The return to Hogwarts after the Thanksgiving holiday was always marked by a subtle shift in the school's atmosphere. The festive cheer of the autumn term gave way to a more focused, studious energy as students braced themselves for the upcoming exams and the rapid approach of the Christmas holidays. For Echo, Lily, and Severus, however, their recent experiences at the Evans' household had brought about a new dynamic in their friendship, a deeper bond forged in shared laughter, quiet understandings, and a surprisingly emotional confrontation in a Muggle garden.
Even Professor Dumbledore, usually so serene, seemed to possess a renewed spring in his step, his eyes twinkling with an even greater anticipation for the next Triwizard task. The students buzzed with theories and speculations, their conversations drifting through the Great Hall and echoing in the corridors.
The French students from Beauxbatons Academy and the Bulgarian contingent from Durmstrang Institute also returned after their respective holidays, their distinctive uniforms once again gracing the Hogwarts grounds. A fresh wave of excitement rippled through the school as the two visiting schools brought with them a renewed sense of competition and glamour.
As Echo stepped onto the familiar, frosty grounds of Hogwarts Castle, the crisp early winter air nipping at his nose, the first things to greet him were a flurry of excited movements at his feet. Sniffles, the Niffler, emerged from a patch of snow near the Whomping Willow, chittering excitedly as he rummaged through the fallen leaves, undoubtedly searching for any lost coins or forgotten treasures. Close behind him, Shimmer, the Demiguise, materialized, its large, black eyes blinking at Echo with an almost human intelligence, its silver fur practically glowing in the dim light. And finally, Pip, his ever-efficient house-elf, popped into existence with a soft crack, his large, loyal eyes beaming up at Echo.
"Master Echo is back! Pip missed Master Echo!" the house-elf squeaked, tugging at the hem of Echo's robe.
Echo knelt, a warm smile spreading across his face, his hair a vibrant, happy green. "Sniffles! Shimmer! Pip! I missed you, too, all of you!" He gently scratched Sniffles behind the ears, eliciting a contented rumble, and offered Shimmer a quiet stroke along its silky fur. He then gave Pip a surprisingly firm, yet gentle, pat on the head. "Did you all behave while I was gone?"
Sniffles merely chittered, momentarily distracted by a shiny button on Echo's coat. Shimmer, however, gave a knowing nod, while Pip puffed out his chest with pride. "Pip kept everything in order, Master Echo! No trouble at all!"
Before Echo could offer any more heartfelt greetings, a wave of familiar, intoxicating scents washed over him. A chorus of delighted squeals and enthusiastic calls erupted from behind him.
"Echo! You're back!"
"We missed you so much!"
"Come here, you little troublemaker!"
Echo barely had time to brace himself before he was engulfed in a swirling maelstrom of beautiful faces, flowing hair, and strong, affectionate arms. The older Veela and Empusa from Beauxbatons, a dazzling array of beauty, had descended upon him, surrounding him in a massive, exuberant group hug. He was lifted off his feet, squeezed from all sides, and his hair, caught in the joyous chaos, flared to a brilliant, overwhelmed yellow and pink.
"I missed you all, too!" Echo gasped, his voice muffled by the sheer number of bodies pressing against him. "But... could I just... breathe for a moment?"
His plea was met with more affectionate squeezes and playful ruffles of his hair. Meanwhile, scattered throughout the Hogwarts courtyard, many other students—Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang alike—watched the scene unfold with a mixture of awe and acute suffering. Whispers rippled through the crowd, "It's not fair!" and "Why him?!" as countless hearts yearned to be in Echo's undeniably popular, if slightly suffocated, position.
Severus, meanwhile, had found a quiet corner in the library, Lily was off with her own friends, and Echo, surprisingly, was in the Potions lab, a place he usually avoided with extreme prejudice unless absolutely necessary. He was, however, not alone. Alice, Frank's girlfriend, a pretty girl with earnest brown eyes and a perpetually worried expression, was hovering anxiously over a bubbling cauldron.
"Thank you, Echo, really," Alice said, wringing her hands, her voice a soft flutter. "I don't know what I would have done without you. I completely forgot about this project."
Echo, his vibrant hair a calm, reassuring green, waved a dismissive hand, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips. "Anyone close to Frank is always welcome in my eyes and my inner circle of insanity, Alice. Besides, what's a little potion-making between friends?" He then tilted his head, his violet eyes narrowing slightly. "But why didn't you ask Frank for help? He's usually pretty good with this kind of thing."
