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Chapter Text

A/N: I am going to clarify that the choices made up to this point are that Sebastian was not turned in, and the main character chose not to learn Crucio, or Avada Kedavera (Imperio is unknown for now). Please let me know if I am missing anything. Happy reading!

September 1st, 1891: 10:45 AM, King's Cross
Every September, King's Cross was full of strange people adorned with cloaks, trunks, and owls. Children of various ages scurried frantically around with luggage and other items, searching for friends and saying goodbye to family members. Now and then, tourists and commuters would ask the staff as to what this strange phenomenon was. The staff would merely shrug it off, as it was the norm for the annual day.
However, it's almost as if these people disappeared at the same time of day every year. The locals couldn't be bothered, as they always seemed to remember some appointment they were late for the moment they thought about it too hard.
Amongst the confusion of robes and frog croaks, a family of three made their way through the train station. The daughter was leading the way, pushing a cart with a leather trunk, a sleeping cat (or what appeared to be one) and a knap-sack. The girl pushed through the crowd quickly, anxious to arrive at her location on time.
The mother cried out, "Eleanora, wait!" Thankfully, the mother saw the brunette hair stop, as it swished around to reveal a face adorned in freckles. The young girl's brown eyes were wide with energy, as she waited for her mother and father.
"Come on, mother! The train will leave in 15 minutes!"
Her father laughed as they reached their daughter. "It takes you five minutes to get sat down, any particular reason you're rushing us?" The girl's face developed a light blush as she looked away. The truth was that there was a reason, but she didn't want to admit it to her father.
They approached the wall in between platforms nine and ten. The girl took a breath as she readied herself. She pushed through the wall and immediately was met with the world she missed.
Platform 9¾ was full of energy. Families parted with their students while mothers ran after children to give them a forgotten textbook, or a stash of quills. A newspaper man was shouting about discounted copies of the Daily Prophet as fresh-faced first years ran by to secure a spot on the train.
"I missed this place!" the daughter sighed, grinning ear to ear as she turned to look at her parents. Her parents looked at her, a bit dazed by the excitement, but nonetheless happy for their daughter.
"Hope that isn't all you've missed, Nora?"
Nora turned and was immediately met with her three best friends: Sebastian, Ominis and Poppy.
Seeing them outside of school seemed odd to Nora, as she hadn't seen any of them outside their robes (unless she saw Poppy in their dormitory). Poppy had a neat blouse covered in a purple vest, a black skirt that reached her knees, and black tights that ended at her black flats. Sebastian wore a white button up untucked over gray trousers that hung over his black boots, holding onto a black jacket draped over his shoulder. Ominis had a dark green sweater with a white undershirt, and black pants that were neatly cuffed at his black loafers, his wand extended as it occasionally shot out red sparks. Nora let out an excited squeal and ran over to hug them.
Poppy immediately met her and laughed, squeezing Nora harder than it looked like she could have for her size. Nora guessed that she probably needed that strength in order to push the gigantic trunk, laying on her cart. Nora broke free from Poppy and ran over to hug Sebastian.
Sebastian looked a bit less happy than usual, although that may have been due to the large secret of his uncle's demise. However, he still gave Nora that same smile he always did and hugged her tight. "I know I'm pretty great, but I didn't think you'd miss me this much!"
Nora rolled her eyes at the comment. Of course she had missed him, and occasionally missed the attitude he gave her. She pulled away from Sebastian and looked over to Ominis, who was holding out his wand. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him in person.
Nora felt pulled to Ominis the moment she saw him in Potions a year ago. At first, she chalked it up to simple curiosity for the new world around her but as they had gotten closer, Nora couldn't help but feel some sort of longing for more.
Ominis walked over, smiling shyly. He seemed to be looking at the ground, but Nora knew better than to think he was avoiding eye contact on purpose. "Hello Eleanora. How was your holiday?"
"It was wonderful! I love Hogwarts, but sometimes I miss aspects of the muggle world. Speaking of which, these are my parents!" Nora smiled as she pulled her parents over by her mother's hand. Her mother smiled at the teenagers, waving quietly. Her father, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows at Nora with a slight smirk. Nora felt her face burn, knowing that she hadn't kept her reason for rushing a secret.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Davies! I'm Poppy, and that's-" Poppy started, but her father laughed.
"Oh, Eleanora has talked about you lot all summer. I probably know a little too much about your adventures." He grinned. Nora smiled, a little bothered by the fact that she was hiding some of the true activities that occurred the previous spring.
Poppy turned to look at the clock. "I want to get on the train quickly, I have some...things I'd like to retrieve from my trunk. Sebastian, do you mind helping me get my luggage?"
Sebastian nodded, calling "We'll save you a seat!" as they walked away.
"I should probably get going soon as well." Nora sighed as she looked over towards her parents. She always hated leaving them. Had she not been so busy last year, she would have been on the first train back due to incurable homesickness. She hugged her mother and father hard, feeling her eyes well up a bit. "I'll write to you as soon as I can, I promise!"
Her mother smiled, holding her hand on Nora's cheek. "Do well this year, okay? Also, do your best to stay out of trouble?" Her father put his hand on her mother's shoulder. "Harriet, she's a good kid. Eleanora doesn't really have a soft spot for breaking the rules anyways."
He wasn't exaggerating. Nora hated breaking the rules. After Garreth Weasley got her in trouble with Professor Sharpe last year, she made him pay her every time he asked her to go do something for him. That didn't mean she was above breaking the rules if it meant helping her friends out though.
Her parents said one last goodbye, and they walked through the wall. She sighed as she looked over at Ominis, beginning to walk her cart over towards the train. "Sorry about them, they're a bit protective. They weren't too happy when I told them I nearly got eaten by a dragon an hour after leaving their house."
Ominis nodded as he followed. "It seems you got lucky in the parents category. They seem like lovely people." His tone seemed indifferent, but Nora knew he was likely jealous of the caring farewell.
Nora couldn't help but look at his face. He was a rather good-looking guy, with a sharp nose, prominent cheekbones, and slicked back hair. Not a single part of his outfit was out of place. She wondered how he managed to keep so organized, especially in comparison to Sebastian, who could see and still went to class with a bedhead and slightly rumpled robes more often than not.
She unloaded her cart onto the train. "Is all your stuff onboard?" She asked, as she held her kneazle, Minerva. Ominis nodded as he climbed onto the car. Nora followed, pulling her belongings with her, anxious to start the year.

11:08 AM, Hogwarts Express
Somehow, the four friends had miraculously found an empty cabin. Nora sat opposite of Poppy, who was seated by Sebastian. Ominis sat by the window on Nora's right, leaning against the wall of the cabin and the back of the seat equally.
Poppy had opened her suitcase, which was revealed to be some form of knap-sack. "I use it to keep injured animals in while they're recovering." She explained as she reached far into the case for something. "There's a disillusionment charm on it, and it's only a temporary space until I can find something larger."
Nora's mind wandered to the Vivarium. She wondered how Poppy would react if she found out that Nora had beasts waiting for her in the Room of Requirement. Deek had watched over them during the summer, and every so often he wrote letters pertaining to their health. However, Nora couldn't bear to leave her sweet Minerva there with the other kneazles. Minerva was the first one she had ever caught, and she wanted to bring a bit of the Vivarium back home with her. Nora smiled as Minerva slept on her lap, purring in her sleep.
"So, uh...Sebastian how did things go at home? You know, with Anne?" Nora asked shyly, trying not to spark Poppy's attention, which was focused on whatever was in that suitcase. Nora felt awful about Sebastian's downfall last winter. He had sacrificed nearly everything for someone who inevitably developed a fear towards him. However, Nora couldn't blame Anne either. Sometimes she had nightmares of Sebastian's uncle getting hit with that green blast.
Sebastian shifted uncomfortably. "Anne's been admitted to St. Mungos. They have an excellent treatment program there. She'll likely stay there most of her life, if not all of it. My mother's sister took me in, so I'm living with her in London."
Nora sighed, feeling a bit relaxed knowing that her friend wasn't homeless. "What about you, Ominis? How was your summer?"
Ominis hesitated for a moment. "Same old traditions. I barely left my room, my brother Marvolo terrorized the house, although he's been running rampant since he turned seventeen a few years ago."
Nora tilted her head, confused. "What's so special about turning seventeen?"
"Uh...that's when a wizard can use magic outside of school legally?" Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "Have you been casting spells in front of your parents this whole time? You know you could get landed in Azkaban for that."
Nora gulped. She had used accio around the house a few times when she was too tired to get up. They surely wouldn't arrest her for that, would they? She remembered what Azkaban was like when she visited last year. It's almost as if she had lost the ability to feel any sort of happiness.
Sebastian began to laugh. "I'm just playing around! Look at you, you've gone all pale!" Nora didn't laugh, still bothered that Aurors could potentially swoop down on her at any moment.
"It only matters if muggles see it. The Ministry of Magic covers up loose magic on the daily. The last large reveal of magic was covered by the Salem Witch Trials." Ominis said calmly. Nora felt her muscles relax. For a moment, she had been considering what life would be like on the run.
Poppy shut her suitcase. "Did you all hear that Leander Prewett asked out Garreth's sister over the summer? Leander told me that Garreth nearly flew over to his house and hexed him."
"Oh? And what are you doing talking to Leander Prewett over the summer?" Sebastian smirked at her, causing her to scowl.
"A girl can have friends, you don't see me fawning over you two just because we hang out often." Poppy snapped, leaning against the wall connected to the door of the cabin. She crossed her legs and crossed her arms.
"Oh, please. I know you've definitely thought about it before, Sweeting. I'm too good to pass up." Sebastian grinned, as put his arms behind his head. That comment earned a punch to his side from Poppy. "Fair point!" He said, clutching his side. Poppy smiled triumphantly.
"What about you, Nora? You've got any Gryffindors you fancy?" Sebastian asked, looking over at her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ominis perked up. She would say she had forgotten he was there, but her mind kept racing back to the fact that he was a few feet away the whole ride.
"No, but I hear Professor Sharp is single. Maybe I ought to pursue that." Nora smirked, derailing the subject. Sebastian burst out into laughter, and Poppy grimaced at the joke. However, when Nora looked over at Ominis, he was back in the same position he was before with the same emotionless expression. Her smile faltered, and she looked away, trying to distract herself from the disappointment she felt in her chest.

9:42 PM, Hufflepuff 6th Year Girl's Dormitory
As Nora unpacked her trunk, she set out the robes she was going to wear the next day. She liked to make sure she had all her stuff ready so that she could practically roll out of bed last minute. It drove Poppy insane, but it worked for Nora, which was enough for her.
Poppy walked into the common room in her pajamas, her hair wet. She sat down in front of the mirror, taking out her wand and conjuring air to dry it. "I always hate walking from the showers in my pajamas. I feel so vulnerable!"
Nora sat down on her bed and watched Poppy in the mirror. "I promise to keep it in between us, but do you like Leander? Because I could totally see it."
Poppy looked back at her with a look of disgust. "Let's just say the first interaction with Leander I had, he had a puffskein tongue up his nose, and tried to endure as long as he could for a galleon. He might be cute now, but I don't think I could ever look at him without thinking about that. I mean, it was for a whole minute!"
Nora started giggling, thinking about a smaller Leander trying to withstand a puffskein tongue up his nose. She wouldn't put it past him to do something like that.
Poppy grinned in the mirror. "So what about you? You've got to be into someone!"
Nora thought about telling Poppy about her undeniable crush on Ominis, but she decided to keep in all the emotions she felt for him. The first moment she realized she liked him was when she had overheard him describing how he messed with first years in Muggle Studies. He had told Sebastian that most Slytherin first years spend the entire first night staring outside at the lake through the common room window. Ominis explained that he sometimes played along, sitting in the common room until the break of dawn, watching them search for mermaids. Something about the way he described it made Nora's heart melt. Ever since then, her feelings only grew deeper with all the experiences they faced together.
Nora decided against telling her. "No, I was so very busy last year that nobody really caught my eye. Besides, most people here seem to be involved with other people. I wouldn't want to take that away from them." She lied. Poppy narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying it. However, she dropped the subject as she yawned, stopped the air spell, and wandered over to her bed.

Chapter Text

September 7th, 1891: 8:02 AM, Great Hall
As she sat down for breakfast, Nora did her best to keep her eyes open. She had never done well with switching where she slept, and considering she hadn't slept at Hogwarts in ages, she was unfortunately going to have to suffer through the first few days of getting accustomed to her mattress.
However, Poppy seemed very lively. Normally Nora appreciated her enthusiasm, but she couldn't even process a word Poppy was saying. All Nora seemed to be able to focus on was serving herself a helping of eggs without dropping the spoon.
"Nora, are you even awake?" Poppy asked worriedly.
"Just a bit tired." Nora yawned, stretching her back. "I might have to ask Professor Sharp for some Invigoration Draught."
"Well, you wouldn't be the only one. It seems Ominis had a rough night as well."
Nora snapped out of her exhausted trance for a moment as she looked over towards the Slytherin table. Poppy wasn't necessarily wrong. Ominis had dark circles under his eyes, which were barely open. He had his head resting on his right hand, which was curled into a fist. Nora wondered if he and Sebastian had stayed up late into the night, but it appeared that Sebastian was acting perfectly normal.
Nora's mouth formed a small frown, as she wondered what could have kept Ominis up later than Sebastian. Out of the two, Sebastian was more likely to be reckless with his sleep schedule. Ominis, on the other hand, had a very clear schedule he liked to follow daily. Something must have been keeping him up. Nora only hoped that-
"Nora! It's like you've been struck with a silencing charm!"
She looked at Poppy, who clearly had been talking about something without any sort of response. "Sorry, just out of it. What were you saying?"

10:13 AM, Potions Classroom
As Nora walked into Potions, she scanned the room looking for an open seat. She had expected to be there before anyone else, but she got stuck on one of the changing staircases in the middle of it changing.
Relief flooded over Nora as she saw Poppy waving her hand from a table against the wall. She walked over and sat down across from her. "I'm really glad you were already here. I was worried I'd have to sit next to Emmett Clopton and risk losing my eyebrows because of one of his 'experiments.'"
Poppy laughed. "I didn't have a class before this, since I decided to drop Divination. I wasn't able to wiggle my way out of Astronomy, though."
Nora smiled. Poppy wasn't very in tune with her "inner eye." Nora could distinctly remember having to borderline do her star chart analyzations for her since it had been a combination of Divination and Astronomy, both of which were Poppy's least favorite classes.
Sebastian and Ominis walked in, carrying their cauldrons. Nora waved at Sebastian, attempting to get his attention. Sebastian saw her, smiled and whispered something to Ominis before walking over to the table. Sebastian sat down at the empty seat next to Nora, which she had hoped that Ominis was going to sit in. "How are you ladies doing today?"
"I'm alright, but Nora nearly fell asleep in her eggs this morning." Poppy grinned.
"Hmm, up late?" Sebastian asked, turning towards Nora.
"No, I'm just not used to the beds here. I need to get comfortable with it first, it's a whole thing." She sighed as she rolled her eyes. It sounded foolish, but it was the truth.
"Well, if you need help breaking in your bed, I certainly can think of one way to do it." Sebastian said nonchalantly. Poppy covered her mouth, giggling. Nora gently punched Sebastian's arm. "What was that for? All I suggested was that you could use a charm." He said with a smirk. "Sounds like you've got a dirty mind, Davies."
Nora rolled her eyes again, but they ended up landing on Ominis. He looked a bit bothered, his eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was slightly downturned. Was he bothered by the joke? Maybe it was just the taboo surrounding what Sebastian was talking about. Ominis did come from a very proper family.
"Alright class, settle in." Professor Sharp called. "Today we'll be focusing on the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. Can anyone explain to me the effects of that potion?"
"I wouldn't know, I induce euphoria just by my existence." Sebastian whispered. Nora and Poppy laughed quietly. However, Ominis seemed to get frustrated by the comment. "Sebastian, could you go five minutes without trying to flirt with the entire school?" Ominis muttered.
Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "Just trying to set the mood, sorry."
Nora looked back at Ominis, who's face seemed a little more upset than it had been. Ominis was very clearly upset about something. Maybe it was due to the suspected lack of sleep Poppy had mentioned earlier that morning. However, whatever it was, Nora felt awful that she couldn't take the burden off his shoulders.

12:08 PM, Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom
Nora did her best to arrive early to class in order to make sure she wasn't sitting next to anyone she wasn't on good terms with. She definitely did not want to sit next to someone like Sophronia Franklin, who still wasn't very happy with her after their interaction over Herodiana's outfit. Thankfully, when Nora walked in, the room was practically empty except for Amit Thikkar, Leander Prewett, and Ominis.
Ominis was seated at a desk towards the back of the room, with a book open in front of him. Nora walked over to the seat next to his, and tapped on his shoulder. He jumped a bit, but then moved his head in her direction. "I hope you realize tapping my shoulder won't help me recognize who you are?"
Nora felt her stomach drop as she remembered that he was blind. How could she forget that? To be fair, it appeared he had been reading. Nora then felt bad for forgetting such a thing. "Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." She sighed, sitting down.
Ominis smiled, causing Nora's heart to flutter. "It's quite alright, sometimes Sebastian forgets as well. Just a few minutes ago, he about asked me to proof-read the introduction to his essay for potions."
Nora looked at Ominis' book, and realized that the pages were covered in little dots. "What are you reading?" She asked, pulling the book closer to her. The dots seemed to be raised.
"It's a textbook. It's written in Braille, which was a muggle invention actually. You see, if you run your finger over the lines, the bumps on the page translate as an actual language." Ominis ran his finger along the page, accidentally brushing Nora's hand, which was still on the edge of the book. Nora felt herself blush, which was nothing compared to Ominis' bright red. He cleared his throat.
"Braille seems very interesting, although I rarely see you actually touching the pages of your books when I see you reading in the hallways." Nora recalled multiple instances from last year where she had seen Ominis looking blankly at a book.
Ominis shrugged. "Most people will leave you alone if you look busy, I normally just hold a book, sit down, and let myself think without distraction."
Nora couldn't help but giggle at Ominis' strategy.
Poppy and Sebastian walked past their desk, and Sebastian laughed at something Poppy said. Nora heard a sigh escape Ominis, and when she looked over, his smile from a few seconds before had faded. Maybe he and Sebastian had gotten into a fight. Whatever happened, Nora was determined to help ease Ominis' mind off of it
"Ominis, is Braille easy to learn?"

12:43 PM
The entire class had been focusing on discussing boggarts with the people around them. Well, nearly the entire class.
Nora had been trying to learn how to read braille with Ominis the entire time. She couldn't seem to be feeling the right letters. "That is definitely a 'Z,' right?" Nora asked, taking her finger off the letter, allowing Ominis to touch his finger to where hers had been.
"No, that's an 'E,' you were touching the two dots underneath it that create a 'C'" Ominis said as he tried to clearly decipher what she was doing. Nora sighed, a bit frustrated. She could learn five years of magic within five months, but she couldn't figure out little dots on a paper.
"It's alright, Eleanora." Ominis said, sending a chill through her spine. Something about the way he said her full name made her dizzy every time. "Why...why don't you try giving me your hand, and I'll guide you?"
Nora's heart stopped for a moment. Ominis was going to be essentially holding her hand. "Alright." She put her hand on the page, holding her finger out. Hopefully, he wouldn't feel the trembling coming from her entire body.
Ominis laid his hand on top of hers, making the back of her hand feel tingly and warm. His hand felt cold and smooth, but as he aligned his first finger with her, she noticed his fingertip felt rough. Nora assumed it was due to the amount of Braille he ran it across. He guided her hand over to the top of the page, running it across the title. Nora could barely hear anything besides her heart beating against the front of her chest, trying to escape. "What, uh...what's that title say?" Ominis asked.
Nora tried to focus on the task at hand, but she figured the longer she took, the longer Ominis would keep his hand on hers. "Umm, remind me what two dots on top mean?"
"That would be a 'B.'" Ominis answered, his hand guiding her over to the next few letters. His hand felt warm against hers now, almost as if they were becoming one. Merlin's Beard, she wanted to live in this moment always. She didn't care if she was miserable at it, she would learn braille for hours if it meant their hands could stay connected.
Slowly, they worked through the title. Nora managed to keep her composure as she finally said the word "Boggarts?" She saw Ominis smile out of the corner of her eye, not yet letting go of her hand. "Correct. Now you only have the rest of the page to go."
Suddenly, he let go and leaned back. Nora heard looked up to see Professor Hecat walking over to their desk. Hecat, regardless of how much Nora respected her, was definitely not one of the teachers she wanted to disappoint.
As she approached the desk, she raised an eyebrow. "Davies, Gaunt. I trust you both are working hard on your essays?" She asked with a stern tone.
"Yes Professor, Ominis was simply trying to show me something in his textbook regarding...er...boggarts." Nora lied, hoping that Hecat's couldn't see right through her. She paused, looking at both of them. "I'd advise you to focus on your own text, Davies." She said, eyeing her seriously before walking away.
"Well, that was terrifying." Nora sighed, relief filling her body. "I suppose we'll have to pause this lesson for a little while." Ominis nodded, smiling a bit before turning back to his textbook, running his finger along the page. Nora looked down at her own textbook, rubbing her hand on the back of the other. She wouldn't be forgetting that moment for a very long time.

5:57 Great Hall

As Nora walked towards the Hufflepuff table for dinner, she couldn't help but sneak a look at the Slytherin table. Ominis' normal seat was empty, with a very annoyed looking Sebastian sitting next to it.
When Nora arrived at the Hufflepuff table, she sat down next to Poppy, who was reading the Daily Prophet. "Any interesting stories lately?" Nora asked, looking over Poppy's shoulder. She grabbed a pitcher of pumpkin juice and began to pour some into the cup in front of her.
"None, unless you'd consider whatever you and Ominis were up to in the back of Defense Against the Dark Arts interesting." Poppy said, turning the page of her paper.
Nora spilled the pitcher a bit, her face burning. She looked around, making sure nobody heard what her friend had said. Lenora Everleigh and Adelaide Oakes were the only ones near, and they were deep in conversation. She looked back at her cup, which was now sitting in a small puddle of pumpkin juice. "Whatever do you mean, Poppy?" She whispered nervously.
Poppy looked at her, grinning. "Don't play innocent, Sebastian and I spent the majority of the class looking back at you two snuggled up next to each other." She nudged Nora's shoulder with her elbow before turning back to her paper.
Nora's face was on fire as she stumbled over an explanation. "We weren't- What are you...We weren't snuggling!" Her mind started to drift to what that would be like, but Poppy interrupted her thoughts.
"Then what were you both doing?"
"Ominis was...He taught me something called Braille. It's muggle language...for blind people. Ominis uses it to read his textbooks." Nora explained quickly, hoping that it would satisfy and they could talk about another subject.
Poppy looked at her, confused. "If it's muggle-made, wouldn't you already know it?"
Nora sighed. "Poppy, you can't just assume someone knows of all muggle things because they're muggle-born." Nora had never heard of Braille, and when she asked Professor Binns about it, he mentioned it was only made in the 20s.
"You're right, sorry. But either way, it seemed a little bit steamy back there. I could feel the tension in between you two from the front of the classroom." Poppy teased, turning the page. She looked past Nora and squinted. "What's Sebastian doing?"
Nora looked over and saw Sebastian walking over to their table. His face was covered in a scowl as he stormed past a few unfortunate first years who happened to be in his way. As he arrived at the table, he sat across from them. "Sebastian, you'll get us in trouble! Go back to your table!" Poppy whispered.
"No, not before Nora explains how to get Ominis out of such a sour mood." Sebastian snapped. "He's been angry with me all day, no matter how much I try to ease his temper. He lectured me about leaving my robes all around the room a few minutes ago! Why does he care? It's not like he'll notice if they're out of his way!"
Nora felt herself get very angry. "Sebastian, that was cruel."
Sebastian sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just... normally if he's angry with me, I understand the reason. Right now, he's just mad in general so I just came over because I wasn't sure if he mentioned anything to you, Nora."
She thought back to earlier in the day. She couldn't remember Ominis bringing up why he was upset with Sebastian. "The only time he mentioned you was when he told me you asked him to read an essay you were writing, and he just seemed to find it funny."
Sebastian looked over at the Slytherin table, and Nora followed his gaze. Ominis was sitting down, serving himself some of the chicken that had just appeared all around the Great Hall tables.
Suddenly, Professor Howin walked up to where they were sitting. "Mr. Sallow, do you need help finding your seat? I might remind you that you aren't in Hufflepuff." She said kindly, but firmly.
Sebastian nodded, and as Howin walked away, he looked at Nora. "Please let me know if Ominis talks to you about me, okay? I want to make things right." Then, he stood up and walked back to the Slytherin table.
Poppy whistled. "Trouble in paradise, it seems. Anyways, Gran wrote today and mentioned..."
However, Nora couldn't focus on whatever Poppy was talking about. Nora started to fill her plate up with food, her mind wandering.
Oh, Ominis. Why are you so confusing?

A/N: I just figured I would let you all know I'm releasing the first two chapters within the same night because I thought the first chapter was underwhelming. I am in between updating either weekly or every few days. Please let me know which you all would prefer! Thanks <3

Chapter Text

September 16th, 1891: 11:23 AM, Courtyard
Nora scribbled on her scroll as the sun shone upon Hogwarts. The four friends had decided to study outside for the day, since it was so rare that they all had a break at the same time on such a beautiful day.
Well, Nora had decided to study. The other three seemed to be actively avoiding it. Sebastian had a snitch that he continuously tossed into the air, letting it fly a few inches before grabbing it swiftly. She wondered if Sebastian was interested in joining the reinstated Quidditch team. He definitely seemed to enjoy showing off to the people walking by.
Poppy was working with paper, but it wasn't for an assignment. She was folding her parchment into animals, then enchanting them to move around. She had about seven made so far and seemed way too delighted for Nora to stop her. Every time one came to life, she would play with it for about a minute before making a new one.
Ominis was...well Nora wasn't sure what he was doing. He was leaning against the tree with his eyes closed. It was almost as if he was asleep. She thought it was sort of cute the way a few of his hairs dangled from his head. Plus, he looked as if he hadn't slept too well again, and he definitely deserved some rest.
Sebastian apparently disagreed, as he took a spare quill and brushed Ominis' nose with it. Ominis let out an aggravated sigh. "I'm awake, Sebastian."
"Come now, Ominis. We're supposed to be studying."
"Oh, I suspect you've been studying real hard, haven't you?" Ominis said as he opened his eyes.
"Guys, we have an essay due in Hecat's class. She said we're getting some hands-on experience with boggarts next week." Nora pleaded. She found it difficult to focus with the amount of distractions the others were creating. Poppy's animals, Sebastian's snitch, and Ominis being...well that wasn't really his fault, he always distracted Nora.
"Hands-on experience, you say?" Sebastian said, smirking at her. Nora saw Ominis' face contort in disgust. "Sounds like an enjoyable class to me."
"Don't you have a paper to finish about the Elixir to Induce Euphoria to write?" Ominis asked him in an annoyed tone. Sebastian looked at Ominis, then looked back at Nora with a confused face. Nora shrugged, unsure of what to say to remedy the situation.
"You know, for someone who seems so focused on schoolwork, you don't seem to be getting anything done." Sebastian pointed out. He wasn't wrong, as Ominis had spent most of their "study" session relaxing against the tree. Ominis sighed, tilting his head in a different direction.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Nora could almost see the tension between the two Slytherins. Sebastian decided to pick at the grass, grabbing a blade and tying a knot with itself. His mouth was a bit downturned as he stared at the blade he fidgeted with.
Ominis, however, had a cold expression that covered his entire face. Despite the fact that he looked upset, she couldn't help but notice the way the shadow of the leaves covered his face, letting the sun only shine on his milky eyes. She wondered if anyone had ever told him how truly beautiful he was. His side profile seemed as if someone had taken a paintbrush and made quick strokes, allowing for little to no imperfection. She scanned over his lips, which she had practically memorized the look of by this point. They had a subtle cupid's bow shape to them, and they were practically never chapped. And, oh...his eyes. Some might disagree, but Nora found that Ominis' eyes were his most breathtaking feature. She often got stuck looking deep into them, looking for any sort of hint towards what he thought. However, they were simply a fogged window into his mind, veiling it and obscuring his innermost thoughts.
As Nora was about to fall deep into her trance, Ominis abruptly stood up, pulling out his wand. He began to walk towards the castle, running his hand along his hair as he followed wherever his wand was taking him. Nora yearned to follow him, but decided to hang back with Poppy and Sebastian, who seemed just as confused by his sudden departure as she did.

9:27 PM, Astronomy Tower
That evening, Nora felt the cool breeze lightly running through her hair as she entered her Astronomy class. She knew to appreciate this gentle wind, as her feelings toward it would change during the winter months.
The astronomy tower had always been one of her favorite places to study. Sure, it was freezing during the winter, but during warm nights Nora found herself gazing into the stars without instruction. Prior to coming to Hogwarts, she hadn't known much about the small sparkles that glittered across the sky. However, she now found herself engrossed in discovering as much as she could about them whenever given the opportunity.
Nora sat down next to Poppy and Sebastian as Professor Shah called out to everyone. "Attention students, tonight we will be observing an extraordinary event. Please partner up with someone and turn to page twenty-three in your textbooks."
Poppy turned to Nora, uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I work with Amit tonight? It's not that you aren't good, I just can't seem to get certain things right."
Nora smiled and nodded. "No worries, Poppy. I'll work with Sebastian."
Poppy smiled and rushed over to Amit, who was very difficult to get as a partner since he was so advanced in the subject. Nora turned towards Sebastian, who smiled at her. "And then there were two."

