Legacy Disowned - Book 1

Chapter 18 - We Make a Good Team

Winter had settled upon Hogwarts, casting a pristine layer of snow over the ancient castle and its grounds. The once-vibrant colours of autumn had given way to a monochromatic world of white and gray, only interrupted by the distant flicker of warm light from the castle windows.

But the world outside had barely registered to Sebastian in recent weeks. He was yet again, alone in the Undercroft, bent over Slytherin's journal, desperately trying to decipher the cryptic notes. The relic was sitting on the table mere inches from him, yet felt frustratingly out of reach as he still hadn't the faintest idea how to work the bloody thing.

"Dammit," he muttered, turning another page. He had sacrificed too much for this not to work. Banished from his home and forbidden from seeing his own sister. The journal alone had created a rift between him and Ominis that just seemed to be getting wider.

It was impossible to miss just how hard Darling was trying to keep the two of them together. Sebastian was grateful, of course, but seeing her obvious concern only added to his guilt. He had done so much that would warrant her pushing him away and yet, she was going to such great efforts to hold the pieces of his shattered life together for him. 

He knew she had been beating herself up about not being able to sway his uncle. Despite all his assurances that that had been a losing battle for anyone he knew she had felt compelled to make it up somehow. He thought humorlessly about the joke he had once made about liking having friends in his debt, because now it seemed he was racking up a debt of his own that he would never be able to pay back.

Guilt nagged at him as he recalled how excited she'd been to tell him about eliminating the threat at Rookwood castle, only for her face to fall the moment he'd asked about the rest of the trial. It was painfully clear that she was starting to buckle under the immense pressure that had been placed on her.

Sebastian had recognized the look on her face all too well. It was exactly how he felt, faced with a seemingly impossible task that he had to accomplish alone. But he wasn't alone... thanks to her. Despite all that she had on her own plate, she still seemed wholeheartedly devoted to helping him however she could.

How long would that last?

His quest to find a cure seemed to be driving a wedge between him and everyone else he cared about. He'd known Darling the least amount of time, and she owed him nothing. How long would it be before she'd had enough too. It wasn't as if she didn't have other friends. Ominis had been right, she was very popular— not to mention, the two of them seemed to be becoming closer by the day.

Stop— he scolded himself. This wasn't the time to obsess over his deteriorating social life. If he couldn't make the relic work, it would mean everything he'd put them through was for nothing, and then he surely would lose them all for good.

He tried to focus on the journal once more, but his brain seemed to be refusing to retain any meaning from the words, no matter how many times he reread them. Frustrated, he slammed the book shut and scrubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Please," he moaned to the empty room. "How do I make this work?"

He looked up, letting the spots in his vision from the pressure of his hands dissipate. Slowly, the tryptic hanging on the opposite wall came into focus. Another dead end.

After the unbelievable events that had unfolded that day he'd been so hopeful, certain that completing it would hold the key to solving all their problems. But since then, the tryptic had just hung there. A puzzle they'd been so excited to start, only to find that they were already out of pieces.

He glanced down at the scrap of diagram they'd found where it still sat untouched on the table. Sebastian ran his thumb over the flame shaped rune, he was so sure he'd seen it before, but he hadn't managed to find anything like it in his reference books.