#Imelda favors garreth of course

[zetadraconis11]

HL Incorrect Quote #79

*Modern AU*

Sebastian: Imelda isn’t answering her phone.

Garreth: I’ll call.

Sebastian: MC and I have both tried six times each, what makes you thi-

Imelda: Hello?

[gauntwood-manor]

Liquid Courage in a Song

Warnings: Alcohol and Fluff

Pairing: Ominis Gaunt x OC

Inspired by this post by @cursedonyx and several conversations about Ominis with @caramel-hufflepuff

Ava didn’t normally do parties. She preferred to cuddle up with her cat under a blanket on one of the comfortable chairs spread around the Hufflepuff Common Room, a good book in her hands. So, the idea of being around a lot of people in a loud environment made her chest tighten with anxiety. But one of her best friends, Natty Onai, had convinced her over the past week that she should come to the next party, using phrases such as “We’re in our Seventh Year and you should experience at least one Hogwarts party” and “With all the stress you’re under, you need to learn to let loose and have a little fun now and then.” But what had finally convinced her was when Ominis Gaunt had asked if she would be attending. She had never been able to say no to him, whether it was helping him in Potions or giving him the last éclair from the Hufflepuff dining table.

That was how she ended up standing near the windows of the Slytherin Common Room, watching as several of her classmates lost their senses to alcohol. Amit Thakkar and Andrew Larson were deep in debate about the best telescope model, and she had already witnessed someone kick Duncan Hobhouse out when he had been unable to hold his liquor and thrown up in one of the decorative plants.

Sebastian Sallow and Leander Prewett were once again in some ongoing competition to prove each was better than the other. She’d seen their competitiveness every day over the past seven years and it definitely added some liveliness to life at Hogwarts. She was pretty sure they had made a bet on who out of the two of them would get the first kiss of the night. Initially, her money had been on Sebastian, as he was generally the more charismatic of the two. But then she noticed how alcohol seemed to diminish Leander’s usual arrogance and make him more charming. She giggled at their antics and was genuinely curious to see who would win, as long they both left her alone. She had no wish to get involved in their bets, which was one reason why she stuck to the perimeter of the room.

Taking a sip of her drink, she had to admit that Garreth Weasley had done a good job at creating the alcoholic beverages, despite his usual less-than-pleasant results when he would experiment with potions. Maybe he had asked Sirona, the owner of the Three Broomsticks, for some help developing the drinks for the party in an effort to impress someone. Her guess was her friend, Poppy Sweeting, because she had definitely noticed his eyes lingering on her quite a lot recently. Unfortunately for him, Poppy had declined to come to the party in favor of spending time with a new batch of creatures that Professor Howin had brought in for their NEWT lessons.

At the thought of crushes, Ava’s eyes wandered around the room as she searched for Ominis. She had seen him when she and Natty had first arrived, but she hadn’t had a chance to say hello to him since Natty had insisted on dragging her around the room with her. Now that Natty was otherwise occupied with Imelda Reyes in some corner of the room, Ava was free to talk to whoever she liked. However, the person she most wanted to talk to was nowhere to be found and the unpleasant thought had crossed her mind that he had already found someone to slip off to a hidden area with. She let out an annoyed noise at herself for being so pathetic over him and bent down to gently scratch the neck of a cat who had wandered over to say hello.

“There you are,” came the smooth baritone of Ominis’ voice, appearing at her side as though summoned by her thoughts.

She jumped, having thought she was completely alone in her spot by the windows. Then his words registered, and her pulse picked up its pace. “You… you were looking for me?”

“Of course I was, beautiful,” Ominis replied smoothly, his flirtatious tone catching Ava off guard. She was used to his usual calm and sweet manner, so this change to his personality, along with the compliment, sent her head reeling. She noticed his cheeks had a pink hue to them, probably the result of alcohol. “This is the first party you’ve ever come to, and I’ve been desirous of your company for quite some time.”

“Y-you have?” Ava asked, absolutely hating how bashful she sounded next to his smooth-tongued elegance, but unable to think clearly when he was causing her brain to short-circuit.

“Of course, darling,” he replied smoothly, his voice like honey. He stepped closer and smiled softly down at her. “Only an idiot would want to pass up time with you.”

Warmth rushed through her at his words, and she fidgeted with the cup in her hands. She wished she could be charming or eloquent, as she had witnessed other girls acting in a similar situation, but her brain was too busy fixating on the meaning behind his words. “I wasn’t aware you felt that way,” she finally got out, hoping the pause before her answer had not been too long.

Ominis chuckled and smiled down at her in a secretive manner, his unseeing eyes trying to focus on her exact location. “There are plenty of things I have not made you aware of, but I would very much like to.”

