A Man Has Horns // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 13 - The King and Pawn in the same Box

"You harlet!" Imelda whispered back to me in her bed.

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I was back a little bit after midnight. Garreth had insisted once again to walk me back to the common room saying he wanted to see the snake slither across the wall again. When we made it to the door, he put his hands in his pockets and acted shy. I had asked what was going on and he acted out a little scene where he said he gets bad dreams if go doesn't get a goodnight kiss. 

After we kissed the second time, I asked what he does if doesn't get a kiss goodnight. 

"I always get one. But it's so nice that it's no longer from bullying Leander for one," he laughed as he waved goodbye to me as I held the common room door. 

As I opened the door to our dormitory everyone was asleep. I had made it to my own bed and changed my clothes but before lying down Imelda awoke and asked how it went.

"Tomorrow," I brushed her off lying fully down and turning my pillow. 

"Booo! Now!" she whispered back sleepily and Violet suddenly stirred. 

"Fine," I sat up, "Make space," I told her taking my pillow and walking to her bed.

Whispering into her ear I told her everything. 

_____

"Ok, which one is better?" Imelda finally whispered. 

"They are... different" I answered in a whisper.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, come on be honest," she dug at me. 

"I am!" I tried to say in as loud of a whisper I could muster. "It's so different. Sebastian was more impulsive? Garreth was more personal."

"Harlet."

"Stop calling me that," I told her off. "Or I won't tell you anything anymore."

"You would implode from keeping this in yourself," Imelda felt unthreatened. "But now what? Are you and Garreth a thing now?"

"No. No, I don't think so," I replied with some thought. "We decided to just take it as it comes. It's back to class and studies tomorrow, this all might have just been a fling," I told her thinking myself whether that truly was the case. 

"Fat luck it would be," Imelda dismissed the thought. 

"Enough gossiping, we should sleep," I finally said sitting up and taking my pillow.

"Yes, goodnight. I'll inform you if you exclaim any of the boys' name in the night," Imelda giggled turning her head over to the opposite side. 

"Ha. Ha," I whispered back finally reaching and lying down in my own bed. 

_____

The day passed regularly without incident until Herbology class. 

We were told to tend to Sneezewort as Professor Garlick had to repeat her Fluxweed lesson to a couple of student's who had failed to produce healthy leaves.

Garreth was working next to me and as we were working, Duncan Hobhouse had squeezed past a particularly big bag of fertiliser only to knock over a pot of an old mandrake. Garreth had seen it happen so immediately reached to protect my ears. With the cry, he just folded trying to squeeze his own ears closed by pushing his shoulders up, his hands remaining to protect mine.

Professor Garlick quickly turned and flicked her wand to raise the mandrake and muffle it in a nearby vacant pot. 

Afterwards some students threw us some looks, particularly Sebastian to Garreth for the first time revealing obvious resentment.