Scavenger Hunt (Waaaay open)

[Loren Hayes]

Loren spun round in the passage as she heard the crumbling of earth and a soft thud.

'Hello?' She whispered somewhat foolishly into the dark, urging her wandlight to go further than it was. Loren had been silently hoping for the most part that whatever - or whoever - had dug this tunnel did not still live down here... but now she was thinking otherwise. The ground rumbled as it had done before, although this time it was more intense. Loren supposed it was because she was so far down, but what if it were not just the forest in general? What if there was something coming?

Silently Loren began to run back in the direction she had come, determined to find the trap in the ceiling that had dragged her down. She did not get very far however when her wand light bloomed onto someone in black and red robes. 'Oh!' Loren skidded to a halt, her heart pounding as images of lethifolds and cloaked creatures darted through her head. However, her cry and surprise turned into a nervous laugh when she realised it was Ian - covered in sand.

'The ground swallow you to?' Laughing, she pulled him to his feet and gave him a quick hug. 'What's happened? Where is everyone else?' She asked urgently, prompting him to light his wand. 'And where are we?'

[Ian Gray]

Ian had been instantly relieved once he landed in the hollow tunnel, able to breathe. It had died just as quickly once he realised that the low rumblings belonged to the ground above him, stealthily moving to cover any escape routes. Walking cautiously along the dirt, rotting leaves landing in his hair and sticking to his robes, his heart nearly stopped as a bright light flashed in his eyes.

What ferocious creature has the headlights of a car? He thought frantically to himself, taking a quick step back and nearly tripping over a protruding root in his haste. Thinking up a spell, he aimed his wand at the other, before a familiar face came into view, looking just as pale as himself.

"Loren?" Stunned, his shoulders relaxed and he gave her a relieved grin, wiping the back of his hand on his forehead and leaving a muddy smudge. He was already filthy, and the uncomfortable prickle of sand down his robes caused him to fidget slightly as he looked around the strange setting.

"I'm not sure..." He trailed off, tapping his wand on a particularly large root on the side of the tunnel. He raised a brow as it moved slightly, wiggling unattractively against the dirt wall. "Relashio!

Sparks flew from his wand, hitting the root right in its core. Immediately, there was a squeal from the the root itself, as if it were in pain, before more than a dozen smaller ones dug out of the dirt, crawling up the floor trying to reach the larger, quivering, one.

Ian took a step back, the grip on his wand tightening.

The roots crawled up the wall, a deafening series of shrieks following them as they slipped through the dirt roof.

A frightened boy and what seemed to be an unconscious girl blocked their path, and slowly, they began to wrap around the oblivious boy's ankles, twisting tightly and bounding him.

More spindly roots broke through the surface of the ground, wrapping around the girl's twitching fingers and latching onto them with unimaginable force-- Like ten knobby, dirty rings.

[Mozess Mirari]

[Ennervate and enervate... No, I'm fairly certain ennervate sounds in IN-er-v-ATE and enervate sounds like... um... POH-TAY-TOE hee hee, pay no attention to the ghastly ginger behind the curtain ]

'Put me down you stupid, stupid, foolish, stupid boy!' she thought fervently, as if it would actually do any good. She thought about pinching him to let him know she would be able to fend for herself perfectly well on her own, but then thought he might take that as sign to move faster which would defeat the purpose entirely. So for now she just hung limply, entirely useless. 'This is miserable...'

At least when she was unconcious she had no clue what was going on around her. Now she knew that she had a perfectly plausible plan and all of these stupid boys were ruining it for her... well really, more for themselves. She was fine being a distraction, but no. They had to go and be all gallant. 'Where is Zach when you need someone selfserving and heartless to make sure a plan goes... well, according to plan.' She rolled her eyes. Then she felt the lurch...

'No, no... NO! Don't you dare drop me you foolish, insolent little-' her thought was cut off as she was thrown forward. For the second time that night she muttered, 'Damn.' Her eyes widened. She looked over at Dax, then back around the forest. She smiled. 'I can talk again... wait, if I can talk why am I talking to myself in my head? I don't know, you're the one doing it... that's true, I am. I had better stop it then.' She decided to check on what else she could move, when she heard something crackling.

She looked over to see Dax being tied up by a large, thick... tree root? That couldn't be right, and yet... There it was. Wrapping around him, making him even more useless to her. She sighed audibly. There wasn't much she coudl do to help him at the moment. Although she could talk now, there wasn't much that helped without being able to reach into her robes to grab her wand. She sighed again... then heard it again. The crackling of roots breaking through the forest floor... but where were they? They weren't wrapping around Dax and the only other person in this area they could bother was...

