[Library] The Alive Paintings

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie tossed and turned in her sleep. Then she sat up strait. She slid on her shoes and headed quietly out of the dorm. It was about eleven o'clock. She had a strange feeling some thing was about to happen. She felt a rising tension, her throat went tight. She was afraid though she didn't know why. "Lumous." She muttered and her wand tip light up.

She headed down the hall. She was trying to find a teacher. She needed to tell them something was about to happen. She heard foot steps behind her she quickly turned her wand held high but there was no one around on the frames which where empty.

She looked into the dark frame. It looked so sad. The room that once been brightly covered was now almost pitch black like the hall she was standing in. She heard foot steps again. She turned to see a very familiar figure standing there. It was the painting of the girl on the stair case who waved and said hello to every one.

But it wasn't her. Her smile was gone her hair no longer light up in it's bow. It looked greasy like it hadn't been washed. Her eyes had dark circles and bags. She looked like some thing out of a horror movie. All Sarie could do was scream and run. She didn't understand what was happening.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

It was a very rare thing for Dan to be doing a night patrol seeing as the night was one of the only times he got to himself so he would either bee fast asleep with Dia at his side or shacked up in a pub somewhere with Vicky. Tonight however Dia was doing an all nighter with her seventh year Astronomy class and for once he did not feel like spending time with Vicky so he had decided to let Will have the night off and he took over his best mates duty. It has just gone past 3am when he started to regret his decision, his eyes were dropping, he seemed to be yawning non stop and nothing seemed to be happening…the castle was dead.

That was until he heard a loud screaming coming from the floor above him.

Suddenly, with a blink of an eye the sleep seemed to vanish, adrenaline started to pump through his veins as Dan broke out into a run, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out his wand. He took each step three at a time, straining his eyes to see through the darkness and pin point where he heard the screen come from. As he ran down one of the corridors he saw a faint light in the distance, he had not run this much in years and the lactic acid in his legs stung and his lungs screamed for air but he had headmaster mode on and wanted to make sure that his students where safe.

The wand light was getting closer to him with every stride and in a few seconds he had reached a fear struck Sarie. With a heaving chest Dan tried to get his words out but all he could do was look down at the Gryffindor with a frown. “Wh-what is g-going on?”

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie had been running what felt like forever. She saw another light coming closer she was about to run again thinking it was one of the paintings. Her headmaster came into view. She could have hugged him but she didn't really have the energy for it.

She was gasping for air. "The paintings they're coming alive and they're aren't happy about it." She took another deep breath. "You know about the painting of the little girl on the stairs. She doesn't look right she looks like she dead it horrible Professor." She tried to get the image out of her mind. She couldn't though. She was glad that he wasn't going to lecture her about being out of bed.

She wondered if all the paintings had come alive or was she the only one. She though of all the picture just in Gryffindor tower. She shuddered at the though. Why didn't she wake up one of her dorm mates before she felt.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

His chest was still heaving as Dan tried to calm down his breathing and gain back the oxygen that his body desired, but he had a feeling that would not be happening at this very moment in time. If what Sarie was saying was right, and he refused to believe that she would lie about such a thing, then the night was only just getting started. Looking upon her young face it was hard to ignore the horror in her eyes and the tremor in her voice, what she had seen had shaken her up badly and we were on about a Gryffindor here.

Shinning his wand light on the walls around him he carefully traced the outline of the figures in the portraits, they all seemed to be in there, although not looking happy that they were getting blinded by the light, but they knew their place and would not yell at the headmaster.

“Is the little girl the only one you have seen?” Dan question as he moved onto the next painting to investigate. It would take all night to go through every portrait and they all moved about so much it would be result in being a futile task. Dropping his wand Dan turned around to look back at Sarie. He would not admit it to her, seeing as he was meant to be the responsible adult out of them all, but he was worried and as the deafening silence surrounded them in the corridor all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, battering away as if it was going to break free form his chest.

[Sarie Thimble]

"Yes, I've been taking all the hidden stair cases with no paintings on them. There might be more but don't know." She watch her headmaster looking at the frames. "They've been getting darker for months a little bit at a time." She didn't know what else to say. "Professor what is happening?"

