"Good day, girls!" Anna called out, speaking to her friends and fellow Gryffndors, yet not looking their way. Her eyes were focused on the Devil's Snare in front of her. She was determined to beat the plant this time. Not five more attempts from now...not three more attempts from now...now as in now. She'd already wasted too much time by failing over and over; and quite frankly, Anna Greingoth does not fail at anything.

"Okay, listen! We need to talk!" Anna yelled, stomping over to the Devil's Snare and pointing her finger right in its face...erm, vines. "I'm Anna Greingoth, and I'm not used to failing at anything---at all. I need to get to that platform, and you, Mr. Snare, are going to take me there!" She glared at the plant and grabbed ahold of one of its nearest vines. "So, ya got it? Me...platform...now! Now, as in now, that is. So, work your magic, Snare. Go on...hit me with your best shot!"

So, yeah. She probably looked insane in the eyes of all her co-Gryffindors, but at the moment, she could honestly care less. She had a job to do, and she wouldn't stop until she'd succeeded at it.

Once again the vines took Anna into their hold and whisked her away into the darkness.

"Alright," Anna thought to herself. "Struggling is the accelerator on this thing, while relaxing seems to be the breaks." That thought in mind, Anna began to struggle with the vines on the plant, hoping to steer Mr. Snare around the bend and towards the light once again. As she struggled, Anna mentally reviewed what had happened the last three times she'd made this trip. She was trying to formulate some sort of strategy that would help her land on the platform this time, and not back on the cushioning charm.

Anna:

(Canned response) The devil's snare pulls you around a bend. You can no longer see anyone or anything. What is out there?

(Canned Response x's 4) Ahhh, sadly enough the thrill of cruising around bends wrapped up in a the Devil's Snare had long since faded away. Now, the only feelings Anna felt were primarily annoyance, and then determination. She frowned at the Snare as she continued to struggle with its vines. As she struggled, an idea suddenly popped into her head, and she could have kicked herself for not thinking of it before! Impatient to see if her idea would work once she was directly over the platform, Anna began to struggle more and more, egging the plant on to carry her to that platform.

Anna:

The devil's snare pulls you around another bend. Is that a light up ahead?

Anna's frown quickly changed into a grin as she saw that familiar light up ahead. She would have let out a loud yell of happiness, but she didn't want to startle the plant this early in their little game. She needed to keep the plant moving along until it had her positioned right above that platform. That was when she planned to unleash the little trick she had up her sleeve. Hopefully, it would work. ...and if the plan didn't work, then Anna would...do nothing, apparently. Nothing but go back to that little room with the five crests again. No way would she attempt this little game a fifth time, though.

Anna:

The devil's snare hesitates momentarily, but continues to pull you along quickly towards the light.

Anna gave the plant a look that clearly said, "Oh no you don't," daring it to actually stop and slow down on her. She was a Gryffindor on a mission, and the mission needed to be completed soon, or else she'd nearly go insane. Realizing that she was quickly heading towards the light, Anna struggled a bit more, guiding the plant in the correct direction. Only a few more steps, and she'd be able to unleash her plan.

Anna:

The devil's snare seems to hesitate further, as though it feels something is wrong. You seem to have approached a platform. The light seems to be shining on something on it, but you can't tell what it is. At the rate you're going, you'll be past the platform rather quickly.

Okay, so she'd approached the platform, but she still wasn't directly over it like she needed to be. In order to make sure her newest plan stood the best chance of pulling through for her, she needed to be directly over the platform and not just having approached it. The last time she'd been in this very same position, she'd needed to struggle just a tiny bit more to make it directly over the platform. Knowing that was where she needed to be, Anna struggled just a bit, hoping to guide the plant to put her right above the platform.

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.

Okay, this was it. She'd made it to the point where she needed to be. This was the moment where she was going to unleash the one and only plan she thought stood a chance of working. Anna thought back to the time in Herbology when she'd learned that Devil's Snare plants prefer a damp, dark environment and will shrink away from fire. Anna thought she had everything timed perfectly to where, when she casted the fire charm, the plant would shrink away just as she'd always been taught it would. If that happened, it would drop her directly onto the platform below her. She couldn't imagine landing on the cushioning charm if she were right above that long platform.

Anna took in a deep breath, struggled through the vines just enough to jerk out her wand, and held it towards the plant. She waved it once, called out the correct incantation, and shot a jet of bluebell flames right at the plant. "Take that!" she wanted to yell. She didn't, though, of course.

Anna:

The devil's snare recoils around you and drops you onto solid ground. A ways behind you is a pillar in the middle of the platform you were passing. Though perhaps your first goal should be getting away from the devil's snare.

Astrid seems to be holding tight to the pillar, and something is glittering above her head. If you get a closer look you might be able to see what it is.

