Secrets of Mr. Sallow

27. On his behalf

OMINIS
Sebastian hadn't been doing well. He wanted so badly to talk to Y/N, to apologise. But with Y/N seemingly insistent on following through with her threat, Sebastian was nervous. So, when he came to me, asking me politely to speak to Y/N on his behalf, I was concerned, but agreed.

Y/N
When you received an owl from Ominis, requesting that you meet him in the Undercroft, you were nervous. Why was Ominis requesting to see you? Would Sebastian be there? Surely Sebastian wouldn't be there.

"Ominis has requested to see me. I'll be back later." You smiled at Garreth, who nodded. You placed a kiss on his cheek before standing up. You left Garreth in the Room of Requirement, heading through the castle, making your way to the Undercroft.

When you arrived at the Undercroft, with Sebastian nowhere in sight, you exhaled, a small smile on your face. Ominis faced the couch on the other side of the large room, his wand up in the air, a red glow shining from the tip.

"Hello, Ominis. You requested to meet me?" You asked, curious.

"Hello, Y/N. Yes, I did. Although, my reason for wanting to meet you is quite...unusual." Ominis exhaled.

"It's okay, Ominis. Take your time." You smiled, helping him sit on the couch.

"Okay. I want to apologise." Ominis spoke up.

"Apologise? What for?" You asked, confused.

"I want to apologise on Sebastian's behalf." Ominis put his wand down, feeling the anxiety and nerves that you were feeling.

"Why didn't he come and talk to me himself? I'm not trying to sound rude, but it's a little odd that he sent his friend to apologise on his behalf." You rolled your eyes.

"If I recall, you threatened to tell Headmaster Black and the Ministry about everything you two did last year, especially him killing his uncle, if he ever try to talk to you again." Ominis reminded you.

"Oh, right." You nodded.

"I know that one might think that I am stupid in trying to apologise for the idiotic actions of my friend, but the only way his feelings and his regret will even be known is if I tell them to you." Ominis explained.

"You're not stupid, Ominis. You're trying to be a good friend, which is honourable." You smiled.

"We both know that what Sebastian did was stupid. He lied to you for months, and even when I figured out what he had done and asked him to correct his actions, he didn't. He went against his better judgement for the sake of his relationship with you." Ominis leaned back.

"I for one feel responsible for what happened. I should have told you what was going on when I found out, instead of relying on Sebastian to be truthful when we both know that once he sets his mind to something, he's not likely to stop." Ominis shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't say that Ominis. You don't need to feel responsible. Like you said, Sebastian lied to me and when you warned him and asked him to tell the truth, he didn't. That's his fault, not yours. As for telling me what was going on, it wouldn't have mattered. Even if you had told me what Sebastian was doing, he would've still been forced to explain and his explanation would most likely still have ended up in an argument that ended our relationship. With the lie that Sebastian told me, telling me sooner wouldn't have made a difference. No matter what actions were taken, the outcome would've remained the same." You exhaled, holding his hands. Feeling Ominis' pulse slow down, you smiled. He had clearly felt anxious about apologising to you, and now that you had reassured him, his anxiety had clearly lessened - or disappeared all together.

"While I do appreciate your honesty Ominis, your apology is not necessary. You're not the person at fault here. Sebastian is." You moved closer to Ominis, wrapping your arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. He accepted the hug with a bit of hesitance, but once you had him in your hold for a few moments, he exhaled, fully hugging you back.

"I miss hanging out with you." Ominis frowned, pulling away from the hug.

"I miss you too, but I know you and Sebastian are still friends, and you were friends way before I came along. The idea of us hanging out, but straining your relationship with Sebastian isn't fair. We'll still share classes and we'll still talk, but hanging out doesn't seem to be an option right now. I just...don't want to take you away from Sebastian. He's not in my life anymore, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be in your life." You exhaled, understanding Ominis' frustration.