The eye of a Giant

[Elbio Aiello]

Elbio was sitting at the edge of the cliffs for once more. Autumn had taken over with the intend to show what it was capable of. Someone would have expected a smoother transition from summer to fall but the grey veil of clouds above him and the nipping wind were suggesting that it was coming a severe winter. Elbio had no reason to worry in his grey hoodie and pair of jeans. He actually liked the weather's change meaning less students wandering around the grounds when they were going to seek for the coziness of their common rooms. He had always his camera hanging off his neck and today wanted to capture the descension of the nature and get some good photos to contrast with similar ones he had taken during spring and summer when the creation was thriving.

He had made a stop at the cliffs to get a panoramic picture of the lake that was once buzzing with life, dragonflies hovering ecstatically around its shores. Now only a flock of waterbirds was mewling and swooping, above the vast bowl of water which had taken a lead-blue color from the rain clouds that were reflected on its surface. Clicks were suceeding each other as he was capturing frame by frame a bird diving into the waters to fish. He grinned satisfied with the photos he had taken, convinced that he had a good shot among them. His blue eyes looked around him for something else to kindle his interest. There was still something in that lake that he wanted to capture in a picture but the question was how to lure it out of the depths of the lake.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

After his last class of ancient runes, Minoas had discovered his inclination in woodcarving. He had really enjoyed the whole process of creating his own set of runes out of yew wood that he was considering now to spare some of his free time on creating something else out of wood. To do so, he had to search for the raw material he needed and the best place to find some wood was definately outside the castle. As his shoes were smothering the fresh grass underneath each step, he looked above him at the layer of grey cotton that was hiding the sun and the blue of the sky. Despite being a person that he liked warmth and the sun, he currently preferred this cloudy weather. It was much more fitting his mood that was possessing him that morning.

The grounds were particularly empty. Maybe the clouds had prevented most students from getting outside the castle but it didn't seem to him that it was going to rain. Eventually, he arrived close to the like. He was thinking of creating a pan flute and for that he needed canes when bamboos didn't exist in Hogwarts' ground or generally in New Zealand. The lake was really serene, like its inhabitants had fallen into a lethargy. Only a few waterbirds were hovering above the surface of the water, probably searching to feed. He looked around him in search of canes but his attention was drawn by a figure at the top of the cliffs.

It was unusual for him for the past a few weeks to seek the companionship of someone else. Since his father was abducted he preferred to stay alone and not socialize with anyone. Yet there he was, detouring to reach the top of the cliffs rather than climbing them. Was it curiosity that had pushed him to approach someone rather than avoid him? Maybe. Maybe he was slowly finding himself after a long period of alienation. Reaching the top of the cliffs, he recognized instantly the figure he had spotted from down the lake. It was that slytherin guy with his camera. It was the same spot where he had meet him last time. "Hello Snapper." he greeted him as he walked closer to edge where he was standing. "What's interesting today?" he wondered and looked around where the guy was aiming his camera. He couldn't understand why he suddenly felt the need to talk with someone all of the sudden. Maybe he was feeling more comfortable with someone he didn't really know. They could talk about random topics rather than concentrating on his holidays. A sore subject.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

Elbio could be proved a very persistant young lad when he wanted to accomplish something at any means.
The job that he wanted to follow when he was going to become an adult required this trait especially when he wanted to photograph elusive creatures that have been rarely captured in a picture. One of these creatures was residing in the depths of this lake but it had proved itself to be quite difficult to draw it out of its lair, a real challenge. No matter how many hours he had spent by the lake, enduring extreme weather conditions, he just seemed to be having such a bad timing. He had spent hours scheming on how he could lure that giant squid to the surface and get a picture of it but the task seemed almost impossible.

Thoughtfully, he kept looking towards the lake until he realized that someone was approaching him.
"Hey." he greeted back, recognizing Minoas the guy who have met before at that same spot and with who he had worked together for transfiguration class.
"That's how my brother calls me." he said surprised that Minoas called him in the same way his brother Leonzio used to call him. He guessed that it was an obvious nickname for someone that had a camera in his hands all the time.
"Hmm, nothing really. I just came here to take some pictures in contrast to the similar ones I took on summer." he stated, not really supporting with excitement his activity. He was hoping for something better but that would do.
"Actually, there's something interesting in this lake but good luck finding it." he shrugged his shoulders somewhat disappointed.
"Is it the view that got you here again or you are up to something?" he smirked conspiratorially. He didn't have to know him for a long time to figure out that he was the adventurous type. Elbio could use an adventure now and then but not up to the level a gryffindor would enjoy. As long as he was inside the school's boundaries, he didn't desire to break any rules.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

It was the third time he was meeting Elbio and the second time he was carrying with him a camera. Minoas had figured out from last time that this guy had a thing about photography. He liked people that had a passion about a good hobby and although he hadn't really used a camera, he could bet that it was a likeable extracurricular activity. He had as well a hobby that was making him feel whole and that was spell crafting. His father however, had advised him to slow down and wait until he was experienced enough with spells to create his own so he had paused this fulfilling activity. "I wouldn't blame him if you are wandering all the time around your house with your camera." he said with a smile, probably guessing precisely a common scene at Elbio's house.

