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

Eye for an Eye

Lawley wasn't in the Slytherin dorms, so it was with great pleasure that Sebastian found him laid up in the Hospital Wing, instead.

Though even while Nurse Blainey had no doubt healed whatever injuries he'd sustained in less than a minute, someone like Lawley—a sniveling, silver spooned snot who'd never so much as sniffed a punch in his entire life—had likely demanded to stay for the night so that he might call out to Nurse Blainey any time he wanted, on the off chance he felt any other bits of pain.

Or, perhaps he opted to sleep there in order to hide from Sebastian.

The thought was close to being satisfying, if it didn't also simultaneously anger him, and remind Sebastian of what a coward Lawley was. Threatening and blackmailing Clora, only to run off into his hole with his tail between his legs like the rat he was, hiding in the perceived safety of the Hospital Wing.

But Sebastian had found him, and so he quietly stepped up to where Lawley still slept, pulling the curtains closed around the bed in order to shield them from the other students sleeping nearby, so that they wouldn't be able to catch a glimpse of the green glow from the spell Sebastian was about to use.

And, to make sure they didn't also hear which spell he was about to use, Sebastian then cast a quick Quietus around the perimeter of the bed and inside the curtains, pointing his wand straight at Lawley once he'd finished.

"Imperio."

********

Sebastian led Lawley to the Quad Courtyard, seeing as it was just beside the Hospital Wing.

And, as soon as they'd walked far enough from the doors to be covered by both the darkness of night and by the ivy-covered stone walls all about, Sebastian shoved Lawley against one of those very walls—hard.

Under the effects of the Imperius Curse as he was, Lawley offered no resistance as he was slammed bodily into the wall like a marionette with its strings cut, colliding and sliding down to the grass immediately after the impact, the air coming out of his lungs and the sound of his flesh smacking against the stone betraying the pain that his magically impassive face hid.

Sebastian took a slow step forward as he crossed his arms, enjoying the sight. Enjoying Lawley on the ground, below him, dazed and pathetic and vulnerable to his each and every whim, after he'd spent so long doing the exact same to Clora.

But the point of casting Imperio on Lawley wasn't so that Sebastian could hurt him as much as he pleased with no resistance. No—that would come later. And that was something Sebastian wanted Lawley to resist, and for Lawley to be fully conscious of, and present for—whether he liked it or not.

No. For now, Sebastian only wanted to talk.

"Tell me everything you know," Sebastian commanded without preamble, watching as Lawley's dazed, Imperio-green eyes blinked slowly. "About the Dark relic, what it is, mine and Clora's involvement with it—everything."

"I heard you mention the relic one day, after Potions," Lawley replied immediately, perfectly on cue, and without any sort of hesitation. "I didn't know that it was a Dark relic at the time. But when I saw how Clemons reacted to my mentioning it, and how scared she became that I knew of it, I simply chanced a guess. It was nothing but a bluff, in truth. I know nothing about it, other than where you hid it."

Sebastian worked his jaw as he listened, his grip on his wand tightening.

If only he'd been there when Clora had first been confronted by Lawley, whenever that was. She already wasn't good at lying, and Sebastian could imagine all too well the sort of expression she must have been wearing when Lawley had brought it up to her, alone, cornered in the dark. How nervous she must have been at the mere mention of the relic, and how she must have been unable to hide her scared, knee-jerk reaction.

And how Lawley had taken advantage of that.

Sebastian somehow managed to keep a hold on his rising anger as he shifted his weight and unclamped his jaw to ask his next question, his voice tight but even. "And the reason you used this bluff to blackmail Clora?"

He may have asked, but Sebastian already knew the reason. He'd seen it for himself not too long ago, after all—had seen what Lawley truly wanted from her, there in the dark. But Sebastian had to ask, anyway. To be absolutely certain, and to be certain that Lawley, without a shadow of a doubt, deserved what was coming next.

And he did, because Lawley's next words caused Sebastian's already barely contained anger to finally bubble over.

"I've always thought Clemons was attractive, and I hate you." Lawley said matter-of-factly and without emotion, which somehow made it even more infuriating. "Blackmailing her suited me well in both regards. I wanted her, and I also wanted to take her from you, especially before you had the chanc—"

Even under the effects of Imperio, Lawley's body couldn't help but react when Sebastian stomped angrily and harshly between his legs, his sentence dissolving into nothing but choking noises and grunts as Sebastian continued to dig his foot down and even twisted for good measure.

He'd wondered if Lawley would be able to feel pain through Imperio, and that was swiftly answered for him as the other boy gasped, and Sebastian finally released his foot from his groin as he fell to the side, hands between his legs as he moaned and cried the entire way down.

The overwhelming pain had successfully ripped him from his forced trance, and Sebastian watched Lawley writhe and nearly sob on the cold grass as he gasped pathetically, still whimpering as he looked up to take in his surroundings. "Where—where am I? What—"

No longer squeezing them shut in pain, Lawley's eyes finally met Sebastian's as he craned his neck up to look around the dark courtyard, and he stopped squirming once he took the sight in—of Sebastian simply standing there, still and severe, staring down at him.

His eyes went from Sebastian's face, first. Then to his collar, still stained with his own blood from earlier, and finally to the wand he was gripping harshly. Lawley's eyes remained wide and fixed on the latter, as if watching it for any sign of movement—or, perhaps for another attempted Avada Kedavra—and Lawley made yet another pathetic noise as he quickly curled in on himself, this time from fear, rather than pain.

"Please!" his voice was muffled as he held himself in a tight, quivering little ball. "I—I swear! I don't know anything about the relic, it was all a bluff! You—you have to believe me!" Lawley pleaded, looking up at Sebastian imploringly. "I was never planning to go to anybody about anything! My father wouldn't even listen if I tried! Please..."

Sebastian grimaced as he watched the pathetic display, realizing that Imperio hadn't even been necessary on a rodent such as himself. And again, seeing Lawley so absolutely undone and so scared of Sebastian might have normally been satisfying to him.

If only he wasn't so angry, that was.

Sebastian's shoe violently collided with Lawley's face in one strong kick, the resulting noise a mixture of a crack and a crunch as he hit both bone and cartilage, causing not only fresh blood to spray out onto the cool night grass, but a tooth, as well.

Lawley didn't even cry out as he once again fell to the ground. The only sounds out of him were stuttering gasps and wet gurgles as he held his freshly bloodied face as though he were trying to keep it intact, his nose once again broken as it poured all over him, along with his lip, no doubt split once more.

"I know you don't have anything on me," Sebastian practically snarled, reaching down to grab fistfuls of Lawley's now blood-soaked collar to forcefully pull him up, slamming him against the wall with his forearm. "But you were right, as it so happens. Because that relic is something Dark, and I'm sure the Aurors would love to hear all about it. Just as there are things that I've done which you could also certainly go to them about."

Sebastian dug his wand into Lawley's bobbing neck then, not caring that blood was dribbling not only onto his forearm, but onto his wand, as well. He was simply delighting in the way it made Lawley tremble, and the way it made him squeak.

"And I'd be more than willing to provide you with the proof that you'd need, right now." Sebastian continued darkly, pressing his forearm further into Lawley's throat until he heard him stop breathing. "Proof of what, exactly, I'm capable of."

"—No," Lawley managed to choke out, attempting to shake his head and failing, due to the unrelenting pressure of Sebastian's forearm and the tip of his wand still pressing into his throat. "I—I believe you...I won't say anything...I believe you—!"

"Glad to hear it." Sebastian stepped back, releasing Lawley and watching uncaringly as he immediately collapsed onto the grass. "Though if you want me to believe you, there's another matter I'd like your honesty on."

Lawley looked up uncertainly, his mess of a bottom lip quivering as Sebastian crossed his arms and stared him down.

"That bewitched Bludger the day of tryouts—the one that broke my arm," he began casually and conversationally, as though he were asking Lawley about their latest assignment. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Lawley's following swallow was almost comically exaggerated as he gulped, no doubt due to the amount of both saliva and blood that he had to get down. And as he looked up at Sebastian, he was clearly conflicted, and weighing his options. Deciding which would end up better for him—to risk lying, or to tell the truth.

"It—it was," he finally admitted, settling on the truth as he began scooting back on the grass, stopping when he hit the stone wall behind him. "B-but it wasn't actually me! I got another to do it. He's the one who—"

"Hold out your arm."

Lawley stopped, his lip quivering yet again. "...What?"

"Hold out your arm."

Sebastian was patient and understanding as he stared down at Lawley, watching the other boy go over his options as the gears turned within his frazzled mind.

"You can either do this willingly," Sebastian informed him, as if he were explaining the procedure to a child. "Or I'll do it by force."

Lawley's cowardice could have gone either way, after all. Sebastian wouldn't have been surprised to see him voluntarily lay his arm down, nor would he have been surprised to see him attempt to sprint off.

That's why when Lawley sobbed and did inevitably attempt to sprint off, he'd barely made it two steps before Sebastian, much to his own dark amusement, had hit him with the Trip Jinx once again, just as he'd done during recitals for the Yule Ball.

It was fitting, really. The first time Sebastian had cast it was to keep him away from Clora, and now he was casting it due to the fact that he hadn't.

The wind being knocked out of Lawley was audible as he fell heavily onto the grass, and Sebastian didn't waste a moment in stepping forward to plant a foot on his back, keeping him there and taking out his wand to cast a quick Quietus as he did so. And while Sebastian could have cast Silencio to mute Lawley completely, he wanted to hear his upcoming screams.

