Constantine panted as he jumped off the last flight of stairs and hit the entrance hall, Roma followed. A little birdie had told him that Bartholomew had somehow managed to get into the school and currently residing in the entrance hall. Not that he didn't appreciate a more direct appearance, but popping up inside the school was pushing it a touch.

"Mr. Henry?" Constantine moved up beside Lupa and peered at the Giant Squid, who seemed to be making a grand time of himself in the hall. "So kind to see you here, sir," he smiled gently, "would you like some fish? I can send a student to go get you some fish, if you would like."

"Oh, OK." hre replied dissapointed. Damn. He knows something.

"Sure, I'll come," he said to Iris. He then turned back to The Giant Squid. And he wasn't freaked out. haha, a giant talking Squid in the entrance hall, the floor flooding, and everybody's like, "oh, whatever." "Well, it qwas an honor to meet you Mr. Henry." He then tapped his tentacle. "I'll stop by the lake one day and we can talk some more." He then gave him a smile and walked away with Iris.

"The Library? Shouldn't we go back to the common room and dry ourselves off?" Aaron then thought. "Oooh! I remember the spell to dry ourselves!" He thne performed it on himself, after the first failed attempt. And then Iris suprisingly let him do it on her. But it worked. Phew. "Okay, let's go." They then headed towards the Library.

Dani skipped into the Entrance Hall smiling and then stopped and screamed. "Ahhhhhh! It's a giant squid!!!" She was horribly afraid of fish and the like. She ran and hid behind Mr. Masterson and clung to him. "Don't let him eat me. I don't want to die." She whispered. She was too young and cute to die. She was shaking ans scared. And.. It could talk??

He ignored the boy.
"I very much like bangles," he agreed and then looked about for those pickled pig's feet when he heard they were tastey.
"I like fish."
"A pleasure to meet you, as well," he replied. As the two children headed away, Bartholomew called out. "Meet me at the lake when the tide is high!"

And then, in a movement which caused great waves of water in his wake, the squid lowered himself back into the depths of the lake, to be seen in the castle no longer.

...was he just ignored??

No no, maybe my voice was just a little too soft! Or maybe the squid was hiding something... Cam was mighty curious right now and the squid was ONE of the suspects in the Great Flood case! He was about to repeat his sentence yet the Giant Squid was leaving. WUT? NO! It had been only MINUTESS since he'd seen him. He was still held by the Jack boyyyy--if he wasn't he would've definitely risked his life and tug on the squid's tentacles so he wouldn't leave.

Grrrrr. "Byeeeeee Mistah Barteh! Seeya like... whenever." he waved a goodbye and ... was splashed by a wave of water.

EEEEEEEEK WATERRR. The squid distracted him. He NEEDEDD to get out RIGHT AWAY. Would Reese be able to carry him... AGAIN?

The water was at chest level and rising faster now...

She smiled up at the squid. That was an pretty darn good answer. "Curious Mr. Henry?" she asked. "I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have," she offered.
And the water rose, wetting her robes. She reached out to grab the littlest students out of harms way, ushering them over to the stairs. "Alessia... where should we take them?" she asked, pulling Jake after the others.

Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh. No more ice-skating for Fyo, it seemed. What was left of the puddle of water his fallen bucket had created began to grow, and Fyo suddenly realized what was happening. NOT GOOD!

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Giant Squid

The giant squid had spent much time since his meeting with the gamekeeper exploring the depths of the lake with more careful consideration than he had before. He paid close attention to the castle foundations where they came in contact with his home as the gamekeeper had asked. And now it seemed that much more of his home was coming in contact with the school building. In fact, there was so much more lake in contact with the school now that he was able to enter its halls. This was a very entertaining prospect and he soon found himself in the entrance hall...

Arrgggh. GIANT SQUID! Fyo could have DIED, he was so excited. OH GOSH! But, by the moment he had recovered from his SHOCK of excitement, the Giant Squid was already leaving. "BUHBYE!" Fyo called out. "BUHBYE, MEESTER -!" Meester what? Meester, like, Squid?

Umm.... no.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Our Guide xD

The water was at chest level and rising faster now...

It was then that Fyo realized how high the water had risen.

Oh no, oh no, OH NO! He was an excellent swimmer, but the suddenness of the whole thing was getting to him. He kicked in the water, "shooting" to the other side of the entrance hall. Eeep!

She smiled when Neo showed up. "Mr. Masterson! Thank Merlin!"

"I... don't know." she said looking to Neo for suggestion.

Dani had her eyes tightly closed as she clung to Mr. Masterson. She was tiny and as such, with her eyes closed, she didn't really notice the water until it was going up her nose. She couldn't swim. This was not good. She flailed around and climbed up Mr. Masterson until she was basically on his shoulders. She shivered. "I c-can't swim." She was scared. Really really scared. Water was not good. Nu-uh!

