The rest of the previous week, as well as Monday and Tuesday passed without incident. Wednesday morning, however, while I was eating breakfast I felt someone tap on my back at about the same time I felt something being placed inside the hood of my cloak. Whipping my head around I could see Ominis and Sebastian walking away towards the doors... it had to have been one of them.
Sure enough, once I'd fished out whatever had been placed in my hood, I saw that it was a note. Sebastian's handwriting.
I've not forgotten about our library venture... how did you fare? If you're keen for some illicit spell practice, meet me outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom after class this afternoon. I know a discreet place near there.
My eyebrow raised in curiosity. Illicit spells and a secret place to practice them? He really does like me. At this rate I could probably weasel out all of his good secrets by the end of the year. It was nearly difficult to focus on my classes until Beasts ended, and I jogged to the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower.
I glanced around... no one was nearby. I was starting to wonder if Sebastian was under Disillusionment when I heard a psst from the nearby staircase. His head peeked out from behind it, and he motioned for me to join him.
"Ah, there you are," I kept my voice low.
"Here I am," he wiggled his eyebrows stupidly. "I have something to show you."
"So you've told me..." I trailed off as he gestured towards a fancy cabinet. It was the only thing standing in this little corner at the end of the hallway. As far as I knew, there weren't any hidden passages or anything of the sort around here. "Uh...?"
"We can talk more in a moment, in the Undercroft. Not even the professors know about this place," he smirked as he walked over to the cabinet. It was large, about the size of a phone booth, made of dark walnut. There were various discs and dials on it like a clock that could also tell the day, date, season and lunar phases, the arms and numbers crafted from gold atop blue enamel. Sebastian waved his wand at it in a specific manner, and the arms began spinning wildly before everything seemed to point straight upwards, finishing with a startling chime. I tilted my head as the cabinet then opened up to reveal a secret passage through the stone wall behind it.
"Ooh..." I chirped. I climbed inside and followed the short passage down a few steps, where a portcullis separated it from a large room with a high ceiling, about the size of a chapel. The walls and floor were barren, but there were tons of barrels and crates stacked up against the sides of the room, some grouped together like sets of furniture, and a couple of lit sconces hung from the ceiling and the four pillars that held it up.
"How did you find this place?" I asked as he entered the room behind me.
"Ominis. He named it the Undercroft," he replied, walking past me and leaning against a pillar. "We used to play Gobstones here all the time with my sister Anne. She loved that infernal game... What I wouldn't give to lose to her again," he smiled weakly before hanging his head with a sigh.
"Is that so? Seems I should hang out with Ominis more often," I mused as I had a look around.
"I should tell you... I swore to him I would safeguard this place, so please... keep this between us. He never confides in anyone, but he's trusted me since the day we met. I wouldn't want to jeopardize that."
"Oh? So you're showing me this secret place that Ominis specifically entrusted you with, and would likely freak out if he knew I was here? How bold of you," I smiled devilishly as I walked up to Sebastian, poking him roughly in the chest. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a crush on me."
"I... w-well..." he glanced away, a slight blush on his cheeks. Mmhmm, exactly what I thought.
"Heh... don't worry, I won't tell," I grinned coyly. "This does seem like quite the useful secret."
"We used to sneak in here almost daily. We've never been caught," he preened.
"Impressive... he's blind, right? Ominis? I'll be honest, I didn't think he had it in him to be sneaky."
"He is. Ominis was born blind, and no spell could reverse it," Sebastian nodded. "You've seen how he uses his wand to navigate? It almost seems sentient... not surprising, I suppose. Ollivander always says 'the wand chooses the wizard'."
"I see... is that how he found this room?"
"No, someone in his family knew about it... the Gaunts are full of secrets. I've never heard anyone else speak of it, and I've certainly never seen anyone else here... Again, mention this to no one, especially Ominis. He has no love lost for his family or their secrets, but this place is special to him."
"Issues at home, huh?" I tilted my head. I wonder why? "Well, you have my word, I won't tell anyone." Be rather stupid of me to do so, anyway... I could definitely use a secret room like this.
