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Post by Naucoaran on Dec 30, 2007 21:42:12 GMT -8
As consciousness returned to his fogged mind, Adrian winced. Pain seemed to seep into his body as reality settled back over him. He had enjoyed the hours of unconsciousness after a beating when everything floated away. He was alone in that void when nothing else mattered. As reality took a stronger hold of him, Adrian tried to open his one good eye. Needles of pain stabbed at his brain as light filled his vision. After hours of pitch black darkness the light burned. Blood pounded in his ears as he strained to sit up. His weak fingers closed over the familiar wood of his wand as it was placed into his hand.
Vaguely he recognized all those around him, his friends who had come to his rescue. He heard a voice, Megan's he realized after he let it sink in. He tried to speak again but his voice was still absent. After a quick dispelling from Andi, Adrian tried to speak again. His throat was dry and he felt parched. His voice croaked out "Acacia and her goon." He coughed violently "I need water." As it happened one of them was able to provide him with a drink so that he could continue. "It was that little bitch Acacia and her brutish friend. Gaetano." He winced as he shifted to try and be more comfortable. He explained all that was heard when he had followed the two Slytherins.
(sorry for it being such a loose length, I wasn't sure on what our next move is.)
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Post by Gwyn on Dec 31, 2007 0:25:20 GMT -8
“I’m sorry Andi,” Gwyn put his hand on her shoulder. “But this isn’t the place to be talking. We need to get Adrian to the Hospital and there’s only one way out of here. If Acacia or one of her goons shows up the only way out is to go through them, and we don’t want a fight right now.”
Gwyn kneeled beside Adrian. “I’m sorry mate but do you think you have enough strength to get to the hospital if we help? I can’t do this the easy way. Mobilicorpus is too risky; Kade and I are going to have to carry you. We can’t be seen mate so I’m going to disillusion us alright. Megan and Andi are going to make sure no one run into us.” Gwyn looks up at the two girls. “Don’t try to do anything yourself mate, Kade and I will do it all, just hang in there alright.
Kade and Gwyn helped Adrian to his feet and put his arms around their shoulders. They put their arms over his and with his free hand Gwyn cast a charm.
“Wingardium Leviosa.”
All of Adrian’s weight lifted off their shoulders making it easier for the three of them. Gwyn then used the same disillusioning charm he had used earlier that day on Megan and himself and the boys vanished. As they walked out the door Megan turned and repaired the door. Before closing it she softly called Gwyn’s name trying to figure out where they were before closing the door. Kade, Adrian and Gwyn stayed so close behind the girls that if they stopped the boys ran into them. They spotted Acacia coming down one of the stairways but she didn’t spot the girls or made no sign of recognising them. Had the boys been visible she couldn’t have missed them. Twice the boys were run into but it was always the girls who were apologised to. When they reached the hospital Gwyn reversed the disillusionment spell and the floating charm.
They walked through the doors and took Adrian to the first bed they reached. They laid him down carefully and in no time Matron was busy looking him over. She was shocked with what she found and demanded an explanation. Gwyn told her it was a spell that he’d remembered from Durmstrang. He explained that he worded it wrong and that Adrian was injured because of it. He was severely chastised by Matron for using “magic from that foreign school” but for the moment it satisfied her and as long as she didn’t ask any pointed questions Gwyn wouldn’t have to lie to her.
The four of them waited while Matron took care of things behind a veil of curtains. Gwyn felt sure Adrian would be aright because Acacia wasn’t stupid enough to do any lasting harm to him. While they waited there was some time for them to think about the condition they found Adrian in. Gwyn seethed with anger. He would have loved to be in the storage room disillusioned when they opened the door and found Adrian gone but right now he needed to be here with his mates. Revenge would come later and so would exposing Caius.
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Post by Bessain on Dec 31, 2007 18:39:28 GMT -8
"Acacia!" Gaetano bellowed, tearing his way down the corridor to the dungeons. Someone had just entered the Slytherin common room and the portal was closing fast. One giant leap saw him through the door before it closed, his feet fighting for traction as the floor changed from stone to loosely laid carpet. Several Slytherin student cried out in protest as they were shoved to the sides of the hall to make room for Gaetano, who had not yet slowed his bounding strides.
He found Acacia sitting in the common room, surrounded by a couple of their friends. Gaetano's worried expression had Acacia up and out of her seat even before he reached her. Taking the boy by the hand, the two went over to a quiet corner.
"Acacia!" he whispered frantically, his breath ragged from his sprint off the 7th floor. "He's gone!"
The girl continued to look indifferent about this fact. She had discovered Adrian's missing wand earlier that day, and knew it may well be her undoing. In fact, that was mainly the reason she had sent Gaetano to check on their prisoner. Atleast this way it looked like Gaetano's fault and not hers! She intended to keep it that way.
"You lost him?" she said, adding a quiet growl to mock his incompetence.
"I dunno what happened! There's no way anyone saw us shove him in that closet!"
"Whether or not someone does, it no longer matters. We have to move Caius before tonight. He's not safe up there anymore."
"But where?" Gaetano whined, wishing now that he was never involved. Acacia wasn't worth all this.
"Somewhere on the ground floor where we can sneak him out easily tonight."
"Look Acacia... you can do that can't you? I want no part of this anymore..."
The two stared at each other for a minute.
Acacia's hand suddenly shot out from her side and slapped Gaetano across the face, breaking the silence. "Coward. That Ravenclaw boy knows what you look like. Like it or not you're in this now. Now go move Caius."
Gaetano rubbed at the side of his face and slowly made his way to the door.
With all the people around, Gaetano and Acacia would have to skip their afternoon classes. It would likely take them the rest of the afternoon to get Caius atleast halfway down the castle! Troublesome though it was, if all went well they'd be in Hogsmead a little early that night.
But Acacia did not expect all to go well. She had lost Adrian's wand, someone had to know. After putting Caius and herself under disillusionment charms, Acacia followed the two boys at a distance, looking for anyone who might take interest in the fully visible Gaetano.
Despite appearences, Gaetano had Caius clutching desperately to the back of his robes as the three walked freely down the corridors.
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Post by Gwyn on Jan 1, 2008 1:31:46 GMT -8
OOC - A join effort of Alex and Thalion.
Megan, Andi, Kade and Gwyn waited for nearly an hour before Matron pulled back the curtains from around Adrian’s bed. She walked over the group and stood there looking at them with a very sour look on her face.
“You lied to me young man... and that might be acceptable in your former school but this is Hogwarts. Now as for the rest of you I’m appalled with your behaviour and I would have expected better. I want an explanation, the truth. Those wounds were not from a spell gone wrong. There was nothing magical in those wounds. Let me see your hands.” She demanded.
“What?” Gwyn said looking bewildered.
“Your hands young man, let me see your hands!” Matron grabbed Gwyn’s hands and closely examined both side of them. Unsatisfied with what she found she stepped over to Kade and grabbed his hands and unceremoniously pulled them up and examined them and then dropped them.
“Those are wounds caused by fisticuffs and not magical. You will tell me what happened or I shall send you all to the Head Master and you can explain it to him.” She stood there and it was clear she wasn’t going anywhere until she got an explanation.
Gwyn looked at the others but Matron stood looking down at him.
“Well young man?”
“We found him.” Gwyn looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. “We were down by the Game Keepers house with Hagrid and Adrian came stumbling out of the forest. We saw two Centaurs and figured they did this to him. We didn’t want him to get into trouble for going in the forest so I took the blame.” Gwyn cocked his head and gave Megan a wink.
“I see.” Matron responded. “It would have been better to tell me the truth from the start. I would have been able to deal with his injuries much quicker. I hope you have learned a valuable lesson out of this, all of you. Now your friend is sleeping and I don’t want him disturbed before noon tomorrow. Now everyone out... off with you now or I’ll be reporting this affair to the Head Master.”
Matron stood behind them until they were all through the doors.
The day had been a difficult one and after a few minutes of planning their next move and agreeing to meet at 9, everyone headed to their own common room.
Gwyn went to his dorm and met Andrew there. He told him what happened to Adrian and about Caius hiding in the hidden room. To his surprise Andrew knew of the strange room and said it was called the room of requirement. He knew the way to get in was saying something but he wasn’t clear on what needed to be said to make the door appear. He’d seen Tom Riddle one late evening on the seventh floor while he made his rounds and saw him standing looking at the wall. He saw Riddle say something and watched the door appear out of nowhere. Andrew found out the name of the room in a book from the restricted area of the library but it said nothing of making the door appear.
They sat and discussed Caius and the room but Gwyn was careful not to say too much. It had been dark for about an hour when dull thuds could be heard off in the distance.
