The Serpents Hold // Chapter Three
Summary: When Sebastian turns to dark magic to cure his sister, Nova and Ominis find themselves reluctantly thrust into a partnership to aid him. Amid the disapproval of Ominis' family, Nova wrestles with her growing feelings for him and also with the nagging suspicion that Ominis knows more about Anne's condition than he's letting on.
AO3 // Masterlist
Nova gathered the fabric of her sleeve around her frozen fingers to stave off the cold. October nights had descended on the Scottish Highlands, and the warming charms woven into the castle walls were evidently neglected at this late hour.
A puff of mist escaped her lips, dissipating as quickly as it formed, though not without drawing irritated tutting from the portraits gracing the walls.
"Disillusionment charm," a handsome knight sneered, "how infantile."
She assumed herself undetectable to their synthetic eyes, but they stalked her every move. Her paranoid steps accelerated through the darkness until she collided headlong with an invisible barrier.
"If you do that one more fucking time…," she hissed, shoving the obstruction aside as she navigated around it.
An ornamental table creaked beneath Sebastian's weight as he steadied himself, giggling. "Your vulgar language is going to get us caught."
The crack of a door colliding with a wall as it flung open had panic shooting up Nova's spine. The oblivious Gryffindor prefect crossed the hallway infront of them and slipped into an adjacent corridor.
Nova released her breath via a relieved sigh, while Sebastian's was a scoff.
"Prick. Let's get moving."
Nova's rage towards her dormmates' actions had subsided into more of a simmering frustration in the recesses of her mind. It had been replaced by a mounting fear as she moved towards violating one of Hogwarts' most fundamental rules.
"Sebastian, maybe this isn't the best idea. I don't think getting myself expelled is the revenge I'm aiming for.
"I've been caught several times, and I'm still here; you'll be fine."
"I don't think I want to escalate things any further."
"Ominis isn't always going to be around to save the day. You need to protect yourself."
Sebastian's steps began to fade as he marched ahead to cut off the conversation. Nova had pieced together enough context clues to label him a troublemaker. Still, his relentless pursuit of this book started churning up a growing sense of unease.
"Why are you so insistent on this? Why do you need this spell," she asked, hastening her pace to match his.
"I don't need it. The spell is for your benefit. It's just connected to the magic I'm searching for."
"Well, what are you searching for?"
His heavy exhalation scattered into the air. "I need to find something to help my sister. Her illness is more than just a bout of sickness, and everyone else has given up."
"Have you taken her to St Mungo's?"
"She was admitted to the fourth floor for a time, but they discharged her when they couldn't identify the curse."
"Curse?" She peered over the railings to ensure the hall below them was devoid of wandering faculty, "Who would curse a student?"
"We don't know. Someone was practising magic in the castle ruins near Feldcroft, and Anne wandered too close. She had a thing for sneaking out at night; she loved exploring." His voice dropped to a whisper as they began to descend the staircase. "All she remembers is hearing someone tell her children should be seen and not heard, and then she passed out. I found her the next morning."
Nova felt a flicker of solidarity. His activities may be dubious, but his intentions were pure. If there were a cure stashed away in the restricted section to save her father, she'd storm in without hesitation.
"Talk me through the plan," Sebastian's voice cut through her tangled thoughts, "It might help settle your nerves."
"We camp out in the library until Scribner conjures her keys." She began, "You make some Sebastian noises; draw her away."
"Correct. I'm excellent at those."
"I'll use her keys to open the desk drawer, grab the restricted section key, and unlock the gate—"
"Wrong." Sebastian interrupted, "Don't forget to lock the draw behind you."
"I won't forget to lock the drawer behind me," she shot back, casting an agitated glance toward where she assumed his face was.
"You just did. Walk me through the plan again. Properly."
Nova recited the plan another four times before they reached the library's entrance, deliberately omitting a crucial step each time to irritate him. It took him until the third recital to realise it was intentional.
Sebastian played Scribner like a fiddle, his flawless execution leading Nova to the threshold of the restricted section. She traced a finger through the thick dust coating the bannister. Apparently, not even the house elves were permitted down here. She stilled near the black abyss at the stairwell's base, where ambiguous voices whispered in the dark—a chorus of lonely mumbles from hidden portraits.
Intensified by her fear of the dark, Nova's heartbeat thundered in her ears with such force that she failed to detect the soft footsteps drawing nearer.