Alice's gaze drifted to the side, a faint blush creeping up her neck. "Well, you know Frank," she mumbled, "he's… he's just so busy with his own studies. And sometimes… sometimes he gets a little distracted."
Echo's eyes widened in realization, and a silent, suppressed chuckle escaped him. He remembered Frank's disastrous first-year Potions attempts, nearly as bad as his own. The boy had a knack for turning simple elixirs into explosive, multicolored goo. "Right," Echo said, a knowing smile touching his lips. "Busy. Of course."
Alice chewed nervously on her lip. "Are you sure it's really okay for us to be here, though? Professor Cleen will be absolutely cross if he finds us."
Echo waved her off, his hair flickering with a dismissive blue. "Cleen may be the Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but he cares far more about the latter than the former. The Potions classroom is usually left unattended after hours. Don't worry about it." He then gestured to the cauldron. "We're almost done, anyway. You just need to add a pinch of puffer-puss."
Alice, her hands still trembling slightly, carefully measured out a pinch of the dried, shriveled ingredient and dropped it into the cauldron. Instantly, the murky brown liquid within shimmered and changed, transforming into a vibrant, swirling amethyst.
"There!" Echo exclaimed, his hair flaring to an excited yellow. "It's ready! Now, go get the test subject."
Alice nodded, reaching into a small insulated pouch she had brought. With a flourish, she pulled out a live starfish, its five arms slowly wriggling.
Echo blinked, then stared at the starfish, a peculiar expression on his face. His hair settled into a thoughtful, bewildered blue. "A starfish," he repeated slowly. "Well, I did tell you to get a test subject, Alice. I never did specify which one." He shrugged, a faint, amused smile on his face. "Alright, then. A starfish it is." He handed her a small glass pipette. "Take some of the potion out with this, and then squeeze just a single drop onto the starfish."
Alice delicately squeezed the pipette. A single drop of the vibrant amethyst potion fell onto the starfish, glistening for a moment before being absorbed by its rough, textured skin.
Nothing happened.
Alice frowned, her perpetually worried expression deepening. A few strands of her usually neatly tied back hair were escaping. "Did… did we do something wrong, Echo?" she asked, her voice a nervous whisper.
Echo, his hair thoughtfully blue, leaned closer to the starfish, peering at it intently. "Give it a moment, Alice," he murmured, his violet eyes scanning the creature. Sometimes, these things take a little while to kick in."
Still, nothing. The starfish remained its original size, seemingly oblivious to the powerful potion it had just absorbed.
Alice chewed on her lip. "Should I… should I add more?"
Echo shook his head, his hair flickering to an alarmed red. "No, no, absolutely not! We only want it to grow by four percent, not four hundred percent. We'd have a monster on our hands if we did that!"
He sighed, running a hand through his now-frustrated green hair. "Perhaps we watered the potion down too much. Or maybe… maybe we should have patted the starfish dry first." He turned, his gaze falling on the ancient, leather-bound Potions manual sitting on the workbench behind him. He picked it up, flipping through the brittle pages, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Alice tried to get his attention several times, pointing a trembling finger at the starfish, but Echo, engrossed in the text, merely waved her off. "Just trying to figure out where we went wrong, Alice," he mumbled, not looking up.
Finally, with a frustrated huff, Alice reached out and grabbed a handful of Echo's vibrant, shifting hair, yanking him around to face her.
Echo let out an annoyed grunt, his hair flaring to an indignant crimson. "Hey! What was that for, Alice?" He rubbed the back of his head, glaring at her, but then his eyes landed on what Alice was pointing at, and his own widened in profound shock. He froze, his mouth falling open.
"Echo?" Alice whispered, her voice laced with terror.
"Run!" Echo shrieked, the word tearing from his throat. "Run!"
The two children, propelled by a primal fear, bolted from the Potions lab as if a pack of Inferi were hot on their heels. They sprinted down the winding corridors, their frantic footsteps echoing through the castle, the monstrous thump-thump-thump of something immense chasing them growing louder with every step.
They burst through the heavy double doors of the Great Hall, where dinner was in full swing. The rich aroma of roasted meat and warm bread filled the air, and the joyful din of hundreds of students and professors was abruptly silenced as Echo and Alice slammed the doors shut with a resounding CRASH. Alice, still gasping for breath, instantly pointed her wand at a nearby enchanted suit of armor. With a desperate "Wingardium Leviosa!" the heavy armor flew across the hall and wedged itself firmly against the doors. Echo, meanwhile, was pressing his entire body against the reinforced wood, panting, his hair a frantic, terrified red, as the muffled THUMP-THUMP-THUMP reverberated from the other side. The entire school, including the visiting Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, stared at them in stunned silence, forks halfway to mouths, eyes wide with a mixture of bewilderment and alarm.
