Chapter 1: Prelude to Hate
Chapter Text
“There are some young men in this world who dream of having power so they can abuse that power. And there are young women who dream of having power so they will no longer have to be abused. That is the ultimate divide.”
Avalon knew she wasn’t the prettiest by far. She was short, plump, and her face was littered with pre-pubescent acne that no 12-year-old should ever have. She often wondered if she pissed off a god in her past life and they doomed her to a life of torment.
But no one, no one, should be subjected to this torture just because they weren’t pretty.
Avalon hung upside down, her books scattered on the floor beneath her, her short hair falling over her face so she couldn’t even see her bullies' smirking faces. They were laughing at her. Three Slytherin boys, two her age and one was some 3rd year. Someone poked her forehead with his wand, the tip causing an ache at the point it was touching on her flesh.
She knew who was doing this to her even if she couldn’t see them.
Ominis Fucking Gaunt and his groupies.
Ominis is the heir to the Slytherin throne. The most pretentious, powerful, and influential student at Hogwarts. His family could make the school turn upside down if they wanted to, and the headmaster wouldn’t complain. He had set his sights on her after she got a perfect score on their charms test and he got one wrong. Despite her doing absolutely nothing to him, his pride simply couldn’t stand the thought of a mudblood beating him at anything, especially school.
The other two were less influential, but no less pretentious. Vincent Malfoy, the heir to the Malfoy family, was in the same grade as her and followed Ominis around like a lost puppy. The third year, she only knew of by reputation as the second son to a pure blood family that the Gaunts took under their wing.
“You seem to be caught in quite the predicament, Strokes.” His haughty voice mocked her as she struggled in the Flipendo spell the 3rd year had cast on her.
Strokes was an insult they had quickly come up with, a play on her last name. They had spread around the school that she gave hand jobs for money and thus, Strokes was created.
“Let me out of here, Gaunt!” She hissed, looking for her wand beneath her books. She couldn’t reach it as she was.
“I don’t think we will,” He smirked, his pale eyes gleaming with satisfaction from her suffering. She hated that smirk. It reminded her of what a snake he really was.
“What do you want from me?” Avalon used her hands to make sure her clothes didn’t become unseemly due to gravity. Where was a professor when she needed one? Well, it’s not like they would punish him anyway. He got away with everything he did to her.
“Let this be a lesson to you to keep your mouth shut during classes.” He snapped his fingers and down she fell, right on her head. The impact was harsh and painful, sending an achy sensation after the initial fall. She wondered if she had a concussion from how hard the floor was.
They laughed at her as she held her head in her hands and whimpered from the pain. All three of them turned their backs on her and walked away without giving her a second thought.
The girl sighed as she rubbed the pain away. This was the third time this week they had decided to play some kind of prank on her that ended with her having a massive headache. It bothered her they chose to single her out, but it didn’t surprise her. Mudbloods rarely got placed into Slytherin, and yet, here she was. She would have been a target regardless of whether she aced that test or not.
She gathered her books into her arms and headed off to her next class. The people she passed paid her no mind, as she was essentially invisible to the student body. Her father warned her of the prejudice she might face at this school, but she said she could handle it. So she will.
She only hoped they would get bored with tormenting her eventually.
crack.
Ominis didn’t know why his family was so happy when he returned home that evening. He had been peacefully reading in his dorm, something that would keep his mind occupied and his wit sharp enough to finally beat that blasted mudblood at her own game one day, when he got an owl saying he was summoned home out of the blue. He flooed there, knowing if his family was asking for him during the school week, it was probably important.
When he got there, his mother was waiting for him near the fireplace. His wand picked up it was her right away, the familiar signature hummed towards him to let him know it’s okay. She embraced him, let him take in his surroundings with his usual indifference.
“Ominis, dear,” His mother’s soothing voice cooed at him whilst in her arms. He felt his anxiety growing, knowing that his mother didn’t usually treat him with such familiarity unless it was something related to the family.
“Mother.” He acknowledged, keeping his voice steady. He was a Gaunt, the heir to the family name and the Slytherin bloodline. As such, no matter how nervous he was, he had to keep himself calm in appearance.
“Come, darling, your father and I have something important to discuss with you.” She guided him by hand towards his father’s office. He could tell by the signals from his wand of the hallway, covered in paintings he’s never gotten to picture, passing the vast rooms with the ability to know every piece of furniture without entering the space. He followed as he was told, as he was meant to.
When they got to his father’s office, he could feel the tense atmosphere around him. He heard unfamiliar voices, more like whimpers, which increased his unease. His wand picked up on two- no, three bodies on the ground, kneeling in front of his father with their limbs tied up.
“Ominis,” His father’s deep voice welcomed him. “You’ve finally arrived.”
“Yes, father,” Ominis clenched his wand tighter in his grip. Even as a twelve-year-old boy, he could understand the seriousness of the situation. His father towered over the bodies and him with coldness, his hand reaching out and grasping Ominis’ shoulder with a tight grip.
“Son, your mother and I have decided you are ready to begin your first steps to becoming the true heir to our blood.” Ominis’ body went stiff as the words settled in him. He knew what this meant. He was going to be taught his first unforgivable curse.
The dread that went through him was much more than he could have imagined. He was loyal to his family and was brought up to know that he would do anything for them. Anything to continue the Gaunt legacy and be the man he was always meant to be. He was told growing up that the Gaunt heir would be strong, assertive, and honorable. And yet, there was a part of him that always wondered why using unforgivables made them honorable. It was a small part of him, of course, and one he would keep hidden forever. If his family found out he was having doubts about their tradition, they would surely disown him.
“Today, I will teach you the wand movements for the Cruciatus curse. I expect you to learn quickly.” Even though he couldn’t see his father’s face, he could feel his eyes burning on his body. Ominis knew there was much to be expected from him. Since he was born blind, his father had seen him as some kind of failure. He never voiced it, but Ominis knew that was how he felt. The way he put mountains and mountains of pressure onto Ominis was only the act of someone trying to cover up a mistake. That even if Ominis isn’t perfect, he could be made perfect by being reforged.
“Yes, sir.” He answered, raising his wand and pushing his reservations aside. He had to do this, regardless of his morals. It was his destiny to lead the Gaunts eventually. This was just a step towards the right direction.
“Oh, Avalon!” Professor Fig’s voice called out to her in the hallway. Avalon stopped, her head peeking up from her textbook. Her sapphire eyes shone with recognition towards the older man.
“Hello, professor. Did you need something?” She watched as the professor shuffled up to stand in front of her.
“I just wanted to talk to you about your recent essay for my class.” He shuffled the papers in his hands to find the one with her name on it. “It’s quite remarkable. Very well written, as always. I just noticed in the section where you explain how magic feels in use, your answer is unique.”
She furrowed her brows together. “Unique? In what way?”
“Well…” Professor Fig trailed off as he pointed to a section on her paper. “You describe using magic as almost an extension of yourself. Tell me if I’m wrong, but from the way you describe it in your essay, it feels almost like a second limb or body part?”
Was that incorrect? That is how Avalon would describe magic. “Yes?”
“Ah, don’t worry, my dear. You’re not in trouble. It’s just fascinating to me being able to see students describe their experiences to me.” He put her paper back in the stack and straightened his back. “I apologize for taking up your time, my dear.”
“Oh no, it’s perfectly alright.” She waved one of her hands in the air and smiled at him. “I was going to be a bit early to my class anyway. Now, I’ll be right on time!”
“What class are you headed to?”
“Introduction to Herbology with Professor Garlick. Today, we’re going to be learning about medicinal plants to be used in potions!”
“Ah, I remember my time as a first-year student. Everything seemed so new and exciting.” He hummed nostalgically. “I’m glad you’re taking your studies seriously, Avalon. I know your mother was worried about you being able to keep up.”
Professor Fig had been a long-time family friend before Avalon was even born. She didn’t know how her parents met him, but she did know Fig owed her dad some kind of debt. She never pressed or asked questions about it. Plus, it was nice knowing someone in the castle had a positive opinion of her.
“I’m fine, Professor. Better than fine. I’ve gotten straight A’s in every subject I’m put in.” She proudly said.
“I see, that’s amazing. I’m truly happy you’ve been prospering at Hogwarts.” He patted her on the back. “Have you made any friends yet?”
Avalon cringed and nervously shifted her eyes away. “Ahaha… Not really.” She hadn’t told Fig she was being bullied yet. Gaunt had threatened her so many times, she didn’t know if going to a teacher would even help at this point. And she didn’t want to drag Fig into it only for him to go tell her parents. Her parents were so skeptical of letting her come to Hogwarts, and she promised her father she would be able to handle herself alone. If he got word she was being bullied, they were sure to take her out of the school and back to the muggle world.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find your clique eventually.”
They walked together to the doors leading to the greenhouse. Fig waved goodbye to her before leaving her to her own devices. Avalon clutched her books in her arms, walking into the classroom and right to the front near Professor Garlick.
“Hello, professor.” Avalon greeted, taking her usual seat and placing her books down. Garlick’s lips turned into a bright smile at Avalon’s arrival.
“Hello Ava! Punctual as always.”
Avalon nodded her head, opening her textbook to where they left off last class.
As more students began to fill the seats, Avalon noticed her very own tormentor wobble in looking much worse for wear. He had bags under his eyes, his skin was usually pale but now it was almost sickly, there was a limp to his step that wasn’t there before. The boy looked beaten up and exhausted. If Avalon cared about him, she would have asked what was wrong.
She did think it was weird that no one else seemed to question his appearance or care.
“Alright, class, let’s get straight into it!” Garlick clasped her hands together and picked up a large, potted plant.
The class went by quickly enough. Avalon enjoyed learning about herbology, so she was able to have fun while she worked. They learned of flux weed and how to grow it. Garlick even gave her a small seed pouch for her to go off on her own with. When class was dismissed, Avalon quickly scurried off to her dorm to plant the seeds she got in her room. She was so excited, she didn’t realize Ominis was trailing behind her slowly.
When she entered the common area, she carefully avoided the line of sight from the upper-class men and arrived in her room in one piece. Her room, despite being for four students, was empty. Everyone in Slytherin refused to room with a mudblood like her, especially one that was being targeted by Gaunt. So she had the entire room to herself. Not that she minded, though, as she enjoyed the space.
She took the seeds and dumped a couple of them into the pot filled with fertilizer by the window. Using her bare hands, she covered the seeds with dirt and patted them down. Avalon smiled, clapping the dirt away before grabbing a small cup and rushing to the communal bathroom to retrieve some water. As she made her way back, she noticed her room door slightly ajar, despite her knowing she had closed it.
When Avalon got back to her room, a loud gasp escaped her lips as she watched Ominis smash her pot onto the ground with a loud CRACK. He stood over the mess, a disgusted look on his hauntingly pale face. He stomped his foot onto the dirt littering her bedroom floor, brushing any excess off of his robe.
“What a mess your hole of a bedroom is, Strokes.” He mocked, venom sinking into her flesh from his voice. “Be sure to clean this up, or else I’ll have to inform the prefects of how disgusting your room is. Perhaps you’ll get kicked out and sent to live with the beasts.”
Avalon clenched the cup in her hand tightly, biting her tongue so she didn’t end up saying something stupid. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, hate burning its way into her heart. As much as she wanted to say something, she knew it would only make things worse. It was better if she just took his abuse and said nothing.
He bumped into her shoulder harshly as he left her room, leaving her to look down disappointedly at the mess he made. She began to clean it up, trying to see if she could salvage the pot in any way. Alas, it was beyond saving. And she didn’t know reparo.
A small tear glistened in her eye as it streaked down her cheek, falling onto the dirt in her hands.
She was tired.
cRacK.
The good news was, over the next couple of days, she rarely saw Ominis. Rumor has it he had been getting late-night calls home from his parents to do some important heir stuff that Avalon didn’t care about. He was skipping classes and when Avalon did see Ominis, he looked beyond frail. He had always looked a bit too skinny, but now it was just borderline unhealthy looking.
She hummed to herself as she studied in the great hall, taking a bite of her apple as she read the text on defense tactics. Her short, dark hair was tied back into a mini ponytail to keep out of her eyes. Her long lashes fluttered as she turned the page of her textbook.
“Uhm, excuse me?” Avalon almost jumped in her seat as she looked up to the person addressing her. It was a group of Slytherin girls, a mix of ages with the youngest being the one to speak to her. She remembered her name to be Imelda Reyes, the girl who claimed to be the next fastest Slytherin broomstick racer. Her dark eyes were narrowed, obviously annoyed at her presence.
“Can I help you?” Avalon asked, looking around at the five girls quizzically.
“Actually, you can. That’s my seat.” Imelda crossed her arms over her chest.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Avalon grabbed her book, standing up and moving out of the way. “I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, well now you do.” Imelda scoffed at her direction and pushed past her to sit where she just sat. “Ugh, it smells like mudblood now.”
Avalon felt an embarrassed flush rise to her cheeks. She clutched her book tightly against her chest and rushed towards the exit. She could hear the group of girls mocking her as she left, saying it stinks of muggle because of her.
Avalon ended up going outside to finish eating her apple and studying her book. She found a nice, quiet spot by the outside of the greenhouses with a bench underneath a large tree.
She propped her book up on the bench, looking at the defense stances pictured on the black and white pages. She then began to copy them, moving her body to match each pose with ease. Avalon felt the pull of magic around her, in the air, the trees, the grass, everything was guiding her to move and swerve. It felt like flying, or the closest to the freedom flying could give her, she thought of.
It was moments like these that Avalon could feel like she could let her guard down. Inside the walls of the castle, everything felt so stuffy and claustrophobic. She thought she was prepared for it when she told her parents she was ready. In reality, she truly had no idea.
But magic called to her. It spoke to her in a way no one could ever understand. The muggle world was not the right place for her, she knew, but the wizarding world was always the place she was meant to be. Despite her torment, she had never felt so whole in her entire life.
As she flicked her wand up, she felt the strings of magic pull on a rock nearby. The rock flew upwards, weightlessly falling through the air before landing a couple of feet away from her.
“Shit.” She breathed, staring at the sleek, straight wood of her wand in her hand. That was new. She had never been able to lift objects without an incantation before, and this certainly wasn’t leviosa.
It felt raw. Bare. Natural.
She wondered if this was normal, that maybe all wizards and witches had this kind of power, and she was simply an early bloomer. It would explain her proficiency in all her classes.
Avalon clutched her pale, elderwood bark wand in her hand, pointing it at another rock a little bit away and flicking her wrist as she did before. The rock lifted easily, flinging itself a couple of feet away from her again.
And that’s what she spent her time in between classes on. The entire day, she would wander into the garden and practice throwing objects around again and again. The more confident she became, the heavier objects she could throw. It was truly invigorating for her. By the time night fell, she was able to throw boulders around with ease. She was shocked by herself. Usually, when wizards and witches used spells for a long period or in constant progression, it would exhaust them. That’s why the best Aurors were people with the largest magical reserve.
If Avalon were practicing any other spell, she would have surely passed out from exhaustion by now, but she felt great. Better than great, to be honest. She felt amazing.
If only that feeling would last.
Something must be wrong with the world because Ominis hadn’t done anything to her for the past week. It was strange, Avalon thought to herself. Usually she would be the victim of some cruel prank every week at least twice. But it had been surprisingly quiet, even from Ominis’ henchmen.
She hurried to her potions class, making it ten minutes early to set up her things in a neat, organized manner. Professor Sharp raised his head to look at her briefly before returning to his work, not even acknowledging her presence. This was normal behavior from most of her teachers, seeing as they also feared the influence of the Gaunt family.
As students began shuffling in, she noticed Ominis walk past her station looking as if life was being sucked out of him. Weary, dark bags under his eyes, hollow cheekbones, and a limp in his step. He seemed like he had been run over by the train multiple times. Even the light flickering on his wand tip seems dimmer than before. Despite him tormenting her, a part of her was genuinely concerned for his physical well-being; he just looked that awful.
“Welcome, class,” Sharp said, standing up, walking to the front of his class. “Today, we are going to learn how to brew a lower-tier wiggenweld potion. Does someone have an idea on what they’re used for?”
A Ravenclaw in the back raised their hand before Avalon could. “It’s a healing potion,” He answered. “Used for minor injuries such as broken bones, cuts, bruises, and more.”
“Correct. Points to Ravenclaw.” Sharp turned to the chalkboard behind him and began writing the instructions. As he taught the class on what to do, Avalon began brewing the already familiar potion in her cauldron. Her father had taught her this potion ages ago, seeing as he believed it was always better to brew at home rather than shop.
She skillfully began including each ingredient and stirring according to her memory. With every color change the pot did, she felt more and more excited to have another batch ready to use. Due to how many physical injuries she received from Gaunt, she had become quite the expert in brewing. She always kept a stash of wiggenweld for personal use because of how many pranks she had to deal with.
While the others just began their potion brewing, Avalon had almost finished. All that was left was letting it simmer for half an hour, and then she was done. She let the ladle go, standing next to her station patiently while checking the time to mark in her head.
CRASH!
Her eyes and attention turned to the shattered glass on the floor next to Ominis’ station, his hands had cuts on them with blood dripping onto the floor.
Avalon didn’t know why she felt the need to help him. All he had ever done was torment her, and yet she couldn’t help but pity the boy. He looked like he was about to cry, his hands were shaking, and his posture was hunched over. His wand sat on the floor next to the shattered glass, and despite him having so many people around him who claimed to be his friends, no one came to his aid. Except her.
Before she knew it, she was in front of his station, squatting down and picking up the glass pieces on the floor. She didn’t speak, but she felt Ominis’ breath hitch when he realized someone was helping him.
“Mr. Gaunt, if you need to go to the infirmary to take care of your hands, I suggest you do so,” Sharp instructed, not even bothering to move from his seat.
“S-Sorry, professor.” He stuttered, his hands unable to stop shaking.
As Avalon finished picking up the pieces, she placed them on the potion station and reached into her pocket. “Here,” She said, softly, still not being able to meet his eyes.
As soon as he heard her voice, his face crinkled in disgust and anger. He pushed away her hand blindly, which held one of her wiggenweld potions she had already brewed. “Ugh! Don’t touch me, mudblood!”
The potion slipped out of her hand and shattered on the floor. The green liquid spilled all over the ground and soaked the floor next to them. Avalon felt her heart shrink and burn as she realized her futile mistake in trying to help him.
“Mr. Gaunt! If you’re going to choose to make more of a mess in my classroom, then I will see you after school for detention to clean your mess up.” Sharp said, sternly.
“What?! But she was the one who-“
"All I saw was your classmate attempting to help you, and you destroy more perfectly good potions.” Avalon watched as Ominis’ eyes lit with rage that she hadn’t seen in quite a while. He clenched his hands into fists as he sneered at her.
“You’ll pay for that, Strokes.” He hissed.
Instinctually, Avalon backed up and returned to her station, her body shaking from the threat the blonde sent her way. Why couldn’t she have stayed out of it? Left him to deal with the mess himself?
A crack shattered in Avalon’s mind at that moment, but was drowned out by the sound of her footsteps running out of the class as it was dismissed.
CrAck.
“Hey.”
Avalon’s eyes widened as a student she had never met before approached her wearing a Gryffindor robe. He was around her age, maybe a little older, with short, blonde hair and bright green eyes. He was short, around her height, with scrawny arms that were behind his back at the moment.
“Hello?” She blinked in confusion. A soft, late autumn breeze blew by through her short, dark hair.
“What are you reading?” He asked, pointing at the book in her hands she had gotten from the library earlier.
“… Mythical Beasts and Their Habits.” She replied, still confused why this boy approached her.
“That’s cool,” He rubbed the back of his head, nervously. His eyes seemed to dart from somewhere to the left and back into her. But when she looked to where he was looking, she couldn’t see anything.
“Do I… know you?” She asked, cautiously.
“O-Oh, right! I’m Liam Henderson,” He introduced himself, holding his hand towards her.
“… Did you need something from me, Liam?”
“I was just walking by, and I always notice you sitting out here in the courtyard,” Liam smiled warmly towards her, something Avalon was unused to. “Just wanted to say hello and meet you.”
“Oh well…” She blushed, clearing her throat and shutting her book. “Hello.”
“What’s your name?” He asked, taking a seat next to her on the stone bench.
“Avalon. Avalon Stryker,” She answered, brushing her bangs behind her ear.
“That’s a pretty name,” He said, flashing her a dazzling smile. Despite his scrawniness, Avalon found him kind of cute. He was more of an awkward kind of cute, but still cute nonetheless.
“Thanks… I guess.” Avalon tried to look anyway other than his eyes.
“Are you interested in magical beasts?” Liam asked, leaning closer to her to check out the book’s cover.
“Yeah, I am,” She opened the book and turned to the page on hippogriffs. “Did you know that hippogriffs are social animals so they enjoy being near bodies of water so they can fly with their friends?”
“Really? Interesting.” Liam hummed in curiosity. “Tell me more.”
Avalon spent the rest of lunch period talking to him about various mythical beasts. He laughed, asked her questions, and kept complimenting her at random times. Mostly about her eyes. It was… weird to have someone to talk to, but nice at the same time.
She learned he was a 2nd year and his favorite class was Beasts class, like hers. They agreed to meet in the courtyard during lunch if they could and parted ways after it was over.
After a week, they had begun studying together in the library. Liam wasn’t as academically inclined as Avalon was, so it was mostly her helping with his homework, despite her being a first-year.
“No, you only need three dittany leaves for that potion. Any more and the cauldron will explode.” She explained, pointing to the part in his textbooks that said that. Liam groaned, leaning back in his chair from how exhausted he was.
“This is so much memorization. I don’t know how you do it, Avalon.” He complained.
Avalon smiled reassuringly. “It just takes a lot of practice. You’ll get it, though!”
“I doubt it,” He grumbled. “Memorization is really hard.”
Avalon giggled and played with her mother’s necklace around her neck out of habit. It was a simple gold chain with a circular locket that had a picture of her and her parents in it. Something that always kept Avalon afloat during the hard times.
Speaking of, Gaunt had yet to follow through on his threat so far. She was left unbothered and untouched, presumably because she wasn’t as alone anymore and because she would lock herself in her room out of fear.
“That’s a pretty necklace,” Liam commented, snapping Avalon out of her daze. “Where’d you get it?”
“Hm? Oh, it’s my mother’s necklace.” She said, pressing the little button at the top of the locket. “It has a picture of my parents and me.. Just something to help with homesickness.”
“That’s nice,” Liam said. “My parents just send me boat loads of snacks to tell me they miss me. It’s cute, but they’re getting more annoying with every letter.”
“It’s nice of your parents to pack you food,” She replied, a soft, nostalgic smile coming to her face. “I miss my mom’s food from home. It’s delicious.”
“What kind of food did she make?”
“Just average muggle food. She made the best meat pies, I really miss those.” Avalon’s eyes sparkled talking about her mother. Despite all the hate towards Muggles, Avalon appreciated and looked up to her mother. She was a capable woman who always strived for independence. It was no wonder her father fell for her as hard as he did.
Beautiful, capable, strong, and smart. With long, dark hair like Avalon’s, dark brown eyes, and a figure Avalon could only dream of having. She was one of the only women to pursue an education in her small town, a couple of kilometers from London, which was looked down upon by society, but she didn’t care. She always told Avalon to never rely on a man in life, because you can only depend on the good ones, and there were rarely good ones.
Her father is a good one. He is hopelessly devoted to her mother in a way Avalon only thought existed in fairytales. He was an infamous Auror who was known for being impeccably strong with large magical reserves and devilishly handsome. Short, blonde hair, dark blue eyes like Avalon’s, and a sturdy body that was well-trained from his time at work. He was the stricter parent of the two, despite acting like a love-sick puppy towards his wife. He told Avalon she had to grow up to be strong and independent like them, and she was more than delighted to try. That’s why she worked so hard in school. She just wanted to be just like them.
He promised to start training her after she graduated from Hogwarts. Avalon truly couldn’t wait.
Liam and Avalon talked for the rest of their study period, which mostly ended up with Avalon doing his potions homework for him. Once they parted, Avalon felt a skip in her step from how happy she was to find a friend. A real friend. Someone who didn’t judge her for being a mudblood or didn’t hate her for her appearance. It was amazing to be able to talk to someone.
She truly hoped it would last.
A cold hand grabbed the chain around her neck as she walked by the empty courtyard where she usually met Liam. Avalon gasped, turning around to see Vincent Malfoy, the third year who had cast Flipendo on her, and Ominis Gaunt standing behind her with smug looks on their faces. Her mother’s necklace hung in Malfoy’s hand, completely out of her reach.
“Hey! Give it back!” She tried to reach for it, but Malfoy pushed her back.
“What’s this, Strokes?” Ominis used his wand to poke at the gold circular locket, his face crinkling in disgust. “Seriously? A gold necklace? How tacky,” He scoffed. “It can’t be real gold, either.”
“Probably fake,” Malfoy agreed, smirking at her.
“Definitely fake. There’s no way a mudblood like her could get her hands on real gold.”
“Please, give it back,” She pleaded, her body shaking from how scared she was. Her mother’s necklace was a family heirloom passed down to her when she was accepted into Hogwarts. It meant so much to her and her family. “Please, Ominis.”
“Tch, you don’t have the right to say my name on your filthy tongue.” He spat, narrowing his eyes at her and snapping his fingers. The third year stepped forward, pulling his arm back before casting Leviosa onto her. She cried out, feeling herself lift a few feet into the air in front of the three boys.
“Let this be a lesson to you,” Ominis warned, his arms crossed over his chest. “Never look down on me again. I’m a Gaunt, the heir to Salazar Slytherin himself. You are beneath me.”
With another snap of his fingers, Malfoy threw her mother’s necklace onto the ground, into the dirt, and stepped on it, mercilessly. When he lifted his foot, the locket itself looked dented and deformed, which broke her heart into a million pieces.
CrACK.
“See? I told you it was definitely fake gold,” Malfoy laughed, stomping on it again to see if it would dent more.
CRaCk.
“Is she crying?” The third year was laughing at her too. “Oh Merlin, she’s really crying!”
cRACK.
“It was such a brilliant idea to get Liam fucking Henderson to spy on her. We would’ve never known about the necklace without him.”
What?
“Yeah, I know. I can’t believe you fucking fell for it, Strokes!”
Flashes of Liam’s friendly face went through her vision as tears burned in her eyes. She felt her fists clench, her nails digging into the palms of her skin, and her anger set her entire body ablaze. How dare they do this to her?
How dare they treat her like this?
Avalon had tried to keep herself in check. She never bothered anyone, never hurt anyone, always tried to be kind even when everyone else wasn’t. Look where it got you, a whisper breathed into her mind. Look at how they mock you for it.
She felt a surge of magical energy crawl up her spine and bones like ice freezing over a lake. It tore into her spirit as she felt every piece of her break apart into little pieces. With a guttural scream, she raised her eyes with so much hatred it could have turned the entire school to rubble. The boys in front of her stopped laughing, looking at her in surprise as she dropped to the ground on her feet once the Leviosa spell wore off.
No more.
Her wand was in her hand within seconds and she was flinging as many spells as she possibly could out. All she knew was the basic cast, but she had other tricks up her sleeves. Using the magic that coursed through her veins, she was able to lift the two boys besides Ominis into the air and slam them into the ground without any incantations.
Looking around, she noticed some potted plants and miscellaneous objects around. As they groaned and tried to get to their feet, she flicked her wrist and sent the items flying towards their bodies. They cried out in pain, getting thrown back with every blow to their fragile, pathetic bodies.
Once they were out of the way, she turned her attention towards the blonde boy, who stared at her in absolute terror. His hand with his wand was shaking, his eyes wide, and a scared whimper escaped his lips. What had he done? What kind of monster was she to be able to overtake them so easily? Even Ramus, a third year, was no match for her onslaught of attacks. And now, she was after him.
She started sending flurries of basic casts against him, which he blocked with Protego to the best of his abilities. After realizing that wasn’t going to work, she flicked her wrist again to send a pot right at Ominis’ stomach, knocking the wind out of him and making him double over. He felt a chill run down his spine as she began to approach him; he was able to visualize her frame with his wand and see her clench her fist around her wand.
She was going to kill him. Ominis was going to die, he could tell. She wasn’t going to stop until he was ripped apart under her feet and dead on the ground.
He panicked, his mind racing through his mob of thoughts that was screaming at him to run away. To hide. To protect himself. Anything.
She was so close to him now, he could hear the crunch of dirt and leaves under her shoes. Time was running out; he would be beaten just like his friends and reduced to agonizing pain. Just like Malfoy. Just like Ramus. Just like the muggles from the house that he couldn’t crucio.
As if he had finally grabbed some kind of lifeline in his mind, he raised his wand towards her shakily and willed himself to cast the only spell he knew would save him.
“Crucio!”
A blast of red lightning left his wand and hit her upper right side of her face, right in her eye. She screamed and crumpled to the ground, red static crawling over her body and gripping its tendrils into her. She wouldn’t stop screaming, louder and louder and more and more anguished. Her body was shaking, twitching, spasming, and seizing in torturous amounts of pain. Blood. Ominis could visualize blood splattered on the ground next to her head, but he couldn’t see the wound that he created.
What had he done? What had he done to her?
No, it was self-defense. She was going to kill him. He was just trying to protect herself. He kept trying to rationalize himself in his mind, but the only thing he could do was cover his mouth and turn away. He threw up, bile coating his mouth as his mind tried to process the scene laid out before him. After all that pressure to cast the curse on those muggles from the mansion, all the torture he had to go through from his own family, only now was he able to cast the curse.
An Unforgivable Curse can only be cast if the user absolutely means it.
No, this isn’t what he wanted. He just wanted her to stop walking towards him, stop trying to hurt him. That’s all. It’s not his fault. It couldn’t be true.
He turned on his heel and used his wand to visualize where he could run. He didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was he had to get out of there. He needed to leave.
Her screams echoed through his mind even as he ran further and further away from her.
It was Professor Fig who found her screaming in the courtyard just moments after Ominis had run away. He had taken her to the infirmary, informing the other teachers of the other students wounded in the courtyard, but mainly focusing on her. Her eye… Oh god.
The skin was torn apart as if she were clawed by a wild beast, her eyelid was blown off with the rest of her skin, and bleeding everywhere. Her upper right side of her face looked as if it had been melted off; that was how much skin was gone from her. It was a scene out of a horror book, something Fig had never experienced in all of his years. Her right eye looked as if it had exploded from the inside.
The nurse did her best to repair what she could, mostly focusing on trying to fix her eye. The best she could do was make sure she was able to see again. It took hours of reconstruction magic to fix what was done to her, and even after all that time, the wound was only able to close up into discolored, deformed scars. She couldn’t erase all of the damage done to the girl.
The aftermath of the incident was handled as discreetly as Hogwarts would allow. Malfoy and Ramus had given statements claiming she had gone berserk and started attacking them out of nowhere, however, a student witness had claimed they had been bullying and tormenting her for quite some time. They also claimed that these two were only the sidekicks and that Ominis Gaunt was the mastermind behind it all.
As soon as Headmaster Black heard a Gaunt was involved, he ordered everyone to sweep the matter under the rug.
Fig didn’t like Phineas Black by any means, but he also held out hope that he would do the right thing for Hogwarts. And this incident just solidified in Fig’s mind that they truly had the worst Headmaster in Hogwarts history. Her parents came as soon as they were able, and Fig had to be the one to tell them the news that not only was their daughter permanently disfigured, but the school held no responsibility and was going to do nothing about it.
They were horrified, enraged, and furious. Of course they were. They demanded all the perpetrators be expelled and punished, but Black was steadfast on making sure Ominis and his friends faced no backlash. After all, a pureblood family like the Gaunts could ruin Black’s reputation if he went against them.
They took her out of Hogwarts that very night and fled to the Muggle world with her.
And that was the last of her the school saw for a long time.
Chapter Text
“Professor Fig! I hope you have a good explanation as to why you and this student are late to the ceremony!” The headmaster stood in front of the large great hall doors with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. He looked haughty, arrogant, everything that Avalon despised. She remembered him as the same headmaster who left her and her parents to scramble after the incident. The same one that told her parents they weren’t important enough to listen to.
“Ah, Headmaster,” Fig clasped his hands together. “I apologize for the tardiness, We were unfortunately met with some dire circumstances. Let me reintroduce you to our returning student. I’m sure you remember her.” The older man held his hands out as he walked backwards a couple of steps to make room for her.
“Miss Avalon Stryker, this is-“ “Headmaster Black,” Avalon cut him off, narrowing her fox-like eyes at the man in front of her. “I remember who he is.”
Black didn’t know why, but he felt a significant amount of unease standing in front of the young woman. She looked as if she wanted to rip him apart. He straightened his back, letting the goosebumps that ran over his skin hide underneath his coat.
“A-Ah, Miss Stryker, a pleasure to see you again.” She certainly looked familiar. Black hadn’t looked at her file, despite letting her back into the school. He knew she had left sometime a couple of years ago, but he couldn’t place his finger on why.
Her long, wavy dark hair fell down her back in layers with her curtain bangs mostly covering the right side of her face. The coldness in her sapphire eyes seemed to look past him, almost as if she didn’t think he was worth the ground he stood on. Her outfit was barely up to the school dress code. A white, button-up shirt, a black, leather corset that pulled her small waist in and accentuated her ample bust, black, tight riding trousers, brown knee-high boots, and a pair of black, fingerless gloves. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, showing a decent amount of cleavage. Black almost blushed at the sight of the young woman in front of him. Surely, he would recognize a beauty like her.
His eyes glanced up to her face, trailing across the long scar over her right eye. It was the only blemish he could see on her otherwise pale and perfect skin. It added an intensity to her that made him shift uncomfortably under her gaze.
“… Hm.” She didn’t answer his pleasantries. Instead, he could only focus on the click-clack of her boot heels as she walked past him to the doors of the great hall. He didn’t even have a chance to protest before she pushed the doors open with one hand.
The chatter in the large hallway stopped; all the eyes of every student at Hogwarts were on her. Not that she cared. She walked forward, and the silence in the room was deafening except for each footstep that walked closer and closer towards the Slytherin table. Then the whispers started.
“Who is that?”
“That must be the new 7th year-“
“She’s fucking hot!”
“Is she a Slytherin?”
Avalon finally made it to the end of the Slytherin table and took her rightful seat next to some guy who couldn’t keep his eyes off her breasts. She rested her chin on her palm as she leaned with her arm on the table.
“W-Well! Let us continue with house sorting. Next up, Eliza Gerrison.”
As the last of the first years were sorted into their houses and cheers finally died, Avalon scanned the room to see if she remembered anyone from her first year. Nameless students that she had seen in passing or had watched her suffer came into view. She kept looking, her eyes landing on the Malfoy heir and crinkling in disgust. He was staring at her lecherously, in comparison to the unsavoriness from before. His stupid blue eyes were crawling over her body inch by inch, stopping for a couple more seconds at her breasts before going to her face. She turned before they could meet eyes, returning to her scan of the room.
Poppy Sweeting, the Hufflepuff girl who offered her a potion after she had gotten a pretty terrible bruise from one of Gaunt’s rougher pranks, sat a little bit away with her head in a book. She was probably the only one who treated Avalon with an ounce of respect.
Her eyes kept dancing around the room as faint memories popped into her mind from the people whom she recognized. Imelda Reyes was sitting down the table from her, eyeing her with a heated stare of jealousy and caution. Avalon smirked in her direction, which made her turn her nose up and away. She certainly hadn’t changed, Avalon thought to herself, before her eyes caught a very familiar sight.
Dirty blonde hair neatly swept back with gel, porcelain skin that looks as if it hasn’t seen the sun since birth, pale, blue eyes that could never focus on anything since they couldn’t see. Ominis fucking Gaunt. The sight of him made her blood run cold and her heart pound in her chest. Her scar, safely hidden mostly by magic, was pulsating with phantom pains as a flash of memory crossed over her vision. His stupid, pretentious face was the last thing she saw before she blacked out from the agonizing pain.
Avalon sucked in a sharp breath through her front teeth as she tore her gaze away from him, staring instead at the ceiling that was covered with lit candles. She hated that he looked calm and relaxed, unaware of her hatred brewing inside. Avalon wanted nothing more than to storm over to him, punch him until he’s bleeding, and hang him by his tie on one of the chandeliers above her. She would gladly go to Azkaban to see him swinging by his neck in front of every student who ever did her wrong. Let them know that she was back and she was no longer going to sit and take any abuse that comes her way.
A tap on her shoulder snapped her out of her sadistic thoughts. Professor Sharp, the potions teacher, stood next to her while leaning on a cane. He looked her up and down, a hint of annoyance falling over his features. “Students must wear robes while on school grounds.” He spoke monotonously.
“I didn’t have any robes that fit me.” She answered, thinking he looked older than he did before. He even had a new scar over his eye just like the one she presented with magic.
“Then we will get you some, but in the meantime, might you button up your shirt and change into something more… appropriate.” He wasn’t asking, it was an order.
Avalon narrowed her eyes, remembering how he had never questioned when she came to class with injuries and criticized her for being late in the first year. She crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up in view even more than they already were. “Oh, but how could I miss the last of the welcoming celebrations? I was so excited for them on the way here, and this is my last and only year to be able to experience them… Ah, but I guess if you’re implying these festivities are pointless, maybe I could retire to my chambers early.” Her seemingly naive words were laced with a poisonous venom. She watched as Sharp’s Adam's apple bobbed as students began to whisper around them. For a Hogwarts professor to be put in a position to either denounce an event in front of the student body or allow a student to not adhere to the dress code… It was unheard of.
“… Be sure to get the robes you need as soon as possible.” He muttered before turning on his heel and walking away. Avalon smirked in victory behind him, uncrossing her arms and returning to her leisurely position.
The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut by a butter knife. Avalon zoned out of the speech Professor Weasley and Black were giving before dismissing the students. She got up, her heeled boots making her one of the tallest women in the room. She wasted no time being one of the first out the door, not wanting to be caught in the crowd.
“Avalon! There you are!” Fig caught up to her as she walked towards the Slytherin common room.
“Did you enjoy the welcoming ceremony?” He asked, innocently.
Avalon rolled her eyes. “You know the answer to that.”
Fig sighed. “Ava, I understand you don’t want to be here, but this is the only way we’re going to be able to figure out what this… Ancient Magic business is. Hogwarts has changed a lot since you left, perhaps… It would help you to be open to the school. Give it a chance to heal the pain from the past.”
Avalon gave him a sharp look. “Professor, if I wanted your opinion on what I’m meant to do here, I would have asked.” She hissed, turning her back on him and walking ahead. “I know why I am here, I don’t intend on taking it for granted, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It’s not. I’m worried you’re coming into this with a closed heart and it will hurt you in the long run.” Fig said, softly. He didn’t take what Avalon said as an insult. He knew she was suffering from being here and remembering what happened. He had to be patient with her, cautious.
“I’m fine.” She stated, and that was the end of it. He quickly caught up to her, not saying another word about the topic before. Instead, he gave her her class schedule, her list of textbooks and required items, and an index card with his owl information.
“Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need anything.” He informed her. “I have to contact the ministry to give them information on the dragon attack. Professor Weasley will find you tomorrow to help get you situated. Your luggage, or what’s left of it, is already in your room, as well as a new robe.”
Avalon took the items from him, nodding along to his instructions.
“Good luck, my dear. I will be in touch. And please don’t kill anyone while I’m gone.”
That made Avalon scoff. “No promises.”
Fig let out another deep sigh before waving goodbye and walking off. He had left her in front of the Slytherin common room. She doesn't need any direction on what to do. She took out her wand, flicked her wrist, and said the password.
The door hissed and opened for her, the snake decorations that used to disturb her just brought back cruel memories. She walked in with the papers in hand, boot heels clacking on the concrete floor as she descended the staircase to the dungeons.
She felt eyes on her as she entered the common room. It was exactly how she remembered it. Long walls decorated with pretentious art provided by the pure blood families so their kids didn’t have to be surrounded by unsightly views, burning fireplaces, and tall windows to be able to view the outside water they were underneath. It truly hasn’t changed since first year, other than a couple of new paintings and rugs.
A boy approached her as she walked towards the staircase leading to the dorms. He seemed nervous, almost timid, but he had the balls to come up to her, so he couldn’t be that timid.
“H-Hi,” He greeted, fidgeting with his hands. She raised an eyebrow to him, stopping in her tracks as he stood in front of her. “Are you the new seventh year? D-Do you need help with anything… at all?”
She put a hand on her hip and leaned on her right leg. “And if I did, why would I ask you? You seem to be scared shitless from talking to a woman, let alone helping one.” Avalon mocked, making the boy shrink down even more. She walked past him, ignoring how taken aback the other students were at her rudeness.
Avalon heard a group of girls whisper to each other.
“What a bitch!”
“ Poor James…”
“She didn’t have to be that rude!”
She didn’t care. She hated people who presumed she was helpless, and that guy dared to think she needed another person to figure stuff out. Hilarious.
She found her dorm rather quickly, seeing as it was one of the only singles in the entire castle. Fig had gotten it for her, knowing she couldn’t sleep with other people in the room. A consequence of having others torment her due to living in a communal space. It was small, of course, with barely enough space for a desk, bed, and dresser. One long, skinny window with a small windowsill poured moonlight into the room to illuminate it just enough for her to light a candle on her bedside table. One of her suitcases was on her bed next to a black and green Slytherin robe. The colors contrasted with the white bed sheets laid on a twin-size bed with a wooden headboard.
Avalon got to work, putting her clothes in the dresser, her owl cage on the windowsill, and her robe hung up on the door. She looked at her schedule, marking in her head where her first classes were tomorrow morning before tossing the papers on her desk. The girl stripped off her clothing, changing into her pajamas before jumping onto the plush bed. The wood creaked at her weight, the mattress cradling her sore body as she rested her head on the soft pillow.
She couldn’t believe she came back here.
Notes:
:)
Chapter 3: It's You (I Hate You)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter:
KNIVES by Neoni and Savage Ga$p
Chapter Text
The next day, Avalon debated on whether to care about the dress code. She took out two outfits, one that resembled the same clothes she had on last night, and another that was perfectly up to standard for Hogwarts. She decided on a mix of both, wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt under a white button-up shirt with the skin-tight black riding trousers and brown knee-high boots. She buttoned the shirt up all the way, putting on the green tie given to her with the robe. Out of her suitcase, she grabbed a brown leather belt and tied it neatly around her pants before putting her fingerless gloves back on. At her waist, she had a wand holder, a gift from her father to make sure she never lost access to it ever again. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail, letting her curtain bangs hang around her face.
The last touch was to apply magic to her scar. She took her wand out, chanting the incantations she had repeated every single day, and felt a wave of coldness wash over the upper right side of her face. The harsh redness faded away to pale skin, only leaving the long scar over her right eye. For some reason, she was never able to cover the scar in its entirety. That one line always remained, even after practicing this spell to perfection. Avalon had grown used to it, but it was a constant reminder about how what she went through would never fully go away.
She threw her robe on, grabbed her books, and was out the door.
Her first class was Defense against the Dark Arts. Perhaps she would find this class enjoyable.
Her walk to class was nostalgic. She passed the familiar fountain in front of the library, walked up the same staircase that led to the magical orchestra that played the same song over and over again, and right up to the same classroom she had been to in her first year. How repetitive. That was one thing she still remembered about Hogwarts. Once your schedule was set, it was the same environment over and over again.
She noticed people looking at her, probably trying to size her up or check her out. She felt a surge of pride knowing that now that she had changed, people no longer looked at her in disgust or were willing to ignore her pleas for help. Now, people stared at her with jealousy or longing. If the muggle world taught her anything, it was that she would rather be seen as an impossible prize or something to be feared. It was much easier to manipulate men into doing what you wanted if you were everything they wished for.
Once she made it to class, the chatter from the students already there died down. They looked at her, shocked by her presence, and Avalon could feel the men’s excitement.
She took a seat in the back, one that was occupied by someone she had yet to know. A boy with shaggy, brown hair, wide brown eyes that scanned over her, pale skin littered with brown freckles, and a crooked striped, green tie. She didn’t acknowledge him, just sat in her seat quietly with her textbooks in front of her.
He cleared his throat, his eyes meeting hers. “Hey.” He said, staring at the seat she sat in and a bit behind her. She didn’t look back, but raised an eyebrow towards him.
When she didn’t answer him, he coughed again. “I was uh… saving that seat for someone.”
Avalon scoffed, leaning on her palm and tilting her head to the side so her hair fell over her shoulder. “Oh, but I really wanted to sit here.” She purred, forcing a sultry look to her eyes as a bright red blush burned on his face.
“I guess… he can find somewhere else to sit… for today.” His eyes darted away from her, looking towards the front of the classroom and back to her face. Too easy, Avalon thought. Were Hogwarts men always this easy to manipulate? One pretty face and look in her eyes, and she could sit wherever she wanted?
She smirked and leaned back in her chair. “How courteous of you.”
He nodded, a small smile playing on his thin lips. “Yeah, courteous.”
Class was going to start any time now. She opened her textbook and began reading ahead, wanting to be able to keep up with whatever they were learning so she didn’t fall behind.
The boy looked behind them, his eyes lighting up when he saw his friend walk in. She assumed it was the one that was supposed to be in her seat.
“Oi! Ominis, hope you don’t mind sitting somewhere else today.”
She froze, her finger twitching on the textbook page. God damnit.
She tried to remain composed as Ominis walked past her to stand in front of the boy next to her. His wand was up, a small light emitting from the tip. His face was furrowed, obviously upset that someone had taken his usual seat.
“Really, Sebastian? I ask you to do one thing and you can’t even-” “I know, I know. I just wanted to make sure our new Slytherin friend had a proper seat next to the best duellist in the school.” Sebastian, the boy next to her, flashed her a cocky smile. It irked her that he was taking credit for her simply sitting in the chair next to him. As if he wasn’t trying to get her to move a few moments ago.
Ominis’ eyes looked towards the area she was sitting, obviously not being able to focus on her since she wasn’t talking. He didn’t know where to look. “Oh yes, she’s sure to learn so much from you.”
He didn’t recognize her. She realized he was thinking she was just some random seventh-year student. Not the person he cursed and tormented for months. She felt her hand curl into a fist, her nails digging into her flesh as she tried to hold herself back from smacking him in the face.
A cold chill ran through them as Avalon narrowed her eyes. Leave, she wanted to shout.
Almost as if he could feel the tension, Ominis shifted uncomfortably before walking towards another empty seat a couple of desks away from them. Sebastian looked puzzled by the change in atmosphere, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. “You alright?”
She eased her tension when Ominis finally left her immediate vision. A shaky breath of relief exhaled from her mouth as she nodded, but didn’t verbally answer his question.
“O…kay, well,” He held his hand out to her. “I’m Sebastian Sallow. It’s nice to meet you.”
She looked at his hand, then at his innocent-looking face. He was friends with Ominis. Friends with Ominis Gaunt. She couldn’t trust him.
“... Hm.” Avalon didn’t take his hand, instead opting to close her textbook and cross her arms over her chest. Sebastian’s hand recoiled, an awkward air filling the void between them. He was confused by the difference in attitude from the new girl. One minute she was being all… nice and buttering up to him, and the next…
The sound of footsteps from the front of the classroom snapped him out of his confusion. “Class, settle down, settle down.” The teacher, Professor Hecat, walked down the stairs to stand in front of all of them. The duel that had been transpiring near the front ceased in an instant. The students scattered to their seats, sitting obediently to make room for the older woman. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on Avalon. A small, welcoming smile graced her lips as she walked between the desks to her seat.
“Ah, I see our newest seventh year is in our class. Miss Stryker, would you like to introduce yourself?”
Avalon’s eyes darted over to Ominis’ form. He stiffened in his seat, whipping his head around to stare at her with wide, horrified, pale eyes.
She felt a surge of adrenaline when she realized he recognized her now. She stood from her seat and glanced around the room. “Avalon Stryker.” She said her name monotonously before sitting back down.
“Would you like to tell the class something about yourself?” Professor Hecat asked, expectantly.
“No.” She said, her eyes on Ominis’ as she imagined ripping his face off and feeding it to the wolves. He was terrified of her. Quite literally shaking in his seat as he stared at her with utter disbelief.
Sebastian looked between her and his friend, his brows furrowing in worry after seeing how his friend was reacting.
Professor Hecat cleared her throat. “Well… Alright! Let’s get started then.”
Once the classroom was set up, Professor Hecat continued to circle the room as she spoke of some poacher raid of 1878. Avalon listened, but couldn’t ignore the feeling of Ominis staring at her.
“Today, we will review a spell that has saved me from death at the hands of Dark wizards more times than I care to remember: Levioso.” She said, walking past a ginger-haired Gryffindor.
“Levioso? A levitation charm?” He asked in disbelief.
Professor Hecat smirked before whipping around with her wand. “Levioso!”
The loudmouth student was levitated in his spot, shouting in surprise as Professor Hecat held him victoriously in the air. “A surprised opponent is a weak opponent. Care to defend yourself, master Prewett? No?”
Avalon held back a chuckle as she watched Prewett fall onto the ground once the spell was done. Professor Hecat turned, facing all of the students as she spoke. “One thing I’ve learned as an Unspeakable is the value of simplicity, especially in the heat of battle. Now, let’s practice what we’ve just learned - starting with something small.”
On their desks, blue and green feathers were summoned in front of each student. Sebastian and she were the first to do the correct wand motions, their feathers lifting in the air easily.
Professor Hecat walked from behind her. “Now,” She said, “Let’s try something a little larger.”
She pulled the armored dummy forward to the front of the room, pushed all the desks away from them, and motioned for Avalon to come to the middle. Avalon did, standing with confidence as she readied herself.
“Let’s start with the basic cast.” Professor Hecat instructed. Avalon did so, her spell bouncing off the dummy. “See how the dummy deflected your cast?”
“This time, cast Levioso first, then the basic cast.”
Avalon nodded as Hecat kept talking. “Levioso!” She shouted as a stream of magic flew at the dummy, levitating it in the air and allowing Avalon to send a stream of basic casts onto it with ease.
“Well done!” Hecat praised her. Avalon felt a surge of pride as a smile crept its way onto her lips. “Very good, but the best way to practice is by duelling.”
Hecat pointed to her and Sebastian, who was standing tall beside her. “We’ll start with you two.”
Avalon felt giddy as she stared down her opponent; the eagerness to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face was all too visible. He walked past her to go to his side of the room, “Time for a proper Hogwarts welcome.” He arrogantly said, only adding more fuel to the fire for Avalon.
“Now, now, I want a fair duel using only Levioso, basic cast, and Protego,” Hecat instructed, summoning a duelling platform to the middle of the room and under their feet. Avalon was lifted in the air, almost losing balance before regaining herself again. She stood across from Sebastian, facing him with her wand at the ready.
“You may begin.”
“Levioso!” Sebastian was the first to cast, shooting the spell towards her head. She dropped down, narrowly dodging before she threw a basic cast at him. He blocked it, sending his own flurry of basic cast at her as well.
“Protego!” Avalon blocked every spell that came her way, pointing her wand at his chest. “Levioso!”
He shifted to the side, dodging her attack and almost falling off balance. Before he could regain it, a thought came to Avalon’s mind. She pointed her wand down to the platform they stood on. “Levioso!”
The platform began to float upwards, causing Sebastian to really lose his balance and almost fall off. He never had a chance to recover before Avalon used his moment of weakness against him. “Levioso!” She cast the spell directly onto his falling body. He lifted into the air, shouting in surprise and dangling around. Avalon smirked, sending basic cast after basic cast at him until he was unceremoniously thrown off the platform.
“Class, that’s how you use Levioso.” Hecat praised. Avalon hopped off the platform, sheathing her wand at her side and flicking her hair behind her back. Sebastian, by this point, had recovered and walked over to her with that grin still on his face. “Not bad for a beginner,” He said. “I would have never thought to levitate the platform like that. Brilliant stuff.”
Avalon scoffed. “It’s called thinking on your feet, perhaps you should try it.”
She thought Sebastian would be offended by her statement, but he only chuckled and walked away as Professor Hecat walked up to her.
“I put you on the spot and you rose to the challenge. Points to Slytherin.” She declared.
“...Thank you,” Avalon said, hesitantly.
“If what I’ve seen today is any indication, we can expect great things from you, Miss Stryker.” The older woman smiled, holding her wand in between her hands. “I demand excellence from my students. They are capable of achieving it - and they must achieve it. A classroom duel is one thing, but battling Darkwizards - or, as ever more likely, goblins - is a different kettle of Grindylows entirely.”
“I know.” Avalon crossed her arms over her chest.
Sensing her defensiveness, Professor Hecat raised a hand up to her. “I’m sure you do. I am just advising you to keep practicing whenever you can. Perhaps… Mr. Sallow will have some ideas for you.”
Avalon bit her tongue from arguing with the Professor, knowing it wouldn’t do her any good. She nodded, turning around and walking towards the exit to the classroom.
“Again, well done today! I shall reach out with additional assignments soon for you.” She called as Avalon gathered her books and walked out.
Professor Hecat sighed, unfazed by the student’s coldness. She didn’t know who thought it was a good idea to put her and Ominis Gaunt in the same class together, but she knew it was only going to cause further trouble down the line.
As she was walking out of the classroom, she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She turned, Sebastian running up the stairs to catch her.
“Avalon, nice work back there.” He said, smoothing his robe out as he stood in front of her.
Avalon raised an eyebrow to him, curious as to why he was trying to talk to her in a non-threatening way. Surely, he and Ominis had the time to chat while she was talking with Hecat. Did he not know of their history?
“... Okay.” She awkwardly said, obviously not knowing what his true intentions were. She tried to walk around him, but Sebastian held out his hand.
“Perhaps this wasn’t your first duel? I didn’t expect a new student to be so deft with a wand.” He asked.
“...No, it wasn’t.” She said, finally giving him more than a one-word answer.
“Hah, I knew it. I’d love to duel you again without limitations.”
So would I, Avalon thought, so I can wipe that stupid smirk right off your face.
“You know,” He snapped her out of her thoughts, “You might be a perfect fit for a certain exclusive, unsanctioned duelling organization.”
Was he trying to get her to follow him into a trap? To get in a room and be bombarded by his group of friends with Ominis?
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but before she could accuse him, he held his hands up in defense.
“I’m not trying to get you in trouble,” He quickly said, believing she was worried about getting detention rather than getting ambushed. “If you want to get the most out of your time at Hogwarts, you’re going to need to break the rules now and then.”
Was he being serious? Avalon couldn’t tell, but she still felt distrustful. She didn’t want to leave without knowing what his true intentions were, though, so she forced a smile and another coy look.
“Oh? Has Ominis lost his touch? Is he getting his henchmen to do his dirty work by leading me into another one of his pranks?” Sebastian looked at her, confused and surprised.
“Ominis? Where did he come from?” He asked, taking a step back as Avalon took a step forward. Her aura became colder and colder as seconds passed between them.
“Are you trying to claim you’re not one of Ominis’ little groupies trying to get underneath my skin? See what makes me tick?” Avalon scoffed, her hand flying out and grabbing his robe collar before pulling him to meet with her face to face. Because he was taller, he had to shrink down to meet her eyeline.
In the most controlled, cold tone she could muster without revealing her true emotions, she growled at him. “Tell Gaunt I’m not falling for it this time around. If he wants to face me, tell him to do it like a man instead of sending his cronies to catch me off guard.”
She let go of his collar, Sebastian rubbing his neck as he let the chills run off his spine. He was at a loss for words, processing her anger with a confused mind. She sauntered off, going up the stairs to her next class without so much as turning to look behind her.
“Sebastian, I was studying for the charms test we have today, why would you call me here in the middle of-” “What’s the issue with you and the new girl?”
Ominis froze in his place, the slight draft from the Undercroft doors closing brushing against his skin.
Sebastian stood near the small table where they usually set their books up with his arms crossed. The confusion he felt before from his last meeting with Avalon had worn off; now he just wanted answers.
“... There is no issu-” “Oh bullshit.” Sebastian interrupted, giving Ominis a look that said he didn’t believe the words that barely came out of his mouth. “Even if you don’t know her, she certainly knows who you are. And by the terrified looks you were giving her in class, I’d reckon you know there’s an issue between you two. So out with it,” The brown haired boy motioned with his arm towards Ominis. “What did you do that made her so angry? One night stand? Beat her in a duel?”
Ominis gave him a disturbed look. “Tell me you’re not serious, accusing me of a one-night stand.”
“You’re right, definitely not saintly Ominis Gaunt.” The mocking tone didn’t help the atmosphere. Ominis shifted uncomfortably, his eyes aimed towards the ground as shame crawled its way back up his spine. He took a deep, shaky breath before he raised his head.
“...It’s… It’s her.” He admitted, his voice weak and his body trembling at just the thought of the girl.
Sebastian tilted his head, walking up to his friend and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Who?”
“It’s her. The girl… The one I… cursed.”
Sebastian’s grip on his shoulder tightened as he slowly realized what his friend was talking about. The girl. The Slytherin girl from their first year that he had cast Crucio on for the first time. The same one he brutally bullied and tormented until she broke down. Sebastian had forgotten her name, so he didn’t connect the dots when she was introduced in Defense against the Dark Arts class.
“...Oh mate, that’s…” He trailed off, because what could Sebastian say at this point. When Ominis had told him what he did a couple of years ago, he almost didn’t believe it. Ominis Gaunt, one of the only pure blood wizards who didn’t care about blood or status. The guy who got him out of trouble using his family’s name. The Slytherin heir who denounced using unforgivables or any kind of Dark Arts. The Ominis Sebastian knew now would never have done those things to another living being. He was a better person now.
But Sebastian knew Ominis was haunted by his past. There would be times, especially in the first couple of years they roomed together, where he would wake up in a cold sweat after having nightmares about what he did. He had never forgiven himself for what he did to Avalon, nor had he forgotten.
“I know.” Ominis sighed, his grip on his wand tightening. “I… I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her. Her signature seemed familiar, but… She’s changed so much.”
“Well, she definitely recognizes you,” Sebastian muttered, remembering how rage-filled the woman was when he was in her grip.
Ominis looked up, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I was going to offer her a spot in the duelling club, you know, seeing as she wiped the floor with me earlier,” Sebastian explained, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “I didn’t even get a chance to before she exploded at me. Saying stuff like, “Are you trying to claim you’re not one of Ominis’ little groupies trying to get underneath my skin? See what makes me tick?” “Tell Gaunt I’m not falling for any of his shit.” Or something like that.” His impression of her was far from perfect, his tone going as high as he could to mimic the young woman’s.
Ominis felt his heart shrink inside his chest at her words. A memory passed his mind of when he had cornered her in one of the hallways and used a third year to flip her upside down. He drew in a shaky breath, trying to push past his bad memories of tormenting her. Her coldness made sense, he thought. It made sense that she despised him.
Sebastian watched his best friend shrink down as painful memories washed over him. He let go of his shoulder, opting to pat him on the back instead. “...This might be the time to try and make amends with her.” He offered, ignoring the fact that that was probably the stupidest idea he had ever said aloud.
“Sebastian, she hates me. I’m pretty sure she would rather feed me to a pod of hippogriffs before making amends with me.”
“Yeah… Probably.”
“You’re not helping.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Sebastian sighed, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. “I’m just saying, this has been plaguing you for years. You told me you were never going to have to see her again, and you always wished you could apologize. Well… Here’s your chance.”
Ominis let out his own deep sigh, his grip on his wand finally letting loose. “... You’re right. I just… Don’t think I can approach her right now.”
“Take your time, mate. We have an entire year before we graduate.” Sebastian shoved his hands into his pockets as he started walking towards the exit. “Should be enough time for you to apologize one way or another. And then you’ll have your peace and never have to speak with her again.”
Ominis hated when Sebastian was right. It rarely happened, but when he was right, it was usually when hell froze over. Considering how Avalon brutally beat Sebastian in a duel, Ominis figured it wouldn’t be long before he would be sent to meet face to face with the king of hell.
Chapter 4: Princess (Don't Call Me That)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: THE BADDEST by KDA and co.
Chapter Text
Avalon shifted uncomfortably as Professor Weasley laid her options before her. Of course, it was between Sallow, Ominis’ bloke of a friend, or waiting another week to get her school supplies that got eaten by a dragon. Apparently, Fig had told her that Avalon shouldn’t travel alone due to “social anxiety” (What the fuck he was on about, Avalon would have no idea). So Professor Weasley said she could either travel with Sallow now and get her supplies immediately, or wait for some other student to be free in a week.
Pretty shit terms to Avalon.
She decided it would be better to just get it over with and chose to go off with Sallow. They were supposed to meet at the front entrance in ten minutes or so, which gave Avalon enough time to go back to her room to reapply the magic to hide her scar.
After she did that, she left her room and magically locked it up, gliding down the steps with her wallet in her pocket. As she walked past the dorms in the hallway, two figures stepped in front of her that she recognized.
“Strokes! Can’t believe you came back after all this time!” Malfoy grinned at her mischievously, eyeing her body with excitement. She knew once she officially introduced herself, it was only a matter of time before her name spread around. Beside him was the boy Avalon had told off last night after the ceremony. She narrowed her eyes, her hand going to her sheathed wand.
“Now, now,” Malfoy took a step closer to her. “I just wanted to get… reacquainted.” He said, only stopping when Avalon got into a defensive position. “No need for fighting, Strokes-” “ Don’t call me that.” She hissed, debating on just fighting him and getting it over with. Perhaps if she permanently shut his mouth hole, she wouldn’t get bugged by any more of Ominis’ henchmen.
“Fiesty. You’ve changed, Strokes.” He ignored her warning and took another step closer. “You’ve changed a lot. What’s your secret to losing all that weight? Transfer all that fat to your breasts and ass?”
Avalon smirked, “Accio!”
Malfoy’s cocky grin was knocked off his face as he was thrust forward towards the girl just as she was pulling her fist back. Without a second to lose, she thrust her arm forward and slammed her fist into his cheek. He let out a loud grunt before flying back a couple of feet away, skidding on the floor.
She walked over his groaning form, his little sidekick rushing to his side to help him up.
“Actually, I learned self-defense. Funny how weak a pure blood wizard becomes when he gets punched in the face.” She spat, letting Malfoy gaze up at her, confused and dazed.
She didn’t spare him another thought as she walked confidently through the common room and up the staircase to the exit. By the time she arrived at the grand entrance, Sebastian was already there, looking at his boots.
“Oh, Avalon,” He greeted her with a wave. “Ready to go? I’m surprised you invited me, given-” “I didn’t want to invite you, Sallow.” She snapped, watching as the friendly look on his face slowly disappeared. “Weasley didn’t give me a choice.”
Sebastian sighed. Why did he have to be the one to do this? What did he do to deserve this punishment?
“Well, I’ll leave you to it when we get to Hogsmeade.” He said, opening the door for her. She walked past him without even a glance, her long hair bouncing as she stepped down each stair.
As they walked past the gardens in front of the building, Avalon saw a couple of students flying with their broomsticks to the right of them. “Oh, that’s Kogawa’s 6 pm flying class. Mainly made up of beginners.” Sebastian’s voice cut through her thoughts. “That or trouble makers. I think there’s only one seventh year in that class, and he’s been stuck there for ages. The poor chap. It’s kind of pathetic, really.”
Avalon gave him a look. “I’m in that class.”
Sebastian cringed at himself for opening his mouth. “Well, you’re new… And definitely not pathetic. I was just saying, he’s been in the same class for ages, while you haven’t been, so I-“ “You’re not helping yourself.”
He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah… I know.”
By the time they got to the bridge, Sebastian had gotten the hint to stop talking. Avalon stared at the view while they walked to Hogsmeade in nostalgic recognition. She remembered the way there, of course, and could spot all the markers Hogwarts had made to make it easy for students to find their way back.
Finally, they made it to the town. It was busy, as always, with witches and wizards shopping to their heart's content and chatting amongst themselves. The sun was going down by the time they got there, so the lamps had been lit to illuminate the streets.
“I just have to pop into a shop to find something for my sister. Let’s meet up in the town circle when you’re finished,” Sebastian told her. Avalon just nodded in response before heading to her first stop: the potions store.
It took around an hour for her to go from store to store and gather her missing items. Everything was already prepared ahead of time, thanks to Professor Weasley, so all she had to do was state her name.
When she finished, she wandered towards the town circle to find Sebastian. He was standing in the middle, kicking rocks with his boots and staring at the ground. Avalon cleared her throat to get his attention, which did the trick just fine. His head shot up, his hand waved toward her in a friendly manner, even though they were anything but.
“Got everything you need?” He asked as she approached him. She nodded her head, her eyes catching sight of the lit-up string lights above them in wonder. Perhaps she could find some for her room to begin the decoration process.
“Are you done too?” She asked, returning her sapphire eyes to his.
“Yup. Let’s head back before it gets too late.” He said as the ground beneath them began to tremble.
Avalon’s senses were screaming at her to move as the crowd’s casual chatter died out. Instead, there were gasps of horror and screams as in the clearing, just a little past some barrels with fireworks in them, a huge troll ran over with a large wooden club in hand. He raised it over his head, slamming it down onto the ground in front of two witches before roaring in rage. The two witches blasted it with basic casting magic, but it seemed to have little to no effect.
Without a second thought, Avalon ran towards the troll and shouted, “Accio!”, aiming the spell at his wooden club. It flew out of his hand, skitting to a stop a couple of meters away. She threw a flurry of basic casts at its head, hitting it every time, but only making it angrier.
It reached into the ground, the cement bricks crumbling under its heavy fingers, and pulled up a chunk of cement to throw at the girl. Sebastian shouted her name, sending his attacks at the back of the troll’s body. It dropped the ball of loose bricks onto the ground in shock, roaring and groaning from the surprise attack Sebastian sent. Avalon looked towards the barrel of fireworks and came up with a quick idea.
“Sebastian, fire!” She shouted, using the ancient magic within her to throw the fireworks at the troll’s head.
She had to hand it to him, he was quick in reaction. “Confringo!” He yelled, sending a burst of fire at the barrel, causing it to explode upon impact on the troll’s head.
It let out a guttural groan, losing its footing as it rocked on its heels. She didn’t waste any time, feeling the whispers begin to cloud her senses and flow a surge of magic through her body. Avalon channeled it into her hand, a glowing ball of light shining in her palm as she sent it through her wand and straight into the troll’s chest. It screamed as the light created cracks in its skin and seared the organs in its body before bursting into flames from the inside.
And then it was gone. The ashes were scattered around the ground, but disappeared upon landing.
She panted, standing from her defensive position and flicking a piece of hair out of her face. Sebastian ran up to her, his eyes wide in excitement and adrenaline. “Avalon! Are you alright? That… What was that?!” He asked, staring at her wand.
“Nothing.” She said, shortly, sheathing her wand in its holster.
“That wasn’t just nothing ,” He breathed in disbelief.
“Are you two alright?” A woman in an Auror uniform ran up to them. “Goodness, I didn’t think there would be a second troll rampaging through the town.”
Avalon nodded, trying to avoid Sebastian’s eyes as she focused on the Auror. “We’re fine.”
“Did you two take on a fully-grown troll by yourselves?” The woman asked in awe. Avalon felt her pride twitch in annoyance by the Auror’s tone. As if Avalon wouldn’t be able to handle a measly troll.
“Did you take on a fully-grown troll by yourself? ” She mocked, knowing the Auror had the help of five other witches and wizards nearby. The woman flushed in embarrassment, straightening her back at Avalon’s attitude.
“I would have said you have the makings of an Auror.” She eyed Avalon up and down. “But with an attitude like that, perhaps not.”
“Thanks, but I would prefer you keep your presumptions to yourself.” Avalon snapped, turning to walk down the street leading to the exit. Sebastian shook his head at her rudeness, apologizing to the Auror and running to catch up to her.
“Avalon, wait up!” Sebastian finally caught up to her after a minute. She turned, stopping in place to allow him to catch his breath.
“Why… Why don’t we go to the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer or two? Maybe it’ll help me forget that I was almost pulverized by a troll.” He offered, wanting to learn more about the strange magic she had used earlier.
“I think I’d rather go bac-” “I’ll pay!” He pleaded, clasping his hands together in desperation.
Avalon narrowed her eyes. “Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to do right now, but I’m not falling for it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This isn’t the first time Gaunt used his lackeys to gain my trust and use it against me.” She kept her cold stare on his face, watching as his confusion morphed to understanding. “If you’re trying to lead me into a trap-” “I’m not. His lackey, that is.” Sebastian rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I know you have no reason to trust me, especially because I’m friends with Ominis, but I’m not one of his henchmen or trying to lead you into a trap.”
“I don’t believe you.” Avalon crossed her arms over her chest, keeping a defensive position.
“I know.” Sebastian sighed. “I know you don’t. And I know that I have no right to ask you this, but I want to be on good terms with you despite him.”
A flare of anger filled her system. “You think you can just… ask me that?!”
“No, I don’t. But I feel like if I’m not upfront with you, I won’t have a chance.” He admitted, keeping her sapphire eyes on him. “Please let me prove that I’m not a henchman, at least. Let me take you for a Butterbeer.”
Waves of doubt flooded Avalon’s system as she suddenly felt very bare in front of the brown haired boy. She didn’t trust him, didn’t want to trust him. Her body and mind were screaming at her to run away and leave him behind. To hide in her room and avoid him altogether. But he had seen her use her powers. He had seen her destroy that troll. What if he used that information against her? Perhaps give Ominis that information so the next time they fight, he’s prepared to win against her. She couldn’t have that.
If what he was saying is the truth, that he just wanted to be on friendly terms with her, maybe it would be better for her to win him over. Maybe she could even win him over from Ominis. She could make it so he would never be able to go against her. If she just manipulated his emotions, perhaps stick around enough to get some dirt on him, he would never be able to give Ominis information on her.
“... Alright.” She relented, watching as Sebastian’s face fell in relief.
“Excellent,” He said, leading her towards the bar a couple of blocks down. “You won’t regret this.”
She really hoped she wouldn’t. They walked past a couple more houses before they heard two voices talking in a lower alleyway a bit away from them.
Avalon hid behind the wall of the house, peeking towards where she heard the voices. A goblin, bald and dressed in regal clothing and armor, stared down a man in a black top hat with an expensive-looking jacket and a goutee. Behind them was another man, probably a bodyguard, dressed in a green vest, white button-up, and green hat.
“You said you could get to the child when she came to Hogsmeade.” The goblin spat, angrily glaring at the man in the top hat. “That all you needed was a distraction. I gave you a distraction!”
“I just watched a student take down your 'distraction'.” The man snapped back.
The goblin’s face crinkled in fury, his red eyes gleaming up towards the man with disappointment.
“Who is this child?” The man questioned, narrowing his own eyes at the goblin. “What are you not telling me?”
“All you need to know is that if you cannot get to the child, then you have no value to me.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the goblin’s red eyes snapped towards Avalon’s face. She ducked back, hoping she avoided detection as her heart pounded within her chest. Sebastian held a finger to his lips and grabbed her hand. He pulled her silently towards the Three Broomsticks, rushing through the doors and making sure they were shut behind him.
Avalon ripped her hand out of Sebastian’s grip, glaring at him. “Next time, just point to where you want me to run. Don’t touch me.”
Sebastian held his hands up in defense. “I had to think quick, don’t hate me too much, Princess.”
“ What did you just call me?” She seethed.
He flashed her a cocky smile, pulling a stool out for her and motioning with his hands. “M’lady, your seat awaits.”
“Don’t fucking talk like that.” She hissed, pulling out the stool next to the one he had grabbed and sat on it just to spite him.
“Yes, Ma’am.” He answered, raising a hand to wave over the Barkeeper.
“I don’t think they saw us.” He said, referring to the goblin and the man in the top hat. “What was that goblin doing with Victor Rookwood?”
Avalon bit the inside of her cheek while she remembered what the two had talked about in the alley. “Ranrok and Rookwood…” She muttered, remembering the goblin’s name from when she and Fig were at Gringotts.
“Ranrok… The goblin from the Daily Prophet? I knew I’d seen him somewhere.” He exclaimed.
The barkeeper walked over to the back of the bar, turning towards the two. “Now, what can I-” She stopped herself as her palms rested on the bartop. “Oh, there’s a face I haven’t seen in quite a while.”
“Sirona,” Avalon remembered her name swiftly and said it aloud.
“Welcome back…” “Avalon.”
“Avalon,” Sirona repeated her name and smiled at her. “Haven’t seen you since this one’s first year.”
“You remember me?” Avalon wondered, surprised she was still recognizable with her new look.
