Arranged {Ominis Gaunt x Sebastian Sallow x MC}

{Part 8}

Ominis Gaunt, POV
~

I stood in front of the mirror within my office, not being able to see the reflection before me.

I had been adjusting my tie with nervous hands, I couldn't shake off the weight of my father's words echoing in my mind from our meeting the other day.

His threats and his manipulative schemes to not only ensure the continuation of the Gaunt bloodline but the securement of a new type of wizard for the upcoming war, it all hung over me like a dark cloud.

I cleared my throat as I tried to instil in myself my usual confidence. Even villains have their off days.

I stared at myself in the mirror, the image of myself that I had to envision through my unseeing eyes - the emerald green suit jacket fit my large frame perfectly, I began adjusting it slightly.
I rolled up the sleeves on my white button up shirt as I applied the cuff links to it, although this wasn't the wedding of my dreams I wasn't going to let my appearance go astray.

My father stood in view of the mirror, I could hear him strut and linger beside me, watching me prepare.

I glanced in his direction, seeing through the reflection of him in my mind, his stern expression etched with an unsettling mix of expectation and warning.

His presence alone suffocated me, reminding me of the obligations and the duties I was bound to fulfill, regardless of my own desires.

Beside me, my bride-to-be's image flickered in the mirror, her eyes holding a glimmer of something I couldn't quite decipher—was it anticipation, resignation, or perhaps a hint of defiance? Despite the arranged nature of our union, there was an undeniable tension between us, a silent exchange of unspoken words and stolen glances that hinted at something deeper, something forbidden, something foreign, or maybe I was just imagining it.

I needed to start looking at her as nothing more than a womb to house my powerful child. I struggled to picture myself in a father role, what type of father would I be? I knew back i before I went o Azkaban the type of father I would've been, but my judgement is clouded now. Would I be just like my father was to me? A cold unsupportive shell? Time would simply tell.

Over the past few nights, pieces of our fifth year at Hogwarts started to come back to me, memories that had become suppressed along with my old kinder self following my time in Azkaban.

But I couldn't let my mind linger on these memories for too long, I would lose myself and this tough skin I weaved to protect me.

My father would beat me again bringing out the dark urge in me, making my self aware self crawl into the back of my skull once more.

However this state of platonicness was freeing for this brief moment .

I pressed my hand to my face, calming myself and allowing my mission to be at the forefront of my mind. I needed to get through today and the rest would come easily.

"Pardon me, sir."  A guard entered my office chambers, the double doors shutting behind them.

I turned to face them, seeing as to what was so important she'd felt the need to interrupt me. "Yes what is it?"

"It's the bride, she's proving to be a lot more difficult then we'd hoped." She murmured, her eyes met with the floor not daring to stare in my direction.