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chickenlizard13 · 1 year

Text

Stay Right Here

Pairing: Ominis Gaunt x Reader (gender neutral)

Word Count: 7689

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mature 18+, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Description: Part 3 of All You've Done and Let Me See. You don't have to have read All You've Done, but you do need to have read Let Me See. Anyway, takes place directly after Let Me See.

Someone was pounding at your door. Squinting your eyes open, you peer through the curtains at the pink and purple sky, the sun just starting to rise. The pounding stops abruptly, and you assume whomever it was had left, deciding to try again later. Shoving your face back into the crook of Ominis’s neck, you close your eyes once more. His arms squeeze you unconsciously, groaning a bit in his sleep as he cuddles you closer.

You’re only given a few moments of tranquil peace before the knocking starts up again, startling you into awareness. Sighing, you relish the feel of Ominis’s bare skin a second more, eventually detangling yourself from him and getting up. Swiping his discarded shirt from the night before, you button it clumsily, unconcerned with being presentable for your visitor.

Trudging downstairs, you walk slowly toward the front door, griping to yourself under your breath. What could someone possibly need this early? Opening the door, you rub the sleep out of your eyes before looking at the figures before you. Sebastian and Anne stood on your doorstep, grinning like fools, delighted by your disgruntled face. “What are you two doing here?”

Sebastian scoffed, rolling his eyes at you. “What do you mean ‘What are we doing here’? You’re getting married.”

Your sleep addled brain took a bit to process his words, furrowing your brow in confusion as you observed Anne’s giddy smile. “...Today?”

Anne chuckled. “That’s what Ominis’s letter said. Did he forget to propose?”

Shaking your head, you glance back and forth between them, noting the bag Anne carried. “I thought he was joking.”

You heard an offended noise come from over your shoulder, Ominis walking up behind you, already dressed and fiddling with his cufflinks. “I would never joke about marrying you.”

“Not about marrying me, you silly man, about marrying me today. How are you already dressed? You were dead asleep two minutes ago.”

Finally satisfied with his cufflinks, Ominis places a hand on your waist, kissing your head in greeting. “Well, darling, I used a little something called ma- Is this my shirt?”

Ominis stops talking abruptly, feeling the fabric between his fingers as a light blush dusts his cheeks. “Are you- What else are you wearing?”

Ominis looks scandalized at your lack of clothing, placing himself in front of you, blocking Anne and Sebastian’s view. “Why would you answer the door like this?!”

Rolling your eyes, you peek out at your friends. “My love, it’s just Sebastian and Anne, nothing to worry about.”

Ominis scoffed at you, baffled by your carefree attitude. “Darling, what if it hadn’t been Anne and Sebastian? You’re practically naked!”

“And who’s fault is that?” Your tone is flat, eyebrows raised in accusation. Ominis sputters at you, ears growing red in embarrassment.

Anne and Sebastian watched the two of you bicker, glancing at each other knowingly. “Merlin, they’re so in love.”

“It’s a bit disgusting, isn’t it?”

“Do you think this is their version of foreplay?”

“I don’t particularly want to find out. Anyway! Should we get this show on the road?” Sebastian pushes past the two of you, waltzing right into your house uninvited. Grabbing the bag from Anne, Sebastian places it on your dining room table, calling to his sister over his shoulder. “Anne! Could you please help the lovely bride find something suitable to wear.”

You huffed in annoyance, crossing your arms dramatically. “I can’t just get married in this?”

All three of your companions objected. A chorus of ‘No’, ‘Hell no’, and ‘Absolutely not’ had you rolling your eyes and trudging back upstairs. “Alright, alright, fine. I’m going.”

Anne trotted after you, commenting on the large mirror in your room. “Merlin, what could you possibly need that for?”

You blush, quickly grabbing your wand and transfiguring the mirror back into a bureau. “Don’t, uh, don’t worry about it. Help me find something to wear.”

The two of you combed through your closet, selecting something nice, but not overly dressy. It would just be the four of you, so you didn’t feel the need for formal attire. Once you were ready, you walked into the yard, the sun painting the sky in bright morning hues. Ominis stood staring at the colors, snake around his shoulders. He was facing away from you, but turned in your direction at your approach.

Ominis sucked in a breath, enchanted by the sight of you, bathed in the morning light. He smiled at you sweetly, voice nothing more than a mere whisper. “Hello, my love.”

You walked up beside him, grinning, taking his hand before turning to Sebastian. “Alright, get on with it.”

Sebastian shook his head fondly, muttering about your impatience under his breath. You and Ominis stood side by side, reciting your vows, Ominis never taking his eyes off you. Once you’d finished, Ominis squeezed your hand, silently asking you to look at him. Turning your gaze to him, you found a small, adoring smile gracing his lips, those same lips mouthing a quiet ‘I love you’, as your small herd of cats came bounding out of the bushes, rubbing up against both of you. Sebastian made direct eye contact with Anne again, mirroring her amused smile at the ridiculously sweet scene.

When it came time, Sebastian produced a small box from the bag. Cocking your head, you look at the box curiously, gasping as Sebastian opened it to reveal a beautiful set of rings. You turn your wide eyes to Ominis, unoccupied hand coming up to cover your mouth. His smile widened, squeezing your fingers again as he spoke. “Do you like them?”

“Do I-...My love, when-”

“You weren’t the only one planning a surprise.”

Tears pooled in your eyes, the reality of the situation sinking in. You got to marry this wonderful man, fortunate enough to love and be loved by him for the rest of your life. “Sebastian, hurry up so we can put these on. I want to kiss my husband.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes, but refrained from arguing, clearly recognizing the excitement on both your faces. He concluded the ceremony, Ominis slipping the ring on your finger, kissing it delicately, before allowing you to place his. He didn’t wait for Sebastian’s permission, grabbing the back of your neck as soon as his ring was on, kissing you lovingly, struggling to control his happy grin.

The four of you celebrated for a few hours, eating breakfast and catching up, Sebastian and Anne bidding you farewell in the early afternoon. As soon as they disappeared, you and Ominis wasted no time running back upstairs, giggling in giddy excitement as you undressed each other. He kissed you like he’d die without you, smile persevering, teasing words slipping out in a playful tone. When you're finished, you lay together in quiet contentment, savoring the cool touch of the new additions on your fingers.

—-------

Both of you had taken the week off work, spending your ‘honeymoon’ lazing about the house or taking short trips to London or Hogsmead, just generally enjoying your time as newlyweds.

A sharp knock sounded at your door, interrupting the quiet morning filled only with your soft conversation and the steam from your coffee. The both of you stood, walking to the door as Ominis teased you, playfully demanding to know your outfit before opening the door. Rolling your eyes fondly, you tell him he’s being ridiculous, opening the door as he settles behind you, left hand on your hip.

You don’t recognize the couple standing in front of you, both tall and striking, clearly very wealthy from their state of dress. “Hello? How can we help you?”

The woman says nothing at first, pointedly staring at Ominis’s hand on your hip, ring clearly visible. Raising an eyebrow, she scoffs, eyes flitting up to look at your husband. “So this is where you’ve been? How…quaint.”

Ominis’s hand tightened on you instantly, pulling you back against him protectively. The young man beside her smirked condescendingly, eyes roaming the inside of your home, setting you on edge. “Excuse you-“

“What do you want, mother.”

