Well, that was an unnecessarily cold reaction from Ronan. Isa hadn’t realised that Ronan would be offended by being addressed by his last name. ”Sorry, Ronan.” She smiled at him in return. Look, the squid had decided to come talk to them! ”Hello Bartholomew Henry!” What a special treat to have the opportunity to talk to Bartholomew Henry! ”Perhaps there are more coins in the lake that were not collected earlier? Perhaps there has been some disturbance in the lake that caused these ones to wash up here? Bartholomew Henry, have you noticed anything unusual in the lake recently?”

Sky had an interesting theory. ”A message? Like, through the runes? Or a Hansel and Gretel trail of coins?” Maybe there was some lost… something or someone at the bottom of the lake still to be discovered. Who knew. Maybe the merpeople or the grindylows had something to do with it. ”There has to be some bigger story behind all this treasure.” If the runes had anything to say, perhaps this belonged to ancient ancestors What had happened to them? Were there any ghosts with this treasure? Perhaps new treasure finds would further explain the story of the people who these artifacts has belonged to. Why was it all under the lake though? Had this area been dry land before it was a lake? This could be an interesting study of history.

"I thought they were too. But maybe the professors thought that having all the coins wasn't important....." Wouldn't be the first time that professors at this school were lax at something (see: having encountered pumpkins twice in the past two terms in places where he wasn't expecting them).

Really? "There is plenty wrong with your prefect friend, but now isn't the time to discuss it," was Ronan's equally bitter response to Skylar. Whether she chose to see his faults was her problem. Unfortunately for the Head Boy, the person in question had a certain charm about him that was rather attractive. Ahem. Anyway.....

"It's okay." He honestly hadn't meant for it come out the way it sounded. Something that was happening on the regular these days. It was something that had him slightly worried, but it appeared that there was nothing he could do about it. Anyway, about the treasure. "There's only one way to figure out what's going on here," he said, taking his shoes and socks off, leaving them at the shore and following the trail of coins into the lake. "You guys coming?" he asked the girls and Mr. Henry.

Harley was kind of off in his own head until he heard a voice.. the voice of a small girl. She was like... twelve at most and her hands were covered in dirt. Naturally it wasn't the female attention he was looking for at school. But nevertheless he looked back toward her. "Help with what? Digging a hole?"

Cause how hard could that be? She had hands.. and seemed to be doing a fine job of it.. Why should he get himself dirty? But maybe some girls his age would see him helping out a younger kid and think he had a heart of gold.. Yeah, that might work. "How can i help?" He wasn't afraid of getting dirty he just thought it should be avoided where it could.

FINALLY the weather was getting a bit warmer. Nettie had decided that winter in Scotland was even WORSE than winter in France. Much worse. If it was even a single degree warmer than the day before, Nettie was out and about. She'd basically gone STIR CRAZY in the castle all winter and she was over it.

As she walked down to the Great Lake, wondering if it was warm enough to take a swim yet (probably not) she paused when she noticed a rather large group of kids. Hmm. Was there some sort of swimming lesson that she hadn't heard about? She hadn't joined anything except Quidditch this year, just so she could focus on her studies, but if Hogwarts had a swim team, she was DEFINITELY interested. She was basically a fish in the summer.

She walked up to the group and grinned at them, approaching the Head Boy in particular. If she'd learned ANYTHING this term, it was that people with badges usually were good people to follow around. Especially Derf. "Hi! Whatchu doing?" she asked with a friendly grin. Hopefully they were taking new recruits! She didn't have her bathing suit, but she assumed the older boy would know some water proofing charm or something...

That was when she noticed people digging - and one of those people was her very own dormmate. "Chloe!" she exclaimed, smiling over at her. "What are you...WAIT. Is that...?!" her voice trailed off, attention veering away sharply as she noticed a glittering coin near the shoreline, wedged between two rocks that she had almost missed. Was that what she was doing?? Digging for coins??

She was so confused now. Bending down, she picked up the coin and looked around to see if anyone else was as interested in this as she was.