"Glad you understand," he smiled. "Anyway, the Undercroft has been a perfect place to sneak off to, away from prying eyes... and even practice otherwise forbidden spells."
"Now we're talking," I rubbed my hands together, a devious glimmer in my eyes. "Whaddya have in mind?"
"How about the Blasting Curse?" he smirked. "Professors say it's not an appropriate spell to teach students."
"Pfft... a proper magical education should include all magic," I grumbled, waving a hand dismissively. "Not their fault if the student can't handle it."
"My thoughts exactly," he nodded, holding his hands behind his back and puffing his chest out a little. "A spell like Confringo is only truly dangerous in untrained hands. Such spells should be properly taught, not banned! ...To be fair, I'm admittedly partial to more fiery forms of magic, but you should learn it. I can teach it to you safely here."
Finally... getting the good stuff out of him. "Well then, Professor Sallow... Do continue with your lesson," I grinned as I pulled out my wand, ensuring my voice oozed with charm. Sebastian blinked uncomfortably, clearing his throat as he blushed again. That's right... teach me all of your secrets, boy.
"It may take a while to get the feel for it," he exhaled as he took out his wand and began slowly moving it through the air. "Mimic my wand movement. The incantation is Confringo."
"Not going to hold my hand this time, are you?" I teased, copying his movements. While he tried to hide another blush, I focused on the magic charging within my horn. At first it felt disappointingly familiar to a simple fire spell, but gradually the aura shifted. The magic felt much more... volatile. Unstable, like a poorly-brewed potion, or perhaps a perfectly-brewed one to be used as a grenade. I could feel a growing heat in my wand like a blast furnace being stoked to maximum, threatening to overheat if not kept in check.
"You're getting it! Ready to actually try it out?" Sebastian waved his wand, making the hanging sconces extinguish themselves. "Stick to the sconces, though... best to keep the Undercroft intact." I nodded, feeling the power within me.
"Confringo!" I pointed my wand at one of the sconces. It pulsed with blazing heat, taking me briefly by surprise as a ball of bright orange flame shot out of the tip and lit the sconce back up with an impressive explosion. "Whoa!"
"Nice work," he praised. "How's it feel?"
"Hot," I replied as I briefly switched hands, waving my other hand to cool it down... I hadn't expected "taking a while to get the feel for it" would be so literal.
"You'll get used to it," he shrugged. And I did, as I used the spell on the other sconces. Strangely, it was an addictive heat, like when you eat something spicy, but the feeling wasn't just limited to your face and your digestive tract... even though it hurt a little, it was nothing compared to the exhilaration and cool rush of power I felt. He continued to encourage and praise me as I lit them all on fire, which... did endear him to me a tiny bit. Nothing like being fawned over for your own superior abilities.
I had to give him some credit... I hadn't learned this from the battlemages, and Celestia definitely never would have taught me this. This spell was exactly the kind of magic I had been dying to learn. Perhaps he was worth further consideration after all. "Gotta hand it to ya... that was fun!" I laughed once I'd lit the final sconce.
"The first time Ominis and I practiced Confringo, we singed our eyebrows off," he chuckled.
"Ha! I bet you two looked ridiculous!"
"I swore we'd never live it down. To this day, there's something about that spell that's addictive." I felt another pulse of heat, but this time not from my wand. It made my entire upper half feel like it was on fire.
And yet, it wasn't at all painful. It actually felt... strangely nice. "Hmm... though I guess I can see how you two might've lost your eyebrows." Sebastian chuckled again.
"Anne, Ominis and I used to practice down here for hours. The Undercroft was our retreat." His smile fell, and he sighed deeply. "...Haven't been here in some time... it's not the same without Anne."
I frowned. I couldn't exactly relate to him, seeing how I was - as far as I knew - an only child. Sometimes I wondered what life would be like if I had a sibling... would we like each other? Tell each other our secrets in full confidence? Push each other to improve and be the best unicorns- er, witches we could be? Would they be better or worse than me at magic? Would they have even followed me through the mirror?
