Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Innocence and Sin 🌶️

The miles melted away as the Lord of the Shore bounded over the land, traversing the rocky outcrops and narrow paths with surprising ease, speeding up as they came to flatter ground. Dracaena whooped as he leapt over a small ravine, holding on to the small ridges just behind his head.

Ominis' arms were around her middle again, and she could feel Sebastian's arms pressing into her back from where they were wound around Ominis, the three of them settling into the rocking motion of the Lord's thundering gallop.

"Isn't this fun!" she called, laughing.

"I must say," Ominis grumbled. "Whilst I prefer a carriage, I suppose one could almost term this enjoyable, if they had a very loose grasp of the definition of the word, and were drunk. And insane. It's far preferable to flying, at any rate."

Dracaena chuckled. "Sebastian? How're you doing back there?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact you know a Graphorn, and we're all riding him," he said. "But... Drac... what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we get back. They're not going to let me just slink off to the dorm like nothing happened!"

She frowned. "True. What if you say you fell asleep somewhere, and were completely oblivious to the whole thing?"

"That won't work," Ominis said. "Weasley saw us leaving, remember? You asked her to stall them."

"Drat," Dracaena muttered. "Alright, well, how about something else? You heard a rumour about Anne coming back to Feldcroft and went there?"

"No," Ominis said. "They think he committed a crime there! We need him as far away from there as possible."

"Maybe Drac's idea's the best," Sebastian said. "Just because you all thought I'd done a runner doesn't mean I necessarily did. I could pretend I fell asleep in the Undercroft."

"I'd rather you didn't mention the Undercroft," Ominis said. "I don't want anyone else to know about it."

"The Room, then," he said. "Surely it'd make me a little soundproof bedroom, right? With a hidden door?"

"Maybe," Dracaena said. "It might just work. Alright, we'll get back to Hogwarts, Sebastian, you take my broom and fly up to the Astronomy Tower, then sneak down to the Room. Ominis and I will go in and pretend to keep searching, then conveniently find you."

"Got it."

They fell silent again as the Lord kept galloping, all of them beginning to shiver slightly as the icy January air nipped through their uniforms. They huddled a little closer to each other, and the Lord gave a low growl, his torso and tentacles glowing slightly as he sped up, a gentle heat rising from his body to warm them all.

They approached Hogwarts at last, the gates rising before them. Just as Dracaena reached for her wand to summon her broom, a shriek echoed across the grounds.

"Ah, shit," Sebastian said.

Professor Weasley was charging towards them, followed by Professor Sharp, Professor Black, and two unfamiliar wizards, dressed in navy blue Ministry robes.

"So much for our plan," Ominis murmured. "Dracaena? What now?"

"I suppose we're going to have to wing it," she said, as the Lord slowed to a steady walk, passing under the portcullis.

"What if they ask something we don't want to tell them?" Sebastian whispered, as the professors neared them.

"Then I suggest we use this advanced new technique called lying," Ominis remarked.