She wondered if any one else out of bed getting chased but the paintings. She shuddered and again. She hoped not. Was there a way even to attack the paintings or maybe away to put them back in their frames. There wasn't even away to tell if some one was missing the people moved about all of the time.

She felt something behind her. Something that was bigger than she was. Please let it be a student she plead to any one who was listening. She didn't dare to look around. "Professor..." Was all she could say.

[Ellie Rook]

Ellie had said it thousands of times, she hated night watch for her prefect duties. The sixth year had met no one on her journey that night. Ellie was very thankful for this. The castle felt very different. Ellie could almost say she was scared walking through the halls lately, but being who she was she would never admit that. Her wand was held out in a illuminated attack mode. Ellie wasn't going to chance anything. The Hufflepuff was still trying to get over the armor attack. She was sure Professor Hubbles was probably feeling the same way as he walked through the halls.

Ellie had finished her second round, and decided to head back to the common room. The yearly April rains had come a month early, and Ellie could hear the soft patter of drizzle outside as she climbed the stairs back to the Hufflepuff territory. Ellie took a deep, tired, breath and sighed. Just as she exhaled, the stair well shifted. Ellie grabbed hold of the railing and held on. It swung around and planted her in a strange hall.

The sixth year continued to grip her lighted wand as she walked forward into the hall. She had so idea where she was. Ellie could see the dark wood frame of a painting. She felt a little relief, someone who could give her directions. "Excuse me," Ellie said as she reached the painting. "Could you tell me...oh my..." Ellie said her eyes wide. The man in the painting, who once sat quietly under a tree, was now hanging limpy from the tree. Ellie's hands went to her mouth as she let out a little scream, and ran from the painting. She ook a left, and saw light in the corridor.

Ellie ran faster and soon saw the familiar face of Professor Hubbles. She ran to him, and the small Gryffindor she knew as Sarie. Ellie gripped the Professor's arm. "Professor, the painting..he's dead.." Ellie said out of breath. "I don't really know if people in paintings can die, but he was swinging from the...from the tree, dead and...his face..." Ellie felt a tear on her cheek. She had never met the man before, but she never expected to see anything that horrible.

"Professor whats going on...are you alright Sarie? Professor?"

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie had never been happier to hear Ellie's voice behind her. She listened to her shock about the man hanging himself. "At least yours stayed in the picture. I came face to face with one. Trust me she wasn't happy." She shuttered. "Do you think one in the dorms are like this too. I really don't want to think about someone waking up in this mess." Sarie took a deep breath. "I glad its you Ellie and not another painting.

She couldn't take it. She wished she had said some thing sooner then this. She thought about the poor house elves who cleaned the castle what if one of the paintings got them. She really didn't want the picture to hurt any one. "Why didn't I say some thing before?" She wanted to punch the ground. She knew there would be not point but hurting herself.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Things in the castle were not right; Dan of all people knew this. He was the one who took responsibility for everything that happened; he was the one having howlers sent daily from displeased teachers, he had to report to the Ministry and try to describe to them what was going on. The strain was showing, he had lost a lot of weight, dark bags were appearing under his eyes and the other day he found a grey hair. Was it possible that the happy-go-lucky man was fading away and becoming one of the mindless zombies like the people in the paintings?

His wand continued to shine a light onto the paintings, tracing its small beams around the outlines of the gloomy people in the pictures. His heart was still pounding in his chest, but this time not from the bit of running he had done, but out of fear. Fear for what he was hearing Sarie say, that these ghosts from the portraits were coming alive. Even when the little Gryffindor asked what was going on Dan could find no words he just started in pure disbelief at the empty portraits.

Then something took hold of his arm and he could not help but let out a small yelp of fright and nervously point his wand at the new arrival, although his fear soon seeped away when he saw the fair features of Ellie Rook. “Merlin Ellie you scared the life out of me.” But his attempt of casualness flickered out as he heard what the Hufflepuff had to say. “Ah jeez, not another one.”

In frustration Dan turned to the side and kicked the wall with as much force as he could muster. His toes throbbed in pain as they made contacted with the stone work of the castle but he no longer cared, he just wished he could kick the whole place down and be done with it. He did not seem to be the only one who was frustrated as Sarie piped up about doing something about it and all Dan could do was shake his head.

