Chapter Text
Day I
It was a rainy day in the Scottish Highlands, as it usually was. Raindrops splashed against windowpanes as grey clouds hung in the sky.
The last of the autumn leaves fell from dry branches, it was finally becoming winter, the best season in her opinion.
Winter in Scotland was devoid of almost all sunlight most days and Holly loved it, the harsh cold that caused the tip of your nose to turn red, staying warm by the fire knowing the world outside castle walls was not so comforting but still beautiful to glance at from the comfort of the common room. Ironic, isn’t it? That her beloved season is winter with a name so closely linked, it was boring she knew but she didn’t mind being predictable.
The sight of winter's beauty, however, was made dull in the presence of professor sharp. His voice just seemed to hold a certain amount of monotone that, during his lessons, you would gaze at the whomping willow and wish to be between its branches instead.
“And can anyone tell me the benefits of a wiggenweld potion……” his voice began to muffle as you zoned it out, wishing to hell this lesson would finish soon.
“Am I right in thinking you’d rather be trampled by a band of erumphents than be here too?”
A voice startled me into clarity and as I looked to where it had come from, I saw a brown-haired boy smirking playfully. “I would rather have my own personal spot in Azkaban”.
He grinned in response and held out his hand “Sebastian sallow, dreadful to make your acquaintance”
Oh so he had a sense of humour.
“Holly, and it is horrifying to make yours” you shook his hand, his grip firm, yet inviting.
“Ahh so you’re the new fifth year, almost believed you were a being of myth and yet you’re here in the flesh. Must be courageous to come here so late in the game”
You scoffed at his comment and his eyes darted to the house emblem embroidered on your robe before sniggering. “ahah, clearly not that courageous, Hufflepuff”
“I'll have you know I’m plenty courageous, just because I'm not in Gryffindor doesn’t mean I don’t have enough courage to make a fool out of you. Your qualities hardly compare anyway; judgemental and vindictive? I can sense a Slytherin a mile away”.
Your unexpected dig obviously received a snort of laughter in reply from the boy and it made your resolve break, before long you were both trying to disguise your laughter, hiding your faces behind the large pumpkins on the desk in front.
“I believe this is riveting potion work. It seems you have already led the new 5th year astray Sallow, in record-breaking time might I add”. Mr Sharp’s coarse voice echoed behind the two of you; both of you slowly turned to the man, taking a rigid stance as he gazed down upon the two of you. “10 points will be taken from Slytherin and Hufflepuff, that will teach you both to pay attention in future”.
Sebastian peeped up in retaliation “wait, Sir, it was my fault, holly was preparing the ingredients wiggenweld but I kept distracting her. I was just curious about the first ever person to join Hogwarts as a 5th year, aren’t you, Sharp?”
“Fine, I will let you off this time new girl but as for you Sallow, detention, Its Sir or Professor Sharp to you, you do not get special treatment for being a Slytherin”
You could hear whispers around the classroom, why would Sebastian put himself on the line for you? A girl he just met. It seemed the detention did not damper Sebastian's playful demeanour though as he glanced back at you with a smile, you gave a thank you in return.
As the professor had finished handing out his assignment, his ever-long, tedious lesson it had finally finished.
Sebastian turned to you again, “What do you reckon he’ll have doing, collecting leaping toadstool caps in the forbidden forest or writing a personal essay to him on the importance of respect towards teachers?”
“You should hope it's the latter, nothing I've heard about that forest is pleasant. And you didn't have to take the fall because of me, I was the one who retaliated”
“No don’t worry about it, I probably would’ve ended up in detention somehow today anyway, as you can probably tell I have a knack for pissing off teachers and consequently, ending up in detention. Anyway, you best be off, or he might just change his mind and make you join me”.
You laughed and gave him one last thank you before grabbing your stuff as you were shooed out of the classroom.
Curious about the punishment Sebastian would be given by the professor you stood behind the classroom door after closing it behind you, cupping your hand around your ear against the hardwood
“Ah Sebastian, detention again? You never seem to surprise me” “
“Ah but that’s the best thing to be because one day you won’t see it coming and I’ll become a potions master, that could rival even you”
“I'll believe it when I see it, for the moment though you can write me a 3000-word essay on the importance of respect towards teachers”
You held in your laughter as you crept away from the potion’s classroom door, Sebastian really was a twat, wasn’t he.
You believed you could never become accustomed to walks around Hogwarts, each was like a scene from a picturesque vintage film, even in winter you could not rush in such a place as this, with its precisely crafted architecture and warm atmosphere.
The walk from Mr Sharp’s class to the Hufflepuff common room was your favourite because it was the longest, it helped you collect your thoughts.
Sebastian sallow clearly had a reputation for being just as you had described him and by the way professor sharp had reacted it didn't seem he was exactly good news. Sebastian was a dilemma that you didn't know if you should solve.