"I always do strive to give as good as I get," Sebastian informed Lawley with a chilling nonchalance that didn't match what he was about to do, as he lined his foot up with his arm. "I would suggest clenching your teeth."

Before Lawley could ask why—or even see it coming—Sebastian stomped his foot down hard with as much force as he could muster, and the splintering snap that cracked through the air was loud enough that Sebastian hadn't even noticed that Lawley had indeed begun screaming.

He removed his foot then, allowing Lawley to roll onto his back as he held his arm to his chest, his face a picture of pure anguish as it leaked blood and snot and tears.

Sebastian reached down, once again yanking him up, and the action caused Lawley to cry out all over again as the movement jostled his broken arm.

"Stay away from Clora." Sebastian commanded, shoving Lawley violently into the wall once more and causing yet another wave of cries and yelps to shudder out of him in broken sobs. "I don't want you within so much of an arm's reach of her ever again. Are we clear?"

Lawley didn't stop his crying to answer, only nodding rapidly, and so Sebastian jerked him once again as he yelped, harder this time.

"I asked you a question."

"Yes!" Lawley sobbed out hastily, his eyes still squeezed shut as if he were afraid to look at Sebastian from so close up. "I—I won't go near her ever again—not even within an inch! I, I won't even look at her!"

Lawley was still nodding and sputtering out promises even as Sebastian stepped back, and he had planned to leave it at that. But the fresh reminder of what Lawley had done to Clora, and of how close he'd been to her, and of how his lips had stolen hers, made Sebastian unable to stop himself as he smashed his fist into Lawley's face for the second time that night, this time aiming solely at his mouth.

Sebastian had already done damage to Lawley's mouth, once with his wand (which had since been healed by Nurse Blainey) and then with his foot, only moments ago. But Sebastian wanted to do it himself—to erase any lingering sensation of Clora's lips on Lawley's own—with his own bare hands.

Lawley fell to the ground with a thud and a sharp cry as he landed on his broken arm, and Sebastian stepped around him as he began to make his way back inside.

"Be sure to pick your teeth up," Sebastian instructed helpfully as he passed. "Wouldn't want to make Blainey's job fixing you up any harder than it needs to be."

********

As Sebastian left Lawley and made his way back inside, part of him considered simply Obliviating him.

Though he decided against it in the end, for both a selfish reason, and a practical one.

The practical one being that Obliviate was an extremely fickle spell to master, and one that had been known to, on more than one occasion, leave people completely clueless as to who they were, never to regain what had once been lost if cast incorrectly. And it was most likely for that very reason that Clora hadn't opted to simply Obliviate Lawley herself, and attempt to erase whatever he may know of the relic from the very start, due to the fear of what she might do to him.

But Sebastian didn't have such a fear.

The main deciding factor for him, and what made him decide against simply Obliviating Lawley, was that Sebastian wanted him to remember what he'd done. Wanted him to remember his fear, and his promise to stay away from Clora, and wanted him to remember what had happened—and what would happen again—if he didn't.

It didn't take long for Sebastian to return to the Room of Requirement where Clora was still slumbering—pure, sweet, clean Clora. And as he stepped in and took in the sight, he felt all too keenly as though he were some ravenous animal being shown a piece of meat.

Sebastian was buzzing with an electric and restless energy, his heart still pounding and his knuckles still tingling—not to mention bloody—from where he'd punched Lawley. And in what was most likely a mixture of his heightened adrenaline and testosterone, Sebastian was tempted to wake Clora. To crawl right back on top of her, and to rip her right out of both her rest and her nightgown once more in order to take her again, because Sebastian wasn't satiated, as they both knew he wouldn't be.

But Sebastian somehow managed to resist, opting to head back to his common room first instead. The walk not only gave him time to cool down and clear his head, but he needed to go, regardless. He didn't want Clora to see his shirt, freshly bloodied and stained by even more of Lawley's blood as it was, since there'd be no way for him to explain it away in the morning.

Clora didn't need to know what he'd done, nor the extent of it. All she had to do was reap the benefits, and be assured that Lawley would never go near her ever again, or cause any sort of problem for her.

As Sebastian crept inside to his dorms and shoved his bloodied button-up under his bed and changed into a fresh one, he also took the opportunity to grab his nightclothes, bringing those back with him to change into, as well. Though not before he'd also washed the blood off of his hands, not wanting to risk any traces of that being left in her own personal sink, either.

Sebastian opted only to take the trousers of his nightclothes, however, since he already tended to run a hot body temperature, and he wanted to be able to fully enjoy the feeling of Clora in his arms, skin against skin.

And enjoy it, he did. Slipping back into the Room of Requirement and into bed, Sebastian gathered her into his arms once more, lulled to sleep by the sounds of her soft, steady breaths right next to his own.

********

The sound of a soothing and repeating thumping noise gently lifted Clora from her slumber.

She heard—and felt—the sound before she fully realized what it was, though after lying still for a few more moments and taking in more of her surroundings, such as the warmth of another person, and the rising and falling of the chest beneath her, Clora realized it was the sound of a heartbeat.

And not just any heartbeat, but Sebastian's heartbeat.

Clora continued to lie there as she listened, realizing it was the third time she'd been woken up by Sebastian and one of his rhythmic, repeating noises. But out of them all, the one she was currently listening to was her favourite by far.

She almost fell back asleep as she counted the beats, as the noise alone was not only comforting, but so was what it brought with it—the knowledge that Sebastian was there, sleeping under her, tucking her against his chest as his arm draped over her and held her there, while her own arm and hand splayed against him.

Clora finally cracked her eyes open, feeling as though she were in a dream. Not only was she sleeping against Sebastian, after all, but as she opened her eyes and was met with the sight of her left hand resting on his chest, she once again had no choice but to look at the ring he'd put on her.

Her engagement ring.

Clora sat up slowly, wincing only slightly when she felt a sudden pang of pain between her legs. And between that and remembering what had happened just last night, she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep once again, and so she held herself up on her elbow, turning slightly to look down at Sebastian as he slept.

He looked as peaceful as she'd ever seen him, with his mouth slightly open and his chest rising and falling along with his slow, deep breaths. The arm that hadn't been draped around her was extended and hanging off of the bed as he snored softly, his hair falling out of its usual style as stray hairs either stuck up or fell down in his face.

Clora almost laughed at how cute the sight was, and she brought herself down carefully. She didn't want to wake him, but she also couldn't contain her sudden surge of affection at the sight, and so she placed a soft kiss on his lips as she laid back down, wrapping her arms snugly around him.

In response, Sebastian's arm that had been previously draped loosely around Clora tightened as he pulled her against him more firmly, and a sleepy rumble reverberated through his chest and his throat as he did so.

"Waking the sleeping princess with a kiss is supposed to be my job," Sebastian complained lazily, cracking open one of his eyes to smirk at her, while he wrapped his other arm around her to join the first.

"If you want to do that, then you'll need to wake up earlier than said princess," Clora teased, dipping down once again to place another kiss on his curved lips.

She rested her head on his chest again, staring at her hand while Sebastian traced lazy circles on her bare shoulder. "I almost can't believe it," she murmured in awe, splaying her fingers. "Last night feels like it was a dream."

Sebastian chuckled. "For me, too. Though in my case, that's because I have dreamt about that moment almost every night," he revealed easily, shifting them so that Clora was no longer on his chest and they faced each other instead. "And I'm pleased to say that the reality of it was better than anything I'd ever imagined."

Clora flattened her mouth as she blushed, remaining quiet as she watched Sebastian reach towards her and play with her hair, moving on to drag his long fingers down the skin of her arms, and then back up.

For Clora, last night really had been a dream, in more ways than one. Not only because of the night she and Sebastian had shared together, but because Clora was now out of her nightmare with Lawley. And even if the situation wasn't fully dealt with, she was at least comforted in knowing that Sebastian was aware of it now, too, and that she would no longer have to suffer through it alone.

But Lawley wasn't completely out of the picture, and the turmoil Clora still felt must have been clear on her face, because Sebastian brought his hand up to cup her cheek as his eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it?" he asked softly, searching her face uncertainly. "You don't regret what we did, do you? If I was too rough, Clora, then I—"

"No—that's not it," Clora reassured hastily, shaking her head as she quickly grasped Sebastian's hand that held her face. "I have no regrets about you, Sebastian. I never will. It's...It's not that."

Clora saw Sebastian's whole body relax as he nodded. "Then what?"

"Lawley," she admitted, almost reluctant to even say his name and spoil their moment, along with the private sanctity of their secret room. "We still have to deal with that reality. And after last night, he could have already gone to Black, or any of the Aurors by now."

"Don't worry. He won't." Sebastian's voice was soothing and gentle as he reassured her, though Clora didn't miss the slight dark edge to it.

"How can you be so sure?" she insisted, peeling his hand off her face as she lifted herself up on her elbow to look at him. "He knows about the relic, Sebastian. And after what you did to him—"

"As I said last night, if he only overheard us speaking about the relic, then he doesn't truly know anything about it," Sebastian countered, choosing his words carefully, lest he slip up and mention something that he only learned thanks to his extra conversation with Lawley. "He was bluffing, plain and simple. And if it comes down to words against words, you're forgetting we also have a rather influential family on our side to combat his, thanks to Ominis."