He casted a look at the lake which was definately very different from the vibrant ecosystem it used to be during summer months. Nature had fallen into a deep sleep, probably waiting for a blanket of snow to kiss it goodnight pretty soon. The weather wasn't that cold yet but everything could be different in a couple of weeks.
"I see." he nodded while recognizing disappointment in Elbio's response.
A smile spread on his face as the slytherin revealed what sounded like as a repressed desire and Minoas figured out that he was probably last time there on the cliffs for the same reason.
"What's that interesting to make you come back here again for a second time?" he asked curiously. Elbio looked like he was waiting for a large sea serpent to emerge from the depths of the lake. As far as he was concerned, Minoas hadn't heard of something like that in Hogwarts' lake.
"The view is an eye catcher but no I'm actually out here for some inspiration. I tend to gather some when I'm outside the castle so I hoped it was going to work for me this time as well." he shared since Elbio had shared the reason why he was there and Minoas could tell that it wasn't something that he was going to tell easily to anybody.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

Elbio chuckled slightly when Minoas described exactly what was going on when he was returning for holidays at his brother's appartment. Even when he wasn't carrying his camere he would probably be sorting out photos and assorting them on different albums.
"He's just too shallow to understand the beauty of photography." he sighed disappointed that his older brother couldn't understand him while he used to be so busy with criminals and the ministry. There were so few things on which their preferences converged so Elbio usually couldn't really spend some quality time with Leonzio. Even when Leonzio was trying sometimes to bond with him, Elbio was dismissing his attempts, knowing that he was perforcing that and he wasn't doing it with his heart.
He had tried to talk with his brother about his love for photography but Leonzio didn't seem impressed.
Since he had taken over as his guardian, he was pressuring Elbio to do things that he thought were for his younger bother's good. He had taken the role of the 'parent' too seriously.

Elbio's brother would have found his objective reckless and would have taken his measures to prevent him from going on but Elbio hoped that a gryffindor, if really had the attributes of a gryffindor, would find his idea interesting if not tempting.
"The giant squid would have been a nice acquisition to my collection of creatures' photos." he unfolded his secret to Minoas, the reason why he was stalking around the lake.
"You do have heard about the giant squid that swims the waters of the lake, don't you?" he asked afterwards, hoping for a positive response when he had started believing that it was actually a rumour and that was why he couldn't capture it. He groaned when Minoas said that he had visited the cliffs to obtain some inspiration.
"If you manage to get any please keep some for me as well cause I can't find a way to get the squid out of the water." he talked about the obstacle he was facing every time he was deciding to wait patiently for the creature's appearance.
"The only thing left is to make me a bait but I don't think that it feeds with humans and probably I'm going to float there in the middle of the lake for hours until I'll only catch a cold." he apparently joked as he was never going to use himself as a bait. The idea of using a bubble-head charm and seek of the squid on his own was also dismissed. He wasn't feeling comfortable of diving into waters where predators like grindylows were lurking. He would prefer a more dry way like luring the creature to surface outside the depths of the lake but what could lure such a giant outside its domain?

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas' cousin Icarus was finding interesting photography and he was spending his free time with his camera now and then but not in such extend, similar to Elbio's. In Minoas' eyes it was a fine hobby, pretty similar to his sketching. However, he was preferring to sit down and draw something on parchment rather than carrying a camera all the time with him in case he'll find something interesting to take a picture. Perhaps Elbio had used to carry it with him all the time and it wasn't much of a burden.
"Well, if that's going to make you feel better, my parents can't understand either my need of crafting new spells." he subjected his own complain when at least Elbio was still allowed to do what was making happy. Minoas on the other hand, had paused this activity for now as his parents and especially his mother, had insisted that it was too dangerous for him when he wasn't still able to understand all the principles of magic. So he had to wait patiently to grow up.