Psychology was one of the many nonmagical subjects Celestia had tutored me in. I had learned of the bonds between family members - siblings, of course... Twins, especially, had a unique bond with each other. And it was clear to me that Sebastian felt this kind of bond with Anne very strongly.
In some weird way... I felt slightly jealous. And slightly sympathetic. "Uh, sorry... about your sister. Um, if there's anything I could help with..."
"Perhaps when I next head to Feldcroft, you could come along. Meet Anne. She could use some cheering up," Sebastian answered quickly.
"Oh... er..." That's... not quite what I meant. I didn't really want to meet anyone new, especially if they weren't even going to school, but... he looked so... hopeful at the moment.
"She misses Hogwarts... she's been stuck at home with our guardian, Uncle Solomon." His face screwed up in disgust as he spat the name out. "Unfortunately, you'll have to meet him, too."
His guardian... it sounds like he doesn't care for him. I blinked as I realized that- ...well, I didn't particularly care for my old guardian either. "Sounds most charming," my lips thinned.
"You'll see... but meeting you will be precisely what she needs," he said.
"I... oh, alright. Just tell me when you're going," I caved in. I don't believe this... I don't cave in to anybody! The hell is wrong with me lately...
"Cheers," he smiled again. I smiled awkwardly back. Then I remembered... he had done that one thing for me... I suppose I did owe him for that. Going to visit his sister was the least I could do to repay him.
"...You know, I saw you take the blame for the whole library thing... I really never expected you to keep your word. So, um... thank you."
"Of course!" he shrugged. "Scribner tried to give me detention, but... I have ways out of these things."
"Is that so? I do hope you'll share your secret with me sometime," I smirked.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Yep! Although, turns out part of it was missing."
"Missing?"
"Yea. It was a book, but, uh... Peeves had torn out some of its pages long ago, and... ugh, that part's a bit of a long story, but the important thing is that I fixed it," I handwaved away.
"Alright, good... and I assume this whole thing has to do with what you told me, about the Portkey and Gringotts and Ranrok?" Sebastian pressed.
"Boy, nothing gets past you, does it?" I sighed, shaking my head. He simply smirked while I debated whether or not to tell him about it. I had promised Fig I'd keep quiet about this...
...But at this point, he'd never let it go. I'd probably told him too much already; if he were anything like me, he wouldn't stop until he got his answers. I took a few breaths to collect my thoughts and nodded faintly.
"Alright... I'll tell you, but you must promise to keep this between us. Fig didn't want me telling anyone about this."
"I trusted you with the knowledge of this secret Undercroft... you can trust me," he nodded in return, smiling genuinely. Something about that smile of his put me more at ease than I expected.
"Okay, then I'll just come out with it. I can see traces of ancient magic." Sebastian's eyes widened.
"Ancient magic...?" he parroted. "...I don't know what I was expecting you to say, but it wasn't that! What does that even mean?"
"It's some kind of magic that no one's seen in centuries... and not only can I see it, I can use it, too. Thing is, though, when we met Ranrok in the vault at Gringotts, I could see a similar sort of magic coming from him, but darker." Curiously, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his mouth curled into a stern rictus.
"...Are you telling me that goblins may be wielding some sort of wizard magic?"
"No clue," I replied. "Honestly, I'm really more interested in figuring out how this ancient magic stuff works first."
"I see..." He put a hand to his chin in thought and was silent for a moment. "...Perhaps we can help each other. I've been studying archaic forms of magic for ages, now."
"Yea? If you can point me in a direction to start learning more about it, I'd love to hear it."
"I'll see if I've come across anything like it in my studies," he nodded boldly. "In the meantime, with both Rookwood and Ranrok after you, I suspect a bit more time practicing the Blasting Curse is in order."
