#snowcactus SSL

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Shades of Silver Lining - Ch. 4 - posted ✅

Ch.3 <- | Ch.5 (coming soon) the first post aka story teaser + tags

word count: 4135 ✨ [ AO3 ] ✨ [ Wattpad ]

photos by @acslytherpuff girl you are amazing 💕

Thank you @accio-bagel for beta reading and encouragement 😭💖 love you 3000

a/n: Welcome to the other side ✨ Unreliable narrator✨ ! author's opinion ≠ narrator's pls I mean it

Summary: It's the only chapter there will be from an Antagonist aka Officer Roland Foster POV. He he doesn't trust people. Especially he doesn't trust a girl recklessly wielding the wild and destructive magic. And he despises the Gaunts, including that Gaunt boy, who thinks he's being clever with his defiance masquerading as wit. And he can't stand that stubborn and incompetent Ruth Singer.

a/n2: oh, and the next chapter will be Ominis POV. Boy has to go home to try to settle some things.

・・・

The officer’s eyes darted restlessly over the lines, ensuring the enchanted quill hadn't missed any details.

" … Why didn’t you contact the Aurors yesterday, Miss Salters?"

"People were already being threatened around here not so long ago. Contacting Aurors didn’t help. But Sebastian did. … " 

“... … you would entrust your safety to a schoolkid?”

"Yes, I would." 

"And how has that worked out for you, Miss Salters?"

The faintest smirk played in the corner of his lips. Sallow must enjoy regaling his peers with tales of his supposed importance here. Officer Foster didn’t mind. Though an unconventional addition to the office, his trainee was bound to be exceptionally helpful in so many ways.

・・・

This morning, right after Salters stepped out of his private office, was supposed to be the best chance to probe the youngest Gaunt for answers while they were still untouched and unrefined. The brief private conversation—not an interrogation, of course, that would have required too many formalities—had been fruitless, a combination of polished deflections, vague acknowledgements, and no actionable leads. 

The Gaunt boy’s posture, his deliberate pauses, even his final “Officer” and a curt nod as he left—all was too calculated. That kind of control didn’t come naturally; it was learned and practised.

・・・

Roland Foster slid his hand into his jacket pocket, brushing against the medallion he always kept with him. The faded portraits within would forever remind him of the danger posed by magic that strayed too far from the ordinary. Norms existed for a reason—everything beyond them would lead only to ruin.

・・・

“Tell me, you’re sure she remained in the castle the entire night?”

“Yes, sir.” Rexley’s patience in calmly repeating answers to Foster’s questions, as often as the latter required, was one of his finer traits. “She returned early and stayed there until Dinah Hecat escorted her here.”

・・・

“The Gaunts, yet again,” Rexley remarked grimly, gripping the letter. 

“You’re telling me.”

“Officer,” Rexley said, looking thoughtfully at the letter. “I’ve heard you want to investigate everyone who was in Hogsmeade last night. But with Bell’s absence still unresolved, I’d suggest it’s only fair to include Aurors in that ‘everyone.’”

“That’s exactly what’s going to happen, Rexley. But maybe you are implying something specific?”

“Merely that Singer’s squad appears rather prejudiced against the local criminals,” Rexley said, leaning slightly over the desk, eagerness sparkling in his hazel eyes. “After all, Bell is among her team. Naturally, we’ll include our people, too, so they can’t object,” he added, straightening again. 

“How about we start with you then, Rex?” Foster said with a grin, looking up from the second letter he was hurriedly writing. “Set the standard for the rest.”

“Not an issue, sir,” Rexley replied, mirroring the grin. “You know exactly what my wand’s results will be. Just make sure the others don’t get overly anxious.”

