Lock-in Hufflepuff Gryffindor Event Closed

To John's pleasure, the blue wand did exactly what he hoped it would do. Granted, it was difficult to keep the wand on her amidst Howie's angry protests. a moment of doubt had entered the boy's mind at the time. Would this work? Was he prepared for the consequences if things went sour. Ultimately, his faith paid off: her burnt flesh was made new, just as John's did when he used the wand the first time. Rosie Turner's eyes began to open once more. John wide smile was to be the first thing she would see...until Howard pushed him aside.

With Rosie healed, Howie's eyes looked to the blue wand, then to John. Their eyes locked, John nodding that it was OK. He took no offense to Howard's anger. In fact, the moment somewhat tempered his religious fervor.

"Yee of little faith," John said calmly. "Also, I tested it on myself earlier. I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

As Howie attempted to take Rosie up the stairs, John then turned to Ami and fellow Huffrindor Amadea.

"I think that's enough miracles for one night," he said to the two girls. "Let's follow these two to the castle, shall we?"

John, feeling like a gentleman, would allow the ladies to pass him should they choose. As John would take the rear, he noticed that Amadea didn't come out of the fire unscathed. He came up behind her, blue wand in hand.

"Well, maybe one more miracle," he commented as he tapped the blue wand on her wounded back.

Actions:

John and Howie make up in a quiet manly stare down.
John proposes following Howie and Rosie back to the main room.
John attempts another miracle upon Amadea's burnt back.

Serena blinked as she watched this tiny little red dragon walk around, rambling on. She could not work out if he was answering her questions or just ranting angrily about life. Nonetheless, she picked up a few words now and then that appeared to be answers to some of her questions. She discovered a few things. The first and most obvious being that the dragon could definitely talk. It appeared to be answering their questions and seemed to have some sort of awareness of its own appearance or emotions. At the very least, Mushu recognised her being a girl and that he had lips - which he was apparently rather arrogant about. The self awareness of the dragon and its ability to understand her worried and excited her. She was worried as to why he was here and what powers he actually had. But a part of her was super excited too. The dragon spoke!!! Who in Hogwarts thought you could actually communicate with a dragon? Not her, that was for sure.

Mushu claimed not to be Professor Lear's, which caused Serena to frown. He did, however, inform her that he was a guardian. Of some sort... He failed to clarify what exactly he was guarding but she would go with it for now. "Oh... I see... What are you the guardian of, exactly, Mushu?" Serena dared to ask the dragon, hoping it was not something super terrifying. Her eyes scanned the room but she did not see anything that he would be guarding. No special or obvious indications of treasure, for example.

The little red dragon accepted her claim of friendship. With that, Serena nodded as she grinned at the dragon and held out her hand, "Friends then!" She confirmed as she held out her palm a little towards him - either for a handshake or for a low five. She would adjust her hand based on him and his behaviour to try and make him feel comfortable with the situation. Hell, he could climb onto it and sit on her too if he wanted. 

Serena then proceeded to look around again and spotted a small pathway opposite where they had entered. Had that always been there? It was the first time she noticed it but... perhaps it had been there this whole time? Or maybe it appeared after they had solved the runes? Before they had solved it, she was convinced they had been in a closed room... Perhaps it opened up... Perhaps they were just closer now and could see it with the small amount of light that the torch and magical candle gave. "Shall we continue down here?" She asked the dragon as well as her fellow Hufflepuffs in the room. 

With that, the Prefect attempted secured the candle in her hand and adjusted her bag before trying to usher the group to follow her as she walked towards the path and entered it. 

ACTIONS:
1. Low five, handshake or offer a seat to secure her friendship with MUSHU.
2. Walk as much as she can into the pathway on the right side.
3. Attempt to usher Mushu, Reid, Cynthia and Frost to come with her as she led them with her magical candle.

Cynthia was unsure if they should trust a talking dragon.  She knew dragons did not normally have the ability to speak, but she also knew that anything could happen in the magical world.  She stood  still and listened carefully and quietly as the little dragon known as Mushu spoke…ranted?  She wasn’t sure what he was actually talking about, but she smiled a bit when he accepted their friendship.