10:12 PM
Sebastian groaned in frustration as he attempted to search the sky using the telescope. "Why is it that meteor showers are so difficult to find when you're in Astronomy?" He said in an annoyed tone as he stopped looking through the telescope.
"Geez, you're worse than Poppy! Let me have a go." Nora snorted, nudging him out of the way. As she peered into the telescope, she looked around, trying to locate where the meteors would be coming from.
"So, Nora. I was wondering if you had any update as to why Ominis is angry with me?"
"I already told you, Sebastian. He hasn't mentioned you at all when we're alone. In fact, I barely saw him alone today." Nora said, letting go of the telescope as she took notes regarding the location of the meteor shower origin. "I think he's just being Ominis."
"Ominis has never been short with me, at least not in an angry way...Well, if you don't count the scriptorium...or the Catacomb...or that time I accidentally transfigured his enchanted quill into a butterfly." Sebastian listed. "You know, maybe he does have a reason to be upset with me. But, if he were mad at me for that, he would have told me by now! It's not like Ominis to keep his opinion quiet." Nora frowned at Sebastian's statement. Yes, Ominis was vocal when it came to disagreements, but he rarely was ever wrong about those thoughts.
"Look, you know how he is with me sometimes. He's like that with everyone but you. You have some sort of way with people, you always have. Your connection to him is beyond mine. Could you please just ask him what's wrong for me? I'll do anything!" Sebastian begged.
Nora sighed. Sebastian would only pester her about the subject until she finally gave in. "I guess I could talk to him."
Sebastian's eyes lit up. "You know you're my favorite, right? Out of everyone here, you're my favorite."
"Mhm, and that's why you're so focused on fixing your relationship with Ominis." Nora teased. However, Nora couldn't help but feel a little excitement over speaking with him privately, away from listening ears.
-
September 17th, 1891: 1:53 AM, Hufflepuff 6th Year Girl's Dormitory
Some nights, Nora's previous "adventures" seemed to feel a little too real for her own liking. On this particular night, Nora could almost hear the rocks that crushed Professor Fig months ago. She rolled onto her side, tears falling onto her pillow. In just moments, her favorite Professor had been destroyed. She could have stopped it. She should have stopped it.
She felt a sob involuntarily leave her mouth, and she immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Her dorm mates couldn't know she was crying, especially Poppy. Poor Poppy would stay up the entire night making sure she slept peacefully. Nora needed a private place to think about this. Deek was likely in the Room of Requirement cleaning away, and the embarrassment of being caught in the bathrooms almost made Nora puke.
The Undercroft!
It was perfect. Practically nobody knew of the area, and Nora could also bring some schoolwork to do to possibly distract herself.
Nora quietly stepped out of her bed, careful to avoid the creaking floorboards scattered across her room. She slowly put on her satchel and grabbed her wand, walking out of the dorm into the Common Room.

2:07 AM, Undercroft
Nora unlocked the Undercroft door, wiping her eyes. She had done her best to go the entire walk without crying in order to keep silent under the disillusionment charm. As the door shut behind her, she slid down it, letting out the tears that were practically preventing her from seeing anything. She sniffed, rubbing the side of her face with the arm of her pajamas.
"Eleanora?"
Nora jumped at his voice. Of course he was there. The one time she didn't want to be around anyone, and he was there. She hadn't seen him right away, but now that the tears were let loose, she saw him sitting against the wall, holding a book. He still had his uniform on, except for his robe which was draped over a barrel. His sleeves were rolled up a bit. Normally, seeing him would fill her with a giddy warm feeling, but all Nora could think about was how precise Ominis' hearing was. Had he heard her crying?
She attempted to speak normally, despite the large lump in her throat. "Sorry, I just wanted to get some homework done." She said, her voice breaking halfway through.
Nice going, Davies. If he didn't know before, he knows now.
"I understand, I was working on the same thing. Sebastian snores were a bit of a distraction from my reading." He held up the book in his lap. It appeared it was his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. "If you'd like, I could teach you some more Braille since we're both here."
Nora definitely didn't want to pass on the opportunity to learn more Braille. She walked across the room, wiping the tears away hastily with her sleeve. If they were going to be close, he didn't need to hear her crying next to him the entire time.
She sat down across from him, and Ominis paused for a moment. "If you're comfortable, you may need...I think it would be better if you were a little bit closer to me." He said, as he smoothed down his cloak, making room for her to sit.
Nora felt that little jolt she got around him sometimes. Was he asking her to get closer for another reason? Surely not, but Nora liked to imagine that he was. She shifted over until she was practically centimeters from his body. Her breathing deepened as she tried to resist the urge to lean against him. It was like his body was a magnet, and she was a helpless piece of metal.
"Give me your hand." This again. Nora quickly placed her hand on the book, and Ominis placed his on top of hers. The same warm feeling she felt in Defense Against the Dark Arts came back, and she welcomed it. The way their hands fit seemed almost as if they were two broken pieces of a vase that finally were joined together. Her breathing grew shaky, as butterflies attacked the inner walls of her stomach.
As he gently pulled her hand towards the opposite side of the book, Nora felt her arm touch his. The electric shock occurred again, only this time it was stronger. Her mind raced with many feelings at once. She didn't know how to name any of them, but they were all emotions she wanted more of.
Nora noticed that Ominis wasn't asking her anything. "This talks about ridikkulus, correct?" Nora breathed out. Ominis nodded. Nora looked over at him.
His normally pale skin was a light shade of pink, and he seemed different. Nora noticed his eyes were displaying some sort of emotion, but she couldn't discern what it was. However, the main thing Nora noticed was he was breathing faster than normal. As embarrassed as she was about it, she had previously stared at his torso enough to notice that he was breathing differently. Was he nervous?
No, Ominis is never nervous. She looked back at their hands, which were slowly running over the page. Ominis was muttering the words that their fingers crossed out loud, but his voice was covered by the sound of Nora's heart pumping wildly in her chest. She didn't understand what was happening, or why it was so very strong. However, she tried her very hardest to pay attention to the words on the page, attempting to stifle the warm feeling in her chest and the tangled mess in her stomach.

3:49 AM
"We should probably get back to our dorms." Nora said, stretching. As she did, she could feel the pain of leaning against the Undercroft wall for nearly two hours. It definitely was not going to disappear with sleep.
As she stretched, the cold air suddenly hit her bare arms. She winced audibly at the shock as she looked at her satchel (which hadn't been opened once), wondering if she brought a sweater.
"Are you alright?" Ominis asked, closing his book as he stood up.
"Yes, it's just a little bit colder than the Hufflepuff dormitory. I must have forgotten my sweater." She sighed, annoyed with her stupidity. All she had brought in her satchel were scrolls, quills, and a textbook. She had never come to the Undercroft without her uniform on, so she'd never realized how chilling it was in there.
There was some movement behind her, and as she looked over her shoulder, she saw Ominis holding out his uniform sweater he had on a few moments before. All he had on now was a white button-down and a tie. His hair was a little bit messy, presumably from the sweater. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his tie was loosely held together by a knot, which was by the center of his chest. Her face quickly grew red. "I'll trade you for my robes." Ominis muttered, his face still the light pink from earlier.
Nora stood up as she picked up the cloak from beneath her, and handed it to him shakily. She took the sweater and pulled it over her head. It smelled like pine, mint, and a hint of freshwater. The scent was cool and sharp against her nose. "Um, thank...thank you Ominis." She stumbled over her words, barely able to even process them before they came out. He nodded, putting his cloak on and reaching into the pocket of his trousers and pulling out his wand. "Shall we head back?" Nora would have given anything to be able to stay in the Undercroft. She wished neither of them were bound by time, and that they could have stayed in the empty space forever. She let out a small sigh before standing up with her bag, and walking towards the door to the Undercroft.

Chapter Text

September 17th, 1891: 7:52 AM, Hufflepuff 6th Year Girls Dormitory
"Nora, wake up!"
Wham! Something soft hit her face as she started to open her eyes. She winced as she sat up, the pain from the Undercroft wall hitting her like a curse. She opened her eyes to see Poppy standing over her, in her robes, holding a pillow.
"Where in Merlin's name did you get that sweater?" She asked, her jaw dropping as she looked at Nora's torso. Nora looked down at the sweater and did a double take. It wasn't the normal beige, unlike most Hufflepuff clothing. It was gray, with green accents. She must have fallen asleep in the sweater Ominis had given her.
"It's a long story, Poppy, but I promise I have a good reason!" She said, covering herself up with the blanket in case Lenora, Charlotte, or Adelaide walked into the room. She did not need Lenora telling the entirety of Hogwarts that she was wearing a Slytherin sweater.
"You'd better, get dressed! We're going to be late." Poppy said, shaking her head as she set the pillow down on her own bed.

10:12 AM, Greenhouse
"So, let me get this straight. You went to some secret room last night that you can't tell me about because you've been sworn to secrecy, and Ominis just happened to be there." Poppy raised an eyebrow, putting on her gloves.
Nora nodded, hoping that for Ominis' sake, Poppy believed her.
"Okay, that still doesn't explain the sweater bit."
"Ominis gave me his sweater because I was cold. I just forgot I was wearing it when I went to sleep last night." Nora explained under her breath.
"Nora, you can barely fall asleep in your pajamas without mentioning how hot it is in our dorm. Yet you expect me to believe that you just 'happened' to forget about the sweater? Also why did you go to this secret room instead of the common room?" Poppy asked suspiciously.
Nora sighed. She understood Poppy's disbelief. Had she not woken up with that sweater, Nora would have honestly thought it was a dream. However, the proof that everything had happened was currently stuffed into her schoolbag at her feet. "Poppy, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I promise you-" She stopped talking when the door opened. Sebastian walked into the greenhouse, sitting down across from Poppy. He smiled at Nora. "Morning!"
Does he know? "Good morning, Sebastian. How's your day been?" She asked, attempting to do so nonchalantly.
"Spectacular! Ominis seemed to be way less grumpy with me today. Sounds as if he's slept pretty decently, too! If this was somehow your doing, I owe you big time!" Sebastian told her with an oblivious grin on his face. Poppy raised her eyebrows at Nora, whose face was probably a red as a phoenix feather.
Then, she saw a familiar face walk into the room. Her heart stopped as she saw Ominis walk in carrying his wand. Sebastian was right. His demeanor seemed different than before. It also looked like he was well-rested, as the dark circles under his eyes had faded a bit. He sat down in the corner, at his usual spot.
Poppy side eyed Nora, smirking. "He definitely seems way happier than usual. I wonder, how did you manage to brighten his mood?" She asked innocently as she began trimming the weed growth around her Venomous Tentacula.
Dang it, Poppy!
"Yeah, how did you manage to do that, Davies? I mean, I only asked you to help last night during Astronomy. Did you break into our common room or something?" Sebastian looked up, smiling at her. Nora's face went red, and Sebastian's jaw dropped. "I was only joking!"
"She wasn't in the Slytherin common room last night, dimwit." Poppy sighed, rolling her eyes. "She swears there's some secret room that she happened to run into Ominis in. My bet is that-"
Sebastian's jaw dropped further, and Nora wanted to shrink into the ground beneath her. "The Undercroft?" Poppy looked up, shocked that the secret room truly existed. Nora nodded, watching Sebastian's dumbfounded face turn into a cheeky grin.
"Look, I went down there to study, and I guess Ominis had the same idea. It was a happy coincidence." She defended, trying to keep her eyes focused on the plant in front of her. She was insanely grateful that the greenhouse was loud with chatter, and that Ominis was sat on the opposite side of the room.
"You forgot the part where he loaned you his sweater." Poppy snorted, continuing to tend to her plant. Sebastian's jaw was practically on the floor at this point, and Nora wondered how she hadn't died from the mortifying feeling in her chest. Poppy apparently enjoyed stirring the cauldron.
"Ominis hates sharing! I've lived with him for six years at this point, and he recoils at the idea of even loaning me a quill, much less his clothes." Sebastian explained, the shocked look on his face not fading.
Nora suddenly felt bad. Did Ominis really not like sharing with people? Had she guilt tripped him into giving her his sweater? She didn't intend for him to do that. She looked over at him sitting in the corner. He was faced away from her, which wasn't abnormal considering that the desk was facing the wall.
Poppy laughed. "That might just be because you're you, Sebastian. I wouldn't want to share with you either." She teased. Sebastian faked a look of anger, flicking some dirt towards her. "How dare you, Sweeting? I'll have you know I return all items in pristine condition, if not better than they were before!"
The two continued to banter as Nora thought about the sweater in her bag. She didn't know how she would return it without bringing attention to themselves. If Ominis was already anxious about sharing, he definitely did not need a whole bunch of people pestering him about something that they didn't do.

September 23rd, 1891: 1:34 PM, Corridor
Poppy and Nora walked down the corridor as they discussed the class they had just left. "Bowtruckles are really intelligent. I mean, they have societal characteristics. I honestly wish I could have one, but I wouldn't want to take it away from it's tree." Poppy rambled, as she usually did after Care of Magical Creatures.
Nora, unlike Poppy, decided that she would much rather appreciate bowtruckles from a distance. Her hands were covered in bandages from the scratches that the bowtruckle she worked with had given her. Normally, she was extremely easygoing with creatures, but the bowtruckles (at least the ones Professor Howin had brought) seemed to be the exception to Nora's innate gift.
"Speaking of creatures, Minerva's been hunting every night for weeks now. Are you sure she's alright? A kneazle isn't normally gone for that long." Poppy asked worriedly.
"Oh, right..."
Nora had simply let Minerva back into the Vivarium with Deek. The Hufflepuff dormitory didn't seem like enough room for her, and Nora had been visiting the vivarium a few times a week to go see her and the other creatures she held. However, she should have known that lie wouldn't slip past Poppy. It was finally time to tell her the truth.
"Okay, you cannot tell a single soul about this." Nora sighed, pulling Poppy into an empty classroom, and shutting the door behind them.
"Tell a single soul about what?" A familiar voice called out.
Nora froze, slowly turning around to see Sebastian and Ominis. Ominis (who's face was flushed) was clearly very annoyed with Sebastian, who was smiling smugly. It seemed they had walked in on Sebastian teasing him about something.
Probably the sweater.
His smile grew when he saw who had entered the room. "Well, hello, Nora!" Sebastian said, emphasizing her name. Ominis sighed, bringing his hand to his face and shaking his head. Their reactions confirmed her suspicion, and she looked down at the floor. Poor Ominis must have been mortified at the moment.
"What did you want to talk about?" Poppy asked as Nora stared down at her shoes.
Nora hadn't wanted to tell everyone, but now she was in a position where it would seem weird if she told only Poppy. The Vivarium wasn't exactly something she wanted getting around Hogwarts. However, telling them about the Vivarium was probably a good was to distract them from the other secret she didn't want getting around Hogwarts.
"Oh, alright. None of you can tell anyone about this!"

1:53 PM, Room of Requirement
Nora took a deep breath as she stepped into the Room of Requirement. It was one of her favorite places in Hogwarts. The ambient lighting shone down on her, making her feel warm and at home. She took in a deep breath, letting the smell of fresh soil fill her lungs.
"This whole time, you've known about this place? And you haven't cared to mention it at all?" Sebastian said from behind her. "I told you about the Undercroft the week you got here!"
"Hence, why she probably didn't tell you." Ominis replied sarcastically.
Poppy walked past, and Nora watched as she walked up to the first door of the Vivarium. Nora could feel the thrill radiating off her body as her silhouette stared into the hidden world. "What's in here?" Poppy asked, her voice quivering with excitement.
Nora walked up to the door, taking a step in. Immediately, she was met with the familiar smell of feathers, cat hair, and grass. The first animal she saw was Highwing. As Poppy entered behind her, Nora heard her gasp before she ran up and hugged the hippogriff. Highwing nuzzled the top of her head. She started laughing, and Nora couldn't help but join in. The way Poppy interacted with beasts was something she had always admired about her. Every creature they'd ever encountered seemed to immediately warm up to her, and she treated each one as a friend.
Nora looked around, seeing several kneazles coming up to them. Sebastian walked over to one and kneeled down. The cat sniffed his hand as he held it out, and then she purred as she rubbed against him. He grinned as he ran his hand through her fur. "How did you get all of these?"
"You'd be surprised how easy it is to take down a couple poachers." Nora shrugged, looking around. As she did, she noticed Ominis wasn't standing with them. Her stomach dropped as she scanned the area, only to find him standing outside the Vivarium doors. His face was pointed towards the ground as he paced. She walked over towards him, worried that he was upset.
"Is something the matter?" She asked him as she walked out the door.
His head moved towards her direction, and let out a sigh. "I've never been a big fan of beasts. They're too unpredictable, even for the average wizard...let alone me." He spoke quietly towards the end of his sentence. Nora frowned as she realized what he meant. He wasn't necessarily wrong. Not all wizards were like Poppy, who could likely tame any creature she wished. Nora couldn't even begin to try and imagine trying to work with an animal she couldn't even see.
Suddenly, she had an idea. She grabbed his hand without thinking and quickly walked over to the door to the swamp. He made a shocked noise at the sudden movement, and he stumbled a bit as she pulled him. As they stepped into the dark area, she looked around.
Then she saw the beasts she was looking for. "Ominis, are you familiar with thestrals?" She asked, leading him over to the skeletal horses who happened to be grazing by the swamp's edge.
"I've heard of them. I know they're associated with death, but all I've heard is Sebastian complaining about the one that lead the school carriages." Ominis explained. "Where have you taken me?"
She whistled, and a young thestral raised its head. It trotted over to them, and Nora looked at Ominis. He had his wand held up, jumping at every little noise. Maybe she should have told him where they were going before she dragged him along. "Do you trust me?" She whispered. He let out a stressed sigh, nodding.
She raised his hand, and then fully realized she was holding it. Her heart began to pound as butterflies were conjured to her stomach. She let out a shaky breath as she used her other hand to straighten his. It was just like Braille, only this time she was teaching him (and instead of small dots, there was a thestral).
The thestral came up, and sniffed their hands. Nora could feel Ominis trembling. She wondered what he was thinking. He was likely only thinking of the creature sniffing his hand. She watched as the thestral leaned its head against his hand, closing its eyes. Nora felt Ominis jump, and then after a moment, let out a relieved sigh.
"You can come closer, he won't hurt you." She whispered, using one of her hands to stroke the back of the thestral's neck. Ominis hesitantly took a step forward, still rubbing the snout of the thestral. "You know, most wizards can't see thestrals."
"Wait a moment...so you're saying that you can't see it either?"
Nora looked at the ground, her eyes becoming hot with tears. As much as she loved her dear thestrals, she wished she couldn't see them. "Only wizards who have seen death are able to see them, Ominis." She said, trying to speak through the cotton feeling in her throat. At that point, Nora should be able to see thestral's clearer than anyone else. She had witnessed so much in the past year. Sometimes, as they rode the carriage to Hogwarts, she tried to pretend she couldn't see the dark horse leading them. However, there was only so much she could try and forget.
"Eleanora..."
She looked up, tears escaping her eyes. As they trailed down her face, she saw Ominis' face pointed directly at hers. She rarely ever saw his face head on. He was beautiful in the moonlight. The left side of his faced was barely visible through the shadows, but the right side was practically glowing in the dark. The misty fog that normally covered his eyes seemed to be easier to look into, and she saw just a little bit of emotion peaking through.
She sniffed, which snapped her out of her trance. She let go of his hand, and brought both of hers to her face. She tried to wipe the tears away, but as she did, she suddenly felt something wrapping around her.
Ominis was hugging her.
She had been waiting for this moment for so long. One arm was fully wrapped around, and she could feel the hand of the other on her head, gently holding her against him. She could hear his heartbeat as she started to lean against his shoulder. Could he feel her shaking? She hoped he realized she wasn't shaking out of fear. In fact, she had never felt more safe in her entire life.
As he began to speak, she could feel his voice through his body. "Eleanora...I-"
"Nora! Ominis! Where'd you run off to?"
They both immediately broke apart, and Nora wiped her face. As she looked over at the entrance to the swamp, she saw Sebastian and Poppy walk through. They looked around, and once they spotted Ominis and her, they walked over.
"Sorry, Eleanora mentioned thestrals, and I've always wanted to meet one, so I asked if she could take me." Ominis lied. Nora figured he didn't want them to think they were sneaking off after the sweater incident.
Sebastian nodded, but Poppy narrowed her eyes at the both of them, trying to decipher what really happened. "We might want to head back soon. I have a scroll left to write on venomous tentacula." Sebastian sighed.
As they all walked out, Nora couldn't stop thinking about the way Ominis had hugged her. She had never seen him hug anyone. In fact, she was entirely convinced this whole time that he hated physical contact.
First the sweater, now this. What's going on?

Chapter Text

October 3rd, 1891: 10:23 AM, Slytherin Common Room

"Oh come on, Ominis! You have to come to Hogsmeade with us!" Sebastian begged.

Ominis had been sitting on the same leather chair for the past fifteen minutes listening to Sebastian try to persuade him to join their friends on a trip to Hogsmeade. Ominis had never really enjoyed it there. The people were too loud, and there wasn't much to do that Ominis found interesting. Sure, he didn't mind a visit to see Sirona at the Three Broomsticks every once in a while, but there had been multiple times Sebastian had to shield him from something shooting straight out of Zonko's.

"Sebastian, you are aware I don't need to supervise you there? If you want to go to Hogsmeade, then go to Hogsmeade!" Ominis told him. He heard Sebastian let out a rather audible groan as his footsteps echoed throughout the room, interrupted every so often by the sound of his shoes hitting the rug underneath the furniture.

"You need to let loose a little, Ominis. You've been tense ever since the start of term, and I barely see you outside of class anymore."

Ominis let out a sigh. He had been more tense these past few weeks, but he couldn't find the words to explain why to his friend. He couldn't shake the terrors he experienced as he slept. The amount of times his brain had replayed the same scenes over and over seemed ridiculous at this point. He hadn't had a decent sleep in months, and it was difficult to even keep a cordial tone with Sebastian after being haunted night after night by the real nightmares Sebastian had put him through all last year.

Sebastian wouldn't relent. "Look, I know you probably want to stay here and do whatever it is you do, but it's not the same without you there. Sure, Poppy and Nora are great and all, but..."

The moment he heard that name, Ominis began to tune out the rest of what Sebastian was saying.

Eleanora Davies had grown on him throughout the past year. At first, he had thought her to be a bit of a try-hard. Taking down trolls, or showing off during Crossed Wands hadn't left a good impression on him. However, as the year went on, he noticed how fiercely loyal she was to everyone around her. She took the fall for the Undercroft, despite the fact that Sebastian had shown it to her. She repeatedly advocated for Ominis when Sebastian tried to keep secrets from him. She had even taken an unforgivable curse to help Sebastian find a cure for Anne (something that still haunted Ominis).

There was also the fact that Eleanora had caught his attention in other ways. Her voice was unlike any other. He could listen to the sound of it for hours. He loved hearing how it sounded when she got excited about something, and her laugh could brighten his day within the second he heard it. She was a beautiful melody that he wished would never end.

However, the moment Ominis had realized his feelings for her was during the previous summer.

Ominis rarely spoke to anyone besides Sebastian or Anne during the previous holidays. This summer was different, as Anne had been admitted to St. Mungo's. Sebastian, on the other hand, hadn't reached out him. For the first time in a long time, Ominis felt as if he had lost everyone.

Then, Eleanora had sent him an owl. Ominis rarely ever got letters during the summer, and at first was annoyed at the fact that someone had sent him one, thinking it was some sort of joke. However, as he was untying it, the letter left his grasp as it began to speak in her voice...that angelic song of a voice. Somehow, she had figured out how to enchant the letter, making it understandable for him. Something in him sparked and he immediately wrote back (using a quill that was enchanted to copy what he said out loud) and sent the letter with the same owl. Over the following weeks, Ominis found himself sitting at his window, waiting for an owl's hoot to greet him. For the first time ever, he felt as if a little piece of Hogwarts had come home with him. His affection for her only grew as the summer ended, and the term began (regardless of Sebastian's unnecessarily flirty comments).

"Um, Ominis? Are you alive in there?"

He snapped back to reality, realizing Sebastian had stopped talking long ago. The silence was loud. "Sorry, lost in thought. What were you saying?" Ominis lied, hoping that his face didn't give it away.

"I just want you to come to Hogsmeade with the three of us! Please, Ominis?"

The three of them.

"Fine! You've convinced me. I suppose a trip to Hogsmeade couldn't hurt." Ominis sighed, trying to hide the fact that he was already eager over the thought of seeing her again.

11:05 AM, Hogsmeade

Sebastian and Poppy had decided to visit Zonko's, and had left Eleanora and Ominis to wander the street.

Ominis had forgotten, in his split-second decision to join, how much he truly disliked Hogsmeade. The deafening sound of noisy chatter filled his ears. Every so often, there would be a loud scream of joy, followed by booming laughter. He found it difficult to even focus on the amount of signals his wand sent back to him, indicating the sea of people he was parting through. "I've never seen Hogsmeade this busy!" Eleanora spoke from beside him, causing Ominis' heart to speed up a bit. It was quite embarrassing how much of an effect she had on him. Even if Hogsmeade was the last place he had wanted to be, he was very glad to get alone time with Eleanora.

"Neither have I." He replied, earning himself a nudge of what seemed like her elbow against his arm paired with her breathtaking laugh. He grinned, pleased with himself. Perhaps Hogsmeade wouldn't be so intolerable today.

Ominis could hear a high-pitched whine of a young child. "Mum won't let me get a broom until I start improving in charms. Do you know how long I'm going to be borrowing a school broom for?" He chuckled to himself at the complaint. "I don't understand the rush for a broom if there's no Quidditch to use it." He whispered to Eleanora.

"Do you think the Headmaster will ever reinstate Quidditch at Hogwarts? I have yet to see an actual match." She spoke. Ominis had nearly forgotten that Eleanora wasn't raised in the wizarding world.

"Honestly, I think Professor Black may be going a bit mad. I had the strangest conversation with him last year." Ominis recalled, thinking back to the previous year. "He scolded me for 'wasting the day away,' and then when I explained that I was going to finish up a scroll on dittany, he spoke of mustache paste."

Eleanora didn't reply, but Ominis suddenly heard commotion from ahead of him. There was a large thud, followed by a grunt, many gasps and shuffling of feet. "I better not see you sniffin 'round my store again or it'll be Azkaban, ya hear me, Gaunt?"

"Loud and clear, sir." A drunken voice replied, reeking of sarcasm.

Ominis felt his blood run cold as he recognized the voice. He pulled on Eleanora's arm, attempting to go the other direction. "Come, this way-"

"Well, if it isn't my dearest brother!"

Ominis froze "Hello, Marvolo." He replied, stepping in front of Eleanora. Marvolo was quite possibly his least favorite family member. He was deranged, and unlike his parents, reputation didn't seem to matter to him. Ominis could still remember the day of his expulsion as if it were yesterday.

Ominis had only been twelve at the time. Marvolo was a sixth year Slytherin who had a nasty habit of "breaking in" the new students. However, this was entirely different. He had given a first year a cursed book, and the moment she began to read it, her eyes were burned out of the socket. Ominis was horrified to find out Marvolo hadn't been arrested, but given his family's bloodline, he suspected that they bribed the Ministry in some way.

Marvolo's footsteps came closer to Ominis, who raised his wand. "Oh, Omi...that's no way to greet family, is it?" Marvolo said slowly, each syllable dripping with venom. "Besides, you have yet to introduce me to her!"

Ominis adjusted his stance, standing further in front of Eleanora. He could smell the stench of mead along his brother's breath as he stood inches from his face. "That won't be necessary." He muttered.

Marvolo scoffed. "So serious. I just want to know the name of your special friend, here." He chuckled. "A Prewett? Or maybe a Malfoy?"

"Davies." Eleanora said quietly from behind him. For once, Ominis wished she hadn't spoke.

Marvolo let out a low growl. "Davies...sounds...muggle-born." Ominis heard Marvolo's pure disgust grow with each word he spoke. Ominis tightened his grip against his wand, readying himself for a duel. However, before anything could happen, he heard Eleanora call out "Hello, Sebastian!"

Marvolo grunted. "I'd best be on my way, wouldn't want mum and dad to hear I've been around...one of them." The smell of beer and bad news faded as Marvolo's footsteps grew fainter. Ominis resisted the burning urge to cast a hex of some sort on him. There were footsteps running towards them, and Sebastian spoke. "Was that who I think it was?"

Ominis nodded. "I think that's enough Hogsmeade for the day." He stated coldly as he turned to walk back towards Hogwarts, attempting to drown out his thoughts with the roar of the village's social life.

October 4th, 1891: 7:20 PM, Great Hall

On this particular night, the Great Hall was full of laughter and shouting. As Ominis listened to the lively noise around him, he heard the light thump of a letter dropping onto his plate. He heard a few giggles from Imelda and Nerida's direction. "Looks like another howler! What'd you do now, Gaunt?" Imelda's voice rang through his ears. He had never liked her voice, but that was mainly due to what her voice was typically saying. Imelda was a bit too cocky for Ominis' taste.

Ominis sighed as he picked up the letter, standing up and pulling out his wand. Whenever he got letters, it was always related to something he did that his family disapproved of. This time, it was likely his treatment towards Marvolo at Hogsmeade the day prior. He heard the light burning of the howler in his hands at it fought against the seal to scream. However, he took as much time as he possibly could, in order to delay the inevitable horrifying screech of his mother's voice.

As he exited the Great Hall, Ominis turned to shut the door behind him. The boisterous conversations did not stop, but the door muffled them the moment it clicked shut against the latch. He slowly turned back around, taking a few steps that echoed in the empty hall.

"Quietus." He muttered under his breath. His howlers were definitely something that he didn't want anyone but him to hear. They were full of awful ideology his parents (if he could call them that) tried to brainwash him with. He took a deep breath, and opened the enclosed howler.

A shrieking voice began to speak, and Ominis winced as he recognized it as his mother's.

"Ominis Gaunt! How dare you disgrace our name by running around Hogsmeade with that riffraff. Your father and I are livid! The utter shock I had when I heard Marvolo tell us just exactly what kind of creatures you were hanging out with nearly sent me into a heart attack! A mudblood? You know better than that! If I ever hear of you hanging out with that girl ever again, you will be on the first train from Hogwarts to Durmstrang the very next morning. I cannot believe you would dare disregard our values like that. In fact, maybe we ought to come up to Hogwarts and take care of that little good for nothing mudblood for you-"

Ominis felt an anger surge up in him as he heard the last line. "Incendio!" He shouted, letting his wand guide the spell towards the howler. He heard singe of the initial hit, and the following crackle of paper beginning to burn.

His hand tightened into a fist as the smell of the smoking howler hit his nose. His ears were ringing, but he couldn't tell if it was from the painful wailing of his mother or the anger that had consumed his entire body. Not once did his family ever relent their outdated values. He should have only known that getting close to her would travel back to them. It wasn't fair. Nothing was ever fair when it came to his life. He had no control over his future.

But I do have some control over hers.

He sighed, knowing what he had to do. He turned toward the Great Hall doors, and as he opened them, the cheery noise greeted him. He walked slowly over towards the Slytherin table, listening to the voices he heard grow familiar as he traveled towards his seat.

He sat down in the same seat as always, and put his head down, attempting to block out the happiness surrounding him. His eyes began to sting as he thought about her. She deserved to be free from this, whether she knows it or not. From that moment on, Ominis would try his hardest to stay clear from that alluring song that was Eleanora Davies' voice.