Professor Dumbledore, who had been enjoying a lemon drop, finally broke the silence. "My dear children," he said, his voice calm but infused with a hint of concern, "what in the name of Merlin's beard is going on?"
Alice, half-scared to death, could only stammer, "Starfish… big… very big… starfish…"
Karkaroff, the Durmstrang Headmaster, his face a thunderous scowl, bellowed, "Speak up, girl! What are you blathering about?"
Echo, pulling himself away from the door, sucked in a massive gulp of air. "STARFISH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his hair flaring to a chaotic, desperate mix of all colors, his violet eyes wide with undiluted terror.
The double doors of the Great Hall, against which Alice and Echo had so desperately pressed, burst inward with a deafening CRAAAASH! The enchanted suit of armor, now a crumpled mess of steel, was flung across the hall, narrowly missing a table of Hufflepuffs. Echo and Alice, caught in the sudden gust of displaced air, were thrown backward, landing in a heap amidst scattered plates and overturned goblets. And then it appeared. A man-sized starfish, its five fleshy arms rippling with unexpected musculature, its skin a deep, mottled amethyst. From its central disc, a shockingly human-like pelvis protruded, leading to two disproportionately long, powerful legs that thudded against the stone floor with each stride. Where feet should have been, the legs simply ended in blunt, rounded stumps, yet it propelled itself forward with astonishing speed.
The Great Hall erupted into a cacophony of screams. Students shrieked, chairs scraped as they were knocked over in a panicked scramble, and professors leaped to their feet, wands drawn, their faces a mixture of shock and sheer horror. The enormous starfish, a creature of nightmare and accidental magic, did not hesitate. It streaked down the center aisle, its long legs blurring, heading directly for the High Table where the professors and headmasters sat, frozen in disbelief.
With a powerful leap that seemed to defy its unusual anatomy, the starfish soared over the High Table, clearing Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime with inches to spare. It collided with the massive stained-glass window at the back of the hall, shattering the ancient glass with a deafening SMASH! Without a moment's pause, it burst through the gaping hole, vaulted over the outside balcony railing that overlooked the Black Lake, and plunged off the cliff into the dark, churning water below with a colossal splash.
A stunned silence descended once more, punctuated only by the distant lapping of the Black Lake and the tinkling of falling glass. Slowly, cautiously, heads began to rise. Students peered from under tables, professors lowered their wands, and Dumbledore, after retrieving his fallen lemon drop, simply sighed.
Professor McGonagall, ever the first to recover her composure, strode towards Echo and Alice, her lips a thin, grim line. "Mr Echo, Ms Alice!" she demanded, her voice cutting through the lingering tension. "What in the name of Merlin's most unfortunate mistake just happened here?"
Echo, still breathless but beginning to regain his usual composure, pushed himself up, his hair cycling through a frantic kaleidoscope of colors before settling on a sheepish, apologetic blue. "Well, Professor," he began, brushing a stray piece of roasted potato from his robe, "Alice and I were working on a size-change potion for a project. And it went… a bit awry. We accidentally created a new kind of magical creature."
Lucian, the French champion for the Triwizard tournament, a handsome boy with an air of aristocratic disdain, stepped forward. "You accidentally created a new species. How does one 'accidentally' create a new species, Echo?" he scoffed, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.
Echo met his gaze, a mischievous glint flickering in his violet eyes, and his hair settled on a teasing yellow. "Tell me, Lucian," he said, his voice deceptively calm, "how does a flying horse survive solely on alcohol?"
Lucian blinked, utterly speechless. He opened his mouth, then closed it, a faint flush rising on his cheeks. "Touché, Echo," he muttered, defeated.
Echo chuckled, brushing himself off. "In the end, it worked itself out. Somewhat." He gestured around the shattered window and the lingering tension in the Great Hall. "Besides, it's just one starfish. It's not like it's going to turn the ecosystem of the Black Lake upside down."
At that moment, Amos Diggory, who had been quietly observing the chaos, cleared his throat. "Don't starfish reproduce asexually, though?" he asked, a nervous tremor in his voice.
