Ominis' eyelids fluttered open. He couldn't see, yet he knew the room was still dark and the time was seven o'clock in the morning. For years his body had woken him at the exact hour. He closed his eyes. He really wished he could sleep longer, but such wasn't in his nature.
He did linger, though, and caught himself suppressing a bout of laughter. He and Sebastian had spent their last free day before a new week galivanting round the countryside. They'd stumbled upon a Niffler den, always a captivating find because dens were usually stuffed full of all kinds of objects to rifle through.
This time, though, the den had been full of days born offspring. A breath escaped Ominis' control as he pictured Sebastian covered in baby Nifflers when he'd reached down to retrieve a shiny galleon. Ominis had shaken with laughter as he pointed his wand at the little blighters and stung them one by one until they'd left off his best friend. Sebastian whinged under his breath all the way back about rogue Nifflers left to terrorize the countryside then regaled him with a particularly invasive season of Nifflers that had wreaked havoc on Feldcroft.
Ominis pulled himself up in bed. He reached under his pillow for his trusty wand, scooted to the edge of the bed, and slipped through the break in the green curtain. The curtains of Sebastian's bed next to his were still drawn. Ominis stood, stretched, and yawned. He flicked his wand and muttered a spell. The curtains surrounding his bed whisked to the four corners and tied themselves to the spindles.
He shuffled over to Sebastian's bed, drew back a curtain, and sighted his friend's sleeping form with his wand. He nudged at the shadowy outline and received a grunting moan in response.
'It's morning,' Ominis said. 'Time to get cracking.'
An indistinct mumble came from the shadow. Ominis jabbed his wand a couple more times.
'Leave off,' Sebastian grumbled, swiping at the wand with a weak wave of his hand.
Ominis grinned, then let the curtain fall and turned back to his own section of the dormitory. 'Wingardium leviosa.' The stack of clothing and shoes he'd methodically laid out the night before floated off a side table and he directed them towards the dormitory door, out the entrance, and down a hall to a small set of stairs.
He was completely blind as he proceeded along. Unfortunately for him, his wand couldn't both allow him to see and direct another spell at the same time. Didn't matter as he knew the Slytherin section of Hogwarts by rote; navigating it without sight wasn't an issue, especially at this time of the day when most of his peers were just rising. Even if he did miss someone coming his way, they'd moved over for him and let him pass.
Ominis proceeded through his morning ritual in the bathroom. He didn't really mind that he woke up like clockwork. Every day he opened his eyes in Hogwarts instead of at home was a good day. When he finished and returned to the dormitory, two of his other dormmates were rising—Sebastian's curtains were still drawn.
Ominis spelled the curtain closest to the head of the bed so it pulled itself back and tied up to the spindle. He aimed his wand at his friend's face. 'Ventus glacius.' A jet of icy air shot from the end of his wand. Sebastian cried out, shooting up in the bed. The outline of his form lunged for Ominis, who jumped back.
'You're awake,' Ominis said, swallowing a guffaw.
'Thanks to you,' Sebastian growled. He rolled out of the bed and suddenly a lumpy shadow was flung at Ominis' head.
'Immobulus!' Ominis just managed to shout. A pillow froze a hair's breadth in front of his nose and thumped against the floor. He raised his eyebrows at his friend.
'I'll get you later,' Sebastian mumbled then stumbled over to the dormitory wardrobe to dig inside for a fresh pair of clothes and his robe.
Ominis shook his head with a smile. Threats and grump were traditional for his friend in the morning. Ominis twirled his wand, then held it in front of him, where it admitted a blinking red gleam. He left the dormitory and headed towards the common room.
He loved the Slytherin dungeon. He had heard some descriptions of the other dormitories—the Hufflepuff room, bursting with greenery and cozy sitting spots; the Ravenclaw Tower, airy, full of light, and stocked with intellectual pursuits; the Gryffindor Tower, ancient and medieval in furnishings and atmosphere. But the Slytherin common room, with its underwater views, its austere furnishings, its fountains and dimly lit rooms felt like a true retreat, something like he imagined the burrow of a Mooncalf felt like.
Ominis approached the vast fireplace always kept crackling and rested his back against one side. He scanned the room with his wand, assessing those present. Although his wand-sight was not perfect by far, he had learned the particular shape of every Slytherin. Imelda had her back to him, overshadowing a table of second years. Even without identifying her shape, he would have recognized her by the way she was animatedly describing a recent Quidditch practice. Over by the fountain, Grace, looking downwards, stood with her arms behind her back. The large and unwelcome Albrecht, who had tried to bully Ominis his first day at Hogwarts, loomed near the exit, waiting for his posse.
Ominis searched with his wand. Where was Anne? She was usually an early riser like him. She… His wand stopped at the exit from the girls' dormitory. She had just stepped out and Ominis' breath caught in his throat. Anne had changed since last year. Her shape had become taller, more defined with burgeoning curves, and she walked differently, too. He wasn't sure how to describe her gait. It was more…elegant somehow.
Ominis straightened, pushing away from the fireplace. He could hear a couple of first-years over by the windows, two that hadn't been baited yet. He grinned and made a beeline for Anne.
'Alright?' Anne greeted, meeting him halfway.
He nodded his head towards the windows. 'Want to give it another go?'
Anne's head swiveled in the direction of the windows. 'Of course.'
Together they moved towards the clear panes' underwater view, planting themselves near the first years. They wouldn't be able to trick the new unfortunate souls for much longer. Six weeks into the term was about as long as they could maintain the charade.
'Ominis! Ominis!' Anne cried out. 'Look!'
Ominis pretended to stare out the window. 'What?'
'Can't even you see it? A mermaid! There!' Anne pointed.
'I…I see it,' Ominis said, staring wide-eyed with amazement.
The first years began to squeal, one even pressing a nose to the glass. 'Where?'
'It's glowing,' Ominis said.
Anne gushed. 'It's beautiful.'
'Where? Where?' the first-years chattered.
'Maybe,' Anne said, as if pondering, 'only third-years can see them.'
'But why would…' Ominis began.
'You know, because of the mermaid charm Professor Ronen taught us.'
'Yes. That must be it.'
The first-years skittered away, practically sprinting to the exit and chattering excitedly.
Ominis and Anne burst into laughter, sure that later they would hear the two first-years had spent the morning begging the Charms professor to teach them a non-existent spell.
'There are mermaids in the lake, you know,' said a voice to their right. Ominis saw Nerida's shape facing a window.
'I've never seen one,' Ominis intoned.
Nerida's head turned to him with a tilt indicating his joke wasn't funny. 'I read a parchment about them. They are out there.'
'If there are,' Anne said, 'they wouldn't leap up the waterfall so they'd never reach us.' She grabbed Ominis' arm to pull him away from the windows. 'She's always going on about mermaids,' she said under her breath. 'Get her started and she'll never stop. Ah! There you are, sleepyhead!'
Sebastian had just stumbled out into the common room. Anne stood before him and raised her wand. 'Capillus corrigere.' Sebastian's hair waved this way and that before rearranging in a better order.
'It'll only go back to the way it was later,' Sebastian said, lifting a hand to run it through his hair. Anne grasped his wrist.
'It will stay that way if you leave it alone. Let's go!' She pranced towards the exit. A small tingle buzzed in Ominis' stomach as he watched her walk away.
'She's becoming too much like a mother,' Sebastian complained as he paced beside Ominis after Anne.