Chapter 11

"Mrs Lopez"

Santana took a deep breath, before slowly looking away from the window to the front of the class where Professor McGonagall was standing, pointing her wand at her. 

"Give it a try?"

Santana could feel the whole class' eyes on her without having to check. She held Professor McGonagall's gaze long enough for her to know that she wasn't going to perform the spell and then turned back to the window. It was not yet snowing but Santana figured it would be any day now. December was only a few days away after all, and what was Christmas without snow. 

"Mrs Lopez, your lack of interested in this subject is disappointing to say the least." 

Santana watched an owl glide gracefully onto a tree, tucking its wings in and balancing itself on the leafless branch. The amount of control the owl had in its descent was impressive, considering the speed it had been flying at. 

"I hope that you take the Christmas break to find some purpose, because this behaviour is not what I expected from you at all."

"Can I try professor?" Santana heard Mike ask. She didn't turn to look at him, Professor McGonagall or any of her classmates. Watching the owl shake off its feathers was more than enough for her to focus on.

Her gratefulness at Mike's gesture made her feel slight guilt though. He was still such a good friend to her despite her not having said more than ten words to him since Halloween night. She hadn't spoken much of anything to anyone, save Quinn and even then it was only when necessary. She figured she should at least show that she recognized that he had saved her. So she turned and flashed him a half smile. Of course he was looking at her. Everyone was always looking at her lately. 

She turned back to the window, ignoring the rest of the lesson. 

For the past three weeks most of her classes past in this fashion, with her finding anything but the actual class work to focus on. It wasn't on purpose, that had become clear in potions when she saw the disdain in Snape's eyes after she'd presented an empty vile at the end of the lesson. She wasn't trying to piss anyone off. She just couldn't bring herself to care. She'd woken up on November first and felt nothing. No residual fear, no embarrassment. She hadn't been irritated by Rachel's voice as she got dressed for breakfast, hadn't felt pleased when Professor Flitwick praised her in Charms. She simply didn't feel. 

Something about watching her parents bleed out right in front of her made everything else seem inconsequential. She couldn't sit and laugh with her friends, couldn't work at impressing her teachers, when she had that image in her head, or when she remembered how powerless she had been. 

So she didn't say much. 

When Transfiguration ended, she silently stood up, packing the books she had only taken out because the last time she didn't McGonagall had given her detention. The second her bag was slung over her shoulder, Quinn looped their arms together and walked them out into the corridor. 

"Lupin said today's a practical lesson." Quinn said. "I can't remember what spell he said we'd be practicing, but whatever it is has gotta be fun right?"

Santana shrugged. 

"Yeah" Quinn nodded, as though Santana had spoken. "I hope it's something we can use against the Gryffindors. You know, something useful. I mean obviously learning how to cure a werewolf bite is useful, but I mean something that we can actually use on a daily. Like how likely am I to run into a werewolf…" Quinn broke off as Santana looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah okay" she giggled, "Lupin's a werewolf I know."

Santana shook her head slowly, slowing down as they joined a group of third year Ravenclaws going down the stairs. 

"But he's not going to bite us. He's been teaching here forever, and he's never bitten a student before. So he doesn't count. We don't even know if he is actually a werewolf…." 

Quinn had been doing this for weeks. While everyone else tip-toed around Santana, unsure of how to talk to her or if she even wanted to talk, Quinn simply talked. She continued to treat Santana as though everything were normal. As though the lack of response from Santana was typical. Sometimes it was annoying, since Santana just wanted to sit in silence, but most of the time it was nice to just be. To know that Quinn wasn't fussing over her, worried about her or trying to fix her. That Quinn wasn't getting irritated by her apathy or bored of hanging out with her. 

Lupin was waiting for them when they go the classroom. Standing in front of the class with his wand in one hand and a huge smile. 

"Morning class" He said cheerfully. 

