As she continued to struggle, Anna closed her eyes and silently willed the plant to carry her in the correct direction this time. As Anna looked closer, she could tell that the light she'd been seeing was shining down on something. Was it the platform she'd needed to get to? ...or, at least, thought she needed to get to? This was the point where things could get confusing...and it was usually the point when Anna got dumped to the Cushioning Charm. Anna looked down at the platform, wanting with all her might to be there, but not sure how. Anna continued to struggle with the vines of the plant, hoping her attempts would get her somewhere this time.

Anna:

The devil's snare begins moving faster as you pass by some sort of pillar amongst the light. It seems you're just above some sort of platform.

Anna could have squealed out loud as she noticed the plant pick up its speed once again. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the fact that she thought it just might cause the Devil's Snare to dump her onto that cushioning charm once again. She knew by now that one wrong move was all it took. She could tell that she was well on her way to wherever it was she needed to be---she just needed to go a few extra steps to get herself there once and for all. No telling what awaited her on the other side, though. "Come on, plant! You can do it!" Anna thought to herself, as she continued her slight struggle with the vines.

Anna: You catch a bare glimpse of Astrid face-down on the platform, with a tendril of the devil's snare around her ankle, pulling her back. Then she's out of sight as you pass. The devil's snare begins moving faster as you move into the darkness. There still seems to be something of a platform beneath your feet.

As she moved into the darkness, Anna realized that she may have suddenly taken a wrong turn. Go figure. Not wanting to make any more mistakes, Anna decided to push and shove her way out of the darn plant. "ASTRID!" she suddenly yelled, seeing her friend and fellow Gryffindor dangling from the plant. "I'm coming---hopefully!" Anna began pushing herself away from the vines of the plant, hoping she could make it onto that little piece of platform still beneath her feet. She pushed and shoved until she thought she was out in the open enough to jump out. With one last shove, Anna squinched her eyes tightly shut, hoping she'd be able to jump from the plant and land on the little piece of the platform beneath her feet.

"Ow!" Astrid screams out as her face hits the ground with a smack. As the devil's snare starts to pull her back, she scrambles to pull herself up and reaches her arms around the pillar the best she can, holding on for dear life.

She hears Anna's voice calling out to her and says, "Anna, Oh Anna! You're safe! Help me, this plant won't let go..." Just then, an idea came to her. "Anna, I am going to hold on to the pillar and try to relax completely. Maybe then it will release me." she called out to her friend. "Merlin, I hope this works." she added quietly to herself. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and let it out slowly. Now I need a happy thought to make me truly relaxed. she thought. She focused on her parents faces for a moment, breathing slowly. Then her best friend, Allie Johnson popped into her head and she felt her whole body go limp.

"ASTRID!" Anna called out, still trying to free herself from the vines and make a jump for it. "Before you do that, please pull me to the pillar with you! If you don't act fast, this plant is going to carry me away again!" Anna jerked her arms free of the plant and then reached towards Astrid and the pillar, trying with all her might to free herself from the plant and land on that platform.

Hearing Anna's plea for help, Astrid woke from her stupor and reached out for Anna's hand. She grabbed her securely around the wrist and started to pull as hard as she could. "I got you Anna. Now pull!!" she told her, refusing to let her slip out of her sight again. "We can do this!"

"Just don't pull me down to that cushioning charm again!" Anna called out, struggling to free herself from the vines, so she could jump to the platform. "Astrid, Listen! We have to get to the platform somehow. This plant is nearly taking me into darkness, and I just know that can't be the way to go! Hurry, Astrid! Hurry! Get me out of here before it's too late!" As she yelled out, Anna pushed and shoved the limbs of the plant away from her. She kept one hand closed tightly around Astrid's, while the other hand reached for the platform.

"Wait! Torie!" Cale called as the plant pulled him past his housemate, and he felt his lower lip pull into a pout. The plant kept on going, pulling him past stretches of everlasting darkness. He struggled a bit more, not knowing where to go or what to do. The best he could hope for was just letting the plant keep pulling him.

ooc: Please do not RP outcomes. The plant has already brought Anna far away from Astrid, and has a tight hold on Anna. Astrid had been relaxing and thus was able to get free in time.

