What if you decided not to turn him in? What if he has to stand trial anyway? And what if you get asked to be a witness?
Would you save him? Or wouldn't you?
For Sebastian Sallow, Eleanor - Ellie - has been through hell and back. She did it all for...
The song choice for this chapter is "Mr Perfectly Fine" by Taylor Swift.
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Anne is doing well. Even a bit too well if you'd ask me. It is strange. Ever since we bailed Sebastian out, she seems to improve. And no one of us understands why.
When I visit her in the room of requirement, I realise that she's taken her dream of transforming this into a botanical garden even further. Now there are not only plants everywhere but also butterflies that fly across the room in all colours and shapes.
'I tried out a charm I read about,' she says and smiles happily. 'I never tried it before but in this room, it was just so easy.'
'It's the magic of the room,' I reply. 'It's ... unique in its ways.'
Anne's dark circles under her eyes are not gone but have become a lot less visible. Either she gets some good sleep, or she is actually getting better.
'You know, I felt a lot better just two days ago,' she tells me when I settle down to have some tea with her, that Deek conjured from the kitchen. 'Suddenly, the pain was even completely gone for a few moments.'
Well, if she'd know what I did two days ago, aka kissing her brother in the Undercroft, her pain might just be back.
'I'm happy you feel better, Anne. Maybe relocating you to Hogwarts did the trick. I know that, with the Muggles, sometimes it helps to just give them hope and a home. Because when your mind is happy, your body can be, too. It doesn't always work, but it sometimes helps.'
'Maybe that's it,' Anne says and sips on her tea. 'Whatever it is – I'm happy about it. But I didn't call you here today to talk about me.'
I place my tea on the table in front of us. 'Oh. What can I help you with? I can certainly bring up more class materials if you'd like. I know you've been eating them up.'
Anne shakes her head. The corners of her mouth twitch. 'This is not about me for once. Sebastian was here yesterday. He told me something I found interesting.'
Oh God. 'Uh – okay.' I don't have any other words left. This is the worst. The Sallow twins may not have parents anymore, but being investigated by Sebastian's twin sister is just as bad as when his mother would eye me up and down.
'You know, I always sort of knew,' she says and places her hand on mine. 'You arrived and all of a sudden there was a change in him. I hadn't seen him this hopeful since I got cursed. I know it all went the wrong way, but ... I am inclined to believe in destiny. And I think that he met you was his destiny. It was fate.'
Yeah, I would expect Anne to believe in fate. 'Uh – I don't know,' I say, clearly feeling a little embarrassed about the whole thing. I don't know how much Sebastian has told her, but clearly enough to start this conversation with me.
'I would absolutely understand if you were to not give him a chance,' she says. 'I barely did. And I am related to him!'
