Touched

Shadow of a First Touch - Fifth Year

Imelda POV

It was a warm night in the common room. More like a warm morning actually. Ominis and Imelda had just gotten back from sitting atop the astronomy tower. They'd made it back without any prefects seeing them. Imelda and Ominis had sat up there for hours, Imelda reading to him and describing the stars, Ominis enveloping her in his warmth and listening intently.

"I don't think you need to worry about that," he whispered, pulling Imelda closer to him. She was so close that she could bury her nose in his robes, inhale the scent of fresh linen and musk. He'd just washed them. They sat in silence after that, Imelda watching the slow crackling of the common room fire. Everything was as it should be. Quiet, and utterly comfortable. Perfect.

She noticed his hand run slowly over her dark hair, smoothing the strays. Her face moved slowly with the regular pattern of his deep breaths. The air from his nose tickled the side of her ear. She looked at him in the mirror across from them. The light from the fire illuminated his face and its features. His cheekbones looked higher than ever, the bags under his eyes evident. But a small smile on his face all the same. He was relaxed. His eyes were closed.

"Have you been sleeping?" Imelda asked him, and watched the small smile wither away. He sighed.

"It's not your concern," he tried to tell her, but she placed her hand in his and looked up at him. He could tell she was awaiting an honest answer. "Sort of. I've always slept pretty rough."

"Nightmares?"

"More just unwanted traumatic memories of my past."

"That's a nightmare."

"You're not wrong there," he moved under her weight. "I'm just joking. I'm really not par to talking about it."

She nodded against his chest. His heart quickened suddenly, but she didn't move. She waited patiently for him to speak.

"I've never felt this safe before," he admitted. His voice was quiet, an honest statement no one but Imelda could've pulled from him. She had never expected him to admit it, and she ran a hand through his blond hair.

She pressed her lips to his, and he responded, placing a firm hand on the small of her back and pressing her to him. He had never done this before, but Imelda felt like he had been studying it. A small sigh escaped her lips and she smiled against his teeth. He chuckled.

He kissed her neck, next, planted one every few inches until he felt the collar of her robes. Imelda loosened the sleeves of it and Ominis felt it fall to the floor. He placed broad hands on each side of her waist and kissed her chest where the tip of her sternum was.

"I think -" Imelda whispered. "I think I love you, Ominis."

Ominis had stopped short. He had looked down, taken his hands off her. Imelda's heart started to beat very fast and she wondered if she had said the wrong thing. She tried to grab his hand but he pulled away, slowly standing up.

"I'm sorry," he had stuttered, not even bothering to pull his wand out, but using his hand to quickly guide him across the wall to get to the boys dormitories.

They'd never spoken of that moment since.

Imelda pulled herself from the memory. She wondered if Ominis thought about it as much as she did. She still didn't understand why he had pulled away, why he had pretended it never happened. It still meant so much to her that she wanted him to recognise it.

She made her mind up that the next time she saw Ominis, she would ask him. She hoped he would want to start the same thing up again. She didn't want anyone else. It had been him, for years.

She wasn't about to let that go.