The Aftermath // Sebastian Sallow x MC

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 - 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝

The Ministry of Magic was one of the worst places to apparate, considering the amount of wizards who also did it at every hour of the day and the chaos that constantly reigned in the Main Hall. If apparating was already tiring and sickening enough for me in general, between the haste and the events that just occurred, added to the noise and the number of wizards and witches who hurriedly walked in every direction, I felt rather disoriented and confused.

If the first thing I saw was the giant fountain adorned with gold statues located in the centre of the Ministry, the second was Ominis, who stood in front of me and took both my arms in his hands: I looked at him, confused, trying to capture anything, any answer or confirmation, in his expression or his movements.

"Listen to me, Elizabeth, we don't have much time. I only have a couple of minutes before I have to go back to my training, and there are some things you need to know," he said in a serious tone, his brows frowned and his voice low.

Still bewildered by the apparition spell, I found myself gasping as I tried to focus on his words.

"I think whoever enchanted your aunt used at least two different spells. One was a false memory spell, designed to alter her memories of magic and of her family to make her and your grandmother think they were Muggles. I was able to recover her true memories and restore them to her mind successfully, I think," he murmured, trying not to be heard by the people passing by without looking too suspicious. Of course, it wasn't every day that someone used the mind-reading spell, but I didn't understand all this secrecy.

"However, the second spell was a regular memory spell, and I think it was used specifically to erase the memories of her older sister, but also about something they discovered, something important", he continued, looking down.

"I tried, really, but I didn't feel comfortable going any further. The human mind is fragile, and she's over sixty. I couldn't risk causing her irreparable harm" he admitted, the saddest expression on his pale face.

I attempted not to express the disappointment that struck me in the face considering the immeasurable effort that my best friend had just made, the humanity and decency of his choice not to harm a person I cared about so much, camouflaging it with a slight smile.

"It's okay, Omi, you did the right thing. I'll find a way, just you wait and see."

"One last thing," he finished, before returning to work, "her last thought was about writing you a letter. I'm sure she'll explain everything to you as soon as possible, but in case she doesn't, just contact me, I'll tell you everything I saw in her mind."

My best friend printed a slight kiss on my forehead and turned away, leaving me with bites of doubt gripping my stomach.

It's okay, I tried to tell myself, again and again; it's okay, you'll get your answers soon, everything will be fine, but now you really have to get back to work.

I tried to pull myself together, and I headed for the Ministry's Floo Point, considering that the very idea of apparating once again caused me a strong feeling of nausea.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

When I came home, a little more than four hours later, the first thing I did was make sure that there was a letter for me around the flat, but there was none. To be honest, I was quite tempted to contact Ominis and make him explain everything to me, but part of me wanted Aunt Martha herself to be able to tell me her own story, whether in person or not.

I swallowed the curiosity that gripped my throat, trying to stay composed. However, in addition to the need for answers, another thought buzzed through my mind.