Olive Mist twisting and curling around his betrayal.

~

She gives it a week before she accepts his request, telling him she would meet him that night by the mountain. It goes fast with her once again working non-stop.

When she lands in front of him on her broom, he seems much more deranged than before; hyper-focused and intense. Emma feels something akin to fear, and pity.

Hoping to get through to him, she attempts distraction by updating him on the latest of her Keeper trials; this time involving Niamh Fitzgerald and a confusing and frightening lesson on death.

It had been a long time since she sat and talked with him about any of what was happening. The less time she spent with him, the more time she spent with Ominis.

"These 'Keepers' are playing games with you!" He suddenly snaps. It catches Emma off guard. An insult to her brethren was an insult to her. She felt the ignorant remark seething in his words. "You need to press them for more information."

She takes a deep, measured breath, strengthening her temper, refusing to lose it.

"It doesn't work like that," she declares loudly, "To access each of these memories, I have to complete a trial. It's not as easy as you think. They're showing me the memories in a particular order. They-"

He scoffs loudly, interrupting her, "Either they don't trust you or you don't care enough about Anne to ask the difficult questions!"

Emma almost chokes on her anger, tensing up and unable to take a calming breath. Then she thinks of Ominis and the advice he gave her on dealing with Sebastian. His soothing voice washes over her mind, cleansing.

Her fists unclench and her jaw loosens when she breathes again.

"Sebastian," she begins coldly, "I do care about Anne, but I'm tired of explaining myself. Perhaps we should part ways."

Emma turns on her heel and starts towards the glowing goblin gathering in the distance.

"That's- that's not what I meant, Emma," he backpedals quickly, running around to block her path. "I-... We're just not getting answers. I need answers. For Anne."

"I know," Emma frowns at him. Ominis was right; refuse to entertain his bollocks. "Now, shall we see why the triptych lead us here?"

His face lights up and he nods eagerly. He still doesn't apologise.

"Let's go, quickly, before we're spotted."

Emma rolls her eyes and darts ahead of him, faster and quieter.

"Keep a close eye out," he whispers from behind, "I saw some of Ranrok's crew moving off the path just ahead."

She eyes the glow before them, then the mountain, "I wonder why?"

"Raiding, I imagine. This mountain used to safeguard local hamlet valuables. But it's been abandoned ever since Ranrok took hold of the coast."

Without giving him time to choose, she uses the disillusionment charm on herself, forcing him to do the same.

"I'll be quieter than a Jobberknoll," he whispers. She only smiles because he can't see her. They sneak past the first set of goblins without fuss.

The moon shines down on them; a cold light, but Emma finds warmth in it. Most of her time out in the world was at night. She can't help but think how, if Sebastian weren't so pigheaded, this could have been romantic.

A great fluttering from the North East is followed by Thestrals, soaring into the sky, beautiful and haunting.

"Thestrals overhead," Sebastian remarks, "Some consider them a bad omen."

Emma thinks of her beloved family of Thestrals tucked away in the Room of Requirement Swamp Vivarium.

"Hm. Not everyone does," she responds.

Sebastian scoffs irritably, "I know that."

"All right," she frowns.

"I'm making small talk. I'm not going to trek up this mountain in silence."

Yet, he doesn't try to talk again for some time. Not a peep as they ascend.

In fact, Emma starts to wonder if he had dropped off. She heads into the mountain pass trying to listen for his footsteps. It is foggy and cold, the stony walls echoing with distant rockfalls.

"Kill any who trespass."

She hears goblins up ahead. She quickly takes cover behind a corner in the mountain wall.

"There they are," Sebastian says suddenly from beside her. "Let's go!"

He lurches forward, the disillusionment charm breaking.

"Wait!" Emma tries to grab him, "We should have some sort of plan!"

"I'm through planning!"

Sebastian goes barging into the goblins up ahead. Without another choice, Emma chases after him. They come into a base camp manned with several loyalists, who launch nasty attacks at them onsight.

Emma casts a shield and rolls backwards, taking in the situation. Sebastian suffers two hits instantly, all rage and no thought.

