Midnight Exploration
Rikkali's classes had ended early. She had made her way to her dorm. Supper would have been in the next two hours. But, since lunch, she wasn't quite up to much of anything but sleep perhaps, as she was feeling dead tired. She decided to lie down for a bit. She had every intention of waking in time to head to the Great Hall for her supper, but apparently that didn't happen.
Rikkali missed the entire supper, not waking until after eleven pm. Waking with a belly that was howling at her for missing supper. Looking around her dorm, the other gals were already asleep, she pushed back her blankets, placing her bare feet upon the floor, wincing a bit from the cold of the stone floor. Grabbing clothes, she made her way into the bathing room, bathed and dressed in black denim panths and a deep purple shirt. She then made her way back to her bed, grabbing her shoes. She grabbed her cloak, a pack and headed out of the dorm, down to the common room, where she paused long enough to sit in a chair and put her shoes on.
Slipping out of the Gryffindor common room has never been an easy task. Rikkali found that out the hard way the first few times she snuck out after curfew. Since first coming to Hogwarts, she knew that first-third years had a curfew of nine pm. They had to be back in the common room by this time and not allowed to leave until six the next morning. Rikkali despised this rule. She was an explorer, and the best time for exploring is at night. Everything tended to look, feel and are different at night versus the daylight hours.
After those first few attempts of trying to sneak out of the common room, the Fat Lady had been extremely cranky at being woken up in the middle of the night. After attempting this task five times unsuccessfully, Rikkali had been in her favorite hidden little nook behind the fireplace, when she heard some older Gryffindors talking, apparently to a younger Gryffindor who was complaining of having a difficult time of sneaking out due to the Fat Lady. Rikkali perked up to listen intently as the older Gryffindors revealed to the younger Gryffindor how they would be able to achieve this task without the Fat Lady screeching or scolding them loudly. Rikkali had decided to try it that night, and it worked. She still used the technique a year later in her second year.
Rikkali approached the Fat Lady's portrait, she leaned forward, pushing the portrait open ever so slowly, while listening. Through the small opening, she listened. At first there was nothing, at least not the sound she was listening for. She continued to listen, and then finally, there it was. The loud snoring, coming from the Fat Lady's portrait. From the sound of it, the Fat Lady must have been off in the nearby portraits enjoying wine with the monks. She tended to do that a lot, and then falling into a very deep sleep after. Sometimes she'll go off to visit her friend Violet. Either situation is perfect for her or any other Gryffindor student trying to sneak out after curfew. Sneaking back in after curfew is where the actual problem exists. Since they needed to speak a password to get in, the requires waking the Fat Lady. Rikkali would have to whisper the password, and then more times than not have to bribe the Fat Lady to keep her from screeching, or from scolding her loudly waking the occupants of the other portraits or simply ratting her or other rule breakers out to the professors. None of which would be good for her or anyone who had slipped out after curfew.
Rikkali slowly pushed the portrait open further, slipping quietly through the opening. She quickly runs to the newest suit of armor; a tapestry hangs just behind it. Slipping behind the tapestry she waits for the patrols to do their sweep before slipping back out and rushing toward the stairs.
At the grand staircase, Rikkali waits as the layout of the stairs change. Last year she had quickly learned that some of the stairs have specific traps set up on them, like the vanishing step. There have been many students caught unexpectedly in this trap. When they step onto the vanishing step, the step would sink down, trapping the leg within, which then leads them into being caught and punishment soon after. Rikkali hasn't yet been caught by this trap, but that is only because she's an observer and is always expecting something bad to happen. On one of her nightly excursions, she had been on her way back to her common room, taking advantage of the shadows around her, as well as the statues, suits of armor, and tapestries, hiding when others were present. She had been hiding in an alcove, behind a statue looking down at the staircase when a first year Slytherin had been out after curfew just as she had been, he had stepped on the trap, his foot going completely through the step, trapping him in place. Before long, the caretaker along with two professors appeared on scene. The boy was helped out of the trap and taken away. He most likely had received detention for being out after curfew. Since her own ordeal last year; she's learned to be even more vigilant.
As the stairs came to a stop in front of her, she started rushing down them. The step trap is halfway down this staircase, and she knew the exact step. As she approached said step, she stopped briefly at the step just above the trap and took a larger step to miss the step entirely before moving on. Rikkali made it to the kitchens without incident. She slipped behind one of the tapestries on the wall, which conveniently had an alcove behind it. She waited there shortly, to catch her breath, then peeked out to check to see if the corridor was clear.
