Juliet walked out of the common room. OKAY! EVERYONE TO A HIGHER LEVEL! She had to yell to be heard. She waved her arms to get them moving. Let's go. No time to wait around. Lets MOVE! She smiled at the boy she had just talked to.

"Ellie!" Clifford's brow furrowed when he spotted the girl, his hand unconsciously giving a squeeze at Kiwi's. He hoped the poor kid wasn't going to have nightmares over this. He probably would. But Ellie! What was she doing down here! "Uhm, I don't think it's safe down here," he explained quickly, glancing back down the corridor and noticing with relief that the Hufflepuffs appeared to be evacuating. So it had flooded their Common Room too. "If you don't want to get stuck down here and drown, you should probably go back." He didn't think Ellie had a deathwish.


Kiwi was frightened. He could tell by her voice. He didn't blame her.. he was scared too, he was just trying not to show it. He couldn't swim!! Still, he had to try be brave here. Right. "I think it just feels that way because you're scared.. worried," he explained, edging slowly through the gloomy corridor. Falling over now wouldn't be cool, not when Kiwi had hold of his hand.

And then the toe of one wet shoe bashed into a stone step and Clifford turned to Kiwi with what he hoped was a smile. A very small, worried smile.. but a smile nonetheless. "Here we go. You go on up first," he decided, side-stepping and leaning against the damp wall as he tugged her toward the steps.

He just hoped Ellie was following.

Julie helped a seventh year get a girl to the steps. There you go up you go. She took the hand of the one behind and led her to the stairs. Come on. Go on up. You'll be fine. She helped the long line to the stairs. The water was almost to her knees. It was getting deep.

The water was rising at a faster pace. It was now at knee level... it was scary... the water was dark and dank... green with algea. It was getting into everything that it could.

Kiri nodded silently. She was scared alright. Their small but insistent steps had brought them along quite a way, but there was still no staircase to be seen. The water was rising even faster now, it had reached knee height now. Walking was becoming difficult, and quickly. Kiri thought she had never been more glad in her life than when Clifford had found her down here, because he plodded on stoically, his warm hand in hers, pulling her along.

A few metres down the corridor, Kiri saw something moving. Heart hammering hard in her chest, she squinted into the gloom. Someone was walking towards them! She drew in a sharp breath and squeezed Clifford's hand urgently, but he had already noticed. The shadow wobbled closer, and after a few seconds, it turned into another student, a Slytherin as well.
Drown?
Kiri whimpered. The first evacuation had been bad enough, and there had been teachers with them! The nightmares probably wouldn't stop until the end of term now...

Something slimy brushed against her leg. Kiri jumped, letting out a small scream that was lost quickly in the sinister gurgling of the water. She nearly lost her balance again. The hand not holding on to Clifford flailed through the water, and when she withdrew it, she saw something dark and green clinging to it. It smelled horribly of old cabbage. That, finally, was a smell she recognised, it sometimes hung around the edges of the Lake in the summer. So this was Lake water, then, and Lake algae were being pushed into the school as well.
"Sorry," she mumbled to Clifford. She doubted he could hear it over the rushing noise, but he turned and gave a little smile. What... was he smiling for? Then Kiri saw. Right next to them, the corridor was even darker - there was no wall, only the glorious, glorious stairs up into the Great Hall. Kiri felt like she was about to cry in relief, especially when the first few steps took her out of the infernal water. First her knees reappeared, then her lower legs, her ankles, and, finally, her shoes.

"Clifford!" Ellie exclaimed in a mist of surprise and happiness, as she turned around again to see the older boy some meters away. That was the last place where she had seen him last year and it was the first place where she had met him this year. . The kitchen corridor really was an important place ! She had spent a huge part of her most important and funnier moments in that place.
The slytherin girl walked towards Clifford, and when she was close enough not to have to yell she started talking. “ I was just wondering around when out of nowhere I started to feel my shoes getting all wet!” Ellie said, her voice sounding more confused than ever.
The brunette's eyebrows poped up. “That is definitely not the way I want to die.” She quickly added after listening to Clifford’s next words.

