Well, this was JUST GREAT. Torii was currently taking a ride around the castle, and not on a broom either. She was on a staircase. A STAIRCASE. Apparently she had taken a wrong turn, and this set of stairs thought it'd be fun to confuse the new girl. She tried to act nonchalant as she whirled around a third time. Did this kind of thing happen all the time, or would everybody pretty much get a kick out of watching her suffer?

Torii leaned against a railing and tried to act like she was just chilling and cruising around as the stairs passed by the first floor corridor. She could tell where she was, because this was basically where she started out at. The first floor wasn't far from where her common room was, and she'd decided to do a little exploring. Never again. NEVERRRR AGAIN.

SPOILER!!: Torii! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Well, this was JUST GREAT. Torii was currently taking a ride around the castle, and not on a broom either. She was on a staircase. A STAIRCASE. Apparently she had taken a wrong turn, and this set of stairs thought it'd be fun to confuse the new girl. She tried to act nonchalant as she whirled around a third time. Did this kind of thing happen all the time, or would everybody pretty much get a kick out of watching her suffer?

Torii leaned against a railing and tried to act like she was just chilling and cruising around as the stairs passed by the first floor corridor. She could tell where she was, because this was basically where she started out at. The first floor wasn't far from where her common room was, and she'd decided to do a little exploring. Never again. NEVERRRR AGAIN.

Kay wasn’t sure why but almost at the start of every term, she happened to come across students as they experimented with the Moving Staircases. The thought amused her just a tad as she approached the said Staircases on the same floor as her office. Actually, she was on her way out to make a check on her crup, Marshmallow. As she came to the Staircases, she was not surprised to see a kiddo riding along calmly. Kay knew how fun that could be; she had done it before when she was a student.

“Not lost, are you?’’ she asked, pausing. She was only making conversation here. The kiddo didn’t look panicked or anything of the sort.

Then again, looks could very well be deceiving.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous. The staircases whirled around, making a fourth trip around for Torii in the process. She should really make an effort to get off this thing. But where had she come from? Where should she go? What if she chose a random door and walked into a Venimous Tentacula or something? There was no telling what was in this castle!

She was just starting to panic, when she heard a voice. An adult voice at that! Torii's eyebrows rose as a bit of hope came across her. "I am!" she said, not thinking how silly that would sound. "I mean...I took a wrong turn, and I didn't know the staircases moved, and...I kind of don't know where to get off at."

Ugh. What a great impression she just made on one of her new professors. She tried to look a little more nonchalant than she probably sounded.

SPOILER!!: Torii! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Okay, this was getting ridiculous. The staircases whirled around, making a fourth trip around for Torii in the process. She should really make an effort to get off this thing. But where had she come from? Where should she go? What if she chose a random door and walked into a Venimous Tentacula or something? There was no telling what was in this castle!

She was just starting to panic, when she heard a voice. An adult voice at that! Torii's eyebrows rose as a bit of hope came across her. "I am!" she said, not thinking how silly that would sound. "I mean...I took a wrong turn, and I didn't know the staircases moved, and...I kind of don't know where to get off at."

Ugh. What a great impression she just made on one of her new professors. She tried to look a little more nonchalant than she probably sounded.

Ah, yes.

This poor kiddo was lost as suspected.

Kay nodded with understanding. “You aren’t the first nor will you be the last,’’ she said, in an attempt to comfort the girl. Her eyes swept in all directions, looking for a solution to the situation. “I think the best option for you is to get off at the next floor that the staircase on which you’re on stops. If you keep waiting, then there’s no telling where you may end up or you may not be put where you want to go at all.’’ It was for this reason she would try to avoid these particular staircases.

Torii relaxed a little. So this kind of thing happened all the time? They really needed to get a new set of stairs around here then. Torii looked around. Just...get off? "But...how do I know where I'm getting off at? How do I get up or down without getting back on these stairs?" she asked. Also...where was Professor Stewart going? Torii might just get off this ride with her, and then just follow her to safety. Surely a professor knew where she was going.

The fourth year allowed her gaze to travel around her as the stairs made another trip around. "What's the story behind these stairs anyway?" she asked. "Did somebody charm them to do this?" Can they make them stop?!

As she waited for the answers to her questions, she took the time to glance up at Professor Stewart. When she got to know the woman a little better, she might have a few questions for her.

Might.

SPOILER!!: Torii! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Torii relaxed a little. So this kind of thing happened all the time? They really needed to get a new set of stairs around here then. Torii looked around. Just...get off? "But...how do I know where I'm getting off at? How do I get up or down without getting back on these stairs?" she asked. Also...where was Professor Stewart going? Torii might just get off this ride with her, and then just follow her to safety. Surely a professor knew where she was going.

The fourth year allowed her gaze to travel around her as the stairs made another trip around. "What's the story behind these stairs anyway?" she asked. "Did somebody charm them to do this?" Can they make them stop?!

As she waited for the answers to her questions, she took the time to glance up at Professor Stewart. When she got to know the woman a little better, she might have a few questions for her.

Might.

Good question.

“You don’t actually know,’’ Kay said regretfully. “You simply have to hope for the best.’’ She watched the staircases continue to move on their own accord and felt sorry for this new student. Poor Torrii... it was no fun getting stuck on this thing. "I advise you to keep a sharp eye out for your floor since eventually the staircase you’re on will stop moving.’’ In that case, the Snakette would easily be able to hop off, even if she were at the incorrect floor.

“Oh, these staircases were brought to you by Rowena Ravenclaw. I reckon she had a sense of humour. Not to worry, Ms. Stark. It’ll come to a rest soon.’’

