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BOOK TWO: CHAPTER FOUR

"Veronica!!" Charlie shouted as he watched her plummet into the water below. He had never felt so helpless in his life. Thankfully, the group of boys had abandoned their leader at the first sight of the giant squid, and Archie was a little preoccupied, so there was nothing stopping Charlie and Archie's friend, who's name Charlie learned was Artemis Lovegood, from running into the lake to look for her.

But Archie had held her far out from shore, and they couldn't be certain of the exact spot. Once they reached where they believed she had been, they spread out and did their best to search the lake. But after a few minutes of reaching underwater in the hopes they would feel her, there was no sign of her, and everytime they tried to look under the water, they were reminded why it was called the Black Lake.

Suddenly, Charlie had an idea. "Hey, Squid!! Hey, over here!!" He yelled as he waved his hands around in the air, trying to get the squid's attention. He had no idea if this would work, he didn't even know if the squid could hear him, but he didn't have any other options. Artemis quickly caught on to Charlie's plan and copied his actions. Soon enough, they were both yelling as loudly as they could, and it wasn't long before the Squid turned its curious eyes towards them.

Charlie pointed frantically into the water. "She's down there! She's down there, and we can't find her!"

"Weasley, she's been down there too long! We don't have a lot of time!

"SHUT UP!" Tears burned Charlie's eyes and his face was hot as he glared at Artemis. "YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT!?!"

Charlie turned back to the squid as he heard Artemis whisper a gentle "sorry," but Charlie didn't waste another second on him. His best friend needed him. As Charlie wiped the tears from his eyes and glanced at the shore, he was shocked to see that the squid wasn't there anymore. No... where did it go?

Charlie frantically scanned the surface of the water for any sign of it, but it had completely disappeared. It was over. Charlie felt defeated as his head dropped and the tears flowed freely. He should have told her how he felt about her. Now he would never have the chance. The gentle hand that Artemis placed on his shoulder did nothing to soothe the ache he felt in his chest.

"Weasley, look!"

"Please Lovegood, just give me a minute alright?" Charlie's voice caught in his throat as he sniffled loudly.

"No mate, look now!" Artemis grabbed Charlie by the shoulders and spun him around. "Look over there!"

Charlie's jaw dropped and his eyebrows raised as he watched the squid emerge from the water carrying Veronica bridal style in its tentacles. He couldn't believe his eyes, but he didn't waste another second, swimming as fast as he could to the shore with Artemis on his heels. Once they were on land, they sprinted over to where the squid had laid Veronica down in the grass. The squid floated in the shallow water close by, watching over her like a hawk.

Charlie placed his middle and index fingers on Veronica's pulse point and was relieved when he felt a faint pulse. It was faint, but it was there, and that's all he needed. "Veronica. Veronica!" Charlie shook her shoulders and gave light slaps to her cheek, trying desperately to wake her up. "Please don't die on me, you can't!"

"What is going on here?"

Charlie hadn't heard anyone approaching until a blur of black robes knelt beside him. Snape gasped as he stared down at Veronica's pale face. He didn't waste any time as he began performing spells he knew would save her life. As he was dispelling the water from inside her lungs and filling them with air, he interrogated the two boys.

"Weasley, Lovegood, explain. Now." Snape hadn't particularly liked Weasley, but he tolerated him for Veronica's sake. And while he knew Weasley would never hurt her, he contemplated Lovegood's involvement.

Charlie rushed through the story of what had happened that afternoon before turning his panicked eyes to Snape. "Is she going to be okay, professor?"

Snape's eyes had widened when Weasley mentioned the spell Smeltt had used to hold Veronica over the water. Levicorpus. That was his spell. How had he known it? Then it hit him. Of course. Smeltt's father had been in school with him and the Marauders, and quite a few of his spells had gotten around the school and had become popular among the students. He had even had his own spell used against him by Potter once. Smeltt's father must have taught it to him. "She will be fine. But we must get her to Madam Pomfrey. Now."

As they ran along the grounds with Veronica floating along in front of them, Snape cringed inwardly. He hated the idea of using Levicorpus on her after what had happened, but it was the fastest way to get her up to the castle. While she was small and didn't weigh much, carrying her would slow him down, and he needed to get her to Poppy as quickly as possible.

"Lovegood, find Professor Flitwick and the Headmaster and bring them to the hospital wing."

"Yes, sir!" Artemis shouted before turning down a corridor and out of sight.

Madam Pomfrey rushed forward when Snape and Charlie burst through the doors of the hospital wing. "Severus, what happened?"

"She almost drowned in the Great Lake, Poppy. I got rid of the water that was in her lungs."

"Come, put her here." Madam Pomfrey ushered to an empty bed, and Snape gently laid Veronica down. After a quick examination, Poppy sighed with relief. "Oh, thank goodness. She'll be fine. You got to her just in time, Severus. She should wake in a few days."

Charlie was flooded with relief. She would be okay, that's all that mattered. It would be a rough time waiting for her to wake up, but he planned on staying by her side no matter what.