Out of the Shadows // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Sixty-Two

The day dawned cloudy and chilly. I thought it was probably too cold for rain. Probably one of the last snows of the season. I had dressed and decided I needed a hearty breakfast after yesterday's craziness.

I made my way through the common room. It looked like everyone was either still in bed or already at breakfast. Except for....

He was sitting there at his usual spot on the couch in front the fire with a book open on his lap.

He casually looked up at the sound of feet walking through the room. He did a double take. I guess he wasn't expecting to see me. I turned my gaze away from him and kept walking toward the stairs to leave the common room.

"Rach. Hey! Wait up." He strode quickly trying to catch up with me. "Can we talk?"

"No. You said enough the other night. We're done talking." I had a stroke of inspiration and I turned to him to look him straight in his hypnotizingly beautiful dark eyes. "And just so we're clear, we're done doing anything else as well. Got that, Sallow?"

I turned away before he could reply and kept striding up the stairs and off to breakfast.

As I entered the Great Hall, I saw Will, sitting at our usual spot at the Slytherin table, drinking his tea and reading The Prophet.

I sat down next to him and started to load up my plate. As I was shoveling food in my mouth, Will sighed deeply.

"What is it, baby bro?"

He handed me the newspaper in response.

Possible Gringotts Break-In: Dark Wizard Involvement Feared

The front-page headline caused me to choke on my eggs. I coughed a bit and swallowed them down. My heart started to pound.

The article said that a goblin stationed at his desk deep in the vaults was late for clocking out and found half conscious by his desk. He was utterly confused and had blood dripping from his mouth.

They took him to St. Mungo's to assess his injuries and attempt to cure his mind. Evidently, he was saying that dark wizards wearing black cloaks had put him under the Imperius Curse and he didn't have any idea what happened after that.

After a night in the hospital, he was able to conjure a description of who he thought had cursed him. He stated a male and female. The male had dark black hair and he said he only remembered that the female had paralyzingly red eyes.

It was us. Anyone that knew us well enough would know this was us. Luckily, the goblin stated he had no recollection whatsoever of what we had him do or where we went but the healers at St. Mungo's gave a statement that this was the strongest curse they'd ever come across and they struggled to even get that tiny description out of him.

He was healing and due to go home tomorrow though.

The end of the article contained quotes from security officers at Gringotts. They insisted nothing was taken to their knowledge, but that security would be upped and that if the perpetrators were found, they would be prosecuted and sent to prison.

I suddenly felt pressure. Anxiety. They were going to take me back to Azkaban. I just knew it. My stomach was turning.

"I... I have to go!" I lurched up from the table, dropping the paper into my food and I ran.

I burst out of the Great Hall, finding the first girls' loo I could and throwing up violently. I sat on the floor heaving for breath, letting tears run down my face. I couldn't go back to Azkaban. I'd rather die! I thought to myself.