Solomon Sallow

Solomon Sallow
Biographical information
Born	Before 1890
Died	1891 Feldcroft Catacomb, Feldcroft, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain
Nationality	Scottish
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Brown
Eye colour	Brown
Skin colour	Light
Relationship information
Family members	Brother and sister-in-law † Anne Sallow (niece) Sebastian Sallow (nephew) Albert Sallow (possible relative) Sallow family
Affiliation
Occupation	Auror (formerly)
Loyalty	Sallow family British Ministry of Magic (formerly) Department of Magical Law Enforcement British Auror Office

Auror Solomon Sallow (d. 1891) was a wizard and the uncle of Anne and Sebastian Sallow. He was also a former Auror at the British Ministry of Magic before retiring with rumours speculating that he left on bad terms after using an Unforgivable Curse on a Dark wizard.

Biography

Early life and career

Solomon was born into a wizarding family with at least one brother, who later became a professor. Solomon, on the other hand, became an Auror at the British Ministry of Magic. He left the Ministry on bad terms after using an Unforgivable Curse on a Dark wizard to "fight fire with fire". Following this, he retired to his home in Feldcroft.

In the 1870s or 1880s, his brother and sister-in-law died after being poisoned by an undetectable toxin in their lamp. He assumed care for his orphaned niece and nephew, though he never quite warmed to Sebastian, whom he considered stubborn like his father.

Caring for Anne and Sebastian

Solomon Sallow: "There is no cure. When will you accept that?"

Sebastian Sallow: "Never. I can never accept it."

— Solomon and Sebastian's fundamental disagreement over Anne's curse

The Sallow family

In 1889, his niece and nephew were about to start their fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when their hamlet was invaded by the goblin Ranrok, his Loyalists, and Victor Rookwood. Anne was attacked and cursed which left her in constant pain, forcing her to stay at home because she could not return to her studies at Hogwarts. Solomon tried everything to cure Anne, from Nurse Blainey to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, but after countless failed attempts, he came to accept that she could not be cured and resorted to simply keeping her comfortable.

Sebastian, on the other hand, was determined to cure her at any cost, pursuing the Dark Arts to find a means to do so. As Sebastian's journey into the Dark Arts continued, Solomon was repulsed and threatened that if he continued, he would alert the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Phineas Nigellus Black. Nevertheless, Sebastian's desperation only grew, as did Solomon's irritation. When Sebastian used the Imperius Curse on one of Ranrok's goblin raiders in a bid to save Anne, Solomon forbade him from seeing her or visiting their home. By the end, Sebastian hunted down a dark relic with which to cure Anne, much to her morbid disapproval, as she quickly informed Solomon of what Sebastian was doing.

Solomon Sallow: "She cannot be healed, Sebastian. You must stop."

Sebastian Sallow: "Argh! I won't let her suffer. Avada Kedavra!"

— Solomon and Sebastian moments before his murder

Solomon's murder at the hands of Sebastian Sallow

When Solomon attempted to stop Sebastian, summoning and disintegrating the relic, he was nonverbally attacked by his nephew. A skirmish ensued between the wizard, Sebastian, and Sebastian's friend, eventually resulting in Solomon's murder with the Killing Curse at Sebastian's hands. Sebastian's murder left a grievous scar on the Sallow family, and though Sebastian convinced himself it had been justified, he likely never resumed contact with his sister, who tearfully grieved for her uncle, destroyed Slytherin's Spellbook, then Disapparated away with Solomon's body, intent on properly laying him to rest.

Post-mortem

After his death, Anne Sallow claimed to the villagers of Feldcroft that Solomon had died peacefully in his sleep. Anne was the only participant at his funeral.

It was possible that Ominis Gaunt and his friend informed Phineas Nigellus Black about the truth of Solomon's murder, leading to Sebastian's expulsion from Hogwarts and trial at the British Ministry of Magic, with a possible conviction to Azkaban pending.