"I'm Reese," Reese answered the Giant Squid's question. She smiled at Bartholomew and then turned to Jack and Cam. Jack-In-The-Box? Hehe. She actually liked that nickname, but she wasn't sure if Jack would. When Cam showed Jack his teeth, she shook her head. She knew Cam wasn't afraid to bite him, so she didn't say anything. She didn't want to be the one ending up being bitten by the second year.

OH, NO! She quickly looked down at the fast moving water that was at waist level. She wanted to run off to the first floor, but she wasn't going to leave everyone down here by themselves. So, she stood where she was, shaking with coldness. Why did the water have to be cold?

She quickly looked towards Professor Morgan when she asked Professor Lupa where they should take them. She started inching towards the stairs, but then remember Cam. She was suppose to help him! She started back towards Cam and picked the boy back up in her arms. There. Cam was safe. Her heart started pounding faster against her chest when she heard Professor Lupa's answer. She didn't know?! "Can you swim, Cam?" She asked him, hoping the answer was yes.

Was she suppose to go towards the stairs? Professor Morgan was ushering the first years towards the stairs, but Professor Lupa also said she didn't know where they should go. Oh, boy...

Once in the Entrance hall where there seemed to be chaos, the giant squid and the professors still contemplating where to bring students like herself to safety. Oh Merlin this was crazy, atleat she was away from the Grindylows and safe for the most part.

EEEK!

The water was up to his chest all of a sudden, and it was rising fast. At least his feet were still touching the bottom, but if it got any higher--he'd be in some serious trouble. He couldn't swim! He had never really planned on learning, either, since he had never been faced with the issue of a flooding school before.

"Reese! We need to go! NOW!" he cried, feeling through the water until he grabbed hold of her hand, which was holding Cam firmly in her arms. Aww, that was sweet of her.

NO! He had no time to think about her being sweet right now, no matter how nice it was. Deciding it was best to just grab ahold of her arm rather than her hand, he hooked his arm with hers and started heading toward the stairs. This was one of those moments where he was certainly glad he was six feet tall.

Clambering through the water, he made it over to the stairs and felt his feet connect with the bottom step. He stood up and walked up a few stairs, so that the water only rose to his knees now. He turned and looked at the two professors, who seemed to not know where to take the students. Wasn't UP the obvious answer?

"Where are we going to get food?" he asked Reese, not even noticing that his arm was still linked with hers. "And how are we going to get out of the castle?!?"

Sarah looked around after getting out of the Great Hall, great the water was just as high here, this was strange. She was very scared and lonely she hadn't seen Alice, George, Steven or Bee for ages and she was wondering if they were avoiding her, well when she saw them she could talk to them again, that is if she could excape the flood. She quickly left the Entrance Hall and went to the next floor.

So apparently the squid wasn't a big scary monster likely the eat him, he was a polite, kind hearted gentlemen-squid called Bartholomew. Only at Hogwarts.

People were talking to him and asking him questions, some of which he didn't give very helpful answers to, but he was receiving gifts anyway.

He fell back when the squid made its exit and suddenly the water was rising even higher now and Varius scrambled to keep his head above water.

Not that he was an eavesdropper or nothing, but during a crisis it was hard to avert one's hearing. "Erm Professor Morgan? If I could just..." he began wadding slowly towards her, "... suggest that we go outside or something? I don't think going UP would help much, otherwise our only exit would be... windows. We could all go camping or something." He smiled at the thought, but inside he was secretly TERRIFIED. "Or... or..." he choked, "Does the barrier on that door keeping the water IN, also keep US in, too?"

Varius! Fyo somehow spotted the Hufflepuff through all the blue-green and, kicking underwater to reach the guy, grabbed the front of his robes in --- how about desperation? "OHMYGOSH, WE'RE STUCK!" He announced, literally shaking [poor] Varius. "The water is UP TO MY WAIST!"

Thank God for being tall.

Iris looked at Aaron nervously as he announced this, but decided to trust him, he deserved it. "Ok then, go on - you might as well do it." she said and let him dry her off. Iris felt a tingle go down her spine as Aaron cast the spell and was glad that she was warm and dry again. "ok then." she said to him, and set off up towards the library.

Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me! Rachel groaned, and felt her stomach make a similar noise, as she froze in place on the stairs leading down towards the Entrance Hall. Glancing longingly at the doors that lead to the Great Hall and the FOOD, she sighed and turned her attention to the situation at hand.

Stupid water... Mumbling in coherently, the fifth year ignored her rumbling stomach and descended the last few steps until she reached the edge of the water - the dark, murky, COLD water. She wasn't even submerged yet and she was already shivering.

"PROFESSORS!" she called out over the paniced voices of all the students in the room. It appeared that they were either going to all leave the castle as swiftly as possible OR get trapped in the only two common rooms that were not waterlogged already. Well, they could use brooms to transport themselves out of the castle and onto the grounds...

"Up or out?" she called out again, this time with a little less volume. After all, no one was in any immediate danger. Except short first years, but they seemed to be doing just fine... Or running up the stairs she had just come down. Either way, there was NO reason to panic just yet - BLOODY WATER!

Angela watched the proceedings in absolute silence as students and other staff alike spoke to...Bartholomew Henry. She was able to learn quite a few things from simply being observant, but the one piece of information she found intriguing was the fact that this squid apparently knew the cause of the flooding but would not speak of it. Why not? They needed to stop this insane flooding!

When Neo stepped up to the group, offering the squid fish, she peered hopefully towards him. He had to have spoken to the squid before, being the groundskeeper and such. But her hopes were quickly dashed as the squid disappeared into the depths of the water and the water rose higher at a quick pace.

Her head swiveled towards the doors leading outside and then towards the stairs leading to higher levels. A student's voice called out the choice that she was repeating in her own mind. Up or out?

Whichever it would be, they had to make a decision quickly. She glanced towards her fellow staff. "Up?" She suggested. They could always figure out some way to get back down, but could they find some way to get back into the castle after all being outside? They couldn't keep all of these students outside..or maybe they could, but then they would have evacuate the entire castle of the rest of the students; couldn't keep some students in and some students out. But if the castle continued to flood...They needed an emergency meeting and they needed it now.

The water had risen to under the children's chins, and still it was rising, though it was not spilling out of the open windows.

Alessia did not hear the squid's words... she was trying to figure out what to do....

"Everyone! To your common rooms!" Yes, that was good. "Go! GO!! GO!!!" She said ushering everyone she could find on the stairs. "Get going!" She turned around and tried to freeze the water again... but no use. There was too much water now, and the slimey squid had disappeared.

Angela glanced towards the Great Hall before turning quickly towards Less. "Less! What about the ones in the Great Hall?!" Her robes were quickly becoming soaked as the water rose higher still. Grabbing hold of a few nearby students, she nudged them towards the stairs. "Go up as quickly as you can. Go!"

With her wand, she cast Sonorus and spoke. "Any students on the ground floor and Great Hall, move to the higher floors immediately!" Removing the spell, she began to trudge towards the entrance of the Great Hall. If the water was this high here, then it would be equally, if not higher in the Hall. Though it was not like her to panic, she couldn't help but feel a tightening in her chest as she realized the situation they were in.

Hweminny swam as fast as she could till she was out of the entrance hall and hurrying upwards up the stairs to the 7th floor sure that the professors would bring them the potion for the toxic water exposure and no need to stop at the hospital wing.

"Now? But...what about everyone else?" Reese asked Jack. She didn't want to leave the other students in here and her and Jack make a getaway. That wouldn't be nice. She looked at the students in the Entrance Hall just as Jack hooked arms with her. "But, but, but...."

Morgan and Professor Lupa might need to older students to help them escort people out. And, she was willing to help them. But, she wouldn’t help them if Jack dragged her away. She looked up at Cam, who was still in her arms, then she looked back up at Jack. "Why can't you leave without me? The Professors might need help getting everyone out. And, Jake is down there. I can’t leave my brother in this flood," she informed him. She talked too late. Jack was already pulling her away from the flood. She held onto Cam tightly, making sure he would slip through her grasp.

She followed Jack over to the stairs and walked up a few steps to where only the water was at her knees and then Jack finally stopped walking. Well, that was good they were completely walking away. She looked at the Professors and then to Jack when he started asking all these questions. "I...I...don't know," she answered. Where were they going to get their food and how would they get out of the castle? So many questions with no answers.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

The water was getting really really high now. And once Professor Lupa ushered them to leave, she sort of figured the Professor could deal with the students. “Come on, Jack,” she called out. With their arms still hooked together and Cam still in her arms, she rushed up the stairs to their common room.

Varius allowed Fyo to have his moment and shake Varius about for a bit. Hopefully it would have calmed him down and then they could get to some form of safety. What a considerate lil' Huffie Varius was! "Okay Fyo, the water is rising again... it'll be above our heads soon we need to leave. NOW." He grabbed onto the boy and pulled him... Where did the staff want him to go?

Okay, up it was it seemed. Varius walked across the entrance hall is a slow-motion type walk as if he were on the moon, battling against the flooding water that was so keen to get in his way. He kept his head face-upwards so he wasn't gurgling in mucky water and when he reached the stairs he ran. Ran as fast as he could to the Ravenclaw commonroom.