“Sarie there was nothing you could have done. So don’t go around blaming yourself, none of this is your fault.” He ran a hand through his hair making it stand up on end. “Right come on girls we can not stand here all night. Let’s find Miss Thimbles ghost girl and see if we can do something about it.”

[Ellie Rook]

Ellie could see the lines of worry all over the Professor's face. Ellie frowned as she caught her breath. She had hoped that maybe her feelings of something bad happening in the castle were just her being silly. However, after the attack of the armor, the staircases, and now the paintings, doubled with the tired and worried look on Professor Hubbles' face, Ellie was sure her feelings were justified. "Sorry Professor." Ellie said, "I didn't mean to scared you, I just, I'm very glad to see you..and you too Sarie." Ellie said, finally letting the grip on her wand relax a bit.

Sarie blamed herself for something. Ellie placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sarie, don't blame yourself for all this. You didn't make any of this happen." Ellie looked up at the Professor. What was making all this happen? The bags underneath his eyes gave away that he must know something. Ellie wasn't sure is she should ask, because she wasn't sure that he would answer her. She figured it wasn't a good time anyway.

"Dead girl?" Ellie said, as she began to follow the Professor. She kept close to the young Gryffindor. Ellie held her wand out, illuminating their path. She planned on protecting Sarie first and foremost if anything happened. As they walked looking for whatever they were looking for, the silence was killing Ellie. Ellie left Sarie's side for a minute and walked to the side of Professor Hubbles. "Professor..." Ellie said, lower her voice so only he could hear her. "Do you know whats going on here?" She said, unure that she would get a clear answer back.

[Kristiana Thorn]

Kristiana had trouble sleeping, lately she always seemed to. She had wanted to come to this school badly and now she was regretting that decision. It was hard to be in a new place, and this place well this place was too much to take lately because the school was under attack from the inside. Paintings were acting well more unlike painting than usual. Just yesterday as she walked past one if made the rudest remark she had ever heard then threatened to attack her for not responding to it. Kris didn't know what to make of it and simply ran up the stairs to her class.

Now she lay in bed not tired and restless. Her legs hurt and she was getting anxious, which usually meant that she had to get up and go off somewhere. Throwing on a robe, and a pair of uggs boots she wandered off into the halls into the night. Since her run in with the painting she tried to avoid staircases that she knew had paintings, but since she was still new here it didn't always work, add that to the fact that she was out there late at night and she was sure to run into something.

Suddenly she heard a sound shaking in fear she lit up her wand with the lumos spell and saw this picture of a child in a meadow. Letting out a breath she thought it couldn't be that bad, it was a child after all. Smiling, thinking she was being silly she prepared to move on. Then the child turned in the picture and she caught a glimpse of a face filled with evil, and dripping from the child's mouth was blood where this blood came from she had no idea but the image was scary enough to send her sprinting down the hall.

She didn't know where she was going, or what she was doing. That's when she heard voices the voices of the other people. Having no idea who they were she still moved over to them hoping that they were friendly. Coming into the light she saw the faces of two fellow students and the Headmaster. The only person she had eyes for was Headmaster Hubbles. "What in the world is going on here I mean the paintings are simply getting worse and worse, the one with the little boy the one near the Slytherin staircase looks like a zombie with blood dripping from its mouth. This isn't normal what in the world is going on can anyone explain it."

[Sarie Thimble]

"Do we have to look for it?" She didn't want to meet the little girl again. Sarie didn't care if she was a Gryffindor or not. She was scared for the right reasons. " I know I shouldn't blame myself but it feels like I should have known this was coming... I talk to the paintings more then I talk to people." She had admitted it.

"If we are going to find her. She might be looking for someone or something do you know who she is?" She wondered if she was imporant most pictures had a story behind them that's why they where painted in the first place. Sarie wasn't sure but she wanted to get out of this hallway.

