Turns out you don't sleep well when you are in an unfamiliar place and you know all eyes are on you. I couldn't even take myself down to the girls bathrooms to shower without being bombarded with questions from seemingly everyone.
One that particularly caught my attention was "Is the boy you came with single?"
"S-sorry, who are you?" I asked, shaking my head to try and find out where this girl got the audacity to ask such a question without even so much as a hello.
"Francesca Pollard." She beamed.
Francesca was pretty. She was tall, blonde and, from what I could tell, very curvy. I learned she was also a 7th year Thunderbird. And one of my dorm mates.
Greeeeeeat.
"I- he's... uh."
Don't embarrass yourself in front of the pretty bachelorette, you old, married hag!
"He's... I don't know."
Fucking idiot.
I meant to say no and I don't think so. Instead, it came out as I don't know. Then I found myself instinctually hiding my left hand behind my back as we spoke, not even aware I was trying to hide my rings now.
Was I embarrassed by our relationship? I didn't even know. And that time I actually meant I don't know.
"Interesting. Lovely to meet you... uh..." she trailed off as she started to turn away.
"Olive..."
"Olive! Bye!"
Francesca skipped away, her long, thick blonde hair blowing behind her.
I was going to be in trouble.
At Hogwarts I had no problem swatting girls away from my Seb. But here, apparently I was sending them right towards him.
It didn't take Francesca long because when I finally managed to shower and dress myself for my first day of classes, Sebastian had already been bailed up by her in the common room.
And like the oblivious twat he was, he seemed none the wiser that she was so blatantly flirting with him as he exchanged smiles and even a laugh with her.
Or maybe he just doesn't want you. He wants the pretty blonde girl!
I decided to bite my tongue instead of crash tackling her to the ground and beating her to a pulp and would let Sebastian figure this out on his own. Until I spoke to him later on because let's be honest, I couldn't help myself.
"Ahh! Mrs. Sallow! Just who I was hoping to find. Is Sebastian around?" Professor Whitman said, peering over my shoulder.
Now that the stress was over, I was finally able to observe Professor Whitman. She seemed too young to be a deputy headmistress. She had cascading black hair that had been pulled into a braid and plopped on top of her head. She had porcelain skin and the deepest, greenest eyes I had ever seen. She oozed the same aura I got from Professor Garlick. Warm, cheery and welcoming.
"Oh. Yes, he's just down there." I pointed towards the common room in his direction.
"I see he's made acquaintance with Miss Pollard. Wonderful. She's actually in your first class today. I've tried to pair you in as many classes together as I could with her since you share a room."
Wonderful...
I barely listened to anything Professor Whitman said, all I knew is I had Defence Against the Dark Arts first. So she would take us there whenever Sebastian was ready.
As I watched him chat with Francesca, a pang of jealousy hit me. I knew it was absolutely ridiculous. He had committed himself completely to me... but I knew Sebastian was handsome. He was charismatic and that was something that always caught attention of the female population. Even if he didn't see it. I knew I was being unreasonable. He was already mine in every sense. Especially legally. So why the fuck did I feel like this?
Francesca ended up leaving first, with another gentle whip of her hair as it flowed flawlessly behind her.
If he left me I'd understand... fucking mesmerising.
He jogged up to me quickly, with a smile on his face, though I knew he was dying to greet me with a kiss. And I'll be honest, I wanted one.
Especially for Francesca to see...
"Good morning, I trust you slept well." Professor Whitman smiled politely.
"I did, thank you." Sebastian replied.
But when Whitman turned her head, he locked eyes with me and shook his head. Good to know we both slept awfully.
Professor Whitman began to lead the way out of the common room and walked us to the classroom.
"I saw you talking to Francesca earlier." I said to Sebastian as we trailed behind her.
Sebastian looked towards me, surprised. "Oh, yeah. She's quite friendly. You know her?"
"Unfortunately. She's my dorm mate."
"Unfortunately?" Sebastian asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Her first words uttered to me were asking if you were single." I said.
Sebastian scoffed a laugh as we walked down the corridor. "Really? That's bold. And you told her no?"
"Ummm..." My voice went way higher than I would have liked.
"You... didn't tell her?" Sebastian was really confused now.
"I tried... but I may have mixed up my words and told her I don't know."
Sebastian burst into laughter. "You don't know if I'm single or not? Well, I'd like to hope you have some idea."
I gave him a playful nudge. "Oh, you know what I meant. I was just flustered."