The woman sneered, an evil glint in her eyes. “My, my, still rude as ever I see. No matter, we simply came to…chat.”

Ominis bared his teeth, pulling you further into him. “We? Who is ‘we’.”

Her sneer turned to a sly smile, voice purring as she answered. “Marvolo came to visit as well.”

Ominis placed his other hand on the door, knuckles white as he gripped the wood, preparing to slam it shut. “We aren’t interested in chatting. I believe I made that quite clear when I renounced the Gaunt family and my birthright. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to leave our property and never return. Good day.”

Ominis attempts to close the door in his mother’s face, but Marvolo’s foot shoots out, preventing Ominis from getting too far. “Really, Ominis. After we put so much effort into finding you? You’d deny your own family an audience? Such a rude child. Clearly living in this hovel has done you no good these past few years.”

Ominis grinds his teeth together and you can feel his anxiety rising. His grip on your hip is almost bruising, making sure no space remains between you. “You are not my family. What. Do. You. Want.”

His mother sighs dramatically, as if she were speaking to a toddler. “Well dear, if you must know, your fiancé has grown weary of waiting for your return, so your brother and I came to fetch you. Don’t you think it’s about time you stopped playing house and came home?”

Your husband growls dangerously, breathing becoming erratic as his rage builds. “Well mother, I’m delighted to inform you that I’m already married. So your trip here was a wasted one.”

He tries again to close the door, but is once again stopped by Marvolo, his brother’s hand now also pushing the door open. “Marvolo. Get your filthy appendages out of my fucking house.”

His brother chuckles darkly, a chill creeping up your spine. You itch to run into the kitchen, where your wands lay uselessly, but fear the consequences of leaving Ominis alone with his vile relatives. “This…sham marriage is of no consequence to us. Easily taken care of, annulled or…otherwise.”

Ominis snarls at his brother, arm now wrapping around your middle, shoulders hunched over you protectively. “Threaten my spouse again, and your severed head will decorate our dining room table.”

Ominis’s mother sighs again, boldly looking at you as she shakes her head. “Boys, really, there’s no need for that. Ominis dear, just let us in so we can have a civilized conversation about this.”

Your husband’s voice is low and dangerous in your ear as he answers her. “Absolutely not.”

She sighs in disappointment, but you can see the tick of her mouth, pulling the corner into an almost smile. “How unfortunate. Then I suppose you’ll have to come out.”

Without warning, Marvolo casts the Cruciatus Curse, hitting you square in the chest. You can barely hear Ominis’s panicked shouts over your own screams, and suddenly you’re being ripped away from him, body hitting the grass as you’re tossed onto the front lawn. Ominis tries desperately to get to you, following the sounds of your agony. Squinting your eyes open, you see Marvolo restraining your husband, who fights wildly in his grip. His mother saunters over, calmly casting Imperio on Ominis, instantly ceasing his struggle, face blank. “Now dear, that’s quite enough. Let’s return home, shall we?”

She turns to you as you lay twitching in the ground, haughty smile denoting her condescension. “You were a fool to believe yourself worthy of a pure blood. I leave you alive only as a courtesy to my son, as he would likely do something drastic if you died. Take this as a warning, should you decide to pay us a visit.”

With that, she put a controlling hand on his shoulder, apparating back to the Gaunt estate. The last thing you see is Ominis’s neutral expression pointed in your direction, tears streaking from his eyes as he mindlessly allows his family to take him.

—————

You lay on the ground a few more moments, breathing heavily as the feeling slowly returns to your body. Once you can move your limbs again, you push yourself up quickly. There was no time to waste, even as your body screamed at you to stop, you sprinted into the house. You stumble your way into the kitchen, opening your potions cupboard and downing a couple Wiggenweld potions, pocketing the rest.

Most of the pain subsided, and you got to work quickly, writing a hasty letter to Sebastian and Anne, explaining the situation and that you were heading straight there. Your hands shook slightly, the letters wobbly as you wrote, a few stray tears falling on the page, blurring the ink. There was no time to start over, so you sealed the letter, presenting it to your owl and begging it to fly as fast as it could. The wise bird took off instantly, disappearing out the window in a heartbeat.

Making sure to grab both wands from the table, you curse yourself for being so careless, knowing this could have been prevented if you’d just been more prepared. You prayed Ominis was alright, navigating his surroundings would be much more difficult without his wand.

Sprinting outside, you barely remember to lock the door behind you before you’re taking to the sky, speeding in the direction of the Gaunt estate.

Ominis informed you of the precise location of his childhood home after moving in, if only so you’d keep your distance from it. He wanted to be sure you knew its location, to avoid stumbling into their wicked talons accidentally on your many ventures.

Now, you were especially grateful for his forethought, though your current purpose was in direct contrast with his intent. You flew for hours, fear driving you forward, cursing your broom for its slowness. Tears flew out behind you, the harsh winds whipping them away as soon as they formed. Merlin you hoped he was unharmed, and if he wasn’t, the Gaunts would pay dearly for their idiocy. They clearly held no idea exactly who their son married.

Eventually, you spot the estate, a massive house, dripping in grandeur. However, you knew it for the lie it was. Ominis had also confided that his family lay on the brink of destruction, Salazar Slytherin’s wealth having long run out. The betrothal they’d attempted to force him into was solely to absorb his fiancé’s family wealth, and carry on the Gaunt name.

The family had yet to marry off Marvolo, as his particularly strong penchant for cruelty, ended several engagements prematurely. You weren’t surprised, thoughts circling back to your brief interaction that morning. It stood to reason that the Gaunts now placed all their faith in Ominis to regain their lost riches, knowing they wouldn’t have bothered retrieving him had Marvolo been a viable option.

You land softly, just behind the tree line, keeping an eye out for any hidden persons or traps. All seemed quiet, which you knew was never a good sign. Creeping around the side, you find a low window, unlocking it skillfully and slipping inside. You cast Disillusionment prowling through the halls, looking for signs of Ominis. Eventually, you spot a house elf scrubbing the walls of a long corridor. Sneaking up behind the elf, you snatch the back of his rags, dragging him into a dark corner as you release your invisibility spell. Pointing your wand at his throat, you pull him close to growl dangerously in his face. “Where. Is. My. Husband.”

The elf shook his head violently in fear, lips moving but no sound coming out. Glancing at his throat, you see a nasty old scar splitting the front of it, registering that the Gaunts had removed the poor thing's ability to speak. A part of you felt terrible for inflicting more terror on the sad creature, but it was quickly swept away by the growing urgency to find Ominis and get out.

The elf lifted his fingers, snapping them in an attempt to apparate. Ancient magic pulsed at the end of your wand, feeling your desperation and preventing the house elf’s escape. You looked at him now, eyes wide with unshed tears as you pleaded with him. “Please, where are these vile people keeping my sweet Ominis?”

The elf stopped his struggle, watching you intently for a moment, glancing down the corridor towards the opposite end. You gesture in the same direction with your head, eyes flitting to the side before looking back hopefully. The elf nods slightly, squeezing your wrist in silent confirmation. A shuddering huff escapes your lips, as you haul the elf against you, crushing him in a brief hug. “Thank you.”

