Chapter 4 - Roommates
“ I didn’t want to ask you to come back, but I didn’t know what to do on my own, Ominis has been here today trying to help me, but I just don’t think he understands like you do, he wasn’t as close with Noctua as me and Grandma”, her tears turning my light grey shirt black with droplets.
I hold her until her sobs become whimpers, and her body becomes limp with sleep, wrapping a finely crocheted blanket around her I gently leave the sofa as to not wake her, I write a quick note saying I’m just popping across the road to see Sirona and lock the door quietly behind me.
The strong smell of butterbeer and whiskey assaults my nose as I enter the three broomsticks, nothing much is changed in the last few years, the stools have been reupholstered and theres slightly less grime on the wall but it’s still the same place I used to love to come and relax after a hard day, I never usually came alone, always accompanied by Poppy or Amit, occasionally Ominis would join us, but he really doesn’t like how loud the pub is, not having eyesight has really enhanced all the other sensors, meaning that on occasions places are uncomfortable and even painful to him, so usually says in and listens to his books in the evenings.
Sirona let’s out a excited chuckle and runs around the side of the bar, wrap me in a strong embrace before lifting me slightly off the ground.
“Oh I’ve missed you Milli”. She says squealing.
Since helping her find all the missing letters we had become great friends, and she became like an Aunt figure to me, and I love nothing more than hearing the tales she had for me.
She pours me a butterbeer and I explain all that has happened, she said she did wonder why Poppy hadn’t come in yesterday but she just assumed she was out doing errands for her grandmother, she asks me about the cottage and wether this means I’m staying home for a while.
“Yeah I think so, I have missed home, I’ll have to speak to Ominis though, he’s been staying at mine so he might not have anywhere else right now”. I explain, Ominis isn’t without wealth, that’s what happens when you come from a bloodline like his, but he had moved out of his shared dorms when I left and I don’t know how soon he can get them back, being the new Defence Against the Dark Arts they allowed him to stay until the end of the year when he will be upgraded to the teaching suite, but now that the bed is gone he might not get it back.
“Let that boy stay with you, you could have worse roommates”, Sirona winks at me across the bar, suggestively.
“Please we’ve talked about this, friends. nothing more than platonic friends”, I think back to the time we got so drunk in the astrology loft that i had leaned in to kiss him, he pulled away so quickly that I never tried again.