Santana took a deep breath, preparing herself for the lesson. Unlike Snape and McGonagall, who were just annoyed with Santana's behaviour, Lupin was constantly trying to get her excited to participate. 

As the rest of the class filed in behind her, Santana dropped her bag in the corner and leaned against the wall. She was a good few feet behind everyone as they formed a group in front of Lupin. 

"Today we're going to be learning a fun little spell. The Knockback Jinx. This spell is often taught in Charms class as well, luckily it's my turn this year. So…" He clapped his hands together. "Everyone partner up."

Santana saw Quinn looking around for her. She slinked back against the wall, bending her knees so Quinn wouldn't see her over the heads of the other first years, but Quinn's eyes found hers when Lauren moved to find a partner. Santana sighed, standing up straight. Just as Quinn took a step towards her, Sebastian blocked her path. 

"What?" Quinn asked.

"Wanna be my partner?"

Quinn's eyes widened, clearly taken back. 

"Um…I was kind of going to Santana."

Sebastian turned to look at Santana, frowning slightly. Of all the Slytherins Sebastian had become the most awkward around Santana. Quinn told her it was because he felt guilty and thought that Santana was traumatized because of him. Santana didn't really care, because it meant one less person trying to get her back to normal, but she hated how Sebastian always looked at her like a mental case. 

"Why do you keep trying with her?" Sebastian asked, turning back to Quinn. 

Quinn's eyes narrowed as she folded her arms over her chest. 

"Why do I continue to hang out with my best friend who had to watch both her parents die horribly in front of her because of you!?" Quinn jabbed her finger into Sebastian's chest. "Because she's my best friend, and whether she's talking my ear off or not, that doesn't change. Move."

When Sebastian stepped out of her way, Quinn shook her head and stormed over to Santana. 

"Is it just me or is Sebastian really annoying lately."

"Not just him." Santana said, looking at Professor Lupin who was excitedly walking around the room making sure everyone had a partner. 

"Brittany" Lupin said, stopping in front of the small girl. "You don't have a partner?"

Brittany blushed a deep red as a few of the Gryffindors laughed. She looked nervously around the room, shifting her feet. Finally, she raised her eyes to Lupin, who was smiling down kindly at her and shook her head. 

Lupin patted her back, turning to look at the rest of the Gryffindors. 

"Is someone in the hospital wing or skipping class?"

They shook their heads. 

"Then how is it possible that a class of ten separated into pairs leaves one out?"

The other Gryffindors looked anxiously at Azimio, Puck and Finn, who were huddled together. 

"Boys?" Lupin called, no longer smiling. 

"Sir?" Puck asked. 

"I see three in a group when I said two."

"Oh." Puck said, frowning at Finn. "I didn't know that's what a pair meant."

Finn and Azimio laughed.

"Well now you do and one of you needs to come partner with Brittany."

Lupin pushed Brittany forward slightly, but the girl was just getting more and more red. She was now avoiding everyone's eyes, instead staring down at her feet and wringing her cloak in both hands. 

"Brittany who?" Finn asked, causing Puck, Azimio and two other Gryffindor girls to burst out laughing. 

"Okay, okay" Lupin said, walking towards the three boys. "Very funny Mr Hudson. I think that being in the same house with someone and not knowing their name is actually quite embarrassing on your part. It tells me that you may have a bit of a memory problem in which case, rest assured I may have to speak with the other teachers about giving additional support in class. Maybe remedial classes to cater for your learning disability."

Now it was the Slytherins laughing. 

"Remedial classes?" Finn asked in horror. 

"Yes. Probably every day considering how many subjects you'll have to cover."

"Sir I don't need remedial classes."

"Oh that's great" Lupin's smile returned. "In that case, please make your way to Mrs Pierce so I can begin my class."

Sharing a scowl with Puck and Azimio, Finn walked begrudgingly to Brittany's side, standing a good two feet away from her.

