Three
Henry wasn’t a stranger to being a safe space for those who sought defense against others, but he found a certain sort of sorrow for those who needed to be saved from themselves. That being said, Sebastian Sallow was concerningly adept at holding himself to work when he should be replenishing his body. Something that Henry had noticed early on, and something Ominis had confirmed, was that Sebastian drowned himself in sleepless nights and forgotten meals in his times of distress.
This was how Henry found him in the library, one morning after Ominis had commented at breakfast about Sebastian not showing up in their common room. Originally, Ominis asked if Henry had seen their friend or perhaps taken Sebastian out to do something. When Henry told him that he hadn’t seen Sebastian for a few days, Ominis looked a tad bit more concerned. So Henry scooped up an apple, hesitated, then grabbed another, and tucked them into his school bag, promising Ominis that he would find Sebastian.
Ominis clearly didn’t like being sidelined because he, too, had stood from the table and drawn his wand. “I’ll search the south side of the castle, you the north?” And that was that.
The library was searched after the classrooms. He wasn’t in Hecate’s nor Fig’s. He wasn’t around the fountain in the center hall. He wasn’t at the large tables in the center of the library, nor was he serving some sort of early-risen detention for Scribner, again. Henry huffed through his cheeks, fingers running through his bag strap in comfort after passing each of the lower-level sides of the library, eyes scanning each hall of shelves.
It was on the second floor that Henry found Sebastian tucked away in a corner, surrounded by books, scribbling away on a stack of parchment and glancing back at an open book every so often. Impressively, he looked as though he were writing and reading back and forth at a great speed. Sebastian’s academic intelligence wasn’t something Henry would find lacking in any regard.
The not-so-impressive part of the picture was the dark circles around the Slytherin’s eyes or the slump of his shoulders. His back was hunched over the books, and digging his teeth into his lips, most likely unconsciously, leaving the skin torn and worn. Henry would have no choice but to step in because it seemed as though the stack of books on his left were the ones he’d gone through and the stack on his right were the ones to be reviewed. The big win goes to which stack someone guessed was taller.
“Sebastian,” Henry spoke, eyebrow raised when his friend didn’t respond. Unlike Ominis, who was always aware of the things going on around him, schoolwork or not, Sebastian had this ability to hyperfocus on the task at hand. An admirable trait from a scholar’s point of view and an irritating one from a friend’s. “Sebastian Sallow.” Nothing. “Freckle-face.” Nope. “I’m gonna burn your books.” Merlin’s beard it was a wonder that Sebastian even noticed the world around him at any time. “Accio.”
With that, the book on his right flew into Henry’s left hand, and Sebastian’s head snapped up, a scowl on his features and mouth open. Likely to tear into the one that had interrupted his weekly bout of self-destruction. And, of course, what a tragedy that would be, Henry sighed to himself as he slipped his wand back into its holder.
Sebastian’s mouth clicked shut and he gave Henry a cheeky smile that lacked energy (for some clearly unknown reason).
“Henry! To what do I owe the pleasure this fine evening?” Henry’s eyebrows drew together.
“It’s morning, you’ve missed breakfast.” Sebastian’s eyes snapped to the windows behind Henry on the other side of the second floor. His squint was concerning, too.
“So it is.” He was quick to cover up his mistake, smile stuck in place, “To what do I owe the pleasure this early morning?” Henry huffed, “Oh no, what have I done?”
“Oh, just the usual.”
“That, my dear charge, could be just about anything.” Which was entirely fair, Henry must admit. So, rather than get into a verbal altercation with the idiot in front of him, he set the book down on one of the stacks and sat down in front of Sebastian, one leg tucked into his chest and the other bent in a half criss-cross. “Oh my, are you skipping class for little old me?”
“Shut up, Sebastian, Merlin’s beard.” Henry took out one of the apples and held it up. “Levioso,” he murmured quietly, and “Diffindo.” While that spell was typically used for cutting into those who intended Henry hard, it was useful for other practical things, like cutting apples when he had no knife. Henry had grown to realize that carrying a knife on school grounds was unappreciated.
Henry gestured for Sebastian to grab the slices after the apple was cut into quarters.
“What?”
“Eat.”
“But this is your breakfast.”
