Consuming Darkness: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 76

-Ronnie-

It really didn't get cozier than Hogsmeade.

Imelda, Natty, Poppy, and I had decided to make a day of picking out dresses for the ball. I so enjoyed their company and had been excited for this day for a while now, but I couldn't shake my memories that Ominis had helped me recover. I was trying so hard to hold onto them and sift through the details, but I felt them fading. The memory felt as if it had become blurred, even though it had only been two days since it had been recovered.

I was so frustrated for letting myself get lax with my search for the relic. I had foolishly assumed that since nothing had happened, we still had time, but I had been wrong. Things had been happening, I just couldn't remember them. I wanted so badly to have a normal time at Hogwarts that I'd let myself fall into a delusional state of comfort. My ability to wield ancient magic put a target on my back. Were the attacks in the Forbidden Forest even related to Professor Pierce? I had made countless enemies last year. It could be anyone... It could be related? It also could be completely unrelated?

I also wasn't quite sure what to do about all of it... Related or not, I needed to practice my Occlumency, and maybe I could defend myself against being Obliviated again, but even that wasn't a guarantee. I wasn't a natural Legilimens like Ominis and hadn't ever really attempted to practice it. It wasn't taught at Hogwarts and was considered by most of the Wizarding World to be dark magic. After what had happened to me... it made sense. I felt so violated on so many levels! And I didn't even know who it was! I tried so hard to remember, but my attacker remained a faceless shadow in my mind. I wasn't even sure if it was a male or female anymore...

I needed to talk to Ominis and see if he could remember more than I was able to. We hadn't had the chance to talk much about it yesterday. The game had gone on far too long and the party immediately started as soon as the game was won. Imelda didn't let me out of her sight until I was sufficiently drunk, and dancing on tables. By that point, I was in no state of mind to discuss any serious topic, much less remember an Obliviated memory. Sebastian had taken me back to the Room of Requirement at some point and I'd woken up curled up next to him with a headache so bad I could hardly open my eyes. It probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do... in hindsight... get completely shitfaced when I was trying to hold onto a fragmented memory but we had won the Quidditch cup and I don't think I'd ever go to a party like that one again and I also-

"Ronnie?" Natty asked as she nudged my shoulder with a laugh.

"Huh?" I replied distractedly.

"What are you doing for your MOLES?"

What the hell were they talking about? "Uhhh...? I don't know...? I don't really have moles, just freckles on my nose and cheeks and some on my shoulders." I looked at my friends confused.

They all started laughing and I realized I truly had no idea what was going on.

"You also have some on your arse!" Imelda proclaimed loudly and a few wizards in the streets of Hogsmeade turned our way with horrified looks on their faces at Imelda's lack of propriety.

"Why were you looking so close?" I laughed back.

Imelda shrugged with an amused upside-down smile. "You've got a nice arse Underhill. Also hard not to notice when you've been naked as a wee babe in front of me a handful of times."

I laughed with a roll of my eyes and turned back to Natty who was giggling next to me. "Why were you even asking me about my moles in the first place?"

"M.O.L.E.S. Means. Of. Livelihood. Exploration," she chuckled. "You know, what we've been planning on this whole year?"