In the Shadow of the Summer

The Journey to Scotland

Things were still awkward between you and Sebastian when morning arrived. You cursed yourself for whatever it was you did that made him so avoidant all of a sudden. It could have been the dreamy eyes you'd been giving him any time he stood close to you, or your eagerness to sleep beside him could have been off putting. Whatever it was, you planned to put a stop to it, to prove to him that you could respect his boundaries so he wouldn't be intimidated and run away. What was worse was that the only clean clothes you had left were the yellow and purple outfit you'd worn on the Summer Solstice. You looked utterly ridiculous, and Sebastian surely thought so too. He's given you a quick one over before he's gone to change, and he's grinned. Grinned. He was probably inside the tent laughing to himself!

You waited outside the tent, stroking the unicorn's mane while he nuzzled his nose against your face. You wondered if you ought to name him, or if it would be pointless. You'd most likely never see him again. You wished that you'd had the sense to bring your nab sack with you, but you'd left it in the Room of Requirement along with everything else. As if he could read your thoughts, the unicorn bounced up and down on his front legs.
"You want a name?" you asked. He let out a playful snort which made you giggle. "Okay. How about..." You scoured your mind for any idea of a good name. The first few names that came to mind were those of your classmates, and you certainly didn't want your new unicorn friend to share a name with any of them.

"How about Bourne?" called Sebastian. You glanced over your shoulder to see him meandering toward you from the tent, dressed in another devastatingly handsome outfit, which only made you feel even worse about your own. You looked away quickly so he wouldn't think you were staring.
"Why Bourne?"
"It means 'one who lives near a stream', according to a book I once read," he said, and arrived at your side to give the unicorn a gentle pat. "Fitting, don't you think?"
"I suppose so," you replied, not allowing yourself to look at him. "Bourne it is!" Bourne neighed loudly and dipped his head down to get a few scratches behind his ears.

"Ready to go?" asked Sebastian.
"Actually, I was thinking," you began, keeping your eyes to the ground, "I think we should use the floo network."
"What? But... we decided-"
"If I have any chance of revealing Isidora's message, I need a chance to use her magic. I'll manage to keep us safe if the poachers follow us, and I'll speed up the process along the way."
"No, absolutely not. It's not safe."
"I can fight them."
"Maybe you can, but I don't think it's worth the risk."
"Not even if it means we can save Anne?"

You dared to meet Sebastian's eye and your stomach tightened at the sight of his contorted face. You quickly realised what you'd said, and you wondered how you could have even said it. You hadn't intended to use his own struggle against him, but you were getting desperate, and surely he understood. Surely he wouldn't think badly of you.
"I'm sorry," you said. You wanted to say more, but you decided to leave it at that.
"It's... alright," he said, though you weren't at all convinced. "Besides, I think I have a better idea."
"Go on."
"What if we ride Bourne?"
"What?"
"Think about it. We'll get there much faster than we would by walking, and it'll lure out poachers as we pass through, without alarming all of them of our whereabouts. You get to practise with Isidora's magic and it will be safer."
"You want to ride a unicorn across the country?! What if we're seen by muggles?"
"We'll stay away from the main roads."
"You're mad, Sebastian."
"It's a better idea than just turning up to a dragon fighting ring with no idea what to expect."

You let out a sigh and turned to Bourne.
"What do you think, Bourne? Can you get us there in the next two days?" Bourne bounced on his front legs again, and you felt as though the two of them had somehow been discussing this behind your back, but you couldn't deny Sebastian was right. You would run into plenty of poachers, especially on the back of such a magnificent creature, and it would be easier to fight them.
"Very well," you said reluctantly. "We ride.