Chapter Twenty-One: The Abyss That Seems Random But Is Not Random At All

Erin awoke one morning feeling confused and disorientated and unsure why she was awake. Then she felt a sharp pain in her ear and knew that was what had woken her up.

"Ouch!" she cried, sitting up in bed. Sapphira fell onto her lap, casting her eyes down sheepishly. "What was that for?" Erin hissed angrily, swiping at Sapphira. The bird ducked.

Erin slumped back under her covers. She supposed Sapphira had been feeling lonely and neglected lately, and Erin could understand why. Between her classes, schoolwork, and new friends, Erin hadn't had time to even think lately.

She and Sapphira had never parted for such a long period of time before. They had been together, inseparable, for years. At first, the adjustment had been quite hard on both Erin and her loyal friend; having to leave Sapphira back in the dormitory rather than bring her to class seemed like the most difficult task she would have to manage. Now, however, she had gotten quite used to Sapphira not being around. Erin squirmed guiltily.

Now that Sapphira had woken her up, however, she couldn't fall back asleep. Erin looked outside, sighing; it was only dawn. She threw back the covers and noticed how cold it had become in the dormitory. Her feet were already turning a pale blue. "Next it'll start snowing in here," she muttered, rummaging through the bottom layers of her trunk to find a pair of wool socks she prayed she had been smart enough to buy back at Diagon Alley. Her finger brushed against something cold and hard, and she reached in, withdrawing a silver key.

Erin had all but forgotten the small key Marigold Ollivander had given to her in Diagon Alley. She peered at it closely. Somehow, it felt important. Knowing that it would get lost in the mess already forming in her trunk, she ripped off a string hanging off one of her frayed shirts and slung it through the key. She hung it around her neck and let it hang by her chest. It felt nice there.

The other girls eventually awoke a little while later, Charlie included, ("You call those socks?" she snorted, pointing at the wooly mammoths on Erin's feet.) so Erin left to go find Nick and Albus for breakfast.

They were already at the Great Hall when Erin arrived. "Cool necklace," Albus commented when Erin sat down beside them. "Isn't it, Nick?"

Nick, who was busy writing a letter, didn't look up but merely grunted.

There was a fire crackling at the stone grate. A beautiful woman sat in red chair before it, weaving a long, patched blanket. The girl was silent and watching the woman's hand move, extraordinarily fast, with wide eyes.

The door opened suddenly, bringing in a gust of cold into the warm room. Two men entered, one taller than the other; both had the same black hair and gold eyes.

"Bella," the taller one said, coming over to kiss the beautiful woman on the forehead. The other man, more of a boy than a man, hung his coat to dry on a chair and shook the snow out his hair. He came to sit beside the girl by the fire.

"Happy birthday, Bella dear," the girl's father murmured. "I got you something."

The woman put down her half woven blanket and smiled. "What is it?"

He pulled out from beneath his cloak a small bundle. Inside was a necklace with five blue beads. It was dazzling.

"How charming!" the girl's mother exclaimed, slipping the necklace over her neck where it shone against her creamy white chest. "Wear that, and I'll know you're safe," her father said. "Press it to your lips, and I'll know something's wrong. I'll be there immediately."

The girl, observing all this, reached out a hand eagerly to touch the pretty beads. Her brother beside her pulled her hand back. "Don't," he warned. The girl frowned.

The beautiful woman turned to the girl. "Erin, how do you like Father's present?"

The girl shrugged.

Albus scanned the schedule. "Ugh, double Potions with the Slytherins later…" he muttered. Then he pointed at the date. "Hey Nick… isn't it your birthday?"

Nick finally looked up. "Er yeah, I suppose it is," he admitted reluctantly. Albus clapped his hands. "Happy birthday!" he cried. "Why didn't you say something?"

Nick gave a noncommittal shrug, and Erin said, "Happy birthday, Nick." Then she grinned. "Don't worry, I hate birthdays too."

"When's yours, then?" Albus asked. "Mine's not until May."

"February thirteenth."

"Isn't that the day before Valentine's Day?" Albus asked. Erin groaned. "Don't remind me. Worst birthday date ever."

"Hey," Nick said, grinning now, "it could've been worse, couldn't it? You could have been born a day later."

"That would have been so cool," Scarlet, who had apparently been eavesdropping, gushed beside them, "I wish I was born on Valentine's Day. That's so romantic."

"You make me sick," Erin muttered under her breath. Nick and Albus laughed.

The last class of the day was Potions. None of them were too eager to have a double lesson with the Slytherins. Professor Prince's throaty voice issued directions from behind a faze of purple smoke, unaware of the hushed insults the Slytherins were throwing their way.

"Just ignore them," Erin whispered to Evan as Charlie did a very believable imitation of Evan's slackened, bewildered expression when he was called on in class. "Just ignore them," Mulciber mimicked her in a high-pitched tone. They snickered. Erin noticed Scorpious had stopped laughing.

"Professor Prince?" came a boy's voice from the doorway. It was Jace Moon. "Professor Dippet requests to speak with Erin Lyths and Nicholas Grindelwald in his office immediately."

"Very well then," Professor Prince said, nodding at them to leave.

Erin wondered if Dippet was checking up on her again and planning to ask her some further questions about her family. But then why was Nick called as well?

Behind her she could the Slytherins snickering. "Looks like they found out who killed the Auror!" Erin heard one of the girls chortle.

Erin led the way to Dippet's office. "What do you reckon?" Nick said, clearly nervous. The gargoyles sprung apart for them, providing an entrance that lead to the spiral staircase.

"I wasn't in trouble last time when I was called," Erin said slowly as they ascended. "I don't think we've done anything wrong. Or at least, I haven't."

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something in Nick's pocket move. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's nothing…."

But she pulled it out anyway. "Ha!" she cried, holding his multi-colored stone triumphantly in her hand. "You carry it around with you?"

"No," Nick retorted, grabbing his stone back. 'It must have snuck into my pocket…. Viktor doesn't like being alone…."

"Oh, so you named it?" Erin grinned ever more amused. "And I thought names were stupid?"

"I only named it because you guys- oops!" Nick cried, tripping over the step. He dropped Viktor onto the step directly before him.

Almost immediately, there was a loud grinding noise, and the step, which Viktor had fallen upon, opened into a large, black crevasse. Erin and Nick stared at each other open mouthed for a split second. Then they ran back the way they had come from.

"Viktor!" Nick cried, stumbling down the steps and looking back over his shoulder longingly.

"No time for that!" Erin called, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure they'd make it down the stairs in time. Sure enough, the crevasse began to widen faster, until it was close behind them… biting at Nick's heels… his foot slipped into it….

"NO!" Erin shouted, wrenching Nick towards her. But the pull of the black crevasse was too great. Erin toppled over Nick and together the two of them spiraled downwards toward the darkness….

And then, with a sudden bout of energy, Erin whipped her wand out of her pocket. She felt it grow it searing hot in her hands and then hot beneath her feet. A chorus of flames suddenly erupted, propelling Erin and Nick out of the crevasse and onto the bottom landing where the crevasse did not reach as it was rampaging what remained of the stairs.

Nick's head smacked onto the hard tiles, and he groaned, his eyes fluttering. Erin leaned over him. "Happy birthday, Nick."