With a clear corridor, she slipped back out and reached up to a painting on the wall, tickling the stone pear. The passaged opened and she rushed in. This time of night you would think kitchens would be empty and cold, but not in Hogwarts. House elves bustled around the great room. Some were cleaning, some were baking and cooking while others were tending the fires keeping the massive grates and ovens lit and managed.
Immediately, Rikkali was surrounded by elves of various sizes, each and every one doing their best to please her. They offered trays of hot food, pastries, tartlets, and jugs of pumpkin juice. They were trying to get her to have a seat, to eat, but she had no intentions of that. Her plans had been grabbing what she could and take it with her for her explorations. She removed her pack and started filling it with a few different pastries, some leftover meats from supper, he grabbed two Treacle Tarts, some strawberries, some cheeses, and even some buttered bread. She then took some bottles of butterbeer, stashing it carefully in her pack. Careful not to smash any of the food that she had already stored within.
Rikkali thanked the elves and then slipped back out of the passage. After checking if the corridor is clear, she turned right and slipped past the large still-life paintings, avoiding the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff common room. Rikkali then takes the dark, downward-sloping stone staircase located just past the basement intersection, which leads directly into the colder, damper corridors of the Slytherin dungeons.
There was a specific, hidden place Rikkali enjoyed going and sit for a spell or two. No one ever came there, at least not when she's been there. She hurried off, holding her cloak over her mouth so her breath could not be seen by any who might be lurking down there, to the corridor that led to the older, unused medieval torture rooms. A large, moth-eaten tapestry depicting historical warlocks, hangs several inches away from the wall, concealing a narrow, shallow brick alcove that is completely invisible from the main hallway. This was her spot. No one bothered her there, simply because no one knew she was there. It felt like her own personal space. She slipped behind the tapestry, sitting as far back from the opening as she can. She then used her wand, to give herself a bit of light.
Pulling the pack from her back, she began pulling out the food and drinks. Rikkali had plenty of food and drinks. In fact, she had enough for four people. She ways did things like that, always trying to be prepared for anything, even if it meant overdoing it. She didn't know why she did things that way, she just did. She opened one of the Butterbeers, took a small sip rom it, and began eating some of the meats. She had eaten two pieces of the meats and taken a second sip of her Butterbeer when she heard a noise beyond the tapestry. She silently moved closer and peered out the edge of it, as she put the light casting off of her wand out. She couldn't see anyone, but she could definitely hear them.
Rikkali missed the entire supper, not waking until after eleven pm. Waking with a belly that was howling at her for missing supper. Looking around her dorm, the other gals were already asleep, she pushed back her blankets, placing her bare feet upon the floor, wincing a bit from the cold of the stone floor. Grabbing clothes, she made her way into the bathing room, bathed and dressed in black denim panths and a deep purple shirt. She then made her way back to her bed, grabbing her shoes. She grabbed her cloak, a pack and headed out of the dorm, down to the common room, where she paused long enough to sit in a chair and put her shoes on.
Slipping out of the Gryffindor common room has never been an easy task. Rikkali found that out the hard way the first few times she snuck out after curfew. Since first coming to Hogwarts, she knew that first-third years had a curfew of nine pm. They had to be back in the common room by this time and not allowed to leave until six the next morning. Rikkali despised this rule. She was an explorer, and the best time for exploring is at night. Everything tended to look, feel and are different at night versus the daylight hours.
After those first few attempts of trying to sneak out of the common room, the Fat Lady had been extremely cranky at being woken up in the middle of the night. After attempting this task five times unsuccessfully, Rikkali had been in her favorite hidden little nook behind the fireplace, when she heard some older Gryffindors talking, apparently to a younger Gryffindor who was complaining of having a difficult time of sneaking out due to the Fat Lady. Rikkali perked up to listen intently as the older Gryffindors revealed to the younger Gryffindor how they would be able to achieve this task without the Fat Lady screeching or scolding them loudly. Rikkali had decided to try it that night, and it worked. She still used the technique a year later in her second year.
Rikkali approached the Fat Lady's portrait, she leaned forward, pushing the portrait open ever so slowly, while listening. Through the small opening, she listened. At first there was nothing, at least not the sound she was listening for. She continued to listen, and then finally, there it was. The loud snoring, coming from the Fat Lady's portrait. From the sound of it, the Fat Lady must have been off in the nearby portraits enjoying wine with the monks. She tended to do that a lot, and then falling into a very deep sleep after. Sometimes she'll go off to visit her friend Violet. Either situation is perfect for her or any other Gryffindor student trying to sneak out after curfew. Sneaking back in after curfew is where the actual problem exists. Since they needed to speak a password to get in, the requires waking the Fat Lady. Rikkali would have to whisper the password, and then more times than not have to bribe the Fat Lady to keep her from screeching, or from scolding her loudly waking the occupants of the other portraits or simply ratting her or other rule breakers out to the professors. None of which would be good for her or anyone who had slipped out after curfew.
