Chapter 3 of my Fic!
Ao3 is currently downš so I guess Iāll post the next chapter here for now until itās back up so I can post it there!š hereās the comic that goes along with it (plus 2 screenies I took):
update: AO3 BACK UP AND THE CHAPTER IS POSTED
Thank you to @lyra-prag and @light-of-the-room for beta-reading <3
@pierrot-dokki, your lovely Gwyn makes an appearance here <3
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Chapter 3: The Road to Hogsmeade
Rating: General audiences (teen rating overall for the whole fic), Word count: 4031
Sebastian, like any other student, had been intrigued when he first heard there was a new student at school. His curiosity had spiked further when he learned said new student had apparently been attacked by a dragon on the way here.
Naturally, heād tried to learn everything he could about them. That didnāt seem too hard to do, as they were the talk of the school as soon as they arrived.
Bee Bluelake. Short, quiet, big-eyed and nervous. He wasnāt surprised at all to learn sheād befriended Poppy Sweeting within less than a day of arriving. They were both oddballs who adored animals.
He wasnāt expecting to actually meet Bee so soon, however. And he certainly wasnāt expecting her to beat him in a duelā on her first day no less! Him, the best duellist in school, beaten by the timid new student.
To be fair, he had riled her up quite a bit. But getting blasted completely off the platform in one hit wasnāt exactly the kind of power that came to mind when he looked at the tiny girl.
Needless to sayā¦he found himself even more intrigued than before. Who was this girl? How was she already so good at dueling on her first day? And what was it exactly that made that blast so powerful? What was it that let her join the school year so late?
He was determined to find out. Hoping to learn more about this strange ability of hers (and possibly to spend time with her), heād invited her to join Crossed Wands. She had refused.
He couldnāt wrap his head around why. She certainly had the talent, so why not make the most of it? That was when he had remembered: even during their duel, when sheād been irritated with him, sheād been rather skittish. Flinching away from spells, dodging needlessly, and freezing up at inopportune times. She was like a rabbit that came out of its burrow for the first time. An annoyed rabbit donning yellow and black.
Wellā¦.that was fine. He might be able to convince her someday. Perhaps heād let her watch him first so she could see what itās like? Heād still have plenty of other opportunities to talk to her, as she also shared the next class with him. And the class after that. And the class after that. The only problem was that, in pretty much every class, she was spending time with Poppy and only Poppy. It was like sheād decided she didnāt need any more friends.
They always talked about the same things too. In Herbology? How nifflers were known for plundering dragon caves. In potions? Dance patterns of mooncalves. Hell, even in as boring of a class as history of magic, they were still talking; this time about the very riveting migration patterns of jobberknolls.
They were like walking, talking animal encyclopedias.
Well, whatever. Heād have the whole rest of the year to get to talk to her. Itās not like she could only talk to Poppy Sweeting forever. In the meantime, he had his own business to attend to.
More specifically, another trip to the Restricted Section. Nevermind it was only his first day back; heād already done what little research he could over the summer and was determined to get more done now that he once again had access to the school archives.
The last class of the day had ended and he headed off to the library to get his research done. As usual, he made sure to set off a ālittle distractionā so dragon Scribner would leave her den.
He was on his way now, his plan going as flawlessly as heād planned, when he heard a familiar girlās voice whisper-shout, āSebastian!ā He freezes. Shit. No no, not now.
He turns to see Gwynevere Murong approaching him with a stern expression, hands on her hips. āWhat are you doing near the restricted section again?!ā He suppresses a sigh, not really in the mood for a lecture right now. āIām just getting something. Iāll be in and out.ā
āāGetting somethingā,ā she repeats skeptically, āand what exactly would you be getting?ā āMyā¦.homework,ā he lies, āI left it in there.ā
āAnd just how did your homework get inside the locked restricted section?ā She says, clearly not buying it. He glances back in Scribnerās direction. He couldnāt see her anymore. Shit.
