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Post by Administrator on May 28, 2009 20:27:55 GMT -5
Let's hope these stairs are going to your next destination!
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Post by Jenna Doherty on Jan 7, 2011 14:51:04 GMT -5
Jenna sprinted down the corridor, book bag slapping against her hip and robes billowing out behind her. The sound of her shoes colliding with the stone floor echoed through the hallway. A moment later, her footsteps were joined by louder and heavier ones. Jen’s eyes widened and she quickened her pace.
Five minutes prior, the Hufflepuff had left Transfiguration and found Millicent Bulstrode harassing a third year. For reasons Jenna would never be able to explain, she marched up to the Slytherin and tapped her on the shoulder. Millicent slowly turned to face the Hufflepuff, and Jenna nearly stumbled backward in fear. She didn’t know anyone who had quite the same enraged gleam in their eyes as Millicent Bulstrode when interrupted from her daily harassment of students and other small creatures.
With a deep breath and a burst of courage, she squared her shoulders and boldly told Millicent to leave the third year alone. A sour expression graced Millicent’s alarming features and Jenna, having quickly lost her sporadic spurt of bravery, began babbling incoherently, hoping that perhaps the sixth year would ignore her and walk away.
Millicent Bulstrode did not walk away. In fact, she came closer to Jen, who, in a state of extreme panic, practically shouted, “I love your hair!” That stopped the Slytherin in her tracks. Judging by the state it was in, Jenna suspected Millicent was not often complimented on her hair.
When Millicent paused, Jenna didn’t hesitate to hold back any pleasing comments. If there was one thing Jenna knew how to talk about, it was hair. She chattered non-stop for a good three minutes about the Slytherin’s “luscious locks” before she inadvertently made her own death wish: she mentioned Millicent’s split ends.
Jenna was sure the sixth year had been waiting for her to say something slightly worthy of a beating, because the second the words left Jen’s mouth, the Hufflepuff had been forced to turn around and run for her life. As she charged down the corridor, Jenna caught sight of the only thing that might save her: the enchanted staircase. It was already moving to its next destination, but that didn’t stop the Hufflepuff.
Jenna felt like she was moving in slow motion as she raced down the hallway. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Millicent roughly toss a small student out of her path. Jen turned back to the stairs slowly ebbing away from her. She bolted toward them and, completely disregarding that she would look quite foolish and possibly ruin her hair, she leapt into the air, soaring toward the staircase. For a split second, Jen felt invincible. She had stood up for a third year, outrun Millicent Bulstrode, and now she was flying through the air as if she was triumphantly riding a Hippogriff.
There were two problems with that last bit, though. Firstly, Jen was afraid of Hippogriffs and secondly, she was not flying, she was falling. And not with style.
The stairs continued their journey away from Jenna. Limbs flailing, she attempted to propel herself toward her destination. She moved her arms as if she was swimming through the air and then – YES! Her fingers touched the railing. She hastily grasped at the marble, holding onto it with all her might. The tip of her right foot brushed the last stair and, using all the lower body strength she had, Jenna thrust her left leg out. Her foot collided roughly with the stair and, pulling hard on the railing, she forced herself onto the stairs – well, face-flat onto the stairs, but she was on the stairs nevertheless.
No sooner had she smacked the marble, did she lift her head and whip it around to look back to where she’d come from. Millicent Bulstrode stood where the stairs used to be. She was positively seething as she watched Jenna travel onward and upward on the staircase. A small smile made its way onto Jenna’s lips as she realized she’d won. Heart pounding, legs shaking, and lungs begging for air, Jenna pushed herself to her feet and raised her right hand to her forehead in a salute to Millicent as the stairs continued to rise.
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Post by Finley Greyson on Jan 8, 2011 22:35:18 GMT -5
Finley yawned and ran a hand through his shaggy, messy hair as he strolled down the hallway toward the many moving staircases. His bag was slung over one shoulder carelessly and a piece of paper stuck out, revealing he gotten and 'E' on his latest Divination assignment. It was not what he had hoped for, but who needed Divination anyways? Like he was going to want to know the best time to conceive an imaginary child with his imaginary wife. Sure.
He stood before two sets of staircases, trying to decided which one to take. It was like he was before Janus and being forced to decide the fate of the entire world. It might have been a bit dramatic, but Finley hated the staircases here. They were always full of surprises and he didn't do well with surprises. He decided to take the one right before him. It was beginning to change and that was bad, but then again, he didn't really want to go to Transfiguration, now did he? Too many idiots waving their wands wildly, just to see what would happen.
Finley was on the third to top step, practically clinging to the railing out of fear of falling, when it happened. A strange girl leaped from the landing to the staircase. It seemed like she was being chased by none other then Millicent Bulstrode of Slytherin. Fun. Finley was intent on ignoring her and surviving the hazardous trip of the staircase when it looked like she was going to fall.
Finley did not think about falling anymore, he took the stairs by two and landed a stair above her. He watched in confusion as she managed to get up on her own. Now he was standing there like an idiot, his arms slightly outstretched, like he was trying to catch a ghost. A ghost that was now standing and taunting the chaser. Finley ruffled his hair lazily and cocked an eyebrow.
