How to Make a Villain - [Sebastian Sallow x F!OC]

[sixteen]

'Why is it so hot in here? Sebastian, what have you done?'

'Uh -' Sebastian hastily shoved the book behind the sofa cushions, lest Ominis even sense the malevolent energy radiating from its pages.

'Actually, don't answer that, I don't care. We need to talk,' he said, business-like.

Sebastian shifted uncomfortably. 'Okay.'

Ominis Gaunt had never been a picture of warmth or amiability, but he hadn't always been so cold, either - at least, not toward Sebastian. There'd been a time once when the two friends had spent every moment together, when Ominis had spoken to Sebastian like a friend, not a problem child, and Anne had been the buffer between their respective mood swings and impulsivity. Still, Sebastian supposed any interaction was better than being ignored, even if he was being yelled at.

'My brother sent this to me this evening via express owl,' Ominis said curtly, thrusting a neatly folded copy of the Daily Prophet into Sebastian's hands. 'I think it might interest you.'

Wondering what sort of news would prompt Ominis to appear unannounced in the Undercroft well after curfew, Sebastian unfolded the paper with a sense of growing unease. He frowned at the headline.

Calls to Ban Muggleborns from Hogwarts Shot Down by Minister for Education.

'Well, as he should,' Sebastian muttered, mildly bewildered.

Ominis sighed. 'Page four, Sebastian,' he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

'Oh, right.'

At first glance, page four appeared as uninteresting as page one, but then a small article squeezed into the bottom corner caught his attention.

Key Witnesses in French Murder Case Attacked in Home.

'Aurélie.'

Sebastian's knees buckled. He sank onto the sofa as words and phrases jumped out at him at random: well-loved Collins' family... murdered in their home in Toulouse... seventeen-year-old daughter at Hogwarts... key witnesses set to give evidence in the murder case...

Sebastian frowned.

'Hang on.' He flipped back to the front page. 'This is tomorrow's paper. Why did Marvolo send you tomorrow's paper?'

'Not Marvolo, Malific.'

'What's the bloody difference,' Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, scanning the article again. 'They're both as bad as-'

'You are well aware,' Ominis cut in, 'of my family's ties to the editor of the Daily Prophet. They are always forewarned of any news that concerns them, no matter how ambiguous that news may be.'

'News?' Sebastian stood up again, paper clutched tight in his clammy hands. Something niggled in the back of his mind, a nagging memory he couldn't quite recall, but between his heat-addled brain and the shock of seeing his best friend in the Undercroft again, his ability for coherent thought was severely diminished.

He swiped a bead of sweat off his forehead.

'What has Malific got to do with Aurélie?'

Ominis dabbed at his brow with an embroidered handkerchief. 'Honestly, is there a fire in here? I don't understand why it's so warm.'

'Ominis.' Sebastian crumpled the paper in his fist. 'What has Malific got to do with Aurélie?'

'I don't know, Sebastian, why don't you tell me?'