Henry procured another apple and bit into it, chewing for a moment before nodding to the still-floating slices. “Checkmate, now eat, please,” he added at the end, staring Sebastian down until he grumbled, gathered the slices, and started biting into them. Slytherins liked to grumble under their breath, didn’t they? Or maybe it was just Ominis and Sebastian. Henry shrugged and took another bite of his apple, careful to keep his fingers from any sticky juice. He hated sticky fingers - abhorred it, even.
I’ll have to get him to dinner tonight. Maybe I should ask Deek for a favor to grab something from the kitchens at lunch for Sebastian? An apple surely wasn’t filling enough for a growing boy. After Sebastian finished his apple, Henry cleared his throat when he reached for his books again. Sebastian shot him a look.
“What now?”
“Now, my dear charge,” Henry smirked, “we’re going to bed.” Sebastian looked completely affronted at these demands, but Henry couldn’t be less bothered by his embarrassment. Don’t act like a child and Henry won’t treat you like one. It was simple enough. He continued to stare at the other boy, eyebrows raised. “C’mon, Seb, doesn’t a nap sound nice?”
“But Anne-.” Henry cut him off.
“Would have my head in a Mandrake pot if I allowed you to continue this way.”
Sebastian still looked reserved and unsure, floundering between his own determined drive and his depleted body.
“How about this,” Henry offered, keenly aware of how Sebastian had paused his reach for the book, “I’ll take you somewhere you’ve never been in the castle if you take a nap when we get there.” Sebastian appeared to consider this, heavy eyes shifting between his school bag and his stacks of books.
“Somewhere I’ve never been and don’t know about?” Henry nodded.
“Do we have a deal?”
Sebastian slowly nodded, “Alright, deal. But only for a little bit, then you’ll wake me up?” Henry hummed and stood, neither confirming nor denying the stipulation as he helped Sebastian gather his things and leave the finished books on Scribner’s desk as they left.
The walk to the Room of Requirement wasn’t a short one, as there were many stairs to reach it. However, Sebastian held tight to his book bag, refusing to allow Henry to carry it for him despite his sluggish steps. Every now and again, Henry would gently tug Sebastian’s sleeve to lead him away from a pillar or wall, heavily aware of his friend’s constant squinting and eye-rubbing.
Eventually, when they rounded the corner to the troll tapestry hall, Sebastian huffed indignantly.
“Henry, I’m sorry to inform you that I have been to the astronomy tower.” Henry rolled his eyes, but the harmless snark was welcome when it came to Sebastian.
“That’s not where we’re going,” Henry told him as he paused, “stand here for a moment.” After Sebastian was leaning against the tapestry walls, squinting at the floor with a pinched expression, Henry paced in front of the Room of Requirement wall a few times, focusing his overflowing thoughts in one specific direction.
I need a place where my friend can rest without bother, I need a place to do schoolwork while he rests. I need a place where we can be uninterrupted by the world. I need a place where my friend can rest-.
After a few rounds of this, he heard Sebastian’s quiet intake and the sounds of the wall carving out the door to Henry’s much-appreciated space. Once the door revealed itself, Henry led Sebastian inside, only explaining once the door was sealed shut behind him and the aura of the room wrapped around Henry.
Entering the Room of Requirement was always a welcoming feeling, Henry noticed. He could smell the earthy scent of his plants growing around various places, the wispy warmth of brewing potions, and the faint dust of books surrounding the walls. The room was dim, looking as though it were nightfall, as Henry had asked Deek to set as the permanent ambiance the day after Ominis had found the room. The room felt like walking into the house of an old widow who spent her days baking and gardening. The air was heavy with warmth and lived-in smells, and the organized clutter was welcoming in its entirety.
Henry hummed to himself as he led an awe-stricken Sebastian through the room. It was the first time all morning that Henry had seen Sebastian’s eyes wide. He led the tall boy up one of the stairs and to one of the very open couches he’d conjured after sleeping on the thin ones too many times. However, at the top of the stairs, Henry was pleasantly surprised to find the dark blue couch had shifted to a bed. The bed wasn’t very large, enough to fit two people comfortably side-by-side, maybe three if there was some serious squishing and maneuvering. The sheets were dark blue, like the couch it was before, and the pillows looked lumpy and inviting.
Holding a hand out, Henry gestured to the bed, “A deal’s a deal. I show you my special space and you take a nap. Into bed you go.”
“I’m not a child,” Sebastian grumbled, eyes still taking in the room. The bed was placed next to a banister, overlooking the heart of the space, and Sebastian had dropped his bag on the ground next to a bookshelf near the bed and began taking off his shoes.
