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Out of Danger, Into Trouble

Ermalene used a charm to hover Andy’s petrified form along in front of them as Lysander hung an arm over each of his daughter’s shoulders. He was too tired to ask too many questions, and Ermalene was too worried about Andy to offer up many answers anyway, so the three of them moved slowly across the grounds of Hogwarts to Hagrid’s cabin in relative, amicable silence. All Ermalene wanted in the world was to hear that Professor Longbottom had a whole vat of mandrake juice at the ready, that Andy would be okay, and that she was welcome to have a nice hot bath in one of Hogwart’s many luxurious prefect’s bathrooms she’d read about in Hogwarts: A History. Her muscles were sore.

But it wasn’t to be for there seemed to be a great commotion happening at Hagrids, which became evident as they came up over the hill by the pumpkin patch from the main gates. At the door stood a stern looking witch with beady eyes and dark green pajama robes, the light spilling from the wide open door of Hagrid’s hut across the grass. Neville was standing a few feet away, too, looking very much as though he wished he’d just gone to bed instead of answering Harry’s knocks on his greenhouse door before.

“Thar yeh are!” Hagrid shouted, coming out of the door and spotting them trudging across the yards. “What in the ruddy ‘ell were yeh thinkin’, runnin’ off in ter danger like that? But -- blimey!” He’d gotten a good look at them, at Andy floating and Lysander barely able to stand up between them. “What’s happened? Lysander? That you??”

The stern witch with the green pajama robes turned to face them. At the same time, another person emerged from the cabin behind Hagrid - it was Louis Weasley, Andy’s father. “My boy!” Louis cried, running across the grass, his voice thick with emotion, “What’s been done to my boy!?”

“He’s petrified,” Lysander said weakly.

“Petrified!” Louis wailed, clutching Andy to his chest, “How did this happen?”

“There was a basilisk,” Ermalene explained. “Well, really, she was a gorgon - a sort of gorgon, anyway. She - she looked him in the eyes.”

Neville squealed, “I think I’ve got some mandrake juice in the freezers -- hang on!” He dashed off into the dark.

“He’s got blood all over him!” Louis sounded panicked.

“She performed the sectumsempra,” Astarte said. “She’s an animangus.”

“An animangus and a gorgon?” The witch in the green robes repeated in disbelief.

“Yer shouldnt’a gone with’em!” cried Hagrid, “Yeh were supposed ter stay with me!”

“But we found my father!” Ermalene shouted, “We saved him. Astarte, Andy and I. Harry and Ron and Hermione were looking back at the cabin, they never would’ve found him there because Astarte had already got him out of the cabin. We happened upon her on the road and then the gorgon came --”

“Young lady,” the witch snapped, “There have not been gorgons about in England in over a thousand --”

“But headmistress,” injected Hagrid, “They have bin! Why -- here comes Harry Potter, he’ll tell yeh all about it, I ‘magine.”

Harry was indeed running across the grounds, several yards ahead of Ron and Hermione, who were following along at a brisk walk. Harry was breathless as he approached, “I thought she might’ve come here --” he panted, clutching his knees as he bent double.

“Come here? Who?” Hagrid asked.

“The gorgon, Medusa!”

“But there -- then there is --?” Headmistress Vector looked as green as her pajama robes.

Ermalene resisted the urge to scream a haughty I-told-you-so.

“She disapparated when we went back with Hermione to finish her off,” he explained between gasping breaths, “We - we tried to - to do her off, and she - she disapparated before we - we could. We were afraid -- the castle --”

Ron and Hermione came up behind him. “Oh good you lot are safe!” Ron exclaimed. “We were worried.”

“I can’t believe this. Not only an unregistered gorgon to deal with, but an unregistered animangus as well! And with such a dangerous form!” Hermione was shaking her head, voice trembling, “I’m going to be positively swamped with paperwork at the Ministry on Monday.”

“She’s - she’s gone?” Astarte asked, “Nobody knows where to? There’s no way to trace her?” Her eyes were wide with fear.

“None,” Harry replied. “The Trace only works on underage, unfortunately. Would make my job a lot easier if we could trace anybody, of course.” He was still doubled over. “Oi. I’m not a young wizard any longer,” he commented to Ron.

Ron shook his head, “None of us are, mate.”

“Well some of you are quite young indeed!” snapped Headmistress Vector, looking at Ermalene and Astarte.

Neville came back then, looking thoroughly disappointed, “I’m sorry, Louis, I don’t seem to have any mandrake juice already made, but I just repotted our eldest while I was up at the green house and he should be ready for juicing within the week.” He frowned, “I’m so sorry.”

Louis hadn’t moved from clutching Andy all this time. He looked up tearfully, “He’ll be okay, though, won’t he?”

“I was once petrified,” Hermione spoke up, “When Lord Voldemort opened the Chamber of Secrets in our second year.”

Louis looked worried still, but seemed to calm down at his Aunt’s words.

“See, it’ll be okay,” Ron said bracingly. “Hermione’s brilliant, didn’t do a lick of damage to her when she was petrified.”

