#alexinis

[danceworshipper]

In the Shadow of Sebastian

Alexis and Ominis come to terms with the knowledge that Sebastian has gone too far off the deep end after killing his uncle, and make one of the easiest, yet most difficult decisions they've ever had to make. Alexis/Ominis, pre-ship. Hints of one sided Alexis/Sebastian and Ominis/Sebastian. Set immediately before The Choice at the end of Sebastian's quest line. Useful context: Alexis is a werewolf and an unwilling soldier for the Minister

It was cold in the Undercroft where they sat defeated, resting their backs against the stone wall and letting the chill soak through their robes. Cold, and still, and silent.

Alexis was grateful that Sebastian had left them alone. To hear anyone's heartbeat but Ominis' right now would have been too much. His, even, was testing her nerves, but at least Ominis' heart was slow and strong. Sebastian's hadn't stopped beating irregularly ever since he'd cast that blasted spell.

That heartbeat proved what Alexis already suspected: Sebastian was gone. Not physically, not really, but he was gone. He was a shadow of himself.

Broken.

Your first real kill hit you hard, as she had learned all too soon upon becoming a witch. Killing someone you knew was so much worse than killing a nameless enemy, or a dastardly foe who had earned it through wicked deeds. The adrenaline alone was enough to have you coming down for hours, but the guilt... Solomon Sallow had deserved a lot of things, but not this, and somewhere Sebastian knew it. He made a mistake that he couldn't take back. Now Anne, his one tether to sanity, was unwilling to be found, and he was lost.

Alexis never should have helped him.

"Ominis."

"Yes?" His voice was made rough from the tears she was kindly ignoring.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

Alexis let her head hang. Ominis had warned her that this was going too far, and she hadn't listened. She hadn't even listened to Anne. Weren't Anne's wishes the only ones that should matter in a situation like this? Just because Alexis would never stop trying to cure herself didn't mean that that was what everyone would want.

"I understand, though," Ominis continued. "I'm to be blamed as well. I never put my foot down the way I should have. Salazar, we share a dorm room and I never even thought to check his belongings. I knew what he was doing; I simply couldn't deny him."

"He has that effect on you too?"

Ominis huffed, amused but deflated. "Has it not been obvious?"

It hadn't been, though Alexis couldn't truthfully say she'd ever thought about it - ever considered that maybe Ominis gave in too easily for someone as against the Dark Arts as he was. Now it was easy to see. Hindsight was always clear.

No, Alexis had never paid much attention to Ominis' actions, because she'd been far too concerned with her own.

I could teach you, Sebastian had said, three different times, and Alexis had said yes each time despite seeing what havoc the curses could wreak. Something about how he'd offered, so eager to have someone who understood the pull toward Dark Magic, had had her tracing the wand movements he showed her, greedy for his approval.

Eventually she would have learned them anyway, she supposed. Minister Spavin had plans for her. The dark creature, wielding the Dark Arts like no other could. She would never be locked in Azkaban for murder - so long as it was no one the Minister cared for.

Knowing that didn't make it better. In fact, she was certain it made everything worse.

Ominis inhaled shakily. "Aren't you supposed to be convincing me that we mustn't tell anyone what he's done?"

"I told him I would," Alexis said.

She turned her eyes toward him. His head was gently inclined toward her, but his eyes were downcast as he wiped at them. They didn't even work, yet they showed despair as well as anyone else's. Oddly, Alexis found it pretty.

"Well?"

She swallowed and remained silent. Sebastian had begged her, saying that Ominis listens to you. I don't know why, but he does. Yes, Ominis did listen to her, and that was a large part of the problem. Alexis knew without a doubt that if she said that Sebastian should walk free, he would. But did he deserve to?

It wasn't fair for him to be punished when she never would be. But...

"He won't stop," she said noncommittally. "He'll never stop until Anne is either cured or dead."

Ominis laughed, bitter. "Even when she's dead, he'll never stop."

He was probably right. Death be damned: Anne would know no peace.

"If only you could have seen the madness in his eyes, Ominis. I don't think I've ever been more frightened of him."

"Of him? Not for him?"

Alexis winced - of course Ominis had caught her slip. She sighed, and shook her head out of habit, though she knew he couldn't see. "No," she said, like a confession. "Of him."

Silence fell again. Alexis squeezed her eyes shut. Her clothes felt restrictive all of a sudden. She felt trapped, like she was back at the Ministry being held down. The blasted gloves were buzzing, stronger and stronger, responding to her distress and forcing her magic to freeze in her veins, and she reminded herself to breathe in, hold it, and breathe out, until the buzzing stopped.

That was the difference between her and Sebastian, she supposed. Self control had been beaten into her. Never would she cast a curse like that on impulse. Sebastian had proved he had no control whatsoever.

"You know," Ominis said slowly, "I'm not feeling very convinced."

In spite of the situation, Alexis choked on a shocked laugh. "I'm not making a good case, am I?" she asked.

The smile on his face was painful to look at with how close it was to breaking. If only she could fix it.

"You aren't," Ominis agreed. His voice cracked.

"I'm not sure there's any helping him," Alexis said, sobering. "If he never stops, who's to say he doesn't get worse? What if he hurts someone else? What if one day, he decides that if he kills her and reanimates her, she'll be cured?"

Ominis shook his head. "He'll get worse. I'm sure of it."

"Then we have to turn him in," she said, wishing she could convince herself otherwise.

"They'll throw him in Azkaban, Alexis," Ominis protested weakly. "He's close enough to adulthood that they'll do it. You've been to Azkaban, haven't you? Even if they give him a lighter sentence because of his youth, Sebastian will never be himself again, you know that."

Her visit to Azkaban with Helen Thistlewood had been a maximum of thirty minutes, but Alexis had felt that she'd never be the same - and she hadn't been the one behind bars. It had made her ironically grateful for her own imprisonment deep in the Ministry, with horrible people rather than Dementors. But that old woman in Azkaban had been innocent. Sebastian was not.

"We have to," she said again, and hated herself for it.

Ominis' head thunked against the stone. "I know," he whispered. His eyes squeezed shut - Alexis wondered if the pressure felt grounding or if blocking things out was simply a human instinct.

Whichever it was, she followed suit, pressing her knuckles against her eyelids until she saw stars and then having to yank them away, because the stars were a beautiful green that had crackled at the tip of Sebastian's wand for one long, long moment after he'd dropped it. It was a green that might be woven deep into her own soul by now, never to be cleansed.

"I should be in Azkaban too," Alexis said softly.

Ominis made a noise of distress. "Absolutely not."

"I've killed too."

"You've killed horrible people, Alexis, and you didn't do it of your own free will."

"The noble thing to do would be to refuse," she argued. "That's what Natty says."

"And be put to death?" Ominis exclaimed. "No. You should never be at fault for protecting yourself."

Alexis felt the corner of her mouth twitch, and she couldn't stop herself from pushing her luck. "The same logic doesn't apply to you, I see."

She turned her head to look at him. He knew, of course, what she was referring to. His mouth opened as though he wished to argue, but shut again. How could he? If there was no blame on her, there could be no blame on him.

Could they use the same logic with Sebastian?

Alexis desperately wished they could. If there had been a single sliver of worry that Solomon would have killed one of them first... but no. He had attacked them, hurt them badly, but she knew deep in her heart that he would have stopped when they fell. Getting them expelled and ruining their lives wasn't enough to deserve death. Even if it was, now Anne, cursed and miserable, had no one. That alone made the curse truly unforgivable.

The only instance that could be justified was the Cruciatus, since if Sebastian hadn't cast it in the Scriptorium, they all would have starved to death. Self preservation: simple, easy. The Imperius could have been justified under better circumstances, but Sebastian's logic had been flawed. He'd had ample time to react. He could have used any other spell to save Anne, but he hadn't.

I had to, he'd said.

You wanted to, she'd thought, but agreed with him anyway, because that was what friends did, wasn't it? Supported them in public to criticize them in private? She'd just never had the time until it was too late.

Ominis sobbed beside her, burying his face into his legs and shaking.

Alexis' heart ached. Before she could wonder whether he'd want to be touched, her hand was on his shoulder. He cried harder, leaning closer, and though Alexis was about to break too, she pulled him close to her and held him.

"He was my best friend," Ominis said miserably. The use of past tense sounded like the slamming of a cell door.

"I know," Alexis said.

By the end of the day, Sebastian would be taken away. It was over.

[alexanderalexini]

Moj najbolji drugar Danijel i Milica. 🙌 (у месту Alexini House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zgiPFIN70/?igshid=1e0uxfntwldn4

[helenavidela]

Service and Creativity:

Bake sale for the Wildfires in Australia:

As cheesy as this may sound my trip to the Amazon had a really deep impact on changing how I now view the world and on the importance of environmental issues, especially keeping our ecosystems safe. When my friends and I heard about the Wildfires in Australia and how devastating these were to the flora and fauna we decided to host a bake sale to raise money and awareness. Two days prior to the bake sale mt friend Alexini came over and we made cookies so that the customers knew we were very invested in this project and actually cared about the quality of what we were selling and the cause.

[danceworshipper]

Alexis Hornstagle - HPHL Character Profile

Alexis exists in a universe with 3 other ocs: Esme, Joshua, and Lukas

profile template is my own

Appearance Settings: Face 14, Skin tone 11, Hair/eyebrow color 5, Eye color 22, Complexion 4, Freckles 1, Scars 4, Hair style 12, Eyebrow shape 13, Voice 2

Personal

Backstory: Alexis was a normal muggle until the Incident - a werewolf found its way to her family gardens and attacked her soon after her 15th birthday, leaving her to die all alone. Luckily she was found by her poodle, who alerted the entire neighborhood. Alexis was treated by the family doctor, though how she survived is anyone's guess - perhaps the doctor knew something others didn't. Her first transformation the next month caused a violent magical outburst, after which she was taken away by the Ministry and experimented on, then later enslaved. She was allowed to return home shortly before her admittance to Hogwarts

Full Name: Alexis Gertrude Hornstagle

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Birthday: October 16th, 1874

Birthstone: Opal

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Blood Status: "Awakened" Muggle, werewolf

3 Positive Traits:

- Quick learner

- Ride or die loyalty

- Charming

3 Negative Traits:

- Self-obsessed

- Hot headed

- Materialistic

Appearance

Voice: Deep, clear

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Dark brown

Hair Style: Sleek bob with slight waves, left parted

Skin Tone: Tan, ruddy

Freckles/Spots: None

Scars: Scratches and bites all over. Very obvious scratch across left side of face

Piercings/Tattoos: None

Height: 5'3"

Physique: Long torso, just on the other side of thin, strong

Clothing Style: Regal, expensive, flattering, imposing. The only plain items in her wardrobe are the black gloves she wears at all times, with a rune stamped into the leather [blue riding clothes, dark arts gloves, legendary cape]

Magic

Wand: Hawthorn, 12.5", supple, dragon heartstring [spiral, ash brown, pink swirl arrow handle]

Broom: Wind Whisp

Boggart Form: A terrible, vicious werewolf with no full moon in sight

Amortentia (to others): Pine trees, soft blankets, and oranges

Amortentia (to her): Currently fire, hair product, and wildflowers. Later expensive cologne, dusty carpet, and melon

Patronus: Raven

Mirror of Erised: Her innocent eleven year old self smiling up at her, donned in Hogwarts Robes. This girl never had to be turned into a Dark Creature to awaken her magic

Werewolf Capabilities:

- Full wolf transformation during a full moon. Will attack anyone in sight if not properly restrained

- Enhanced hearing and sense of smell, more so around a full moon

- Night vision

- Sharp teeth

- Increased stamina

Inherent Magic:

- Ancient Magic capabilities

Extra Talents:

- Can cast nonverbally

- Can cast wandlessly if she removes her gloves, which is only allowed in emergencies

- Strong affinity for the Dark Arts

- Healing magic on others requires no spells/potions

Hogwarts

House: Hufflepuff

Quidditch: She's a decent enough flier and her heightened senses would give her an advantage, but her assignments and the full moon make being on a team impossible

Grades: Average. She's struggling to catch up

Favorite Class: History of Magic (she manages to find it fascinating, even if she reads the books on her own time and pays no attention in class like everyone else)

Least Favorite Class: Charms (as sweet as he is, Professor Ronen's lessons tend to give her pounding headaches due to the noise level)

Favorite Professor: Eleazar Fig (her mentor, and someone who always spoke out against how she was treated both in school and out)

Least Favorite Professor: Bai Howin (is not very subtle about wanting to study Alexis and almost accidentally reveals the secret many times)

