He Couldn't Be That Bad? // Sebastian Sallow and You (spicy)

49. Loose Threads

We blip to the stoop of Ominis' home. The gardens are pruned back and in hibernation for the winter. The home is stunning and even though we're no longer on the cliff face of a mountain, I still want to run inside and get warm.

"Ominis lives here?" Anne looks up at the beautiful stone townhouse, her eyes widened. "How'd he swing that?"

"You expect the Heir of Slytherin to be in a castle?" Sebastian jests.

"Heir of Slytherin?" Anne gawks back at him.

Sebastian explains how we'd come to learn that but Anne still looks like she doesn't believe him.

"I feel weird that our first time here would be without him." I say, holding the key to the front lock but not quite able to make myself open it yet.

Anne gives a full body shiver. "I've been in... the tropics," she corrects carefully, "so long, I'd forgotten that I hate snow."

I pull my hand away from the lock, turning back to the cobblestone street behind us. "We should find accommodations elsewhere. Now that we're back, it's really not all that inconvenient to just head back to Fieldcroft."

A pop sounds behind us and Ominis comes stomping up the path right towards the stoop towards us. He's red faced and angry. "Well, you better have a bloody good reason to have skipped dinner, because if you're using my home to shack up, you'll lose key privileges." He stops talking when his wand lands right in front of Anne. His voice is barely a whisper. "You're alive."

Anne rushes forward embracing him, Ominis quickly returning the gesture. His hand moves up her back and he touches her head. "Wait, you're bald?"

"Wait, you're blind?" She jokes back and they share a laugh. "Yes, it's a good story if you stop being a bad host and actually let us inside."

I chuckle. This is the moment I understand that Anne and Sebastian are in fact twins. And I forget that as much as Ominis grew up with Sebastian, he would have very much been a part of Anne's life too.

Ominis clears his throat. "I have to say, I'm beyond thrilled to know you're alright. Although the occasion is slightly marred by the fact that I wasn't expecting company." He says through a teeth-grit smile at Sebastian and I.

Sebastian claps him on the back while Ominis opens the door. "Not to worry, Mate, the bar is nice and low."

Since Anne, Sebastian, and Ominis have quite a lot of catching up to do, I make good on my promise by helping Ominis' house. I pull out every charm I can think of from Enchanting the Home. Not really one for long drawn out conversation, so I do what I do best. Make myself busy. First I summon multiple large comfy sofas for everyone to sit on, and bring the fireplace to life.

The three of them catch up beside the warmth of the fire as I'm making his dishware learn to set their own places and return to the wash bin. I overhear as Sebastian recounts his time in prison to his sister and his best friend. Anne apologizes and admits that if she'd known what he'd endure, she would have never turned him in. They come to peace with it and I think the only person Sebastian would forgive for turning him in was her.

Ominis tells Anne about his lineage, the drama with Damon and Emmeline, and his determination to bring justice to his family. As well as his donations of the multiple properties and the complete freedom of the elves across the Gaunt estates. While he fills her in, I prepare some herbal tea and biscuits. Despite it being around midnight, we scarf down the food. After I charm the dishes to return to the kitchen themselves, I return to the sitting room while Anne shares that she was invited to Shangri La when she'd been unsuccessful with the healers in Nepal. The monks had heard of her and her intercontinental journey to find healing. Apparently they'd intervened and brought her to the temple just in time.