Imperio | A Hogwarts Legacy Story |

♗

 I stood hastily from my seat, deliberately walking away from him. Ominis then grabbed my arm, pulling me back roughly. It didn't hurt, just halted me in my steps. This year was supposed to be positive, this conversation was never meant to happen. Yet here I was, dealing with it anyway. At times like these, I'd wished Sebastian was still here to intervene and be our mediator. It was a funny ordeal, considering Ominis was always our mediator. Sebastian and I fought like children.

Ominis finger nails slightly dug into my arm, taking me from my thoughts.

"Xyla, quit running from the inevitable. This conversation was going to come up eventually."

I didn't try to pull away. I really didn't want to. "I don't want you to see me differently."

He stood from his seat, taking a step nearer. "I've always seen you as different. I knew you were nothing like anything I'd ever come across before. I know you well enough to figure out when you don't want to tell me something. Whatever it is, Xyla, you can trust me."

I looked over my shoulder and made eye contact with him. A gasp left my mouth. "Ominis..." I took a step closer to him, our breaths mixing because of the closeness.

He looked taken aback as I neared him. "What? What is it?"

"Your eyes... they're green."

He blinked a few times, and I wasn't sure if he was processing what I said or in shock.

"Ominis." I placed my hand on his cheek. "We need to have the nurse check on you. Something isn't right."

He leaned into my palm gently. "I do not know what's going on, Xyla."

I shook my head, allowing him to continue to rest gently in my hand. "Me either."

𝙽𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 - 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝙻𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛,

The nurse finished up the last of Ominis' test and walked over to the head nurse, whispering to her.

Ominis lounged in the bed and I sat directly next to him. I leaned over and spoke in a hushed tone, "They are being secretive."

He blinked once. "I wonder why."

The nurse glanced at us from across the room and then slowly made her way over to his bedside.

"I feel we have concluded, but not with good reasoning why it's happening."

I questioned her, "What do you mean?"

She clasped her hands together and continued, "It appears Mr. Gaunt's sight is returning."

She turned to look at him, "Have you been blind since birth, child?"

He sighed and nodded his head.

She let out a surprised gasp, "This is highly unlikely, then. We are not sure why your sight is returning."

I looked back at Ominis with wide eyes, a sense of knowing washing over me. "Have you known?"

He glanced downward at the white blanket that draped over his legs, not responding in the slightest.

I knew I wasn't being insane. I noticed this many times over the past month, but wasn't sure.

"So, there is no way to know why?" Ominis asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry." She then smiled lightly. "But isn't this great news?"

Ominis and I both remained silent. It seemed then that she read the room for what it was and took that as a sign to walk away.

However, I wasn't done with him yet. My jaw tensed and I fought myself internally not to scream at him here and now. Instead, I took in a deep inhale and exhaled it before speaking.

"You saw me in that window in Hogsmeade, didn't you?"

He released a breath and stared. It then all became very clear.

"Yes. I didn't know how to tell you. I'm not even sure what's going on myself. You don't think this is affecting me? I've seen nothing physically in my life and now I am."

"I never said it wasn't affecting you. It obviously is. I just don't understand why you've been preaching to me about trust when you've been keeping this from me."

He didn't back down either, "I do not have complete vision yet. I wanted to wait to see if this was real or not real."

"Still. You are this person who carries heavy judgement about lying, yet you withheld this from me."

He took another breath and his eyes slid over to me, his newly sage green eyes catching my notice.

"Xyla... I can see a type of aura surrounding you. Everyone else is this blurred white tone, but you... you're not."

I leaned back in the wooden chair. "What do you mean?"

He continued, "When I see you-" He takes a breath. "You are glowing. I'm not sure how to explain it."

He blinked twice and tilted his head, taking in all of me. "You are so..."

Someone opening the nurse's entrance disrupted our conversation. Miles ran into the room.

"Xyla, are you okay? Imelda told me you were in the nurse's wing."

He jogged over to me, his blonde hair blowing in the wind. He caught notice of Ominis as he neared us. "Oh."

I shook my head, "I'm okay."

Miles nodded, but you could tell he was uncomfortable being by Ominis, and I didn't know why.

Ominis spoke up, "Miles Lockhart, are we to see eye to eye now?"

Miles didn't move a muscle, only stared at Ominis for a long period.

I chimed in. "I don't think this is the best place to talk about your weird rivalry."

Miles finally responded, "Maybe not eye to eye, but we can be friendly. I suppose we will have to be since Xyla and I are dating now."

Ominis' eyes widened, and he glared at Miles. "You're what?"

I hadn't agreed to Miles' proposal just yet, but I was going to. And now, here I was - stuck, having to explain to my best friend why I said yes and also why I said yes to Miles, of all people. As if my day couldn't of turned into an even more stressful one.