Spellbound Souls

Chapter 6. Silent Struggles

Sebastian

As I walk beside Ominis, Cassandra strides a few steps ahead of us with a quick pace. I catch myself staring at her, and in these moments, I'm grateful that Ominis is blind. I try my best to keep up with her, but a sudden flood of students separates us, and I watch as Cassandra almost runs to the sky bridge leading to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower. She doesn't look back once.

"What's the matter with you two?" Ominis asks, breaking the silence. I sigh, unsure of how to explain everything to my friend. He deserves an explanation, but I haven't got a clue where or how to start.

"I'm not really sure, Ominis," I answer, feeling the weight of the unspoken tension between me and Cassandra.

"What happened between you two? Where did you go last night?" His voice is firm, demanding an answer. I clear my throat, feeling the discomfort of the situation.

"I had to talk to her in private. I didn't want to bother you with our..." I hesitate, searching for the right words to explain the complexity of our affiliation. "...our situation," I finally manage to say.

Ominis stops walking and grabs my arm, halting me in my tracks. His voice carries a mix of concern and frustration. "Do you, in all honesty, have any idea what that poor girl went through last year?" he asks, his tone patient but insistent.

"I do not," I admit, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. My mind has been so preoccupied with the events of my fifth year – Solomon's death, Anne's disappearance – that I haven't stopped to consider how Cassandra felt about our whole ordeal. I hate myself for not thinking about the consequences of my actions, and now I understand why she's acting the way she is.

"You're an idiot, Sallow," Ominis says bluntly, his words hitting me harder than I expected. He's right. I've hurt all the people I care about, and I was only thinking of myself. I can't just act like nothing happened and nothing changed. Things did happen, and things did change. I just have to find a way to make it right again.

We make our way to Professor Hecats classroom. Ominis walks behind me, and we enter the room. Cassandra is already seated, she is still sitting alone.

"Go sit with her," I hear Ominis whisper in my ear as he passes, and he takes a seat at the front row. Violet McDowell takes place next to him. As I prepare myself for yet another awkward encounter with Cassandra, I feel someone pass me. Their shoulder brushes against mine from behind, causing me to take a quick step to maintain my balance and posture. I look to the person who just pushed me to the side. Leander. That tosser. He looks back and gives me a mischievous smile, before sliding into the seat next to Cassandra. I feel my blood boil. I want to strike him. I usually wouldn't mind someone else sitting with Cassandra, but Leander just rubs me the wrong way. However, there were a few conditions I had to follow if I wanted to stay at Hogwarts. The first one, on top of the list is that I had to behave. And maybe, hitting someone for sitting next to Cassandra, isn't worth it. I clench my jaw and I take the seat right behind them. At least they're not chatting with each other.

Professor Hecat steps out of her office and walks down the stairs and takes a stand in front of the class. She welcomes us back and asks if we had a nice summer. Then she gets down to business. Today she will give a lecture about magical creatures that are often associated with dark magic, such as Inferi. I feel my pulse rise. I'm familiar with Inferi. I once summoned them and briefly had the power to control them. But that day, the memory of what happened weighs heavily on my mind. I try to shake the thoughts away, but they linger, haunting me with their dark presence. But I'm quickly pulled from my thoughts when I notice what's happening in front of me. Leander is sitting very close to Cassandra, whispering something in her ear. I can't hear what he's saying, but judging by her reaction, it's likely something foul. A surge of anger rises within me, but I force myself to focus on the lesson, trying to ignore the scene unfolding in front of me. Cassandra scoots a little more to the side away from Leander and he turns around and gives me a that stupid fucking grin again. I feel my blood boil and it takes everything in my power to not lash out. Leanders turns back and he doesn't move for the rest of the class, but Cassandra's discomfort remains.