Secrets of Mr. Sallow

41. The end of a journey

Y/N
Exams were over and the results were due any day now. The masquerade ball was 24 hours away and everyone had stopped caring about exam results and started caring about masquerade ball prep. At 10 AM on Friday morning, you exhaled, waiting patiently just outside the North Exit entrance to the castle.

Halfway through the year, - in between the mess that was Sebastian and Garreth's rivalry - you had started sending letters to a certain brunette girl. You worried at first that she wouldn't reply, but when you got a letter from your owl, her signature at the bottom, you smiled. You and the brunette talked back and forth, and she was hesitant. She wanted to come to the masquerade ball and she wanted to return for graduation, but she expressed her feelings about seeing a certain brunette boy. You assured her that she'd possibly regret not coming back in the future.

So, she agreed to come to the ball. You sorted everything out for her, knowing she was still recovering from her illness. Rookwood's downfall took a lot of stress and pressure off the brunette. Before, she'd have sudden (and often random) bouts of pain that left her without energy. Now, the bouts of pain still occurred, but she was definitely doing better.

As for graduating, you had a mid-afternoon conversation with Professor Weasley a few days before exam week was supposed to start. After a lot of convincing, you left her office with every exam that all 7th year students would have to participate in. You put the exams into a bag and sent that bag to the brunette girl. 2 days later, the bag was brought back by your owl, every exam completed. You took the unopened bag to Professor Weasley and hoped that she'd pass.

You watched as two Thestrals pulled a carriage toward you. The carriage stopped, the brunette girl carefully getting out. You walked over to her.

"Y/N. It's nice to see you again." She smiled, accepting the hug you offered.

"I'm glad you're here, Anne. You look much better than the last time I saw you." You smiled.

"Well, Rookwood's curse might not have completely gone away since his downfall, but it's subsided a little." She nodded.

"You haven't been staying at Feldcroft...have you?" You asked.

"No. Being there...it constantly reminded me of what Sebastian did. I've been staying with some friends of the family." She explained.

"Speaking of Sebastian, he doesn't know you're coming. I wanted him to be surprised. I hope you don't mind?" You looked for Anne's approval.

"I don't mind at all. You and my brother make a cute couple and I'm glad you've brought me back here to surprise him." She smiled briefly.

"By the way, have your results come back yet?" Anne asked, curious.

"People are slowly getting their results back. Professor Weasley told me that despite your situation, your results are looking good. She wants to talk to you this afternoon." You smiled.

"Where will I be staying?" She questioned.

"For tonight, you'll be staying with me in a different part of the castle - I'll explain later. But after the ball tomorrow night, until graduation, you'll be staying in the Slytherin common room. I'm sure some of your friends would be really happy to see you again." You explained as you and Anne made your way toward the castle, her bags having been enchanted to follow on their own.

Luckily for you, Ominis begged Sebastian to stay in the Slytherin dorms, as he feared that if he were left alone to dress himself for the ball, something would go wrong due to his lack of vision. So, knowing that Sebastian would be (reluctantly) staying in his sleeping quarters tonight, it was safe for Anne to stay with you in the Room of Requirement.