The Hope beneath the Dark - Sebastian Sallow

13. Expecting the unexpected (🌶)

Maude's POV

As we were discussing the quidditch tryouts coming next weekend, Freddie, Ominis, Nerida and I all heard Imelda shouting at Sebastian from the other end of the Great Hall. Quickly enough, everyone was starring at them.

She stormed out of the room, and I was still looking at Sebastian. Freddie let go of my hand and sighed.

"Well... I'm sure you would make the cut for the team, you're so skilled on a broom." Nerida added, trying to dispel the awkwardness.

"Yeah, I'm sure too." I answered, not really focused on our conversation anymore.

"Maude, should you and I go study on what we talked about yesterday?" Ominis questioned me.

"Yes, let's go!" I replied, not sure if he was referring to our meeting with Tom, or if he sensed my discomfort and was just trying to help me get out of this situation.

Freddie kissed me on the cheek before I got up and left the Great Hall with Ominis. We walked for what seemed like five minutes, in silence, and I didn't question where we were going. Ominis was leading the way, with his wand that had a red pulsing light at the tip of it. I followed him until we entered the Defence against the Dark Arts tower, assuming he was taking me to the Undercroft.

My guess was right and soon enough, we were both in the undercroft.

"Did you want to discuss about that we learned yesterday?" I asked.

"Yes, but not yet." Ominis replied, then remained silent.

I was confused but remained silent with him. After a few minutes, I heard the metallic door clicked onto its frame, announcing that someone else has now entered the room. I turned towards the entrance to see Sebastian walking in our direction. He stopped once he was standing between Ominis and I.

"I asked him to join us here. I think it's time that the three of us start working together again. There is just so much that we can tell Freddie. The fewer people know about it, the better. I figured Sebastian would be willing to help us, as he knows about everything that you went through last year." Ominis explained.

"Right... Well, you'll need to get me up to speed, because I am not sure what we are talking about." Sebastian admitted.

I looked at him, dying to ask him about what the deal with Imelda this morning was, but I needed to focus on the current subject.

"Prior to when I was briefly kidnapped back at the end of the year, I received an owl from a stranger that claimed to have known my mother, saying he wanted to meet. I agreed, on the condition he would wait until last week to contact me again, which he did." I told Sebastian.

"I assume Imelda told you, but just in case, it was two siblings from the Forsythe family that kidnapped Maude." Ominis added.

"I never heard of them." Sebastian stated.

"Neither did we, but they said that they were a powerful pure-blood family that liked to keep their affairs private." I informed him. "So Ominis tried to get more information about them this summer, and he found a letter in his dad's office. Basically, it was the patriarch of their family, Barbarus Forsythe, who was thanking Ominis father for helping them get rid of a specific muggle about ten years ago..."

I started feeling anxious again while thinking of my mom being murdered by the Gaunts, as per requested by the Forsythes. Ominis sensed my sudden emotional shift and continued explaining things to Sebastian. He told him about our meeting with Tom Forsythe yesterday, who turned out to be my father, and that we came to the realisation they my mother was the muggle mentioned in the letter Ominis found.