Eternal Stranger | Sebastian Sallow + Ominis Gaunt

Chapter 4: If At First You Don't Succeed

"What about this?" Garreth Weasley pointed to the tenth random plant in the past five minutes. "Is this knotgrass?"

"No. That's literally just regular grass." Ingrid sighed, shaking her head. "I thought you were supposed to be some sort of self-proclaimed potions prodigy? How do you not know what knotgrass looks like?"

"I don't obtain my ingredients from the wild," Garreth defended himself. "Everyone knows I steal my ingredients from the potions classroom."

"You should not be admitting to that out loud," Amit Thakkar told him.

Garreth just shrugged as he bent down beside yet another mallowsweet bush. Brushing some of his ginger hair out of his face, he smirked. "Now this has to be knotgrass."

Bewildered at how someone could possibly be so useless, Ingrid hung her head and started back toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "I'm blaming you if I fail my NEWTs, Weasley."

Garreth just laughed. "You wouldn't be the first."

Thankfully, just before Professor Garlick called everyone back to the herbology greenhouses for the end of class, Amit had managed to track down some actual knotgrass. Therefore, team 'Weasley For the Win'—a name Garreth did not consult with Ingrid or Amit about before deciding on—did not show up empty-handed.

"Very well done!" Professor Garlick chirped happily as she collected the various ingredients the students had been tasked with locating. "Remember, class, there won't always be a stocked shelf with the ingredients you need just waiting around for you after you graduate. That's why it's important to learn to find and grow your own ingredients. Class dismissed. Have a lovely rest of your day!"

As the rest of the class filed out of the greenhouse one by one, Ingrid thanked Amit for saving her and Garreth's ass before returning to one of the workbenches and pulling out her herbology textbook.

Setting the purple flower she had collected from Scarlet Ronnett's garden down on the wooden tabletop, Ingrid began flipping through the textbook and comparing every flower with the one in front of her. She had been spending every waking minute between classes searching for any clue as to what this flower was or where it came from, but thus far, the herbology textbooks hadn't been much help—meaning the flower most likely wasn't common for personal gardening or potion making.

"Anything yet?" Sebastian slid into the stool next to Ingrid, Ominis quickly occupying the one on the other side of her. Those two boys really were connected at the hip.

"Nope. Nothing." Ingrid slid the book over to him. "Your turn."

While Sebastian took over scanning the textbook page by page, Ingrid rested her head in her hand and exhaled slowly. Her late nights and early mornings were beginning to catch up with her.

"What ingredient did you have to find for class?" Ominis asked.

Slightly taken aback by the casual inquiry that had nothing to do with tracking down Helvi, Ingrid took a moment before answering. "Knotgrass. Took a while, and Amit and I nearly had to leave Garreth in the forest, but eventually we found some. What about you?"

"Mongrel fur. It didn't go well."

Ingrid felt the corners of her mouth curl into a small smile. "I've probably still got a few strands stuck to the fabric of my robe. Interested?"

Ominis cracked the hint of a smirk. "Maybe next time."

"You know where to find me."

Slamming the textbook shut, Sebastian huffed dramatically before dropping his head down onto the leather-bound cover. "My eyes hurt."