#ravenwindwrites

Happy birthday @light-of-the-room

Word count: 2664

Lucy was just minding her business, doodling in her notebook a sketch of Hanno and Ominis smooching, HL paused in the background when she heard someone clear their throat. A very familiar sounding someone. Very posh, very British, very- 

“Excuse me Miss,” Lucy spun around, “would you happen to know where I am?”

 And came face to face with Ominis Gaunt. 

The silence that followed was deafening as Lucy gaped at him like a fish out of water. Ominis freaking Gaunt was literally standing in the middle of her room. 

In Hungary, of all places. 

How in the hecking hecks did he get here? 

Ominis frowned. “I said, do you know where I am? Or are you somehow deaf? Imagine my luck, traveling to some strange place and being stuck with a girl that cannot even-”

“How do you know I am a girl?” Lucy blurted dumbly. What kind of question was that? She of all people with her extensive knowledge of Ominis should know that he was a very keen sort. 

Yet in her shock she just happened to say the first ridiculous thing that came to mind. 

Ominis scoffed. “Is it not apparent? I do not want to sound pretentious or like I am delegating qualities to you, but the fact alone of your higher pitched voice, your smell, and how this room feels, does not feel very…” he paused for a moment as he thought this through. “It does not give the impression that it belongs to someone of the male gender.” 

Lucy would have pushed anyone else ,but Ominis? Well, he knew what he was talking about and besides, how else could he explain it? Also he was from the 1800s for goodness sake, and roles were more strict back then. What would he think of the 20th century? 

She laughed nervously, “Well you would happen to be correct. I am a girl! And you Ominis happen to be in my room, in Hungary, about uhhhh more than a century in the future.” 

WHAT A WAY TO WAKE UP @ravenwind-75 You finally broke the wall that had me hating him sm ("hate" is a strong word, but you get me heheh ) 💙🤍

Silver Spoons: Ominis x female reader oneshot

Wordcount: 2948

Warnings: angst, mentions of past violence

NO BETA YAY and not edited.

tag list: @whalesongsblog @heylorrain @rosewoodcafe @butternutt613 @zetadraconis11 @morelikeravenbore @girl-named-matty (cuz you like angst hehe) oh and @ps-cactus cus i shared the song with you.

------------------------------------------------

Ominis stood by his dresser fixing his tie once again, his skilled fingers easily tying the knot after years of practice. It was a mindless thing, something that drew his mind from what was coming. Something that shouldn’t be as nerve wracking as the anxiety it was inducing in him. 

Your family had invited him to a family dinner at your childhood home. He had yet to meet your family and it was something he had always been hesitant about. You, of course, didn’t understand why he worried, insisting that they would love him, that “they didn't bite.” 

But how could he know? Not everyone’s family was like them. If people knew his and their cruelty, they wouldn’t even hesitate to assume he was the same. How could he be sure it wasn’t the same? How could he be sure your family was as warm, open, kind and loving like you were? 

He felt for his cologne, his hand slightly shaking as he sprayed it on, breathing deeply of the familiar smell grounding him. The smell that clung to your skin, that said you were his no matter what. It doesn’t matter, he tells himself. Even if they hate me, she never will, she’ll never leave.

One by one, through your words, your comforting touch, your gentle kiss on his cheek as you thanked him for helping you fasten your dress, the insecurities in his heart were unrooted. 

You loved him, you were his, you were like the sun always shining, that was all that mattered.

Even if they were cruel, even if they were cold, even if they disapproved, your love burned hot. 

“You’ve got this Ominis, you’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met. They’ll love you, I promise,” you sang as the pair of you walked up the path to your childhood home, swinging your hands, fingers interlocked. 

He paused, pulling you close and brushing a piece of hair behind your ear before cupping your cheek. “As long as you love me, that’s all I need. Promise you’ll always love me?” 

You laugh softly, reaching up to touch the hand on your cheek with one of yours, “I promise.” You seal it by pressing a soft kiss to his lips, and it gives him the strength to knock on the door. 

~~

Their voices are kind, their bodies warm as they pull him into welcoming hugs that he has to fight the urge to tense from. They tell you the party is in the back garden and lead you through the house. His hands trace the walls as he feels his way around. His fingertips come across the edges of old wooden frames, likely holding your smiling face, the inscriptions reading your praises, moments frozen in time from your life. The day you left for Hogwarts, when you won the house cup, your Quidditch victories, the day you graduated. 

You were well loved, and he hates the slight pang of jealousy he feels, and the one of guilt that his family was the way they were. If only he had met your family when he was still 15, before the danger of being a Gaunt’s lover had affected both your lifes. Before he had to give a false name, a fake accent. Now no one knew Ominis Gaunt still lived, only Owen Grant remained. Perhaps someday it would be safe, and he’d be able to throw a party in a house of his own, as Ominis. But that was a foolish dream, meant for people not like him, people that had been loved. 

