Sebastian Sallow

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in:Hogwarts Legacy &Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

Sebastian Sallow (b.1874/1875) was aScottishDark wizard and aSlytherin student atHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the late19th century.^[1] Born totwo professors who died when he was young, he and his sister,Anne, were raised by their uncleSolomon Sallow, an ex-Auror. When Anne wascursed byVictor Rookwood, she developed a seemingly incurable illness.^[5] He tried everything fromNurse Blainey toSt Mungo's to no avail,^[4] and eventually became convinced that theDark Arts was the last hope for her.^[6]

From an early age, he had a mastery of theUnforgivable Curses,^[8][9] and considered othercurses such asConfringo to be among his favourites.^[10] His quest to unravel the secrets ofDark Magic, which he justified by finding his sister's cure, eventually culminated in themurder of his uncle,^[11] possibly resulting in Sebastian'sexpulsion from Hogwarts and trial at theMinistry of Magic.^[12][13]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Sebastian was born in1874 or1875 alongside a twin sister,Anne. They were raised bytwo professors who ingrained a thirst for knowledge into them, but also a sense of optimism and open-mindedness, which Sebastian would later hope to emulate.^[5] Their parentsdied when they were young after a lamp in their cellar poisoned them with an undetectabletoxin.^[14] They were taken in by their uncleSolomon Sallow who lived ina home inFeldcroft.^[5]

First to fourth years (1886–1890)[]

On1 September1886, at the age of eleven, he and his sister started attendingHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where they were bothsorted intoSlytherin house.^[15]

He became best friends withOminis Gaunt, a fellow Slytherin in his year, and he, Ominis, and Anne would often go to theUndercroft, a secret area withinHogwarts Castle that Ominis knew about throughhis family, to playGobstones and hang out. As Ominis himself was deeply uncomfortable with his family owing to his own childhood experiences, Sebastian entertained him at their home in Feldcroft, developing an even closer bond. The first time Sebastian and Ominis practised theBlasting Curse, they singed their eyebrows.^[10] As a student, Sebastian was known for wanting to expand his knowledge beyond Hogwarts' main curriculum.^[16] He was also incredibly daring, having snuck into theRestricted Section more than once in a violation ofschool rules, much to the annoyance ofAgnes Scribner, the schoollibrarian.^[17]

Sebastian's life changed before hisfifth year at Hogwarts, when Anne was attacked andcursed during a raid on their house in Feldcroft, presumably byRanrok's Loyalists, but actually byVictor Rookwood,^[18] resulting in her suffering from an illness. It left her in constant pain and unable to attend Hogwarts. Sebastian wanted to cure her, and after trying everything fromNurse Blainey toSt Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, came to confide in theDark Arts as her last hope.^[5] After this incident, Sebastian developed a strong hatred for goblins, preferring them dead than alive.^[19]

Sebastian became one of the topduellists within theCrossed Wands duelling club organised byLucan Brattleby, and was typically considered one of the most fearsome duellists in Hogwarts at the time.^[7][20]

Fifth year (1890–1891)[]

Befriending the new fifth-year[]

On the morning of2 September1890, Sebastian stood in theSlytherin common room reading through aspellbook, searching for a cure for Anne away from the general Hogwarts curriculum.^[16] Later that day, he attended his firstDefence Against the Dark Arts class of the year. InProfessorDinah Hecat's absence, he wasduelling withLeander Prewett inClassroom 3C when the skull of the professor'sHebridean Black skeleton was dislodged. Hecatlevitated the skull back into place and reprimanded them before listing heraccomplishments and teaching them the aforementioned levitation spell.^[7]

During theDefence Against the Dark Arts class, he became acquainted with anew student whom he had been assigned to duel. Impressed by their skill, he invited them to the unsanctionedCrossed Wands duelling club, which was headquartered in theClock Tower.^[20] Later that day, Sebastian was a possible combatant during thetroll attack on Hogsmeade, had he been invited by the student to visitHogsmeade. However, it was also possible that they could have invitedNatsai Onai instead.^[21]

As the two developed a certain level of trust, Sebastian enlisted this student's help to enter theRestricted Section, where Sebastian hoped to glean more information on a cure for Anne. They were caught whenPeeves reported them to thelibrarian,Agnes Scribner. The student continued to explore the Restricted Section while Sebastian went up to take the blame, with the student finding theAthenaeum, and by extension, theMap Chamber. When the student returned to the surface, they hid while Scribner confronted Sebastian, outraged that he had been sneaking into the Restricted Section again. Sebastian allowed himself to take the blame and did not reveal the student's presence. When the student expressed their gratitude, Sebastian told them that he expected something in return for his favour, in typicalSlytherin fashion.^[17]

When the friendship between this student and Sebastian became more apparent, Sebastian introduced them to theUndercroft and taught themConfringo. Nobody except Anne andOminis Gaunt knew about the Undercroft until this point, so this only cemented the level of trust between the two.^[10] Sebastian later brought this student tohis house, where they had a confrontational meeting withSolomon Sallow, leaving Sebastian bitter and upset. After this, Sebastian showed the student the place that Anne had beencursed: ahouse up on a hill inFeldcroft. They fought off somegoblins surrounding the house together, and found that inside it was anancient magic passageway to the Undercroft. There, the student explained their ability to use and perceive ancient magic. When they re-entered the Undercroft, they found atriptych that contained hints of locations linked to theKeepers, with two of the panels missing. Sebastian went to investigate the area depicted in the remaining panel.^[4]

Infiltrating the Overlook[]

Sebastian found that the panel of thetriptych linked to a place called theOverlook near an abandoned mine that was currently a headquarters ofRanrok's Loyalists. He invited thenew student to see for themselves, and they started a mission to infiltrate the mine. They fought off various Loyalists and discovered an ancient room that had belonged toIsidora Morganach, with a journal entry that spoke of her mission toheal people. They also found a second part of the triptych.^[19]

The students returned to theUndercroft through anenchanted stone surface similar to the one inIsidora Morganach's house. There, Sebastian said that he recognised where the triptych linked, but that there would be more trouble in going there. As the student brought up their private dealings withLodgok, agoblin, he lashed out at the student for trusting goblins – the same people who, as Sebastian assumed, hadcursed his sister, Anne,several years ago.^[19]

Completing the triptych[]

The final part of thetriptych depicted a mountain inMarunweem – another cavern appropriated byRanrok's Loyalists. He invited thenew student along, and they discussed how Sebastian was doing this to find a cure for Anne. Their conversation was brief and somewhat argumentative, as Sebastian was starting to become frustrated with not being able to find a cure for Anne. They ventured up the mountain, battling several Loyalists, before infiltratingTower Tunnel.^[22]

After beating countlessThornbackspiders and Matriarchs, the students were faced with aMountain troll, which burst its way through the wall of the cavern. They defeated the troll and found another hide-out ofIsidora Morganach, with a fragment of the triptych inside. They re-entered theUndercroft as before, and with the triptych complete, aPensieve appeared, showing Morganach'smemory of her meeting with theKeepers:Niamh Fitzgerald,Percival Rackham,Charles Rookwood, andSan Bakar, at herhouse inFeldcroft.^[22]

Within thememory, she spoke toher father, saying that while she could not bringher brother back, she could give her father peace. In a later segment, she used her signaturepain extraction spell on her father, ridding him of all negative emotion, much to his satisfaction – though, as Sebastian's friend knew already, was highly controversial to the Keepers, who believed it was irresponsible formagic to have been used in such a way. A third segment showed Morganach speaking withBragbor the Boastful, agoblin, about the construction of arepository to house the extracted emotion, which had begun to accumulate in jars in her house. She claimed that she only needed to keep it safe until she could convince her colleagues of its worth.^[22]

When Sebastian and his friend returned to the physical world, Sebastian was inspired by the scene, desperately hoping for anancient magic cure for Anne's illness. Sebastian attempted to persuade his friend to use their powers in the way Morganach did, or even to attempt to persuade the Keepers to allow such magic themselves.^[22]

In the end, however, his friend never did use their powers to cureAnne Sallow.^[23]

Other adventures[]

Slytherin's Scriptorium[]

Main article:Break-in of Slytherin's Scriptorium

When Sebastian heard about the existence ofSlytherin's Scriptorium, he enlisted this student and Ominis Gaunt's help in discovering the chamber. Before accessing the chamber, however, the trio met a door that required the usage of theCruciatus Curse to pass. Sebastian was willing to both cast or accept the curse if it meant discovering the secrets within, as he believed they could be used to help Anne. Ominis was reluctant throughout the entire journey, and once they were finished, he urged Sebastian to end his quest.^[8] Sebastian did not.^[9]

Sebastian discoveredSlytherin's Spellbook inside the Scriptorium,^[8] a compendium written bySalazar Slytherin that gave insights into hisstudent's assignments in a nearby cave.^[9]

Accessing the relic[]

Main article:Infiltration of the Feldcroft Catacomb

Sebastian asked his friend to join him in this cave, where they foughtspiders and found this medieval student's notes hinting at the existence of adark relic that could cure ailments. This made Sebastian even more determined to discover this relic, which he eventually did, though the pair realised they had been followed by Ominis, who urged Sebastian again to stop his meddling with theDark Arts, but Sebastian continued.^[9]

Shortly after leaving, they found Feldcroft ravaged by Ranrok's Loyalists. Sebastian and his friend fought off various goblins before finding a woundedAnne Sallow in a field outside theirhome. Anne was about to be killed by aunidentified goblin, so Sebastian used theImperius Curse to force the goblin to commitsuicide. After this, Sebastian attempted to raise Anne up to the ground, but she refused his help. Solomon came over, evicted Sebastian from their household, and forbade him from coming near them again.^[9]

Skirmish in the Feldcroft Catacomb[]

Main article:Skirmish in the Feldcroft Catacomb

Near the end of the1890–1891 school year, Sebastian entered theFeldcroft Catacomb to seize the relic. After acquiring it, he manipulatedInferi within the catacomb to serve him, an action which threatened the safety of the whole village. He was followed by his friend, who had to battle through the Inferi to reach him, and then either supported or condoned his behaviour. They were then discovered bySolomon Sallow, whosummoned the relic beforenonverbally destroying it. Sebastian attacked his uncle, leading to aduel between the three wizards, which eventually resulted in Solomon's death.Anne Sallow arrived at the catacomb, attacked her brother with theBanishing Charm,destroyed the remaining Inferi, andApparated away with her uncle's corpse.^[11] Following Solomon's murder, Ominis Gaunt wanted to turn Sebastian in for his crime.^[12]

Ominis and Sebastian'sfriend possibly agreed to turn him in, leading to Sebastian'sexpulsion and trial at theMinistry of Magic. Likewise, there was a possibility that he was not turned in, and their knowledge of what transpired in the catacombs was kept secret.^[12][13]

Following thememorial ceremony for Eleazar Fig, Sebastian became aware that it had beenVictor Rookwood, and not agoblin, that had cursed his sister.^[11]

Physical description[]

Sebastian Sallow had short, tousled dark brown hair that often fell slightly over his forehead, and sharp, expressive brown eyes. His facial features were well-defined—strong jawline, straight nose, and a rebellious nature.^[7]

Personality and traits[]

Sebastian was charismatic, unafraid ofdetention and breaking rules.^[1] He was undaunted and determined to pursue his goals, always unbothered by defeat. He was willing to use theDark Arts to help his sister and justified it with her condition. He did not view magic as good or evil, but rather a tool to achieve his goals. He was optimistic, a trait his parents also had. He relied on their memory to stay open-minded and persistent, pursuing and using knowledge as a guide.^[24] His love for his sister and hatred for his uncle's insistence that she could not be cured angered him so much that he eventually murdered the latter in a fit of rage and recklessness, something he showed deep remorse for later.^[11]

Magical abilities and skills[]

• Love: Despite his many faults, Sebastian had an enormous devotion to his twin sister,Anne Sallow, to the point that he would willingly sacrifice his own code of morality to attempt to save her.^[11][12] For two years, he gave his full attention to restoring Anne's health, refusing to accept his uncle's claims that she could not be saved.^[4]
• Duelling: The champion of theCrossed Wands duelling club and one of the most skilful duellists inHogwarts, Sebastian was recognised by his fellow students as an accomplished and fearsome combatant.^[7][20] He was capable of personally duelling his uncle Solomon, an accomplishedAuror^[11] as well as countless battle-hardenedgoblins.^[22]
• Charisma and manipulation: Sebastian was a highly charismatic and confident individual,^[1] which not only impressed his fellow students,^[7][20] but allowed him to sway and manipulate his closest friends as well.^[8] He was capable of convincingOminis Gaunt to openSlytherin's Scriptorium, something that initially Ominis was heavily reluctant to do, by appealing to Ominis' desire to learn the truth about hismissing aunt.^[8] When challenged on his use of the Dark Arts, he was able to successfully avoid a direct promise to both Ominis andhis friend that whatever mission he was doing would be his last venture and then he would stop, before simply continuing to push the boundary further.^[8][9]Solomon Sallow was the only individual that Sebastian was unable to sway, which irritated him greatly.^[4]
• Charms: As a student at Hogwarts, Sebastian was taught a variety of charms. He also knew theUnlocking Charm, which he frequently used to enter theRestricted Section of theHogwarts Library beforeAgnes Scribner added another layer of protection onto the lock.^[17]

• Dark Arts: Sebastian's earliest known awareness of the Dark Arts was when he was a child and learned that his uncleSolomon had cast anUnforgivable Curse during his time as anAuror.^[25] By the age of fifteen, he was capable of casting all three Unforgivable Curses himself,^{[8][9][11][26]} even though they required extraordinary willpower and a real desire to commit evil in order to cast.^[27] Sebastian's range of spells were notably offensive, favouring spells such as theBlasting Curse,^[10] and often jumping to the Unforgivable Curses by mere instinct.^[9][11] Even as a young wizard, he was addicted to darkspellbooks such asSlytherin's Spellbook,^[11] and enthralled by darker tomes such asMagick Moste Evile.^[17] Sebastian justified his interest in the Dark Arts by claiming it was to find a cure for his sisterAnne; however, not only did Anne not wish to be cured in this way,^[11] but Sebastian also seemed to genuinely enjoy the Dark Arts regardless, finding it "incredible" that he was able to possessInferi in the catacombs ofFeldcroft.^[11][17]
• Apparition: Despite it not being on the Hogwarts curriculum untilsixth year, he was capable of Apparition.^[11]

Possessions[]

• Wand: Sebastian owned a wand,^[28] which he likely acquired fromGerbold Ollivander at the age of eleven, like most otherwizards.^[29]
• Owl: Sebastian owned anowl which he used to sendpost to his friends, most notably theclose friend he acquired in his fifth year.^[10][22]
• Crest: Sebastian was given this crest by his sister Anne, which he kept with him ever since.^[30]
• Slytherin's Spellbook: After discovering this spellbook inSlytherin's Scriptorium, Sebastian confiscated it for himself. Through it, he learned much more about theDark Arts, including theUnforgivable Curses. The spellbook was destroyed byAnne Sallow shortly after their uncle Solomon's murder.^[8][9]
• Relic: Sebastian pilfered this relic, which he thought was capable of saving Anne, from theFeldcroft Catacomb and used it to summonInferi. It was destroyed bySolomon Sallow.^[11]

Relationships[]

Family[]

Parents[]

Sebastian deeply admired and respectedhis parents, seeking to emulate their optimism, open-mindedness, and eagerness for knowledge.^[5] He had been ingrained in a habit of reading by his parents from an early age – a lesson which followed him throughout his teenage years.^[8]

Solomon Sallow[]

Sebastian's relationship with his uncle and guardian,Solomon Sallow, was notoriously poor. Solomon constantly berated Sebastian's stubbornness and refusal to accept thatAnne Sallow could not be saved, detesting his nephew's involvement with theDark Arts.^[4] Meanwhile, Sebastian was unwilling to accept his uncle's reluctance to fully treat his sister, viewing him as "let[ting]her suffer".^[11] Solomon Sallow was the only individual who did not fall prey to Sebastian's natural charisma, correctly perceiving him as intelligent and dangerous. After dabbling with the Dark Arts, he evicted Sebastian fromtheir home and forbade him from interacting with his sister, after which relations between the two fully eroded.^[9] In the end, Sebastian started a duel with his uncle after he destroyed the relic that could have saved Anne and despite Solomon's last attempts to make Sebastian see reason, Sebastian ended upmurdering him in a rage.^[11] Despite all that happened between them, however, Sebastian still never wanted to kill Solomon and was genuinely remorseful for what happened.

Anne Sallow[]

Sebastian dedicated two years of his life to a pure attempt to heal his sister,Anne, though his efforts were arguably misguided, as Anne did not wish to be cured by the Dark Arts.^[11] Sebastian, however, was willing to go to any means to save her, viewing magic not as 'good and evil', but as a tool to meet his own ends.^[5] After Solomon's murder, Sebastian's relationship with Anne completely fractured: Anne was utterly devastated that he would murder his uncle, and Sebastian was remorseful that he had only increased her suffering. She left their home and left a letter for her brother, in which she said that she still loved him, but that it was unlikely that she would ever be able to forgive him. Although Sebastian was willing to keep his distance from Anne for now, he retained hope that one day he and his twin would be able to reconcile.^[11]

Ominis Gaunt[]

Ominis Gaunt was Sebastian's oldest friend fromHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Sebastian found himself very quickly to be the only person that Ominis could trust. As Ominis had no good relations withhis own family, Sebastian would invite Ominis to hishome inFeldcroft, and they quickly formed a close, brotherly bond.^[10]

Sebastian considered Ominis to be his close friend, but this didn't stop him from manipulating and lying to him in order to further his own goals.^[8][9] In theirfifth year at Hogwarts, Sebastian could convince Ominis to openSlytherin's Scriptorium, which Ominis was heavily uncomfortable with, so that Sebastian could acquire a cure for Anne.^[8] Additionally, Sebastian constantly promised not to venture deeper into theDark Arts while only continuing to do so, and because of this, there were repeated conflicts between them.^[8][9] Ominis was strongly attached to Sebastian and continued to defend his actions, even if he did not fully approve of them.^[11]

The final straw for their relationship was themurder ofSolomon Sallow. After that, Ominis was very disappointed in Sebastian and wanted to turn him in. However, he didn't want to lose his best friend and left the final decision totheir mutual friend.^[12] He would agree with any of the decisions. Even after everything that happened, Ominis still cared a lot about Sebastian and would continue to be friends with him in any case.

New fifth-year student[]

Thisstudent became one of Sebastian's closest friends within theirfifth year, as well as a companion to many of his engagements. They shared various secrets with one another, with Sebastian informing them of the existence of theUndercroft and his life story, and the student telling Sebastian about their intuitive ability to controlancient magic. The two went on various quests to understand the truth behind ancient magic and bring downRanrok's goblin rebellion.^[28] It is possible that the student developed a distrust for Sebastian as they urged him to cease his meddling with the Dark Arts, or fully supported the necessity of his actions.^[31]

Behind the scenes[]

• Sebastian Sallow is voiced byAlfie Nugent inHogwarts Legacy.^[32]
• If the player chooses Slytherin house, they will speak to Sebastian in theSlytherin common room on their first day. He will talk to the player about theircarriage getting attacked on the way to Hogwarts. The player can ask about abook Sebastian is reading, which he says is a spellbook that didn't have what he was looking for. It will lead Sebastian to tell the player there are spells Hogwarts won't teach.^[16]
• Sebastian Sallow isTom Felton's favourite Slytherin inHogwarts Legacy.^[33]
• InHarry Potter: Quidditch Champions, the "SEBASTIAN SALLOW HERO SKIN" and "SEBASTIAN SALLOW'S WAND" are rewards gifted to players that also own a copy ofHogwarts Legacy.

Possible endings[]

After Solomon's murder, in the 'In the Shadow of Fate' side-quest, the player has the ability to decide whether to turn Sebastian in, asOminis Gaunt wishes, or not.

• If they do not, or if the player completed 'The Final Repository' prior to this quest, then afterVictor Rookwood andRanrok are defeated, he will be present in theGreat Hall when the player informs him it had been Rookwood who cursed Anne, not a goblin as he originally believed. Sebastian will begin to show remorse at his behaviour and hatred towards goblins.
• If they do, then Sebastian will beexpelled and face trial at theMinistry of Magic. He will not appear in the game again.

Appearances[]

The Harry Potter Wiki has 28 images related toSebastian Sallow.

• Hogwarts Legacy(First appearance)
• The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions(As a character skin)

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Sebastian Sallow at theHogwarts Legacy Wiki

Crossed Wands
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Astoria Crickett ·Constance Dagworth ·Lawrence Davies ·Hector Jenkins ·Eric Northcott ·Nellie Oggspire ·Natsai Onai ·Nerida Roberts ·Sebastian Sallow ·Unidentified 19th-century Hogwarts student