Quickly releasing the house elf, you ignore his shocked stare as you cast Disillusionment tearing down the hall as quietly as possible. You inspect each door you pass, finally stopping before the very last one, a heavy lock securing the handle. If Ominis was in any of these rooms, it’d be this one.

The lock was complicated, and it took you far longer than you would have liked to unlock it, but you heard the quiet click and hastily pushed the door open. Closing the door quietly behind you, you turn and immediately have to dodge a book being thrown at you. You look up from your crouched position at Ominis, shirt unbuttoned and hair disheveled, like someone had been running their hands through it. Ominis’s chest heaves, sightless eyes wild as they search for the intruder. You try to call for him, but are swiftly dodging a pillow streaking towards you, Ominis throwing anything he could get his hands on. You glance over at the bed briefly, spotting a beautiful woman with dark hair in a nearly sheer slip dress, the thin straps falling off her shoulders, eyes closed and seemingly asleep.

Your stomach drops, heart breaking at the thought of your husband’s infidelity. Struggling to pull air into your lungs, you barely avoid another book whizzing past your head, Ominis spitting angry words in your direction. “Marvolo! You fucking son of a bitch. Take me back to my spouse now!”

His chest heaved angrily, pausing his assault a moment, trying to gauge where he thought his brother had gone. Pushing your anguish down, you call to him quietly, though you can’t hide the bitterness in your tone. “Ominis. It’s me.”

Surprise flits across his face, before it crumples into intense relief, a sob ripping itself from his throat. “My love, you’re ok.”

He feels his way toward the sound of your voice, reaching out for you blindly. You don’t let him touch you, instead shoving his wand into his hand roughly before turning back toward the door. Voice cold and devoid of all emotion. “Let’s go. If you even still want to.”

Before you can get too far, Ominis catches your wrist firmly, tugging you back towards him a step. Turning your head, you look at his worried face, eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Darling, what-”

At that moment, you both hear a quiet sigh coming from the bed, both of your heads whipping toward it, and you watch as the sleeping woman shifts slightly before settling again. Realization dawns on Ominis’s face, neck snapping back to you frantically. His hand squeezes your wrist tightly, preventing you from moving away from him as he speaks in a panic. “My love, it’s not- please, it’s not what you think. I- She- My brother locked me in here with her, and-”

You can see the fear blatant on his face, his other hand reaching for you, trying desperately to pull you closer. “She-She tried to…have me, but-! I-I didn’t let her. I knocked her unconscious, so-...my love, please.”

Ominis was hyperventilating, hands shaking violently, his face scared as he begged you to believe him. Your heart swelled in relief, ashamed that you’d even considered his betrayal. Moving into his arms, you wrap yourself around him, holding him the way you’d longed to since he’d been taken. “I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have assumed-”

“No- darling, it’s alright. I understand why you’d think…anyway, let’s get out of here. I’d very much like to go home now.” Nodding in agreement, you both sneak out of the room, locking the door behind you to avoid suspicion should someone walk by. Ominis leads you back towards the entrance, glancing around before pulling it open quietly.

You’d just made it down the steps, hurrying toward the front gates, almost home free, when you felt something wrap around your throat and yank you backwards. Choking, you lose your concentration on Disillusionment, you fall to your knees, gasping for air as the spell retracts back into Marvolo’s wand. Ominis rushes to your side, hands frantic as he asks if you’re alright.

You look back at the steps of the estate to see Marvolo and his mother, as well as Ominis’s father standing imposingly, framed by the intimidating Gaunt estate. Mrs. Gaunt smiles haughtily, eyes sharp as she sneers down at you. “Going so soon? You didn’t even say goodbye.”

Peeking out from behind her legs, you see the house elf from earlier, glancing at you in shame as dark bruises formed on his skin. Your heart wept, vowing to return for him at a later date. You stand, facing the three wizards in front of you, planting yourself between Ominis and his family. “We’re going home.”

Mrs. Gaunt laughed wickedly, twirling her wand idly in her hands. “My dear, Ominis is home. If you think that shack of yours is worthy of him, I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken. Likewise, if you think you’re worthy of him…well, that’s just plain embarrassing.”

Snarling, you feel Ominis take your hand, the cold metal of his ring grounding you. You look her in the eyes, determination settling behind them. “I said- We’re. Going. Home.”

The smile dropped from his mother’s face, an ugly sneer taking its place, as she pointed her wand at you. “Fine. Have it your way.”

All hell breaks loose, spells flying violently from all sides. You and Ominis work like a well oiled machine, attacking and defending as needed, slowly backing toward the gate. If you could just get to the treeline, you could apparate home, far away from the Gaunt estate.

The Gaunts followed, spells violent and unrelenting. A stray bolt flew past you, striking the gate behind you in a loud crack, drawing your attention away from the battle briefly. Ominis’s mother took the opportunity to cast Bombarda, splintering a tree directly behind you. Ominis watches helplessly, the world slowing as the shrapnel streaks toward you with deadly accuracy, his wand picking up its trajectory. He screams your name, arms wrapping around you protectively as he spins your bodies, physically shielding you from the sharp spike.

You feel his body jolt against yours, a pained grunt pushing past his lips as something large strikes him. Looking up in shock, you push at his chest, trying to pry yourself from his arms. “My love, what-”

His arms tighten around you, refusing to let you pull away from him, voice pleading in your ear. “Don’t look. It’s- I’m alright, my darling, just-just stay here with me.”

The Gaunts cease their attack, watching the scene before them unfold. Ominis’s breathing becomes labored, and you fight against him harder, panic rising in your throat, choking you. “Ominis please, let me-let me see.”

His knees buckle as he focuses all his strength into the arms holding you, and you both slowly sink to the ground. Tears stream down your face, and you feel wet drops hitting your shoulder, Ominis’s voice steady, a small smile on his face in contrast with the sorrow in his heart. “I’m sorry, my love, I don’t-I don’t think I’ll be able to stay with you much longer.”

You sob against him, anguish tearing at you, begging him to let you go. “Please. L-Let me go get help-”

“No. It’s ok. Stay right here.” Ominis’s voice was growing weak, chest shuddering with the effort to keep breathing, laboriously pushing as many words out as he could. “My darling…my t-time with you was the-the happiest I’ve ever been…even now, I would-I wouldn’t change a thing.”

His mother strolls up casually, voice amused and eyes excited as she watches you hold her dying son. “What a shame. He would have been so useful.”

She walks back towards her house, humming cheerily, smiling in satisfaction. She makes it all the way to the front steps before she stops, turning to look over her shoulder at you once more, delight coloring her smug words. “I would kill you, but now, I think the pain of watching my son die, knowing your efforts were in vain, would be a more delicious ending to this ludicrous fairytale.”

Laughing once more, she and the rest of the Gaunts turn to stroll back into their house, the door slamming in finality, echoing through the courtyard. Silence follows, only broken by your heart wrenching sobs, muffled by Ominis’s shoulder.

Ominis, kisses your temple lightly, arms growing weak around you, body leaning heavily on yours as the seconds drag by. He brings his lips back to your ear, voice barely above a whisper, forcing the words out. “I love you.”

Slumping against you, his body goes slack, and with your body finally freed, you claw desperately at your pockets, fingers fumbling with your Wiggenweld potions. You almost drop them on the ground, but you manage to wrangle Ominis to be lying in your lap, tears blurring your vision as you rip the cork out of the bottle.

