Warning: Spicy content (but very sweet and cute)
"Merry Christmas, darling."
Light kisses all over my cheeks woke me up as the familiar touch of my boyfriend ignited all of my senses.
I opened my bleary eyes and blinked a few times, adjusting to the morning sun that seemed amplified today for some reason.
"Look. It's snowing." Sebastian whispered, taking my chin between his thumb and index finger and swivelling my head gently to the side towards the window.
I could see the delicate white flecks gently nestling upon the window sill. It made me snuggle deeper into our bed and wrap my legs around Sebastian.
"Mmm. Merry Christmas." I mumbled, tucking myself tighter into Sebastian's warm arms.
"As much as I'd like to stay here and cuddle with you all day in the warmth of our bed, I hear movement in the lounge. We should get up." Sebastian whispered into my ear, tucking loose strands of hair behind it.
"Mmphhh." I mumbled, reluctantly dragging my legs off the side of the bed and sliding on my slippers. Sebastian decided to appease Ominis today and slipped on a night shirt and helped me slide on my robe before joining Anne and Ominis.
"Merry Christmas!" Anne said excitedly, greeting us both with a warm hug.
The smell in the air told me Anne had already prepared a full English breakfast for us in her apparent excitement. Ominis said she'd been awake since 6am. She had prepared eggs, bacon, sausages, beans... everything you could imagine, Anne had made it. I had wondered for a brief moment where she actually got everything from.
"Thank you so much, Anne. This is wonderful." I said, meaning every single word. I was grateful for her.
I almost wondered if keeping Anne in St Mungo's was actually a good idea. I had never seen her as perky and cheerful as she was during this stay. But I could talk about that with Sebastian after today.
"It was my pleasure! I've always wanted to host a Christmas!" She chirped.
"So, what did we want to do today?" Sebastian asked with a mouthful of sausage, earning him a kick in the shin from Ominis.
"Sebastian! You are at the dinner table!" He said.
"Ow!" Sebastian swallowed his mouthful quickly, "Well?"
"Can we please go out into the snow? I have been desperate to get outdoors and experience it all again." Anne asked with a small smile.
The three of us agreed though I know neither Ominis or myself were too keen on the snow.
Ominis and I offered to clear the table and dressed ourselves accordingly. Well, as much as I could. I did wonder if only packing dresses was perhaps a mistake on my behalf.
I slipped on the thickest coat I had and we stepped out into the freezing cold conditions, my body involuntarily taking a sharp breath in as the icy breeze smacked me in the face.
"Darling, do you really want to be out here in this?" Ominis asked Anne with chattering teeth, trying to pull her closer to his body for warmth.
"Yes, this trip was my idea so we are doing what I want." She smirked.
She looked so much like Sebastian when she did that. It was uncanny. It's probably how they both got away with so much shit. The Sallow smirk.
"Come on, Omi. Loosen up a little. Olive's come around to the idea, haven't you, love?" Sebastian said.
He looked at me but I was already glaring at him, telepathically communicating to him that he was indeed, a fucking idiot.
"I sense that she hasn't, but I'll comply for you, Anne." Ominis agreed.
With Ranrok's loyalists long gone from Feldcroft since his downfall, we were able to head out of the hamlet safely. The further away we got, the thicker the fallen snow was. I hadn't realised it had actually snowed that much.
We found a clearing with only a few shrubs and rocks around to use as shelter.
"Perfect." Sebastian said, grabbing me by the arm and running away with me. He pulled me down behind a rock and began to talk strategies.
"Sebastian, one of them is blind and the other is chronically ill. I don't think we really need a game plan..." I said.
"Don't underestimate them. Especially Ominis. I don't know what sort of weird magic that wand is made of, but he's got aim."
Before Sebastian could strategise any further, a large snowball whacked him straight in the back of the head.
"Sorry!" Anne called.
"She's not!" Ominis called back.
"Oh, it's fucking on. I hope you can throw as good as you cast spells." Sebastian said with a competitive look on his face, rolling clumps of snow in his hands.
Sebastian's throw narrowly missed Anne causing her to squeal and I followed mine up immediately, whacking Ominis straight in the face.
Good one, attack the blind one, you bitch!
"Sorry, Ominis!" I called out, wanting to rush over but Sebastian had pulled my arm so hard I was forced to crouch down next to him.
