Ten years after I began at Hogwarts, Sebastian Sallow is back. And he's Professor Sallow now. He disappeared after the fall of Ranrok and Rookwood, after I lost Professor Fig, and after Ominis and I couldn't keep him from losing himself. But I never...
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As the centaur enters, it would be an understatement to say a murmur breaks amongst the students. Their reactions are all over the place, which makes sense considering many of them have likely never seen one.
::Many have likely never seen a practically naked, totally ripped man, either.::
Hush.
Some of the students are wide-eyed. Fearful. Some of the male students are sizing him up. Some of the female students are positively giddy – a group of Ravenclaws in particular, including the Roka girl. And I take special note of a group of first years at the Slytherin table in front of me whispering and sniggering, rude little twats.
::Pot calling the cauldron black, don't you think?::
Kai walks proudly, but his face is still soft and agreeable. I am both impressed and annoyed by how classy he consistently is. The sound of hooves against the stone floor is imposing and reverberates around the hall. My stomach officially has two pits, now. I don't know why the sight of him, the thought of him, anything about this...guy...makes me so instantly uncomfortable.
::Yes you do.::
No. Everything is fine. ::You're fucking jealous, you twat.::
I'm not jealous of a centaur.
::You're jealous of anyone who has a piece of your treasure.::
She's not mine to horde.
::Agree to disagree, mate.::
Fuck.
Once he's around halfway down the hall, April darts towards him on light feet and his face beams the way she makes my face beam and the word 'beam' doesn't even sound like a word to me anymore.
She reaches up and he takes her hand and though I try to fight the reaction, it makes my skin crawl. It's lessened, slightly, as Thiago approaches as well and grips the centaur's other forearm in a brotherly greeting. The group gather at the front of the room.
I catch Ominis sitting up taller in his chair, adjusting his legs beneath the table, and I realize just how much taller he is than he used to be. Something about it gives me chills. All the ways he's grown that I don't know about is too perfect a symbol for just how much time I've missed. Shit, I'd wager he's taller than me now.
::Not by much.::
"It is a great honor to stand amongst you," Kai's deep, resounding voice booms across the hall.
Merlin, he's a fucking specimen, isn't he?
::Could still blast him with your wand wand.::
HUSH.
His accent is a bit halting, like Scandinavian accent but with some British vowels mixed in. The red-headed arsehole from the other night sounded similarly. Must be a centaur thing.