As Elbio was talking about the giant resident of the lake, old memories were summoned in Minoas head. He recalled from when he was a first year, older students referring to this giant squid. Up to his second year, the discovery of this creature was in the adventure list of the gryffindor but it eventually fade away and was forgotten. "Honestly, I've heard people talking about it but I have never witnessed anything that could confirm its existance." it was a neutral answer from his part but it was true. The only creatures he had shown jumping out of the waters were flying sea-horses that were trying to escape from gryndilows. Other than that, no other signs of giant squids or other creatures.

It seemed that Elbio had dedicated too much time on the finding of the giant squid. If he was him, Minoas would have probably given up after a few failures. He kept listening to Elbio's attempts of luring the squid on the surface to laugh at the end with though of the slytherin floating in the middle of nowhere as a bait.
"That would be an action of clear desperation." he said among laughs. It was a long time since a laugh had slipped off his lips. He decided to help Elbio with his objective as he looked like a genuinely nice guy that could drag Minoas out of the dark place inside him that he had confined himself. He watched the water birds that were still flying close to the lake's surface and tried to think of what could possibly attract a squid, not necessarily a giant one like this that was rumoured to exist in the lake. "I don't know about this big fella but the fishermen in the island I grew up, used light to summon squids to their death." he pointed out after the short pause he used to think. Fishermen were indeed using light sources to draw squids to the surface and fish them with nets. It seemed that light was hypnotizing them for some unexplainable reason.
"Have you ever tried to use some sort of light source to lure it to the surface?" he asked him, wondering if he had came up with that idea.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

Elbio turned from the lake and his hope to see a turmoil on the surface's waters to Minoas. What he had just mentioned was enough to earn Elbio's full attention.
"You are a spell crafter?" he asked with his eyes reflecting a growing excitement.
"That's cool! I always wanted to craft my own spells but my brother always turns to be the buzz killer." he frowned slightly as even now, his brother's reference was killing his mood.
"He's always preaching that spell crafting and elemental magic should be studied after graduation. I don't get why all the cool stuff have to wait till later." signs of indignation were prominent in what he had called, finding most classes at Hogwarts boring as the restless kind of person he was.
"I guess you can't show me one of your spells, can you?" he asked quite doubtful about it as Minoas had mentioned that his parents had forbidden him from practising the art of spell crafting.

He decide to cast away the topic of older people telling them what was right or wrong and shift his attention back to their previous subject that was bothering him for a long time. Minoas had told him what he had eavesdropped or overheard from other students around the school. Although the whole story about the giant squid was tending to sound more like a rumour rather than a true fact, Elbio wasn't giving up his hope. If there was smoke there was also somewhere fire and a rumour couldn't begin out of nowhere.
"Hmm that's what I've heard from other people as well. That doesn't prove anything though. It could be just an attention seeker, claiming to have seen it and the whole thing became a viral rumour around Hogwarts." he didn't want to be really optimistic and in the end get disappointed. Perhaps it was time to let go of this objective. There were plenty of creatures within the forbidden forest. Maybe if he was going to get at the deepest parts, he could finds trolls to take pictures.

But Minoas made an assumption. An assumption that was making sense and was giving a new light of hope to Elbio. If what Minoas was suggesting was true about common squids then why not to be true for the giant of this lake. It might need a bigger source of light but it could be achievable.
"Is that true?" he wondered and looked at the lake, his gaze scanned its shores for anything that could be proved as useful as a light source. However, even the natural sources of light did't seem eager to lend a hand. The clouds were concealing the sun that they could use in some way to focus and reflect its light on a specific spot.
"No. I actually didn't know that squids were captured by fishermen in that way, so I didn't really try it." he said but he was willing to give it a go.
"Sounds interesting in theory but how we could cast a big enough source of light upon the lake in order to catch its attention?" he asked Minoas if he had perfected his idea or he had just suggested it without thinking of how to implement it.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Most people that Minoas had met were quite indifferent about the art of creating new spells or they had just a mild reaction of positiveness but nothing more. Elbio seemed like he had made some background research because he looked intrigued to meet someone that knew a few things in depth regarding spell-crafting. Unfortunately, it seemed that he hadn't the opportunity to get to know the beauty of that field of magic. He had just heard of it when his brother had prohibited him from trying to create his own spells as Minoas' parents did in his case.
"I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to use the spells I have created so far. I have promised to my father to wait until I'm old enough." he said and his face darkened a little bit at the thought of his father.
"Elemental magic? I found hard enough to cast an incendio charm. I can imagine how much I would suck on more advanced elemental spells." he shrugged away the thought of his abducted father and engaged the interesting conversation that had developed between him and Elbio.

