A Tale in Gold & Green / Sebastian Sallow x MC

3. Gaunt

The next morning I woke up to the rays of sun filtering in my room. The bed was comfy, and I would've had a hard time leaving it if it wasn't for my excitement to start classes again. After I freshened up, I followed a sweet scent that led me to the center of the common room. Someone had sneaked into the kitchen and brought a plate filled with chocolate cookies. One of the perks of the Hufflepuff location was the extra snacks here and there. I grabbed one of the cookies, and headed outside through the round wooden passage.

"Still warm" I thought, as the cookie melted in my mouth.

I finally made it to the great hall. Breakfast plates and cups were already filled for the students to feast upon, and the air smelled of hot chocolate.

"These are already cold" said Poppy pointing at a half empty plate of baked goods "but they're still pretty good". She was pouring tea in her cup with a sleepy face. During breakfast she told me how she spent another summer with her grandma, mostly looking out for magic beasts in the wild. When she sent me letters, sometimes she would include a sketch of an animal she was observing, or she would attach fwooper feathers - which served as a nice point of touch with the magic world while I was trapped in the city.

"Now that you're back, what do you look forward to the most?" She asked me as my attention started to drift a few tables away from us. Across the room I caught a glimpse of my two friends in green. They seemed quiet, even cold, which made me wonder how much their relationship had been affected after the events in the last year.

"Flying," I finally replied "can't wait to get on my broom and soar the skies". It was partly true. I missed the fresh air in my lungs and just being me and the horizon line, making my way across the sky with an uncertain destiny.

But that would have to wait, as I had a full day of classes ahead. Starting with charms.

Professor Ronan spent most of the class going over what we'd learned in our fifth year, which was still fresh for me as I spent a good portion of my summer reading all my books. Our first lessons for the day had finished, and it was time for a break. I headed out of class with the rest, and as I was reaching the courtyard I noticed one of the Slytherin students walking a few steps behind us. He took a seat on an open spot in the grass and leaned a bit back while the sunlight hit his face.

"Ominis!" I called as I got closer to him. It was the first time we had a chance to talk face to face in a long time. "It's nice to see you again"

"You managed to come back after all." he answered.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I was expecting your parents to lock you up in your room after last year. So I suppose you kept everything a secret?"

"Well if I didn't I would have been stuck with them." I said sitting on the grass beside him. "And instead of spells, I'd be learning how to cook."

That comment drew a timid smile on him.

"That would've come in handy back in Feldcroft."

"You stayed at Sebastian's?" I was rather surprised. I believed they were not on the best terms, and he hadn't mentioned it in his letters. Then again, would he go back to his family instead?

"After what happened in that catacomb, I couldn't bear his presence at all. So I visited Anne for the first months. But- In the end, I realized I couldn't leave him alone. He was the one who took me in when I had no one, and he's been by my side ever since. We're... he's-" he struggled to find the words and I leaned to place my hand on his shoulder. But I stopped with my hand mid-air. "He is my family. They both are, and we should all stand together through this."