As she moved into the darkness, Anna realized that she may have suddenly taken a wrong turn. Go figure. What is else is new with this plant? Noticing that she was still above some part of the platform, Anna decided to make a quick move and attempt to land on that little piece of the platform she was still above. Remembering the trick to being dropped, Anna began to relax herself, hoping that the plant would drop her on that little piece of the platform before it was too late.

OOC: We apologize for role-playing an outcome. We didn't realize we were doing that, as we thought the platform Anna was above was the same one Astrid was on; and since Anna is still over some part of the platform, we thought she could see Astrid. Our apologies.

As Astrid hung there in her daydreamy state, hugging the pillar and thinking of Allie, she remembered their last trip to Hogmeade and how she had given her the best present ever. Letting her imagination run wild for a moment, Astrid started to think of all of the wonderful gifts she could get for Allie in return. The list was huge and the thought made her smile.

OOC: Sorry but I am confused how to restart. Please bear with me.

Jillian was confused. People were disappearing before her eyes. WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?! She felt frantic and confused. "Is this a game? If it is, it en't funny till I'm in it too!"

she stomped angrily onto one of the Gryffindor crests. "Anna? Astrid? Where'd you go?" Jillian looked around, she shifted her wait from foot to foot, still standing on the crest.

Anna found herself being drawn closer to the plant. Just as she nearly reached it there was a great flash of light throughout the room. The plant recoiled around everyone still entwined and dropped them all to the cushioning charm below. Torie was dropped closest to the stair, though was still a good distance from it. Cale wasn't all too far from her, a little further into the room. Though Anna once more found herself at the far end of the room from the flickering torch and the stairway.

Astrid, meanwhile, far from the thread of the devil's snare and holding to a pillar being bathed in white light, has something glistening and glittering just within reach above her head. Like the bottom of a crest of some sort.

Jillian found herself suddenly in a darkened room with something writhing ahead of her. Someone else was in the room with her, but she couldn't quite make out who it was.

"Oh, what-frazzling-ever!" Anna yelled out, rolling her eyes at the plant that had just dropped her---again, and then stomping off towards the stairs. "I am ready to give up!" she yelled to Torie and Cale, yelling and stomping all at the same time. "This is stupid...absolutely ridiculous, and I won't stand for it any longer!" On the outside, Anna was ready to murder one certain plant. On the inside, though, she knew it was just a matter of time before she was---once again---wrapped up in its vines. Anna Greingoth doesn't back down from anyone---man, animal, or plant.

She continued to stomp until she reached the top of the stairs. "Are you coming?!?!" she called out, taking one glance at Torie and Cale before opening the door that led to what she assumed would be that crest room once again.

Jillian gasped. "What in Merlin's beard?" she asked aloud. It was so dark. Why was everything so dark? She could barely see anything! She squinted, there was a figure somewhere off. Was is alive? But the better question was....was it human?

"H-hullo?" she stammered. Jillian balled up her fists, trying to be as brave as she possibly can, but who could be when there were strange things happening? "Who's there? Identify yerself!"

Hayden stumbled into a room. She looked around and saw five crests. She walked up to one of them and touched it lightly.Oh joy a riddling game of fun, she thought sarcasticly.

Anna: Yup. There are the five crests lined up in a row on the ground.

Hayden stomped on one of the crest and looked around her.

Hayden:

You now find yourself in a dark room. The crests are gone and there seem to be two other people in there with you.

Hayden looked around confused."H...h...ello?"

Sneeze was walking and found the Gryffindor Room. He looked around.

Still stomping, Anna made her way over to the first of the five crests and stood there, waiting to be taken away to that plant once again. This was getting ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous, actually. To be quite honest, Anna was only doing this over and over and over and over again simply because she just wanted to prove that she could beat this stupid plant.

Anna: You're back in a very familiar looking chamber. There seem to be three others in here with you.

Hayden, Jillian, and Piper: Someone else has appeared in the room. And unless the narrator is mistaken, she is very likely looking annoyed and determined at the devil's snare, as though it were her rival. It seems to be taunting her back.