Passionate Professors || Sebastian Sallow

Part 1 | Ch. 51 - Swan Song

By the time I headed back to Sebastian's room, it was very late into the night. All I wanted to do was sink into bed and fall asleep in his arms, forgetting about the day entirely.

Garreth and I spoke for hours about the last few weeks and once he got past the initial shock, he offered his input. He agreed that while the Ministry can help us, there are too many layers to go through to get things done in a timely manner, urging Sebastian and I to take matters into our own hands. He cited that "it's much better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission", which I appreciated because I lived my entire life by that mantra.

While he was worried about Octavia's safety and that she had gone missing, he had no sympathy for the person they had been hunting down for months, regardless if it was a student or not. Obviously, the Gaunt's and Flavia's were pulling the strings behind the scenes but he felt that if we could catch the face of the master plan, we'd actually be able to get somewhere in the investigation. We both hoped that if Octavia was under the Ministry's oversight, Master Gaunt would have no choice but to come forward to help his daughter.

Garreth planned to visit the Ministry on my behalf in the morning and explain everything to Aesop Sharp and Phineas Black, as well as the Minister himself. I'd only come in contact with the Minister a handful of times in my career, once when I was indoctrinated as an Auror, once after I had slaughtered over two dozen poachers in one go, and finally as I handed in my resignation. He was a reclusive and incredibly busy man, typically stuck overseeing trials or focusing his energy on bigger cases. He'd make time for the Headmaster of the largest wizarding school in the world though, especially if it meant a new development in what seemed like an unsolvable case.

As much as Garreth Weasley had annoyed me with his constant protectiveness, he's as selfless as they come. His only concern was that whatever Sebastian and I were getting ourselves into was way over our heads, which of course it was. But he also recognized that it was our best chance at stopping the two dark wizarding families.

When I entered his messy bedroom, Sebastian's absence spun me around in confusion. He hadn't left a note or indication as to where he would've went, in fact, it hardly looked like he had been in there at all. However, the heavy silence didn't last long, because he barreled through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"She's looking for the repository," he huffed and puffed, stripping his dirty and damp clothes off in the process of catching his breath. His hair was matted to the back of his head and his eyes were bloodshot. I caught a glimpse of a purple bruise forming on his hipbone as he slid his trousers to the floor. Immediately, he began dressing again, frantically rummaging for pieces of a clean and dry outfit.

"Sebastian, slow down. What the hell is going on?" I reached my arms up, placing my hands on his shoulders to steady him. He averted his gaze, antsy to get out of my grip. "Hey, look at me." I added softly, my palm finding his stubbly cheek, finally garnering his attention.

Running a hand through his already-tousled hair, he blew out an elongated breath. "I never should've trusted her."

The betrayal was painted on his face and I could practically feel the hurt radiating through his veins. He recounted the events of what happened with Octavia near the kitchens to me and my hands dropped to my sides, balling into tight fists.

"She's just as bad as the rest of them," I spat, gritting my teeth with disgust. "How could she do something like that, to you of all people?" Like Sebastian, a piece of me wanted to save her too, such a young girl with so much life to live. Instead after this was said and done, she'd rot the rest of her days away in Azkaban. Honestly, I couldn't wait to put her there.

"We have to go. Now." Sebastian urged, pushing through his anger and heading for the door.

"Wait," I paused, collecting myself first. If this was anything like the last time I came face to face with the ancient magic that lie dormant in the repository, we would both be in grave danger. "You need to stay here," my voice broke as I choked out the command.