Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter twenty-eight

Heart of a Dance by The Happy Fits 

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Ominis' Perceptive

My head was throbbing since we apparated back to the Undercroft. It was worse when I woke up, but finally began fading into a dull annoying ache. I attempted everything to cure the nasty headache, but nothing seemed to help and the music at the ball was growing louder every second.

"Are you sure you don't want to get some fresh air, Ominis?" Natti asked sitting next to me at the table. I felt like an awful date with a bloody headache.

"I'll be fine, I think I just need to drink more water," I offered as I raised the glass to my mouth. 

Dinner was still being served, not that food was helping cure the headache either, but else, the music was lower for conversation. Unfortunately for me, the door to the Grand Hall scratched loudly against the floor as late students shuffled in and giggled loudly from across the hall.

"Well, they look like they are having a good time!" Natti laughed at the notice of the late students, "She looks stunning, even with the scarf!"

"Scarf? At a ball?" I questioned half mockingly at the story. I brought my wand with me, but trying to sense everything around me all the time was adding to the ache in my head. 

"It's Amelia," Sebastian spoke up from my other side.

A bit of guilt washed over me remembering the deadly scar that was fresh on Amelia's neck. She didn't want people to look at the wound most likely and opted to cover it with the scarf. If my headache made me want to skip the ball, I couldn't begin to wonder about how her near-death experience made her feel. 

Our table sat in a bit of awkward silence as our dates were all aware of the 'wolf attack' story like the rest of the school. Sebastian and I were heroes that killed the wolf that attacked Poppy and Amelia. 

However, I didn't feel like a hero. The memory of having to smash Poppy into the tree to break the curse on her still made my mouth feel like it was full of venom. She wouldn't have needed to get help if I wasn't the one that hurt her. That same sense of guilt stuck with me when I was trying to find Sebastian and Amelia, I didn't remember much from being in shock after, I just remember hearing Sebastian using the unforgivable killing curse again. 

"They look absolutely wasted! I didn't realize Ravenclaw was full of so many drinkers," Adelaide giggled at the latecomers, "Perhaps we should see if Ravenclaw is hosting an afterparty!" She and Natti both giggled and began calling on memories of prior house parties in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"What's a group of ravens called again?" Natti asked the table.

"I think they call it a murder of ravens?" Adelaide answered.

"That's crows. A murder of crows." I corrected.

"It's an unkindness of ravens." Sebastian offered.

"Well, that doesn't sound right either!" Natti began arguing. 

Adelaide was first to correctly point out, "Well their house mascot is an eagle, not a raven. So I'm not sure if any of that would apply anyway!" 

The debate over the correct terminology for a group of Ravenclaw students began to overtake the table as voices grew louder and louder. Each voice was beginning to feel like a dragger to my head as I rubbed hard against my temple.