"On my right was Sebastian, the fiery hot head that I was unadvisedly head over heels for. Our relationship felt like a free fall, there was no stopping it and neither of us had any idea where it would land us. We where all passion and violence when...
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Nearly a week has passed since Sebastian had cornered me in the potions storeroom. His inner conflict was palpable, I could feel his eyes on me, following me throughout the castle, but Sebastian seemed determined to keep space between him and myself. I would meet his gaze, only to have him break eye contact and return to whatever task he was attending to before becoming distracted by my presence.
I knew he was afraid of dragging me deeper into the dark arts with him, afraid that he would taint whatever innocence I had left. That thought was silly to me, with my ancient magic I had lifted wizards straight up into the air, only to slam them back down, effectively shattering every bone in their body in one fell swoop; I had the ability to literally explode any enemy into a bloody fog of pink mist with a flick of my wrist, but this freckled man was scared that he was going to be the one corrupt me.
Sebastian and I where two sides of the same coin, but only one of us realized it. Two kindred spirits who had found their way to each other, connected by pain and loss. We had both cast unforgivables, had taken lives; both of us where bound to dark magic, no matter how much Sebastian chose to ignore it. Sebastian's protective nature was getting in the way of us being together, whether as friends or something more was yet to be seen.
I sat deep in thought pondering all of this in the great hall, trying to figure out what I could say or do to make Sebastian realize that I wasn't some child that he needed to shield from the brutal realities of life, when I was interrupted by Poppy Sweeting gently tapping at my shoulder.
"Poppy!" I eagerly greeted the petite Hufflepuff standing before me. Poppy and I had shared many adventures our 5th year, saving beasts from poachers was no easy feat. Poppy was the bravest Hufflepuff I had yet to meet, and I held her in very high respects.
"Hi Theo" she squeaked out while throwing a hug around my shoulders which I returned vehemently.
I wanted to ask how her summer had been, but I knew that would mean she would ask me how my summer had been, and I wasn't ready to answer questions about my summer of isolation yet, so instead I asked "have any beasts for me to rescue? It's been a minute since I've had a poacher on the business end of my wand" in a joking manner.
Much to my chagrin, her face turned pink and she responded "actually, yes, it's why I was looking for you, and now that I've found you, I need your help".
My smile dropped, Poppy was serious about her beasts, and if something small and defenseless needed saving, I knew she meant business.
"Okay, tell me what and where" I instructed her, lowering my voice so only the two of us could hear the words passing between us.
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Half an hour later, I had all the information I needed. A poacher ring was camping about 5 miles east of lower Hogsfield, and where holding captive a number of mooncalves.
I had headed down to my dormitory and changed into slacks and a white button down with a cobalt blue tight fit vest, perfect for agile movement. Throughout my experiences I had learned that battling in a skirt or dress was a serious disadvantage, and now opted for tight fitting slacks and blouses, essential for fluid movement and quick reflexes, even though such attire is considered scandalous on women during this age.
Almost as an afterthought, I decided to bring along a small blade, petite enough to fit in a holster snug against my thigh. The more experience with combat I encountered, the more I realized that it was foolish to rely completely on a wand that could be ripped from you with a simple unexpected expelliarmus.
I made my way from the dungeons, throughout the castle, and through the clock tower courtyard to exit the castle and make my way to lower Hogsfield. As I exited the clock tower into the courtyard I heard a familiar voice call my name.
"Theo?" Inquired Sebastian in his deep voice that I had come to love so much.
I turned to look at him. He was leaning against the wall next to Ominis, partially taking a step towards me, but I could tell by his stance that he had stopped himself midway, debating on stepping closer or staying put. I could see the conflict in his eyes as he looked over my attire, his eyes resting on the blade I had strapped to my thigh. Seeing the glint of metal in the sunlight seemed to click something into place with within him.
"Your in your battle gear, I recognize it from last year..." he mumbled to no one in particular, his eyes fogged over while he lost himself in memories for a brief second, before refocusing on my face, a look of determination overtaking him.
"Where are you going?" Sebastian inquired, having finally made the connection that my choice in attire meant I was on my way to some unsanctioned danger, just like last year.
I could lie, I had always been a good liar, growing up in orphanages had made sure of that. But Sebastian had always been good at reading me, and Ominis would probably hear the increase of my heartbeat if I fibbed to the boys. I weighed my choices before deciding that honesty was my best bet.
"Poppy informed me about some poachers making camp east of lower Hogsfield, imprisoning a herd of mooncalves, I'm on my way to free them" I stated with my chin held high, expecting some teasing from the Slytherin boys.
Instead a wicked smile plastered Sebastian's face as stepped forward without hesitation, pulling his wand out he said "lead the way Fallon, your not walking into a poacher camp without backup, hopefully each of these gits has a last will".
Ominis just deep sighed, like a mother completely overwhelmed with her misbehaving children "please make good choices".