Intent on outdoing him and showing him how stupid he is, Emma sprints into the thick and releases the attack she only learned to advance recently.

She's going to put him in his place.

"Incendio!" A raging ring of fire expands around her, lighting up the battlefield and setting alight a majority of their enemy. Before the circle of flame even reaches full size, she blindsides one of the goblins with her ancient magic.

In the same flick of her wand she dumps a red explosive barrel on top of another loyalist, turning neatly among the chaos to another opponent.

"Levioso. Accio. Diffindo. Depulso!"

That one flies back into the tent behind him. Emma does not stop moving. Sebastian is in her peripheral, stunned off to the side.

"Glacius. Flipendo. Confringo. Bombarda!"

Her next victim slides through the dirt by him. In her elegant spin Emma's eyes meet his, his face awed, perhaps even fearful.

The closest goblin swings his axe at her. Emma casts the attack aside with a flick of her wand, unbothered as the axe turns on its wielder under her ancient spell.

Magic is shot at her. She shields herself instead of dodging.

"Stupefy," she casts, stunning the attacker. "Levioso. Accio. Bombarda!" As the others had, the loyalist lifts into the air before jerking forward, crashing into Emma's spell and meeting his end.

She hears duelling behind her and turns to find Sebastian fighting again. There are two enemies left. She dodges the ranger over her shoulder- always left til last -watching as her companion regains his barings and finally wins his fight.

Sebastian immediately looks to her. Emma stares back at him with dead eyes and an unimpressed face.

Without breaking their stare, she lifts her hand to the sky and without having to look, drags down a bolt of Ancient Magic lightning on the ranger behind her.

The silence that settles over the camp following their battle is deafening.

Emma feels herself losing her grip considerably.

"What were you thinking?" She asks immediately, coldly.

"I was-" He cuts himself off, glancing at where they had come in. The surprise starts to leave his face, as if he were remembering how he had entered the scene.

Readjusting, Sebastian dusts off his robes and then clasps his hands together, looking back upon Emma coldly.

"I was thinking about dead goblins."

She scoffs like he does, "You're not a goblin, but you damn near got yourself killed."

"But I didn't," he responds nonchalantly.

Emma rolls her eyes, "Thanks to me. Lucky I'm better at combat than you." This time, she does not resist the urge to shoulder him, giving him a light shove as she continues down the path.

"How can you-" he tries to continue.

Emma spins on her heel quickly, "Shut up. If you continue this I will carry on alone. I don't care what you think you can do to stop it. I will make sure you can't follow me."

A bit of regret stutters in her gut. Her words were not filtered. Sebastian's eyes are wide with shock, perhaps even hurt.

Surprisingly, he backs down. Or so it seems. They continue up the mountain in silence, utilising the disillusionment charm again. Emma wonders if she is being too harsh; he was doing this for his sister, afterall. Not to mention, her brutality outweighs his, even if her brashness does not.

Again it's a while before Sebastian says anything. As they try to figure out the fire operated power of the mountain, they hear goblins speaking from nearby.

"Anything made with goblin silver belongs to us! Whether it's a sword or a repository - whatever that is."

Sebastian scoffs, "Ridiculous notion of ownership."

Emma squeezes her wand and eyes him coldly over her shoulder, but her words end with sadness.

"Your bigotry continues to push me further and further away..."

Distress flickers in his eyes, but she faces forward, moving on.

They continue to hear the woes of the goblins around them as they travel unseen, climbing walls and scaling hills.

"Only good wizard's a dead wizard. Ranrok's got that right, and I'll be most keen to help him achieve his goals in that regard."

They come to a clearing full of goblins, spread out amongst the fog of the mountain. Emma's awareness spikes.

"Keep up with me," she whispers over her shoulder.

It's a heavy command and she doesn't turn around to see if Sebastian follows. She knows it's a statement that could be worthless against someone so stubborn.

She moves through the mist with the disillusionment charm, taking out any and all goblins she comes across in their way with the body binding curse. She's certain she can hear Sebastian's footsteps following hers.

