A Man Has Horns // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 40 - Fear of A Mirror

I had still yet to have spoken to Sebastian. He waved when he would see me at the ends of corridors, greet me in class. 

I walked into the Defence Against the Dark Arts, seeing that there was a huge closet in the end of the room to which students stood around it both nervous and excited.

"What is happening?" I asked a group of students. 

"Boggart closet," Samantha Dale, a Ravenclaw student I played Summoner's Court answered. "A shape sh-"

"A shape-shifter, a non-entity taking the form of your biggest fear," Professor Hecat continued as she came from her office. "No one knowing of its true form. Line up!"

We obediently stood in line whilst Duncan Hobhouse and Constance Dagworth fought each other to be able to go second. 

"Settle!" Professor Hecat exclaimed as Constance got an upper hand and pushed Duncan forwards. 

"Boggarts are amortal, meaning they have never been alive nor can die. This of course makes things more difficult when facing one. Today we will be learning the Boggart Banishing spell Ridikkulus that will allow for the entity to appear humorous, giving crucial time for you to retrieve your footing and escape the scene. Do not try to fight it. It will be of no use."

Defence Against the Dark Arts was becoming more serious by the lesson. No longer was it just duels but actual training for what to do when encountering Dark creatures, hexes and curses. 

It was Sebastian's favourite class.

"Repeat after me... Ridikkulus," Hecat exclaimed flicking her wand as a small light appeared to emit from the tip. 

"RIDIKKULUS" the whole room, including me, said in unison. 

I saw him standing in front, two people between us. 

"Very well. Mr Hobhouse are you ready?" Professor Hecat approached the closet door and grasped its handle. 

"No," he whimpered, raising his wand with a trembling hand. 

"Focus Duncan!" I heard Samantha exclaim, their Quidditch captain and Prefect. 

"On the count of three. One. Two. Three," Hecat opened the door. 

A dark black shadow like smoke exited as it halted in front of Hobhouse, quickly forming into a...

...a Puffskein. 

The whole room erupted in laughter. 

"Mr Hobhouse!" Hecat yelled over the laughter. 

"R-RIDIKULLUS!" Duncan barely got out before the Puffskein morphed into a purple balloon that floated into the air. 

Professor rose her wand for the balloon to pop and re-enter the closet. 

"Very good Mr Hobhouse. A great way to introduce the room of Boggarts," Professor Hecat shut the door sharply. 

"Puffskein Duncean lives another year!" a fellow Slytherin roared over the room as it erupted in another spell of laughter. 

I felt horrible for him, seeing he was both embarrassed and still terrified. 

The giant Venomous Tentacula leaf had only done him so good for so long. 

"Next!" Professor exclaimed. 

Constance's boggart turned the whole room pitch black. She was scared of the dark and did not know where to point her wand to cast it. 

"It surrounds you Miss Dagworth. Anywhere will do!" Professor Hecat exclaimed over her. 

After her successful cast, the darkness shrunk, all its shadows retreating into a black marble that skirted the floor back into the closet one again. 

There were boggarts of Acromantulas, Inferi, Werewolves, a failing grade, A Howler, somebody's grandmother. All turning subsequently to an eight legged table, a Crup pup, a paper airplane, a paper crane, a non-sensical blabbering old woman. 

Everyone was scared of something. 

Finally it was Sebastian's turn. 

"Ready Mr Sallow," Hecat announced as she opened the door once again. 

The door opened and in front of him appeared Solomon's dead body. Anne was holding him, crying, struggling to breathe from her fits of coughs. 

Everyone feel silent. 

He starred at Anne and did not say or do anything. 

"Mr Sallow!" Professor Hecat reminded him.

"Ridikkulous," he said unmoved and silently. 

The image turned into cancan dancers with huge colourful feather, as Hecat summoned it back into the closet. 

He walked away past me, not making eye contact, people around slowly starting to whisper. 

I saw a hand on his shoulder as he approached the end of the room. A fellow Slytherin exchanging a few words with him as he starred into the floor pale faced.

The next two students had a boggart of a Centaur and graveyard. 

I kept thinking about Sebastian, wanting desperately to go to him and say a reassuring word. But that emotion would be quickly replaced with the increasing anxiety of me being next. 

My mind stormed with the possibilities of what could appear. 

I thought it was best perhaps to quickly leave, but I had once ran away during class and did not think it was acceptable to do so again. 

Professor Hecat gave me a worried look. 

She would stop me from facing one. Surely it was for the best for other's not see what could appear after opening the door. 

"Ready Lilith?" Hecat said to my surprise. 

I did not respond. 

"Deep breath," she instructed me, taking one herself and opened the door. 

In front of me stepped out... 

I was standing in front of myself.