Three Headed Serpent

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Flashback, October, Year 6, 1891

Suggested Listening: Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor (Chopin)

---------------------------------------

Slytherin's were notorious for being sore losers and haughty winners. So when the first Quidditch game of the term saw the victory go to Ravenclaw and not them, the Slytherin student body sulked. Massively. Most of the older students, including Sebastian, headed off to Hogsmeade to drink away the shame they had. I had never known Sebastian to be a very humble person, so it was no surprise that he took the loss especially hard as the team's keeper.

I had no desire to watch him, Imelda, and the other team members make fools of themselves in Hogsmeade, so I decided that my time was better spent doing some reading. Mind you, not reading for school. I had recently fallen into the trap of Jane Austen, and I needed to know if Mr. Darcy and Lizzie reconciled after his failed proposal. The common room was not an option, as those who could not go out and drink in public tended to mope about the common room and drink whatever shit brew they could find.

As I approach the entrance to the Undercroft, I thank my brain once again for not allowing me the courage to try out for Quidditch. I am not the least bit athletic and have no desire to be dodging and chasing things.

I creep into the dark room, but stop dead in my tracks when I register the noise. Except, 'noise' may be a cruel word for what I hear right now. The soft melody of a piano floats up through the room. Venturing further, I see the piano and its musician in a dark corner of the room, illuminated only by a few small candles.

Ominis is seated, his eyes closed in total concentration, playing the familiar melody with ease. The sight and sound merge into one of the most beautiful things I have ever beheld in my time at Hogwarts, and I am not eager to give myself away before he finishes. He looks angelic, like a being I have never before seen. The focus on his face is evident as he squeezes his eyes shut, playing the haunting tune.

I am mesmerized. I feel as though I have never heard music before hearing him play today, and like the music I will hear in future will not compare. His slender fingers move gracefully as he plays the last few bars. I watch as his hands pause on the keys before slowly lifting them away, sighing with triumph at his playing.

"That was beautiful," I say. Perhaps beautiful was too plain a word for what it was. It's clear that I have startled him with my words, as his head turns abruptly in the direction of my voice. I watch him for a moment, as he pants and drops his hands into his lap.

"I didn't know you were down here," he stammers out, as if he was disturbing me. "I can stop, if you plan on doing work." The tips of his ears turn pink, made even more obvious by the candle light that flickered near him. I shake my head, before actually speaking.

"Ominis, it was beautiful. I- I don't even know how else to describe the way it was,"

A small smile dances on his lips. "Thank you. It's one of my favorites. The piece, I mean. It's by-"

"Chopin," we say at the same time, causing his smile to widen. "Do you play?" he asked me.

Gnawing on the inside of my cheek, I suppress a laugh. "Barely. Not since coming to Hogwarts, at least. I only really remember some of the etudes that were drilled into me during lessons."

He scoots over on the piano bench. "Show me," he says, more of a command than a suggestion. This time I let out a laugh. "Prepare to be utterly disappointed," I say, grinning.

He shakes his head, still wearing a smile. "I promise, I will not be."

I sit next to him on the bench, our legs touching and our shoulders pressing together. My mind races on what I should play, having not touched the keys for almost two years at this point. Settling on a Bach etude that I remember somewhat from my adolescence, I place my fingers on the keys.

This time it is noise that comes out of the piano. The etude is not one I have entirely memorized, and I have to pause a few times. In addition, wrong notes sour the melody and I can't seem to decide if I want to play fast or slow. Thankfully the piece is short, and I find myself playing the last chord with a sense of relief.

I glance over, studying his face. He is wearing a crooked smile, perhaps trying to hide laughter. "Lovely," he says, almost breathily.

I snort, releasing a giggle. "You are a horrible liar," I tell him, leaning against him with my shoulder. "Don't speak to me with poetry, I know that I am a horrendous piano player." Another thought comes into mind, causing me to laugh. "Have you read Pride and Prejudice?"

Ominis shakes his head. "I feel awfully similar to Lizzie Bennet at this moment, she also can't play the piano. In the book, she makes a fool of herself doing so in front of the man that is in love with her. I haven't finished it yet, but I am certain that they will marry. We should try to find you a braille copy!" I say, laughing.

He doesn't say anything back, and I look over expectantly. Ominis' cheeks are a bright pink, as if I have said something to embarrass him. "Are you okay?" I ask him.

He nods, but doesn't say anything just yet. I absentmindedly tap a few keys on the piano before thinking out loud. "I wish that my hands moved like yours on the piano."

This causes him to speak. "Really, you were not bad at playing. I quite enjoyed it, you should play the next time all three of us are down here," he says, kindly. He seems to think for a moment, unsure of if he should speak.

"Do you want to try something?" he asks, turning towards me a bit. My eyebrows raise slightly. "Ominis, I don't think I have it in me to play a duet with you," I say sheepishly. This earns a genuine laugh from him as he shakes his head. Standing up, he steps behind me on the bench before reaching his arms on either side of me to touch the keys.

"Put your hands on top of mine," he tells me.

My hands obey his command, tentatively resting on top of his. His skin is soft and cold, his fingers long and graceful in comparison to mine, yet my hands feel on fire as they sit on his.

Ominis slowly starts to move his fingers on the keys, my hand mimicking his. He plays the same melody as before, albeit much slower. The room fills with nothing but music and the sound of our breathing, our breath almost in sync with each other. The piece is tragic and soft, and this moment feels far more intimate than anything else in my memory. His fingers are gentle, commanding perfection from the instrument.

When the piece finishes, we don't move our hands away. I can feel his breath on the back of my head, how quick it is.

"I was right about you and your lovely playing," he whispers into one of my ears. His voice sends a chill down my spine, and I instinctively lean back slightly into him.

"You really are a horrible liar," I say back, my voice a low whisper. The room feels too silent now, just our breathing and the creak of the bench. He doesn't respond, standing still against me. I notice that he has stayed stationary, despite being pressed against me. My mind races from this small contact, from the contact our hands still have. It frightens me.

I quickly lift my hands away from his, leaving his fingers alone on the keys. My hands feel cold, and I watch as he lifts his arms around me and moves away from my body.

"Why did you come down here?" he asks suddenly. I turn around to look at him, watching as he rubs the back of his neck with one hand. His other hand is absentmindedly flexing at his side, his fingers stretching and then creating a fist.

"I came down to read, to be alone. Or," I say, trying to correct myself. "At least get away from the moping that was happening in the common room."

He smiles. "Let me get out of your hair, give you quiet so you can read."

"No! I mean... stay and play for me while I read. If you want," I add, smiling at him. He looks unsure, but nods. I pick my book up from where I set it and look around for the sofa that I transfigured months ago. "Where is the sofa?" I ask him.

He turns, smiling mischievously. "Where do you think the piano came from?" he asks me knowingly. I laugh. "You prick! You transfigured my reading couch?"

He nods sheepishly. "I was going to change it back when I left, before you came back down."

I shake my head. "No, leave it. The piano does so much more good for the room."

Ominis smiles, before turning back to the piano. I watch his body rise and fall with a big breath, before I am floating as music fills the room once more.