"Ominis! It's almost time to wake up. We're nearly there…"

Their carriage was finally coming down to a descent after being in the air for a few hours. With her eyes closed, Andromeda inhaled slowly through her nose and smelled a hint of salt in the air. A flock of seagulls flew by the window into the direction of the sea. She glanced down at the sleeping boy in her lap and smiled as she observed his peaceful facial expression. It was not long into their flight that Ominis became drowsy and began to doze off. Fortunately, it did not take much convincing to move him into a more comfortable position.

Ominis stirred slightly and turned to burrow closer into her stomach, causing her to let out a giggle. He mumbled, "Just five more minutes…" with his mouth pushed against the light material of her dress.

Andromeda shook her head while her hand stroked through his hair. "You literally said that five minutes ago. I'm beginning to wonder if the tale of Sleeping Beauty is somehow based on you. There are quite a few similarities."

He gave her a low grunt and gradually sat up, rubbing the sleep away from his face. "I haven't the faintest idea of what you are talking about because I have never heard such a thing. Is this another one of your muggle fairy tales?"

"I'm sure I still have my collection of them somewhere at home. Perhaps I will indulge you by reading one to you each night."

Ominis gently grasped her chin and said, "I would thoroughly enjoy that..." before brushing their lips together into a kiss. "I apologize for being a poor travel companion. It seems I have slept for almost the entirety of our journey."

"It's alright. It allowed me to gaze upon you without interruption since you love to constantly remind me that despite not being able to see, you can tell when I'm staring at you."

"It doesn't help that you make it obvious, my dear. You get all quiet, and I can sense when your eyes are looking right at me…"

"Hmm…" Andromeda slightly pouted. "I thought as your girlfriend I was given the privilege to stare at such a handsome gentleman without any limitations."

"Cheeky, are we?" Ominis was about to draw her into another kiss when the carriage suddenly lurched forward as it hit the ground and came to a halt once it was pulled in front of a stone cottage. Andromeda immediately bounced to her feet and opened the door to poke her head out.

They were finally here.

Home.

After being away for almost a year, everything seemed to be left untouched. There was still chipped paint on the wooden gate, vines were overgrown across the stone walls and twisted around the chimney. The flower beds were filled with a plethora of vibrant flowers and plants in full bloom.

It was almost like her home was stuck in time as if she never departed for Hogwarts in the first place.

Andromeda pulled herself back in and looked over at Ominis. "This is it. Are you certain that you are ready?"

Ominis stood up and reached for her arm, trailing his hand down to grab hers into a hold. "I've been ready since the morning you asked for me to stay with you."

Andromeda led him out into the open and withdrew her wand to retrieve their luggage from the back of the carriage. As soon as the luggage rack was empty, the door of the carriage slammed shut and the thestrals disappeared into the sky. Ominis had his wand in his hand and carefully stepped around Andromeda as he made sense of his surroundings. "Are you certain that it is safe for me to have my wand out? I rather not want to know what happens if a muggle comes unannounced…"

"We are so far remote that we rarely get any visitors but before I left for Hogwarts, Professor Fig did cast some wards around our home so that I could practice some basic spells without the worry of unwanted visitors. From what he told me, it is supposed to make an illusion for any muggles that come by to only see us doing what is considered normal activities. I also made Mum aware how you use it for guidance..."

Andromeda swung her head around when she heard the front door of the cottage burst open. A woman who appeared to be middle-aged came running out with strands of her dusty blonde hair sprung loose from her low bun. Her blue eyes crinkled with her arms stretched out wide and said, "I thought a carriage landed a few minutes ago, but it was gone by the time I looked out the window!"

"Mum!" Andromeda ran up to meet her halfway and was immediately pulled into her mother's embrace. She was enveloped in rosemary and sage embedded in the gray dress that her mum always seemed to adorn. The familiar scent and being held in her mother's arms made her realize how much she missed being at home.

Her mum pulled back as her hands framed her daughter's face. "I can't believe how much you have grown! What do you feed you at this school? It's so nice that you are here for the summer….Oh!" She let out a small gasp. "Where are my manners!?"

