Hi there! I'm unfortunately a bit sickly at the moment, so I don't know if I'll manage to upload something next week. But I hope you still enjoy the story and accompany me further on Hazel's journey :) Leave a comment, dear ones, that keeps an author motivated ;) Love you all!
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This time, her dream was mostly related to a completely new fear: losing Ominis. One moment she saw him being eaten by that dragon instead of Osric, the next she saw a stone knight severely injuring him. The only difference was, that she could feel his presence all the time. His lips on her forehead when she started to throw herself around. His arms holding her against him when she whimpered in her sleep. This time she was able to say in her dream >This is not real<, which is why she slept until noon anyway.
When she woke up, the first thing she smelled was his unmistakable scent: a forest after a summer rain. She smiled and pressed herself against him, breathing deeply. A laugh rumbled in his chest. "Good morning," Hazel murmured sleepily, closing her eyes again. She could get used to this. Again he laughed. "It's almost mid-day. If we hurry, we can still eat something" he said and ran his hand along her back, almost making her purr. "If it means we can stay lying here like this, I'm no longer interested in food" she mumbled sheepishly into his pajamas.
"Don't say that. After yesterday's strain, you should definitely eat something", he said. She knew it too, but she enjoyed the feeling that glowed deep inside her - a deep comfort - so much. She had last felt like this as a child - only with him as far as she remembered.
A little late, they sat down next to Sebastian at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. "Ah woke up once too, did you? How are you?" he asked Hazel. She looked better than she had last night. Not quite so pale anymore. She still had slightly darker circles under her eyes and the scratches on her face were still quite obvious, as was a bruise that had formed around the bridge of her nose. She looked a little, like she had been in a fistfight. Her movements were also less focused and elegant, she stumbled more and seemed to be in pain from time to time. Hazel dismissed that with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine," she said.
To tease her a bit, he put his hand on her back for a short time and pressed lightly on her bruise. "Ow! okay, okay! don't do that! I'm halfway okay. Are you happy?" she said, poking him in the ribs. He laughed, but nodded.
"Merlin, what happened to you?" a girl she hadn't had much to do with before suddenly said: Imelda Reyes.
" I tripped last night, while walking, and fell down a hill, hit my nose on a rock. Nothing serious" she said as if it was a normal thing to do and smiled charmingly. "Well, I hope you'll do better when you fly," she said with a sneer and turned her attention back to her friends.
Then Hazel did something that made Sebastian grin widely and wich surprised Ominis less than it should have: Before her owl could make itself heard and drop onto her shoulder, Hazel stuck out her elbow and pierced her owl with a deadly glare. "My shoulder is not your personal chicken perch, Madame," she said clearly to her, and Lilly dropped onto her offered arm, a letter in her beak. Satisfied, Hazel smiled and accepted it, petting Lilly. With an indignant screech, she flew away again. "Oh, Professor Fig will be back on Monday!" she exclaimed delightedly when she read the letter, earning a few confused looks. It was rare that teachers and students corresponded privately, even rarer voluntarily. But that didn't bother Hazel. "That's good. Then you can tell him about your hill" Sebastian said laughing. "Hey, that's unfair" she laughed back.
Ominis was confused and happy at the same time. He was happy to have his little snake back, to see her laughing instead of always hiding behind her mindwall. But he could also detect an undertone in her voice that told him something was troubling her. When the three had finished eating, they left the great hall together.
"We should enjoy the sun while it's still there" Hazel said. She had taken off her robe and rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. As she stretched she winced and Ominis gently put a hand to her back, holding his wand in front of him as always. "Then let's go for a walk. The castle grounds have plenty of places to go!" he said with a smile and Hazel nodded enthusiastically. "Are you coming with us?" she asked Sebastian, but he shook his head.
