#Jazlr Deleted Scenes

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 8:

In light of Shadow

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

Ah finally, feels better to be writing a chapter closer to my usual length, 3k+ is so much more comfortable!

This chapter takes place shortly after the end of the questline and the last chapter.

Sebastian sighed, gazing out across the Highlands from the window, resting his elbows against the ledge.

He'd come so close. So close to losing the freedom he'd taken for granted. All because of his arrogance. The world had seemed so simple, so straightforward barely a week ago.

Goblins were monsters. He and only he could save Anne. Their uncle was of no importance to them. No one cared about Anne as much as he did. Anne and Ominis would always be on his side.

But he had been wrong. He had been wrong about so much.

Goblins didn't curse his sister. He couldn’t save Anne. His uncle had been dear to Anne. His uncle had cared about Anne as much as Sebastian did, he just showed it differently, so did Ominis and his friend. ...Anne may never return to his side again.

He had been wrong about so many things he'd been sure of.

Well, all except one of them. Sebastian smiled as the door beside him opened and a familiar pulsing red light emerged before Ominis stepped through the archway.

"Ominis, over here." Sebastian called out, his chest warming at the gentle smile that curled Ominis' lips and softened his eyes at the sound of Sebastian's voice.

Sebastian felt a twinge of pain when Ominis immediately moved towards him, despite everything he'd done, all the mistakes he'd made, the things Sebastian kept from him. Ominis still trusted him, still walked towards him without a shred of hesitation.

What had he done to deserve such a friend? He'd thought Ominis hadn't understood, but it was Sebastian who hadn't understood. His new friend had been by his side, but Ominis had been on his side the whole time.

"Hello Sebastian." Ominis greeted, his tone calm and soothing as always.

"How's your Arithmancy project going?" Sebastian asked lightly.

Ominis groaned and pressed a thumb against his temple. "Would be better if my partner could count past ten.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Maybe he’s got a finger short.”

“Then he should simply use his toes.” Ominis rolled his eyes.

“Maybe they got turned into beets.” Sebastian grinned.

“What in Merlin’s name are you on about?” Ominis shook his head. “If I can count past ten without ever once having seen my fingers, he’s clearly a simpleton.”

“Would you like me to count them for you?” Sebastian asked, grin widening as Ominis levelled an unimpressed stare in his general direction. Sebastian took a moment to pretend to count his friend’s fingers. “Mhm, looks like eleven!”

“Excuse me, I’m pretty sure I know how many fingers I-” Ominis spluttered in confusion.

“Come on, haven’t you realised, like your fingers, I’m one of yours, you can always count on me.” Sebastian interrupted with a cheeky grin.

“Sebastian!” Ominis buried his face in a hand, using the other to push his friend lightly on the shoulder as Sebastian laughed. Shaking his head, Ominis sighed at the other boy’s antics. “We've got Divination next, right?"

"Yup, at least you won't need all ten fingers or your brain for that one." Sebastian chuckled as they began making their way through the halls.

It felt so strange for Sebastian, to have had his life fall apart so spectacularly in the last few days while the world continued spinning as though nothing had happened. He'd come too close to losing this simple pleasure of walking to class with his best friend.

"After Divination we'll be having Charms together with them, right?" Ominis mused as he mentally went through their schedule for the day.

"Yeah, the three of us can head to dinner together after." Sebastian confirmed as they walked up the stairs to the divination tower.

Ominis nodded. "Sounds good, I brought my old Herbology notes, they wanted to compare some of my third year notes with their field guide."

"Handy resource that thing, though honestly, it's pretty funny sometimes, watching them cast revelio every ten steps." Sebastian grinned as Ominis laughed lightly in response.

Quieting as they reached the classroom, Sebastian and Ominis quickly found a table to sit at together.

As soon as the students were all seated, Professor Onai waved her wand, sending a deck of tarot cards to each table. "Today, we'll be learning the art of Tarot card reading."

Professor Onai waved her hand in an elegant flourish, creating a spread of cards that hovered before her in the air. “Since this is our first lesson in classic Tarot, I would like everyone to pair up and do a reading for each other. Refer to chapter thirteen for a summary of each card, take a moment to reflect on your reading, feel free to discuss it and I will go around each table to further elaborate on each reading.”

She then began explaining the meanings behind each of the major arcana and minor arcana, each card glowing as she described its meaning. After several minutes of lecture, she instructed the students to pair up and try doing a general life three spread reading on each other.

Sebastian handed the deck to Ominis to do the first reading, the boy dutifully shuffled the deck slowly and methodically, before spreading the cards out for Sebastian to select three of them. Dutifully holding the cards in order, Ominis flipped around the Past card, then the Present card and finally the Future card, showing them to Sebastian. The cards in his hands were the Nine of Swords, the Ten of Swords and the Six of Cups Reversed.

Waving his wand over the cards, Ominis cast a spell to translate the words into braille, the spell then causing braille textures to form over the names of the cards, allowing him to read the words before setting them down on the table. Flipping through his textbook, Ominis ran his hands over the pages, feeling the braille lettering with his fingers. He hummed as he found the correct chapter and began to read the descriptions aloud.

“Alright, for your past card, the Nine of Swords, suggests that in the past, you may have experienced anxiety, worry, or fear. This card can indicate a time when you were stuck in a cycle of negative thinking or struggling to find a way out of a difficult situation. It may also suggest that you were not getting enough rest or self-care, and that you were experiencing physical and emotional exhaustion.”

Both Sebastian and Ominis were silent for a moment.

Sebastian shifted uncomfortably before Ominis continued. “The Ten of Swords suggests that in your current situation, you may be facing a major ending or loss. A limit has been reached, a line has been crossed and there is no turning back. In some situations this may be felt as a tragic loss, but it often brings with it a paradoxical sense of release and closure. This card advises you to take time to grieve and process your feelings, and to seek support from trusted friends or professionals.”

Sebastian took a breath, folding his hands together and resting his elbows on the table. He hadn’t expected this class to be anything more than an easy OWL, yet here he was getting exposed by a deck of cards. Lovely.

“The Six of Cups, Reversed, suggests that in the future, you may be struggling to let go of the past or to move forward in a positive way. This card can indicate a tendency to dwell on old memories or to idealize the past, and may suggest that you are having difficulty finding joy or fulfilment in the present moment. This card advises you to be mindful of any patterns of nostalgia or sentimentality that may be holding you back, and to focus on cultivating new experiences and connections that bring you joy and meaning.”

Closing his textbook, Ominis cleared his throat awkwardly, wondering what expression Sebastian might be wearing at the moment. He reached out to gather the cards, only for Sebastian to speak.

“It’s alright, I’ll get them.” Sebastian murmured, trying to keep his voice from showing how uncomfortable he was feeling as he gathered the cards into one hand.