A/N: In order to challenge myself, I'm going to be writing in his POV every five chapters. I chose to do every five chapters because it's a bit difficult to get used to writing without visual description, but hopefully it'll work! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

October 5th, 1891: 10:12 AM, Potions Classroom

Every time the door opened, Nora found herself whipping her head towards it in order to see who had arrived. So far, each time she had been disappointed not to see a certain blonde Slytherin come in.

Ever since the night of the Hogsmeade trip, Ominis had been avoidant of her. At first, she figured he was a bit startled over seeing his brother in Hogsmeade. Nora understood where he was coming from. Ominis barely talked about his family around her, but nothing he ever said could have prepared her for what Marvolo Gaunt was like. The way he looked at her made her feel uneasy to say the least. Nora also hadn't ever seen Ominis so defensive, even when Sebastian was getting out of control. He had gotten fiercely protective out of nowhere, almost as if he had something to prove.

What didn't make sense to Nora was why he suddenly changed his behavior towards her. For the past couple days, she had been trying to talk to him about anything and everything, yet he couldn't seem to hold a conversation that didn't last for more than a few words. In fact, since Hogsmeade, she had more conversations with Ignatia Wildsmith (who literally spoke out the moment Nora passed any sort of Floo station) than she had with Ominis. The whole thing made her upset to even think about, but she couldn't ignore it when he was next to her in practically every subject they had together.

The door opened again, and her head immediately darted towards it. Poppy entered the room, and Nora sighed as she put her head down on the desk. She felt the thud of Poppy's cauldron hitting the wood of the table. "Nora, are you alright? You've barely said a word since last night." Poppy's voice was full of concern.

Nora pulled her head back up, looking at her friend. "Have you spoken to Ominis recently?"

"Yes, we worked on a few charms outside yesterday."

So it was only her. Nora's heart sank as she tried to figure out what she had done to upset him. However, they hadn't fully talked since Hogsmeade. "Did he mention me at all?"

Poppy furrowed her brows as she thought about it. "No, he hadn't. Is something wrong?"

Nora's throat began to swell, and she tried to ignore the heat of tears forming. It didn't make sense to her, and she wanted to fix whatever was wrong. "He's been avoiding me like the plague ever since Hogsmeade. I have no clue what I did." She explained, managing to keep her tone leveled despite her worry.

Suddenly, the door opened again, revealing Ominis and Sebastian. Nora tried to swallow the large lump in her throat as they walked over. Sebastian was as happy as ever, but Ominis was unreadable. His dark circles had come back, but other than that there was no real difference. As they both sat down, she attempted to start a conversation with him. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Ominis replied shortly. She waited for him to continue, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to speak with her. She let out a small sigh of disappointment as a last ditch effort to get his attention, but he remained silent.

Nora's eyes stung as she folded her arms on the desk, laying her head on top of them. Things were definitely broken between them at the moment, and she wasn't sure if she could fix it.

12:13 PM, Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

Upon entering Hecat's classroom, Nora was shocked to find that the area had been cleared of the usual set up of tables and chairs. She looked around at the students who filled the empty space. They were all huddled around a cabinet of some sort towards the front of the room. Every so often, the cabinet would jump, and the students would follow the motion out of reflex.

Nora spotted Sebastian, who she assumed was next to Poppy,who was normally difficult to spot due to her height. She excused herself through the small crowd, making her way over to her friends. As she walked though, she saw a familiar brunette bob turn around revealing Poppy.

"What do you reckon is in there?" Poppy asked, an expression of nervousness covering her face.

Sebastian chuckled next from next to her. "You haven't figured it out? I'd bet a sickle or two that it's a boggart. We've been studying them for weeks now."

Nora looked at the cabinet once more, a shiver running up her spine. If he was correct, she definitely didn't want a turn interacting with the creature. She tried to think about what she was scared of the most, but couldn't determine between the many options. Dragons were surely higher on the list, but she wasn't a big fan of grindylows either.

Hecat came down the stairs from her office, her hands clasped in front of her as usual. "Today, we will be reviewing the riddikulus charm. I trust you all have been paying attention to your homework, but in case some of you have not, we will be reviewing the wand movement and incantation before we continue."

Nora looked around at the class. The students around her seemed uneasy, especially Poppy. In fact, Poppy seemed more uneasy than when she had been face to face with a dragon last year. Her face had lost its rosy complexion, and her movements were sudden. Nora looked up at Sebastian, who was looking down at her as well. He made eye contact with Nora, and she could easily see the worry in his eyes.

She saw his eyes move, looking behind her. She followed his gaze, and saw Ominis. The light of the window created a pattern that crossed his face ever so gently. His eyes were still shining in the sun, the blue fog that filled them remaining cloudier than ever. The darkness under his eyes seemed to highlight the contrast of the shine that laid upon his cheekbones. His hair was perfectly slicked back as normal, and his face was still unreadable. She felt that familiar leap in her stomach that was followed by the painful realization that he was still distant with her.

"Miss Davies, I'd advise you to pay attention instead of daydreaming." Hecat's voice called her back to reality. Nora saw Ominis' facial expression shift at the sound of her name, but she couldn't make out what emotion it had turned into. She looked over at Hecat, who had a stern look on her face. "Sorry, Professor."

Hecat moved on. "As I was saying, please work with a peer around you in order to perfect the charm. I would hate to see anyone in here try and cast it without practicing first."

Nora looked towards Poppy and Sebastian, but noticed that they had already paired up. She then looked back at Ominis, who was currently faced away from her, standing across from Amit. She let out a small sigh, disappointed.

As she scanned the room, she saw Garreth Weasley headed towards her direction. Garreth wasn't an awful option. In fact, many girls in the class seemed to show the same disappointment towards Garreth's choice that Nora had felt a moment ago. She walked over to meet him in the middle.

"Seems I've gotten lucky, haven't I?" He grinned. Nora smiled back, trying to ignore the small twinge of disappointment that still lingered in her mind.

12:51 PM

"Alright, that's enough talking. It's time to unlock the cabinet. Please form a single-file line."

As the classroom filled with the sound of shuffling feet, Nora headed towards the back of the line. She could only hope that Hecat wouldn't make her face that boggart in front of the entire class.

Apparently, everyone else had the same idea, as everyone began to follow Nora. She ended up being third in line, much to her dismay.

"Wand at the ready, Everleigh?" Hecat asked a shaking Lenora. Lenora nodded, and Hecat waved her wand, unlocking the cabinet and opening the door.

At first, nothing seemed to have left. Then, Nora felt her heart drop as a giant chasm began to form at Lenora's feet. She could hear her roommate's heavy breathing as the height of the chasm grew deeper by the second.

Heights.

"R...Riddikulus!" Lenora cried out, pointing her wand at the growing cave beneath her. The cave's edges shrunk to a small circle, forming a plate full of pumpkin pasties. Lenora let out a relieved sigh as Hecat gave her a nod of approval, allowing her to go to the back of the line.

Next in line was Everett Clopton, who boldly took a step forward. The plate began to shake as the pasties quickly shifted into small, blue twig-like figures. Nora watched as one lifted its head, showing the face of a small cornish pixie. Everett let out a horrified gasp.

Suddenly, they all flew up to Everett, racing around his head while screeching loudly. His head whipped around, terrified. The students behind them began to laugh at the sight. "It's only an illusion, Clopton!" Hecat called out, and as Nora looked over, she could see the smallest hint of an amused smirk along Hecat's face.

"Riddikulus!" The cornish pixies suddenly turned into blue butterflies. Everett sighed, smiling as he went to the back of the line.

Nora took a deep breath as she stepped forward, her entire body trembling. She looked at the butterflies, which began to land onto her. As they landed, they morphed. The wings disappeared and replaced themselves with legs. She could feel the spiny legs crawling all over her as the beings began to multiply, their many eyes shining in the reflection of the light. Soon, what felt like thousands of small spiders began to cover her body.

Nora began to panic as the crawling sensation covered her body. She felt tears well in her eyes, and she shut them as tight as she could, terrified. She was breathing very loudly. There was no escape. Every inch of her body was covered in the itchy feeling of millions of legs crawling about.

"Cast the charm, Eleanora!"

"Riddikulus!"

She suddenly felt a soft warm feeling replace the crawling. As she opened her eyes, she saw a small sun shining above her, casting a comforting feeling all over her body. She looked at Hecat, who smiled and nodded. Relief flooded her as she walked with wobbling legs towards the back of the room, seeing Poppy lingering towards the back of the line.

"Are you alright? I could hear you freaking out from back here!" Poppy asked, concern lacing her voice.

Nora nodded, her legs feeling numb. "I'm just glad Hecat spoke up when she did." She whispered, barely able to speak.

Poppy shook her head. "That wasn't Hecat, Nora."

Suddenly, their conversation was cut short by a piercing scream. At first, Nora assumed it was a girl in her class encountering the boggart. However, when she looked to the front of the classroom, she saw nothing.

Then she felt her stomach drop as she realized why she couldn't see anything.

Ominis was standing where she had been moments before. His entire body was shaking as the agonizing shrieking continued. It broke her heart to see Ominis' reaction. He was moving his head around wildly, likely trying to figure out which direction the sound was coming from.

Hecat ran forward in front of him, holding her wand out. The bloodcurdling noise stopped, and Nora watched as devil's snare conjured out of thin air. "Riddikulus." Hecat yelled, casting the charm at the dark vines. They slowly turned into roots, which sprouted a small cherry blossom tree. The class applauded. "It seems like now is a fine time to dismiss. Please practice your incantations..."

Nora began to drown out Hecat's voice with her own thoughts as she went to grab her things from the corner of the room. Of course, it made sense why the boggart wasn't visible, but she didn't understand what it was supposed to be. The scream had sounded familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before, or if she even had heard it before. She then remembered the voice that saved her from her panicked trance earlier. Poppy said it wasn't Hecat, but nobody else ever called her-

Ominis.

He must have been right behind her the entire time without her realizing it. She felt embarrassed to think that he had heard her crying over some spiders.

She looked up and saw Sebastian and Ominis across the room. Sebastian had a hand on Ominis' shoulder, and it looked as if he was checking in on him. Ominis then pulled away, and walked towards the door, holding his wand out as if nothing had happened.

Nora felt some sort of crawling along her skin, but it wasn't spiders. This time, it was an unsettling feeling that she couldn't shake. Something was wrong with Ominis, something beyond her control, and she was terrified.

Chapter Text

October 6th, 1891: 8:35 AM, Great Hall

For the first time in years, Nora found herself wide awake at breakfast. She hadn't been getting enough sleep, instead spending most of the previous night rolling back and forth periodically, trying to figure out where she had heard that scream from the boggart. No, Nora was more alert because she was anxiously waiting for a certain face to appear in the Great Hall. She bounced her leg impatiently, despite the protest from Poppy next to her.

"What has gotten into you lately? Normally, I have to drag you out of bed." Poppy questioned, spreading strawberry jam across a piece of bread. That morning, Nora had been completely ready to go before Poppy had even woken up.

"I'm just...worried about him, you know?" She sighed, resting her head on the knuckle of her hand.

Poppy nodded. "I'm sure Sebastian has been keeping an eye on him. Could you pass the eggs, please?"

Nora reached for the bowl of eggs to her left, but as she did, she looked at the doors to the Great Hall and saw Ominis step inside. He looked worse than he had the day before. His normally straight posture was hunched, and his hair was a little messier for once. He walked over to the Slytherin table, sitting down next to Sebastian. He gently laid his head on the table, closing his eyes. "One moment, Poppy." She muttered, getting up quickly and walking towards him.

She walked over to the opposite end of the Great Hall, approaching the Slytherins. As she did, she received a glare from Imelda Reyes. However, Nora couldn't care what she thought, especially in that moment. All that mattered was him.

"Hello, Sebastian. Hello, Ominis." She asked as she approached the two Slytherin boys. Ominis didn't move, but Sebastian smiled and waved at her. "Good morning, Nora. Sleep alright?"

"I slept fine, thank you. How did you two sleep?" She replied, trying to figure out how to check in on Ominis without being too obvious.

"I slept as great as ever. What about you, Ominis?" Sebastian grinned, looking down at his friend. Ominis didn't say anything. Nora frowned and looked at Sebastian. He shrugged his shoulders.

Well, that didn't accomplish much.

She sighed, walking back towards her table. Poppy was now reading the Daily Prophet, eating the piece of bread she spread jam on earlier. As Nora sat down next to her, she looked back at the Slytherin table once more. Ominis still had his head down. Sebastian tapped his shoulder, offering a bowl. Ominis then lifted his head, shook it, and then laid it back down. "Something's very wrong, Poppy." Nora frowned.

"I'll say, you still haven't passed me the eggs."

9:46 PM, Astronomy Tower

Nora looked into the telescope, trying to focus on the stars above her. However, her mind was too clouded with thoughts to even process what she was looking at.

She heard Sebastian clear his throat. "Nora, I appreciate your dedication, but you've been looking through that blasted thing for twenty minutes now."

She let out a frustrated groan, pulling her head away from the telescope. The entire day, she could only focus on Ominis. She still couldn't trace where she recognized that scream from, and she also couldn't understand why he was ignoring her. It would have been different if he had given her a way to fix things, but he had yet to tell her exactly what she had done. Something in Hogsmeade had clearly flipped a switch inside him. He had gone from comforting her in the Vivarium to pretending she didn't exist within the same week they had gone to Hogsmeade.

The worst part was that she couldn't talk to anyone about it. She didn't exactly want to admit that she was hopelessly in love with him to anyone, even Poppy. It was difficult trying to hide the pain from her best friend, especially considering that they lived together. There had been a few nights she had silently cried herself to sleep because she missed those little things he did that used to give her butterflies. Even if he didn't like her back, she missed her friend. Sebastian had implied that her friendship with Ominis was something that couldn't be replicated, and she thought she meant at least something more to him.

She also still had his sweater, and she needed to return it. However, she couldn't do that during class, as that would raise suspicion. For now, Nora had hidden it under her pillow, away from curious eyes.

"Hello? Davies?" Sebastian called.

Nora returned from her thoughts. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." She sighed, stepping away from the telescope to give Sebastian a try. He leaned down to use it.

"Is it Ominis again?"

Her heart stopped, and she could feel the blood drain from her face. "Yes- I mean...no! Whatever do you-"

"Oh, please. I see the way you look at him." He pulled away from the telescope, smirking. "You aren't very careful about it."

Nora began to overthink. Maybe the reason Ominis had been ignoring her was because it somehow got back to him that she liked him. It would certainly make sense. However, she felt a dizzying ache in her chest at the thought of him catching out to how she really felt. "Is that why he's been avoiding me?" She asked, trying to swallow the bump in her throat that was growing by the minute.

Sebastian noticed her expression, and laughed. "I seriously doubt him knowing that would keep him away from you. I think he's just in a weird place right now."

"Wait, what do you mean 'keep him away' from me?" Nora asked, confused. But before Sebastian could answer, Professor Shah began to explain their homework.

10:07 PM, Transfiguration Courtyard

The air was crisp the evening as Nora, Poppy, and Sebastian returned from Astronomy. Nora felt the gentle breeze run through her hair, causing her to push it back out of her face and shiver. She could definitely tell that fall was at its end, and winter was approaching.

"I honestly don't understand what's so important about astronomy. They're just little specks in the sky! They don't do anything!" Poppy complained as she waved her hands towards the sky. Clearly, she hadn't enjoyed the lesson. Sebastian chuckled, and Poppy looked at him with an annoyed look. "What's so funny?"

"Watching you get mad." Sebastian snorted, which resulted in an elbow from Poppy. "Ouch! What was that for?"

Nora smiled as the bickering continued while they crossed the courtyard. However, that smile faded as she realized there was a familiar face standing against the wall. His pale skin practically glowed against the shadows, and his face was covered in an expression she didn't recognize. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the stone, his stance cooler than the weather itself. Her heartbeat began to race, and she was surprised nobody could hear it beating against her chest.

"Oh, hello Ominis!" Poppy shouted. Ominis perked up a bit as he processed who was speaking to him. "What are you doing all alone out here?"

He moved his head to the side, accidentally showing off his side profile. "Just waiting for Sebastian. I figured I could use the fresh air." She still couldn't figure out his expression. Something was obviously bothering him, but she couldn't understand quite what it was.

"Aww, he really does care for me!" Sebastian teased. He then opened his bag, and he frowned as he looked back up. "I'm really sorry, but I just remembered I left my textbook in Shah's earlier. Poppy, maybe you could come with me and talk to Shah about astronomy stuff?" He offered. Nora's brow furrowed as she thought back to earlier. Sebastian had definitely grabbed his textbook.

Poppy nodded and the two began to walk away, but not without Sebastian giving her a thumbs-up.

This is a set up!

The courtyard was now empty of everyone besides her and Ominis. She stared at him, and felt her stomach flutter with a mix of nervousness and excitement. Normally, she would take advantage of the time alone with him, but she wasn't sure if he was in the talking mood.

Just do it, Davies!

She cleared her throat, and began to speak. "So, umm...it's really cold." She said, insecure over how stupid of a statement that was.

"Mhm." He said, nodding.

That didn't work. "Listen, about yesterday...I just wanted to make sure you're-"

"Eleanora, please. I don't need any sort of pity." He cut her off, his cold tone making the wind suddenly feel warm. She felt that familiar, painful lump develop in her throat.

"I wasn't trying...I'm just...You've barely spoken a word to me since Hogsmeade, and now your boggart is some lady-"

"It's not just some lady! What about that can't everyone understand?" He snapped, leaving his spot against the wall and began to pace. She had angered him. Nora's lump began to summon tears into her eyes. Between the two of them, neither were very good at hiding emotions. In fact, the only reason she couldn't understand his half the time is because she didn't understand hers either.

"Then who was it, Ominis?" She spoke out, trying to push down the overwhelming urge to cry.

He turned towards her, and a few strands of hair fell in his face. She hadn't realized just how bad his eyebags were until she looked at him head on. The contrasting mystic blue eyes didn't help, which were surrounded by a red tint. She noticed a small shine covering them. Were they tears, or was the moonlight playing tricks on her? Either way, she could see just how exhausted he was.

"It doesn't matter who she is! Honestly, my greatest fear at the moment is that you and Sebastian won't stop bothering me about it! I'm perfectly fine without you two nannying me, you know!" He shouted. His voice rang through her ears, and tears began to fall. "Just leave me alone, please!" He yelled, bringing a hand to his forehead and closing his eyes.

She felt as if someone had ripped something from her chest. "Fine." She sobbed, not trying to hide the hurt in her voice anymore. She saw his face flicker as his hand fell back to his side, and she saw the smallest hint of remorse cross it. "You go and be alone, Gaunt."

His expression changed yet again, and this time it was full of anger. His hands balled into fists. "Do not ever call me that!" He muttered under his breath and began to pace again, visibly shaking now. As he opened his mouth to speak, a hiss that made her back shiver came out of it. He had only done this once in front of her before. He switched between parseltongue and English fluidly, but she couldn't focus on the words she did understand.

Does he realize what he's doing?

She heard a voice from behind her. "Is everything alright?"

She turned, and she saw Sebastian standing there. Poppy was standing behind him, her hand gripping his upper arm. She looked terrified, and Sebastian had his arm in front of her in a protective stance.

Nora looked back at Ominis, who had stopped speaking. He let go of his fists, and he stopped pacing. She was suddenly aware of the trails of tears that had streaked her face which had begun to freeze against the dropping temperature, which surprisingly wasn't the reason behind her shaking. She felt sobs escape every few moments, which she could barely hear over the sound of ringing in her ears. She couldn't see through the tears, and everything felt like a blur.

There was some talking between the three people around her, and at some point, a small hand grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the Great Hall. She looked over at the brunette blob next to her, and then looked back.

What looked like Sebastian was standing where she had just been, blocking her view of Ominis. She could hear them talking as the ringing faded.

"I didn't mean it! Sebastian, please! You have to tell her-"

She felt a hand pull her face away, and the doors shut behind her. "Don't worry about them, Nora. Let's just go back to the common room, alright?" Poppy's soothing voice echoed through the hall. Nora nodded, sniffing.

11:13 PM, Hufflepuff common room

"I don't know, he just sort of snapped on me. It would be fine normally, but he hasn't spoken to me in so long." Nora cried as she laid against Poppy. Her friend had her arm around her, and was rubbing the top of her head gently. At this point, Poppy's robes were soaked with snot and tears.

Poppy's soothing voice was loud against Nora's ear, which was against her chest. "I know, I know. Don't try to defend it, it wasn't fair."

Something about that made Nora's heart ache even more. Obviously, Poppy would be biased in Nora's favor, and that wasn't fair to him. She had pushed him unknowingly, and now she probably ruined whatever sliver of friendship existed between them.

Suddenly, there was a knock against the door, a large splash, and a muffled Sebastian cursing out Helga Hufflepuff. Nora laughed quietly, and Poppy joined in. "That buffoon should have known better, I'll go talk to him." Poppy stood and walked out of the common room. Nora waited for the door to shut, and then immediately walked closer to the entrance to eavesdrop.

"Vinegar looks good on you, forget your house for a second?"

"Oh, shut it! I just wanted your attention, not a reason to shower tonight!"

"So, you're saying you didn't plan on showering tonight?"

"That wasn't- forget it! I just came over to check on Nora." She felt her stomach twist at the sound of Sebastian saying her name.

"She's...upset. She thinks Ominis hates her."

She heard Sebastian let out a sigh. "That's what I figured. He just spent the last forty-five minutes begging me to come talk to her for him."

"Why can't he do it himself?"

"Well, for one, he doesn't think you'll let him see her."

"Fair point."

"But, he also hasn't slept in weeks. I think he's been having nightmares. I don't know what they're about, but ever since the boggart, he hasn't stopped asking me to check in on her."

"What does the boggart have to do with any of this, Sebastian?"

"You didn't recognize it? That was Nora's scream, Poppy." Nora felt her blood run cold. She thought back to the previous day. How did she not recognize her own voice sooner?

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Poppy broke the silence. "How do you know it was her?"

"I...I just...I've heard her yelling while flying, and it sounded like her but different." Nora knew the truth was that he recognized it from when he had casted crucio on her last fall. She hadn't screamed, but the noise she had made did sound very similar to the scream they had heard in class.

Nora began to walk back to the couch and sat down on the soft cushion, dumbfounded. No wonder he didn't want to talk to her about it. Clearly last year's events brought back trauma he had packed away. His boggart must have just been the memory of hearing crucio used against someone.

Poor Ominis, he must feel so alone.

The nightmares explained why he looked so exhausted all the time, and why he snapped so suddenly. That must be the reason why he was avoiding her. She was triggering a memory for him that tormented him every night. She felt more tears develop as she realized what she had to do. In order to protect him, she had to let him go.

Chapter Text

November 5th, 1891: 1:34 PM, Central Hall

This afternoon, it seemed as if every student was walking in the halls. There was an excited energy that filled the air, and seemed to be very contagious among the teens roaming the halls.

Nora could barely hear herself think as she parted through the crowd, trying to get to the Great Hall. She was supposed to be studying with Poppy, but had gotten derailed by Peeves (who decided it would be funny to dump a bucket of water onto her) along the way. Thanks to the poltergeist, she was going to have to redo the assignments that he had gotten wet. Her robes had been soaked, and she shivered as the cold draft of the castle hit her body.

As she walked through the sea of her classmates, Nora felt someone step on the back of her robe, causing her to trip and fall. She hit the ground with a thud and her satchel fell on its side, the contents rolling out. She let out an aggravated groan as she reached to grab the soaking scrolls from off the floor.

This day just keeps getting better and better.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone kneel down beside her. She looked over and saw Garreth Weasley helping her pick up the quills that had spilled out onto the floor. They both gathered her belongings and stood back up.

"I think you might have dropped these." He grinned, holding out the items he had collected.

She gave him a tired smile. "Thanks. I thought I was going to be trampled before I'd manage to get anything." She sighed, opening her bag for him to drop her stuff in.

"Not on my watch!" He joked as he began to put her things back in her satchel carefully. She laughed, watching him quickly sort things. Once he was finished, she looked up and made eye contact with him. She assumed he had just come in from outside, as his face had a little bit of a blush behind the freckles. "Where are you headed?" He asked.

"The Great Hall, I was supposed to be there about fifteen minutes ago." She told him as she looked around at the activity around them, which seemed to finally be dying down as everyone went to class.

"Ah, I'm going there as well. You're welcome to walk with me if you'd like." Garreth offered, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Something about him seemed different to Nora, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. She nodded, and they both continued to walk to the Great Hall.

"I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you since Defense Against the Dark Arts a few weeks ago. I wanted to compliment your riddikulus charm, it looked really good." He said rather quickly, clearing his throat afterwards. He seemed nervous, which shocked Nora. She had assumed that Garreth didn't know how to feel nervous. Something was definitely different.

"Thank you. I didn't really think it was all that great." She smiled, still embarrassed over her reaction towards the boggart. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how foolish she must have looked.

"Well, I think it was fantastic. I guess you could say it was pretty charming." He joked, nudging her side gently. She laughed as they walked into the Great Hall. She'd always admired his sense of humor, even if it did get her in trouble every once in a while.

He cleared his throat again, and she looked at him. He made eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck again, looking away. "Um...look, I was thinking...I think you're pretty neat, and I'd really like to get to know you better. Would you want to meet up at Hogsmeade this Saturday for a butterbeer or something?" He offered, the blush on his cheeks deepening.

Is he asking me out on a date?

Nora thought about it. Garreth was definitely a catch, and there were a few times in the past year she had considered what it would be like to date him. He was attractive, funny, and she could see herself enjoying a butterbeer with him.

However, somewhere in the back of her mind, she could feel a twinge of guilt. She still wasn't sure where she stood with Ominis. She hadn't spoken to him in weeks, but even if they weren't speaking, she felt as if she was betraying him by agreeing to this date.

She then remembered the silent vow she had made. She needed to free him of her, and in order to do that, she couldn't hope for any future with him.

"Sure!" The words left her mouth before she could overthink any further.

Garreth's face lit up. "Okay, brilliant! I guess I'll see you Saturday, then." He grinned, and as he walked over to the Gryffindor table, she saw him pump his fist at Natty, who appeared to be congratulating him.

Nora walked over to the Hufflepuff table, still in shock over what had just occurred. She saw Poppy hunched over a scroll of parchment, her quill quivering across the pack quickly.

As she sat down, she opened her mouth to speak. Poppy immediately cut her off. "Just a moment, I'm actually getting somewhere with this argument."

Nora let out a dramatic sigh, knowing that the moment Poppy heard about the date, she would lose her mind. "I suppose I'll just talk about Garreth and I later."

Just as she predicted, Poppy's quill dropped as she looked up, her mouth wide open. "I'm sorry, you and who?"

"Garreth, he asked me to Hogsmeade this Saturday." Nora explained, waiting for her friend's reaction.

Poppy's jaw managed to drop further. "Garreth asked you to Hogsmeade? You mean Garreth Weasley, right? We're talking about the same boy?" Nora nodded, and Poppy's shocked face turned into an excited one. "That's fantastic, Nora!"

"Weren't you the one calling him gross a few weeks ago?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend's enthusiastic approval.

"Shhh, that was different." She waved her hand, seemingly pushing the thought away. "Are you going?" Nora nodded again and Poppy smirked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's only a date, Poppy. We're not officially together, yet." Nora felt her cheeks burn, looking around her to make sure that nobody around was listening. The Great Hall was full of the sounds of scribbling and whispers. The closest person to them was Aurthur Plummly, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Poppy scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "'Just a date.' Don't pretend like you didn't just say the words 'Garreth and I' a minute ago!"

Nora giggled. She couldn't deny that she felt a little excited over going on a date with him. Maybe things were finally changing for the better.

November 6th, 1891: 10:17 AM, Potions Classroom

Nora pushed open the door to the classroom to see the entire class look over in her direction, including Professor Sharp. "What's your excuse, Davies?" He sighed.

She cleared her throat, holding her cauldron up. "Sorry, Professor. Forgot my cauldron in my room!" She did not dare to look away from him. She knew if she made eye contact with Poppy, she would start laughing uncontrollably. Sharp scanned her slowly, and she gulped nervously. He sighed again. "Take your seat."

She let go of the breath she was holding in, and she walked over to her seat. As she did, she made eye contact with Garreth. He smiled at her, waving a little. She smiled back as she pulled a stray hair behind her ear, her stomach fluttering a little bit.

She made her way towards her usual seat, which was now next to Poppy. Across the table, Sebastian raised his eyebrows, his mouth opening a bit in shock. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Nora muttered, setting her cauldron down.

"Oh, I don't know, that little exchange you just had with Weasley." He whispered, which made Nora blush a little bit. She began unpacking her things, avoiding eye contact with her friends.

Poppy decided to speak up, much to Nora's dismay. "They've got a date coming up in a few weeks. Turns out he's had a thing for her for a little while." Nora looked at her, confused. She never said anything about Garreth having a crush on her.

Why is she lying?

She was about to correct Poppy, who had mistaken the day of the date, but before she could, she heard two voices say "What?" at the same time. As she looked up, she noticed Ominis, who had left his usual stance of resting his head on his hand. He was sitting straight in his seat, his head pointed in her direction. She couldn't tell if he was shocked by the information, or upset that he hadn't known. Part of her had originally hoped that he wouldn't find out.

Sebastian, on the other hand, looked wildly amused. "Didn't know you had a thing for gingers, Davies."

"I didn't either." She giggled as she could feel her face flood pink. She looked behind her and saw Garreth looking at her from across the classroom. He waved at her with the same goofy grin he always gave her. She smiled as she turned back towards her friends.

"When did he ask you?" Ominis asked suddenly, his voice laced with something she couldn't understand. She looked back at him, noticing that he looked bothered. She supposed that she'd be bothered if her friend had a secret date she didn't know about right away. However, she didn't need to really worry about that, as Sebastian wore his heart on his sleeve, and Poppy was too absorbed in Nora's romantic life to have one of her own.

"Yesterday while I was heading to the Great Hall. I was just about as shocked as the rest of you." She said, trying to speak towards everyone instead of just to him. That feeling of betrayal snuck back every time she spoke directly towards him, even though he had never expressed any interest in her.

Ominis opened his mouth, but Sharp cut him off. "It seems the table in the back already understands how Draught of Living Dead works, and would be ready to brew it this instant."

Everyone at the table remained silent, and Professor Sharp moved on. Nora looked around at the table. Poppy looked pleased with herself as she began taking notes on what Sharp was saying. Sebastian gave her a smug look, almost teasing her with his grin. She sighed, knowing that this wasn't the end of their conversation.

