Twins of the Moon, Earth and Sun

Chapter 25

An Act of Jealousy

Danessa got in trouble for getting the wrong girl and not being able to capture the Silver Crystal. She made things more difficult for disclosing herself to the knights and the traitorous generals. However, she remained at the Durmstrang ship and kept her distance from Hogwarts school. What she did not know was that Viktor Krum was one of the knights and he was telling the others what Danessa was doing. Jedite was growing impatient. He knew she was working for the Negaverse now. He had half a mind to drag her over to Professor Dumbledore and tell him that she was the reason for cursing the Goblet of Fire when the tournament began. Unfortuantly, he had not proof she did it. She would deny everything he acused her off. He needed some solid evidence. Getting his hands on that would be difficult.

Viktor volunteered to keep an eye on her, but that was difficult since she was so secretive. He couldn't just walk into her room and snoop through it. After the curse was lifted from the goblet of fire she became more suspicious. She put a stronger spell on her bedroom and spent more time on her own. Viktor kept Sidon with him on the ship and she sometimes atcted as a fly on her wall.

Late one night on the Durmstrang ship, as everyone were getting ready for bed, there were two screams coming from one of the cabins. The cabin door opened and two girls in nightgowns ran out.

"Sasha, what was that?" said a dark haired girl to her roommate

"I don't know," answered Sasha. "But it was ugly."

Cabin doors opened and irritated, sleepy and confused heads popped out, watching the girls run down the hallway. They stopped at the door of the room that belonged to their headmaster.

"Professor Karkaroff!" said Sasha, banging on the door. "Professor!"

"What are you two doing out of bed?" yelled an angry girl's voice behind them.

They turned around and screamed. Danessa had rag rollers in her hair and a mud mask on her face.

"It's the monster!" gasped the dark haired girl named Ana.

Danessa sneered. "What the devil has gotten into you two?"

"We saw a monster swimming in the lake," said Sasha.

"Monster?" asked Danessa. "Oh, don't make me laugh! The lake has dozens of monsters. You must have seen the giant squid."
"But it wasn't the giant squid," said Ana. "It was like a girl, but part of her was a snake."

"It was dark," said Danessa. "It was an obviously a merperson."

"No, it didn't have fins," said Ana. "I don't think anyway." She looked questionably at Sasha, who shrugged.

"I don't know," said Sasha. "But we have to tell Professor Karkaroff. Maybe we should move the ship."

"No, no," said Danessa. "My uncle is tired. Now go." She made Sasha and Ana leave. Deciding not to get into an argument with Danessa, they turned and left.

While watching Sasha and Ana return to their cabin, Viktor called to them. "I heard you say something about a monster in the lake."

"Yeah," said Sasha, grinning sheepishly. "It was just a merperson."

"Are you sure?" said Viktor.

"Yeah, well that is what Danessa said," said Sasha.

"Danessa vos never in the lake," said Viktor. "Bit I vos. Vot did you see?"

"It looked kind of like a person," said Ana, "but it had a snake's tail. Did you see anything like that during the second task?"

Viktor shook his head. "No, that is certainly not what the merpoeple look like either. Their tails look like shark or fish tails. They were all green, even their hair."

"It was too dark to see what color it was," said Ana.

"I'll look tomorrow," said Viktor. "The lake is big. The creature could be anywhere, if it exists."

"Well be careful," said Ana.

"I will."

Viktor went back to his room and whistled softly. A small purple bug flew by his face.

"Tomorrow, we're going swimming."

--

Viktor was surprised to find Sasha and Ana on the deck of the Durmstrang ship with their swimsuits on.

"You're coming too?" he said.

"Of course," said Sasha, pointing her wand at her head and conjuring a bubble. "You said yourself the lake is huge. You will need our help." The bubble around her head made her voice slightly muffled.

"It might be dangerous," said Viktor. "We don't know what all is down there."

"We've got some idea," said Ana. "Grindylows, kelpies, the giant squid, selkies and most likely a lamia."

"I told you it was a naga," muttered Sasha. "Lamias eat children—we don't know what it eats yet."

"What?" asked Viktor.

"We looked at several books before bed last night," explained Sasha. "It's a naga—part human part snake."

"Yeah, that's the same thing as a lamia," said Ana.

Sasha shook her head. "Let's just go. "

Viktor looked at the purple bird perched on the railing. "Watch them," he muttered.

The bird chirped in understanding.

