🥀 Roses and Novels | Hogwarts Legacy Fanfic | Sebastian, Ominis and Evander

🥀 - chapter 36 -🌹

(Third-Person Perspective)

The final week before summer break flew by in a blur of goodbyes and packed trunks. Excitement buzzed through the Hogwarts halls as students prepared for the weeks ahead.

Poppy and Natty had made plans to spend their summer at Poppy's grandmother's home, tending to magical creatures and soaking in the countryside. Amith returned to his family in India, and to everyone's surprise, Imelda accompanied him for the first week, she had confessed her feelings just before term ended, and the two were now officially dating.

Adelaide had, once again, ended things with Garreth for the fifth time. Undeterred, he made his own summer plans. Helena would join him and his aunt for the first week on Clagmar Coast, while he would later reunite with Amith in India, after Imelda's stay.

Helena had her summer carefully mapped: the first week with Garreth's family, the second with her mother, and the remaining four weeks with Ominis at Gaunt Manor. Anne and Sebastian, meanwhile, had decided on a quiet trip to London before returning home.

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(Helena's Perspective)

I left for Clagmar Coast with the Weasleys, dragging my overstuffed suitcase behind me. Before I left, I'd said a long goodbye to Ominis. He had pulled me close in his room, holding me tightly, almost possessively, one final time before we were apart. A silent reminder of what we shared, and a warning, subtle but understood: remember me, especially if temptation finds you again.

Evander was the temptation he meant.

We promised to celebrate my birthday together once I returned. Until then, I was to write him daily from Scotland, a request he made with firm sincerity. He wanted to trust me. I wanted to be trustworthy.

The Weasleys' summer cottage was charming, tucked right by the sea. My room had been redone, the walls painted a calming blue, seagulls hanging from the ceiling like floating ornaments. I dropped my suitcase on the floor and sank onto the bed, gazing out the window at the waves crashing onto the sandbars. A warm breeze carried the scent of saltwater and freedom.

For a while, I sat in thought, of Ominis, of Sebastian, Anne, and everything left unsaid between us all.

My reverie was broken when Garreth's head suddenly popped through the open window.

"Oi, Fig! Last one in the water's a manatee!" he shouted with a mischievous grin and bolted.

Laughing, I pulled my dress over my head and leapt out the window, sprinting after him. He was faster than I remembered, clearly Quidditch training had paid off. I chased him down the dunes, both of us breathless from laughter, until I tapped into my ancient magic and surged ahead for the final stretch.

I dove into the waves first.

"I win!" I cried, arms flung wide as the sea splashed around me.

Garreth ran straight into the surf and tackled me playfully. "You cheated, manatee!" he declared, dunking me under. "You're the manatee now!"

We splashed and struggled through the surf, both of us soaked and laughing. Aunt Matilda tiptoed toward the water's edge, grimacing as the cold touched her feet. Garreth and I exchanged a glance, then splashed her with a wave. She shrieked and fled to the warm sand, muttering about "reckless children."

That night, we sat by a bonfire on the beach, singing with drinks in hand, tipsy and carefree. The stars glittered overhead, and laughter echoed into the night. Eventually, we fell asleep on the sand, curled up in the warm afterglow of the day.