In a house where it was okay to play outside until the sun was low in the sky, a light left on to guide you in from the dark. Where you were called to the table where a warm meal was set for you. Where you sat around holding hands and shared what you were grateful for. A home.

As Ominis sat next to you at the long table under the warm evening sky, listening to your family visit and asking each other how their days had been, how his day had been, he found himself thinking about how rich you were. Silver spoons could never compare to the love poured into every spoonful of warm stew that steamed in his bowl. That was wealth, not heaps of gold.  

He laughs with you at the stories of you coming home with scrapes on your knees, always a clumsy one, tripping over things. But he can’t help but flash back to the memories of when he would fall,  because he’d been tripped or doubled over in pain, red lightning engulfing his small body. He’s so lost in thought he doesn’t hear what your mother asks you.

“Speaking of kids honey, when are you and Owen going to have any? I’d love grandkids, though I would love it if you got married first. People do talk, you know.”

You laugh, “Oh I don’t know mom. I have tried talking to him about it before but he isn’t sure he is able to.” 

“He’s infertile?” She asks worriedly. 

“Oh, no not at all…it’s just…” you trail off. You can’t tell them he fears his blood, fears his ability to be a good father because of the love he was never given. That he was a Gaunt, not Grant. 

Your mother turns to Ominis. “Why aren’t you able to have kids Owen?” 

Ominis doesn’t answer, and you touch his arm making him jerk out of his thoughts, his knee flying up and hitting the underside of the table making the good wine spill all over the white tablecloth. “What?...oh, oh no, I’m so sorry I-” he starts to stammer, panickedly dabbing at it with his napkin when they start to laugh. 

Ominis is thrown at how easily they brush it off, hurrying to help him clean it up, saying “oh it’s nothing. Could happen to any one of us.” Under his golden locks he still bears the jagged cuts of a glass bottle from the last time he’d spilled expensive wine, before feeling for every crystalline piece, whimpering every time one pierced  his small hand, staining the pale skin red. 

