Chapter Text
This is a femme MC, Y/N character that will go by she/her pronouns. It's also been a while since I've written fanfiction, so bear with me. That said, feedback is nicely welcomed, as long as it's not degrading, mean or just plain rude. I think the ending of HL has left us with a bad taste in our mouths and wanting more. This is for the Ominis Stans. <3
Flashbacks.
"Whoa, they're sorting an older student. A new 5th year." I could hear Sebastian's voice over all the other chatter in the Great Hall. "She's really pretty." Pretty. How would I know? I can't see her Sebastian. Almost as if he could read my mind, he described her to me. How her hair shined in the light of the floating candles. How her smile dazzled him. How smooth her skin looked.
Mentally rolling my eyes, and placed my head in my hands. "SLYTHERIN." The table erupted in cheers and whoops for the new addition. Great, I'll never hear the end of her arrival to the school. "I heard she faced a dragon with Professor Fig on their way to Hogwarts." Imelda was one for gossip. If it wasn't about quidditch, there was some sort of new scandal that caught her attention that she just needed to spread. This was going to be a long year. I could already tell.
The next morning, I made my way to the common room windows. 5 years at Hogwarts, felt more like home, than my actual home. I had just settled in and told the 1st years the tale of mermaids just on the other side of the glass. If they stayed long enough they might just hear the songs of the sirens. A chuckle had just escaped my lips when I heard her soft voice. "Hello there."
"Based on the chatter when you entered the common room, I'm guessing you're the new 5th year. I'm Ominis, Ominis Gaunt." I could barely contain the nervousness in my voice as I spoke to her. Her voice was much sweeter than I imagined. "It's nice to meet you Ominis. I'm y/n." I felt as her hand ran down my arm, her delicate fingers clasping around my hand in a soft handshake. Oddly enough, I didn't pull away at her touch. It was welcomed, as I didn't feel any hostility from her. We had a brief chat and I heard her mention Sebastian before she excused herself from the conversation. I had hoped it wouldn't be the last time we spoke.
And it wasn't.
There was the incident with the undercroft. Yelling at Sebastian for revealing one of our secret places. I didn't mean to yell at her, it was like an out of body experience. I wanted nothing more than to stop, but I couldn't. I felt betrayed by my oldest friend. She didn't know any better that he was doing this to impress her. She gave me her apologies and made her way, I assume, to the common rooms. I made my way to yell at Sebastian for this breech in trust.
A few days after, I found her seated in the common room, studying. The buzz of her shiny arrival had since worn off, and another achievement she did, replaced it. "Defending Hogsmeade against trolls? There is a such thing as trying too hard." It sounded much nicer in my head. She's going to think I hate her.
Instead, I heard a giggle escape her lips as she patted the sofa beside her, loud enough for me to hear. I took the available seat and turned my ear in her direction. "Well, the attention started to fade, and I just thrive on it." She was being sarcastic as she spoke, but I could sense the smile in her voice. "About that night, with the-" Y/N cut me off when she placed her hand on mine. "Don't worry. I understood. It's a place for you three. A travelling stranger knowing something so, precious to you lot, is a bit unnerving. I hope you trust that I won't tell anyone of its existence."
I nodded and sighed softly. "That may be, but my reaction wasn't the behavior I want you to associate with me." Her hand left mine as she began to scribble down on some paper. "Don't worry Ominis. I associate your behavior as a prankster. Those poor 1st years still stare out of the windows. I'm afraid their eyes will dry out." It was my turn to laugh as I felt her eyes on me.
"I can feel you staring you know." Her voice as soft as her hand, rang through the air. "Get used to it. I have trouble hearing. I'm reading your lips as you speak." I felt the tips of my ears grow warmer as I tried to gather my thoughts. There was a moment of silence before I could find the words to speak. "Should I speak louder when we're together?" There was the shuffling of papers, and I assumed she was shoving them into her bag. "Oh no, Ominis. You're quite handsome. I think you should speak softer so I can stare even more."
There was laughter in her response and I didn't know if I should take her seriously. "Shall we be friends then?" I once again, felt her hand clasp over mine. "I'd like that. Sebastian is a bit, himself, isn't he?" Another giggle from y/n, and I couldn't help but smile. "I'll save you a seat at dinner then." I heard as she got to her feet and stood up as well. "Great! If I have to listen to Imelda talk about Quidditch try outs, once more time. I'm going to have to transfer schools."
I felt as she wrapped her hands around my wrist, giving it a quick squeeze. "I'll see you later Ominis. I'm going now." She didn't wait for a response as she retreated off to some grand adventure around the school. Then it hit me. The smell of peaches, and wisteria flowers. It was light, and unique, much like she was, and it set her apart from everyone else at this school. I found myself wishing she had lingered a bit longer, just so I could breathe in that wonderful smell.
~*~
We all studied together. Had dinner together. Practiced spells in the undercroft. One thing I learned about Y/n , she was touchy. I didn't mind. She often did it to make sure I was ok. To let me know when she was leaving. And most recently, so I could feel how she felt. On a particularly quiet night, she had taken my hands in her own, and brought them to her face. "I want you to know what I look like. I think we've been friends long enough, don't you?" My ears grew hot again as my mouth went dry.