A collective gasp swept through the Great Hall. A heavy, terrified silence descended, broken only by the distant lapping of the Black Lake. Echo froze, his hair flaring to a horrified, sickening green. A dawning, profound terror settled over his features. Calmly, with a practiced ease that belied the growing panic in his eyes, Echo walked over to the table where his friends were seated. He gently handed Shimmer, the Demiguise, to Frank, who caught the creature with a bewildered expression. Then, with a soft thud, he placed Sniffles, the Niffler, into Alice's trembling hands. Without a word, Echo turned and walked towards the gaping hole in the stained-glass window. He stepped onto the shattered stone railing, balancing precariously as the entire Great Hall watched him, utterly transfixed.
"If anyone's going to need me," Echo announced, his voice surprisingly calm, though his hair was now a frantic, fiery red. I'll be at the bottom of the Black Lake, hunting a demon before it outcompetes everything in there."
From his satchel, he pulled out a long, gleaming sword with intricate runes etched into its hilt, and a small, iridescent vial of potion.
Karkaroff, the Durmstrang Headmaster, his eyes narrowing, suddenly barked, "Where did you get that sword, boy? It looks like one of Durmstrang's finest!"
Echo beamed, a mischievous glint in his wide, terrified violet eyes. "Oh, this? I, erm, 'borrowed' it from your collection, Headmaster. I'll give it back once I'm done. Normally, I'd offer you the demon's head as a trophy, but starfish don't really have those, do they?"
He uncorked the iridescent vial, a faint, sweet smell wafting into the air. With a quick, decisive movement, he downed the potion in a single gulp. His hair, a fiery red of determination, pulsed.
"Be careful, Echo," Severus called out, his voice unusually sharp and concerned. "A starfish can regenerate a whole new body if even a part of its central nervous system remains intact. Aim for the core, not just the limbs."
Echo's head snapped towards Severus, a look of surprise and gratitude flashing across his face. "Thanks, Sev! That's a good tip!"
Just then, a peculiar sensation rippled through Echo. He felt an intense burning in his neck, and small, silvery slits began to open on either side of his throat. Gills. His vision sharpened, colors in the Great Hall becoming impossibly vivid, and his ears registered the faintest trickle of water in the distant pipes.
"Alright, gotta go!" Echo exclaimed, his voice slightly distorted, already feeling the pull of the water. His hair, now a frantic mix of blues and greens, swirled around him. "Potion's working its magic! Don't wait up for me!"
Frank, still holding Shimmer, looked utterly bewildered. "Wait, Echo! Enjoy your holy war against the thing you created!"
Echo paused for a fraction of a second, a mischievous glint in his now-changing violet eyes. "Oh, I won't!" he yelled back, and with that, he launched himself off the shattered railing, plunging headfirst into the dark, churning waters of the Black Lake below with a powerful splash.
The students and professors of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang remained frozen, their gazes fixed on the now-empty space where Echo had just been. A collective silence, heavier than any that had preceded it, hung in the Great Hall. The only sound was the distant sloshing of the Black Lake, a chilling reminder of the aquatic battle that was about to unfold.
After a long moment, Professor Dumbledore slowly rose from his seat at the High Table. His eyes, usually twinkling with unreadable amusement, were now serious, even concerned. "Professor McGonagall," he said, his voice calm but firm, "please ensure that all students remain in the Great Hall. No one is to approach the Black Lake. Professor Flitwick, perhaps you could oversee the damage to the window and ensure no further… unscheduled departures occur."
Professor Flitwick, standing on his pile of cushions, was already muttering incantations, repairing smaller shards of glass that still clung to the window frame. Professor Bloom, ever practical, was levitating various plants and protective enchantments around the remaining opening, as if expecting the giant starfish to make a dramatic return.
Madame Maxime, the imposing Headmistress of Beauxbatons, finally found her voice. "Dumbledore," she boomed, her French accent thick with alarm, "you allow your students to… to jump into a lake infested with merpeople and grindylows, to hunt a beast they themselves created? This is madness!"
Karkaroff, his face a picture of outrage, chimed in, "And he stole my sword! My ancestors' ancestral sword! This is an insult to Durmstrang! I demand satisfaction!"
Dumbledore merely gave them a placid, almost serene smile. "Ah, but Igor, Olympe," he said, his eyes twinkling once more, "Echo is no ordinary student. And I daresay, he seems quite… enthusiastic about this particular endeavor. As for the sword, I'm sure he'll return it, perhaps even with a charming tale of its victorious use."
Several hours later, as the first pale hints of dawn began to paint the sky with hues of grey and rose, the surface of the Black Lake churned. A figure slowly emerged from the icy depths, slick with water and shivering uncontrollably. It was Echo, his once vibrant, color-changing hair now matted and clinging to his face, a dull, exhausted blue. His clothes, what little remained of them, were nearly shredded, offering scant protection against the biting cold. He dragged the gleaming Durmstrang sword behind him, its intricate runes glinting faintly in the nascent light. He was half-dead, breathing heavily, each gasp a visible plume of mist in the frigid air.