Was this how it was supposed to happen? In a normal family? Ominis was sure it was, but he couldn’t comprehend it. Even when he lived with the Sallow’s he eventually had to learn to walk on eggshells there too. This couldn’t be real, it must be an act. No one was so kind, except you. 

~~~~

After it’s cleaned up he’s offered second helpings but he refuses, his stomach turned with the resentment he feels towards the whole situation. He could fend for himself. He wasn’t incapable of cleaning up glass, he wasn’t too skinny as your grandma said. “No thanks,” he snaps, leaving you to apologize for him, causing his cheeks to burn with even more embarrassment. 

When you leave they still hug you both. They tell him he’s welcome any time, twisting the knife of guilt even deeper into his heart, and the unfair irritation grows at their fussing over you. 

Once you are in the carriage he can finally breathe in relief, free of the suffocating warmth. Your head rests against his shoulder as you ride in silence for a while, wanting to give him a moment before you ask the question that has been bothering you. 

“Ominis?” you ask tentatively.

“Yes love?” he’s gently stroking the back of your hand with his thumb, content and relaxed. 

He loves how sweet your voice is, like sugar, and smooth like liquid chocolate. It calms him, until he picks up the taint of concern in your gentle prodding. 

“What’s wrong? Why did you snap at my mother like that? She was just trying to help.” 

He tenses, an air of pride creeping into his tone. “It’s just she was treating me as if I’m incompetent.  I know I’m blind but I can do things for myself.” He huffs softly. 

“Sweetheart, it wasn’t that at all. We help one another in my family. Besides, you wouldn’t have spilled the wine if we hadn’t startled you with her question.” 

He pauses a moment, “What question?” 

He senses your hesitation, making his anxious irritation grow even more. “What question?” he demands impatiently. 

“She…she wanted to know when and if we’re going to have children.” 

Children. You were asking about children…again. 

He tries to take a breath to steady himself, to rein in the anger, the fear, the disgust. All the overwhelming and complicated feelings that surfaced whenever he thought about his line. 

“Darling, we talked about this. I don’t want to have kids, I don’t want my bloodline to continue.” 

You sigh, and he hates the pain hidden in it. “I know love, but I’ve been thinking...what if they aren’t like your family? They’ll be ours. We’ll raise them differently. I have an ancient power just like you that I can’t control, that I could use for evil but I don’t. Just like you don’t. It’s a choice, not a fate. We aren’t a certain way just because our families are. Because of where we’re born.” 

He hates how sensible you are, how reasonable and true your words sound. Because he wants to believe you, he wants to feel you swelling with his child, something that is part of you both, something that makes you more his and binds you completely. But he’s too scared of the risk. 

“It doesn’t matter!” he suddenly yells, making you jump. “You grew up being fed love by the spoonful, people cared to ask about you,to treat your wounds. You were cherished. I was kicked around, left in the dark and the cold to fend for myself. It doesn’t matter about my blood as much as it matters about how I was raised. I don’t know how to love a child, how to give affection. I have a terrible temper, most of the first years were just frightened of my presence alone!” 

You try to comfort him, to reach out and take his hand but he yanks it away from you, causing his elbow to dig into your side, making you gasp and tears spring to your eyes. Still, you try, your voice shaky as you try to soothe him, hoping to assure him that he did know how, he loved you. 

“Ominis…I understand and..” 

“How could you possibly understand!? Your mother did a great job raising you, my mother took one look at me and left me to the snakes to cradle! Your father would die to protect you, my father wanted me to die. You want kids? Marry someone else! Because I will corrupt every damn branch of this precious family tree you want me to become a part of! So leave it!” 

All the hope you ever had was knocked out of your chest, his cruel words, his jealousy and bitterness murdering the dreams you’d tended to so carefully. There would be no cottage in the countryside, no little girls dancing on his toes like you had, their eyes a reflection of his own. He would never play piano lullabies, or brush the sweaty hair from your face and hold your hand as you worked to give him the one gift you wanted to give him more than anything, his own family. 

“Okay, I’m sorry I brought it up. It won’t happen again.” He hears you whisper before you turn away towards the carriage window to watch the summer rain that matched your silent tears. 

He wished you would tell him off  like you did sometimes. To fight back with your stubborn fiery passion and not let him win. Your quiet submission and the smell of salt killed him. You were so sweet, he was mean. You were kind, and he was cruel. Maybe in another life he would have been like you. Had your big heart, been strong enough to keep getting up, brave to hope. Maybe he could have grown into someone good, someone worthy of love. But he didn’t.

He wasn’t. He was a hurt, lost, bitter boy born to a family that despised him. Taught to fear, taught to submit and accept life as it was, not what it could be. Someone who hurt others to protect themselves. Because it was easier being down in the dark dirt if someone else was too.   

~~

The apartment you share feels huge without your voice filling the silence, without your presence next to him, without your scent permeating into every crevice of his body. You’re not gone, you’re just…distant. You don’t speak, you barely eat and  you stay in your room while he sleeps on the couch. You didn’t kick him out, he just chose to stay there. He doesn’t eat at all, punishing himself for hurting you. Why did you love him, why did you stay? 

It’s been only two days but it could have been two years when you come out into the kitchen and silently start moving around, preparing something. He listens but doesn’t move from where he sits on the couch, disheveled and miserable. He starts when you speak, standing near. 

“Ominis, I made you some toast and tea. You should eat something. Please, love?” 

You…you made him something? He thinks of the glasses scattered on the floor, the bitter medicine that numbed his pain and feels ashamed. Here you were, checking on him, caring for him when he’s hurting when you’re the one who needs it most. He hurt you, not the other way around. And it hits him all at once, leaving him humbled and shaken, guilt deeper than the sea.

Ominis collapses to his knees in front of you, bursting into tears, his hands clutching at your ankles. “I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry love. I don’t deserve you, I don’t deserve this. Why are you-” but you cut him off, setting down the tray and sinking down to join him on the floor. 

He feels up the arms holding his hands to your face, bringing it to his so your foreheads lean together. He listens to your soothing cooing, as your thumbs brush away his tears as he rambles on about how you should hate him, how he thought you would leave, how you should. 