As she looked over at Ominis, she noticed he looked different than he had a few minutes ago. His eyebrows were furrowed, and she could tell he was shaking his leg underneath the table. He had his head laid on his folded arm, using his other hand to fidget with a scuff in the table. She looked into his eyes, and for once there was an emotion she recognized. Ominis was... angry. She didn't understand why he'd be angry over a simple date, unless he was upset over the fact that she hadn't told him. However, she hadn't updated him about her life in weeks. Why was he suddenly upset over the new information?

Was he...jealous?

No, he couldn't be. In order to be jealous, he had to like her in the first place. Nora figured he could barely tolerate her as a friend, much less as a romantic partner. Something else must have been bothering him.

She looked back at Garreth, who was looking up at Professor Sharp. His ginger curls were messy, yet he somehow made that work. He tried to sneak a glance in her direction, but once he realized she was already looking at him, he looked away. The little skin hidden behind his freckles turned bright red as he lightly brushed his hair out of his face.

She let out a small sigh and returned to her work. Whatever was wrong with Ominis, it wasn't her business anymore.

12:10 PM, Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

Defense Against the Dark Arts had been difficult the previous weeks due to Nora's seating arrangements. There were several times where she had considered asking Sebastian to switch with her, but she didn't know how to approach it. Plus, a little part of Nora hoped that Ominis would just offer to teach her Braille again, and everything would return to what it was. She had been practicing every so often to impress him if he ever asked her. But, as the weeks passed on, she assumed he had forgotten about their secret lessons.

She walked into the classroom to see Ominis already sitting at their desk, reading. She took a deep breath in, and walked over to sit next to him. He was running his hand along the small dots that covered the page. However, when she sat down, he stopped and shut the book.

"So, you're going with Weasley, now?" He muttered.

Nora was a little shocked he remembered, much less cared. "It's only a date. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try things out."

"I was under the impression you had higher standards than that." He continued to speak quietly, his voice a mix of emotions she didn't understand. She had given up trying to decipher what he thought long ago.

She felt herself get angry. "Higher standards? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Have you forgotten he got you in trouble with Sharp last year? Or when he convinced you to break into the cellar of Honeyduke's?" Ominis retorted.

"He's grown up since then!"

"Doubt it."

Nora scoffed, looking at him. His eyes were still as mysterious as ever, and even if he seemed annoyed at the moment, he still was quite beautiful. She began to remember why she fell so hard so quickly, which only infuriated her more.

Why does he have to be so pretty?

"Why does it matter? You barely acknowledged my existence the past few weeks, and now you're suddenly dictating my love life?" She asked with a slight edge in her voice

"You haven't made an effort to talk to me either, Eleanora. I'm just trying to help you." He scowled.

She felt that familiar fluttery feeling when she heard her name. Something about the way he said it drove her insane. Nobody at Hogwarts ever called her Eleanora, and she didn't want anyone else to call her that. Nobody could say it the same way he did.

She ignored the feeling in her stomach, pushing the thoughts of her name away. "You're the one that told me to leave you alone, I'm just listening to what you asked." She snapped without thinking.

Immediately, she regretted it. Ominis' scowl faded into a look of remorse. "Fine, go with Garreth. I hope you enjoy yourself." He muttered with a monotone voice as he opened his book again.

Nora let out a small sigh, and began to pull out her parchment and quill. She just couldn't get anything right with him.

A/N: Thank you all for the amazing comments! It really helps me motivate myself to get through some of the chapters I have planned :)

Also a side note to my Fanfic.net readers, I fixed the alignment issue so that it's easier to read

Chapter Text

November 6th, 1891: 3:10 PM, Room of Requirement

"Alright, I've finished grooming these puffskeins. Where do you want the excess fur?" Poppy asked as she stood around a group of bouncing puffskeins.

"Just place it by the loom." Nora answered, her mind far away from the cool breeze of the vivarium. She had come here to relax (and to satisfy Poppy, who was begging to come back), but there were so many things clouding her train of thought that relaxation wasn't an option.

She thought about her love life, if she could even call it that. She didn't have any experience with boys, as the ones in her muggle hometown found her "strange," to say the least. There had been multiple encounters where she performed accidental magic as a child, and it had gotten to the point that before she was accepted into Hogwarts, the neighboring family had hung bits of garlic around their house to "protect" themselves from her. It seemed silly to look back on, but at the time, Eleanora was extremely embarrassed of her unique ability. She was practically an outcast in her village, with only her mother and father for company. She had spent the majority of the summer holiday writing letters to her friends just to cope with the loneliness she felt at home.

Her lack of social interaction made it hard for her to understand people in general, much less boys. Romance was a topic she knew nothing about. She wasn't sure what Garreth had planned for the next day. Would they hold hands while they walked? Would they share a butterbeer, or order separately? Would they kiss? She couldn't tell if her heart sunk or soared at the thought of him kissing her. Nora had never kissed anyone before, and never did she ever think her first kiss would be with Garreth Weasley.

There was also the fact that she still wasn't sure as to why Ominis was so angry with her. She had tried her hardest over the past few weeks to leave him alone in hopes that he wouldn't have to face the flashbacks he had been struggling with. Maybe she hadn't avoided him hard enough, and he was angry with her for involving him in her love life.

Well, technically Poppy was the one who told him.

She looked over at her friend, who was currently carrying an armful of puffskein fur towards the exit of the vivarium. Nora still didn't understand why Poppy had lied about Garreth's crush on her. She sincerely doubted that Garreth had been in love with her for as long as she had implied, and saying so only seemed to bother Ominis.

"I have a question." Nora called out, following her out of the vivarium.

"I have an answer."

She took a deep breath, trying to approach the subject in a non-accusatory manner. "You told Ominis and Sebastian that Garreth has been in love with me for a very long time. Why did you tell them that if you knew it wasn't true?"

Poppy shrugged innocently, laying the fur on the loom's table before turning to lean against it, facing Nora. "I mean, it might be true. We don't know how long Garreth has liked you for."

"Then why did you imply that we did know that?" Nora pressed.

"I thought it was obvious. Ominis was practically seething with jealousy, Nora."

Nora felt her entire face burn as she realized what her friend was saying. "No! I...if he...he would have already..." She stuttered, not sure exactly where her sentence was supposed to go. She looked at Poppy's smug expression and knew that no matter what facts she presented, she wasn't changing her friend's mind. "Why else would he have gotten so angry over a simple date?"

"Honestly, at this point, he's colder to me than he was to Sebastian after the catacomb incident." Nora sighed, trimming some dying dittany leaves to leave room for more to blossom.

"What? When did you all go to a catacomb?""

She froze in place, realizing what she had done. Poppy had never actually been told as to what happened last year, other than the fact that Ominis and Sebastian had argued about something that resulted in them not speaking for a few weeks.

"I... I think that's Sebastian's choice to tell." Nora muttered, already regretting the fact that she had mentioned the blasted place. She could feel Poppy's narrowed eyes upon her back, and she began to feel uncomfortable under her glare. "I think we should start heading back to the common room." She walked out of the room of requirement, hoping that Poppy would drop the subject before she brought it up to Sebastian.

November 7th, 1891: 8:13 AM, Hufflepuff 6th Year Girl's Dormitory

Nora was frantically searching through her trunk for an outfit to wear. She intended to plan the previous night, but she was so focused on trying to get homework done so she could fully enjoy the date. She wanted to have fun, but she felt like Garreth also deserved a fun day as well.

"Nora, he's a guy, and you're gorgeous. He's going to be too focused on your face to notice your outfit!" Poppy groaned as Nora walked over to the mirror.

She held up each choice she had fished out. "Don't be silly, Pop. He'll notice if I show up looking like I wrestled a grindylow."

Nothing she had seemed to work. Her school robes were obviously out of the question, and it was chillier outside, so she needed something warm. However, all of her warm clothes didn't seem to fit the occasion. She let out a frustrated groan, turning towards her bed and flopping face first in defeat. "At this point, I might as well show up in my pajamas!"

She heard Poppy's sigh. Suddenly, she felt pieces of fabric land on top of her back. Nora rolled over, pulling up the fabric. Poppy had found a rose knee-length skirt, white leggings, a white blouse, a white coat, with a pink scarf and gloves to top it off. "You owe me, Davies." She sighed.

Nora looked at her friend sheepishly. "Sorry, I know I'm probably being rather difficult. I just want to make sure things go well today."

Thankfully, Poppy smiled genuinely at her. "I'm just messing with you! You'll be fine. He really seems to like you, and I doubt he'd care what you showed up in as long as it's you." Her reassurance made Nora feel a little less stressed out and in that moment, she felt very grateful for her friend's understanding and uplifting nature.

"Thank you, Poppy. I'm really glad that you have my back."

8:29 AM, Great Hall

As they sat down, Nora looked towards the Gryffindor table. She felt a little disappointed when she realized that Garreth was not sitting there. She had hoped that maybe she could make sure that he was wearing something similar to her. Nora didn't want to overdress, but she definitely didn't want to underdress either.

She looked down at her plate, which was nearly full of oatmeal. "Do you mind passing the biscuits?" She sighed towards Poppy. There was a moment of silence, and Nora looked up at her.

Poppy had the Daily Prophet out, but her focus was on something behind it. Nora followed her gaze, which led to the entrance of the Great Hall. As she looked over, the door opened to reveal Sebastian and Ominis. They were clearly arguing about something, and Nora resisted the urge to stare at Ominis as he approached his seat.

Behind her, she heard a paper rustling along with the sounds of robes moving and shoes hitting the floor. She turned to see Poppy getting up from her seat. "Where are you-"

Poppy didn't reply as she sped over to the entrance. Once she approached the boys, she tugged on Sebastian's robe. He turned and looked down at her with a grin along his face. They spoke for a moment, and Nora saw that smile quickly fade to a look of shock as he looked over towards her direction. They made eye contact, and Sebastian's dumbfounded look turned to one of anger. He stormed out of the Great Hall, followed by Poppy. Ominis, who had been standing next to them, shook his head and walked towards the Slytherin table.

What was that all about?

10:11 AM, Hogsmeade Entrance

As she approached Hogsmeade, Nora couldn't tell if the feeling in her stomach was excitement, anxiety, or her breakfast not sitting well. Normally, she would walk with Poppy to Hogsmeade, but unfortunately, she was deep in an argument with Sebastian when she had left the Great Hall.

Nora felt a shiver run down her spine, but not from the cold. She was feeling so many emotions at once. She first felt nervous. Sure, she wasn't expecting perfection, but she wanted the day to go well. She kept tucking her hair behind her face, and every so often, would look into the closest reflective surface to make sure she still looked decent.

However, she still found herself thinking about Ominis. Rarely a moment ever went by where she wasn't thinking about him, and this wasn't one of those moments. Their argument in Defense Against the Dark Arts was still on her mind, and she felt bad about the comment she had made. She usually tried not to react out of anger, but in the moment, she had failed to catch herself. That was the second time she had said something out of turn with him. She still shuddered over the look on his face when she had called him by his last name. At the time, she hadn't realized how badly that would affect him, but that was no excuse. Her ignorance was only proof of just how far she needed to stay away.

She looked over at the Hogsmeade entrance, and recognized a head of curly red hair. She felt her stomach twist into a giant knot. Her heartbeat quickened as she slowly made her way over towards where he was standing.

Garreth leaned against a post holding up the entrance to Hogsmeade, his arms crossed and a leg bent so his foot could rest along the wall. His hands were in the pockets of his tan pants, which complimented his red, yellow-striped sweater. He looked in her direction, and the moment they made eye contact, he smiled while raising his arm to wave at her.

As she approached, she noticed his eyes scan her for a moment, and his mouth opened slightly. "You look, um...You look good!" He stuttered. She felt her face flush as she smiled at him, attempting to seem confident. However, she could feel the tension between the two of them, even if it wasn't very strong. He held out his arm for her, clearing his throat. "Shall we?"

She took his arm, and she could feel the strong muscles beneath his sweater. She looked up at him, and studied his face. He had a bit of a stronger jawline than the year prior, and he appeared to have grown into his face a little bit more. She had never seen him this close before.

However, Garreth noticed her looking at him, and looked at her. She immediately looked away, embarrassed. She tried to focus on the street they were walking down, which was surprisingly low populated for a Saturday morning. There were few students walking down the street, and the normally buzzing air was calm. She took it all in with one deep breath, letting her body relax. Today would be perfect. "So, where'd you like to go first?" Nora asked, curious as to what Garreth had planned.

He shrugged. "Well, I was thinking about stopping to get something to drink, but if you have any other options, I'm all ears." Nora was about to agree, but then as she looked towards the direction of the pub, her heart stopped.

She saw Ominis and Sebastian walking down the street. Ominis was wearing a dark green sweater with black pants, while Sebastian was wearing a button up gray vest overtop of a white shirt. They also both happened to be wearing scowls across their faces, which given the events of that morning, made perfect sense. Sebastian glanced in her direction, making eye contact with her. She looked away, her face redder than it ever had been. She pulled Garreth towards the opposite direction, speaking quietly so as to not be heard by Ominis (who's hearing was very strong). "Actually, I was thinking we could stop by Zonko's!"

"Alright, then! Lead the way, Davies!" Garreth laughed, seemingly surprised by her sudden motion.

It was only an excuse to escape the uncomfortable view of Sebastian. She had somehow made him angry that morning, and she wasn't sure why. However, he was the least of her worries when it came to what she just saw. Something about Ominis hearing them speak to each other made her want to shrink into the ground. It wasn't that she was embarrassed of Garreth. It was just that she was embarrassed to be out with another boy when she was still trying to figure out her feelings towards Ominis. She felt as if she had been caught, and as they entered Zonko's, the shame of Sebastian's burning glare did not disappear.

A/N: WOW!!! I just ranked at #3 in the hurt-comfort tag on wattpad and I really don't know what to say except thank you so much for reading guys!

Chapter Text

A/N: Just a little disclaimer for all my Garreth lovers out there, this chapter will definitely paint Garreth in a bad light. I don't intend for Garreth to be "the bad guy" in any way, and want to remind everyone that everything said about Garreth in this chapter is from (jealous) Ominis' POV.  Also fair warning, I will be busy with exams/final projects for the next few weeks so I apologize if I don't release as quick as I usually do. Happy reading!

10:11 AM, Hogsmeade

Somehow, Ominis had been convinced by Sebastian to go to Hogsmeade once more. However, the streets of the usually lively village were peacefully quiet. Ominis could hear the sounds of his shoes hitting the bricks beneath him, and the easy wind that had just barely lifted the hair on the back of his neck. He didn't think it was possible that he would enjoy Hogsmeade, but for just one day, things seemed to be perfect.

Sebastian had been ranting the entire way to the Three Broomsticks. "She looked so furious over the scriptorium, Ominis! How in the world would she react to the catacomb? Did Nora not consider that Poppy could report me for using all three of the Unforgivables? No, of course she didn't!"

"Easy..." Ominis warned, feeling a bit bothered that Sebastian was blaming her for his argument with Poppy. Even if he was distancing himself from her at the moment, he still felt defensive over her. He knew she would never do anything to risk Sebastian's safety, and her mentioning the previous year's events to Poppy was likely a slip of the tongue.

Sebastian sighed. "You're right, I shouldn't blame her. It's just that night...I can't escape it, Ominis. I lost Anne, I nearly lost you, and now I'm going to lose Poppy as well."

He scoffed at that statement. "I sincerely doubt that's true, Sebastian." Poppy was known for her forgiving nature. Murder was a difficult thing to get over, but if anyone could, it would be Poppy.

"So, where'd you like to go first?"

Eleanora.

Ominis moved his head in the direction of her tune, his mood lifting along his frown. Her voice rang through his ear like a familiar friend, even though he hadn't heard it in a positive light in what felt like forever. However, just as he began to welcome her melody, reality crushed through his thought.

"Well, I was thinking about stopping to get something to drink, but if you have any other options, I'm all ears."

Weasley.

The happy feeling had felt moments before quickly disappeared as it was replaced with one he didn't know how to describe. Hadn't Poppy said that the date wasn't for a few weeks? If Ominis had knew they'd be in Hogsmeade that very day, he would have never gave into Sebastian's whining. Whatever he was feeling, he recognized it from Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it made him want to shoot Garreth with depulso anytime he heard Eleanora mention his name.

"Actually, I was thinking we could stop by Zonko's!" Her voice broke his thoughts. It was followed by the sound of quick footsteps, and the nuisance of Weasley shouting "Alright, then! Lead the way, Davies!" There was laughter as they faded away from his range of hearing, and it hit him like a load of bricks.

10:23 AM, Three Broomsticks

The Three Broomsticks was rather quiet that day. The only sounds that filled the air were the sounds of dishes, Sirona Ryan's humming, and the voices of customers who dared to break the silence. 

That all changed as Sebastian and Ominis walked into the pub. Ominis could hear the stomp of his steps hitting the wooden floor, but he didn't care if it drew the attention of those around him. He was too angry about the date they had stumbled across. How could she? Garreth Weasley? He was an undeniable prick. She could have chosen any other guy. She should have chosen another guy. The fact that she had sunk that low made Ominis furious.

Ominis heard a stool drag along the ground and the light thud of Sebastian sitting on it. Ominis reached out in front of him, pulling the familiar wooden seat out as he sat down at the bar.

"Hello, dears. Anything I can get you for today?" Sirona's voice chirped. Ominis had always loved his talks with Sirona on the very few occasions he visited Hogsmeade. She was always very kind with him, and gave him an ear to talk to and advice when he needed it. There were often times Ominis wondered if the way Sirona treated him was how most parents treat their children, and even if she was simply trying to be a friend, he liked to consider her more of a mother than the woman who gave birth to him.

"Two butterbeers, please." Sebastian asked, which was followed by the fading footsteps of Sirona, the clanking of mugs, and the gentle whispers of levioso's power.

"So you say they were linked by the arm? You're certain that's what you saw?" Ominis interrogated, trying to keep his temper under control. Sebastian sighed, and Ominis could hear the annoyance in the breath. "Yes, for the last time, I am absolutely sure."

His blood began to boil at the thought of Garreth's arm anywhere near her. "This is ridiculous! I mean, Weasley? He's such a troublemaker! He'll only be an awful influence on her!" He ranted as he heard the gentle thud of their butterbeers hitting the table. He grabbed his, taking a sip of the cold drink. However, it didn't diminish the heat he felt in his chest that seemed to grow stronger the more he thought about Garreth and her.

Sebastian sighed again. "Why do you even care, Ominis?"

Ominis opened his mouth, but he couldn't find an answer to give him. "Because! I...she can't possibly...I'm...she doesn't understand what she's getting into!" He stuttered, finally coming up with the words that would hopefully satisfy Sebastian's question.

"So what? Let her screw things up. It's her life, not yours." Sebastian groaned. "Besides, we'd do better not to waste our time trying to understand women. You decide to keep a few things to yourself, and suddenly they're yelling at you about trust issues." He grumbled, scratching at the table. There was the sound of liquid swishing and the thump of another mug.

Ominis started to speak, but then paused out of confusion. He hadn't mentioned anything about secrets, and neither had Eleanora. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"I thought-Never mind!"

The door creaked open, and the same agitating voice he had heard in the street boomed through the pub. "The look on Leander's face was priceless, you'd think Sir Nicholas had phased through him!" To Ominis' horror, he heard that beautiful laugh follow the end of Garreth's sentence. He tightened his fist as he tried to ignore the feeling of them walking past him. He had never wanted to hurt Garreth in the past, but the fact that he had managed to somehow make her laugh drove him insane. He didn't deserve to be rewarded with her laughter.

As he heard their voice go quieter, he took another sip of his butterbeer, trying to calm down. "I can't believe this. How can a ratbag like Weasley end up with someone like her?" He muttered to Sebastian.

"Oh please, you only don't like him because he got to Nora before you did." Sebastian muttered.

His comment made Ominis' face burn, and he began to pick at the edge of the bar. "I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Well let me clear it up for you." Sebastian continued. "Within the time you've started ranting about Garreth, I have finished two butterbeers, and if I was of age, I likely would have switched to fire whiskey by this point! Look, I get it's hard to watch the girl you love with another man, but you're the one that let it happen. You never made a move. That's not Garreth's fault!"

Sebastian wasn't necessarily wrong. However, the Garreth that Ominis knew was a jokester, a thrill-seeker, and just over the top in general. He wasn't sure if Garreth was capable of being serious enough to be there for Eleanora when she needed comfort.

Ominis' mind travelled back to the Vivarium. He remembered the feeling of her against him, and how fragile she felt as she shook in his arms. Something in him changed that day, and even though he had been defensive over her before, he was now ready to sacrifice nearly anything and everything if it meant she was safe. He wasn't sure if Garreth even knew of just how much Eleanora had been through, and Ominis couldn't even bear to think of her heart being broken any further due to Garreth's lack of seriousness.

I told myself I would stay away for her safety. Maybe this is the way to fully break things off.

Ominis let out a sigh, and laid his head down onto the bar as he tried to drown out the song of loving laughter that seemed to fill the entire room. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was essential in order to protect her. He just hoped that eventually, the sting of jealousy would disappear.

Unknown

The world was silent, with not a single breeze of hearing's notice. His body was a faded memory as he tried to walk. With each step he took against the empty air underneath, his soul did not move as the eerie sound of his own steps travelled throughout the area.

"H...hello?" He echoed as his voice vibrated through his neck a little more noticeably than usual.

The deserted area finally seemed to fill itself with noise, as the volume of the crickets' chirps and a light wind buzzed through his ears. The ground summoned at his feet, feeling rough of dirt and various plants. The glass grazed at his ankles as he tested a step forward. This time, his mind dragged along with his body, allowing him to proceed cautiously.

His hand reached out for nothing, and was met by rough bark. The journey continued as his arms spread as to grasp the world. A deep forest that smelt of pine and freshwater met his nose, the scent recognizable as the Forbidden Forest.

"Ominis..." She beckoned, the song filling his ears once more through a deafening whisper. He turned towards the sound of her ballad. The notes of her voice filled an abyss deep within, pouring into the gaping presence that he hadn't known was drained. He yearned for the song of the siren he had fallen for. The ground he touched dipped to water, but the cold merely sent a welcoming chill along his spine that contrasted with the warm electricity her melody sent down his entire body.

"Eleanora." He breathed, a flooding of need in his raspy tone. A brush against his hand crazed him, drawing him further into the pool. To drown into her was a blessing beyond his imagination, and he wished to discover it full-force. He sank into the depths, accepting the rush of frozen welcome. With a final breath, he prepared for the end.

However, it was yet to come. The water around him vanished, letting him hit hard stone. The cursed phrase of "Crucio!" resonated through the familiar breeze, which had angered. Her scream, a piercing rattle that ripped away all sanity, followed. He attempted to turn away, but found no escape from the horrid shriek that surrounded him.

"Eleanora!" He desperately screamed, the need in his voice now replaced with terror. Her scream continued to haunt over him, and he could feel it pulling at his goosebumps. His hands travelled the air in a fearful search for her.

"Avada Kedavera!" Sebastian once again shouted.

To his horror, the screaming ceased, and he immediately wished for it to return. Something landed against his feet, secondly followed by him falling next to it. He lowered his hands down, discovering her a moment too late. He pulled her onto his lap, her soft hair dragging against his leg as it left a trail of fear. He began to shake as he attempted to shake her as well.

"Eleanora...please, you have to wake up! This isn't funny, please! I'm begging you, please Eleanora! You can't...please!"

November 8th, 1891: 2:39 AM, Slytherin 6th Year Boy's Dorm

Eleanora!

He sat up, terrified. He was sat on something soft, covered in a light comforter damp with sweat. There was a light snoring coming from across the room.

Just another nightmare.

He let out a quiet sigh, running a hand through his currently messy hair. At least this time, he hadn't woken Sebastian. He didn't think he could handle speaking to the voice who had just murdered Eleanora moments ago, even if it wasn't real. In fact, being in the same room as him was nerve-wracking.

Ominis silently turned to the side of the bed, standing up on the cool wooden floor. He reached towards his nightstand, grabbing his wand as he rubbed his face with his other hand. He was practically covered in sweat. He thought about showering, but dismissed the thought out of fear of being discovered in this state.

He slipped into the slippers he regularly left by his bed, their cool plush helping ground him. He needed some time alone from everyone, and he knew exactly the place to go. He passed his dresser, not needing to change. He'd only be going to the Undercroft, and nobody would be there at this hour. He also did not want to attempt to silently change while Sebastian was in there. Somehow he had managed to go six years without his oldest friend seeing him shirtless, and he intended to keep it that way. He had heard from close family members that had seen him shirtless as a child that there was a giant scar that rested along his back from the cruciatus curse. He wasn't sure if they had been telling him the truth or not, but he'd rather not traumatize Sebastian any further with tales of his childhood.

He quietly stepped out of the dormitory, shutting the door silently behind him as he made his way to the Undercroft.

2:59 AM, Corridor

Regardless of the reason he was up, Ominis enjoyed late walks around the hallways of Hogwarts. It gave him time alone to think, and lately he had been using them to recover from the late night horrors he witnessed every time he slept.

He thought of Eleanora. Something about her continuously drew him in like a moth to a flame, and he didn't know how to escape it. In another life, maybe he would have let the flame grow into something much larger, but unfortunately, there was no escaping his family line.

From an early age, they had expected him to marry a pureblooded witch, even if she was previously related to him. Often he wondered if his condition had been a result of their infamous inbreeding, and he resented them for it.

He found it ridiculous that they saw power within blood rather than ability itself. Eleanora, for example, was quite possibly one of the most powerful witches he knew. Other than her sense for ancient magic, she was incredibly resilient and he had never met someone so skilled in charms. He found it more impressive that she, a muggle-born behind on her magical training, was stronger than many of the pureblooded students at Hogwarts. However, his parents would never understand just how powerful she truly was, and even mentioning her name in their presence likely risked her life.

He reached the door to the Undercroft. He began to unlock it, and then stepped inside. The old scent filled his nose like an old friend, and he breathed in deeply as he welcomed it.

"Ominis?"

Eleanora.

Chapter Text

2:59 AM, Undercroft

The Undercroft was silent except for the sounds of a quill scribbling across parchment. Nora read the words that covered her scroll, but her mind was far beyond an essay about Amortentia.

Suddenly, the sound of the door to the Undercroft creaked. Nora jumped at the unexpected noise. She whipped her head over to the gate and felt her heart flutter at the sight of Ominis.

What's he doing awake?

She then noticed his outfit, and felt her face flush. He was in his pajamas, which hung loosely against his body, exposing his collarbone. His hair was messy, and casted a shadow along his damp forehead as he ran his hand through it. His torso moved up and down quickly as he breathed. She had never seen him in this sort of state before. He normally looked so put together, but right now he was a mess. A small part of Nora felt drawn towards him, but she stayed on the ground.

"Ominis?" She called out, making her presence known.

He froze, and held his wand out further as it shot out an occasional red spark that matched the shade his face was turning. He took a few steps, scanning the area. "What are you doing here? It's late." He asked, his free hand going towards his hair as he tried to flatten it against his head.

She couldn't tell if the question was out of a place of care, or if he just wanted an excuse to send her away. "I could ask you the same thing." She attempted to dodge answering the question. The truth was that she had spent the entire night tossing and turning as she tried to fight for sleep, but her mind seemed to have other plans. She couldn't stop replaying the entire day through her head. Her date with Garreth had gone relatively well. He was such a gentleman with her, and she had fun walking around Hogsmeade. However, she had spent most of their time in the Three Broomsticks sneaking peaks at the bar to see if Sebastian or Ominis appeared to be listening. However, they looked to be arguing with each other, so she assumed that Garreth and her had gone unnoticed for the most part.

Throughout the entire day, she was constantly nagged by guilt. She thought Garreth was wonderful, but she couldn't escape her feelings for Ominis no matter how hard as she tried. It didn't feel fair towards him, and she wasn't sure what exactly to do. There was also the unshakable betrayal she felt in regard to Ominis. She was fairly certain she never had a chance with him, but something in her felt as if she was cheating on her feelings towards him. It made no sense, but no matter how many times she told herself that, the gross feeling of guilt wouldn't stop haunting her.

Ominis sighed, still attempting to smooth his hair back against his head. "Fair point, do you mind if I join you?" He spoke softly, but his voice was loud compared to the silence she had been previously accompanied with.

She felt a familiar fluttering in her stomach. No matter how hard she had tried to forget him, only Ominis would ever be able to conjure butterflies in her stomach with the simplest change in tone. "Sure, I suppose." She tried to sound calm and collected, but her voice shook with nervous excitement. He had reeled her back in unknowingly, and Garreth Weasley seemed like an old memory.

Ominis walked over slowly, twirling his wand for a moment before it fell onto the ground in between them. The sound echoed the room as his face managed to turn a somehow deeper shade of red. She let out an involuntary giggle. He rarely seemed awkward, but when he did, it was endearing. She leaned over as went to pick it up for him. Apparently, he had also gone to grab the wand, and before she could realize it, they had brushed hands, grabbing either end it.

She looked up, and realized he had knelt down. There were merely inches of air separating them, separating their lips. His skin flickered in the light of the torch on the wall, and she could tell this was the darkest shade of red it would ever be. She could feel her entire body burn, but she couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or the feeling of his breath along her lips. She could taste the cool, sharp scent of mint as he breathed out heavily. She looked deep into his eyes, the blue fog starting to clear. Something was happening between them, and she wasn't sure exactly what it was but she wanted more. She needed more.

Lean in.

"El...Eleanora?" He whispered. This was it. He would surely kiss her.

Her breath barely made its way out of her throat. "Yes?"

"You can let go of my wand now."

She cleared her throat, loosening her grasp against the wood as she leaned back. A sinking feeling of disappointment filled the pit of her stomach, extinguishing the fluttering wings of Ominis' butterflies. How could she be so stupid? "Sorry, I should have...Nevermind, I'm just sorry."

Ominis didn't stand, and he smiled as his face finally started to desaturate to his pale complexion. "It's alright, you were just trying to help."

Her heart was still racing the longer he remained knelt in front of her. There were likely a foot or two apart, and there was no room between her and the Undercroft wall that she was leaning against. He could easily lean in and kiss her, and she would have no escape. She shivered at the thought, the butterflies managing to return. Unfortunately, he did not fulfill her fantasy as he stood back up, leaning against an empty crate right next to them.

"I'm sorry for what I said in Defense Against the Dark Arts." She blurted out, not even realizing what she had said at first. However, not expecting to apologize didn't make it any less sincere. She had regretted it the moment it had slipped out of her mouth.