Personality and traits

At first glance, Solomon appeared to be an irritable, prideful, ill-tempered, stubborn, and somewhat callous old wizard. However, further insights into the Sallow family suggest that this behaviour had mainly resulted from contending with tragedies that led to the overall state of his family by 1891.

If Sebastian's own accounts were to be believed, Solomon had always been angry after taking the twins in, and likely always had a strained relationship with his nephew. It is implied that Solomon also held his deceased brother in contempt for causing the accident that killed himself, his sister-in-law, and orphaned his nephew and niece. Solomon had even gone as far as to extend some of this disdain to Sebastian, as he noticed much of his brother's personality present within his nephew. Sebastian had considered Solomon's remarks about this comparison to be an insult, though it is uncertain if Solomon had actually intended for these remarks to caution Sebastian against reckless, short-sighted behaviour, derisive as they might have been.

In contrast, Solomon had a more positive relationship with Anne. While it is uncertain what his relationship with his niece had looked like prior to when she had been cursed in 1889, Solomon had taken great strides in attempting to search for a cure for Anne through legal channels. Only when these avenues had been exhausted did he cease his efforts and resolve to be her caregiver full time. Solomon held great disdain for the Dark Arts and even refused to resort to using them to aid Anne. While this decision may initially seem callous and needlessly stubborn, it more than certainly stemmed from his own experiences as an Auror, having been made keenly aware of the Dark Arts' capacity for destruction and horror. Anne, in turn, loved her uncle and shared his aversion to the Dark Arts.

Eventually Solomon's poor relationship with Sebastian would come to a head, as Sebastian would take up the Dark Arts in a bid to find a cure for Anne against his uncle's wishes, culminating in Solomon dying at his own nephew's hand. Despite the hostility that grew between them, Solomon never outright sought Sebastian's imprisonment for his use of the Dark Arts (partially owed to the circumstances that led to his own severance from the Ministry), hoping to cow Sebastian by threatening to report his activities to Professor Black, and attempting to separate the twins in a bid to isolate Anne from Sebastian's worsening actions. In the final confrontation, Solomon had placed a large amount of blame on a friend of Sebastian (who had been aiding him on his quest to find a cure for Anne), accusing them of manipulating his nephew into delving further into the Dark Arts and attacking them. Ultimately, the death of Solomon was what destroyed the relationship between his niece and nephew. Anne was devastated by her uncle's death and was left unsure whether she could ever forgive her brother for murdering Solomon, telling Sebastian that he had chosen his path after arriving to find him standing over the corpse of their guardian. Despite his estrangement from Solomon, Sebastian was deeply remorseful for having caused his death.

Following his death, it would later be revealed that Anne would be the only one to attend his funeral, hinting hers to be Solomon's only sincerely positive relationship at the time of his death.

Magical abilities and skills

• Duelling: Solomon was an accomplished duellist, capable of taking on two highly skilled duellists at once: his nephew, Sebastian, and Sebastian's friend. Also being a former Auror, he would have had first-hand combat experience with various Dark wizards, one of whom he bested with an Unforgivable Curse.
• Dark Arts: Solomon was at least somewhat capable with the Dark Arts, as he was historically capable of using an Unforgivable Curse on a Dark wizard. However, he was not a Dark wizard himself, as he attempted to move on from his mistakes, remove a culture of dark magic from his life, and present himself as a father figure to his orphaned niece and nephew.
• Nonverbal magic: Solomon could cast spells without saying their incantations; he nonverbally disintegrated the Dark relic with a single red spell.

Behind the scenes

• Solomon is voiced by Scottish actor Enn Reitel in Hogwarts Legacy.
• In a datamined database for Hogwarts Legacy, Solomon was labelled as a Pure-blood, however there are known inaccuracies in the database and therefore this cannot be taken as fact.

Appearances

• Hogwarts Legacy (First appearance)
• The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)

External links

• Solomon Sallow at the Hogwarts Legacy Wiki