That wasn't completely true, but Sebastian said it anyway. Getting Ominis' family on their side would require letting Ominis know that they had the Dark relic, after all. And even then, while the Gaunt name went far when it came to threats and getting what they wanted, actually getting any Gaunts who weren't Ominis to support them was another thing entirely.

Still, it was better than nothing, especially if it reassured Clora. After all, Sebastian wasn't exactly planning on telling her that the true reason she needn't worry was because he'd learned for a fact that Lawley was lying, and that his father apparently didn't even pay him any mind, and all it had taken to learn as much was casting Imperio on him and kicking his teeth in.

Clora nodded as she settled back down, lying on her side once more as she stared intently at nothing, and Sebastian could tell she still wasn't fully convinced as he dragged his fingers along her soft skin.

"I promise you, don't worry about Lawley. Whatever happens, I'll handle it," Sebastian murmured, trailing his hand along her arm until he reached her soft little hands, and then he threaded his fingers through them. "Don't even think about him, Clora. Don't give him the privilege of occupying your thoughts any longer than he already has."

"Well...what about the relic?" Clora pressed on, apparently determined to go from one problem to the next as she brought her eyes out of her focused daze to meet his own. "There's no way we can ever use it again, Sebastian. Not after what happened with Lawley."

"Nothing happened with Lawley, and nothing will," Sebastian countered immediately, his voice low. "And if something like this ever does happen again, then I'll deal with it then, too."

Clora pulled her hand out of his. "I don't want you to have to deal with it, Sebastian. I don't want it to happen to begin with. Even if it's for emergencies, that relic..." she shook her head, conflicted. "I just want to be done with it, once and for all. Please." She reached out for his hand again then, holding it firmly. "For me."

Sebastian worked his jaw as he looked from their entwined hands, then to her face. And unfortunately for Clora, seeing her and feeling her and hearing her words only reaffirmed his own beliefs.

"Keeping that relic is for you," he argued softly, his voice both gentle yet unwaveringly steadfast.

"I know," Clora sighed, dropping back onto the pillow as she continued to stare at their hands. "I know, but..."

Sebastian wasn't going to budge on the matter, and he knew Clora wouldn't, either. At least not right now. And right now, he didn't want to think about that, or argue with her, or do much of anything else besides simply lie with her, and enjoy her warmth.

And so, to distract Clora from what happened with Lawley yesterday, Sebastian instead reminded her of another thing that had happened yesterday as he raised their entwined fingers between their faces with a slight smile.

The silver engagement ring shone in the artificial morning light as Sebastian twisted and rotated their hands with a self-satisfied smile, and Clora's signature expression of pursing her lips and blushing was, thankfully, back once more.

"What should we do about it?" she asked quietly as they both stared at it, and Sebastian's gaze immediately shot up to look at her in accusation.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you're thinking of taking it off."

"No!" Clora rebutted immediately, and Sebastian felt himself relax once more. "I'm just wondering what I should say if people notice."

"The truth. That you and I are now engaged," he supplied easily, looking to the ring in satisfaction. "And with this, hopefully I won't have to worry about quite as many fellows trying to steal you away from me."

Clora huffed, attempting to yank her hand out of his grasp in protest, though Sebastian held firm.

"You already don't have to worry about that, even if I didn't have this," she grumbled, and when Sebastian continued to look rather unconvinced, Clora turned to him more fully. "Which reminds me. I have no problem telling any suitors no, Sebastian. You don't know how badly I wanted to be able to reject Lawley's advances, and I would have, if I'd been able to. I love you, and I'm completely devoted to you."

Sebastian smiled, using their entwined hands to pull her closer to him.

"I know," he reassured her as he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, hoping to smooth out that crease between her eyebrows. "But that ring will prove it to any who don't know, along with easing my worries on the matter." Sebastian paused, before adding, "Well—easing them somewhat."

Clora exhaled a laugh, looking at both him and the ring with affection. "I will wear it, don't worry. I wouldn't dream of taking it off. But..." she hesitated, spurred on by the curious raise of Sebastian's eyebrow when she faltered. "I've written about you in the owls to my parents before, but never that I was...romantically involved. With you, or anybody else. So if they somehow hear that I'm suddenly engaged..."

Sebastian sobered immediately, his eyebrows low and serious as he propped himself up on his elbow to stare down at her. "Even if they do hear, that's fine by me. I am taking this seriously, Clora, I swear it." His voice was resolute as he took her hand once more. "And I swear I plan to propose to you again—properly—with a real ring next time. Along with asking your father's permission, whenever I get the chance."

"...And if he says no?"

The sudden shift in Sebastian's expression said it all, and Clora couldn't help the burst of laughter that escaped her.

"Let me guess," she tried, once the brunt of her laughter had died down. "You'd understand, but you wouldn't agree?"

Sebastian grinned as he scooped her into his arms. "I said I'd ask permission. Not that I'd accept his verdict."

Clora laughed again as Sebastian rolled on top of her, kissing her neck as she continued. "Well, good," she admitted, smiling up at him once he'd stopped to hover over her and look down at her. "Because I'm honestly not sure you'd get it. My dad can be...overprotective of me."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows in both appraisal and understanding. "Well, seems we already have something in common, then. I'm sure we'd get along just fine."

Clora smiled, though it was clearly unconvinced, and so Sebastian exhaled a laugh through his nose as he shifted off of her to search her face.

"You're the only daughter, right?"

"Their only child, period," Clora clarified with a nod. "And I suppose the combination of being their only daughter and a Squib made my dad quite protective of me."

Sebastian hummed in agreement as he listened, realizing rather belatedly that he was sympathizing much too strongly with her father, which didn't exactly help his own case.

"But even if I couldn't do magic, they never made me feel any lesser, or tried to shut me off from the Wizarding World. My dad would always say: just because you can't do, doesn't mean you shouldn't know."

Clora had opted to lower her voice in what was apparently an impression of her dad, and Sebastian chuckled as he brought her closer. "He sounds smart."

"He is," Clora beamed proudly, and now Sebastian found himself jealous of her own father. "He's a Muggle professor, actually. He used to work in the Ministry, where he met my mother. But when it became clear that I was a Squib and would need to go to Muggle schools, my dad decided to go through the process with me," she revealed, smiling fondly at the memories as she spoke. "And through all of that, they still encouraged my learning about magic, as well."

"...He certainly loves you a lot. Not as much as I do, but I'll admit he's close," Sebastian acquiesced playfully, though he couldn't keep the bit of uncertainty he was feeling out of his voice. "And I also admit that hearing all of this makes me slightly nervous."

"Nervous?" Clora smirked, raising her eyebrows in both curiosity and teasing, surprised that Sebastian would ever admit to such a thing. "Why?"

"Why?" Sebastian repeated in a scoff as he looked at her, as though it should be obvious. "Because if I were your father, I wouldn't want to hand you over to someone like me, either."

Clora laughed again, leaning in to kiss him. "It'll be fine. For as stern and overprotective as he can be, my dad has quite a good sense of humour, you know. I'm sure he'd love you."

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not exactly convinced," Sebastian shook his head, before giving her a knowing look. "Especially considering I—and what I did last night—is likely what he'd want to protect you from the most."

Clora immediately flushed, and Sebastian rolled them yet again so that he was on top of her once more. "And, speaking of what I did to you last night..." he murmured, wasting no time in kissing her neck and sliding his hands beneath her gown.

"Aren't you satisfied?" Clora exhaled a breathy laugh of disbelief as he explored her eagerly—as eagerly as though he'd never done so before. "At least for now?"

"I hope you're joking," Sebastian remarked flatly in his disbelief. "It's all I can think about, especially now that I've had it. Had you."

Clora bit her lip as her body ached for Sebastian—and because of him—in more ways than one.

And it was because of that other one that she unfortunately had to stop him.

"Wait," Clora breathed, putting her hands against his chest as she looked up at him. "I...can't. Not right now."

"Can't?" Sebastian stared at her, the confusion clear on his face at her choice of words. "What's the matter?"

Clora grimaced, the heat rising back to her cheeks in full force. She'd realized her situation as soon as she'd woken up, of course. Though she hadn't expected that she'd have to put it into words, let alone tell Sebastian about it.

"...You should know..." was all Clora mumbled for her accusatory explanation, looking at his chest in embarrassment rather than up at his face. "Since it's your fault."

She was right. Sebastian should have known, and he wasn't sure how the possibility had slipped his mind until that very moment, as he suddenly realized what she meant.

She was sore.

And at the realization, Sebastian couldn't help the way a slight grin slowly but surely began to slip onto his face, despite how hard he tried to stamp it down. And Clora clearly noticed, because her face became even more indignant in contrast—and a lot redder—as she shoved at him.

"Sorry," Sebastian lied as he ducked down to kiss her, and he was certain she could still feel the smile on his mouth, and hear it in his voice.

It was yet another thing that was unfair to Clora, really. Not only that she could get hurt in the process of giving herself to him, but that she would also hurt the next day, no matter how careful he'd been.

Though while it was unfair, Sebastian couldn't deny that it also sent a slight shiver through him. That even after they were done, traces of him still remained on her, in her, lingering the next morning. Clora would be feeling that ache between her legs and inside of her all day—a constant reminder of Sebastian, and what he'd done to her, and how he'd claimed her.

And it was a reminder for him of how soft and fragile and delicate she was, and even though Clora was in pain and sore from his actions last night, the revelation only made Sebastian want to take her all over again, right then and there.

