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The first time you met Ominis Gaunt he wasn't very happy with you. In fact, one would even say he was pissed off.
Sebastian Sallow had shown you his secret hideaway- The Undercroft -and made you promise not to tell anyone, least of all Ominis himself. As he explained, it had once been a place of sanctuary for Ominis and the Sallow twins, Ominis having been the one who discovered it in the first place. Quickly you had understood, at least vaguely, the sentiment the three of them must share for the place and the fact that the Gaunt boy wouldn't take too kindly to an uninvited guest in his domain. You had agreed to hold the secret close and, once your goal in coming there had been met, you hurried to leave the hideaway.
As you stepped out of the Undercroft, you were immediately met with the face of the one person you absolutely weren't supposed to let find out about your adventure here tonight. You held your breath, unsure of what to do or if he had even heard you when he called out to you.
"I know you're there. Did you.. just come from the Undercroft?" He was visibly tense, a look of confusion and frustration firmly on his face. You hated to see it directed at you, but there was something about the way his brows furrowed that made you think he looked especially cute.
"I-Is that what it's called? I, uh, stumbled upon it while I-" A half-assed lie and you knew it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to break your promise to Sebastian.
"Do not lie to me," he seethed, shocking you into silence. "I am blind, not daft. Sebastian led you here, didn't he?" He waited a moment, but you couldn't bring yourself to confirm nor deny his suspicions, which only made him more certain of his thoughts. "Of course he did. Unbelievable. And you thought a lie like that would fool me?" he sneered, stepping closer to you as he spoke. Unable to look at him any longer, you directed your gaze at the cold marble floor. It was uncomfortable for anyone to be upset with you, but having calm Ominis be the one made it feel different. "If I hear of you poking around here again, not even your precious Professor Fig would be able to help you. My father is friends with the Headmaster and I'm not afraid to exploit that connection if need be. Understood?" You nod your head, not thinking of the fact he couldn't see it. He was being so threatening and cold, yet you were oddly smitten. Especially as he stepped right into your personal space and all you could sense was the smell of his cologne radiating over you. Subconsciously, you found yourself breathing a little deeper to savour the moment, an action which Ominis misunderstood fairly quickly. "I see I've made my point." He seemed oddly satisfied with himself for being a right twat, though this commanding side of his was not entirely unwelcome in your eyes. With that, he headed towards the Undercroft himself, disappearing behind its' secret door in record time. Your last thought as you watched his robe fade away was that you felt sorry for Sebastian, considering the scolding he was surely about to receive.
"Wow." You were starstruck, your heart beating hard in your chest. You'd never found much romantic interest in other people, let alone someone so rude, but there was something about Ominis Gaunt that drew you in. You hadn't seen much of him before this, only catching glimpses when you heard somebody make comments about 'the blind kid'. The few times you had gotten a good look, he seemed elegant, for lack of a better word. He moved with such refined grace that you almost didn't believe he was blind. Admittedly, he had entranced you quickly before having ever talked with him. Knowing now that he had a rough side to him only served to make him more interesting in your eyes. Briefly, you wondered if something was wrong with you for finding him so attractive when talking down to you. That felt like a conversation for another day, though. Your immediate goal was to figure out how to not seem like a moron the next time you spoke and to somehow get him to forgive you for tonight’s transgressions. As with most things, though, it felt like that was going to be easier said than done.
---
It had been nearly a week since your encounter with Ominis outside of the Undercroft and your head was still filled with thoughts of the wizard. The beauty marks on his face and those steely eyes of his were especially stuck, as you had gotten an especially good look of his features when he was standing menacingly in your personal space. He wasn't much taller than you, but in that moment it felt as if he were leagues above you and for some reason that only served to draw you in more. In fact, it would be an understatement to say that it had affected you. Ominis Gaunt had all but possessed you. Your nightly dreams were simply fantasies of him, and even during the day you would find yourself drifting off to thoughts of him. This near-obsession with him had made it practically impossible to bring up to your friends, as you weren’t sure how they would react. The thought made you so uncomfortable, in fact, that you had been subconsciously avoiding Poppy and Natty for a day or two in an attempt to sort out your thoughts and feelings. You even managed to successfully stay away from them for a bit somehow. Unfortunately, your luck seemed to run out a little too quickly.
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding away.” The voice of Natsai Onai cut through the silence of your corner of the library. You sheepishly looked up from the essay you had been attempting to write and gave her an awkward grin. “Poppy and I have been looking for you everywhere! It is as if you are trying to avoid us. Which you wouldn’t do, yes?” Her gaze was focused solely on you, even as Poppy Sweeting joined the two of you.
“I’ve been, uh, busy with this essay for Potions?” Admittedly, you had meant to sound a bit more confident, but Natty’s ever-focused gaze made you more nervous than you thought. “I suppose I have been essentially… avoiding you two? Not because of you, though! It’s a bit complicated.” You silently hoped they hadn’t been too upset with your absence.
“Oh, do tell,” Poppy chimed in, “I’ve been wondering what your reason was going to be.” While Natty very much was acting the ‘disappointed mom’, Poppy seemed more pleased at finally finding you and trying to figure out what you had been hiding.
