Side Effects |a Sebastian Sallow story|

Alarming Discoveries

The next evening, Kathryn tried not to think of the shadow that was looming around her since the untimely run in with Sebastian Sallow early that morning. 

It was easy enough to avoid the Sallow, not sharing many classes with him that year seemed to help, but Kathryn felt a tinge guilty for being so harsh when she hadn't meant to. She felt justified in the moment, deploying all her anger and pain at the boy who stood so close after so long of being a phantom in her memories. 

Sebastian seemed to have something he kept wanting to say, and Kathryn kept shutting it down, fearful of more hurt feelings. He left after all, doomed her to an entire year of living a life as if he had never existed. Kathryn thought back to the unsent letters she wrote, to the promises they made each other, all the secrets they shared and the fleeting moments she had in another lifetime that the freckled Slytherin threw away and left behind without a word. 

Kathryn thought for a moment about the discovery of Sebastian still carrying around the pocket watch she had gifted to him, wondering why he would still have it if he chose to leave. For a few seconds, Kathryn allowed herself to hope that maybe Sebastian didn't harbor as many ill feelings as she believes him to but then quickly shook the thoughts from her head as she noticed him sitting between Anne and Ominis at the Slytherin table, grinning widely at the mass pile of sweets his fellow housemates have gifted to the Sallow twins for their birthday. The occasion Kathryn sorely remembered they didn't want her to take part in. 

The echo of a loud smack shook Kathryn from her thoughts as she looked down to see a pile of papers sitting in front of her. "We have a problem." Natty stressed, her voice tinged with worry. 

Poppy leaned forward to get a look at the papers, "What is it?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly to read the contents from their sideways angle. 

"Please don't tell me it's the goblins again." Kathryn groaned, picking up a paper with the moving photographs and changing headlines rolling across the page. 

Natty took a seat next to Poppy, earning herself some curious looks from other students at the Hufflepuff table. Typically at dinner time, students were supposed to sit amongst their own house, breakfast and lunch were a bit more lenient about seating arrangements. "Harlow is back." she whispered, a grave look on her face. 

"He's what?!" Kathryn shrieked, loud enough to catch the attention of other students and a few professors. "He used and unforgivable, surely that's a life sentence?" she continued in shock, still a little too loud for Natty's liking if the rapt attention of eavesdroppers Kathryn earned herself was anything to go by. 

Natty held up her hand, "Lower your voice." she implored, picking up another copy of The Daily Prophet to open, "But yes, normally a use of an unforgivable curse is a one way ticket to Azkaban, but I don't think he ever went." Natty found the article she was looking for and turned it for Kathryn to see. "There was a mention of his arrest here, this was a week after he attacked us. But there was never news of a trial or a sentence. This is every copy of the Prophet since his arrest was announced." she finished, pointing to the stack of newspapers that sat on the table. 

Kathryn flipped through the pages, her hands trembling as she did so. "Is there a possibility a sentence or trial might not have been announced?" she reasoned, a small frown on her face. "I mean, at the time of his arrest everyone was paying more attention to Ranrok and his loyalists." Kathryn reasoned, trying to come up with an explanation for why such an event wouldn't be reported. 

"I don't think so. Harlow was causing trouble around the highlands for some time and you know how difficult it was to convince Officer Singer of the crimes." Natty spoke, opening another paper and showing Kathryn another article. "A month after his arrest, this report was made by a woman in Aranshire. She swears she spotted Harlow entering the home of Mary Portman. Mary was breeding spiders that took over the hamlet."