A week later, they held another private funeral for Solomon Sallow, a ceremony that went with the new headstone Ominis commissioned for his grave. On a cold December morning, he and Allegra took a broom to Feldcroft to attend.

He waited for her just outside of Gryffindor Tower. On any other day, the teasing whoops and jeers from the Gryffindors would have made Ominis' cheeks burn. Today, though, all he could really feel was numbness. He was grateful when a voice he recognized as Natsai Onai's told her housemates to be quiet.

Soft footsteps padded closer. Allegra's familiar presence stepped into his own. She smelled like apples, hot tea, and her usual scent of clementines.

"Hello, Allegra," Ominis greeted tiredly.

Wordlessly, she slipped her arm into his and led him away from the halls of Hogwarts.

Allegra helped him onto her broom once they were outside. As he sat side-saddle in the backseat. Ominis, just a little bit impressed, noted the quality feel of the wood under his fingers. Where did she find the Galleons for such a ride?

"Do you like to fly?" Ominis asked.

"Would you believe I only learned this year?" Allegra said, the broom buckling as she sat. "Yes," Ominis said slowly, "And I also believe that doesn't bode well for me."

"Don't worry, Ominis, I wouldn't drop you," she said as they took off, slowly gaining height. "But I suppose you'll just have to hold on tight, won't you?"

Merlin, where had she learnt to do that with her voice? She'd dropped it low and husky, in a move that was entirely too tempting for her own good.

Ominis disguised his surprise in a snicker. Alright, so she'd laid the cards out. They were no longer awkwardly hovering around the table, shy and unsure of how to speak of things. Ominis leaned forward until his forehead was tucked into her chin and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I suppose I should," he said lowly, lips hovering just a few inches away from her ear. He took a secret delight in the way Allegra shivered in response.

It amazed him how he'd managed to pull that off.

Even with the biting cold of December, it felt nice to fly. He felt lighter up here with his arms wrapped securely around Allegra, smelling pine and magic in the wind. Many assumed Ominis would despise it. Without sight, not being able to feel the ground beneath him or determine how high up it was should have been horrifying. But like most, flying helped him feel...free.

And, well. She was letting him hold her, and maybe even pressing against him a little bit, and he really shouldn't be thinking such improper thoughts on the way to a bloody funeral.

"I didn't really know him," Allegra said suddenly, "Mister Sallow. He didn't really give me a chance when we met."

Ominis huffed. "He wasn't the nicest man, but he didn't use to be so unkind. What happened to Anne changed them all."

Almost unbidden, Ominis' mind brought up a memory of his first Christmas in Feldcroft.

He was eleven. Christmas was approaching and everyone else in Slytherin was excited about going home for the holidays. Ominis couldn't stomach the thought of spending the next few weeks with his family. Just before his first year, he was taught a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. How was he supposed to forgive them—forgive himself—for the things they'd done?

His unhappiness was enough of a reason. Without hesitation, Anne and Sebastian had practically kidnapped him and let him spend Christmas in their home. And although eleven-year-old Ominis was used to a pile of useless presents and grand Holiday Dinners, the cozy days he spent in Feldcroft were the closest he ever got to a real family holiday.

Ever since then, the thought of Christmas brought about memories of mischievous twins, lovingly- made dinners, and too many rounds of Gobstones and Wizard's Chess. It meant spending his (luxurious) allowance on all sorts of presents, listening to the Sallows tear them apart with glee.

Even gruff Solomon cheered up for the winter months. How quickly things could change.

"I'm sorry, Ominis." There was a dip as Allegra guided them lower. "I wish it had been different." "We all do."

"We're here," Allegra went on. "I'll land us now."

He waited for his feet to touch the ground before dismounting. Snow crunched under his boots as Allegra led him by the hand, giving way to slippery stone and the scent of cold metal. In a whisper, she told him that the ceremony had started.

There weren't many people. From what he could detect, it was only the three of them plus a few stragglers. As they took their places, Ominis and Allegra listened to the end of the speech Anne was giving about her uncle. Her voice sounded weary, strained.

