𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥
Ominis GauntxF!Reader
art from @tamayula-hl and dedicated to her because she defines perfectly that art can provoke such beautiful things in people as happiness, longing and sadness.
Ominis Gaunt reflects on his role in life. Winners take all and losers fall, isn't that how it works?
Tw: Angst - Based on an ABBA Song - ABBA is Its Own Warning
Ominis Gaunt had always believed the world was divided into winners and losers. His father used to say:
“The winner takes it all, Ominis. The loser is insignificant beside victory. That is their fate.”
It was a life rule Ominis tried to avoid, but it seemed omnipresent. He had felt like a loser his entire life. He was never the most loved son, the most cherished friend, or anyone’s first choice. Everyone else seemed to find their purpose, except for him.
For a time, that was fine. Ominis learned to blend into the shadows; quiet observation and careful listening became his survival tools in a cruel world full of winners who basked in their achievements. Being a loser was bearable, as long as he surrounded himself with the right people.
Against his better judgment, Sebastian was a winner. A winner in every sense of the word. Everyone loved him—he was charming, fun, and destined to succeed in life. It wasn’t easy living in the shadow of your best friend, especially when that shadow turned into sheer darkness. A consuming, harmful darkness.
At the start of their fifth year, Ominis decided to change.
She wasn’t a loser. She walked into the Great Hall like a champion, a dragon-slayer, a stunning (according to whispered voices) and kind student.
Ominis was a loser, so of course, he was angry when he found her outside the Undercroft. Why was she there? Did Sebastian invite her? Had she gained his trust so easily? Typical winners—they seemed to sense success in each other.
No. He wouldn’t shrink beside victory. That wouldn’t be his fate.
Ominis did terrible things. Joining in Sebastian’s antics wasn’t honest or true to him. Oh, why did she push him to break the rules? Why did she defend Sebastian so passionately? It would be her downfall. Sebastian wasn’t a winner—he was just someone who knew how to mask his failures.
The gods could roll their cold, icy dice, and someone down here would lose a loved one. Sebastian was their puppet. A murderer.
“I don’t know what to do,” she cried.
Ominis didn’t either. No one ever told him that winners hid corpses or sent their friends to prison for life. None of that sounded like success. He asked for time to think; she did too. Sebastian waited.
And that night, Ominis tasted a drop of victory.
She couldn’t sleep and sought him for comfort. Two students breaking the rules, sleeping together in the same bed. It didn’t matter. Sebastian wasn’t there. The other boys weren’t there either.
Ominis whispered soothing words in her ear. She was worried, afraid of making a terrible decision. All he could think about was how right it felt to be in her arms, to finally belong somewhere, to have a purpose. He imagined a life away from Hogwarts and his family, just with her. He’d build her a house with a wooden fence, something to make him feel stronger. More like a man, less like a boy.
But he was a fool and kept playing by the rules.
“Let’s not turn Sebastian in,” he had said.
There was silence. The choice was hers, but Ominis had given her the push. He would carry the burden. Losers do that. Losers sacrifice. Losers…
Losers get kissed.
Softly, like a morning breeze. No, this wasn’t what losing felt like. This felt like winning. It was fulfilling, like reaching nirvana. Ominis, emboldened, stole another kiss—longer, clumsier, but utterly divine. Afterward, they both fell asleep.
Sebastian was a winner, so he claimed what was his. He consumed her completely, regained her trust, called her beautiful, and kissed her in public. Ominis stepped aside. Those were the rules.
The judges made their decisions. Ominis accepted them. He was a spectator of a spectator. Always staying beneath.
“So, you’re marrying him.”
Years later, Ominis wondered if there was any point in denying defeat.
“Well, I said yes,” she joked. “I suppose that seals the invisible contract.”
“Very funny. Why are you here instead of celebrating with the others? Your engagement party seems like the event of the year.”
“I saw you… You looked uncomfortable. Then you left, and now I’ve found you here alone, away from everyone.”
“It’s nothing. The noise gets overwhelming sometimes, and I needed a moment.”
“Are you sure?”
Ominis wondered if she ever thought of him. Did Sebastian kiss her the way he once had? Did she feel anything when he said her name?
“Was I ever an option?” Ominis asked.
“What?”
“I mean… Did I—”
“No, I heard you,” she interrupted. “You never wanted to be an option. You never did anything to make it so. Why… Why now? Couldn’t you—?”
“It’s foolish. I’m sorry.”
“Exactly! You always do this. You regret, turn away, wash your hands of everything, and leave people behind like—”
“I never—”
“You’re a liar. And now you’re pretending… Was it so easy for you to ignore everything? Deep down, you must have known I needed you.”
“You didn’t need me. That’s why you let Sebastian into your life when I told you to forgive him, and that’s why you’re marrying him.”
“Of course I am! Because he loves me, and I love him. He’s proven it every day and never let me go without explanation. Sebastian is devoted. I love him for that. He’s shown me it’s worth fighting for the one you love.”
Ominis grumbled. Fighting. The game was starting again. What could he hope for? A lover? A friend? Something big or small?
“I don’t want to talk about what we’ve been through,” she said, and Ominis swore he heard a sob. “Even though it hurts, what you’re saying now is history. I played my cards, and so did you…”
“I didn’t—”
“There’s nothing left to say. No ace to play.”
It was true. Maybe they were both losers. There was only one winner, and he had taken it all.
“Fine. I don’t want to talk if it makes you sad. I understand you came to offer me a hand, and I’m sorry if I upset you by—”
“By looking so tense? So unsure of yourself?” she said.
“Yes.”
She didn’t add anything else. She returned to the party.
That’s how it was meant to be. The winner takes it all, and the loser has to fall. The gods had rolled their icy dice and struck down their favorite loser. It was simple. Why complain?
But if it was so simple, why was Ominis crying?
Awwwww, can you believe that the silly, imaginary doodles I drew in May of last year have become such an amazing novel?!!! The beautiful anguish contained in my favorite song is perfectly expressed in the story of Ominis and MC!!! I really, really love these kinds of realistic love stories where not everything goes well🔥🔥🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥😫😫 I'm so happy to have been able to read a novel that suits my tastes so well…🫠🙏
