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

Laid Bare

"Watch your step—nearly tripped there," Sebastian called back to Clora as he sauntered on ahead, stepping over bits of rocks and even kicking some aside as he went.

The inside of the repository certainly wasn't as nice as the Map Chamber would have led one to believe, and it reminded Clora of the Undercroft, in a sense. Both of the spaces had rather intricate and put together exteriors, though the interiors left much to be desired.

"I think I can manage," Clora called back sarcastically, picking up the pace in order to reach Sebastian's side once more. "We've been through much worse, after all."

She heard his huff of laughter from up ahead. "We certainly have."

Because unlike the caves and tombs and ruins the two of them were used to trekking through, the repository may as well have been a walk through a rather pleasant garden in comparison, with not even a single spider—or insect—in sight.

But then Clora did inevitably trip, and judging by Sebastian's face as he turned to look, it had been right at the area that he'd just warned her about, and so he laughed as he held out his hand for her to take.

Clora almost refused it out of pride alone, but Sebastian was looking at her with such an affectionate and fond smile that she couldn't help but purse her lips and put her hand in his, allowing him to thread and snake his fingers through hers as they continued on their way.

It hadn't taken them much longer after that to reach the end of the rocky landscape, the two of them slowing as they took in the change in environment before them.

Two towering sentries stood, their swords planted in the ground as they flanked a rather large door leading forward, and the sudden obstacle and familiar designs was what Clora had been expecting upon entering the repository initially, similar to the Keepers trials.

Unlike the trials, however, the two sentries before them stood larger than any they'd come across yet, and rather than stone, they seemed to be crafted from intricate swirls of silver, with the ancient magic that powered them visible as it churned beneath the metalwork.

Neither Sebastian nor Clora had time to say anything before the two guards were grasping their large swords, pulling them out of the ground to brandish as they made their way over towards them, and as Clora stared, Sebastian went to take out his wand.

"Wait," she urged, holding her arm out in front of him, and as he stopped to look at her, she dug around in her robes for the wand they'd made out of the pensieve artifacts.

The Keepers had said she'd know when to use it, after all, and the sentries they were facing now bore a striking similarity to the wand itself, with intricate swirls encasing a thrumming current of ancient magic, and so Clora stepped forward as Sebastian watched her cautiously, as if ready to pull her back at any moment.

Their movements ceased as soon as Clora held up the wand, however, and where the two guards had only moments ago just been poised to swing those ginormous swords of theirs down at them, they now quickly straightened, planting their weapons back in to the floor once more.

Ancient magic flowed from their weapons as soon as the tips of the swords had dug into the ground, and the current quickly travelled to the door behind them, granting them access as it slowly opened thanks to the pale blue energy powering it.

Sebastian and Clora looked at each other hesitantly before continuing forward, and the sight beyond the door was one that the both of them had seen before—the location in the pensieve memory from the fourth trial. And, where Isidora had met her demise at the hands of the Keepers.

The amalgamation of negative emotions that she'd collected still floated at the end of the pathway, and while the repository itself was quiet, the energy within seemed to hum and whisper and echo within the large cavern, growing louder and louder the closer they went.

Like the sentries standing guard outside, the energy Isidora collected and dragged out of others was encased in an intricate sphere of metal, and that's when Clora realized just what, exactly, that metal must be.

A prison of goblin silver, just as Isidora had discovered.

"So, how are we going about this?" Sebastian asked suddenly, dragging Clora from her thoughts. "The Keepers said the curse might either be drawn to the collection of energy, or that you might be able to purge it from within you. However—"

He turned to look at Clora rather uncertainly, and although Sebastian was staring right at her, his eyes were unfocused as he seemed to be remembering something.

"If absorbing trace amounts of ancient magic at those hotspots caused you enough pain to collapse, then I can't say I'm thrilled at the idea of you absorbing a powerful bundle of Dark energy."

