Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Fourty-Seven: Castles Crumbling

"What's going on?"

The giggles behind me faded instantly as the pair heard my tone.

"There's some kind of mistake, Abbi. It's fine," Sebastian coaxed, his dark brown eyes meeting mine. He couldn't disguise the panic in them. The man tugged on his arm again. I slammed the drinks down. "I said, get off of me!"

"You are Sebastian Sallow, are you not?" The man sounded bored, like he had better things to do than spend his time here. Frankly, I had to agree with him. He had no business being here on the night of the ball, with Sebastian in his new dress robes, and myself in a dress that had cost way more than anything I had ever purchased in my life.

Sebastian glared at the man.

"Yes."

"Seb, what's happening?" My voice was steady. I was not expecting this. I was expecting my voice to be shaking like my hands, expecting my voice to have the same childish confusion laced through it. The calmness that exuded from it startled both myself and Sebastian, who looked back at me quickly.

"Sebastian Sallow, you are under arrest for the murder of Solomon Sallow."

The world spun.

He worked for the ministry.

He was an auror.

An auror was here, placing Sebastian under arrest for a crime they had no evidence had been committed. I shook my head, my eyes locked onto Sebastian's. He looked frightened, his eyes filled with alarm and denial.

He shook his head slowly.

Sebastian was being arrested for Solomon's murder.

My whole body screamed in terror and confusion. The magic inside me whipped up instantly, it's storm wild and dangerous as I struggled with what to do. I saw Sebastian wince from the sudden explosion of magic inside me, knowing he could feel it.

This simply didn't make any sense.

No one had said anything. Sebastian still had his wand, meaning there was no way to track that he'd cast an Unforgivable. There was no realistic way that the Auror office would ever have found out.

Someone would have had to have written.

Someone had to have told.

No one would do that.

"What is this nonsense? You do not have any evidence to this." Ominis's voice rang from next to me as my whole body stood numb, his voice instantly the scary clam only the Gaunt's could manage, stabbing into my body like white hot knives. My fingers found my wand through the slit in my dress.

"As a father of fact, Mr. Gaunt, I do." The auror waved a letter in his hand, my eyes fixed on it intently. Someone had written.

"I- I- No, I didn't do anything!" Sebastian said again, his voice angry. Students were starting to look over, the music that had been playing through the Great Hall dying away as Sebastian shouted to be released. His voice was fearful, but mostly, it was angry.

Professor Weasley came bustling over, her red hair piled into a high bun, her wand in her hand.

"What is happening over here?" She asked, looking bewildered from Sebastian to the unnamed Auror, to myself, Ominis and Poppy.

"This young man is under arrest for the use of an Unforgivable curse on his uncle a year and a half ago."

"This is absurd," I demanded, looking from Sebastian to the unknown Auror. "Who even are you?"