TERM 6 - Sinking Stairs - The Grand Staircase - Hunter VanDerberg, Blake Ralston, Ryland Malfoy

Yes! Classes were finally over for the day. Hunter had just escaped his last class of the afternoon. He planned on making a quick stop in his dormitory to change out of his robes before heading outside to take advantage of the remaining hours of light and the nice weather. He had made it up three flights already, but was forced to slide to a halt as the usual staircase he took rotated away from him. Rather than waiting, Hunter turned left and bolted up a different staircase. They all went up, right? He'd wind up at Gryffindor Tower eventually as long as he went up.

He took the next flight of stairs two at a time, and would have swung a right when he reached the landing to get to the common room - the problem was, he didn't make it to the landing. He gasped as his right foot, instead of making contact with the next stair, disappeared right through it. He threw his hands out in front of him to keep his face from colliding with the hard stairs in front of him. What's this about?

Furrowing his brow in confusion, he tried to step up and out of the stair, but found that he couldn't. It was as though his leg had been suctioned into the stair, like quicksand. He groaned and tried again, but failed once more. As if it's not enough that the pictures move and people write with feathers and send letters with owls instead of using a telephone. Now, I'm stuck in a stair. He almost laughed at the absurdity of it, but his laughter died in his throat as he realized that he wouldn't be able to free himself on his own. What is it with this place?

Ryland's classes had ended a long time ago, mainly because he wasn't taking as many as he did during his first year, but he hated getting stuck in the Common Room without knowing what to do. If he wasn't out walking or practicing spells, he'd began to think too much and that never turned out right. As he walked out of his dormitory, he checked to make sure he was decently dressed...in case he saw anyone important. Satisfied, he went out of the Common Room only to find a younger boy practically sinking into the stairs in front of him.
He let out a soft chuckle, taking in the situation. There was this boy, a second year at most, literally stuck in the stair. His foot was sinking, and Ryland couldn't help but smile at how funny the situation was. However, before he could be reprimanded by the younger boy for technically laughing at him, he went over to see how badly stuck he was. "Need a little help?" Ryland asked him, unable to push his smile away.

In another frustrated attempt to free himself, Hunter hadn't noticed that somebody was approaching him. It was only when he heard soft laughter from in front of him that he ceased struggling and looked up. An older, dark-haired boy was staring down on him, a grin plastered onto his face. Hunter had seen the boy before - he was a Gryffindor, too. He had to be a fourth or fifth year by the look of him. Maybe he should have been angry at the older boy for laughing at him, but he didn't see the point. He had to look comical - if he'd come across someone stuck in the stairs, he would probably laugh, too.

The boy drew closer to him and asked if he needed help, and Hunter couldn't help raising an eyebrow at the question. "Oh, no," he responded comically. "I just think better when I'm knee deep in what should be a solid stone stair, that's all. I come here to contemplate life," he finished with a shrug, and couldn't help the small grin that spread across his face. How did he always manage to get himself into obnoxiously strange situations?

"I think if you grabbed my arm and pulled, I could get out," he admitted, his grin turning to a sheepish grimace. "I swear, every time I think I've gotten the hang of this place, I get a letter dropped on my head by an owl or I get locked out of the common room because the password isn't even a real word... or I nearly get eaten by a staircase." He shook his head incredulously. He'd never get used to Hogwarts.

"You should really find a different hobby." Ryland replied to the boy's sarcastic answer. Though he himself wasn't good with sarcasm, he liked the boy instantly. He hadn't gotten angry about Ryland laughing, and he seemed pretty laid back from the time he'd seen him in the Common Room. He had to give it to the boy, he was taking the whole Hogwarts and magic thing better than he had.

Ryland stretched his right arm out toward the boy, reaching for his hand. "Okay, I can pull you." He said, wondering whether or not he was strong enough to pull the boy up. Though he seemed young, he had a bigger build than most of the First Years he'd seen around the caste. Ryland let it go and decided he was strong enough. He was stronger than Wade, who was older than him, and taller too. So there was no way he wouldn't be able to pull him up. "Wait, you've gotten locked out? Reallly?" He asked surprised. That had never happened to him before.

