Passionate Professors || Sebastian Sallow

Part 1 | Ch. 32 - The Long Way

Saturday morning welcomed us gently, especially since last night was dreamless. Sebastian and I both got ready for the day and packed a bag. I tossed on a light pink floral sundress and he dressed in a pair of casual pants and a thin button up. We planned to visit the manor and stay overnight. He wanted to show off the space that he neglected to tell me about until just days ago.

We grabbed a quick breakfast at the Great Hall. Most of the students were likely still in bed but there were still a decent amount for day without classes. Garreth stood chatting with a few students, ones I recognized to be fourth years from my class. He looked exhausted, dark circles weighing down his heavy eyes. He smiled lazily at me, his mouth turning downwards when he saw Sebastian.

"What do you say we take the long way there?" Sebastian asked as he bit into a blueberry muffin.

"The long way?" I repeated, unsure of what he meant.

"We can take our brooms!" He said excitedly, "it's such a beautiful day." He pointed to the large paned windows behind us as the sun shone into the Great Hall warmly.

"Sure, why not? Might as well enjoy the nice weather before it gets cold." I nodded, noticing Garreth was now staring intently at me.

Sebastian looked between the gaze before his expression grew cold. "Why is that dingus staring at you?" He muttered under his breath. Garreth hadn't moved, his eyes fixated in my direction.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since the Sorting Ceremony." I admitted, turning to Sebastian, whose neck was now craning back at another onlooker, Issac Reyes. He was smirking to himself, his eyes roving over my body.

"And that creepy Reyes guy...he and I are going to have a real problem soon." He gritted his teeth, a darkness hanging on his words.

"It's fine, Sebastian, I've got it handled." I tried to bring his now boiling anger down to a simmer. We didn't need to cause a scene in the Great Hall, especially with a student.

Sebastian slowly leaned into my ear, his steady breaths spreading across the side of my neck. "Both of them need to know that you're mine." He whispered so low, sending shivers down my spine, my cheeks flushing pink.

Garreth broke his stare and Issac finally resumed eating breakfast. Sebastian let out an annoyed sigh before taking another bite of his muffin.

I sat stiffly, the whispered words lingering in my ear, twisting like vines around my throat. If he reacted like this to something silly like a stare off or a horny prefect, how was he going to react when I finally tell him about my Ominis suspicions?

——

The lack of breeze was perfect for a ride and we both swung a leg over our brooms. Sebastian's was the exact same one he had in school, the bristles breaking off at the ends, the seat worn from years of use. My broom had been updated to a slick birchwood once I started to work for the Ministry, but it was outdated now.

Kicking off hard, we soared into the sky, the wind from our speed tearing through my clothes. A whoosh filled my ears as we ascended near the clouds. I always preferred a more steady pace, leaning forward on my broom and flying in a straight line. Sebastian was the opposite, he was a few feet ahead of me, dipping up and down, left and right, enjoying the free fall feeling. We passed familiar hamlets, places where I was assigned to assist years ago. I remembered going door to door, asking residents about their run-ins with the poachers, letting them know I was going to take care of the problem.

The ride was short at the fast speed we were going, it only took about 15 minutes to get to the manor in Bainburgh. As the house grew nearer on the horizon, I could see how much work Sebastian put into it over the years. The front garden was vast, decorated with trimmed green hedges and blooming, colorful flowers. The old dark wizard statue was replaced with a round fountain, water spraying up and out in an umbrella form. The brick walls of the manor had been restored to a clean beige color, the cascading stone stairs free of dirt and debris.