Destined to be

NINETEEN - SPRING

Dear Miss Carrow,

We are pleased to invite you and your family to our manor for a short visit during the upcoming spring break.

Me and my wife would like to get to know our future daughter-in-law.

Sincerely

M. Gaunt

I read the note again and again. Could believe my eyes. Ominis's father was inviting me to visit them? I suddenly felt really shaky. I was sitting at our table enjoying lunch when their owl came. Was it possible for an owl to copy the look of its owner? I've never seen angrier looking bird. It even nipped my finger when I was taking the letter from its beak.

"Are you ready for our final Apparition class?" Naty sat beside me looking excited. But her face turned quickly into a worried one. "What's wrong?"

I just passed the note to her waiting for her reaction. She looked as troubled as me when she finished reading it.

"Do you think they know about my magic? I can't stop thinking about it since I found those letters Ominis's father sent to my uncle." I asked her quietly.

"It's not possible. You haven't used it since last year and the very few who know would never tell."

"Naty, you don't always need to talk to reveal someone's secret."

"You have to stop overthinking everything. They probably just wanted to check you up. If you are the right fit to their family. It is too soon to worry about it. Now focus on the Apparition test. It wouldn't help anything if you end up splinching yourself." She stood up and offered me her hand. I took it and followed her outside.

The spring was approaching rather quickly and the weather was much better so they decided to move our final Apparition test outside the castle walls. They forced us to apparate further distance. I passed easily but Garreth wasn't that lucky because he left behind one of his robe sleeves. It still counted as splinching even if it was on his clothes and not his body.

Natsai, Amit and Sebastian were also able to pass the test with ease. In the end there were several more splinching and not all of them were painless like Garreth's. Luckily I did not see the seventh year Slytherin boy lose his whole arm during his attempt. Thanks to Merlin there were many heelers to fix it quickly.

"So tell me, did anyone detach his head off during that stupid Apparition class?" Imelda asked as we finally joined the others.

"Imelda!" Poppy squealed in shock.

"What? I just try to have a conversation," she smirked.

"Did that really ever happen? I asked curious.

"No, as far as I know. Usually it is just a limb," Garreth joined the discussion.

"Pff, just a limb. As if it's not bad enough," Poppy puffed annoyingly. "What about changing a subject?"

I let them bicker and joined Ominis at the back of our group as we continued our walk towards the castle.

"Did you get any letter from your parents lately?" I asked him curiously.

"Today actually. How do you know?"

"I actually received one as well today."

"You did? From my father?" He stopped his pace in shock. His face was full of worry.