But he didn't, of course, and instead Sebastian simply lifted himself back up to gaze down at Clora's face, his expression loving and affectionate and yet undeniably playful as he asked, "I could take responsibility and kiss it better, if you'd like?"

He'd barely managed to finish his offer before Clora grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.

********

While it was true that Sebastian would have liked to stay behind in the Room of Requirement for a touch longer than Clora in order to satiate himself, he decided against it.

He never really wanted to be apart from Clora regardless, but the feeling was now suddenly stronger than ever. And it's not like he hadn't already done so before, back when she'd been drunk and they'd also spent the night in this room. Back then, Sebastian had had no issue with sending her off to meet him at the doors to the Great Hall the next morning while he'd tended to himself and met her there only minutes later.

But Sebastian wanted to remain by her side the whole time now, and walk with her the entire way. And even remembering that they'd eventually and inevitably need to split up in order to attend their separate classes was enough to darken his mood.

Sebastian had been right in that finally taking Clora for himself hadn't satiated him at all, and it had in fact only confirmed what he'd already suspected it might do: make his feelings even stronger—both his love, and his lust. And while he was certain Clora most likely wouldn't appreciate him saying so, taking her last night truly did make him feel as though she were now properly his.

And knowing that—knowing that Clora was his, completely and utterly, just as he was hers—made Sebastian loathe to separate from her. The feeling was so strong that he had to wonder if most married couples felt this way, and if it was a common obstacle that had to be navigated in relationships. He even found himself wondering how the common fellow left his wife at home for the day, and how he concentrated on doing his job, instead of merely thinking about what Sebastian was desperately wanting to do once again, or wondering when the next time might be.

But again, Sebastian also found himself wondering if most men felt this way, or if he was just a particularly ravenous sort. He thought of Ominis to contrast himself with, and although the two of them didn't exactly speak of things like that, Sebastian also couldn't imagine Ominis' thoughts being quite as debased as Sebastian's own, or his friend being as insatiable as he was.

Though, with a girl as cute as Clora by his side, Sebastian came to the swift and unabashed conclusion that he couldn't be blamed for his insatiable thoughts and feelings, after all.

"Have you forgotten what happened between us last night?" Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle, his voice laced with both overwhelming affection and playful teasing as he watched Clora take her clothes into the washroom and close the door. "I've already seen you completely bare. Every inch, in fact."

The noise of embarrassment she made was audible even through the wood.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I'm quite aware," Clora shot back, clearly flustered, which only made Sebastian's smile grow wider as he changed into his own uniform on the other side.

"By the way, did the room make those for you?" Clora wondered once she'd changed and exited, gesturing to Sebastian's discarded green nightclothes on the floor.

"I had them prepared," he lied, inwardly wondering why the room hadn't, in fact, provided him with any. "Seeing as it made me sleep in my uniform trousers the last time."

Clora hummed as she considered his words, and to distract her, Sebastian draped her scarf (or, technically his scarf) around her neck. "Don't forget this—you'll certainly be needing it."

The room hadn't materialized that specific set of clothing for her, unfortunately, and so Sebastian had been forced to leave Clora momentarily in order to request one of her fellow housemates bring her Slytherin scarf down to him.

"What a mess," Clora moaned, dropping her face into her hands. "Your engagement ring—your marks—I feel like I need to hide and explain things away at every turn. It's not fair."

"You don't need to explain away the ring. And as for the marks, I never said you couldn't make any on me," Sebastian offered, stepping forward to wrap his arms around her waist. "And I'd wear them proudly, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure you would!" Clora countered, her voice muffled as she remained within the comfort of her own hands, and Sebastian snickered at the display. "You parading around your marks from me would only make my spotlight even brighter!"

"Just trying to help," Sebastian offered easily, and Clora finally brought her face out of her hands to look up at him, her expression torn between accusatory and reluctantly affectionate. "Ready to be off?"

And despite her complaining, Clora nodded as she took his offered hand, intertwining her fingers through his as they made their way to the Great Hall.

Clora was at least glad that it was still April, since she could be afforded some benefit of the doubt with her choice of neck accessory, as it could still be a bit nippy, even in the spring. But come hotter weather, she really would need to insist that Sebastian keep his marks to less public locations.

Though as Clora and Sebastian sat across from Anne and Ominis in the Great Hall for breakfast, the scarf would soon be the last thing she had to worry about them noticing.

"Good morning," Anne remarked knowingly despite not having caught sight of the ring yet, her eyes still fixed on the Slytherin scarf as she raised both the corner of her mouth and her eyebrow. "Have a good birthday celebration last night?"

"We did," Sebastian answered easily, suddenly realizing just how hungry he was as he began to pile his plate with food—his body no doubt needing its replenishment of both the energy and nutrients that he'd expended last night. "And, as my dear sister, I'd be more than happy to share each and every detail with you, if you insist on prying."

"Anne," Ominis warned over a bite of toast. "For both of our sakes, please. Just this once, do refrain."

"I don't want to hear it either," Anne defended with a grimace, returning to her own food as she acquiesced. "But, I agree. Teasing my brother on this specific topic may yield more risks than rewards."

Sebastian barked a triumphant laugh, whereas Clora distracted herself from the embarrassment of the situation by quickly reaching forward with a fork to pick out some food for her own plate.

Though as she reached her arms out to hold up both her fork and her plate, she nearly dropped them both as Anne shot forward out of her seat with a sharp gasp.

"Wait—is that—" she sputtered, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head as she looked from the ring, to Sebastian, then back to the ring. "Is that an engagement ring?"

"Shh!" Clora hissed as she quickly looked all about the room. "You don't need to announce it for the entire school to hear!"

"Why not?" Sebastian prompted over a mouthful of the absurdly large egg sandwich he'd made, his casual demeanor contrasting the two girls to a comical degree as they whipped around to look at him.

"Well, I suppose that also explains the scarf," Anne remarked as she sat back down, staring at the ring for a moment longer before shooting Sebastian a look. "You're a loon, you know that? You haven't even met Clora's parents."

"And Clora will never meet ours," Sebastian rebutted easily as he reached across the table for even more food. "I don't see the problem."

"As for me, Sebastian, you have my full support on this matter," Ominis interjected pleasantly, and both Clora and Sebastian turned to look at him in shock.

"Really?" Sebastian ventured, finally putting down his food to stare at his friend in a mixture of pleasant surprise, and disbelief. "I expected to hear that I'm mad and reckless from you most of all, Ominis."

"You are mad and reckless," Ominis agreed easily. "And that's precisely why I'm in support of Clora being at your side to keep you in check—indefinitely."

"Ha-ha," Sebastian droned over a mouthful of food as he resumed his eating. "And here I thought you'd simply wished to support your best friend and his flourishing love."

"Yes, I suppose there's that, too," Ominis smirked, somehow swatting away a crumb Sebastian flicked at him before it had a chance to hit its target.

"Can I see it?" Anne asked as she held her hands out in a gimme motion, and when Clora obliged and brought her left hand forward into both of Anne's, Sebastian looked over, noticeably stilling as he paused in his chewing.

Anne noticed, snickering as she held up Clora's left hand and watched the way Sebastian's eyes followed each of her movements. "What? Scared I might rip it off in defiance of your union?"

Sebastian shrugged, reluctantly resuming his chewing as he pretended to relax. "Wouldn't put it past you."

"I was surprised, not against it," Anne rolled her eyes, focusing on the ring once more. "And it really is pretty, even if it's only temporary. Where did you get it?"

"From Lodgok—the goblin we helped before, back at that Witch's tomb," Clora answered for Sebastian, who was currently unavailable for polite conversation due to the fullness of his mouth.

"Ooh," Anne cooed, side-eyeing and smirking at her brother all over again. "He's been thinking about this for a while, then. Are the two of you at least planning to write to your parents?"

"No! I don't want them to know yet. Not...not until they've at least met Sebastian," Clora pulled her hand back to her side as she shook her head. "If I told them I was promised to somebody they've never even seen in the flesh, I think my dad would come to Hogwarts himself on the next train over."

Sebastian turned to look sharply at Clora then, and Anne laughed in amusement at his startled reaction. "Now that I'd like to see."

"And I'd like to make it clear that I do plan to propose properly, once we're out of school," Sebastian defended, finally pushing away his now-empty plate. "For now, that ring is merely..."

"To keep other boys away? Mark your property?"

"Ah, I knew my dear twin sister would understand," Sebastian dipped his head as he smiled, leaning on his hand to look over at Clora, who was about as embarrassed as he'd expected her to be.

"Don't forget, you're mine as well," she shot back at him when his eyes met hers. "Where's my proof of ownership on you?"

"As I said, you're free to leave your mark on me whenever or wherever you'd please."

"Not like that's even necessary," Anne observed them with a shake of her head and a sigh. "That smitten look my brother gives you is already proof enough of your ownership over him, really."

"Agreed." Ominis chimed in immediately, sounding much too tired all of a sudden. "And I say that as someone who can't even see it."

********

As expected, it wasn't only Anne who noticed the ring.

The average student just passing Clora by didn't take notice, of course, and even if they did see that she happened to be wearing a ring, it was another thing entirely to realize that it was on her left hand, and on her ring finger, and that it was an engagement ring.

But people close to her—such as Leander during Transfigurations, for example—definitely noticed.

Professor Weasley had handed the parchment for the day's lesson to Clora, and when she'd passed it down to the students in her row, Leander, who was sitting next to her, locked onto her hand as she reached over.

"Nice ring," he blurted hastily as soon as he'd noticed, as if unable to help himself.

