Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter ONE TWELVE - Toujours Pur

Sebastian had continued to burp the entire way to the office much to the surprise of a number of passing students.

Ominis had chastised him but had suddenly covered his own mouth to contain a fit of this own coughs followed closely by my own. We'd nearly ran the rest of the way after Ominis had warned that the potions must be wearing off. I'd nearly fallen into Sebastian as we'd slid to a stop outside the office entrance, bones creaking and muscles aching.

"Toujours Pur." Ominis looked nearly sick as he spoke the password to the gargoyle.

The stone rose swiftly, turning along the center up higher than the archway. It rumbled and crunched against itself and my eyes grew wide as little stone steps appeared one by one around the entire thing. A spiral staircase quite literally set in stone.

Sebastian - Garlick - was standing with her arms crossed and her hips popped, grinning happily. Her long red braids wound around her arms like snakes.

Ominis hiccuped and glanced quickly back over our shoulders.

"I believe it is happening. Let me have one last look at you. Or... well, at them." He smiled and though I wholly expected to see tears welling once more, he looked rather content.

A pit sunk at the back of my stomach, my ribs felt hollow and uneven.

"Oh Atley sweetheart, please don't cry. Honestly I'm gaining the superior deal of the two of us." He crossed his arms. "I don't have to suffer through the sight of Sebastian's perpetually displeasing face twenty four seven."

Sebastian smiled. "Love you too Ominis."

"Moreover, I don't believe this will be our last Polyjuice rendezvous nor do I believe I will particularly miss sight as much as I first believed I would... It's all a bit... much." He hiccuped. 

Professor Black's hair bleached itself, strand by strand. 

"I have been blind my whole life, it is how I know and love the world. The space I am truly comfortable is but light and shadows, not color and texture." He grinned and it did make me feel a bit better.

I wasn't able to grasp many more of his words as his body wizzed and fizzed back to Ominis size. Baggy clothes hanging from his figure, eyes pale and beautifully moon-like once more.

 Our Ominis stood grinning to himself.

We waited another few minutes in the corridor for our own transformations and Ominis changed behind a different gargoyle, making sure to replace his tintype into the correct clothing.

Sebastian was staring wistfully down at his long red hair, swinging either braid side to side like clock pendulums. 

I felt the slight bubble under my skin first and the world faded black for a single moment before righting itself in full color. The entire process was entirely more comfortable than the preceding and before I knew it, I was nearly swallowed whole in Professor Fig's clothing.

Sebastian was grumbling under his breath and I dared to look before my brain could even fathom the sight.

The dress was entirely too tight on Sebastian and the hat was sunk over his forehead so that his eyes were nearly blocked completely.

"Somebody hand me my clothes." He held a hand out directly in front of him. "Now please. I think my ribs have begun to meld themselves together in this thing."

Changed and back to our regular trio, we stuffed the professors' clothing into my bag and ran up the steps, tugging a still grinning Ominis along between us, arms linked. 

We stepped into a small room just outside the office where Sebastian and Ominis unlinked their arms from mine and cast quick disillusionment charms.

Portraits and frames covered the walls and archways, dipping across the light and into the shadows. A large chandelier hung with whispering flames of short candles fizzing just overhead. Bookshelves dotted a few corners though there was a nearly incomprehensible amount of dust covering the tops of each one in thick layers. By boots traced the tops of a few stone stairs up into the center of the office below some stone archways and almost immediately spotted the portrait I was after.

"It's good to see you." Niamh Fitzgerald looked down the bridge of her nose at me, her portait higher than most of the others in the space.

I nodded though didn't return the sentiment. "What now?"

She grinned and I could nearly feel it over my skin as a shiver wound beneath my blood.

"Approach the pedestal in the antechamber and read the book that appears."

A whole book? I don't have time for that!

"What sort of book?" I did my best to swallow my train of thought.

"A story."

Helpful.

"I cannot say more."

'Course not.

"You may recognize some elements of it, as I was inspired by a tale with which many wizarding children are familiar."

"I suspect there will be more to this than reading a book?"

"Your suspicions are correct. We shall speak when you are finished."

She seemed to vanish out of frame and I was left to wander around the large desk that looked nearly untouched on one side and utterly piled with papers and books on the other. The bookcases in this room were lined with odd doodads including a questionable amount of Headmaster Black bust statues.

I thought I heard footsteps to my right and then a short scuffle. 

"Bloody hell. What is this?" Sebastian uncast his charm and reached out to grasp at a gold handled, overly sized fork. Or was it a backscratcher? I wasn't sure.

"Do be careful what you touch Sebastian." Ominis also reappeared, frowning as per usual. "I don't want to catch any of those boils Professor Sharp mentioned."

The gold stick clattered to the floor almost instantly, leaving Sebastian to wipe his hands furiously on his trousers.

I ignored the desire to explore the room further, sure that there were a number of incredible treasures buried in here somewhere.

I ducked around another Black bust and wound up the stairs. This space was nearly completely barren aside from a large stone pedestal and a levitating, glowing book pulsing familiar light just above it.

The prickle of ancient magic tugged at my fingertips.

"Guys?" I heard something large topple over from behind but ignored it as best I could. "The book is here."

The red of Ominis' wand was the first to greet me, casting odd, dancing light over the uneven surface of the podium.

Sebastian nearly toppled into my side a moment later, a large black velvet bag in his hands.

I glanced down at it and then back up with a quirked brow. "What is that?"

Sebastian grinned triumphantly. "Around a dozen left shoes. The man must leave all his spares in here aside from the pair he's wearing."

Ominis sighed. "And what in Merlin's name do you need so many left shoes for?"

"That's the beauty of it mate. I don't need them at all. But he does."