"Excellent. Now that's sorted, here's what we're going to do. I want you and your partner to stand opposite each other, and take it in turns to cast the spell. Aim for your partner's stomach only, am I clear?" Lupin looked round the class as they nodded. "Good. I will demonstrate. Um…" Santana shut her eyes, once again pressing herself against the wall and bending to keep herself out of Lupin's radar. To no avail.

"Santana, why don't you come up and help me?"

She let out a heavy breath and looked at Lupin, shaking her head. 

"Come on" Lupin encouraged. "It won't hurt much. It feels like a blow to the chest." 

Santana shook her head again. 

"How about you try it on me." Lupin stretched his arms out, opening himself to attack. "The incantation is Flipendo Tria." Santana simply stared at him, like she had McGonagall. "Come on Santana you can do it."

"Now we know why the hat took so long to sort her. It was trying to decide whether it wouldn't be better to just chuck her out." 

A loud bang echoed in the classroom, making Santana and a few other students jump. Azimio went flying backwards into a desk, crashing into it before crumbling on the floor. Santana turned to stare at Quinn, who was breathing heavily beside her. She hadn't even heard the words leave Quinn's lips, but her wand was raised and she was looking right at Azimio with a fiery gaze. 

  "Well done Mrs Fabray. Yes, that is how the spell is done. Mr Adams, you're alright, get your feet under you that's it. Now you all know what it looks like…have at it."

As the rest of the class moved to find a space with their partners, Santana turned to Quinn with wide eyes. 

"Don't worry I'm not going to hit you with it."

"That was wicked" Santana confessed. 

Quinn shrugged with a small smile. 

"You would have done it for me."

Santana nodded, for the first time in weeks feeling bad for how she'd been behaving. She knew that before Halloween she definitely would have jinxed Azimio for talking like that about Quinn, about herself even, but as she was now, Santana wasn't sure she would have. She hadn't felt a rush of anger at Azimio's words, which she knew she should have. She didn't feel embarrassed. She didn't feel anything. She simply didn't care. That got her thinking that maybe she was worse off than she thought. 

Every once in a while Quinn would cast the spell in Santana's general direction but purposely avoiding hitting her with it, while Santana kept her wand raised, pretending to attempt the spell so that Lupin didn't come check on them. 

By the end of the lesson Santana was ready to head to the dorms. She hadn't been sleeping well at night, so she was always tired, which made walking around the massive castle more taxing than it should be. When instead of walking into the great hall she turned down the stairs to the common room, Quinn followed her. 

"Q" she sighed. 

"Shut up Santana."

Santana pressed her lips together, exhaling sharply. 

"I'm just going to sl-"

"I said shut up." Quinn glanced at Santana, frustration written all over her face. Shaking her head, Santana decided to let it go. 

The common room was empty when they walked in. 

"The green is actually kind of soothing." Quinn said, dropping into an armchair by the window. 

Santana nodded. She dropped her bag by Quinn's chair and stared out into the water. 

"Well go on." Quinn said, taking one of her books out of her bag and then turning so her head and feet were resting on the arm rests. Santana frowned down at her. "You wanted to sleep right?"

"Yeah."

"Well go on. We only have an hour before history of magic."

Leaving her bag with Quinn, Santana went straight to her bed. She didn't remove her cloak as she climbed under the covers, pulling them up to her chin as she lay on her side. As tired as she was she knew she wasn't actually going to sleep. Every time she tried, her mind would go back to the dungeons, either imagining what would have happened if Leon hadn't decided to follow her, or reliving the scene as it had played out. Sometimes, just to distract herself, Santana would try to imagine what other creatures were kept in the dungeons, and those were usually so bad that she could almost convince herself to be happy they had walked into that room instead. Almost. 

She had a feeling Leon had told her parents she wasn't doing okay, because they were sending a lot more owls than necessary, asking how she was and wanting full accounts of her days. She knew they didn't know exactly what had happened, because her mum especially would have likely shown up at Hogwarts to check on her, but just knowing they knew she was having a hard time wasn't something Santana was happy about. 

