DISGUISED || SEBASTIAN SALLOW

Chapter 16

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I soaked in the wooden tub, lathering my blood soaked shoulders in sweet perfumes and sudsy dishwater. I had taken a bar of soap from the drawers and used it to scrub my nasty scalp. I couldn't find any shampoo, and for now, this would work.

I got out the tub, wrapping myself in a thick gray shawl. I stared in my reflection, aghast at the lifelessness that coated my cheeks. My eyes were sunken, just as Sebastian's, and my skin was discolored and splotched from stress. My shoulders had darker scars streaking down them, twisting down to my wrist. I could still feel the tingle of pain and uncertainty lingering in my powerless arm, but I'd learned to drown it out along with the rest of my problems.

I had a lot on my mind. Sebastian Sallow, the boy I sent to Azkaban along with Ominis Gaunt, was with his sister, who I'd be staying with for Merlin knows how long. I dug my hands into my wet hair, entangling the strands in my rutty fingers. So much had changed, and I was fucking powerless. Powerless. 

Especially without my wand.

I glanced to the flush toilet, my eyes wandering to the stack of various garments toppled on top of each other. I grabbed the first sweatshirt I saw, one resembling a cold dark green, like the Slytherin house. Then grabbing a pair of sleepwear pants, I slipped into the comfortable clothes.

Don't panic. Breathe. I convinced myself a couple of random affirmations that rung in the back of my mind—ones Ominis Gaunt had uttered—and convinced them they were mine.

I left the bathroom, renewed and absent minded. Steam from the hot bath poured into the kitchen, toiling away like Anne Sallow at the stove. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, her bangs parted, unkept, and down to her button nose. She flashed a pair of husky eyes towards my direction, a smile plastering her face.

I glanced the other direction, seeing him. Sebastian Sallow.

His gorgeous brown eyes crept up to mine, a hint of uncertainty dancing off his lashes. His gaze flickered down to my shirt, and I swore his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. He recognized the color. Slytherin.

Sebastian stood parallel to the wall, his white sleeves cupped to his shoulders, his apparent robe cuffed over a chair in the 'diner' area. It was slashed and ripped, resembling a form of claw marks streaking down the sides. That was a question for later.

My gaze flickered back to the scar that was just barely visible through his skin-tight button down shirt. I could also make out the shape of his ribs. Had he been starved?

I heard Anne grunt from the stove. "You two should talk," she said, backing away from the bubbling pot to cough in her arm. She grabbed her wand and set some sort of charm on the spoon, the rest of the soup cooking for itself. 

Sebastian and I locked eye contact. Who would speak first?

The two of us mechanically strolled to the dining room table; I took the seat opposite of him. I bore my gaze into my trembling hands. He was looking straight at me. Again.