[RoR] A Griffin Grotto

[Loren Hayes]

(( Continued from 'In Darkness Unseen' ))

Guiding a distressed griffin along a maze of corridors, up several flights of moving stairs and past two slumbering common rooms undetected was not as simple as Loren or Ian had first assumed. Setting aside the amount of suits of armor that were nosily knocked over and the dozens upon dozens of disgruntled portraits yelling at them indignantly, the two students now had a rather impressive collection of scraps and bruises of various parts of their bodies to add to the night's punishments. The two of them were pouring with sweat, their hair disheveled, and Loren knew that any moment now the silencing spell upon their new pet would soon wear off. This would certainly be the last rescue mission Loren was taking part in...

A towering stone status of a gargoyle watched them menacingly as they tugged and heaved their way up the last set of stairs. 'I can't believe we made it...' Loren huffed in a shaky voice. 'You'd think we'd have got caught by someone!'

Loren dangled the last of their rats in front of her, and the griffin immediately dashed forward in pursuit of it, uncaring that it was being forced forward ever more. The Ravenclaw remembered Ian mentioning the Room of Requirement - a place she had only assumed was myth up until now. 'Do you even know how to get into it, Ian?' She asked, looping the chain around her wrists several times, continuing to pull. 'What's inside? Will it be good for Felix?' She had, of course, already named the beast.

The rounded into a corridor that Loren realised she had never been down before, and to her astonishment there appeared to be not a single door along it. It was completely empty. She looked at Ian in puzzlement. 'Here?' She wrinkled her nose.

[Ian Gray]

Ian leaned against one of the bare walls, breathing harshly as he swept a hand carelessly through his messy, tangled hair. "Er-- well, I've read something about it." He said sheepishly, turning to Loren with a shrug. Then, tugging the chain gently, the Griffin following in hopes for another snack, he pushed himself off the wall and walked slowly down the corridor.

"It looks really empty, there's supposed to be some sort of portrait, though," he said, still panting, and cringing as the Griffin's wings flapped noisily against one of the candle holders, causing it -- and a few others -- to flicker out. Blinking in the now, much more dim, light, Ian reached out a hand to feel for a frame.

"And yeah, it should be fine for--" He paused, turning back to Loren and squinting to see her properly. "Felix?" Staring at the Ravenclaw in disbelief for a moment, he shook his head. "At least it's not fluffy, or something of the sort." Making a face, he turned back around, pulling out his wand.

"Lumos"

Shining the new exposed light at the corridors, he noticed the Griffin's eyes seemed to follow the orb intently. Smiling slightly to himself, he moved further down the corridor, leaving slack on the chain and watching the Griffin move forward apprehensively.

Finally, his wand caught a brief flash of something other than stone, and he paused, staring at the ridiculous portrait of some strange wizard trying to teach a group of trolls to dance the ballet of all things. Feeling slightly repulsed at the frilly dressed beasts, he spun on his heal and shone the light at the wall across from the portrait.

"There, the door should appear right there." Nodding to himself, he created a spectacle of himself walking past the bare, very door-less wall, three times, thinking to himself:

We require something large and spacious... And, very Griffiny. Remembering his wand, he turned back to the wall. With lots of light.

He waited for a moment anxiously, before the wall seemed to distort and morph into a large door-- large enough for a Griffin. Widening his eyes, stunned, he turned to Loren beaming, before moving forward and throwing the newly-formed door open.

[Loren Hayes]

Loren gave Ian a funny look as he seemed to pass back and forth before a blank stretch of wall, his eyes closed as if he were wishing for something. Even Felix seemed to be looking at the Gryffindor with one narrowed eye.

'Ian, what are you --'

Both she and Felix took a step back in surprise as a door seemingly materialized out of nowhere. It was tall and smooth and looked as though it was rarely used. It looked oddly plain though, not at all fitting the usual decor of Hogwarts. Perhaps it had been magically installed sometime after Hogwarts was built?

Ian stepped aside and pushed the door open.

