Icky Black Goo

Basil sat uncomfortably in her seat in Herbology Wednesday morning. Professor Longbottom was explaining what might be on the finals and giving out their next project for the week, but Basil had her brain wracking over what was going to happen. This Friday was the night that Anna, Albus, and she would be leaving to find the passages.

"You look exhausted." Meg commented as they pulled their gloves on. Persephone didn't even look Anna nor Basil.

"I had another nightmare." Basil simply replied and tried to plant the wild fern in front of her.

"You should talk to Madam Paige about your nightmares." Anna bluntly stated as she examined moving plant.

"No, it's only happened a few times, maybe four or five." Basil assured as she pull her goggles off.

"And they're always about snake or being numb." Meg added nonchalantly.

"That's strange. Just like…never mind." Anna, for one moment, brightened up then returned to her thinking state.

Basil just stared at her for a moment with annoyance, Tell me it…it must be important. Soon, Basil returned to her work until the bell rang and they evacuated to their rooms for finishing the work that Professor Celeste had assigned before their next class. Persephone hummed irksomely until they reached the common room and stayed to finish her parchment with Meg.

"Maybe we should apologize?" Anna suggested as she threw her bag on her bed.

"No! We're helping her actually. If we find the person then her dad gets his job back." Basil pointed out with anger burning in her eyes.

"Well can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever have visions?" Basil stared blankly at Anna as she analyzed what she said.

"Like…a seer? No, I don't believe so." Basil shrugged and rested against Hairball.

"You said yourself that you have dreams of being turned to stone and a man-"

"It's shock from it." Basil interrupted with bewilderedness in her tone. I don't believe it.

"There might be a connection. Even Ollivander said you were a special witch!" Basil soon regretted telling Anna about that event.

"So what? What do you think my dreams mean?" Basil asked with sarcasm. It spilled from her mouth like word vomit.

"Well do you remember any significant event after your dreams?" Anna questioned. She sat on her bed with her head up and eyes on Basil.

"Yes, at the Quidditch game I fell asleep and afterwards Rosie was attacked. Also the night before Kristina Young was attacked and when Tia McGinty was attacked…" Basil trailed off when realization hit her.

"Your dreams mean something Basil. It's a significant of when the person will strike. Now all we have to do is wait for another dream." Anna smiled as if she cracked the code to the Gringotts vault.

"That would be tonight."

Anna and Basil sat in silence once again, pondering over what they should do. Should we just skip it to tonight? It's better than someone else being turned to stone. Basil thought as she brushed through Hairball's tangled hair. Anna flipped from her back to her stomach while she lied on her bed.

"I guess we can do it one day earlier." Basil suggested.

Basil stood up promptly and stepped to the door; Anna stayed in her position, not even detecting that Basil had moved from her previous spot. Anna rolled on her side and trudged next to Basil as if she was being dragged from a leash.

"Or we can wait till Aguirre turns someone to stone." Basil reminded.

"This again?" Anna gave her an unsympathetic gaze and left the room.

Anna and Basil went directly Professor Coleman's room, knowing Albus would have him next, and waited till the messy brown haired boy showed up with Theo. Basil almost smiled at the thought of months ago, before everything went bad, when Albus and Theo were running away from Filch.

"Hey guys!" Albus greeted, his green eyes shimmering beautifully.

"We need to talk about tomorrow night." Anna winked as a sign of the plan. Theo left immediately after.

"I'm ready for it. I have James's Marauders Map and I have my dad's invisibility cloak. Oh and I'm keeping the key safe." Albus listed as his face lightened up to his accomplishments.

"We're-changing-it-to-tonight." Basil rushed her words so fast that it seemed to be one word.

"What? Why?"

"My dreams, by Anna's account, are vision. We realized with every dream I have, the next morning someone is attacked. I had one last night." Basil explained with a monotone voice.

"I...I guess we can. We have to do it as soon as everyone goes to sleep." Albus agreed with a grim expression planted on his face.

"Albus can I have your cloak and map? My bag is bigger than yours." Anna asked sweetly. He quickly handed them to her with a nervous smile.

This reminded Basil of something that she needed desperately to see. Basil reached into a pocket of Albus's bag, already knowing what was inside, and pulled the key out and examined it one last time. It'll work…it has too. Basil soon felt her stomach flipping and a swarm of wasps ricocheted from the insides of stomach. Albus brought out one of the notebooks that they wrote they plan in; it seemed flawless to them as they thought there was no way for them to be caught or attacked. What if they see the person who committed all these crimes? I can't even perform a simple spell….

