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The first half of Professor Sharp's class isn't different from what it usually is: the teacher talks. The second part is always more interesting, at least in Celes' opinion. She prefers when the students are participating, doing something. It's not that she doesn't want to listen, but to her, magic is something that needs practice. It's the same with potions. She prefers when they prepare their own potions and then test them. Actually, she doubts she would have continued with Potions if it wasn't of her ambition of becoming an Auror. She's naturally talented, but she can't say she enjoys this class very much.
"Now, we'll talk about the most powerful love potion in existence, Amortentia," Professor Sharp explains as small cauldrons appear between each group of two students.
Celes is sitting next to Amit; her friend already has his head right in the cauldron to smell it. The witch, on the other hand, is keeping her eyes on her teacher for now. She wonders why they should learn about this love potion. Of course, she knows it exists, but there are so many more interesting potions to discover.
"It's smell different to each person, depending on who attracts them," He then adds. Celes knows she's blushing already, and she hates it so much. She doesn't need a potion to know who attracts her. She knows it only too well, no matter how hard she's trying to ignore her own feelings. It makes everything so complicated. He's her friend, maybe her dearest friend. He still killed his uncle. It didn't affect their friendship, and Celes knows he regrets it every day. She's still not sure if she's ready to date him, though. Her eyes met Sebastian's for a short moment, but she quickly looks away. She's pretty sure he did the same. She wonders how she manifests through Amortentia. She's not special. Which smells are supposed to define her ? She shakes her head, doing her best to concentrate on her teacher instead of overthinking.
"Don't you dare drink from the cauldron in front of you," Sharp warns. "It doesn't make anyone truly loves someone. It's more like a very intense obsession. You don't want to know what this feeling is. If you drink, you're going to be expelled." Celes is convinced someone won't be expelled for doing something this stupid, but she doesn't plan to try. Maybe Garreth would have tried, but he seems serious at the moment. Maybe he just doesn't want to risk anything for now. "Now you can smell the cauldron in front of you. Like I said before, the smell is unique, different for everyone." He then starts walking around the class.
"You can smell it," offers Amit. "I smelled already when Sharp was talking." Celes wonders why he seems so nervous right now. She's used to him being a bit awkward, but he knows so many things. She has learned from Amit more than once. She nods, offering him a smile before she approaches her nose from the cauldron. She understands very quickly why it's considered as such a dangerous potion; smelling it is comforting. A part of her almost wishes she could become smaller and jump into the cauldron itself. The first smell that comes to her is one of ashes, almost as something had just burned, right in front of her. The second one feels like the library, like old books. There's something so warm in the action of reading itself, but Celes knows that's not the exact meaning of this aroma. And the last one makes her heart almost misses a beat. If she had stopped blushing, her cheeks are red once again now. It's a smell she has discovered only recently.
***
Sebastian and her aren't together. They have never talked about the feelings they have for each other, but deep down, Celes feels like they're both very well aware of them, so they sometimes act like a couple or like something very close to it. It was at the end of last week. Ominis wasn't with them because he was doing a homework with Poppy, or at least, that's what he said. Sometimes, Celes thinks Ominis wants his friends to spend more time alone, without him. Celes and Sebastian spent almost all the late afternoon together, after their classes. At first, they went to Hogsmeade - Celes insists it wasn't a date - and when they came back, they decided to stay outside for some time before dinner. It would have been much better if they could at least sit at the same table, but they're not in the same house. Celes is glad she's a Gryffindor like her father, but sometimes, she feels like being a Slytherin would have made her life simpler. She would probably miss Natty if she wasn't a Gryffindor, though, so she truly just can't be satisfied.
They sat under a tree, quite close one to another — much more than what friends are supposed to do. They talked about anything, laughed about anything. It's only when Sebastian mentioned Anne that the tone of their conversation changed. They almost never talk about Felcroft or about the events of the catacombs anymore. Sebastian regrets what he did back then. Celes refuses to abandon him. She just wishes he will truly never act this way again. He will always be impulsive, but what he did was dangerous for everyone, including himself.
"I sent four letters to Anne since the beginning of the semester, and she never replies," Sebastian admitted with a sigh. All the questionable things he did last year were to save his sister. Now she still refuses to even talk to him.
"Seb, I know it's hard," Celes replied with concerns in her voice. "But... maybe it's best for you to wait for her to be ready ? Ominis still talks to her, right ? I'm sure he's telling her about you and about how you truly regret what happened."
"What if she dies first ?" These words hurt Celes more than she thought. Sebastian cares so much for his sister. She doesn't know what it is to have a twin; she doesn't even know what it is to have a sibling. She wishes to be there for Sebastian, though, more than anything else.
