Vanilla
The sounds of quills scratching on parchment filled the room. Swirls and lines danced across the page, runes that she had not studied. Ash forced her eyes to stay open despite the seductive lull of sleep pulling at her eyelids.
She had awoken that morning alone, not truly remembering when she had fallen asleep. She wondered how soon after she had closed her eyes last night did the pair of them leave.
Her fingers traced the note in her pocket, left on the low lying table in the Room this morning.
Meet in the Undercroft tomorrow after classes. We're going hunting.
-S
She was currently sat in her second to last class of the day— Ancient Runes. The thick lines crisscrossing her paper no more than gibberish to her, and she didn't have the desire to attempt translation. Hunting? What did he mean by that? Her fingers drummed anxiously on the table, drawing Poppy's gaze towards her.
The Hufflepuff had saved her a seat when she had slunk into the room, not allowing her to doze quietly in the back. Ash let her tired gaze drift from the jumbled symbols on her paper to Poppy's quirked eyebrow.
She knew the girl was worried about her, she had always had a preternatural sense of someone's thoughts and feelings. Her time around animals making her seemingly in tune with any living creature.
Another friend she had shut out when it all went to shit. Another guilt burying itself in her gut.
She gave Poppy a soft shake of her head. She didn't want to talk about it.
Poppy simply leaned over her chair to her bag and began rifling through it quietly. Ash glanced down, catching glimpses of jobberknoll feathers, Hippogriff treats, and what looked like a live slug.
Ash was honestly surprised Poppy didn't have a Vivarium in her bag. Maybe one day she'd take Poppy to the Room. A smile tugged at her lips thinking about the shouts of glee that would come from the girls’ mouth if she saw the four Vivariums lining the walls.
Poppy leaned back upright in her chair, a small smile on her face before she pushed a delicately wrapped package her way. Ash's eyebrows furrowed as she picked the small box up. She glanced up at the professor, ensuring attention was not directed her way before she quietly tore into the package. Her eyes widened and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Vanilla macarons.
She snapped her gaze to Poppy who was grinning madly towards the front of the room, her attention locked ahead as if not allowing Ash to deny the gift.
How Poppy had remembered after all this time that they were her favorite, she didn't know. She hadn’t discovered them until her second trip to Hogsmeade—a much less eventful trip than her first with Sebastian— a trip she took with both Natty and Poppy at her side.
Ash nimbly slipped one of the delicious treats from the package, the scent of fresh vanilla coating her senses like a warm blanket. She quickly laid the first treat on top of Poppy's scroll, not bothering to listen to the whispered protests as she smiled and grabbed the second. Poppy shook her head in disagreement to Ash sharing the treats, though she saw a whisper of a smile still pulling at her lips. She quickly stuffed the delicate dessert in her mouth.
Ash sank her teeth into the pastry, the shell crackling and giving way to the delicious vanilla bean filling. Her eyes fluttered closed as she savored the taste, Poppy giggling quietly beside her at her overzealous reaction. She'd always been that way with sweets, a luxury not afforded in her childhood and only discovered in the safety of Hogsmeade. God how long had it been since she'd allowed herself the pleasure of her once favorite food?
Ash popped the rest of the cookie into her mouth, a smile ghosting her lips. She glanced over at Poppy once she'd throughly tasted and swallowed it and whispered, "Thank you."
Poppy waved her off and went back to focusing on the lecture. Ash's eyes drifted back to the scribbled drawings on her paper, the sweet taste of vanilla still coating her tongue.
___•___
After a rousing lecture in Muggle Studies in which she actually considered charming her eyelids to stay open, Ash slowly made her way to the Undercroft.
Her boots clicked against the marble floor as she went, her mind swirling over what Sebastian meant with 'going hunting.'
Would Ominis be there? He seemed adamant on keeping track of Sebastian, though it is hard to imagine any 'hunting' scenario in which Ominis wouldn’t have a conniption.
Her green eyes quickly scanned the area as she passed by the staircase in the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower. Empty.