"So... What did you do to make her chase you? Threaten to eat her cat?" He asked, smirking slightly. He was slightly cynical, but he blamed it on the upbringing and lack of therapists telling him 'it wasn't his fault'. He looked at the girl and then stuck a hand out with slight embarrassment. "Finley Greyson, Gryffindor." He murmured, not sure how to proceed from that statement until she said something, anything.
Wasn't this nice? Trying to save a foolhardy girl from falling to her death, only to find the damsel isn't so distressed and then introducing himself lamely. Great start Finley, she's only going to blow you off and leave, never to speak to you again, He thought this all bitterly, and with a slight amount of fear.
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Post by Jenna Doherty on Jan 9, 2011 0:52:43 GMT -5
"So... What did you do to make her chase you? Threaten to eat her cat?"
Starled, Jenna whipped around to face her company. “Huh?” She must have looked exceedingly foolish. Her hand was still raised to her forehead in her salute to Millicent and she wore an expression that highly resembled that of a goldfish.
“Oh!” Jenna laughed, lowering her hand to her side. “No,” she said, still trying to catch her breath. “I, I mentioned—” Jenna moved a hand to her hair, which was probably sticking out at a ridiculous angle by this point, and lowered her voice. “Her split ends.” She grinned proudly and boasted, “I also told her to stop picking on a little Ravenclaw.” Jenna shrugged. “She doesn’t like when her hourly bullying is interrupted. It’s like her favorite program on the telly, starring her.” Jen frowned slightly, realizing she might not necessarily be talking to another Muggle-born. She quickly began to think up a good definition of the telly, but was spared the explanation, much to her relief.
"Finley Greyson, Gryffindor."
Jen nodded. “Yes, I know. You’re a sixth year, aren’t you?” Immediately after the words left her mouth, she blushed furiously. Finley obviously didn’t recognize Jenna and she feared she had come off looking like some sort of creep or busy body. The Hufflepuff knew plenty of older students, but, as she was a year behind them, they seldom knew who she was in return. The school wasn’t very large, though, and she hoped that she would come off as seeming more “well informed” than any other adjectives Finley might think up.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I wasn’t trying to be weird, I just recognized you.” And knew your name, house, and year. “You know, I think my friend, Charlie, might have a class with you, since you’re both in the same year,” she babbled. “That probably depends on how many O.W.L.s you got, though. For all I know, you might have no classes with Charlie! You might have no classes at all!” Wait – that wasn’t a good thing to say. Jenna tried to back pedal. “I mean, that’s not to say that you didn’t get any O.W.L.s, I’m sure you got plenty. Probably more than I’ll get!” She paused to catch her breath and laugh awkwardly, heightening her level of discomfort, which wasn’t exactly difficult, considering the drivel that just came out of her mouth.
Jenna took a deep breath and took Finley’s outstretched hand. “Hi, I’m Jenna Doherty. I’m a Hufflepuff, fifth year.” Jenna had never prided herself on being good with introductions. Or speaking slowly. “I’m sorry for invading your staircase,” she added. “I didn’t realize you were here when I was getting on to it. I hope you don’t mind terribly. I can stand in the corner if you’d like. I promise I won’t be bothersome. I just need to be somewhere that Millicent is not. That’s all, I promise.”
Clutching the railing, Jenna slowly left out a long breath and looked around as the stairs moved. Eventually, her eyes darted back to Finley. She smiled slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear. She made a rare attempt at behaving casually. “S-so where are you off to?”
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Post by Finley Greyson on Jan 9, 2011 13:52:18 GMT -5
Finley raised an eyebrow at the seemingly baffled Hufflepuff and listened as she stuttered her way through an explanation. But he broke a smile when she finally announced Millicent's reason for chasing her. "Her split ends? Impressive." He chuckled. He felt no need to explain that he did not even know what split ends were. Why announce all his secrets? He nodded. "And the truth comes out. You decided to play hero and you nearly got killed. Smart move, really." He scoffed slightly, showing his true feelings on the matter. He would have walked away and left the Ravenclaw deal with it on their own. No need for him to stick his neck out.
He chuckled at the look on her face, "I know what a telly is." He assured her. After introducing himself, he was shocked to find that she knew exactly who he was. He blinked and nodded, "Yeah, I'm a sixth year. Do you know my favorite color too?" He was trying his hand a humor, but was failing miserably. This is why he usually just flirted until they shut up, but somehow, he didn't think it would work on this Hufflepuff.
As she rambled on about Charlie and classes and O.W.L.s, his patience grew thinner until he held his hand up for her to be quiet. "Relax. I probably know Charlie, then again, maybe not. I have several classes and I got four O.W.L.s, happy?" He raised his eyebrows, realizing he had just told her more then he had intended. He flushed slightly and coughed into his fist, noting the awkwardness that grew up between them.