“Air raids up here? I wouldn’t have thought the muggles had anything way out here?” Gwyn commented.
“There some things about 30 miles from here and from time to time they fly over Hogwarts and bomb the hell out of the place. They don’t see us; all we are to them is a rocky hillside. Bloody stupid muggles and their wars.”
There was a bright flash high in the sky that no one could have missed and then the droning of plane engines grew louder
********
The pilot tried desperately to get the plane flying, he couldn’t crash here, no one could help him.
“Come on! Fly dammit! Come on! Come on! Come oooooooooooooon!!!”
***
The crash was catastrophic causing dust to fall from the ceiling. Fiery lights cast strange shadows upon the school, as if threatening to engulf it.
Andi joined the rest of the girls staring horrified out the window. All were fixed to the ground in fright. As she reached the window, the source of commotion was discovered. A Muggle flying machine had come tumbling down from the sky.
***
Plaster fell from the ceiling in Gwyn’s dorm while the entire castle shook. Girls in the other dorms and the common room were screaming. As soon as the dust began to settle everyone was trying to look out the window. Andrew, Kade and Gwyn raced down the stairs to the common room. Megan was at the bottom of the stairs and when Gwyn came down she grabbed his hand and held on to him. She was shaken up like everyone else and needed to be held. Gwyn held her tight and after a minute or two they race out of the portal and ran all the way down and out to the grassy field in front of the school.
***
The twisted metal that was once his prized plane held the pilot, who was desperately attempting to get free. The raging inferno engulfing it was unimaginable. No one could save him, he landed on a barren mountain. No one could save him.
All of a sudden, the figures of humans came rushing out toward him, a glimmer of hope, but where had they come from? The explosion of the fuel tank sealed his death sentence. The last thing that crossed his mind was his wife, and he moved on.
***
Screams came from all the girls as the explosion shook the school. Teachers, as soon as they were close enough, began putting out the flames. More screams as someone levitated a body from the wreckage. It glowed blue for a moment and fell limp to the ground. All went black as one of the teachers sealed the scene from students’ eyes.
***
The planes remaining fuel had blown a large crater in the ground some thirty feet deep and one hundred feet across. Teachers worked well into the night moving the wreckage and the dead air crew to areas where the muggle soldiers would find them, but still far enough away to keep the school well hidden. That night the school was locked up tight and there were extra teachers and seventh years walking the corridors in case someone had managed to jump before the plane crashed. The extra security made it impossible for the group to meet at 9 as planned. In the morning all that remained of the crash site was a large area of scorched grass and a depression where a couple of underground passages had been.
OOC Caius is trapped. Muhahahaha
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Post by Bessain on Jan 3, 2008 0:48:06 GMT -8
"Whats happening?!" squeaked Caius, clinging to Gaetano's robes as hard as he could. The comotion outside shook the school from the inside out, rattling the moving staircase that carried the trio.
"I swear! Grab my ass one more time and I'll toss you over the rail!" growled Gaetano, grabbing the frightened Caius around the neck and pressing him up against the banister.
"Boys, cut it out." came Acacia's warning a few paces away. "Just concentrate on getting to the ground floor."
Gaetano leaned over the rail to glance down at what looked like the entire school running for the main doors. "...We may just have a problem."
~
Megan sat with Gwyddion and Kade in the Gryffindor common room later that night, discussing the accident. Feeling very overwhelmed, she was glad of Gwyn's presence and snuggled into his shoulder as he held her.
It was a little disturbing, running out earlier that evening witnessing the whole event. Some of the passengers in the plane had not made it, and it was a sight that made a few of their fellow students rather sick. Megan, though just as shaken, was not all that sure how to feel. That whole week had been pretty intense! The Caius issue being the main problem, a crash landing plane was just extra weight.
The groups new obsession over the Slytherin boy almost pushed everything else out of their minds. The plane crash, however horrible, could not simply be forgotten. Especially since it would now be harder to traverse the hallways in search of their quarry. Even Kade was having trouble locating him with all the people around. "Lucky bastard," Megan muttered to herself, angry with all that was happening.
They'd have to start out again early in the morning, if they had any hope of getting back on his trail.
~
"Acacia, there is no way we're going to make it out tonight." Gaetano pleaded.
The overly annoyed Slythering girl scoffed. Man, this boy is such a coward! she thought to herself.
"Lets just go back now while the upper floors are clear!"
"But I wanna go home!" whined Caius.
"Shut up already!" growled Gaetano, who punched Caius in the gut.
"Alright fine!" Acacia said at long last. "Just put him back upstairs, I'll see you in the common room... try not to lose this one."
Gaetano scowled and tugged at Caius' robes. All he got in return was a low groan from the disillusioned boy who laid doubled over on the floor. Kicking him for good measure, Gaetano bent over and slung Caius over his shoulder. He walked back up the stairs appearing to be carrying an unseen sack, cursing at it every step of the way.
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Post by Gwyn on Jan 7, 2008 23:04:22 GMT -8
Gwyn and Kade weren’t in the dorm when Andrew woke nor did he find them in the common room. The boys had risen early and under a disillusionment spell they made their way to the tunnels behind the tapestry on the first floor. This was the tunnel that lead to Hogsmead and his hunch was right. The two depressions he had seen in the field leading toward Hogwarts from the crash site were the tunnels they had used to visit Hogsmead, but no more, the tunnels had been destroyed by the plane crash.
When Andrew arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast he found Gwyn and Kade picking at their food looking rather sullen.
“You two are up early.” Andrew said as he sat. “What’s with the long faces?”
Gwyn lowered his voice. “The Hogsmead tunnel has caved in. The bloody plane crashed right on top of it. I mean what are the odds of something like that happening. Nothing but forest for miles around and that’s the spot they hit.”
“There’s at least a hundred feet caved in on this side and no telling how much of the other side fell in. Well so much for going to Hogsmead.” Said a dejected Kade.
“Well I’m sure the men on the plane aren’t happy about it either.” Andrew was a little indignant. “Who gives a shit about the tunnels, eight men died. Muggles or not, it was a waste. Haven’t you got better things to worry about than the tunnel? What about Caius and the room of requirement?”
Gwyn gave Andrew an angry look. “Of course we want to get Caius. The others too if we could but that’s unlikely. No one can figure out how they opened that bloody door. I don’t think it would go over very well if we started ripping the wall apart to get at him.”
“So why don’t you wait for it to be opened for you?” Andrew replied. “You used disillusionment to find the door so use it to get Caius. They have to bring him something to eat so just wait for them. If there are two or three of you disillusioned, and a couple hidden close by you’d have them. Acacia’s not stupid. She won’t pick a fight she knows she can’t win.”
The solution was a simple one yet no one thought of it. Gwyn and Kade left Andrew and headed up to the Hospital to see Adrian. Adrian was still bruised but he looked and felt better. They told him of Andrew’s suggestion and his eyes lit up. They would of course have the girls there but Adrian made them promise that they would wait for him. He wanted to be there and see the look on Acacia’s face when he said the counter curse to the disillusionment spell. Adrian was anxious but they didn’t know how long Matron would keep him. It was decided that it would be that night not matter what Matron said. Gwyn would Disillusion three of them and the others would be out of sight until the door opened.
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Post by Erin on Jan 13, 2008 15:21:56 GMT -8
“Tonight?!” Andrea exclaimed in a whisper. “Isn’t that a bit rash? To get Caius we’ll need to plan something… did you have anything in mind?”
“Well since we still can’t figure out how to get into that bloody room, we’ll just have to wait for Acacia or Gaetano to go up then follow them in, maybe disillusioned or something, before the door disappears again.” Gwyddion said quietly over his cauldron.
“Well I can see why you would want to do this tonight, with the only way out of the school unguarded caved in and all.” Andi of course, was referring to the Hogsmead tunnels. Gwyn and Kade had been complaining about the cave in all morning and the tunnels and Caius seemed to loom on everyone’s minds. “I don’t agree with trying to get Caius to night, it’s too much of a quick decision in my opinion. I don’t think Acacia is stupid enough to try and get him out of the school right now, so why not make up plans tonight and then pounce on him tomorrow night?”
“I don’t think there would be much planning involved though, Andi. If everyone goes to the seventh floor, then we’ll out number them so I don’t think there’s too much to worry about except a teacher coming along.”
“Well, I just voiced my thought on it. Talk to the others and suggest what I said, if it ends up happening tonight, then I’ll be in full support with what the others say.”
“And time is almost up folks! By now your potion should look like a lumpy, turquoise paste.” Professor Slughorn announced. Both Andi and Gwyn looked down at their orange and green mixtures, and realising dismayed, they may have neglected them a little too long.
