Erised ─ Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Eight

The next month went by quickly. It had taken no time for Sebastian and I to snap back into our old friendship, and having him back felt so surreal. Ominis was happy too. Sebastian and I not getting along had affected him more than we had realized. We spent hours together, exploring the grounds, sharing stories, laughing together; It was like no time had passed at all, and our friendship had picked up where it left off.

I finally felt like I was healing from all of the pain I had experienced during the summer. And I hoped Sebastian and Ominis could agree.

One evening, Sebastian and I were studying in the library for a Transfiguration test we had the next day. Ominis (actually) wasn't feeling well, so he decided to go to bed early.

We had been quiet for hours, shuffling through notes and practicing spells with a focus on only Transfiguration, when Sebastian suddenly spoke.

"Transfiguration was Anne's favorite subject, you know."

I looked up from my notes, glancing at him.

"No... I didn't."

Sebastian had slowly, but surely, been warming up to talking about Anne. At first, even the mention of Anne would quiet him, and he would get a pained look in his eyes. Then, he started talking about her every so often. Her favorite foods, a memory they shared, just small things. Still, it was hard for him to share, and after a moment he would usually stop talking, like he had forgotten himself.

"Yeah. I think she liked the opportunity for pranking," He chuckled, looking down at his parchment.

I closed my textbook lightly. "Can you tell me more about her?" I asked carefully.

I could tell that she had been on his mind more often, and I wanted him to talk about her. Anne was an important part of his and Ominis's life, and I had only known her shortly when she was very sick and not like herself. I wanted to know more about her, even though she was gone.

Sebastian's eyes clouded over, his gaze drifting off into the distance. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer, that the familiar pain would shut him down again. But then, a small smile played on his lips, and he began to speak thoughtfully.

"Anne was...she was the funniest person I knew. Like me and Ominis combined. I always joked that she could be the next Zonko's owner, with her aptitude for jokes." He paused, considering for a moment. "She had this one prank, where she would turn Ominis's shoes into pudding. It was quite mean, especially since he's blind, but it would make her laugh and laugh. It was infectious, you know? You just couldn't help but laugh along with her."

"I can imagine..." I smiled, trying to visualize the memory.

He gave me a small smile back, before his eyes clouded over. "I miss her... I would do anything, anything to be able to see her again."

I went to reach out to him, to touch his hand, before I stopped myself.

Anything?

My mind drifted to the Mirror of Erised. His greatest desire would be to see Anne, right?

"Sebastian..." I said hesitantly. "I want to show you something."

He eyed me uncertainly. "What is it?"

"I..." I paused. "I'll show you, come with me."

We quickly gathered our notes and books, and I led him down the flights and stairs and into the dungeons. We went through the winding corridors before I stumbled upon the shimmering magic.

I quickly cast through the concealment charm and revealed the door.

"Winifred, what're showing me?" He asked skeptically.