Carsyn had just retrieved her Muggle vacuum cleaner from outside Professor Flamsteed's office and was looking for a spot to clean when she happened upon the gallery of suits of armor. With all their nooks and crannies, these metal men must have plenty of dust bunnies to suck up! I just have to find them! And it wasn't that hard. The castle wasn't as clean as she had expected before she arrived. As a first year student, she didn't KNOW what Hogwarts had been like in previous years, but she KNEW what house elves were capable of and this wasn't it.

Carsyn spotted another student who apparently had the same idea at the opposite end of the gallery. She'd decided to stay on the opposite end and maybe they'd meet in the middle. If she didn't get anxious and run away first... but alas, she would worry about that later. For now, there was dust to collect!

Carsyn situated her vacuum by an ominous looking suit of armor and glanced up at it cautiously, somewhat nervous it might become animated and move. She tapped her wand to the vacuum and spoke aloud, "Vacavus!", causing the little box to kick on with a "Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrr". Carsyn put her wand away and grasped the pole connected to the sucking portion of the machine. She gently pushed the vacuum on the floor around the suit, sucking up little balls of dust and fur and feathers that had collected. Once the floor was spotless, she moved on to the suit itself. Lifting the pole, Carsyn pointed the sucky end at the suit's feet, trying to remove the dust from between the connecting pieces of metal. She gradually worked her way up the legs to the knees, and then the hips. All these crevices sure know how to collect dust!

She proceeded across the chest plates and reached the neck. She'd been moving very slowly and carefully, not wanting to knock the pole into the suit and risk it toppling over. But when the dust circulating in the air made her sneeze, Carsyn's eyes automatically closed and the vacuum pole clanged against the jaw of the armor. "BANG!!" Carsyn's eyes widened in fear as she watched the suit sway slightly back and forth. She mentally pleaded with the metal man. Please don't fall over. Please don't fall over.

Finally the suit of armor slowed to a stop and remained upright. Phew! What a close one! I am SO done vacuuming for the day. Too much stress! I can't handle this! Why does everything have to be so... so... nerve-wracking! In a hurry to get away from the gallery, Carsyn just grabbed the vacuum and dragged it along, not even bothering to turn the machine off as she ran.