It hadn't taken her long to run back home (a perk to living in one of the few places that had enough land in Hogsmeade to have a greenhouse, it meant being close to the park) and it had taken her even less time to fly back once she'd acquired her broom.

Despite her initial panicked thoughts, she hadn't really expected to come back to anything chaotic but then there was Sisse on the shore yelling - had she actually ever seen Sisse yell before? - and only Moony's head visible from above the water. What in the world had happen in the brief time she'd been gone? Where was Sloane?  And was that a... kitten Cam had just placed on the capsized the boat? Had a kitten managed to flip the boat? Why was a kitten in a boat all alone? And how had a kitten resulted in the disappearance of Sloane? What in the world was going on?

Hovering on the shoreline, her feet suspended an inch or so off the ground, she turned to Sisse, hoping for some much-needed detail, only to watch Cameron dive down and the sick feeling in her stomach only grew. The only reason she could see for Cam to dive is if Sloane hadn't gone under of her own free will. Frick, why weren't they allowed to use magic? Did any of the three in the water even have their wands?

"Hold this and get on," Calla instructed Sisse, passing off a piece of rope she'd thought to grab out of the shed last minute after fetching her broom. She hadn't been able to find her old broom - the one she'd used till recently that had been brought for her second hand in her first year - so Sisse would have to ride with her. That would be better, she supposed, to have a full set of free hands not focused on flying.

"You can hold on to my waist," she'd instruct if Sisse climbed on, scooting forwards on the broom to account for the shift in the weight distribution. As soon as her friend was on, she'd lean forwards, prompting the broom over the water.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Sisse watched anxiously as Mr. Moony and Cam lifted the boat enough for Sloane to swim out. Her friend was holding something and just handed it to Cam when she went under - even to Sisse’s unpracticed eyes it didn’t look like she had dove, but rather had been dragged under. Not even realizing it Sisse shrieked. Her cheeks blooming with red as she realized what she had just done.

There had to be something she could do! Cam dove into the water and suddenly Calla was on her broom beside her. Sisse didn’t argue with Calla, perhaps she should have after all she’d never been a great flyer and never flown with someone before, but she needed to be helpful. She clamored onto the broom, wrapping her hands around Calla’s waist and leaning against her back and she kept a death grip on the road and keeping her hands latched. She just needed to not think about the water.

“Sloane got pulled in!” Sisse’s voice was panicked even to her ears.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Well this had gone from mild panic, to totally fine, to oh shit. At least she'd managed to get the kitten safely to Cam before going under.

Feeling herself being pulled more sideways than down, Sloane had no clue if it was a grindylow or the squid, but she really had zero intention of drowning today. Clawing her way to the surface, she managed to get above water for half a second, a few yards from the boat now, but only with enough time to grab a breath before being pulled back under.

Sloane tried to wrestle her wand from her pocket; she'd rather be in trouble for underage magic than dead, but the fabric wouldn't budge. The whiplash from being tossed side to side was disorienting her and now she was starting to panic a little.

Trying her wand again, she finally managed to get it out without losing it and shot a stinging jinx at whatever it was that had a hold on her. The grip loosened and she started toward the surface, but she was losing consciousness quickly.

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When Sloane was dragged under, Ned audibly cursed. The look that Cam gave him was one he echoed, and he was only a few seconds behind the other boy in diving under the water.

Merlin, why was it so difficult to see?

It took a few moments, but he could eventually see Sloane being thrashed about.  They wouldn't be able to grab hold of her until whatever it was let go, but it seemed she was quick on her feet and had managed to let off a jinx.

Ned sought out Cam, hoping they could both help lift Sloane to shore, but it seemed the creature wasn't alone.  Another shadow darted around them.

Shit.

Removing his wand from his forearm holster, Ned gestured from Cam to Sloane and pointed his wand upwards, hoping to suggest he grab hold of her and use the Ascendio Charm to try and get her out of there more quickly. However, he might just look like a lunatic.

Hoping to buy them time, he tried to aim a jinx at the second creature, or maybe tentacle, that was after them. It was too difficult to tell.

Hopefully, Calla and Sisse would be up there waiting.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Cameron struggled to keep hold of his breath, but he found a little extra willpower when both Ned and Sloane came into view. He understood Ned at once and raised his own wand. A tentacle (was the great squid the thing that grabbed her!?) came into view, and he did the first thing that came to mind: he wordlessly cast lumos. He remembered reading that creatures of the deep did not handle light well, and it seemed that, at least for a moment, the creature seemed to withdraw deeper into the lake.

He made a grab for Sloane, who looked positively awful with her fluttering eyelids and tangled hair, and followed Ned's lead by grabbing her arm and pointing his wand towards the surface. Maybe they wouldn't die. He wouldn't dare glance back down to see if the creature was coming back.

