Ominis Gaunt had always been a man who kept to himself. Outside of his extremely small circle of friends, people hardly heard from him. He'd show up to events from time to time, but if there was no motive for him to do so, it would be as if he never existed. That's just the way he liked to do things, the way he liked to live his life.
After turning eighteen and getting his inheritance from his family, he left. Call it cruel to get his money and leave, but he was tired of his family's constant abuse. He had already been avoiding them for years, so they barely cared. And he hardly contacted them. But nothing felt different. He had inherited his late Aunt Noctua's estate and had been living there ever since and up until late last year, alone.
However, since moving here eight years ago, he had become well acquainted with a family whose estate was nearby, the Austen's. More specifically, their daughter Vienne. Vienne often wandered around from place to place, and for as long as she could remember, the other estate closest to her home had been abandoned for the past couple of years-or vacant at the very least. The former owner she had known had just suddenly disappeared one day.
However, when she was fourteen, suddenly it seemed as if someone was living there again. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she walked up to the door and knocked on it to see who was there. An eighteen-year-old Ominis Gaunt opened the door, wondering who could possibly be at his home.
Vienne was surprised to see him; after all, she had no idea who he was. But the two began to talk, and Ominis explained he had inherited this place from his aunt. Vienne recalled speaking to Noctua Gaunt on a number of occasions, and her work fighting against blood supremacy had actually led Vienne to take on many of the same beliefs. Unknowingly, Ominis and Vienne spoke for hours after this first meeting.
Vienne felt slightly bad for the man. He was so young, living all alone, and he didn't seem to have a good relationship with his family. She also quickly took note that he was also blind, which made sense as to why his eyes were never on her. She often went over to keep him company; the two of them simply sitting around and talking about whatever came to their minds.
Ominis soon began to value her as the good younger sister he never had.
That one curious visit turned into eight years of wonderful friendship. However, Ominis no longer lived alone now-that all changed late the year prior.
His dear friend, Sebastian, was now staying with him. And what a relief that was.
For the past ten years, Sebastian had spent his life practically rotting away in Azkaban. Living hell on earth for ten years. Every day Ominis thought about him and how much he must be suffering. Those ten years weren't easy for either of them.
The unfortunate events that had taken place in their fifth year of school had an astronomical effect on the both of their lives. Although Ominis, Anne, and their friend, who had witnessed it all, had all agreed to keep what had happened between Sebastian and his uncle a secret after Sebastian promised to do better, the word still somehow got out about what had really happened.
And quickly, all of their lives fell apart.
Sebastian was arrested and put on trial for murder and the use of unforgivable curses. And no matter how hard his friend and his sister recounted the story, pleading with the jury for his innocence, he was sentenced to ten years in Azkaban for his crimes.
Sebastian, to say the least, was terrified.
A sixteen-year-old boy going to Azkaban. What a thought that was.
But by the end of the trial, he truly believed he deserved this punishment. The guilt of killing his uncle was already eating away at his heart, and through the stress of all of this, it had completely crumpled. He didn't even try to fight back or say anything as he was sentenced; he simply looked down at his hands in his lap, unmoving.
He still remembered the horrified look on Anne's face as they took him away. His heart ached knowing that would probably be the last time he ever saw his sister. And it was.
Not even a month after his sentencing, Anne died. The heartbreak of losing her uncle and her brother so quickly took a toll on her already frail state. She died not knowing what state her brother was in. But she also died knowing she'd never see him again. Every single member of their family had gone in such a terrible way, and to be honest, Sebastian also thought he'd go similarly. Dying in an old, disgusting cell.
Sebastian was promptly informed of her death soon after it happened, and it tore away any bit of remaining happiness he had left. The dementors were not very kind to him, and to hear that the last of his family was now dead shattered anything he had left.
And he blamed himself for all of this. And he'd never forgive himself, no matter what.
It was so dark that he could never tell what time of the day it was-it always just felt like he was living in an eternal night with no hope of any light coming in. His only company were the dementors and the insane prisoners around him, who were consistently threatening anything and anyone. And the occasional auror who came every now and then to check up on everything.
More than half of the time, it didn't even feel like he truly existed. He didn't even know how to describe the feeling. But every time he came to and remembered where he was, his heart ached like no other. He couldn't imagine how disappointed his parents would be to know where he was. But even then, had his parents been alive, he wouldn't be here.
Those ten years were hard, but now he was finally out. What felt like an eternity was finally over.
