#niles1

It had been a good precaution. Adrian felt a few experimental tugs on his legs but had been held secured by the ropes holding him up right except when he told Niles he’d seen a Grindylow in reach of his net. “Okay, fair enough ...” He definitely did not want to be dragged along the slimy mud he felt between his toes

“It’s okay, you can say it. I’m a genius-- literally the most brilliant wizard you’ve met.” Niles smirked and filled the tank with a quick aquamenti when he saw bubbles to the left and behind Adrian’s knee. “You’ve got a new customer. Get ready.” He widened his stance and held the rope in hand, ready to pull Adrian up when the Grindylow started to pull.

“Fuck ...” Adrian complained and readied the net. He turned slowly, carefully. The bubbles moved closer, then further away before circling just out of reach of his net. “Give me a little slack, it moved out of reach.”

Niles frowned. “Be careful you don’t slip, it gets deeper down that way.”

“Aww, you sound worried about me Niles ...” Adrian laughed but hadn’t listened to Niles’ warning and slipped deeper into the water with quick shout and a hiss.

Niles glared and dragged Adrian’s body back up. “You don’t fucking listen!” He accused, voice a little strained. “Get your fucking feet under you, you’re heavy as hell!”

Adrian shivered and winced at the cold sensation seeping between his toes when he finally stands again. “Alright, alright ... do you still see the bubbles?”

After Adrian’s little stunt the water was even more murky, the water choppy. “I can’t see anything. You probably scared it away,” Niles grumbled. It was getting late and the Gryffindor actually had plans tomorrow that would require a good night’s sleep. “We only need to catch one more ... here, catch.” Niles threw a small can of sardines. “Bait the water.”

Adrian thought Niles was bossy and conceited. He hated it and hated even more that Niles was actually pretty brilliant. When he was assigned this detention, Adrian complained to his roommates and fooled around  in the time before he was supposed to show up. Niles on the other hand at least seemed to have set up a few precautions.

Niles, unlike Adrian, spent the afternoon before his detention bribing the house elves for sardine cans (bait) and canvased the lagoon for drop-offs and things surrounding the lagoon that might make their job harder or easier, hence the pulley system that prevented Adrian from dragged further into the lagoon. You could say he was a bit of a perfectionist.

Adrian sighed and opened the can of fish, scrunching up his nose at the smell and dumped the fish in the water around his feet. “This will work?”

“Don’t you remember the chapter we had on water demons in Care of Magical Creatures? They eat fish. It doesn’t matter that you scared them away, they will smell the fish and head back.” Niles scoffed and shook his head. “You seriously just dumped the fish right at your feet? Be prepared to get a little more wet idiota.”

Adrian frowned and looked down at the sardines sinking towards the his feet. A few floated around his knees. “Wha--”

Niles barely had enough time to widen his stance again and wrap the the ropes around his wrist as Adrian had his legs ripped out from under him and dragged him deeper.