"All right, we'll go in different directions," said Viktor. "But if you find it, don't go anywhere near it. We all meet up here in two hours."

"Ok," said the girls.

Viktor transfigured his head to that of a shark and he plunged into the water with the two girls behind them. Already being to the selkie's village, Viktor went to a different location. The girls split up and Sidon followed Ana, who was the weaker swimmer out of the three. Sidon took on the form of a dolphin. Sasha was happy to see the dolphin and took hold of Sidon's dorsal fin, allowing Sidon to pull her through the water. Using the light of her wand she checked out crevices in the lake floor. There was no sign of a lamina, naga or snake woman.

Ana went straight for the merpeople's village. Mercheiftaness Murcus swam right to her. "What are you doing here?" said Murcus. "It is not safe."

"I am only checking something," said Ana. "Is there a lamia here?"

"Lamia?" Murcus said. "I do not understand."

"It looks like a human," explained Ana, "but with the tail of a snake. I thought I saw one by our ship."

Murcus was quiet for a moment and called out to her lieutenant, a merman with a green beard and a necklace of fangs by the name of Surgl.

"The demon is still caged?" asked Murcus.

"Yes," said the lieutenant.

"This human says that she saw it yesterday," said Murcus.

"It got away from us for a small moment when we were moving her," said the lieutenant. "She is growing restless."

"Is it our ship?" inquired Ana. "Did we disrupt her sleeping place?"

"Perhaps," said Murcus. "She is wary of humans."

"Why?" asked Ana.

"Because she used to be one," said Murcus.

Ana gasped so loudly that she could have swallowed her air bubble.

"I smell a human!" roared an angry voice, coming from one of the stone dwellings.

"You should go back to the surface," said Lieutenant Surgl.

"What's going on?" asked Ana as all of the merpeople suddenly became edgy. They swam to a cage made from giant clams and seaweed. Inside was the lamia with scales of red. She roared and thrashed, her serpentine body in chains. She had no hair, instead sharp fins upon her head and neck and shoulders. She hissed and lunged when she saw Ana.

"You!" she shouted. "You're the one who did this to me! First you steal Cuthbert, turn me into this beast and you come down here to mock me! I will destroy you Callista Black!"

She jerked away from the chains, breaking them and fought hard to get through the cage.

"Take the human away!" Murcus ordered over her shoulder.

A strong merman with a green soul patch on under his bottom lip put his arm around Ana and began swimming away from the former human's prison. "You mustn't return. The demon is more dangerous now than she used to be."

"But what happened to her?" asked Ana. "How did she get like that?"

"We are not to tell," answered the merman letting her go just before the surface and he \went back down to the water's depths. Ana looked down for a moment, waiting until the merperson was gone. There was still thirty minutes until she had to meet with Sasha and Viktor so she decided to look for them. She saw Sasha with a dolphin and she attempted red sparks from her wand, instead only shooting warm water.

"Sasha!" Ana called. "Sasha up here!"

Sasha did not hear Ana call for her but Sidon did. Sidon began swimming to the surface suddenly and Sasha had to hold on tighter to her dorsal fin. She wondered what the animal w as trying to do and then saw Ana up above them.

"Ana!"

They broke the surface and lost their bubble-heads, talking at once.

"You wouldn't believe all that's down there!" said Sasha excitedly.

"I found it!"

"It's really beautiful!"

"It's in the selkies' village."

"I think I found some treasure!"

"Sasha, listen to me!" exclaimed Ana. "I found the lamia or naga or whatever. The selkies are keeping it as a prisoner."

"We've got to tell Professor Karkaroff," said Sasha. "Where's Viktor?"

"I saw him a while ago," answered Sasha. "We have ten minutes until we're supposed to meet up."

Sidon submerged and returned with Viktor a minute later. The girls didn't even notice that Sidon had left.

"How did you get here so fast?" inquired Ana.

"This is a smart dolphin," said Viktor, patting Sidon and she went back under the water. He began swimming to the ship and the girls followed him. "What did you girls find?"

"The lamia is with the merpeople," said Ana. "They told me it used to be human. She got angry when she saw me."

"Why?" inquired Viktor. He climbed the ship and helped the girls on board.

"I don't know," answered Ana. "I think I reminded her of someone. She called me Callista Black and she mentioned someone named Cuthbert. The merpeople keep having to move her around because she is growing restless---I think because of the Triwizard Tournament."