Up ahead, she spots a passage that leads deeper into the mountain, fronted by a staircase with the last goblin at the top. She uses her stored up magic to dispose of him quickly.

Sebastian's footsteps sound next to her. Her relief that he had been following is short lived.

Olive Mist twirls around his footsteps as he barges ahead of her, disillusionment charm breaking.

"This must be it!"

"Sebastian, wait!"

He halts his sprint into the passage, turning to her with a frustrated expression.

"Wait? For what!?" He grumbles, scoffing at her, "Why are you suddenly so cautious?"

Emma tries not to let him lead her into a vicious fight.

"Listen to me," she breathes, thinking of Ominis again, "I know you're angry and frustrated. But charging ahead now could undo all the progress we've made. Lodgok said-"

He rolls his eyes, "Oh, your goblin friend? What does-"

"Stop it," she interrupts sharply. "Not all goblins are like Ranrok. I am not the enemy and neither is Lodgok. We want the same thing: to find answers."

Sebastian shakes his head, "I thought we wanted the same thing."

"We do. Listen to me. Lodgok has insight into Ranrok that we don't," Emma reasons. "He told me that Ranrok somehow knows about the Keepers and is searching anywhere connected to each of them."

His eyes widen with surprise. Emma can see the fight leaving his body.

"That's why they always seem to be one step ahead."

The young Keeper eyes him up and down disapprovingly, turning to the path ahead but not looking away from him.

She glares darkly, "I know what I'm doing. You need to trust me, or I don't see that we can continue together."

Sebastian visibly shivers. He quickly begins to backpedal.

"F-Fine. Fine! I'm sorry," he hurries after her as she saunters ahead. "I'm letting my emotions get the better of me. And I have been for a while."

Emma glances at him in silence, her serious expression unchanged.

"I do trust you," he expresses earnestly, standing in front of her to stop their approach. He stares her in the eye, "And I don't think I can help Anne without you."

Emma inhales sharply, rushing herself to be resolute.

"Refuse to entertain his bollocks. When he realises you have the upper hand and won't give into his antics, he is forced to look at himself. His shame alone will spark an apology. I have won many arguments against his pigheadedness."

The soothing doesn't wear off.

"Good," she relaxes, "Ranrok clearly knows more than we thought. We need to be careful and do this right; not just go charging in." She nods ahead. "We have our work cut out for us. We need to work together if we're going to find the final piece of the triptych."

"Agreed," Sebastian offers her a coy smile before they carry on. "I'm glad you're willing to let me stay."

Emma does not return it.

-

Leaving a trail of many, many dead spiders in their wake, Emma ends the life of the final Matriarch and enemy in the area with one of her favourite Ancient magic spells.

The purplish spider shrinks to a tiny size and gets stomped under her foot.

Sebastian laughs breathlessly.

"When did you come up with that one?" He asks, huffing following their great effort.

"Some time during my personal war against the spider lairs of the forbidden forest," she responds, focusing her attention on finding the runes for the door in front of them, and not on his admiration.

Emma starts casting once she locates them.

"Can't get out of here fast enough," Sebastian comments.

The black clawing metal covering the great doors slips away. They open to reveal another stone hall. Emma feels the usual magic draw to it. When she and Sebastian enter, she spots a parchment rolled up, the source of the magnetism.

"Sebastian, a journal entry," she mutters, unravelling it.

Isidora's handwriting again, if a little more crazed than the last.

"Why couldn't she have kept all of her journal entries in one place?" He responds sarcastically.

Emma wants to smile at it, but the contents of the entry are distracting. She hands it to him after reading it, her face grim.

Isidora had managed to manipulate their power by withdrawing pain from the heart; she knew that from the memories. The way she talked about it in her memoirs reminded Emmaline of the way she would hear her father's friends speak of things they were not meant to be consuming.

And Isidora wanted this substance to be stored and studied. It reminded her of...

She eyes Sebastian wearily, feeling suddenly more materialistic to him.

When they stumble down a steep slope, Sebastian steadying her fall by the shoulders, she thinks of their first tomb together. How his eyes had followed her as she dove into the unknown.