"We need leave. NOW!" She felt the strange feeling come over her again. The one she had felt right before she had come face to face with the girl. She never like the dark now she knew why. She knew what could come out of it.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

The darkness that was clung in the corridors was almost reassuring to Dan, it hide him away from the world and the world away from him. If something was going to jump out of the darkness to kill him then at least he would not see it until the last moment so it would save him a few extra seconds of fear and dread. However the sound of Ellie and Sarie’s footsteps and hushed voices behind him helped as he did feel so alone, he knew that behind him were the people he was protecting, the people he would lay his life down on the line for. Dan could not help but listen into their conversation, some of the things bringing a small smile to his face despite the situation they were currently in. “Don’t worry about it Sarie. I talk to the portraits of the former headmasters and mistress in my office more then my wife.” He gave a small chuckle but the more he thought about it the less funny it seemed, in fact it was down right depressing.

Soon Ellie was walking beside of him and even through the darkness she could feel her eyes examining him, jumping to conclusions and the part that hurt him the most…caring. Then her hushed voice reached his ears and even if he did have a full answer for her he did not want to say it. After a moments silence Dan slowly opened his mouth and managed to find some words. “I…there is some dark magic that has taken over and I…don’t…”

He never got to finish his stuttering sentence as something approached him from out of the darkness. Automatically his hand reached out, taking hold of Ellie’s arm and he roughly pushed her behind him so that whatever it was coming for them would only see him. Raising his wand Dan was ready to rattle off as many spells as he could think of but there was no need…it was only a Slytherin, but a Slytherin bearing bad news at that. As Kristiana spoke Dan’s heart sunk like a stone in water, he became hunched and he closed his eyes in exasperation.

“That’s it; they are going to close the school. It’s not safe anymore. Either that or they will fire me and bring in some ex-Auror just to please the parents.” Dan had sudden visions of news headlines about him being fired, the shortest lived Headmaster at Hogwarts. He will become the laugh stock of the Wizarding world and the name of Hubbles will be disgraced. But really now was not the time to thinking quiet frankly Slytherin thoughts seeing as they were in an dark corridor in a castle fully of alive evil paintings and by the sounds of it Sarie thought one was coming closer. Spinning around on the spot Dan turned to look at the Gryffindor, the panic clear in his eyes.

“What?” He gave a small nervous chuckle as he looked at the third year Gryffindor. It was then that the corridor fell cold and a shiver ran down the headmaster’s spine. This was not good, not good at all and then…something came out of the darkness.

(And whoever posts next can come up with the mystery creature from the darkness haha)

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie didn't bare to moved. Whatever was coming it was big and dare she say hungry. She knew that it had seen her but maybe not the others. She was a Gryffindor. "Professor, you all need to back away from me. What ever it is it's hungry..." A smell reached her nose. It was like a moldy parchment and oil. She tried not to shiver.

She didn't want to tell the headmaster but she wanted to see if maybe she could talk to it... maybe like lost spirits they might have lost something, but who knew she might be wrong. She turned slowly trying to get a look of what it might be.

When she saw a large form of what looked at once had been a dragon. Half of its ribcage exposed to show the odd yellowing bones that once been parchment. It's skin so dark green it was almost black. What had gotten her was the the angered yellow eyes, she didn't dare to move back. If it thought she was alone she could distract it. She was scared maybe more than scared but she had faced wrost in many other situations.

[Ellie Rook]

Ellie felt an emptiness as she walked along side Professor Hubbles. Her eye were on him, not on what lie ahead. Ellie was never one to feel lost before, but as the group looked for the terror she knew was hunting them, Ellie just felt helpless. The Hufflepuff, usually brave and on top of it all felt like turning and running. However, she wanted her answer first. She somehow knew that Professor Hubbles knew more then he was letting on.

As he answered, stuttering trying to find the right words, any glimmer of light that was left in Ellie disappeared. Her didn't know what was going on. He told her what she had already guess. If he couldn't help her, Ellie knew that no one could. However, as Ellie felt the Professor grab her arm and push her behind him, blocking her for something she hadn't noticed was coming, she knew that he would never leave her and Sarie without a fight.

Ellie held her breath as the Professor raised his wand. Ellie let go slowly as Kristiana came into view. She could punch that stupid Slytherin, though she was sure a brawl would not be the best thing right now. What was that girl thinking? The darkness swelled around her as she joined the group. Ellie stood silently, scooting close to the young Gryffindor. She felt as though without anyone to protect, she would be perfectly fine to just let the darkness swallow her and be done with it.

