In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 25 - Gifts (Of Multiple Kinds)

The last day of term, Elizabeth was nervous. Andrew was going to be heading home for the break, and she had this gnawing feeling of panic in her chest that she was holding at bay. It made no sense - she knew he'd be safe, knew he'd come back, knew it was only for two weeks - and yet, the suffocating feeling reared its head whenever she thought of Andrew or Christmas break. It took everything in her not to ask if she could go with him. So it was that she decided to wander up to Professor Fig's old classroom during her free period on Friday - the other thing that was weighing on her.

Everything was just the same as she remembered, stacks of books, rows of desks, all illuminated by sunlight streaming in through the windows. Would the new professor change it all next term? What would become of Professor Fig's belongings? Elizabeth walked through the room, letting her fingers linger on various, familiar items. Slowly, she mounted the stairs as she had so many times last year. When she touched the office door, it swung open with the slight creak of disuse.

Elizabeth stood in the doorway - the office was exactly as she remembered. Not a book out of place. She approached the desk. How could she have failed Professor Fig so badly? Why hadn't she stopped him from helping her at the end? She should have never let him enter that chamber with her at all. Elizabeth sank to the floor and leaned against a wall. As her eyes roved over the room she'd spent so much time in, she thought of everything she and Professor Fig had done together, every time he'd helped her. She never would have made it this far without him, and she had caused his death. She had avoided this room for that reason - she didn't deserve to be here, to mourn him. But this would be her last chance.

As she remembered the cataclysmic events of last year, Elizabeth's fingers refused to be still. She slid Ominis' ring off her finger, fiddling with it while she thought.

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth's head snapped up. For a split second, she saw Professor Fig before her - not ghost, but also not flesh and bone. She gasped, dropping the ring as she scrambled to her feet. He vanished. Elizabeth stared at the spot he had been, or rather, that she had thought he had been. Had she been imagining things? Was this some kind of cruel trick?

"Professor Fig?" she asked tentatively, not sure what to expect.

There was no response. Drawing her wand, she approached. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Elizabeth hesitated. Chances were that she had imagined it. She pocketed her wand and scooped up Ominis' ring from where it had fallen. As she slipped it back onto her finger, the now familiar faint aura of ancient magic caught her eye. She froze, it couldn't have... could it?

Elizabeth once again had tried everything she could think of to get the ring to do something, anything, but to no avail. When her free period was over, she gave up and headed down to lunch. In the Great Hall, Andrew waved to her, and she waved back, but made for the Slytherin table, looking for Ominis. When she found him, she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Ominis?"

He started and turned.

"What's up Ellie?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Ominis nodded, and followed her out into the hall.

"Listen, I think your ring may have done... something," she said, "Just now, I was up in Professor Fig's office, and for a second I... saw him."

Ominis' expression softened.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth said, "Well, mostly sure. He said my name."