Quickly shuffling the deck for something to do, Sebastian mentally put aside his reading for the moment, focusing on getting Ominis’ reading done first. He spread the cards, lightly tapping the fanned out deck against Ominis’ hand, letting him feel the cards before selecting three from them. Sebastian collected the three cards and flipped them open on the table. The cards that lay before them were the Two of Swords, the Five of Swords and the Tower Reversed.

“Heh, more swords.” Sebastian laughed awkwardly.

“I believe the Swords are commonly associated with challenges, conflict…and heartache.” Ominis replied, clearly making an effort to keep the atmosphere light.

“Well, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, we’ve had our fair share of all the above.” Sebastian smiled ruefully.

“Indeed we have.” Ominis returned his smile.

“Merlin, and I was just here for an easy O.” Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair before picking up his own textbook and finding the right page. Might as well get it over with.

He gazed at the text for a moment before reading aloud. “The Two of Swords suggests that in the past, you may have faced a difficult decision or situation that required you to weigh your options and find a way to balance conflicting energies. This card indicates that you were able to find a sense of equilibrium and make a choice that served your highest good.”

Sebastian glanced at Ominis, seeing his friend’s eyes tighten as he finished the first card description. Feeling guilty for having played a large role in his friend’s need to make difficult decisions over the course of the year.

Swallowing his discomfort, Sebastian continued. “The Five of Swords suggests that in your current situation, you may be experiencing conflict or betrayal. You may feel like someone has taken advantage of you, or that you have been left out of a situation unfairly. This card advises you to be mindful of your interactions and relationships, and to avoid engaging in behaviors that could harm others or create negative karma.”

Sebastian winced, alright, that one just hurt. He knew Ominis couldn’t see him, but he felt like burying his head through the table regardless. The shame he felt for making Ominis feel this way was nigh unbearable. Sebastian glanced up towards his best friend, unsurprised to see bitterness spread tight across his lips too.

To his surprise however, Ominis sighed after a moment, a sad smile replacing the pain from before. “Keep going. This is nothing I did not already know.”

Sebastian took another deep breath before pressing on. “The Tower, Reversed, suggests that you may experience a major upheaval or crisis in the future, but it will not be as dramatic or catastrophic as it would be if the card were upright. This card indicates that you will be able to handle any challenges that come your way, and that this experience will lead to positive growth and transformation. The Tower, Reversed, advises you to be open to change, and to trust that you have the strength and resilience to handle whatever comes your way.”

Ominis huffed lightly with a wry smile. “Well, that’s nice to hear at least.”

Sebastian shifted uneasily. “Ominis… I-I’m sorry, you don’t have to pretend to be alright with- with staying by my side.”

His best friend chuckled lightly. “I’m not pretending. Certainly it hurt when you lied to me, or I suppose misled me, and then left me behind. Repeatedly, but I don’t wish to be apart from you because of your mistakes. I simply have to accept what you did, accept your apology and hope that you won’t do it again.”

“Even though I hurt you.” Sebastian had meant to say that as a question, but it came out more like a statement.

Ominis smiled sadly. “There are some things more precious than my hurt feelings.”

“You shouldn’t have to just… deal with it.” Sebastian frowned, trying to understand how Ominis was thinking.

“True, but I do, and not liking it doesn’t change the fact that I have to.” Ominis shrugged, picking up one of the cups of tea that sat on their table, off to the side. Casting a heating charm on it before sipping from it carefully.

Taking that as a cue to shut up and think before he spoke again, Sebastian sighed, slumping down onto the table, folding his arms on it and resting his forehead on them.

As they waited, Sebastian thought about Ominis’ words and everything the cards had said about, well, basically his whole bloody life. Life reading indeed.

Sebastian considered the words of his reading and a line that stood out to him, ‘this may be felt as a tragic loss, but it often brings with it a paradoxical sense of release and closure’. He frowned, turning his head to the side to gaze at the small flickering fire burning over a candle at their table. Did he feel better? After everything he’d been through, after everything he’d done.

Perhaps he did, somehow, even though things couldn't have gone any worse, Anne was still cursed, and his mistakes had only served to drive them further apart. Yet the stress he'd been carrying around all year now seemed so far away.

Ominis had been right, while a part of him had been horrified at his own actions, when the haze of hurt, betrayal, despair and anger had cleared. Another part of him had felt satisfied after… after killing his uncle.

The man was supposed to protect them, yet all he did was berate Sebastian for doing what he was supposed to be doing. Standing in Sebastian's way instead of showing him the way. It was so easy to hate him when all Sebastian ever saw in their uncle was anger.

Perhaps things would be different if he had listened to his uncle, but what was Sebastian supposed to do after giving up? Wait and watch as his sister wasted away?

He and his sister had done nothing to deserve this. So why did they have, not only to suffer, but to also accept that suffering as unchangeable? It wasn’t fair.

So he had railed against the injustice, unable to accept the cards fate had dealt them, but all it did was make things worse.

Now, it was out of his hands. Did he feel better? Not really, but perhaps this too was part of growing up. Accepting that sometimes it's better to deal with the cards you're dealt, and try to find happiness and peace despite how rubbish things get.

There was a difference between giving up and accepting reality, and thanks to Ominis, he was starting to understand it. Perhaps not as well as his best friend clearly understood it, but Sebastian could kind of see what he was trying to tell him. Perhaps this was something Ominis had to learn too, when he was a kid who’d bemoaned the people he’d been born to.

“You know.” Sebastian jumped as Ominis spoke quietly. “You were the first person I’d met who didn’t treat me any differently for being a blind Gaunt.”

Sebastian blinked up at him in confusion, about to ask what he meant, when Professor Onai approached their table.

He quickly sat up straight, as she asked. “Mr. Gaunt, Mr. Sallow, which of you would like to go first?”

Sebastian hesitated, he knew she wouldn’t likely glean anything too dangerous for him from his reading, but still. Ominis quickly replied however, giving him more time to settle his nerves.

“I drew the Two of Swords for the past, the Five of Swords for the present and the Tower Reversed for the future.” Ominis replied smoothly.

Professor Onai nodded sagely. “Hm, interesting spread. The cards suggest that you have faced difficult situations, but you have been able to find balance and make choices that serve your highest priorities. You may be dealing with conflict or betrayal, and should be mindful of your actions and relationships. You may experience a major upheaval, but you have the ability to handle it and emerge stronger and wiser. With this reading, I would encourage you to stay open to change, and to trust in your own strength and resilience as you navigate the challenges and opportunities of your life.”

“Thank you, professor. I shall take your advice to heart.” Ominis nodded politely.

Sebastian had a hard time keeping his jaw off the table at how quickly and smoothly their teacher had interpreted the cards. Woman must have eaten half his textbook for lunch. As she turned to him, he cleared his throat and dug through his memories for the names.

“I drew a Nine of Swords, the Ten of Swords and the Six of Cups Reversed.” Sebastian recited.

The professor’s eyes grew sympathetic. “I see, the cards suggest that you have faced significant challenges and loss in the past and present, but that you have the strength to process and heal from them. It may be tempting, but you should be mindful of any tendencies to dwell on the past. Do not resist change, and focus on cultivating new experiences and relationships that bring you happiness and fulfilment. I would like you to remember to take care of yourself and that we professors are here to help you with anything you’re struggling with. I believe that you have the strength and resilience to navigate the ups and downs of your life with grace and courage.”

