Swallow your pride

Special guest

Ominis went to see Anne. No one knew that he was still in contact with her. Not Sebastian, not even Yarra. Anne didn't want it and he respected her. They wrote often, he let her know how Sebastian was doing. However, it was not appropriate to write the latest news in a letter, so he decided to visit her in the apartment he rented for her in London. Anne was in her winter garden, clipping the flowers when she saw a figure approaching. She recognized Ominis immediately and smiled.
"Ominis! It's good to see you."
Ominis smiled as he approached Anne and heard the sound of her voice. "It's good to see you too, Anne," he replied, his voice soft and kind.
He stopped in front of her, using his wand to "see" her better. "You look well," he said, taking in the sight of her as she tended her garden. Anne chuckled as Ominis used his wand to "see" her. "Thank you," she responded, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I'm doing as well as I can given the circumstances."
She put down the shears and took a seat on the ground, gesturing for Ominis to join her. "How's Sebastian? How are you?"
Ominis lowered himself to the ground and sat down next to her, cross-legged. He smiled slightly at her question.
"Sebastian is... well, Sebastian," he replied with a hint of fond exasperation in his voice. "As for me, I'm fine. Everything is going well." Ominis paused for a moment, considering his next words. He knew Anne would want to know about more than just the surface-level details.
"There is something I wanted to talk to you about," he said, his voice slightly quieter. "It's something that involves Sebastian."

Anne sighed at Ominis comment, "What is it?" she asked, a sense of foreboding building within her. "What about Sebastian?"
"He has a new girlfriend, but not for the right reasons I'm afraid." he said mysteriously. Anne's eyes widened in surprise at Ominis' words. "A new girlfriend?" she repeated, a mix of curiosity and concern in her voice. "What do you mean 'not for the right reasons'? What's going on?" Ominis let out a sigh, his expression troubled. "It's... complicated," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Sebastian has a habit of jumping from one girl to the next, never quite settling down or truly committing himself to any of them. And this time is no different. He's not pursuing this new girl because he genuinely cares for her, but rather because he's trying to fill a void or distract himself." He hesitated for a moment but finally added, "I even suspect that he is using the girl to make the one he truly desires jealous."

"Who is this new girl?" Anne asked, her voice filled with a mixture of worry and anger. "And who is the one he truly desires? The one he's trying to make jealous?"
Ominis winced at Anne's question, knowing that his answer would not sit well with her, because Anne had a heavy heart for Yarra. She thought she supported Sebastian in dark magic and helped him with the dark relic last year.
"The new girl is a Gryffindor in her seventh year. Her name is Flora," he said, his voice low. "As for the one he truly desires, the one he's trying to make jealous... it's Yarra."

He paused, letting the information sink in. "I don't approve of it, but you know how Sebastian can be when he sets his sights on something he wants."
"Flora..." Anne repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's using Flora to get to Yarra..." she said, "That's low, even for him. What does Yarra think about all this?"
Ominis sighed, feeling the weight of Sebastian's actions. "Yarra is not happy about it," he replied, his voice laced with frustration. "She knows Sebastian's reputation and she doesn't approve of his behavior. And she's especially not happy that Sebastian is using Flora to try and make her jealous. She sees right through his tactics and it's only deepening her disdain for him....Besides, Yarra is already engaged. " he added.

"Engaged?" Anne repeated, her eyes widening in surprise. "Yarra is engaged? Since when?"
"Who is she engaged to?" Anne asked curiously. Ominis chuckled slightly at her reaction, amused by her surprise. "Yes, Yarra got engaged recently," he replied, a hint of joy in his voice. "She's very happy about it. "And the man she's engaged to..." He paused for a moment, knowing that his next words would be a shock to Anne. "It's me." Ominis could feel the surprise emanating from Anne as she processed this new information. He waited for a moment, giving her a chance to absorb his words.