Unspeakable

Chapter 38: Rivals

The next day at Hogwarts, Sebastian shifted anxiously on his feet as he stood outside of Garreth's room. He wanted to make this right... and in order to do that he was going to have to swallow his pride. Not an easy task.

He knocked on the door and took a step back so he wouldn't be in Garreth's face when he opened it. He had to be delicate about this... and he just wasn't a delicate person. He was chanting in his head 'what would Ominis do' to try and be a bit more diplomatic than he otherwise would. It seemed to be working so far.

Ominis had even agreed to go with him, but for this part... he wanted to do it on his own. Have a man to man conversation. A long overdue one.

When Garreth answered the door he looked excited as if he'd been expecting someone else, but his face fell when he saw it was Sebastian.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a rather annoyed tone, not moving from the doorway.

"I was wondering if I could talk with you." Sebastian said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Is this talking going to involve any spells, shoving or punching?" Garreth asked warily.

"No." Sebastian shook his head. "I promised Anne that we would talk. So here I am."

Garreth seemed to give him a judging look before he sighed wearily and let him in. "You're lucky." He grumbled, walking back to stir his pots as he motioned to one of the chairs off to the side. Anne's stool she'd been sitting on was tucked in the corner, apparently reserved for her.

Sebastian sat down with a long breath of anxiety, leaning his elbows on his knees as he watched Garreth work for a moment.

"We've been at each other's throats since we met." He said quietly.

"We're both natural rivals." Garreth said, looking over to him thoughtfully. "Slytherin versus Gryffindor, both trouble makers, both prideful."

Sebastian nodded. "That's what Ominis said too." He sighed again. "Told me to stop being a child."

"He has a point." Garreth gave him a critical look.

"He does." Sebastian looked down at the floor thoughtfully.

Garreth stopped in his stirring for a moment to look up at him, but then resumed his work. "So, what did you want to say, then?"

"I wanted to know if you're actually serious about her." Sebastian said quietly. "Anne has been through a lot. But she's also missed out on a lot. I guess I'm just... overprotective."

"No offense Sebastian, but that's kind of your thing. You're overprotective of everything you care for. You kind of remind me of a dragon with its hoard sometimes." Garreth smirked.

Sebastian chuckled softly. "I suppose I could be compared to worse things."

Garreth rolled his eyes with a helpless smile. "I suppose I don't really blame you sometimes, considering what you two went through." He said softly.

Sebastian looked up to Garreth in surprise, his expression turning wary. "What did she tell you?" She hadn't told him about the catacombs... surely not.

"About your parents, about the curse, about her fears with it." Garreth said quietly as he concentrated on the potion a bit more than necessary as he was lost in thought.

"She told you how she felt about the curse?" Sebastian breathed in shock.

Garreth glanced over to him, keeping eye contact as he answered. "Some of it. I have a feeling there was more she was afraid to tell me."