I grinned. I spent a half hour or so Confringo-ing the sconces and spare barrels and crates with Sebastian, eventually becoming closely acquainted with the heat of the spell. After Vanishing all of the burnt bits of wood away we leaned against a pillar, out of breath but giggling with destructive glee. The spell was addictive.
"Spend as much time here as you'd like," he smiled again. "Just remember - keep this place between us."
"Of course," I nodded. My stomach growled... it was getting close to dinner time. "Want to grab something to eat?"
"I'll be there in a bit," he stood up. "Just going to make sure we got all the loose bits tidied up." I walked to the portcullis and opened it to pass through.
So I do like Sunset... She really is something.
What?
I turned around, seeing Sebastian examining the floor closely as he shuffled about. He was too far away for me to have heard him speak. But I could've sworn-
Might even get Ominis to cast an Unforgivable, if he ever finds out I told her about this place...
I froze. That was definitely Sebastian's voice, but he hadn't spoken at all. His mouth never moved, and he was too far away to hear in the first place...
...Telepathy? I thought up something offensive and tried my hardest to send it to him mentally, but he continued searching the floor without reacting. Not telepathy... why can I only hear his thoughts?
The portcullis clinking back down in place startled me. I stared at Sebastian for a moment longer before shrugging and turning away. I climbed up the short staircase and into the cabinet, easily pushing open the hidden door.
"Hello, Sebastian."
I nearly screamed in surprise but slammed my hands over my mouth before anything came out. Ominis had been standing right in front of the cabinet! His brow furrowed almost immediately.
"Wait... you, there! I can hear you!" Ominis growled.
Crap. "Uh... hi, Ominis," I drawled, smiling like I hadn't just waltzed out of his secret place. "I was juuust heading to the Great Hall for dinner."
"Sunset...?" he breathed in shock, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Did you just come from the Undercroft? How did you get in there?!"
Not Sebastian. Definitely not Sebastian. "...That place is called the Undercroft, huh? I was just killing time exploring the castle when I found this cabinet by itself in a dead end, and-"
"Don't lie to me!" Ominis shouted, loud enough to make me flinch. "No one has any idea that room is there! ...Sebastian told you, didn't he?!"
"Uh-"
"You breathe a word about this place to anyone, and not even your precious Professor Fig will be able to help you! My father is friends with the Headmaster, I'm not afraid to exploit that connection if I need to!"
"Okay, okay, I won't tell anyone, chill out!" I held up my hands. "Sebastian made it perfectly clear not to tell anyone about your Undercroft, at least give him some credit." Wait, I thought you hated your family...?
"I don't need you to tell me about my oldest friend, thank you very much!" he retorted. It would've been a little more intimidating if he were actually looking at me and not a foot to my right.
"Er, I meant-"
"I know what you meant!" Ominis groaned in frustration, shaking his head. "Sebastian gets himself in enough trouble, he doesn't need your help... oh, he's going to get an earful about this," he snarled as he waved his wand to open the cabinet, then pushed past me and disappeared inside.
Ooh... Sebastian better run. I glanced wide-eyed at the cabinet door, half-expecting Sebastian to come bursting out as fast as he could, but when nothing happened I decided it'd be best if I left for dinner.
~
Thursday was uneventful, as was Friday. I checked back with Lucan at the Crossed Wands club after classes - the tournament wasn't going to start until the beginning of October, so I found little reason to hang around. After dinner I made myself comfortable in the common room and finished my homework, then studied ahead in my books. Before I knew it night had fallen, and most of the other students had gone to bed.
I shook my head. I supposed the students here were just like those back in Canterlot... more concerned with trivial things like friends and social lives and a good night's sleep, rather than the accumulation of power and knowledge. None of them were willing to put in the work such goals required... not like me.
Which was fine... even if they tried, they still wouldn't hold a candle to me. I was so far ahead of any of these peasants studies-wise, even with my late starts in a couple of subjects. It was honestly embarrassing for them.
"Go on... you won't know until you ask."
Hm?
