Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

The First Step

Dracaena stretched as Ominis rose, heading to the bathroom to tell Sebastian that Deek was going to bring them some lunch if he wanted anything specific. She glanced down at her clothes, her trousers and blouse wrinkled and stained with cave grime. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, and decided a bath would be just the ticket. A door appeared in the wall, and she ducked through it, finding a luxurious sunken tub large enough for four people nestled amid black granite, the stone scattered with glittering stars of white. The light was low and comforting, and she tugged off her clothes as the bath filled with steaming water and bubbles.

She sank into it with a sigh, the scalding water soothing away the aches she hadn't realised she'd been carrying. She floated a while, staring up at the ceiling, the veins of sparkling diamond making her feel as though she was floating in the night sky. It would be all too easy to pretend she was, that there was nothing in this world but her, nothing to fear, nothing to fret over.

But there was. There was so much. Her NEWTs seemed almost inconsequential now, what with the return of Harlow and the Ashwinders. It seemed too much of a coincidence that Sebastian had been targeted by a couple who had mysteriously vanished when the Ministry were forced to investigate. A couple that, now she thought about it, had set her skin to prickling, but she had brushed it off as the cold. And then, if they'd infiltrated the Ministry, like they feared... just how far did their operation extend? Surely not that far, if those she thought were Ashwinders had fled from justice.

She could ask Ominis to get information from his family, to find out if Minister Nott had let anything slip to them. She shook her head. Of course she couldn't do that, not unless there was no other choice. She wanted him as far from those gargoyles as she could take him. She shivered, remembering the imposing manor, the Gaunt's casual cruelty towards their youngest son, the malicious glee in Marvolo's eyes as he pawed at her, as he threatened Ominis.

And they'd tortured him again, because of her. No matter how much he tried to brush it off, she could tell how deeply it had affected him. The nervousness to his movements, the almost irrational fear of his sister spying on them. The nightmares he tried so hard to hide. She couldn't let them near him again, she cared too much for him to let that happen.

She smiled, softly, raising a hand to trace over her lips, warm water trickling over her skin. One day, they'd be free to do as they wished, with no fear of any stalking monster lurking in the shadows.

But then... her smile faded. She cared just as much for Sebastian, too. The fear had been visceral when she'd realised he'd gone, rising to almost maddening levels as the Dementors had advanced upon them, threatening to take him away from her again. She shuddered, visualising the immense, cloaked shades, hearing their rattling breath, feeling the intense cold and despair their presence induced. If that was how it felt for him in Azkaban, day after day, all day, every day...

Dracaena sat up, the water rippling around her. She couldn't let them take him again. She couldn't bear the thought of being apart from him. Either of them.

She sighed. She had to do something, and soon. She couldn't keep both of them on her arm, unaware of the other. It was cruel, it was selfish. But she didn't know what else to do. If only Professor Fig was still here, he could tell her. He could show her the right way, guiding her down the path that would lead to the best result for all of them.

She clambered out of the bath, towelling her hair dry and tugging a comb through the unruly waves, finding a fresh set of clothes to struggle into. She dried her eyes, not realising she'd shed yet more tears over her beloved mentor. Time, it seemed, did not heal all wounds.

She headed back out into the main Room, finding Sebastian perched on the sofa, watching as Deek filled the low table with a selection of sandwiches and cakes, a steaming pot of tea taking centre stage. He glanced up as she appeared, giving her a shy smile.