Picking up the chain, Loren tugged Felix inside, looking around apprehensively. It was not at all like she had expected - instead of an unused classroom or empty store room, a cavernous, hexagon shaped abode was presented to them. Sitting grandly against one wall was a queen sized four poster bed laden with silk and velvet pillows of all colours, and at frequent intervals along the walls were massive arching windows that looked out right over the battlements and turrets - even the forest and lake!

But perhaps the most astonishing feature of the room was what lay scattered about in gleaming, generous mountains on the floor and spindly little tables. 'Look at all this gold!' Loren shrieked so loud it echoed for a few moments. There were indeed heaps of coins, goblets, shields, ornaments and shinning antiques piled up invitingly. Felix too seemed to be enthralled by his new home, and promptly leaped forward with a cheery cry (the spell has obviously worn off) and proceeded to travel from treasure to treasure, inspecting it proudly. 'Oh, this room is incredibly clever!' Loren praised enthusiastically as she turned to Ian. 'It gave him treasure to guard!'

[Ian Gray]

"Incredible," Ian breathed in fascination and walked forward, reaching a hand to run through the large pile of gold. Before his fingers could even brush across a coin, the Griffin let out a shrill wail, flapping his wings before snapping its beak threateningly. The chain rattled noisily as the creature flailed about its treasure, the sharp clangs echoing in the grand room.

Stumbling back, letting go of his end of the chain, Ian widened his eyes. "How on earth are we ever going to keep this thing?" He said seriously, tossing the remains of rat-decaying bodies off to the side of the treasure. "We won't be able to even get near it, at this rate..."

Shaking his head, he turned to look at Loren, his gaze catching the magnificent bed in one of the corners, facing an elaborate window. His mouth opened in wonder as he walked over, examining the fine silk and comfortable pillows. "This doesn't look like regular habitat for a Griffin," he said, falling onto the bed resignedly, surprised at how soft it was.

Looking at the window across, half aware of the Griffin preening and gushing over its treasure, Ian suddenly frowned. "Hang on," he said, standing up and pressing his filthy hands against the window, smudging it. "Does the forest look... strange to you?"

His gaze followed the seemingly innocent outer trees, until they reached the throbbing middle, where the darkness gathered like a pool of ink. "A lot more..." He turned to Loren, puzzled, "Lively?"

[Loren Hayes]

'Aw, he's so protective...' Loren purred as Felix snapped viciously at Ian, looking at the beast as if it would a bounding puppy rather than a six foot tall monster. She smiled adoringly as he trotted over to a chest containing a mound of glistening, priceless looking necklaces and tiaras, nuzzling it all with his beak so as to dig down in search of even better objects. The end of his tail was swishing from side to side happily.

Upon Ian lying down on the bed, Loren darted over and lept onto the broad, springy mattress, laughing as she proceeded to jump up and down with her arms above her head. 'He's got a better bed then me,' She said jerkily as she bounced. 'I might just live here instead of that grotty old dorm!'

She then noticed that Ian had moved to the window without her noticing, his hands cupped against the glass so that he could see out. 'Lively?' Loren frowned as she landed back on the stone floor, moving over to a separate window. There was indeed something suspiciously wrong with the forest. The black shadow that seemed to loom over the center would not have been unusual had it not been for the shinning full moon, creating the tree tops into a silver pool of distinctive shapes. The mass seemed to throb and swim like a cloak of black silk in the wind, and the longer Loren stared at it the more sinister it became. 'That's horrible...' Loren mumbled, looking at Ian. 'I hate it in there. It's too weird.'

Once again Loren pressed her hands to the glass to peer out. She gave a small scream as she lurched forward suddenly, the glass spinning outward as if on some sort of hinge. With heart wrenching panic she grabbed hold of the stone frame, dragging herself back in before the wind tried to carry her over the edge. 'They open!' She said in shock.

