The office was pitch black and illuminated with the spells that were now being haphazardly fired off by students. Anna was flying towards the merfishthingy. The fishy dude was screeching again and Max groaned.

He held his wand in the air and did the only sensible thing that would help Anna and the others succeed.

"LUMOS!"

A bright light shone from the tip of his raised wand. And he was now a sitting target.

Nodding fervently at the Slytherin in the back, Cyrus zoomed across the way into the Headmaster's office and with a SPLASH they hit the water. Tossing the broom aside, the first year whipped off his wand.

"THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT HIT EM'." He said, poking is wand at the foes like it was a sword.

Knowing that he was useless with a wand, he grabbed a nearby book and threw it at a grindylow.

"TAKE THAH'!"

Finally all the cutie patooties were off her broom. Thank goodness!

Lynny could hear the BIG angry fish man yell. He wanted something. Maybe his big stick thing. She could understand what he was saying. He was so repetitive always telling his fisheys to attack. "Come on man, get original!" Oooh, shiney, she wanted to go get it! She soared over at a high speed through the darkness and grabbed the shiney and grabbed it and took it high in the air. Oh, it's the trident! Maybe this knocked her memory out of her? "This is cool! So flashy!"

Nathaniel heard a splash. Looking to see what it was he saw a younger kid standing there with his wand.. and what? He threw a BOOK at a grindylow. Nathaniel couldn't help but laugh.Oh man. He had to talk to this kid later. That kid was tough.... or maybe just a idiot.

Dani just looked at him for a moment. She was safe. Sort of. "We uhh... use our wands?" She pointed hers at Aornos. "Stupefy!" A jet of light flew toward the merkingfishydudeman. It was strange to be on a broom with another person. She was so used to being in control.

He looked at her. The grindylows and just multiplied when they hit them with spells. He didn't know what else to do.. "STUPEFY!" he yelled at as he pointed his wand towards the grindylows. Please,please let this work. He was better at flying than he was at casting spells.

Whoa...halt production. Anna jerked back on her broom and came to a screeching halt, only vaguely aware that she was inches away from the big guy. Someone must have thrown the darkness powder, as Anna was no longer aware of whether she was jerking the keys away or snatching at nothing but thin air. For a moment, she thought about turning around and dashing away, but what if she ran into someone...a grindylow or another merperson, perhaps? Gulp.

Maybe if she just reached forward and grasped, she'd luck out and snatch that key. Anna balled up and her fist, and...

SMACK....

Just as her fist made contact with something, a small light shone from someone's wand. After blinking quite a few times, Anna realized that...oh, no... She'd just successfully punched Aornos in the nose. She froze and simply stared at the creature for a moment, realizing that now would be a nice time to try for that key. She reached forward, grasped ahold of the key, and jerked up. Erm...oh my. She had it. She had the key! With a newfound sense of pride, she smirked at Aornos, then turned to dash away.

WHATWHAT?! WHAT WAS CY DOOING?

Cam squeakity squeaked when they were heading STRAIGHT at the water, was the kid paranoid??!? "OIIIIIIIINU," he shouted at the Hufflepuff who was riding the broom in a panicking voice, reaching his hands out to the front of the broom to at least make it go upwards. "UPUPUPUPUP," he yelled, and NOT DOWNDOWNDOWNDOWN.

EEEP.

SPLAAASH!

The water was INFESTED with grindylows. Oh. My. He ran--or well it looked like walking because it was on water. LIGHT. Yay for light. So dark. It was so scary. And Cy was throwing BOOKS at the monstarsss?? "Uuuuuse DA FORCE, Cy. UUUSE DA FORCE." If the kid couldn't handle a wand, he might as well give some support, right?!

He waded to a nearby stool and stoood upon it, just so he wouldn't completely drown and all. "BACK! BACK YOU FOUL BEASTS," he threatened, flailing his wand at every direction, ready to take some grindylow attack.

"BAAAACK."

The spells missed him.


However, Aornos wasn't expecting to have a human touch him. The blow hit him right between the eyes.

SMACK!

He was dazed and felt something being ripped away from around his neck.

NoOoOOOOOO!

Stupid wizards. This isn't over. Now will someone get rid of that bright light?

Elizabeth had been quiet the entire time the planning had gone on, trying to save what little energy she had for when it was absolutely necessary, simply trying to stay on her brrom at that time. But as everyone flew up to the office, she had followed, still pale but determined. And she certainly didn't want Anna to fail.

But in the seconds betwen Professor Vindictus calling the attack and when Torin threw Darkness powder, she had seen the grindylows multiplying. So while everyone kept shooting spells, both at the evil merpeople's king or whatever and at the grindylows, she analyzed the situation. The magic just seems to be making the grindylows worse. And we can't attack the merking person for the key when we're defending ourselves. So new plan, she thought. Eagles had good eyesight, her and Nia had talked about that during Transfiguration, and they could very easily prey on fish. Worst case scenario, but it worked, even in her overtaxed and pain-dulled mind. And with the momentary thought that Professor Vindictus was going to kill her, or at least think she was insane like he obviously thought that Gryffindor girl was, she flew to the edge of the office, seconds before the darkness had been split by a wandlight from the professor and she saw Anna make a grab for the key. And then, she spun her wand again like before, murmuring her brother's conjuring spell and watching her eagle appear. "Oppugno," she then whispered, sending the eagle flying at the grindylows. Hopefully it would work, and they could get back out before there were any more injuries.

Chris saw him move after Anna got the key. She got the KEY!!! "Go Anna! Fly!!!"

