The List

Chapter 19. Do your worst.

— Where were you last night? You missed dinner.

Garreth said, sitting down next to her desk, at the other side of the aisle. Natsai was seeking a seat right by her, and Everleigh made sure to keep her gaze down in her Defense Against the Dark Arts book. She cleared her throat.

— I went to the Prefect's Bathroom.

She was a terrible liar. But if she could stick to the truth, somehow, they wouldn't see right through it.

— Ah, it did you good. — Natty was staring at her profile and Everleigh blushed, fidgeting around in her chair. — You look more rested.

She cleared her throat again. Through the corner of her eye, she realized that Natsai had narrowed her gaze at her, but she didn't look her way. Garreth had immediately detached himself from the conversation, like he always did when they both spoke about things he didn't find interesting. He was also falling asleep, head resting on his hand. The boy normally tried to skip the first classes of the morning, but Natsai had made it her mission to drag him to every single one, using the excuse that she wouldn't lend him her notes if he didn't attend.

They shared classroom with Slytherin that morning, and of course, Sebastian wasn't there.
A blessing, all things considered.

"This can't happen again, Sebastian".

Her own words made her stomach churn with anxiety. Sebastian had moved away from her, leaving her cold in the blazing hot water of the tub. His expression had been unreadable.
He hadn't argued with her, like he already knew she was going to choose that path.
Everleigh's rational mind kicked in, once the stupor of the orgasms had passed. Not only she wasn't sleeping with him anymore.
She was ending that arrangement.

Heart pounding in her chest, she had watched how Sebastian had walked out of the water and grabbed a towel from the multiple baskets around the room. Her eyes had swept around his tall and muscular figure for a second before giving him some privacy to dress.
Not that it matter, considering that he had been in between her legs minutes prior and that granted some level of intimacy.

But she was embarrassed. And ashamed.

Sebastian not really talking was definitely not helping her, either. The boy appeared nonchalant to the fact that they'd just had mind-shattering sex. But he did smirk down at her, once clothed, and hair still wet. There was no real humor in that gesture.

"Have a goodnight, Grayson".

And he had left.

And she had stayed in that tub for a long time, staring at the wall as her brain tried to assimilate what had happened in between them. Everleigh knew she was going through some sort of denial, and part of her was happy that Sebastian wasn't in there that morning, not until she had managed to put in order her scrambled thoughts.

— ...as part of your education and to pass this class, you are to conjure a Patronus. — Professor Hecat was speaking in front of the entire room, by the blackboard, pulling her in from her own mind. — We touched the subject last year, so all of you should be well trained in the spell. — The entire class groaned but the witch ignored them, waving her hands in dismissal. — To get an Acceptable grade, you have to be able to cast the Patronus. If you manage to conjure a corporeal Patronus, and that is, with the form of your animal, you'll receive an Outstanding. So we'll spend the rest of the class working on it. Everyone up from their seats!

The classroom became loud in chairs dragging, people complaining and soon enough, desks flying across the classroom until they were out of the way and against the walls.