It was a short ceremony, but it was better than nothing. It was better than the grief-riddled hours Ominis and Anne spent digging Solomon's grave, eyes burning and muscles aching. He was suddenly thankful for Allegra's steadying presence at his side. When the last of the funeral-goers left, she led Ominis to Solomon's grave.

"Thank you for coming, and thank you for the headstone," Anne said. She sounded croaky. "It's… beautiful, Ominis. I can't thank you enough."

He didn't know what to say to that. All he could do was give Anne a stiff nod. "I'm so sorry," Allegra said gently. "If there's anything you need…"

Ominis heard the other Sallow twin sigh, felt her come closer as she gave Allegra a hug. "Have you heard from him?" Anne asked. "From Sebastian?"

He flinched at the way she said his name, bitter and pained. He didn't blame her. Ominis' throat still ached at the memory of the screaming match he and Sebastian had had in the Undercroft. But it hurt to hear Anne—sweet, playful Anne—speak in such hard tones.

"No. I'm sorry."

"Good." The coldness of Anne's voice hit them both like a stunning spell. "I don't need any of that in what's left of my life." Anne took Ominis' and Allegra's hands in hers.

"I can't stay in Feldcroft any longer," she said softly, "but I just want you two to know that I appreciate everything you've done for me. For us, for my family. Thank you."

Ominis opened his mouth to protest, but Anne gave his hand a squeeze. "No, don't worry. I promise it'll be alright."

Allegra's free hand came to rest on Ominis' forearm. He wanted to stamp his feet and tell them all they weren't making any sense. Anne, leave Feldcroft without any help? Without any supervision? The thought was preposterous.

But perhaps Allegra had been right. Perhaps Anne was tired of this, of the precious few people in her life making her decisions for her.

So he let go. He let Anne pull him in for a hug and listened to her slow, pained footsteps walk away.

It seemed, to Ominis, like people left his life just as quickly as they came. Only four years ago he'd been living a relatively happy life at Hogwarts, surrounded by steadfast friends and facing a bright future. He almost believed he could outrun the shadow of his family's name.

Now he was two friends poorer and standing in front of a grave.

"I'm sorry," Allegra sighed. "Gods, I'm saying that a lot today. Are you alright?"

Ominis thumbed along Allegra's fingers. "What does it look like?" he murmured. "The stone."

"Solid," she replied. "It's…simple. Clean lines." He felt Allegra bend down, heard her fingers brushing at the snow. "Solomon Sallow: Auror and beloved uncle."

"How concise," Ominis drawled. "But I suppose there wasn't much else to say, anyway." He was a bitter, tired man by the end of his life. Ominis wished there was something else to put on his headstone.

"I wish it had been a happier day," Allegra said. "Excused from classes and we didn't even get a chance to do anything fun."

"So let's go."

Allegra paused. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, I'm here," Ominis said huffily, kicking at the snow beneath his foot. "I'll come with you to whatever it is you usually do on your free days, as long as you let me buy you a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks afterward."

She snickered. "Is this you asking me out to Hogsmeade, Ominis Gaunt? Aren't you supposed to be stuttering and shy?"

He tried not to let the sudden jump of his heart phase him. Ominis stepped closer, hovering just in front of Allegra.

"Go out to me with Hogsmeade, Miss Chant." He found himself smiling lazily, wishing he could reach up and trace the smile he knew was on her lips. "After you take me on something that coincides with your definition of fun."

Something about the silence coming from Allegra felt vaguely threatening. "Alright," she purred. Ominis could practically see the grin on her face. "No takebacks."

"Allegra Chant!" Ominis yelled, "You are going to pay for this!"

"Oh, but you wanted to come along!" Allegra said gleefully. He heard a whoosh of air as she cast a non-verbal Diffindo. In the distance, an Ashwinder let out a pained yell. "On your right, Ominis!"

She didn't need to tell him. His wand acted on its own, flying upwards to cast a parrying Protego that sent a Stupefy back at his enemy. "Blast it! Confringo!"