・・・

P.S greatly inspired by:

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Shades of Silver Lining - Ch. 1 - posted ✅

Ch.0 <- | Ch.2 ->

word count: 5187 ✨ [ AO3 ] ✨ [ Wattpad ]

Ch. 0 is teaser; you can find tags and summary for the whole story in its post as well. Short list: 6th year, Ominis x f!MC Slow Romance, Adventure, Myths and Legends

now, the loudest applause to @asallowgrave and @accio-bagel for beta reading 🙂‍↕️👏🏻 thank you a million times for your help

💕tag list: @savingsallow, @crvcioking, @acslytherpuff, @espressoristretto-patronum, @ravenwind-75, @diana-bluewolf , @theladyofshalott1989 💕 tell me if you don't want to be tagged / would like to be tagged as well

I don't feel like posting a whole text here but I'll leave some out-of-context excerpts under the cut:

・・・ The man approached small shelves by the fireplace, coming nearer to the flickering firelight. Alyn blinked, suddenly recognising why his figure had seemed familiar. The sleek embroidery on the lapels of his coat caused her fingertips to twitch faintly.

Was it merely the poor lighting, or did the pattern really resemble an intricate weave of countless “G”s? She remembered seeing a similar pattern on a coat, only it was a different shade of grey, a much lighter one. Ominis had started wearing it more often in this weather. The thick fabric, neat detailing, and expensive trim—it looked like something from Gladrags, but with a more sophisticated, restrained style. The man’s stature also reminded her of Ominis, though this face held no familiar traits. Alyn pleaded for this pattern not to mean Gaunt, but to simply be a tailor’s logo or some abstraction. ・・・

・・・“Weird thing, that these myths and legends are in the Restricted Section,” Alyn commented, casting him a sideways look and tapping the spine of the book at the bottom of the stack. “I flipped through, but they seem like pretty gruesome, creepy tales. Seeking some bedtime stories?”

“Possibly,” Sebastian shrugged so dramatically indifferently that Alyn snorted in amusement. She kept her eyes fixed on him. He was usually the one who could stare through someone, but when she gave him the exact same look, he faltered like a child. ・・・

・・・Sebastian looked at Alyn again, his hands still stretched toward the flames. “So, how was the date?” A sly grin played on his lips. “Did you and Ominis discover something particularly delightful at Honeydukes?” ・・・

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New short story: Shades of Silver Lining

A/N: This work is marked as part of a series, BUT you don't have to read anything before this short story. I do cover and explain all essential points from the first part (unrevealed now, requires editing).

Summary: January, sixth year. Amberlyn just wants life to feel normal for once. But at sixteen, wielding Ancient Magic she struggles to control, constantly needing to prove she isn’t a threat to magical society, and navigating her first crush-turned-(secret)relationship, normality is rather challenging to come by.

Ominis is determined to make it through his remaining years at Hogwarts, the only path to freeing himself from the dark shadow of his family’s legacy—a legacy that keeps haunting him and that now threatens those he holds dear.

Meanwhile, the Auror, investigating a case involving that mysterious and extremely dangerous girl, decides that keeping her friend, Sebastian Sallow—who's already missed half a year of school—close at hand might be more useful than anyone expects.

tags: Post Canon, Adventure & Romance, Slow Romance, First Love, Teen Romance, Teen Angst, Eventual Fluff, Protective Ominis Gaunt, Good Friend Sebastian Sallow, Mental Health Issues, traumatized teens, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Room of Requirement, Legends and Myths, Magic theories, First weeks dating, Gaunt Family - Freeform, Unreliable narrator, POV multiple, Sebastian and Anne are not at school, a bit of mystery, a bit of thriller

(teaser) Ch. 0: Déjà vu - or is it? ⬇️

Ch.1 ->

word count: 456

wattpad, ao3

Alyn lost the sensation of magic pushing back, into which she had channelled her few remaining reserves of strength. Caught off guard by the sudden ease, she instinctively stepped forward but couldn't keep her balance and collapsed to her knees. The sand dug unpleasantly under her nails—today, of all days, she was wearing fingerless gloves.

The orb of bright light began to fade, slowly plunging the cave into darkness. Alyn’s eyes stung from the grains of sand stirred up by recent relentless casting. The first thing she noticed was the man, who, just moments ago, had been screaming with all his might. He had collapsed too. Was he... dead? 

What had just happened?

