Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

The Half-Blood

By the time Dracaena arrived back at Hogwarts, the carriage touching down just outside the gates amid gloomy skies, she'd calmed considerably. Through the first hour of her journey, she'd teetered on the edge of a panic attack, failing to process what her mother had told her. But as time went on, the clear skies growing steadily greyer, she'd taken several deep breaths, letting the information sink in.

She'd had enough wits left about her to pen a short note to Gran, apologising for her leaving without saying goodbye and promising to visit for the Easter holidays with Sebastian and Ominis, holding the note out the carriage window as a post owl took several attempts to catch it in its beak before bearing it away.

Her father had been a student at Hogwarts. He had gone to school here, in this very castle, where no muggle ever studied. Hell, no muggle had ever even heard of Hogwarts unless they had a witch or wizard in the family, and neither her mother nor Gran knew that she was magical.

She stepped out into the cool, crisp air, drawing a slow breath.

Her father was a wizard. She was half-blood.

A slow smile spread over her face. All these years of searching, and she'd been looking in the wrong places. Of course muggle directories wouldn't have any information on him, he wasn't a muggle! He was a wizard! She laughed aloud as she sprinted for the castle, startling Leander as he tried to mount a broom, causing him to tumble off it and land in an ungainly heap, his arse in the air. Laughing harder, she sped on, ignoring his swearing.

Merlin, she could look for her father here! Surely Hogwarts library would have some kind of directory that she could look through, perhaps an old stock of yearbooks? She laughed again as she pelted through the castle, charging towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower. She slowed a moment, wondering if she should speak with Fig first, to tell him what she'd learned.

No, that could wait, she'd tell him soon enough. She needed her partners to know first. She crossed her fingers, hoping they'd be in the Room, though there were few other places they'd be.

Dracaena clattered inside, out of breath and beaming, finding Sebastian gazing at his blackboards, Ominis murmuring to his quill as he perched on the sofa. Both of them turned to her instantly, startled by her sudden appearance.

"Drac!" Sebastian's grin split his face as he bounded over, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I didn't expect you'd be back so soon!"

"Me either," Ominis said, waiting for Sebastian to step back before he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You seem happy, dove. Did it really go that well?"

"Huh?" she blinked.

"Your mum," Sebastian said. "You sorted everything out?"

"What?" she laughed and shook her head. "No, she's still as much of a raging bitch as she always has been, waffling on about me slouching and dressing like crap, demanding I go and live with her and get married to some baron or another once I've finished school..."

Sebastian and Ominis stiffened, then jumped forward, wrapping their arms around her possessively.

"Oh, sod off, I'm not going to," she laughed. "No, you're not going to believe what she let slip!"

"Something about Valentine?" Ominis asked.

"No, he's gone, Gran said," she said, and giggled as the men shared a relieved look.

"Tell us then," Sebastian said, grinning a bit himself. "What's got you so happy?"

Dracaena took their hands, stepping back a pace and beaming all over her face.