A little thrill ran up his spine when he heard an unfamiliar crack of magic ring out. It was lightning: sparking and violent, summoned with a sweeping gesture of Allegra's wand. Ominis took his chance. He locked onto the same target, cast a Levioso, and found himself grinning when Allegra followed up with a beautiful Descendo that scent multiple bodies hitting the ground. His wand alerted him of an oncoming Incendio. Before he could register what he was doing, Ominis hooked an arm around Allegra's waist and raised a Protego around them both. The wizard who'd cast the spell grunted when Allegra's Depulso sent him sprawling onto his back, stunned.

Silence fell.

His arm was still around her waist, her head nearly tucked into his neck. Ominis' heart did a happy little dance,

"Excellent work," she said, in that stupid, stupid, breathy tone. "You're rather impressive on the battlefield, yourself."

Ominis hummed, amazed that she wasn't pulling away from his hold. "This comes as a surprise to you, does it?"

"In the most pleasant of ways."

If she spoke like that one more time, Ominis wasn't sure he could keep his decorum up for longer.

"That's the last of them." Allegra pulled out of his grip, leaving him suddenly feeling cold. "Wasn't that fun?"

"Tell me this isn't what you do when you're away from the castle," Ominis groaned.

"Actually, it's all I do away from the castle." Her tone had stopped being playful, shifting into a thoughtful note. As she walked away from their scorching battlefield, Ominis felt her hand slip into his. It was a sensation that was quickly becoming familiar.

"Doesn't it exhaust you?" He asked softly. "You told me all about your pursuit of Ancient Magic. And with classes and our O.W.L.S…"

Allegra was silent, then she let out a short laugh. "It does sound bad when you put it that way."

"I have to disagree." Ominis tugged gently at her hand, pulling her close until both of his hands laid gently on her elbows. "It sounds admirable."

She was silent for a moment. Ominis' breath caught. Did he step too far?

"Careful, Ominis Gaunt," she murmured. "You'll make me blush."

That drew out a genuine laugh from Ominis' lips. He let Allegra lead him ahead, enjoying the feel of her fingers twining in his.

"But there is always something that makes it worth it in the end," Allegra went on.

Ominis snorted. "Money, pilfered from the pockets of dead foes?"

"No!" Allegra laughed. Then, "Well, not always. Come closer. Do you hear that?"

Ominis listened closely. He heard…cooing. The soft pad of animal feet on soil. And, frighteningly, a massive beat of wings. As he and Allegra approached, something large and feathered let out a low hoot of warning.

"Bow down," Allegra whispered. Ominis did as he was told. As he straightened, the creature's tense sounds gave way to curious clucking. "Alohomora."

With a click and a thud, a lock fell to the ground. Ominis helped Allegra heave a heavy cage door open. And, in an exhilarating rush of air and flapping wings, they stood in breathless rapture as the creature flew away.

"Alright, Miss Chant," Ominis said. "I concede. That was worth it."

Later, when they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, Sirona Ryan gave them a round of Butterbeer on the house. She didn't have to say anything about Sebastian's disappearance, about Anne's departure, about Solomon's death. It seemed like Sirona always knew everything about anything.

As he and Allegra tucked into their first meal of the day, Ominis finally let the thoughts he'd been running away from sink in. Things would be different now. There was no Sebastian, no Anne, and the heavy presence of death and Dark Magic lingering in the air. It would never be the same.

He wished things had turned out differently. He wished he didn't let Sebastian sway him-and Allegra-into his pursuit of an impossible cure. And he wished, more than ever, that he could be free to explore the new feelings blossoming in his chest. Ominis wanted to be sixteen and silly and head-over-heels infatuated with a girl. He wanted to be bored in class, wanted to look forward to the holidays just as much as his classmates. Why couldn't he have that? Why did things need to change?

He felt Allegra's knee bump against his under the table, cutting him out of his thoughts. His hand searched for hers.

And when she curled her fingers around his, Ominis started to think that maybe that wasn't a bad thing after all.

