Wizard Hunt (Original)

Chapter 11, Too Late

   You were startled awake by Sebastian shaking your shoulder.
"What is it? What's wrong?" You shot up, nearly knocking heads with him.
"Easy."
He paused when he noticed how close you were, but you scratched your head, messing up your bed head further, getting a smirk.
"What's going on?"
He shifted to sit beside you, leaning against the headboard.
When he brought out the journal, you knew you weren't going to get anymore sleep, so you shifted to sit back against the headboard too.
"Read this," he said shoving the the book into your hands. "I need someone to tell me I'm not reading wrong."
You pulled the book up to read, ignoring him staring at you.

    -Sebastian's getting closer to the truth. Petulant child. He's just like his father, constantly charging ahead with no thought for others. People look at me differently when they think I'm taking care of Anne. If she stays sick, people will ignore my work with Rookwood, but it's proving difficult with Sebastian's persistence. I'll just keep destroying anything he brings.-

Your eyes shot to Sebastian's. "He was working with Rookwood?"
"It gets worse."
Grimacing, you looked back down at the book.

    -Now that idiot is delving into dark magic. Like father like son. Doesn't he know when to leave we'll enough alone. Anne's already come to terms with the fact that she's going to die, which means I won't have to kill her later. Sebastian and his new friend will have to go. I can't touch the blind Gaunt, but we can stop him from investigating.-

"So, he went there to kill us?"
He grabbed the journal. "He wasn't even looking for a cure for Anne!"
You grabbed his hands, snapping his attention to you after they tightened into fists.
"I'm truly sorry. You and Anne deserved better."
"He was going to kill both of you," he growled, his eyes practically lighting on fire. "I was hoping I was wrong."
"Sebastian, you can't change the past, and getting upset about this-"
"What? Isn't worth it?"
"Is understandable, but please don't try blowing up the house," you clarified, getting his heckles to simmer.
"Because of him I lost everything. You, Anne, Ominis. Months of my life. I never would have turned to dark magic if-"
"Sebastian, you knew the curses long before even the scriptorium."
"Why won't you believe in me?" He asked, more offended than he was before.
"I do believe in you, which is a lot different than believing you. Besides, rewriting the past in your head will not work with people who have gone through it with you."
"The only reason I was searching the restricted section was for Anne, for a cure."
Rolling your eyes, you looked down at the book. "You keep creating excuses for what happened, instead of taking responsibility for them. Did you have a good reason to defend yourself? Definitely. But using the unforgivable curse? No."
"This is rich coming from someone who killed poachers, Rookwood, and Ranrok," he hissed as he snatched the book and moved to leave.
"The difference is, I didn't need to use an unforgivable to do so."
"Yes, because dying instantly with the unforgivable is preferable to being bombarded with confringo."
He opened the door to leave, avoiding the glare you sent at his back.
"I absolutely hate you Sebastian."
He paused for just a moment, the comment stinging painfully in his chest, but he continued to leave.

