Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Reunited

Dracaena woke to darkness, and soft, rapid hissing from the other side of the room. Blinking away the grogginess, she sat up, peering through the gloom, a ray of moonlight illuminating a square in the middle of the floor. Squinting, she could see Ominis huddled under the covers, curled into a tight ball, his hands over his head. Frowning, she carefully peeled off her quilt, shivering a little in the chilly air, resting her feet on the carpet. She rose, just as Ominis sat bolt upright with a tiny gasp.

He turned his head from side to side, his breath soft and sharp in the stillness.

"Ominis?"

He jumped.

"Dracaena? What are you doing awake?"

"I could ask you the same. Are you alright?"

"I..." he cleared his throat. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

She padded over to him, perching on the edge of his bed. "Was it a nightmare?"

He turned his head away. "Was it that obvious? I didn't start shouting, did I? I don't want to wake Nana up as well."

She found his hand in the darkness, his form outlined in silvery moonlight, becoming clearer as her eyes adjusted. "Gran's half-deaf. She wears earmuffs to bed too, you'd need to fire a canon next to her to wake her up, what with all the gin she likes." She brushed her thumb over the back of his hand. "Was it... about your family?"

The corner of his mouth twisted. "Unfortunately. The nightmares... they get worse if I see them. It's nothing to worry about, Dracaena, I promise you. Go back to bed."

"How long do they last?" she asked, softly, not moving.

"It doesn't matter," he said, drawing his knees to his chest. "Really, it's nothing. They're a common occurrence, I'm used to it. They're just not always this bad."

"Is it why you don't sleep much?" she shuffled a little closer, and he sighed, a soft laugh bubbling in his throat.

"You and your persistence. Yes, Dracaena, it's partly why I don't sleep well."

"And the other part?"

He rolled his eyes. "Really, you should go back to bed. It's fine."

She didn't move, and he sighed, squeezing her hand.

"I'm... vulnerable when I sleep," he said, his voice low. "Living at home... it was a favourite pastime of my brothers to sneak up on me when I slept, and... well. It wasn't pleasant, what they would do. I learned very early on to sleep lightly, to wake regularly, to make sure I wasn't about to be attacked. I'd hole up in random parts of the manor, where they weren't likely to find me. Sleeping on a stone floor was quite normal for me. It's a pattern I've not yet managed to break, I'm afraid."

"You're safe here," Dracaena said, her other hand finding his shoulder, gliding down his arm to rest on the mattress beside his hip. He smiled, his hand finding her cheek.

"I know. But a few months here are unfortunately not enough to break the habit of a lifetime."

"No wonder you're always falling asleep all over the place," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

She shifted, tugging at the quilt, sliding her legs under swiftly before Ominis could react. He went very still.

"What in Merlin's name are you-"

"Shh," she said, looping an arm around him and pulling him down to be mattress with her. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head to her chest, holding him tightly. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, ever. You can sleep."