In the Shadow of Azkaban

Volume II: Alternate Ending VIII

Sebastian's Point-of-View
Manor Cape
July 1897

Kassia glowered at me, her head bowing just enough that her eyebrows grazed the upper part of her eyelids.

"You have to understand where I'm coming from, Kass." My hands accentuated my pleading.

Her arms morphed into the exact opposite of my stance, crossing over her chest. Shielding her from empathy.

"I don't understand, Sebastian. And don't call me Kass." Her eyes contorted into semicircles before locking back on me. The stare was intense.

"Antoinette never deserved this. She bound her blood at Xilia's expense. Not Ominis.'" I retorted through my teeth.

She combed her fingers through her dark hair to recompose herself. She held her ground, "Sebastian. Ominis was protecting his magic and her life. It's a symbol of strength, and it's a Behrakis' mark. Stop attempting to take that from her."

I scoffed and spoke under my breath, "Well, she wants them gone, too." My jaw began clenching at my own wording.

"What was that?" Kassia's green eyes shifted once again into small slits. They were both entrancing and terrifying at the same time.

"I said, she wants them gone, too." I seethed. The space between my ribs closed when I pushed my chest out, asserting dominance.

But instead of cowering, she started cackling. Loudly.

"You think you scare me, Sallow?" Tears formed in the corners of her eyes from the excessive laughter. She wiped them away with a flick of her finger.

"Why don't you watch yourself, and don't put words into Antoinette's mouth." She skirted around me and walked out the front door, still managing to chuckle at me.

I was fuming when a hand brushed against my shoulder. I spun around, ready to attack.

But it was just Antoinette with little Lailah in her arms.

"Daddy!" Lailah raised her eyebrows and pushed her hands out toward me.

She climbed into my outstretched arms and put her hands against my cheeks. She squished my face together like it was some sort of modeling clay, and when she was done pressing, she sat back. Staring at her masterpiece.

"Do I look better now?" I probed. The shrieking laughter that echoed around the room proved a strong attestation.

I mimicked the same movement and squeezed her cheeks together with one hand. "When I do that, you look like a clown fish, Lailah. Glub, glub!" I was sure she found that funny when her laughs grew just as loud as before.

Antoinette put her hands on her hips, accentuating her hourglass figure. I tore my eyes away at Kassia's warning. "Don't taunt Kassia, Sebastian. I don't need a problem. She's the only support I have, other than you."

"Yeah, yeah," I waved my free arm while the other still held Lailah up. "I'm gonna take her outside to play." I nodded at Antoinette and ducked out of the small cottage.

We were on the shore. Tall rocks traveled up both sides of the small peninsula we settled on. If you could even call it that.

The cottage sat on a plot of sand that extended maybe fifty meters on each side. The house could only be accessed by boat, and we were sure no one had any idea that we resided here.

I plopped Lailah on the sand and sat beside her. I conjured some supplies to create sandcastles, and she squealed with excitement.

She clapped her hands together as if I performed a magic trick, but she had seen magic her whole life. That shouldn't have surprised her.

"Sand castles!" She exclaimed.

I handed her a shovel. "Get digging, girl."

I kept my eyes on her and walked backward toward the ocean. The bucket in my hand became a tad heavier when the saltwater filled it to the brim.

I kept the basin level when I made my way back to her. I tilted it over the pebbles to allow the sand to become pliable. Buildable.

Lailah and I slaved away at our castle. It hadn't looked very pretty, but that was never the point when playing with toddlers. They needed to learn patience and strength, and silly tasks like this would teach them.

After some time, Lailah spoke quietly into the silence, "I miss daddy."

My hands stopped what they were doing with the sand, and my eyes darted to her. "Do you remember your father?" My voice broke at her question.

"Sometimes. I miss my daddy." She kept mushing her sand exactly how she wanted it, slapping her hands against the dense grains.

I didn't say anything, but she continued her statement. Perhaps she hesitated because she was reminiscing. "I have two daddies. One gone."

"Yes, Lailah. Your father is gone. He loved you very much, though. I'm sure, wherever he is, he's looking at you fondly. He adored you." The shakiness in my tone was noticeable, but Lailah was too young to differentiate inflection.

I wished I could go back. Apologize to Ominis.

It worried me what Kassia would tell Lailah about me once she hit a certain age. Even sweet Morganna had despised me up until her death, and I didn't blame her for that.

I wondered if Lailah would still consider me a part of her family.

Perhaps when she attended Hogwarts, she would use an alias that wasn't Gaunt. Sallow? No. Delacour? Antoinette could send her to France to attend Beauxbatons Academy of Magic that way she would never cross paths with Marvolo.

He would be in his seventh year when she would be just a first year, and there would be no doubt that he would torment her upon noticing her at the sorting ceremony.

Though, he could have a fate similar to his father's. He could be sold off to some Pureblood family to ensure the lineage stays pure.

I scoffed at the thought. Lailah would be protected if it was the last thing I did.