Long Road Ahead // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

24

We got to the ruins of Isadora's home. Her shredded portrait still laid in the corner, more deteriorated than it was a few years ago when I first saw it. I ran my hand across the top of the wooden frame and knelt down. "I need your help. What secrets are you hiding." 

"We should go back to the basement. I'd assume that's where any clues would be. If we were to find anything up here, it would be to weathered." I led the way down to the basement, casting Lumos before we entered. The devil's snare had over run almost the whole basement at this point, but once we got past the entrance, we were able to light some old candles and It stayed against the walls. I ran my hand over the old journals Isadora had left that I discovered with Sebastian. The memories from fifth year had rushed back, but I tried to stay focused.

"These were the journals about her specific power, but I had already read those. They just described her process, nothing else."

"There has to be something else." I walked behind the bookcases and rediscovered the mirror that led to the undercroft. It lit up for me like it once had before. The undercroft looked so much more dusty than it once had. As far as I knew, no Gaunts were attending school currently, so it was left empty once we graduated. Sebastian joined me and his arm wrapped around my waist.

"Can you still see the undercroft?"

"Yes. It looks abandoned now."

"Kids these days must not be to adventurous now."

"Oh hush, you would have never found it unless Ominis had shown you."

"You never know, I might have. I was good at breaking into places I wasn't allowed." I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed. Out the corner of my vision I saw a singular blue wisp. I turned and cast Lumos. It was hovering in the air and I walked towards it. When I was almost to it, it phased through the devils snare. I got closer and the devils snare retreated up the ceiling. 

"Sebastian."

"Did you find something?" I grabbed his hand and walked forward to the little bit of devils snare that still remained. It opened to a small arch in the wall and we were soon in another room. It was small and the devils snare did not grow past the archway. The small blue wisp hovered in the center of the room. I only took a single step forward when it shot into the ceiling. The whole room illuminated before us in an instance. There was a podium in the center with a small journal centered on it. I walked forward and opened the cover.

Studies on Ancient Magic

I am beginning this journal in hopes to learn more about the ancient power that I feel I have been blessed with, but also cursed with. I need to learn more about this power and what it is capable of. My only hope is that I can find another and teach them, or that this journal can be discovered by another user when my time has ultimately passed.

"This is it. She wanted this journal to be discovered after she died." I flipped through the pages and every page was written on. "Whatever I need to find, is in this journal."

"Let's take it back home and go through it." I picked up the journal and put it in my bag. We exited the basement and made our way home.

I plopped down on my couch and took the journal out of my bag. Sebastian started making tea, and eventually brought me a cup. I set it down on the table next to me and read out loud to him.

"Listen to this. 'during the lunch hour, while the students and other teachers were eating, I headed to the restricted section of the library. I found traces of the ancient magic hovering above a book towards the back. I picked up the book and it exploded with the blue light. It flipped its own pages to a chapter about an ancient power that predated the magic used by todays witches and wizards. It seems that back then, everyone wielded this power, but evolution took hold, and magic is now the way it is today.' It goes on to mention how everyone had a unique power that only few others could do as well. Some could control weather, others were able to control animals, so on and so forth."

"That's what we needed!"

"She goes on to say that when she returned that evening to continue reading the book, before she could even pick it up, it burst into flames and didn't even leave ashes behind. She had to go off of memory from what she had already read."

"Alright. I'm putting you on a pause from the book. You can continue tomorrow. You need to soak in what you have already read and think about it."

"Coming from the man I saw read five books the other night."

"That's different." I sighed and closed the book, replacing it with the tea, which was now turning cold. I took a sip, then played with the cup in my hand.

"I'm worried about going to sleep. What if he tells me tonight, or even sometime this coming week, and I still haven't found my power."

"I don't think he will visit this week. You'll have at least a few weeks."

"So he is just going to torture my parents for a few weeks and I don't even know where to start to try and find them?"

"He wouldn't torture them. You have the upper hand. A former auror put a protection spell around this town and he will never be able to get through it."

"I doubt that he's giving them a royal treatment."

"No, but if he doesn't keep them alive and in good health, he knows he will never have a chance of seeing another black unicorn in his lifetime." I knew what he was saying sounded right, but it could also be turned the other way. Mr. Cromwell could easily torture my parents to near death to draw me out with the hair he seeks. But the fact that he is waiting, gives me hope that Sebastian is right. Why would he be waiting though?

"Here." He pulled out a small stack of papers and handed them to me. "You promised me you would send them out today, so sign." I did as he said and handed them back. He put them in an envelope he had already addressed and sent them out with our owl.

"Hopefully the ministry doesn't take ages to process the papers."

"I've heard they have been quicker lately from Ominis. He had to file some paperwork with them and they got back to him within a week." I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I looked back up at Sebastian and all I could see was the kindness in his eyes.

"Do you want to turn in early tonight?"

"I think I should. You kept me up really late last night with your ranting."

"I wasn't ranting, I was frustrated." I stood up and grabbed his hand. 

"Come on angry boy. Let's go to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow."