Where Snakes and Lions Roam |Sebastian Sallow|

XXXVI

Em,

I'm so sorry. I'm not myself. I can't believe I've let things get this bad.

I'm leaving the school. I need to figure all of this out.

Most importantly, I don't want to hurt you again.

I'm sorry.

-S

She read the letter over and over again. What did he mean he needed to figure things out? What was there to figure out? It was obvious what had caused this. What had lead him to act as he had. She shook her head and sighed, letting the paper drop to her feet. She didn't even bother with it, just walked away from the window in her room and began pacing. They were so close to graduation. So close to a live together, and now she only saw her future crumbling at her feet. She felt the tears on her cheeks before she realized she was even crying. She needed Sebastian right now, but she didn't exactly want to see him right now. She didn't want him to leave either. Everything was so complicated.

She sighed again and looked back to her window. The sun was already starting to set. She felt so alone in that moment. She needed to talk to someone. Someone who knew what was happening and would be able to comfort her. She needed to talk to Ominis. It was so odd, Ominis being the person she could go to for comfort. Not that she didn't think of him as a good friend, she did. He was just not normally one for comforting usually. She was grateful that Ominis thought of her as a good enough friend that he would do that for her.

She quickly turned on her heels and practically ran out of Gryffindor Tower. The sounds of her shoes on the stone echoing behind her as she made her way through the halls. The castle felt empty. Of course there were students walking around, and she passed many that she knew, but something about it just felt.....Wrong.

​​​​​​​She finally made it to Dark Arts Tower. She made her way down the stairs and across the large empty floor. She was just about to turn the corner to the Undercroft and when she heard the familiar sound of the dials turning and wood closing loudly on wood.

Oh, good. I caught him just in time.

​​​​​​​She saw the hair before she fully made it around the corner and she quickly froze and backed up, hoping he didn't see her.

Sebastian walked straight passed her and down the hall. She got a good look at him as he went. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his clothes were wrinkled beyond belief and his hair looked like it had been slept on. She realized she had been hiding from him. And holding her breath at that. It wasn't fair that he walk around without a care in the world while she sat huddled to keep away from him. Him. The man she was hoping to have a future with. She felt the tears stinging her eyes again as he walked out of sight.

Quickly, she left her place behind the corner and down the small corridor, flicking her wand quickly and opening the Undercroft door. She only hoped Ominis was in there.

As the gate clanked behind her she looked around. No sign of Ominis. She let out a sigh and walked further into the space to the little table at the back of the room. Things looked just the same as they had when Sebastian and her had come down there after her birthday. She could still feel his lips on her skin. The warm, soft feeling of him delicate movements as he explored her body. Her mind had a wonderful way of making her feel terrible. She turned and saw scorch marks on the floor......

And it hit her. It hit her like a ton of bricks. Everything that happened, all of it. Tears poured from her eyes and she fell to her knees. How could things have gotten so bad? How could everything she wanted be pulled out from under her? With no warning?

She didn't even hear the gate closing again. Nor Ominis walking toward her. She only realized he was even there when she felt his arms around her again. The warm feeling of comfort. She didn't have the energy to move. Ominis fully sat wit her, pulling her into him more and just letting her cry into his shirt.

And that's how they sat for a while, just him holding her while she cried. At some point he started stroking her hair. Once she had no more tears left, she finally attempted to use her muscles and sit up a little in Ominis's arms.

"Thank you, I'm sorry about your shirt." She said.

"You need not apologize. Sometimes it's good to just get it all out," He replied, pulling her into another tight hug.

"Sebastian left." She blurted out. She didn't really mean to, it just kind of rolled out.

"I know," He sighed, "I had a talk with him this morning. I told him that he had friends here that would help him, but he wouldn't have it. He is dead set on doing....Whatever this is, himself."

She shook her head, "How did things get here? Everything was going so well. We're so close to graduation and we still have our whole lives in front of us." The tears were starting to form again.

"Emilia, dear, I know everything is not well at the present. He will soon realize his mistake and come back. We will help him and everything will be well."

She had a hard time believing that. Would things just get fixed so easily? There was a lot of fixing that needed done. A lot of trust that isn't there anymore......There was just a lot.

Things did not fix easily. Sebastian didn't come back. He didn't answer any owls sent. It was oddly relieving knowing he wasn't waiting around a corner for her anymore, but she still loved him. The real him. Not the one who he had become as the Dark Arts corrupted his mind.

Thankfully, Emilia's mind was soon filled with exams. She was dead set on becoming and Auror and the grades she got on her N.E.W.T.s were her last road block. She was determined, Sebastian or no Sebastian.