Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter FIFTEEN - The Undercroft

Ominis gave Sebastian and I the cold shoulder the entire walk back to the castle. He bid us goodnight as soon as we stepped through the door but I caught sight of a small smirk on his lips when he thought he was far enough past us.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Sebastian grinned like an idiot and raised his eyebrows.

"I have something to show you."

"Show me?" Wasn't I the one with the magical book to share with him?

"No, the other pretty Gryffindor behind you. Of course you! Follow me."

I had to duck my head to hide the blush that flushed my cheeks as I followed closely behind.

Sebastian kept a steady but quick pace as we stepped through the halls. 

We were nearing the Defence Against the Dark Arts class and my mind was reeling. 

"Almost there."

We turned to the right and skipped down the stairs, I had to take two at a time to keep up with him. We turned right again and began walking down an empty hallway that looked to be a dead end. I crinkled my nose as I looked around. The walls were fairly barren except for an ornate clock at the far end. It had a number of different faces and metal dials that ticked quietly. I had most definitely not explored the entire castle by any means, but I wondered how I had missed it during my nights wandering the halls.

Sebastian paused in front of it and peeked back around me, eyes darting around before turning back to the clock face. He flicked his wand gently and the hands and dials began spinning wildly round and around until they finally stopped with a thick click. The front of the clock swung open and Sebastian turned back to me with a smug grin.

He held the door open and gestured me inside. "In you go." I had to sneak under his outstretched arm, brushing against his side as I went. Sebastian followed closely behind me, his breath tickling my neck as the clock door swung shut. There was a metal gate immediately in front of us but it lifted willingly as I took another step. I was in complete awe at the space before us.

Wide open, sweeping stone floors and walls. Four chiseled pillars lined the middle of the room, two on either side and a few flaming candles dripped wax down the edges of each. The rest of the room was piled with wood barrels and crates, stacks of books so tall they were toppling over, chests, suits of armor and even more candles flickering and dancing over everything. The walls featured arched stone and the ceiling... the ceiling might be my favorite part. Metal lamps and chandeliers hung under each of the arches overhead, the flame of their candles twinkling and sparking gently. Grates acted as skylights that let in a faint amount of starlight from the night sky outside. 

"Not even the professors know about this place." His voice sent a chill down my spine. He was right behind me, grinning into my ear before taking a step back and around me, holding his arms out and spinning once around in a circle in the center of the room. "Welcome to the Undercroft!"

I could feel the warmth of the candles reflecting in my eyes. "How in Merlin's name did you find this place?" I breathed.

"Ominis actually. He named it the Undercroft. Someone in his family knew about it- the Gaunts are full of secrets. He has no love lost for his family or their secrets, but- this place is special to him." He watched as I walked around the space, tracing my fingers over the stone pillars and peeking at a stack of red books. "I've never heard anyone else speak of it and I've certainly never seen anyone else come in. We used to play Gobstones here all the time... with my sister." He laughed once. "She loved that infernal game... We used to sneak in here almost daily. We've never been caught!"