"Ominis will tell you if she's doing worst," She promises, offering a sad yet comforting smile.
"Thanks for staying at my side. It means a lot." He's smiling back now. She just couldn't push him away because she knows he's not a bad guy. He had taken bad decisions, had let his emotions consume him. But his heart is good. Celes can't doubt it.
They both hesitated for a moment. It's when Sebastian shows his vulnerability that Celes loves him the most, when she can see the guy who's truly not a murderer, despite what he did. In such moments, she feels like he'll never let his impulsivity win again. He learned from his mistakes, even if it was terrible. Without thinking, Celes quickly pressed her lips against his cheek before she leaned against Sebastian's shoulder. He didn't move at first, and for a moment, she was scared she went too far, but he then wrapped his arms around her, making sure she stayed close to him. Maybe it's because of her feelings for him, but he smelled so good. She pressed her hands against his chest, without moving away.
"I didn't know you'd be this comfortable," Celes teased.
"Oh no, I'm sure you knew," Sebastian teased back, which brought a huge smile to her lips.
***
Her heart is beating loudly inside her chest. Celes shakes her head, doing her best to pretend this smell hasn't totally brought her back to this specific moment when she spent many precious minutes in Sebastian's arms. She looks at him from the corner of her eyes. She wonders if his heartbeat is as loud as hers is right now, but she's pretty sure he's purposely not looking at her.
"For next class, I want you to write two rolls of parchment on why Amortentia is considered as one of the most dangerous potions," concludes Professor Sharp.
"So, what does it smell like ?" Amit asks her, suddenly bringing Celes back to reality.
"It's not exactly your business, Mr. Thakkar," Celes teases before she lets a nervous chuckle escape her lips. She wishes she could leave this classroom very quickly.
"Come on! I won't tell anyone," He promises, which brings a sigh from Celes.
"Ashes, old books and... I'm not sure of what the last scent was," She lies as she stands.
"I... I see," Amit quickly replies, suddenly changing his mood. "I'll see you later!"
Celes blinks a few times, not sure of why Amit wanted to leave this quickly. She looks around for some time, but it seems that Sebastian had quickly left the classroom. Is he hiding from her now ? He's acting so weirdly. Or maybe she's the one who overthinks as usual. It won't be the first time. As she's about to exist the classroom, Natty quickly joins her.
"You're going to the common room ?", She asks, a smile on her lips.
"Sure. Two rolls, it's a very long homework for a class we have this often," Celes complains with a sigh.
"I guess you're right." She then playfully shoves Celes' shoulder with hers. "So, what does Sallow smell like ?"
"Natty! Don't say that!" But the other girl is laughing way too much to listen to her friend's complaint. Natsai is rooting for them very much since the beginning of this year. Or maybe she was doing it before but now, she's showing it without any hesitation.
"Poor Amit, though. He looked so disappointed. You broke his heart!" Celes raises an eyebrow. Is it truly the reason why Amit seemed sad ? He is so kind. He's a real ray of sunshine and deserves much better than her.
"Stop it, Natty. It's not true." She truly wouldn't want to hurt Amit. What if Natty is right ? It scares her, but she just can't ask him about it.
***
Celes truly feels like Sebastian is hiding from her now, and she hates it. Why is he doing this more than a week after they relaxed in each other's arms ? After her breakfast, she notices Ominis, who's getting out of the Great Hall, so she decides to quickly follow him. She almost runs and grabs his arm.
"I would have waited for you, there's no need to grab me like this," Ominis warns, half-joking, though. Celes knows this by the way he's smirking and by the sound of his voice.
"You could take it," She teases back as she lets go of him. "Why is Sebastian hiding from me ?"
"I don't think he's hiding from you." Ominis shrugs, then scratches his neck. "Actually he talks about you before we slept last night."
And here Celes is, blushing again. She's glad Ominis can't see her, though.
"What did he say ?" She asks, her voice suddenly much softer than usual.
"I'm sorry, Cel, but he will kill me if I tell you," Ominis admits with a laugh. He pauses for a short moment before he adds, "It's Friday. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks with him after classes. You'll see he's not hiding from you."
***
When Celes reaches the Three Broomsticks, she notices that neither Sebastian nor Ominis has arrived. She sighs, hoping they would show themselves. She takes a seat and waits. She's tired because of this long week, but it seems to suddenly vanish when Sebastian finally enters. He raises a curious eyebrow, then joins her. His smile is still playful as usual, but he also seems a bit nervous.
"It's not really like Ominis to not be there on time," Sebastian says as he seats next to her. He could have taken a seat in front of her, but she can't complain about having him close to her.
