POV ADA MARROW
Sebastian was surprisingly calm when he found out about Ominis and I. He didn't seem bothered or upset but rather elated for us. Someone I could usually read so well was difficult to decipher, kind of. He still spent time with us. He still teased and flirted with me, mainly just to get an irritated rise out of Ominis, but now I had noticed him spending more time with Nox as well. Nox had slowly engrained himself into our group, via Sebastian. I wasn't mad about it, just surprised; Ominis not so much. He didn't like the fact Nox had grown so close to Sebastian, mainly because of the fact that Nox was unapologetically a Dark Wizard and Ominis didn't want Nox influencing him.
I couldn't control my Brother but Sebastian had promised me that he wouldn't dare to use Dark magics again and when I asked him about it he would just say nox was helping him cope with the nightmares. I told him about the Sleeping Draught Professor Sharp made for me but he was convinced this was something he needed to face and not hide from. That the potion would only work for so long until it no longer worked. I knew he was unfortunately right, sooner or later the potion will have no effect on me and I'd have to face those nightmares myself.
I watched Sebastian walk ahead with Nox, my brother wore his school robes and a bright green scarf wrapped around his neck. Sun inhibitors covering his eyes from the light of day. Sebastian in a sweater with his scarf loose around his neck. We were making our way to the Quidditch Pitch, now altered to fit the first trial. You could see thick stone walls peaking over the wooden walls of the pitch and a shimmer of magic surrounding said walls all the way to the top. They had erected a barrier to what I assume was to keep the audience safe. These Beasts were dangerous.
I stared down at the necklace Ominis gifted to me, I fiddled with it. My other hand was holding him tight. He was doing his best to focus, his eyes staring ahead. Brows furrowed and lips set in a deep frown. He wasn't ready for this, I don't think anyone could be ready for this. I couldn't help but feel if I had put my name in the Goblet when I was questioned by my peers if I'd be joining or not that I would have been chosen and not Ominis. At the very least I knew I'd survive this. If I could fight a Graphorn and take down multiple Acromantulas' then I could get past this first trial but it wasn't me. It was Ominis.
We were stopped by Nox, who stared down at us.
"Alright Ada, kiss your Boyfriend and head to the stands with Sebastian. I'm going to help him prepare." Nox smiled at me, my brows rose up, mouth parting.
"I'm helping him prepare, Nox." I couldn't help the irritation, I saw my brother roll his eyes and Ominis hand squeezed mine.
"It's fine Love…" Ominis turned and leaned down trying to I assume kiss my lips. It was awfully adorable when he missed. I adjusted and kissed him, letting the Butterflies flutter in my chest and pool in my stomach. I could feel how his thumb softly traced over the scar on my cheek, how his fingers stroked over my jaw line. Then he was gone, having pulled away from me, I smiled softly at him. Seeing the softness in his eyes, his hand still holding my face.
"Go ahead and get a seat with Sebastian." Ominis murmured, I nodded, squeezing his hand one more time before leaving him with Nox.
POV OMINIS GAUNT
Nox escorted me to the Champions entrance and when questioned why he was entering with me, he stated he was my translator. Meaning if something needed to be read, grabbed or given he would do it for me. Which is what we had planned for Ada to do for me, but it seemed Nox needed me alone.
He pulled me off somewhere and murmured, "Have you gotten any letters from your family since you were announced as a Triwizard Champion?"
My brows furrowed, how peculiar that I hadn't noticed that.
"No… Actually not a word." I murmured back, "Why?"
"Then you're unaware that your brother Obitus is here?" I reeled back hearing that he was here.
"What?!" I hissed out, my eyes widening, "How do you know he's here?"
"I saw him, I came out here to scout what the arena would look like earlier this morning. He was one of the people that put up the barrier around the arena." Obitus was cruel and partook in my family's muggle hunts and was the one that oh so gladly tortured me when I was younger. What was he doing here?
"I wasn't aware he worked for the ministry." Nox murmured to me.
"He doesn't."
"Perhaps then it has something to do with the Basilisk?" Nox questioned, of course it had something to do with the damn basilisk. He was probably put in charge of setting up a barrier to keep people in the audience from being petrified or killed by its stare. I let out a sigh, almost relieved. He still had to be here, he couldn't go far from the barrier. He'd have to keep it up and at the end of it take it down. It was magic only my family knew.
"There you are!" I heard Headmaster Black cry out exasperated, "Come on Mr. Gaunt the Minister is waiting for you so they can start." I rolled my eyes and turned to face the area the voice had come from, then felt a hand on my back.