"You have a point," Clora agreed as she gripped her own wand, rather than the one Ollivander had forged for her. "But attempting to pull the curse out also made me collapse in pain, so I'd rather attempt to purge it first, without having to move it."

She didn't give him time to respond or argue as she held up her wand, attempting to channel the energy from the repository in order to strengthen her ancient magic. And although Clora wasn't quite sure how to do so, as soon as she began to channel the ancient magic, it seemed as though the energy within the repository immediately jumped out at her to power it, and cling to it, surging through her wand and making it buzz with energy.

And as it did so, Clora realized why the Keepers so desperately wanted to keep the repository locked away. Because even though she would be using it for good, Clora could still tell that the amount of power on the end of her wand in that moment was unlike any she'd ever had before, and unlike any she would ever have again, and she swallowed as she adjusted her grip on it.

Sebastian watched her with bated breath as she brought that glowing energy, now powered by the repository, to her chest. And Clora, for her part, clenched her teeth in preparation for any potential pain as she sent it coursing through her in a powerful, quick burst.

It was a good thing she'd started small, however, because the pain—the burning—was a pain worse than Crucio, and as Clora collapsed onto her knees, clutching at the stone and squeezing her eyes shut all the while, it felt as though an eternity had passed before the pain finally subsided.

Sebastian was on his knees at her side as well, urgently repeating Clora's name and holding her by the arms so that she didn't collapse entirely onto the rocky earth.

"I'm alright," Clora groaned, clutching at her chest as the last dregs of the pain ebbed away.

"I suppose it would be too easy if that managed to rid you of it?" Sebastian ventured, and despite the sarcastic disdain in his voice, he still seemed hopeful, wanting to be proven wrong.

But, unfortunately, he was right, and Clora nodded. "Definitely still here," she winced as it thrashed about inside her once more. "And clearly upset at the attempt to evict it."

Sebastian forced out a breath of laughter as he helped her back up, frowning at her uncertainly once they were standing again. "Let's come back another time," he suggested suddenly. "You've already aggravated it enough. We can try the other method once you've had time to rest."

Clora shook her head, readying her wand again. "We're already here, Sebastian. And who knows, perhaps this will work."

But even as she said it, Clora didn't believe it. Sebastian clearly didn't, either, and his mouth flattened in distaste as he watched her stubbornly continue, crossing his arms tightly as he did so.

Just like with Anne and her previous experiments, Clora brought the tip of her wand to her chest until she felt that magnetizing pull connecting the curse to the tip. And then, she pulled.

And pulled, and pulled, and continued to pull, and she couldn't help the way she whipped her head to Sebastian in shock—in shock due to the fact that it didn't hurt this time around. And, misinterpreting her rather frantic and sudden surprise, Sebastian stepped forward, his face stricken.

"What?" he demanded quickly. "If it hurts, then—"

"No, it doesn't hurt," Clora breathed as she continued to pull it out, looking down in awe. All the resistance she'd felt, both when she'd attempted to pull it out of Anne and herself was now gone. "It feels as though it wants to come out."

Sebastian was quiet at her words, watching her. It was just as Rackham had said—the curse inside of her must have been drawn to the powerful collection of Dark energy in the repository, magnetized and pulled to it, the same way it was on her wand. And it wasn't long before that smoky, malicious bundle of energy began to show itself.

Clora realized it was Sebastian's first time seeing the curse as he stilled, glaring at it as though it were a person who'd wronged him intentionally and personally, rather than the mindless swirl of Dark magic on her wand that it was.

Clora gaped as she stared at it, completely out of her and on the end of her wand, watching as it practically pulled her forward to make its way towards the repository, to hopefully meld and join the collection of energy already stored there.

She'd done it. It certainly hadn't been an easy or short journey, but she was about to be free from the curse that had plagued both Anne and herself. She would be able to ride on a broom again—her own, new broom, at that—and perhaps even run, or do any sort of physical exercise without threat of becoming dizzy or collapsing.

