A Secret Mission Abandoned

As the adventure had begun, Jake's whispered protests and struggles had fallen on deaf ears as he was tugged outside of the common room. The littlest Puff had turned his head back and watched the door to the common room get smaller and smaller, until the darkness began to creep in from the edges of their small light to hide it entirely. "W-Wait guys. D-don't you think..." he'd begun to ask, but was only answered by another tug on his arm. He'd suddenly thought this was a very bad idea. He'd wanted to make a run back to the common room - did they really need him on the mission? But Jake couldn't do that. This wasn't only because George was still tugging on his arm. It was because now the way back meant walking alone in the dark...and the very thought made Jake gulp. Stuck between two scary things, he felt safer with the other boys. Jake didn't want to be alone.

The three young boys made their way through the sleeping and abandoned castle. The corridor was cold, but Jake was bundled up in warm PJs and slippers, and more equipped than his badger brothers to deal with the cold. The dark, however, was another story. Jack held the light, and George and Jake walked behind him. The light was bright enough inside of the boys' bedroom, or when Jake would hold it for night-time trips to the loo, but in the larger hallways and held so far away from Jake the light it provided seemed a mere pittance. Everything was dark, and the sounds of Jake's sharp breathing was unable to be quieted as his eyes darted around, straining to see what lay beyond the safety of the light.

George said no lights unless it was an emergency, but Jake still couldn't cast 'lumos' and the only light he had was in Jack's hands now. As George laid out tactics for if they were caught, Jake felt a new surge of fear validated. So they COULD get caught after all? "B-but can't we j-just say it's a mission...?" he whispered as he was tugged along some more. Jake was breaking a rule...he had never broken a rule. He didn't want to get in trouble. He didn't want his FRIENDS to get in trouble. Wouldn't they see a professor at any moment?

The old castle was creepy in the daytime...at night it was horrific. Everything looked different at night...the paintings watched them with a haunting gaze. The suits of armor seemed ready to attack at any moment. Jake stared at them with wide eyes as they continued to get deeper and deeper into the school. Where were they going anyway? And were they almost there? Jake muttered to himself. This wasn't going to end well, he just knew it. At one point he stumbled, almost tripping to the ground, but he was tugged back along by George. With each step they were farther and farther away from safety, from the known. He inched himself closer to Georgie.

Jake tried to be brave. It was a feat he couldn't have accomplished if George hadn't been holding his arm. But George's hand was steady, and Jake could feel the bravery inside of it. It was a constant reminder that George was there. Being with his two bigger room-mates made Jake feel a little bit safer. That managed to pacify him for a while. But the farther they got the harder it was, and he was steadily reaching the breaking point where panic wins out. Finally, Jake could take it no longer and he tugged lightly on the arm that held him to try and get Georgie's attention.

"C-can't we go back...?" Jake pleaded softly with the other boys. "I want Freddie..." he said, his voice choking up slightly on the name, and his lower lip beginning to tremble. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but the further and further they got away from the safety of Hufflepuff common room the more Jake felt scared. It was dark. And quiet. Everything was strange. There were weird creaks and sounds. The badger society's mission no longer seemed important. Jake wanted the safety of his bed and a stuffy to cling to.

Then, a noise. Perhaps it was a tree branch hitting the walls of the castle, perhaps a cat had knocked something over far away. Jake didn't think of those things. To Jake it was a monster on its way to get him, and despite the warnings from the older boys to stay quiet, the youngest member of the squad let out a frightened yelp and dashed into Georgie's side and clung to him.

"Wh-wh-what was that...?" Jake whimpered, whispering (though more because he didn't want the scary-thing to hear him than because he had remembered he was supposed to). His heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out his chest as he hugged his room-mate and shook.

@George Henry & @Jake Morris

Jack's hands wrapped around the night-light that they had 'borrowed' from Jake. There was a strong feeling that this little night light was not going to be able to provide bright light, so the idea that it afforded them some sort of protection was rather low. Not to mention the possible prefects or teachers would most likely be drawn towards it. At this moment in time, Jack was really wishing that he knew Lumos. "If we do get caught, we all run. No snitching-" His eyes flick over to Jake for a second, as the smaller boy spoke. "It's a SECRET mission for a reason, Jake. Also, we should probably stop talking. It would be really bad if we got caught because we were all being loud-mouthed." As he spoke, Jack's voice was low and serious.

