Venomous

Ominis

“Did you see her, Ominis? She’s blood gorgeous for such a scrawny little thing.” Sebastian’s voice floated over to him as they walked away. Of course he’d be fawning over the new girl. It seemed his dear friend had an inability to keep it in his pants anytime there was a pretty girl around.

“Oh yes, let me just vividly remember her exact appearance. Oh wait. I can’t.” Ominis rolled his eyes, climbing the spiral staircase that led out of the common room into the dungeons.

“What’s got you so wound up today? Usually, taunting the first years puts a pet in your step for the first day of classes. But today you’re just… cranky.” He wanted to slap his best friend. Ominis hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before no thanks to said friend’s inability to shut up and use his actual head for once instead of the one between his legs for five minutes.

“We missed breakfast thanks to your inability to stay away from anything that identifies as female. You dragged that poor girl over to me after talking about her nonstop last night. After you’d spent the evening filling your needs with a certain Hufflepuff.” He took the nearest floo flame to the defense against the dark arts tower, slipping across the hall with the other boy close behind him. “She’s just a girl, Sebastian. There’s nothing special about this one compared to every other girl in this gods forsaken school.”

“I don’t know, Ominis. Something about this one seems… different.” Ominis stopped, rolling his eyes again at his friend’s statement.

“You say that about every girl you snog and shag, Seb-” he was cut off by the sudden force of someone shoving him to the side as they passed between them.

“Oy, Prewett! Where’s your manners, mate?” He sighed once Sebastian began his tirade, the challenge of a duel fading out as he made his way to his seat in the far corner. He dropped down into his chair and closed his eyes, intent of taking a short nap before class started.

✧༺♥༻✧

Laurel

She felt like she’d been wandering the halls for an eternity, turning the map she’d been given this way and that, desperately trying to discern where she was meant to be going. The panic in her chest began to rise, and she felt her lungs fight for air. It was only when she ran into one of the professors, a man clad in various shades of purples and blues sporting a bright smile that she managed to find her way. Professor Ronen, as she learned his name was, offered to walk her to Defense Against the Dark Arts, brushing off that she was late due to her status as the new fifth year.

She walked into the classroom just in time to see a giant skull come careening downward toward a tall, ginger goy. It was levitated up just in the nick of time by an older woman who immediately took to admonishing both the redhead and Sebastian, who had been standing with his back turned to her. As soon as she was done reprimanding the pair of boys, she turned her attention to Laurel, a smile brightening her face.

“Ah, Miss Blake. Welcome, my dear, welcome. You’ve come at just the most opportune time.” the older woman beckoned her into the room, looking around at the students who were still milling about. “Now, I want everyone to take their seats. We can’t have you running around using Levioso without having properly practised it.”

“Oh Laurel, you’re in this period? Come on then, you can sit with me and Ominis.” Sebastian had wrapped one hand around her bony wrist, tugging her along with him at a hurried pace to the back of the classroom where his blind friend was sitting.

“Oh, no Sebastian, I don’t-” She was dropped down in a seat at a table that was really only big enough for two people, placing her down next to the blond and causing her to brush up against him.

“Ominis, Laurel’s joining us.” Sebastian took the seat just in front of them, turning to face the two of them.

Ominis raised his head from its place on his forearms, turning toward the two of them with his eyebrows furrowed. “Laurel? That girl from this morning?”

“H-Hello, Ominis. Nice to see you again.” She waved for the briefest of seconds, dropping her hand when Sebastian chuckled at her and shooting a glare his way.

The blind boy sighed heavily, pushing himself into a sitting position and digging a quill and parchment from his pack. She flickered her gaze to Sebastian, who shrugged before turning back to face the front of the room. She couldn’t help the distinct feeling that Ominis didn’t quite like her. She had barely reached into her pack when a feather floated up in front of each of them, followed by Professor Hecat’s voice resounding throughout the room.

“Practise your wand movement, make sure you’ve got it down pat. I know three months is a long time, but practising the charms you learned last year will be crucial to surviving this school year with top grades.”

Laurel picked up her wand, flicking it to the feather in an attempt to cast the spell. No movement. She huffed, swinging it again, only managing to get the infernal item to flutter slightly. A look to her left showed that Ominis had no trouble getting the feather to rise from the desk, and a gaze around the room showed that the other students were just as successful. She couldn’t help but feel a bit disconcerted at being so far behind.

“Don’t feel so embarrassed, Laurel.” She turned to the blond at her side, watching him swing the feather from side to side. “You’ve missed out on five years of the basics. You have good enough reason to be struggling a bit.”

“Your wand movement’s off.” Sebastian had turned around to face them, tilting his head to one side as he observed her. “Mind if I…” He gestured to her hand where her fingers were clutched around the wood of her wand. She shook her head slightly, and before she knew it, he was up and behind her. He took her hand in his, adjusting her fingers until they were aligned more comfortably on the conduit of magic. “Copy my exact movements. You were doing more of a V shape when you should have been doing a U.” He moved her hand with his, much more gentle than what she’d been attempting.

Sebastian released her hand, gesturing for her to try on her own. She took a deep breath, swishing her wand just as he had instructed her and speaking the incantation. Her eyes widened and she laughed a bit when the feather floated steadily up from the desk.

“Oh! Thank you so much, Sebastian!” She looked up at the brunet, a smile wide on his own freckled face. Ominis scoffed a bit from her side before turning back to the front of the room. What was his problem?

“Alright, everyone up.” Professor Hecat raised her arms, urging the class to stand. “The best way to practise is by dueling.”

She watched as Ominis stood, leaning a hand on one of the desks just as Professor Hecat moved them away, causing him to stumble a bit. She covered her mouth as she withheld a laugh, Sebastian snickering along with her. They were quickly silenced with a hot scowl from the blind boy, his face a bright shade of crimson.

“We’ll start with you two. Blake and Sallow. Take your marks.” Laurel’s eyes went wide, her fingers tightening around her wand as she swallowed down a lump that had formed in her throat.

“Time for a proper Hogwarts’ welcome.” Sebastian looked back at her as he passed, shooting her a wink and a smirk. She felt her face blaze hot, moving to stand on the platform across from him. She copied his stance before they were both stumbling as it rose them into the air.

“I want a nice, clean duel. You may only use protego, levioso and basic casts. You may begin.”