Chapter Text
September 1, 1893
London, England
The King's Cross, Platform 9 3/4's
A steamy haze danced in the air over Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, courtesy of the long, scarlet train that seemed to grow warm with anticipation.
A shrill whistle from the train split across the smoky, crowded platform. It was bustling with energy, booming with the noise of families sending their well-wishes to departing students, handing off luggage, and the return of old friends who had suffered through the separation of a long, well-deserved summer. There were patrons running amok, trying to help stuff luggage into the tightly packed stowaway, and even one family chasing after an escaped rat.
Amidst the chaos stood Sebastian Sallow, eagerly craning his neck as his woodsy brown eyes searched for a familiar face.
"Sebastian, we really must get on the train," The snipped, direct voice of Ominis Gaunt called. The blonde Slytherin was leaning against a stone pillar, beneath the large clock that hung overhead as he tapped his foot impatiently.
"She should be here by now," Sebastian responded with a slight edge of impatience in his voice. He smoothed down the dark brown vest he wore over his white button-up as he tried to rid the anxious thought that their dear friend may not make it on time to board the train. He was dressed in classic Edwardian fashion for a casual day of travel, saving his Hogwarts uniform for later, as many had chosen to. He donned matching brown trousers, ankle-high black leather boots, and a black cravat tie, with a gold chain dangling from his vest pocket to finish it off.
"Yes, well, I'd rather not be stuck sharing an apartment with any of those sniveling new first-years," Ominis stated pointedly, rising off the pillar to straighten out his perfectly tailored suit. Of course, being of a wealthy family like the Gaunts, Ominis was dressed to the aces. He wore a crisp black suit, finished off with a dark, forest green tie, with his blonde hair perfectly smoothed and styled with a small amount of pomade.
"She has five minutes left, she hasn't ever cut it this close-," Sebastian was cut off by a familiar voice calling his name across the Platform.
"Sebastian! Ominis!" A head of blonde hair could be seen bobbing over the crowd, the throng of patrons gradually parting as she came into view.
Sebastian initially thought he was being confronted by a stranger. The woman before him was donned in a loose, high-collar white cotton blouse with detailed pleating on the sleeves and alternating with rows of delicate white lace. More lace embellished the front of the blouse with a faux-bolero effect and was finished with long-fitted sleeves. What caught the young wizard's eye was the length of her skirt, however. The twill walking skirt, which undoubtedly was full in the back, cinched her together in the middle with a snug waistband. The skirt was smooth and fitted in the front, with tapered darts...and just barely kissed her toes.
As his eyes strayed back up to the young woman's face, he caught wind of the all-too-familiar gray eyes, like the early morning fog that settled over the Black Lake. Her blonde hair, every bit white-spun sun to a golden brown, was tied up in a loose bun, with wavy tendril falling out to frame her warm, sunkissed face.
There were traces of the young girl he knew still there, he could tell as Arabella approached as fast as a quidditch chaser. The beauty mark above her lip, the soft curve of her nose, even the hint of an old scar on her right temple, disappearing into her hairline.
"I-oof!" Sebastian grunted as the girl collided into him, her arms wrapping around his neck tightly as she hugged him close for a moment. But a moment was he needed to inadvertently feel what his sight already knew, and he soon felt his cheeks twinge with pink.
"It's so marvelous to see you! How have you been?" She asked excitedly, stepping back to look up, way up at Sebastian. Good Lord, he hit one hell of a growth spurt. Sebastian seemed stunned for words for a moment, struggling to gather himself.
"I-I've been, er, well!" He stammered out, an awkward smile gracing his face. "Helping Anne get settled."
"I heard about Solomon," Her gray eyes were downcast suddenly. "I'm so sorry, I know you two weren't close but...He was still family. How is Anne liking her new digs in Ireland?"
If he had any doubt before that the woman before him was Arabella, listening to the bleeding heart of the Hufflepuff before him chased them away. A more natural, crooked smile found his lips as he chuckled.
"She's become quite smitten with the countryside of Shannon. She'll be pleased to know you asked about her."
Anne Sallow, Sebastian's twin, had certainly had a rough go of it. She had been cursed before their fifth year began, and was unable to attend school. So she remained in Feldcroft under the watchful eye of their Uncle Solomon. Sebastian was headed down a very dark path that year, one that he was almost unable to come back from. Once he had gotten his hands on that dark relic, his entire demeanor changed. Arabella wanted to stop him, she tried, but to no avail.