Ominis reached back towards his hair, still trying to tame it. Nora didn't understand exactly what he was trying to do, or why he was trying to do it. "No, I apologize for snapping at you a few weeks ago. It wasn't fair of me, and I'm sorry for scaring you." He sighed, his voice heavy with remorse. "I hadn't realized I had switched to...that I wasn't speaking properly with you."

Nora thought back to their argument a few weeks ago. Honestly, she hadn't been bothered by the parseltongue, but by the fact that she had drawn it out of him. She hated the unintentional effect she had over him. She looked down at her half-finished essay in order to try and distance herself from his undeniable beauty. Maybe if she avoided the secret glances she took, she would be able to fully let him go.

The room was uncomfortably quiet for a few moments. Nora picked up her quill, and began to continue her essay, covering the silence with the sound of scratching against paper.

Ominis cleared his throat. "How were things with Weasley today?"

The scratching stopped as Nora paused, processing what he had asked. "They were fine." She answered, careful to not give anything away with her voice. That burdening feeling of betrayal returned as she felt the uneasy tension between the two of them grow.

"You sound unimpressed." He remarked. She looked up and noticed that he was slightly smirking.

That's odd.

She spoke nonchalantly, trying to keep distant as she looked back down at her essay. "I'm not unimpressed, I just don't necessarily think you want all of the details of what we did."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He dropped the smug edge in his tone. She looked up at him and noticed that his smirk had completely disappeared, replaced with a look of something she didn't exactly understand. His jaw was clenched and his eyebrows furrowed. Why was he angry?

Suddenly, she had an idea. "Well, I would tell you, but a girl doesn't kiss and tell." She sighed, attempting to sound dreamy, as if she was remembering a fond memory. Ominis didn't need to know that the only thing that she had done was cling onto Garreth's arm down the street.

"You're lying, you must be." Whatever emotion had been fueling his voice got stronger. She smiled, letting the silence reply for her.

"Eleanora, this is not funny. Please tell me you didn't kiss Garreth Weasley on a trip to Hogsmeade."

She remained silent again, awaiting his response.

Suddenly, he sighed as he walked away from the crate and began to pace furiously. His demeanor had changed. His fists were clenched, swinging recklessly with his walk. She suddenly didn't think this game was fun anymore. "I'm just messing with you. He only walked me around Hogsmeade." She tried to reason with him.

Ominis shook his head, dismissing what she had just said. "Ah yes, let's just play with my feelings once again. Really funny, Davies." He retorted.

"'Playing with your feelings'? Ominis, it was a silly joke." She responded in a defensive tone, but remorse began to hang over her. She shouldn't have implied something untrue to him. She had lied to him all of last year with Sebastian, and it wasn't fair to lie to him right now.

"A joke? Merlin, he's already influenced you."

Influenced me? "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked coldly as she stood up.

"All I'm saying is that it's a bit odd that you hang out with him for one afternoon, and suddenly you think using someone's emotions as a pawn in a joke is a good idea. I mean, you obviously thought the little stunt he played against Leander Prewett was pretty hilarious." He scoffed.

She hadn't mentioned that part, and at first she felt confused over how she knew about their conversation. She then remembered seeing him and Sebastian in the Three Broomsticks. She thought that it had been a coincidence that they had been in Hogsmeade the day of her date with Garreth, but she was starting to wonder if she was wrong. "Were you two spying on me?"

"No, we didn't realize- Look, you just don't understand what you're getting into with Weasley!" He snapped, his pacing growing quicker with more force. She was angering him again, but she didn't care. He had crossed the line.

"Why are you so invested in my love life? You haven't cared whether I was alive or not the last few weeks, and now suddenly you're picking who I can or can't be with?" She yelled, shocking herself with the sudden volume in her voice. Nora rarely ever yelled at anyone if she could help it. However, the buildup of being ignored for weeks on end only for Ominis to pretend to care when she was finally happy drove her insane. What was it about Garreth that infuriated Ominis this much?

Ominis stopped in place, breathing in deeply as he ran his hands down his face in a stressed motion. "Nevermind...just forget it, Eleanora. It's late, and we're both-"

"No, I'm not going to just drop this! You haven't spoken to me in weeks, and here you are trying to convince me I'm the fool for going out on a stupid date!" She shouted as she curled her fingers into fists out of frustration. "You either tell me what's going on, or we drop this completely!"

Ominis resumed his pacing as he began to speak again. "Have you considered that maybe I'm trying to protect you?" He muttered, his voice echoing through the room.

"From what? What in the world do I need protected from that I haven't already fought? I'm not a child, Ominis!" She cried out in exasperation. She thought surely, after defeating Ranrok, she had proven herself to be resilient enough to handle anything that came her way. She wasn't some sort of pitiful child who needed his protection.

He didn't reply, still pacing the ground beneath them.

"If you cared for my wellbeing so badly, why have you shut me out? Maybe right now, I need a friend instead of some distant, silent protector." She rambled, anger stringing her words together for her. Little thought came into what she was saying, and at this point she just wanted him to acknowledge her. "Friends tell each other the truth."

"Fine! You want the truth? Weasley isn't able to be there for you the way that you need. He thinks everything is fun and games, and it's only going to hurt you in the end. He'll put himself first, and that's all anyone has ever done with you!" His voice grew louder as he finished his sentence, the ends of the words he spoke slurring together. She could tell that he was starting to cross the line between parseltongue and English, as several words came out as a hiss.

She felt as though he had stabbed her in the gut. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He kicked at the ground in anger. He then took a deep breath, and turned towards the entrance to the Undercroft as he pulled out his wand. "I don't want to argue about this anymore. I'm leaving and I think you should, too." He began to walk away, retreating.

"Ominis, stop!" She instinctively reached out and grabbed his free wrist, holding him back. She was shocked by her own actions, but she didn't back down as she settled her grip. If they dropped the argument that night, they would just argue again weeks later. She wanted to resolve the problem and let things go back to what they used to be.

He stopped in his tracks, and she could feel his pulse beating through her fingertips that laid along the inside of his arm. His head turned to the side, letting her get a glimpse of his perfect side profile. "Let go, Eleanora." He muttered. His tone wasn't full of anger, but something else. Was it regret?

She felt the sting of tears against her eyes, and her throat seemed to close around cotton. "Please, Ominis." She begged, her voice breaking. She knew if he stayed that the fight would continue, but she figured a heated argument was better than the cold silence she had endured for weeks.

"Let me go, Eleanora." He muttered, his voice cracking. She could see an unusual sparkle in his eyes that she had only seen once before.

I'm hurting him again.

She loosened her grip around his wrist, letting it slip down to his side once more. He paused a moment, turning his face towards the exit once again. She closed her eyes as the sound of his retreating footsteps echoed the room.

When she opened them again, he was gone. She walked back over to where she had been sitting before, and stared at her essay that had been forgotten on the ground. She leaned against the wall, and tears began to stream down her face as she slid down the wall, letting out a heartbroken sob.

She couldn't decipher what she felt towards Ominis. Part of her wanted to scream at him in anger and confusion. Another part of her wanted to give him the cold shoulder for weeks in retaliation to his avoidance of her.

However, as she cried alone on the floor of the Undercroft, all she could think about was the Vivarium. She remembered how it felt to break down in his arms, and she craved that safety once more. She sobbed as she pulled her legs back towards her, curling them up against her body. She lowered her head against them, and sobbed into herself. She felt small against the emptiness of the room, and she wished it would swallow her whole.

Chapter Text

November 14th, 1891: 1:32 PM, Clocktower

Crossed Wands was rather crowded that day. Cheers filled the hall as bursts of colorful energy collided in the air, however the crackle and singing of magic hitting robes and crates was audible enough for everyone to hear. The reaction to the hiss of hexes hitting protego sparked many cries of disappointment.

Nora raised onto her toes as she tried to get an extra view of the duel. "Protego!" Amit shouted, armoring himself with a large bubble. Leander, who stood about fifteen feet away from him, began to smirk smugly. "Too scared to take the heat, Thakkar?" He shouted as he readjusted his position. She frowned at Leander, bothered by the way he was talking to Amit. Little did he know that Amit had helped her through an entire mine full of bloodthirsty goblins, and very clearly knew his way around a wand.

Amit took the opportunity of Leander's readjustment, and aimed his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Leander's arms immediately flew to his sides as his body stiffened. The crowd silenced as Leander's body wobbled. He managed to stand up for a few seconds before he lost his balance and fell to the ground with a crash, earning Amit a crowd full of cheers.

Nora's heart soared as she watched Amit look around at his classmates. "Did I win? I never win! Hooray!" He cheered as he walked over to Everett Clopton and Samantha Dale. Everett looked a bit annoyed as he handed Samantha what looked to be a few sickles.

Lucan Brattleby walked over to the center of the room, waving his arm in the air as he attempted to get everyone's attention. "That was bloody brilliant, if I do say so myself! What an amazing duel! Alright, who do we have next?"

Nora felt the smack of the back of someone's hand and immediately winced in pain. "Sorry, Davies!" They replied, as Nora recognized the voice as Imelda Reyes. Nora looked up and realized the crowd was full of eager students raising their hands high in the air to get Lucan's attention.

Nora had always wondered just how exactly Lucan had managed to start this elite dueling club within his first three years at Hogwarts. Initially, it was intended to be invitation only, but somehow it had grown throughout the entire school within the last year. However, fourteen-year-old Lucan seemed to be managing the growth pretty well.

Lucan looked around, scanning the crowd slowly. He looked over in Nora's direction, and his entire face lit up as he made eye contact with her. She gave him a small wave, and he immediately shouted over the crowd. "Make way everyone, it's the Crossed Wands champion!"

The crowd parted as everyone looked over at her. Nora felt anxiety grab at her stomach as the entire room's eyes landed on her. She wasn't an attention-seeker, and had hoped to simply watch a few duels in order to relax from the stress of classes. She tried to swallow the uncomfortable lump in her throat as she walked through the crowd towards the center of the room.

To Nora's relief, the area roared with loud cheers and applause. She smiled as she felt her face flush. She looked around at everyone, and her eyes landed on a familiar red-headed Gryffindor. Her heart stopped as she saw Garreth's freckly grin through the crowd, his face bright with glee.

She wasn't exactly sure what to call Garreth at this point. They were more than friends, and she did feel some sort of attraction towards him, but they hadn't adopted the label of dating yet. She had specifically been avoiding the conversation with him because she didn't feel ready to fully commit, as there was a certain person still stuck in the back of her mind. It wouldn't be fair to Garreth to start a relationship when her heart wasn't truly his yet.

She looked back at Lucan, who was still a few inches shorter than her. He hadn't changed much over the summer. All that she noticed was that his voice cracked every so often when he got excited about something. He looked up at her in admiration, and she remembered the love she had for the young boy. He seemed like a younger brother to her, and she thought it was adorable how excited he got over the mere idea of watching her duel. "Please tell me you're here to do more than watch a few amateurs!" He pleaded.

She sighed, giving in. "I guess I could go for a friendly duel."

"Brilliant! Who's up for a duel against our champion, lads?" He called out towards the crowd.

"I volunteer!"

Nora turned and saw Natty walk forward. They both shared a grin as the audience filled with whispers and the sounds of coins being traded. Natty had luckily made a nearly fully recovery over the summer. The only noticeable difference was that every so often, Natty had to take breaks if she gave too much effort. This wasn't a rare occurrence, as Natty gave her all in everything she ever did.

Lucan looked between the two of them with a thrilled expression. "Oh, a fair competitor. Alright, let's get started then."

Nora and Natty both turned towards each other as Lucan walked off to the side. They both bent over, bowing to the other. Nora looked up slightly, her hair falling in her face. Through the strands of brunette, Natty's smile was staring back at her. "I hope you know that I won't be going easy, my friend!" She whispered as they met eyes. Nora grinned as they straightened upwards, turning the opposite way so that the heat from Natty's back was against hers. "Neither will I." She whispered back, earning a chuckle from Natty.

Nora stared straight in front of her, zoning out as she walked her ten paces. Her steps echoed along with Natty's, loud against the whispers that filled the clocktower. As she took her final step, she whipped around and smoothly slid into an offensive position, her wand above her head as her other hand rested along the air in front of her.

She looked at Natty, who's wand-arm was closer to her face. Natty gave her a small wink as Lucan's voice rang through the hall. "On three...one..."

Nora's mind instantly filled with incantations as she tried to sort through which ones she wanted to use.

"Two..."

She could feel her pulse start to climb as the noise died down.

"Three!"

Suddenly, adrenaline took over. "Levioso!" She shouted as a stream of yellow glimmer sped through her wand, landing on poor Natty, who had little time to react. Natty raised up into the air, and she let out a shocked yelp.

Expelliarmus won't work, she doesn't need her wand for magic.

Nora spent a second too long on that thought, and as she was processing Natty's yell, she felt the hit of stupefy against her chest. She fell back, stumbling a little as her body tried to absorb the blow. Luckily, she remained on her feet.

She looked up to see Natty's wand raised, her mouth open. Quickly, Nora jumped out of the way as Natty finished her sentence. "Confringo!" She shouted as the singe soared right past Nora's ear, hitting something behind her. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Nora felt the heat of adrenaline racing through her veins.

So we're using those spells now, are we?

"Accio!" She shouted, pointing her wand towards Natty. Natty flew close to her, and Nora let out another yell. "Flipendo! Depulso!"

Natty flipped in the air, and as she went to try and land on the ground once more, she was shot backwards. She landed on the ground, and her wand rolled out of her hands. Nora walked over, aiming her wand at her friend.

Natty looked up as she panted, and a smile spread along her face. "Alright, alright. You win for now."

Triumph filled Nora's body as the tingling sensation of adrenaline faded. She held out her hand to Natty as the surrounding students cheered, grumbled, and traded coins amongst themselves. Natty took her hand, and Nora pulled her up. Natty grunted, and Nora suddenly remembered her condition.

"Are you alright?" She whispered with a concerned voice. She didn't want to hurt anyone while dueling, and she had barely forgiven herself for letting Natty take an unforgivable for her last spring.

Natty nodded, still grinning as her breathing began to slow to a normal pace. "I will be." She began to walk back to her spot in the crowd. Nora sighed in relief and followed her over to the sixth year Gryffindors. She spotted Garreth among them, and made her way over to him. As she approached, he looked at her with a proud smile.

"That was incredible! I'd forgotten how brilliant you were at dueling, Nora." He loudly whispered in her ear, laying an arm around her shoulders. She blushed as she looked up at him. His hair was as messy as usual, and she had found it rather endearing lately. She looked back towards the empty space where Lucan had started arranging the next duel.

However, just past Lucan's shoulder, she noticed a familiar head of messy brown hair standing towards the front of the crowd. Her heart stopped as she recognized Sebastian, who hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks. She gulped, realizing that if Sebastian was here, Ominis was likely nearby. Sure enough, she was proven correct as Sebastian shifted to his side, revealing Ominis standing behind him.

She immediately looked away, desperate not to fall into the trap she couldn't seem to escape. She hadn't spoken to either of the Slytherins since her argument with Ominis. Obviously, Ominis had reason to be upset with her, but she couldn't understand why exactly Sebastian wasn't speaking with her at the moment.

As she tried to follow the duel, she tried to ignore the Slytherins. However, every so often, she would notice that Sebastian was staring directly at her, whispering towards Ominis.

Suddenly, she felt something a hand gently pull her chin upward. She made eye contact with Garreth, who was looking down at her with a worried expression. "You look like you just walked through a ghost, is everything alright?" He asked, his facial expression full of kindness.

Her stomach flipped at the simple gesture, and she could feel her face burning. "Y...yes I'm fine." She stuttered, which was impressive since she could barely think.

He smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead, leaving a tingling sensation where his lips had touched. At this point, her legs had gone completely numb and she could barely breathe. She didn't know how to respond, or if she even could respond.

Do something.

She hesitated before leaning her head against his shoulder as she looked back towards the ring, only to find that Imelda Reyes was celebrating a victory over Astoria Crickett. Surely this is what she was supposed to do.

Lucan took the center of the area once more. "Alright, up next, I have Weasley against Prewett!" Lucan scanned the area, only to discover that Leander was nowhere to be found.

"He's likely hiding from my bat-bogey hex, it's definitely one of my signature moves." Garreth whispered against her ear, awakening the hair along the back of her neck. She giggled breathlessly, still trying to process what exactly was happening.

"Well, since Prewett seems to have forfeited, would anyone else like to take his place against Weasley?" Lucan called out towards the sea of risen hands.

"I'll have a go."

Nora's heart sunk as she recognized the voice. She looked up to see that Sebastian had stepped forward into the ring. Sebastian was easily one of the most difficult students Nora had ever dueled, and she had a rough feeling that Sebastian wouldn't exactly take it easy on Garreth.

To her dismay, Garreth boldly stepped forward, a unknowing smile across his face. "I accept!" Nora watched the two boys take the ring, her stomach twisting into a knot of anxiety while the students around her murmured in anticipation.

Sebastian and Garreth met in the center of the empty space as Lucan backed out of the way. They both bowed, but Sebastian did not dip his head completely. If she wasn't so worried for Garreth, she would have rolled her eyes at the dramatic response. Sometimes, he was a bit of a primadonna.

Lucan's voice echoed through the clocktower. "On three...one...."

Silence.

"Two..."

Utter silence.

"Three!"

"Depulso!" "Confringo!"

Their yells collided, and Nora looked away, terrified. There were loud cheers, and she heard Sebastian grunt in pain. She parted her finger, peaking through her hands. Relief flooded her body as she saw Garreth still standing, his wand arm extended at Sebastian, who was on the ground. He brushed himself off, standing up.

Garreth, get him while he's down!

She knew he wouldn't because Garreth had always dueled fair. Sebastian, on the other hand, didn't.

"Eat slugs!"

Garreth immediately fell down as the spell hit him straight in his chest. Nora had never heard that one used before, and felt her body involuntarily recoil as she watched Garreth cough out a shining slug onto the floor. The audience had mixed reactions, with some people cheering as others groaned in disgust.

Nora pushed her way through the students, kneeling beside him. "Are you okay?" She asked, worried. Garreth gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, that was a really good move. I never saw..." He gagged once more, another creature covered in slime falling from his mouth, as he held up a thumbs up. "My pride's a bit hurt, but I'll be...I'll be..." He began to cough again, and Natty kneeled next to him, holding out a bucket.

Nora looked away as she heard the uncomforting noise of the slug hitting the metal, followed by various "Ews!"

She looked back, and saw Sebastian walking back over to Ominis, a grin wide across his face. She felt anger surge through her, and stormed over towards them with her wand out.

Sebastian turned and made eye contact with Nora, his smile quickly fading into a look of terror as he began to back up into Ominis. "Hey, I'm right-" He started, but Nora cut him off in a furious whisper.

"Whatever problem you have with me, leave Garreth out of it!" She hissed, pointing her wand at Sebastian's chest. She heard gasps around her, but she didn't care. She was sick of everyone blaming poor Garreth for everything.

"You say that as if he's not part of it as well!" Ominis hissed from behind Sebastian, his face covered in a scowl.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Forget it, Davies." He said, the last word dripping with venom.

Davies?

She groaned in frustration and walked right past them to the exit, not forgetting to knock her shoulder into Sebastian as she did so. If they wanted to act immaturely, that was their choice, but she wanted absolutely no part of it.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter wasn't up to my usual standard. The last one took a lot out of me, and I needed something fun to write. Also, for future reference, I lost my beta reader so if there are any spelling/grammar errors in future chapters, I apologize. Once again, thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

November 16th, 1891: 9:23 PM, Astronomy Tower

Nora walked into the classroom, shivering as the rush of the cold winter air raised the hair along the back of her neck. She walked over to her seat in the corner, trying to stay clear of the unwelcome breeze.

Lately, things had been quite lonely in Astronomy. Poppy had offered to switch partners multiple times, but Nora didn't want to take away from her time with Amit. He had somehow managed to help Poppy improve her Astronomy grade, and Nora didn't want Poppy sacrificing her only chance at passing her Astronomy N.E.W.T. over some silly spat with Sebastian that Nora didn’t even fully comprehend.

Besides, things weren't so bad solo. She didn't have to deal with Sebastian pestering her for a turn with the telescope, and she was able to finish her work much quicker.

As Professor Shah made her way into the classroom, she looked around at all the students with a look of annoyance in her eyes. "It has come to my attention that your N.E.W.T.s may include questions regarding 'astrology.' As a true astronomer, I urge you to take what you study regarding this subject with a grain of salt. However, as a professor, it is my duty to make sure you are all well prepared." Professor Shah gritted her teeth as she continued. "So, today's lesson will be focused on astrology. Please, work with your partners to complete each other's...astrological profile."

Nora felt her stomach sink as she realized what exactly this meant. She turned over to look at Sebastian, who was a few seats down from her. He looked up, making direct eye contact with her, before letting out a sigh as he gathered his things and walked over to sit next to her.

Wonderful.

Nora moved her belongings over to make room for him, looking away from his face. "Good evening." She greeted, trying to ignore the confusion and pain she had surrounding her friendship with Sebastian.

"Evening." He sighed, opening his textbook.

So we're going to be like that.

She cleared her throat to break the awkward silence between them, flipping to her textbook's chapter on astrology. She skimmed the page, picking out important details from the paragraph. "Alright, so in order to fill out our chart, we need to know the other's birthday."

Sebastian let out another sigh. "September eighteenth."

Nora looked over at him, her jaw dropping slightly as he spoke. "You're already seventeen? Why didn't you tell us?"

He shrugged. "What does it matter… Anne isn't here to celebrate it with me." He muttered as she picked at the edge of his textbook, his gaze far beyond the desk he stared at.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Nora tried to search for the right words. "I'm sure Anne wouldn't have wanted you to hide your birthday from us, did anyone else know?"

He nodded. "Luckily, I have a friend who doesn't go blabbing about my personal life to people without asking me first." He scoffed, his tone full of annoyance. She tilted her head, confused and taken aback by his statement. He looked at her, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't act all innocent."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed and looked at her, his expression full of annoyance. "I know you told Poppy about the Catacomb."

Suddenly, everything clicked. She remembered her slip up with Poppy in the vivarium a few weeks back, and the look on Sebastian's face when Poppy spoke to him in the great hall the next day. It made sense why he was angry with her, now. Her heart began to sink as she realized how she had broken his trust. "I'm truly sorry, Sebastian. I didn't mean to-"

"Just forget it, Nora."

The silence afterward grew uncomfortable after a moment. Nora let out a small sigh, turning back to her textbook, scanning for Sebastian's birthday. "It looks like you were born under the Virgo constellation."

Sebastian didn't reply, and Nora ignored the unwanted silence. She ran her finger along the page underneath the words she was reading. "Apparently, you're a perfectionist." Nora snorted, unable to hide her amusement at the statement.

Sebastian shot her a glare. "What's so funny about that?"

She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. His hair was messy as usual, and his robes were more wrinkled than ever. "Oh, come on. You're the least organized person I know." She reasoned, her laugh still shining through her words.

Sebastian continued to glare at her grin. Then, after a moment, his scowl melted into a smile as he looked away. "You got me there, I guess."

Progress!

She looked back at her textbook. "Alright, let's try mine."

She flipped the page, looking for her birthday. She let her finger fall down the page and her eyes locked onto the date she was looking for. "Ah, there we go! February thirteenth!" She exclaimed as she began to read through her own astrological profile. "Aquarius. I'm 'free-spirited, yet unpredictable.'" She muttered as she read through the words.

"Don't forget 'stubborn,' that's definitely accurate." Sebastian chimed in.

"I am not stubborn!" Nora scowled as she flipped her head back towards him.

"Look at you, proving my point!" He laughed. Nora rolled her eyes, elbowing his side. He let out a grunt, but his laughter continued. "This is fun, try Poppy's!"

She flipped the page back to the summer months. "She was born in June, but I can't remember exactly what-"

"June twenty-second." Sebastian cut her off. Nora looked at him, raising her eyebrows once more. His face turned a light pink as she made eye contact. "What? I'm very good at memorizing dates!"

"Oh, really? When is my birthday then?"

Sebastian opened his mouth, then shut it, his blush growing deeper. He propped his head up against his arm in defeat, looking away from her gaze. "Just read the blasted horoscope."

Nora looked back down at the page. "Well, it looks like she was born under the 'Cancer' constellation. 'Witches and wizards born under the Cancer constellation tend to be extremely loyal, and will always lend an ear to a friend in need.'" She read, grinning as she continued through the sentence. "Sounds exactly like Poppy."

Sebastian's smiled faltered as she spoke. He cleared his throat, attempting to move on. "Try December sixteenth."

Nora turned back towards the winter months. "December sixteenth, December sixteenth...Here! 'Witches and Wizards born under the Sagittarius constellation make excellent friends due to their charming personality, but beware of their sharp tongue as they tend to be brutally honest.'"

She looked at Sebastian, a bit confused. "Who do we know that was born on December sixteenth?

"Who is our one other friend?" Sebastian asked, his voice full of snark.

Nora felt her mouth form a small frown as she realized who he was speaking of. "Friends? I'd be lucky if he even saw me as an acquaintance, at this point." She muttered, looking away from Sebastian's eyes. She felt the familiar pang of misery in the back of her mind as she thought of him. She couldn't even bear to say his name anymore without feeling a knot wrestle itself in her stomach.

"Are you serious? We're both talking about Ominis right?"

Nora looked up, and saw Sebastian's face covered in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, slightly tilting her head.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Merlin, you're both insufferable."

Nora waited for him to continue, but was met with the sounds of other conversations and the scribbling of quills. "Sebastian, explain!"

He groaned as he pulled his hands down his face. "For someone so bright, you really are slow at picking up things. He's practically losing it over Garreth even breathing in your direction, and you're sitting here wondering if he wants to be friends with you!"

She felt herself blush at his words. "He keeps telling me to leave him-"

Sebastian moved to face her, clapping his hands together in front of him and staring straight into her eyes. "I promise you that whatever he's telling you is so far from the truth. I haven't seen him happier than when he's been around you, and we both know that boggart wasn't just any scream." Sebastian waited a moment before continuing, which allowed her to realize just how hot her face felt. "Nora, you have got to believe me when I tell you that you are the only thing he cares about anymore."

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn't process exactly what she wanted to say. So many thoughts soared through her head. Why was Sebastian telling her this? Was Ominis really that fond of her? Was it a friendship, or was it something more?

However, before she could manage to form the first syllable of her sentence, Professor Shah began to speak. "Alright, students, that is all we have time for tonight. Please remember to finish your star charts..." She ranted.

Nora looked down at her textbook, the page still open to the Sagittarius constellation. Her eyes landed on the heading labeled "Compatibilities."

I wonder...

She continued down the paragraph. Her heart suddenly fluttered as she saw her own constellation two lines underneath the heading.

"Finally, I urge you not to delve too far into the Zodiac's world. Despite the rhyme of the two, you'll find that there's nothing logical within the astrological." Shah's voice faded back into reality.

She's probably right.

Nora sighed, closing her textbook. Regardless of what Sebastian had said, there was no point dwelling on stars in the sky to help her dive deeper into her own delusion. Still, a small butterfly fluttered within her stomach. If the stars thought they were meant for each other, maybe her odds weren't so awful after all.

November 17th, 1891: 4:12 PM, Library

The quiet whispers of gossip seemed to fill the library that day. Every so often, Scribner's loud hush would silence the student's whispers, leaving only the sounds of flipping pages and quills scratching across scrolls for a few minutes. However, the whispers would slowly crescendo overtime, with only a few "shhs!" from the students nearby who were actually focused on their studies.

Nora stared down at the textbook in front of her with little to no effort in trying to comprehend it. She couldn't seem to escape her conversation with Sebastian from the previous night. His voice circled her brain, nearly driving her mad.

I promise you that whatever he's telling you is so far from the truth...

I haven't seen him happier than when he's been around you...

We both know that boggart wasn't just any scream...

Nora, you have got to believe me when I tell you that you are the only thing he cares about anymore...

Suddenly, her thoughts were broken by the tickling feeling of a feather against her nose. She snapped back to reality, focusing on the quill brushing her face. She looked up and made eye contact with Garreth, who was reaching his arm out as he held the quill. His smirk laid against his other hand, with his arm propped up underneath the table beneath them.

"I didn't know you were so invested in..." Garreth pulled the book a few inches closer to him, reading the heading of the paragraph Nora had been staring blankly at. "...'the magical properties of the number seven.'" He muttered with a chuckle as he pushed the book back towards her.

Nora sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she shut her eyes. "Sorry, it's just been a very strange few weeks and I think it's affecting my focus." She opened her eyes, looking at Garreth, who was looking at her intently.

He reached across the table, shutting the book. "What's on your mind?"

She looked down, avoiding his eyes. Her mouth felt dry of any words, yet her mind flooded with multiple. She felt wrong keeping these secrets from him, but it also felt wrong to talk to Garreth about her feelings towards another boy.

She felt a warm pressure on her hand, and she looked over to see Garreth resting his own hand on hers. He gave her a crooked yet comforting smile as he lightly squeezed her hand. "Whatever it is, I'll be on your side no matter what." He whispered, still cautiously avoiding Scribner's attention.

She looked at him, feeling the heat radiating off his hand. She couldn't tell exactly what it was she felt towards him at the moment, but something in her caused her to start to ramble. "I just...I've had this- this friend who I've been...close with for a very long time, and ever since...ever since..." She stammered, attempting to skim over the romantic side of her problem.

Garreth let out a sigh, his smile shrinking a bit. "It's Gaunt, isn't it?"

Nora felt her stomach flutter violently at his name. "How...How did-"

Garreth looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he smirked. "I'm a bit more observant than you may realize, Davies." Something in his tone seemed different than Nora was expecting. She didn't reply, and he sighed again. He gave her hand another light squeeze before continuing. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but I don't want you distancing yourself from him because of me. If I'm being honest, I think he needs you more than I do." He spoke softly, a bit more serious than usual.

She looked deep into his green eyes, full of comfort and care. She couldn't believe it. She was on the verge of a relationship with one of the most sought-after boys in her year, and yet as she stared deep into the warm fields of green within his eyes, she couldn't help but wish that they were the mystic blue fog she used to so desperately get lost in.

He doesn't deserve this.

She pulled her hand away, looking over towards the window. The sun was shining through the glass as the trees slowly shed their fiery coat of leaves.

Maybe it's a sign of some sort.

"Garreth, I want you to know that you have been absolutely amazing with me this whole time..." She started to speak, but then her voice trailed off as the rest of the sentence seemed to prevent itself from escaping her throat.