But then the curse on the end of her wand made a noise like a crack of lightning as it touched the repository and the goblin silver encasing it, and just as easily as Clora had pulled it out of her, it once again shot back inside her chest, and the force sent her staggering back as the air was knocked out of her.

Sebastian rushed to her, quickly grabbing her before she could stagger any farther and potentially fall off the side of the platform. And then, he swore. Loudly.

"All of this, and still nothing?" he snapped. "Forget relying on the Keepers or this repository. The relic has already helped us once before, and I'm certain it can do so again."

Clora was already shaking her head before he'd finished, and although Sebastian didn't look surprised to see it, he still certainly looked annoyed by it.

"There's still something else," she insisted quickly, cutting off whatever Sebastian had been about to suggest. "If we can't purge the curse while it's still inside of me, and it won't go inside of the repository itself, then we simply need to come back once we have something to store it in."

"You mean goblin silver," Sebastian realized, eyes flicking over to the amalgamation of Dark energy next to them, encased in that very metal, before finding her once more. "Very well. But in the meantime, you should put the curse in—"

"No, I don't want to risk it," Clora shook her head. "Say we do put it in a planter or another object, temporarily. What if it can't properly contain it? Or the curse rebounds? At least with the goblin silver, we know it can sufficiently contain it. This is proof."

At that, Sebastian's reluctant gaze followed hers as she gestured towards the amalgamation of Dark energy already there. Energy that even the Keepers hadn't been able to destroy, currently encased in what was now their best bet, as well.

It was just a matter of finding some.

********

"There you are," Ominis sighed, stopping his pacing to turn at both Sebastian and Clora as they exited the repository.

"Ominis?" Sebastian balked.

"Ominis!" Clora greeted, her smile tight. "What's the matter?"

"You tell me," Ominis returned, his tone both accusatory and weary. "I've been silent on the matter due to Anne's presence, but it's about time the both of you tell me what Rookwood meant by Clora having some sort of curse on her."

Both Sebastian and Clora stilled at that, and in response, Ominis breathed out loudly.

"Please," he began. "At least tell me that it isn't what I think it is."

Sebastian expelled a quick, humourless laugh. "Sorry, Ominis, but it probably is."

He'd already mostly figured it out for himself regardless, and so Clora'd had no choice but to fill in Ominis after that, and Sebastian watched on in vindication as his friend grimaced and shook his head at the revelation of her rash actions.

"How could you be so reckless?" Ominis demanded, beginning to pace again.

"Anne was running out of time," Clora explained, and they both knew it, and so Ominis' steps halted for a moment. "But I still have time—plenty of it."

He was quiet for a moment longer, before he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Once again, it seems as though I'm unsure whether I should berate you for your recklessness, or thank you," Ominis mused in resignation, repeating the same sentiment he'd had back at the scriptorium, and Clora couldn't help but smile.

"I say berate," Sebastian chimed in, just as Clora was in the process of saying "thank," and Ominis chuckled as they turned to stare at each other.

"You should know that the only reason I'm not more upset, is because I trust that the two of you have some sort of plan," he continued, arms crossed and eyebrows raised as he waited for their confirmation.

And Clora gave it to him with a nod and a smile. "Not to worry, Ominis. That, we do."

********

"The goblin that was here the day of the troll attack?" Sirona repeated distractedly as she pulled out tankards from behind the bar.

She filled them and handed them off before looking between both Clora and Sebastian. "That would be Lodgok—he's an old friend. I can indeed get you in touch with him, but I'm afraid he's out of town on business at the moment."

"I see," Clora only deflated for a moment before she stood up straight once more. "Do you have any idea when he'll be back?"

"He's never gone for long," Sirona assured, handing a drink to another customer before turning back to Clora. "Keep an eye out for my owl. I'll be sure to send word as soon as he's returned."

********

Although Clora was still cursed, both she and Sebastian were considerably more relaxed about it, now that they knew she could pull it out of herself at any time, given they were inside of the repository and assisted by its magnetic pull.