You held the bottle to his lips, begging him to drink it, but his jaw remained slack, breathing shallow. Bringing the bottle up, you fill your cheeks with as much liquid as possible, pressing your lips to your husband’s, siphoning the potion into his mouth.

Once all the liquid slid down his throat, you bring a hand to his face, voice raw as you wail at him to open his eyes. When nothing changes, you drop your head onto his chest, weeping into it as you listen to his fading heartbeat.

Without warning, Anne and Sebastian appear before you, only taking a second to absorb the situation before springing into action. Sebastian gently pulls you away, cradling you against him, letting you cry into his shoulder as you beg Anne to help your dying husband.

After Anne’s curse had been lifted, she’d made it her life’s mission to help heal others suffering from similar ailments. She’d been a nurse at St. Mungos for several years now, one of the best, if anyone could help Ominis, it would be her.

Anne got right to work, wand pulsing with healing magic as she muttered over him. Your hands gripped the fabric of Sebastian’s arms as he held you up, whispering reassurances into your hair, trying his best to quell your hysteria. Once Ominis was stable enough, the Sallow twins looked at each other silently, having a brief eye conversation before apparating you both away from the Gaunt estate. You and Sebastian appear in your house, alone. Looking around frantically, you're about to ask where Ominis and Anne were, but Sebastian answered before you could get the words out. “They went to St. Mungos. He’ll be alright. Trust Anne, ok?”

Face crumpling in anguish, you collapse onto your couch, sobbing into the palms of your hands. Sebastian sits next to you, pulling you against him, rubbing your back and letting you soak his shirt.

—-------

You’d gotten an owl from Anne early the next morning, tearing the parchment open in your haste to read its contents. You hadn’t slept a wink, the bags heavy under your eyes, blinking to stay awake. Anne wrote that Ominis was stable, but hadn’t woken up yet, inviting you to visit if you were feeling up for it. You didn’t need to be told twice, shaking Sebastian awake from his place on the couch, apologizing as you begged him to take you to the hospital.

He obliged immediately, also eager to see his best friend. Upon arriving, you grab Anne in a death grip, sobbing your gratitude into her shoulder. She shushes you, playfully reminding you that you and Ominis were her family, and she’d be damned if she let anything happen to either one of you.

You sat at Ominis’s bedside, stroking his cheek sadly as you gazed at his sleeping form, his heart beat strong and steady. Sebastian stood leaning against the doorway, watching you silently. “You’re going, aren’t you?”

You huff humorlessly, never taking your eyes away from your husband’s face. “Am I that predictable?”

Sebastian chuckles quietly. “Nah, I just happen to know you pretty well. Go, I’ll stay with him. Give them hell.”

Kissing Ominis’s forehead tenderly, you stand, sparing him one last longing glance. You walked toward the door, eyes staring at nothing in particular as you stopped briefly, shoulder touching Sebastian’s. “They’ll wish that’s all I gave them.”

Without another word, you walked silently out the door, exiting the hospital completely before apparating away.

—-------

A storm brewed outside the Gaunt estate, lightning striking the trees around the house as you stalked through the front gates, not even bothering to conceal your presence. Casting Bombarda, you blow the front door right off its hinges, ribbons of ancient magic whipping around you in your fury as you strode into the foyer. Marvolo Gaunt comes running from the second floor, appearing at the top of the grand staircase, a look of alarm painting his features. He shouts, brandishing his wand at you, only able to get the first syllable of a spell out of his mouth before you shatter a vase against his head.

Snarling in rage, you quickly cast Accio, dragging him screaming down the stairs, making sure he slammed into each one. His body crumples at the bottom, groaning in pain as you stalk over, looming above him, eyes glowing dangerously.

He looks up at you, face bloody from his newly broken nose, and tries to raise his wand at you. The heel of your boot comes slamming down on his hand, snapping his wand, and a few fingers all at once. He wailed again, tears springing to his eyes as he pathetically begged you to stop.

Sneering down at him, you bear your teeth, voice a low hateful hiss as it slips past your lips. “Stop?…You tried to take the love of my life from me…and you want me to stop? Let me tell you something, you worthless little insect, you have no idea what I’m capable of. I’m going to make the Cruciatus Curse look like a walk in the park.”

Marvolo looked at you in fear, trembling and pleading with you for mercy, but you had no mercy to give. Casting Flipendo, you slammed him down on his back, pointing your wand at his knee cap and shattering the bone beneath the skin, permanently crippling him. He screamed in agony, hyperventilating as hysterical sobs wracked his chest.

Using your wand, you magically drag his limp body behind you, relishing the pathetic chorus of whimpers as you search for the other two Gaunts. Servants cower away from you, shoving their bodies as far into the dark corners as they could. You paid them no mind, focusing solely on the three Gaunts who’d wronged your sweet husband.

Ancient Magic billowed around you, shattering every door and window you passed, the tendrils almost sentient as they searched for their targets.

You found the other two quickly, wood splintering everywhere as their afternoon tea time turned to raging chaos. Mr. and Mrs. Gaunt stood abruptly from their seats, wands at the ready, but they never got the chance to use them. Using your wand, you violently slammed Marvolo’s broken body onto the carpet at their feet, the young man letting out a pained yelp on impact.

His mother covered her mouth in horrified shock, eyes raking over the damage you’d done to her eldest son. His father was the first to act, raising his wand to attack, spell on the tip of his tongue. You quickly cast Diffindo, slicing straight through the front of his throat, stealing his ability to speak in much the same way he’d done to his house elf. His hand flew to his throat as he began choking on his own blood, but you weren’t finished, using Accio to drag him forward.

Mrs. Gaunt recovered from her shock, pointing her wand at you in an effort to cast the killing curse, words leaving her lips much too late. As soon as her husband sat on his knees before you, you recklessly cast Depulso in her direction, slamming her spine against a marble pillar and causing the spell to hit the ceiling harmlessly. She slumped on the ground, unconscious for the moment as you turned back to Mr. Gaunt.

Terror shone clear in his eyes, lips flapping uselessly as no sound passed them. Blood gushed heavily from the tear in his neck, your fingers gripping his hair roughly, ripping out chunks as you yanked his head back. The tip of your wand grew hot, a small fire springing to life at the end of it. The Gaunt patriarch shook his head desperately, eyes darting between your wand and your emotionless face. Ignoring his silent pleas, you brought your wand to the wound on his throat, cauterizing the skin in an ugly scar. His mouth opened in a silent scream, tears of pain streaking from his eyes, hands clawing at your arm uselessly.

When you finished, you tossed him by the hair onto the ground, stepping over his trembling form as you prowled toward his wife.

Ominis’s mother lay slumped against the pillar, moaning in pain. You cast Confringo on a nearby chair as you stalked forward, fisting a splintered leg in your hand. Mrs. Gaunt looked up at you weakly, eyes never leaving yours as you stood over her, watching you crouch down to her level. Her breath shuddered out of her, eyes flitting to the bodies of her husband and son, her lips trembling as she attempted to speak. “Wait-”

You don’t wait, instead, you reel back ramming the sharp wood into her side as far as it’ll go, in exactly the same spot she’d struck Ominis. She cried out in pain, hands grasping at the wood in an attempt to pull it out, voice a quiet sob as she tried to speak. “Who-Who the hell are you?”