Professor Onai placed a gentle hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “You can speak with any of us if you need to.”

Finding it hard to meet her eyes or even speak, Sebastian simply nodded in reply.

“I hope the two of you have a better appreciation for the guidance that we can receive when we are open to listening. This was the lesson for today, so you may leave the class if you wish.” She smiled, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze before leaving the table to speak with another pair of students.

“Shall we go then? Our friend must be waiting.” Ominis asked as he tucked his textbook into his pouch, stretching the mouth open wide enough to cram the book into it, the large tome disappearing into the small pouch.

“Y-yeah.” Sebastian agreed, clearing his throat and mimicking his actions as Ominis stood and began to leave the room.

“Ominis!” Sebastian quickly followed, running slightly to catch up to him, catching Ominis by the hand to stall him.

His best friend turned to him, tipping his head to the side curiously. “Yes, Sebastian?”

“I-” Sebastian faltered, unsure what exactly he’d needed to say.

Ominis waited patiently for Sebastian to continue.

Sebastian took a breath, trying to find his words. “Thank you. For everything. I’m really glad to have you by my side.”

Ominis blinked for a moment, and then smiled softly. “As am I.”

Sebastian smiled in return, before Ominis turned at the sound of their friend calling their names.

It didn’t matter what lay ahead. He had Ominis and their friend by his side.

He wasn’t afraid anymore.

Notes:

And then, Main Character reaches the top of the stairs and goes, “Merlin’s balls, what’s taking you guys so lon- Er, am I interrupting something? I can, just like, go back down the stairs.”

Sebastian blinks in confusion as Main Character gestures towards the stairs. Ominis starts blushing, and Sebastian then realises that he’s still holding Ominis’ hand, and his face starts turning red as well.

- If enough people want it, I miiiiight write a continuation that goes romantic between Sebastian and Ominis, but we’ll see.

I feel like the teachers should have offered more support and some therapy for Sebastian, I mean come on, orphan kid whose sister is deathly ill and has been getting tons of detentions for sneaking into the restricted section. That's textbook troubled teen in need of guidance and counseling acting out!

Anyway, thank you everyone who made it to the end of this fic, and I hope that you enjoyed our journey together!

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 7:

In light of Revelation

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

This chapter takes place directly after the last, I was going to make this the last chapter, but then I started writing one more, so there'll be a fairly long epilogue chapter after this one xD

I actually wrote the first chapter and this chapter before everything else, so I hope the snippets have managed to flow from and to this point smoothly, I also made some art for this, hope it looks good haha

My art can also be viewed in HD for free on my Patreon here!

Sebastian looked up at the sound of the iron grates lifting. He shuddered, caught between wanting to leap to his feet and run over to demand that Ominis tell him Anne's verdict immediately, and wanting to run in the other direction or perhaps disappear into the floor under the bench entirely.

He settled for simply staying put, every one of Ominis' quiet footsteps felt like a drumhead judge laying down his sentence. Sebastian heard, more than saw, Ominis come to a stop a few steps away from him.

"Ominis…"

"Sebastian…”

"...I'm sorry." Sebastian felt his heart stop. Ominis shook his head as he continued. "She can't bear to see you. She won't turn you in, but…she may never be able to face you again."

Sebastian closed his eyes in pain, a part of him was relieved that she didn't hate him enough to send him to Azkaban, but it was swallowed up in a sea of agony. He might never see his twin again.

What was he supposed to do now? He'd never allowed himself to even entertain the thought of losing her for good. Now he was going to lose her forever and she wasn’t even dead. She would rather die before seeing his face again. Somehow that hurt far worse.

Sebastian covered his mouth with a hand, choking back a sob, feeling Ominis sit beside him on the bench. He wanted to lean into his best friend for comfort but didn’t know if he would be welcomed. If Ominis pushed him away right now, Sebastian wasn’t sure he'd be able to keep what was left of his sanity.

Ominis sighed, hearing the heart wrenching sounds of despair. As much as his mind told him that Sebastian had done this to himself, his heart longed to soothe that pain.

"Anne wrote this for you." Ominis murmured, offering Sebastian a small rolled up parchment.

It took every scrap of Sebastian's willpower to force himself to take the parchment, unrolling it with trembling fingers to read the short writing. Praying, hoping beyond hope that there was some form of salvation on this paper.

I will always love you, but I don't know if I can ever forgive you.

The parchment fell from Sebastian's hands, which immediately seized up, his arms trembling from the force of his convulsions. The tears he'd been holding back filled his vision, spilling down his cheeks in streams, and a broken whimper forced its way past his throat.

Sebastian barely noticed his body collapsing under his grief, until he felt a firm grip around his shoulders.

Sebastian was confused for all of a split second. Before he realised that Ominis had pulled him into a side embrace, stabilising him, and preventing Sebastian from falling off the bench. He couldn’t stop himself from grasping onto the arm supporting him across his chest, clinging to the familiar quiet strength of his closest friend.

"Why…what did I do wrong? I was just trying to help, I was so sure…where did I go wrong?" Sebastian choked out the words, his usual mask of confidence completely shattered, the stubborn self-righteousness he'd worn like a cloak for the past year turning into vapor, leaving him as exposed as a featherless chick in a storm.

Ominis sighed again, resting his head against Sebastian's. "That's the problem, you've been so caught up in thinking only about saving her, you forgot to ask what she wanted. You forgot to ask if she would ever forgive herself for even existing if it drives you to hurt other people just to save her. Having cruel things done in her name shifts the blame to her."

He felt Sebastian balk at that, but he was still listening quietly, that was a good sign. Ominis continued.

"And you may have felt that Solomon was never there for you, but he was caring for her this whole time, he was there for her, and she loved him." Ominis rubbed a thumb against Sebastian's collarbone.

"You showed her that you didn't care about how she felt or what she thought, and then you selfishly satisfied your own personal hatred in a way that took a loved one from her." Ominis had never wished so dearly that he could see, that he could watch Sebastian's face, to see if his words were getting through.

This was the breaking point. If Sebastian still couldn’t recognise and face his mistakes, Ominis was sure that he would regret convincing Anne to not turn him in.

The seconds turned into minutes as Ominis waited with bated breath, feeling Sebastian shudder and sob against his side. Every second stretched on to infinity, fear tightening his grip on Sebastian's shoulders, Ominis desperately didn't want to lose him.

"...how can I possibly make this right?" Sebastian's voice was so small, so lost and so full of regret. Ominis felt relief crash over him like a wave, he felt lightheaded as oxygen rushed to his head. Sebastian got it. He understood.

Sebastian shook his head. "...I fucked up so bad and I didn't even realise… I should have listened to you… how can you even stand to be by my side after everything? You must be so angry with me."

