The Battle Of The Basilisk

-14-

Jane thought she was going to die.

She screamed as she hurtled towards the ground even faster, the green grass coming closer...closer..

"NO!"

She shut her eyes, unable to watch. Suddenly, she felt as though the wind has punched her in the stomach and inhaled sharply.

That must've been the impact, she thought. But... Why don't I feel any pain? Does this happen during death? Am I already dead?

Instinctively, she opened her eyes. Yes, she could see every blade of grass clearly. But...Why did she feel so weightless?

She looked at her hands, and gasped.

Merlin's shaving cream! I'm hovering an inch over the ground!

The second she had formed the thought, something seemed to release her- And fell softly.

Pulsing with adrenaline, she got to her feet, and the first person her eyes rested on was a horrified, sweaty Charles. Then Jane understood- Charles had used his power to save her life.

"Jane! Are you hurt?" Raghavi ran up to her and began to check her for signs of injury. Soon Jane was surrounded by whispering, muttering, wide-eyed people. Irritated, she waved them off.

"Go away!!" She yelled. "Charlie, do you see my wand?"

"Here," A curly-haired girl held Jane's wand out to her. "You dropped it as you fell."

"Thank you." Jane breathed. She took it, and a horrible thought struck her. Panicking, she looked up and yelled "WILL!!! AYANO!!!"

Charles pushed his way through the crowd and gripped her. "What about them?"

"Charlie, they're up there!! They're in trouble!! Damian and Mallory-Alice are trying to kill them! They're the ones responsible for the missing Ravenclaws!"

Someone literally ran forward- Pranaty. "Damian is trying to do WHAT NOW?!?"

"WHOAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

People gaped at the tower. Jane looked too, and she froze.

Two figures- Will and Ayano- Were bolting towards the ground.

Many things happened at once. Pranaty screamed "WILL!!!". Raghavi screamed "AYANO!!". Charles pushed Jane away and plunged his fist into the air. As he did, Will and Ayano's fall seemed to slow down, and they landed with a soft thump on the grass.

Charles wiped his brow. "That was close."

Everyone rushed towards the fallen duo. To Jane's shock, Will had been carrying an unconscious Ayano the whole time. Ayano's fingers were wrapped tightly around her wand. He shakily got to his feet, still holding Ayano.

"Will!! Will, are you- Oh my goodness!" Pranaty stared in horror at the Bonds of Ignis, which still bound Ayano. Her body was steaming. Raghavi looked like she was about to faint.

She's dying, Jane thought.

Will was deliberately not looking at Pranaty or Ayano- His eyes were on the crowd instead. "LISTEN!!!" He boomed.

People who had been whispering to each other immediately shut up. Will's eyes were as hard as shining blue sapphires. "WHOEVER HAS HEARD THE MOERDER NEEDS TO LEAVE HOGWARTS THIS INSTANT!"

"What?!" A tall, freckle-faced boy snapped. "Why should we-"

"BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE WHO DOES!" Will retorted. "ALICE AND DAMIAN. AND THEIR COMRADES."

"Will, give me Ayano." Charles ordered. "Then you can explain better."

Will carefully handed Ayano to Charles, who immediately winced upon taking her- She was probably very hot at that moment. Will flexed a bit and drew out his wand- How he had managed to hold on to it as he fell, Jane did not know.

"How do you know they're trying to kill particular people?" The curly-haired girl piped up.

"I didn't." Will replied. "Ayano told me just before-"

A loud rumble resounded across the Hogwarts grounds. Will looked up at the Tower nervously. "Forget it! We have to go! NOW!"

Pranaty tapped Will's shoulder. "Will, what the-"

She faltered as all hell broke loose.

The Tower seemed to break apart on its own, bricks, stone and dust racing towards the screaming crowd, which immediately dispersed into total disorder. From the dust still hovering in the air emerged a- A creature.

Jane suddenly found herself clinging to Will in fear. It was massive. The second she saw it, an image flashed in her mind- The eightieth page of Fauna of The Wild Wood by Edith Vance, on which was a beautifully illustrated serpent-like creature, which almost matched the one flying- No, hovering really, since it had no wings- Just above them.

"Will," She whispered. "Is that a basilisk?"

Will nodded, not taking his eyes off the beast. It touched down on the field and roared so loud it seemed to break all the barriers of sound known to man. Its yellow eyes paralyzed many in fear.

Jane felt Pranaty, Raghavi and Charles press closer to her. "But if it's a basilisk," Pranaty muttered "Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

"Me too." Added Raghavi.

The creature slithered across the grass, totally uninterested at the students shooting jinxes and hexes at it. They just bounced off its scaly body. It seemed to be searching for something- Or someone.

Jane felt her brow furrow- She hated that, but it normally happened when she was focusing hard, so she couldn't so much about it. "Did you two make eye contact with it?"

Pranaty and Raghavi nodded.

Will still did not look away from the basilisk. "It's not entirely real. Alice summoned it. It's after us."

"Ayano?" Charles asked. He looked down at the steaming, limp body in his arms. For some reason, Ayano's fingers were still curled around her wand.

Will nodded again. "Especially her."

The beast turned its ugly head, and- To Jane's horror- Its eyes rested on Will.

"EVERYONE RUN!!" He yelled.

Nobody needed extra persuasion. Everyone bolted- For some reason, all in the same direction.

The basilisk leaped towards them, roaring and baring its fangs.

Everything happened too fast for Jane to comprehend.

She remembered running.

Jane ran.

Will ran.

Pranaty ran.

Raghavi ran.

Charles ran, still carrying Ayano.

Someone drew out their wand and shouted "Portus!" A bolt of light raced ahead of them and hit something on the ground- A huge brick. It glowed bright blue, and almost instinctively, everyone dived towards it. Will gripped the edge of it,  and Jane wrapped her hands around his legs. No sooner she had done so, she felt herself slip away from the world.

She couldn't see anything anymore. Everything was a white blur. Someone groaned in pain- Did the basilisk get someone?