Family

Mother: Laura Hornstagle, née Thompson, a woman who is sweet as can be to her family but suspicious and distrusting of everyone else

Father: Deacon Hornstagle, a well known lord with high public opinion whose work pulls him from his children far too often

Siblings: (all muggles)

- Prudence, 13, an outgoing sweetheart who is perfectly content to spend her days wandering the towns and gossiping

- Samantha, 10, a know-it-all bookworm who can't believe how lucky her sister is to get to study magic in a castle

- Augustus, 5, a sneaky troublemaker who always shares his loot amongst his sisters in exchange for their silence

- Olivia, 4, a somehow even sneakier little thing who can do absolutely no wrong in her parents' eyes

"Father" Figure: Faris Spavin, Minister of Magic, the man who owns Alexis and could at any moment call for her execution. Over the years he ends up fond of her, becoming kinder and granting her more freedoms - though she's still his soldier, and will never be released while he's in charge. Throughout her life as a soldier, Alexis is taught magic so dark that most people aren't even aware it exists. She is forced to do dirty work and put herself into situations where she's highly unlikely to survive. She's treated as subhuman because in the Ministry's eye, she is. Most dehumanizing, however, is how Alexis is forced to take sterilization potions from the moment she is "recruited" - though as she grows older, she comes to be very, very grateful for those potions. A werewolf could never carry a pregnancy to term, and she would never want to pass the curse on anyway

Pets: Creatures tend to be afraid of Alexis. The ones in the Vivariums grow used to her, but the only animal who truly likes her is her poodle, Lady, who she got just before the Incident. Lady found Alexis bleeding out on the ground and attempted to lick her wounds, accidentally forming a blood connection and becoming her familiar - this extends Lady's lifespan considerably, and allows them to communicate instinctually. This connection allowed Alexis to send Lady for help

Family Dynamic: The Hornstagles are beloved members of their community because of how in touch with the commoners they are. There are no hidden dark secrets - they truly are a lovely, close knit family that Alexis wishes she didn't put in danger by existing

Friendships

Introverted or Extroverted: Extroverted

Best Friend: Adelaide Oakes

- The first to introduce herself to the new girl and take a chance on her. Adelaide is sweet and doesn't pry, which is something Alexis appreciates immensely. They take care of each other and help each other with both personal issues and schoolwork. Adelaide and Alexis have 'sleepovers' often, which really just means sharing a bed and eating candy together while giggling

Frenemy: Natsai Onai

- Natty and Alexis get along well, they really do. It's just that Natty thinks Alexis is a coward for not fighting back against the Minister's orders, and Alexis thinks Natty is remarkably naive for someone who has seen the types of horrors that come with situations like the ones they all face. They can't seem to get past this

Friend She Didn't Expect: Is "any of them" a cop out answer?

- Alexis was pretty damn sure that someone like her - covered in scars, a mysterious past, a tangible dark aura, constant absences that no one will explain - would never have any friends in a place like Hogwarts. She's proven wrong

List of Good Friends:

- Lukas Froll

- Ominis Gaunt

- Joshua Jimmensong

- Sirona Ryan

- Sebastian Sallow

- Esme Taelceon

- Helen Thistlewood

- Sacharissa Tugwood

Romance

Past Partners: A couple of innocent young loves that simply weren't meant to be

Current Status: Single, crushing hard on Sebastian Sallow

Future Partner: Ominis Gaunt

Her Type: Someone who values their chosen family above all else and will do anything for them

Future

On July 4th, 1893, Alexis and Ominis are married. Ominis' parents, shockingly, approved the match themselves, though not for any noble reason; it was purely for the personal gain promised by the Minister. The two are married in a muggle ceremony as well to appease Alexis' parents a few days later (and Ominis' never find out, despite both of his siblings attending)

In 1895, Alexis grows bold enough to waltz into Azkaban and free Sebastian. Supposedly, the Minister ordered for his release. He did no such thing, though he agrees to let Alexis owe him a rather large favor when he discovers what she's done. Sebastian is a broken man now, and doesn't leave the room he's given in Alexis and Ominis' home for over a year other than occasionally stepping out to gaze at the stars

In 1903, Minister Spavin steps down and Venusia Crickerly is voted into office. The new Minister releases Alexis' contract, though keeps her under employment as an Unspeakable. The job is the same but she is allowed much more freedom

In 1906, Alexis and Ominis flee the country with their nieces after Ominis' sister Lilith is killed. They set up in America with very minimal contact to anyone back home - Alexis is now considered feral and Aurors are authorized to kill on sight, and Ominis has been disowned, not to mention the technical kidnapping. Either of them could be killed if the wrong people find out where they are, especially Ominis' brother Marvolo

[danceworshipper]

I'm really curious about Alexis and Ominis' fate after they go in hiding in the US, do they end up surviving after being targeted for termination by the government? How do they cope with having minimal contact with their friends?