Clora looked at him, nodding slightly and awkwardly, before turning back to the front. "Thank you. It's...it's from Sebastian."

She still didn't have it in her to say, why, thank you. Sebastian gave it to me, since we're engaged now. But it's not like she needed to, anyway. It was clear enough what she meant, especially when Leander's eyes widened in response.

"Huh," he remarked in a half-laugh, half-scoff as he turned back to his work, shaking his head in disbelief. "I see."

They'd worked in stiff silence after that, and Clora was grateful at least that the lesson plan for the day mainly involved listening and watching and taking notes, rather than pairing off into groups.

"Oh," Professor Weasley remarked, her tone both pleasant and surprised as Clora came to her after class to hand in her work.

Clora looked up to her face at the exclamation, realizing that the professor's eyes were on the ring, and so she quickly brought her hand back, smoothing her skirts and then folding her hands in her lap.

"W-was there anything else?"

Weasley smiled, her eyes slowly drifting back up to meet Clora's as they twinkled in a sort of knowing delight behind her glasses, before shaking her head.

"Nothing at all. Dismissed," she offered easily, taking the collected parchments against her chest and smiling at Clora once more before she turned. "Though—do say hello to Mr. Sallow for me."

And at that, Clora had only nodded rigidly before she'd all but ran out into the hall.

********

As Clora made her way back in from Flying, Sebastian was already standing on the outer edge of the field, waiting for her expectantly.

They had Arithmancy together next, after all, and so he'd wasted no time in making sure he'd be at her class on time to walk there together. Though what Sebastian hadn't been expecting was to see Clora sitting on the sidelines when he'd arrived, not participating in the class to begin with.

"Why weren't you flying?" he asked as soon as Clora had reached his spot on the grass. "You're not still feeling effects from the curse, are you?"

Sebastian's inquiry was apparently a bad one, because Clora's face immediately scrunched up as she grimaced at him, and the weight of her accusatory stare made him feel as though he needed to take a physical step back.

"I'm not still feeling the effects of the curse, no," she clarified, continuing to walk past him as he followed along dumbly. And despite her clipped tone and the way she tried to keep her back straight as she marched on past him, Sebastian noticed the dust of pink on her cheeks. "Just from you."

Sebastian's step faltered for a moment as he processed what she meant.

And when he realized what Clora meant—again—he caught up to her in two long strides, trying to keep the grin out of his voice as he pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry," he lied again. And Clora probably knew, again, because she shook her head and blew out a laugh.

She was still sore, he knew. From him. And so the fact that Clora wasn't currently feeling up to having any sort of hardness pressed between her legs—even if it was only a broom—seemed obvious in hindsight.

"Between the classes I had to sit out on thanks to the curse, and now this," Clora sighed, though her voice was laced with amusement. "I'm surprised Madam Kogawa hasn't outright failed me."

Sebastian huffed a laugh, only half-paying attention to Clora's words as they walked, as he was once again distracted by her, and what they'd done the night before, especially thanks to that reminder that she was still sore from him.

And again , while it was a shame—especially since it meant they couldn't pick up today where they'd left off last night—Sebastian still found himself delighting in it, and feeling rather smug about it, and even more possessive of her as he picked up her left hand and played with the ring on her finger.

"I need to speak with Lawley," Clora said suddenly, and if Sebastian had only been half-paying attention before, she now had his full and undivided attention as he dropped her hand to turn and stare at her.

"Why? I told you this morning—you don't need to worry about him any longer."

"Even still," Clora pressed on, turning slowly to face him. "I want to talk with him. About everything."

Sebastian's eyes darkened as his voice lowered to match. "There's nothing to talk about. I don't want you near him, Clora. Don't give him any more of your time."

Clora was shaking her head before he'd finished. "Sebastian. I'm glad you stepped in, and thank you for that—truly. But after everything he did to me, I need some form of my own closure."

Sebastian crossed his arms, working his jaw as he stared at her face for a long moment, before he finally nodded once.

"Fine," he agreed. "If that's truly what you want."

********

Speaking to Lawley may have been what Clora truly wanted, but it most certainly wasn't what Lawley wanted.

Clora knew he was a coward, and unable to take the same treatment that he inflicted onto others, but she hadn't realized it was to such an extent.

She'd also never been punched in the face before, and while she was certain that it hurt quite a lot—especially with how much Lawley had been bleeding—Clora was still surprised to see the effect that Sebastian's single punch had left on the other boy's entire demeanor.

She'd attempted to speak to him in Beasts class, though every time she so much as went near him, Lawley would go as pale as if he'd seen a phantom, doing everything in his power to separate from Clora—even if it meant abandoning the class completely.

She'd tried again in Potions, too. But considering Sebastian's presence with her in that class, Lawley's attempts at avoiding her were even more extreme. He refused to so much as look at her, and when Clora had walked up to his station, Lawley hadn't even tried to hide the way he quickly looked over at Sebastian, and when she continued to get closer and insist they just talk, Lawley had taken it upon himself to run out the door and leave his potion, mid-brew.

And while the whole ordeal left Clora feeling quite frustrated, Sebastian, meanwhile, was all too amused.

"Guess he'd rather not talk," he shrugged easily as he leaned back in his stool with a smirk. "A shame."

"It is a shame," Clora agreed shortly, and the slight warble of her voice, combined with the way she was blinking rapidly into her potion, made Sebastian immediately still as he looked at her. "I wasn't able to escape from him whenever he wished to speak with me," she sniffed, wiping a quick, angry tear away. "Must be nice."

Sebastian clenched his jaw at the sight, putting his own feelings on the matter aside as he quickly rose from his seat. "I need to use the lavatory," he lied, rounding the table to stand next to Clora before he left, leaning his head around to look at her gently. "I'll be right back."

Clora nodded, her mouth flat and pursed to hide the quivering as Sebastian kissed her on the head, leaving her to be comforted by Ominis as he asked Sharp for permission, and quickly left after Lawley.

It didn't take much effort on Sebastian's part to find him, as most of the students nearby hadn't exactly missed the panicked Slytherin running through the halls. And, Sebastian supposed he hadn't been lying when he'd claimed to be going to the lavatory, because that's exactly where Lawley had crawled away to.

Sebastian was glad to see only Lawley present as he made his way in, though the other boy looked just the opposite, all of the blood draining from his face as he realized he was once again alone with Sebastian.

"I didn't—I did my best. She keeps coming near me!" Lawley insisted, and Sebastian stopped just a few paces from him, crossing his arms. "You saw!"

"I did. Because for whatever reason, Clora wants to speak with filth like you," Sebastian informed sharply, taking a step forward to match. "And you're going to let her."

********

Sebastian had made sure that his involvement in Lawley's sudden change of heart wasn't known.

But, just as he'd requested, the other Slytherin had tentatively approached Clora at the end of Potions, asking what she'd wished to speak about.

Whatever it was, it wasn't exactly a conversation she was willing to have in front of the class, and so she'd told Lawley to meet her near the Beasts classroom.

She'd thought it was fitting, after all. To finally have her closure with him there, where she'd first formally met and interacted with him. Especially when Clora compared his demeanor towards her then, compared to now.

Sebastian had insisted on coming along, and although Clora would have preferred to speak to Lawley alone, she agreed it was for the best. After all, she wouldn't put it past him to gather any of his friends, or to try something underhanded in order to get back at her.

Though while he accompanied her, Sebastian at least agreed to stand behind so that Clora and Lawley could have their privacy, and so that Clora could talk to him one-on-one.

Or at least, attempt to talk to him one-on-one. But it was slightly hard when Lawley's eyes would keep darting behind her, paying more attention to Sebastian and what he was doing, rather than on Clora right in front of him.

"Hurry up—I just want to leave. Get on with it," Lawley insisted, his eyes flicking from Clora's, to behind her once more. "I'm sorry, if that's what you want to hear."

Clora laughed harshly as she shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, am I taking up too much of your time?" she crossed her arms, angrier than she'd ever felt in quite a while. "Because you certainly seemed to have a plethora of it when you followed me around constantly."

"I said I'm sorry," Lawley bit back through his nervously clenched teeth, as though he could force her to accept the words if he only tried hard enough. "What more do you want?"

"Most definitely not your apologies, Lawley." Clora dug through her robes for her wand as she gripped it tightly. "I'd like to duel you."

Her rage only continued to boil over when, despite having her wand pointed directly at him, Lawley still seemed to be more concerned with the other Slytherin keeping watch behind them.

"I can't," he said in a rush, his eyes darting to Sebastian once more. "I don't want to hurt you."

Clora laughed again. "Of course not. You just wanted to blackmail me, and do whatever else you pleased with me," she thrust her wand at him once more, taking a firm step forward until it touched his chest. "Take out your wand, Lawley. We're dueling."

Whether it was from Clora's demands or some sort of look that he and Sebastian exchanged, Lawley finally did bring out his wand, conflicted, looking as though he was ready to run away at any second.

And the sight only infuriated Clora even more.

He'd made her feel so small, and so powerless. And now that she was able to stand on equal grounds with him, and challenge him—he was chickening out.

They both took steps backwards to gain distance for their duel, and with every step back, Clora felt the magic within her begin to build and build, until it felt as though her wand was practically vibrating with it.

Clora waited for Lawley to make the first move, waiting to see what he would do. Waiting to see if he would confirm her suspicions, and waiting to see if he would insult her even further by going easy on her—despite her being one of the best duelists in their year, and certainly a better one than him.

