Of Cunning Minds: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 7 - Back to Hogwarts

"No, no, no. Absolutely not!" Ominis shouted as he marched across the grass. He had been pacing and yelling for roughly thirty minutes. Thea sat leaning against a tree; she was still rather exhausted from her burst of ancient magic in the coal mine. Sebastian had taken to lying on his back, eyes glassy as he stared up at the clouds.

"I only said that's where I saw the markings," Sebastian drawled out lazily. "I never actually suggested we go back into the Scriptorium."

"It's simply not an option." Ominis shook his head and clenched his fists tightly against his sides. "We will have to learn about the markings another way. Maybe there's a reference book or a map or something in a library that can tell us more!" he said optimistically.

Thea bit her lip. She understood Ominis' hesitation and frankly, she had no desire to step foot in that foreboding chamber ever again. However, the thought of someone using dark magic related to Salazar Slytherin scared her more than the Scriptorium. Images of the relic Sebastian used to control Inferi flashed in her mind. She had never been more frightened of dark magic than she had been in those catacombs. "Ominis," she spoke hesitantly. "I don't think we have a choice. If those markings were on a book in the Scriptorium, we need to investigate it. Otherwise, we won't know what we're dealing with." She braced herself for his retort.

He stopped pacing and rubbed a frustrated hand against his eyes. "I know," he muttered. "I just...I-I can't do it. I can't go in that room again."

"Thea and I can do it," Sebastian said while pulling his body off the ground. "We only need two people anyway."

A shiver ran down Thea's spine as she understood what he was referring to. She couldn't think about that now. "Sebastian's right, we can go and let you know what we find." Her voice was confident and affirmative.

Ominis was silent for several minutes. Thea was certain he would chew a hole through his bottom lip. Eventually, he sighed and turned to her and Sebastian. "Okay." He shook his head and a small chuckle escaped his mouth. "I guess we're going back to Hogwarts."

They decided it would be too risky to apparate right next to the castle considering Thea and Sebastian were escaped felons. Ominis suggested they use the Floo Network to get to Hogwarts Valley. From there, it would only take a day to reach the castle.

The sun had just started to dip beneath the surrounding mountains when they reached an isolated home along the coast. After confirming it was empty, Ominis muttered a few spells on the brick fireplace to connect it to the Floo Network. "It's only a temporary connection, so we should move quickly," he explained while grabbing a handful of Floo Powder and stepping into the fireplace. "West Hogwarts Valley." Green flames engulfed him and he vanished. Sebastian went shortly after. Thea grabbed her own fistful of powder and threw it onto the grates. In a flash of green light, she reappeared on soft dirt with both boys at her side.

The area looked familiar; they were not far from Hogwarts. "We should set up camp somewhere up the hill," Thea suggested. "There's too much foot traffic along this path." Ominis and Sebastian followed her as she led them through a thick patch of trees. By the time they reached the peak of the hill, night had fallen and they were all out of breath.

Ominis immediately began setting up their tent and casting protective wards around the area. Through the darkness, Thea spotted a few wild turkeys. She hadn't had a proper meal since dinner at Ominis' manor and she figured the boys must be just has hungry. "I'll be right back," she muttered before taking off towards the birds.

The flock scampered further into a cluster of trees. Thea followed quietly, wand outstretched. She caught sight of one turkey picking at something in the ground; it was separated from the rest of the group. Raising her wand slowly, she whispered "Petrificus Totalus." At the sound of her voice, the bird twitched and scurried off. Thea cursed under her breath.

"I'm pretty sure I taught you how to be sneakier than that." She whipped around to find Sebastian leaning casually against a tree, arms folded and eyebrow raised.

"Birds are more sensitive to sounds than librarians, Sallow," she retorted.

"Oh, I don't know about that." He sauntered over to her, stopping only when he was close enough to see the flustered rise and fall of her chest. She tried to step back, but her body collided with a tree. "It's a good thing a Disillusionment Charm works on birds and librarians alike."

Thea gulped and raised her wand. She muttered the incantation for the spell and waited for the uncomfortable sensation to spread down her body. It didn't come. She blushed and tried again. Her body was still completely visible. Sebastian took another step towards her, towering over her body which was now pressed firmly against the tree. A smirk stretched across his face.

"You're telling me you could throw perfectly executed hexes at those Inferi in the coal mine, but you can't perform a basic Disillusionment Charm?" He sneered.

"I've been struggling with magic lately," Thea admitted. "The spells in the coal mine only worked because we were in danger."

Sebastian's condescending expression shifted into a curious one. He titled his head and raised an eyebrow. "Why did you almost collapse after using Ancient Magic?"

"That was the first time I've used it in years." She played with her wand nervously. "I guess my body wasn't used to it."

He stared at her for a long time. Thea's face grew warm under his gaze. They were standing so close that she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Finally, he let out a deep breath and extended an open palm. "Your wand," he said firmly.

Every muscle in her body resisted as she placed her wand in his hand. She wanted to scream at the part of her brain telling her it was a good idea to trust this man. He could easily kill her now as a means of revenge for his time in Azkaban. He'd go after Ominis next. He'd be consumed by dark magic all over again and it would be her wand that granted him that power.

She gulped as his fingers wrapped around the piece of wood. He wore a faint smirk as he raised the wand so that it hovered just over her left ear. His eyes met hers once again and she recognized the flash of darkness she'd seen that day in the catacomb.

Panic filled her chest as she shivered under his piercing stare. He closed the space between them even more. His lips were mere inches from her own. He opened his mouth slightly and his words came out as nothing more than a whisper. "Avada Kedavra."

Thea hadn't realized she had closed her eyes. When she opened them, she saw that Sebastian had stepped back from her slightly, although the smirk on his face was still present. She turned to look over her left shoulder. There was a dead turkey on the ground. Her attention was drawn back to Sebastian when he hooked a finger in the front pocket of her pants. He tugged gently, causing her to stumble forwards. "It's dinner time." He grinned and slipped her wand in the pocket before walking towards the dead bird.