Talking about rumours, the whole school was shrouded by them, some making their way into the issues of RHI.
"It's like the room of requirements if you have ever heard of. Some people claim to have find it but there is us who still expect to come across it one day." he pointed out that there were other rumours as well that they were waiting to be confirmed. Since Minoas hadn't managed to find the room of requirements, he was determined to prove the rumour of the giant squid. Minoas was positive that the fishermen were following a similar procedure on fishing squids.
It might wasn't sounding believable enough but they were about to find out. Minoas moved dangerously close the the edge of the cliff, wearing a frown. It seemed that today they weren't going to receive assistance from the sun when the clouds were thickening by the minute. Then he thought of all the spells he knew and had to do with light. Lumos was the first one that rushed in his mind but he couldn't cast the orb of light away of the tip of his wand. If they were going to use this one they had to be close to the waters' surface and it didn't seem safe to the gryffindor.

"Of course!" he exclaimed and snapped his fingers as the idea hit him. "Let's see if this is gonna work." he said with a wide smile and flourished he wand. "Incendio!" he casted flames out of his wand that was pointing higher into the air. Before the flames were able to fall down he waved again his wand. "Locomotor flames!" he commanded and the flames were enchanted under his will. He waved his wand carefully to see if his last spell was strong enough and the hovering flames danced in the same manner of the wand's motion. "Thinking what I'm thinking." he smirked at Elbio, he head pointing at the flying fire. They were going to hover the flames close to the lake's surface, casting the natural light of the fire on the dark waters. The darkness of the cloudy sky was going to intensify the light of the flames. "Elbio can you use an engorgement charm on them? Bigger flames, more light for our giant friend." he asked Elbio's assistance as his own resourcefulness was on fire.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

"It's alright." Elbio shrugged as he was expecting that kind of response from Minoas. He probably really enjoyed the fine art of spell crafting as he referred to his prohibition with a scrowl. Elbio would have been like that if his older brother was going to prohibit him photography.
"How's that? An incendio charm is for novices. If you have a hard time with it then what you would do with trickier spells?" he asked, finding the particular charm really easy for someone to have trouble with it.
Elbio had never heard of that room that Minoas mentioned but he could guess that it was probably a secret room located somewhere in the castle that was bestowing in some way the visitors wishes. It was a shame that Minoas hadn't found it. They could use it to find what they were looking for. He couldn't help but wonder what could happen if they were going to ask from the room to encounter the giant squid.

Elbio was thrilled that Minoas looked so eager to help him. He reminded to himself that he was a gryffindor unlike him and anything adventurous could be appealing to him. He couldn't find a better partner in crime in that other than a gryffindor. Talking about source of lights, Elbio could only think of the wand-lightning charm but it wouldn't do on its own. They would need some kind of vessel to get closer to the water and last time he had checked, he didn't know how to summon any. Minoas' exclamation and the snapping of his fingers ignited new hope for Elbio. The gryffindor's smirk was exuding that he had came up with a great idea. His blue eyes followed the couple of spells that he casted with the first one being the incendio charm.
"Didn't you say that you had difficulty with that charm?" he commented as flames shot out of Minoas' wand. He watched puzzled as the gryffindor used another charm to control their course. He wasn't sure what Minoas was up to until he asked him to cast the engorgement charm. It was the piece of the puzzle that he was missing.

"Aha! Now I see." it was his turn to exclaim and took out his wand as well.
"Engorgio!" he sent his charm straight on the flames that bursted and turned bigger.
He went to stand next to Minoas on the edge of the cliff and his flicked his wand once more.
"Engorgio!" he shouted firmly and with a small explosion the flames roared and turned into a big ball of flames.
"You are a genius." he muttered with a broad grin as the ball of fire was floating above them, radiating both intense heat and light.
"Let's lower it towards the surface! Do you want me to help?" he asked impatiently, wanting to see Minoas' idea's fruits. Now that the flames had homogenized in one big mass of fire, it needed more power to navigate it down to the lake.
"Locomotor fireball!" he didn't wait for a response and casted for the third time, creating a connection between his wand and the fiery ball.
"Let's lower it down to the lake." his voice was merely audible, muffled by the roar of the fire.
"On the count of three. One...two...three!" he counted down and put all of his concentration on the task in hand.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas felt the pressure as the flames erupted into bigger size. He pursed his lips as he pushed himself to retain the spell and keep control of the fireball that was created from their combined charms.
"Yes, I did. I've been practising a lot though lately." he explained himself with a chuckle. "It's not the same with all the spells. Just those that have to do with fire. I guess that's because the element of water has chosen me." he had to shout to be heard as the static sound of the fireball was growing stronger as well. It looked like a miniature sun as it was casting light in the gray, dull scene and heat was emitted in the form of a scorching aura.
The gryffindor had been looking elsewhere for inspiration but this large fireball had infused him with the idea of a new spell.

