In front of a window frosted over by the biting chill of mid-February weather, is Jason. He's in the library, researching a combination of hexes and potions to see if he can come up with a really good way to get back at a certain red-headed girl who spiked his hot chocolate with veritaserum. He's motivated specifically because if he truly is being honest with himself, he has never liked her. And now he can finally feel justified in making her suffer. Does he sound crazy? He has no choice anyways, as he is obligated to keep his word that no one will ever make him feel less-than and get away with it. He made an unbreakable vow with a meteorite, and if he doesn't keep his word who knows what will happen.
But he honestly isn't worried there. He is very confident in his abilities to come up with ways to make people feel like he did. He is very confident in the fact that he will get revenge. However he is so confident he got bored of researching for it and instead turned to looking up when the next compatible full moon will be for when to finish the Felix Felicis. This potion has been dominating a huge space in his mind unlike anything has in the past, other than maybe Harry Potter. He reads in "The Lunar Cycles: A Wizard's Guide to the Moon" that the best and most potent full moon to finish brewing Felix on will be the Sprouting Grass Moon. He finishes his light reading and gets up to put the book back on the shelf when he notices Hermione is in her usual study spot. She's looking through a yearbook from quite a while ago. Jason can't imagine why.
He decides today he won't be too nosy and walks past her without acknowledgement. Jason is about to turn the corner of a bookcase when he's stopped by Draco Malfoy. He seemed to have been waiting just on the other side of the bookshelf. He has a soft look on his face.
"Jason." Draco says, his light grey eyes seemed to be happy to see him. He was almost smiling. "Did you ever use the remedy I gave you? For the invisible wounds?" he asked Jason.
"Oh, uh-yeah actually." Jason responded meekly but confidently. Draco's eyes lit up even though his facial expression barely changed. "You know in the muggle world we call them headaches." Jason added. Draco chuckled.
"I'm aware." Draco said. He got close to Jason. The sudden movement and the fact that they were in public just a few feet from Hermione caused Jason's first instinct to be to step back…but Draco seemed to have expected this and backed him up onto the end of the bookcase. He whispered something into Jason's ear, "It's what my mother calls them." Jason wasn't sure why but he got chills by the gravelly voice Draco just used. Draco backed up and smiled brightly, indicating to Jason it was his attempt at being funny. Jason looked at him with a dead stare and unamused face.
"Good to know," Jason said flatly. Still, Draco looked pleased by this. "Well….thanks for the remedy!" Jason loudly whispered back, picking up his voice towards the end to make sure Draco knew he had every intention of leaving now. He was about to walk off when Draco stopped him by lightly putting his hand on his chest to hold him in place. Jason had no idea why Draco was suddenly being so comfortable with him and frankly the sudden change was freaking Jason out. "Why are you—"
"Is this him, Draco?" interrupted another student. Jason looked to the side and sees a 5th year Slytherin student walking towards them. He was a dirty blonde with pale skin and a sort of suave flair to him. His hair was parted in the middle. As he got closer Jason noticed his eyes were clouded…He was blind.
"Yeah, did you get a good read on him?" Draco asked the student. They put their finger up to indicate to wait a bit. Jason looked at Draco with a confused look.
"How rude of me," Draco said to Jason. "This is Ominus Gaunt IV, his family and mine are old friends." Draco explained. Ominus put his finger down. He turned to Jason.
"You're…in dire need of a meditation session." Ominus told Jason. Meditation? Jason was growing extremely confused.
"Okay, okay, this is hilarious. Ha-ha. See I laughed." Jason lied. "I'm just gonna leave now…"
"Jason, I'm worried about you," Draco admitted.
That was shocking. Jason assumed the out-of-character good deed before winter break from Draco was just a Christmas miracle. An anomaly from his tormenter and nothing else. Sure he's been absolutely pleasant since but Jason also chocked this up to pride and committing to the bit on Draco's end. This is now seeming ….genuine.
"I want to make sure you're all good. Like I said, I get invisible wounds as well. Ominus here does too. The remedy I gave you isn't a long-term solution."
"He's correct about that," added Ominus. He made sure to smile as well. Jason wasn't sure if he wanted to let his guard down. Ominus seemed to sense that. "Please follow me," he said as he left towards the exit of the library. Draco was right behind him. Jason, still unsure, stayed in place for a second before finally giving in and following.
