In the Shadow of Azkaban

Volume II: LVI*

The moving vehicle finally came to a stop, and I grabbed Ominis' hand in mine. His smile was beaming from ear to ear, and he scooted out of the car after me.

Aesop must have enchanted the house because I could just feel the protection spell that settled over the area. The home was placed so close to the beach that I could see the ocean for miles, and scents of sea salt filled my lungs. It appeared entirely too perfect.

I hadn't asked exactly where we ended up in Greece, but all of the homes surrounding us were crafted from white stucco. None of the buildings had actual roofs; they functioned as rooftops where people could bask in the sun or eat a meal on top of them. The idea sounded heavenly.

Klein followed behind us inside the home. There was a small foyer with two chairs present, and each wall had an archway leading to another room. All the walls had been painted an alabaster white, while the tiles on the floor were a faded terracotta color. These hues seemed to extend throughout the entire home. Klein stopped in his tracks and conjured the pensieve he had been saving.

"Thank you, Klein. Please return to the manor and let Morganna and Kassia know that we have arrived." I bent down and offered my arms to hug him since I had not known when or if we were going to return. He accepted my embrace and was gone with the flick of his fingers.

I held Ominis' hand in mine as we explored the new surroundings. From the foyer, if I went straight back, I would have ended up in a breakfast area that had a deck attached to it. There was a small kitchen table and chair set.

When I made a left off the dining area, I entered the kitchen. It was fairly empty. And it all connected again to the main foyer through the living area that extended to the left archway.

The other side was much larger than I had realized. There were four doors through the opening. It did not connect to main living space. The first door led to an exquisite bathroom, and I had a feeling that Ominis had mentioned to Kassia he had wanted just a few of his signature touches.

There were two vanities opposite on another, and there was a massive clawfoot tub at the end of the room, by the window. A rain shower was situated above it in case we had not wanted to take a full bath. On top of the vanity, there was even a tool to help Ominis braid my hair. He truly took in every detail in the time we spent together and situated them into our home.

I retreated back to the other three doors. I opened one but did not even step inside. It had appeared to just be an office and a place to practice spells, potions, and herbology. Perhaps, I could rejoin my position as an auror and train in here. The room was definitely large enough to accommodate that type of action.

I propped open the second to last door and stood in the doorway, just staring in.

The first piece of furniture I had noticed had been the large bookcase that extended the entire left side of the wall, with a small reading nook in the middle. A window situated itself above the cushioned spot. But then when the door moved even more ajar, I gasped.

The colors were neutral. Plain. This had to be Xilia's doing. A crib and other infant necessities were scattered about the right side of the what I gathered to be a bedroom.

"I figured you would have that reaction." Ominis laughed under his breath and smiled at me. He entered the room and took a seat in the wooden rocking chair. "Kassia had put a charm on it that once we know the gender, we will be able to choose from Xilia's color palettes she had picked out. Whether the baby be a boy or girl." He fiddled with his hands in his lap, and I strolled over to him and knelt down beside the glider.

"Ominis. I'm not pregnant yet. I truly cannot remember if Xilia had said it, but do we have a certain time limit to fulfill her demands for an heir?" I wished he could lock eyes with me, just to put me more at ease.

Instead, he took his hand and smoothed my hair against my head and spoke, "One year, but Xilia does not have a clue that Aesop had brewed multiple vials of fertility potions for us to use."

"Hm." I hummed to myself. Only a year alone? I had wanted more time for just us.

It felt as though Ominis read my mind. "Plus, Klein will join us as soon as you are aware of the pregnancy. He had always helped Xilia when I was younger, and even when Maris had Marvolo and Morganna." He sat still, patiently waiting my approval.

"Alright. But I think it would be only fair for me to rejoin the Ministry like I was supposed to. Xilia cannot tie me down here." My voice was tense when I thought about what I had given up to become a Gaunt.

Ominis quickly agreed, "Aesop would love to have you as an auror, no doubt." I assumed he wanted to alleviate any of my regret from the situation.

"Come. There's only one more room that we haven't seen." Ominis rose from his seated position and rested his palm along my wrist. He practically drug me to the last closed door.

He opened it for me, and the view was breathtaking. The window to the right had overlooked the sea with the bed parallel to it. It was even larger than the one in the cottage, but there were some elements he had kept.

Furniture around this room appeared to have gold etching on the edges just as the previous wooden antiques had. Almost all of the pieces had the same Pine tone to them with white and sapphire accents. The familiar mural that was on the ceiling of our old room hung in a much smaller version on the wall across from the door.

I approached Ominis with my hands reaching for his cheeks. My lips crashed into his and we began to fall toward the bed. At the last second, Ominis grabbed me and flipped me the other way, so that my own back laid against the mattress instead of his.

His lips moved passionately, fervently with mine. He kept his mouth on my lips and my skin but leaned back just enough to begin unbuttoning his white dress shirt. The groans that emitted from his throat turned to hisses. He managed to get his clothes undone surprisingly fast, and he moved onto my dress.

Thankfully, this one did not have a corset, so he slinked it off of me from my shoulders down to my calves. I kicked it onto the ground when he undid his slacks. With one movement, he slid his briefs and pants off, and I crawled further back into the bed.

I should have guessed I had not moved far enough for his liking when he hoisted his arms under my thighs and back to pick me up. He was gentle while he laid my head on the pillow. He kept his fingers round my thighs but shifted their position, so that he could easily spread my legs in his hands.

His expression appeared eager, and I felt a warmth ensuing between my legs at the sight of him. I ached for him. He lowered his face into me, and I couldn't help but moan at the feeling.

His touch intensified when his tongue diverted to either side. I couldn't think, couldn't speak until he moved himself away after several moments.

His tongue traveled up my stomach and between my breasts, and my scales shuddered under his touch. Somehow, the sensation was heightened with the new layer of skin.

Our mouths met, and I felt pressure between my legs when he thrust himself inside me. His pace was slow, gentle. I guided my hips against him to match his rhythm.

He leaned over to one side and brought his hand between my thighs. My breath caught in my chest at his touch. He caressed my clit while he drove himself harder into me.

Both our mouths had not even taken a break from one another until I pulled away to moan. The feeling was all-encompassing. I hadn't been able to control myself, but neither did he when his slight moaning turned to heavy breathing.

He wrapped his arms around my back when he collapsed into me. Ominis' body contracted and his breathing turned to loud groans, and I tensed multiple times when I felt him release into me.

He rolled to the side while his finger grazed the scales on my chest. "Darling, I want to see you,"He spoke quietly, "in the pensieve. As soon as you are able. I long for you."

I reached up to kiss him once more, and when I pulled away, I finished his declaration, "I love you."