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Ominis Gaunt was, by every sense of the word, breathtaking.
The new fifth year knew as much from the moment she laid eyes on the dazzling boy. Her gaze had traveled to him as soon as she'd taken a seat in the Great Hall after her sorting, and if it hadn't been for the myriad other disturbances and distractions that evening, she'd had struck up conversation with him then and there.
Too many housemates to befriend and chat with - she couldn't focus on the one she really wanted to meet. The pale-eyed boy remained tucked away with his friend, speaking conspiratorially in hushed voices.
It was disappointing, of course, but she was just as excited to greet the others. She'd seek him out later.
Luck was on her side the following morning when she woke up to find him sitting comfortably by the window in Slytherin's Common Room. Fair hair and bright eyes - he was something.
She couldn't quite remember the word she wanted. There was a perfect descriptor somewhere, though. She knew it.
Throwing caution to the wind, she boldly approached him with a smile and a polite greeting - the same one she had painstakingly practiced for hours with Professor Fig to ensure the words came out just right when she entered Hogwarts and needed to meet her peers.
All she needed to do was change the afternoon part of the greeting to the morning. It shouldn't be too challenging. She could manage. Repeating the words in her head a dozen times while she approached him, she finally spoke.
"Good morning, I'm the new fifth year student. Pleasure to meet you." The words, thankfully, tumbled out smooth and not-at-all like they'd been rehearsed to the point of tears.
A good first impression was key.
Her hand twitched for a moment to shake his, but she realized now that she was seeing him up close that surely he would not notice the gesture.
A ghost of a smile came to his lips, and he returned her greeting with gentle poise.
"Ominis Gaunt. You've got quite the reputation already, you know. Dragons on your first day - are you certain you aren't a brave Gryffindor?"
She laughed in response. "I think a Gryffindor might have tried to ride the beast. I'd prefer to be alive to enjoy my reputation."
Ominis chuckled softly. This was going so well.
"That does sound accurate. Well, just be sure to remain in one piece. I'd like to see what else you get up to. I expect you'll be a fine addition to our house." He said pleasantly.
He'd complimented her twice now. Polite conversation prompted her to give him a flattering remark in return. She wanted to. There was so much she actually needed to say about to him - to pay her proper respects to someone so eye-catching in every way.
The words were on the tip of her tongue. She knew what she wanted to say to him - how to describe him. But it just wouldn't come to her. Frustration and impatience prickled at her, and without agonizing over it another moment longer, she hoped he'd understand her when she said -
"You're very much like a serpent. The epitome of Slytherin."
He stiffened and frowned.
She mirrored him.
A mistake.
She'd said something strange again, and she knew it well from his reaction. This certainly wasn't the first time she'd seen that look of perplexed offense on someone's face after she'd spoken.
The way the cogs in Ominis's head turned as he tried to make sense of her meaning was practically visible, and she felt herself break out into a cold sweat. This couldn't be irreparable - she could still fix it. She just needed to remember that damn word.
"I-I mean snakelike. Serpentine? Scaly! Fearsome... oh - " She wanted to make a hand gesture of a snake biting, but it wouldn't help.
"Please, just stop speaking." He said harshly, and she flinched.
Worse. She'd made it worse.
"Sorry, I didn't mean - "
"Stop. Speaking." Ominis ordered through gritted teeth.
Stalking away from her, she knew she'd done poorly. It had always been like this, ever since she was younger. Words just... vanished from her mind the moment she needed them.
The more she thought about the roundabout way she'd attempted to describe the word she wanted, the darker and hotter her face burned in utter shame. Of course, those words weren't even remotely kind or what she'd even wanted to say to him. Intention didn't matter when she'd essentially called the boy a reptile within the first five minutes of meeting him.
Still, there might be a way to salvage it. She'd start by grilling the brunette boy loudly snickering in the corner, who had clearly enjoyed watching her flounder.
-
Sebastian had been, at first, reluctant to assist her in making amends with his best friend. It had proven far more entertaining to watch her put her proverbial foot in her mouth, he'd said.
After several pleading attempts, he'd ultimately caved to her.
"Fine." He crossed his arms with a smirk. "I'll tell you a way to befriend my poor, dear Ominis, who you verbally slapped in the face. In return, I expect a little something from you, new girl."
Skeptically, she arched a brow but nodded her agreement nonetheless.
"Good. It'll be a simple task for you - and it's on the way." He said, grinning.
"On the way?" She asked, perplexed.