Henry only hummed and set his own bookbag down on the window alcove across from the bed, taking a seat himself on the plush seat and leaning against the wall as he whistled for the owl on his perch downstairs. The owl flew up, awaiting the letter Henry quickly scribbled out. He was telling Ominis that he’d found Sebastian and where they were. Once sending the owl off, lord knows how it leaves the room, he pulled out his herbology textbook.
There was a paper he needed to write about the different uses of all of the plants they’d learned so far, which wouldn’t be difficult as most were just downstairs. He took off his socks and shoes and leaned over to set them on the ground before settling in. After setting the parchment out, he looked over to Sebastian, realizing that he hadn’t heard the sounds of one getting into bed.
He hadn’t.
Sebastian was still looking over the space, blinking slowly but firmly as though if he blinked hard enough, it would force him to stay awake. Henry raised an eyebrow, watching him for a few more moments speaking.
“Sebastian,” the freckled boy looked over, quiet for once, “I’ll give you a tour when you wake up, now go to sleep.”
“I can’t,” he replied hesitantly.
“Why not?”
“It’s too quiet.” Ah, that would explain a few things. The dorm rooms always had at least one person snoring in each of them, most common rooms had the fires crackling away, and some people stayed up late to talk or do schoolwork. Even in Feldcroft, Sebastian would have heard animals outside or his sister’s possibly restless sleep(and Solomon seemed like the type to snort like an elephant). That didn’t include the times Henry was sure his friend had probably crashed from exhaustion in public places, like class. Point is, Sebastian was probably used to at least moderate noise as he slept.
Henry glanced at his herbology homework. He really needed to get it done. But the slumped look on Sebastian’s exhausted face and the reserved way he admitted how he was struggling to sleep, struck something in Henry. He thought back to when his younger brother, Liam, would come to his bed late in the night, shamefully saying that he couldn’t sleep without Mum there. His eyes were downcast and his voice trembling with guilt for waking his older brother. All of his siblings struggled to sleep after the death of their Mum, and they felt guilty for waking Henry from his light sleep in need of his comfort or guidance. Henry would have none of it then and he surely would have none of it now.
“I’ll read one of my books out loud for you if that may help?” Henry offered, keeping his expression open and smiled quietly at the other boy. “I would do so for my younger siblings if they couldn’t sleep. I have a book of wizard fairytales here that Professor Fig gifted me.” How he still hadn’t cracked the book open, Henry didn’t know, as he’d been looking forward to it.
Turns out the wizarding world had more fairytales than Henry’s world.
“Beedle the Bard?”
“Yes,” Henry nodded, “is it popular in the wizarding world?”
“Is it-?” Sebastian huffed, a smile curling on his lips, “it’s legendary.” Then he paused before nodding slightly to Henry, a small tilt of his head as his eyes drew back down to the bed sheets. He sat atop them, in his socks, slacks, and a soft green sweater. Robe and shoes were discarded to the ground. “If you… don’t mind reading it, of course. If it’s no problem, I mean, I see your schoolwork out and-.” Sebastian cleared his throat, expression sheepish.
“It’s none at all. Why don’t you get under the covers and I’ll start?” Henry yawned as he pulled out the relevently new book from his bag. “Maybe I’ll nap too today,” he added as he cracked open the book, that way Sebastian didn’t feel babied by ‘naptime’.
Once the Slytherin boy was settled, curled on his side and avoiding Henry’s eyes, Henry nodded to himself and turned his eyes to the book. Clearing his throat, Henry began to read in a clear voice.
“There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers learned in the magical arts-.” And he continued on. Sebastian had fallen asleep before Henry was halfway through the first story, body relaxing much more now that he wasn’t awake and forcing energy he didn’t have to spend. Even still, Henry continued to read the rest of the tale, setting the book down only when he was certain Sebastian wasn’t going to wake up soon.
Besides, Sebastian didn’t specify exactly when he wanted Henry to wake him up, so Henry redefined his definition of ‘a bit’ to ‘4-5 hours’. As he glanced over at Sebastian every now and again, humming some tunes to keep some sound in the air and for himself, Henry found a sense of ease wash over his own mind.
Pulling his hair up and clipping the ends together behind his head, Henry continued to whittle away at his herbology homework, one eye overlooking Sebastian’s resting form and smiling softly to himself.