evermore || sebastian sallow

chapter 69 - clarity in death

"God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be."

— Taylor Swift

chapter 69 - clarity in death

(Note: This chapter focuses on our characters' emotions.

Some might find it heavy, so please take care and hydrate.)

Y/n's Perspective

After class on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon, Natsai and I found ourselves by the pens at Beast Class, helping Poppy earn some extra credit by taking care of the kneazles and puffskeins.

Pumpkins of various sizes littered the place, perhaps in preparation for Halloween. The air has definitely been feeling cozy lately.

I was doing everything I could to distract myself from my own mind. I kept busy because if I didn't, it left room for nightmares to resurface.

Once in a while, I'd get mild panic attacks and I would rush to the lavatory just to hide it. I didn't want anyone to see me in such a state, and so far, I've been good at avoiding it. And I carried a Peace Draught with me every day for precautions.

"Have these kneazles been fed today, Poppy?" I asked, pointing to the kneazle pen in the middle.

"Not yet!" she answered, her attention occupied by a puffskein she was brushing in the first pen.

I was about to open the wooden fence when I heard a shriek on my other side.

I laughed, looking at Natty who took care of the third beast pen. "Are you alright?"

"No! I am not, alright!" Natty blew loose hair away from her face. "Be careful with the kneazles. They're quite, uh... catty today. I think I almost lost an eyeball."

Poppy grimaced. "Sorry, I should have warned you. Those kneazles are different from the ones we took care of in fifth year. They're quite a handful, so be careful and watch your hands...and your eyes."

Natty and I both looked at Poppy with a slightly horrified look. "Anything else we should worry about?" I asked.

It wasn't like I was new to taking care of magical beasts since I had vivariums in the Room of Requirement full of them with a few kneazles, but something about these beasts were different. I could've sworn one of them hissed at me.

"You'll be fine! I'm sure they'll calm down after you feed them. After that, you can brush them," Poppy reassured.

I quickly glanced at Natty and we shared a casual shrug.