Chapter Text
There was this common belief among the most optimistic half-bloods that they possessed the best of both worlds.
The same could not be said about Melissa, the first half-blood in the renowned Marple family, who definitely did not share this optimism.
After the Marple’s centuries-long legacy of blood purity, the union of Melissa’s parents was taken as a grave insult to their family. Other puritan wizard families heard and shared the sentiment. The worst came when the Gaunts, their once close “friends”, cut ties with the Marple family completely. An “Unspeakable Dishonor" they called it.
Melissa grew up hearing stories about the Gaunts. They were some of the most “exclusively-oriented” pureblood families to have existed. “Gaunt” was a name she had been told several times to avoid interaction with. In many ways, she was forbidden.
Don’t worry, mom. I have no intention to befriend any bigoted pureblood.
The rumors about the Gaunt son at Hogwarts were many and varied - "Dark Arts practitioner," "pureblood maniac" - all these and more were whispers in the hallways and rumors circling the student body. Melissa knew it was wiser to keep her distance from the boy if she could avoid it - the last thing she needed was to be associated with him.
Rumors being true or not, it was in Melissa's best interests to stay as far away from Ominis Gaunt as possible.
She had managed to avoid contact with the boy for five years and his unfortunate condition, for better or for worse, allowed her not to be recognized as "the Marple's daughter". It was likely that he too was forbidden to say a word to her— which suited her just fine.
But one icy winter day, something unexpected happened.
She was studying on her own in the library when two Gryffindor students started whispering behind her, loud enough for her to overhear and catch the mention of familiar names: Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt.
“I’ve heard he completely lost a duel against a Hufflepuff. Can you imagine—a Gaunt!” said one.
“That must have been humiliating. His family will definitely hear about it," snickered the other.
While she didn't necessarily feel sorry for Ominis, she did feel for the Hufflepuff student that bested him. If they happened to be half-blood or muggle-born, such rumors could quickly spread and lead to unwelcomed consequences. She knew it well.
“... -ot surprising. They’re such pureblood maniacs that they even breed between themselves. Blindness was the lucky outcome.”
Their laughs made Melissa’s fists sweat. It was one thing to have rumors about your family, but making fun of a physical condition that you were born with was low, especially for a Gryffindor.
“What if Anne Sallow’s absence is his fault? Maybe he did something to her. Something not even her brother knows—“
Perhaps it was the cold weather, or the stress of the day that clouded her judgement at the moment, but Melissa felt the emotions tumble out of her.
Her chair crashed to the floor as she shot up from it. It drew the attention of those around her. She turned to the Gryffindor girls, and anger surged through her. She rounded on them with a steely look.
"And here I though Gryffindors were supposed to be accepting and chivalrous. What chivalry is there in spreading rumors about a blind boy and his friend? Don’t you have any shame?”
Melissa's tone was not normally sharp, but in this instance, she couldn't contain her frustration.
“Stay in your lane, Marple,” one of them replied, though they were clearly surprised by her outburst, “We were just talking between ourselves.”
“Oh yeah? Between yourselves?” She turned toward an innocent Hufflepuff boy nearby. “I bet you heard everything they were saying, didn’t you?”
The first year boy, shocked by the sudden silence in the room, quickly nodded.
Melissa pointed to a couple of other Gryffindors on the other side of the room. “And you. You heard everything as well, didn’t you? Aren’t you disappointed in your housemates for tarnishing your house’s principles?”
They nodded as well, giving their fellow Gryffindors a cold glare.
Melissa shrugged. “Next time you decide to ‘talk amongst yourselves’ make sure you’re doing it somewhere that’s not so quiet that everyone can hear your disgusting voices.”
Her outburst had naturally attracted the attention of Miss Scribner who, thankfully, chose not to intervene until that moment.
"Miss! We're in the library, lower your voice!"
“You’re right, ma’am. Maybe we should.” Melissa glared at the Gryffindors one more time, their face now the same color of their neckties. She picked up her books and stormed out.
One Year Earlier
The Musical Hall was a magical place for Melissa. She spent some of her free time listening to the paintings perform their pieces and getting lost in the music.
Despite the looks she sometimes got from her classmates, she couldn't help but applaud after every performance, and surprisingly it was this very enthusiasm that often got others in the hall to clap along with her.
One day, as she was listening to a particularly mesmerizing piece, she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Anne Sallow, a student she recognized but had never spoken to before. Anne's fringe framed her innocent, yet slightly mischievous face, and Melissa couldn't help but feel a sense of intrigue.
“Hi Melissa” greeted the Slytherin girl, “Do you have a minute?”
“Anne. Sure."
"Sorry to disturb you. It's a bit of a personal matter..."
Melissa got the hind and they both moved out of the hall into a more secluded space, away from prying ears.
Anne sighed. “It’s kind of embarrassing actually. You see, today at Divination my tea leaves revealed something rather bizarre to me.” She smiled and Melissa returned it as a reflex.
“As much as I respect Professor Onai, I find her subject unnecessarily terrifying and inaccurate,” Melissa said. “Whatever you want to tell me, I advise that you not take whatever it is you heard too seriously.”
“And I’d agree with you. Except that this time, she talked about things that, well, were oddly accurate and specific. Something about a curse, unhappiness and betrayal. In short, the sort of things you wouldn’t like to hear in a reading.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow. “I understand—I’m sorry, but what do I have to do with any of this?”
