Up and Down

Suspect and Known

Note: I wrote a side story from Ominis' perspective, set in the last chapter. You can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46523494.

The commotion in the wake of the second Trial goes long into the night.

Sebastian and Olesya are whisked off to Merlin knows where, Beauxbatons are hysterical, and Hogsmeade residents and Hogwarts students alike are abuzz with rampant speculations.

One Anna can't ignore is repeated over and over and over again. Beside her, Ominis grinds his teeth hard enough for her to hear.

"... stole his girl..."

"... Sallow must have bumped him off, did you see..."

"... he fought someone that's for sure..."

"... that Ravenwhore cost Oreison his life..."

"... and Sallow his freedom..."

"... did he do it? For that traitorous wench?..."

Anna can't seem to get enough air into her lungs, and the rush of blood in her ears mercifully takes away the sounds of vicious gossip.

Ominis wraps a protective arm around her and guides them away from the burgeoning crowd, away from the undulation of the bodies, away from cutting remarks and pointed barbs.

"Anna! Ominis!"

Anne and Poppy catch up to them, breathing heavily.

Anna doesn't look up, staring down at the frozen ground.

"Sebastian?..." Ominis asks and Anna remembers that he couldn't see what happened with the two remaining Champions. He must have spent the entire time wondering what became of Sebastian.

She is such a selfish idiot.

"The Headmasters took them away. I imagine they will be interrogated..."

"Damn it all..." Ominis' arm tightens around her shoulders, trembling slightly.

Did Sebastian do it? Anna warned him of the danger of using his own wand, but getting one from a dead Ashwinder wouldn't be hard for him...

I'm not an idiot, Anna.

Merlin, he could have gotten a wand from one of their excursions. Was he planning it?... revenge, for toying with them? For stealing a kiss from her?

She refuses to believe in that. But she also refuses to dismiss the suspicion out of hand.

He is a hothead.

Resourceful and cunning, vengeful and passionate, she had seen first-hand the depths of darkness he would be willing to sink into given enough anger and desperation.

I swear, I will not involve myself in Dark Arts ever again.

But he wouldn't need to, after all... The Blasting curse is deadly enough. Unless they would be able to see the body they wouldn't know what befell Alexandre. Was it a desperate skirmish, spells flying and blood splattering over the frozen ground, or was it over in a flash of brilliant emerald, cruel and cold?

"What if it was Olesya?" Anne is hugging herself too, trying to ward off the night's chill. Fear is coming off her in waves, in her nervous expression and trembling voice, "for stealing Ominis back from her?"

"I don't know if she cared enough," Ominis murmurs, the part about Olesya being controlled herself is not something any of them shared with anyone else.

"Hmm..." Poppy eyes the people beginning to head back to the castle, their footsteps and voices growing closer and closer, "we should keep moving. I don't think it's a good idea for you two to be seen right now."