"You can drop the disillusionment now," Sebastian's voice startled her. "This way."
Sebastian guided Nova through the passages with dim lumos, shadows contorting across the worn stone walls like fingers clawing at the edges of her vision.
"I hate how quiet it is down here," Nova murmured as her eyes fell upon what could only be described as a shrivelled Grindylow mounted at the centre of an ornate table.
"So, talk about something," Sebastian responded vaguely, perusing the contents of a bowed shelf. His fingertip traced along the spines before he carefully selected a handful and dumped them unceremoniously onto a desk.
Nova thumped her fingernails along the expansive row of leather-bound books, "Why did we have to lie to Ominis?"
"He doesn't understand this type of magic," he shrugged, crumpling a useless scrap parchment into a tight ball.
"He just saved me from humiliation. It didn't feel right to immediately turn around and lie to his face."
"Don't beat yourself up over it. His actions were probably fuelled by his own grievances than anything to do with you. Alice used to torture him when they were kids."
Nova halted her scrutiny of the grotesque tapestries, "Oh, please don't tell me they're related."
"You didn't hear this from me, but it's way worse than that," he said, tearing his eyes from the scattered papers on the desk to meet hers. "They're betrothed."
"You fucking WHAT?"
The wad of paper clenched in his fist was promptly hurled at her face, "Keep your voice down."
"You can't drop a bomb like that when we're supposed to be keeping quiet!" she hissed. "Fucking betrothed? Are you kidding me?"
"It's normal for families like his. They're obsessed with keeping their bloodline pure, so they pair their kids with other purebloods to guarantee it." With a huff of frustration, Sebastian pushed the useless pile of manuscripts to the floor and began to descend the staircase leading deeper into the library. "The Gaunt's are the highest commodity: The main ingredient in making little heirs of Slytherin."
Nova followed obediently, "They can't keep it within those… sacred families though, that's... I mean, eventually, they'll all be related."
"Why do you think Ominis was born blind?"
Nova felt her dinner churn in her stomach. Ominis' rejection of muggle prejudice was rare among purebloods, but given his background, it made sense. Why these families believed they were superior for marrying their relatives, as opposed to those with traces of muggle blood was beyond her.
"Is Alice happy with this arrangement?
"Not particularly. She's been chasing after his brother for years—always snitching on Ominis to him…" Sebastian explained, infusing more magic into his lumos as they entered the lower chamber of the library. "But he's pretty much emancipated himself at this point, so I suppose the arrangement is null and void."
"Oh... so does he stay at Hogwarts over the holidays?" Nova asked hopefully.
"No, he's been living with me and Anne since he went no contact."
Nova's shoulders sagged with a dejected huff. She had been looking forward to a week of respite from classes until finding out it was rare for any Slytherins to remain at Hogwarts during holidays. While she enjoyed her own company, the prospect of complete isolation was just depressing.
"You should come visit us in Feldcroft next week. I'd love for you to meet Anne, and I know she'd be thrilled to meet you."
"I would love that," her expression immediately brightened. "Do you think your uncle would mind?"
"There's not much that man doesn't mind," he grumbled, sweeping away some dust from a book nestled among splintering shelves. "Ah, now this is what I'm talking about!" His face lit up as he gathered up an armful of tomes.
They hunched over the decrepit writing desk at the heart of the room. Sebastian pored over each page, occasionally shoving aside a book with a grunt before conjuring the next. Nova slumped her head on crossed arms, repeatedly on the cusp of sleep before each jarring slam of heavy manuscript shattered her peace.
She tuned in to the delicate rustle of pages and hypnotic ticks of the grandfather clock, her eyelids growing heavy. A third sound intruded and her brow furrowed as she tried to identify it.
She shot to her feet so abruptly that darkness clouded the edges of her vision.
"Hide," Sebastian commanded as the harsh clack of heels closed in.
"Where?"
A disillusionment charm wouldn't be of much use if Scribner already knew someone was down here. The tables were too small to conceal anyone, and there were no freestanding bookshelves to dive behind.
Sebastian snatched the hefty leather-bound book from the table and thrust it into Nova's arms. Her protest was choked off as he aimed the tip of his wand at her skull. It felt as though a thick liquid was oozing from his wand's tip, slithering down her face and body.
"Keep quiet," he hissed as he backed away.
