Sebastian was walking near the Great Hall when he heard it. At first, he ignored it, but still stopped to listen in on the conversation of two Ravenclaw girls.
– Did you know the new fifth-year has captured Lissa’s heart? That’s not even the half of it, the girl is so smitten with him, she wants to win him over with a love potion! – one of them whispered loudly, looking at her shocked friend. Sebastian couldn’t quite believe what he’d heard; something twisted in his stomach, perhaps he’d eaten something bad. He needed to talk to someone about it, preferably Omnis.
As he said, so he did, setting out to find his friend, and as he walked, he overheard more strange ideas from Lissa on how to make Ezra fall for her. Sallow would be shocked if he hadn’t heard about this already, as the whole castle was talking about it.
– Omnis! – Sebastian called as he approached his friend. – We need to talk.
– Is something wrong? – Gaunt asked, frowning.
– Lissa’s in love with Ezra, she plans to—
– Get him drunk on a love potion? Everyone at Hogwarts is talking about it – Omnis smiled.
– We have to warn him – Sebastian said seriously, worried.
– So it’s not that you’d like to offer him a love potion yourself? – the blind boy snorted.
– What? No, of course not! He’s my friend, it’s only logical that I don’t want him to become someone’s victim – Sallow explained quickly, stifling a blush.
– Since you say so, what do you plan to do? – Omnis rolled his eyes.
The truth was, Sebastian didn’t know. That’s why he stayed silent for a moment. Deep down, he wanted Ezra for himself. Between the fight with the troll and a visit to his sister, something had developed between them. It wasn’t in a bad way; their relationship was growing quickly. As Sebastian decided to speak, Ezra joined them.
– Hey, do you know what’s going on with everyone? They’re all looking at me strangely – the black-haired boy laughed awkwardly. Sebastian was about to tell him everything when the girl appeared.
– Ezra, can we talk? – she asked in an overly sweet voice. The boy nodded in agreement, walking away from his friends, not noticing the wistful look Sallow gave him as he left.
– So what now? – Sebastian asked, feeling lost. Omnis beside him seemed just as troubled, but he quickly laughed off his friend’s despair.
They watched the couple intently. The girl smiled gently and then stood on tiptoe to kiss Ezra on the cheek. The boy looked flustered and blushed. Sebastian, shocked, opened his mouth and quickly told Omnis what he had just witnessed. The girl left, leaving a blushing Slytherin behind.
– What was that supposed to mean? – Sebastian asked possessively.
– I don’t know what you’re talking about, my girlfriend just said goodbye to me – Ezra said, surprised by his friend’s behavior. Omnis furrowed his brow.
– Since when are you dating? – Sallow pressed. His words carried true desperation, which Ezra brushed off.
– For two days now. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sebastian, but you’re acting weird...
– I think out of the three of us, YOU’RE the one acting differently – Omnis quickly chimed in.
Ezra shot them a cold glance before walking off without a word. The two Slytherins stared at each other in shock, not even realizing what had caused the usually warm-hearted boy to act so strangely.
That evening at dinner in the Great Hall, everyone watched as two seemingly love-struck people shared a meal. Lissa handed Ezra a cup, and he drank from it without hesitation. When he finished, he seemed oddly dazed, but the girl beside him smiled. She took the cup from him and kissed him on the cheek. She turned toward Sebastian with a smirk and then snuggled up to Ezra. Sebastian’s blood boiled; she knew exactly how he felt about Ezra and was deliberately putting on a show of affection, knowing it would hurt him. He tried to remember if he had ever hurt the girl, but nothing came to mind.
– You rejected her – Omnis suddenly said, causing Sebastian to flinch.
– What are you talking about? – Sebastian asked, unsure of what his friend meant.
– In third year, remember? After the duel you won. She came up to you wanting to ask you out, but you told her you didn’t date losers – Gaunt explained, and Sallow’s face lit up in understanding.
– How did you know what I was thinking? – Sebastian asked instead.
– I’ve known you for a while, first of all, and secondly, you’re about to break that fork from pressing so hard on it, calm down – Omnis said seriously.
~~ Another strange situation occurred just before the start of lessons the next day. When Ezra stood up, he felt incredibly dizzy and sick. However, his thoughts quickly turned to Lissa, whose smile seemed to ease his symptoms. As he was leaving the dormitory, he stumbled on the stairs and almost fell, but Sebastian caught him.
– Hey, are you okay? You look really pale.
– Yeah, thanks, I have to go, Lissa is waiting for me – Ezra said with a dreamy smile. He passed by Sallow, who seemed sad, but Ezra ignored it.
