Spellbound Souls

Chapter 3. Lost and Found

Cassandra

As he enters the hall, I lose my breath. The air is sucked out of my lungs and I'm trying to maintain my posture. His earthly brown piercing eyes hide a feeling of discomfort as they gaze over the present crowd sitting at the Slytherin table. Sebastian. I say his name in my mind. I want to shout his name, run towards him and fall into his warm embrace, however my body is not moving, as if my feet are frozen to the ground. I have to remind myself to breathe. When his eyes meet mine, he composes a dangerous smile and makes his way to the table. As we make eye contact, I sense a shiver down my spine. I experience emotions of joy and relief, but also anger. He is back. After all this time, and yet his presence feels like a storm brewing on the horizon. As he moves, all the heads and eyes of the other students move with him, and everyone keeps their focus on him. As he is walking, I take a good look at him. He is taller, his jawline is more refined, and his charms are as present as ever. His curls are a tad wilder but overall, he looks the same and as handsome as I remember. Even more so, perhaps. As he comes closer, his dangerous smile remains fixed in place, but there is a flicker of something deeper in his gaze, a hint of vulnerability perhaps, hidden beneath the facade of confidence. After a few deep breaths, I can feel all of my limbs again. I throw my legs over the bench to stand up. With shaking legs, I brace myself for the impact Sebastian has on me physically and mentally. His pace slows as he is almost standing before me. It is like he's watching in slow motion, with a grin he stands before me, so close that I could smell him. A faint scent of bergamot, rosemary and brandy evokes a sense of warmth and sophistication. Only eight fingers' width separate our shoes from touching. Everyone in the hall around us disappears, as if we are standing in a black and dark chamber and the only light present is a spotlight aiming at us. I clear my throat. Readying myself for the small conversation we are about to have. And preparing myself mentally for the conversation we ought to have.

"Sebastian," I breathe, trying to suppress the flood of emotions that threaten to overwhelm me. "You're back."

His smile widens, but there is a shadow of uncertainty in his eyes as he studies me, as if searching for something lost amidst the chaos of our separation.

"Cassandra," he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine. "I needed to." His words hang in the air between us, heavy with unspoken meaning. For a moment we stand there, locked in a silent exchange that speaks volumes more than words ever could. Then, with a small nod of acknowledgment, Sebastian extends his hand towards me, a silent invitation to bridge the gap that has grown between us. I hesitate for a heartbeat, my mind swirling with memories of our shared past and the unanswered questions that linger between us. But in the end, there is only one choice to make. Taking a deep breath, I reach out and clasp Sebastian's hand in mine, the connection sparking like lightning between us.

Imelda stands up and faces the other students. Slamming a fist on the table she yells, "Don't you need to shove some pies in those holes?" The other students give some small angry looks but without aloud complaining take their attention back to their plates and friends. Within a few seconds, the Great Hall fills with the clatter of cutlery and the chatter of students' voices. No one exactly knows what happened to Sebastian and why he disappeared. There are rumours, of course. Some of the students live in Feldcroft and heard about Solomon Sallow; it shocked the small hamlet. Then the sudden disappearance of Anne, and shortly after, Sebastian vanished too. And because Sebastian had made a name for himself within the halls and corridors of Hogwarts, his absence was widely known and openly discussed. The last year I tried to block the chatter out. Some students even had the nerve to ask me what happened to "my boyfriend." Some expected we broke up and Sebastian went to wallow in the mountains. Some said Solomon was killed by dark wizards who wanted revenge for his time being an Auror and Anne and Sebastian had to flee the country. Others spoke of a curse taunting the Sallow family, they were not entirely wrong. The first few months after Sebastian's disappearance I defended him. But as time passed and I did not hear anything from him, feelings of anger brew inside me, and I stopped telling everyone off.

