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Ominis found peace in the hidden hall just off the corridor of the Dungeons, just past the Slytherin Common Room, locked behind an intricate steel gate.
He would spend his time there, carefully listening for following footsteps, keeping the place to himself. Always making sure to relock the door later, it was Ominis' space away from prying eyes, a place away from even Sebastian and their new friend, Celeste. He loved them both, really, but he needed time alone, time to think.
The chill of the ballroom never bothered him. He assumed, of course, it was a beautiful place, and sometimes wished he could see it. Cold gusts of air whirled past him, soft classical playing gently from a gramophone somewhere in the room, and he sighed, closing his eyes. Ominis felt his feet starting to move in a rhythmic pattern now, across the stone floor, and a small smile crossed his face as he imagined it all.
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"Here," said Celeste, passing him her violin. "You can feel it."
Ominis softly turned the instrument in his hands, feeling its curves and its polished wood, moving his fingers over the strings.
"I've never felt one before," he admitted. "Only ever heard one playing."
"Strange," mumbled Celeste, "that such a small thing could produce something so beautiful as music."
Gently, Ominis plucked one of the strings, and a sound came out, high pitched and shrill. He had only ever taught himself to play piano, and of course was passionate about music, but sometimes it occurred to him he didn't know what each instrument looked like - he visualized beautiful images whenever he heard music, took in each and every note, but he never quite could see what made the music. So Celeste and Sebastian had taken it upon themselves, for his birthday this year, to get their hands on several instruments, knowing his passion, so he could perhaps 'see' his passion.
The thought touched Ominis' heart deeply, in a way nothing else usually did. He had spent the rest of the day trying to visualize an orchestra in his mind, with the aid of his friends. Their gesture had meant the world to him, and upon this realization, Celeste had taken him out for a day every weekend to describe something new to him. As much as his wand was helpful, it only ever stopped him from not bumping into things, but it couldn't describe in a way that Celeste could.
He had thought about bringing her to the ballroom, his safe space, multiple times, getting her to describe it. But something had always stood in his way, a sort of doubt. So Ominis had never plucked up the courage to ask, and had always had the thought in mind every time he visited.
Maybe one day.
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Moving gracefully across the floor, Ominis danced, gliding across the floor. He would have been mortified if anyone else was there, but his judgement told him he was alone, apart from the ghosts in the room. They were always there, he noted, made obvious by the trails of cold wind they left behind, their voices occasionally speaking. Otherwise, the ghosts were silent, moving around him gently. He assumed, as it was a ballroom, they were dancing, and so he ought to as well, to join them.
That was how his pastime of dancing 'alone' in the hidden ballroom had developed. It put his mind at ease, pulled him away from everything, the real world. Ominis would slip out of the Common Room at night occasionally just to sit alone in the ballroom, and would always end up dancing to the sounds of strings and gentle piano keys.
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Celeste Chang wandered the castle, its dark hallways lit by candles at nighttime.
She found herself doing this occasionally as she pondered, wandering down to the Slytherin Dungeons, taking a turn right and down a corridor. Was she supposed to be here? Probably not.
A slight shiver crossed her skin now, as she held out her wand, lit by Lumos , in front of her, navigating. She wandered further and further, glancing around as the corridor got darker and darker. Her eye caught on something she'd never seen before, just to her left.
A locked gate. Perhaps there's a Demiguise in here?
" Alohomora ," Celeste whispered, and the gate swung open easily, with a slight squeak.
She crept in silently, looking around. Hogwarts had always found new ways to surprise her, with its never-ending passageways, secret chambers, and hidden rooms. She had only been here a couple years, but even in her final year, there was so much undiscovered. Dim blue light greeted her on the other end of the corridor, almost ghostly.
Emerging on the other side, that was when Celeste spotted him.
Pale skin, eyes, and hair, delicately waltzing by himself, arms gently poised in front of him where there would usually be a partner - he looked much like one of the ghosts around him, in fact, with their lightness and the blue hue surrounding them, but there was a certain humanness that separated the boy from them.
His steps were light on the stone floor, pale features dimly lit by floating blue candles, as music played in the background - an out of tune piano, and some graceful melody Celeste had never heard before.