“Ominis, sweetheart,” you laugh softly. “Real love doesn’t have to be earned, it’s given.” 

“But why?” he whispers.

“Why what sweetie?” you say pulling back just enough to look in his eyes. 

“Why do you love me?” 

“Ominis Gaunt I love you because you are a loyal, extremely intelligent, moral, resilient, kind, gentle,and sweet man. You treat me like a lady, you are devoted and protective, and aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. You are honest, a trait I value more than anything. And you always aim to do what’s right. Here you are, not too proud to ask for forgiveness, which I’ve already given.” 

“Already given? I crushed your dreams, I was cruel with my words.” He protests, shocked. 

“My dream is you Ominis, children or not. And you were hurt and scared. It’s expected.” You reply simply, as if it’s the most easy thing in the world to understand. 

He kisses your forehead, before burying his face in your hair, murmuring against your neck.

“I love you. Merlin, you’re amazing. I don’t deserve you.” 

“I love you too,” you reply, gently rubbing his back. “And don’t worry about it. In another life we’ll have kids, in a better one. We don’t need them to be happy.” 

“No.” he says, determined to no longer be selfish. To look for the bright side like you. 

“No?” 

He removes himself from your hair and takes a deep breath taking your hands in his. “I want to try, I do., I want kids. I want us to be the ones making a better world, through more of you. The love you’ll pass to them will keep spreading light. I trust it will be enough to outdo my darkness.” 

“You’re serious?” You ask, barely able to believe your ears. 

“I’m serious.” And then he kisses you, soft and sweet and all is right in the world. 

~~

Two little girls dance in the grass as piano music drifts out the window until their mothers voice calls them in, sending them racing to get to the table first. One trips and skins her knee, her little voice full of tears. “I’m bleeding, I’m bleeding. I’m going to die! Mommy, Daddy help!” 

Her father scoops her up, laughing softly. “Love, this is only a scratch. It isn’t fatal, we’ll have it patched up in no time okay?” A bandage and a kiss later she joins her sister for a bowl of stew. 

“How was your day, girls? Did you find many frogs today?” Her mother asks, flying a spoon into their baby brother's mouth, the silver glinting in the late afternoon sun. 

As Ominis listened to his darling girls babble about butterflies, and frogs, and birds he couldn’t help but think back to a few years ago where he never would have thought he’d have a family. When he didn’t think he’d be able to love because he’d never had it and because his blood would destroy everything.

But we’re not always the product of the love we didn’t get as children, we’re the love we give away. We chose our lives, we chose our families. He chose her, she chose him. He gave her love, and she gave him children. Not Gaunts, but their kids, his kids, his family tree. One that would never not know love, and for that he was grateful for the most.

--

And they lived happily ever after...

--

In another world he had a happy family as an only child. He still liked his tea and quiet moments of solitude. Playing the piano and reading, with his glasses on of course.

His favorite color was green and he was still obviously a slytherin with a dark sense of humor, and a PG-13 mind at times. But he was less afraid to show it because he had a healthy life. He could flourish and he could grow. He could be everything that he never had the chance to be in his original world- the one cursed by canon.

He could be a nerd about Star Wars, Legos and video games and blast K-pop in his car. He was forgetful and a little bit accident prone, but that was OK because he didn’t have to live up to a standard.

But still Ominis didn’t feel like enough, except around her. She was like a ray of sunshine dropped right in front of him, a beautiful radiant sunflower. He’d never had any close friends, struggling to connect. But she made him feel like someone. Whenever he made deprecating jokes about himself, she would always make sure to tell him that he should say nice things about himself because he was smart and he was talented. She saw the good in him that he never noticed.

He wished he could be as fun as her other friends, because every laugh that came from her lips that wasn’t caused by him made him jealous. He wished he was good enough for her. He was so selfish and easily distracted by the online world, so easy to snap and lose his patience while she shone in the present and remained patient and kind throughout.

But most of all Ominis wished that the love he had for her didn’t just stay in his mind. He wanted to be brave enough to tell her that he loved her. That she was beautiful when the wind blew through her hair and that whenever they touched he felt a rush. How she brought the light to his darkness. But he never did and it was too late.

Word count: about 1468 idk

Characters: Sebastian Sallow

Warnings: Angst

a/n: No beta (wrote late at night) and unedited. You can thank all the tiktok edits of Sebastian to this song lately. And @heylorrain who introduced me to this song.

tagging @butternutt613 who wanted to see this.

—————————————

There used to be a boy who shone so brightly. A boy full of curiosity and joy. Laughing and frolicking with his sister on summer days, his best friend with a beaming grin beside him. Days at school spent pulling elaborate pranks, studying together long into the night. All Sebastian wanted to do was live, to live as fully as he could. To learn, explore, to see the world in its fullest. Sebastian had dark days, but that was before magic came into his life. He was too young to help his parents, too young to learn something that could have saved them. His uncle was old. He only knew the old ways. Sebastian was sure that there was something that he missed. His parents had always told him that books held the answers. And his uncle didn’t read.

When magic came into his life the world opened up so much more to him. He could create things at the flick of his fingertips. He could do the impossible. There were endless possibilities and he wanted to do them all. He loved the thrill that came with dueling, with controlling an element as powerful as fire with a thrilling whoosh of a simple piece of wood infused with magic. Magic that came from inside of him. His mother had called him her golden boy. And the magic he felt inside him, the magic others saw, was just as warm. Ominis had told him that one time.

“You’re like the sun, Sebastian. You’re warm and gentle, but fiery and explosive at times. But it compliments you. It fits you. You just have this essence, that’s pure, positive, and dependable. Bright. And you’re valuable to me, my most prized, only friendship. You have a heart of gold.”

Sebastian had ruffled his hair, and laughed it off, not knowing what to do with the praise. “You’re one to talk Mr. Golden hair himself. You’re more perfect than me. My uncle seems to think so.”

“You’re blinding, that's why. If I was any metal I’d be silver. Cold, pure, and reflective. Of you.”

Indigo:

~~~~~~

He was worried about her. She knew that. That she shouldn’t be here still. That she’d lose her way to the next place. Yet she lied to herself each day that she could find her way back to him. That this time her path would lead to life not death. She never should have left him, she never should have gone there when he asked her to leave his family to him.

Yet she did.

She wondered if her aura had changed. He used to say it was bright and brilliant. She used to feel it herself, the thrumming of life and power, of love. Now she felt colder, and lonely. It was so dark here in the in between. She didn’t know how the other ghosts did it. How they moved past it. The guilt.

Maybe it was time she finally went home, but she didn’t want to leave him here by himself. It wasn’t fair, why did they have to say goodbye? Why did she have to be dead and alone, leaving someone who needed her just as much and even more so?

…..

He gave her a piece of his heart and then tried to run from it. Run from her love. And when he finally accepted it he was so lost in the clouds of fear, he’d never seen that the sun would risk her light for him. Now he couldn’t feel her closeness, warmth at all.

When he heard the news his light had left him, his face paled. When her hand evaporated in his the clouds of his soul shed tears, bitter rain of sorrow.

Yet her death had given him some hope and faith that he could be free of them. That he’d be saved.

But at what cost? What kind of lesson was this?

Her death is my fault…

He’d lost his color. He lost his light. He lost his love.

….

She was the gold to his silver, the sun to his moon. He had never felt warmer than when he was in her presence. Soft curls wrapped around his fingers, her cradled against his chest, her lips pressed against his. She gave him the joy that he’d shared.

Now he was her warmth yet she couldn’t feel it. Just a wisp of frigid wind that made him shiver that he didn’t have the heart to tell to leave him alone. He wanted her warmth back, to feel her colorful aura.

Yet she begged him as he knelt on the cold stone floor, wand to his head, “Don’t take the life I fought to save. Live for me. You’ll come home to me someday. Patience remember? I can wait. Please!”

“I already feel dead so why can’t I join you?! I don’t want another sun to set without being by your side.”

But he’d stayed when she left. Many tears were shed when they said goodbye, one last brush of her hand on his cheek he felt her fade away, his wand pointed skyward doing nothing to sense her shape.

“Don’t say goodbye I’m right here. Please, I’m not leaving, not ever.” She’d said weeping softly.

He just smiled weakly, “Darling it’s better there. Go.”

It didn’t take long to convince her. Her spirit was tired. And they just kept painting each other darker.

He couldn’t move on with her here. And she got no rest. It was time to part ways with their ghosts.

“Goodbye Ominis.”

“Goodbye, my darling.”

…….

She’d loved the color indigo. She said it was what a twilight sky looked like. Where everything is half-lit and bathed in a hue between reality and a dream.

Maybe this is how indigo felt. Calm, sad and soft. An understanding, the deepest sense of peace yet a slow pain in the quiet isolation of her absence. On the edge of something unspeakable, untouchable.

A longing, a wish for connection out of reach, something impossible. Not a bright sadness but a certain kind of a melancholy that simply fades into the silence of darkness like the light of day.

Like she did.

His favorite color used to be gold, her brightness.

Now it was indigo.

Because In his dreams, when twilight came, she lived.

A Christmas Kiss || AU

Word count: 3000

No beta: fight me

Pairing: Ominis x Johanna

tagging: @heylorrain and @butternutt613 because they shared.

and @accio-bagel and @ps-cactus who helped me with ideas.

@leaping-toadstool-caps

and @anomalyaly and @zetadraconis11 for fluff therapy after reading ITSOI recently

...................................................

“Christmas is a time of coming together, of cheer, of laughter, of remembering what is most important to us. Think back on the year, the lessons we learned, and how we can grow and change. But most of all it is remembering the greatest gift of all, love…”

*******

Ominis Gaunt had had Christmas before. At Hogwarts and some with the Sallow’s, snug by their fire on a cold winter's night. They would sip warm glogg and warm their small cold hands from the snowball fights under blankets and on each other’s skin, just to hear each other shriek. Anne had been the cruelest of them all, chasing her brother with her icy fingers. He had fond memories of those childhood days. They had washed away the memories of lonely nights he’d spent in his manor the years before. His family had often gone off to parties without him, ashamed to be seen with their crippled and weak son. The only joy was when Aunt Noctua would return with a small bag of sweets that she slipped him when no one was looking. 

Yes, Ominis had many different types of Christmases but never had he had one like this- a Christmas alone.

Sebastian had gone off on a holiday trip with Poppy and Anne. Originally he was planning to just go with his fiancee but he couldn’t say no to his sister, especially when they hadn’t had a trip together since she got cured. Ominis was glad for them and couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Poppy trying to deal with those two. Anne’s mischievousness picked up a lot since Johanna was able to cure her last year after long months of study and travel. 

 And Johanna, she was back with her family..where she should be. Why would she spend Christmas with him?  He was just a reminder of Sebastian, who had broken her heart. It didn’t matter that his heart belonged to her when all she’d ever seen him was as a friend. His friend. 

Sebastian that bastard. 

With a deep sigh Ominis flicked out the lights and pulled on his jacket, closing his-her shop, and wished Penny well. As he pulled the door shut, the bell jingled brightly reminding him  once again of the cheer there was supposed to be tonight. 