The brunette quickly fallowed Clifford and the younger girl that was with him towards the staircase but , unintentionally ,stopped a couple steps behind, and once she came back to herself she found her eyes gazing at Clifford's smile.
It wasn't the biggest smile she had seen on Clifford's face but still, it was so.. pretty and genuine and..

..the water was almost on her knees now, and it was cold, oh so cold.
However, Ellie did thanked the water for waking her up. She was losing it, that was the only explanation she could find for what had just happened. Maybe she should go see some therapist or something. Or maybe something was wrong with her brain itself!
Ahh geezz, she couldn’t be sick! Not with the Quidditch season around the corner !

“Do you have any idea of what is happening in here ?” the brunette asked Clifford, right before she set a foot on the stairs, still confused with the whole flood thing. “Oh and this is probably not the best timing to say it, but congratulations on making Head Boy!” she said with a smile on her lips.
It definitely wasn’t the best time or place to say it, but she said it anway.

Because she was Eleanor Bluebell and she was sure that she was losing her ability of saying the right things at the right time.

Ellie could feel that her feet weren't the only part of her body that was starting to turn cold, her legs were too..and were then she left something warping around her knees. The brunette quickly looked down to see green algeas around her knees. The water was dark and it was rising , fast.
Ellie slowly started to walk upstairs, and then stopped and turned back towards Clifford. Ekk, it smelled horrible in there. "Clifford, let's go! The water is rising a way too fast!"

Clifford really just wanted to get Kiwi out of here as fast as possible.. the poor girl was going to end up traumatized what with all these strange goings on. Floods? In Hogwarts? WHY!? Ellie - who had thankfully followed - obviously wondered the same thing. "I dunno what's going on," he shook his head, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed Kiwi had managed to get up enough steps to get herself out of the green water. Letting go of the small girl's hand, Clifford turned his attentions back to Ellie. "But it seems to be lake water.. there must be another leak somewhere." Or the Professors hadn't fixed the leak that had flooded the dungeons?

And - did she just congratulate him? Now? When they could possibly drown and die? Ellie was a strange one.

Trying not to panic too much - the water was up to his bloody knees now! - the corners of Clifford's lips quirked up into the briefest of smiles. "Thanks, Bluebell.. but couldn't you of perhaps saved that congratulations for a situation where we're a bit more ... dry?" Shaking an amused head, the Head Boy unconsciously grabbed a hold of Ellie's hand and proceeded to help her up the slimey steps behind Kiwi.

While Clifford was answering to her question, Eleanor tried to take the algeas from around her knees. She wasn’t the kind of girl that whined a lot, but that was, aside from weird, eekk , and it smelled horribly.
“Another one?!” the brunette exclaimed, as she threw the algeas away. She watched it spash on the dark green water before turning back to Clifford. “ We already lost our common room because of a leak! And I thought the professors had fixed it.” Ellie continued. Then let out a small sigh before speaking again. “ But yes, you are probably right. Still, aren’t two leaks a little too weird? Something is really wrong in this leak story..”

Ahh geezz, he had to point that out hadn’t he? Well, actually Ellie wasn’t expecting him to point out how inappropriate the occasion was to congratulate him for making head boy. “Well, er.. you see, since there was a small possibility of us drowning and die I just didn’t really er.. wanted to miss the chance to congratulate you..?” The brunette replied. Eh, she had just mind that up, everyone could see that. But that could be a plausible excuse, couldn’t it ? – Besides, everyone else congratulated at an appropriate time and place, and when you where dry. Soo, I’m different. You shall remember me as the girl that congratulated you for making head boy in the middle of a flood.” She added with a smile, this time she spoke more normally, yet jokingly. “Or you always have a second possibility, remember me as weird and silly.”
She kind of wished he’d remember her for other motives. Like, she as his fellow Quidditch player or something.

And then Clifford just grabbed her hand out of the blue, and it started shaking a little bit.
“Er.. thank you Clifford.” The brunette said as the older boy helped her up the slime steps.
Her voice and hand were shaking probably because of the cold water. Humnm.. but..then why were her cheeks feeling a little warm?
Something was really off with her, seriously, first thing she was going to do once she left that place was to visit the hospital wing.

