A Match Into Water || Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 13 - I Hate You

After coming out of the library, I headed straight to Herbology fast-paced walking with my books held in my arms. The moment I went to the greenhouse, I saw Sebastian near the potting tables. I approached him after putting my books away in my bag. "Sebastian there you are!" I grinned.

"Ooooo someone's happy," he put his hands on his hips and gave me a bright chuckle.

"Professor Fig just came back from London."

"Oh yea, I heard. Was that the reason why I didn't see you at the great hall this morning?" Sebastian raised his eyebrow smirking at me.

I nodded. "Yeah... he just found something important about that book."

"What did you guys find?"

I pulled him into a space where nobody could hear us. "It was a map chamber." I explained everything that happened in that room. The portraits, the trials...

"So they push you into doing those four trials just so you can fully wield that ability?"

"Pretty much..." I glanced away.

"Do you still have the book?" Sebastian seemed interested in reading that book.

"Professor Fig kept it with him just in case I ever lose it."

"Well that's a shame..."

"Aww look who we have here, Romeo and Juliet on action!" Imelda snickered.

I furrowed my eyebrows and scoffed at her. "Excuse me?"

"Oh don't act stupid Lestrange, everybody knows you've been hanging out with Sebastian a lot recently," she fidgets with her nails. "And you've been sneaking off to hang out with him, am I right?"

"And how would you know?" I kept a straight face. Sebastian was still standing next to me.

Imelda stopped fidgeting with her nails and stepped closer. "The real question is, what do you guys do together when you're... alone?"

My words didn't speak. I didn't why I was hesitating to answer her question but clearly I didn't want her to know what we were actually up to all this time. "It's nothing at all."

Sebastian took a sharp exhale and stepped up. "Imelda, just drop it. There's nothing going on between us." His tone was calm but serious at the same time.

Imelda gave him the looks. "I don't need to hear you speak just yet." Then she looked back at me. "So nothing strange, huh?"

"Of course not." I tried to keep my cool.

"Well let me ask you a different question. Be honest, do you have some sort of deep pleasure for Sebastian?" Her tone changed into a taunt. She told me things I didn't feel comfortable hearing about.

I swallowed my throat and my fists clenched. "Clearly you have no idea what you're talking about, Imelda." I said still trying to keep calm.

"Are you trying to deny?" She was still going at it as if she was trying to piss me off. "So you do have some sort of pleasure for him..."

"What- no I don't." My voice trembled a bit. It wasn't because what she said was true but it made me feel uncomfortable.

"Imelda you need to leave," Sebastian's tone felt a little more serious. "Now."

"Hm... alright." She proceeded to walk back to the potting tables still having that smirk on her face.

Me and Sebastian went back to the potting tables as well. During Professor Garlick's lesson, we were still working on those stupid mandrakes. Many students were walking by and gave me a side eye for some reason while I was working on my mandrake. A Hufflepuff student came by and approached me.

"Are you and Sebastian Sallow together?" he asked.

I crinkled my eyebrows. "You mean as friends, right? If you mean the other way, then no. We're not together."

The Hufflepuff student had that confused look on his face. "Are you sure? Because that's not what Imelda said."

Oh no she did not.

Just when I heard Imelda's name, she might've been telling other people about me and Sebastian. Some things that she's been telling that weren't true. I went to Sebastian to warn him about Imelda. "Are you not aware of the rumours about us?"

"Imelda's been spreading rumours?!"

I nodded.

"Well, it won't sound bad if we could be together right here right now... if you want," Sebastian said in a flirtatious tone as he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "Not now Sallow."

"Aw, that's a shame," he joked.

"Whatever, just do whatever you're doing while I go have a nice little chat with Imelda Reyes." I walked around the greenhouse to look for Imelda. I could see people giggling while I passed by. There Imelda was, chatting with Anastasia by the chomping cabbages.

Imelda turned to me with a mischievous smile. "Oh hey there Juliet. How's your Romeo~?"

"Why did you have to go telling everyone lies about me and Sebastian?" I glared at her.

"Well I just assumed you guys were together since I've seen the way you two look at each other," she snickered.

"Well you didn't have to spread rumours about it."

"Sorry Lestrange but I already did. I'm not sure if I could be the one to fix everything."

That little-

I faintly smiled when I knew I was raging in the inside. Once I walked away, I could hear Anastasia just scolding at Imelda for the whole situation that just happened. I went back to the potting tables to continue on my mandrake. Things weren't really going well with it. Sebastian looked at me in a confused way. "You know you're not supposed to put your mandrake in there-"

Without any intention, I raised my voice at him. "Don't tell me what to do!" It was a bit clear that I tried to make it look like I wasn't even interested in him as other people thought I was.

I think Sebastian knew what I was getting at and decided to play along. "You really have no idea what you're doing."

"Of course I do..." I scoffed at him.

"Yeah, a new fifth year who knows how to murder a mandrake."

"I'm not murdering it." Just then, the mandrake was burnt into crisp. "Well shit-"

"Are you really that utterly dreadful at Herbology?" Sebastian teased.

"Oh shut up!"

"Could you two quit acting like little children!?" Ominis spoke. "You two are much louder than a mandrake right now." There was a moment of silence in the greenhouse. It seems like our random little argument caught everyone's attention. Of course I was a little embarrassed but I just hope they realize me and Sebastian are not a thing.

"I hate you Sallow," I said in a joking matter.

"I like you too..." he mumbled under his breath hoping I didn't hear a word he just said.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."