The Cave...

Marigold heard Deirdre yell run. Asher cursed a bit and grabbed Marigold's hand. They ran into the woods, following Deirdre. Gavin and Peyton was following Asher. Marigold had no idea where Adele and Seamus was.

"Woah. Woah. Woah. Slow down Marigold."Gavin said, grabbing her by her cloak. The button on the cloak snapped and she went tumbling down a hill. She was lucky not to hit a tree on the way down. While the fall was only a couple of seconds, when Marigold looked up, she realized that she was in a small little valley of sorts. It cut short with a cave.

"Are you okay?!"Asher asked. Marigold was a bit dizzy from the fall and she was covered head to toe in snow. She looked around, trying to get a grip on her surroundings.

"Yeah. I'm fine."she called back. The boys were trying to figure out what to do when a roar came out of the cave. Marigold slowly turned to it. Then, she started to crawl away in fear.

It was a Sphinx. She remembered her father talking about them. But, this one was really scary. The Sphinx slowly came out of the shadows. It was a face of a woman but her hair was in dread locks and littered with bugs. Marigold stifled back a gag. The Sphinx yawned as she came out of the cave. Do Sphinx hibernate?Marigold thought. The Spinx smiled at Marigold as the rest of her lion body came out of the darkness.

"My,my,my. Has a little raven fallen on my doorstep?"she asked, approaching Marigold. Marigold successfully stood up and drew her wand. The Sphinx laughed. Marigold couldn't think of any spells! She lowered her wand a little. The Sphinx, realizing that she was helpless, lunged at Marigold, pinning her to ground. Marigold screamed while the Sphinx roared at her.

"Avis!"a voice said. A flock of birds was sprayed at the Sphinx's face. Marigold looked up. It was Asher. He had slid all the way down the hill. He helped her up as Gavin and Peyton followed his lead.

"Are you alright?"Asher asked Marigold. Marigold blushed and nodded.

"Marigold, you have a huge gash on your leg."Gavin pointed out. She looked at her leg. When did that get there?she thought.

"I'm gonna tear you to shreds!"the Sphinx roared at the students. Asher pointed his wand at the beast while Gavin and Peyton drew theirs. Marigold looked around for her wand. It was buried in the snow. She dropped to her knees and started looking for it as the third years cast various spells at The Sphinx. They were all really harmless spells. They really didn't know many powerful spells. Marigold found her wand and did worst thing she could possibly do. She used her severing charm.

"Diffindo!"she said. An X shaped gashed the Sphinx's forearm. The Sphinx cried out in pain and Marigold felt a bit bad for the beast. That was before the Sphinx had her in it's teeth. Just the back of her dress though. The Sphinx dragged her to the middle and then placed a paw on her chest. Marigold coughed from the sudden weight.

"Drop your wands or I crush every bone in her body!"the Sphinx barked, pressing a little harder to make a point. Marigold yelped. She could feel her bones cracking. The boys looked at each other then dropped their wands, all of them looking extremely angry. The Sphinx chuckled and licked her lips. Some drool fell on Marigold's face. Marigold crinkled her nose, not enjoying this all.

"Now, I have a riddle for you. If you answer correctly, you get her back. If not, I eat her. So, wanna play a game?"the Sphinx asked.

(OOC: Sorry! It's super long! I'm sorry!)

Everything happened so fast. The others ran one way, Seamus and Adele and Robb ran another. Though, both groups ended up in the forest. The three Ravenclaws slowed their pace to a walk and were just about to turn back, when Adele remembered something.

"Oh my..."

"Wha' is et?" Seamus asked, accidentally stepping on Robb's foot.

"This isn't just a wood," she piped, suddenly becoming very aware of the shadows surrounding them in the dark wood. "This is the Forbidden Forest."

"Blimey, let's get out, then!" Robb exclaimed, turning to go.

They were just about to follow when they heard shouting in the distance. The others! They must have run into something..

"Les go 'elp em!" Seamus said, and they broke out into a run.

