Unspeakable

Chapter 85: Breaking Ties

((There will be secret background audios of Connor and William on the tiktok (@intheshadowoflove) over the next few days as Connor works at getting his new bake shop in Hogsmeade))

Tw: descriptions of sexual assault and abuse

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Meanwhile...

Ominis wasn't looking forward to this particular round... because he knew it would be especially difficult for Diane to handle. It needed to be done though.

"I don't know if I want to do this." Diane said softly as she hesitated outside of the cave, looking between Ominis and Sebastian nervously.

"We can go back if you want to, but we should try and face our fears." Ominis said softly.

Diane rubbed her arm anxiously, looking out at the crashing waves. She knew she had to face it, but she'd pushed back the memories for so long. She didn't know how she would react if they were brought up. She didn't even know if she could bring them up. "You... may have to help me." She said softly.

"Of course." Ominis nodded. "Come on, sweet. I'll help you in whatever way I can."

"We both will." Sebastian said softly, running his hand through her curls soothingly. "You know you're safe with us."

Diane looked to him with wide eyes, remembering that moment in the alcove when she'd scratched the surface of this before. Sebastian had held her so tenderly and told her she was safe, she she'd felt like she was for the first time in a long while. She'd never really told him she used that memory as the trigger for her Patronus to finally work.

"Alright." She said finally after a long moment of silence.

"That's my girl." Sebastian said softly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead gently before Ominis led them into the cave.

They walked through the dark corridor until it opened into the familiar room again, Ominis repeating the same routine with the orb glowing softly on the ground, the three of them sitting around it.

"We saw your boggart, Diane. You were terrified." Ominis said gently. "I understand why... but you need to be more open with us about what happened."

"You told us some of it a while back." Sebastian looked down at the sphere anxiously before his eyes met Diane's. "But there's more to it, isn't there?"

Diane looked away anxiously, staying silent. "He... kissed me, and tried to hold me down. Pulled my hair, said that-" she looked down with a soft shuddering breath

"Take your time, sweetheart. We're here for you. We'd never judge you no matter what you say." Ominis said earnestly, hoping she could say it on her own.

She bit her lip as tears came to her eyes. "He said I'd never be good for anyone else." She said quietly. "That he owned me. And he always would."

Sebastian hissed softly and moved closer to her, taking one of her hands gently. "You know that's not true, right?"

Diane didn't look at him, her breath coming in a soft shudder as Ominis moved closer as well, touching his fingers to the bottom of her chin to make her look to him, his eyes flaring with his wand vision, adding a red glow to the cave.

"Diane. You do not belong to anyone. You are your own woman, you always have been, and you always will be." He said softly.

Diane made a soft sound, but looked away from him, unable to deal with the concern on his face. "I was so young." She said quietly. "Do you know how much those words terrified me? I was barely even mature enough to think about boys, and yet this man said he owned me. I was scared... and lost... and I hated to think that he was right, because I had nowhere else to go other than his house."