Jillian hummed a small tune as she let herself into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As soon as she heard the usual wails, she grinned and started singing a ridiculous made-up song as loud as she could.
As soon as the song stuttered to a stop – because Jillian couldn’t think of anymore words to go with it – Moaning Myrtle was floating before her with a scowl on her face and tears leaking out of her eyes.
“Jillian, if you’re going to be happy in my presence, why don’t you just leave?”
Jillian laughed at that, which made Moaning Myrtle huff loudly, and replies, “Because you’d miss me.”
Myrtle rolled her eyes and suddenly drooped. “You d-don’t know w-what it l-like to b-be d-d-d-d-d-dead!” She wailed as she rushed back into her stall.
Jillian sighed and decided that she would go after her just this once. She gulped and walked toward the stall and asked Myrtle in a sympathetic, kind voice, “What’s that matter, Myrtle.”
Moaning Myrtle obviously didn’t want to be talked to in a kind, sympathetic way because she suddenly reared up and yelled, “Don’t you pity me, you friendless bi-”
She was cut off by Jillian who threw a pipe at her, which went right through her head and landed with a thud against the wall. Instead of wailing and going down the toilet like she would have if someone else had done it, Myrtle attacked.
She grabbed a different pipe and chased after a laughing Jillian until Myrtle cornered Jillian in her stall. For the first time, Jillian saw Myrtle smile, but it wasn’t that kind of smile that you would ever want to see on a ghost.
“Myrtle, don’t you dare-”
Myrtle pushed her into the toilet.
Jillian came up sputtering, but she was pushed back. Jillian managed to get a breath and yelled, “Are you trying to kill me?!”
Myrtle giggled and said, “No, but I want to show you what it’s like. Koralis.”
The toilet suddenly widened, and Jillian wondered for only second how Myrtle could have done that. The next second she was going down the widened toilet screaming at the top of her lungs.
Jillian ended up in the lake. She couldn’t breath, so she struggled to the top until she burst out of the surface and gulped in some air. She breathed harshly as Myrtle floated up beside her.
“That was more fun than it usually is.”
Jillian – still breathing hard – coughed out, “Y-you brought me down a t-toilet?!”
Myrtle giggled, which surprised Jillian almost as much as going down the toilet, and replied, “You should see this lake. Come on.”
Jillian eyed her warily and asked, “I don’t have to go down anymore toilets or anything equally gross, right?”
Myrtle shook her head and ducked under the surface. Jillian bit her lip indecisively, then pulled out her wand and used it to make a bubble of air around her. She wasn’t supposed to know this one, but Professor Flitwick had let it slip. She had learned it from a book because she was curious. Now, it might useful.
She followed Myrtle down under the water and blinked her eyes to get used to the strange light under water. She swam up to Myrtle who gestured for her to follow.
Jillian nodded to show she understood and followed Myrtle. They swam for a while when Jillian felt something wrap around her ankle. She screamed and looked down. A strange creature was staring at her from some seaweed. She struggled to get her ankle away, but it only held on tighter. Jillian pulled out her wand and – wondering briefly if fire could be made underwater – shot a spell at it. It let go immediately, and Jillian swam up to avoid being caught again.
Myrtle was farther ahead, so Jillian struggled hard to catch up. When Myrtle finally stopped, Jillian was able to catch up.
Myrtle sighed and said, “Look at those mermaids.”
Jillian stared wide-eyed at the underwater city before her. Those were certainly mermaids and mermen. Jillian blinked when one of them suddenly came forward and said, “No one enters here. Leave.”
Jillian immediately backed away, knowing they were no match against him. Myrtle followed her, and they once again broke the surface.
The first thing Jillian said was, “You know, you didn’t have to stuff me down a toilet to show me that.”
Myrtle turned her back and muttered, “Never appreciative.”
She disappeared under the water, and Jillian started swimming toward shore. It was hard for her, and she was short on breath when she finally reached shore. She lay on the edge of the lake for a few minutes catching her breath.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she screamed at the sight of that Slytherin boy standing above her. She jumped up and glared at him. “What are you staring at?” she asked in her rudest, snottiest voice. It was actually effective if she ever used it.
The boy only sneered at her and turned. Jillian watched him until he was out of sight before she stared down at her wet robes. It was past dark, and she needed to get back to her dormitory to change before dinner. She sighed and ran up the hill toward Hogwarts.
When she reached the front doors, she had a sudden wish that she knew some secret passages into the castle. It would make getting in without anyone seeing her wet clothes a lot easier.
She took a deep breath and opened the doors carefully. She walked down the hall, and ran into the last person she wanted to see.
“Miss Jillian, may I ask why your clothes are all wet?”
Jillian looked away from Professor McGonagall and at her feet and answered, “I’m sorry Professor. I fell into the lake.”
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow and stared at the drenched student before her. She sighed and said. “You had better get to your dormitory and change before dinner, Miss Cole.”
Jillian nodded meekly and let out a relieved breath as soon as the Professor was out of earshot. She ran up the stairs to her common room and up to her dormitory. All the girls stared at her as she entered, but immediately looked away, not bothering to ask about her drenched state of dress. Jillian scowled at them, and she wanted to say something rude so she could get their attention, but she restrained herself with difficulty. She was dressed quickly and down to dinner before she could do anything she would regret.