After tripping and hopping over several roots, Adele made the boys stop. They needed to go quietly from this point; whatever creature had found their friends couldn't find them too. They made their way to the noise, hiding behind the giant trees. Before them was a clearing; Asher, Peyton, and Gavin were standing there...and a huge sphinx had Marigold pinned to the ground. We couldn't have just run the direction of Honeyduke's? Adele thought, carefully pulling out her wand.

"What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?" she heard the sphinx say. Seizing her chance, she jumped out from behind the tree.

"I believe the answer is man,"Adele slid down into the clearing, Seamus following. "Man crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and walks with a cane in old age. You aren't very original," She directed her wand to the boulder the sphinx stood in front of. "Confringo!"

In a matter of seconds, Asher reached out and yanked Marigold away, Seamus threw his arms around Adelaine and pulled her back, while the boulder exploded in flames. The shrapnel hit the sphinx and piled on top of it.

Adele was a little drawn back when she didn't receive a thank you from Marigold. After what she just did? No matter, she probably just didn't want to get all emotional in front of the lads.

"Are you going as well?" she whispered to Seamus as the rest of the group filed in.

"Aye, wha's ta harm?" he replied, throwing an arm over her shoulders again.

She walked with him towards the cave, then stopped. There was still no sign of Deirdre. Carefully, she sauntered over to the sphinx and crouched down beside it. Adele felt the creature to see if it was moving at all; it wasn't...but still. Maybe she just didn't remember correctly, but the sphinx wasn't hit hard enough to be killed.

"Les go, it's  not goin' to com' back an' haunt us," Seamus said.

Unwillingly, she followed the others into the cave.

Adele immediately wanted to turn around as quickly as she'd entered. The smell was rancid, the cave was dark, and there was a dripping noise further in that was about to drive her mad.

"We should leave," she mumbled, not sure anyone could hear. She didn't have a good feeling about this.

While everyone else explored, Adelaine went deeper. Her mind was saying "Turn back!" but she felt as though something was pulling her on, like some higher power was waving her over and saying "You know you want to.."

"I've never seen so many galleons in my life!" she heard Asher say.

"Do you suppose we take them?" Gavin said, his voice merely a quiet echo now.

The further in she went, the darker it got; finally, she lit her wand, no longer able to sense where she was going. The dripping noise got louder, and eventually she could hear rushing water. Was there a stream? She said "Nox" and put her wand away. The sound got closer, and she stopped. It was too dangerous to go on walking, she could fall into some pit if she wasn't careful.

"I wish I was wearing breeches," she whispered to herself.

Adele knelt and got on all fours, crawling toward the running water. There was a new sound now. A faint humming that confused her and entranced her, and then it was....it was....lulling her to sleep. She collapsed and fell into a dream.

Adele dreamed she was on a ghost ship in the middle of a turquoise sea. Tiny islands dotted the surface here and there, all pristine sand and golden flowers. The water was clear as day and she could see squids and colorful fish lazing through the current.

"Where am I?" Her voice echoed, and it didn't sound like it was coming from her. It was like it was coming from the sky.

She walked along the beat up old ship and ripped sails. There was no wind, yet the ship was moving quickly. Where were they going? Suddenly, she heard a voice. It was Seamus. He was all the way at the other end of the ship.

"Help us!" he shouted, but his voice sounded like it was coming through some glass shield. "Help!"

Adele tried to reach him, but he just got further away. Then there was a hissing noise in the water. Adelaine ran to the starboard port and looked over - it was a mermaid. Not the kind in the lake at Hogwarts, but a beautiful mermaid with a tail black as night.

"Greece," she realized aloud. "I'm in Greece."

Then she heard that awful hum again, and when she looked up she saw that the ship was nearing a cliff. Atop the cliff was a woman - beautiful, but deathly pale with red eyes and long, flowing black hair. A thousand voices roared in her ears and nearly deafened her.

"It was a siren!" she shouted to no one. "Wake up, Adele, wake up!"

It was no use.

Marigold woke up in her bed. She looked around. The house was in shambles.