If worse came to worse, after all, she could always fall back on the original plan of bringing some sort of plant into the repository, dragging the curse out and into that host instead. They still ran the risk of the curse not being properly contained, or perhaps suffering the rebounds of a Curse-Breaking gone wrong, but at the very least it was another option.

Clora wouldn't risk resorting to that just yet, however. Not unless she was completely out of time, like Anne had been. She wanted to be rid of this curse properly, and she'd already contained it inside herself for this long, and so she could wait a bit longer still, until they got their hands on the proper means.

So with their search for obtaining goblin silver now momentarily on hold while they waited for Sirona's owl, Clora and Sebastian busied themselves with classes in the meantime—though, Clora also had a certain other task to busy herself with, as well.

And that was the task of getting around to telling Leander that she and Sebastian were now a couple.

After they'd returned from both the repository and from meeting with Sirona, Clora had insisted on taking the relic from Sebastian and hiding it up in her room, just as Sebastian had promised he would let her do, but he'd merely replied with 'once you tell Leander we're together, then we can.'

She'd gone sheepish at that, mostly due to the fact that she apparently needed that incentive to motivate her. The incentive of ridding her boyfriend of a Dark, evil relic in order to do something as simple as telling a boy that fancied her that she was no longer available.

But the task was harder than it had any right to be, especially since Clora had been avoiding Leander for so long. Because now, whenever she walked up to him of her own volition, his eyes seemed to brighten just at her approach alone.

"Clora," he greeted with a hasty smile as he ran his hand through his hair. "Need me for something?"

Clora ran her fingers down her tie, smoothing it out and tugging at it. "Yes, in fact," she started nervously—and in turn, a tad too formally—as she struggled to meet his eyes. "Would you be able to speak with me in private?"

She'd just caught him in hallway, after all, which was busy with students heading to their next class as Leander blinked down at her. And as he stared at her, with his eyebrows raised and his cheeks dusting pink, Clora realized his idea of 'speaking in private' might be slightly different from hers.

She nonetheless followed him, however, as he led them to a more secluded area of the hallway, and it only served to remind Clora of what her and Sebastian had done in a secluded hallway, and Leander seemed to be entertaining thoughts of a similar variety as he looked at her.

Clora wasn't sure whether it was out of pure nervousness, or if it was because she simply didn't want to trample on that hope that he still had shining in his eyes as he looked at her, but she once again put off the inevitable as she smiled tightly at him. "I was just wondering if—if you would want to walk to class together?"

Leander straightened, clearly confused as to why she'd needed to speak to him in private about walking to Transfigurations together, but he nonetheless did so, thankfully not inquiring about her strange behaviour and only shooting her a few quizzical looks here and there that Clora dutifully pretended not to notice.

By the time class was done, Clora knew she wouldn't be telling Leander that day, seeing as how she'd already made things strange enough between them at the moment, and she in turn was rather desperate to separate herself from him. She could only hope he wouldn't ask to walk her to the Great Hall for dinner, or if she might want to eat at their table.

Luckily, if Leander had been planning on asking any of that, he didn't get the chance. As the two of them exited their Transfiguration class and merged into the hallway with the rest of the crowds, Clora caught sight of Sebastian coming inside from one of his outdoor classes, and so she quickly said her goodbyes to Leander, insisting she had something to speak to the Slytherin about as she all but ran to him.

Sebastian watched Clora approach, and he clearly noticed Leander in the distance, because the first thing he said to her upon her approach was, "How did it go?"

Clora winced, suddenly wondering if she should have stayed with Leander after all.

"I couldn't tell him. I mean, I tried," she insisted upon seeing the shift in Sebastian's expression. "Though I just ended up asking him to walk me to class instead."

Sebastian uncrossed his arms in his disbelief. "How do you go from informing him that we're together, to instead requesting that he walk you to class?" he repeated incredulously, shaking his head. "Are you perhaps trying to make me jealous?"