Bartholomew met Skylar’s eyes then Isabel’s. Like them he had a lot of questions as well as the appearance of the coins was suspicions. “I really cannot say for I do not know. I am one hundred percent sure that your professors are working around the clock to solve the meanings if they haven’t already.’’

Really Mr. Head Boy? Old Bartholomew looked to Ronan wearily. “I highly suggest you report this finding to one of the staff members or to the Headmistress directly. That would be your best course of action.’’ Bartholomew was being stern because he could not help but feel uneasy due to all the happenings over the past few months. It would do no good if the students came to harm in any way.

What the boy going to help her? She looked up to see, but was so interested in whatever it was that was on the ground that she soon was on her hands and knees.

Oh YAY he was going to help, "There is something shiny and I want to know what it is, but it's mostly buried. See" pointing for only a moment before she was back to digging again. Whatever it was it was bigger then she first though.

hmm....


What could it be? Could it be something expensive or was it just some junk toy that was lost. She hoped it would be the first thing as she kept pushing dirt around. Hearing another voice she looked up, "Hey Nettie, I've found something hopefully super cool. Want to come help? "

Of course his hopes for some kind of adventure after what had been a relatively quiet term, aside from the grindylow incident, would end up being waylaid, if not completely dashed. With a sigh, Ronan pulled out his wand and sent his meerkat patronus up to the castle with a message for the Headmistress.

He wasn't moving from the water, though, until a professor showed up.

Regina had been sitting in her office when the meerkat made an appearance. At first it was startling, considering it wasn't a Patronus she was familiar with. But, as soon as the short message was given, she quickly left her office and made her way down to the lake.

Moments later, there she was, her figure getting closer and closer with each step. The headmistress had a concerned look on her face, put was rather perplexed at what was going on. And why was the Head Boy just standing there in the lake?

"Hello, everyone, Bartholomew. So ... fill me in on what's going on here."

Well YES, Ronan, there was plenty wrong with all of them, but that didn't mean for him to be so rude. She'd been friends with Flynn Kowalski for longer than Ronan, so yes she was going to defend his name, but as he said, it wasn't the time to discuss it. Because there was treasure coming up from the lake and there were first year Ravenclaws around, one of whom Skylar recognized as Gunnar's kid sister ... and a slightly younger Slytherin. And the squid was here too.

And Ronan was wading out into the lake??? Skylar just stood where she was at a moment, listening, but her blue-gray eyes flicked over towards Bartholomew instead of following the Head Boy just yet. Okay now was her chance to be rude, at least in her mind, because in her seven years at Hogwarts she was stunned to learn that the professors worked around the clock to solve the Hogwarts Mysteries. And before she could speak anything more on the matter, Ronan sent off his patronus and the Headmistress was approaching them.

"Hello, I was just going to be working on my flying assignment," unnecessary addition, really, "When I noticed these coins. They don't seem to be cursed or anything from the revealing charm I tried on them." She wasn't going to mention her rookie mistake of handling them before casting the revealing charm either. "They're like what we found back in the Fall."

Glances were casted at the Head Boy, the Quidditch Captain, the Hufflepuff, and even the Giant Squid. As far as she could tell, nothing was wrong. The group was just at the lake. But yet, for some reason, a Patronus had been sent her way. What was going on??

Then the Slytherin spoke. The headmistress' face remained expressionless. The first bit about the Flying assignment went through one ear and out of the other. Homework was to be expected at a school after all. However, her brow did raise at the mention of the coins and how they were like the ones that had been found earlier in the term.

"How ... did you ... that's not possible," Regina finally stated. She then continued, elaborating, "It isn't possible for these coins to be here. The staff and I retrieved everything from that cave months ago, and the enchantments on the Great Hall exhibit are very complicated to break."

But, yet, here they were. The woman was stumped, her eyes moving from student to student, waiting to see if they had some sort of explanation and taking some time to mentally figure out what was going on here.

"I think it's time to turn all of the coins over to me," she said after a moment of silence. "And return to your studies." Meaning no exploring the depths of the lake, unless they really wanted to see with their own eyes that they cave was empty besides the likely colony of grindylow that made it their territory.