"Alright, alright..." I craned my neck to look over the back of my couch in the direction of the voices. Sebastian was walking towards me while Ominis looked on from a distance... or, well, whatever "looking on" was to him. At any rate, he seemed slightly pouty, or resigned...
...Judging from his look and their whispers, I think I knew what was about to happen. It was bound to at this rate.
"Ah, if it isn't my favorite time of the evening," Sebastian beamed as he sat down beside me. I couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic attempt at flirting, though to him it probably seemed like I found his joke hilarious.
"Is that your best pick-up line?" I snarked as I wiped an errant tear from my eyes. "Ah... what is it?"
"I was thinking... I never did get to show you around the rest of Hogsmeade, since our trip was... so rudely interrupted."
"Oh? Are you, by chance, asking me out on a date?" I raised an eyebrow smugly.
"Maybe... are you doing anything tomorrow?"
"Not that I'm aware of." By the gods, he's making this far too easy.
"Then how about it?" he crooned. "Meet here at 11am?"
"Hmm..." I put on a show about deeply considering whether or not to go with him, long enough for that smirk on his face to falter. To his credit, he didn't show weakness by acting concerned that I might not, but rather getting mildly annoyed when I had taken nearly half a minute to answer. "...I guess I could use a little excursion."
"Brilliant," he sat up straight, the smirk returning. "I'll see you then. I'll leave you to your studies, now." He got up from the couch and sauntered off back to Ominis, who shook his head as they disappeared into their dorms.
I leaned back into the cushions, pleased with myself. Perhaps at this rate I'd have all his secrets and illicit knowledge before Halloween had arrived. It also wouldn't hurt to try to get on Ominis' good side, seeing how he also had plenty of secrets to pick through.
Yes... the more I knew, the better.
~
I ate a light breakfast and got ready, pulling on my golden cloak for the occasion. True to his word, Sebastian was waiting in the common room when I arrived five minutes before 11am.
"There you are. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing for the staircase that led out. He had forgone his usual school cloak, revealing the formal, yet tasteful grey suit uniform he generally wore beneath it. My upper half suddenly felt like it had fallen asleep again.
"You look quite nice," I complimented with charm. He... does, actually... I blinked as soon as I realized what I'd thought and glanced away momentarily.
"As do you," he replied quickly. Walking through the school together, I wrestled with that stray thought. I'm a unicorn, I shouldn't be finding humans attractive!
...Well, I suppose I'm not actually a unicorn now, but a human... There's absolutely nothing equine about me anymore. Hmm.
Once outside, Sebastian suggested that instead of walking to Hogsmeade, we could fly. I smirked as I pulled out my broomstick from my pocket dimension, finding myself impressed as he reached into his own and produced his broom, an Ember Dash.
"You certainly do care for fiery magic, don't you?" I remarked, looking at the glowing bristles that sparked from his broom.
"What can I say? I suppose I have a flair for the dramatic," he shrugged as he got on. The flight to Hogsmeade was brief, but Sebastian seemed intent on showing off, flying loops and barrel rolls around me while laughing. Not to be outdone, I ascended high into the air nearly vertically before looping around backwards and shooting back down at him, only barely leveling out right above his head.
"You're not the only one with fancy aerial maneuvers," I yelled back at him, still rocketing towards the ground just outside the bridge to the village. I leapt off my broom and landed on my feet, skidding to a stop as I caught the broom in my hand over my head.
"Flying like that is dangerous... and delightful," he grinned as he did something similar, although much closer to the ground and therefore not as cool. I shook my head with a chuckle.
"So, where shall we go first?" I asked. Sebastian offered me his arm, and I took it as we crossed the bridge, rolling my eyes with a smile. He led me towards the eastern half of the village that I hadn't been to yet. It turned out to be largely residential, but there were a few shops spaced here and there.
Flutes and Lutes sold many different musical instruments... Sebastian asked if I knew how to play anything, which I didn't - I'd never had the interest in learning an instrument since it wasn't related to magic, but if I had to pick one to learn then I supposed I'd choose the guitar. He told me that he and Anne had both taken harpsichord lessons when they were little, but since then he hadn't played. He'd also once bought a cheap trombone and enchanted it to appear and play sad notes whenever he'd bested Anne at something, but one day his uncle had had enough and Vanished it into the aether.