"Flustered, huh?" he teased, his fingers slightly grazing against mine. "Well, in case you forgot, I'm very much taken."
Before he could attempt to flirt with me anymore, we'd arrived at the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and left in the capable hands of Professor Alden Birch.
"Ah, my two new students, welcome." He extended his hand for us both and greeted us warmly.
Professor Birch was a small and round man, Sebastian practically towered over him. I almost wondered how someone with a stature like him could be adept in defending against the dark arts.
"So, did you two take this subject at Hogwarts?"
Did we take DADA? Or did we own DADA?
Sebastian looked at Professor Birch with a wide grin.
"Yeah, we took it." He told Birch.
"Excellent! So you'll have a basic understanding then."
Yes. Basic...
I shot a quick glance at Sebastian, who was clearly enjoying this little interaction. "Yes, we're quite familiar with the subject."
"Fantastic," Professor Birch beamed. "We'll aim to challenge you both then. Take a seat anywhere you like, and we'll get started shortly."
Sebastian and I found seats close to each other and tuned in to what we'd be learning. Which was non-verbal spells. Something Sebastian was highly skilled at and I hadn't touched. I'd missed that week in the hospital wing.
"Alright, partner up with the person directly across from you."
"Hah. We should have switched seats." Sebastian whispered to me. I peered across from me to see what he was laughing at.
Fuck.
Fucking Francesca...
I had to try my best not to roll my eyes and her face lit up and she ran to stand in front of her desk. I begrudgingly did the same.
"Now that we are all in position, I'd like you all to practice casting your charm of choice at your partner. Non-verbally of course. Don't forget your non-verbal protegos. I shouldn't hear any word being spoken!"
Francesca stood in front of me, smirking confidently. I had a feeling she was eager to show off her skills, especially with Sebastian watching. Though she didn't know he was actually watching me.
As the exercise began, I focused on trying to keep up with the pace, forming the incantation in my mind without uttering a word. I pointed my wand at Francesca and attempted the Disarming Charm.
And result was embarrassing. My wand movement was off, and the spell fizzled out before even reaching her. Francesca raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
"Nice try," she said, not even attempting to cast a counter-spell.
I felt frustrated and fucking embarrassed. This was not going the way I had hoped. I stole a quick glance at Sebastian, who was focused on his partner, successfully casting a non-verbal Flipendo. Of course, he made it look effortless.
As we kept practicing I couldn't help the feeling that Francesca was enjoying my struggle a bit too much. Every failed attempt made her smile. But I wasn't about to give up. I took a deep breath and attempted the spell again.
This time, there was a flicker of magic at the tip of my wand, and Francesca's wand slipped from her grip, she clearly thought I was going to fail again and didn't even bother throwing up a protective spell. I allowed myself a small smile, ignoring the raised eyebrows and surprised glances around the room.
"Nice job, I suppose." Francesca admitted, though it was begrudgingly.
The exercise continued and I was seriously getting the hang of non-verbal casting. And Francesca, the smug bitch, didn't forget to put up a shield again. Professor Birch made his way around the room and praised myself and Sebastian for our work. He was particularly impressed by Sebastian's apparent natural skill in the area.
"Well done, Mr. Sallow. I must say, you have a knack. I can't wait to see what you can do with verbal spells. Perhaps we'll schedule a duel for the next class."
Sebastian's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He was obviously eager to see if he was still the best duellist like he was at Hogwarts. Well... second best.
As the class drew to a close, I was relieved to be out of the sight of the little blonde tart who was trying to follow Sebastian out of class.
"Well done." I heard a strange voice from behind me call.
I spun on my heels and was met with a wide grin spread across the face of a red-headed, short, speckled face and glasses wearing girl. I recognised her, I'd shared a room with her last night.
"Thank you. I'm Olive." I said with a soft smile.
Sebastian had also turned around and I could see he was listening in, completely ignoring Francesca who'd just walked right past him.
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Daisy Morgan. We share a room."
"That we do, I saw you last night." I smiled.
Daisy seemed sweet and kind. I was grateful I'd finally had a pleasant interaction with someone.
"I'm Sebastian," Sebastian chimed in, extending his hand to shake Daisy's.
Daisy shook his hand with a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Sebastian. I must say, that non-verbal Expelliarmus was impressive, Olive."
I felt a slight blush creeping up my cheeks. "Thank you. It took some practice, but I'm getting there."
