It twas a quiet afternoon in Hogwarts. Nothing was stirring. Not even the rats.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Well except for the loud noise that was coming from the suit of armour that was walking along the corridor. And as it neared the library, it slowed and then came to a complete stop.

Before breaking out into a tap dance routine.

In true Fred Astaire style.

On her way to the library to meet Gwen and try to unravel the mystery behind her mum's diary, Ariadne couldn't hear anything else apart from her shoes clicking. It was THAT quiet. But only for a few moments. All of a sudden, the Gryffindor heard a rattling noise and jumped, surprised. What was going on? A suit of armour, dancing?!

O____________________________O

Ari rubbed her eyes. Had someone poured something into her pumpkin juice at lunch?! When she dared open her eyes again, everything was silent and still. But she needed to know if she had imagined things. Maybe a visit to the Hospital Wing was in order?

Approaching the suit of armour, she cleared her throat and thought of something to say. 'He-hello?' Very coherent. An opening line fit for a fifth year.

Drat!

And double drat!

Just when he thought he had the whole corridor to himself, one of the students came wandering down the corridor and the Suit of Armour stopped his tap dancing immediately and stood stock still.

Maybe the girl thought she had imagined it and would leave. Nope. She was walking over to him and stopping right in front of him. And that's all she had to say?

"He-hello?" he mimicked.

*snicker*

Laura was walking down the corridor when she was sure she saw a suit of armour move, now this was a perfect oppotunity and she wasn't going to miss it, it might be the last bit of fun she ever had before she went completely soft, which seemed to be happening at the minute, well anyway she would do this and then she would concentrate on her studies she was growing up now and wasn't a little kid anymore.

But this oppotunity wasn't to be missed, she had at least asked Edmund to join her in this adventure, she looked at the suit of armour and smiled innocently wondering what it would do when it was all wet, she had saved a few water bombs from her summer party and had brought them with her.

"BOOM!!!!!!!!" Laura couldn't believe it she had missed the suit of armour and the water bomb was heading straight towards the student, was her arm getting that bad, maybe Edmund could have better look than she had though she still had a few water bombs left.

A tiny little third year puff had really appealed to Ed's mischievous side. Throwing water bombs at a suit of armour that would possibly retaliate was just too good to miss. He just turned the corner as Laura threw her first one and ended up sniggering. Gosh, her aim was bad. He decided the first one just had to be for Laura. He had to show her how to throw! Picking the topmost water filled balloon from his bag, he hurled it towards her. "Laura!" It had to hit her in the face to make his point, right?

Laura looked at Edmund as the water ballon hit her in the face, she was soaking wet now but he wouldn't get away with it, she was normally so good at aiming at things but for some reason that last one had gone a bit wrong, she had no idea why.

Laura took out one of her water balloon from her bag and throw it straight at Edmund, it was on target she was sure of it, well she hoped it was, she had loads left for the Suit of Armour, there was no way it was getting out of here dry, she would hit it with one of the water balloons or her name wasn't Laura Hope Hyde.

He had just left the classroom when he heard water splats and went to investigate where it was coming from. Peeking around the corner he saw the girl from last term with the race in charms and ALMOND! Snickering as Laura threw a water balloon at the suit of armor and totally missed, his face contorted into a mischievious grin. He didn't have any water balloons though! Darn it, what could he use....?

He could do his wand but he thought that was just too easy, he needed something else to use. Snickering even more when Laura got hit in the face with Almond's water balloon, he still hid around the corner just peering out to watch.

OH THAT WAS CLASSIC! BAHAHA. He burst into triumphant laughter as the balloon hit its target, but yelled in surprise when one came sailing back toward him. Looking down at his chest as it hit, he looked impressed. "So you can throw!" Hey, HIGH FIVE. He walked over to her, grinning. "So, shall we do what we came here to do?" He turned to stare at the suit of armour.

So she hadn't imagined things. The suit of armour echoed her words right back at her. That was mean, Ari decided. But she was sure the tin man wouldn't care.

'I didn't know you can talk. Or ridicule people.' she tried again, wondering if she'd get a full sentence this time. Come to think of it, she had always considered suits of armour to be something like furniture. No offence.

What a great start of the afternoon! First, she had been mocked by a tin man, and now...Unsuspecting as she had been, focusing solely on the suit of armour, the water balloon had dropped on top of her head.

'WHAT ON EARTH?!' she jumped, purple-faced and annoyed, water dripping off her flying hair. Quite a menacing picture, really. The Gryffindor raised her wand and looked at the Hufflepuff terror for the first time. As it wasn't sensible to jinx the girl right there on the spot, she drew the wand back and dried herself with a charm before speaking again.

