What if you decided not to turn him in? What if he has to stand trial anyway? And what if you get asked to be a witness?
Would you save him? Or wouldn't you?
For Sebastian Sallow, Eleanor - Ellie - has been through hell and back. She did it all for...
The song choice for this chapter is "teenage dream" by Olivia Rodrigo.
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I get up the next morning and realise first thing that Imelda's bed is empty. Everyone else is still asleep, so I get up, get dressed, and sneak out of the room before the break of dawn.
It's cold in the castle even though every torch is lit, so I walk to the Great Hall with my coat wrapped around me like a blanket. When I enter, barely anyone is awake at this hour, and I find a spot next to Poppy on the Hufflepuff table. I think it's fate, I haven't spent enough time with her lately anyhow.
'Up so early?' she asks when I sit down and grab a bowl to get some porridge.
'Woke up,' I reply and shrug. 'Imelda was up before me, though. Or never went to bed, I don't know.'
'I plan on going into the forest later,' Poppy says while she gorges on her shortbread. 'Would you like to come?'
'What new adventures in the Forbidden Forest are you getting into, Miss Sweeting?'
Poppy laughs. 'No, no, nothing bad. I heard there's a Bowtruckle colony that recently moved into a clearing in the forest. I just ... I had to go and see.'
'Of course, you did,' I laugh. 'I'll happily join you. I do have to meet with Professor Weasley first, she had those regular meetings with me to make sure I stay on track. But after that, I'm free as a bird. When should I meet you?'
Poppy looks out of the window as if to judge the time. 'What about ten? And grab your thickest coat, it's freezing outside.'
***
Professor Weasley waits for me in her office. I cross the transfiguration classroom and knock on her door, and she bids me inside a second later.
'You wanted to speak to me, Professor?' I say and step into her office. She sits behind her desk, the very same one she sat behind when I handed her my field guide last year, when she had applauded me for my progress.
'Yes, yes,' she says and motions to the chair. 'Sit. Don't worry, I am just interested in how your year has been going. I am happy to hear it doesn't seem just as eventful as the last one.'
If she only knew. 'I would say it is a lot quieter,' I reply, however. 'So far, no goblins or revolutions or anything.'
She smiles at me like she's honestly happy to hear I haven't nearly gotten myself killed by now. 'I did realise you seem to have found a friend in Mr Sallow. I obviously knew last year, but after all the events I wasn't sure ... well.'
Uncomfortably I sit on the edge of my chair, like I'm trying to flee. 'What he did wasn't right or good in any way. But I think ... he needs friends. He needs support.'
'I would agree. I've known Mr Sallow, of course, since his first year at Hogwarts. He always made sure to keep the teachers on their toes. Madame Scribner surely had the most fights with him; since he was eleven years old, he believed the word "restricted" to be a mere recommendation rather than a rule.'
