Secrets of Mr. Sallow

10. Safe haven

SEBASTIAN
Watching Y/N practice her wand work with Natty and Poppy, I smiled. I had almost forgotten about the letter that Professor Weasley had read that was for Y/N from Professor Fig. I sat with Ominis and the girls, watching as Natty helped Y/N work on correctly casting spells, while Poppy spoke about the different uses for the spells.

"Next spell?" Natty looked at Poppy, who smiled.

"Accio. This spell allows any witch or wizard to summon a variety of objects and enemies to close range." Poppy explained.

"Use Accio to pull the book toward you." Natty instructed as she pointed to the textbook that purposefully rested only a few feet from Y/N.

"Accio!" Y/N exclaimed as she swiftly flicked her wand. Within moments, the book was in her hand.

"Perfect!" I called out, very proud of her progress. She had learned a few spells, including Depulso, Diffindo, and now Accio.

As I watched her practice her wand work, I remembered something. My mind brought up a memory of mine from last year.

"It may take a while to get the feel for it." I explained as Y/N stood near me, her wand ready to cast the spell.

"Mimic my wand movement. The incantation is Confringo." I watched as she nodded, her eyes now focused on her wand as she did what I told her to do. She flicked her wand the right way and with enough confidence, she spoke the incantation. Without hesitation, a stream of fire flew from the tip of Y/N's wand and hit the far wall of the Undercroft.

"Ready to actually try it out? Stick to the targets though. Best to keep the Undercroft intact." I chuckled.

"Have a go at those candelabras." I pointed to the unlit candelabras hanging from the ceiling.

"Both have their uses, but I think you'll find that a Confringo cast travels a bit further than that of a spell like Incendio." I explained, watching as Y/N steadied herself.

"Confringo!" She exclaimed, her wand aimed at the first of 3 candelabras. Within moments, it was lit up, and I saw the smile on Y/N's face after having successfully cast the spell.

"Really? I did okay?" Y/N asked, concerned.

"Yeah. You're really catching onto the spells quickly. Although, I know a place where you can practice as much as you'd like without the pressure of other people watching you." I smiled, glancing around at the other students who were strewn around the Hogwarts Entrance area outside the castle.

"Natty and Poppy, you're both welcome to join us, if you'd like." I suggested. Both of them kindly rejected me, which I was slightly happy about, considering Ominis knew that I was talking about the Undercroft, and he didn't want anyone else knowing about it.

With Natty and Poppy heading somewhere else, Ominis and I guided Y/N toward the Undercroft. Making it to the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, Ominis and I headed in the direction of Professor Hecat's classroom, but before Y/N could head up the stairs, we gently guided her to the left.

A look of confusion washed over Y/N as Ominis flicked his wand toward the strangely patterned door. After a few moments, and a few clicks, the door opened, revealing a passageway. I headed in first, then Y/N, then Ominis.

The metal gate lifted, allowing access to the secret room.

"W- What is this place?" She asked, clearly curious, yet worried.

"This is the Undercroft, named by Ominis." I watched as Y/N roamed around, clearly impressed.

"How and when did you two come across this place?" She questioned.

"Someone in my family - long ago - knew about it. Since then, it's basically been a Gaunt family secret. That was until I met Sebastian and his sister. I trusted them with the secret of the Undercroft." Ominis explained.

"Then...I told you, when we met for the first time. It took a while, but you and I convinced Ominis that you could be trusted with the secret of the Undercroft. From that moment on, you, Ominis and I spent a lot of time down here." I explained more.

"This place is...amazing." She smiled, her hand hovering over the Triptych that rested on the - once empty - wall to the right of the entrance to the Undercroft.

My body tensed, watching as she looked and almost studied the Triptych. She had no idea what it was, or why it was there. I almost considered telling her, and I was about to, but when Ominis sensed my tension and figured out why I was feeling tense, he stopped me, resting his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't." He whispered to me.

I did what Ominis said and ignored my urge to tell Y/N about what she was looking at.

"This space, the Undercroft, is available 24/7. It's kind of a safe haven for you, me and Ominis. Whether you want to practice spells, or study, or just relax during a free period, this space is free for you to use. Sometimes Ominis and I will be down here. Sometimes one of us will be here and one of us won't." I explained to her, watching as she nodded.

"Thank you both. For trusting me with this secret." She smiled. She wrapped her arms around Ominis for a short hug, before doing the same to me. But, instead of pulling away after a few moments, our hug lingered on for a while. It lasted a good minute or two before we both pulled away.

"I - unfortunately - have a detention with Scribner that I'd rather not be late for." I rolled my eyes, groaning.

"See you later, Sebastian." Y/N spoke, waving to me as I exited the Undercroft, leaving her and Ominis down there.