“Like what?” Ava did her best to focus on keeping her breathing calm, knowing even the slightest change would let him know how he was affecting her.

He tsked at her. “Not so fast, darling. I’ll get to telling you… in my own time.” His grin widened and he reached out his arm, inviting her to take it. After a moment of hesitation, she did, and he tucked her forearm against his body, which brought her in closer. His warmth and scent instantly overwhelmed her and made it harder for her to think straight. She nervously took a sip of her drink to cover the disorderly nature of her thoughts as he led her away from her seclusion and back into the fray.

Sebastian immediately approached them, a wide grin on his face. “Have you found me a willing participant?” he asked, slapping Ominis congenially on the shoulder.

Ominis rolled his eyes at his best friend. “This one is spoken for,” he replied officiously. “Go find someone else to charm.”

Sebastian grumbled for a second, before his alcohol-clouded eyes focused on Ava, finally acknowledging her. He shot Ominis a playful grin. “My bad, mate. I didn’t realize who you had with you.” He leaned in towards Ava to drunkenly whisper, “Take care of my friend” before sauntering off towards the next unsuspecting female.

Ava stood still, trying to process their exchange. It was interesting to her how quickly Sebastian had backed off when he had realized that it was Ava with Ominis and not some other girl. “What was that about?” she asked, glancing up at Ominis.

“In due time, darling,” he said and flashed her another secretive smile.

“If you say so,” she replied slowly, a thrill running through her. His liberal use of “darling” towards her didn’t go unnoticed or unfelt. If he kept calling her that, she would let him get away with anything, including the myriad of secrets he was apparently keeping from her.

“I promise it will all be worth it.” His voice was smooth as he continued to steer her through the crowd. “But first, I have a gift for you.”

She was shocked at the thought that he had something for her. While they had always been on friendly terms and had even exchanged Christmas and birthday presents over the past several years, he had never seemed the type to give out presents “just because.”

They made their way to the other side of the crowd and then continued on towards the section of the common room closer to the dormitories, which was currently unoccupied but had several chairs and couches, along with a grand piano. They passed several nooks occupied with couples fully absorbed in one another and Ava’s breath hitched in her throat, wondering if his intention was to lead her somewhere private and have his way with her. She was caught off-guard when they stopped at the piano.

“You once mentioned how much you love music,” he began, his demeanor suddenly less confident. “So, I wrote a song for you. I… I hope I’m not being presumptuous.”

A gasp left Ava’s lips at his words. “You wrote a song? For me?”

Ominis sat on the piano bench and fidgeted with the keys nervously. “Is that alright?”

“It’s more than alright. I just… no one has ever done anything like this for me.”

A brilliant smile lit up Ominis’ face. “Then let me be the first… and perhaps the only.” His words seemed to hold a promise, although Ava could not even begin to grasp the meaning. He patted the spot on the bench next to him. “Please, join me.”

“I wouldn’t be in your way?”

“Never.” When he replied, his voice was soft and his silver eyes rested unwaveringly on her.

Taking a deep breath, she sat next to him on the bench and flushed with pleasure when he scooted even closer to her, his side pressed up against hers. He immediately began to play a beautiful melody which tugged at her heartstrings. Then his voice joined along, and her breath caught in her throat at the beauty of it.

“Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin. Dance me through the panic while I’m gathered safely in. Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the end of love.”

He continued singing and she felt herself absorbing every single lyric that came out of his mouth. The song went on for what felt like forever yet was over in no time at all. The last note seemed to hang in the air and Ava found that she was afraid to breathe too loudly and break the spell, but she also knew he was probably waiting for her reaction.

“That was the most beautiful song I have ever heard,” she finally replied, her voice soft.

“I’m glad you liked it.” He smiled softly at her, but his body language spoke of his nervousness.

“You… you said you wrote this? For me?” Her head was spinning at the implications. The song had talked of a life full of love, of two people building and spending their lives together.

“I did. I… I hope I’m not being too forward, but I wasn’t sure how else to communicate my feelings for you.”

“Your feelings…” Ava breathed, the full ramifications of his words finally registering in her brain. “You want to be with me?” She was still reeling in shock that the man she had been crushing on for years returned her feelings.

Ominis gently took her hands in his. “Forever, if you’ll let me,” he answered softly, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands.

Joy rushed through her body, and she brought his hands up to her lips to place a kiss on the back of each. “I would love nothing more.”

Ominis’ face lit up with delight. “Do you truly mean it? You’ll be mine?” His voice was full of hope and he pulled his hands from hers to gently cup her cheeks.

“Yes,” she replied as happy tears softly fell down her cheeks. “A thousand times yes.”

Without another word, Ominis leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers, pure happiness filling his entire being. For the first time in his memory, he felt whole.