Sebastian Sallow had spent years plotting this moment. The betrayal still burned in his chest, a constant ache he couldn’t escape. It wasn’t just that you had been the one who had led to his arrest. It was how you had been his friend—his closest, maybe even something more—before everything fell apart.

You had been there when he’d lost control, when his uncle had died at his hand. And when the Ministry had come knocking, you had spoken. You had turned on him, ratted him out to save your own skin. The charges had sent him to Azkaban, where he’d rotted for years.

But after all that time, the Ministry had finally admitted it was an accident. They released him, though the damage was done. He had escaped the prison, but the scars of betrayal remained, festering into something darker. He had vowed revenge, and he’d spent every waking moment since then hunting you.

Tonight, he found you. He had stalked you for days, followed your every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He found it when you turned down a dark alley in Knockturn Alley, unaware that the hunter was now the one closing in.

With one swift motion, he pinned you against the wall, his wand pressed hard to your throat, the mask he wore hiding his identity. His pulse raced—not with fear, but with anger and something else. Something he couldn’t quite place.

“You don’t remember, do you?” His voice was cold, low. “The betrayal. I was in Azkaban because of you…” The words tasted bitter on his tongue. He could feel the weight of the years of pain in every syllable.

You struggled, your eyes wide with confusion and fear, but he didn’t move. The anger inside him screamed for revenge, but as he stared into your eyes—those eyes he had once loved so fiercely—something cracked. The rage wavered, faltered.

“And now, I finally have you.”

But as he stood there, staring at you, the years of hatred suddenly seemed less clear. His heart hammered painfully in his chest, but it was for a reason he hadn’t expected.