Something then occurred to her. Stepping forward, she leaned out carefully, holding onto the frame for support. 'Wow...' She smiled as she inspected the outside of the room, which just happened to be none existent. On the inside of the room she knew that Ian was peering out of a vast, clear window, but outside there was just a blank stone wall. The room clearly did not exist from the outside. 'Well, we won't have to worry about Felix being seen if anyone looks up... and it looks like he can push open the window and fly whenever he wants. It's certainly big enough for him...'

Loren's eyes were draw back to the forest, the thick darkness seemingly harsh without the glass barrier.

[Ian Gray]

Ian nearly toppled out the window himself, reaching for Loren as she lurched forward. The glass silently opened in one quick, smooth movement, exposing the chilly air and rippling noises of the wind. Relieved as her feet gained sturdy ground once more, he was about to close the window shut so the Griffin wouldn't catch sight of an easy escape-- he was sure the beast, used to being fed and cleaned (though not very well) by the house-elves wasn't quite ready to be left on his own-- when she leaned over the ornate sill once more, this time carefully and in thought.

"Be careful! The seventh floor isn't something you can fall off uninjured," Ian said cautiously, steadying himself beside Loren and peering over the edge of the window, also inspecting the seemingly normal tower. "That's strange," he said, startled. "Though you're right, it'd be nice for... Erm, Felix... to exercise his wings once in a while."

His eyes settled across the grounds, shining brilliantly in awe. "You can see everything from here," Although he tried to keep his gaze from lingering on the Forest, he found himself drawn to the mess of trees. Shuddering, he pulled away, looking back at Loren. "It's almost revolting how the trees look like they're moving, isn't it?"

He shook his head, eyes landing on the Griffin as the creature doted happily over its treasure, the empty leather strap swinging back and forth off its neck. Letting out a long sigh, he leaned against the wall between two windows, before sliding down into a semi-sitting position.

"We didn't exactly cover up our tracks," Ian said doubtfully, hoping the lack of door was enough to hide their location. "I wonder if those Ministry characters knew of the Griffin..." He trailed off wonderingly, wiping some soot off his forehead.

[Loren Hayes]

'I hope they don't know about this place...' Loren said as the window was shut. It had been many hours since they had discovered one another in the kitchen and taken that eerie tunnel the find Felix. Her thoughts wandered back to the blood stained rogue and the two suspicious ministry officials, her mind working achingly to place it all together. 'Merlin, what is going on, Ian? Who were those three men?' She asked, concerned.

A small streak of orange had appeared just over the mountains on the opposite side of the lake, signaling that dawn was close. Her eyes were wide but heavy, and with an uneasy groan she shuffled over to the bed and flopped down on it face first, her legs dangling off the edge. A small metal clatter next to the bed forced her to sit up again, and she searched the floor to find that they old key had fallen out of her pocket. With fear she looked at Felix, knowing it was something he was particularly fussy about, and was relieved to see he was too busy admiring his reflection in a solid gold mirror studded with emeralds. She scooped it up quickly. 'What d'you reckon this is?' she whispered to Ian.

[Ian Gray]

"I've never seen any of them before," Ian said unhelpfully, holding back a yawn as he stretched in his seated position. "But what they were talking about sounded important-- I wonder what on earth it is that the Ministry needs at Hogwarts."

Just as he finished voicing his curiosity, the loud clatter echoed in the room. Ian cringed, turning to the Griffin, but its only reaction was a flicker of its ears before deciding it couldn't be bothered. Smirking slightly at the animal's one-track mind, he moved over to Loren.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, grateful for the cushioning, Ian leaned over to examine they key. His eyebrows knit together in a frown as he gently pulled it from Loren's grasp, turning it over. "Did you find it here?" He said, hoping it wasn't taken from the Griffin's mound of treasure, as the creature seemed to finally be calming down.

His fingers traced of the grimy edges, realising there was a distinct difference in the sparkling, newly-polished gold in the Griffin's greedy grasp and the dull, filthy key. Looking at Loren uneasily, he held it back out to her, "You found this in that spooky tunnel, didn't you?" He rubbed his eyes tiredly, before falling onto the bed in an exhausted heap.

