Unexpectedly Requited

Ch.9: The Walls Have Ears

I all but ran to the potion's classroom, only to run into an empty prepared class.  I pick my usual potions station next to his desk. I pull out the required textbook and begin to start reading the introduction to the book when someone pulls a seat next to me. I glance up and see Sebastian pulling a seat at the station next to mine. "I was told to tell you to go to the usual spot in the Herbology Corridor during the first break," he says as he starts getting out his class materials. I tell him thanks and I go back to reading my book with a smile on my face.

"So, how are things? How was your break, I heard you stayed with Sirona and the Weasleys?" I take note of what page I was on and look up at those familiar warm brown eyes. Looking at me timidly, full of hope. I nod. "It went well! And I did! I spent the first half with Sirona and the second half with Aunt Matilda and Garreth. It was...normal. Peaceful. What about you?" He has a small smile on his face and sighs. "I still haven't found Anne, but I'm not dabbling in the dark arts, I made a promise to Ominis. I am looking into magical alternatives; I even got a book on muggle medicine to see if I could find anything." He hung his head low.

"I am sorry about all that. I wish that I could have been more helpful." I reach out to grab his hand to comfort him. I hate seeing him hurt. He smiles at the gesture and shrugs. "It's all right, when Ominis asked for my help settling in Aranshire, it was a nice distraction." He looks at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You do know that he's absolutely head over heels for you right?" I immediately look down at my lap, trying to will the heat out of my face. I also can't stop the smile from gracing my face. Sebastian chuckles beside me. Right at that moment, students finally start piling into the classroom. "From that reaction, I'd say you feel the same, Diggle," Sebastian whispers with an amused tone. I narrow my eyes at him. Garreth comes into the class and smiles big at me.

"How's my favorite cousin?" He comes and tries to ruffle my hair, but I swat him away. He laughs as Sebastian says, "Oh she's about to kill me for giving her a hard time about Ominis." Garreth smiles big. "Oh, I know I gave her such a hard time about it this summer. She mainly wrote to him and Sharp." I made an annoyed face at him, and he laughs harder. "You know, I have perfected my bat bogey hex, Gare. Want to see?" His eyes shot up and he shook his head. There was a loud bang, and just like that, Professor Sharp arrived. Garreth hurried back to his potion station.

Aesop and I locked eyes for a second and his expression softened a fraction before launching into his beginning-of-the-year speech. When he was on the other side of the classroom discussing a newer ingredient that we hadn't used yet, Sebastian leans over and says, "You need to teach me that hex." I laugh and shrug. "I don't know.... I got to have something to win Crossed Wands this year." He scowls but has a playful smile on his face. "You act like we're not partners," I smirk, going back to taking notes. I reach over and write on the top of his paper, 'After dinner, pending O not having any plans, U.C'. He turns his paper upside down and nods.

After discussing the newer ingredients and what is expected of us in class, and the plan for the rest of the week, he dismissed us ten minutes early. As I'm packing up my books and writing materials, I hear Aesop ask me to hang back. Sebastian looks at me curiously and I wave him off. I'm still sitting at my station, waiting for him to sit in his usual place. The moment that the last student steps out of the classroom, he lets out a big sigh. "What is going on with you? Are you okay?" I ask him. "You disappeared from breakfast really fast." He nods. "I'm okay. F-forgot my medicine this morning. When exactly did you and Mr. Gaunt become an item?

I can feel my face warm again. "I'm not exactly sure if we are. I know how I feel about him, I suppose. I have heard that he fancies me. I'm just going with the flow, to be honest. And do try to remember your medication. You had me worried." He looks like he's processing what I said and sees that I am still looking at him and he smiles softly. "I will try. This 'old' man, as you say, got preoccupied." We laugh and he waves me off, dismissing me. "I'll come to see you later in the week, ya?" He rolls his eyes at me and I shake my head.

I beelined for the Herbology corridor, hurrying to put my bag in our spot at the back of the corridor. Not many students knew that there were stairs under the pond at the back of the greenhouse, but it was one of my favorite places to be. I place my bag down next to the bench with a note for Ominis, stating I would be back right after class, I made sure to cast the spell Sebastian had shown me, that way, he could listen to it if he beats me here after class.

I was the second person in the class, aside from Professor Garlick, who greets me fondly. I sit in my usual seat, and she comes and begins talking about this summer. Since I spent half with Sirona, I did get to see Professor Garlick outside of the greenhouse.  We were discussing how Rose is really helping Sirona out and how she should have done it sooner. I see her eyes go to my necklace. "Do you know what kind of flower that is?" She asked cryptically. I shrug. "I was told that it was a Dove Orchid." She giggles as she reaches to fix the chain, putting the clasp behind my neck. "They say that flower, much like the red rose, is a symbol of romantic love," She whispered as my classmates were filing into the greenhouse.

My eyes shot wide. Was she serious? I was hesitant to ask anyone, especially given who had given it to me. Surely, he had no idea. Right? He's an ex-Auror. There's no way that he didn't know that. Which begs the question, why? How? I was so preoccupied with my thoughts; I wasn't even paying attention to what Garlick was saying. Poppy, who popped up out of nowhere, nudged me.  "If you were messing with the cabbages, you'd be fingerless at the moment. What is going on with you?" I let out a huge sigh. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere! I have so much to tell you!" She pulls me over to one of the corners and I give Sebastian a small smile as I pass.

"Gran and I got back from holiday late, so I missed the train. I'm here now though. Now Spill! I hear that someone finally told you about his feelings." I look at her bewildered. "How is it that you already know! Does everyone know?" She smiles and shrugs at me. Nothing stays secret long at this school.  I then launch into the whole spiel. Starting with the end of my summer, my birthday and all the gifts, Ominis's proclamation of love, and then what Professor Garlick had told me about Aesop's gift. Her eyes widen for a moment, then I can tell she's pondering what to say next.

"Now don't bite my head off when I say this, but I really don't think he understands what the flower stood for. Not on the conscious level. I don't even think he knows his feeling for you on a conscious level." I glare at her as we set up our boxes for the term. Lots of dirt and fertilizer in our hands to keep them busy as we talked. "Now you have a different relationship with Professor Sharp than most of us do. So you do know him better, and personally, I think if Ominis hadn't finally decided to tell you how he felt, I think you and Sharp might have naturally drifted into some kind of relationship." I dropped the dirt I was holding onto my feet. "I could never do that! I am too young; it would ruin his reputation!" I whispered.

"I said don't bite my head off! And muggles do it all the time! It wouldn't be so bad."  She whispered back to me. I used Scourgify to clean the tops of my shoes. I had no idea what to do with this information. "What should I do?" She dusts her hands off, done with her boxes. "Honestly? Nothing. Knowing you and Sharp you have a meeting scheduled for sometime later in the week right?" I nodded. "So do nothing. It's the first day of classes. Give it time and pretend that nothing is going on. Explore what's going on with Ominis and see how things play out with Sharp. It's the only thing you can do, right?"

"And this is why you and Natty are my best friends," I can feel all the tension in my body leave and I put my head on her shoulder. "I was seriously spiraling." Poppy laughs and puts her head on top of mine. "I know. I could see it on your face. Now, let me tell you what Gran and I did." She then goes into detail about all the animals she and her gran saved around their little hamlet. As I was listening, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I glance towards it and it's Sebastian, sneaking out of class. He and I make eye contact, he winks at me and then he's gone.  My heart sank. How could I forget that he's in here too? Had he heard what Poppy and I were discussing?