Touched

Shadow of the Student - Fifth Year

Four years later

Ominis POV

Ominis and Sebastian sat in their dormitory in the Slytherin dungeons. Sebastian had spent about an hour now smoothing back his duvet and then messing it up again.

"You're making me nervous, Sebastian," Ominis snapped. "Would you stop pacing?"

"We've got this far into school without having to do any exams," Sebastian pleaded Ominis to side with him through his tone of voice. The boy rolled his clouded eyes and shook his head, glancing down. "I'm not looking forward to this school year. You know that."

"We go to the classes to learn the theory for a reason," Ominis tried to reason with him. He stood up from the bed. "We shouldn't be up here, anyway. The Sorting is soon."

It was the start of the year. Like always, Ominis had spent the summer with Anne and Sebastian in Feldcroft. Unlike always, Anne was still in Feldcroft with Sebastian's uncle. She had been cursed during the holidays when some goblins attacked the town. That's all the information Ominis had been allowed to have. He was still at Hogwarts when it happened, and none of them would revisit the story. Sebastian, since the incident, had become an absolute anxious mess. He wasn't used to being at school without his sister. Neither was Ominis, without one of his best friends, but he didn't think that was as important.

"I don't think I could bear to watch first years be sorted right now," Sebastian choked.

"We need to go," Ominis pushed. He felt for Sebastian's shoulder and settled his hand there. His skin was a degree below Sebastian's warmth, perhaps from growing up in such a cold household. There was symbolism for the Gaunt's cruelty in almost everything, including their son.

Sebastian nodded and reluctantly stood and walked towards the staircase with Ominis.

"Should be interesting," Ominis said, shrugging. "I heard Weasley say before that he released some sort of new recipe of his into the pudding."

Sebastian laughed loosely and Ominis pulled his wand out from his pockets under his robes.

As they made their way down the hallway and then up the stairs, they ran into Lenora, Poppy and Natsai and continued their way down with them. The girls giggled as they walked, bumping into each other along the way. Ominis heard them talk about boys they'd met over the summer and who they were at school, which houses they were in. It turned them into such giggling messes he almost cringed.

Sebastian lived for that kind of thing though. Loved the attention. Everyone knew about Poppy Sweeting and her hard crush towards the Slytherin. Ominis didn't need sight to know how she felt about him. How an innocent Hufflepuff found something in her for the 'bad boy' had everyone thinking it was a scandal. Ominis shook his head. He hadn't the time to think about it. That wasn't to imply that he never thought of looking for someone. Even so, his family would never accept him and his love for someone. There weren't enough pureblood families left.

Sebastian guided Ominis to a nearby seat at the Slytherin table.

"Are there many?" Ominis asked him, to which Sebastian shook his head and then rushed to say

"No there isn't, actually. Should be a quick one. Then I can go back down to the dungeons and freak out about the N.E.W.T's again."

"No need," Ominis waved him off. "We'll help each other and we'll get through it. Alright?"

He didn't hear Sebastian say anything but he did relay a heavy sigh. "We've gotten through four years already together I suppose."

"That is it for the Sorting," Professor Black called out to the students. "I trust you all have somewhere to be?"