Like Moths to a Flame // Sebastian Sallow x Male MC [Book One]

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Scriptorium

"You're here. Brilliant," Sebastian said as Damien strolled down the corridor to greet him in front of the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. It felt strange to meet Damien here. He wondered if Damien had ever wandered this far down into the bowels of Hogwarts. On second thought, of course he had. He was as curious as a Niffler eyeing a pile of shiny coins.

Damien looked quite dashing in his Ravenclaw robes. He had opted for a crisp white button-down shirt and a dark blue vest, foregoing the formality of a tie for once. His hair was tied back in its classic low bun, though a few rebellious strands framed his face. Sebastian wished that they were close enough that he could tuck a stray tendril behind Damien's ear. They weren't though, were they? He shook his head. Anyway, even the welcome sight of Damien couldn't snap him out of his mood, which was still as foul as it had been the day before, if not more so.

Sebastian stood in front of the door, arms crossed, recovering from yet another failed attempt to pry the location of Salazar Slytherin's scriptorium from Ominis.

Damien approached quietly. "I received your owl. What happened with Ominis?"

"I told him none of us will be able to avoid Dark Magic forever. So, the more we know about Salazar Slytherin and the Dark Arts, the better prepared we'll be. Unfortunately, only a Gaunt knows the location of the scriptorium's entrance and Ominis won't tell me."

Damien seemed to consider this for a moment. "Hm, perhaps I should have a chat with Ominis."

Yes, excellent. Excellent! Sebastian pretended to act like that wasn't his idea to begin with. "You? I suppose it's worth a try, but don't get your hopes up. Ominis is annoyingly stubborn. Nothing new." He threw his hands up in exasperation, though the hint of a grin still lingered. "I know where he is. I'll lead you to him and then leave you to it. Come on, he's this way."

They passed through the winding corridors, Sebastian leading the way, and up a small flight of stairs. Ominis had stomped off in a huff this way. Sebastian assumed he would still be decompressing from their earlier argument. Luckily, at least for now, the hallway was empty. No one else was around to complicate matters.

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder at Damien. "Keep an eye out. Never know who's watching, although that hasn't stopped us before."

"Strictly speaking, it has," Damien said, chuckling. "We were caught."

Sebastian let out an exasperated huff. "Damned poltergeist! Such a nuisance."

They ascended a few more steps, and there, just ahead, was Ominis, standing across the hall with his back turned. Sebastian gestured down the hallway. "There he is," Sebastian said. "Good luck." With a final glance at Damien, Sebastian stepped back, leaving him to handle the rest.

Sebastian stood at a distance, unable to catch every word of their conversation, but if he strained his ears, he could just make out fragments. Their exchange began tensely, Ominis clearly on edge, but as they continued, Sebastian noticed a subtle shift: Ominis's posture relaxing just slightly. If Damien had managed to do what Sebastian couldn't, he'd be relieved, sure, but also, admittedly, quite frustrated.

Sebastian's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as Damien's voice rang out from the other end of the hallway. "Sebastian, over here!" he exclaimed, beckoning him over.

Ominis was still standing by the wall. "These braziers grant access to the scriptorium," he said, gesturing outward to the braziers lining the room. Sebastian couldn't believe his ears. Ominis had been standing right next to the entrance to the scriptorium all along. The sheer gall of it!

"Now you'll share?" Sebastian asked incredulously. "You wouldn't tell me when I practically begged."

"It wasn't you who told me what I needed to hear," Ominis barked back. He began pacing, stroking his chin absentmindedly, then said, "Opening the entrance has something to do with three's."