Andromeda broke out in a soft smile when her mother withdrew herself and immediately made her way over to greet their guest. "And you must be Ominis!"

Ominis gave her mum a small nod. "Yes, it's a pleas-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Andromeda's mother engulfed Ominis in a hug. Andromeda could not help but let out a laugh at her mum's lack of formality and could see Ominis was taken aback by such a casual gesture. Despite her warning, she knew he must be in a bit of shock.

When her mother finally let go, she took a step back and clasped her hands together. "It's wonderful to finally meet you. Please, you may call me Rose. There is no need for formalities while you stay with us, and do make yourself comfortable. Andromeda has written so much about you while she has been away but my, the words she used to describe you simply do not do any justice-"

A blush of pink quickly grew across Andromeda's cheeks. "MUM!"

"Oh hush, I'm just teasing…" Rose walked towards their luggage and grabbed the two suitcases. "Now, Andromeda, why don't you give this young man a tour of our cottage so he can get a sense of his bearings while I take your things to your rooms. Once the two of you have settled, dinner should be ready…"

Ominis put his hand up in protest. "That will not be necessary, I can handle my own-"

"I will not hear any of it, Ominis, because I know what you are going to tell me. A gentleman should not allow a lady to handle their own personal belongings. Believe me, I have heard it from Andromeda's father more than far enough, but I believe I can manage."

Rose brushed past the young couple with suitcases in hand and strolled into the cottage. Ominis moved closer to Andromeda and slid his arm around her waist. "Your mother is a force of nature…"

"From my recollection, I made you well aware that she is quite a bit of a free spirit."

Ominis chuckled. "I like her already. She reminds me of a certain someone…" He then pressed his lips to the side of her head and whispered, "You write about me?"

"It's not like I can tell her how I was chased down by an army of goblins or a horde of poachers or she would never let me go back to Hogwarts! So…that leaves me with school subjects…" Andromeda turned to lean her forehead against his shoulder, trying to hide her rosy cheeks that were still splattered over her face. "And you…"

"Hmm…" Ominis paused for a moment before saying, "Now I'm curious what those letters entailed."

"Knowing my mother, they are forever lost into the abyss and will never be found." Andromeda stepped back and took his hand to lead him into the cottage. "I guess I should give you the tour Mum was talking about, although I highly doubt you'll get lost given our modest accommodations."

Andromeda brought Ominis inside and started at the kitchen which was filled with the aroma of a traditional roast in the wood-burning stove. Pots and pans were scattered across the counter with some piled in the sink. A small, round dining table was off to the side surrounded by some mismatched chairs. The kitchen opened to a small sitting room with a stone-walled fireplace that was often lit in the cold evenings to keep the cottage warm. Andromeda pointed out the closed door off to the side by explaining, "Mum sleeps downstairs in case she has to leave during the night for any deliveries. That way she is not tripping down the stairs in the dark."

Rose came down to the landing of the stairs and said, "And you would be surprised how many love to come in the dead of night." She went into the kitchen and crouched down to check on the oven. "Dinner should be ready momentarily if you two want to go upstairs to put your things away since there is more than enough time to do so."

Andromeda showed Ominis the bathroom before climbing up the stairs and opening the door to the guest bedroom. She allowed him to go ahead of her and watched as he carefully roamed throughout the room, his hand gliding across the various pieces of furniture. It had been a while since this room was occupied, but she could tell that her mother made the effort to dust and clean away any of the cobwebs. Ominis stopped by the window after hearing the sound of the waves of the water crashing onto the shore. "How close are we to the sea?"

"It's a relatively short walk…I say less than five minutes if you are taking a leisurely stroll. I find that if you leave your window open, the sound from the waves lures you to sleep." Andromeda folded her arms and rested her shoulder against the door frame. "I know it isn't much but I hope the room is to your liking…"

Ominis turned to her with a soft smile. "It's perfect, Andromeda." He began to walk to her when he bumped into the edge of the bed. His brow narrowed in confusion and asked, "Is the bed up against the wall?"