For now, he needed some assistance as the power of what they had created was overwhelming for him.
"Any time now!"he really wanted a helping hand as he felt his wand starting bending from the invinsible force of the fireball. Elbio's spell came just in time and Minoas instantly felt the pressure loosening as if it was shared between them. Even if his plan wasn't going to work out as they wanted, it was an unprecedented experience of combining spells with someone to create something that awesome. Minoas nodded as Elbio counted down to sychronize the course of the fireball and he slowly lowered his wand in order to guide their creation close enough to the lake's surface. Minoas along with Elbio's help let the fireball hover a few meters above the gray water which got showered by its light and fervor.
"I hope this is going to work soon. I don't know for how long I'm going to maintain connection with it." Minoas warned his partner. The fireball was further away from them and he felt like he hadn't the absolute control of it.
He used both his hands to hold his wand, feeling that in this way he was going to add more power to his spell.
"Maybe we should climb down, to a lower spot of the cliffs." he suggested while trying to keep focused when a rumbling thunder ripped through the clouds, illuminating their outline.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

The weather was showing to the two of them its building wrath as a flash of light announced the possible coming of a storm. A loud crack followed to disturb the peacefulness of their surroundings. The magnified fireball however was still under control of the Slytherin and the Gryffindor with their wands always facing it.
Elbio had no idea what Minoas was meaning by mentioning that the element of water had chosen him and it wasn't the right time to wonder about that. They had both of them to retain their concentration. What it was built by the combination of their spells was not something that could be managed by just one of them.
The ball of flames was just a few meters above the lake's surface, radiating its light and warmth while they were standing at the top of the cliffs. They weren't going to last long enough from that distance and maybe Minoas' suggestion should be considered.

He looked down as the cliff was streching underneath their feet, steep but with rocks extending, big enough to sustain them.
"Maybe we should-" his sentence was unterrupted as the waters underneath the glowing sphere of fire foamed.
Some sort of whirlpool was formed before huge plops announced the emersion of enormous tentacles that were bigger than trees. Elbio could count eight of them until he stopped as the orange mantle of a giant squid displaced bodies of water to penetrate the surface and investigate the light that was glowing above it.
"Nevermind. I think, I think we did it!" he said with widened eyes and awe in form of chills erupting from every cell of his body. The creature was gigantic and could be easily compete in size with one of the castle's towers that were peeking in the distance. Its two longer tentacles were dancing outside the water covered with sunction cups that had the size of a human palm. The huge, blue eyes of the creature were fixed on the fireball above it, hypnotized by the glow of this unprecedented phenomenon. It definately hadn't noticed the two of them standing there on the cliff or just they didn't matter at all when it was occupied by that source of light.

Their fireball had shrinked a little bit as surprise and awe had taken over them but it was still there dazzling the creature. Elbio carefully took the camer with his free hand making sure that he was still controling the fireball. The unstoppable clicks could be audible from the top of the cliff as he had started taking pictures but the gian squid was still captivated by this marvelous glow.
It was fulfilment that possessed Elbio and his smile couldn't be wiped out of his face as he was adding more pictures to his possession with every single click of his camera. He knew that he had some great shots there.
However, he wasn't only possessed by fulfilment but also by greediness.
"Oh my! I'm going to die from joy!" he exclaimed as he looked at his camera that was keeping inside it what he was looking for for a long time. His concentration broke right there for a couple of seconds but he turned his attention back to their fireball.
"I believe I have the shots I needed. Let's climb lower though. I want to take a close picture of those eyes." he said almost frantically and with that he started climbing down carefully, making sure he was maintaining the magical bond between his wand and the fireball that had tranquilized the creature.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Another random thread of light that just dropped down on the peak of the mountain in the horizon and then disappeared again. A few silent second passed by to be followed by another ominous crackle that filled the air.
The sound effect of the thunder synchronized with the sudden appearance of ripples on the surface, creating a few bigger waves that turned into foam. It was as if the thunder had triggered that reaction in the water but the true liable of this phenomenon emerged out of the water with a great splash as several tentacles launched in the air. "Almighty Zeus! It is gigantic!" he breathed awestrucked as the giant squid emerged from the darl waters revealing its real size. Elbio was right. The squid was indeed a resident of Hogwarts lake. The giant cephalopod fixed its huge, round, cerulean blue eyes on their orb of flames. It took a big source of light to lure this giant outside its liar.