The water kept its ascent, very dirty, full of algae and soil from upstream, foaming and most of all, dangerous.. Instead of flowing sleepily as it did in the dungeons, this time it was rolling very fast. Instead of rippling peacefully, it roared as it took down everything in it's path. It was as if the water was angry...

Argyle lets out a cheer when Professor Man rescues Tinka and then Breezley. Then Professor Man backs out of the kitchen and into the hall. Argyle turns her head and sees what appears to Argyle to be a tidal wave of water heading their way. Argyle pulls Professor Man's hair as hard as Argyle can trying to get Professor Man's attention. "Professor Man, Argyle, Tinka, Breezley and Professor Man need to get out of here now. A huge wave of nasty water is heading our way NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Argyle holds tight as the water threatens to overtake them.

Marcus heard the water before he saw it and his heart thudded fast in his chest. This reminded him of all those times he got dumped by the waves at the beach, which is why he hated going swimming at the beach. Bloody hell, it was hard to run with a house elf on his head, one in his arms and the other one being levitated.

Okay this was not good, not good at all. He dropped the spell on Beezley and quickly caught the elf in his arms and then slung her on his back. "Hold on tight Beez..."his words were cut short as the water hit him from behind with such force that it almost knocked him off his feet. He tried to keep his balance but was finding it rather difficult being weighed down by three elves.

Oh.

Crap.

They were going to drown.

He lost his footing and was swept down the corridor and he tried his best to keep both him and the elves above the water but it wasn't easy. Not the way he thought he would die.

A few steps up the stairs, Kiri heard the rushing noise of the water become louder yet again. It pressed into the corridor with greater force, and within seconds it lapped at Kiri's ankles again. She shuddered as more algae made their way between their toes, twisting like worms.
With the torrents came a dank, cold wind that pressed into her eardrums. It was curiously modulated, almost sounding like voices...

Kiri stopped dead in her tracks. Behind her, Clifford nearly walked into her. She turned around. Someone was yelling! Wide-eyed, she tried to see in the dark. The water's surface was no longer smooth but swirling violently. Then she saw it. At the far end of the corridor, nearly lost in the gloom, she saw a large figure being pushed towards them by the water. It was curiously proportioned, but the voices became familiar as it tumbled closer... House elves! Being carried by... a teacher?

Kiri had no idea who it was, but they had great troubles staying afloat, the house elves clinging to their robes. "Look!" she shouted at Clifford and the other girl, and pointed. The professor and the elves were nearly level with them now. She had to get them out. But how? Biting her lip so much she drew blood, Kiri thought rapidly, panic welling up inside her. The other two students didn't seem to be of much help.

Hovering Charm, Hovering Charm... Kiri pulled her wand out of her holster. For one heart-stopping moment, she thought it would slip through her hands that were slimy from the algae and disappear in the flood, but then she got hold of it. She aimed carefully, hoping that the house elves wouldn't... fall off or anything. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she yelled over the roaring water. Would that be enough to lift them?

The waters were rushing faster now, like she slid into a slipstream. Yes much faster than the relative calm depths from which she drew consciousness. She could now feel the stone flooring and gingerly drew herself up, gripping on whichever furniture was within her reach. As she rose her long dark hair clung to her face, covering all but her nose and part of her dark eyes. Down the hall she went, a haunting figure in the dark and the dank, heading for the hazy brightness-- and voices--up ahead.

She squinted her eyes as she drew focus, just as she witnessed a man going under with creatures clinging to him. She yelled out as she extended her hand, but the raging waters were making it difficult for her to be heard. She came after him, half running, half slipping into the rushing tide. She took refuge by a large painting now dislodged and crammed against the corner wall, providing a temporary berth from the rushing water. Thinking quickly she tied the end of her robe to a decorative crossbar, grabbed hold of a bench and extended it towards the drowning man and the creatures clinging to him.

"Grab the bench!" she yelled on top her lungs, hoping that she could be heard.

The water was rising far too quickly for Cifford's liking.. he didn't like the way it was swirling violently around either and the seventh year almost flung little Kiwi over his shoulder and carried her the rest of the way up. He was fed up with all these near death experiences!!

