Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

She'gran'igans

Over the next two days, Ominis was exceptionally quiet, his withdrawn presence worrying both Dracaena and Sebastian greatly, for neither could draw him out of his deep melancholy, no matter what they tried. He was slow to respond when they spoke to him, turning after a moment or two of silence with a confused look, as if he'd been somewhere else. His attempts to bat Sebastian away when he messed up his hair was half-hearted and sluggish, and he barely even twitched when Dracaena cuddled up to him, kissing the tender spot on his neck just below his ear, something she knew that under normal circumstances would transform him from a distinguished gentleman into a feral beast in an instant.

Even Gran noticed his subdued nature, and she pulled Dracaena to one side after lunch.

"Is everything alright with Ominis?" she asked, pushing a few dirty plates into her hands as they stood at the sink. "He's awfully quiet."

Dracaena hesitated as she rinsed the dishes under the tap. How could she explain to her muggle grandmother that they'd accidentally enabled Ominis to experience sight for the briefest of moments through magic, and that the unintentional crossing of a clear boundary had upset him beyond measure? There was no way she could without revealing anything about their magical lives.

"He's alright," Dracaena hedged. "I think it's just the fact that the exams are coming up. None of us feel ready, I think it's just getting to him."

"Oh, bless him," Gran said. "He always seemed so tough. Don't you worry, darling, I'll take care of it."

And take care of it she did. Perhaps it was just her motherly nature, or perhaps it was her own brand of muggle magic, but Gran focused an extra dose of subtle love and care on Ominis in such a masterful way that Dracaena made a point to stop and take note of what she was doing. Gran never made it obvious, but there was always an extra squeeze to Ominis' shoulder, a slightly larger helping of pudding, and a hug before bed that lasted a second longer than normal. Whatever it was that Gran did, it helped, and Ominis came back to them, waking with a soft smile on Easter Sunday.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dracaena asked gently, perched on his bed, her arm around his shoulders.

"I don't think I could," Ominis said, equally softly, as Sebastian snored, snuggled up with Bear-Bear in the middle of the room. "I can't make sense of it, dove. It's just... something that happened. I don't plan to do it again."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have realised you using the spell would have let you see what I saw. I know you didn't want to."

Ominis gave a single shouldered shrug. "It happened," he said again. "There's no taking it back. Honestly, if that's what seeing is like, then I can't say I feel like I'm missing much. It's all rather confusing. If one was to look on the bright side, at least it happened here, with people I love and trust, instead of against an enemy."

Dracaena managed a smile. "So long as you're alright, that's all I care about."

Ominis chuckled softly. "Of course I am, you're here," he tilted his head, then raised his hand to her cheek, turning her face to his and catching her lips in a tender kiss. "I imagine we should head downstairs, dove. I expect Nana has some plans for us."

"We've time," Dracaena whispered, kissing him back softly. A soft sigh left him as he leaned back, and she followed, pressing him back to the pillows, his hands rising to slide around her back. "Unless Gran starts hollering, we've time."

"But... what about..." Ominis managed, the rest of his sentence cut off as she kissed him again, and he groaned softly. "Merlin, Dracaena... we... no, we shouldn't."