Chapter 8. January 9, 1891

"What a tough week it was, just a nightmare," Sebastian complained, barely making his way at the very end of their group. It was almost midnight, and any moment now, the clocks would mark the beginning of Saturday, but the group of fifth-year students from Slytherin and Gryffindor was only just returning to their dormitories after their astronomy class. Everyone's faces looked equally sleepy and miserable, although you could spot some relief on the sidelines, knowing that tomorrow they could sleep to their heart's content.

Ominis barely murmured his agreement with Sebastian, already envisioning the first dream of the night and struggling to move his legs that had become very heavy. The corridors of Hogwarts were completely empty and silent, except for the distant singing of Peeves somewhere below, so the rustling of cloaks and the patter of footsteps seemed almost deafening. The students hardly spoke to each other, and if someone wanted to exchange a few words, it was done in almost inaudible whispers.

Easing back into the school routine after the fun holidays, when they could go to bed in the early hours of the morning and wake up after lunch, was very difficult. But in a couple of weeks, they would get used to it, and even after midnight classes, there would be a few groups left in the common rooms, not losing their energy. However, at this moment, everyone longed to crawl under the blankets: both the self-assured Slytherins and the impulsive Gryffindors. Finally, at the next staircase, they split up, and some of them walked down, relieved to return to their familiar dungeons, while others, groaning, climbed up to their lofty towers.

In the Slytherin common room, no one lingered, and it emptied just as quickly as it had filled a minute before. Only the magical ever-burning fire in the fireplace continued to crackle with logs, casting reflections on the silk emerald wallpaper and velvet upholstery of the sofas. Ominis undressed and, leaving a small pile of clothes lying on the floor next to the bed, collapsed face-first onto the pillow, letting out a sigh of contentment. He heard Sebastian do almost the same on the adjacent bed. Cold fingers of yearning stirred in his chest. Since that kiss and the brief but enlightening conversation that followed, there hadn't been a single night when he and Sebastian slept apart. Yes, it was tight, hot, and sometimes uncomfortable, but falling asleep together was so intoxicatingly pleasant that it outweighed all the downsides.

Ominis thought about the hot kisses Sebastian left on his lips, neck, and shoulders, never venturing lower, as if afraid of something. He clenched his thighs, trying to contain the rising heat from spreading throughout his entire body, and let out a suppressed moan. He extended his hand from under the blanket and reached for Sebastian's bed, meeting his outstretched hand halfway. Their fingers instantly intertwined and held each other tightly, just like their souls had long ago and their bodies wanted to. When the holidays ended, they had to sleep apart again, as if nothing had happened, because now they no longer stayed alone in the dormitory. A couple of times between classes, they sneaked down to the crypt to huddle close for at least five minutes, relishing in short kisses and touches before heading back to tackle the hardships of their studies. Skipping classes would be nice, but not in the second semester of their fifth year. Lost in these thoughts and none at the same time, Ominis gradually drifted off to sleep. His hand relaxed and released Sebastian's fingers, who had no intention of falling asleep tonight, as mysterious and seemingly endless manuscripts of Salazar Slytherin awaited him once again.

Whispering Ominis' name to make sure he was asleep, Sebastian let out a satisfied sigh when he didn't hear any response. Rolling over to the other side of the bed, he silently pushed the soft down duvet aside and noiselessly placed his feet on the carpet. He put on a robe over his pajamas, carefully pulled out a massive tome, parchment, and quills from under the bed, cradling them close to himself, and tiptoed out of the bedroom, cautiously closing the door behind him. Now he could afford to be slightly noisier, so he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried downstairs to the empty and cooled-down common room. Placing the book on the coffee table, he drew the soft silvery-white fur rug closer to the fireplace, as he did every night. The area near the fireplace was well-lit enough to read without additional illumination and warm enough so that his skin didn't prickle with cold, making sitting on the improvised soft cushion much more comfortable than on the bare floor. Of course, he considered bringing a chair closer to the fire, but, firstly, it scraped horribly against the floor, and secondly, the light from the fire wasn't as good, often blocked by the backrest or armrests.

Finally, settling himself comfortably, pulling out all his notes from the book, the map of the territory around Hogwarts, and opening the manuscript to the right page, Sebastian began to carefully read every letter, concentrating, nibbling the tip of his quill, and occasionally jotting down notes. His head buzzed slightly from the abundance of information, but he was about to reach precise details about where the relic was hidden. Fully immersed in the text, he stopped noticing the common room around him, the quiet crackling of logs, and the rattling of the windows from the cold winter wind. He was transported almost ten centuries back in time, observing Salazar Slytherin inventing the magical artifact and imbuing it with incredible power.