And then Kiwi stopped. The Head Boy grasped onto the wet, slimey wall and the hand he still had wrapped around Ellie's tightened. What was going on? Were they trapped down here? But they needed to get out of here! He could feel Ellie shaking and shivering.

Brown eyes widened when Clifford finally looked and saw what it was Kiwi was looking at.. the reason she'd stopped. Yes! The house elves! They needed saving!! ... and Professor Lawson too, he supposed.

The brunette turned around to see things floating on the dark green water.
And that was when Eleanor truly, truly started to get scared, and thinking that she had had been joking with the situation just minutes ago. The noise of the water taking everything on its way was terrifying.
It was almost like if the water was angry at the castle and its students.
Unconsciously, she squeezed Clifford’s had just a little. That made her remember that he was there too, and somehow that fact made her fell better.
More safe, actually.

“Clifford.. we really, really really need to get out of here, like right now..” Ellie said, clearly, pointing out the obvious, as she turned to face the older boy. “Why did the girl stopped?” the brunette then asked, it was starting to get really dark in there.
First the dungeons..now the kitchen..
She wasn’t going to panic. Panic was a huge no no, because when people start panic, that’s when things truly start getting worst.
And at that moment, things truly just COULDN’T get any worst.

Otherwise, they were doomed. Hugely, hugely doomed.

And then she saw the professor and the elves. That was the reason why the younger girl had stopped.
Her brown eyes widen. Ellie was about to ponit to obvious ,again, and say that they needed help when a girl showed up ot of nowhere and extended a bench towards the man and the elves.

But them couldn't leave the girl, the professor and the creatures behind.
"It still looks like they could use a hand.." she told Clifford, not really sure of what she should do.

Chris had come down to the Kitchens level to make sure no one else was still down here because he heard the flood warers were risingin and it was his job as Prefect to make sure of this. He go to the stairs leading down to the hall and saw water rising quickly. Ok this isnt good, but that's when he heard the yells. "Hey Is anyone down there?" he yelled He took off down the flooding corridor and cam across The Head Boy and two other Slytherin students and Professor Lawson with the house Elves. They all were in danger and needed to get put of there. "Guys come on we have to get out." Hesaid extending a hand to pull professor Lawson out. "Clifford, grab the hose elves."

Chris then looked at one of the Slytherin girls (Raquilen) "You, when we get the house elves out of the water will you help them to higher ground?"

He turned to the other girl "Come on help me get Professor Lawson." he yelled as he reached out to grab the professor.

Beezley's little elfish heart had just begun to stop pounding at insane speeds, when she was suddenly aware that she was

falling...

fallinggg...

fallingggggg...

...right into Master's arms and far, far too close to the nasty, cookie-killing water. She stared at it suspiciously for a moment before sticking one little toe into the water to test just how fierce it was.

"Ohhhh, Master, this water is gonna get meh! Help me, Master, help me!" Beezley exclaimed, clinging tight to the man's head.

Chris watched in horror as the Professor with the House Elves clinging to him for their lives was swept away with the water half way down the corridor. "Professor!" Chris yelled as the man moved futher away from his out streched hand. "Crap! Im going in!" He yelled over his shoulder to the Head Boy and other Slytherins. He thought it was a bad time to say it but he just had to. "You know what guys?" he said towards the Slytherin students. "It looks like Gryffindor and Slytherin are working together to fix this." he looked around for some kind of rope and found it coiled in the corner of the stairs.

He grabbed it tied it around his waist and hopped into the raging water. He half swam half waded his way along the wall hanging on to the rope he had tied to a beam in the wall. He reached the professor. Chris's head was barely over the water when he through the rope line to the Professor (a few feet away) hopefully he would catch it and the two of them, and the frightened House Elves could pull themselves back to safety and get up to higher ground.

Marcus was doing his best to keep hold of the elves but the water was so strong and he kept going under the water and unfortunately so did Argyle, Beezley and Tinka. He could feel his hair being ripped out at the roots but those elves were strong little buggers and they held on tightly.

He could see some students up ahead and he wanted to yell out for them to get out of the corridor but more water filled his mouth as he went under and once he could surface again, he spluttered and coughed. If this water was contaminated as well, he would personally hex Valon Kazimeriz himself.

