The Aftermath // Sebastian Sallow x MC

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦

My mind woke up before my eyes could open: I immediately sensed that feeling of numbness that one can normally feel after sleeping for too many hours, as if my mind was clouded and disoriented. The first thing I felt was something soft under me, something comfortable, and for a moment I let myself be pampered by it. It took me a few seconds to realise I didn't know where I was or who I was with.

I immediately snapped forward, sitting, opening my eyes wide, and they were immediately wounded by a disproportionate amount of light compared to what I had been used to in previous weeks. My body went into emergency mode, stiffening, the tips of my fingers tingling with little blue lightning, while my breath became short, shallow from the agitation.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm here."

A familiar voice resounded from beside me, and I caught someone approaching with the corner of my eye: Sebastian was at my side, standing, hands raised in surrender.

Was it really him, or was it just another trick from those evil, sadistic bastards?

I closed my eyes, doubtful, my fists clenched in lightning; he, motionless, simply raised his index finger. When I looked up, I began to recognise the contours of a place I thought I would never see again. Immediately, the blue lightning disappeared from around my fists, and my mouth opened in admiration.

Above me, a glass dome revealed a white winter sky, which hurt my eyes so much that I had to shelter them with the palm of my hand; going down, high dark walls, gothic arches, emerald green and silver banners. My gaze glanced along the countless bookstores full of tomes, the paintings with pleasant portraits of nature, and descending some more a huge, silver and green decorated Christmas tree: by then, Christmas must have been only a few days away.

Everything was as I had left it. Could it be that, in all those years, nobody had found it? Or that, with my return, the Room of Requirement had returned exactly as I had thought it six years back?

I lowered my eyes until I saw my legs, covered by a soft wool blanket, my hands bandaged: I was lying on a bed. I turned to look at Sebastian, who had now sat beside me over the covers, at a distance: there was no way Flavius and Portius could ever recreate this.

"Sebastian?" I asked, with a thin voice.

He smiled tenderly at me, nodding with a slight move of his head. For a moment, my brain allowed itself the luxury of relaxing, but it didn't last long before I went back into danger mode.

"Ominis and Natsai? Are they okay? Where– "

"Natty is with her mother in her study; Ominis has gone to get some food."

"My aunt? My mother? They know where they are, they followed us, they..."

"They are safe. Garreth took them to a safe place provided by Professor Weasley. They're fine. We're all fine."

I nodded, but I was in such a confusional state that I wasn't quite sure of what I had heard.

"What happened..?"

"I don't know," he replied, sighing, "we heard a bang, and then I found you. You turned into a fox, Elizabeth. I didn't even know you could do it. You freed yourself, and we brought you here."

I stood in silence, looking him straight in the eyes before he could speak again.

"It's over. You're safe now."

Upon hearing his words, I was finally able to catch my breath. I took a hand to my heart, trying to suppress the strong sense of having to cry, but I couldn't. Tears of relief began to rub my cheeks as my hand monitored my accelerating beats, my broken breath.