Hearing the sound of an adult's voice, Kate turned to see Professor Tanner. Smiling, Kate returned the greeting. "Hello, Professor Tanner," she said. "Of course! Well, so as long as I don't get sprayed with vinegar like last time." She smiled again. That had been annoying and kind of embarrassing, but now Kate looked back with laughs.

Then the Headmistress emerged in a grand entrance sort of way, and Kate looked on with admiration. Kate had never asked, but she kind of thought the Headmistress might have been a Ravenclaw in her day. Then again, Kate might be a bit biased. So, the second floor was up next! Kate still kind of help on to the hope they'd get to see the office of the head honcho in charge. She didn't know what was up there, but just knowing it was off limits unless you were invited in made it amazing.

"Well, last time I think I ventured somewhere I wasn't supposed to be," she said, kind of embarrassed but also thick-skinned enough to admit it. "I was honestly just checking out the barrels on the Kitchen Level Corridor, and I got sprayed with vinegar." RUDE. Kate kind of understood the whole protective barrier thing, though. "As far as this level, I was wondering if we might get to see your office?" Better yet, Kate wanted to emerge in grand-entrance style just like the Headmistress did.

"..."

"The Weasley Swamp on the first floor seems to be growing," Heather piped up. Hence why she was wearing her rain galoshes instead of normal shoes and her rain poncho. And staying away from any group with Professors Airey and Quigley. Just in case. "Professor Quigley went cat and jumped on Professor Flamsteed's shoulder to avoid the water and Professor Flamsteed flipped out and ended up falling into it and splashing everyone." She really rather would've been sprayed by vinegar than swamp water.

Also, a camera might prove useful, just in case something like that happened again.

They would be exploring the second floor today. Penelope had never really looked around this floor. She knew where to find the girls bathroom, the arithmancy classroom, and Headmistress Truebridge's office, but other than those places, she really didn't know much about the second floor. Classrooms, bathrooms, the great hall, Ravenclaw tower, and the library were the only places that she really needed to know how to get to. Those were the only places that she felt it was really important to know where they were. Penelope didn't usually explore everywhere else, but she was interesting in exploring parts of the castle that she had never explored.

More and more people started to arrive, some Benny remembered from his group before or in passing from the initial gathering. Others must have joined in later or he missed them in all honesty. There was his Slytherin rider who ever so briefly looked his way. He in turn simply nodded before moving on to others. Like Professor Tanner and Puck and finally the Headmistress herself as she left her office to greet them.

Second Floor...where they currently were.

Home of the Arithmacy classroom as well which might explain Tanner's presence in the mix. As for what happened last time, there was one fact that easily stood out. The flooding of the First Floor Corridor which Heather was quick and beat him to speaking out about. "Hopefully nothing bad is to be found on the Second Floor..." he mused. One flood or some such thing was bad enough.

Hugs. Hugs were his and Margo's thing. He knew he had been around less for her over the previous weeks and it was because he had all that studying to do. Adi returned the hug. "I'm always around.'' Most likely with his face in a book. "I'm tired to be honest.'' Yeah, he was. Could he drop onto one of those chairs and take a nap?

Thankfully more persons were joining them so maybe chatter would keep him focused. "Hey, Benny.'' His bestie was next to arrive. Kate, Hayden, Kevin, Lux, Zander, Puck and Professor Tanner all got grins as they greeted him.
.............................

Annnnd Truebridge was here! So. The second floor. Cool! At least there wouldn't be any swamp water there. Adi's eyes fixed on Kate. She got hit with vinegar? Her curiosity got the best of her, huh? Nothing wrong with that though and he pictured a vinegar soaked Kate. LOL. Cue his amused look!

"Heather's right,'' he confirmed as the girl mentioned the first floor. "Plant life in addition to the water is all over.'' Not to mention all the stuff living in the swamp.

As more people joined the group, Lux sent them waves. It was nice to see everyone back for more fun and she couldn't wait to explore the castle more.

As a few people mentioned the trouble with the first floor, she nodded. The swamp really wasn't nice though she wasn't letting it get her down when there were means to get across the water. The smell was bad though and she couldn't wait for things to be back to normal. Not having anything else to contribute, she remained silent and listened to what the others had to say. She was excited to check out the second floor.

Oh ho ho, hello Grayson Whitlock. Toby gave his Slytherin friend a knowing little grin as he came over to join him.

"Not so bad yourself, Whitlock," the sixth year replied, nudging him back with his knee. Nice. A bunch of people Toby recognised were here, which was awesome too. Aw yis, they were gonna make so many maps.

Bunbury started speaking then and at first Toby was a little confused because he'd not noticed her in the area before, and he'd totally missed her entrance too, but after allowing himself a moment of ????? he attempted to give the headmistress his full attention.

Second floor, right okay. Handy, as that was where they were and all. And recapping on the results of the last meeting. Toby had been in the ground floor crew that time, and the only thing he could think that might be worth sharing was the method that the special map guy had told them about sketching out the layout of the place. OR maybe that the guy was so happy and smiley that Cartography seemed like a career direction to go for if you liked being happy.

Of course, neither of these really answered the more literal question of 'what did you find', so Toby kept quiet for now, planning to speak up if their group was asked something directly. Really, though, he was already quite eager to go out and explore again.

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Anastasia was getting some excellent responses from the children. So even if they weren't having as much fun as she was with this endeavor, at least the were learning a little bit about their castle. And up next?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

"As far as this level, I was wondering if we might get to see your office?" Better yet, Kate wanted to emerge in grand-entrance style just like the Headmistress did.

