Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 17 - Don't break down

[AI art in the banner is created by me]

"Sebastian, we can't just leave it like this," Phina said, and Sebastian was absolutely stunned by how calmly and composedly she spoke, even though tears were still streaming down her cheeks and she looked like she might collapse at any moment.
"Well, he was the one who left us like this," Sebastian replied, crossing his arms over his chest. His facial expressions were unusually stern, and Phina wasn't sure which emotion was prevailing in him right now. He seemed sad, hurt, and incredibly angry all at once. Phina hadn't been aware of what he had been discussing with Ominis before she woke up and joined them, but it seemed like it had been a heated argument given how worked up Sebastian appeared. However, despite her repeated inquiries, Sebastian hadn't revealed any more details. He had only kept repeating that Ominis had made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing more to do with them. 

Phina eventually lost her patience and started walking towards the boys' dormitories to confront Ominis. She needed to hear it from his mouth, or she wouldn't be able to believe it. Sebastian immediately ran after her and held her back.
"No, Phina. Not now. Trust me," he said, and his grip on her arm was stronger than he had initially intended. He understood Phina's impulse to want to go after Ominis immediately; he felt it just as strongly. But he knew Ominis well enough to be one hundred percent certain that nothing and no one would make him talk right now. If he hadn't even responded to Phina's request to say something, then it was futile. Sebastian suddenly felt incredibly guilty about it because he had once again let himself be tempted to say some pretty hurtful things that had undoubtedly hit Ominis deeper than he had anticipated, and that was why it was no wonder that he had shut down completely. Sebastian felt ashamed now because he and Ominis shared such a deep and long-standing friendship that such destructive hostility should never have existed between them. 

He sighed, loosened his grip on Phina's arm slightly, and when she didn't respond, he pulled her closer and simply held her in his arms. At first, she didn't react at all and just stood there motionless and drained, but after a few seconds, during which he soothingly stroked her back, she finally put her arms around him and returned the hug.
"What's wrong with him?" she whispered, and although Sebastian's presence usually gave her a sense of security, at this moment, she felt like the ground was slowly crumbling beneath her feet, and she was on the verge of falling into a deep hole. She truly wanted to make an effort to understand Ominis and respect his desire to be alone, but something inside her told her that he didn't actually want that, even if he claimed otherwise. Ominis just wasn't like that. Ever since she had known him, he had always been somewhat close to Sebastian, during classes and even in their free time. They had even spent holidays together after he had distanced himself from the Gaunts, and he hadn't given up his friendship with Sebastian even when Sebastian had repeatedly tested his patience in the last school year. No matter how far Sebastian had fallen, Ominis had always been there. They were like brothers, and Phina had always been sure that there was nothing in the world that could ever separate them. But now, the rift between them seemed as real as Phina's tears, which now disappeared into Sebastian's school robe because he still held her tightly in his arms.

"I don't know, but it seems like he's serious about it," Sebastian said cautiously because he didn't want to upset Phina even more. But he couldn't pretend that everything would somehow work itself out. This argument had felt different. In the past, Ominis had always somehow emphasized that he didn't want to lose Sebastian, but this time, it had felt like he couldn't wait to get rid of him. This Drewitt guy seemed to be driving him so crazy that he didn't even trust his own friends anymore. That was what had hurt Sebastian the most. Apparently, Ominis still feared that he could lose him to the Dark Arts, which clearly showed that he no longer trusted him. And what was a friendship without trust? It didn't automatically make him a criminal, even if dark magic still somehow fascinated him. That didn't mean he was in danger of becoming a dark wizard. After all, he had a concrete, noble goal with finding a cure for Anne. He wanted to do good.