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Post by Gwyn on Mar 22, 2008 23:59:51 GMT -8
OOC This post brought to you by Thalion and Alex. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN SO BLOODY POST!!!
The wreckage of the plane was now transported well away from the school some miles North deep into the forest. Muffled distant explosions could be heard early the following morning coming from the forest from where the Ministries wizards were staging a false crash site. The bodies of the plane’s crew had also been move to the new site to allow the muggle army to do what was customary in these situations. At Hogwarts, the scorched grass and depressions where the ground had fallen and filled the tunnels were no longer to be seen. It was as if nothing had happened.
It was the disappearance of the dips in the grass that gave the boys hope the tunnels would be repaired but they were disappointed. Andrew, Kade and Gwyn returned to the common room disappointed but determined that they would somehow repair the damage done. But for the moment all that had to be put aside until Caius was caught and turned over to Professor Dumbledore. They were determined to put their plan in action at dinner and it all hinged on Matron and how soon she would arrive at the staff table. The plans had been made and despite the reservations of some it all started at 6pm.
Megan, Gwyn, Kade and a fifth year friend of Kade, Trystan, were all seated together for dinner in the Great Hall. The four of them had finished their dinner quickly and were waiting for Matron to arrive at the staff table. Gwyn was impatient.
“Where the hell is she? It’s almost half past!” he said in a whisper. “If this takes much longer we’re screwed.”
“Jeez calm down.” Megan was frustrated at Gwyn’s impatience and didn’t hide it. “She’s always late, alright? She checks on everyone before she comes down, it’s like her routine.” Megan shook her head. As she expected Matron arrived a few minutes later. “There she is. I’ll see you in a bit, be careful alright.” Megan gave Gwyn a quick kiss on the cheek and handed him the bag of clothing Andi managed to get.
As the three boys left the Great Hall Andi got up and walked over to the Gryffindor table and joined Megan. The girls stayed behind and chatted as they kept a close watch on Acacia and Gaetano. At the first sign of either of them leaving they would quickly make their way to the seventh floor using a passageway shortcut and then hiding. When the boys showed themselves the girls would step out wands at the ready and hopefully catch the pair of them off guard.
The three boys hurried along to the Hospital Wing and slipped inside the doors.
“Silenceo.” Gwyn’s spell prevented the nurse from hearing anything.
They stayed low and crept to Adrian’s bedside. He’d been waiting for them and quickly changed into the cloths they brought. Then Trystan took the bed clothes Adrian had been wearing and put them on over his own and got into the bed. He pulled the covers up, gave them the thumbs up and feigned that he was asleep. It would work as long as Matron would not look too closely at her patients after her dinner. As they left the ward Gwyn used the counter spell lifting the silencing charm. If all went well they would be done within the two hour limit of the disillusionment charm Gwyn was to use. As soon as they were out of sight of the doors Adrian was disillusioned. Gwyn stood before Adrian and tapped him on the head after using an incantation which was clearly foreign. Adrian felt light headed and a fog seemed to roll over his eyes and his hands and feet went numb and then tingled hotly as though they had fallen asleep. It was a strange sight watching someone slowly go opaque and then disappear all together.
***
Andi and Megan, chatting in a detached manner that got them nowhere in reality, quickly glanced over to make sure Acacia and Gaetano had stayed put. The moment the two Slytherin’s left the Great Hall, Andi and Megan were to get to the secret passage behind the tapestry on the seventh floor before the Slytherin’s reached the Room of Requirement. It could only be hoped that Gwyn, Adrian and Kade didn’t run into any problems on their way up. Glancing over again, Andi watched Gaetano and Acacia rise from the table and start making their way out of the Great Hall.
“Megan, let’s go.” she whispered and started off, Megan following behind.
After a hasty journey through the black passages, except for wand light, Andi and Megan arrived behind the tapestry, only to find there was no one there.
“Where the hell are they?!” Megan growled. “I hope nothing’s come up... I wouldn’t want to take on Acacia, Gaetano and Caius, even though I seriously doubt Caius would be much of a threat... stupid bloke.”
“My thought’s exactly. If the guys don’t show up, we won’t do this tonight. The three of them outnumber us and I really don’t want to risk ending up like Adrian.” Andi heaved a sigh and sat down heavily. “Might as well make ourselves comfortable; all we can do now is wait.”
***
“I always liked watching that.” Gwyn commented as Adrian faded away. “Your good for about two hours mate, but remember, after the counter curse you don’t just pop up and say surprise. You come back as slowly as you went out. Handle that right and you can make someone crap their drawers. Stay close Adrian.”
“Wait a minute aren’t you two going to disillusion yourselves?” Adrian asked. “I thought that was the whole point of this.” He sounded somewhat anxious.
Footsteps could be heard in the corridor getting closer.
“Someone’s coming.” Gwyn turned and looked down the hallway. “No matter who it is just say we were visiting Adrian.
“We’re not supposed to be here remember?” “Shit that’s right... Ok tell them we came now because we’ve got a pile of parchment to write and we couldn’t make it before curfew.” Gwyn put on a very matter-of-fact face and began to walk on.
This excuse and stoical look had served him well several times at Durmstrang. Kade on the other hand wasn’t looking forward to answering Matron’s questions. Matron had a reputation and was not to be trifled with. The boys walked on with Adrian close behind. As they rounded the corner they came face to face with Andrew and not Matron as feared.
“Bloody hell, it’s you.” Gwyn sighed in relief.
“So is he here or did he do the smart thing and say no to being disillusioned?” Andrew asked.
“What are you on about?” Gwyn replied trying to sound innocent but Adrian spoke up.
“I’m here.” Adrian remarked. “And what’s wrong with being disillusioned?”
Andrew replied looking at Gwyn. “Ah don’t take this personal like, but I don’t all together trust your dark side spells. Never know exactly where they’ve come from do we.”
“They’ve served me well mate, but if you want to hide in the shadows instead of being the shadows it’s fine by me. I take it you’re here to join us?”
A sly smile crossed Andrew’s face. “Bang on mate. I wouldn’t miss the look on her face for a hundred points. Besides I’d say you could use the fire power if it came to that. You don’t want to mess with Acacia when it comes to Slytherin honour. Who else is going to be there? Not just you three I hope.”
Gwyn answered. “Megan and Andi will be in the wings and as soon as we start to show ourselves they’ll come out.”
“Sounds like fun. You two better disillusion yourselves now. No one will be bothered if I’m seen out and about but you two won’t get far if you’re seen up there. And you’d best tell me exactly what you’ve planned.”
Andrews’s presence was welcomed because he had the power of a Prefect and that would hold some sway with Acacia. While Gwyn disillusioned Kade he explained the plan to Andrew. Andrew was taking a bit of a risk but he too wanted to see Acacia exposed.
Gwyn disillusioned himself and when the pins and needles feeling passed he knew the process was complete. The boys followed close behind Andrew but it was a challenge not to run into one another. The stairs and the seventh floor corridor appeared empty so either Acacia had already come and gone or they had only to wait. Andrew took the stairs two at a time and when he reached the top Megan and Andi came out from behind a tapestry looking worried.
Megan peppered him with questions. “What are you doing here? Is there a problem, did everything go alright getting Adrian?”
Gwyn walked over and brushed Megan cheek. At first it startled her then she kicked guessing where he stood and her foot connected with someone. There was a groan and the sound of someone falling to the floor. She smiled.
“Shit... what is your problem Megan?” It was Kade’s voice not Gwyn’s.
There was little time to get ready before the footsteps of two people were approaching were heard. They were cautious steps stopping frequently. It wasn’t difficult to figure out who it was. Acacia, as usual was ordering Gaetano about.
“I don’t give a shit what you have to do, he has to be out of here tomorrow. I’m fed up with his constant whining and I sick coming up these stairs and pandering to him. Stupid sod, hasn’t got the brains of an elf.” Acacia was bitter and what goodwill she had for the sake of Slytherin House was stretched to the limit.
Gaetano protested complaining that it was impossible to get him out tomorrow. Acacia, without even looking around, walked up to the hidden door and stood in front of it. Without looking at him she gave Gaetano one last piece of advice. “If you don’t get him out of here tomorrow, I’ll inform the others that you’ve lost your nerve. You won’t be trusted to clean the toilets. You’ll be no better than a filthy mud blood. Do I make myself clear?”
The colour drained from Gaetano’s face and he said nothing. Acacia then proceeded to walk past the hidden door three times and it appeared.