"I'm going to the library to finish my herbology essay. But you two enjoy yourselves" he said and wiggled his eyebrows, which made Hazel blush and punch at him, but he dodged. "Lucky you, Sallow," Hazel grumbled, and this time it was Ominis who laughed. "Would you like to answer Professor Fig's owl? I'm sure we can find a sheet of parchment and a quill somewhere?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulder. He felt her nod. "Hmm, well I'll need the quill in a minute, but I have paper. If you write the answer here, I'll just wait" Sebastian replied. "Sure, I do not need long" she said and grabbed the things from his hands after she separated from Ominis. Hazel went to a free wall, and wrote the letter on it:
Eleazar,
I would love to talk to you after your return.
The book you recommended is really interesting and I would like to ask you a few questions about it. It reminded me of something very interesting.
Have a good trip,
Hazel
Ominis laughed softly. "You're good with metaphors. No one would know what it was about" he muttered as she put the letter in her skirt pocket. "Well, I can't exactly write the truth in it in case anyone would catch the letter" she whispered "Thanks Sebastian. I'll see you later, good luck with your essay" she bid him farewell as she handed his pen back to him.
Once the two were outside, Hazel breathed in the fresh summer air freely. They made their way into the Owlery and passed a few other students. Some of the female students giggled as they passed them, staring obviously at Ominis, and Hazel's eyebrows drew together, almost annoyed. "I think half the male population of the school is interested in you, little snake" Ominis said.
He had said it with a laugh in his voice, but one she couldn't identify. "You're kidding! They find me interesting because I'm new, and in the Fifth. They are curious, nothing more" she growled. " What is wrong?" Ominis asked when he heard that grumpy tone. Hazel blushed and preferred not to say anything when Ominis extended a hand to her.
Hazel stopped and allowed him to touch her. She didn't know what it was, but she loved his gentle touch and couldn't resist it when he gently put his hand to her cheek. She leaned into that touch and sighed. "What makes you so upset?" Ominis asked her directly now. "Well... the same thing you said to me earlier, I can only say back. All those giggling girls staring after you!" she muttered. "Me? D-does that bother you?" he asked. His expression was confused. He felt her cheek burn in his hand. "I-I... well... um... M-maybe" she decided to answer after some stuttering around. She wasn't quite sure herself why it bothered her so much. They... were just friends, weren't they? They didn't even really know each other anymore and yet she felt all these strange feelings when he was with her.
Ominis, on the other hand, was well aware of his feelings. He had said something different to Sebastian on their first evening, but he had already loved her back then and had never really stopped. She was the reason he had always distanced himself from affairs with women. And when he heard that there was a small chance that she felt the same way, his heart beated faster and he smiled. "It bothers me, too, when I hear them talk about you. They say a bunch of flattering things about you, but also pretty disrespectful ones" he replied, frowning.
Hazel raised her hand and ran her fingertips over his forehead, which immediately smoothed out. "Don't worry about that. I'm not interested in guys like that" she said with a laugh in her voice before releasing her flushed cheek from his hand and continuing down the path to the owlery. "You're just like you used to be when you were embarrassed" Ominis laughed and walked after her.
When they had sent the letter, they strolled slowly side by side across the meadows and paths of Hogwarts. Most of the time, it seemed to him that Hazel was covering something up. Whether it was to reassure herself, or to hide her thoughts. That was a behavior about her that he hadn't liked even back then: she tended to make everything up to herself in order to protect others. Even if what was on her mind could not harm anyone.
He gave himself a push and took your hand to get her to stand. "Something is bothering you," was all he said. He heard her shake her head and felt her squeeze his hand, but he didn't let go and looked at her face seriously. He simply didn't like it when she worried about something. She sighed "Oh Ominis, it's nothing". "Nothing wouldn't bother you" he replied. He knew he could just order her to tell him as well. He knew she wouldn't resist, but he didn't want her to. He wanted her to confide in him. Voluntarily and with all her heart.