As he got swept away with the water, he spotted a small girl trying to cast a spell and he tried once again to yell at her to get out of the corridor but it was too late. Marcus collided with the little Slytherin and she got dragged in as well. He groaned loudly and moved Tinka to his right hand while he grabbed the young girl with his left, trying his best to hold her up as well.

Okay he had always worked out and kept himself in shape but even he could not hold three house elves and one twelve year old girl. He was finding it difficult to breathe and he had a severe stitch in his side. He then heard another voice telling him to grab the bench. With what? he wanted to scream back but just did not have the energy for it.

The water was simply moving to fast and hard for him to do much at all and he tried lifting Tinka up in arms hoping that she would grab hold of the bench but all that happened was they crashed into the bench the girl was holding.

Ouch!

That was going to bruise.

Marcus looked behind him to see that the girl had fallen into the water also. Geez, he was supposed to be saving them not trying to drown them, he sure hoped that she could swim because he was out of hands right now. He turned back to see another student and...

What. Was. He. Doing?

Oh he'd have to be a Gryffindor!

"Get out of the water now!" He finally managed to yell before swallowing more of the filthy water. How was he going to grab a rope when his hands were already full. The weight of the elves and the young girl were really starting to weigh him down.

Josh could have his guitar.

Andrew could have his money, he would no doubt love that.

His parents can have the houses and whatever else was left over.

Hogwarts could have his books and DADA objects.

Oh bugger that's right he had never gotten around to making a will had he? Didn't legends live on forever? In his mind they did!!

Christine rushed out of the common room trying to get to higer ground. When she got out to the corridor, she saw that the water was getting higher. Christine started to panic, knowing that she wasn't the greatest swimmer. She knew that she needed to make it to the stairs before the water got too deep.

The water, already knee high, made it difficult for Christine to reach the stairs. Her school robes, soaked, started to weigh her down. Christine was about 20 feet from the stairs when the water turned violent. The water came hard and fast, knocking her feet from under her. Christine entire body splashed down into the water. Uhhh Christine yelled as she was thrown into a wall.

Christine got her head about the water and started to cough. She could taste dirt as she spitted water out her mouth. The water started to get too deep for her, and she was having trouble keeping her head above water. SHe tried to swim towards the stairs, but the power of the water kept her back.

Holy. Moly.

Clifford stared wide-eyed, completely frozen on the icky step he'd taken refuge on. Oh, what he'd give to just be able to scramble up the last few stone steps and be SAFE! But he was Head Boy.. shouldn't he at least be doing something? You're a Head Boy that can't swim, the seventh year reminded himself, gulping anxiously.

Kiwi was going to die. The house elves were going to die. Professor Lawson was going to die. THEY WERE ALL GOING TO DIE!

"What are we meant to DO!?" Clifford panicked, trying to stand his ground against the violent water which was starting to unsteady him. Maybe go and find help? ... by the time he found anyone, everyone down here would drown surely! But there was no way he could submerge himself in that water.. that wouldn't help but simply cause more trouble.

He was so going to get fired. Could Head Boy's get fired?

"SWIIIIIIM!" Clifford yelled. That's it. That's all he could do.. just yell. Encouragement always helped right? "SWIIIIM!!! FOR YOUR LIIIIVES!"

Would they even hear that over the sound of the rushing water?

Definately fired. Surely.

The spell wasn't working! Why wasn't it working? The useless wand in her hand, Kiri watched, horror-struck, as the teacher (he looked like... Professor Lawson?), still trying his best to keep the house elves away from the water, spiralled closer and closer. When she realised what was going to happen, it was too late.
They crashed into her.
The algae-coated steps didn't offer any grip, and she slipped, shouting in surprise, her madly flailing arms reaching neither Clifford nor one of the other students. She nearly lost her wand again as she stumbled forward, but pure instinct made her hold on to it.

She thought she'd managed to escape the water, but here it was again, and this time it wasn't just her shoes that were getting wet. For a moment, Kiri's entire body was submerged, slimy pieces of water plants touching her face for a moment before being pulled down the corridor by the tide. The water stung in her eyes. All sense of direction had been lost instantly.
When a strong arm gripped her around the waist, the force pushed all remaining air out of her. She swallowed a lungful of the icy, metallic-tasting water, but then Professor Lawson managed to get her head above the surface again. Kiri gagged and spat, all the while pirouetting away from the steps.