The road eventually led us to the town square. We passed by Steepley and Sons, which was a tea café. Peering through the windows I saw quite a few students inside, sitting at tables for two. Apparently this was the main venue for dates in town... and Sebastian laughed as I couldn't help but express disgust at the idea. There wasn't anything inherently wrong with the establishment, but I could think of far better places to spend my time. He seemed to agree.
Next to the café was Honeydukes, of course. Now this was a shop I was happy to duck inside. We went in and did a bit of shopping around, both of us winding up with an armload of candy. He also picked out a gift for me, since this was supposed to be a date and all - a bouquet of individually wrapped roses crafted entirely out of clear sugar that sparkled like crystal. It was almost too pretty to eat... but as soon as we'd left, I unwrapped one and bit right into it, the candy shattering against my teeth. It tasted like rosewater, but with a refined, mellow sweetness. Impressed, I offered him one as we continued our walk.
We crossed a bridge that overlooked a large pond, where a water mill turned on the opposite shore. Sebastian pointed out the few buildings and landmarks on the other side of the stream - Dogweed and Deathcap, the Old Fool, which was simply just an abandoned house, and the cemetery for Hogsmeade. Crossing another bridge we passed by Madam Snelling's Tress Emporium, the local barber shop. He grinned as he told me that until a century and a half ago, barbers were also professional surgeons... a thought I found most alarming.
Soon we found ourselves at the Three Broomsticks. A drink sounded lovely after the tour of the rest of the village, so we went inside. Sirona was happy to see us again, this time under much more pleasant circumstances, and seated us at a table beside a window. After bringing us each a tankard of Butterbeer and a small bowl of nuts she left us alone to chat during the lunch rush.
"Enjoying yourself?" Sebastian asked, smiling as he rested his cheek in his hand, elbow on the table.
"I have to admit, I am," I nodded. "There's quite a bit more to the village than I thought."
"It's lovely, isn't it?" he stared out the window with a sigh. "Sometimes, I wonder what it'd be like to live here... there's always something going on." I hummed a noncommittal noise in response, a question forming in my mind.
"What made you decide to take me out today?" I tilted my head. He blinked, silent for a moment.
"...It was Ominis' idea, if I'm being honest," he replied. My mind flitted back to the other day with the Undercroft.
"Oh, yea... uh, he happened to be right outside the Undercroft's entrance when I left for dinner," I bit my lip.
"I figured as much," Sebastian sat up. "He was furious when I saw him. Couldn't understand why I'd tell anyone else about his secret place... not at first, anyway."
"Aw, so did you two have a heart-to-heart in there?" I grinned mischievously.
"Suppose we did," he shrugged. "After I'd explained to him that I simply wanted you to have a place you could practice your spellwork, he seemed to understand... in fact, after that he went on to... well..."
"Encourage you to ask me out?" I smugly finished his sentence. "Give you dating advice? ...Offer to help you practice things?"
"Offer to- no!" His face flushed red like a tomato. "Merlin's beard, woman, you're nearly as bad as Garreth!"
I couldn't help but cackle. "Oh, Sebby, you're simply too easy to fluster." His eyes narrowed in resignation and his lips thinned, though he shook his head with a chuckle moments later.
"And you... heh, I'm glad you like to have a bit of fun," he admitted. Somehow, seeing his genuine smile set my entire body ablaze, starting from deep within my core and radiating outward. I blinked a couple times at the strange sensation, unsure of what to make of it... I'd come to notice that for whatever reason, the feeling only happened around him.
What is it about you that does this to me...?
We talked for a while longer. After about an hour Sebastian paid for our drinks and we flew back to Hogwarts. The rest of the day was spent studying together in the common room - mostly in silence, but with a calming, pleasant lassitude between us. It was like that between us for the rest of the week.