A Dance In The Moonlight

Chapter Sixty-Seven- Cake Walk

Yesterday, we all took the train ride home with everyone on the train but Sebastian. Today, Ominis' snores bounced off the walls while I laced up my boots. We were going to be alone for the summer in this house. Although this clearly wasn't my first time being alone with a boy during the summer break, it felt different somehow. I was more nervous about it if anything. Ominis' snoring stopped, leaving me and my thoughts in silence. Perhaps he woke up.

I got up and took a deep breath, looking upon my face in the mirror. I can do this. I can spend the summer with Ominis Gaunt. A knock came to the bedroom door with Ominis calling out my name from the other side of it. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I got up whatever courage I could muster and opened the door to see Ominis shirtless. Of course he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Happy birthday." I breathed out with a smile on my face.

"Thank you... why are you so out of breath?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He knew. He knew damn well why.

"I'm in the presence of an old man. I didn't want to make you feel self conscious. Now go put on a shirt. We have to go down to the village."

"To the muggle village? Why?"

"How else do you suppose we eat?"

"That's a very good point. Very well."

Ominis ran off back into the bedroom and I down the stairs to the first floor of the large cottage I was back in. It gained quite a bit of dust since last summer but still looked the exact same as when Sebastian and I stayed here. I went back into the living room, books still on the table next to the portrait of Professor Fig and Miriam. There were so many times I would miss him and wonder if my choices this year would make him proud of me. I could hear Ominis make his way down the stairs and when I glanced at him, I couldn't muffle the giggle in time.

"What? Is something wrong with my hair?" He asked worried, licking his hand and running his fingers through his hair.

"No no. Your shirt is... here- let me just do it." I stated.

He didn't put on a vest over his egg shell white button down but the buttons were all messed up. I had to start from the top, unbuttoning every button. I would glance up to his eyes and see his nervous glances before pinching them shut completely. I wondered what was going on in his thoughts to make him act this way already. As quickly as I could, from the bottom to the top now, I buttoned them up once more and took a few steps away to clear my throat.

"There- you should be okay now. You will have to leave your wand here though. Don't worry. I won't let go of you for even a moment." I promised, looking down at the bright red light coming off of it.

"That's understandable. Very well." He handed his wand to me before pulling me close by yanking my wrist towards him. "You promise not to let go?"

Scoffing and rolling my eyes, I didn't even bother to answer the question. I threw the wand onto one of the many couches and grabbed the three bags for groceries along with his hand once more to lead him out of the house. The sun was still barely coming in but the grass shined enough for everything. Rays of orange surrounded the sun and the blue was making its way towards us. I really wish Ominis could see all of this.

We started the hour walk towards the village but even from where we were, the town was still full of bustle. By the time we had arrived, the sun decided it was ready to be awake and out to play. The once beautiful rays of color had been completely taken over by blue and various clouds to streak the sky. People walked up and down the bricked road and around the beautiful statue that laid directly in the middle of it. It was of a woman holding a single flower to the air. Buildings surrounded us with wives telling their husbands goodbye and children shouting at one another. Quite a busy day.