In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 56 - Ominous Tidings

A/N: REUPLOADED - Minor changes to the chapter, major change to the plot... I nixed the tournament. I just can't. It's too overdone

Ominis

Ominis, Sebastian, and Elizabeth landed on the sweeping lawn a little earlier than the year previously, the Hogwarts Express not having arrived yet. They piled up their trunks alongside those from students who, like them, lived in the immediate area and did not take the train. The house elves would move their belongings once the coast was clear.

"Well, we've got some time to kill," Sebastian said, "What should we do?"

"Perhaps a walk around the lake?" Ominis suggested.

The sun was warm on Ominis' skin, yet there was a bracing breeze, and he didn't feel quite like heading inside yet. He had even almost enjoyed the broom flight over. Elizabeth made a sound of pleasant surprise.

"That sounds nice," she said.

"Alright, a walk it is," Sebastian said.

Ominis led the way down to the edge of the lake, listening to the familiar lap of the waves on the shore, the gravel crunching under his feet. He took a deep breath, the air carrying a hint of moisture from the lake, as well as an earthy aroma of mud, grass, and distant flowers. As they turned down the path along the shore, Ominis heard the breeze rustling the leaves of the young beech tree near the shore they often sat under. He could also make out the distant chatter of birds, likely from the Forbidden Forest.

It was peaceful, yet he couldn't ignore the quiet sounds of Sebastian and Elizabeth as they spoke in hushed tones behind him, their footfalls almost in sync. Their voices grated against the other sounds of nature, and he rather felt like he was intruding on a private moment. He was toying with the idea of leaving them to it, when Sebastian yelped in surprise, and there was a splash. Ominis whipped around, but Elizabeth was laughing heartily.

Sebastian came up spluttering indignantly. "Lizzie!"

From his wand, Ominis could tell Sebastian was sprawled in the shallows of the lake, Elizabeth still on the shore. With a great cascading of water, crashing back into the lake from his soaked robes, Sebastian stood.

"Here," Elizabeth said, still laughing. "Let me help, your robes look heavy."

Then, suddenly, both figures were toppling into the water, Sebastian dragging Elizabeth backwards with him as she shrieked. Ominis fought a smile as he folded his arms.

Once the thrashing subsided somewhat, and Elizabeth and Sebastian had both surfaced, Ominis said, "I hope neither of you expect me to help if you drown - I'm not going in that water."

"Are you sure about that?" Elizabeth asked, sounding rather breathless from her laughter. "Accio!"

Ominis barely sidestepped in time, the spell whizzing past his shoulder. "I am, sure, actually."

"Whoa, Ominis," Sebastian asked, sounding delighted and shocked, "Since when could you do that?"

Ominis smirked. "I've been practicing - I even beat Ellie in a duel a while back."

"You what?" Ominis had to laugh at the disbelief in Sebastian's voice. "I've never even beaten her!"

"Well, perhaps -"

Ominis' response was cut off as he heard another, nonverbal spell too late. He tried to turn away from it, but it still found his mark and Ominis was pulled forward by his robe, landing in the water alongside his friends. The sensation was immediate - the cool, wet, weightless embrace of the lake wrapped around him, held at bay for only a moment by his robes before they began to weigh him down. The shock of cold caused a gasp to escape him, lost in the sounds of splashing. He panicked for a brief moment, disoriented as the spell continued to drag him through the water, though it resisted, pushing back.