Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Thirty-Six: My Atlantis

Sebastian's POV

Anne's startled shriek filled the tiny cottage as I almost fell backwards off of the table I'd landed on.

"Sebastian! What- oh, Merlin," Anne was saying, somewhere from my side. I knew it would be a shock to her, my Apparating into the home covered in blood, clutching Abbi's crumpled body to my chest. I just couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Hogwarts was out of the question; too many questions would follow if I brought her there in this state.

I might have to tell someone what I had done.

How many I'd killed to save her.

Had the two killing curses been the only to claim lives? Had my other curses resulted in death?

Azkaban loomed in my vision as it had done in the hours following Solomon's death, and I winced, seeing the two solid green bursts of light I had cast today followed by slamming cell doors and scabbed hands of Dementors.

I felt my knees make contact with the table and my body started to shake, as my vision blurred. I didn't even realize I was crying until I saw a sprinkle of water hit Abbi's face, cutting through the blood she herself was covered in. I could feel her breath on my neck as I pulled her closer to me, weak, but still there. She had always been a fighter; my fighter.

I shook violently as the sobs racked over my body. I hadn't been able to save her, all because of that stupid fight. I'd told her to go on her own if she was so sure she could manage, and this was what I was rewarded with.

My beautiful, powerful, brilliant witch had been tortured by my best friends family.

"Help us," I croaked. "Please, Anne, she needs help."

Anne was there in two seconds, slower than I'd have liked, but her gentle fingers attempted to pry my vice like grip off of Abbi, the better to see what she was needing potions for. I shook my head and held her tighter.

I was terrified to let her go.

"Potions, Anne, I - I can't let her go," I whisper, my voice cracking as I blinked roughly to clear my eyes of the tears. I could cry later, cry and beg her for my forgiveness on my knees and tell her I understood if she no longer wanted anything to do with me. Right now, I just needed to hold her, and get off of this table.

"What happened to her? What happened to you?"

I sucked in a breath as I painfully clambered off of the table, blood soaking into the wood Anne had worked so hard to make beautiful. I couldn't care less. I walked us over to my old bed and lowered us gently to the mattress.

"She was tortured, at least two blasts of the Cruciatus Curse at the same time, by -" I couldn't bring myself to tell her yet who had one this to her. Instead, I sucked in a breath and forced myself to say the next sentence. "I - I barely made it to her in time, oh, Merlin. I barely made it."

I pushed that damned stubborn piece of hair back from her face, and she stirred lightly under my touch, her face pinching in pain as she did. I cradled her face in my hands, shushing her as I did so. She need not move yet, nor did I want her too.

"Why weren't you with her?" Anne asked gently, as I heard her multitude of potion bottles clink around rapidly. When I didn't answer, she glanced over her shoulder at me and sighed. "I've got some Wiggenweld here, get this down her throat while I brew a sleeping draught."

Anne thrust a handful of green potions next to me on the bed, and immediately returned over to her cauldron. I set about instantly, opening the glass bottles by pulling out the stoppers with my teeth.