The Hope beneath the Dark - Sebastian Sallow

19. Oswald Forsythe

Sebastian's POV

"What do you mean a sealed relic?" Poppy asked.

"Oh, that's a trip down memory lane I was hoping to avoid." I sighed.

"No, it's not the same as... what we read about last year." Ominis lied as I realised, I forgot for a split second that Poppy wasn't to know what happened the last time we came across a relic.

"You read about relics? Like, the ones with dark magic?" Poppy questioned.

"I am a Gaunt, I unfortunately have much more knowledge on a subject than I wish to, but it can come in handy, like right now." He admitted. "A sealed relic like what I think it could be is quite rare, and ancient. It can contain many things, but it is always related to dark magic. Whatever it is, must probably be opened with blood, for whatever reason. I heard my father mention it once, saying there was apparently one waiting to be opened but that it was belonging to an ancient pure-blood family. Now I guess he was referring to the Forsythes."

"We need to tell Maude before she meets her father tomorrow." I spoke.

"What if she doesn't wake up tomorrow, of if nurse Blainey won't allow her to get out? You know her, she will keep her in bedrest for days!" Poppy reminded us.

"She's right, Maude will probably not be able to go." Ominis agreed.

"Then you need to go." I told Ominis. "And I'm coming with you."

"I'm not sure it is a good idea Sebastian..." He hesitated.

"Why not? You better not go alone, and I think it suits better that he goes rather than me." Poppy added.

Ominis seemed uncomfortable to the idea, but he finally gave in. Poppy would keep company to Maude tomorrow while him and I would be meeting Tom in Hogsmeade. Of course, I was worried about Maude, but to be honest I was slightly glad that I'd get to meet her father. I was curious about the man; I had a lot of questions that could be answered simply by analysing him. Maude tends to trust people easily, while I rather to preserve my doubts longer about new people. Until now, the Forsythes haven't proven to be trustworthy, it would take more than a love story about a Muggle book gifted to Maude's mom for me to trust the man.

I left the two of them alone in the undercroft when the conversation dried out and I suddenly felt like there was one person too much in the room. Nurse Blainey would probably tell me that for now all Maude need was rest, but I couldn't sleep before at least stopping by the hospital wing and hold her hand for a little while. I sat next to her while she was still laying there, unconscious. Her hands were cold as ice and her face was pale. It pained me to see her like that, I wished I would've been there, maybe I could've protected her, or just prevented her from confronting them.

I held her hand for what seemed like a full hour before nurse Blainey threw me out, begging me to get some rest too. She said it would be good to calm my nerves.

When I got to my room, it was late as I took the longest route I could take, walking around the whole castle. Ominis still hadn't come back by the time I went to bed. I laid there on my back, my hands supporting the back of my head while I was staring at the ceiling and listening to the subtle cracklings of the fire. My thoughts quickly traveled back to where they go every time, I am alone with too much time in hands... Anne.

There were so many things I wished to tell her. First, how sorry I was for all everything went down badly. For disappointing her and breaking her heart. She was also my best friend, apart from Ominis. I could tell her everything, and she always knew the best questions to ask for making me doubt. Instead of telling me what to think, she was guiding me to a thinking of my own. She knew me better than I knew myself.