The List

Chapter 26. Walk the line.

"You are quiet."

Ominis voice was mellow as they both walked out of Beasts class, held outside the Bell Tower Wing. The evening was still sunny but extremely cold, and Sebastian adjusted his scarf. Well, not his.
The red and gold colors were at odds with the Slytherin crest of his uniform, but he didn't care. He had been wearing it for days now. The number "9" was on display on the corner of the scarf, and he traced it with an unheeding motion of his fingers.

"So are you." Sebastian countered, striding up the stone steps until they hit the field of grass where Flying class was currently taking place before the sun went down. "Have you been practicing your Patronus?"

"I have. I spent quite a bit of time down in the Undercroft with Poppy last night, working on it."

"I bet you did."

Sebastian didn't lose the smirk that curled up his mouth after his friend shoved him off, nearly making him stumble. Ominis was a lot stronger than he looked, for sure.

"Not everyone is gifted in charms and spells, Sebastian." The blond sneered with a scowl twisting his elegant features. "The rest of us, common people, need to actually study and go to class to get good marks."

"I wouldn't know." Sebastian retorted as they both crossed the open gate into the Bell Tower Wing, where a small crowd of students were already assembled around the steps. They both headed to the back, dropping their satchels on the floor.

"So..." Ominis said casually. Sebastian already knew what was coming next. "How are things with Everleigh?"

A good question, indeed.

How were things with her? Besides the fact that she hadn't spoke to him for days now, not even when he used his resourcefulness to sit next to her in class, or partner up with her to study.
Sebastian had tried to apologize in multiple occasions. But the words never came out, at least not properly. Instead of fixing the conflict, all he did was adding more fuel to the fire and somehow, he managed to make her angrier than before.

"She's torturing me, so I'd say things are going quite well."

His tone was acidic as he unwrapped the Gryffindor scarf from his neck, folding it before leaving the item on top of his satchel. He continued with loosening his tie and sliding his jacket down his arms. Ominis dropped his weight on the ground, using the wall as backrest and the thick Charms book he was carrying as seating.

"Everleigh torturing you?" His mouth twitched, as if refraining himself from grinning. "That doesn't seem very on character with her. She is like sunshine in a bottle."

"If the bottle came from Hell, sure."

Sebastian hadn't meant to sound so acrimonious but he was annoyed at her. Or maybe he was just angry at himself and Everleigh was just the scapegoat. The truth was that he had behaved like an utter twat on Saturday night. After comforting Adelaide, Sebastian had drank more. A lot more. Multiple glasses and bottles of alcohol had passed through his hands, courtesy of the Ravenclaws.
At some point, the night became a blur and felt more like a fever dream than a reality.

He remembered people talking to him, but the faces were faded and his gaze too unfocused. The walk to his room had felt like a marathon and girls appeared more insistent that night than ever other.
The news about him dating Everleigh had deterred a good portion of the female population. But a lot of them still made the effort, and he found himself attempting to dodge them while doing his best to stay on two feet.

And when he had made it into his room, and saw Everleigh there... well.
Something simply exploded. The magnitude of it, he couldn't remember. He didn't want to remember. It was bad enough he heard it from Everleigh herself. To see the pain in her eyes, no matter how much she had tried to hide it? Gut wrenching.