Walking through the cold stone corridors outside the Slytherin common room at Hogwarts Legacy, a sealed passage seems to call out to one of my classmates. Ominis Gaunt, like the rest of his prestigious family line, speaks Parseltongue. Hesitantly, he whispers an answer in the snake’s tongue, and a secret passageway slowly opens up before us. But as I exclaim in amazement, impressed by his rare ability, someone mutters ominously behind us.
“Between you two, I’m starting to feel left out.”
Ominis pauses, then turns around. “Between the two?”
“I – it doesn’t matter,” Sebastian says hastily, and we enter the scriptorium without saying another word.
Goblin rebellions and ancient magic aside, a relationship is far more compelling to me than anything else in this game. I can’t help but feel like I’m playing second fiddle to a very different story. mine, and in this one I’m the bad guy.
The energy of the main character?
(Image credit: Avalanche Software)
Ominis Gaunt and Sebastian Sallow have a complex relationship. His relentless strength is a central plot device in Hogwarts Legacy, raising the stakes of some quests or completely changing the dynamic of others. Where no one stops me from entering an Ashwinder lair with Hufflepuff darling Poppy, Ominis repeatedly tries to stop Sebastian and I from destroying our lives with dark magic, or perhaps destroying the life they had together. Their combined history is what makes them unique, which is why they are so fascinating to me.
As we play through Sebastian’s side quests, we learn more about their devotion to each other. Seb explains that when Ominis became estranged from his family, separated by the use of the Unforgivable Curses, and tortured for using these spells himself, he was by his side. “When he’s not at Hogwarts, he’s with us at Feldcroft,” Sebastian said. “The Ominis trust me.”
Calling them best friends seems like a huge understatement: they’re more than just friends; more than brothers, even. They are the closest Hogwarts heirloom to depicting a romantic relationship.
(Image credit: Avalanche Software)
For Sebastian and Ominis, black magic symbolizes the corrupting influence of deception. Ominis fears the dangerous potential of dark magic, while Sebastian insists it can still be used for good if handled correctly. Plus, he’s willing to lie to prove it.
Right from the start, I realize that Sebastian shares my fascination with black magic. Marked by its past, however, Ominis is not. To keep our experiences private, Sebastian takes me to his and Ominis’ secret chamber under the castle, The Undercroft, as it’s called, where I’m sworn to secrecy. I even promise to lie to get out of it if Ominis ever finds out. The space had been theirs until I showed up, and by using dark magic here, I was single-handedly corrupting their relationship.
Ominis finds out, of course, and is (rightly) furious with Sebastian. Their story unfolds like a soap opera, with the boys arguing over decisions I’ve made that threaten the trust between them. The more Sebastian and I corrupt ourselves with dark magic, the more Ominis meddles in our affairs. I become the burglar of this magic soap opera, because at the end of the day, that’s exactly what we’re doing: having an affair behind his back.
Sal, sal?
(Image credit: Avalanche Software)
Their story unfolds like a soap opera, with the boys arguing over decisions I’ve made that threaten the trust between them.
However, this is not at all a one-sided situation. In the same way that black magic symbolizes lies that break a relationship, power represents Sebastian’s desire. When he comments that he’s jealous of the two of us outside of the scriptorium, on a superficial level, he’s talking about each of our magical gifts: me with my ancient magic, and Ominis’ direct connection to a powerful magical bloodline.
Ominis fears his innate nature, fears who he was born for, but Seb doesn’t want him to hide from this power. In fact, maybe he sees the strength in being exactly who you are, and he covets it himself. This angst comes to a head when Ominis, who has become truly desperate, relents when I offer to put the mind-controlling Imperius curse on him to keep him from angering Sebastian. It’s the only way for him to stay there and let us go without a fight, and it’s not a decision taken lightly.
“It’s unfathomable,” he said as he surveyed the catacombs beneath Feldcroft. “But I guess if you want that responsibility, I could salvage what’s left of…” Ominis pauses for a moment. “Of me between with Sebastian.
The word lingers on his tongue a moment too long, emphatic but embarrassed. This is the 19th century, after all; maybe your love is still unrequited. Yet, after all his protests, he allows me to use dark magic on him. This power is the same corrupting force that separated him from his family, the same force that had Seb’s own parents killed, and Ominis would take those risks again for the sake of his love.
At the end of the game, Sebastian and Ominis are still friends, although their relationship has been significantly changed due to the events of the game. Although they are no longer so close, the door has been left ajar for the two young wizards to strengthen their bond one day, and hopefully we can see that in a future Sebinis (Ombastian?) DLC.
The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to JK Rowling’s public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge inclusion at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explanation on the Hogwarts legacy controversy.