself for the chill of the air in the chamber before allowing her tightly wrapped blankets to fall and stretching her arms and back. After a moment she pulled the blankets back up and shuffled forward until she was on the ground, making her way over to Sebastian.

            She knelt beside him for a moment, laughing slightly at his utterly relaxed face as a small bit of drool fell from his open mouth. She reached out a hand and gently shook his shoulder. He grunted and pulled the pillow clutched under his arm closer, burying his face into the pillow beneath his head slightly. She smiled fondly and shook his shoulder again, more roughly this time. He groaned again, opening one eye and glaring at her slightly. When he realized it was her, though, his tired gaze softened and he raised his head slightly, an unspoken question on his face.

            “It’s almost seven,” she said quietly. “We should think about sneaking back into our dorms soon.”

            “It’s not as if they can give us detention for not staying in our dorms last night… we’re literally all leaving today; they’ll never know,” he pointed out, rolling onto his side so he could look at her better. His voice was deeper and slightly raspier than she was used to hearing it, clearly still affected by sleep.

            She laughed quietly but said, “Still. Wouldn’t want to risk it—they might just roll them over to next year for you instead. That would certainly not be a great way to start off the school year, now, would it?”

            He let out a long sigh that ended in a yawn and eventually said, “I suppose you’re right… you always are. What if we just… went to the Great Hall instead? Got an early breakfast in? I could use some of that special Ravenclaw coffee, if I’m honest.”

            “That’s also acceptable,” Rhea said with a small smile, reaching forward and patting his cheek before leaning back and looking over at Ominis. “Shall you wake the banshee, or shall I?”

            Sebastian took hold of the pillow he’d been cuddling before and threw it with both arms at Ominis, who let out a startled and slightly strangled yelp as he was forced into a waking state instead of his previously peaceful sleep.

            “What the bloody hell would possess you to do something like that?” he snapped. “There are much more civilized ways to wake a person, and none of them involves throwing pillows at the sleeping person!” He grabbed the pillow and whipped it back at his best estimate of where Sebastian had wound up for the night. Sebastian caught it with a low chuckle, throwing it back before rolling to his feet and moved to shrug his school robe back on, urging his friends to do the same.

            Sebastian led the way out of the Undercroft, making certain that they all were under the effect of the Disillusionment charm before exiting all the way. Luckily, the Hall of Herodiana was entirely empty, save for the soft echoing of the enchanted instruments that were perpetually situated a floor or so above them. Once assured that the coast was clear the trio dropped their illusions and walked freely, enjoying the emptiness of the castle in the early morning.

            “You know, that really was a rather perfect night,” Rhea mused as they made their way across one of the many beautiful open-air bridges that were scattered across Hogwarts, taking the long route to the Great Hall just for the sake of it.

            “Was it?” Ominis asked. “I don’t remember much after that blasted flask came out…”

            “We didn’t even have that much,” Sebastian laughed. “Hardly any compared to what you must have had at the Yule Ball!”

            “How do you know about that?” Ominis asked sharply, sounding somewhat shocked.

            “That one’s my fault,” Rhea laughed slightly. “I mentioned it offhandedly and he grilled me about it a bit.”

            “For shame,” Ominis grumbled. “Though, I suppose you didn’t break your promise to Anne… so I suppose it’s better he knows; I hate keeping secrets.”

            “That was my thinking as well,” Rhea nodded, linking her arm with his as they made their way in the direction of the viaduct. “I wonder what mischief we’re going to get up to next year. I rather like the rule-breaking Ominis that was out and about last night. Staying out past curfew, drinking firewhisky… Unheard of.”

            “You lot are just a bad influence,” he grumbled. “I personally am hoping for a peaceful year devoid of any rule breaking… But I also know that that’s an impossible dream. So I hope for less detentions for Sebastian.”

            “Oh, I wish for that too,” Rhea added, jumping on the bandwagon and grinning devilishly over at Sebastian. “He’s too much of a trouble-maker for his own good if you ask me.”

            “I’ll have you two know that I only got three detentions during the spring term,” he pointed out defensively, putting an arm around Rhea’s shoulder as the trio wandered closer to the Great Hall. “That’s a new record. Record low, I should say. I think next year, if I keep it up, Scribner might actually let me stay in the library for more than an hour at a time.”

