... No.

No, no, no.

What was Evangeline DOING? The water was getting higher every second and soon enough would be up to their necks. And she wanted to go back and look!? "No," he started stubbornly, shaking his head, wet hair falling infront of his eyes. "You can't go back! It's too dangerous! I can't let you." Sure, unlike him Evangeline could swim.. but how would she be able to swim if the water reached the freakin' ceilling!? "Professor Forrester said.. we need to get out of here," and curling his fingers tight around her arm, Clifford pulled Evangeline out of the secret passageway and into the corridor.

Oh, she should've known Clifford wouldn't let her go back there, but she couldnt help not to feel sure about just leaving! Yes, she was a Slytherin and going back there was terribly Gryffindor, but sense of responsibility overtook any feeling of self-preservation. "What if there is any student in there?! And my books! I wanna cast Impervius on them" Oh yeah .. the books part was stupid alright.

Nevertheless she couldnt deny Clifford was right. Forrester had told them to get out of there and it'd be silly of her to stay around any longer. So, looking back in the direction of the dorms, the Prefect shouted. "Every student please direct yourself to the Great Hall!!" And having that said, she turned her back on her Common Room and exited to the corridor.

Soaking wet, Ott makes it to the doorway to the common room. Hoping everyone got out safely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

Suddenly water seem to seep into the dungeon level, wetting everyone's feet.

Helena looked up from her book as she realized her socks were no longer warm and dry. Seeing the water seeping into the dungeons from what appeared to be all sides, she pulled up her feet, repulsed, but the water was getting higher and soon spilled over onto her chair.

If there was one thing that she hated, it was being perfectly dry one moment and then wet the next - still in her clothes, that is. Standing up she pulled out her wand and looked around. She didn't have anything down there to save, so casting a spell seemed useless at the moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress Vondella

Forrester had made a trip down to the Slytherin Common Room to address his house, only to find that it was no longer just damp and cold, it was wet! As if Hogwarts had decided to make its own indoor pool, right in HIS common Room!

"Everyone who can, get to the Great Hall!" He yelled at them, "I'm going to talk to the Headmaster about this." He waded out of the common room, leaving the door open behind him so those who could, would be able to follow.

Thankful that the HoH showed up, Helena made her way (swimming mostly) through the disgustingly slimy water until she was in the dungeon corridor. Making her way to the stairs as quickly as she could, she slowly climbed them, sopping wet, to the Great Hall.

"Nancy?" Steven yelled, looking around the common room as his trousers got soaksed through up to his waist. "Paris?" He yelled again, looking around. "Corwyn?" He added, as he tried to stay in the common room as everyone moved out past him into the corridor. "Head Boy?" He asked, as he moved over to the older boy. "My best friend went upstairs... She hasn't come down..." He groaned a little. "And I can't go up to find her. Can you get someone to go up? Please?" He asked, as the water continued to rise.

D'oh! Cam started flailing his arms around the air when the chaos started and every student in the common room was panicking like crazy. He was sure he saw a girl cry and a student suggest that Hogwarts was in attack. Then Prefect Clifford--or Head Boy now, probably, told everyone to get out or else they'll drown and all. Cam was not an avid swimmer, he never finished his lessons and if it were possible that he was going to die, he was going to drown as a Slytherin. RIGHT! Wait ... well he didn't want to die at all so he put those thoughts aside and got out his wand to try to cast the Impervius spell on himself. "IMPERVIUS!"

...darnit, no luck. Bleeeeeeh. He started power-walking torwards Clifford (he couldn't run because of the water) to get some help when he finally remembered something. Not something, he remembered animals. A face of dread replaced his shocked expression as he realized that two animals were in the common right now and were in possible danger.

Mosi and Nakato.

The water started going up to everyone's waist and well, because he was short and all, it was already starting to go up to his stomach right now. Cam moved away from the Head Boy and the Slytherin Prefect and tried to look around for his pets. Daaaang. Juni would kill him if those lemurs drowned--Oh he couldn't even imagine that happening.

"MOSSIIII. NAKATOOO." Bleh, his robes were all soggy and wet and he was scared more than ever. He walked as fast as he could around the common room to try finding where the heck those two lemurs were, but his walking were more like very slow movements. Stooopid water.

And then he had a horrible thought... What if they had never left the ground. Shoot. SHOOOOOOT. "Ugh... here goes," with one hand holding his nose, he dived down under the water and checked to see if Mosi or Nakato were... well he wished lemurs could float. And it was so coooold... But he realized there were no lemurs there. He put his head back up and accidentally swaaaallowed some water. EEEEEEK.

Maybe someone could have helped. But with no sight of a Head Boy or a Prefect, he realized he was on his own. Darn. And then he heard... what the heck was that horrible noise? He looked up and found... lemurssssss. They were on the stairs. OMG thank Merlin's beard they were jumpers. "OIIIIIII." He walked towards the stairs and cupped his arms. "Jump ooffffff."

Nakato had jumped off and landed on his head than on his heads, but Mosi just stayed still. NUUUUUUU. "Jump!" Five seconds later and she fortunately did jump.

