merrietj🫐

FULL ILLUSTRARION⬇️⬇️⬇️

SPEED PAINT ⬇️⬇️⬇️ This is the best I can to record the Speed paint, it crashes the file like 2 times, LOL enjoy.

They had argued right before class, when Ominis realised Sebastian had once again broken into the Restricted Section in search of a book that might help Anne. On top of that, Ominis couldn’t understand why Sebastian had dragged the Gryffindor girl into any of it. They had fought over her often—Gaunt would shout at him that she would ruin everything, that they barely knew each other, yet Sebastian was already ready to trust her with his secrets.

Over time, Ominis had struck up a friendship with her as well and made peace with her presence in their duo, but he couldn’t make peace with Sebastian’s recklessness, nor with the fact that he was pulling the girl into his dark schemes. Sebastian disagreed, they had argued, and now the three of them were stuck working on a group project together.

“Ominis, could you stir the potion a little less vigorously, please? It’s about to spill over the cauldron,” the Gryffindor girl said quietly.

“I am stirring exactly as the recipe requires,” he didn’t even turn his head toward her, though his wand gave an almost imperceptible twitch. “Some of us care about following the rules so we don’t end up with an explosion in our faces. Although it seems Sebastian has lately developed a preference for dangerous mixtures, hasn’t he? Ingredients that have no business being in this cauldron.”

Sebastian made a sharp movement with the knife upon hearing the furious whisper of his best friend.

“If you’re implying that I can’t choose my allies wisely, Ominis, then just say it outright,” the boy hissed. “But don’t forget—sometimes it’s the ‘unpredictable’ ingredients that save a hopeless potion. While you’re too afraid to deviate from the instructions by even an inch, we’re simply wasting time.”

“A hopeless potion?!” Ominis snapped.

“Mr Gaunt,” Professor Sharp’s displeased voice cut through the general silence of the classroom. “The lesson ends in five minutes. Keep your emotions in check until then.”

“I apologise, Professor,” Ominis muttered, dropping his gaze, but a few minutes later he continued, quieter now, addressing Sebastian alone. “You call ‘hopeless’ anything that doesn’t fit into your dangerous fantasies. You drag outsiders into matters that don’t concern them, destroying the one thing we have left—trust.”

Sebastian only gripped the knife handle harder, his jaw clenched so tight that the muscles stood out sharp along his cheeks.

“Trust doesn’t mean blindly following your fears, Ominis. If you’re too afraid to act, that doesn’t mean I have to stand by and watch everything fall apart.”

“The lesson is over,” Sharp announced. “Clear your stations, please.”

Sebastian flicked his wand, gathering the ingredients into pouches. Ominis muttered something under his breath, extinguishing the flame beneath the cauldron. The Gryffindor girl felt her own patience evaporate faster than the steam rising from the potion. She set the ladle down sharply, and it rang loudly against the rim of the copper vessel. Both boys fell silent for a moment, sensing the shift in her energy.

She wiped her hands on her apron, gathered her parchments into one decisive pile, and—without looking at Professor Sharp—ground out through clenched teeth, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “You two idiots, Undercroft. Now. If you can’t sort out your egos on your own, we’ll do it somewhere nobody can give us ninety hours of detention for your dramatics. Move. Right now.”

The trio left the classroom quickly. They made their way through the castle corridors, moving several feet apart from one another toward the Undercroft. The girl walked first—her stride quick and purposeful, blonde hair streaming behind her with each sharp step. Behind her came Ominis, wand raised, emitting a red glow that helped the boy navigate. He was scowling, breathing heavily, trying not to fall too far behind. He still couldn’t accept the fact that Sebastian had brought her to their hideout. Sebastian himself trailed behind them, hands stuffed in his pockets, head bowed.

At last the three of them slipped into the Undercroft. The cold walls echoed every furious footstep, the torches along the walls casting long shadows of all three. The girl waved her wand and conjured a table and two chairs facing each other.

“Sit,” she commanded.

“And why would I?” Ominis hissed.

“Because I am done being a buffer between your immature grievances,” the girl cut him off, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re both acting as though this castle isn’t big enough for your egos. Gaunt, sit down. Now. Sallow, you too. We’re not leaving until you learn to talk to each other.”

