The Serpent and The Bird

"Tell him that I'm coming..." Part 1.

"Sebastian A. Sallow loves Everleigh S. Grayson."

Everleigh was dead.
And he couldn't breathe.

The shock rode through him in waves, each one harder than the one before. Behind him, the battle between aurors and Rookwood loyalists was still happening. He could hear the shouting and the spell casting very close to his head.

Sebastian didn't care. He didn't care about any of it.

So when he felt the dark wizard approaching his back, he still remained on the floor.
On his knees. Looking at the wall of fog she had gone through.

If the loyalist killed him, it would mercy.
Sebastian Sallow didn't want to live anymore. He did not want to go on.
Everything that he did. What he had to become... for nothing. All for nothing. Because she was gone.

There was a caw in the distance.

"Sebastian A. Sallow loves Everleigh S. Grayson."

- Your uncle may have given his word that you would walk away. - Sebastian knew the wizard was pointing at him with his wand. He didn't care. - But I made no such promise.

"Sebastian A. Sallow loves Everleigh S. Grayson."

- Avada Kedavra!

But the curse never hit him. The crow pecked and scratched on the loyalist's face with fury, drawing blood from his eyes.

- Depulso!

Sebastian looked over his shoulder just with enough time to see the loyalist flying through the air until his back hit the ground. His eyes were two bloody holes, and he groaned in pain.
He felt a set of arms wrapping around him. Anne Sallow was looking into his eyes with desolation on her features, as she kneeled next to him.
His sister.
His sweet little sister...
Anne looked pale, and sick, and weak. And she still fought through her pain just to try and alleviate his own.

Sebastian felt the tears burning on his eyes. He didn't stopped them.
A different set on arms came from the other side of him.
He felt Ominis trembling hands feeling his face, like he was trying to figure out if he was him.
He also had tears on his eyes, as he dropped to his knees, next to him.

- I lost her... - Sebastian's voice was shaking. The tears weren't stopping. - She's gone... She's...

He sobbed uncontrollably, and Anne and Ominis embraced him, firmly, lovingly. Their arms remained wrapped around him for a long time.

- Hogwarts needs us.

Anne whispered.

- For her.

Ominis dug his fingers in Sebastian's shoulders, as he muttered with a broken voice. Sebastian closed his eyes and took a long breath.

- For her.

He repeated after his friend.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She opened her eyes and everything was white.
The walls, the corridors, the high ceilings. She blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust to the brightness.

- Ah, there you are.

Professor Eleazar Fig was looking at her with a warm smile, at the end of the corridor. She walked towards him, slowly.

- Professor Fig?

- I've been waiting for you, my young friend. Walk with me.

And so Everleigh walked next to Fig, down the corridor. His attitude was casual, and his hands were locked behind his back. He looked exactly how she remembered him. Everleigh gazed around, trying to identify the place they were in.