"Yeah, maybe," Hunter agreed, a laugh escaping his mouth at the older boy's comment. "I suppose this one isn't very productive, is it?" The boy agreed to help lift him out of the staircase and held an arm out for Hunter to grab. Hunter reached his own out, his fingers grasping the boy's hand. His other hand locked onto the staircase railing for extra support. "Ready?" Hunter asked, making sure the boy was braced. When he was sure he wouldn't catch him off guard, he braced the foot that wasn't stuck and attempted once more to escape.

With the boy's help, and after a few moments of struggling against the suction of the staircase, Hunter's leg was freed. He grinned and stepped forward, sure to skip the trick stair this time. He wouldn't make that mistake again. "Thanks," Hunter said sincerely. "I guess I owe you. If I ever find you stuck in a wall or something, I promise I won't just leave you there," he continued, grinning.

The boy seemed surprised that Hunter had gotten locked out. Apparently, forgetting the password wasn't common. "Yeah," he admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot the password. They're always strange words, I don't see how anyone remembers them. Maybe they're normal in the wizarding world, but they sound like gibberish to me," he said. "Oh, I'm Hunter, by the way! I s'pose the least I can do is introduce myself, since you just rescued me from the cannibal staircase. I'm in Gryffindor, too. First year!"

This boy had definitely made it into the 'Ryland's Favorite People List'. Ryland laughed as the boy took his situation with a joke. Not many people could do that so he was glad someone younger had that honorable trait. He nodded as the boy asked if he was ready. Of course, I'm ready. His arm was strong enough to help the boy, but Ryland felt the pain in his back very clearly. Letting the thought of pain go, he smiled as the boy stepped forward, avoiding the tricky steps. "Nicely done." he commented, and laughed at the boy's promise. Surely he must know that a boy in his fifth year wasn't a fair victim to these stairs after going up and down from them many times.

Shrugging, Ryland realized the boy's reasoning made sense. "Yeah, the Fat Lady likes to mess with everyone of us from time to time." It was true, the first time he'd seen someone get locked out of the Common Room was with Rebecca, a girl he'd met in his first or second year but had never seen after that. It was a shame; he always thought she was a very nice person. Still, he did the same and introduced himself. "Ryland Malfoy. Fifth Year Gryffindor. And you should feel lucky, I don't rescue everyone I meet." It was a joke, of course, and he hoped Hunter would realize it.

Hunter grinned as the older boy laughed - he was fairly sure that by the time he was that old he wouldn't be getting stuck in staircases either. Well, at least he hoped not. The boy mentioned the Fat Lady, and Hunter blew out an amused breath. "Yeah, her," he said, shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure I've gotten on her bad side. Got in an argument with her when she wouldn't let me in... I don't understand, I mean, she's seen me before. She knew I was in Gryffindor. But no, made me sit in the hallway till someone came by to rescue me." Hunter laughed good-naturedly - he wasn't really upset over it.

The boy introduced himself as Ryland Malfoy. Hunter instantly recognized the last name. "Malfoy," he repeated. "That's one of the surnames that Professor Elldir mentioned in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Are your parents both wizards then?" he asked curiously. "It must be nice. I'm muggleborn, and I feel like I'm ages behind the others in my year. I can't even get used to the stair-cases, let alone using spells." He shrugged. He was learning, even if he was learning slowly. "Hopefully by the time I'm a fifth year, I get the hang of it," he added, grinning.

He laughed at Ryland's last statement. "I'm honored," he responded comically, and even went as far as to sweep into a mock bow. "Consider me at your service," he joked.

Grinning, Ryland confessed, "She likes me. I guess it's because I don't get on her nerves." It was true, the Lady always greeted him with a smile when he entered the Common Room, sometimes she even winked. Ryland always figured that he was among her favorites, and he took pride in that. "Maybe you shouldn't argue with her as much?" he suggested. If it worked for him, why wouldn't it work for someone else?

