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

My Inner Extrovert Is Unlocked (And I Make It Everyone Else's Problem)

The first few days of school goes by rather smoothly, with a minimal amount of man-eating books, but an abundance of tap dancing gargoyles. I managed to get through my classes so far by piggybacking off of my gracious peers' willingness to share their textbooks, but today, McGonagall has arranged for my first visit to to Hogsmeade to replace the fallen soldiers that are my school supplies.

According to Professor McGonagall, Sebastian has been assigned to accompany me to the wizarding town, so I go out the front doors of the castle and look around until I spot him waiting by the gate. I jog towards him, waving in greeting.

"Sebastian!" I call out.

He looks my way, and a broad smile appears. "Ah! My new charge. Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I say. We go past the gates of the castle grounds and he starts leading me along the gravel pathway, which I assume leads to Hogsmeade.

"I was glad when Professor McGonagall asked me to join you today," he says after a moment. I can feel him looking at me from the side of his eye.

"As am I." I fully look at him, a smile on my lips. "Thank you, by the way. I hope it's not too much trouble."

"Of course. You're the only one who has ever bested me in a duel." His voice turns joking, and my face warms for whatever reason. "The way I see it, I'd be wise to keep an eye on you."

"Did you have any plans for this afternoon before McGonagall approached you? It's a beautiful day."

"I wouldn't call detention with the librarian plans, per se," Sebastian says.

I raise an eyebrow. "What on earth did you do to get on the librarian's bad side?"

"Scribner thinks that I shouldn't be visiting the Restricted Section in the library," he says with a simple shrug. "I happen to disagree."

"You're not one to follow rules, are you?" I ask, a little amused.

He chuckles. "You'll learn soon enough that in order to get the most out your time at Hogwarts, you're going to need to break the rules every now and then."

We journey into a forested area by a cliff, following the path. Birds chirp among the branches and a continuous breeze—the type you only get in an environment surrounded by greenery during late summer—wafts over my face, sifting through my hair and causing a few wisps to escape from my braid. I close my eyes for a moment and breathe in the  sweetness of it all. After all, in a beautiful day like this, how can one resist the urge to smile?

"You're acting like you haven't been outside in ages," Sebastian's voice says, breaking the silence of the moment. I open my eyes and keep them pointed upwards before responding.

"I love clear blue skies," I say, without really thinking about it. He raises an eyebrow at me, which encourages me to continue. "Clear blue skies. You know, when there isn't a single cloud in sight. The world just seems so much more vibrant during days like this. But to really top it off, I love when at the end of the day, it gets a little cloudy. The fluffy kind. Because that means that there will be a breathtaking sunset to see, the type that looks like a painting. Am I talking too much? I feel like I'm going on a tangent—"

I cut myself off when I realize that his eyes were on me the entire time, a slight arch on his brow and an upward tilt nestling comfortably on his lips. He seems to notice that I stopped talking. "No, I'm listening."

But I don't have much else to say, so we walk in silence for a little bit, until he goes ahead and breaks it. "First time at Hogsmeade?"

"First time. I don't really know anything at the moment," I say.

He laughs. "We'll have to change that, then. There's just something about the village that has us all flocking towards it like moths to a flame. You'll see."

At first glance, Hogsmeade looks like any other village. But all you have to do is step foot into it to realize that it is anything but. The place is so full of magic that it's practically bursting from the seams. Everywhere I turn, there are witches and wizards using casual magic in their everyday lives, like it's completely normal to them. I mean, obviously it is. I, on the other hand, still haven't gotten to the point where I don't feel awestruck every time I witness it.

"McGonagall told me you needed to replace school supplies?" Sebastian asks when we stop in the centre of town. "A wand, and some other bits?"

I mentally tick off the items in my head. "Yes, dittany seeds, some spellcrafts, and some potion recipes. I should be able to find all those places on my own."

"Perfect. I'm going to pop into a shop to get something for my sister," he says, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'll meet you back here once you've gotten everything you need?"

"Sounds good." I give him two thumbs up.

"And do take your time. A short list leaves plenty of time to poke around. There's lots to see."

Lots to see indeed. Once we go our separate ways, I have the intention of going shop to shop to grab the supplies I need. Instead, I find myself making constant detours, peeking in this alleyway and that building, talking every passerby who shows any interest for more than a minute. I'm never like this back home, where I tended to keep to myself and remain unnoticed. There's something about this new world that makes me eager to know more, which includes badgering anyone who doesn't seem to mind the extra company, and covering every square foot of this village with no rock unturned.