Risk // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 7: The Bet

"Well, they've been friends for years, yes? That means Ominis really cares about her and you know he has good intentions... besides, shouldn't Anne be able to experience all these things? You get to."

"What do you mean 'I get to'?" He spoke with his mouth now full of the food he was waiting on eating before.

How do I take back what I said? I could obliviate him... no, that would be stupid, there's witnesses. I did mean that he will get to live on while she dies. He'll get the chance to move on, have a family, fall in love, have his heart broken, but Anne... she won't. So why shouldn't she get to experience love before the inevitable? But I couldn't very well tell him that.

"I just mean... you're here with free reign of where you go, who you talk to and she's stuck in St Mungos."

Smooth recovery, Olive.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. But did it have to be Ominis? It's disgusting!"

For the first time in a long time, we shared a laugh together and for a fleeting moment it was as if nothing had changed between us. But that wasn't true.

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"You're confusing, Olive." Imelda called out to me from her bed.

I was thankful our other two roommates were immune to her loud abruptness now.

I huffed a little as I bookmarked my place in Sebastian's borrowed copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard and slid it back into my bedside table.

"How so?" I challenged her, turning on my side and propping myself up on my elbow.

"You hate Sallow, then you spend all your time pining over him but ignoring him, then you spend a night with him but you insist you didn't do anything and now you're eating meals together. I can't keep up!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's been asking questions. Unlike you, I have the unfortunate luck of being stuck in almost every class with him. All he did today was ask about you. Strange things too."

"Strange?"

"Like your fathers name, your mothers maiden name. Weird shit."

This clearly had something to do with what I'd told him about yesterday and I didn't like it. I dismissed Imelda as I did most of the time and shut the curtains on my bed. But I didn't manage a wink of sleep. I vowed to confront Sebastian about it as soon as I saw him.

Which conveniently was the next morning in the common room. It seemed he slept as much (or as little) as I did. He was awake with disheveled wet hair and in his robes for the day, it was clear he'd showered and began his day already.

"Sebastian!" I said quietly, but in a loud and angry whisper, noticing him bent over a pile of parchment and books at a small table by the fire.

He quickly slammed the books shut and shoved the parchment under the lounge he was sitting on.

"Olive. I—I didn't expect you up this early." He said, slightly startled.

"Why the fuck are you asking Imelda all these weird questions about me?" I said, standing in front of him with my hands firmly planted on my hips.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted her..." He muttered.

"Nuh-uh, Sallow. Don't blame her. What are you doing?" I demanded, shuffling my feet a little to get a stronger, more intimidating stance.

He sighed and shook his head, as if he were battling with his own mind.

"I'm trying to find out about your mothers family. I think it will give you a lot of closure to know where you came from, to know more about your magic."