He realized that he was standing there jaw-dropped with his wand aiming at the fireball when several 'clicks' sounded next to him. Elbio hadn't wasted a second. He was taking pictures of the creatures while still holding his wand to keep the fireball levitated. His gaze shifted from Elbio's camera that was on fire as it was taking numerous snapshots, to the giant squid that seemed like it was worshipping their fireball, the source of light that had attracted it.
"Great. Let's go now and leave it alone." he hurried to say when Elbio announced that he had taken the pictures he wanted. As much as he was enjoying this, Minoas was afraid that a professor may arrive or even worse, enfuriate the creature by disturbing its peace.
"What? Where are you going?" he asked, keeping his voice low not to wake the creature from the hypnotic effect of the fireball's light. Elbio was no longer beside him. The slytherin was already climbing down the cliff to reach a lower spot at its foot and take a better picture of the squid's eyes. "Are you nuts?" he hissed but it was too late as Elbio had already descended. Minoas followed him reluctantly down the cliff, one hand holding his wand and pointing at the fireball and with the other clenching sharp rocks in his attempt to reach Elbio in one piece.
They have descended just a few meters above the surface of the lake, standing on a flat rock. Minoas wasn't sure if the giant squid had realized their presence or not but it was still absorbed in the fireball.
"Better go now that we can." he whispered and pulled Elbio's sleeve in order to make him follow him back at the top of the cliffs where they were safe.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

Elbio ignored Minoas' objections and followed his heart. He had the perfect opportunity for closer shots and he knew that he was going to regret it if he was going to overlook this chance. A flat rock by the level of the water was the perfect spot. The squid was just meters away but it was harmless as long as the flames were there to keep it occupied. He flicked his wand and the large flame orb moved higher. He did that so that there was less light interfering with his shots. Using his left free arm he started capturing the best possible close-ups of the squid. There shouldn't be pictures of this creatures like those he was taking and that was filling him with awe. He zoomed so close that he could capture its skin covered in chromatophores, the squid's natural camouflage to blend with its environment.

"That was a good one!" he cheered as he managed to take a close picture of the squid's huge eye. The dark pupil surrounded by the blue iris was widened more than usual but maybe that was happening because the creature's senses were hypnotized. Its tentacles were like pillars out of the water surrounding the fireball as if it was trying to touch it or warm itself. Elbio pulled his arm as Minoas was urging him to go away.
"Calm down, everything's okay. Can't you see that it hasn't even perceived our presence?" he didn't bother to whisper like Minoas. It was obvious that the squid wasn't hearing a thing. He was going to thank him for his valuable help. If it wasn't Minoas, Elbio wouldn't have thought of luring the creature in that smart way. He actually had no idea that squids were attracted by light sources.

Before he was able to utter a word, a lightning ripped the sky again letting a flash travel through the thick grey clouds above them. The calmness that followed was brief. The forceful drumming noise of heavy rain spread across the grounds. The oversized, dense drops of water pounded like bullets against the cliff's rocks and the lake's surface. The light and the warmth of their fireball snuffed by the tears of the sky and he was soaked wet in a matter of moments. There was a change in the giant's eyes. Consciousness had returned and blinked repeatedly in an attempt to realize what it was doing there outside its kingdom. The giant eyes focused on the presences on the flat rock and it was curiosity reflected in them as the giant examined the lilliputian figures on the flatten rock. Elbio didn't waste time. He started taking more pictures of those huge eyes that were now pinned on him. He wasn't afraid about his camera being soaked by the rain as he had casted on it an impervious charm. He captured the curiosity in the creature's eyes, staring straight into his camera's lens and he could hear his heart pounding of excitement behind his chest. It was excitement and adrenaline combined together as they had now the attention of the giant. After a few shots, Elbio found himself capturing something different. Frustration had occupied those eyes that had narrowed on them. That was the most intimidating shot that he had ever taken in his life. The giant squid swam closer, dropping its tentacles into the water to send a wall of water towards the foot of the cliffs.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

He couldn't argue that he secretly liked this little adventure. It was remarkable how close they had get to this creature when most students in Hogwarts hadn't even caught a glimpse of a tentacle out of the water. He couldn't ignore however his uneasy intuition that was indirectly warning him about a possible risk.
There was a conflict inside him. He had finally escaped from his depressive state thanks to Elbio but at the same time he was fearing that all this could get out of control and eventually get busted by a professor. It would be the second time in a school year but he just wanted to help in both cases. Back then he helped that first year gryffindor, Liam and now he was helping Elbio with his hobby. Although his intentions were always good it seemed that it always concluded with trouble.