This wasn't how her first year at Hogwarts was supposed to go. She was supposed to be having fun with her friends, kicking butt in class and impressing all the teachers. But she couldn't bring herself out of her funk. She wanted to, because her parents were fine, and Leon and Quinn were fine, but there was a wall in her mind, keeping her in and everyone else out, and no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't break it down. 

  ****

Spending an hour lying in bed but not actually sleeping only made Santana more tired. Unfortunately for her they had history of magic after lunch. She didn't even bother to remove her books when Professor Binns floated through the chalkboard. Instead she folded her arms on the desk, laid her head on it and closed her eyes. 

Quinn shook her awake when the class was over. Her eyes felt heavy and her brain fuzzy as she stood up, a yawn stretching her mouth wide open. 

"You should do something fun." Quinn said, looping her arm through Santana's as they stepped out of class. 

"Oh yeah?" Santana blinked slowly, forcing her eyes back open. 

"Yes. To get your body to wake up."

"Wanna take another trip to the dungeons?"

"Don't be thick."

Santana shrugged. 

"Sebastian and I were thinking we might go watch the Slytherin team practice."

They rounded the corner and walked down the stairs.

Santana pursed her lips and nodded. 

"Are you gonna come?"

"No."

"Come on Santana." Quinn nearly sounded like she was whining. "You haven't watched any Quidditch since we came. It'll be fun." 

Santana shook her head as Sebastian caught up with them. He walked backwards down the second flight of stairs so he could walk in front of them.

"So are we going?" He asked Quinn.

Quinn glanced at Santana. 

"No" She said sadly.

"Don't be stupid." Santana said, pulling her arm from Quinn's. "Just cause I don't want to go doesn't mean you shouldn't."

"I'd rather not go without you."

Santana tried, but she couldn't keep her eyes from rolling.

"If she doesn't want to go that's up to her." Sebastian said as they reached the main floor and stopped in front of the great hall. "But you were excited about it when I suggested it earlier."

"You'll have more fun without me." Santana added. 

Quinn glared at her. "No I won't"

"Well…" Santana shrugged. "I'm going back to the dorms to sleep. What are you going to do, watch me?"

"Go on Quinn." Sebastian said, taking her hand to pull her away. 

Santana nodded encouragingly. 

"Fine." Quinn pulled her hand back from Sebastian but continued walking with him. "I'll come wake you for dinner."

"Okay."

Santana watched them walk away for a moment, then turned to go down the stairs, when a cat sped past her, running up the stairs like it was being chased. Before she could really get a good look at it, it was gone, but she was pretty sure that hadn't been Mrs Norris. It reminded her of the cat that had been running wild on the train. 

At that thought, she looked around for Brittany, half expecting to see her sprinting after the cat. Instead she spotted her just as she was walking out of the castle. She was curious where she could possibly be going, so she followed her. 

Brittany walked all the way down the hill to the edge of the great lake and sat down. Santana walked up behind her. 

"What are you doing? It's freezing out here."

Brittany jumped, spinning around to look at her. Her shocked expression was quickly replaced by a wide smile. 

"Santana" she said happily. 

Santana shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't sure why Brittany always greeted her so happily, like they were old childhood friends or even friends at all. It was because she was uncomfortable that it took her a moment to realise that Brittany's eyes were red and slightly puffy. 

"What happened?"

Brittany turned back to face the lake, pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. 

"Nothing."

Santana frowned. 

"That's a lie."

Brittany shrugged. 

Walking around to stand in front of her, Santana crossed her arms over her chest and looked pointedly at Brittany. 

"What happened?"

"They were just…being funny."

"Who?"

Brittany sighed. 

"The other Gryffindors?"

"It was just a joke."

"What was?" Santana asked angrily, throwing her hands up.

"They let Lord Tubbington out of the common room."

"Lord…who?"

"Tubbington. My cat?" Brittany looked up at Santana, fresh tears in her eyes. 