So part of her already knew it was coming when Lawley eventually did fire off that basic bolt of magic—not even a proper spell. And not even properly aimed at her. He'd purposefully aimed it slightly away from Clora, not even hitting the Protego she'd unnecessarily put up.

It was because of all of that—his reluctance, his lack of fear towards her, and his lack of respect for their duel—that when Clora finally thrust out her wand and fired off a spell of her own, she'd unintentionally blasted Lawley with a powerful surge of her ancient magic.

It shot out of her wand with such force that Lawley had gone flying back on impact, and Clora only barely noticed him fly over and into one of the creature pens as the last of the pale blue magic finally dispersed.

Clora stood as she continued to process what she'd just done, and Sebastian ran up to her soon after. And just like during Clora's duel with Leander where he'd gone dreadfully easy on her, Sebastian thankfully had the sense not to congratulate her for winning in that farce of a duel.

"While that probably wasn't the match you wanted," Sebastian began, looking towards the pens where Lawley had been flown back into. "The sight of you sending him flying was worth it, I'd say."

"It was," Clora agreed with a breathless laugh as she lowered her wand. And although she'd wanted a fair and proper duel, the more she thought about it, the more she realized perhaps this was fair.

She hadn't been able to fight back against Lawley, after all, and had just been made to suffer through his actions—just as he'd experienced now, but at her hands.

"Lawley?" Clora called as the two of them approached the holding pens, slightly worried when she hadn't heard him moan, or groan, or even stand up afterwards. "Are you alright?"

"Here's hoping he can't respond," Sebastian remarked, earning a worried look from Clora as she headed towards the pens more urgently now.

The Kneazle pens had been the enclosure just behind him, and should have been where Lawley had landed due to the result of her blast. But as Clora put her hands on the wooden beams and leaned to look amidst the creatures, he was nowhere in sight.

But, amidst all of the Kneazles, there was a single chicken that had most definitely not been there before.

It fluttered and squawked and jumped as the Kneazles swatted at it, and bit it, and ripped chunks of its feathers out, flapping and running around as though it had its head cut off all the while.

And as Sebastian and Clora stared at it, the realization slowly dawned on them.

"Did...did you turn him into a chicken?" Sebastian balked, staring at the helpless animal for a moment longer, before turning to Clora with a loud bark of laughter as he pulled her into a hug. "Leave it to a Ravenclaw to think up such a creatively apt punishment. That's brilliant!"

"I—I didn't mean to!" Clora insisted in slight horror as she watched chicken-Lawley flap all about, the Kneazles unknowingly getting revenge for their plucked whiskers as they tore his feathers out in turn. "Why did my blast of ancient magic do that?"

"I don't know, but I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth," Sebastian remarked, still chuckling. "You may not be able to create spires out of the Earth like Isidora had, but I'd say this is even better."

"Oh, stop," Clora couldn't help but laugh breathlessly at the ridiculousness of the situation. "We have to get him out."

"We don't have to do anything," Sebastian rebutted casually, shrugging when Clora looked at him in disbelief. "I think this new form suits him better than his own."

"While I don't disagree, we can't just leave him there."

"Not forever, sure," Sebastian acquiesced. "But what's a few more minutes?"

Clora laughed, and she couldn't help but agree to that, enjoying the sight of what Lawley had been reduced to because of her.

They also may have left him in there for longer than just a few minutes, and Poppy had even come around at one point, demanding to know what they were doing, and why they were allowing the Kneazles to torture such a defenseless creature.

When they'd informed her that defenseless creature was Lawley, however, Poppy had set aside some time to join them in their watching, cooing at the Kneazles and telling them what a great job they were doing all the while.

It became very clear as time went on that Sebastian was perfectly content to leave Lawley in there until the Kneazles had completely devoured him, and so it was up to Clora to eventually be the one to save Lawley with a quick Levioso, scooping him out of the air and holding him against her chest in his near-featherless chicken form.

And, despite the absurdity of the situation, and how Clora was currently holding Lawley as a chicken, Sebastian still had the presence of mind to realize that it was still Lawley in there, regardless, and that it was still Lawley that was being cradled by Clora, and held against the softness of her chest.

Sebastian wasn't sure if Lawley was even aware of the sensation in his chicken form, but he'd still ripped him out of Clora's arms anyway, holding him at his side by the wing and letting him dangle as they made their way to the Hospital Wing, Lawley clucking and flapping all the while.

"You! Again!" Nurse Blainey practically screeched once they'd brought him in and she'd reverted him back to normal. "Stop getting into fights, young man!"

Lawley, as expected, was rather disoriented after having turned back into a human from being a chicken, and doubly so as he no doubt felt a breeze that wasn't there before. He reached up slowly with a quivering hand, feeling at his head, and he yelped when he was met with several bald patches where his hair used to be.

"Y-you! Nurse! Fix this!" Lawley demanded frantically, turning to Nurse Blainey as he clutched at his head in horror. "I can't—I can't be seen like this!"

"Sorry, I'm just a nurse," Blainey shot back, crossing her arms and trying not to laugh even as Sebastian and Clora did so in the background. "I heal injuries, not bald spots. You'll just have to get that sorted on your own."

"I have an excellent grade in Potions," Clora supplied brightly and helpfully as Sebastian snickered beside her, alerting Lawley to their presence as he whipped to look at her. "I'm sure I could help you brew something to deal with that."

It was quite clear Lawley did not want Clora's help, however. Nor did he want to be anywhere near her any longer, and so he opted to quickly yank the hood of his robes up instead, dashing out of the room and leaving them to their barely contained laughter as he did so.

********

Sebastian and Clora sat side-by-side on the long couch in the Room of Requirement, poring over their homework intently.

At least, Clora was. Sebastian had given up a long while ago as he slumped back, bouncing his leg every now and then as he watched her diligently sweep her hair over her shoulder, or behind her ear, or as she brushed the feather of her quill against her lips and began to write once again.

It had been nine days since Sebastian and Clora's first time together—and yes, Sebastian had been counting. And it was eight days too long, if you asked him, and plenty of time for Clora to recover from any soreness she'd been feeling. Which had been proven to Sebastian already, considering the way she had once again began flying on her broom in Flying class with seemingly no issues.

Because after their first time, Sebastian (mistakenly) believed that the dam had successfully been burst. That he would be able to take her, and fall asleep with Clora in his arms every single night, like the not-so married couple they were.

But after having his dream come true in the form of that first night with her, Sebastian must have let his fantasies muddle reality. Because looking back, he wasn't sure what he'd been thinking. They both still had their common rooms to return to, after all, and couldn't simply sleep in the Room of Requirement together every single night.

Sebastian didn't mind, but the rumours that would no doubt spread due to the both of them constantly being out of their beds at night was something Clora certainly wouldn't want to deal with, and something that Sebastian also wouldn't want to put her through.

And it had been hard enough finding spots to snog Clora, let alone finding a time and a place to bed her. Because while they had their bedroom of Requirement that they could sneak off to whenever they pleased, Sebastian knew Clora, and that he wouldn't simply be able to proposition her. It had to be natural, and come about organically, and that was hard to accomplish when they were in classes all day, and then at dinner, and then back to her common room.

So as Sebastian currently sat with her, watching her do her homework as he barely pretended to do his own, he was nearly at his limit. He'd gone months without having Clora once, but now that he had, apparently Sebastian couldn't last even a week without her.

It was rare for the two of them to be in the original Room of Requirement alone, without either Anne nor Ominis. And although it wasn't their bedroom of Requirement, it was private all the same. And just being in a quiet environment with Clora, presently alone, was enough to spur both his mind and his over-eager body into action.

Sebastian sat forward, snaking a tentative hand on her thigh, and he watched the side of Clora's face for a reaction as she immediately stilled. She stopped working, but she didn't stop him, and so he continued on, dragging her skirt up slightly, glad to see that she was wearing knee high stockings instead of pantyhose, meaning Sebastian's hand was able to immediately glide across the bare skin of her upper thighs.

"Sebastian..." Clora breathed softly, forgetting her work entirely as she turned slightly to watch his movements, her face already hot.

"You're driving me mad, Clora," Sebastian told her just as softly, though his voice was decidedly thicker than hers as he continued to lean closer to her. "Has this not crossed your mind at all this past week?"

He heard Clora swallow as he continued to trail his hungry fingers up her thigh, though he didn't go any further just yet. "Because it's all that's been on mine," he admitted easily and without shame—only want, and longing. "How, and when I'd be able to take you again."

Clora let out an uneven exhale as she turned to face Sebastian, her cheeks pink as her hand rested softly on his own, before moving up to grab his forearm. "I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it, but...we can't. Not here," she argued weakly, though she didn't let go of his arm. "Anne or Ominis might come in. We can't go too far—"

Sebastian leaned forward, pressing his lips into hers as he brought his other arm to reach for her. "Then you decide how far to take it," he decided, leaning back so that he could firmly grip both of her thighs and pull her on top of him.

With Clora's new position on Sebastian—and on him—he was certain she felt just how much he already wanted her so desperately, and her breath caught as she settled over him and straddled him. He took greedy handfuls of her soft flesh as he pressed her more firmly down onto him, his own breath catching as his head fell back onto the couch, both in relief and pleasure at finally feeling Clora and her warmth against his throbbing desire once more, even if it was through clothing.

