A Dance In The Moonlight

Chapter Ninty- Kidnapped... Again (Ominis POV)

There was great commotion in the Great Hall with thousands of worried conversations at the same time. Poppy, Merlina, and Garreth were still nowhere to be found but Sebastian and I stood on the balcony in the back with Professor Sharp.

"Do you know why Headmaster Black called this Professor Sharp?" I asked out loud.

"I'm not sure... but I do have a feeling Merlina knows. We'll just have to wait until-" Something caught Professor Sharp's attention. Two different people were running up the stairs to join us on the balcony. One of them was furious while the other was struggling to catch up to the first one.

"Sallow! What did you and your new girlfriend do?!" Poppy shouted, stomping directly to us.

"What in Merlin's Beard do you-?" Sebastian started but then he quickly moved behind me, using me as a shield from what one could argue was the weakest member of our team. Brilliant as far as intelligence goes but physically weak.

"Yes, use the blind man as a shield." I answered sarcastically.

"What is going on?!" Professor Sharp asked while I could assume he or Garreth was holding Poppy back from attacking Sebastian. And who was this new girlfriend Poppy was speaking of?

She couldn't answer before Headmaster Black's voice echoed off the walls, telling all of us to contain ourselves and to be silent. A moment of silence as thin as parchment filled the air with anticipation filling each of our lungs. Even from where we stood, his footsteps across the stage could be heard as if we were right beside him.

"Last night... four students and two staff members went missing. We have been trying to keep it a secret as the Ministry requested but I REFUSE to hide it any longer. Since the start of the school term, students have been going missing left and right. We are not sure who is doing this or why- but we, as Hogwarts, feel it is safer for anyone under sixth year to be transferred to one of the other wizarding schools. Some of you will attend Durmstrang and others Beauxbatons until we have this sorted out. We are working with their headmasters and will be transferring you there during Winter Break." Headmaster Black explained. Commotion interrupted him with students talking amongst themselves.

"Silence! He is not finished!" Professor Weasley shouted, shutting students once more.

"Thank you Professor Weasley... if any of you have seen Lucan Brattleby, Natsai Onai, Merlina Wood, Professor Hecat, or Professor Chang... please let us know. If you have a specific school you want to join, speak with your head professor and they will relay the message to me. Now all of you leave."

Merlina... what has she gotten herself into now? I could hear Poppy collapse on the ground and start to cry with Garreth trying to calm her down. Professor Sharp tried to hide it but even I could tell the news frightened him.

"This is your fault Sebastian! Merlina saw you flirting with Morgana! Tell me what you did with her!" Poppy shouted through the tears, clearly too emotional to comprehend that students and staff were still in the Great Hall. This all made so much more sense. Why she said Sebastian had a new girlfriend. All of it.

"Sebastian was following my orders. I told him to see what he could find out by any means about the Puppeteer. Now enough of this. Merlina is in danger." Professor Sharp announced without any hesitation. "She was going to Professor Chang the last time I saw her. Ominis, you come with me. Merlina will need you. Poppy- you and Garreth go search Professor Chang's office. Sebastian, you try and see what Edward knows. Once you are done, come to my classroom. I think Merlina knows where they're taking all the missing students and if I'm right, we'll save her by tonight."

We each agreed to do as he demanded and went our separate ways with Professor Sharp practically dragging me to his classroom. I'm not sure why everyone must drag me everywhere but it seems to be a thing. Once we arrived, he slammed the door shut and started rummaging all around the classroom. No matter how many times I asked him what he was looking for or what he was doing, he wouldn't answer. All he would do was mumble about how he needs to watch where he puts things.

"Aha! Here it is!" He shouted, clearly proud.

"Here what is sir?" I asked, taking a few steps closer to him.

"Merlina made you this. She wanted me to save it until Christmas but I need you to drink it now. Where we are going, we need all the eyes we can have." I could feel him place a bottle in my hand. This must have been the potion to help me see. "I learned where we went wrong and fixed it. You will not be in danger like I was. I give you my word."

Such a shame... I wanted the first thing I possibly see to be Merlina's face. Her eyes, hair, smile. All of it. Now my first memory with vision would be a smelly dungeon and a professor who acts more like our father than a staff member. I did as he said though, swallowing every drop of the disgusting liquid. Like month old milk mixed with the gas of a pig but I still drank every drop. In an instant, my eyes began to pulse to where they could possibly fall out of my head. Pain wrapping around my brain. I fell to my knees, unable to contain my screams of agony and squinting my eyes.

What if Merlina and him were wrong? What if this makes my eyes fall out and me bleed to my demise? Professor Sharp tried to talk to me, repeatedly asking if I was okay but I could barely hear him over how loud my heart was thumping. The blood in my veins rushed at the speed of light until in a sudden moment, everything stopped. Here comes the moment of truth. I opened my eyes and could see the dark grey stones that formed the floor. I looked upward and in front of me stood a man in his early to mid thirties with a scar down his tanned face.

"Ominis? Can you see?" He asked.

"Professor Sharp? You are not what I imagined." I said with a laugh. I could actually see! Merlina gave me my birthday wish. Merlina gave me the only thing I have wanted since I was a boy.

"Just to make sure, grab my wand." He said, lifting his wand with his right hand. Without a second to waste, I grabbed it, watching his shocked face turn to a smile with laughter to match mine.

"Well done Ominis. I know this is exciting but for now, I need you to contain this information from everyone except Merlina. We may have the upper hand if not even Poppy or Sebastian know. Or any staff member for that information."

"I concur Professor Sharp."

In that moment, both Poppy and Garreth opened the door with Sebastian following close behind. None of them looked how I imagined. I couldn't even believe Sebastian had freckles! I tried my best to contain the shock and let Professor Sharp do all of the talking.

"Professor! You'll never guess what we found!" Poppy shouted, holding up two wands. "Sebastian! Tell him what Edward told you!"

"He... he said he thought he saw Professor Fig carrying Merlina out of the castle. That's impossible... right professor?"

Merlin's beard... this couldn't be so. Merlina weeped for weeks after Professor Fig died. She still mourns his death to this day. As subtle as I could be, I glanced at Professor Sharp who was as pale as a ghost. Even he was shocked by this news.

"Poppy... before Merlina went to see Professor Chang, she asked you and I to do something. I'm going to need your help with it. You three- keep your eyes on Morgana and Imelda. Something big is about to happen and we need to be prepared for what they throw at us. After dinner, meet me in my classroom."