Andromeda averted her eyes to the floor and ran her hand through her hair. "I…I noticed when we would fall asleep together that you preferred to be against the back of the sofa and it occurred to me that it must help you to know where you are when you wake up. I assumed that it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for you to fall out of bed. So I asked Mum a few weeks ago if it was possible to move it over to the wall since you have never been here before…"

Ominis quickly closed the distance between them and caressed the sides of her face with his eyes flickering back and forth as if he wanted to will himself to see her despite his lack of vision. Andromeda felt warmth disperse throughout her body when he locked their lips into a slow and heartfelt kiss. She circled her arms around his waist to bring him closer as they got lost in each other. Her fingers gripped onto the back of his shirt and tried to yank the fabric away from him to feel his bare skin with the touch of her hands. Ominis shifted Andromeda away from the door frame and pushed her against the wall with each kiss becoming more heated and intense. Their breaths became heavy with passion as they were desperate to hold on to this moment.

A loud bang came from below them, followed by a curse from Rose.

"BULLOCKS."

They abruptly broke apart from one another with the both of them almost panting for more air. Andromeda then fell into a fit of giggles while Ominis brought her back into his arms. She closed her eyes and sighed, "I should go check on Mum and see if she is alright."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "No. I believe I can handle it but I appreciate the offer. I should give you some time to get your things in order…"

Ominis gave her a light kiss on her forehead before Andromeda stepped away to make her way down to the kitchen. She paused midway on the stairs to straighten out her hair and peered down at her dress to smooth out any wrinkles. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm her beating heart but she found it to be useless since it was still pounding against her chest as she marched into the kitchen to see if her mother needed any assistance.

The Next Morning…

"Mum, have you been perfecting your cooking skills while I've been gone? The roast you made last night actually wasn't burnt for once!"

Andromeda and her mother were sitting outside in the back garden to enjoy their breakfast while taking advantage of the morning sun. As long as Andromeda could remember, her mother preferred to eat their meals outside in the fresh air when the weather was agreeable. They were situated at a cast iron table with a spread of pastries and toast set out in front of them along with a kettle filled with tea.

Rose cast a slight glare at her daughter and took a sip from her tea cup. "I do have to cook on my own now that you are gone for most of the year. But yes, with the help from the other midwives that I work with, they have given me some very useful tips and easy-to-make recipes so that I do not starve when you are away at school."

"So…does that mean you have taken over cooking duties?"

"Oh no, for heaven's sake Andromeda…by all means, you are by far the better cook in this family. I will not say no to anything that you make, especially your bangers and mash."

Andromeda formed her lips into a shy smile and scraped some strawberry jam over her scone. With her mother working, it was not uncommon for her to be in charge of meal preparation given that she had more time to play around in the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder to see if there was any movement in the cottage, but it was quiet. Ominis was still asleep when she peeked into his room earlier this morning and thought it would be best not to disturb him even though she was half tempted to crawl into bed to join him.

However, the thought of her mother finding the two of them sharing a bed immediately extinguished that idea. She has to constantly remind herself that she is not at Hogwarts and in the privacy of her room of Requirement.

She bit into her scone while leaning back into her chair, savoring the tartness of the jam. Her mind wandered to their dinner last night and how it felt so natural to have Ominis there with them. For the majority of the time, Rose asked questions related to Hogwarts whether it be classes, the professors, and how do they not get lost in such a massive castle. Her mother even asked Ominis what it was like to grow up in such a school but strayed away from any questions about his family. Andromeda knew her mother must have been thinking of her father and sensed it was a sensitive subject matter that should be left aside.

The sun had set by the time dinner was finished and the table was cleared from their dishes that were cleaned and returned to the cupboards. As her mother lit the fireplace for the evening, Andromeda noticed that Ominis was yawning every so often and seemed to be trying to keep himself awake. He was reluctant at first when she suggested that he could turn in for the night but eventually relented after she told him that if he fell asleep on the sofa, she was going to have to leave him there given that she could not carry him up the stairs.

"Lost in thought, little one?"