“I never forget faces, darling. And even though you certainly look different, your eyes gave you away.” Sirona flicked her wand as beer glasses levitated beneath the Butterbeer barrel. “Butterbeers on me.”
“Heard about the attack,” She said, returning her gaze to both Sebastian and Avalon. “I shall be looking in on the other shopkeepers and residents shortly.”
The jugs of liquid levitated in front of the two students. “Glad to see you two escaped injury.”
“Only thanks to this one,” Sebastian raised his glass towards Avalon. “Single-handedly took down a troll!”
Sirona put a hand on her hip. “Is that right? Well done.”
Avalon raised the glass to her lips, taking a sip of the sweet liquid. “...Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Sirona answered. “I will say… trolls in Hogsmeade? That’s never happened before. Something’s not right…”
Avalon placed the cup down, her finger running along the rim as her thoughts consumed her. She hadn’t thought much about Ranrok since Fig and her had been to Gringotts. The fact that Victor Rookwood and Ranrok were after her didn’t phase her; it was the fact that she didn’t know why they wanted her that made her nervous. Did they know of her ability to wield Ancient Magic?
“The only brutes we usually have to deal with are-” The sound of the front doors slamming open snapped Avalon from her thoughts. She turned her head, coming face to face with Rookwood himself, followed by one of his cronies.
Sirona clicked her tongue. “Hmph… How timely.”
The barkeeper walked out from behind the bar and stood in front of Rookwood with her back straightened. He smirked at her, walking in as if he owned the place.
“Was that Lodgok I saw leaving just now?” He scoffed, walking right up to Sirona’s face. “Your clientele’s not what it used to be, Sirona.”
“Not to worry, Victor. Once the two of you leave, the calibre of my clientele will greatly improve.”
Avalon took another sip of her drink, impressed with the Barkeeper’s ability to snap back. She watched as the man in green began to reach behind him, ready to pull out his wand. In turn, she grabbed hers out of her holster, pointing it directly at Rookwood’s neck with her eyes narrowed.
“Wouldn’t do that if I were you, Theophilus,” Sirona warned, watching as everyone in the bar followed Avalon’s suit with their wands pointed at the two men.
“Come now,” Rookwood put his hand up to stop the man from attacking. “No need for theatrics.” He turned his dark eyes to stare directly at Avalon, pointing his finger at her. “I’m only here for this one, anyway.”
Sirona stepped in front of her, narrowing her eyes at the man. “My friend is enjoying a well-earned Butterbeer.” She said, coldly.
“I only want a quick word-” “Perhaps you didn’t hear me.” Sirona interrupted, taking another step towards Rookwood, who froze in place. “ I said my friend is busy.”
Rookwood straightened his back, a scoff escaping his lips. “One would think you’d all had enough bloodshed for one day.”
“I would be happy to have a bit more,” Avalon snapped, ready to fight.
Both men glared at her, but didn’t attack. They knew they were outmatched by how many witches and wizards were in the bar. Rookwood held a hand up. “Come, Theophilus. The Three Broomsticks isn’t what it used to be. Let’s take our Galleons elsewhere.”
They began to walk away, a smirk on Rookwood’s face flashed towards Avalon. “Can’t drink Butterbeer forever.” He sang, leaving the establishment with his colleague.
Once he left, Avalon lowered her wand and let out a shaky breath. Sirona walked up to her, sighing. “Seems you’ve made an unfortunate enemy. Watch your back. Rookwood and Harlow are worse than any troll you might encounter.” She warned.
Avalon didn’t argue with her. She knew of Rookwood’s reputation, but she also knew she would be able to take him if she had to. However, now wasn’t the time to be cocky.
“Trolls, Ranrok, and Rookwood? What are you not telling me?” Sebastian asked, a nervous expression on his face.
“It’s none of your business,” Avalon said, coldly. She sheathed her wand and drank the rest of her Butterbeer.
“I don’t mean to be pushy, but we were attacked by a troll together. I’d like to know why.” He questioned. Avalon looked around at her surroundings, seeing people eyeing her up and down from afar. This place wasn’t safe for her, especially at night.
“We need to leave.” She whispered, turning towards the exit. Sebastian caught her hand again , which made her glare at him in disdain. He let go of her wrist as soon as he caught it.
“I know, I know, don’t touch.” He scratched the back of his head. “But I’m serious, Avalon. I need answers.”
Avalon bit her bottom lip, not wanting to give him any answers at all. She knew he would keep bugging her for answers, thought, so she had to make up something fast. “Sebastian, can we go? Please? ” She gave him her best pleading look, hating the fact that she had to say please to him. His breath hitched as he stared into her beautiful, sapphire eyes. She knew he was weak to her charms by the way he had easily allowed her to sit in Ominis’ chair in class earlier. It’s how she knew she could easily manipulate him if she so chose to do.
“... Fine, but you’re explaining everything to me on the way.” He mumbled, finishing off his own Butterbeer before following her towards the exit.
They began walking back on the path towards the castle, the only light they had was from the lit up lanterns and the moonlight above them.
“So what was that magic you used earlier on the troll?” He asked her as they crossed over the bridge. They had been walking in such peaceful silence thus far, Avalon had no idea why he chose to open his mouth now.
“Just… Something I picked up.” Avalon tried to give him some believable, bullshit answer. She didn’t want to explain to him she had always had this power. That she was able to harness a strange magic that flowed through her veins and empowered her fighting prowess. She still didn’t trust him, so why would she tell him anything about her?
“There’s no way that was just something you picked up,” Sebastian said in disbelief. “You didn’t use any incantations or wand movements. One minute the troll was there and the next… Poof!”
“I’ll make you go ‘Poof!’ if you don’t stop talking.” She muttered under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Come on, Avalon, I thought we were on our way to trusting each other.” He whined, walked ahead of her to stop in her path. Avalon stopped walking, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms under her chest.
“Sebastian, you asked me to go with you for a Butterbeer, which I really didn’t want to do. I did it. You’re asking me to allow you to prove you’re not one of Ominis’ henchmen, I’m giving you that chance. But excuse me for not wanting to trust you as you’re bombarding me with questions.”
Sebastian flushed in embarrassment, fidgeting in his spot in front of her. “I- Look… I’m sorry. I’m just really curious about what you did back there. It was incredible . I’ve never seen anything like it and I…” He took a deep breath before letting out. “I got excited. I’m sorry.”
Avalon straightened her back, obviously not used to receiving apologies from people, especially not from someone associated with Ominis. She felt her resolve loosen slightly as she stared at the brown haired boy, who reminded her of a lost puppy.
Then, she snapped out of it. She walked past him, her hair blowing in the wind behind her as she heard his footsteps following her.
“Am I forgiven?” He asked, anxiously. He walked beside her, trying to gauge any sort of reaction from her face.
“You might be if you beg for it.” She said, fully expecting him to back off. Instead, Sebastian ran ahead of her once more to bow his head and stare at the ground.
“Please forgive me, oh great one . I beg for your forgiveness.” He pleaded, making Avalon gawk in horror.
“What the hell- Stop that! I wasn’t being serious!” She felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment as she looked around to make sure no one saw him do that.
Sebastian laughed, adjusting to stand back up and giving her a coy smile. “Hey, I’m just doing what you asked of me, Princess.”
“Don’t call me that.” She snapped.
“You’re so hard to please.” Sebastian sighed and continued to walk beside her. Hogwarts was coming into view, making Avalon almost wallow in relief.
“One answer to one question,” He continued to ask her as the entrance got closer and closer. “I promise, I’ll keep my mouth shut about everything that happened today if you do. I just want to know what you did back there. Or why Rookwood and Ranrok are after you. I’d be happy with either of those answers.”
Avalon stopped in her tracks, glaring daggers at him as she grunted in annoyance. “You won’t say a word to anyone if I tell you one answer?” She asked. He nodded frantically, elated to have her finally say anything to him.
“ Fine,” She hissed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m able to see and wield traces of something called Ancient Magic. I’ve been able to do it since birth. No, I don’t know the limitations. No, I don’t know what it is exactly.”
Sebastian gaped at her, his mind circulating with the information she provided him. “That’s… Wow, I was not expecting you to say that.”
“You got your answer,” She mumbled, walking past him to enter through the walls of Hogwarts. “Now shut up and let’s go.”
“Yes, Princess.” He chirped.
“Stop fucking calling me that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“ Sebastian .”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop.”
Chapter 5: Potions and Problems (You've Changed)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Insanity by Illenium and American Teeth
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The morning sun beamed onto her face as she groggily awoke from her sleep. She groaned while she sat up, rubbing the crust out of her eyes and cursing the sun for being so bright. She needed to buy some curtains so the light wouldn’t ruin her sleep every morning.
Avalon rolled out of bed, her pajamas consisting of a long t-shirt that went to her knees and a pair of short, cotton shorts. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste that sat in a cup on her desk and headed to the communal bathroom that was a couple of doors down from her single room. Once in the woman’s bathroom, she brushed her teeth and stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess from not being in its usual braid after her shower last night. She knew that was going to be a pain to brush out, but that’s what she gets for not doing her nightly ritual.
She had just been so tired last night after she got home that she hopped into the shower and almost fell asleep while standing up. It was a miracle she was able to slide into bed last night with how dazed she was. But she did, and now she had to deal with the consequences.
After brushing her teeth, she walked back to her room and began preparing for school. With a flick of her wand, her scar was magically covered up once more. She put on another white, button-up shirt with short sleeves on, another pair of black trousers, her boots, her gloves, her green tie, and her robe. With great difficulty, she brushed the tangles out of her hair and opted for a half up, half down look.
Avalon gathered her books together before rushing out the door to her first class. Since today was Thursday, she had potions first with Professor Sharp, the same guy who got upset at her lack of robe on the first night. She glided up the stairs until she finally arrived at Sharp’s class. As soon as she stepped in, Sharp caught sight of her immediately.
“Miss Stryker,” He said, his deep voice familiar. “I was wondering when you would have my class.”
“Professor.” She greeted, calmly. She walked over to where he sat at the end of the room with a full view of the entire class.
“I’m glad to see you wearing much more appropriate clothes now, including your robe.” He remarked.
“Yes, well, when I’m provided with the tools I need, that becomes much easier.” She forced a smile on her lips, but her fox-like eyes narrowed at the audacity this Professor had to say that to her. She took offense, because of course she did, and marked him mentally on a list of professors she didn’t like.
“Hm. This class works in pairs for projects, brews, and classwork. Seeing as most everyone has a partner, I’m going to have to pair you up with a duo.” He looked around the room at the students who were just now coming into class. His eyes landed on two familiar boys walking in. “Ah, Mr. Sallow and Mr. Gaunt.”
Avalon inwardly cursed at this professor, hoping a dragon would come and slice his chest open. She slowly turned to face her new partners. Sebastian waved towards her while Ominis shared her horror and disdain.
“I would rather work alone.” She said, trying to keep her calm.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. These projects are strictly for two or more people.” He said, returning his attention to his work. “Now, go to your station.”
Avalon clenched her fists and whipped around angrily towards her two new partners. As she approached, Sebastian smiled warmly at her.
“Ah, the princess joins the party!”
“ What did I say about calling me that?” She hissed, her eyes blazing into him.
Sebastian ducked down behind Ominis, who was trying to avoid her line of sight and failing thanks to the brown-haired boy. “I’m sorry, don’t hurt me.” He jokingly pleaded.
Avalon rolled her eyes and looked down at the pot they were going to brew in together. She felt goosebumps prickle along her skin from just being in the same room as Ominis, let alone right next to him. It was suffocating, she thought to herself. The painful memories of his face standing above her, gloating at her as she would usually be crumpled on the floor. Every instinct inside of her screamed to run away or fight. The true meaning of fight or flight, how untimely.
Ominis was surprisingly quiet as Sharp started the class. He distanced himself as far as the table would let him, standing behind Sebastian, who stood in between the two of them.
The tension was eating away at both Avalon and Ominis as they tried to pay attention to Sharp’s cryptic instructions on how to brew a Wiggenweld potion. She absorbed the knowledge quickly, seeing as she already knew how to brew quite well. In her first year, she had read numerous books on the topic, especially since buying so many health potions had run her funds dry, and she needed more from every prank Ominis pulled on her. Funny how this knowledge was about to benefit both her and her tormentor.
Once Sharp stopped talking, she began brewing.
“Oi, do you need the instructions? Sharp said he wrote out cheat sheets for us if-” “I know how to brew this potion, Sebastian. It’s just Wiggenweld.” Avalon grabbed the salamander blood and poured it in until the clear potion began to turn a bright red. She grabbed the ladle, stirring until the potion began to turn orange.
“Oh shit, you know the potion recipe by heart? Aren’t there… 20 steps?”
“I do,” Avalon muttered, adding more blood so the potion began turning a mustard yellow. “That’s what happens when you have to stock brew healing potions all the time.”
At her words, Ominis cringed and shrank down a bit. He remembered being in her room in first year and seeing piles and piles of empty health potions that she would have to take because of him. Back then, he was proud of causing her that much pain. To know he was the cause of a mudblood going broke and needing to crawl amongst the weeds for supplies filled him with a sense of familial pride when he told his parents what he was doing.
“Why did you have to stock brew potions?”
Avalon stopped stirring, sending a heated glare towards Ominis’ direction. Even though he couldn’t see her, he felt the moment her eyes landed on him. A shiver ran through his body as he nervously tapped the table to try and distract himself from her anger.
Sebastian got the message quickly, thank god. “Oookay. I see. Well, at least that knowledge is coming in handy today!” He said, trying to brighten the already soured mood.
“Yes,” Avalon turned her attention back to the liquid in the pot, which know was dark indigo. “How handy .”
As she continued working on the potion, Sebastian nudged Ominis’ side expectantly. The blonde gave him a frustrated look. “What?”
“ Talk to her!” Sebastian whispered, barely coherently. Ominis’ eyes widened in disbelief.
“ What?!”
“You heard me.” Sebastian then moved so Ominis was standing next to her instead of him. “ Talk to her. This is your chance! Say your sorry!”
Before Ominis had a chance to argue back, Sebastian pushed him forward hard enough so he had to catch himself from crashing into her. Avalon immediately grabbed her wand and got herself into a defensive position, her eyes wide with alert and adrenaline.
“Woah, woah!” Sebastian reached out to put his hand in front of her wand’s line of sight. “Calm down, princess, we were just adjusting our places!”
Avalon’s breath hitched as she looked between a frightened Ominis and a terrified Sebastian. She lowered her wand, putting it back into its holster and returning her attention to the potion. She didn’t say anything, but they could tell she was eyeing them suspiciously.
Ominis turned to the brown haired boy angrily. “ Stop trying to force this.” He hissed, his heart pounding in his chest from almost getting obliterated by the girl.
“I’m just saying, if there’s a time to try and talk to her, it’s probably now.” Sebastian patted him on the back before raising his hand. “Professor, may I use the lavatory?”
Sharp sighed at the words coming out of Sebastian’s mouth, raising an eyebrow, but not taking his eyes off his paper.
“Go ahead, Mr. Sallow, but I expect you to come straight back.”
Ominis groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sebastian flashed him a cheeky grin before walking towards the exit, leaving the two alone.
When Ominis turned back towards Avalon, she was almost done with the potion. The girl quickly threw in five lionfish spines and tossed them with flobberworm mucus until the potion turned purple.
Ominis took a deep breath, gathering all of his courage and pushing his shame away before clearing his throat. “Do you… need any help?”
Avalon peered up at him for less than a second before continuing to stir. “No.”
“Ah… Okay.” Ominis mentally hit himself as he cringed at his awkwardness. But what was he supposed to say? Sorry I used crucio on you in first year, but hey, you seem better! Instead, he focused his energy into his wand, trying to narrow down his echolocation to get a better read on what she looked like now. He remembered in his first year that she was short, chubby, and, according to his groupies, had enough acne to trace the stars on. Sebastian had told him she was a knockout now, and he had heard the other boys talking about how amazing her figure was.
Using his wand, he shortened his sight down to just the area in front of him. While usually, his wand would tell him the basic figures and structures around him in a non-detailed way, he was putting his focus into the details of her figure and face.
She had changed quite a lot, not just in personality. She was taller now, perhaps 5’9 or 5’10 with her heeled boots. Compared to most girls in the school, she was certainly on the taller side. His wand presented him with her body proportions. An hourglass figure with large breasts, wide hips, and a slim waist. He understood why so many of the guys were calling her stunning, she certainly had the figure for it.
While he couldn’t see the color of her skin, hair, or eyes, he was able to envision the lines of her facial structure. A sharp jawline, thin nose, plump lips, and cat-like eyes. He could tell her hair was long, but his wand told him how wavy it was. Compared to her first year, her hair was oily, greasy, and short.
After hesitating for a moment, he moved his focus to her upper right side of her face, looking for the scar and, incidentally, not finding it. He was able to trace a long scar over her eye, but he couldn’t see the crucio scar at all.
“Get me honeywater.” Avalon’s voice cut through his confusion. She still wasn’t looking at him, her hands just stirring the potion in front of her.
“H-Huh?” He had never sounded more dumb than he did at this moment. “Yes, let me- One second.”
He willed his wand to go back to his standard vision, but it seemed to still only be focused on her. He panicked, deciding to rely on feeling around the table instead of on his wand.
“...What are you doing?” Avalon’s sharp tone sliced into his subconscious and increased the amount of panic running through his mind.
“Nothing! I-I mean,” Ominis kept feeling around the table for anything at this point. “Just… Trying to find it!”
As embarrassment burned its way into his skull, he heard Avalon sigh and watched as she pushed him to the side. She grabbed the vial she needed and poured it into the pot. He felt his cheeks burn, his panic turning into a deep sense of shame as he slowly returned to her side to try and envision what she was doing.
“It smells right.” Ominis tried to say, sheepishly.
“It is right.” Avalon corrected, coldly. She added a few drops of boom berry juice and stood back as the potion erupted into small bouts of miniature explosions before turning the proper shade of lime green.
She stopped stirring, letting the ladle rest against the edge of the pot before turning around with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Is… it done?” He asked, hesitantly.
“Well, I’m not throwing more shit into the pot, am I?” Sarcasm dripped down her words.
“Should we tell Professor Sharp to come examine it?”
“No,” She rolled her eyes. “It has to simmer for half an hour.”
“I see…” Ominis sucked in a breath as he tried to gather whatever was left of his pride and courage. How he wished he could be as brave as a Gryffindor right now.
“Avalon?” He said her name so cautiously, it was as if he thought that one word would bite him in the neck. She didn’t turn, she kept her eyes on the floor in front of her and didn’t speak.
“I... I wanted to-” “Hey mates, I’m back!” Sebastian’s cheerful voice interrupted Ominis before he could say the proper words. He turned, glaring in the direction where the brown-haired boy waltzed in.
“What did I miss?” Sebastian peered over the pot, taking a sniff at the concoction.
Ominis was about to chastise him, maybe say something jokingly, but Avalon’s voice sliced through the air. “Nothing.”
“I see, I see.” Sebastian gave Ominis a pointed look, one that he ignored out of annoyance towards the other boy.
“Well, now what do we do?” Sebastian asked, returning to his spot next to her. Avalon narrowed her eyes at him.
“ Now, we stand in silence and wait for class to end.”
“...How boring.”
“You could always go back to the bathroom,” She suggested. “It was easier to concentrate when you did.”
“And get detention from Sharp for skipping class? I’ll pass.”
“Oh, now , you care about detention? Not when you’re sneaking into the restricted section of the library and begging me to get out of detention with Scribner?” Ominis chimed in, raising an eyebrow towards Sebastian.
“That’s different,” He said, shrugging his shoulders. “That old goat has it out for me.”
“Because you keep sneaking into the restricted section of the library.”
“Maybe if they opened it to the students, I’d stop getting in trouble.”
“Or maybe you should stop sneaking into the restricted section of the library.”
The two boys bickered back and forth as Avalon checked the clock on the wall. Still ten minutes until their potion was finished simmering. This was probably the longest class she’s ever had to sit through. The memories of her past kept trying to creep into the forefront of her mind. Having Ominis just stand there was making her brain go haywire with fight or flight responses. She didn’t know whether to whip out her wand and catch him off guard before he gets the chance to do the same to her, or run away.
She tried to focus on anything but the memories, opting to pick at her fingernails. She felt her foot tap against the ground in impatience. God, she needed a cigarette. This overwhelming pressure and feeling of discomfort was becoming too much for her to handle just standing there. It hurt her. It felt like her gut was getting twisted around and stepped on.
Her eyes peered towards Ominis’ general direction. He was shaking his head to something Sebastian was saying, then arguing back. Neither of them noticed the woman hold herself tighter in her grip.
After a couple more agonizing minutes, their potion was done. She turned off the fire and darted over towards Sharp.
“We’ve finished, professor.” She said as confidently as she could.
Sharp looked up at her, his dark eyes giving her an unimpressed look. “Are you now? Let’s see.”
He got up from his seat, limping over to their table and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What a nice quality potion,” He complimented, taking the ladle and pouring some potion into an empty vial. Sharp held it up to the light, checking the shimmering, bubbling liquid for any imperfections.
“...Perfect.” He said, lowering his arm and handing the potion to Avalon. He ladled out two other potions and handed them to the anxiously waiting boys.
“Good job. An adequate potion.” He said as he walked back towards his desk. “You’re dismissed early. I don’t have any other assignments for you right now.”
Sebastian’s face beamed with excitement. “Nice! Good job, team.”
Avalon grabbed her books and gave him a hard stare. “I don’t recall having help .”
“We were here for moral support.”
“I certainly don’t remember feeling supported as well.”
“Well, we were here to cheer you on, right, Ominis?” Sebastian nudged his side. Ominis glared at him.
“Hm. Whatever.” She mumbled as she left their station and headed towards the exit.
When she left, Sebastian turned to Ominis. “So? Did you talk to her?”
Ominis shook his head. “I was about to, but someone interrupted me before I could.”
“I gave you twenty-five minutes to talk to her!” They began walking out of the room themselves.
“I know, I just… It’s hard to bring up what happened with so many people around.” Ominis explained, feeling the other students watch them leave.
“Mate, I doubt there will ever be a ‘right time to talk to her’ about what happened. You just have to go for it.”
“She clearly didn’t want to talk to me right now either.”
“Of course she doesn’t want to talk to you,” Sebastian rolled his brown eyes at his daft friend. “ She’s the one who was wronged. Therefore, you have to initiate the apology.”
“Why do you want me to make up with her so badly anyway? I didn’t expect you to care about my relationships so much.” The blonde questioned.
“Because you both deserve closure,” He said, truthfully. “And there’s just… something about her. I’m not totally sure, but she’s-” He cut himself off, remembering his promise to Avalon the night they were attacked by a troll. “...You both should talk to each other.”
Ominis raised an eyebrow suspiciously at his friend, curious as to why he sounded almost smitten with the woman. He knew she was attractive, almost too attractive to come from Hogwarts, but Sebastian was much more interested in her than any other person they had ever met. It didn’t seem like just some physical attraction either.
“I’ll see you later,” Sebastian excused himself before Ominis could question his true intentions. “I’ve got Onai’s class in five minutes and I’m not going to make it if I don’t run.”
Notes:
This is my interpretation of how Ominis' wand works. If I'm wrong, my bad.
Chapter 6: Forgive Me (No)
Notes:
Songs of the Chapter:
For Sebastian's part: For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic by ParamoreFor Ominis' part: favorite crime by Olivia Rodrigo
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“You called for me, professor?” Avalon said, entering Professor Fig’s room casually.
“Ah, there you are!” Fig’s eyes brightened when he saw her. “I’m glad to see you, Ava, I’ve heard from Professor Hecat that you’ve been doing well in class.”
“Is it truly a surprise?” Avalon crossed her arms under her chest, standing confidently in front of the older man.
“No, it isn’t.” He leaned on his desk in front of him. “I heard about the attack… Trolls? In Hogsmeade? It’s unheard of.”
Avalon remembered the look of the troll as she fought it. A thought came to her head as she remembered the weird-looking collar around its neck. “They were wearing some kind of… glowing armor. The same kind that the dragon wore.” She mentioned. “Ranrok was behind it, I think. I also saw him in Hogsmeade talking to Rookwood about using the troll as a distraction.”
“Goblin silver!” Fig exclaimed as the pieces fell into place. “Ranrok used it to control the dragon, too. Oh, Ava, I’m glad you’re alright.”
“They were after me.” She admitted, remembering Ranrok and Rookwood arguing over why they couldn’t have gotten to her. “Sirona was able to stop them from getting to me, but I remember they were talking about their plans.”
“This is grave news, indeed. If Ranrok’s goblins and Dark wizards are after you, they want what we found in the vault.”
“You said you were able to open the locket?” She asked, changing the subject.
“Yes, yes, I discovered an inscription. When I read it aloud, this map appeared. Clever enchantment.” He motioned towards the map sitting on his desk. “It’s a map of Hogwarts, to be sure, but I do not know where it leads.”
Avalon marveled at the sight of ancient magic particles dancing over where the library is on the map. “It… I think it leads to the library. There,” She pointed to the particles on the map. “There are traces of ancient magic on the map that surrounding here.”
“That’s the Restricted Section of the library.” Fig realized. “I suspected you would see something.”
“We should go there now,” Avalon said, already preparing herself to run out the door.
“Wait, Avalon.” He raised a hand to indicate for her to stop. Avalon turned, giving him an impatient look. “If our experience at Gringotts, let alone what happened to Miriam, taught me anything, it’s that the path we’re on is terribly dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine,” She said, stubbornly.
“I know you think that, but-” “I don’t just think that, I know I’ll be fine.” Avalon persisted, but Fig looked unconvinced.
“I just think you should be prepared for anything. If Ranrok and Rookwood are after you, it could be more dangerous than anything we’ve faced so far.”
“Fig, we’re in Hogwarts . We’re in probably the most magically defensive place in the world. I’ve been training my entire life to be able to figure out what’s inside of me.” She clenched a fist to her chest, remembering how, when she went to the muggle world, she struggled to contain her powers within her.
“... Avalon, I know you-” “Fig!” A familiar voice shouted as he entered the room. Headmaster Black, with his arms behind his back and his chin held up high, sauntered in. “I have work for you. Come.” Black clearly thought Fig was just going to follow, because he turned as soon as he spoke those words.
Fig was taken aback, clearly struggling to grasp what was happening. “Headmaster,” He said, exacerbated, “I’m with a student! And my schedule is-” “Your schedule will wait. Indefinitely .” He turned, his eyes catching Avalon’s narrowed and furious pupils. “As will your student.”
Black smirked, looking around the room thoughtfully. “I would think that after all the trouble you caused me with Osric, you would be eager to make amends.” He lowered his chin, a seriousness in his tone as he turned once again. “My office. Five minutes.”
Once he left, Avalon stuck up her middle finger towards the closed door. Fig chuckled at her antics and sighed dramatically. “That man is exasperating. Unfortunately, it seems you’ll have to wait a bit longer regardless of whether I want to go or not.”
“When, then?”
“I don’t know. I’ll send an owl when I’m ready.” Fig sighed, gathering his things to leave for Black’s office. “In the meantime, stay out of trouble.”
“No promises,” Avalon mumbled, disappointed they couldn’t discover what the map was leading to.
… Wait.
The restricted section of the library?
Avalon knew a person who could get her in there. She hated that she had to rely on him, but she bet she could convince him to sneak her in with a little charm.
Avalon found him in front of the portrait of a burning witch by the magical orchestra.
He was pacing back and forth, obviously in deep thought. He didn’t seem as happy or carefree as he was when she would usually see him. Something was bothering him.
“Sebastian,” She called his name, snapping him out of his thoughts. A smile graced his lips at the sight of her.
“Princess! This might be the first time you’ve sought me out.” He teased. Avalon felt her eye twitch at the nickname, but ignored it. If she was going to charm him, she shouldn’t seem angry.
She took a deep breath. “Sebastian, I have a favor to ask.” She said, going right up to him with her hair falling down her back in cascades and a sultry look in her eyes. He blushed at her closeness, backing up a bit and looking nervously around them.
“Yeah? What can I do for you?” His voice cracked as he cleared his throat, trying to push past the nervousness he felt.
“I need you to sneak me into the restricted section of the library.”
“What?” He blinked in surprise at her. “Why?”
“I need something there.” She answered, hoping he wasn’t going to look further into it. She purposefully used her arms to push her breasts up into view, inwardly smirking at the sight of him looking down.
“Uh… I…” His brain was fried. He thought Avalon was insanely attractive, but he never saw her like this before. Well, maybe other than in their first class together when she asked to sit in Ominis’ seat. He tried to look at anything other than her breasts, but every part of her screamed charming. Her eyes were narrowed, but not in annoyance like usual. This time, they were tempting. Seducing him. Just like the way she bit her bottom lip when she looked at him made his thoughts a bit fuzzy.
Stop it! Think of something! Think of your sister! Think of Anne, your dying sister!
“Wait, hold on,” Sebastian shook his head, clearing his thoughts of the beautiful woman in front of him. “Are you trying to charm me into taking you to the restricted section?”
Avalon gasped, feigning hurt. “What? Me? Of course not.”
“Haha, funny.” Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest. “Listen, princess. I’ll do you this favor, for a price.”
Avalon sighed and stopped pushing her breasts up. She stood tall, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. “What do you want?”
“I want to know why Rookwood and Ranrok are after you. You owe me answers from Hogsmeade.” He said, haughtily.
“Seriously? Aren’t you the one who’s trying to get on my good side? How is forcing me to tell you answers going to help you get on my good side?” She questioned.
He shrugged. “I’m a businessman at heart, what can I say? You could always ask someone else to get you in, but you certainly won’t find someone who will do it as cleanly as me.”
The fury in Avalon’s chest almost made her want to tell him to go fuck himself and kick him in the chest. The rational side to her made her calm down. She remembered how Fig doubted whether or not she was ready, thinking it was too dangerous for her. Because as much as she hated Sebastian being coy, she hated people doubting her abilities much more.
“ Fine.” She seethed, flicking her hair out of her face. “Ranrok is after something I found at Gringotts with Fig.”
“When were you and Fig at Gringotts? ”
“We ended up there after the dragon attack. Fig used a portkey to-” “A portkey? To Gringotts? I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, you certainly won’t if you don’t shut up and let me finish.” She hissed, causing Sebastian to stop talking. “We ended up in an ancient vault where we found a map that led to the Restricted Section of the library. That’s why… I need to see what’s there.”
“I see,” Sebastian put his finger to his chin in thought. “Well, your secret’s safe with me.”
“So, will you take me to the Restricted Section?” She asked, hoping that was enough information for him to relent.
“I am a man of my word,” He said, flashing her a smile. “Meet me outside the library tonight. And tell no one.”
After teaching her the disillusionment charm and sneaking into the library, Sebastian and Avalon faced an unfortunate predicament.
“You said she wasn’t going to be here!” Avalon whispered harshly to the boy next to her as they hid behind a bookshelf.
“I said ‘usually’, but it’ll still be alright.” He whispered back, motioning with his head behind him. “Do you see her desk behind me?”
“Yes.” Avalon peered where he was motioning, watching as Scribner worked at her desk.
“The key is in the drawer of that desk. Now, here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll create a distraction to draw her away. You focus on getting the key. I’ll meet you outside the Restricted Section.” He instructed.
Avalon bit the inside of her cheek, nodding hesitantly.
“Trust me,” Sebastian pleaded, flashing her a reassuring smile. “I said I’d get you in, and I always keep my word.”
With that, Avalon recast her disillusionment charm and ducked behind one of the middle bookshelves as Sebastian ran off.
She waited for the large explosion a bit away before she made her move. After Scribner was out of her line of sight, she rushed to her desk, opened the drawer, and grabbed the key. Avalon shut the drawer and quickly crawled back towards where she came from on the left side of the bookshelves. Once she made it to the locked gates of the Restricted Section, she slowly and carefully unlocked the door. The lock unlocked easily, almost falling to the floor if Avalon hadn’t caught it in her palm.
“You got it?” Sebastian whispered behind her. She almost jumped in surprise, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Fuck, don’t sneak up on me like that!” She hissed, a hand over her heart. Sebastian chuckled and put his hands up defensively. “Sorry, princess.”
“Stop calling me that, seriously.”
“I don’t know, I think it suits you.”
Avalon scoffed, walking past the books and down the stairs towards the Restricted Section. He followed closely behind, recasting his charm for safety. Avalon did the same, feeling her heart finally begin to calm down from getting scared shitless.
“Be careful,” He said, softly. “Ghosts are protecting this section. We just need to make sure they don’t see us.”
“Okay.” She answered, sneaking down and peeking around the corner. Sure enough, there was a ghost of a woman with a long white dress aimlessly staring at the wall.
Avalon carefully took her wand out, aiming a basic cast at a wall on the other side of where they were supposed to go. The ghost was snapped out of her thoughts and drawn to where she cast her spell. Quickly, she and Sebastian ran through to the other side without being spotted.
After a couple more close calls and sneaking around ghosts, they finally made it to the lower staircase leading to the place Avalon needed to go.
“Should be in the clear now,” Sebastian said, undoing his charm. “No need for us to be skulking about.”
Avalon nodded and undid her charm, stretching her back as she stood. Once she stretched her aching joints out, she began walking carefully down the stairs. They made it to a larger room full of books and paintings.
“How many times have you been down here?” She found herself asking, staring at the space in wonder.
“Oh? Interested in my history, are you?”
“Don’t push it.” She sent a scathing look towards him.
“A good amount. I’m… trying to find a cure for my twin sister.” He admitted, making Avalon give him a puzzled look.
“A cure?”
“Yeah, because Merlin knows everyone else has given up.” He said, bitterly.
“What is she afflicted with?”
“A curse. A goblin cursed her a while back. She had to drop out of Hogwarts and lives with my Uncle. I’ve been searching for a way to heal her ever since.” A part of Avalon actually felt for Sebastian. She felt a tad bad that she was treating him so harshly when he had to deal with so much. Mostly because it reminded her of herself.
“I understand,” She said, softer than she had ever spoken to him yet. “My parents tried everything to fix my scar after… the incident.” Avalon felt her scar throb under the magic covering it. The memory of her parents frantically going from hospital to hospital and being turned away at every place. Her scar was permanent, they said. That this was the consequence of unforgivables.
“You know, your scar healed pretty nicely. It’s hardly noticeable.” He mentioned, staring at the long scar on her eye.
She looked away, a feeling of insecurity etching its way into her. “...Hm.” She didn’t want to tell him she covered it with magic every day. That her perfect skin and pretty face were just a lie that covered how disgusting she looked.
“Anyways, I can look into that stuff on my own.” He continued walking around the room. “No need to concern yourself with that right now. Let’s focus on what you’re after.”
Avalon nodded, continuing to walk around the room and trying to catch sight of any sort of ancient magic. Or anything out of the ordinary, to be honest.
“What are you looking for, exactly?” He questioned.
“I’ll know it when I see it.”
“That’s reassuring,” He mumbled.
Avalon sent him another look which shut him up quickly.
They kept walking through the place, eventually ending up at another door with no handle. Avalon pushed the door open, her eyes adjusting to the dark environment they found themselves in. Dark, dusty and cold were the only words to describe the room. The lamps that were on were barely enough to be able to see more than a few feet ahead of her.
“It’s dark as hell in here.” She muttered, traversing down the stairs to walk by the maze of artifacts, statues, and dusty paintings on the floor.
Sebastian nodded in agreement, following behind her and poking at some of the stranger artifacts he saw. “It’s certainly a maze with how dim these lights are.”
She walked over the desk, illuminated with a bright lamp. And holding a small ornate chest. She opened the chest, taking out a beautiful black and gold, sleek wand handle. She pocketed it, hoping no one would miss it before turning to see a messy pile of armor covering the way through.
“Well, well! Who do we have here?” A ghostly voice said with fluctuating tones. Avalon and Sebastian held their breath as Peeves, one of the more annoying Hogwarts poltergeists, floated out of the wall and appeared before them. “Sebastian Sallow and a new friend, out exploring where they shouldn’t be?” His grating voice made Avalon clench her teeth.
He waggled his finger in front of them, the bright colors from his outfit making Avalon’s head hurt. “Naughty naughty, you’ll get caughty!” He sang, flying in the air above them towards the exit.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the poltergeist. “Peeves… Don’t you-” “I’m going to tell! I’m going to tell! I’m going to tell!” He mocked, disappearing through the upper door and leaving them behind.
Sebastian groaned in annoyance and ran a hand through his hair. “Ugh! Blasted Peeves. I’ve got to stop him, or at least get to the librarian with a good excuse for all of this.”
Avalon looked at him in surprise, confused why he would be willing to take the blame for her. “What? Why would you take all the blame?” She questioned.
“I have a way with the faculty when it comes to disciplinary matters.” He said, flashing her another coy smile. “Besides, I like having friends who are in my debt.”
“I would prefer not being in your debt if that’s your mindset.”
“Oi, don’t sour my noble sacrifice, princess.” She glared at him for the name, and he just chuckled. “You can trust me, Avalon.” He said, fully serious.
She felt her breath hitch as she felt her mind argue with itself as to why he would do this for her. He cast the disillusionment charm on himself again and wandered off, muttering about where that damn poltergeist went off to.
Once she was truly alone, she turned her attention back to the big pile of armor and flicked her wand. “Reparo.” The armor began floating in midair, latching back onto each other on the ceiling and opening the way towards another room.
There, she followed her instincts. She opened another door and went down another flight of stairs to another dark, dusty, and cold room. That’s when she heard it. The whispers. The pull of ancient magic telling her to come closer. She followed it, feeling her stomach get tighter and tighter as a small pool-like pod of ancient magic swirled on the floor and invited her in.
With practiced ease, she took a deep breath and allowed the magic to flow throughout her body, exploding outwards. When she looked around this time, the room was lit up with fire and a soft blue glow of the gateway in front of her. It whispered to her, drawing her in and demanding her attention. Avalon hesitated, unsure of whether to proceed, before ultimately deciding to go for it. She wasn’t a child who needed to ask permission to go into the strange doorway. She could handle this.
So she ran forward, entering the gateway and feeling a rush of cold air on her skin. Just like Gringotts, she felt as if she was underwater. Bubbles came out of her mouth when she exhaled, but she was able to breathe just fine. She ran down the long, staircase as lights lit up everytime she passed a torch going down. When she got to the bottom, she was met with a large, metal door with the same ancient magic symbol on it.
How beautiful , she thought before pushing on the door and entering the room.
Another cavern awaited her, the walls lined with thick rocks and… were those roots of a tree? It was still hard to see because fo the lack of light, but still brighter than the rooms before. The ground she stood on was just as ornate as the door and large. Everything felt so much bigger than her, which intimidated her quite a lot.
After figuring out the puzzle by shooting the emblems above the door, she made it to the other side and entered another large room, this one covered in marble and decorative designs.
She noticed the same knights from before, kneeling with swords in their hands and their heads down. Avalon tightened her grip on her wand, knowing a fight was about to break out.
As the armor began moving, Avalon wasted no time in sending flurries of aggressive spells out. This was something she was more than used to. She easily destroyed the armor one by one and watched as they crumbled around her. She didn’t even need to use ancient magic to defeat these things.
The next room was no different, easily destroying them all and dodging every attack. She didn’t get hit once, making her feel quite proud of herself as they all crumbled around her. The puzzles were all the same, and she glided through them without any difficulty.
At long last, after destroying even more enchanted armor and solving another puzzle, she made it to the big, decorative room that held a book mysteriously floating over a penseive. Avalon stood in front of it, reaching out and touching the book, which flipped open and dropped liquid into the water beneath it. Knowing what she had to do, she leaned over the bowl and shoved her head into it.
As the memory concluded, Avalon was pulled out and brought to the top of the restricted section, where she and Sebastian began. She was troubled and confused by the memory that was shown before her, but didn’t have the time to figure out what it all meant at the moment.
“Sneaking into the Restricted Section - again! ” A shrill female voice yelled a couple of shelves away from her. Avalon quickly cast her disillusionment charm and hid behind the bookcase, watching as Sebastian stood in front of Sribner with Peeves floating around him.
“I had thought we were through with this mischief. Clearly, detentions are insufficient!” She scolded, shaking her head disapprovingly.
Sebastian stood there with his hands in his pockets, clearly uncomfortable in the situation he was in.
“I’m afraid I must take this to the headmaster.” She said, sighing.
Sebastian raised a hand, trying to calm her down. “But-” “That being said,” She interrupted, narrowing her eyes at him. “Peeves informs me that you didn’t come alone tonight.”
Avalon’s heart dropped as she stared at Sebastian nervously. He could rat her out and get her into trouble along with him for this. He could use her to get a lesser sentence. Maybe not have to deal with the headmaster at all. Would he, though? He told her to trust him.
No, he was friends with Ominis. There was no way he would cover for her.
“If someone has coerced you, I will have you tell me.” Scribner got closer to him, waiting patiently for an answer. “You’re a bright boy. Don’t waste this.”
But Sebastian clenched his jaw and stared right at her. He didn’t even waste a second before he spoke. “There was nobody else. I came alone.” He said, assured.
Avalon froze in her place, astonished that he had truly kept her out of trouble. He was willing to take the blame… for her. Even though it was her fault that he was dragged into this mess in the first place. He risked his reputation with the headmaster for her.
And even though she would never admit it, she felt a sliver of her icy heart begin to melt.
“Oh, Sebastian,” Scribner shook her head in disappointment. “What will your uncle say?”
With that, Scribner led him and Peeves out the library door, supposedly towards the headmaster’s office.
Avalon quickly left, running up the stairs under her disillusionment charm and going straight for the Slytherin common room. Once she was safe, she uncast her spell and stood up straight again. Her mind was swirling with different emotions and thoughts. She would never have thought she could truly trust Sebastian, let alone anyone close to Ominis. Did this act gain her trust? She wasn’t sure. What if this were another trick by Ominis to get closer to her? What if she were being naive and they were planning something all along?
What if she were being unnecessarily cruel to him and he just wanted to be friends with her?
No, Avalon shook her head, she had to stop thinking like that. Thoughts like that are what got her hurt in the first place. Trust no one and nothing here. Especially people who are close to Ominis Gaunt.
Back in her room, she quickly changed out of her clothes and threw her usual pajamas on. She braided her hair and grabbed her supplies before going to the bathroom. After washing up, she returned to her room and fed her owl, who cooed at her lovingly.
Avalon summoned the book to her lap, touching the cover gently. She wanted to open it, but she knew she should wait for Fig before she took another step forward. She decided to hide it under her pillow for now, that way no one would be able to get to it without waking her up.
Now under the covers, Avalon stared up at the ceiling of her room with a million thoughts running through her mind. She tried to do her usual breathing exercises, even counted sheep in her head, but nothing seemed to calm down her racing mind.
…
She gave up after lying in bed for an hour and a half doing nothing.
With a frustrated sigh, she got out of bed. Her long, pale legs were on display because of how short her pajama shorts were. The t-shirt she wore was shorter than her usual one, only barely covering her short shorts.
She exited her room, making sure to lock the door behind her as she quietly snuck down the stairs towards the common room.
The fireplace was still lit and the lights were dim, but there wasn’t a soul in there. She found peace in being completely alone in a large room like this. Serenity. Avalon’s feet were cold as she walked barefoot towards the windows next to the water. She sat in a chair, peering out into the dark abyss of the lake and hugging her legs to her chest.
She hadn’t processed that she was truly back at Hogwarts just yet. And only at this point did it feel like reality . Everything was new and different, yet the same. Now, she wasn’t getting bullied or constantly tormented. Whether it was because she was beautiful or because she was older, she didn’t know, but she was grateful for it.
Despite her rough exterior, Avalon was… scared. She was scared of having to relive those painful moments again and again. It took years of healing to be able to stop the nightmares from haunting her every night, but the memories still followed her after. She dedicated her life to learning self-defense, physical and magical. Her father taught her everything he knew, which helped since he was one of the best aurors in the wizarding world.
Never again would she be in a place of helplessness or naivety. That’s what she promised herself as she pushed her body to the limits every day. She was going to be someone that her past tormentors would never be able to touch. She would never let anyone get close enough to her to lie and trick her.
Never let anyone see the cracks.
Footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts as she turned only to see the person she didn’t want to see at this moment.
Ominis stood at the doorway of the room she was in, his wand emitting a soft, white glow and his green pajamas being the only thing he wore. His pale eyes widened in recognition, probably knowing she was there from his wand.
“Avalon?” He said her name softly, innocently. As if he had used it a million times before. She gritted her teeth, her mood suddenly turning very sour.
Avalon didn’t say anything as she stood from her seat, gliding across the floor while trying to be as far away from him as possible. His mouth opened and closed, as if he were struggling to breathe.
“Wait,” He turned his body to face hers just as Avalon was about to pass him.
She stopped. Why did she stop? She didn’t owe him anything.
“Wait, I… I just wanted to talk to you. Please.” He begged. She felt her heart pound in her chest hard enough for her to drown in the beating sound. She clenched her fists, her eyes slowly rising to meet his, even though his were unfocused.
After a moment of silence, she cleared her throat. “Well?” She growled, her fight or flight response blaring in her mind.
Ominis’s breath hitched, his hand holding his wand was shaking in front of her. But he calmed himself, took a deep breath, and spoke.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what happened in first year, for everything that happened before that. What I did to you was cruel and disgusting… I’ve never forgotten about you and what happened. I wish I could turn back time and fix what I did to you, but all I can ask is for your forgiveness.” He felt a pressure on his shoulders lift as he said those words. Ominis never cared about being blind before; in fact, he believed it to be an advantage, since he could see things with his wand that no one else could. Heat signatures, every piece of furniture, every movement from a person.
But he wished he could see at this moment to see her real reaction to his apology. He wanted to know if his genuineness came across to her. He needed to know.
Silence. And then, an exhale.
“Forgiveness?” She whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear it. Ominis felt the air shift as fury burned in Avalon’s eyes. “ Forgiveness?”
He swallowed a dry breath, taking a step back out of instinct from the rage that came off the woman.
“You… sent your henchmen to put bugs and weeds in my bed. You burned my favorite books in the courtyard. You poured toilet water on me as I walked up the stairs. You hung me upside down and dropped me on my head. You locked me in a closet for hours until a professor found me. You broke my mother’s necklace and threw it into the mud. You spread malicious rumors about me giving handjobs to kids when I was twelve . You threatened me, tormented me, made fun of me, ruined my confidence , and if all that wasn’t enough.. You cast an unforgivable at my fucking face!” After each sentence, her voice got louder and louder. She took step after step towards Ominis, who was backed against the wall of the doorframe. Her eyes burned with tears at reliving those memories, at seeing his stupid face fall into guilt and shame before her. The same face she had seen at every one of those events, laughing at her while she broke down.
She felt a hot tear roll down her cheek as she stood face to face with the man who ruined her childhood. Her innocence, her naivety, the chance for her to have a peaceful life. All of it was gone because of him.
And he dared ask her for forgiveness ?
“You ruined my life.” She whispered harshly, her nails digging into her palm enough to break skin. “You broke me, and you dare ask me for forgiveness? So you can alleviate the guilt? So you can feel better about yourself?” Avalon let out a hollow cackle from the depths of her throat. It made Ominis flinch as horror etched onto his face.
“N…No…” He found his voice, but it was weak and desperate. “No, I… I didn’t want to apologize to myself. I just wanted you to know that I was sorry… That I hate myself for what I did to you-” “I stopped eating because of you.” She cut him off, a hand holding her flat stomach and clenching the fabric of her t-shirt. “I starved myself because every time I tried to eat, I heard you and your friends' voices telling me I was fat and ugly.”
Ominis felt his heart drop at every word, every confession she spoke, everything. There was so much guilt, so much shame. If he could, he knew he would be drowning in the tears she shed over what he did to her .
“...I’m sorry.” He whispered, covering his face with his hands as hot tears swelled in his eyes. He felt them burn his hand and fall onto the ground beneath him. It hurts . Everything hurts so much . Knowing that what he did to her did so much damage. He didn’t have to think about it before seeing her again, but now that she was in front of him, screaming at him about what he had done, he couldn’t run away from the shame anymore.
As he sank to the ground, his face still covered, Avalon could do nothing but stand over his body with a numb, stoic look. The tears in her eyes had dried up, her heart no longer ached with the pain from the memories he had given her. She felt no sympathy, no empathy for the boy sobbing under her.
If there was an emotion she felt, it was rage .
“I don’t forgive you.” She said, coldly and harshly. “I will never forgive you for what you did to me. I want you to know that, Ominis.”
Ominis felt his hand shoot out and wrap around her bare ankle. His head hung low as he tried to control his breathing. His eyes burned from crying, his throat hurt from sobbing, his heart ached from the shame. Oh, so much shame.
“... I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, Avalon.” He promised, feeling snot run down his throat. “Please… Please let me make it up to you. Let me prove that I’m sorry. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but please. I’ll do anything .”
She thought she would feel better looking at him beg her for forgiveness, for mercy . She had imagined this moment so many times in the past years that now, at this moment, it felt… like nothing. She felt nothing—no happiness, no superiority.
“ No.” Was the last thing she said to him before pulling her ankle out of his grip and walking away.
Ominis couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t do anything other than cover his face again in utter guilt. The words she spoke stabbed him like daggers ripping through his flesh. He felt exposed, bare, and so fucking broken .
He quietly sobbed into his hands, his body shaking as he let all those feelings latch onto him, knowing he deserved it.
Notes:
I'm sorry
Chapter 7: Beasts can be Kinder than Us (Sometimes)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: The Bird Song by Noah Floersch and Emi Beihold
Chapter Text
Avalon was avoiding him.
Sebastian was skeptical of that fact when he tried waving Avalon over in the great hall, and she turned the other direction immediately. He theorized it had something to do with Ominis, as he was bedridden with a mysterious illness and refused to tell him the details. He became 100% sure she was avoiding him when she kept ignoring him calling her name multiple times in the halls, classes, and… well, basically everywhere he saw her.
It was frustrating. He thought he was getting somewhere with her when he took the blame for their library escapade. He had thought she would be high-fiving him and forgiving Ominis right about now, but instead…
He sighed, sitting in charms class and twirling his pencil in his fingers. While he wanted to ask Ominis what happened, because he was sure he wasn’t actually sick, he knew the blonde would be just as avoidant. For the past couple of nights, he had heard Ominis quietly sob to himself, but in true guy-like fashion, Sebastian didn’t want to disturb him or make him feel embarrassed for expressing his emotions. So he left him be and didn’t mention it.
Meanwhile, every time he saw Avalon, she seemed colder, sharper, and perhaps even ruder than before. When he saw someone accidentally bump into her shoulder, she whipped her wand out immediately to attack.
He had a choice: Either ask Ominis what happened and violate Bro-code, or ask Avalon what happened and get annihilated.
… Well, what are best friends for if not nosy?
After class, he walked back to the Slytherin common rooms, carrying a pile of homework in his arms. When he got to their room, he didn’t bother knocking.
“Oi,” Sebastian called, dumping the pile onto Ominis’ bed. Ominis, himself, was lying under piles of beautifully crafted blankets and sheets, courtesy of being a rich pureblood. His head was covered, but Sebastian could hear faint sniffles to indicate he was awake.
“Go away, Sebastian, or I might get you sick.” His scratchy voice said under the covers.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Gaunt, I know you’re not actually sick.” Sebastian sat on the edge of his bed, leaning on one of the bed posts.
Ominis frustratingly threw the covers off his head, glaring at Sebastian’s direction. His hair was a mess, no longer gelled back in its’ prestigious way. There were bags under his eyes and a red discoloration in the whites. He sat up on his elbows to face his friend. “And how exactly do you know I’m not actually sick?”
“Because every time you get sick, your parents send a world-class doctor to your bedside that nurses you back to health in a couple of hours .” He reminded.
Ominis groaned, rolling his eyes and falling back onto his pillows. “Leave me alone, Sebastian.”
“No, not until you tell me what happened.” He said, stubbornly. “It has to do with Avalon, right?”
At her name, Ominis’ body flinched. He felt more memories flood his system as Avalon’s voice echoed in his head.
“ I will never forgive you for what you did to me.”
He rubbed his eyes, trying to block out her hatred of him to have some sense of stability. Ominis shifted to turn on his side, facing away from Sebastian. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Mate, you can’t just hide in our room for the rest of the school year to avoid her.” There was a hand on his back now, patting him reassuringly. “Tell me what happened, maybe I can talk to her-”
“Don’t!” Ominis exclaimed, snapping up to a sitting position and looking towards Sebastian pleadingly. “Don’t try to talk to her about it. I-” His shaky, unstable breathing was the only thing heard in their silent dorm room. He put a hand on his chest, taking a moment to calm himself. “I don’t want her to hate me any more than she already does. I’ve done enough to hurt her.”
Sebastian’s eyes softened as he watched his friend crumble in front of him.
“...You talked to her.” He realized. Ominis solemnly nodded his head, his eyes cast down on the blankets.
“It didn’t go well.” Sebastian deduced. Ominis nodded again.
“She… She remembers every single thing I did to her.” Ominis covered his face with his hands in shame. “She told me things that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get out of my head, let alone forgive myself for. I… I ruined her life, Sebastian.”
“No, you didn’t,” Sebastian shook his head in disagreement. “She was probably just being dramatic.”
“You don’t understand,” Ominis whispered, the thought of Avalon starving herself because of him… hurting herself because of him . It was terrifying. It was torture. He couldn’t imagine how she felt during those six years after she left. “I… Merlin, I can’t even…”
“Ominis, she might have been in a lot of pain then, but she’s alright now. I’d say she’s much better now than before.” He tried to uplift his friend’s spirit, but it only did the opposite. Ominis slammed his hands down and glared at him in fury.
“ Stop, Sebastian! Stop trying to make me feel better by downplaying what she went through! She starved herself because of me! I can never be forgiven for what I put her through!” He shouted, causing Sebastian to stand from his bed in surprise. The brown-haired boy’s eyes widened at the confession, guilt etching into his bones from the absolute shame his friend carried.
“...Mate,” He began, softly, carefully. “You can’t blame yourself like this. It’s going to drive you mad.”
“Maybe I deserve it,” Ominis laughed, ironically. “Perhaps this is my penance for the pain I inflicted on her.”
“No, it’s not. I… I understand blaming yourself, but you can’t wallow in her suffering like this, Ominis. It’s not right. You’re not the same person you were in your first year, she must recognize that.”
“She won’t. She said she would never forgive me for what I did to her. And honestly? I don’t blame her.”
Sebastian sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what to do.
“Just leave it be, Sebastian,” Ominis pulled the covers over himself again, “I’ll be back to classes tomorrow.”
But Sebastian didn’t want to drop this. He knew Ominis deserved forgiveness more than anyone else did. And he hated seeing his loved ones in pain.
So even though Avalon might not see it now, he was determined to show her how much Ominis has truly changed.
When Avalon got to beasts class, she was in a pissed off mood.
Sebastian had been trying to actively seek her out much more often, which made her have to go through quite a few hoops to continue to avoid him. A part of her felt bad about it, seeing as he took the blame for her in the library, but she just couldn’t deal with anything related to Ominis at this point. Especially his best friend.
After that night, she felt unease and this… intense pain in her chest. She couldn’t even describe it if she had to. Everything just felt right and wrong at the same time, which made it impossible to focus. She had tried to distract herself by going to Fig and showing him the book she had found, only to realize it was missing some very important pages. So that was one of her new missions. Find the pages, avoid Sebastian, figure that shit out.
Another thing that was getting on her nerves was the fact that Vincent Malfoy had been circulating rumors about her again . She did understand that Malfoy and Gaunt were no longer friends, which surprised her, but she still had it in her mind that there had to be a connection between them. There had to be. Ominis couldn’t have just turned into a saint as soon as she left Hogwarts. He had to still be the evil bastard she knew him as. His apology couldn’t have been genuine.
She stood at the desk in the front of the class, noticing she barely knew or recognized anyone else around her. Except for Poppy Sweeting, the Hufflepuff girl who was kind to her. The short-haired girl was standing near the desk next to hers, seemingly lost in thought while holding a ball of fluff.
“Welcome, everyone,” Professor Howin’s bright voice chirped. The woman walked out from behind the corner of the outdoor gazebo-like classroom they were all under. She wore what Avalon thought was gardener's clothing, with a short, grey, pointy hat and light armor. “I see you’ve already met some of the many beasts we study in this class.”
“Though be advised, none of these creatures should be taken lightly. They are all, in their own way, dangerous - especially if one does not know how to handle them properly.” As soon as she spoke those words, a bird-like beast appeared on Poppy’s desk in front of her. The professor reached out and gave it a treat, and it gobbled it up greedily.
“Now,” Howlin turned her back on the students and went to the chalkboards. “It seems many of you are out of practice. Let’s take some time to review the basics, shall we?”
Avalon noticed a puffball rolled onto her desk, staring at her with wide, innocent-looking eyes.
“Miss Sweeting, would you please assist the new student with today’s lesson?” The professor instructed. Avalon looked up from her puffball, turning towards Poppy, who smiled at her warmly.
“Yes, Professor Howin.” Poppy walked over to Avalon’s desk.
“Hi! You’re Avalon, right?” She asked, still holding her own puffball.
Avalon, despite the uneasiness still resting in her stomach, nodded towards the Hufflepuff.
“I’m Poppy Sweeting.” She introduced herself, tilting her head to the side. “Don’t worry about Professor Howin’s speech, she overexaggerates sometimes. All the beasts in class are perfectly safe!”
As if with magical comedic timing, the puffskein in her hands thrust its tongue out and around her throat. Avalon grabbed the puffball, pulling it back so Poppy could untangle its tongue from her neck as the professor chastised her. “Miss Sweeting! Pay attention, please. The tongue of a Puffskein can be a slippery devil.”
Once the Puffskein let go, Avalon couldn’t help but chuckle as she put its head. “I think you and I have different definitions of ‘perfectly safe’.” She said, handing the beast back to Poppy.
“No, no, I promise they’re all safe. Gerald was probably just excited.” Poppy placed Gerald onto the desk before them, who stared back at Avalon quizzically.
“Here, you can use my brush. Just be gentle.” She instructed, handing Avalon her brush. “Oh, and think pleasant thoughts. I like to think it enriches his experience.”
“Can they read minds?” Avalon raised an eyebrow at the girl, who shrugged her shoulders.
“Probably not, but puffskeins have great intuition. I remember one time, I was upset about something and Gerald got agitated as well, just from being in my arms.”
“Hm. I’ll try my best, then,” Avalon said, taking the brush and beginning to comb through the matted pieces of hair. She didn’t think it mattered, but she tried to think of happy thoughts for her own sanity. Thoughts of her home, her parents, and her slamming her boot into Malfoy’s throat. That’s a pleasant thought.
Gerald purred in happiness, closing his eyes at Avalon’s gentle petting.
“Aw, he loves it! He’s probably hungry too, if you want to give him some beast feed.” Poppy cooed, handing her some kibble. She nodded, holding her hand out with the kibble.
Gerald used his long tongue to snatch the pieces out of her hand, eating them with delight in his eyes. “What do you suppose the pellets taste like the Gerald?” Poppy asked.
Avalon shrugged her shoulders, “Probably a tastier version of his usual diet.”
“Probably, but I think it tastes like pudding to him.”
Poppy was certainly an interesting girl. Probably one of the stranger ones to Avalon, but she almost found her speech… endearing. Perhaps it was because she felt fond of the soft-natured girl. Her kindness to Avalon in her first year had left a mark on her heart that she never forgot.
“He seems very… nice,” Avalon mentioned, watching as Gerald looked around the classroom with excitement.
“He is!” Poppy beamed at her. “Kindness is one of his best qualities. Right after ambition and cleanliness.”
Howin clasped her hands together. “Good work, everyone. Now, let’s make our way to the pens and select another beast.”
Avalon followed Poppy as she led them to the pens just beyond the classroom. “This way, I’ll show you to the Kneazles first.”
They walked to the farthest pen with three cat-like beasts in them. They looked cute, just minding their own business. Avalon inwardly wished Sebastian would follow their example.
In the pen next to theirs, a Slytherin boy and a Ravenclaw girl stared at the kneazles with greed in their eyes. “Coupla’ kneazle whiskers oughta get me a few knuts, at least!” He smirked as the Ravenclaw nodded her head in agreement. “Enough to buy something from Honeydukes.” He chuckled, flicking his wand in the air.
Avalon narrowed her eyes, taking her own wand out of its holster just as he began using magic to pull on the beast's whiskers. Poppy ran over to the pen just as Avalon stormed her way over to the boy.
“What in Merlin’s name are you doing?!” Poppy exclaimed, horrified at the actions of the student.
“Ugh, tsk, tsk, Peculiar Poppy. Worried about a worthless little rodent?” He mocked, causing Poppy to fume at him.
“Her name is Persephone!” She snapped.
“HeR nAmE iS pErSePhOn-”
Just as he was about to finish his teasing, Avalon grabbed his shirt collar with one hand and pointed her wand at his face with the other. The boy gasped, feeling himself being pulled up by the taller girl and shrinking down due to her intense stare.
“Keep running your fucking mouth and I’ll see if Accio can conjure your organs out and feed them to the kneazles.” She hissed, rage burning in her eyes. “Are we clear ?”
The Slytherin whimpered and nodded his head frantically, fear filling his dark eyes. With a satisfied smirk, Avalon let go of his collar and threw him onto the ground. His Ravenclaw companion helped him get to his feet before he scurried off towards the classroom with his tail between his legs.
“Hmph. Serves him right.” Poppy said, leaning down to pet the kneazle through the fence. “Those two don’t belong anywhere near this class. Poachers-in-training, surely.” Persephone purred at Poppy’s touch, happy to be rid of the other students.
“Thank you for standing up for them,” Poppy said, sending another bright smile towards Avalon. The dark-haired girl put her wand away, turning her attention back to the pen in front of her.
“It was nothing.” Avalon smiled as the kneazle rubbed against her hand through the fence.
“Nothing? That was amazing . I’ve never seen Daniel that scared in my entire life.” The Hufflepuff laughed. “Even more scared than when one of the ghosts appeared out of his plate in the great hall.”
“He probably deserved it.” Avalon chuckled, imagining the boy’s screaming and crying face.
“He definitely deserved it,” Poppy confirmed. “Well, let’s carry on. You can feed and brush the kneazles just as you did with Gerald.”
Avalon nodded, following Poppy’s instructions as she gave them beside her. Once she had fed and brushed all of the beasts, Poppy clapped her hands. “Wow, the kneazles took to you! They know a good egg when they see one. As do I.”
“It appears our time has come to an end. Please close the pens and see yourselves out.” Said the Professor a bit away.
As Avalon began to gather her stuff and hand the brush back to Poppy, the Hufflepuff rocked back and forth on her feet. “Thank you again for dealing with Daniel so I didn’t have to. You were an Augurey at noon in the desert.”
Avalon blinked in confusion. “I… A what?”
“It’s something my gran and I say.” She explained. “It means that something or someone is a welcome surprise. At least, that’s what we decided it meant.” A soft giggle escaped her lips.
“I’ve never heard of a saying like that,” Avalon admitted, her long hair falling over her shoulder from the high ponytail she wore it in. “You don’t have to thank me, though. I… can’t stand people tormenting innocents.”
“We’re of a similar mind,” Poppy said, smiling. “Actually… In light of that, there’s someone I’d like you to meet in the forest.”
The forest? Avalon shifted her body language to be more on guard. She hesitated in answering, worried that perhaps this was another trick by Ominis to get to her. But Poppy had been kind to her in the past, despite everyone else being against her. Could she trust her? Was there any reason to doubt her?
“Are you alright?” Poppy asked, furrowing her brows in worry.
“Hm? Why do you ask?”
“Your face looked quite conflicted. Are you nervous about getting in trouble? I promise, you won’t.”
“I…” Avalon sucked in a breath, trying to steady her nerves. Poppy didn’t seem like the type of person to want to hurt others. Maybe… Avalon could trust her. “It’s nothing. Lead the way.”
A smile tugged on Poppy’s lips as she excitedly took her hand and began leading her towards the forest. Usually, Avalon would pull her hand away and yell at her for touching her, but this time, Avalon allowed the smaller girl to lead her.
Poppy had led her to just beyond the castle. The trees were colored with warm yellows, oranges, and greens, the grass was lush and bursting with life, and the clouds were drifting along by a soft, fall breeze. It was truly a beautiful day.
“Stand back,” Poppy said, putting her fingers to her mouth and blowing a whistle.
Strong, thunderous flapping was heard behind them. Avalon whipped her head around, watching in marvel as a white hippogriff circled and flew to the ground in front of them. It cawed as it landed, tilting its head at Avalon in curiosity.
“Please meet Highwing!” Poppy beamed, extending her hands out towards both her and Avalon. “Isn’t she just magnificent?”
Avalon was left breathless as she stared up at the large beast in awe. The hippogriff was in perfect health, with strong, dark grey legs, a muscular and firm body, and a piercing stare. “She’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t she?” Poppy said, excitedly. “Go on, introduce yourself to her. But be careful, you must always show hippogriffs the proper courtesy before you approach them.”
Avalon raised an eyebrow. “Courtesy? You mean like a bow?”
“Any form of respect, really.”
Avalon nodded, walking a couple of steps closer towards Highwing and bowing at her waist. In response, Highwing bowed her head as well.
Poppy giggled as Avalon slowly raised her head. “I knew it! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hippogriff take to someone this quickly.” A surge of pride filled Avalon’s belly as she took out a bit of the beast feed from before. She held it out towards the beast, marveling as it quickly gobbled up the food.
“I come and check on her every once in a while,” Poppy said, watching the two bond. “I bring her pasties, tell her what’s going on in the castle. You wouldn’t know from looking at her, but she’s a dreadful busybody.”
“Is she?” Avalon said as Highwing nuzzled her head into her empty hand. She pet her feathers gently, her bare fingertips feeling how soft the beautiful beast was.
After a moment of that, Highwing cawed and ran off, launching herself into the air and flying off towards the bridge.
“So, what did you think?” Poppy asked, her hands behind her back.
“That was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” Avalon admitted, smiling softly towards the girl. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Of course, I thought you two might get along.” The brown-haired girl grinned. “Did you know that once you earn a hippogriff’s trust, they’ll always be there for you?”
“And you know this first-hand?” Avalon asked, opting to sit on the grassy ground with her knees tucked into her chest. Poppy joined her on the ground, leaning back on her hands.
“I do. It’s… a longer story, but I rescued her from poachers a few years back. Got her to safety and well… She was fine, until… recently.” Her gaze looked off into the distance as her voice became softer with each word.
“What happened?” Avalon asked, leaning her chin on her knees.
“You may have noticed that poachers are something of a problem in the area. So… I worry they could get her again. And I might not be there next time.”
“I understand. That must be terrifying.”
“It is.” Poppy agreed. “The poacher’s influence is growing. I see them every day in the village: lingering, talking to people… They’re up to something. I’m just… not sure what.”
Avalon clenched her grip on her legs, thinking about how Duncan had tormented those poor kneazles in class from before. To think that poachers were out there doing the same thing and more? It disgusted her. It reminded her of when her younger self.
“We could look into it together.” Avalon found herself saying.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Poppy said, her eyes burning with determination. “You know, you’re not at all what everyone said you were like.”
“Oh? What did you think I would be like?”
“Meaner. Not as kind.” Poppy admitted.
“They’re not wrong, you know. I’m pretty mean.”
“No,” The Hufflepuff gave her a soft smile as she shook her head gently. “I think you’re misunderstood. Like the puffskeins.”
“I don’t know how I feel about being compared to a puffskein.”
“I think you should feel honored. They’re quite misunderstood creatures with a whole lotta personality.”
“And hair.”
“Well, your hair is quite long.”
“Touche.”
Chapter 8: Treading on Dangerous Waters (I Don't Trust You)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: idtwcbf (friends) by BoyWithUke
Chapter Text
Sebastian couldn’t believe his eyes when he got to the great hall. He rubbed his eyes multiple times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating and pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. But he wasn’t. And his eyes were definitely working.
Avalon and Poppy fucking Sweeting we’re sitting across from each other, eating dinner, and laughing . Sebastian was sure he had never seen Avalon smile before, let alone laugh
But there she was, her mouth turned upwards and her eyes sparkling with something other than hatred or annoyance
A part of Sebastian was actually jealous that they were so close. He had spent weeks trying to get Avalon to be that friendly with him, even took the blame for her in the library and had to get a talking to from the headmaster, and he barely got a smirk . Yet she and Poppy had an instant connection. Insane.
“Since when did Avalon hang out with Poppy Sweeting?” Sebastian asked out loud, causing Ominis to slow his chewing to a stop
He furrowed his brows and stared down at the steak on his plate. “I don’t know.”
“Well, they weren’t that close yesterday.” He remembered Avalon sitting alone at dinner in the great hall because he tried to sit with her, and she moved
“Since when do you keep that close of an eye on anyone?” Ominis asked, still poking at his meal with his fork
“Oi, can you blame me?” Sebastian leaned back in his chair, still staring between her and his best friend’s face. “She bested me in a duel, defeated a troll in Hogsmeade, punched Vincent Malfoy in the common room, snuck into the library with me, and I heard she threatened Daniel Tisfield in beasts class until he pissed himself. She’s probably the most interesting person to keep a close eye on at Hogwarts.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.” Ominis sighed, taking a bite of his meal. He had finally come out of hiding today and went to most of his classes with some encouragement from Sebastian. He still couldn’t bring himself to go to Defense class, knowing Avalon would be there, but he went to his other classes, so it was a start
A thought came to Sebastian’s mind. Surely, if he tried to get closer to Poppy Sweeting and Avalon together, she wouldn’t run away from him. And maybe she would even tolerate Ominis’ presence
“We should go over and say hello.” He stated, already gathering his things
The blonde’s eyes widened as he gave his friend the most disbelieving look. “Are you mad?! What makes you think she would ever want to be around you, let alone me?!”
“Come on, Ominis. What’s the worst thing that could happen
“She could kill us. Remember how she beat up Malfoy and threatened Tisfield? Did you forget she absolutely despises me?” He had a point there, but Sebastian was determined to get closer to her. Perhaps out of pride and ego, but mainly to help his sister. Yeah, that’s the main reason
“Life isn’t worth living without some risks!” Sebastian said, grabbing his and Ominis’ plate before he could react. He began walking to the Hufflepuff table, ignoring Ominis’ outcries and demands to come back. Without hesitation, he sat himself next to Avalon and put Ominis’ plate next to Poppy’s
Avalon’s smile disappeared, her mood turning icy cold as she narrowed her eyes at Sebastian. It turned even colder when she saw Ominis scramble over to the table to retrieve his plate
“Sebastian, you’re such a basta-“ “What are you two doing?” She hissed, cutting Ominis off as her tone turned harsh
“We thought we’d join you and Sweeting for dinner,” Sebastian said, flashing her a smile while popping a piece of fruit in his mouth
“And why would you think that
“Because we’re all friends here,” Sebastian leaned his elbows on the table
“We’re not friends.” Avalon snapped, harshly. Poppy sipped on her drink, obviously uncomfortable with the situation
“Aren’t we? I thought we were friends when we were sneaking into the library’s restricted-“ “ Oi.” Avalon gave him a hard look, telling him to shut up with her eyes.
“You went to the restricted section of the library?” Poppy asked, tilting her head curiously. Avalon sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, but it’s complicated. Don’t ask about it.”
“Okay…”
“Anyways, I just thought we could all have dinner together as friends, ” Sebastian emphasized the word, trying to convince Avalon to let it be. But she looked furious at him, and even more so uncomfortable around Ominis.
Ominis sat across from her, nervously poking his food and staying completely quiet.
“Poppy doesn’t mind, do you?”
“Well, actually-“
“See? She doesn’t mind.” Sebastian winked at her, making her look anxiously at Avalon to see what she was going to do.
Avalon just sighed, too angry to focus on his obnoxious antics. She noticed Ominis begin to scarf down his food, obviously trying to get out of this situation as soon as possible. In his rush, he breathed in a piece of bread and began to cough viciously.
“Merlin, Ominis, don’t choke now,” Sebastian said, patting him on the back to help.
“Tch, probably rushing to eat so he doesn’t have to sit with a mudblood,” Avalon mumbled.
At her words, Ominis shook his head. “No, cough , that’s not what, wheeze , I was doing.”
“You seem in a hurry to leave, you sure you’re not just worried your little pureblood friends are going to make fun of you?” She sneered.
Ominis narrowed his pale eyes, taking a breath once he stopped choking. “ No, that’s not it.”