"It's alright, Nora. It was fun while it lasted." He said, giving her a playful grin as he stood up. He began to gather his belongings, packing them into his bag. "I have herbology in a few minutes, so I guess I shall leave you to your thoughts. Just promise me one thing."

She looked at him, a bit worried as to what he was going to ask of her. "Yes?"

He looked at her with a smirk. "Try and figure out the Gaunt thing before you date anyone else. I'll feel sorry for the next guy that has to cough up slugs all night because he fell for the wrong girl." He lightly teased, shuddering at the memory of the slimy hex.

She laughed, relief flooding her body as she realized he wasn't angry. "I will, don't worry."

Garreth nodded, turning around and walking down the aisle of bookshelves. As he rounded the corner, he looked at her one last time. He waved, smiling at her with his charming grin before continuing, his curly red hair disappearing behind the bookshelves.

She definitely felt a twinge of sadness at having to end things with Garreth, but she knew it was for the best. On the other hand, the small part of her heart belonging to Ominis began to flutter as the door to their future opened once again.

Chapter Text

November 24th, 1891: 10:55 AM, Central Hall

Central Hall was absolutely flooded with students, their laughter and gossip echoing through the corridor. Nora tried to look above the sea of students, craning her neck in order to get a glimpse of the area, but she wasn't exactly the tallest person, so she was lucky enough to even be able to get her head far up enough to breathe in a bit of fresh air.

Nora gasped out in pain as her neck suddenly cramped from the unnatural position. She bent her head towards the ground, raising her hand to massage the pain. The tension slowly began to die as she pushed deep into her muscle, and she sighed in relief. As she stared down, she watched as her feet slowly traveled with the current of students.

This hall is a bit too crowded for my liking.

She looked up, trying to find some sort of exit. Luckily, she noticed a small portion of students parting towards the stairwell. She immediately started heading towards the stairs in a desperate attempt to escape the sea of teenagers.

As she started to manage to tear away from the crowd, she caught a glimpse of familiar blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around, and winced as the pain rehashed itself due to her sudden movement. Her eyes shut involuntarily as she inhaled through her teeth, rubbing the pained area. She opened them, and her heart sunk as she lost sight of him.

Fate seemed to enjoy toying with Nora. Up until her split with Garreth, Ominis had seemed to find his way into her daily life. However, as soon as she wanted to see him, he was nowhere to be found.

She reached into her bag, feeling around for his sweater. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt its familiar fabric, its soft texture a comforting welcome. Ever since September, she had kept it hidden away from everyone underneath her pillow. Nora tried to reason with herself for months, pretending as if she didn't have the time, nor the courage to return the sweater. But deep down, she knew there was something special about it. There was something about the way it smelled, and the way seemed to calm her down. Often times, as she laid atop the pillow separating her from it, she could smell its cool scent as it slowly helped her drift off to sleep like a sweet lullaby. She knew she would need to part ways with it eventually, but for now, it was definitely keeping her grounded.

Suddenly, she felt something pull at her ankles as she fell down, hitting her head along the stairs underneath her. She yelped, shutting her eyes as the blow hit her, the pain rushing through her skull.

"Are you alright?" Someone nearby asked. Nora couldn't tell exactly who through the loud ringing in her ears. She lifted her hand to her forehead, gingerly touching it. She couldn't feel any blood, but unfortunately, the pain was immensely strong.

She opened her eyes, seeing Leander Prewett in front of her, holding out his hand as he very clearly tried to hold back laughter. She shot him a glare.

"Glad to see you think tripping people is funny." She snapped, not taking his hand but instead grabbing the railing next to them, pulling herself up.

Leander's amused gaze turned sour as he replied. "Don't blame me for your clumsiness, Davies."

"Sure, blame me and play innocent. Real proper, Prewett." She narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed at his dishonesty. "Is this because of Garreth and I?"

Leander scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I couldn't give an owl's hoot what you did to Weasley. Honestly, you taking him down a peg really made my week." He then gave her a disgusted look. "Although this interaction wouldn't have redeemed you in my eyes, either way."

Her head began to throb, and she pinched the bridge of her nose, squinting her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. "I couldn't care less what you thought of me, Leander. Just keep your hands off people's ankles."

Leander's face grew a darker shade of red than his own hair. "I would- How dare- Are you insisting I touched-" He stuttered, his scowl looking anywhere but her eyes. After a moment of silence, he let out a frustrated huff as he walked away, muttering something about Nora that she knew she didn't want to hear.

What a nightmare.

5:53 PM, Great Hall

Nora's head seemed to only worsen as she continued throughout her day. She had gone to the Hospital Wing, but since she wasn't concussed, she was simply sent back to class.

She rubbed her temples, trying to ease the pain. The hall was loud, and she was starting to lose patience. Her eyes stung with tears as her head pounded non-stop.

"Nora, are you alright?" Poppy's voice sounded quiet against the pain in her head.

Nora sighed, lowering her head onto the table. "No, Leander Prewett thought it would be a grand idea to trip me while I was on the staircase today." She said, her tone bitter as she tried to ignore the massive headache. "I can barely think without a wave of pain."

She felt Poppy's hand on her shoulder. "Do you want some Wiggenweld? That might help ease your poor head." She spoke in a soft tone.

Nora sighed, and turned her head to look at her friend. Poppy's eyes were softened, and she looked worried for her. Nora nodded, and Poppy looked in her bag, beginning to rummage through the mess of scrolls and quills.

"Nora!"

Suddenly, there was a loud slam on the table, followed by a pang of pain within Nora's head as the table jolted beneath her. She groaned, sitting up and rubbing her temples once more as she looked over towards the source of the noise.

Sebastian had slammed his hand onto the table in front of her, right in between Lenora Everleigh and Adelaide Oakes. Lenora, who sounded as annoyed as Nora felt, glared up at him and snapped. "What was that for, Sallow?"

"Sorry, ladies. I have important business to attend to." He apologized, his face covered in a gleeful grin. He then looked back at Nora. "Is it true you and Weasley called it quits?"

Nora scowled as she tried to ease the pain in her head with her fingers. "Was there not any other way you could have gotten my attention?" She asked, shutting her eyes. As much as she appreciated Sebastian, she wished he would lower his tone every once in a while.

However, he only got louder. "Answer the question!"

She opened her eyes once more, and saw Sebastian waiting for her answer, smirking at her. She groaned. "Yes! Now could you please quiet down? I have a headache, and I'd rather not discuss my romantic life with the entire school." She whined.

Sebastian's smile faded as he realized how loud he was being. "Sorry, got a bit excited." He apologized once more, his gaze softening.

Poppy finally pulled a small vial filled with green liquid from her bag. "This should help, Nora." She whispered as she pulled the stopper from the glass, pulling over Nora's goblet of pumpkin juice. She poured the liquid into the pumpkin juice, making sure to get every last drop into the cup. "Drink up." She urged, pushing the goblet back towards Nora.

Nora took the goblet, and raised it to her lips. She could taste the Wiggenweld potion within the pumpkin flavor. She never really appreciated Wiggenweld's taste, and oftentimes, it made her shudder. However, she was determined to get rid of the pain that had tormented her all afternoon, and managed to drink the goblet's contents within one swig. She lowered the goblet, and made eye contact with Sebastian, who's eyebrows were raised.

"You think you could do that with firewhiskey?" He asked, impressed.

Poppy sighed from next to him. "What is it, Sebastian?"

Sebastian shook his head quickly, snapping back into his mood from before. "Oh, right...uh...Nora, since you're my astronomy partner and everything, I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me study? I need to make sure I do well on my N.E.W.T.s this spring."

"You? Worried about exams? The world surely must be ending." Poppy chuckled, reorganizing her bag.

"What? Am I not allowed to be thinking of my future? I'm more than just a pretty face, you know." He smirked, his tone coy and playful.

Poppy snorted. "'Pretty' is a strong word, Sebastian. Not your word, but a strong one." She taunted, looking up at him and leaning her head on her hands, which were folded together underneath her chin. They both stared at each other, and Sebastian's eyes narrowed as Poppy's smirk grew.

Wait a moment...

Sebastian chuckled, looking away as he removed his hand from the table. "You win for now, Sweeting..." He then looked over at Nora, his coy smirk fading. "So, I'll see you in the Undercr..." He hesitated, correcting his mistake. "...the spot, after dinner?"

Nora felt the throbbing in her head begin to weaken. She nodded, ready to help Sebastian.

Sebastian smiled. "Brilliant, see you later then." He said, winking as he walked back over to the Slytherin table. As soon as he left the table, Nora turned to Poppy. "What was that?"

Poppy looked at Nora, her gaze not faltering. "Whatever do you mean?" She asked innocently as the empty dishes in front of them began to fill with food.

"Now, I'm no expert on this stuff, but I'm pretty sure he was flirting with you." Nora explained, grabbing the plate full of chicken as she began to help herself to dinner.

"Don't be silly, Sebastian flirts with everyone." She chuckled, grabbing the bowl of salad and adding some to her empty plate.

Nora raised her eyebrows, a bit shocked at her friend's ignorance. "Not like that, he doesn't." She replied as she put the plate back down, staring directly at Poppy.

Poppy looked back at her, smirking. "You're one to talk."

Nora felt her face flush, knowing exactly who Poppy was talking about. "That's different! He doesn't flirt with me like that! You know how much easier this would be if he were that obvious?" She whispered, trying to avoid Lenora and Adelaide's ears.

"Nora, he is obvious. You're just a bit oblivious to the entire thing."

She sighed, giving up. There was no convincing anyone that they were wrong about Ominis. She only wished that he would be as direct as their friends were when it came to how he truly felt.

11:12 PM, The Undercroft

As Nora approached the Undercroft door, she recounted all the information that would likely appear on their N.E.W.T.s. Surely, the constellation of Cetus would be important to remember, and there wouldn't be any harm in going over the lunar cycle once more.

I'm sure Sebastian will have certain items he'd like to review.

She waved her wand across the cabinet, the gears turning with a loud creak against the silence. She winced as the noise echoed through the hall, cringing at the idea over detention. However, the curfew had never seemed to apply to her before, as she had on numerous occasions left Hogwarts late into the night with no resistance.

The door groaned against its hinges as it opened, the soft light of the Undercroft peeking out, beckoning her in.

She stepped inside, her eyes adjusting to the light. Through the bleariness of her pupil shrinking, she could see Sebastian...

Sebastian's hair was surely darker than that.

In fact, as her vision sharpened, she realized it wasn't Sebastian at all.

Ominis leaned against the wall of the Undercroft, his face flickering from the light of the torch. She felt her breath quicken as she took in his presence. His hair was perfectly in place, and his side profile was as sharp as ever. However, he looked like he was on high alert, assumingly due to the noise of someone entering the room.

"Good evening, Ominis." She greeted, clearing her throat before she did so.

His facial expression twitched to surprise as her voice echoed throughout the Undercroft. "Eleanora? What are you doing here?"

She felt a wave of electricity flow through her body as he said her name. She hadn't realized how much she missed it. "Sebastian asked me to come here to help with his star charts."

"That's odd, I could have sworn he said he was off to take a shower as I was leaving the common room." He spoke aloud, his expression shifting with confusion.

The silence was loud, deafeningly loud.

She cleared her throat once more, uncomfortable by the absence of sound. She turned towards the entrance of the Undercroft to leave. "I suppose I'll just leave you be-"

"Stay. I could use the company."

Her heart rushed at the sound of his command. She felt her entire body burn as she turned around slowly, facing him. He was rather beautiful in the flickering light. His facial structure was sharp, but the light softened his gaze as he leaned his head against the wall. His eyes were just barely open, and he looked rather peaceful. It was so very alluring to her, and she could feel something pulling her towards him.

She walked over, every step booming throughout the empty air. She could hardly hear herself think over the pounding in her chest. She sat down on the empty crate next to him, wondering if he could feel the immense longing she was trying to ignore.

Ominis pulled out his wand, fiddling with the handle. "How are you?" He asked, his voice quietly short. His whisper sent a chill through her veins, the rasp resonating deep within her mind. She found herself wondering if knew of the effect he had over her.

She somehow managed to find the words to speak. "I'm alright." There was a brief pause before she inhaled, attempting to continue in a nonchalant tone. "Garreth and I split." Her skin must have been dark red by that point, and she couldn't help but wonder if he could feel the heat within her face from a few feet away.

However, his demeanor changed slightly. His posture seemed to straighten as he stopped fidgeting with his wand. "I thought you liked him." He muttered, something deep within his voice that she couldn't decipher.

"Well, I think...I think I would have, but my heart wasn't fully in it." She explained. Her mind urged her to tell him where her heart truly lied. However, fear of rejection took over, forcing her to stop before she could confess.

"Hm. Interesting." He muttered, fiddling with his wand again, his posture slouching slightly.

She felt confused. Sebastian had told her Ominis was infatuated with her, so why wasn't he doing anything? Surely, he must know that she was truly his. That she could never be anyone else's, no matter how hard she tried. That her heart was resting in his hands, fragile yet ready.

The pounding crescendoed as the electricity grew stronger.

"Ominis..."

Was that her voice? She didn't mean to let that whisper slip out.

His head moved towards the side, his side profile visible towards her. There was a glint of curiosity within his eye, and she couldn't tell if it was friendly, or something more. "Yes, Eleanora?"

Tell him.

She tried to shove out the words, but she couldn't even begin to find them. How does one tell someone they are hopelessly in love with them?

Just tell him.

Words came, but flashes of rejection throughout her mind whisked her words away. She needed a buffer, and there was only one option she could think of. She hesitantly reached into her bag, pulling out the piece of fabric that had kept her sane for months.

"I wanted to return your sweater."

Chapter Text

A/N: After reading a few of your comments, I am considering writing a Garreth fanfiction that would co-align with this story to make up for lowkey breaking his heart. Please let me know if any of you would be interested! Also, I'm considering making a discord server to interact with you guys more, so please also let me know if you'd be interested in that as well. As always, thank you and happy reading!

FLASHBACK: September 23rd, 1891: 1:31 PM, Empty Classroom

Ominis let out an annoyed sigh as Sebastian shut the door. "What is it, Sebastian?"

He heard Sebastian approach, a chuckle escaping his friend's throat. "Oh, I just had a very interesting conversation with Poppy and Nora a few days ago." He spoke with a hint of faux innocence.

"...And that has to do with me, how?" Ominis prompted, leaning against the oak desk behind him, the wood finish smooth against his hand as it groaned beneath him.

"Hush, hush. I'm getting there." Sebastian taunted, sitting down next to Ominis, the desk beneath them creaking loudly. "Apparently, Nora went on a little adventure to the Undercroft the other night, and returned with a certain someone's sweater." He said, laying an arm around Ominis' shoulders.

Oh.

Realization dawned on him as Ominis suddenly knew exactly where this conversation was headed, and felt his face flush. "Who- How did- Did Eleanora-?" He stuttered, flustered at his friend's discovery.

Sebastian laughed, clapping Ominis' back so hard, he nearly lost balance. Sebastian had always been stronger than him, and often forgot so, regularly crushing Ominis with his rough affection. "I'm pretty sure Nora would have kept it a secret if hadn't Poppy woke up, and found Nora snuggled up against her pillow wearing Slytherin's colors" He teased, his voice full of laughter.

She fell asleep wearing it?

Regardless of Sebastian's relentless taunting, Ominis couldn't help but feel a twinge of joy over the idea of Nora asleep, wearing his sweater. He wondered if she had intended to fall asleep, or if it was simply a mistake. Either way, the idea was endearing to him.

He pointlessly tried to defend himself. "Well, she came to the Undercroft, and she was...I don't exactly know why she was down there, but I was trying to study and she offered to help." He decided to pass over the fact that Eleanora had entered the Undercroft crying, as to protect her vulnerability. "She mentioned the temperature, and I, being a gentleman, offered her my sweater. Nothing else happened!" He recalled, standing up and pacing as his face tingled due to the burn of embarrassment.

The desk groaned as Sebastian's shoes hit the ground, walking over towards Ominis. "It's cute, really, how you and Nora both got flustered over you're little 'study session.' Makes me think there's more to the story than you're letting on, Ominis." His voice was mischievously playful as he slowly got closer.

Ominis stopped pacing, his face practically on fire. He scowled, annoyed by Sebastian's attitude. He could feel Sebastian standing next to him, and a nearby desk groaned assumingly from Sebastian leaning on it. "There's nothing more, Sebastian. Now please-"

Suddenly the door opened, and a familiar angelic voice rang through the classroom. "Okay, you cannot tell a single soul about this."

His heart skipped a beat at the sound. Normally, he would welcome such a tune, but at that moment, he wished Eleanora would have spared herself from this scene.

Sebastian chuckled, amusement flooding his tone as he spoke. "Tell a single soul about what?"

There was a deafening moment of silence as everyone seemed to process what exactly was happening. Ominis felt a surge of embarrassment at the idea of Eleanora witnessing Sebastian tease him. He wondered if she could tell exactly what they were talking about.

"Well, hello, Nora!" Sebastian greeted, emphasizing her name.

I'm well aware of who just walked in, Sebastian.

Ominis let out an annoyed sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head as to try and shake away the absolute embarrassment he felt.

"What did you want to talk about?" Poppy asked.

Likely the sweater.

Nobody spoke as they all awaited Eleanora's answer. He and Eleanora were surely doomed to brutal torture from Poppy and Sebastian over the entire situation. Finally, she spoke.

"Oh, alright. None of you can tell anyone about this!"

November 24th, 1891: 11:18 PM, The Undercroft

"I wanted to return your sweater."

Ominis nearly dropped his wand, his blood running cold at her words. "What?"

"Sebastian told me how much you hate sharing...I just figured that you'd want it back by now." She explained, her voice soft, yet still piercing his heart like a dagger.

Sebastian wasn't necessarily wrong, as sharing hadn't exactly ever been Ominis' favorite past time. At home, rarely anything was ever actually his. He was regularly used as a spare for Marvolo, a new article of clothing missing nearly every week. On the rare occasion it was returned, it would reek of alcohol and sweat to the point of being unwearable. Therefore, when Ominis arrived to Hogwarts, he was extremely stingy with his belongings. It may have only been a few simple sets of robes, but they were his.

That being said, he didn't particularly mind sharing that sweater with Eleanora. He wouldn't have offered it to her had he been bothered by the idea. In fact, it had been comforting to know that even if she was with another man, at the end of the day, she still would come back to his sweater.

But apparently, she didn't want it anymore.

"I never said I wanted it back." He muttered, feeling as though she had punched him in the gut. For some reason, there was something final about taking back the sweater, and finality from Eleanora was never his intention.

Her song of a voice rang through the Undercroft, echoing all around as reason clouded her tone. "Ominis, I really can't keep this." There was movement, and as he tapped his wand, he received signal of the sweater being held out in front of him. Suddenly, a whiff of a familiar, cinnamon-like scent filled his nose.

Her.

He couldn't take it back now, regardless of if he wanted it back or not. Ominis knew deep down that the smell of it would be too enticing. He needed to avoid her, and by taking the scented clothing, he wouldn't be able to stay away. "No."

"What?" She sounded shocked by his response.

"You heard me." He muttered, stepping away from the wall, and walking a few steps away from the temptation of cinnamon. He inhaled, attempting to replace the sweet aroma with the scent of the Undercroft. The old, rustic smell filled his nose, allowing him to resist her urge easier.

Eleanora distracted him once more. "Why won't you just take the sweater?" She pleaded, a hint of annoyance within her voice.

Do not give in, you cannot give in.

"I already told you that I don't want it back." He replied firmly.

She let out a frustrated groan. "You know, if I knew you were going to be this difficult over a piece of clothing, maybe I wouldn't have taken it in the first place!" She snapped, her anger stabbing through his chest.

He heard the sound of the sweater hitting the floor forcefully as she threw it down. Her footsteps quickly faded away as the door to the Undercroft slammed shut. He sighed, walking over to where he had heard the sweater fall, reaching down to take the piece of clothing from the floor.

Eleanora's distress had never been easy to witness, and it destroyed him to be the source of her anger. However, the somehow brighter side of her anger is that she distanced herself from him, making it easier to protect her from his mother's threats.

Why must she make this so difficult?

As he picked it up, the smell of cinnamon once again filled his lungs. He grasped the fabric, taking in the fragrance. He hadn't been near her in weeks, and to be surrounded by her scent seemed to be too much all at once. He couldn't take the clothing for himself, as it would only tempt him further.

If I leave now, perhaps I'll catch up to her.

He turned around, heading towards the entrance of the Undercroft. He approached the door, sweater in hand. He pushed it open, and walked out.

Suddenly, as he turned the corner, he felt someone bump into him, their head directly slamming into his chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" "Sorry, I didn't-"

There she was.

Inches away from him.

The sweater fell from his hands as his mind began to race. His consciousness battled within him, trying to resist the other side. He swore to himself he would stay away for her sake, but in that moment, he had never wanted to be so close to her. His torso began to rise quickly, the steepness in his breath growing larger by the second.

He was always so very put together, so calm and collected, but something about her tore him down. She could easily turn him into a mess with the simple smile of her voice, or the ease of her laughter. Her voice ran miles across his thoughts, never fully escaping his mind.

He was completely, mercilessly enamored with her.

He then heard her breathing. The shake within it was something he hadn't ever heard from her before, and it sent an electrifying shock through his body with each shallow breath she let out.

"Ominis?" She whispered, her voice sending a shiver down his spine. He heard her shoe against the carpet as she stepped closer towards him. He could practically feel the air between their bodies, longing to close the gap.

Could it be possible that she wanted him?

He tried to ignore the overwhelming urge to give into his pining. If he dared even crossed the little distance between them, he would never be able to escape her. He couldn't risk her life for his foolishly selfish desires. If anything ever happened to her because of something he initiated, he would never be able to forgive himself.

And yet, within the heat of the tension, her angelic melody was becoming harder and harder to protect.

The castle was quiet with only the sounds of the muffled wind from the outside keeping them company. What was likely seconds felt like hours as both of their breathing increased, growing deeper and deeper by the minute. He craved the courage to silence her shaky breath, to collide with her.

Sebastian's words from the Three Broomsticks rang through his mind.

You never made a move.

He gave into greed as he leaned down, letting his lips fall into hers.

It was indescribable.

She was intoxicatingly sweet, the warm breath of apple cider welcoming him. The teasing scent of cinnamon reeled him in like a siren to a sailor, and he fully gave into its torturous temptations. And, oh...her lips. The way they felt against his was something he could never replicate with all the poetry in the world.

He could barely think.

He could barely breathe.

He would regret giving into his wishes eventually, but that moment seemed distant in the future. Everything that could ever hurt her was far beyond their reach. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was the young woman in front of him.

For the first time, Ominis felt alive.

After a few moments, they broke apart. He leaned his forehead against hers, exchanging their own breaths. His heart roared within his chest as they both lightly, yet shakily gasped for air.

"Ominis..." She breathed another chill throughout his body.

He could barely speak her name, his entire body craving her once more. "Eleanora?"

Suddenly, he felt her yank him down by the collar of his robes, and her lips were on his once more. Behind her lips there was a new fire, and he had never wanted to be so burnt in his entire life.

Her hands fell down to his chest, pulling on his robes as to draw him closer. Something inside him took over, and he immediately began to use his hands to explore her as they kissed.

Ominis had only ever hugged Eleanora once, so he hadn't ever actually figured out the exact feeling of her body. As he slowly snaked his hands around her waist, he could feel the dive of her hips laying underneath his forearm. He raised one hand, stroking her spine as he made his way towards her hair. It lightly tickled his fingers as he weaved through the soft locks.

A stray cat meow's echoed down the hall, and he suddenly became self-aware as to where they were. If they were to continue, he didn't want to be out in the open corridor. He pulled away and a small whimper of protest escaped her mouth, driving him crazy with need.

"Shh..." He hushed, as he let the hand that had settled within her hair slowly drift down to her cheek, running his thumb along her lips. They were soft beyond feeling, as if he was touching nothing. "We wouldn't want Peeves finding us, would we?"

She nodded against his hand. "I suppose not." She whispered, her voice holding a certain rasp that wasn't the before. He smiled, retracting his hand from her face. The air was cold where her skin had laid, and he found himself regretting letting her go.

"Well, I guess we never figured out who is taking the sweater, did we?" She laughed, her voice still very breathless.

He had completely forgotten about the sweater, and realized he had dropped it at his feet. He knelt down, picking up the soft piece of clothing. "I have no use for it." He sighed as he straightened, holding the sweater out to her. "Please, take it."

There was a moment of silence, and then he felt her hand brush his as she reached for the sweater. He let go, but apparently he had misjudged her grip on the fabric, as it immediately fell to the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't realize-" "Oh, whoops!"

They spoke in unison once again, and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence before she let out a giggle. He felt his heart flutter at the sound of her laughter, and found it to be rather contagious as he began to chuckle at their awkwardness.

"Sebastian was right. We truly are insufferable, aren't we?" She laughed as her voice lowered towards the sweater.

He smiled. "Don't tell him that, he'll never let us live it down." However, in that moment, he was quite thankful for Sebastian's matchmaking ability.

Her voice lifted as Ominis assumed she stood. "I should probably go, Poppy will be expecting me." She sighed. There was a moment of silence, before he suddenly felt her hand against his cheek, leaving a light kiss along his left cheek. She left a tickling sensation where she had kissed him, his face growing warm once more as another electrifying shock shot through his entire body. "Goodnight, Ominis." She whispered against his face, sending a small shiver down his spine.

Before he could fully react, she quickly removed her hand, and immediately, he heard the sound of her quick footsteps retreating around the corner.

Merlin, she's incredible.

Chapter Text

A/N: Sorry for the late update, just recently went through a very difficult life event, so writing fanfiction is a bit hard at the moment. In order to make up for the long break, I wrote a bit more this chapter than usual (normally I write 2200-2500 words, this chapter is 3277 words).

Just a little heads up , I have updated the tags of the story on ao3 to fit the later plot. I tried to update it on Wattpad/Fanfic.net, but I think there is a limit to tags, so please make sure you read through them on ao3 before continuing.

Finally, I decided to go through with the discord idea, but the link will expire seven days after this chapter is released. I'll post it on my Wattpad board!

As always, happy reading :)

November 25th, 1891: 8:17 AM, Hufflepuff 6th Year Girl's Dormitory

"Nora! Wake up!"

Nora's felt as the blanket she had been so desperately clinging onto in her sleep was whisked away, allowing the cold air to cover her skin in goosebumps. She shook at the sudden chill, opening her eyes to see who had taken the safe warmth of her comforter away.

Poppy stood over her, and even though Nora's vision was blurred due to the sudden light, she could make out the annoyed expression on her friend's face. "Come on! We're going to be late to breakfast again."

"You couldn't have thought of a better way to wake me?" Nora whined as she rolled over onto her back, attempting to gather heat from the sheets beneath her. Winter was on its way, and unfortunately, the usual warmth of the Hufflepuff dormitory didn't seem to survive nature's icy breath.

Poppy snorted as she sat down next to Nora's shivering body. "Trust me, this certainly isn't the highlight of my day. You're all but impossible to wake."

Nora sighed, sitting up and raising her arms towards the ceiling as she stretched. "You know you don't have to wake me up, right?"

"Yes, but then I'll be ever so lonely!"

Nora snorted, rubbing the sleep from her bleary eyes. "Sebastian will see to it that you aren't alone." She teased as she slowly opened her eyes, the room beginning to clear.

Poppy chuckled. "And Ominis will surely pester me of your existence until I give into waking you again." She taunted. Nora's face flushed at Poppy's words, and she was struck silent. Nora could barely hear his name without that familiar rush of butterflies swarming her stomach.

She hadn't exactly told Poppy what had occurred the previous night, and wasn't sure if she wanted to quite yet. Ominis had been very unpredictable over the past few months, and Nora wasn't sure if he wouldn't resort back to ignoring her out of the blue. However, it was comforting to know that at least some of her feelings were requited.

Poppy stood up, walking over to her side of the room. She kneeled down by her trunk, picking up her schoolbag and stuffing various supplies into it. "You may want to change quickly, breakfast is in a little over ten minutes." She said as she crossed the room once more, walking out to the common room.

Ah, right! I'm still in pajamas!

Nora rose from her bed, the cold stone floor sending shivers up and through her legs, and walked over towards her trunk. Kneeling, she unlocked  the lid and pushed it open. Her trunk was full of yellow and black colored fabrics, with the crest of a badger showing every so often.  When she saw a familiar gray and green sweater peek from underneath, a rush of gleeful emotions shot through her. She reached for it, her thoughts racing with memories of their kiss, the way his lips felt against hers, the taste of cool mint and the smell of pine-

"Merlin's beard, Nora! What's taking so long?" Poppy's muffled voice shouted through the door.

Nora shook her head, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart as she grabbed her robes.

"Coming!"

8:52 AM, Great Hall

A flurry of owls flooded the air above as everyone ate, dropping mail onto unexpecting students. Poppy, who had just received her latest issue of the Daily Prophet, began to unravel the paper from its twine restraint.

"Listen to these headlines. 'Ministry employee receives promotion to Senior Undersecretary,' 'Man caught for illegal use of magic towards muggles,' 'Cursed Opal Necklace Missing...'" Poppy muttered, flipping through the pages. "The Daily Prophet used to be so interesting." She frowned.

As Poppy spoke, Nora spread jam along her bread, staring off into the distance at nothing. She had always found it extremely difficult to focus on conversation during breakfast, and that morning, her mind found it very easy to wander off to thoughts surrounding a certain Slytherin boy.

Suddenly, a letter fell from the air onto Nora's plate, soaking itself in oatmeal. She jumped, a bit surprised that she had received mail, and picked up the envelope. She grimaced as she wiped the residue off, uncomfortable by the mushy feeling of the oatmeal against her fingers. She opened the envelope, and began to read the letter.

Our dearest Eleanora,

Your father and I hope the last few months have gone well for you. Of course, we are certain that you are excelling in your studies as usual, and are still so very proud of how far you have come within the last year.

Things have gotten rather strange back home. There is an unfamiliar sickness spreading within the village, so your father has been rather busy maintaining the workload of patients. However, I need not remind you how much he enjoys the job, regardless of the stress.

I am mainly writing to make sure that I am correct in my assumption that you will be coming home for Christmas. Please write back, and let us know when to expect your train.

Love,

Mother

Nora smiled as she read through her mother's cursive handwriting. She felt a slight twinge of homesickness as she thought of her parents, but it quickly faded as she remembered Christmas was near.

