The Keeper's Legacy | Ominis Gaunt | Sebastian Sallow

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - The snogging room

As I entered to the lower Grand Staircase the huge greenish bronze kelpie statue loomed above me, casting a mystical aura on the gloomy, plain walls that rose in simple gothic arches towards the ceiling.

I arrived at the meeting with Ominis ten minutes early, fully prepared to begin our search for the "imaginary snake". Now, free from the stench of owls, I wore a plain green outfit with a cape that I intentionally pulled over my head, hiding my face from watchful eyes.

The first thing I noticed was the red light from his wand illuminating the corridor. His steps echoed, and the school bag on his shoulder flipped back and forth, an unusual sight for a Saturday evening.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Ominis cut right to the chase: "Do you know how hard it was to convince Sebastian not show up?"

"I can imagine," I replied, crossing my arms.

"We were waiting for you at the Undercroft. Sneaking in those papers you left us with was quite a challenge." His tone was soft, but there was a hint of accusation in it.

"I'm sorry," I hesitated. "I was hiding all day."

Ominis sighed. "I understand. Do you feel better about the howler now?"

"I'm wearing a hoodie," I pointed out to him.

Ominis couldn't help but smile at my futile attempt. "Shall we find a dungeon storage room to hide in?" He gestured with his wand.

"Lead the way," I told him, his smile stuck on me.

"As you wish, be aware we might walk into a column or two."

I giggled like a fool, my heart lighten.

"How many blind jokes can you tell in a single day?"

Ominis turned around to face an imaginary audience. "All of them."

I grasped his shoulder and my laughter reverberated through the hallway. "You really are something Ominis."

"If you treat it with irony, it doesn't hurt that much," he said, his tone turning serious. "That's my motto."

I tapped his arm. "I could use some of that irony myself."

We turned the corner, and I suddenly flinched noticing the hidden door to the Scriptorium.

I relied solely on my memory to locate it here; it was not visible to the naked eye. The sinister shadow of its entrance sent shivers down my spine.

"Ophelia?" Ominis called out, breaking my trance, "I know why you stopped breathing."

I didn't even notice it until I felt the sensation of thirst rising from my lungs. I took a huge gulp of air, "Lets move on."

As we walked away, Ominis revealed, "To be honest since then I avoid this corridor myself."

I nodded in agreement, understanding the reasons behind his avoidance - him finding his beloved aunt's remains there and me clawing at the stone floor in agony.

We walked the rest of the way in blissful silence, neither of us keen to revisit those memories. Finally, we arrived at a simple wooden door, locked with an Alohomora spell. As I counteracted the spell, the door revealed a small round room filled with clutter and a couple of abandoned student desks and some weird-looking cages.

My nose wrinkled at the unpleasant smell of the abandoned kick-knacks and basement musk mixed together. But to Ominis, it was something else.

"Smells like troll boogers in here," his complaints filled the chamber.

Ominis made his way over to the desk, grunting as he dropped his bag with a heavy thud. "No wonder this place was used for student punishments back in the day."

"Really? I thought this was a snogging room," I teased, grinning at the thought of couples seeking privacy in this dusty old space.

"A snogging room?" Ominis gaped. "You have no standards. I would never bring someone here." he retorted, shaking his head.

I laughed at his reaction, feeling a playful banter brewing between us. "Well, I wouldn't bring just anyone here," I said, running my hand over the dusty books on the shelves. "But I'm glad you're here with me."

"That's not what I meant," Ominis said, crossing his arms with irritation.

I rolled my eyes, fully aware that we were only here because of my request. "Alright, let's listen to that imaginary snake." I said, walking over to him. "But first, where did you take your first date? I might need some inspiration, given my low standards."

Ominis hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I'd rather not say," he replied curtly.

I shrugged, pretending to be unbothered. "Fine by me, my first kiss wasn't that great anyway," I said, hoping to lighten the mood.

"You can be insufferable sometimes," Ominis sighed in response, rummaging through his bag and pulling out a pile of old archive Daily Prophet papers. He slid half of them towards me, a silent gesture to start our research on Rookwood.

"Of course, I've been kissed before," Ominis added, as if that wasn't obvious to me.

"Alright, who was your first kiss?" I asked, taking my chunk of papers. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Ominis muttered under his breath, unfolding a newspaper from a the top of his pile. "Let's just get to work."

As we worked in silence, I couldn't help but wonder about Ominis's first kiss. "Come on, don't leave me hanging," I prodded, hoping to get him to open up.

Ominis sighed, clearly reluctant to share. "It's not that interesting," he said, running his fingers over the braille maker.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," I offered, hoping to coax him into sharing.

"Very well." I sat down to the desk he was leaning on." I'll start."

I grabbed a newspaper from the pile and pretended to read it, biding my time. "I was fifteen, and he was an errand boy at my father's saloon. His name was Jamie, and he was a bit older than me. We snuck out one night and ended up on my uncle's boat, watching the sunset. He kissed me, and it was...well, he tasted like bourbon whiskey. But then his hands started wandering, and I didn't like that, so I punched him in the face and ran away."

Ominis burst out laughing, clearly amused. "Only you, my friend. Only you could manage to punch someone during a romantic moment."

I shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "What can I say? I have a bit of a temper."

"It's your turn now," I reminded him.

"Fair enough. It was during our fourth year, at a Slytherin party. Everyone had a bit too much of Garreth's potion, including me. But I still remember someone pulling me into a quiet corner and kissing me. They didn't remember it the next day, so that was that."

"Who was the lucky girl?" I asked.

"I'll take that information to my grave," Ominis replied, firmly.

I nodded, not wanting to push the matter any further. Instead, I turned my attention to the papers in front of me and read the front page. "1885, October 15th, The breeders of the basilisk were finally caught in Brazil by the respective Ministry Aurors of that State and were sentenced to 15 years in Azkaban upon conviction..."

Let me know how you liked the chapter. I giggled all the way through while writing it. :)