Shadows of Time

Golden Trio: A Time Crossed Path

"Hey, are you alright?"

Sebastian woke up to the sound of a voice, soft but urgent.

His eyes fluttered open, the blurry shape of a woman standing over him coming into focus.
The sky above was still pale gray, the early morning light shining through the fog.

Groaning, Sebastian felt the ache in his body from the cold, hard ground beneath him. For a moment, the events of the previous night faded, feeling more like a nightmare than the harsh reality he had yet to face.

The older woman knelt beside him, her face framed by dark curls, concern showing in her features.

"You're not hurt, are you?" she asked again, her voice gentle but with a hint of alarm.
As the woman appeared to get closer to him, to get a better look, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and quickly grabbed his wand.

The events of the previous night, the figure, the curse came rushing back to him, but none of it made sense.

"I—" Sebastian stuttered, his voice rough. "I'm fine."

The woman didn't seem convinced.
"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you," she reassured him, her tone softening as she noticed his instinctive reach for his wand.

"You don't look fine," she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly as she assessed him.
"Do you need help? Did you get hurt?" Pointing at his hand, which was smeared with dried blood.

Glancing down at his hand, Sebastian only then noticed his injury and quickly tried to cover it up.

His mind racing with million thoughts, he wasn't sure what to say, but forced himself to his feet, wiping the dirt from his hands without meeting her gaze.

"I'm fine," he replied

The familiar Hogwarts robe, caught her attention."You're one of the students, aren't you? From Hogwarts?"

Surprised by the woman's words, he stiffened and his muscles tensed. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.

"You shouldn't be out here alone," she added.
"I'm going to inform someone at the school. You clearly need help."

"No, I said I'm fine," he repeated, this time sharper. His eyes meet hers.

The woman took a step back, startled. "What do you mean, no? You need—"

"I said no!"

With the raising tension, it was too hard to control his emotions. He couldn't risk anything, not before he understood what was happening. Not before he had answers.

"Obliviate!"

A flash of light shot from his wand, hitting the woman in the chest. Her eyes widened for a split second before glazing over, her expression going blank as the spell took effect.

Sebastian sighed deeply.

"I didn't want to resort to this, but she just wouldn't leave me alone. I'm exhausted from all the questions and intrusions. I can't deal with this right now."

"Maybe my reaction was extreme, but I had no choice."
He was caught between what he knew was right and what he believed he had to do.

She stood there for a moment, her mind wiped of the past few minutes.
The woman blinked, confused. "What... what was I doing?" she said to herself, looking around.

Sebastian didn't give her a chance to recover.

With a quick glance to ensure she was disoriented, he ran away from the bridge, his feet pounding against the ground as he sprinted toward Hogsmeade, not daring to look back. As he ran, his mind racing as fast as his feet. The streets of Hogsmeade were still quiet, the village just beginning to stir.