The Blood within our veins (Ominis Gaunt)

Chapter Nine

Dinner although warm to the touch seemed cold in the Sallow house. The tension between Sebastian and his Uncle bubbled like the kettle on the stove; waiting for the overflow of hot air and high tempers. Anne looked uncomfortable and attempted to break the tension with an inquiry about their adventures at Hogwarts. Sebastian began with a story of their pranks on the poltergeist Peeves which Solomon twisted into a lecture. No one spoke much after that.

When the awkward congregation at the dinner table had ended Gianna whiped her face and excused herself saying it was getting late and needed to head back to Hogwarts. Ominis took this as an invitation to leave the uncomfortable situation and quickly thanked the Sallows for hosting and followed Gianna out the door. Sebastian decided to stay another day to spend time with Anne since Solomon had gone to bed shortly after leaving Gianna and Ominis alone.

"My," Gianna breathed a sigh of relief as her boots snapped a tree branch underneath her feet. The pair walked briskly to the Floo Powder statue to take them back home hands in their pockets and heads down looking at the brightly colored leaves that pooled at their shoes. "Has it always been this bad?" Gianna spoke breaking the silence. Ominis answered almost immediately shaking his head. "It's gotten worse with Anne's condition. I'm afraid Sebastian's relationship with his Uncle has never been well. But its deterioration seems to be happening rapidly. " Ominis hung his head and Gianna took his hand unsure of what has made her become so aggressively affectionate towards him.

"I'm sorry. I know how much this place means to you." Gianna apologized and Ominis squeezed her hand back. "Thank you that's kind." They broke embrace and stopped at the statue. The sky was darkening and Gianna looked up at the sunset. Ominis sat back on the brick wall and motioned for Gianna to sit. It didn't seem like he wanted to talk but he seemed interested in Gianna's company.

"Have you ever seen a sunset Ominis?" Gianna wondered aloud. The question came across as silly and daft but Gianna meant no harm with it. Of course he hasn't you asshole. She lectured herself. The boy is blind you idiot. Then again they hadn't discussed when he had gone blind. Gianna didn't exactly know how to ask or if she should since it could be a painful topic for him.

She anticipated Ominis's annoyance at this and for him to call her stupid for asking but he didn't. Ominis merely shook his head. "I was born blind. " Ominis stated. "No magic can reverse it. So I've always been this way." Ominis concluded resoundly. He didn't sound sad or upset about anything he was saying. He stayed reserved and had a smile to her questions.

"Is it beautiful?" He asked and Gianna cracked a smile. "Yes. It is. It changes everyday too. Which might be my favorite part." She responded eyes still glued to the bright blended sky ahead of her. "What does it look like today?" Ominis asked his fingers gripped onto the stone wall as if excited and imagining it all in his head. Gianna thought wanting to give the best illustration she could with her words. "It's got a swirl pattern to it. With light blues and oranges and pinks streaking out of center. Then once you come outside the textured margin it branches off into long blended streaks of color." Her explanation although colorful was hard for Ominis to imagine.

Gianna politely asked for his hand and placed it in her lap upon his acceptance. She placed his palms up and opened his fingers from the center of his palm. She took her pointer finger and began to trace the pattern inside of them. "This part here is blue then it trails off into a darker more navy blue." She explains her finger softly tickling his palm.

The gentle touch caused Ominis to flush to match the pinkish hues within the sunset. He couldn't bare to look in her direction and faced downwards slightly as she did this. He imagined her words as they danced from her lips and he focused on them intently. Gianna scooted closer so she could lean over and look over his shoulder. To the right of him there was a a particularly interesting cloud she was describing ;reflecting the colors around it at its edges. To its viewers the cloud's edges appeared a mix of pink and gold. Her closeness caused his heart to race and Gianna turned to look at his expression hoping he was picturing it all and taking it in.

Their noses were inches apart as Gianna continued to excitedly describe it to him as he listened. He could feel her breath on his neck being that he was a bit taller than her as she spoke that put a shiver down his spine. As she finished she turned her head again simply taking it all in and Ominis felt more than a little embarrassed at their proximity.

Ominis then realized his hand was still in her lap and removed it from her thigh and his cheeks deepened in color. Luckily the sky was rapidly darkening and the girl took no notice of this. "It sounds beautiful." Ominis managed to say when he had tamed his rapidly pacing heartbeat. The two hadn't broken apart in distance as they sat overlooking the sky on the little town wall. "It is truly." She mused. "Sometimes I come outside and simply watch the colors change. Helps me when I'm feeling lost or out of control. Reminds me not all change is bad and that some is beautiful." Gianna said referencing directly how Ominis had been feeling.

"It is peaceful." Ominis said. "I suppose I 'ought to start doing the same." The boy said genuinely at Gianna's suggestion. Everything that went unsaid between them and everything Ominis wanted to say to Gianna felt said in that moment. He felt just as peaceful than if he had opened up with her about how stressed he was about his home life and the intensity at the Sallow's. The two found comfort with one another in the silence.

Something that both Gianna and Ominis were uncomfortably aware of. As peace didn't come easy to either a Romano or a Gaunt.

After that the pair traveled back to Hogwarts using the Floo powder system and walked to the Hogwarts common room chattering away. Gianna was complaining about having to use Floo powder to get around and how it would be much more fun on a broom. Which Ominis revealed his innate fear of flying causing both to laugh.

When they reached the common room the pair parted ways with gentle good nights to one another and Ominis climbed the stairs to the 5th year Slytherin boys dorm using his wand to guide him. He changed out of his robes and into his pajamas. A button up sleep shirt and pajama pants with the Gaunt family crest on the pocket. He slipped into his silk sheets and laid there for a minute his heart beating simply too fast to sleep.

So to calm his nerves he sat and removed the pillow from his back pulling it Infront of him. Reaching inside he grabbed the book gifted to him from Gianna from inside the pillow case and adjusted the pillow back behind him. He opened the spine and begin to read the now enchanted copy of the muggle book to himself.

Reading over its contents with his fingers and remembering how Gianna had done the same to his hands only hours earlier.