"Maybe he won't come," Celes suggests, letting a brief chuckle escape her lips. She hasn't thought of that possibility when Ominis talked about the Three Broomsticks, but she has been suspecting him for a while now. She knows he wants these two to spend more time together, without anyone else.
They order two butterbeers. Sebastian is about to talk more than once, but he seems to give up every time.
"You know, I thought you were hiding from me," Celes admits.
"I wasn't." And she believes him. He sounds very serious, which doesn't happen often. "You know, Amit Thakkar has a crush on you. He likes you very much." Why is everyone talking about Amit these days ?
"He doesn't," Celes argues, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, he does. He asked me if I thought you'd like him one day." Celes drinks a long sip of her butterbeer at these words. She doesn't want Amit to be hurt because of her.
"And what did you tell him ?" Sebastian could be so cocky sometimes, maybe even a bit arrogant. Celes is almost scared of his answer.
"I told him the truth. I told him that I didn't know," he admits with a shrug. He looks away for a short moment before is attention is back on Celes.
"I don't like Amit that way," Celes quickly warns. She can't believe Sebastian truly doesn't know. What if he gave Amit some false hope ?
"I know, but it doesn't mean you'll never like him this way." Sebastian sighs at this possibility. It's his turn to take a long sip of his drink. "I want to become a better person."
"You are already a great person, Seb. You did bad things, but it doesn't change who you truly are." And Celes means it. She never stops believing it. Sebastian shakes his head at her words, though.
"I want to show you I'm the guy you think I am. I want you to stop hesitating when we're together. I don't blame you for doing it, but I want... I want to be worth it." Celes feels somehow sad to hear him speak this way about himself. She knows Sebastian is mad at himself for all he did. He'll probably never forgive himself. On the other hand, it warms her heart, to know he's feeling this way about her. Celes sees he's working hard, but hearing him speak this way, hearing how much he cares, is even better. She reaches for his hand, scared he would remove it, but he doesn't. It's the first time they manage to openly talk about their feelings for each other.
"There's no one else," Celes assures as her voice softens. "You're working so hard. I see it."
"I don't know if it'll ever be enough," Sebastian argues. "I see the same scene in my head all the time."
Celes knows what he means, of course. She also hasn't forgotten the moment he killed his uncle. But she knows he wants to redeem himself. He has stayed away from dark magic since it happened, hasn't used it at all. He even plans to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher eventually. Maybe he went too far, but he learned so much through all of it.
"It's part of who you are, but it doesn't define you. You are much more than that."
Celes feels her heartbeat; it's louder again. She's ready now. Maybe she has been ready for months, but hasn't realized it. She cups his cheek, locking her eyes within Sebastian's before she closes her eyes and kisses his lips. It's her first kiss; she doesn't know if it's a good one, but she hopes he likes it anyway. He doesn't move at first, but he eventually puts his hand on her back, gently bringing her closer to him. Once their lips part, they both chuckle a bit.
"I still think Amit deserves you more than I do," Sebastian admits, his cocky smile back on his lips.
"No one deserves anyone more or less, and I'm the one who decides," Celes replies before she presses a quick kiss on his cheek, then leans on his shoulder. He smells so good this time, too. "So now, tell me what Amortentia smelled like."
"Old books, Highwind and this gorgeous hair of yours." She laughs at the way Sebastian kisses her head. "Your turn now."
"Ashes, old books and what I smell right now. We're not very original," She teases.
"I guess we aren't. Seriously, though. You're sure you want to be with me ?" Celes removes her head from his Sebastian's shoulder, so she could look at him.
"I've always wanted to be with you. And now I know I can trust you." She means it. A short moment ago, a signal inside her chest has made her feel like it was truly time to give him his chance. She can't play hard to get forever, and Sebastian has been working so hard on himself since Celes and Ominis chose not to tell the director about his actions.
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" He says, as he's smiling brightly. Celes happily welcomes his lips against hers one more time. There's something in her stomach that makes her want to keep kissing him, maybe because of all this time they spent not together.
"I hope we're not bothering you." Ominis and Natsai have just arrived. Celes and Sebastian have been too busy to notice their friends' presence.
"You're late," Celes teases.
"Honestly, we were hoping we'd caught you like this," Natty assures, a huge smile on her lips.
The next kisses with Sebastian will have to wait, but Celes decides to keep her hand within his under the table. She's pretty sure Natsai noticed them, but she doesn't care. Celes isn't scared of her love for him, and she won't hide it anymore. She'll have to tell Sebastian about the Room of Requirement, though, to make sure they can have moments of solitude from time to time.