Part 12

The three friends walked slowly through the dungeon to Hogsmeade, discussing which Bertie Botts candy was the most disgusting, until Noah noticed that Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off him.

"Do I have something on my face?" Noah asked, and Sebastian blinked in surprise before nodding.

"I just noticed how much your hair has grown," Sebastian remarked to himself, thinking it suited Noah even more, but he didn't say anything.

"That's true, I think since I'm going to Hogsmeade anyway, maybe I'll get a haircut," Noah began stroking his hair, gauging its length.

"I actually think this length suits you," Sebastian hurriedly dissuaded him from the idea.

"What color is your hair?" Ominis asked.

"Well, brown? Light brown?" Noah examined his hair strands as if seeing them for the first time.

"If you want to get a haircut, let's split up. I'll go get my package, and you and Sebastian can go to the barber shop so you don't waste time," Ominis suggested. As they approached the exit, the fragrance of sweets filled the air.

Noah wanted to grab all the sweets he had missed out on. At the beginning of the school year, he barely had any money, which was mostly spent on educational items and potion ingredients he collected himself. In addition, he needed ingredients for additional tasks given by the teachers.

"I was once told to bring troll boogers. I didn't know where to find them, and I searched for a very long time," Noah thought about sharing a story from his life until he noticed the expressions on his friends' faces.

"If you need anything, you can ask me," Ominis said. "You're not saying you killed a troll for the sake of those tasks, are you?"

"There were two of them," Noah laughed. "Now I have a whole bag of magical items and ingredients! If you need anything, just ask. I won't hesitate to give it to you."

Before parting ways, Ominis approached Sebastian and said, "Since you're the most well-read among us, hit him, maybe you'll make him smarter."

"I won't! I'm too young to die," Sebastian poked Ominis in the stomach and went up the stairs.

After leaving the pantry and the sweet kingdom, they headed to the square.

"I'll meet you here when you're done," Ominis straightened his robe and walked toward the post office.

"Well, my 'ward,' I'll accompany you this time," Sebastian said, turning to Noah.

"You're the ward yourself," Noah laughed and walked toward the small lake behind the square.

"Where are you going? Aren't we going the other way?" Sebastian caught up to him.

"No, I changed my mind. Didn't you say this hairstyle suits me better?" Noah defiantly smoothed his hair and smiled. Sebastian blushed slightly, which Noah noticed. "If you're hot, take off your robes. We're not at Hogwarts." Sebastian became a little sad at this remark. He had liked Noah from their first meeting, unable to take his eyes off him. Sebastian had openly flirted and dropped hints, but Noah either didn't notice or didn't want to notice.

"I wonder what kind of package Ominis is receiving?" Noah started throwing pebbles into the water.

"I think it's a wand handle," Sebastian remembered Ominis mentioning it the other day.

"By the way, look what I have," Noah showed his wand handle.

Sebastian's heart skipped a beat.

"It's almost like yours, just a different color. They gave it to me as a reward for a favor," Noah turned away and continued playing with the stones.

"Did you risk your life again to help someone?" Sebastian criticized this side of him, always helping everyone he encountered. "Why didn't you call me? Whenever I go on adventures, I always call you." This petty resentment had always lurked within Sebastian—did he not trust him or think he couldn't take care of himself?

Noah, finally distracted from the stones, turned to Sebastian.

"Of course, I wanted to call you, but you were always preoccupied with finding a cure for Anna," Noah didn't want Sebastian to accuse him without cause.

Sebastian took off his robe and laid it on the bench. The topic of conversation had exhausted itself, and mentioning Anna's illness was painful for both of them. Sebastian sighed loudly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned Anna," Noah sat down next to him.

"It's okay. You can blame me as much as you like. I deserve it," Sebastian unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and rubbed his neck.

"Do you want me to conjure a little wind for you?" Noah took out his wand and pointed it in Sebastian's direction.

"Nooooo, please don't. I'm not hot, just a little tired," Sebastian moved his hand away from the wand pointing at him.