Sebastian nodded, trying not to look as amused as he was by the whole ordeal.
"Ominis likes chocolate frogs. Just grab him a handful from Hogsmeade and apologize properly - he's fairly forgiving for as much of a cold bastard as he seems."
"He doesn't seem at all like a - "
Putting up a hand to shush her, Sebastain grinned.
"While you're there, I simply need you to fetch me a shrivelfig from the plant nursery. That's all." He said simply.
"A shrivelfig? What's the catch?" She asked suspiciously.
Surely, a common bit of produce couldn't be it.
Sebastian chuckled. "No catch. I simply... found myself in detention, and I needed to pick one up for my sister. Help me out?"
Wavering for a moment as if trying to discern a hidden meaning or any trouble beyond his request, she eventually resigned herself to the simple task.
"Well, you did help me out. I suppose it isn't much trouble to pick up a shrivelfig. Still, detention on the first day is impressive, to say the least."
"I try." He barked out a laugh before clapping her on the shoulder.
-
Their agreement was precisely how Sebastian wound up with a pristine shrivelfig on his nightstand, and a fresh bout of entertainment as Ominis sat in his dorm bed, utterly baffled over the absurd amount of chocolate frogs he'd found placed on his textbooks and floated to him in the corridors throughout the day.
By evening, Ominis was incredibly frazzled, although that did not take away from the fact he still had melted chocolate on his lips.
"You are the only one I know who'd complain about being gifted candies." Sebastian barked out a laugh as his friend unwrapped his fifth frog.
"I'm not complaining - I just would like to know what purpose these anonymous gifts serve." He explained, hastily consuming the treat and licking his fingers.
"Well, can you think of anyone who might have reason to apologize to you for something? Who has already managed to piss off the esteemed Ominis Gaunt so early in the school year?" Sebastian prodded.
Ominis paused at unwrapping the sixth frog while he thought, and horrific realization dawned on him.
He chucked the frog at Sebastian without even thinking, making a noise of utter revulsion.
"Snake girl?" He asked, incredulous, as Sebastian nodded and cackled, falling over on his own bed and hastily unwrapping the candy he'd been pelted with before Ominis could snatch it back. "I'd sooner never eat another chocolate frog again than entertain another moment of her insensitivity."
Sebastian sighed heavily, still smirking. "I don't actually think she had bad intentions, you know. Just hear her out."
"I'd rather go picnicking with Hobhouse. Now, can we change the subject to something more pleasant, like the Gaunts or Dugbogs? I'm losing my appetite." Ominis grumbled, earning another series of barking laughs from Sebastian.
-
As much as Ominis had been outwardly adamant that he did not want to entertain anymore of her tactlessness, he was almost warming up to the idea when yet another chocolate frog, perhaps the fiftieth one since the debacle began, plopped into his lap while he was napping in the courtyard one warm afternoon.
Sighing as he felt the familiar object, he pocketed the gift and stood, stretching, to go and have a proper conversation with her. She'd tried so hard to curry favor, after all, that he may as well throw her a bone.
If he could find her, that was.
The remainder of that Saturday afternoon, he'd fruitlessly searched the grounds for the pesky girl. By nearly two o'clock, he resigned himself to swallowing his pride and asking one of her friends where she was - though it was a wonder she had any friends to begin with considering the things she spouted from that mouth of hers.
Hogsmeade.
Of course, she'd trekked all the way to Hogsmeade the moment he decided to show her a bit of acceptance. It didn't matter, though. He'd have ample opportunity to speak with her another time. Likely, she'd gone to replenish her stores of frog bribes. Perhaps he could convince her to give him the entire lot in bulk in exchange for his forgiveness.
Musing over this, he made his way back to the courtyard to catch a few more moments of rest before the chaos of dinner.
Calamity found him, however, not long after he'd shut his eyes and began drifting off again. The courtyard was in an uproar, students chattering loudly about something, all flooding into the courtyard.
Ominis groaned at the unwelcome disturbance but reluctantly got up from his resting spot and approached the commotion.
As he got closer, however, his annoyance at being roused quickly turned to dread, and a chill ran down his spine.
"There was an attack on Hogsmeade?"
"Dark Wizards overran the village! I heard from my uncle already - he's got a shop there. He says there were a few casualties."
"Every student's accounted for - except the new girl."
"A few professors went to search for her..."
"Hope she's not dead. Being a ghost in Hogsmeade wouldn't be the worst thing, though. Imagine haunting Honeydukes?"
