The Noble House of Gaunt | Ominis Gaunt x Reader One-Shots

How could I fear any hurricane (GN!Reader HURT/COMFORT)

TW in this fic:
- Violence
- Behaviors similar to self-harm
- Self-deprecating thoughts

***

It was supposed to be a normal day in Defense Against the Dark Arts— dueling day, your favorite until the events of the previous year. Everything you once loved about the sport, and sometimes about magic in its entirety, was now fraught with tragedy.

Your heart threatened to beat out of your rib cage and run for cover when you stepped up to the stage, wand shaking in your white knuckled grip and a primal fear quivering in your eyes. Ominis, the boy gracefully standing across from you on the platform, had sensed your trepidation the moment you entered the classroom. Many wouldn't notice, except for the select few that had the privilege of being his close friend, but he was deeply worried about you. You'd gone through more than even some of the strongest Aurors ever did in your short magical lifetime— it was only natural that facing down the deadly end of a wand made you uneasy. You chose to ignore the telltale downturn of the blonds eyebrows and the minuscule, barely noticeable frown that crossed his visage as he prepared himself for battle, the tip of his wand changing from a comforting read to a blinding blue as he readied his spells. You'd perfected the art of hiding your emotions early on, and with that came the knowledge of noticing even the smallest of shifts from anyone you encountered in conversation. It was easier to ignore the worry of others rather than focus on it; if you thought about it for too long you'd start to spiral deeper into your mind, and hiding how you felt would become increasingly harder.

Yes, the idea of being on the tail end of a wand made you nervous, but that was not where you held your fear. Not many knew about the powerful magic that burned through your veins, the unknown levels of new, enticing darkness that invaded your soul deep down in the repository long ago— not anyone alive, that is. Only your dearly departed Professor Fig knew about the lengths you went to to protect Hogwarts' most dangerous secret. You remembered how it felt to have all that stolen pain, all that strange, ancient knowledge slither its way into you from the ominous, ethereal darkness above. Most of all, you remembered how all that power made you feel— how tempting it was to unlock the cage inside your soul and let all the darkness pour out of you like a demented waterfall. That was what you were afraid of: yourself. You hadn't dueled since that fateful day, and the pulsing feel of the absconded ancient magic swirling in your chest sent a spike of fear from your head to your toes. The idea of simply sitting out of this duel came to mind quickly, and you began to come up with multiple ways to slip out into the hall and down to the Undercroft where no one would bother you.

Alas, it was Professor Hecat that made the decision for you, pairing you with the exceedingly kind blond that held your affections. Ominis Gaunt was a capable duelist, this wasn't really that much of a secret, but you hadn't had the chance to tell him about everything that happened to you under the school all those months ago. The thought of hurting him, hurting the one you held so much affection for, sent dread to coil around your throat and choke you. You'd grown close to the Slytherin boy over the course of the previous year, often spending time alone together in the Undercroft when Sebastian would have one of his stubborn tantrums. Hurting him, maiming him in any way would kill you inside, you were sure of it. You tried to school your breathing, letting your breaths naturally ebb and flow from your lungs as you waited for the starting bell. You could get through this— the magic was yours, all you needed to do was control it.

Your throat began to close up, images dancing through your mind of crackling red curses and spirals of death-bringing green lightning bolts clouding your vision like one too many shots of fire whiskey. You recalled what had happened to those who tried to hurt you before, how their bones snapped one by one as you threw them to the ground with deranged bursts of untold power. Even after months of time away from the castle, the visions of those you killed still screamed at you day and night. There were times when a simple sound, a familiar movement of a wand, or even a particular string of words would send you reeling back in time to your darkest moments. You silently prayed to anyone listening that you would remain in your own body, and your own timeline, during this duel. Ominis smiled at you reassuringly, promising you with his eyes that everything was going to be okay.