He suddenly opened his eyes, remembering the strange rogue character and how the grimy appearance of the key almost matched that of the dirty thief, and he let out a low groan. "Do you think it belonged to that... scruffy man we met in the passage-way? Dear Merlin, I hope not-- Imagine he comes back looking for us! I doubt his dagger will be so kind this time."

[Loren Hayes]

Loren nodded as he spoke, confirming where she had indeed discovered it. Her head was swimming with exhuastion but Loren could faintly remember some of the things the two men had said. 'A plan... they were talking about a plan. What d'you suppose that means?' She looked down at Ian quizically. 'I expect someone will find that slab of stone in the morning... and that room the all the fireplaces. I still don't get what that was. How long was he down there?' Loren muttered, looking over at Felix. The beast seemed perfectly adjusted and friendly - but what fun must it have been to be in a windowless room full of fake fire and dead rats?

'Oh no. Rats. We don't have any food for him...' Loren sighed in frustration. Where would they get dead rodents without arousing suspicion?

She took the key back from Ian and turned it over absent mindedly in her hands. As she did so the dirt and grime came off on her fingers, and as it became more clean she began to feel some sort of marking on the handle. Peering down at it she saw primative looking engraving dented into the one side. They were loopy shapes, although definitely not English. 'Ian, what's this?' She frowned, dangling it in front of his face.

[Ian Gray]

Ian's eyes followed the swinging key closely, squinting to try and decipher the moving images. Then, with a grin and feeling foolish, he tugged her hand down and kept it stationary. "Do you think it has anything to do with ancient runes?" At the mere mention of the subject, Ian made a most displeased expression. "I wouldn't be able to help if it were, I'm a failure at that particular course." Settling back down on the bed, his eyes trying to droop shut, he shrugged, "But I suppose we can head off to the library later this afternoon and try and find a clue..."

He trailed off and stared at the key once more, chewing his lip. "What a waste it would be if it led to one of Hogwarts' broom cupboards." He added a bit lifelessly, though just by the antiquity and rogue's actions, he was almost positive that wasn't the case.

Smoothing the key in his palms, Ian looked back at the Griffin, noticing it was looking warily between the rat-bodies and alluring treasure. Seemingly unable to decide which was more worthy of its attention, Felix sulked quietly to himself, before the low rumble of his stomach caused him to reach one of his talons over to grasp the corpse.

Letting out a noise of disgust, Ian looked away and nodded, "He'll be needing more food soon... and I have no idea how much Griffin's eat. Seems like loads though, doesn't it?" He let the question of where to get food ring in the air, as ordering in pounds of dead rodents through the morning owl post didn't seem like the most logical way of things.

Then, suddenly remembering the sickly state of the forest, Ian raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you're able to set foot in that thing," He pointed in the general direction of the forest, still looking at Loren. "It's positively filled with creatures, I'm sure we can find something edible for Felix in there."

The name was starting to roll off his tongue pleasantly, and though he wouldn't admit, with the slightest bit of affection.

[Loren Hayes]

Loren tossed the key from one hand to other other as Ian finished looking at it, weighting it up and trying to figure out where in Hogwarts a key guarded by a griffin could possibly be needed. 'I didn't take Ancient Runes,' she said regrettably, pocking the heavy object once more. 'And it's not like we can take it to a teacher. We'd never see it again...'

The Ravenclaw looked from the dead rats to the forest. 'Yeah... there's probably loads of dead stuff in there.' She smiled, although the enthusiasm soon left her voice as she imagined trying to find anything in that place. How much did a griffin eat in a single day? She thought about going to the house elves but that only worried her. 'I hope the house elves don't report it missing.'

Felix cried loudly suddenly, and apparently for no reason. Loren however soon realised it was staring at them expectantly, for they were of course on his bed. Loren laughed and stood up, letting it pass so that it gracefully clambered up onto the pillows, stretching extravagantly. 'He's so handsome...' She titled her head sideways, admiring his healthy feathers and fur. 'We should take a picture of him.' It then occured to Loren. 'All this weird stuff we keep seeing... I reckon it'd be a good idea if we got some sort of camera. Then we'd have proof of something if we saw anything bad.'