"We'll have to talk to Karkaroff," said Sasha. "Maybe there's something we can do."

They went straight to Karkaroff's office, still soaking wet. Danessa nearly had a cow when she saw how soaking wet they were. "What were you thinking taking a dip in the lake?" she demanded Viktor. "You're supposed to be preparing for the next task!"

"We investigated the lake for the snake-person," said Viktor.

"I told you it was just merperson!" shouted Danessa.

"But I saw it!" exclaimed Ana. "It had a trail of a snake and fins instead of hair. The merpeople are keeping it down there. They call it a demon."

"It is real?" Danessa gasped.

"Yeah, and it's angry," added Ana. "I think we are endangering its habitat with the ship."

"We at the edge of the water," said Karkaroff softly. "We are not endangering anything, not even plant life. From what I understand the selkies live on the bottom of the lake, with this monster?"

"Yes," said Ana with a nod.

"We are safe then," said Karkaroff. "But swimming is prohibited. Anyone caught swimming in the lake will be sent home—except for you, Viktor. We can't afford to lose you at this time."

Kakaroff sent the students away to change nto clean clothes. At dinner, Viktor went to the school to speak with Cedric, Ian—any of the other knights. He wasn't able to find any of them. Instead he found Hermione in the library. He knew she was a smart girl and she knew just as much about Hogwarts as the other students, perhaps even more.

"Hello, Her-my-ninny," said Viktor as he came to her table. "How are you?"

She smiled. "Hi Viktor. I'm fine."

He smiled and sat next to her. She was certainly looking better than she did at the second task. She spent a week recovering in the Hospital Wing and he had visited her every day, presenting her with gifts. With the excitement of the twins being revealed, he hadn't been able to see her as often as he would like.

"I've become very fascinated with the lake since the second task," said Viktor, "and so have many of my Durmstrang friends. What do you know about its history?"
"Well," said Hermione thoughtfully, "from what I can remember from Hogwarts, A History, the lake was here before Hogwarts was founded. Rowena Ravenclaw was able to speak mermish and she asked the merpeople if they could make the school here. The merpeople gave them permission as long as no one harmed them, and if the founders gave them musical instruments."

"Musical instruments?"
"Yes, merpeople love music," said Hermione. "I still think Dumbledore carries on that tradition to this day even."

"Were students allowed to swim in the lake?" asked Viktor.

"Yes, sometimes they were," said Hermione, "and the mercheif at that time even taught seventh years Mermish if they wanted to learn it. The merpeople were welcome to the idea of learning—more so than the centaurs. They took more convincing. That is why th forbidden forest is forbidden."

"Do you know about the sort of things that live in the lake?" Viktor asked before Hermione gave him a speech of the centaurs and the forbidden forest. "Besides the merpeople ad the giant squid?"

"There have been many things living in it," said Hermione. "Some creatures we don't even know yet."

"Anything about a naga or a lamia?"

"What?"

"Part snake, part human," Viktor explained.

"Yes, I've heard of them," Hermione said, surprised. "But I don't recall any of them living in the lake. Besides, they're very rare….why do you ask? Have you seen one?"

"Some of my schoolmates have," Viktor answered. "It went by the ship, and today, we went to the water to look for it. The merpeople keep it locked up."

"So it's dangerous?" Hermione inquired.

Viktor nodded. "It tried to attack my friend."

"I left my Hogwarts, A History at home," Hermione said, standing up abrouptly. "But there are loads of copies here. Let me check again."
Hermione went to the bookcases and returned quickly with a copy of Hogwarts, A History. She flipped thorugh the pages, finally resting on the chapter of Hogwarts' lake. She set the book down on the table so Viktor can read too. She skimmed over the chapter with him and they did not find any record of a lamia, naga or anything like it living in the lake. Hermione groaned-she did not like reaching the dead end of a history.

"Nothing," she muttered.

Viktor put his hand on her shoulder reassuring. "Maybe there is someone that knows a lot about Hogwarts History that you can talk to. Didn't you tell me your History of Magic teacher is a ghost?"
"Professor Binns, of course!" Hermione exclaimed. "I have him first thing tomorrow. I can ask him then."

"Vonderful," said Vitkor. "There is something else you can look at before you talk to him."

"Yes?" Hermione said.

"The lamia used to be human," said Viktor. "We think it might have been a student here."

"Human? How do you know?"

