Marriage, Murder & Magic- [OMINIS GAUNT]

Chapter 38- The Start of the Rest of Our Lives

Warm air brushed my blushing face. It was nice to spend one last morning on the beach of the Black Lake. My hair was down, billowing around the shoulders of my pale blue pinstriped gown. It was summer now, so I didn't need a cloak, or bonnet. Instead, I had my husband around my shoulders.

Ominis kissed the top of my head. "Describe this sky to me."

I cleared my throat. "It's bright like a lamp, but not too bright. Like when a candle wick has just met flame, and it's small and yellow and soft. In the distance I see the mountains. It looks as though they're getting a bit of rain this morning."

"We ought to be on our way, then, before the rain catches up with us."

It was the last day of 6th year, and Ominis and I were set to take off on our honeymoon today. The year flew by quickly after the wedding and Duncan's death. After he was crushed by Morgana's statue, I used his wand to escape the locked room, where I ran into Sebastian, Ominis, and Headmaster Black just outside Hogwarts. I explained to them everything. Headmaster Black almost didn't believe me. No one had expected Duncan to be capable of doing such a thing; but after a thorough sweep of the Muggle Art classroom, enough evidence was found to confirm that Duncan had been behind everything.

Luckily, the priest was unscathed after the church debacle. He was willing to finish our ceremony.

"After all this, you still want to get married?" My sisters asked.

I was firm. "Of course."

"Your dress is filthy. Is that vomit?"

I realized they were right. So before I re-entered the church, I used a spell to transform my muddy, torn wedding dress into something much prettier. The sleeves loosened into sheer cascades, and the neckline transformed from a strangling turtleneck into loose folds of fabric that fell across my chest. My magic left a tint of light pink on the fabric.

Prisma's 2nd Wedding Dress (pictured: Prisma's faceclaim, Aurora)

"Much better," I sighed.

Ominis and I exchanged rings later that day with our families watching. After we kissed and were declared husband and wife, his family looked snide and satisfied- a look that did not last long when I told them that we would not be going on the typical Gaunt honeymoon. Instead, we would be going on our own honeymoon to visit my parents at their next destination in India. And by the way, I added, we would not be needing their financial support now, or ever. I was planning on working in the field of magical research and archaeology just like my parents. And we would find a house of our own, without Gaunt money. Ominis was so proud, I don't think I had ever seen him smile so broadly.

It was almost time for our train to leave. My friends, Quinn and Samantha, were all carrying our bags to the station. Amit Thakkar and Samantha had both expressed interest in each other (finally, we all thought), and he was expected to propose to her in 7th year. Quinn ended up securing an arranged marriage with a wizard from Durmstrang. She was very excited to travel to Bulgaria to meet him for the first time this summer.