Something heavy dropped onto her shoulders, pulling her hair. In her panic, Kiri thought for a moment that the water had somehow evolved an... arm of sorts to push her down, but then a high-pitched squeal forced its way into her ear. One of the house elves had scrambled onto her shoulders. She tried desperately to stay afloat, especially now that she had the creature to take care of as well.
Then Kiri's head rammed into the wall. There was a moment of excruciating pain that seemed to fill her vision with blinding white light, and then she was out cold.

Okay.. where the heck did all those students came from?
Eleanor was starting to fell kinda dizzy, everyone was talking and yelling, and telling the others not to panic... when they were all panicking!

And then the Gryffindor prefect just got into the dangerous water after saying something about Slytherins and Gryffindors being working together.
Meh, how heroic..and ridiculous.
"We should get out of here and call someone to help the professor and the elves !" The brunette finally spoke before turning to Clifford.

Was.. was Clifford panicking?
Oh darn, Clifford was panicking.
He could panic, no one was going to die, they were all going to get out of that place and it would all just be a bad, bad memory.
"Clifford!" Ellie yelled, as she placed her hands on his shoulders only to shake them. "Clifford for Merlin's good sake don't you panic !" she needed him to start yelling..because, everyone was yelling and Ellie was starting to lose it.
She couldn't think properly, she could listen to what the others were saying..
And then a Hufflepuff girl showed up, she was coming from the badger’s common room when Ellie’s hazel eyes just saw the girl loosing her balance and splashing on the water.
“Hold on !” The brunette yelled as loud as she could, as she quickly, yet carefully, ran down the few stairs she had gone up, towards the water. The girl wasn’t too far away.. she could do ir..right?
Ellie slowly walked along the wall, the water now passed her waist line and it getting violent and violent by any second, and her legs vacillated more than just a couple times.
She stopped walking not very far away from the stairs, she couldn't risk too much. “Can you grab my hand?” Ellie yelled once more, as she stretcher her arm with all her force towards the girl. It failed, the strong corrent forced her to stretch her arm next to her body.
She took a deep breath, and stretcher her arm once more...
Do an effort Hufflepuff ! the slytherin thought to herself, whens he noticed that the girl was still a little tinny little bit far to grab her hand.

Now, she was almost sure that she was going to drown. She was going to drown and die because she had decided to be a good person and help a Hufflepuff girl.

Christine saw someone stick their hand out to help her out of the water. After much struggling, Christine finally made her way to the stairs and grabbed the girls hand. The steps were slippery, covered in alge, but she managed to get out of the water and up the stairs. Christine sat on the top step panting, looking at the scene around her.
Christine looked at the girl who had just helped her out of the water. Thank you so much she told the girl out of breath while shaking her hand which she was holding.
SHe saw a Professor Lawson trying to help a house elf, but he wasn't doing a good job. She hoped he would get out ok. Christine looked at herself and she was covered in all types of gunk. She felt sick to her stomach thinking about all the stuff she swallowed. She got up and ran to find the closest bathroom.

Here they come, she thought as she extended the bench as far as her arms and robes would allow. But as the group approached she spied another student-- nay two-- appear by the rushing tide. One fell in and the other collided with the group she was just trying to help. Oh this is just getting better and better.

"Come on grab it, anybody!" she yelled as she lowered the bench further into the water. But just as she did the group ran smack onto the bench instead. Oops. Not quite what she intended.

The collision with the drowning crowd lost her grip onto the bench and dragged her back into the water. She felt a sharp tug on her shoulders as she realized her robe is all whats keeping her from being carried away along with the group. For a brief moment panic started grip her, as she realized that if she followed them downstream, she would have to give up the relative safety from behind the painting. She looked back at her robe still tied to the crossbar, and saw it starting to rip under her own weight. She turned back at the drowning crowd, starting to get that sinking feeling, Here we go. she thought as the robe finally ripped off the bar and she joined the melee.