Passionate Professors || Sebastian Sallow

Part 1 | Ch. 17 - Veritaserum

Days had gone by without a word from Sebastian Sallow. I even spent extra time wandering the castle, part of me hoping I'd run into him but he was nowhere to be found. I wondered if I'd ever get to prove his suspicions wrong or at least get my own closure.

Killing time in my office, I realized that I hadn't written to my dad since I told him about getting the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Grabbing my new Hogwarts letterheads, I dipped my quill in black ink, and began to scrawl on the decorative parchment. Each piece was embellished with a golden Hogwarts crest, centered at the top.

"Dad,

I'm thinking of you. The school year starts soon so I'll be very busy with classes and might not be able to write as much. I hope you're eating and doing well. Don't forget the tomatoes aren't going to harvest much longer. Give Biscuit a cuddle from me.

Love, G"

Short and sweet meant that my dad shouldn't cry when he reads it but I never knew what to expect from him. The last thing I wanted him to do was miss me but I'm sure he did, I missed him more than I wanted to admit. At home, I had finally regained control of the world around me. Here at Hogwarts, my wits were turned upside down, each day throwing a new challenge at me that I wasn't ever ready for.

I set out for the Owlery to send my letter off. The dirt path wound up to a tall and thin stone tower, looming beyond the castle. As I made my way to the top, an overwhelming amount of owl hoots of all tones and octaves echoed out of the openings. I entered, careful to avoid being below the backsides of the birds. The brown owl that delivered a few of my notes previously, flew down from a perch up top, landing on my shoulder gracefully. I placed the parchment in her foot and pulled out some stale bread for her to peck at in my hand. When she had eaten every last crumb, she took off, wings spread, soaring into the cloudy sky.

A storm was rolling in and the wind picked up outside, howling through the openings of the decrepit stone building. I hurried back to the castle, making it just in time before it began to pour. I watched the rain come crashing down from inside the Clock Tower Courtyard, the bronze pendulum of the massive clock swinging rhythmically behind me.

"Ready for another round?" Lucan Brattleby rattled off, impressed at how I took on two advanced students by myself as a fifth year. Three more approached, brushing off their robes, readying to challenge me to an even more difficult duel. I wasn't exactly nervous because I'd encountered my fair share of real combat but taking on three skilled students alone would be no easy feat.

"She is, but I'll be her partner." Sebastian sauntered into the courtyard, positioning himself next to me, taking his wand out from his pant pocket.

"What, are you afraid that I'll beat you again?" I said sarcastically, showing him a toothy grin.

"No, I'm not afraid, but three against one? Well that's just not fair." He reasoned, throwing his cloak to the side of the dueling area and pushing his shirtsleeves up his arms.

"Fine, but if you hold me back, I get another shot at embarrassing you." I shrugged my shoulders, still smiling.

The three Hufflepuff sixth years didn't stand a chance against us. We casted multiple unique combinations of spells, making quick work of them. I was impressed that we performed so well together with little to no practice.

"Not bad for a newbie." He nudged my arm with his elbow, trying a little too hard to hide his astonishment.

"You helped a little I guess..." I joked, nudging him back. This banter, these sarcastic remarks were so fun with him.