Closed The Secret in the Clock Tower PV Irina Shevel

Irina shoved the old wooden door open, groaning in annoyance at the tall spiralling staircase that stood between her and the top of the Clocktower. She craned her head upwards and looked at the clock hands far above her. 6:38.
'Ugh, dungbombs,' she muttered, as she stepped through the doorway and began running up the stairs.

Irina had recieved the owl from Simon a while ago, summoning her to the clocktower at exactly 6:40, with instructions not to be late. She had excitedly written back, happy to have the chance to see her friend again and curious as to what he wanted. But as she was eating dinner in the Great Hall, she realised that to be on time (a trait uncommon for Irina) she would have to leave before dessert. The only reason she had left was the smell of adventure.

Despite being very small for her age and pretty skinny, Irina was fairly athletic. She ran up the stairs, panting a little, desperate to make on time. Finally, she reached the final flight of stairs and pushed the door to the Clockroom open, hair twice it's usual frizziness and face slightly rosy from the run.

“Hello, Princess. And she’s on time! Wow. Finally had enough of that beef, have you?”

She glowered at him from behind her hair, not really feeling at all angry. "I had to leave my beef stew behind actually! One of the hardest decisions of my life," she grumbled. Standing straight (yet still only reaching Simon's shoulder) she looked him in the eye and crossed her arms, an intimidating posture if it weren't for her height. "And don't call me Princess." Her tone took on a lighter quality and she tried to stop her usual, cheeky grin spreading across her face. "I've warned you about that. Just cause you're jealous of how gorgeous I look . . ."
She giggled, flicking her fluffy hair over her shoulder, and allowing the smile to light up her face.
"Right, since you had the audacity of dragging me away from dinner, you might as well tell me why you've brought me here. The owl you sent was useless! But it was nice to see Hoax again."

Despite her pretence at annoyance, it hadn't been a difficult choice to leave dinner early. Irina often found that adventure was 100 times better than food if with the right people. She hadn't hesitated to leave her half-eaten plate, though despite her eagerness and willingness, she wouldn't miss a chance to complain about it either.

"I've warned you about that. Just cause you're jealous of how gorgeous I look . . ."

Simon laughed and shook his head. The truth was, though, that Irina could be quite intimidating. He would never ever want to make her upset. Seeing her cracking up and goof around was always a relief.

"Right, since you had the audacity of dragging me away from dinner, you might as well tell me why you've brought me here. The owl you sent was useless! But it was nice to see Hoax again."

"Yeah, I hope he did not beg for a treat or anything? I've told him to not do that with receivers, and for the most part he doesn't, but he tend to do that with people whom he feel close to. Or at least people that are close to me."

He gave her a smile before remembering that the time was ticking, and so was probably Irina's patience.

"Okay, so here’s the thing I wanted to show you", he said and dragged her along with him to the clock face. He pointed to the minute hand on the other side of the glass. "Look at the edge of the minute hand. Doesn’t that look like some sort of package behind it?”

The glass window was cloudy but the minute hand seemed to have something strapped onto it, looking like a package of some kind, wrapped in a brown fabric.

“Eyes like a raven, right? I noticed it by a coincident, but when I came back here the next day the package was gone. Yesterday, I went back here again after dinner. The clock was then around 6.30, something like that. No package . . . but . . . as soon as the minute hand passed 6.40 there was indeed a package strapped onto it. It appeared right in front of my eyes. It was visible for exactly ten minutes. As the time passed 6.50, the package disappeared again . . . I was here on the lunch break today, but there was no package then either. Which has led me to conclude that there must be a time window. . . A time window when the package is visible. Precisely between 6.40 and 6.50. Aren't you curious to find out what that thing is? Luckily for us, the glass window is missing a small piece up there. See?"

He pointed towards a small hole in the glass at around 6.49, just big enough for a slender hand to reach through it.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We climb up there, of course. And with ‘we’ I mean you. . . You are much stronger and lighter than me. If you’re up for it, of course? Time is ticking, so that’s why I wanted you to be on time.”

Interacting with @Irina Shevel

@Simon Tilia

"Yeah, I hope he did not beg for a treat or anything? I've told him to not do that with receivers, and for the most part he doesn't, but he tends to do that with people whom he feel close to. Or at least people that are close to me."

Irina grinned and held a hand to her heart. "Aww, I feel honoured! He did beg quite a bit and cause I'm a sucker for cute animals, I caved in - hope he's allowed bread crusts!"


"Okay, so here’s the thing I wanted to show you." Simon grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to the clockface, face full of excitement. She stared at the clock then turned to face Simon, one eyebrow raised. "So you pulled me away from my dinner . . . for a clock? Simon, I could have looked at this clockface from the Great Hall . . . eating my food!" She was a bit disgruntled - why pull her all the way up those long really long! stairs, just to show her the hand of a clock?
"Look at the edge of the minute hand. Doesn’t that look like some sort of package behind it?”
Irina's face dissolved of frustration as she screwed up her eyes and stared a the vague shape of some sort of package. Her mouth opened slightly in a comical 'O' shape and her excitement kindled again.