His heart rhythmically pressed against his chest telling him that he was already getting excited about this excursion. A general sense of nervous energy permeated around him, and as he walked Jack bounced on the balls of feet. The quickly muted questions of Jake broke the silence, and Jack glanced back at his two new traveling companions. He liked these guys. That was a good thing, considering that they would be basically living together for the next period of time. George seemed to be super smart, way smarter than Jack was by any means. Jake, on the other hand, had the biggest babyface he had ever seen! That could be super helpful for getting out of trouble... A devilish grin spread across his face as he thought about how Jake Morris would be the tool to his success. Why did you sneak out?: Jake was lost and didn't come back into the dormitory! Why did you get in a fight with that other student?: They were bullying Jake!

Exploratory instinct soon took over as his mind became distant. Turn left, turn right, go down the hall for three intersections, then take another left. The sound of Jake's scared please for his stuffie. "Jake, you are with us, lad. Freddie can wait-" Jack was never good at trying to reassure people. However, a sudden noise did ring out, and Jack froze solid. Another worried whimper from Jake. "I don't think it was anything to worry about." He turned once again, only to see the boy grasping for dear life on George. "What on earth are ya doin'?" He asked exasperatedly

Ability: Lovely Creature

It was late and the little redhead was doing her final patrols before heading to bed herself. It was a busy day but she didn't feel tired yet. As a Prefect, she had sort of an excuse to still be around a little bit past curfew. This way she could have a last walk to tire herself out before jumping in the sheets. Carefully, she pulled out a lolipop from her pocket. A bloodflavoured one. She had gotten quite hungry and her snacks were hidden in her Dorm. The promise of sweet goodness made her long for her bed more. Removing the wrapper, she quietly put in her mouth. Gently flicking her tongue against the flavoury sphere.

She used to be terrified of the dark and the many noises of the Castle. They used to remind her of bullies that were out to get her, or so her mind would make her think they were. Months have passed and now she didn't feel so scared anymore. However, it happened that a sudden sound would nearly make her heart jump out of her chest. Keep it together, keep it together: was her go-to mantra.

She started thinking of how she looked today, how hard she had worked to get her make-up on point, how well she coordinated the slytherin colours with black,... Today she wore her loyal red eyeliner that only accentuated the corners of her eyes. Mom used to say that it made the blue in her eyes pop. Nico usually started crying because she thought that her eyes were going to explode but... Luckily that got cleared up real fast.

Her long red hair swayed from side to side with every step she took. Her black mary janes only lightly tapping on the cold, stone floors. Eyeing at the walls, she came to a halt. The armory in the corridors always reminded her of Hugh. After the few times they hung out she never looked at knights the same way again. Not that she knew that much about them, she did know he did. A soft smile resting on her lips, she continued to make her way through the halls, until her ears picked up a sound. A sound made out of sounds.

Were those... voices? They didn't sound like a Professor nor a Prefect. Usually Prefects patrolled alone... But what if they were? Her mind started to spiral once more but she had to keep her cool. As a Prefect she had to stay focused and calm. What's the worst it could be? A monster?

Hahah..haha...ha...ha..

Coughs.

If it were students, they weren't supposed to be here. Nico was usually a rather kind person. Her friends could testify that. However, as a Prefect, she could sometimes turn out quite cold. Her experiences with giving out detention weren't the greatest... Sadly, that came with the job.

Swiftly, she made her way to the source of the sound that seemed to be just around the corner, her shoes lightly tapping on the floor like tapdancing shoes. A faint light that didn't seem to be from a torch caught her eye. Who could these youngsters be?

@George Henry | @Jake Morris | @Jack Warren

There was a feeling of dread hanging in the cold night air as one boy handed off his light to the other, just as Jake had felt earlier. An overwhelming sense that the recipient would be doing no good with it. Regardless, George shrugged it off with a sort of routine ease. They were already out past curfew, had Jake clinging onto them like glue, and in a part of the castle that felt unfamiliar in the darkness. Piles of problems like these had a way of resolving themselves all at once, crashing in one big crescendo of unpleasantness. It brought George enough comfort to accept the risks of it, knowing the resolution would either be silent satisfaction, or a story that made the costs worthwhile. He had a feeling the same reasoning wouldn't be good enough for the smallest of the trio, though.