He felt her reach for his other hand now and hold them both. "I-I... I just had a bad dream. The dreams are bothering me a little bit" she said. "They didn't wake me up because you were with me. I knew what I was seeing wasn't really happening...because I felt you were there" she explained with a heavy sigh. Slowly he pulled her closer when he heard that.
"I know you had nightmares. What did you see?" he only asked her. "I-it's really not that bad, Ominis," she evaded. He furrowed his brow again and squeezed her hands emphatically, pulling her even closer to him and putting his arms around her. "If it wasn't so bad, your hands wouldn't start shaking when you think about it. Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can take the burden of your thoughts away, my little snake" he whispered into her hair. Silence prevailed for a few minutes, only the nature around them could be heard.
She didn't want him to worry. But no matter what she did, he would. If she didn't tell him, he would worry. If she told him, he would worry, too. Maybe it was better if they both worried the same way, she decided. "I-I... I think I'm just so scared of losing you again. I finally feel... like myself again, with you" she pressed around. Then she sighed again. "I've lost you countless times in my dreams. To the dragon, to the stone knights from the trials. To Ranrok. Rookwood" she whispered against his chest.
"I think we are on the same turbulent journey. I thought you were dead Hazel. My parents said, in a conversation I overheard after I wasn't allowed to see you, that your family probably killed you. For me this is like a dream come true. I can hold you in my arms again, brush your hair, hear your voice. Don't you think I'm just as scared of losing you again?" he said softly.
"It's not uncommon for you to have dreams like that after fighting for your life yourself and seeing all these horrible things. We'll go through this together and soon it will get better. But don't just bottle it up, okay?" he said, and she nodded. They held each other for a little while until Hazel pushed him away.
Something had occurred to her that might alleviate some of her fears. "Ominis I.... You know I don't think you're weak, right? Or have any reservations because of your blindness?" she asked him suddenly, and he nodded in confusion. Hazel nodded to herself. "I-I... don't know how to suggest this to you without it sounding exactly like that." she finally said in frustration.
"I know you would never think that. We both know that my only problem is not casting spells, but aiming. And that I'm perfectly capable of finding my way anywhere. So just tell me," he said with a laugh. "Well... you are able to do that as long as you have your wand. Of course, to a certain extent, you're capable of finding your way around without it. I-I..." She almost overlapped with her words. Ominis put his hands on her shoulders to keep her calm.
"I had great problems accepting my magic during my year of study with Professor Fig. I always had in mind what horrible things it could do and had done. I was only just able to defend myself, with incredibly weak spells. But he taught me a kind of... meditation. A method to sense magic, to discover its essence, and to fully accept it. As a result, I was able to triple the strength of my spells. I-I thought... maybe it would help you to strengthen the magic of your wand, which makes you sense things, so that you can better navigate in fights. You practice getting better at your inner magic and can even train to the point where you don't need a wand, although spells cast through a wand often have more effect thanks to the magical materials. I-I read up on it a bit during the year," she added the last sentence, embarrassed after realizing how much she had talked.
Ominis, on the other hand, had listened to her carefully. Her worry was to lose him by putting him in danger, because of that ancient magic that was inherent in her and that was forcing a future on her that could be anything but easy. His right hand traveled along her neck to her cheek and he forced her to lift her gaze. "If it makes you sleep more peacefully, I'm willing to try" he said, smiling softly and her embarrassed look brightened.
"Professor Fig would probably be a better teacher, but I'll just start by showing you how I do it" she said. She put her hand on his for a short while before she took a distance and started to describe everything to him in detail.