She slipped her wand out and quickly touched the clock before stepping into the dimly lit space. As the gate rose, her eyes scanned the room catching on the tall figure leaning against the stone wall. The book in Sebastian's hands quickly snapped shut at the sound of her arrival and he slipped the small tome into his back pants pocket.
His usual green tie was gone, the top two buttons of his white shirt undone and his hair disheveled. A midday romp with Imelda? Her stomach turned at the thought and she quickly shoved it away. She stepped further into the space, her eyes locked on his as a smirk spread across his face.
"No Ominis?"
She voiced the question before he could speak, her words echoing around the stone room as she walked up to him.
Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest, a playful tilt to his head as he spoke, "He's got double arithmancy unfortunately for him, so it's just us I'm afraid."
She wondered if Sebastian had even told Ominis they were going 'hunting.' Although, it seemed Sebastian was required to inform Ominis on his whereabouts, at least when it involved her. The thought made her throat bob.
"What did you mean by hunting?"
She has been stewing over his wording all day. Sebastian and her were not the type to kill animals for sport so that in her mind left the alternative of killing people for sport—
"We need more information on Harlow, so let's hunt for some."
His voice interrupted her spiral of thoughts and the smirk on his face as he watched her implied that he knew exactly what his wording had made her think.
She rolled her eyes though she felt herself relax. The last thing she wanted was for Sebastian to get into any trouble because of her. Again.
"I think we should start with the poacher camp outside of Cragcroft. Or what's left of it." He joked, though his eyes flickered with a sense of understanding. Sebastian leaned down, pulling a small bag from the floor.
Her magic roiled in her veins as images of bloody mist and brain matter flashed in her mind. Her jaw clenched as she pushed it down, giving Sebastian a short nod.
"We can Floo to Cragcroft but we'll need our brooms."
Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed as he began shoving Wiggenwelds into the bag, "Why don't you apparate us directly there?
Because she had skipped that class sixth year enough times that the best case scenario was splinching.
"It makes me ill."
He glanced up at her, his brown eyes seeming to bore into her very being. He rolled his eyes as if he could tell she was lying. Sometimes she wondered if he was using Legilimency with how quickly he could read her.
"I haven't used a broom since quidditch fourth year."
He held up an Edurus potion in question and she shrugged. He slipped it into the bag as well before slinging it over his shoulder.
"Why?" She voiced the question as she followed him towards the large gate, the screeching metal loud as it hauled itself upwards.
"Too slow."
He called out his answer and she could practically hear the smirk on his face as he walked through the opening. She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips as she followed him.
They exited the clock and made a beeline to the closest Floo. Her fingers twitched nervously at her side, brushing against the twisted wood of her wand. Sebastian spun to face her as they reached the stone statue, his eyes scanning over her. She met his gaze, pushing her anxiety down. What if they ran into more poachers? What if her magic ripped out of her again?
What if Sebastian thought she was a monster for the carnage left in those woods?
"We'll Floo to Cragcroft and walk to the poacher camp, I'll apparate us back when we find what we need."
His voice was steadying, an anchor for her to grasp onto in the midst of her swirling thoughts. She didn't speak, just nodded. His gaze assessed her again, took in her rigid posture and the bottom lip she'd worried enough to leave ripped patches throughout the day.
"You've got your bodyguard here, no need to fret." He smirked, a playful lift to his voice. He leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow as he gestured to the Floo. He was in a good mood today it seemed, no sneers, no harsh stares. No blame for how she’d burned him last night, how his lips had blistered against her forehead. No, he seemed to be a version of himself plucked straight from fifth year— cocky, and all smiles. It made her stomach flutter, though she quashed the feeling quickly.
Ash sighed and stepped forward, throwing one more glance his way. He was so relaxed, so self-assured. Her mind was slammed back to the past, images of his face in catacomb so full of panic, his eyes that night in the Undercroft, and his words after the Slytherin party confirming nightmares plagued him too.
