Sins of the Father | Sebastian x OFC (Caroline Rookwood) | Ominis x Garreth

Chapter 13: Salut d'Amour

Caroline

**

"Stop fidgeting!" Ominis slapped her hand as they fidgeted with the cuffs of the long dress shirt she was wearing— Ominis' dress shirt for that matter.

She was excited and nervous— she had planned a day out with Phineas to visit Muggle London under the careful and watchful eyes of Tessie and Kreacher, their personal house elves. Though Kreacher was in training with Scrope, he was vehemently loyal to Phineas' well-being and happiness and was more than happy to accompany them to Muggle London quietly despite the possibility of being punished later.

"Sorry," Caroline pouted as she waited for Ominis to finish his adjustments to her, or rather his garb, for her outing with his wand. Muggle London meant requiring a governess to accompany a courting couple but because the house elves were unseen, Caroline opted to disguise herself as a boy. Well... as much of a boy as she could be. She was planning to tuck her hair under a hat. The bandages around her bosom were wrapped tightly as opposed to the tight laces of the corset that normally pushed them high.

There were only three males that she knew well enough to ask for assistance in borrowing some male Muggle clothing or any male clothing suitable for an outing— her brother, Vincent, Ominis, and Sebastian. Vincent was out of the question and Sebastian even more so. Ominis was the only logical solution.

She felt the traces of magic as Ominis waved his wand to shorten the hem and cuffs, alternating the fabric to fit her figure slightly for the next few hours. She turned in circles, taking in Ominis' work before she smiled up at him as she adjusted the lapels and buttoned the jacket.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked as she stared into Ominis' mirror. 

Ominis hummed thoughtfully, moving his head back and forth as his eyes raked up and down, "I would say quite marvelous seeing as they're my clothes but I'm going to assume your nerves have rotted your brain if you've forgotten I'm blind."

Carline groaned, pushing her hair in a high ponytail— intent to tuck it into a bun once they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, "I'm sorry, Ominis. I just really want this to go well..." She had been  bundle of nerves the previous night, tossing and turning in her new room alone. She had almost missed the expected sound of Sebastian sneaking into her shared room for his dalliances... almost. But she finally fallen asleep to thoughts of dancing with Phineas and his soft and attentive kisses.

"Because you're going to the Muggle part of town or because you're falling for Phineas?" Caroline mumbled an incoherent reply of both earning a smug smile from Ominis as he moved to sit on his bed. She fumbled with the buckles of her riding boots, tucking her wand into a slot as she thought.

"I'm not sure...both? He makes me feel so happy," she said wistfully, "Every moment feels like a never-ending dream. What if it goes away? What if he changes his mind?"

"It's fine to feel that way Caroline. This is all new for you, it's alright to feel worried. And it's alright to want him. Let yourself go, enjoy the moment and fall in love. The better question is, do you trust him?"

Did she? She had often seen him surrounded by other girls as he meandered through the library's shelves looking for research material, or before she arrived to meet him for lunch at the Great Hall. And though the other girls would stare at him longingly and bat their eyes, she could only chuckle as he stepped away from their reach with a practiced smile. He had no reason to give her no reason to be distrustful—he would search for her, perking and running to greet her, only to pull her back to the spot he had been waiting at.

"I do, Ominis... very much."

"Good, I'm very happy for you," Ominis smiled and sighed before sniffling sarcastically as he echoed her words a few weeks prior, "My! Look how much you've grown!"