The next clap of thunder signaled an ominous event that arrived to make their lives more interesting or more miserable depending on your point of view. The blanket of dark clouds released their fury. The heavy rain was released like wet darts that pelted the skin and the hard plonking against the rock and the lake's water, muffled every other sound around them. Rain was the last thing they wanted to see. Minoas watched indignant the rain extinguishing the fireball that he and Elbio created with their combined spells leaving only a cloud of thin smoke that disappeared as well into the ozoned air. He felt his heart skipping a beat as the giant squid finally noticed their presence. It was one of those breathless moments that your brain was screaming to run as fast possible but your body couldn't react, your feet rooted in the ground. The cerulean blue eyes were fixed on them. It was hard to guess what exactly the creature was processing in its brain. It might was believing that they were to be blamed for the loss of the source of light that had captivated or it was intelligent enough to understand that they had created it and probably wanted them to cast another one.

Whatever the case was, the giant squid reacted violently. It plunged its tentacles into the water in order to propel itself closer to the cliffs, causng a wave to be built and released towards them.
"Run!" his body finally reacted to the imminent danger and turned to climb the cliffs back to the top. The wave however prevented them from escaping as it reached them with force to crush on them and drift them closer to the treacherous rocks. Minoas body reacted mechanically. His left hand grabbed one of the rocks in front of him as the wave washed him towards it and his right one grabbed Elbio's arm that was next to him. The sharp rock ripped the flesh of his palm but keeping a tight hold of it was much important right now. The wave drifted back into the lake but it didn't swept them with it as Minoas was holding tightly the rock.
"Climb! Now!" he ordered Elbio as the squid was coming closer, its tentacles launching out of the water towards them. He let Elbio go first, careful not to slip on the slippery rocks.

He had given space to Elbio to climb up and before he was ready to follow him, he turned around to see the giant squid. Two curious tentacles were meters away from him and he decided to finally use his wand.
"Lumos Maxima!" he casted an orb of pure light on his wand tip and pointed towards the giant squid. The tentacles slowed down and the movements of the squid became nochelant as it got hypnotized from the sudden burst of light. More tentacles zoomed towards him but they didn't touch him. They hanged above him will-lessly like vines as if they wanted to feel the fervor of the light. Minoas started drawing back, climbing the cliffs while pointing his illuminating wand towards the giant of the lake. The squid now was next to the flat rock they were standing moments ago but its tentacles were following Minoas, escorting him towards the top of the cliffs until he was out of reach. "Nox." he casted breathless as he collapsed, soaked on the edge of the cliff they were standing when they casted the fireball.

"That was clo-" his sentence came short as something wrapped tightly around his right foot. One of the two longer tentacles had coiled around his ankle and the suction cups adhered on his jeans' cloth against his skin. "Carpe Retractum!" his fast reflexes saved him again.
A retractable, twined magical rope of orange color lashed out of his wand tip to affix on a rock away from the edge. The tentacle tried to pull him down the cliffs towards the lake but his charm on the rock resisted, getting him in midair as both the power of the charm and the tentacle on the other side were pulling him.
"I really need some help here!" he called with a little bit of sarcasm as the giant squid wasn't eager to give up and his soaked hands started slipping on his wand.

 

[Elbio Aiello]

Elbio gulped as the threatening, rolling waters were approaching them. He had no time to react and at the time that Minoas suggested to run, the water crashed on them, washing them up to the cliffs. The swirling force of the wave was going to drag him back into the lake where the giant squid was standing furious but into the commotion a tight grip on his arm kept him there as the waters were pulling back. It was then that Elbio got out of his photographing mode and realized the risk. Minoas' exhortation wasn't necessary as Elbio started climbing the cliffs out of fear of what could happen next. When he reached high enough he checked behind him for Minoas. The giant squid seemed persistant and was trying to follow them with its long tentacles navigating among rocks. It was really close to Minoas who was following his lead when he stopped to cast a light charm and hypnotize once more the creature. It was enough to give them the time and reach the top of the cliffs, where their little adventure had began in the first place.

Drenched to the bone he lied on the ground. He was going to agree with what Minoas was going to say but he stood up as he saw a tentacle grabbing his friend. He wasn't able to react as fast as Minoas who casted a charm smartly on a nearby rock to prevent the giant squid from seizing him.
"What am I supposed to do?" he shouted as more rumbles echoed hidden behind the grey clouds.
The magical rope that Minoas had casted wasn't going to last long against the power of the giant squid.
Elbio went closer to the edge to see the creature bellow that frantically wanted to claim what it had trapped in his tentacle. Elbio received an angry response from the squid as it launched another tentacle towards him. He was fast enough this time to avoid it as it fell on some rocks beside him to crash them into dust.
As the squid retrieved its tentacle to unleash another attack on him, Elbio saw its huge eyes looking menacingly at him and it was then that the idea hit him.

