Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

An Old Friend

Dracaena held tight to Ominis, whispering soft reassurances to him that she barely registered, her heart pounding with dread as she peered into the dark trees, her head swivelling, straining her eyes for the slightest sign of Sebastian, trying desperately not to think of what it meant now that the Gaunts knew their youngest son was an animagus.

It couldn't be the end of their plans. It couldn't be that their one trump card had now been shredded. There had to be something she could do to prevent the Gaunts telling the Ministry, something she could do to circumvent the hellfire that would rain down on their heads once they figured out that if Ominis was an animagus, that she and Sebastian were as well.

She couldn't imagine the trouble they'd be in. Azkaban was a certainty, they'd all be expelled, their wands snapped, and her Bassy would never see the light of day again.

She set her jaw, running her hand over Ominis' hair as he whimpered softly, clinging to her, his face between her breasts. She wouldn't allow it. No matter what, her partners wouldn't suffer for her choices. She'd do whatever it took to keep them safe, even if that meant leaving Hogwarts and going on the run.

But she couldn't think about that now. Right now, she had to save Sebastian, she had to convince Ominis to leave this little protective circle and...

She tilted her head as a light rustling came to them. It was too low to the ground to be Dementors, too light and quick to be people. Her heart leapt, and she scrambled to her knees as Ominis held on to her with a low whine of protest, staring into the dark.

"Sebastian!" she gasped, as a fox appeared from under a bush, a bundle of raggedy pages held between his teeth. His muzzle was low to the ground, snuffling frantically, and he paused at the edge of the perimeter, looking around with wide, frightened eyes. With a frantic laugh, Dracaena reached beyond the barrier and grabbed him by the scruff, yanking him over the line and wrapping him in a tight hug.

He yelped in alarm as she snared him, the pages falling to the ground, his paws flailing as she buried her face in his fur.

"Where have you been?" she gasped as he gave a joyful yip and licked her face. "Bassy, I was so worried!"

"Drac! You're alright!" He turned back to himself and kissed her fiercely. Dracaena laughed again as she lost her grip and he fell out of her arms, landing on Ominis, who hissed and slapped the back of his head before grabbing him in a tight hug.

"You absolute twat!" Ominis said, as Sebastian spluttered, scrabbling at the wiry arms around his neck. "Don't you ever leave us like that again! It's been hours!"

"Not that long," Sebastian protested, freeing himself by way of jabbing Ominis in the ribs. He sat up, gazing at them both. "Sorry it took a while, I had to be careful. There's Ashwinders all over the place."

Dracaena's smile faded. "How many?"

"Not sure. Loads. They're searching the woods for us. We need to get out of here, now."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Ominis said. "If we're caught..."

"Animals," Sebastian said.

"But Bassy, the Gaunts know Ominis is a snake," Dracaena said, and Sebastian went very still, his face paling. "If he's seen..."

"Then... then we'll have to be extra careful," Sebastian managed. "We'll be okay... I'm sure of it."

"Sebastian..."

He gave her a frightened smile, clearly trying to summon his usual cheer, picking up the pages. "It's not all bad, you two. I think I got what we were looking for."