Andromeda lifted her eyes to find her mother gazing right at her. "Do I truly make it so obvious? Even Ominis knows when I am inside my own head for far too long…"

Rose softly laughed and sighed. "You look exactly like how your father did when he was deep in thought. I can just tell that you are a million miles away in that head of yours."

"Sorry…" Andromeda placed her half-eaten scone back onto her plate and shoved her hands in the pockets of her cardigan. It may have been summer, but there was always a cool breeze coming from the sea. She turned her head again back to the cottage and murmured, "I was just…"

"Wondering when that boy of yours will finally wake up and join us for breakfast…"

"MUM."

"You may have been lost in thought, but I watched you check the back door several times to see if Ominis would appear…" Rose set her teacup down and gave her daughter a warm smile. "I can see why you fell in love with him. He's a gentle soul despite the hardships he must have gone through…" Her eyes drifted away for a moment. "Reminds me a bit of your father…"

"It would have been so easy for him to fall into the path that his family set out for him, and yet he knew it was wrong and chose to stay away from it."

"I have only heard bits and pieces about the Gaunts, but from what I can gather, they were not the most friendly or inviting family to be a part of…"

Andromeda hummed in agreement and said, "He has only revealed small fragments of what he went through as a child to me, and I still find it hard to believe that he is still so kind. Would you guess that he is the most affectionate person I have ever met? I mean…it's mostly towards me, but even when we were friends he would find an excuse to hold my hand."

"Perhaps Ominis has been searching for what he lacked with his own family and has now found it with you." Rose then reached over to grasp the tea kettle and stood up. "I might as well fetch us another batch of tea and see if we have any more of that strawberry jam that you fancy…"

Andromeda watched as her mother walked into the cottage, debating if she should have followed to check on Ominis. She rested her head on the back of her chair with her eyes closed and silently began a countdown. If he wasn't outside by the time she counted to twenty, then she would force herself to truly wake him for the day.

When she got to ten, someone was behind her and gently kissed her cheek. A low whisper of "Darling…" rang through her ear, and squealed in surprise when the kisses continued down her neck. Andromeda opened her eyes with her heart fluttering to find Ominis had finally awakened from his deep slumber. She tossed her napkin aside and sprung from her chair to throw her arms around him into an embrace. "I thought I was going to have to wake you up like they did in Sleeping Beauty…"

Ominis pulled Andromeda closer to him by tightening his grasp. "Again, I apologize. I have come to realize that if I am in a place that is completely new to me, it does take some time for me to adjust to my surroundings. However, I will say last night was one of the best sleep I have had in my life."

"Awww…" Andromeda tilted her head back and scrunched up her nose. "Am I not needed anymore to help you stay asleep?"

"It's actually the opposite…"

She started at Ominis with her eyebrows raised in question. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it other than it's like I can feel you everywhere since our arrival yesterday. I noticed your scent lingers in all the rooms, and how I could hear you prodding around the kitchen with your mother this morning. I honestly do not remember the last time I have felt this relaxed before being with you…"

Andromeda was beaming when she brought him down to bring their lips together into a kiss. All of her previous worries of Ominis feeling out of place or uncomfortable at her home have simply vanished. Instead, she was filled with so much happiness knowing he would fit in perfectly. She was full of giggles when she pulled away and asked, "So…if I had snuck into your bedroom this morning to have a cuddle…would you even have awakened in the first place?"

Ominis gave her a devilish grin. "I suppose we would have to find out in order to properly answer that question…"

"Hmmm…good thing we have all summer." She then led him to his place at the table. "Mum should be back at any moment with a fresh pot of tea, and I hope she found more of that strawberry jam. It's divine!"

"Is that what I detected on your lips?"

Andromeda shrugged with a sly smile. "I suppose, but maybe you should check again just to be certain."

Ominis let out a soft chuckle and carefully held her chin with his hand. He leaned in over her mouth and said, "Just to be certain…" before giving her lips another taste.

Andromeda knew then it was going to be a summer to remember.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Here's the next story for my favorite hooligans that I have grown to love. This is a summer series so it will be shorter than my previous story (I estimate about 10 chapters but you never know). I hope you all enjoy! :)