A Man Has Horns // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 15 - Unfair Duel

I was walking to lunch the next day after a particularly boring Charms class when Garreth ran to catch up with me.

I noticed him and simply waited, feeling my face needing to resist smiling ear to ear.

"Hey! How are you?" he gave a nod and I finally broke, looking at the floorboards to be a little bit less obvious about how pleased I was to see him. 

We resumed walking together. 

"I'm quite alright, thank you for asking. Happy we have a break now," I made small talk.

We walked down the corridor without any particular hurry.

"I wanted to ask you," Garreth said slightly out of breath, maybe from running before I had noticed him. "If you wanted to perhaps go on a walk with me to the lake? After classes? The weather is quite nice today."

"Oh!" I got surprised by the question. 

He was asking me out. 

"I'd would have loved to but I've already made plans with Imelda to practice flying," I answered genuinely. "I'm so sorry."

I would have much rather gone on a date. 

"But you're great at flying?" he tried to interject but seemed to believe my reason.

"It's more so for exercise. Can't be fast on a broom if you have a fat arse. Or that is at least what Imelda told me," I repeated her words, finding them only funny now the second time hearing them.

"Oh how kind!" Garreth was taken aback by my answer but laughed.

"I genuinely think she believed that it was kind to let me know," I laughed with him and as we entered the Great Hall together. "But perhaps we could have lunch together?"

A compromise. A sign that I was actually interested.

"That would be nice! But umm.." Garreth stopped and seemed a bit nervous, "Do you perhaps want to come to the Gryffindor table?"

With how cold Imelda, Ominis and not to mention Sebastian was, and my cancellation of his date, I knew I had to accept his offer despite the sudden worry in my stomach.

"Are you sure they wont have any complaints?" I started walking with him to the Gryffindor table.

It wasn't unseen that different House students mingled during breakfast and lunch, but there had always been a bit of animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor - now even more pronounced after what had happened in Quidditch.

"I'll charm their muffins into rocks if they say anything," Garreth replied defensively but with some of his traditional humour.

I had never imagined him having the capacity of being confrontative.

As we reached the table, I saw Lucan Brattleby, the coordinator behind all the Crossed Wands duels.

He looked up and did a double take, finally waving at me.

"Hey!" I smiled and waved back. "How are you?" I quickly asked as we were about to pass him.

"Already drowning in homework, but!" Lucan exclaimed and then gave a quick glance at Garreth, "I'll send you an own about the potential resuming of last year's... extra curricular activity. I'd love to see your new..... strategies," he finally said trying to not reveal too much to the people around us.

"Sounds good, I'll catch up with you later," I waved goodbye to him as Garreth had been waiting on me.

"How do you know Lucan?" he finally asks me.