"No. Don't apologise, they're the enemy now."
"Sebastian!" I said with a laugh.
Sebastian grinned mischievously and packed another snowball while whispering, "Alright, Olive, this is where we turn it to our favour. Watch and learn."
He quickly crafted an impressively compact snowball and signaled for me to follow his lead. We both stealthily circled around the shrubs, getting into the strategic positions he'd set out. The freezing air stung my cheeks as I crouched behind a snow-covered rock.
"Ready?" Sebastian mouthed. I nodded, finally allowing a grin to tug at my lips.
With a silent count to three, we both launched our snowballs simultaneously. Sebastian's throw was impeccably aimed, forcing Anne to duck for cover behind a shrub, while my snowball sailed through the air hitting Ominis square on the chest.
"Sorry!" I called again.
"Have you never been in a snow ball fight before? Stop apologising!" Sebastian whispered loudly.
Sebastian's comments were short lived as a large clump struck him straight in the back and I turned to see Anne standing with a wide grin on her face.
"Two from two!" She called out.
Mischief grew across Sebastian's face and he lost all the strategies he'd tried to get me to comply with. This was just pure attack mode.
The battle continued on, snowballs flying back and forth, until we were all out of breath, collapsing in the snow, our coats now completely drenched and awfully heavy.
Anne flopped down beside Sebastian and I, grinning from ear to ear. "I think we can safely say that victory is ours."
Ominis chuckled softly, his hand reaching out to find Anne's. "Indeed, my dear, it feels nice to finally get one up on Sebastian."
Sebastian pouted, feigning disappointment. "We would have won if Olive wasn't soooo gentle and caring."
"Uh, excuse you! I believe you were the one who threw all strategies out the window and just started throwing them everywhere!" I retorted, unimpressed with his tactics.
"Hmm. I'll just have to teach you better offence then..." he said, pulling me towards him, his icy cold lips capturing mine in a deep kiss.
"Ugh. Gross. I'm going back, I'm freezing!" Anne said.
Ominis jumped up quickly after her, eager to get her back to the cottage and out of her damp clothes, lest her curse get any worse.
I tried to follow them, but Sebastian pulled me back down to the snow.
"Seb, I am freezing can we please go?"
"In a moment. I just want to kiss you in the snow again." Sebastian's arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.
I rolled my eyes playfully. "Just make it quick. I can't feel my toes."
He leaned in, his lips meeting mine in a gentle but passionate kiss. Snowflakes melted on our faces as our lips moved together, filling me with a warmth like nothing I'd ever felt before.
I was brought back to reality by my trembling body, the wet clothes becoming colder by the second thanks to the cold breeze.
I reluctantly pulled away, my lips tingling from the cold and the kiss. Sebastian grinned, "Fine, let's head back before you turn into an icicle. We can continue that later."
He took my hand and walked rather quickly, the effects of the wet clothing clearly starting to affect him too.
Back at the cottage, Anne and Ominis had already managed to get warm and were sitting by the crackling fireplace. Anne raised an eyebrow as we both entered, a knowing smirk on her face.
"Did you get lost? I was about to send out a search party. I was worried you'd turned into ice cubes," she teased.
Sebastian playfully rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You're just jealous you didn't get a front-row seat to our romantic snow kiss."
Anne groaned and her face twisted to disgust, "Please, I've seen enough of your PDA to last a lifetime."
Sebastian threw his wet jumper he'd just peeled off at Anne and scurried off into our room dragging me behind him before she could retaliate.
I quickly removed my soaking clothing, peeling the tights and dress from my body which required quite a lot of effort. I grabbed my towel and dried my hair and body off as much as I could before a now naked Sebastian approached me and enveloped me in his arms.
"You know I was kidding, right? You did well. Have you never had a snowball fight before?" He said, his head resting on my shoulder, his wet hair tickling my ear.
"I don't have any siblings or cousins, Sebastian. I didn't really get the chance to participate in those sorts of activities."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. I actually really enjoyed it." I smiled, turning to give his head a quick kiss.
My body warmed quickly as we stood with our bare bodies pressed together in front of the fireplace in our room.
"I love you, Sebastian. Thank you for having me here. I know I must be intruding on your time with Anne and Ominis, I know you used to enjoy it at Hogwarts."
"What? Have we made you feel like you're not welcome?" He asked, pulling his head away from me.