Another warm day has come to an end in the last half of May. As the sun begins its descent on the horizon, the temperature begins to gradually cool. The skies turn vibrant pinks and oranges before transitioning into the black of night. The ceiling in the Great Hall reflects this often taken for granted change as everyone enjoys their supper.

The grounds are silent and the waves of the lake are calm. But soon, something causes a ripple to take form as one lone screech, a word in a language that was foreign above water, fills the air and demands the attention of all.

While out on the grounds, and enjoying the beautiful day, Emmalyn decided to gaze out over the lake. Her dislike of water kept her a safe distance back, but she still enjoyed the lakes beauty. She breathed in the fresh air and listened for the little critters that liked to quench their thirst at the lakes edge.

Just as she was about to take a seat on the grass, she noticed some sort of disturbance out on the water. It was a ripple, but not like one from the wind blowing or a little fish flipping. It was larger than that and soon a screeching sound was piercing her ears. "What in Merlin's beard was that?" She started to step closer to the water to get a better look, but her fear of water held her feet firmly in place.

Instead, she looked around, hoping to see another student close by. The volume of the screech had to have gotten the attention of more than just her and she hoped someone would soon join her in trying to figure out what that sound was.

She’d actually been skipping dinner this evening. Her...restlessness had been acting up again and it made the idea of sitting at the Ravenclaw table and throwing herself into the various debates less than appealing. Normally, Jessa looked forward to the discussions her housemates engaged in and had been known to set off a topic or two herself but this evening left her oddly unsettled and with just about everyone else down in the Great Hall for supper, the Sixth Year decided a walk before it got entirely dark wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Approaching the lake, Jessa noticed another student; that Hufflepuff. Guess she wasn’t the only one who’d decided to skip dinner then.

Not particularly in the mood for conversation, Jessa continued walking along the edge of the lake, heading toward the pathways. She would stop by the greenhouse to check up on her hybrids then head to the library for a new boo—

....

.........

What the....?

Jessa looked first to the lake where it was obvious the noise had come from before looking to the only other person within close enough distance. The Ravenclaw spared her a puzzled glance before looking to the lake again. “Safe to say you heard it too....” No need to ask. The movement of the water was equally curious. “Sounds like Bartholomew Henry’s got some company.”

She was just about to enjoy a piece of pie at the staff table when that awful screech was heard. Naturally, the fork instantly dropped onto her plate and the headmistress left her dessert behind in the Great Hall. Screeching, screaming, anything of the like was a sign that something amok was happening. There never was a quiet year at Hogwarts... sigh.

Minutes after the screech had sounded, the woman had made her way down to the lake. Regina was not surprised in the slightest to see that two students were already there. She was certain that more students would be arriving in no time at all. Whatever did the screeching had their attention. The question was what did it and what the cause of it was.

"Any sign of what caused that racket?" she asked as she joined them, though not too close. Merlin only knew what was coming.

Who could miss that awful screeching? Definitely not Ronan, who noticed, well, a lot. Honestly, it was what he imagined a beached whale might sound like. And since he was always searching for adventure these days, or at least a way to make his final year mean something (aside from being Head Boy of course), he had naturally made his way towards the lake too. Of course, he had taken the time to cast a silencing charm on his shoes to keep them from giving him away. Now, if no one said his name....he could just stand here out of the Headmistress' peripheral vision and watch.

Noble had been late to dinner that evening, held up by a student wanting to pick his brains about a NEWTs question in the potions laboratory. And he'd barely sat down and helped himself to a bowl of soup as an appetiser when that screeching had started. The cause of it he had no idea, things had been still and quiet as he'd passed by the main entrance doors only a few minutes earlier. Whatever it was though, it didn't sound good. Pained, almost.

As Regina exited the Great Hall, the Potions Master had looked to his companions at the staff dais, grabbed what remained of his buttered bread roll and wordlessly followed. He finished the roll as he walked, brushing the crumbs from his fingers on his robes. Which direction had the sound come from? The forest seemed the obvious choice to him, but then he caught sight of the Headmistress at the lake. He'd check in with her first.

