A Man Has Horns // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 46 - Explain the Script

Although Imelda wanted to ask more question regarding the secret assailant, I kept needing to either hush her or dismiss her query with an 'I don't know'.

In reality, I did not want to particularly linger on those thoughts. I looked to the left us and saw Grace and Violet giggle and whisper whilst they looked at various boys. I heard them excitedly speak of the Yule Ball, dresses and dancing. 

I was stuck with questions such as 'which teacher has given most indication that they would like to kill me'.

"What about Professor Sharp himself?" Imelda spoke over my inner monologue. "And before you say 'but he is the one who suggested it was a teacher', he said it himself - can't have tunnel vision."

Imelda had demanded the exact words used by both of the Professors and I had relented I retold her the dialogue to the best of my abilities.

"No," I shook my head to the suggestion slightly tired. "The only definite I have is that it is not Professor Sharp, Madam Kogawa and Professor Garlick."

"It's not Garlick that's for sure," she repeated with a mocking voice, still vexed from the lack of leads.

"The Headmaster?" she whispered to me again after a small pause. 

"Your guess is as good as mine," I sighed and started to mush my food with my fork. 

_____

I was in the library trying to find any books on the History of Magic in Ancient Greece, but had no luck. 

For the past few hours, I had found one that mentioned Ancient Greece, but it only gave a page full summary of its most crowned developments, such as the development of wooden talismans to serve as conduits for magic. There was no mention of dark magic. 

No Herpo the Foul - no immortality - no horcruxes. 

I sighed and looked at the wooden clock on the wall to see it was nearing 9:30 PM. 

I had given it the old fashioned try and it was absolutely useless. 

It was impossible to operate within the compounds of rules. I stood up and started heading out of the Library, down its Annex to make my way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower.

_____

I was standing in front of the dials as the gently rotated from the whisp of my wand.

The door opened and I stood in walking down the corridor to the metal gated door.

Sebastian was already there leaning on one of the pillars. 

As I pushed the gate open, he heard the gate creek and looked to me with a smile. 

"Well," I said walking into the room to him. "What did you want to discuss?"

"Are you pressed for time?" he says with a tongue-and-cheek tone and an ironic frown.

"It is curfew," I crossed my arms and leaned on my hip.

"Come on now, when has that ever mattered to you?" he taunted me mirroring how I stood to him. 

"What is it Sebastian?" I couldn't help but smile but tried to mask it by sucking my front teeth. 

He did a quick glance at my lips before speaking. 

"I want to reenter the Scriptorium to see if a certain book is there," Sebastian finally said.

I felt my shoulders tense.

"And I wanted to ask whether it was possible for you to accompany me," he added trying to keep the same tone but saw my posture change.

I got reminded of the blinding pain, the hot torture completely swallowing me before entering the door of the Scriptorium. He had casted the Cruciatus Curse on me and had not even much as apologised for it.