"No, not at all... I just... I feel like I'm catching a glimpse of what you all had at Hogwarts before Anne got sick and I don't really feel like I belong in it."
"Olive, that's ridiculous. You're what our group was missing all along and I'm sad that you weren't there for it all. But you're here now, that's all that matters."
With a grin, he helped us both dress in dry, comfortable clothing before we rejoined Anne and Ominis by the fireplace.
"I thought we could do presents before dinner." Anne said as Sebastian and I took a place on one of the lounges.
The three of us nodded in approval.
"How about right now?" Anne said.
"You could have just said 'let's open them right now' if that's what you wanted, Anne." Sebastian laughed.
She clicked her tongue and nominated Sebastian for present hand out duty as punishment.
Sebastian rolled his eyes and groaned but complied and began distributing the presents until the tree was empty and sat himself next to me. Ominis told Anne a small box wrapped in shimmering blue paper was from him. She eagerly tore it open, discarding the paper to the side and held a small, red velvety box in her hands. Inside was a delicate silver necklace with a sparkling emerald pendant. It looked awfully expensive.
"Oh, Ominis, it's beautiful! Thank you!" Anne exclaimed as she put it on immediately. I saw tears well in her eyes and she let them fall silently, not letting Ominis know the reaction he got... but I think he knew.
Anne choked back the rest of her tears and had the three of us open our gifts from her together. I opened my paper carefully, while Sebastian tore his open haphazardly, like an animal. I pulled out a knitted material and saw that she made us all custom scarves in emerald green, complete with our initials on the ends.
"These are incredible, you made these?" I said, wrapping the scarf around my neck and feeling the soft woollen material.
"I did, there's not much to do in that hospital unfortunately. So one of the other long term residents taught me to knit. I hope you like them."
"They're perfect. You're very talented, Anne." I said, nudging Sebastian to contribute.
"Oh... yeah, they're incredible."
Sebastian wasn't quiet through distaste for the scarves, I could tell he was hiding his emotions from her. I could tell he loved the scarf and the effort Anne made for him... and me.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt emotional myself. I was the ring-in, the new person to their group. I truly felt like an outsider, but Anne welcomed me with open arms and whether that was because she genuinely liked me or if it was for her brother, I would never know. But I deeply appreciated her efforts.
Sebastian picked up his gift from me and turned it over in his hands a few times. I felt a sudden bout of anxiety wash over me, hoping that he would enjoy it, even though it was only something simple.
He tore the paper in a similar reckless fashion to every other gift he'd opened so far.
"A book?"
"Yes a book." I said with a gentle roll of my eyes.
"It's in French." Sebastian noticed.
"Yes. It's Salome. A French play, it was only written this year."
"I love it... but I don't speak French." Sebastian raised an eyebrow at me.
"I do. I'm going to teach you."
I watched a flicker of excitement rush through Sebastian's eyes as the corner of his mouth turned up into a small smile.
"You? Speak French?" He said through a small laugh.
"Yep. My mother taught me as a child and I never understood why... until you told me why. My French ancestors. The Rosiers."
Ominis let out a surprised exhale as he realised just how similar to him I was. Our bilingual talents handed down to us from our families. He, parseltongue and me, French.
"Well, I love it. I can't wait for my French lessons. Do they involve their style of kissing by any chance?" Sebastian smirked.
"Sebastian!" I said, burying my face in my hands with embarrassment as his best friend and sister audibly groaned.
"What? It's a legitimate question!" He laughed.
I changed the subject completely by picking up the last gift in front of me, from Sebastian judging by the awful wrapping job.
"It's not much but I hope you like it." He smiled.
I unwrapped it to see a box in a similar shape and style to the one Ominis had given Anne. But when I opened it delicately, there was a small and dainty gold bracelet inside.
"Sebastian? This is too much..." I said, my eyes widening at it.
"Nonsense. You deserve something nice. It's not as fancy as an emerald necklace, but I'm not a Gaunt."
Everyone but Ominis laughed at his comment, he simply folded his arms across his chest in a huff.
"Here," Sebastian collected the bracelet from my hands and pulled my wrist towards him. He delicately wrapped it around my wrist and clasped it, drawing my attention to the single charm hanging off it. A small S.
"I know it looks like I'm trying to stake a claim on you, but I promise it's just there as a reminder that I'm always with you. And you can add more charms to it if you like."
