Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Forty-Eight: In the Shadow of Azkaban

My eyes flew open, my body still curled into the corner of my cell, dripping wet, and yet... Warmer. It was noticeably warmer in here. Lighter.

The source of my warmth was impossible to ignore.

My eyes landed immediately upon the silver Patronus in the center of the room. A large serpent, coiled over and over on itself, it's head darting around every few seconds, as though hoping to strike. My heart leapt into my throat, sitting up straight instantly as I looked around the small room. The intense brightness the snake brought into the room made it difficult to see after the prolonged darkness.

He wasn't hard to miss once my eyes focused.

I shot up, rushing the man in my cell, slamming my body into his roughly, slamming us both into the opposite wall, his head hitting with a loud and satisfying crack. I wasted no time whipping an arm back and slamming my fist into his face. Another crack, pain through my hand, but not enough to stop; no pain would ever make me stop.

"My, my, you are testy," Thorfinn Gaunt's silky smooth voice chided, flicking his wand once in his hand and sending me flying away from his body, my limbs stuck together, frozen and immobilized. His wand. I had wasted precious seconds by not ripping that wand from his fingertips, and yet, I was satisfied with the fact I had physically assaulted him.

I could get the wand another way.

"What's the matter, Sallow?"

"I'm going to kill you!" I snarled, struggling against the binding curse he'd placed upon me, master of non-verbal spells as he was. "Get this stupid enchantment off of me!"

"Tsk, tsk, I cannot do that. Not if you're going to assault me at the first chance."

"You deserve it!" I shouted again, anger in me building, the magic Abbi had placed in me stirring rapidly. How she ever managed to control herself was beyond me. I was ready to tear him apart and the seams and this magic screamed for blood.

"True, to you." He sighed, conjuring a chair for himself and sitting in it, relaxed. "As it happens, I'm here to discuss a certain friend of yours."

"Like hell," I spat, eyes blazing. "You think I'll tell you anything after what you did?"

My tone was accusatory, and I was glad to see the briefest flash of hurt behind his eyes. Anything that gave me an in on his iron composure would be helpful.

"I don't need you to tell to find out what I want to know," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "You should know that by now."

I glared harder at him, knowing exactly what he meant by this. He'd found out more than he ever should have known about her over the last two summers, while I'd been living at his home. He'd discovered that she was powerful, and Thorfinn Gaunt was nothing if not a man who craved power.

"Is that what you do to every guest in your home? Invade their minds for information that you think is somehow yours?"

"Are you going to ever start asking the right questions?" He sounded bored, like I was playing up the wrong angle of his game.

Still unable to move anything, I studied his face. He was every much the snake a descendant of Salazar Slytherin should be, already posed to strike before you even knew the danger was there. Venomous, slippery, impossible to catch in the act of anything. Right now, the snake looked pleased.

"What do you want with her?" I asked carefully, knowing I was willingly stepping into his chess game.

"That's better. It's what I want from the both of you, actually."

I didn't say anything, just stared at him incredulously, feeling my brows pinch as I tried to read him. He waited for me to speak, the minutes stretching out as we continued our stare down. His expression never changed. In a way, it was easy to see where Ominis got his intense personality from.

I was grateful, not for the first time in my life, that Ominis Gaunt fell much farther from his family tree than they were comfortable with.

"What do you want with us?" I asked, stretching my neck uncomfortably as I was still bound by the enchantment he'd placed on me.

"What do you know about Salazar Slytherin's heir?"

He knew. I buried the thoughts of the new copy Slytherin's spell book deep in my brain, stored it in a box I hoped he wouldn't be able to find. Instead, I forced my mind to pull up only the memories associated with the relic, and the Scriptorium two years ago.

"I read something about it. Years ago. Before his spell book was destroyed."

He nodded, "Yes, I thought that this may be the case. Well, it turns out that your little lady friend just so happens to fit the bill. Powerful, in possession of a rare ability to control ancient magic, a Mudblood and slowly corrupting that magic every single day. Or, I should say, it's corrupting her. Helped along by you."

My throat went dry. "Don't call her that," I choked through the impossible dryness, my voice painful at the sudden use.

He knew more about her ability than I had wagered coming into this conversation, three steps ahead of me, the master of cunning.

"You expected me to be unaware." His voice was calm, puzzled and amused. A short laugh slid through his lips, before those familiar grey eyes landed intently back on my face. "I am aware of much more than you think I am, Seb."

Her nickname for my rolled mockingly off of his lips, slicing my heart in two. He rose from his chair and stepped close to me, circling around me, the snake waiting to pounce. I gulped, eyes darting to his wand. When he had stood, my fingers were able to move.

If he could just get a little closer, the spell could be weakened.

"So what if she can control ancient magic?" I prodded, craving the answers I knew she sought. If I was honest, I needed to know too. I needed as much information as I could get so that I could keep her safe.

"Tell me, Sebastian," Thorfinn said, still circling me like the prey I was, "have you and your precious Abbi found anything in your research? Aside from corrupted wisps of ancient magic, that is."

"Don't say her name," I said, anger rising in my chest. The magic twisted inside of me as I thought about what he'd done to her, and the incredibly cold way he spoke her name. "You don't get to say her name!"

"You aren't really in a position to dictate that, are you?" He laughed, eyes flicking over my frozen body, knowing he was right. I tried to move again, but still found the most I could do was wiggle my fingers.

"No. We have no idea what any of this means."

It was the truth, and I needed him to give me something. Any piece of information would be useful to me.

"I'll make you a deal, Sebastian."

I waited, unsure of what it could mean entering into a contract with him. He wanted something, from her and I, and I knew as I stared into those cold grey eyes that if I could guarantee she'd be safe and free from him after he got it, I'd do anything he wanted me to do.

I sighed, my head hanging low.

If it's a bad deal, just say no. Alive. Free. Say no if he doesn't agree.

"What's this deal?"