Cynthia noticed Serena looking around and that was when she noticed the passageway as well.  She did not notice a passageway before, but perhaps she just didn’t pay enough attention to what was actually in the room with them.  She made a mental note to be more observant in the future.  The last thing she wanted was to be suddenly surprised and caught off guard.

She noticed Serena heading off down the passageway, ushering them to follow her.  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Serena.  We don’t know what’s down there.  What if something goes wrong?” Cynthia shuddered just a bit.  Was it because she was cold or was it because she remembered what happened at the campout?  She didn’t know what to do so she hung back and waited for Mushu, Reid and Frost to decide whether they should investigate the passageway.

Mushu, the mighty red dragon that was now leading the small group of children, was quite a peculiar thing. Most dragons, at least as she had heard, couldn't talk. But Mushu could. Wouldn't stop reminding them of it either. Serena had taken quite a liking to the red scaly dragon. Mybe she thought it could be useful in the near future, or just had the same thought as Frost. Just wanted to become friends with the dragon. I mean, who else here at Hogwarts could say that they made a friend with a drgaon? 

The ginger smiled at Mushu. "I happen to like your fireyness, Mushu. Can I be your friend as well? I mean, I've never had a dragon as a friend before, but I think you would be a good friend." She walked along right beside Serena. She seemed to know wht to do and kinda seemed like the leader of the 'pack'. 

Mushu was probably standing there for hours waiting for something. Wouldn't he be tired? "Hey, Mushu. I know you've been standing as a gaurd or what not for quite a while. Would you like to get off your feet for a while? You can ride in my bag if you'd like. I'm pretty sure there's some cookies in there too." The girl smiled warmly at him and pointed to her bag, still offering him some dragon rest. 

Serena was leading them down a path, magic candle in hand. It seemed as if she was asking if they wanted to still follow her. Frost looked into her blue eyes with her hazel ones and nodded, reassuring her that she would follow her. It seemed right to trust Serena. Even if nobody else wanted to go down with Serena, Frost would. It did seem like something bad might happen, but what would happen if they didn't? "Well, we'll never know what's down there if we don't try, right? Sure it seems a bit daunting, but there could also be some good things down there too. I'll go." The ginger looked at the others, waiting for what they thought of it all. 

Action: 

Ask Mushu if he would like to get off his feet and ride in her knapsack
Wait for what the others say
Pledge loyalty to Serena 

Reminder: I will be posting the next round in here. Post in here if you have not already!

The necklace was talking.

Holy fricking hecking heck, the necklace was talking? "He's not my boyfriend!" Ami blurted out, hurt that the necklace had jumped to such drastic conclusions. And all this time, she had thought they were friends! Rude. "He's not even my best friend- er, no offense, or anything," she added hastily, shooting a look towards Howie.

John was insane. Insane, and probably with a few screws loose in the head, too. But, as it turned out, sometimes the craziest ideas were the best ones, because after John's crazy Jesus-speech, or whatever, he promptly proceeded to heal Rosie.

"What the hell?" Ami narrowed her eyes at John, stepping back and pointing her wand point at him warily. "What is this, dark magic? I mean, thanks for healing Rosie and all, but how on earth did you do that?"

Ami watched Howie carry Rosie up towards the stairs, towards the professors, towards what she prayed was safety. Glancing at the necklace in her hand, she lightly ran her thumb around the rim of the gem, still marveling at the magic it contained. A talking necklace, something straight out of a fantasy story. What were the chances that she, of all people, got to have one?

"Is that it?" She wasn't sure if she was addressing the group in front of her, or the necklace, but the question had to be asked. "Did I win? It was a scavenger hunt, after all, wasn't it? Is this my prize?"

And quieter, so the others wouldn't hear, she added, "What should I call you?" Of course, she was referring to the enchanted jewelry she held in her hands, the sentient pendant. "Do I get to keep you?" And still, the most important one of all- "Are there bathrooms down here?"

ACTIONS! 

× Marvel at John's healing powers- but is suspicious of him, too. ×
× Ponder the meaning of the Lock-In. ×
× Still really needs to pee. ×
× Wonder if her new necklace has a name. ×

Amadea was very confused. She was not quite sure what was happening. Ami was still trying to heal Rosie as if she knew some sort of way to cure her that Amadea had not already tried to think of. The only option left was to go to the professors, unless they left Rosie here to die. They were loyal Hufflepuffs though. They couldn't do that. 