“Ahem!!” Headmistress Vector cleared her throat, calling attention to herself. They all looked at her. “Given the time, I’m going to demand that the children are sent to bed immediately - you’re both welcome to the dormitories in the castle for beds, and we’ll get Mr. Weasley here up to the hospital wing. Lucky, Miss Sanator is back for the semester early and is just upstairs. She’ll be able to help us get Andrew into a bed and help Professor Longbottom in procuring the mandrake juice when the plant is ready for juicing. In the meantime, Mrs. Weasley, Mr’s Weasley, Mr. Potter and --” she looked at Lysander as though she were seeing a ghost, “Mr. - Mr. Scamander, I’ll - I’ll need all of you to my office at once to go over exactly what’s happened tonight.”

“Yes, Professor,” Lysander said weakly.

She turned to Astarte and Ermalene, “The two of you can follow Hagrid to the dormitory for this evening. Hagrid -- could you show these ladies to the Ravenclaw tower, please?”

“Yes o’course headmistress,” Hagrid replied. He turned to the two girls, “C’mon yeh two, let’s get ter the tower. No funny business.”

Ermalene looked at Lysander and hesitated, not wanting to leave the presence of her father, having just found him, but the weariness of her body was eager for the soft bed and blankets that surely would await them in the tower, and she followed Hagrid off towards the castle.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Once Hagrid had shown them to the tower, the girls took turns going just down the hall to take hot showers before returning up to the dormitory. Astarte went second, and when she returned, her hair still wet, Ermalene got up from the cushy bed she’d laid claim to by one of the windows and drew her wand, “Here, let me dry that for you… Arida cappilum.”

Astarte’s hair instantly dried, and not too frizzy, either. “Thanks,” she said appreciatively, “I’ll have to remember that one.”

“It’s come in handy,” Ermalene replied, smiling. “Read it in Teen Witch, in an article called Spells Every Witch Needs to Know to Stay Spellbinding For the Wizards in Her Life.”

Astarte smiled back, and the two of them climbed into beds. The beds were very soft, very big, much bigger than the one Astarte was used to back in the cabin. In fact, despite the years of her mother telling her that they were of royal blood, this night - the first night away from her supposed Queen Mother - was the first time that Astarte felt like she was getting the royal treatment. The beds had sumptuous blue down comforters over them and bronze sheets with woven curtains that hung from the four posters. Each of the girls kept their curtains opened, though, as they laid down, putting their heads on thick pillows like nothing Astarte had ever dreamed of.

Silence fell over the dormitory as they each stared up at the ceiling of their beds.

“Are we really sisters, then?” Astarte asked into the dark. “You said Lysander is your father.”

“Yes,” Ermalene replied. “I’ve seen the family tree. That’s how I knew about Lysander. About you. That’s why we were there to save you. Well, that and your patronus. That was brilliant by the way. It’s a magpie, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Astarte said.

“Mine is a raven,” Ermalene said.

“Cool,” Astarte replied.

Ermalene bit her lip, hesitating, then plucked up the courage and said, “What is Lysander like?”

Astarte answered, “He’a a very good man. Very smart. We used to have long talks while mother was out patrolling the woods. Mother kept him locked in our basement, but he never stopped having hope. And we always talked about how one day we’d get out of there, get to London, have a normal life. He told me that I’d one day go to Hogwarts.” She smiled sadly. “Well, at least he was sort of right about that part of it anyway.”

“If you didn’t go to Hogwarts, where did you go to wizarding school?” Ermalene asked.

Astarte shook her head, though Ermalene couldn’t see her in the dark room. “I didn’t. I learned from books and my mother at home. It’s the same way she was taught and her father before her and his father before that, too.”

“Why?” Ermalene asked.

“My mother always said it was because we were royal blood, related to Salazar Slytherin directly, see. The heirs of Slytherin. She called herself a queen and me and princess, saying I would one day be queen, next time line for the royal title.” Astarte sighed, “I don’t even know if we’re related to Salazar Slytherin at all.”

Ermalene said, “Well, we could check the tapestries in the Hall of Ancestors. It’ll tell you everything. And if nothing else, you are related to Rowena Ravenclaw.”

“Who?”

“One of the other founders of Hogwarts. There was Slytherin and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and Gryffindor,” she explained, “They’re the ones who started the school. When I went to the Hall of Ancestors today myself I saw the tapestry of Ravenclaw and it’s a direct line from Ravenclaw herself to Lysander and therefore to us. Both of us.”

Astarte said, “Wow.”

Ermalene nodded.

“We should go to the Hall together,” Astarte said, “Before we leave Hogwarts.”

“I can show you where it is,” Ermalene agreed.

They were quiet again for quite some time.

“Thank you,” Astarte suddenly said.

Ermalene was half asleep. “For what?” she yawned.

“Being kind to me,” Astarte replied.

“No problem,” Ermalene said sleepily, “It’s what… family… is for… after all.” Her eyes had drooped shut.

Astarte laid awake, long after Ermalene had fallen asleep and begun snoring.