Legacy Disowned - Book 1

Chapter 28 - Farewells

The flickering light of the candles seemed to dance on the black drapery that adorned the Great Hall, casting eerie shadows that lent themselves to the sombre atmosphere. Sebastian's gaze swept across his fellow students, dressed in black, their faces downcast as they listened to Professor Black do his rather unfortunate best to eulogise their fallen Professor.

"Professor Eleazar Fig. I daresay he was a beloved professor to many of you. Certainly...a long-standing colleague to his peers," Black intoned as if struggling to find anything at all to say. Sebastian silently wondered if the man was even capable of genuine human emotion.

As Black continued to desperately try and pull generic words out of the air, Sebastian glanced across the table at Darling. She looked heavy with grief but, somehow not a single tear had marred her face. Imelda sat solemnly on her right side while Richard Jackdaw's ghost hovered on her left.

"Charging into the unknown," Black continued, fumbling for words before seeming to catch a wave of tactless thought. "Brazenly disregarding both discretion and safety. Providing, perhaps, a rather unfortunate lesson for us all..."

At this, Darling let out a sharp breath and buried her face in her hands, shaking silently. Sebastian felt a pang of sympathy as Imelda gently patted her on the back. Meanwhile, Jackdaw glanced at her sideways, smirking. To Sebastian's surprise, it looked like he was trying not to laugh.

He couldn't make sense of this, could the dead no longer fully comprehend the concept of grief or was it some kind of odd coping mechanism?

Just as Black stumbled over pronouncing Fig's wife's name, Professor Weasley approached the podium, offering the Headmaster a reprieve from his disastrous eulogy. Black stepped aside with an almost palpable sense of relief.

"Professor Fig represented the best in all of us," Professor Weasley said, her voice steady and strong. "He could be deviously clever, possessed a brilliantly inquisitive mind, and was the most loyal of friends." She paused to look around the room, making eye contact with many of the students who had known and respected the late professor. "But perhaps it was his remarkable courage for which we will all be forever indebted to him. If not for Professor Fig... Well, I can say with confidence that if not for him, many of us...let alone Hogwarts...would not be here today."

Sebastian watched as Weasley's eyes met Darling's for a brief moment, and he knew she was speaking directly to her. Darling suddenly clapped her hands to her face, the gesture sent an uncomfortable current of recognition through him. She had done the same thing on that day...

"Those who knew him best will agree that we must now honour him as only Hogwarts can...by wisely, resourcefully, justly, and bravely facing all that lies ahead." As she finished, Professor Black stepped forward, nodding and raising his glass. "Ahem. To Professor Fig." The teachers and students all stood, glasses raised, and drank to the memory of their fallen mentor.

It all felt so grand and moving. As the great hall slowly began to empty, Sebastian found himself lingering behind, lost in thoughts of his uncle. He imagined the lonely grave beside the cottage, with only Anne and Ominis to bury him, along with the horrible truth that went with him into the ground.

The fresh weight of guilt settled upon him, making it difficult to breathe. He envisioned once again; the flash of green light, his uncle's limp lifeless body hitting the ground with a dull thud, and Anne's face contorted in rage and devastation. It had been so long since they last spoke; would she ever forgive him?

"Sebastian?" Darling's voice stirred him from his reverie, her gaze filled with gentle concern, and he realised they were almost alone in the now-empty hall. It was just the two of them left at the Slytherin table. He felt awkward, remembering Weasley's advice not to press her too much, but he had to say something.