“Mr Gaunt sir, Penny doesn’t want you to spend Christmas alone sir. Penny and Deek could keep you company. Penny is very at cooking and Deek could decorate and-”

“Don’t worry about it Penny, I’ll be fine. I enjoy solitude.”

“But sir no one should be alone at Christm-” 

Ominis held back a groan,“Penny…go enjoy Christmas with your husband. I’ll be fine.” Afterall, it’s not the first Christmas I’ve been lonely. He wanted to add. But never completely…

 It didn’t matter though. What was Christmas anyway? Just another day where people put on their best acts, their best clothes, and found another excuse to spend money. It didn’t stop people from showing their true colors as soon as it was over. The love, the gratitude, the fakeness was sickening. 

Maybe spending the holidays alone would be better after all.

*******

Johanna tucked her hands deeper into her pockets as she trudged through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade. The tiny shops were all decorated from top to bottom with gold and silver, with red bows decorating most doors and lights strung across the rooftops in a long line, as if making a trail for Santa Claus to follow. Did wizards believe in Santa? The thought made her pause a moment before she just shook her head and continued on her way. A ridiculous notion really. 

The moon hung high in the sky, sending a silvery glow over everything. It looked enchanting and so peaceful. A shadow flickered across the ground making her look up. She smiled at the sight of a thestral flying in front of it, carrying a bough of greens in her bill. Even they were celebrating in their own sort of way, carrying back their own gifts of love for each other. 

She nodded at the few couples that she passed but her smiles were half-hearted. She couldn’t help the sharp pang that went through her chest that threatened to bring tears to her eyes. It was so fresh. It was just a year ago that it had been her and Sebastian walking down these same streets hand in hand, before he had thrown her over his shoulder and tossed her right into a giant snowman. He’d made some joke afterward that earned him a snowball to the face. 

Ahhh Sebastian…

The boy he was. 

Hopefully one day he’d grow up. Maybe someday he’d think before he acted and grow the guts to apologize and not make ridiculous excuses for his behavior for once. She still loved him but gosh, when would the pain end? He was happy so she shouldn’t be jealous anymore. It wasn’t Poppy’s fault. He was with someone he loved. He had a healthy happy family once again, and heaven knows Sebastian needed it. 

But some didn’t have a family this Christmas. Or friends. Someone who needed family most. 

Don’t worry Ominis, I’ll be there soon. 

She was determined to make this the best Christmas he’d ever had. Ominis deserved happiness, he deserved to have everything he ever wanted. After all, he’d done so much for them over the years. Sebastian was a free man, she was safe from his family after he turned them in. It was wrong that he should find himself alone this holiday. Or anyone for that matter. She had a few stops to make first but she would be there when he woke. She would make sure of it.  

And with that thought in mind, she continued on her journey. 

…..

Waking up to the sound of soft humming and the smell of gingerbread was definitely not Ominis’s plan for Christmas morning. At first, he thought it must be an intruder, but then he realized anyone with evil intentions wouldn’t have let him live or would have left, not stayed to bake cookies. Secondly, he thought Penny had ignored his request and decided to come anyway, but since when had house elves sounded so angelic? 

With an annoyed sigh, he rolled out of bed, ran a hand through his hair briefly to straighten it, and felt for his wand before making his way into the living room, the pulses of light guiding his way. The sound of singing grew louder as he approached the kitchen. He turned in its direction and cleared his throat, preparing himself to scold whoever had invaded his space. 

“Oh, Ominis! Good morning!”

Oh…This had to be a dream. There was no way it could be her standing in his kitchen smiling, based on the sound of her voice. He pinched himself and when nothing changed he realized that she was really there. His brief elation was interrupted by the thought that she was here with him. 

“Shouldn’t you be at home? With your family?” He asked rather sharply. 

“Should I?” She asked lightly, continuing to stir whatever was in the bowl she was holding. “I didn’t know that.” 

“Yes! You should be spending Christmas with them, not me!” 

“And why can’t I spend Christmas with you?” 

“Because-because I-….” Ominis struggled for words. “Because I’m…. not your family. You should be with those that are special to you, not me. Don’t take pity because I’m alone.” 

He hated how his voice was empty and cold. But he couldn’t help but feel offended by the fact she might have come here just out of obligation, to make him happy. It didn’t matter if he was happy or not because- 

“Well, good morning to you too!” She laughed. “I think someone hasn’t been eating enough sweets lately. A bit sour are we?” 

“Hey! I am not!” 

“Are too!” She shushed him and put a dollop of whipped icing on his nose, laughing at the frown he gave her and how he fought back the smile that twitched on his lips.

He tried to be upset with her and continued to protest as she made him breakfast but he couldn’t stay angry at her for long though; her adorable laugh filled him with a warmth that nothing else could compare to. 

Not even the smell of gingerbread, the rays of the sun, or the sound of a carol could match it. No, she was a different tune entirely, a different everything. She was his everything.