āIt, uh- blew away,ā he says, sidestepping her to continue on to the restricted section. āSebastian! Youāre going to get in trouble!ā She hisses. He only walks faster, silently muttering the unlocking charm as he taps his wand to the lock. āSebastian!! Sebastian Sallow!ā Gwyn continues to hiss at him before a new voice booms, āMr. Sallow!ā
Before he can blink, his wand zips out of his hand and into the gnarled claw of the dragon lady. āSneaking into the Reestricted Section again?!ā Madame Scribner snaps, āon your first day back, no less!ā Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Gwyn sigh and leave, not surprised by this outcome in the slightest.
āI suppose I shouldnāt have expected any better from you,ā Scribner continues on, āconsidering the conduct of your father when he was in school!ā Sebastian feels a familiar twinge of irritation spark at the mention of his father, but forces his tone to remain flat as he instead replies, āmy apologies, Madame Scribner. I was simply retrievingāā
āDetention! Detention is what you are receiving!ā Scribner snaps, her beady eyes glaring holes into him. He groans internally. He really shouldnāt have expected anything different. āI expect you there at six sharp, Mr-ā
A soft clearing of a throat interrupts them, and they turn to see Deputy Headmistress Weasley there. āAgnes,ā Professor Weasley says amiably, āis there a problem here?ā
āYes, as a matter of fact, there is!ā Scribner says, puffing up like a proud peacock, āMr. Sallow here attempted to break into the Restricted Section again! Thatās the- what? Twentieth time now?ā
āNineteenth,ā he corrects quietly and Scribnerās eyes flash in anger. āWhat was that?!ā
āI see,ā Professor Weasley says, interjecting before things escalate, āAnd why, pray tell, were you attempting to do so, Mr. Sallow?ā
He sighed out of his nose. He already knew he wasnāt going to be able to fool Professor Weasley, but itās not like he could just say āIām looking for books on the dark arts to cure my sister!ā So instead, he forced out the same lie of, āI was retrieving my homework. It caught in a draft of wind and blew in there earlier.ā
āYou see? He lies, too!ā Scribner rants, āas if anyone is stupid enough to fall forāā
āDid you check?ā Weasley asked.
āIā pardon?ā
āDid you check?ā Weasley repeats gently, āif his homework was actually in there?ā
āWellā well, of course not!ā Scribber sputtered, āthat would be preposterous! Heās clearly lyingāā
āI think he should be allowed to check,ā Professor Weasley says calmly. Scribnerās mouth hangs open in disbelief, and even Sebastianās eyes widen in surprise. Professor Weasley briefly meets his eyes and gives the tiniest nod. He nods back and opens the door to the restricted section, stepping inside to āretrieve his homeworkā. He can hear Scribner feebly attempting to protest from the other side of the door, clearly not keen on the idea of letting him have his way.
His mind is currently more preoccupied with why Professor Weasley would allow him to do such a thing. Sheās certainly not the type to be easily fooled, so she must know the real reason he came here. But she wasnāt known for being easygoing either; if anything, she was one of the stricter professors. Which means she must have a reason for letting him go through with this.
He doesnāt have to wait long to find out, as, after he exits the restricted section with his āhomeworkā in his bag, Professor Weasley says, āMr. Sallow, come with me.ā
āBut heāā Scribner begins again, and Weasley says, āhe shall serve detention with me.ā That seems to put an end to Scribnerās protests, even if the old bat still seems a little sour that she canāt be the one to host the detention. Satisfied, she nods, and leaves. āThis way,ā Weasley calls, and he follows her out the door and into the hallway.
He tries to think of what to say when she speaks first: āYou know how I feel about your āschoolwork-relatedā endeavors in the restricted section, Mr. Sallow,ā Professor Weasley says sternly, ābutā as it is the first day back, Iāll be a little more lenient today. I wonāt give you detention ifā¦you do something for me.ā
He raises an eyebrow. This was new. He doesnāt recall a professor ever offering to strike a deal with him onā¦well, anything. āLike what?ā He asks, and she replies, āI assume youāve heard about our newest student, Beatrice Bluelake?ā
He nods, the memory of the girl with the big brown eyes filling his mind. āYes, I met her earlier today.ā
āAnd youāre aware of how she was attacked by a dragon on the way to school here?ā Weasley asks, and he nods.
āWell of course. Everyoneās heard of that by now.ā
āGood. Then you know that she lost all of the supplies she needs for the school year in that attack,ā Weasley says.