"It'll be fine, Jake. We know what we're doing," he said, looking down at the younger Hufflepuff in the dim light of the corridor. Another lie to nestle in among the old ones. Of course they knew what they were doing - they had taken up the mantle of secret agents of the Badger Society, and such an ancient organization surely employed only the best.

A suspicious noise from somewhere in the labyrinthine halls of the school made him jolt up straight, the secret agent-like confidence now replaced by something more akin to a scared cat. His reflexes kicked in swiftly, pulling Jake around behind him as he drew his wand out from within his robe and pointed it out into the darkness. He didn't dare ask who was there - if it was Browne, then it would spell trouble beyond their wildest imagination, especially if he came out to find the first year threatening him at wand-point. His wand stayed level, pointed down the corridor and ready to defend themselves., despite his best efforts to dismiss the sound as nothing and put his wand down again. It didn't feel like nothing, and so he would stay on guard for a bit longer, despite perhaps losing some of Jack's respect.

"S-shh," he murmured, as Jack noticed how the other two were so tangled up with each other. A good pair of bunk mates, one might suppose. Jake was likely imagining monsters, but George had different sorts of fears. What if it was another student afflicted with lycanthropy, or vampirism? Or some kind of magical pet, out for the night to hunt for prey? His ears reddened with shame as he realized that, despite the more logical spin, he was also imagining monsters.

Nico rounded the corner with unfortunate timing, just as George took in a breath - leaving him able to strike without hesitating long enough to notice it was a prefect. He reared his arm back and purposefully swung his wand around, thrusting it forward with his eyes shut out of fear. "Tarantallegra!" He jerked his arm forward as the spell flew from his wand, as if expecting the thing to have some punch behind it, rather than the weightless air of the magic.

Just behind the unfortunate prefect, a suit of armor sprung to life, scaring George further - not only had he almost attacked a prefect, but there was a ghost in armor charging at them right this instant! The metal clattered in rhythm as the long-idle suit began to perform a jig, causing the boy to reel back in fear. He wasn't sure which foe would catch up first, but one thing was sure - someone was gonna be in trouble. He grabbed Jake by the arm and tugged hard on it as he ran off into the dark, clapping Jack on the back to kick him into gear as well. "RUN!"

George assured Jake that it would be fine, and Jake nodded his head nervously, hanging on every word. Though the anxiety of walking through the abandoned and darkened hallways could never go away, he trusted his older room-mate's words, and so went into an uneasy silence. George knew how to take care of himself...knew how to take care of the both of them. The eight months or so that separated them had taken George to that big-kid place of knowing...of being able to say "It'll be fine," and have Jake believe it...at least a little...for a moment. And it wasn't just George, but George AND Jack...it was hard to imagine they would let anything bad happen to him...but it was also hard to not be afraid.

When the sound rang out, and Jake clung to George, he felt himself pulled behind him, and there he stayed, hiding behind the braver badger for protection from whatever it was that was after them. George had said they were going to be ok but they WEREN'T ok. Jake lived in fear of the things that walked in the dark at night, outside the vestige of his nightlight. The monsters that waited in the hallway just out of sight whenever he got up in the night. The monsters that wandered the halls when good little boys were fast asleep.

George shushed him, but Jake couldn't help his whimper. He poked his head out and then he saw it, something moving in the dark. George shot out a spell at the beast, and then there was a rattle as a suit of armor came to life to join the fray - Jake screamed.

George tugged on his arm.

Jake ran and ran through the dark.

Badgers slippers padded on the floor as Jake ran, tugged along, legs burning. Jake stumbled, was tugged again, and somehow caught his footing as his heart skipped a beat. If he fell he would be left behind. George and Jack couldn't leave him. But what if he fell? He ran faster, dreadfully certain that any moment he'd lose contact with that hand and then he'd be alone...He couldn't see where they were going. It was dark. He was crying. One more sharp tug on the arm and he was pulled into a classroom, abandoned and empty in the darkened castle, and there they stopped.

Jake pressed himself deep into George's side, squeezing his eyes shut and squeezing his arms around his bunkmate. Jake's heart was pounding in his chest, his body trembling in terror. They were gonna get eaten. He forgot all about secret missions. They had broken the rules, and gone out after curfew, and now they were gonna get eaten by the things that lived in the dark.