Suddenly, Hunter brought up the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson in which they had talked about blood purity and the like. He instantly felt guilty about lying again, but then he thought: Phoenix was now his father, and he was a Pure-Blood, so he wasn't technically lying. Ryland nodded in response. "Don't worry, even I felt like that." Okay, so he wasn't really lying about everything. He was just...twisting the truth a little. "But yeah I'm sure you'll get the hang of everything."
Again, Ryland let out a laugh. This boy was hilarious.

"Well, lucky you," Hunter said. "Maybe that can be my one of my new goals. Becoming the Fat Lady's favorite Gryffindor before I graduate. That gives me a good seven years to woo her, right?" Ryland suggested avoiding arguments with her. Hunter nodded. "Yeah, I s'pose that's as good a place to start as any, isn't it?" he said sheepishly, laughing. "I'd write the passwords down to remember them, but Lillian, the girl that told me the password, said that some Neville Longbottom character had done that. And he lost them and a murderer got a hold of them. So I've decided I better just try harder to remember them." He definitely didn't want to be responsible for someone getting into Gryffindor Tower who shouldn't be there.

Hunter listened as Ryland admitted that he'd felt the same way when he was a first year. That was nice to know. Everyone else, even the other muggleborns, seemed to be adapting way faster than Hunter. "I'm glad I'm not the only one," he admitted. "Sure feels like I am, sometimes. It's just starting to really sink in. If I could just manage to get around the castle without getting sucked into a staircase, that would be an improvement," he joked. "But then, I guess that's partly what makes this place so exciting, right?"

Ryland shook his head, "I'm afraid I've already gotten that spot." But then Ryland became a little protective of history. "No, no. That was wrong. He wasn't a murderer. He didn't even get inside the Castle..." he began to clarify, until he wondered, "Wait, who are we talking about?" Clearly, History of Magic wasn't his best subject. Neither was Potions, and Ancient Runes...and Charms.

"Hunter, have you been on any adventures yet?" he asked him, thinking back of Lucy's old story about her magical, mysterious quest with James a long time ago. Maybe he could be of help. "Because I think you need to meet my sister."

Ryland was already the Fat Lady's favorite. Well, that was okay, because Ryland seemed nice. "When you leave, then," Hunter added, not to be deterred. Then Ryland started to correct his story, but cut himself off and questioned who they were talking about. "I'm not sure," Hunter admitted. "I don't know a thing about it. I thing Lillian said something about some Black person, but I don't remember if that's right." Hunter hadn't known anything about wizard history when he arrived - he still didn't.

Then Ryland was asking him if he'd been on any adventures. Hunter laughed. "Aside from getting lost and stuck in things, no, not really." Hunter's mind instantly drifted to the note he'd received from Aoife concerning sneaking into Hogsmeade. That would definitely be an adventure, but Hunter didn't think it was a good idea to bring it up. "Who's your sister?" Hunter asked curiously.

Blake made his way along the corridor, glad that the day was over and that his belly was full after a delicious dinner. Blake couldn't hide the grin from his face, he was enjoying his time at Hogwarts immensely thus far, granted he hadn't made many friends yet, but maybe his demeanor was the reason for this. Still, he had somewhere to call home and the same bed to return to each night, more than he could say that he had in the muggle world. The muggle world, Winchester, Blake shuddered at the thought of having to return home. Blake wouldn't return there if he could help it, his fists clenched and his his teeth gritted when memories of his so called home arose in his mind. He was determined not to return, that was for sure. Raging thoughts of home continued to blind Blake's trail of thought and he lost his purpose easily as he began to wander aimlessly through long corridors and winding stairs.

Blake looked up when he heard a portrait shouting at him from a distance "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?" Oh no, maybe he wasn't supposed to be here! Blake glanced around quickly in search of the owner of the voice, but thought it better to just run. With merthless laughfter ringing in his ears Blake quickly turned onto the nearest corridor and turned at the first turn, trying to put as much space between himself and the creepy portrait. Oh well, more time to think, he thought sarcastically to himself. Blake was trudging down a well lit corridor, hoping he was getting closer to civilization as the portraits on the walls had been no help at all when he heard people talking nearby. Students, by the sounds of it. Blake lifted his head, to spot two Gryffindor's nearby. Maybe he was going in the right direction after all? Blake was skeptical as he didn't recognise his surroundings, but approached the staircase the the the two boys were on and made to walk up it but they were both blocking his way.