'Da-amn...' she muttered frusteratedly. Her heart pounded faster as she tried to move her fingers away from the roots, but to no avail. The roots reached up and pinned her only moveable appendages to the forest floor. 'NO!' she wailed, at this point not caring who heard her. She was about to be eaten by the Forbidden Forest! Surely the Ministry couldn't be worse than that, could they?

Yes, yes they could. Mozess quietened down. 'Okay. There's got to be a way to get out of this...' she thoguht furiously, gripping the forest floor as if there was an answer in it... hold it, was it- yes! Her hands were working now too! She relaxed slightly. The mispronounced 'ennervate' spell was working, just slowly. She took a deep breath, 'Okay, okay, I can do this...' she said quietly. She inhaled deeply again, preparing herself for what she was about to do and then... 'A-A-AH-OUCH!' she wailed, wrenching her hands free of the roots grasp, which shortly submersed themselves back into the ground. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked at her knuckles... 'Somone... is going... to pay... for that...' she spoke slowly, eyes turning as red as the blood dripping down her fingers.

She waited for a moment more, until she could move her arms again, reached into her robes and pulled out her wand. She aimed it at the roots which were restricting Dax and bellowed, 'Spiculus!' a wave a red sparks leapt at the roots, leaving tiny pock marks where they landed. The freakish wail of the forest throbbed and the roots released the Hufflepuff boy. She breathed, trying to let the stinging hex soothe some of her anger since there wasn't much else she could do at the moment.

[Dax Simmons]

Dax did not get far, he was being dragged to the floor again. With a groan he turned around just in time to see his legs vanishing beneath some rather creepy looking roots. Soon they were moving up his whole body, no matter how much he struggled he could get no where.

However it was lucky for him that the paralyzed Slytherin was on the ball. The roots retreated and left Dax lying on the forest floor, his limps tingling and his head throbbing. With a groan he rolled over pushing himself up. He shot a glance over at the Slytherin who did not look all to impressed. Taking in a deep breath Dax raised to his feet, all be it a little to fast. His head suddenly became very light and he wobbled as the forest around him began to spin. Blinking a couple of times he slowly moved towards Mozess.

“Erm…Thanks for that? I owe you one!” He managed to give her a week smile and ran his hand through his hair. He guessed she must be able to talk as she cast the spell but if she could walk would be a big help, Dax had not strength left to carry her anymore.

[Mozess Mirari]

'Don't mention it... And I'm serious, don't mention it. I have a reputation as a cold hearted merciless dictator-type at school, and having people praise me for saving the life of a Hufflepuff would ruin that in its entirety.' She huffed as she tried to get to her feet, but her legs were still useless. She made a face, then looked at the Hufflepuff, 'How about, instead of you owing me one...' she began, '...instead, you use the "Levicorpus" spell on me so that we can get out of here faster, hm?'

She looked around, then sighed, 'Any idea what happened to the others?' she asked, getting the hideous idea that she was about to feel guilty if she left the others stranded in here. It wasn't that she particularly cared that they were safe, or that they got caught by the Ministry. She didn't know any of them well enough to really worry about that. Her worry was, however, that it was her plan. Her plans had always worked in the past and if this one failed it would all but ruin her. Curse her conscience, kicking in now of all times...

[Loren Hayes]

'Oh dear...' Loren frowned as the roots only seemed to thicken in their defenses. Her gaze moved to look in either direction of the tunnel, the impending darkness as thick and mysterious as ever. 'It could take us forever to get out of here... if there even is a way out of here. How big d'you reckon it is?'

More soil dislodged from the ceiling now as another gentle rumble sounded. Loren closed her eyes, trying to clear the headache that was pounding like rushing water through her temples. This tunnel is old. It must be man made surely - the walls are too well rounded! It must have some sort of purpose, especially if its been kept a secret!

'Ian? We should stick together, shouldn't we?' Loren tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to come along. Raising her wand above her head, Loren began to light jog, in a hurry but not too eager to run into anything dead on. Every now and then a large rock or root loomed from the darkness, startling Loren into stopping, but Ian running into the back of her urged her on. There was something immensely odd about the tunnel - it was underground, and so should have been at least a couple of degrees warmer than up on the forest floor... yet it was considerably chillier...

She skidded to a halt suddenly as the two of them came across something quite unexpected.

The tunnel had opened up onto a large circular chamber, much like the burrow of a rabbit would, yet in the walls of the chamber were set seven wide, but rather short, doors - each engraved in foot-high symbols that Loren realised were much older than the ones she studied in Ancient Runes. Turning to Ian, she gave him an anxious look, questioning. What the hell was going on?

[Ian Gray]

Ian felt himself lurch forward and crash into Loren once again as she stopped suddenly. Gently nudging her shoulders with a hand, he was surprised as she turned around her wand igniting their surroundings.

"Doors?" He said flatly, a crumble of sand falling from his eyebrow. Pulling Loren by the elbow, using her wand as a source and not wanting to light the other, fearing he'd attract the attention of something nasty, he stopped just in front of one with two engraved symbols.