"We were just on our way, Headmaster." Nox inputted, leading me forward the creak of wood replaced with a hardness of stone as we entered a different room.
"Ah good our final Champion has arrived, now you three will be fighting dangerous beasts." The Minister's ricketty voice spoke to us, I crossed my arms waiting for the speech to finish. "You can kill it, incapacitate it, or bypass it entirely. Your clues to the next trial are settled on an altar being protected by your assigned beast." They really didn't plan to have a blind champion, how was I supposed to locate that? Nox said they turned the Quidditch Pitch into an arena. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.
"How exactly is this one," he roughly patted my shoulder and i couldn't help but shrug his hand off me, "Supposed to see where the altar is?" Nox asked.
"Well he will have to figure something out." The decrepit old bag of bones, as Sebastian described him, stated. I felt my face twist up, scowling, then heard the rattling of glass in wood.
"Now pick out a marble and it shall display your Beast." Someone I assumed Nox took my hand and led it so it rested in what I assumed was a box. I felt around and grabbed a round orb. I could hear Anastasia and Henri grab theirs.
"What did I get?" I asked Nox.
I felt him lean against me, to my dismay, a bit as he looked at my marble.
"Lucky, lucky Gaunt you got the Basilisk." Nox hummed, patting my chest. I swatted at his hand,
"Stop touching me." I hissed softly, Nox chuckled.
I could hear Henri curse under his breath. "Chimera…" his voice held a bit of acidity to it.
"Acromantula." Anastasia mused, pleased with what she got. Henri seemed to get the short end of the stick with this one.
"It goes in order; Dubois, Golubev and Gaunt. Good luck to you three." I heard steps leaving us.
"Wonder when the bag of bones will hit the bucket." Nox murmured, "Man may as well be dust at this point in his life."
Anastasia gasped, "Nox!"
"Anastasia!" Nox laughed, "I'm right and you know it! Now excuse us, I need to prepare him."
POV SEBASTIAN SALLOW
I settled us on a wall surrounded by more of our peers and those traveling in from Hogsmeade to watch the first match. While Black sat in the teachers box, I tried to keep Ada calm. It was obvious she was nervous. She was practically chewing at her lip as she waited. Nox was keeping his end of the deal, he would stay close to the ground floor and make sure Ominis could complete this trial.
My eyes settled onto her, her hands gripped the wooden railing. Her hair was braided over her shoulder now, tied off with that blue ribbon. I couldn't help but admire every feature of her face, as if she'd be taken from me in an instant. She had regained some of the weight to her cheeks, her lower lip reddening from her chewing and when I touched her back those impossibly dark eyes looked to me.
"Ada, he'll be fine. Promise, your brother will be sure of it." I kept my voice low.
"How can you be so sure?" She murmured, looking back out over the Arena. Her eyes landed on the prowling Chimera.
"I just know." I murmured, taking and squeezing her hand, for now we were friends. I needed to reassure her. Her hand squeezed mine, her other hand went back to fiddling with the necklace Ominis had given her. The Chimera tried attacking the audience only for the flames to be blocked by the barrier, spreading out over the shimmer then spilling over only for the flames to evaporate. Its dragon tail whipped around, hooves bounding up the rocks as it roared out a fierce roar.
"That poor beast." Ada murmured.
"Poor beast?" I was almost taken by surprise.
"It's scared." She said quietly, only she could see the fiercest of beasts, one that could burn us to a crisp and tear our throats out and think it's scared of us. I had been so focused on Ada that I hadn't noticed the Headmaster announcing the first contestant.
Henri stepped out and I lifted my binoculars to see his hair tied back. Back straight and his usual boyish charm gone, replaced with a stern determination. Though the determination seemingly faulted at the sight of the Chimera. He flung the cloak he wore back over his shoulder.
The chimera caught sight of him, strong legs pounding down into the rocks, causing cracks and small tremors to ruin the rocks below it. Henri stood still watching the beast as it reared up and charged down the rocks. Smoke billowed from its maw as fire enveloped the field surrounding the man. He had quickly cocooned himself in his cloak, the fire simply passed over and surrounded him as if it were just a heavy gust of wind.
The fire subsided and the Chimera went in for a pounce when something quick and a bright orange shot out from under the cloak, the Chimeras hoove stomped down on the cloak. I attempted to find that Orange blur.
"Sebastian, he's an Animagus!" Ada trilled out over the roaring excitement of the crowd, pointing towards the altar to a fox quickly hopping up the stone towards the silver cylinder. The chimera wasn't as easily fooled, hot on the foxes trail. The Chimera stalked up the pile of stone, fire forming and leaving the smoking maw. Just as quickly as the fire came the fox grabbed the Cylinder with its mouth and launched off the altar, fire only licking along the fluff of its tail as it landed down on the Chimeras neck and bounced off its back sprinting for the exit! Henri vanished through the exit disguised as just a stone wall. It happened so quickly.
