The Prophesy of S

Chapter 27

"I should get going, now," said Father. "I'll come and see you in the morning."

"Are you going to continue to sit by my bedside all day and every day?" I teased. "Seems a little boring to me."

He chuckled. "Why would being around my daughter be boring? I'm sure you'll keep me entertained by talking more about what you did this year. At least parts that's about school."

"I suppose."

"Okay. Well, goodnight then, honey." He kissed the top of my head and walked out of the Hospital wing.

I sat back against the pillow of my bed with a loud sigh. Today sure was an emotional day. I would've thought I'd be used to seeing death by now, but it seems not. I could still see Professor Fig moments before the rocks crushed him. At the time, I couldn't focus on what happened, and only focus on stopping Ranrok and not dying myself. And upon waking, being told that he died, I was able to think about it. It was shocking to hear, of course, but I just accepted it. What was the point in crying and feeling miserable? It wouldn't bring him back. It wouldn't bring anyone back. I would miss him very much as he was more than my mentor—he was a friend, but I had to accept his death and move on from it. That's what I thought until his wake. When Professor Weasley gave her speech, my heart ached, and before I knew it, tears were running down my face. It was another innocent life lost.

Sliding down under the covers to lie down, I turned to my left side. I tucked my hand between my cheek and pillow, feeling my chest become heavier with every breath, mind circling through the memories of Professor Fig.

It wasn't long until I felt a hand on my shoulder, followed by a voice. "Hey." I turned back to see Sebastian standing there with damp hair from his bath. He didn't have his shirt on, so I could clearly see the burn on his arm that was no longer wrapped up. As much as Nurse Blainey could do to heal it, like she said, it would leave a scar. It wasn't as red and blistery as the last time I saw it, but there was still a contrast between the scar and his skin. I took on a dull pink and leathery texture. It made me upset looking at it.

He smiled at me in greeting, but it faded when I only gave a blank look. "Feeling alright?"

I blinked and rolled onto my back. "Processing, I suppose. Didn't have much time to really do so since I woke up. It...doesn't seem like all that went on below Hogwarts actually happened."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Hmm. Yeah, I know what you mean." He sat at the edge of the bed.

I shook my head slowly. "I don't know what to do now. The repository is now my responsibility. The Keepers are trusting me to keep it safe and a secret. Well, I guess it's not much of a secret to the professors. I hope they're not disappointed in me for already breaking one of the rules."

"Well, they can't feel that way towards you. It'll be hypocritical of them when they were fine with you telling me and Fig. And to be honest, they can't expect you to shoulder everything by yourself. If the professors know, they can help, too. It's not like you'll be at Hogwarts forever."

The corner of my lip twitched. "Professor Fig said the same thing. He thought he should have trusted the others with what we'd discovered earlier in the year. Perhaps things could've turned out different."

"It's useless thinking about 'what ifs'. We're stuck with what we have."

"Hmm."

"By the way, what was it that your father needed after I left?"

I sighed. "He...wants me to come home."

His eyebrows frowned. "Home? But we're only in the middle of the school year. He wants to pull you out now? After wishing so much to be here?"