In fact, Arabella chose to do something very extreme instead. She decided to dirty her hands so that Sebastian could finally clean his. She studied Isadora Morganach's memories and her journals, and she applied theory and resolve to hopefully accomplish, in a different manner, what Isadora could not. Much like her ability to take away pain, Arabella figured out a way to find and extract the source of Anne's curse.
It was a horrific, haunting specimen to behold once it was outside of Anne's body. Not wanting to follow too closely in the footsteps of Isadora Morganach, Arabella destroyed the curse the moment it was free of Anne, obliterating it into a pile of ash.
With Anne finally healed and healthy once again, Sebastian was able to veer off the path of mortal destruction before it was too late. And thus the healing of familiar bonds began between Anne, Solomon, and Sebastian.
Sebastian resumed his schoolwork at Hogwarts, Solomon returned to work at the ministry as an auror, and Anne decided to finish her studies abroad.
Arabella's remorse wasn't exactly misplaced. Uncle Solomon was the last of his family, and he had lost his life over the summer while subduing a dark witch from America that had been hiding out in lower England. Though they didn't get along and had barely smoothed over the raw wounds from his fifth year, it still hurt to lose him.
"Might we finish this discussion inside the train?" Ominis' voice asked with dramatic exhaustion and a copious amount of impatience. Arabella's eyes flickered toward the boy, if he could hardly be called that anymore, and she let out a startled gasp as she flung her arms around him, too.
"Oh, Ominis! It's wonderful to see you as well," She hardly noticed that Ominis, who had been using his wand and magic to feel his way around, now had a more...direct feeling of his friend pressed against him. No wand needed. His pale blue eyes widened in alarm, and his cheeks began to flush with warmth. Arabella quickly separated from him and cast the two boys a confirming nod. "Of course, Ominis is right, I'll go find us an empty compartment. I'll meet you two on the train!"
With that, the young woman took off, disappearing into the train, leaving Sebastian and Ominis to release a collective sigh of relief.
"I was going to chance a question when you started stuttering like a buffoon," Ominis spoke, clearing his throat as he adjusted his tie. "But, it seems I have my answer."
"Oh?" Sebastian raised a brow and turned to face his sight-deprived friend. "Pray tell?"
Ominis went rigid and raised his hands to smooth down his styled hair. "I shan't."
"I merely wish to see if our opinions add up," The brunette disagreed as he started walking toward the train, Ominis in tow.
"I...very well...she felt different."
"Ominis," Sebastian couldn't resist, turning to smirk deviously at his best friend. "You sound like a pervert."
Oh, did the blonde Slytherin's face flush with color.
"Your accusations are deplorable, Sebastian," He snipped at him.
Sebastian chuckled, but only for a moment before he rubbed his neck awkwardly. "But, you are right. She even looks different, now."
"How so?" Ominis pressed as they boarded the crowded, scarlet train that let out three shrill whistles.
"She's...put up her hair and let her skirts down," Sebastian answered, his voice low enough for his friend to hear. Ominis' brows shot up in an instant, his face spilling with a ghost of a blush.
/////\\\\\
The two young men had found Arabella shortly after the train had started moving. Sebastian took notice of the distant look in her gray eyes as she stared out the window at the countryside blurring by. He cleared his throat as he slid open the door, alerting her to their presence as they entered the compartment and sat down across from her.
"I suppose I should have been in Slytherin," She admitted with a small smile, her eyes scanning over the small compartment.
"Oh?" Ominis inquired curiously, a raise of his fine brow.
"I may have told a little white lie to get this compartment," She laughed softly. "I told a few first years in here that this was reserved for the Head Boy and Head Girl, and any other prefects."
Sebastian scoffed and Ominis' lips tweaked up at the edges at her mischievous act.
"Though..." Sebastian's eyes caught a glint of the silver pin attached to the young woman's satchel. "I suppose it wasn't a complete lie?"
"What?" His fellow Slytherin balked. "Is she head girl?"
"I am," Arabella sighed, letting her fingers graze the pin on her bag. "I didn't expect them to offer me that position. Especially with my late start in school."