"Some sort of creature, perhaps?" he replied, catching up to the small party that had begun to gather. Tristan would perhaps have a better idea though.

At first, the noise had frightened Maddie. Her eyes had grown wide as quaffles, and she’d started to dash for the safety of the common room. That is, until she saw there were others at the lake, and those others included the headmistress. Maddie had never told the woman as much, but she trusted her a great deal and wholeheartedly believed that if there was danger around, Hawthorne would keep them safe.

So from her spot nearby, where she’d been enjoying a quiet walk, Maddie turned and bee-lined for the lake. Her first question was to ask what the noise was, but it didn’t take her long to realize that nobody else seemed to know either. “What if it’s whoever left that treasure here? What if they’ve come back for it and found it’s no longer here?” She guessed. Hadn’t this been the location of the great find?

...and if that was the case, Maddie would gladly toss handfuls of it back into the lake if it meant that the whatever-it-was wouldn’t attack. That screech reminded her of what she’d learned about the language of a merperson, and if they’d angered a colony of them by taking their treasure, they were really in for it. *gulp*

In just moments, she was surrounded by several other students, Professor Noble, and the Headmistress. She HAD heard something strange. After taking a few more steps back, no need to get too close to the unknown thing in the lake, Emmalyn addressed the group. "That was one of the strangest sounds I've ever heard." She pointed towards the middle of the lake "There was a strange ripple out there, then the screeching. I've never heard anything like it before."

After Maddie mentioned the treasure, she casually felt her pocket where the coins she had found were safely tucked away. What if Maddie was right and it was coming back for the treasures left behind? She made a self preserving side step to place her body so that Professor Noble was between her and the Great Lake. He'd helped her out of a mess once, and she hoped he would be willing to again.

The screeching at the lake soon died down. She was certain that it had caught the human's attention and that they were making their way to the lake. Merchefianess Arethusa rose out of the water and looked around, a crown settled on the top of her head. Two of her bodyguards followed. Their green locks which were so great and flowing in the sea were now hanging limply around their grey shoulders. Arethusa's wide eyes shifted from her two bodyguards, both equipped with spears, to the people that had gathered at the lake.

The expression on her face was that of anger and her fist was tightly gripped. She opened her mouth, about to let out another screech. Her village had been attacked, and she was not happy at all. But then she remembered that the humans couldn't understand their language above water. And those things were on the move.

She, along with the bodyguards, went back down under the surface. She motioned for her bodyguards to remain where they were with a simple movement of her arm and swam closer.

Her head then bobbed above the surface. Arethusa opened her mouth again to speak, making sure to speak in the human tongue. She had to warn them.

"My village was attacked! The attackers are coming this way! We'll try to hold them off as long as we can."

Without another word, she retreated back under the water and swam to the depths of the lake to help her fellow merpeople.

Chloe was possibly following all the bigger people as they went out of the castle to see what the noise was. She had been just minding her own nose business, but when they got to the lake and started looking around.....


"IS THAT A MERPERSON???"

She knew they were in there, they had talked about them in class, but OMG OMG OMG the merperson WAS RIGHT THERE!!

What was she saying about attacking?


"Who is attacking you? Our headmistress will help, she's super smart!"


Right headmistress....


right?

Called it.

Maddie was actually pretty surprised at the fact that her assumptions turned out to be true. Actually, she was pretty freaked out about it, too, because...umm, hello---MERPEOPLE.

Speaking of which, one of them rose from the depths of the water, and judging by the crown on top of her head, Maddie guessed she was the head honcho down there. And as she mentioned before, she was PERFECTLY fine with just handing the treasure back to the merpeople and then going on her merry way.

No sense in sending the army.

But wait---was the merqueen on their side? Maddie wasn't sure what to make of what the queen was saying. And umm...attackers? What attackers? Were the merpeople on THEIR side or not? She took the moment to just step in line behind the headmistress, because no way was she volunteering to fight on the front line. She was perfectly fine standing right behind Hawthorne.

