The Mystery of You

chapter twenty: back to hogwarts

I awoke to the sound of clinking pots and pans in the kitchen area. My eyes shot open quickly and I sat straight on the bed, effectively waking Sebastian out of a peaceful slumber as well. I gasped and thirsted for air for a moment after waking up.

"You okay, Willow?" asked Sebastian as he sleepily sat up, kissed my shoulder, and then looked at my face.

"Y-yeah. I am."I avoided getting into my nightmare as I looked over at the kitchen and saw Ominis and Anne cooking breakfast together. Ominis was doing most of the lifting as Anne directed his movements. They made a perfect pair. I could smell bacon frying in the pan as I went to get up, realizing I only had Sebastian's shirt on. I looked at him awkwardly and laughed. He grabbed some pants for me to put on for now and I laughed with him as I put them on quickly. My heart was finally calming down after my aggressive morning wake-up.

"What's going on over here?" asked Sebastian as he neared the kitchen.

'What does it look like, Sebastian?" Ominis said with an attitude.

"We are making breakfast for all of us," Anne said. I smiled over at them as I got up from the bed and walked over to Sebastian's side.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"Keep Sebastian away from the kitchen at all costs. He will eat the bacon before it even makes it to the table," Ominis said.

"I think I can do that," I laughed as I took Sebastian's hand and walked over to the couch with him.

He plopped down on the couch right next to me with a huff and looked over at me. My gaze met his as we sat there on this lazy Sunday morning. My heart started to leap in my chest as his hand landed on my thigh. He immediately laughed upon seeing me react.

"Shut up," I said. He smirked at me as if he wouldn't react. I put my hand on his thigh in response and watched his smirk get wider. In response, he moved his hand higher on my thigh and my eyes went wide.

"Make me," he said. My heart pounded in my chest. He obviously woke up feeling extra... cheeky.

"You wish I would," I responded. He chuckled lowly and leaned in to kiss me. His soft lips met mine very gently at first, but his hand moved to the side of my face and pulled me in deeper, his other hand on my thigh, moving higher. I could feel my breath getting quicker as we kissed.

"Breakfast is ready!" Anne shouted from the kitchen area. Sebastian pulled back slowly, gave me one more soft kiss, and then yanked me off the couch and toward the table. I giggled as I walked behind him after being pulled from the couch. I helped Anne carry the food to the table as Ominis and Sebastian brought out plates and silverware. This moment felt perfect to me. As I sat down, I looked around at each of us where we were sitting, and I wanted to take a picture in my mind. Things were not necessarily happy for all of us. Things were difficult, but I felt like in this very second, everything was okay. Life felt beautiful at this minute, and I couldn't help but feel grateful to have all of us together again.

"Are you crying?" asked Sebastian.

"No, shut up," I said, trying not to let the tears out of my eyes and giggling.

"Aw, why are you crying Willow?" asked Ominis.

"It has just been," I paused for a moment. "It's been so long since we were all together. It feels like old times. I missed this." I said while sniffling, the tears rolling down my face. I didn't think of myself as an extremely emotional person, but this instance brought real tears to my eyes. I felt Sebastian's hand back on my thigh now, gently squeezing as if to comfort me.

"It has been a very long time, and I am happy we are all together again," Sebastian added. Anne sat back in her chair.

"I can't help but blame myself for the fact that we were not together. I can see the hurt I caused now." I looked at Anne as she said this, knowing it was not just her fault. I knew what had happened was hard to navigate. She did what she had to do in order to allow her brother to live a free life outside of Azkaban.