The Keeper's Snake // Sebastian Sallow

Candlelit Dinner for Two

The next week flew by pretty quickly for Fiona. She was so busy completing tasks for her professors and learning new spells, that she almost forgot she still needed to return the old wand to Ollivander. She had already asked Sean to go with her to Hogsmeade that afternoon. It was Friday, and his classes ended early.

Fiona had DADA right after lunch and had just learned expelliarmus. As she was leaving the classroom, Sebastian caught up with her.

"Fiona, I think it's time I show you that practice area I mentioned in the restricted section."

Fiona had some time before she was meant to meet with Sean, so she followed Sebastian down a set of stairs and around a corner. They ended up in front of a big clock.

"Are you having a laugh?" Fiona asked.

"Use your big brain my dear Ravenclaw, we are at a magic school after all," Sebastian teased.

Fiona flicked her wand, and the gears of the clock began to turn. The front of the clock began to open like a door, and Sebastian gestured for Fiona to step in. She obliged and Sebastian followed. The door closed, and she felt as if she was descending. Once they stopped moving another door opened, letting them out into an open space. Mostly stone.

Sebastian walked to the middle of the room, spread his arms wide, and spun a bit.

"This," he announced, "is the Undercroft. A place so secret not even professors know about it!"

Fiona looked around. There was a table and some chairs, a few pillows and a lonely couch. It mostly seemed cold and dark.

"And how is it you know about this highly secret place?" Fiona asked with a bit of skepticism.

"It's a Gaunt family secret," Sebastian began, "Ominis showed us this place in our first year. Anne, Ominis, and I used to spend all our time here, mostly practicing spells and playing gobstones. Anne seemed to never lose. I guess we haven't been here much since, well since she got cursed. But I reckon it would be a good place for you to learn some offensive spells. The room is sound proof, so you can be as loud as you want."

Fiona was amazed that Sebastian would share this secret space with her. Surely he wouldn't share this space with just anyone.

"So um," Sebastian said a bit nervously, "let's start with one of my personal favourites, confringo. It's similar to incendio but can be used at far distances."

Sebastian showed Fiona the wand movement and incantation. She practiced the movement a few times before Sebastian dared her to light a candelabra aflame. Fiona took aim, concentrated, and said the incantation. To her surprise, it worked!

"Wow Fiona on your first try!" Admired Sebastian. "Ominis and I basically burned our eyebrows off when we first learned it."

"Well I have a very talented teacher," Fiona responded.

Was she flirting with him? That thought went through his head, but he ignored it. Why would she flirt with him? He was just her friend.

Sebastian kept looking at Fiona, and she felt nervous about it. She needed a distraction from his beautiful freckled face. She then remembered her enchanted parchment. She pulled the box out of her bag and presented it to Sebastian.

"A gift for you!" Fiona said.

"What did I do to deserve a gift?" Sebastian opened the boy full of excitement. "Oh... it's parchment."

He seemed deflated for a moment before turning his mood around.

"Well I guess I'm not surprised my Ravenclaw friend is gifting me parchment paper."