So, umm...who else thinks now would be a good time to board the train a bit early and just head on home?

Kaysha had actually returned early to her office after her time with her pet crup. The reason being that she had gotten crup fur all about her person. It wasn't an issue, all she had to do was to grab a long roller. Unfortunately, that almighty awful screech stopped her dead in her tracks.

"What even?" she exclaimed, dropping her hand from her Dior's handle and bolting towards the sound of the screech- The Lake. Fur in her hair and on her clothing, Kay hurried towards the gathered group just in time for the outburst from the Mercheifaness. This, naturally, would explain the screech.

But just like that, she was gone after her words.

Goodness, what next?

Kay looked towards her colleagues.

The fact there was a growing crowd didn’t surprise the Ravenclaw in the least bit. On the contrary , if no one had run out to see, she would have grown rather concerned for the human condition at Hogwarts and their persistent reluctance to indulge any form of curiosity.

Many of her schoolmates, as she’d found, were fine not asking questions or getting answers but when you heard a screech like that, some amount of curiosity should kick in, if for no other reason than self preservation.

Jessa looked between the Headmistress and Professor Noble, the latter making an attempt to answer the question of the former.

She was inclined to believe his assumption.

Then along came Maddie with ideas of treasure. Not at all inclined to comment—but willing to believe it because this was the sort of thing that happened at Hogwarts—Jessa turned to the lake again.

Merpeople. Of course. That explained the screech. The young girl’s eyes widened only marginally at the announcement there had been an attack. It didn’t actually point to a connection to the treasure as their leader hadn’t said WHY or WHAT had attacked them but it was worrisome all the same. When was the last time Hogwarts had had to withstand a proper, organised attack? They’d been taught watered down spells in class to prevent them from “getting hurt” or “hurting others” and allowed to pass on mediocre effort unless their own internal drive was enough to propel them forward. Forgive her for already thinking the situation was grim.

Naturally she had questions, but with the quick retreat of the meroeople they could only be directed at the people who probably didn’t have answers.

“She said an army.” To begin with the obvious. “An army that’s obviously given them pause if they’ve come to warn us. Will we begin evacuation procedures? Should I grab Erik then hustle the Ravenclaws back to the tower to pack or should we simply head for the gate and wait for the Ministry to handle the situation before returning to collect our things?” At no point did she considered the il-advised option of staying and fighting. 70% of the castle was unlikely to stand a chance and 30% didn’t win wars against an entire army. “If so, I’ll just be a moment in my lab to collect a few things but I’m confident I can round up my house in short order.” Jessa was calm, almost indifferent. She was resigned to them abandoning the castle and would not be hearing otherwise.

Jessa, for all her life, had never been a fighter and had long since made peace with this. Like hell was she staying.

Merpeople. More specifically, what seemed to be their Queen or whatever they call their leader, if the crown and guards were anything to go by. Now the screeching made perfect sense. She had been speaking Mermish. Wait, why was she go...oh so she could swim closer.

But what was that? Completely ignoring the yelling of the younger students Ronan spoke. "Typical. Doesn't even bother telling us an army of what exactly we're up against so that we can prepare." And yes, he was staying right here. "It doesn't sound like we have time to wait for the Ministry....." Just saying. It sounded like the threat, whatever it was (thanks for not telling us Mermaid Queen!), was immediate. As in, within the next few minutes.

Was it wrong that he was actually kind of excited?

Tristan had been in the back of his hut chopping wood when he heard the Mermish shriek. He raced as fast as he could to the lake, seeing that there was already a crowd there, and caught the tail end of Merchefianess Arethusa warning.

They had been attacked? By what exactly? "The Merchefianess...," he said more to himself than anyone. This was not good. He looked to his colleagues, worry rippling across his face. He had to keep it together for the students sake.

When Jessa started asking about evacuation plans, he was not sure how to answer when they didn't have any clue as to what was apparently coming out of the lake. He gave her a pat on the shoulder, "I am sure we will have an answer to that momentarily." He moved closer to his colleagues to see if they had worked out any plans yet.