🥀 Roses and Novels | Hogwarts Legacy Fanfic | Sebastian, Ominis and Evander

🥀 - chapter 42 -🌹

(Ominis perspective)

Sebastian and I walked quietly through the sunlit garden.

"So... about Helena and me," I began carefully.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sebastian cut me off sharply.

"We have to, Sebastian. She'll be back soon. And I assume you're planning to return to Hogwarts after the summer?"

He looked up at the clouds, avoiding my gaze.

"I said, I don't want to talk about her."

"You're mad at us, of course you are. I figured that much. But please, let me explain. You were gone... and things happened. A lot of things. Just hear me out."

He turned to me, face twisted in fury. I felt uneasy, I'd never seen him this angry before.

"You think it didn't hurt? You thought I'd just be fine with you two ending up together?"

"No, of course not, Sebastian! I never thought that. Just listen—"

Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Screw you, Gaunt! You have no idea. No idea what I've been through. No idea how much I cared about her. How abandoned I felt by both of you!"

I clenched my jaw, his words stirring something in me.

"You hurt her, Sebastian. You were wrong for her, more than you even realize. She nearly took her own life because of the pain you caused. So no, I don't think you cared enough. Not when it really mattered."

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(Sebastian's Perspective)

I froze, completely speechless. My throat dried up.

"She... wanted to die?"

Ominis nodded slowly, his voice steady but heavy.

"After the funeral, after you broke her heart, there was no turning back for her. She locked herself in her room for days, crying nonstop. Then one day, she went to the Black Lake... she was ready to end it all. I had to erase her memories of you, Sebastian. I had no choice."

He paused, eyes dark with the memory.

"Eventually, she began feeling something for me. I gave her the memories back, and yes, it hurt her. But she moved forward, with my help, with my love, with Evander's healing magic. She began to heal. But you? You were always there. Always lingering in her thoughts. Every conversation circled back to you. And I didn't dare push her away, afraid it would send her spiraling again."

He clenched his fists.

"When I learned you'd hurt her in ways that went beyond heartbreak... I knew I had to protect her. I kept her close, made her fall in love with me. And I fell, hard. I love her, Sebastian. I can't imagine life without her."

I blinked, stunned. My voice trembled.

"Hurt her? What do you mean? How?"

"Yes. You forced yourself on her, Sebastian. How could you be so blind?"

His words hit like a curse. I was shaken.

"She didn't tell you what really happened, did she?" I asked, my voice low.

"She told me nothing about you. You were her secret. But she still loves you. Don't you see that?"

I bent down and plucked a red rose from the ground, holding it between my fingers.

"Let me tell you my side."

"From the moment I saw her in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I was captivated. Helena... she was beautiful, but more than that, there was something fragile in her eyes. Something wounded.

I saw hope in her. Hope for a future, for Anne, for me, for all of us. She was like a seed just starting to bloom, with so much potential to become something radiant.

She reminded me of myself, someone who'd suffered deeply. So I tried to help her, be there for her, not just as a friend, but as family. I never planned to fall in love. But it happened. Every day, I found myself thinking about her more and more.

Even my relationship with Adelaide suffered. She noticed. She saw it in my eyes every time Helena entered the room.

But Helena? She only saw me as a friend, maybe a brother. And I didn't want to ruin what we had. She felt safe with us, for the first time in her life, she had people who didn't abandon her.

So I stayed quiet. And you, Ominis, you picked up on it. I know you did.

I spent weeks debating how to tell her. That day at the flower meadow with you and Anne... it was one of the happiest days of my life. We were play-fighting, rolling in the grass, and I leaned in to kiss her cheek. She didn't pull away. In fact, she kissed me back. I felt like I was flying.

The next day, we walked by the Black Lake. She admitted she had butterflies around me. I should have told her right then. But I was scared. I didn't want to ruin everything.

Still, I took a chance. I kissed her. It felt right.

Later, in the Undercroft, I took her in my arms. We kissed again. But I panicked. I pushed her away, needing space. She took it as rejection and left. I didn't get the chance to explain, because when I found her again, she was in your arms.

I was crushed. Jealous. Hurt. So I kissed Adelaide... out of spite. And yeah, it worked, Helena stayed close. She stayed my friend. That meant the world to me.

And then I realized, I truly loved her.

Then everything spiraled. We went on a quest to track goblins. They captured us. Ranrok's men. They couldn't use Legilimency on her, so they used it on me. They saw how deeply I loved her.

They cast Imperius on me. I fought it, I swear to you, I fought with everything I had. But it was no use.

They made me... they made me do the unthinkable. I had to watch myself take her. It wasn't me, but it was my body. And she looked at me with horror. She used her magic on me, and she had every right to. I was shattered.

After that, I kept my distance. Took on quests alone. So did she.

Eventually, she came back. She kissed me in the library. But I couldn't kiss her back. The memory... it haunted me. I ran.

Then Solomon tried to kill her. I snapped. I was done watching people I loved suffer. I fought back. Killed him. For her. For Anne. He was the only lead to curing Anne, and I ended him.

And I lost Helena... for good. She told me so.

Every time I tried to talk to her, to hold her, she pulled away. I gave up eventually.

Then you came to me in the Undercroft... all righteous, all knowing. And I realized. I lost her to you.

You waited, didn't you? Waited for me to mess it up, over and over again, so you could swoop in.

But then... she kissed me at the funeral. Just a kiss. A whisper of hope. I saw it in her eyes, she still loved me.

That flicker kept me going in Azkaban. It kept me alive.

Then Anne told me about your commitment. About how serious it had become.

And I knew... I'd lost her. Again.

Well done, Ominis. You finally have her all to yourself.''