"Excuse me." Blake tried to muster up as much politeness as possible, his annoyance at the castle starting to build up inside and smolder his manners .

Hunter turned his head as he caught sight of another person approaching in his peripheral vision. It was another Gryffindor! A boy in his year - Blake - that Hunter hadn't talked much with before. "Hey Blake!" he exclaimed, offering the other boy a grin. They had never really met properly before, so hopefully Blake didn't mind Hunter greeting him so familiarly. But, Hunter did share a dorm with the boy, so it would be a bit strange to go about introducing himself now.

The boy seemed to be a little distant, and politely asked if he could get past as he walked up the steps. Hunter realized that he and Ryland were blocking the stairwell. He made to move out of the way, but suddenly remembered why he and Ryland were blocking the stairwell. Because of that evil stair that had tried to eat him! The one that Ryland had pulled him out of. And now Blake was walking toward them, and heading straight toward the very same stair!

Well, maybe Hunter could warn him in time! "Wait!" he exclaimed to the boy. "Watch out for that stair! It's a bad stair. It tried to eat me!" Okay, so maybe he could have explained it a little bit more clearly. Or pointed at the particular stair a little more precisely. But he'd done his best! Hopefully, Blake wouldn't wind up engulfed in the staircase like Hunter had been.

Blake looked up stunned, slightly taken aback by the boy's forwardness. He was never usually greeted with such enthusiasm, with good reason he supposed. It was nice that the Gryffindor's stuck together and were kind of like a family. Blake didn't integrate himself much into the daily social lives of the other students, but the Gryffindor boy did seem to greet him with in a friendly and sincere way and Blake decided to return his greeting in the same manner. "Hey Hunter." Blake's voice remained pretty monotone, but a smile did flicker across his face. "And hey..other Gryffindor guy." Blake had seen him around the common room plenty of times before, messing and goofing around with students his age. He wondered what he was doing here now. Blake discreetly glanced around once more, trying to gauge his surroundings. He really didn't have a clue where they were!

Blake pushed on past Hunter and the other guy, without engaging in conversation and hoped that he was heading to his common room where he could just flake out. Getting lost was tiring! Blake's foot hovered over the staircase when he froze mid movement when Hunter shouted out at him. "It tried to eat you?" he scoffed, raising his eyebrows at the boy questioningly. His confused frown turned into a glare as he guessed what the other two students were up to. They obviously thought it'd be fun to trick the lost little first year. Blake shook his head, dismissing them and turned back around to head up the stairs. He got halfway up when he turned around and said with genuine curiosity in his voice "It tried to eat you?" He stood there awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets hoping he didn't come across as thick for believing the pair of them, but he had little knowledge of the castle and supposed he could do with some help. That was, if they were willing to help..

Hunter hadn't noticed Blake hanging out with anyone yet, really. The boy seemed to keep to himself a lot. But still, he smiled and said hello back as he passed them. Hunter laughed when Blake referred to Ryland as other Gryffindor guy. He was about to introduce Ryland, but Blake continued passed them and didn't seem interested in stopping to talk. When Hunter called after him about the stair, the boy glared at him. He doesn't believe me! Well,  Hunter tried his best. If the boy didn't want to listen to him, then fine. He'd change his attitude when he needed help getting out of the staircase.

But then, Blake turned back around and repeated his question with a more curious tone. A grin spread across Hunter's face. That's what I thought! He knew that his stair adventure was a story worth telling, but he hadn't expected to find someone to tell so soon! Without any further prompting necessary, Hunter plunged into the tale dramatically. "Well, there I was just making my way up the stairs, minding my own business," he began. "I was just trying to get back to the common room, not trying to cause any trouble or anything."

