Chapter 25

"I lost a bet to a guy in a chiffon skirt," Brendon said, as if this was some sort of explanation for why he was splashing his bright pink heels in the lake. He then took out his wand and said, "Accio fish and chips!" A large plate of fish and chips, likely our dinner, flew from the castle and into Brendon's hand.

"What exactly are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm getting some bait for the squid," Brendon said. He started throwing the fish in the water, and almost immediately, the Giant Squid rose out of the water. As it reached for the fried fish, Brendon kicked one of the squid's' tentacles. He laughed as the squid recoiled and dove back underwater.

"My poor squid!" Pete exclaimed, but Brendon ignored him and threw another piece of fish in the water. The squid rose again, and Pete stroked its beak, making all of us very uncomfortable, considering what had happened two years earlier.

This time, Brendon took out his wand. "Tarantallegra!" he exclaimed, and the squid's tentacles moved around wildly, making all of us wet.

"You should stop messing with the squid, Brendon," I said while the squid dove underwater again and I attempted to dry myself off. "We're all too small to talk to God."

Brendon didn't listen to us and threw one more piece of fish into the water, proving once again that ignorance was his new best friend. The squid swam to the surface and took the fish, but Brendon didn't have time to react. Instead, one of the squid's tentacles reached right for him. He screamed and tried to run away, but the squid already had him. It dragged him under, and while he thrashed around, it didn't seem to do much. Brendon was getting drowning lessons, and I had seen sinking ships go down with more grace than him.

My first instinct was to find Tyler. He would know what to do. Pete, on the other hand, wouldn't stop panicking like he was at a disco. "What are we going to do?!" he screamed.

"Let's go find Tyler," I said. "I think he's still in the castle."

Pete and I ran into the castle, and we found Tyler and Josh in the library. "I said that you're out of the band, Tyler," Josh said.

"No, you're out of the band," Tyler said. "Oh, hey Pat. What's up?"

"Please don't call me Pat," I said, already plotting my sweet revenge. "My name is Patrick."

"Okay, Patrick," Tyler said. "What's up?"

"The squid is trying to drown Brendon in the Great Lake," I explained.

"That's mildly alarming," Tyler said. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Can we borrow the Flying Car?" I asked.

"Sure," Tyler said. "While we're at it, let's get the whole brigade together. Spooky, go get Donnie and Horseshoe. Benzedrine and Sandman, follow me." We followed Tyler out of the library and into the forest. Josh, Andy, and Joe weren't far behind.

"Hurry," I said, glancing back over the lake. I could see one tentacle sticking up above the water, with Brendon clinging on for dear life. The squid then threw Brendon back into the water one last time. "We don't have much time." All six of us climbed into the car. Tyler turned on the Invisibility Booster and then took off towards the lake.

We dove down into the freezing water, all of us searching for any evidence of Brendon or the squid. Give me a sign, I thought, but as I looked out the window, I saw one of the squid's massive eyes. Tyler drove a little bit further down, and sure enough, Brendon was sinking to the bottom of the lake. Josh immediately rolled down his window and reached for Brendon, letting water into the car. I did a quick Bubble-Head Charm on myself, and the others did the same. Josh finally pulled Brendon into the car, and we took off once again.

When we arrived back into the forest, Joe pulled Brendon out of the car. He pointed his wand at Brendon and said, "Anapneo." Brendon gasped for air, and all six of us took him back to the castle and into the Hospital Wing.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"He almost drowned in the lake," Pete explained.

"I'll take care of him," Madam Pomfrey said.

"How did you save him?" Professor Longbottom asked as he entered the room. "I didn't see anyone out there a few minutes ago."

I pulled Professor Longbottom aside for a few minutes, and I told him. "Tyler and Josh found a flying car in the Forbidden Forest during their first year," I said. "It can turn invisible and we used it to rescue Brendon. Do you promise not to tell? If Professor McGonagall finds out, we'll be in so much trouble."

"Against my better judgment, I won't tell anyone," Professor Longbottom said. "I suppose you're not doing any harm, but if I find out that you're using that flying car for mischief, then I'll tell her."

"Okay, Professor Longbottom," I said. I went back into the Hospital Wing. "How are you, Brendon?"

"Hallelujah," he said weakly. "I thought that squid was going to get me. Thanks, everyone."

"You're welcome, Brendon," Tyler said.

"Just don't do this again," Andy said. "If you go on, you might pass out in a drainpipe."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," Brendon said, and we all rolled our eyes. Nevertheless, we were all glad that Brendon was alive and well.