Jake knew they had to be quiet. Quiet as could be, so that the monster couldn't hear them. But there was one sound that couldn't be hidden - the sound of a tiny badger's frightened sobs.

Everything happened so fast! George and Jake were freaking out at the slightest noises, so naturally, Jack had to make fun. However, George's hushed commanding 'shh' had caught him off guard. "Hey don't shh me-" They boy started to retort before a shouted spell exploded from George. That was the signal to signify that something was seriously not okay. Jack glanced down the hallway, only to see two silhouetted figures. One was dancing and clanking madly, the other...not doing that. Of course, he could assume that George had missed his spell's aiming.

It was slightly confusing that George's first reaction was to sling a spell at the newcomer. He liked that. The small faint light provided by Jake's nightlight was not enough to actually show who their new 'friend' was. The darkness was thick and engulfing in the night, but only the slight shadowy outlines gave the boy the ability to make out what was around him.

A heavy slap landed against his shoulder and the word 'RUN' was hollered out into the air. Up until that point, Jack was a car in park. The gas was pressed, then the clutch was dropped. His mind began to spin up and rev, much like the wheels of a car. Suddenly, the wheels caught traction, and his mental gears clicked into place.

This was probably the appropriate time to run, and so he did. Running was something Jack was rather good at. He thanked his lucky stars that he could see where to turn with the help of the dull nightlight. The young Hufflepuff skidded around corners of the maze-like hallways. Left, right, left...

Jack had seen his two friends pull off into an empty classroom, but he had decided to continue making noise and running with the light. Isn't that the job of the leader? To take the blame? Plus there would be dreadful guilt if he was the reason they received detention from his stupid plan to explore. He let out a loud grunt, pressing his shoulder against the cold stone wall. Peeking around a corner, he hoped to at least catch a glimpse of their possible pursuer. The only thing that felt right to do was to draw the ire of whoever had caught them.

@Jake Morris | @Jack Warren | @George Henry

And around the corner, the source of the light kinda blinded her for just a few seconds. It seemed she surprised whoever these guys were. She spooked them so much one of them cast a spell.

"Tarantallegra!"

However, they weren't the only ones who got spooked. Nico got quite a scare aswell. It appeared that the dhampir got lucky for not being the one who got dancing feet. Yet, a suit of armour sprung to life, having the time of a life he never had. 'EEK!' She shrieked as the trespassers fled into the darkness of the halls. Even one of them let out an exlamation of fear.

The agressive dancing of the suit didn't last long, yet the wild clanging of the metal made her try to crawl up a wall. After a few seconds, it fell back onto its pedestal, giving Nico some time to recollect her thoughts. 'W-Wh...' Carefully, she got back on her feet, giving a meaningfull glare to the immobilized pile of metal. '...I don't like you....'

Swiftly, she went in pursuit of the people who were most likely students. She had to give it to them, they were pretty quick. They were ahead of her quite abit. But that wouldn't slow her down. 'Hey! Come back!' As if that ever worked.

Arriving at the end of the hall, Nico came to a full stop, catching her breath as she looked around. Which way did they go? She couldn't let them slip away. Why were they out here? The way they ran, was rather suspicious. What were their intentions? Where were they going?

She tried to rely on her hearing. Surely, she wasn't a superdhampir, but carefully listening was something anyone could do. She quietly walked towards the center of the hall. For a moment, she looked at the nearest door. Maybe? Slightly tilting her head, she walked over to the classroom door. Looking down, she turned her ear. Imagine if they had fled into this room, trying to make her look stupid for not checking. It wouldn't hurt to look, right? But then again she could be wasting time. Maybe they're already way ahead... She sighed. Before she took off to continue her pursuit, she heard a noise. Coming from inside the room. Her gaze immediatly turned to the source. Was that...someone crying? Carefully, Nico pressed her hand against the door, attempting to push it open. 'Hello?...'

Ability: Lovely Creature

"Shhh... shhh..." George lead them into the dim light of the abandoned classroom, trying to console his little friend. The young badger needed to keep a level head to get out of this. He needed to stop crying so loudly!

"Shhh... shhhhut up!"

He could hear the monster running behind them - no, not a monster, worse, a prefect. At least it wasn't a grown up, or the three of them would already be jinxed six ways 'til Tuesday, wrapped up in rope and tossed off to Azkaban. But a prefect was just a kid, like them, and they had the numbers advantage unless you counted Jake as a negative, which one arguably ought to.