            “Aw, I’m sure she’s going to miss getting you in trouble,” Rhea mused jokingly.

            “You’d think you were her favorite student,” Ominis quipped as well. “You spend more time in the library than she does.”

            “Yeah, are you certain that you aren’t actually the librarian?” Rhea wondered.

            Sebastian paused but a cheeky grin cracked his face as he said, “You know what? Now that you mention it, I reckon I probably am. Can’t wait to use that excuse on her next year.”

            “Wait—no,” Ominis started, suddenly sounding nervous, “That was a joke, Sebastian—please don’t actually say that to her—she won’t get it.”

            “I think that’s a surefire way to get more detention, actually,” Rhea grinned. “I suppose if you want to go for a record high that might be a good way to get there.”

            “Please don’t go for a record high!”

            “Do you think they’d give me a plaque in the Trophy Room?” Sebastian grinned as they reached their destination. He hauled open one of the doors as Ominis groaned and walked inside, resigned to being perpetually surrounded by troublemakers.

            Rhea followed after him, practically bouncing as she replied, “At least you’d know your award would be well-polished, what with all the detentions you’d be serving in there.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Sebastian and Ominis joined Rhea at the Ravenclaw table in the empty Great Hall. Once they were seated, a small section of food appeared before them, coffees and juices appearing at the same time to round out the meal. They enjoyed their meal in pleasant conversation as professors and students began to filter in and the morning progressed. No one questioned why they were up so early, as it seemed a fairly typical habit for many students on the final day in the school. Small groups of friends were dotted around the hall, completely ignoring the typical house table division.

            After a time, Natty and Garreth arrived together, grinning and moving to join the trio at the Ravenclaw table with no hesitation. Garreth sank into the seat beside Rhea and Natty sat next to Sebastian. Soon after, Poppy arrived and grinned sheepishly, sinking into the seat on Rhea’s other side, across from Sebastian. The six friends continued to spend the morning in comfortable conversation, simply enjoying their last morning, unbothered by the crushes and confusion that they had individually grown used to.

            All too soon, students were being called for attendance at the carriages by year, descending order. The older you were, the more options you got on the Hogwarts Express’s return journey when it came to seating. Rowdy and Emotional seventh-years left Hogwarts for what was most likely the very last time in their lives. The sixth-years followed suit, eager to return as the top of the food chain the following year, not yet aware of the reality of their passing youth and the upcoming responsibilities they would face.

            And then it was the fifth-years’ turn. Garreth and Sebastian set about loading everyone’s luggage onto the carriage they’d claimed while Natty bade her goodbyes. Because she and her mother lived at the school for most of the year, she wasn’t going to be leaving with everyone else, which meant that this was truly goodbye until they were reunited after the Welcome Feast several months later.

            She hugged Poppy tightly, promising that they would write to one another and that the time would simply fly by. When they released one another and Natty turned to say goodbye to Rhea, there were a few tears glistening in her eyes. She didn’t say anything as she held her friend close. There was almost too much to say that they couldn’t find the words for.

            After a long time Natty simply said a quiet, “Thank you, my friend…”

            Rhea laughed, feeling tears prick at her eyes as well, “Thank you, Natty. I’m so glad to know you, you brave, brave girl. Congratulations on winning the house cup almost single-handedly for your entire house. It’s more than deserved.”

            “Promise you will write to me this summer,” Natty said firmly, pulling back to give Rhea a somewhat stern look. “I am going to send you every single newspaper clipping about Harlow and his trial as I can find. We did that. Together.”

            “I promise,” Rhea smiled as she reached an arm out to summon Poppy into the hug as well. The Hufflepuff obliged before they released one another. No sooner had they separated than Garreth had dived between the girls and scooped Natty into a bear hug, talking quietly but enthusiastically in her ear and taking her slightly away from the group for a moment of privacy between two friends.