  You refused to talk to him the next day, not because you were still angry at him, because you were, but due to the fact that your perception of everything that happened shifted more grey than black and white.
Things seemed easier when things were black and white.
"You've been quiet," Ominis whispered, nudging your arm.
"Just thinking."
Sebastian glanced your way, regret laced in his features, not that you noticed, you were too focused on pushing your food around.
Felix moved into the room, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, we're infiltrating the prison tomorrow. The teachers will create a spectacle of sorts, which will call most of the Ministry to the school."
"I don't think I want to know," Ominis mumbled.
Nodding, you stood up and grabbed your plate to take it to the sink, but Felix pushed you to sit back down.
"All of us need to talk before we go anywhere."
You sat back down, confused as you looked to Ominis and Sebastian, but they seemed just as lost.
"You three are fighting like cats and we can't have that when we need to have each other's back. So, we're talking this out. All of you will get a turn to say your peace."
"I don't have anything to say-"
Shock fell over you when Ominis was hit with a leg locker curse.
"Then you can listen." But none of you moved to talk. "Alright, then I'll start. First off. I find it very annoying listening to you three fight all the time, it's like living with three spiteful children and I only signed up for one. Now, Sebastian being sent to Azkaban at fifteen was wrong, I don't-"
"People who willingly use those curses get sent there," Ominis shot back, glaring.
"That's rich coming from you. Didn't you use one to save your own skin?" Sebastian shot back, anger rising in his eyes. "So, why didn't you turn yourself in, if you're so big in the proper people get punished? And where the hell were you when Solomon was attacking us? If he had his way, I'd watch my last family member, die. Not like it mattered, because she turned her back on me too. All of you did.
"I was forced to used the curse. I wouldn't have if I had a choice."
"No. You did have a choice. You could have continued to take it yourself. Acting like a self-righteous hypocrite, you should have. But, you didn't. You're no better than me Ominis. The only one who can safely claim they had no choice was her. She was imperio-ed. People look at you, thinking you did what you had to. People look at me and see a monster."
That was a hard hit to the gut. You never saw him as a monster, just a guy going through a lot of stuff. 
"Ominis, people are their surrounding and experiences too. Sebastian was going to be drawn to dark things because Solomon made his life dark. I'm not saying manipulating your friends is good. As far as I'm concerned ALL of you are in some way wrong and right. But, you of all people should have known how Sebastian felt and instead you let your bias send a fifteen year old to a life sentence in hell, for protecting his sister and my daughter." Felix rested his hand down on your shoulder, knowing you were turning in emotions. "He could have used a different spell, yes, but would Solomon have stopped until one of them were dead? No. As far as I'm concerned and if the Ministry wasn't so worried about their reputation, they'd have searched the truth out and labeled it self defense. It's easy to judge when you're on the outside looking in."
"Besides you went to Black, you knew he would send me straight to Azkaban without investigating. You could have gone to Fig or Weasley."
It was silent for a moment, only the sound of everyone's breathing and Fig pacing could be heard.
"Loosing your parents at a young age leaves a scar on a child," Felix said, his voice going soft. "They're never the same. Ever. But, having the last people who care about you turn like a pack of coyotes when all you tried to do was protect them. It's difficult. I've seen what it did to him. I was there. I tried to help as he picked up the pieces that were broken further than they already were. And never once did you visit. Or send owls or even apologize. You just moved on with your lives, like he simply walked away."
"We walked away from a man who used us just like her parents did. Manipulation is just as bad as the Imperious curse, it messes with the brain in the same way, to get someone to do what you wanted." Ominis replied for you, when you kept staring down at the table.
You exhaled sharply and broke the curse on Ominis's legs, getting Felix to sigh. "We have to get ready. Not bicker over this. It can wait."

    You were nervous, but you kept close to each other as Felix apperated your group into Azkaban.
You quickly figured out it was a mistake when you saw hundreds of dementors acting like body guards around the cells.
The cold instantly warned Ominis of their presence and seeing as Felix had a secondary wand, his patronus wouldn't be enough.
"Well, crap," Sebastian hissed.
"Expecto Patronum!" You and Ominis said at the same time, the cat and leopard patronus raced forward, before combining into one powerful spell.
Warmth surrounded the area as they were cast out of the room.
"For two of the kids with the darkest pasts I know, you certainly create powerful patronus," Felix said, moving to lead the way.
"What don't you two have in common?" Sebastian teased softly at your backs.
You looked his way, seeing a little jealousy, which made you roll your eyes.
"Just remember, Sharp and a few other trusted aurors will be here soon."
At least it wasn't your group going against everything here.
"Stop," Ominis whispered, just before you could hear people apperating. "We're being surrounded."
"Being sent to Azkaban was needed, but it was only a formality, you see. We thought something like this would have happened."
You whirled just in time to see a spark of green start at the tip of his wand.
Shoving passed Sebastian and Ominis, you caught the stream, preventing it from the former.
"So, there was something in that skull after all?" You asked, feeling Ominis and Sebastian at your back, subconsciously making a triangle.
The sound of battle broke out behind you, like fireworks with a stronger smell. 
Ominis took on a dark wizard trying to cast at you. The wizard's arrogance made him believe Ominis wasn't able to defend himself, he was quickly realizing his mistake.
Sebastian fought against one of the Ministry wizards, as Felix took on two.
For every one knocked more kept coming. They were smart and organized, but the four of you had been in enough duels to hold your own.
No one saw Minister Spavin apperate in, but everyone heard him say the killing curse, even the good aurors that showed up just behind him.
Sebastian side stepped it and cast back at him, expelling his wand out of his hands, so the good aurors could arrest him.
He felt like everything was ending as that wand flew through the air, landing hard against the wall. Sharp was behind the Minister, eyes dark, ready with a spell if he did something.
An exhausted laugh pushed free as Sebastian looked over his shoulder seeing the other Hogwarts teachers had joined and were now helping to arrest the dark wizards.
He almost sighed, when he noticed something was off as he scanned the faces around him, not seeing the two he wanted to celebrate this moment with the most.
He turned sharply, something hitting into his foot. His eyes travelled to the floor, where you and Ominis laid back to back, with empty wide-open eyes.