Trial of Time: A Hogwarts Legacy Story

(P2) Chapter 2 - The Visitor

I wake up in the morning still feeling tired. The sun is a dark orange as it begins to rise in my bedroom window. I yawn, pulling on an old jumper and making my way to the kitchen. I haven't even looked at my hair yet, but I know it's a mess. I pull it out of my face and put some tea on the stove.

Suddenly there's a soft knock at my door. I jump since I'm not expecting anyone. Living as an Auror really puts you on edge, especially when unforeseen visitors show up at odd hours.

I peer through the peephole and see a very familiar face. Dark blond hair, slicked back. Dressed in an expensive looking coat and slacks.

I fling the door open and embrace him. "Ominis!"

"Thank Merlin. I was hoping I had the right apartment," he smiles.

I usher him in and guide him to the sofa in my living area. "Would you like some tea? I just put it on," I ask. He nods, "that would be lovely, thank you. I'm so sorry to intrude at such an hour."

"No intrusion here, I'm just happy to see you in person. What's it been, three years now?" I walk back to the kitchen. Ominis smiles, "something like that I suppose."

I fix our tea and hand him his cup before I plop down in the armchair across from him. "So, Mr. Gaunt. What brings you to my lovely abode?"

He takes a sip of tea, and starts to speak, but then immediately stops himself. His entire demeanor has shifted from light to dark. "Cirilla, I... I don't really know where to begin. The reason I'm here is very important. And you're one of the only people I trust who have any capability to assist me."

He clears his throat and takes a deep breath. "After Victor Rookwood died, my family developed some connections to the remaining Ashwinders. A Dark seer called Rinalla contacted my family about a vision she had. One that predicts that the greatest Dark wizard of all time will descend directly from the Gaunt line."

I sit there, speechless. Ominis continues.

"I only know about the prophecy because one of my family's house-elves, Mimsy, overheard Rinalla and my father speaking about it. I trust Mimsy, she's been nothing but loyal and kind to me since I was a child. I made her promise when I left home that she would come to me if she ever heard of my family plotting anything nefarious or destructive. Unfortunately, she was summoned to my mother's chambers before she could hear the entirety of the conversation. She came to me immediately after, and I'm glad that she did. Apparently my father pulled some strings and was able to hide the prophecy itself away at the Ministry for safekeeping-"

"In the Department of Mysteries," I interrupted, swallowing hard.

Omnis nods, "Precisely. Only a person who is directly associated with a prophecy can remove it from the Ministry. Only a Gaunt can retrieve it."

I think I see where this is going. "I'm guessing you need me to help you get in and retrieve the prophecy without anyone knowing?" I ask.

"Yes," he confirms, "my father has many friends at the Ministry, and if he discovers it's been taken... he will know it was me, and they will hunt us down. We cannot be seen."

"Why do you need this prophecy? Is there something we can do?" I ask inquisitively.

"I think that if we can get our hands on it, we may be able to find something to prevent it from coming true. Or, at the very least, figure out a way to fight the Dark Lord. Maybe it will give us a timeline as to when they will be born or who exactly they will descend from..." Ominis trails off, a pensive look on his face.

"The 'Dark Lord'?"

He clenches his jaw. "They will call him that. And from the sounds of it, this 'Dark Lord' will attempt to purge the world of Muggles, Muggleborns, and essentially any person or creature that has no value to him."

Ominis looks uncomfortable and shifts a bit in his seat. "Chaos, war... genocide. That is what awaits our world if we do nothing to stop him."

As much as I want to reason with Ominis about this, I know he's telling the truth. Plenty of elite families and Dark wizards still have their hands in the Ministry. I know for a fact it's impossible to catch them all, hiding in plain sight. Suddenly I can't breathe as I consider the possibility of this 'Dark Lord' gaining access to the ancient magic repository underneath Hogwarts.

A moment of complete silence passes between us.

"I'll do it." I state, blankly.

Ominis turns his head towards me and smiles. "Thank you, Cirilla. I knew you would want to help."

Ominis reaches out, placing his teacup on the coffee table between us. "There's... one more thing," he shifts uncomfortably again. 

"We need to go to Hogwarts and find Sebastian. With his knowledge and experience, he may be able to help us analyze the prophecy and find a solution. He was always great at sneaking around, so he may be able to assist us with infiltrating the Ministry undetected. You know you can't go with me as yourself because you could be identified easily."

I hesitate and shift in my seat. "Ominis, I don't know..."

He inhales sharply. "Look, I don't exactly know what happened between you two. He refuses to talk about it, even to this day. But I am asking you, as my friend, to put all personal matters aside for now and help me find a way to keep the wizarding world in one piece. Please."

I bite my lip, hesitating. He's right. I promised Professor Fig and the Keepers that I would do whatever it takes to keep the repository under Hogwarts safe and undisturbed.

"Okay."