“Hey guys, maybe we should talk about something else…”
“Yeah,” Sebastian agreed with Poppy, looking between the two with worry etched on his face. “Did you hear that Tisfield pissed his pants after Avalon-“
“Why are you looking so upset, Gaunt? Did I hit the nail on the head?” Avalon pressed, glaring daggers back at the offended blonde. She noticed him clench his fingers around his fork.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about-“ “Don’t I? Should I be scared of striking a nerve with you? What are you going to do, cast another unforgivable on me-“
The sound of Ominis slamming his hands onto the table made the entire room go deathly silent. He had stood up, his body shaking and his eyes burning with anger into Avalon’s, who equally matched his fury.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Stryker.” He hissed through clenched teeth. The chatter around them began picking up again once students realized they didn’t care about what was happening.
Avalon stood up as well, leaning over the table to match his face to face. “And you do? Did you use Sallow as a way to get close to me? Just like in first year? Well, guess what, I’m not falling for it this time.”
“How do I get it through your thick skull that I’m sorry ?! How do I alleviate your fury, because you can’t just hold this over my head for my entire life!”
“You can go back in time and fix what you did to me .” She gritted her teeth. “Oh wait, you can’t. So I guess you’ll just have to deal with it. Because unless you can take back all the shit you put me through, I will never let it go.”
Avalon grabbed her textbooks and stormed out of the great hall doors, fuming. The three of them left at the table were frozen in shock at the words and events that transpired. Ominis was panting, clenching his fists on the table as he stood there. Sebastian was holding his breath, realizing that he had fucked up bad. And Poppy was just downright confused and worried. She gathered her things, running after the dark-haired girl and calling her name.
When Poppy left, Ominis turned his fury to Sebastian. “I told you this was going to go terribly wrong.” He snapped, grabbing his wand from the table. It began to emit a soft light once again to signify he was using it to look around.
Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck in shame, guilt burning in his chest. “… I’m sorry, Ominis.”
“You never listen to me.” Ominis ran a hand through his hair as he stomped off by himself, leaving Sebastian alone at the end of the Hufflepuff table to think about how badly he messed up.
“Avalon!” Poppy called, finally catching up to her after she had stormed off from dinner. “Merlin, you’re fast.” She panted, leaning on her knees for support.
When she looked towards her, Avalon was shaking in rage and… Poppy couldn’t explain the other emotion she saw swirling in her blue eyes. She put a hand on Avalon’s back, gently rubbing near her shoulder blades. “Hey… Are you alright?”
Avalon nodded stiffly, her fists clenching and unclenching as she tried to focus on anything at all.
“No, you’re not,” Poppy could tell, leading her towards the courtyard where there were a couple of benches to sit on. Avalon followed, still in a state of silent fury.
“Avalon, what happened between you and Ominis?” She softly asked, holding Avalon’s hand in hers for support.
“You mean, you don’t know? What happened in the first year, that is.” Avalon finally spoke, turning to face the Hufflepuff with a sense of sorrow.
“I remember you used to be at Hogwarts and left in the middle of the school year.” She recalled. “I’m afraid I wasn’t in many social circles when I was younger, so I never got caught up on drama.”
“… Gaunt used to bully and torment me with his pureblood friends because of my blood. My dad is a wizard and my mum is a muggle. The fact that a mudblood was put into Slytherin is unheard of, and the fact that I was excelling beyond the pure bloods was unacceptable, so I became a target for him.” Avalon explained with Poppy listening silently.
“One day, he broke my mother’s necklace and threw it into the mud. He was laughing at me and I… I just snapped. I attacked him and was actually winning until…” She reached up and touched her right eye, which was still covered with beauty magic. “He cast Crucio on my right eye.”
Poppy gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
“I was able to regain my vision, but I had an ugly scar on my face that was incurable. My parents tried to get me justice, but he’s a Gaunt. And we were nobody. So the school covered it up.” She hissed bitterly at that last sentence. “My parents took me out of school, and I developed numerous psychological issues and was traumatized over what happened. I was a ghost of a person for months before I began training in self-defense and attack magic. He got to stay here, live his carefree life, and get celebrated for what he did to me.”
Avalon clenched her teeth, wrapping her arms around herself as she relived her painful memories. “I promised myself I would never fall victim to anyone again. Not him, not his groupies, anyone . I don’t understand why he and Sebastian keep trying to push themselves into my life.”
Poppy gazed at her with sympathy, squeezing her hand gently. “I’m so sorry you went through that. It sounds awful , I can’t even imagine.”
A small smile was put on Avalon’s face. “I appreciate that, but I’m better now. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“... I remember Ominis actually left for a couple weeks in the middle of first year for some reason and came back a completely different person. In second year, he publicly denounced Vincent Malfoy and his old friends, refused to even speak about the Dark Arts, and even became a pureblood denier.” She said, carefully, as if she were gauging Avalon’s reaction.
Avalon furrowed her brows, biting the inside of her cheek as she listened to the Hufflepuff. “Are you trying to tell me he changed or something?”
“I’m not saying what he did to you was right, and your feelings aren’t justified.” Poppy quickly said, using her hands to emphasize her point. “But I won’t lie and say he’s the same as he was back then.”
“How do you know that, though?” Avalon hissed, but quickly pulled herself back when she realized who she was talking to. “Sorry, I don’t mean to - it’s just a sore topic for me and-” “It’s fine, I understand.”
“...How do you know that though?” Now, her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked off in a daze at the courtyard in front of them.
Poppy let go of her hand to pat her back. “Because I was there in the great hall when he screamed at Malfoy for making fun of you after you left. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ominis that angry.”
With that information, Avalon went silent. Her mind swirled with questions and confusion, but rage still burned in the back of her head. She shook her head, burying her face in her legs.
“I…I can’t trust him. Not that I don’t believe you, but I just… I can’t trust his intentions, Poppy.”
“I understand,” Poppy leaned back on the bench. “That’s perfectly reasonable. I’m not saying this to say what you’re feeling is wrong, Avalon. I just thought you should know.”
Avalon nodded, silence falling between the two of them as they sat outside listening to the birds and feeling the soft autumn breeze on their skin.
Chapter 9: One Step Forward (Two Steps Back)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Trust Issues by SABAI, Adam Pearce, and Zack Gray
Chapter Text
It was dark when Avalon received the late-night owl from Sebastian, telling her to meet him by the staircase next to Hecat’s classroom. She debated on going, still quite upset with the stunt he pulled at the great hall. But as tempting as it was to just ignore the note and fall asleep, Poppy’s voice chimed in the back of her head.
…Sebastian gave her no reason not to trust him. He even took the fall for her in the library, and she… actively avoided him for something he didn’t do to her simply because he is associated with Ominis.
Avalon sighed and grabbed her robe, throwing it over her usual pajamas and sneaking out of her room. She locked her door behind her and cast a disillusionment charm as she made her way through the castle to where he told her to meet him.
Once she got there, she saw Sebastian leaning on the wall in the shadow of the staircase, waiting patiently.
“Sebastian,” She greeted, undoing her charm to stand before him.
“ Merlin , you scared the kneazles out of me.” He jumped when he saw her, putting a hand to his chest and sighing in relief once he realized she wasn’t a threat.
“I’d apologize if I didn’t think that vision was funny.” She admitted, smirking.
“I’m glad you find me having a heart attack humorous,” Sebastian mumbled, but a small smile tugged at his lips. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
He began walking further down the seemingly dead-end corridor. Avalon hesitated on following him, but pushed herself to trust the boy. She took a shaky step forward before walking up in front of a huge decorative, wooden clock.
“This is the entrance to the Undercroft,” Sebastian whispered, motioning with his arm towards the clock. “Not even the professors know about this place.”
“It’s… a clock.” She stated.
“Well, obviously it’s a secret passageway.” He rolled his eyes playfully and took out his wand. With a flick of his wrist, Avalon watched as the clock hands twisted until they all turned upwards and the door swung open.
“Ladies first.”
“Oh, then shouldn’t you go first?” Avalon raised an eyebrow, but Sebastian just laughed.
“Funny. But seriously, get in before someone sees us.”
She hummed and entered the passageway, Sebastian following close behind. The door snapped shut behind them, making Avalon jump as her instincts began to kick in. When she realized everything was fine and she needed to calm down, she put a hand over her heart and followed the path towards the light. Metal cage bars opened upwards for her as she hesitantly walked into the large, dusty room. It was huge, with strong, cement pillars, dusty boxes and barrels around the edge against the walls, and dimly lit candles to illuminate the entire place.
She stared around the room in marvel, trying to grasp how strangely beautiful the area was. “...What is this place?”
“I told you, the Undercroft,” Sebastian said, walking from behind her to lean on one of the pillars. “It’s kind of our secret hideaway. We used to play Gobstones all the time with my sister, Anne. She loved that game.” He wistfully looked away from her. “What I wouldn’t give to lose to her again…”
“‘We’?” Avalon asked, tracing her fingers on one of the boxes and picking up dust.
“Ah, yes… Well… Ominis is the one who knew of this place. An old family secret, actually.”
She gave him a suspicious look.
“He’s not here and this isn’t a trick, I swear!” Sebastian had his hands up defensively as he tried to reassure her. “Look, I didn’t even tell him you and I were meeting here. I swore to him that I would safeguard this place so… Please, just keep this between us?”
While his confession didn’t lift the unease from her heart, she relaxed her muscles to not be tense and lessened her glare at him.
“He never confides in anyone,” Sebastian continued, watching her reaction carefully. “But he’s trusted me since the day we met. I wouldn’t want to jeopardise that.”
“Congrats,” Avalon replied coldly, the mention of Ominis starting to turn her mood sour. “Should I feel sorry for him or something?”
Sebastian shook his head, her attitude making him realize his work was cut out for him. “No, but I just thought you should know.”
“Okay?” She finally walked to stand in front of him, a cold draft hitting the bare flesh of her legs as she shivered.
“What are you wearing?” Sebastian asked, looking her up and down. He ignored the warm feeling in his chest from seeing how little clothes covered her skin, or seeing how pale and long her legs were in those shorts. Her robe helped cover some of it, but she was in less clothes than he’s ever seen a woman in other than being naked.
“It’s my pajamas from the muggle world.” She raised an eyebrow, looking down at herself and not finding anything wrong with it. “Is there a problem?”
“They look… cold.”
“I am cold, but that’s besides the point. Why did you call for me?”
Sebastian fidgeted with his hands, a nervous look on his face. “I uhm… I called you here to apologize. And to clear something up. I was the one who forced Ominis to sit with you and Poppy at dinner. He didn’t want to, but I made him by taking his food. He was trying to leave quickly so he didn’t make you uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have forced you guys to talk to us, and I feel awful about it. I’m sorry.”
Avalon felt a weird guttural pain in her chest hearing him apologize to her. Recently, she felt like she was getting tons of apologies, and she didn’t know how to react to any of them. And what made it worse was that she felt like she needed to apologize to him, too.
She swallowed her pride, taking a deep breath and exhaling to calm her nerves.
“... I… appreciate the apology.” She said, slowly and cautiously. Was this how you accepted apologies? She didn’t know. “And I… am… sorry for… avoiding you this past few days. I shouldn’t take my anger from Ominis out on you.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was Avalon Stryker apologizing to him? Was this a dream? Did he need to pinch himself?
“Did you actually just apologize to me, Princess? Wow, I’m astonished. I can’t believe-” “Don’t push it, Sallow.” She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Okay, okay, I’ll take what I can get.” He flashed her a charming grin.
“So what else do you use this room for, other than losing at Gobstones?” Avalon asked, marveling at the structural integrity of the room.
“It’s a perfect place to sneak off to, away from prying eyes and…” Sebastian trailed off, debating on telling her the other things they did in the room.
“Don’t tell me… This is a snog room?”
His face flushed red as he stared at her in horror. “What?! No!”
She feigned a gasp, staring at him with the most innocent-looking eyes she could conjure. “ Sebastian Sallow , you brought me to a snogging room ? This late at night? In nothing but my pajamas?”
He began to panic, shaking his head frantically. “What? You’re the one who came in inappropriate pajamas! This is not a snogging room!”
Avalon burst out laughing, holding her stomach from how much humor she was finding in Sebastian’s freaked out expression. “Oh Merlin, I’m fucking with you, Sallow. Don’t blow your head off.”
Sebastian felt his pride take a hit as he grumbled some snarky comment to himself, putting his hands in his robe pockets. Despite the embarrassment, he couldn’t help but feel his ego lift from knowing he made her laugh. It sounded exactly like he thought it would, as light as ringing bells.
“Also, my pajamas aren’t indecent,” She covered herself more with her robe. “Seems like you just have a perverted imagination.”
“Do not. Both your legs are on full display!”
“Oh no, not a pair of women’s legs .”
“ Stop ,” Sebastian knew he was blushing as he tried to get himself under control. He couldn’t help it. Avalon was a beautiful young woman, and though he caught glances of her breasts from time to time, he never really appreciated the sight of her legs until they were bare in front of him. He inwardly smacked himself for thinking like that, returning to matters at hand. “It’s not a snogging room. It’s a place we snuck off to to practice otherwise forbidden spells.”
“Forbidden spells?” Avalon raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you two are looking into the Dark Arts.”
“No, no. Not… necessarily.” Shit. He forgot she was not a fan of unforgivables and curses. “Remember the spell I used to help you defeat that troll in Hogsmeade?”
“Confringo? The blasting curse?”
“Yes, exactly.” Sebastian pulled his hands out of his pocket and crossed them over his chest. “Professors say it’s not an appropriate spell to teach students, but I think it’s just a matter of how you use it.”
“I… guess when you put it like that.” Avalon studied his body language, trying to tell if she needed to be worried.
“A spell like Confringo is only truly dangerous in untrained hands. Such spells should be taught properly, not banned.”
“And you’re telling me this… why?”
“I wanted to know if you wanted me to teach you the spell.” He said, motioning towards the room. “I can teach it to you safely here.”
“Why would you want me to learn it?”
“I’ve seen you fight,” He admitted, eyes sparkling with excitement. “You’re incredible. If anyone should know this spell, it should be you. You’ll probably need it, considering who's after you.”
He had a point, Avalon thought to herself. Though she hated to admit it. She guessed it would be useful to know spells like that in case she had to go against multiple people at the same time. She was confident she would be able to defeat them with normal spells, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have another.
“...Alright. You’ve convinced me.” She sighed, taking her wand out of the holster.
“Excellent.” He grinned at her, taking his wand out. “It may take a while to get a feel for it. Try to mimic my wand movement and say the incantation.”
Avalon easily mirrored his motions and only needed a couple of minutes to fully grasp the spell. She turned towards the chandeliers above them and aimed at the unlit one. “Confringo!” A blast of heat exuded from her wand and lit the light successfully.
“Merlin, you’re a quick learner!” Sebastian exclaimed, shocked by how quickly she learned the spell.
She turned to the other unlit chandeliers and lit them accordingly, the spell becoming more and more stable with each use.
“You know, the first time Ominis and I practiced confringo, we singed our eyebrows off.” He chuckled at the memory.
“If only he burned his face off too,” Avalon grumbled to herself.
“Oi, come on now, if he burned his face off then who would be my wingman to help me charm the ladies?”
“What ladies? Are you talking about your right and left hands?”
“Haha, very funny,” Sebastian smirked. “What did you think about the spell?”
Avalon looked at her wand, feeling the power that came with that spell and remembering the heat. “I liked it, I think. It felt good.
“There’s more where that came from,” Sebastian promised. He thought now wasn’t the best time to insinuate he was dabbling in the Dark Arts to her, so he kept his mouth shut. “Haven’t been here in a while… It’s not the same without Anne.”
At the mention of his sister, Avalon turned to his downcast face in understanding. She put her wand in her holster. “...I am sorry about your sister. If… You need anything, I’d be willing to help.” She said, watching as Sebastian gave her a small smile.
“Perhaps when I next head to Feldcraft, you could come along and meet Anne? She could use some cheering up.”
“And you think I’m the right person to cheer someone up?” She gave him a questioning look.
“Not really, now that you mention it.” Sebastian shrugged. “But meeting someone she hadn’t met before, a returning student at that, will be precisely what she needs. Trust me.”
“If you’re sure,” She didn’t know whether to trust Sebastian’s judgement, but he knew his sister better than her.
“She misses Hogwarts. She’s been stuck at home with our guardian, Uncle Solomon.” His face soured up in disgust. “Unfortunately, you’ll have to meet him too.”
“Not a fan?” She asked.
“Nope. He’s… not the easiest to get along with.” Sebastian admitted, rubbing his arm.
“Well, alright. Tell me where and when, and I’ll see if I can come down.” Avalon pushed her bangs out of her face, beginning to turn on her heels toward the exit.
“I will. Oh, and Avalon,” She turned back to face him when he called her name. He looked hesitant, but pushed through his anxiety. “I know there’s a lot of history between you and Ominis, but… He’s changed. I’m not saying you should forgive him immediately, but-” “I get it.” Avalon cut him off, but not sharply as she usually would. Her eyes became distant, conflicted, as she turned her back to him and began walking away. “I think… I just need time.”
Hope. Sebastian’s eyes widened at her words, watching as she left the Undercroft. As soon as she was gone, he fist pumped the air, proud of himself for finally getting through to the girl and hopefully making progress in her eventually forgiving Ominis.
As Avalon stepped out of the Undercroft, she felt a presence immediately. Her head whipped up, her eyes meeting a familiar blonde figure.
“Hello, Sebastian. I-” Ominis cut himself off, his brows furrowing as he realized it wasn’t Sebastian he was in front of.
Shit, Avalon thought to herself. What terrible timing.
“You there, I can hear you.”
“Glad to know something of yours works,” Avalon said, standing up confidently as Ominis recognized her voice.
“Avalon? What the- Did you just come from the Undercroft? How did you get in there?” He demanded, narrowing his eyes.
She narrowed her eyes back, crossing her arms over her chest. “For your information, I stumbled upon it by accident.” She said, covering for Sebastian. She remembered him saying to keep it to herself that she knew of this place and decided to do just that. Despite her hate for Gaunt, she didn’t want Sebastian to get in trouble after going so far out of his way to apologize and teach her a new spell. She owed him that much.
“Don’t lie to me,” He snapped, “No one ‘stumbles’ upon that room. Sebastian told you, didn’t he?”
“Watch your tone, Gaunt.” She seethed, her rage becoming more apparent. But Ominis didn’t back off. He was too clouded by his anger and defensiveness to calm down at this point.
“You breathe a word about this place to anyone, and not even your precious professor Fig will be able to help you. My father is friends with the Headmaster. I’m not afraid to exploit that connection if I need to.” As soon as he said it, he regretted the words coming out of his mouth. He forgot who he was talking to.
At his words, Avalon bristled. The understanding and possible empathy she had for the boy was thrown out a window and off a cliff as she remembered him using similar threats to her before. She stormed up to his face, despite knowing he couldn’t see the pure, unfiltered hatred in her eyes.
“ Say that again to me, Gaunt. ” She hissed through her clenched teeth. Ominis shrank back, his eyes widening as he tried to find the words to apologize to her. But she didn’t let him. “ Remind me of how you plan to use your family’s connections to exploit me again.”
“I didn’t mean-” “No, I’m sure you didn’t.” She scoffed, pushing past him and storming down the hall. Changed? He hasn’t changed at all. He’s the same as he was six years ago, except perhaps more infuriating because he’s pretending to be good. Well, she’s not falling for it. Not ever. This was a great reminder of the fact that Ominis fucking Gaunt is her enemy and always will be.
Ominis entered the Undercroft with his wand held in his hand. The soft glow led him right to Sebastian, who had a big smile on his face due to Avalon’s previous statement.
“Ominis!” Sebastian was excited to share with his friend the good news. “I need to tell you somethin-” “Did you show Avalon the Undercroft?” The blonde immediately questioned.
Oh yeah, the secret. “Yes, but before you get mad, we can trust her. I think I’ve actually made progress in getting on her good side.”
“ Trust her?” Ominis scoffed in disbelief. “She hates me, remember? She’s probably bouncing at the chance to ruin something for me.”
Sebastian shook his head, “No, no, that’s the thing I wanted to talk to you about! I talked to her and apologized for intruding on her dinner from before. We talked and she’s good. She even seemed inclined to be willing to eventually forgive you with some time!”
Fuck. Oh fuck. Ominis’ body began to shake as he groaned in self-pity. He covered his face with his hands, even facepalming from how stupid he was.
“What? I thought you’d be happy. She-” “I messed up, Sebastian. Merlin , I messed up so bad.” He admitted. Ominis told Sebastian what he said, Sebastian’s face morphing from happiness to horror in mere seconds.
“...Ominis, you’re a fucking idiot .”
“I know! I was just too caught up in someone leaving the Undercroft that I forgot who I was talking to!”
“I think you literally just did the worst thing you could’ve ever done in this situation.”
“I know! Merlin, what do I do? Should I find her and apologize again?”
“No,” Sebastian sighed, running his hands down his face as he racked his brain to figure out what to do. “Damnit, just… I think we just need to give her some time.”
Ominis grunted as he leaned on a pillar and slid to the ground. He leaned his head back, hitting it softly and cringing as he remembered his mistake again. He really knew how to fuck it all up, didn’t he?
Chapter 10: Feldcroft (And Ruins)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Where We Started by Jex and Lost Sky
Chapter Text
Avalon was happy to travel back to Hogsmeade when Sirona sent an owl for her. The castle had been getting quite stuffy since her last confrontation with Ominis. She hadn’t been avoiding Sebastian anymore, but he spent a lot of time with Ominis, so she rarely saw him. Ominis actually tried to apologize to her the day after he lashed out at her, but she refused to hear it. As soon as he opened his mouth, Avalon just walked past him in complete silence. He got the message pretty quickly after that.
Sirona certainly gave her a distraction from it all, though. She had been sent to look for Sirona’s goblin friend, Lodgok, to hopefully find out more information about Ranrok and his intentions. Lodgok had been skeptical of her at first, but warmed up when she informed him that Sirona was the one who sent her. From there, they went to a place called the witch’s tomb to find a magical item called the Helmet of Urtkot, which unfortunately had been raided by Ashwinders previously. Now, she stood outside their camp near the Forbidden Forest, lying in wait to take the helm back
Defeating Ashwinders had been getting easier as her magical ability progressed. Throughout her travels, she came across multiple Ancient Magic traces that seemed to absorb into her skin whenever she touched them. She knew she was getting more and more powerful with each trace she found. It showed in how much damage she did to her enemies.
After taking down the final Ashwinder and finding the helm, she brought it back to Lodgok, who was more than surprised at her lack of injuries. She was perfectly unscathed, looking much more relaxed after letting off some steam on evil dark wizards. All the pent-up rage she had towards a certain blonde-haired boy had been properly exerted on those who fully deserved it, including another troll.
“Avalon! You’ve returned,” He exclaimed, his pointy teeth showing from the smile on his face. “I assume you’ve gotten the helm?”
“I have,” She said, handing the relic to him.
“Well done,” Lodgok said, feeling the cool metal in his fingers. “This is sure to impress Ranrok.”
Avalon nodded, proud of herself for being able to get this done so quickly and efficiently. She worried that because she had not been training as consistently, there was a chance she’d lose her touch. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. She was just as deadly as she was when she was training every day.
“The helmet shines even more brightly than I imagined. The etching, the contour of the profile…” Lodgok held the helm up to the moon, watching as it reflected the light beautifully around them. “Remarkable.”
“Beautiful.” Avalon agreed.
“You did the thieves a service by recovering it. I know many a goblin who would have killed for it.”
“I doubt they believe I did them a service, seeing as they are all dead.”
“Then perhaps your service was to all of Goblinkind.” He said, putting the helm away. “This should earn Ranrok’s trust. I will take it to him immediately. It may distract him from his search.”
“Search?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Ah, yes. It is merely an inkling. You have impressed me greatly, friend. I am glad that I trusted you.”
Avalon narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the goblin before her. She had trust in him because of Sirona, but she didn’t know anything about the man. What if he was working for Ranrok this entire time? What if he was going to use the helm to turn on her and kill her?
“Lodgok, if there’s anything you’re not telling me-” “Please, Avalon.” He spoke gently. His eyes didn’t show an ounce of violence to them, but pleading desperation. “I shall tell you more in time, but let me handle this right now.”
Avalon took a deep breath and nodded. Not like she truly had a choice in the matter anyway.
“Thank you,” He said, sighing in relief. “We shall speak soon. Best to keep our arrangement quiet for now. Many will not believe that our aims might possibly be aligned.”
“Understood.” She answered, taking out her broom. As she did, a familiar owl came down and perched on her shoulder, holding a message. She opened it, taking out the letter and recognizing Sebastian’s messy handwriting.
Tomorrow, I was going to visit Anne. Meet me in Feldcroft at noon. - S
She put the letter away and hopped on her brand new broomstick she had gotten today. Her parents had sent her a couple of hundred galleons as an allowance for the month. Most of them, she spent on the new moontrimmer broom from Spintwitches. It was her first time owning her own broom, and she was ecstatic. She had learned all she could from Kogawa’s flying class, now she could explore on her own much more easily.
A thought came to her. Perhaps she should use the last of her galleons on a gift for Anne. This is the first time she would be meeting Sebastian’s sister and she did want to make a good impression. Seeing that Sebastian was… Well, Avalon hated to admit it, but he was indeed one of her first friends at Hogwarts. That stupid boy had earned the spot after everything he’s done to prove he’s not one of Ominis’ lackeys.
She flew to Hogsmeade, happy it only took ten minutes instead of an hour by walking. She landed in front of Honeydukes and took a step inside. The sweet aroma filled her nose and made her get a sugar high just from breathing.
“Welcome to Honeydukes!” The owner called, “Let me know if you need any help.”
Avalon walked around the store. She didn’t know what kind of sweets Anne liked, so she opted for something she believed everyone enjoyed: Chocoballs and Jelly Slugs. Once she paid for them, she hopped on her broom to return to the castle as soon as possible. She was out way past curfew, and if she got caught, she was sure to get a detention.
As she snuck back into the castle and through the common room, she couldn’t help but notice someone was trying to break into her dorm. She narrowed her eyes, taking her wand out as she slowly approached Malfoy and Tisfield poking at her enchanted lock.
“Merlin, hurry up already! At this rate, we’re going to get caught.” Malfoy hissed.
Tisfield huffed, but continued to try and pick her lock using magic. “I’m trying , but it’s a complicated lock!”
“ Depulso!” Avalon sent her magic at both boys and threw them far down the hallway. They rolled and flipped on the ground from the impact, shouting in surprise. She put her bag of sweets down on the floor so as not to squish them, cracking her neck as she began slowly walking towards the two boys who were scrambling to their feet.
“What the hell- Oh! Strokes, you’re back!” Malfoy tried to play it cool, knowing she could very well kick their asses if she wanted to.
She stood a couple of feet away from them, her eyes glaring murderously towards the two boys. She gripped her wand tightly, getting into a fighting stance as she sent a flurry of basic casts towards them. Daniel blocked them for both of them.
“Now, now, there’s no reason to fight. We were just walking by and noticed this big, fancy lock-” “Accio!” Avalon pulled Daniel towards her, his eyes widening in surprise as he was gripped through the air. Before he could react, Avalon grabbed his jaw and gripped it tightly.
“ Tisfield ,” She hissed through her clenched teeth. “What did I say I was going to do to you last time? Oh, Accio your organs through that mouth of yours until you're bleeding all over the floor? Perhaps I’ll set them on fire so you can watch your insides burn while dying.” She released a decent amount of bloodlust from her body, her glare never wavering to intimidate the boy just enough.
Daniel’s reaction was immediate. He began screaming and trying to fight against her spell to escape her grasp. She let him go, watching as he began running down the hall away from them in pure fear.
She turned her glare towards Malfoy, who looked positively terrified .
“O-Oi… Come on, Strokes, we were just having a bit of fun-” “Petrificus Totalus!” Suddenly, Malfoy’s body completely froze up and dramatically fell over. Behind him stood Ominis, who held his wand where Malfoy’s back was. Sebastian was peeking through their dorm door a couple of rooms down from hers, snickering at the sight of Malfoy's face planted on the ground.
“Are you alright?” Ominis asked, his wand glowing and his head properly aimed in her direction.
She grabbed her bag of sweets from the floor, tapping her wand tip to the lock and watching as it unlocked immediately.
“Avalon-” “I didn’t need your help.” She snapped, only turning to send a heated glare at him.
“I know,” Ominis said, cautiously. “But I figured it would keep you out of trouble if I was the one to petrify him, since he wouldn’t be able to tell a teacher.” He kicked Malfoy’s frozen body beneath him.
“Hm.” Avalon opened her door and walked in without another word, shutting it behind her and leaving them out in the hallway.
Ominis sighed, carefully walking over Malfoy’s body to go back into his dorm. Sebastian looked pointedly at the boy on the floor. “Shouldn’t we move him or something?”
“No,” Ominis scoffed, shutting the door behind him. “Let him lie there.”
The next day was a Saturday, so Avalon had no classes. She woke up around 10 am, groaning as she tried to cover her eyes from the sunlight beaming into her room. She really needed to buy some curtains, this was getting torturous
After ten more minutes of trying to fall back asleep, she begrudgingly got up and stretched her body out. She went through her daily ritual, showering and brushing her teeth in the communal bathroom, using beauty magic to cover her scar up, and picking her outfit out for the day
She opted for a more casual look since she was going off campus. A white, off-the-shoulders shirt tied with a bow at the front in the middle of her cleavage, a black, underbust corset pulled in her waist, black, skin-tight trousers, and her brown knee-high boots. She wore her mother’s gold necklace that she had fixed, a pair of gold stud earrings, and her dad’s brown leather jacket. After tying her hair into a French braid, she grabbed the bag of sweets and walked out the door. This time, she double-locked her door to make sure there was no way Malfoy or Tisfield would be able to enter.
By 11:30, she was on the road. She had decided to fly there, happy to continue to try out her brand new broomstick. It took half an hour to get to Feldcroft. It would have honestly taken less time, but Avalon got distracted by another Ancient Magic hot spot.
She saw Sebastian standing on a wooden lookout point, waving towards her. She flew down, hopping off her broomstick to land right next to him.
“You made it,” He noted, flashing her another smile. She nodded, holding her broomstick in her right hand as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes with her left.
Sebastian looked at her and had to prevent himself from blushing. She was always stunning, but seeing her in regular clothes was an entirely different beast. He noticed that the more time he spent around her, the more details he began to notice. The way her bangs seemed to fall over her eyes a lot, the way she always wore the same pair of boots and the same kind of pants, and especially the way her eyes looked like shining sapphires when she was passionate about something. Mostly from anger, but tomato tomahto.
“Enjoying the view?” She smirked, putting a hand on her waist.
Sebastian couldn’t help but blush at that, but he cleared his throat. “Just keeping an eye on things.” He said. “Feldcroft isn’t what it used to be."
A serious look passed his features. “No one has felt safe here since Ranrok’s Loyalists took a peculiar interest in that castle over there - Rookwood Castle."
“Rookwood? You mean like Victor Rookwood?” Avalon asked, squinting her eyes to try and get a better look at the castle further past the hills.
“Yes, most likely.” He admitted. “My uncle Solomon is a former Auror and refuses to look into it, even after Anne was cursed by one of them.” Bitterness. Avalon could feel the emotion on him. “Possibly with a wand, no less."
“Wait, a wand?” Avalon furrowed her brows. Lodgok had called wizardkind something familiar before. “Goblins aren’t allowed to carry wands, though. They even call us ‘wand-carriers."
“Precisely. That’s why I’m on the hunt for answers,” Sebastian stated. “If I’m to cure her, I need to understand what happened to her."
“Understandable.” Avalon agreed.
“Anne was always the most mischievous of the three of us."
“Oh really? Outranking even you ?” Avalon raised an eyebrow to that. Sebastian chuckled and nodded.
“Yes,” He said. “I’m hoping a surprise visit from me and a new friend from Hogwarts will help lift her spirits. Bring back the Anne I used to know."
“I appreciate your confidence in me,” Avalon said, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I hope you know, I’m not the best person to cheer people up."
“I know, and to be honest, I’m hoping your nasty attitude will entertain Anne a bit."
“Oh, so I’m being used as entertainment? I see how it is."
“Come on, Princess, don’t be like that. It means you’re funny.”
“Again, stop calling me Princess, and of course I’m funny. I’m the funniest witch you’ll ever know."
“The most humble too.” He muttered.
Avalon hit his arm playfully. “Shut up and lead on, Sallow."
Sebastian grinned and led them to a nearby cottage with plants and pots dangling on the outside. “Here we are, my sister should just be inside.” He said, opening the door.
Inside the house, there were red curtains to divide the rooms. It was a small cottage, with stone brick walls and basic wooden furniture. A young woman, who Avalon would only guess was Anne, sat in the chair in the dining room with her back turned. Sebastian held a finger to his mouth, slowly creeping up on her before tasing her sides. “Aha!"
She gasped, turning around and smiling brightly once she realized who it was. She rushed over to him, hugging him in welcome. “Sebastian! Where did you-” He abruptly held out a small, flower bulb in his hand towards her. Anne stared at it curiously. “Is that what I think it is?"
Just then, a tall, older man with dark hair and a dark beard reached over and grabbed the item out of his hand. “We’ve been over this, boy, Shrivelfigs cannot reverse a curse.” “Hey!” Sebastian narrowed his eyes and tried to grab the Shrivelfig from his uncle’s hands.
“Nothing can.” His uncle said, solemnly. He took his wand out, pointing it at the bulb and disintegrating it before their eyes. “The sooner you accept that reality, the better."
“But we haven’t tried everything!” Sebastian argued. Solomon turned, rage filling his voice as her sternly shouted, “There is no cure! When will you accept that?”
Avalon inserted herself between Sebastian and his uncle, her eyes burning with defensiveness as she stared down the taller man. “Take a step back ,” She growled. Solomon, who wasn’t expecting any visitors today, actually took an instinctive step back from the girl.
“Who the- Sebastian? Who is this?” He turned his attention back to his nephew, who stared at Avalon in shock. He didn’t expect her to be defensive of him.
“I’m his… friend.” She said, finally landing on a proper noun. She straightened her back just as Anne began to hunch over in pain.
“Argh!” She cried, clutching her stomach and leaning over the table. From this angle, Avalon could finally get a clearer picture of the young woman. Ashy brown hair pulled back into a low bun with straight bangs across her forehead, pale, sickly skin, brown freckles, brown eyes, and… What is that?
Avalon couldn’t describe it. She felt as if something was wrapping its tendrils around Anne’s stomach. It was wispy, pitch black, and going through her body . Before she could reach out and try to touch it, it disappeared right before her eyes.
“Sebastian, did you see that?” She asked, her eyes pinned on Anne’s stomach as Solomon helped his niece.
“See what? Avalon, can you… Did you see something?” He asked, urgently. She nodded and took a step forward, just as Solomon took a step in between them.
“Leave,” Solomon ordered, narrowing his eyes at Sebastian.
He bit his tongue, watching as his sister struggled to stand on her own two feet. “Anne, I’m sorry.” He said before leaving the cottage. Avalon stayed, watching Solomon help Anne back into her chair.
Once Anne calmed down, Solomon finally turned his attention to his guest. He sized her up, probably feeling a bit intimidated from earlier.
“I apologize for Sebastian,” He spoke with his arms crossed. Avalon felt a twitch of annoyance at his words, not finding any blame in Sebastian at all. “Now, who might you be?”
“Avalon Stryker,” She said after unclenching her fists.
His eyes beamed in recognition. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to Frederick Stryker?”
“He’s my dad,” She said honestly.
“He and I worked together as Aurors. Best field worker in our entire generation.” He chuckled, but stopped after seeing the cold expression on her face. “I’ll… Let you and Anne get acquainted.”
She gave him a curt nod before walking to the table and sitting down next to Anne. Almost tentatively, she took out the sweets from her pocket and placed them on the table. “Hello, Anne,” She spoke softly, softer than anytime before. “I’m Avalon. Sebastian and I are classmates.”
“Oh! Hello!” Anne smiled brightly despite her sickness. “I’m sorry about earlier. These bouts of pain are… difficult to bear. Are these for me?” She indicated towards the sweets.
Avalon nodded, “Yeah, I hope these are alright. I didn’t know what you liked so… I guessed.”
“These are amazing, thank you! I haven’t been to Honeydukes in so long.” Anne opened the bag, taking out a chocoball and popping it into her mouth. She sighed, dreamily, enjoying the flavors. “Wow, these are so good.”
“I’m glad you like them,” Avalon beamed. “I’m sorry if… I got in between anything.”
“Oh, you didn’t. Truly,” Anne winced, holding her stomach with one hand. “Uncle Solomon and Sebastian are like oil and water, they never get along. I’m glad my brother has someone to defend him. Where did you two meet?”
“Technically, we met in Defense class with Hecat,” Avalon recalled. “But I wouldn’t say we became friends until he helped me sneak into the restricted section of the library.”
Anne giggled. “Classic Sebastian, that sounds exactly like him. Did he mention that I was the one who showed him how to sneak in first?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Of course he didn’t.” She rolled her eyes, but her mouth was upturned in a smile. “He probably wanted to take all the credit.”
“Men,” Avalon smirked as Anne nodded her head in agreement.
“Men. Have you met Ominis yet? I assume you have, since you’re friends with Sebastian.”
Avalon tried not to take offense at her question. She didn’t know, and that wasn’t her fault. She nodded stiffly, a flash of memory coming to her vision at the thought of the blonde. “Ah… I have.”
Anne looked at her, puzzled. “I take it not a great meeting?”
“Not exactly,” Avalon admitted. “But I’m not here to talk about stupid boys.”
“Oh, you most certainly can. I miss all the drama at Hogwarts, and especially knowing that Ominis did something? I didn’t think he had it in him to anger anyone , let alone a woman.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I have time, if you do,” Anne smiled so sweetly at her, but Avalon still hesitated. This was Sebastian’s sister, Ominis’ other best friend. Was it right if she told her what happened? Had Ominis?
“I don’t know-” “Oh, please Avalon,” She begged, clasping her hands together.
Avalon sucked in a sharp breath as she debated on what to do. Well, it’s not like she was afraid of Ominis, nor was she trying to hide what happened to her. “Alright, alright.” She relented, fidgeting in her seat.
As Avalon told Anne her story, the sickly girl’s eyes flashed in recognition. Ominis had told her, but he didn’t tell her everything that happened after that. After Avalon finished, Anne’s hand was over her mouth in utter shock.
“I can’t believe he said that to you!” She said in outrage.
“Right? I literally had to hold myself back from slapping some sense into him.” Avalon said, crossing her arms under her breasts. “And just as I was debating on giving him a chance.”
“Merlin, Avalon, he was so out of line! I don’t blame you for not wanting to forgive him after that…” Anne trailed off, a look in her eye showing she wanted to say more.
“...But?”
“Nope, he definitely doesn’t deserve your forgiveness,” Anne stubbornly said, as if she were trying to fully convince herself.
“Anne, it’s alright. You can say what you want.” Avalon leaned back in her chair, allowing the girl to have some room.
“Well… I think he needs to apologize to you, obviously,” Anne said, popping another chocoball into her mouth. “But… I remember him talking about what he did to you and… He feels so guilty over it.”
“I know, he told me.” Avalon rubbed her arm. “And I understand he has changed in some capacity. I see it, even though I don’t trust it or believe it fully…”
“I don’t blame you after what he said. What a dumbass.”
“Exactly,” Avalon chuckled.
“But I think he deserves a chance to prove he’s a better person. I know it really doesn’t mean anything if I or Sebastian tells you he’s changed, we’re his friends after all,” Anne smiled at her and handed her a red jelly slug. “But I hope you know, in a completely unbiased way, I’ve seen the change first-hand.”
“I believe it,” Avalon said, barely above a whisper. She remembered what Poppy told her, how he had apparently defended her against Malfoy in second year. Then, she remembered last night, how he was willing to risk getting in trouble for her. “I think, more than anything, I just need time to come to terms with it all. I’ve only been back at Hogwarts for around a month, and so much has happened.”
“I understand. I’m glad you and Sebastian came today, despite the circumstances.” Anne winced, holding her stomach again. Avalon caught sight of the black tendril, squeezing where she rested her hand on her tummy.
“Speaking of the bloke,” Avalon ripped her eyes away from the wisp and stood up. “I should go find him before he gets himself into trouble.”
“Yeah, he’s probably off picking a fight with a scarecrow,” She said with a giggle.
“And the scarecrow is probably winning.”
“It probably is.”
Avalon smiled at the girl and waved goodbye, exiting the house to find Solomon picking at the weeds. She glanced in his direction, but decided to turn her back and look for her friend.
“Avalon, wait,” Solomon called her name, getting off the ground and dusting his hands off. Avalon turned, but kept a defensive stance.
“I understand we did not get off to a good start,” Solomon started, “But I hope you understand where I’m coming from. There is nothing to be done for Anne.”
Avalon clenched her fists. “Certainly not with the way you’re willing to give up.”
“ Give up?” Solomon narrowed his eyes at her. “You sound like Sebastian. Thinking you know better than the healers at St. Mungo’s.”
“And you sound like an arrogant prick who would rather separate siblings to prove you’re right rather than allow someone to fight for the chance you’re wrong.” She spat, watching as Solomon’s face turned bright red.
She turned on her heel, walking away from the older man, knowing she had said everything she wanted to say. She found Sebastian leaning on a broken piece of stone wall, staring at the sky.
Avalon wandered over to him, leaning her face over his as her hair fell over her shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey,” He replied, his brows still furrowed together in frustration. “You got a first-hand glance at what I’m dealing with. I apologize for my uncle.”
“It’s alright,” Avalon shrugged, holding her hand out and helping Sebastian to his feet. “I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to come back, though.”
“Really? What did you say?”
“That your uncle is a coward who would rather watch someone wither away than see if he’s wrong.”
Sebastian burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and rubbing the tears away from his eyes. “Oh, that’s brilliant ! What did he say?”
“Nothing, but his face turned bright red.” She tucked a piece of her bangs behind her ears.
“He deserved it,” Sebastian said, “He’s been like that ever since my parents died. And he only got worse after Anne got hurt. It’s as though he blames me somehow. Always calling me ‘my father’s son, ’ as if that’s an insult.”
“It’s not,” Avalon said, softer. She didn’t know Sebastian’s parents had died. And to have his sister hurt on top of that…
“I know. I just…” He gazed up at her, remembering what happened in the house. “Wait, what did you see? Back there in the house?”
“Oh yeah,” Avalon shut her eyes as she tried to picture what she saw again. “I… I don’t even know if I’ve seen anything like it. It was like black, wispy tendrils were wrapping around her stomach and squeezing every time she cried in pain. As if it was latched onto now just her physical body, but… something more.”
“Then I was right,” Sebastian muttered. “Anne’s pain is more than physical. It has changed her entirely.”
“Can you show me where she was cursed? Maybe there are clues as to what this is.”
Sebastian nodded, “Yes, of course, it’s a bit away.”
Avalon followed Sebastian on the path, running over a bridge to the front of a tall cliffside. “Up there, on that plateau, that’s where they cursed Anne.”
She kept following him up the hill until they heard goblins speak amongst themselves a bit away.
“How much longer do we have to dig up this rubble?”
“Ranrok knows what he’s doing. It's an honor to be a part of it. Only good wizard is a dead wizard in my book.” She heard two of them talk. Sebastian grabbed her arm, pulling her against him as he hid them behind the cliffside wall. She breathed him in, the scent of citrus and cinnamon entering her nostrils alarmingly.
Avalon pulled her arm away from his before they were close for too long. She took out her wand, rushing towards the loyalist campsite and using ancient magic to throw a nearby rock right into one of their heads. It cracked against the goblin’s skull, splitting it open.
“Guess we’re not taking the sneaky way in!” Sebastian said, taking his wand out and sending basic casting magic at some of the goblins. Avalon is examining her surroundings. Five? Ten? Maybe less? She didn’t spend too much time looking around before sending flurries of spells out and killing each goblin.
Once they were all dead, Avalon panted and wiped the sweat off of her brow. Sebastian ran up to her, checking to see if she had any injuries. “I confess, that was a bit more than I’d bargained for.”
“Were you nervous, Sebastian? Don’t you know you have an overpowered witch on your side?” She asked, putting a hand on her hip.
He chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. “It seemed to have slipped my mind, actually.”
“Unforgivable. You better buy me a butterbeer as compensation.”
“Yes, princess.”
“I’ll use my overpowered witch magic on you if you keep calling me that.”
“Yeah, yeah, come on,” Sebastian began walking towards the ruins of an estate just to the right of the camp. Avalon followed, her wand still in her hand just in case.
He stopped in front of a wooden wheelbarrow, turning to look at her. “This is where it happened.” He said. Avalon looked around, seeing no traces of the black wisps on Anne, but finding other clues to show someone was looking for something here. “We smelled smoke in the middle of the night. When we looked outside, flames were shooting from the estate. Before my uncle and I could stop her, Anne rushed out. She was running towards the fire, worried that someone had been hurt. She came face to face with a horde of goblins frantically trying to stamp out the flames. Suddenly, an icy voice drifted out from somewhere in the smoke. ‘Children should be seen and not heard.’ A blinding blast followed.” Sebastian looked solemnly at Avalon, who was horrified by the story he told. “They didn’t even give her a chance to run.”
“That’s horrible,” She said. Sebastian nodded in agreement.
“It was. It still is, I’m convinced they were trying to hide something.” He admitted. “It may be grasping at Billywigs, but I keep thinking that there might be something here that could lead me to whoever cursed Anne. Might be the only way to learn what type of magic harmed her, which could help me find a cure.”
“Agreed, let’s look for clues then.”
So, they began looking around the estate for clues, coming across a pickaxe, a furnace, and eventually leading them to get closer to the ruined house. As Avalon got closer, her eyes landed on a very familiar well on the left of the house, right next to the cliffside. She wandered there, gazing upon the familiar view of Feldcraft and remembering the memories she was shown in the penseives.
“I’ve seen this before,” She admitted, breathlessly. “This well… This view. I’ve seen it in a memory from one of the keepers.”
“Keepers? What are you on about?”
“Oh yeah,” She turned sheepishly towards him. “I forgot to tell you…”
She told him about her journey thus far, how she had found a map chamber under Hogwarts with Fig that led her to portraits of the original keepers.
“They were over there on the other cliffside. I watched them turn a barren wasteland into a lush, green meadow. All using ancient magic.”
“That’s.. I don’t even know what to say,” He said, truly rendered speechless.
“It’s a lot, I know.” She said, rubbing the back of her neck.
“But it’s incredible. Maybe there are more clues in the house, perhaps something else from a memory you’ve seen.” He offered. Avalon followed him in, her eyes scanning the ruined dust and rubble before landing on a damaged portrait.
“How strange… It doesn’t seem damaged by fire, and yet the face is ripped off.” She noticed, leaning closer towards the portrait.
“It looks intentional, too,” Sebastian added.
Avalon felt as if pieces to a puzzle fell perfectly into place. She turned to Sebastian, her eyes wide in realization. “I know this house… It belonged to a professor… Someone in the memories.”
“Really? Who?” He asked.
“Isadora Morganach. I remember that’s what the other keepers called her.”
“So… let me get this straight,” He said, rubbing his temples. “You have Ranrok and Rookwood after you because of something you found at Gringotts, where you ended up via a Portkey. You can see traces of an ancient magic that you think Ranrok is trying to harness, and now you’ve been witnessing memories left by… Keepers?”
“Yup.”
“Oh, and this house belonged to a Hogwarts professor, who was one of these… Keepers… hundreds of years ago.”
“Sounds about right.”
Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know, if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were pulling my leg.”
“Well, when you put it like that, it does sound a bit crazy.” Avalon rolled her eyes, but turned her back to him to gaze around their environment. She noticed a pile of rubble up in a doorway. She walked over to it, flicking her wand and using depulso so the rubble was sent flying away.
“Come on, keep up, Sallow.” Avalon teased, ducking her head to make it into the hole. To her right, she saw a stairwell, leading to a dark and dusty basement area.
“Lumos.” She cast, using her wand to navigate the cellar area. It was run down, with broken chandeliers, dusty bookshelves, shields, and broken chairs on the ground. The walls were covered in moss and long, root-like tentacles that shrank away from the light cast in Avalon’s wand.
She picked up a note on the ground, the paper looking very run down. After reading it, she realized it was a note written by Isadora. She continued to grab the other notes on the ground, reading them carefully and pocketing them to keep. “These are journal entries of Isadora’s,” She said, Sebastian peering over her shoulder in curiosity.
Avalon looked around, noticing the boxes stacked in front of her looked structurally weak. She flicked her wrist with her wand again, using depulso to throw the boxes to the side. Past that area, she noticed a huge, decorative mirror with curtains along the top of it. In the mirror, instead of her reflection, she gasped at what she saw.
“Sebastian, I see the Undercroft,” She said, staring at the sight of familiar brick pillars and chandeliers.
“Are you dreaming? Because I don’t see anything.” Sebastian squinted his eyes, but still couldn’t see what Avalon was seeing.
“I know it sounds crazy, but-” “I mean honestly? Nothing you say sounds crazy to me anymore.” He said, making Avalon narrow her eyes.
“I don’t like the way you said that,” She said, crossing her arms again.
“It just means you can’t surprise me anymore, princess.” He smirked. Avalon rolled her eyes and motioned towards the mirror.
“Well, since nothing surprises you anymore, I can see the Undercroft through this stone wall, like a window. And this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this.”
“Huh?”
“Aha, so you can still be surprised.” Avalon gave him a knowing look. “I think it has to do with my abilities, but I’m not sure how.”
“In what way?” He asked.
“In the way that I can… travel through these mirrors. Like a gateway.” She said.
“Seriously? How?”
“Come with me.” This time, Avalon grabbed Sebastian’s hand and pulled him towards the mirror. He blushed, trying to ignore the fact that her hand was incredibly warm and softer than he imagined it would be. He didn’t have time to think about it too long, though, as Avalon pulled him through the mirror quickly.
In a split second, they were no longer at the ruined estate, or even in Feldcroft. They were standing in the Undercroft, just as Avalon said.
As soon as they were done travelling, Avalon let go of his hand. Sebastian mourned the loss, but quickly snapped his attention back to the area they ended up.
“Why would the passageway lead us here?” He asked out loud.
Avalon shrugged, her eyes catching the other side of the wall beginning to shift and morph. “What the…”
Magically, the wall turned into a large, wooden picture frame, pointed upwards. When they walked over to it, Avalon pulled the doors open to reveal the ripped-up shreds of a picture; in the middle, a piece of paper with some strange symbols on it was all that remained.
“A triptych?” Sebastian questioned. “What’s this doing here?”
“It’s broken,” Avalon noticed, taking the piece of note from the middle and showing it to Sebastian. “It’s a rune symbol. I’ve seen it used by the other keepers before.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Sebastian said, his brow wrinkling in thought. “A keeper lived in that house centuries ago, and Ranrok and his lot have been searching there. You said that goblins may be wielding some form of this… ancient magic. Do you think Anne was cursed by Ancient Magic?”
Avalon shook her head. “I doubt it. I would have felt it if it were on your sister. That black wisps seem to be something else entirely.”
“Hm… I guess, but it doesn’t mean it’s not ancient magic. There’s still a chance.”
“I guess so,” Avalon shrugged. “Maybe this triptych will lead us to answers?”
“Then we’ll have to try and unravel what this all means. But… For now, I have to see Ominis.”
Avalon eyed him suspiciously, but he quickly held his hands up in defense. “I’m not going to tell him anything. Just, apparently, Salazar Slytherin had a secret scriptorium here in Hogwarts.”
“You think more answers will be found there?” Avalon asked, shifting uncomfortably at the thought of Ominis having something they need.
“I’ve got no clue. Ominis just learned of it,” Sebastian flashed a smile at her. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Okay.” Avalon folded the note and put it in her pocket with the others. Her back ached from fighting, and she felt utterly spent. “I’m going to go take a nap, then.”
“Alright, sounds like a plan. Oh, and Avalon? I’m really happy you came with me to see Anne. My head’s an utter mess…. But I’m glad you’re willing to trust me more. I promise, your trust won’t be misplaced.”
Avalon smiled, remembering her talk with Anne and the fun she had, despite the other stuff. “I’m happy you brought me. And… I hope you’ll keep that promise.”
“Did I hear you back at the house saying I was your friend?” Sebastian waggled his eyebrows at her, making her scoff.
“Merlin, forget I said anything , you’re not my friend. More like a groupie.”
“Hey, much rather be known as a groupie for you than Ominis.”
“Good. I’m much cooler than he’ll ever dream of being.”
Chapter 11: The Cruel (Can Be Forgiven)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Saving Lives by ARMMHMR and Bella Renee
Chapter Text
A week had passed since she had last talked to Sebastian about what had happened. She had seen him and Ominis in classes every so often, but her mind was otherwise preoccupied. She had completed Charles Rookwood’s trial with ease, as she expected. Deek had given her the nap sack to rescue beasts from poachers, and she had been absorbing enough ancient magic from pools around the hills to the point where she could use it almost consistently without breaking a sweat. She had met a girl named Natty Onai, who seemed to have a chip on her shoulder against Jack Harlow, another one of Rookwood’s lackeys.
They had infiltrated one of his bases together, freed Highwing and another hippogriff, and messed up their operation. It was fun, but she and Natty barely spoke afterwards.
The good news is that Highwing seemed to take quite a liking to her. Now, she was able to call the beast out as a mount, flying on her back wherever she wanted to go.
She was in the great hall with Poppy when she noticed Sebastian and Ominis sneaking off around the corner. Avalon looked over there suspiciously, excusing herself from the table and walking over to where she saw them leave.
“Anything to do with the Dark Arts should be avoided,” She heard Ominis’ voice chastise. “It’s too risky.”
“Anything to do with Salazar Slytherin is worth the risk.” Sebastian shot back.
“I can’t agree,” She saw Ominis shake his head. “And I’ll not say a word more, I’m sorry.”
Avalon peeked her head around the corner, causing Sebastian to eye her curiously. Ominis didn’t notice her until he lifted his wand. The soft glow radiated towards her, indicating a presence.
“S-Sorry…” Ominis stuttered, realizing who it was and hurrying off. She ignored him, watching as he walked away before looking towards Sebastian.
“What were you guys talking about?” She asked.
“He’s being ridiculous,” Sebastian grumbled.
“Well, no shit. But what else?” Avalon rolled her eyes.
“The scriptorium,” He answered, annoyed. “Ominis swears it was used for the Dark Arts, so he wants nothing to do with it.”
“Really? Kind of shocking for a Gaunt to turn down the chance to use the Dark Arts.” She mumbled.
“Oi, I know you have a bias against the guy, but he’s been like that for as long as I’ve known him.”
Avalon felt a bit more uneasy at that, shifting in her spot. “So I’ve heard.”
“Anyway, I told him that Anne needs a cure. This scriptorium could hold the answers we need.”
“Even if it has to do with the Dark Arts?” Avalon eyed him curiously. She knew Sebastian was willing to do whatever it took to save Anne, but where was the line? Was he willing to use the same spells Avalon had been training to fight against? Was she okay with it?
“There’s more to Dark Magic than people realize. The Gaunts know this better than most.” Was his answer.
Avalon scowled at that. “Don’t you think I know that more than most as well?”
“I know you know that, but not the same way Ominis does.” Avalon flashed him a dangerous look, but he held a hand up. “Just listen to me, please. Ominis’ family history is personal to him, but you should know this. Ominis learned Dark Magic from his parents, including… the Cruciatus Curse.”
At the mention of the curse, Avalon seemed to shrink down, but Sebastian continued. “His parents and his older siblings had no qualms about casting it on muggles for sport. Ominis described the sound of the victim’s cries are horrific. So, when they were teaching it to him, he would never be able to do it because to use an unforgivable, you had to mean it.”
“He was able to do it easily on me,” Avalon said bitterly, raising a hand to touch the visible parts of her scar. “I guess he meant it when it came to me, but not on others.”
“No, that’s not- Wait. Let me finish.” Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck. “His family would torture him every night he couldn’t cast the curse on people. Whenever he failed, they would cast the curse on him instead. He told me it was agonizing. After he cast it on you, he felt unimaginable guilt. He told his parents he was never going to do anything like that ever again, even threatened to leave the family out of retaliation.”
“What, do you want me to give him a medal? A trophy for learning that torturing a person is harmful after he fucked up my face? ” She hissed, rage bubbling in her chest.
“No, Avalon, I’m saying that he’s traumatized from what happened and refuses to forgive himself. He had nightmares every night for years and didn’t start taking care of himself until he met Anne and me.”
“Stop, Sebastian.” Avalon hugged her arms, turning away from the brown-haired boy. “I don’t care what kind of trauma you claim he has. You have no idea about the shit he put me through, nor do you have the right to try and guilt me into believing he deserves an ounce of my pity.”
“Merlin- That’s not what I’m trying to do!” He threw his hands up, exacerbated. “I just wanted you to know the aftermath of what happened on his side. To maybe have the slightest empathy towards him, knowing he had to be put under the curse every night for a week straight.”
“I don’t have empathy for him,” She snapped, clenching her fists. “And you should drop it before I lose empathy for you as well.”
Sebastian gritted his teeth, knowing he’d never be able to get through to her at this rate. Her pain was too deep and still fresh. She wouldn’t be able to see Ominis’ point of view until he was crucio’ed himself.
“....Alright,” He relented, sighing in frustration. “Watch for my owl, I’ll talk to you soon.”
Avalon groaned as knocking on her door woke her from her deep slumber. She cracked her eyes open, grumbling to herself as she rolled out of bed.
“Oh my- Merlin , shut up! I’m coming!” She snapped, opening the door angrily.
Sebastian, who was expecting her to look unkempt, but wasn’t expecting to see her at her most natural form, eyes widened as he looked her up and down. He had seen her in her pajamas before; that wasn’t what shocked him. It was the fact that her entire upper right side of her face was covered in red, burn marks that looked like little lightning veins. Her right eyebrow was gone due to how severe the scarring was. It was almost as if part of her face peeled off and was stitched back on quite clumsily.
Avalon narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, questioningly. Then, slow realization formed on her face. She shut the door, taking her wand out and using the beauty charm. The scars disappeared, replaced by pale, unblemished skin.
When she opened the door again, she was wide awake. “ Don’t say anything.” She hissed, watching as Sebastian looked at her with pity.
“...You use a beauty charm?” He asked, softly.
Avalon whipped her eyes up to his, sending him another warning look. “I said, don’t . I don’t want to talk about it, and you won’t speak a word to anyone else. Okay?”
“I won’t tell anyone, but…” “Please, Sebastian. I don’t want to get into it.”
“I know, I’m just… You could have told me.” He said.
Avalon shook her head, her brows furrowed. “When could I have told you? When you were telling me I needed to forgive Ominis for doing this? When you were telling me about how I needed to have empathy for him?”
“No, but you’ve told me secrets before. You told me about the ancient magic stuff.” Sebastian argued, his hands hiding in his pockets.
“ This is more than just a secret,” Avalon motioned to her face. “And me telling you about ancient magic is different.”
“How?”
“Well, one is a super duper awesome thing that I can do and the other is an ugly reminder of why I hate your friend.”
“It’s not ugly,” Sebastian shook his head, trying to convince her he was trustworthy.
“It is, and that’s fine. I’ve accepted it. Now, why the hell are you waking me up at 1 am in the morning?” She crossed her arms under her chest, leaning on the doorframe.
“Well, I talked to Ominis.” She narrowed her eyes, but he kept talking. “I told him none of us will be able to avoid Dark Magic forever, so the more we know about Salazar Slytherin and the Dark Arts, the better prepared we’ll be.”
“You’re losing me,”
“Stay with me,” Sebastian pleaded. “Unfortunately, only a Gaunt knows the location of the scriptorium’s entrance and Ominis… won’t tell me.”
“Seriously losing me here, Sallow.”
“I know it sounds bad, but please trust me. This scriptorium could be the key to curing Anne’s illness.” He argued, his eyes burning with determination. “I know Ominis is the last person you want to work with right now, but I need him to show us the location. And… I was hoping you could try to talk to him about showing us.”
“ Me?” Avalon looked flabbergasted. “You want me to talk to Ominis about it? Are you off your rocker?”
“Please, Avalon,” Sebastian begged, “I can’t convince him, but if he were asked by someone he feels guilty towards, maybe-” “Sebastian, that’s the scummiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.” She felt a surge of disappointment towards him.
“I know , I’m just-” He sighed in frustration. “I just know the scriptorium has what I’m looking for. I know it’s shitty of me to ask this of you, but I’m desperate. I need your help, Avalon. Please.”
Avalon took a deep breath as she thought about her options. She knew Sebastian was desperate for this, but was she actually willing to manipulate Ominis to get what she wanted? Probably, yes. Now that she thought about it, were her moral reservations due to her disliking Sebastian’s dishonesty or because she was a good person?
… Well, it definitely wasn’t the latter.
She’s manipulated people before, countless times. In the muggle world, her dad told her to use everything to her advantage, including her sexuality. There would be times, on missions, where he would bring her and she would be the one to reel in the bad guy. Manipulation became second nature to her, something she always had at the ready in her toolbox.
Avalon noticed she stopped using it after becoming friends with Poppy and Sebastian. There wasn’t a real need to, considering she trusted them. She enjoyed manipulating people who were lower than her, and her friends were not.
Perhaps, she was hesitant because it was Ominis. It meant she had to talk to him casually, and she felt anything but casual with that man. So, to push herself, she thought of Anne. How kind she was to her and how much fun she had at Sebastian’s house. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Alright, fine. But you have to swear to me that this is it, Sebastian.” “I swear,” He said, quickly and excitedly.
“Then I’ll do it. Let me grab my robe and shoes.” She said, leaving the door open for Sebastian to come in.
He took a step inside, looking around the room as Avalon rummaged through the clothes on the floor to find her robe. It was a really small room, almost the size of a pantry, with just enough space for a bed to be pressed against the wall, a dresser to be on the other side next to a small desk with a candle on it. Multiple clothes were strewn about the floor, all outfits that Sebastian had seen her wear before. He never imagined her to be a disorganized person, but he found it a bit endearing to know her room was like this.
Once she laced her boots up, she pulled her hair out of its nightly braid, letting the still-damp strands loose. Her shampoo smelled of crisp apples and faint traces of vanilla and spices. Sebastian welcomed the scent, finding comfort in the warmth of the smell.
“Alright, let’s go.” She said, her eyes catching Sebastian’s for a moment before he blushed and turned away.
She followed him to where he said Ominis was waiting for him. The halls of Hogwarts seemed quiet, despite the usual noise. It was hauntingly beautiful to Avalon as she walked through every hall. She preferred when the castle was this quiet. It was peaceful.
Finally, they made it to the corridor where Avalon could see a dark figure of a student at the end of it. She felt her body instinctively freeze, but she needed to push through it. Sebastian nodded to her. “There he is, good luck.” He said.
Avalon snapped out of her daze, walking up the stairs and approaching the blonde closer and closer.
His head tilted up to the sound of her footsteps. He didn’t have his wand in his hand, but for some reason, he still knew it was her. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s a rude way to say hello to someone,” Avalon rolled her eyes, standing in front of him.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean it like that,” Ominis said, shocked she was choosing to talk to him. It seemed… suspicious.
“I know.” She said, but the hesitation made Ominis raise an eyebrow to her.
“Do you?”
“No, I don’t. I never know what you mean.” She admitted.
A moment of silence filled the air between them as Avalon dug through her brain, trying to figure out what to say. How was she supposed to go about this? She didn’t want to try and seduce him, that was off the table, but she needed to get him to lower his guard enough to speak openly to her.
“I’m sorry about what I said before when you were leaving the Undercroft,” He filled the silence between them. He knew this was a rare chance he had to speak to her, and he wanted to make sure he said sorry.
Avalon’s breath hitched as she felt another guttural pain in her chest. “It’s fine,” She lied.
“No, it wasn’t. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I was just so blinded by my rage at Sebastian for showing you the Undercroft, I misspoke. I’m sorry, Avalon. I’m sorry for a lot of things.”
For the first time, Avalon was inclined to believe him. His apology felt so genuine that she was actually taken aback. It felt raw, vulnerable.
“... I appreciate that, Ominis.” She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
A relief swelled over him as he let out a deep, held breath. He smiled a little at her, his handsome features reminding her that time had changed both of them. Up close, he somehow looked the same and yet so different. Older, taller, wiser.
“Well, as much as I am happy you talked to me, I’m guessing there’s a motive behind it.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’m guessing it has something to do with Sebastian.”
“Who would have guessed?” Avalon scoffed, “He told me about the scriptorium.”
“He did? Of course he did.” Ominis sighed, shaking his head. “He seems to think it contains the answer to saving Anne. I think it’s likely full of Dark magic that is better left untouched.”
“How do you know that for certain?” Avalon asked.
“I… don’t, but I have good reason to believe I’m right.” He said, straightening his back. “My favorite aunt, Noctua, also didn’t agree with the family on the use of Dark Magic. In fact, she’d hoped to convince my family that there was more to Salazar Slytherin than worshipping pure-blood status.”
Avalon flinched at him, saying the word ‘pure-blood’, but Ominis didn’t seem to notice. “She’d heard of this ‘scriptorium’ and thought its contents might shed some light on him. She even found the secret entrance in this very corridor.”
“How convenient,” Avalon said, looking around the dark corridor.
“Quite, isn’t it?” Ominis said, dryly. “She wrote regularly to my father about her efforts to gain access, and then she… vanished. No one else ever tried to enter.”
A sense of empathy washed over her. “... I’m sorry about your aunt,” She spoke, fidgeting with her nails.
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” He said, sincerely.
“Do you want to find out what happened to her?” Avalon asked, remembering her goal at hand.
Ominis furrowed his brow. “Aunt Noctua went down this path with good intentions and lost her life. I don’t want the same thing to happen again.”
“I understand,” Avalon said, but took another step towards him. “But I think… we can do this. This could benefit all of us. You could get answers about your aunt, Sebastian could get answers for Anne, and I…”
“What would you get out of this?” Ominis questioned.
“I could go back to sleep without Sebastian crying through my door,” Avalon muttered. Ominis snorted a laugh; the smile on his face was the brightest Avalon had seen him. “My point is, we could do this together. If you want to, that is.”
Ominis thought about it, but already knew his answer. Knowing Avalon was willing to come out here, speak to him without a fight, and show any kind of sympathy towards him showed how serious this was. Not just to Sebastian, to her. How could he deny her of anything when he promised he would do anything to make it up to her?
“... I see what you’ve done here. And I confess, you’ve convinced me.” He admitted. “Go fetch Sebastian, and I shall tell you what I know. I’ll wait.”
“Thank you, Ominis.” She said, softly.
She waved down Sebastian, who was leaning on the wall a bit way away.
Once Sebastian had walked up to them, Ominis began to speak. “These braziers grant access to the scriptorium.” He said.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the blonde. “Oh, now you’ll share? You wouldn’t tell me when I practically begged.”
“Perhaps he just needed a woman’s flair to convince him.” Avalon snidely remarked, looking around to the braziers down both hallways. She glanced down at her wand, the solution coming to her mind quite easily.
Quickly, she used confringo to light each of the three braziers. The wall beside Sebastian began to shift open, revealing a secret pathway.
Seriously? Was that all it took? Avalon inwardly chastised Salazar Slytherin for being an idiot.
“Merlin, that was quick,” Sebastian noted.
Ominis shifted uneasily. “I hope we're ready for this…”
“Of course we are,” Avalon stated, leading the way and walking down the spiral staircase. Sebastian and Ominis followed closely behind.
As she made it down, she looked around to see the ruins of a stone slab lying on the floor in front of a dark, decorative door. She used reparo, watching as the rubble swirled into the air and instantly fixed itself on the wall. The slab revealed a picture of a person and a snake.
“The rubble formed a relief of a person facing a snake,” Sebastian said, shocked.
“That must be the voice I hear…” Ominis shivered, the whispers growing louder and louder in his ears.
“A voice?” Avalon asked, turning to the blonde.
He nodded, but the fear on his face was more than apparent. “It started when you repaired that relief. I… hear a whisper saying… ‘speak to me.’”
Sebastian and Avalon looked towards him in alarm. Ominis continued, “I’m a Parselmouth… I can hear and speak to snakes. Nearly all known Parselmouths are descended from Salazar Slytherin.”
“Spooky,” Avalon commented, “How very ‘on brand’ of you.”
Ominis glared at her. “Thanks for that. I’m very much aware that it’s often associated with Dark wizards.”
“Hey, it fits your ‘dark, rich and handsome’ vibe.” She said, not paying attention to her words.
Ominis blushed at the notion of her calling him handsome, but pushed away the distractions as he turned his head towards the door. “I haven’t spoken it in ages, but I’d wager if I speak it now, the door will open. I’m… hoping you’re having second thoughts.”
Avalon shook her head, but clenched her robe a bit tighter around her. She probably should have changed out of her pajamas before coming here. “None here.”
“Ah, none here either,” Sebastian chimed in, feeling a bit left out as he watched the two interact.
“It’s ironic,” Ominis sighed, “When I left home, I vowed to leave the Dark Arts behind me. And yet… Here I am.”
“You left home?” She asked. She remembered Sebastian telling her he had threatened to leave the family, but not that he did it.
“Yes, I did.” He said, his pale eyes looking right past hers. “After what I did to you, I couldn’t forgive myself and fought with my parents to find you to try and… alleviate the pain I inflicted. They refused, so I left. If it wasn’t for Sebastian, I suppose I would have had a much harder time.”
“I didn’t know…” Avalon admitted. For some reason, she felt empathetic for the boy. Gone was the anger she felt whenever Sebastian brought up his traumas, but hearing it from Ominis himself was… different. It felt more intimate than just hearing it from someone else.
“Well… I didn’t know about your… past… as well.” He responded softly.
Avalon felt… conflicted. She had never given him the chance to talk to her, so she never was able to truly hear him out. After he genuinely apologized to her, it felt as if her walls were slowly coming down for some reason. She still felt guarded, perhaps a bit skeptical, but somehow she found herself willing to empathize with him. Even though before, she positively refused to.
She furrowed her brows together. No, she had to stop giving him the benefit of the doubt. He had tormented her for months and permanently scarred her for life. She had to hold onto that.
“Stand back,” He said, “I can’t believe I’m doing this…”
And then he began to speak in low hisses and whispers that Avalon couldn’t understand. She backed up to stand next to Sebastian, goosebumps crawling on her arms and legs as she felt the air turn cold around them.
In a moment, the eyes on the snakes from the door lit up green and began to slide up the metal to the top. The door clinked to unlock and opened itself up.
“Wow, it worked,” Sebastian exclaimed. “Between the two of you, I’m starting to feel left out of the special abilities department.”
“The two of us?” Ominis questioned, looking at Avalon, who glared at Sebastian.
“Oops.” He said, quickly walking past them through the door to escape her wrath.
“Sebastian, I’m going to confringo you up your ass!” She threatened, storming off after him.
“I’m sorry, it was a slip of tongue!”
“Abilities?” Ominis interrupted, raising an eyebrow at her direction.
Avalon sighed and flipped her hair behind her. “Yes, yes, I have magical, awesome abilities that allow me to see traces of an Ancient Magic. Can we move on?”
“Wait, what?!”
“ Drop. It. ” She seethed, lifting her wand and using Lumos to light up the dark corridor.
She looked around, seeing stone walls everywhere and unlit torches. Sebastian lit the torch up, allowing them to be able to see much more easily.
“There’s no clear way forward…” Sebastian muttered.
“Like a maze,” Ominis nodded. “Salazar Slytherin most likely wanted this to be difficult to solve.”
Behind them, the door they entered through closed shut. Avalon almost jumped at the noise.
“There looks to be more than one gate ahead,” Sebastian mentioned, walking forward, leaving Avalon and Ominis to stand behind.
She felt chills everywhere she looked. It all just seemed so… creepy. And not in a beautifully haunting way like she liked. It felt dark and overwhelming. She instinctively tightened her grip around her wand, turning around the corner to find these indents in the wall with some sort of mechanism on them.
Avalon reached her fingertips out to touch the metal snake head on the top of the machine. It clicked, the cylinders beneath the snake beginning to turn slowly. She looked at the strange symbols carved into them, watching closely as hissing surrounded the air around her.
“Avalon? What are you doing?” She heard Sebastian behind her, watching her curiously.