"What's that?" A voice hissed from behind the trio, all jumping.

"Do you ever stop?" Basil spat at the blond boy. Scorpius just smirked at her.

"You're provoking me you know. I just wanted to see what it was." Scorpius stated as her rolled his eyes melodramatically.

"It's nothing of importance to you!" Basil shot back with fury in her voice. Anna and Albus stood back and watched.

"Touchy since all those kids were turned to stone, maybe you shouldn't have done it!" Scorpius retorted and leaned towards her face, his turning a slight red.

"Why I should-"

"Hit me? Remember what happened last time?" Scorpius laughed haughtily and crossed his arms.

Basil turned a bright red and held her hands out, like she was going to strangle him, but Anna threw her backwards and forced Basil's arm to go to her sides. Scorpius laughed arrogantly and continued to make fun of them; Albus knew class was starting for all three of them so he said his goodbyes, grabbing the key and notebook, and then entered the Potion room.

"We better get going." Anna held Basil's arm and towed forward.

"Just a reminder Sweets, if I get my hands on whatever Albus has, I won't waste any time finding out what it is." Scorpius snickered and sauntered off to Potions.

Basil did not say one word when they arrived for Flying lessons; Anna did not try to communicate to her, knowing that Basil might explode at any moment. Basil could barely keep herself on the broom, maybe due to her anger that caused her to grip the broom so tight, and Anna soared in the limits that were put on the students.

"Anna is pretty good at this." Meg commented as Persephone zoomed by, almost knocking her over.

"She should do Quidditch then." Basil agreed but stayed blank as she rose up. Her hands became temporarily loose.

The rest of the class was quite boring, as they were tested on how well they rode their brooms. Anna got repetitive compliments on her riding while Basil simply passed with no spectacular talent. As the rest of the class was testing, something strange happened.

A disgusting smelling smoke poured outside from inside the school; all the students plugged their noses and gagged. Madam Payne, a stiff and dark woman, blew her whistle to signal the riders to the ground. The whole class followed Madam Payne to the source of what the cloud of smell was coming from; they had reached Coleman's class.

"Eric! What has your class done?" Madam Payne hollered into the muggy classroom.

"Someone added something explosive to their mix." Coleman pointed to the class that was covered in icky, black goo.

It was horrendous, though four were the absolute worse: Albus, Peter, Scorpius, and Sylvestri. They were covered so thick that you could barely see their eyes from the oozing black goop. Albus waved with a sheepish grin, the thick smog was covering the whole class.

"Class, go and get cleaned up. Make a half foot parchment of went wrong." Coleman announced as he began cleaning his desk.

Albus trudged out with his bag hanging from his fingertips, trying not to get the goo on his bag. Anna held the bag for him as they walked him to the Gryffindor tower; Anna tried to rearrange her hold on the bag when she noticed something terribly wrong.

"Albus, why do you have a serpent stitched to your bag?" Anna asked as her eyes grew huge.

"What? No I don't...that's not my bag!" Albus yelled as they approached the portrait that entered the tower.

"Then who's is it?" Basil yelled with her thoughts on the lost key.

"You're not going to like it, but I'm pretty sure it is Scorpius's." Anna pointed out as she brought out a parchment with his name printed on it.

All the rage boiled inside of Basil, never before had the anger over made her whole body turn a bright white. A blood curdling scream escaped her lips that were full of foul language. The portraits whined and yelled at the commotion but Basil didn't care; her anger had escalated to a new high.

"Where is that little snake?" Basil screamed and stomped her foot into the stair.

"He's probably in the Slytherin bathroom." Albus replied. His face was pale and he was in shock of the outburst that just happened.

"Give me your cloak and map. I'm going after him! You heard what he said? He planned this to find out what we're up to!" Basil commanded and snatched Anna's bag.

Basil rummaged through it till she found the cloak and map; her knuckles a ghostly white as they gripped both materials tightly. Albus and Anna stared, stunned, and open mouthed at what they just heard. Can't believe I'm doing this. Basil thought with her brain thumping against her skull.

"You're not seriously going to follow him and take the bag as he's bathing, are you? If anyone finds you, you'll be expelled! And what if you see something? You just want to get killed, don't you?" Albus gasped with a face of disgust.

"I won't be looking! I need the key back, remember? He also has our whole notebook of plans!" Basil snapped and stomped down the stairs.

"I guess…but please Basil. Be careful!" Anna pleaded as Basil was almost halfway down the stairs.

"Don't worry about me. You should worry about Scorpius-that little thief." Basil sneered as the cloak draped over her and hid her from the world around her.