"So," she said casually, voice accompanied by the scrape of a fork on a plate, "What are you usually supposed to do in Hogsmeade when you're on a date?"

Ominis, who had been taking a sip of his Butterbeer, didn't know if he should smile or choke on his drink. "Well," he drawled. "This is usually the part where we fight a fully-grown troll, or so I've heard."

"You're not going to turn this into a whole bit, are you?"

"Or if you're feeling particularly criminal this evening," he went on, "We might find ourselves running into the ringleader of a rather infamous gang."

Allegra groaned. "Are you quite finished?"

"Mm. No, I think there's still an innocent man's cellar to break into, and a prized Chinese Chomping Cabbage to steal."

The girl beside him mumbled something underneath her breath.

"What was that?" Ominis teased.

"It was a Venomous Tentacula, thank you very much," Allegra huffed, "And how come you're so knowledgeable about my Hogsmeade escapades, if I may ask?"

"I pay attention to interesting people," Ominis said. "Oh I'm interesting, am I?"

"In the most pleasant of ways."

That earned him another one of her sweet, tinkling laughs. It was fun to engage in witty repartee without scaring his conversation partner off.

"I suppose," he said, mumbling into the rim of his glass, "That this is the part where we're supposed to generally enjoy each other's company."

"Oh." She was smiling: he could practically trace the curve of her lips. "Well, then. I think we're getting along splendidly."

He paid for their meal after a rather long squabble about who should settle the bill. Ominis brought her to Honeydukes. Another squabble ensued: she won this one, and he found himself carrying a package of his favorite Peppermint-flavored Sugar Quills under his arm as they trudged back up to the castle. They listened to a man playing his Charmed instruments in the square. Allegra threw a Galleon in his hat. They stopped by Tomes and Scrolls, where Ominis taught Allegra his reading spell as they pored over an interesting autobiography written by an Unspeakable.

He cupped her hand in his and showed her how to trace along the words.

She was a willing student. There was something in Ominis that thrilled at the fact that he could just do that, that he could take her hand just because and show her how he read.

There was also a part of him that rolled his eyes at the third, inevitable squabble of the day about who would be paying for the books they picked up. They tied. They halved the cost, grumbled at each other for half of the walk back to the castle, and laughed the rest of the way.

Change was a strange thing, one that Ominis admitted that he was afraid of. Change hurt. Change was a force that could break things apart with a single swift strike of its arm, and everything he ever treasured would fall through the cracks of his fingers. Ominis felt helpless to the wiles of the Fates.

And yet.

"D'you know what I'm thinking, Ominis?"

"That Gryffindor Tower is entirely too high up for its own good, and I pity the Ravenclaws even more?"

She laughed. "No. I'm thinking that you showed me the full Hogsmeade experience today."

They came to a stop at a hallway. Here, Ominis could hear the Fat Lady's familiar off-key singing and the unhappy grumbles of Gryffindors waiting to be let inside their common room.

"I suppose I did," he mused. "And what did you think of it?"

"I had an excellent time," Allegra said eagerly. "Even if the morning didn't start in the most pleasant of ways."

He smiled. "Good," Ominis murmured. "Perhaps we should—um—repeat the experience?"

Allegra's voice was teasing and sweet. "Perhaps we should. With less of the fighting, please."

"Ah, I quite agree."

"Because I really should be paying for at least my share of everything—"

Ominis scoffed. "We're going to get into this again, are we? I already told you—"

"I was raised on the same manners as you were, and I believe you're being awfully—" "You, Miss Chant, are positively—"

"Difficult!"

Their final squabble ended in a chorused word, and both Allegra and Ominis shared a soft laugh. Her hand rested lightly on his forearm. He moved his touch to her elbow.

"I quite enjoyed that," Allegra said softly. "As did I."

Neither of them moved.

"Right," Allegra said eventually. "I think the Fat Lady's finished making our ears bleed: I should get going. Goodnight, Ominis."

"Goodnight."

And yet, Ominis mused as he (thankfully) descended the many stairs of Hogwarts, there was something about Change that wasn't entirely unpleasant.