Was his confidence a front? Or had he somehow managed to remain intact despite the world's constant attempts to break him?
She brought her hand up from her side, her gaze lingering on his. Her fingers brushed the cold stone, a whisper on her lips, "Cragcroft." She felt the familiar darkness sweep her away.
The evening sun greeted her as she landed in midst of the small hamlet. Sebastian landed beside her not a moment later. Unlike the last time she was here, her mind was clear enough to take in the familiar surroundings. The rocky hills around the hamlet were covered in a lush green, still embraced in summers' warmth. Few residents milled about, none paying her or Sebastian any attention.
She gazed southward, taking in the wooded countryside further in the distance. She turned to face Sebastian.
"The camp was that way," she nodded south, "It took around two hours to find on broom."
He quirked an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes, "I was rusty."
He smirked at her as she continued, annoyance lacing her voice at his amusement, "I know where it is now, so it shouldn't take longer than two hours on foot."
He nodded and begun walking without another question. She fell into step beside him, her eyes taking in the serene countryside at the edge of the hamlet. She glanced over at him, his eyes focused firmly on the path ahead.
"You played quidditch fourth year?"
His little comment in the Undercroft had been ringing around in her head, a piece of free information offered up about his life before she had entered it. He nodded absentmindedly, his eyes bouncing between the jagged outcrops of rocks ahead, and the small houses lining the street around them.
"I did. Anne and I both, actually." He smiled softly, reminiscence lining his brown eyes. "I played chaser, Anne was a beater."
Ash's lips quirked into a smile as she tried to picture the Sallow twins on a quidditch field, her mind spinning images of a healthy Anne and a smiling Sebastian.
"Anne played beater?" She asked incredulously, her smile growing wider as she watched Sebastian chuckle.
"She was a force to be reckoned with." He turned his gaze to her as they walked, "One game, against Ravenclaw, Anne smacked a bludger right at Andrew Larson."
He began laughing as he continued, the memory seemingly appearing before him as he spoke, "He was knocked clean from his broom, doing about three flips in the air before he hit the pitch."
Ash's eyes widened slightly as a laugh bubbled from her throat as the image formed in her mind. Sebastian's eyes flickered to her at the sound, a grin stretched across his face as if he'd accomplished something grand.
He turned his gaze back to the rolling countryside, their feet taking them outside the hamlet, onto a rocky path. She watched as his smile slowly fell, his hands slipping into his pockets.
"She's in St. Mungo's. Ominis visits her on the weekends."
His voice had lost its playful edge, replaced by a longing she understood better than he knew. She turned her gaze towards the path beneath them, her voice barely a whisper as she spoke.
"Have you gotten to see her?"
She glanced back towards him. She watched his throat bob and he shook his head slowly, his gaze on the horizon in front of them.
"No."
The word hung heavy in the air, and she couldn't help but feel a spark of anger. Sebastian had given everything to try to cure his sister. Had given his very soul in the process, and this was the way he was received—By Anne, by Ominis. It made the guilt roil in her stomach. She had called him a monster that night, and Sebastian believed her.
She knew Anne was suffering with not only her curse, but the weight of Sebastian's actions for her sake. Still, the flare of anger was hard to stifle.
"She will come around.” The words tasted like ashes in her mouth, "You said she began writing you back this summer, so it's just taking time."
He shook his head, his jaw tensing as he stared ahead, "I don't know if she has the kind of time it will take to forgive me."
Sorrow laced his words and it took every fiber in her being to not reach out and touch him. She didn't want to ask if any progress had been made with her cure at St. Mungo's— didn't want to stir any residual turmoil in Sebastian at his lack of success.
"You don't need to be forgiven." She spoke the words with pure conviction, her feet stopping in place as she stared at him. He stopped walking, though his gaze was fixated on the dirt path beneath his feet. "Sometimes, we do what we must to survive, to protect ourselves and those we care about."
