Author's Note: This entire work has been cross-posted from AO3. This is a rather huge work and there's plenty of formatting issues I need to cover, so expect updates consistently over the following week.
I hope you enjoy!
The good thing about not having sight, Ominis Gaunt used to joke, was that he at least had good sense.
That same sense spoke to him now as he navigated his way through the Slytherin dungeons. It was late in the evening. Most of the Slytherin students were either lounging in the common rooms or knocked out in their bedrooms, but Ominis had astronomy.
A pointless class, really. He was used to spending most of it freezing with the rest of his classmates and sitting next to Grace Pinch-Smedley, listening to her describe the stars and constellations to the best of her ability.
Sebastian Sallow could usually be found in their shared dormitory room. He'd be the one to lead Ominis to his bed and help him find the right clothes, letting him know if he was picking up his pajamas or his everyday trousers. It was their routine. Ominis would dress (slowly) and Sebastian would babble (too loudly) about his day.
But tonight, he wasn't here. Ominis knew that the instant he stepped into their shared bedroom. He knew what Sebastian's presence felt like. It was loud and dark and playful and demanded noticing. Tonight, it was noticeably missing. Ominis got a sinking feeling in his gut. He rushed out into the common room.
"Where's Sebastian?" Ominis asked. To his right, he heard someone speak up.
"Came back here and ran back out," a sleepy voice said. "Do you need any help, Ominis?"
"No," Ominis said, too quickly. "Thank you. I've got to go."
Panicking, Ominis turned around and walked back through the common room. He felt his housemates scatter out of his way, calling out their warnings. It didn't matter now. He had to go before that boy did anything stupid.
He was at the Undercroft before he knew it. A sleepy classical tune was playing somewhere overhead. Aside from the soft chatter of students still wandering the halls, the castle was quiet.
Except for the yelling.
"...not listening, Sebastian." Ominis caught the last part of the sentence just as he waved his wand to open the door.
"Why would I listen to someone so ignorant?"
Sebastian's voice. Cold, hard, mean. Ominis felt the sting of the words almost as if they had been meant for him.
The silence that rang after his words was deafening. And then:
"Your uncle was right." A deep breath, a soft sigh. "You really don't know when to stop."
Footsteps boomed across the Undercroft. Ominis felt Sebastian come closer, felt the heat of his breath as he stomped away. "What's going on?" Ominis demanded. "What've you-"
Sebastian's shoulder slammed into his. Ominis heard the girl on the other side of the room shout a reprimand, but Sebastian wasn't listening. He muttered something under his breath and disappeared.
"Sebastian!" A girl's voice, angry and annoyed.
Ominis walked closer, holding his wand out in front of him. His steps rang out in the empty room. "Oh, Ominis." The voice was softer now, tender. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ominis replied. She smelled like battle: like ash, smoke, and even a little bit of blood. Wherever they'd come from, it hadn't been a leisurely stroll. Tentatively, he reached out his free hand.
Allegra Chant's warm, solid hands met his, clasping them together. Ominis felt himself smile as he moved his touch to her elbow.
Two months ago, Allegra came blundering into Hogwarts with an air of mystery and tales of a dragon attack. She'd come prancing into Ominis' life, somehow, when he witnessed the explosive duel between her and Sebastian on the very first day of class.
She'd further cemented her presence in his life on the day he caught her in the Undercroft. And since then, her presence had become tangled with Sebastian's growing desperation to find a cure.
But that wasn't all she was to Ominis. Sure, maybe Allegra was another one of Sebastian's new friends, looped into whatever scheme was consuming his waking hours—which was Anne, these days—but she was also, strangely enough, a new friend for him.
Winning that duel had won her several hundred points in his favor. There was nothing more satisfying than hearing Sebastian's surprised yelp and thud when a well-placed Depulso sent his friend sprawling off the edge of the dueling platform. Ominis nearly cheered right along with her housemates when it happened. Sure, he'd told her something along the lines of Don't get cocky just because you beat Sebastian once, but he'd really wanted to say Well bloody played and Do that a few more times, please, his ego could use the softening.
He was never the type to try and make new friends. New friends usually found Ominis, by way of his association with Sebastian or whenever they were forced upon him by school activities and shared assignments. News of the new fifth-year's arrival was received with a shrug and dismissal. Yes, she'd come with startling rumors about dead Ministry workers and dragon attacks, but Allegra Chant was just another girl, late enrollee or not. She found her crowd and he stayed with his one good friend and that was the end of that.
Except History of Magic happened. Weekly, as classes tended to do.
On the first day, Ominis fell asleep as he always had, not even bothering to pretend to pay attention. It had been a nice cool day in the classroom, all soft breezes and the quiet, throaty murmurs of their undead Professor. Ominis could feel the warmth of sunlight filtering through the glass. He vaguely registered someone sliding into the free seat beside him, but by then, he was halfway into his snooze.
This snooze, this cat-nap, this doze had pulled him so deeply into dreamland that Ominis barely caught himself when he teetered off the edge of his desk and seat.
Somebody grabbed his arm.
"Good morning," a voice whispered teasingly, pulling him safely back into his seat. "Merlin," Ominis mumbled. "Thank you, um—"
"Allegra," she said. "You were drifting off to dreamland, I think. Any riveting adventures?"
