bits and pieces • sebastian sallow

four

golden

a few days later:

The earthly smell of fresh potting soil wafted into my nose as I stepped into Professor Garlick's greenhouse classroom. The early fall sunshine glowed through the glass panes as I walked over to my potting station, strewn out piles of used soil and bags of seeds laid scattered over the terracotta table I stood in front of.

The sight of Professor Garlick lifted up my mood due to how restless the last few nights were. She would occasionally make a few visits down to the Hufflepuff house, tending to the many plants that were scattered throughout the circular rooms. As I settle at my station, the professor approaches me with a warm smile and held out a container full of magenta colored seeds.

"Lovely to see your face again, my dear. You'll be needing these for today's lesson." She says as I take a handful of the seeds and placed them onto a towel next to my pot.

The minutes tick by, and students gradually start to fill the greenhouse, making the air slightly more stuffy than how it was before I walked in. As the students made their ways to their own stations, Professor Garlick pulled me to the front and announced the addition of myself as a new student in her class.

"Class," Garlick announced with an even warmer smile, "Please welcome the newest rose in our garden."

I glanced around at the other students as they all stared back at me, a few sending comforting and welcoming smiles at me, and as I looked around more, my eyes meet with a pair of familiar hazel orbs that I hadn't seen in a few days.

His gaze always did something to me, even if I only knew him for a short time. It sent a wave of fuzziness that I had not felt before, almost making me feel dizzy. Of course, it was a feeling that was far from negative. His face; freckles and all, stared right back at me with the same smile he had when we dueled for the first time, his eyes outlining my figure as he slightly raised his eyebrows, his thumbs twiddling around as he placed all of his attention onto me. He took notice of my stare and mouthed, "You're drooling!", breaking my trance and allowing him to place his attention back onto Professor Garlick.

"We do look forward to growing together!" Garlick finishes as she made her way to the front of the greenhouse. I made my way back to my potting station as Sebastian inched his own pot closer to mine. The sight of him moving closer to me immediately made my face turn pink, though I pretended not to notice his shift in location.

"Newest rose?' Should be a flytrap with how fierce you really are." He comments with a wink. I giggle at his remark before replying back with a playful smirk. "Roses have thorns too, you know. Did you know that, Sallow?" I say, pinching his shoulder, causing him to playfully reel back in pain.

"You've injured me!" He exclaims with a laugh. Before I could do or say anything else, Professor Garlick called our attention back to her with a presentation of plants that I had never seen before.

"Chinese Chomping Cabbages! Such feisty little buds of leaves, if I say so myself. Easy to grow and easy to use, these little plants will provide a great defense in battle. Utilize them well, and you may be able to defeat a troll with them!"

I move myself closer to the front of the greenhouse to get a better view of the plants; what seemingly looked like regular heads of cabbages, turned into heads of leaves with sharp, green colored teeth, their mouths blending in amongst the many shades of green and a light magenta as they occasionally chomped away at nothing. The sight itself was amusing, but I kept a good distance away as to prevent any fingers from coming off after this class was over.

After a brief explanation on how to properly tend to the cabbages, I placed my gaze back onto the pot that sat in front of me. As I stared on blankly, Sebastian makes his way next to my figure, tapping my shoulder, bringing me back to reality and turning myself to face him.