Out of the Shadows // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Seventy-Six

*Warning: This chapter contains heavy emotions, scenes of dark magic, fire and death.*

I was sitting on a bench in the front courtyard. In fact, the same bench I sat on with Anne almost a year ago. Listening to her defend her brother. Begging me to forgive him. The day I was arrested. I hadn't spent much time in this courtyard since. It was full of traumatic memories.

And I was sitting here. Just basking in the late afternoon warm spring sunshine.

Impatiently waiting for Will.

I had no idea how I was going to play this. Should I just ask him to sit and talk? That might be best. I was NOT going to go out into highlands with him and hunt down something, or someone, to kill, feeding our collective power and making myself more corrupted.

I sighed, trying to release my anxiety. My knee was bouncing. I just didn't want to confront him. But I also didn't know how to tell him everything I knew. And I didn't want him to go to Azkaban. Justus had said it would be better if he turned himself in. Maybe that meant he wouldn't have to go to prison.

I certainly hoped that was the case. Even though Will was certainly... corrupted (I refused to think of him as evil), he didn't deserve Azkaban. NO one did. It was pure hell there.

"Hey, little sister! Ready to go find some trouble?" Will approached me, smiling widely.

"No, actually. Can we sit? And talk a bit?"

His smile faded quickly. "Sure. What's going on?"

I let out a huff of air.

"I don't know where to begin." I turned my face away and looked up at the fluffy white clouds lazily moving through the spring sky.

"We've always been honest with each other... so, just tell me."

"Ok." I inhaled deeply. "Vicky is dead. They found her in Hogsmeade early this morning. They suspect she was murdered."

I didn't look at him, but I could feel his eyes burning into me.

"What?... H... how do you know this?" His voice was deadly quiet.

I chanced a look at him and his eyes were so terribly sad. He must have really loved her.

"It was in the paper. And Justus Pilliwickle pulled me aside after lunch to tell me."

"WHAT?! You spoke with him again? What is going on, Rachel? I mean, my WIFE! My ... wife... she can't be.... is this for real?" Tears were welling in his eyes.

I couldn't stop myself. I reached over and clasped his hand tightly. "I'm so, so sorry that you're hurting, Will. That's the last thing I want."

He closed his eyes briefly, tears spilling from them and sliding down his cheeks. "Please. Just tell me the truth. What's going on?" He opened them slowly and stared longingly into mine, trying to discern the truth.

"Will. Justus told me she was dead... because Vicky had gone to him that night. To turn us in. For killing the Greengrasses. And he thinks you murdered her to cover your tracks."

His eyes bulged open widely. His hand squeezed tightly around mine, almost cutting off the circulation.

"Will, he wanted me to talk to you. To see if it was true. I ... tried to convince him it wasn't you. But in the end, I agreed to talk to you."

"This.... it... no. She wouldn't do that! She loved me! We were a family now, the three of us. She WOULDN'T turn us in! She wouldn't!" He was shaking his head vigorously, trying to dispel the doubts I could see in his eyes.