Stars in Shadows | Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 2

Sebastian's perspective

"Oi, Sebastian." Imelda snaps her fingers in my face.

I blink, "W-what?"

"You're staring off into space. Again." Imelda frowns. "You barely touched your food."

Next to her, Grace Pinch-Smedley giggles. "Oh, Imelda. He's not staring into space. He's staring at his girlfriend." She smirks.

Nerida, who was sitting on Grace's left, waggles her eyebrows at me. "So? Are you two together yet? Did you finally ask her out over the summer?"

"Huh?" I squint at the dark-haired girl. "Ask her out?"

Nerida squints her eyes at me. "Yes, Sebastian. That's what you do when one likes another, isn't it?" She rolls her eyes. I scowl.

"No, I didn't." I start to cut my steak with a bit more force than necessary. I was already in a bad mood. When I saw Ominis enter the Great Hall, he sat on the opposite end of the table from where we usually sit. I noticed that he wasn't talking to one, silently eating and drinking. I force myself to focus on the Slytherin girls again.

"Wait, what?" Imelda scowls at me. "The two of you didn't get together during the summer?" I shake my head. All three of them groan.

"I owe Arthur a galleon." Nerida sighs.

"I owe Poppy two galleons." Imelda rolls her eyes.

"And I owe Leander a galleon and five sickles," Grace groans.

I scowl at them. "I beg your pardon?"

Imelda shrugs. "Most of the students in our year took bets on when you would get together. Garreth started it." She bites into a custard cream.

I let out a groan. "For the last time, we're not together. Stop talking about her, will you?" I grit out. Imelda looks shocked. Before she could question me, Professor Black begins his welcome back speech. It's the same as last year's. Blah, blah, blah, something about the forbidden forest. I take the time to sneak a glance at Y/n.

She looked bored, her head resting on her hand as she stared up at Black. Her bun was as neat as ever, with a few loose strands framing her face. It was evident that summer left its mark on her, leaving her skin sun-kissed. How did she manage to always look so elegant and poised? Beautiful.

Y/n's Perspective

How much longer is this speech? I need to use the restroom. I stifled a yawn behind my hand as Black continued to drone on.

"Due to the demand," he says in his annoyingly pompous voice, "Quidditch will be returning this year. Captains have already been selected and will schedule tryouts on their own time." I immediately sit up straight at the news.