In the Shadow of Love // Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt

Chapter 1: Gone

We did it. Slytherin had won the house cup. Thunderous applause and students from my house engulfed me. I couldn't help but beam at each and everyone of them as they cheered and jumped in glee with me.

But where were they?

Slytherin had won and the celebration was missing two particular Slytherins. Of course things had changed. Why would they be here to celebrate with me?

Sebastian had killed his Uncle Solomon, I convinced Ominis and Anne not to turn him in but things were a mess.

Sebastian was distraught as he believed he had lost his sister forever and let us all down.

"I am grateful for your friendship" was the last thing he said to me. To me he was always more than a friend. I had a deep crush on him, ever since I saw him, stood by the fireplace on our first day. 

But since he said he was grateful for my friendship, he had avoided me. He would pass me in the corridor like we were strangers. He would avert his gaze, like everything we went through never happened. It hurt me deeply.

I gave Sebastian space believing that in time he would come around. He just needed some space.

Sebastian and Ominis had also not spoken. Ominis was heartbroken at what his best friend had resorted to. He resorted to dark magic to save his sister but it was all in vain. Ominis needed time and space as well as Sebastian. He knew he made the right decision by not turning him in but he was hurting. All I wanted was the three of us to be friends again. I couldn't stand it.

As Imelda grabbed my shoulders cheering, I noticed Ominis sat at the table clapping, a slight smile on his face. I broke free from the cheering Slytherins and ran over to him.

"Ominis, we did it we won!" I exclaimed as his smile grew slightly wider.

"Yes... yes we did." he quietly replied as he stopped clapping. My smile disappeared as I glanced around the rest of the table, looking for the mop of chestnut hair that I so desperately wanted to share this moment with.

"Where is he Ominis?" his smile disappeared instantly and his face displayed sadness.

"I'm not sure,  Sebastian was in our dorm when I left, but it appears he hasn't shown up." Ominis glanced towards the doors of the great hall even though he was blind.

"Well I'm going to go and get him, I think he could do with some good news!" I jumped up and rushed through the crowd, almost skipping to the common room.

Maybe this will break the awkwardness between us, bringing some good news will break the ice that had formed between us.

As I reached the common room, I glanced around in case he was in here. No sign, he must be in his dorm still. I rushed up the steps and burst through the door.

"Sebastian!" I called out as the door flew backwards but I was met with emptiness. I stared at his bed which looked as if no one had ever slept in it. My eyes were drawn to the foot of his bed, where his trunk should have been, was now gone.

I slowly made my way over to his bed and stared before opening his bedside drawers - empty.

My breathing had become faster, I felt as though I couldn't catch my breath. The tightness in my chest had me clawing at my throat.

"No, no, no." Tears began to spill. He has not left, he wouldn't, not without saying something? A note, surely he left a note? 

I began frantically searching, ripping his sheets from the bed, throwing the pillows onto the floor, but nothing.

Maybe it was in my dorm? I ran from his dorm, racing to my own but again nothing. He had left me. Abandoned me. Anger surged through my body, replacing the sadness that had just overwhelmed me.

I raced back into the empty common room and collapsed onto the floor as the realisation began to sink in. It was as if he had never been here. He had left me without a second thought.

"Lily? Lily what is it?" Ominis had appeared by my side, he crouched down, raising my chin to look up at him.

"H-he's g-gone..." My voice broke as the tears streamed down my face. Ominis stormy eyes widened and I felt all air leave his body.

"No he can't have, he would not just leave!" He shook his head, refusing to believe that our best friend, our broken, lost friend, had indeed left us.

My body began trembling from my sobbing. It hurt so much, the pain in my chest was overbearing. Did I really mean so little? Would he come back?

Ominis helped me get up and led me to the sofa, where he brought my head down to his chest and held me until I felt like I had no tears left to shed. I could hear Ominis sniffling but we both sat in silence, we had both shared the same hurt and took comfort in this. No words were needed.

I had one more night at Hogwarts and I knew sleep would evade me. I crawled into bed drawing the curtains on my four poster bed, not wanting to speak to anyone, especially my best friend Imelda. 

I tossed and turned all night, my mind going over everything. I obviously had cared for Sebastian,  more than he cared for me, not surprising when he easily cast crucio on me. He was so close to my heart and I knew he would always have a place there.

All too soon Imelda ripped the curtains from around my bed. Her face was sad and I knew Ominis had told her.

"I'm sorry Lily." She whispered. I turned my face away refusing to waste anymore tears over someone who cared so little about me, who had used me to help Anne.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." I was angry and did not want to waste anymore of my time on talking about something that made no sense to me. He was gone, vanished and that was it.

"Well its time to go Lily." Imelda crossed back over to her bed, making sure she had packed everything. She was already changed and I knew I had to drag myself out of bed. I was going to be spending my summer with my mother. I was hoping life would be easier with her now. She was a pureblood fanatic and starting Hogwarts finally, in my fifth year and being placed in Slytherin, she was surely bursting with pride.

I slipped out of bed and grabbed my robes from my trunk. I rummaged through making sure I had everything before I threw on my clothes. I began to brush my dark waves that cascaded down my back, not bothering to do anything with them.

Before I left the dorm I remembered something... I reached into my drawer by my bed and pulled out all the letters I had received over the year, I had kept them all. There was Poppy, Natty and my heart sank as I saw Fig and Sebastian's letters. I hastily threw them into my trunk and then locked it.

I took one more look at my dorm as I grabbed my trunk and then made my way out and down the steps to the common room. Ominis was at the bottom with his own trunk and a slight smile.

"Hello my dear, are we ready?" I took one more look around the common room, glancing at the steps to the boys dorms as if hoping Sebastian would just appear.

I simply nodded and together we made our way out of the common room ending our time as fifth years and ready to take on whatever came next.

It was going to be a long year.