As they brush themselves off, she sneaks a glance at him, wondering how he had changed so fast since she met him.

Desperation, hopelessness and...as she has observed in everyone she knows, pain.

Isidora was more understandable to her than she would ever reveal to her mentors, but her personal beliefs from her lessons protect her from falling.

The ground rumbles suddenly with great force. Emma whips around to see a monstrous troll crashing through the mountain structure towards them, heavy club in hand. It takes out the closest pillar, bringing the upper stone balcony crashing down around them.

"Watch out!" Sebastian yells as the beast charges them.

Spiders start bursting from the ground as well, their problems quickly adding up.

The two manage to roll out of the way, in different directions. Emma quickly uses her Ancient magic to take out the two spiders near Sebastian who takes longer to recover, dodging the troll and the two spiders on her side as she goes.

They reunite quickly.

"Get the spiders," she tells him as they face the troll on the other side of the room.

Enraged, glowing red eyes pierce Emma's form, as if the troll knew how many of his brethren she had slain in the wild.

"I'll end you just the same," she glares, launching off into a sprint the same time he charges with his weapon raised.

"Arresto memento!" She adds casts between each spell, "Confringo!" It occurs to her at that moment how much this resembles her first battle with Sebastian at her side. The troll in Hogsmeade. " Diffindo...Bombarda!"

The troll roars in pain at the litany of spells, but does not stop the great swing of its club once it's right in front of her. Sebastian gives a frightened shout, jaw dropping when Emma bends and suddenly becomes a bright ball of light, dashing behind the troll's back.

The monster swings at her as it spins. She repeats the same move, putting herself back where she was. It brings the club down on her head this time and she casts "Protego!" blocking the attack, following up with an "Expelliarmus!".

It drops to one knee, exhausted.

She glances at Sebastian, expecting him to be trying to find an opening. Instead he was unmoved from where she had left him. There were dead and burnt spiders nearby.

He had been watching the troll but quickly looks to her when she doesn't move to attack.

"Here's one you haven't seen," she says coolly. A surge of confidence shoots through her as the troll gets to his feet, turning to face her with renewed wrath.

It charges. Emma waits, not moving.

She glances at Sebastian, his awe replaced with panic.

Ancient magic blooms around her as she casts widely with her wand, spell ending at the raised club coming toward her. It quickly redirects itself and she drives it straight into the troll's head.

The attack obliterates him.

His remains litter around them like embers.

Emma stares at Sebastian through them. He had shown respect by letting her fight without him getting in the way. She hadn't even noticed him defeat the spiders, as he had done it so quickly and efficiently.

"You're learning," she declares warmly.

He chuckles, "I admit it. You're in a league of your own." He starts toward the staircase, glancing back at her. "Though I've known that since we fought our first troll together."

She is severely surprised when her heart gives one of those thumps she thought she'd never feel for him again.

-

Once they are through the mountain and she recognises the Undercroft's signature glass, she begins to feel comfortable enough to let him in again on the latest of her quest.

"I know from the memories I've seen that the Keepers and Isidora didn't see eye to eye on the use of Ancient magic." Sebastian keeps close as she mulls over her mystery. "But I don't understand why she seems to have gone to such great lengths to tell her story without their knowledge."

Sebastian hums as they close in on the exit, "I wish you could see one of her memories."

His statement sparks a train of thought in Emma.

"So do I," she mutters as they enter the Undercroft. In fact, she begins to wonder if this had been like some sort of trial too, but to her from Isidora, and that it may end as all the others did...

"Perhaps completing the triptych will shed more light on this."

...with the gift of a memory.

He gives Emma a reassuring smile. It draws her out of her inner thoughts.

"I cannot believe the journey this triptych took us on."

Emma laughs, "It seems we were meant to be put together, my first day in Defence Against the Dark Arts." Her own words surprise her. She had not meant to get so sentimental again with him so quickly.

But it had been a long week.

"You're right," he responds quietly, "I never could have done this without you."

He steps closer to her. Closer than ever. Emma doesn't move. He stares down at her earnestly, speaking softly.

