Cause & Effect | Ominis Gaunt Love Story

Chapter 39: Tide's Changing

"You interpret it as one way and that's the key issue. How you see yourself compared to what I see. What Eden and I see. A princess is also a promising leader. Someone who takes charge as you did when you decided that you wanted to save your mother. You were brave to come here, albeit a little foolish with such poor plans. You see yourself in such a negative light that I allowed you to think what you wanted to. But I think it's time that you start seeing yourself the way I do."

Her lips twitched. "As a naive idiot?"

A sensual grin formed on his lips, "I'm not the one in a short bath towel in front of a man."

Oh she was quite aware of her predicament that she'd willing placed herself in. Their bodies were almost touching and she could still feel the ghost of his touch around her wrist. The apples of her cheeks reddened and she pointed to the door, "Get out while I change."

"Are you sure-" His voice was suggestive, trying to unsettle her further for his own wicked delight.

"Quite. Sure." Stella interrupted, glaring at him half-heartedly.

Ominis smirked and tapped the bottom of her chin with his index finger. The leather once again cool to the touch as he winked, "Don't fall, princess. There's water everywhere."

She didn't reply as her heart kept beating loudly inside her chest. He would wear his gloves and he would put on a mask for the rest of the world. Today, she'd watched it come off as he bared the truth to her. What had happened that night and how people like Garreth Weasley found him responsible. How Sebastian didn't take accountability for his actions and caused his friend immense suffering while he was in Azkaban. He'd seemed like a normal wizard from the couple entries she'd read, but a large part of herself was angry with him. His words echoed in Ominis' head eight years later like a curse of their own.

Stella sighed to herself as the bedroom door closed.

Now that she'd gotten a glimpse of the mask underneath, she found herself liking what she'd discovered. Ominis Gaunt was a survivor. He took the burden of that night-took the burden of other's choices-as his own.

And with it, came trauma.

Lots of trauma.

Stella wasn't the only one in need of saving.

But maybe she could save him too.

Chapter 39: Tide's Changing

One sneeze.

Two sneeze.

Three.

Ominis glanced up from the loveseat across from her with dry humor lathering his voice. "Don't tell me you caught a cold from being in a towel for too long." He finished the report in his hands, signing his name and sliding it into a large envelope for Tobbs to take to the Ministry in the morning.

Stella sniffed, wrapping the blanket around her tighter. "Shut up. It's winter. It's normal to get colds in the winter. Everyone gets sick."

"I don't." He replied with a hint of arrogance in his voice, "Are you sure you don't want that soup you made before for dinner, instead? Your body-"

"What do you know of my body?" Stella snapped, pissy from feeling like she'd gotten run over by a band of hippogriffs. "You're still pale from earlier too."