The Great Hall began to rustle with motion as students prepared for class, the aisles between the tables filling up quickly with a current of teenagers. The pair of Hufflepuffs stood up, and began to follow the tide.

Suddenly, a voice spoke out from behind her. "Well, what do we have here?"

Nora felt a hand land on her left shoulder, causing her to jump and reach for her wand. She turned her head and found herself staring at someone's chest. She looked up, and was met with Sebastian's playful grin.

"Merlin, Sebastian, that wasn't funny!"

He chuckled, quickening his pace in order to walk next to Nora. He draped an arm around her shoulder, and leaned down next to her ear. "Ominis seemed rather pleased with 'our study session' last night." He muttered, his voice barely audible over the loud chatter of the students surrounding them.

Nora's face burned, and she nearly choked on air as she realized what he was referencing. She looked over at Poppy, who's face was still buried deep in her paper, and then looked back at Sebastian. "Wait, really? What did he tell you?" She whispered, careful to not catch Poppy's attention.

Sebastian shrugged, looking down at the ground. "I would tell you, but I don't think he'd appreciate it, especially considering he's right behind us."

Nora felt an electric shock shoot through her body. "He's what?"

"See for yourself." Sebastian said, and then with a smirk, walked over towards Poppy.

Nora glanced over her shoulder, trying to see exactly where Ominis was. Just as Sebastian had said, he was a few paces behind them all, holding out his wand as it shot out sparks of red. He seemed a bit bothered by the noise of the hallway, as his frown was prominent and his brows were low against his eyes, but even in his anger, he was still the most beautiful person Nora had ever seen.

Nora's heart fluttered as she began to weave her way back towards him, fighting the current of students. Several people shot her glares, but in that moment, nothing else mattered. "Ominis!" She called out, hoping to get his attention.

Ominis perked up, his gaze softening as she spoke. His frown melted into a smile as he began to quicken his pace.

They slowly made their way through the crowd, and Nora was just a few feet away before suddenly, something pulled at her robes, yanking her towards the ground. She fell forward with a yelp, startled by her loss in balance. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her arms in front of her face, awaiting the collision of her body and the floor.

However, instead of the pain of stone, her hands hit soft fabric. Firm, familiar arms grabbed her close, keeping her from falling any further.

It seemed she had fallen into Ominis, who had just managed to get to her in time to break her fall. She looked up, her face practically on fire as she met his foggy eyes, which were wide with shock. "I...Sorry, I didn't..."

 He blushed and cleared his throat, before speaking in a gentle tone barely louder than a whisper. "Don't go falling for me, now."

Bit late for that, isn't it?

Her heart pounded against her chest, almost as if it wanted to escape. "Someone must've tripped me!" She squeaked, pulling out of his arms and scanning the area for the culprit. However, every student around seemed to be immersed with their own activities. "Probably Leander, again." She grumbled under her breath angrily.

Ominis raised a brow. "Prewett? I didn't realize you had an issue with him."

"I didn't, but apparently he thinks it's funny to trip me down the stairs." She told him bitterly, frowning at the memory of her interaction with Leander from the day before. Her head still hurt if she jerked it suddenly, but luckily, she had been too distracted by her time with Ominis to be bothered by the pain.

Ominis' frown returned. "Does he, now?"

"I suppose." She sighed, looking down at her shoes. There was a light scuff from her fall, yet her robes seemed perfectly fine. If someone had stepped on them, wouldn't there be a mark of dirt? She couldn't imagine someone would have managed to pull her by the ankles without causing some sort of disturbance amongst the students.

Odd.

She shook her head, pushing the curious thought away.

From up ahead, Sebastian's head peeked over the crowd, searching the area. His eyes landed on Nora and Ominis and he raised a hand to his mouth, and shouted. "Ominis! We're going to be late!"

Ominis groaned, shaking his head and shutting his eyes. "If I don't go now, he'll likely come and drag me himself." He muttered with an annoyed tone, raising his wand as it began to spark red once more.

"You'd better catch up, then." She sighed as her heart sank with disappointment. Something within her had hoped she would have the walk alone with him.

Then, she felt something brush her hand. She looked down and saw his free hand discreetly reaching for hers. Her stomach filled with fluttering butterflies once more as she felt his cold, yet gentle hand against the skin of her own. He interlocked his fingers with her own, giving her hand a light squeeze before letting go as he began to walk with the students once more.

She smiled as she began to walk with her surrounding peers, unable to hide the true happiness she felt in that moment. With the simple gesture, all of her anxiousness over the past few months began to melt away, leaving a puddle of joy that she willingly began to drown in.

9:53 PM, Astronomy Tower

Nora ran her finger along the page of her textbook as she read, underlining the words as she approached them. Ever since she began to learn Braille, she had picked up the habit of grazing her finger on the pages she read, even if it was written without a Braille translation. She didn't understand exactly why, but she found it easier to take in the words if she followed beneath with her finger.

"Psst, Nora!"

Nora sighed, not taking her eyes off the paragraph she was currently reading. "Sebastian, we're supposed to be working by ourselves." She breathed out, cautiously avoiding Professor Shah's detection.

She heard him move towards her, his robes softly scratching along the seat as he slid across the wood. "Noooora!" He whispered, a bit louder this time. She ignored him, and then felt the tickle of a quill against her ear. "I know you can hear me, Davies!"

She groaned, turning her head to look at him. She scowled at his grin, which was full of playfulness. "What in Merlin's name could be so important that you have to be this annoying?" She hissed.

"Yikes, someone's in a bad mood." He chuckled. "I figured you'd want to know what Ominis said about you last night, but I guess I'll just leave you to your reading if you're so peeved."

Her annoyed frown faded quickly as her stomach twisted at the sound of Ominis' name. "Tell me!" She whispered back.

Sebastian picked up his textbook as he set his elbows on the desk, burying his face into it as if he was reading. "No, you're right. We should focus on our assignment." His muffled voice taunted her.

"Sebastian! Tell me what he said!" She pleaded.

Sebastian lifted his head, smirking. "Not until you say please."

You've got to be kidding me.

She raised an eyebrow at his cockiness, but his smirk only grew wider. After a moment, she sighed deeply, shutting her eyes. "Please?"

"That's better." He spoke in a sly tone, clearly amused with her surrender. He laid his textbook on the desk as he continued. "Well, he came back to the common room last night in a rather cheerful mood. I asked why, and all he was willing to say was that he had a rather eventful stroll." He recounted, rolling his eyes at the memory. He then scowled. "You'd think he'd be more open, considering I brewed up the opportunity in the first place."

She laughed at the thought of Sebastian begging Ominis for the details of the night. "Well, you know how he is. He's never been direct with his words when it comes to sensitive topics." She whispered.

Suddenly, Professor Shah's voice rang through the classroom. "Mister Sallow, Miss Davies. Need I remind you this assignment is to be done individually?" She spoke in a stern tone. Nora looked up, a pang of embarrassment shooting through her as Professor Shah gave them a stern, disapproving look.

Nora looked back down at her text sheepishly, locating where she had left off. Yet, all she could think about was her shared moment with Ominis. Even is Sebastian was able to assume what happened, she felt rather relieved that Ominis hadn't exactly gone into detail. The memory was precious to her, and there was something romantic about the fact that she shared it with Ominis only.

After a few, silent minutes, Professor Shah spoke once again. "It seems our time together has come to an end, my pupils. If you haven't finished already, please continue your reading of this chapter and come to class prepared to use what you've learned. That is all for tonight." She announced as the room came alive with the sounds of textbooks shutting and students whispering as they packed up.

Nora shut her book, and opened her bag. She shoved her textbook inside and began to walk out of the classroom with Sebastian, about to ask him for more information about Ominis. What about him seemed different when he came back to the common room? What questions of Sebastian's had he refused to answer? So many thoughts swirled her mind.

However, before she could continue her conversation with him, she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she looked over to see Poppy next to her, smiling. "It's a miracle! I was actually able to understand what I read in the chapter!" She cheered, punching a fist in the air triumphantly.

"That's wonderful, Pop!" Nora smiled, happy over her friend's excitement. It was nice to see Poppy smiling over Astronomy rather than crying for a change. "Have you told Amit? I'm sure he'd be thrilled to hear about it." She asked, shoving her textbook into her bag and shutting it as they began to walk out of the classroom.

Poppy gasped, her eyes full of realization. "You're right! Go on ahead of me, I'll catch up!" She said, walking backwards towards the classroom. As soon as she stopped speaking, she turned and continued walking.

Nora looked up at Sebastian, who's gaze was following Poppy. If she hadn't suspected his feelings before, she surely would have been able to tell by the look on his face as he stared at her. His eyes were soft, and there was a shy smile that contrasted his usual smirk, which was arrogantly playful. He chuckled and looked at Nora. "She's rather adorable when she's excited, isn't she?"

Nora nodded in agreement, then spoke in a casual tone. "You know, I think I'm going to head towards the common room. I'd hate for Poppy to have to walk back by herself, but I'm feeling rather tired." She said, forcing a yawn from her throat.

Sebastian seemed to catch on. "I'll wait for her, you go ahead." He nodded his head towards the hallway opposite of the classroom, indicating her route.

Nora smiled, walking away from him and heading towards the Transfiguration Courtyard. She opened the door and her heart stopped, along with her footsteps.

Ominis stood against the very same wall he had the night of their first escalated argument. He looked just as beautiful in the moonlight, his pale skin still bright against the darkness of the night. However, the difference between that night and this one was his expression. It previously wore a cold anger, but tonight, it was soft. Yes, he still looked alert and defensive, but he seemed to be less upset with the world.

She cleared her throat. "Good evening." She called out, her voice echoing through the air.

He perked up, lifting his chin ever so slightly as she spoke. "Good evening, Eleanora. Is Sebastian with you?"

Her stomach was hit with a small twist of disappointment. Of course he was simply waiting for Sebastian. She resumed her walk, getting closer but turning her head away from his beauty. "No, he went back to walk with Poppy. I was just heading-" She started, but he cut her off.

"Finally. I was beginning to think we wouldn't get a moment to ourselves without his interruption." Ominis sighed, causing Nora to stop. Her stomach fluttered as she processed his words.

He wants to be alone with me?

He pulled out his wand, walking over towards her. With each step, her heart began to pound harder. The closer he got, the harder it was to differentiate  his steps and each beat of her heart, as they both equally increased in volume.

Soon, they were but a few inches apart. Her breath got lost in her throat as she looked up at him, trying to take in the moment. His eyes, that drowning mystic blue, were practically pulling her deeper into love by the minute. Her mouth was dry from the open air blowing through her lips as she awaited for his.

Finally, he spoke. "Eleanora, I-"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the rude creaking of the doors, and her heart raced as she looked over.

She met the eyes of Poppy and Sebastian, and her face began to burn. Poppy's mouth gaped open at the sight, and Sebastian's grin quickly spread as he realized what they had barged in on. She looked back at Ominis, embarrassed.

"Sorry, we'll take another-" Sebastian began.

Ominis cleared his throat and took a step back, his skin growing a deep shade of red. "No, it's quite alright. It's rather late anyways. We should be heading back to our respective common rooms." He said quickly. She nodded in agreement, stepping away from him as well.

So much for that moment alone.

Chapter Text

10:12 PM, Hufflepuff Common Room

Nora stared at her shoes as she sat on the couch, her face red with embarrassment. She could see Poppy pacing out of the corner of her eye, but tried her hardest to avoid any sort of direct eye contact.

They had been sitting there for about ten minutes in an awkward, uncomfortable silence while Nora awaited Poppy's numerous questions.

Finally, she spoke. "So, when were you planning to tell me?"

"I promise that I was going to say something! It's just I couldn't find the right time nor words to do so." Nora reasoned. She obviously was going to tell Poppy, but part of her was worried that Ominis would start acting unreasonably cold with her again, and she didn't want to burden Poppy with her own heartbreak all over again.

Poppy let out a sigh, her feet still retracing the same pathway repeatedly. "Are you two together, then?"

Nora shrugged, unsure exactly what the correct answer to that question was. They hadn't exactly established a label for their relationship yet, and honestly, a small part of her had been hoping that she could get the clarification she was seeking tonight before Poppy and Sebastian interrupted.

"How do you not know?" Poppy groaned. "Has he asked you on a date?"

Nora shook her head, still staring at her feet. She could see the candlelight flicker against the black shine of her shoe. "No."

"But you've nearly kissed?" Poppy questioned.

"Actually, we've already kissed." She corrected, her face burning along with the candle she stared at within the reflection.

There was another moment of silence before Poppy broke it in an exasperated voice. "Are you serious? Why haven't I heard of this until now?" She exclaimed.

"It was only last night, Poppy! By the time I came back, you were fast asleep, and I didn't want to bother you!" Nora tried to reason with her. 

"I wouldn't have cared, this is big news! I can't believe Sebastian knew before I did!" She groaned, still pacing furiously.

Nora sighed, burying her face in her hands as she tried to hide away from her exposed love life. Had she actually angered Poppy? She tried to imagine herself in Poppy's position, trying to grasp if this was true betrayal or if her friend was simply shocked.

To be fair, Poppy hasn't exactly explained her situation with Sebastian.

The couch sunk as she felt Poppy sit down next to her. Nora felt a hand lay on her shoulder, and didn't shy away from the comforting squeeze she received. "Look, I'm not upset. I just...I'm shocked, is all." She said in a kind, gentle tone.

Nora  looked up from her hands and stared at Poppy. Her eyes were softly warm, and as she gazed at Nora, they reminded her of her own mother's, safe and caring. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Besides, even if I was upset, it's your life. Who am I to tell you how to live it?" Poppy smiled as she let her hand fall from Nora's shoulder.

Relief flooded Nora's body as Poppy spoke. It was quite strange how her friend had such an intuition as to what Nora needed to hear. "Thanks, Poppy." Nora smiled back.

Poppy's grin grew as she spoke. "Of course. Just promise me one thing."

"Yes?" Nora prompted.

"No more secrets!" She teased, holding up a fist with her pinky extended.

Oh.

Nora knew Poppy was joking, but her gut began to twist with guilt as she remembered the large secret she was keeping from her. Assuming that Sebastian hadn't told her, Poppy was still blissfully unaware of the truth behind Solomon's death.

She couldn't imagine the level of hurt Poppy would feel over not being told of the matter, but on the other hand, it would be a betrayal to Sebastian to enlighten her on the matter. It wasn't exactly Nora's secret to tell, either. Sebastian had made his stance on trust very clear, and she tried to repress the shudder at the memory of Sebastian's reaction to her slip up regarding the catacomb.

I simply will have to be truthful on all other accounts.

She interlocked her pinky with Poppy's. "No more secrets." She repeated as she ignored the itching guilt in the back of her mind.

She would understand, right?

December 2nd, 1891: 10:12 AM, Potions Classroom

Nora entered the classroom, cauldron swinging from her arm as she held her textbooks in her arms. As usual, the room was full of idle chatter as everyone began to prepare for Sharp's teaching. She looked towards her table, and found Poppy and Sebastian seated next to each other as they had been at the beginning of the year, leaving the opposite side of the table empty.

Sebastian looked over towards the sound of the door creaking open, and as he made eye contact with Nora, he nudged Poppy and waved at Nora with a grin.

Nora smiled back and walked over to the stool across from Poppy, her heart fluttering at the thought of the empty seat next to her and who would soon fill it. As she laid her belongings onto the table, Sebastian turned to her.

"Nora, can you tell her that the Falcons are incomparable to the Wasps?" He asked with a hint of taunting sarcasm within his tone, earning an eyeroll from Poppy.

Nora tilted her head in confusion, unsure of exactly what they were discussing.

"Just agree with me, Nora. I promise I'm right." Sebastian grinned, slightly eyeing Poppy as he spoke. Whatever they were arguing about, it seemed Sebastian was rather pleased with getting under her skin.

Poppy scoffed in response. "You can't expect her to blindly agree with you. It's not a true answer if it's coerced, Sallow." She scolded, narrowing her eyes.

" Sallow? Oh, drop the formalities." He said as he lowered his chin, looking upward at her with a hint of mischief in his eye.

Poppy raised an eyebrow, staring down her nose at him. They stared at each other, Poppy's slightly amused annoyance contrasting Sebastian's playfully faux innocence. Nora cleared her throat uncomfortable, attempting to cut through the thick tension in the air.

Behind Sebastian, the door opened. As Nora looked over, her stomach fluttered as she watched Ominis step into the room with his wand pointed in front of him. Maybe it was due to their recent interactions, but today, something about him seemed to send her heart into a crazed fit. She tried to figure out what exactly about him was different, but could barely think over the sound of her racing heart that increased speed with each step he took.

"Ah, perfect timing! Ominis, tell Poppy that her precious Falmouth Falcons are simply inferior to the Wasps." Sebastian exclaimed as he twisted to look back at Ominis with a cheeky grin.

Ominis let out a weary sigh as he approached the stool next to Nora. "Must you turn everything into a competition?" He frowned as he sat down.

"What exactly are you all talking about?" Nora asked, curious as to what exactly what Poppy and Sebastian were discussing.

Ominis' annoyed expression flickered away as she spoke. "Quidditch." He explained, leaning in closer to Nora as his words came out in a quiet whisper.

Poppy reached underneath the table. "Sebastian is under the impression that his beloved Wimbourne Wasps are the most elite team of the British-Irish division." Poppy sighed as she arose, holding her textbook. "However, he seems to forget that they haven't won a single match this season."

"I hope you realize that arguing with Sebastian on this subject is rather useless, as loyalty seems to take precedence over logic." Ominis chuckled, causing Nora's beating heart to hasten.

Sebastian pressed a hand against his chest as if he had been shot with an arrow. "I'm wounded, truly."

Suddenly, Sharp's office door opened, and Sharp entered the classroom. "Settle down, settle down. I will need everyone's full attention today." He grumbled as he crossed the room, pulling a vial out of his pocket. Once he approached the front of the room, he held up the tube, which was full of a dark, semi-clear liquid. "Here, I hold a small portion of the Draught of Living Death." He announced to the class, causing an eruption of hushed murmurs to fill the classroom. "Can anyone tell me the properties of this potion? Weasley?" He called out.

Nora looked down at her notes as Garreth answered Sharp's question, trying to block out his response. She felt rather uncomfortable at the sight of Garreth ever they spoke in the library. It wasn't exactly his fault, as the main reason behind her discomfort was the guilt she felt over initiating the conversation.

"Correct, five points to Gryffindor." Sharp said gruffly, earning a small celebratory whisper from a few Gryffindors. "Today, you will each be attempting to brew the Draught. It's an incredibly difficult potion to create, so I advise you to pay close attention to the recipe. Turn to page two hundred and seventy-three in your textbooks." He instructed as he sat at his desk, beginning to shuffle through a few pieces of parchment.

10:38 AM

She inhaled deeply, holding her blade over a Sopophorus bean. She had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to puncture the bean with her blade, but unfortunately, it had managed to jump her grasp with every attempt.

Surely, it will not escape this time.

She quickly stabbed at the bean, causing it to leap from her hands across the table.

Dragon dung!

Her eyes followed the bean as it rolled across the wood. She let out a frustrated groan, running her hands through her frizzed hair.

Normally, Nora took difficult tasks rather well. She regularly exceeded in her classes, and rarely ever gave anything but her full effort and attention. However, as she stared at the tortuous bean, she couldn't have felt more incompetent.

She looked up at Poppy and Sebastian, who seemed just as irritated as her. Poppy watched as Sebastian raised his dagger. He suddenly slammed it down into the table, but the bean jumped as the dagger hit its skin. Poppy let out a snort as Sebastian began to grumble under his breath, and as the bean hopped away, Nora could see a murderous glint within Sebastian's eyes.

She sighed and looked back at her own ingredient, which was innocently perched on the side of the table, teetering near the edge almost tauntingly.

Blasted thing.

"Are you doing alright?"

This time, it was not the bean that jumped, but her. She looked over, realizing that in her anger, she had somehow forgotten Ominis was right next to her.

"Not particularly. This Sopophorus bean is testing my patience." She uttered darkly as she looked at the bean once more with a scowl.

Ominis let out a low chuckle, raising the hair on the back of her neck. "Yes, they tend to be rather bothersome, don't they?" He remarked with a slight edge of amusement. "Have you tried catching it off-guard?"

"Yes! It still manages to get away every single time!" She whined, leaning her head on the desk and running her hand through her kinked locks, tears of anger welling up in her eyes. She had been able to take on a goblin warlord, and yet here she was, being bested a semi-sentient bean.

She heard Ominis let out another laugh. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"I have an idea."

"Forget it." She muttered against the wood of the table

"Eleanora." He whispered softly as she felt his fingers trace her shoulder, causing her entire body to fill with electric fire. The ghost of them drove her wild, urging her to relent her stubborn resistance. His touch was so incredibly powerful against her, it was practically embarrassing.

She let out a shaky breath, but whether the quiver was of anger or longing, she was unsure. "What's your idea?" She asked as she sat up.

He slightly smiled, sending a cold blaze down her spine. "Hand it to me." He directed, holding out his free hand as he let the other remain on her shoulder, as it unconsciously served as a constant reminder of the trance she had fallen under.

She reached over and picked up the troublesome ingredient, lightly pinching it between her fingers. She looked up at him, staring into his foggy eyes as she dropped the bean into his palm.

He put the bean onto the table, holding it down with his fingers with the smallest bit of its skin exposed. "Alright, now slice it with the dagger." He instructed.

She raised her eyebrows and her mouth fell slightly slack. "Ominis, I can't!"

He raised his head, his face pointing directly at her as a confused expression covered it. "And why not?"

"Because I might accidentally cut you!" She exclaimed in a shocked tone, as it was rather surprising that he hadn't considered the concept of Nora's imminent failure.

"I trust you, Eleanora." He whispered with a slight smile. "You won't hurt me, I promise."

He's overly confident in my ability.

She inhaled, raising her dagger.

You really shouldn't do this.

She slammed the dagger down, going against her better judgement. Luckily, she didn't hit flesh, but instead was met with the sound of the dagger hitting wood as the bean somehow managed to free itself of Ominis' grasp as it leapt away.

She instinctively reached out to grab it, leaning over the table and managing to just barely catch it within her fist.

Yes!

She turned her head to tell Ominis of her save, and found herself inches away from his face. A quiet gasp fell from her lips.

Merlin...

The bubbling cauldrons faded, and the smell of wormwood infusion became a distant memory.

She felt her mouth dry as she stared at him, falling into the lake of his eyes. She was drowning once more, her breath faltering as she resisted the urge to come up for air.

He let out an unsteady breath that drove her wild. She could barely contain herself as she stood there, exchanging air with him, her pulse climbing with each inhale of his cool, sharp scent.

It was invigorating.

She swallowed nothing as she tried to move, but she found herself petrified by his empty gaze. Moments turned to millennia, and time was a simple suggestion that she found herself refusing.

" Diffindo! " A voice shouted, unwelcomingly dragging her back to reality.

She looked over and saw Sebastian's wand pointed at the newly halved bean that leaked a silver slime onto the table. He blinked for a moment, processing what he had done before raising a fist in the air triumphantly. "Finally!" He cheered.

Poppy shook her head, smiling in relief. "I've got to admit, I'm ashamed I didn't think of that."

Nora cleared her throat, sliding back onto her stool while her face burned. She placed the bean on the table, aiming her wand. " D...diffindo ." She barely managed to force to words out of her throat. The bean split, making an uncomfortable squelch as it let out its contents.

"Well, umm...well done." Ominis stumbled next to her, his voice flooding with a flustered tone as he turned his attention back to his own potion.

She nodded, barely able to think.

9:12 PM, Corridor

Nora travelled the hallway, the muffled winter wind howling against the outside of the castle as the static of the empty area filled her ears.

She had barely been able to focus for the entirety of her classes that afternoon. How could she, when the only thing on her mind was the few seconds of eternity she had spent with Ominis in Potions? She craved to continue what had been repeatedly cut short by interruptions, and if her assumptions were correct, she would likely find Ominis alone in the Undercroft.

As she approached the door to Undercroft, she waved her wand. The gears turned, clicking against the relative silence of the empty corridor. However, as the door creaked open, she heard the sound of a familiar, unsettling hiss.

Parseltongue?

She hesitantly entered the Undercroft, a bit anxious as to what she would discover.

As she entered the room, she found Ominis leaning against the Undercroft wall. However, in between him and Nora stood a young girl, who turned her head around quickly.

She couldn't have been older than thirteen. Her features were almost entirely soften by youth, but Nora could tell that would fade as she grew older. She had prominent cheekbones that were pale in the light of the Undercroft's torches, and her nose had already began to sharpen with age. Her dark hair was bluntly cut by her shoulders, and her gray eyes were darker than death itself in both color and expression. She was rather beautiful, even if her predatory glare seemed to carve through Nora like flame against a dying leaf.

Nora shuddered as she avoided the girl's lethal stare, looking past her to Ominis. He wore a face of anger as he held his wand in his hand, fidgeting with the wood. However, she had never seen this expression of his before. Normally, there was the smallest hint of sympathy in his furious look, but at that moment, he showed no mercy within his gaze.

The girl let out another hiss, pulling Nora's attention. The girl looked her up and down slowly as she continued to speak, sending chills down Nora's spine with each syllable of her Parseltongue. She couldn't tell what exactly the girl was saying, but Nora could almost see the venomous sarcasm dripping from the young girl's mouth.

Nora felt beads of sweat begin to form along her forehead as she tried to desperately force out an apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's quite alright. She was just leaving." Ominis cut her short, his voice aggressive as he took a step forward, extending his arm as he pointed his wand.

The girl looked back at Ominis, then back at Nora. Something within her stare seemed familiar, almost as if Nora had been given the same hateful glare before.

She then let out an annoyed sigh as she walked past Nora, very openly avoiding any sort of physical contact with her. The Undercroft door slammed behind Nora, causing her body to defensively jolt.

That was rather jarring.

She looked over at Ominis, who was pinching the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes.

She swallowed, trying to push down the anxious lump in her throat as her breathing slowed. "I'm sorry for interrupting." She apologized.

"Believe me, you are never an interruption, Eleanora." He said with a shake of his head, walking over towards her as red sparks shot from his wand. "Unfortunately, you've just had the wonderful pleasure of meeting my sister, Pandora."

Sister?

That explained the familiarity of the glare. She had only received such a deadly glower once before, and it was the day she met Marvolo. In fact, thinking back to Marvolo's appearance, it was almost obvious that they were related somehow.

He, like Ominis, was extremely handsome. They shared a similar facial structure, only Marvolo's had matured. His nose was sharp as a blade, enough to kill if he wished. But, unlike Ominis, the brutality of life had clearly taken its toll on his beauty. Marvolo's dark hair had grown to his shoulders, grease coating the roots. His face had been covered in a lazy stubble that hadn't been tamed in seemingly months. However, the thing that Nora would never forget were his eyes. They were a vicious storm, and practically everything opposite of his Ominis', dark and blazed with rage. Even worse so, his eyes did not hide emotion behind the same fog of his brother's, making them easy to read. The long look they had given Nora was something of nightmares, the perfectly horrid combination of disgust and hunger.

She cleared her throat, pushing Marvolo far from her mind. "She seemed..." She started, but couldn't find the words to describe Ominis' sister.

"Don't waste your breath trying to flatter her. I am fully aware of her...coldness, shall we say." He chuckled. "She used to be tolerable, but she's grown rather brainwashed as she's gotten older." He explained in a weary voice as he stopped in front of her, tucking his wand into the pocket of his robe.

Suddenly, Nora became aware of how close he had come to her. There was merely a foot of empty air in between them. She looked upward into his eyes, the unsafe feeling of Pandora's presence fading as she dipped into the mist.

"Were you looking for something, Eleanora?" He whispered an electric shock throughout her body.

"P...Pardon?"

He cleared his throat, raising his hand to his hair and smoothing it back. "You've come here alone. I assume you're in search of something." He muttered.

Each word rang through her mind as she tried to process what he said, but she couldn't seem to tear her focus away from his eyes. The mystic blue seemed to draw her in, encouraging her to dive further into them once more.

She tried to reply, but words failed her. "I've...I'm just..." Her response came out shaky and breathless, exposing the truth.

The air between them seemed to grow smaller, and she was uncertain who exactly was closing it. Her eyes fluttered shut as his cool exhale tickled her lips. "What were you searching for, Eleanora?" He breathed, a slight tremble within his words.

You.

She couldn't connect the thought to an audible answer. Her chest steeply rose as the tension suffocated her, forcing little gasps out of her mouth as she tried to regain the oxygen she was quickly using up.

Suddenly, she felt his hands grab her face, his fingers brushing the back of her neck as he quickly pulled her towards him.

And finally, his lips crashed into hers.

Everything else began to fade away as all of her senses dove into him. The chilliness of their air quickly replaced with the feeling of his gentle, yet firm grasp along her cheeks that held her close to him, heating her body with bright fire. The old, rustic smell of the Undercroft disappearing as the taste of cool mint, and the smell of sharp pine and subtle freshwater took over. The quiet crackling of torches was practically nonexistent against the sound of their kiss, her body shooting with electric blaze with each of his struggled, quick gasps as he took advantage of any air that managed to sneak its way in between them.

It was just as ethereal as she remembered.

They broke apart, allowing Nora to come up for air. Her mind raced her dizzy as she opened her eyes. His empty gaze was full of clear desire, something she hadn't seen until now.

"Come here." He whispered hoarsely.

She leaned against him, laying her head against his chest. Her eyes shut once more as he wrapped his arms around her, laying a hand on her head and stroking her hair gently. As his chest rose and fell, she began to match his breathing as the sound of his racing heartbeat pounded against her ear.

This truly was peace.

Chapter Text

A/N:  Hello everyone, it's been a while since I updated.

I am so sorry for my long hiatus. I only intended to take a few weeks off, but due to some conflicts of interest in my personal life, I lost enjoyment within this story. It's been eating at me for months, and I apologize if the next few chapters come out slowly, as I distanced myself from Hogwarts legacy for a bit due to some bullying I experienced after an old friend group found out about this story. I want to make sure everything is lore accurate before I release anything to make sure I keep up to my old quality of work. Also, heads up, my old editor was fired as he was the one that exposed this story, so there may be some typos/grammar mistakes.

After much encouragement from my mother, and my boyfriend, I have decided to start getting back into this story once more. If you would like to thank him personally, I will be posting the link to my discord on Wattpad where you can go speak to him and I whenever :)

With that, I am proud to announce this new chapter of Heir of Gaunt!