Rikkali slowly pushed the portrait open further, slipping quietly through the opening. She quickly runs to the newest suit of armor; a tapestry hangs just behind it. Slipping behind the tapestry she waits for the patrols to do their sweep before slipping back out and rushing toward the stairs.
At the grand staircase, Rikkali waits as the layout of the stairs change. Last year she had quickly learned that some of the stairs have specific traps set up on them, like the vanishing step. There have been many students caught unexpectedly in this trap. When they step onto the vanishing step, the step would sink down, trapping the leg within, which then leads them into being caught and punishment soon after. Rikkali hasn't yet been caught by this trap, but that is only because she's an observer and is always expecting something bad to happen. On one of her nightly excursions, she had been on her way back to her common room, taking advantage of the shadows around her, as well as the statues, suits of armor, and tapestries, hiding when others were present. She had been hiding in an alcove, behind a statue looking down at the staircase when a first year Slytherin had been out after curfew just as she had been, he had stepped on the trap, his foot going completely through the step, trapping him in place. Before long, the caretaker along with two professors appeared on scene. The boy was helped out of the trap and taken away. He most likely had received detention for being out after curfew. Since her own ordeal last year; she's learned to be even more vigilant.
As the stairs came to a stop in front of her, she started rushing down them. The step trap is halfway down this staircase, and she knew the exact step. As she approached said step, she stopped briefly at the step just above the trap and took a larger step to miss the step entirely before moving on. Rikkali made it to the kitchens without incident. She slipped behind one of the tapestries on the wall, which conveniently had an alcove behind it. She waited there shortly, to catch her breath, then peeked out to check to see if the corridor was clear.
With a clear corridor, she slipped back out and reached up to a painting on the wall, tickling the stone pear. The passaged opened and she rushed in. This time of night you would think kitchens would be empty and cold, but not in Hogwarts. House elves bustled around the great room. Some were cleaning, some were baking and cooking while others were tending the fires keeping the massive grates and ovens lit and managed.
Immediately, Rikkali was surrounded by elves of various sizes, each and every one doing their best to please her. They offered trays of hot food, pastries, tartlets, and jugs of pumpkin juice. They were trying to get her to have a seat, to eat, but she had no intentions of that. Her plans had been grabbing what she could and take it with her for her explorations. She removed her pack and started filling it with a few different pastries, some leftover meats from supper, he grabbed two Treacle Tarts, some strawberries, some cheeses, and even some buttered bread. She then took some bottles of butterbeer, stashing it carefully in her pack. Careful not to smash any of the food that she had already stored within.
Rikkali thanked the elves and then slipped back out of the passage. After checking if the corridor is clear, she turned right and slipped past the large still-life paintings, avoiding the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff common room. Rikkali then takes the dark, downward-sloping stone staircase located just past the basement intersection, which leads directly into the colder, damper corridors of the Slytherin dungeons.
There was a specific, hidden place Rikkali enjoyed going and sit for a spell or two. No one ever came there, at least not when she's been there. She hurried off, holding her cloak over her mouth so her breath could not be seen by any who might be lurking down there, to the corridor that led to the older, unused medieval torture rooms. A large, moth-eaten tapestry depicting historical warlocks, hangs several inches away from the wall, concealing a narrow, shallow brick alcove that is completely invisible from the main hallway. This was her spot. No one bothered her there, simply because no one knew she was there. It felt like her own personal space. She slipped behind the tapestry, sitting as far back from the opening as she can. She then used her wand, to give herself a bit of light.
Pulling the pack from her back, she began pulling out the food and drinks. Rikkali had plenty of food and drinks. In fact, she had enough for four people. She ways did things like that, always trying to be prepared for anything, even if it meant overdoing it. She didn't know why she did things that way, she just did. She opened one of the Butterbeers, took a small sip rom it, and began eating some of the meats. She had eaten two pieces of the meats and taken a second sip of her Butterbeer when she heard a noise beyond the tapestry. She silently moved closer and peered out the edge of it, as she put the light casting off of her wand out. She couldn't see anyone, but she could definitely hear them.