As Sebastian expected, Astronomy class had not gone particularly well, exacerbated by Professor Shah's displeasure upon his late arrival.
It was only half past nine, but he was exhausted. It had been quite the eventful day.
Of course, everyone at school already knew about the troll attack. He overheard Constance, the Ravenclaw sitting across from him in class, whispering to her friend Athena about it. He didn't quite catch everything they said, but he definitely heard Constance utter his name, which was very uncommon; they weren't exactly friendly. They'd dueled each other many a time last year in Crossed Wands, so, naturally, there was more than enough bad blood between them. Not that he cared much, if at all.
Arriving at the entrance to his common room, Sebastian mumbled the password and shuffled through the passageway. No one followed him, as he'd been forced to stay behind, the delay courtesy of a taciturn Professor Shah, who had assigned him detention. While he was usually fairly good at wriggling his way out of such punishments, he had no luck this time. He blamed Damien and the trouble he'd dragged Sebastian into.
Merlin, Damien. How did one boy get up to so much shenanigans in a mere handful of hours? It defied all logic. Now, if Damien had been more forthcoming with his abilities and whatever madness was going on with Ranrok and Rookwood, perhaps Sebastian could have mustered up some amusement at the day's chaos. But, alas, secrecy reigned, so Sebastian was merely exasperated.
Sebastian found Ominis at his desk in their room, quill in hand. Excellent, Rupert and Henry, their two other roommates, were absent. Sebastian shut the door behind him.
"Ominis," he greeted, as he always did. By now, after over four years of friendship, Sebastian was certain Ominis could recognize his presence without the need for an introduction, but old habits died hard.
"Sebastian!" Ominis set down his quill. Scraping his chair around to face the sound of Sebastian's voice, his next words rushed out. "You must fill me in on what happened today. The rumors have been utterly absurd."
Sebastian settled onto his bed, hardly surprised that Ominis had already caught wind of the whole ordeal. If anything, he'd expected it. And Merlin, it felt good to be right.
"What have you heard?" he asked, feigning nonchalance.
"Apparently," Ominis said, "you and the new fifth-year defeated a troll with your - wait for it - bare hands." He arched a skeptical brow, clearly waiting for Sebastian to deny it.
"Oh, please, don't be ridiculous. That was all me," Sebastian quipped. He smirked for good measure, not that Ominis could appreciate it. The satisfaction was Sebastian's alone to enjoy.
Ominis chuckled, leaning forward slightly. "Right. Care to enlighten me on what actually happened, or must I resort to my vial of Veritaserum?"
Sebastian laughed, adjusting himself on his pillow, and began to recount the day's events, starting with the troll attack.
Ominis, always a great listener, only occasionally interjected, most notably when Sebastian mentioned Rookwood and Ranrok. Sebastian decided not to divulge information about the strange magic Damien used on the troll. He'd keep that to himself. For now.
"Ranrok!" Ominis exclaimed. "That's a name I wasn't expecting to hear."
"He was also in The Daily Prophet recently. Ranrok's been making trouble for the Ministry, as a goblin would."
"Sebastian," Ominis said, his voice low and controlled.
Was Ominis chiding him? It figured.
"What?" Sebastian scoffed. "Goblins are dangerous. You of all people should know that, especially after what they did to Anne."
Ominis's expression softened but he didn't respond directly to Sebastian's comment. Sebastian guessed he didn't want to discuss Anne. Her illness was a subject they both skirted around; it was still too raw to bring up. And anyway, Sebastian and Ominis didn't discuss such things, things that dredged up the big emotions. It just wasn't their way.
"It seems an odd choice for two unsavory characters to be after the new boy," Ominis said. "And for him to successfully slay a troll with so little experience. It certainly gives me pause..." He trailed off, tapping away at his chin.
"Hey now, I helped too, remember?" Sebastian rolled over, sitting up slightly.
Ominis stopped tapping. "Ah yes, of course. Your contribution was invaluable, I'm sure," he japed. "But in all seriousness, how did you two manage?"
Sebastian laughed nervously. "Luck, I suppose. And lots of Confringo on my end." In an attempt to gloss over not divulging the whole story, he added, "Which I should probably teach to Damien."
Ominis's expression suddenly grew solemn. Well, more solemn than usual. "Is that wise?" he said.
"Why not?" Sebastian said, scratching the back of his head.
"Firstly, you barely know him, and secondly, where would you go to teach it?" He abruptly narrowed his eyes. "Sebastian, you're not thinking of showing him the Undercroft?"
Sebastian honestly hadn't considered that, but now that Ominis had mentioned it...
"No, of course not!" he lied. "I'm sure we could find somewhere else to practice."
Ominis sighed. "Good. I've barely met him."
"You don't trust my judgment?"
"Oh, I mostly trust your judgment. It's your common sense that worries me."
"Pardon me?" Sebastian said, somehow managing to stifle a shocked laugh.
"Well, let's see," Ominis said, ticking off his fingers. "In less than a day, you've fought a troll, eavesdropped on a dangerous conversation, nearly got into a duel with two grown wizards, were late to class, and received detention. So, forgive me if I'm a tad skeptical of your decision-making skills."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. It's not like all of those were under my control. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not planning on taking him to the Forbidden Forest for a midnight stroll."
"I would hope not," Ominis said dryly. "But if you insist on sharing your knowledge, at least make sure we know a bit more about him."
"Fine." Sebastian lay back down on his pillow, arms folded behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling.
"Good." Ominis picked up his quill and started tapping it on his desk. "This Rookwood and Ranrok development is worth investigating further. Who knows what they're really after?"
Pleasantly surprised, Sebastian perked up. "I agree. Any suggestions on how to interrogate Damien?"
"'Interrogate' sounds a bit harsh."
"To be honest, I'm a bit cross with him at the moment. He didn't say a single word to me on the way back to the castle. Not even a thank you!"
Ominis smirked. "Did you say anything to him?"
"Well, no."
"Sebastian, really?"
"What?"
"You can be so insufferable sometimes." Ominis released a long-suffering sigh. "If you really want to know more about what's going on, you need to talk to him."
"Fine," Sebastian said reluctantly. "I'll talk to him. But I won't be happy about it. Not until he apologizes for being so mysterious."
"Not that you'll listen to me, but if you want him to share, don't let your emotions get the best of you."
Sebastian huffed, turning onto his other side, facing away from Ominis. Ominis, unfazed, resumed whatever task he was occupied with, likely already finishing the homework Professor Ronen had assigned earlier that day.
What to do about Damien? Sebastian wasn't sure how to approach him. Should he just come right out and ask? He knew he had insinuated to Ominis that learning about Rookwood and Ranrok was his highest priority, but he really wanted to know about the strange magic Damien had used so effortlessly.
Sebastian closed his eyes, contemplating. Maybe he should continue to build a rapport with Damien first. Then, when they were good mates, he could start digging deeper. He couldn't help but wonder what other secrets Damien was hiding.
Ominis had mentioned the Undercroft. Perhaps showing it to Damien would be a step toward earning his trust. If Ominis found out, he'd likely be upset - he always was when Sebastian took matters into his own hands - but he'd forgive Sebastian, as he always did.
Sebastian mulled it over a bit longer. He didn't need to make a decision right away. That could wait. For now, he'd focus on gathering more information about Ranrok and Rookwood.
He'd catch Damien in or between classes tomorrow, find a way to get him talking.
Plan hatched, his mind finally quieted. Before he knew it, he'd drifted off to sleep, still wearing his grimy robes, the events of the day fading, fading, gone.