Silver and Green with Envy: A Sebastian Sallow Story

Chapter Three

"Can you tell me why you're being so secretive about this?" Standing in knee high weeds, tucked between the apothecary and a vacant building, I tried to puzzle out the emotion on Ominis's face, but he wasn't giving me much to work with.

He shrugged his broad shoulders before leaning against the wall. "Because if what I tell you is right, I don't want Sebastian to know that I know. If it's wrong, I don't want Sebastian to think I'm spreading nasty rumors." 

"Ominis, we helped cover up the fact that he killed his uncle. I don't think you could come up with a rumor worse than that."

The silence stretched out for a long while before Ominis just came out with it. "I think Sebastian is up to something. I need help, keeping an eye on him. I think maybe Anne's continued refusal to speak to him has made him sink further into what we were trying to avoid when we decided not to turn him in. I hear him muttering to himself at his desk in his room. Like he's plotting something. And he had a visitor a month ago." 

"Is he not allowed to have a visitor?"

"No of course he can but this was one of Rookwood and Harlow's old lot. I don't know, I just really don't like this at all."

I didn't have any reason to doubt Ominis. I'd never had a reason to do so. He'd proved to be nothing more than a wonderful and trustworthy friend for the past two years and if he was this worried, then by default I was as well. "You realize though, what you're asking me to help you with is going to prove fairly difficult, if not impossible, as things currently stand." 

Ominis nodded. "Indeed. But I may have a way around that as well, though I think you might not be very thrilled by in. in fact, I know you won't be."

I sighed heavily. "Come on then, out with it."

"Pretend to date me. Or at least, pretend to consider it." 

I was unable to stop the laugh that came out of me, causing Ominis's mouth to crease into a frown. "Am I truly that awful, Elena?"

I immediately felt bad, shaking my head rapidly and moving my hands in front of me despite him not being able to see it. "No no, not at all! Ominis, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend, you just shocked me."

"I know, I'm giving you a hard time. I mean no offense, but as wonderful of a friend you are, you aren't my type. And as much as you continue to lie to me on the issue, I know you've felt for Sebastian from damn near day one."

"What's the point in doing this then?"

"He knows I write you. But he doesn't know what I write you. He doesn't want us to spend time together, for whatever reason. That much has been glaringly obvious for a while. This is the only thing I can think of that would force his hand. He'd have to let us be around the other. And of course, since Sebastian is Sebastian, he's going to force his way in to spending time around us when we're together because he feels left out, or in this case, incredibly paranoid. That's just how he works." 

"And what, you think we'll be able to gain a better understanding of what's going on? If anything? What if this just makes him completely ignore you too?"

"He'd never do that. He'll most likely be furious with me for a while, but he'd never abandon me."

"Well I'm pleased you seem to be so sure about that but if it looks like anything starts going sideways, I'm absolutely telling him what's going on. Deal?"

"Deal, darling." 

Even knowing this was the beginning of a farce, my face lit up like a streetlight. Ominis just laughed. "Are you blushing? I bet your blushing."

"You've gotten far too much enjoyment out of this already."

"Well one of us should. Consider it payback for the frogs in my bag last fall."

"That was Poppy's idea, not mine! And we got the slime cleaned up eventually, you act like we filled your bag with glue."

"Yes, well, might as well make light of all this, considering we may have to keep it up for a while. Just between the three of us, I'm not planning on announcing this to the school."

"And what if it somehow gets out regardless?"

"Then we fake an amicable parting and no one has to be any wiser to what was really going on. Truly I just hope we find out quickly that he's not doing anything wrong and I merely misheard him. Now. I must get back to the tea house. But before I do I have one other question. What happened in Knockturn Alley? Was he coming out of it when you saw him?"

"I...I don't know, really. Last night, I saw the two of you leaving and caught Sebastian looking at me after you called attention to my perfume. He looked...angry. I'll be honest it messed with my head a bit. Found myself in front of Knockturn this afternoon, figured I'd sneak in just to peer through the windows of a few shops. Curiosity. He grabbed me and told me to leave. Said if he ever saw me going down there again he'd lock me in a closet." 

Ominis's face canted downward in thought, but he didn't say anything else, just nodded and left the area, with me following shortly after, though going in the opposite direction. 

~~~

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach for the rest of the afternoon, and didn't particularly want to go downstairs to eat, but knew I had to when it started growling loud enough to drown out my thoughts.

Many others who were staying there had come down to do the same, laughing, talking, telling stories. A couple younger children were snickering as they set off tiny joke fireworks, angering their mother. I opened up my book and read while I picked and poked at the tiny chicken on my plate. 

Sebastian and Ominis were also there, eating in silence off to the side.

"Ah. Elena. There you are. I've a gift for you." Professor Sharp had walked up to me and sat down a long package wrapped in my house colors. "I know it's a bit late, and I realize it might be odd or improper for a teacher to favor a student like this, but I figured you deserved a nice birthday present."

Several things happened in that moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw both Ominis and Sebastian look up at each other, half panicked. The people sitting at the tables next to me stopped what they were doing to watch, and there was a quiet but collective muttering of excitement as I unwrapped a new broom.

"I...This is far too much, I can't accept this."

"You can and you will. A lot of us pitched in, and Professor Kogawa pulled some strings to get it. It's a new edition of the Moon Trimmer. I know you don't play Quidditch, even though it's coming back this year, but I think she's excited to see you on it all the same."

I sat in stunned silence for a moment. "Thank you, Aesop."

"You're very welcome. Now, I'm going to go pack back up. We'll head back home tomorrow for a few days and then term starts. I know you didn't have as many as everyone else, but I do hope you enjoy your last year."

I really hoped so, too.