"Why are you shaking? It's just us Ominis." My thumbs went over her cheeks slowly. I could feel them move as her lips curled into a smile. I dare not touch them. I was afraid of what I'd do. My fingertips gently glided over her eyes, big. Her lashes, long. Her skin, was as soft as Sebastian described on her first day. I closed my fingers over her small nose and dragged gently over her lips to her chin. I shouldn't have done that. I should not have done that.
"What's going on in here?" I pulled my hands back at the sound of Sebastian's voice and y/n cleared her throat. "Letting him know what I look like. Ominis is the blind one Seb, not you." If I had a drink, I would've spat it out. So I laughed instead. There was an added weight on the sofa as he dropped down in a heap. "I mean with all the books. Why are you studying this late?" The conversation started to drift between the two of them and I just went back to silently listening. How did that brief interaction, send fire through my hands the way it did?
~*~
Close. We were close. She had made more friends. Natty, Poppy, Amit, Garreth. Leander. I didn't want to admit I was jealous, but I was. I had grown accustomed to her ending her days with me in the common room. Retelling me the stories of her day and how everything was so new to her here. Instead, she was too tired from trying to keep her new friends from feeling neglected. From helping them, when she should be resting.
And Sebastian was stealing her away. Whisking her to Feldcroft to see Anne. I'm afraid he had roped her into helping him look for a cure. While I admired his dedication to his sister, I grew increasingly more worried for y/n. She had no idea the lengths he'd go through. How deep he was willing to delve into the dark arts when it was so incredibly taboo.
Then, it happened. We were trapped in the Scriptorium. We were going to die here. All I could hear was the blood rushing through my ears as I tried not to panic. Sebastian was talking to y/n and taught her the Crucio curse. No. Not her. Don't bring her down with you Sebastian. She doesn't deserve that.
"Ominis!" I snapped out of my trance as I felt her hands on my shoulders. "Y/n. You can't be serious. I won't let you go through with this. Sebastian, you can't-" Her finger pressed against my lips to silence me. "Ominis, it's the only way out of here." There was a pause, and I felt as she slid her hands from my shoulders, to my hands. "I need you, to give me permission."
Permission? For what? To curse me? "I need you to let me deafen you. Only temporarily." Her voice was now so low, I could barely hear her. Her head had now pressed against my chest, and I realized, just how small she was. "I can't let you hear me scream out. I won't let you relive your childhood trauma again."
She thought of me. She remembered. She, cared. "Please Ominis. Allow me to show you this mercy." By now, I knew she could feel me shaking in fear. Y/n was right. It was the only way out of here. I couldn't find my voice, so I nodded. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, the room went silent.
I don't know what happened. I don't know when he cursed her. I just knew that the minutes felt like days. "Are you alright?!" Too much time had passed, or maybe, too little. I felt truly alone with my thoughts. There was sharp ringing, and then the sounds of heavy breathing and moans as a her fingers clasped around my wrist. "I'm ok Ominis. I'm ok." I felt her convulse with pain as I wrapped my arms around her.
"Come on, let's go. We can't stay here." She guided me, while leaning her bodyweight into me. That smell. Peaches and wisteria. It comforted me, despite everything that just happened. We lingered in the scriptorium. Longer than I would've liked, but y/n stayed glued to my side. She would shake with pain every once in a while, and I knew that she wasn't ok.
Back in the common room, Sebastian went right to reading the spellbook in the boys dorm, while y/n and I sat in the common room sofa. . "How could he cast that spell so easily? It's like he wanted to hurt me." Her voice was confused and soon, it was followed by soft sobs. "I'm afraid, he's too far gone y/n." I held her until she had nothing left to cry. And when that was over, I bid her goodnight, listening as she made her way to her own dorm room, before making my way to my own and ignoring any questions Sebastian had about the book.
~*~
Everything after the scriptorium went by in a haze. The catacombs. Anne. Y/n telling me about ancient magic. She started to distance herself from Sebastian. Helping him only on occasion. She stayed up some nights, studying with me. Filling the growing dread we both felt about Sebastian's dark path, with something lighthearted, and hopeful. Y/n was trying to find a way to heal Anne without the use of Dark Arts. And I hoped that she would succeed.
She would. We didn't turn Sebastian in, at her insistence. She didn't want Anne to lose the only family she had left, and she didn't want me to be without my oldest friend. Y/n had a point. She found a way to heal Anne without the use of dark arts at all. Without doing what Isidora did to several others. It was a combination of Ancient magic, and skilled spellcasting. And a bit of trial, and error. It was thanks to her, Anne attended her 6th year with us.
While we grew closer during our 6th year, all of us healing from Sebastian's actions, I felt the shift in feelings I felt for her. How I looked forward to feeling her eyes on me. To smelling the soft sweet smell of her perfume as she graced us with her presence. Her hands guiding me through crowded halls, even though she knew I was capable of doing it on my own. I missed her when she was gone with her other friends. When she retired to bed with Anne, I had wished she'd come back to keep me company. And I enjoyed her company.
I wished for more, knowing I couldn't have it. I spent our 6th year, pining for her, and learning to push it away. To hide it deep inside, for fear of jeopardizing our friendship. How did I let this happen? How did I manage to fall for someone, I told myself I wouldn't bother getting to know? How are these flashbacks of something so frightening, still plaguing my mind, when it was followed by something so good, and well deserved? How do I get over this, without being hurt in the process?
~*~
Just a bit of backstory, that we already knew. Next chapter will be set in their 7th year. Maybe a bit of a backstory on MC. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll try to get chapters out as soon as I can. <3