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As soon as Sisse climbed on behind her, they were off. Sisse's grip caused her teeth to clinch in pain. Her fingers would leave bruises tomorrow. But, she said nothing, realizing this likely wasn't the easiest thing for her friend to be doing. Being back here, with Mr. Moony and watching everything... well Calla couldn't imagine it to be easy, not with what had happened to Sisse a few weeks prior. It had been easier to track her friends when Mr. Moony still had his head above the water but then he to had plunged under though she couldn't tell if he to had been pulled or if he had gone under of his own free will.

Slowing down, she hovered beside the overturned boat, searching for any sign of the other surfacing. She wanted to get in. To look for them, but if she got wet in her dress she'd never be able to pull herself back up on her broom. And she didn't want to leave Sisse alone. Grimacing, she shifted the broom over, close to the boat as possible.

"Sisse, can you reach the cat from here or do I need to get closer?" Sloane would personally murder her if she left the cat and Calla wouldn't be that pleased with herself either. Beyond that, she wasn't sure what to do until the surfaced. She could see a faint glow of light that she might be a lumos charm and she latched on to that hope. "If you can, pass it to me, you'll need your hands free to help them. Maybe we can throw the rope down and pull them back to shore?"

She had no clue what the towing capacity of her broom was but maybe the fact they were in water would help.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Flying over the water wasn't much better than contemplating going in it, Sisse realized as Calla flew toward the boat. Their friends had all disappeared under the water and Sisse peered at the spot they had last been so nervously she wasn't sure she would actually be able to do anything. (A rather unrespectable state for a Gryffindor to be showing when a Hufflepuff was the one coming to the rescue.) As they got closer though Sisse steeled herself, they had to help their friends, no matter the risk.

Soon they were near the boat where the only thing she was a .... kitten? Was that what this had all be for. Thank Merlin for Calla's flying skills, Sisse was able to reach over and scoop the little thing up while still keeping an arm around Calla. "Here it is." She handed the little ball of wet fluff to her friend as her eyes distractedly gazed at the surface of the water looking for any trace of their friends. "Yes." She agreed, having no matter idea.

Suddenly the trio burst out of the water wands raised in a gaint splash. "Here!" Sisse yelled down to them throwing them the rope.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Cameron had long known that ascendio was meant to be used underwater, but he'd never gotten a chance to use it in its intended form before now. (Here's to hoping he could still do magic underwater.

Wand still pointed to the surface and with his other arm linked around Sloane's (whose other arm was linked around Ned's), Cam cast the spell. It worked. Sort of. They breached the surface at an unexpected rate, and the three Gryffindors nearly crashed into the broom that was hovering above. Once back in the water, Cameron held out to catch the rope.

"Put it around Sloane. She needs it more than us," he said to Ned, struggling to catch his breath as he held the end of the rope out to him.

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Ned had never tried the ascendio spell underwater. It wasn't terribly unpleasant, per say, but it wasn't a sensation he truly wished to experience again in the near future. Then again, he also supposed it would feel entirely different if he wasn't exhausted, losing air, and being knocked against two other people. It took all he had in him to hold tight to Sloane so she didn't just slip from his grasp.

When they splashed back into the water, Ned sputtered a bit before treading water again, trying to hold Sloane up higher. He could only hope that their legs weren't about to be snatched by another tentacle. Wordlessly, Ned nodded to Cam, unable to make words for all his energy was focused on making sure Sloane stayed afloat.

Ned took the rope from Cam and concentrated on trying to tie it around Sloane. He didn't trust that it wouldn't just slip off her waist, so he silently apologized to the poor girl and improvised. He passed the rope around her waist, up and over one arm, behind her back, up and over the other arm, and then, embarrassingly between her legs. He tied it all in the middle with three overhand knots, hoping that would be enough for it to not come undone. Overall, it looked like a terrible, makeshift harness of sorts that would probably be incredibly uncomfortable if Sloane were conscious, especially once lifted out of the water. It wasn't the most secure, and she'd probably shift about a good deal. Good thing it was temporary. Ned was not meant to be a sailor.

"Lift her!" He half shouted, though his voice wasn't as loud as it ought to be. He was growing exhausted. Once Sloane was safely secured and being transported by Calla and Sisse, Ned swam the short distance to the overturned boat and grabbed hold of it. He needed to catch his breath before attempting to return to shore with Cam.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Thank Merlin her three friends had appeared, not that they had almost crashed into the broom. Sisse held the rope in a death grip, her thighs gripping the broom through her skirts and her ankles crossed to try and stay steady. She hadnt been on a broom in almost two years.

When the broom stayed upright and her friends splashed into the water again Sisse realized Sloane was propped between the boys with her eyes closed. "Sloane!" She gasped, alerting Calla to the issue.