            Ominis held open the door to the carriage and held out a hand, a slight pink flush to his face as Poppy thanked him enthusiastically and stepped inside the carriage. Rhea paused for a moment and glanced between Poppy’s retreating back and Ominis’s pink cheeks, an inkling of understanding taking root. She looked uncertainly at Sebastian, who wasn’t paying any attention to her at the moment and was instead grinning almost stupidly as he finished securing the last of the luggage to the carriage. Not wanting to leave Ominis waiting forever, Rhea stepped forward and followed Poppy into the carriage without a single word, though she desperately wanted to interrogate either of her Slytherins about her new little theory.

            Shortly after, Ominis and Sebastian piled into the carriage, taking seats opposite Poppy and Rhea while Garreth hauled himself in and plopped down next to Rhea with a wide grin, watching her face carefully. It was still strange, in a way, to see this particular group of students together, but it was certainly more enjoyable than the last carriage ride she’d taken. Natty closed the door behind them and stepped up onto the low step and leaned in the window, brandishing another letter at Sebastian with more explicit instructions to deliver it to Anne unread. He held up a joking hand and rolled his eyes slightly as he recited a solemn vow to carry out her instructions. Though he was somewhat teasing in his tone, he meant every word he said.

            The group piled against the window, waving at Natty until the girl was out of sight and the carriage was well on its way to Hogsmeade Station. Once there, they all filed out of the carriage and prepared to bid yet another farewell to one of their party.

            Garreth said his goodbyes first, clapping Sebastian on the back briefly, promising to give him a good fight next year. In Crossed Wands, of course, he corrected when he spotted Sebastian’s confused expression. Ominis snorted slightly at the clarification but said nothing. Poppy was next to bid Sebastian farewell, quickly throwing her arms around him in a tight and surprising hug. He certainly hadn’t been expecting it, but Rhea made a point of avoiding paying attention to it, instead keeping an eye on Ominis who, thankfully, seemed none the wiser.

            Sebastian turned to Ominis next, pulling his friend into a tight hug, telling him that he expected him to visit as soon as he was able to. It didn’t matter what the Gaunts wanted—it only mattered what Ominis wanted. He would always have a place in Feldcroft with the Sallows. Their goodbye was nearly tearful, and Rhea was struck by just how lucky she was to have been accepted by the two of them. Their friendship was unique and powerful, and they had a deep understanding of one another, despite how they could get under one another’s skin so easily. They loved one another. They were brothers.

            Garreth, Poppy, and Ominis began to transport the luggage onto the train, seeking out a good carriage for the ride back down to London, leaving Rhea and Sebastian alone for a few moments to say their goodbyes.

            The pair stood silently for a short time, neither sure where to begin, before Sebastian reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She hugged him around the waist, her face pressed into his wonderful smelling sweater. It reminded her of the cologne he’d worn to the Yule Ball and she breathed deeply, a smile on her face. It was rather nice.

            “If you don’t write to me this summer—”

            “I’m going to write to you this summer!”

            “Well if you don’t—”

            “I will!”

            Sebastian chuckled and pressed his cheek to the top of her head, eyes closed for a few peaceful moments. He almost didn’t want to let go. He knew that he had to, of course, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to. Any second now Weasley would come looking for her to whisk her away with that damned friendly smile and Sebastian wouldn’t see her for an entire summer. Weasley wouldn’t either, of course—but he was still getting eight more hours on the train with her and the rest of their friends. He was even getting eight more hours with Ominis that Sebastian wouldn’t.

            She pulled back slightly, and he loosened his grip on her, looking down at her with a reluctant smile. The grin on her face was positively radiant as she looked back up at him, and he swore he could actually hear his heart beating faster. Bloody hell he was in trouble.

            “I swear by the start of term you’re going to be so annoyed by how much you’ve heard from me that you’re going to regret creating the Bis Scribe,” Rhea promised as she released him fully. “Now, I better get on that train before poor Ominis is subjected to too many of Garreth’s stories.”

            “If anyone’s going to regret a magical piece of scrap paper than lets us talk all the time, it’s going to be Ominis,” Sebastian joked as he walked her to the train door their friends had disappeared through.

