Into The Dark: Sebastian Sallow

Sweet Little Serpent (Ginny)

Chapter 7 Notes: 

When working on this chapter, I was actually playing Hogwarts Legacy and had parked my character in the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower where the quartet plays-- in case you want to listen :)

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Chapter 7:

The golden thread fizzled out beneath a flock of flying origami cranes as I turned into the charms classroom. It was a tall room -- as were all the rooms in Hogwarts apparently -- windows lined the far wall, allowing natural light to flow in and bathe the almond-colored desks and floor below. Brown panels with gold trim hugged the walls. Within each panel were various incantations neatly written out in gold lettering. The classroom was laid out auditorium style, attempting to give students a fair view of the teacher regardless of where they were seated. A large wooden staircase on the left wall led to a door which I could only assume was the professor's.

I turned to find a seat when I saw Sebastian Sallow sitting at the far side of the classroom chatting with Ominis. Catching my gaze and while continuing to chat with Ominis, Sebastian winked at me. I rolled my eyes and turned to see what seats were available on the side of the room farthest from him.

Why is he trying so hard to get under my skin? Why is it working?--

Why do I care?!

"Here!" I heard a voice call out to me.

Another fifth-year, motioned for me to join her. She had smooth dark skin and her black curly hair was pulled back into a low bun. Her eyes were dark but expressed only kindness. She wore the typical Hogwarts school robes, but hers were red for Gryffindor.

"Come! There is an open seat here!"

Relieved that I would be as far away as possible from Sebastian, I thanked her and began to walk her way.

"My name is Natty, you must be the new-fifth year everyone is talking about!"

Before I could even sit down, a cough pulled the attention of the classroom upwards to the top of the stairs.

Professor Ronan stood proudly, his gut poking out slightly, and taking a deep breath, he practically shouted, "Shall we begin?!"

He spoke quickly and with passion. It was hard to keep up with what he was saying at first. He seemed-- quirky. Gray pants and shiny shoes were the only "normal" thing about his appearance. He was wearing a purple button-up vest and a matching bowtie. A purple hat with gold trim and a golden tassel adorned his head. His purple robe matched. It too was lined with gold trim but it was lined with a soft green fabric. Its shoulders were made with sturdy purple leather and a silver chain with snakes on both ends clipped at the opening of his robe, keeping it from falling off.

I know what color gift to get him on teacher appreciation day.

Reaching the end of his speedy speech, he asked a question about the difference between two incantations. I did not know the answer. Nobody else did either because Professor Ronan insisted we do some review.

Fine by me.

He paired me up with Natty to review the summoning charm, Accio.

It was a simple activity. One partner held a book and the other summoned it to their hand with the charm. Soon, Natty and I were playing catch with a textbook.

"Well done!" Professor Ronan chimed in after some time. He gave some pointers to a few students, then decided we required some fresh air and began leading us out of the classroom.

Natty had run ahead of the group to ask the professor a question, so I practiced wand movements by myself as we walked. We must have been going towards the front of the school grounds because the walk was long, taking us through all different parts of the castle. It felt nice to stretch my legs.