You ground the stake deeper, pulling another wail from her lips before leaning in to whisper dangerously in her ear. “You really should have done your research before showing up at my house. Of all the foolish mistakes you made, your first error was failing to learn exactly who your son married.”

Leaning back you look her directly in the eye, letting the truth slip brutally off your tongue, relishing the horrified realization on her face as she processed your words. “I killed Victor Rookwood. I slaughtered Ranrok and his loyalists. I wield magic so powerful it’d make your fucking head spin. The dumbest thing you could have done is piss me off.”

Getting as close as you can, you make sure she can see the dark malice in your eyes. “You’re beyond lucky my husband is still alive. I would set the fucking world on fire for that man, and if he’d died, today would have gone very differently for you.”

Standing to your full height, you glare down at her, eyes crazed as ancient magic pulsed off you. “If you ever show up on my property again, you’ll wish I’d killed you instead.”

Without another word, you stalked back the way you came, making it all the way to the destroyed foyer before noticing slight movement behind one of the large pillars. Whipping your head over, you prepare to spit your ire at the figure, but are met with the wide eyes of the Gaunts unfortunate house elf, peeking out at you from behind the tall column.

Your shoulders relax, fire dimming a bit as you observe the frightened creature. You walk over slowly, stopping a healthy distance away, the poor thing shrinking back when you get too close. Several emotions tore through you all at once, but you try as best you can to keep your voice as calm and soothing as possible. “You serve the whole Gaunt family, don’t you?”

The house elf stares at you a moment, nodding shyly.

“I am technically a Gaunt. Would you like to come with me?” You hold your hand out to him in invitation, providing him the option to escape this cruel life of abuse and neglect. He hesitates only a moment, before slowly creeping out from behind the pillar, placing his trust in you as he takes your hand gently.

Smiling at him, you both stride out of the Gaunt estate, apparating back to Ominis.

—-------

Ominis woke up a few hours later, blinking blearily, eyes heavy from being unconscious for so long. He sits up slightly, hissing at the pain in his side as he fumbles around, searching for his wand, relieved to find it sitting on the bedside table. His wand pulses, giving him a general idea of the layout of the room, but leaves him confused by the unfamiliar surroundings. His wand pulses again, and he spots you over by the window, back to him. Calling your name quietly, he expects you to whirl around and run to his side. Instead, you seemingly hadn’t heard him, figure silent as you stood unmoving from the window. He tries again, voice a little louder than it had been. “My love?”

You turn to him slowly this time, stubbornly retaining your position by the window. His heart shattered as he finally heard your quiet sniffling and shuddering breaths. Sitting up abruptly, he ignores the pain in his side as he reaches for you, frantic with concern. “My darling, what-”

“Lay back down.” Your words are quiet and commanding, an angry bite behind them. Your arms remained crossed over your chest, refusing to move closer.

Ominis falters a bit, wondering what he’d done to make you so upset with him. He tries again, desperate for you to be next to him, but you’re already ripping into him from across the room. “What possessed you to do something so stupid.”

Realization crossed his features, his eyebrows furrowing sadly. “I understand you’re upset, but-“

“Upset? Ominis, I’m fucking furious.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but you continue ranting, words spoken in quiet rage. “Don’t you ever take a hit like that for me again. I can’t- Ominis, I can’t handle this a second time.”

Ominis exhales shakily, he can hear the agony in your voice, and he wants so badly to tell you what you want to hear, but he knows he can’t. He’d be lying to you, and that was something he wasn’t willing to do. “I’m sorry, my darling, I can’t…I can’t promise you that.”

“Please, Ominis.”

Tears trickle down his face, as he shakes his head. Your pleading hurt him, he very rarely denied you anything, but he would deny you this. “My love, I can’t make that promise. I won’t. I refuse to live a second without you. I’ll throw my body in front of yours every single time. If someone dies between us, it will be me.”

A violent sob wracks your body, knees buckling slightly, and Ominis snaps. He’d had enough of the distance you kept from him, resolving that if you wouldn’t come to him, he’d go to you. Throwing the blankets off, he gets up and strides over, uncaring of the pain in his side as the need to comfort you consumes him.

His arms envelope you, crushing you against him, physically showing you he was still there, still with you. Your hands hold a death grip on the back of his shirt, burying yourself in his chest as you wept. “You didn’t even let me try to get help!”

Ominis squeezes you to him, words watery as he whispers in your ear. “If I was to die, I wanted it to be in your arms, not on the cold ground alone.”

Wailing loudly, your knees give out, losing the ability to hold your grief any longer. You sank to the floor, Ominis sinking with you, perfectly mirroring your position from when he’d been wounded. You stayed like that for a long time, neither of you noticing Anne and Sebastian standing briefly in the doorway, having come to visit Ominis.

They watched you hold onto each other for dear life, wiping their own relieved tears. Anne grabbed her brother’s hand, squeezing once before they turned to leave, deciding to come back at a later time.

Eventually, your tears stopped, and the two of you wound up cradling each other on the hospital bed. Ominis laid on his back, your ear pressed against his chest, right over his heart. The occasional sniffle escaped you, and every time, the arm around your waist would squeeze you and a pair of lips would press themselves firmly against your forehead.

There was a long period of silence before either of you said anything, your throat raw from crying, but after a while you spoke, no real bite to your words. “I’m still angry with you.”

Ominis let out an amused huff, kissing your hairline a few times before responding. “I know.”

Closing your eyes, you drifted off, finally allowing your body to relax now that he was safe and you were back in his arms.

—————-

Months later, you and Ominis attended one of his work parties, laughing and making polite conversation with his colleagues at the Ministry. You stood tucked under Ominis’s arm, squeezing his waist subtly, silently asking if it was time to leave. Ominis didn’t outwardly react, smiling pleasantly at whatever mundane story was being told, but his hand ran purposefully down your arm in agreement.

He started to wrap up his conversation, and just as you were about to excuse yourselves, one of his coworkers glanced behind your shoulder, eyes going wide. “Oh! What a surprise! Mr. And Mrs. Gaunt, an honor to have you stop by. Master Marvolo as well! Always a pleasure to have you.”

You felt Ominis stiffen beside you, arm tightening protectively as he reached for his wand. Turning to face them, you watch your estranged in-laws smile politely at the man in greeting, eyes nervously darting towards you.

The man, having had one too many glasses of fire whisky, mistook their anxiety for unfamiliarity, proceeding to introduce you cheerily. “My apologies! I didn’t realize you had yet to meet your son’s new spouse. My daughter and her husband also eloped, it seems to be a common trend amongst couples these days.”

Smiling kindly, his colleague spoke your name, also introducing you as the ‘Hero of Hogwarts’, singing your praises loud enough for everyone to hear. Mrs. Gaunt was the only one who could stand to look at you, her husband looking past you and Marvolo staring at your feet, leaning heavily on a cane. She smiled pleasantly even as her lips wobbled slightly, her eyes watching you hesitantly. “Hello dear, lovely to meet you at last.”

A wide grin stretched across your face, bearing your teeth, a subtle threat only the Gaunts would understand. “Yes, wonderful to make your acquaintance. I’m sorry to cut this meeting short, but my husband and I were just leaving…enjoy your night.”

