Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Gaunt Manor

A day before the end of term, Ominis and Dracaena stepped out of a carriage onto a grey, damp road just outside of Little Hangleton. The carriage rolled away, the Thestral's hooves clopping before they picked up speed and took flight, scattering the slush strewn about the road. She looked around, taking in the tall firs, their leaves shivering with the previous night's snow. They were at the bottom of a valley between two large hills, and at the end of the tree lined path, she could see a village nestled in between them, a church and graveyard resting on one of the hill's slopes, and a large manor house on the other, overlooking the village.

Ominis sighed and rested his hand on her arm.

"Everything inside me is screaming that this is a bad idea," he murmured. "You're the last person I'd want anywhere near that place."

"It'll be fine," Dracaena reassured him, starting off down the path. "A few hours of me pretending to be a power-hungry cow who hates muggles? I can manage."

"I'm not worried about your acting skills, I'm concerned about my family," he said, his grip tightening on her sleeve. "They're... well."

"Arseholes?" Dracaena offered.

He managed a laugh. "Well, yes, to put it bluntly. But you know that. They're cruel. Crueller than perhaps I've accurately portrayed. You know what they did to me, what they made me do. That, perhaps, was the worst of it, but they display their cruelty in many other forms. You must go along with it. If they make fun of muggles, or muggleborns, if they're offensive and obtuse, you must agree with them. If they... if they start on me, you must join in."

"What?" Dracaena slowed. "I'm not going to be horrible to you just because your family is!"

"You must," Ominis urged. "They'll accept you far more readily if you do. They never believed I'd have any success at finding a suitable wife, and really, they only want a pureblood to pop out plenty of little Gaunts to continue terrorising the neighbourhood. If you hold to their views, it'll save me from having to wed whatever obscene creature they choose for me."

Dracaena shuddered. "What if I actually like you? Because I rather do, you know."

Ominis gave her perhaps the first true smile he'd managed all day. "Try to hide it a little, then," he said. "A witch as powerful as you? Beautiful, by all accounts, especially if you spend three minutes listening to Sebastian, and sought after by most of her peers?"

"Oh, come on-"

"I mean it. Most students don't look twice at me, and those that do, aside from you and Sebastian usually do so with derision, scorn, or pity. Sometimes even fear, all because of my name. The only person who would ever want me is someone who desires the connection to the family, to bear more heirs of Slytherin."

"Ominis, that's preposterous! I don't feel that way at all."

"But you have to pretend you do," he squeezed her arm harder, before sliding his hand down to hers, lacing their fingers together. "My family believe I'm worthless, and only as good as my name. If you act the same, they'll take to you." he drew a sharp breath. "It's only for a few hours, then we can forget about it all and go back to the way things were, and I'll be safe a little longer." He squeezed her hand. "I really appreciate this, Dracaena. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She squeezed his hand back as they left the trees, heading towards Little Hangleton. "I'm happy to do it, Ominis. I'd do most anything for you."

He smiled again, his cheeks flushing before he sobered.

"There's a few things you need to know," he said, quietly. "My family expect reverence. They demand it, though Merlin knows they don't deserve it. I hate to ask you to do this but... well. It would be safest if you treated them like royalty. Safest for us both, but for you in particular. My brothers tend to be more violent, but my parents can, and will, hold a grudge for decades if necessary, waiting for the right moment to exact whatever horrific revenge they feel they are owed."