Ominis straightened as Sebastian lifted his head to stare into his cloudy eyes searching for answers.

Ominis smiled sadly. "I was angry with you because you put yourself in danger. Because I didn't want to lose you. I've lost everything I ever loved to dark magic. I was terrified that I would lose you too."

Sebastian's breath caught in his throat at the gentle expression on Ominis' face. He saw everything he needed to see in those pale eyes, understanding, care, and a forgiveness he hadn't even properly asked for yet.

"...I'm a fucking moron, aren't I." Sebastian gave a watery laugh, relieved when Ominis huffed lightly in return, pressing their foreheads together.

"Yes, you certainly are."

Notes:

My art can also be viewed in HD for free on my Patreon here!

I do not acknowledge the option to turn him in, I think it's absolute rubbish to turn Sebastian in for Solomon’s failure to support him and his inclination to take out his own personal frustration on a child he is caring for. Solomon is responsible for provoking a child to violence, and honestly, after he attacks us alongside the Inferi, I would have loved to kill him myself.

I also feel that Sebastian might have been caught in the heat of the battle as well, I mean he’d been fighting Inferi and in battle mindset, if something’s in the way? Kill it. In war soldiers on the other side cease to be people, they’re just enemies, they’re just NPCs, it’s how the human brain deals with the stress of killing people like that.

We even see Sebastian drop his wand after casting the killing curse. he also refers to his actions with “I never wanted to hurt my uncle”, he can’t bring himself to use the word “kill” at all, and he keeps fixating on “being with Anne” to escape the situation, showing a clear disassociation with his actions, the inability for his mind to reconcile what happened with his conscience.

This is basic criminal psychology, when determining if someone committed premediated murder. Behaviour like this is evidence that he can’t take responsibility for his actions. Which of course follows that he should never have been allowed to take action in the first place, poor kid’s brain is fucked. He needs a psychiatrist.

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 5:

In light of Time & Hope

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

I really hate that we don’t get to see the conversation where Main Character tells Sebastian that Ancient magic will not be a feasible cure for Anne.

Like, why!? It’s the pivotal bridge between the main story and this character story, to propel Sebastian with desperation further into the grasp of the relic, and they didn’t put it in. I don’t understand this decision.

I also feel like people tend to forget that Sebastian is a kid. At fifteen, I certainly was a mess of hormones and mood swings, much less an orphaned kid with separation anxiety from his twin sister who is suffering from chronic pain.

Ominis turned onto his side with a frustrated huff, the day had been long and tiring, yet here he was, tossing and turning in his bed while sleep eluded him. The sound of two sets of footsteps striding past him on uneven stone, echoed in his mind over and over again.

Their friend had told him afterwards about what happened after they and Sebastian left the catacombs. He couldn’t believe that Sebastian had cast the Imperius curse, in front of his uncle no less!

He shouldn't have let them leave, the thought came with a burst of guilt. If they hadn't left, Anne might have died.

No, it wasn’t like that, and yet, he could not deny that he needed Sebastian by his side more than he feared for Anne's life. If Sebastian was expelled… Ominis shook his head, recoiling from the mere idea.

He had a feeling that things were only getting worse. Sebastian's mood over the last few weeks had been nearly bipolar, first he seemed increasingly agitated and frustrated, then he seemed hopeful with a spring in his step, and then he was back to brooding.

Ominis wanted so badly to help Sebastian, but he didn't know what to do. He hadn't felt this helpless since he was a child curled up in his bed, trying to shut out the sounds of agonised screaming.

All he could do was watch and trust their friend, who seemed even more erratic than Sebastian lately. They were rarely in the school outside of classes, always showing up looking exhausted, distracted and with bandages in different spots every time he saw them.

Ominis was pretty sure that Sebastian was starting to accompany them on whatever dangerous venture they were on too. He really hoped he was placing his faith in the right person.

Sebastian flung yet another Confringo at the candelabras in the Undercroft. Why did every shred of hope he found always lead to nothing!?

He let the heat from the spell radiate across his arm, not nearly as hot as the fury and frustration in his chest. Sighing, he took a step back, leaning against one of the pillars.

He had gotten his hopes up after seeing that memory of Isidora taking away her father's pain. If only it could be that easy. It had taken all his willpower to hold in his anger until his friend had left, after they told him that removing pain with Ancient magic also removes every other emotion.

That would not help Anne, he wanted her to go back to normal, not change even more. Sebastian felt another surge of frustration, grabbing a crate beside him and hurtling it across the room to smash against the wall.

He breathed heavily, grinding the heels of his palms into his temples. Nothing for it then, Sebastian took a deep breath, he would just have to go back to the relic option.

He had hoped that his friend's Ancient magic would turn out to be the solution, after he realised what he'd need to do with the relic. Even he had hesitated when he realised what it entailed. However, it seemed that he would have no choice.

His friend had rushed off towards Hogsmead after delivering the explanation, something about needing to see Olivander. Sebastian had offered to go with them, back them up in the war against Ranrock, but they'd told him it was too dangerous.

Truly, they were a good friend, busy trying to save the world and still taking the time to help him. Bearing with his mood swings and supporting him, when it was his sister who needed saving, not theirs.

It was embarrassing, but it was only as his friend left the Undercroft, their shoulders set like the weight of the world were upon them, that he’d realised how childish he’d been behaving. There they were carrying so many burdens and yet they’d taken the time to help him with his own. The way he’d treated them while they were trying to complete the triptych was now a source of shame to him.

He’d behaved like a git, like their aid for his sister was a given rather than a gift. It was only when they'd rebuked him that he'd realised how much he'd needed them. How much he'd relied on them up to this point.

Their words to him that night as they trekked up the mountain had taken some reflecting to fully sink in and he was grateful that they had taken the time to reason with him rather than simply abandon him. Without them, he would never have found the relic and he was at a loss as to how he could possibly repay their kindness.

Sebastian walked over to the table where the relic sat. He considered waiting for his friend to return before proceeding with the ritual. Having them by his side would be a great comfort and assurance, it was tempting to lean once again on their dependable shoulders.

However, he also knew that if he hesitated too long, Solomon would take his sister far away from him. Possibly out of his reach.

No, he could not afford to delay. He'd relied on their goodwill for too long anyway. He needed to stop depending on everyone around him to solve his problems for him. This was his burden, he could be strong, like them, and solve his problems himself.

He knew Anne wanted Ominis around for the ritual, but this could be dangerous. He didn't need to involve and endanger their friend or Ominis. Anne was his responsibility and Sebastian was going to cure her.

No matter what happened to him.

Notes:

It's really annoying when our dialogue options we can select are extremely different from what the Main Character actually says, like how does “That was cruel.” translate to “Your uncle was right, you don’t know when to stop!” That’s not even in the same vein of logic!

Also, the dialogue options for Shadow of Time are ridiculous.

If you choose to convince Ominis, Main Character tells Ominis that we let Sebastian leave under the condition that Sebastian goes no further yet we didn’t tell Sebastian this at all. So, Seb "breaks a promise" that we made that he would never have agreed to. Bruh.