"My office," the Headmistress replied to Kate, stroking her chin as though she needed to decide on this. "Well," the redhead glanced over her shoulder at the still-parted guardian gargoyles, "it looks like there's a way up. And where there's a will, there's a way. So.... everyone to my office! It's a place to explore and map, and hopefully most of you have not been up there before."

Once they were up there, she could split them up into smaller groups to do the rest of this floor. "Everybody up, let's go." Annie whirled on her heel and led the charge back past the stone gargoyles and onto her revolving, spiral escalator.

"Greetings, Miss Addison!" Tiara thought it was good to see the first year here. After all, what better way could there be for new students to learn their way around the castle? "Sprayed with.. vinegar?" Where were th-- oh yes, kitchen level. Barrels. One of her friends had actually had a run-in with those during her time here as a student. "Yes, let's try to avoid that today, shall we?"

As for the girl's answer to the Headmistress, Tiara was actually a bit intrigued. She wasn't quite sure how Anastasia would respond to that. Students were invited to the office for disciplinary reasons, certainly, but did their dear Head let students in otherwise? But this train of thought was interrupted by what the Gryffindor, Heather, was saying about Flamsteed and Quigley. How had she missed hearing about that?!?! Seriously?? Oh, that would have made for quite a good laugh, too! The professor barely contained a chuckle, but said, "Good news! No swamps up here. I think you'll stay dry." Again, she held back a giggle.

And now it was up to the Head's office, so that answered the question she'd had earlier. Tiara found herself close to the stairs and therefore was in the front of the pack. "Here we go!"

Kate thought Professor Tanner was really nice and fun to be around. She was so involved in the things Kate had been to so far, and she always made Kate feel at home even though she was really at school. "Yeah, no vinegar this time. You will have no problem whatsoever with me obeying that," she replied with a grin. Kate hadn't been trying to get in the Hufflepuff Common Room. She was just checking out the barricade. Next time, she was going to check things out from afar.



Wait, wait, wait, whaaat? So Kate's idea was accepted, and they were off to the office? She had totally no expected that one, but she wasn't going to question it! "Thank you, Headmistress Truebridge!" she said. The gargoyles were still partly opened, so Kate took the offer thinking they might close soon if she didn't. Pretty soon, she was one her way up to the Headmistress' office.

Wait a minute. They were going to see THE Headmistress's office?!?! Holy Merlin!! This was AWESOME! See, he knew there had to be a reason why he willed himself to show up this time around. Ahem. Pft. He was being totally cool. Like Kevin. Totally cool, leaning against the wall... Arms crossed... Totally cool. Yeah.

Pushing off the wall-- all cool-like-- he turned to his best mate and gave him THE BIGGEST grin. Oops? He was really trying to stay composed, but there was something real exciting about getting to visit the Headmistress's office!! And he wasn't even in trouble or anything. Speaking of which.... Had Kevin ever gone in there? Huh. "Have you ever been to her office before?" Maybe for like detention reasons, you know? He was sitting by her during that one feast... Last time he recalled.

Anyways, making sure that Kevin was following behind, the Gryffindor began following the crowd into the office. The HEADMISTRESS'S OFFICE

The headmistress' office?

Benny heard the question from the younger Slytherin and couldn't help but wonder the same thing now that the subject was broached. He watched as the woman it had been directed at seemed to mull over the idea for a bit before finally inviting them up the stairs currently guarded but not blocked by the stone gargoyle that resided there.

That answered that question, even if the fifth year wasn't quick to make the first move despite being one of the few still standing. It was the HEAD's office, someplace one usually only saw when in trouble. Once Professor Tanner took the lead with the Slytherin girl and Zander following, Ben figured he might as well join suit, making his way up the stone steps himself as directed.

Oooooh, they'd get to go SEE the office? That was neat. Toby was pretty eager to see what it was like up there. He stood and watched as Truebridge, Tanner, and a bunch of other students disappear up there, before moving closer himself. He waited for a gap on the general throng of kids, before stepping onto the moving stairs, noting how very much like a muggle escalator (except more round) it was as he was taken up towards the office.

Cece had gone from dragging the portrait along the floor to levitating it in front of her. Of course it was no ordinary levitation charm going on. No, for this portrait she put a real spin on things. She also wasn't careful at all going up the stairs. "You'll be lucky if a scratch is all your frame gets."

Smack!

And there was one now. Judging from the noise that one made, that one had to hurt. It was like that all the way up to the second floor where she slammed the portrait against the wall of the Headmistress' seating area. Oh, was that a crack she heard?

"You dare to call me dense! I would say it is you that is the dense one. If you paid attention to anything that went on in the dungeon, you would know exactly who I am." Honestly, anyone who knew anything about the dungeons knew that Cecelia Murdoch was not only the school healer, but she was the Slytherin Head of House and a former PUREBLOOD Slytherin at that.

"Enjoy your new home while you can. Oh, and you might want to see if you can get someone to mend those scratches and that big ole crack in your frame." Cece was pretty sure the Headmistress wouldn't want something as hideous looking as that frame hanging in her waiting area.

This woman was bloody insane, "WOULD YOU WATCH WHAT YOU ARE DOING." She wasn't a young portrait, her old frame wasn't going to stand up to this kind of treatment. She needed to disciplined for Portrait abuse!


Looking at the woman once her head stopped spin from all the damage the crazy did she looked her square in the face, "I know exactly who you are and I think the headmistress has lost her mind letting mudbloods like you into this school." There she said it! No way would they have gotten in here when she first was put up! How times have changed, pity it was.

"I demand you put me back! I have a job to do and I tend on doing it." She glanced around for a portrait to hope into, maybe she could find her way back to the dungeon and take over another frame.