All three of them visibly flinch as you take a step forward, you reach down and take Ominis’s hand, intertwining your fingers as you pass them. You throw a glance over your shoulder to see all three of them watching you warily, you flash them a wicked smile in warning, enjoying their terror as the color drains from their faces. Turning back around dismissively, you and Ominis exit the building, apparating home once you’re outside.

Unlocking the front door, you step over the threshold, only to be yanked back by the hand holding yours. You squeal in surprise as you stumble into Ominis’s chest, his free hand cradling the back of your head as he crashes his lips into yours.

Ominis kisses you passionately, licking greedily at your bottom lip, demanding that you open up for him. You do, and he moans into your mouth as his tongue caresses yours gently. He takes a step forward, pushing you farther into the house so he can enter and kick the door shut. The hand holding yours releases you in favor of snaking around your waist to haul you closer.

Giggling, you tear your lips away for a moment to tease him. “My, what’s gotten into you?”

Chuckling lightly, he places another lingering kiss on your lips before replying. “I suppose witnessing you scare the shit out of my horrible family really does something for me.”

Laughing in amusement, you let him kiss you a few more times. “My love, how could you possibly tell if they were scared or not?”

He pulls back slightly, stopping only a breath away, his eyes hooded with lust as he speaks. “I could hear it. I don’t think my mother’s ever been so terrified in her life.”

You open your mouth to comment, but his lips press themselves urgently against yours once more, his hands traveling down to palm your ass. “Enough about them. Right now, I would really like to take you to bed, and not come out until the morning.”

“So impatient tonight, Mr. Gaunt.”

“My love, If you don’t start walking up those stairs this instant, I’ll show you ‘impatient’.”

“Oh, you promise?”

Ominis groans and grinds his lower body into you, head dropping to rest on your shoulder.

“You’re going to send me to an early grave, you wicked creature.”

#ominis x reader #ominis gaunt x reader #sebastain sallow #anne sallow #marvolo gaunt #ominis gaunt #hogwarts legacy #fanfic

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spaceyaceface · 9 months

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Gaunt Family Headcanons

Hi I have thought way too much about Ominis and his immediate family, and have come up with entire personalities and lives for each of them and how they interact with Ominis, so please enjoy this info dump.

Warnings: Abuse, cruelty, murder, suicide...

Cassius Gaunt - The Father

The name in Latin means "hollow" or "vain". Born in 1836. He was an intimidating man. When both of his parents died, he was left with the family fortune---or what was left of it. He forbade his sister Noctua from touching a single knut of the squandered wealth, and it was only because she didn't argue she ever stayed in good graces. He took a young bride, one of his second cousins, the moment her parents deemed her old enough to marry. A blood purist to the core, he wanted to make sure his children all knew the importance of the blood in their veins---the blood of Salazar Slytherin.

He had a desperate need for control, one that overtook him completely. As he children grew, he was quick to anger and 'correct' them in their mistakes. Magic was often used as punishment, and he was an expert of bending his children to his will. He encouraged competition between them, challenging them who could learn dark spells the fastest, preform them the best---but always favored his eldest. It was his worst kept secret.

His youngest, on the other hand... He had no love for. Whatever short supply he'd been born with had been used on the others already, and when Ominis was born, born blind, he had no sympathy. Of course, he tried to control him, just like the others. But he hardly mattered, in the long run. As long as he stayed in line, bowed down to his unyielding hand, there wouldn't be a problem.

Aurora Gaunt - The Mother

The name Aurora is the Roman goddess of daybreak. Why this name? It's so in contrast with Noctua. Born in 1847, Aurora was a young wife. Merely 16 when Cassius laid claim on her. She was an unfit mother. Manipulative to the highest degree. She could do no wrong---she was sure to make that clear. Any wrong movement could lead to an outburst of yelling or tears.

Ominis had not been expected. She wasn't planning on another child. But she adored the attention of being pregnant again, so she played the part of an happily expecting mother. When he was born, all hell broke loose. She screamed and fretted, and she was sure they tried everything---everything to cure his blindness. It was to no avail. When she realized that would be how it was, no matter what, she once again played a part---this time of the overly worried mother of the small pitiful blind boy.

She would tell Ominis how lucky he was to have her as a mother, how any other woman would have thrown him out, left him for dead. He was so dreadfully difficult to raise, she'd tell him. She loved him, she said, even if no one else ever would.

Marvolo Gaunt - The Eldest

The name "Marvolo" implies something "marvelous." "Volo" can also be taken as "I want", and in combination, may be read "I want to be marvelous." Born in 1865, he was the oldest of the Gaunts, and therefore, the promised heir of all their wealth. This led to him taunting and belittling his siblings constantly. In his eagerness to please his father, he quickly mastered dark spells and wasn't shy about using them---even on his kin. He was biding his time, a spoiled and cruel child, just waiting for the wealth to be his.

If only there was any wealth to be had.

By the time he came of age, it had all been spent. They had to start selling things, letting go of servants, just to keep the manor. His whole life he had been trained and told to be the perfect heir of the Gaunts, that he would live a life in luxury from his name alone. The cruelty and anger that had always been within him grew stronger and stronger.

It was a relief for Ominis when Marvolo found a cousin to take to wife and left the house, as he had been experiencing the brunt of his anger. His wife died after the birth of his second child, Merope, a fact he held against his daughter for the rest of his life.

Calidus Gaunt - The Second

The word "Callidus" in Latin means clever---a trait that the second son had plenty of. Born in 1867, he grew and discovered he was second in everything. Nothing he did was ever enough to please their father, and he grew to resent everyone in his house.

His cruelty wasn't as outward and bold as Marvolo's. Instead, it was carefully plotted. He'd sow seeds to arguments, spreading lies and rumors and watching from afar as the others came crumbling down. He grew to love the chaos he started, and it became his specialty.

He especially loved making Ominis's life harder in any way he could. It was easy to take frustrations out on him---he was so helpless when he was young.

Soon, Calidus moved out, determined to start life on his own. Like his brother, he took another cousin to wife. He used his skills in cheating and lying to start a shady business, and found success. The money he earned fueled his drinking, a habit he had picked up after marriage. He was the first of the Gaunt siblings to die. No one had heard from him in a while, nor his wife. A few short years after their marriage they were found dead in their bed. It was chalked up to a shady deal gone wrong. No one was ever charged for their murders.

Vidia Gaunt - The Dearest

The name Vidia stemmed from the word "Invidia", meaning "envy" in latin. Born in 1868. As the only daughter, she was treated differently. She wasn't pushed as hard to become anything, to be anyone. But she took after her brothers nonetheless.

Like her mother, she quickly learned that her emotions were the key to getting what she wanted. She threw tantrums like no other, feeling a constant need for attention. She was the youngest for quite some time---and she reveled in it. It wasn't a surprise that she hated Ominis from the moment he was born.

He took her attention from their mother. While she wasn't cruel with her actions, she used her words, belittling him and blaming him for everything that went wrong.

When she was whisked away and married off to a pureblood family, she was desperate for children. But that never happened. She was never able to conceive. Her husband was killed in a duel about 10 years after their marriage, and she was suddenly utterly alone. The small house she called home burned down in a bright blaze late one night, and judging from the way her burnt corpse was sat comfortably in her armchair, it was ruled as a suicide.

