Moste Ancient Magicks
Moste Anicent Magicks
When I arrived home I was surprised to see Barnaby sitting at the table, happily eating a sandwich. "Oh no, did Alexi change his mind? Where's he gone?" I asked in a slight panic.
"I have not gone." Alexi replied before Barnaby had finished chewing. He came out of the main floor bathroom, wearing only a towel. His white blonde hair was wet and slicked back from his forehead. And I noticed, thin as he was, the muscles on his arms and chest were perfectly carved, and he was very tanned, all over. Oof.
I quickly covered my eyes with my hands and fled the room apologising. That had been the first time I'd ever seen any man besides Barnaby undressed. I was completely mortified, even more so because I knew I had stared at him like an absolute goon. I laid on the bed, hiding my face in the pillows and gave myself a proper telling off.
Barnaby came in a few minutes later. I was so scared he would be mad at me, too scared to sit up and look at him. He tried unsuccessfully to turn me over but I just rolled like a log and buried my face in the pillows again. A minute later I heard the bedroom door close. I thought he'd left, until I felt his weight on the bed again, and felt his hands on me. On my shoulders first, massaging and caressing them. Then moving slowly down my back. "Relax" he whispered in my ear, his fingers moved under my blouse and started pulling it up over my head. I didn't resist, but I also didn't make it easy by sitting up or even turning over. I was still too ashamed to face him.
He seemed unbothered as he continued to massage my back, working his fingers in deep and releasing some of my tension. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to tell him I hadn't meant to see or stare at Alexi but the words wouldn't come.
Now he was reaching under me, unbuttoning my trousers, pulling them down slowly, and then off, my panties went with them.
I froze when he climbed on top of me and I felt his bare skin against mine, and something else, something rock hard pressing against my back.
"Barnab-" I started to say, but he put his hand gently over my mouth. He used his knees to spread my legs wide and I felt his breath tickle my neck as he whispered, "We can talk later."
Later never came. But I did. Many times. Barnaby kept showing me new sides of himself and this one was the most exciting yet. He'd been forceful, dominant, unapologetic. I forgot Alexi even existed, nevermind that he was in our house while Barnaby made me scream his name over and over all night.
I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd felt after some of my encounters with the Cursed Vaults at Hogwarts. But instead of being sore all over, I was only sore in one place. The pain reminded me of the pleasure it had brought, and I woke Barnaby up by climbing on top of him and begging him for more. He obliged, but that time he was gentle.
By the time we'd finally dressed and left the bedroom we were cutting it very close to make it into work on time. I was already dreading the day. Tracking a Werewolf that we'd snuck home would be pointless and boring, and I didn't even know how much walking I'd be able to do. Barnaby was the one who suggested we play hooky, which I told him was completely brilliant. I scrawled a note to Uncle Cecil that Barnaby was still extremely sick and I'd be taking him to St. Mungo's later if he didn't improve. Then I called Nightspur over to tie it to her leg.
That reminded me about the letter I'd sent to Penny and asked Barnaby if there had been a reply when he got home. He admitted he hadn't looked. I found the reply scroll in the kitchen, clever Nightspur had untied it herself. I stroked her gently and told her to fly like the wind to the Ministry so we could have a day off. She seemed to understand the assignment, giving me a cheeky hoot she took off immediately. I unrolled the scroll and read what Penny had written.
Samhain,
Corpses!? Okay gross. But I can help. Come to St Mungo's whenever you're ready and we can go poke around in the morgue on my lunch.
Love,
Penny
I laughed out loud and handed the note to Barnaby. "Well I did tell your uncle that I'd be taking you into St Mungo's today" I giggled even more. "Should we try it today since we've got a freebie? We could bring Alexi" I suggested.
Mentioning his name made me blush as I remembered the night before. I felt awkward still, afraid of what Barnaby might be thinking. I couldn't tell from his face and it was driving me mad. So I did something I knew I shouldn't do. I dropped my wards and felt out to Barnaby's mind with mine. What I saw shocked me to my very core.
First was the scene in the kitchen the night before, as it had happened. Next it was a scene that definitely hadn't happened. I watched spellbound as Alexi dropped the towel he was wearing in front of a very happy looking version of myself. The next and final scene I saw before pulling my mind away from Barnaby's was all three of us in bed together. I threw my wards back up but the damage had been done. I'd invaded Barnaby's mind and seen something I could never unsee. I had a momentary chill where I wondered if the version of events in Barnaby's mind had actually happened, and if I'd been Obliviated to forget them. But I quickly dismissed that, there was no way I told myself.
Neither of us spoke. I'd have preferred for him to get angry with me or explain it away. But he didn't. He just sat there looking beautiful, and vulnerable. I was so stunned I forgot how to be a decent person, and a loving partner. My brain was on overload and all I could do was stutter out that I had to read through the book Dumbledore had given us. The wedding present.
I left him in the kitchen and went into the study, closing the doors behind me. I was overwhelmed at first, how had I missed that. I had known Barnaby for seven years, and had been in love with him for at least four. We'd shared our minds during our most intimate moments together and not once had I even suspected that he was bisexual.
After gaining the solitude of the study I was able to think more clearly, and that's what it came back to. That I hadn't known. Hadn't even considered it. It didn't matter that he was, that didn't bother me, it was just thinking that I might have missed signs or perhaps never given him an opportunity to tell me. I thought back on how he'd approached me the previous night. He'd tried talking to me first, but I wouldn't let him. Had he then shown me his desire in the way he'd started touching me? And then that morning, had he finally put his thoughts on display for me to see? He knew I could if I wanted to. I thought again of how the last scene had looked in his head. It hadn't been him and Alexi without me, I was involved in every part of his fantasy. I was starting to hate myself so much for leaving him in the kitchen without addressing anything.
I knew I needed more time to let that all sink in, so I threw all my focus into reading the book.
It took me over an hour to get through everything I thought might be of importance, and I did find some very interesting things.
The book mentioned curses that could grow in strength. I was reminded of what Dumbledore had said about Barnaby's rings growing in strength each time they were handed down through the family. I bookmarked that page.
I also bookmarked the chapter on Necromancy. When I'd come across it I'd been horrified to find that the instructions were all there. I knew Inferi to be dark creatures we'd studied in Defense Against the Dark Arts, obviously dark magic would be needed to create them. But because we had planned to be in the morgue that day, I found myself reading the whole chapter through. There was a clause at the end of the chapter that stated the intention behind creating an Inferus would determine if doing so would cloud the soul of the person who cast the spell. That is, and Inferus could be made with good or at least neutral intentions, so long that it wasn't used and given a dark purpose to fulfill.
Finally I arrived at the end of the book, reading carefully every last bit of information, still hoping I'd find some instructions I'd missed that would allow me to uncurse my ring. It hit me then, I was still very much intending to marry Barnaby. If only I hadn't ruined things. I was determined to talk to him, about everything, and make sure we were okay, before anything else, that was the priority. I was about to get up and go find him when my eyes fell upon a very small inscription partially hidden under the books leather binding.
"M. R. L." Was all it said. I wondered if it was maybe the author's name, as nowhere else in the book had that been mentioned. I closed the book still pondering it but pushing those thoughts to the side, I went to find Barnaby.