Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Interrogation

Once Sebastian had downed the Veritaserum-infused water, glancing at them both somewhat nervously, Ominis smirked slightly from where he reclined on the sofa.

"If I might give you a hint, where possible, try to interpret any questions in a different manner to what they're intended. It'll help you lie, though do be careful not to be too obvious about it."

"Thanks," Sebastian said, with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Dracaena faced him.

"Alright, Bassy," she said. "What do you think is Ominis' worst habit?"

"Dracaena!" Ominis threw a cushion at her, and it sailed uncomfortably close to her nose. "That's not fair, don't pick on me again!"

Sebastian laughed. "You think he's all prim and proper, but if he eats cabbage, he farts like a hog in his sleep."

"I do NOT!" Ominis yelped, hurling another cushion, going scarlet. "How dare you!?"

"Everyone does it," Dracaena shrugged, as he covered his face and curled in a ball with a groan. "You should hear me after Gran's spinach roulade, I sound like I ate a brass band."

Sebastian howled with laughter. "As if I couldn't love you more! You're always so funny! You're not all stuck up and pretending like you're not human like half the idiots here."

She chuckled. "Thank you, I think. Ominis, your turn."

Ominis glowered in their direction, his face still bright red. "Bearing in mind that you're trying to lie, Sallow, tell us what you really think about Anne. And I don't mean the twee bull about her being your twin. Your true thoughts. Right now."

Dracaena frowned. "Ominis, that's not-"

"I miss her," Sebastian said. "I miss who she was, I miss the fun we all had. I miss the idea of what she could have been. I know there's no hope for a cure now, and that's horrible. But I don't like what she's turned into." The corners of his mouth turned down. "I don't like how she hates me. I want to change that. I only ever wanted to help her. I know I made mistakes, and I feel awful about it all, but I really only wanted her better. I'd give anything."

"It's okay," Dracaena said, taking his hands. "Bassy, it'll be alright."

He sighed. "I know you're only saying that to make me feel better," he said, softly. "And I appreciate it, Drac. I really do. But I hate how she was always the favourite, and I hate that I feel that way. But I can't help it. I just want everyone to stop pretending it's okay when it's not."

She shot a glower in Ominis' direction, her glare softening when she saw him shift guiltily on the sofa. "We'll do that, darling. Moving on, though, we only have an hour." She grimaced, hating herself for what she was about to ask. "I'm sorry, Bassy, but we agreed everything's on the table. What's the worst thing Solomon ever did? Try to lie."

Sebastian seemed to fold in on himself. "All of it was horrible," he said. "It's hard to pick something specific."

"That's good, stick to generalisations," Dracaena encouraged him, squeezing his hands. "Keep going."

He grimaced, shaking his head. "He always told me I was just like my dad, but he said it like my dad was a bad person, and that meant I was too." His brow creased. "I loved my dad. I miss him every day, and I miss my mum too. Solomon said it because he knew it would hurt. I don't know why he wanted to hurt me so much. The worst thing he ever did was try and hurt me because he knew it would, and he did it all the time."

Dracaena pulled him into a tight hug. "Try to lie, my love," she murmured. "Let's do something smaller. When you stole something from Honeydukes, what was it?"