'Just what do you think you're doing?!' It was quite obvious, but still. Maybe she'd like to apologize or something?

Laura was looking down the corridor when she saw a head poking out, she grabbed hold of a water balloon and threw it towards where she had seen the head, seriously people were rude staring at them from a distance, didn't they know it was better to come and speak to someone up close, well maybe this would get them down here.

Laura then smirked at the Gryffindor girl. "I was practicing my throwing skills for Quidditch, is there anything wrong with that?" Laura giggled as she grabbed another water balloon and threw it at the girl. "That's for being a meany and raising your wand at me." Yeah that was a good enough reason to throw a water balloon at someone.

Laura then smiled at Edmund. "Yeah lets do it." Laura looked into her bad she had only a one water balloons left, she grabbed the balloon and throw it straight at the suit of Armour, hopefully she would hit it, if not she could always use her wand but well at least she had got her aim right with the last one but would it hit. "Your turn Edmund." Laura smiled at the old boy.

Bliss had been walking down corridors for aaaaages, not sure what she was looking for when she heard, clinking of metal, splashes and laughter. Now then, that didn't sound like something that should be happening. Bliss picked up her pace a bit, even as a Second Year, she was against anything that broke the rules. She was determined not to lose points or break the rules.

SPLASH!

Again? Bliss turned the corner and froze. Before her were several students, that all appeared to be in the middle of a water fight. There was also a suit of armour that seemed..out of place somehow. And..LAURA? o__O

Bliss had heard her days of crime were over. What was she doing soaking wet on the Fourth Floor!? She scurried across the corridor, ducking just in case any water balloons were heading her way. She reached Laura and tried to pull her aside. "What are you doing?" She asked, panic and anger in her voice.

He burst into laughter as the girl who'd gotten hit practically blew up at Laura. He couldn't help it! Watching as Laura grabbed a balloon and tossed it at him and darted back from it before it hit. Smirking as it bounced across the floor instead of splatting, Isaac picked it up and tossed it back at her the second her back was turned.

Oops, it ended up hitting the girl who tried to pull her aside instead (Nat)

Arabella-Marie was walking down the fourth floor corridor when she nearly slipped and fell and said "What is going who is soaking the corridor floor" Arabella-Marie couldn't see who the culprit was but she was not happy about the fact that she nearly broke her ankle

Laura looked at Bliss and blushed. "Well I was.. I was.. I was." Laura wasn't good at lying. "I was just enjoying the views." Laura smiled. "Why am I wet or something?" Laura really felt like a naughty three year old, maybe this was why she was behaving because ever since she had met Bliss and her mother, they had told her, if you misbehave you were ruining the family name. "I'm sorry." Laura sighed, "But well the suit of Armour was too good an oppotunity to miss." Laura giggled. "Bliss I was just cooling the suit of armour down." Laura smiled.

When the girl practically burst a vein yelling at Laura, Ed reached into his bag nonchalantly. Nothing going on here. Nope. He smirked at Laura's response. She was quick, he had to give her credit for that. Watching the next water balloon fly amusedly, he gently picked another balloon from his bag. He was here to get the armour, not other students. They'd whine about it for far too long.

He hurled the balloon at the suit of armour with unerring accuracy as Laura got told off. Now he just had to hope it wouldn't move. He was grinning amusedly at goings on until the telling off girl got hit with another balloon from a completely different direction. Spinning around, he searched for the culprit. He wanted to meet this kid! NINJA KID.

There were more of them?! Suddenly water balloons were everywhere. One sensible girl wanted to pull the first one away, but of course she was hit. Out of the corner of her eye, Ari noticed Arabella there too, not too pleased either. She hated the mayhem going on, but her main problem was still the girl who had the audacity to hit her with the balloon.

'There's a place to practice and it's called the Quidditch pitch. Not this corridor.' Ari retorted angrily. Cheeky girl. The next second, she got hit again. That did it. She was older, for Merlin's sake! Couldn't just stand there like a lump. Picking one of the balloons and filling it with water from her wand, she threw it back at Laura. 'Get this!' There was only one way to beat these kids. Do what they do.

Unless Mr Tin Man had a better idea?

Arabella-Marie then saw Ari hitting Laura and made her way over to Ari carefully and said "So is Laura behind this whole mess" Arabella-Marie wasn't happy with her little hufflepuff friend

Good man.

Mr Kitridge gave the prefect an appreciative nod before dropping his gaze to the water trail. With his wand raised and his eyes on the water the librarian started to move out of the library with Gideon by his side. Seeing all the water as he came out into the corridor his pulse rose a little more at the sight of the ankle deep water. "This is not.. good. at all. We need to find the culprits fast before the water spreads and increases in depth."