Chris pointed his wand again at the Aornos and fired spells at hims again to help Anna get away. "Stupify! Stupify!"

"Yay Anna!" Dani cheered and then realizing she was really sleepy, she leaned against the boy who had saved her and closed her eyes. Not the best time to sleep, but who ever said Dain ad good timing in anything? Nobody. That's who.

Aislynn flew over to Anna with the shiney trident in hand. "Oh congratulations! You got it!" She held out her new toy. "Lookey, I got a trident! Isn't it sparkly?" Oh, no BIG angry fish man did not look happy at all, she had a feeling things would only get worse. "What should we do now?"

Yes! Anna had gotten the key! Leave it to a Gryffindor! What? The girl Nathaniel had saved was falling ASLEEP?! on him? He nudged her "WAKE UP! We aren't done yet". He didn't mean to sound mean.. but come on. She was falling asleep at a time like this?

One second he was up in the air with two boys securing his safety, making sure he wouldn't fall and the next he was screaming as the broom went insane, sending the boys into the waters.

THE WATERS?!

CRASSSH.

"'ELLP!" Willie hollered, his arms flapping around like chicken's arms. He couldn't swim! God have mercy on him, he couldn't swim! Willie never bothered with learning how to swim, although right now would've been the PERFECT moment to know how to swim!

Reese flew out of the way Cy and Cam came flying in and flew right into the water. Was Cy going CRAZY?! The water was filled with grindylows. Shaking her head at the boy, she turned back to Aornos and Anna. It was kind of hard to see anything since it was dark. Until...

Light! There was light!

She glanced over to see who had casted 'Lumos' and smiled at Professor Vindictus. I made her feel better that there was some light in the room. She looked back over at Anna who...who...HAD GOT THE KEY! She wanted to hug Anna. She wanted to give her a big bear hug right now, but she could wait until everything was safe again.

"GO ANNA. WHOOOO!" She screamed before she pointed her wand at Aornos. "STUPEFY!" She wasn't even going to give that thing time to attack Anna. Nope.

Seeing a kid in the water screaming, Reese didn't even take the time to see if the spell had hit Aornos. She fly straight down to the little boy and held out her hand. "Get on," she told him.

Okay, so, erm...she'd just knocked the lights out of a merman...

Awesome! Way to pack a punch, Greingoth! Key in hand, Anna hurried away from Aornos and back to Professor Vindictus. "The key! I've got the key!" she exclaimed, clearly ready to burst in excitement. "I...I...I punched him, sir. Who'd have ever thought that a muggle defense move would take down an angry merdude! Thanks, everyone, for casting all those spells! Cool job!"

Now would be a nice time to file out of the headmaster's office, yes? They had what they needed, and since all the mermen and merwomen seemed to be gathered in here, that sealed cave had likely been left wide open. One could only hope, though, right? "We should get out of here...and fast. Should we head right to the cave?" she asked.

"GO ANNA!!" he yelled as he saw that the Head Girl had got the key. And Aislynn had a Trident? O.o "Be careful Aislynn!" he called out to her, worried. He flew a little closer to her in case she would need his help.

Dani opened her eyes up. Why was he being mean? Oh, they were still fighting. "Sorry." She yawned. "But tackling a merman, getting stabbed, getting healed, getting thrown and then falling off a broom made me kinda sleepy." She yawned again. Her wand aimed again she shouted "Langlock!" The spell was aimed at the chest of Aornos. Maybe it would work and her headache would go away if he stopped screeching.

Chris flew over to Vindictus and Anna. "Nice Jab Anna!" he patted her on the back with a bright smile. He then listened as she asked about the cave. "That's my vote. We should go there while most of them are up here." he said quickly.

Anna got it? ANNA GOT KEY?!

OMGAWESOMENESS.

Very awesome INDEED. Off to save princess now??

Cam eyed the previously vomiting boy and reached out his hand. Hmm. There was more space on the stool, right? RIGHT? But Reese had already offered her to give him a ride on her broom. OMG YAY SHE'S STILL ALIVE! I mean... He eyed one of the near grindylows, pointing his wand at it.

"STUUPEFY! STUPEFY!"

He eyed the king of the ocean and grinned evilly. "Nooo more mwahaha's for youuu," QUITE quietly though because he still feared the merman, "GOOOOANNA. ZOMGYOU'REAWESOME." He cheered by flailing his arms.

"Lookey Torin! Furious Broom man hit BIG angry fish man's trident out of his hand and then I saw the shiney...I mean trident through the darkness, and while everyone was distracted, I flew over and swopped it up!" Lynny was glowing. She was so proud of herself, she felt like for the first time in her life she did something right. "Isn't it the coolest?" She hugged Torin with her Trident free hand. "I did good right? It's so sparkly!"

"Yeah,totally understandable.. but please try to stay awake. I don't want to be flying and have you fall off. Do you know how terrible I would feel?" he responded. He was now waiting for Anna's lead. "By the way.. I'm Nathaniel. Thought you might want to know who was keeping you awake"

He laughed as she hugged him. He hugged her back. "Yeah, you did great, Aislynn. You really showed that Merman. Are you going to keep that as a souvenir?" He was starting to like this girl now. She wasn't so bad. And it wasn't just 'cause she had suffered memory loss. He hoped that she would be nicer from now on even after she remembered who she was.

Willie was fighting against the waters, trying to get himself out as fast as he could. He couldn't swim! He was drowning! Or so he was thinking. And then, out of no one an angel came to him, reaching out her hand to his. He flailed for a while before he reached out, his hands grabbing onto hers. Slowly, Willie pulled himself up and sat behind her, shivering from the terror that was running through his blood.