– Omnis, I can’t stand watching them anymore, we have to do something – Sebastian thought aloud.
– Listen, I did some research on love potions, and although it seems cheesy, the person who truly loves you should kiss you – Gaunt said thoughtfully.
– Great, now we have to find out who he loves. But who? – Sallow thought, a crease forming between his brows from the intensity of his thoughts. Omnis, meanwhile, held his head in frustration at his friend’s stupidity.
– Are you blind? Last time I checked, that role was assigned to me – he said irritably. Sebastian blinked at him in confusion.
– What are you talking about?
– It’s obvious, he loves you. Haven’t you noticed that yet? – Omnis asked. Sallow’s face froze, as if the realization hadn’t dawned on him yet. The blind boy sighed, preparing for a long explanation.
– Alright, listen. I’ll get him to the lake, and the rest you’ll have to handle yourself, okay? – Omnis suggested. Sebastian nodded in agreement.
The lake at this time of year seemed to shimmer. Under different circumstances, Sebastian would have been ready to lie down and lose himself in the beauty of the day. In the distance, birds chirped, but the atmosphere on the clearing was tense. Ezra walked around in circles, wearing a clearly dreamy expression, while Sallow stood with his arms crossed, trying to stay calm.
– Isn’t she the most beautiful thing in the world? Her smile... like the morning sun’s rays... her hair, like silk cascading over her shoulders! – Ezra spoke dreamily, completely unfazed by his friend’s silence.
– Ezra, that’s Lissa from Gryffindor. A week ago, you barely knew her name – Sebastian argued sharply.
– So what? Love knows no boundaries! It doesn’t matter who we were yesterday – it’s only about who we are today!
– I can’t believe I’m actually doing this... – Sebastian muttered to himself.
– I wonder what she’s doing now. Probably watering her plants with a grace that no one else has... – Ezra ....continued, lost in thought.
– Ezra! This is a love potion. You’re not in love, you’re enchanted – Sebastian said, irritated by the situation.
– Sebastian, Sebastian… you just don’t understand feelings.
– Or maybe I understand them too well? That’s why I want to break this spell – Sebastian clenched his jaw.
– What, are you going to kiss me? Sorry, but I don’t think that will work – Ezra snorted. Sebastian hesitated for a moment, wondering how Ezra knew about the kiss.
– Well, according to the book and Omnis, a true kiss should break the spell – Sallow said sharply.
– And what if you’re wrong? – Ezra asked cautiously.
– Then we’ll both be embarrassed for the rest of our lives. But it’s worth a try before you start serenading Lissa.
– Just so you know, if this doesn’t work, I’ll find a way to get back at you.
– I accept the risk, even if you want to hit me in the face,– Sebastian said boldly, looking his friend in the eye. Sebastian stepped closer, holding his breath. Ezra took a step back in panic, but Sebastian was faster. He leaned in and quickly kissed Ezra. Due to the force of the kiss, their teeth clashed painfully, causing both of them to wince. A moment of silence. Ezra stood frozen, touching his lips, as if not believing what had just happened.
– What the… Sebastian?! – Ezra whispered.
– That should have worked. Say something. How do you feel? – Sebastian panicked.
– Lissa… Lissa?! What was I saying? Oh, God, how embarrassing... – Ezra said, hiding his face in his hands, blushing.
– So it worked – Sebastian sighed in relief.
– But wait… why do I still feel like something is... off? – Ezra wondered aloud.
– Off how? – Sebastian asked, puzzled.
– Like… something between us?
– That’s probably just a side effect – Sebastian started to explain, but Ezra interrupted him.
– Or… Sebastian, did you maybe kiss me a little too convincingly?
– I was trying to save you, that’s all! – Sebastian yelled in panic.
– You know, I have thought about you like this before, but... maybe that’s a good thing? – Ezra said, giving a gentle smile.
– Maybe we should both rethink this. Without love potions, – he said shyly. A silence settled between them, gaining new meaning. Ezra and Sebastian looked at each other for a moment, then, as if in unison, they both turned away awkwardly.
– You know what? I hope you have a plan for what to do next, because I have no idea,– Ezra smiled a bit more confidently, knowing his feelings were reciprocated.
– I thought that’s what your brilliant ideas were for – Sebastian joked, to which Ezra nudged him with his elbow. Both laughed nervously, then headed toward the castle, clearly flustered, but with a strange sense that something had changed – this time for the better. And if from then on they were seen more often together, or if more affection was noticed between them, no one ever commented on it, except for Omnis, of course.