Sebastian sighed, rolling his eyes, but dropped into the chair regardless, throwing a defiant look at Ominis. Gaunt hesitated for a few more seconds, gripping his wand so tightly his knuckles went white, but finally sat as well, his back ramrod straight, as though on trial at the Ministry.

“Good,” the girl said, moving toward the exit. “I’m giving you ten minutes. If I hear the sound of spells rather than human speech when I come back—I’ll tell Professor Weasley where you disappear to in the evenings.”

She turned and walked out into the corridor, leaving them in a heavy, almost physically palpable silence.

Sebastian broke it first. He leaned back in his chair and began twisting a button on his robe between his fingers.

“She was incredible today, wasn’t she?” he said suddenly, and his voice carried a strange, almost theatrical tenderness. “The way she put us both in our place… You know, Ominis, I think I’m truly in love with her. She’s exactly what I need.”

Ominis flinched as though struck by a whip. Jealousy—sharp and cold—pierced him clean through. He couldn’t let Sebastian win this round.

“You’re as shallow as ever, Sebastian,” Ominis replied coldly, lifting his chin. “You only want another accomplice for your schemes. Whereas I… I see so much more in her. Her mind. Her patience with an idiot like you. If anyone here has any right to her heart, it’s certainly not you with your dark tomes.”

Sebastian leaned sharply forward, his eyes flashing dangerously.

“You?! You, who not ten minutes ago said she’d ruin everything? Don’t be ridiculous, Ominis. You’re simply afraid of being left alone, so you’re clinging to her like a lifeline.”

“What?! What can you even give her, Sallow, besides trips to the Restricted Section and the chaos you drag in your wake?”

“At least I can keep her entertained with adventures instead of sitting around with a permanently sour face and complaining.”

“Entertain her with adventures? You call constant danger of expulsion—or worse—entertainment?” Ominis’s voice broke into a hoarse whisper, thick with venomous contempt. “You’re not in love with her, Sebastian. You just need a mirror in which you look like a hero rather than the egoist you actually are!”

Sebastian shot to his feet, sending the chair scraping back with a crash against the stone wall.

“And you?!” he shouted, finally losing all control. “You hide behind her like a shield! It’s very convenient to play the saint beside her while I do all the dirty work! You talk about her mind, her patience… But you don’t know even half of the way she looks at me when you’re not around!”

Ominis rose as well, his face pale as chalk, the wand in his hand trembling with fury.

“Enough!” Gaunt cried. “Enough lying to my face! You’re doing this on purpose. You know how much she means to me, and you’re trying to take her just because you can’t stand it when I have something of my own, something… real!”

“Your own?!” Sebastian stepped forward, closing the distance to almost nothing. “She’s not your property, Ominis! And do you know what? I don’t even care about her! What drives me mad is that you’re using her to push me away. Again.”

“What are you on about?” Ominis faltered for a moment, thrown off by the sudden shift in attack.

Sebastian was breathing hard, studying the bewildered face of his friend, searching his eyes for something he desperately hoped to find there.

“Exactly what you heard,” Sebastian said quietly, stepping up until there was barely any space between them. Ominis didn’t step back. “You go on and on about how wonderful she is just to hide something else, don’t you? It’s easier to convince yourself you’re in love with a Gryffindor girl than to admit that you hate me for being the only one who sees you as you really are.”

Ominis’s brows lifted in surprise. Sebastian drew a slow breath.

“How do you—”

“I’m doing the same thing, Ominis. I’ve been spouting nonsense about her eyes because if I stop—even for a second—I’ll lose my mind from how desperately I want you to stop talking about her.”

The Undercroft fell so silent that the dying torches could be heard guttering. The ragged breathing of both of them merged into a single rhythm. Ominis went still, his fingers—which had been clutching his wand so tightly—slowly uncurled.

“You… You’re saying she means nothing to you?” he barely whispered.

“She’s my friend,” Sebastian breathed, not stepping back. “But she’s not you. And she never will be.”

Ominis slowly raised his hand and touched Sebastian’s forearm.

“You’re such an idiot, Sallow,” he said, and there was no anger left in his voice—only infinite exhaustion, and something that sounded very much like relief. “Because I’ve been trying to convince myself of the same thing this whole time.”

“So… What now?”

“I think it’s time we were both honest with ourselves, Sebastian.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” the boy whispered, tilting up his friend’s perpetually downcast chin.

Sebastian leaned in and kissed Ominis softly.