Wading through the water Mr Kitridge rounded the corner and came onto the scene where several students were as it looked in the middle of throwing balloons on a suit of armour, and even hitting each other. Mumbling sonorous Mr Kitridge boomed out to get everyone's attention. "WHAT IN MERLIN's GOOD NAME IS GOING HERE!"

Ending the sonorous spell with an angry flick of his wand he eyed each student in turn. "Someone please do enlighten me as to why the entire fourth floor is now soaking in water? Who's brilliant idea was this? Speak up!" he demanded exasperatedly and seething with anger as much as of fear for his prized library.

Turning to Gideon he asked in a calmer tone. "Mr Gert please fetch all their remaining balloons and see if the suit of armour has suffered any in repairable damage too." Mr Kitridige doubted it but Sophia wouldn't be easy to deal with if that was the case and he hadn't checked.

Laura looked around too see the Librarian very angry, well she was going to tell the truth. "I'm sorry Mr Librarian." Laura blushed. "The suit of Armour scared me and I had a couple of water balloons and I wanted to practice my Quidditch aim and so I decided to throw them at the Suit of Armour to see if I could hit it." Now that Laura was caught she wasn't going to try and lie to get herself out of trouble, her mother had always told her to be honest.

Laura sighed. "I was just trying to make sure my Quidditch skills where upto scratch." Laura blushed. "We didn't disturb you Mr Librarian did we?" Laura had hoped not, plus with the break up and things Laura had just been going through a tough time.

Smirking as the first girl who'd been talking to the armour joined in, Edmund kept his hand in his bag, holding a water balloon, but not actually revealing it yet. He half frowned at Laura getting the credit for all of this, but it slid away and turned into a poker face when an adult came into the corridor and his voice rang through the corridor like a bell. Realising he looked quite suspicious with one hand in his bag, Edmund carefully turned his hand slightly and grabbed a chocolate bar instead.

Once he'd carefully extracted it and closed his bag, he ripped it open and took a huuuuuge bite. There. Now he wasn't ratting anyone out, nor himself, and making a reputation as a tell-tale. 'Cause he totally wasn't.

When had things gotten out of hand like this?! Ten minutes ago this corridor had been completely deserted, save for herself and the suit of armour, and now-water and people everywhere. Not to mention the librarian. Who could dock points any minute now. Not good. Ariadne just nodded in reply to Arabella's question and waited.

As annoyed at Laura as she was, the Gryffindor didn't want to be the one to incriminate her. If the girl had some decency, she would confess it all herself. Which she did. Sort of. Nevertheless, a part of Ari's brain kept nagging her. She too had thrown a balloon. Had she possessed more self control, she would truly be out in the clear right now, but that wasn't the case. 'We can help clean everything up. It won't happen again.' she spoke up, looking at Mr Kitridge, giving in to her feeling of guilt.

Bliss was waiting for Laura's response, hoping it was a decent one. The Second Year tapped her toes against the stone floor impatiently. Even this fun lovely badger followed the rules and did NOT appreciate them being broken. Even if there wasn't a rule against throwing water balloons around the corridors, which there probably was, it was still wrong and Bliss couldn't stand it. Future Prefect here, was not please at all.

And then..SPLASH!SMACK! A water balloon hit her and she jumped back, shocked by the cold water and the fact that someone threw a water balloon at her! She span round and glared at the person who did it, but ended up giggling.

Stop it. Straight face. Glare.

Bliss was not soaking wet, thanks to the boy across the hallway from her and she wasn't in the mood to play game. Not even with her cousin. She folded her arms across her chest and waited expectantly. "Enjoying the views? Really? That's the best you could come up with?" Bliss said frowning at bad-at-lying-cousin. "I'm not that stupid," she grumbled. "Just a little," Bliss replied sarcastically and looked at Laura. She saw soaking wet, just as she now saw. Though Laura, it seemed deserved everything she got. Bliss narrowed her, not prepared to forgive her just yet. She'd disappointed her and now more lies flowed from her mouth. "Laura, enough excuses," she said and sighed.

Bliss spun around as she heard someone laugh, possibly at her. She was right, there was a boy, who looked like he should know better, grinning at her.

GLARE.

"Sir, I don't know who started this, but it wasn't me!" Bliss spoke rapidly, if anything she wanted to avoid getting in trouble, she hadn't done anything. "I was just wandering the castle and heard splashing and laughter, so I came to investigate. Then I found them and saw my cousin, Laura," Bliss explained, slightly out of breath.