If you choose to use the Imperius curse on Ominis, well, am I the only one who finds it hilarious that, you tell Ominis to “stay in place until we’re out of sight”? It should wear off instantly!

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 3:

In light of the Study

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

This chapter takes place after the trip into the Scriptorium.

Ominis rubbed a hand over his face, trying to focus on the gentle music of the enchanted instruments he was sitting on the floor across from. Sadly, it wasn't doing a great job of drowning out his memory of one of his friends screaming in agony.

It was his fault. He shouldn't have let the new student convince him to lead them in. He knew it wouldn't lead to anything good but…in truth, he'd wanted to give in.

He'd wanted to be able to sit with Sebastian and talk about nothing again. He'd wanted to believe that there might be a cure for Anne in there. He'd wanted to believe that Aunt Noctua was right about Salazar Slytherin.

He'd wanted it all so much, that he let himself forget that nothing good ever comes out of Dark Magic. Discovering his aunt's fate, after all this time, hadn't been worth the cost of going in there.

Ominis took a deep breath, trying to collect himself, when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Stop blaming yourself." Sebastian sat down beside him with a sigh. "We both consented to it."

"We both know whose fault it was that such consent was even necessary." Ominis murmured tiredly, bringing his knees closer to himself and tucking his forehead against them.

"Yes we do, the fault was mine. I'm the one who wanted to go in there. You hear me? I'm taking full responsibility for what happened, so you can stop feeling guilty." Sebastian spoke in a stern tone, watching the hunched form of his best friend curled up beside him.

Sebastian didn't regret going into the scriptorium, they'd found a book that seemed promising and, as bad as he felt for putting his friends through that ordeal, it was worth it for the chance to have his twin by his side again, the way she used to be. The way she was always supposed to be.

Ominis sighed, it was an undeniable fact that it was his fault, but there was no point arguing with Sebastian over this. It truly warmed his heart to hear his friend try to alleviate his guilt by taking the blame, so he figured the least he could do was to drop the subject.

He pushed away the voice telling him that he was just taking the easy path.

"How are they? After…" Ominis asked instead, trailing off at the end. Finding it difficult to complete his sentence, turning so that his cheek rested against his knees and facing Sebastian.

"They seem to be doing alright, saw them riding a hippogriff, of all things earlier. Beautiful beast that one, all white and majestic it was." Sebastian chuckled, honestly, their new friend was quite unbelievable, even without taking into account the utterly bonkers Ancient magic stuff.

Despite the more…unpleasant parts of their adventure in the scriptorium, Sebastian couldn't deny that he'd enjoyed it. Searching for clues to solve dangerous puzzles with Ominis and his new friend by his side. It'd felt like the good old days, sneaking around with Anne and Ominis.

Ominis smiled, blissfully unaware of Sebastian's thoughts. "I see."

“You do!?” Sebastian gasped in mock surprise.

“Really Sebastian?” Ominis asked flatly, trying to contain his own mirth.

Sebastian snickered. “Sorry.”

Shaking his head, Ominis sighed, relaxing his legs and leaning back against the wall behind them, sitting shoulder to shoulder with his best friend. He was just glad to have all this Dark Arts nonsense behind them.

Now, they could focus on trying to find another way to heal Anne.

Notes:

I swear Ominis and Sebastian's banter in the Scriptorium quest is perfect xD

I also forgot to mention earlier, that I believe Main Character is a muggleborn because of their overall unfamiliarity with rather basic magical world facts and when you do the Merlin Trials starter quest, you can reply that you always thought Merlin was a myth, which is a muggle belief in this universe.

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 2:

In light of the Estate

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

This chapter takes place between the Shadow of the Undercroft and Shadow of the Estate, tackling the question of how Sebastian learnt of the Scriptorium in the first place.

Sebastian sighed as he turned yet another page of the large tome he'd been thumbing through for the last two hours.

One would think that a book from the restricted section, titled Memoirs and Legends of Salazar Slytherin would have more descriptions of Dark Arts in it, but alas, the title seemed to be more misleading than he'd expected. Being ninety percent Legends and ten percent Memoirs.

"What have you got there?"

Sebastian jumped slightly as the silence of the Undercroft was broken but didn't bother looking up. Easily recognising Ominis' calm tones, as his best friend ducked under the gate's rising bars and crossed the expanse between them. Before carefully settling onto the bench beside him.

Sebastian took the moment to stretch, back aching from being hunched over a book for so long, releasing another sigh as he propped his head up on an arm and turned to face Ominis.

"Nothing much, just a book about Slytherin, though it's turning out to be more of a book about what people say about our house founder." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"As if it's any news that he supposedly had a chamber in Hogwarts, that supposedly had a basilisk in it." Sebastian shrugged, before tipping his head thoughtfully. "Though, I suppose it's interesting to know that he might also have had an undiscovered scriptorium here too. Not much use, since it doesn't say where that might be, of course."

Ominis couldn't prevent himself from jolting at the word 'scriptorium', trying to cover up his reaction with an awkward laugh. "A-ah yes, that doesn't sound very helpful."

The silence stretched on for a long moment and Ominis cursed internally, of course the one time Sebastian actually paid attention to him, it would be when he was trying to hide something.

"I don't suppose you might know something about this scriptorium, now would you?" Sebastian's tone was sly, dragging out his words meaningfully and Ominis shifted uncomfortably at the sound.

"I can't see why you might think so, besides, you probably shouldn't look into anything like that. Anything connected to my ancestor is bound to be full of Dark Magic." Ominis folded his arms, turning to face the other direction, away from Sebastian's voice.

"Come on Ominis, none of us will be able to avoid Dark Magic forever. So, the more we know about Salazar Slytherin and the Dark Arts, the better prepared we'll be!" Sebastian reasoned, leaning away from the table, trying to get a look at Ominis' expression.

"Well I for one, would like to at least try to avoid it forever, thank you very much." Ominis tipped his chin up, stubbornly refusing to allow Sebastian to get a glimpse of his face.

Another long moment of silence passed. Unfortunately, Ominis knew his best friend well enough. This wouldn't be enough to get him to leave this alone, and sure enough Sebastian's steely voice came not a moment later.

"You might be able to avoid it, but I can't. I won't. Have you forgotten that Anne needs a cure?" Sebastian's words were biting and Ominis felt his stomach clench at the accusation in them.

"Of course I haven't!" Ominis shot to his feet, his chest burning with the urge to flee. "How could you possibly think so!?"

"Then tell me!" Sebastian stood as well, gripping Ominis' forearm firmly to keep him there, his voice pleading. "This scriptorium could hold the answers we need!"

"You can't keep doing this! Using Anne to justify dabbling in something that's irrevocably wrong!" Ominis' voice was pitched high with distress. He knew what Sebastian wanted and he understood wanting it, but he also knew what was at stake.

