Acceptance: Hogwarts Legacy Continued

Chapter 49: Ominis- hiding place

Eventually Ominis found out what had happened. He had tried to figure out from Sebastian, but by the time he had made his way over to him he had passed out. It wasn't until Poppy found him while looking for Diana, that he learned the story- or at least what she had seen. Somehow she had knocked him out with such force that he was swollen, bleeding, and passed out. The HufflePuff had mentioned blue sparks coming off of her during the impact, and so he figured some ancient magic had been involved.

After making sure Sebastian was sorted out and heading to the Hospital wing, they were questioned by professor Hecat. She wanted them to share their side of the story; in which Poppy was much more helpful than he had been. From what he could tell he didn't think Diana was in trouble for what happened, what the other girl shared it seemed that it was in self defense for something stupid on the boy's end. Hecat had tasked them though with finding their friend and making sure she was okay- so they set off in search. 

When they got to the castle they parted ways; the Hufflepuff saying she would check her common room. He said goodbye, and after he was sure she was gone, he turned and headed towards the bell tower. He knew that his friend would want to be alone, and this spot was the closest while additionally being sure that Sebastian wouldn't be able to find her. It also just felt like the place she would be at right now. His assumption was rewarded, as he drew close he heard sniffles coming from the other side of the wall.

He carefully maneuvered his way through the crack and used his wand to find her. She was on the ground, and seemed to be huddled up in a tight ball. He moved down beside her, she didn't jump when he sat so he assumed she must have seen him make his way over. He could tell now that she was sitting up, likely holding her knees close. She was trying to mask her sniffles, and he heard her wiping her eyes. They sat quietly together, he wanted to give her all the time she needed to compose herself. After her breathing was more calm he cleared his throat;

"I think I know what happened, but if you want to talk about it I'm here to listen- first though, are you hurt at all?"

"My knuckles are a little bloody, but I think it's mostly his."

Damn.. she must have gotten him pretty good. He had heard the punch, and was told about the effects on the boys, but it was still quite surprising.

"Is- is he okay?" her voice was a whisper now.

He sighed "He has had worse, trust me. You don't need to worry about him..." he paused, hoping now would be the time to dig a little deeper. "But um.. Diana what exactly happened?"

"I don't know why I did that!" She started right away, not holding back anymore "he just- he got so close to me and I didn't know what he was doing. I thought... I thought maybe he was going to kiss me... and my body just reacted. I don't know."

She let out a loud groan, the end of it turning muffled as she covered her face. Ominis hesitantly reached over and patted her on the back. He knew she was feeling embarrassed and probably confused- he was confused too. Poppy had said that she thought it looked like he was standing really close to her before she hit him, but it was hard to tell. Now Diana was saying he was close enough that she thought he was going to kiss her? This was the icing on a terrible destructive cake that idiot had been making for months. All year he tested her boundaries in new ways, never giving her space from him. It was like he was trying to see how much he could push her and have her stay.

What the hell had Sebastian been thinking? It was like dimwit didn't even know her; she didn't like having anyone close! Suddenly he became very aware of his hand on her back and he quickly took it off. She hadn't flinched or shown any discomfort when he placed it there, but he felt that she may still want some space.

"Look I- I don't know what he was thinking, but I don't think you did anything wrong. Whatever his intentions you didn't feel safe and you did what you needed to, even if you didn't want to. You don't need to feel bad for what you did or feel embarrassed- although I know you might anyway. Just know that no one that knows what happened will hold it against you- and he shouldn't either."

She didn't reply so they sat quietly again. He tried to think of something to say- he wasn't great at lighting the mood. He was great at being sarcastic, but that didn't always have its desired effect in awkward moments. So they continued to sit, listening to the noise of students returning to the castle and then hearing it die down.

"Do you think everyone saw what happened?" her voice was still muffled.

"I don't think I am going to be the best person to answer that."

She let out a snort of a laugh, and Ominis smiled. The sarcastic comment had slipped out, but he didn't think it did any harm.

"Do you want to head back into the castle?" he asked

"Suppose I can't hide over here forever."

"No you cannot. Plus if we don't let Poppy see you she may destroy the whole school looking for you."

He stood, and as he did he held out his hand to her. It took a moment, but eventually he felt her touch and pulled her up. Her hand felt small in his, honestly she seemed small in general- it didn't take much effort to pull her up. It made him feel even more in awe of her strength and power. Other than being a terrible friend, Sebastian had to be the biggest idiot in the world.