giant snakes? in my magical boarding school? it's more likely than you think
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Bed time?

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Ugh. She wants to stay up plotting, but they do have morning classes tomorrow...

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Plotting will be there in the morning, too.

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Fair enough. (Yawn.)

Goodnight.

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Good night.

Zzz.

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The gossip's not any better the next day, but their roommates are in their corner - Padma, apparently, can be scathing when she thinks someone's being an idiot, and shames a few Ravenclaws into at least not gossiping in front of them.

Anathema sticks by Ellie. She seems more annoyed at all the gossip than stressed at least, now.

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That's... a marginal improvement, at least. (It's easier for Ellie to deal with when she's not just pretending it doesn't exist and someone else is fighting back.)

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Not all the school's convinced, at least, even outside of their circle of friends, and all the professors seem to think the idea's ridiculous (which helps slow it down slightly).

Still, people are - turning against them, fairly notably.

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Well. It's not her.

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Yeah.

The Ravenclaw Quidditch team comes down on Ellie's side, too, expanding their circle of defenders, but the rumors become more and more convinced maybe Ellie's the villain as the week wears on. The whole school seems strained near to breaking apart. Some of the most vicious rumor-spreaders - not even anyone in their year, the people they've gotten into arguments with before like Pansy Parkinson don't actually like muggleborns and are staying out of the fray - start claiming Ellie's a danger to have in Hogwarts.

That keeps to a mild grumble, mostly. The vast majority of the school's in an uneasy middle, where Ellie seems like the only suspect, but not like the best suspect, and everyone who knows her is defending her, and the professors are defending her, and it makes no sense to flip from 'fundamental enemy of the Death Eaters' to 'core example of the Death Eaters' so quickly -

And then the third petrification happens.

One of the Gryffindor girls in their year - the only one who's muggleborn, Hermione Granger - is found petrified. She's found leaning against a corner, staring intently at a mirror she's holding out in front of her at an odd angle, a worried expression on her face. The portraits on both corridors are petrified as well.

The school rather explodes after that.

People are now very, very sure someone should do something.

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Someone absolutely should do something.

Like release Hagrid maybe, since it's beyond obvious he had nothing to do with this and the problem was not solved by removing him, or evacuate the school.

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(Professor Reynolds expresses, in no unclear terms, that Fudge is welcome to try arresting Ellie, if he's burning to find out why she was the most decorated fighter in the Death Eater War. Fortunately, she expresses this opinion in private, to Ellie and Anathema only.)

'Evacuate the school' actually seems to be Headmaster Dumbledore's approach - he's not quite wording it as an evacuation, and according to Professor Reynolds there's been significant blow back from the Ministry anyways (Fudge seems to have declared the problem solved and is accusing Dumbledore of making up the further petrifications). But they're setting up to move the students out in good order. The biggest delays have been getting a location (Dumbledore pulled shenanigans, it sounds like, and the property he got was originally a muggle school, fallen into disrepair) and sorting out logistics of how to actually move people (both 'at all' and 'safely'). Getting the Hogwarts Express seems to be a non-starter for some reason, which means portkeys (which the Ministry won't approve) or floo (which needs to be supervised, especially with younger and muggleborn students, and is fairly slow). They stop classes and tell people to stay in their dorms until further notice (and each dorm has at least one professor and at least ten house elves stationed in it at all times), and begin evacuating the first years.

And, after the last first year is out, while the second years are being readied for their own move -

A white bird, translucent and ethereal and large - familiar - bursts through the closed door as Professor Flitwick turns, his eyes wide.

The bird shrieks as it's dissolving - "Second floor! Basi-"

It dissipates into a shimmery mist.

The words were in Professor Reynolds' voice.

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They have to go find her. Ellie tugs urgently on Anathema's sleeve.

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Anathema's already turning toward the door.

Flitwick has his back to them - raising his wand to cast the Patronus Charm, creating equally white and shimmery dogs who bound through the walls and floor, ignoring the students - who're muttering among themselves, not looking at either girl -

They're able to get out of the common room with no one the wiser.

Anathema breaks into a run toward the nearest staircase.

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Second floor. As fast as possible.

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Anathema practically leaps down the stairs, nearly heedless of potential injury.

The second floor's big, of course, massive, it'd take forever to search methodically - 

Anathema makes directly for Myrtle's second floor bathroom.

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Good idea, she will probably have seen something-

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There's a body sprawled outside her bathroom, curled in on herself, head turned up at an odd angle, hand reaching out to a wand lying numbly. There's water pooling around her, pouring from the bathroom. A mirror placed in front of her agonized face, fallen over.

A large - something, almost like a fang, jutting out of her thigh.

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She's not dead she's not dead she's not dead she can't be dead-

"Myrtle!"

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Anathema falls to her knees beside Fay, checking her -

She seems petrified.

Myrtle phases out of the wall, eyes wide, expression shaken. "Run away - " she says, voice quick, almost babbling. "That boy came back - I thought I saw a girl, but it was his voice, and there was a big - big monster - and the professor fought it - you should get out of here - "

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"Where did it come from?"

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"The sinks," Myrtle says, "The one across from my stall - and it went back into them, there was a big hole and then there was a grinding sound and it closed - "

Anathema stands. "We're not running away," she says, voice cold and flat like Ellie's never heard it. "That thing isn't getting away with this."

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Ellie inspects the sinks for- a key, a lever, a switch, something.

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There's no mechanical things apparent on any - just an incredibly detailed carving of a snake on the only sink whose faucet handles won't turn.

Anathema speaks grimly to Myrtle while Ellie's inspecting the sinks, convincing Myrtle to let someone - anyone - know where Professor Reynolds is.

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...Snakes are Slytherin, and Slytherin was a Parselmouth...

"Open," Ellie commands the carving, hissing the word angrily.

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