Ms. Ogles-Finch whined as she scrubbed the walls free of the graffiti.
"Come on, Eddie!" she groveled. "Let's leave this place! You and I both
know it was only for a bit of money to pay for a wedding chapel."
Mr. Pollired sighed and slumped on the floor. "Okay, Cassie," he said finally. Mr. Pollired approached Dumbledore's bedside and tapped the traveling nurse's shoulder. "When will he come to?"
"Just a couple minutes," the nurse said in a thick French accent. Kitsune had specifically asked for a new nurse to help Dumbledore. "And I'm Ms. Ouellette by the way."
"Yeah," Mr. Pollired whispered, gazing into the nurse's eyes.
Ms. Ogles-Finch slapped him and tossed her platinum blonde hair. "Behave yourself, Eddie! Kitty, dear," she began, eyeing Kitsune and Mahi. "Do you mind if we both quit?"
The question popped out of nowhere, yet Kitsune was relieved. "Whatever," she mumbled. "And it's Kitsune, not Kitty. I do not have fur contrary to popular belief."
"All right, Kitty dear," Ms. Ogles-Finch cooed. "C'mon Eddie." She pulled Mr. Pollired in the middle of the room. She leaned in slowly and kissed him passionately.
Mahi's hand flew to her forehead. Kitsune shouted, "Spare me!"
"Whatever," Ms. Ogles-Finch snapped. "We don't work here anymore!" She unbuttoned her uniform and revealed very inappropriate clothing underneath. Mr. Pollired grabbed her hand and they walked out, never to be seen again.
"Kitsune, I'm so sorry," Mahi apologized. "I didn't know it was Dumbledore."
"Don't worry," Kitsune reassured her. "He's been through worse."
Ms. Ouellette gasped as Dumbledore stirred. Mahi sighed, relieved. Mahi thought she'd killed him for a moment.
"Who-who are you?" Dumbledore asked hoarsely. "Where am I?"
"They've gone and bloody brainwashed him!" Kitsune raged. "Now he'll never be able to tell us who the master is!"
"Madam, I think you're lucky he's alive from what I hear from Mrs. Sprout," the nurse interrupted. "I can try to bring his memory back, but it will take two weeks, and it might not work."
"Please do," Mahi answered. "Then maybe we'll have a chance to find out who the master is."
"You can go now girls," Ms. Ouellette said.
"Okay, thank you," Kitsune murmured. The two girls stood and yawned.
"You are Headmaster Albus Dumbledore," the nurse was saying as they left.
"Who were those girls?" Dumbledore questioned.
~*~(*)~*~
At breakfast, Mahi and Kitsune sat at the far end of the Ravenclaw table and discussed what to do. "We really have to find out who's responsible," Kitsune whispered. "I'm-I'm scared they'll try to attack Dumbledore again."
Mahi chewed this thought for a moment. "Yeah, they will," she said finally. "We've got to get someone to watch Dumbledore."
"How about Ms. Ouellette?" Kitsune suggested. "I'm pretty sure we can trust her."
Mahi sighed. "We have to know we can trust her. How about Mrs. Pod instead? I'm positive she's trustworthy. For all we know, Ms. Ouellette could be the master."
"You're right," Kitsune mumbled. "Mrs. Pod's got to do it. We can find a substitute Herbology teacher in a heartbeat. People don't care about Herbology anyways."
"I guess," Mahi concluded. "This is going to sound funny, but we should check to see whose fingernails are long enough to match the scratches on the box."
Kitsune giggled. "It does sound funny, but I suppose we should." The bell rang at that instant and the two girls got up from breakfast. "Tell Mr. Lerroi that I'll be late but I'm coming. I'm going to stop by and tell Mrs. Pod our plan."
"Okay!" Mahi replied.
~*~(*)~*~
That evening at dinnertime, Kitsune and Mahi again went over their checklist. "The people I've found with fingernails long enough are Mr. Lerroi, Mr. Ovid Argus Filch, and Madam Nephele," Mahi listed.
"I didn't think Mr. Lerroi's nails were long enough to qualify," Kitsune said.
"I guess, but it's really creepy for a guy to have fingernails past the flesh of his fingers," Mahi replied.
"Yeah," Kitsune agreed. "So it's Mr. Lerroi, Filch, and Madam Nephele. Let's go tell Mrs. Pod."
The girls deserted their dinner and walked to the Private Infirmary. Kitsune was about to knock when they heard hushed voices from inside.
"Why would I sign that?" Dumbledore asked.
"It's for your own good," a hollow voice replied. "And for the school's. You wouldn't want the students to all die would you? Cockroaches are lethal this time of year."
"Oh, I see," Dumbledore said. "Who are you again?"
Mrs. Pod walked briskly up the corridor to the girls. She was about to say something when Mahi clamped her mouth shut. "Someone's in there," she whispered.