Clora also couldn't resist circling her hips slightly as she felt him so hard against her, gripping his shoulders and closing her eyes as she bit her lip, and when Sebastian continued to grasp her thighs and moved up under her shirt, she yelped and lifted herself away.

"I thought I was deciding how far to take things," she reminded him quickly, and Sebastian raised his eyebrows and suppressed a smile as he obediently brought his hands back away from her, letting them fall to his side. "...Don't touch me yet."

"You're in charge," Sebastian relented easily in agreement. He hadn't actually expected Clora to take his prompting so seriously, but he also couldn't say he disliked it—especially when he was the one who was usually in control, and the sight of her above him wasn't an unwelcome one.

"I don't feel very in charge," Clora accused lightly as she looked down at him, taking in the way Sebastian was tilting his head and smirking up in languid amusement as he observed her actions. "Not when you look at me like that."

But Clora still pressed on, leaning forward slowly and kissing Sebastian even through his soft exhales of laughter. He was usually an overwhelming force she had to brace herself against, whether it be due to his strong hugs or his hard body against hers, or his lips pressing so forcefully into hers. So it felt strange to have him so obediently still, only reciprocating her lip movements as she gently moved her mouth over his own, not allowing him to deepen the kiss despite his clear attempts.

She moved down to his jaw, dragging her lips there, and then down to his neck, kissing and licking. And when Sebastian's breathing started to pick up and become noticeably ragged next to her ear, Clora was finally starting to feel in control. She moved to the other side of his jaw, gliding her nose slowly across the hard edge of it while her hands slowly moved up his chest, and her body slid against him to match.

"Clora..." Sebastian pleaded, his hands twitching at his sides, desperate to grab onto her—desperate to do something.

She moved even further down his neck, pulling Sebastian's collar aside so that she could reach the nook between his neck and shoulder. And then, she did something that was long overdue: she clamped her mouth over his freckled flesh, and began making a mark of her own.

It was low enough that it would be covered by his clothing regardless, no matter how much Sebastian may try to show it off, and his breath shook as he realized what she was doing.

"There," Clora smiled as she pulled away, wiping her mouth as she observed her handiwork. "I give as good as I get."

Sebastian didn't register the familiar quip as he stared up at her, drunk in his lust, both his hands and his throbbing length twitching in desire to take her. And he was suddenly regretting letting Clora take charge after all, because Sebastian already had next to no self-control, let alone when he was letting her do whatever she wished with him.

Clora was enjoying it, though—perhaps a little too much. Because as she looked down at Sebastian, with his chest heaving and his eyes half closed and dazed as he stared helplessly and hungrily up at her, unable to do anything about it, her heart skipped just at the sight.

The sight of how undone she could make him with her actions and her teasing, and how desperate he was. And unfortunately for Sebastian, who'd always been unable to tease Clora for very long due to his own desires getting in the way, she had more self-control than he did.

Clora leaned forward, once again kissing his neck as she braced herself against his chest, beginning to rock slightly in his lap, and against his impossibly hard groin. Sebastian groaned in response as he dropped his head back on the couch, which only gave Clora further access to his neck as she continued to kiss and breathe and moan against it.

Sebastian was making a variety of his own strangled noises that were a mixture of Clora's name, and curses, and pleas as his hips tried not to move in response to her tantalizing movements, and his hands gripped the couch tightly in order to keep himself from grabbing her instead.

"Clora, I'm begging you..." Sebastian groaned pathetically, because what she was doing wasn't teasing—it was torture. And as she smiled down at him like an angel, with her golden hair and her face rosy and flushed, Sebastian had to groan again, because how could something so sweet and innocent and pure be so cruel.

The hands that were on his chest began to slide down his body, further and further, and Sebastian stopped breathing as her hand hovered over where he was currently painfully confined within his trousers. And when she finally laid her hand on it, Sebastian grunted and flinched slightly.

"Sorry," Clora squeaked, lifting her hand up and looking at his face uncertainly. "Did that hurt?"

"Merlin, no." Sebastian denied instantly in a near-moan, both his face and voice seeming almost pained from his yearning. "Not being touched by you is what hurts."

"Can you..." she began again, staring down at him hesitantly. "...I don't want to do it wrong."

Sebastian needed no further encouragement as he assisted her in taking himself out of his trousers, gripping himself hard since he couldn't grip her.

But Clora moved his hand away, and Sebastian let her, especially once she shifted to the side, and began rolling down her underwear.

He forgot to breathe as he watched, wondering if seeing her slowly strip on top of him was better than when he'd undressed her himself.

Now that they were both exposed where it mattered, Clora leaned back into him, kissing Sebastian softly and trailing her lips against his neck and jaw once more. And then she scooted forward even further, and Sebastian couldn't help but thrust his hips slightly in response when he felt her slicked folds slide against his solid length.

Clora was no longer kissing him, merely gripping his shoulders and breathing heatedly into his mouth as Sebastian stared up at her in a daze, feeling her slide and rub up and down against him, coating him. She collapsed on top of him as she continued, her forehead in the crook of Sebastian's neck as her breathing picked up to match her sliding movements against him, and Sebastian moaned and twitched in response as he was forced to only listen to her ragged breathing, wanting so desperately to grab her and flip her over and bury himself inside of her.

But instead he was nearly choking and rasping out pathetic breaths as Clora pleasured herself on top of him, her movements still too slow for him—just enough to tease him but not enough to give him any real satisfaction.

"Clora, please—" Sebastian rasped, his grip on the couch almost painful now. "I can't..."

Maybe it was because she was at her limit too, or maybe it was because she simply decided to take mercy on his sorry state. Either way, Clora finally brought herself back up, and Sebastian watched her in a mixture of desperation and hunger as she finally looked down at his erect desire, as if she were seeing it for the first time.

Because now that Clora would be the one doing it, and she would be the one easing it inside of herself, she doubted all over again if it would actually be able to fit.

She held onto Sebastian's shoulder with one hand to steady herself, while the other lifted her skirt as she raised herself on top of him, the both of them staring with bated breath and sucking in slightly when Sebastian's tip nestled right at her entrance.

Clora bit her lip nervously as she prepared to lower herself down onto him, because unlike last time, Sebastian wasn't distracting her. In fact, they were both all too aware as they both looked down at where they were about to be joined. Clora, in slight hesitation as she prepared and braced herself, and Sebastian, in heady and lust-dazed yearning.

Clora began to lower herself, slowly, and when only just Sebastian's tip had finally entered her, he groaned once again, unable to help the upwards jerk of his hips as his body begged to take more of her.

"Don't thrust," Clora gasped as she came to a quick stop, pulling herself back up and away.

"It's—impossible not to..." Sebastian heaved through his ragged breaths, though when Clora threatened to get off, he somehow managed to wrangle his body into obedience as he dropped his head back onto the couch and squeezed his eyes shut, and then squeezed the couch even harder.

Clora brought herself back down, re-enveloping just his tip once more. And when she tried to get more of Sebastian inside of her, she once again found that her body gave him no purchase.

And so, to prepare herself, Clora brought her fingers down to where Sebastian was just outside of her, rubbing that bundle of nerves at the top in little circles as she clutched at his chest and readied herself, moaning and gasping all the while.

"Clora..." Sebastian pleaded—nearly whined—as he watched her touch herself through his haze, eagerly wanting to help. Though as Clora's tightness and warmth slowly but surely began to accept him once more, and successfully surrendered to Sebastian's pulsing length and granted him more and more access inside of her, he forgot all about that as he groaned and gasped her name again.

He couldn't help it any longer, and he finally brought his hands away from the couch to grip her wide, soft hips, preparing to finally thrust himself up.

Preparing to pull Clora tightly against his chest as he plunged himself fully into her, making sure she swallowed him whole as he grabbed her backside and held her fast and firm amidst his frantic movements. And when that wouldn't be enough for him, Sebastian would roll them over on the couch so that he was on top of her once more, and Clora wouldn't argue. She would be too dazed, and flushed, and heady with her own desire, allowing him to take control once more. And Sebastian would line himself up and drive himself inside of her again in one powerful and quick thrust, and Clora would cry out as he flattened himself on top of her, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him somehow even deeper within her, down into her hottest and tightest depths, which Sebastian knew he would explode into and fill all too quickly after being teased by her the way he had been.

Except none of that happened. Because as Clora finally began to ease him in past the tip and Sebastian squeezed her hips, the two of them heard a very telltale noise.

The noise of the door to the Room of Requirement beginning to materialize, signalling the entrance of another.

The two of them stared at each other for only a moment, before they both began to scramble. Clora jumped off of Sebastian immediately, quickly putting on her discarded undergarments as Sebastian groaned in despair, attempting to wrangle himself back into his pants.

And even though he'd managed, he still wasn't exactly presentable, and so Sebastian quickly grabbed one of the heavy textbooks, placing it over his lap.

It was a good thing, too. Because unlike if it were Ominis, who would have been oblivious to Sebastian's state regardless, the one who finally came barging in was Anne, looking frantic as she waved a piece of parchment in her hand.

"Uhh, Uncle Solomon wants to have dinner!" she announced, half in announcement and half in disbelief as she looked from the paper, to the two of them. Though as she settled on the latter for a moment longer, she paused. "...What were you doing?"

"Studying," Clora and Sebastian both replied at once.

Their answers may have lined up, but the hurried way they'd said it in unison didn't exactly do much to ease the narrowing of Anne's eyes.

"So, your uncle wants to have dinner with you and Sebastian?" Clora quickly moved on, hoping to distract Anne as she brushed past their strange behaviour. "That sounds nice."