Nova glanced at the book in her arms, readying to hurl it back at him, but it had vanished—her arms were gone, too. Once again, her entire body had seamlessly blended into its surroundings.
"Caught sneaking into the restricted section—again!" Madame Scribner's voice sliced through the air as she rounded the corner. Her gaze swept the room before locking onto the habitual offender. "I thought we were past this!"
Flecks of spittle sprayed from her enraged mouth as she strode toward Sebastian, whose face had contorted into a twisted scowl.
"Go to hell, Scribner."
Crimson sparks crackled from the librarian's brandished wand, and for a fleeting moment, Nova thought she might witness a murder. Instead, she seized Sebastian's sleeve and dragged him along as she stormed out of the room, "We're taking this straight to the headmaster."
Sebastian writhed, complained, and hurled profanities with such dedication that Nova thought it was obvious he was masking the presence of an accomplice. Scribner seemed too consumed by rage to notice the blatant cues.
As Sebastian was hauled out of the library and towards Black's office, Nova returned to the desk and deposited the restricted section key into Scribner's coffee mug.
Nova darted down the corridors, her heart hammering against her ribcage and barely drawing breath until she found refuge in the Slytherin common room. She discarded the charm at the top of the staircase and, releasing a shaky breath, glanced down at the book. Her momentary respite was cut short.
Secrets of the Darkest Arts
Panic lodged itself in her throat. Trespassing into the restricted section after curfew might not cause immediate expulsion, but being caught in possession of such a book certainly would be.
"Ominis?"
Nova hissed his name repeatedly, rapping her knuckles against his dormitory door. She wasn't sure if the shuffling behind it was real or a product of her thundering heartbeat. Finally, it eased open to reveal Ominis clad in linen pyjamas, the tip of his wand illuminating the dark corridor with a intermittent red hue.
"Sebastian?" he whispered, "Where have you been?"
"Ominis, it's me. I'm sorry to bother you, but can I come in?"
"Nova?" The door swung almost shut, leaving only a narrow crack for communication. "Can this wait? Where's Sebastian?"
"He's at the headmaster's office. I just need to do him a quick favour. I promise it'll be quick."
Ominis let out an irritated exhale. "One moment," he muttered before shutting the door. He reappeared shortly after, robes haphazardly draped over his body, and gestured for her to come inside. "What's happened?"
Nova's mind went blank. She lacked the finesse required to be an effective liar, but Sebastian's instructions had been clear.
Ominis can't know.
"Sebastian... he was caught breaking curfew," she explained carefully.
The bed groaned beneath Ominis' weight as he slumped on the edge and raked his fingers through his hair. "Right, how did you find out about this?
"… because I was with him."
He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "So, you two weren't going to Sharp for a dorm transfer?"
Nova's lips pressed into a tight line. "It... was my fault," she began. "A stupid impulse after what happened earlier. I'm just dropping something off for him, and I'll be out of your hair."
"What is it?"
Nova clutched the book with such force that the binding left indentations on her sternum. "…What?"
"What are you leaving for him?"
"Just… some study assignments."
Ominis' eyes narrowed, his silence thick with suspicion. "You were out after curfew... to steal assignments?"
"Old ones," Nova blurted out, "Sebastian... he's going to... use them to cheat in his O.W.L.S."
Ominis slowly rose to his feet, "Sebastian consistently ranks at the top of most of his classes."
"Well... now we know why."
"Let me see," Ominis demanded, his words sounding more like a challenge than a request.
Nova's eyes flickered down, relieved to find the title wasn't embossed, which alleviated the risk of him being able to read it. "Careful, it's in a heavy binder," she cautioned as she handed it over.
Ominis withdrew his wand from his cloak pocket and swiped it across the title. The muscles in his jaw clenched as his wand turned from the decrepit leather to Nova, the threatening crimson glow distorting her vision. "You helped him get into the restricted section, didn't you?"
Shit.
"I don't want this filth anywhere near me or Sebastian," he snarled, thrusting the book at her with such force she nearly toppled over. "Take it and get out."
"I'm leaving it with Sebastian," she insisted, her nails steadily cutting into the flesh of her palms as she fisted them tighter. "You think I want anything to do with this?"
"You told me this was your idea," he pointed out, stiffening his posture as he towered over her. "So, deal with the consequences and don't even think about trying to shift the liability onto Sebastian."
A stifled gasp slipped from behind curtains, prompting Ominis to shoot two muffliato charms to halt the eavesdropping, earning irritated grumbles from both roommates.
