Little Lion... {Sebastian Sallow.}

✨ T W O ✨

I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my face, but I kept my own forward, staring at the training dummy in the far corner of the room. My hands were clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms.

His scent filled my nostrils, a scent that made me want to wrap my arms around him and never let go. But I was mad, he hurt me.
I had so many questions but no voice to ask them.

So we sat in silence the entire class, recapping everything we knew and taking notes of what's to come for sixth year. Every now and then, his arm brushed against mine as he shifted and it made me tremble, I could barely write anything.

The relief I felt when Hecat dismissed the class was unreal. I swiftly gathered my things and made a beeline to the door. I still had not spoken a single word to Sebastian Sallow.

I heard his footsteps following me, but I kept moving forward, not looking back. I was so grateful when Poppy came sprinting up to me, a bright beaming smile on her face. He dropped back a few paces. Thank god. "Hey Poppy." I smiled slightly, as the Hufflepuff girl linked her arm through mine.

"Flori, tell me you took advanced beasts too?" She had a sparkle in her eye. The girl doted on all beasts, it was an amazing thing to see. She taught me so much last year.

"I— sorry, Poppy. Professor Weasley said it'd have to be Advanced Charms if I wanted to succeed to be an Auror." Her face fell, guilt ripped through me but I knew she understood. She wasn't upset with me. "If I could have picked it, I would have."

"Oh, I didn't know you wanted to be an Auror! That's exciting." She giggled and gave my arm a squeeze. "Well, join me at the Hufflepuff table for lunch, won't you? We have so much to catch up on!"

Then she bid goodbye and turned the corner to make her way to her next class.

"An Auror, huh? Never pinned you as the type." Sebastian was beside me again.

Why is he doing this? Acting as though he didn't just disappear the whole damn summer. I shot the boy a glare, stopping in my tracks as I clutched my books to my chest. My breath felt like it was stuck in my throat and my face grew red as I scrunched my nose.

"What do you want, Sallow?" I grit my teeth, glaring at him. This was the first time I saw his face since that day... he had changed, his jawline more prominent, hair a little longer and a little messier. His perfect brown eyes were more tired. Was he suffering sleepless nights too?

I could see the hurt in his eyes. Perhaps he was expecting a warmer welcome, but I knew there was only one way I was going to get through this unscathed. I had to act like I didn't care anymore even if I cared more than I'd like to admit.

"Meet me in The Undercroft after class... we need to talk." He sighed and then walked away, leaving me standing there staring after him. My face was hot with anger.

I spent the entire Charms class distracted, wondering what he wants to talk about that I hardly heard a word Professor Ronen was saying.
Amit Thakkar sat next to me, bubbly and chatting away about the things he did over summer and the telescope he had seen that he wanted to buy. But my mind felt like it wasn't functioning, when a clammy feeling crept over me. My head felt fuzzy and my vision started to blur. It all made me quite nauseous.

I excused myself from class early, apologising to Professor Ronen but he gave me a look to say he understood. All the Professors were well aware of what happened last year, and they all looked at me with the same look. Sympathy, pity. I hated it.

My face felt hot and cold all at once as I rushed my way down to the Undercroft. I preferred to be first there so he was the one keeping me waiting.
But as the gate pulled open to the Undercroft, I could hear my own heartbeat, darkness clouded my vision and I had to cling to the wall to keep myself up.
I heard a voice but it was faint, the thudding of my heart was too loud.
I used my hand to wipe sweat away from my brow and that's when I lost my balance, everything going black.

***
"Miss Whitworth! You're awake, thank goodness!" The voice of Nurse Noreen Blainey filled my ears as my eyes opened just a little, letting out a small groan. I never felt so groggy, this was a hideous feeling.

I don't remember how I got to the hospital wing. The last thing I remember is a clouded sight of the Undercroft. But how did I get here?

"Here, drink this. It will give you some energy back." She handed me a vial of what looked like Invigoration Draught then walked away.
I stared at it for a moment between my hands and popped the cork off the top before letting the liquid travel down my throat. Nasty. Potions rarely ever tasted good.

"You gave me quite the scare." The voice of Sebastian came from the chair next to me. I hadn't noticed him there. His voice was softer than usual and when I looked at him, he looked at me with sadness in his eyes, a sadness that pained me to see.

"You bought me here?"

***
[Sebastian]

I hadn't long arrived at the Undercroft when I heard the gate slide open, my head twisting expecting to see Ominis. There wasn't a chance that Flori would duck out of class to come talk to me. I'm pretty sure she hated me now, not that I could blame her.

But to my surprise, it was Flori. But she didn't look herself. Pale in the face, stumbling around, her eyes half rolling back every now and then.

"Flori?" I spoke out, walking over to her cautiously. My heart was hammering in my chest. Something was wrong.
She slumped and fell to the floor, unconscious. Her face smacking off the stone floor. Now I was at her side, lifting her head into my lap, a bruise already forming on her cheek as it began to swell. Her pale face was coated with sweat as her hair clung to her skin. "Flori? Wake up!" I cradled her beautiful face for a few moments.
In a blind panic, I hoisted her up onto my shoulder and quickly made my way to the Hospital Wing.

Nurse Blainey asked me so many questions which I couldn't answer. She performed a few spells and applied a cold compress to the beautiful girls cheek. Now we just had to wait for her to wake up.

"Is it okay if I stay here until she wakes? Just to keep an eye on her?" I asked quietly, meeting the Nurse's eyes.
She didn't like loitering students but her expression softened when she glanced at the girl in the bed. Looking at her the way all of the professors had been looking at her whenever she passed them by, like they felt sorry for her.

"Of course, just keep applying this ice pack every now and then to keep the swelling down on her cheek. I'll draw the curtain and be in my office."

It felt like hours had passed, and Flori was still unconscious. My hand swept her hair out of her face, so I could see it more clearly. She had dark circles under her eyes, her face was a little more drawn and she just looked... frail.

"I'm so sorry, Flori." I whispered, placing a hand over hers.
I snatched it away quickly as she let out a groan, her eyes flickering open, adjusting to her surroundings.

Nurse Blainey gave her a potion then left us again.

"You gave me quite the scare." I admitted in a hush tone.
When her face turned to me, I saw the purple bruise on her cheek, darker now than before and the swelling making it look almost like a hamster stuffed pouch.

Her eyes met mine, and just like the day that I met her, my heart skipped. Those beautiful blue eyes that once shone bright with curiosity were dull now. She hid trauma and fear behind them.
But she was still my Flori.

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