Catching the canary

Chapter 20 - Ties

That mornings classes flew by and charms, my third class of the day, was canceled. I used the extra time to run back to my dorm room, took a quick body shower, and redressed. It was soon time for the midday break. I pulled the letter and my wand out of my bag and tucked them both into my robe pocket. It was time to meet up with Ominis.

Coming up the stairs I found him sitting on the floor in an alcove. Leaning his head back against the wall his eyes were closed. I couldn't tell if he was asleep or just resting. Crouching down beside him I slowly reached out to brush a lock of hair back into place.
His hand snatched my wrist and his eyes flew open, startling me.
"Goodness Ominis, you scared the fwooper feathers off of me!"
He instantly smiled and tugged my wrist to pull me down beside him. His arm settled around my shoulders and he tucked me in tight against him.
"I'm sorry my dear, you caught me napping. For some reason I don't recall getting much sleep last night", he teased me pressing kisses to my hair.
"Mm, I don't remember you complaining about it at the time", I molded myself to his side resting my head on his chest. Flashes of our time together this morning rolled through my mind and caused lightning to sear through my body.
"Oh I could never complain. Every moment with you is pure magic, my love, and I'm grateful for each one." I could hear his heart beating wildly in time with my own. Love from him was starting to feel as natural as breathing. It was simple, uncomplicated, and made my soul happy. He felt like my twin spirit. I was at home and safe with Ominis.

My mind drifted to Sebastian. How dark and angry he had been this morning. The things he'd made me say while he dominated me. I'd been a little afraid and a lot aroused. How different both men were. Light and dark.

"Whats going on in there?" He poked my forehead, "You only ever go that quiet when you've got something on your mind."
I wasn't ready to talk to him about what had happened. For now that was my dirty secret to keep and process later. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter from this morning, opening it. I placed the letter in his hand.
"What did you mean this morning about waiting for me? I thought we said we'd meet in the Great Hall for breakfast when we were leaving the Undercroft?" I asked. His hand ran over the page and I noticed the lettering change into braille beneath his fingers as he re read his note.
"I was waiting for you at the astronomy tower, remember? There was a note from you on my pillow when I'd went back to my room asking me to meet you there instead?"
"Ominis I never sent you a note... do you still have it?" Concern filled in my voice.
He shook his head no.
"Id set it down on my desk before leaving to meet you. When you didn't show up I assumed you just got held up with a professor or something. But when I went back to my room after class the note wasn't there anymore. Id even tried to summon it, thinking it had fallen under my bed or desk."
"No I never sent you one. When I left I went straight to my room, bathed, and went directly down to breakfast."
He was frowning and there was a crease of worry in his brow. Why would someone send him a fake letter from me?
We sat there together in quiet contemplation. My mind raced but no answers came forth. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry. I need to talk to you about something. It's a little hard to talk about and I probably should have mentioned it this morning but ... I think I remembered a bit of what caused my accident."
Ominis sat bolt upright and turned me to face him.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Anxiety riddled his features and I bit my lip. I hated having him worry over me.
"I believe it was a memory in the form of a dream. That day I'd taken off after the snitch and when I flew around one of the stadium towers, a dark figure stepped out from shadow of the stairs. There was a blinding flash of red light and I think.... I think they cast the Cruciatus curse on me Ominis... I know what I saw and I could never forget that particular pain."
He rose to his knees and yanked me against his chest. We both understood how much this particular curse had an effect on him. The trauma and guilt it had caused him as a child that haunted him to this day. How we'd been tricked into having to use it to escape Slytherin's scriptorium. My screams as I'd writhed in pain at the feet of the person who had cast it on me. Seb-I stopped my thoughts there. It's what had to be done to escape alive and I'd agreed to it. We'd all survived that curse and came out changed.

"Please promise me you haven't been making new enemies on some secret mission again. Do not lie to me. If someone is after you Sebastian and I have to know everything so we can do our best to keep you safe." He was crushing me. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away a bit, creating some space between our bodies.
"Ominis I swear on my magic I'm not involved in anything. I've done everything in my power to just be a normal student this year. I don't know who could be after me."
His frown deepened. I hated to see the worry in his pale eyes. My beautiful compassionate beloved. His devotion was almost heart breaking. I cared for him so much. I cradled his neck with my hands and felt him rest the weight of his head into them, then I pressed a kiss to each of his cheeks.
"I will be extra careful from here on out I promise. And anyway I'll have you here to guard my back. What would I ever have to worry about with the scary and powerful Gaunt at my side." I tried to tease him. There was no point in us sitting here stressing about my safety till we knew more about who had attacked me. And until they made another move we had nothing to go on. For now I was safe. I was here with Ominis, my shared soul, my home. I wanted to enjoy the moment.
He relaxed under my touch but released a heavy sad sigh.
"I'm afraid of what I might do if someone were to ever hurt you. I don't know what that might bring out in me" he admitted softly. My heart skipped. He moved to sit back down and pulled me along with him. I leaned my back against the wall, sitting cross legged, as he shifted to rest his head in my lap. I massaged his temples and ran my fingers through his blonde locks. He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of my touch.
"I know that won't happen my darling. You're too good a person Ominis. In here." I said and poked him in the chest above his heart, making him chuckle, "Anyway, can we forget about it for a bit and just be here in the moment? I just want to spend some time with my boyfriend like a normal girl for once. I demand zero dark wizard or conspiracy talk for at least the next 30 minutes."
His eyes shot open,
"Your boyfriend hm? Is that what I am now? " A blush broke out on both of our faces, our hearts raced. I didn't know how to answer that. Part of my soul sang to his but there was a shadow in my heart with Sebastian's name on it. So many different emotions had ran through me in so little time and I didn't know which direction this path was taking me.
"Something like that, maybe something more" I whispered, ashamed of my inability sort my feelings and trying give him the answer I knew he really wanted.
A smile formed on his lips and he turns his head to nuzzle against the inside of my thigh.
"It makes me so happy to hear you say that" he says and presses a kiss there. I continue to stroke his hair and we both settle into the quiet comfort of each others company. I close my eyes to rest. I realize I'm in danger of falling very much in love too fast. I drifted off with a soft smile. Maybe that's not a bad thing.