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

Unveiled

Professor Fig hadn't been surprised to see Sebastian and Clora approach him after Black's announcement.

On the contrary he seemed to have been expecting it, and perhaps even planned to seek them out himself, because before either of them could get a word in edgewise, he was quickly beckoning them to follow him back to his office so that the three of them might speak in private.

The door had only just shut behind them when Sebastian swiftly broke the silence.

"The student who was nearly taken last night was mistaken for Clora, wasn't she?"

Professor Fig rounded his desk, a severe look on his face as he pulled a piece of yellowed parchment out from one of the drawers—a piece of parchment that both Sebastian and Clora had seen before.

"She was. Or so I would assume, seeing as I found this nearby," he slid it across the table, and although it wasn't their first time setting their eyes on the sketched bounty poster of Clora, that didn't stop Sebastian from firmly setting his jaw as he looked at it, nor did it stop Clora from fidgeting nervously with her scarf as she did the same. "Luckily, Officer Singer was able to save the student and apprehend our would-be kidnapper in time."

Sebastian was barely listening anymore as he stared at the sketched portrait of Clora, affirmed in his caution from the night before, and in his suspicions of the unwelcome wizards he'd started to notice filling the tavern.

And while he was relieved that he'd decided to take Clora back to the castle when he did, Sebastian wasn't able to fully relax in that relief; his shoulders were tense and his muscles were tight as he thought back to what had happened. Thinking of how close they'd been to taking her, and how they'd been lingering, and what might have happened if Sebastian hadn't decided to leave when they had.

Or, even worse: what might have happened if he and Clora hadn't reconciled. Sebastian had been keeping a faraway eye on her, sure. But what if Clora had gone outside for a quick moment in her drunken state, alone, and been taken? Or simply left early, to head back to the castle?

Sebastian hadn't walked her there, and he likely wouldn't have walked her back if they'd still been on those terms. If Clora was taken, he wouldn't have known until it was too late. All because of a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding where Sebastian thought she'd already been taken from him. And it had very nearly become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Just entertaining what could have happened made Sebastian's heart start to race anxiously in his chest as he stared at the poster, watching as Professor Fig slid it back to his side of the desk and tucked it away yet again.

"Coming after me is one thing," Clora murmured as she, too, watched the professor hide away the sketch of her own face. "But I never considered that others may be dragged into this, as well."

Professor Fig nodded wearily, dragging a hand over his face as he looked at her. "Nor did I. The student they nearly kidnapped may have been an accident this time around, but I fear they may begin to take hostages on purpose. In order to lure you out, or even for a trade."

Sebastian couldn't help the way he turned to Clora instantly at those words, his expression both a question and an accusation as he stared at her and swallowed against the sudden dryness of his throat.

Because Sebastian knew her, which meant he knew that if those hunting Clora did resort to threatening others in exchange for her, she would be more than willing to give them what they wanted. After all, in all his time knowing her, Clora had proven herself to be nothing if not infuriatingly self-sacrificial.

"Black said the Ministry was sending Aurors," Sebastian reminded them sternly, hoping to distract Clora from whatever thoughts no doubt churned in her head at the moment. "Will Clora be getting special attention from them?"

The added protection would certainly be appreciated, though Sebastian's true reasoning for wanting Clora to be under Auror supervision was to protect her from herself—to prevent her from simply handing herself over to Ranrok like she was no doubt currently entertaining.

"I'm afraid not," Fig looked apologetically between the two of them. "The Ministry has been infuriatingly reluctant to admit that the goblin rebellion is of any real concern to begin with. And as exasperating as the man is, Headmaster Black is to thank for the scarce few that they have afforded us—though the reasoning for that is merely so that our dear headmaster can save face and maintain the safe, proud image of the school."

Professor Fig sighed as he stood once more, rounding his desk to join them as he spoke. "There's also the matter of if we were to request special protection for Clora alone, we would no doubt need to tell them why. A process that, most likely, would force us to disclose the secret of the ancient magic to them."

Sebastian made an angry, impatient noise as he crossed his arms. "And? I hardly see the problem there, since Clora's safety should come first," he argued hotly. "Though I suppose the Keepers wouldn't mind seeing her dead, if it meant one less person who might spill their beloved secrets."

"Sebastian," Clora chastised immediately, turning to him and holding her arm out. "It's alright. With the protection of both the wards and now the Aurors, so long as we all comply and make sure to stay on the grounds, nothing should be able to happen."

Sebastian huffed a sharp, bitter laugh. "Right," he agreed flippantly. "Assuming you do stay on the grounds, that is."

"I will," Clora rebutted instantly.

Though as the two of them left Professor Fig's office only minutes later, both of them doubted the truth of her words.

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