With that, he finally made his way to the exit. Oh what he did for lemurs...

Jude was amongst the back of the crowd that was pushing and shoving past the water, trying to get out. For him, it was more a matter of trying to keep his head above the rapidly rising water. Oh noes. This was not good. Not good at all. One of his hands was stretched above his head far, trying to grab onto anything above the water to pull himself up. His other hand was outstretched under the water, trying to feel for anything to push himself up off of.

Bouncing along, his feet barely touching the ground, Jude was starting to cry. He was terrified, he didn't want to die, and his head kept getting splashed under the water. A few times already he'd inhaled water, and was now bouncing madly trying to cough up the water and save himself, while trying to see which way was out, but the water in his eyes was making any sort of seeing a bit difficult.

Trying one last desperate effort, Jude tried to scream, but ended up choking more on water. Jude's legs were next to exhausted, he didn't know any spells that would launch him out of the room, and he knew he was going to die. That was it. Time to panic.

Flailing his arms madly in a frenzied attempt at swimming, his feet could no longer stay on the ground if he wanted to breath, so he was now kicking and bouncing at everything he could possibly reach for safety. Luckily his face was wet, or the world would have been able to see the tears running down his face. He choked a few more times and tried to scream again.

He hated being so short.

While Steven was waiting in the room to aid Evangeline and Nancy down and out of the common room, Steven noticed that there was something making the water ripple over to the side of him.

That wasn't right. That wasn't meant to happen.

Wadding his way through the water, that was easily slightly past his waist, he groaned and gasped when he realised it was a boy. He moved faster, and when he got closer he picked him up without thinking that he might not like to be man-handled.

With a gasp, he settled the man on his hip, a hand pushing the young boy's hair back over his face. "Are you okay?" He asked the younger boy as he moved towards the door. He cast a look in the direction of the stairwells, and yelled "Nancy! Evangeline! Hurry- the water is rising!" He wasn't sure if they would hear it, but he needed to try.

Next thing, he was wading his way through the dark, murky water and through the dungeons. The water didn't get any better on his way out- but he was glad he had waited behind. He dreaded to think what would of happened to the smaller boy if he hadn't been.

Making his way into the common room, Ethan frowned, seeing the two boys. "Can you swim out or do you need a portkey?" And at that moment he spied a runty cat clinging to the soggy drapes. Ethan scooped it up and tucked it down his jacket. "Is there anyone else in here?"

Jude clung to this boy, spitting and spluttering and trying not to spit on his savior. Coughing and choking on himself, Jude's whole body was shaking.

"Th- Th-- Fanks, m-ma-maite." he managed to mumble and held onto the older boy while continuing to try to get out of there. His eyes stung, both from terrified tears and the water in his eyes, and he was cold. Very cold.
Jude was so out of it, a zombie clinging to the older boy and bouncing his way out the door, that he didn't even notice the professor talking to them until several seconds later. And even then, he didn't bother making the effort to speak. He just attempted a shrug.

Steven looked at the boy and nodded, rubbing his back a litle. He really didn't want the smaller boy to choke. He looked up at the professor and nodded. "Well, not students that I can see. I was waiting for the Slytherin Prefect Evangeline Green to come down from the girls dormatories. My best friend is in here - she won't like the water... They have been up there for a while."

He groaned a little, and bounced Jude a little trying to make sure that he was okay. "Sir, can you check on them? I'm going to get... I'm gonna go upstairs." He said, since he didn't actually know the younger boy's name. "What's your name?" He added, to the boy as he moved past the professor.

He was gonna get them both savely upstairs and then come back. Whether the others liked it or not.

"I'll check. Please go to the great hall and stay there until Professor Forrester comes to talk to you." Ethan agreed, holding the white and grey cat in his jacket carefully. He checked the boys dorm first and used a simple charm to see if there was anyone left in the girls dorm, but it was empty. Likely Evangeline had gotten the boy's friend out when he hadn't been looking. In any case, the common room was clear. Ethan waded back out into the corridor, charming the doorway to stop anyone except a professor from coming back in, though anyone could still get out... including any random pets that might still be swimming around.

Kazimeriz entered the common room, listening for the sound. Sure enough, he could still hear it. He noticed Truebridge behind him. The man was as persistent as a krup at his heels.

"There. I think the dormitory... Up there." He paused a moment to catch his breath. The water here seemed warmer, but was still undoubtedly slowly rising. Where is the leak? If we could just plug that... But there was no use thinking about that at the moment. He trying to calm his breath and slow his pulse, which was racing. His chest was tight and painful from the exertion, but he did not want to show this sign of weakness to Truebridge. He had to be on guard. For all he knew, Truebridge would cast on him and tell everyone he slipped and drowned. He would put nothing past the man who disabled him... the man who nearly killed him.

"There's nobody here." Ethan repeated a bit obstinately, even if there was a tinge of doubt colouring his words. It was a trial trying to decide whether to doubt himself or to doubt his former mentor.

He subtly flicked his wand again, another few degrees of warmth for Kazimeriz. Not that he was trying to help him or anything, it was just that if the old man got sick and keeled over, everyone would think it was Ethan's fault.

