Silver and Green with Envy: A Sebastian Sallow Story

Chapter Thirty-Three

I missed dinner, completely. But after all of that I truly wasn't hungry. I also had no desire to be in the castle either, but didn't want to leave the grounds because I had a sneaking suspicion that Auror was lurking around, waiting to see if I did. 

So I went to the one place I defaulted to when needing to hide. 

It was cold, but the sight of the underground harbor was a welcome one. The black lake was still frozen solid, reaching even in here, so the boats were stuck still. 

I sat myself against a wall, next to a brazier and just stared at nothing. I tried to focus enough to think, but no matter what I did everything came out disjointed. Everything came out in a panic.

The ministry knew about Harlow.

If they actually were successful in digging, they'd find out who worked for him. Who was helping hide him.

Sebastian.

They'd find Sebastian.

Fear gripped me in a way it never had before. It's not like I hadn't ever been scared. I was plenty fearful for most of my fifth year, and quite a bit of this one. But the thought of Sebastian being taken from me shook me to my core.

It was one of the reasons I begged Ominis not to turn him in, to give him a second chance. It was always in the back of my mind, what would have happened if he hadn't listened to me and did it anyway. I spent a lot of my sixth year as well, even though we weren't speaking, thinking that one day I would wake up and he'd be gone, having been taken. 

It would have been terrible then. Now? Unthinkable. I felt the anxiety and stress of the year so far start to come to a boiling point.

"I hoped I'd find you in here."

I heard Ominis's soft voice and looked up to see him walking into the room. 

"Everyone's looking for you. Poppy saw Ministry officers come from the potion classroom hall and told us at dinner. What happened? Are you alright?"

"...Honestly? I'm trying not to vomit into the lake. Tell them I'm fine."

"Elena. It's absolutely freezing down here, I cannot in good conscious leave you. Please, let's go back upstairs. The common room, the library, something."

"...Go away, Ominis. Please."

"No."

He sat down next to me and took my hand, wrapping his cloak around the both of us. I don't know why but that made me completely crack. My head went against the wall and I sobbed in grief. That's the only thing it felt like. 

~~~Sebastian

I tore through the castle looking for Elena. I'd run into Natty and Poppy both, neither of them had any luck. Xander had snuck off to Hogsmeade to see if he could find her there. Curfew was closing in and I was starting to panic. 

I went down to the dungeons from the viaduct area, wondering if maybe I'd missed her and she'd eventually gone back to her room. 

But then I heard it. It echoed off the walls.

I knew that cry anywhere.

She was in the harbor again. Why the fuck didn't I check there sooner?

I tore off in that direction, nearly tripping on my own feet. I skidded to a halt before the door. It was partially open, and I peeked inside. I saw Elena in hysterics, her head on Ominis's shoulder, his arm around her in comfort. Anger flared inside me for a moment, but Ominis, ever aware despite his blindness, looked in my direction, no doubt having heard my footsteps. He gently, though barely shook his head, telling me no.