Ominis Gaunt - The Unwanted

"Ominis" is Latin for "Omen." Born in 1875, seven years after the next youngest, it was made clear from a very young age that he was a mistake. This, in combination with his blindness, made it feel as if the whole world was against him. In most ways, it was.

There was only one small bit of hope in his life---his Aunt Noctua.

He allowed her to change him. To steer him off the dark path his siblings had walked down. He had decided from a young age that he didn't want to be anything like them---Noctua's help was all he needed to follow through with that. She taught him the difference between wrong and right, and he forever regretting the wrong he had inflicted on others when he felt powerless.

He refused to be cruel. Refused to lead with hate, or envy, or pride. He wanted to be good. So he was.

He disowned his family name, taking the name Sallow because that was the only family he had ever known.

Bonus - Aunt Noctua - The Savior

The word "Noctua" means "Night Owl" in Latin. Everything that Aurora, the day, was, she was the opposite. The days that Aurora declared she's had enough, she was done trying to raise such a difficult child, Noctua would take Ominis into her home and remind him that he was worth more than he could ever know.

She taught him to read braille. To use that spell with his wand. To live. To love.

She tried to help each of the Gaunt children---but none of them would listen. None besides Ominis. She poured her soul out to him, determined not to let this child slip away like the others had.

Noctua never married. She disappeared, and her brother couldn't be bothered to look for her. But she'd left her mark on Ominis, a mark that would live with him always.

ANYWAYS there's my info dump, thanks for reading. This is the version of the Gaunt family I have for my Ominis fic Safety, and while I'm only touching on bits and pieces of it in the fic itself, I wanted all the thoughts and plans I'd made to go somewhere so here you go lol.

#i spent way to long on all this #ominis gaunt #ominis gaunt headcannon #ominis gaunt headcanon #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy headcanon #marvolo gaunt #marvolo gaunt headcanon #the gaunt family #the gaunts hc #ominis gaunt safety #ace talks

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sebastianswallows · 10 months

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A new family — Chapter 6

— PAIRING: dark!Ominis Gaunt x F!MC

— SYNOPSIS: Ominis gets tired of his family and how miserable life is with them after he graduates. So he follows Sebastian's example for once, and kills them in cold blood. Now that he has the mansion to himself, he discovers he would still like to have a family, but one of his own making.

— WARNINGS: none, but Marvolo gets dealt with 🍵

— WORDCOUNT: 2.5k

— TAGLIST: @littletealight @skarathewitch @myrachondria @mrimperio @ssnapsaurus @tarotwitchy-main @hufflepuff-16 @shameless0shenanigans @imaslytherpuff

“I knew it, you little rodent,” sneered Marvolo. “Couldn’t wait for your inheritance, could you? What happened, ran out of pocket money to keep your classmate interested?”

Ominis stepped further into the drawing room and took his cloak off, casting it wandlessly into the hook of the coat hanger.

“It’s pointless to get upset about it. Our family fortune belongs to me now, whether you like it or not. Not by any particularly legal right, of course, but I claim it nevertheless. And, not that you’re interested, but I already graduated last summer. We both did.”

“You’re still a brat,” chuckled Marvolo. “Still look as if you’re sixteen, do you know that? No, you wouldn’t, would you… You were spared, I suppose, of ever having to be confronted by a mirror.”

“Indeed, I’ve been spared many things recently,” said Ominis, circling around. He did not have his wand out to guide him, and yet he seemed to know exactly where the other two were, keeping a steady distance between the three of them and drawing Marvolo’s attention away from her. “In fact, I’ve taken the liberty of sparing myself from some of them.”

“And I’ll take liberties with your hide,” he growled. “Where’s mother and father? What’ve you done to them?”

“You never never good at Legilimency, Marv, so stop trying. Don’t want to give yourself a headache.”

Marvolo’s lip twitched at the hated nickname, but he ignored it. “Could ask your little bitch, then,” he said, taking heavy steps toward her. “After I’m done with you, she and I can have a very revealing time together.”

Ominis took that quite impassively. Not a muscle on his face moved, stuck as it was in a mien of disgust. His hands were tucked behind his back, and she couldn’t tell if he had slipped his wand out by now from wherever he held it. She feared what would happen if his brother drew first.

“Your threats are so hollow,” she said to Marvolo, turning to distract him. “You couldn’t protect your parents, you can’t protect your fortune, and now your little brother is about to throw you out of your own home.”

“So you lied to me,” he said with a smile. “You batted your lashes and claimed you knew nothing, and all along you were as guilty as my baby brother. Co-conspirators, is that it? I didn’t think you had it in you…”

“You have no idea what I have in me, but you’re about to find out.”

He laughed, loosening his arms and posture in what she recognised as preparation for a duel. “Oh, I’ll relish what’s inside you, not to worry,” said Marvolo with a grin.

He was fast, drawing his wand out to cast Petrificus at her — and she was half-right, it was up his sleeve — but she was faster. She raised it out of her skirt pocket, blocked the curse, and aimed Expelliarmus at him before he cast anything else. His wand flew off behind him, knocking a crack into the glass cabinet. It left Marvolo clutching his wrist in pain.

“Ow, you little bitc—”

Distantly, she heard Ominis call her name, but she would not ruin this moment by listening to him.

She could tell Ominis had spent years refining his hatred into something he could live with, but she had not had the luxury. She hated Marvolo enough to kill — for his cruelty, for his arrogance, for his lack of shame at what he had become — although she would not take that privilege away from Ominis and take Marvolo’s life herself. She did not have long to think before he lunged at her or retrieved his wand, so she did the first thing that came to her mind.

“Relish this,” she growled. It was a complex spell, and she cast it quite instinctively, letting magic flow through her and do the work in her stead. With a wave of her wand, Marvolo clattered to the ground with a chime.

“Wh-what happened?” asked Ominis, stepping cautiously toward her. He did, in fact, have his wand out in his hand behind his back. Now, he scanned the surroundings, frowning in confusion. “Where’s Marvolo?”

“Exactly where he was a moment ago,” she said with a bright smile. “Only a little more… compact.”

“I heard a sound. Did he break something?”

She merely laughed and stepped forward to pick him up. When she returned to Ominis, she wrapped his hands around the object: it was a teakettle. Ominis frowned for one second, but then his brows shot up. He fought against a growing grin.

“He’s not dead,” she said. “I didn’t know if that was what you wanted. But… unless he can perform wandless magic, he’ll be in this state for quite a while. And I haven’t told you the best part yet.”

“There’s a better part?” laughed Ominis. His cheeks were blushing and his smile made his eyes shine. He seemed exhilarated from what just happened, and even somewhat… flattered, by what she’d done for him. “Tell me...”

“He matches the others.”

The kettle that used to be Marvolo was bone-white, just like the tea cups, and quite evenly round in shape reflecting his sturdy body. From around his middle and curling toward the top was a screaming skull veiled in grey shadow whose mouth cut off right at the split of the lid.

Ominis burst into laughter. He never would have thought that she would do something like this for him… He was ready to do it himself, to kill Marvolo in fact, which was why he kept his wand hidden until the last moment. But of course, she was faster. It was only natural, seeing as she was far more experienced in duelling than him — and, needless to say, more than Marvolo.

“This is certainly… the most impressive Christmas present I’ve ever received.”

“Oh, that’s not your present,” she said softly. “Consider it a cherry on top.”