She watched Ned tie Sloane up and nodded at the instruction. She didnt think she could pull Sloane up and was worried about all three of them on the broom. "We'll get her to shore and come back for you!" She called.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

His eyes lingered on Sloane's unconscious figure as she was pulled out of the water. Merlin, he hoped she'd be okay. Fortunately a few seasons of quidditch-playing had left Calla with more strength than than smaller Sisse (not to mention she knew how to keep a broomstick steady), so he trusted that they'd make it to shore.

Now about him and Moony.

Cameron swam over to the capsized boat and helped Ned flip it back. The girls had taken the kitten, so that was one less body they had to be responsible for.

"I stopped being religious the moment I found out I was a wizard," he coughed, trying to get a hold of his breath, "but I pray that we make it across this damn lake." He flashed a knowing look at Moony as the water shifted beneath them, either a result of their splashing or a creature lurking beneath.

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Seeing Sloane propped limply between Cam and Mr. Moon was enough to make her stomach flip. If she'd taken any longer to fetch her broom? How long could the boys have kept her afloat? She didn't want to know. Hopefully, they could keep themselves afloat long enough for them to come back.

"Loop the rope around the shaft, it will give you a better grip and take some of the weight off you, then pull the other end to hoist her up." She hovered uneasily while Sisse attempted to pull Sloane up, wanting to be moving already. Staying still felt like she wasn't doing anything. Wanting something to do, she twisted, using her lower half to keep the broom steady and give the kitten a place to perch while leaving her hands free and grabbed onto the rope as well, giving it one final heave before she felt Sloane was at an appropriate distance from the broom in her harness.

"Try and see if you can't both get into the boat! It will make pulling you both easier!" Calla instructed before turning off towards the shore again.

"Will you stay with Sloane on the shore, Sisse? I don't want to leave her alone."

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Ned watched, just praying that the crazy mess of knots he had tied would hold. Hopefully, Sisse or Calla would be able to de-tangle Sloane. In retrospect, maybe he should have done a few less, but the thought of Sloane plummeting back into the lake and becoming dinner for the giant squid made his stomach churn.

"Please don't fall," he whispered.

When Cam joined him, he swapped a look of borderline relief. They still needed to get themselves out of there, but at least one of them was currently being air lifted. "Me too. Let's just hope this boat offers us at least some protection." He neglected to comment that the kitten had been rather unceremoniously dumped, but, perhaps, their jinxes had scared it away.

Ned started to climb into the boat, looking like a stranded seal for a moment before toppling into the slightly submerged thing. He started to splash out some of the water inside and reached out to try to help Cam in case he needed any assistance.

"I just hope she'll be alright."

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

It was torture to think of the possibility that Sloane wouldn’t be alright—not that he was going to tell that to Moony. He still couldn’t get the image of her lifeless-looking body sinking deeper into the Black Lake before they’d managed to get a hold on her.

Brows furrowed, he he gripped the side of the small rowboat.

“She’d better be okay,” he said with a hardness to his voice that only existed to hide his worry. “Because I’m going to kill her if she isn’t.”

He felt his heat drop as Sisse and Callla arrived with Sloane on the lake shore. His face slipped into a frown and his brows softened. Was she going to be alright?

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Following Slaone's instructions they somehow all made it back to the shore. Sisse wasted no time in jumping from the broom in a bustle of skirts and rope and rushing at Sloane, assuming that would be answer enough for Sloane. They still had Ned and Cam to think of after all and Sisse would be no good there. At least with her on the ground one of the boys could at least use the broom if they needed to.

She knelt by Slaone's side not entirely sure what to do to see if her friend was even alive. What did she do? There had to be something! Reasoning that if Sloane were still alive she'd still be breathing Sisse leaned close to listen for any sound. Small shallow breaths came from Sloane's lips, thank Merlin. "Sloane. Sloane!" Sisse called, wishing her mother were there with her smelling salts. Maybe Calla's sister might hear and come near though. In the meantime the ropes from around Sloane needed to be undone, especially as they were hitching her skirts up. Sisse started on the knots almost crying at the difficulty of wet knots not giving way. In fact she was crying, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "Sloane, please wake up." Sisse pleaded as the knots stayed stubbornly in her grip as tight as before and her frustration at her ability to do anything mounted.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

There was something unusual about losing consciousness, that floating feeling where you weren't sure if you were dreaming or maybe slowly dying, though it was entirely unclear. Sloane couldn't really tell what was going on, fleeting images in murky water of the boys and whatever creatures surrounded them. The weightlessness of the water and the inconsistency of knowing what was going on until she finally blacked out completely.

Only to wake up to a crying, pleading Sisse and the sudden urge to vomit.

Rolling over on her side immediately, Sloane let out all of the water she'd inhaled, coughing and sputtering, trying not to choke on what was coming out. "I'm okay, I'm okay." She insisted, trying to get up onto her hands and knees, but found herself constricted by the ropes around her. Shrugging out of those and pushing them off her body, she took some deep breaths.

"Well that was fun." She half-laughed, half-coughed out some more water and flopped back down on the grass to regulate her breathing again.

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