She listened, more and more impressed at Simon's observation skills, as he explained how he had spotted the package and what he had guessed from his examinations. She looked around the glass, eyes alighting on the small hole that Simon had pointed out. It was pretty small, only a very petite hand could fit through.
"We climb up there, of course. And with ‘we’ I mean you. . . You are much stronger and lighter than me. If you’re up for it, of course? Time is ticking, so that’s why I wanted you to be on time.”

Irina took the compliment silently, admitting that she was probably stronger and definitely ligher. "Pff, course I'm up to it! I was born for this kinda thing. Merlin, I live for this kind of thing."
She held up her hands then glanced at Simon's. "Yup, and my hands are smaller than yours too." As soon as the hole had been pointed out to her, she had already accepted the idea of climbing up to reach the package. She moved towards the glass and looked upwards at her desired destination.
Turning back to face him, she said, "I'm gonna need a leg up to get me onto the first point to start climbing. Can you get on one knee so I can stand on it?" She paused and gave her classic cheeky grin. "But don't start getting any ideas . . . no ring."

"Pff, course I'm up to it! I was born for this kinda thing. Merlin, I live for this kind of thing."

"I figured you were going to say that", said Simon, smiling.

"Yup, and my hands are smaller than yours too."

He nodded. "You get the point."

Not that Simon was not used to climbing trees, but Irina seemed even more experienced in that regard. Besides, with his height and long legs, he would have trouble keeping his weight to the front. He may have had stronger arms, but he was pretty sure that Irina had a stronger grip and better control of her athletic body than him. His only worry was the fact that Irina could be a bit clumsy... Like that time she had been walking backwards while talking to him in the corridor, giggling, before knocking over a lit candelabra. The wax was all over the floor. They figured they better scoot before the caretaker Miss Greer showed up (if he did not know better he would have thought that Miss Greer had the whole school bugged with microphones).

When they finally found a distant corner where they could take a breather, they noticed that Irina's robe and hair was covered with wax stains too. That was how their evenings together usually ended, with Irina needing to go back to the Gryffindor common room to change or wash herself. Other evenings it was Simon's turn. It had even got to the point that his bunkbed buddies simply asked: 'Irina?' when he came back to the common room, covered in dirt or dust or having one or two new bruises. At one point, one of the third years had said: 'Oh, look who it is, the bruised eagle' when he entered the common room, clearly an innuendo that he had been out risking house points from Ravenclaw, to their bitter knowledge.

"I'm gonna need a leg up to get me onto the first point to start climbing. Can you get on one knee so I can stand on it?", asked Irina and gave him her usual cheeky smile. "But don't start getting any ideas . . . no ring."

"You flatter yourself", said Simon with a small smile, took off his robe and got down on his knee. When Irina stepped from his knee onto his clasped hands so that he could give her a lift, he continued with a strained voice: "Believe me, I would never think of giving you a ring, Irina Shevel. I'm sure you would have lost it the same moment something more interesting caught your eyes..." He sighed as he slowly lifted her up. "... An icecream... Chocolate frog... A cute looking bug... Can you reach it?"

Her foot left his hands and he watched as Irina started climbing, brushing off his hands.

Interacting with@ Irina Shevel

@Simon Tilia

"You flatter yourself."
Irina rolled her eyes with a smile and made sure to momentarily stand on one of his fingers. Then she readjusted her position and carefully placed her full weight on his knee.

"Believe me, I would never think of giving you a ring, Irina Shevel. I'm sure you would have lost it the same moment something more interesting caught your eyes..."

Hey, that’s not fair! I knocked into that candlestick thing once and now you make me out to be the clumsiest person on earth! I mean, alright I did almost set myself on fire . . . And you as well . . . But that’s besides the point!”

Simon continued to mock her as she felt around with her hands for a strong hand hold and, more importantly, a strong foothold. The first thing her Dad had taught her about climbing was 1) to always keep 3 or 4 points of contact on the wall (she regularly ignored this) and 2) to only ascend if you had a secure foothold.
"... An icecream... Chocolate frog... A cute looking bug...

”Ha, ha, very funny. If you have any chocolate though I wouldn’t say no . . . I’m still hungry.”

Can you reach it?"

”No, not yet - I’m gonna have to keep climbing for a little while.”

He gave one final push and she managed to get a little higher, clinging into the wall like a little monkey. As she starter her ascent, one foot slipped on a slightly damp patch. Her other foot slipped too and for a few seconds, she was hanging on only by her hands. Heart in her mouth, she pulled as hard as she could, managing to find a secure place for both feet once more.
She turned her head and grinned down at Simon, not very far below her. ”I’m alright! Just a little slip!”