They quietly exited, walking down past a passage way with pair of knight's armor that bicker endlessly, a swath of 1st years playing with gobstones in a corner, and a curious orange cat that seemed to have wandered in. Finally after a couple more turns and three flights of stairs, Ominus stopped and turned around.
"Here we are," he presented the area as if it were a prize. Jason looked around. It was a quiet study corner not too far from the courtyard. There were big windows letting in light that Jason could feel, and a huge highly detailed picture on the wall of a wizard who fell asleep. It was rather unsettling. "It's the quietest spot in all of Hogwarts!" explained Ominus. "Perfect for mediation." Draco looked up at the picture and quickly turned around.
"Yeah, can't imagine why," he joked condescendingly. Ominus couldn't care less. Jason wasn't sure what he got himself into.
"Let's get started." Ominus announced, sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed.
If someone were to walk by Jason, Ominus, and Draco at this moment, they'd think they were under a trance or performing old-school witchcraft. All three were on the floor, facing each other and had their legs crossed with their eyes closed. Ominus walked them both through how to ease their mind from all distraction and reaching that inner peace. Apparently he tried to show Draco this a while ago but to no avail. According to Draco he was reminded of the method when he saw Jason in the Slytherin common room, missing his peace so noticeably. If done correctly, apparently one can go into their mind and heal things that even the most powerful potions in the world aren't able to touch. Ominus explained how through his meditative journeys, even though he is blind, he can see the world.
It took Jason a bit to reach the "Calm" state that Ominus reached so easily. Ominus even begins to float when he meditates.
"It's a pretty advanced state to be able to levitate when in a meditative state," he explained, "The theory goes that your mind becomes so light with thought, it has no choice but to lift you up." Draco started to look a little frustrated. Jason could tell he was absolutely bored. He wondered why Draco was doing this at all especially since he tried before. There had to be some ulterior motive to this. Jason was also growing a tad bit irritated that they had been going at it for an hour with no deeper change. In fact, Jason started to feel the lightest of thumping at his left temple.
"You both are thinking too much," Ominus said unprovoked.
"How could you possibly know that," snapped Draco. Ominus didn't even flinch, his face completely at rest. After a second he opened his right eye.
"I can feel it. The guards aren't being let down." Ominus began to float higher, until finally he uncrossed his legs and stood up, his feet gently reaching the ground. "You both have too much on your minds. We can try again some other time!" he concluded with a bright smile. At this we walked off.
"That cost me three galleons…" said Draco as Ominus turned the corner. Jason looked at him with another confused look.
"What?" Jason asked him. Draco just shrugged.
"I know, I could have gotten his father for just a few sickles more…What I get for cheapening out…"
"That's not what I mean!" Jason said exasperated, getting up. Draco quickly gets up as well.
"I'm aware." Draco stated with a small sigh. "Americans can't appreciate a good jest it seems," he continued.
"Why are you trying to help me so much?" Jason finally asked him.
"You do know I'm a prefect right? It's my job—"
"Don't even try it Draco!" Jason snapped. "You've been downright evil to me since forever and now you want to pretend like nothing happened?
Draco just had a smirk on his face. "Why can't I?" he replied. Jason was almost amazed.
"It doesn't work like that." Jason stated plainly. He began to turn around to walk off when Draco grabbed him by the waist. There was something familiar about that feeling to Jason. The thought made him stop. He closed his eyes. "What is happening to me God?" Jason couldn't help but think. He let out a deep breath before opening his eyes again. Draco was looking straight at them.
"Jason. I want to apologize for being a prick," Draco said humbly, letting Jason go. "I don't apologize by the way. Ever. But I get the impression that I need to. You're brilliant, and clever, and I've always thought so." Jason just stood there. His apology was almost nice. He never in a million years thought Draco Malfoy would apologize to him, let alone give him compliments. It didn't do away with the pain caused by him, but could it mean those times were finally over? Was he actually going to have a real Slytherin experience from now on?
"Thanks. I…" Jason couldn't believe what he was about to say, "I accept your apology."
Draco beamed. The wizard in the painting snored loudly.