She didn’t rush to get up and didn’t want to be the first to approach this man. She could see Sebastian from the corner of her eye as the light dimmed further. He stood frozen a few steps to her right. His left hand was extended towards Alyn as if attempting to protect her from a distance. His wide-open eyes were locked on the man on the ground, lying in a grotesquely unnatural posture. Alyn could hear Sallow’s heavy breathing echoing off the stone walls, much like her ragged gasps pounded inside her head along with her frantic heartbeat.

A rustle behind her caught Alyn’s attention, and she quickly turned her head, lingering panic making her desperate to locate the source of this noise. Ominis, still kneeling, was running his slightly trembling hands over the sand, searching for his wand. This time, Alyn’s heart ached not for herself but for him—his movements were growing more erratic as his wand seemed nowhere to be found.

With each agonisingly long second that passed, Alyn became more aware of how the sight of the body—was he really dead?—made her stomach clench. Sweat on her forehead, once burning hot, cooled unpleasantly on her skin as nausea threatened to overtake her. 

It was harder to see through the encroaching darkness.

When did all this start going so terribly wrong? Was it two months ago, when that terrifying incident at dawn occurred, when this all started? Or perhaps, had it all begun last year, when she first discovered her magic, and this nightmare would only grow worse, following her for the rest of her life. How much longer could she even live if such things kept happening around her? The scene now felt as an eerie echo of one of her worst memories, as if it had returned to force her to relive it all over again.

But no, there definitely weren't any green flashes. What on earth?..

The orb of faint light vanished into thin air, finally casting everything around into utter, impenetrable darkness.

tag list: @theladyofshalott1989 , @crvcioking , @savingsallow , @gyattoru thank you for your huge support you fuel me so much, @ravenwind-75 whenever you're ready np 🫶

let me know if you don't want to be tagged or if you are not tagged and want to be as well - tell me🫶

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WIP TAG GAME three thousand years later

Thank you for tagging me @anomalyaly @morelikeravenbore @galaxiasgreen (let's pretend I didn't forget about this post in my drafts *cries*)

Now I'm translating and editing the 5th chapter of SSL, it's my first time writing Ominis POV and it's also the only time I'll do it in this fic. It takes me forever to write but I ummmm enjoy 😀😅

I have a bunch of flashbacks I use for so many awful reasons in this chapter, so I thought I might share them 😇 He's at home now, overthinking a lot.

White screens are okay (as much as possible), but ⚠️black screens are traumatising⚠️ (sorry). Rich in headcanons 😅 Major main plot spoilers are hidden

It's been a while so I'm safe to tag anyone? 😅 no pressure tagging writers and artists, I love all kinds of WIPs 💖 @girl-named-matty @ravenwind-75 @accio-bagel @theladyofshalott1989 @espressoristretto-patronum @myokk @diana-bluewolf @leaping-toadstool-caps @rypnami

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SSL ch. 4 add-on: Inq. 1 Salters, Amberlyn

New chapter was shorten from 8k words to 4k. It's just enough for the story but now I have tons of cut text and cool photos. So here it is: still shortened but almost full interrogation transcript with some of Auror's impressions. This doesn't spoil everything that happened and why interrogation takes place

photo by @acslytherpuff 💖

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— hi, i'm here to tell you wearing Sallow's clothes wasn't the worst part of my day.

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Shades of Silver Lining - Ch. 3 - posted ✅

Ch.2 <- | Ch.4 -> the first post aka story teaser + tags

was too long for me, so I posted in two parts pt.1 - word count: 2280 ✨ [ AO3 ] ✨ [ Wattpad ] pt.2 - word count: 4670 ✨ [ AO3 ] ✨ [ Wattpad ]

Thank you @accio-bagel for beta reading, I'd be so doomed without you 💖

no pressure ping: @thursdaymoonrise11 , @espressoristretto-patronum , @diana-bluewolf , @acslytherpuff , @girl-named-matty pressure ping: @savingsallow 😆💖

a/n: It's a short story, so we escalate quickly and die like men. SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY I'M SO SORRY. Also, why is Alyn wearing Slytherin scarf?.. AND I'M SORRY

lil excerpts with mild spoilers (ellipses to avoid big spoilers) under the cut:

・・・⚔️ “Do you believe it was some random accident?” Officer Foster folded his hands behind his back, towering even more than usual. "[...]. ‘Funny,’ was it?" His gaze was never one to hold sympathy, but this time Alyn could have sworn she even saw a smirk in the corners of his dark eyes.