His eyes closed, his face peaceful, Celeste squinted a little more in the darkness of the room.
Ominis Gaunt?
Ominis' movements were deliberate, lightly crossing the floor - it seemed he was no less skilled than the ghosts surrounding him, his face one of solemnity, as if this were some sort of ritual to him. Celeste observed, as Ominis moved along with the music, spinning in a circle.
She felt herself take one step towards him, then another, and before she knew it, she had taken his hand in her own, slid herself into the perfect place, where his other hand rested comfortably on her hip. Feeling her feet moving naturally now, with muscle memory from having previously waltzed, Celeste closed her eyes, letting herself move, led by Ominis.
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It shocked him a little at first, before it became comforting.
The all too familiar scent of subtle floral perfume on freshly washed skin, the slight rustle of fabric as it swayed with every movement, the warmth of another hand that fit just perfectly in his own. Ominis recognized her almost immediately by this.
He had so many questions - how she found this place, how she managed to find him - but he stayed silent instead.
They waltzed quietly, not a word spoken, Ominis feeling the soft fabric of her dress gently brushing against him with every spin and every turn. Celeste, eyes closed, just allowed him to guide her movement, as he pressed their bodies closer wordlessly, spinning them around. After a long period of silent dancing, Ominis spoke.
"I hope you love this place as much as I do."
"It's a pity you can't see it, Ominis."
As painful as it was to acknowledge sometimes, Celeste did, ultimately, feel bad for Ominis. Having been born without sight, and with no cure, he would never be able to see some of the things she did. It was a blessing, though, in a way - his other senses were well accustomed to making up for his lack of vision, but she supposed - for every blessing there is, there must be a curse.
Ominis Gaunt knew this well.
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"Now, students, if you look closely, you will see Jupiter in the sky. Can somebody please tell me about this planet?"
Professor Shah glanced around the tower, at the many students adjusting their telescopes in pairs. Amit Thakkar was first to raise his hand.
"Jupiter was supposed to be a star."
His tone was calm, at first, but something lay under it. An ounce of sorrow, some pity - it was unclear to Celeste why this was. She wondered - was she reading too far into it? She stood, watching Amit, who was standing, waiting for Professor Shah's reply. Ominis, next to her, leaned against the railing of the tower, also facing Amit. His expression flickered to one similar to Amit's the second he heard the fact. It seemed he understood something Celeste didn't as well.
"Very good, Mr Thakkar. Five points to Ravenclaw."
The smile on Amit's face came as quickly as his previous expression had, leaving no trace of anything prior. He went back to his telescope, scrutinizing and squinting at each little knob, observing the stars. Ominis stood silently, contemplatively, next to Celeste, as she resolved to ask him about it.
"Ominis? Do you know anything about this? The whole - well, Jupiter thing."
She turned to him, filled with a certain curiosity.
"You see, Jupiter's made of everything a normal star would have - it's made of hydrogen."
Ominis spoke slowly, carefully, turning to face her. His tone wasn't particularly harsh, or know-it-all, more filled with a kind of hurt instead.
"Now, of course, do take in mind this planet could not just become a star spontaneously - it would need more pressure, more heat, to generate the right reactions in its core. This would take more collisions, more than is seen as possible. Jupiter barely stands a chance at becoming a star."
Celeste watched carefully as Ominis shut his eyes, contemplating how to phrase things.
"As Amit said earlier, there are just some things that cannot be. So close to being, and yet so far."
It hit her now - the meaning of the phrase, the truthfulness in it that had hit so close to home.
"Something that could've been, but never was, even if it should've," she whispered quietly, turning to look at the ground. "Jupiter could've burned bright and beautiful as a star, but it failed, and that was no fault of its own."
Ominis nodded, before reopening his eyes. A look of slight tragedy crossed his face.
"And if the situation and timings were right, some things could've very well been. But that's all pure delusion, pure dreaming. Jupiter wasn't big enough to be a star. That's just the way things are."
Celeste nodded, starting to readjust her telescope, gazing out at the cosmos as Ominis, next to her, contemplated.
"Jupiter. Supposed to be a star, but it failed."