Faster than she could blink an eye, the Devil's Snare had recoiled around her and dropped her to solid ground. Finally! She'd gotten out of that stupid plant, and she wasn't on the cushioning charm! Merlin, she had a brain after all. Now...if she only had another plan, she'd be doing just perfectly! Anna shoved herself off the ground, taking in the sights around her. "ASTRID!" she yelled out, noticing her fellow Gryffindor. Astrid was holding tight to a pillar of some kind, and something...what was that?...was glittering above her head.

Anna looked back and forth between Astrid and the Devil's Snare. She still needed to take care of that plant, or else they may both find themselves in a sticky situation. Anna pointed her wand at the plant once again and called out, "Lumos Solem!" As she did that, she proceeded to run backwards towards Astrid, the pillar, and the glittering object. When Anna finally reached the pillar, she stood on her toes as high as she could, trying to see what was dangling above Astrid's head. As she stood high, Anna reached out towards the glittering object. Maybe she could grab ahold if it...and hopefully it wouldn't bite her hand off.

OOC: Gone to bed.

As Anna got closer she could see it was another gryffindor crest imbedded into the pillar. Actually, around the pillar were five of them. As she touched the one, there was a small strange surge, as though it could do something, but just didn't have enough power.

The second Anna's hand made contact with the glittering object, she could clearly see that it was actually another Gryffindor crest. Anna smiled, simply because she was looking at more Gryffindor crests, yet she wasn't back in that very first room again. It felty good to have finally figured this out. Well, at least she'd figured out one, main part. Now all that was left was to figure out the rest.

Anna blinked when her touch caused a small, strange surge. "It's not enough," she whispered to herself. "ASTRID!" she yelled, turning around to face her friend. "I need you to release one of your hands from this pillar. Only one, though, or else the plant will jerk you back up. Take out your wand with your free hand. Cast bluebell flames at the plant, and it should release you. When it's done that, I need for you to touch the crest right next to the one I'm about to touch," Anna explained, taking her right hand and placing it upon the first of the five crests. "If you happen to accidentally get jerked up, cast the bluebell flames then, too."

Cale blinked as a flash of light nearly blinded him, and he felt himself being dropped from the plant. He landed on something soft and realized that he was on that Cushioning Charm again. He groaned and rolled his eyes. Great. Just great.

"Well, I guess we have to start over, again," he mumbled to Torie as he stood up and rubbed his back. He walked over to where Torie had fallen and started walking--well, actually, kind of stomping--up the stairs. He reached the door and opened it, half hoping that he was somewhere other than the crest room, which he highly doubted.

Astrid looked up at her friend and nodded. "Bluebell flames, Right!" she replied. She prayed that it would work. The sooner she could let go of the pillar and stand up, the sooner she could check out her swollen face. She was sure that she was bleeding along her cheekbone. She securely wrapped her left arm around the pillar and reached inside her robes for her wand. When she had in gripped tightly in her hand, she pointed it at the devil's snare and practically yelled the incantation.

Cale found himself in the crest room once more.

The devil's snare actually was just edging around the bright light which was shining down upon the pillar. It didn't dare come close.

Anna frowned at the vine Astrid was still dangling from. "I should have known you'd put up a fight!" she yelled up at the plant, who seemed to have danced around the bluebell flames remarkably. "...you...you...you big meanie!" Anna looked over at Astrid and gave her an apologetic look. Poor Astrid would need to be taken to the hospital wing after this little stunt. "Alright, trust me when I say that the plant up above...is a MENACE!" Anna said, still looking over at Astrid. "Can you put one hand on the crest from where you are? We need a little more power over here." Anna pressed her hand down firmly on the one crest that she could reach. Maybe Cale or someone else would come along soon and help them.

Sighing, Cale walked up to the nearest crest on stood on it once more, stomping on it a couple of times to make sure he put a good amount of pressure on it. There was no sign of Astrid or Anna anywhere--he started to get worried...what had happened to them?

Jillian squinted and looked closer. There was something that seemed...slithering and it seemed like it was attacking something. A figure that looked a lot like a girl. A very familiar figure.

Jillian moved closer to the odd shapes she was seeing."Hey! You....thing! Stop whatever you're doing!" she yelled at the plant as she ran closer to it. Jillian looked directly at whoever it was fighting the girl. "Anna?"

The plant had long let the girl go, actually, since it didn't want to be anywhere near the light that was surrounding the pillar in the first place.

Cale appeared in the darkened room with the devil's snare, and apparently an interesting number of people.

Astrid stood up and put her wand back inside her robes before placing her hand gently on her cheek. She flinched slightly from the pain and then took her place next to Anna. "Shall we do this together then?" she asked. Then she raised her hand and placed it firmly on the crest.