Sinner // Sebastian Sallow

NINE

You're positive your nightmare is the worst one yet when you wake up to a small fire on the trunk at the end of your bed. That's a new one.

Your dreams make less and less sense the more you have them, but each one is all the more terrifying than the last. This one is no exception, except those green eyes are stuck in your head. They don't watch over you softly like last time, they pierce straight through your soul like daggers to a heart and let you be carried away in a whirlwind of your own torment.

You're haunted by them - you're haunted by him.

Wiping cold sweat from your forehead, you swing your legs over the side of your bed and allow your feet to touch the cold wood floors. You flinch, but relish in the touch; you finally feel alive.

You rise to your feet and tread carefully towards the window. The stars are covered by a film of grey cloud, leaving the view murky and miserable, but you enjoy it all the same. It's better than staying in bed, anyway.

Hogwarts is eerie at night, you've discovered after consecutive night terrors. With no one around and no comfort from the heels of shoes against the floor, the silence becomes loud and deadly. It leaves you alone in your own head, sinking into thought after thought.

You've only been thinking of yourself.

That's enough to fill the silent void around you. Sebastian's voice jumps around the walls of your mind, knocking your perfect organisation astray, and echoes just as loudly to match its pace.

Part of you can't help but wonder if it's one of his many manipulation tactics at play; but, if it is, it's certainly doing the trick.

You aren't the only one suffering, Sebastian lost everything he knew in the first year you met him. Hell, you have the chance to ship him straight off to Azkaban if you want to, but there's no chance of you considering it. He's broken just like you, feelings aside, and you reckon you'd hate yourself forever if you betrayed him.

And you're not the only one thinking that, either.

After a painstakingly long evening of staring through the empty window, you somehow find yourself at the end of your potions class. First lesson of the day, and you can barely remember anything that happened.

It's a better start than you'd hoped for really. Part of you assumed you'd clonk out within the first five minutes; but here you are, still holding it all together. You're pretty sure Garreth has given a few disappointed looks at the idea that you've not tried his specially brewed Sleeping Draught.

You wave him goodbye as you walk out of class, books clutched tightly to your chest as you go. Those dark circles are still there, but a little charm and they vanish under disillusion.

As you lower your arm, the end of your robe sleeve is caught by someone else's hand, bringing you to a firm halt.

To your surprise, Ominis Gaunt calls out for you, holding the end of your uniform with an iron grip. There's no formal greeting, no moments to catch up, only a firm, "I need to have a word with you."

You don't remember the last time you and Ominis spoke. You remember he taught you some braille from his textbooks, and chasing for another lesson slipped through your mind. When that was, though, you can't recall.

He pulls you to one side, his other hand holding out his wand to navigate with, just outside the door to the potions classroom. He's not changed one bit; perfectly placed hair, thin face and pale eyes.

"What is it, Ominis?" you can't help but ask. He seems serious, and something about that look sends a pang of guilt straight to your heart. You really have missed the Slytherin boy, despite his extremely posh antics and disapproval of most things you got up to.

"What on earth have you said to Sebastian?"

You swallow harshly, the name dropping your stomach into your feet, "W-What?"

Ominis huffs, mouth drawn in a thin, tight line, "He's sullen. All the time, and the only thing that has changed is you. What have you been saying to him?"

His attitude is the same as you remember from the day he found out Sebastian introduced you to the Undercroft. You remember it like it was yesterday; the first time you'd ever spoken to him and you were given a right talking to. If you could, you'd tell him everything, but some things need a careful workaround.

"I've not said anything," you reply. "We've had a couple of talks, but nothing more."

"Liar." his crass comment burns on your ears. "I know Sebastian, and he's not himself. So you can either start talking or I'll find a less pleasant way to get it out of you."

You admire his fierce protectiveness of his best friend, a protectiveness you're not sure you've ever seen before. Though, a lot has changed to Sebastian since your first encounter, and Ominis was extremely close to turning him in despite their friendship. Maybe that's what changed, you wonder, but you tread on a line so thin that bringing it up will send you tumbling. All you can do is speculate alone.

"We're not on good terms," you begin slowly, his face twitching as you start. "He thinks something's wrong with me."

Ominis raises an eyebrow, "Well, is there?"

You shake your head, puffing air through your mouth, "No. He's not spoken to me since...everything happened, and now suddenly here he is. I confronted him, and he didn't like it."

Your Slytherin classmate huffs what sounds like a laugh, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "That hardly surprises me."

The storm that is his mood appears to be settling once again, his shoulders relaxing and his jaw relieved of tension. You think you might've just saved yourself from a scolding from him, but Ominis isn't finished yet.

"You should have a word with him," he advises. "He is not all that bad, and I am certain this...fascination hasn't appeared out of nowhere."

Fascination, huh? That makes you sound even more like a circus act to be ogled at.

I have my eye on you. Don't ever forget that.

You brush the thought off like a spec of dust, shaking the boy's face out of your head in a flash of anger and remorse.

"And how do you propose I do that?"

"Figure it out yourself," Ominis says. "I am not getting involved with you two and your antics again."

Ironic, really, considering he's right here in front of you getting involved with your antics. Though, you're unconvinced he's really in the mood for smart comments.

"Fine." is all you reply. "Have you said that to Sebastian as well?"

A strange look settles on his face, a smug smirk desperately covered up by nonchalance, "He's already had an earful from me."

You grin back, and allow him to continue when he opens his mouth, "I don't know if anything is wrong with you, and I won't pry, but if Sebastian is obviously so concerned, then maybe he is right."

Folding your arms over your chest, you tilt your head to the side and scoff, "He's not the smartest student here."

"Maybe not, but he isn't that stupid." he points out. "So figure it out, because this wallowing of his is driving me insane."

That's probably the biggest compliment you've heard him give to Sebastian Sallow, and he means it. There's no snide addition, just a simple nod of his head before he whisks himself away down the corridor. You don't even get the chance to respond, and you don't intend to.