As soon as Caius was at the door Gwyn performed the counter curse and tapped Adrian on the head three times. As Adrian’s outline began to appear ghost like he slowly walked towards Gaetano saying his name and calling him a murderer. Gaetano’s mouth dropped. He stood fixed to the spot and when Adrian reached out and touched him he let out a god-awful bellow and fell to the floor. Gwyn performed the counter curse on Kade and himself but before their outline appeared Acacia had her wand out. Something was up and she wasn’t going down without a fight.
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Post by Naucoaran on May 17, 2008 13:41:07 GMT -8
*steals the entire fight scene*
As Adrian continued haunting Gaetano, his spectral visage began to fade. The big lummox started to catch on that Adrian was, in fact, alive and well. And making a total fool out of him. Gaetano Suddenly struggled to stand and caught a foot in the face. The laggard tried to take Adrian’s feet from under him but he leapt clear. A sudden rage bubbled out of Adrian then. Red tinged his vision as he saw his captors in front of him, one on the floor with blood leaking from his nose. Adrian snarled at them and pulled out his wand. Gaetano reached for his wand at the sight but was not fast enough. A rippling force of energy tore at him and slammed him back against the wall.
Adrian's wand was leveled at Gaetano again before the spell effects faded and loosed a vibrant beam of white energy. Gaetano clutched at his face as tears screamed down his cheeks. "I'm blind!" he blubbered to Acacia as his vision swam with white bursts of light. Acacia took an involuntary step back as she watched Adrian advance on Gaetano, snarling another incantation. She suddenly snapped out of her daze and launched a quick spell at Adrian that sent him sprawling to the side, slamming into the balcony handrail.
Grunting in pain Adrian stared daggers at Acacia. Yes it was her; she was the one behind it all. He knew that sinister look in her eyes. Not bothering to get off his hands and knees Adrian pointed his wand at her and growled out words that scratched at his throat. A blood red beam shot out and Acacia unceremoniously threw herself aside. The ray clipped her right at the neck, grazing her skin. She howled in pain. As the bean tore on into the darkness and ripped a chunk into the wall behind her, Acacia fell against the banister to hold herself up. Blood wept from her shoulder around a blackened and cracked wound. The bottom of her ear was gone and blood flowed from the wound.
She pressed a hand to the wound and pulled back at the wet sticky touch of her blood matting her hand. She screamed in a mix of pain and rage and pointed her wand at Adrian to free an equally offensive spell. Before she could finish the words Megan came careening out of nowhere, a scream on her lips, and crashed into the Slytherin girl and they both tumbled over the balcony and fell a few feet to a stairway that was conveniently under them. The two girls tumbled down the staircase in a ball of chaos.
Gaetano's eyes swam in tears bit his vision was clearing into blobs of humanoid shapes where he could just make out where people were. He pointed his wand at who he thought to be Adrian and chattered out a spell. The iridescent beam missed horribly as Adrian rolled to the side. The beam struck the handrail five feet down from where he was and a globe expanded. Where it touched the balcony melted away leaving a smooth bowled out cut in the rail and floor.
Adrian struck Gaetano with the same spell he had first used, knocking the large boy against the wall again. "You tied me down." He said calmly, then cast a spell that made all the strength flee from Gaetano's body. His arms fell limp to the ground and his wand rolled out of reach. "You beat me." he continued as he slowly continued to approach. then cast the same spell. Bruises appeared under Gaetano's eyes from the pressure of the blast at so close a range. "You nearly killed me!" He shouted as he cast again. Blood started to run from the boys’ ears, eyes, and mouth. His nose poured fresh blood anew.
Adrian was about to cast again but was interrupted as Gwyn crashed into him from behind and wrestled him to the ground. He overpowered the weaker Ravenclaw and took his wand from him. "Adrian, stop! You'll kill the boy, that isn't why were here!" he shouted as he tried to pin him down. Adrian, fueled by his rage, struggled and tried to get free. "Calm yourself, mate!" Gwyn was yelling at him. Finally Adrian's limbs relaxed and he took shuddering breaths.
"I couldn't stop..." he breathed heavily.
Gwyn glanced over at Gaetano. He was unconscious, but his breathing was regular, if a little weak. "I know how it is. Come on, get up. You okay now?" He said as he helped Adrian to his feet.
"Yeah I'm good. Let's do what we came here for." he said as he straitened his robes and replaced his wand in his sleeve.
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Post by Erin on Jun 21, 2008 0:23:27 GMT -8
Time seemed to stop as Andi watched Adrian release his fury upon Gaetano. The rage that propelled him was so tremendous she found herself creeping back to the passage behind the tapestry. She threw a quick glance at Acacia, whose face depicted complete shock, and saw a brilliant flash of light reflecting off the stone walls, with Adrian as its source. Without thinking, she looked back at Adrian just in time to see a red jet of light shoot from his wand toward Acacia. A piercing scream tore from her lips as blood gushed from her ear and the smell of singed flesh filled the corridor.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Megan had tackled Acacia and the two of them had resorted to the use of physical violence rather than that of wands. As they rolled down the stairs screaming in pain and rage, Andi didn’t notice Gwyn tackle Adrian, preventing him from performing the spell that would likely kill Gaetano.
Before she knew what was happening, Andi had burst from the tapestry, and bolted for the stairs in order to assist Megan. The two girls, snarling viscously at each other and both covered in blood from Acacias previous wound, had rolled to the landing of the staircase. They threw punches and clawed at the others face as well as other means of non-magical violence. With her wand at the ready Andi aimed as best she could from the top of the staircase at Acacia, hoping she wouldn’t hit Megan.
“Petrificus Totalus!” she screamed. Megan’s face went from anger to total confusion as Acacia’s limbs snapped together and she fell back, stiff as a board.
“Megan! Let’s go!”
Megan looked up, “Thanks for that Andi. Ugh. This is gross, I’m covered in her blood.”
“We’ll have to worry about that later. I think Gwyn and Adrian are going in for Caius!”
The two girls quickly headed back up the nearly destroyed stair to the Room of Requirement. The blood stained and charred walls revealed the door, standing ajar, with Adrian and Gwyn disappearing within it.
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Post by Gwyn on Jul 25, 2008 21:49:34 GMT -8
“You sure you’re alright mate?’ Gwyn asked as he quickly looked over Adrian.
Adrian nodded as he rested back against the wall inside the Room of Requirement. Gwyn took a quick look around and wasn’t so sure that this was a good place to be. They had been unable to get in, hopefully, they’d be able to get out.
He could hear Megan and Acacia going at each other mercilessly. He ran out and saw a brief glimpse of Andi running down the stair after Megan and heard her shout, “Petrificus Totalus!” He knew now Megan would be ok but that didn’t stem the shock he had when Andi and Megan ran into the room a minute or so later.
“Oh god Megan!” were the only words that came to him when he got his first look at her and the blood that had splattered on her.
Megan raised her hand. “It’s not mine...” she managed to say. “I’m ok.”
The sound of clattering at the far side of the room caught the attention of the four. Caius was up and had his wand out but he was far too slow. Four different hexes hit him and threw him back. When the dust settled Caius’s head was normal but his body and legs resembled those of a huge Hedgehog. Adrian and Gwyn each grabbed a leg and dragged Caius out of the room and left him in the corridor.
The sound of running feet and voices quickly changed their mood. The noise of the battle had drawn a lot of attention. Gwyn took a couple more steps out of the room and realised they were being closed in from both sides and there was no way out that he knew of.
“Shit we’re screwed.” He said as stepped back into the room and closed the door. He turned to face the others. “Do you know of a way out?” All he got was blank looks from the others. “Right then, we go through them, knock them out before they know what hit them! It’s dead easy and it won’t hurt them; well not much.” He looked up at them. “It’s the only way.” He pulled out his wand but in a bold move Megan stepped up and grabbed his hand pushed it down.
“Not like that Gwyn!” she said in a determined voice.
He didn’t argue the point.
“Well what do you suggest then? We can’t stay here. They’ll see a door where there’s never been one and where do you think they’ll look first?” He sounded sarcastic. Durmstrang’s survival rules had taught him that remaining cornered was never an option. They stared at the door anticipating its opening any second; but that never came. In spite of the noise outside in the corridor no one came through the door.
A little confused Gwyn looked around the room and its odd assortment of items. It was a strange room. It seemed tailor made for someone to hide in. Maybe they could stay hidden if the door had disappeared from the outside. Still, they would be watching the corridor and stairs because there was no other way out.
“We need a way out of here.” Gwyn commented. “Preferably one unseen and as close to the outside as we can get. You know of anything like that? A passageway perhaps?”