Suddenly, the necklace was talking. At first, Amadea was convinced it was a trick of her brain. She was going delusional. Maybe it was the pain from the burns on her back that were causing her to think this way. She was still trying to process everything that was going on as John came over and pressed the blue wand against her back, hoping that it would cure the burns. Amadea tried to shy away from the wand, not knowing what magic it could possibly contain, but she was too slow. Maybe she was just being crazy and the wand would work in curing her burns. Or maybe it wouldn't.

"What is going on?" Amadea asked slowly, finally forming words. "There's a talking necklace and a weird blue wand. We just saw a weird dancing girl. People are coming out of coffins. What is happening?" 

ACTIONS: 
- Shy away from John's healing powers (but also attempt to be healed by them) 
- Freak out 

Things were happening too fast.

Dorothy had tried.  She really, really had.  The muscle man, the one fighting a twelve-year-old, wouldn't listen.  The blonde girl stared blankly at the large figure in front of her as he continued to stare viciously at Dorian.  There was something in his eyes, something absolutely terrifying that Dorothy would never be able to describe.  She, immaturely, would later state that she saw death in the monsters' eyes.  Perhaps no one would take her seriously.

The little Hufflepuff had rushed forward, attempting to provide some sort of help.  She couldn't let this happen, couldn't watch someone else get hurt.  The man's arm slammed down suddenly, and she froze where she was, just a few feet away.  Crack!  It was his arm. His arm!  With just a quick jerk, Dorian Gray's arm was completely dislocated.  Dorothy couldn't take it any longer.  She was twelve, after all, and this was a pretty traumatizing field trip. 

"No! Oh my God-" she had begun hyperventilating, crying without tears, and shaking.  It was in between quick breathes that she spoke.  "D-Dorian." That was his name, yes? "I'm-so-sorry." 

The statue didn't seem to notice anything.  It was focused on Dorian, on hurting the innocent boy thrown into the game unwillingly.  It had ignored Dorothy's challenge and had dislocated Dorian's shoulder.  That noise! The chilling crack they had all heard still seemed to echo throughout the room.  Now, the monster was reaching for Dorian's other arm.  Dorothy froze.  Her high pitched breathing stopped for a moment, her eyes widened.  Not again. 

"No! No no no no!! P-please stop.  Don't! STOP!"

Remember?  The man wouldn't listen.

She would later regret what she did next.  She would be ashamed of such thoughtless actions and resent whoever caused them.  Perhaps Dorothy really wasn't quite a bad person.  Not quite.  Anyways, what she next could provide hope for her future.  Then again, maybe it just meant she was stupid.  At that moment, it seemed prudent to distract the statue.  In some way. Good heavens, in any way!  

Dorothy ran forward, nearly slipping on a pool of blood (possibly her own), and grabbed the statues massive arm.  She dug her heels into the base of the table and pulled with all of her strength using both her arms.  The bleeding one had no feeling in it anyways.  Her head pounded still, refusing to recover from its previous jubilee.  She would try to do something.  It wasn't fair to let Dorian or any of these people get hurt.  It just wasn't!  Dorothy wouldn't notice Max behind her, punching Allen.  She wouldn't notice Eris casting Lumos.  In fact, the girl didn't even think of using her own wand.  All she was focused on was preventing the statue from ripping Dorian's other arm out.  Why she cared so much, even she couldn't say. 

"We have to get him off! Please! He needs to listen!"

Alas, the statue would be too strong for even Dorothy's scrawny frame and generous heart.  So, in a desperate, strangled scream, Dorothy would call out once more. 

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" 

Reducio

ACTIONS:

     * Run across the floor to the statue
     * Grab the Statues outstretched arm
     * Attempt to pull him away or distract him 
     * Call for help

MENTIONS!
All the insanity Anatole has faced, Aurelia Bezuidenhout.

INTERACTIONS!
Solomon Lear, Sebastian Cazarez.

"I...um...what...is going on here?"

