DELGADO || Sebastian Sallow (Hogwarts Legacy)

Part 89 - Pity and Time

ꕀꕥ〡~𐀔~〡ꕥꕀ

❝Desperation makes people dangerous.❞

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"He just doesn't get it, does he?" Marvolo snarled, his stride long and purposeful toward the front door, murder simmering in his eyes. Outside, Sebastian still wrestled with the locked gate like a man hell-bent on tearing it apart.

"Let me talk to him," I said quickly, catching his arm.

"My patience is wearing thin, Angella," he warned, voice a dangerous growl. "He leaves now, or I kill him."

I planted myself in his path, forcing him to slow. "Please. Let me handle it."

His jaw worked, tension coiled tight in his posture. Finally, with a sharp breath, he relented. "You have ten minutes. If you fail, he's mine." The unspoken promise in his tone sent a chill down my spine.

"Of course," I said.

The closer I came to the door, the louder Sebastian's voice rang, calling my name. I stepped outside, shutting it firmly behind me. Glancing down at the engagement ring on my finger, I slipped it off in one swift motion and tucked it deep into my bra, hiding it from sight.

There he was, Sebastian Sallow. Friend. Enemy. The man I'd loved and sometimes hated. His hands gripped the bars of the gate like they were the only thing keeping him upright, his eyes lighting with desperate relief when he saw me.

"Angelina! There you are! Come with me, now!"

I stopped a few paces away. "No, Sebastian." My tone was steady, my decision made.

"I'm not angry about you leaving with him, or even... kissing him," he rushed out. "I just need to get you somewhere safe. Away from this cursed family. I'll protect you, I swear it."

"I'm not coming with you."

"Don't do this, Delgado. Please. After last night..." His expression cracked, pain flooding in. "I thought what we did was consensual?"

"It was," I admitted. "But I'm still not leaving. Not now. Not with you."

His grip on the gate tightened, knuckles pale. "Not now? There's no 'later,' Angella. Every second here brings you closer to becoming like them."

I crossed my arms. "You think you know what's best for me. You don't."

"I know them," he bit out. "Better than you do. They'll destroy you. Look at what they did to Ominis!"

A clock deep inside the manor began to chime, each note cutting away the minutes I had left.

"You've got to trust me," he pleaded, leaning in.

His words pierced like splinters, but I kept my expression unreadable. "Last night doesn't change anything."

"Then tell me why!" he demanded. "Why him? Why stay with someone who's threatened my life a hundred times?"

I hesitated, and he saw it. "You can't even say it, can you?"

Silence was my only answer.

He pulled a letter from his coat, one I recognized instantly. His letter to me from before summer.

"This," he said hoarsely, "is still us. Or it could be, if you just—"

Movement in the corner of my eye, Marvolo stood in the doorway, arms folded, watching like a predator waiting for a signal.

"Sebastian," I said softly, "go. Before he comes for you."

"Not without you."

"You don't have a choice."

The space between us turned taut, brimming with things unsaid.

His voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "I'm not leaving you to be his possession."

"You think I'm a possession?" I shot back. "You think I can't choose for myself?"

"I think he's twisted your mind so badly you can't see it anymore," Sebastian snapped. "And if I have to drag you out—"

"Try it," Marvolo's voice cut in, low and lethal. I turned. He was coming toward us in deliberate strides, every step a death toll. "Your time's up, Sallow," Marvolo said, stopping just short of the gate. "I'm done tolerating you."

Magic hung in the air, heavy and oppressive. My pulse spiked. "Marvolo, stop," I warned, stepping between them. "Move, Angella." He didn't look at me, eyes locked on Sebastian.

Sebastian's wand was in his hand now. "If you come any closer—"

"What? Kill me?" Marvolo mocked. "You've had your chances. You're not a killer, Sallow. I am."

The words cut through the air like a blade.

Sebastian's eyes flared "Crucio!"

The curse streaked forward, red and vicious, but the instant it touched the iron bars, a shimmering blue shield erupted across the gate. The magic sizzled, then snapped back, slamming into Sebastian with brutal force.

His scream ripped the air. He dropped to his knees, the wand slipping from his hand. The Cruciatus had him writhing, back arched, every muscle trembling under its grip.

I froze, the metallic scent of scorched earth curling in the air.

Marvolo didn't move, didn't even blink. "Pathetic," he said coldly. "You couldn't even curse me properly."

Sebastian shuddered through the lingering waves of pain, dragging himself upright inch by inch. Sweat beaded on his brow as he glared at us with pure venom.

"This is what happens," Marvolo continued, "when you trespass in my domain. The walls protect what's mine."

Sebastian's voice came ragged. "This isn't over."

"It never is," Marvolo replied, a cruel smile ghosting his lips.

Sebastian staggered away, disappearing into the trees. Silence fell, thick and suffocating.

Marvolo's gaze turned to me, sharp as a blade. "Happy? He cursed himself."

"That's not—" I started.

"You had ten minutes," he cut in. "And in those ten minutes, he attacked."

I swallowed. "He's desperate."

"Desperation makes people dangerous." He tilted my chin up with one finger. "Remember that before you start thinking he's worth your pity."

"I wasn't—"

"Good," he said with a smirk. "Pity gets you killed in my world."

He dropped his hand and walked toward the door. "Come inside, Darling. Before I change my mind and finish what he started."

I hesitated, then followed.