Sinner // Sebastian Sallow

THREE

There's only one place in the castle you find safe enough to practice your dark arts, and it sits underneath the foundations and deep within the ground.

The Undercroft. You remember Sallow introduced you to this place when you first joined Hogwarts; when there were ulterior motives on his mind.

Dim-lit and vast, the Undercroft stretches for what feels like miles. So vast that indulging in the dark will do very little to illuminate your surroundings.

Sitting in the empty space with magic thrumming under your skin and a book on the dark arts displayed on the floor in front of you, your eyes close to relish in the power you've been smothering all day. You're allowed to breathe again, finally.

The energy fills every bone in your body, pumping your blood and wrapping its tendrils around the wand sitting in your hand. There's one spot of light on its tip, and darkness enveloping its base. It wants to wriggle free from your wand's hold, you can feel its struggle.

You crack your eyes open, your irises blood red, and settle on a rat at the base of one of the many pillars. It pays you very little attention, choosing to scratch the floor and sniff around in the hopes someone dropped a crumb.

That just won't do. You aim your wand in the rat's direction, only having to tilt your hand slightly, and string out a curse.

Crucio.

A flash of red shoots across the room in a second and nestles deep into the rat on the other side. The creature squeaks and squeals as the red light ripples across it's body, scurrying around frantically. A vain attempt to rid itself of a curse, but you admire the effort.

That little display of power is enough to scratch an itch, despite the wandering thought of Poppy's disappointed face if she knew what you did, and your eyes flick down to the book lying on the floor.

You don't even remember where you found this book originally, but it's been a trusty ally in your study of the dark arts. Most of what you really need to know is written in its pages and, once you get back into the library's forbidden section, you'll soon have all the knowledge you need.

The book in front of you entinces you into a world of magic, teaching you everything from the spells to their history. The art truly fascinates you more than any of your Hogwarts studies, something you can enjoy quietly and by yourself.

At least, you wanted to be by yourself. The silence and your clear mind has brought you painfully aware that someone has their eye on you in the back of the room. And you know who it is without having to turn your head.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, diminishing the magic surrounding your wand.

"I could ask you the same thing." Sallow replies, boots heavy on the concrete floor as he walks.

He stands a certain distance away from you, but close enough to read over your shoulder and catch the rat writhing on the floor.

"I taught you how to do that," he says, raising his eyebrow at the small, helpless creature. "Though, I think you handled it much better than him."

You huff a laugh, staring back down towards your book. There's no point hiding what you're studying from the Slytherin, not when both of you snuck into the forbidden section of the library together.

"You know, I haven't seen you around much recently. You're always vanishing during breaks. Is there something you're not telling me?"

You frown, lifting your head to meet his gaze, "What are you talking about? I've just been busy studying. That's all."

Sebastian tilts his head in the direction of your book, leaning forward on the balls of his feet and back again, "And you look like you're really studying for your O.W.L.S. Didn't know there was a dark arts module this year."

Instinctively you cover the book pages with your uniform sleeve, muttering along as you do, "I'm allowed a break sometimes. This is a hobby."

He smiles slightly, taking a seat next to you and crossing his legs. You cast him a wary glance, just as he says, "It's mine too, I spent a long time looking into this. I can help."

He doesn't say why he knows; you know already and don't plan on bringing it up. If he wanted to, he would, you justify it to yourself.

"I appreciate it, Sebastian, but I am perfectly capable of learning on my own."

The rat slumps against the pillar all of a sudden, the erratic movements ceasing in all but an instant. Both of you turn your heads towards the tiny animal as soon as its head hits the floor.

"...well, I can only say I offered," Sebastian shrugs his shoulders, producing his wand from his sleeve and muttering a spell under his breath. The rat dissipates into nothing, you watch every last second of it.

"But I know you," he continues, as he stands back up and dusts off his legs. "And I know something is different."

"Nothing is different about me," you try your best to reassure him, eyes hooked onto your classmate as he takes several steps towards the exit.

Sebastian chuckles lowly, looking back over his shoulder, "I have my eye on you. Don't ever forget that."