Sins of the Father | Sebastian x OFC (Caroline Rookwood) | Ominis x Garreth

Chapter 12: Witness

Sebastian

**

The whispered stares in the corridor were beginning to grate on his nerves. It had been about three days since Caroline and him returned. And Ominis had been right— they did have a big problem. Or very specifically, Sebastian had a big problem.

He had laughed off Ominis' story, proclaiming he was surely jesting at the issue at hand. There was no possible way someone would do that, especially after spending quite some time with each other. The withering glare he received from Caroline across the room and Ominis' flinch told him otherwise.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

It was ridiculous— he was only safe from the stares and whispers within the confines of the Slytherin Common Room, the Undercroft, and with the company of the sweet house elves in the kitchen. And the kitchen was exactly where he currently was, accepting each offering and taste testing each dish for any house elf that ventured near him— which was quite a number. A small part of him felt a pang of regret, remembering that it was Caroline who showed him the kitchens in the first place after encountering his hungry form in the corridors after detention in second year.

"Family trade secret," was all the response she gave him when he asked how she knew of the place.

He sighed, frowning—there were many instances of his expertise and ventures he could credit to Caroline's existence and teachings. Finding the kitchens and learning the disillusionment spell were one. Learning confringo and being introduced to the Restricted Section was another.

It seemed that Victor Rookwood had explored the Hogwarts castle quite a bit in his days, passing the knowledge on to his own son and then Vincent to Caroline. He wasn't sure what to make of her family—especially after meeting her mother.

**

"Mia cara, you cannot simply just leave in the morning," Cecilia Rookwood pouted, frowning at Sebastian and her daughter, leaning back in her chair on the veranda with a large glass of wine, "What will the neighbors think? It would be deemed as indecent! No, the reasonable thing to do would be to stay the day and spend time with your own mama— we can even pretend it's a potential marriage meeting!"

Sebastian flushed at the thought, his eyes widening as his eyes darted between Cecilia and Caroline.

"Mama...that's hardly reasonable," Caroline cast a glare in his direction as she answered her mother, "Firstly, we have no neighbors— the nearest ones are at least three hours away by foot. We're not even in distance of the nearest city, Sicily! Secondly, there's hardly any reason for people think anything indecent would be had, Sebastian Sallow has no love lost for me. And trust me, mama he's an absolute pain."

He wanted to sink far into his chair and meld right into the ground at her statement. The appraising eyes of Cecilia Rookwood curiously frowning at his discomfort before she let out a hearty laugh.

"My, my! You both remind me so much of your father and myself," she giggled as Caroline groaned, grabbing her own wine glass and downing the entire thing, "Victor was such an arse back in the day! I always thought he was a nuisance every night he stopped by backstage after the shows. Would stop by with the reason of his devout patronage and proceed to tell me how to improve— the nerve of him."

Sebastian was surprised— Caroline often spoke of her mother during their younger years but hardly spoke of her father, clamming and sulking at the mention of his name. Though she gave polite smiles in public for her father's associates' children, she did not have many kind words to say about him in private. It was surprising to hear that the man Cecilia Rookwood was currently describing was one and the same person.