They round a corner, and he realizes they are not, in fact, going to her office. āHere is my offer: in just a few minutes, she will arrive near the gates leading into the school courtyard. I have told her that a student volunteer will walk her to Hogsmeade and help her purchase all the supplies she needs. In exchange for a detention excuse, I am asking you to be that student.ā
He slows to a stop, now thoroughly surprised. āMe?ā He repeats, āyou wantā¦me to show the new student the way to Hogsmeade?ā Professor Weasley nods and says, āare you up to the task?ā
Well, yes, he certainly was! Missing detention and getting to talk with Bluelakeā two birds with one stone. He just couldnāt quite figure out why Professor Weasley had asked him of all people to do it.
Ah well. Best not to read too much into it for now.
He nods and says with a confident smile, āof course. Sounds easy enough. Take the new girl to hogsmeade, get her suppliesāā
āAnd stop by the Three Broomsticks,ā Professor Weasley says with a smile, and his own turns a tad more genuine. Heād almost forgotten she could be a cool teacher too. āYeah. Grab a butterbeer or two,ā he agrees.
āThe rite of passage to being a Hogwarts student,ā Professor Weasley chuckles, and he canāt help but do the same. āVery well then. Youād best be on your way. You donāt want to keep her waiting,ā Professor Weasley says.
He nods and departs for the spot sheād instructed. Bee is already there, and looks to be rather lost in her thoughts. She is wandering around, idly kicking her foot against the ground as if trying to scuff nonexistent dirt.
āWell, fancy meeting you here,ā he called in greeting, and she jumped about a centimeter in the air. He stifled a chuckle as she quickly turned around, surprise turning to recognition when she saw him. āOhāSebastian.ā āThat I am,ā he says amusedly, sauntering over to her, āhere at the service of my ānew chargeā.ā She rolls her eyes but the corner of her lips twitches. Heh. Thisāll be easy.
He grins and says, āIām told youāre in dire need of supplies, and Iām to accompany you into Hogsmeade for them. Is this your first foray into the village?ā She nods. āYes. I havenāt left Hogwarts since I arrived.ā She smiles shyly and adds, āIāve been rather looking forward to seeing whatās outside.ā
His smile broadens at her words, and he says, āwell! I shall endeavor to be the very best of guides, then!ā He gestures to the door and says, āshall we?ā She nods and he pushes the great doors open, letting the sunlight in and them out into the courtyard.
He walks a few steps before noticing she isnāt following, and turns to see her looking around with wide eyes. His smile softens slightly, charmed by her awestruck expression. If she was this amazed by the courtyard alone, sheād certainly have a lot more to wonder over on the way to the village.
āBluelake!ā He called playfully, purposefully walking a few steps further away so sheād have to try harder to catch up, āare you coming or what?ā She blinks, snapping out of her head and hurrying over. Just to tease her a little more, he slightly increases his speed. He watches with tremendous amusement as she has to walk even faster to catch up, her oversized robes catching the dust her shoes puff up.
āSorry,ā she says, a bit red when she finally meets up with him, āI got a tad distracted.ā āWell, youāll have plenty more to be distracted by on the way there,ā he says, āthe Hogwarts courtyard is nice, sure; but it canāt even begin to compare to everything out there.ā
Her eyes widened. āYouāve gone out before? Likeā out, out?ā His smile broadens, pleased to have something interesting to talk about. āOh, sure. Loads of times. Everyone leaves the school now and then, but I do tend to be a bit more uhā¦āopenmindedā than some of our classmates.ā Her brows furrow. āWhat do you mean?ā
āWellā¦letās just put it this way,ā he chuckles, āIf you want to get the most out of your time at Hogwarts, youāre going to need to break the rules now and then. Whether itās joining a secret dueling clubāā he shoots a significant glance at her, which she chooses to ignoreā āor sneaking into the restricted section of the library. You just have to be clever enough not to get caught.ā
Before she can open her mouth to reply, likely to scold him, he spots something familiar up ahead. āAh, just a moment,ā he says, going off to the side and stopping next to a bush surrounded by glowing flies. Beeās earlier annoyance immediately shifts into fascination as she too makes her way over. The neon green lights of the flies reflect in her large eyes as she takes them in.
