Basilisk (Dark Ominis Gaunt x OC gothic romance)

Chapter 105: Surprise

~~Veela~~

Veela held onto Sebastian as they flew to Hogsmeade, her stomach churning a bit with the flight but she felt better as long as she closed her eyes. It was nice to press against him like this, his broad chest was oddly comforting right now when she didn't feel well.

"Are you doing alright?" He asked again, and she felt him shift as he looked back at her.

She was rather amused how often he had asked her that during the flight, grinning against his shoulder as she kept her eyes closed so she wouldn't feel queasy. "I'm fine, how much further?" She said against the wind.

"Not much longer, don't worry. If you need to stop just say so." Sebastian answered, and she felt the broom go a bit faster than before.

Part of her wanted to keep an eye on the ground below them in case her father showed up, not knowing what he would do if he found her again. The way he had grabbed her, trying to drag her out of the house by force had been a terrifying new side of him she hadn't seen before. Sure he'd always been rather... forceful with his punishments, but never going so far as kidnapping her or holding her against her will.

Her grip around him tightened as she suddenly felt them lowering, somehow growing nervous the closer they came to the healer. What if they said something was permanently wrong with her? What would that mean for her? She was so nervous...

They landed outside of Hogsmeade, the bustle of the small town able to be heard up ahead as Sebastian waited for her to dismount from the broom before doing so himself and putting it away.

"There we are, back on solid ground." He smiled to her reassuringly.

"That's good." She said weakly, her hands bunching in her skirt uneasily as she looked toward the entrance of Hogsmeade up ahead.

"It'll be alright, Veela." He said in a softer voice, putting a hand to her shoulder reassuringly. "The healer out here is really nice. She knows what she's doing."

Veela looked up to him anxiously and nodded, wondering how he knew so much about this healer, but... considering he was friends with Damien and Ominis it was likely they'd gotten into quite a few scraps through the years. 

Or... maybe it had to do with the sister he'd mentioned earlier. He hadn't elaborated at all though, and she wasn't going to pry.

"Alright. Let's get this over with." She sighed, her stomach feeling like it was in knots with anxiety.

She blushed a bit when Sebastian set a hand on her lower back to guide her into town, knowing it would look like they were a couple to people who looked their way. Part of her didn't mind, but another part of her was still pretty angry at him for using her like he did. Sure those first nights had been absolutely amazing, but they hadn't been real... he'd been sleeping with her to trick her.

He led her to a small building off to the side of Hogsmeade, the thick smell of incense lingering in the air outside as he knocked on the door.

The woman who opened the door was not what she expected, with brown frizzy hair, a bandana tied around her forehead acting as a barrier to keep most of the wild hair from her eyes as much as possible. Her outfit was... odd. It was a mismatched mixture of many different clothes, her makeup heavy around her eyes, giving her a strangely eccentric look.

"Oh, Sebastian! I haven't seen you in quite some time! Is Anne doing well?" The woman smiled happily.

Sebastian looked stricken for a moment, and Veela could see the pain in his eyes.

"No." He managed to say, and his voice cracked with the word.

Veela reached out and touched his arm, not even thinking before she did the reassuring gesture. He glanced down at the touch, his dark eyes looking into hers before he gave her a weak smile.