"Again, I'm sorry for my behaviour earlier. I should never have treated you that way. Not just at the mountain but in the catacomb as well. I was blinded by ambition. I'm truly grateful, Emma."

He holds up the piece next to them.

"We've got this thanks to you."

Warmth spreads through her body from her chest.

"I know this is the answer...no one has ever helped me with Anne's cure, except maybe Ominis."

His name shatters the haze of his honeyed words. They are wonderful to hear, but she realises quickly, as he leans his face closer to hers, his fingers gracing her hand, that they are not the right words.

"Let's not keep ourselves in suspense," she says calmly, taking a step back and gently seizing the parchment from his hands. Sebastian doesn't say anything for a moment and Emma doesn't look back to see what his face is like.

"R-Right...This is it, then," he says, voice notably hollow. She waves her wand and the painting spreads itself across the missing panel.

Nothing happens for a few seconds. She looks at him, his face flushed but his mind seemingly back on track as he gives a confused shrug.

A wave of familiar magic washes over her from behind them. They turn to find a pensieve growing from the ground, surrounded by the same blue as her magic.

"Another pensieve!" Emma gasps.

"This is what we've been chasing?" Sebastian asks.

He watches Emma as she studies the magic floating above the water, the pensieve and the painting in silence. She goes back and forth between all of them, thinking of Isidora, the Keepers and how everything has played out just for her.

"I wonder..." she mumbles, reaching for the magic light. It turns to a drop in the liquid.

"What is it?" Sebastian ssks.

"Let's find out," Emma responds warily. She tips her head forward and leans in, sensing him copying her.

Mystery solved.

-

When it's over, she stumbles back from the pensieve in shock, unsettled. Sebastian is saying something, stunned rambling, but she can't process his words.

It seems natural to her to look to the Triptych, to speak to Isidora as she had spoken to the other Keepers after their memories.

The scenery is still empty.

The burnt portrait from Isidora's home flashes in Emma's mind.

"Something isn't right Sebastian," she wonders aloud.

"What do you mean? You saw what she did," he responds, coming around the pensieve to face her.

"No, not the memories," she says, though she'll have to process that too, "the portrait."

The one where the head is blown off.

Emma shudders.

"I think the reason Isidora hasn't appeared is because she can't."

Sebastian frowns, "I don't follow."

"We have seen that view before. The abandoned home in Feldcroft? The destroyed painting..." Emma's blood is cold, "It was her."

A great sadness falls upon her. They won't be able to talk, afterall. Who had taken that opportunity away? Another mystery to be solved. Something she felt obliged to do.

Her eyes burn.

"So, someone destroyed a bit of enchanted canvas, but we found the memory!"

Her blood runs cold.

The sadness is quickly replaced by disappointment.

Perhaps she was talking to the wrong person. He had already shown in his apology that his support was conditionary to his interests.

Emma squeezes her eyes to fight the tears back, glancing at the pensieve.

"Yes. Yes, you're right," she agrees, pushing her own feelings aside.

"We saw what she wanted us to see. We saw what she could do," he steps closer to her, a mad excitement in his eye, "What you can do!"

Emma frowns, feeling helpless, taking a step back, "But I don't know how to do what Isidora did."

Nor do I want to. It is wrong.

"Well then you shall learn. The Keepers can teach you." His excitement has quickly turned to a look of desperation.

Emma feels angered by his assumptions that he knew anything about this power, or the Keepers.

"I'm not sure they would," she responds measuredly, taking another step back. "The Keepers believe that removing someone's ability to feel pain-...it's a highly complicated, unpredictable form of magic. One that should be wielded with great care, if at all."

Sebastian is surprised by her resistance.

"If it all?" He looks back and forth between her and the pensieve. "You've overcome all of their challenges. You've more than proven yourself." He closes the distance again, speaking sharply. "You can wield it. You have the ability!"

Escaping his intenseness, Emma steps away, moving back to face the empty portrait. How long had Isidora been waiting for the next Keeper to come along?

Though Emma would never wield such magic, no matter how hard her predecessor tried, she wanted to understand her.