She methodically made her way higher and higher, moving one foot, one hand, one foot, one hand, aware that time was running out. The strange movement came naturally to her and in no time at all, she had reached the small hole. Just behind it, attached to the minute hand, she could see a box shaped item, wrapped in a frayed fabric.
Checking to make sure her hold on the wall was secure, she removed one hand and slipped it though small gap. Feeling around, she felt a course material against her fingertips. She quickly wrapped her entire hand around it and tried to remove it from the hole. But her hand, now clutched around the box, was too big to fit through. Irina scowled in annoyance before pulling her hand hard, in an effort to get it unstuck.
It came flying out of the gap, the momentum caused her to let go of the wall . . . and she fell towards the floor.

Irina did not get far until she slipped, first with one foot, then with the next foot. Simon's heart skipped a beat and he instinctively held out his hands to be prepared to catch her, but with a grip that must have been as strong as that of a chimpanzee, she managed to do a pull-up and get a foothold again.

"Are you alright? You got this?", said Simon.

”I’m alright! Just a little slip!”

"You're at 6.42, 6.43, something like that. You have a couple of feet left until you're there. And the minute hand is at..." Simon took a couple of steps back to get a clearer view of the clock face, before quickly coming back to be prepared to catch her if anything would go wrong. "... 6.48 and counting. Less than two minutes left, Irina. Come one! You got this."

It was an impressive performance to witness, but the higher she climbed, the more worried he got. Irina had willingly agreed to do the climbing part, but as he thought about it – did she really get a choice? Was this really consensual? She was pressured by time when he asked, no, told her to do it, and knowing Irina, she would never back off from a challenge. But consequential thinking or risk analysis was not always her strong side. Did he trick her into doing this? What if she fell and got hurt? This was his own consequential thinking and rational mind kicking in, and from all of a sudden he felt bad about all this.

"Hey! Be real careful now, Irina, okay!", said Simon. "If you feel like you're losing your grip, just warn me so I can try and catch you!"

When she finally got to the hole in the glass the tension reached its culmination. Simon did not have much trouble with heights, at least not when he himself was standing on a high ledge. But seeing someone else do it, someone he cared for, actually made him feel dizzy, despite having both his feet on the ground. He watched as Irina put her arm through the hole, and when she finally managed to pull the object out, he raised his arm to cheer, but was interrupted as she suddenly slipped – and fell.

It all went so fast. He did not get a chance to think, so he just took a step forward with his arms in the air, seeing Irina's back closing in on him, before their bodies collided. Despite Irina being so light, the force knocked him backwards and they made a somersault together, landing on the ledge of the wooden platform behind them, with Irina on top of him.

"Are you okay?", he said, looking into her blue-green eyes, genuinely concerned. This was not the first time Irina had landed on him and being so close to her face was not as awkward now as the first time. He was rather getting used to it.

@Irina Shevel

@Simon Tilia

The moment her body left the clock face, time slowed and sped up all at once. Her mouth opened but she didn’t have time to yell. She felt the unexplainable feeling of gravity take a hold of her as she plummeted downwards, hand still wrapped tightly around the package, body spread-eagled through the air.
The whole falling thing wasn’t out of the ordinary for her - usually every other time she climbed something she would fall. But this time, she had nothing to flip herself into the correct landing position. This time, her hand was occupied and she had been caught by surprise. This time, there was nothing she could do.

Her descent was stopped abruptly as she felt arms wrap around her and her fall cushioned by someone. Simon. There was a few seconds of confused tumbling (more confusing than the fall itself) before she found herself for the third time on top of Simon.

"Are you okay?" He looked into her eyes, face so filled with concern that it sparked fear in her own stomach.
For a moment, she was unable to speak, slightly shocked by the sudden turn of events. She breathed heavily, trying to calm her racing heart. Eventually, to save Simon from complete anxiety, she croaked, ”At least I don’t have to climb down now.”
She disentangled herself from him and climbed off, lying panting on the floor next to him, her brain still trying to comprehend what just happened.
The shock dissipated and her usual cheeky self returned, catching up with the present and providing her with a classic Irina remark that would reassure Simon she was okay.

”I think that’s the third time you’ve done that. You must be completely infatuated with me!”

She stood up, brushing herself down. ”Is there even any point asking if I look alright,” she asked with a small grin, aware her question would in some way end with the reply, “Princess.”

Bending down, Irina gently picked up the fabric wrapped item, feeling it over and deciding it wasn’t broken. She held it up triumphantly to Simon and presented it to him whilst bowing. ”I believe this is what you wanted my good Sir?”

After he took the object, she hesitated suddenly aware that Simon had just saved her. Probably not from death but from a very nasty fall should she have actually hit the ground. True, her ribs were in agony but it was better than a broken spine!

