Green is the Color || Ominis x OC || Hogwarts Legacy

Of the Night of Our Lives: II

Sebastian had to admit: the schools—or whoever was funding this whole thing—had really gone all out.
The champions, along with their Headmasters and respective dates, had been seated at a table near the front of the room. From here, Sebastian had a good view of the rest of the crowd. Excited conversation and soft music filled the air.

Sebastian's eyes bulged when a row of cutlery appeared in front of him. A small gold-and-white platter holding stuffed mushrooms appeared, roasted to perfection and filled with breadcrumbs, herbs, and cheese. Their table began to pick up their cutlery and eat. Beside him, Hugo cleared his throat. He tapped a two-pronged fork and gave Sebastian a wink. Sebastian gave him a grateful grin and followed suit, spearing one of the mushrooms and lifting it to his mouth. They were tender and savory. Sebastian had to stop himself from shoving the entire serving into his mouth.

As the mushrooms were taken away, a voice rang out from across the table. "What do you think, Mister Sallow?"

It was a commanding voice that asked him. Sebastian looked up to find the entire table giving him an expectant glance, with Frau Ichter's gaze burning into his. He cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?"

Dorothea gave him a roll of her eyes. Her Headmistress leaned back in her seat and wiped at the corner of her mouth. "It is obvious that most Wizarding Academies do not condone the use and study of Dark Magic," the woman repeated, giving him a stare. "I wonder if you share your school's opinion on the matter?"

Beside him, Poppy tensed. Headmaster Black was giving him a warning stare.

Merlin! He thought, feeling an anxious tremor creep up his spine. What kind of dinner conversation is this?

"I think," he began slowly, fisting his fingers into his thigh, "that all areas of magic deserve equal opportunities to be studied, provided it is done so under caution." Sebastian turned his gaze to Poppy. She gave him a comforting pat on the leg.

Headmistress Richter hummed and leaned back in her seat. "Indeed," she said.

Headmistress Beaumont, dressed in a regal violet gown, picked up her napkin and wiped at her lips. "Hugo," she began, "why don't you tell us about your interest in Divination?"

Across the room, Ominis' table was erupting in laughter.

"..so there I was, creeping along the Prefects' bathroom," Allegra was saying, whispering dramatically for effect, "and just as I'm about to grab that infernal Demiguise statue, a Prefect comes in, full-on snogging another student—"

Imelda gave a gasp. "No!"

"—they fall together in that fancy bubble bath, and I'm stuck there holding the statue inside my robes and crawling all across that wet floor! That Prefect is so nice--they always greet me in the halls, but I can't ever meet their eyes again."

"What in Merlin's name did you even need that statue for?" Ominis asked, lips curling into a smile.

Allegra snickered. "Let's just say I was doing a favor for someone," she said, "and I got a rather shoddy reward for all my efforts."

They settled into polite, comfortable conversation. Ominis learned that Natty's date was a tall student from Durmstrang, who was called Aver. Their voice was deep but well-articulated and they spoke with intelligent confidence. Natty's voice turned uncharacteristically sweet. Allegra kept suppressing her giggles beside him: Ominis knew she'd tease her housemate relentlessly after the night was done.

Even with his senses overloading, Ominis found himself enjoying the Ball so far. His leg was crossed with Allegra's under the table. The weight of her skirts on his thighs was pleasant: it was as if he was under a silk and chiffon blanket. They were being served good food--although he'd turned the mushrooms away, giving the plate to a very willing Garreth.