The light in the room seemed to flicker, and, in the blink of an eye the room had changed. Now there was a door in the back of the room and the supplies in the room were different. There were walking staffs beside the door and cloaks for outside. Andi gave a gasp. All the blood from Megan’s robes had disappeared and as the others looked themselves over there was no sign that they had been involved in anything other than a walk outside.
Adrian was closest to the door. Slowly... carefully, he opened it and looked in.
“Someone ask for a passageway?” he commented as he looked back at the others.
With no other options, the passage seemed to be the only way out. The four entered the darkness and began down a circular stairwell. Adrian took the first torch he came across and held it out lighting their way. It seemed to go on forever. The stairs hugged the walls as one would expect stairs to do in a light house. The great difference was when they finally reached the bottom and opened the next door they found themselves staring at the lake. Once they had all stepped out into the sunlight the door that a moment ago was set into the side of a bank disappeared. Dumb struck they stared at each other for a moment.
“Ok that was strange...” Andi commented.
“Strange?” Gwyn said. “Nothing strange about it at all. It’s bloody marvellous. This is the most foremost school of witch craft and wizardry isn’t it? Now listen, we’ve been out here since we finished dinner. We did nothing but come out here and discuss my old school. They can’t question that especially if we make sure we’re seen going back into the school.”
They all laughed and the boys tussled each other to make sure they were seen enjoying the evening air outside. They went to Hagrid’s hut to say hello and spent a few minutes talking with him. No one questioned them as they walked up the stairs to the school a half hour later, but as they entered through the great wooden doors into the foyer, Professor Slughorn ordered them to stop and explain themselves. Andrew was with him but he winked as they walked up to them.
Professor Slughorn was clearly very upset.
“Just you wait right there.” The Professor waddled over to them his face a bright purple. “I’ll have you all in detention for the remainder of the year washing bedpans, specimen bottles and cleaning the floors!” he shouted. “Well...well what have you got to say for yourselves and that savage attack on two of my Houses students?” he faced Gwyn. “Jinxed from behind no doubt, just like your sort would do.” Small droplets of spit flew out of Professor Slughorn’s mouth.
“Excuse me Professor?” Gwyn asked looking bewildered. “I don’t know anything about an attack. We’ve been outside and went to visit the gam...” The Professor cut him off.
“Oh come, come now, a likely story.” Slughorn blustered. “Something I’d come to expect from you BOY.” he turned to Andi and Adrian ignoring Megan, all together. “Well what have you two got to say. My students have identified you as well. They said with absolutely certainly that it was you and no one else. NOW EXPLAIN YOURSELVES OR I'll HAVE YOU ALL EXPELLED!” It looked as though the Professors face was about to explode.
The colour drained from Andi’s and Adrian’s faces.
“But Professor we haven’t been here.” Gwyn interjected.
“Oh haven’t you?” blustered the Professor. “You were seen leaving the Great Hall in a very suspicious manner. Right behind my students!”
“I’m sorry Sir, but, there’s no way to leave the Great Hall unseen. Students are always leaving behind one another.” Megan’s attempt to derail Professor Slughorn failed. Turning on her he took a deep breath.
“Oh you have a nerve young lady to speak to me in such a manner. I’ve gone to the Headmaster about you all and none of you will wriggle out of this. Now you listen to me.” But the Professor was cut off.
“Calm yourself Horace, before you do yourself an injury.” Dumbledore said in a quiet calm voice as he walked up to them. “These students have very clearly just come in from outdoors.” Dumbledore looked at them over his spectacles. “The game keeper and several students can vouch for them. Did you not tell the Headmaster that you have the sixth and seventh floors sealed by the prefects? You assured the Headmaster that not even someone under an invisibility charm would get past you. Are you implying that these students were able to walk out of the school, unseen, and from the seventh floor? Do we not instruct our students on several ways one can change their appearance. Quite honestly, it could have been anyone with the knowledge Horace.” Dumbledore said no more but Professor Slughorn squirmed and glared at Gwyn and Megan.
Professor Slughorn turned and walked away in a huff. Dumbledore eyed the four of them and then said. “I think it would be best if you returned to your common rooms.”
Andrew, who had been with Slughorn, stayed and walked with Gwyn and Megan back to the Gryffindor common room. As soon as it was safe Andrew asked the question that burned inside him.
“How the hell did you manage to get out? There were people all over that corridor and how did you get outside?” he asked.
Megan and Gwyn looked at each other then Gwyn replied. “I really don’t know, Andrew. I really don’t know.”
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Post by Bessain on Jul 30, 2008 21:51:44 GMT -8
Back in the hospital wing, Acacia growled curses into her pillow. Most of her injuries had been healed almost instantaneously by the Matron. The remaining bruises had come from that muggle bitch and their unorthodox roll down the two side flights of stairs. The Matron had taken the edge off them, but the bruises stayed visible. More importantly, the bruises to Acacia's pride seemed to shine almost neon in her heart. Pangs of disgust welled up in her throat whenever a fellow Slytherin came in to check on Gaetano and herself.
Thanks to Acacia's ever silver tongue, neither she or Gaetano were considered accompli to the sniveling Caius Nestor. Simply, according to their side of the story, they were quickly called to action when a strange mix of students found and beat Acacia's poor cousin; despite the charges against him. A story that the close-minded Horace Slughorn was all too willing to believe. Acacia's fury grew when she heard that the students that brought about her undoing were off free and clear.
Later that night, Acacia picked up a quill and parchment to write her Father. It bothered her to recount the failed escape attempt, but someone had to get the word through. Personally, she would rather it be her than the Headmaster.
~
The common room was buzzing with excitement as Gwyddion, Andrew and Megan walked in. Despite the story that had been fed to Professor Slughorn and the rest of the school, it seemed common knowlege that this strange group of friends had everything to do with unsolved Slytherin mystery. Megan and Gwyddion merely replied that they had been outside all afternoon, not wanting anything to spread that may or may not hurt them later on with Slughorn.
Megan, for once, seemed to enjoy the attention... and the fun of the inside secret. It wasn't until later when it was time to run up the stairs to the dormitory, that she realized the damage to her ribs. Her tumble down the stairs with Acacia had left its mark. Marks that Megan could not go to the hospital wing to have relieved. It was a pointless thought, since the Matron would be able to do nothing for her to relieve the bruises. But the pressure on Megan's chest did not lock up till she had remained docile in the common room for a couple hours.
Thinking that she could be in a little trouble, she quickly left Gwyddion and Andrew by their spot by the fire and did her best to straighten up as she climbed the stair. She was certain her slight hobble did not go unnoticed.
Megan entered the dormitory to a sudden rush of excited greetings. The three girls in the room wanted to know all about her evening, set on the fact that her evening outside was a lie.
"Not now, have to change!" Megan replied hastily, closing the bed curtains around her four-poster bed for some privacy.
Slowly she removed her tie and over shirt, examining the damage that had taken its own time to appear. Megan scowled and changed into her pajamas. With any luck there wouldn't be any serious internal damage or people would start to wonder even more than they already did.
"Megan?" called one of her roomates. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just going to bed early. It's been a long day."
"...Well alright then."
Megan laid down on her bed trying to get comfortable, but her injuries made breathing a chore. She propped up her pillows to sit herself up and prepared for a long night of broken sleep.
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Post by Gwyn on Apr 11, 2010 0:57:40 GMT -8
A lot stragglers hung around the common room till the small hours of the morning. Everyone was certain that a coup had taken place but Gwyn would say nothing more no matter who asked. That wasn't quite true for everyone, the exception was Andrew.
Andrew had been a friend from the start and he knew for certain that they were on the seventh floor when the call had come for all Prefects to seal the sixth floor. He saw little to no hope for them to get away from this trap; Slughorn was going to catch them and who knew what would happen then. Needless to say when Gwyn and the others were seen walking in from outside he knew something was up. His first thought was that it was something Gwyn had picked up in Durmstrang. When they were finally alone and coals of the fire were low he filled Andrew in on everything. It seemed unbelievable but there had stories about strange things on the seventh floor since well before his time. Andrew needless to say was amazed. So were they all.
Gwyn woke early for some unknown reason. Even though the distant sky was only deep purple there was no going back to sleep. Finally he got up for no better reason than trying to avoiding more questions from his fellow Gryffindors. He quietly made his way down the stairs and left through the portrait. He had his broom in hand and planned to do some flying around the Quidditch pitch after his coffee. The school was quiet other than a odd student here and there or a House Elf tending to their duties.
Gwyn took no notice of anyone in particular. His mind was on Andi and Adrian and how they'd fared in the Ravenclaw common room. He didn't notice that there was someone at the bottom of the stairs until it was too late. The next thing he knew someone had him grabbed him by his tie knot and then he hit the floor hard. His temper flared and he grabbed his wand as he rolled off to the side but he wasn't quick enough. He was bound tightly by invisible bands that felt as if he was roasting over a fire. He couldn't move or breath; it was a dark art a death grip and he'd used it himself a time or two. A smiling face appeared over him; it was Tom Riddle.
