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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 2:52:47 GMT
The corridor was lifeless just after the initial hoard of students changing lessons. A few bodies lingered amongst the shadows and portraits, having a quick laugh and procrastinating on returning to their schedule, while others, like Noah, decided to skip his lessons all together.
Well, he'd decided to specifically skip Transfiguration in any case. The subject, he'd come to conclude, was too much stress for something so simple. Noah found he completed spells quite easily but it was the theory that sent him barreling into dangerous tides. Instead of any boring old lesson, he found himself in quite the discussion with an old painting of a toad.
"Really, Mr. Yves! I'm actually a prince... I mean really, how many talking toads have you met?"
Noah grinned, rubbing a kink out of his neck as he stalled in his reply. Finally; "All right, I'll lend you a hand, mate. But, I make landing a snog look easy. I hope you know it'll take quite a lot of convincing to get some poor girl to pucker up for you!"
After the toad cursed at him, constantly moaning about how handsome he used to be, Noah leaned beside his portrait and grinned waiting for an unfortunate, unsuspecting girl to cross their path.
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 3:03:20 GMT
What a week this girl had been having. First she had to catch a snake in potions class and kill it, her puffskein, Carl, had died by a bludger to the head and her hair was totally frizzed out. Deciding that she would cure the string of horribly bad luck, Polaris skipped one of her best classes, Ancient Runes, to go figure something out on how to break this curse. Or atleast find a proper place to bury her puffskein.
Waiting until the hustle and bustle of all the students to clear the halls, she noticed one boy in particular that was talking to.. a frog portrait? Furrowing her eyebrows, the Ravenclaw approached the boy curiously.
"Excuse me.. were you just talking to that frog?" She asked, head tilted to the side.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 3:16:04 GMT
"Toad, actually."
The Gryffindor hid his amusement behind a mask of seriousness, realising he didn't have to wait long for a girl to arrive and wondering why he didn't visit that particular corridor more often. "No, not a toad, nor a frog" he admonished the dry portrait whilst pushing himself from his stance against the wall, "A prince."
Sending a slanted smile the girl's way, Noah hooked an arm around her shoulder and curved them slightly so she was facing him rather than the portrait. "Polaris, right?" His smile broadened when he saw the clarification in her eyes. "I never forget a pretty face," he added gently, ignoring the grumbles of the portrait.
Rolling his eyes briefly and giving into the insistent amphibian, Noah served around and presented the toad with a flourish. "Tell me, Miss. Stormwrath," he continued musically, eyes alight with impish mirth, "Are you a fan of fairytales?"
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 3:29:51 GMT
"Toad, my mistake.." She corrected herself with slightly furrowed eyebrows. Before long, she would be corrected once more.
"A prince..?" She gasped softly. Such things were unheard of in this day and age, yet here she was, being told that the toad in the portrait was infact, a prince.
She smiled and nodded when he asked her her name before bowing slightly in a joking manner. After a moment she was spun around and re-introduced to the toad.
"Are you a fan of fairytales?"
A fan of fairytales, who wasn't! "Fairytales? I absolutely love fairytales! Although, most of the nordic ones I am told end in a bloodied manner, often with the smashing of the skulls or biting off a hand.. you get the gist. But english fairytales, I am completely novice to." She replied, wincing at the own barbarian-like tales of her ancestors.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 3:51:01 GMT
Noah was outwardly fascinated by her stories of gore... The toad was less amused and looked quite fearful for its life.
"Well," he whispered at her, not wanting to reveal any information to those few passing their small huddle by. "You'll have to let me in on some of those... after we're done here," his brow arched minutely.
Instead of telling her right away what he was getting at, Noah dropped his arm from around her and grazed a finger lightly against the portrait, knowing how the figures inside hated viewers to be rough. "Our fairy tales - or at least the Muggle version -" he smiled at her gingerly, aware that she was a Ravenclaw and would not mind his somewhat muggle heritage. "Are much less menacing..."
Dropping his finger and hooking it onto the frame of the toad's portrait, Noah sent Polaris a queried glance, glancing to her lips then to the toad. "You see, they claim if a fair maiden swoons over a particular toad, granting him one simple kiss, he'll turn into a prince." He finished slowly, his voice hardly audible, as if sharing an important secret.
Then, his face broke out into a massive grin and he added with boisterous humor, "Plus, if you give him a hickey we get to see what treasures are hidden in the vault behind his portrait."
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 4:04:11 GMT
Since Noah had draw the Ravenclaw in, Polaris leaned in closely to listen to his words. Nodding and leaning back, she smiled. "Of course I'll share some of those stories with you, they're quite fascinating." She whispered back, offering a natural wolfish grin of her own.
Turning her attention to the toad portrait, her bi-coloured eyes were somewhat wide and vacant looking as she began to get caught up in thought while Noah told her of his muggle fairy tales.