"So sweet I might throw up." Anne commented.
Sebastian rolled his eyes at Anne's teasing but didn't let it dampen the moment.
I smiled at Anne's comment, feeling my heart swell. "Thank you, Sebastian. I love it."
We cleaned up the loose paper and exchanged thank yous for our gifts before Sebastian and I offered to prepare the dinner. Anne and Ominis retired to their room to rest until it was ready. It was pretty obvious Anne was growing weary, especially after our impromptu snowball fight earlier today. But Sebastian was more than happy to let them go as it meant time alone for us.
We prepared a goddamn feast, working hard for hours to get it ready. Sebastian took care of cooking the turkey Ominis had selected for us. It was a treat. Sebastian had rarely eaten it with Solomon and I hadn't had it outside the castle since my father passed away. They were simply too expensive.
I prepared vegetables to roast, made cranberry jam with the leftovers from the tree decorations and even tried my hand at making a mulled wine for us to enjoy with our feast.
My feet ached, but we had done it. The smells swirling through the cottage had Ominis and Anne emerge from their room... and Ominis looked slightly disheveled, though I'm not sure he realised.
"Seb, do you think they-"
"Shh. I don't want to think about it." He said, abruptly cutting me off and not letting me finish my sentence with a hand in my face.
"You're a twat." I mumbled, pushing his hand away so I could place the food on the table.
Anne noticed us staring at Ominis and quickly pushed his hair back to its usual place, the two of them clearing their throats.
Yes... so discreet...
We all took our seats at the dining table, and Sebastian carved the turkey with expert precision. We ate until we were stuffed and I was pleased our meal ended up turning out quite well.
I was also shocked that my mulled wine was actually quite tasty. Sebastian appeased me and drank his glass, but declined a second glass and pulled out his own stash of Firewhisky instead. Which only he partook in.
"Suit yourselves, more for me." He scoffed, knocking back his drink.
As we finished eating, Ominis and Anne both thanked us profusely for the meal and helped with the cleanup. Once everything was in order, we all settled back around the fireplace, feeling the happiness of a perfect Christmas day.
Anne and Ominis spread themselves out on the lounge, leaving Sebastian and I to lay some blankets on the floor in front of the fire. Though I didn't complain, we were closer to the fire and it warmed my toes as Sebastian pulled me closer into his arms.
None of us had the energy to even speak with our hearts and bellies full. We simply enjoyed each others presence and the gentle sounds of the crackling fire.
"I can't thank you enough for making me a part of this." I whispered.
He kissed my forehead gently. "You don't need to thank me. It's where you belong."
We were interrupted by a gentle snore coming from the lounge and noticed that both Anne and Ominis were asleep wrapped up in each other, Ominis' mouth letting out the snores.
"Yeah. He does that." Sebastian whined, "Come on. I'm not sitting here listening to this, I do it enough at school."
He didn't even give me a chance to stand up, instead lifting me over his shoulder and walking me into our room.
Sebastian gently set me down on the bed, and we both chuckled at the snoring sounds still coming from the living room.
"I guess they had a bit too much food," I said.
Sebastian shook his head. "No, that's just Ominis. He can sleep like a log anywhere, anytime."
We both laughed again, and he pulled me into a warm embrace.
"So, when are my French lessons going to start?"
"Tout de suite"
"Huh?"
I burst out in laughter and Sebastian stood back with his hands on his hips.
"What? I told you I don't know French!"
"Yeah, only Latin, Aramaic, Sanskrit and Hebrew. Catch up, Sebastian. Damn." I said with heavy sarcasm.
Sebastian rolled his eyes playfully. "Fine, fine. Teach me, oh wise linguist."
"Well, we can start with 'Je t'aime'."
"Wait! I know that one." Sebastian said excitedly.
"You do?"
"Sure. Je t'aime aussi."
My eyes widened as I realised he did know what I'd just said.
"Impressive, right?" He grinned smugly.
"Oh, shut up and kiss me." I demanded.
He took a step towards me and grabbed a hold of my hips, pulling me closer to him so our bodies were pressed together. He leaned in, and our lips met.
Our mouths moved together in sync, and I felt my heart flutter with joy. Sebastian's arms wrapped around me, pulling me even closer, and I melted into his embrace.
As we finally pulled away, I rested my forehead against his, my breath still slightly shaky.
