We go down, together

Ominis

"Sebastian. Can you please explain to me what is happening."

"Olive's gone."

"Yes, we already know th-"

"No. Omi. She's gone. She- you'll see." I couldn't muster the energy to comment that I actually wouldn't be able to see whatever had him so worked up.

His words finally registered, what did he mean... gone?

The stairs that led to the common room and dorms beyond seemed endless. Sebastian hesitated at the door, I could feel his eyes on me as I awkwardly shifted on my feet behind him.

Surely, this is just a bad joke.

As soon as the door opened, a sickening familiar scent slammed into me. I was so caught off guard by the smell that I unconsciously took a step back, halting completely before the threshold. My legs gave out as my wand tumbled out of my hand, I grasped at the doorframe to keep from sinking to my knees.  I could feel Sebastian's worried gaze on me, "Are you alright?"

"No no no no-" my words morphed into a string of parseltongue, I could no longer hear Sebastian over the deafening roar in my ears.

"Ominis..."

I was vaguely aware of the serpent-like hisses that were pouring out of my mouth. Gone, she was gone and that awful smell lingered in her room. Overpowering her sweet scent. Olivia wasn't here, she wasn't at Hogwarts, she was-

"Omi."

She was gone. She was gone. She was gone.

"What's wrong?"

She was gone. She was gone. She was gone.

"Gaunt." My face snapped up in the direction of my surname, my actions having caught up with me. 

Oh Merlin, what had I been saying to Sebastian?

"I apologize." I straightened and walked into the room. I closed the door and had to fight the urge to cringe.

"What's the matter?"

"Tell me the state of the room, please." I failed to keep my voice steady, I kneeled down and began to pat the ground for my wand.

"Her robes and wand are laying underneath the window." Sebastian spoke through gritted teeth, "She did not sleep here last night."

"What time is it?"

"Ominis, is that really important right now?"

For Merlin's sake Sebastian, "What. Time. Is. It." I couldn't keep the bite out of my tone.

I heard him take a step back, "It's 2:47."

The bed wasn't slept in, but she had a tendency of retiring to her room rather late. I was with her until midnight last night... I could have prevented this. I gritted my teeth, I needed to stay on task.

Feel sorry for yourself later.

What time had I sent the owl? Nine. It was nine in the morning. That left a nine hour window of when she could have been taken. That means the longest time she could have been missing is for... fourteen hours.

Fourteen hours.

"Ominis, what is it?" I could hear fear in his voice.

"Fourteen hours."

"What?"

"The longest she could have been missing for is fourteen hours."

"How can you be sure?"

"Olivia was reading downstairs in the common room when the clock struck midnight. I left her there and went to bed... I left her-" my voice cracked, "it's all my fault." Horror seized my body as I sunk to the floor.

Sebastian dropped in front of me, "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself. You had no-"

"I should have known. Should have sensed it."

"Ominis, there is no way we could have foreseen."

"I could have. I should have. They have been threatening her for months." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"They? What? You're not making any sense."

"My family." My fingers burned as they dug into the carpet, "I can smell their scent."

"What?"

I took in a shaky breath that just seemed to strangle me further, "I received a... letter a few months ago from my parents. They were not pleased with my... choice... of companions. They threatened to... eliminate any distractions." I fixed my gaze in the opposite direction of him, "They are under the impression that I am tarnishing the family name."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sebastian's voice was dripping with horror and a hint of anger.

"I- I thought I could protect-" the words died on my tongue.

"No more secrets. We promised. No more secrets, Ominis. You made us promise that." My heart cracked further at his tone of betrayal.

He's right. I did betray them.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." I was a hypocrite. Chastising them for the events in fifth year while I was actively keeping secrets that endangered their lives.

"Apologize to her. Not me." He snapped in my direction. I heard him take a breath, "what do we do? Surely they wouldn't-"

"They would. Merlin, they could have... have..." a string of parseltongue curses escaped me and I once again lost the ability to think clearly.

"What. Do. We. Do." His words were clipped and razor sharp enough to ground me.

"We have to tell someone. A professor or-"

"No."

He can't be serious, "Sebastian-"

"No. We will save her ourselves."

I don't have the energy to argue with him, we need to leave. Time is of the essence, only Merlin knows how much longer she has. "My family is very dangerous, you don't need to put yourself at risk."

"After everything she did for me, I owe her this. Ominis, I owe her my life. Anne's life. I lo-"

"Okay." I couldn't bear to hear anymore. I didn't want to hear anymore. I don't want to hear that my best friend harbors feelings for the girl I love.

Because you are a coward. Because you know she would pick him. Because the moment he voices that he's in love with her, that's it. It's over. Who would want to be with a Gaunt?

"Floo powder. We will use floo powder." His rambling yanked me back to the present.

"Yes, that will work. We can utilize the powder to arrive on the outskirts of the village outside the manor. We have to be very careful, if they even think we are on to them she's- we are dead."

"Ominis, you truly dont think-"

"Yes, I do."

"Fuck." He blew out a shaky breath, "Okay. We got this. I took down a troll almost single handedly and you my good sir, have a snakes tongue."

I gaped at him, "...right." I shook my head at his incredulousness and slowly slid my hood on. "Let's go."