Ten years after I began at Hogwarts, Sebastian Sallow is back. And he's Professor Sallow now. He disappeared after the fall of Ranrok and Rookwood, after I lost Professor Fig, and after Ominis and I couldn't keep him from losing himself. But I never...
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I don't have time to decipher the look Sharp is giving me, but when I see him nod, I know he'll stick with Ominis. I give Ominis' arm a squeeze and then sprint after Thiago down the bridgeway and watch him shove through the door that has appeared just outside the repository's entrance – the access point to the room of requirement.
Thiago explains, "he asked me not to find you but that is precisely why I did – you will see," as we burst onto the landing at the bottom of the room's newest staircase and Thiago takes a hard left, pulling open the door to the Undercroft.
"I knew you'd regret it!" I hear Sebastian's voice yell angrily from the back of the Undercroft. "Go on, then! Tell me what you really think," he demands. His voice is shaky with contempt. He spits, "I knew I was a fool," and it echoes around the stony room.
Thiago and I navigate around various columns and piles of old shit to the deep corner of the room where Sebastian's voice is coming from. I'm shocked to see who he's arguing with.
Shit. It's me.
When Thiago said there was a boggart problem, I was expecting to see the young Sebastian I saw some weeks ago. But instead, I see myself. My hair is loose and wild around my face. Barefoot. Wearing seemingly nothing but one of Sebastian's button-down shirts. Wand in my hand, pointed towards Sebastian. And my eyes – full of wrath – are staring him down in an affronting challenge.
With the sound of Thiago and my footsteps, both Sebastian and boggart-April turn their heads towards us. As I am slightly ahead so the boggart notices me first and begins its disgusting rigamarole to shift into a fuckin' inferius, and honestly, I just don't have the time for this today.
Ignoring it, I move towards Sebastian, but when the boggart locks onto Thiago behind me I watch with fascination by the extreme speed of its transformation into a short, older, elegant woman I recognize as someone I met briefly, years ago, before she stopped speaking with him – Thiago's mother. I return my eyes to Sebastian as she begins spouting off at Thiago – absolutely ranting – in Portuguese, with a more threatening, seething glare than boggart-April had,"você é uma desgraça. Se você não retornar à ordem natural de Deus, então você não é meu filho!!"
Woof. Poor Thiago.
I don't know what she's saying but based on what I know of his family I'm certain it must be hurtful. In my peripheral vision I see Thiago let out a collected, deep sigh. Without missing a beat, he calmly but firmly commands "riddikulus," and the woman is suddenly dressed in an unbelievably ostentatious, colorful, sparkly outfit with innumerable, huge feathers coming out of a headdress on her head. She begins shaking her hips and doing quick footwork and Thiago takes her hand, saying "dance comigo, mamãe," calmly, and walks her and her shaking little hips straight into the cupboard.
But Sebastian, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, refuses to meet my gaze.
"Shall I stay or go?" Thiago asks quietly to my ear and I honestly don't know. I wait for any indication from Sebastian but he gives none. His eyes are forward. Fixed. But I gesture a 'stay' directive to Thiago and he spryly hops backwards onto a barrel to sit, watch and wait.
