In the Brilliance of Longing | Ominis Gaunt

In the Brilliance of Solitarity

(a/n: y'all's support has been absolutely blowing me away! i appreciate every single one of you so so much, and i am so happy to continue to write for y'all! ilysm! ttfn.)

9:40pm - October 27th, 1891: The Room of Requirement

"Wait! Stop, I'm sorry," Ominis called after me. I had turned away from him after I told him to leave, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. My emotions were some mixture of anxiety, anger, and sadness and it was completely overwhelming me.

I now had to deal with a mystery impersonator on top of all my other responsibilities. How could a student possibly have gotten ahold of polyjuice potion to do so? My mind was racing through possible suspects as I walked deeper into the Room, completely ignoring the boy chasing after me.

"Love, please listen to me. How was I to know it wasn't you? They sounded just like you! They even smelled like you!" He reached for my hand, sliding his little finger around mine. I looked back for a tick before I tore my hand from his, stopping in my tracks.

Looking over my shoulder, I started with a low voice, "It isn't that you believed I betrayed you." I paused, fully turning toward the boy so he could feel the venom in my speech. "It's that you didn't even discuss it with me! Anyone in your position would have believed it to be me, but you didn't even confront me! Then, when I pointed out the obvious evidence that I didn't do it, you still needed convincing!"

"You are not shifting the blame to me, Katherine."

I sighed, frustrated with the situation. "That isn't my intent, Ominis. I just need you to leave," I explained as calmly as I was able.

He stepped toward me slowly until I could feel his breath on my face. I stared up at him, watching the rise and fall of his shoulders and the redness dissipate from his cheeks. There was a new darkness to his expression as he spoke. "You may let Sebastian walk all over you, but I will not let you do the same to me. I'm trying to discuss this with you civilly, dearest."

My breath hitched. I had never been cross with someone like this before, let alone Ominis. I didn't want my emotions to take over, but it felt as if a graphorn was trapped in my chest, and I could no longer hold it back. "I do not let Sebastian walk all over me! I never want to hear you speak to me about him again, do you understand? Leave him out of this!"

The darkness on his face was even more noticeable now, turning into a full scowl. "Don't you dare try to ssstop me from tsspeaking about him. You know nothhing about him!"

It was at this point that he began speaking in full parseltongue. Hearing him bring out such a hated part of himself, of his heritage, made me break. My body racked with sobs as I yelled at him to leave once more. He finally stopped speaking, and the last thing I saw was the familiar look of regret across his face as the Room's floors came alive, rippling and pushing him away from me and placing a wall between the two of us.

Leave it to me to lose two of my friends in one week. I sat on the ground and allowed my emotions to overcome me, and I cried. I cried for Sebastian, Natty and Poppy, and now Ominis. I cried for Professor Fig. I cried for myself. When I saw so bleary-eyed I couldn't see and so congested I couldn't breathe, I began counting my fingers to calm down.

In time, the new wall that had formed ahead of me came down, and the Room sorted itself into its previous layout. First and foremost, I needed to find out who Anne was speaking to. With the blowout I just had with Ominis, I was starting at square one. As for the Keepers, I hadn't an idea of what to do. I know a fourth would be preferable, but we were running out of time. I would focus on the impersonator first, then decide what I should do about the repository.