Wizard Hunt (Original)

Chapter 14, no secrets from you

    Anne's cure was in its final stage. Though Sebastian had to spill the beans to Ominis on who he really was and why he was being so hard on his younger self, when they got into an argument over it.
Even going so far as to "find" the younger Sebastian as he tried to break into the restricted section, claiming he was still going to look until Anne was actually cured.
So, they took to alerting Scribner, even Peeves. If his younger self was in detention, he wasn't up to no good.
Scribner couldn't threaten to tell his uncle, because Solomon had been arrested and thrown in Azkaban, just before the newspapers read about the fall certain individuals in the Ministry.
Sebastian, then turned his attention onto you. Trying to get you and his younger self to be friends was easier than he expected, ensuring he didn't drag you into his shenanigans, wasn't.
Though he hadn't started trying to manipulate you, for which older Sebastian was grateful.

    The five of you stood in the undercroft as Sebastian finished the potion and bottled it, before passing it over to Anne.
"You're sure this is going to work?" His younger self asked.
"The person who found it, would never gamble with someone's life." His eyes flicked to you for a second, but he made sure to look away before you caught him. 
Anne looked down at the bottle, before meeting the younger Sebastian's gaze. "I will only take this, if you promise me you will not use the forbidden curses or dark magic and stop going into the restricted section."
Shock spread through the group as all eyes moved to the younger Sebastian.
He scoffed, but nodded after a moment. "Fine, I promise."
One thing Sebastian was grateful for was that he was a man of his word. A world full of weight lifted off his shoulders as he caught Anne's eye, seeing a slight smirk there.
She pulled the topper off and swallowed the glittering blue liquid which was followed by cough from the taste, but everyone watched as her eyes became less dull and the dark circles almost vanished.
"How do you feel?"
Older Sebastian took notice that your eyes were on something in the middle of everyone, watching in awe, before everyone felt a pulse of magic and Anne's demeanor became as if she was never cursed.
"Whoa that's weird," Anne teased as she looked at the younger Sebastian. "I feel a lot better."
"You look a lot better." Ominis replied as younger Sebastian hugged her tightly.
"Let's go see nurse Blainey and get it confirmed."
He was already dragging her off, getting a few chuckles.
It was one more think he could check off the list. His eyes drifted over to you, who looked in the cauldron.
"What?"
You looked at him, confused on how to put what you had seen. "What kind of potion did you use? I've never seen one cleanse a cure like that before."
He smiled. "A very old, but powerful one. A friend of mine found it."  
Your expression turned half suspicious and half impressed. "Some friend."
He smiled as your eyes moved back to the potion, before you moved to leave the room.
"She was."
"Maybe you should tell her," Ominis whispered as the gate opened.
Sebastian shook his head, not noticing the longing he was shooting at your back. "They need to find their feelings for themselves. Otherwise it would feel like another manipulative tactic and you were right. She deserved better than that. You both did."
"You're making up for it now, aren't you? Isn't this roughly the time you'd started manipulating her into helping? Now there's nothing to do that for."
"If only we can keep me from screwing it up," he replied, laughing at his younger self's determination to get in trouble.
"Good luck with that."

      It wasn't as difficult as they suspect, younger Sebastian's rebellious side simmered out now that Anne was healthy. He didn't even attempt the restricted section, but now his focus was on finding out what you and Fig were up to.
He was helping where he could and was easily frustrated when you'd floo network to your location and he wouldn't know where you had gone.
Anne teased him relentlessly for his obvious crush as older Sebastian watched, trying to hold in his own jealousy. It was ridiculous, but he couldn't help himself.
Watching your friendship bloom further than his had, was hard, seeing you fall in love with him, was worse.
"Why do you stay if its painful to watch?" Ominis asked while younger Sebastian followed after you on another secret mission to find the third tryptic.
"There's one last thing I want to change. Something that hurt her deeply and since I can stop it, I will."
"You really do love her, don't you?" Anne whispered, her eyes easily catching onto the way her brother's filled with sorrow.
"Enough to watch as she falls for him, yes."
"He's you," Ominis remarked, leaning back against the sofa.
They watched as Sebastian's face crumbled into sadness. "No, he's the man I wish I could have been."
"You helped him become that guy," Anne said softly, giving her brother a smile.
"I don't think that's true," Ominis admitted, drawing their gaze. "Sebastian, you always had that chance, you just didn't take it because you were too busy trying to be an older brother. You took things too far, yes, but our Sebastian is proof that with the right circumstances, you can change to be better. If you care enough about the people you're fighting for and yourself."
"You took that a little too literally, maybe," Anne teased, pulling a chuckle from both boys.
Sebastian sighed, his eyes moving to the stairs. "She's worth it."
"Then perhaps you should tell her the truth now that you know she cares for you too. She does have the right to know and it would be better if it came from you."
Sebastian grumbled, not looking forward to it. "I suppose you're right, but I can't help it if it makes me nervous."
    

      You walked into the undercroft, the note asked you to meet Sebastian, who was pacing the floor. Though, you couldn't help but notice there was something different about him. He looked and acted older, more careful or calculative.
"Sebastian?"
He looked your way, trying not to grimace at how concerned your tone was.
"It's me, I'm not polyjuiced or an imposter." He bit back saying "this time".
Nodding, you took a slight step forward. "Okay, then what's this about?"
"There is something I need to tell you, something that might change the way you see me, but Anne and Ominis are right, you should know and hear it from me." He motioned towards the floor. "You might want to sit down, this is quite the story."
Taking his advice, you sat with your back against the pillar, he began the long tale.
Once he finished, you couldn't help but feel frustrated, not at him, but everything.
"Wow, that's just- wow."
"I know it's a lot to take in, especially given what you're doing for the keepers, but I want to be your friend again. No more lies or secrets."
You blinked, making him look down expecting rejection. "Weren't we already friends? I mean even if you're not really "David" you haven't changed. Though, we do have to keep this from young Sebastian, don't we?"
Panic set over his features at the thought of what could happen if he found out the truth.
"Preferably, I don't know how he'd react and it's bad enough you, Anne, Ominis and Felix know."
You nodded. "Fair enough. I will keep it a secret until it's okay to tell him."
He rubbed at his hands together, while his eyes drifted towards them.
"Say it," you encouraged, getting a small laugh.
"Am I that easy to read?"
"More so than your younger version."
He hummed in thought but fell silent for a long moment. "I just never got the chance to say goodbye. To either of you. I didn't even apologize. You two died trusting me and I got you killed. I got everyone killed. It wasn't that I couldn't see what I was doing, I didn't want to."
You stood up when he half curled into himself and walked over to him. When you got close, he sharply stood up with a shake off his head, his hands resting on your shoulders.
"I will fix this, the right way this time. I promise."
Perplexed by the sudden action, you watched as he headed towards the door.
"Do you think that maybe your habit of trying to save everyone might be why you ended up in this mess?"
He looked back with a grin. "Pot to kettle, my dear. Aren't you feeling pressure from what the keepers are asking you? Protecting the entire wizarding world alone?"
A laugh slipped as you nodded. "Fair point Sebastian, but I'm not really alone. I have Fig helping me and the four of you have been very supportive, even if your younger self gets irritated he loses sight of me when he's trying his best to follow."
"You know about that?"
Chuckling, you gave a playful shrug. "Yeah, you're a sneaky guy when you want to be, but when you're in a hurry, you make a lot of mistakes."
He scoffed softly. "Story of my life."
"You're going to be okay."
He gave a smile, though worry was still etched into his features. "I hope so."