"Please," Sebastian begs softly. She sighs. "Talk to the Keepers. If not for me, then for Anne."

The mention of his sister strikes Emma.

This isn't going to go the way he thinks.

Though the act makes her wince, she looks over her shoulder and nods helplessly, not really knowing herself if she is lying or not.

He hurries away with a victorious smile.

-

Ominis finds her outside, lying back against the bench near their werewolf statue. She had not gone inside since returning from the Mountain, still wearing her dusty questing clothes

"Please levitate me off the side of the castle?" She requests when he comes to a stop in front of her.

"Goodness," he responds, taking a seat beside her, "It has been a rough week."

"You could say that," Emma mumbles.

It is nice to have him next to her. Ever the gentlemen, there is space between them. Emma would do anything to close it, but his presence is comforting enough.

"Out with it then," Ominis demands politely, leaning his elbows on his knees, as if settling in. "I can't deny I've been concerned about you since we last spoke."

"Oh?" Emma tries not to smile, "And that was?"

"A week ago I believe. We discussed tactics for dealing with Sebastian. You had many plans involving Merlin trials, Troll lairs and Bandit camps."

Her heart beats in her ears, "I know, I was testing you." She fights hard to keep the laughter in, for they had in fact spoken after that, when she was disguised as their ridiculous Headmaster.

"The last I heard, you were found by Natsai passed out in a field of Highland cows."

Emma gives a little jump, "She told you about that?"

"She did," Ominis clips, "Seeing as you promised to take care of yourself, I am quite disappointed."

The feeling of being somewhat 'caught out' makes her hands clammy.

"I am taking care of myself," she declares weakly, "It had just been a long day of, well, as you said...then I found an Astronomy table and I decided to wait til nightfall. Then this elderly witch from the nearby Hamlet asked for help with some Dugbogs...they were near a disgusting Inferi nest I had to destroy. I'm always unsettled after fighting them so I visited the cows to cheer up and I just...fell asleep."

There's a beat of silence as he processes her words with an intense expression. Emma notes the slight wrinkle between his eyebrows, thinking it is cute.

Eventually he smirks, "I'm hearing a lot of excuses. You musn't sacrifice your self-care for..." He trails off, "What do you call your extracurriculars?"

"Questing," Emma blurts out. He only smiles at her eagerness.

"I'm sure there is more?" He continues.

"Well there was a bit of trauma on Tuesday," she recounts lightly, "I have completed the trial of the fourth Keeper, Headmistress Niamh Fitzgerald."

Emma shudders just thinking about it.

"I learned quite the lesson," she laughs, voice hollow, "about death. I now also know what happened with the Keepers...to Isidora Morganach," Emma sighs sadly, "In fact I believe I am on the precipice of something huge. The end of all of this."

Ominis leans back against the rampart, level with her.

"With O.W.Ls to top it off. I'm sure they pale in comparison," his face darkens, "along with Sebastian's quest of madness."

Emma huffs, "The truth is that without his eagerness to cure Anne I might not have been able to understand Isidora Morganach. I have come across many of her writings while completing the Triptych."

He turns away from her.

"Your tactic worked on dealing with him, though it was still painful," she adds quickly. It draws his attention back.

In a hushed and measured voice, she recounts the night's voyage up and through the mountain with Sebastian to him, including details about his friends' behaviour and the discoveries made about her predecessor.

Ominis listens patiently, as always.

"He wants you to use the very thing your mentors have been condemning?"

"There are a thousand reasons not to," Emma nods mournfully, "The dangerous magic left over, the Dark implications of its use, the difference in Anne's curse to emotional pain, not to mention I've no idea how the spell is even done!"

She settles back into the rampart following her outburst, pouting.

"I don't even want to," she admits quietly, "I might hurt Anne." Ominis closes his eyes at her sad tone. "That spell goes against everything I believe in. Whatever its purpose was, it is Dark. My mentors knew it the moment it was presented to them...but none of that mattered to him."

Ominis turns to her, "What did you tell him?"

Emma cringes at the memory of his joy, of her false promise.