"You've made quite a name for yourself in the time you've been here. There's even a pool whether or not you'll get expelled." Gwyn's lungs started to burn but Riddle took his time. "I've grown tired of you and your elitist attitude, strutting around thinking you're quite something. The boy from Durmstrang, you quite like that title.. you think it gives you a right to do as you please. You must really kiss Dumbledore's ass, his little boy, his little toy boy maybe?" Riddle went down onto his haunches. Gwyn's eyes began to burn and water his lung felt as if they were about to burst. Still Riddle took his time.
"Listen to this Durmstrang boy. You and your friends were lucky to be in that room and you don't even know why do you?" Riddle smiled. A smile Gwyn would never forget. "You fuck with my people again and all they'll find of you is a dried up piece of shit. I'll be watching you and that little girl you seem to have under your wing. People get hurt around here if you understand me." Just before he passed out Riddle gave him a kick between his legs and walked away.
Gwyn had convulsed and then vomited. At that point Riddle released Gwyn and walked off.
As usual it was Andrew that found Gwyn. He'd seen Gwyn getting up and decided that he'd go join him in Great Hall for a coffee. Seeing Gwyn curled up on the floor moaning he flew down the steps two at a time and out of nowhere Adrian appeared.
Gwyn couldn't walk or talk so between the two of them they took him and ducked in behind a tapestry shortcut that they'd used frequently. Gwyn stayed curled up on the floor for about five more minutes before sitting up slowly. Adrian made a bag of ice appear and handed it to Gwyn.
"You don't honestly think I'm going to use that do you." Gwyn said half bemused.
"Guess not." Adrian replied. They all managed a smile.
"What happened?" Adrian asked.
"I can guess." Andrew jumped in. "Yesterday when you came in the front doors Riddle looked as though he could have killed you all. I was worried he'd do something; you should have seen him. He seems to like Acacia's company though there's nothing official between them. He helped her to the hospital wing and was livid. Insisted you be taken to the Headmaster and expelled once caught. Slughorn agreed with him."
"Gee thanks for the heads up. Ever think of telling us the chief suspect and Riddle are sweet on each other?"
"I only found out when we were upstairs cornering you. Toms, the Hufflepuff Prefect told me. Sorry with everything going on It slipped my mind last night. It's Riddles last year and you've blemished it. What can I say?"
"Want a hand upstairs?" Adrian asked as he picked up Gwyn's broom.
"Nope. I'll not give Riddle the satisfaction of seeing me off. I came for coffee and I'm going to get one."
With his friends help Gwyn got up and hobbled into the great Hall. They walked past the Slytherin tables to some snickers from Riddle and his crew. They sat together at the Ravenclaw table. Gwyn sat for a while with his eyes closed waiting for the deep gut pain to subside. He told the guys what happened and what was said. They were sitting there with their coffee discussing it and whether or not Riddle was serious. They agreed he was in all likely-hood was very serious. When Megan and Andi walked in Andrew was the first to see them and he promptly got up and walked over. .
"Don't say anything to them?" Gwyn asked but Andrew in a lowered voice but Andrew didn't hear him.
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Post by Bessain on Apr 12, 2010 13:34:33 GMT -8
Megan awoke to an annoying ache in her ribs and stretched slowly to try and alleviate her discomfort. She hadn't expected such a workout from her little scuffle with Acacia. It amazed her how little she had thought through her actions and wondered what had kept her from weighing outcomes.
Spur of the moment, she told herself. There was no time to think about any of that.
Somehow, she could not convince herself that this was entirely true.
Rising to get dressed with some effort, Megan made her way to the common room. There are a good number of people up and about already so she stops for a moment to chat for a little bit. The events of the day before was still a hot topic, and it immediately made Megan wish for solitude. She quickly changed the subject and asked around about Gwyddion. A boy from his dorm replied that Gwyn had left early with his broom.
Megan thanked the boy and left the group. She made her way out of the portrait hole and down towards the Great Hall, really wanting nothing to do with all the Quidditch and broom foolishness. She was content to just meet up with Gwyddion at breakfast.
On her way down the stairs she was met by Andi, who was trying to shake off a pack of Ravenclaws, still badgering her about the day before. Megan grinned and quickly pulled her friend away.
"Having trouble there?" Megan snickered.
"No one believes our alibi!" Andi replied, sounding exhausted.
"Well thats the point of an alibi, isn't it? No one can say otherwise until they are certain you are lying."
"Yes, but its still annoying."
Megan shrugged and continued on her way to breakfast with Andi in tow. The lower into the castle they traveled, the more Slytherins they ran into. They were met with what seemed like a sea of scowls at the Slytherin table, as they entered the Great Hall. Megan and Andi glanced at each other briefly for support, before continuing on to the Ravenclaw table to sit with their friends.
The two were intercepted by Andrew before they could get comfortable. He told them of Gwyddion's run in with Riddle, and the two girls glanced over his shoulder to look back at the Slytherin table. Megan's wand dropped out of her sleeve and into her hand. A few hexes came to mind, especially for those few Slytherins in the front who were laughing cruelly at Gwyn.
Andrew grabbed Megan's hand. "Don't you dare. It's hard enough trying to keep your stunts from yesterday under wraps. I can't help you here in front of all these people."
Megan pulled away from Andrew roughly and sat down next to Gwyn.
"You alright?" she asked sympathetically.
"I've had worse. Don't worry about it."
But Megan could not set aside her worries. Despite how much she tried to hide it, Megan had picked up a few bad habits from Gwyddion. She was no longer as willing to stand and take things as she once was. Her excuse before was always "She's a muggle student, she doesn't know any better." It had always managed to keep her out of trouble before.
Megan had always wondered why the sorting hat had placed her in Gryffindor and not Hufflepuff. Honest and hardworking, with no extraordinary academic talent, she possessed many qualities that Hufflepuffs were known for. During her first day of school she hadn't known the differences between the houses so it didn't start to bother her until later. Nowadays with all the revenge plots floating around, she felt more like a Slytherin. Or atleast, she felt as her own perception of Slytherins.
"Gwyn are you at least going to report this? Abuse from a prefect! I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will stand by you."
Gwyddion frowned at Megan. Andrew hadn't told her about Riddle's threats to harm her or her friends.
"Megan, I can't go running to him every time something goes wrong, I'm not an infant."
Megan stayed silent and took a piece of toast for breakfast. "Alright," was all she gave him. She made a mental note to discuss a few things with Andi tonight. This was unacceptable by any of the standards she had picked up from her significant other. Megan, for once, did not feel like it was something to simply endure.
She said no more about the matter. When breakfast was over, she took Gwyn's hand like usual and made their way to their classes. Despite her silence, she vowed that something would definitely be done about Riddle.
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Post by Gwyn on Apr 29, 2010 22:41:02 GMT -8
(A joint production of Bessian and Gwyddion)
Megan shut down verbally on the walk up the staircases. She looked calm on the outside, but secretly Megan was absolutely livid. Her list of exploits at Hogwarts was starting to grow, but one stood out for her above the rest. Especially in this situation. It had been bugging her all year, held back only by her classmates requests to drop it. Caius had cursed her fellow Gryffindor's. Acacia and her idiot of a lover had beaten Adrian. When Megan and Andi had the chance to retaliate, they took it. It had ended with Andrea in the hospital and Megan in detention. The fact that Megan had not yet been called to serve this write up was irrelevant to her. The Slytherins had gotten away with everything.Near murder! And now they were after Gwyddion. Megan felt the dam break and could not let this pass.
Gwyn, who had known Megan long enough to know when something was up, came to a stop at the top of the staircase on the fourth floor. Instead of continuing their climb, he pulled Megan down the side corridor and spun her around to face him. "Megan," he said softly. "Just drop this." He knew well enough that she did not set aside her worries as asked.
"Gwyddion!" she hissed, anger finally rising past her ability to control. "If it were me, instead of you... what would you do? You wouldn't stand by, even if I asked! I don't understand how any of this is acceptable!" Megan pulled away from him. "Don't feed me any of that double standards crap!"
This wasn't going to be easy and he knew it. He was facing a Megan he hadn't seen before. She was fired up. She had taken a lot of crap and stood up for herself and her fellow Gryffindors but she wasn't like this, A fire burned inside of her and it was because of what had happened to him. This was personal and Gwyddion knew before he even started that no matter what he said she wasn't going to go for it.
