So Super Cute! 😍☺️

So super cute! 😍☺️

Potions Tutor

characters: ominis gaunt x garreth weasley

word count: 1.1k

warnings: none! pure fluff :)

summary: based off the 'oh shit i'm in love with you???' prompts list. ominis has trouble in potions class, and professor sharp has enlisted garreth to help him outside of class. in other words, garreth falls first, ominis falls harder

Things were silent for a few moments as the honey water was added, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence by any means. Once added, the next step was to heat it until the concoction turned pink. They sat side by side, a bit closer than usual, and waited.

“Garreth,” Ominis said suddenly. “I’ve got a… proposition, of sorts.”

"I'm listening."

"May I touch your face?"

Garreth had never expected to become friends with Ominis Gaunt. He seemed like such a serious, sometimes outwardly cold person, the exact opposite of who Garreth usually hung around with. 

However, one day several weeks prior, Professor Sharp had asked Garreth to help the other boy outside of potions class, as a tutor of sorts. While he hadn’t exactly jumped at the opportunity, having found Ominis slightly intimidating, Garreth did want to get on Sharp’s good side. Especially after his latest attempt at brewing Fizzing Whiz-Beer had literally blown up in his face. It had left quite a mess in the classroom, as well as one extremely pissed off ex-Auror. 

Things had not gone well at first. Garreth had no idea how to explain measuring ingredients and stirring until the potion turned a certain colour to a person who couldn’t see. Sure, Ominis’ wand helped him ‘see’ to an extent, but not in the way one would need for making potions. Their first session Garreth had tried to help him make a Wiggenweld potion, which had gone so poorly Ominis ended up hexing him and storming out. Garreth had spent that night, and much of the next day, belching up flames in the hospital wing. 

Fortunately, from then on, their tutoring sessions went more smoothly. At the very least, there was no more hexing. The first week or so, the moment the potion was brewed, the two boys went their separate ways with hardly a word. Leander would pester Garreth for details, although he suspected Lee just wanted to find any dirt Ominis may have mentioned about Sebastian. As if they ever discussed anything that wasn’t about their potions. 

As they spent more time together, though, the Slytherin became more relaxed around Garreth, as if he was finally letting his guard down. Ominis was unexpectedly witty, and quite funny. Whenever he wasn’t chasing down Sebastian and Aurelia (which wasn’t nearly as frequent as Garreth would have preferred), they’d begun growing closer.

“Would you believe Duncan Hobhouse’s boggart turned into a puffskein?” Ominis had chuckled, while adding a bit of flobberworm mucus to his cauldron. It turned a bright purple once he’d finished. Over the weeks, he’d become much better at measuring ingredients, using weight and texture rather than sight. He barely needed Garreth’s help in that regard anymore.

Garreth burst out laughing. “Truly? Merlin, I knew he wasn’t the bravest chap around, but a puffskein?” 

Ominis nodded. “I wish I could have seen his face… ah, well.” He continued stirring, and Garreth couldn’t help but admire the way he moved when he was standing over the cauldron, the way the slight muscles in his arms flexed a bit as he did. He was so mesmerised by Ominis' movements that Garreth almost missed the potion turning the right colour.

“You’re done, you’re done!” He said in a rush, gently taking the other boy’s hand and pulling it from the wooden stirring spoon. The potion had become a blood red colour, which meant it was time for the next step. Garreth dropped Ominis’ hand, blushing slightly, and cleared his throat. He tried to pull his mind back to the potion at hand. “Okay.. uhm, right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’ll… want to add more flobberworm mucus now, until it turns orange… uhm, I’ll tell you when.”

“No need,” Ominis said coolly, but not necessarily unkindly. “I’ve got it.” True to his word, he managed to add the perfect amount, and the potion simmered as the liquid within changed colour again. 

“Oh,” Garreth said, eyebrows raised. “Well… excellent job, then. Perfect.”

Ominis turned his head so he was facing the other boy, his foggy blue eyes almost staring directly at Garreth. “Always the tone of surprise,” he joked.

“I- well-” He was very, very glad Ominis couldn’t see how red his face had become. 

The blonde just chuckled and began stirring again. He managed to time it just right, stopping almost the exact moment the liquid turned yellow.

“Wow,” Garreth said softly. “You’ve really improved at this.” 

“I take it that means I got the timing right?” A smile curled at the corners of his lips, and if Garreth didn’t know better, he would’ve sworn a tinge of pink crept up his cheeks. It was probably just their proximity to a burning hot cauldron, he reasoned with himself. He nodded, forgetting briefly that Ominis couldn’t see the sign of affirmation, and cleared his throat.

“Ahem. So. Next step. That is…” He trailed off, allowing Ominis to finish the sentence. 

“Add drops of honey water until it turns turquoise,” Ominis recited dutifully. He picked up the vial, running a finger along the label. After the first week of helping Ominis, Garreth had noticed how frustrated he would become when he couldn’t tell which bottle held which ingredient. It took him hours, but Garreth had labelled each bottle in braille, something that the other boy had been thanking him for excessively ever since. 

Things were silent for a few moments as the honey water was added, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence by any means. Once added, the next step was to heat it until the concoction turned pink. They sat side by side, a bit closer than usual, and waited.

“Garreth,” Ominis said suddenly. “I’ve got a… proposition, of sorts.”

“I’m listening.”

“May I touch your face?” 

Garreth startled at that, turning towards his companion. “I- what?”

“Ah, forgive me for asking. My wand only allows me to ‘see’ so much. I find it easier to touch peoples’ faces, to get a better idea of what they look like. I apologise, it was improper to ask while we’re in the middle of something.” He shook his head, looking slightly embarrassed. 

“No, no, it’s alright,” Garreth interjected. “I suppose… we have a while until it’s ready for the last ingredients.”

“If you’re sure it’s alright,” he said, before reaching up and gently running his fingers along Garreth’s face. He scarcely breathed as Ominis’ pale, slender fingers ghosted along his cheekbones, the bridge of his nose… he felt his heart thrum almost painfully fast in his chest while Ominis’ thumb brushed over his lips. There was something so delicate, and almost elegant about the way his fingers touched Garreth’s face.

The potion had long since turned the proper colour, but neither boy was paying attention anymore. Ominis’ hands had strayed from Garreth’s face and now were running ever so gently through his messy ginger curls. Garreth rested his hands on Ominis’ shoulders, realising just how much closer they had become.

“Garreth,” Ominis murmured, his typically soft voice even quieter the closer their faces became. One of his fingers ran across his lips again. “Could I-”

“Yes,” he breathed. In the next instant, Ominis pressed his lips to Garreth’s, the potion all but forgotten.

They could always make a new one later, anyway.

i hope anyone who read this enjoyed! i had a lot of fun writing this... garreth is just so soft