Chapter Text
"Sebastian Sallow is the last person I'd ever date."
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"Liya, come quick! The grade list is out!"
Liya Chang, who had been dutifully studying her potions textbook for more than two hours, snapped her head up. Blinking a few times to register what Poppy Sweeting had said (starring at eye watering texts for an extended period of time always made her disoriented), she slammed her textbook shut, tucking it in her sage green book bag and bolted out of the door with Poppy scurrying behind her.
Upon exiting the library, she saw hoards of students gathering around a bulletin board near the staircase. Gently pushing her way to the front of the crowd, her eyes landed on the first name written in clear black ink:
Liya Chang - 100
A perfect score, and Liya had expected nothing less.
She allowed herself to have a brief moment of triumph. All those late-night study sessions had certainly paid off. But her pride quickly vanished as her eyes narrowed at the second name written on the list:
Sebastian Sallow - 100
Liya's stomach sank. Her perfect score felt meaningless now - not when her sworn rival for all eternity had managed to get it too.
"Looks like you'll have to share the spotlight."
Liya didn't even have to turn, she knew exactly whose annoying voice it was. Sebastian's teasing, almost snide remark made her blood boil. In another universe, Liya would have thrown a chair - or even better, a silencing spell - at him. But she had better self control than that. Counting to three, she spun around to meet his trademark smug grin.
"I'm surprised you still found the time to study, you know, with all the detentions you accumulated so far." She said carefully, in the most dignified tone possible. It was a subtle jab - they both knew this - but Sebastian didn't even take offence...much to her surprise.
"Oh you know me, I'm an excellent multitasker," He smirked, dusting an imaginary lint off his robe, "And at least I have a life outside of my academics." Murmurs and gasps could be heard from the surrounding students and this left Liya bewildered, no, humiliated at his audacity!
Liya badly wanted to retort back with a stinging insult of her own but seeing the number of students whispering around her, she didn't want to risk a scandal in her otherwise untarnished image.
"We'll see who gets the last laugh, Sallow." Liya muttered angrily, pushing past him, missing how Sebastian's eyes lingered on her for a second longer before he turned to examine the grade list.
***
Back in her Slytherin Dormitory room, Liya had been pacing up and down the room furiously for the past 15 minutes. Her scented candles were lit in the background, and even though the smell of lavender and coconut engulfed the entire room, it did little to soothe her irritation. She needed to cool off - desperately.
Sebastian Sallow.
Just the mere thought of him made her fists clench. He had an uncanny ability to get under her skin, and the worst part was, he seemed to enjoy it. That infuriating smirk plastered on his face whenever he saw her angered her to no end.
Her loss was his gain.
Well, not technically a loss. The top Slytherin students in Hogwarts - her and Sebastian - had tied in the latest exam scores. But in Liya's eyes, a tie wasn't something to celebrate. It was a crack on the pedestal she had fought so hard to climb onto.
If she didn't buck up, he would quickly surpass her entirely.
Pausing her pacing for a moment, Liya stared at the flickering candle flame. She hated to admit it but deep down, buried beneath layers of pride and resentment, she knew that Sebastian was brilliant - Merlin, he was one of the best students she had ever met!
The kind of brilliance that made her begrudgingly acknowledge his skills, even though she burned with the need to always outdo him.
It had always been that way since their 1st year in Hogwarts.
She could still remember the day she'd met him - arrogant, sharp-tongued, and competitive to a fault.
He'd scored higher than her on their very first History of Magic essay. Liya had demanded to read his essay and even though they had covered the same points, he still scored higher. She'd been stewing over it ever since.
From that moment on, their rivalry had been an unspoken pact, an endless competition. Every success of his felt like a stab to her pride and every one of her victories felt like a triumph over him.
And yet, Sebastian seemed to relish the competition. He never once backed down, always pushing her to her limit.
Liya's eyes widened as realization dawned on her.
She wouldn't be the "Brightest witch in Hogwarts" anymore if Sebastian had bested her (which he was dangerously close to).
A title that Liya had unanimously received from her professors and her peers.
A title she strived her best to maintain.
It wasn't just a compliment - it was her identity.
Liya would be damned if Sebastian took that away from her.
Beside her, Imelda Reyes was sprawled on the bed, strategizing for the upcoming quidditch match. Stacks of Quidditch magazines were strewn all around, their vibrant covers depicting dramatic mid-air chases. Imelda was half-buried among them, a parchment in hand and her quill moving furiously as she jotted down notes.
"Could you stop with the pacing? You're distracting me." Her roommate snapped without even looking up, the irritation in her voice as sharp as the tip of her quill.
Liya froze mid-step, her face turning pink as she quickly retreated to her desk.
"Sorry Imelda."
"Yeah, yeah," Imelda muttered, not lifting her gaze from her notes. She scribbled something down before glancing at Liya out of the corner of her eye. "So, who's ruffling your feathers this time?"
"Sebastian Sallow," Liya spat, the name rolling off her tongue with such venom. The two words left a bitter taste in her mouth, and bile threatened to rise in her throat. Swallowing it back down, she began tapping her foot against the floor restlessly.
Imelda paused mid-sentence, her quill hovering over the parchment, and gave her a knowing look.
"Here we go again..." She sighed, setting her quill down and leaning back against the headboard. "Of course it's him. Who else would it be?"
Liya groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "He just... I don't know how he does it. It's like he's in my head, knowing exactly how to rile me up. And he enjoys it, Imelda! I swear, that smug little smirk of his..."
"...makes you want to hex him into next week?" Imelda finished with a smirk of her own, clearly amused.
"Yes!" Liya let out a loud huff.
Imelda chuckled and picked up another Quidditch magazine, flipping through it absentmindedly. " I don't get why you let him get to you so much. It's not like he's actually beating you or anything. You tied this time, didn't you?"
"That's the problem!" Liya burst out, standing again and resuming her pacing. "A tie means he's catching up. And if I don't work harder, he'll surpass me. I can't let that happen, Imelda. I won't."
Imelda sighed dramatically, tossing the magazine onto the pile beside her. "This rivalry is getting old, Liya. When will you ever stop?"
When would she stop?
Till she had won, of course.
Stopping meant quitting and Liya Chang was not one to back down.
"I'll stop when I'm victorious." Liya shot back.
Imelda rolled her eyes, but her lips upturned in a teasing grin. "You know, for someone who hates him so much, you sure do spend an awful lot of time thinking about him."
"Sebastian Sallow is the last person I'd ever date." Liya folded her arms tightly across her chest in indignation.
"I never said date, interesting how that's the conclusion that pops in your mind." Imelda's grin widened, as she resumed reading her quidditch magazine.
Liya groaned, sinking into her chair and burying her face in her hands. She didn't respond, instead she picked up her own quill and forced herself to continue studying.
She needed to take her mind off this madness...before she popped a blood vessel again.