The Battle Of The Basilisk

-4-

"Moerder is what the poem is called." Jane said. "Moerder, which in regular English we call murder."

"I-I don't understand." Hydra stammered. "I know them. Abraxas, Lucius, Narcissa and Draco. They're the most famous among the Malfoys. But they're dead. They're all dead. All the Malfoys are dead. That includes my parents. They're all dead."

"Are they?" Jane asked quietly. "You are a Malfoy too."

Hydra was silent.

Finally Jane spoke "So something is going to go wrong. And you are going to be involved. You might even be the cause."

"Stop it." Hydra stood straight, shaking. "This is insane. There- There could be other Malfoys as well."

"Didn't you just say they were all dead?"

"I could be wrong." Hydra retorted. "Maybe I am. And maybe you are too. Maybe this is what you Ravenclaws intend to do. You want to create chaos by proving everyone wrong."

Jane stiffened. "That's not true, Hydra."

"It's true." Hydra began walking away. "I- I'm sorry you have to hear this. But it's true. Ravenclaw wants disorder. You know what happened in Mass Potions? Alice Valentine got Ayano Scarlet into trouble, and people believed her, because she's a Ravenclaw and poor Ayano is one of us. A cold-blooded Slytherin."

The tattoos of Jane's face curled a little at the edges. "Hydra, I didn't think you'd take it like this."

"And there goes your so-called Ravenclaw brilliance." Hydra snapped, and she stalked out of the library, Jane tiptoeing not far behind.

*

"So what did he say?"

Pranaty had entered the Common Room to find Ayano slumped on one of the extravagant armchairs, with her eyes half-closed.

"Nothing." Ayano muttered. "He said nothing."

"Doesn't seem like it." Pranaty collapsed on one of the sofas and raised an eyebrow at Ayano, clearly demanding an explanation.

Ayano sat up and glared at Pranaty. Pranaty was in her 5th Year, and she clearly wasn't taking it seriously. She had to spend at least an hour on herself. She had to maintain her wonderful olive skin, and had to stop stressing her lovely brown eyes too much, to avoid getting glasses. And of course, being a typical bookworm, she had to read at least seven chapters a day, which left absolutely no time for her schoolwork.

"What?" Asked Pranaty.

"Damian ordered me to stop messing about with his darling Alice."

"Ah." Pranaty smirked. "The don't-you-dare-humiliate-my-girlfriend-in-public talk."

"Yeah, that talk. And he tossed my wand away like an old rag and used Wingardium Leviosa on me."

Pranaty's eyes widened. "You have to be joking, Ayano!"

"I'm serious! I was at least four feet above the ground!"

Pranaty shook her head. "Best leave him alone, Ayano. Ignore him, and never respond to him. Besides," Pranaty grinned a little "You never know whether you're subconsciously flirting or not."

"I don't FLIRT with him, Pranaty!" Ayano protested.

"Yes, yes." Pranaty stroked her own arm idly. "And yet, he is still attracted to you."

"It's probably just a passing phase."

"A passing phase doesn't stay so for five years, Ayano."

"Whatever." Ayano snapped. "He's younger than me, anyway."

"But he's handsome." Piped Pranaty.

"His ego is about as high as the middle Quidditch goalpost."

Pranaty burst into peals of laughter, and Ayano had to smile, even if she was secretly still worried about Raghavi. She obviously couldn't visit her, since Madam Pomfrey held her responsible.

"Why isn't anyone questioning Damian?"

Pranaty blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Why am I the only one getting blamed? Damian was equally responsible for what happened to Raghavi. Why doesn't anyone blame him?"

"Many of us do, Ayano, but Alice-"

"To hell with Alice!" Ayano replied furiously. "To hell with her, and to hell with Damian!"

"Ayano-"

"HOW COULD THAT BASTARD EVEN-"

A door slammed, and Ayano & Pranaty jumped. At the Common Room entrance was a sweaty Will Blackscar, with messed up black hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was in Ayano's year. He quickly glanced at Pranaty, who lowered her gaze, and turned to Ayano.

"I have bad news." Will announced.

"You always do, don't you?" Ayano asked, rather harshly.

Will dropped his gaze. It was all over the school- How he had been caught cheating on Pranaty with Cereza Aether from Ravenclaw. Cereza had forgiven him- Pranaty hadn't.

Another Ravenclaw, Ayano thought.

Will cleared his throat. "I've been up and down the whole school with this little Ravenclaw girl named-"

"Cereza." Pranaty interrupted quietly.

"No." Will replied. "Jane Everlasting. A 3rd Year. She says the last place she saw Hydra was in the library. Hydra was upset about something- So upset that she ran away from there so fast that Jane couldn't catch up with her. We searched the whole place. Jane even searched the girls' bathrooms. We couldn't find her. We-"

"First of all," Ayano interrupted. "What was Hydra doing out after curfew?!? And why was she with a Ravenclaw?"

"I don't know, Ayano. But Jane is scared out of her mind. I bet you anything she knows why Hydra's missing, but she's too little to be questioned like a-"

"Where is she?" Pranaty demanded and stood up.

"Right outside the Common Room."

"WHAT?!?" Pranaty and Ayano exclaimed.

"Yes, she's right outside."

"You brought her all the way here?!?" Ayano cried. "And she now knows our password?!?"

"No!" Will replied quickly. "I whispered it, so that she wouldn't be able to hear-"

"Move it." Ayano ordered, and roughly shoved him aside with a sweep of her hand. "I'm going to talk to her."

"Ayano, she's just a child-"

"Will, Pranaty is just a human." Ayano snapped and strode out of the Common Room.