"The merpeople told my friend," Viktor explained. "That is why the creature is dangerous—it used to be human and so it hates all humans for somet reasons. I think the student might have been cursed, or something."

"So strange," murmured Hermione. "When I was asleep in the water for the second task, I was dreaming about these two girls arguing by the lake. One of them fell in and—I don't know what happened after that. I just hear a girl screaming; 'It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be her, not me.'"

"Are you a seer," Viktor asked softly.

"What? No way!" Hermione shouted in a whisper. "I never fancied divination. I don't think it was a vision, really. I think if this monster had been a witch, maybe she made us see dreams while we were under water. I'll ask Ami and Lita if they dreamed about anything while we were under."
"Thank you," said Viktor. "Do you know if there is a list of past students here in the library?"

"Yes," answered Hermione. "Who do you want to look up?"

"Callista Blake," Viktor answered.

"Is the name of the student that became the lamia?" inquired Hermione.

"No," said Viktor, "it's the name of the girl the lamia hates. Maybe this Callista Black knows something that help us. When the lamia saw my friend, Ana, she called her 'Callista Black.' She must look like her."

Hermione found a list of alumni and started going through them. Because they weren't sure which years she attended Hogwarts, it was going to be a long time until they found her. They searched for the name for hours until it was time for Hermione to go to bed.

--

At breakfast the next morning Hermione spoke to Lita and Ami, asking them if they had any dreams while they were in the water during the second task. They had similar dreams, but in different points of view. As Hermione had a "bird's eye" point of view, Ami had the point of view of the victim that fell in the water and Lita saw everything through the other girl, supposedly Callista Black. What Hermione could understand was why they all had a dream about the same thing. Hermione did not believe in dream interpretation. It was guesswork, like divination and she knew it was a course taught in divination class. However, the fact they all dreamed about the two girls fighting and one of them falling in the water could not be a coincidence. Something was in the water, making them see those images. Who was it and why? Could the girl that had fallen in the water be the lamia? Did she become bitter with revenge? And if this was something that had happened, why did the writers of Hogwarts, A History, leave such an important event out?

In History of Magic, Hermione planned to ask Professor Binns just that. Professor Binns was in the middle of his lecture when she raised her hand and interrupted him.

"Professor Binns, what do you know about a lamia living in Hogwarts' lake?" Hermione inquired.

Binns dropped his notes and flinched. He raised his cold dead eyes up at Hermione. "What did you say?" he asked slowly, quietly.

"The students from Durmstrang have reason to believe there is a lamia living in the lake," Hermione explained. "In fact, it almost attacked one of them."

"Has Vicky told you that?" asked Ron in a snide voice, but Hermione ignored him.

"A lamia?" said Binns.

"Yes, part snake, part human—a girl, actually," said Hermione. "Though it might also be a naga. Do you anything about a girl becoming the monster?"

"No," said Binns. "You're speaking about another Hogwarts legend, Miss Grant."

"Professor, do you remember a student named Callista Black?" Hermione inquired.

Professor Binns was quiet for a moment before answering her. "Listen, I have been dead for four hundred years, and I have been a teacher longer than that. I cannot remember every student of Hogwarts."

"That's for sure," muttered Seamus Finnegan to Dean Thomas, who snickered.

"Maybe I've had a student named Callista Black and maybe I haven't," Binns continued. "But I do not have the time or the memory to speak about past students. Now, let's return to the lesson on the Goblin rebellion of 1235…"

After History of Magic, Ron told Hermione his take on what Viktor had told her about a monster in the lake. "I don't think he's serious. I think he's running out of things to say to you. 'Lamia in the lake,' pretty lame pick up line if you ask me."

"You're just jealous!" Hermione snapped. "Viktor has no reason to lie to me. I know he's telling the truth and sooner or later I'm going to prove it!" with that, she stomped away from them.

"She's not going to the library, is she?" said Ron. "Is she going to skip out of Charms to put her head together with Krum?"

"Hey, maybe it's true," said Serena. "The lake kind of gives me the creeps. It's got to be whatever that thing is down there."

"You've got to be kidding me," said Ron. "If there was a monster in the lake, we'd know about it."

"It must've been asleep, Ron," Harry pointed out.

"You believe Krum too?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "Got no reason not too."

Ron groaned and shook his head.

"Whether it's true or not," said Serena, as they stepped into charms. "Everyone ought to stay clear of the lake—just until we know for sure."

