Against the dark Hearts

Chapter 41

"Are you ready?" I asked the two men, who still seemed very uncertain. It was strange. It felt like we were trying to fit into shoes that we had outgrown years ago.

We had all received new school uniforms at the beginning of the new school year. For unknown reasons, Hogwarts knew exactly where we were and had sent us the clothes to the Leaky Cauldron.

I looked at my blue vest and the almost ankle-length black skirt I was wearing. Instead of a tie, I wore a blue ribbon that I had tied into a bow.

"This feels wrong," Sebastian said, loosening his green Slytherin tie with one hand. His shirt hung loosely out of his pants.

"Well, starting tomorrow, you'll have to wear these clothes all day, because you only have two pairs of pants left," I remarked, pointing to my bag.

"I'll buy something new," Sebastian replied, unbuttoning his shirt. "Since we can still walk around in our normal clothes until tomorrow, I'll do that."

We had tried on the clothes because we weren't sure if they were really meant for us, but it quickly became clear that they had indeed been sent to the right address.

Everyone had received a complete new set of clothes. Summer clothes, winter clothes, new cloaks, and even two new pairs of shoes for each person. I wondered if this happened to every student or if it was specifically done for seventh years because it was our last year. Last year, I hadn't received anything new. Of course, it was also possible that Hogwarts knew that none of us had our things anymore, but then wouldn't Professor Weasley have contacted me to ask what had happened? Maybe she thought I was involved in some important matter again or she really didn't know.

"We're leaving from King's Cross," I said, taking off my school cloak.

"I've never ridden the Hogwarts Express," Sebastian said. Of course, he had never ridden it since he had never lived far from Hogwarts.

"That will probably be your first and last time," said Ominis. He himself had used the Hogwarts Express several times because he had not always lived with Sebastian, but he had stopped using it in fourth year.

"What are we going to do when the school year is over? Where will we live?" the freckled Slytherin asked now.

That gave me something to think about. Where would we live? Sebastian's home had burned down, and Reparo wouldn't fix it. I never wanted to return to the cottage again, Ominis wouldn't go back to his family. My plan had actually been to become an Auror after Hogwarts and work as one while living with my mother.

"Isn't it too early to worry about that?" Ominis asked, but I didn't think so. It wasn't too early. We had to start thinking about what would happen after Hogwarts at some point.

"Well, a year passes faster than you think," I said. "Anyway, I won't go back to the cottage if I can help it."

I didn't want to go back to the cottage at all, under any circumstances. How could I sleep there while my mother was buried in the garden? No, I could do without that.

"I'm sure there's room for everything you need in the Room of Requirement," Sebastian said, grinning at me.

What would I do when I graduated and couldn't come to Hogwarts regularly to take care of my magical creatures? I would have to find a place that I could convert so that everything had its place and, above all, my creatures would be safe and secure.

"Yeah, and when I'm old and gray, I'll still be having lunch at the Ravenclaw table with my grandchildren, who also live in the Room of Requirement," I scoffed.

"Well, we probably won't be able to live in Feldcroft," Sebastian replied. "Unless you know a spell to rebuild a house from ashes."

I shook my head amusedly, but I was also touched because Sebastian always talked about where we wanted to live. Together.

"Houses can be built quickly with magic," said Ominis. "And with the right spell, you can make them bigger on the inside than on the outside."

Most wizards' houses were built this way. From the outside, you could see a hut, but when you went inside, you stepped into a cozy home that could accommodate a family. Unfortunately, these spells were not infinitely powerful, which is why houses that were bigger on the outside also had more space inside than a simple cottage in the countryside, which could only accommodate a small family.

We could also live in a tent for a while and have everything we needed to survive. That wouldn't be a permanent solution, but it would be one we could manage with for now.

"So that's the plan, we build a hut somewhere and magic takes care of the rest," I said, waving my wand.

It was exciting to have this gift. Magic was an integral part of my life now, even though I had only known about it for two years.

After we changed back into our regular clothes, we spent time in the lower part of the Leaky Cauldron again. We ate and listened to the conversations. Maybe we would hear something that could help us.

"I don't think dark wizards just stroll in here and reveal their plans," whispered Ominis. He was always the voice of reason and what he said was true. No one would sit in the Leaky Cauldron and talk about plans to kill students, but we had to take every scrap we could get.

"Well, we're sitting here talking about our plans," Sebastian replied, and a confused look crossed Ominis' face.

"Sebastian, you're not a dark wizard," said the dark blonde Slytherin heir sternly.

"No, I'm a little sweet herbal witch fighting for the liberation of house-elves," Sebastian replied sarcastically. I choked on my butterbeer because I had to laugh. I earned an annoyed look from the freckled man, but it didn't help, I just laughed even more.

"I'm sorry, I just pictured you wearing Professor Garlick's things and leading a rebellion with an army of house-elves behind you," I said, laughing. Now even Ominis laughed, and Sebastian joined in.

"That's one of the reasons why I love you," Sebastian said, after his laughter had subsided and he leaned over to me. I felt warm.

Although we slept in the same bed, nothing had happened between us. We even held back with simple kisses, afraid that we wouldn't be able to control ourselves and that Ominis might notice something that would probably disturb him.

Sebastian gave me a kiss under my ear and I flinched a little because it was a sensitive spot.

"Oh please, I'm about to spit out my food," Ominis said, annoyed, and Sebastian moved away from me with a sigh.

I had to laugh again. How could we afford to be so carefree in this moment while something terrible was waiting for us out there?