"Oh" Santana nodded, trying not to feel bad for not remembering the cat's name. She'd only seen it once after all. Brittany nodded sadly.

"I've been looking all over for him, but I can't find him."

"How is that a joke?" She frowned.

"They told me an owl came and snatched him through a window."

"That's…" Santana's frown deepened. "Just not funny."

"It's not a big deal. He's a good boy…sometimes, and he knows how to find his way to me, but I'm worried he'll get into a fight with Mrs Norris or wonder too close to the whomping willow."

So that had been Brittany's cat Santana saw on the stairs earlier. She was sure he was long gone, so she didn't bother telling her she'd seen him. 

"I'm sure he'll be okay. He's bigger than Mrs Norris." She sat down next to Brittany.

Brittany nodded, staring out at the lake. 

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Brittany was back to smiling. Her whole body seemed to perk up as she turned to Santana, her eyes shining. 

"Do you even like being in Gryffindor."

Brittany shrugged. "I am in Gryffindor."

"Yeah but do you like it?"

"It's better than not being at Hogwarts, right? The common room is warm and super comfy, and I heard we have a really good Quidditch team. We won the house cup last year and McGonagall is kind of scary but she takes care of us. So it's a good house."

Santana scoffed. 

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"It's not."

"Yes it is."

"Brittany they're awful to you. They let your cat out as a lame joke and now you have to spend the whole day looking for him, worried about him."

"I'll find him" Brittany turned back to the lake. "Lord Tubbington used to escape my house all the time and spend a few hours around the neighbourhood. But he always came back."

"Did you have a forbidden forest in your neighbourhood?"

Brittany's eyes widened, flicking from the lake to the outline of the forest in the distance. 

"Do you really think he'd go in there?"

"I think you should ask the ghosts and portraits to help you find him before you have to find out."

"Yeah." Brittany nodded. "Yeah I'll do that."

"Why do you put up with it?"

"What?"

Santana looked pointedly at her until she saw Brittany take a deep breath. 

"I'm used to it. I didn't have any friends at the muggle school I was in before here either." She looked down at the grass, pulling some blades out. "The kids there said I was weird." She said quietly.

"Muggles always think we're weird."

Brittany shook her head. "The other Gryffindors think I'm weird too. I don't know why I thought it would be different. But" She perked up slightly, looking at Santana. "I'm at Hogwarts, and some of the ghosts are really funny and the professors are nice and Hagrid is the best."

"You've talked to Hagrid?"

"Not a lot, but yeah. Sometimes I bring some treats for Fang."

"Who's Fang?"

"Hagrid's dog. He's so cute."

Santana frowned, about to ask how she knew Hagrid had a dog, before shaking her head. 

"Do you know Rachel Berry?"

"Sure." Brittany nodded. "She's in Slytherin with you."

"Right. She may be the most annoying person I have ever met in my life. She talks so much, all the time, using so many words. Like she can never just say hi, she has to say… 'greetings fellow Slytherins.'" Brittany giggled at Santana's attempt to imitate Rachel by making her voice higher, squeakier and more nasally. "I swear that girl cannot be just a witch. She has to be part pixie or something. Or house elf." Brittany snorted and Santana smiled. "No seriously, why is her voice so high and… She makes me want to stick my wand into my ear so far it comes out the other side."

Brittany laughed so hard she lost breath, rocking into Santana as her cheeks tinged slightly pink. Santana found herself laughing along. It hit her that it was the first time she'd laughed since Halloween. 

"Oh my god" Brittany breathed, clutching her stomach.

"My point is" She said as Brittany calmed down. "Rachel is part witch part something else, making her the biggest freak in this bloody school, and we all cannot stand her voice at all, but do you ever see her sitting alone in the great hall?"

Brittany's smiled dropped slowly as she shook her head. 

"Do you ever see her walking by herself in the corridor, or without a partner in class?"

Brittany shook her head again. 