--

There was one person that would not stay clear of the lake. That person was Danessa Karkaroff. After what Viktor, Sasha and Ana told Danessa and her uncle about what they saw in the lake, she decided to dig a little deeper. Malachite had accented her powers to make her job easier (more so his own) and she decided to test them out a little more. Danessa walked closer to the lake, so that the water was lightly hitting her feet. She raised her arms and cleared her throat, preparing to use her newfound power. Before she could utter a word, someone grabbed her arm: Darien.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"What does it look like?" she sneered, pulling back her wrist. "I'm going to bring the creature here and have it work for me!"

"Are you out of your mind?" said Darien. "The creature was trapped there for a reason in the first place! You can't possible control that thing!"

"No?" said Danessa softly. "Just watch me!" She pushed him back and held out her wand. "Hear me, lamia of the lake. I am ending your imprisonment. I command that you come up here and obey me!"

From all the way on the bottom of the lake, the lamia heard Danessa call for her. The cage of clams fell apart, allowing her to swim away—too fast for the merpeople to catch her. For the first time since her imprisonment in the lake, she was able to break the lake's surface. She had been asleep for a long time, and only when Durmstrang arrived to Hogwarts' lake was she awakened. But it was not enough to allow her to leave the lake. Every time she tried she found the water's surface to be like glass, preventing her from escaping. The water bubbled and hit the shore with vicious waves. The lamia glared at Danessa and swam toward her.

"I will make you pay what you've done to me!" she shouted.

Danessa looked back confused. "I just freed you; you foolish creature!"

The lamia lunged at her and Darien threw his arms around Danessa, making her lose her balance. They fell and rolled away from the lamia.

"What are you doing?" Danessa snarled.

"Saving your life, you ungrateful witch!" Darien griped.

The lamia sniffed the air, her forked tongue slipping in and out of her mouth. "No, you're not her. You're not Callista."

"Indeed I am not!" said Danessa, pushing Darien off of her and attempting to stand up. "I am Danessa Karkaroff, your new master!"

The lamia laughed. "You are not my master. I obey no one. If you excuse me, I have a task to attend to!"

The lamia slithered at light speed toward Hogwarts' school. Danessa shouted at it.

"Come back here!" exclaimed Danessa. "I order you to stop!"

Darien folded his arms and grinned. "I told you this would happen."

Danessa glared at him. "Help me get it back."

Darien shook his head. "No, this is your problem. If you want to risk having everyone here find out you let that thing free an going to Azkaban, be my guest."

Danessa's mouth fell open and she looked from the school to the ship. "Uncle Igor!" she shouted, running onto the ship. Darien smiled to himself and looked at the school, sighing. Normally he would help in this situation, but he couldn't. Serena was here and it would confuse her to see him. Hogwarts however, he knew was safe. The moment that thing got inside, everyone would work together to stop it before it hurt anyone. Wishing he could stay, he disappeared to the Negaverse.

--

"Well, I still say there's no such thing as a lamia," said Ron as he and his friends stepped out of charms.

"Cuthbert!" shouted a hissing voice behind him.

"What?" mumbled Ron and turned around. He screamed when he saw a creature with a human-torso and the tail of a giant snake.

"Cuthbert, it's you!" exclaimed the lamia happily.

"I-I'm not Cuthbert!" Ron gasped.

"Ron, run for it!" Harry shouted and Ron did just that. The lamia attempted to slither after him, but Harry and Serena stood in the way. Some other brave Gryffindors created a wall of students to prevent the lamia from getting to Ron. The lamia growled.

"Get out of my way!" she shouted.

'This is bad,' thought Serena. If she could just transform to Sailor Moon, she could use her tiara on this Negaverse monster and everyone would be safe. But with the hallway full of students, there was no way for her to transform without revealing herself.

"Stupefy!" shouted Raye, her wand pointed at the lamia. The Stunner bounced off of the lamia's tough skin. She looked down at Raye and hissed.

"Callista!" she snarled. "I will destroy you!"

"I'm not Callista!" Raye cried.

The lamia slithered closer to Raye and caught a whiff of her scent. "No, you're not…but you look like her. She had black hair. Where is she?" the lamia stretched on the back her tail, peering over th heads the students. "Where are you hiding, Callista Black? Come out and face me!"

"She can't, Abigail," said a slow and monotone voice.

