Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter twenty-three

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Trigger Warning: This chapter includes sensitive conduct - please see the comment for a full description of conduct. 

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Amelia's Perceptive

Poppy led, Ominis in the center and I followed behind. The Centaurs confirmed the last signing of the Dementors around a lake in the Forbidden Forest. Poppy was the most familiar with the map. The crunching of leaves seemed to echo behind me as it felt like the ghosts of my past were following my heels. There was an unspoken understanding between the three of us that if Dementors were in the forest, they were likely tracking something, or someone.

There was a heavy burden of weight off my chest since admitting to Ominis why I was so determined to help cure Anne. As much as I wish I was driven by my desire to heroically save Anne or cure her as a sign of my love for Sebastian, however, the truth was it was my own selfishness to fulfilled my past failure. 

If I couldn't save my brother, perhaps I could save someone's else family. There were moments when I wanted to tell them sooner, but it never felt right. There was the looming sense of doom that made the confession come easy. 

It had been a couple of hours of hiking. The sunlight was just beginning to warm the forest as the heat of the whiskey finally cooled in my veins. Ominis was right, it did help with the nerve for some time. I wondered if the anxiousness was building back on him as well. I already missed the burn in my throat from the whiskey that had been keeping me warm. 

Instead, I had to rely on the thick wool house scarf to keep me warm. The image of Sebastian in front of the library flashed in my head, the way he teasing wore my Ravenclaw scarf as if it was his own. I pressed my cold nose into the wool, the smell of fresh rain and musk still clanging to the scarf since he had worn it. It was a gentle reminder to make myself push deeper into the forest.

"This is the spot." Poppy turned around, a look of fear covering her face as we approached a shimmering small lake sitting at the bottom of the wooded hill. Even in the sunlight, the lake was so deep that it appeared almost black. The dark water was almost perfectly still. 

"They should be nearby," Ominis clarified as he lifted his wand higher above his head. 

We determined that he likely wouldn't be able to sense the Dementors since they were non-beings, but still had no way to confirm yet. The red pulse at the end of his wand began to glow even brighter than I had ever seen. It was like a lighthouse beacon reflecting off every tree.

"If someone is following us, you'll know, right?" I asked feeling the presence of the ghosts still behind my shoulder. 

I wasn't sure which I was more afraid of seeing, the prisoner that the Dementors were likely tracking or the ghost of my forgotten brother. There was something about telling the story to Ominis that made him feel like he was coming back to life and was following me. 

Ominis brought his wand back down, unsure of his answer, "No one else is here besides us and the forest animals." 

"We should circle around the lake," Poppy suggested. Ominis and I both silently agreed as we paced around the edge of the lake. 

The black water of the lake was moving unnaturally as we came closer. There was no flow at all, no small waves reaching in and out. The water was uncomfortable still. 

Poppy and Ominis slowed as a cold breeze pushed heavily through the trees. I moved forward taking the lead into the gust. The sun seemed to disappear behind the clouds above the trees as a shade fell like fog in the forest. It was likely close to noon, but it felt like twilight for a moment. The whole forest grew cold suddenly.