“I, uh,” You looked around the library quickly, feeling a bit nervous about sharing your thoughts when someone unwelcome could be listening. “How about we get together later? We could go see the magical creatures and I will spill all of my secrets. Sound like a plan?” The two girls looked at each other for a moment, debating, before turning back with a shrug. They agreed to your plan and the three of you spoke for a bit longer before going your separate ways. Now it was up to you to figure out how to say what had only been floating in your head thus far.
---
“Alright, spill your secrets.” The three of you had just gotten done caring for the Kneazles and were taking a break in the grass when Natty decided she had enough waiting. You couldn’t even pretend you hadn’t heard her, as you had visibly flinched at the sound of her voice. Accepting the reality that telling your friends was not only necessary but likely helpful, you sat down next to them and thought about what to say.
"I... may be having thoughts, and feelings, about a, uh, boy?" You looked to the side, as if there was anything remotely interesting next to you that you hadn't already seen in the hour or so the three of you had been out by the Beasts classroom. You pretended not to notice the girls' eyebrows shoot up and the look that they exchanged. However, it was harder to ignore when they began whispering to themselves as if you were no longer there. With a roll of your eyes, you continued, "I haven’t known him very long, but I think that I am beginning to possibly... maybe... like him?" This time, Poppy chimed in, barely containing her growing excitement.
"Well, who is it? Do we know this boy you think you like?" You could most definitely hear the teasing smile in her words without even having to look back. You glanced back at them and immediately deflated a bit, knowing you weren't about to go anywhere before you shared as many details as your two friends wanted.
"Ah, I mean..." You paused for a moment, wondering if the Gaunt name would intimidate them, as you weren't very familiar with the Wizarding World yet and you, personally, didn't know much about the family until the rumours you heard from a couple of Slytherins. Ah, the handicap of being Muggleborn. Still, your friends didn't seem very overly fearful of much and they were practically dying waiting for you to divulge his name. "It's, um, Ominis Gaunt." As expected, the girls were definitely surprised, though they didn't seem to be upset at the idea of your crush on one of the infamous Gaunts. The two shared a look again- you had to wonder if they were able to telepathically communicate somehow -before Natty turned back and drew your attention.
"Well, what is it about this boy that you like so much?" Natty prompted, a bit bewildered as to how you were able to fall so quickly for a person you barely knew. Even you were confused by the immediate attraction to someone so new to your life.
"I don't know... I just... like him?" You said, twirling a piece of hair with your fingers while feeling awfully nervous under the gaze of your two friends. Natty and Poppy gave you a curious look, as if to say that wasn't nearly enough information to satiate them.
"I mean... he's Ominis! Ominis Gaunt! He's cool and mysterious, yet always elegantly graceful in everything I've seen him do. Besides Potions class, but who can blame him for that one? Also, I must mention that he's quite handsome, as I'm sure you two have noticed." A look of agreement was shared, which only seemed to ignite a fire of passion in you. "His sharp cheekbones and jawline, his gorgeous eyes that I could get lost in for hours, the beauty marks on his face! Even the way he guides himself wherever he needs to go with his seemingly-sentient wand. He’s strikingly beautiful, mysterious, and his personality is enchanting. Admittedly, he does have a rough side to him, as I found out one night that I had, er, upset him. Due to that, though, I fear he doesn’t have the best opinion of me." At that, you trailed off, thinking about the interactions you had thus far with the Gaunt boy. You'd managed to make a fool of yourself already, and the displeasure with which he had looked at you made you feel a bit ill to even think about. “I feel oddly determined to try to win him over, though. There’s something about him I just can’t get over. He’s intruded into my daily thoughts one too many times to just give up on him.”
With most of your mess of words out of the way, you looked up to your friends only to notice an odd look on both of their faces. “What’s wrong, you two?” At that, they got an even weirder look on their face and you had to look around to try to figure out what had them so tightly wound. Quickly, you were given an answer in the form of the boy standing some six feet behind the three of you. Ominis Gaunt himself, looking very much like he had just heard every word from your mouth. Without even thinking, you immediately jumped to your feet and opened your mouth as if to speak. Unfortunately what came out was a pathetic sound and you found yourself running away at full speed. The only thing that broke through the embarrassed fog in your head was the sound of Ominis shouting at you to wait, though you did not heed his request and kept running until you had reached your common room.
“I am a fool,” you groaned to yourself as you slid down against the wall. “An absolute fool.”
---
A week had passed since the incident outside the Beasts classroom and while you were no longer avoiding Natty and Poppy, you were now avoiding Ominis like your life absolutely depended on it. You simply couldn’t bring yourself to face him after the embarrassment of knowing he heard you gushing about your crush on him. Even Sebastian had taken notice of your routine avoidance of the Gaunt boy. A groan escaped you at the thought and you let your head fall to the desk in front of you. You had come to the library as a form of escape, but also because you had assignments to work on. Assignments that had since been forgotten as you couldn’t stop replaying that embarrassing moment in your head. Why had he even shown up there? Why was he so damn quiet? Another groan rolled out of you and you completely gave up on getting any work done.
