Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Why the fuck isn't there some sort of map of Hogwarts?" Josephine muttered, turning another corridor, praying this one to be the on leading to Elizabeth's portrait. It had been twenty minutes since curfew had began, and thirty minutes since she had left the Ravenclaw tower in search of Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.
Josephine had desperately been trying to look for them after figuring out what the monster in the castle was, and she believed she had it right.
A cockatrice, a mythical beast, essentially a two-legged dragon, wyvern or serpent-like creature that could turn people to stone with one glance. Related to the Basilisk, that Josephine had suspected at first, but she realised that that couldn't be it. A Basilisk only petrified people if they didn't make direct eye-contact with it, but rather through a reflection, or something see-through. A Basilisk killed with it's look, while a Cockatrice petrified, which seemed much more likely.
Josephine had planned on taking a trip to Dumbledore's office, but knew she had to find her two best-friends first.
Josephine could dance in happiness when her eyes landed on the woman painted on the canvas in front of the Gryffindor common room, a place she was all too familiar with.
"Elizabeth darling! How are you on this fine evening?" She questioned, but the painted lady didn't answer as she stared at something behind her, something Josephine couldn't see.
She was sure it wasn't the monster roaming the castle, since she already would've been petrified by then, so she relaxed. Perhaps it was a ghost floating around, as the painting had told her, they terrified her.
Josephine felt something land on her head when she walked closer to the painting. Something hot and liquid. She assumed it was water, or perhaps left-overs of a prank of peeves, the school's poltergeist.
She turned to the large, full-body mirror that hung a few feet away from Elizabeth, and ran her hands through her hair.
Her eyes widened in shock as two, razor sharp teeth hung over her, and two yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.
Her face contorted in confusion and hurt when she noticed a pale, wide-eyed Ginny Weasley standing next to the beast of Hogwarts, unmistakibly a basilisk.
✮
"Someone get professor McGonagall!" The loud voice of Percy Weasley was heard through the Gryffindor common room, students rushed over to him, searching for what made the prefect believe that the teacher was needed there.
Aine Callaghan, one of his Gryffindor friends and a highly sensitive girl, cried out and sobbed into her friends shoulder when she saw the new victim, terrified like probably everyone in the castle.
Seamus Finnigan, an Irish half-blood was too, curious, but paled immediately as he saw the new victim. He turned away from the petrified body of Josephine Malaika, her eyes wide and hands clenched. His stomach leaped in fear, and he grabbed someone's (Ron's) shoulder to keep his stability.
"Shit, i shuid tell Dean.." He whispered, jumping up and rushing towards the boy's dormitories, where Dean Thomas had been peacefully drawing an accurate drawing of Arizona Morkley, a second-year Gryffindor with a loud laugh and a venomous scowl.
He yelped in confusion when he was dragged down by his best mate, but had the same, if not even worse reaction to seeing the petrified Ravenclaw.
His entire body stiffened, and the pencil he waas holding fell down and roller around on the floor. Seamus clenched his hands and looked up, afraid of letting any small tears appear in his eyes.
The two Gryffindor boys stood there long enough to see Josephine getting levitated away, and professor Flitwick charming some students with a cheering-charm, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"What the fuck." Dean spoke when they had been guided to the sofa's, and left there to deal with their sadness.
"Yeah, you kin say that." Seamus whispered, face buried in his hands.
"I mean, i knew she is a muggleborn, and i guess we all should've seen it coming.. But that doesn't stop it from hurting any less, does it?" said Dean, to which Seamus shook his head.
"What's up boys?" asked Aïsha McMiller, the female Gryffindor prefect. She had noticed the two boys moping around the common room, and decided she should say something to them.
"Is it about Malaika? If it's reassuring, professor Sprout's Mandragora's are growing quite nicely, we'll be able to un-petrify the students in only a few weeks!" she tried, hoping to cheer the boys up with that fact, but Dean only sent her a weak smile, so she patted his back and left in Percy's direction.
Another person went up to the boys, not only trying to calm them but herself, too. Arizona Morkley was deeply shocked at the event that had occurred not even an hour ago.
"Hey babes, i'm sorry, i know she was your friend. Go to dinner with us?" Tried Arizona,, the girl Dean had been drawing what felt like years ago. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil stood a few feet behind her, both with saddened looks on their faces.
The boys realised that they too, had been friends with Josephine, and that it sucked for everyone.
✭
Lola Speaks!
lil smol chap but i'm working on another book rn {Cloud 9 - Lee Jordan} and i kinna wanna finish that before i throw myself into this bookkk bc this isnt short an ye
btw u see litsa character from difo books in this chap like Arizona and Aïsha (guess who shes paired w) AND Aine (guess who SHES pared w) and thats bc i kinda just wanna show that this is all in the same universe so ye
