𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 || 𝐒𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰

Chapter Twelve: The Forbidden Forest

Chapter Twelve 

After school, Matty participated in the final round of Crossed Wands that Lucan had set up for her. This meant Professor Hecat's assignments were finally all finished. On the downside, Sebastian had detention after school, so he wasn't able to participate in the final duel—which really bummed Matty out, especially knowing he had gotten detention for her.

They had barely spoken since; usually just saying a few hellos in the hallways or small conversation but there was never a time Matty could find to actually hold a full conversation with him.

But regardless, Matty was still trying to make other new friends. She had spoken to Esme a few times since meeting her—and she really did seem sweet. She came off as intimidating and possibly judgmental if you didn't know her well, but she really was just the kind of person who didn't show their true colors in a good way until you met them.

Matty stalled most of the day away in the Gryffindor Common room while trying to wait for nightfall so she could go meet Jackdaw in the Forbidden Forest to find those missing pages. But honestly, who knew a common room could be so boring when you barely knew anyone?

Natty and Nellie were off doing their own things and so was Garreth, so she just stuck around for several hours basically doing nothing.

"I need a hobby around here that isn't risking my life for other people." Matty sighed, looking out the window. She saw the sun was beginning to set so she quickly headed up to her room and grabbed her robes and wand, wanting to head off to the Forbidden Forest as soon as possible.

On her way out of the castle, she was stopped by Esme, who noticed she was leaving in a bit of a rush. "Matty! Where are you going?" Esme asked, with a brow raised. "Dinner is in ten minutes, and you are rushing out of the castle."

Matty suddenly stopped to look back at Esme. "Oh, um, I just have a small errand to run, I'll be gone most of the night—probably." She said, looking awkwardly her way. She wasn't expecting anyone to question where she went. "Look, if anybody asks where I am during dinner, just tell them I took a last-minute trip to Hogsmeade." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Although Matty could hold her own—Esme saw that in the Crossed Wands duels she had participated in, she was still a bit concerned about Matty running off into the night and not telling anyone where she was going.

"For the sake of it, where are you going anyway? I promise not to tell." Esme said, not letting Matty leave until she got an answer.

Matty sighed, knowing Esme was too observant to lie to her. "I'm going to the Forbidden Forest but look, I swear I have a good reason to, otherwise I wouldn't go." She said, hoping Esme wouldn't report her to any of the faculty. "It's something related to the same reason why I was in the Restricted Section."

Esme's brows furrowed. "Don't tell me you're going to meet Sebastian out there, that absolute oaf. I'll kill him." She retorted.

"What? No!" Matty said, shaking her head. Some people were really still thinking she went to the Restricted Section just to meet Sebastian there? "There was an actual reason for that, Sebastian was just helping me get in there. Look I swear to Merlin I have a good reason for all of this, please just cover for me?"

She looked at Esme with a hopeful face and Esme sighed, shaking her head. "Fine, but remember, that forest is dangerous. People don't always make out if alive."

Matty chuckled. "You know, for a Slytherin, you do seem to care a lot for a Gryffindor like me." She grinned as she started walking away from the castle.

Esme rolled her eyes. "I care a lot for you, not Gryffindors. But you would make a pretty good Slytherin with ambition like that." She said, watching Matty walk away down the path towards Hogsmeade.