"He asked me to ask the Keepers, but to be honest, I don't think I will. They will not appreciate the curiosity, even if I tell them Anne's story. Professor Bakar would reprimand me, Headmistress Fitgerald will ask me if I learned nothing. He hasn't even met them, but he thinks he knows best." She folds her arms. "It's almost as if he's delusional."

"I'm afraid you're right," Ominis agrees quickly. "For example, I would be deluded to think there is anything I could tell you about your mentors or your own magic, let alone what to do with it," he smiles, "Though at this point, I don't think there is anything you are not capable of."

Emma laughs bashfully, "You flatter me."

"I do," he responds boldly. "We've spoken of my enhanced ability?"

She tilts her head, smiling, "Super senses."

"Yes," his poised smile twitches, "Super senses. I hear much gossip in the halls and the streets of Hogsmeade. A brave Slytherin student solving murders, saving Hamlets, clearing out lairs, annihilating goblin camps and disposing of all sorts of Dark wizards. Little do they know you've been a Witch for less than a year."

Emma blushes furiously. She knows there is more to be said about Sebastian, but appreciates him changing the subject. As he said; there is nothing he can tell her to do, essentially saying it was up to her.

And she has decided.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating," she admits, folding her hands over her knee.

"You mean with your ability?"

"Yes," Emma treads lightly, not wanting to brag, "My ability to see and sense magic enhances all of my spells and battle senses. It can make me a bit... merciless."

Ominis' expression shifts from a light smile, to something unreadable. His lip twitches up, cheek flushed. Emma suddenly feels very flustered.

"You're a purveyor of justice," he says, rather breathlessly, turning his head down.

Emma realises her heart is racing, even though she feels at ease with him.

A sudden giggling catches their attention.

Fellow Slytherins Imelda Reyes and Pricilla Wakefield were whispering while staring at the two in passing. Emma holds their smug gaze with a hard stare until they are forced to look away, her wand burning a hole in her pocket.

"Emma."

She doesn't realise she is reaching for it until she hears Ominis say her name. Then she realises she had risen slightly.

"I know you're rearing."

"Sorry," she laughs awkwardly, "I don't like her."

"Nor do I," he responds calmly. "Her whispers I could do without."

Ominis smirks and leans closer to Emma, lowering his voice.

"She is immensely jealous of you."

Emma's pride fluffs again, "I can't help if I've broken her records."

Ominis chuckles.

The inevitable temptation of school gossip compels her to ask nervously, "What were they talking about?"

The red tint in his cheeks darkens considerably. It takes him a moment to answer, as if he were looking for the right words.

"Nothing a gentleman would repeat."

Emma didn't think her heart could thrum harder.

"Oh," is all she can say.

She feels overwhelmed with emotion. The strange feeling of impending doom regarding Ranrok, the disappointment and anger towards Sebastian, the sorrow and loss of Isidora and the unending butterflies whenever she is around Ominis.

"Ominis, I'm afraid I must leave you," she declares, suddenly springing to her feet. "My head is...admittedly clouded. I need to clear it."

"Clear it how?" He asks, standing up next to her.

Emma side-eyes him, admiring their comparative heights. Ominis was one of the tallest in their year afterall. The top of her head reached her chin.

"A good fight of course," she takes out her wand to summon her broom, "There is a large organisation of Ashwinders to the South East I have been meaning to clear."

He scoffs, "Absolutely not. Have you even had any sleep since classes ended yesterday? Or eaten?"

"I make it a rule to not sleep anywhere Inferi may spawn so, no," Emma responds sheepishly, not willing to look at him. "I'm not hungry."

Ominis startles her by gently seizing her wrist.

"You need rest and sustenance, Emma," he scolds softly. "How can you expect to save the world with an empty stomach, deliriously ranting about cows and covered in...soot?"

"There were giant fire-powered machines in the mountains," she mutters moodily.

"Yes dear," Ominis responds condescendingly, using his soft hold on her sleeve to pull her along with him, heading towards the Great Hall where Saturday breakfast would be served.

Emma considers heading off to bathe first, but would rather stay with him. Besides, it would not be the first time she had sat in the Hall, looking a mess.