"Not here," Officer Singer stepped between them, casting a worried look at the anxious crowd. "[...] We need to finish up here and handle this crowd."

"Yes, do handle it, Singer," Foster nodded, his attention immediately shifting back to Alyn. Officer Singer hesitated, as if about to speak, but then walked off in silence and haste. Alyn irritably noted that Sebastian remained where he was, eyeing Foster expectantly.

"May I have a look at your wand, Miss Salters?" Foster took another step closer, holding out his hand, his leather gloves catching the light of street lanterns. 

"No," she answered, not even blinking, [...]. 

"Got something to conceal?"

In her dream, Alyn had been ready to obliterate him, to forever reduce this man to ashes she’d watch to fall on the street’s cobblestones. He was the one who kept her for weeks at the Ministry, encouraging experiments with her magic in the Department of Mysteries, only to restrain her afterwards with an Unbreakable Vow. And all that because she’d been honest. Far too honest, the day he used Veritaserum. Seeing him as ash on the ground—that’s how she would have preferred it.  ・・・

・・・ ☕️ Sebastian returned with a small cup in his hand. "Still a lot of people down there. [...] Can’t see how you drink this all the time, but here you go,” he commented, handing her the cup. “Call it survival,” Alyn shot back, raising a cup in a toast before inhaling the rich aroma. She sipped her drink, and the hot, velvety taste brought her a small relief—yet only physical.

"So, in those reports you give to Foster," her gaze lifted, locking with Sebastian’s. "How often am I mentioned?" 

There is also Ominis in this chapter, but not a single sentence about him goes without big spoiler, so... Just trust me, he's there. And some trio dynamics—I put a kettle "Ominis" on fire here 🥲 and leaving it there for a while.

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Shades of Silver Lining - Ch.2 - posted ✅

the first post aka story teaser <- Ch. 1 | Ch.3 ->

word count: 3326 ✨ [ AO3 ] ✨ [ Wattpad ]

🫳🏻 c'mere, let's go spend some time with Ominis ✨ fluff plus angst, hurt/comfort are served today 🥣

thank you @asallowgrave for beta reading! Go check out his works!!

a/n: ER - first days dating. Also, I'd call this chapter a last breath you take before chapter 3 takes it away. So, hope you'll enjoy 🥰 lil excerpts under the cut:

・・・ “Can you try, if I’ve got this one right, please?” Ominis handed her a piece of parchment. She placed the fingertip onto the rune that had been encircled multiple times and shut her eyes, concentrating on the feelings beneath her touch.

With enough focus and while directing all her attention to the rune under her finger, she could first feel a feather's soft, smooth parts, which, after a gentle pulse, morphed into the sensation of a thin, metal needle. She could even gently slide her finger over it and feel the needle's point, sensing just how sharp it might be.

“Feels really accurate,” Alyn said as she opened her eyes, nearly losing the sensation from the rune as her focus drifted. “That’s amazing.”

It was just that moment when Alyn noticed the marks on his hand, and her gaze shifted briefly to the tiny dark spots on the parchment that she hadn't paid attention to earlier. “Your hands…” she said softly. ・・・

・・・ Ominis didn’t speak for quite a while. Alyn kept a close eye on his frowning face and the way his hands clenched around the wand. The silence allowed her to hear how he let out a slow sigh after a few short breaths when he chose not to speak.

“Fuck,” he said tiredly at last, making Alyn blink in surprise. ・・・

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trick or treat! 🎃👻🖤

Soooo here is a very informative screenshot of main outline worksheet for "Shades"

Just kinda pretty 😆 from afar and blurred 😆😆