Old Habits Die Hard

Right back where we started

When you came to Hogwarts, you had ideas and preconceptions, none of which involved you falling in love. Least of all, falling in love with your best friend's best friend. After spending much of the fifth year embroiled in the madness of Ranrok's scheme and Sebastian's desperate quest to save his sister, you had been thankful for a quieter sixth year focusing on your studies. Of course, the year had been fraught with anger and unresolved trauma. Ominis and Sebastian had constantly been at odds and you found yourself torn between the two, and whilst they had made amends since you found yourself with two very different friendships.

Sebastian had cried on your shoulder and shared his vulnerability to you, making you incredibly close. Too close, as it was. The nights where you found yourself in his bed were often confusing, the energy between you desperate and hungry for connection. You didn't kid yourself that Sebastian was a long-term partner, the secret trysts were just that-a secret.

Ominis was different-it had taken you longer to open up to him but the connection you had was intense and meaningful. You knew intimate details of his life that he had only shared with Anne and Sebastian, and his trust meant everything to you.

The problem started when returning to Hogwarts for your final year, when the boy you knew had returned as a man. Ominis had always been handsome, and entirely your type, but the way your heart fluttered as he settled next to you in the carriage to the castle was entirely new.

His face was more angular, his hair slightly longer, a few strands of the dirty blond hair falling across his forehead as the carriage rattled across the uneven ground. He still had his piercing blue eyes and beautiful complexion, apart from the moles on his cheek and the slight shadows under his eyes, which only seemed to endear him to you more. This was certainly problematic.

"Looking forward to our final hurrah?" Sebastian asked from his seat opposite you.

Sebastian looked like Sebastian. Taller, broader, but the same smirk and deep brown eyes, freckled skin and tousled hair. You knew what he was thinking, and you were having none of it.

"It'll be a hard year, I need to do well in our exams after the absolute failure of my O.W.Ls," you said, looking out of the window at the dark sky.

"We still need to make time for some fun," he said, his foot running up your calf.

You tilted your head and gave him an exasperated look, belying the shiver it sent up your spine.

"I think you had a good enough reason for not doing as well as you'd hoped," he added, withdrawing his foot with a slight frown.

"True, and now I really don't have an excuse so I'd better make the most of it," you said.

"You'll be fine. You're a talented witch," Ominis said beside you.

His words always managed to calm you, and you looked at him and tried to resist the urge to reach out to take his hand. The carriage started its descent as you clung on to the inside of the door. Thestrals weren't your favourite mode of transportation after the dragon attack, you felt much more secure on a broom. The wheels hit the ground and the carriage came to a bumpy stop in a clearing, surrounded by pine trees.

After a shaky exit, you sighed to be back on solid ground, casting a backward glance at the majestic creatures that had been pulling you. Sebastian did the same, and you wondered if you were two of the few clambering off the carriages who could see them.

As you trudged up to the castle, you were greeted by old friends and acquaintances, all eager to start their final year at Hogwarts. You spotted Natty and Poppy, their warm smiles bolstering your spirits and providing a small distraction from the two boys either side of you. As they peeled off to join their respective house tables, your attention turned to the castle in all its glory-how you'd missed it in those arduously long two months.