Acceptance: Hogwarts Legacy Continued

Chapter 44: MC- running on fumes

She stared at him, waiting silently for him to say something- anything! She had told him everything; all the things he didn't know about Isadora, everything with the battle with Ranrok and the promise she had made to the keepers. He already knew a lot of what happened, so she felt it was safe to fill in the gaps. She had also told him about all the research she had done on curses, her thoughts on helping Anne, all her ideas and concerns- hopes and fears. Through it all he had just sat and listened, nodding his head at times, but mostly just sitting still. She knew it was a lot to take in.

Diana thought that she would have felt more conflicted about telling him everything, but that wasn't the case. As soon as she started confiding in him she felt a huge weight lifted off of her. She trusted him fully, knowing he wouldn't judge her for the things she had seen and gone through. It felt like maybe she had wanted to tell him everything for a long time.

What worried her now though was her plans and research for Anne. She was afraid that her focus would make him feel like she was turning into Sebastian from last year. She didn't want him to go back to that place of hurt or feel that she would get lost in her efforts like his friend had. To be honest though, Diana had also felt that worry about herself. In the late hours that she studied in the room of requirements about curses she was often reminded about her time last year with Sebastian. It scared her because she was now experiencing first hand how easily the passion could drive anyone to... madness.

She had tried to test out her ideas on removing curses by cursing inanimate objects and trying to use her power to remove them. She hadn't had any luck with that, so she had decided to move onto plants. Unfortunately most of the plants that she had experimented on couldn't withstand any amount of curse and died before she could try to save them. Not even a mandrake could withstand. She was starting to get frustrated, and after one long night of a string of failed attempts she thought it may be easier to curse herself and attempt to take it out. As wild of an idea as it was, she had really stopped and considered it. She knew that she could withstand a curse, and could even replicate it if it worked.

Her sleep deprived mind was running on the fumes of dedication and it refused any logic on the subject. She had decided to go forward with it, and it was at the last moment, before she was about to let a curse bounce off the walls and to herself that Deek had popped into the room. His sudden presence sent her falling back, and with no energy left to stop herself, she smashed her head on the stone floors and passed out. It wasn't until some time later that she awoke to Deek taking care of her in a small alcove of the room with a newly created bed and table.

With the morning bringing new light she decided she was grateful for the intervention. Not only was her idea incredibly dangerous, it also could have caused a greater hindrance to her research if she was unable to remove the curse- eventually rendering her useless to Anne anyway. She was left stuck again in her endeavors. It was later that Poppy had talked to her; exhausted and absolutely defeated. It felt like ages ago, but barely two hours had passed since she had been with her in the Library.

And now she sat, pulling Ominis' coat more tightly around her as the evening cold descended on them and the sun slipped away. She had explained everything, even her.. lapse in judgment from the previous night. She shivered, feeling like time was moving painfully slow waiting for him to answer. She didn't know how much more she was able to handle when he finally spoke.

"Don't- " his voice caught, the single word sounding hard. It made Diana wince. He paused though, and softened his done; "Please don't ever attempt anything like that on yourself again. I know you want to save Anne... but you cannot value your life and health less than hers."

Tears started falling down her face, catching her off guard. She felt like maybe how tired she was played a big part in her now unstoppable outpouring of emotions. But just to know that the first thing Ominis had to say to everything was that he wanted her to be safe...

She saw him reach over to find her hand, once he did he squeezed it tight, and this sent her into a bout of uncontrollable sobs. She let go of his hand and brought both  of her hands to her face, holding it while she cried. All the pent up emotions of frustration and desperation came out in those tears.

Poppy was right, she did need to talk to someone. Even if her friend couldn't help her, he was there to listen and let her get everything out. The stress of school and her work had been piling up again, and she failed once more to find an outlet other than tears. It was a cathartic experience, although still a bit more vulnerable than she would have chosen.

She tucked her knees up and leaned into them, trying to keep herself close. Then she felt his arm wrap around her shoulder, pulling her into him. She let him, and turned her face to bury it in his chest. His other arm went around her front, and they stayed like that for a long while; Ominis holding her tight, Diana letting her tears flow more easily than she had in years.

After all the tears had emptied out of her, and all that was left were ragged breaths she started to pull away. As she sat back up he dropped his arms, and she felt the cold night around her. She wiped her eyes, feeling them swollen and puffy. She sniffled and tried to find words to say. Before she could really even start to think, he reached over again and placed a hand on her back. He didn't move it, or say anything- but it made her feel safe. She sighed and took a deep breath; this one was not shaky.

She was going to say something, to thank him for caring for her- but he cut her off before she started.

"Do you really think you can pull this off?"

"Theoretically... I just wish I could find a way to... accurately test it before attempting it on Anne. I wouldn't try it if I thought it would make things worse for her."

He hummed in thought, and Diana raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ominis what-"

"What if there was a way we could get a test subject, that no matter what happened on our end, they would end up better than how we found them."

She was floored, and confused; she had no idea what he was talking about. But she felt her heart fill with hope as she saw a smile start to grow on her friend's face.