            Rhea paused on the top step and turned back to him. She was a bit taller than he was on the small platform and she leaned forward to pull him into another hug as she said, “Give my best to Anne. Tell her I miss her, and I can’t wait to see her next time I can come to Feldcroft.” Sebastian’s eyes closed and he held her close again, nodding slightly into her shoulder before she pulled back slightly. His eyes were still closed when she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and pulled away.

            His eyes snapped open in surprise and he didn’t even have a chance to wipe the dumbfounded expression off of his face before she was grinning sheepishly at him and watching him with those big grey eyes. He could feel his ears turning hot and red and his cheek practically burned where she’d made contact.

            “Thank you for everything this year,” she said quietly. “I’m really going to miss you, Bast.”

            He swallowed the lump in his throat and managed to give her another one of his signature smiles before replying, “I’m going to miss you, too.”

            She gave him another glowing smile before patting his cheek affectionately and turning to make her way down the train to where her friends had situated themselves. Sebastian followed along from outside the train, catching glimpses of her as she hurried down the corridor. He wished they’d had a bit more time, but he wasn’t sure what else he could have said to her. He was grateful they had gotten a few moments alone. That would have been harder with the rest of the group watching. Eventually she slowed and entered one of the compartments. She spotted him out the window and the rest of the group turned to wave goodbye to him before he turned and grabbed his trunk, wandering off towards Hogsmeade all alone.

            Rhea and Garreth sat on one side of the carriage across from Poppy and Ominis. While Ominis, for whatever reason, typically preferred the window seat, he had opted to cede it to Poppy, who was watching Sebastian’s retreating back almost wistfully. Garreth was unbothered by the other boy’s departure and was already talking about his plans for the summer.

            “I reckon my parents are probably going to have me working some of the farmers’ markets in our area. Back to another summer of endless strawberry picking and selling for me,” he sighed.

            “I don’t understand how you can hate strawberries,” Rhea mused. “I simply adore them.”

            “You hate strawberries, Garreth? How can you stand to be around Rhea then? She’s got that really nice perfume,” Poppy chimed in with a slightly disbelieving frown. “Strawberries and heather, isn’t it?”

            “Fir, actually,” Rhea corrected, “But I do love heather as well.”

            “Strawberries have all those little bitty seeds in them,” Garreth said, scrunching up his face sourly. “And they’re so tart all the time. Even the really sweet ones are still way too tart to enjoy. It’s perfectly reasonable to dislike them.”

            “Well, I disagree,” Rhea said matter-of-factly. “Ominis, weigh in, please.”

            “Strawberries are fine, I guess,” he shrugged. “I much prefer pears, personally.”

            “Ooh, pears are lovely,” Poppy agreed. “But I think there’s something nice about how surprising strawberries can be! Same with raspberries or blackberries—sometimes they’re sweet as can be and sometimes they’re so sour.”

            “I agree, Poppy,” Rhea nodded. “Though I’m sorry Ominis, I’m not a big fan of pears.”

            “Well, in any case, I am not looking forward to a summer full of strawberries and manual labor that I can’t use magic for,” Garreth grimaced as he launched into another story about how a typical summer at his family home went.

            Rhea listened as best she could, leaning against the window as the train entered its final preparations for departure. She wished that Sebastian could at least join them for a portion of the train ride. Ominis looked like he was wishing much the same the more Garreth continued to talk. She knew that at some point the exuberant Gryffindor would wander off to go and pester some of his other many friends, so she wasn’t too worried about Ominis dying of utter boredom. Though she did catch Poppy stifling a yawn behind her hand as she turned her attention back out the window.

            As the train began to haul itself out of the station, letting out a shrill whistle and spewing steam into the air, Rhea focused her gaze on the castle, a warm sense of belonging settling over her. While she watched it slowly fade from view, she felt a contented smile grow on her face as the Bis Scribe grew hot in her pocket suddenly, alerting her to a new message. She placed her hand over it, finding comfort in the warmth as they were all whisked back down south to London, knowing that the summer would pass quickly with so many wonderful things to look forward to at its end.

Chapter Text

Better the day with a letter from a friend,

Thought and care and time to spend,

Keeping close though far away,

Bringing happiness to a cloudy day,

Kind words and love, upright, unbent,

Fill summer days with Sunshine and Sentiment