“It looks like some kind of mechanism connected to the door,” She said, tilting her head to the side. After a couple of moments, another click was heard, and suddenly the metal snake lashed outwards at her. She gasped, lifting her arm for it to sink its fangs into her flesh.
“Avalon!” Sebastian and Ominis rushed to her side, terrified by the blood exuding from the two puncture holes in her upper arm. She hissed in pain, holding her wrist up so she could stop the blood flow.
“Merlin, are you alright?” Sebastian asked, examining the wound.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Avalon said, trying to look around for something to wrap her wound with. “Fucker came out of nowhere. It’s just bleeding, I don’t think it's venomous.”
“Here,” Ominous took off his tie and handed it to her. “Use this.”
She took it, gratefully, and wrapped it tightly around her puncture wounds. “Thanks,”
He nodded, but slid his hands down his face. “I knew this was a bad idea,” Ominis moaned, dread filling his body.
“Hey, we’re fine,” Sebastian said, trying to add a bit of optimism to the mix. “It looks like the symbols on the door are meant to match the symbols on the mechanism.”
“Are we really going to try again after it just attacked Avalon?”
“Yes, we are.” Avalon stubbornly went back to the machine, her arm wrapped in Ominis’ tie, and began twisting the symbols to match the one on the door. In a second, the door clicked and began to slide upwards to open.
“Was about to do that myself,” Sebastian said, pridefully. “But you got to it first.”
“Oh, sure you were, Sallow. I saw you throw yourself at it after I got bit,” She sarcastically said, walking through the doorway and up the set of stairs.
“You’re absolutely mental, both of you,” Ominis sighed, following Avalon’s lead with Sebastian close behind.
Another door with two more symbols greeted them. This time, Avalon found the mechanism in another room. Again, she solved it and led the two through the doors.
“Impressive, nice work,” Ominis complimented, genuinely surprised she was getting the puzzles so quickly.
“I don’t need your praise, Gaunt,” She mumbled, passing by him to the next door.
“Is she always this hot and cold?” Ominis muttered to himself, being heard only by Sebastian, who chuckled at him.
“You have no idea,”
There was another dial lock puzzle and another easy solution for Avalon. She breezed through the corridors, using Lumos to navigate the darkness. The two followed her dutifully, the feeling of uncertainty filling the air around them as they went deeper and deeper into the maze.
“I spotted something ahead,” Sebastian noted, squinting his eyes. “Looks troubling.”
“This whole place is troubling,” Ominis shuddered, feeling the cold draft touch his skin. “But for my aunt’s sake, we cannot stop now.”
“Oh? Getting into the adventuring spirit, Gaunt?” Avalon teased, her eyes catching the sight of a small piece of paper on the wall indent.
She read it, her eyes flashing in recognition at the signature at the bottom. Noctua Gaunt.
“Ominis, look at this,” She said, then cringed at herself as she realized the predicament. “Whoops, actually let me read it to you.”
She read the paper, Ominis’ brows furrowing as he listened.
“Painful…” He shifted nervously. “That’s the part I’m wary of.”
Sebastian shrugged. “All I heard was rewards. Let’s keep going.” He said, motioning towards the opened door they had yet to explore. Avalon nodded, following him in with Ominis trailing slowly behind.
The lights in the corridor blazed to life, and the door behind them slammed shut and locked itself. Avalon turned her head, her eyes widened as she realized they were indeed trapped in here.
“I think we’re locked in, again,” Sebastian said, grabbing the bars and trying to open it himself. Nothing budged.
“No shit,” Avalon groaned, looking around at their surroundings to try and see if there was another puzzle to let them out.
“It means Salazar Slytherin is not yet finished with us,” Ominis begrudgingly spoke.
Avalon followed Sebastian towards another hauntingly decorative door. Another piece of old paper caught her eye. She picked it up, reading the contents as her mood got darker and colder with each word.
She almost dropped the note on the ground from how horrified she was. Her eyes turned and trailed the brutally written ‘Crucio’ on the floor. No. No, no, no. She knew what this meant, what was needed to get out of this room.
Sebastian watched her expression go from confident to horrified. No, not just horrified, she was terrified . He had never seen Avalon so terrified before.
“Avalon? What does the note say?” He asked, hesitantly.
Avalon couldn’t speak, she just handed him the note and pressed her back against the wall. She was in a daze, a trance. She knew that something was going to happen in this room that wasn’t going to be nice.
As Sebastian read the note and read the writing on the ground, his eyes widened in understanding. He looked towards the two, watching as Avalon dissociated and Ominis stared at them in confusion. “Well? What does it say?”
“Oh, Ominis,” Sebastian shook his head. “I’m sorry, there’s a skeleton in the corner and this note, signed by your aunt.”
Ominis felt his breath hitch as he understood what that meant. “This is where she died,” He breathed in realization. “This is where we’ll die. I… I shouldn’t have listened to either of you.” He covered his face with his hands.
“Ominis, I’m truly sorry about your aunt.” Sebastian raised his eyes, turning to face his friends. “But I know what to do.”
Avalon snapped out of her trance, facing him with terror in her eyes. She shook her head vigorously. “No.”
“We have to, Avalon.”
“ No. ”
“What? Have to do what?” Ominis pressed, his voice shaking from the anxiety.
“Tortured faces on the door, and Crucio is etched into the stone. My guess is if we cast the Cruciatus curse, the door will open.” Sebastian revealed.
Avalon felt every cell in her body freeze as she backed away from him and his words. She felt her scar burn, the phantom pains clawing their way back into her skin as she remembered how it hurt. Ominis felt his breath hitch as terror and rage held his bones together.
“No, Sebastian, there has to be another way!” Ominis exclaimed, outraged.
“That’s why Noctua died. She had no one to cast the curse on.” He argued, looking towards Avalon and then to Ominis.
“Ominis, you should cast the curse. You have the most experience with it.”
Ominis scoffed, shaking his head. “No, Sebastian, I won’t do it.”
“But-” “I won’t do it. ” He hissed, stubbornly. He paced back and forth a little away from the two, the trauma and memories etching their way back into his mind. The screams… The sobs… Avalon… No, he can’t do it.
“Ominis, you can’t blame yourself for what happened-” “ Sebastian !” Ominis shouted, his eyes blazing with pain and regret. “I will not cast that curse! That spell is the reason I have no family left. It tore me apart to know that the only way I could have cast it was if I truly meant it. And for that, I shall never forgive myself.”
Avalon’s eyes widened as she processed the words that came out of Ominis’ mouth. His pain, his genuine regret, finally hit her how deeply and dramatically he had changed from the little boy he once was. The man before her was not the same as the boy who tortured her, but a person full of regret and guilt. Guilt that Avalon wouldn’t let him alleviate.
Sebastian yelled in frustration, his hands running down his face as he instead turned his attention to Avalon.
“It’s up to us,” He said, staring at her with regret. “I can teach you Crucio, or I can cast it on you.”
Avalon felt as if the world froze after hearing those words. Her lips trembled as she clenched her fists. “What?” She whispered.
“I’m sorry, Avalon, but we have no choice,” Sebastian said, trying to show her how dire a situation they were in. “Please, I need you to choose.”
“Sebastian, no , I can’t,” She breathed, shaking her head. “I won’t cast the curse, I refuse .”
It broke Sebastian’s heart hearing how small her voice became. Avalon, the prideful, confident witch with enough power to destroy an army of goblins, was now standing in front of him in her pajamas, shaking, terrified, and vulnerable. He hated that it had to come to this, but they truly had no choice.
“Then I’m going to have to cast it on you,” He said, watching as she began to hyperventilate.
“I-I can’t.. Please don’t make me-” “We don’t have a choice!” Sebastian grabbed her by the arms, watching as she shrank in his grip. Tears prickled the corners of her eyes as her body went limp. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and steeling her spirit as she accepted what needed to be done.
With a short, small nod, Sebastian let go of her and positioned her next to the door. He took a shaky breath himself, trying to steel his resolve while looking at Avalon’s broken face.
“I’ll be quick, do you want me to count?”
She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as her body began to physically shake from the fear.
Before either of them could move, Ominis rushed over and stood in front of her. Avalon’s eyes snapped open, staring in shock at the back of the blonde’s head. He was shaking himself, she could feel his back pressed against her front.
“Stop,” He said, his voice cracking. Sebastian stopped his wand movements and looked at Ominis in disbelief. “Cast it on me.”
“What? Ominis-” “I can take it,” Ominis pressed, guiding Avalon to stand away from him as he took her place.
“Ominis, you… You don’t have to.” Avalon said meekly, reaching out and grabbing his robe sleeve.
“Yes, I do,” He turned, his pale eyes not being able to locate her precisely, but he looked in her general direction. “I promised I would do everything in my power to fix my mistake from all those years ago. And I meant it. I will never let you go through that pain again, Avalon.”
Her heart thrummed at his words, another tear falling down her cheek as she gripped his robe sleeve tighter.
“I know this won’t make up for the torment I put you through, but I hope you can believe me when I say I’m sorry.” He pulled her hand off his robe sleeve and turned towards Sebastian’s direction.
“Are you sure?” Sebastian asked, cautiously. “You can still cast it on me.”
“No, I won’t.” Ominis shook his head, straightening his back to prepare for what was to come. “And I’m sure.”
Sebastian nodded, taking a deep breath before doing the wand movements. “Crucio!”
A beam of red, lightning-like magic blasted from his wand and his Ominis in his chest. Ominis let out a guttural scream, clutching his stomach in agony and falling onto his knees. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t speak, all her could do was let out noises of pure agony. The red static crawled over his body and onto the door covered in agonizing faces. It began to glow red before melting away to open the door.
Avalon rushed over to Ominis, grabbing his shoulders and letting him lean against her body. He hissed and gripped her arm tightly as waves of sharp pain shot through him. It felt like a lifetime between the gasps of pain and the groans that escaped his lips. Avalon held him, closely, knowing the agony he was in was truly unimaginable. How cruel to recognize the familiarity of shared agony. The scar on her face beneath the beauty charm throbbed as it remembered the torture she had gone through all those years ago.
Finally, after a couple more moments, he was able to breathe again. He opened his eyes, his head against Avalon’s collarbone and his hand still holding her flesh, but looser now.
“Are you alright?” Avalon asked, softly, still holding him while she helped him to his feet.
He grunted and nodded his head, putting some of his weight on her. “Yes… It was just as bad as I remembered it.” He chuckled ironically.
Avalon felt pain in her heart as she held the blonde. He was still twitching, still huffing from the aftermath. She remembered when she was younger, how she had writhed on the floor and screamed loud enough to drown out the thunder outside. She remembered how it burned and sliced like knives being dragged deep along her face. He took that from her. He protected her from having to go through that again.
“...Thank you,” She whispered into his ear, his scent entering her nose of cedarwood and peppermint. While Sebastian smelled of spice and freshness, Ominis smelled grounded, earthy, and cool. She preferred how he smelled , Avalon thought to herself.
He nodded weakly, trying to get to his feet with Avalon’s help. Her hair brushed against his nose, seeing as she was shorter than he by a couple of inches. Apples and vanilla, he thought, what a sweet combination for someone as aggressive as her.
They wobbled into the scriptorium while Sebastian waltzed in himself. He looked guilty, at the very least, for a moment before his eyes widened in awe at what was before them.
“We made it…” He announced, excitedly. “We found Salazar Slytherin’s scriptorium!”
“I can’t believe we're here…” Ominis said, still leaning on her, but not moving. They stood at the entrance, letting Sebastian roam around.
“Look, a book,” Sebastian said, picking up the book on the stone altar.
“You read it, Sebastian, I’m going to find somewhere to let Ominis sit.” Avalon finally spoke up after being quiet for an abnormal amount of time. Sebastian nodded, wandering up the stairs while opening the book in his hands.
Avalon found an unopened chest nearby and helped Ominis take a seat. From her pockets, she took out a wiggenweld potion and opened it. “Here,” She said, taking his hand and putting the potion in it.
“Thank you,” Ominis took the potion, gratefully. He downed it in one swig, feeling the pain in his chest alleviate little by little.
“Ah…” He sighed in relief, leaning his head back to stare his eyes blankly at the ceiling. “I can’t believe we did this.”
“Nor can I,” She admitted, feeling her hair fall over her shoulder as she stood above him.
She looked down at her arm, her eyes tracing the outline of his tie that she was using as a bandage. Guilt crept its way up her spine. Ominis took a hit for her, one that she was terrified of having to face. He took the curse, despite having to be tortured with it as a child for an entire week. Despite him being terrified of the pain, he chose to save her from the torture and take it himself. All because Avalon convinced him to come along with them.
“Are you alright?” Ominis asked, the empty potion bottle still in his hands.
She shook her head, “I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you before,” She said, softly. “I was so cruel to you when you had done nothing but try to apologize to me.”
“Hey,” Ominis grabbed her hand, “I deserved it. After everything that you went through because of me… I deserved much worse.”
“No, you didn’t,” Avalon sat next to him on the chest, her bare legs gaining goosebumps from the cool metal. “You changed for the better, Ominis, and I refused to believe it. I’m sorry I was such a bitch to you.”
“I’m sorry for bullying you when we were younger.”
Avalon hummed, staring off into the dark distance and hearing Sebastian rummage through pages on the upper floor.
“Why did you target me?” She asked, letting her hand rest in his cold one.
“... Honestly? It’s because you were better than me in every class we had together.” He squeezed her hand. “I was jealous. And at that point, I believed everything my parents told me about the world. You know, the pure-blood superiority complex.”
“Ah, the pure-blood bullshit.”
He chuckled, “Yes, bullshit. But that was really it. It didn’t help that the Malfoys are family friends either. Vincent would constantly goad me into trying to hurt you more and more as time went on. I think he was intimidated by how much the professors liked you.” Ominis said, thoughtfully. “Not that I was any better.”
“It’s insane to think how much we’ve changed in six years,” Avalon kicked her feet a bit against the chest. “I thought you and Malfoy would get married with how annoying you both were.”
“Married? To a Malfoy?” He rolled his eyes. “I might be blind, but even I can see how ugly he is.”
Avalon laughed, the sound making Ominis’ heart pound a little bit louder and faster in his chest. She turned to him, her eyes sparkling like sapphires as she then got up from her spot, taking her hand out of his. Ominis mourned the loss, almost instinctively reaching out to grab her hand again, but stopping himself.
“Come on,” She said, “Let’s go make sure Sebastian isn’t tearing the place up.”
He nodded, standing up and wobbling a bit. His head was quite dizzy, despite the potion helping the majority of his pain. Avalon rushed forward, fitting herself under his arm and helping him stand. She wrapped her arm around his waist and let him lean his surprisingly sturdy body against hers.
He thanked her, and together they walked up the stairs to the upper level where Sebastian was, combing through his book. He peered up when he heard them approach.
“There you two are,” He said, smiling. “You both alright with each other now?”
Ominis was about to respond, but Avalon did for him. “Yeah, we’re good.”
He peeked down at her and felt excitement bubble in his chest. They were good? She said they were good? Does that mean he was forgiven?
“Well, good,” Sebastian said, closing the book and holding it under his arm. “Now, let’s explore this room.”
Avalon and Ominis glared at the brown haired boy. “You’re joking.” She deadpanned.
“What? Don’t you think this place is cool?” Sebastian asked, innocently.
“I’ve been getting an uneasy feeling about this place. We shouldn’t linger. Let’s find a way out, please.” He pleaded with Avalon, who was nodding in agreement.
“I don’t want to leave,” Sebastian sighed, “But I owe you. Both of you. Without both of you, we’d have never made it this far.”
Ominis shook his head. “We were lucky, we could have died! We must swear to never to do this again.”
“I actually agree with Gaunt,” Avalon said, walking towards a big, stone face statue.
“Words I never thought I’d hear,” Sebastian admitted, following them.
With Ominis still leaning on her, Avalon peered at the weird face and poked it with her finger. The stone began to rumble and turn, revealing a place to stand, presumably an exit. She walked in with Ominis, pressing herself against him to fit together. Ominis’ face burned bright red as he anxiously looked down at the girl.
“Avalon?! What’s happening?” “It’s just an exit, calm down.” She sighed, feeling the stone rumble again and turn. Ominis held his breath, feeling her soft, supple body against his, only being separated by his clothes and the loose clothes on her body. He hated that he was hyper aware of the fact that she definitely wasn’t wearing a bra.
The exit led them back out in the corridor. Avalon guided the blonde out, pressed firmly against his body before finally being able to separate once they were in the open. Sebastian followed behind them, walking to where the door to the common room would be.
“Ominis, about your aunt-” “Please, Sebastian. I meant what I said before. We swear, right now, never to engage in anything to do with Dark Magic again.” Ominis said, firmly.
Sebastian felt his breath hitch, but under Avalon’s steely gaze, he sighed and nodded in agreement. “Understood. I’m truly sorry about your aunt, Ominis.”
Sebastian entered the common room without them, giving Avalon a nod goodbye and leaving them alone in the hallway.
“Are you still in pain?” She asked, feeling her body begin to slug from the lack of sleep.
“I’m alright now, thank you.” He said, leaning his weight off of her and standing on his own feet. “I suppose… after all of this, I am grateful to know what happened to my aunt,” He admitted, feeling a bit disappointed as Avalon let him go to stand in front of him instead. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Avalon said, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t thank me, actually. I’m the reason you had to get crucio’ed again.”
“Don’t blame yourself for that, I’m glad I was able to prevent you from having to go through it.” He assured her.
“Still, I feel awful.” Avalon ran her fingers against the fabric of his tie.
“Please don’t, Avalon,” He pressed, smiling at her. “Let’s just call it even and start over. Perhaps… as friends?” His tone shift made it sound like a question.
Avalon smiled softly, reaching out and taking his hand before shaking it. “Okay, friends.”
Then she remembered. “Oh, your tie,” She said, rushing to undo it around her arm. Ominis shook his head and held a hand up. “Keep it,” He said, “I would rather you not bleed all over the floor.”
“It’s a nice tie though,” She mentioned, marveling at the quality of the fabric.
“Of course it is,” He huffed. “It cost 700 Galleons.”
Her eyes widened in horror, “ 700 Galleons?! Ominis, please take the tie back.”
“Nope, it’s yours now.” He smirked, remembering how she called him ‘dark, rich, and handsome’ earlier.
“Damnit, Gaunt,” She flushed, gripping the end of the tie. “I’ll wash it for you and give it back.”
“I won’t accept it. Seriously, Avalon, keep it. I have ten more just like it.”
“Who needs ten ties?” She gawked.
“Well, I wouldn’t be ‘dark, rich, and handsome’ if I didn’t have a multitude of unnecessary ties.” He teased, making her cheeks blush brighter.
“ Never mention I said that. If you do, I’ll kick your ass.” She hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away. “I’m going to sleep. Now that Sebastian is done with his bullshit, I need to pass out.”
“Alright, Goodnight, Avalon.”
“Goodnight, Gaunt.”
Chapter 12: Healing (Me and You)
Chapter Text
Since their adventure to the scriptorium, Ominis and Avalon had gotten along much better. With Sebastian and Poppy, all four of them created a small group that sat together in the great hall for meals. It was nice, having a group to sit with. Avalon never thought she would crave social interaction like this before, but she found herself looking forward to mealtime and classes that she had with her friends.
Friends. Avalon was surprised she was able to make any, to be honest. She knew about her attitude and how people around her perceived it. Not that she really cared about what others thought, but she did come to care about what her friends thought. It was strange, really, how things changed so quickly in such little time.
A part of her wished things could be like this forever. Just the four of them doing regular school things. But of course, that kind of life doesn’t belong to her.
Sebastian knocked on her dorm door late in the night again , walking in as soon as she opened it.
“You’ll never believe what I’ve learned,” He said, holding the book under his arm.
Avalon gave him an annoyed look. “Why can’t you learn something when it’s daylight out and not in the middle of the fucking night?” She said, crassly.
“Because how else will I get any thinking done without bothering you while doing it?” He mocked, sitting on her bed.
She rolled her eyes, shutting the door behind him and locking it. She was happy she kept the beauty charm on a bit longer, not wanting her scar to be visible in front of people. Yes, Sebastian saw it, but it didn’t erase the years of insecurity laced with its existence.
Avalon sat next to him on the bed, her shorts replaced by plaid, navy pajama bottoms due to the weather getting colder. Her t-shirt was replaced by a black, spaghetti strap camisole that hugged her body tightly. While Sebastian mourned the loss of her bare legs on display, he couldn’t help but rejoice at the sight of her breasts. As men do.
“Oi,” Avalon snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, which were glued to her chest. “Eyes up here.”
Sebastian blushed, but wasn’t embarrassed. “Listen, you’re the one flaunting them, can’t help but look at what’s in front of me.”
“Excuse me, Sallow, but you barged into my room before I could put something else on,” She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Just admit you’re a pervert.”
“I’m an 18-year-old boy with raging hormones.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course, I am.”
“Glad we have that cleared up, now what did you learn?” She said, getting down to business.
“Salazar Slytherin’s spellbook was a little difficult to interpret, but fascinating,” He said, opening it in his lap. “Evidently, he encouraged teaching Dark Magic at Hogwarts. Neither the Imperius curse nor the killing curse was unforgivable during his time. He believed students should be prepared to use Dark Magic when necessary, not to fear it. That’s why we have to use crucio to gain access to the scriptorium. He didn’t want his knowledge shared with anyone who was afraid of the power of Dark Magic.”
Avalon gave him a look. “Sebastian, please tell me you’re not about to suggest we learn Dark Magic? How is the killing curse going to heal Anne?”
“It’s not, but I can’t say I regret using crucio to get out of that room. You have to admit, it was our only option.” He said.
“How could you say that?” She asked in complete shock. “Ominis, your best friend , had to relive his childhood torture because we convinced him to try and find this scriptorium.”
“And I’m sorry he was in pain, but I’m not sorry for getting us out and finding this book.” He said, stubbornly. “Please understand that everything I’m doing, everything I’m researching, it’s all for Anne’s sake.”
Avalon bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t like where this conversation was heading and immediately thought of telling Ominis. Surely together they could convince Sebastian that the path he’s going down is a dark one. But first, she had to figure out what his plans were.
“Okay, Sebastian,” Avalon clenched her fists as she tried to calm herself down. “What else did you find?”
“References to a lost relic which, from what I can tell, grants the holder the power to reverse Dark Magic curses.” He admitted, his eyes bright with excitement. “I’m going to go search for this relic, but I wanted to know if you would come with me. I know your hesitation with Dark Magic, and I’ll respect your decision of whether to come or not, but I wanted to at least tell you in case I go missing or something.”
“Doesn’t it worry you? The prospect of you going missing?” She asked, worry seeping into her consciousness.
“Of course, but… I figured if you came, it would be a breeze.” He flashed her a smile, but it was only met with worried eyes. “For now, I’m not going to tell anyone else, and I ask that you don’t either. Especially Ominis, he wouldn’t understand.”
“Of course,” Avalon lied through her teeth, patting him on the back to feign support. “And… Let me think about coming along. I have some stuff to do myself.”
“Alright, just owl me when you know your answer.” He said, standing up to leave.
“I will.” She replied, waving goodbye as he left her room.
It had been a day since Sebastian had come to her room, and she had been carefully monitoring his movements. Once he left campus, presumably to visit Anne, she had searched the entire castle trying to find Ominis.
She had found him near the charms classroom by the Gryffindor common room, talking to someone.
“Come with me,”
Ominis jumped fifty feet in the air when he felt Avalon’s breath on the back of his neck. He swirled around, eyes wide and a hand on his heart. “Merlin, Avalon, where did you come from?”
She rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm and pulling him up the stairs towards the Astronomy tower. “Just come with me, Gaunt.”
He started to protest, but by how tightly she was holding his arm, he could tell it was urgent. He let her lead him up the stairs to the corridor with the hanging quilt. Avalon reached her hand out, the wall morphing and changing into a door that opened to her touch. She dragged him into the room of requirement, shutting the door behind them.
“Where did you just take us?” He asked, the air feeling weird around him. He didn’t recognize this room. Quickly, Ominis scrambled to grab his wand from his pocket, letting the soft blinking light glow from the tip.
It was a room he had never seen before, with a large table in the middle on top of a huge, rectangular rug. There were other doorways too, one leading to an area below with a brewing station, some potted plants, and a huge amount of space covered in bookshelves filled with books. The other doors, he couldn’t see what they led to. They were enchanted, that much he could tell, but what lay after them was a mystery.
“My room of requirement,” She answered, letting go of his arm to take her wand out. She flicked her wrist, conjuring a large, hefty book, and placed it on the table. “I needed us to have privacy, away from the students or anyone that could possibly hear us.”
Ominis walked forward, placing his hand on the table and feeling the coolness of the wood. He turned his head in her general direction, his wand showing her worried expression. “Avalon, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Sebastian,” She admitted, sighing. “He’s not stopping with Dark Magic to find a cure for Anne. Ominis, I need you to listen to me and not act irrationally.”
Ominis was about to protest, horrified with what he just heard, but Avalon’s expression made him stop.
“Listen,” She said, brushing her bangs behind her ear. “He came to me the other night, excited to show me what he had learned from Salazar Slytherin’s spellbook. He spoke about how Slytherin wanted Dark Magic to be taught at Hogwarts, that students shouldn’t have to fear it. He said he didn’t regret using crucio and that it saved us.” She spoke bitterly at that, remembering the way Ominis crumbled from the curse.
“Further in the book, he said there was a mention of some Dark Relic that could reverse curses. He said he was going to go look for it and asked me to come along, but…” She trailed off, biting the inside of her cheek.
“You can’t do it.” Ominis finished, softly.
Avalon nodded, rubbing her arm. “I can’t do anything related to Dark Magic, it’s just not… Anyways,” She turned to him. “He told me not to tell you, saying you wouldn’t understand. I don’t think he realized that I wouldn’t either. I had to wait for you guys not to be together, until he left the castle, so I could talk to you without raising any alarm bells. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went to the keepers, you know, the ones that are guiding me on how to use Ancient Magic.”
“Yes, I remember,” He said.
“I asked them if there was any way to reverse Anne’s curse using Ancient Magic, and they got all… weird about it. They didn’t want to tell me anything, so I took this book that Sebastian and I got from the library’s restricted section-”
“You mean when you both snuck in?”
“Yup, don’t judge me, it may have saved us.” She chastised, flicking her ponytail behind her.
“I was looking through the book and found this… spell. It won’t reverse Anne’s curse, but it’ll essentially put it into a kind of stasis,” She explained, opening the book and turning to the page she found the spell at. “It requires an insane amount of Ancient Magic to do, and I would have to be near Anne… essentially for the rest of our lives. The spell lasts a couple of months and I would have to continue to cast it forever, but… It would work. She would get better, since the curse she has is more like… a parasite. That’s the best way to describe it.”
Ominis tried to absorb all the information she was giving him, but it was almost too much. Avalon put a hand up. “I know it’s a lot, and I’m sorry for dumping it on you-” “No, no,” Ominis shook his head. “I’m grateful to you for keeping me in the loop. As well as researching this for Anne. I’m sorry, it’s just a lot to take in.”
“I understand,” She shut the book. “The problem is… Sebastian won’t stop. I was debating on telling him about this, but… If it fails, I don’t want him to know and fall deeper into Dark Magic.”
“It could fail?” Ominis asked.
“There’s a chance if I don’t have enough Ancient Magic to complete the spell the first time, it could kill me.” She admitted.
Ominis stared at her in disbelief. “Avalon, you can’t use it then. Not if it puts your life at risk.”
“We don’t have a choice, Ominis,” She said, determined. “Sebastian is going to look for the relic any day now and fall deeper and deeper into Dark Magic more than he already has. I saw the look on his face,” Avalon shook her head. “He wholeheartedly believes that Dark Magic is the answer to every problem we have. I can’t let him continue down that path.”
“There has to be another way-” “There isn’t,” Avalon cut him off. “I looked everywhere for another possible cure, but there’s truly nothing. And this is a cure only I can do, so of course the other healers at St. Mungo’s wouldn’t have known about it. This is it.”
Ominis went quiet for a moment, taking her words in and letting them settle in his brain. She was right, this truly seemed like the best and only option. He couldn’t let Sebastian go down this path either, not when he knew what Dark Magic could do to a person, to a family.
“Alright,” He said, accepting this outcome. “What do you need me to do?”
“We need to talk to Anne,” Avalon said, taking her wand out and conjuring a piece of paper and a quill. “I’ll send her a message we’re coming and to let us know when Sebastian leaves the cottage. We’ll fly over, explain the plan to her, and ask her to distract Sebastian for a while. Just until I can gather enough Ancient Magic to do the spell.”
“Gather?” Ominis asked.
“Yes, there are these… Ancient Magic hot spots all around the valley. The more I absorb, the more powerful I get. I just need enough to be able to beat the parasite. That will improve my chances of surviving.”
“What are the chances of you failing?”
Avalon thought about it for a moment and made a side-to-side motion with her hand. “Maybe… 40/60? In favor of… not surviving?”
“Avalon-” “Just as I am now!” She quickly added. “Once I get enough magic, it should be 80/20 in favor of me surviving.”
“Those aren’t amazing odds,” He said, worried.
“I know, but again, not like we have a choice.” She began writing a very quick, vague note to Anne and conjured her owl. She gave the note to it, watching as it flew off and disappeared to deliver the message.
“... Can you use a broom?” She asked curiously.
Ominis gave her a look. “Oh yes, because I’m able to see every obstacle in front of me and not crash.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, Gaunt, don’t sass me. It was an honest question.”
“I know, it’s just fun to tease you.” He smiled at her. “No, I don’t own a broom, and I cannot fly. My wand sends images to my brain at a much slower rate than one might realize. So if I fly, the images aren’t sent fast enough to my brain and I will most likely crash.”
“Mmm, I see,” Avalon nodded along. “Do you have any other classes today?”
“I have Astronomy tonight at 6.”
“Well, it’s 2 pm now, it takes thirty minutes to get to Feldcroft by broom, and we’re not taking a broom. So… just a guess… maybe forty-five minutes if Highwing flies quickly.”
“Highwing? Who’s that?”
Avalon smirked. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.”
“I don’t like the way you said that,” Ominis said, feeling a bit nervous now.
“Don’t worry, you’ll love her.” She promised, which reminded her. “Actually, come with me, you can meet her now along with some other friends.”
She got up, Ominis following her through one of the mysterious doors hesitantly. He was met with a fresh, ocean breeze. His wand showed him the environment around him, which was completely changed from the nice bookshelves. Now, he was out on a beach, in the open, with seagulls cawing above them.
“Did we just teleport?!” He felt the sand give way for his shoes below him.
Avalon laughed, shaking her head. “Nope. It’s a pocket universe, in a way.” She explained. “It’s where I keep my beasts.”
“Beasts? You keep beasts in here?”
“Yup,” She put two fingers into her mouth and blew, a whistle echoing in the distance.
Ominis almost fell over as two huge beasts flew down and landed in front of her and him. Hippogriffs, large and majestic, stood in front of them, cawing and tilting their heads to the side at the new arrival.
“Ominis,” Avalon grinned at him. “This is Highwing,” She motioned to the white one. “And Aesop.” She then motioned to the dark one.
Ominis walked up to the two beasts meekly. “You have hippogriffs in your room of requirement…” He said in disbelief.
“And a kneazle, two fwoopers, two jobberknolls, a giant purple toad, and a niffler.” She recited, conjuring the beast feed Poppy had given her a bit ago. She fed Highwing, which drew out the other beasts slowly.
“You wanna feed Aesop?” She asked, holding the bucket of feed out to him. Ominis looked between her and the black hippogriff, his nerves making him want to run away. But the sparkle in her eyes made him stay put. How could he possibly refuse her when she seemed so excited?
He sighed and took a handful of feed out, carefully and cautiously holding his palm out and shutting his eyes tightly.
After a moment, Aesop began munching on the food in his hand. It didn’t hurt, like he thought it would. He opened one eye, relaxing into the motion.
“There you go, no need to be afraid,” Avalon teased, nudging him with her shoulder.
Ominis eventually smiled, enjoying the feeling and sounds the hippogriff was making. He realized something after the scriptorium, he was easily convinced by the dark haired woman. Especially after they made up, everything seemed so much less tense than before. Including her. She still had a bit of attitude to her, but it was all jokes now. He felt relaxed around her, almost as if he had known her just as long as he had known Sebastian and Anne. It was… nice. Being friends with Avalon, that is.
“Wait, did you name the hippogriff after Professor Sharp?” He asked.
Avalon feigned an innocent look. “I would never, not our esteemed Professor Sharp.”
“I can’t believe you did that,” He chuckled. “Actually, I can.”
“They’re both tall, dark, and brooding,” She said, giving the feed to the rest of the animals. “I couldn’t help it.”
“No, it makes perfect sense to me.” Ominis felt the kneazle rub against his leg, purring.
“Someone seems to like you, Gaunt.” She raised an eyebrow, a smile on her face.
“Kneazles seem to be drawn to me, I don’t have the faintest idea why. It’s the same with cats,” He mentioned, reaching down and petting the soft fur.
“Guess you can say you’re a pussy magnet.” She joked, laughing as Ominis’ face lit up bright red from her words.
“Avalon! You can’t… You can’t just say that!” He whined, which only made her laugh more.
“You’re so uptight, Gaunt!” She snickered, tears prickling in her eyes.
“You’re so crass,” He complained, sliding a hand down his face.
“Aw, sounds like someone isn’t the correct pussy magnet,” She teased, putting the bucket away and reaching down to pick up her niffler.
“Stop saying stuff like that,” He groaned, trying to get himself to stop blushing.
“What a virgin,” She rolled her eyes and petted the top of the niffler’s head, who purred into her touch.
“And you’re not?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
She feigned a gasp, “How could you ask me that? So presumptuous,”
He gave her an annoyed look. “So it’s okay for you to tease me about my sex life, but I can’t even ask about yours?”
“Exactly. That’s just the way the world works.” She shrugged, feeling the niffler begin to struggle in her arms. She let it go, watching it rush off towards the water.
“Hardly seems fair,” He complained.
Avalon smirked, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder, pushing him to lean down so she could whisper in his ear, “Who said I ever played fair?” She breathed, her hot breath hitting the outside of his ear and making his pale skin burn red again.
She laughed, letting go of his shoulder and walking back towards the exit. It took him a moment to recover emotionally before following after her.
Back in the room of requirement, they ended up doing some homework for classes they were in while they waited for Anne’s reply. It came a couple of hours later, informing them Sebastian had finally left and she would await their arrival.
Avalon and Ominis walked to the front of the school, where Avalon opened her nap sack and let Highwing out. She cawed, lowering her back to allow both of them to mount her safely. Avalon was at the front, obviously, and Ominis was sitting behind her, worried.
“Don’t be afraid to hold onto me if you get scared, Gaunt,” She said, smiling mischievously.
“Are you sure this is safe? I feel that walking would be a much easie- Merlin!” In the middle of his sentence, Avalon had Highwing lift off into the sky, flapping her wings to gain around 30 meters of height. Ominis hated to admit it, but he latched onto her immediately from the pure panic he felt being blind and flying on a hippogriff.
She laughed, and he felt her stomach shake from holding his arms around her so tight. Ominis knew he was blushing from how hot his cheeks were getting, but it’s not like he could really control it. The wind was cold against his face as they rose higher and higher, the air pressure making him feel a little light-headed, but as soon as they started cruising, everything felt… amazing.
His grip on her lightened, his body felt like a feather while soaring. Ominis had never felt like this before, so weightless. It’s as if all of his problems were melting away by just being in the sky.
“You doing better now?” Avalon called from in front of him. He nodded, hearing Highwing caw and flap her wings.
“Good,” She said, smiling to herself. They kept a brisk pace all the way to Feldcroft in silence. Not bad silence, by any means, but this peaceful, comfortable silence just enjoying the ride. When they landed, Anne was outside the cottage door, waiting for them.
“Avalon! Ominis!” She welcomed, wrapping her arms around Avalon first, and then Ominis. “I’m glad you made it safe. And who’s this beautiful creature?” Anne asked, bowing her head to Highwing in respect.
“This is Highwing,” Avalon said, guiding Anne’s hand to pet the hippogriff. Highwing cooed lovingly, nudging into Anne’s touch while she giggled in excitement.
“She’s beautiful,” Anne said, her fingers glossing over the beast’s soft feathers. “Anyway, I’m glad to see you both, but your note said it was urgent. And for Sebastian to not be involved? Is something the matter?”
Avalon nodded, opening her nap sack to pull Highwing back inside. Anne gasped at the sight, while Ominis had already begun getting used to it. “Where did she go?”
“Just back to the pocket dimension,” Avalon explained, but waved her hands in the air. “I’ll explain later, for now, we have something important to discuss.”
Anne led them inside, where Solomon sat at the dining room table. At the sight of Avalon, his face burned red. He rose to his full height, crossing his arms over his chest. “First Sebastian, now you? I should have known you wouldn’t be far behind.”
“Save your breath, old man, I’m about to make your day,” She scoffed. Ominis stared at her in shock, surprised by her bluntness and crude attitude towards Solomon.
“Old?” Solomon repeated, narrowing his eyes.
“Uncle, please,” Anne pleaded, making his eyes go softer before sighing. He sat back down, motioning with his arms to Ominis and Avalon to sit as well.
Once they were all situated, Avalon conjured the book and laid it on the table before them. “I know a way to save Anne from the curse.” She said bluntly.
Anne and Solomon looked at her with wide eyes, full of disbelief. “What?” She asked, barely in a whisper.
“The curse that Anne is afflicted with isn’t just a curse,” She continued, opening the book to a page with pictures of a wispy, tentacle creature with strange writing on top of it. “It’s a parasite. One made out of Dark Magic with an incredible amount of power. It’s supposed to cause chronic, agonizing pain on the user, draining their life force until certain death. Then, it will try to latch onto a new host and repeat the cycle over and over again.”
“Merlin…” Solomon muttered as she explained.
“When Sebastian came to me yesterday, he… seemed determined to save Anne by any means necessary, including Dark Magic,” Avalon said, cautiously. Before Solomon could say anything, she gripped her hands into a fist. “I’m not going to let that happen, no matter what. But I needed to talk to you before doing anything, mostly for your consent.” She turned to Anne, who was so stunned, she could barely utter a word.
“Anne,” Avalon’s voice was softer, her eyes determined. “There is a spell in this book that could put the parasite in stasis mode. Essentially, I would freeze it in time. It would no longer harm you, but it will still be there. This will tether your life to me, as I would have to renew the spell every couple of months.” Anne’s brown eyes got even wider somehow, hope sparkling in them. “However, there’s a chance it could fail and lead to further harm if I do not have enough Ancient Magic within me to overtake the parasite’s will. If I fail, the parasite will latch harder onto you, you will probably die within a couple of months, and I will perish immediately.”
Then, horror filled both of the Sallow’s eyes simultaneously. They absorbed the knowledge slowly, Anne being the first one to be able to speak.
“You… could die?” She whispered.
Avalon nodded. “Yes, but I am fully willing to accept the risks to be able to cure you. The plan as of now is that I will spend some time traveling the valley and absorb as much Ancient Magic as I can. Once I’m confident I have enough, I’ll come back to do the spell.”
“Wait, Ancient Magic? What-” “It’s a long story,” Avalon rubbed the back of her neck. “One that I’ll tell you soon, but we don’t have a lot of time. Sebastian will be looking for either of us relatively soon, and he can’t know we came here.”
“Why? Wouldn’t Sebastian need to know this? Maybe he’ll stop his pursuit-” “I thought about that too, but then I remembered the look in his eyes as he talked about Dark Magic and decided against it. Let’s say we tell him, fill him with hope, and let’s say something happens where this can’t work. He will just double down his efforts, no matter what anyone says or does. I don’t think we should tell him until it’s over.” Avalon watched as Anne’s face fell.
“That’s… actually why we wanted to talk to you both about this,” Ominis spoke up, his hands folded on the table. “We need you to distract Sebastian until Avalon can gather enough power. We can distract him when he’s at school, but if Avalon is going to be gone most of the free periods and he is trying to avoid me so as not to give away what he’s doing, there will be nothing to stop him from going after the relic.”
“I see,” Solomon stroked his beard as he furrowed his brows.
“I know this is a lot, and if you need time to think about it-” Avalon started, but Anne shook her head.
“No, if you’re willing to try this, I am too. Anything to protect my brother,” She said, reaching out and holding Avalon’s hand in hers. “We can distract him while you’re away.”
“Thank you,” Avalon said, squeezing her hand, before standing up from her seat. “We need to go. I hate to cut this visit short, but we need to head back before Sebastian becomes suspicious.”
“Alright,” Anne got up as well, followed by the other two. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Avalon’s neck, burying her face into her collarbone.
“Avalon, thank you,” She breathed, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.
Avalon smiled softly, holding the sickly pale girl in her arms and returning her embrace.
“Of course.”
Avalon and Ominis said goodbye to the Sallows and flew off on Highwing’s back. The trip was mostly silent, right up until the end when Hogwarts was in sight.
“Avalon,” Ominis said her name with his mouth right next to her ear. She hummed in response and turned. “Would it be alright if I came with you while you absorb Ancient Magic?”
“You want to come with me?” She repeated, tilting her head to the side. “Any reason why?”
“Just… In case you need backup or someone there.” He said, the wind pushing his dirty blonde hair back.
“I mean, I’ll be fine,” She was confident in her fighting abilities, if that was what he was worried about. Avalon wasn’t against him coming along; the company might be nice since she was going to be travelling for hours at a time, but she was worried he might not fare well. It was dangerous out there with Ranrok’s loyalists, Rookwood’s ashwinders, and the poachers around.
“I know you will be, but just in case.” Ominis pressed.
“I won’t stop you if you’d like to come,” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess it’s more of a matter of if you’ll be alright on the road for so long.”
“I’ll be perfectly fine,” Ominis claimed, sticking his nose up.
“You freaked out when I accidentally spilled toad mucus on your robe,” She reminded.
“That’s because it’s toad mucus .” He shivered at the memory of slime sliding down his hands and having to clean the gross liquid off his robe. “I’ll be fine out here… In the wilderness,”
“Pft, sure, Gaunt, whatever you say.”
“I will be!”
“Fine, fine,” Avalon chuckled at the faint blush on Ominis’ cheeks. “Meet me by Kogawa’s classroom at 3 pm after classes. We’ll explore for a couple of hours until dinner and come back.”
“Sounds good,” He said, his hold around her small waist tightening.
Notes:
Heads up, actual author's note, I noticed sometimes when I post a chapter, there's some punctuation missing at the end of sentences? I've been going back and editing it, but there are a few times where it still doesn't work. I apologize if it looks whack, and I try my best to go back and fix the errors to make the fic visually pleasing. If you spot an error, let me know in the comments! I appreciate all comments and critiques, and support! Also, while I'm here, I have most of this fic already finished. The first couple of days, you might have noticed I posted three times in a row. That's not going to be consistent, as I'm trying to space it out to give myself time to finish he fic before posting all of it. I hate when authors don't post for months on end, so I want to try not to do that.
Also, I am still aware that some of the plot points are skewed. Apologies to the plot purists, but it's still my fanfic :P
Anyway, thank you for reading up til this point! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 13: I'll Tell You (Anything About Me)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Medusa by Cameron Whitcomb
Chapter Text
The next day, Avalon snuck food into her pockets from the great hall to have a snack while on their excursion. She didn’t know what kind of food Ominis liked, nor did she really care. The one thing Avalon loved about Hogwarts was the fact that their robes had magical, infinite pockets with the ability to hold basically anything. She threw some fruit in there, some bread wrapped in a bundle of napkins, and some cheese.
After her last class of the day, Divination, she ran back to the common room to change her outfit. She went from wearing a long, black school-appropriate skirt (that Sharp forced her the change into after putting on a short skirt) to a pair of dark brown riding trousers, a long-sleeved navy blue off-the-shoulder sweater with a black camisole underneath. She threw her shoes back on, tied her hair into a messy bun, and headed out the door.
As soon as she took a step out, she bumped into a person’s chest, the familiar scent of citrus and cinnamon hitting her nose.
“Sebastian?” She rubbed her forehead where she had smacked her head on him. He smiled down at her.
“Hey, I just came by to ask about the thing I talked to you about yesterday,” He said, his shaggy hair brushed back by his hand.
“Oh, shit, sorry, I haven’t had time to really think about it,” She lied easily, staring right into his eyes to make sure he didn’t see any hesitation. “Fig has a lead on the next trial, so I was going to head there now.”
It must have worked, because his mouth twisted down, disappointment flashing on his face. “Ah, I understand,” He replied, but he didn’t look happy. “I guess I’ll let you get to it. Good luck,”
“Thanks,” She smiled, slipping past him and rushing down the stairs of the dorms. Avalon hoped Ominis was already at the meeting spot, because she didn’t want there to be any overlap between him and Sebastian.
It took five minutes of speedwalking to make it to the outdoor area near Kogawa’s class. Thankfully, Ominis was already there, leaning against a wall with his wand emitting the light again. He perked up when she approached, smiling in her general direction. “Avalon, you made it.”
“Yeah, sorry,” She took out her nap sack, opening it and letting Highwing out again. “Sebastian caught me on my way out. I had to evade him without raising alarm bells.”
“Was he suspicious?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Avalon shook her head and hopped onto the back of the hippogriff. She held her hand out to Ominis, who took it and mounted Highwing’s back himself. “Ready?”
“Yes, if you are.” He said, wrapping his arms around her waist again. They took off, flying to the south.
It took twenty minutes to find the first Ancient Magic hotspot. Avalon felt it while flying above a run-down building near the cliffside. They landed, Avalon leaving Ominis on the back of Highwing as she approached the entrance. Luckily, the hotspot was easy to access. It whispered and called to her from the first floor, right beside the rubble of a kitchen area.
She took a deep breath before waving her wand, the magic soaring in the air around her before entering her chest. Avalon gasped, feeling a familiar cold sensation wrap around her bones and organs before warming to her body temperature and expanding inside of her. She sighed as the magic settled inside of her, putting her wand away to walk back out to where Ominis and Highwing waited for her.
“You’re done?” Ominis asked, surprised it took that little time.
“Yeah,” Avalon hopped back on the hippogriff’s back. “It was a small one. I think I felt another nearby, though,”
There was, however, this one was not in an easy spot to access. Avalon narrowed her eyes and readied her wand.
“Goblins,” She warned. Ominis flinched behind her, but nodded his head. They landed a little away from the spot, hiding behind some trees to avoid detection. Avalon put Highwing back in her napsack, hoping to be as stealthy as possible.
Ominis used his wand to detect around the area. He was able to envision around eleven goblins, two of them being rangers and the rest being foot soldiers. When he told Avalon what he knew, she flashed a look of approval.
“That’s pretty handy,” She noted, “Can you tell me where all of them are exactly?”
“Yes,” Ominis nodded. “The two rangers are on the high ground farthest away from us. The other soldiers are walking around, most of them are closer to the right.”
“Got it,” Avalon jumped out of the hiding spot, much to Ominis’ chagrin. He could only reach out to grab her and miss, hearing her rush towards the Goblin camp and begin slinging spells faster than he could process. He used his wand to watch the entire fight in his head. Avalon dodged and blocked every attack, using Ancient Magic to conjure lightning to strike down multiple goblin foot soldiers. She used accio to pull the two ranger goblins towards her only to sucker punch them as soon as they got close enough.
He knew she could fight. He knew she was insanely powerful. But this was the first time he had ever seen her in full action. It was truly amazing to watch.
When all the gobins lay dead on the grass, she turned to where Ominis hid and began waving her arms. “It’s safe to come out now, Gaunt!” She called.
Ominis hopped out of his hiding place, feeling a bit foolish for suggesting she needed backup. She grinned at him, her hands on her hips and her eyes sparkling with adrenaline. “That was fun,” She said.
“I can see you enjoyed yourself,” He noted, returning her smile.
“Your information really helped,” She said, brushing the curtain bangs out of her eyes.
“I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
“You were. Teach me your detection magic?” She asked, following the whispers to where the hotspot was. Ominis followed her, but shook his head.
“I don’t think I can. It’s not something I really do, it’s something my wand does for me.”
She tilted her head to the side, finding the source of the hotspot next to the ranger’s tower farthest away from them. “How so?”
“Well, the way I can describe it is my wand is sentient. It uses a type of echolocation to figure out what’s around me and sends signals to my brain to visualize it. I use those signals to navigate my surroundings and to “see” everything.” He explained, visualizing Avalon taking her wand out and swirling it in the air.
“I see,” She said, taking another deep breath. “Stand back a little, this one is bigger than the last.”
Ominis took a couple of steps back, but was watching in awe as this… current of light swirled around Avalon, overtaking her entire body and absorbing into her skin. She doubled over, wheezing as she tried to acclimate herself to the power.
“Are you alright?” Ominis asked, worried.
She gave a thumbs up, but still panted as she felt the power latch around her bones. “This is a big one…”
After a couple more moments, the power successfully absorbed into her body, and she was able to breathe easier again. “Phew, that was a lot more than I thought.” She sighed in relief, cracking her neck and twisting her back to crack her spine as well.
“Does it hurt?” He eyed her up and down, using his wand to check for any wounds.
“No, I wouldn’t say it hurts… Think of it like this,” Avalon made a motion with her arms. “Think of trying to carry a crap ton of books to the library that need to be put away. At first, the books are super heavy and are maybe causing you to fall off balance, but as each book goes in its rightful place, the load gets easier and easier until it’s gone.” She clasped her hands together at the word ‘gone’. “Does that make sense?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“Good. Let’s keep going, we have some time before we need to head back.”
She let Highwing out again and off they flew, hitting three more hotspots before the sun began to set. Avalon felt much more powerful than before; the ancient magic assimilated into her body quite well, considering how many hotspots they hit. She thought it would feel overwhelming, but it only felt relieving. As if this power was meant to be hers all along.
It was around 7 pm when Highwing cawed at her for food. They landed on a grassy hill. Ominis hopped off her back first and held his hand out to help Avalon down.
She raised an eyebrow at him, amused. “Oh? What a gentleman.”
“Well, considering Sebastian calls you ‘princess’, I figured I should pay you proper respect.” He joked, feeling Avalon use his outstretched hand to hop onto the ground.
“Don’t you start calling me that too, Gaunt.” She hissed, letting go of his hand to conjure some beast feed for Highwing.
“I don’t see why you dislike that nickname so much,” He sighed. “I think it’s endearing.”
“Yeah, well, the word ‘princess’ insinuates that I need saving. Like some kind of damsel in distress,” She grumbled as Highwing ate the feed from her hand. “I don’t need help, and I especially don’t need anyone to save me. I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.”
For some reason, Ominis felt a bit off hearing her say that. He knew she was right, that she was more than strong enough to protect herself, but it was almost the rejection of any help that bothered him. As if she hated the idea of accepting assistance in anything.
“Yes, you are,” He said, his voice coming out much softer than he intended. “It could also insinuate you’re as beautiful as a princess.”
“Pft,” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Funny.”
“I don’t think it’s a joke,” Ominis said, scrunching his brows up. “You are beautiful, Avalon, surely you must realize that.”
Avalon turned to him in alarm, a faint blush burning on her usual pale cheeks. She immediately felt vulnerable when he said that for some reason. Bashful. Almost embarrassed. Yes, she knew she had become physically beautiful. She used that beauty to her advantage many times, but it was different hearing Ominis call her beautiful.
Maybe it was because she still remembered him and his groupies calling her ugly and fat six years ago. It was… different, knowing that Ominis thought she was physically attractive.
Should she feel this warm over her past tormentor complimenting her? She didn’t know, but what she did know was that she certainly found him attractive. It was a guilty secret of hers, thinking that he was exactly her type. Blonde, blue eyes, tall, and surprisingly sturdy. Muscular, but not muscular enough to physically intimidate her.
There were layers to the feelings bubbling in her chest. Beneath it all, there was a level of insecurity festering in her mind as she thought of the fact that she was wearing a mask. Sebastian was the only one who saw her scar and how ugly it marred her skin. He was the only one who knew that she was lying about her appearance, that she lied to everyone around here every day. Ominis never saw how much damage was under the beauty charms, how scared she was to show anyone how deep the scars ran.
“Hm…” She didn’t have an answer for him. Instead, Avalon avoided the question entirely, sitting on the hill with her legs crossed. She hoped he didn’t notice her discomfort or the tint of red on her cheeks. A part of her was thankful he was blind. “I brought some food from the great hall in case we got hungry,” She said, taking out the little bundles of food. “Sit, let’s eat and head back to the castle for today.”
Ominis noticed a slight change in the air around Avalon, but by her willingness to change the subject, he figured he shouldn’t ask about it. He sat next to her, his legs bent and his wand still in his hand. “Do you think you have enough magic for today?”
“Yeah, I don’t sense any more hotspots around this area. We’ll go to a different one tomorrow,” She explained, holding an apple out to him. He took it and thanked her, taking a bite as he felt a subtle breeze pass him.
“Is it a beautiful day?” He asked her, fiddling with his wand.
“Is it?” She confirmed, taking a bite of bread. “We’re near Brocburrow on this hill with some grass and-,” She tried to be as detailed as possible to help him visualize more precisely, but stopped when a thought occurred to her. “Are you able to see color?”
“No, everything is black and white for me.” He said, taking another bite of his apple.
“Is it offensive of me to explain things with colors, since you can’t see them?”
“I don’t think it’s offensive, but thanks for asking,” He flashed a smile at her that made her feel weird.
“Mhm,” She shook her head to distract herself from her inner thoughts. “Well, the grass is green, but it’s turning brown and dying because of how cold it’s getting. There are some specks of blues and purples from the flowers.”
“What kind of flowers are they?” He asked, finishing his apple and tossing the core over his shoulder.
“No idea,” She shrugged, leaning her back on Highwing’s body, who sat behind her with her body protectively coiled close. Highwing cooed lovingly, licking her cheek.
Ominis, who still had his wand out and could see when Highwing licked her, raised an eyebrow at them. “She’s quite fond of you,” He said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hippogriff so attached to a person.”
“I’m attached to her too,” Avalon pet Highwing’s head, who put it on her lap and shut her eyes to rest.
“It doesn’t surprise me, I remember how much you loved beasts class in first year,” He mentioned fondly. Avalon looked up at him, surprised he remembered anything positive about her.
“I didn’t know you paid attention to me that closely,”
“It was hard not to.” He leaned back on his arms. “You’re impossible to ignore.”
“Why, because I’m just so cool?” She flipped her bangs with her fingers dramatically.
“Definitely,” Ominis smirked, staring at her with his pale, blue eyes.
“I wish I could say I knew anything about you,” Avalon admitted, her cheek pressed against Highwing’s torso while she looked back at him.
“What do you want to know?”
“What can I ask you?”
“Anything,” He said, smiling softly at her. “I’ll answer any question you have.”
“Hmmm…” She hummed, looking to the sky as she thought of questions. “If you could switch houses, what house would you choose?”
“Seriously? That’s your first question?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Hey, it’s a genuine question!” She huffed.
“Sure, sure,” Ominis rolled his eyes, taking a moment to think about it. “I think Slytherin fits me perfectly, but I know that’s not the answer you want.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Hm… I think I would end up in Ravenclaw. I don’t think I’m brave or impulsive enough to be in Gryffindor, nor do I think I’m kind or compassionate enough to be in Hufflepuff.” He said logically.
“Pft, I don’t think you’re smart enough for Ravenclaw,” She joked, snickering as Ominis sent her a scathing look.
“ Excuse me? I happen to pride myself on my academics.”
“And yet, you could never beat me in any class,” She sang.
“You’re a prodigy,” He grumbled. “How can I beat someone with the ability to use and see Ancient Magic?”
“Sounds like an excuse to save your ego.”
“My ego?” He scoffed, offended by her accusation, but when he heard her giggles, he felt the anger flow out of his body.
“I didn’t think you’d be so sensitive, Gaunt,” She teased, the tone in her voice indicating something very different from what they were currently talking about. His face burst into red from embarrassment.
“ Merlin , Avalon, what is wrong with you?” He exclaimed, trying to turn his face away to hide his shame.
She snickered and rolled her eyes. “You’re so easy to embarrass.”
“Can we move on to the next question?”
“Mmm… Fine, I’ll spare you this time,” She grinned, thinking about what else she wanted to ask. “I was going to ask what your favorite color was, but…”
“How sensitive of you,” He deadpanned.
“I try my best,” Avalon smirked. “But I guess, what’s your favorite food?”
“Sticky toffee pudding.”
“Really? You have a sweet tooth?” She asked, shocked.
“Is that surprising?”
“A little,” She admitted. “You seem like a steak with mixed vegetables kind of guy. Something sophisticated and pretentious.”
“Why, because I’m rich?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yeah, and because you’re blonde. Very pretentious.”
“Not all blondes are pretentious,” He huffed.
“Ah yes, the blondes, such a misunderstood race,” She feigned a sigh, putting the back of her hand to her forehead. “So mistreated by society. We should start a revolution for your kind.”
“ Stop , that’s enough,” Ominis rolled his eyes while she began giggling again.
“If you could dye your hair a different color, what would it be?” She asked, randomly.
“Your questions are so out of left field,” He mumbled, but thought about it for a moment. “Probably black.”
“Black? So basically the opposite of what you have now?” She blinked in confusion.
“Yeah,”
“I can’t imagine you with black hair,” She shook her head at the image. “You’d look too much like every other dark and brooding Slytherin. Oh Merlin, you’d look like a younger version of Sharp .”
“I would not,” He scoffed. “We have completely different facial structures.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’d eventually turn into him. I can see it now,” Avalon put a hand over her mouth. “Professor Gaunt, head of the brooding department. You’d be in charge of teaching all the traumatized rich boys how to brood.”
“I would not,” Ominis hissed. “I do not brood .”
“You do, you’re literally the King of Brooding,” She laughed.
“That would make me higher up than you, Princess,” He smirked, knowing she hated that nickname.
“I swear to Merlin, Gaunt, if you start calling me Princess, I’m going to pour Gobstone juice all over your bed.” She threatened.
“You wouldn’t,” He feigned a gasp. “What an evil princess you are.”
“Yes, I’m soooo evil. Fear me.” She smirked, tapping Highwing on the top of her head to wake her up. She cooed and yawned, stretching her body out before standing on her feet. Avalon followed suit, dusting the back of her clothes off. “We should head back before it gets dark.”
Avalon held a hand out for Ominis to take. When he took it, he was surprised at Avalon’s arm strength, easily helping him up without a sweat. Her grip was strong, and yet her hand was so soft. An interesting contrast. They mounted the hippogriff again, taking off and heading back towards the castle.
Chapter 14: The Rain is Cold (But You Aren't)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Symmetry by JT Roach and Emily Warren
Chapter Text
It was day four when Avalon felt she was halfway to getting enough Ancient Magic to defeat the parasite. Well, she hoped it was halfway. She didn’t know exactly how much she needed, but she had an estimate. When the magic was about to burst out of her body or when she felt like her body was heavy from carrying too much, she figured she would be ready.
Ancient Magic had never been something Avalon felt like she needed to store; it just came back to her. Before increasing her supply, she felt like she always had a consistent amount of it at the ready. More than enough to defeat twenty goblins at one time. Now? It felt like she could take on an army, no problem.
She knew the hotspots had been increasing the amount in which she could replenish, as well as giving her a lot to store. Avalon had made it a point to stop using Ancient Magic altogether, perhaps it would help with the success of the spell? She didn’t know, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
It was a terrifying endeavor. The more she felt like she was ready, the more doubts she had in her mind. She would keep telling herself to just take another day, go out with Ominis, get some more, and then it’ll be alright. Were there side effects to holding this much power inside someone? Everything was such a vague unknown that it gave her bits of anxiety just thinking about it.
But she had to do this for Anne. That parasite had been feeding off her for at least a couple of months before Avalon met her. It was draining her of her spirit, her life force, her magic… everything. She had to save her.
Avalon had never been one to play the hero like this. She helped her dad defeat Dark Wizards every so often, but she had never actively done something to save another person’s life. It was a lot of pressure, but she didn’t have time to crumble. Plus, she hated to admit it, but Ominis was supporting her a lot more than she thought he would.
He came out with her every day to go find these hotspots. They had been all over the southern region, even hitting along the coastline. Their conversations and jokes were keeping Avalon stable. She didn’t have to think about the crumbling pressure she was under when he was by her side. It was… soothing. Something she never thought she’d ever say to describe Ominis. She found she enjoyed his presence much more than she wanted to.
Sebastian wasn’t suspicious, thank Merlin. Anne had kept her promise to keep him preoccupied. He’d come to the great hall during lunch, complaining about how his sister and uncle were sending him on wild goose chases just to find some item that either never existed or was extremely rare to find. Avalon and Ominis would comfort him and support his search for… Whatever a ‘purple gold broomstick handle’ was. Apparently, Anne really wanted one, and who was Sebastian to deny his sister a gift?
He had come to Avalon almost daily to ask if she wanted to go find the relic. And every time, she had an excuse to get out of it. A part of her felt bad for lying, but another part of her knew this was the only way to keep him from going down the wrong path.
By day six, she felt like her veins were about to burst with how much magic she had stored inside of her. They had travelled the entire length of the valley on Highwing, absorbing over a hundred hot spots. It was a lot, her ligaments creaked from holding so much weight on them. But she wanted to spend at least one more day before heading to Anne.
“Ready?” Ominis asked, already on Highwing’s back. Surprisingly, Highwing had taken a shine to the boy and even let him ride her without Avalon. Sometimes he’d ask to go out flying with Highwing, seeing as he wasn’t allowed to use a broom, and Avalon would agree. It was good for both of them. Highwing got some exercise, and Ominis got to experience flying. Plus, it would never be too far. Highwing would always stay close to the castle in case poachers tried to grab her.
Avalon nodded, hopping on the hippogriff and sliding in front of Ominis again. The closeness between them was something that never bothered her, but as they spent more and more time together, she found herself being increasingly more conscious of his presence and his touch. Namely, the way her wrapped his arms around her waist to hold on and the way he pressed his chest against her back.
She never showed how much he affected her, though.
“Let’s head near the forbidden forest,” She said, tapping Highwing, who took off into the sky and turned her body towards where the forest was located.
“How many hot spots can you feel over there?” He asked, oblivious to the blush appearing on Avalon’s cheeks as he tightened his grip.
“I can’t tell from here, we’re going to have to get closer,” Avalon said, flying Highwing higher in the sky than usual.
After ten or so minutes of flying, Avalon felt her first hot spot. “Down there, next to that big tree,” She instructed the hippogriff. Highwing cawed and began their descent, galloping onto the dirt and next to the tree that had already lost its leaves from the cold.
Avalon hopped off her back, walking next to the tree and hearing the faint whispers of magic calling out to her. She absorbed it as usual, feeling the magic expand her muscles before dispersing properly.
A grunt left her mouth before she could hold it back. Ominis and Highwing galloped next to her, his expression worried. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit cold,” She said, pushing a smile to her face. She didn’t want him to know she was feeling sore by the amount of magic she was storing. He would tell her to rest, maybe take a day off, and they didn’t have that kind of time.
“No, you’re not.” He hopped off of Highwing in front of her, his wand was in his hand, glowing softly. “I can see heat signatures too, you know, you’re not cold. It looks like your body is warming up.”
“Well, stop looking at my heat signatures,” Avalon covered the front of her body with her hands. “Pervert.”
“Perv- What?! I am not a pervert!” He blushed and narrowed his eyes at her. “It’s something my wand picked up while scanning the area for enemies, and completely involuntary. There’s nothing perverted about it.”
“Sounds like someone is reaching for straws,” She teased. “I’m fine. Let’s go to the next hot spot.”
Before Ominis could protest, she was already on Highwing and reaching her hand out for him. He gave her a look, mainly of worry, and hopped behind her again. The sky above them rumbled as dark clouds pushed their way over the sun. Avalon looked up, not happy it was about to rain and ruin their search, but continuing just to get a couple more hot spots before heading back.
“Was that thunder?” Ominis asked.
“Yeah,” Avalon admitted. “If you want, I can send you back to Hogwarts with Highwing. I’ll use my broom to look for a couple more hot spots and then head back.” She offered.
Ominis raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you mad? Like hell if I’d ever leave you in the rain alone. If you want to keep going, let’s just hurry before the rain starts and head back together.”
“I can handle myself, you know,” She mumbled, but inwardly felt happy that he cared for her.
“Yes, yes, I know,” He sighed.
The next hot spot they found was on top of a cliffside overlooking the forbidden forest. When Avalon absorbed it, it felt like ice was using her body to melt itself into her. She gasped from the sensation, only increasing the worry in Ominis.
“Avalon, you shouldn’t push yourself like this,” He said from standing a couple of feet behind her.
She waved him off and ignored the screaming headache forming in her head. “I’m fine. A couple more,” She said.
They didn’t find the next hotspot for another ten minutes. When they did, it was in the middle of a small camp of ashwinders. Luckily, there were only three of them. Unluckily, the rain started to pour down.
Ominis located every enemy, and Avalon sprang into action. She defeated the ashwinders easily, but Ominis noticed her footing seemed… off. Usually, she was able to fight enemies while staying light on her toes, dashing and dodging attacks with practiced ease. This time, with his wand, he noticed her falter every so often. He even joined the fight to accio one of the ashwinders for her.
She didn’t even protest that he jumped out of his hiding spot. She just wandered over to where the hot spot was as rain began to pour harder onto their heads. Taking a shaky, deep breath, she absorbed the magic into her and cried out in pain.
“Avalon?!” Ominis ran over to her, ignoring the fact that she told him to stand back. The magic flowed into her at a slower pace than it usually did, sinking its claws into her bones and forcing its way into her body. It was painful, almost debilitating. Avalon almost fell over from how painful it was, but didn’t, thanks to Ominis. He caught her, holding her steady by her shoulders.
“Merlin, Avalon, you have to stop!” He urged, looking around for some kind of shelter. Luckily, the ashwinders had set up a full camp, despite there being a couple of them. He didn’t care if she got angry at him at this point. He picked her up, easily, in his arms and carried her to the tent nearby. His wand located a cot, a table with chairs and some food, and a couple of chests.
Carefully, he lowered her onto the cot. As he pulled back to let her lie down, he felt her grip the front of his vest in a tight fist. Her face, from what he could visualize, was distorted in pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her breathing was shaky and unstable.
“W-wait… Highwing… My… Nap sack, please,” She breathed. Ominis nodded in understanding, grabbing her sack from the strap around her and calling Highwing over.
The hippogriff trotted over, cawing and looking worriedly at Avalon’s form. Ominis opened the sack, pulling her inside of it, safe from the rain.
“You’re burning up,” He said, her heat signature rising in temperature with every minute. He looked around for some kind of medical supply, but found none. Despite her getting warmer, he noticed she was shivering. She was soaked to the bone, her clothes only adding to her discomfort by weighing her down with water.
Ominis hated that Hogwarts didn’t give them a spell to instantly dry themselves. He had to do what he could.
Using what he could find around the room, he used force to break the dry wooden chairs apart and stack them near the middle of the tent. It was messy and a rushed job, considering Ominis didn’t know anything about outdoor living other than what Sebastian and Anne taught him. After piling the wood, he used Incendio to set it on fire, successfully making a campfire for them.
He glanced back in Avalon’s direction. She had been grunting and whimpering on the cot, her teeth clattering and her body shivering from the water. Ominis used his wand to look around the room for anything else. He opened the chests, finding a couple of warm furs and gold.
Merlin, she was going to kill him after this. Thankfully, Avalon seemed too out of it to coherently comprehend much of anything at this point. Ominis put his wand next to the cot, letting himself blindly begin to strip off her soaked clothes.
Admittedly, Ominis had never taken a woman’s clothes off before. Nor had he been this close to a woman at all . When Sebastian described his conquests, Ominis would never understand why there was so much described intimacy. But now, he understood.
He hooked his fingers at the hem of her sweater, carefully and slowly pulling it over her body. Her breathing stagnated, making him hesitate when he had the fabric pulled up to her neck. When she relaxed, he felt it was safe to take it fully off. Her hair was long, pretty wet, and sprawling around her head. Her eyes remained shut, presumably falling asleep or becoming unconscious from whatever ailed her.
He decided to keep her bra on. 1) Because he didn’t know how to take a bra off and wasn’t going to try, 2) It wasn’t that wet due to being protected by her sweater, and 3) Because he was sure she could prefer it that way.
Ominis did, however, take a deep breath before unbuttoning her trousers. His heartbeat shouldn’t be this fast, should it? Merlin, it was so hard to undress her without touching her skin. He was trying his best, but blindly pulling someone’s clothes off was much harder than it seemed.
As he began to pull her tight pants down, his fingers brushed against her freezing skin down the length of her thighs. Avalon let out a soft, whisper of a moan as she slept, making Ominis still himself in absolute astonishment.
Holy shit . Ominis felt heat rush to his cheeks as his pants got tighter around his lower region. He had never heard a noise like that come out of Avalon, let alone anyone . And because of his touch? He didn’t know how he was able to keep it together at this point. He just needed to get these pants and shoes off of her before he drove himself insane.
Yes, he found her extremely attractive. Yes, he had been finding himself more and more drawn to her. And yes, he thought of her a lot when he was alone at night. But this was Avalon. Their history was so complicated and convoluted. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about her like… this. He felt so guilty that he did.
She had finally forgiven him. Finally, given him kindness and mercy to be able to start forgiving himself. She is putting her life on the line to save one of his best friends and his sister from certain doom. Hell, she’s literally on a mission to save the world from an evil goblin and wizard. And here he is, the guy who’s lusting over her while she’s freezing to death.
God, he was pathetic. He shook his head to snap himself out of it, finally pulling her pants off and undoing the laces on her shoes. Once she wasn’t in soaking wet clothes anymore, he reached down to search for his wand, eventually finding it, and grabbing the expensive furs she had plundered. He covered her in them, brushing her bangs out of her face to feel her forehead.
Was she sick? He noticed she seemed to be pushing herself lately, but she never said anything to him about it. Of course, she wouldn’t. Avalon had trouble accepting help from anyone, let alone him. She wouldn’t tell him if she was suffering.
He placed her clothes next to the fire, hoping they would dry before Avalon woke up. His were also soaked with rainwater, but he sat on the ground in front of the fire, leaning his back against the cot she lay on. His body was burning warm, but not because of any kind of sickness.
Ominis groaned to himself, covering his face with his arms and waiting for her to wake up.
Avalon didn’t wake up until the sun had gone down and the rain had stopped. The crickets chirped in the distance, and the smell of a fire eased her out of her nap.
She sat up on the cot, groaning from the headache still pounding lightly in her head. At least it was better now, she thought. She looked around at her surroundings, attempting to raise her hand, but feeling someone hold it.
When she looked down, she realized it was Ominis next to her, leaning his head on the cot using his arms as pillows. One hand was tightly gripped onto hers, but he was asleep. His eyes were shut, his usually gelled-back hair was loose from the rainwater and lack of styling product. His face was calm, relaxed, and peaceful.
Avalon’s eyes softened at the sight. She used her other hand to reach out and push his soft bangs out of his handsome face. She liked looking at him like this. Content. A part of her wanted to stay like this for a longer period, but looking at the sky, they were going to get in so much trouble for missing curfew.
That’s when Avalon noticed the pile of clothes next to a barely burning fire. Familiar clothes. Her clothes.
She looked down at herself, her face lighting up in red as she realized she was in her underwear next to a sleeping Ominis .
“What the fuck?!” She shrilled, pulling her hand out of Ominis’ and grabbing the fur covering her body to cover herself more.
Ominis’ head shot up, his eyes wide in alert as he raised his wand, the light flashing brightly. “What?! What the-” He rubbed his eyes, his wand light dimming down as he looked around at the area. “Avalon?”
“Why am I naked?!” She hissed, her embarrassment showing on her face.
“I-I had to take your clothes off becaus-” “You stripped me?!”
“You were shivering! And soaked to the bone because of the rain! I didn’t want you to get hypothermia-” “You saw me naked,” She said, horrified.
“I put my wand down so I didn’t actually see anything-” “That’s no excuse!” Avalon covered herself with her arms under the furs. As embarrassed as she was, she did understand where he was coming from. Once she calmed herself down and thought about the situation logically, she let out a deep breath with her hand on her heart.
“I’m sorry, I just had to-” “We have to get even,” She stated, a smirk coming to her face as she leaned forward to put her hands on Ominis’ shoulders. His face was engulfed in red as she leaned her mouth next to his ear, her hot breath tickling his skin. “Let me take your clothes off…”
“W-Wha-” Ominis pulled away from her, his eyes wide and his heart pounding in his chest.
