Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter twelve

Reminders by Touché Amoré

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Sebastian's Perceptive

The Advance Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been smaller than I expected at the start of the year. Most of the students were familiar faces and had been part of the dueling club. There were only six students: Natsai, Leander, Nellie, Samantha, Amelia, and myself.

Three Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws, and only one lonely Slytherin. Every class made me feel like the snake in the lion's den. It probably didn't help that I was also always late to class.

All eyes seemed to turn as I attempted to quietly enter the mostly empty room. I took my seat in the small room at the edge of the room, everyone sitting in one long row. Originally I wanted to sit with Amelia, but she had managed to have Samantha and Natsai on either side of her. I sat on the other side of Samantha at the end of the table. Helping keep the room color organized.

"Minister Sallow, how kind of you to join us this early," Professor Hecat joked at my entrance. She walked over to my desk as I sat and left a piece of parchment face down. Then casually went back to lecturing as if the piece of parchment didn't matter.

I quickly put my belongings down and picked up the piece of parchment, Please see me after this class, written on the mostly blank scrap paper. 

There was no way I was in trouble again. 

I haven't even done anything in this class yet for Hecat to be upset with me. Even Leander and I had been mostly respectful to each other this year. I sat slightly anxious attempting to sit for the remainder of the class. I went over what I could possibly be in trouble for in my head. 

The rest of the class went as normal. We were beginning our next topic of dark creatures and the defensive spells that we would be focusing on to defend against them. Hecat then asked for volunteers to attempt a new defensive spell again in the classroom dummy.

Amelia offered, slowly getting up from her seat. She smelt like lavender and old books as she walked past my seat to the front of the room. 

But she looked exhausted. Dark tired circles sat heavily under her blue eyes. While her black hair was messily pulled back into a rushed braid. Her face just looked exhausted and sad. It was that look that always frustrated me when we first met. She had a beautiful smile, yet always was too busy feeling sad.

Her spell was abnormally weak as well, barely landing on the dummy as well. She even looked frustrated at the dummy even after Hecat had praised her. But she knew it wasn't good enough for her. 

A few more students volunteered and then we were all dismissed for the day.

I began to turn around and follow Amelia out to try and get her attention so we could talk until the familiar voice called out, "Minister Sallow," Hecat called out, "Did you forget about my note already?"

"I'm sorry Professor, I almost did!" I joked turning my attention back to Hecat as the remainder of the students left the room, "Am I in trouble again? Because truthfully, I am not sure what I did this time."

"No, Minister Sallow, you are not in trouble, this time." Hecat tested as she picked up her wand and cast a quick spell shutting the classroom door so we were not going to be overheard. "How is Anne doing?"

Professor Hecat was my favorite teacher. This wasn't the first time she had checked in on me about my sister. She was the only teacher who had checked in with me regularly throughout the fifth year when the school received news that Anne wouldn't be attending anymore. Perhaps it was because I had nothing to share without getting myself in trouble, but I forgot that Hecat would likely check in.