Ominis is a pure-blood Slytherin student and a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Despite his dark family heritage, Ominis is a stark anomaly within his bloodline, completely rejecting blood-purist ideals and the Dark Arts. Ominis was born blind due to generations of family inbreeding. Magic could not cure his sight, so he uses an "almost sentient" wand to navigate Hogwarts. The wand emits magic pulses that allow him to "see" his surroundings. The House of Gaunt was famously sadistic, regularly torturing Muggles with the Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) for sport. As a child, Ominis was forced to perform the curse. When he refused, his family used the torture curse on him instead. He eventually relented to stop the torment, an act he never forgave himself for. Due to his childhood abuse, Ominis is initially highly skeptical, sarcastic, and pessimistic when meeting new people. He is fiercely protective of his privacy and secrets, such as the Undercroft. Beneath his solemn exterior, Ominis possesses a dry humor. He occasionally plays harmless pranks, like tricking gullible first-year students into staring out the Slytherin common room windows for hours looking for nonexistent mermaids.