Avalon burst out laughing, which snapped Ominis out of his confusion. “That’s not funny!”
“Yes, it is,” She giggled, holding her lower chest. “You should have seen the look on your face!”
“You’re impossible!” He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from her. “Merlin, my heart…”
“Awww, did I make your heart skip a beat?” She teased, slipping out of bed as the furs fell off her body.
Ominis blushed, biting his tongue as he resisted the urge to confirm her suspicions. “I’m going to wait outside…” He grumbled, storming out of the tent.
Avalon snickered, grabbing her clothes from beside the fire, which were now relatively dry, other than a couple of damp spots. She put her clothes on, her headache dying down now that she had taken a good nap. As she dragged her sweater over her body, her mind remembered when she was barely conscious. The feeling of his fingertips brushing against her thigh, dragging up along her ribcage…
She felt her cheeks heat up as she beat back the thoughts in her mind. Stop it! You’re supposed to be the cool one, the one that doesn’t crumble just because a guy touches you, she thought to herself. She laced her boots back up and walked out of the tent, pulling her dampish hair into a bun.
“What time is it?” She asked, looking at Ominis, who was using his wand to scan the area.
“I’m not totally sure,” He admitted, “We should head back to the castle soon, though. I don’t want Professor Weasley to give us detention for missing curfew.”
“Can’t you use your ‘family connections’ to get us out of it?” She asked, opening her nap sack and letting Highwing out. The hippogriff immediately cooed, rubbing her head against Avalon’s chest.
“I thought you were against me using my ‘family connections,’” He said, raising an eyebrow at her general direction.
“Well, not if they get us out of detention,” Avalon pet Highwing, scratching under her chin in the spot she loved. She purred and licked Avalon’s cheek, happy she was alright.
“Then I guess I could ,” He sighed, running a hand through his loose, straight hair. He tried to push the bangs back up, but without gel, they struggled to stay put.
“You know,” Avalon said, taking a good look at him. “Your hair doesn’t look all that bad like that.”
“You mean without products?” Ominis asked.
“Yeah, I don’t know, it looks softer,” She walked over, looking at his face and hair. “More approachable.”
“Are you saying I look unapproachable with my hair up?” He stopped playing with his hair and gave her a look.
“A little. Dark, rich, and brooding, remember?”
“What happened to the ‘handsome’ part?” He frowned.
“Well, obviously that part is included,” She said, leaning forward and using a hand to brush his hair back. He blushed at her touch, her fingers raking through his soft locks and brushing against his scalp. “I just ran out of space for another adjective since you’re the King of Brooding,”
“I think I prefer being called ‘handsome’ to ‘brooding’.” He mumbled, making her snicker.
“I’m sure you do, now come on, let’s head back.” She let go of his hair, mounting Highwing with ease and holding her hand out to him. He took it, jumping behind her and this time, placed his arms around her body in a way that he was almost cocooning her. She blushed at the change, looking at him puzzled.
“Just in case you faint again, I can keep you straight,” He assured her, leaning his chest further into her back to prove his point. At the closeness, Avalon blushed brighter, his scent was all around her now. His chin was right next to her shoulder, his cheek barely touching the side of her head.
“What happened, Avalon?” He asked, his voice soft and concerned. Highwing cawed before launching them into the air and flying towards the castle.
“I just haven’t been sleeping well,” She said. It wasn’t a lie, she thought, but she didn’t want to tell him the full truth out of fear he would tell her she needed to stop. She would do this for one more day, since she had passed out for a good amount of this one and tomorrow was the weekend. She would have a full day to catch up on collecting hot spots.
“You had a fever and passed out after crying out in pain,” Ominis reminded her, his hands burying themselves in Highwing’s feathers. “That wasn’t just sleep deprivation.”
“Well, I’m fine now.” She stubbornly huffed.
He sighed, his hot breath creating goosebumps on her neck. “I just wish you would trust me,” He admitted.
“I do trust you,” She said, furrowing her brow. “You’re here with me, aren’t you? I wouldn’t bring someone with me that I didn’t trust.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He tightened his grip. “I mean trusting me to help you if you need it.”
Avalon flinched in his arms, the guttural pain coming back and resting in her chest. She didn’t say anything, though, perhaps out of stubbornness or pride, but mostly fear. Fear that she wanted to tell him what actually is going on inside her head, but that it would make her much to vulnerable to him.
So she stayed quiet, much to Ominis’ disappointment. He didn’t press her on the issue either, knowing better than to force her to talk about something she wasn’t ready for.
The rest of the trip back to the castle was silent. Once they got back and Ominis used his ‘family connections’ to get them out of trouble, the only words they spoke to each other were ‘Goodnight’ before going to their respective rooms.
“Where have you been?” Sebastian asked as Ominis walked through the door. He was in his pajamas, sitting at his desk with the blasted spellbook open. Ominis could tell it was that book because it was the only book Sebastian ever looked at these days.
“Hogsmeade,” Ominis lied, acting as casually as he possibly could while walking towards his side of the room.
“No, you weren’t,” Sebastian said, shutting the book and turning to face the blonde from his desk chair. “Because I was there all day and didn’t see you at all.”
“Why were you in Hogsmeade all day?” Ominis raised an eyebrow, sweating a little under his robe as Sebastian gave him a scathing look. He tried to take a page out of Avalon’s book and change the subject, diverting the attention to Sebastian.
“Anne wanted me to find some candy from Honeydukes that didn’t even exist,” He said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I searched all over the store for it for hours, only to be told there was no such thing. And when I confronted her about it, she seemed awfully nervous.”
“Ah, well, maybe she was mistaken,” Ominis took out his pajamas, hoping to get into some dry, warm clothes as soon as possible without drawing suspicion to himself.
“That’s the thing, though,” Sebastian stood from his chair, walking towards Ominis slowly. “Anne and Solomon have been sending me on these wild goose chases all week, looking for things they would never ask me for otherwise.” His voice was deeper than it usually was, and the way he was walking towards Ominis was making him begin to panic. He was bad at keeping things from Sebastian, not because he was a bad liar, but because Sebastian always smelled bullshit when it was around him.
“It’s a bit strange she’s been asking you for so much stuff,” Ominis tried to play into the narrative, taking off his robe and unbuttoning his vest. Merlin, if only he could psychically link to Avalon and tell her to come here. He didn’t know how to get away with lying to Sebastian, but Avalon would. He wished she would burst in here and save him from this situation, but he knew she wouldn’t.
“Yeah, so I asked around the castle as well, and it’s also strange that every day after classes, you and Avalon have been sneaking off together.” He had his arms crossed over his chest, his brown eyes were narrowed. Ominis turned around, trying to face in his general direction from the sound of his voice. He didn’t have his wand out yet, seeing as he was trying to change.
“Avalon has been flying me around the valley, seeing as I can’t use a broomstick and she has a pet hippogriff,” Ominis tried to put on his best convincing face and voice, but Sebastian wasn’t cracking.
“What are you guys planning?” Sebastian asked, darkly. Ominis swallowed, trying to think of some kind of lie or some kind of excuse to get out of the conversation. When nothing came to his mind, he put his hands up defensively.
“Sebastian, I don’t want to lie to you, but I can’t tell you the truth. I’m just going to need you to trust me and Avalon right now,” He pleaded, hoping his honesty would help ease the tension.
As sweat beat down Ominis’ forehead, Sebastian eyed him skeptically.
“Trust you with what?”
“That what we're doing is good and will positively impact you.”
“So it’s something related to me?” He guessed. Ominis inwardly hit himself for being obvious.
“Yes, but it’s something good. Please, just trust me and drop it for now.” He begged. Sebastian straightened his back, looking the blonde up and down before sighing.
“Alright, mate, I trust you.” Sebastian relented, turning on his heel and walking back to the other side of the room. Ominis sighed in relief, thanking Merlin for being able to avoid that conversation. He was so worried he was going to crack or Sebastian would be able to see through him.
“Thank you,” He breathed, undoing his tie and tossing it and his shirt onto the bed. He threw on his pajamas, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste before heading to the communal men’s bathroom.
When he left, Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the book on his desk, staring at the cover of it with distrust. Avalon must have told Ominis about the relic and what Sebastian was doing. He wasn’t stupid, he could tell by his reaction that he knew things. He couldn’t believe Avalon had gone behind his back after everything they’d been through. Sebastian slid under his covers, deciding tomorrow would be the day he would go out and search for the relic, with or without her.
Chapter 15: Let Me Cure You (Don't Feel Bad)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Treading Water by Said The Sky
Chapter Text
The next day, Avalon had decided to go out without Ominis to find the last couple of hotspots she needed. It’s not that she didn’t want him to come, but more like she wanted some time to herself to think about some things.
She flew off with Highwing towards the west side of the Forbidden Forest, where she and Ominis didn’t end up going yesterday. There, she found five more hotspots and absorbed every one of them. Each time she did, the pain from her magical reserves expanding increased bit by bit. When Avalon knew she couldn’t take any more inside of her, she knew she was ready to try the spell.
She sat on Highwing, staring at the winter hill in a moment to appreciate the beauty of life. She knew there was still a chance this spell could fail, so she still wanted to enjoy the view while she could.
Using her wand, she conjured two pieces of parchment and a quill, writing hasty notes to Ominis and Anne to tell them she was ready and to meet her at the Sallow household. After handing the notes to her owl, whom she also summoned, she began flying towards Feldcroft on Highwing’s back.
It took forty-five minutes for her to arrive in front of the house. She noticed the town seemed quiet, but not calm. People were anxious, most likely due to the loyalists that have been camping nearby for some time. She then heard footsteps a couple of feet in front of her and was met face to face with Ominis.
“How did you get here faster than me?” She asked, quizically.
“I used the floo,” He said. He wasn’t wearing his robe, just a simple grey vest over a white shirt and his expensive green tie around his neck.
“You have access to the floo?” She raised an eyebrow. “And we’ve been using a hippogriff to fly everywhere?”
“I’m the only one who’s allowed to use it,” He clarified, “And only in specific places. Because I’m blind, I was given access to the floo from Hogwarts to Feldcroft and the Gaunt household.”
“The perks of being blind,” She joked, making Ominis roll his eyes.
“Oh yes, what a great thing to be born blind,” He said, sarcastically.
She snickered, taking her nap sack out and pulling Highwing into it. Once she was set, Avalon took a shaky, deep breath and forced a smile to her face.
“Avalon?” Ominis’ tone changed to one that was gentler, softer. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Of course,” She affirmed, tightening her grip on her wand. “This is our only option.”
“You always have a choice,” He said, “We can find another cure for Anne or think of something else-” “There is nothing else, Ominis,” She said, urgently. She walked to move around Ominis, but he caught her arm before she could go inside the cabin.
“Please, Avalon, I just…” He sucked in a break through his teeth. “I don’t want you to do this, believing you have to. You’re too important for the world to lose. Too important for me-” He stopped talking, holding back the other words he wanted to say.
Avalon felt her heart pound against her chest, her eyes staring into his with fear. Not that he would be able to see it. Her arm relaxed, just for a moment, in his grip. Then, she tightened her resolve.
“It’s going to work,” She said, full of unstable confidence. “It has to.”
She pulled her arm out of his grip, his hand reaching out to grab her again, but she faltered just to miss by an inch. She walked into the cabin, immediately being embraced by Anne in a tight hug.
“Avalon, you’re here!” The sickly girl said, smiling brightly.
All of Avalon’s reservations melted away as she looked towards her friend. She nodded, giving her a reassuring smile back. “I am. Are you ready?”
Anne nodded, taking her hand and pulling her towards the dining room table. “Yes, do you have a specific position you need me to be in?”
“You can just sit anywhere,” Avalon instructed, taking her wand out and conjuring the leather book again. “I’m going to have to kneel in front of you anyway,”
“How scandalous,” Anne put a hand to her mouth in feigned horror, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Only for you, darling,” Avalon teased back, placing the book on the ground in front of her and opening it to the right page.
Behind her, she heard Ominis walk into the cottage with his wand out. He stared at the two girls, his concern quite visible on his face. Solomon was surprisingly not present.
“I told my Uncle to let us have some space for the spell,” Anne explained, as if she could tell what Avalon was thinking. “I didn’t want him to be here in case…”
In case it fails, Avalon thought. “I understand.”
“Can you walk me through what’s going to happen?” Anne asked, her voice beginning to become a bit more worried, but she kept a brave face on.
“Of course,” Avalon nodded. “I have gathered what I believe to be enough magic to beat the will of the parasite inside of you. Using Ancient Magic, I’m going to force the parasite into a stasis, or essentially freeze it in time while it's still attached to you. This means every five or six months, I will have to reapply the spell for the rest of your life. If I’m not there to subdue it, the parasite will unfreeze itself and resume draining you of your life force.” She explained.
“Will you put yourself at risk for the rest of your life because of this?” Anne questioned. Avalon shook her head in response.
“No, as soon as I know I have enough ancient magic to complete the spell once, I will be able to do it for the rest of my life, unless I lose my powers.”
“And if you don’t?” Anne’s voice was lowered to a whisper now.
“If I do not have enough magic… The parasite will send a backlash from the spell onto me, and my heart will stop,” Avalon felt her nerves building at that thought, but she had to push it down. For Anne’s sake.
“Are you prepared for this?” Anne asked her, holding her hand tightly. “It would not hurt me if you chose to step away. In fact, I would be happy if you did.”
“Do you still want to do this?” Avalon squeezed her hand.
“Of course, I do,” Anne said, her eyes filling with tears. “I want to be rid of the effects of the parasite. I want to go back to Hogwarts and be with you and Sebastian and Ominis. I want to live a long, healthy life with you all forever. More than anything, I want to save my brother from going down the path of Dark Magic,” Tears spilled down her cheeks while she spoke, some falling onto their tightly held hands. “But I feel so selfish to want you to risk your life for the chance of me having mine back. I don’t want you to die because of my wants.”
“Anne, I do this of my own accord. I wouldn’t have brought you this solution if I weren’t ready to risk my life for it. Please know I’m doing this because I want to. I want you to have a normal life. I want you to live a long, happy life with us. I want you to come back to Hogwarts and be part of our little lunch group. You are my friend,” She said, her voice cracking as a tear fell down her cheek. “Please know I don’t think you’re selfish for wanting to live. I want you to live too.”
Anne let out a sob from the back of her throat and wrapped her arms around Avalon’s neck again. She cried into her shoulder with Avalon embracing her back. Avalon’s long, dark hair brushed against her nose and almost made her sneeze as she heaved from her emotions.
Ominis had to hold himself back from crying as he heard the two girls pour their hearts out. He bit the inside of his cheek, gripping his wand tightly as he visualized them embracing and hearing them cry. He wanted to pull Avalon to him, tell her she couldn’t do this, and beg her to reconsider. He didn’t want her to die. Not when their entire life is ahead of them.
But he knew that he couldn’t change her mind. After hearing what she said to Anne, he knew her heart was set in stone. He had to let her do this.
“I’m ready,” Anne said, sniffling and wiping away her tears.
Avalon pulled back, a soft smile on her face. She nodded, her wand in her hand as she calmed herself down to focus.
“Ready,” Avalon said, looking down at the page in front of her and taking a deep breath.
Ominis visualized as Avalon began to speak a language he had never heard before. It was chilling all around them, the air almost sucking itself out of the room at an instant. There were whispers everywhere, caressing him and beckoning him forward to Avalon. Was this Ancient Magic? Was this what Avalon could see traces of?
It was cold, so cold. It felt as if frost could form on his body and turn him to stone at any moment. Everything felt so heavy, enough to feel a tightening sensation in his chest. And even though the whispers told him to go towards Avalon, he stayed in his place by the entrance and watched in awe.
Avalon felt the magic she stored in her body rush towards Anne’s stomach, begging to be used and let out after all this time. She felt the instant the parasite began fighting back, screaming and clawing its way at her spirit while she pushed more and more magic against it. It was trying to tighten its grip on Anne, but Avalon prepared for it. Using her hand, she reached out and grabbed onto a tendril while continuing to speak in the ancient language. The parasite screeched at her, doing everything in its power to break out of her hold.
But Avalon was determined to beat it. She felt her magic reserves begin to drain at an alarming speed and push the parasite down and into submission. She felt her heart pound against her chest at an agonizing speed, almost as if she was having a heart attack. Everything was so cold as magic pushed its way through her veins, through her muscles, and through her bones.
And then, it was burning. She felt like every cell in her body was on fire and cremating her very essence. Avalon almost faltered in her speech, but found the will to keep talking. If she stopped the spell now, she was sure to perish.
The ancient magic she had gathered was running low; she could feel it. The parasite was still fighting back, trying to dig its way into Anne deeper, but not being able to due to Avalon’s grip.
She clenched her teeth, her nose beginning to bleed and drip blood onto the floor, but she couldn’t stop now. As if the air around her became an intense pressure, she was almost blown back away from Anne. Avalon gritted her teeth, continuing her spell and putting her reserves into overdrive. Just a little more, she could do it; it was almost there.
Behind her, she heard Ominis call her name, but she was too far into it at this point. Anne grunted in pain above her, feeling the parasite try to grab more of her essence to fight against the onslaught of power pouring onto it. But Anne refused to let it have any more of her than it already took. She gripped the chair and willed her essence to stay with her, leaving the parasite to be defenseless against Avalon’s magic.
An opening, Avalon thought, finally letting out every drop of magic she had to finish off the spell. Avalon shouted the last words of the spell and pointed her wand at the parasite. It screamed in pain before its limbs began to freeze up. The pressure in the room instantly disappeared, the coldness returned to normal temperature, and the screaming stopped.
Silence. Just silence. Avalon panted, her heart feeling as if it was about to burst open.
Anne was the first one to speak, her brown eyes wide in disbelief. “I don’t feel it anymore…” She whispered, realization finally hitting her after another moment. “I don’t feel the curse anymore! You did it, Avalon!” She exclaimed, overjoyed.
Avalon opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A ringing noise was the only thing she could hear as spots began to flash in her vision. She felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as she fell backwards onto the wooden floor, unconscious.
“Avalon!” Anne and Ominis called for her, rushing to her aid as she lay there.
“Oh Merlin,” Anne gasped, grabbing her arm and shaking her. “Ominis, what do we do? We have to get her to a hospital!”
“I’ll take her back to the castle!” He said, panicked. He grabbed her nap sack from the ground next to her and picked her up, his arms under her legs and behind her back. Ominis ran out of the cottage, passing by a concerned and surprised-looking Solomon.
Solomon took one look at Avalon’s unconscious form and immediately thought of the worst, dread forming on his face. “Is she-” “No, it worked, I’m taking her to the hospital at Hogwarts-” “Take the floo, Ominis, I give you permission to use my floo,” Solomon cut him off.
Ominis nodded, not wanting to question the man while Avalon might be dying. He ran back inside the cottage and right up to the fireplace. “Hogwarts Castle,” He ordered, feeling a familiar warm sensation envelop him as he disappeared from the cottage.
When he felt the warmth leave him, he struggled to grab his wand from his pocket with her in his arms. Once he finally got it, he used it to run through the castle towards the hospital wing as fast as he could. He burst through the doors and called for the nurse, who was immediately at his side.
“What happened?” She asked, pointing to the bed closest to him. He laid Avalon down on the hospital cot, grabbing her hand in his and squeezing.
“She must have exerted her magic or… or something, I don’t know!” Ominis held onto her hand, the adrenaline and panic in his body making his thoughts unclear and frenzied.
“Stand back,” The nurse said, pulling him gently away from Avalon to check on her herself.
Ominis didn’t want to let go of her, but he knew he had to let the nurse help. He reluctantly let go of her hand and backed away, the nurse pulling the curtain in between him and her while she worked to save the girl.
The doors burst open again, this time Professor Fig had run in, terror on his face as he looked around for Avalon. “Where is she?!” He exclaimed.
“Professor,” Ominis waved him over. “She’s with the nurse now.”
“What happened?!” He interrogated, rushing over.
Ominis quickly explained what they had been doing for the past week, going into detail about the process Avalon had explained to Anne. He avoided telling Fig about Sebastian’s conquest towards Dark Magic, deciding it would be better not to expose that part of the reason why Avalon chose to do this. Fig listened, his eyes widening as Ominis kept talking.
“Is she…” He trailed off, his adam’s apple bobbing as he looked towards the curtain.
“No, she’s alive,” Ominis said as confidently as he could. In truth, he had no idea about Avalon’s condition. He felt her heartbeat as he carried her. It was frantic, erratic, not beating consistently at all. In truth, Ominis thought she was having a heart attack.
“Dear God…” Fig breathed, putting a hand over his chest. “I can’t believe she would… No, I can,” It seemed like he was having a hard time grasping the information presented to him. “What am I going to tell her parents? They’re going to… Merlin, they might pull her from school again .”
“What?” Ominis felt his heart drop. “They can’t, please don’t let them, Professor,”
“You’re Ominis Gaunt,” He realized, his eyes widening and then narrowing suspiciously. “What are you doing here with her?”
He knew, of course he did, Ominis thought to himself. The blonde flinched and gripped the handle of his wand. “I-” He tried to start some kind of explanation, but in truth, he had no idea what to say. “I’m her friend.”
“Her friend? You… and Avalon?” Fig asked in disbelief. Ominis felt guilt crawl up his spine as Fig looked at him the same way she did when she came back to Hogwarts. He wanted to crawl away, to hide from the shame this man was pushing onto him again. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Running away wasn’t an option when Avalon was hurt.
“Yes, we’re friends,” Ominis insisted. “I know it’s hard to believe, but-” “No, it isn’t,” Fig waved a hand dismissively at him and surprisingly smiled . “I’m glad she’s forgiven you, Ominis. And I hope you will not take that forgiveness in vain.”
“I won’t, I swear,” He said, steeling himself and his nerves
“Good. Now,” Fig took a deep breath, clasping his hands together. “Let me talk to the nurse and see what’s happening.”
Ominis nodded, his wand visualizing Fig walking past him towards the curtain. He let out a shaky breath, feeling himself instantly relax once he knew Fig had accepted him as her friend. He wasn’t as distrustful as Ominis thought he would be, and he was grateful for it. Ominis didn’t think he had it in him to deal with their history at this point with Avalon in the hospital.
“Ominis,” Sebastian’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The brown haired boy rushed towards him. “People have been talking all around the castle about how you carried Avalon to the hospital wing. Is she okay? What happened?”
“I think she’s going to be alright,” Ominis said, feeling Sebastian put a hand on his shoulder.
Sebastian sighed, relieved at the news. “What happened? Why is she here?”
“Well-” “Ominis! Where is she!?” Anne appeared at the doorway of the hospital wing, having just kicked the doors open. Her skin had already gained a significant amount of color to it, much less the sickly pale she was just thirty minutes ago. She was panting, full of energy from having to use her broom after so long to make it there as fast as she could. Sebastian looked towards his sister, his eyes wide as a gasp escaped his lips
“Anne?” He breathed in utter disbelief. Anne turned her gaze to Sebastian, a sob escaping her throat as she ran to her brother for the first time in perfect health. They embraced, Sebastian spinning her around with joy as he began to tear up. “Wha- How? How is this possible?” He exclaimed.
“Avalon,” Anne said between sobs. “She cured me, she found a way to save me!”
“What?” Sebastian turned his head to Ominis, who nodded with a smile at his best friend. “Is… Is this what you were talking about yesterday when you told me to trust you?”
“Yes, it is,” Ominis came next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “She found a cure for your sister, and it worked , Sebastian.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, a tear sliding down his cheek.
“Because we know you were dabbling in Dark Magic to try and cure me,” Anne answered, pulling away from his embrace with her brows furrowed. “Avalon told us about the relic you were trying to get.”
“But why didn’t you tell me? I would have stopped if I knew there was already a cure.”
“Would you have?” Ominis questioned, his tone getting much more serious as the weight of what Sebastian was doing fell down on all three of them. “You were willing to risk our lives to find Salazar Slytherin’s scriptorium, not even knowing if it had an answer to cure Anne, you don’t regret using crucio and firmly believe Hogwarts should encourage students to learn Dark Magic, and you swore to Avalon and I that you were done with the Dark Arts, only to immediately turn around and try to find some dark relic.” Sebastian narrowed his eyes, about to protest against Ominis, but the blonde wasn’t done.
“Avalon was the one who told us to keep this from you. She risked her life to save Anne from suffering and to protect you from going down a path you can never return from. You might not understand her reasoning for keeping it from you, but tell me this, if she had failed, would you, truthfully, have still stopped your pursuit for a cure through Dark Magic?”
No. That was Sebastian’s first reaction to Ominis’ attack. He would never have stopped to find a cure for Anne, with or without Dark Magic. He hated that Ominis was right, and maybe he hated that Avalon was right to keep this from him.
But Sebastian was angry. He was angry they decided to keep secrets from him, to keep him out of the loop as if he wasn’t capable of handling it. He couldn’t believe they didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t stand that Ominis was the one lecturing him on it.
He balled his fists, feeling a mixture of rage and shame bubble in his stomach. Anne reached out and put a hand on his forearm to try and calm him down. “Sebastian, please,” She whispered. “Please don’t be angry at us for keeping this from you.”
“I…” Sebastian shook his head and pulled his arm out of Anne’s grip. He turned his back on them, holding himself back from exploding on Ominis with Anne present and Avalon…
“I have to go,” He finally said, walking out the hospital wing doors.
“He’ll be alright,” Anne said, softly. She was sad that her brother was being this stubborn and avoidant of taking responsibility for his mistakes. Especially when she was finally cured. He should be happy, thankful to Avalon, but instead he seemed so bitter. “He just needs time to cool off.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ominis sighed.
Both their attentions were turned as the curtain was drawn back. The nurse and Fig walked out of the area where Avalon was asleep and drew the curtain back.
“How is she?” Ominis asked with Anne beside him, impatiently waiting for any news on the girl.
“She’ll be alright,” The nurse said, calmly. “Her magic reserves were dangerously low, but she’s already starting to replenish them. She just needs a lot of rest and time.”
Both of them let out the breaths they were holding in relief. Anne hugged Ominis, happy to hear their friend would be alright.
“When will she wake up?” Anne asked, pulling away from the blonde.
“Soon,” Fig answered, a smile on his face. “Avalon’s a tough one. She should be awake within the next couple of hours. So if you two want to go to the great hall to get something to eat, you should be back in time for her to wake up.”
“I’d rather stay,” Ominis admitted.
“Are you sure? It’s not like she’s going anywhere anytime soon. She’ll be here when you get back.”
“I’m sure. I’d like to stay, please.” He said.
Fig looked towards the nurse, who nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, if you want to,”
“I’ll come back when she wakes up,” Anne said, squeezing Ominis’ arm. “Uncle Solomon and I are going to talk to Headmaster Black about me coming back to school. We’ll drop by afterwards to see if she’s up.”
“Okay,” Ominis said, hearing Anne leave the room.
Ominis walked over to Avalon’s hospital area, hesitantly reaching out to pull the curtain back. He stopped, his fingertips barely brushing against the fabric. Fig watched him, carefully, eyeing the boy up and down to see what he was going to do.
“...She’s alive?” He asked, quietly, almost as if he was terrified of opening the curtain and seeing her dead on the bed.
“She’s perfectly fine,” Fig assured him, walking over to put a hand on his back. “You can sit with her until she wakes up. Usually the nurse wouldn’t let students loiter, but she said she’d make an exception.”
“Thank you, professor,” Ominis said, finally pulling the curtain back and taking the seat next to Avalon’s bed.
“I have to go write to her parents to give them some explanation on what happened. Otherwise, they’d probably burn the castle down to take her back,” Fig chuckled, drawing the curtain to give the two some privacy. “Call if you need anything.”
“I will,” Ominis said, his wand in one hand and his other holding hers. His eyes, despite not being able to see her, never left her sleeping form.
Fig smiled softly at the scene, happy that Avalon had finally opened up and made some friends. He shut the curtain, leaving the hospital wing to return to his office.
Chapter 16: I'm Just Happy (You're Okay)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: I miss you, I'm sorry by Gracie Abrams
Chapter Text
Avalon didn’t wake up for two hours. Two hours of Ominis holding her hand and using his wand to visualize her. It felt like an eternity to him, waiting for any kind of movement other than her steady breathing.
He was able to map out every detail of her face with the way she slept so still. Sometimes Ominis checked her pulse just to make sure she wasn’t actually dead. He could see every angle, every soft curve, and every indent. The way her cheekbones were high up on her face, closer to her eyes, but her jawline was sharp in shape. Her nose was small and perky, her lips were full and shaped like a cupid’s bow. And even though she was asleep, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her eyes.
Most people would describe them as fox-like or cat-like, but in reality, they were just almond-shaped and upturned. Her lashes were thick and curled up. Did she use makeup? He couldn’t tell. Everything about her seemed clean and pristine. Even the long scar that ran over her right eye from an inch above her eyebrow to the top of her cheekbone.
He furrowed his brow, wondering how the scar could have healed like that. He remembered when he hit her, it had flown up her face due to the angle they were at. She had covered her wound immediately, and he had fled the scene so quickly that he never got a good visual on it.
Yet, with or without the scars, he would still find her beautiful.
He had known of his growing feelings for her for a while. That night after finding the scriptorium, after their heart-to-heart talk, he knew he was done for. Yes, she was physically very beautiful, but it was the way she was so willing to stay next to him instead of going off with Sebastian to explore. She plopped herself beside him and talked to him as if they had known each other for years.
Avalon became a soothing presence to him, despite their history. Her witty comebacks, her stubborn individualism, and her compassion were traits he found so deeply attractive that it startled him to have these kinds of feelings.
After the incident, he had closed himself off from a lot of people other than the Sallow twins. Girls tried to approach him, mostly for his money and prestige, but he turned them all away every single time. He hated them. The people who only saw him as a ‘Gaunt’ and not as a person. It was suffocating to always be around people like that.
Avalon was a breath of fresh air, even when they were younger. She was always adventurous and unapologetically herself, no matter what she was going through. He remembered she always found time to feed the beasts in beast class. It surprised him, honestly, that she didn’t end up in Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin.
Perhaps, if she weren’t a Slytherin, he would never have gone after her in the first year.
No, he shouldn’t think like that. He shouldn’t give himself a way out of taking accountability for the pain he’s inflicted on her.
A small noise pulled him from his thoughts. He felt Avalon squeeze his hand, visualizing her shift in the bed and slowly opening her eyes.
“W… Where am I?” She huskily whispered.
“You’re in the hospital wing at school,” He informed her, gently, “You passed out after the spell concluded.”
“...Did it work?” She asked, tilting her head to look at him.
“Yes, Anne is alright,” He confirmed. He felt her loosen her grip on his hand, relaxing at the information he gave her.
She sighed, her head melting into the pillow. “Thank god,” Avalon breathed, “It worked.”
“It did,” He said, his voice cracking. He kept holding onto her hand, pulling it towards him and resting it against his forehead. He shut his eyes, letting out a shaky, long breath of relief.
“Ominis?” She said his name so carefully, as if he could break at any moment. “Are you alright?”
“I’m just so relieved you’re alive,” He admitted, feeling his body shake from the respite he felt. “You had passed out so suddenly, I thought-” He trailed off, not being able to finish his sentence.
Avalon smiled, using her other hand to reach up and brush a loose strand of hair away from his face. His eyes looked up in her general direction, not totally being able to focus on her, but having a rough estimate.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Gaunt,” She joked, the hand fixing his hair then falling to her side.
He choked a laugh, his nerves washing away at her being able to joke with him again. “I know, Stryker.”
“I don’t think you’ve called me by my last name since our altercation in the great hall,” She noted, remembering back to when Sebastian forced him to sit with her and Poppy around a month ago.
“Why would I when princess suits you so much better?” He joked.
“Speaking of…” Avalon trailed off. “Does Sebastian know?”
Ominis hesitantly nodded his head, his eyes looking downcast at the mention of the brown haired boy. “He does.”
“How’d he take it?”
“Not well,” He admitted. “He’s upset we kept it from him.”
“Ah, understandable,” She hummed, shutting her eyes and sighing through her nose. “Let’s give him time to come to terms with it.”
“I don’t think he has the right to be upset,” Ominis said, honestly. “He was the one who lied and broke his promise to us. You risk your life and save his sister, and he can’t just… admit he was wrong?”
“I agree with you, but… maybe we should try seeing it from his perspective,” She said. “If I had a sibling, I would go to the ends of the world to save them. Especially if I were as close to them as Anne and Sebastian are to each other. I… can understand him wanting to use Dark Magic. I don’t agree with it, nor do I believe he was in the right to lie to us, but I can see his perspective.”
“Maybe I’m having a harder time seeing as I don’t speak to my siblings anymore,” Ominis acknowledged.
“And if Sebastian and I had kept you out of the loop on something important, even if it was for your sake, would you be able to forgive and forget instantly?”
Ominis went quiet, knowing she was right in everything she was saying. He wouldn’t have been okay if she and Sebastian went behind his back in any capacity. And it would certainly take a while to be able to forgive them after the fact.
“Alright, I see what you mean,” He sighed.
“Are you admitting that I’m right?” She gasped in fake shock. “I can’t believe it.”
“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Ominis rolled his eyes and smirked.
“Say that again?”
“Say what again?”
“That I’m right,” She grinned, opening one eye to look at him expectantly.
“Mmm, I'd rather not.”
“Come onnnn, what’s a girl got to do to be indulged?”
A gasp interrupted their banter from the end of the curtain. Anne had pulled it back, carrying a box of candy from Honeydukes with her. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she rushed over to the side of the bed where Ominis sat and threw herself on Avalon.
“Ava! You’re alright!” She cried, embracing the girl in a tight hug. Avalon, who still had her hand held by Ominis, used her other hand to hug Anne back.
“I’m okay, geez, you guys are acting like I died or something,” She quipped.
Anne pulled back to reveal her teary face. She sniffled, giving Avalon the most kicked-puppy look she had ever received. “Don’t say stuff like that! I thought you died!”
“I’m sorry,” Avalon chuckled. “But I’m alright, Anne. Seriously.”
“I’m so happy,” She said, wiping her tears away. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up, I was talking to Headmaster Black about coming back to school, and then I stopped at Hogsmeade to get you some candy as a ‘get well soon’ present.”
“Aw, you didn’t have to,” Avalon said, finally letting go of Ominis’ hand to receive the gift. “Thank you,”
“Are you kidding? Thank you for saving my life and stopping this curse.” She said, kneeling next to her bed to be able to be closer to her.
“I’m just happy it worked,” Avalon opened the box of candy and gasped, “Are these tropical flavored jelly slugs?!”
“Yes, Honeydukes just came out with them!”
“I love tropical-flavored things,” Avalon cheered, popping one in her mouth and melting from the flavor. “Thank you, seriously.”
“You’re welcome,” Anne beamed. Ominis made a mental note that Avalon liked tropical flavors in his head.
“When are you allowed to come back to school?” Ominis asked, finally joining the conversation.
“Next week,” Anne said, smiling brightly. “Since I’ve been doing school work at home, I can just go back to my normal schedule without any issues. I’ll have to test into the higher level classes, but it should be smooth sailing.”
“That’s amazing!” Avalon exclaimed, eating another slug.
“It is,” Anne grinned, then looked at Avalon nervously. “I actually wanted to ask… if you wanted to room with me? The dorm I was in replaced me when I left, so I don’t have a place to sleep.”
“Of course,” The dark-haired girl said, happily. “I’d love to room with you.”
“I’m so excited!” Anne took her hand, not noticing Ominis give her a jealous look. “Oh, this is going to be the best year ever!”
“I agree,” Avalon smiled, squeezing her hand.
Anne had to leave after an hour to go back with her Uncle. He didn’t come into the hospital wing, wanting to give the three some privacy to talk. Once she left, Avalon and Ominis were left alone once again.
“You should go get some rest,” Avalon said, looking at the clock and seeing how late it was getting.
“I’ll be alright,” He assured her, waving his hand in dismissal.
Avalon narrowed her eyes and gave him a look. “Ominis. It’s 10:30. You have to go back before they write you up for staying past curfew.”
He scoffed. “I can use my ‘family connections’ to get out of it, remember?”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, you look like you got hit by a train and haven’t slept for days.”
Did he? Suddenly, he felt very self-conscious of his appearance. “Does it contrast with my ‘dark, rich, and handsome’ look?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “No. Still ‘dark, rich, and handsome, ’” She said. “But now it looks more like, ‘sleep-deprived, exhausted, and tired’.”
“Just a little longer. I promise I’ll head out soon,” He said, leaning his head on his palm and his elbow on her bed.
“Fine, as long as you get some sleep,” She pushed her bangs out of her face.
“I will, I promise,”
“Good,” Avalon tilted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling in the dim light of the candle on the table next to her bed. Even in his mind, his wand could visualize how beautiful her eyes twinkled.
“... Why didn’t you tell me you were in pain yesterday?” He asked, quietly.
Avalon’s breath hitched as she furrowed her brow. She looked away from his face, just long enough to gather herself. After almost dying, she felt a bit more introspective on life than before. She felt much closer to Ominis throughout this entire week and especially now, holding his hand, being near each other with curtains drawn, as if the world around them didn’t matter anymore.
“I didn’t want you to see me as vulnerable,” She finally admitted, letting a moment of silence fill the void between her words.
“... Why?”
“...I just…” Avalon trailed off, struggling to pick the right words in her head. “I didn’t want to be seen as weak in that moment.”
“I didn’t see you as weak,” Ominis squeezed her hand in his. “I never have and never will.”
“...Really?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Really,” He promised.
A small smile played on her lips as she closed her eyes, tired from the long day. “...Thank you, Ominis,”
He pulled her hand towards him, pressing his soft lips gently against the flesh of her hand. So softly that she didn’t even open her eyes or react to the small gesture.
“Always, Avalon.”
Chapter 17: Saving A Dragon (Is Terrifying)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Cast The Bronze by Raynes
Chapter Text
It was a nice surprise to her when Ominis came every day in between classes. He would sneak her food from the great hall so she wouldn’t have to eat the sludge the nurse gave her. He brought her her missing homework and helped her work on it, making sure she didn’t fall behind in her classes at all (not that she really needed the help, but she appreciated the sentiment). He even fed and took care of her animals for her in her room of requirement. Well, sort of. He essentially threw pellets into her nap sack and hoped they would reach the beasts. Close enough. He wouldn’t be able to reach her room without her present, so it was the best solution they came up with, seeing as her nap sack was connected to the pocket dimension.
The more time they spent together, the more Avalon began to crave his attention and miss when he would leave. It was a strange feeling for someone so independent to miss another. She would find herself waiting in bed, looking at the door every time it opened, and getting disappointed when it wasn’t him.
He promised he would be there when she got released, but the nurse let her go a bit earlier than planned.
Surprisingly, Professor Weasely came by her bed, questioned what she did to end up there, and then told her they would be expanding her room to fit two people. Avalon gave her the access code to her lock, told her to lock up when she was done, and prayed she didn’t forget. While Malfoy hadn’t made any moves thus far, she didn’t put it past him to try soon.
Poppy would come by often too, at least once a day, to see how she was doing. Avalon eventually came clean to her and explained why she ended up in the hospital. After getting scolded for being reckless, Poppy eventually forgave her and told her all about what she had been up to.
“I overheard them talking in Hog’s Head and-” She frantically looked around the room when she told her this, leaning forward to whisper the other information. “Did you know they have orders from Victor Rookwood to capture you on sight? Does this have anything to do with Rookwood and Harlow coming for you in the Three Broomsticks after the troll attack?”
Avalon rubbed her elbow and nodded to confirm Poppy’s suspicions. “Yeah, it does, but that’s not as important right now. What else did you hear them talk about?”
“Not as important? Avalon, you have poachers and ashwinders on orders to capture you!”
“ And goblin loyalists,” Avalon muttered to herself so Poppy couldn’t hear.
“I just-” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I hope you’ll let me know if I can be of help.”
“I know, Pops,” Avalon gave her a small, reassuring smile, “I will, I promise.”
Poppy smiled back at her and leaned back in the chair beside her bed. “Good. Anyways, does the name ‘Horntail Hall’ mean anything to you?”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“The poacher’s best kept secret, apparently,” Poppy explained. “The name came up twice, but they never went into detail. I also overheard one of them bragging about all the gold they’re making. At the expense of innocent creatures, undoubtedly.”
“Well, it seems we have to stop them,” She said, her blue eyes burning with determination. After being in bed all day, every day, for three days straight, Avalon was itching for some action.
“I agree,” Poppy said. “The poachers spoke of this area to the west, and I thought if we searched around a bit, it might give us clues as to what they’re doing. We can go after you recover.”
“Oh, I’m recovered,” Avalon stretched her arms out and cracked her neck. “I’ve been recovered for half a day now, the nurse just wanted to keep me for observation, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I left early.”
“Are you sure, Avalon? I really think if you need time to recover, you should take it.”
“I’m fine, Pops, more than that, actually. I’m itching to do something,” Avalon slipped out of the bed, brushing down the clothes she had been wearing for three days straight. “Just… Let me change first, and let’s head out.”
It was easy sneaking out of the hospital wing, seeing as Avalon was great with a disillusionment charm. It wasn’t as easy sneaking around the castle to get to the Slytherin common room.
She had to hide behind corners, walls, artifacts, whatever she could see, really, just to be able to avoid getting dragged back to the nurse. Once she was finally able to get to the common room, she undid her charm and rushed towards her dorm. Poppy was waiting for her at the spot, and she’d promised she’d be there after a quick change.
Once she made it to her dorm, she noticed her door still had her lock on it, which relieved her quite a bit. She undid her lock and stepped in, surprised by the changes. Despite the outside looking the same, the inside had changed a lot. Her room was three times as big now, with her bed, dresser, desk, owl cage, and nightstand all pushed to one side. It seems Professor Weasley was not tolerant of a mess, because all of Avalon’s clothes were neatly folded in her drawers.
On the other side of the room was another bed, dresser, desk, and nightstand identical to hers. As Avalon gazed at the room as a whole, marveling at how quickly it was put together, she felt excited to have a roommate for the first time in her life.
In first year, Avalon was isolated from most of the Slytherin community. An enemy of Ominis Gaunt was an enemy to them all, essentially. Especially if that enemy was a mudblood. She had only met her roommates once before they demanded to be transferred somewhere else. It hurt, of course, but she got over it and got used to the loneliness.
Now, she was going to be able to room with a close friend of hers, and she was excited. Perhaps she could experience everything she missed out on. Talking late into the night, studying together, helping choose each other’s outfits… Perhaps she was getting overexcited.
Avalon opened her drawer and grabbed a clean outfit for herself. Her usual look of a white, button-up long-sleeve shirt, a black, underbust corset, a pair of tight, black riding trousers, a green, expensive-looking tie, and her usual brown boots. She threw it on, putting her slightly tangled and messy hair into a high bun to keep out of her way. She figured she would shower after defeating a band of poachers. It would be a waste to shower now only to get sweaty and dirty again.
Just like that, she was out the door, sneaking to the spot where Poppy said she’d wait at. She used her broom, feeling as though bringing Highwing anywhere near poachers was probably a bad idea. It took around ten minutes for her to find Poppy. She landed, her robe flowing behind her from the cool, winter breeze. Snow crunched beneath her boots as she walked towards the Hufflepuff.
“All set?” Poppy asked.
Avalon gave her a thumbs up and followed her into the forest, her wand at the ready.
“We don’t have time!” Poppy shouted as Avalon defeated the last poacher. “We need to free her now before more show up!”
“I know what to do!” Avalon said, aiming her spell at the golden handle keeping the humongous dragon grounded with chains. “Accio!”
The handle clicked and released the chains around the beast’s neck. It pulled and thrashed in the muzzle, the entire barely functional building beginning to shake as if in an earthquake.
“I… think we made a mistake,” Avalon said, backing up as Poppy followed her suit.
“I suppose we’ll find out,”
As they backed up, more poachers had teleported around them, their masks gleaming in the light from the ceiling. Avalon narrowed her eyes, readying her wand as she stood in front of Poppy.
Just as one of the poachers was about to send the first spell, the dragon finally broke free and let out a roar above them. Its eyes darted from left to right, landing on Avalon and Poppy’s forms for a moment before its pupils dilated.
The poacher standing in front of it gasped, turning up to look at certain death right in the face. He screamed as the dragon opened its mouth and ate him with one bite. Its teeth sliced through his skin like butter and split him fully in half, blood splattering on Avalon’s boots.
As the dragon began to eat the unlucky poacher, the others began to send flurries of spells to try and subdue it. Which did absolutely nothing but anger the beast. It pulled its’ head back before blowing out a wave of fire towards them all. Avalon and Poppy quickly put up their protection spells, but the poachers weren’t as quick. They all burst into flames, becoming nothing but ashes that scattered around the ground.
The dragon roared again, approaching both of them with a snarl. Avalon looked around for something to use as a defense, her eyes darting from side to side, then up. The canopy. She realized the dragon thought it was still trapped in here with them. She pointed her wand up and used confringo to burn the canopy away, the sun beating down on them all and gaining the dragon’s attention.
It tilted its head to the side, looking up and understanding what Avalon and Poppy did for it. It began to beat its large, powerful wings, creating an updraft before flying into the hole they made for it and escaping.
The tent began collapsing in on itself, no longer having the strength to hold on. Avalon looked towards the exit and grabbed Poppy’s hand. “Come on! We have to go!”
She pulled Poppy out of the door and ran out of the tent together, only stopping when they returned to the lakeside camp they had found in the first place. Behind them, the dragon roared in the sky, flying in the distance.
After Poppy caught her breath, she turned to face Avalon. “That was a Hebridean Black!” She exclaimed.
Avalon watched in awe at the majestic beast beating its wings in the air. “It’s beautiful,” She marveled.
“The egg we have must be hers,” Poppy realized, looking at Avalon’s pouch, which she carried it in. “I don’t think she knew they had her egg. She wouldn’t have left without it.”
“How do we get it back to her?” Avalon asked, furrowing her brow.
“I… I don’t know. Nothing about this day was expected. Not the goblins and definitely not the fighting ring. The last thing I planned on was a dragon egg,” Poppy stressed, rubbing her arms from how cold it was outside.
“Hey, it’s alright, Pops,” Avalon tried to be reassuring to her.
“No, it’s not,” Poppy shook her head. “The poachers definitely saw us, which cannot be good.”
“That’s true, but I can deal with poachers,” Avalon was confident in herself with that. If there was anything she was most confident in, it would be fighting.
“I know you can take them, but we should be careful. They’re not a forgiving lot. I’m sorry to say that you likely have a larger target on your back than before now, because of what we just did.”
“It’s alright,” Avalon shrugged, “At this point, I’d be surprised if I wasn’t covered in targets.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Poppy said, “If there’s anything the poachers are good at, it’s tracking their prey. And right now? We’re it.”
Chapter 18: I'm Sorry (I'm Bad At Words)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: chaotic by Tate McRae
Chapter Text
Avalon and Poppy got back to Hogwarts safely, luckily no one seemed to notice what either of them did, despite the dragon that was only around 30 kilometers from the castle. They said their goodbyes for the night and went their separate ways, with Avalon sneaking back into the common room. As soon as she got to her dorm, she collapsed on her bed, exhausted from the fight and, in all honesty, still recovering from the spell that cured Anne.
She felt her ancient magic reserves slowly coming back after depleting completely. It was scary to feel like she had nothing inside of her. The magic had become such an integral part of her being that without it felt empty and just wrong.
At the very least, she understood how much Ancient Magic was needed to complete the spell in the future. Which means Avalon had around five months to increase her reserves. Plenty of time.
She felt gross from the sweat, dirt, and grime that covered her body. With a hazy, tired mind, she threw her clothes off, wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, grabbed her shower supplies, and headed to the communal bathroom.
Once there, she wasted no time hopping into one of the showers and turning the hot water on. Her skin was freezing from being outside for so long. The warmth of the water and steam was a welcome sensation as she melted from how nice it felt.
She scrubbed the grime off her skin with soap and her loafer. Her hair was soaked in the water, and she rejoiced as she massaged shampoo into it. It had become so greasy from her lack of access to a shower in the hospital wing. Avalon was relieved to be able to fix that.
After her shower, she brushed her teeth and combed her hair. She dried it to the best of her abilities, letting it hang down past the middle of her back. It had gotten a bit longer since she arrived at Hogwarts. Perhaps she should cut it? Or maybe later. Avalon was too tired to think about it right now.
She walked out of the bathroom, her shower caddy in one hand and the other being used to keep her towel up.
“Well, well, look what we have here?”
Avalon’s blood went cold at the familiar voice from behind her. She turned her head, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Vincent Malfoy, leaning on the guard railings and eyeing her up and down. Lust clouded his vision, his tongue darted out to lick his chapped lips.
She instinctively clenched her towel in her fist. “Leering outside the woman’s bathroom, Malfoy? That’s low, even for you.”
“Oh, but I was waiting for you, Strokes. See, I noticed you don’t shower with your wand on you, so I thought now would be the perfect time to have… a chat.” He smirked, his look making her feel dirtier than before she took her shower.
“You’ve been stalking me? Obsessed much?” She hissed.
“I can’t help it, you’re just so…” He pulled his wand out and accio’ed her to him. She dropped her shower caddy, feeling herself being dragged to where Vincent stood. He grinned as she held the towel as close to her as she could, struggling to fight against the spell. “You’ve become such a prize, Strokes,” He purred, caressing her cheek. “One I intend to take.”
“Expelliarmus!”
Vincent grunted as his wand was hit out of his grip. Avalon gasped as she dropped onto her bare feet in front of Vincent. Her body was shaking from both anger and the cold of being only in a towel.
Behind them both, Ominis had his wand raised, a dark look on his face. He had fury in his pale, blue eyes, his jaw was clenched tight at having to visualize what Malfoy just did to Avalon.
Vincent scoffed, turning his back to Avalon and facing Ominis. “Seriously, Gaunt? You trying to play the hero now?”
“ Get away from her ,” He snapped, walking towards them with rage in every step.
Vincent took a shaky step back, but clenched his fists and hardened his resolve. He picked up his wand from beside him, getting into his own defensive stance. “You seriously are trying to defend this bitch? Don’t you remember what we did to her in first year? She’s a mudblood ,” He seethed through clenched teeth. “She needs to learn her place is beneath us.”
“ Excuse me?!” Avalon flared, pulling her fist back and slamming it into the back of Malfoy’s head. He gagged, completely taken off guard by the surprise attack. Without a second of hesitation, Avalon pulled her leg back and rammed her knee in between his legs, effectively hitting where it hurt as hard as she could. He squealed in pain, doubling over and dramatically falling onto the ground while holding his nether regions.
“Pretentious fucker ,” Avalon spat, kicking him in the back for good measure. “Who’s beneath who now, bitch?!”
At the sounds Vincent began making, Avalon quickly grabbed the hand of a shocked Ominis, pulling him towards her dorm room and grabbing her shower caddy in the process. She opened her door and pulled both of them inside, shutting it behind them.
“Sorry for dragging you in here,” She apologized, letting Ominis’ arm go. “I figured the noise would draw some attention, and I didn’t want us to get caught like that.”
“Merlin, what a fucking bastard,” She cursed, walking further into her room and putting her stuff on her dresser. She looked towards Ominis, who was still processing what just transpired.
“You… You kicked him in the nuts.” He stated, covering his mouth.
“Yeah, and I wish I could do it again,” Avalon grumbled, grabbing her pajamas. “Do you mind if I change? I don’t care that you’re here, seeing as.. You know.”
“O-Oh, yes,” His face burned pink as he respectfully turned around and put his wand away, giving her full privacy. “Sorry, I forgot you weren’t decent yet.”
“It’s fine,” Avalon said, letting the towel drop to the ground. At the sound, Ominis felt his face warm even more. She was naked behind him. Avalon Stryker was completely naked in the same room as him. Was this his lucky day? He couldn’t tell. This was one of the rare moments Ominis wished he wasn’t blind.
After putting her clothes back on and getting over her bout of embarrassment, she called his name to tell him it’s okay to turn around. When he did, he took his wand out to examine the area.
She sat on her bed, braiding her long hair while in a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a spaghetti strap cami. She had her legs crossed, her arms pulling her hair to the front so she could see what she was braiding.
“What were you doing out there, Gaunt?” She asked, finishing her braid.
“I uh…” Focus, he shouted at himself in his head. “I was looking for you. You weren’t in the hospital wing when I went to check on you.”
Avalon inwardly smacked herself. Damnit, she forgot to tell him she released herself from the hospital. “Sorry, I forgot to message you about that.”
“Where were you? ” He asked, snapping out of his daze.
Avalon’s face brightened considerably. She got off the bed, searching her pile of clothes to find something. After a moment of rustling through her stuff, she finally found what she was looking for. “You want to see?” She asked, excitedly.
She opened a pouch, taking out a circular object and placing it on a pillow on her bed. It seemed to have a high heat signature according to his wand; the air around them seemed to get considerably warmer as well.
“What is it?” Ominis asked.
“A dragon egg,” She proudly stated, her hands on her hips.
“A what?” Ominis’ eyes widened in shock.
“It’s a dragon egg,” Avalon grinned, walking over to him and pulling his arm to lead him towards the bed. “Poppy and I saved a dragon from a fighting ring run by poachers and they had this egg in a cage. We took the egg and we’re trying to find the mother to give it back,” She explained. “Do you want to feel it? It feels so cool,”
“I- Wait, you did what?” His mouth hung agape from her story. “Avalon, you were just in the hospital and you… I’m sorry, are you mad?”
“Maybe a little,” She shrugged, reaching down and grabbing his hand in hers. He blushed again, feeling her pull his arm to touch the egg with his fingers. “Just feel it, it’s so beautiful.”
He felt her hand press his onto the dragon egg, her fingers sliding in between the gaps in his to feel with him. “Isn’t it amazing?”
Ominis felt a slow, small heartbeat through the shell of the egg. It was warm, borderline hot, to the touch. But even though it seemed so fragile, it felt sturdy, strong. As if the thing inside of it could burst at any second.
“Wow…” He couldn’t help but breathe out.
“Right?” She said, smiling brightly. She stood next to him, her body pressing against his side to keep her hand on his. Her scent was so strong beside him, intoxicating him on apples and spiced vanilla.
“It’s beautiful,” He admitted, turning his face in her general direction. Without his wand, he couldn’t predict where she was in terms of closeness. He didn’t realize they were right next to each other until he felt her hot, minty fresh breath on his lips.
Avalon froze as his face came dreadfully close to hers. Her breath hitched as her eyes met his pale blue ones. Her lips were inches away from touching his, her body still pushed against him.
She stood there, unmoving and unwilling to move. Her eyes looked at his conventionally handsome face as her heart began to pound louder and faster in her chest. His strong jawline, his long nose, his unblemished skin…
Avalon was an impulsive person. She knew she had trouble when it came to controlling her impulses and reactions. It was just in her nature.
She couldn’t help herself from leaning forward and pressing her lips softly against his. Gently. Almost experimentally. All her pent-up emotions and feelings towards the blonde seemed to crash onto her and take over her mind.
Beside her, Ominis’ body froze up. His eyes widened as he realized what happened. As she began to pull back, terrified she had done something wrong, he rushed forward to connect their lips once again. Their hands left the egg, intertwining together and pulling each other closer. His hands were behind her neck, her fingers were cradling his cheek, and their bodies were pressed fully against each other now.
Ominis thought his heart was about to burst as he pushed her back against the wall, pinning her to it with his body. He felt her desperately kiss him back, her hand going from his cheek to the back of his head, wrapping her fingers in his hair. He groaned into the kiss, his hand letting hers go to dig into the flesh of her thick hips.
She let out a soft moan into the kiss, and that just drove him insane . He needed air, but he refused to breathe. She was everything. All the oxygen he needed was the feeling of her mouth on his. Nothing else mattered to him, nothing else even existed.
“Ominis,” She panted his name into his own mouth. His fingers were tangling in her hair now, refusing to let her go until he had his fill of her
Then, Avalon remembered who she was kissing. A flashback of him standing over her first year self, looking at her like the scum on his shoe passed her mind. She pulled back, pushing him away in an instinctual panic
Ominis pulled away immediately, his eyes wide in shock and filling with fear. Fear he did something wrong, that she regretted what they were doing. Both their lips were swollen, completely kissed out. His hair was messy thanks to her, his tie loose and wrinkled
“I-“ She stuttered. Avalon never stuttered. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the right words to say. “I’m sorry, I didn’t- I shouldn’t have done that,” She whispered.
No. That’s not the words she wanted to say. That’s not what she meant.
Ominis felt his heart wrench in his chest, pain blaring inside of him as she spoke. She regretted it. She didn’t want him. What had he done?
“No, I’m sorry,” He said, flushing and anxiously fixing himself up. Avalon reached out for him, her eyes widening as she realized her mistake.
“Wait, I didn’t-“ “It’s fine,” Ominis cut her off, holding his wand and rushing out of her dorm. “I’m sorry,” He said, heartbreakingly. And then he was gone. Just like that.
Avalon felt her lips quiver, the guttural pain returning once again as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Why? Why did she have to have a flashback right then and there? Why did she feel so awful watching him walk out the door?
… Why did she kiss him? No, she knew why she kissed him. She’s known for a while that she cared for Ominis. Perhaps too much, given their history. But she couldn’t. Not after everything that happened between them. It felt like a betrayal to herself to fall for him. That she was doing her younger self a disservice by not denying her feelings.
Merlin, what was she doing? She rubbed her eyes with her palms, putting the egg back in the poach. She collapsed on her bed, curling into a ball as she kept replaying the kiss in her mind over and over again.
Chapter 19: I Regret (Saying That)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: I miss you, I'm sorry by Gracie Abrams
Chapter Text
The next day, Avalon left her room more groggy than ever. She shut the door behind her, locking it as usual, and rubbing the dust out of her eyes. She didn’t get a wink of sleep, spending the entire night thinking about Ominis and the kiss they shared. A part of her was begging to see him again, perhaps apologize for her poor wording, and maybe kiss him again. The other part was terrified to see him, worried he might be angry or upset at her for pushing him away.
Was she going insane? She didn’t know, really. Avalon had never been this worried over what a boy thought of her. In fact, for the past six years, she believed most men to be well beneath her. Like Vincent Malfoy. Lustful, predatory dogs that fall over themselves at the sight of breasts.
But… Ominis was different. He cared for her so gently and always came rushing to her aid, even when he knew she could handle herself just fine. He never held it over her head when he saved her, never diminished her as a person, never thought of her as weak when she was vulnerable to him. Being with Ominis made her feel more confident and powerful rather than like she was the sidekick to some man.
And for being a virgin, he was a surprisingly good kisser. His lips were really soft too.
She actually physically smacked herself lightly on the cheek to snap her out of her thoughts about Ominis. She was surely going to be late to class at this point.
“Woah, do I want to know what brought that on?” Sebastian asked from beside her.
Avalon jumped a little from how surprised she was. She wasn’t expecting him to come up to her. “Merlin, you have to stop doing that.”
He gave her a small smile, “Sorry, princess, didn’t mean to scare you there,”
Avalon studied him, trying to see if he was still upset with her. He raised his hand in peace, understanding why she was defensive at his presence. “Could we… talk? Since we’re going to the same class, I figured we could walk together.”
“Alright,” Avalon said, hoping this was a good sign for him. They began walking down the dorm hallway, side by side.
“First, I wanted to thank you for saving my sister. I truly am so grateful to you for doing that,” He said, his hands in his robe pockets as they walked.
“Of course, I told you I wanted to help as much as I could.” She said, squeezing her textbook in her arms.
“I know, and that kind of brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk about…” He sucked in a breath, speeding up to walk in front of her and stop their movements. “Avalon, I’m sorry that I looked into Dark Magic after we agreed to stop. It was a dumb decision to try and go back on my word. I don’t blame you and Ominis for being upset with me about it, especially considering both of your… intimate pasts with the Dark Arts.”
Hearing him say something like ‘intimate pasts’ with her and Ominis’ name in the same sentence made her feel butterflies in her stomach. She quickly squashed them before they got to be too much. “I appreciate your apology, Sebastian, and I forgive you. I’m also sorry for not telling you about our plan to cure Anne. I should have been more transparent with you, in hindsight.”
“I understand why you hid it from me,” He flashed her his signature smile. “But I guess I forgive you as well.”
“Oh, how generous of you,” Avalon rolled her eyes, but smiled at their ability to banter once again. She missed Sebastian, as much as she hated to admit it. She missed his friendship and his company. Despite them getting off on a bad start, he had definitely pushed his way into her heart.
“You know me, most generous man in the world.”
“And the most humble.”
“Got me there, princess.”
Ominis was avoiding her.
And it kind of hurt, to be honest.
In Defense class with Hecat, he had sat all the way in the front as opposed to around where Sebastian and her sat in the back. When she tried to talk to him in the hall, he pretended like he didn’t see her and walked away.
She tried to hide her hurt, but it must have been pretty visible by lunch, because Poppy made a comment about it.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, taking a bite of her meat stew.
“What do you mean?” Avalon asked, picking at her food with her fork.
Poppy gave her a look. “You look like a unicorn trampled over you, twice. Ominis has also been acting really weird today. Like I tried to ask him about where you were and he freaked out and stormed off.”
Avalon sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I fucked up, Pops, I fucked up real bad.”
“What did you do?”
“I kissed him,” She admitted, covering her face with both of her hands.
Poppy gasped, a delighted squeal escaping her lips. “Really?! You guys kissed!”
“Keep your voice down, please!” She felt her cheeks light up in flames as she frantically looked around to make sure the boys weren’t around to hear.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” Poppy hissed, nudging her side.
“Because I haven’t even been able to process it myself, to be honest,” Avalon sighed, sinking into her hands to hide her embarrassment. “Last night, Malfoy was waiting outside the women’s bathroom for me and tried to do things,” Poppy gasped again, her eyes wide with horror. “What?! That’s literally sexual harassment!”
“Yeah, he’s such a creep,” Avalon agreed, “But Ominis was able to help me out of Vincent’s spell, so I kicked him in the nuts and fled the scene with Ominis in case we’d get in trouble with the prefects. We were talking and I showed him the dragon egg because I thought it was really cool and… I don’t even know what came over me. He was right there, we were inches apart, and I just… leaned in.”
“Firstly, thank Merlin you kicked Malfoy. That prick definitely deserved it.” Poppy said, patting her on the back. “Secondly, isn’t that a good thing? Do you like him?”
“I… I think I do? I’m not sure,” Avalon groaned, remembering what happened after. “I pushed him away because I remembered him in first year mocking me and it… I don’t know, I just freaked out. I said something stupid like, “I shouldn’t have done this,” and he didn’t let me explain before he left. I don’t blame him for leaving, but I don’t know how to explain this to him.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “What do I do, Pops? I didn’t mean it like that, I just wasn’t mentally prepared, I guess.”
“Oh Ava…” Poppy sighed, rubbing her back. “Let’s try to figure out why you pushed him away. When you remembered the memory, what did you feel afterwards?”
“I felt… guilty.” She replied. “It felt like my younger self was disappointed in me. That she would hate me for liking him after what he did to me.”
“I see, do you perhaps think it was a manifestation of your own insecurities? You might perceive your younger self as some higher force that dictates what you do, because in your mind, she’s the one who was wronged and needs retribution. Yet in reality, you already have closure and have been moving on. It sounds like your heart is ready to fully forgive him, but your mind is holding you back because of the trauma you endured.”
“...That was surprisingly insightful,” Avalon said, staring at the Hufflepuff with widened eyes.
“Well, someone’s got to be emotionally mature around here,” She huffed, a proud little smile on her face. “But seriously, Ava. I think you need to take a deep dive inside yourself. Younger you isn’t a supernatural being that gets to tell you what you can and can’t do. She’s gone. You’re a different person now, and so is Ominis. I think it’s time you let the rest of the trauma go and follow your heart, not the guilt.”
“Merlin, Poppy, you should be a psychologist,” Avalon chuckled, but everything she said made sense. Avalon did personify the twelve-year-old version of herself that still wanted revenge in her mind. It was always there, screaming at her that befriending Ominis was wrong, that forgiving him was evil, and trusting people was stupid. She wasn’t that girl anymore. She was stronger and much more confident to be able to tell whether a person wanted to hurt her or not. She made good friends and deserved the ability to forgive herself after so long.
“You’re right,” Avalon sighed, smiling at Poppy. “It’s time to let go.”
“Good,” Poppy pulled her hand back and took a bite of her food. “Now, let’s get down to the other nitty-gritty details. Was he a good kisser?”
Avalon giggled and nodded her head. “ Yes, he is. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
“He seems like the type to be all shy in public but aggressive in private.”
Avalon’s cheeks burned brighter as she remembered him pinning her to the wall, gripping her hips with his strong hands and groaning into her mouth. Poppy leaned forward, a mischievous look in her eyes. “Oh? Was I spot on?”
“ Stop , I’m literally about to explode.” Avalon hid her face in her hands as she lit up. Poppy laughed beside her.
“You know, I never thought you could be so shy, Ava. You always seemed like the confident femme fatale type.”
“I know !” She groaned into her hands. “He’s ruining my reputation as a badass bitch!”
“And you looooove it.”
“Shut up , Pops!”
It had been a couple of days since Poppy and Avalon had their talk in the great hall, and nothing had changed between her and Ominis. He still drastically avoided her, even going so far as to hide in his room instead of meeting up with the group to study. It worried her, but she didn’t want to be too forward and approach him when he wasn’t ready to talk.
Anne had finally come to Hogwarts and set up camp in their room. Avalon tried her best to clean as much as she could to impress the girl, but it just ended up with her clothes being hidden under the bed out of panicked desperation. Sebastian laughed at her for being disorganized, which only got him heated glares from both girls.
“Don’t listen to him, Avalon, he’s just jealous I get you alone at night and he doesn’t,” Anne mocked, wrapping her arms around Avalon’s waist. Sebastian’s face burst into flames as he firmly denied what his sister was claiming, and ran off to his own room.
Anne brought a certain amount of feminine charm to their room that Avalon severely lacked. She brought lace curtains, hanging plant holders, and a large, fluffy rug in the middle of their room in between their beds. The curtains were a welcome sight for Avalon, who was grateful not to have to wake up at the crack of dawn due to the sun.
“We should go to Hogsmeade to get some other supplies!” Anne said, “Let’s bring the group too! I’m sure the boys would love to have a reason to leave the castle.”
“Sure,” Avalon said, wondering if Ominis would come along as well. “I’ll send an owl to Poppy.”
“Oh, yes! I’d love to finally meet her,” Anne clasped her hands together.
After an hour of setting things up, they had all decided to meet at the main entrance. At Anne’s request, Avalon had changed into a more casual, but feminine dress. It was dark green, with long, puffy sleeves and a brown corset bodice that squeezed her waist and showed off an ample amount of cleavage from the Queen Anne-style neckline. She wore subtle amounts of jewelry, just her mother’s necklace and a pair of gold stud earrings.
Anne wanted her to wear leggings with feminine shoes, but Avalon insisted on wearing her usual knee-high brown boots. First, for the coverage in the winter air, second, in case she’s attacked and needs to move around, and third, because they’re comfortable to walk in. Anne begged to do her hair, though, and Avalon relented on that.
Anne put her hair in a half-up, half-down style, braiding a couple of pieces on the side to add a certain amount of feminine charm. She smiled once she was finished, proud of herself.
“Avalon, you look gorgeous ! Why don’t you wear dresses and skirts more often?”
“Because they’re harder to move in while I’m getting shot at,” Avalon said, throwing her Slytherin robe on top of the outfit, putting her wand holster on her hip, her brown leather bag over her shoulder, and attaching her nap sack to a latch in her brown belt.
As they walked up to the group of three waiting at the entrance, Avalon was happy to see Ominis standing quietly next to Sebastian while he and Poppy were chatting.
“Sorry we're late,” Anne said, running up to them.
Poppy gasped, her eyes sparkling at Avalon’s form. “Merlin, Avalon, you look amazing!”
“Do I?” She asked, smoothing down her dress, feeling a little self-conscious without her usual pants.
“Yes, I love it,” Poppy gushed, then her attention turned to Anne. “Oh, you must be Sebastian’s sister! I’m Poppy Sweeting.”
“A pleasure,” Anne smiled brightly at the Hufflepuff. “I’m Anne Sallow. I’ve heard a lot about you from these three.”
“I hope good things,” Poppy laughed.
As the two girls chatted, Sebastian’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the dark-haired girl in front of him. He had never seen her dress so feminine before, and he had to say, it suited her. Avalon’s features always seemed quite aggressive, but significantly softened up over the last month. The dress did wonders for her breasts, holding them in place and showing off the ample amounts of cleavage she had. Her waist went in tight, and the dress added an elegance to her that he didn’t think was possible
She was the picture definition of ‘pretty’, and he could barely stop himself from drooling
Anne cleared her throat, snapping him out of his daze. “Well, how are we going to do this? Since Ominis can’t use a broom, should we walk
“He can ride with me,” Avalon offered, patting her nap sack, “We can fly on Highwing.”
“I can just walk,” Ominis insisted, barely looking at Avalon, much to her disappointment.
“Nonsense, let’s just fly,” Poppy said, sending Avalon an apologetic look.
“Yeah, I don’t mind, if you… don’t.” Avalon said, her voice containing trace amounts of disappointment at Ominis’ original rejection.
Knowing he was outnumbered in this, Ominis sighed and relented. They all got on their broomsticks, Sebastian sending a jealous look towards Ominis as he got behind Avalon on Highwing. Avalon blushed at the closeness between the two of them, relishing being near him again. He seemed to be leaning away from her as far as he could, not like he used to when they went on their adventures.
It hurt, Avalon thought. But she didn’t want to get into it with him right now.
They took off, flying towards Hogsmeade with the others on their broomsticks. The ride was silent and awkward, not comfortable and casual like it usually was. It only took them ten minutes to make it to the town. They all hopped off their transportation at the entrance, since Hogsmeade was a no-fly zone.
“You know what I realized?” Poppy said, standing in between Anne and Avalon while Sebastian and Ominis stood behind them. “The Winter Ball is coming up!”
“The Winter Ball?” Avalon asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Did you leave before the ball in first year?” Anne asked. Avalon shrugged.
“I guess I did,” She said.
“Well, it’s a ball that Hogwarts hosts every winter. Every student wears their best dress to essentially listen to music and dance the night away.” Poppy explained. “I also heard that couples who get together at the Winter Ball will stay together forever.”
“Sounds like a load of rubbish,” Sebastian scoffed, but his eyes did linger on Avalon for a couple of seconds.
“You’re such a downer,” Anne whacked his arm. “Let the girls dream a little,”
“Hey! I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s true!” He defended himself, raising his hands up in the air.
“Such a spoil sport,” The two girls giggled while Avalon smiled a bit, inwardly hoping Ominis would ask her to the dance. Or at the very least, talk to her. His silence was unnerving, unlike him.
“We should order our dresses at Gladrags,” Poppy suggested.
“Yes! If we ordered now, it should be done the day before the Ball,” Anne said, grabbing Avalon’s arm and pulling her after Poppy towards the wizardwear shop. Sebastian sighed, looking towards Ominis and putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Want to grab a Butterbeer?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter 20: Automatonophobia (Hold My Hand)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: missing you by Sami Rose
Chapter Text
After designing their dresses and paying Augustus Hill nearly half her allowance, Avalon told Poppy and Anne she needed to grab something from the other side of Hogsmeade, and she would meet them in ten minutes.
In all honesty, she just needed a moment to herself. She didn’t realize how much Ominis ignoring her would hurt her emotionally. How much everything has changed just because of her mistake. She regretted it. She wanted nothing else but to talk to him and try and fix their friendship, at the very least. But she felt like she couldn’t. It felt like there was a wall between them, separating them from communicating.
While walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, she felt someone pull at the hem of her dress.
A house-elf, with long ears and a broom in her hand, peered up at her with excited eyes. “Hello! I was wondering if you would be interested in having your own shop… And a house-elf to help you with it.”
“A shop?” Avalon looked at the building behind the house-elf. It was around the same size as the other buildings, painted an ugly yellow color, and looked quite deteriorated.
“Oh yes, right now it’s on sale! Penny highly recommends it, as it’s a great business opportunity.” She said, still with a smile on her face. Avalon assumed her name was Penny, remembering how Deek spoke back in the room of requirement.
“I don’t know, I’m kind of young to run my own shop,” Avalon admitted.
“Oh, but you would have Penny to help as well, oh yes! Penny would run the shop for you. Penny can sell anything!” She pressed.