Lily, Severus, Frank, Amos, and even Alice were there, huddled by the water's edge, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion from a long, sleepless night of waiting. The moment Echo stumbled onto the muddy bank, Frank and Amos rushed forward, throwing a large, fluffy towel over his shivering, nearly exposed body.
Severus, his face pale with concern, quickly produced a small vial. "Here, Echo," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "A Calming Draught. Drink it."
Echo gratefully took the potion, downing it in a single gulp. A wave of warmth spread through him, and the frantic hammering of his heart began to subside. He took a deep, shuddering breath, a long-awaited sigh of relief escaping him.
"Echo! Are you alright?" Lily cried, rushing forward, her eyes wide with apprehension.
Alice, her face still pale with residual terror, added, "Did… did you get the starfish?"
After catching his breath, Echo managed a weak, almost watery grin, his blue hair flickering with a faint, exhausted green. "Alright? Well, I've had better nights, but yeah, I'm okay." He shivered, pulling the towel tighter around him. "And yes, Alice, we got the starfish. Or, what's left of it, anyway."
He leaned against Frank, who steadied him, and began to recount the tale, his voice still a little hoarse but gaining strength with each word. "That monster is just as fast underwater as it is on land, you know? Chased it for a long while at first. It was kinda funny to see it running along the bottom of the lake, all those legs just churning away, like some kind of grotesque cartoon character."
His friends chuckled weakly, imagining the sight.
"But then," Echo continued, a grateful smile touching his lips, "Skate found me. I explained the situation, and she rounded up a whole bunch of mermaids and hunting grindylows. They surrounded it, herded it. Hell, even the Giant Squid helped out a bit." He shook his head, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "I almost thought it would be a hard fight, but turns out the hard part is catching it. It's mostly a runner. After that, they just had to make sure it was cut up into enough pieces to make sure it wouldn't regenerate." He paused, a slightly bewildered expression on his face. "Oh, and apparently, the mermaids and grindylow find it quite tasty. Even if it is toxic."
Another round of relieved, if slightly disgusted, chuckles rippled through the group.
Karkaroff, who had been striding towards them with a furious scowl, finally reached the group, his face a thunderous mask of displeasure. "Echo!" he boomed, his voice rumbling like an approaching storm. "You dare to steal from Durmstrang? My ancestral sword! I demand—"
Echo, still wrapped in the towel and shivering, cut him off with a cheerful, if slightly chattering, grin. "Beardy! Good to see you!"
Karkaroff's jaw dropped, his face momentarily losing its angry flush. "Beardy?" he sputtered, utterly flummoxed.
Before Karkaroff could unleash another torrent of indignation, Echo, with surprising agility, extended the mud-stained, but still gleaming, Durmstrang sword towards him. "Here you go, sir! Thanks for letting me borrow it! The evil's been put to rest… hopefully." He then leaned in conspiratorially, his voice dropping to a low, serious tone, his blue hair flickering with a concerned green. "Just a word of warning for the future, though, when you use it: that starfish was toxic. And the blade is soaked in it. Not sure what the toxins do, but all I know is there's no cure since the only subject is dead."
Karkaroff's face, which had been a picture of anger, shifted through confusion, then intrigue, and finally settled into a strange, almost pleased acceptance, as if Echo had just offered him a valuable, if unsettling, gift. He took the sword, his fingers brushing the wet, dark blade with a peculiar fascination. Without another word, he turned and strode away, a faint, satisfied smirk on his lips.
Lily watched him go, a worried frown creasing her brow. "Should we be concerned," she asked, turning to Echo, "that he looked… pleased with that?"
Alice nodded vigorously, her perpetually worried expression deepening. "Definitely! Durmstrang is known for teaching Dark Arts, and a sword covered in unknown toxins with no known cure sounds like something right up their alley!"
Severus, ever practical, simply snorted. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it."
Echo chuckled, a shiver still running through him. "Well, speaking of bridges, I think I'd like to start my day with a hot bath, a change of clothing that doesn't feel like it's been through a blender, and then a word with Dumbledore about officially banning starfish as test subjects in Potions. For the good of the Black Lake, and my sanity."
Alice, still looking a bit green, nodded emphatically. "I'm with you on that, Echo! I'll even write a strongly worded letter to the Ministry if I have to!"