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

Of Nightmares, Ink, and Boxes of Sweets

To Ominis, dreams were a sensory thing.

That made the nightmares worse.

He hadn't gotten one of them in a long time. When he was younger, he was often plagued by memories of that night in the Manor's drawing room, his mind playing the feeling of using Dark Magic and the sound of the Muggle woman's screams over and over again. Ominis spent a lot of nights sitting up in his bed, suppressing his ragged breathing and panic.

It got easier over time. His last real nightmare was after their visit to the Scriptorium. It came after listening to the unfamiliar darkness in Sebastian's voice, after hearing Allegra screaming in pain, after finding out what befell his Aunt Noctua. Ominis hadn't slept straight for a week.

Tonight, the nightmares came again.

It was a memory of his brother Marvolo's voice, of his dark, burning presence shoving his wand into his hand. Only this time, when Ominis was forced to cast the Cruciatus Curse, the woman that screamed wasn't a stranger.

It was Allegra, and she was begging him to stop.

He sat up, chest feeling tight. A cold sweat settled over his entire body. Ominis struggled to steady his breathing, tearing the blankets off his legs and leaning over the side of his bed.

It wasn't his bed.

He was in the Room of Requirement, in Allegra's warm refuge. His mind was clearing a little: they'd stolen a Saturday night together here, their attempts to study and catch up on homework thwarted by wandering hands and soft kisses and giggling voices. It had been a good day. An excellent day.

A gentle touch laid on his arm. "Ominis?" Allegra's voice was soft and sleepy. "What's wrong?"

He couldn't reply. The bed shifted as Allegra moved closer. Her familiar sweet scent washed over him, her hair tickling his neck and back. She tucked her chin into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"It's alright," Allegra soothed, giving him a gentle squeeze. Ominis let her take his hands. As she did, he found himself gripping her tightly, running a thumb over her knuckles. She was here. She was safe. It was only a dream. "You're alright. You're here with me, Ominis. Everything's alright."

He finally found his voice. "I'm sorry I woke you," he rasped. Allegra hummed and kissed him on the cheek.

"It's no trouble, love. Come back to bed," she said softly. Ominis let her pull him down to the softness of her sheets, let her press him into her chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Did you have a nightmare?" she asked in a whisper, breath tickling his ear.

"Yes."

"Do you want to tell me what it was?" He loved that sleepy, tired note in her voice, loved the way it made her sound sweet and breathy.

"No."

Allegra—his brilliant, beautiful girl—knew exactly what to say. She didn't push. Instead, she began to stroke his hair, running her fingers down to the back of his neck. "Alright. I'm right here, Ominis. Nothing's going to hurt us. I promise."

"And you're not going anywhere," Ominis whispered. He hated how his voice sounded needy.

She tilted her head and met him for a soft, gentle kiss. "Yes. I'm not going anywhere. I swear it, Ominis."

A part of him was embarrassed that he needed this, that he needed to hear the words from her lips. But the louder, more emotional part of him was glad that she gave him as much reassurance as he needed. He didn't have to beg. He didn't have to hope for the words that would never come.