"Henri Dubois has passed the first challenge!" Headmaster Black announced. The crowds cheered as a large team of wizards filed out of the opposite wall to subdue the beast. Ada squeezed my hand as she saw the ministry workers flinging spell robes catching and restraining it.
"That poor Chimera." She murmured to me. My eyes looked back seeing the Chimera thrash attempting to break free of the restraints until a sleeping charm was put upon it.
"It'll be fine Ada, they have special facilities for these beasts." She looked unsure, her eyes flicked to me then back to the Chimera. As they had managed to restrain and muzzle it, a group of men hefted it up to carry it out of the arena. "Ada." I murmured to her whispering in her ear. "If you want I can ask Professor Sharp about what they'll do with the beasts."
Her eyes lit up, smiling at me. "Please, that would be wonderful." I could feel that fluttering in my heart as she smiled at me.
"I'll sneak over to him now, stay here." I let go of her hand and started walking along the wooden platform squeezing past crowds of people to the staircase.
POV ADA MARROW
I watched Sebastian vanish into the crowd as I looked back over the wall seeing someone replace the cylinder on the altar and others start to awaken the slumbering Acromantula. I was not as sympathetic to the, Giant, hairy and awful spider. I shuddered seeing its legs twitch. It was a large one, larger than the ones I had fought. I do not miss the days of me crawling around in infested man eating spider caves.
I saw the Spider thrum to life as it wiggled and flipped itself back onto its legs. It really didn't do anything but skitter around the arena. It attempted climbing the wall and it worked only for it to climb along the top of the barrier.
"Our next contestant is facing the dreaded Acromantula!" Black shouted out, standing at the front of the Professors viewing box. Wand pressed to his neck, "Please wish Lady Anastasia Golubev best of luck." Black sat down in his seat as I saw The fiery redhead stride out from the wall, wand at the ready. Her hair tied back and eyes glinting with excitement. Perhaps she enjoyed fighting. She hardly seemed lady-like as she wore tight leather pants and knee high boots.
The Acromantula was much too busy trying to escape to notice her. Then a hand was on my shoulder and I looked over to see Henri.
"Salut mon petit oiseau !" He had a wide smile on his face, "I have come to reassure you that your Snake will be fighting the Basilisk!" His smile was like that of a warm sunny day. His assurance was warming.
"That's wonderful news, thank you Henri!" His hand left my shoulder, lightly picking up the necklace sitting out over my school vest.
"This is the necklace?" He held a glint in his forest like eyes, "It fits you well."
"She is taken Frenchman." Sebastian stated cooly, eyes narrowed in on Henri. My eyes landed on him giving him a look. I had given him a stern talking to about that derogatory language.
"I'm well aware, Englishman." Henri spat back. "I am here at the request of her Lover to tell you BOTH that he got the Basilisk."
My face heated up at the mention of Ominis being my Lover. Henris' hand left the necklace.
"And to see the Necklace he had gifted her. I am happy he followed my advice, I couldn't stand the thought of such a Brute as yourself having her." Henri rolled his eyes, looked back down at me, "Now if you excuse me, I have some burns that must be looked at. Jusqu'à la prochaine, nous rencontrons la douce Ada." He took my hand and kissed my knuckles quickly then was just as quick to leave Sebastian and I alone.
I glared at Sebastian, "You didn't have to be rude, he's just being nice." There was a loud gasp from the audience, my eyes flicked back to the arena seeing Anastasia surrounded by fire. Looking back through the Binoculars I could see her hair whipping around by the force of the air. Eyes wide and smile even wider.
She may have been a bit unhinged as she shot more fire at the Acromantula as it screeched, attempting to strike at her. Then she was flinging curses from her wand. Those here hide their use of Dark Magic but she had no qualms about it, she was as fierce as the fire engulfing the spider and we watched in awe as it writhed and finally grew still crumbling to the ground.
She smiled walking past the charred body and up the rocks to snatch up her cylinder. Those from Durmstrang cheered for her, and the crowds joined in the roar echoing over the arena.
"Anastasia Golubev had completed her trial!"
POV OMINIS GAUNT
"You can go join Sebastian and Ada now." I murmured, he had said we were alone in the room now, only waiting for my name to be called.
"Oh no Gaunt, I'm staying here." Nox stated, my head tilted towards his voice.
"Why?" I asked, eyes narrowing.
