Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Redemption

Dracaena came awake with a clarity that was all too rare for her. In that moment of waking, she knew what had happened. She remembered it all. Trying to pull Ominis away from his family. Their hissed threats. The revelation that somehow, Malicia had seen them loving each other in the Scriptorium. A beautiful memory, now tainted. The curses the Gaunts had fired, the curses she had taken, willingly and gladly for him.

And then the pain. The relentless, unending agony, so much worse than what Sebastian had done to save their lives. No, this pain had been a living fire, burrowing under her flesh and latching on to every nerve she had, searing them mercilessly, lightning coursing through her, a thousand knives shredding her, her blood boiling as her mind shattered and fled, a splinter caught adrift in a maelstrom of torment.

She wasn't hurting now. Indeed, she was almost comfortable. She would be, if it wasn't for the strange heaviness on her chest and stomach. She opened her eyes a crack, glancing down. Her lips pulled out in a smile.

Sebastian and Ominis were slumped over her, the pair of them sound asleep. Sebastian had nuzzled up to her neck, his lashes tickling her collarbone as his steady breath rushed over her breasts, his arm resting on her chest. Ominis had slung an arm over her waist, his head on her hip, his other hand tucked under her ribs. Of course they'd be here. She expected nothing less from them.

She drew a ragged breath.

"If I'd have known this was a sleepover, I'd have worn better pyjamas," she said, her voice rasping.

They jerked awake, launching themselves upright with a harmony of startled gasps. They turned to her, and Sebastian's eyes widened as he drank her in.

"Drac?" he gasped. "You..." he blinked rapidly as Ominis covered his mouth. "You're okay."

"I suppose that's a manner of some speculation," she mused. Her throat was dry, and she swallowed. "But, yeah, I guess I-"

He was on her in a flash, his hands cupping her face firmly as he kissed her with all the passion of a wildfire.

Dracaena froze, her eyes sliding to Ominis, sitting right there beside her, his expression carefully neutral, his hand sliding out of hers as Sebastian pulled back, brushing a gentle hand over her limp hair as her heart made a frantic bid for freedom from her chest.

"I... oh god," she managed.

"Yes?" Ominis said, a wry smirk creeping over his lips. He leaned in himself as Sebastian sat back with a chuckle, tucking a hand behind her head and gracing her with a gentle kiss, the cool river soothing Sebastian's fire.

"You've been keeping secrets, dove," he murmured, withdrawing and taking her hand again.

"I..." she stared between them, her heart jolting. "You... I... what?"

Sebastian chuckled again, passing her a glass of water. She drew her knees to her chest, her heart still making a furious attempt to escape from her ribcage, and busied herself with it, soothing her tattered throat.

Sebastian kept giggling to himself, shaking his head and throwing coy glances at her as Ominis settled back in his chair, his fingers lacing with hers.

"I'm glad you're alright," Ominis said, his voice soft. "I was expecting you to be somewhat insane after what happened." He squeezed her hand. "Don't you dare ever put yourself in danger for me again."

"How'd you know I'm not mad?" she managed. They'd kissed her. Both of them. In front of each other. And somehow they were still alive. She must have lost at least a few marbles, and she cringed away, just waiting for the explosion, the fury, the anger, the pain she'd caused them to come flooding out, because she'd been too much of a coward to say anything, too afraid for losing either of them to push for the conversation that needed to happen.