In the Shadow of Azkaban

Volume II: XLVIII

Kassia wound her fingers in mine and divulged, "I saw Aesop before I arrived." Her eyes were serious. They appeared a dark hazel today.

"And? What happened?" I watched her expression to see if it would give me any hints as to what occurred.

She sheepishly smiled. Her eyes trailed to the floor, and she dropped our hands. She fiddled her fingers together in front of her stomach.

"Oh. I see." My lips curled to one side of my mouth, and the movement turned into a wry smile.

"Sure. I had been with men before. But I swear that when it's with someone you love, it's an ethereal experience." Her palms moved up to her cheeks, and the area near her temples reddened.

I had never seen Kassia so enthralled by someone. She had been smitten, and her reaction was quite possibly the most adorable thing.

"So, I apologize in advance if I am overly excited to see him." The pitch of her voice increased a few octaves when she laughed.

"Never be ashamed of loving someone, Kass." I approached the window and looked out. Multiple familiar faces gathered in the garden below.

"How much longer do we have?" I tentatively asked. I watched Marat pick up Marvolo and swing him around in the air. Orion and Xilia were close by speaking in confidence, most likely judging the crowd.

Dinah and Elladora were attached at the hip while Aesop faced them. He was entirely animated while his arms went up in the air multiple times. He had to have been telling an interesting story, perhaps about Kassia. I chuckled at the thought.

The Black Family had already taken their seats, with Phineas Nigellus turning around many times to take in his surroundings. He seemed both unimpressed and entertained at the same time.

"Roughly ten minutes." Kassia spoke. She had strolled toward the window, and her hands gripped the windowsill next to me.

"Where are Ominis and Sebastian?" I questioned. Everyone else had been there, and I was not going to walk down before seeing him at the altar.

Kassia leaned forward and pointed further away from the crowd. Sebastian had his arm around a young woman's waist. She was purely gorgeous.

I gathered this was Iskra. With her olive skin lit up by the sunlight, and her warm brown hair tied up in a bun. Her dress was a deep amber hue while golden detailing danced on the edges of it.

She was holding a glass of champagne, and Sebastian kept pulling at her muscular body while he spoke to Ominis. I watched as he tucked one of the front pieces of her hair behind her ear.

Sebastian let his hand rest behind the nape of her neck, and he kissed the space between her jawline and ear. His body moved away from hers, and he stared directly into the window that Kassia and I were looking through.

"I thought you and Ominis had Obliviated that boy?" Kassia's tone was that of disapproval; she resembled Xilia in this moment.

"We had. But I swear he remembers sometimes." My voice wavered slightly.

She shrugged her shoulders at me. "You're a difficult person to forget, darling. Everything was his own doing. He must know that, and it's his soul that has to live with it," She pressed her lips together and attempted to smile at me.

Ominis walked away from them and toward the altar. The scene from this view was breathtaking.

The altar was made of cast iron, and it had roses that were threaded throughout it. There were steps leading up to it that flowed outward. It created a layered affect for the ceremony.

Two metal serpents' heads met at the middle of the platform while their bodies extended down each side. There was a white satin trail that led from the altar to the stairs by the veranda.

Roses dyed the color of champagne were placed in concrete pillars down the aisle. Some of the petals had been picked and scattered against the white carpet.

All of the chairs were still in place with their bows tied on the backs. Multiple fountains and bushes had been conjured to give the moving pictures a better background.

Ominis had pulled his wand out from his pocket and placed it to his neck. I saw his mouth move first, but then Kassia's wand echoed his voice, "We're ready down here, Kass."

I swallowed loudly. I hadn't felt nervous all morning until just now. Kassia grabbed my shoulders and squeezed me for some luck. "I'll be downstairs waiting for you. Take your time."

I walked over to the vanity and sat in front of it. Kassia must have waved her wand at me earlier because now my hair was curled perfectly. My ringlets were pulled back but fell down the center of my back. Pearl pins were placed all throughout the hairstyle.

She had also given me pearl earrings that dangled from my ears. I leaned forward to see my scales had completely disappeared from my face thanks to Xilia, and makeup permeated through my skin. It was very natural compared to my engagement style.

I felt different. Unrecognizable.

I poured some of the distilled water from the decanter into a glass on the vanity and gulped it down.

I pressed my hands into the wooden tabletop to stand up, and I made my way down the stairs. I turned the corner around the banister to see Morganna waiting for me.

"We're next, auntie." She ran up to me, and gave me one last embrace before I was to take a new surname. Hers. Kassia's. Ominis.'

The music filled my ears as we approached the doors. Morganna went first, and I waited for my cue.