Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Melody

Giggling to themselves, the trio flew down from the Room of Requirement, each of them under a disillusionment, removing it only when they were well on the way to Hogsmeade. Ominis kept himself disillusioned until they were buried in the crowd of villagers outside Spintwitches, pulling up the hood of his cloak until they were safely inside the Three Broomsticks. Approaching the counter, Sirona cast a critical eye over them, a brow raised.

"I've been told explicitly by the Headmaster that should a certain Gaunt come to Hogsmeade this term, I'm to inform him immediately," she said, gravely.

"Please don't," Dracaena said, in a rush. "It's not fair that he's been banned!" she hastened to explain how Ominis had defended her against Prewett's barbs, and Sirona nodded, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, I shan't say that's not a good reason for violence," she said, pouring three tankards of butterbeer for them. "Tell you what. I'll pretend I didn't see you if you promise me you won't get into any more trouble."

"Agreed," Ominis said, with no small relief. "Thank you, Sirona, I appreciate your discretion."

"It's not like I didn't break a few rules when I was a student," she chuckled. "Away with you now."

They hastened to their usual table at the back of the pub, Dracaena sitting herself between Sebastian and Ominis and grasping their hands.

"Here's to victory," Sebastian said, raising his tankard. "May there be many more to come."

"Quite," Ominis said, clinking his tankard against his. "Though I have my doubts that this is the end of our troubles. We still need to learn more about Fotheringham."

"We do," Dracaena said, closing her eyes as she sipped her butterbeer. "I don't really know where to start. We've combed the Restricted Section from top to bottom, and we've only come out with seven books that mention him as an editor."

"Plus the Room didn't give us anything," Sebastian groused. "Maybe we just didn't ask it the right question?"

"Maybe," Dracaena said, slowly, skating a finger around the rim of her tankard, staring at the grainy wood of the table, the raised ridges of the rough, dark wood turned peach in the firelight. "I don't think it's that easy, somehow. I get the feeling that someone has deliberately hidden his works."

"The Ministry?" Ominis said, running a hand over his chin. "We know the Department of Mysteries is looking into him, as well as Nott, though I suspect their reasons for doing so is rather different."

"But what's their reason?" Sebastian said. "The rune book kept hinting at some crazy powerful magic, but Fig said it's not possible."

"And you said someone thinks it is," Dracaena countered. "And that it might be linked to what I can do."

"Maybe that's why the Ashwinders want to get rid of you," Sebastian mused. "If they think you've got something to do with it..."

"If they did, they'd want to capture Dracaena, not kill her," Ominis said, glowering. "Let's not forget that my family are involved somehow. If I was a betting man, I'd wager that whatever it is the Ashwinders, Rathbone and the Department of Mysteries are looking for is one and the same."

"And Nott?" Dracaena asked, her chest tightening. "Your family?"

"The same," Ominis said, darkly. "He asked if Black had learned anything, mentioned Fotheringham, and how my father would be disappointed to know nothing new had been discovered. I think Sebastian's right, and that it's all linked, somehow."

"But that doesn't explain why we can't find anything," Sebastian said, glaring into his tankard. "Unless the Department of Mysteries has taken all his works?"