Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter twenty-five

Miss Murder by AFI

-✧-✧-✧-

Trigger Warning: This chapter includes sensitive conduct - please see the comment for a full description of conduct. 

-✧-✧-✧-

Amelia's Perceptive

Theophilus Harlow was attempting to put back together the remaining threads of Rockwood's gang. But unfortunately for Harlow, he lacked the best qualities of Victor Rockwood that made him a leader. 

Harlow was too cold and didn't have the needed charm to keep followers around him. All of the power he had before being sent to Azkaban died with Rockwood. 

The camp of ashwinders was smaller than prior settlements, the settlement was basically empty. Only the most loyal to him must have followed. This a sad sign of the loyalty Rockwood's followers had towards Harlow. 

If we hadn't been so caught up with the Dementors at that moment, it would have been a quick fight against them. But instead, they got the first move. 

The tents spread out in a smaller position in the forest. The trees shattered in between to hide them from all being found at once. They lend Poppy into one of the first tents referring to the other prisoner, which I could only hope might have been Ominis. Then forcing me to hike further into the settlement without my company. 

I had to face Harlow alone. 

A nasty wizard pushed me into a kneeling position in the mud outside one of the larger tents in the camp before disappearing into the canvas. The rope binding my wrist behind my back was digging into my skin and my shoulder began to ache. 

"How did you kill her?" The remaining guard asked after a lull in the silence. 

I peered up towards him, his eyes were deep brown, young eyes. He couldn't be much older than me, but faith must have led him on a darker path. 

"It was mercy," I scoffed. 

His eyes filled with fear from the answer as he stood a step closer to the tent. My wand was just sticking out of the waist of his black trousers. If I had any chance of surviving, I would need to kill him first. 

"You aren't the stupid gazelle," Harlow's voice was raspy as he exited the tent, eyeing me over, "But you are definitely one of the bloody witches that I'd like to see dead. Where is your friend?" He was still mad at Natti and me for taking his crew down. 

"Vengeance doesn't flatter you. Perhaps you should try harder to kill me this time," I hissed.

Harlow looked weak, mostly skin and bones. The time in Azkaban had shown on him in only a few months. I wondered how he managed to escape without the news being in every paper. He wasn't carrying his wand on him from what I could tell, a different golden one struck in his belt that was far too elegant for his style. It is possible that he left Azkaban without his true wand back.

"Tell me where to find the gazelle and perhaps I'll show you mercy?" His teeth were stained red with blood. The red hue coating over his mouth as he spoke. 

"The same mercy I showed your witch?" I demanded, "Ask him. He saw what mercy looks like and now hell lives in his eyes." I motived to the young guard over his shoulder.  The brown-eyed guard took a step towards Harlow and muttered in his ear about what he saw.