They do survive! It's a rough transition though. Actually getting to the US was the hardest part - they had to kidnap one niece, steal the the other out of Hogwarts, convince both of the girls that this was a good thing, get fake passports, figure out the money transfer and exactly where the hell they were going to live, and then get onto a muggle ship so that there was no magical trace of them all within about thirteen hours of learning about Lilith's death - but once they were safely on American soil, most of the danger was behind them. Ominis had a discreet contact that he was able to purchase property from under a fake name, no questions asked, so they had a place waiting for them. However, this new house didn't have a proper shelter for a werewolf or any sort of warding, so once arriving those were their first priorities.

Possibly the most terrifying part was that the full moon was due to rise while they were still in the middle of the ocean. They couldn't risk waiting to leave until it was over, so armed with the chains from their old home, Ominis had to do his best to restrain and silence Alexis in their little room while using as little magic as possible and keeping the girls from being too traumatized, plus being unable to see. It didn't go very well, but no one was severely hurt (Ominis did catch a swipe of a claw across the chest and the girls were definitely traumatized), and they weren't caught. A well intentioned woman did ask Alexis if she needed help the next day - all that ruckus last night, and she couldn't help but notice the scars... awkward.

The social aspect sucked for a long time. There were obviously magical ways of communication that would have been super easy to use, but they didn't know if the government or someone like Marvolo would be tracking their friends' movements. And muggle mail wasn't that much safer, plus it would take forever to get even a single letter back, so there was a year long period where Alexis and Ominis were completely cut off from everyone they'd ever known, not knowing if someone was close to finding them or if the people they'd left behind were safe in their absence. They ended up falling into the unhealthy coping mechanism of ✨repression✨ and just doing their best to not think about any of it, instead focusing on making sure the girls integrated as well as they could into their new schools (Ilvermorny and a muggle elementary) after a summer of lying their way into their new community. It was a lucky thing that Vivian and Priscilla could easily pass as Alexis and Ominis' daughters.

The first bit of contact from back home was a letter from Natty, by now an auror who was known to play by her own rules. The letter stated that Alexis was still on a kill list - but a passive one, so no one was actively looking for her - and that the Gaunts had taken up a much more reclusive lifestyle. Communication was now safe, but fake names and code were still recommended. It took another year or so before either Alexis or Ominis felt safe enough to allow their friends to magically transport to come visit, but Alexis's muggle family couldn't be stopped from hopping on a ship the second that her new address was revealed. So while the experience was terrifying and painful overall, it worked out in the end.

Thanks for the ask, Cato!!

[alexanderalexini]

Respect the past, live in the present, and dream of the future. 🌠 (у месту Alexini House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B24M-otoaRt/?igshid=mgwokoftafww

[alexanderalexini]

Za svaku priliku. Za grad ,za devojke, za putovanja,za evropu i tako dalje. Do godine biće još jedan mercedes amg. Vozamo se brm, brm. (у месту Alexini House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2m2zGRAGWq/?igshid=ypjbo5929ogb

[alexanderalexini]

Moji Banana kolači sa integralnom brašnom. 100% zdravo i hranljivo. UKUS NEOPISIV! (у месту Alexini House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2SQ0H1o2rq/?igshid=iq6mfkxujoqi

[alexanderalexini]

Pošto odrasli ljudi ne valja da večeraju, salata na ovaj način koju sam napravio je sasvim prihvatljiva. (: (Zelena salata,paradajz,sir,pršuta samo oko 10 grama,masline,ceđen limun,maslinovo ulje extra virgin) (у месту Alexini House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ILhByoe_6/?igshid=2rd1xryiez2o

[alexanderalexini]

🐶 (у месту Alexini House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2CaDxco7AW/?igshid=nsmfdgouvexb