Consuming Darkness: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 22

-Ronnie-

    I woke up that next morning and got ready. When I walked into the common room I looked around for Sebastian but I didn't see him.

   "Good morning Veronica," I heard Ominis' voice call to me causing me to jump.

   I turned around to see him leaning against the wall next to the stairs that led to the girls dormitories. I smiled. He looked very polished and handsome as always. He had such an easy confidence about him like Sebastian did but Ominis' didn't seem too cocky. He was more humble and softer than Sebastian.

    "Hello Ominis," I responded. "How long have you been waiting there to scare me?"

   He waved me off. "What do you want to do today?" He moved from the wall and I grabbed onto his arm. It was a habit I'd taken up over the last few months. He had asked me to lead him around one day and since then we've just kind of done it if we walked together.

   "I'm not sure," I admitted.

   "People will be getting back today. We probably should go to Hogsmeade and grab some potion ingredients and seeds we'll need when school starts again on Monday. The teachers sent out an itemized list," he offered.

   "That's smart, better to be prepared than to scramble to get them after class starts back up," I chuckled at my lack of forethought.

   "You and Sebastian both," he laughed and then stopped himself.

   "Where is Sebastian?" I asked. "He probably needs his stuff too." And I wanted to see him.

   Ominis shrugged. "He's still sleeping. I went to wake him up and he just yelled at me saying he was up last night late and he needed to sleep longer."

   I smiled. I had worn him out. "Well then it's just me and you I guess." I responded. "We can ask Natty if she wants to go?"

   He placed his hand on top of my hand. "I was hoping to go just me and you," he admitted.

   My stomach twisted. Sebastian had mentioned that he thought Ominis might care for me slightly more than a friend but I had blown him off. I honestly had a hunch that he was right but Ominis had never been outright about it. He knew Sebastian and I were... well complicated. Sebastian and I always had a flirty back and forth with each other and he had said that horrid thing in the Undercroft about having his fingers inside me. Ominis had to know.

   "Alrigh," I replied with a smile. We were just friends and Sebastian and I weren't anything official, we were just fooling around with each other. I wasn't sure where things were going with Sebastian but I enjoyed were they were. But why was I so worried about what he would think about me going with Ominis to grab school supplies? Probably because he would have wanted to go with us, and probably needed to. Not my fault that he slept in... well it sort of was...

   "Let me go grab a coat and scarf and then we can go," I told him. I let go of his arm and ran back to my room to grab my things.

   I walked out and waited for Ominis to return with his coat. He walked over to me with his wand guiding him. "All ready?" He asked with a easy smile.

   I nodded and then realized my mistake and verbalizd my confirmation."Yeah let's go."

   We used the Floo Flame to transport us to Hogsmeade since the weather was so cold and bitter.

   I grabbed onto Ominis' arm and we walked to go grab our supplies. Despite the chill, it was a pleasant afternoon with him. Conversation was always fairly easy with Ominis, it never felt forced or uncomfortable. We grabbed potion ingredients and recipes from J. Pippin's Potions and then walked over to The Magic Neep to grab some seeds. Finally, we walked all the way to Dogweed and Deathcap to grab the seeds for a few more hostile plants.

   On the way back from Dogweed and Deathcap I was shivering. Ominis wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to him. He rubbed my arm as we walked quickly.

   "It truly is horrid out here!" Ominis remarked. "I'm sorry!"

  "Why are you sorry? You can't control the weather?" I replied.

   "You're right but maybe I could help." He flicked his wand and said a spell I'd never heard. All of a sudden we were surrounded by warmth. There was a red glow surrounding us and the snow melted before it touched us.

   "Ominis! This is incredible!" I remarked. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "You must teach me!" I demanded as he held me close.

   "Perhaps when we're somewhere not so cold," he laughed. Then he turned to me and smiled. Our faces were so close to each other now and I felt the mood shift slightly.

   "Do you want to grab a butterbeer before we leave?" I asked, not moving away from him.

   "That sounds lovely," he replied with a soft smile.

   I turned my face from his, unable to take the heat his lips so close to mine.

   "I will need you to guide me. I can't keep this spell going and use my wand to guide my way at the same time," he told me.

   "Oh okay," I remarked and I began watching the ground in front of our feet. I told him about every bit of cobblestone that was out of place, a cat that was no where near us, a small rock in the path, a crack, people walking towards us and he just looked in my direction with an amused smile. I was sure I was being over cautious but I was so worried that the one thing I didn't tell him about would be the thing that caused him to stumble.