“Having a struggle, are we?” The voice caught you completely off guard and you sat up straight in your chair, a piece of parchment drifting to the ground, free from your face at last. Standing right next to you was none other than the person you had thought you were very successfully avoiding. Ominis looked down at you, a seemingly amused smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.
“I didn’t realise anybody was nearby,” you admitted, rubbing your neck and looking to the side. The Slytherin may not have been able to see, but you felt like he was looking right through you. “Is there something I can do for you?” Maybe he hadn’t actually heard you the other day and only wanted to know why you had run from him.
“Oh, I suppose you can start with explaining why you ran from my handsome face and gorgeous eyes the other day.” Well, there goes any chance that he hadn’t heard you. Your face immediately flushed red at his words and you scooted your chair a little further away from him, as if you’d be able to escape. “I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but when you said my name, I couldn’t help but listen in.” If the floor opened up and swallowed you whole right now, you wouldn’t complain to a soul. He had truly heard almost every word you said about him and the thought made you want to pass out. What were you even supposed to say in this situation? You thought you had done a good enough job avoiding him that you hadn’t considered what you would do if he found and approached you.
“I didn’t realise you were there.” A poor excuse and you knew it, but you couldn’t come up with anything else to say. This seemed to amuse Ominis though, as he let out a soft chuckle.
“You still didn’t realise when I was shouting at you to wait?” He had a point there, you had to admit.
“I had to get back to my common room, as I was late for a meeting with a classmate who needed tutoring help.” At this, Ominis actually tutted at you like he was a teacher about to call out your mistake.
“I told you before- I’m blind, not daft. If you’re going to lie, I would suggest coming up with one that is not only believable to others, but to yourself.” Truthfully, you had never been a good liar so it wasn’t a huge surprise you couldn’t pull one over on him. It would certainly make your life a little easier, though.
“Alright, what do you want me to say?” You threw your hands up in the air. “You threatened me once and I thought it was hot, so I was talking about my stupid schoolchild crush on you.” Your sudden declaration seemed to have thrown Ominis off, as his stupid smirk was replaced with a look of mild shock. Taking this as disgust instead, you continued, “I know it’s dumb and I know you don’t like me. So, instead of standing there tormenting me over it, I’d prefer if you could simply fuck off instead.” At this, he spluttered and jerked forward to potentially stop you from running off again. Sensing that you had stayed seated, he relaxed just slightly, although he still looked concerned at the possibility of your escape.
“It was by no means my intention to hold this over your head like a bully,” he began, regaining his composure. “In fact, I mostly wished to confirm whether or not you had been telling the truth. I was wont to believe it was simply another person making fun of me, though once I realised it was you, I no longer knew what to think. Hence why I’ve cornered you in the library.” He stepped a bit closer to you, causing you to look up from your desk and towards him. His features were always wonderful to you, but he looked especially good as he relaxed more than you’ve seen from him yet. His tender eyes were looking at you with a question. ‘Did you mean what you said?’ You swallowed past the frog in your throat and carefully reached for his hand. Once he had felt your hand, he swiftly scooped it up in his own.
“I was serious. Silly as it may be, I find myself having thoughts of you, Ominis. I want to talk to you, and look at you, and be near you. Is that… weird or too much to ask?” You glanced up at him, hopeful that he wouldn’t be bothered. Although you hadn’t known each other long, you felt like you could get to know him so easily. You felt like you wanted to know anything you could about him- like he was someone that had already been by your side forever.
“It seems the spell you’ve cast on me has succeeded,” he finally said, a grin firmly back on his visage. “In fact, would you do me the honour of joining me at the Three Broomsticks tonight?” You raised an eyebrow at his sudden request, but couldn’t help the smile that began to form on your face.
“Ominis Gaunt, are you asking me out on a date right now? After I’ve just avoided you for a week and then suddenly confessed my feelings?” you asked, feeling as if this was going to end up being one of your incredibly realistic dreams.
“I believe I am. And your answer to that would be?” He gave your hand a small squeeze, smiling down at you warmly. How could anyone possibly say no to that face? It would simply be a crime.
“Of course I will. Which you should know, as you’ve made it quite clear that you’re not daft.” The two of you chuckled almost in unison, knowing that comment had just sealed the deal on an inside joke between you.
“Wonderful. I shall meet you there later after I’ve gotten rid of Sebastian for the night.” You had almost forgotten about Sebastian in the midst of all of your Ominis concerns and while the Sallow boy was a good friend to you, you definitely didn’t want him third-wheeling your date. As you were about to reply in the affirmative, Ominis leaned down and gave you a quick peck on the cheek. “Don’t miss my handsome face too much while we’re apart.” With that, he made his exit, leaving you behind holding a hand to your cheek in shock. How one boy could be so sweet and charming, yet so threatening and cold when angry was beyond you. He truly would be the death of you at this rate, though you couldn’t say you minded the idea of ‘death by Ominis Gaunt’s charm’ too much. Death would, however, have to wait until after you’d gone on at least one date. A date which you needed to quickly prepare for, as you would most certainly have to inform Natty and Poppy before you could actually get ready. This would definitely be a memorable night.