Daisy's eyes darted between us. "You both seem really close. Did you know each other before coming to Ilvermorny?"
Sebastian and I exchanged a quick glance before he answered, "Yeah, we're... married. We both attended Hogwarts together."
"Married? That's not what I expected. I heard rumours you were siblings. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Daisy said, her curiosity piqued.
"We're eighteen. And it's not really information we want shared around, we've already stirred up enough drama here in one day." I said.
"Oh, I won't tell. I understand people like privacy sometimes. What class do you have next?" Daisy asked.
"Uh..." I dug a piece of parchment out of my pocket. "Ancient Runes."
Unfortunately Ilvermorny didn't cover every single class we were doing at Hogwarts, so we had to shuffle our interests around. We continued with Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Arithmancy, but this time we both took up Ancient Runes.
"Oh! I have Ancient Runes too! We can walk together!" Daisy said excitedly, almost jumping on the spot.
"Sounds great," I replied with a genuine smile. It was refreshing to meet someone who was so friendly and eager to make a connection.
As the three of us walked together towards the Ancient Runes classroom, Daisy kept up a cheerful conversation. She talked about her previous experiences at Ilvermorny and how excited she was for the upcoming school year. Her positive energy was actually a nice change.
Daisy turned to me, beaming. "I'm really glad you two are here. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but having friends can make all the difference."
"Thank you, Daisy." I said sincerely. "It means a lot to have someone friendly to talk to."
"Oh, have you had some that weren't so friendly?" Daisy asked.
"I wouldn't say not friendly... maybe too friendly." I said.
Daisy raised a curious brow, inviting us to elaborate.
"Francesca-"
"Oh. Say no more." Daisy said with a raised hand.
This time, I was the one raising an eyebrow.
"She's a half Veela." Daisy said.
"A... what?" I asked.
"Veela's are known for their beauty and allue.," Sebastian explained. "They have a natural ability to charm others and lead to infatuation and adoration."
Uhhhh... and this Veela was hitting on my husband?
"And I went and told her you were single!"
"Why? Isn't he your husband?"
We had utterly confused Daisy at this point.
"Y... yes. I may have tripped over my words a little." I said softly.
"Well, it it's any consolation, Olive, I couldn't tell she was a Veela and have felt nothing towards her." Sebastian tried to reassure me.
"Yet..." I mumbled.
Daisy chuckled. "Well, let's hope it stays that way. I have no doubt that whatever magic she has, it won't break your bond. It's pretty clear you've got something special and I've only known you an hour."
As we reached the Ancient Runes classroom, Daisy's words lingered. It was true, we did have something special and I had to remind myself to trust in Sebastian and our relationship.
The Ancient Runes class was surprisingly fascinating, and I thoroughly enjoyed having Daisy there. She was incredibly knowledgeable and helped me play catch up on the things I'd missed in their 6th year classes. But Sebastian needed no help. In fact, the elderly Professor Jameson called him up as an example of an exemplary student for his ability to be fluent in four ancient languages.
My genius husband everyone! Look at my husband! Yes! All mine! The one I get to sleep with.
Actually... maybe I should ask him to dirty talk to me in Latin next time... hot.
"I'm surprised you didn't choose Horned Serpent, Mr. Sallow. It's clear academics are your strong suit." Professor Jameson said.
Sebastian merely shrugged it off. This shit was just a hobby to him.
After the class we walked back to the common room, Sebastian separated from us and Daisy and I chatted about Sebastian's natural proclivity for learning, well, everything.
Daisy turned to me with a smile. "You know, Olive, you're lucky to have such a talented and supportive partner. It's pretty clear he's mad about you."
I glanced over at Sebastian who was engrossed in a book and smiled back at Daisy. "I know. He's pretty amazing."
Daisy's sighed a little. "I hope to have something like what you both have one day."
Sebastian looked up from his book. "What are you two plotting over there?"
"No plotting. Just talking." I grinned.
And while Sebastian was looking at me, Francesca was looking at him from across the room.
I didn't exactly know how Veela's worked and I promised myself I'd go and read up about it later. Was her staring at him just her checking him out or was it some sort of half-breed magic she was putting on him? Either way, I needed her to stop it or I was going to just go and straddle him right there and then on the lounge. But I decided it was probably best not to since rumours were we were siblings.
Either way, I bid goodnight to Daisy and Sebastian, unable to even hug him due to the prying eyes and dragged myself to bed for another sleepless night.
And tomorrow I was punching a Veela.