"Definitely impressive," I whispered with a smile.
Sebastian chuckled. "I'm glad you think so."
Without another word, he slowly and silently began to remove my clothes, leaving me shivering and naked while he also removed his. He took me by the hand and pulled back the sheets on our bed, pushing me onto it and waiting for me to climb inside before he followed me.
He pulled me towards him, our noses almost touching as he stared at me, his arm holding onto my shoulder.
"What?" I said, a small smile on my lips.
"You're so beautiful." He replied.
His hand traced up and down my arm, giving me goosebumps. He let his fingers wander up my bare shoulder and collarbone until his hand was cupping my cheek.
Sebastian finally let our mouths meet again and he tugged me closer to him so I was pressed against his chest. Our bodies fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle meant to be joined. Sebastian's touch sent shivers down my spine, and I arched into him, craving more of his touch.
Sebastian's lips moved down my neck, leaving a trail of soft, teasing kisses. My breath hitched as he nibbled gently on my sensitive skin, sending tingles of pleasure through my body. His hands wandered over my curves, exploring every inch of me.
As he continued his exploration, I felt a growing heat between my thighs. I couldn't help but let out a soft moan, encouraging him to continue. His fingers found their way to my breasts, and he gently caressed them, making me gasp with desire.
Sebastian's whispered in my ear. "Tell me what you want, Olive."
I bit my lip, feeling a rush of excitement hit me. "I want you."
He pulled my body even closer and I could feel his hardness pressing firmly against my thigh.
Sebastian's hand glided down my stomach between us, his fingers finding their way between my thighs. He parted my lips, feeling how wet and ready I was for him. I gasped as he slid a finger inside me, slowly moving it in and out, building up the sensation.
My fingers entangled in his hair as I arched my back, craving more. "Sebastian, please," I pleaded.
"Shhh, darling..." he whispered in my ear.
I pursed my lips to stifle the pleasurable sounds pouring out of my mouth.
He listened to my request for more, adding another finger and increasing his pace, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I could feel the tension building within me, and when he brushed his thumb against my clit, the pleasure crashed over me like a tidal wave. I began to moan again, losing myself in the ecstasy he was creating. He quickly shoved his free hand against my mouth as I was clearly incapable of listening to his instructions.
Sebastian's eyes darkened as he saw me unravel under his touch. He removed his fingers, bringing them to his lips to taste me, which only fueled my desire for him. Our lips met again as he positioned himself between my legs, throwing the leg not pressed against the bed over his hip. He entered me slowly, giving me time to adjust, and then began moving with a steady rhythm.
"How's that?" He whispered, pulling me close so our foreheads were touching.
"So... so good..." I said, my eyes closing in pure ecstasy.
He pressed his mouth to mine again, parting my lips with his tongue and sliding it inside. The taste of him, mixed with the lingering traces of my own arousal from his fingers, intensified the pure bliss coursing through me. Sebastian's thrusts grew deeper and more powerful, each one sending ripples of pleasure through my body.
My nails dug into his shoulders and he responded by picking up the pace. He kept his mouth firmly planted to mine, any moans I made being muffled by his lips.
Sebastian's hands found their way to my hips, gripping them firmly as he drove himself deeper into me. The sensations were overwhelming, and I could feel the tightening in my core, signaling that I was on the edge of ecstasy once again.
"Sebastian, I'm... I'm close," I managed to gasp out.
He kissed me harder, his thrusts becoming more urgent as he chased his own climax. "Let go, Olive. Come for me." he murmured.
With his words as the final push, the pleasure consumed me completely. I cried out his name into his own mouth as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over me, my body trembling.
Sebastian continued to move, prolonging my pleasure and seeking his own. He was relentless.
Seconds later, he groaned my name softly, his hips meeting mine in one final, powerful thrust. He found release inside me, and I could feel him pulsing with absolute pleasure.
Sebastian refused to let me go, instead taking my lips once more in another kiss. This one was different. It was less passionate and more grateful.
"Merry Christmas, Olive." He whispered, letting our lips part.
He shuffled down slightly and tucked his head under my chin, the sweet smell of his clean hair engulfing my nose.
"Je suis amoureuse de toi, Sebastian." I said.
The welcome sensation of sleep finally overcame me and I drifted off fully contented and satisfied in his arms. It truly was the perfect day.