A Ballad of Snakes and Shadows // A Dark Sebastian Sallow Romance

Chapter Forty One : Solitude

 "We need to talk."

Sebastian had the audacity to leave a note on my nightstand while I'd been asleep. He had been in my room, despite what I now knew, and I couldn't fathom how he'd ever believed that I wanted to speak to him.

There was another woman in his life, one that clearly had no problem draping herself all over him in public. There was no way to wiggle out of that, especially when it was almost reciprocated so openly.

Another woman. Another fucking woman.

She probably had no idea that I existed, I was just some school girl doting after a lost love that I I hoped to rekindle.

Better yet, given that she wore the Court's sigil and mask, she probably enjoyed knowing about me. She probably reveled in hanging all over him knowing that I would be there.

Between the two of them, I wasn't sure who I wanted to kill more.

I was blind with rage that Sebastian had flaunted his lover in front of me, had waltzed through the doors of Hogwarts pretending to be an Auoror, and had murdered a teacher in front of the whole damn school.

With both of my hands, I angrily rubbed away the tears that hadn't ceased since the night before.

Sebastian wanted to talk, but I no longer wanted anything to do with him.

It was only now that I knew giving myself to him would've been a fool's mistake. I brought the note up in the air with my wand, and watched as it turned into nothing but crisp, dirty ash.

Fuck you, I told the note. Fuck you for making me believe that I had meant something to Sebastian.

It was quite clear now that I was nothing to him.

How did I forget that the only thing Sebastian wanted from me was to break me? To ruin me?

He had succeeded, and now he could leave me here to rot - or I would hunt him down to the ends of the earth. Months ago I might've been willing to simply rot, regardless of what he wanted, I would've just hidden myself away and let the sorrow push me into the void of despair.

What Sebastian did not know was that what he had done was set me free. That what he broke was the outer layer of sorrow and self-loathing that I had already been desperately clawing my way out of.

Every tear, every heartbreak, every bit of pleasure and pain, every part of his attempts to collect my soul - had only made me stronger.

All I wanted now was blood.

I heard a rustle behind me and when I turned, I found that the diary had been knocked open. He wasn't going to take the hint that I didn't want to speak to him.

"Why are you ignoring me, Hyacinth?" He'd scrawled in his stupidly perfect handwriting.

For good measure, I waited at least ten minutes to respond to him.

"If you have to ask, you're crueler than I ever imagined."

"Sweetheart, you haven't seen cruelty yet." He was still trying to flirt with me?

"I'm not your sweetheart. You clearly have one of those." I nearly broke my quill as I wrote back to him.

"How do you know that, if you don't ask? She's no one, Hyacinth, get over yourself."

My cheeks burned - I had every right to be upset with him, and he was not going to Sebastian his way out of this. There would not be any table flipping, not when I clearly saw everything with my own two eyes.