Run Away ✧ Hogwarts Legacy

chapter fourteen

The Monster by From Indian Lakes

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Trigger Warning: This chapter includes sensitive conduct - please see the comment for a full description of conduct.

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Fifth Year

"You seem more upset than normal," Anne Sallow pointed out as he joined her at the table.

It had been too long since Sebastian had gone back to Feldcroft to check on his twin. Between classes, trying to research a cure for her curse, and arguing with all of his friends, girl problems, and everything else, time had gotten away from him. When the first snowfall was enough to cancel classes for the day it seemed like a good opportunity to visit.

Even just stopping in to share a cup of tea with Anne had made him feel better than he had in weeks. Luck had been on his side that morning as their uncle Soloman was still away with work, there was no worrying about cruel words being exchanged that day.

"I'm fine," Sebastian tried to dismiss. Upset was certainly one of the feelings going through his head, but it wasn't alone. Life had been odd and it had begun to feel like he was losing control over the few things that he cared about.

"Are you still researching that relic?" His sister asked anxiously.

Since the day that Feldcroft had been attacked, Anne hadn't trusted him again fully. It had never been his intention to use dark magic in front of his twin before, he knew she'd been disappointed, but at least she was still alive. Slowly withering away from the effects of the curse, but at least she was alive. The tone in her voice was enough to tell him that she was mad about what happened just like everyone else.

Ominis, Antheia, and Anne. It would be easier for him to list who wasn't upset.

Sebastian couldn't blame them. "I thought that maybe I found a better way to cure you, but I don't know anymore," He confessed, "The relic might still work though."

"You know the relic will work." Sebastian hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. The more he learned about ancient magic, the more sure he was that it was safer than using the relic's power. It was far more powerful too.

More importantly, the relic has to work, is what he had truly thought. Just sitting across from his sister and seeing how much she changed broke his heart. The deep sunken eyes and sick skin were dragging her down. It had been weeks since his last visit, but it looked like months on Anne's face. Sebastian was worried just how long Anne would last with their uncle preventing her from trying any treatments or cures. Something needs to change soon. 

Anne nodded quietly before asking, "What happened the better way?"

"Thea and I thought we had found something," He wasn't sure how much he was allowed to speak about Antheia's secrets. It would be easy to explain ancient magic as the way he had been hoping to cure his sister, but dancing around the topic made it difficult. "But we got into a..."

"Fight?"

"Disagreement," Sebastian corrected. Although his sister was right, he was still in denial about it. "Thea has family members that I think would be more knowledgeable on the topic. But she won't speak with them at all. I tried to talk to her about it and things didn't end well. She's been avoiding me since."