Ominis shrugged. "I believe I was riding on the back of a unicorn, braiding its mane and telling it all of my wishes."
She laughed at that: an easy, musical little sound. It was infectious enough to pull his lips into a little smile of their own. "What did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you, I'm afraid. It won't come true otherwise."
There was a rustle, and Ominis felt the crinkle of foil wrapping touching the back of his hand. "If you wished for a bit of candy," Allegra said, "I believe I can make your wishes come true." Ominis hummed in approval. "Mint?"
"Caramel."
He sighed, shaking his head as he popped the piece of candy into his mouth. "I suppose it will have to do."
For every subsequent History of Magic class that week, Allegra Chant elected to sit beside him. Ominis noticed that she would try, at least, to pay a little bit of attention. He would hear her quill scratching against parchment for about ten minutes. Then Allegra would give up, sigh, and her head would thump against the desk in surrender.
He'd teased her about it once.
"Welcome to the club," Ominis whispered from the crook of his arms.
"I suppose I was bound to join it eventually," Allegra whispered back. "Are there any perks?" Ominis snickered. "How does getting the easiest O in your life sound?"
He could hear the grin in her voice. "Seeing as the O.W.L.S. are the entire reason I transferred to Hogwarts in the first place, I believe that sounds wonderful."
It was their time, History of Magic. Allegra had made many fast friends in Hogwarts—Sebastian being one of them—and there were many things demanding her attention. But there, in that dusty classroom with its equally-dusty professor, Ominis could allow himself to enjoy caramels, whisper teasing words, and make a new friend in peace.
But life had an irritating tendency to get in the way. Life, with its cursed sisters and desperate brothers, had managed to wedge itself in between whatever friendship (it was friendship, just friendship) had started to form in between them.
"What's happened?" Ominis asked. "Where did you two go? What did you do?"
In explanation, Allegra guided his hand to the wall. His palm met the softness of canvas and the dry texture of old paint. "What is it?"
"A triptych: three wooden panels, three paintings." Allegra's voice was strained, still carrying a note of frustration in her tone. "The one in the middle is missing. We found the one on the right in a goblin-riddled cave." He heard a soft thump as Allegra sat down heavily on something-the floor, maybe-accompanied by another one of her sighs.
"And I heard you two snapping at each other because?"
"Because I can't believe he would call me ignorant!" Allegra cried, voice breaking. "After all I've done for him—after all you've done for him—after the lengths we went through, Ominis!"
There was a sniff. Then there was a sound of cloth brushing on skin as Allegra wiped at her eyes. "I won't let him make me cry. I won't."
Ominis felt a twist in his chest. Hand reaching out, he sank down onto the floor, letting Allegra guide him the rest of the way.
Silence settled over the Undercroft. They could hear the grinding and creaking noises of Hogwarts above them, could smell the dust and dampness of the abandoned furniture there.
Once, this space had been used by the best of friends. It had once been Anne, Ominis, and Sebastian against the world, playing Gobstones, learning explosive curses, and honing their magic away from prying eyes. For a moment, with Allegra's arrival, the Undercroft almost seemed like that was a possibility again.
Why did it have to happen in the middle of all this?
"I'm sorry," Ominis said finally. "I'm sorry he dragged you into all of this. I'm sorry I dragged you into it. I can't imagine how you feel, dealing with this in your first year here."
Allegra sniffed. "It doesn't matter. You two are some of my best friends in Hogwarts. If you asked me to jump into fire…" He heard her shuffling, listened as her hand twisted circles into her skirt. "I'm...just trying to help."
"I know."
Suddenly, Ominis felt Allegra's weight press into his. Her arms were around his neck, and he felt her tuck her head into the crook of his shoulder. For a moment, Ominis felt frozen. She was hugging him.
Ominis cleared his throat and hugged her back, resting his hands on the small of her waist. Could she feel his heart beating wildly in his chest?
"Thank you, Ominis." She whispered, breath tickling his ear. "You're a good friend, you know?" Allegra gave him another squeeze and pulled away. "Sorry. I should have asked."
"No, I—" Ominis cleared his throat. "It's alright."
"I've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower," Allegra said. Her hand closed around his as she helped him to his feet. "I'll walk you back."
It wasn't up for discussion. Ominis allowed Allegra to lead him through the darkened halls of Hogwarts, his arm looped through the crook of her elbow. It seemed like they arrived at the Slytherin dungeons too soon, and when Allegra gave him another hug and pulled away, the air around Ominis felt colder and more oppressive than it ever had before.
What was happening to him?
As he bumped into one of the high-backed chairs in Slytherin dungeon, Ominis realized-with a small, amused chuckle-that he hadn't even bothered to take out his wand. He'd fully entrusted his navigation to her.
He heard Sebastian shoot up in his bed when Ominis came through the door. "Ominis, I'm sorr— what took you so long?" Sebastian hissed.
"People are sleeping, Sebastian," Ominis whispered, tone sharper than he meant it to be. "You mustn't be so ignorant."
He felt Sebastian flinch. Then Ominis heard the sound of the curtains around his bed whizzing shut, a clear sign of Sebastian's upset. It would have been enough to make Ominis feel bad.
But he fell asleep that night remembering the comforting presence of Allegra's weight against his body, remembering the scent of clementines and fire magic that clung to her presence.
Salazar save him.