"Because I'm here to be sure nothing terrible happens to you. Hopefully your brother won't be stupid enough to interfere but I've heard stories from my Father about Obitus." Nox murmured.
"Obitus… Is unpredictable… If he's here I want him as far from Ada and Sebastian as possible." My head lifted hearing my name being announced. It was time.
"Good luck Gaunt, remember I'll be here." His hand smacked my back.
"How reassuring." My voice was dry and unamused, I straightened myself and wand up as I walked out the room. I felt myself walk through a spell shield. Trying to drown out the noise of the jeering crowd. I could hear the snakes sliding along the stone.
'Hungry…' Desperation, pain was in the words. Had they been starving the beast to make it more volatile? I opened my mouth to speak but words would not come out. Why could I not speak? My hand went to my throat, then I heard a roar close to me, I threw myself out of the way, hearing something crunch into the rocks. Wait, where was my wand?
'Food, Stay still.' Panic was about to set in, I was going to die. I couldn't do wandless, non-verbal magic. Focus, focus on the noise the creature makes. The basilisk let out another loud hiss. I rolled along the rock, hearing its head smash into the boulder where I had been. I heard a scream.
"Ominis! Speak, you have to speak!" Ada screamed out over the sound of the panicking crowd. I wish I could but I couldn't! Someone had to have Silencioed me, breaking it now without my wand was next to impossible. Navigating this rocky space would be impossible as well. Running would be a death sentence and I was so turned around that I couldn't figure out where the exit was.
Something hard struck me across my sternum, sending me flying across the arena. Landing on my back, I gasped for air, I forced myself onto my side, hand gripping my chest as I tried to claw my way back onto my feet. Another roar shook the arena, the crowds were screaming. No one would come to help me, they couldn't help me.
"Sonorus!" Magic hit me, the restraint on my voice clearly now dissipating, "Ominis speak!" The crowds panicked. Nox had joined me in the arena to break the charm.
"Don't look it in the eyes!" I rasped out.
"Oh shit." Nox hissed out, I could hear the sounds of shoes running on stone; assuming he was running to the exit I got to my feet.
"Accio Wand!" I felt the familiar softness of the snakewood reach my hand. I grasped onto it. Letting it lead me to the target. I sent out a flurry of spells to the basilisk, knowing it would do no damage to the beast but it would get its attention back onto me, giving Nox enough time to escape.
The Basilisk growled, nearing me again. I could hear the hiss of it rearing up to strike.
'I can free you.' I hissed out, it grew silent.
'Hungry…' It hissed back, I could hear the scales sliding along the stone and feel the coolness as the basilisk slowly surrounded me.
'I can feed you. Let me live and I will free you.' I let my hand touch its scales feeling the bumps of scars and damage under my hand.
'They will not allow it.' The Basilisk sounded defeated.
'I do not care what they will allow.'
POV ADA MARROW
Everyone stared in awe as Ominis spoke in an echoing series of hisses. The once volatile Basilisk now coils around him, now letting Ominis feel at his scales. I could see Ominis raise his hand up slightly, the Basilisk pushing its snout against his hand. His hand lightly stroked along its snout. He spoke softly to it, its head leaving Ominis hand to slither off to the side of the arena away from him.
Ominis walked, wand back up, towards the pile to the altar that held his cylinder. A sense of determination plastered onto his face and anger pulled at his brows. Something had changed, he climbed the rocks then felt for the item and picked it up. Relief overfilled me, as he held up the Cylinder.
There wasn't cheering, or applause. I looked at the audience, faces either unsure or hesitant. Nox had inserted himself into the Trial, that was a firm rule that had been broken and no one was sure what exactly had happened. My eyes traveled to Headmaster Black who was arguing with the Minister and other Heads' of the other two schools.
Ominis looked hesitant from the crowds not cheering for him, his lips pressing to a thin line, face looking hesitant. He rested his wand on his throat.
"Someone used the Silencing Charm on me." He announced, "I could not speak once I entered the arena." The murmurs went silent, then there was outrage
'Someone had tried to sabotage a Champion!'
' He could have died!'
Someone had tried sabotaging him? My blood ran cold, my hands shaking. It couldn't have been Nox. My brother had run out into the arena knowing the danger of facing a Basilisk to do a counter spell. I saw more talking less arguing with the Headmasters and Minister. Blacks lips pursed,
"We shall look into the accusation and for now, it is undecided if Ominis Gaunt has passed the trial."
The crowds murmured, everyone looking to one another to figure out who had done it, my eyes scanned over the crowds, through the binoculars, across the way to land on a pale man with hair like Ominis staring right at me. I felt as if I had met eyes with Death.