The Worst Punishment
Another nightmare haunted her from the night before; probably from the aftermath of the slightly traumatic event from the night before. It wasn't until morning till Anna had confronted Basil about the incident. Basil had just got up from her bed and dressed for a casual Sunday to do no work and just to sit around. Yet, that wasn't what she was planning, Basil was planning to search through every detail and note they had until she figured out a main culprit for the crimes.
"Basil, how are you feeling?" Anna asked as Basil untangled her hair with a brush.
"Kristina Young has been turning to stone. How do you think I'm doing?" Basil snapped and threw the brush against the nightstand.
"Calm down, it's not your fault. It is nothing to get worked up over!" The blonde fought back and stomped closer to her friend.
"Yes it is. I could finally solve this case and return all the magic back to my family." Basil rolled her eyes and left the dorm.
Basil trudged out of the Ravenclaw tower and down the corridors. Her mind was filled with frustrated thoughts and her brain was throbbing. It didn't help that she kept blaming herself for Kristina's current state. If only Basil could figure out who is doing this and why, maybe she could save Kristina. Suddenly, Ms. Carrie cleared her throat rather obnoxiously and pulled Basil back by the shoulder.
"Yes Professor Carrie?" Basil questioned with fake sweetness.
"McGonagall has informed me that I must punish you for striking young Malfoy-"
"He provoked me!"
"Sh! You will march yourself to Professor Aguirre and help him with papers. Now." Professor Carrie hissed and pointed her long finger down the hall.
Basil's lips turned to a scowl and her face was ruby red; she still stomped down the hallway to Professor Aguirre's office. Once she arrived, Aguirre was stacking papers on his desk and muttering to himself about grades of some sort. Basil knocked loudly to make him turn his attention.
"Oh hello there Sweets, come in, come in." Aguirre greeted softly and used his wand to pull out a chair.
"Why do I have detention with you?" Basil muttered and sat down hastily.
"It's not detention, just punishment. Professor Carrie doesn't really like spending time with her students. Or more like her Ravenclaws." Aguirre explained and divided the papers in half.
"But she was a Ravenclaw herself right?"
"Oh yes, but she didn't really enjoy her time there. Carrie wanted to be in Slytherin but the sorting hat thought differently." Aguirre gossiped and went through the papers.
Basil spent about twenty more minutes going through papers and sorting them in the piles that Aguirre had suggested. I didn't even do anything wrong Basil thought intensely and released the papers onto the desk with an audible sigh. Aguirre stood up and analyzed the piles.
"If you didn't strike the boy, you wouldn't be here."
"If Malfoy didn't provoke me, I wouldn't be here." Basil shot back and went to the next pile of paper.
"What did he say to you?" Aguirre stood and flipped through books that sat on his desk.
"He said I was just like my grandfather. He called me a felon and made fun of me." Basil bit her tongue quickly and hung her head low.
"Who is your grandfather?" Aguirre held the book up to his nose and strolled to another table in the classroom.
"Arnold Sweets."
There was a loud thud and a gasp. Basil looked up swiftly and saw Aguirre ghostly white and his book on the floor. His hands were shaking slightly and his eyes were like saucers. Basil became concerned as the professor would not move an inch.
"Professor?"
"You can leave now Sweets. I need to attend to something urgent." Basil was rushed from the room and to the elongated hallways.
Basil stood solid for a minute until it hit her at what had just happened. He knows something. Basil thought and went for the library. The library was fairly empty except for a few older students studying and Anna and Albus. Anna was staring blankly at Albus as he talked about something intensely; Basil joined them and he suddenly stopped.
"Where have you been?" Anna bluntly asked and turned solemnly.
"I was being punished for slapping Scorpius. It was cut short when Aguirre learned that my grandfather is Arnold Sweets." Basil explained in a low whisper and sat down.
"So Aguirre knows your grandfather?" Albus asked and stirred in his seat.
"I assume so, he looked really scared." Basil looked around at her two friends.
Anna was silent and her eyes were slow and dull. Albus was fidgeting in his seat and his hands would not stop moving. Basil had an eerie suspicion that Anna and Albus were hiding something but her mind was occupied with the event that just happened.
"You know Basil, maybe you should leave this to the Ministry-"
"What do you mean?" Basil jumped up and her eyes were wide.
"The whole 'people turning to stone' thing." Anna finished her sentence and looked down sheepishly.
"But this made my family lose their magic!" Basil yelled out furiously; other people looked over and the librarian was shooting death glares.
"Yes but you have magic so you're fine." Albus assured and scooted over towards Anna. His face was turning red.
"But no one else does! This means something." Basil whispered but kept glaring with her eyes burning.
"Basil, you should focus on learning magic. You don't know how to control it yet." Anna persuaded and grabbed her bag.
"No, I can't when I know the person who used my grandpa as a scapegoat is on the loose!" Basil knew she was going to be yelled at again so she ran off before anyone could say anything.
Basil could hear Anna and Albus following close behind. Basil started rushing down the halls to she couldn't hear the footsteps trotting behind her. Once she thought she was safe, she trudged down another corridor that was empty. Basil's head was pounding and her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles were white. It took her awhile till she realized that she was lost in a maze of corridors.
"HELP! Someone help!"
Basil froze and spun around to find where the voice came from. There was a sound of a slam of a door and then it was silent; the sound came from another conjoining hallway out of hundreds. Basil hurried down the hallway and saw something horrifying; there was another students turning to stone. Her body was a light grey and her expression was terrifying.
"Someone help! We need help!" Basil shrieked and walked closer to the figure.
Basil remembered the girl as Tia McGinty, Slytherin, her then dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes were now stone. Soon a whole swarm of teachers and students appeared in the small hallway; McGonagall was in front and stood out towards Tia.
"Oh my, what happened?" McGonagall asked gravely.
"I don't know. I heard her scream for help and she was like this." Basil explained. Her eyes scanned the hallways and saw no doors or escape for the culprit.
"Thank you Sweets. We will have Ms. McGinty taken to infirmary. Everyone should be more wary when walking alone now; I will call the Ministry to investigate immediately." McGonagall announced.
The crowd dissolved, as did Basil, through the rest of the school and up to their separate house common rooms. When Basil emerged into the common room, the only people sitting there was Anna, Hairball, and Meg. Hairball purred and jumped into Basil's arm immediately. Basil tried to escape to her room but she thought they needed to inform her friends.
"Have you heard the news about Tia McGinty?" Basil enquired quietly.
"Yes, McGonagall is putting more 'security' around the castle now. Aurors are arriving tomorrow morning." Meg replied and stood up with her books. "I have to get to bed now. Persephone and I are going to talk to Professor Longbottom early morning. Goodnight!"
"Night!" Both Anna and Basil replied and with that, Meg left.
"So, I've been studying-"
"I'm not giving this up Anna, this is getting worse." Basil interrupted sternly. Her hands gripped Hairball tensely.
"Albus and I talked it over. We're going to help you solve this." Anna smiled brightly at Basil.
"You what?"
"Yes. After Tia was turned, it was hard to say that you're wrong. I've been into the restricted section and I think I have a hunch." Basil broke into a smile and hugged Anna tightly with a burst of happy words.
"Oh yes! I love you so much. Thank you! Thank you! We'll get to it right in the morning." Basil jumped and squeezed Hairball tightly; he just hissed.
Basil had finally had finally persuaded Anna and Albus to help her completely. Basil was beaming all through the night as, even her sleep. I'm finally going to do this. I'm going to make him proud.