Rule Breaker

A loud banging startled Professor Arabella Boglynn out of her sleep that morning. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The grey sky hung low outside the window, and a fog had settled around the old school. An owl shaped clock that stood on her nightstand read six o' clock, but no rays of sunlight filtered through the thick fog.

"Professor Boglynn!" A nervous, high pitched voice came from behind her door, followed by another banging. "Professor Boglynn!" It was Professor Sigrid's voice.

Arabella quickly jumped out of bed and put on her thick velvet robe. Her long, crooked wand stuck out from her robe's pockets, and she pulled it out, waving it slightly over the door and murmuring a barrage of words. The door unlocked itself. A lithe, bug eyed professor stood outside her door, still dressed in his sleeping robes stood behind it, visibly shaken.

"There was an accident," Sigrid said, emphasizing the last word.

Arabella strode out of the door and hurried down the corridor with the small professor behind her. "We did not hear anything, which might be a blessing since it did not awake the students. Imagine the commotion if they saw the havoc in the west wing. I've sent Professor Elmer to make sure that they all stay in their dormitories before we clear up the mess. It was Janus who found her them this morning. Imagine----"

"Them?" Arabella interrupted him.

"There were two of them. Two girls. Janus found them in Professor Kynon's office."

"Rhys' office?" Arabella turned pale.

"Yes, apparently they had broken through his charm," Sigrid said, hurrying to keep up with Boglynn's brisk steps. Boglynn rushed to the west wing of the school, towards Rhys' little office, at the end of the corridor. A small band of professors gathered there, all dressed in sleeping robes after being abruptly awoken from sleep by the news.

Arabella searched for a face in the crowd.

"Where's Rhys?" she asked.

"We can't find him," a tall and slim blonde witch said calmly. "He was not in his apartment. Janus and Professor Gledd are already searching the school for him."

"It was Nelly Byrne!" a witch suddenly cried out. She was plump, and had puffy red eyes from crying. "Nelly Bryne! She was such a sweet student."

"There, there," a bearded wizard comforted her and she began to choke on her sobs. Nelly Byrne, Arabella thought, I don't understand. She's not capable of sneaking out like this. She turned her attention to the slim witch.

"Where are the girls?"

"They already took them to the infirmary." She hesitated, "Though I'm afraid that it was too late for Eleanor Byrne." She went inside Rhys' office, and Arabella followed her.

The room was unrecognizable. Everything was black and had the unmistakable stench of something burnt. The windows were shattered, though there were no glass fragments inside the room. Arabella looked around. Professor Kynon taught History at their academy and prided himself for having an extensive library of books ranging from ancient history to obscure spell books. He was also an avid collector of ancient magis, and an expert in druid magic and runes. She remembered how his office was always with old herbs and ancient inscriptions, all of them were gone now, burned beyond recognition.

"We found Eleanor Byrne here," the witch pointed at a spot beside the door. "She was not burned. Actually, it looked more as if she simply dropped dead." She turned to Arabella, a look of fear etched on her face.

"How about the other one, Professor Dilly?"

"A small blonde girl," she let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, she isn't my student so I do not know her name. We found her in the corridor, and Madame Gwynn believes that there may still be a way to save her."

Arabella stared at the spot where Nelly Bryne had been found and let out a deep sigh.

"What are we going to tell her parents?" Sigrid asked, peering inside the office.

"Her parents are Myrddin graduates. I think they'll understand if we say that it was another accident," Dilly said, turning to Arabella for her to agree.

"But this isn't really an accident, is it?" Sigrid looked at them with his large blue eyes. "We had charms on the door; they could not have been able to break through them. Only a witch or a wizard can break through those charms." He glanced around the office timidly.

"Miss Byrne must have broken the charm and let them in," Arabella said, taking in a deep breathe. No one must know about this. If the wizarding world ever found out about this incident, it would the end of this school. Arabella turned to the other professors, standing out in the corridor.

"This was simply another accident," she announced. "There's no reason for others to know about what happened. I want you all to make sure none of the other students will venture into this office. Myrddin cannot risk anymore rumors that would destroy the reputation of this school. The west wing will be closed until we are able to repair Rhys' office. Do you hear me?"

A chorus of solemn "yes" and nods greeted her.

"What about Kiera?" the bearded professor asked.

"I'll talk to her parents," Arabella said. "We can't risk another accident like this. I'm afraid we can't keep her here."