Professor Binns floated through a wall and approached the lamia. The lamia narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Abigail," said Professor Binns, bobbing and down in the air. "It's me, Cuthbert."

"Cuthbert?" murmured the lamia. "What happened to you?"

"I died," Professor Binns answered. "I fell asleep in front of the fire in the staffroom and didn't wake up."

"But how come you're so old?" said Abigail.

"It's been seven hundred years since you've seen me last," said Binns.

"Seven hundred years?" gasped Abigail. "I don't understand? Where's Callista—where is she?"

"She died in 1401," answered Binns. "Dragon pox."

"But…my revenge!" shouted Abigail. "I want revenge for her turning me into this monster!"
"She had nothing to do with it," said Binns coolly. "It was you. It was an accident. She told me how you were arguing at the lake and you spilt the polyjuice potion on yourself. You intended to use it on her, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" Abigail snapped. "You were spending so much time with her and I had to show you what she really was—a snake! It's common fact that polyjucie potions should not contain animal parts. Instead of turning into the person you want, you become part of that animal. So I made a polyjuice potion heavy on snake parts. She was a liar and a cheater and a Slytherin!"

"I knew she was a cheater!" yelled Binns. "I caught her cheating on an exam. But I wasn't prefect at that time. Instead of turning her in, I decided to become her tutor and help her with her homework—as long as she didn't cheat again."

"You helped her?" said Abigail. "Why, Cuthbert? Why didn't you turn her in?"

"I don't know," said Binns, "it must've been the Ravenclaw in me. I like to learn and help others learn. She was overwhelmed with being a third year and taking on new classes. She was failing everything and she had to resort to cheating. She had so much pressure on her for being from a long line of purebloods. She thought it was better for her to cheat all the way through Hogwarts and risk getting expelled than for her family to find out that she was falling behind…especially when muggleborns were exceeding her in classes. "

"Pathetic," muttered Abigail. "You were spending more time with her than me, when I was already in love with you!"

"Then you should have just told me how you felt," said Binns hotly, showing more emotion since he had become a ghost. "Instead of going after Callista! I had no interest in her and she didn't have any interest in me. I was just her tutor; if she had any feelings toward me, they were the same a younger sister would have for a big brother. If you had just come to me before and told me you cared about me, then I would have given you a chance! But because of your jealousy, you have brought this on yourself!"

Abigail was stunned. She stood speechless, staring at Professor Binns.

"All that happened nearly a millennium ago," said Binns. "I have put it behind me. It's your turn. You should not harbor your grudge on Callista. After Hogwarts, she fought to keep your accident and your curse out of the books. She did not want what happened to you to go public. Her family disowned her because of it. They were against helping Muggles and Muggleborns."

"She did?" mumbled Abigail.

Binns nodded.

Abigail looked at her scaly body. "Even if I do, I will still be this monster."

"I've come up with a counter curse," said Binns. "If my students are willing, I'll ask them to perform it on you."

Binns looked at the students in the corridor and they all took out their wands.

"Repeat after me," said Binns. "Boapesto femella. Lanxto Cutis. Venustas Orthos" The students in the hall repeated the spell and Abigail was surrounded in a soft pink light. The fins on Abigail's head became luxurious blond hair and her snake eyes into brilliant blue orbs. Her fangs became even teeth, and her scales became soft skin. Her long tail split into human legs. Abigail stood in a medieval scarlet and gold dress with a Gryffindor badge on the front: the robes worn by students back in Professor Binns' day. She smiled at Professor Binns.

"It is time for us both to leave this world," said Binns. "I have remained here because I knew I had to turn back the curse. Now that I'm done, I'm ready to leave." He looked at Maxfield, who was standing in the doorway looking surprised.

"Maxfield, tell Professor Dumbledore I quit," he said. "You're the new History of Magic teacher."

"All right," said Maxfield, still surprised.

Binns and Abigail joined hands and Binns' age fell from him. He now stood in the boys' uniform, much like the noblemen of the medieval ages. His gray hair became red, indicating the reason why Abigial had mistaken Ron for a young Cuthbert. Binns and Abigail shined bright white and they disappeared from the corridor. The students stood silent, unable to believe what had just happened.

Sasha and Ana, the two girls from Durmstrang, turned to look at each other. Sasha smiled. "I told you it was a naga! It had fins instead of hair!"

"Lamia, naga," said Ana, walking away. "They both have snake tails!"

TO BE CONTINUED