Chapter Text
Poppy Sweeting loves the Scottish Highlands. Its glorious and magical mountains provide home for an abundance of magical creatures. Creatures highly regarded by her heart.
She still has a shy personality -- preferring magical creatures rather than her peers, but she could definitely say her life is better now that she's in sixth year. Of course, being friends with the hero of Hogwarts has its perks, one of which is definitely the fact that no one ever tried to insult her anymore (at least not to her face), which she appreciates greatly.
It's Friday afternoon, dusk is looming in the horizon, so while others are either heading to Hogsmeade for some Butterbeer or making their way back to the safety of their dormitories, here she is trekking towards an obscure spot, just past the waterfall with a beautiful, large pond a little high up on the mountain. She found it around June, just after the previous school year ended.
Her friend only shows himself just before sunset when the shadows can easily obscure his dark form, hence the reason for her late afternoon hike.
Upon reaching the clearing, she immediately detects an unusual sound. Is that...splashing? Something's in the pond. She immediately draws her wand. How the Dugbogs somehow managed to go high up this part of the mountain is beyond her.
Casting a silent Disillusionment charm, the Hufflepuff makes her way towards the pond's shore, carefully avoiding the shrubs and bushes surrounding it.
The sight that welcomes her is something that was never even on the list of possibilities she was expecting to find. A man. A very naked man... bathing in the water.
Poppy immediately freezes and she can feel the heat coming up from her chest to her cheeks as she realizes that it's one of her classmates. Sebastian Sallow. How on earth did he even find this place? Poppy realizes how improper this whole situation is. Should she perhaps announce her presence? She promptly balks at the thought. She'd rather wrestle a Dugbog than do that.
Bolting seems reasonable at the time, so she quickly retreats back to where she came from until...
"Oh Sweeting, not trying to escape now, are we?", drawls the unmistakable voice of the Slytherin.
Perhaps due to nervousness, Poppy realizes her Disillusionment has been dropped for Merlin knows how long. Straightening up, she slowly turns around to Sebastian getting out of the water. Thank goodness her initial assessment of the boy's state of undress has been wrong. Small mercies considering the fact that his torso is still on full display. Droplets of water trickling slowly down his chest. Poppy has never seen such display of bareness before so no doubt about how her face must be flushing right now.
The look in his eyes is filled with amusement. He doesn't seem to care that he's only in his underpants.
"S-Sebastian, I - I was just here to-”, hating herself for stammering, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "This is where I usually meet Caligo. I truly didn't expect anyone to be here."
"Caligo?", he says, eyes suspicious.
"I don't think that's - “, she was interrupted by a loud screech. Cursing quietly, "You have to leave".
"Hah! No one tells me what to do."
"Then you need to bow."
"What?"
"And please be nice."
"I'm always nice, Sweeting."
Poppy highly doubts that, but just then the majestic hippogriff lands at a short distance away from them. Caligo looks at them uneasily when it notices that the nice human isn't alone. This hippogriff is more in touch with his wild side and is not trusting at all. Poppy spent most of her summer trying to befriend him. She worries that he might attack Sebastian, so without thinking, places her hand on said boy's shoulder.
Thankfully, the Slytherin isn't slow on the uptake so he bows down without questioning her further. It feels like a lifetime, but surprisingly, Caligo inclines his head in a small but unmistakable bow.
Breathing a sigh of relief and straightening up, Sebastian mutters, "What shall I do now?".
"I'm not certain -- it took days before he even allowed me to approach him."
"Well, I'm not approaching him."
"Then move back please and um... put some clothes on." She tries her best not to go crimson.
The git merely chuckles, the sound making her feel strange things.
"And here I thought you were enjoying the show."
Poppy decides not to reply, not that she can think of anything to say at the moment anyway. Somehow, her brain hasn't caught up on the unfamiliarity of the situation.
What was she supposed to do again? Oh right, spend time with Caligo and then retreat back to the castle away from this bizarre encounter with a certain brown-haired Slytherin.
So, she occupies herself with brushing Caligo's inky feathers and backside. The beast gave a soft sound. She also took the moment to give him some beasts' feed. Going here every Friday gave her the boost she needed whenever she feels down.
"It's great to see you, my friend." Poppy says softly while stroking his mane. "There's been less poacher activities recently, but I'm afraid it might take a while to eradicate them all." Caligo brushes his beak on Poppy's forehead as if to give assurance to the Hufflepuff.
"Only you would go through this much trouble just to hang out with a magical beast, Sweeting."
Sebastian's deep voice sounded much too close for comfort. Poppy can almost feel the heat radiating off his body. At least he's now decent, the Hufflepuff sighs in relief. Despite the Quick-Drying Charm, she sees that his messy hair is still a little damp, his toned body faintly outlined by his white shirt, tie loosely hanging around his broad shoulders, top button undone, while his blazer and robes suspended on his left arm. Sebastian clears his throat and Poppy's eyes snaps back quickly to find him smirking.
"Done checking me out?" Sebastian says, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
Poppy gives a small squeak at being caught red-handed. She clears her throat and hastens to change the subject. "How did you find out about this place?" She really does want to know.
Sebastian winks. "That's a tale for another time, Sweeting." Before she can protest, he announces, "The sun's almost out, we should really head back."
