Valerie, a harry potter fanfic

Note - Cult: "great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work"

The sun had set behind the stone walls of Hogwarts castle, darkening the sky as day gave way to dusk, a blanket of clouds giving the faint light of the moon an eerie sheen. A small boy with messy brown curls sat perched upon a rock, staring out at the still black waters of the Great Lake.

He sat in silence, simply watching the surface of the water, before he finally spotted two figures through the remnants of fog-laden light. "Over here!" the boy called. The figures wandered over, gazing around to find what he was watching, but seeing nothing.

"So why are we here, Dennis?" one of the figures, a dark haired girl who looked a bit on-edge, finally asked. "I haven't got much time, you know. Professor Snape threatened me with detention if I don't finish my paper again, and I haven't a clue what the properties of valerian root are."

Dennis Creevey turned his head. "Remember the boat? How I was pushed back to safety? My savior lives in the depths of this lake." His voice was high, his blue eyes wide. "It… it calls me, Margaret. I owe it my life. I must come when it calls."

The girl, Margaret, stared at him, taking in the wide eyes, the mesmerized expression — he looked as if he were in a trance. "Are you okay, Dennis?" she asked hesitantly, unconsciously inching backwards, putting space between herself and Dennis so that she was closer to the other boy at her side.

"I'm brilliant! Today I will see it — but it requests an audience, an audience of three. It will not show itself to one. I am unworthy of being the sole witness, Margaret, but you, you and Daniel, together we are three, and together we will see!" he exclaimed. "The three who shall see. Of course, when Colin joins us it will be four, but four is better than three anyhow. It understands."

Margaret continued to stare at her friend in bemusement, and Daniel now spoke. "Okay then… what are we going to see?"

"See, you and I, we will see my savior! Don't you hear it? Through me it calls us all, it calls us to bear witness tonight, just wait, and we shall see." He paused for a moment. "Hey, Colin — Colin, over here!" He called out to a figure moving through the dusk.

Colin Creevey came to stand by his brother, his camera hanging around his neck. "I just finished the last four inches of my Charms paper for Flitwick, did I miss anything?" he asked in between gasps of air, bending over to place his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

Dennis didn't answer, a vacant look on his face now, and Margaret replied instead. "Don't worry, Colin, you haven't missed anything," she said, then gestured to a rock a couple feet from Dennis. "Want to sit? Daniel and I are fine here."

Colin gratefully sat down on the rock, breathing slowing down. "Never running that far again," he said, before turning to Dennis. "What am I getting a picture of again?"

"My savior, Colin, my savior! It called to me, it will appear tonight!"

"Ooooh, the lake creature? Is it the giant squid? Has anyone seen it before?"

Dennis waited a moment, eyes closed, before responding. "It says... it has been witnessed, but rarely has it happened. We will be one of few."

"And you can speak to it? Wicked!" Colin exclaimed.

"Well, it speaks to me. I haven't tried responding yet."

"Still, it chose you! I hope it shows up soon!"

Margaret and Daniel were watching the brothers warily, heads bowed, Margaret whispering to Daniel. "Are they quite sane, do you think? Should we be here?"

Suddenly, a new, taller figure came into view, looming over the four children gathered by the lake.

"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Ettington. I do believe you have three feet to write tonight, if I am not dearly mistaken as to the current state of your paper's completion? Of course, the cauldrons could certainly use a good scrubbing…"

Margaret, whose head had shot up at the sound of the voice, froze. "P-Professor Snape," she squeaked out. "I… uh...I just…"

"And Mr. Blackwell — your mother would not be fond of the information that you have been traversing the grounds after dark, not after what happened with your dear brother."

"You got him expelled just for entering the Forbidden Forest!"

"I did no such thing. Your brother was a talentless fool seeking to prove his invincibility — he is lucky nothing worse came from his idiocy." Snape now noticed the other two students. "And the Creeveys are here as well. Naturally. They could not pass up an opportunity so moronic as this. What exactly is your reasoning for being here at such an hour instead of in your dormitory? I'm simply dying to know."

"Dennis told us to come down here," said Margaret, having found her voice again.

"But of course. The whole of Hogwarts knows of the incredible manipulative powers of young Mr. Creevey over there."

"He… he said we would be sorry to miss it."

"Miss what exactly?"

"It!" exclaimed a now flustered Margaret Ettington. "I don't know, ask Dennis!"

"Oh, I shall. Mr. Creevey!"

Two heads turned in unison, and Snape gave a loud sigh. "The Mr. Creevey who called this...gathering...then. What is the meaning of this?"

Dennis looked up at Snape, who looked even more bat-like in the shadows of the night. "My savior called me! From the lake. It will appear tonight, I — we — have to see it!"

"Your…" Snape trailed off, face a mask of bewilderment for a moment before changing abruptly to a look of sheer exasperation. "Oh, for the sake of — Valerie!" he exclaimed, turning to face the Great Lake. "I thought I told you to cut the dramatics!"

The four students looked around in confusion. "Er… Professor… who is Valerie?" asked Daniel.

Snape waved a hand dismissively, continuing to berate this apparently invisible woman. "I know you so enjoy shocking the students, but really, the voice, Valerie? Again? Well, you've got an audience now. So surface!"

Suddenly there was a ripple at the surface of the previously still waters, a faint sound emanating from the depths of the lake. The students continued to watch, Dennis and Colin with excitement, Margaret and Daniel with fear, as slowly, methodically, one tentacle, and then another, and then a gargantuan eye fixed upon them all.

"My savior!" Dennis exclaimed. "I knew you would appear tonight! I owe you my life, thank you!"

A voice boomed out in the minds of all five people gathered. "I saved you as I have saved countless others in my time. You are most welcome." And with that, the creature sank back into the depth of the lake.

"Bloody narcissistic bit of overgrown seafood," Snape muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Margaret, awestruck.

"That," Snape said, irritation dripping from every letter of the word. "Was Valerie."