It was actually the first time Hunter hadn't been lost in quite a while, but he didn't feel the need to include that part. "Anyway, I was running up the stairs, focused on reaching the common room. And the staircase chose that moment to strike!" Okay, maybe he was making it sound a lot more exciting than it was. "I reached that stair, right there," Hunter said, pointing at a stair a few paces ahead of Blake, "and it all went downhill from there. The staircase sucked me in, and I couldn't get out no matter how hard I fought. I would've been a goner if Ryland here hadn't found me!"

With any luck, the other boy would translate the elaborate story to mean that Hunter had gotten stuck in a trick stair. Hunter didn't know if Blake was muggleborn, like him, or if he had a wizard family. Judging by his first reaction when Hunter had told him about the stair, maybe he was muggleborn. Most of the kids with wizard parents didn't seem to find the strange things that happened at Hogwarts very strange at all.

Blake was about to turn back around and make his way up the stairs when Hunter began grinning at him.  I knew he was joking! But then when Hunter continued with his story Blake thought it was too elaborate for him to have made up. He laughed when Hunter said he was trying to keep out of trouble, he said it with a cheeky grin and Blake guessed that trouble followed the boy wherever he went. Seriously, who went and got stuck in a stairs and had to be rescued?

Blake approached the step which Hunter was pointing dramatically at. It looked normal enough to him, in fact it looked far from a step made from quick sand which the boy was making out. "Huh." Blake said incredulously. "Really?" Blake questioned,  trying not to scoff as he raised his eyebrows at Hunter in a questioning manner, who was still telling his story his hands moving around animatedly as he acted all dramatic.

"No offense or anything, but I don't know if I believe you. How about you show me?" Blake smirked at Hunter, he wondered if he cared enough to prove his story true. Blake knew it was a tall order to ask for as it did appear that Hunter was telling the truth, but he was just finding it hard to trust him. Blake had been lied to too many times in his life to believe things with ease, especially from someone he didn't know.

Hunter could tell as he was telling his story that Blake was still skeptical about believing him. While he was talking, Blake made his way a few steps up the staircase to inspect the stair that Hunter was talking about. You'd believe it if it was you that fell through a stair, Hunter thought to himself, but didn't say anything. He supposed it was a bit obscure, and he'd determined by now that Blake must be muggleborn like himself. So it made sense, really, that the other boy was doubtful.

Then, Blake voiced his opinion, and asked Hunter to show him to prove that he wasn't lying. "You really don't believe me?" Hunter asked, sighing. So he'd just told his entire, epic story for basically nothing. "Ryland saw it, too," he added. Then, a bit cautiously, he joined Blake in front of the trick stair and crouched down to inspect it. He really didn't want to fall through it again and make Ryland have to pull him out a second time. But maybe if he just touched it...

"Watch," he said confidently, reaching forward with his hand toward the stair. This better work. Hunter really didn't want to look like a liar in front of Blake when he really wasn't lying. But a grin spread across his face when, instead of colliding with the stair, his hand disappeared right through it. "See?!" Hunter exclaimed, looking up at Blake with a slight I-told-you-so look. "I told you! There's some crazy stuff in this place, huh?" Hunter quickly pulled his hand out from the stair and stood up again, taking a step backward so that he didn't accidentally fall in.

Blake noticed Hunter's change in voice as he sounded dejected when he said he didn't believe him and wanted proof. Oh well, there goes the chance of making a new friend. Not much people knew of Blake's background or about his trust issues and people didn't really understand why he was so standoffish at first. That was why Blake acted so nonchalant in his demeanor. He had perfected the stony face look where it looked like he didn't care about other people's opinions. But truthfully, Blake viewed coming to Hogwarts as a new start, he knew he needed to open up more, as ultimately, he wanted friends.

Biting down on his lip, he watched silently as Hunter seemed determined to prove himself right. Or maybe to just prove how stupid and stubborn you are, Blake silently commented. "Wow, awesome!" Blake exclaimed as he watched Hunter's arm disappear and reapear in another moment. Even if the boy did get stuck, he would've helped him out. He needed help with getting back to their dormitory and he didn't fancy wandering the corridors for the evening. "That's so cool." Blake commented as he himself drove his arm in the stair and watched it disappear. His eyes gleamed as he witnessed the magic first hand. He got up once he had finished messing around with the step and turned back to Hunter. He felt slightly awkward for causing the boy so much hassle and not believing him straight away, but he wasn't about to apologize.  "I suppose that's something else I'll have to remember now too. Have you come across the door that won't open unless you tickle it yet?" Blake asked, eager to share his own experiences. "Also, why are you here? Is this the way to our common room?" Blake asked, trying not too sound too desperate and lost.