"Not with me and Sebastian," Anne shook her head, holding up the parchment and tapping at it incessantly. "With you and Sebastian. Tonight."

At that, and at learning that's why they'd been interrupted, Sebastian only groaned once again as he let his head fall heavily onto the couch for the final time.

"Our uncle really does hate me."

********

"Should I take off the ring?" Clora asked nervously as the two approached Solomon's house, fiddling with it as she twisted it around her finger.

"Of course not," Sebastian denied immediately. "We have nothing to hide."

Clora hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave him a reluctant nod, following Sebastian's lead as they knocked on the door.

Solomon greeted them amicably enough—for him. Gruff and to the point, and slightly distracted due to the food he still had roasting and bubbling over the fire.

"Can we help with anything?" Clora ventured politely as Sebastian took her robe, hanging both of theirs up on the nearby coat rack. "Preparing the food? Or setting the table?"

Solomon didn't even look at her as he grunted and shook his head no, waving her off. "Just sit. I'm taking it off the fire now."

Clora nodded, sitting in the seat Sebastian pulled out for her as he took his own beside her, his face dour and grim and looking as though he were headed to war, rather than a dinner table.

Clearly he expected the worst from Solomon's invitation, not truly expecting that his uncle had invited them over for a mere chat, or out of the kindness of his heart. But still, despite Sebastian's suspicions, Clora still hoped.

And at first, her hopes did seem to be coming true. As they ate Solomon's meal of roast chicken and vegetables, he asked them only about mundane happenings, such as how Anne was doing in school, and if she and Clora were getting along. And also about Clora's broom, and if she'd been getting any use out of it.

"I have," Clora assured happily. "I've been using it in all of my Flying classes, and even played Quidditch for the first time on it."

Solomon made a genuine noise of satisfaction and surprise as he regarded Clora happily between bites, and she smiled as Sebastian chuckled.

"Though it still wasn't enough for her to outfly me," he added smugly, and Clora turned to look at him with exaggerated displeasure.

"That's hardly fair to the broom, though. I'm sure you would have caught me no matter what I flew on."

Sebastian shrugged and raised his eyebrows as he accepted her assessment with a smirk. "You said it, not me."

Clora attempted to keep pretend-scowling at him, though her pursed lips inevitably gave way to a suppressed smile as she and Sebastian looked at each other.

Though Clora very quickly turned back to her plate, realizing rather belatedly that they were flirting right in front of Solomon, and so she cleared her throat and took a quick bite of food. "This is delicious, by the way. Thank you."

"Enough," Solomon put down his fork, looking past Clora and straight to Sebastian. "Boy, what is that ring? Is it true?"

Clora stilled, staring down at her plate rigidly as Sebastian leaned forward.

"Is what true?" he challenged, any of his earlier amusement gone as he fell back into his more familiar dynamic with his uncle. "That I'm in love with Clora and want to spend the rest of my days with her? Because yes, that is true."

Solomon leaned back in his chair and pushed his plate away from him angrily as he wiped an aggravated hand over his face, his voice a near growl. "Ridiculous. Have you even met with her parents?" he leaned forward, glaring at his nephew. "Her father?"

Before Sebastian could answer, Solomon turned to Clora in the next breath. "And you—do your parents even know of him? This world is going straight to..."

"It doesn't matter," Sebastian cut him off sharply as he stood. "I do plan to get their blessing, but I won't let the lack of it stop me, either."

"What are you saying, boy?" Solomon rose from his seat in his aggression to match Sebastian and meet his stare, which was now level with his own thanks to his recent growth. "That you would elope?"

"If that's what it would take."

Solomon kicked his chair aside as he threw his hands up into the air. "Your father's son, down to the last breath!" he exclaimed angrily, and Clora finally stood as well.

"He is, and I'm glad for it," she managed firmly, grasping her own hand and feeling her ring for support. "Since that's the son I fell in love with."

"You too," Solomon shook his head, his accusing glare now on her. "You would truly run off with this reckless nephew of mine, despite whatever your family may say?"

Clora stayed silent for a long moment before she nodded, and Sebastian reached over to take her hand in comfort.

The gesture either softened Solomon or angered him further—it was hard to tell with the man. But the fight left him regardless as he let out an angry noise, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

"Mad, the both of you," he grunted, shoving the door to his house open as he prepared to head out. "Eat, then take your leave."

********

Anne and Ominis, naturally, had tracked Sebastian and Clora down as soon as they'd returned.

Not only was a dinner with Solomon strange enough, after all, but they'd also all known that the reason the man had truly invited Sebastian and Clora over was to interrogate them.

So when they'd asked how it had gone, neither Anne nor Ominis were surprised by the answer.

"Definitely could have gone better," Clora said with a breathless laugh as she shrugged. "But it also could have gone worse, I suppose."

"That's putting it lightly," Sebastian remarked angrily from the smaller couch over, his arms crossed and his jaw tight as his leg bounced. "If you weren't there, we would have gotten into a physical fight. I'm sure of it."

"Well, then. Seems Clora should attend all of your future family gatherings," Ominis concluded.

"Still, I think it actually went well," Anne offered after going over the story in her head once more, ignoring Sebastian's angry scoff of disbelief. "For Uncle Solomon, that was basically his approval."

Clora smiled awkwardly, if a little disbelievingly. "I hope so...I admit, I wasn't expecting it to go quite like that. I thought Solomon liked me."

"He does like you," Anne insisted, scooting forward and taking Clora's hand on the couch. "How could he not? After everything you've done? If you ask me, I think he's simply getting mad on your behalf," she proposed, looking to her brother before continuing. "Uncle Solomon probably just thinks Sebastian is being reckless, and is dragging you along with his whims. But he'll come around, eventually. He always does."

"I hope so," Clora repeated, squeezing Anne's hand back. "I'd hate to cause a rift in your family."

Anne shook her head. "You could never, Clora," she insisted, her voice uncharacteristically serious. "It's thanks to you that we're still a family to begin with."

********

Sebastian walked Clora back to her common room after they'd all left the Room of Requirement, though as he kissed her and said goodnight to her, he couldn't help but linger, remembering what they'd been doing before they'd been made to go have dinner with Solomon.

"So..." Sebastian leaned forward, dragging his goodnight kiss on for a little longer, and then literally dragging it over to Clora's neck as he continued to murmur against her skin. "How does continuing where we left off back in the Room of Requirement sound?"

Clora kissed Sebastian back, which was a good sign, but then she pulled back all too soon with a smile and a sorry shake of her head. "I can't—I promised that I would study with Samantha tonight. She's convinced that she's going to fail History of Magic," Clora explained quickly, leaning forward to give him one last peck on the lips.

And as Clora disappeared into her common room and gave Sebastian one last wave, she couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face as he watched her go.

********

Despite the situation with Lawley being over and dealt with, it seemed to always be one thing after the next, and Clora still wasn't able to fully relax.

Although the goblins surrounding the area—surrounding the area because of her, and for her—had been a threat for quite some time now, they were getting worse, and it seemed as though they couldn't go a single day without hearing a story of a student who was nearly kidnapped.

Despite Sebastian's insistence that it wasn't her fault, and to not pay it too much mind if she could help it, Clora couldn't help it, because it was her fault. And so whenever those stories cropped up, she would be the first to hear about them, or the first to track down who it had happened to, and ask if they were alright.

The only saving grace had been that nobody had gotten hurt yet, and that nobody had actually successfully been taken yet.

Though as a crowd of students gathered in the hall one day, Clora's greatest fear came true.

"What's going on?" she asked in a rush as she ran up to the crowd, Sebastian following closely behind her.

She was only able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation amidst all of the voices as she approached—keywords that already had Clora's heart racing, such as Ranrok, and goblins, and kidnapped.

Though that didn't compare to what she heard next, as Adelaide Oakes turned to her with wide eyes and a tear-streaked face.

"It's Poppy!" she cried as she continued to wipe fresh streams away. "She's been taken!"

********

A/N: you thought sebastians suffering, blue-balled days were over??? well guess again. YOU FORGET HOW MUCH I LOVE TO TORTURE HIM 🤭 but at least he also got to torture someone ELSE in turn, so we're even

and shout out to roswolo on ao3 for the idea of turning lawley into a chicken, since for some reason, turning your enemy into a chicken IS one of the ancient magic finishers in the game LMAO. WHY???? WHO CARES. and although i always intended for lawley to be tortured by kneazles somehow for payback, shoutout to AtlasPBody on ao3 as well for the ADDED idea of doing it while he's a chicken LMFAO. i love that inflicting torture on lawley was a collaborative, group effort in the comments

i also love how nurse blainey just does NOT care. this boy lawley is back in AGAIN with a busted up face and a broken arm? girls just doing her job and doesnt ask questions LMFAO (and honestly, who wouldnt be glad to see his teeth kicked in)

we're also approaching the last arc of this fic, and i get sad when i think about it ending, i swear to god LOL😭 ill give a warning when we're close to the ending, but we still got a good chunk of chapters to go (at least, i think so. though its hard to say, since my chapters are so long and i fit a bunch of stuff in them. though i also plan to do an epilogue afterwards of clora and seb when they're in their 20's/as curse breakers, so we still got a good bit left. it just FEELS closer to me since the end is actually in sight😭 )

also seb will indeed be meeting cloras dad, and im very excited for it LMAOO. that boy WILL be fighting for his life, i assure you