"Nonsense," The brunette shook his head, a roguish smirk on his face. "How many students can say they saved Hogwarts from goblin fanatics?"
"And took down a prevalent poacher ring," Ominis added.
"Not to mention the Ashwinders," Sebastian continued with an affirming nod to his friend before frowning. "Actually...I wonder why Ominis didn't receive the invitation to be head boy?"
"I suppose the teachers didn't want to give too much power to friends of Sebastian Sallow," Arabella chortled, crossing her legs as she leaned back. "Lest the school fall into turmoil."
"She does make a fair point," Ominis agreed, a smug smirk on his face.
Arabella hummed as she let her head fall back against the seat, her eyes fluttering shut. Sebastian's eyes lingered on her a moment longer, studying her sharpened features that undoubtedly grew over the summer, and the slender curve of her neck on display for all to see. It was so different from when he'd last seen her, when her hair had alternated between a single braid falling down her back, or a half up-half down style. He felt his throat grow dry and he swallowed, rather roughly, as he tore his eyes away.
"Did you enjoy your time in Romania?" Sebastian forced his voice out. Though Arabella did not notice the strain in his timbre, Ominis raised a rather startled brow at his friend.
"Oh, yes," She sighed dreamily, a smile finding her slim face. "It was so exciting! Studying dragons was quite the experience. I even witnessed a hatchling break out of an egg! I can't wait to tell Poppy, she'll be so envious!"
"Do you suppose you'll pursue a career in dragonology, then?" He asked curiously, his eyes finding hers.
"Can't say," She gave a small shrug of her nimble shoulders. "Exhilarating as it was, it was quite dangerous. Although I enjoy a bit of thrill, I don't think I'm comfortable living life so close to the edge like that. The internship did pay rather well, so I have a small nest egg prepared for when I graduate."
"What do you plan to do after you graduate?" Ominis inquired, folding his arms across his chest. The Hufflepuff pursed her lips in deep thought before answering.
"Well...I have family matters to attend to after I turn eighteen," She spoke, her voice and face written with a lack of enthusiasm. "A distant cousin has been acting as proxy in my stead until I reach of age. I'll probably sell the estate in London, as I have no intentions of entering high society as a baroness. Poppy and I have been talking all summer, shooting ideas back and forth. She intends to travel the world as a magizoologist. I, on the other hand, have a great deal of interest in caring for magical beasts....I think I will buy a plot of land, establish some vivariums, and create a sanctuary for magical beasts."
"That's all? Sounds a bit dull," Sebastian muttered, causing Arabella's face to twist in annoyance.
"I do think I have had enough excitement to last a lifetime," She quipped. "I believe I deserve a little bit of peace and dullness."
"Is there profit in that? Sanctuaries?" Ominis asked, his pale eyes staring in her general direction with doubt and apprehension.
Profit?! Arabella was beginning to find herself irked at their shallow inquisitions and opinion.
"As a matter of fact, there is," She answered stiffly. "Poachers kill beasts and sell their bodies for profit. But caring for them provides you with a steady flow of magical resources to sell and preserves their life."
Arabella had already been devising a plan over the summer. The sale and trade of magical resources would not be enough to support the cost of living alone, but imbuing those resources into garments and gear yielded a much higher profit, as did the sale of potions. It would be a lot of tedious work for someone who was not passionate about it.
Sebastian and Ominis fell silent as they noticed the Hufflepuff's rising frustration.
"Wonder who the head boy is?" Sebastian broke the silence, at last, causing Arabella to sigh in relief.
"Speaking of," She withdrew a pocketwatch from the pocket of her skirts and frowned. "I have to head to the prefects cabin. We have to appoint train patrol duties...I had no idea the time had passed so quickly." Arabella quickly rose from her seat, grabbing her satchel as she headed toward the door. "Save me a seat in the carriages!" She called over her shoulder, a pearly smile donning her face as she slipped out of the compartment and disappeared down the train.
Sebastian groaned as he leaned back in his seat. She was definitely the same, selfless, passionate Hufflepuff he knew. Only she could talk about taking care of magical beasts like it was better than being Minister of Magic. But there was an annoying flurry in his stomach as he thought about her slim, angular face, and the slender column of her neck...That flurry was equivalent to a hive of cornish pixies angrily buzzing away.
She was still Arabella Dawson. Nothing had changed...right?