Avalon actually considered it for a moment, remembering all the artifacts, extra clothes, and valuable objects she’d collected in her adventures. If what this house-elf told her was true, perhaps this would be a valuable investment for her. Plus, she didn’t really know what she was going to do after she graduated from Hogwarts. Perhaps this was a step towards her future as well as her present.
“Alright, I’ll bite,” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “How much?”
“Oh, Penny was told to tell all possible store owners that they should talk to Mistress Cassandra Mason up the street on the hill,” Penny informed her, pointing up the street to a house. “Penny hopes you become the new owner,” She said, with a soft smile. “You seem nice, Miss…”
“Avalon Stryker,” Avalon introduced herself, holding her hand out to shake hers. “You can call me Avalon.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Avalon,” Penny said, shaking her hand. “Penny’s name is Penny.”
“I figured,” Avalon smiled back, looking up the street and waving at her goodbye for now.
Penny waved back, a small, sad smile forming on her mouth as she guiltily looked to the ground and kept sweeping.
“Sebastian, Ominis!” Anne waved towards the two boys, who were coming from having a drink at the Three Broomsticks. They walked over, confused by the disappearance of a dark-haired girl.
“Anne? Where’s Avalon?” Sebastian asked. Both Poppy and Anne looked worriedly at each other, then back to the boys.
“We thought she was with you,” Poppy admitted, nervously fidgeting with her hands.
“She left us a bit ago to look for something near the broom shop and promised to meet us here over half an hour ago. We’ve been looking for her since then,” Anne explained.
Sebastian and Ominis stiffened at the news. He looked around, trying to see if anything seemed out of the ordinary. “We have to find her. You girls look near Upper Hogsmeade, Ominis and I will look near the broom shop. Be on the lookout for any sign of Ranrok loyalists, ashwinders, or poachers. Anyone who might have a vendetta against her. We should report back here in an hour if we can’t find anything.”
“Oh Merlin, what if she’s been kidnapped?” Anne covered her mouth in fear.
Ominis took his wand out, channelling some magic into it and expanding his ability to visualize everything. He took off, Sebastian following him close behind as the girls darted off to look north.
“Can you sense her anywhere?” Sebastian asked, hurriedly.
Ominis shook his head, more and more panic began rising in his chest as he gripped his wand handle. “She’s nowhere in a ten-kilometer radius, but…” He stopped speedwalking, turning his head towards the direction of an old, abandoned yellow house. In front of it, a house-elf swept with a broom.
“Look,” He said, pointing to the familiar, brown leather nap sack by the door of the house. “That’s her nap sack. She never goes anywhere without it.”
They rushed over to the house, almost knocking over the house-elf. “There must be clues inside the house,” Sebastian said. “Avalon would never, ever leave her nap sack so out in the open.”
They tried opening the door, which was locked shut. Sebastian grunted as he tried to open it by force, slamming his side into it. “It’s locked.”
“Use Alohamora,” Ominis instructed, pulling Sebastian out of the way.
“Uhm… Excuse me, gentlemen,” They turned, looking down to face the house-elf, who had stopped sweeping. She bit her lip, looking around worriedly, but then meeting their eyes. “Are you looking for Miss Avalon?”
“You know her? Do you know where she went?” Sebastian questioned, anxiously.
“She’s inside,” She said, walking slowly towards the door and taking out the key. “Penny shouldn’t be doing this… But Miss Avalon was so kind.”
She opened the door for them. Ominis narrowed his eyes and got into a defensive position. “You know what happened to her,” He accused. “Where is she? What did you do to her?!”
“Penny didn’t do anything to Miss Avalon!” Penny cried, covering her face and shivering in fear.
“Ominis, come on, we have to find her,” Sebastian said, pulling his arm into the door. Ominis gave Penny one last glare before following Sebastian into the messy, disorganized house. They searched the entire place, but there was no sign of the girl.
“Sebastian, look at this,” Ominis called from the little broom closet in the back of the store. Inside, there was a large, wooden chest in the back of a very messy room. On the floor in front of the chest was an unlocked lock and Avalon’s Slytherin robe.
“Is that… her robe?” He asked, picking up the fabric on the floor.
“Check the inside for her initials,” Ominis said. Sebastian turned the robe inside out, finding the initials ‘A.S.S’.
“Her initials spell out ‘ASS’?” Sebastian tried to hold back his amusement due to the very dire situation they were in, but even Ominis couldn’t help himself and cracked a smirk.
“What’s her middle name?”
“Don’t know, never asked her,” Sebastian shrugged. Then, his eyes looked towards the chest, curiosity piquing his interest. He opened the chest, heaving to lift the heavy lid. It popped open, a blue light revealing a magical ladder going downwards.
“What happened?” Ominis asked.
“There’s a ladder in here,” Sebastian said, peering down the entrance to some magical dimension. Were those vines? Was Avalon down there? “I’m going in.”
“I’m coming too,” Ominis said, following Sebastian down the ladder and into the chest. As soon as their feet landed on solid, cement ground, the chest lid closed and clicked shut above them.
“Did it just lock?!” Ominis asked, hearing the noise.
“Yeah, I think we’re stuck in here…” Sebastian said, looking around at their surroundings. Then, the ladder flashed the same blue light and disappeared before his eyes.
“What the hell?” He staggered back, bumping into Ominis.
“What? Where did the ladder go?” He asked, his wand helping him visualize his surroundings.
“Disappeared,” Sebastian said, turning around to look ahead of them. They were in some kind of cellar, with wooden barrels and shelves holding bottles. The walls were made of stone blocks, rats crawled all over the ground, and sim lanterns were the only lights above them.
“Come on, let’s try and figure out where we are,” Sebastian said, walking forward. Ominis stumbled behind him, a chill running up his spine as he tried to visualize the area.
As they walked, they noticed a room up ahead that seemed much brighter than the room they were currently in. They cautiously walked in, noticing dozens of wooden mannequins in various positions amongst the multitude of junk. Sebastian noticed an open chest at the end of the room and walked over to it.
“She’s probably been here,” He noted.
“What makes you say that?” Ominis asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Because Avalon is essentially a kleptomaniac on adventures... And if she was kidnapped, why would a kidnapper leave their chest empty and open?” He rationalized, putting his hand to his chin in thought.
Suddenly, the lights went out.
“ Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A dark, sinister voice called out.
“Lumos!” Sebastian cast, lighting up the area. Everything had changed. Instead of the cluttered room they were once in, they were now in a square room with hanging mannequins on the ceiling. It was unnerving, almost bone-chilling.
Ominis got to visualize the entire room, his breath hitching at what he saw.
“You must be here for the girl!” The voice laughed, echoing out in the room.
“Where is she?!” Sebastian shouted, gripping his wand handle.
“Oooo how dramatic! Two Prince Charmings coming to her rescue! What a tale!” A chilling air swept through the room as it began to shift once again. “Who’s going to save the girl, though? I’m curious to find out!”
Behind both of them, a door creaked open on its own. Ominis narrowed his eyes and walked forward, increasing the radius of his wand’s visualization as far as it would go, and yet somehow, he could only see whatever door opened in front of him. It was almost as if his vision was being cut off by some supernatural force.
“He mentioned a girl,” Ominis said, “That has to be her.”
Sebastian nodded, but felt a little off by the words spoken. ‘ Two prince charmings coming to her rescue, ’ the voice said. Maybe it was nothing, just someone mocking them, but Sebastian could shake off the jealousy creeping up his spine.
They kept traversing through the hall, eventually entering another dimly lit room, only for it to change once again into a dungeon-like area with skulls and bones all over the floor. Sebastian cursed in surprise, backing up from the pile of bones they were about to run into.
“This is impossible to navigate,” Ominis complained, turning back around towards the door. The environment changed again, turning back to the original room they saw.
“We’ll never get to her at this rate,” Sebastian said, clenching his jaw. “What if we split up? Try to cover more ground?”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Ominis said, shaking his head. “We’ll just lose each other as well.”
“Well, what else can we do?” He shouted, running his hands through his hair.
“Sebastian, calm down, I know you’re worried about her, but panicking isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
“Are you not worried?” Sebastian accused, narrowing his eyes at the blonde. Ominis swerved around to send a scathing look at the brown-haired boy.
“ What did you just say to me?” He asked.
“You heard me.” Sebastian walked up to Ominis, his eyes glaring daggers at him. “Are you not worried about her right now? You seem awfully calm for someone who's close to her.”
Ominis grabbed the collar of his shirt, gripping it tightly as he clenched his jaw. “Don’t speak about things you don’t know, Sallow.” He hissed through his teeth.
“I’ll speak about whatever I want to,” Sebastian snapped, pushing Ominis off of him. The two sent heated glares at the other, knowing that this wasn’t just about them.
“Now we’re getting somewhere!” The voice giggled with glee, “Two men, vying for the same woman, and friends at that!”
“Stop fucking playing with us!” Sebastian yelled to the ceiling. “Tell us where she is!”
“Oh-ho, not so fast, lover boy.” The sound of a tongue clicking against teeth echoed in the room. “How about this…” The room swirled and morphed once again into a large foyer, with two staircases leading up to a large, ornate door. The walls were covered in paintings and blue, fancy wallpaper. In front of them was a stage-like area with a couple of steps leading to a statue of a woman with furniture lined up in front of it. To each side of the room was a closed door with a lock on it.
“Your princess is in one of these two rooms,” The ghostly voice explained. “ In order to gain access, one of you must defeat the other in a duel. Winner gets to enter whichever room they please, loser has to leave and let the winner save the girl.”
“How do we know which room she’s in?” Sebastian questioned.
“Follow your hearts,” The voice cackled.
Sebastian and Ominis looked at each other, grips tightening on their wands. “Sebastian,” Ominis started, cautiously. “This is what he wants. We can’t play into his games,” He reasoned, putting his hand without his wand up.
“We’ll never find Avalon if we don’t follow his rules,” Sebastian argued, getting himself into position.
Ominis narrowed his eyes. “Who’s to say he’ll ever let us find her even if we do play along?”
“There’s only one way to check,” Sebastian said, shooting a basic cast at Ominis’ head.
Ominis ducked, narrowly avoiding the spell and whipping his head around. “Sebastian, this is mad! Stop this and let’s try to find Avalon together!”
“If you’re so concerned, forfeit the duel and let me win,” Sebastian said, sending another spell at him. This time, Ominis blocked with Protego.
“If I forfeit, you’ll be left alone in here and may never be able to find her.”
“Are you saying I’m not competent enough to find her alone?” He snapped, using Leviosa towards him.
Ominis grunted, being lifted into the air by the spell. He knew Sebastian was a much better duelist than him. Besides Avalon, he was the best duelist at school by far. Ominis was somewhere in the middle of the pack due to his disability, but he could keep up with the average wizard.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying!” He felt Sebastian send basic casts right into his chest and hissed in pain. “I’m saying whatever force is controlling this place won’t actually lead you to her. It’s trying to split us up for a reason.” He dropped onto the ground from the spell, landing on his feet.
“You don’t know that,” Sebastian seethed. “And it’s a risk I’m willing to take to find her. Now, either fight back, or get out of my way!”
Ominis grit his teeth, blocking another spell coming his way. “Damnit,” He muttered, gripping his wand handle and sending a spell at Sebastian.
Sebastian blocked it, returning suit and narrowly missing Ominis’ shoulder. Ominis tried to roll out of the way, the same way he’s seen Avalon do it so many times, but his foot got caught on the wood planks. He stumbled a bit, catching himself just in time to swerve to the side and dodging another spell.
He had gotten good and predicting when enemies would attack thanks to his time with Avalon. It was strange, just by watching her, he felt like he could successfully dodge much more easily now than before.
“Accio!” Sebastian shouted, getting more and more frustrated with every spell Ominis dodged. Just like before, he missed. He couldn’t hit the blind boy and wondered if he was losing his touch.
“Leviosa!” Ominis hit him. His body dangled in the air from the spell, his eyes widening as Ominis hit him with a flurry of basic casts. He was thrown back, sliding on the ground and hitting his back against the wall.
He gagged, the wind getting knocked out of him as he struggled to get back on his feet. “Since when did you learn to duel?”
“Since I met her,” He admitted, keeping his defensive position.
“Tch,” Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the mention of Avalon. “Guess I need to stop holding back.”
Before either of them could cast any more spells, a scream echoed through the walls from behind the right side door. They both watched in absolute awe as an explosion of flames burst through the door, blowing the hinges clean off and making the wood skid to a stop a couple of feet away on the ground. Through the smoke, Avalon slowly walked out, her body panting and her eyes wide in terror.
“Avalon!” Sebastian made a move to go towards her, but stopped as she threw something large and smoking to the side of the room. A chair. She threw a burning chair to the side.
Her dress had singe marks on it, but other than that, she looked relatively alright. The only thing that was concerning was how terrified she looked. She gazed around the room, trying to regain her breathing and calm herself down.
“Avalon?” Ominis walked over to her, using his wand to guide him. Both boys looked at her, cautiously approaching step by step.
After another moment, she finally let out a deep exhale and shut her eyes. “Please tell me there are no more mannequins near us.” She breathed out.
Sebastian and Ominis looked around, then back to her. “No?”
“Okay, thank Merlin,” She sighed in relief, opening her eyes back up and rushing to them. She wrapped her arms around Sebastian first, seeing as he was closest. Then, she moved to Ominis, not caring that they were in an awkward moment in their relationship.
“I thought I’d never see you guys again,” She whimpered, using both arms to wrap around their necks and pull them close to her.
All of the animosity between the two boys melted away in her presence. The anxiety and panic disappeared as she held them close. “What happened? Where are we?” Ominis asked, being the first to pull out of her embrace.
“I uh… Bought the shop from a witch named Cassandra. She told me to open the chest in the closet, I went in, got trapped by a French poltergeist, and have been stuck here ever since,” She explained, letting Sebastian go as well once Ominis pulled back. “As for where we are, I have no idea. It’s his realm, though. He can shift the rooms and everything in them.”
“A poltergeist? Like Peeves?” Sebastian asked, raising his eyebrow.
“Wait, you bought a shop?” Ominis looked at her in disbelief.
“Yes and yes,” She answered, shrugging her shoulders. “I thought it was a good price.”
“You’re a student, though.”
“Yeah, so?” Avalon rolled her eyes. “I’d make an awesome store owner. Stop judging me.”
Ominis sighed, facepalming.
“Oh darn, the duel was just getting juicy!” The poltergeist finally showed himself in front of the two boys, crossing his arms over his chest. It looked French, with a white wig on his head, pale skin, and French attire on his translucent body.
“Duel?” Avalon asked out loud. Sebastian and Ominis shifted uncomfortably, the adrenaline no longer guiding their aggression to fight.
“Guess the princess didn’t need two princes to save her,” The ghost sighed, dreamily. “What a woman. Let’s see how you handle this!”
The room went dark again, everything began shifting around them. Avalon instinctively reached out and grabbed both of the boy’s arms to make sure they stayed together.
Now, they were in a long room with multiple locked doors. Everything was made of wood, including the mannequins perched around in a multitude of positions.
“You both were so good at fighting each other, let’s see how you do with these!”
Suddenly, the mannequins began twitching to life and stumbling towards the three of them. Sebastian and Ominis sprang into action, shooting spell after spell out to defend themselves against the mannequins. It was only after a few moments that they realized Avalon wasn’t moving.
Instead of fighting, she had glued herself to the spot in the middle of the room between them, her body frozen and her eyes wide in fear. Ominis had never seen her like this before, nor had Sebastian.
“Avalon?” Sebastian called, using confringo to set a couple of mannequins on fire.
No response, she was still standing completely still.
“Hey, Avalon?!” Ominis said, panicked. He used Depulso to send some of the mannequins flying back towards the other side of the room. Every time they defeated a mannequin, it just seemed like more and more were spawning out of the room.
“We kind of need your help here!” Sebastian added, nudging her a little.
She whimpered , falling to the floor with her hands covering her face. Ominis shot a mannequin in the stomach before turning to Sebastian. “Cover us!”
Sebastian nodded, continuing to blast as many mannequins as he could.
Ominis dropped to her level and covered her body with his. “Avalon, what’s wrong? What happened?”
She mumbled something so quietly, he couldn’t even hear it. He tilted his head towards her, trying to hear as Sebastian threw spell after spell out. “What?!”
“I’m… of… mannequins…” She said again, a little louder, but still not loud enough for him to hear.
Ominis noticed a mannequin get closer and quickly shot it with depulso. “I need you to speak louder, please!”
“I SAID,” Avalon shot her head up to stare at Ominis, tears brimming in her eyes as terror filled her pupils. “I HAVE A FEAR OF MANNEQUINS!” She shouted, startling both Ominis and Sebastian.
A moment of silence filled the entire room before the doors opened again and more mannequins walked out. Sebastian grunted, blasting as many as he could on one side while Ominis covered the other. “You’re afraid of mannequins?!”
“YES, OKAY?!” She screeched, the anger and adrenaline from admitting that out loud coursing through her veins and giving her enough courage to shoot out a blast of Ancient Magic on five mannequins coming at them. She then whimpered and froze in place as four surrounded them and came rushing towards her.
She shut her eyes, covering her face and awaiting her fate. “Incendio!” “Confringo!”
Sebastian and Ominis blasted the last four mannequins with both spells simultaneously, their bodies setting on fire and turning to ash
“Oh-ho-ho, so the princes do save the day!” The poltergeist teased, opening the door at the other side of the room for them. “More fun for me!”
As the voice faded away, both boys were panting and trying to catch their breath. Avalon sat on the floor, still covering her face and peeking through her fingers to check if everything was alright yet.
“You… have a fear of mannequins?” Sebastian questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
Avalon felt her cheeks heat up as she nodded slowly, hugging her legs to her chest.
“Yeah, I do,” She admitted, hiding her face in shame. “It’s called automatonophobia. I’ve had it since I was a little girl.”
“So, what does it mean?” Sebastian asked.
“It means, I’m going to have a lot of trouble fighting in here,” She sighed, her hair fanning out around her head. “I just… freeze up whenever I see a mannequin. I can’t explain it, they’re just… God, I can’t even look at them.” Avalon finally looked up to face the two boys. “Before, I just set everything on fire while keeping my eyes shut, which worked, but now you guys are around me. I can’t do that without burning you both to ashes.”
“Well, that’s not great to hear,” Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re the best fighter out of the three of us, so at this point, we’re basically down a person.”
“Sebastian, shut up,” Ominis glared at him, taking a knee next to Avalon and putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, but looked up at him with guilty, shameful eyes. “It’s going to be alright,” He said, softly. The same way he talked to her before they kissed and Avalon fucked it all up.
“I’m sorry, I’m dead weight,” Avalon mumbled, her eyes downcast in shame.
“You’re not dead weight,” Ominis assured her, standing up and holding his hand out for her to take. “You can do this, Avalon. Just hold onto me and we’ll get you out of this.”
Avalon looked up into his pale, blue eyes. His sincerity warmed her heart and filled her with determination. The fear was still there, but now she wasn’t alone anymore. She didn’t have to face this hellhole by herself. She took his hand, pulling herself up, and interlocking their fingers.
“Okay,” She said, squeezing his hand. He was warm, his hand soft, but strong. She was able to focus on the few feet in front of her as long as she was with them.
Sebastian stared at them with a burning jealousy bubbling in his stomach. He wanted to rip her out of Ominis’ arms and hold her close, but he knew that would only drive her away from him. Why couldn’t he say the right things to make her latch onto him? He didn’t mean to make her feel like dead weight. He said that to try and encourage her, perhaps build her confidence. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect.
They kept going through the maze the poltergeist created around them. Sebastian and Ominis defeated the mannequins, and Avalon would solve all the puzzles. Their system was slow and a little exhausting, but it was working. It felt weird to be the ones fighting instead of Avalon, but in all honesty, for both boys, it felt like a slight ego boost.
After fighting against the poltergeist for the fourth time and having to dodge the many pieces of furniture thrown at the three, he finally seemed to be bored with them.
“Well, this has been fun! Much to do, much to do…” He hummed, disappearing from their sight in a puff of smoke. “See you in a bit!”
Behind them, the door opened with a long staircase going upwards. Sebastian wiped the sweat off his brow, panting from the workout he just endured. Beside him, Ominis was also exhausted, breathing heavily and hunched over. Man, was he always this out of shape? He didn’t know how Avalon was able to do this essentially every day. Maybe he should work out a bit.
Avalon slowly walked over to Ominis, silently taking his hand again and holding on. Ominis’ eyes softened at her touch, completely forgetting what happened a couple of days ago. He had never seen her be so passive before, which bothered him. But her clinging to him, immediately going to his side after every fight to hold his hand… It was pretty cute. If this were any other circumstance, he would be enjoying this.
“ Merlin , how much longer is this going to last?” Sebastian grumbled, beginning to walk up the stairs to avoid looking at the two. Ominis sighed and began leading Avalon up the stairs behind the brown haired boy.
“No idea, but let’s keep moving.”
Once they made it up the stairs, they walked across the bridge with vines and trees all around it. They got back to the room where the two had dueled, they turned their heads as the big, ornate door began to open itself on the second floor of the room. It slid open by itself, beckoning them forward.
“This entire adventure has been so creepy,” Sebastian said, walking up the stairs on the right side to the door. Ominis nodded, squeezing Avalon’s hand reassuringly. She stayed quiet, squeezing his hand back and following the two boys up the stairs and through the door.
A dungeon-like room greeted them with another door on the other side of the room. They all walked through it, slowly at first, but then they heard the rocks around them begin to break away and levitate into the sky.
The tunnel melted away into a foggy, dark graveyard with a metal gate opening for them. As they walked past the gates into the clearing, the poltergeist, Fastidio was his name, they learned, appeared behind them and floated around to the front.
“Aha! Finally! You three appear to have traversed this seemingly never-ending dungeon relatively unscathed.” He had floated a bit away from them in the air, swerving his body left to right as he spoke.
“Let us out of here!” Sebastian demanded, gripping his wand handle.
“Oh, did you think it would be that easy?” He sighed dramatically. “How about this. The princess and I strike a deal, you defeat my monster, and I let you out of here?” He offered.
“What kind of deal?” Avalon spoke up, finding a bit of confidence with no mannequins in sight.
“Defeat my monster and I shall tell you, darling,” He grinned, going over to a pile of wooden furniture and raising his arms. Surprisingly quick, the furniture began to stack on top of each other and form a side, burly monster. It roared and began rushing towards them, raising its fist to bash their heads in.
As Ominis and Sebastian tried to run out of the way to dodge, Avalon narrowed her eyes and pointed her wand at it. She conjured the Ancient Magic within her, being able to raise it high above them in the sky before slamming the monster down onto the ground. Part of it broke apart into splinters, the other part was still intact. It rushed at her again, but Avalon was no longer afraid.
“Incendio!” She cast the fire in a large enough spell to engulf it in flames. The monster was reduced to nothing but ashes on the ground. Avalon pushed her bangs out of her eyes as she glared up at the ghost in front of her.
“What’s the deal you want to offer?” She said, darkly. By the look in her eyes, she was more than ready to get out of this hellhole.
“Ohhhh, the princess has some bite to her, doesn’t she?” He whistled, floating around Avalon’s body. “Well, that was a bit anti-climactic, but you’ve worn me out! Well done! I had a feeling about you three.” He landed on the ground, standing in front of the girl. Ominis and Sebastian walked up next to her, stunned by how quickly she had defeated the monster.
“I have to admit, Cassandra did a wonderful job finding the perfect playmates,” He said, putting his hands on his waist. “Now, as for the deal with our esteemed shopkeeper, I allow you to do business as normal with no… instances, and you let me roam free for one day a month to do whatever I please!”
“Would you be open to keeping it until after 9 pm?” Avalon asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Hmm… Would you be open to two days a month then?”
“Fine,” She said, nodding her head.
“Wonderful! Then we have a deal,” He snapped his fingers, a contract appearing in front of Avalon.
She read through it, everything looking as it was in order, so she took the magical quill and signed the paper. It disappeared in a poof right before her eyes.
“And that’s all! You three are free to go,” He chuckled, motioning with his arms to the building to the right of him.
“That’s it?” Sebastian asked, hesitantly walking by the poltergeist.
“Unless you wish to spend some more quality time with me than with your precious princess, of course, ” Fastidio waggled his eyebrows. Sebastian cringed and shook his head.
“No thanks,” He said, walking into the building with the ladder.
“After you,” Avalon said to the two of them.
“Shouldn’t it be ladies first?” Sebastian asked, cocking his head to the side.
Avalon narrowed her eyes. “Hell no, I’m not letting you see up my skirt!”
“Damn, there goes my chance,” Sebastian joked, finally being the first to climb up the ladder. Ominis followed without an argument, with Avalon being the last up.
Once they got out of the chest, it snapped shut behind them, automatically locking. Avalon let out the deepest sigh of relief as she picked up her Slytherin robe from the ground. “Oh, thank Merlin, I thought I was going to be stuck there forever.” She cried, so happy she was free.
She reached around and pulled both of them into a three-person hug. “Never let me wander off and make an impulsive purchase again.”
“Yeah… definitely not.”
“I promise I’ll try.”
“Good,” Avalon cracked her knuckles and her neck. “I’m going to go beat up an old woman. You’re welcome to come and watch if you’d like.”
Sebastian snorted, but then realized she wasn’t joking.
“Oh my god, you’re serious.”
She didn’t give them a chance to try and stop her before storming out of the shop, walking right up the street towards Cassandra Moon’s house.
“We should get the police,” Ominis said, wanting to be responsible.
“You can go do that, I’m going to go watch her beat up an old woman,” Sebastian said, running after her.
After Avalon had successfully defeated the witch, got her arrested, freed Penny, and started up her shop, they finally made it back to Hogwarts, where Anne and Poppy lunged at Avalon.
“Don’t you EVER walk away from us again!” Anne cried, holding Avalon’s waist.
“I can’t believe you got kidnapped by a poltergeist without us!” Poppy tearfully wailed.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Avalon apologized, hugging the girls back tightly. “I promise I won’t wander too far anymore.”
“You better not!” Anne huffed, finally letting her go after a couple more moments. “I can’t believe you got tricked by an old witch into having to fight a poltergeist that haunts a shop you now OWN.”
“Crazy how these things work out, huh?”
Anne turned to the boys, who were standing behind her. “I can’t believe you guys went into the chest after her!”
“What else were we supposed to do?” Sebastian grumbled.
“Call the police!”
“Not how we roll,” Avalon grinned, nudging both of them with her elbow.
Sebastian grinned back at her, while Ominis rubbed his arm, quietly. After they escaped, the memories of a couple of days ago came back to him. Now, all he felt was confusion. He was so happy she chose to cling to him, but he could still hear her saying she regretted kissing him a couple of days ago. Discomfort bubbled in his chest as he stood next to her.
“I’m going to head back,” He said, turning away from the group in front of the Slytherin common room.
“Oh, okay! See you later,” Anne waved her friend goodbye. Avalon turned to look at him, confused why he was quick to leave and wishing he would stay and talk to her. She wanted to say sorry about the way she handled their kiss, tell him she liked him, and kiss him again. But… He seemed so uncomfortable around her. Maybe he still needed time.
Sebastian noticed her look longingly towards the blonde as he walked away from the group. His heart felt as if it was being squeezed in his chest. He knew he was losing his chance with her, but he didn’t know how deep her feelings were for Ominis yet. Maybe he still had a chance?
“Avalon,” Sebastian said her name, which snapped her out of her own thoughts. She turned to him, tilting her head to the side.
“What’s up?”
“I wanted to ask you something,” He said, taking her arm and pulling her away from the other girls. They got the hint, talking about going to the great hall to get something to eat and leaving them alone in the hall by the Slytherin common room.
“Yeah? Go for it,” She said, smiling at him.
“I uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the Winter Ball with me?”
Avalon blinked in confusion. “Yeah, I thought we were all going together as a group.”
“We are,” Sebastian said, “But I mean… Do you want to go together? As my date?”
Avalon’s sapphire eyes widened in realization. Her mouth opened and closed, her mind raced through her thoughts to try and figure out what to say. On one hand, she was still very much into Ominis and wanted to talk to him about what happened. On the other hand, he refused to talk to her even after everything that happened in the poltergeist’s lair. In all honesty, she wasn’t even thinking about going with someone to the dance. All she was thinking about was how to fix things between them.
But Sebastian looked so hopeful in front of her, and they could just go together as friends, right? Avalon didn’t think she could see Sebastian as anything other than a best friend. He just… His willingness to use Dark Magic was something she wouldn’t be able to get over if they were romantically involved. And her feelings for Ominis were too genuine for her to be into someone else at all.
“I’d be willing to go as friends, but that’s it.” She said, believing it’s better to be as honest as she could.
“Okay,” Sebastian said, smiling widely. Did he take it the right way? Avalon didn’t think he really heard her response as anything other than a ‘yes’. “Great! I’ll bring a corsage and everything. Don’t worry, it’ll be the best experience of your life.” He promised, definitely not hearing her when she said she only wanted to go as friends.
“Sebastian, I don’t think-“ “I got to go, but I’ll see you later, okay?” He flashed her a smile and rushed off down the hall, leaving Avalon to guiltily stare at her hands and wonder if she said anything wrong.
Chapter 21: Keep Me Yours (And Keep You Mine)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Keep You Mine by NOTD and shy martin
Chapter Text
A week went by, and Ominis still refused to talk to Avalon. It was getting to be agonizingly painful for her to wait for him to be ready to talk to her. She was impatient, becoming quite snappy, and not getting much sleep.
Meanwhile, Sebastian was becoming more and more excited for the dance. Sebastian had asked about her dress, wanting to match his suit with her outfit, so she had told him the colors. Anne and Poppy had teased her about his eagerness, but nothing could make her feel better from the void left by Ominis’ absence. They only got to see each other in classes at this point. He hadn’t come to their lunch table or study sessions, just holing himself up in his room.
Finally, the day of the ball came. All of their dresses had been delivered the day before and all three girls had bought matching shoes and accessories. Anne and Avalon snuck Poppy through the Slytherin common room and to their dorm to prepare.
“Stay still, Ava! I have to lace up your corset, and I can’t if you’re moving.”
“I know, it’s just so hard to stay still while suffocating,” Avalon wheezed, holding onto her bedpost as Poppy squeezed the life out of her.
After getting into her dress, Anne helped her pull her hair up in a high, elegant ponytail. Her dark waves cascading down her back in soft curls. She had chosen to do her own makeup, putting on dark, smoky eyeshadow, gold glitter on the innermost corners of her eyes, black, winged eyeliner, and beauty charms to act as foundation and covering every spot on her face until it was smooth, pale skin. She used a dark, deep red lipstick to finish off the look.
Anne had chosen to go with a much more delicate and feminine approach. She put brown eyeshadow over her eyes, beauty charms to cover all of her freckles, and a pale pink lip to finish the makeup. Her hair was down with two braids pulled back. Her dress was a long, pale green A-line with a sweetheart neckline and a shawl over her shoulders. She had a pair of silver heels on and painted her nails a soft white color.
Poppy had chosen to wear the least makeup of them all, with just a glittery eyeshadow and a lip gloss. She had pulled her hair into a low bun and wore a short, ruffled, yellow dress with a halter neckline and black tights underneath. She had a pair of black, low heels for comfort and cute style.
Sebastian waited outside the girl’s dorm room for his date. He had gelled his hair back neatly for this day, wearing a black blazer over a white, button-up shirt and a gold tie. He had on his fanciest black trousers and wore shoes his uncle had let him borrow especially for today.
Ominis had told him he would meet them at the dance. He claimed he had some things to do beforehand, but Sebastian knew he was still avoiding Avalon and probably not coming. Not that he minded, as it brought her closer to him.
The door opened and Sebastian almost gasped from the sight of his date.
Avalon, with her hair up in a ponytail and her makeup making her look much more elegantly fierce than usual, wore a long, black ball gown with gold vines sewn into the bodice. The bust was made up of black and gold lace flowers, covering her breasts and shaped them perfectly attuned to her body. It was sleeveless, with a sweetheart neckline and a corset back. The gold detail didn’t stop at the bodice, but covered the bottom of the dress in subtle, elegant patterns amongst the many layers of fabrics. Instead of her usual fingerless gloves, she wore black, elegant gloves that went up past her elbows on her arms. She wore black heels with gold accents, namely identical gold vines to her dress wrapping around her legs. Around her neck, she wore a golden snake choker and her mother’s gold necklace. To match, she wore a pair of gold, vine-shaped earrings that went up her earlobe and hung down with beautiful white pearls at the ends.
She was the epitome of beauty, the most stunning woman he had ever seen. Her sapphire eyes sparkled as they stared into his, and his heart pounded in his chest as he tried to pick his jaw up from the floor.
“You’re drooling, Seb,” Anne giggled, teasing her twin.
“Could you really blame me?” He grinned, finally snapping out of his daze and holding his arm out for her to take. “You’re gorgeous, Avalon.”
She smiled, taking his arm. “Thank you, Sebastian. You look quite handsome yourself.”
He reached behind him and took out a small box. Inside was a flower corsage of a blood-red rose. He took it out and wrapped it around her right hand. “I hope a rose is alright, I thought it would look best with the colors you told me.”
“It’s beautiful,” She assured him.
They all walked together to the ballroom, entering and marveling at the beautiful decorations Hogwarts had set up. The room was gorgeous, with snowy themes of winter all around it. There was fake snow above them that magically disappeared before reaching them. There were floating candles everywhere, a band playing on a stage near the front, and tables with white table cloths near the side of the room.
“Wow!” Poppy gleefully grinned. “They really went all out for this year.”
“I know! Remember last year, some kid threw up in the fountain and they had to remove it completely?” Anne said.
“Ew, I remember that,” Poppy turned her nose to the memory. “I can’t believe someone snuck alcohol into the punch last year, too.”
“Did someone actually?” Avalon asked, letting go of Sebastian’s arm.
“Yeah, it was really gross.”
“It sounds gross,”
The three girls chatted for a bit while Sebastian left to get her something to drink. Avalon kept looking around, trying to get a glance of a certain blonde, but never being able to find him. She was nervous for him to see her. She wanted him to tell her she looked beautiful tonight. Maybe talk to her? She wasn’t sure. But she was desperate at this point to clear up the misunderstanding between them.
By the first hour, he still hadn’t shown up. Avalon was getting impatient, sitting at a table and staring at the entrance. Poppy and Anne went dancing with Sebastian. Every time Sebastian asked to dance, Avalon claimed she was too tired.
She hated to be like this, a downer, but nothing felt the same without Ominis next to her.
By hour two, she was close to giving up. She clenched the cup in her hand disappointedly, her eyes on the punch inside.
Sebastian was disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm, but understood that at this point, he had no shot with her. With a heavy sigh, he walked over to where she sat.
“I’m sorry, I still don’t want to dance-“ “No, that’s not it,” Sebastian said, giving her a sad smile. “He’s in our room. You should go to him.” He admitted.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Avalon stuttered, rubbing her arm.
“Yes, you do,” He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, don’t argue with me. You look miserable and I know exactly why.”
She peered up at him, her eyes full of hope as she felt the determination in her rise. Sebastian tilted his head towards the entrance. “What are you waiting for, Princess? Go get him.”
Avalon got up out of her chair, leaning forward and hugging Sebastian tight. “Thank you,” She whispered before letting go and running out the doors. Anne nudged her brother, a knowing smile on her face.
“That was pretty awesome of you, Sebastian.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He turned, smiling at her with a shrug. “Forcing her to stay would have made her miserable. After all she’s done for us, the least I could do is give her a little push.”
“Still, that was really good of you.” Anne pulled him towards the dance floor. “Now, come on! Let’s enjoy the evening.”
Avalon rushed through the halls of Hogwarts, her heels clacking against the stone floor. Her heart was beating faster and faster as she got closer to the Slytherin common room. She burst through the door, her dress flowing behind her as she glided down the stairs and made a dash to the dorms. Her patience had run out, she needed to talk to him, whether he was ready or not. She didn’t care at this point.
Finally, she made it to their dorm room. She knocked with her gloved hands, but decided that she was done waiting and whipped her wand out of her dress bodice. “Alohamora!” She unlocked the door and kicked it open.
Ominis was at his desk, his body turning around in utter surprise and his eyes widening in shock. He sputtered as he got up, using his wand to be able to visualize who had just broken into his room. “Avalon? What are you-“ “Shut up, Ominis.”
Avalon rushed inside, shutting the door behind her before standing in front of Ominis in her beautiful dress, with her makeup on, and her hair done. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and began to speak.
“I didn’t mean what I said before after we kissed. I should have done it. I’m happy I did it. I’m happy we kissed because I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks at that point. Ever since the scriptorium, I’ve had feelings for you, and I’m tired of hiding it. I know I fucked up and I am fucked up. I’m not this amazing person everyone thinks I am. I’m scared and I can be really fucking stupid sometimes, but I care about you so fucking much , Ominis, and it’s killing me to be ignored by you. I know you might hate me for what I said before, but please stop ignoring me.” Tears began to swell in her eyes as her vision became a little bit blurry, her nose began sniffling as all her pain and hurt began pouring out of her. “Please don’t leave me because of my stupid mouth, I can’t stand the thought of you hating me. I’m sorry I was stupid and I’m sorry I was so mean to you when I came back to Hogwarts. I promise if you forgive me, I’ll be better. I’ll never be mean to you again, I’ll… I’ll be a better person, just don’t leave me, plea-“ Ominis rushed forward, grabbing her by the back of the neck and smashing his lips onto hers. Her eyes widened before slowly shutting in content as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself as close to him as she could.
He kissed her with enough ferocity to melt away all of her insecurities. His lips were just as soft as she remembered and he smelled so fucking good . He cradled her neck while she slid her fingers through his hair. A soft moan escaped her as she felt him run his tongue along her bottom one.
He didn’t stop kissing her, not even as he began to talk. “I don’t hate you,” Kiss . “I could never hate you,” Kiss. “I’m so fucking sorry for ignoring you.” Kiss. “Please don’t cry,” Kiss. “I will never leave you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss.
At his words, Avalon felt a sob escape her throat. She kissed him back, desperately, feeling him rake his hands down her body. In their throes of passion, he began trying to undress her from the many layers of her dress, blind. He pulled the laces of her corset out one by one through feeling, messily loosening her dress until it could completely fall off her body. She gasped, her bare breasts shivering at the cold air. The dress pooled at her feet, revealing her soft, supple skin and her black, lace panties she wore underneath. His lips were back on her again, kissing her, tasting her, feeling her.
“Ominis…” She moaned his name into his mouth, making him groan in impatience. He picked her up, using his senses to remember where the bed was before throwing her down on it. She took off her gloves, throwing them to the side as she kicked off her shoes as well. She reached up to where he stood, pulling at the hem of his pajama shirt and begging to feel him too. He pulled his shirt off, throwing it to the side and revealing the muscular, lean chest of his. Avalon gasped, her eyes going to the crucio scars he bore all along his ribs and lower stomach. “ Merlin , there are so many…” She whispered, running her hands along the crevices of his flesh.
“It’s alright, love,” He said, leaning down, pushing his body in between her legs to take her lips once again. She kissed him back, but couldn’t help touching his chest, feeling every ridge of the scar on him.
“Do they still hurt?” She asked, finally being able to breathe from his onslaught.
“No,” He began kissing down her neck, sucking certain spots that made her gasp and arch her back into him. “Phantom pains every so often, but other than that I'm completely fine.”
“Mmm…” She knew it was hard for him to kiss her entire neck, so she took her choker off and just left her mother’s necklace. He hummed gratefully and began immediately attacking her neck, biting and sucking while using one hand to grope her left breast.
“Fuck,” She breathed out, feeling him kiss down her chest and take one of her perked nipples into his mouth. He massaged the other one, surprisingly skilled for being a virgin.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” He growled, continuing to kiss down her stomach closer and closer to her throbbing pussy. She blushed when she felt him touch her through the lace, rubbing her clit and pushing her legs open wider. She let out a loud moan, her core begging to be touched.
He pushed her panties to the side, finally being able to touch her directly. He groaned as his fingers were instantly coated in her juices, sliding two slowly inside of her and reaching to the back.
She threw her head back, her walls were tight and clenching around his fingers. Her reaction only stirred him on more, leaning forward and estimating by where his fingers were that her button would be just right there. He used his tongue and licked up her slit right to her clit. Once he knew where it was, he knew exactly how to make her scream. He sucked and licked, swirled his tongue and thrust his fingers inside of her until she was a writhing mess of pleasure.
She moaned his name more times than he could count, his cock throbbed in his pants, but he wanted to finish her first. He made her cum within eight minutes of repeated ministrations, proud he could please his lover.
“Ominis…” She panted, her legs still spread out for him even as he pulled back to take his pants off. “Please?”
“Of course, darling,” He assured her, throwing his pants off and pushing himself to be above her. His cock was bigger than Avalon imagined it to be and much thicker. It took one swift motion to rip her panties off. He pressed the tip against her entrance, his pale eyes shutting as he tried to focus on visualizing without his wand, which was much harder than it looked. Finally, he began to push into her slowly, stretching her walls out until she was able to take half of him.
“ Fuck , you’re so tight…” He moaned, his words made her tighten up even more somehow, her body pulsating from how bad she wanted him.
“Give me more, Ominis,” She begged, rocking her hips a little under him to urge him deeper. He obliged, being unable to deny her of anything at this point. She could ask him to hand over his bank account, use an unforgivable curse, and make up with his parents, and he’d say yes to it all. That’s how down bad he was for this woman.
In another moment, he was able to fully sheath himself inside of her, moaning from how intense the pleasure was. She writhed underneath him, having to adjust to his size.
“Y… You can move,” She breathed out, and that’s all it took for him to lose the last bit of self-control he had. He pulled his hips back and thrust deep into her again. She let out a deep moan, pleasure shooting up her body from her cunt. Avalon felt him piston inside of her, starting a sloppy, but pretty amazing pace. If she could speak right now, she’d probably make a snarky comment about it. But right now her brain had turned off all coherent thoughts. All that mattered was the insane amount of pleasure.
“Fuck, Om… Inis… Your cock is so… fucking good,” She cursed, not minding her language at this point. His thrust began to get sloppier and sloppier, the wet sound of his hips fucking into hers filled the room with the heat of their bodies.
“Your pussy is so wet, darling,” He hit her spot deep inside her, making her back arch and her head throw back. Once he knew what that spot was, he began to aim for it, hitting it every time and making her head spin.
“I’m going to-“ “Me too…”
Avalon came first, squeezing his cock with her walls and throbbing everywhere as Ominis spilled his seed into her, his hips faltering as he came extremely hard. They panted together, staring at each other as they both came down from their high. Ominis collapsed on top of her, his eyes shutting as he felt her body against his.
“Not to uh… alarm you, but I have to use the birth control charm in the next twenty minutes or else I’ll get pregnant.”
Ominis felt his eyes snap open as he scrambled to get off of her, Avalon giggling as she watched him finally roll to the side of her. “I said not to alarm you, no need to panic,” She reached over his lap to grab her wand that was thrown onto the dresser in their moment. After reciting the incantation and pointing to her stomach, Avalon placed her wand on the night table next to them and lay back on the pillow. “See? Easy.”
“Well, pardon me for being worried,” Ominis grumbled, falling back on the pillow beside her. She immediately shifted her body to fit them better on the twin-size bed. She lay on her left side, her right arm resting on his stomach as he lay on his back. Avalon trailed her fingers on the top of one of his crucio scars, looking at his face with adoration.
Then, a thought clicked into place.
“I spent so fucking long getting ready to look pretty for you,” She pouted, looking at her beautiful dress on the floor next to the bed. “All that work on the ground…”
Ominis chuckled, leaning up to kiss her temple and pull her head onto his chest. “I could visualize you when you came bursting through my door. You’re beautiful, Avalon.”
Her heart soared as she blushed furiously from his compliment. “...Why didn’t you come to the dance?”
He shifted underneath her, “In all honesty? I was afraid to see you with Sebastian, and it hurting too much,” He admitted, wrapping his arm around her body, pulling her close to him.
“We were only going as friends,” She said, staring up at him.
“I know, but he didn’t see it that way,” Ominis grumbled, his eyes filled with annoyance. Avalon snickered at his grouchiness and pressed her lips against his neck.
“He was the one who told me to come find you,” She breathed, feeling him shiver under her touch.
“Really?” Ominis raised a brow towards her, shocked that Sebastian was willing to let her go like that.
“Yeah, I think he could tell I was miserable there,” Avalon shrugged. “Balls aren’t really my thing and… I kept looking around for you.”
“You did?”
“Mhm,” She pressed her cheek against the smooth flesh of his pectoral. “I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to you for over a week now.”
“I’m sorry, darling,” He said, sincerely, kissing her forehead. “I shouldn’t have avoided you, I was just… scared of getting rejected again, I guess.”
“I understand,” Avalon sighed, moving so she could lie on top of his stomach with her upper body. “I was the one who made a mistake.”
“Why did you say that after we kissed?” Ominis asked, hesitantly.
“I… had a flashback of us in first year and it freaked me out,” She admitted, “But I’m okay now, for the most part. Poppy helped me realize I was glorifying the younger version of myself to force guilt onto my subconscious.”
“That sounds quite… complicated.”
“It is,” She smiled at him, leaning up to then pin him to the bed. “But I’m alright now, and I don’t plan on having any more freak outs.”
He smirked and immediately flipped them over on the bed, Avalon laughing as he intertwined their fingers. “Well, that’s good, because I don’t plan on avoiding you anymore,”
“I’ll hold you to that, Gaunt.”
“Oh, Merlin , don’t tell me we’re back to using last names only.”
Avalon wrapped a leg around his waist, pulling his hips into hers, and pressed her hot core against his hardening member.
“ Darling ,” She purred, her arms snaking around his neck. Her voice made his brain and body turn into pudding, completely at her mercy.
“ Fuck, I love when you call me that,” He growled, leaning forward and capturing her lips in his once again. She giggled underneath him, kissing him back with just as much passion.
“I’m coming in, so cover yourselves or tell me to stop!” Sebastian called through the dorm door.
Avalon’s eyes snapped open from her blissful nap as she processed the words she had just heard. She shook Ominis awake, who groaned and slowly opened his eyes. “W-Wha-?”
“Sebastian’s back, give me a shirt or something!” She whisper-screamed, holding her arms over her bare breasts that were covered in red hickeys.
As if cold water had been poured on his head, Ominis sprang out of bed to open his dresser with practiced ease. He didn’t have his wand, so he couldn’t tell what he threw in her direction. She grabbed it midair, not checking what it was, as she threw it on and began to button it up as quickly as she could.
“Wait!” Ominis called to Sebastian as he knocked on the door again. He looked around for something to cover himself.
“Accio!” He heard Avalon say before throwing him his bathrobe. He threw it on, tying the belt around his waist before clearing his throat.
“You’re good!” His voice cracked, sitting on the edge of the bed while trying to act as casual as he could. But it just looked awkward.
Sebastian walked in and looked around the room, an eyebrow raised. Avalon’s dress and accessories were strewn around the floor and on Ominis’ dresser next to his bed. She, herself, was sitting in Ominis’ bed with her lower half covered with his comforter, her upper half dressed in a black, button-up, long-sleeve shirt that was way too small for her frame. Her breasts, while mostly covered, were peaking out of the neckline, and the buttons looked like they were holding on for dear life . She was flushed, her neck covered in hickeys.
Ominis was sitting next to her on his bed with his legs crossed, in only his bathrobe that, thankfully, did cover everything. His cheeks were bright red, his pale eyes trying to gauge where exactly Sebastian was in the entranceway.
“How was the dance?” He breathlessly asked, his voice shaky.
As Sebastian took in the scene in front of him, he was surprised to feel no negative emotions towards either of the two. He took a deep breath, a hint of jealousy coming up, but washing away when he saw how happy Avalon looked. Her eyes were sparkling like sapphires, which Sebastian just couldn’t be upset over.
Sebastian walked over towards Ominis and put a hand on his shoulder, the blonde jumped up a bit from the touch.
“Congratulations on losing your virginity, mate!” He exclaimed, grinning widely at his best friend.
“ What the fuck, Sebastian?!” He exploded, his face bright red in embarrassment as Avalon burst out laughing behind him. She laughed so hard she began wheezing , holding her stomach and falling over on the bed.
“O-Oh my- Merlin, I can’t breathe .” She banged her fist on the bed, coughing from the intensity of her laughter.
Sebastian cackled above him, clutching his hand over his heart as Ominis sat between them, covering his face in embarrassment.
“Both of you are awful! ” He hissed, sinking into his spot on the bed.
Avalon’s laughter turned into snickers as she slid her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his chest. “Aw, don’t act so shy, darling,” She teased, “He’s just congratulating you on graduating from virginity.”
“Yeah, Ominis , don’t be so shy,” He cooed, making Ominis narrow his eyes dangerously at the brown haired boy.
“You guys are the worst,” He grumbled, but held onto Avalon’s hands that dangled in front of him.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s just the post-nut clarity talking,” Avalon sang, nuzzling her face into his shoulder.
He sputtered and gasped at her. “Don’t be so crude!”
“She’s got a point, though,” Sebastian said, nodding and crossing his arms over his chest. “You must have done a shitty job if he’s still grouchy, princess.”
While Ominis began dying of embarrassment, Avalon gasped in feigned hurt. “How dare you say that, Sallow! I was amazing! Tell him, baby!”
She nudged Ominis in the back, who whipped his head around to face her with alarm. “What?!”
“Tell him how amazing I was in bed!” She ordered, pouting her cheeks out. While Ominis couldn’t see her doing this, he felt the heat from her glare and gulped.
“...S-She was amazing in bed,” He stuttered out, his face the reddest its’ ever been.
“Don’t stutter! That makes it seem like I forced you to say this.” She narrowed her eyes more.
As if a cord snapped in his head, Ominis gave an exacerbated sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. “She was more than amazing, she was perfect! The best experience I’ve ever had in my life! She was incredibly tight and warm and wet-” “STOP! What the FUCK!” Now, it was Avalon’s turn to burst into flames. She covered his mouth with her hand. “Too much!”
“What do you WANT from me, woman?!”
“ What did you just call me?!”
“Oh my god , just FUCK already!” Sebastian groaned, rolling his eyes and walking to his side of the room.
“I’m not into exhibitionism,” Avalon deadpanned, falling back onto the bed and curling up in Ominis’ sheets. Ominis pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself down. A part of him wanted to just crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. The other part wanted to say screw it and fuck her again.
“Well, I’m going to get ready for bed,” Sebastian huffed, grabbing his pajamas and shower caddy. “If you’re fucking while I’m gone, just lock the door so I don’t have to see anything.”
“Okay, dad ,” Avalon groaned, waving her hand in the air to tell him to piss off. He rolled his eyes and left the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving them alone.
Ominis let out a relieved sigh, getting up to take his robe off and find some pajama bottoms. Avalon peeked over her shoulder, marveling at his beautiful, sturdy body up and down. Pride swelled inside of her as the marks she had littered on his skin. He threw his pajama bottoms on, about to grab a shirt. “Wait,” Avalon said, holding a hand out. “Keep the shirt off.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk forming on his lips. “Of course, darling , anything for you.”
She sent him a look, which only amused him further. He stopped looking for a shirt and got under the covers into her awaiting arms. His hands slid up her bare legs and thighs under the sheets, his lips immediately attacking her neck as a gasp escaped her.
“ Ominis , Sebastian will be back at any moment!” She breathed out.
He reached over to his dresser and grabbed his wand, flicking it towards the door. It clicked to lock. “Not a problem.”
“You’re insatiable,” She giggled, his hands slipping underneath her shirt and groping her breasts.
“I’m just trying to allow you to fuck the grouchiness out of me, love,” He grinned against her skin, climbing his body over hers and caging her in.
Chapter 22: Bliss (Feels Just Like This)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Senses by MICO
Chapter Text
“Darling.”
“Hm?”
“Babe.”
“Five more minutes…”
Avalon felt her eye twitch in annoyance from the position they were in. Ominis had wrapped his body around hers, pinning her arms to her side in the process, tangling their legs together, and curling his head into the back of her shoulder. It was nice, Avalon loved that Ominis was secretly quite clingy, but unfortunately, she had things to do today.
“ Ominis ,” She nudged him again. “I need you to let me go.”
“Mmm… No.” He sleepily muttered, squeezing her tighter.
She sighed, reaching her hand down and sliding a finger up his quite hard morning wood. His eyes snapped open as he let out a low groan from the static of pleasure shooting up his body. Avalon smirked, turning her head around enough to kiss his temple and pull herself from his arms.
He rolled on his back, the sunlight from the window at the end of his room beaming on his bare chest. The tips of his crucio scars peeked out from under his sheets, which always caught Avalon’s attention. She smiled at his sleepy figure, her eyes shining with adoration toward the blonde boy.
She still wore his black shirt, but the buttons were open, revealing her supple breasts and flat stomach. Somehow, she had found her black panties last night and put them on. Her long hair was pulled out of her ponytail and cascaded down her back. Her mother’s necklace shone on her collarbone in the light, the dents from first year having been buffed out to look relatively new. Her beauty charms had all worn off, so her scars were fully visible.
Ominis grabbed his wand, the light emitting at the tip so he could fully visualize her in all her glory. He stared at her in obsession, his mind trailing up her thick thighs, her breasts, and her face.
His eyes widened as he realized her crucio scar was on full display. The torn-up skin that healed over the years scarred all the way up to her forehead, pulling underneath the hair that had grown since the incident. Her eye was covered in discolored lightning veins and blemished burn marks. Identical to his own crucio scars.
When Avalon noticed him looking at her, she immediately realized why. She grabbed her wand, about to cast her beauty charm, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Since when?” He asked.
“Since always,” She answered, letting him pull her towards the bed again. “I’m not as physically appealing if I don’t have it, right?”
Ominis shook his head, cradling her cheek in his hand, his thumb trailing one of the scars. “No, that’s not true.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “It’s okay, Ominis, I know it’s true.”
“It’s not true,” He asserted, pulling her face towards his and pressing his lips on hers. She kissed him back, melting into his arms as he trailed kisses up to her eye. He took his time to show he wasn’t disgusted or perturbed by her appearance at all. “You’re beautiful, Avalon.”
She felt her breath hitch as he dropped his wand on the bed to use his other hand to grab her waist. He spun her on her back, lying on his bed and leaning over her. “I’m still going to use the beauty charm,” She said, her hair fanning out around her head.
“As long as you know that you’re beautiful, that’s all I care about,” Ominis said, kissing her softly again.
“Who knew you were such a charmer?” She giggled, immediately wrapping her arms around his neck. He grinned, deepening the kiss and sliding his hands down her body. He played with the hem of her panties, starting to pull them down.
“Hey, I have to go! We have class soon. It’s Monday, remember?” But she didn’t stop him from taking off her panties and throwing them to the side.
“What time is it?” He asked, trailing kisses down the valley in between her breasts.
“8:23,” She read the clock on their wall.
“We have thirty-seven minutes, that’s a lot of time,” Ominis wrapped his arms around her thighs, pulling her core to his mouth and swiping his tongue along her slit.
Avalon gasped at the sudden pleasure, arching her back to let him get a firmer grip around her thighs. “A-Ah, but… I have to shower and get dressed-” She cut herself off with a moan when he slid his tongue into her folds, lapping her juices up obscenely. Avalon threw her head back, her fingers crawling into his hair and grabbing a chunk. He grunted into her pussy at the pressure on his head, delving deeper before pulling back and licking around her clit.
“Oh fuck,” She whimpered, squeezing her thighs around his head instinctively. He hummed in contentment, sliding one of his hands up to grasp her breast, tweaking her nipple with his fingers.
She felt a pressure build in her lower chest, the pleasure making her thoughts become muddled and her sense of time disappearing. So they might be late to Defense class, it’s fine .
As he latched his mouth on her clit, he sucked gently and made her moan his name from the depths of her throat. His fingers gripped the flesh of her thighs enough to leave his handprint, but Avalon loved it. She loved the way he clung to her and touched her as if he needed her. That he was dehydrated and she was water.
“O-Ominis, I’m going to-” He sucked harder, used his tongue to lick faster, and finally pushed her over the edge. She came hard, her pussy twitching in happiness as he lapped up her orgasm into his mouth.
When he pulled away, she was left twitching on the bed as an utter mess . Her legs were still spread wide open for him, welcoming him back. He grabbed his wand, wanting to be able to visualize the scene in front of him.
When he was able to see what he turned her into, he let out a gutteral groan as he wrapped a hand around his cock. He was so hard, almost throbbing in pain from holding back his release. She was panting, her eyes gazing up at him, watching her writhe and twitch with his wand. A smirk formed on her face as she spread her legs open a little more, her hand going down to her pussy and opening her for him to be able to visualize.
“What are you waiting for, baby?” She purred seductively. The sultry look in her eyes made Ominis’ cheeks burn red.
Fuck, he was a goner.
He took one of her legs, threw it onto his shoulder and thrust into her in one slide. He reached deep inside of her all at once, hitting her cervix and making her throw her head back. Using his other hand to pin both his and her hands together with his wand in between to be able to visualize her, he began to rut himself inside of her . Every thrust was as deep as he could manage, making her whimper and moan and cry his name every time.
His muscles flexed as he pushed her leg on his shoulder close to her stomach, positioning himself in a way that let him fuck her rougher than before. Ominis set a brisk pace, watching as the strong, independent, and confident Avalon broke apart underneath him.
She wrapped her other leg around his waist, using the leverage to thrust her hips into his and matching his pace. They both moaned at the sensation, with Ominis leaning down to capture her lips with his. His tongue forced her mouth open, tangling with hers, and sucking on it gently.
God, how the fuck was he a virgin before her? Avalon didn’t know how he knew how to fuck so well, but she was thriving on it.
When he pulled his mouth off of hers, a string of saliva connected their tongues. She raked her nails up his back, the sting making him growl and pick the pace up faster. He was getting close, but he refused to cum without making her finish at least once more.
He let go of her hand and his wand, leaving it sitting in her palm next to her head. Even though he lost his vision, he was able to navigate his fingers down her body to begin rubbing her sensitive nub. Her eyes snapped open, her back arched off the bed to press herself even closer to him. She was approaching her second orgasm at a breakneck pace, especially with him attacking two sensitive points on her body at once. It was all too much.
Her orgasm crashed into her like a tidal wave, her walls clenched around his so tightly, milking him until he finally released himself with an animalistic growl. He filled her so completely, his cock twitching inside of her, his body twitching from the intensity. His eyes almost rolled back into his head. He thrust once or twice to finish him off completely before collapsing on top of her.
“I don’t understand…” Avalon mumbled once Ominis had rolled off her body to the side. “I don’t get how you’re able to be so good at sex as a blind virgin .”
“I take offense to that,” He grunted, “I’m blind, not stupid. As well as Sebastian is my roommate. I get enough of a picture in my head hearing about his conquests to have an understanding of what to do to please a woman.”
“Pft, is Sebastian a ladies' man?”
“You’d be surprised,” His bangs fell over his face and stuck to his skin from the amount of sweat beading down his forehead. “He’s able to charm most women he takes a liking to. I think you’re the only one he’s been unable to successfully sleep with.”
“Wow, don’t I feel special,” Avalon rolled her eyes. “Happy to be the one woman in the world able to reject Sebastian Sallow.”
“I’m certainly happy about it.” Ominis smirked, pulling her next to his body holding her tightly to him.
Avalon hummed in contentment, shutting her eyes, and sighing peacefully as she curled into his arms.
…Wait. Where was Sebastian anyway?
She shot up, realization striking her like lightning. “We forgot to unlock the door from last night!”
As Avalon knocked on the door to her dorm, she tried to creak the door open as quietly as she could. Ominis stood behind her, his wand in his hand, and a nervous look on his face.
There he was, his arms crossed, his body covered in his bathrobe due to not being able to retrieve any clothes or pajamas last night. He glared at them, annoyance radiating off his body. “So,” He said shortly. “Anything you want to say to me?”
“...We’re sorry for forgetting to unlock the door last night,” Avalon bowed her head in shame.
“And?”
“And… Ominis will pay for your drinks next time we go to Hogsmeade.”
“Good,” He flashed them a smile, walking towards the door.
“Wait, why do I have to pay for his drinks?” Ominis complained.
“Because you’re the ‘dark, rich, and handsome’ one,” Avalon replied, slipping past Sebastian to get to her dresser. She was using Ominis’ clothes temporarily, seeing as she couldn’t lace her dress back up by herself. And as easily as he was able to get it off, there’s no way she trusted the blonde to lace her back up just to walk down the hall a couple feet.
“And the boyfriend always pays for the drinks!” Anne called from her bed whilst she was brushing her hair.
“So you’re paying.” Avalon grinned, grabbing some clothes from her dresser. “Now leave so I can get changed for the class that we’re going to have to run to.” She ushered both boys out and shut the door behind her. With a sigh, she threw Ominis’ shirt off of her and looked around for a decent bra.
“So, how was it?” Anne asked, her eyes shining with interest.
“It was pretty great,” Avalon admitted, putting her bra on and a white, button-up shirt while tying Ominis’ expensive tie on her neck. She threw his pants off and replaced them with her own black trousers, tied her laces up, and wrapped her robe around her. “And I promise I’ll tell you during lunch, but Hecat will kill me for being late.”
“Yes, yes, but I expect every and all details at lunch today!” Anne called as Avalon gave her a thumbs up. She left the room, closing the door behind her to see Ominis and Sebastian waiting for her.
“Ready?” Sebastian asked, changed into his winter uniform.
“Yeah, we need to dash,” Avalon said, trying to tie her hair up while speed walking down the hall. Both boys followed her, going as fast as they could without actually running. Luckily, they made it with seconds to spare, panting from the amount of energy it took to dash across the castle.
“I can’t.. Believe we made it…” Avalon said, breathlessly.
“Me neither.” Ominis walked over to the desk where Sebastian and Avalon usually sat and took Sebastian’s seat, waiting patiently for his girlfriend.
“Uhm, pardon me,” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “That’s my seat.”
“Well, switch with me,” Ominis demanded as Avalon sat next to him.
“Just because you two are snogging doesn’t mean I lose my seat!”
“Yes, it does,” The blonde crossed his arms. “I get to sit next to my girlfriend whenever I want to.”
“Bullshit,” Sebastian scoffed, turning to Avalon with puppy-dog eyes. “Avalon, you don’t want me to move seats, do you?”
Avalon shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t care who sits next to me. You two figure it out between yourselves.”
“What?” Ominis turned to her, offended. “What do you mean you don’t care?”
“I mean we’re literally in Defense class and we’ll be on our feet in ten minutes anyway,” She explained, leaning her cheek on her palm. “If we were in Charms or something, then yeah, I’d want to sit next to Ominis.”
Sebastian pouted at her. “Aw, but I’m such a fun class buddy.”
“And you can sit on the other side of me in Charms, seeing as the desks are long tables,” Avalon raised an eyebrow and looked to both of them. “Seriously, what’s with the clinginess?”
“You’re just such an amazing person to sit next to,” Sebastian sighed, dreamily. Ominis sent him a glare, grabbing Avalon’s hand with the hand not holding his wand.
“I have the right to be clingy, seeing as I’m your boyfriend,” Ominis said, haughtily.
“Technically, you’re not since you haven’t asked me to be your girlfriend yet.” Avalon pointed out. Ominis’ face fell instantly as he looked at her with the same potent puppy-dog eyes Sebastian tried on her, only his worked pretty damn well.
“What?” His voice was heartbreakingly sad.
“...I’m your girlfriend.” She gave in easily.
“I know,” He immediately went back to normal, a bright smile on his face from her admittance.
“Merlin, I’m going to need to sit in the damn front to escape the butterflies and rainbows around you both.” Sebastian sighed, taking the seat in front of them.
“Settle down, class,” Hecat’s voice called from the front. “I hope you all did your homework because today, we’re going to be learning a new spell…”
Class was surprisingly fun for Avalon, considering she learned how to use expelliarmus and proceeded to kick Sebastian’s ass again in a duel. Ominis was so proud of her for it.
“Lucky shot,” Sebastian grumbled, taking Avalon’s outstretched hand to pull himself up.
“Oh sure, so we’re the other ones lucky too, or will you just admit I outpaced you?” She said, a cocky glint in her eyes.
“Hahaha,” He rolled his eyes, “If I admitted it, I think your ego would cause your head to explode.”
“And what a perfect way to go for the most powerful witch in Hogwarts,” Avalon flipped her hair behind her dramatically.
“Why do I feel like you mean that, too?” Ominis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Avalon grinned and kissed his cheek while leaning on his shoulder for support.
“Because you know me so well, darling,” She purred into his ear, giggling as his face erupted into red. “Come, boys, let’s go!”
Avalon took Ominis’ hand, pulling him out of the classroom with Sebastian shaking his head, but following behind them. In all honesty, they had different classes next, but Ominis gladly walked her to hers first. He was reluctant to let her hand go, but Avalon insisted that he would be fine and she would see him in charms.
“I know I will, but an hour is a long time…” Ominis grumbled.
“It’s a 50-minute class and you will quite literally see me in the next one,” Avalon reasoned. They were standing at the door to Avalon’s middle studies class, which she took as an easy A, considering she’s lived in the Muggle world most of her life. He still had her hand in his, squeezing it ever so often to show his disdain at letting her go. Avalon found it adorable that he was so clingy, considering he seemed so reserved before they started dating. “Tell you what, after class, I’ll wait right here so you can pick me up and walk with me there. Does that make you feel better?”
Ominis brightened up at that and finally let her hand go. “Yes, it does.”
“You’re adorable,” She giggled, kissing his cheek before waving goodbye. “I’ll see you after class.”
“I’ll see you as soon as class is done,” Ominis promised, smiling as he turned and started walking down the stairs.
“Oh?”
Poppy popped out from the doorframe, grinning mischievously. “Did you and Ominis finally make it official last night?”
Avalon jumped from the surprise. “Holy crap, you scared the kneazles out of me!”
“You’re quite easily frightened, Avalon. It isn’t a terribly hard job.” Poppy wrapped her arm around hers and led her towards their shared desk. “Now, you have to tell me all the details!”
“I promised Anne I’d tell her all the details at lunch, and I don’t wanna repeat myself,” Avalon sat next to Poppy and put her textbook on the desk.
Poppy pouted her cheeks. “But lunch isn’t for another class,” She whined. “I can’t wait that long! Just one detail, please?”
“Fine, one detail,” Avalon’s eyes sparkled in amusement. In all honesty, she wasn’t bothered by telling people how she and Ominis got together, but she enjoyed teasing her friends. “What detail would you like, Pops?”
“How big was he?” She immediately asked.
Avalon’s cheeks burned as she became slightly flabbergasted. “Poppy!”
“What?” Poppy shrugged, a smirk on her face. “I’m curious. He seems like a grower, not a shower.”
Avalon shook her head, not believing what she was hearing from the girl. “I don’t even think I should answer that for Ominis’ sake.”
“Aw, but you promised me one detail!” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s the detail I want. Plus, when did you care about Ominis getting embarrassed?”
“Touche,” Avalon relented. “He is pretty cute when he’s being teased.”
“I bet,” Poppy nudged her side.
“He was quite big,” She admitted, remembering how full he made her feel. The blush on her face grew at the memories from last night and this morning. Four fucking times in the last 24 hours. Each time was more amazing than the last.
“ How big, though?”
“... Like… 7 inches?”
“Merlin, who would have known?” Poppy giggled. “How was he?”
“Oi, I promised you one detail, that’s it.”
“Awwww come on, Ava, pleeeaassee?” She clasped her hands together and gave her those puppy-dog eyes that everyone kept using on her today.
“Nope. I’m making Anne wait, so you will too,” Avalon said, keeping true to her word.
“Ugh, fine ,” Poppy sighed, sending her a depressed look. “You better tell us everything, though.”
“I will, I promise,” Avalon said, watching as the Muggle Studies professor walked into the room.
“Good morning, class,” He said, smiling towards the room of students. “Please turn to page 87 of your textbook.”
Chapter 23: Euphoria (Feels Something Like This)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Into It by Chase Atlantic
Chapter Text
As class ended, Avalon gathered her textbooks and walked towards the exit with Poppy. As they talked outside of the class, Avalon felt someone crash into her shoulder.
“Oops,” She heard Malfoy’s arrogant voice say as he walked away from her, Tisfield and some fifth-year Slytherin snickering behind him. “Watch your step, Strokes.”
“What the hell?” Poppy narrowed her eyes.
“It’s fine, Pops,” Avalon said, glaring at the back of his hair.
“Merlin, he’s so annoying,” She complained.
“Who is?” Ominis asked, walking up the stairs to where they stood.
“Malfoy,” Avalon answered, her face brightening at his arrival. She grabbed his arm, leaning herself into him and resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s fine, he’s just pissy he can’t beat me.”
“I would be careful around him,” He said, kissing her temple and wrapping an arm around her waist. “The Malfoys might not be as renowned or powerful as my family is, but they are still a line of influential purebloods.”
“I’ll be fine,” Avalon brushed his warning off. “I’ve taken him before, I can do it again.”
“Yes, you can, Ava!” Poppy cheered, giggling at the sight of the two so close. “You know, you two make such an attractive couple.”
“Thank you, Poppy,” Ominis’ eyes filled with pride as he straightened his back. While the physical appearance of his partner was never a big deal to him before, he felt a bit vain to know he was dating the most beautiful witch in the world. Of course, he kept himself at a clean and elegant standard that is expected of the Gaunt family, so it didn’t surprise him that he and Avalon made a beautiful couple.
“I know, he’s such a trophy wife,” Avalon gushed, cradling his cheek. Ominis felt his eye twitch.
“Excuse me?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “How am I the trophy wife if I’m the rich one between us?”
“Because I’m the muscle in this relationship,” She dramatically flipped her hair. “Therefore, I’m the man.”
“I think it’s oddly sexist to say men are the only ones who have muscle in a relationship,” Ominis rolled his eyes at her antics. “You can be the muscle in the relationship and still be a trophy wife.”
“Are you saying that I’m the trophy wife?” She feigned shock, putting a hand to her mouth. “I thought you liked me for more than my looks.”
“What?” His eyes widened. “I do!”
“You hear that, Pops?” Avalon slipped out of Ominis’ arms to wrap them around Poppy instead. “I’ve been reduced to a trophy wife.”
“Well, you did say Ominis would be the the reason your reputation as a ‘badass bitch’ would be ruined.” She smirked, watching as Avalon’s face lit up a slight pink.
“What? When did she say that?” He asked.
“Poppy, you traitor.” She hissed, letting the girl go.
“Sorry, Ava, couldn’t help myself.” Poppy waved goodbye to the two before walking towards her next class. “I’ll see you at lunch!”
“I’m never giving you extra details again!” Avalon called after her.
She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Ominis chuckled, grabbing her hand in his and squeezing it. “So,” He said, playfully. “I’m the reason your reputation is ruined?”
“Don’t get cocky, Gaunt,” As she began pulling him towards the direction of their next class, Ominis pulled her back into his arms to hug her.
“Come on, darling, don’t be like that,” He purred, resting his chin on her shoulder as he pressed himself behind her, his body against hers.
Avalon looked around, thankful no one else was near the staircase they were next to. The class rush traffic had died down during the time they spent talking to Poppy. “We have to get to class,” She urged, trying to escape from his grasp.
He sighed, but held onto her tighter. “I know, but I missed you…”
“It’s been less than an hour since you last saw me,” She said, but a smile graced her lips.
“And it was still far too long,” Ominis breathed, kissing her neck. Avalon had to hold back the moan at the bottom of her throat. She felt his hand that wasn’t holding his wand begin tracing down her side, caressing every curve that she had under her skin-tight clothes.
“We’re going to be late for charms,” Avalon leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder. She instinctually pressed her arse against his hardness, feeling him shudder at the pressure.
“It’ll be fine,” Ominis urged, grabbing her hips and squeezing her flesh. She gasped, feeling the hand with his wand clutch both her left breast and the object in it.
“We’re in public,” She whimpered.
“You're right,” Ominis let her go, only to grab her hand. “Come with me.”
He pulled her in a direction and she followed, breathlessly. Avalon loved how clingy Ominis was, how he needed to have his hands on her every time he was near her. It was amazing to feel loved like this, as it was something Avalon never believed she would have. She knew her reputation for being a femme fatale was going to be shattered, but she had never been happier.
