In the Shadow of Darkness | Sebastian Sallow

Gryffindor v. Slytherin

We'd moved onto love potions with Professor Sharp that week, with him brewing a few, most notably Amortentia. The room had filled with the scent of old books, chocolate, and the forest; as Professor Sharp explained the dangers of love potions, and assigned us 18 inches on the importance of being able to identify them and ways to counteract their affects. Sebastian had been unable to keep his eyes off of me the entire class. Garreth kept sneaking glances, blushing anytime I caught him staring. I tried not to look at Sebastian at all, because every time I did, I my palms would sweat and my heartbeat would quicken. I was afraid he could see all of it in my eyes, so I'd spent most of the class trying to ignore him.

Though I knew Sebastian was grateful for spending his birthday with Anne, things felt more awkward than usual that week. It wasn't that he was any less affectionate—brushing his hand against mine in the corridor or moving closer to me in class—but I could help but feel there was something unspoken between us. What's worse, we were unable to spend any time together outside of class due to Quidditch practice in preparation for the first game that Saturday.

Sebastian and I made plans to check out some more of the Forbidden Forest caves on Sunday, with Poppy and Natty also planning to pair up that weekend after the Quidditch game. As the first weekend in November drew closer, we all could feel a crackle of excitement in anticipation of one of the biggest House Quidditch rivalries being played for the first time in two years.

The morning of the game, Natty roused me excitedly so I could join her for breakfast in the Great Hall. It was a madhouse, I thought as we walked in, with almost the entire school present and abuzz with theories on who would score the first goal, who would win, and even who was most likely to take a Bludger to the face.

Garreth was surrounded by girls of varying years. He had his arm around a pretty blonde I recognized as a third-year and the new Gryffindor Seeker—I thought Amelia Brown was her name—and they were singing some nonsensical song about Gryffindor being the best Hogwarts House. I could barely hear it over the loud background noise.

The loudness didn't subside as all of the students and professors migrated from the castle to the Quidditch Pitch. The autumn air was humid, and the clouds had been dropping rain since the early morning hours. Only as I took a seat, did I finally spot Sebastian, already on the pitch sporting some smudges of mud on his emerald robes. Slytherin must have put in one more practice before the game, I thought.

Slytherin was huddling up, a bit of steam rising from all of them collectively as they discussed strategy. Gryffindor was taking the time to warm up, zooming about on their brooms. Garreth and Eric enjoyed a small race against each other, finishing up by grabbing their bats and saluting each other before taking positions on opposite sides of the pitch.

Professor Kagawa entered the playing field with a trunk as the Slytherin players all mounted their brooms and took to the sky to cheers from their house. Kagawa released the Bludgers, then the Snitch, then tossed the Quaffle up between the two sets of Chasers as she blew her whistle. Slytherins in the stands roared as their Chasers took possession of the ball right away. Leander thwarted them easily, giving Gryffindor the Quaffle in quick turn, but Sebastian defended the Slytherin goal posts with ease.

The game continued at that quick pace for the first several minutes before Slytherin managed to score 10 points. I sat there, mesmerized, thinking how different this game was compared to any of the practices I'd watched. No wonder the wizarding world couldn't get enough of this game. As Imelda dodged a well-aimed Bludger from Eric Northcott, I could appreciate the different aspects and danger associated with each.

Gryffindor eventully managed a small lead of 80 to 70, but I noticed that neither Seeker had moved yet. Sebastian had told me that the score rarely mattered once the Snitch was caught, since most of the time, the 150 points was more than enough to win a game. The crowd was restless, with Gryffindor joined by about half of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff in their cheers, but as the game dragged on and the cold set in for many of us, we simply wanted it to be over.

The clouds had settled in with a persistent drizzle, reducing visibility until spectators couldn't see the length of the pitch. After a few hours and three time outs, I thought the game might never end. Then, I saw Amelia Brown and Eris flit across the field. They had seen the Golden Snitch!

I watched both girls intently in their race to be the first to catch the ball, my heart pounding, knowing this would determine the game's winner. I glanced at the scoreboard as Slytherin scored another goal and bringing the game to a tie. Gryffindor responded with a massive push forward with the Quaffle, and though I'd been focusing on the two Seekers, I saw Sebastian narrowly dodge a Bludger out of the corner of my eye. I looked up in time to see him swinging back into a balanced position from dangling precariously as the Quaffle whizzed by him. My classmates cheered, but I held my breath until he looked secure again. His face was red with anger as he put the ball back in play.

Only seconds later, a cheer went up as the student announcer declared the Snitch had been caught by the Gryffindor Seeker. We'd won! The crowd stood, jumping around in excitement at the victory, and of course, I joined them.

A groan from the crowd drew my attention back to the pitch, however, as Sebastian had hopped off his broom and wrestled Garreth Weasley to the ground. It took Professor Kagawa, Imelda, and Leander, working together to pull them apart. Garreth was clutching his nose as blood trickled from behind his hands, while Sebastian was yelling something at the Gryffindor while struggling against both Imelda and Kagawa.

"Well, that was some excitement I wasn't expecting," Natty commented, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What was that about?" I asked as we began filtering down the stairs.

"Garreth hit a Bludger toward Sebastian. I would assume he was none too happy about it," she explained. "I'm surprised you didn't see it."

I blushed. Her tone of voice suggested that I must have watched him the entire game. As we stepped off the last of the stairs, the ground squished beneath our feet. Garreth walked past me, a handkerchief against his nose as he undoubtedly headed toward the Hospital Wing. Looking left I saw Sebastian and Imelda walking side by side, with Professor Kagawa trailing just behind.

"I'm fine," he insisted, throwing up his hands. His left eye was a bit red and swollen, and he had a few cuts on his face, but I didn't know if those were from the game or his altercation with Garreth.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sallow, but you'll need Nurse Blainey to take a look at you, regardless. I'll be taking 50 points from Slytherin for your unprofessional conduct—"

"Oh, come on, Professor! He did that intentionally, and you know it!" Sebastian argued.

"—and you'll be serving detention for arguing," Professor Kagawa finished, her eyes flashing.

Sebastian opened his mouth, but Imelda pulled—no, yanked—his arm. Off balance, he looked back at her and her angry look before resigning himself to his fate. "Yes, Professor."

Kagawa walked away.

"You need to watch your temper, Sebastian," Imelda warned.

"He—"

"No," she scolded. "You don't get to argue with me. We were all there. It doesn't matter if Garreth meant to knock you off your broom, it had little bearing on the outcome of the game." She leaned in, surprisingly threatening despite being several inches shorter than him. "I have half a mind to make you sit out the next game."

"Imelda, I—"

"Get to the Hospital Wing, Sallow!" Her voice was quiet, but commanding. Without another word, she stormed off into the changing rooms.

Sufficiently chastised, Sebastian looked at the ground in shame.

I walked up to him, saying nothing.

His eyes traveled from my feet up to my face. "You saw him, didn't you?"

I shook my head apologetically. "Why do you think he did it on purpose?"

"I saw him laughing about it, and I..." He sighed, deflating. "He cracked some stupid joke when I confronted him, and I lost my temper."

I touched his shoulder gently. "Let's get you to Nurse Blainey for that eye."

Slowly, quietly, he nodded and followed me. Garreth, whose broken nose was already healed, sent a curt wave but didn't stop us on our way to the Hospital Wing. Giving Sebastian a kiss on the forehead, I left him with the nurse and headed to the common room to change into dry clothes and enjoy the Gryffindor victory party.