His gaze slowly lifted to hers as she echoed the words he had given her only days ago. Sebastian's brown eyes searched her face as if he thought her lying. She tentatively stepped closer to him; her fingers twitched at her side aching to touch him. Memories of his hand brushing against hers in the Undercroft days ago washed through her and she let out a breath. The silence stretched between them for a heartbeat or two before he spoke in a low murmur.
"We should keep moving."
She nodded her agreement, breaking the trace she had found herself in as she counted the constellations of freckles spanning his cheeks. His gaze broke from hers and they started down the rocky path again.
They found themselves in a comfortable silence as they walked and Ash let her mind and eyes wander the countryside. The jutting rocks surrounding the path were covered in thick moss, the evening sun painting a golden glow across the rolling landscape. She let her fingers brush through the tall patches of grass dotted around her, the reeds tickling the pads of her fingertips as they walked past.
A trickle of sweat rolled down her back and she let out a breath of annoyance. She loved the greenery of summer, but the heat? It reminded her too well of the stifling heat of her childhood— how she and Alex would sweat even in their sleep.
"Why does it have to be so hot? It's nearly sunset!"
She murmured her complaint under her breath and glanced at Sebastian as she heard him snicker. He was already staring at her, a wide amused grin across his face.
"How'd you know my favorite color was green?"
"Because I pay attention."
Her cheeks flushed under his gaze but she couldn't stop her own smile from spreading across her lips.
As the sun began to set, they found themselves pushing through the dense woods. The winding path was no longer helpful in their search, and Ash looked skyward to gauge the direction instead. The briars and branches tugged at their clothing as they pushed through the foliage, and Ash hissed her complaints under her breath earning small chuckles from Sebastian.
After what felt like an eternity in the woods, Ash held out a hand and they stopped in their tracks. She pointed to a small clearing in the distance and pulled her wand from her side.
Sebastian pushed his way in front of her, his wand already out and turned to her with hard eyes, "We'll use a disillusionment to get closer. If there are any poachers, I will handle them okay?"
Ash hated the plan— hated that she was simply there as a guide. Embarrassment pooled in her gut, and her fingers gripped her wand tighter. She knew, however, that it was the best course of action even if she wouldn't admit it out loud. She gave a short nod of confirmation before Sebastian waved his wand and disappeared in front of her. She quickly did the same, her flourish much more fumbled than his.
She couldn't see him as she crouched in the dense bushes, but as she stared forwards she felt his warm breath tickle the side of her neck.
"Let's go."
He whispered the words directly against her ear, his lips practically brushing her skin. Her body shuddered at the contact and she thanked whatever god was listening that he couldn't see her reaction.
They began creeping forwards and the closer they came to the camp, the more her hand trembled at her side. She clamped her fingers tighter around her wand, her knuckles white, and ignored the burning in her veins.
They slowly reached the edge of the clearing and her feet stopped in her tracks—
Empty.
Absolutely empty.
She broke the disillusionment, even as Sebastian hissed his protests at her side, and walked numbly into the clearing. There was not a speck of evidence that poachers had ever been here. The burning tents— gone. The crates of furs— gone.
The ripped apart bodies—
Gone.
Had she gotten lost? Maybe this was a different clearing—
Sebastian stepped up beside her, his eyes scanning the area and she knew he was wondering the same. Her eyes swept the area again and again, flashes of dismembered bodies and burning mongrel fur searing into her mind.
Her gaze lingered on the trees hanging over the clearing as Sebastian spoke softly, "You sure this was the area?"
She wasn't. But she nodded anyway. She kept looking, her feet taking her to the middle of the small circle. How had she gotten so lost? Her one job was to be the guide and she failed at that too. Her gaze fell to the dirt beneath her feet, and she sucked in a sharp breath. She dropped to her knees, her hands sweeping the top layer of dirt away.
Burn marks— scorches so deep not even a cleaning spell could remove them.
Her fingers traced the marks in the earth as Sebastian crouched beside her.
"They were here." She whispered, her voice as low as the breeze blowing through the oak trees. Her gaze scanned the area as her fingers latched onto Sebastian's.
"And they knew I would come back."