Expedition in Unknown Territories Closed

Katrina looked up in shock. A loud crash reverberated down the hall. She sat in one of the corridors with her back against the cold stone wall. In her hands, she gripped a newspaper. She was months behind on everything that had been happening. Harry Potter being convicted of murder! She had pushed aside the time in the Headmasters Office and had, quite frankly, forgotten about it. Now, she had just heard everything the gossip had been about. The rumors she had previously ignored, now fell perfectly into place. She crammed the newspaper in her satchel to read later.

Slowly, the Gryffindor crept around a corner, closer to the crash. She pushed a lock of her teal dyed hair behind her ear and peered down the hall. Another loud sound egged her forward. Millions of possibilities flew through the frantic girl's mind. It could be a hag, or a dragon, or a giant. Flashbacks of the horrors from the masked ball flooded the innocent child's head. Screams, the flicker of flames. The traumatized lioness shook her vivid imagination away.

To her surprise, the 'danger' she had previously thought was there was all made up. A small House Elf stood in the walkway. What it was doing, Katrina couldn't be sure. It quickly darted around a corner. Katrina's curiosity got the better of her and she was following. It sped away and Katrina attempted to catch up. Up a stairwell, to the right, through a large room, down a corridor, a turn to the right, a sharp left, down a stair case they went on and on. Gradually, the house elf grew farther away. Yet, Katrina's anticipation grew and grew. This was the most excitement she had since the time in the dungeons.

Eventually, Katrina began to slow and her breaths came in short gasps. A painful stitch in her side forced her to slow more. No longer could she hear the House Elf's hurried footsteps leading the way. Katrina paused her search and looked around. Even though she had been in this school for two years, Hogwarts was still full of surprises. She hadn't ever been here before. She knew the way back, but it was time for some exploring.

A few loud students approached and Katrina acted like she hadn't just chased a House Elf on a whim. Neither students Katrina recognized and they both seemed much older. The wore the signifying blue striped outfit that was opposite her own red one.

"Did you hear about that Damphire attack last week?" one Ravenclaw inquired.

Her friend, cocked an eyebrow, "Another?" that one saw Katrina.

At the same moment, the friend saw Katrina too, "Are you lost?"

Katrina vehemently shook her head. "No, just delivering something" the lie came too easy on her lips and Katrina inwardly chastised herself.

They both shrugged and continued walking. The duo left her alone in the corridor. Strays of their conversation lingered.

"Wasn't that the Walker girl?"

"Aw, the one who's parents died in a house fire last year"

"Poor girl"

Katrina made a face as she walked farther down the hall. Sure, it was nice to be recognized, but it still felt like a knife to the heart every time someone says that to or about her. She meandered down the hall and found an old dusty window. Katrina sat on the window sill and looked around. The hum of students below her was comforting, but it was peaceful and quiet in this corridor. She finished reading the newspaper by the light from the window. She needed something more to do. Out of habit, the lion drew out her sketchbook and pencils.

Katrina began to sketch the hallway, paying special attention to perspective. She added her shadow from the mid-day sun filtered through the old window on the floor of her drawing. It was more of a brief sketch that she could fill in more details later.

Another upperclassman strode down the corridor, he was also bearing the blue uniform. He snatched her sketchbook to get a good look at it. Katrina gave a small squeak of annoyance.

"Nice doodle," he teased. "Wanna sketch me? I'll pay you..." the offer hung in the air.

Katrina shook her head slowly before adding, "I'm not good at drawing people," she somehow managed not to stutter.

The Ravenclaw scoffed and stormed away. He tossed the book at the wall and left. Katrina annoyedly picked it up and returned to the sill. More details found their way to her picture. Time was irrelevant as Katrina became fully entranced in the world of her creation.