"These..." He reached out a hand, "...Don't look like Ancient Runes symbol--Ouch," His hand immediately sprang back as the carved design burned his wandering finger. Sending it a quizzical look, he leaned in closer, realising it was dimly lit up with a dull orange.

In fact, on further inspection, he noticed that even the knob seemed to be glowing with fiery colour, and he nursed his finger with a wince. "Right, be more cautious," He said to himself, sending Loren a slightly exasperated glance before looking back at his calloused hands.

"We should get out of here, it doesn't seem like a safe place to linger..." As soon as he trailed off, a soft melodic hum picked up, followed by an eerie rustle of leaves. Looking toward the tunnel's muddy ground, he noticed the roots were showing themselves once again, moving in what looked like a pattern as they responded to the rhythm.

Hesitantly, Ian followed the roots, leading himself and Loren to another door. This one wasn't warm and glowing vibrant orange, but instead looked extremely cool and moving closer, Ian realised with a start that a song was playing quietly in the distance.

Rearing back, knocking himself into Loren, Ian sent her a wide-eyed look. "That... That shouldn't be happening." He knit his eyebrows together in a puzzled frown, realizing he had managed to knock her wand away when he crashed into her, and it was lying lifelessly on the floor.

"Where's that light coming from?"

The crack beneath another door was the source, and blinding light flooded into the passage illuminating both their faces. "Actually, I'd rather not know." He said shortly, and as soon as Loren picked up her wand, he grabbed her hand and ran down the tunnel, leaving the wide circular room behind them.

Unfortunately, that only led them to a dead-end with one, larger, door awaiting them. Two malnourished trees hung limply at each side of the doorway, their leaves twisting together as if daring the two to go inside.

Chewing his lip in thought, he finally sent a quick incendio spell their way, watching them spindle away, before pushing the door open.

Astonished, Ian climbed out of the door first, suddenly finding himself stumbling out of the trunk of an old Willow tree. The branches shuddered around him, spewing him to the ground, before becoming eerily silent once more. Loren stumbled out much the same way, landing in a pile of robes on the solid ground beneath them.

When he turned back, the door had disappeared.

[Loren Hayes]

Loren almost tripped as Ian dragged her away and through the only door they had tried. 'But - but what's behind them?' she asked breathlessly as the two of them broke out into the forest once more, no sign of their friends in any direction. She briefly wondered what could have happened to them before a sharp crack informed her that the door had magicked away. 'How's your finger? Did it really burn you?' she grabbed his hand, holding his finger out under the wand light. There was a small red circle where he had touched the door. 'That'll turn into a boil.' she said regretfully.

Turning back to the willow, it seemed nothing out of the ordinary - in fact, there roots were hardly big enough to house a door it seemed. 'That was even weirder than that passage in the kitchens...' she looked at him, seeking consensus. 'That music... that was the scariest thing I've ever heard.' The soft tune had been harmless enough, but the sinister consistency of it, and how it seemed to be drifting from some far off place they could not reach, terrified her. Was there someone down there or was it something else - some sort of magic? The blinding light, the burning door... what did it all mean?!

Loren tugged her robes around herself gently, pointing out her wand. 'Those runes... they looked familiar...' She mumbled, looking up at the trees in thought. It then clicked. 'The key! Ian - those runes were like the one on the key!' She was almost shouting as she spun round to face him properly, a shocked expression on her face.

[Dax Simmons]

Dax was feeling rather confused. He rubbed the back of his head and thought hard about what Mozess had said.
“You want me to hang you upside down by your ankles? That will not get us any….”

Dax was distracted by the sound of twigs snapping, he spun around and looked around the darkness of the forest. With a nervous glance towards Mozess once more, he managed to muster a small smile.

“Well we need to head that way.” He pointed to the right , before giving the left a quick glance. “Yes, that way” He reassured himself, before bending down to the Slytherin’s side.
“And I’m going to carry you….after making you a bit lighter”

With a grin he pulled out his wand and tapped Mozess on the chest while mumbling an incantation to himself. After a few sparks flew out the end of his wand Dax picked her up once more, this time with a lot more ease. She was now as light as a feather.

[Mozess Mirari]

She raised an eyebrow, then blushed, 'Mobilicorpus. I meant mobilicorpus... hey they both have "corpus" in them. Anyone could've made that mistake...' probably not, but it made her feel better to think that anyone could've.

She rolled her eyes as she watched the Hufflepuff struggle with directions. She thought about arguing with him, but then thoguht better of it. Arguing would help noone right now, as sad a thought as it was, so with a grimace she let herself be carried onward to wherever the Hufflepuff boy thought they were going.