"Conjunctivitus!" he yelled the curse. His spell hit the creature straight into its cerulean blue eye. The giant squid thrashed about as excruciating pain must have been forced its eye to shut. It released a muffled noise as it tossed Minoas away to bring its writhing tentacles closer to its mantle. Elbio was feeling sorry for it but there was no other way to help Minoas. The giant squid slammed a couple of its thick tentacles like tree trunks on the cliffs causing a landslide before submerging into the dark waters of the lake. Elbio stepped back as the rocks retreated underneath his feet to follow the squid into the lake. He fell on his back on the ground just as the landslide stopped a few inces away from his body leaving him at the new edge left by the landslide.
He stood up carefully not wanting to trigger another one and watched as the troubled waters soon took back their serenity. The creature had returned back to its liar. At least for now.

Realizing what they had just survived, he touched his camera that was hanging from his neck and smiled.
He never had a blast like that. With that, he remembered Minoas who was lying somewhere behind him and rushed towards him.
"Are you okay mate?" he asked as he gave him a hand to help him stand up.
"There are no words to tell you how grateful I am for your help. Really." he said truthfully grateful for his assistance. Not only had helped him take those shots with his camera but also saved them from the creature's wrath.
"Can you walk back to the castle? I can help you." he wondered. A squid of that size should have a powerful grip that could smash bones. If it needed, he was going to escort him at the hospital wing. It was the least he could do for Minoas at that moment.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

The magical rope between his wand's tip and the rock it was attached, lost its vivid orange color. His spell was weakening and it seemed like the giant squid was gaining ground as its tentacle was bringing Minoas slowly closer to the edge of the cliff.
"Anything!" he yelled desperate as it was a matter of seconds for his retractable magical rope to fade away.
"Just don't take any other pictures for Zeus' shake." he couldn't let go of his sarcasm even in such a grave situation. Elbio was capable of dumping him in the giant squid's tentacles in order to have a picture of the creature devouring something. Thankfully, that was only a wild thought of Minoas. He couldn't see the giant squid while he was struggling to keep focus on his spell but he heard Elbio behind him casting the conjunctivitis curse on the creature.

The curse must have met the squid's eyes as it instantly released him by throwing him away. He fell hard with his back against the stony ground and while lying down he watched as Elbio escaped the landslide trigged by the giant squid's anguish. It must have got enough of them and returned back to its realm as Elbio approached him.
"I've been certainly better. Thanks." he said, his voice hoarse as he tried to stand up with his back aching from the impact on the ground. He rubbed his ankle where the huge tentacle had firmly wrapped itself around it moments ago. He checked to see if he had an injury but he only saw scars from the suction cups.

Now that the danger wasn't looming around, Minoas could see trivially the incident as another adventure he could brag that he had experienced.
"No. Thank you for dragging me out of my boredom. I really needed this." he said as he grabbed Elbio's hand to stand up again. What he had said was genuine. He was feeling a whole different person after that.
Limping slightly, he reached the edge of the cliffs and had a peek of the lake bellow. He was still afraid that a tentacle might launch out of the now calm waters and try to drag him into the depths of the lake.
"I don't think that anyone had ever confronted this giant squid in that way." he stated recklessly proud about what they had managed to do.
"No, no, no. I'm alright. I can walk back and better you should too." he said and checked around them nervously, afraid that someone might have seen them. He didn't want to be busted again.
"Better separate our ways and return back to castle from different routes." he suggested. It was still morning although dark from the raining clouds that were still pouring mercilessly. Even ifhe was caught wandering elsewhere on the grounds, he could tell that he was out for a walk.
"See you around Elbio. Take care and I'll be waiting for a picture of that giant. Don't forget this." he said and waved at him as he headed towards the edge of the forbidden forest.

He then wandered around the gardens for some time. He was accompanied with a clammy feeling of discomfort and heaviness as he soaked clothes adhered to his skin, hair hanged in wet slicks against his forehead and water was dripping into eyes and mouth. When he made sure that he had left enough time for Elbio to return back to castle and head to slytherin common room, he made his way to his castle. In that way there were less possibilities for prying eyes to guess that the two of them were up to no good together.
Heading to the seventh floor and his common room, the gryffindor hoped that he wasn't going to come across the caretaker. He had left behind me throught his course a trail of wetness and mud that would have made his mother go crazy.