Meanwhile Оminis tossed and turned in his sleep and abruptly woke up, sitting up in bed. Nightmares from the past tormented him again, leaving behind an irrational sense of deep loneliness and guilt. Tonight, the nightmare was particularly unpleasant. He couldn't remember exactly what it was about, only isolated images and sensations: cold, gloomy corridors, shouts and curses echoing from all sides, the ominous sound of footsteps, the smell of mold and dampness, a feeling of despair with a glimmer of hope at the end. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might leap out of his throat. His hands trembled.

Nervously throwing aside the covers, he got up and reached for the neighboring bed, but even before his hands touched the cold sheets, he realized that Sebastian wasn't there again. Usually, upon noticing this, he would simply lie back disappointedly, not wanting to descend and witness how his friend sacrificed his sleep for an elusive, ethereal hope. But today, something prompted him to grope for his wand in the darkness and cautiously move between the beds towards the door. Perhaps along the way, he would calm down, reconsider, and return.

Very quietly, barely touching the smooth wood with his bare feet, Ominis descended the stairs, studying Sebastian's silhouette against the flickering flames in the fireplace. How did it come to this? Throughout all the years of their friendship, he hadn't experienced even half of the emotions he had felt in the past couple of weeks. Everything had changed so swiftly and dramatically, with honey mixing with tar, and something inside him constantly trembled with tenderness while ached with worry. His heart refused to calm down, but now he wasn't sure if it was solely because of the nightmare.

He reached the last step and stopped. Uncertainly, he folded his hands over his chest as if trying to wrap himself in them and began to nibble on his lip. He didn't want to disturb Sebastian, but he longed for his warmth so intensely, as if they had been apart for not days, but years.

"Don't hesitate, come in," he heard a quiet, teasing, yet tender voice of Sebastian.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," Ominis replied just as softly, approaching and settling down on the soft fur opposite his friend.

"You can't disturb me, Ominis," Sebastian said seriously, "I like it when you're around. Even if you do try to disrupt things."

"Did you find anything new there?" Ominis asked, running his fingers over the rough, open pages.

"I think I'm about to find something. It seems the relic is not too far from Hogwarts. I just need to figure out exactly where," Sebastian took Ominis' wrist in his hands and brought it to his lips, never taking his eyes off the lines that were tightly spaced together.

"Will you go there alone?" Ominis softly traced his fingers, offering different areas for gentle kisses.

"If you don't change your mind, I'll have to," Sebastian almost whispered, lightly nibbling on Ominis' ring finger.

"I missed you," Ominis whispered, leaning forward and pushing aside the book that lay between them with his free hand. His heart fluttered with his own audacity and courage because he had never interrupted Sebastian before when he was studying something related to Anne's healing, knowing how important it was to him. "I want to be more important," a thought flashed in his mind and pricked his heart. Sebastian finally lifted an attentive gaze on him, stopped kissing Ominis' fingers, and his eyes traced Ominis' tense thighs, his heaving chest, his delicate marble neck, his invitingly parted lips, and his half-transparent eyelids. A soft, confident smile played on his lips as he brought his face close to Ominis'.

"Don't want to interrupt me, huh?" Sebastian murmured softly, inhaling the air filled with Ominis' warm scent.

"I don't want to," he whispered, moving a couple of millimeters closer.

"And you can't," Sebastian tenderly brushed his lips against Ominis'. Ominis responded instantly, moving towards him with his whole body. Their eyes closed, and all their nerve endings focused on their lips, sensually and smoothly moving in sync with each other. They were once again completely alone, everything around them faded away — the dark magic, Slytherin's writings, and the common living room. Ominis placed his hand on the back of Sebastian's head, tangling his fingers in his soft, unruly hair, which smelled so fresh and pleasant. Sebastian let out a barely audible, throaty moan, pressing his lips even hotter against Ominis'.

His hands slowly glided upwards over the trembling, desire-filled body before him, pausing briefly at the neck before gently unbuttoning the pajama shirt that separated them from each other's heated velvet skin. Ominis froze in surprise; even his lips momentarily paused their movements, but then they resumed the kiss with renewed fervor. Excitement started to choke him, making it hard to breathe, and a squirming tentacle of panic stirred in his stomach. He had imagined this moment so many times, but now all those images seemed distant and unreal. Thoughts became entangled in a tight knot, losing coherence, and everything inside him screamed with excitement and fear of the unknown. Through the wave of emotions enveloping him, Ominis felt Sebastian's hands trembling and heard him nervously swallow a lump in his throat. They both feared their first time, but the ever-growing desire finally overshadowed any apprehensions.