The girl was quickly snapped out of her day dream once presented with the toad mere inches from her nose.
Once again, Polaris found herself being drawn in by him, and leaned a bit closer..."--granting him one simple kiss, he'll turn into a prince." being the only bit of information she had caught.
"Kiss the toad and it turns into a prince? That seems fishy to me.. but it's just a painting anyways! Not a real toad." She said with her smile fading into a somewhat amused grin. Sure, she was an animagus and was used to having her teeth sunken into other animals, but never once was she questioned to kiss a portrait of a toad!
Tossing all of her dignity aside, the Ravenclaw closed her eyes and leaned forward a bit with her lips puckered slightly. I can't believe.. Her lips finally made contact with the canvas of the painting before she pulled away, opening her eyes. I just did that.
"Do you think it'll work..?" She asked curiously. It was too late to save her pride and dignity anyways, so why not follow through with it.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 4:25:09 GMT
Noah seemed to lean in as she did, watching from the sidelines with clear awe when her lips made contact with the old portrait. He held his breath, one hand gripping onto the framework and the other clenched at his side, when she pulled away. Her strangely coloured eyes blinked open to face his rather stunned expression.
"I hope so," he said, hazel eyes crinkling in their former amusement. When nothing seemed to happen, Noah had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing. "Well then, any plans for a second date?"
Before he could fully enjoy the situation, and absorb the toad who was looking quite lost, the portrait groaned warily. Taking a step back, Noah's features dissolved into a frown in just enough time for his reflexes to move away as the heavy portrait swung open. Behind it was a staircase succumbed in a dingy tunnel.
Turning to Polaris who he hoped was all right after the spontaneous turn of events, he arched a brow. "You've been brave thus far," he nodded toward the staircase inquiringly.
Then, as an afterthought, he craned his neck around the front of the portrait to spy on the toad again. However, the painting was blank leaving the two to dwell on the disappearance.
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 4:40:54 GMT
With a faint pout in her expression, Polaris couldn't help but laugh at Noah's reply about the second date. "Yeah, perhaps this time it'll take place in a much better setting. Not many restaraunts will let me tote in a large painting." She snickered in return.
A moment of silence fell upon the two before the painting seemingly groaned. Tilting her head in curiosity, the girl backed away slightly, and just in time too, but she wasn't fast enough. The corner of the painting had caught her forehead, effectively smacking it dead-center and leaving a harsh, red mark.
Rubbing at her head, Polaris then turned her attention to the stairwell that was hidden behind the painting. "Of course we''ll have to explore, but how did that.." She didn't bother finishing the sentence once her eyes darted over to the empty portrait.
The expression on the young girls face was priceless. Her mouth was agape for a few moments as her thoughts gathered together. "I kiss so terribly, that even portraits have to flee! Toad ones at that!" She could have just about died right then and there.
Whimpering and looking towards Noah, Polaris gave him a puppy-eyed expression that spoke of helplessness.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 4:56:25 GMT
"Oh please," Noah's lips quirked upwards in the briefest of smiles as he worked hard to keep a straight face. "You didn't see the expression on that toad's face. A right perv he is." He winked, grasping Polaris by the elbow and steering her toward the stairs of which he'd already begun to climb.
His own mind was trying to untangle the mystery as well when he steadied himself against the rock wall - the steps were quite imbalanced - and he couldn't help but wonder what the lurkers in the corridor would think of their unorthodox stroll through the walls.
Well, to Hell with them! He sent Polaris a challenging glance, before letting go of her and walking right into the narrow staircase. His fingers clutched at crumbly walls that chipped his fingernails, and he was walking slowly but smoothly along until he caught sight of something glinting murderously bright in the dark.
"Looks like the toad's hiding something worthwhile in here after all," Noah turned around to face Polaris, hoping she'd followed him in, but winced as soon as he did. The portrait slammed shut, enclosing him in darkness and hardly giving himself time to see if Polaris had, in fact, joined him in the unsightly escapade.
His breath grew ragged in the limited oxygen as he tried to adjust his eyes to the dark. Finally, he took a step down the stairs. "Polaris?"
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 5:07:24 GMT
"The stairs, right!" Polaris said with a wide smile, brushing off the previous few encounters with bad luck once more. Curiosity burned within the young Ravenclaw, an emotion one would never dare to ignore. So, fuel the fire she did.
Retrieving the wand from her pocket, Polaris held it at her side attenatively while stepping carefully onto the first stair of the weak and crumbling stairwell that lead into the darkness.
"He's really hiding something?" Her words seemed to grow distant with every syllable and eventually faded out as the darkness encased the hallway from the paintings sudden closure.
"Polaris?"