"Exactly. You're not weird, the Gryffindors are awful."

Brittany licked her lips, crossing her legs and tracing her thigh with a blade of grass. 

"Not all of them. Kurt's nice to me."

"Which one's Kurt?"

"The really small boy?"

"Oh" Santana nodded, immediately knowing who he was. He was by far the smallest boy in the school. Santana had never stood next to him but she was sure he would only reach her shoulders if she did. 

"He stays back in the common room sometimes after the other first years have gone to bed to help me with homework, and chooses seats at the back of the class so that if I want I can sit next to him without anyone seeing."

"What?" Santana frowned. "What do you mean?"

Brittany glanced at Santana, a sad look in her eyes. 

"The other boys…They don't…If they see Kurt being nice to me they…they-"

"Bully him." 

With another glance, Brittany nodded. 

"So he's scared to do it too much. But he tries."

Santana shook her head. 

"And you say Gryffindor is a good house?"

"Well what am I supposed to say? It's not like I can change houses."

For the first time Brittany seemed irritated with Santana. There was a slight crease in her brow as she pulled out more blades of grass. 

Santana looked at the lake. 

"I would have rather taken the train back than be in Gryffindor."

"That's a bit dramatic."

"Look at how they treat you! They don't even talk to you."

"Neither do you."

Santana looked sharply at Brittany, surprised by the comment, but more by its truth. 

"Well I'm not in your house."

They were silent for a while, both watching the water. Santana wasn't sure how long it was, but after a while she began to yawn. It reminded her that she had been heading to the dorms to try her luck at sleeping. She was about to stand up and leave when Brittany spoke. 

"Can I ask you something now?"

Stifling another yawn, Santana nodded her head. 

"Why not."

Brittany turned her body sideways so she was no longer facing the lake, but Santana.

"Did you really go into the dungeons on Halloween?"

Santana clenched her jaw, sighing. She spread her legs out in front of her and rested back on her hands. 

"Yep. Stupid idea I know, but yes."

Brittany nodded slowly. 

"How did you hear about that?"

"Everyone was talking about it. They say that's why you've been…quiet."

Santana chuckled, shaking her head. Nobody had any idea why she was 'quiet', as Brittany so nicely put it, and it was funny that they thought they did. 

"Did you find a troll?"

"You were told there were trolls in there too?"

Brittany nodded. "By some third years."

"No. We didn't see any trolls." 

"That's good" Brittany sighed. 

"That doesn't mean they're not there, just that we didn't see them."

"Right. What did you find then?"

Santana bit her lip, looking away from Brittany. 

"There were some vines…" she started. "They were huge, and tried to kill me and Mike."

"What?" Brittany breathed, eyes wide. "They could move?" Santana nodded. 

"They like, wrap around you and squeeze you to death."

"Like a snake?" 

"Yeah. Exactly like a snake."

"That's scary." Brittany said. "How did you escape?"

"Quinn and Sebastian shot fire at them."

"Oh that's clever." Brittany said with awe. "I haven't been able to do that spell yet."

"We practiced a lot." Santana shrugged.

Brittany looked thoughtful for a moment. 

"Was there anything else? Like…an animal?"

Santana shook her head slowly. 

"There-"

She stopped herself, shaking her head. 

"What?"

Santana continued to shake her head. "Never mind."

Brittany reached out, touching Santana's arm. Santana looked down at her hand. 

"What is it?" Brittany asked gently.

Santana lifted her eyes to Brittany's and swallowed. 

"There wasn't an animal, but there was like…a creature."

"What creature?" 

"Leon said it's called a boggart."

Brittany frowned. 

"Who's Leon?"

"My brother."

"Oh" Brittany nodded. "And what's a bogart?"

Santana pulled her legs in, turning to face Brittany and sitting cross legged as well. 

"A dark creature." Santana said, lowering her voice. "Nobody knows what it actually looks like, because whenever it comes out it takes the form of the deepest fear of whoever is standing in front of it." 