Ominis took her to the Undercroft, practically throwing the clock door open. He pulled her inside, going through the metal cage doors and then immediately finding the small table he and the Sallows used for Gobstone. He pushed her onto the table, feeling her hop on and immediately spread her legs for him to fit in. The blonde wasted no time in capturing her lips, swallowing her moans of delight as he swiped his tongue along the bottom one.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling him lean against her body and use his arms to hold himself up. Her fingers curled into his soft locks, her mouth parting to give his tongue the ability to tangle with hers. Despite it only being less than 24 hours since they began a relationship, their bodies seemed to be in perfect synchronization. She rolled her hips as he thrust into her clothes, and both let out small noises of pleasure from the intimacy.
“I can’t believe you’re making me skip class,” She smirked against his lips and mumbled. He pulled back just to give her a look.
“You’ve snuck into the restricted section of the library, beat up and threatened multiple students, wandered into the forbidden forest on multiple occasions, lied to professors to get out of trouble, and even snuck into a poacher camp and freed a dragon. ” Ominis raised an eyebrow at her. “And you can’t believe you’re skipping one class?”
“Hey, I take my attendance and grades pretty seriously,” She pouted, her long, dark ponytail swishing behind her.
“Oh, I'm so sorry , love.” He rolled his eyes and smirked. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“Mmm, as much as I want that, I believe I owe you for the amazing service you gave me this morning.” She said seductively. She pushed his chest back to jump off the table before grabbing his arm and switching their positions while pinning him against the furniture piece. He grunted, but welcomed the switch gracefully.
She kissed down his jaw, doing her best to leave as many hickeys as she could. Her hand wandered down his chest, tracing her fingertips over the fabric of his clothes before pausing at the hardening length of his pants.
Avalon smirked against the flesh of his neck, using two fingers to gently and slowly glide up his hardness. His throat bobbed as he swallowed in anticipation.
“Don’t tease me…” He begged, keeping his hands clutching the wood of the table.
“Impatient, darling?” She purred, finally clasping her hand around his cock through the fabric. He inhaled a sharp breath, nodding his head as an answer, as the words quite literally left his head as soon as she touched him.
“I’ll be kind, just because you’ve been so good,” Avalon knelt in front of him, the hard floor immediately causing her to feel a sense of soreness, but she was able to ignore it. She was focused at the moment.
Her fingers worked his belt and opened it. She pushed his vest up a bit to unbutton his pants and pull them down along with his boxers. His length sprung free, raised to attention from how badly he wanted her. Ominis clutched his wand in his hand, visualizing the way she licked her lips while eyeing him. He blushed, suddenly feeling very vulnerable in front of her.
“Baby?” She used her hand to pump his cock, sensually and slowly. “Can I ask you to do something?”
“Anything,” He breathed, trying to hold back his moans and thrust into her hand. She was going too slow, too teasingly. He felt like he was going to be driven insane at this rate.
“Could you talk dirty to me in Parseltongue?” Avalon asked coyly.
The words took a second to process in his foggy brain. “You want me to speak Parseltongue? Now?”
“Please, darling?” She pleaded, using her tongue to lick up his cock in one swipe. He grunted from the pleasure that came and went so fast.
“A-Ah… Love, I don’t know if-“ “Please, Ominis?” The way she said his name sent shivers down his spine. “It’s so fucking hot.”
She found it attractive? Of course she did, he thought. Only Avalon would find something he was ashamed of attractive. “I-I… Fuck ,” He cursed, feeling her take him in her mouth and down her throat before pulling off him completely.
She wanted all of him. All of his insecurities and hidden talents. All of his shame, she would wash it all away. He just needed to focus on her as she loved him the way he deserved. He knew she would never judge him for what his blood gave him.
So he begged her to let him back into her mouth in Parseltongue, the language coming so easily to him, and yet it had never felt as dirty as it did now. She smiled, happily, and took him back into the tight wetness of her mouth. With every word he spoke in that accursed language, the more pleasure he felt from her.
He moaned, feeling her skillfully let him fuck her throat. Every so often, she gagged, and it would make him freeze in worry. But then, she would go right back to sucking him down and he would completely forget what he was doing.
This was worth skipping a million classes. Hell, if it meant her mouth stayed around him like this, he would gladly get expelled from school.
Ominis grabbed her head, twisting his fingers in her hair as he cursed. She used her tongue to lick him up and down while he slid down her throat. He knew he wasn’t going to last at this rate. He could feel the pleasure building in his stomach, ready to explode.
“ Fuck , Avalon,” He said her name like a breath of fresh air. Her knees were hurting, but she loved this feeling. The way he needed her so badly, the way he held onto her like she was his only lifeline. She was obsessed with this boy, his reactions, his movements, his fucking mouth . “I’m… hngh -“
With a deep, guttural groan, he spilled himself on her tongue. She hummed as she swallowed everything he gave her, the salty liquid sliding down her throat. After he stopped twitching, she finally pulled her mouth back with a gasp.
Avalon panted, her eyes clouded with lust and satisfaction as she happily took in the sight of him. His cheeks were flushed, his hand was over one of his eyes, which were misty with his overstimulated pleasure. She drank in his form like a vision, getting off of her sore knees and kissing his jawline. “You’re a vision, darling.” She breathed.
Ominis used one hand to wrap around her and grab her waist, the other one was being used to hold him up. He pulled her into him, kissing her with a sense of neediness she adored. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his hardness become soft from the release she gave him.
After a moment, she pulled away and helped him fix his disheveled appearance.
“I could satisfy you too,” He said, feeling a bit guilty that she had done all the work.
Avalon chuckled and kissed his cheek. “You can make it up to me later, baby. I promised the girls I’d be at lunch to give them the juicy details.”
“How many details?” He questioned.
“Enough for you to probably want to hang out with Sebastian while I talk to them.” She sang, taking his hand and approaching the exit of the Undercroft.
Ominis let out a groan, but it was swiftly cut off by Avalon pulling him to her and giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. Out of instinct, he pushed her gently, but firmly, into the metal exit door. He caged her in, his lips still connected to hers. Avalon smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and rolling her body into his.
“You drive me insane , Avalon,” He breathed, grabbing her waist with one hand and pressing his knee in between her thighs.
“I know,” She smugly replied, feeling the metal bars press into her back. Her hands went from his neck to his chest, feeling the sturdy muscle under his clothes.
Poppy and Anne would forgive her for being a little late to lunch, surely?
They did forgive her for being ten minutes late to lunch after she spilled all the juicy details they had so patiently waited for. Avalon told them what happened after she had left the ball, how she declared her feelings for Ominis, and how he instantly came upon her to reciprocate those feelings. The girls gushed and cooed at the story Avalon told, happy their friend was in a relationship.
Ominis had decided to sit with Sebastian as the girls talked, wanting to let Avalon spend time alone with her friends. He and Sebastian needed to talk, anyway.
“I heard you told Avalon to come talk to me during the dance,” Ominis said, taking a sip of his drink in the metal chalices Hogwarts had. “I guess I should thank you for that.”
“Well, I understand a lost cause when I see one,” Sebastian said across from the blonde, his eyes never meeting his. “I never stood a chance with her, seeing as she’s devoted to you.”
“Do you resent me for it?” Ominis asked. He remembered the words spoken and actions taken during their time in the poltergeist’s chests. How Sebastian fought for the chance to be Avalon’s hero. How he had been willing to leave Ominis behind. He knew Sebastian had feelings for her, but to cause strife in their friendship over it?
“… I’m not sure,” Sebastian admitted, but smiled at him. “But I think I’ll be fine in time.”
“I appreciate you saying that, Sebastian.” He said, honestly. And it was true. Perhaps everything would be perfectly normal in time.
“You better treat her right,” The brown haired boy leaned back in his chair, a serious glint in his eyes that he rarely showed anyone.
“I will,” Ominis promised, the grip on his wand tightening.
Sebastian flashed him a loose, casual grin. “Good.”
Chapter 24: Redheads (Are Anne's Type)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Intoxicated by the CAB
Chapter Text
A week after Ominis and Avalon had been official, she received word from Professor Fig and the Keepers that the third trial was finally ready for her. A part of her was quite nervous, in all honesty. The time she spent with Ominis and her friends had been a beautiful distraction from the pressure of needing to save the world from an evil goblin and a cruel dark wizard.
It wasn’t that she believed she wasn’t ready for the next part in her journey, but more the aspect of leaving the comforts of what she deemed home. To have to come back to work after a long vacation. In all truth, perhaps there was a sense of laziness mixed in with her return.
So, when the Keepers informed her that the next trial would be in Headmaster Black’s office, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“Is this going to be a problem?” The portrait of Niamh Fitzgerald asked her, an arched brow raised.
“No, it won’t be,” Avalon assured them, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ll figure out a way in.”
“Perhaps I could help with this,” Professor Fig said, turning to the girl. “I can distract Headmaster Black for long enough so you can sneak into his office and complete the trial. The problem lies in the fact that we don’t know the password to the door…”
That would be a problem, seeing that Avalon had no clue where to begin or approach this problem. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to think of a solid step forward. “Let me see if any of my friends have any ideas. I’m sure there is a way into this office by some method that isn’t the front door.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Fig chuckled and shook his head. “But, Avalon,” She turned her head at the mention of her name. “I’m happy you have friends you can rely on now.”
She rolled her eyes, “Don’t go all sentimental on me, Fig, we have a job to do.”
“Ah, but I see your attitude remains the same.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing, Ava! Off we go, then!”
Ominis could tell something was up when Avalon came to his room after she met with the Keepers. She didn’t bother knocking at this point and just waltzed right in, ignoring the wave he gave her, before flopping onto his bed face first. The scent of his sheets and pillows screamed his expensive cologne and natural musk. It immediately calmed her down and stopped the racing thoughts in her mind.
“Love? Are you alright?” He asked soothingly. He had gotten up from his desk and sat at the edge of the bed, looking quite worried.
“Yeah, I’m just…” She trailed off, turning her body to roll her head onto his lap. At the touch, Ominis flinched before he realized what was happening. Without his wand, it was harder for him to prepare for any of her physical affection, but he didn’t mind it at all. “I’ve been trying to think of a way to sneak into the Headmaster’s office.”
“Why do you want to sneak in there?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The next trial I have to complete is in there.” She explained, reaching up to brush a loose piece of hair out of his face.
“Oh? That’s certainly a weird place to have a world-saving trial.”
“It’s only because the third keeper is an old Headmaster of Hogwarts,” Avalon shut her eyes, letting him comb his fingers through her silky hair in thanks for fixing his.
“Interesting,” Ominis hummed, massaging her scalp as he touched her hair. “Well, I know the password to his door, if that’s what you need.”
“You do?” She opened one eye in surprise. “How do you know it?”
“Usually, the Headmaster’s office password is their family motto,” He narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the thought of the password. “The Black family, in particular, prides themselves on their pureblood line. Their motto is even after this fact.”
“What is it?”
“Toujours Pur,” Ominis said, which Avalon snorted at. “Which means-” “Always Pure,” Avalon answered for him. “And in French, how pretentious.”
“You speak French?” He tilted his head to look down at her general direction.
“Mhm, I do,” She said with a shrug. “And Italian, actually.”
“When did you learn French and Italian?” It surprised him that it was those languages in particular, seeing as most witches and wizards choose a mythical language to learn during their school days. Like Gobbledegook.
“My mother is half French and half Italian,” She replied. “I learned both languages while living in the Muggle world. Mostly to speak to my family, but also as part of my homeschool curriculum.”
“Is your mother the Muggle?” He asked curiously.
“Yeah, she is,” Avalon confirmed. “My dad works as an Auror in London.”
“Wait, your dad is an Auror and your last name is Stryker… Frederick Stryker is your father?”
“Oh, you know him?” She tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“Know him? He’s notorious for being the best field worker in the wizarding world!” He exclaimed, the hand brushing through her hair hesitated for a moment as Ominis realized what that meant. “Oh, Merlin, the most notorious field worker in the world hates my guts.”
“Oh yeaahh… I forgot about that part,” Avalon winced as she remembered her father angrily threatening Headmaster Black after the incident. When they got home, he had told her if he ever saw another Gaunt get anywhere close to her, he’d kill them on sight. But Ominis probably didn’t need to know that… right?
“You forgot that your father despises your boyfriend?” There was a small amount of panic in his voice now. Avalon could tell he was getting quite nervous at the thought of her parents.
“Well, they don’t exactly know you’re my boyfriend… yet.”
“What?!”
“I haven’t had time to tell them! Let alone write to them,” She grumbled. “Fig writes to them enough for me.”
“Are you not… close to them?” He asked, hesitantly.
“I am. We have a very positive relationship in most aspects.” Avalon shrugged. “We’ve just never been a family that talks all the time. They know I’m more than capable of handling myself, so they trust me to be on my own.”
“How… progressive,” Ominis furrowed his brows while he thought about what that kind of family dynamic would look like. He was never that hands-off. Every second of every day felt like it was already set out before him. Every choice he made was already chosen for him. He knew his parents had eyes everywhere, always reporting back what he had gotten himself into. As a Gaunt, there was an expectation to exceed the average person by tenfold. It was… suffocating.
“I take it yours was anything but that,” Avalon guessed, watching his face twist into disdain from the memories of his family. He nodded, leaning back on his elbows with her head still on his lap.
“It was certainly much more conservative than your family’s dynamic.” He admitted.
Avalon turned her body to lean her head on his chest, taking in the sight of his pained expression. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not particularly,” Ominis fell back onto the bed, holding his arm out for her to crawl into. She did, of course, and curled up beside him with her face on his chest. “But I will, eventually, I promise.”
“Take your time, darling,” She whispered, kissing right under his jaw. “I’m here for whenever you need to talk.”
“I appreciate that,” He smiled at her and held her tighter. “Anyway, when are you going to sneak into the Headmaster’s office?”
“Tomorrow after my classes,” Avalon answered. “Fig is going to distract him until I’m able to finish the trial. Should be an easy adventure.”
“Would you like me to come with you? Just in case he comes back early or something goes wrong?”
“Ominis, I’ll be fine.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Plus, I’ll end up back in the map chamber room after the trial anyway, so if you came, it would only be to see me off.”
“I’d still come just for that, you know.” He slid himself up, letting her head gently fall onto the mattress as he leaned over her.
“I know, but it’s alright, darling.” Her hand came up, cradling his cheek affectionately. “I’ll come back here as soon as I’ve finished, I promise.”
“Okay,” He relented, leaning into her soft palm.
“Do you trust me to take care of myself?” She questioned, unease resting in her stomach.
“I do,” In his eyes was security, which relieved her. “I know you’ll come back to me in one piece.”
“Good,” Avalon grabbed the collar of his white, button-up shirt to pull him onto her lips. He was surprised at first, but relaxed into her touch easily.
Ominis repositioned their bodies to be more comfortable, with his legs pushing her thighs apart so he could snugly pin her down. Their lips were passionately mingled together, their hands were exploring each other’s bodies like it was the first time they touched, but with such natural precision that it was easy to tell they knew what they were doing.
As things began to get steamier, the door to the dorm was creakily opened. Sebastian crinkled his nose in disgust as he shielded his eyes. “Ugh, gross. I feel like every time I see you both together, you’re shoving your tongues down each other’s throats.”
Ominis pulled back, a shy blush on his face, but an annoyed expression as he stared in the general direction of Sebastian’s voice. “And I feel like every time I hear you, it’s because you’re interrupting something important we’re doing.”
Avalon rolled her eyes and put a hand on Ominis’ chest to push him off her, just enough to sit up and glare at Sebastian. “Don’t act like you hate the sight, pervert. Seeing us is probably the most action you’ve had in months.”
“Hit me where it hurts, princess.” He put his hands to his chest and feigned a hurt look. “But seriously, I’d like to get some rest tonight, so if you’re planning on snogging, do it somewhere else. Like Avalon’s room.”
“Your sister is in there with someone,” She shrugged. “I promised her the room tonight.”
“I’m sorry, she’s what?!” Sebastian almost screeched, turning on his heel to dash towards her dorm room. Avalon sighed, taking her wand out and pointing it at the boy.
“Accio!” She pulled him back towards Ominis’ bed, his eyes wide with panic and annoyance.
“Put me down, Avalon! I have to see who would dare touch my sister-” “No, you’re not fucking this up for her,” She hissed, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him. “She really likes this boy, and they’ve been talking for long enough that this is normal! Let your sister have the full boarding school experience!”
“But it’s my sister! She’s not ready for that kind of stuff!”
“The fuck? She’s 18! Your age! And she’s been deprived of the Hogwarts experience for months, let her have this!” The spell ran off, and Sebastian landed gracefully on his feet. He didn’t make a run for it, but he was glaring at the girl who was still underneath Ominis.
“Who is it?” Sebastian asked, as calmly as he could at this point.
“Do you think I’m stupid? I know if I tell you, you’re going to kill him.” Avalon scoffed.
“Oh, so I know him?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “That certainly narrows it down. What house is he from?”
“Sebastian, I’m not going to tell you shit-” “Ravenclaw?”
“Seriously, I’m not budging-” “Hufflepuff?”
“If you keep asking me shit, I’m going to literally petrify you in the woman’s bathroom and leave you to rot.”
“Please tell me, at the very least, it’s not a Gryffindor .” He groaned, watching as Avalon’s right eye twitched in annoyance, but looked away quickly to hide her guilt.
“...No fucking way.”
“If you try anything, I’m going to kill you.” She seethed, slipping out of Ominis’ arms and standing to her full attention in front of Sebastian. Ominis sighed in frustration, knowing their intimate moment was probably ruined.
“It has to be a Gryffindor. You didn’t react to any other houses until then.” Sebastian rationalized, running through his mind how many Gryffindors he knew. “And it has to be someone I know. Anne would never date someone younger than us, so it has to be someone in our grade.”
“What are you, a fucking Auror?” Avalon narrowed her eyes at him, having to tilt her chin up since he was a bit taller than her.
“Your attitude means I’m on the right track.” He smirked, watching as her annoyed expression deepened. “Let’s see, who do I know in Gryffindor that you know as well, because if you didn’t know the person, you wouldn’t know if I knew them.”
“Sebastian, can you please stop interrogating my girlfriend so we can go to sleep?” Ominis lay sideways on his bed, leaning his chin into his palm.
“Eric Northcott? No, I don’t think he would have the balls to date my sister.” Sebastian put two fingers to his chin as he thought carefully about who it could be. “I don’t think anyone would have the balls to try to approach her. Merlin, it better not be Prewett. I think I’d actually have to crash their date if it is. She’ll thank me later.”
“It’s not Leander fucking Prewett .” Avalon hissed, rolling her eyes. “Your sister knows better than to fall for that asshole.”
“She does, doesn’t she? But I know she has a soft spot for red heads, considering her last three ex-boyfriends were-” He paused, realization dawning on his face as the pieces began clicking together. “No FUCKING way! Weasley?!”
The look on Avalon’s horrified face told him everything he needed to know. Sebastian turned on his heel, about to storm down the hall to Avalon’s room. “Garreth fucking Weasely! I’m going to CONFRINGO HIM-” “Petrificus Totalus!”
Ominis winced as he heard Sebastian’s body fall to the ground with a thud . He sighed, leaning on his back and pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know he’s not going to stop until Weasely is dead.”
“I know, but the least I can do for Anne is make sure he doesn’t fuck up tonight,” Avalon said, squatting in front of Sebastian with a smile. “Now, Sallow, because I’m so nice, I’ll give you a choice. You can be a good boy and not ruin your sister’s date tonight, and I’ll move you onto your bed so you can comfortably rest. Or, I’ll leave you in the women’s restroom until someone finds you and laughs while you get detention. Your choice! Blink once for option 1 and twice for option 2.”
She undid the spell around his eyes, watching as they narrowed and hesitantly blinked once. Avalon patted his cheek. “Good boy.” She said, using her levitation spell and Accio to drag him to bed. She laid him on his back, throwing a blanket over his body and face, before gliding back to Ominis’ bed.
“Sometimes I forget how scary you can be…” Ominis mumbled, hearing the entire predicament go down.
“Don’t piss me off and you have nothing to fear,” She said, going through his drawer for something she could wear as pajamas. She took out a pair of his boxers and a single white t-shirt that she had to scrounge from the back.
“Are you going through my stuff?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
“ Our stuff, darling.” She began unbuttoning her shirt and throwing her clothes off. Sebastian was still petrified under the blanket, so she felt fine stripping in front of him. Avalon threw on Ominis’ clothes as pajamas before throwing herself into bed next to him. “What’s yours is mine.”
“And vice versa?” He asked, wrapping his arm around her body.
“Ah… No. That’s not how it works.”
“What? That’s hardly fair.”
“Are you saying you want to try and fit into one of my outfits?”
“No, but I’m sure I’d look great in whatever you have.”
“Mmm, I’m sure,” She lay her head on his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist. “You certainly look great without anything on.”
“As do you,” He smirked, leaning down and pressing his lips against her cheek, then on her jaw, then lower. “I certainly love you in my clothes, though. You’re right, what’s mine is yours.”
“I’m glad you agree with me,” She giggled, feeling one of his hands slide under the shirt she got from his dresser and slide up her stomach. “Unfortunately, I think I should remind you that Sebastian is still in the room with us.”
Ominis groaned, holding one of her breasts in his hands. “Can’t we just… put him in the closet for a little?”
“We already owe him a night of drinking, do you truly want to owe him anything more?”
“... Hold that thought,” Ominis let go of her, grabbed his wand, and walked over to Sebastian’s bed. “Sebastian, remember that time you used my name to get out a detention with Scribner? I’m calling on that favor now. Agree to stay in the closet for twenty minutes.”
“Make it forty-five!” Avalon snickered, listening to him demand things from a petrified man.
“An hour,” Ominis smirked. “Blink once if you agree and twice if you disagree. Actually, don’t answer yet. If you say yes, I’ll help you get revenge on Weasley.”
“No, you won’t!”
“Darling, it’s for the greater good.”
“I’ll let you get revenge as long as he doesn’t end up dead or physically maimed.”
“That leaves psychological torture.” Ominis hummed. “Do we have a deal?”
Sebastian thought about it for a moment. If he were to get revenge on Weasely with Ominis, there was a much higher chance of being able to do so without Avalon’s interference. And who else but a Gaunt to know about psychological torture?
He blinked once.
“Fantastic,” Ominis said, being able to visualize his face with his wand. With a flick of his wrist, he also cast the levitation spell. “I appreciate your cooperation, Sebastian. This time, I promise we won’t forget about you.”
Chapter 25: Apologies Are Mine (Not Yours)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Emotion Sickness by Said The Sky, Parachute, Will Anderson
Chapter Text
“Toujours Pur.” Avalon watched as the metal gargoyle statue began turning clockwise to grant her entrance. She stepped into the office, not surprised to see it neat and clean. Presumably not because of the Headmaster’s efforts, but most likely from Scrope, the house elf she had met while trying to find the missing pages of the book.
When she walked in, she noticed a small potion bottle on his desk with a note next to it. ‘Here is the boil potion you asked for. -Sharp’ .
Holy shit. Avalon snickered to herself at the realization of what it meant. She had to tell the gang when she got back. Merlin, who knew her adventure would lead to this absolute treasure of information. Simply comedic gold.
“Ah, Avalon,” Niamh smiled in her portrait that sat above Black’s desk. “You’ve arrived. I assume you are ready for my trial, then?”
“Yes, I am,” Avalon said, walking up to the portrait with confidence in every step.
“Good. Approach the pedestal in the anti-chamber and read the book that appears.” She instructed.
“What kind of book is it?” Avalon asked, skeptical that the trial sounded too easy.
“I cannot tell you,” Niamh shook her head. “We shall speak when you are finished.”
“Alright.” She said, slowly beginning to ascend the wooden steps to the small room in the back of the office with stone pillars, and a book sat upon a stone pedestal. The book glowed with golden sparkles appearing all around it, almost as if it was inviting her in.
Avalon reached out and touched the pages of the open book, backing away as it rose into the air. Her body began to literally be sucked into it, a gasp barely escaping her lips before she disappeared from the room and the world went dark.
As Avalon pulled her head out of the Pensieve, her eyes widened at the memory she had just witnessed, she noticed she was back in a chamber similar to the previous two. Nothing was in black and white, like the storybook world Niamh had created for her trial. It was back to the normal world.
“She could take the pain from anyone…” She whispered, the vision shown to her still vivid in her mind. Avalon knew that with each memory being shown to her, Isadora would become darker and darker. That she had abused her powers and chose to ignore the warnings of the previous keepers. Avalon didn’t know how the story would end, but she knew it probably wasn’t going to be good.
Once she was back in the map chamber, Professor Fig and the other keepers were awaiting her arrival with hopeful gazes. As she came into view, a smile appeared on Fig’s face.
“Ah, Avalon! You made it.” He said, patting her on the back as she came to stand next to him in front of the portraits.
“Was there any doubt?” She asked arrogantly.
“I suppose not, but I’m still happy to see you unscathed,” Fig replied, lowering his hands to hold them behind his back.
A figure came into the corner of Avalon’s eyes to stand before them in the last portrait. San Bakar, a man she had seen many times in the memories given to her, clasped his hands together with a surprised gaze. “Is it true?” He asked. “Has someone completed the first three trials?”
“I have,” Avalon said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“But… You are so…” He trailed off, eyeing her up and down.
Avalon raised an eyebrow at the man. “So, what?” She gave him an annoyed look.
“What Professor Bakar means is you’re very young to be the first to complete our trials,” Niamh translated, sending Bakar a warning look. He nodded his head in agreement, not wanting to anger anyone. The other three Keepers were well aware of Avalon’s temper and attitude. While they had been able to navigate it with relative success, they knew Bakar tended to say the wrong things by accident.
“I see,” Avalon let her suspicions go, other questions currently on her mind. “The memory I was shown… Could Isadora inhale painful emotions? How?”
“She was,” Bakar confirmed, solemnly. He raised an eyebrow towards her, noticing the curiosity in her eyes. “I worry that you seem more intrigued than repulsed. I hesitate to reveal the location of my pensieve to someone who, perhaps, has yet to understand the responsibility of power.”
Avalon’s temper flared at the audacity of this man. “ Excuse me? You’re suspicious of me for asking a simple question?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Avalon, there’s no need for that,” Fig tried to calm her down, but the girl radiated annoyance. “Professor Bakar, I can assure you that Avalon does understand the responsibility of this power. As well as we are currently in a bit of a dire situation. There is a dangerous goblin named Ranrok that has accessed the repository at Rookwood Castle.”
“My word…” Bakar breathed.
“Indeed,” Fig continued, knowing it was probably wise for him to explain and not Avalon. “He has learned to harness the contents of it as a source of immense power. He plans to use that power against wizardkind. Please, we have no time to waste.”
“I see,” Bakar frowned, his eyes turning away in thought before returning to the two in front of him. “Nonetheless, the knowledge she shall gain after she witnesses my memories is too valuable to share without further consideration. I shall require time to confer with the other Keepers.”
“Don’t speak about me as if I am not here,” She scowled, glaring at the man in the portrait. “And do not assume things of me just because I am ‘young’. I have lived my entire life with this power and have only desired to learn what it is. What I am. I am more than ready for the knowledge you so desperately want to keep hidden.”
“How do I know that about your character?” Bakar narrowed his eyes, despite the pleas from the other Keepers. “You have no idea what kind of power you wield, nor what to do with it, yet you demand secrets I spent my life protecting simply because you believe you are ‘ready’? A childish mindset.”
“ ‘Childish’ ?” Fig tried to hold her back, but Avalon marched up to the portrait with fire burning in her eyes. “I don’t know if dust was clogging your ears, but maybe I should remind you that the world is at stake. There is a dangerous, merciless goblin going around and killing people to accomplish his goals. I have single-handedly been holding him back from simply taking as much ancient magic as he wants.” She snapped, her hands gripping into fists. “So don’t you dare question my character when I have been picking up the mess that you left behind. I may be childish, but at least I’m not a coward .”
The room went silent, the Keepers still in shock that was left from the words spoken by the dark-haired woman. Fig tried to reach for her, but she turned her back on them and began storming away.
“Avalon!” He called, rushing after her, after giving a respectful nod towards the portraits.
Fig caught her hand as soon as she pushed the oversized, decorative doors open. She stopped in her tracks, knowing he had something to say to her.
“Avalon, you have to go back and apologize.” He said, sternly.
She whipped around, her eyes blazing with rage. “ Apologize?! Did you hear what that… that prick was saying to me? He was insulting me, Fig. Why should I apologize when I did nothing but defend myself?”
“Because you took a slap on the wrist and burned the entire house down for it.” Fig reasoned calmly. He knew Avalon. He knew her temper was getting the better of her at this rate, and he knew he had to tread very carefully, but honestly. She often thought irrationally when she was this emotional. “He insulted you, and it was wrong, I agree, and he should apologize to you as well. But you have to consider where he’s coming from.”
“Why should I when he didn’t care to look at where I was coming from?” She pulled her hand out of his grip.
“I thought you learning to forgive Mr. Gaunt would have taught you to be compassionate towards others,” He shook his head, disappointment etched in his voice.
“Leave Ominis out of this,” Avalon hissed. “He earned my trust and compassion, just as all my friends did. This man has not, nor are you helping his case by demanding I apologize to him for insulting my character.”
“Avalon, I am not your enemy here,” Fig took a step forward just as Avalon took a step back. The way she was looking at him… It seemed she was hurt and lashing out to cover it up. He knew her well enough to understand what her coping mechanisms were. That’s why he tried not to take her defensiveness seriously. “Please, just… think about it.”
Avalon scoffed, turning on her heel and beginning to walk up the stairs. She was fuming . How could Fig say that to her after hearing her be insulted? She thought he would come to her defense, but instead, he made her out to be a fool in front of the Keepers. She had done everything he told her to do. She kept up with her studies, defeated countless goblins, poachers, and ashwinders, and put her ass on the line multiple times for this Ancient Magic bullshit.
This was more than saving the world to her. This was finding out who she was after years of feeling like she never belonged anywhere. Years of being kept in the dark by the lack of knowledge they had. When she went back to the Muggle world after the incident, her father, Fig, and Miriam were the only connection to magic she had. Without them, she was reduced to hiding her powers, both magical and ancient, from the world for fear of being seen as a freak.
And now she has a chance to understand it all. To learn how to control the biggest part of her as a whole. It was beyond frustrating to hear that she was potentially not worthy to see a key to understanding her powers, especially when the world was at risk.
She didn’t really want to see anyone at that point. She felt so angry over what had happened. But she had promised Ominis she would see him after the third trial…
With a frustrated huff, she trudged up the stairs and walked through the halls towards the astronomy tower where her room of requirement was waiting for her.
Ominis didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until Avalon’s horned owl, which she had finally named Lucifer (or Lucy, for short), cawed next to his face while perched on his dresser. He gasped and shouted in surprise, almost falling out of his bed from the surprise.
“ Merlin, what the hell- Lucifer?!” He exclaimed, knowing it wasn’t his owl by sound. Lucifer, who was accurately named after they witnessed it brutally cannibalize Leander Prewett’s owl midair, tilted his head and reached out towards the boy with a note in his claws. Ominis grabbed his wand, not needing to turn the light on since he was able to visualize everything in his mind.
Across the room, Sebastian groaned and turned on his side, still asleep.
Ominis took the note in his claws, which signaled the owl’s dismissal as it flew up and disappeared in a magical haze.
His wand was flickering with its usual faint glow as he scanned the contents of the letter.
‘Come to my room of requirement.
Yours,
A.’
He wasted no time in throwing his covers off as quietly as he could, slipping his robe and slippers on before exiting the room. He was thankful that his wand had adapted to their adventures, because it was significantly easier to sneak around the prefects still on duty using the heat signature scan. It took him ten minutes to finally make it up to the astronomy tower hallway.
There she was, leaning against the door to her room of requirement. She still wore the same clothes she had on earlier that day, but instead of her easy-going attitude, she looked upset. Really upset.
“Darling, is everything okay? I came as fast as I could.” He said, breathlessly.
“Yes, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you if you were asleep.” She replied, her long hair cascading over her shoulder in layered waves.
“It’s no trouble,” He shook his head, grabbing her hand in his and squeezing. “What happened? Did you complete the trial?”
“Let’s go inside, I’ll answer you when we're not in the middle of the hallway.” She pulled him towards the door, opening it and granting him access to her little world. The ambiance was set to nighttime, the skyview above them shining with the twinkling of little stars. The room was dimly lit by lanterns, the table in the middle was covered in books and loose papers, and Lucifer was perched in his cage next to the mess.
“What is all this?” He asked, walking over to the table to try and scan the contents of the pages.
“It’s everything I could find related to Ancient Magic in the library and in the record room,” She answered, leaning on the table next to him. “The Keepers refuse to help me understand my powers, so I’ve been trying to learn whatever I could.”
“Is this what you’ve been doing all day?” He turned to face her, noticing the stoic look on her face. “Why didn’t you call for me? I could have helped you.”
“I… I know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I was doing, I just… I needed some time to think.” Avalon couldn’t face him, her eyes kept dodging his so he wouldn’t see the cracks. Fig’s disappointment in her and their fight had affected her much deeper than she thought it would.
“...Avalon,” Ominis reached out to touch her arm that was crossed over her chest. “What happened in the trial?”
“It wasn’t the trial,” She admitted, flinching at his touch. “It was what happened after. The Fourth Keeper doesn’t believe I’m good enough to do his trial and see his memory.”
“What? How?”
“He said I don’t understand the responsibility of my powers and his knowledge,” She said, bitterly. “He called me childish and insulted me right to my face in front of Fig, and he said nothing to defend me! After everything we have seen and done, he even told me to apologize to the Keeper just because I called him a coward. I wouldn’t have done it if he weren’t being one!”
“That’s utter nonsense,” Ominis huffed. “If anyone deserves to know the secrets behind Ancient Magic, it’s you.”
“Thanks,” She sighed, feeling much better now that Ominis was here. “I’m just so… pissed about everything Fig said. He even tried to bring you up against me.”
“How so?”
“He said, “I thought you learning to forgive Mr. Gaunt would have taught you to be compassionate towards others”. As if you and our friends had anything to do with me trusting a complete stranger.”
“That was definitely uncalled for by him,” Ominis agreed, rubbing her back soothingly. “I’m sorry, love, that sounds frustrating.”
“...I feel better now that you’re here,” Avalon smiled softly, tilting her head to look at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t come straight to you like I promised. I was worried I would take my anger out on you.”
“It’s alright, I’m just happy to see you’re safe.” He said softly. He reached his hand up and cradled her cheek. “Though, I’d appreciate a heads up if plans change next time.”
“Understandable. I’ll definitely do that,” She agreed, leaning forward and kissing him softly on the lips. Once she pulled back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. He reciprocated her affection, resting his hands on her hips. “Do you think… I was out of line?”
“No, I don’t,” He answered, honestly. “I think Fig was out of line for not standing up for you. I think the Keeper was out of line for insulting you to your face. If you're concerned about being in the wrong, I don’t think you are.”
“It’s not that I think I’m wrong, I just…” She sighed, resting her head against his collarbone. “I’ve never fought with Fig like that before. And he just looked so disappointed in me… It felt off.”
“Have you and Fig known each other for long?” He asked, resting his cheek on the top of her head as he held her.
“Yes, he’s known me since I was born,” Avalon admitted. “He’s actually an old family friend of my father’s. I’m not sure how they’re acquainted with each other, but he’s been in our lives every step of the way. Marriage, my birth, family dinners, and whatever else there was. He’s kind of like my grandpa, in a way.”
“I see,” Ominis hummed in understanding. “Perhaps… You look to him for approval in some capacity?”
“Hah, funny.”
“I’m serious,” He caressed a hand in her silky hair. “He’s been in your life for a long time, it makes sense that you look to him for support.”
“Hmm…” She moved her hands from around his neck to rest on his chest. “You and Poppy seem to understand my emotions much better than I do.”
He chuckled. “Is that a bad thing?”
“I guess not,” She mumbled. “Just… strange, I guess.”
“How so?”
“I’ve just never had someone so easily understand me before. It’s… terrifying and relieving at the same time. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” He replied, pushing her hair out of her face. “I feel the same about you.”
“I don’t think I understand you as well as you understand me.” She looked up at him, her eyes studying the features of his face as she spoke.
“That’s not true,” He said, staring back at her. “You know more about me than anyone has ever dared to. Not even the Sallow twins have resonated with me as a person as much as you have.”
“I can’t read you the way you read me,” She pressed, a sense of shame resting in her belly.
“Yes, you can,” Ominis smiled at her and shut his eyes. “We express ourselves differently, darling, give yourself a little credit. I’m not the one who has to go through numerous physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging obstacles every day, the way you do.”
“Mmm…” She felt the unease inside her melt away at his reassurance. He was right. She shouldn’t doubt herself just because they don’t express themselves in the same way. “You know, that was the most mature thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
“I can be mature when it matters,” He huffed, squeezing her a little tighter. “One of us has to be, given Sebastian is the other part of this little trio we’ve found ourselves in. Considering both of your records, I seem to have automatically assumed the position of the ‘responsible’ one.”
“Oi, the fuck does that mean?”
“Nothing, dear.”
“Does that make you the ‘mother’ of the group?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Mother?” He gave her an annoyed look. “Really? Wouldn’t I be the father of the group, considering I am a man?”
“Mmm… Daddy?” She coyly said, her hand sliding up his chest under his robes. Ominis blushed, feeling his body heat up considerably at being called that. He never thought about it before, but he found he enjoyed Avalon saying that to him.
New kink unlocked.
“Call me that again,” He said, his cheeks a tinge of red.
“Daddy,” She breathed, leaning her head up to meet his intense gaze.
“Again.”
“Did I just start a kink for you, darling?” She asked, smirking.
“...Maybe…” He muttered, looking embarrassed.
Avalon bit her bottom lip as she traced circles on his firm upper chest using one of her fingertips. She leaned up, being able to press her lips against the warm flesh of his neck. “Daddy… Won’t you touch me like you did before?”
Ominis lifted her up by the legs, smiling as a shocked gasp came from her mouth as he put her on the table in front of them. Spreading her legs out so he could fit in between them, he quickly pressed his lips onto hers and kissed her passionately. She grinned against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he leaned his body into her.
He certainly knew how to make her feel better.
Chapter 26: Cheering Me Up (Is Such An Easy Task For You)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Breathe by Mako
Chapter Text
Avalon and Fig hadn’t spoken to each other since their fight. She was even completely silent during class with him, which was out of the ordinary for her. It bothered her that they were no longer friendly with each other, as Fig was usually the one she could always count on.
Once class was dismissed, Avalon grabbed her books and rushed out the door, avoiding his line of sight and keeping her head down. It wasn’t that she was ashamed or guilty by her words or actions. She just didn’t want to lose her cool by sticking around someone she was so hurt by.
Ominis had been such a support pillar for her, though. Ever since that night in the room of Requirement, they had spent a lot of time looking for any other information on Ancient Magic they could find. Unfortunately, despite their search, any knowledge was significantly scarce.
The only real source of knowledge other than the Keepers was the book, but since Avalon had returned it after using it to cure Anne, they had kept it under lock and key. They had been disappointed in her for taking it without telling anyone, but after she explained the situation, the first two Keepers understood to some extent. They were wary, she could tell. She assumed they didn’t want her to go down the same path that Isadora did.
She could take away pain. Real pain. Physical, mental, emotional. Avalon would have thought it amazing, except… Niamh’s memory begged to differ. She remembered how horrified Niamh was when Isadora took her emotions from her without consent. It was invasive, wrong, and downright disturbing.
Avalon could see on Isadora’s face the ambition and delusional bliss she had from her experiments. And despite what Bakar believed, she would never tread down such a path. To her, it was the same as Dark Magic and Unforgivable Curses. Something so powerful that no one should be able to inflict on others without their permission.
…But perhaps it was her ambition that made her think of how powerful she could be if she could control her powers like Isadora and Rackham could; she could be the strongest witch alive. She would never have to worry about being considered weak by anyone ever again. She could protect herself and her loved ones.
No, she had to stop thinking about that. Avalon furrowed her brows as she entered the Slytherin common room, walking down the spiral staircase to the open rooms.
“ It’s her!”
“I can’t believe she’s able to live with herself…”
“Isn’t she and Ominis dating? Why would she do that?”
“Disgusting mudblood.”
The whispers around her caught her attention and slowed her pace to a stop. She was used to people talking about her, but the content threw her off. She looked towards a group of girls who were huddled together. Their eyes swiftly turned away from her, their mouths falling silent under her gaze.
Avalon narrowed her eyes, storming over to the group of girls and grabbing one of their shoulders.
“What are you talking about, exactly?” She asked, darkly.
“N-Nothing!” The girl squeaked. The others turned to scatter, not wanting to get involved.
“No,” Avalon tightened her grip. “You’re going to tell me exactly what’s going on, or else I’m going to send my darling Lucy after your prized snowy owl.”
The girl’s eyes widened with terror as her lip began trembling. “I-I… Please, no!”
“Then talk.” She hissed.
“T-There’s been rumors about you and Vincent sneaking off to snog in the broom closet! And other rumors of you sleeping with purebloods to raise your status!” She finally admitted, trying to escape Avalon’s rough grasp. “P-Please don’t kill my owl!”
Avalon’s temper flared, but she let the girl scurry off towards her dorm. She heard more whispers, more eyes watching her as she stood next to the fireplace where the group of girls were. She felt her chest begin to tighten, memories of torment from her first year clouding her vision and making it harder to focus.
crAck.
Fuck. Not now. She had to get out of here before she lost her mind.
The girl turned on her heel and walked up the stairs towards her dorm room, desperately trying to control her erratic breathing. She stumbled to open the lock on her door, but once she did, she threw herself inside and pressed it closed behind her.
Breathe , Avalon thought, calm down.
“Avalon?” Anne’s soft voice called from her side of the room. Avalon tried to answer, but her words failed her. She stood still at the front door, her body beginning to shake and her pupils dilating. Anne rushed to her side, reaching her hand out in front of her. “Ava? What’s wrong?”
“Is she alright?” Garreth asked from his seat on Anne’s bed. He looked at her with concern - pity - while Anne tried to get her attention again.
“Ava, can you hear me?” She asked gently. She watched as sweat beat down Avalon’s forehead, more memories flashing in her mind of groups of young boys laughing at her. They were pointing at her again, chanting ‘Strokes’ as she pressed herself against the hallway wall, crying.
Garreth got off the bed, approaching her slowly, as if he were approaching a magical beast. “Should I go get help?”
“Get Ominis,” Anne told him. He nodded, carefully walking around Avalon and opening the door. He slipped out, rushing towards Ominis and Sebastian’s dorm down the hall.
“Avalon, I think you’re having a panic attack,” Anne whispered, touching the top of Avalon’s shaking hand.
At the touch, Avalon flinched and felt her breath hitch. She could hear Anne. She wanted to tell her she was fine, just having a moment. Brush this off as something casual. Anything. But she couldn’t. She felt like she was frozen in place, unable to stop the flood of memories from infecting her consciousness.
Anne pulled her towards her bed and away from the front door. She followed, still in her dazed state. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage so hard that she could hear it echo in her ears. What was happening to her? Why couldn’t she break free?
The door opened behind them, and Ominis rushed in, eyes brimming with worry. “What happened?!”
Anne let go of her hand and led Ominis to her, seeing as he didn’t have his wand in his hand. “She’s here,” Anne informed him. “We don’t know what happened. She came back to the room moments ago like this.”
“Avalon?” Ominis took her hand, feeling her body stop shaking as soon as he grabbed her. “Darling?”
Move , she screamed at herself. Why couldn’t she even speak? She had to focus, she had to try .
She couldn’t let them see the cracks. She promised herself that no one would see her crack again.
Ominis cradled her cheek, his beautiful, pale eyes staring directly into hers. Even without his wand, he had memorized the proportions of her face to be able to know where her eyes were. “Love, please speak to me. Just tell me if you’re alright.”
CRaCK.
“I-I…” She was finally able to stutter something out. “I’m… Fine.”
“As much as I want that to be true, you’re clearly not.” He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “It’s okay, love, just breathe.”
Avalon took a deep breath, inhaling his scent into her system and having it push the memories out of her mind. Her vision began to clear, her body stopped shaking, and her heart slowed to a steady pace. With a sigh, she leaned her body into Ominis’ and shut her eyes. She wasn’t cracking or breaking anymore. She was stabilizing.
Garreth peeked his head into the room, his ginger hair being easily recognizable. “Is it right for me to come back in now?”
Anne sighed in relief as the tension began to exit the room. “We can give you both some room, if you need.” She offered.
“No, I’m alright now,” Avalon said, pulling back from Ominis’ embrace and running a hand through her hair. “Sorry about that, just had a moment.”
“That seemed like a lot more than ‘just a moment’,” Garreth mumbled, earning him a dirty look from Ominis and Anne. He covered his mouth, regretting the words as soon as they left his lips. “Oops, my bad.”
“No, it’s fine,” Avalon smiled, but it seemed strained. “You guys are welcome to stay.”
“Avalon, you just had a panic attack,” Anne said softly. She walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright if you need a moment to decompress.”
“She’s right, love,” Ominis pulled her to the bed, letting her sit at the edge of it. “Do you want to talk about what happened leading up to this moment?”
“I… I don’t know,” She turned her gaze to the ground, feeling shame and vulnerability crawl up her spine. Avalon didn’t like feeling under the microscope. Especially when she was recovering from an emotional moment.
“... Anne, Garreth, would you mind giving us a moment alone?” Ominis asked, to which they happily agreed. Anne gave Avalon a brief hug and a reassuring smile before exiting the room with Garreth following behind her. They shut the door, leaving her and Ominis alone together.
“Darling, please tell me what happened.” He pleaded, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his.
“I don’t know,” Avalon repeated, not wanting to admit what brought on this moment. Perhaps she was afraid that if she acknowledged what happened, it would become too real.
“... Please.” He squeezed her hands.
Avalon’s breath hitched as she fought against her inner urges to run away from the situation. She remembered what Ominis said before, where he told her he wouldn’t find her vulnerable or weak by opening up to him. He wanted her to. And she was preventing him from getting close to her out of fear that he was lying to her.
She had to ground herself. This was Ominis. He wouldn’t hurt her… He promised he wouldn’t find her weak if she told him what happened.
“...Malfoy has been spreading more rumors about me and… I snapped. I don’t usually care what others have to say about me, truly, but… I don’t know, maybe it’s because I just came from Fig’s class, but I broke down. It felt like everyone was staring at me and then all I could see and hear was getting tormented again in first year.” She breathed, feeling a small weight lifted off her chest from being honest.
“...What kind of rumors?” Ominis asked, hesitantly.
“Just the usual stuff,” She rolled her eyes. “That I slept with him, that I’m going around from pureblood to pureblood to raise my status, and who knows what else.”
Despite Ominis going silent, Avalon noticed a distinct shift in his mood. His eyes darkened, his hands turned into tight fists, and his jaw clenched. The air in the room turned chilly as he turned towards the door, taking his wand out of his pocket.
“Ominis?” Avalon followed behind him, anxiety rising in her body. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to rip Malfoy’s tongue out of his mouth and shove it down his throat,” He snapped, grabbing her door handle. She quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him back to prevent him from leaving.
“Wait, don’t.”
“ Don’t? Avalon, he dares to run his mouth about you, and you don’t want me to-” “No, I don’t.” Avalon shook her head, squeezing his hand. “Ominis, I’m not saying I don’t want anything to happen to Malfoy, but I’m saying you can’t be the one to do it.”
“What?” His eyes widened. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want you to fight my battles for me,” She said, letting go of his hand once she knew he wasn’t going to leave. “I appreciate you wanting to defend me, but this is my problem to solve.”
“Avalon, this isn’t just your war,” He argued, his eyebrows furrowed. “He’s saying disgusting things about you, my girlfriend . I can’t just let him speak about you like this.”
“I’m not saying I’m going to let him speak about me like this,” She shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m saying you can’t just go out there and beat him up in front of the student body over some rumors that aren’t even true and have no merit.”
“You and I both know the school won’t care about protecting your reputation.” He let go of the door handle to turn around to face her. With his wand, he was able to visualize the stubborn expression on her face. “Besides, you and I have defeated him multiple times before and haven’t gotten in trouble.”
“Because we got lucky, Ominis.” Avalon shook her head. “If you go out there and do something to him, we’re playing right into his hands.”
Ominis looked away from her, the anger that clouded his judgement continued to wrestle with her logic. She was probably right, he knew, but he just couldn’t sit around and do nothing. Malfoy needed to pay.
“I can use my family connections to get him expelled,” He muttered, saying the first idea that came to mind.
“No, that’s not how I want to handle things,” Avalon replied.
“Well, how do you want to handle things?”
“Right now, I don’t want to do anything. I want to let the rumors die out and move along with my life. I want to send a message to Malfoy that his old tricks won’t have any effect on me.” She reached out and tugged on his sleeve. “I want us to forget he exists and do something fun, perhaps out of the castle? We haven’t been on a date yet, and I’d like to rectify that.”
Ominis couldn’t stay mad in front of her. He still hated Malfoy and wanted to rip him to shreds, but if Avalon didn’t want him to do that, he wasn’t going to go against her will. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and nodding in agreement. “I can’t believe I haven’t taken you out, yet. What kind of boyfriend am I?”
She smiled, the kind of smile that melted his heart. “The best kind. The kind that trusts me to make decisions for myself, which I greatly appreciate.”
“Of course, darling,” He finally relented, letting her pull him away from the door and into her arms. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, caressing his jaw.
“I adore you,” Avalon pulled away from him to begin searching through her dresser. “Now, go get dressed in something that isn’t school attire.”
“Is there somewhere in particular you want to go?” He asked, a bit ashamed he didn’t have an entire date planned out already.
“I kind of just want to walk around Hogsmeade. Perhaps check in on Penny and the shop.”
“I can’t believe you hired her to run your shop for you after she tricked you.”
Avalon shrugged. “She did it under Cassandra’s orders, I can’t fault her for that. You know how enslaved house elves are to their masters.”
“Yes, but I still think you let her off too easily…”
“Well, I’m not going to do anything to her now .” She pulled out a long, long-sleeve white dress shirt with a V-neckline. “Now, hurry up and get changed.”
“Alright,” He sighed, turning to the door and opening it. Outside, Anne and Garreth were waiting against the railing, mid-conversation. Ominis gave a nod of approval to Anne, who smiled brightly at him. “Thank you, Garreth, for coming to get me.”
Garreth flashed him a lazy smile. “No problem, mate. Glad to help.”
“I’ll be sure to put in a good word to Sebastian for you,” Ominis smirked, watching as Garreth winced at the thought of Anne’s brother. They had, indeed, gotten revenge on the ginger after Sebastian became unpetrified. Nothing physical, per Avalon’s orders, but Ominis did help Sebastian lead Garreth to the Astronomy Tower to dangle him over the ledge. Weasely certainly got the message on what would happen if he hurt Anne.
Anne rushed into the room and went straight to Avalon, who had already started changing. “You’re putting a skirt on, willingly? ” She gasped, jokingly. “Is the world ending?”
“Hahaha,” Avalon rolled her eyes. “The world might as well be ending, considering Ominis is approving of Weasely now.”
“I told you Garreth would win Ominis over,” She huffed, smiling.
“Of course he did, Ominis is quite easy to please,” Avalon smirked.
“I heard that!” Ominis called from the other side of the door. Both girls giggled at his annoyed voice.
“Can’t help it if it’s true, babe!” She called back.
They heard Ominis grumble something and walk away, footsteps echoing down the hall. Garreth knocked, asking if it was alright to come back in.
“One moment,” Anne said, helping Avalon tie the black underbust corset on. They invited him in once Avalon had finished putting her outfit on, which consisted of a long, emerald green ruffled skirt, the corset, and the white blouse shirt with bell-sleeves. She tied up her brown boots, pulled her hair in a half-up, half-down look, and even applied a light amount of makeup on her face. This included reapplying her beauty charms over her scars.
“You’re so beautiful, Ava,” Anne gushed, watching as Avalon put in her simplistic, gold earrings and clipped her mother’s necklace around her neck.
“No, you are,” She spun around, her skirt fluffing in the air. Avalon wrapped her arms around Anne’s neck, holding her close. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Anne. You certainly got all the good-looking genes in the family.”
“I agree,” Garreth snickered, going back to Anne’s bed and sitting on the edge.
“Aw, stop it, you two,” Anne blushed, hugging her back. “Now, go have fun on your first date! Be safe, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Can’t promise that,” Avalon let her go, waving as she grabbed her nap sack, threw on a warm, hooded, black coat, and walked out of the room.
Outside, Ominis was already changed and waiting for her. He wore a white, long-sleeve dress shirt with a black vest and dress trousers on. He wore a black belt, fancy black shoes, and a long, dark green, velvet trench coat. His hair was slicked back with more product, and on his collar was a matching green tie.
“We’re matching colors,” Avalon noticed.
“Are we? I couldn’t tell.” He joked.
“How are you able to match outfits together if you can’t see colors?” She asked, taking his outstretched arm.
“Easy. All the clothes I have all correlate to every other piece of clothing I have. No matter what I put on, it will always look good together.” He explained, using his wand to navigate the hallways.
“That’s a clever trick,” She noted, leaning her head on Ominis’ arm. “I thought you were going to say Sebastian chose all of your outfits, or something.”
“ Merlin , no. I think I would have more faith in a puffskein than Sebastian.”
“Remember when he walked into class with his shirt inside out?”
“I don’t understand how I, a blind person, can look more put together than he, a non-blind person, sometimes.”
“All the fashion genes went to Anne.”
“That makes a lot more sense.”
They sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks on the second floor, overlooking the first. Ominis wanted to take her to a fancier restaurant in the town over, but Avalon insisted on staying in Hogsmeade. Despite his protests, she pouted once, and he relented immediately. He was a sucker for her, but what a happy sucker he was. Before they had sat down, they stopped by the shop to see how Penny was faring.
Penny told them sales were going great and the business was stable. Avalon dropped off a couple more items she had gotten on her adventures to sell, which Penny happily took to polish. Ominis kept giving the house elf the stink eye, but Avalon made sure he didn’t say anything mean to her.
Once Avalon had concluded her business, they went to Honeydukes to pick up some sweets. Ominis bought her tropical flavored jelly slugs, which made her heart soar to know he remembered.
“Of course I remembered,” He told her, sincerely. He kissed her cheek, held a hand on her waist, and smiled at her. “I would never forget anything about you.”
It was such a sweet moment that Ambrosius Flume, the owner of the shop, and his wife gifted them some chocolate frogs. They thanked them, waved goodbye, and walked over to Gladrags next.
Avalon picked out a couple of items of clothing for her and one for him, a black and green striped tie. Her cheeks were bright red as she handed it to him after paying.
“It’s to replace the one I bled on,” She explained, trying to play it cool. Ominis felt his heart skip a beat from being able to visualize her look so shy and, honestly, really cute. It reminded him of being stuck in the poltergeist’s chest when she would cling onto his arm.
“You don’t have to pay for anything, love,” He said as he accepted the tie, holding it close.
“I know, but I wanted to.” She stubbornly huffed. “I want to spoil you too…”
“You already spoil me with your presence,” He chuckled, putting his wand in his pocket to be able to undo his tie.
“You’re putting it on now?”
“Yes,” He pulled off the tie he had on, his collar sticking up to make it easier for him to begin tying it around his neck. “It’s the first gift you’ve ever given to me. I’ll wear it with pride.”
Avalon felt the blush burn brighter on her cheeks as she watched him straighten the now-tied tie. He took his wand back out and smiled at her. “How does it look?” He asked.
“Handsome,” She leaned on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “You look dashing, darling.”
“Good, because if I’m to stand next to someone as beautiful as you, I should want to look my best.”
If they weren’t in public, Avalon would have kissed him so fiercely.
They went to the Three Broomsticks next, feeling rather famished after their time shopping around. Sirona had treated them to a butterbeer or two, still singing Avalon’s praises for the troll she defeated those months ago with Sebastian.
“I can’t believe people are still talking about that troll,” Avalon said as they waited for their meal.
“Well, it’s quite the feat, love.” He took a drink of his butterbeer.
“Not really,” She wasn’t trying to be cocky, she was being honest. Even back then, Avalon’s fighting abilities were beyond the average witch. On top of that, her ability to use Ancient Magic made her a total powerhouse. While trolls might be big and physically strong, they are rather unintelligent and are easy to catch off guard.
“Not everyone is as strong as you are,” Ominis reminded her.
They sat and chatted about anything and everything. It was startling to Avalon how easy it was to talk to Ominis sometimes. Before coming back to Hogwarts, she never bothered to try and make friends. London was a big city with a lot of people, and yet all she wanted to do was stick with her family and Fig. It was lonely, of course, but it was safe. It was a little bubble where no one could see the cracks.
But now, she craved spending time with her friends and Ominis. It filled her with so much joy and laughter. Even when times were rough, she still held onto the good rather than the bad. It was… new. It was changing her, and she wasn’t upset by it.
“Do you think Sharp has ever smiled in his life?”
“I doubt that man knows what a smile is,” Ominis grimmaced. Potions, Avalon learned, were his least favorite subject due to… well, his blindness. It was hard to make a good potion when you couldn’t see what color your potion was turning and what kind of ingredients you needed. Avalon, being one of his lab partners, was a saving grace, since she was fantastic at potions. She bumped his grade up quite a bit.
“How do you think he got that scar?” She wondered.
“Probably during his time as an Auror,” Ominis guessed just as their dinner floated down in front of them. He had gotten a steak, roasted potatoes, and carrots, which Avalon had labeled as ‘pretentious’. Avalon had gotten an eel pie, which Ominis labeled as ‘gross’.
“It’s delicious,” Avalon argued, taking a bite and melting from the warmth.
“I don’t doubt it,” He said, scrunching his face up. “Eels are just such unattractive creatures.”
“Darling, your ‘rich boy’ is coming out.” She hummed, raising an eyebrow at him. “And why do you care about the attractiveness of the animal you eat? You’re blind.”
“It’s not about the look, it’s about the feeling,” Ominis argued. “When I was younger, my parents had one of the servants make eel pate en croute and, being a curious child, I went down to explore. I didn’t have my wand back then, so I was essentially completely blind. One of the eels got free and… jumped on top of me.” He actually shuddered at the memory. “Such a gross, slimy thing.”
Avalon snickered at the thought of young Ominis freaking out because of an eel. “Oh, poor baby Ominis. What is he to do against an eel ?”
“Don’t laugh,” Ominis pouted, giving her a look. “It was quite traumatic.”
“Well, don’t you worry, this one is already dead.” She took a forkful and held the utensil in front of him. “Try it.”
“I’d rather not…”
“You might like it.”
“I might not.”
“But you’ll never know unless you try it.” She sang, waving it closer to his mouth.
Ominis took a deep breath in, hesitating before opening his mouth. Avalon put the fork in, letting him chew the food with a conflicted look on his face.
“So?” She tilted her head, watching his facial reaction go from disturbed to pleasant. “What do you think?”
“...It’s quite tasty.” He admitted, blushing a bit.
“I told you.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Would you like to share some of my food?”
“No, it’s your meal. I wouldn’t want to take anymore.” He shook his head.
“Well, obviously it’s implying that you’d share your food with me, too.” She rolled her eyes.
Ominis raised an eyebrow at her. “Wait, was this all a ploy to get me to split half of my meal with you?”
Silence.
“...Perhaps.”
Ominis smirked, bringing his elbows up to rest on the table and putting his chin on his hands. “Oh? Aren’t you the one who said my meal was ‘a meal for a pretentious, rich boy’?”
“Forget I said anything,” She grumbled, taking another bite of her food. “Keep your stupid steak.”
“I’m just teasing, love,” Ominis chuckled, cutting his steak in half and putting some on the side of his plate closest to her. “Of course we can share.”
A smile graced Avalon’s lips as she took her dish and put half of her pie onto an empty side of his plate. “Thank you.”
“Next time, you could just state that this was your intention.”
“Well, I didn’t think your food would look so good at the time,” She huffed, cutting a piece of the steak and taking a bite. Avalon hummed in happiness, chewing the tender meat in her mouth as if it were the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.
“Is it good?” He asked, taking a bite of the pie on his plate.
“ Yes ,” She moaned. “It’s so good.”
“Not too pretentious for you, then?”
“Well, I enjoy how you taste, so perhaps I’ve developed a taste for the pretentious.”
Ominis almost choked on the food in his mouth, having to take a drink of his butterbeer to stop coughing. His cheeks flushed red, and his eyes stared at her general direction in disbelief. Avalon smirked, looking quite coy as she watched him struggle. “You can’t just… say that out of nowhere!”
“Why? Did I make your heart skip a beat?” She giggled.
“Or something like that…” He grumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed at how easily she teased him.
“You’re adorable when you’re embarrassed.”
“And you’re adorable when you’re writhing underneath me as I-” “Avalon? What a coincidence! I was just about to send you a message.” Lodgok approached her from behind, waving his hand towards the couple.
Avalon cleared her throat, trying to push the embarrassment down as she recollected herself in front of the goblin. “Lodgok! How is everything?” She asked, waving back to him.
“Ah, if I can be frank, it’s not great. Perhaps we can speak alone for a moment?” He suggested, giving a suspicious look towards Ominis.
“You can speak plainly in front of him, he’s a good one.” She promised, taking Ominis’ hand from across the table. “Trust me.”
Lodgok looked at Ominis, who seemed a bit confused and nervous by the sudden approach of a friendly goblin. He didn’t know Avalon was in contact with any goblins, especially considering that Ranrok was after her.
A sigh came from Lodgok’s mouth as he relented. “Alright, I will take your word on it, Avalon.”
“You know that I wouldn’t trust someone lightly with the alliance between us,” She reassured. “He will only try to aid us.”
“Hm.”
“I’m sorry, what’s happening right now?” Ominis asked, squeezing her hand and taking his wand out of his pocket. The action made Lodgok flinch and narrow his eyes.
“It’s fine! He’s blind, he uses his wand to see.” Avalon explained, raising a hand to Ominis’ defense. Once the glowing light appeared at the wand’s tip, Lodgok began to relax, but looked no less uptight.
“... Unfortunately, presenting Ranrok with the Helmet of Urkot did not have the effect I’d hoped.” He admitted. “Because he knew the details surrounding its plunder, he presumed I’d had the help from a witch or wizard in retrieving it.”
“The Helmet of Urkot?” Ominis asked, recalling the artifact in his readings. “But it would have required wizardkind to retrieve it from the witch’s grave.”
“It seems Ranrok didn’t care to make amends with you.” Avalon sighed, disappointedly.
“I’m afraid we do not have the luxury of rational expectation when it comes to Ranrok,” Lodgok frowned. “Damn Bragbor and his blasted journals.”
“Bragbor?” She tilted her head in confusion.
“An ancestor of Ranrok’s. Renowned metal worker. If we are to work together, I suppose I must… tell you more.” He eyed Ominis suspiciously again, but Avalon seemed steadfast in the blonde staying, so he relented. “Not long ago, Ranrok sent me to collect a recently unearthed set of Bragbor’s journals. They described ‘repositories’ that Bragbor had been commissioned to build for a group of witches and wizards.”
“Repositories? What do you mean?”
“Large, magically fortified receptacles crafted from goblin metal.” He explained. “Ranrok recruited others to help me locate the repositories. We were to search anywhere that was connected to the five names mentioned in the journals: Rackham, Fitzgerald, Bakar, Morganach, and Rookwood.”
Ominis’ eyes widened as he remembered those were the names of the Keepers Avalon had mentioned. She didn’t say anything about it, though, so he didn’t either.
“That’s why Ranrok paired up with Victor Rookwood and took up camp at the castle.” She realized.
“That is where we began our search,” Lodgok confirmed.
“...What is in the repositories? What do they contain?” Ominis asked.
“For centuries, wizards have refused to share their magical knowledge with goblins. Your kind will not even let us carry wands. Thus, many goblins, myself included, have spent our lives mistrusting wizardkind.” The goblin sighed, crossing his arms. “Ranrok was convinced that the repositories contained magical power that wizards wanted to keep for themselves. He was -is- determined to take it for goblinkind.”
“...I believe I know what’s in the repositories,” Avalon bit her bottom lip, squeezing Ominis’ hand. “What do we do now? If Ranrok doesn’t trust you, is there anyway we can get close enough to him to know what his plan is?”
“I have an idea,” Lodgok said. “But it will require you to find someone who can speak Gobbledegook.”
“Shit, I don’t know anyone who does,” Avalon said, frustratedly.
Ominis perked up. “I do,” He said.
“Really?” Both Avalon and Lodgok looked at him, surprised. “Who?”
“Amit Thakkar.”
“The Ravenclaw that’s obsessed with stars?” Avalon never formally introduced herself to him, nor was she close to any Ravenclaws in general. “He can speak Gobbledegook?”
“So he claims,” Ominis shrugged. “He’s in my Astronomy class and owes me a favor. I can ask him for you.”
“That would be most helpful.” Lodgok nodded in approval. “If he agrees, meet me at this specific location by the mines.” He handed Avalon a piece of paper with a map scribbled on it. “In that case, I hope to see you soon. I’ll let you get back to your dinner.”
“Thank you, Lodgok. I’ll write to you when we head over.” She waved goodbye, watching as he took his leave down the stairs of the bar.
When they were back to being alone, Ominis raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t realize you allied yourself with a goblin.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, but you should keep it from Sebastian,” He informed her. “He still holds quite the vendetta against goblins since on cursed his sister.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” She said, looking down at her cold plate of food. “I think I’ve lost my appetite for dinner. Should we order some dessert?”
“We could ask Sirona to reheat our food.”
“Yeah, but I want something sweet. It’s getting late as well, we need to head back before curfew.” She called over Sirona from below them, who came up as soon as she could.
“Something wrong with your food?” She asked, concerned.
“No, it was fantastic. I’m afraid I got too distracted staring at his pretty face and let it get cold.” Avalon dramatically feigned a sigh, which earned a blush and an annoyed look from Ominis.
“Pretty? Did you just call me pretty?”
“Yes, I did, because it’s true.”
“What happened to ‘dark, rich, and handsome’?” He huffed.
“You can be handsome and pretty, darling, just own it.”
“You two make a cute couple,” Sirona chuckled, taking their dinner plates out of the way. “Anything else you’d like to order?”
“One sticky toffee pudding, please,” Avalon ordered with a big, bright smile.
“Coming right up.” Sirona winked at her, walking away from their table.
“You remembered,” He said, a smile pushing its way onto his lips.
“Of course I did,” She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “How could I forget my pretty boyfriend’s favorite food?”
“Hm. I want you to try to keep calling me pretty once we get back to the dorms with my cock pressing against your-” “ Merlin , we’re in public! ” Avalon fanned herself, trying to stop the blush from burning on her face. “What happened to the shy, embarrassed Ominis that freaked out after losing his virginity?”
“You’ve corrupted me, my love,” He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Does it really surprise you after everything we’ve done?”
“No, I’m just… Shut up,” She crossed her arms under her busy, pouting from the fact that Ominis was being coy.
“You’re adorable when you’re embarrassed.” He smirked as their dessert magically floated in front of them with two spoons.
“Shut up and eat your stupid pudding…” She grumbled, taking one of the spoons.
“Yes, darling.”
Ominis thought she was even more adorable when she pulled him to her room of requirement as soon as they got back to the castle to prove she was still just as fierce as when he first met her. Only to be proven wrong immediately.
Definitely a successful first date.
Chapter 27: The Ones Who Died (Will Live On Within Us)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Infinite Baths by Sleep Token
Chapter Text
True to his word, Ominis successfully recruited an eager Amit and met Avalon at the school's front entrance. She looked the boy up and down, noticing he looked a bit… naive? Innocent? Inexperienced? Yeah, she’ll stick with those words to describe him.
“Ready to go?” She asked, taking her nap sack out.
“Ah, hello!” Amit came right up to her, holding his hand out for her to shake. “You must be Avalon. I do not believe we have met before.”
Avalon blinked, but hesitantly took his hand. He shook it firmly. “Yes… And you must be Amit.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” Amit smiled warmly towards her. “Ominis mentioned you needed my assistance with something related to Gobbledegook.”
“Yes,” She let Highwing out of her sack. “You speak it fluently, correct?”
“I did! I mean, I do. Speak it.” He recovered, rubbing his arm nervously, taking a step back from the hippogriff that came out of her bag. “Ominis said it was something to do with a goblin, you know?”
“Is that going to be a problem for you?” She raised an eyebrow as she petted Highwing’s head.
“Oh, no! Not a problem at all.” He waved his hands in the air. “I was just unaware anyone was in direct contact with a goblin after hearing about all the goblin attacks lately.”
“He’s a good one,” She reassured, hopping on Highwing’s back and holding her hand out for Ominis to take. “Sirona was the one who introduced us, if that means anything to you.”
“Ah, good to hear. Good to hear.” Amit conjured his broom into his hand. “If Sirona trusts him, then I feel much better.”
“Good,” Avalon pointed towards the snowy mountains in the east. “I’ll lead the way, then.”
“Fantastic! I will follow you, then!” He chirped, watching as Avalon nodded and took off on Highwing’s back. Ominis held his hands around her waist, enjoying the crisp winter breeze.
“He seems… nice?” Avalon said that when they began gliding through the clouds, Amit followed a bit behind them and was out of earshot.
“He’s the picture definition of a Ravenclaw,” Ominis admitted. “But he can understand the language. I believe that’s the best we can ask for, given the circumstances.”
“I guess…” She sighed, leaning her back into his chest. She felt him hug her tighter, his face burrowing into her left shoulder right next to her face. “Are you sure you want to come? This could be a bit dangerous.”
“I know,” He hummed, shutting his eyes to enjoy her warmth. “I’m sure.”
“Alright, I won’t stop you,” Avalon tilted Highwing to the left, now on a straight path towards the mines. “Why does he owe you a favor?”
“In fourth year, he accidentally took my textbook, mistaking it for his and not realizing it had a specific enchantment on it that allowed me to read more easily. By the time he realized he had taken it, I had already bought a new one, and the poor chap felt so bad, he declared he owed me a favor. He didn’t realize the price of textbooks is truly not an issue for me.” Ominis shrugged. “But who am I to pass up on a free favor from a Ravenclaw?”
“That’s so Slytherin of you.” Avalon rolled her eyes, but was quite amused that her boyfriend could be so sneaky.
“Well, I am Salazar Slytherin’s direct descendant.”
“Ah, yes, how could I forget that I’m dating the heir to Slytherin himself?” She sighed dramatically, which made him chuckle.
They arrived in front of the mines twenty minutes later. Avalon put Highwing back in her nap sack as they waited for Amit to land next to them. A couple of meters away, Avalon noticed Lodgok standing by the edge of the cliff.
“There he is.” She said, leading the two boys over to where the goblin stood. “Lodgok, this is Amit. Amit, Lodgok.”
“Greetings, Lodgok,” Amit walked up to him. “It is an honor, sir.”
Lodgok raised an eyebrow. “You speak Gobbledegook?”
In response, Amit began talking in a very mispronounced, very off-sounding version of Gobbledegook that made Avalon cringe and Ominis sigh.
“Enough!” Lodgok grimaced. “Please do not tell me that was meant to be Gobbledegook…”
“I, uh- well, yes. Perhaps my pronunciation was a bit off. I imagine certain dialects differ-”
“Pronunciation is not the issue,” Lodgok shook his head. “I barely recognized that as language. I trust you can read Gobbledegook better than you speak it?”
“I can, Sir Lodgok.” Amit said, deflated.
“Just ‘Lodgok’.” He corrected. “Thankfully, we only need someone who can decipher written plans, since I cannot join you in the mine.”
“You aren’t coming with us?” Avalon chimed in, furrowing her brow.
“No, I cannot. I cannot risk anyone reporting my presence to Ranrok.” He explained. “We need some idea of what Ranrok knows or is plotting. I suspect a careless loyalist may have left plans behind.”
“I see.” Ominis nodded in understanding. “This seems to be more of a recon mission by the sounds of it.”
“Indeed,” Lodgok agreed. “All you need to do is not be seen - either by the eye above the enchanted door or a loitering Loyalist.”
“We can use the disillusionment charm.” Avalon said, looking more towards Amit, who seemed a bit nervous by the sound of ‘recon mission’. “Amit, are you going to be alright?”
“O-Oh! Yes, I’ll be fine.” He assured, trying to stop himself from seeming more anxious than he really was.
“Just stay close to me, I won’t let anything happen to you.” She said confidently.
Amit looked to Ominis, who nodded his head in agreement with his girlfriend.
“I will meet you back here once you are done.” Lodgok crossed his arms over his chest. “Good luck.”