Ellie couldn't believe what Hubbles was saying. He needed a good slap back to his senses. "Professor, I wouldn't want anyone but you here. We'll figure it out." Ellie said, squeezing the last bit of optimism she had left out. It took energy from her, that wasn't normal.

Ellie felt Sarie grow cold next to her. The young girl stood riggid. Her plea to leave hit Ellie like a cold blast. Her eyes darted all around the darkness. She couldn't see anything. "Sarie, what are you talking about?" She said grabbed in the girls hand tight, not letting go. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ellie felt the girl turn and look at the beast coming toward them. "Oh my..." Ellie whispered. The large ghostly looking dragon was pounding the stone as it came closer. "Professor, its the dragon from the stairwell painting." Ellie said, remember the happy dragon in his cave, hording whatever he had. He never seemed mean before, unless you mentioned his gold, then he became irritable. However, the dragon now seemed deformed as though the dark magic Professor Hubbles had talked about had mangled him to something unnatural and horrible.

Ellie raised her wand and stepped in front of Sarie, looking at Kristiana before glancing to the Professor for a plan of action. Ellie was shaking with fear. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to run. She wanted to hide. She wanted to wake up from the horrible dream she was having.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan was not cut out for this, he was no hero he was a Hufflepuff! He could not do this! As he stood glued to the spot watching the monster come out of the darkness he was sure he was about to hyperventilate and just fall onto the floor, curl up in a little ball and just wait to be eaten. The decaying dragon took a step closer towards them and the headmaster could not help but give out a small little whimper as a look of complete horror filled his face. “Yep.” That was the only words Dan could muster in response to Ellie’s statement and it was not a manley ‘yep’ that was full of certainly and testosterone, it was a high pitched ‘yep’ that wavered at the end just to emphasise the man’s fear.

Gulping Dan was about to turn on his heel and flee down the corridor when Ellie stepped forward to protect the small Gryffindor. This noble act made a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and when the Hufflepuff turned her eyes upon him he gave a small nod of his head in signal that he would do something. But the main question was truly what was he going to do?

‘Run away!’
“I can not run away.” Dan had not realised he was specking the other parts of this conversation with his mind out loud.
‘Well then what are you going to do?’
“I don’t know.” His voice was weak and feeble and as the painted mutant dragon took another step forward the Headmaster took a small step backwards.
‘Well you will have to do something.’
“I know that!” He shouted at himself, raising his wand slightly. “Right, yes, lets do this.”

Pushing past the students Dan slowly walked towards the dragon watching the swirls of smoke blow from its nostrils and rise up into the air. That seemed pretty real and with every step the smell of damp parchment and oil paints grew stronger and then it happened, the dragon’s open rib cage showed clear signs on the monster breathing in and soon a pillar of fire was making its way towards him. Raising his arm up to protect his face the Headmaster could feel the warmth of the flames and then the smell of burning cotton and then burning flesh. “Oh no…” He quickly turned and started to run back down the corridor desperately trying to pat out the flames on his arm. “It’s bloody real! RUN!”

He did not get very far though as out of the darkness appeared a small white girl, a small white looking dead girl. He did not run any further but Dan did not stay still, instead he sort of jogged around on the spot flapping his hands around a bit having a minor panic attack.
“What do I do?”
’Fight back’
“With what? How…it is a bloody dragon…AHA!”
It was as if he had been stuck by lightening and the idea had come to him, he had three talented students with him. (Of course he was going to say they were talented, he had taught them charms after all) Turning to the girls a broad grin filled Dan’s face as his normal, confident self took over leaving the panicking, hyperventilating Hufflepuff behind.

“We all know Incarcerous right?!” He could remember teaching it to all of them so he was not going to wait for a response. “Miss Thorne I want you to aim for the dragons back legs, Miss Thimble you do the front two legs, Ellie lock that creatures jaw shut as I do not fancy getting barbequed again and I will get its wings.”

Taking a deep breath Dan took a few steps forward so that the dragon was insight again (although nervous glances over his shoulder to the dead girl were done a lot) and tightening his grip around his wand he raised it up into the air and with a small flick ropes flew out of the end and began to wrap themselves around its patchy and ripped wings.