Brittany was staring intently at her, her eyes flicking between Santana's. 

"That sounds horrible."

Santana nodded. 

"So...." She scooted closer to Santana until their knees were almost touching. "Who was standing in front of it?"

Santana didn't answer her, but she kept their eyes locked. 

"It was you wasn't it?" Brittany whispered. Santana nodded. "That's why you've been quiet."

"Yeah" Santana whispered as well. The moment felt too tender to speak at full volume. She was afraid of breaking it, but at the same time afraid of where it was going to take them. She knew what Brittany's next question was going to be, and she wasn't sure she wanted to answer, but was sure she would. Something about the tender look in Brittany's eyes was disarming. It wasn't pity or worry like everyone else. It was a look Santana was actually pretty sure she had never gotten before. Just an open, 'I want to hear whatever you want to say' kind of look. 

But she hadn't yet talked about what she'd seen that night on Halloween. She hadn't even thought about what it meant in terms of her deepest fear, and telling Brittany what she saw would give Brittany extremely personal information about her. 

"What did you see?"

There it was. Santana closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She wrung her fingers in her lap and chewed the inside of her lip. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at Brittany. 

Brittany wasn't even looking at her, which allowed some of the tension to release from her chest. Brittany was looking at the lake, the surface of which had started to ripple.

"I s-"

Brittany's head snapped to Santana. She looked alarmed. 

"That's a personal question!" she exclaimed. Santana had to smile. 

"A little yeah."

"Don't answer it." Brittany shook her head. 

Santana sighed a breath of relief. She couldn't believe that she had really been about to talk to Brittany about something she had been trying so hard to not even think about. 

"Okay."

Something broke through the surface of the lake, reaching out onto the grass. Santana and Brittany, scrambled back quickly as a large slimy tentacle rose out of the water, joined quickly by two more. 

Suddenly Santana was back in the dungeons with vines creeping around her and squeezing her lungs. 

She jumped to her feet, taking her wand out of her robe and sprinting as fast as she could up the hill. It wasn't until the whomping willow and Hagrid's house were in sight that she slowed down. Brittany stopped beside her, white as a sheet and bent over panting heavily.

"What was that?" she croaked.

"The giant squid" Brittany said. "I sit out there all the time, but it's never come out before."

"It can come out?" Santana asked, horror struck. "What if it pulled us in?"

Brittany stood up straight, quirking an eyebrow at Santana. 

"I don't think Dumbledore would let it-"

"Screw Dumbledore" Santana said angrily, her voice rising steadily. "This school is filled with creatures that Dumbledore shouldn't allow anywhere near us. Murderous plants and bloody boggarts. Giants," she pointed at Hagrid's hut, "Mer people," she pointed at the lake, "and a whole forest full of dangerous animals. There's a damn werewolf as our teacher, and a tree that could literally kill you if you get too close. Dumbledore doesn't know what the hell he's DOING."

Sparks flew from the tip of her wand, making Brittany jump back. Santana blinked, raising her wand curiously as her anger subsided quickly. 

"Did you mean to do that?" Brittany asked. 

Santana shook her head. 

"I think it just…knew?"

Brittany nodded. "It's like it's angry too. That means you have a strong bond."

"Mmhh"

For the first time in weeks, Santana felt the urge to go find Quinn. She needed to tell her about the giant Squid's ability to come out of the water at will. She felt a smile pull at her lips at the thought of Mike's reaction. 

"I have to go" she said, taking a step away from Brittany. 

She saw the disappointment in Brittany's eyes, before she dropped her head and her blonde hair fell over her face. 

"Okay. Me too, I guess. I should go ask nearly headless Nick to help me find Lord Tubbington."

"Yeah okay." Santana nodded. "I hope you find him."

"Thanks." Brittany smiled. 

Before it became awkward, Santana turned and walked to the Quidditch pitch, leaving Brittany standing at the top of the hill.