"I'm giving you one last warning before I turn you in myself," he turned his wand towards Nova, pushing the tip against her chest. "Get out."
"We were just trying to find something to help Sebastian's sister, I didn't know it was anything dark," she withdrew her own wand and drove it against his stomach; he didn't flinch. "That, and a spell he said I could use to protect myself."
"What spell?"
"I don't know." Her palms were slick with sweat, threatening her grasp on her wand. "He just said we could find it in the restricted section."
Ominis scoffed, "In that case, you deserve expulsion for being so easily manipulated."
Nova fought back the urge to cast bombarda right into his abdomen.
"It was… if I could use it, I'd be able to control their actions," Nova stuttered, a fiery blush staining her cheeks as she struggled to articulate her words. She was immensely relieved that Ominis couldn't witness the angry tears he was coaxing from her. "Sebastian said if Alice tried to humiliate me, I could use it to retaliate or march them out the door."
Ominis' intimidating expression melted into one of shock.
Nova tried to exploit his hesitation and snatch his wand from under his vacant stare but was immobilised when his fingers clamped down on her wrist.
"How the fuck-"
"Expelliarmus," he sent her wand hurtling across the room, his grip constricting as she fought against him. "Are you talking about the Imperius Curse?"
"Let go of me," she spat, yanking her wrist from his bony grasp. "I told you, I don't know what it is."
"Are you even aware of the Unforgivable Curses?"
He was belittling her, and a seething rage began to cloud her rationale. Grinding her teeth, she marched over to Sebastian's wardrobe and flung it open.
"What do you think you're doing?" he scoffed, unimpressed with such a disastrous hiding place.
She ignored him, focused on stashing Sebastian's ill-gotten gains and distancing herself from this insufferable prick. Said prick cocked an eyebrow upon realising he was on the receiving end of the silent treatment.
"The Unforgivable Curses. They're the darkest of magic. Casting them will send you straight to Azkaban. Do you know what Azkaban is?"
"Yes, I know what Azkaban is," she spat at him. "I'm not an idiot."
"Well..." he shrugged, implying otherwise.
Her temper boiled over, and she hurled the manuscript at him. He countered her attack with infuriating ease. A casual flick of leviosa and the book was hovering effortlessly in front of him.
"Return to your dorm, and stay away from Sebastian. He doesn't need someone like you clinging to him."
He cloaked himself in the disillusionment charm and stormed out of the room, slamming the door in his wake.
An oppressive silence descended as the ringing in her ears subsided. Assuming he wouldn't return tonight, she climbed into Sebastian's bed, drew the curtains and tried to find some semblance of sleep.
12 notes
·
View notes
Between The Raindrops | Ominis x f!Reader
Warnings: smut (18+) all characters are aged up appropriately, facesitting, light degrading, praise kink, dominis comes out to play ;)
Word count: 1.2k
Notes: I just want to thank everyone for their well wishes while I was in the hospital! I never expected people to be so generous and understanding, so I am exceptionally grateful! Especially to those that reached out personally to me! I am so beyond grateful for all of the friends I have made on his app! I love this fandom and how everyone is so good to each other :) I hope you all enjoy!
During the end of the last semester, you and Ominis learned that if he carries you while entering the Slytherin common room, you can make it in without any issues. Ever since, during late night excursions that go later than anticipated, you hop onto his back and sneak your way into the common room without looking suspicious. Personally, you thought that people knew better than to question Sebastian’s best friends and that was why nobody ever said anything to either of you about your frequent stays. Either way, you were happy to be pressed against him tonight as the basements shook from the intense thunder outside. You buried your face into the crook of Ominis’s neck as his sleepy arms pulled you in even closer. “It's okay my little dove,” his sleepy, raspy voice mumbled into your ear as he placed gentle kisses on it. “Just some thunder, you're safe here with me”. Your body melted at his peaceful touch, all worries quickly subsiding. “Just imagine it's a giant troll or some poachers,” Ominis joked as his eyelashes tickled your cheek. “Oh come on,” you joked while poking his side and forcing him to hold you tighter, “that’s probably half the problem!”
