Chapter 9 - Firewhiskey

Ominis was right, it truly was an unforgettable evening. Imelda had let me borrow a quaint black dress to wear to the party, as I had brought no evening wear with me to Hogwarts. I kept my hair tied back in a ponytail as usual, but Imelda had forced me to wear some lipstick and blush to bring some colour to my pale face, apparently. Grace and Nerida had already left for the party whilst I sat on the bed waiting for Imelda to finish getting ready. She was wearing a very dark maroon dress, which was an interesting colour choice I thought. She had also sprayed so much perfume that there was a slight haze in our dormitory. She kept fussing over her hair and checking her outfit in the mirror. She was nervous.

"How was Garreth after he took that hit from the Bludger?" I asked eyeing her body language at my question.

"Oh, fine, I guess. He wasn't that injured to be honest. I went down to the pitch to inspect the damage and he was definitely exaggerating I thought."

There was my answer as to which Slytherin girl was beside Garreth at the match.

"Hmm," I didn't say anything more, I just smirked at my friend as she started brushing her hair for the hundredth time.

After what felt like an hour, we made our way to the common room where Ominis was waiting.

"Hello Ominis, you look wonderful," I said as we entered.

He was wearing an all-black suit with a waistcoat, which appeared as though it had a slight sparkle to it, and his hair was slicked to the side. He looked very dapper. I wondered how he managed to decide on his clothing being blind, but that was a question for another time.

"Thank you, Riley, tell me what is it that you are wearing?" I felt a tinge of sadness realising that Ominis would never be able to compliment my outfit.

"Oh, just a simple black dress Imelda has kindly let me use for the evening."

Imelda was fidgeting with her fingers and kept checking the clock on the wall.

"I'm sure you look lovely Riley, no doubt you always do."

He smiled and I blushed.

"Might I ask what perfume it is that you're wearing?" he sniffed at the air around us.

"Oh, that's Imelda's perfume you're smelling, doesn't she smell wonderful?"

"Yes, yes thank you. If you two don't mind, I'll meet you at the party." She left us with the smell of her perfume still lingering.

"Thank goodness that was Imelda's perfume and not yours, I could barely breathe!" Ominis admitted.

I let out a little laugh. "She's certainly made an effort this evening, she must be really excited for the party." Ominis had a grin on his face, thinking as I did, that Imelda fancied Garreth. It was obvious to everyone in our year.

"Shall we?" Ominis offered his arm to me, which I gladly took, and I led us to the Hufflepuff common room.

The Hufflepuffs had arranged a temporary password for the evening to allow for other houses to enter their common room. Usually there was a secret knock required to enter. As we approached the last barrel near the kitchens, I paused and spoke the password, "Winners."

The barrel had two elf head carvings and between them a crack formed, and a door revealed itself.

"I bet the Gryffindors won't find that password too amusing." Ominis teased.

We made our way through, and I was lost for words. The Hufflepuff common room was beautiful. I felt like I had walked into an enchanted forest. There was greenery hanging from the ceilings and the engravings on all the wooden settings reminded me of something out of a fairy tale. There were students from all houses, and everyone had dressed up for the evening. Some instruments were enchanted near one of the corners of the common room and they played some upbeat tunes. There was loud chatter throughout the common room, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

"How do the Professors not know about these parties?" I asked out loud as I looked around.

Ominis answered for me, "I'm sure they have their suspicions about the illicit after-game parties, it's been a tradition for many years. However, I am sure the Hufflepuffs would've arranged a Quietening charm so as not to raise further suspicion."

We found Natty and Poppy chatting near the centre of the common room with goblets in hand.

"We were wondering where you two were!" Poppy was wearing a bright yellow dress, whilst Natty was wearing a red and blue dress with a long orange shawl wrapped around her waist.

"You both look amazing!" I said in awe.

I was envious of their beautiful dresses. I wish I had somehow made more of an effort with my outfit.

"I'll get you some drinks, Garreth has somehow arranged barrels of Butterbeer and even a few bottles of firewhiskey."

Poppy practically skipped off and returned shortly with two goblets for Ominis and I.

"Cheers to Hufflepuff, a moment for the history books."

Ominis raised his glass and we all followed.

"Cheers!"

Garreth made his way over to us with some small glasses in hand.

"Poppy, I believe I owe Hufflepuff a congratulations. It's no easy feat conquering Gryffindor."

At least Garreth wasn't a sore loser, in fact he still seemed his bubbly self.

"Here, take a glass. Imelda is helping me hand out firewhiskey to everyone."

Natty and I exchanged a grin as we took the glasses from Garreth.

"Bottoms up!"

Everyone downed their glasses of firewhiskey, and I almost choked as it burnt my throat on the way down. I wasn't the only one who didn't seem to enjoy it, Ominis was trying to hold in a cough.

Natty and Poppy seemed to love it as they both said in unison. "Another!"