"Look, we pulled off a unbelievable coupe. Acacia is gone thanks to you. We've sent home Riddles girl and a big Slytherin plot has crumbled. Riddle is pissed and he took that out on me but he still walked away. We've got two months of school left and then he's gone. If we accept things as they are we can glide through to the end of the year and then next year, Gryffindor will rule the roost. All we have to do is lay low."
Gwyddion knew that if the situation was reversed he would not have even given a moments consideration to anything that he had just said.
Since when was Gwyn the group diplomat? Megan wondered to herself. Well there was no way she was going to let him get off that easily.
"Accept things as they are?" she echoed. "Coward! How can you even say that?" Her emotions swung wildly and she felt tears starting to well up because of it. Megan backed away, feeling completely overwhelmed at this point. "Atleast talk to Dumbledore! He's a prefect for God sakes! You can't just let him do this!"
"Riddle is Dippet's lap dog. Why do you think he gets away with what he does. Riddle is a bully and he plays dirty. He struts around because he knows no one can touch him. I think even some of the more spineless teacher are intimidated by him. He knows things that aren't taught in this school and he'll use that if he's pushed into a corner. We hit close to home. To close this time. He dangerous, even by Durmstrang standards and if we provoke him now, it could be someone else that gets hurt, someone who's in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we hit him now we may not be able to control it. I don't want someone else's blood on my hands. Nothing is worth that. Please Megan, let not start something that could blow up in our faces. Not even Dumbledore could help us then."
Hypocrite, she thought to herself. He's just reaching for excuses now. Megan would not be swayed, her mind was made up.
"So we'll wait! Wait until the end of the school year! He can't touch us in our own homes Gwyn. He's a teenager, not an assassin." she reasoned. Megan's fists were clenched at her sides and she felt at that moment as if Riddle had strolled in one afternoon and tipped her world upside down. It was his fault. All his fault. Just that one student! He was responsible for her failures and heartbreaks all term. "If he really makes you that nervous, Gwyn, you don't have to be a part of it. I can think of a few people who would help."
Megan jammed her hands in her pockets in a huff and turned to walk off.
Gwyddion's level of frustration went through the roof. Why can't she just let this go. He thought to himself. If she went this could mean the end of them. She would still go through with her plans and would he be able to just stand on the sidelines and watch? No. Was his only answer. He reached out and held her back
"Damn it anyway Megan wait!
"Don't you touch me Gwyddion Allardyce!" she roared as she turned and pushed him back.
Gwyn turned threw up his hands and shouted. He then walked to the closest picture and punched a hole in it. Animals were seen bolting through the other frames all down the hall. The Sheppard was shouting and waving his crook at him. Gwyn took not notice.
"I don't give a shit what he threatens me with ok! " He shouted. "He can best me head to head but I'm not stupid enough for that. And if you know anything about me it's that I WON'T run from a fight! I won't bow to that pig farmer." He said through clenched teeth. "There's a lot at more stake here than you know Megan."
"Like your pride," Megan muttered quietly, obviously no longer in her right mind.
Megan felt herself visibly flinch as Gwyn went about destroying things. The moments quick scare set her mood even lower. She wasn't afraid of Gwyddion, at least she couldn't believe that she was. One thing was for certain, especially after this morning, she was afraid for him.
The commotion the two were making was starting to attract attention. Passing students started to poke their heads in the corridor to investigate.
The appearance of others brought the intensity in the room down a notch. "What is it Gwyn? What could possibly slow you?" Adamant in her decision, Megan was sure there was nothing he could say that would persuade her away from the risky pitch.
Gwyn backed up against a wall and slid down. He laid his arms lazily over his knees and tilted his head back against the cool of the wall. How had it managed to come to this. Riddle would be pleased if he saw this. Gwyn thought.
"Oh god Megan." he closed his eyes. "Don't you understand it yet?" he said it quietly as not to be heard by the passersby. "It's you Megan. It's you he threatened me with. He said he'd hurt you if I didn't step away and end the year quietly. You should of heard him and the pleasure he took in explaining it. It was as if he was seeing it all happening. He used you to me slow me down... he knew nothing else would work. He knew I couldn't protect you all the time." He lower his head and looked at Megan "He scares me Megan." Gwyn heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry Megan... I should have told you, but I was afraid for you."
Megan stared at Gwyn for a few moments and heaved a big sigh. She approached slowly and sat down next to him, leaving a few inches between them. The few minutes they took in silence gave them both time to calm down. Had their positions been reversed Megan was certain that she would not have told Gwyn at all. It still didn't change the fact that she hated Tom Riddle with a fiery passion, but it was a sobering twist to the argument. Having held her ground this whole time Megan was starting to feel very foolish.
Riddle would get his, Megan knew, but it would not be today. Or this year even. She regretted upsetting Gwyn this much, but knew that someday she'd come back to this train of thought.
Having spurned his attempts to calm her down, Megan didn't exactly know how to come back other than to just outright apologize. "Alright," she said quietly. "No more Riddle talk. I'm sorry." Megan brushed her hand against Gwyn's finger tips, as if asking if she was allowed back into his personal bubble. "
Gwyn took hold of her fingers and after a moment he had her hand in his. They just sat there and said nothing. After a few minutes Gwyn managed a smile and moved in closer to Megan. Glad it was finally out. Glad it was over.
"I'm a Ministry brat. Got no use for them you know that. If something serious were to happen to me well my parents would arrive and being Ministry it would get around. That would be embarrassing for Dippet, and Riddle wouldn't want that in his last year. He had to find something or someone to hold me in tow. You know it might be nice just being us for a bit. We'll have to find out what that seventh floor room's all about, Riddle made some odd comment about it. I'm sure we haven't found all the tunnels and short cuts yet. Andrew can help there. Who knows what mischief we can get into."
There were still student looking down the corridor at them. "Hey! What are you looking at, sod off." He sat back smiled and winked at Megan.
Megan found a girlish giggle starting to make its way to her lips and she suppressed it. "Well we have double transfiguration today with Dumbledore. If we're late he'll know somethings up." She stood and tugged at Gwyn's hand. A little tired now, but in higher spirits two continued back up the stairs.
As they walk to the stairs a teacher walked quickly past them following the directions of a Shepard who jumped from picture frame to picture frame. Gwyn couldn't help but feel a little bad but he did manage a laugh.
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Post by Naucoaran on Apr 30, 2010 22:42:08 GMT -8
As the two Gryffindor’s went to their class, Adrian and Andi were left at the breakfast table. They made small chat for the rest of the meal and then Andi got up, ready to leave. "Where is your first class?" Adrian asked.
Andi smirked "It's only been in the same place all year; you know my schedule by now." Adrian nodded hastily.
"Yes, I know. It's just, well." he stood and brushed his robes off. "I'll walk with you." The girl gave a smile then nodded, glad to have the company. As they neared her class door, Adrian said goodbye then good luck as she entered the class; he then promptly turned on his heel and sprinted to the other wing of the school, hoping he wouldn't be too late to class himself.
Having only been slightly reprimanded by his professor, Adrian was able to continue throughout the day as regular, eventually ending up in his common room after all the classes were done. Adrian plopped into a large chair with a book, and waited. Andi eventually came down the stairs from the girls area and walked by. He had heard her mention that she was going out to study, and he had waited for her to be preoccupied with it before he could finish his business for the day. As soon as she left and was gone from the hallway, Adrian got up and left.
The boy quickly ran through the hallways to the Gryffindor common room where Megan, who had also been waiting for Gwyn to be preoccupied, was waiting. Adrian got to the portrait and found a Gryffindor girl standing outside. He went over to her and whispered something to her.
A few seconds after this happened; the girl was in the common room and approached Megan. "The blue nymph crouches at midnight." She said, wearing quite a confused expression on her face. "What’s all this about? Are you going to let me know what plot of yours I've been pulled into?"
"Excellent." Was all Megan said while she rubbed her hands together. "Maybe later!" she called over her shoulder as she raced out of the common room to Adrian. "Gwyn is out to practice, as planned. Lets hurry." she said to him as the two made their way down to the ground floor then out to the grounds keepers lodge.
"Hello, Ogg!" They both called out to the grounds keeper as they approached. "Is Hagrid around?" the man grunted and pointed into the back. "Hopefully he can help us." Adrian said as they rounded the corner to find the assistant grounds keeper.
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Post by Bessain on May 1, 2010 0:09:22 GMT -8
Hagrid was already expecting them. Megan usually used Gwyn's quidditch practices as a chance to sneak down here. However, this was the first time she would be bringing Adrian with her.
"Evening Hagrid," Megan called, watching as the giant of a student carried wooden crates of the school's chickens toward the forest.