”Hey, um . . . Simon,” she muttered awkwardly, ”Thanks for . . . thanks for catching me. It could have gone pretty badly so . . . yeah.”

She didn’t like thanking someone for saving her, especially not a guy. But it wasn’t just ‘a guy’ it was Simon, and she figured that at some point she would have to put aside her pride and accept that sometimes, she did need help.

”At least I don’t have to climb down now.”

"No, you took the expressway, so to speak. But please don't make a habit out of it", said Simon, panting, his heart still hammering in his chest.

Irina rolled off him and Simon starred into the clock face. The time was now 6.50. He saw the hole in the glass and almost got chills as he realized how far up it actually was. Did she really fall from that height? That could have ended so much worse! Still laying on his back, he looked behind him, seeing the spinning clock work and below; the empty interior of the Clock Tower. No floors. Just an insanely long drop. It was good that they had not tumbled over the wooden railing.

”I think that’s the third time you’ve done that. You must be completely infatuated with me!”

"Pfft! You wish", said Simon, chuckling, and pinched her in the side. "I'm beginning to think you're throwing yourself at me deliberately."

When she stood up, he did the same. "Is there even any point asking if I look alright?". Her jumper and pants were covered in dust, and her hair even frizzier.

"No, Irina Shevel, you look just as you should", he said with a cheeky smile.

He had almost forgotten about the package before Irina picked it up with a proud look on her face. "I believe this is what you wanted my good Sir?”

It was visible! Removing the package from the minute hand must have broken the charm. She handed it over to him and Simon examined it. It looked smaller up close. But what was it? Something the teachers hid, or the caretaker? Or maybe it was contraband... Something that a student had smuggled in. Judging by the size, it was probably just something insignificant but with an excessive use of magic to hide it.

”Hey, um . . . Simon", said Irina. ”Thanks for . . . thanks for catching me. It could have gone pretty badly so . . . yeah.”

He was going to reply with some cheeky comeback, giving her a dose of her own medicine, but something in her voice stopped him from doing so. He just looked at her for a short moment before opening his mouth.

"Hey. I'm just glad that you're alright. Maybe I shouldn't have let you up there. We could have tried a fishing rod or whatever... I'm... I'm sorry." He paused for a moment to show that he truly meant it. "But, as always – Simon and Irina are quite a capable pair", he said with a lopsided smile. "Since you did all the hard work, I'd say, you get to open it. Here. But I still wonder way it's only visible between 6.40 and 6.50, though. Maybe there used to be a hole around 6.40 before. That way the person who put it there and enchanted it could remove the package at 6.40, use it, and put it back at 6.49 again." At least that was the best explanation he could come up with.

@Irina Shevel

@Simon Tilia

"Pfft! You wish. I'm beginning to think you're throwing yourself at me deliberately." He pinched her in the side and she slapped his hand, grinning, her heart still pounding.
"Ha, yeah - cause I really wanted to fall and break all m'ribs."


"Hey. I'm just glad that you're alright. Maybe I shouldn't have let you up there. We could have tried a fishing rod or whatever... I'm... I'm sorry."
"Simon, there is nothing to apologise for," she said sincerely, no trace of cheek in her voice. "Climbing up may not have been the safest option but it was certainly the smartest - nothing else would have gotten it in time! Besides, you didn't 'let me', I chose too. Once I've set my mind to something, nothing and no one can change it . . . excpet maybe chocolate."

Simon gave her a lopsided smile. 'It suits him,' Irina thought.
"But, as always – Simon and Irina are quite a capable pair. Since you did all the hard work, I'd say, you get to open it. Here.

He threw the package back to her and she caught it with a smile. They were indeed a pretty strong pair - a perfect combination of lion and eagle. She started to undo the string holding the fabric together and Simon expressed his theory about the hole and the dissapearance of the package. His logic made lots of sense, again showing his Ravenclaw interlect. She couldn't think of any other explanation for the strangeness of the situation, and her mind was too focused on the UFO - Unidentified Falling Object.
After a few moments of picking at the knot, it pulled loose and the shook it away, folding back the fabric. Her jaw dropped and she gave a small gasp of surprise.
The fabric had fallen away to reveal small, wooden box, about the size of a big book. The wood was streaked and old, appearing to be held together by a few fibres. But what had made Irina gasp was the Coat of Arms emblazoned on the lid. The Shevel Coat of Arms.

Reducio

Irina stared at it, speechless (probably for one of the first times in her life), unable to process what she was seeing. She silently turned the box to show Simon and whispered, "That's the Shevel Coat of Arms. Merlin's beard, how the heck did this get here?"
Quickly shaking herself from her shock, she tried to pull open the lid but it wouldn't budge. She lifted her head to look at Simon, hoping he might have an idea as to how to open it. "Any ideas, O Smart One?"