"On the count of three," Kitsune said as softly as she could, wand at ready. "One. Two. Three."
Mr. Pollired sighed and slumped on the floor. "Okay, Cassie," he said finally. Mr. Pollired approached Dumbledore's bedside and tapped the traveling nurse's shoulder. "When will he come to?"
"Just a couple minutes," the nurse said in a thick French accent. Kitsune had specifically asked for a new nurse to help Dumbledore. "And I'm Ms. Ouellette by the way."
"Yeah," Mr. Pollired whispered, gazing into the nurse's eyes.
Ms. Ogles-Finch slapped him and tossed her platinum blonde hair. "Behave yourself, Eddie! Kitty, dear," she began, eyeing Kitsune and Mahi. "Do you mind if we both quit?"
The question popped out of nowhere, yet Kitsune was relieved. "Whatever," she mumbled. "And it's Kitsune, not Kitty. I do not have fur contrary to popular belief."
"All right, Kitty dear," Ms. Ogles-Finch cooed. "C'mon Eddie." She pulled Mr. Pollired in the middle of the room. She leaned in slowly and kissed him passionately.
Mahi's hand flew to her forehead. Kitsune shouted, "Spare me!"
"Whatever," Ms. Ogles-Finch snapped. "We don't work here anymore!" She unbuttoned her uniform and revealed very inappropriate clothing underneath. Mr. Pollired grabbed her hand and they walked out, never to be seen again.
"Kitsune, I'm so sorry," Mahi apologized. "I didn't know it was Dumbledore."
"Don't worry," Kitsune reassured her. "He's been through worse."
Ms. Ouellette gasped as Dumbledore stirred. Mahi sighed, relieved. Mahi thought she'd killed him for a moment.
"Who-who are you?" Dumbledore asked hoarsely. "Where am I?"
"They've gone and bloody brainwashed him!" Kitsune raged. "Now he'll never be able to tell us who the master is!"
"Madam, I think you're lucky he's alive from what I hear from Mrs. Sprout," the nurse interrupted. "I can try to bring his memory back, but it will take two weeks, and it might not work."
"Please do," Mahi answered. "Then maybe we'll have a chance to find out who the master is."
"You can go now girls," Ms. Ouellette said.
"Okay, thank you," Kitsune murmured. The two girls stood and yawned.
"You are Headmaster Albus Dumbledore," the nurse was saying as they left.
"Who were those girls?" Dumbledore questioned.
~*~(*)~*~
At breakfast, Mahi and Kitsune sat at the far end of the Ravenclaw table and discussed what to do. "We really have to find out who's responsible," Kitsune whispered. "I'm-I'm scared they'll try to attack Dumbledore again."
Mahi chewed this thought for a moment. "Yeah, they will," she said finally. "We've got to get someone to watch Dumbledore."
"How about Ms. Ouellette?" Kitsune suggested. "I'm pretty sure we can trust her."
Mahi sighed. "We have to know we can trust her. How about Mrs. Pod instead? I'm positive she's trustworthy. For all we know, Ms. Ouellette could be the master."
"You're right," Kitsune mumbled. "Mrs. Pod's got to do it. We can find a substitute Herbology teacher in a heartbeat. People don't care about Herbology anyways."
"I guess," Mahi concluded. "This is going to sound funny, but we should check to see whose fingernails are long enough to match the scratches on the box."
Kitsune giggled. "It does sound funny, but I suppose we should." The bell rang at that instant and the two girls got up from breakfast. "Tell Mr. Lerroi that I'll be late but I'm coming. I'm going to stop by and tell Mrs. Pod our plan."
"Okay!" Mahi replied.
~*~(*)~*~
That evening at dinnertime, Kitsune and Mahi again went over their checklist. "The people I've found with fingernails long enough are Mr. Lerroi, Mr. Ovid Argus Filch, and Madam Nephele," Mahi listed.
"I didn't think Mr. Lerroi's nails were long enough to qualify," Kitsune said.
"I guess, but it's really creepy for a guy to have fingernails past the flesh of his fingers," Mahi replied.
"Yeah," Kitsune agreed. "So it's Mr. Lerroi, Filch, and Madam Nephele. Let's go tell Mrs. Pod."
The girls deserted their dinner and walked to the Private Infirmary. Kitsune was about to knock when they heard hushed voices from inside.
"Why would I sign that?" Dumbledore asked.
"It's for your own good," a hollow voice replied. "And for the school's. You wouldn't want the students to all die would you? Cockroaches are lethal this time of year."
"Oh, I see," Dumbledore said. "Who are you again?"
Mrs. Pod walked briskly up the corridor to the girls. She was about to say something when Mahi clamped her mouth shut. "Someone's in there," she whispered.
"On the count of three," Kitsune said as softly as she could, wand at ready. "One. Two. Three."