Ominis felt like he might be sick. While he wasn't overly fond of the girl, he certainly didn't wish her harm. There was no way she could be dead.
Instinctively, his feet carried him toward the school gates, mindlessly wandering while he soaked in this chilling information.
Then, more shouts.
This time, he heard fast, heavy footfalls coming from the path leading to Hogwarts and Professor Sharp's loud, commanding voice telling everyone to clear out of the way.
More whispers and gasps - from what Ominis could glean, their instructor was carrying an injured girl.
Was she dead? Apparently, she at least looked like it.
Someone said her name and his heart sank.
-
The Hospital Wing smelled overwhelmingly like antiseptic, cleaner, and dittany - all things that made Ominis dizzy. He'd always avoided Nurse Blainey's domain like the plague, particularly since any treatment would be reported to his parents. He much preferred to mend stomach aches and minor injuries on his own.
Finding himself sitting in the little chair next to the bedside of some girl he swore never to interact with again was an even more puzzling location, however.
Sure, it was unfortunate that she'd been caught in the crossfire during the Hogsmeade attack - but she lived. A few broken bones and some lacerations were simple enough for the school Healer to patch up, and the unlucky girl would be back to her usual antics by morning.
He internally questioned what the hell he was doing visiting her in this awful place and nearly stood to leave when he heard her shift in bed.
"Are you going already?" She asked, voice weak and rasped.
Ominis froze in place.
"P-pardon?" He asked, feeling foolish for getting caught. "You've finally woken up?"
A brief moment of silence.
"I, uh... I've been awake for quite a while. You've just been sitting there quietly for... some time. I wanted to think about what to say before I spoke to you. Sorry." She said bashfully.
Her voice came out so timid and hesitant, and Ominis felt guilt gnaw at him. It was obvious her fear of upsetting him was the cause of her trepidation.
Still, was he really at fault?
"Trying to find a different beast to compare me to? Perhaps a roach, this time?" He spat out quickly and almost instantly wanted to take the words back.
She didn't back down, though.
"No, of course not! You're not like a roach at all. Oh... I'm sorry. I can't think. It's been driving me crazy ever since." She whined, miserable and frustrated. "Getting hit on the head today didn't do me any favors, either. I should just cast a spell to make myself mute already."
Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Ominis sighed heavily.
"Don't be absurd. You don't need to mute yourself." He thought for a moment over whether or not he would regret his next sentence. "I forgive you. I wanted to thank you for the chocolate frogs, but you ran and got yourself struck down before I could say anything."
"Struck...?" Ominis startled when she shrieked and laughed. "Striking! Like how a snake strikes! Ominis, I've wanted to tell you that you are absolutely striking!"
His face flushed instantly, and he was, yet again, lost for words.
"I'm what?" He asked, incredulous.
"You always catch my eye in the corridors. Everything about you is just so... honestly, striking is the only word that works. You're like a work of art. Is that strange of me to say?"
Splattering and flustered, Ominis replied, "O-of course, it's strange! Are you out of your damn mind?! You can't just... you can't just say things like that!"
Face and ears dark crimson, he tried to press his hands to his cheeks in a bid to cool them.
Then, she giggled.
"You seem pleased this time, though. Have I done well? I've been hoping to pay you a suitable compliment." She said cheerfully.
Groaning, he answered while trying to contain the smile threatening to blossom on his face. "Frankly, I don't know how many more of your compliments I can handle."
She went quiet for a moment and simply stared at him.
Then, they both burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry, Ominis. I don't mean to insult or fluster you." She says, anything but apologetic once they'd finally quieted.
Seeing him so clearly receptive to the word she'd struggled to find like a Niffler hunting for hidden treasure warmed her heart.
Ominis, struggling to regain composure, couldn't help but ask, "The chocolate frogs. I'm assuming they were your doing. Why?"
"Oh, well, Sebastian said you'd forgive me eventually if I rained chocolate frogs on you." She blurted out cheerfully. "Didn't he tell you?"
Ominis, stunned, reflected on just how many of those damned chocolate frogs Sebastian had helped himself to by now.
"No, he most certainly did not."
Somewhere in the castle, Sebastian Sallow felt a slight chill.
The Hospital Wing, however, with its two occupants, were quite cozy as they chatted well into the evening.
Ominis would need to find a suitable well to call her endearing, as he was so tempted to do. If he was a snake, perhaps he'd toy with her and call her a rabbit.