Touched

Shadow of a Kindred Spirit - Sixth Year

Ominis POV

Ominis had been at the Three Broomsticks for about two weeks now. Sirona had been very accommodating, spending the days working in the bar, spending the nights providing dinner and butterbeer to the two students who stayed there, providing care for Anne.

Anne was a sensitive subject for Ominis at the moment. He had spent every day since the last day of school worrying about how she was. Some days, she would get out of bed and she would laugh and talk like she used to - and some days she wouldn't even wake up for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Not knowing what Ominis was going to wake up to was stressing him out, to say the least. He willed that none of it had ever happened, dreamed that she was a young, fit and healthy young woman, only to rise to her struggling to wake up.

Never had she mattered so much to him. Now that Sebastian was.. gone. Someone had to look after her.

That morning, Sirona had woken Ominis up with some post.

"Sorry," she apologised when she realised she'd barged in on Ominis asleep.

"That's okay," he said, sleep lacing his words. He rubbed his eyes. He took the letter from Sirona and ran his fingers along the edge of it, along the firmness of the wax seal.

"Thank you," he told her.

"You're welcome." The communication between them was still a bit slow, but they'd been working through it without saying it out loud to one another. She turned and walked towards Anne, leaning down next to her to check on her.

"She's still asleep," Sirona called out, and Ominis thanked her for checking. "Let me know if she wakes up."

When he finally opened the letter it was already transfigured into braille. He smiled, wondering how long that must've taken for someone without the knowledge and practice. It must be from Imelda.

Hello my dove,

How are you? How is Anne?

I did write to Sirona last week but she never replied. Where she keeps her post is really messy though, so it's probably lost amongst letters from like seventeen years ago.

I hope you and Anne are alright.

I love you.

Imelda x

P.S I think I know how to make this into braille now. But if it doesn't work, you know how to fix it. Hopefully.

The braille was perfect. He held it to his forehead for a minute before he folded it and placed it in the drawer next to his bed. He would reply to it later.

"Anne," he asked, a few minutes later. "Are you awake?"

"Yes," she whispered. Ominis hopped nimbly out of bed to go sit with her.

"How are you feeling?" Ominis was surprised that she had even answered him at all and he lost his footing on the ground for a moment. He reached for her hand and squeezed it with his own. She had a weak grasp and her hands were quite cold. He pulled the blanket up to her chin, how he liked it on himself.

"The same," the girl managed. Her voice was raspy, from not talking all that much.

"I'll get you some water," he told her, which was almost an excuse to go down to the bar and get Sirona.

"Ominis," she called out, and the boy turned around. "Don't go and get Sirona. I want to sit here with you. She fusses."

"You need water," he tried to protest, and she tried to scoff.

"No, I don't."

"Alright," Ominis agreed, walking slowly back to the bed and feeling his way to the chair. "Are you comfortable?"

"I want to send an owl to Poppy."

Ominis sat down next to her bed, thinking about that for a moment. "Okay," Ominis said, pulling out some parchment from the drawer next to the bed. He pulled out his wand to dictate the quill.

"You'll have to dictate it for me," she whispered, her eyes closed, not realising he already had his wand out. He nodded.

"What do you want to say?" Ominis asked her. He heard her sigh, he heard her become upset. "Anne," he whispered, reaching for her shoulder, trying to rub some comfort into her body. He was rubbing bones.

"I'm okay," she swallowed. "I'll speak to it."

He held the wand and parchment over her chest and she spoke to the quill that scratched on the parchment. "Poppy," she started, sniffing. "I know I haven't been at Hogwarts in a long time. I know I haven't sent you anything or spoken to you in a long time. I won't ever understand why. I regret it. I've missed you so much, the past year. I know we never told anyone about what we had, but it was tangible. I could feel it, all the time. I still feel it. I'm sorry I left you confused, and hurt. You know what happened, and you're so kind you probably understand why I haven't written. But I don't. I'll miss you, forever. And I'm sorry. I, I love you. I hope you find only peace and happiness in your life. Love Anne."

She leaned away from the paper and lay back in bed. Ominis heard her start to cry, and she tried to muffle the sounds in her blanket, not wanting Ominis to hear. Ominis had very good hearing - it was the only benefit of being blind, but he pretended not to hear anyway, for her privacy. Instead he folded the parchment and stood up to seal it at the chest of drawers.

After he had sealed the letter, he sat down next to her and reached for her hand again. She took it gratefully and settled down to sleep again, weak from emotion. He listened to her breaths, trying to match his to the rise and fall of her chest and finding himself almost hyperventilating. When he decided he couldn't take it anymore, he stood up and navigated his way to the other side of the room to sit down and write his own letter.

Dearest Imelda,

How have your holidays been?

I'm writing to ask if you'd like to come to Hogsmeade to see Anne and I. I fear that Anne has gotten worse, and Sirona doesn't think that she'll make it to the end of the summer.

I don't think I can be alone, no don't write that. Oh. You've written that. Stupid thing. But honestly, I don't think I can be alone right now.

It's so hard seeing her like this.

If you can't make it, of course that's okay too. I've written Y/N about it already.

Ominis

P.S I need a new kill. Kill. Kill. Fuck me. Quill. Thank you

He passed both his letter and Anne's to the owl waiting at the windowsill. It was amazing how they knew when someone had post. Ominis couldn't tell if it was Sirona or Anne's owl as it flew away.