When the shirt rustled softly and slid to the floor, Ominis also reached for Sebastian's clothes, but he was met halfway by his hands, which had already done most of the work. Therefore, he extended them further and touched the warm, bare torso. With smooth motions, he began to explore it, memorizing every inch so that later, when touching him through the clothes, he could recall what was underneath.

Sebastian broke the kiss, stood up, and lifted Ominis to his feet. He pressed his lips to Ominis' tender neck, while pulling down his pants, revealing smooth, desired thighs. Ominis leaned towards Sebastian with his whole body, surrendering to the not-yet-fully-realized desire to merge with him. Meanwhile, Sebastian's kisses began to move slowly and cautiously down, covering every burning centimeter of Ominis' skin, who started to softly moan with pleasure. In some places, Sebastian left marks of bites and crimson imprints from overly passionate kisses. When he touched his tongue to the exposed thigh, Ominis' moan became longer and louder.

He fearfully pressed his hand to his mouth, completely surprised by his own reaction. Ominis trembled with fear and anticipation of what Sebastian would do next. He seemed to have lost control of his body, leaving only the ability to feel the touches. He whimpered pleadingly as he felt the cool, trembling breath brush against his cock. His knees were about to give in, unable to withstand such tension.

Sebastian trailed the very tip of his tongue from its base to the tip, slowly savoring the new, most intimate taste. Tears glistened on Ominis' lashes as he could barely endure the waves of new, unfamiliar sensations, which brought him to a sweet, throbbing ache. He bit his lip until it bled and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the loud moans that wanted to escape with every touch of Sebastian down there.

Moisture, warmth, gentle glide. Hands, gently squeezing the buttocks and helping to push forward. Sebastian, having thoroughly explored Ominis' cock, with a predatory look in his eyes, moved upwards and touched his friend's face with his hand. There was no trace of his initial nervousness. The touch was confident and even slightly possessive. Sebastian felt that Ominis would now let him do anything, and of course, he wanted to take advantage of that. He enjoyed watching his friend blush, get flustered, struggle to breathe, and twitch at the slightest touch. He wanted to see how much pleasure he could bring him, wanted to see him in a way he had never seen before.

Running his hand along Ominis' sculpted cheekbones, he slid his fingers into Ominis' partially open mouth. Ominis eagerly began to flick his tongue over them, coating them with a thick, sticky saliva. His other hand continued to gently caress Ominis down below, periodically pausing, denying the pleasure from reaching its peak. His lips pressed against Ominis' neck just under the jawline, tilting his head back; his fingers delved a little deeper, reaching the back of his throat, causing Ominis to jerk and cough, but he swallowed willingly, continuing to caress them with his tongue.

Pressing his body against Ominis, Sebastian gently laid him on the soft fur beneath them, withdrawing his fingers and covering his lips with a kiss. The submission of Gaunt wildly excited him, how keenly he felt everything Sebastian did to him, how responsively he reacted to each touch, how trustingly he allowed him to do things he had never allowed anyone before. Sebastian savored Ominis like a seasoned drinker savoring sweet, heady wine, like a smoker taking in half a cigarette after a long abstinence, like a lost wanderer emerging from the desert falling to his knees before a well of water. He wanted Ominis' soul and body to belong to him alone, he wanted to possess him, yet at the same time, he wished for him to be free and choose him not out of dependency.

Tenderly, he placed a pillow beneath Ominis' lower back from the nearby sofa, gently lifted his legs, caressing the delicate skin, and softly parted them. Ominis' face flushed even deeper, he had never felt so vulnerable and exposed. For a moment, a shy desire to cover himself emerged, but it vanished as soon as his thighs were gently caressed by the warm lips, slowly moving upwards along his heated body. Sebastian leaned towards his face, kissed the corner of his lips, and whispered, "if it hurts or feels uncomfortable, tell me, and I'll stop."

From those words, spoken in such a velvety voice filled with unchildlike passion, Ominis trembled but nodded in response, albeit suppressed. Then, Sebastian ran his moist fingers over the hollow between Ominis' firm buttocks and slowly inserted one of them inside. Ominis flinched, turning his burning face away, feeling awkward in this unnatural position.

