Hogwarts Legacy: The Price of Power

Normality 🌶️

Dracaena, Ominis and Sebastian slept a solid twelve hours once they reached the Room of Requirement, each of them fatigued beyond measure as they curled up in each other's arms in their shared bed. Indeed, they were so tired that Ominis didn't even protest when Sebastian snuggled into him as Dracaena slipped out to visit the lavatory, wedging herself back between their tangled arms when she returned with a wide grin. They stumbled out of bed the following day, none of them willing to even think about what they had been through, let alone talk about it, preferring to lounge around in their pyjamas, served copious amounts of tea and delectable breakfast foods by the ever-smiling Deek as they draped themselves over various bits of furniture.

It turned out they still had a couple of days before the weekend, Fotheringham's words ringing true that hardly any time at all had passed. They truly had only spent a few hours in that cave as opposed to the days it had felt like, but Dracaena couldn't stir herself to revise for their upcoming final term, and the NEWT examinations that would come at the end of it.

Instead, she found herself going over the previous evening in her mind, revisiting her conversation with Fotheringham over and over. She examined every detail of their talk, trying to find some word, some expression, some tone, perhaps, that might indicate deception or deceit. She couldn't find it. Everything he had said to her was true, it seemed, about her powers, about the Source, about their shared past, or lack thereof.

But something still niggled at her. Something was missing, something didn't sit quite right. She reclined on the sofa, Sebastian lying on top of her, his head on her chest, frowning as she went over it again and again, but no matter how many times she poured over it all, no matter which way she looked, she couldn't puzzle it out.

Ominis seemed quite content to leave such matters behind them, pointedly taking a long bath the moment he woke, then curling up beside her with a novel, his wand tracing over the pages and quite determinedly ignoring the pile of textbooks waiting on a nearby table. He absently wound a hand through her hair, teasing out the tangles with a deftness any comb would be envious of, keeping a deliberate silence, as Sebastian did.

She worried for him. Dracaena raised her head slightly, peering at her sweet, freckled heathen as he dozed, his warm breath rushing over her breasts, her hand in his hair, his arms tucked around her waist. He'd hardly said a word since Fotheringham had left them, no matter her gentle probing. It concerned her greatly, not knowing what was in his mind. His last chance at bringing Anne back to him had been dashed, and while a part of her hoped that he hadn't pinned all his hopes on the Source being his salvation, a wiser part of her knew something within him had shattered beyond repair. He would either accept his twin was gone for good, or he would not. Either choice had dire consequences, for she did not know if he had the strength to move past this loss.

So be it. If he didn't have the strength, he could have hers. She'd be there for him, no matter the cost.

The last days of their Easter Holiday passed in a fog of diminishing exhaustion, conversation growing between them like a fresh blossom as their fatigue eased, teased towards warm sunlight and fresh, sweet air until it almost resembled their casual banter of the beginning of the year, though both she and Ominis determined to never leave Sebastian alone for any longer than it took him to shower or shit. No new marks appeared on his arms, and though he avoided speaking of Anne and the Source as if the topics would burn him, he seemed almost back to normal.

As the weekend arrived, the rest of the student body began to return to the castle in dribs and drabs, and Dracaena insisted that they take more of their meals in the Great Hall, all too aware that they had neglected their friends over the last few months. It was a decision well made, as they got to experience the results of the pranks they had pulled almost first hand.