….

Johanna watched him eat and listened to him share about how the shop was faring. She was glad to hear the shop was doing well and was thrilled Penny and Deek were finally married. She wished she could have been there. She was glad he was well but her heart was heavy from what he had said. He didn’t actually think he wasn’t important to her, did he? 

Ominis gladly seemed to relax as he shared with her and that nervous slightly angry expression had melted into one of comfortable ease. Smirks and flickers of contained laughter moved over his face when it was her turn and she recounted her recent struggles with nifflers stealing all the golden baubles from a Christmas tree shop. His brown creased with concern however when a shiver ran through her. 

“Johanna, are you alright?” 

“I’m fine,” she said immediately, not wanting to worry him. However, the lie didn’t go undetected. 

He sighed. “I told you before not to lie to me. You’re cold aren’t you.” It was more of a statement than a question and since she was caught she decided to tell the truth. “Yes, I am cold. Why on earth don’t you have some kind of heat on? It’s wintertime. Plus I had to trek here in the snow.”

Without a word he stood up and walked to the bedroom, returning with a blanket. “Sit,” he said, gesturing to the sofa by the empty fireplace. 

“But the cookies-” she began to protest. 

“Don’t worry about the cookies. I’m perfectly capable of taking cookies out of an oven. Sit.” He insisted. 

With a reluctant grumble, she sat down, but couldn’t help but sigh in relief when he tucked the blanket snuggly around her. It was the one she had made him sixth year. She was touched that he had kept it for so long. 

“Now stay here,” he ordered before pulling on a coat and stepping outside. 

She relaxed into the blanket's warmth, but the sound of voices outside made her perk up. It sounded like someone was arguing. She was about to get up when he returned inside, awkwardly carrying some wood. 

“Don’t,” he said, as if he could sense she was about to get up to help him. “It’s my fault you’re cold. I tend to keep the house cold in the winter.”  

“I thought you didn’t like the cold.” She asked as he began to place the wood into the fireplace.  He laughed, a bit embarrassed. “I guess I’m just used to it.” He stepped back, pointing his wand at the fire. “Confringo!” Soon the fire was roaring and the heat spread through the room, chasing the cold into the corners of the small flat. 

Before she could ask what had happened outside the smell of the cookies wafted over. “They’re probably done, are you sure you don’t want me to get them?” 

“I’m sure. You stay warm.” Ominis headed into the kitchen and she watched as he carefully removed them, placing them on a plate before feeling his way around the kitchen for cocoa. Eventually, he came and sat beside her, wordlessly handing her a glass, and placed the plate of cookies between them on the blanket. They sat in silence for a while before Johanna finally spoke. 

“Who was outside?”

Ominis stiffened. “It was Sebastian. He heard you were here from your mother. He came to apologize. I figured you didn’t want to see him so I sent him away. He got angry.” 

…

Ominis heard a light sigh escape her lips. “Oh… well, I’m glad he finally came to his senses, even if it took a year.” She laughed, though the sound was bitter. Ominis felt his heart sink. He knew that Johanna was still hurt by Sebastian's affair, and he wished he knew how to make it better. He longed to tell her how much he loved her, but the words caught in his throat. He realized that to express his feelings now would be selfish. 

Boldly, he reached out and gently took her hand, causing her to suck in a breath of surprise. He usually didn’t like physical contact, but with her, it felt different. He appreciated the gentle touches of encouragement she offered, the surprise hugs, and the accidental brushing of hands. It had been too long since he felt her presence, and he craved it. At the same time, he wanted to comfort her, just as she had done for him countless times.

“I’m sorry he broke your heart, Jo. He didn’t deserve your love, especially after taking it for granted like that. A love like yours is rare. You care deeply and passionately for people, giving everything you have for them and remaining loyal to a fault. You deserve someone who can cherish your love and return it just as deeply. You deserve to be happy with someone special. 

He sighed. “If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. I’m sorry I didn’t do more before; I was afraid of getting in the middle. But I’m not afraid anymore.” 

Her silence was deafening but her pulse pounded faster against his fingertips. He worried he went too far. Had she caught on to his feelings? Did he scare her off? 

Finally, she spoke, her voice a little shaky but also steady. “Ominis, I didn’t come here out of pity. You told me that I should be with my family—people who are special to me this Christmas. I hope you don’t think you’re not special because you are. You are very special.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was he really special to her?

She continued, “I know you feel like you’re not worth anything because of how you were treated as a child. But you are worth a lot. You’re not the only one who always gives of yourself. You gave Sebastian a second chance even when he didn’t deserve it. You comforted me and stood by my side through all the drama that happened after fifth year. You just told Sebastian to leave for my sake, even though I’m sure you wanted to see him for Christmas as well. You deserve to have a good Christmas. You deserve to be with someone who cares about you, not to be alone. That’s why I came, Ominis. Not because I pity you, but because you are special to me. Even more so than my family because—because…”

He struggled to breathe, concentrating solely on her beautiful voice and the words she spoke. He fought back the tears threatening to spill and willed his heart to return to a normal pace as he waited with bated breath for her to say the words he longed to hear more than anything.