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"I remember what you said about Jupiter now," Celeste whispered, leaning her head in towards Ominis, their foreheads gently meeting. "It failed to be a star."
"Things are meant to be, and not meant to be sometimes."
Ominis hummed lightly, as they spun in a circle. He felt Celeste's hand squeeze his own for a moment, and she felt a wave of pity wash over her.
"I get it now. You. Jupiter."
Celeste's face fell as the realization hit her, and she wondered why she hadn't realized it earlier.
"My circumstances, my family-" sighed Ominis. "Some things just are, Celeste."
"I see you as a star," she whispered, gently, moving the hand previously on his shoulder to caress his cheek gently. "We can't change the way things are, but we can move past them. I understand it now. I understand you, Omi."
His pale lips curled lightly into a small smile, towards Celeste, as he leaned closer to her, whispering into her ear as they danced. His breath was warm against her skin, delicate as he whispered.
"So," Ominis spoke softly. "Describe it to me. Describe everything."
"There's ghosts," whispered Celeste, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "They're dancing too. All around us."
Ominis nodded in acknowledgement.
"The room's dim, sort of like when you're sitting outside and you feel the sun setting. Like a cool breeze, or a feeling of nostalgia. It's that kind of dim."
Making their way around the room, the music swelled, producing a solid crescendo. Ominis' calm expression changed to one of delight as the ghosts dancing spun, and he did the same with Celeste, lifting her gracefully to twirl her in a circle, her nightdress billowing as if it were a ballgown. They waltzed until they couldn't stop, slowly beginning to giggle at each other. He set her down, finally, as they slowed.
"I'm dancing with you," described Celeste, out of breath from laughing. "and you're by far the most beautiful thing in this room. You're gorgeous, Ominis."
The two slowly stopped dancing in the centre of the room, in the pale light. Ghosts swept past, around them, twirling, leaving little wisps in the air. Cradling Celeste close, Ominis swayed gently with her in his arms, brushing her hair with his fingers softly. He moved to rest his head on top of hers lightly, as Celeste tucked hers into his neck, inhaling his scent, as she moved her hands to the back of his neck, lightly brushing his pale hair.
"You know, I always intended to show you this place."
Ominis slowly started moving them in a circle, still swaying, holding her close to his shoulder now. Celeste leaned in, shutting her eyes as Ominis stroked her hair, letting herself rest on the corner.
"It was a matter of time until you found it. I suppose you found it at just the right time," Ominis said, thoughtfully. "I'm glad you brought up our talk from the Astronomy Tower."
His expression became wistful as he thought further, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I may be a failed star, but I'm content with that. Turning out how my family wanted, as much as I long for them sometimes, would have destroyed me. It would have led me away from you."
Ominis gently cradled Celeste closer.
"Sometimes, I think things could have turned out better. If I were not born a Gaunt, not thrown into the family I'm stuck with. But that's the way it is - my family may be stars, but I have accepted my fate as their 'Jupiter', the odd one out. No matter how much I may long to fit in sometimes, you're right, Celeste - I will never live to the Gaunt name. A failed star."
He sighed as Celeste felt her heart drop, and she pulled him closer. She felt guilt, sadness, pity - that she couldn't do much for Ominis, couldn't save him from this, or his fate of an early death, not any fault of his own.
Jupiter didn't choose to be a planet. It was supposed to be a star.
Ominis didn't choose to be who he is. He was supposed to be a Gaunt.
Feeling Celeste tense up, Ominis stopped swaying, immediately embracing her tightly, feeling his breath hitching in his throat.
"I'm glad I'm not like them," he whispered reassuringly, quietly, against Celeste's hair. "Jupiter may not have turned out to be a star, but it's something much, much greater - a planet."
"And a beautiful one too," Celeste breathed against his chest, as they just stood in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by waltzing ghosts, floating candles glowing with dim blue light, Ominis holding her tightly. "You're my Jupiter. I wouldn't change it for the world, Ominis. Never."
Ominis smiled, as the music began to swell once more. They broke apart, and Ominis bowed, before offering his hand out towards Celeste.
"I wouldn't care to change you either, Celeste. Now, would you like to dance with me once more?"