Ominis had been counting the days till Sebastian would be released, and he took it upon himself to be the one to help him get back on his feet when he got out. The first time they were reunited in ten years was one of happiness but also of great horror.
Ominis couldn't physically see Sebastian and how much he had changed; however, he could feel it. When he put his arms around his best friend for the first time in ten years, he froze. Sebastian was so skinny. For once, Sebastian was skinner than him, and that thought alone terrified him. It felt as if he had barely eaten anything over the course of ten years!
In the back of his mind, Ominis worried that Sebastian didn't even recognize him with how unresponsive his hug had been. He just stood there with his arms at his sides, confused as to what was going on or where he was. However, he held out hope. He was going to help his best friend if it was the last thing he did.
It was commonly known about Hogwarts that Ominis was the one that kept Sebastian out of trouble. Either using his family as his excuse or by just completely shutting down any stupid ideas Sebastian had before he could carry them out. However, not many knew about how much Sebastian took care of Ominis in return over the years.
There were many nights after they had first met when Ominis would just cry. He missed his aunt, he hated his family, he didn't know what to do, and he was so young and afraid. Sebastian would crawl into his bed and hold him. He had no idea what to say, but he just knew his friend needed comfort, and that's all that mattered.
There were many times when Sebastian held his arm or his hand to lead him around the castle when he was still getting accustomed to it, or the countless times he helped him with his potions homework to ensure he didn't get a terrible grade that he would be punished for by his parents. They took care of each other for as long as they had known each other.
Ominis took Sebastian to his home, where he'd be staying for the time being. He knew it'd take time, but he knew if there was anyone who could come back from such a terrible ten years, it was Sebastian.
And he was right; over the past year he had greatly improved.
Of course, he was still struggling as anyone would, but he was starting to act more and more like his old self every day. He still carried a lot of the baggage in his heart and mind from the past ten years, but he tried his best to not let it get to him.
He put back on some weight, tried his best to get used to being out in the world again, and to make up for the lost time. He started to look like himself, speak like himself, and feel like himself again. And he couldn't be more grateful to his best friend for helping him.
Adjusting to normal life wasn't exactly easy, but Sebastian took things slowly. Being out in nature again felt amazing, and he spent a lot of his time outside, making up for the ten years he had been locked up in that retched cell. He would take good note of anything that made him feel happy-or something in general. Anything, big or small. He did this for months, and slowly he began to feel better.
One of the weirdest things he experienced was actually looking his age. The last time he had seen himself was a sixteen-year-old boy. Now he was twenty-six-years-old, a fully grown man. Truth be told, he had avoided looking in mirrors since his release, as his frail and thin frame was not something he wanted to focus on. However, many months of taking care of himself had paid off, and he could now look at himself in a mirror again. It felt a little strange though, almost as if he didn't recognize the man staring back at him as himself.
Seeing how you looked at sixteen, then suddenly twenty-six was quite the leap, but sometimes it just didn't feel like himself; he was still getting used to it.
It was almost like vaguely looking at his father in a mirror with traits from his mother scattered around his face. Part of it hurt; the other part was proud he could carry bits and pieces of his parents with him.
One afternoon, Ominis had noticed him getting out of the house more, and he was proud of him. "I will say, I'm proud of you for going out more. It makes me happy knowing you're not staying in this place all the time." He spoke.
Sebastian, who was leaning on the railing of the balcony, looked back at his friend over his shoulder. "Isn't that what you do every day? Stay inside?" He teased slightly.
Ominis was going to fire back at him, but really, he was just glad that Sebastian was acting like himself again. (However annoying he may be.)
"Hush, I go out. I just happen to be inside more than out." He replied, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "But I'm telling the truth. It does make me happy when you go out."
"I know, and I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me to get me to that point." Sebastian said with a smile. "Couldn't have done it without you."
Ominis rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure with how spiteful you are, you completely could have." He said, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Hey, we go from praising me to insulting me in two seconds; what's with that?" Sebastian asked; however, there was a little grin tugging at the corner of his cheek. Merlin, he had missed this. He had missed Ominis.
And knowing he had nobody else, he was getting better for Ominis. To make up for all the years he had stressed the poor man out on the verge of a heart attack. Ominis did so much for him, and he simply wanted to repay that somehow, someway.
Their banter, their discussions, or even just being around him. And it warmed his heart to know that his best friend still cared even after everything and all these years. And because of him, Sebastian was finally getting his life together.
A/n: Heavy angst on the second chapter? Sorry y'all. I swear it gets better. ðâ¤ï¸