Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

O Father, Where Art Thou?

It seemed as if a lot of things happened to Dracaena all at once. The edges of her vision dimmed, her sight contracting to a narrowed point, the world itself tilting. She staggered, trying to keep her feet, feeling a pressure at her elbow, then her back, as someone or something took hold of her. There was a murmuring too, as if someone was speaking from very far away, or from underwater, the tone strangely urgent. Perhaps she was underwater, as the sunlight playing across the polished floor seeming to ripple as everything swam, drifting in and out of focus.

Another two points of pressure joined the first as the ceiling came into view, her head heavy, falling back. For a moment, she was weightless, four strong bars across her back, then she settled, something soft pillowing her head.

"Dove!"

"Drac!?"

"Talk to us, please!"

She blinked, taking in what seemed to be an extraordinary amount of air. The Room came back into focus, as did the faces of her boyfriends, hovering above her, almost desperate with worry. She blinked again, then tried to smile.

"I'm alright," she whispered, the instant relief on their faces almost drawing a laugh from her, though everything seemed that much sharper, colours much brighter than they should be. "That... Bassy, out of everything you could have said, that was the last thing I was expecting. Good joke, though."

"It's not," he said, summoning the book and flipping to the right page. He shoved it into her hands. "Drac, I wouldn't joke about something like this, not to you."

She peered down at the text as the letters danced over the page. She squinted, forcing them to still, then she sat bolt upright.

He was formerly known as Dracus Hoctina.

"Sebastian..." she managed, as the tightness in her chest began anew. "Have you... did you just find my dad?"

"I think I did," he said, his warm hand on her shoulder. "Drac..."

"But then..." she shook her head, pressing the heel of her hand against her brow. "Then, that man... Fotheringham, the one who threatened us...."

"He was your father," Ominis said, resting his head against hers. "My love, I'm so sorry."

Dracaena stared down at the page, her eyes fixed on the short paragraph.

Dracus Hoctina. Dracus Hoctina. Dracus Hoctina. Dracus Hoctina.

Her father. There was no mistaking it. He was the right age. He was a wizard of extraordinary power. Her mother had named her after him.

Fotheringham was her father.

"I... I don't know what to say," she managed.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian said, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "Do you think he knows?"

"Of course not," Ominis said. "If he did, he'd have said. Wouldn't he?"

"I don't..." Dracaena shook her head, the pages of the book crinkling under her fierce grip. Beside her, Sebastian winced, and eased it out of her hands, smoothing the parchment. "This can't be real. He's such a dick!"

"He left your mother when she was pregnant with you," Ominis said, softly. "I rather think we knew that already, dove."

"He's insanely powerful," Sebastian said. "He can do things we can't explain. Do you think he's got some kind of Ancient Magic too?"

"I don't know," Dracaena said, staring at her hands, still held as though the book was resting in them. "I... no. No, I don't accept this."

"Dove, if he's got your name..."