All The Magic We Made (Sebastian Sallow x Fem!OC)

I Get Close and Personal With A Fireplace

After I have a nice talk with Professor Hecat and collect my extra assignments, she dismisses the class. For some reason, I feel the urge to talk more with the Slytherin boy I dueled. To get his name, if nothing else. I leave the classroom and look around the corridor, trying to see if I can catch up to him in time. I suppose he spots me first, because I hear a voice say, "Nice work in there."

The boy is there, leaning against the wall outside the doorway of the classroom. "That duel was quite something," he remarks.

I laugh, looking down. "I was mostly bullshitting my way through it, if I'm honest. I probably wouldn't be able to do it again."

"Oh, I highly doubt that. I felt like I was dueling an expert." His lips cock into a smile. "Sebastian Sallow, by the way."

I smile back, extending a hand. "Isla Andrysiak."

"I'll admit, I didn't expect a new student to be so deft with a wand." He shakes my hand. His own is warm. "Then again, perhaps this wasn't your first duel?"

He tilts his head slightly, and I can feel the analytics in his gaze, thinly hidden behind the easygoing demeanor he is projecting. I hesitate for a moment, thinking about how I should answer him. Then I put on a cheeky smile, clasping my hands behind my back, straightening to seem as confident in my next words as possible. "You should consider yourself lucky I held back."

A glint of something playful appears in his eyes, as if he's pleased by my answer. He lets out a laugh, a grin taking over his freckled face. "Fair enough. You owe me an honest duel when you aren't, then."

"We'll see," I say simply, maintaining my composure.

A large group of students enters the corridor, chattering loudly as they make their ways to their next classes, which will surely be starting soon. "Oh! I better get going," I say, watching as the students go by and slinging my satchel more comfortably over my shoulder. "I'll see you around, Sebastian."

He gives me a little salute, his other hand stuffed in his pocket. "That you will, Isla."

I smile brightly at him and wave before joining with the crowd to get to my next class, although I quickly break off to ask him one last thing.

"I'm sorry, do you mind pointing me to where Transfiguration is?"

***

An entire day of classes at a new school and a warm, cozy bed to lay in at night should guarantee an easy time falling asleep, but I find myself wide awake. My head buzzes with excitement and anticipation for the days to come, so prominently that sleep is proving to be impossible.

I check the time on the little clock on the nightstand. Midnight. It is far past curfew, but surely a late night visit to the common room for some tea and a book isn't against the rules, right?

Better to ask forgiveness than permission. I step into my slippers and put on a robe over my pajamas, before quietly leaving my dorm room and walking down the stairs to the greenery-filled common room. When I first saw all the plants growing inside--up the walls, in pots, wrapping around railings, literally everywhere--I was amazed. It feels so alive in here, so hopeful and uplifting.

I browse along the books in the ivy-covered bookshelves, checking the titles for anything I recognize and/or would like to read. Eventually, I find myself by the fireplace, looking at the little trinkets atop the mantel. Then, something catches my eye. A soft, glowing light inside the fireplace.

Wanting to take a closer look, I crouch down and tilt my head to peer into the darkness. From here, I can tell that the fireplace goes a lot deeper than I originally thought. That's when I get the sudden urge to do something potentially very stupid.