The Raven and the Snake (Sebastian Sallow x Ravenclaw MC)

Rematch

Anne turned from her seat the moment she'd heard the door open.

Confusion ghosted across her face upon seeing Clora, though the expression didn't have time to truly settle in as she caught sight of her brother trailing behind, rising from her seat happily.

"Sebastian!"

He grinned as he stepped forward in response, meeting her halfway as they exchanged a casual and quick embrace, before turning to Clora. She'd been watching on with a smile, and immediately straightened once Anne's eyes met hers.

"And company," he corrected his sister, one hand on her back and the other hand gesturing to the Ravenclaw. "Anne, this is Clora. Clora, Anne."

"It's nice to meet you," Clora stepped forward, shaking the other girls rather cold hand. "Sebastian's told me a lot about you."

"Lovely to meet you, too," Anne smiled back, before rolling her eyes up to give her twin a sideways glance. "And has he, now? All good things, I hope?"

"Just the truth," he shrugged, and his sister elbowed him as he turned away to protect his vitals.

Clora laughed as she watched the two of them, using their momentary playfight as an opportunity to dig around in her robes, fishing out the present she'd prepared for Anne.

"I also brought you a gift," she announced once she'd found it, holding up the pale blue tin of tea to the other girl who'd turned to stare at it, then to her, then back to the gift. "It's from a shop in London. I used to drink it myself, actually, and bought some for you when I saw they'd recently started selling it in Honeydukes."

Anne took the tin from her gingerly, turning the whimsical, ornate packaging around in her hands.

"It gives you a restful sleep no matter how short, and wonderful dreams—all sorts of fantastic adventure and situations," Clora continued to explain as she opened it to smell it. "At least, those were the dreams I got. I think they might differ for each person, if I remember right."

The sickly girl inhaled the smell of the dried leaves inside, a light smile dancing at her lips, before breathing out a satisfied exhale. "Oh, that sounds wonderful! Smells rather wonderful, too. I can't wait to give this a try, thank you."

Sebastian crossed his arms as he watched the two girls with a smile, taking a step forward himself. "My turn," he announced, and his sister balked as he began digging in his robes as well.

"You too? Honestly, you two needn't have—"

But she cut herself off once Sebastian held up the glass jar of candies, with its cute red and white swirled lollipop stopper and green and white striped bow, not to mention the assorted colourful candies inside.

"I know you don't have much of an appetite as of right now, but I figured it could brighten the place up a bit, at the very least," Sebastian rubbed his nose in explanation as he offered it to her, and Clora felt her chest warm as he repeated exactly what she'd told him the day she'd convinced him to buy it.

"Oh, it's absolutely precious!" Anne tucked the container of tea under her arm so that she could step forward to take the glass jar in both of her hands, rotating it around and watching the candies rattle about on the inside, glossy and glistening in the light. "You should surround yourself with the fairer sex more often, Sebastian. It's made you much better at picking out gifts for me, at the very least."

Sebastian and Clora shot each other a look, suppressed smiles at their lips as Anne all but caught onto the fact that her brother had, in fact, not picked that gift out on his own, but his twin let it slide.