Summary: In Transfiguration class, Ominis subtly confronts Sebastian about his sudden decision to remain at Hogwarts, hinting at Sebastian's true reasons and his renewed connection with her. As Sebastian fumbles through thin excuses, Ominis's knowing remarks and quiet understanding strip away his friend's pretenses, culminating in Sebastian's reluctant acknowledgment of her profound impact on him.
Word Count: 550 words
Later that day, the air in Transfiguration class felt heavy, thick with the scent of singed fur and failed attempts to turn mice into snuffboxes. Sebastian, trying to appear engaged, kept casting furtive glances at Ominis, who was meticulously polishing his wand, seemingly oblivious.
"So... the other day after we checked on the Pensieve," Sebastian began, his voice low, a casual tone just barely masking a subtle probe. "You left rather abruptly..."
Ominis's polishing slowed. "I did," he replied, his voice flat. "Too much… Sensorial horrors to process..." He struggled to articulate, still keeping to himself the terrifying fact that it felt like he had perceived a new, terrifying dimension, a chaotic barrage his mind wasn't built to process. "It was unpleasant."
Sebastian scoffed softly. "Unpleasant? Unpleasant gave you a headache. Don't tell me you're getting squeamish now."
Ominis put his wand down, a delicate click against the desk. He turned his head, his blind eyes seeming to bore into Sebastian's very soul. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. "Perhaps," he drawled, his voice laced with a knowing, subtle sarcasm, "I just thought you deserved some... alone time with her. After all, you seemed quite determined to stay once you talked to her. Rather peculiar, wouldn't you say? Considering your earlier insistence that nothing could make you abandon your grand plans to abandon Hogwarts."
Sebastian flinched, his face flushing. "Don't be ridiculous!" he retorted, his voice sharp. "It's not about that! I simply... was collecting my books from the Undercroft as you requested, and then she showed up, and I remembered I'd found a book that was hers, and then she said she needed help translating it. The library's the best place for that, you know? So I figured... I could stay and help her. After every wrong I've done to her it's the least I could do. I'm just trying to pay her back for her patience. Nothing more." He avoided Ominis's gaze, picking at a loose thread on his robe, hoping his improvised lie would pass muster.
Ominis merely chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Funny how a casual encounter can completely alter a man's entire trajectory, isn't it? One minute, you're off to 'drop out and be independent,' and the next, you're unpacking your trunk to stay." He sighed dramatically. "Such dedication to paying back her patience. Or perhaps to ensuring a certain someone is not... lonely."
Sebastian's jaw tightened. He knew Ominis saw right through him. He couldn't deny it, not without revealing the true, embarrassing extent of his dependence on her presence. The anger he felt was a familiar, unwelcome heat, mixed with a chilling guilt that Ominis understood far more than he let on. "You're infuriating, Ominis," he muttered, turning his attention back to his struggling mouse-snuffbox. "Just... focus on your own work."
Ominis simply smiled, a quiet, knowing smile that spoke volumes. The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken truths, until Sebastian finally broke it, his voice barely a whisper. "You knew she was going to make me stay, didn't you?"
"She always knows what to say," Ominis replied, his voice soft.
"She didn't had to say a thing," Sebastian conceded, a reluctant admission.