Hunter grinned brightly at Blake's reaction when his arm disappeared through the stair. Finally, the other boy seemed to appreciate what Hunter had discovered! So that meant that the epic tale that he'd recited wasn't all for nothing after all. "I told you," Hunter repeated excitedly, not in a malicious way. He laughed a little when Blake bent down and copied him, letting his own hand disappear beneath the stair. Hunter was more glad that Blake found his discovery cool than upset that he'd doubted him in the first place.

"Yeah, I'll probably forget about it," Hunter agreed when Blake said the stair was something else he'd have to remember. "I wonder if there are any more stairs like that in this place? That would be a bit inconvenient, wouldn't it?" Hunter's eyes widened as Blake said something about a door that you had to tickle to get through. "No! I've never seen it!" Hunter said. "You really have to tickle it? Have you seen it?" Hunter asked eagerly. "Honestly, who comes up with this stuff?" Sinking stairs and doors you had to tickle. "I'm muggleborn," Hunter explained to Blake. "I don't have any trick stairs at my house," he said with a grin.

Then, Blake asked where they were. "Oh, are you lost?" Hunter asked in a friendly voice. "Join the club - I'm always lost!" he added brightly. Oh, that probably hadn't made Blake want to trust his directions. Oh well. "Luckily for you," Hunter added, "At the moment I know exactly where I am! You're really close!" Which was an accomplishment for Hunter, really. "You have to follow the stairs to the top, go down the corridor and make a left." It felt good to give someone else directions for once. "The password is Oddsbodikins, in case you forgot. I forgot once and got stuck outside the common room for forever. Actually," Hunter said, taking a breath, "Would you mind if I go with you? I was on my way back to the common room when I got stuck..."

“Yeah, I wonder.” Blake said, still mesmerised by the stair. He looked back at Hunter “maybe we should start taking notes!” he joked, half serious as the magical occurrences that he was discovering were piling up to an alarming level. “Yeah I came across it one morning and it made me late for class!” Blake was excited that he was getting the opportunity to recite one of his own tales. “I was literally kicking the door down, trying to force it open as I really didn’t want to be late for Defence Against the Dark Arts, you know how professor Elddirs can be! And some older students passing by just tickled it and it laughed and opened! Do people actually enchant these things to do stupid stuff like that?” Blake was aghast, why would people make it this hard to manoeuvre around the castle? “Same here, I’m muggleborn too!” Blake didn’t mind admitting it to Hunter as he was in the same situation too. He was so worried about coming to Hogwarts and everyone being so much more knowledgeable than himself, but at least now he knew someone else that was in the same boat as him. “Well neither do I, it’s no fun at all not having stairs that engulf you!” Blake laughed along with the Gryffindor boy.

Blake was about to deny that he was lost emphatically over and over until Hunter’s face turned into a grin and he admitted to being lost too on occasions. Phew, he wasn’t the only one then. “Great, well not exactly great, but it’s nice to know I’m not the only one. Do you really?” Blake asked a little skeptically, but then he realised that the other Gryffindor student was there too so they must be close he reasoned once more. He really had to trust more in his own directions. “Thank you!” Blake grinned, almost hugging the boy. “Oh no, really?” Blake grimaced at the thought of getting stuck outside the common room. “That sounds worse than getting lost, your so close to your dormitory but yet you can’t get in. I never forget the passwords though; they’re always so weird and funny!” That was one thing Blake was doing right so far. “Of course not, I can’t wait to get back up to the dormitory and sit by the fire. I can’t believe how much homework we seem to be getting, we’re only in first year for heavens sake!” Blake waited for Hunter to join him on the stairs before he continued on to the common room.