Chapter 2

Dorothy Digglestein, although a famous and acclaimed author of many books, was renowned to be "a bit mad". Being of a slightly dotty nature and very short attention span, almost all of her books were written with a serious lack of cohesion, not a single page written on the same topic.

The particular page that had been of great interest in the little Shell cottage was based on a myth that had circulated about 50 years before the book was published in 1852.

"Luna! Are you mad?" Bill Weasley stood with his wife looking very worried as the girl in question desperately tried close her very full rucksack. Luna didn't reply as she put on her spectrespecs and smiled a little.

"Do you really 'ave to ask Bill?" Fleur whispered and rolled her eyes before stepping forward to talk to the girl herself.

"Luna, surely you must realise ze risks you are taking, and for a couple of old relics zat might not even exist?" Fleur looked at Luna imploringly.

"And what about your father? Doesn't he have a say in this?" Bill started again before Luna could reply.

"My father?" Luna looked at the couple curiously before heading for the front door. "What's my father got to do with it?"

"No time for this Luna, we've got places to go, people to see" Izzy announced, grabbing her friend's arm as she headed to the door.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality Mr and Mrs Weasley" Ann Marie smiled apologetically. "I'll make sure Luna keeps in touch" she added and quickly ran after her friends, who by now were marching down the path and away from the house.

"Do you think I should see my father?" Luna asked absentmindedly as they made their way towards the nearest town.

"Fleur knows where we're going. If your father asks, she'll tell him. If he doesn't ask, she'll tell him anyway. We'd just be causing ourselves an awful lot of bother" Izzy replied frankly, not wishing to waste any more time. "Now, where are heading first?"

"Rowena Ravenclaw's Bow, thought to be buried somewhere in the highlands of Scotland" Ann Marie answered, tracing her finger across the page before promptly slamming the book shut and shoving it into her rucksack.

"Perfect!" Izzy exclaimed happily.

"Perhaps we shall drop in on Hogwarts while we're there" Luna's dazed smile drifted across her face at the thought.

"Perhaps" Ann Marie smiled knowingly.

"It is a well-known fact within the Wizarding World, that Rowena Ravenclaw, one of Hogwarts Founders, had a diadem that was held closely in her possession, but what most do not know is that she prised another item, rumoured to have powerful enchantments cast upon it. This was her bow and arrow, a secret kept so well for so long because Rowena herself hardly liked to admit that she owned such a muggle object. Legend dictates that Ravenclaw's bow was enchanted so that it would never miss its target. As well as this, because of its muggle nature, Ravenclaw was able to enchant the shots so that they could not easily by repelled by an amateur wizards spell.

After the founding of Hogwarts, it is said that Ravenclaw decided to hide away her deadly weapon, hoping it would no longer be needed." - Dorothy Digglestein {Founders of Hogwarts}

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The three girls trundled up the hill that lead to Hogsmeade, all taking careful steps within the silent village for fear that someone would be lurking around any corner.

"Now are you sure the stone is leading us to Hogwarts?" Ann Marie asked for the hundredth time that day.

"Of course I'm sure!" Izzy was grumpy after holding out her aching palm for so long and having to listen too long to Luna, who was lovely but in much smaller doses.

"Well, in that case, how do you propose we get in? We can't exactly afford to stick around here for long" Ann Marie ignored Izzy's annoyance as she looked cautiously around.

"I think I have an idea" Luna remarked suddenly in the long silence that followed.

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"What do you mean jump in the lake?" Izzy stared wide eyed at the girl who didn't even blink in response.

"I'll admit it is not convenient" Luna finally replied shrugging.

"Luna it's more than half a mile" Ann Marie seemed apprehensive but not at all surprised at her friend's suggestion.

"I have a spell for that" Luna smiled and took out her wand, not noticing her friend's alarmed faces.

"Now I want you to stand close together and close to the edge. On second thoughts, dump your bags here too, we don't anything to weigh us down" Luna ordered and both girls did what she asked hesitantly.

"Close your eyes" Luna smiled as both girls did so before promptly pushing them both into the lake.

"Syreni transmutatio!" Izzy heard Luna shout before she was enveloped by the cold water of the lake, squeezing both her eyes shut in panic.

It was a few moments before she opened her eyes again when she found she felt no need to come up for air but jumped back in fear when she saw a pair of bright yellow eyes gleaming back at her.

"Luna?" she asked, not sure how it was that she could suddenly speak underwater but it was hardly the last of her worries. "Luna! My legs! My legs are gone and now I have … this!" Ann Marie appeared next to Luna, looking just as frightening with her newly coloured eyes and now greyish skin.

"Was this quite necessary to get into Hogwarts?" Izzy asked grumpily as they swam swiftly towards the castle, the dark and murky waters making all three feel uneasy.

"Not too much further" Luna smiled, but now that she had a fish face it was not quite so comforting. Luna continued to lead the way until all safely reached the rocks but instead of continuing up towards the surface of the lake, she pointed a dainty grey finger towards a dark shadow further down on the rock's surface.

"Luna" Ann Marie voice could only just be heard over the pressure in Izzy's ears but as she turned around she was faced with something a lot more frightening.

"Luna!" Izzy now gave a scared yelp and Luna too turned around to see the sea of yellow eyes staring, unblinking back at them. All was silent for a moment before Luna turned her back to them and shouted to her friends to follow. It became clearer as they swam further down that they were headed towards a door in the side of the rock, surrounded by a small bubble of air which waited promisingly in the black darkness.

It was then that Izzy suddenly felt her breathing become slow and painful, her temporary form rapidly morphing back to normal and her mermaid's features fading away.

"Izzy!" Ann Marie exclaimed, she too losing her form.

"Keep swimming!" Luna ordered, for once her harsh and direct, making both girls jolt. Luna was first to cross the threshold, her mermaid form lasting much longer than the other two girls. Izzy came second, fully back to her normal self by the time she got there; with Ann Marie following close behind.

There was the spiteful hiss of the many hostile merpeople who had been following closely behind as the third of their party crossed into the bubble.

"We are not going back that way" she commented seriously as Luna unlocked the door and started to ascend the staircase up towards ground level.