It was then that she heard the chatter of excited voices... seemingly familiar voices. She couldn't be sure but they sounded like they were coming from up ahead...

[Loren Hayes]

(( I'm guessing the ministry people are gone? ))

Loren spun round on the spot as she heard the sound of approaching voices. For a moment she moved closer to Ian, ready to grab his arm and run if need be, but as the gloom parted and the discerning wind died down, Loren realised the murmuring were coming from two approaching students. Squinting into the trees, she realised Dax was walking their way - having not yet seen them - with what looked like Mozess floating along beside him.

Giving Ian a funny look she adjusted her muddy robes and strode over to Dax and Mozess, stopping in their path. 'What happened to you? Did the ground swallow you too?' She moved to stand next to Mozess's body and peered at her face questioningly. 'And why are you all paralysed?' She suddenly glared at Dax accusingly. 'Just can't leave girls alone, can you?' She snapped.

[Ian Gray]

Ian watched the others approach them, frowning as he noticed only Dax seemed to be walking upright. "Paralysed?" He said, peering over Loren and grimacing as Mozess lay limply near the Hufflepuff.

He suddenly turned bright red as Loren began to accuse Dax, before walking forward and wincing at the glare she was sending him. "Erm, no, see--" He sent Mozess a guilty look, before running a hand nervously through his hair. "I was panicking when I tried to aim the ennervate spell and pronounced it wrong..."

He trailed off, chewing his lip and moving closer to Mozess. Sending her a sheepish look, he pulled out his wand-- wondering if he could try the spell again-- when his arm fell down at his side and his eyes took on a widened expression.

"Your hands!" He said suddenly, picking one of them up gently and inspecting it with a slightly horrified look.

[Mozess Mirari]

Mozess chuckled bitterly, 'No, no, the ground didn't swallow us. A couple of Ministry officials crashed our party, decided it would be amusing to hit me in the face with a knock-out spell, then leave us all to die in here. Not a problem,' she rolled her eyes, then stared at Loren and Ian, 'So I saw one of you get sucked under the forest floor, now you're both together... what happened?' she was curious as to the mystery of the screaming trees. Especially now that they'd taken a sacrifice of her flesh as payment.

'Really, I'm okay. Your ennervate is working, Gray. Just slowly. I think I've just about got feeling in my legs again...' she tried to bend her knees slightly, testing out the theory. Yes. It would be much longer and she'd be able to walk on her own again. What a relief that would be... It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Dax's help, she did. She just didn't like having to rely on anyone.

She watched the guilty Gryffindor bend down to inspect her wounds, 'What's his problem?' she asked herself, raising an eyebrow at him. She snatched her hand back shortly, 'Don't touch them, you fool! They hurt!' She knew there were healing spells she could say to help them, but she didn't want to worry about that right now. Besides they were already clotting and scabbing over. She'd be fine until they all got back to the castle. She looked between the members of their party now. That was everyone it seemed, 'So what's the plan now?'

[Loren Hayes]

Upon Mozess inquiring about where Ian and Loren had been dragged away to, she and the Gryffindor shared a furtive glance. 'Nothing... it was just an underground cavern... like the earth had just collapsed under the surface. We're lucky it didn't cave in with you lot running around on top.' she laughed weakly. 'There wasn't anything down there at all.'

Loren looked to the tree tops, and with a heavy sigh saw the first streaks of pink and orange. Although the forest seemed to be in a perpetual state of nighttime, the sun had probably been coming up for several minutes without them realise. Glancing at her watch, Loren realised it was nearly five in the morning. 'Well the plan is we leave now, I think.' Loren sighed. She nor Ian had managed to collect any food for Felix... he would not be too pleased with them. It irritated her for a moment. She adored Felix, but he was certainly hard to look after - how difficult could it be to find dead animals?

'It'll take forever to get out of here by foot. Accio broom!' Loren whispered into the air, not wanting shout in case she attracted the ministry people that were apparently skulking about. It took a fair few moments - almost a minute - but there was a soon sharp snapping of branches above them as Loren's Comet Two Sixty crashed through the top.

[Ian Gray]

Ian reared back from Mozess, a bit surprised at her snappish tone, before rolling his eyes. Being anything akin to chivalrous around that particular Slytherin seemed out of the question.

"It was very lively though," Ian said, sending Loren a look, before frowning. "Seemed the roots and leaves were actually communicating to each other." Shuddering, he cast Mozess' hands one last wince and tilted his head upwards to watch the approaching broom.

"Right, looks like no one got their jobs done." He sent Loren a bit of a helpless look, knowing she was probably frustrated with their lack of accomplishment in terms of Felix, before nodding. "Brooms sound good. Though, one of us will have to take Mozess along."

He grew a bit red at the ears again, still embarrassed over his failed spell, despite the Slytherin's reassurance, before summoning his own Silver Arrow.