Under Your Scars || Sebastian Sallow x MC

Chapter 19 - So Close, So Far

Sebastian POV

My morning classes were relatively uneventful. Juliette kept to herself at her usual seat in the back. Pieces of her hair fell in front of her face as she kept her head down, furiously scribbling on parchment. Much to my dismay, she had changed out of my jumper and pants and into a black knee-length skirt and grey jumper, complete with a Ravenclaw-blue scarf secured around her neck. After such a long and eventful weekend, I was surprised to see her at all. I was delighted to see her, sure, but part of me wished she had stayed in her room to catch up on sleep.

Miss Corben's absence was palpable, as I could usually count on her to have answers for questions I posed to the class. Miss Parkinson looked lost without her, frequently glancing at the now-empty seat next to her. It was honestly a little strange to see one of them without the other. 

After lunch, I returned to my office for my usual office hours. I removed my suit jacket and tossed it over the back of my chair, rolling my sleeves up as I prepared to get comfortable for the afternoon. I started a kettle for tea, just in case.

With everything that happened over the weekend I wasn't sure if Juliette and I would maintain our afternoon tradition. In two days she had gone from my friend and colleague to my... girl? My girlfriend? . It was one date, but we had also spent the night together. I was not sure what to label this new relationship, or what she would label it

A soft knock on the door let me know that Juliette was coming for our usual afternoon rendezvous. I dashed to the door embarrassingly fast, nearly tripping over my tea table. I took a few deep breaths before I opened the door. 

When I found her on the other side, my heart sank a bit. She looked exhausted, defeated. Her eyes looked as tired as ever, accented with deep, dark circles. She beamed up at me, brightening her eyes in a vain attempt to hide her fatigue. 

I felt entirely responsible for her condition. I had invited her to stay with me to help her sleep, and it had only created more stress for her. Had she been in her room, she might have caught Rosalie before she injured herself. Still, she was able to sleep through the night without being woken by nightmares, and perhaps that was some small consolation.

I stepped aside to let her in and shut the door behind her, locking it just in case Miss Parkinson was feeling particularly bold today. Juliette strode over to my desk and turned to face me, leaning back against it with her hands gripping the sides. I crossed to the cabinet to fetch two teacups.

"I'll prepare your tea if you tell me what's wrong. I've never seen you take notes so aggressively in class, especially since you already took this class 7 years ago." 

A small smile flickered on her lips, but her eyes remained focused on the floor.

"I visited Rosalie. Some bad news, she will be in the hospital wing for two more days, since she decided to reopen her wounds. The good news, she's agreed to come to out into the country with me next weekend. This weekend we will need to go to Hogsmeade to get her a broom."

"That's not all bad. Also, don't worry about taking her to Hogsmeade, she can borrow my broom, if she wants to."

Miss Corben did not have the funds to be purchasing a broom, which meant that Juliette would have to foot the bill. Rosalie was always weird about accepting charity, though all the faculty were aware of her circumstances and we did our best to provide what we could for her. My broom was practically new, anyway. I purchased it to fly around the valley on the weekends during my first year of teaching, trying to keep my idle hands busy lest they reach for a bottle of firewhiskey.

"You sure?" she finally looked up from the ground, a genuine smile on her face.

"Absolutely. It's chock full of upgrades. I can give it to you when you come to bed tonight." I said casually as I gathered what I needed to prepare her tea. I smirked as I watched her jaw drop from the corner of my eye.