"Mom? Dad?"Marigold called out. Her voice was deafened. she could barely hear her voice. Everything around her seemed to move in slow motion. She moved towards the door and decided to go into the village.

Everyone was in a panic. They ran past Marigold at super sonic speeds. Marigold felt like she was moving through molasses. She just stopped and watched the chaos. Finally, she stopped a villager she didn't reconginize.

"What going on?"Marigold asked.

"Something has killed three men."the woman said, puling herself out of Marigold's grip. They haven't figured it out yet?she thought. Suddenly, people start dropping left and right. Marigold just stood there and watched, feeling completely helpless.

After a minute, the only people left was Marigold and two other girls. One looked sorta like Arya and the other looked kinda like Adele. The two girls gestured to her and they started waking through the woods. It reminded her of the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly, the girls stopped. They slowly turned towards Marigold.

"Go back."one of them said. Marigold looked between the two of them and turned around. She started to exit the woods when she heard a scream. She looked behind her. They were gone.

And, she was alone.

Marigold walked back home. She opened the front door and the siren was there, hissing at her. Marigold screamed.

And, then she was eaten.

(OOC: This is a real nightmare that I had, except it took place in colonial times and it was a shape shiftier that ate everyone. But,m before I was eaten, I woke up, crying and badly shaken. It's been haunting me for four years.)

Deirdre saw Marigold being pinned by the Sphinx and ran back to Hogsmeade. She ran into quite a few people and tripped over her dress several times. Some of the villagers were watching her run around frantically but she didn't care.

"Professor Renior!" Deirdre shouted as she ran. "Professor Renior!"

She finally found the professor outside of The Three Broomsticks. She quickly explained what had happened and led the her to where the cave was. Seeing her friends missing from the valley and the boulder that had been there now shattered, Deirdre grew worried.

"They were here no' long ago. I 'ope they're alrigh'." she said in a shaky voice.

Renoir had been standing with a couple witches outside the Three Broomsticks enjoying a hot butterbeer, when a frantic Deirdre McCalahan ran over to her. The girl was babbling about something to do with a sphinx and students and a cave in a forest. Marguerite quickly put it together and passed her drink off to a friend.

"There's no time to waste!"

She Apparated at once to the cave in the forest, not sure whether or not Deirdre would follow. What she found outside the cave was shocking; a sphinx, buried under boulders and shrapnel. Whoever did this would be awarded points for sure...well, unless the creature was simply killed for sport.

Renoir stepped to the opening of the cave and listened. Nothing. She whipped out her wand, but chose not to light it - she knew this cave inside and out. It was carefully guarded; if those poor students had gone deep enough inside...she shook the thought from her head and stepped in. She pointed the wand to her head.

"Muffliato." A buzzing filled her ears, but she had to endure it.

After what felt like hours, Renoir reached the bend in the cave. She held her wand in front of her, and tried to mentally prepare herself for what she might see. First, she came upon two bodies..Adelaine and Marigold. She checked their pulses - luckily they were just sleeping. She performed the charm on both of them, and shook them awake. Now they would be immune to the siren's song.

"Stay. Put."

Marguerite tiptoed further. Three of the boys she recognized from her own house, and one was a Gryffindor. Peyton was floating in the stream on his back; he must have tripped and fallen into the water and was too oblivious to get back up. Luckily he wasn't face first. Asher and Gavin were still awkwardly making their ways across.

"Muffliato," she whispered, breaking their trance.

Seamus was in the creature's grasp, and oh what a creature she was. The siren was beautiful, yes, but albino from a lifetime in a cave, with red eyes and silky white hair. She had her arm around the boy's throat and was just moving in for the kill - she had already bitten his shoulder, but not too badly.

"Cunfundo!"

Suddenly, she was in the siren's mind. Put the boy down, she thought. Put...down.. the siren responded. Slowly, she let Seamus go and Asher quickly dragged him to shore. The spell broke and the siren hissed.

"Duro!"