“Because I love you.” She whispered. 

…

“Because I love you.” She had finally said it. The words she longed to say for months. Yet now she wondered if she should have because of the way Ominis was gaping at her like a fish. She nearly snorted at the expression but the anxiety of what he might be thinking made the laugh die in her throat.  

“Omi-?” 

“You love me? Me?” he whispered, tears spilling down his cheek, making her heart ache. She scooted closer and took both of his hands in hers. He tensed at first but relaxed slightly when she began to rub soothing circles into the backs of his hands with her thumbs.

“I do. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner, but you were always there, loving me quietly. You noticed things no one else did, and slowly, you won my heart. I was a fool to give it to Sebastian when I should have given it to you.” Her voice was genuine and soft.

“I don’t know what to say. You come here, leaving your family on Christmas, wake me up by baking the most delicious cookies I’ve ever eaten while singing in the loveliest voice known to man, and then you tell me you love me. I don’t have anything for you. No Christmas gifts, nothing,” Ominis rambled, flustered and pink with shame and confusion.

“Ominis the best gift is just being here with you. And having your heart, but if you don’t feel the same way that’s fine. I’m sorry if I ruined everything by saying so and-” 

“No!” he shouted, causing her to jump and pull away. A grimace crossed his face as he felt a pang of guilt. Gently, he took her hand again and took a breath before continuing, his voice much softer. “You didn’t ruin anything. Not one bit. You’ve made me the happiest man alive because... I love you too, Johanna.” He lifted his gaze and somehow found her eyes.

“You’ve held my heart since that day in the catacombs all those years ago. I just didn’t think you’d want to be with someone like me. Even when I realized my past didn’t affect how you saw me, it seemed like you were happier with Sebastian. He was stronger and made you laugh. It’s so overwhelming to hear that you feel the same way.”

“I do.” 

He leaned in and they shared a gentle kiss, under the mistletoe Johanna involuntarily conjured with her magic, the small green and white plant clinging to the wooden beams above them. It was the most magical thing Johanna had ever experienced in her life. 

The best gift. 

Killer Queen

March Madness server fic event

Word count: 1490

Warnings: mild violence, death, and bodily fluids.

Authors note:

People wanted Adelia to be set free. So I have done that for them. But they had to learn the consequences of the *madness* this girl has.

So I have included some of my friends who love Adelia’s characters in here. (With their permission btw)

@heylorrain Melione and Lorrain

@butternutt613 Diana

@anomalyaly Elsie

@morelikeravenbore Aurelie

@bookie-bookdust Lucia

@galaxiasgreen Gibby

Banner by @rypnami

She was beautiful with emerald eyes and soft blonde hair that flowed around her shoulders. She had to be the most beautiful girl in all of Hogwarts. All the boys loved her, her sweet smile, the sweeter smell of apples that clung to her skin like it was emanating from her pores. They tripped over themselves to serve her, her precious pets wrapped around her finger on an invisible leash.

Garreth was always sneaking out to get her ingredients from the forest, as he hated to see her cry when she complained how she feared the woods at night yet needed something for the new potion she was making. And she would always let him help and would help him with his brews out of her grateful heart.

Sebastian carried her books and helped her keep up on her notes, dark circles under his eyes. But his eyes were full of so much adoration that every girl in Hogwarts wished they were on her.

All the girls wanted to be her. Because with her walking the halls it was hopeless to find a boyfriend. Even Ominis caved her to every request, Amit made her his star, Duncan fetched her a leaf himself just because she glanced his way. She had the best clothes too,and her skin! Oh it was flawless.

Adelia Gray was the epitome of perfection but there was something off about her. Everyone she encountered seemed to vanish. But no one ever remembered. They just knew to be wary when she talked to them, not knowing if it was because of her beauty or because of the warning bells.

Her birthday was coming. She would be 17 on the 31st of October. Everyone loved Halloween and this year would be particularly special. She had requested a ball and the Headmaster agreed. Even he was infatuated with the girl, she got him to do things others could not.

“Everyone shall be invited,” she called sweetly, the gentle French accent making everyone sigh. “I consider all of you my friends here. It is rare we get such celebrations, and I want to make sure to see everyone before I go because once I am 17 I will be leaving you.”

A chorus of disappointed voices rose but was silenced when she raised a delicate hand.

“You all know I arrived later than all of you here, not even in September because of my birthday. It made it difficult for me to fit in, made it difficult for me to catch up but now, now I’ve made it. So we will have a last hurrah for me, so I can thank you all for your amazing hospitality.”

Everyone cheered, it would be a party to remember.