Side Effects |a Sebastian Sallow story|

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

                                                                                                                                                                    Sebastian POV

March 8th 1891 - One week after the catacomb - Fifth Year

The undercroft felt cold to Sebastian. The once bright and warm hideaway that welcomed Anne, Ominis and himself for a bit of mischief or fun, now left a hollow feeling that settled in his bones. No amount of confringo blasts could warm it up enough to thaw the icy feeling that wrapped around Sebastian's heart that evening in Feldcroft. 

Solomon was never supposed to be there. Sebastian thought bitterly, after Ominis expressed his disappointment for the hundredth time and raddled out the same number 'I told you so's'. 

Sebastian spent most of his time in the undercroft since killing Solomon. He couldn't show his face and keep up appearances that everything was fine when everything had gone so horribly wrong. The brunette Slytherin had too much time with his thoughts as he hid away from the world. 

He thought about how he went to the catacomb to prepare the dark sacrifice the relic needed to work. Sebastian researched everything he could about different types of sacrifices, the Inferius depicted on the relic had him feeling a bit grim, but ultimately the boy decided if it came down to it, he would sacrifice his own self for Anne. Anything for Anne. 

But when the ever loyal Kathryn Knight showed up with that deep crease in her brow, a small frown etched on her face and the slight hint of fear in her blue eyes, Sebastian couldn't bring himself to complete it. He hadn't thought about how his friends would react or if they would even miss him. His mind was full of fog when she held her hand out, reaching for him. 

''Bastian please, don't do this. We can figure out another way.' Kathryn called out to him, but her voice was muffled as it traveled to his ears. 

Sebastian felt like he was locked inside his own mind, his body moving and mouth saying words but it was as if he had been under some form of imperious curse. It was a numb sort of feeling, an emptiness. It was dark and cold and he felt a strange coiling around his heart, his mind. 'Isn't this incredible! I can control them!'  the overconfident eagerness sounding through Sebastian's tone as he exclaimed the words. His brown eyes wide in awe at the small army of inferi surrounding him. 

Kathryn recoiled from him then, perhaps seeing for the first time just how far he had slipped into the abyss of darkness, a scowl now painting her face. 'Control them? Sebastian I had to fight them the whole way here! Are you hearing yourself?' she sounded tired, if not a little hurt. 

I was trying to keep you out. Sebastian knows he said the words, screaming them inside his own head, but the words never left his mouth because Solomon made his appearance, effectively thwarting the plan the Slytherin came to bring to fruition. 

Sebastian can't remember much other than when his uncle destroyed the relic, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He could breathe for the first time in months and he could move around of his own volition. Like he had been in a trance and now was free. 

Solomon screamed something about Kate and himself, before pulling out his wand and pointing it at the two teens. Kathryn pulled out her own before stepping slightly between the two Sallow's, trying to mediate the situation. Sebastian was still blinking away the confusion when his uncle threw the first spell, prompting the boy to pull out his own wand. 

The next several minutes were all a blur to Sebastian, even sitting in the undercroft for days he can't seem to remember much of what exactly happened. The echoes of spells and incantations being thrown about rattled in his mind. The one thing he does remember is the look of pure hatred in his uncle's eye, Kate on the ground, crawling to her wand and Solomon rearing his arm back to cast another spell. The orange glow at the tip of the wand sent Sebastian into a panic, knowing the older Sallow was about to cast a fire blast at an unguarded Kate, his Kate.