Under Your Scars || Sebastian Sallow x MC

Chapter 8 - Questions

Sebastian POV

The class erupted into a panic around us, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Juliette. The stunned recognition dawning on her face confirmed what I feared I had just witnessed. My star pupil had just used ancient magic, without a wand, and nearly obliterated another student in the process. 

My mind reeled with the implications of what we had just uncovered. 

Even Juliette needed her wand for most of her spells. It took her years of practice to wield without it. 

And all of my students had just bore witness to it. It was different when it was just her and I in the square in Hogsmeade. There were at least 30 witnesses this time and one very angry Malfoy. Juliette's secret, the magic she had fought to keep and protect, was exposed. 

How could I have missed this....

I escaped my thoughts, breaking eye contact with Juliette just in time to watch Rosalie Corben fall to the floor.

"Class dismissed!" I shouted, trying to disperse the audience but it was no use. My students were swarming around Miss Corben and Mister Malfoy, whose robes were smoking, singed from the lightening strike.

"That's not FAIR! She can't do wandless magic here! She could have killed me!" Malfoy screamed as his buddies helped him up off the floor. "My father will hear about this."

Seeing that he was still alive and insufferable as ever, I rushed to Miss Corben.

"Rose, wake up! Rose, please!" Miss Parkinson pleaded as she turned Rosalie's limp body onto her back. Her usually-olive skin looked unnaturally pale. 

I knelt on the ground beside her body and examined her, relieved to discover she was still breathing but unconscious. Juliette knelt next to me, waving a hand over Rosalie and muttering in French.

"No...no... Impossible." Her breathing was heavy and labored as her eyes darted all over Rosalie's body. Perhaps she was seeing something that I could not.

I scooped the student's body into my arms and got to my feet.

"I said  CLASS DISMISSED" My students heeded my instructions that time, clearing from the room until only Juliette and Miss Parkinson remained. 

Juliette was frozen, still knelt on the ground. 

"Will she be okay?" Miss Parkinson asked, searching her friend's body desperately for signs of life.

"We will take care of her, Miss Parkinson. Please be on your way, you can visit her in the hospital wing when she comes to." With a huff, Miss Parkinson reluctantly collected her and Miss Corben's belongings and left my classroom.

"Miss Fontaine, we better get her to the hospital wing." Juliette sprang up from the floor, finally snapping out of whatever trance she was in.

"No. Bring her to the room," she whispered, her eyes glistening as she examined the student in my arms.

"Juliette-"

"Sebastian. Trust me. Please, she needs to come with me." 

Before I could protest, she started walking from the classroom, turning to ensure I was following her. 

Every bit of logic in my brain was fighting against me, but I followed her anyway. For some reason, I trusted her judgement better than my own. She looked positively terrified, and anything that could shake Juliette like that had to be serious.

____________

I followed her on a familiar path back to her Room of Requirement. She ran too far ahead for me to ask any questions about what the hell just happened.

I wanted to ask if she had anticipated this, if this was the reason she came back. It had to be, she couldn't expect me to believe this was all some big coincidence? 

Thankfully, classes were in session so there were no students to witness a professor carry their lifeless classmate through the corridors. The door materialized for us. I tried to step inside, but she blocked me from entering.

"What the-"

"Give her to me" she held out her arms, waiting for me to transfer my student over to her.

"Jules, it's fine. I can carry her inside." I pulled the student to my chest and tried to step around her, but she blocked me again. I had a thought to just mow her down, she was much smaller than me. Why was she being so stubborn? 

I reluctantly but delicately placed Miss Corben's body in Juliette's outstretched arms. I was impressed when she was able to carry the teenager without any sign of struggle.

"Deek!" she shouted into the room

A house-elf materialized in between us. He frowned and started fidgeting when he noticed the student in her arms. "Oh dear, Miss Fontaine what has happened?"

"Please take Mister Sallow here to Weasley. Tell her it is urgent. Tell her we found it."

The house-elf knew, but I didn't? !

"Very well, Miss. Sir, please take Deek's hand." the elf extended his arm to me.

She looked to me, eyes wide with intensity, "Sebastian, I need you to tell Weasley everything that happened and do not speak a word of this to anyone else."

Juliette tried to kick the door shut but I stopped it with the palm of my hand.

"What about the students that just witnessed an outburst of ancient magic in my classroom?!"

"Make something up, anything! Maybe Weasley can help. Please, Sebastian!" she pleaded with me, her face twisted in desperation as I could see her eyes welling up with tears again. This stopped me from pressing the issue further.

All I could do was nod. If that was what she needed from me right now, I would do it. I took the house-elf's hand and we apparated away.