“Let’s go,” Avalon instructed, walking towards the entrance to the mines with both boys in tow.
The door was easy to get through using the disillusionment charm. They entered the mine, being greeted by a rock cavern covered in green vines and moss. Amit looked around, starry-eyed. “Books so rarely prepare one for reality. A real goblin mine! It’s even grander than I had expected!”
Avalon rolled her eyes at how excited he seemed. Ravenclaws , Ominis and Avalon thought as they continued down the path.
They made it to a large, metal contraption that seemed to be an elevator. Avalon figured out how to use the machine easily, sending them down into the depths of the mines. They kept the disillusionment charm up, wanting to make sure they remained unseen, like Lodgok said. Unfortunately, loyalists were still stationed inside the mine and guarding the door they needed to get.
“Ominis, how many are there?” Avalon whispered, hiding with the boys behind a corner.
“Five,” He reported, visualizing their heat signatures through the wall using his wand. “All are armed as well.”
“Stay here, don’t reveal yourselves no matter.” She ordered, rushing out from her hiding space and using Ancient Magic to immediately explode one of the goblin warriors. The battle was quick and easy, seeing as Avalon had an insanely large reserve since Anne’s curse was taken care of. The five didn’t stand a chance.
Once they were all defeated, they opened the next door that led them to an area with small pouches of gold on some boxes. Avalon wasted no time in slipping each little bag of gold into her pockets.
“Really, darling?” Ominis raised an eyebrow at her. “You do realize money is of little importance now that you’re dating me.”
“Hey, it’s free money. I’m not passing up stealing from people aligned with Ranrok,” She huffed.
They continued through the tunnels as quietly and quickly as they could. Well, Ominis and Avalon were. Amit kept making these off-hand conversation starters while they traversed through the mines.
“I feel like a character from one of the adventure books I read during the summer holidays!” He said, giddily.
“If you really want to play adventurer, I’ll let you defeat the next group of goblins we come across.” Avalon innocently replied, which made Amit shake his head ferociously.
“Oh no, thank you,” He quickly said, wincing. “I believe you are a much better person to handle the action part of this adventure. I’ll stick to staying behind with Ominis.”
The comment made Ominis’ ego sting as he recognized Avalon being much stronger than him. He didn’t mind it, in fact, he found it quite attractive how amazing she was at fighting. But it did put a damper on him wanting to protect her and be there for her. Perhaps it was just the eagerness of wanting to be the hero for the woman he loved as a man.
They made it to the next room, which was much more decorated than the previous rooms. Curtains lined the entranceway, expensive rugs lay on the ground, and stairs led to a beautiful balcony.
“Two upstairs,” Ominis whispered to Avalon, who nodded her head in understanding. All three travelled silently up the stairs, going around the corner to spot the two goblins Ominis was talking about. She snuck behind each one, swiftly ending their existence by using her Ancient Magic.
Amit winced at the sight of their bodies disintegrating before his eyes. “Yes, I will definitely let you handle all the violence in the future, Avalon.”
“I’m glad you recognize my superiority in this aspect, Amit.” She arrogantly smirked and undid her charm. The other two followed suit, understanding they were safe at this point.
They found the first piece of paper that revealed part of the plan on the table next to more pouches of gold, which Avalon confiscated. Amit hummed as he read, surprisingly quickly.
“Fascinating to see Gobbledegook written in a goblin hand. The flourishes are extraordinary!” He praised, his eyes scanning the paper thoroughly. “There must be more notes around here. What could they be building?”
“Let’s keep moving,” Ominis said. They all cast their charms again and proceeded to go downstairs, where they found another piece of paper on the table in the middle of the room.
“A schematic,” Amit said, investing himself in the writings. “They’re building something. I can’t quite make it out, though. Curious.”
“There’s another passage this way,” Avalon saw, sneaking over to the tunnel with the others following. Once they made it past the kitchen, they were greeted by a magical, floating hammer pounding away at the metal on an anvil by a furnace. Next to the doorway was another piece of paper.
“If I’m translating this correctly, and I think that I am, they’re building something rather large… But what?”
“Could you be a little more specific?” Avalon hissed, looking at him with an annoyed expression.
“I’m sorry, I can’t tell without more information, but I will get to the bottom of what they’re building.” He promised.
They approached another room through the tunnel to the right of them. Ominis’s wand picked up more heat signatures a bit away. “Eight up ahead,” He warned. Avalon nodded, taking off headfirst into the room.
“Confringo!” She cast, blowing up the closest goblin to her.
As she fought, Amit turned to Ominis with a smile on his face. “You are one lucky man, Ominis. Avalon sure seems like a spitfire, doesn’t she?”
“Oh, I know,” Ominis smirked, pride filling his body in place of the shame from earlier. That’s right, he shouldn’t feel ashamed for not being able to protect Avalon; he should be proud that she was as amazing as she was. He tried to put the jealousy and negative emotions to the side as he visualized Avalon literally cartwheeling to avoid an attack from one of the goblins.
“Ah, I would love to find a woman like her,” Amit sighed, dreamily.
Ominis gave him a look of suspicion, which Amit immediately recognized.
“But I would never try to court a woman who is already spoken for, of course!” He quickly defended.
“Good, I would hate to make an enemy of a Gaunt,” Ominis said with his eyes narrowed. This territorial feeling was something that was new to Ominis, but it didn’t feel wrong. Avalon was his, wholeheartedly. He knew that.
Once all the goblins were defeated, Avalon wiped the sweat from her brow and waved the boys over. “Wow! Simply amazing!” Amit complimented, looking around at all the bodies of the dead goblin warriors in awe. “You are truly a woman of great strength!”
“Pft, I’ve handled worse,” Avalon flipped her ponytail behind her as her ego was stroked.
However, at the compliment, Ominis felt another surge of jealousy enter his body. He glared at Amit, who looked positively impressed by Avalon’s displays of power.
“Avalon,” He called her name to get her attention. She stopped walking towards the opened door at the end of the room and turned to face him. Before she could ask if something was wrong, he grabbed her waist and pulled her in. His lips found hers immediately, giving her a chaste kiss before letting her go.
A blush appeared on her face as she cleared her throat. “What was that for?”
“I just wanted to.” He shrugged, smirking at how shy she reacted. And to tell Amit to fuck off , Ominis thought, taking her hand in his.
Amit got the message because the poor boy averted his eyes and tried to hide his discomfort.
Avalon, oblivious to the one-sided rivalry Ominis had created between him and the Ravenclaw, continued down the tunnel with water running through it. They cast their charms again, walking in awkward silence as Amit got the hint to shut up and do the mission. The rest of the path was in stone caverns, with ragged walls and a floor covered in rubble.
They kept going, eventually seeing bronze, metal pipes leading to another pathway. The three students crawled until they made it to a large, industrial room, filled with enemies. They hid behind a couple of boxes, Ominis using his wand to scout how many goblins there were.
“Four? Maybe five.” He informed her.
“Okay,” She said before rushing towards the goblins, ready to fight.
As she did, Amit nudged Ominis’ elbow with his. “Ah, Ominis, I just wanted to say I hold no ill will and do not want to court Avalon, at all.” He said, trying to reassure the blonde boy.
Ominis huffed. “I know that,” He stubbornly said.
“Ah… I see,” Amit nodded hesitantly in agreement. “I just… have this feeling you do not believe me.”
“Well, maybe if you stopped gushing at her, I’d start to believe you.”
“So you don’t believe me after all,” Amit sighed, frustratedly. “Ominis, I promise you I do not want to get in between you both.”
“I know that. And you wouldn’t be able to even if you tried,” He said, haughtily.
Avalon peeked her head over the boxes. “All done, you can come out now.” She chirped, smiling down at the top of Ominis’ head.
They kept travelling together under the charm, Ominis walking in between Avalon and Amit territorially. Next to another door with a magical eye on it was an elevator, exactly the same as the one from the entrance. Avalon made a note of it in her head and opened the door.
Through the door was another room, smaller than the last ones they had seen, with a furnace on the right of them and a small staircase leading up to a table near the back. She walked over, undoing her charm and standing tall. The other two followed suit, Amit walking up the stairs to see the paper lying on the table.
He picked it up, his eyes widening as he read what was on it. “This is not good… They’re building enormous drills, bigger than this mine could contain.” Amit told them, showing Avalon the drawings on the paper. She pocketed the page.
“We need to tell Lodgok. Let’s get out of here.” She instructed. They all quickly scurried to the elevator after Ominis figured out they needed to ignite the furnace to get the machine working. The three ascended, Amit holding a hand to his chest.
“I need a moment,” He explained. “This was a lot more than I bargained for…”
“We appreciate you coming to translate, Amit,” Avalon said, smiling in a friendly manner.
The way out was easy to figure out once they got off the elevator. By the time they made it out of the mines, the sun was just going down.
Amit sighed in relief, stretching his back out after having to sneak around for so long. “Ah, finally! Fresh air.”
“That wasn’t so bad,” Avalon hummed, leaning her head on Ominis’ shoulder, who was standing with his arms crossed.
“It was,” Amit deadpanned. “It really was. I’m afraid I’ve had enough adventure for one day. For a lifetime, perhaps.”
“Aww, come on, you didn’t think it was a little fun?” She cooed, feeling Ominis wrap and arm around her waist.
“No, no, I did not,” Amit shook his head, shuddering at the violence he had witnessed from the Slytherin girl.
“Suit yourself,” She dramatically sighed. “Well, thank you for your help, it was greatly appreciated. I should go talk to Lodgok about what we saw.”
“Understood,” Amit waved towards the couple. “I will see you both around the castle, then. Again, a pleasure to meet you, Avalon.”
“You too.” She said, waving back as Amit got on his broomstick and flew off. “Well, he seemed… nice?”
“Annoying is a better word for him,” Ominis grumbled, which made Avalon turn to him with an eyebrow raised and a smile on her face.
“Were you… Jealous of him?” She inquired, tilting her head cutely to the side.
Ominis huffed and gave her a look. “Me? Jealous of him? You’re hilarious, darling.”
“Ominis, you’re positively glowing green.”
“You must be mistaken, because I’m certainly not jealous of a bookworm, know-it-all like him.”
Avalon giggled, leaning up and pressing her lips to his cheek. “You’re adorable when you’re jealous, babe. But don’t worry, I’m all yours.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a tight hug. “...I know that…” He mumbled, his cheeks dusting pink from the embarrassment he felt over getting jealous of Amit.
“Now, come on, let’s go talk to Lodgok.”
“They’re building enormous drills using goblin metals,” Avalon informed Lodgok, handing him the piece of paper she found. “Ranrok must be searching for the repositories.”
“I fear you are correct,” He sighed, looking disdainfully at the paper. “Other than Rookwood Castle, however, I do not know where else he plans to search.”
“That isn’t good,” Avalon crossed her arms over her chest. “That means we don’t know where he plans on going next.”
“Indeed, however, it’s good we were able to find these plans and stay one step ahead of him,” Lodgok said.
Ominis took a step forward towards the goblin. “Lodgok, I wanted to ask about something you said.”
Lodgok turned to him. “Yes?”
“You said that you share Ranrok’s views of wizardkind,” Ominis recalled, “Why are you helping us if you hate us too?”
Lodgok took a deep breath, but spoke willingly. “I expected Rookwood Castle to be deserted when I arrived to begin my search, so I was surprised to find a witch there who had set up some sort of improvised research site.” He explained. “She was… studying something so intently that she almost didn’t notice me.”
“When she looked up, I thought she would react with fear or disdain, but instead, she did something that I will never forget.” He said, shaking his head and turning towards the cliffside. “Without a moment’s hesitation, she smiled and asked me to sit with her.”
Avalon approached Lodgok, standing next to him as he looked out at the vast land in front of him, covered in snow, but no less beautiful.”She told me that she was a researcher and showed me a small, oddly shaped container with a strange symbol on it.”
The capsule, Avalon thought, remembering the item Fig had.
“She was certain it was made of goblin metal, but was unable to open it.” Lodgok turned to face Avalon, his eyes revealing how weary and distant he was when he was remembering this. “She wanted to work together.”
“Miriam…” She breathed, her eyes widening and her hand covering her mouth.
Lodgok’s face expressed surprise. “Yes… But how did you-” “It’s Professor Fig’s wife,” Avalon said, quietly. Her eyes turned to Ominis, who was just as surprised as Lodgok was. “I have known her since I was a baby. I know what she was researching, and I opened the capsule with Fig.”
Lodgok slowly nodded his head, turning back to the view with a wistful expression. “Ah… The reverence with which she talked of goblins and their intelligence and skill… It caught me entirely off guard.”
“She was kind to everyone,” Avalon reminisced. “She held no negative biases towards any person or race. She was a beautiful woman, through and through.”
“I had never been treated with such respect by a witch or wizard, so to my surprise, I let her study the container if she would allow me to search the castle on my own.” His wrinkled face relaxed as he spoke of the woman. “We parted ways with her, promising to share what she’d learned.” He turned away from her, now beginning to pace in a circle as he continued the story. “More of Ranrok’s recruits arrived, and we began to dig, eventually locating the first repository.”
He faced Avalon. “Ranrok was thrilled with our discovery, but furious when I told him about Miriam. Berated me for trusting a witch.” Lodgok sucked in a sharp breath and looked at the ground in sorrow. “When I heard she had been killed…”
“She was murdered,” Avalon said, her heart clenching within herself as she remembered the sorrow and grief on Fig’s face when he told her and her family the news. She had weeped that night for the first time since the incident, the tears stung as they fell down her cheeks. Her father wanted to chase after the one who hurt her, but Fig told them they couldn’t. “Fig told me it was Ranrok who killed her.”
Lodgok’s eyes turned with such an ache within them. “I don’t want to believe it, but… I don’t know.”
“I… understand.” She let out a shaky breath, the image of a smiling Miriam entering her mind and vanishing within a second. Ominis came up behind her, taking her hand and squeezing in reassurance. She smiled at him, but continued to face Lodgok.
“After that, something shifted in me. I had seen how the power from the repositories was transforming Ranrok. Transforming all of them.” Lodgok shook his head. “I could no longer remain a part of it.”
“She spoke of you,” Avalon admitted. “When she returned to London to visit my family for the last time, she told me of a kind-hearted goblin who sat with her.”
Lodgok’s eyes softened, his hands beginning to shake. “I tell you all of this so that you understand what is at stake.” He breathed out, putting a hand over his heart. “Ranrok never found all of Bragbor’s journals, but the ones he did find suggest that Bragbor at some point built a repository far greater in size than the one beneath Rookwood Castle. What you’ve discovered here today worries me deeply. If Ranrok learns of the location of that repository, I fear we shall be destined for a great war.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Avalon spoke confidently, but Ominis felt her hand shaking within his.
Lodgok nodded. “I will find out what Ranrok knows. Watch for my owl.” He instructed before turning to leave.
Before he could go, Avalon reached out and grabbed his hand, which was much larger than hers. He looked up to her, confused at first, but when he saw the pain and grief in her eyes, he relaxed. “Lodgok… I,” She took a deep, shaky breath. “I’m happy to have met you.”
He smiled at her, his pointy teeth being on full display. “I am happy to have met you as well, Avalon.”
And then he left, leaving Ominis and Avalon alone on the metal cliff’s edge of the mountain as the sky began to sparkle with stars above them. Ominis put a hand on her back, watching as Avalon wiped her eyes of the tears that fell down her cheek.
“Darling,” He said softly. “Come here.”
He gently pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as she hid her face in his robe. His earthy scent calmed the raging nerves and thoughts running rampant. She sniffled, trying to get herself to stop crying.
“I’m alright,” She stubbornly said, which Ominis only nodded his head at.
“I know,” He replied, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“... There is so much at stake…” She whispered, the pressure of the situation weighing so heavily on her shoulders. The confidence she had was nowhere to be seen at this point. “Ranrok will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”
“Are you afraid?” Ominis asked.
“...I don’t know,” She admitted, shaking her head. “I think I am, but I… Not because I’m afraid for my safety. Because I’m terrified I will not be able to protect everyone I love. My family, my friends, you.” Avalon remembered how hopeless she felt as Fig cried into her father’s arms in mourning for his wife. “What if something happens to you? What if… What if I’m not strong enough to save the world?”
“Hey, you can’t think like that,” Ominis hushed, stroking the back of her head. “You’re more than capable of protecting everyone, Avalon. Look at what you did in the mines. Amit and I didn’t even have to lift a finger to help you.” He reassured, kissing her forehead. “Nothing is going to happen to me, nor your family and friends. We’re going to be alright, and you’re going to beat Ranrok.”
Avalon nodded, but kept her face hidden in his clothes. She let the guilt from her argument with Fig come to the forefront of her mind. Even though she still felt like she was right, she didn’t feel like fighting him anymore. Not after everything they’ve been through together. Petty fights like these weren’t worth it when anything could happen to them at any point.
She remembered how kind he and Miriam were whenever they came to her house. How they would play with her while her parents cooked dinner. They helped teach her the basic spells when she first received her wand. He always checked in on her at school and was the first one to rush to her aid after the incident. Even though she wasn’t a student anymore, he never strayed from her family. He and her dad made sure she was able to keep up and excel at magic, often taking turns teaching her whenever he was in town.
He had seen all of her. Before the incident, after the incident, the cracks, the joy, the sorrow, the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was there for her.
“...I think I’m done being mad at Fig.” She whispered into Ominis’ chest. He nodded in understanding, the cool winter air stinging their flesh as they stood on that cliffside in each other’s embrace.
The light in Fig’s office was still on when Avalon returned to the castle. She told Ominis to wait for her in his dorm, she would go to him after she finished her business. He didn’t argue with her, just kissed her softly and told her he loved her. Avalon appreciated him for everything he did for her, revelling in how much she adored him.
She hesitated as she reached for the door handle, her heart pounding against her ribs. She was nervous, but she didn’t want to be. The memories of their fight were still in her mind, but after talking with Lodgok, she realized that fighting was useless. Not cherishing their time together was stupid. Lodgok was right, a war was right around the corner, and anything could happen. Avalon didn’t want to waste time being mad at someone she loved.
So, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Fig was at his desk, standing up and looking over an array of papers scattered around him. He looked surprised, whether it was by Avalon herself or the fact that she was out past curfew. He didn’t look angry. He looked relieved to see her, which made her heart clench more.
“Avalon,” He greeted her as if they hadn’t fought days ago. “You’re up late.”
“...I’m sorry for disturbing you at night, I…” She pushed her pride aside. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for being so angry at you. I’m sorry I haven’t been talking to you.”
Fig watched as the girl’s usually stubborn and strong eyes revealed the cracks he had known about ever since he met her. The walls she had built up so high to protect herself had been chipped away and slowly pulled apart. He knew it was most likely because of the Gaunt boy and her new friends. He had seen her change from the cold, brutal, and untrusting girl that worked herself to the bone into the kind, compassionate, and happy girl she once was before the incident.
There was a sense of guilt that Fig felt. He felt shame that he hadn’t come to talk to her and apologize earlier. In all honesty, he felt awful that he hadn’t defended her in front of Bakar more. He understood how attacked she must have felt when someone was saying those things about her character when they did not know her. Fig should have told Bakar he was wrong.
“No, Ava,” Fig used her nickname, putting the paper down in his hand. “I’m sorry that I didn’t defend you from Bakar. I shouldn’t have asked you to apologize like that.”
“It’s alrigh-” “No, it isn’t.” Fig shook his head. “Your character was being insulted when you did not deserve it. He does not know you, which isn’t an excuse, but I do. And I failed as a mentor by letting someone who does not know you speak about you in such a way.”
Avalon nodded, tears brimming in her eyes as she smiled towards Fig. “I really appreciate you saying that,” She said, her voice cracking.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier.” His gaze softened towards the girl.
“I forgive you,” She wiped away a tear coming down her cheek. “I have so much to tell you, Fig.”
“Well,” He cleared his throat, taking his wand out and waving it in the air. A teapot magically floated down onto the desk with two teacups, and the smell of a calming chamomile swirled in the room. “I would be delighted to hear what you’ve been up to.”
And so they sat and talked for a couple of hours about Avalon’s adventures and the confession of Lodgok. Tears were shed, stories were told, and for the first time in a very long time, Avalon pushed everything related to Ancient Magic out of her mind and enjoyed the moment.
Chapter 28: You're Not In The Right Headspace (Let Me Do This)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: What Have They Done To Us? by Mako, Grey, and Sasha Alex Sloan
Chapter Text
She got the message in the middle of the day while walking to herbology.
Surprisingly, all five of them had the same class at the same time, so they were walking together towards the greenhouses. It had been a beautiful day up until that point. Anne and Sebastian were bickering about who was the favorite sibling, Poppy was talking to Avalon about her research in tracking down the dragon they had saved from the poacher camp, and Ominis was listening to it all while holding Avalon’s hand.
Everything would have been perfectly normal if Lucifer hadn’t delivered that message.
But he did. He dropped the letter in Avalon’s hand and perched on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek as if to comfort her while she read the contents.
I found one of Ranrok’s drills in a mine along the shore. I intend to destroy it. I’m tired of trying to reason with him.
You and Ominis are welcome to join me. But if I don’t see you there, I will reach out when I return.
I have something to give you.
Lodgok
“No,” Avalon breathed, letting go of Ominis’ hand and turning away from the direction of the greenhouses. The group looked to her, immediately worried.
“Avalon?” Anne called her softly.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” Ominis asked more urgently.
“I… I have to go,” Avalon rushed off towards the entrance of the school, trying to keep her anxiety in check. Lodgok was going to face Ranrok alone? Why? Why was he choosing to do this now, after they had just made such progress?
Ranrok would surely kill him if he went through with his plan to destroy a drill. This was a suicide mission, surely Lodgok must realize that?
“Avalon!” Ominis’ voice called from behind her as multiple pairs of footsteps rushed to catch up with her. When Avalon made it outside, she stopped to turn to her friends.
“Ava, please tell us what happened?” Poppy asked, grabbing her arm.
“I don’t have time to explain everything, I’m sorry,” She turned to Ominis. “It’s Lodgok.”
He stiffened, but nodded in understanding. “Where?”
“The coast. I can’t waste a moment.” Avalon turned back to the group. “I’m sorry, I promise I’ll explain everything later, but this is important.”
“We understand,” Anne reassured her. “Go.”
“I’m coming too,” Ominis declared, stepping forward.
“We have to hurry.” Avalon didn’t argue with him, she was too panicked to focus on anything other than the idea of Lodgok getting hurt. She couldn’t let it happen.
She let Highwing out of her nap sack and off they flew, as fast as they could, towards the coastal shore.
On the way, Avalon explained what was in the letter she had received. Ominis tried to reassure her that Lodgok would be okay, but in reality, he wasn’t sure. He was worried for the goblin, despite only knowing him for a little while. He saw how Avalon and Lodgok connected over the death of Miriam, Fig’s wife. And though he could not relate to the two, he understood their bond over the dead witch was strong.
The Coastal Mine took forty minutes to get to, even with Highwing flying at top speed. It was an industrial area, covered in bricks and metal structures amongst the greenery at the north end of Marunweem Lake. When they landed, they were immediately surrounded by hordes of enemies and even an armored troll guarding the mine entrance.
“Confringo!” “Bombardo!”
Ominis and Avalon fought them all off side-by-side. Avalon would be able to take them all herself, but right now, it wasn’t about showing off. They needed to get through as quickly as possible. Of course, Avalon took out most of the enemies, but Ominis made the process go by so much faster.
Avalon dodged the troll’s club attack by rolling to the side. Before it could turn around to attack again, she conjured Ancient Magic within her and sent it straight into its chest, watching it explode just like the one she defeated in Hogsmeade. Despite having armor, it offered no protection against her power.
Once they were all defeated, she and Ominis rushed inside the entranceway.
“Do you know where he could be?” He asked, using his wand to try to visualize everything around them.
“No, I don’t,” She whispered, gripping her wand handle.
“Two ahead,” Ominis told her as they hid behind a corner. “As well as some kind of transportation system they’re guarding.”
“A tram,” She realized, nodding her head.
Avalon used more Ancient Magic to defeat the two guards in a split second before grabbing Ominis’ arm and pulling him towards the mechanical car. “Get on,” She ordered, hopping onto the front of the cart and motioning towards a seat on the side closest to him. He did so, using his feet and hands to feel around and safely board.
The tram sent them on a quick, short ride at high speed that made Ominis’ head hurt. It wasn’t like riding Highwing at all, seeing as the machine was going from side to side and all around. As they rode, they heard multiple loyalists talk about Ranrok and their progress. Avalon ducked down to make sure they didn’t see the top of her head.
Finally, the ride ended. Ominis and Avalon got off the tram and cast disillusionment spells upon themselves.
“These machines look like the same ones from the other mine.” She noticed, following the pipeline that connected to the closed door a level below them, surrounded by goblins.
“Hold on, let me try to locate the furnace,” Ominis said, channeling more magic into his wand to expand his sensor abilities. He pointed to the staircase at the end of the room. “Up there.”
She nodded, running up the stairs and using incendio to light the contraption. The door steamed and bubbled up by the handle next to the door. Avalon walked back to Ominis. “I saw some platforms we can use to get down there. How many enemies do you sense?”
“Hm… A decent amount.” He visualized all of the goblins within a large radius. “Ten? Possibly more.”
“Do you sense Lodgok or Ranrok anywhere?”
“No,” He shook his head. “They’re probably deeper in the mine, perhaps behind a closed door beyond my vision.”
“I see,” She bit her bottom lip, worry seeping into her system.
“Hey,” Ominis pulled her close and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to find him.”
“I know, I’m just… I have this terrible feeling in my gut,” She explained, holding a hand to her stomach. “I feel like something terrible is going to happen.”
“You can’t let those thoughts take over. Let’s focus on finding him and getting out of here.”
He was right. Avalon needed to calm down and have confidence in them. They were going to find and save Lodgok. She was sure of it. “Okay. Let’s go, stay behind me.” She said, casting her disillusionment charm. He followed suit as Avalon took them on each platform until they made it to the lower level.
He stayed behind this time as she defeated all the goblins in the area. Usually, Avalon would be trying to show off her fighting prowess by using a combination of flashy spells and physical moves. However, this was just about killing everything around her and keeping a move on.
After recasting the disillusionment charm, they crept along the ground straight forward towards another platform that let them go further down a level. “Accio!” She used the spell to pull the platform to them, got on it, and used it again to pull them down.
“More enemies ahead,” Ominis warned.
Avalon nodded before taking those goblins out, too. Ominis watched from the sidelines, noticing that despite winning, she seemed to be… faltering? Her steps looked off compared to her usual abilities. It wasn’t as bad as when she was getting magic to cure Anne, but it was enough to look weird to someone who’s seen her fight countless times.
She panted heavily once the goblins were killed, but it wasn’t because she was physically exhausted. The pain in her chest was just getting worse the deeper they went into the mine. It felt awful, as if someone was driving a knife into her heart.
“Avalon, take a breath.” He came up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t mean to flinch, but the physical contact surprised her out of her discomfort.
“Huh? I’m fine,” She insisted, taking his hand in hers and continuing to pull him towards the door she saw at the end of the level.
“Please, if you need a second-” “We don’t have a second, Ominis.” She snapped at him, her grip tightening a little. “Please, let’s just keep going.”
He could visualize her worried and scared expression in his mind. Her eyebrows furrowing together, her mouth quivering, her body shaking… He wanted her to sit down and breathe for a moment, but he knew she wouldn’t listen to him no matter how much he tried. Ominis had never seen her this panicked before, this terrified. And he had never thought her emotional state would affect her fighting abilities so much.
“...Alright,” He relented, following her through the round, open door. Another elevator awaited them. Avalon lit the steam-powered furnace again to start the machine up. They got on the platform and turned the handle to go up.
Another staircase waited for them. They cast the disillusionment charm on themselves as they quickly crept up the stairs to see a long, barely-supported passageway that dripped with water from the ceiling onto the stone and wooden boxes crowding the ground. They approached, hearing voices up ahead.
Ranrok, the very goblin Avalon had spent months avoiding, stood on top of a platform looking over a small horde of armored goblins. He was making some kind of speech to them that Avalon had to get a bit closer to hear.
“Another drill is complete!” He boasted with a loud, clear voice. “The wizarding world will crumble!”
The goblins in front of him cheered and sneered, pumping their fists in the air at his every word. He smirked, turning his back and walking into a hallway behind him.
“...I can end this,” Avalon whispered, Ominis looking towards her with wide, shocked eyes. “I can destroy the drill and stop Ranrok right here, right now.”
“Avalon, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Ominis said, cautiously.
“What?” She turned to him. “What do you mean? He’s right here .” She motioned towards the platform where Ranrok was just standing.
“I know, but I don’t think you’re in a state where you can defeat him right now.” He was trying to be honest with her after noticing her stumbling from the earlier fights.
“Ominis, I’m perfectly fine.” She argued, her eyes narrowing at him.
“No, you’re not,” He urged, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.
“What are you on about?” Avalon hissed.
“Avalon, you’re not in the right head space to fight Ranrok and an army of loyalists,” Ominis was pleading with her to listen, but she seemed offended by his concern. “Please, let’s just find Lodgok and get out of here.”
“No,” She pulled her arm out of his grasp and stood up despite his pleas. “And if you’re going to try and hold me back, you shouldn’t have come.”
The words hit Ominis hard. Hurt immediately filled his eyes as he leaned back in recoil. Avalon felt a tinge of guilt slice into her heart, but she turned before she could let it consume her. She ran out into the open area filled with enemies, using Ancient Magic to instantly disintegrate the armored troll in the far corner. The goblins around her gasped and started running towards her, weapons raised in the air.
“Incendio!” She cast, fire bursting in a circle around her and blasting them off. Avalon quickly cast Accio on the ranger above her on the platform, pulling him towards her to land a swift kick into his stomach. “Bombardo!” A blast of intense energy hit the goblin’s stomach and killed him instantly.
She defeated the rest of the horde easily, pushing through the pain in her gut to try and prove Ominis wrong. But he caught every wince and flinch she did while in battle. He knew something was wrong, not just from her fighting style, but from her words. She had never snapped at him like that after they made up.
As she looked around the room at the large, metal pillars, she knew what she had to do. She used bombardo to explode each pillar, pieces of metal blasting off of it and crumbling onto the ground. She didn’t notice Ominis walk to her, but he was by her side, completely silent and watching.
They turned, hearing someone rush out from the platform and appear at the edge. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of Avalon, his mouth curled into a sneer, his pointy teeth baring towards her. He jumped off the platform, landing on his feet and walking towards her.
“ You .” He snarled, but turned his head to look at the drill that was now covered in stone and rubble from the structure of the mine failing around them. “That is unfortunate.”
“Not unfortunate enough,” She snapped, getting herself in a defensive position.
Ranrok scoffed, looking at her with a glint of amusement. “No matter. We will build another.”
“I found this one lurking outside,” Avalon’s head twisted to the sound of Victor Rookwood’s conniving voice. She watched as he pushed a very hesitant, very nervous-looking Lodgok forward.
“Lodgok?” Ranrok raised an eyebrow towards the goblin, who was carrying a book in his hand.
Avalon was about to rush forward, but Ominis grabbed her hand and held her back. “Wait,” He whispered, hoping she would listen to him once. And surprisingly, she did.
“Come to make amends, little brother?” Ranrok sneered, approaching Lodgok.
“Brother?” Avalon breathed, her eyes widening in shock.
Lodgok held the book closer to him as he walked past Ranrok, who was staring at the book. “I came to stop this.” Lodgok insisted.
“What is this you’ve brought to me?” Ranrok demanded to know.
Lodgok flinched, turning to his brother and slowly backing away. But Ranrok proceeded to walk forward, his intimidating presence burning the air around Lodgok. He hesitated, clutching the book tighter before slowly handing it to Ranrok.
As soon as he did, he looked towards Avalon with regret and guilt in his eyes. Ranrok opened the book, his nostrils flaring as he read the contents.
“It cannot be…” He muttered before shutting it with anger. “All this time… You knew. You knew where it was.” Ranrok pulled his arm back and blasted Lodgok away with a pulse of corrupted Ancient Magic. Avalon gasped, pulling her arm out of Ominis’ grip and rushing to Lodgok’s side. She helped him sit up.
“Are you alright?” She asked, but he could not answer. He stood up, holding a hand out towards Ranrok’s direction.
“I will never understand you, Lodgok. So gullible.” Ranrok growled. “That witch did not consider you an equal. She, like all wizardkind, sought only to use you.”
He was talking about Miriam, Avalon realized. She snapped her gaze towards him and raised her wand. “Don’t you dare speak about her.” She snarled.
Ranrok chuckled, glaring at Avalon. “The young ones are especially deceitful. They are taught to hide their disgust for us as they exploit us.”
Lodgok shook his head towards his brother. “You’re wrong, Ranrok…”
“Heh,” Rookwood scoffed and took a step forward. “Astonishing that our ancestors ever trusted each other.”
“All this time, looking everywhere for the final repository, searching in vain for Bragbor’s last journal!” At Ranrok’s announcement, Rookwood turned to him in disbelief, betrayal etched in his face. But Ranrok didn’t notice. “Wasted my time chasing a child… and my little brother knew where it was all along.”
Avalon looked towards Ominis, who stayed where she had left him, a couple of feet away from them. The good news was that no one seemed to be paying attention to him, deeming him a bystander.
Lodgok turned towards her, his eyes ashamed. “I’m sorry, Avalon.” He whispered, watching as Ranrok lifted the book in his hands.
“But now, I don’t need you!” He declared, looking back towards Rookwood. “I don’t need any of you!”
“I was bringing it to you,” Lodgok admitted as Avalon’s breath hitched. “I wanted you to know that I truly saw our alliance as more than it was, as a friendship.”
“Lodgok-” “You are a TRAITOR to our kind!” Ranrok roared, dark Ancient Magic swirling around his right hand before he thrust it forward, a red blast hitting Lodgok in the chest and sending him back into the wall, rubble flying everywhere as he collapsed onto the ground, dead.
“NO!” Avalon screamed, dropping her defensive position to run to his body, but Ominis caught her arm and pulled her with all his might backwards. “No! Let me go! Lodgok!” She cried as he dragged them towards the indent in the wall where he visualized the tram. She thrashed and did her best to flail in his arms, begging to go back and save the goblin.
“He’s gone!” Ominis shouted, putting her in front of the tram and grabbing her shoulders. He shook her, trying to get her to snap out of her hysterics. “He’s dead, Avalon, and we have to go or we will be too!”
“No, he’s not, I can save him!” She cried, tears burning on her cheeks like fire. It broke his heart to see her crumble like this, but they didn’t have time to think about it. The mine was coming down and about to take them with it.
“Avalon, please!” He begged, his grip on her tightening. “Please, we have to go!”
“I-” She whimpered, looking around and recognizing the situation they were in. She nodded, finally, and got on the tram. He followed, sitting on the side and holding on as they took off from the collapsing rocks.
They made it out, hearing everything fall behind them. Avalon’s tear-soaked face clouded her vision as she thrust the handles forward to go faster. Eventually, they got to the end of the line and got off the tram.
As soon as they were off, Avalon choked on a sob, covering her face as she tried desperately to wipe her tears away. Ominis wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she cried into his arms. He tried his best to console her, but he knew nothing could help her at this point.
“I’m sorry,” He whispered into her hair, shutting his eyes as he tried to stabilize his own emotions. She needed him. She needed him to be strong for her right now. “I’m so sorry, darling.”
“I-” She whimpered. “I couldn’t save him.”
CrAck.
“There was nothing you could have done,” Ominis held her tighter. “Please, don’t blame yourself.”
I couldn’t save him , Avalon thought miserably. I let him die.
“Come on, we have to go.” He ushered her towards the exit that he could visualize a couple of meters away. He continued to hold onto her as he trekked them up the rubble stairs, past the metal door, and towards the bright light of the exit.
Ominis opened her nap sack for her. At this point, Avalon had become limp in his arms, just following wherever he took her. As Highwing cawed, looking worriedly at Avalon’s disheveled form, Ominis helped the girl onto the hippogriff before following suit himself. He held her tightly with one arm and used the other to pat Highwing. “Take us to Hogwarts,” He instructed.
Highwing took off, flying towards the direction of the school as the breeze that hit their faces smelled of salt. He felt her shake, her head leaning against his chest as she stared up towards the evening sky.
When they got to the castle, Avalon didn’t want to go back to her room. Ominis insisted on telling the others what happened so as not to worry them, so she ended up curled in Ominis’ bed under the blankets.
Everything felt so numb, just like it did when Miriam died. Nothing felt real, and everything felt wrong. While Lodgok was not as close to her as Miriam was, he had become a friend to her through their adventures and mutual trust. And… after he and she connected about Miram’s death, she had never felt so close to the witch through him.
Fig rarely talked about Miriam after her death. It was too painful for him, or perhaps, he didn’t think she was capable of understanding at that point in her life. After her and Lodgok talked was the first time she and Fig were able to open up to each other about her death. And maybe that’s why she held Lodgok so dearly in her heart.
But now, he was gone. Right in front of her.
Avalon had never experienced someone she cared for dying in front of her. She was always able to win every fight she was in. All that rigorous training she had been through with her father and Fig meant she was more than capable of protecting herself and those around her. That’s who she was, a hero.
And then he died.
Avalon hated this feeling. The vulnerabilities. The insecurities. The failure . She had failed him. And it tore her apart to think of all the ways she could have saved him, but didn’t.
Who else couldn’t she save? She wondered. If she wasn’t strong enough to defeat Ranrok, would she be able to protect everyone she loved? Or would she have to watch them die in front of her as well?
She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she failed them, too.
The door opened, and Ominis walked in. “Sebastian said he’ll sleep in your room with Anne tonight, so we can have the room to ourselves.” He said, walking towards the bed where she lay. “I told the others what happened, and they wanted me to relay the message that they’re here for you.”
“... Thanks,” She whispered, more guttural pain washing over her.
He sat on the bed, reaching out a hand to hesitantly begin stroking her hair. “... I’m so sorry, love.”
Avalon felt tears build in her eyes again. She shut her eyes, her face crinkling in sorrow as tears escaped once again. He got under the covers with her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close against his body.
They stayed like that for the rest of the night, with Ominis whispering comforts into her ear as Avalon mourned the loss of her friend.
Chapter 29: Ignorance (Is A Dangerous Game to Play)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: Burning House by Taylor Acorn
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next day, Ominis was still asleep next to her, still holding her within his arms. He looked exhausted from all the adventures they had been on lately. Avalon felt guilty, knowing he didn’t deserve her snapping at him in the mines. She had apologized somewhere in the middle of the night, to which he told her it was alright and he understood. He was far too kind to her.
She didn’t know if she deserved such kindness at this point.
Avalon sent a message to Fig to meet her at the map chamber and provided a short but efficient summary of what happened. Her quill paused at writing Lodgok’s name in ink, but she pushed past the grief and finished her letter. She got dressed, noticing the sun barely rising outside the dorm window. It was smart of her to keep an outfit or two in Ominis’s dresser, just in case.
She wore her usual black riding trousers, her brown boots, one of Ominis’ white, button-up, long-sleeve shirts that smelled just like him, and a brown, leather, underbust corset around her waist. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail, attempting to make sure her bangs kept out of her eyes. After strapping the rest of her gear on, she heard Ominis grumble in his sleep next to her. Avalon looked at him affectionately, leaning down to press her lips against his forehead.
She wrote him a note and placed it on the bedside table with his wand on top of it to ensure he was able to feel it when he woke. Then, she threw on her Slytherin robe and slipped out the door, shutting the door as quietly as she could behind her.
Avalon rushed through the castle under a disillusionment charm towards the map chamber, eventually making it there within ten or so minutes. As she opened the decorative doors and walked down the stairs, she noticed Fig already in front of the portraits, speaking to the Keepers.
“According to the owl I received, Ranrok is moving more quickly than we could have anticipated.” He said, watching the faces before him look down in worry.
“This is… grave news, indeed.” Rackham sighed. “We had hoped for more time to discuss the best path forward.” Their eyes shifted as Avalon approached, the confidence they knew from her no longer present. Instead, she looked exhausted, mentally and physically, as if she had been hit by a train only moments prior.
“Avalon,” Fig greeted, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You’re here.”
“I am,” She said, his face reminding her of Miriam, which reminded her of Lodgok. It stung, but she knew she had a job to do.
“I am very sorry for your loss,” Fig said softly. Avalon nodded in acknowledgement and took a sharp inhale.
“As are we,” Niamh put a hand over her heart in condolences. “Terrible to hear what happened.”
“Thank you,” Avalon replied, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and shook her head. “Ah, but this is no time for that. Ranrok has the last of Bragbor’s journals and knows where the last repository is.”
“Godric’s heart!” Fig exclaimed.
“Lodgok was going to give the journal to me,” Avalon felt tears burn in the corner of her eyes, but she kept holding herself together. “He… Ranrok and he were brothers.”
“Ranrok is a monster,” Fig let go of her shoulder and shook his head. “We need to know where the final repository is.”
Avalon nodded and turned to Bakar, who stared at her, unnerved.
“Regardless of your opinion of me, surely you must understand that this changes things,” She shot, giving him a pointed look. “Ranrok knows where the final repository is now, and he will find it and take whatever magic is contained within it.”
“We obliviated Bragbor,” Bakar argued, shaking his head in disbelief. “He kept journals? Why would he have documented all of this? He didn’t know what we were containing!”
“... Isadora,” Avalon realized, remembering the memories she had seen in the other Keeper’s pensieves. “She must have told him.”
“You know what Isadora did?”
“I’ve seen Rookwood’s pensieve,” She explained. “I know how she had taken the pain from her father and from Headmaster Fitzgerald, unconsensually.”
“I see,” Rackham hummed a low note. “Based upon the memories she has seen, I believe Avalon is well aware of the grave circumstances in which we find ourselves.”
“But how do we know she is ready for the responsibility our secrets have?” Bakar crossed his arms over his chest. “I am still unconvinced she is worthy of my knowledge.”
As Avalon narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, about to argue with the Keeper, Professor Fig approached the portrait. “Professor Bakar, while I hold the utmost respect for you and your secrets, I have to say that if anyone deserves to know the knowledge you keep, it is Avalon. She has never strayed from the path of justice and goodness, no matter what came her way or who tempted her. She is a bright, strong, and amazing young woman,” Fig flashed her a small smile. “Not a child, nor someone you should so carelessly discredit.”
Bakar went silent, looking between her and Fig for a moment, before sighing. “...I understand.” He said, relentingly.
Rackham smiled at the two before motioning towards the floor where the map made out of stars lay beneath them. A light glowed near the far side of the coast amongst the mountains. “The next trial will involve an exceptional level of magical skill and a nuanced ability to interact with beasts.”
“What kind of beasts?” Avalon asked, looking up towards Rackham.
“I cannot say, but find a face of stone and tendrils.” He shifted his gaze to Fig. “I should advise you that you must engage with any beast that is part of the trial on your own. Professor Bakar will meet you in his pensieve room.”
She nodded her head in agreement before Fig began speaking. “An exceptional level of magical skill? Nuanced ability to interact with beasts? Hmmm….” His facial expression showed curiosity. “I suppose we should begin our search for ‘a face of stone and tendrils’. Whatever that may be.”
“Alright.”
“Professor Weasley has been keeping an eye on me. Perhaps we should meet there so she has no reason to raise concern with Professor Black.” He offered. “I shall see you near the coast.”
“Okay,” She said. “I’ll try and leave after classes today.”
“And, Avalon,” He gave her a sad, compassionate look. “If you need to talk about Lodgok, my door is always open.”
“Thank you, Fig,” Avalon forced a smile to her face before leaving to go to her first class.
Avalon noticed Ominis acting strangely in Potions class together. While she tried to maintain a level of normalcy by pushing the grief down in her subconscious, he remained quiet and reserved, which he never was around her.
Sebastian and she were joking around as usual, teasing and making fun of one another as they completed the potion they were assigned to make. When he had turned his back, Avalon tugged on Ominis’s robe and asked if he was alright. He claimed he was, and just was exhausted from not getting enough sleep, but Avalon had a sinking feeling in her stomach that he was lying to her.
She wanted to talk to him about it, but decided against it. Perhaps he was just tired, she tried to convince herself. Maybe it was nothing. Regardless, she had to focus on getting through the day and going to the next trial.
Her friends were quite supportive throughout the day. Anne had gotten her more jelly slugs from Honeydukes as a gift, Poppy had invited her to spend time with the kneazles in the pens, and Sebastian had just been cracking jokes to make her laugh. It was amazing having friends who cared. And while it didn’t erase the sting of losing someone, it certainly helped keep her spirits up.
Unfortunately, fate has decided that it was through with her just yet.
All five of them were sitting in the Great Hall together when Malfoy approached. He sat right next to Avalon, placing his elbow on the table next to her plate and grabbing her bread. He popped it into his mouth, a cocky smile coming to his face. “So, Strokes,” Malfoy spoke with an arrogant tone, “I heard you changed your minds about us purebloods.”
“Piss off, Malfoy,” she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him.
“Oo, so feisty,” He teased, wrapping an arm around her neck.
“Get the fuck off me!” Avalon threw his arm off of her and stood in her place.
Malfoy got up just as Ominis did, putting his hand out to push her, but meeting Ominis’ body instead. Ominis faltered a bit in his steps, but came right back at him, pushing the boy back. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Malfoy?” He sneered, getting protectively in front of Avalon.
“Oh, so the blood traitor comes to save the day,” Malfoy waved his hands in the air. “I’m so scared! What are you going to do, Gaunt? Disown me again?”
Anne, Poppy, and Sebastian stood up from their places with their wands drawn, just as Malfoy’s crew of purebloods walked up to stand behind him. There were five of them, all looking just as pretentious and annoying as he did. Even Tisfield was in the lineup.
“You’ve been getting under my skin for the last time, Malfoy,” Ominis snarled. “Perhaps I should reconsider my relationship with the Dark Arts?”
“Ominis, I got this,” Avalon put a hand on his chest and pulled him back. She stepped forward, coming face to face with Malfoy, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “What do you want, Vincent? Have I not kicked your ass enough for the year?”
“Tch, the only reason you’ve gotten away with so much is because Gaunt has always been there to protect you,” He snapped, taking off his white glove and throwing it at her. It hit her stomach and landed unceremoniously on the ground. “Thus, I challenge you, Strokes, to a duel. No one can get in between our fight, which means Gaunt won’t be there to save you.”
“Mate, I really don’t think you’re thinking this through,” Sebastian scoffed, shaking his head.
“Shut up, Sallow! This doesn’t concern you.” Malfoy growled, eyeing the thin girl with a predatory glint.
Avalon smirked, her eyes meeting his. “I accept your challenge. Let’s do it now, shall we? Up in the duelling club?” She didn’t have time to focus on this after school.
Ominis looked towards her with uncertainty. “Avalon, I don’t think this is a good idea right now,” He muttered under his breath for only her to hear. But Vincent grinned in preemptive victory.
“Deal! Let’s go,” He snapped his fingers, walking towards the exit with his groupies following.
“Avalon, are you sure you’ll be alright?” Anne asked, looking worried. “You just came back from… what happened?”
“I’ll be fine,” She said, shortly, following after Vincent.
Her friends followed after her, Ominis rushing to walk next to her. “I don’t think you’re in the right headspace to be duelling with him,” He pleaded, trying to grab her hand. “Malfoy is just as good as Sebastian, but unrestrained. He’s not afraid of going against the rules to win.”
“Ominis, I have the power to take on an army of goblins, trolls, ashwinders, and poachers,” She scoffed, pulling her hand out of his grasp. “Aren’t you the one who wanted to do something to shut this Malfoy shit down? Well, that’s what I’m about to do. And I need you to trust that I can take care of this myself.”
“I do trust you,” He said, cautiously. Before, he said it with so much certainty and security, but his voice wavered, and his eyes weren’t as sure as they were before.
“Then let me handle this,” She walked up the staircase towards the duelling club. Sebastian had shown it to her before, and even though it looked fun, she had declined to join. She didn’t think it was fair for someone like her to join the society if she could just sweep the floor with anyone she was put up against.
Ominis didn’t say anything more on the matter, knowing she wasn’t going to listen to him. They all arrived at the clock tower, the room crowded with spectators who were excited to see the duel about to happen.
Avalon stood to one side of the room, taking off her robe to keep out of her way. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand as she took a defensive stance. Vincent smirked, taking his own version of a fighting stance as he stared her down.
“Last chance to back down, Strokes,” He called, acting as tough as he could.
“I should be saying that to you,” Avalon sneered.
Lucan Brattleby, the president of the Crossed Wands Club, stood at the side of the room with the spectators. “The rules are simple,” He said, nervously looking between the two. “First one to be rendered unable to duel loses. Clear?”
“Crystal.” Avalon cracked her neck.
“Then, begin!”
“Leviosa!” Avalon shot the spell out, barely missing his head as he ducked out of the way.
“Bombardo!” He shouted, sending a blast of magic towards her. She jumped out of the way, hearing it explode against the wall behind her. Avalon rushed towards him, dodging every basic cast he threw at her.
“Accio!” She cast, this one hitting him in the chest and pulling him towards her. Without a second to lose, she pulled her fist back and punched him in the gut, making him cough from getting the wind knocked out of him, and flying back. Her friends and some other spectators cheered for her from the sidelines.
Vincent got back up, narrowing his eyes and gripping his wand. “Expelliarmus!”
“Protego!” Avalon blocked the incoming spell. “Stupefy!”
It hit him, Vincent falling off his footing and putting a hand to his head. He groaned in pain, not being able to block or dodge the Leviosa spell Avalon sent right into his stomach. He was lifted in the air, a gasp escaping his lips, before she then sent Flipendo to turn him completely upside down.
He struggled, trying to fight against her magic, but to no avail. “What the hell ?!” He growled, glaring at her with hate.
“Not so fun on the receiving end, is it, Malfoy?” She smirked, making him snarl at her.
“Put me down, you fucking slut!”
“How unsightly of a pureblood to say such words,” Avalon mocked dramatically. She swirled her wand and undid her spells, watching as he fell to the ground on his head with a SMACK .
Vincent hissed in pain, holding his head in his hands as he crumbled to the ground. Avalon walked up to his pathetic form and put her boot on his chest, pressing it into him with a considerable amount of pressure.
“ You are beneath me, ” She hissed, pointing her wand at his face. As the pain subsided in his head, he reached for his wand to use a spell against her, only for her to stomp on his hand as hard as she could. A sickening crack was heard as Vincent howled in pain, his hand surely broken beneath her boot heel.
His lackeys winced behind him, their eyes showing their disapproval and embarrassment at being associated with him. Lucan cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“A…And the winner is Avalon!” He declared, deeming Vincent unable to fight.
Avalon smirked, taking her foot off his hand so he could cradle it. She turned her back on him, walking towards her friends with her head held high.
But because she had turned her back, she was unable to see Vincent pick his wand up with his left hand in pure, utter rage. He got to his knees, pulling his wand back to aim a spell at her back.
“ Crucio !”
“No!” Ominis cried, but it was too late. A bolt of red lightning hit her back and encased her in agonizing pain. She screamed, the familiar burn feeling as every cell in her body was on fire. Her body immediately collapsed to the ground as her friends rushed to her side. Sebastian was with her first, grabbing her hand as she shrieked from every wave of torment that washed over her. Was she bleeding? She felt like she was bleeding. She felt like she was dying again. Just like in the first year.
Ominis stormed over to Vincent, rage and hate burning in his pale eyes as he pointed his wand at the boy with no restraint. “Confringo!” He shouted, sending a flame onto Vincent’s body and engulfing him in flames.
He screamed and cried out in anguish, but Ominis did nothing to save him. Vincent’s lackeys were the ones to help him temper out the fire, but the damage was done. His skin had melted off in numerous places, his hair had all burned up in the fire, and he looked as if he were just a shell of the boy he had been a couple of minutes ago.
Ominis rushed to Avalon’s side, her body twitching as the curse began to disperse. Tears were falling from her eyes, and whimpers escaped from her lips. Anne was freaking out next to Sebastian, Sebastian was holding her hand as she stayed on the ground, and Ominis… He didn’t know what to do.
All he could remember was when he had done the same thing to her. How she had crumbled to the ground and lay on the grass as blood poured out of her eye. How she had just kept screaming over and over and over again . Everything was coming back to him, and he didn’t know what to do.
Eventually, Professor Weasley came with Professor Sharp to figure out what all the commotion was about. Apparently, one of the third years had gone and told them what was happening. At the sight of both students on the ground in complete, utter pain, they were ushered to the hospital wing. Avalon tried to pass off that she was fine once most of the curse subsided, but Professor Weasley insisted.
Professor Sharp stayed to take statements. Most of the students, including her friends and Lucan, told him the truth about what happened. That they were having a normal duel until Vincent cast an unforgivable curse on her. Ominis knew he would have to pay the price for setting Malfoy on fire, but it was a price he was more than willing to deal with. Plus, he was essentially still untouchable due to his family name.
He had followed after Avalon to the hospital wing, nothing feeling real at this point. Thankfully, she wasn’t cursed in a dire spot like her eye, which was the reason she needed reconstruction magic the last time she had gotten hit with it. Her back was now covered in ripples and lightning veins like he had on his chest, and she had beneath the beauty charms. It was disturbing, but nothing was bleeding or had exploded.
Malfoy’s wounds were easily rectified, unfortunately. Magic was able to repair his burn marks and replenish healthy skin. However, it couldn’t give his hair back, so he exited the hospital wing without his eyebrows and is now bald. He was taken away by Weasley for questioning, glaring at the ground as he was escorted out.
Avalon was told she needed to stay for observation, as the nurse didn’t want there to be any lasting effects like there were in the first year. Anne sent her a note saying they were talking to authorities about Vincent using an unforgivable, and since there were so many witnesses, the evidence was pretty damning. Apparently, he was arrested right there and then.
Ominis and her weren’t left alone until the nurse left to go get dinner, letting the two have the empty hospital wing to themselves.
Avalon knew Ominis was angry at her. He wouldn’t look at her, wouldn’t speak to her, even as the nurse left them alone. He just sat in the chair next to her, his hands clasped together and an upset expression on his face.
“... What’s wrong?” She finally asked once the silence became too much for her.
Ominis let out a breath he had been holding, shaking his head. “Nothing.”
“It’s obviously not nothing, Ominis,” Avalon looked towards him, uncertainty gripping her mind.
“What do you want me to say, Avalon?” He raised his voice, his anger leaking through into his tone. “I told you not to do this duel, that Malfoy was going to do something insane in order to win.”
“How was I supposed to know he knew how to use the fucking cruciatus curse?” She leaned back on the bed, her own temper flaring. “And I did win that duel! I crushed him.”
“But you weren’t able to defend yourself regardless!” He stood up, pain from the memory of her getting hurt flashing in front of him.
“I was careless, but I still won.” Avalon gripped the bed sheets. “I still beat him-” “ Fuck , it’s not about winning or losing, Avalon!” Ominis shouted. “You don’t know when to stop or when to listen! I told you that you weren’t ready to charge into that horde of goblins at the mines! I told you this duel was a bad idea! And look! I was right!”
“Who the fuck are you to tell me what I’m ready for?!” She was shouting back now, getting out of bed and standing tall in front of Ominis with her eyes narrowed. “You have no right to be angry at me like this, knowing that I am more than capable of handling myself!”
“But you aren’t!” He snapped, motioning towards the hospital wing. “Look around you, Avalon! You are back in the hospital wing after getting hit with an unforgivable curse! You’ve been throwing yourself into dangerous situations after dangerous situations without any regard for your personal safety!”
“And I’m still alive despite it!”
“Is that the standard you’re trying to abide by? That as long as you survive, no matter what condition, everything is perfectly fine?”
“Everything has worked out for me thus far!” Avalon argued, but it sounded more like she was grasping at straws.
Ominis shook his head at her, taking a sharp inhale and exhaling to try and calm himself down. “Listen,” He said as calmly as he could. “I’m worried about you. I think you’re taking on too much and being way too risky with your life.”
“Well, stop worrying,” She snapped, glaring at him. “I don’t need you to treat me like a child, Ominis, and I especially don’t need you to lecture me on how reckless I am.”
“Please,” He pleaded, reaching out to grab her hands in his. “I’m only saying all this because I’m terrified of losing you. I don’t want you to get hurt anymore, Avalon. I promised you that I’d never let you go through the pain of crucio ever again, and I just had to watch you crumble to it.”
“I never asked you to protect me,” Avalon backed away from him, her inner legs pressed against the bed. “I asked you to trust me to know I can handle myself. To let me make my own decisions and to believe in me.”
“I do believe in you-” “Well, it doesn’t sound like you do.” She interrupted, ignoring the hurt look in his eyes. “And I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t trust me and my reckless decisions.”
Ominis’ eyes widened as he felt his heart ache and scream against his ribcage. “... What are you saying?”
“I-” The words that she wanted to say wouldn’t leave her mouth. The apology and the immediate regret were being pulled down by the anger and betrayal she felt. “I can’t do this right now,” She whispered, shaking her head.
Ominis felt a spike of anger course through his body as he tightened his fists. “You claim you’re strong enough to take on hordes of monsters, and yet you’re scared of having an adult conversation? How childish.”
Cold. The air around them became freezing cold as the words left his mouth. The only thing he felt was immediate regret. Ominis felt his chest heave from the weight of a heavy heart. He wanted to hold her, to take back all of his words, and make all of this pain go away. But Avalon held her body close to her and leaned away from his touch.
“Get out.”
“What?” He whispered, as if he couldn’t process her rejection.
“I said, get out!” She snapped, tears prickling the corners of her eyes as she pointed to the door behind him. When he tried to approach her, she just turned her back and walked away. “Get the fuck out of here!”
When he realized his attempts to talk to her were futile, Ominis clenched his jaw, not saying another word before leaving the hospital wing.
Notes:
Hello! I'm alive, I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Life got a little hectic, but I am determined to finish this fic. Thank you to everyone who commented and supported me in this endeavor. It truly means the world to me to see your thoughts and love.
Let's get it!
-Sprxngroll
Chapter 30: Perspective (Is Merely An Opinion)
Notes:
Song of the Chapter: LIVING ROOM by maryjo and Mergui
Chapter Text
Avalon found Fig standing by a large, stone door covered in foliage. There was some sort of carving behind it, but Avalon couldn’t tell what it was. She couldn’t tell what anything was anymore; all she knew was that she felt like she was drowning.
“You’re here,” Fig said after noticing her standing a couple of feet away. “I have good news, we do not have any of Ranrok’s loyalists to contend w- Avalon?” He stopped speaking, looking at the tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes of the girl in front of him. “What’s wrong?”
“...I…” She choked a sob, covering her mouth as her legs gave out beneath her. Fig was by her side in a second, kneeling beside her as he put a hand on her back.
“Oh, sweet girl,” He said the nickname her mother gave her when she was younger, “What happened?”
“I-It’s… Ominis, he-” She sniffled, her face burning from how many tears she had shed over the last couple of days. “We got into a fight.” She finally admitted.
Avalon relayed how she and Vincent Malfoy got into a fight in the great hall. She explained that Ominis warned her about him, but she thought she was able to take him. So, they fought, she won, but he crucio’ed her. She told him about their fight, how angry Ominis was with her for not listening to him. She told him what he said and what she finished their conversation with.
“I’m so sorry, dear,” He consoled her, moving his hand off her back.
“I thought he believed in me,” She whispered, hugging herself with her arms as she curled into a ball. “H-He told me he trusted me, that he knew I was able to take care of myself, and yet… It was all a lie!” Avalon tightened her grip.
“I don’t think he lied to you, Ava,” Fig said softly.
“How?! He-” “I’m not siding with him,” Fig interrupted, putting a hand up to signal to let him finish. “I think he does believe in you, but I think he is scared for you.”
“Scared?” She asked, looking up.
“Avalon, you have been going at this Ancient Magic business for months, non-stop,” He explained, giving her an understanding look. “And before that, your father took you on Auror missions as a child . You are accustomed to this kind of exhilarating life, including putting yourself on the line every day.”
He pat Avalon on the head, as if she were still the young child he watched growing up. “Ominis is not. And not only does he feel scared for you, but he feels you don’t listen to him. That you don’t value his opinion on a situation.”
“Because I know that I’ll be alright,” She argued, furrowing her brows. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself-” “Yes, you are. But that does not erase the fear of losing someone you love.” He pointed out, which shut Avalon up quickly.
“No matter how much you trust someone or believe in them to know that they can get through anything that comes their way, it will never erase the fear that something could happen regardless.” He gave her a small smile. “I knew Miriam was able to keep herself safe, but it did not stop something from happening to her.”
That resonated with Avalon. While a part of her wanted to argue with Fig and say that she would have no such problem, she recognized that it would be incorrect of her to say that. She had gotten crucio’ed by Malfoy just by turning her back. She remembered how horrified Ominis’ face was as she fell to the ground from the pain. Her back throbbed from remembering that moment; her grip on her arms loosened before they fell to her side.
“Do you value Ominis’ opinion?” Fig asked, helping her to her feet.
“Of course,” She answered, honestly. He was probably one of the only people who had opinions that she cared about.
“If the roles were reversed and it was Ominis throwing himself into a dangerous situation, despite your warnings, would you be hurt?”
Avalon bit the inside of her cheek as she looked away. She would be hurt. Not because Ominis wouldn’t be able to take care of himself, but because he wouldn’t care about what she had to say. Was this how Ominis felt? Did she make him feel like this whenever she ignored his warnings?
“This isn’t to say that you deserved to be yelled at while in the hospital,” He crossed his arms. “I certainly want to give Mr Gaunt a piece of my mind for causing you so much turmoil.”
Avalon cracked a smile, thinking about Fig fighting against Ominis and wiping the floor with him. “Right? And here I thought purebloods were supposed to be gentlemanly.”
“Bahumbug,” Fig waved his hand in the air, which made Avalon giggle.
“Thanks, Fig, I feel a lot better.” She said, refocusing her attention on the stone ahead of them and in front of them.
“I’m glad, Ava,” He smiled before looking back down at the stone circle. “Now, let’s figure this puzzle out, shall we?”
Ominis collapsed on his bed, his face planted in his pillow as he contemplated the best way to suffocate himself.
“What happened now?” Sebastian asked, turning the page of his book as he raised an eyebrow to Ominis’ dramatic display.
“I’m so stupid…” He grumbled into the pillow.
“Well, that is an understatement,” Sebastian rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. “But what happened to make you realize this?”
Ominis narrowed his eyes and glared in Sebastian’s general direction. “Aren’t you so reassuring? Some best friend you are.”
“Oi, if I didn’t tell you the truth, would I really be your best friend?” He shut his book and put it beside him. “You look miserable. Did you and Avalon get into a fight or something?”
When Ominis grimaced, Sebastian’s face dropped in realization. “Oh shit, did you actually fight?”
“Ugh, please don’t remind me…” The blonde groaned, letting his head fall back on the pillow.
“What did you even fight about?” Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Ominis explained from his point of view how Avalon had been ignoring and pushing away his suggestions for a while at this point. How she stubbornly ran into a miniature army of goblins when Ranrok was a room away. How she told him that he shouldn’t have come if he was planning on just holding her back.
“I’m just worried about her,” Ominis reasoned, lying on his back and staring up at the bed curtains. “She’s been acting recklessly ever since she and Fig got into that fight. I thought it would get better when we made up, but it just got worse .”
“You’re joking, right?” Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest. “Avalon has always been reckless. That’s just who she is, Ominis. Have you not been paying attention?”
“Of course I have!” He scowled, narrowing his eyes at Sebastian’s general direction. “I know she’s headstrong, but this is so much more than that, Sebastian. She’s been practically throwing her life away again and again.”
“No, she’s not,” Sebastian shook his head. “She may have been getting herself into dangerous situations, but that’s just a fact of her character. What did you expect, exactly, from someone who is essentially ‘The Chosen One’ to save the wizarding world from an evil goblin and his army?”
“I-” Ominis flinched at the thought, the shame entering his mind once again.
“You knew who she was before you started dating her. Hell, you helped her risk her life to save my sister from the curse. And now, just because things are getting a little too scary for you, all of a sudden she’s changed ?”
“It’s not like that.” The blonde snapped, clenching his fists tightly. “You don’t understand, I’ve seen her fight at her best and at her worst. I’ve seen her falter in her footsteps, make impulsive decisions one after another, and collapse from the pressure her mission has brought upon her.”
“You say that as if you understand the pressure she’s put under.”
“Because I do!” Ominis got up from his bed, hand over his heart as his voice began to rise. “As a Gaunt, I had to be put under immense pressure daily to be this… this perfect heir that follows in my family’s footsteps and succeeds . She is drowning in the fear of failing everyone around her, and I can’t stand by anymore and watch it happen! But… She just won’t listen to me!”
“And why would she when you’re projecting your own insecurities and fears onto her?” Sebastian scoffed, giving him a disappointed look. “Avalon isn’t a Gaunt, and she isn’t you . I’m sorry about what you’ve been through, Ominis, but she is a completely different person from you. You have the privilege of getting to be with someone as amazing as her, and it’s pissing me off that you’re throwing it away like this.”
“How the hell am I throwing it away?”
“If you can’t handle being with someone whose life revolves around danger, then why are you even with her? Why bother getting angry at her for living the only life she has ever known?”
Ominis froze, as if a ghost had paralyzed him in place. “Because… I love her.”
“Really? Because it seems to me you don’t know anything about her.” He said, coldly.
“... And you do?” The blonde narrowed his eyes.
“I know she’s worked her ass off training under her Father for years. I know she’s more than capable of beating Ranrok and Rookwood. I know she’s not truly drowning from the fear of failure, like you said. That’s not what she’s really scared of,” Sebastian got to his feet, walking over to him closer and closer with every word. “She’s scared of being vulnerable to the people around her, but most of all, she doesn’t want to be seen as weak to the ones that are closest to her. And guess what you just did?”
The brown-haired boy’s eyes burned with anger towards his best friend. The one he fought over for the girl and lost to. The one he chose to forgive and try to move on to salvage the friendship. “She’s shown you all of the things she believes are weaknesses, and you’re turning around and spitting them back into her face.”
“What do you expect me to do then?!” Ominis shouted, a hand gripping the front of his shirt. “Stand on the sidelines and watch her potentially die?”
“If you keep going on like this, regardless of whether she lives or dies, you won’t be in her life anymore,” Sebastian said, coldly.
Ominis’ breath hitched as Sebastian’s words settled in his mind. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, he was right. The more he tried to get her to listen to him, the more she would push away from him. While it didn’t feel right to him, he knew that this was where they were at right now. She was the witch who had to save the world from evil. She had to deal with dangerous situations every day.
The thought of losing Avalon scared the shit out of him, of course, but he knew that he never wanted to actually separate from her. He just hated feeling backed into the corner like this. As if he didn’t have a choice but to accept the fact that the one he loved had to risk her life all the time. It wasn’t fair, he thought, but life wasn’t fair.
At his silence, Sebastian gave him a sigh and turned around, walking back to his side of the room and sitting on his bed. “I hope you and Avalon work through this,” He forced out, rubbing the back of his neck. “But you need to get a grip, Ominis. She needs your support as her partner.”
“...I know.”
The fourth trial was successful, with Avalon having access to the Lord of the Shore as a mount and friend. When she entered the sanctuary, she expected to be met with another trial full of fighting off enchanted knights or solving puzzles, but there was nothing. She walked across the bridge undisturbed, listening to the rush from the waterfall beside her.
As she entered the decorative doorway, she saw Bakar’s portrait hanging from the ceiling. He looked down at her, his eyes examining her up and down as she approached.
“Perhaps Professor Rackham was right to have had faith in you.” He said, but crossed his arms. “I still have my reservations.”
“Wow, shocking ,” Avalon rolled her eyes.
“I do not mean to offend you,” He quickly said, raising a hand. “Isadora, as you will see, was not who she seemed. I can only hope that you are, despite your unpleasant attitude.”
She scoffed, “Wouldn’t you rather have someone who is outwardly unpleasant than someone who hides it behind a mask?”
“The transparency is preferable,” Bakar relented. “Go forward, Avalon. My memories should answer any questions you may have about the power you will need to protect.”
“Hm.” Avalon didn’t give him a direct answer, only proceeded to walk down the staircase and go towards the Pensieve room. Even after seeing three others like it, she never got over how overdramatic the gigantic statues of the Keepers looked to her. The tear fell from the statue's eye and landed in the bowl, where Avalon took a deep breath and leaned her head in.
She gasped as the memory faded to black. Her pupils were dilated, her heart pounding in her chest. What… What had she just witnessed? Isidora… The Keepers…
This… This power she had was capable of doing that ? Reduce a person to a mere husk of themselves, barely alive, but without the release of death? It disgusted her to think about doing that to someone else. It was horrifying, terrifying, cruel . And what she did to all those innocent students…
Avalon couldn’t help but shudder from the discomfort this knowledge brought her.
She took a moment to regain herself before walking towards the portal back to the map chamber. As she stepped into the familiar room, all five sets of eyes turned towards her and this thick tension filled the air.
“ Here?” Avalon motioned her arms to indicate the area around her. “The final repository is here?!”
“It is,” Rackham confirmed with a head nod. “You see, we could not destroy the strands of emotion Isidora had stolen from so many. So we did all that we could to keep them safe. We also realised that until they could be destroyed, the magic used to create them was a danger to wizardkind. Hence, we became Keepers of an unfathomable secret. We knew that -some day- one with the ability to see traces of Ancient Magic might be seduced by its power.”
“Have you found any way to destroy this magic thus far?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“No,” Rookwood shook his head. “Not yet.”
“We built the trials to lead that person to us. To allow them to prove themselves worthy of the knowledge we’d kept hidden and the responsibility that accompanies it.” Rackham explained.
“I’ve more than proved myself in this,” Avalon stated. “I have to get down there before Ranrok does.”
“Yes, you have,” He agreed. “And you will. But the repository is protected by powerful Ancient Magic. To enter, you must craft a special wand from the four artefacts you found above our Pensieves.”
“Does this mean the repository is safe?”
“If he is, as you suspect, capable of using the power of the other repository. I fear he will be able to breach our defenses.”
“Damn,” She cursed under her breath, looking towards Fig, who seemed equally worried. “I need to craft that wand as soon as possible, then. I’ll head to Ollivander’s now.”
“Another Ollivander?” Rackham hummed. “I am not surprised. As I am sure he will tell you, this want may be used for only one purpose. Return with the wand, and we will open the way forward.”
“Alright.” Avalon nodded, turning to leave.
Fig called her name to grab her attention before she darted out of the room. “I shall send an owl ahead to Ollivander. Whilst you visit him, I’ll reach out to Professor Weasley. I may have made an error in judgment by not informing her of Ranrok’s intentions earlier. I only hope it’s not too late…”
“I’m sure she will understand, given the circumstances.” She reassured him. “Besides, if there’s a war at hand, perhaps she’ll forget about being mad at you until it’s over.”
“One can only hope,” He chuckled. “If Ranrok really is going to try to drill below Hogwarts, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
“I don’t know, Fig, I don’t want anyone else to get involved in this mess. Maybe it would be better for me to handle this alone.”
“Are you mad?” Fig’s eyes widened as he furrowed his brow. “Avalon, there will be an army of enemies at our doorstep. You alone cannot take on Ranrok and his men.”
She hesitated, her eyes darted to the side to avoid his concerned gaze. “I don’t want anyone else to die over this, Fig.”
“I know,” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I know you are still suffering from your recent loss, Ava, but you don’t have to be alone anymore in this. You have friends and comrades who are more than willing to help you.”
Avalon’s breath hitched as the first face to come to mind was Ominis’. His soft gaze, kind voice, and willingness to cross the entire world for her. Her heart ached and groaned as she felt herself miss him more than ever at that point. There was nothing she wanted to do more than run into his arms and kiss him, but after what happened the last time they spoke, she knew that it wasn’t plausible right now. She had a mission to complete, a goblin warlord to kill, and a wand to make.
“... I know,” She pulled herself from Fig’s grip and didn’t look back once as she left the room.
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Tauriel_Camoran on Chapter 18 Tue 19 Aug 2025 08:05AM UTC
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Tauriel_Camoran on Chapter 20 Tue 19 Aug 2025 08:30AM UTC
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Pine (Guest) on Chapter 22 Thu 24 Apr 2025 10:50AM UTC
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vampgirliegirl on Chapter 23 Fri 25 Apr 2025 07:29AM UTC
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Tauriel_Camoran on Chapter 24 Tue 19 Aug 2025 01:47PM UTC
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