"You are beautiful, Ominis," he heard the whisper of Sebastian, who leaned over him as if reading his thoughts. He entwined Ominis' hands behind his head, continuing to caress him from inside with soft, tender movements, and during one of them, he carefully added a second finger. Arching sharply, Ominis unexpectedly put himself fully on them and let out a loud moan from the momentary, piercing pain, which quickly transformed into exquisite pleasure.

Sebastian bit his lip, consumed by passion for his best friend. The nagging ache in the pit of his stomach was almost unbearable, his cock trembled with tension, escalating with each moan that escaped Ominis. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he withdrew his fingers, hovered over Ominis, and began to push inside carefully, going a few millimeters deeper with each movement, breathing heavily, unable to hold back the soft moans.

Ominis wrapped Sebastian's neck and shoulders with his hands, matching his moans with slightly louder ones. He felt a gentle, pleasant pain, but it was drowned in the sweet sensation of fullness, the bliss growing inside him. Never before had anyone brought him so much pleasure, so many emotions and feelings, all shifting in a constantly spinning, wild kaleidoscope. He felt Sebastian's gentle caresses on his cock, and his consciousness completely shut down. There it was, deeper and deeper. It enveloped him from all sides, taking over his entire body and mind. Perhaps, he existed all these sixteen years just for this moment. The warmth inside him gathered like rays, about to burst out.

His body trembled spasmodically, his lips parted, releasing a sweet cry, and everything around him turned blazing white from pitch black, exploding and rapidly expanding. His fingers uncontrollably dug into Sebastian's back, leaving marks, his eyes rolled back, and the scream choked in his throat. Writhing under Sebastian, he felt every cell of his and Sebastian's body and, at the same time, felt nothing but this all-consuming pleasure pulling him upwards. His body seemed completely ill-equipped for this because it felt like it was about to be torn apart. As individual parts began to detach and float away, Ominis felt himself coming back to his senses, aware that the soft, moist carpet was still beneath him, that there was still air around him to breathe, and that he could feel his fingers on his hands.

While still emitting soft moans and shuddering with every movement of Sebastian inside him, Ominis began to relax and slowly surrender. He leaned his lips upwards toward Sebastian, who eagerly met them.

Sebastian barely felt his own body, only Ominis' hot lips and the pulsating flesh surrounding his cock. He yearned for this moment so much, imagined countless times having Ominis' desired body beneath him. The wave of pleasure gradually engulfed him, and he leaned back, clutching Ominis' soft white thighs, spread invitingly before him, pressing down on them, lifting his hips, and entering him as deeply as possible. Ominis cried out, arching again and moaning hotly, uttering Sebastian's name through the moans. The sound of his own name escaping Ominis' lips and the sight of that perfect, ideal body so eagerly accepting him brought Sebastian to the brink of ecstasy.

Another movement, another thrust, another moan. Bright fireworks exploded before his wide-open eyes, and for a moment, the room disappeared, filled only with this fiery sensation. His fingers dug even deeper into Ominis' thighs, leaving a scattering of bruises. He didn't want Ominis to feel pain, but he couldn't control himself right now. A hoarse groan escaped his lips, and his body convulsed, instantly growing heavier as warmth spread through every limb.

Breathlessly gasping for air, Sebastian collapsed on his back beside Ominis. He felt around and found Ominis' hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, and Ominis weakly responded by moving his fingers. Depleted and powerless, they lay side by side, recovering their breath, calming their hearts and emotions. There was not a single coherent thought in their minds, only the ecstatic realization of how enjoyable it was to be intimate with each other for the first time, even more enjoyable than in their wildest fantasies.

"It was so... grown-up," Ominis whispered and chuckled softly, realizing how silly his words sounded. Sebastian smiled in response, turning to face his friend and studying his profile. With a gentle touch, he traced a finger from Ominis' forehead to chin. "If only this night could last forever," he thought, smiling sadly because the dawn was about to break outside.

"We need to get back to the bedroom before someone wakes up," he murmured, slowly sat down, his fingers still trailing along Ominis' chest and abdomen, unable to tear himself away.

"Yes, we need," Ominis said, grabbing Sebastian's shoulder as he rose as well and pulling him closer. He lightly kissed his lips and stood up, "will you help me get dressed and find my wand?"

"Ominis..." Sebastian savored each sound of that name as he spoke slowly, "I think I like you much more than I realized. Maybe I even love you."

"Maybe I do too," Ominis replied, blushing slightly.