A Tale of Sallow

Chapter Three: Fallen Kingdom

Spotify: Paper Crown by Alec Benjamin

I put on my best gears and get ready to fly. I promised Ominis I would get to the bottom of this mysterious disappearance of Sebastian. He told me the foster home is near Bainburgh area. Boy, he was not wrong. It is pretty far. I considered Floo flaming but personally I do not prefer that method of travelling. It does make my head go oozy woozy.

For hours on end, I just flew. A breath of fresh air keeping my head sane without the constant nagging feeling at the back of my head that something bad had happened to Sebastian. I told myself not to think of the worst but my mind can't help but wander in that direction. How could I have been such a bad friend? I already made a mistake with him, encouraging him down the dark path. How could I have been so stupid and not have checked on him during the summer? It's really this pride of mine that keep messing things up in my life. I cannot lose Sebastian. I simply cannot. As tears well in my eyes, I looked up to prevent the tears from falling down my face.

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Before I knew it, I arrived at my destination. The house was two-storey high with exteriors that can only resemble death itself. It was dark and moody, made of rotting wood planks with no signs of paint left on the property. Clearly, this does not look too good of an environment for any person to live in, let alone a family that are adopting children. I really couldn't be imaging things but a really foul stench comes from the house.  I took a few steps to the door, minding one of the broken steps at the side. And I knocked. One.. two... three... and I waited. Nothing. Hmmm strange. I knocked again. I heard a few chaotic steps towards the door before it swung open and revealed a very pale and thin lady holding a baby on her hips.

"What yer want?," said the lady and I noted she has a few teeth missing.

"Oh hi, hello there. I was wondering if this is where Sebastian Sallow lives?," I asked.

"Sebastian Sallow? Never heard of 'im," said the lady.

"Oh I hope I did not get the wrong address but it does point to this house. May I check with you if this is the correct house for this address?," I shoved a paper with the written address to the lady.

"Seems right. But I don't know what to tell yer. I have never heard of any Sebastian Shallow," she said.

"Sebastian Sallow, my lady," I corrected her.

"Sebastian Sallow? What business does he want with us now?," bellowed an unknown male voice at the back of the door.

"Oh you do know him, do yer? This young gal looking for him or something," the lady replied to the man, craning her neck to look in his direction behind the door.

Before I could react, a huge hand gripped the door and swung open, revealing an extremely well-built man with bushy eyebrows and full blown beard. I half wondered if he was a person or a bear.

"Come on in, uhh...," the man motioning me to come inside the house.

"Lilian, sir. Lilian Posh," I completed his sentence.

When I went into the house, I was immediately hit with the same stench I smelled outside but only stronger. The condition of the house doesn't look sanitary or well kept with clutters everywhere. When I entered the inner room, that's when I saw about seven little children sprawled across the room. Some could crawl and some standing. But strangely, quiet. One of the older ones that looked about ten was scrubbing the floor and looking up at me with big curious eyes. I felt sick to my stomach. This is definitely not a place for children. What was the ministry doing, letting these people adopt this many children without the proper support? And I assumed these are the adopted children and not their own.

"What does Sebastian Sallow want with us now?," the man grumbled.

"I'm just looking for him. He is supposed to be living here?," I said as I thought to myself "Oh how I really wish this is not how he lived for the past three months."

"Nay. He was never here with us. He did not even turn up at our doorstep. The ministry still paid us for the first month, of course. But after the boy didn't turn up, the ministry stopped paying us. A waste of opportunity, if you ask me. Extra galleons and extra pair of hands? Thought we were getting lucky," said the man.

"Oh. Would you perhaps know where could he be? I really must find him," I begged, laced with worry in my voice.

"I'm sorry, gal. I don't know what to tell yer. I've never even met the boy, I wouldn't know where he went better than you," the man replied.

"I see. Thank you for your help anyway. I must get going then," I said with what little voice and hope I had left.

"Before you go, maybe you could take the owls sent to him. I'm not sure why some letters ended up here. Maybe the birds couldn't find him. Could be some clues for you," the man said.

"That's true. Perhaps I could figure out where he went from the letters," I perked up, thinking not all hope is lost.

Before I could grab the pile of letters on the table at the far end of the room that the man motioned towards, the man put his palm out.

"Nothing in the world is free, mi' lady," the man said cheekily smiling.

I put a few galleons in his hand, grabbed the letters and dashed out of the house.

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Hmm... a letter from Ominis but addressing to the foster parents and not Sebastian. Right, Ominis' owl must have been able to locate Sebastian since he said they had been corresponding until about two weeks ago. A few more from the ministry.. several from Hogwarts... Anne! Anne has written him a letter! It seems to be a pretty recent post too. Oh Sebastian would be thrilled to receive this letter. Strange... I couldn't find my letter so where could it be? Did it reach him? Or did it get lost? Perhaps that's why he didn't reply to my owl.

I still have no clue where he could be. I hope he is not doing something stupid like exploring all the catacombs by himself trying to find a cure for Anne. Maybe the answer is simple all along. Maybe he could be where he started. At Feldcroft. I mean it's not unlikely and it's not impossible. And it's definitely nearer to fly to than flying back to Hogwarts. It's worth a try. I saddled my broom and up away I go.

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I reached Feldcroft and made my way to the small cottage house that is the family home of the Sallows. I smiled faintly, reminiscing of the day Sebastian introduced me to his sister and uncle, as I walked up to the house. Although it wasn't at all a happy occasion, I felt very flattered that Sebastian thought me important enough to meet his family. I could see that the house was not lit, already feeling dejected. But he could be sleeping. Yes. Let's knock the door and see what happens. So there I go knocking on the door. No response. Not even a slight gust of wind.

I knocked again. Nothing.

Well, third time is a charm. And so I knocked.

The village was so quiet that even the littlest movement would have made a sound. But nothing.

I cannot just give up like this. I really couldn't. The feeling of throat closing up crept up on me and my vision became blurry with the tears starting to well in my eyes. Without thinking much into it, I chanted.

"Alohomora!"

The door unlocked and I pushed open the door slightly. I see light. A very tiny tiny stream of light but yes I see it. As I draw my eyes to the source of the light, I saw several books scattered all over the floor. As I lift my eyes up and squint through the dark, I could make out a figure that was slumped over a desk that was full of piles of books. And I knew exactly who that was.

"Sebastian!!"