"I'm not using Anne! Nothing I've said is untrue! If you cared about her, you'd do anything it takes to cure her, like me!" Sebastian shouted, pulling Ominis by his arm to face him.

Ominis was glad that he couldn’t see whatever expression Sebastian was wearing, he had a feeling it would have frightened him terribly. As it is, his voice was doing the trick well enough, but Ominis knew he had to stand firm on this. Sebastian simply didn't understand the risks involved and no matter how Sebastian had changed, he was still Sebastian and Ominis wasn't going to lose another loved one. Like he'd lost his aunt.

"I'm sorry Sebastian, but whatever is in there might do more harm than good. Ask anything else of me but I shan't help you with this." Ominis shook his head, prying Sebastian's fingers from his arm and high tailing it from the Undercroft.

"I'm not going to let this go."

Notes:

I feel so weird making these chapters so short, I usually write long chaptered stories but these are supposed to be snippets between quests, so I want to split these up scene by scene like the way they come to us as quests in game, rather than long and continuous, since I don't really see the need to rewrite scenes that are in game.

I might eventually write a proper story for this game rather than a collection of snippets like this.

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 1:

In light of the Undercroft

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

Can be taken as pre-slash or just canon-compliant bromance.

I love the writing for this questline, but the self-insert Main Character aspect does result in us missing a lot of crucial interactions between NPCs like Sebastian and Ominis.

So, I tried to imagine how they may have interacted between quests based on dialogue available in the game, a few logical leaps, and their character dynamics. To answer questions like; how did they overcome their disagreement over sharing the secret of the Undercroft?

I'll be trying my best to avoid mentioning things that specifically involve Main Character's decisions or gender, for a neutral idea of how the interactions between the boys might go, but I will have to go with some assumptions of Main Character's decisions here and there, do forgive me.

The largest exception being the decision to turn in Sebastian. This fic will be operating under the assumption that Main Character does not turn in Sebastian.

"Sebastian, have you lost your mind!?" Ominis spat as soon as the gates raised before him, storming through them immediately with confident strides, moving through the room with familiarity. "What were you thinking, telling the new fifth year about this place!?"

Sebastian jumped to his feet, almost knocking over a tall pile of books on the table by the bench he had been seated on. "T-they told you!?"

"So you did tell them about the Undercroft!" Ominis gritted his teeth.

"I- Well, I, wait, so they didn't tell you that?" Sebastian stammered, scrambling to cover up his mistake.

"No, they told some boldfaced lie about stumbling upon this room, ridiculous!" Ominis threw his hands up in frustration. Sebastian smiled, pleased to hear that his new friend had tried to lie for him anyway.

Ominis jabbed a finger in Sebastian's general direction. "You can wipe that smile from your face. I know you're smiling."

Sebastian's grin stretched wider, reaching forward to adjust Ominis' index finger to properly point at his face, stifling a snicker at the indignation on Ominis' face.

Yanking his hand back, Ominis huffed irritably.  "And that is beside the point, what in Merlin's name do you think you're doing, speaking of this place to someone who's been here for less than a month!?"

"Exactly." Sebastian countered, folding his arms defensively. "They've been here for less than a month, you know they're muggleborn, catching up to the rest of us is going to be incredibly difficult and I'm sure they'll need somewhere the pureblood nuts won't bother them."

At Ominis' unconvinced expression, Sebastian huffed and tipped his head back irritably. "I would have thought you'd approve of me helping a muggleborn in Slytherin!"

"I do approve of you helping a new struggling student, but this is supposed to be our sanctuary! You didn't even bother to ask how I felt before you did it!" Ominis voice shook with some of the hurt he was trying to conceal.

"Look, I-" Sebastian began, a sharp retort on his tongue, right until he noticed that Ominis was blinking rapidly in an attempt to prevent moisture from gathering in his eyes.

Sebastian sighed instead and sat back down heavily, the fight momentarily drained out of him.

Ominis shifted agitatedly, waiting for a few moments of silence before opening his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Sebastian's quiet admission.

"Because they remind me of Anne."

Ominis froze, he hadn't expected anything like what Sebastian had just said. The tightness around his eyes softened gradually, as Sebastian continued. "I miss her. I miss this place. I miss us hanging out together here. They just reminded me so much of Anne, the way she was before…"

Sebastian took a deep breath, clasping his hands together in front of him. Ominis quietly approached his bowed head as Sebastian swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Oh Sebastian…" Ominis sighed, what else could he say? He missed her too.

"I just- I wanted to have that feeling again. Playing Gobstones together, teaching Anne Confringo after we'd practiced till we were sure we wouldn't accidentally hurt her or let her hurt herself. The time the three of us spent together here were- are some of my best memories." The words came out thick with grief, Sebastian swallowed, pushing past the crushing loneliness of being apart from his twin for too long.

All because of the goblins. Sebastian lifted his head, a fire blazing in his eyes, letting his anger wash away the pain.

"It's those bloody goblins, it wasn’t enough to curse Anne, and now the little buggers are after the new fifth year too!" Sebastian gestured uselessly before Ominis' unseeing gaze.

Sebastian slumped back down, clasping his hands together again.

"They were so brave, fighting that troll, it was like watching Anne beat the piss out of those seventh year pure-brained bullies." Sebastian's tone grew wistful for a moment, before he lifted his head to face Ominis.

"I'm sorry I told them without consulting you, but they need somewhere they can train to get stronger. I'd do it again. I'm not going to let the goblins take someone else, not if I can help it." Sebastian's voice darkened dangerously and Ominis suppressed a shiver.

The hatred in Sebastian's words was so visceral, that Ominis felt something in himself recoil, from the person he cared about most in the world.

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse. Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together. With one spell, the goblins had taken away the only two people he loved. Was it too much to ask? Just two people, in the whole bloody world that he wanted to protect, and the goblins just had to curse Anne.

Sebastian wasn't the only one angry, Ominis was too, but it was so tiring being angry. Ominis had spent so long angry. Angry at his ill fortune, at whatever cruel deities had decided to put a blind child in the House of Gaunt. Angry at his parents, at his siblings, his heritage. He was so tired of anger and hate.

Ominis sighed in resignation, there was no point bemoaning what could not be undone, he'd learnt that growing up under his family's…tender loving care.

"Well, I suppose there's no changing the past. You've already told them, there's nothing I can do about it now." Ominis grumbled, sitting down on the bench beside Sebastian. He heard Sebastian release a shaky breath, his friend's body relaxing beside him.

"So, what else did you do with them, besides get another detention?" Ominis shook his head as he bumped shoulders with Sebastian.

Sebastian grinned. "Well, first we went to Hogsmead and then a troll appeared! It crashed through…"

Notes:

Hope that felt believable and in character! To be honest, this is just my need for closure, the game gave us closure with Sebastian or Ominis at the end of the questline, but didn't give us closure between Sebastian and Ominis.

So this fic is my take on how they may have bridged the gap between them repeatedly during the storyline, since they clearly do still end up talking after quests thanks to lines like "Ominis has been asking about you." during the Shadow of Time quest.