It was pitch black in there, and the footsteps just outside the door had slowed to a stop. The monster had found them out - maybe they heard Jake crying, or George's shoes tapping on the stone floor, but it was the end either way. All that could be done was to buy some time.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, George was hit with a flash of inspiration - he'd been in this classroom before! On a research excursion for a special article he'd been writing for Asteria, he'd seen it. He'd been secret-hunting in this castle plenty, and while he hadn't found much perhaps there was still something of use. This would be the ultimate test. He groped blindly for the edge of a desk he recalled seeing and pulled Jake down until they were both crawling on their knees, stuffing Jake in beneath the desk in the dark. He tucked in each of the smaller boy's limbs, curling him into a ball.

"Stay there, and be quiet. I'll come back. Or Jack-"

George's head shot up at the sound of the door creaking open. He impacted the bottom of the desk with a loud bang.

"Och aye," George grunted, hissing his words out through gritted teeth. He scrambled across the floor on his hands and knees, trying to find a place to hide. He peeked out from over another table, hiding behind some of the student seating in the classroom. He caught a glimpse of the monster. What he saw made him gasp, distracted from the throbbing pain in his head as he whispered in shock.

"She's pretty!"

But there was no way out - Jake, too. The clever thing for Jake to do would be to wait it out, let George be caught, and then leave when the heat died down... but he'd be too afraid. He'd come out the second George was busted. That wasn't allowed to happen - George had never wanted to get Jake in trouble, just to give him a taste of having fun outside the rules.

There was nothing in his pockets that could help him here. He checked - using his wand again would just get him in more trouble. He doubted she'd accept three knuts as a sufficient bribe. An old London Underground ticket would be unlikely to sway her in one way or the other. It was all up to him, now. And Jack, if the coward would come back and save them!

George sprung up from behind the desk to look at Nico, throwing his hands up high in surrender. "You! Uh... you're pretty!"

Yeah, that ought to do it.

Jake heard George's shushing as the other boy tried to calm him down. Normally, his consolations made a difference...but Jake wasn't just scared now, he was terrified. Terrified enough to cling to the other Hufflepuff, his tears dampening George's robes. But he wouldn't get to cling for long. He was pulled down towards the ground, following his bunkmate on hands and knees until they made it to a desk. Desks were good...they could hide there...but as George tucked Jake away until he was curled up in a ball Jake heard something that sent a jolt through his whole body.

'Stay there, and be quiet. I'll come back. Or Jack-"

"N-no....!" Jake whispered in shock. George COULDN'T leave. He needed him. If George left then he'd be all alone.

"W-wait...!" he whispered, his voice breaking, as he held out a hand towards his older room-mate. He wanted to beg George not to leave him, but his friend was already crawling away, and in the darkness of the classroom he was lost to Jake. His hand fell uselessly down.

Jake's heart continued to pound. It was dark...so dark....It was dark and Jake was scared.

The little Puff curled deeper into a ball, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. He was trembling all over. In the darkness of the classroom he could see sneering shadows as his eyes began to adjust. Large monstrous shapes watching him. He knew that probably they weren't monsters after all, but just normal classroom items, and tried to tell himself that, but in this light they sure looked like monsters and he couldn't be sure. That didn't even account for the one that was chasing them outside. His eyes squeezed shut, to try to block out the darkness. He needed Freddie, but didn't have him, and it felt like a piece of him was missing. Why hadn't he brought him along? The thought sent a fresh wave of tears down his cheeks but these tears were mercifully silent. He bit his lip. Be quiet was the last thing George had said to him.

Then there was a bang, voices...George's voice...George said somebody was...pretty...? Jake ran through the list of pretty monsters. Could it be a veela...? Maybe one of those sirens that sang sailors to their deaths on the rocks? (Reading + big imagination could be a bad combination it seemed). Why wasn't George hiding? The thought of George getting eaten was as bad as the thought of himself, but he was paralyzed, unable to move. He couldn't even come out of his ball.

Jake didn't want to look...but he forced the tiniest peek and saw...a girl...? Could it be...? Was it...a prefect? Had she found them before the monster had? Jake had never been in trouble at school before...but he would take all the detentions in the world to go back safely to his dorm room. Still he remained in his ball under the desk, listening intently to the sounds and fearing the very worst.