He was relieved when she took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Jenna." As she continued on, he actually laughed. "Can't you ever be quiet, Jenna Doherty, fifth year Hufflepuff? Relax. Come on, deep breaths. This is not, nor will ever be, my staircase. You have the same amount of right to it as I do." He rolled his eyes slightly, wondering how much headache potion he would have to take later, and then placed his hands on her shoulders. "You can stand wherever you like. For conversation's sake, let's remain like this, okay? And clearly, Millicent isn't here. Otherwise, the staircase would be moving slower." Yes, it was a fat joke and a bad one, but that was Finley for you.
He pointed to the corridor she had just vacated in response to her question. "I am supposed to be in Transfiguration." He smirked and shrugged. "I'll only get detention, so it's okay. I like to think that McGonagall has a soft spot for me." He was joking, if only slightly. He didn't mean to be a troublemaker, but he didn't take crap from anyone, not even teachers, so it kind of just happened that he spent nearly every Saturday in some form of detention.
"Are you going somewhere in particular? Or anywhere away from Millicent?" He asked casually, leaning against the railing.
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Post by Jenna Doherty on Jan 10, 2011 16:44:56 GMT -5
"And the truth comes out. You decided to play hero and you nearly got killed. Smart move, really."
Not catching the note of sarcasm in his voice, Jenna’s face lit up. “Thank you! I actually felt quite good about it. I mean, after all the running and such.” Jenna was not particularly brave or bold, so any day she was able to work up the courage to stand up for herself or someone else was a good day.
"Yeah, I'm a sixth year. Do you know my favorite color too?"
Jenna’s face reddened once more and her gaze dropped from Finley to the stairs. She anxiously twisted her hair as she mumbled, “I’m sure you know the name of plenty of older students too.” Ah, there was that withering courage. She couldn’t run away from this situation without falling to her death, so Jenna did what she did best when she felt under attack: break eye contact, turn red, and speak in a tiny voice. She played with her hair too, but Jenna fussed over that on such a regular basis, it was hardly something that seemed noteworthy.
"Relax. I probably know Charlie, then again, maybe not. I have several classes and I got four O.W.L.s, happy?"
“Oh, goodness,” she said. Realizing he might think her rude, Jenna hurriedly added, “You know, I never felt academics were really a proper display of intelligence anyway. It’s one thing to be book smart, but having common sense is a completely different matter.” She smiled. She didn’t want to seem like she was being judgmental. “And extra study time is never something to complain about, isn’t that right?”
"Can't you ever be quiet, Jenna Doherty, fifth year Hufflepuff?"
Jenna’s eyes grew so wide that she momentarily feared they might just pop out of her head. Her jaw almost dropped as well, but, luckily, she realized that might look like she was overreacting a bit prior to actually completing the motion. No one had ever addressed Jenna’s talkativeness in such a brash manner before. Most people found her to be awkwardly charming or, at least, smiled when they told her she was talking too much and too fast.
The Hufflepuff did not reply. She couldn’t put her finger on what emotion was dominant; she was either very offended or maybe going to get a little teary in the girls’ bathroom when the stairs reached their destination. Either way, she kept her mouth shut, as to not irritated Finley Greyson, sixth year Gryffindor further.
"Are you going somewhere in particular? Or anywhere away from Millicent?"
Jenna shrugged. She had actually been planning to pop into the Great Hall for a bite to eat in between classes, but her confrontation with Millicent had lead her in quite the opposite direction. She did not, however, say any of this to Finley. For a while. Eventually, the silence was too awkward, even for Jenna, and she mumbled, “I’m going to the Great Hall.” She was quiet for a moment, then added, “Once the stairs stop.”
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Post by Finley Greyson on Jan 12, 2011 18:23:12 GMT -5
Finley stared at her in slight amazement. She took his insult as a compliment. Well, it seems he had met his match. He rolled his eyes lazily. Not. As she mentioned that he knew older students, he raised both eyebrows and shrugged. "No, I don't, actually. I generally don't like people." And anyways, he was too busy studying half the time to even make good friends in his house. Sure he had friends, but none that would invite him to their houses or anything. He was just... wary.
Then she flushed and turned shy and for a heart stopping moment, Finley wondered if he had gone too far. He was about to apologize untruthfully when she changed the subject. Again. "Sure. I need study time. I'm not that smart so I have to work hard. Especially since I want to be a Healer." That career had always been ingrained in his mind. First as a Muggle doctor, then as a Healer when he was revealed as a wizard. He wanted to make sure that nothing like what had happened to his brother ever happened again.
After his latest comment, she fell silent and Finley was filled with deep guilt and remorse. Now she would leave him too. Did he really have to be so repugnant to everyone he met. Finally, she said she was going to the Great Hall. Finley sighed and not quite meeting her eyes, murmured,"'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have those things the way I did. I only meant them as a joke, honest." That wasn't quite true, but it would surely keep her around longer then saying that he had meant to insult her, if only slightly and he thought she was being to sensitive. Instead, he took the safe route, the one everyone expected him to take.
He finally did look her full in the face and fixed on a slight smile. "I'm sorry. Do you... forgive me?" Forgiveness, what a curious thing. He always wanted it, for what he did not know, but he always had trouble giving it. To his father, to his mother, to his grandparents, and even to his dead brother. How odd that he should expect it from this strange girl he had literally just met.
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