The Story of Ominis Gaunt //Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 1 - 1

⚠️ Caution! I'm not a native English speaker. I used the translation function for the English text. The original Japanese text is placed below☺︎

A still mist was about to descend to envelop the pitch-black spires of the castle. Not a leaf moved in the trees of the Forbidden Forest, and the castle was shrouded in silence, as if even the ghosts had gone to sleep. At this moment, only one person was awake in the castle. The boy was sitting in the Slytherin common room in the basement of the castle, not even twitching in his chair near the fireplace, which had been extinguished.
　He was a dark-blonde, pale-skinned boy. If the fireplace had been burning red-hot, you could have clearly seen that both of his eyes had gone blank. The boy suddenly shuddered and pulled the collar of his nightgown together. He didn't need light, but he did need heat - the boy pointed his right-hand wand at the fireplace - but, as if on second thoughts, he stopped moving and tucked it into the pocket of his gown.
　His Slytherin classmates must have wondered if they'd noticed Ominous Gont up this early in the morning. It was the last day of term and there was no homework to rush through.

'Come on, do it.'
　Omnis told himself. 'I don't want to put it off any longer, get tangled up like an idiot and have people stare at me thinking I won't notice. It had been five years since he'd been at Hogwarts, and it still happened when Ominis was in a common room full of upper and lower year students. When the new students come in for the new term, we'll hear that sickening hissing again - "I can't believe that famous Gaunt can't walk without his cane up at all times!"
　At that moment, Ominis heard what sounded like a small clatter, and his ears perked up. Was it a Hogwarts House-elf ? Or - was it something else that Ominis didn't know?
　Ominis waited with bated breath for a moment, hoping to hear the sound of a House-elf rummaging for scraps of paper, or a student's presence being noticed and then disappearing. Gaunt Manor has more house-servant fairies than most houses in England, but it would lose out to Hogwarts, Ominis thought. There must be well over a hundred House-elf working here, but they were very good at killing any sign of themselves.
　A few minutes later, Ominis sat back in his chair, satisfied that the common room maintained perfect silence. Nevertheless, at any moment, one of the students could wake up and come out into the common room for a quick cup of tea.
　Ominis carefully spread a piece of parchment on the round table, then took a quill from his pocket and placed it on it. Ominis coughed.
'Addressed to, Mr Gaunt .......'
　Ominis's low voice broke the silence in the common room. The quill scooted up onto the paper as if it had come to life, and began to fly as it heard Ominis' words.
'Dear Sir - I am sure you have already heard that my schoolmate, Sebastian Salow, has been expelled from Hogwarts for using a death spell. His trial was supposed to take place within the next day or two, but a week has passed, two weeks have passed, and for some reason it has not taken place. According to Headmaster Black, Sebastian is still in Azkaban custody. So, I need a favour..."
　Suddenly Ominis cut off his words. He looked up at the ceiling as if seeking air and blinked several times. Then he spoke again.
'─ ─ I have a favour to ask of you, father. Could you please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, through Gaunt's contacts, and see if you can temporarily release him from detention or find out why he can't have a trial ──────. Please, I beg of you. Signed, Omnis Gaunt'

　じっとりとした霧が、城の真っ黒な尖塔を包むように降りようとしていた。禁じられた森の木々は木の葉ひとつ動かず、城の中はまるでゴーストまでもが眠りについたかのような静けさに覆われていた。今このとき、城で起きているのはただひとりだけだった。その男子生徒は、城の地下にあるスリザリンの談話室で、火の消えた暖炉近くの椅子に、身じろぎもせず座っていた。
　ダークブロンドの、青白い肌をした少年だ。もしも暖炉の炎が赤々と燃えていたなら、彼の両眼が白濁しているのがはっきりと見えただろう。少年は不意にブルッと身震いして、ナイトガウンの襟を引き合わせた。彼に光は必要なかったが、熱は必要だった───少年は右手の杖を暖炉に向けた───しかし、思い直したかのように動きを止めると、そのままガウンのポケットにしまった。
　こんな早朝にオミニス・ゴーントが起きているのに気付いたら、スリザリンの同級生たちは訝しがるに違いない。今日は学期の最終日で、急いで仕上げるべき宿題も無いのだから。

「さあ、やるんだ」
　オミニスは自分に言い聞かせた。これ以上先延ばしにして、馬鹿みたいに絡まれたり、バレないと思ってジロジロと見られるのは御免だ。ホグワーツに入学してもう五年になるというのに、上級生や下級生でいっぱいの談話室にオミニスがいると、今でもそういうことが起こるのだった。新学期に新入生が入ってきたら、またあの、ウンザリするようなヒソヒソ声を聞くことになるだろう───「あの有名なゴーントが、常に杖を掲げないと歩けないなんて！」
　そのとき、カタンと小さな物音が鳴ったような気がして、オミニスは耳をすませた。ホグワーツの屋敷しもべ妖精だろうか？それとも───オミニスの知らない、別の何かか？
　屋敷しもべ妖精が紙屑を集めるガソゴソという音、あるいは生徒の存在に気づいてバシッと姿くらましする音が聞こえないかと、オミニスはしばらく息を潜めて待ってみた。ゴーント邸にはイギリスの大抵の屋敷より多くの屋敷しもべ妖精がいるが、ホグワーツには負けるだろうな、とオミニスは思った。ここではゆうに百を超える屋敷しもべ妖精が働いているはずだが、彼らは自分の気配を殺すのがとても上手だった。
　それから数分後、談話室が完璧な静寂を維持しているのに満足して、オミニスは椅子に座り直した。とはいえ、いつ生徒の誰かが目を醒まして、ちょっとお茶を飲みに談話室に出てきてもおかしくない。
　オミニスは丸テーブルの上に羊皮紙を丁寧に広げ、それからポケットから羽ペンを取り出してその上に置いた。オミニスは咳払いした。
「宛名、ミスター・ゴーント......」
　オミニスの低い声が談話室の静寂を破った。羽ペンが命を吹き込まれたかのようにスクッと紙の上に立ち上がり、オミニスの言葉を聞いて飛ぶように動きだした。
「拝啓─── すでにお聞きおよびのことと存じますが───私の学友、セバスチャン・サロウが、死の呪文を使ったかどでホグワーツを退学になりました。裁判は一両日中に開かれるはずでしたが、一週間が経ち、ニ週間が経っても、なぜか行われていません。
　ブラック校長によれば、セバスチャンは未だにアズカバンに拘留されたままだといいます。そこで、頼みが───」
　突然オミニスは言葉を切った。空気を求めるかのように天井を見上げ、何度か瞬きした。それから、また口を開いた。
「───父上に、頼みがあるのです。ゴーントの伝手で、魔法法執行部にかけあい、一時的に勾留を解くか、あるいは裁判が出来ない理由を探りたい──────探ってはもらえないでしょうか。どうか、お願い申し上げます───署名、オミニス・ゴーント」