Lost Devotion // Sebastian Sallow

Scent

Entering the classroom was almost surreal when I saw Garreth already sitting at his station fiddling with things. It didn't take long for his gaze to meet mine and I could see the look of panic on his face when we locked eyes.

He looked as if he'd seen a damn ghost as he sat there without blinking or even so much as moving a single muscle. Instinctively I started walking towards him to just get this over with and clear everything up but my attention was pulled towards the loud slamming of a book on one of the tables.

The abrupt sound jolted me, causing me to snap my head towards its source where I noticed Sebastian taking a seat in front of a cauldron with a smirk. What the hell was that look on his face for?

Letting out a sigh of annoyance, I noticed the optimal time was lost to talk to Garreth as he had already turned away to busy himself once again.  Instead I pivoted and strolled towards my station and plopped down between Poppy and Ominis. 

Their awkward silent treatment towards each other was becoming unbearable, and I was itching to intervene and demand an explanation. However, before I could utter a word, Professor Sharp entered the room, timing his arrival perfectly to interrupt my impending question.

"Hello class, if you wouldn't all mind getting out your textbook and turning to page 248. Today we are going to be learning something new but assumedly not unfamiliar to some degree for a few of you at least." Professor Sharp walked over to his desk and leaned against it as he faced towards the class.

A wave of anticipation swept through the room, accompanied by the rustling of pages being turned. With bated breath, we all sought out the correct page, eager to delve into the knowledge that awaited us in today's lesson.

"Amortentia?" I heard Poppy mutter out loud next to me.

As I glanced at the page of my textbook, I realized she was correct. The potion scheduled for today was none other than Amortentia, a topic we hadn't covered or learned how to brew yet...at least not in class because what happens in the girls bathroom is a secret that I'm not about to spill.

"As you should have all figured out by now, we are learning about Amortentia; the most powerful 'love' potion to exist and a very dangerous one at that."

Familiarity with this potion was not foreign to me, for I had come across it in my readings long ago. However, I had never laid eyes on one in person or had the chance to interact with it. My eyes diligently scanned the pages of my textbook while Professor Sharp made his way towards a nearby station. There, he stood before a cauldron brimming with a liquid that shimmered like pearls, accompanied by delicate spirals of steam that gracefully ascended upwards.

"The liquid in this cauldron is a perfectly brewed Amortentia potion, although in this form it isn't dangerous unless consumed which we will not be doing today for obvious reasons. Can't have any of you lot 'falling in love' with me. Now, I would like you all to gather around and one by one I would like you to have a full deep inhale of the potion, speaking out loud what it is you experience."

I knew exactly what this would mean...whatever we smelled is supposed to be reminiscent of the person, persons or things we have a very strong attraction towards. My gaze involuntarily shifted towards Sebastian, who was fixated on the cauldron across the room. A strange sense of unease crept over me, causing my stomach to churn with anxiety. Would revealing our results really expose anything significant?

Gathered around the steaming cauldron, we took turns inhaling the swirling vapors and guessing the different smells that wafted towards us. Soft giggles echoed through the room as we shared our amusing observations.