His name is Brian, and he is my friend.
Brian, I always think, is a nice squid-y sort of name. Why do people laugh when I tell them this? Brian is a good, kind Squid, not funny in the least. Well, I suppose he is, because he has a great sense of humour.
I used to sneak out every night to see him, but Professor Snape caught me. He didn't believe me when I told him where I was going.
"The Giant Squid cannot speak, Miss Lovegood." He droned in an exasperated tone. He and Professor McGonagall are the same. She did not accept my report on the natural transfiguration of lilac spotted tree-huggers versus the non-magical chameleon. She said it was not legitimate.
"You cannot hand in an essay on a made up creature, Miss Lovegood." Her voice was no longer as shrill as it used to be. It was more resigned.
How I hate that word 'cannot'. It sounds like an Arthurian carrot, but if so I daresay Merlin and Arthur practically snored at the dinner table. 'Cannot', a canned knot? Is it some sort of dangerous creature that both Professors are warning me against?
I don't think so; neither appears very fond of Magical Creatures.
I sat by the lake and stared at the water. Brian did not like coming up to the surface in the day-time, which was why I was so very angry at Professor Snape. Only for a moment though, I could help but feel sorry that the Velurean Vasps had been attracted to his nose, it was no doubt making him irritable.
I had only sat there for a short time before Professor Dumbledore joined me. It surprised me, he very rarely interacts with students. I could think of only one reason he would be down here, but the other teachers were all so sceptical it made me pause.
"Are you down here to see Brian, Miss Lovegood? I'm afraid he doesn't like the Sun much so we shan't see him today." Dumbledore smiled at me.
"Yes, I couldn't last night. I hoped if I came down early and it was cloudy I might be able to speak to him for a while, but it's not dark enough." I sighed; I should have known the Nargles were pulling on my earrings for a reason. They're deathly afraid of Velurean Vasps.
"Some peoples equated the Dark with evil." The Headmaster observed after a while.
"The Sun was bright the day my mother died. She made Potions in the conservatory and it was so bright if I looked at it wrong it could blind me for a while. I don't suppose evil really minds the light if it has what it's really after." I stared at the sky.
"And what is it really after?" He asked, leaning against a nearby tree.
"Fusian Furgles are very jealous." I answered finally. "They switch homes every year but always leave magical traces that poison any eggs that are housed there."
"Ah." He nodded like he understood. Perhaps he did.
"Gryffindor and Slytherin have a lot of Fusian Furgles." I continued.
"Oh?" Dumbledore seemed mildly surprised.
"They switch sides every year, their numbers dwindling as they fight this eternal battle. They leave poison wherever they go and when they swap sides, more and more of them die. Until there are only a few patches left clean." I was beginning to get drowsy. "I think they poison students too."
"You might be right, Miss Lovegood." Dumbledore agreed.
"Evil can be kind sometimes, like it loves and hates you at the same time." I whispered as my eyelids fluttered. "Mother looked like an angel. It's so easy to believe she is one now."
"Is it a good thing to be loved by evil, Miss Lovegood?" Dumbledore queried gently.
"That depends if you love it back." I yawned. "Evil only exists in people who love it, whereas good lives in people who love each other. And Fusian Furgles... are very jea-lous."
I sailed away and dreamed of my friend Brian.
The Giant Squid.