āThis is an excellent spot to gather Lacewing flies,ā he says, ātheyāre pretty to look at, butāā
āThey are!ā She interrupts, totally enraptured by the lacewing flies as she leans forward to get a closer look at them. He canāt help but chuckle at her enthusiasm and tries to continue, āyes, but theyāre alsoāā āAdorable?ā She excitedly interrupts again, āI agree!ā He bites his lip, trying to suppress a laugh. Perhaps heād tell her they were used as potion ingredients another time.
She spent several more minutes admiring the lacewing flies before setting off with him again. āHow are your eyes?ā He teased. āHuh?ā She tilts her head in confusion. He taps the spot next to his own eye and says, āyour eyes. They must hurt from looking at the neon bugs for so long.ā She rubs her eye and says, āonly a little. Theyāre not too bright, theyāre just like daytime fireflies. Mini-sun bugs.ā He laughs to himself, finding the analogy equally silly and endearing.
āYou knowā¦ā he says, āIām glad Professor Weasley asked me to join you today.ā Realizing that may have sounded a tad too sentimental, he jokingly adds, āit got me out of detention.ā She snorts. āItās only your first day back and you already somehow managed to get detention? What did you do?ā He smoothly replies, āletās just say Madam Scribner and I often haveā¦differing opinions. She thinks I shouldn't be allowed in the Restricted Section. I, on the other hand, am inclined to disagree.ā
He shakes his head and adds, ānormally I donāt get caught. I just happened to be unlucky today.ā āToday?ā She repeats, āyou mean youāve snuck in before?ā āYou could say Iāve got experience,ā he smirks.
āIām guessing that means youāve got experience in detentions too, then?ā She teases, and he laughs. This girl was sassier than he thought she was. āYes, well, I like to think they keep me well-rounded.ā She nods sagely and responds, āyes, one can learn a great deal from writing āI must not sneak into the Restricted Sectionā over and over a thousand times.ā
āOi! Thatās not what I meant!ā He laughs, nudging her playfully, āIām talking about the reasons for the detentions! Like the ones I mentioned beforeā¦.or, more exciting ones. Like sneaking into the Forbidden Forest.ā
As if in direct response, a loud crying sound suddenly pierced through the clearing. The two looked up into the sky to see none other than two hippogriffs emerging from the treetops. āMerlinās beardā¦!ā He exclaimed, finding himself in genuine awe for the first time in a while, āhippogriffs from the forest!ā
The two slow to a stop to get a better look at the majestic creatures as they fly overhead, their strong wings carrying them across the wind like the tidal waves of the sky. āYou certainly donāt see that every day,ā he breathes, watching the winged beauties fly off into the distance. He glances back at his companion and sees her still watching the hippogriffs, an expression of pure childlike wonder on her face. An odd sort of fondness fills him at the sight as he realizes, āshe must be a muggleborn. Itās the only explanation for her being this amazed by everything.ā
In that case, heād definitely want the rest of the walk to be just as special for her. If this was really her first time in the magical world, heād be sure to show her as many things as he could on the walk there. And it just so happened he knew the perfect next thing.
āHey,ā he says, calling her attention back to reality, āready to go?ā She blinks for a moment, then nods, traces of that awestruck smile still lingering on her face as the two continue on. āThose wereā¦.hippogriffs?ā She asks softly, and he nods. āHmā¦ā sheās silent for a moment before saying, āIāve never seen them in person before. Theyāre even more beautiful than the illustrations in my books.ā
āYour books?ā He repeats and she nods, opening her satchel to take out a book titled āA Guide to the Magical Creatures of Our World: Vol. Oneā. She flips through several bookmarks before finally landing on the desired page, moving a bit closer to him so he can see its contents. She points to an illustration of a hippogriff on the page, and says, āthe illustration aloneā¦I thought it was so gorgeous when I first saw it. But now that Iāve seen one with my own eyes, itā¦it just doesnāt compare.ā
She shakes her head. āIt doesnāt compare at allā¦ā His eyes flick up from the pages back to her face. Her eyes have once again taken on that strange, faraway look she seems to wear so often. They make her eyes look oddly gentle, as if seeing through the world around them into something else. Somewhere better than this, perhaps, if her peaceful expression is anything to go by.