"Of course not!" Clora denied quickly as she held up her hands. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"Perhaps now you understand why I wanted to advertise you as mine so badly? Because clearly, one of us has to."

"I will tell him. I want to, as well. Not just for you, but for me and him," Clora argued, her voice firm, though it softened as she continued. "It's just difficult when he looks at me so hopefully."

Sebastian, however, had no sympathy for the other boy, only making an irritated noise in the back of his throat as he grimaced. "Weak to him, are you?"

Clora crossed her arms. "I didn't mean it like that."

Sebastian didn't argue on that front and merely took her by the hand as he led them to an alcove behind a set of stairs, and before Clora could ask why he'd brought them over there, his lips were suddenly on her neck.

"Sebas—!" Clora started quickly, though shut her mouth just as fast, hoping nobody heard her raised voice. It wasn't like before, where the hallways were dark and empty. It was just after classes, and although the hum of the students headed to the Great Hall served as a form of camouflage, the possibility of a fellow student seeing them—or Merlin forbid, a professor—was still a very real one.

It was a mad thing to do, yet Clora couldn't deny the slight excitement that came with it, and how Sebastian's ravenous lips didn't care that they were in public, or that they could be caught, or about anything other than her, and to be the target of such a single-minded and selfish want made her heart skip.

And much too belatedly Clora realized it was because Sebastian truly was jealous, and that her floundering about with Leander had made him want to claim her even more desperately in turn. And despite the guilt she felt at that, Clora also couldn't deny the way it made her cheeks flame and her blood run hot and her thoughts muddle to the point where, perhaps, it was okay to let him claim her for a moment.

Though the feeling of something harder and wetter than a kiss on her neck suddenly snapped Clora out of her trance, and she went to break away from Sebastian to feel at what he'd done to her neck. He didn't allow her to gain any distance as he continued to walk them forward, however, grabbing and restraining the hands that had begun to push him away.

"Sebastian," Clora resisted quietly, and she only squirmed against his hold and the pressure on her neck for a moment longer before he leisurely leaned back and wiped his mouth, looking satisfied. There was a pulsing heat on her neck where his lips had just been, and she brought her hand up to feel it.

Clora couldn't see for herself what he'd done, but she didn't need to. The area Sebastian had had his mouth on only moments prior was now raw to the touch, and she pulled away quickly, realizing he'd finally left a visible mark on her.

"Sebastian!" Clora scolded him in a whisper-shout as she brought her hand up to hide it, her face red. "I can't walk around like this! I don't have my scarf!"

"Not to worry," Sebastian clearly anticipated that response as he gave her an easy smile, unravelling the one he currently wore thanks to whatever outdoor class he'd previously come in from, though Clora only stared at it. "Because as luck should have it, I have mine."

He raised his eyebrows as he watched her, all too helpfully, and Clora knew for certain that this predicament was definitely not because of luck.

"You needn't wear it, if you'd rather not," he suggested glibly, his Slytherin scarf still outstretched in his hand for her to take if she so chose. "I certainly take no issue with you showing off my mark, instead."

"They're both your mark," Clora grumbled as she finally grabbed the scarf from him, and Sebastian only smirked as he happily let her take it.

"No need to return it, either. You keep that one, and I'll keep the one I purchased for Christmas," Sebastian offered as she wrapped up her neck.

And as she did so, and breathed in his scent, Clora immediately understood why he wanted her to have this one instead.

Lucky for Sebastian, however, Clora had no issue with the trade, as she also preferred his used one over its pristine gift-wrapped variant, and so she nodded.

She wrapped the scarf more snugly around herself then, both for comfort, and to make sure it wouldn't accidentally slip down too far.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad walking around with a Slytherin scarf, either. Especially not when Clora could bring it up to her nose and indulge herself in Sebastian's scent whenever she wanted to.

The only shame, she supposed, was that it would eventually fade.