“Here comes the awkward part.” Anne continued. “You see, she also mentioned a new friendship—one that could save me from ‘doom’ or something like that. And I said ‘Wow, thank you for being so specific!’ But then immediately afterwards, you had picked up my quill and smiled at me. So there I said to myself: ‘Is this a sign? Could she be the new friendship that will save me from impending doom?’"
That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, Melissa thought.
“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard” she voiced, stifling a laughter.
“I know that sounds ridiculous! But hey, better be safe than sorry, right? If a friendship with a kind person like you is the solution, then bring it on. My friend Ominis and my brother told me that you seem like an open-minded person.”
Melissa stood flabbergasted. What Anne had said was all so ridiculously elaborate that it was impossible for it to be a lie or a rouse. Was it someone else’s idea? Maybe Sebastian’s? A new method of approach she didn't hear about?
But she decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Although, hearing Ominis’ name made her flinch. Ominis, speaking good of her? They didn't even know each other.
Well, as long as she didn’t have to be seen with him, having a new acquaintance didn’t seem like a terrible idea.
“If making friends with a loner like me can guarantee you a better future, I see no reason to refuse. Though please take the words of a plant that can't speak with a grain of salt."
The two girls laughed. For the first time in four years, Melissa felt like she might have had a real friend.
The memories of her library outburst kept replaying in Melissa’s mind, like a broken gramophone spinning round and round. She couldn't understand why she had just defended a Gaunt.
Her mind was lost in deep contemplation when, suddenly, someone appeared in front of her. She collided with them, jarring her out of her thoughts.
“I’m sorry-"
She didn't have time to process the situation before her mouth dropped and her breath caught in her throat. Ominis Gaunt was standing in front of her, a tall figure in black and green robes.
The thought of her parents seeing this situation made her nauseous. Melissa had let herself get caught in the moment, and now here she was, face-to-face with one of the most notorious purebloods.
The weight of the situation was hitting her and left her unable to speak. Her mouth remained closed and her eyes locked into his milky ones. She could feel tension in the air.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you. I had just hoped to catch up to talk with you.”
His unexpected apology made her falter.
She scanned the hall frantically, hoping no one else was watching. Fortunately, the few students around them seemed too absorbed in their own chatter.
“Um, sure," she replied softly, "Should we go somewhere else first?”
Ominis nodded, as if he perfectly understood their situation.
They made their way down the winding hallways and past the portraits. Each one depicted a different wizard or witch from the past, all of whom seemed to be in their own world, unaware of the visitors passing by.
Melissa watched as Ominis’ wand emitted a faint red glow, and she couldn’t help but wonder how it worked. Could it be showing him a mental map of the castle? Or perhaps it was communicating with him in some way? Melissa had never truly given much thought to how wands actually worked. All she knew was that the blind wizard was navigating the castle with ease, and his wand seemed to be the key.
“What did you want to talk about?” Melissa asked, her tone direct and to the point. She didn't know what to expect from that conversation.
His lips curved into a small smile. “I simply wanted to thank you for your courageous act earlier. I know we’re not supposed to be speaking with one another. Merlin, my father would be livid if he knew I tried to engage with a Marple, and I'm afraid that some of our fellow students are waiting for a favourable chance to rat on me. But I felt you deserved appreciation for defending me and my friend.”
Melissa’s heart skipped a beat as she considers the possibility that Ominis might have been at the library during the incident. If he was, she definitely didn’t notice him.
“I, uh, didn’t do much,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “I just said what was on my mind.”
“And yet you took a stand, even though you didn’t have to,” Ominis declared, “I don’t think anyone has ever stood up for me like that before, aside from Sebastian and Anne. So, sincerely, thank you.”
Melissa felt a rush of warmth at his words, and she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She had never expected to have a positive interaction with a Gaunt, and yet here she was, having a conversation with Ominis himself.
Confusion flooded her mind. Jerk, maniac, mad, scary. All those words she had heard used to describe this Gaunt boy swirled inside her head and disintegrated as if a magic spell was directly used on them.
“You’re welcome” she managed to blabber.
“I hope this conversation won’t cause problems for you,” he said softly. His cloudy eyes focused on a vague point beside her head.
“As long as they don’t reach my parents’ ears, we can say whatever we want, Mister Gaunt.”
His lips turned up. “I suppose that goes for me too. And please, just call me Ominis. I’m not exceptionally proud of that name when used in these circumstances.”
He bowed slightly, his striking features now prominent and glowing in Melissa’s eyes.
“Goodbye then. Have a nice day.”
He turned to leave, but Melissa felt impulse take over again. There must have been something in the corridors of the castle influencing her today.
“Ominis,” she called. He turned around, his wand in hand. “I feel like I owe you an apology.”
“An apology?” He repeated, bewildered.
“Despite my previous outburst, I too have been a believer of the rumors circulating about you. Rumors that, as it seemingly turns out, couldn’t be more wrong. For that, I apologize.”
Ominis smiled. “If I had a galleon for every time such a rumor reached my sensitive ears, I’d be so rich, I could become totally independent of my family. Sadly, that is not the case. I accept your apology though.”
They smiled. She was grateful that the faint red on her pale cheeks would be unseen to him.
“See you around then,” she stated.
“Hopefully."
