Chapter Text
The three months away from the castle should have been restful and restorative after the year Raegan had, but in fact they turned out to be anything but.
Raegan had spent most of the time flying around the countryside, practicing spells, and pretending that she wasn't bothered by the absence of an owl at her window every day. Or at least, the absence of the one she had been agonizing over.
Natty, and Poppy, Garreth, and even Ominis had all written at least once a week (Garreth often wrote twice, mainly because he claimed to forget something he meant to say in the previous letter). And she appreciated her closest friends more than words could describe. Yet in the back of her mind, she was waiting for even a single piece of parchment written in Sebastian's cursive scrawl that Raegan eventually accepted would never come.
He had written only once, a few weeks after the end of the term. Raegan was so surprised at the appearance of unfamiliar tawny owl that she'd nearly dropped the mug of coffee she'd been nursing before eagerly ripping open the letter. Her face had quickly fallen, along with her spirits, as she beheld the words messily penned on the yellowed parchment.
Raegan,
I hope your summer has been a peaceful one so far and you've been faring well. You deserve it after all that you endured this past year.
I've been alright, if you were wondering. Normally, summertime in Feldcroft is a lot livelier. Anne, Ominis, and I would go swimming off the coast, have bonfires and toast mallows, race our brooms over the rolling hills… and now, it’s just me. And I fear that those summers are long gone.
Ominis stopped by the other day. He's decided to stay with his older sister. Claims he needs some time to process it all...not that I blame him, but I just never imagined he would choose the company of the blood he so despises over the family he chose years ago. And he isn’t the only one giving me the cold shoulder.
Anne hasn't spoken to me or come home since everything happened. She left me a note, saying she needed time. I can only sit here in the suffocating silence of the cottage and wonder where she may be and if she's even still alive. Honestly, I may be going a bit bonkers. I just wish she were here so we could figure this whole mess out together.
I wish we'd never left school. My only real solace is knowing I'll be with you, Diana, and Ominis in the fall. For now, though…I suppose it’s not a bad time to relax and reflect. Might do me a measure of good. Or I’ll wind up in the loony bin at St. Mungo’s.
Sebastian
His lament struck her deeply, as she imagined him brooding in the silence of his empty family home. How lonely it must be in his late uncle's house without anyone he loved left to share it with.
Several times, she'd considered going there, just to check in on his wellbeing. But she hadn't wanted to intrude. Sebastian had said he needed time to think as well; to try and recover from the loss he had suffered. Plus, he didn't need Raegan. He'd made that fairly clear from the short letter that was somehow both deeply personal and far too casual. Then there was the fact that he had barely spoken to her after the events in the catacomb besides.
Now that their adventure was over, and all hope of curing Anne seemed to have disappeared, why would he have any use for her?
Perhaps it was for the best.
Though Raegan's heart ached with sympathy for her friend and the hole he'd seemed to leave there, she reminded herself that he had done a terrible thing. A thing that she could hardly bring herself to say aloud. She had understood his desperate, impulsive action; Raegan herself was no stranger to such inclinations. And it wasn’t as though she hadn’t gone so far as to even enjoy killing some of the people that had dared to raise their wand or blade to her. But it hadn’t been some rabid goblin or poacher he’d killed; it had been his uncle. His family. Sebastian had started to become someone much different from the playful, grinning boy she had met during her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Then, he had been almost larger than life. A mischievous and charming guide of sorts. Now Raegan had seen what was truly in his soul to the very darkest parts.
And Raegan had finally let herself admit that that sort of temptation was the last thing someone as volatile as she needed right now. It was fine. She had plenty of friends. Sebastian was simply a phase in her life that she was determined to outgrow.
The first day back at Hogwarts for Raegan's sixth year brought on a tidal wave of emotions to sort through. Excitement, anticipation, anxiety, fear...by the time she'd arrived in the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony, she was far too nauseous to think about the feast that awaited when it was over.
Garreth's vibrant red hair was the first familiar head she spotted as she approached the Gryffindor table that evening. He offered up wide smile when he noticed, waving Raegan over to the empty spot on his right.
"Merlin, Garreth, it's a wonder you managed to avoid your mother's shears all summer." Raegan teased, returning his grin in kind once she'd settled into the seat. Her hand reached up to roughly muss the heap of curls, much to his displeasure. "A sight for sore eyes, you are."
"You're one to talk. You look like an overgrown carrot." Garreth retaliated by tugging on a lock of her own ginger waves before she swatted him away. "So, the new fifth year is now just a regular sixth year." He said, his green eyes shimmering. "Well, 'regular' if you don't count the fact that you saved the whole school last year."
Before she could respond, a familiar, rich voice chimed in from her other side.
"Actually, Garreth, she saved the whole wizarding world." Natty said wryly.
Raegan let out an uncharacteristic squeal when she turned to throw her arms around her startled roommate. Natsai loosed a high pitched giggle of her own, gladly accepting the friendly gesture of affection with enthusiasm.
"It's good to see you too, Raegan." Her words were slightly muffled by the fabric of Raegan's blouse.