"HAAAAAALP!!!!!!" the high, girly voice came again from upstairs. "I yam DROWWWWNING!!!!" Splash SPLASH SPLASH. "Can't. Swim. No. Good! DYIN', I AM!!!!"

"'Nobody' appears to be drowning." Kazimeriz caught his breath and started toward the staircase, limping and staggering forth in the water. If only it were a little higher, he could actually swim in it, but it was too shallow to do anything but wade.

He kept going, cursing Truebridge, his aching hip, and Truebridge some more as he crept forward. He contemplated summoning his cane, but it would do little good in this environment anyway. And they had a student to save.

Truebridge closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. He was clearly aggravated and doing his level best not to do something... 'impetuous'. Ridiculous stubborn old man... except that voice... and what kind of Slytherin overreacted like that?! Mentally grumbling over Kazimeriz, the state of Slytherins today (well... not all of them) and Kazimeriz, Ethan waded through the water, following the old man.

As always.

Kazimeriz started up the stairs toward the girls' dorm rooms, wondering how they missed this student who rather sounded like a drowning cat rather than a girl. The kids these days-- so melodramatic! Yet perhaps the child was scared. Again, though- how had they missed her?

And then, it happened.

Pop.

Halfway up the staircase, he felt his hip give way, as it had so many times before. A flare of white-hot cursed pain shot through him and, unable to help himself, Kazimeriz cried out and leaned against the railing.

"The student." was all he could say through gritted teeth, fighting the pain. He never felt more feeble, more failure, in his life. But until it receded, he could not move. Damning Ethan Truebridge in his mind, he tilted his head, indicating that Truebridge should continue without him. For the moment, at least.

The student had to come first, after all.

Thoroughly angry now, even though he half-froze with the instinct to check if the old man was alright (and maybe there was a touch of temptation to do something to make him decidedly not alright), Ethan stalked (or sloshed, whatever) past him following the direction of the voice. Stubborn, prideful, ridiculous old man.

"Student." He repeated through clenched teeth. He had checked! He HAD! But he'd check again because of Valon Kazimeriz.

Student?

Why, that was his cue!

Still on his table-turned-raft, Peeves gushed out of the girl's dorm room. He was dressed in a striped bathing costume and had yellow floaties on his arms with little duckie-shaped heads on them. He had a snorkel set on and swim fins on his feet.

"MY HEEEEEERO!!! " He declared in the same high, girlish voice, his arms held out to Professor Truebridge as the wave of water rushed Peeve's 'raft' toward him. "Oh, Jack, I'll nevah let go!!!"

He held his hand out to him and burst into song:

"You're.... HEEEEEEEEERE.... there's NOOOOOOTHING I fear...
And I

KNOOOOOW

that my heart will go onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!"

He cackled wildly as his raft approached Professor Truebridge, fluttering his eyelashes coquettishly and extending his arms to Truebridge, his hero, his savior from this water-logged ship school.

Ethan flicked his wrist, casting a shield strong enough to bounce the raft and the Poltergeist away from himself and the old man behind him. Still, the surge of water was almost enough to rush Truebridge off his feet, had he not taken a grip on the bannister and he stumbled, being careful not to lose his wand and double checking the little cat was okay.

The set of his shoulders made it obvious that he was quite infuriated. "Can we go now?" He spoke in a flat tone, ignoring Peeves even though he was curious to know why the poltergeist had called him Jack.

He wondered if Annie would make him some tea after this was over.

Kazimeriz's face was pale and drawn. His lips were pressed together in a thin line.

Peeves. The girl's voice had been Peeves' falsetto.

He should've known.

He nodded to Ethan, holding tight to the bannister as the water threatened to knock him off his feet. "After you." He commanded the younger man, glaring at Peeves. He would have words with the Poltergeist, but not in front of Truebridge and certainly not while his hip was in such pain... His chest felt tight as he struggled against the agony of his curse and the exertion.

He would give his last sickle to be upstairs, dry and comfortable. Perhaps Professor Bunbury would make him some tea.

Ethan too, glared at Peeves and without looking at Kazimeriz, he took the older man's arm to help him through the water, still fuming about the whole thing but not willing to just leave him to struggle on his own. It was a strange mixture of pride that made him do it and pride that made him angry that he felt like he should do it. Whatever, he was going to help him whether Kazimeriz liked it or not. "The water is rising we need to move quickly. Portkey or walk?" He gave him an option.

With a hiss of disgust, Kazimeriz yanked his arm out of Truebridge's grasp as though he were being touched by a lethal snake, nearly knocking himself off balance in the process. "DO NOT. Touch me." he commanded angrily. "I would not be in this position if not for you, after all, so do not dare to pretend you wish to help me now."

He would not be treated like some feeble, helpless old man-- especially not by the man who ruined his hip and very nearly his career. "We walk, so as to make a final check of the corridors. The water is rising. Go." He glared at the younger man, waiting for Truebridge to walk down the stairs so he could follow.

Ethan responded with almost equal disgust. "As usual it is your own pride that has brought you to your knees." He just stood there, clenching his jaw obstinately. He was NOT going to lead the way. "After you, Sir."