He's right of course. This is about the time when she usually starts to head down anyway. She times it perfectly so that when she enters the castle, the students are just getting started with dinner in the Great Hall. Sebastian starts to walk back giving her time to say goodbye.
Turning back to Caligo, she runs her fingers through his feathers and affectionately says, "I'll see you next time, my friend. Please be safe." Caligo gives a soft screech and began to take off at high speed. She turns and follows the boy down the path towards the waterfall.
Now that they're alone, there's suddenly an air of awkwardness. Sebastian chuckles, "Don't worry, Sweeting. I won't tell anyone about your clandestine meetings, and you enjoying my peaceful swim earlier", smirks the Slytherin. "That is... if you ask nicely." When Poppy scowled, he outright laughs. The idiot.
"You are the most vexing --" She starts indignantly.
"I was only joking, Poppy. By Gods, you are so fun to rile up."
"I'm not here for your entertainment, Sallow. And don't call me that."
"Sweetheart, then? Darling? Love? I figured we're past the formality of last names, surely. Considering the fact that you have already seen way more than you should see. In fact, if the situation was reversed, we'll have to be married before the week even ends."
"Don't be ridiculous! If you breathe a word about this to anyone, I swear--"
Sebastian stops and crosses his arms. "You'll what?"
Poppy glares at him, purses her lips and says in a low voice, "I'll set a vicious beast on you."
He fixes her with a dark gaze. "That's not a great idea, Poppy."
A shiver runs down her spine, but then... "We really must go." he declares moving briskly. "I won't back down from a fight, but I prefer not to run into any poachers after my relaxing dip."
Poppy recovers quickly. "There aren't any poacher camps around here anymore." She catches up to him.
"Cleared them all out, didn't you?" inclining his head slightly. When Poppy doesn't answer, he surprisingly looks at her. "Never pegged you for the ferocious type."
"How could you have? You don't know me."
"Touché." He pauses for a while thinking, then... "Well, I dare say we'll find out more about each other in the months to come."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm saying, that I quite like that spot." He gestures to where they came from. "Hogwarts feels...suffocating at times." His voice betrays a hint sorrow.
Poppy says nothing. She's heard rumors of course, but she's never really paid attention to any of them. It's none of her business after all. But now, looking at her companion, she wishes she listened to some of them at least. From what her memory can remember, he spent an awful lot of time looking for her sister's cure, even to the point of dabbling with the Dark Arts.
She isn't keen on sharing that spot, but she does understand the feeling of wanting to escape the castle's stifling walls.
"Very well. You're welcome to it for as long as you need to."
Sebastian looks over at her in astonishment, then gives a short laugh. "I admit I didn't expect you to agree so quickly."
It's Poppy's turn to smile, "I know how to choose my battles, Sebastian."
"That you do, Poppy. That you do."
They spent the walk in comfortable silence after that. As the Quidditch field became visible at the distance, Poppy couldn't help but think about what happened last school year. Their adventures in the Horntail Hall, not to mention the Golden Snidgets, it all seems like a dream, come to think of it. She was able to visit the Snidgets again last summer, but she decided it's better to let the Centaurs look after them. There are lines that must be drawn when it comes to these things: no matter how much she wanted to spend time with the golden creatures, she must respect that they need to thrive without the disturbance of any wizard folk. That sadly, includes her. She'll still be here whenever they might need her, and Dorian knows it. Dorian, bless his heart, has been kind enough to give her brief updates on the rare occasion when they cross paths in the forest.
They are entering the North gate now, and Poppy briefly wonders about the current situation at hand. The boy certainly is a mystery, and now it seems their strings of fate has now been connected. Whatever pattern is woven, she'll have to wait and see. She decides the future is not something she wants to worry about at the moment.
As the two sixth years were about to open the great door, there's a sudden whooshing sound and as they turn, they see Imelda Reyes landing gracefully.
"Oi Sallow! I've been looking everywhere for you. Professor Sharp wants a word. You better-- Sweeting?" she raises her eyebrows. "Where have you two been?" Her eyes raking them both with interest.
Poppy blushes, "It's not what you thi--."
"It's none of your business, Mel.", Sebastian says coolly, one hand in his pocket. How on earth does he seem so unfazed? Everyone knows rumors like this spread like wildfire. "What does Sharp want now?"
"I haven't the foggiest, but I suggest you run along now.", Imelda says, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She mounts her broom then says with a smile, "Bye, Sweeting, it's nice to see you again." Then turns to her housemate "Get a move on, Sallow.", after which she promptly takes off back to the field.
Sebastian mutters something under his breath, then turns to her. "Don't worry, Imelda isn't one to spread rumors." Then they look at each other.
Poppy realizes that Sebastian Sallow has probably the most intense gaze, she's ever met (not that she's met a lot of people long enough to spend time with them).
"Erm, I should probably get going", Poppy mumbles, mentally chiding herself for blushing.
"It was nice walking with you, Poppy. Let's meet again soon." He winks then proceeds to open the door for her. "You go ahead first. I can vouch for Imelda, but the portraits are beyond my control."
"Thank you for the company, Sebastian. It wasn't bad at all."
Sebastian smiles and nods. She gives him a small smile before going in. As she makes her way down to the kitchens to pick up the dinner the kind house elves always reserve for her, she can't help but think about how interesting the day was.