“I can’t wait to see the real thing, then,” Ominis grinned, gently cupping her elbows. “But, first I… I want to apologise,” he said, his smile dying. “I didn’t defend you when he said those horrible things about you —”

“Oh Ominis, that’s alright…”

“I didn’t want him to think —”

“I understand…”

“Didn’t want him to know how much I care about you —”

“I know, I —” She paused mid-sentence.

“— how much you mean to me…”

Her breath caught in her throat, eyes growing wide at his confession. She understood before then that Ominis felt something for her, but to hear him say it in that way, so raw and vulnerable and unguarded, moved something inside of her that until then had been still.

“I… I care a great deal about you too,” she said.

“I understand that,” he chuckled. “Not many people would kill for me, I think.”

“Remember, he’s not dead yet. We should be cautious about him.”

“Where’s his wand?”

They went together to the back of the room and found it laying on the floor. Ominis picked it up while she placed Marvolo in the glass cabinet, arranging his family around him.

“There,” she smiled. “A full set.”

Ominis waved his wand toward them to see and smirked at the display. “They go well together, especially with you in the picture, smiling triumphantly.”

“You can tell when I’m smiling?” she asked with delight.

“Yes, your cheeks get a little fuller when you do.”

She chuckled and came beside him. “What do you want to do with the wand?”

“I want to break it in half,” he said. “But we should probably keep it.”

“Alright. Where?”

Ominis thought it through for a moment. “Perhaps it’s unwise, but…” He went and put it in the cabinet as well, not far from the teapot that was Marvolo. “If he can undo the spell on his own, wandlessly, then he deserves to get out. That and I delight in thinking it will be right there, tempting him all the while.”

She couldn’t help but grin. It certainly wasn’t wise, but she had to appreciate Ominis’ lust for danger. It seemed to be a new part of him, now that he was free of his family, and free to become himself…

She approached him from behind and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “So, when can I give you your proper gift?”

“When I shall give you mine,” he said, turning his face half-toward her. “At Christmas.”

“Are you certain?”

“Only way to make sure you stay that long,” he smiled.

She did, of course. She could not imagine leaving now. Ominis had been a bit rattled after everything, and on a couple of occasions late at night she thought she heard him scream, but generally he was happier, more lively, and even… confident. He no longer showed off about anything in particular, either good nor bad, and came and went by as the mood struck. Sometimes they spent their mornings and lunch and had afternoon tea together, and other times when he wanted to retreat somewhere, he did, and returned to her just as at ease.

The week between Marvolo’s transfiguration and Christmas passed in a powder white whirl of snow outside while the inside was garnished green and red. She and Ominis decorated the manor, perhaps for the first time, with holly and ivy and ribboned garlands that hung over the fireplace. They spent a whole morning making paper chains to throw about the place, and little paper angels to set upon the tables. They had the elves bring in a pine tree and placed it in the drawing room, and lost an evening just to decorate it with tinsel and candles. Apples and walnuts tied with string stood in for globes.

“Doesn’t compare to the Hogwarts one,” she said as they stood back to admire it. It was the 23rd of December.

“Doesn’t matter,” said Ominis with a smile. “It smells just like it.”

They had a modest Christmas dinner of roast goose caught from a flock on the Gaunt grounds, with mince pies of meat and fruits and spices, and ended it with the traditional pudding soaked in alcohol and set on fire before serving. They helped themselves to Firewhisky from his family’s stocks and served it while playing music boxes of Carols that they’d bought from a muggle music shop.

“You know, I don’t believe I’ve spent this day with fewer than four people, ever,” said Ominis. “But this is the least lonely Christmas I’ve ever had, with you here.”

A smile bloomed on her face before she even knew it, and her cheeks felt hot. “I… that’s… I don’t know what to say. But, I feel the same,” she whispered, laying his hand over his. They were sitting on the floor before the fire, with plates of treats and half-drunk glasses of Firewhisky all around.

“I hope it hasn’t been a disappointment to you…”

“Not at all!”

“We can visit Poppy tomorrow, and stop by Imelda and Everett’s too. Or, anyone else, really. We’re free to go wherever we like now.”

“I’d like that,” she grinned. “I’m not sure I have presents for all of them, but I could put something together tonight… I hear Poppy is quite fond of poacher-sized metal cages that shrink.”

Ominis chuckled and laid back on his stretched arms. “Speaking of presents…”

“Oh,” she giggled. “Yes, I’ve yet to give you yours…”

“Do you want to go first?”

“I… I do. Wait here.”

She got up and took the package from where it was hidden beneath a cushion on the sofa — an unnecessary act, as Ominis had known about it since they dealt with Marvolo, but it seemed appropriate to conceal it. It made the act of bringing it to him that much sweeter.

She kneeled beside him and shyly handed him a small, rectangular box wrapped in green paper with a big white bow attached.

“It isn’t much, but…”

“It doesn’t have to be,” he softly said. “I still believe your handling of Marvolo was the greater present.”

“Well then, this one can only disappoint,” she laughed. “But here, it’s yours anyway.”

Ominis took it, passed his hand across its every surface, and then carefully unwrapped it. The box inside had a grey velvet finish and opened to reveal a pair of gloves. Ominis ran his fingers over them and frowned in confusion.

“Put them on,” she said excitedly, leaning forward to not miss a thing.

He did, slipping them on one at a time and fastening them with the little gold buttons that were at the inner wrist. At first, he didn’t react at all, but when he placed one hand down on the floor to steady himself, his brows jumped.

“Oh!”

“Yes?” she grinned.

“I feel… Oh, this is strange,” he laughed, fighting a grimace. And yet he couldn’t take his hand from the floor. “We have this ugly thing?”

“What do you feel?”

“I can taste the colour of the carpet. It’s… stale and muddy, tastes the way dried moss smells.”

“Oh dear,” she laughed. “I wouldn’t say that, but…”

“Where did you find these?”

“From a special shop. You needn’t concern yourself,” she said smugly. “I’ve tried them on for a bit, and mostly agree with the gloves. They don’t capture grey very well though, I think. Some shades are sweeter than they taste.”

“Well, I… shall have to decide that for myself,” said Ominis. He was still and measured in his movements, but she could see how bright his smile was, how wide his eyes. His hands now felt all around him in wonder, from the carpet to his tie to the box the gloves came in.

“Do you like them?” she asked.

“I love them,” said Ominis, turning to her with a sweet and vulnerable smile. “Thank you.”

“I’m relieved… Thought you might not like the effect.”

“I shall have to be careful what I touch,” he confessed. “It’s like having a box of Every Flavour Beans that never ends.”

“Do you think we could each wear one and compare how we taste? I-I m-mean how things taste to us…”

“I’d love that,” he grinned, not missing a second. “Which reminds me, it’s time for your gift.”

Ominis pealed the gloves off and put them back inside their case. She expected him to get up and take her present from its hiding place. Instead, he merely reached into his pocket. He turned to her, took her hand, and in the other he held out a small, black satin box.

It was too small to contain anything other than…

“This is my Christmas present to you,” he said with a shy smile. His voice on the verge of trembling. He eased the box open with his thumb and index finger, and tightened his grasp on her hand. “If you would accept it, I mean…”

“Ominis, what —”

“The only thing I have to offer you is myself.”

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