Regrets
Ominis POV:
Closing the door behind me gently so as not to disturb my roommates, I made towards my bed and the small clacking of Noct. Flopping down onto the crisp soft comforter I set my wand on the bedside table running my other hand through my hair. Inwardly, the turmoil of keeping all my emotions in was getting the best of me.
Before the Solomon incident, I would often confide in Sebastian, without his ear it seemed that the wellspring within was overflowing, and no matter how hard I tried to cork the dam, it persisted in spurts and gushes soaking through to my exterior. Having to hear his easygoing laughter in detention didn’t make it easier. I had both the urge to join in the banter and the repulsion to run away.
I laid still for a few minutes ruminating in my thoughts before sitting up. The lingering smell of burnt potion ingredients and sweat was rancid on my clothing. At least, Sharp had seen fit to restart detentions on Monday. I let out a sigh and turned toward my owl.
“Should probably shower huh?”
Noctis gave a few chirps before ruffling his feathers and nestling down onto his perch. It seemed that he wasn’t up for conversation either.
Pressing off the bed, I grabbed my wand once more, giving it a quick swish to non-verbally assemble my toiletries before making for the boys' lavatory. The trek was quiet except for the gentle swishing of the lake. I had always loved the sound and its calming effects. The illusion was soon shattered when my hand made to turn the doorknob only for it to be pulled open, causing me to stumble forward into a solid figure on the other side.
“Oy watch it!” The tense tone came out as a rebuke before it softened into a question of my name and a small apology, “ Oh, Ominis, I’m sorry. Are you alright?”
I wriggled out of the other boy's grip, hand tightening on my supplies and stood to the side eyes downcast. Of course, with my streak of bad luck, it would be Sebastian of all people I would run into. He didn’t move but instead began to fidget with his items.
“Listen, I know you're upset with me, and nothing I saw can make things right but I am trying.”
I continued my rigid posture, pretending to be a pillar and attempting to block out his falsities. He kept up his mumbling and it seems that the events of the past couple weeks had whittled my resolve. He won’t get a response, but he could talk all he liked.
“I’m sorry I got our detention extended too. I didn’t know that the spell was going to launch the cauldron at you. Honestly, I think It was a bad take on Sharp’s part to punish us for you protecting yourself.”
The awkward silence grew and finally Sallow realized that he was getting nowhere. He cleared his throat once more and shifted his gear before brushing past.
“I’m sorry Ominis, for everything. I hope you’ll believe me one day because I do miss you.”
I listened to his steps echo down the hallway before walking to the furthest cubicle in the room. Setting down my stuff with care on the bench and hanging my towel on the peg outside the curtain, I slowly started to remove the offending articles of clothing. The leftover smell of burnt dittany and horklumps made for an unappealing scent, almost enough to sting the eyes. At least that's what I told myself as I stepped into the steady stream of warm water letting it wash away the moisture that had collected at the corners of my eyes.
It didn’t take long for that facade to crumble and soon I found myself sitting on the tile letting the steam swirl around me as the dam broke and all my pent-up frustration burst forth. I let it come at me with wave after wave of desperation. The tears were as never-ending as the water I sat under and after a while, they became the same temperature as the boiler seemed to have run out of wood to keep it going.
This didn’t stop my sulking, however. The icy fingers of the water did little to soothe the ache in my heart. Reflecting on the past year, of avoiding my once best friend and then the brief moment in the entryway of the bathroom I couldn’t help but want what we once had back.
He said he missed me. He said he was sorry,
As my bottom started to go numb from the uncomfortable tile coupled with my hunched posture, I pushed up from the floor hands sliding up the wall. Once upright, I choked back the last of the sobs and turned my face back towards the water. Having not cleaned myself at all, I reached for the soap and began to scrub the salty remnants from my face.
Maybe….. Maybe he can change.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The early morning din of the faculty tower was punctuated by the howl of a couple of rowdy ghosts attempting to best each in a duel. From the snippets I could hear, it had to do with a matter of honor and winning the hand of a fair maiden. Of course, if this was a new pastime or one from a previous life was yet to be determined. Focusing on the raucous shouts of ‘on guard’ and ‘you vicious cur’ were doing little to distract me from my attempt at waiting patiently.
Nurse Blainey had said that Lessie was healed enough to end her tenure in the infirmary and that she would be released after breakfast. Forgoing eating in the great hall, instead, I made the short trek to Hogsmeade to gather some essentials for an impromptu picnic as a means to give her some freedom out of the castle grounds.
What I hadn’t anticipated was the lady behind the counter putting together everything and securing it in a wicker basket. Once she had found out the picnic was a surprise for a ‘friend’, she seem almost enthralled to regale me with every which way a picnic could be presented. Even going as far as to place an enchantment that would have the whole thing unpack itself after the ribbon was unfastened.
As I fiddled with the silky ribbon on the handle, a sense of utter foolishness came over me. What if she didn’t want to go on a picnic…. What if she had already eaten and just wanted to relax in the common room.
All the self-sabotaging ideas swirled around in my head overlapping and making the mood more dismal. I could just hide the basket behind a piece of furniture and walk away. I didn’t need to be here, maybe this would be too suffocating. Yes, I could just hide it and be done with it, no harm no foul.
With the astringent scent of medical supplies, the doors to the infirmary burst open, and with it the familiar steps I had missed so dearly. My grip on the basket handle tightened putting it behind my back, I turned, making my presence known.
“ Come to collect me from prison I see!” Lessie smiled, her elated tone bringing a smile to my own face.
“Ah, well they said If I didn’t you’d have to stay another week. Truly a hard choice on my part.” I retorted.
“Truly,” She laughed mimicking my drawl, “ What do we have here? Hiding things Ominis?”
My face lit up at having been found out so quickly. Of course, she would have noticed something so conspicuous. The rational side of my brain must be on a break. I revealed the basket and stood waiting.
“A basket?”
“ I thought that maybe you would enjoy a jaunt out of the castle? I picked up a couple of your favorites from Hogsmeade this morning, as a reward for not going stir-crazy.” My voice was calm and confident, not relaying the turmoil within.
“ That sounds delightful. Do you mind if I shower and change first? I haven’t had a proper bath since I was incarcerated.”
“ Of course. You’ll actually show up this time right?” I asked a hint of foreboding lacing its way into my words.
She grasped my left arm before looping hers into mine. A small warming glow settled in my stomach making my heart beat a bit faster. I had missed having a friend so close, someone I could rely on.
“Not even a dragon could stop me!” She chirped mocking herself.
“Hmm, well it did last time.”
She let out a chuckle, “Well, that was a fluke. This time you’ll have no contenders. Now, let's get to the common room before all the hot water is gone. If I have to fight Imelda in this condition I might have to move in with Nurse Blainey”
“She would make an excellent roommate!” I laughed as we began walking arm and arm down the stairs, basket swinging in my freehand.