"Sebastian," Ominis says with a cool voice, but I can hear the anger in it. He does not want to cause a scene when everyone is listening. I have to restrain myself from doing the same. Ominis is standing beside me, and Sebastian lets go of my hand and takes a step to stand before Ominis. His grin turns into a smile, and he lays a hand on Ominis' shoulder. "Mate, good to see you," Sebastian's eyes are examining his friend's posture and facial expression. Sebastian's voice is soothing, but it has a certain unfamiliarity in it, as if he is bracing himself for Ominis' outburst. The corners of Ominis' mouth slightly arch. If I wasn't standing so close, I would not have been able to see it. Sebastian sees it too.

"Yes, good to see you too," and Ominis follows Sebastian's arm to place his hand on the inside of Sebastian's elbow. I guess that's all it took to reconcile the grudge between them. Sebastian focuses back on me and with a chirping tone he says, "Let's eat, I'm starving." I nod and Ominis and I take our places. Sebastian's leg is shoving between our shoulders, and we scoot to the sides to make room for him. He sits with a slam, and he rolls up his sleeves. I take my plate to set it before me and a new plate conjures with cutlery before Sebastian. He is filling his plate as if there is no tomorrow. Mashed potatoes, corn, lamb, chicken, peas, carrots, kidney pie, crudités, everything he can get his hands on. Everyone at our table is gawking at Sebastian. First, he makes an entry and then he is eating like he hasn't eaten in days, weeks even. I throw a glance at Grace; she's resting her chin in her hand and is looking at me with a smile. "Is this the surprise?" I mouth at her. She nods. How did she know? And how long did she know Sebastian was going to appear? I guess I will have the time to ask her about it when we are back at our dormitory. I can only speculate it has something to do now that she is dating Atticus.

"Must you eat so loudly? You sound like you're sucking everything in at once," Ominis says irritated. Sebastian puts down his fork and wipes his mouth with a handkerchief.

"I know you missed this," and he holds a drumstick in front of Ominis' face and makes it dance.

"Piss off," and Ominis averts his face from the moving drumstick. Sebastian is laughing. This is so weird. I haven't really said anything to him at all and while I am feeling tensed about his arrival, he seems to be as comfortable as ever. I don't want to address the graphorn in the room, but I will have to eventually. I glance at the Professors' table. They don't seem to be interested in Sebastian's arrival at all. They probably knew about it, but still. I finish my plate and in the corner of my eye I see Sebastian going for seconds. In full awe, I am focused on how much the boy can eat.

As dinner is almost over and most of the students go back to the dormitory, as well as my roommates, I see Poppy walking towards us. With a confused expression, she's looking at Sebastian.

"Hi Poppy," Sebastian waves to her with a mouth full of trifle. She frowns but she has a smile.

"Hello Sebastian, welcome back," she takes the place beside me.

"Thank you," he says while nodding and stuffing his face with more trifle. Poppy and I exchange some looks. She has a "Did you know about this" look on her face and I respond with a "No, I had no idea" expression.

"I'm guessing I will talk to you tomorrow?" She knows I want to speak with Sebastian, and she excuses herself out of the awkward situation. I'm thankful that Poppy understands without me having to say anything. We exchange smiles and she walks out of the Great Hall.

"Okay, I'm done," Sebastian wipes his mouth once more and drops his handkerchief on his plate. He chugs his pumpkin juice and stands up. Me and Ominis stand up and we follow Sebastian walking out of the Great Hall.

We make our way to our common room. Ominis, Sebastian, and I are standing in front of the wall where the door will appear. While waiting for the snake to rise up and show the door, I feel my heartbeat jumping out of my chest. These halls have felt so empty without Sebastian walking them and now that he's back, I don't even know where to begin. The air feels cold but at the same time warm as it is filled with tension. I feel Sebastian's hand brushing against mine. I feel his warmth radiating and I can't think. I need a moment alone with him. I just do. Not to jump him and throw myself at him, but because I have these burning questions about his whereabouts.

The snake rises and the door is visible. As I step forward, Sebastian grabs a hold of my hand and holds me in place. Ominis walks to the door and the moment he wants to enter, Sebastian tugs at my arm and drags me further into the Slytherin Dungeon. Without thought I follow him, and we enter a secluded corridor and pushes me inside the girl's lavatory.