Passionate Professors || Sebastian Sallow

Part 1 | Ch. 50 - Conflicted Mistakes

Sebastian Sallow POV

My bedroom felt so small, so stuffy especially with the weight of everything going on outside of it. I couldn't shake the jittery frantic feeling like something was wrong. It didn't help that I desperately needed to clean. Between the unmade bed, the mountain of both mine and G's dirty clothes on the ground, and the scattered books on the desk, it made me want to stay put even less.

Gianna asked me to just wait while she put herself on the line to Garreth. While she explained everything going on and a young girl was missing, I was supposed to stay cooped up and out of the way. Absolutely not. As much as I appreciated not having to come face to face with the dreadful Headmaster, she should've known me better than to not take matters into my own hands.

Octavia couldn't have gone far, unless she left the castle grounds, which was entirely possible. However, it seemed as though her efforts were more necessary within Hogwarts. Between the Gaunt's plan for the potion poisoning and the Flavia's plan of infiltrating the repository, it was more likely for her to be somewhere inside the stone walls. Instead of being stuck in a waiting pattern, I planned to find her. Maybe I could talk some sense into her, save her from doing something incredibly stupid. Or maybe it was too late for that. Being Ominis' baby sister, a piece of me felt like I had to protect her. I would've wanted him to do the same for Anne if the roles were reversed.

Luckily the halls were relatively empty when I took to them. I padded staircase after staircase, checking hidden corridors and rooms that I remembered sneaking into as a student. There were no signs of her anywhere. When I stopped and asked a few of her Slytherin classmates, they said hadn't seen her since the morning. Seemed to be the consensus among everyone today.

I grew more and more worried with every footstep as the moonlight shone into the castle and the rest of the straggler students retired to their dormitories for the night. My stomach grumbled as I got closer to the kitchens, a sticky, sweet smell wafting through the air. My body mindlessly followed the delectable scent, leading me to the portrait of the pear, the entrance to where all the incredible food was created for each meal.

A grinding metal sound interrupted my hungry daze. Curiosity getting the best of me, I rounded the corner to an open storage room with a high-ceiling, filled with stacks of empty wooden barrels and crates. The space was damp and cool, adorned with different levels of overhangs and openings to other rooms. I had never been to this part of the castle before, having made it to the pear portrait only one time in my 6th year with Gianna before being shooed away by a grumpy house-elf. We had snuck off the grounds to explore and hoped there were some scraps from dinner we could get our hungry hands on. Turns out, most of the house-elves didn't like students to see where all the food was made.

The sound of shuffling of feet filled the space as I approached. Turning to where the scurrying steps went, I caught a glimpse of hair so blonde, it was almost white.

"Octavia?" I called out. She jumped, knocking a stack of crates to the ground. She wasn't very good at hiding.

"Professor, I-" she was wracking her brain, I could see her searching for anything to make herself look less guilty in this moment. "I missed dinner and was looking for the pear portrait. I wasn't feeling well today." Each word sounded less believable than the last.

"What's that?" I pointed to an unfolded and worn piece of parchment in her hands, which she immediately shoved behind her back upon my ask.

"Nothing." At this point, her guilt was turning into nerves. She looked so tired, so dejected from whatever she was struggling with internally.

"Octavia, give me whatever is in your hands." I demanded, inching closer. This time I wouldn't let her get away, even if I did want to protect her.

She pointed her wand in my direction and said coldly, her voice shaking, "please, Professor. I don't want to do this."