"You, too, Natty. I missed our escapades; the summer was entirely too boring without you around every day.”
”I saw you just last month.”
“That’s not nearly enough.”
When they pulled back, they were both still lit up by the rush of their reunion. But Natsai's eyes held a certain note of scrutiny as she eyed Raegan's freckled face.
"It's going to be a good year. I can feel it. Or perhaps that's just my mother talking." Natsai chuckled at herself. The girl's well-earned confidence was radiating off of her like a beacon, and Raegan couldn't be more proud at how much her fierce friend had begun to come into her own.
"Ugh, don't start with the premonitions. I've had to hear about Diana's all summer." Raegan sighed good-naturedly. "Besides, the fun is in the unpredictability, if you ask me."
The excited chatter of the Hall was swiftly dampened by the familiar, grating voice of their Headmaster, Professor Black.
"Quiet, now! We have important matters to attend to. The Sorting shall commence imminently." Black boomed over the remaining side conversations amongst the students. "Matilda, if you please."
As Raegan watched the bright-eyed first years ascend the platform at the head of the Hall, she couldn't help but be taken back to her own sorting exactly a year ago. She recalled the pride that had surged through her upon joining her mother's house. As well as the slight disappointment that still did not destroy her happiness when Diana was sorted into Ravenclaw; her teal eyes shimmering with joy.
Raegan tried to catch those eyes now, glancing over to the sea of blue across from her. But her dark-haired friend seemed to be lost in thought herself. Diana had barely been able to say more than ten sentences to Raegan all summer, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise.
Oh, how things had changed. How they had changed.
The reverie Raegan had become lost in was quickly banished by the return of Black to the podium. With a clear impression of his usual disdain, the Headmaster cleared his throat pointedly to interrupt the last of the cheers of Hufflepuff house upon receiving their last new member.
"A few announcements before you all lose yourself in the feast before you. First, I would like to introduce your new Magical Theory instructor. Please welcome Professor Jeremiah Hawthorn."
Everyone's attention turned to a tall, youthful man dressed in simple mahogany robes, who stood and inclined his head at each of the House tables with the smallest of smiles. Professor Fig's replacement.
It wasn't Professor Hawthorn's smooth, tanned complexion or his towering stature that she saw. Instead, it was the lined face of her late mentor that stared back at Raegan.
"Yes, yes." Black said dismissively, forcing the attention back on himself. Raegan shook off any lingering ghosts as she tried to refocus on what was ahead.
"Now, in light of...er...much contemplation on my part, I have decided that Quidditch will resume this year. Trials will take place next week at the direction of each house's Captains."
Once the word 'Quidditch' was uttered, the Hall erupted in raucous applause and cheers, much to Black's obvious displeasure.
"FUCK YES!" Garreth whooped with both fists raised in victory. Raegan herself was beaming at the promise of some friendly competition to brighten up the year. After all, she hadn't spent half the summer zooming around on her recently upgraded Ember Dash for nothing.
"Alright, ALRIGHT. Be warned; I will be closely observing every match that takes place, and will not hesitate to end the season early if necessary." Black threatened. Of course, because Godric forbid another one of his precious pureblood students took a Bludger to the head. Raegan didn't even attempt to hide her smirk at the satisfaction on Madame Kogawa's face from the staff table.
The rest of the feast was fairly uneventful; filled mostly with tales of everyone's summers spent abroad, suspicions about the new professor, and sighs of relief regarding the lack of parental supervision for the next few months at the least. Not that Raegan had had that concern for a while, now.
After stuffing themselves with an array of roasted fowl and fruit tarts, Raegan followed Garreth and Natty out of the Great Hall to head to Gryffindor tower for bed. How she'd missed the thick down comforter and the fire that always burned in the center of her dormitory. She tried in vain to catch Diana's eye again, but her friend (if Diana even still considered her that) was already walking beside Samantha and Amit without a single look back. No matter. There was plenty of time to figure out some way to get back into the Ravenclaw girl's good graces.
Then, Raegan's eyes caught on the one face she had been simultaneously longing and dreading to see again.
Sebastian may have been surrounded by his fellow Slytherins, but she would be able to spot him in any crowd. Normally, though, his head was held high with casual confidence, and now...his gaze was focused on the ground. But it was obvious enough even from a distance that the summer sun had not blessed his pale skin, and sleep had alluded him these past three months. Even his hair was messier than usual. The strands fell over a forehead creased with heavy thought.
Nausea roiled once more in Raegan's stomach like a tempest. Its partner in crime was the ache between her temples that had become a regular intruder on her focus and sanity over the last few months. Ever since that day beneath the school when Raegan had greedily consumed the raw power of the repository; unleashed and calling to her like a beacon in a stormy sea.
She only pulled her focus away from the Slytherin boy when Garreth nudged her shoulder after obviously trying to get her attention without much luck.
Forget about him. Don't let one stupid boy ruin this year. There has been enough pain and darkness to last a lifetime.
The past was in the past, and Raegan was determined to have it remain that way.