Silver and Green with Envy: A Sebastian Sallow Story

Chapter Six

I managed to snag the potion station next to Natty that afternoon, and was glad for it. She was a welcome sight after everything leading up to this. I spied Poppy with Sebastian a few stations over, and had a brief thought of dropping the class and moving it, but knew that would be ridiculous and probably impossible, so the thought came and went with little more fanfare than that.

'Are you alright, my friend? You look distracted."

"Oh, Natty, if only you knew."

"Well that's why I'm here, you know? I'm sure Professor Sharp won't be thrilled if we talk through class, but we could always go to Hogsmeade later?"

The thought of seeing Sirona and sharing a butterbeer with Natty already warmed me inside out and I found myself smiling. "I would love nothing more right now."

"That's settled then, I will meet you in the courtyard this evening."

Professor Sharp stood from his desk and walked to a table where there were many cauldrons bubbling away. He greeted everyone and then called us to the front with him.

"Today we won't be brewing, we will be reviewing, just as was done last year. Now, each of these cauldrons contains a potion you either made or studied last year, and are numbered one through fifteen. Please make your way around them and on a piece of parchment, write down what each of them is, according to their number."

I went back to my bag and dug for a quill and some parchment before heading pack up to the table with Natty. 

Most of the potions were pretty standard. A cure of boils, a wound cleanser. Poppy was standing next to one, chewing at her lip. "I can't figure this one out." 

"Felix Felicis. See the tiny gold flecks?"

Professor Sharp cleared his throat. "Miss Varris, while I appreciate you wanting to help your fellow classmates, try to do so outside of class."

I looked at Natty and Poppy with wide eyes and tried not to laugh at having been caught. "Yes, Professor." Poppy mouthed me a 'thank you', then continued on.

Eyeing some of the other potions and jotting things down, I saw Sebastian standing around one particular cauldron with a few other classmates, seemingly unable to move from it. Steam rose from the cauldron in a lazy spiral, and the liquid bubbling inside swirled in pearlescent whites, blues and pinks. I knew what it was without going anywhere near it, writing it down and giving it a wide berth.

Natty giggled nervously. "Last year I got teased for two weeks for what I smelled coming out of that."

At the end of class, we turned in our parchment and went back to our stations before Professor Sharp started going over the correct answers. Most of us seemed to have gotten them correct down the line, though there were a couple of Gryffindors shoving each other over the answer to one of them. Apparently they'd gotten it wrong.

"Mister Weasley, for all the time you spend blowing potions up in this class, I'm a little surprised you managed to get that one wrong, as getting it to blow up is it's sole purpose."

Everyone started to snicker but then Sebastian raised his hand. "Professor Sharp. The Amortentia. Is it common for what the brewer smells to change over time?"

"A very good question. Yes, it can. If the brewer's romantic tastes change, so too can the smell. Someone new catch your eye since last year, Mr. Sallow?" 

Everyone in class started openly laughing, including Sebastian. Natty even joined in until she saw how red my face had become and how hard my fingers were clenched around the cauldron ladle I'd picked up to pack away. She put her hand over mine and gave me a small smile. 

"Now I see why you need to talk. Should we go after dinner, or get dinner at the Three Broomsticks?"

~~~

It was good seeing Sirona again. She and I had become pretty close after everything that had unfolded back then. She always had a hug and a warm smile for me, along with an even warmer mug of butterbeer. Truthfully however, I was tempted to ask for something with a little more kick to it after the first day I'd had.

If my entire last year was going to be like this, I didn't think I could survive it. I told Natty as much and she just laughed at me.

"Come now, Elena. You survived several attempts on your life, and a goblin wielding magic only you could have contended with. You can't handle Sebastian?"

"It's not that simple, Natty." I tried to give her as complete a version as I could without giving too much away. A lot of people knew Sebastian's uncle had died, but not how, and I aimed to keep it that way.

Natty tapped her fingers against the metal mug she had stopped drinking out of to listen. "Maybe he's just still trying to find a cure for his sister. Rookwood is dead, but maybe one of the others knows something?"

"I have no idea, Natty. I killed a lot of people. That's including the one who might have been the only one able to lift said curse. Maybe one of them told him they'd help if he helped them get to me."

"Elena, you killed because you had to, we all did, and no one faults you for that. "

"Oh I'm sure a lot of people fault me for it."

"And you think Sebastian is one of them." She hadn't even tried to make that a question.

"I have no other explanation for it. He's intimidated me twice now, and he wants me away from Ominis. Probably to keep his best friend out of the line of fire."

"Or. And this is just a guess, he's jealous."

"Well now you sound just as ridiculous as Ominis. Forget I said anything."

"I won't. How do you figure either of us are ridiculous? That's exactly what it sounds like."

"Last time I checked, something as simple as jealousy wouldn't cause a year long, silent rift for absolutely no reason."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and for just a moment, I cringed, thinking the worst of who could be behind me. But it was just Sirona. She smiled at me and sat down a small glass. "If anyone asks, I didn't give that to you. But you look like you need it." 

I didn't even ask what it was, I just downed it. The liquor burned my throat on the way down and as I exhaled, I still felt the heat escaping through my breath. Natty looked at me harder, concerned. "This is really bothering you."

"Yes, Natty. It is."

We spoke a little longer before Natty stood us up and accompanied me out and onto the street. There was music coming from somewhere and the breeze felt good on my face. I walked alongside her for a while, not saying much of anything and just trying to feel that little bit of liquor in my system. Natty stopped and looked behind her, causing me to halt as well. "Are you alright?" 

"I...Yes, I thought I heard footsteps behind us. There's no one there though, I'm hearing things. Come on."

We got back to hogwarts just before curfew, Natty leaving me in the hall to rush to her dorm, while I did the same.

The common room wasn't as lively as I had been expecting, and it was a little comfort imagining that everyone else had a stressful first day like I had. 

"Elena, where were you? We've been looking for you since dinner." 

I turned to see Ominis and Xander walking up to me. "I went with Natty to Hogsmeade."

"Were you drinking?"

"A little. It's not a big deal. Did something happen? I was barely here at all last year and no one came looking for me then." 

Ominis cleared his throat some. "Well Xander needed help with some of his runes homework, but when he went to find you he couldn't. So he went to the library and you weren't there either. We were curious, is all."

I wasn't convinced. I told Xander I'd help him in a minute and he left. "Ominis, what's actually going on?"

"...I don't know where Sebastian is and I got worried when Xander couldn't find you."