Empty Corridor

[Administrator]

There's just a stone gargoyle down this corridor. It leads up to the Headmaster's office.

[Judy Kelley]

Judy was in a foul mood. She had received two A’s in one day; one on a surprise exam in Charms and another from Snape on an in-class assignment. Usually, being a Slytherin and decent at Potions, Judy was near the top of the brooding professor’s well-liked list, but Snape was less than amused when Judy’s potion exploded all over the two of them.

In addition to her mediocre grades for the day and the unfashionable potion-covered look she was sporting, Judy hadn’t had time to change her clothing after class. Aggravated and sticky, Judy had rushed from the dungeons to the library to meet up with classmates to study for an Arithmancy exam. To put the frosting on the cake (with “Sorry your day is absolute rubbish” written in icing on it, of course), the rotten group failed to show up.

Covered in a thick layer of purple goo, Judy stomped down the corridor, grumbling about hating everything. She nearly jumped out of skin when she collided with the gargoyle in the middle of the hallway.

“Oh, bugger off!” She snapped, looking over her shoulder to glare at the concrete beast. “I don’t need you trying to brighten my day, you stone ba—MERLIN!”

Turning away from the gargoyle, Judy found herself face to face with a classmate.

She leapt backward and shouted, “What are you trying to do? Have me sent to St. Mungo’s for being scared senseless?” She planted her hands on her hips and scowled. “You are so inconsiderate. Would it kill you to watch where you’re going?”

[Maxwell Betterfield]

When Max barreled around the corner, he almost ran directly into something purple and slimy.

Correction, someone purple and slimy.

“What are you trying to do? Have me sent to St. Mungo’s for being scared senseless?” She planted her hands on her hips and scowled. “You are so inconsiderate. Would it kill you to watch where you’re going?”

“Ah, good afternoon, Miss Kelley. Please excuse me,” he mumbled. He remembered Judy from the small amount of time he spent in the Slytherin common room. All he knew about her was that she was a Seventh Year, who always seemed to be reading the latest Rita Skeeter article. Max never could understand the fascination with Miss Skeeter himself, but he supposed it was always good to have a hobby.

But clearly, Judy had all the manners of your standard Slytherin – that is, none at all. And Max had more important things to worry about than his irritable classmates.

He made to slip by Judy, trying not to brush against her slimy robes when a thought occurred to him. Maybe a Seventh Year like Judy who spent so much time with her nose in newspapers might know a bit about unicorns. Surely, newspapers must mention unicorns from time to time.

All right, so it was a bit of a long shot, but it was the best idea Max could think of. If Charlie didn’t get help soon, he would be spending the rest of his life paddling around the lake with the giant squid.

“Miss Kelley,” said Max, turning around. “Do you know anything about unicorns? Specifically pink ones?” He rushed on to complete his story before Judy declared him mental and went about her purple gooey day. “You see, Charlie Constantine, who you’ve met, I’m sure – everyone knows Charlie – well, anyway, Charlie has come down with an unfortunate ailment.” Max scratched his jaw, uncertain of how to continue. “He – he appears to be turning into something – well, inhuman.” Max sighed. “A hippopotamus to be exact.”

Max held out his hands. “And he’s too embarrassed to go to the hospital wing, because he’s blown up as big as a cow and is turning gray. It’s not a pretty sight.” He sighed. “Apparently, the only definite cure is a hair from the tail of a pink unicorn. Though, I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” Adjusting his tie, Max gazed at Judy beseechingly. “So, do you know of anything that might help?”

Suddenly, Max realized he had been horribly impolite. He blushed as he pulled his wand from his pocket. “Pardon me, miss, but you appear to be – well, you seem to have had an accident with a potion. I can get rid of that stuff for you – unless, you prefer to keep it,” he added hurriedly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

[Judy Kelley]

“Ah, good afternoon, Miss Kelley. Please excuse me.”

Judy scowled, assuming Max was mocking her particularly purple state. “Good afternoon my arse! Look, Betterfield, I—”

“Do you know anything about unicorns? Specifically pink ones?”

Judy raised her eyebrows as Max went on to explain Charlie Constantine’s situation. She frowned. Was he joking? Judy had never heard of anyone turning into a hippopotamus before. Then again, if she turned into a hippopotamus, she probably wouldn’t go broadcasting it to the whole, wide wizarding world, so perhaps large, mistaken, mammal transformations were simply kept under wraps. That and Max didn’t seem like the sort who went parading about the school spreading strange gossip; Judy took care of that herself.

“So, do you know of anything that might help?”

There was a very long pause. Finally, Judy arched an eyebrow and said, “You have got to be kidding me.” Rolling her eyes and readjusting her book bag on her shoulder, Judy pushed past Max, muttering, “I know of several things that might help, one being a nice visit to St. Mungo’s to set your head straight.” Then again, maybe that wouldn’t help—Healers weren’t miracle workers.

“Pardon me, miss, but you appear to be – well, you seem to have had an accident with a potion.”

Judy stopped and turned. “What? Oh!” she looked down at her robes. “Oh, it seems I have! Well,” she said, “Thank you for telling me, Betterfield!” Her tone was frighteningly cheery. “Thank you for telling me! Why, if it weren’t for you,” slowly, but surely, her volume (and annoyance) increased. “I never would have noticed the revolting purple slime I’ve been wearing for the past hour!”

“I can get rid of that stuff for you – unless, you prefer to keep it,” he added hurriedly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Oh, yes,” Judy replied sarcastically, “I’d love to keep this on all day. It really brings out the color of my eyes.” She frowned, glancing at her goo-covered robes. “You can really get this stuff off?” Judy raised her eyebrows. She had been anticipating spending several hours washing her hair and clothing to get rid of the purple muck. “I suppose in return you want me to help you look for your unicorn?”

Judy wasn’t particularly interested in helping the reject of the Slytherin house, especially since it included running around the school looking for a pink unicorn. She could think of several rather unpleasant things she’d prefer to be doing instead. Still, in return, she’d be saved hours of de-sliming herself.

Without giving Max much of an opportunity to respond, Judy said, “Alright. You get this mess off of me and I’ll go on your wild unicorn hunt.”

[Maxwell Betterfield]

“Oh, yes,” Judy replied sarcastically, “I’d love to keep this on all day. It really brings out the color of my eyes.”

Max almost nodded in agreement before catching on to the sarcasm. Sarcasm had never been Max’s forte. He had a bad habit of taking it for the truth, which irritated his Housemates no end. Apparently, he was the only one who had actually enjoyed the last Potion’s assignment. For a while, he had just assumed everyone else was equally enthusiastic about the brewing of Everlasting Elixirs.

“You can really get this stuff off?”

“Yes, of course.” Max pulled out his wand and glanced over his shoulder to make certain that the corridor was empty. “It shouldn’t take more than a moment.”

“I suppose in return you want me to help you look for your unicorn?”

“Oh.” Max waved his wand vaguely. “Well, that would be awfully nice of you –”

“Alright. You get this mess off of me and I’ll go on your wild unicorn hunt.”

“Ah, well, er, thanks.” Realizing that he wasn’t saying anything of worth, he pointed his wand at Judy and muttered, “Scourgify.” Immediately, the purple goop was stripped from Judy’s robes. She was still looking at Max with that slightly disgusted look that most Slytherins favored him with, but Max ignored it. She had agreed to help him after all. “Why don’t we look outside first? I don’t think we’ll find many unicorns in here.” And you’ll have to worry less about being seen with me, he added internally with just the slightest tinge of bitterness.