It was challenging to mask the concoction of surprise and utter bewilderment at this...scene. Right here, this was the greatest puzzle they would encounter in the dungeons. Why...? Why were the Professors sitting here with books, and trashy tin cans among other things, and more importantly, why did Lear "lose an arm"? From what the boy could see from the light, Lear still had the necessary amount of appendages. He was totally fine, and so was the crab. But...weren't Professors supposed to be role models or at least helping? Maybe Aurelia, his partner-in-crime, and the nonexistent valiance of himself could finally expose the deep wrath of the dungeons!

That or the crushing hand of sheer bad luck.

The shaky hand holding the flickering flame, the scratched and wrecked heels he held, and the sweat, grime, and gravel on his face could have easily told the entire ordeal to the Professors. It had been a dangerous quest, a very treacherous venture, a risky endeavor, a challenging trial, a puzzling journey, a perilous task, an interesting mission, a curious conundrum, a bothersome ordeal, a boggling situation, and a troubling tribulation indeed. For him, there were literally twisty turns on every step and pitfalls leading him down the path. And was there even treasure? Most likely not.

How would he explain all of this to the Professors?

Only via one of the most foolproof methods of them all: rambling.

"Well, um...uh..." The tortured Gryffindor itched his scalp, struggling to find the words. "I...I really don't get why you threw us in here, when I doubt there was any reward in the first place, and...and...I-I'm actually dying here, both physically and mentally! I...I just...I can't! I can't...I just want to know when we leave...and you're here, playing some weird game or something? Professor Lear, I think you still have two arms...right?" He whipped the heels around as he gestured with his rant, angry, tired, and honestly just wishing to sleep or Xscape escape.

Sadly, there was no end in sight for this thread. Anatole would have to continue to suffer.

With scarlet cheeks and a strained expression, Anatole chucked one of the heels right near where Lear sat and fell rather limp in Aurelia's arms. Could they help them? Most likely not at this point.

As he scanned Lear's face, he gulped. This would be bad, wouldn't it?

"But...uh...I just want to know if you can help us. My ankle's twisted weirdly and...she's burned."

Burned. That was a gross word, especially with the knowledge that he was the one who caused the singe of pain. Ew.

"Just...please?" His eyes flickered between the heel on the ground and the Professors. What would they say?

ACTION!
- Ramble to Professors
- Chuck a single heel at Lear
- Continue to suffer from guilt and physical pain

As she lifted Anatole up, her arms was somehow not prepared for the sudden weight and they gave in, dropping the boy on the ground. Maybe it was karma, Anatole had burned her and fate decided to let him fall on his butt. She didn't bother to appologise, instead, trying once more to lift the boy up.

This time, it was a success. Now she could use him as a shield or throw him towards the snake if it ever came to attack. Aurelia put one foot in front of another as she climbed the steps, her breaths were heavy due to the weight of the Gryffindor tiring her out or was it due to fear? What were the chances of a first year witnessing a basilisk attack?

The sounds from the main area were loud but she couldnt quite pin point what they were. The girl would soon find out. She was also prepared to scream at the top of her lungs very soon, but the scream didn't come. She rose an eyebrow as she saw the two professors doing what...ever they were doing. One, Professor Cazarez was slamming a book - most probably the history of magic textbook- against the ground. Another Professor Lear was crushing tin cans. Both professors were making an awful lot of noice.

Hadn’t she heard the screams of distress and the mention of a basilisk and the lost of an arm. Nothing seem to have happened to the professors, they were both alright besides the fact that they seemed drunk. Perhaps they had gulped down too many mugs of butter beer that they had settled into this state like a kids who had consumed to much sugar.

Anatole had a perplexed expression on his face as he began to mumble and ask unnecessary questions.

“You aren’t dying physically... yet, Anatole.” She corrected him with a hint of a smirk tugging at a corner of her lips.

She needed aid too. Anatole had briefly explained to the professors that he was hurt and she was burnt. The burns still stung badly, no thanks to Anatole. However, she was a little uneasy as she suspected that the professors were drunk. She took a few steps towards them but stopped a safe distance away.

“I really do require someone to tend to my burns.” She said, glaring at Anatole accusingly as he threw the heels at professors lear’s direction.

ACTIONS

- suspect that the professors are drunk
- ask the professors for help a safe distance away
- glare at Anatole accusingly