The Second Year felt out of her depths here, who would believe her, even if it was the truth. She decided to explain further. "I told Laura off, but someone throw a water balloon at me," she and glared once more at the boy who had done it. "I haven't been throwing anything. I've been trying to stop them. Honest," Bliss said, still frantic. She looked at Laura for back up. She wanted to be a Prefect when she was older, but that wasn't likely to happen if she lost points because of Laura's silly 'games'.

"I'm telling the truth, aren't I, Laura," she said, her eyes pleading.

SPOILER!!: Three troublemakers and a Librarian[QUOTE=Nordic Witch;11196395

SPOILER!!: We see you water balloon throwers

Good man.

Mr Kitridge gave the prefect an appreciative nod before dropping his gaze to the water trail. With his wand raised and his eyes on the water the librarian started to move out of the library with Gideon by his side. Seeing all the water as he came out into the corridor his pulse rose a little more at the sight of the ankle deep water. "This is not.. good. at all. We need to find the culprits fast before the water spreads and increases in depth."

Wading through the water Mr Kitridge rounded the corner and came onto the scene where several students were as it looked in the middle of throwing balloons on a suit of armour, and even hitting each other. Mumbling sonorous Mr Kitridge boomed out to get everyone's attention. "WHAT IN MERLIN's GOOD NAME IS GOING HERE!"

Ending the sonorous spell with an angry flick of his wand he eyed each student in turn. "Someone please do enlighten me as to why the entire fourth floor is now soaking in water? Who's brilliant idea was this? Speak up!" he demanded exasperatedly and seething with anger as much as of fear for his prized library.

Turning to Gideon he asked in a calmer tone. "Mr Gert please fetch all their remaining balloons and see if the suit of armour has suffered any in repairable damage too." Mr Kitridige doubted it but Sophia wouldn't be easy to deal with if that was the case and he hadn't checked.[/QUOTE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry174

Laura looked around too see the Librarian very angry, well she was going to tell the truth. "I'm sorry Mr Librarian." Laura blushed. "The suit of Armour scared me and I had a couple of water balloons and I wanted to practice my Quidditch aim and so I decided to throw them at the Suit of Armour to see if I could hit it." Now that Laura was caught she wasn't going to try and lie to get herself out of trouble, her mother had always told her to be honest.

Laura sighed. "I was just trying to make sure my Quidditch skills where upto scratch." Laura blushed. "We didn't disturb you Mr Librarian did we?" Laura had hoped not, plus with the break up and things Laura had just been going through a tough time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of the Lake

When had things gotten out of hand like this?! Ten minutes ago this corridor had been completely deserted, save for herself and the suit of armour, and now-water and people everywhere. Not to mention the librarian. Who could dock points any minute now. Not good. Ariadne just nodded in reply to Arabella's question and waited.

As annoyed at Laura as she was, the Gryffindor didn't want to be the one to incriminate her. If the girl had some decency, she would confess it all herself. Which she did. Sort of. Nevertheless, a part of Ari's brain kept nagging her. She too had thrown a balloon. Had she possessed more self control, she would truly be out in the clear right now, but that wasn't the case. 'We can help clean everything up. It won't happen again.' she spoke up, looking at Mr Kitridge, giving in to her feeling of guilt.

Gideon followed the librarian out of the library and into the corridor, amazed by what they found. What had been bone-dry just an hour before was now soaked with several inches of water. Thankfully only up to his ankles thanks to his height but still. Moving slowly through the water with Kitridge, they soon came upon the culpits and the seventh year's attention fell on the Hufflepuff.

Laura...the girl he had helped near the courtyard after being hit by Oakey's spell. The one he had thought might be innocent yet here she was in the midst of things and seemingly not an innocent bystander or even victim this time. She herself was admitting to the wrong-doing involving water balloons and the suit of armour.

He stayed quiet, letting the librarian handle it. nodded and followed the man's instructions, coming upon Laura and the other girls and Isaac and checking around for any remaining balloons. As there appeared to be none, the prefect switched his attention to the suit of armour. Thankfully it was built to withstand far worse then a few rubber water balloons. Though it would certainly need to dry and hopefully not start to rust after awhile. Gideon cast the hot air charm to try and dry it off a bit.

The corridor...now that would be another story.

His gaze watched as the professor spotted him as he came from the library, and came around the corner as wel. "Professor Kitridge I was jus' leaving the library when a balloon came me way and I tossed it back so it wouldn't come near the library." Yep, that was his story, he'd just left it, hadn't he? He'd been talking to him about helping in the library! "I didn' want it te hit me books", he said showing him the books that were still in his arms.

Yep and the balloon just happened to hit the girl. He hadn't meant to! He'd meant to hit Laura.