He turned slowly, obviously expecting them. "'Lo Megan. Adrian."
"How many you got for me today?" Megan asked, catching up with the half-giant at a trot. She tried to peer through the slates in the boxes, but was unable to get a good look.
"Four jus' fer today." he said, coming to a stop in a paddock. Hagrid bent low and opened all the cages, releasing the hens. "By the way Megan. Sommat ran off with a couple o' the used ones. Bin' findin' wood chicken heads everywhere."
"Oh... well I'll try to reverse them this time if I can't get it. Sorry about that."
Hagrid just laughed and walked off to lean against the paddock fence to watch.
"Anyway Adrian, I've been practicing on the schools old chickens that have stopped laying. It was the only way Hagrid could get Ogg to let me use them. I'll use something different for the final product, but I need to get it right first." Megan rolled up her sleeves and grabbed the nearest hen and shoved it in Adrians arms. "Just hold her still. Now I think Gwyn rides a Cleansweep model? I don't know much about brooms so thats why I need you here."
"...So you're gonna MAKE a broom?" Adrian asked incredulously, staring at the chicken in his arms. "Megan, in order to even compete with the racing brooms you'd have to--"
"Oh hush! I don't need your statistics." she said, pulling out her wand. Megan concentrated very hard on the bright white bird and, after gathering her wits about her, gave it a tap.
The chicken gave a shudder and suddenly it neck started to stretch, its feathers melted into its body, and the back end started to sprout twigs.
Megan started to cheer in triumph, until her excitement broke the spell. The chicken's form stopped changing, and Adrian ended up holding a broom with feet.
"...Well you almost did it. Don't get so worked up next time.
Hagrid's laughter caught their attention. "She does that a lot." He kicked open a chest next to him and half formed brooms fluttered out. Some still had wings, some were fully formed brooms but with feathers.
~
Megan was able to work out her transfiguration problem before long, and she had Adrian in the air within the hour. Each time she made a change to a broom, Adrian had to test drive it.
So far, none of them flew right. The first one didnt even fly. It just sort of floated along in the wind. After some fiddling, Megan had the the thing actually flying... but unfortunately for Adrian, it took him straight into the Black Lake. Others vibrated and refused to turn left or right, the rest tried to buck Adrian off into the trees.
"Why are you speeding this up!"Adrian finally asked as he rubbed at some fresh bruises. "Hagrid tells me you've been at this for months!"
Megan sighed. "Gwyn and I got into a fight this morning and I called him some things I shouldnt have. I mean we're okay now. But I think I hurt us a little bit, not just him."
"So to make it up to him you will kill him in quidditch?"
"I think a peace offering is in order. I was going to save this for a holiday or birthday gift, but I think it needs to be done now. Even if I'm not as sorry as I probably should be... but anyway." she said, trying to get the topic to something else. Truth was, Megan was still a little angry about what happened earlier that morning, but she didn't want to be. Gwyn was only looking out for her. Megan kept telling herself that she had no right to be moody, but it didn't help things. In any case, Adrian didnt need to know that. So she moved the focus back on him."What exactly did you need from Hagrid?"
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Post by Naucoaran on May 3, 2010 22:38:19 GMT -8
Surprised by the sudden question, Adrian at first did not have an answer ready. He stumbled over his words for a few seconds before taking a breath and starting over. "I uh, wanted him to get me a Crup." He said, almost sheepishly. When Megan's curious expression did not change, he chose to expand more. "It's like a Jack Russell terrier," he explained "but it has a forked tail." he finished.
"Why do you want something like that?" Megan asked.
"Well, it's not for me. It's a gift. For Andi." he said, slightly embarrassed. Megan seemed to catch on rather quickly at that, and at first wore a surprised expression before sharing a laugh with Adrian. She let it go at that, as he seemed a little uncomfortable from finally admitting his feelings towards the Ravenclaw girl.
"We're running out of chickens." Adrian remarked as Megan readied her wand again. She sent him a light glare then focused on the task at hand. She said the words clearly and slowly to make sure they were right, moving in precise motions. Megan touched the tip of her wand to the flustered chicken and watched it start to change. The bird thinned considerably then stretched out, the feathers melding into a smooth white wood broom. She nearly cheered again as the transformation went into it's finishing process but held herself in check, remembering what had happened last time.
The broom finished forming, and the two held their breath, particularly Adrian, as he mounted the broom and pushed off. He rose into the air lightly, and then he leaned forward and started to take off. As he gained in confidence with the broom, Adrian began to fly circles, then taking it into a few loops and spins. The broom seemed to handle wonderfully, albeit a bit slow. As he came in for a landing Adrian hopped off the broom and held it up for Megan.
"Flies great, a bit slow though. Might have to do with the chicken." he said. "Now you just have to change it back." He said with a smile. That proved to be much easier than the original process, so Megan had it down quite quickly. As she practiced, Adrian went to Hagrid and told him about the Crup that he wanted. The large student snickered and then told him that it shouldn't be too hard to get one for him in no time at all.
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Post by Gwyn on May 8, 2010 23:18:08 GMT -8
"Allardyce" Gwyn looked over and just managed to duck in time to avoid being hit by the bludger. Kade flew over to Gwyn to see what's up with him.
"What's with you? That's the second one that nearly cracked your skull. All practice you've acting... I don't know...strange. You got something on your mind, you in trouble again?" Kade asked.
"No it's nothing. I'll be alright. Thanks again."
Gwyn tried to remained focused for the remainder of the Quidditch practice but his performance remained lack lustre.
Megan and their argument had remained centred on his mind. Was he really going to sit back and do nothing for the rest of the year? Her sharp words still rang in his ears and stung.
Quote ("What could possibly slow you?")
He had no doubt that Riddle would be true to his word and harm Megan if there was any more trouble for him or Slytherin. But there was no way that Gwyn was going to sit back and let time roll by, no way whatsoever.
After Quidditch practice Andrew met Gwyn outside the change rooms. They planned to check out if a tunnel that Andrew heard of did exist but Gwyn had remembered something that Riddle had said, and about that he was curious.
"Riddle said something about us being lucky and us not even knowing why. It had something to do with that strange room we were in. It was where we found Caius and when we were trapped and needed a way out of there it changed. I mean the whole room changed while we stood there. Tell me everything you've heard about the seventh floor and that room."
There was little information Andrew could give Gwyn. The room wasn't commonly known of or used at all as far as he knew. He'd never heard of it until he overheard mutterings between Riddle the Slytherin Prefect. Exactly what they were talking about he wasn't sure but he heard Riddle say like it was very difficult to find the door unless you knew the right thing to say.
It didn't sound all that strange to Gwyn because they had been in the room and he and the others had seen it change. This was something they needed to know about. He was sure that in the years to come it would be good to know one more of the secrets of Hogwarts. For now he would be content to hunt for this tunnel Andrew heard of.
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Post by Bessain on May 22, 2010 19:35:27 GMT -8
"Adrian get down here." Megan called from the forest floor. It was getting later in the afternoon, and the two would have to beat Gwyddion back to the common room to keep him from getting suspicious. Adrian landed lightly a few feet away from her.
"You know Megan, this one isn't very fast." he said mischieviously. "It could be a nice practice broom for--"
"No!" Megan replied, backing away from Adrian as if the broom was cursed.
He chuckled. "C'mon. You fall off a broom once and then swear off of them forever? I'm sure the muggles have a saying for this..."
"I don't care." Megan quickly transfigured the broom back into a chicken while Adrian was still holding onto it. He didn't have a very good grip, and the wriggling fowl buffeted the Ravenclaw about the face a few times till he let go.
Hagrid, who was still watching, let out a stream of booming laughter.
"Oh come off it Hagrid," Adrian grumbled, chasing the bird back into one of the cages.
The two thanked Hagrid for his help, and left him with money to pay for their needs before sprinting off to the castle.
Megan left Adrian on the staircases as she headed for the Gryffindor common room. She took a seat on one of the couches in front of the fire and quickly threw a few text books from her bag onto the coffee table.
Gwyddion walked through the portrait hole ten minutes later, and Megan pretended to look busy. She lifted her head casually, as if to have been unaware of his presence.
"Hey Gwyn," she said, patting the seat next to her invitingly. "Good game?"
"Um, well it was just a practice." he replied, wondering why Megan would ever bring up quidditch.
"Oh, right." she said awkwardly. Maybe mentioning quidditch is too suspicious, she thought to herself. The quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor was only two weeks away, and Megan wanted everything to be in order.
Gwyn set his broom aside and sat next to Megan, noticing that all her books were laid out, but her parchment remained untouched. He decided not to ask.
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