In an instant, the siren turned hard as a rock, merely a very life-like statue.

Adelaine's dream seemed to go on forever, the ship getting closer and closer to the siren on the cliff. Then suddenly, she was shaking...actually, being shaken. She sat up immediately and looked around. How long had she been out for? Did someone stop the siren? Then she realized Renoir was there, and there was a buzzing in her ears.

"Marigold," she started, before seeing the boys.

They were all fine, but for Seamus.

"Seamus!" She ran over to him and saw that the creature had bitten into his shoulder. She actually felt a tinge of jealousy when Marigold got to him first.  

"Seamus, wake up," she said, shaking him.

He was muttering, his eyes closed, but didn't seem to be in dire trouble. Adelaine stood and walked over to the water's edge. The siren was frozen in the middle of a nasty hiss.

"Professor, what did you do?"

Deirdre moved cautiously, keeping her wand in one hand and the other hand on the wall of the cave. She was worried that her friends had been eaten by some other monster.

She reached a stream and saw her friends in the dim light cast by her wand. Deirdre ran to the girls and hugged them both.

"I-I was so worried! I though' ye migh' 'ave been gobbled up by some beast!" Deirdre exclaimed.

Renoir countered the Muffliato Charm and looked at the siren one last time; she would come back and deal with her later. And she would have to speak with Ellington about the sphinx. For now, though, she would have to think of something to tell these children. After what they had seen and been through..

"Out of the way," she said, gently moving the girls away from Seamus.

She unwrapped the scrap of cloth Marigold had put on the wound - it wouldn't help a bit - and pointed her wand at his torn tunic. "Diffindo." She tediously moved her wand along the material, until the sleeve was removed entirely. "Ferula." Bandages materialized out of thin air and circled around the shoulder.

"Right.." Renoir conjured up a stretcher and moved the boy onto it with Gavin's help. She turned to the group. "What you have seen here is to stay between us."

The boys nodded, and the girls seemed to be too shaken up to respond. Marguerite gave a sigh and explained.

"Siren's use their song to entrance the..male species.. and destroy them. They are known to cause entire fleets to crash and sink. The song lulls women to sleep and lures men. Normally they are found only in Greece, and areas around Italy, but this one was put here for the same reason the sphinx was. To guard something."

"What was it -" Asher started, but she cut him off.

"What it was guarding does not concern you. Now, I suggest you all go relax and have a butterbeer, and I will escort Seamus back to the school."

She turned to go, the stretcher hovering in front of her. One last thought crossed her mind, however.

"Oh, and, 25 points to Lady Beaumont," she smiled. "You really shouldn't be studying from that book at your age, but it's come in handy."

The book she spoke of was the small black leather-bound volume; Adelaine had it out every class when they weren't working.

"Get back to the village," she insisted, leaving the cave.

Adele flushed when Renoir called her out on the spell she'd used. So she knew about the book..why had she never said anything? Sometimes Adelaine wondered whether the professor had some special interest in her.

"This is my fault," she said in a barely audible voice as she watched Renoir take Seamus away.

"What do you mean?" Gavin asked, putting an arm over her shoulder in an attempt to cheer her up. "How could it have been your fault?"

"Well, I could have stopped you all from going into the cave," she began, taking a deep breath. "If I hadn't gone wandering on my own, you never would have been entranced by the siren.."

"All that matters is we're all safe now," Asher assured her. "I think we should get out of here."

He went over to Marigold and stood awkwardly next to her, as if he wasn't sure whether or not he should hug her or something. Their little group headed out of the dark, ominous cavern and into the sunlight again. The sphinx was gone, or so it seemed. Peyton walked over to the area and stopped mid-step, bumping into something invisible.

"Looks like Renoir's charmed it," he figured. "Probably for the best, so no one runs into it."

"Let's go for a butterbeer," Gavin suggested.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll head back to school now," Adele decided.

Knowing that Seamus was in the Hospital Wing because of her, there was no way she could enjoy a drink now, no matter how much she wanted to. She waved goodbye and turned to go.