December 15th, 1891: 9:42 PM, Astronomy Tower

"Miss Davies, do you mind joining us or is the back of Miss Oakes' head far more important to you?"

Nora jumped as Professor Shah's voice snapped her out of her daydream. She looked up, her face burning as she looked at Shah, who was looking down her nose at Nora with a disapproving look.

Nora cleared her throat as she looked down at her textbook, which was flipped to a different page from everyone else's. "My apologies, Professor." She said quickly as she looked at Sebastian's textbook next to her to figure out how far behind she was in the lesson.

Only three pages. I suppose it could be worse.

Lately, Nora couldn't seem to escape her own imagination. Within the last few weeks, an entirely new world had opened up, one that she was completely unfamiliar with, which meant she often found herself exploring the possibilities whenever she got bored. It was wonderful, to say the least, but it had impacted her ability to focus within her classes.

"Distracted, are we?" Sebastian whispered next to her, the smug smirk evident in his voice.

Nora's face flushed further as she flipped the pages of her textbook. "I merely lost my focus for a moment." She lied as she avoided his gaze.

Sebastian snorted. "A moment you say? What about the previous five minutes? I can't imagine you'd find Adelaide's hair that interesting."

Merlin's beard, was it really that long?

"I...Oh, I suppose there's nothing I could say to get you off my back, is there?" She sighed, shaking her head.

She heard Sebastian's inhale to speak, but Shah's voice interrupted once more. "I believe Miss Davies and Master Sallow seem to have something to say on the matter." She announced in a firm tone. Nora looked up once more to see her gaze had only worsened and she looked back down at her textbook.

"No, Professor."

Shah clicked her tongue.  "Then I'd advise you to keep your distractions outside the classroom."

"Yeah, Nora, keep your distractions outside the classroom." Sebastian muttered under his breath. Nora elbowed him in the side, turning her head to glare at him. He grunted but his smirk did not fade.

The comment did not evade Shah's ears. "Master Sallow, I will not ask again." She warned, growing more serious by the minute.

Sebastian's voice lost its sarcastic charm and his smirk faltered as he replied. "Right. Sorry, Professor!"

There was an uneasy pause before Shah launched back into her lecture.

Nora readjusted the quill in her hand as she began to take notes, trying to keep her mind from wandering once more. She repeated Shah's words in her head as she wrote them down onto the parchment in front of her, the talk of the stars and their heavens grounding her to reality.

Suddenly, Sebastian's hand reach over and began to write onto her parchment. She pulled away, leaving a fine scratch of ink where his quill was. She looked up at him with an annoyed glare.

He reached further to write once more, a gleeful grin on his face.

She pulled her notes away farther, accidentally bumping into Charlotte Morris. "Move over, would you?" Charlotte whispered as she nudged Nora back towards Sebastian, who was still attempting to ruin her notes.

Nora pulled the scroll close to her body, shielding them from Sebastian's quill. She looked at him with a scowl. He rolled his eyes and pulled his own paper towards her, writing on the very corner. She watched as the message etched into the parchment.

"Heard you and Pandora had an encounter last night."

Nora shifted uncomfortably in her chair at the thought of the young girl. Like her brother, Pandora had the rare talent of possessing Nora's thoughts. However, unlike Ominis, all thought surrounding the young girl seemed to create an aura of general unease. It was honestly ridiculous how uneasy Pandora made her, but something within her eyes almost seemed as if she was searching Nora's entire mind through a predatory lens, her dagger-like eyes searing themselves into her memory like a wolf's teeth into a helpless rabbit.

Nora looked up at Professor Shah, who was deep in discussion with Amit, who was the only regularly active participant within their class. Hidden behind Adelaide's head, the coast was clear, allowing Nora to scribble down a reply.

"Yes. She seems rather-"

Nora paused, searching for the right word. However, before she could find it, Sebastian wrote.

"Unpleasant?"

Nora smirked at the word. "I suppose you could say that. She didn't seem rather fond of me." She scratched into the parchment before dipping her quill back into her ink as Sebastian chuckled.

"Hmm...a pureblood elitist hating a muggleborn who's dating the heir to their family fortune? Can't imagine why she would dislike that."

Nora's brow furrowed as she hesitantly picked up her quill and wrote back. "Ominis couldn't be the heir, wouldn't that be Marvolo?"

"So you two ARE dating then?"

Nora rolled her eyes and then underlined her previous question. Sebastian grinned before crossing out her question and underlining his question afterwards.

So, we're playing like that.

She then crossed out Sebastian's question before rewriting hers in a blank space right above Sebastian's messy notes. He crossed it out, slightly ripping the parchment before reaching over and rewriting his on Nora's notes, causing Nora to audibly gasp. She shoved his arm away, trying to rescue the rest of her classwork, but Sebastian pushed back. After a moment of struggle, Sebastian overcame her meek attempt, and fell forward, drawing a line over her entire parchment as his quill traveled. Nora involuntarily squeaked, reaching for his hand to stop it, but as she grabbed his wrist, it only propelled the motion, causing their hands to run into Nora's inkwell, knocking it over.

The ink splattered everywhere as the container fell, destroying Charlotte's notes next to her, as well as landing in Adelaide's blonde hair, staining the golden locks black. "Davies!" Charlotte groaned as she picked up what was left of her precious classwork, accidentally flicking ink onto Lenora Everleigh next to her, who let out an indignant shout.

The whole class looked back as Lenora's angry yell echoed throughout the room into the night air, disrupting Shah's conversation with Amit. Shah gave the back row one studious look, taking in Nora and Sebastian, whose arms were currently intertwined and spread over Nora's portion of the table, right next to the rolling inkwell, which made a loud clattering noise as it fell to the ground, shattering right by Adelaide's feet. Adelaide jumped, looking down, before noticing the black ink in her hair and gasping as she tried to clean it off with her cloak.

Nora immediately dropped Sebastian's hand and straightened, an immense guilt hanging over her shoulders as she watched Adelaide begin to tear up as the ink did not fade. She made eye contact with Shah, who gave her a disappointed glare, only deepening the guilt's weight further into her shoulders.

"I believe this is the third time I've had to correct you, Davies." She sighed, shaking her head. "I shall speak with you and Master Sallow after dismissal. As for Miss Oakes, Miss Morris, and Miss Everleigh, if any of you need to depart earlier than normal to clean yourselves up, please do not feel obliged to stay until the end of class." She nodded towards the three Hufflepuffs, who all were clearly unsettled by the surprise attack of ink.

Nora sighed as she looked at Sebastian, who gave her a half-hearted shrug, his face clearly unbothered by the situation. She crossed her arms along the desk, burying her head in her arms as she tried to ignore the burning in her face and the hot tears of embarrassment in her eyes.

10:32 PM

As Nora stood across from Professor Shah's desk with Sebastian, she could barely make eye contact with the Shah. Her embarrassment had only gotten worse, as Astronomy has trekked on slower than usual that night, and it was practically eating away at her skin as they stood under the strict gaze of their professor.

"I am highly disappointed in the both of you." She spoke sternly after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Nora looked at her shoes as she continued, studying the candle's reflection within their black shine. "There is plenty of time and place for joyous fun and games at this school. However, the back row of an Astronomy class is not either of those." She continued before being interrupted by a snort from Sebastian. Nora looked up, watching Shah's thin eyebrow raise in a mixed expression of shock and disapproval. "Something amusing, Sallow?"

"Forgive me, professor, I had an itch in my throat. Continue on about how Astronomy is neither the time nor place for joyous fun." He urged, his joke pulling at the corners of Nora's mouth.

Shah's glare only worsened. "I applaud your lack of common sense or decency, Sallow. That'll be fifteen points from Slytherin, as well as detention." This statement did not seem to please Sebastian, as his smile immediately faded into a frown. "As for you, Miss Davies, you seem to express a sort of remorse regarding the matter. You also seem to have a nearly spotless record, so I am weary of giving you a detention over a silly act of foolishness." She muttered as she leaned back in her chair, running her hand across her jaw as she studied Nora. "How would you feel about completing a favor for me tonight?"

Nora contemplated the matter. It wasn't too terribly late, and running an errand seemed favorable to detention. "What is my task, professor?" She asked politely, the lump in her throat shrinking.

Professor Shah leaned forward, grabbing a spare piece of parchment. "I am sending you to J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade. I have an order I was supposed to pick up, but I'm afraid I must clean up the mess you and Master Sallow have created." She muttered as she wrote, the last comment resurrecting the pang of guilt in Nora's chest. "This note should excuse you from curfew in case you encounter any prefects or professors, as well as explaining the situation to Mister Pippin." She explained as she handed Nora the paper, which has Shah's beautiful cursive scrawled all over it. "I'd advise you travel by floo, as it's rather late."

Nora nodded as she grabbed her bag from the floor, making eye contact with an annoyed Sebastian before leaving the classroom.

10:39 PM, South Hogsmeade.

Nora coughed as the green fire died down, the soot of the floo shooting up her nose as her sudden appearance disturbed it. "How nice to see you, my young friend!" Ignatia Wildsmith's voice shouted, alerting nearly everyone within the area of Nora's arrival.

Blasted woman.

Nora stepped out of the fireplace, uneasily looking around the darkened alley. Witches and wizards were bidding each other goodnight as many shops began to close up for the night. She looked down at her dirty robes, realizing her attire pointed her out like a sore thumb. She'd better be quickly in and out of the shop.

As she traveled down the street, she avoided eye contact with anyone she walked near, careful to keep her wand in a firm grip. She wasn't too eager about the idea of walking around Hogsmeade this late, considering there were still quite a few dark wizards who had likely placed a heavy price on her head due to her triumph over Ranrok and Rookwood.

The walk to Pippin's wasn't too long, and Nora felt a sense of relief as she saw Parry Pippin through the window, talking to a cloaked customer at the register. She walked over to the creaky wooden door, pushing it open as a bell sounded. Pippin looked up and gave her a warm smile. "Miss Davies! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He greeted.

Nora smiled, walking up as his previous customer brushed past her, finished with their purchase. "Good evening, Mister Pippin. Professor Shah sent me to pick up an order she placed." She explained as she presented the note to Pippin.

He adjusted his glasses, lightly pinching the paper as he read. He nodded, smiling once more as he let go of the note and looked around his feet. "Wonderful! I believe I have her order just behind- Oh, there we are!" He exclaimed as he leaned down, picking up a box. He lifted the crate, but then raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, my apologies. It appears I have forgotten to grab her order information. Just a moment, please!" He explained quickly as he dropped the crate on the counter with a loud thud of wood and the clinking of various glasses, causing Nora to cringe. The last thing she needed was Shah thinking she destroyed part of her order out of anger.

As Pippin walked over to the backroom, Nora looked around, attempting to look anywhere but within the crate. The shop was as colorful as ever, full of many curious plants and liquids. Nora had gotten used to most parts of the wizarding world by now, but she would never not be intrigued by the strange magical components of the wizarding life. She looked over at one of the boxes labeled "Unicorn Hair" on the shelf across the store from her. She walked across the store and peered inside the box at the beautiful locks of hair that filled it. She liked the way they sparkled in the light, almost as if they were their own source of light. She picked up a lock, and barely felt the hair, as its softness was almost other-worldly. She shifted the lock in her hand, allowing it to glitter...to...to glitter...within the shift of...

Whoaaa...

The room felt like floating. Dizzying almost. Was it the hair? Nora didn't know much about unicorn hair. She thought she did...long ago, maybe. She had unicorns? Things were fuzzy. A voice spoke far off.

Footsteps...footstepped, box in hand. The world was fuzzy. At least it was more fuzzy than usual, she thought. "Bye!" Her voice said. She said that? It was her voice, her brain said.

She left out of the shop door. Ring ring! What a beautiful bell.

It was dark, but Nora felt bright. What a beautiful evening. The air was sharp on her nose, like Ominis smelt. She missed Ominis.

Let's go back!

Nora smiled, and her footsteps stepped with her feet across the stone underneath them. The box floated in her hand except it wasn't floating. What's the word for that? She couldn't bring back the memory. A voice shouted something about wands. Wand? She shrugged the wind noise off.

Where was she going? Oh, right! Hogwarts! Something was there...was it mom? Or maybe it was Billy from across the street. No...no Billy had slept in dad's office after the weird nose headache took over. Slept or died.

Dad was fun. So was mom, but dad always made sure to bring her something on her birthday. Oh, but she loved mom all the same. Last birthday it was...was she there last birthday? Where was she? Was it Hogwarts? What was she talking about?

Nora felt weird. Do you feel weird? She heard a funny word. Imply...or Impair.

And suddenly reality seeped in like an unwelcome cold bath in the middle of December.

10:53 PM, The Forbidden Forest

Nora's world began to solidify from the fuzzy, altered state it was a moment ago. In front of her was a cloaked figure, with their wand extended. Nora immediately dropped the box, something within its contents shattering, as she went to grab her...

My wand!

She didn't have her wand. A sense of panic began to set in, and she whipped her head around, turning to run. However, something pulled at her ankles, causing her to drop to the ground, her chin scraping against the cold dirt as her hands failed to block her fall.

She groaned as she turned over, her chin burning as the dirt sat against raw skin. She looked up at the cloaked figure, her eyes wide with fear. Wandless Nora was practically defenseless, as her frail body was surely not strong enough to take down someone wielding their wand.

She held her stinging hands up, cowering. "I haven't got anything on me, no money or wand or anything! Take whatever you want from the crate, please!" She pleaded, her voice shaky with terror.

The figure laughed, and Nora's heart dropped as the voice spoke. "Trust me, Davies. I'm not doing this for money." She spat. Nora looked up at the cloaked figure, as she lowered her hood with her free hand, revealing the hair of a raven, and familiar piercing knives of eyes.

With a wand inches away from Nora's forehead, Pandora Gaunt gave her the most devilish glare she'd ever seen.

"You know," Pandora chuckled. "For someone as powerful as my brother suggests, you are practically useless when it comes to fighting off an imperius curse." Nora's eyes darted in between Pandora's eyes and her wand, terrified of both of their gaze. "Normally I find some resistance, but you...you practically handed yourself over to me!" She taunted, her voice venomous.

Nora felt tears prickle at her eyes. "Please, I'm begging you. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen. Just let me live, if not for me...then for Ominis." She tried.

However, the mention of Ominis' name caused Pandora to swiftly lift her foot, pressing Nora down by her chest. Nora's back fell to the ground, as she instinctively reached for Pandora's ankle, pulling it to the side. Pandora's expression switched to one of fear as she fell down, her legs falling on top of Nora's stomach.

The sound of wood falling on the ground alerted Nora's senses, looking over to see Pandora's wand rolling down the slope of the path. Nora scrambled after it desperately, but felt something tug at her ankle, causing her to fall face first into the dirt as she heard movement behind her.

Do not let her get that wand.

Nora kicked back, feeling her shoes collide with some part of Pandora as the young girl shouted in pain. Nora crawled up and began to run after the wand, which was much farther down the slope.

She saw a figure in the distance, the adrenaline seeming to blur her sight. All she could make out was a tall figure, hunched over in rags. "Help!" She screamed, running towards the figure and the wand.

The figure turned its head, and Nora's heart dropped as she made eye contact with it. Its eyes were dark, unhuman-like and cold. Its nose was long, with vicious teeth curled into a snarl. Even from a distance, she couldn't ignore the wolfish features of the large creature. Nora halted to a stop and then began to run back towards Pandora, shrieking "Run!"

Pandora skidded to a stop, looking behind Nora and gasping. As Nora and the wolf drew closer, Pandora began to run to the nearest tree, attempting to climb it. Nora quickly followed, unsure of what to do. She grabbed onto a branch, and began to lift herself up.

Don't look back. Whatever you do, do not look back.

Nora got a few branches upward before feeling the sudden blow of something hard, knocking her down the trunk. She fell down, and looked up to see Pandora retreating her leg as she looked down. Her eyes had some sort of emotion that was unexplainable, but there was definitely less fury.

Nora began to try to climb up once more but felt something grab at her sides and yank her down. She screamed as she fell back to the ground, her body faced towards the trunk. Nora kicked at the creature behind her, which yelped, before attempting to run away.

She only managed to get a few steps in before something carved into her leg, her flesh burning as it tore. She cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, turning over as she tried to pull away from the wolf, who's snout was covered in her own blood. The monster pulled her back by the leg as Nora let out another terror-filled wail, tears flying from her eyes in pain. She felt the pain in her leg reignite as the piercing ceased. Suddenly, the smell of rotten flesh and wet dog filled her nose as she looked up and saw the eyes of a monstrous canine looking deep into hers.

There was sudden movement, and she could feel something sharp digging deep within her skin, her scream muffled by fur and the torturous growling that made her feel as if she were simply a starving mutt's bone.

Hot blood spattered along her cheeks as the sharpness buried itself deeper.

No.

This was it.

I can't breathe.

She would surely die.

This can't be happening.

And just as the pain began to give itself over to death, the buildup finally crumpled as what was supposed to be her final shriek escaped into the air.

Her skin numbed as a light blue force flashed into her vision, shoving the beast off her with a loud gust of energy.

Thud!

Nora opened her eyes, wincing as the blood along her brow dripped down into her waterline. Her left eye, which was bleary at best, rang with a stinging pain. She let out an involuntary whimper as she tried to regain grasp on her own consciousness.

Must...see.

She lifted her head through the pain of her body's protest, covering her injured eye. She could see the blur of the werewolf's retreating tail running off deeper into the forest, the whines dying with distance.

She was then on her back once more, sobs forcing themselves out in convulsing breaths as she felt her clammy hand begin to soak in her own warm blood.

Someone's voice faded in as Nora's vision darkened.

"Alright, stop whining! I'll...I'll fix this, just keep...stop crying please!"

She couldn't even begin to place the memory of who the voice belonged to as it echoed out. The skin appeared once again, the moonlight shining down on what used to feel like her face.

"Ladies? I heard a scream- Godric's Heart, Miss Davies!"

The ringing overcame the voice once more. The moon dipped back into the darkness it was surrounded by, and as its light faded, so did Nora.

Chapter Text

A/N: Wow I meant to write sooner, but college is draining me guys.

Also, thank you all for your sweet comments. It truly means a lot to me that so many of you enjoy reading my story, and I hope you all know I've read every single one at least five times by this point in order to motivate myself to write more.

Also, I have NOT forgotten about my Garreth fanfiction I alluded to a few chapters ago. Keep an eye out! Happy reading!

Time Unknown, Infirmary

The ringing died in Nora's ears as her face throbbed with pain. However, it seemed she had been transported as the ringing had taken over, since she was no longer lying on top of cold dirt, but rather a soft, warm surface. Nora extended her hand to hear the quiet whisper of her fingers running along cotton sheets. As she attempted to open her eyes, the left one remained shut as the other painfully peeked through the tiniest crack between her lids she could afford. She could barely make out the shadows of the infirmary.

I'm safe.

She then opened her eye further, getting a better view of the area. She had been laid in a hospital cot, her body covered by a comforter. As she went to sit up, her entire body burned in agony, immediately sending her back on her back with a painful wince. She allowed the pain to numb down to a tolerable level once more before lifting her neck stiffly to look around.

Across from her bed was Pandora, who was laid in another cot, and looked to be resting. Other than that, the infirmary was practically empty.

Suddenly, the door to the infirmary opened. Nora dropped her head to feign sleep, causing her head to explode in pain as she hit the pillow.

"Thank you for your time, Mister Weekes. I don't imagine Miss Gaunt would have been able to get Miss Davies up to the castle before...in time." Professor Weasley's voice bounced across the wing as the sound of shoes crossing the stone floor followed.

The familiar voice of Albie Weekes replied. "Not at all, Professor Weasley. Do let me know when there's news of her recovery." The room filled with the echoes of another set of footsteps, which was cut off by the large latch of the hospital wing door shutting.

Nora heard Weasley let out an exasperated breath as she began to speak. "Well, I think this incident goes to show that the forest shall remain closed off to students at all times."

"Nonsense, Weasley. It isn't the forest, but the half-breeds that disease the area." Black exclaimed, his voice oddly positive considering the situation.

Another voice gasped. "Headmaster, that is cruel!"

"Cruel, but true, Garlick! Why, if it hadn't been for Miss Gaunt's bravery-" Black began to speak, but then was interrupted by a rough voice that could only be Professor Sharp.

"Miss Gaunt had nothing to do with it. The two were out of bed past curfew, a foolish choice on both their parts that nearly cost them their lives!" He said in a cold tone, which made Nora suddenly wish she hadn't decided to eavesdrop.

Weasley jumped back into the conversation. "I sincerely doubt Miss Davies would make such a foolish decision on her own, Professor Sharp. She's a wise girl-" She started, but Sharp continued over her.

"A wise girl does not wander into the forbidden forest alone, especially during a full moon. She may be intelligent, but her and Miss Gaunt's acts tonight have proven they are anything but wise!"

Black snapped, reigning the conversation in. "Silence, the both of you! I have not called you here to bicker over the folly of a muggleborn-"

"And a pureblood-" Garlick inputted.

"There are more important matters to discuss, such as Miss Davies' expulsion!"

Nora suddenly felt as though she had been punched in the stomach.

Weasley cleared her throat. "Pardon me, Headmaster. I must have misheard you. Expulsion?" She asked, a clear tone of confusion in her voice.

"Well, she certainly doesn't have a place here! I'd have half a mind to send her straight home immediately!" Black continued, tearing a pit further down Nora's gut. "Miss Davies has broken a record number of rules in her time at Hogwarts, and her lycanthropy diagnosis mustn't be ignored!"

Nora heard Garlick cut him off, anger rising in her voice. "There is not a single bit evidence on her body that diagnoses lycanthropy! The wounds that coat her could be of claws, not teeth!"

"Not to mention Miss Davies is likely one of the few students to ever defend Hogwarts, which I'd say earns her a rightful spot, regardless of the rules she has broken along the way." Weasley chimed in, her voice seemingly hesitant to defy Black, but nonetheless confident.

Garlick carried on as soon as Weasley stopped. "I also find your refusal to hold Miss Gaunt to the same standard interesting. Was she not also wandering about the Forbidden Forest past curfew? Eleanora hasn't broken any rules Miss Gaunt hasn't. Are their punishments not to be equal?" She questioned.

"You are forgetting your place, Garlick. Miss Gaunt isn't your student-"

"But Eleanora is, and as her Head of House, it is my duty to make sure she is punished for her actions, not for her blood!"

"I'd be wise around your words, Garlick. Your employment could suffer greatly-"

"Professors, please!" A new voice shouted as a door creaked open, silencing Garlick and Black as a dim light poked through Nora's eyelids. "I am trying to prepare Wiggenweld!"

"Our apologies, Madam Caraway." Sharp called back in a gruff voice.

Nora heard the door shut in response, and the room was still as hesitation filled the air.

"I'd advise we go about our next words cautiously. Whether it's truthful or not, I'm sure Miss Davies would rather not have the entire student body overhear our conversation regarding a possible...ailment." Sharp muttered. The professors mumbled in agreement before Sharp continued. "As much as I think Miss Davies has supported the school, I am weary over the idea of letting a dormant werewolf remain in the dormitories."

Black took the opportunity to worsen her case. "Not to mention how furious the parents would be over the thought of such a danger lurking about the grounds!"

Nora could feel tears stinging as they swelled underneath her eyelids, threatening her cover of sleep. Hogwarts was the one place she felt she had ever belonged. Sure, it was life-threatening at times, but through the midst of danger, she had found a world that saw her value.

Now that was all going to be taken away.

Garlick sighed. "Couldn't we wait to see if she transforms during the next full moon? The winter holiday is nearly upon us, and it could give us time to determine whether or not she's truly affected."

"You want to send the possibility of a werewolf to live with muggles?" Sharp questioned, the doubt recognizable in his voice.

"Who's to say we have to send her back home? St. Mungo's surely has a lycanthropy ward of sorts!" Garlick exclaimed.

There was a pause as the professors considered the statement. Nora wondered if they could hear her heart beating at the wall of her chest, seemingly anxious to escape.

"It would certainly buy us time." Weasley weighed in. "It would also allow us to keep the student body safe without endangering Miss Davies and the community she resides with when she's not at Hogwarts."

"Normally, I wouldn't oppose to the suspension of an ill-behaved student, but after majority of Miss Davies actions, I find myself unwilling to write St. Mungo's on behalf of her." Black grumbled as Nora's heart sunk.

Without a moment of hesitation, Garlick stepped in once more. "Then let me write them, Headmaster. I'm connected with some of the herbalists employed there, so I could likely get her in by sunset tomorrow." She replied.

Nora heard Black let out an annoyed sigh. "Take heed, Garlick. If we are wrong to assume Davies is healthy, and I receive so much as one complaint, you will be taking the fall that might result in the loss of your career." Black warned.

Not a single noise dared cut through the lingering tension of Black's words.

After a moment, Garlick finally answered. "I understand. I will notify you of St. Mungo's response." She responded.

Then, the room echoed with a loud groan of the hospital wing door followed the sounds of heeled boots tapping across the stone floor as someone approached the professors rather quickly. "Headmaster! I came as soon as I heard." An out of breath Professor Shah panted as she her voice grew closer. "I sent Miss Davies! She and Master Sallow were rather talkative in tonight's lecture. Normally she's so well behaved, so I sent her to the potion's shop in Hogsmeade in place of detention. If you check her belongings, there should be a signed note from me regarding the delivery." She rambled, her voice wavering with what Nora assumed was weariness.

There was a light laugh from Garlick, followed by Black clearing his throat. "Ah, I see. Well, then..." He stammered before Nora heard his shoes against the floor once again as he crossed the wing. As soon as he was out of earshot, Nora heard a small scoff from Garlick that was followed by Weasley letting out a quiet "Not worth it, Mirabel."

Suddenly there was a woosh that taunted Nora's curiosity, nearly blowing her cover once more. "Ah! Hello, Deek!" Professor Weasley greeted.

"Hello. Deek was simply coming to check in on Miss Davies and Miss Gaunt, and make sure their wounds were properly bandaged." Deek's croaky voice explained as Nora felt him gently touch her face. It took everything in her not to flinch from the searing pain reacting to his hand, the light pressure drawing out the pain that had gone semi-dormant.

"Of course, we'll leave you to it. Goodnight, Deek." Weasley replied before walking across the empty hall, along with Garlick, Sharp, and Shah. As Deek's hands gently pushed down on the mattress to push himself onto the cot, Nora listened carefully to their fading footsteps, until she heard the sound of the groaning door shut.

Nora immediately opened her healthy eye to see Deek standing on the edge of the bed, holding a gauze roll and a vial of green gel. "Deek!" She rasped, her voice dry from sleep.

Deek jumped as Nora spoke, his small body so startled it nearly fell off the bed. As he did so, he accidentally tossed the vial and the gauze roll up into the air. "Miss Davies!" He exclaimed while trying to regain his balance, frantically waving his hands as he simultaneously tried to catch his medical supplies.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"

Once he settled, he looked at Nora. "You're supposed to be in bed, Miss Davies!" He lightly scolded, walking over and putting two fingers on top of her eyelid and gently pulling it down.

Nora opened her eye, and looked at the house elf, who was currently unraveling a small bit of gauze. "I am in bed, Deek!" She whispered.

"Shhh..." Deek replied, reaching over and closing her eye once more.

Nora opened her eye and attempted to sit up, but winced as the agonizing burn that had been resting came back to life. She let out a squeak as she fell back onto her pillow. "Deek, I need your help." She wheezed as her body roared with pain.

He had poured the green gel onto his hand, and began to dip his finger into it. "Deek will not help Miss Davies until you agree to lay down." He said as he shook his head.

"Miss Davies is laying down!" She snapped back, a bit annoyed with Deek's stubbornness. He did not reply, but instead reached over to touch Nora's face with the coated finger. The gel instantly providing a cooling feeling that caused the burning in her face to numb. "I need you to find Poppy Sweeting and tell her I'm here. She'll be worried sick if she doesn't hear from me!" She begged him, trying to ignore the instant relief within her face that was actively distracting her.

He shook his head again, his ears swaying side to side as he did so. "Miss Davies and her friends..." He sighed.

"Pardon?"

He began to unroll the gauze. "Deek just wonders sometimes, Miss Davies."

"Wonders what?" She pressed, confused as to what he was implying.

He reached over and applied light pressure to Nora's face as he bandaged her head. "Deek wonders if you spend too much time worrying over your friends when you need to worry about you, Miss Davies." He explained.

Nora opened her mouth, but hesitated. She was truly always worried for her friends, but what else was she supposed to do? Her friends had many burdens that surrounded them at the moment, and she would be a bad friend to think selfishly. "Deek. I promise you that I will focus on myself as soon as you tell my friends I'm alright. Right now, the reason I can't fall asleep is because I fear they may lose sleep waiting for me to return to the dormitory." She pleaded, hoping he would agree."

He sighed, lowering the bandage. "You promise you will sleep?"

"I swear to it, Deek." She pledged as she held up her hand, trying to ignore the ache within her bones that protested the sudden movement.

Deek let out a sigh, hopping down from the cot. He looked back at Nora. "Please sleep, Miss Davies." He directed before snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Merlin's Beard, he was difficult.

Nora sighed, gingerly turning her head to the other side to look at the other side of the infirmary. The sky was beautiful that night, and normally, Nora would take in the rare beauty of a full moon. However, she felt a slight twinge of fear as she stared at it.

Then, something caught her eye.

She lifted her head slightly to see a small mirror on the nightstand next to her cot.

I wonder if it looks as bad as it feels.

As Nora hesitantly grabbed the mirror, the chilled handle's copper sending a shivering sensation through her fingertips, she turned it towards her face.

Nora had never been vain over her appearance, often accepting the idea that she was neither breathtakingly beautiful nor terribly disfigured: a simple point directly in between the two ends of the spectrum of beauty.

However, as she peered into the reflection, a horrifying figure stared back at her, it's face familiar yet unfamiliarly broken with a wretched scar. The scar traveled from the right line of its jaw, the crack branching out in several directions, diagonally crossing its face and meeting with a swollen eye that seemed spared of the terror of staring at its own damage. Various splotches of scarred scratches maimed its cheeks, barely visible against the bruised cheekbone that plagued the light skin that once was with a distasteful mix of purple and brown. The deep, creek-like cut connected the dots of its freckles, and mangled the face's pale canvas with a deep, raw pink river of damage.

Surely, it could not be her she stared into. But, as a single, traitorous tear escaped the well of Nora's eye, she watched as an identical tear traced the creature's skin, seeping into the scar as it burned. As the tear dripped from the face, Nora felt all former beauty she may have had fall from her skin with it.