Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 19 - Remember your allies

[AI art from the banner is created by me]

Ominis sensed that Sebastian was taking a hesitant step towards him, looking at him expectantly, and his breathing quickened more and more, causing Sebastian to briefly pause.

But when Ominis' shoulders suddenly started to tremble, and the first heart-wrenching sob escaped from him, as he couldn't hold it back any longer, there was nothing left for Sebastian to consider. With two quick steps, he reached Ominis, grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, and enveloped him in his arms. 

Ominis had no chance to prevent Sebastian from decisively pulling him close, but he didn't seem to have any intention of resisting anyway. He couldn't take it anymore; he didn't want to. His isolation had corroded him for far too long, and this loneliness had become unbearable, impossible to hide the pain it caused him. Additionally, there was the almost cruel certainty that he was causing suffering to his friends as well. 

Yet Sebastian was there now. Despite everything he had thrown at him, and despite all the ignorance and coldness Ominis had shown him in the past few weeks, he was there. Instead of blaming him or delivering the lecture he more than deserved, he embraced him and caught him. Despite everything, he was still the best friend he so desperately needed right now, perhaps more than ever before in his life. And apparently, it was entirely unconditional. It hadn't even required a single word of apology from Ominis to persuade Sebastian to be there for him.

At this moment, he wondered how he deserved a friend like Sebastian, and shortly after, he finally managed to let his inner protective wall crumble because he knew he was safe here with Sebastian, who wouldn't abandon him. Ominis wrapped his arms around his friend and rested his heavy head on Sebastian's shoulder as the first tears found their way out of his burning eyes. His quiet sniffles and sobs only prompted Sebastian to hold him tighter and silently stroke his back and shoulders with one hand for a long while. 

It was more than evident that Ominis had needed such a hug for far too long and had never received one. He was too overwhelmed to find the right words, so he simply couldn't speak, even though he wanted to tell Sebastian so much. He gasped for air a few times but just couldn't manage to speak. Sebastian's hand now gently glided over the back of Ominis' head to calm him down a bit.

"It's alright, Ominis. We have all the time you need," Sebastian said in a calm voice, closing his eyes because he could feel that he was on the verge of tears as well. It hurt him to see Ominis like this, not just because he couldn't handle it when his friends were so desperate, but mostly because he had allowed Ominis to be alone in this for so long. He felt like he had let him down, like he should have pulled him out of his hole much earlier, instead of letting him sink deeper with the hurtful things he had said.

"I'm so sorry for what I said to you during our argument. It just overwhelmed me... I didn't know how to deal with this sudden coldness between us because I couldn't figure you out at that moment," Sebastian tried to explain. At the same time, he also knew that anything he could have tried after their argument to reach Ominis wouldn't have worked until Ominis was ready to confide in him. It seemed that this had finally changed. 

Ominis' breaths became a bit deeper and calmer.
"I just want to protect you," he finally admitted, but his voice sounded hoarse and choked up. He held Sebastian as if he was afraid he might lose him forever. 

Sebastian sighed. It somehow felt good to hear that because it made everything Ominis had said during their argument instantly irrelevant. All the malice and hostility hadn't been real, and deep down, Sebastian had known that, even though he had to admit that a small part of him had feared all along that he might be wrong and that Ominis had meant it.