On cue, Imelda appeared with more glasses and handed them out to us all. The second time round it surprisingly burnt less, and I started to feel more relaxed. Even Ominis was smiling a lot more than usual while he and Natty chatted. I stood there listening in on the conversation between Poppy, Imelda and Garreth.

"Apparently firewhiskey is known for filling," she hiccupped in between sentences, "one's body with courage."

Poppy was a bit shorter than the rest of us and I had a feeling she was already starting to feel the effects of all the drinks. To be fair everyone looked a bit more flushed in the face than usual.

"In that case I'll have another." Garreth grabbed a bottle from a nearby table and refilled his glass.

"Why do you need so much courage Garreth?" I asked playfully.

He glanced up at Imelda at this point.

"Oh, you know, you never know when you might need it."

Imelda's blush reddened and she gestured for her glass to be refilled. Poppy also started to raise her glass to be filled.

"Woah, slow down there, Poppy, let's go dance for a bit."

Not only did I need to get Poppy to burn off some of the alcohol, but I was pretty sure Garreth and Imelda needed some alone time.

The music was much livelier and louder now. I led Poppy to where some other students were dancing, and we both laughed as we held each other's hands, and we spun around the room. I hadn't had this much fun in a long time. It was good to switch off from school, from ancient magic problems, from all the sadness and just be a teenager. Natty and Ominis joined us in the dancing, I was surprised to see Ominis dancing, I would never have thought he had it in him. We all continued to sway to the music and see what moves we each had. Each dance move was more ridiculous than the rest. Poppy decided to do a ballerina twirl but stopped midway.

"I think I'm going to be ill."

Her face had turned a shade of green and she bolted towards the lavatory, Natty following close behind her to make sure she was ok.

"Oh dear." Ominis said with a giggle.

We were left alone in the middle of the dancing area and the music changed to a slower pace. I awkwardly looked at Ominis at this point. Were we going to slow dance? Did I even know how to slow dance? Ominis noticed the change in tempo and offered his hand to me.

"May I have this dance, Miss Dagworth?"

Despite all the whiskey Ominis was ever the gentleman. I smiled at his formalness.

"You may Mr. Gaunt."

I placed my hand in his and he slowly pulled me in closer towards him and placed his left hand on my waist. I could feel butterflies starting to form in my stomach, unless the firewhiskey was starting to affect me too.

"I should warn you Ominis, I don't know how to dance like this." I confessed.

"Don't worry, I've got you."

The words made me blush, but Ominis had me indeed. He led and controlled our movements with such grace.

"Where did you learn to dance like this?" I asked him in awe.

"I spent a lot of time listening to music growing up. Anne, Sebastian, and I always used to listen to music together in the Undercroft, it was one of those activities where I never felt like I was missing out. It was all about the sound. Eventually Anne taught me how to dance, said I needed to learn to feel the music, not just hear it."

His story tugged at my heart. I studied his face as he spoke, taking in all his beauty. I could imagine Ominis as a young boy, dealing with the difficulties of being blind and a cruel family, now he had matured to this gentle and sensitive man.

"Were you and Anne very close?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I realised. He paused for a moment at my question.

"We were once, yes. Even after she was cursed and didn't return to Hogwarts, we still wrote each other every day. I haven't heard from her since Sebastian left."

I don't know why, but the thought of Anne and Ominis writing to one another everyday made me feel jealous.

"I'm sorry Ominis," was all I could manage to say.

"Both the Sallows have a tendency to uproot your life, in good ways and bad," he said. It was harsh, but true.

Ominis had lost his two closest friends in a very short space of time. I hadn't forgotten his confession in the Undercroft about how he felt lonely when Sebastian and I were spending so much time together last year.

"Indeed," was all I could muster.

I tried to shrug it off, but I still thought of Sebastian most days, but it didn't pain me as much as it used to when I thought of him.

"For now, we have this moment." I said trying to lighten the mood and thankfully fate intervened. "For example, they are not here to witness the scene that is unfolding behind you. Imelda and Garreth are kissing by the couches."

I looked over Ominis' shoulder and there was Garreth and Imelda entwined in each other's arms and tongues. Kissing was an understatement.

"About bloody time." Ominis rolled his eyes but had a smirk on his face and I laughed.

Natty returned to us and I beckoned over to the scene by the couches. She raised an eyebrow followed by a weird grin. It was a beautiful moment to behold, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin getting along so well, but it was also quite gross.

"I'm going to put Poppy to bed, she's not reacting well to the Firewhiskey." Natty said.

"We should also probably head back to our common room, it's getting quite late." Ominis responded.

We stopped dancing and Ominis released me from his arms, and I felt disappointed the night was almost over. Natty hugged us goodnight and winked at me as we turned to leave. After witnessing Garreth and Imelda, I felt a ping of jealousy. I had never kissed anyone before, but I had most certainly thought about it. My first attempt at a kiss was with Sebastian, and that was an absolute disaster. The rest of the students had started to get rowdy, with Garreth now preoccupied the firewhiskey was making the rounds freely.