"Our magic sits where our soul is believed to be. Very close to our heart. It may take you a while to feel it, but when you do it, it can feel so different. Our magic is not something dead. It is emotional and wants attention, it wants to be used. When I first started feeling it, it felt lonely. Lonely, cold, unwanted. I had simply locked it away since I was five, ignored it, denied its existence. Only slowly it had awakened, then when I had needed it most, it had torn itself loose to help me. I met it with fear, put more locks on it instead of being grateful to it. All of this radiated this magic in me. But with each day that I openly tried to get in touch with it, to trace it, the bigger this flame inside me became. I began to visualize it in my mind as I was able to feel it. The more openly the magic was allowed to circulate in me, the more colorful the image in my mind became. A rainbow colored force, glowing, glittering and sparkling. It began to feel warm and powerful. Kind and helpful, excited but gentle. I began to realize, that it was not my magic that had hurt me. That I couldn't blame my magic, it hadn't done anything and every magic, every person, stands alone. Bloodlines don't matter, genetics don't play any role in how your personal magic is. Just as each person has a character of their own, so does our magic. I broke away from my family bonds and accepted and embraced my own magic. That was also the moment I began to sense another source of magic, but ignored it. Until the dragon attack," she said, tracing that sparkling flame inside her.
Ominis could feel the power that surrounded her. Sensed how her magic circulated freely within her. She was right, her aura felt warm, friendly and helpful. When she finally opened her eyes again, she saw Ominis smiling. "You manage to conjure up images in my mind in an incomparable way. Amazing. Do you actually know that one can feel how strong your magic is when you do that?" he asked her. "No i-I wasn't aware of that" she replied sheepishly. "Okay. So, close to the heart you say?" Ominis asked enthusiastically. He wanted to show her that he understood and respected her concern and request. She grabbed his hand. "Come. We'll go somewhere else for this. In the middle of the road, in front of the castle, is not the best place for secret exercises" she giggled softly.
They found themselves at the boathouse. A pleasant breeze was blowing and the water of Black Lake was rippling a bit. "Take off your robe and vest. The less you are restricted, the easier it is." she instructed him. With a wry grin, he followed her instructions. He took a deep breath when he suddenly felt her warm hand on his chest, next to his heart, where she was applying light pressure. "Concentrate on this exact spot. Here, give me your hand" she said. Careless as she sometimes was, Hazel carefully put his hand to the same spot on herself, forgetting that this touch on her could be much more intimate for him, because of her breasts. "Focus" she growled.
Then she began to trace her magic again. Letting him feel that there was a flame awakening inside her and starting to spread. He could feel her whole body getting a degree warmer. "Do you trust me?" she asked him, eyes closed, concentrating as well. "Always," he said softly. He had a little trouble not thinking about WHERE his hand was right now. "Concentrate on your magic, seek it. You can feel my magic, can't you?" she asked softly. "Yes" he whispered. "Follow it" she breathed, letting her magic flow through her hand on his chest. At first it felt like stray electric jolts, not strong but unpleasant.
"Don't fight it. It's just me" Hazel whispered, stepping closer to him to relax him. He took a deep breath and tried to follow that feeling mentally until he felt something new. A cold flame. Cautious, anxious, defensive. He gasped and Hazel released the bridge of magic, pleased with herself. She had only followed her instinct in using her magic to help him find his. "That... I felt it" he was amazed.
He was breathing heavily and sweat had formed on his forehead. Immediately she felt sorry, it had to be hard, maybe even painful, to be penetrated by someone else's magic. "I-I... I'm sorry Ominis I didn't know-" she immediately rolled over, putting more distance between them both. "Hey, it's all right, Hazel," he said in confusion, reaching out both hands to her. He didn't understand what had gotten into her. He didn't have his wand at hand, so he recoiled for a short moment from her touch as she brushed the sweat from his forehead with cold fingers. "H-has it hurt?" she asked in a trembling voice.
He shook his head as he realized it. She was afraid to hurt him. Quickly, he put his arms around her waist. "It was a little uncomfortable. A bit like those static jolts when you're kind of charged up on wool. There was just something that didn't belong there. But it didn't hurt, it was just a little tiring that's all" he reassured her. "Good thing" she breathed out and buried her face against his chest for a short while, squeezing him before releasing. "Now you just need to keep practicing that. Now you should be able to find the place inside you yourself" she said smiling.