Between some more lame jokes shared at your personal expense, you began to fall into a deep sleep surrounded by the smell of your lover. That was, until the shaking of the cold skin wrapped around you startled you awake. “Ominis,” you started as you reached your warm hands to touch his cheek, “ What’s wrong?” The boy let out a soft sigh out of relief that you had woken up, no matter how guilty his selflessness made him feel. “The lightning…” he swallowed hard and turned to face you, “I was dreaming that you were… that Sebastian… that night in the…crucio… and your screams…” You cupped his face in your hands and looked at him with sadness and love. “Oh Ominis, I’m okay now. You don’t have to worry about me ever being on the receiving end of crucio ever again.” You rubbed the pads of your thumbs over his defined cheekbones as you hushed him softly. “I love you so much, my little dove.” He sniffled softly as his body relaxed at the sound of your voice of gentleness of your touch. “Please, keep talking to me. I like the distraction.” He spoke softly as he leaned forward to press his forehead to yours. A devilish smirk spread across your lips as an idea crossed your mind. “I think I have a perfect idea,” you sat up and closed the curtains around the bed before slithering back down to Ominis. “Let me see your hands,” you softly spoke as the boy lifted his hands, a confused look spreading across his face. “This better be good because you were keeping my hands warm,” he joked as he searched for your face. You gently grabbed his hands into yours, guiding them to your chest and looking down at him with lust filled eyes. “Oh-“ the blood began to fill his cheeks as he adjusted himself. “Get on my lap,” he muttered in a soft yet demanding voice. You did as you were told, straddling his lap and grinding your hips down as you did so, earning a growl from Ominis. “I want you naked. And I don’t want to ask twice.” He demanded, retracting his hands to allow you to pull your nightgown over your head in one swift motion before discarding it at the end of the bed. “Such a good girl, so obedient.” He smirked as his hands searched for your breasts, squeezing them tenderly. “A work of art, truly.” He leaned into your chest and buried his face in it, leaving sloppy wet kisses over your sensitive skin. Just as a moan snuck its way from your mouth, a hand was placed over it. “ah ah ah, better not make a sound. We don’t want Sebastian waking up now do we?” You looked deep into his cloudy blue eyes, his brows furrowed together with a smirk that made you wet to the core. You shook your head and leaned back into his touch, desperate for more. “A needy little one aren’t you? You want me to make you cum, is that it? My sweet little slut, wanting to get off while your best friend is just feet from you. I bet you like the thought of getting caught, don’t you? My filthy darling.” His words were deep and raspy, almost sounding as if they didn’t even come from your boyfriend's lips. This was a side of him you had never seen, but you were excited to see more of it. You leaned into his ear and let out a soft breath into it, “You’re right, I am your filthy little slut just begging to cum for you. Please, let me cum for you.” Your words melted the man as his grip tightened as if to stifle moans of his own. “Good girl.” He spat before laying down and gripping your hips, dragging them up to meet his face.
“You’re gonna be a good girl for me and ride my face until you cum, but I better not hear a single peep from you or I will stop. Do you understand?” You looked down at him, barely able to catch your breath at the whirlwind of emotions that flooded your mind. “Yes, sir.” You smirked as he did the same, pulling your hips down to his flattened tongue as it licked along the dripping wet folds below. Your hand instinctively reached for your mouth, not wanting to risk him stopping from giving you pure ecstasy. Your hips began to move on their own, grinding against his tongue as he flicked it around your clit, your eyes squeezing shut in pure arousal. You had never been so close to the edge just after a few seconds but Ominis had a way with his tongue that you couldn’t describe. Your free hand reached down to his man's hair, gripping it in your fingers and tugging gently as an assurance that you were close and needed to cum and needed to cum now. His tongue sped up to match the movements of your hips, his tongue expertly switching between sucking and flicking your sensitive, swollen clit as your pleasure built up faster and faster. Ominis reached his hands up to grip your hips and pull them downward as hard as he could, suffocating him in your pleasure. “Ominis-“ you let out a breathy moan, gripping his hair tighter as your legs trembled on either side of his head. Moments later, you felt fireworks in your gut as you came over his face, letting out a whimper into your hand as you rode out your high before scooting back away from his face and flopping down next to him. “Such a good girl for me.” He smiled and pulled you into his warm embrace, the smell of you covering his lips that he happily licked clean. “I hope it storms like this more often,” you both agreed as Ominis stroked your hair gently with a soft chuckle. “Only if Dominis can come out and play like this again” you joked, earning a massive eye roll from Ominis. “Oh please, do not let that be a thing.”
824 notes
·
View notes