With the final chapter going over how I imagine they might begin to heal their relationship when Ominis goes to Sebastian with Anne's verdict, which I'm very upset that they didn't show us.

Like, why bruh, you have Sebastian tell us that Ominis told him, instead of showing us Ominis bringing the news to him in person!?

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 6:

In light of Fate

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

This chapter takes place after Main Character tells Ominis not to turn Sebastian in, and consists of Ominis' visit to Anne to convince her.

I find it interesting that during the conversation with Ominis, if you choose not to turn Sebastian in, saying Sebastian won’t do anything like this again, Ominis says “We’ve both heard that before.” However, this is not true, trust me, I’ve gone over every dialogue line twenty times now.

We, the player, has been the only one who keeps saying that Sebastian won’t go further. Sebastian himself has never said anything like that, nor has he ever expressed regret or remorse for any of his actions. His actions have always been justified “for Anne” and compartmentalised as “not giving up”.

Plus, up till this point, Sebastian has not had any negative consequences for his forays into Dark Magic, kids tend to keep pushing till they hit a negative consequence and no, Ominis being angry doesn’t count here.

The first and only time he has said he made a mistake (“I didn’t mean it”) was after he kills Solomon and realises that Anne sees that as a bad thing, an unforgivable thing. Speaking of unforgivable, I believe that Sebastian is genuine in his regret, we know full well that people can mean it when they cast an unforgivable but still regret it after and never do it again. For proof, I present exhibit A, Ominis and Cruciatus. Case closed.

"I always say that travel broadens the mind!"

Ominis pulled out his wand as he stepped away from the Feldcroft floo. His wand tip glowed as it scanned the environment, giving him a vague outline of any potential obstacles in his path.

In truth, he was beyond relieved when their friend had pushed him to convince Anne not to turn Sebastian in. When he'd first heard of what Sebastian did, his first instinct had been to begin planning a way to conceal the crime.

It was only when Anne herself had spoken of turning Sebastian in, that he'd even realised it was an option. It was probably even the right option. Sebastian might only get worse if they covered this up. What if he continued to dabble in Dark Magic? Sebastian was still justifying his actions by saying he'd killed…killed his uncle for Anne. Would he realise what he'd done?

Yet the idea of Sebastian, Sebastian, locked away with dementors in Azkaban. Forced to relive his worst memories, of which his best friend had many, repeatedly for the rest of his life. It was unbearable. Beyond inconceivable. How could he do that to Sebastian? How could he damn his best friend to that hell?

Ominis had decided that he was too attached to Sebastian. His judgement was clouded. So he'd resolved to leave the verdict to their friend, the most objective witness to everything that had happened. Telling himself that he was not fit to decide, fleeing from that responsibility yet again. Surely a prodigy like their friend was more suited to judging Sebastian’s mistakes, right?

Their friend was certainly good with words. As he'd hoped, they had given Ominis the assurance to do what he'd needed, to do what he wanted, to protect Sebastian, without guilt.

Ominis took a deep breath as his footsteps came to a halt before the place he too called home. Rapping his knuckles lightly on the door, he waited for Anne's weak voice to invite him in.

"Ominis… you came…" Anne murmured as Ominis closed the door behind him, her words thick and stuffy, no doubt from hours of crying.

"Of course…I'm so sorry Anne…" Ominis sighed as he made his way over to sit beside her at the table, placing a hand on the vague and fuzzy outline of her shoulder.

She sobbed, placing a hand over his and gripping it tightly. "How could he do this? To our own family…"

Ominis sighed, taking her hand and gently bringing it to rest on the table. "I don't think he was in his right mind, Dark Magic has a way of clouding one's judgement."

"But you can't cast an unforgivable unless you mean it!" Anne choked out, her voice bordering on hysterical.

"Yes… that's true, but we both know how Solomon was with Sebastian, I doubt Sebastian really saw him as family anymore, particularly in the heat of battle, the new student said Solomon fired spells at them too while the Inferi attacked them." Ominis replied.

"That doesn't make it any better! Sebastian could have used anything besides the killing curse! How could he go so far? I never wanted him to do any of this!" Anne's fingers tightened around his and Ominis felt a spike of irritation.

"Yet you never told him to stop." The words were out before Ominis could stop himself from speaking.

Anne froze.

Ominis swallowed, well, now he had no choice but to continue. "You've never told him directly how you feel, you simply accepted his attempts to heal you and never drew the line with him."

He softened his voice. "Look, I get it. I'm guilty of the same thing, we wanted to believe that there was a solution, and that with Sebastian's stubborn determination, he would find it, and everything would work out."

Ominis sighed. "So, we didn't put our foot down until it was too late. All three of us are just as guilty as Sebastian is for letting him get this far. We let him carry the burden alone because we were too scared of making a decision, and it pushed him past the brink of sanity."

He could hear Anne shaking with sobs, feeling awful about it, as he gave her time to think. He still didn't know if this was the right choice. He truly hoped it was. That Sebastian would come to understand the gravity of what he'd done.

Ominis just couldn't take away Sebastian's chance to learn from this mistake. Azkaban was an end, not a place where growth and redemption could take place.

"You're right…" Anne finally sighed, wiping her face with a tissue. "It was too tempting, the thought of getting rid of this curse. At times I wasn't even sure whether I was willing to let Sebastian do whatever it took or not."

Ominis nodded. "I don't blame you. I can't say I'd have done any better in your position."

"Maybe if we had spoken more honestly with him, things wouldn't have come to this…" Anne lamented, shaking her head sadly. "But it has, and I know what I need to do."

Ominis tilted his head curiously as she stood, walking away, and returning to her seat a moment later. The sound of a quill scratching across parchment lightly soon reached his ears.

"I will take this burden from him. Then maybe he'll finally wake up, here give this to him." Anne murmured as she cast a drying spell on the ink, rolled up the parchment and placed it in Ominis' hand.

Anne smiled ruefully. "You are right, Sebastian deserves a chance to change, so I won't turn him in, but I can't forgive him, not yet, maybe not ever. No matter his reasons, he killed our uncle. Solomon wasn’t the best guardian, but he always tried to make things as comfortable for me as he could. Sebastian deserves punishment for killing him."

With a sigh she stood again. "So, I'm leaving. Solomon was planning to leave Feldcroft, I'll simply follow the plans he made. The guilt Sebastian will have to live with for destroying our home and breaking up our family will be his punishment, and without me, perhaps Sebastian can start living for himself."

Ominis stood as well, listening to her move around the room casting several spells to shrink her belongings. "Where will you go?"

"Not terribly far away. An owl to my name will find me easily enough." Anne tucked her shrunken belongings into a small pouch and crossed the room to give Ominis a parting hug. "Thank you, Ominis, you've always been a good friend to my brother and I. We are lucky to have you."

Ominis returned the embrace with tears in his eyes, doing his best to smile as she leaned back, presumably to gaze at him. "Take care of my brother for me, will you?"