She thought back to Deek, and how no one would probably believe them if they told anyone.

[Ian Gray]

Ian moaned wearily, slipping off the bed feeling a bit grumpy. "I forgot to mention that we required a bed too," He said enviously as the Griffin perched itself merrily on the mattress, grooming its wings. A thick gold chain hung from its beak, swinging back and forth tauntingly, while a sparkling ruby-encrusted crown dangled off one of its ears.

Holding back a smirk, Ian nodded, "Yeah, mum will never believe me if I tell her I had a pet Griffin at school--" He wondered briefly if it'd be a good idea to tell her at all, before shrugging. "Pictures sound like a brilliant idea and would be more exciting if I were even the least bit photogenic." He grinned, before turning over and facing the window that looked over the Quidditch pitch.

"The library has an entire section on Ancient Runes, and though I hardly feel like spending my summer reading up on strange calligraphy, I think our best bet is research if we want to keep this key away from that man." He said, referring to Deek, before pulling his knees against his chest, huddling against the bed in a relaxed fashion.

"And I suppose later tonight we'll have to go find this guy something to eat." He tilted his head back against the mattress, watching the Griffin upside down as it began to doze off, realising the chain was still attached.

"How do you suppose we get this thing off?" Too tired to stand up, he stretched out his legs and pulled out his wand. "Hopefully there's a simple spell, it would be painful, I imagine, if Felix was stuck in that heavy manacle all day."

One of the Griffin's eyes peeled open as it co-cked its head to one side, his talons stretching, before a large yawn escaped its beak. Ian let out a small laugh which soon also turned into a yawn as he tiredly pivoted his head to look back at his companion.

[Loren Hayes]

The chain did indeed seem to ruin the proud image of Felix adorned in all his splendor, crowned king on a bed Loren would never be able to afford in her own lifetime. In a matter of hours he had gone from a raging beast locked up in a windowless dungeon to being a magnificent protector of a treasure Loren was sure out did many in museums across the world. 'D'you think he had a name before ours? Felix,' Loren said, giving a quick whistle and holding out her hand. 'Felix!' This time in a singsong voice.

Felix looked at her with an expression that blatantly asked what on earth she thought she was doing. The crown slipped slightly and he tossed his head, perching it back on. Loren sighed, continuing to look at him a few moments longer before picking up the last rat and throwing it to him. He caught it in his beak skillfully, and as he wolfed it down she turned to Ian. 'We better go. It'll be lessons in about three hours.' Loren realised fretfully. She was absolutely exhausted, covered in dirt and had a pounding headache. Loren held her hand out for Ian to pull himself up on. 'Tomorrow night we'll meet by the forest at midnight. Felix will be alright until them. He's certainly fat enough. I'll also have a quick search in the library at lunch time.' She smiled.

[Ian Gray]

Ian took the offered hand gratefully, pulling himself up to full height. The room had grown much lighter with the rising sun sending rays of sunlight through the gigantic windows, causing an array of colour to reflect off the treasure the Griffin adorned.

"I'm guessing not," he mumbled, staggering toward the exit. "I bet the house-elves were too frightened to come up with a decent name. And if so, it'd be something atrocious like off the seven dwarves." He wasn't sure if Loren knew of such Muggle references, but truthfully couldn't be bothered to care. As she had previously mentioned, they had lessons to get to early that morning, and a knot of dread settled in his stomach.

The only thing that brightened his foggy mind was Loren offering to do the studying. Perking up, he nodded, "I'll stop by too, if I can. Maybe we can bring the books back here... Just to visit Felix." His cheeks reddened slightly at mentioning the Griffin who was sleeping soundly on its grand bed.

Then, nodding at their meeting time for the forest, he pushed open the door which creaked softly, revealing the empty corridor. With a quick, tired goodbye, he and Loren both exited quietly, parting ways to their separate common rooms.