Life Goes On

Chapter 28: The Price

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

Excerpt from "A Dream Within a Dream"
Edgar Allan Poe 1549

***

We'd made love gently and sweetly to each other the night before, and fell asleep from exhaustion in each other's arms. To my dismay, a tapping at my window woke us up. Sebastian got up to see what it was and to make matters worse, it was the Gaunt's owl. Sebastian snatched the letter from the owl who pecked his hand in return.

"Ugh get out of here!" He shooed him off and closed the window. "Ominis, for you."

"Please read it Sebastian." Ominis snuggled his face in my chest and wrapped his arms around me.

"Ominis, we expect your visit on this coming Sunday. The McDowell family have requested an audience. Arrive by noon. Father." Sebastian crumbled up the letter and threw it in the bin.

"Well, I suppose we best start prepping." I said letting out a sigh.

"Yes I suppose we shall." Ominis agreed with a monotone voice. He held me tighter and and let out a deep breath as Sebastian came and sat back on the bed.

"What is it Omi?" I felt worried and started running my fingers through his hair. Sebastian laid his head on my shoulder and reached his hand out to hold Ominis's shoulder.

"I'm worried about your safety, I don't care if I get hurt but if the two of you did, I don't know what I'd do."

"Ominis, we've gone over this, we feel the exact same way about you. If you feel this is the best option then we will support you, but you have to let us be with you, you have to trust us to defend ourselves, and you, if necessary." Sebastian tapped Ominis's shoulder gently. "Come on mate, stop sulking, and let's get our potion on!"

"Wow did Garreth take some poly juice and sneak in here as Sebastian?" I teased and made Ominis laughed.

"Oh I sure hope not dearest, specially with all the action he got with you last night." Ominis teased back and we all laughed at that.

"Oh please, Garreth wishes he was this good looking." Sebastian tilted his jaw upward and rubbed it attempting to make a sensual face, which just sent me an Ominis into a rolling laughter. "What? I'm better looking than Weasley." He pouted as we continued to laugh and I gave him a peck on the lips before getting up to get ready.

***

"Ok, we have invisibility, endurus and wiggenweld potions going. Anything else we want to prep?" I asked looking around to see what other ingredients we had a available.

"Thunderbrew?" Ominis asked.

"I don't know if we want to raise that big of a storm in your parent's estate Omi." I said a bit skeptically.

"Or do we?" Sebastian joked with a smirk.

"Could we try to brew Befuddlement Draught?" Ominis suggested with a dark tone.

"For your family!?" I asked a bit shocked.

"Yes, for my father specially." He explained.

"It could be dangerous mate, he already is extra crazy." Sebastian said as he made a circular motion with his finger over his temple.