"Of course I will." Ominis nodded, finding no other words to say as he bid one of his closest friends farewell.

Ominis listened as her footsteps grew distant, travelling down the path before stopping altogether with the familiar crack of apparition.

He felt drained beyond measure, yet his job still wasn't over. Ominis brushed the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath before he began making his way to the floo.

Sebastian was waiting.

Notes:

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I feel that Anne doesn't have much room to judge Sebastian here.

She could have been a bit more decisive. She only ever asks Main Character to convince Sebastian to give up, but such a request has to come from her to work. Smiling happily and hopefully when Sebastian brings a Shrivelfig, and not saying “healing me isn’t worth a dark sacrifice” during Distance (the crest message meeting), is not telling him to stop.

The way I see it, she should tell Sebastian to stop trying to heal her and if he continues to try to heal her, then it’s on him now. However, if she green lights him searching for a cure, then she has lost the right to judge his methods.

Of course I can understand Anne’s struggle here, no one should have to make such a choice. I don’t know if I could draw a clear line under those circumstances either, but it doesn’t change the fact that she holds some responsibility for Sebastian's decline in mental health. Not nearly as much as their shit uncle, but a little.

I mean, we barely see her talk with Seb, no wonder he's feeling lonely and suffering from separation anxiety, and then she ran away! When a strong slap from her in the catacombs would probably have knocked some sense into Sebastian and prevented him from making the biggest mistake of his life.

What made her think their rubbish uncle would diffuse the situation? The man's a boiling kettle all by himself, he's been provoking Sebastian for ages!

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 4:

In light of Discovery

Summary:

Anne wasn't the only one who changed after the curse, Ominis swallowed the words, grieving once more for the brief happiness they'd had together.

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft.

Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game, where Sebastian and Ominis find a way to move on and mend their friendship.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

This chapter takes place after the Shadow of Discovery quest, where Sebastian tells Main Character about the relic spoken of in Slytherin's spell book, before asking the Main Character to keep it a secret from Ominis.

Only for Ominis to reveal himself and that he'd heard every word, and then get revenge for Sebastian telling Main Character about his childhood trauma, by telling them about Sebastian's childhood trauma.

I imagine their interactions after that point would be very strained since Sebastian literally just walks out. So, instead, I took a dive into what might be going on in Sebastian's head after that.

I think it's very important to remember that as confident as he appears, Sebastian is just a kid, he's got hormones, insecurities and anxiety. He's inexperienced and lacking in proper guidance, because wow is Solomon a terrible guardian for a traumatised kid with no therapy. And that's on top of the trauma of watching his parents die, and separation anxiety from being apart from his twin sister for an extended duration while she's deathly ill.

Sebastian lifted his eyes from the book before him, closing the tome quickly, leaving a finger trapped in its pages, as Professor Binns glided by his desk. It was always so annoying trying to conceal his activities from a ghost. Blast their ever-hovering feet.

He slumped back down in relief as the teacher floated past, before he flipped the book open again.

Salazar Slytherin's spell book was endlessly fascinating, despite being frustratingly difficult to interpret, and so he had taken to charming the cover to appear as a textbook and continued studying it in History of Magic, since it was the only class he'd get away with reading during.

As Sebastian performed one last cursory scan of the room, his eyes landed on Ominis, falling asleep beside their friend. He felt his stomach tighten. That used to be him sitting beside Ominis. Instead, Sebastian was sitting alone at the back of the classroom. Their new friend probably saw more of Ominis than he did at this point.

Truth be told, he was a little surprised at just how much Ominis' anger and disapproval hurt. Having his best friend barely say anything to him, besides asking where their mutual friend might be, was beyond painful.

Sebastian had just been trying to be considerate when he’d asked their friend not to tell Ominis about their plans with the book. He may not completely understand why Ominis was so intent on blaming himself for what he'd been forced to do by his abusive family, but he understood that it had been horrible and traumatic. He'd simply wanted to protect Ominis from having to interact with Dark Arts again.

Sebastian watched as his friend also fell asleep beside Ominis, his chest burning with envy. He was tired too, but he didn't have the luxury of peaceful sleep.

Why couldn't Ominis understand what he was doing? Sebastian was trying his best here! Trying to keep himself from lashing out at Ominis for abandoning him when he needed him most. Respecting Ominis' desire to distance himself from Dark Magic.

He understood Ominis' fear of the Dark Arts, and Sebastian truly didn't want to hurt him. It was just unfortunate for him, that Anne's life was more important than Ominis' feelings. If Ominis didn't want to be involved, well, it hurt, but Sebastian could accept that. Anne's wellbeing was his burden to bear, not Ominis'.

Besides, it wasn’t like Sebastian didn't want to stop, he couldn’t stop. Did Ominis think he hadn't tried everything else already? That Sebastian was jumping into Dark Magic purely because he wanted to? Sebastian had tried everything he could think of, it wasn’t his fault that the most promising avenue left to them involved Dark Magic.

Anne was suffering and she was his twin. She'd been with him since they were born, he'd already lost his parents, clawing, and gasping for air at his feet. He would not lose her, she was the only family he had left.

Solomon didn't count, his existence made absolutely no difference in their lives, dead or alive. His uncle was useless, a man who gave up on his family and cowers from protecting the village from the creatures that ruined their lives. The creatures that were still ruining the villagers' lives.

Sebastian sighed, feeling weary and lonely. He wanted to go back. Back to a time before this constant fighting with Ominis and his uncle. Before every waking hour was spent fearing the arrival of an owl informing him of his sister's passing. Like an ever-present sword of Damocles, looming over his head.

Back to when Ominis and Anne were both by his side. He just needed them with him, he was trying to stay strong, but Sebastian had never been so alone. Every moment was a battle of will, struggling to behave like a functional human being, to chase the image of his sister’s crumpled form from his mind’s eye. He felt like he was losing his mind.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Sebastian shook his head, turning his attention back to the spell book. Here at least, was something that wasn't nebulous, uncertain, and stressful. Writing, on the pages of a book, were stable and unchanging. Fact and knowledge, a fixed point without ambiguity.

Sebastian clung tightly to the feelings of awe that still filled him, when he remembered that he was holding a manuscript written by one of the founders of Hogwarts. Allowing it to wash away his frustration with Ominis and his worry for Anne.

This book represented progress. This book was a symbol of his efforts to save his sister. It didn't matter if it led to a dead end, he just had to keep trying. The thought of doing nothing was unbearable. The thought of helplessly watching as he lost his family again, was unbearable.

Sebastian would find a cure for Anne and then everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be. He had to.

Nothing was more important than that.

Notes:

Am I the only one who finds the story of Sebastian's parents' supposed "irresponsibility and recklessness" to be the weakest part of the writing? Like, they died from an accidental undetected gas leak in the cellar. How is that reckless and irresponsible?

They could have been doing anything in that cellar besides reading books, they could have had their bedroom in the cellar and been boinking. I don't see anything here besides an unfortunate accident that could have happened to literally anybody.