Her eyes flick to his, and suddenly that all-seeing gaze is fixed on him. He clears his throat and looks away (since when has he ever done that?), saying, āyeah, well, the real thing is always better than pictures in a book. Even if they do move.ā He pokes the hippogriff picture, and the illustrated animal snaps its beak at him. He chuckles and backs off as she closes the book. āBookās got a temper. Must get it from its owner.ā Her brows furrow and she asks, āwhatās that supposed to mean?ā
He smirks and says, āwell, in case you forgot, Bluelake, you got rather riled up in our first duel.ā She turns red and looks away. āI-I did notā¦!ā āOh yes you did,ā he says, his grin only widening, āin fact, you got so angry, you blasted me off the platform! Rather violent if you ask me.ā
āI-it was an accident!ā She exclaims, turning even redder, her face trying to decide between looking indignant or embarrassed. āAh, so you admit it then,ā he says. She doesnāt reply this time, choosing to instead look away with a pout.
His expression softens slightly at her guilty expression and he nudges her shoulder. āAh, donāt beat yourself up about it. It wasnāt even that hard of a hit anyway.ā (A total lie, but she didnāt need to know that.)
āCome on, Iāve got something to show you,ā he says, gesturing for her to follow him as he leads them toward the side of the path. āUhā¦Sebastian,ā she says hesitantly when she sees the danger signs up ahead. āRelax, weāre not going in there,ā he says with a wave of his hand, walking up to a bunch of honking daffodils, āI just wanted to show you these.ā
Just as expected, she lights up at the sight of the frankly annoying plants, hurrying over and stooping low to get a better view of them.
āAre theyāare they talking to each other?ā She asks excitedly. He shrugs and says, āwho can say. Iāve always personally thought they were just having shouting matches to see who can honk the loudest.ā
She shakes her head, leaning in closer to the plants and saying, āno, no, Iām pretty sure theyāre communicating with each other! Look! See how they turn to one another and reply to the last one who spoke to them? And some of them form little clusters, see? Like friend groups!ā
She giggles, positively delighted by the cacophony of flowers. He watches the plants, trying to see what she means.
ā¦.nope. He doesnāt notice anything like that.
She seems to carry the opposite opinion, however, as she then lies flat on the ground to the flowersā level and begins to honk as well. He snorts, trying to suppress a laugh at the ridiculous sight. āWhaā what are you doing?ā He asks, and she says, ātrying to communicate!ā She continues to honk at the flowers. He turns away, biting his knuckles to keep from laughing too loudly.
This girl wasā¦.really something.
After a few more minutes of attempted ācommunicationā, she finally rejoins him for their walk. āGet any good gossip from the plants?ā He teases and she sighs, āoh shush. Iāll learn the language someday.ā She still thinks itās a language. He canāt help the laugh that escapes him this time. She shoots him a dirty look. He laughs harder.
The two walk in comfortable silence for a few minutes before she asks, āso⦠what was that forest anyway? With all the danger signs? Is that the Forbidden Forest you mentioned?ā He nods and says, āthatās the one. The professors think itās too dangerous for us to go in. I think they need to have more confidence in our defensive abilities.ā
The two fall into a hushed silence as a carriage pulled by two shadowy creatures passes by. Though sheās never seen one before, he can tell by the way her eyes follow them that she too knows what they are.
Her eyes continue to follow them for a few moments more, and he says, āIāve always found thestrals pulling a carriage a bit grim.ā She turns to look at him now. āThough I suppose most people donāt actually see them at all,ā he adds with a half-smile. She nods, then says, ābutā¦you can?ā
He nods, that familiar tightness in his chest returning, his words coming out a bit more clipped now. āUnfortunately. But youāve seen quite a bit yourself first-hand too. Most notably that dragon attack.ā
She nods, seeming to fold in on herself a bit at the mention. A pang of guilt goes through him at the sight. He shouldāve known better than to bring up such a sensitive topic so soon.
He offers a comforting smile, trying to lighten the mood again when he says, āhopefully the rest of your year isnāt as eventful.ā She returns his smile shyly.
āYeahā¦I hope so, too.ā













