Chapter Text
The first time that she had met Ominis Gaunt for real was when she slipped off the changing stairs.
And he firmly held onto her arm to steady her. All done with him being blind and holding his sentient wand on the other hand.
“Vega? Are you alright?” Ominis started, head turning towards her with a look of concern painted over his handsome visage. He recognized her scent as the new girl in class that had joined the 4th year Slytherin, the same class and house as he and Sebastian is. She had sat beside him then, and she had this most lovely sweet scent on her that he couldn’t put his mind into.
Just that he couldn’t tell her he recognizes her by her scent alone. That would scare her away.
“Can you stand?” he added, voice a tad bit concerned when he felt her uttered a wince in his arms.
Vega stuttered a reply back and frantically tried to stand upright on her own, but for some reason, her heels gave way and she completely fell into his arms. He had to quickly wrap an arm around her small back under her arm to support her.
“I-I’m so sorry Ominis,” she said apologetically into his chest as he pulls her up from her fall. “My…My heels gave way.”
“It’s alright,” Ominis replied to her graciously, letting her take her time to stand on her own again. They were too close, and she’s literally plastered to the front of his chest with how he had to support her weight with one arm whilst having his other one holding his wand. “Take your time. Don’t be afraid. You’re alright.”
The moment she realizes just how close he’s holding her to him is, she couldn’t help the hot blush and the heart pounding to start.
When she had first joined the Sorting Hat ceremony as a 4th year, guided by her -cold-and-icy-to-outsiders-but-sweet-and-warm-to-her brother, Vesper Earandel, Head Boy of the prefects of Hogwarts, her eyes had landed straight on this pale beautiful blonde boy sitting with a loudmouthed brunette with an abundant freckle on his charming face. He was chattering to him non-stop and describing everything to him with a grand gesture of his hand. She briefly recalled the brunette boy smiling at her, but all she could remember was her eyes catching onto his pale milky blue eyes and that small smile and nod to whatever it is the brunette boy says.
She noted that he didn’t look anywhere and had to feel around for his goblet. Was he- was he blind?
She remembered the embarrassment when she had walked straight into her brother’s broad back while he’s leading her down the hall as the last person to get sorted by the Sorting Hat. He had then quickly turned around and looked up and down at her frantically, brushing her fringes away from her small face kindly. She had wanted to cry when her brother asked her if she is alright as his back is quite hard and if she had hurt herself but swallowed them all into her stomach when she realize this is really not the place to feel touched by her brother being kind to her.
You see, Vega Earandel is new to the wizarding world. She was the famous missing baby girl from the Earandel family and had just newly been found and returned to her real family. Just that nobody warned her beforehand that her family is famous and prestigious. And one of them is right in front of her in the form of the current Head Boy.
Her gaze finds its way back to the young blind wizard. He’s so pretty and good looking. Very good looking actually when seeing him up close like this, but to be in his arms after an incident like a slip on the staircase made her all the more appreciate just how good he feels when she’s held up in his arms safely. His strong arms, his body, his scent.
His gaze.
Oh my.
Hellossssssss.
Oh shit. Maia!
Ominis cocked his head to the side, listening intently to the other sound that had greeted him. “He-llo?” he replied and waited for a reply.
Vega gasped, and he realizes she had stopped breathing when he started hissing.
Oh. Shit. He spoke in Parseltongue. And that is when he felt a cool sliding sensation slides right by his cheek and around his neck. It was a very small, cold rope feeling, like a baby snake.
The namessss Maia. I like youssss.
Ominis smiled and continued in his Parseltogue. “What a surprise. I’m Ominis, but perhaps you have heard my name in class just now.” He probably has scared Vega into stupor with his Parseltongue, but couldn’t say anything for real when she's the one carrying a baby snake around.
“So sexy,” she whispered, her eyes focus on his upturned lips, finding them so tantalizingly close to kiss, and so mesmerizing to stare at when he speaks this weird language that sounded just like snakes. She quickly recalled having to read about this language in the book that her other brother gave her as a quick reference to the magical world.
Then the mouth fell open in shock.
And then she realizes she has said that out loud.
“I-I mean!” there she goes, rambling all sorts of stupid out with her mouth in shock. “Oh gosh, I mean Maia! Maia’s sexy Maia, she’s- she’s the- ba-baby snake my brother Leo gave me as a guardian of sort he just wants me safe I mean, I’m- wait, you can…oh! I remembered! That’s a language you’re speaking just now, aren’t you?! You’re a Parselmouth?”
He heard the underlying tone of how delighted she was, and not the usual fear or unease he heard in Sebastian’s voice when he spoke Parseltongue. This girl is interesting enough, to delight herself in Parseltongue, the language of the snakes.
Did she not know then that this language usually got associated with dark wizards?
“I can,” Ominis replied her, keeping his wand back into his robes and steady her with both hands until she can repair her shoes. He allows her to hold onto his shoulders while she fixes her shoes with Reparo. “I am the direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Nearly all his descendants are Parselmouths.”
She’s so close, and she smells absolutely divine. She feels so small and soft in his arms, and he couldn’t help but to admit to himself that she has a lovely voice. Sweet and just…very sweet. Very lovely.
Fitting enough, for the most adored star in the Earandel family.
“That’s a very lovely language,” she praised him, her hand slides down to hold both of his hands. “It’s very beautiful, coming from you.”
Ominis’s heart lurched up in a speed.
And this caught the attention of the baby snake now curling comfortably around the crook of his neck.
I cansss tell you like herssssss
Ominis looked sharply to where the snake’s head is resting at. I cansss tell you eveythingggsssssss about herrrrsssss. Sssshesssssss lovelyyyyy-
“Maia, that’s rude,” Vega started, gently extracting the snake from Ominis’s neck on tiptoes. “Come back. Ominis might not like it-”
His hand stopped her from extracting Maia. Looking up, she saw him smiling deviously at her and was stunned. Has anyone ever told him just how good looking he is? “On the contrary, may I keep her for a few days as practice for my Parselmouth? I’m pretty rusted.”
Vega blinked. She wanted to nod her head, but she remembered he’s blind.
“I supposed it’s alright if you’re alright with it,” Vega patted the front of his shoulders lightly, her finger sliding right up to Maia’s extended small head.
Maia is still a baby snake guardian and is white in color with bits of cream dotted the length of her scaly body. The small snake leaned into Vega’s fingers eagerly and rubbed its head to her affectionately.
“Be good, Maia,” Vega had said sweetly to her baby snake. “I’ll come back for you soon. Be nice to Ominis.”
And just like that, Ominis whisked Maia off from Vega’s hand. Along with it, her heart and undivided attention.