Part 1: He Deserved It // Sebastian Sallow x MC

The Keepers

Even though the topic of the chapter itself is a little heavier, the song choice is "love is embarrassing" by Olivia Rodrigo. It just fits so nicely!

'Woah – all of this? Just below Hogwarts? That's why you needed me to sneak into the Restricted Section. You were so cryptic about it.'

'I wasn't that cryptic,' I tell Sebastian. 'I told you a lot. More than most people.'

'You're not going to start fighting again, are you?' Ominis' voice comes from behind us.

'No,' we say in unison.

The Keepers await me in their portraits like they usually do. I stand before them, Ominis and Sebastian behind me, and look up, waiting for them to take notice.

'Ah, our student,' Professor Reckham says and smiles at me. 'I was thinking about when you'd come to visit again.'

'It's a pleasure to see you again,' Professor Rookwood adds. 'Are there any unrests again? What do we owe this visit to?'

'Woah,' Sebastian says and stares up at the portraits. 'So, you're the Keepers?'

'Yes, we are,' Professor Fitzgerald adds. 'And who are you?'

'Those are my friends,' I say and step forward. 'Ominis Gaunt and Sebastian Sallow. They accompany me today because we have a ... question to ask. A question relating to ancient magic.'

'We'll happily answer,' Professor Bakhar adds. 'What can we help you with?'

I start tapping back and forth on my feet. I hate this already. This is so embarrassing.

'Well ... what is your experience with ancient magic and love?' I ask eventually.

Professor Reckham raises his eyebrows. 'Love? Love is the most powerful form of ancient magic. Why do you ask?'

Am I really to open my heart to a piece of canvas? In front of Ominis and Sebastian? This is bad. So, so bad.

And by the way, it never went unnoticed to me that even though Sebastian became aware of the fact that I love him, he never said anything in return. He kissed me, yes. But words were never included.

I take that personally.

'Okay so, in theory,' I say and walk a little back and forth to keep me steady and my mind from racing, 'say, I was to love someone. Would that have any significant effect on my magic?'

Professor Bakhar is the first to answer, having a knowing sparkle in his eyes. 'That depends. Are you happily in love? Suffering from a broken heart?'

I look at Ominis and Sebastian – making sure to look at both, so I don't have to tell the Keepers too much – and then turn my head back at Professor Bakhar. 'Well ... I would say, it is somewhat of a mixture of both. One of my friends over here has a theory. A sister of a friend of mine is fatally ill. She got cursed by Victor Rookwood.'

'Rookwood?' Charles Rookwood intervenes. 'My descendant? Oh, what did he do now?'

'He's just evil,' Sebastian chimes in. 'Horrible person. Terrible. Hate him.'

Professor Rookwood furrows his brow. 'I'm sorry to hear that. So, I assume it was your sister he cursed?'

'Yes,' Sebastian says and crosses his arms. 'And I know it's not your fault, but you surely left behind some bad blood.'

'Sebastian, you're not helping!' I say and roll my eyes. 'We're not here to accuse anyone of anything. We want help, remember?'

He shuts up for once.

'To come back to the issue at hand,' I say and look back at the portraits, 'Anne Sallow is ill. When Sebastian was away – sort of on a different continent one could say – she got worse. So much worse. When he came back, she was getting better. And while one could guess it has something to do with him, it seems like my emotions are involved in her recovery as well. How does any of that make sense?'

All four Keepers seem lost in thought for a moment. In the end, it is Professor Fitzgerald who speaks up first. 'Has there been a moment of sacrifice?'

'A moment of what?' I ask.

'Sacrifice,' Professor Fitzgerald repeats. 'In the sense of – did you sacrifice yourself for Sebastian Sallow?'

While I feel the embarrassment of the whole ordeal creeping up inside me, like the heat of boiling water, I try to think. 'I'm not sure ...'

'I am,' Ominis says suddenly. 'You did several times.'

I turn around at him and frown. 'I never died for him. Thank God.'

'It's not necessarily about the fact that you did,' Ominis says. 'I don't know much about this form of ancient magic, but from what I gather dying is not what a "sacrifice" has to entail.'

'Your friend is correct,' Professor Reckham says. 'It is more about the willingness to do so. I don't know, honestly, if it even must be the willingness to die, or if the willingness to accept pain and suffering is enough of a sacrifice.'

'You took the Cruciatus Curse for him,' Ominis reminds us. 'And for me, too. You did it so we all wouldn't have to die. You've put yourself into danger multiple times to save Anne's life, to save Sebastian from himself. And in the end, you fought against Solomon; even though it was Sebastian's fight, not yours. You repeatedly put yourself in danger for him.'

God, I feel stupid.

'I didn't want to die,' I clarify. 'I'm not this willing to just ... die.'

'But you willingly took the risk,' Professor Bakhar chimes in. 'That is a sign of love. Of strong love.'

'And before you get all red and flustered,' Professor Rookwood adds, 'the love doesn't have to be romantic. It's any form. The love between a sister and a brother, the love between a friend and a friend, between daughter and mother, and so forth. I suspect, that since you were ready to risk your life for Sebastian Sallow and his sister, you protected both. From the version of the events you described, I would say, you sacrificed yourself for Mr Sallow, and he sacrificed himself for his sister. They share the same blood. And as long as you protect him, as long as you love him – in which way ever – his sister is protected, too.'

Before Sebastian or Ominis can say a single word – because I don't want to hear it – I open my mouth again. 'What if my parents forbid me from seeing him? What if I must stay away from him? It seems like the curse got worse when I ... when I was with someone else. In the romantic kind, I mean. I can't be with him. How can I go about protecting Anne, then?'

I am just as well interested in saving Sebastian – mostly from himself. But there are boundaries to what I can say out loud. Based on "I don't want to".

'I don't think it's about being with someone,' Professor Reckham throws in. 'It's about your emotional connection to them.'

I wish I had gone to this meeting alone.

'So, the moment you were – in your words – with someone else, you might've had an emotional attachment to that person. Hence, your feeling of love faltered?'

I don't reply. Honestly, the only option I see to save Anne is to just ... marry someone for convenience and pine after Sallow for the rest of my life.

What kind of outlook is that?

'Okay, thank you. That ... that answered all I must know for now.'

And with that, I turn around and walk back into the Restricted Section, because I can stand to meet Sebastian's eye one more time.