Up and Down

Riposte and Reckoning

TW: mentions of sexual assault

In the end, Alexandre succeeded in getting second place after outmanoeuvring Olesya by baiting the Graphorn's charge in her direction.

The celebrations were wild in the Hogsmeade as the elated Hogwarts students carried on through most of the evening. Their Champion won the first Trial, more than that, passed with flying colours in an amazing spectacle.

Sirona told them, when they managed to elbow their way to the bar counter, that they are getting butterbeer on the house tonight. When asked why Anna and Ominis are also included in the deal, the proprietress winked and waggled her eyebrows.

"I saw what happened there. You didn't just tame that Graphorn, my boy, someone else did it before you. Clever. Besides... no one is anyone without the support of their friends."

There was much rejoicing during the night, and it carried on into the Slytherin Common Room.

It seems that every House is represented here, despite the usual taboo on entering others' Common Rooms. The drinking and dancing go on strong and even prefects turn a blind eye, given the first crucial victory.

Sometime before midnight, however, Ominis complains of not feeling well and leaves to go to sleep early. Anna and Sebastian shrug it off as stress and possible side effects of their Occlumency training and agree to let him rest in peace as they carry on with the party until the wee hours.

The tiredness of exhaustion is replaced with alarm, however, when they stumble into the dormitory only to find his bed empty and cold.

"Ominis?" Sebastian peeks into the bathroom and shakes his head, "not here."

"He seems to have left some time ago. What the hell..."

"Maybe he's gone to the Hospital Wing? If the headache was getting bad enough..."

"Hm, maybe... but I'm worried now." Anna bites her lip, thinking, "I'm going to go check on him."

"I'll-"

"You, sir, will rest. I've got this."

"But-"

"Down," she commands him, her voice ringing with authority and Sebastian quickly plops down on the bed, "good. Rest, you stupid boy. You've had quite a day. I'll be back soon."

The nagging worry is not letting her go as she runs up the stairs to the Faculty tower under a Disillusionment charm.

She is being silly. Paranoid. There isn't anything to be worried about. He couldn't have gone far. But she just has to make sure he is alright...

The infirmary is empty. Not a single patient is sleeping on the narrow beds. Anna's heart sinks.

Where could have he gone?

Down the many, many steps of the castle, the ancient stones are a blur as she sprints heedless of the possibility of being caught, or even just tripping and breaking her bloody neck.

She runs and runs and runs until her lungs are burning. The Undercroft? It is silent and empty, abandoned. Room of Requirement? She checks her version of the Room, but who knows if Ominis has created his own at this point, and pacing back and forth along the wall trying to summon a space where he is leads to nothing.

She is afraid now. But stamps down on the feeling, hard. It's nothing, it's nothing, she... might have missed him as he was returning. Or maybe he's gone for a walk. Or something else...

But what was this 'else'?

She tears back into the Slytherin Common Room, in proper panic. Ominis is still not in the dorm. There are no notes or clues of where he has gone. Sebastian is sleeping soundly on his bed and she hasn't got the heart to wake him.