"One more for the road?"

I asked Ominis as we were approaching the exit.

"Why not?" he said.

I grabbed us a set of glasses that were filled to the brim, we both downed our drinks. Lots of courage was needed if I was right about my gut feeling about what was going to happen next.

The walk back to the Slytherin common room was agonisingly slow as we didn't speak much. Ominis held his wand out in front of him as we walked. I thought about holding his hand to guide him, so that he wouldn't need his wand, but I chickened out. How long until this so-called courage kicked in?

"Did you have fun tonight?" I asked trying to break the awkward silence.

"I did, thank you for inviting me, it was a lovely evening and the company even more so."

Back to formal and serious Ominis.

As we entered our common room, I looked around and it was empty. Either the Slytherins were still at the party, or they had retired for the evening. I looked at the clock on the wall and it was nearly two in the morning. How did time fly by so quickly? The common room was dark, but the fire was still lit and there were a few enchanted candles floating around.

"Well, I suppose this is goodnight then."

I turned to face Ominis, and he had somehow managed to sneak up quite close to me, it caught me off guard, but I held steady.

"Riley, I have an unusual request and I hope that you would indulge me?"

I wasn't sure where this was going but my gut said to go with it.

"Ok, sure."

Ominis took a deep breath, "Would you mind if I touch your face?"

I almost let out a giggle, thinking he was joking, but he was quite serious.

He continued, "I don't know what you actually look like, and well I can only really go by my sense of touch to imagine someone's appearance."

I didn't even verbally answer his request. I instinctively reached for his hands and slowly placed them on my neck with his fingertips near my jaw. I removed my hands from his and let his fingers explore. At first it was an odd sensation, I just stood there looking into those grey eyes as his hands first moved up to my forehead, over my eyebrows and then onto my nose. At this point I allowed myself to smile and Ominis smiled back.

"You have a cute nose, Miss Dagworth."

It was a tender moment. He continued to my cheeks and then my ears, finishing near my chin and mouth. His one set of fingertips moved even more slowly over my lips, my mouth opened slightly at his touch, and I took a breath in. He was standing so close to me. I could smell the sweet firewhiskey on his breath. His fingers slowly trickled away from my lips and caressed me softly around my neck and then my collar bone. He was so gentle it almost felt like a tickle, and he was giving me goosebumps. He gradually removed his fingers from me.

"You are beautiful Riley, just as I had imagined."

I didn't feel embarrassed by the compliment, for once I believed I was beautiful. I could feel the whiskey turning in my stomach, this must've been the courage starting to emerge.

"Would you mind if I try?"

I realised it might've been an insensitive request.

Ominis let out a soft laugh.

"Alright then, close your eyes."

I did as I was told and I felt his hand reach for mine and he placed them exactly as I did, now upon his face. I didn't know what I was supposed to be feeling for, but I traced my fingertips around his forehead and eyebrows in a similar motion. I could feel myself smiling as I reached his nose, and I could feel him return a smile on his cheeks. It was a strange feeling, imagining his features as I moved over them, no not strange, but rather intimate. His skin felt so soft as I moved down his cheeks and felt the structure in his jaw, I felt him gulp as I moved from one side of his jaw to the next. It was quite astonishing how much more I noticed now that I wasn't using my eyes. I could hear his breathing start to pick up and I was now more aware of that familiar musky smell he had. I moved my fingers slowly back to his chin and up onto his lips, which were already slightly parted, they were thin but soft. My stomach was doing somersaults at this point. I didn't want to stop, but I reluctantly removed my hands from his face. Ominis abruptly reached up to grab my wrist and placed it on his chest, with his hand over mine.

"Keep your eyes closed," he said in whisper.

I was tempted to open my eyes but heeded his words. I could feel his heart beating beneath his waistcoat. His hand moved slowly along my arm, and I kept my hand on his chest. His fingers moved past my elbow, up my shoulders and found their way back to my neck, where his thumb rested on my cheek. I was struggling to breath steady at this point, and my head was starting to feel fuzzy.

This was the moment. I could feel it.

Ominis gently pulled my face towards his and I felt our foreheads meet, for a moment we just stood there, breathing in one another. I wanted to open my eyes so badly, if I didn't have my hand on his chest steadying me, I felt like I would fall over, I was starting to feel dizzy. Time stood still. My stomach felt like it was on fire, this must be what butterflies really felt like.

The feeling moved to my throat, and I hitched a breath as my shoulders heaved and the firewhiskey betrayed me as I spewed up sick all over the floor between Ominis and me. My eyes were open in terror at the floor, which was now a brown colour, I didn't even look up at Ominis. I'm glad I didn't, because Ominis let out a retching sound and followed suit. There we were, two teenagers who had just shared a beautiful moment, that might've ended with the best first kiss ever, standing beside a pool of our own vomit. I wanted the ground to swallow me up whole in that instant.