Being careful not to poke him with her wand, Polaris lit the hallway with a silent lumos spell, revealing a wolfish grin to Noah. "Boo." She said in a normal tone, their voices already being amplified by the small enclosure. Her voice seemed to carry down the length of the crumbling corridor and ended where the true onset of darkness began.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 5:29:06 GMT
Noah couldn't help but notice how animalistic Polaris' facial expressions were in the dim light. He slanted his head to one side, smiling crookedly whilst listening to her voice carry on in echoes up the stairway long after her lips had ceased to move.
"Must be quite a way up," he concluded. He crumpled a hand through his hair, sifting away small rocks that had fallen from the ceiling. "I suppose we better get started right away - before any of our mates suspect we're gone."
It was unusual for Noah to be missing, usually accompanied by a cluster of his enthused housemates. And for some unfathomable reason, Noah didn't want them to know of his and Polaris' secret. Following the Ravenclaw's example, he too brandished his wand, squinting in the dark to catch another look at whatever had shone so bright before.
In fact, he was so absorbed in finding the the object that he failed to comprehend the crumbly stone walls had morphed somehow into hard, silky marble.
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 5:38:56 GMT
Polaris nodded in agreement to his conclusion and followed after his lead. Unlike Noah, she didn't have a group of friends or house mates that she hung around with, she was usually alone most of the time.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, the two pressed forward for quite a while, the occasional skitter of noise could be heard very faintly. It wasn't like Polaris to cower, but something gave her the heebie-jeebies here. "I wonder what the toad prince is hiding up here.." She breathed out in a whisper, her fingers noticing the change in textures on the wall, though the every prevalent moss still stayed the same on the marble surface.
Giving Noah a soft tap on the shoulder, she then formed a pointing finger forwards, right to where they were headed. ""I think I heard something up there. I'm not feeling too keen on what ever it is, too.." She breathed once more, quieter than previous. What ever it was had her spooked, and for an animal with high instincts like that, was never good.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 6:02:33 GMT
Whatever had caught Polaris off guard was too distant for Noah to hear. His gaze followed her outstretched finger directly into the heart of the tunnel, and though his irises fooled him into believing he could see ghostly shapes ahead, he was positive that it was his imagination.
"Something like what?" He whispered back, gazing upwards at the ceiling. Though he couldn't see or hear anything like Polaris seemed to, Noah could definitely feel something. The narrow passage forced him to press not only into Polaris' personal space, but against the smooth walls as well.
And he could feel them vibrate. Soon, the entire tunnel was vibrating and Noah came to realise it was probably the gravelly rumbling that caused the tunnel to crumble in the first place. Afraid that the entire hole would cave in, Noah sent an astonished gaze toward his companion.
"If we can't go back, we'd better go forward," he rationalized, knowing if they stayed too long where they were, they'd be flattened. Tucking his wand securely into one of his belt loops to get better leverage on the walls with his free hands, Noah began climbing the stairs and heard Polaris' breathing behind him.
"What do you think it is?" Noah's voice was quiet, a deep yet gentle rumble in his chest that was drowned out by the tunnel's distress. He could finally see a small opening at the top of the stairs and exhaled loudly, dust spiraling against his breath.
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Post by Polaris Stormwrath on Jul 25, 2008 6:14:35 GMT
As she climbed up after Noah, Polaris was growing ever more curious. No wonder the boy is in Gryffindor.. She thought while treading onwards, brushing against him occasionally.
Being yanked out of her thoughts by his voice, the animagus poked her head through the opening at the top of the stairs, sending her into a raging fit of sneezed. "Allergies.." She groaned while sniffing slightly.
Unlike Noah, she didn't put her wand away. This day was going too horribly wrong for her to let her guard down, especially when she was in unknown territory such as this.
Along with the change of scenery, a large amount of new things came into play. Smell being one of them. Reeling back, Polaris covered her nose with her upper arm, causing her to wince.
"It smells like something died up here." She managed to choke out, her features scrunched up tightly in disgust.
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Post by Noah Yves on Jul 25, 2008 6:29:07 GMT
At his turn to look, Noah reached his arms above his torso and heaved himself up. The stench that assaulted his senses was as bad as Polaris claimed, and it nearly overpowered his curiosity to study where it was they'd traveled to. Forcing himself to stay upright, Noah peered through watery eyes at their surroundings.
The sky was a dark, murky grey ahead and Noah could only wonder how they landed outside in the first place. A chill that was absent in the tunnel surrounded the atmosphere, wind rustling the dried up grass scattered on the muddy ground.
They seemed to be just below an expansive garden, though all the plants had wilted into a miserable pile of weed. Pulling himself all the way up, Noah sunk his knees into the wet dirt and peered into the hole to catch Polaris' gaze.
"Well, Stomwrath," he said with the usual lilt of mirth in his voice. "That's because something has. Lots of somethings actually."
Reaching an arm down the hole to offer the Ravenclaw a hand up, Noah tried to keep his gaze away from the numerous carcasses littered on the earthen floor.
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