Torii's face fell. There was no way to tell? ...and this wasn't just some student telling her what they thought. This was a professor, so it had to be the truth! "Okay, well...so as long as there's no more three-headed dogs hiding anywhere," she said, managing a small laugh. She'd read about that story with Harry Potter and his friends. It sounded exciting, but no thanks.

"Well, I'm just trying to get back home to the dungeons, so I should probably get off and just start heading down," she said. "On a different set of stairs..." Or at least on solid, unmoving ground again. The stairs came to a stop, and Torii ran so fast to the end of them, that she nearly forgot to say goodbye.

"Thanks so much for your help, Professor!" she said, and she scurried off to find safety from the Staircase of Doom.

SPOILER!!: Torii! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Torii's face fell. There was no way to tell? ...and this wasn't just some student telling her what they thought. This was a professor, so it had to be the truth! "Okay, well...so as long as there's no more three-headed dogs hiding anywhere," she said, managing a small laugh. She'd read about that story with Harry Potter and his friends. It sounded exciting, but no thanks.

"Well, I'm just trying to get back home to the dungeons, so I should probably get off and just start heading down," she said. "On a different set of stairs..." Or at least on solid, unmoving ground again. The stairs came to a stop, and Torii ran so fast to the end of them, that she nearly forgot to say goodbye.

"Thanks so much for your help, Professor!" she said, and she scurried off to find safety from the Staircase of Doom.

Kay chuckled dryly. "I assure you that there are none.'' There was certainly nothing that required guarding and even if there were, the kiddos would be given some kind of warning. But it was at that moment that Torii managed make a break from the Staircase as they came to a rest. She stared. It wasn't often that she saw a kiddo move that fast. Kay laughed her soft laugh. "I'll see you around, Ms. Stark. Be careful not to get stuck here again!''

Kay too went on her way, certain that Torii would as much as possible avoid these particular Staircases.

Ordinarily Caolan would have found himself wandering around the grounds during his time off from classes however considering it was snowing outside and he really didn’t fancy having to dry himself off and get warm again he had decided that staying inside the castle was his best bet today. His intended destination was the kitchen, he was still a growing boy and his stomach was telling him that it was time for a snack however his first mistake was taking the big staircases down from the Ravenclaw Tower towards the bottom floor.

You see he had chosen to use the moving staircase, the staircase that had a mind of his own and it had decided that Caolan was NOT going to the kitchens today.

He was midway down the steps when it switched direction and the sixteen year old got temporarily distracted enough to have no idea where he had been switched to. He ran down the final few steps and looked around to get his bearings

Urgh.

Geography never had been his strong point.

Odaline didn't hate Hogwarts as much as she had to begin with. The people, yes she absolutely loathed them. But that, too, was not as bad as it had once been. At least she could stomach sitting beside people now. Maybe. Sometimes it made her feel a little bit sick, though. Boys her age smelled and that wasn't a lie. Some hadn't discovered deodorant, some didn't know that you needed to wash places more than once a year and others just didn't wash.

Which was why it definitely baffled her when people her age cooped themselves up in relationships and couldn't unglue their faces from anothers. Were some people just immune to smell? Did she have a heightened sense of smell?

These were all valid concerns of hers that she spent at least an hour thinking about each evening.

For now, Oda was on her way up to the library so that she could return a book she had taken to help with her homework a few weeks ago. The loan was a little bit overdue (just a day or five) and Odaline was nervous about having to return it and speak to someone and apologise. She hadn't realised and if her parents knew about this, then she would be in a world's worth of trouble. As she was walking up the stairs though, they did their typical thing and shifted which made her drop her book over the edge and down onto the case below.

Another thing she hated: these stairs.

Having just managed to get himself off of the stupid moving staircase and heading back onto one that was going in the right direction (whether it would stay that way was another question), Caolan was half way up the stairs when a book seemingly fell from the sky and landed directly at his feet.

“Woooah!”

The Ravenclaw skidded to a halt before his toes got crushed and squinted up at the source of the flying book. There stood a young Slytherin walking along the stairs above him. He picked up the book and shouted up to her. “This yours?” he asked as he turned back around and took the stairs two at a time to walk the book back to her.

Deeply involved in her book, Kassie failed to realize how late it was getting. Her normally very punctual self was *gasp* running late. Her next class started in less than ten minutes and the students were most likely already arriving.

Closing her book with a soft thump, she placed it on her desk and quickly, yet quietly, left the library. Thankfully, the Divination classroom wasn’t too far from the library, just a quick jog up the moving staircase. However, halfway up, she realized the stairs were not stopping where they were supposed to be. No, they kept moving back and forth, far too quickly for her to simply hop off on her desired floor.

Starting to feel slightly panicked, not due to the stairs movement, but over being late to class, she scanned the area for assistance. “Oh, dear. I do seem to be in a bit of a predicament. Would someone be able to offer some assistance?” Keep your voice calm, Kassie. She kept saying over and over in her mind as she held tightly to the handrail. No need to worry the students.

Benji blessedly had a free period right about now, and he was off to the library to squeeze in some study time. Or at least that was his plan until he saw the stairs swinging about wildly. And... With someone on them? With a TEACHER on them?

UMMM OKAY this was definitely above his pay grade. But he heard Professor Sutton's calm voice asking for help, and even if he hadn't, his conscience would have stopped him from just walking away and leaving her there. So... "Erm.. Professor Sutton? Do you... Need some help?"

Stupid question. Obviously she needed help. She had literally just said so. Plus, you know, it was kind of obvious based on the fact that the stairs were freaking out. Without waiting for her to answer, he hopped onto the bottom stair as it swung by him, surprising himself at his daring. To be honest, he thought the stairs were kind of scary, and he had just been waiting for something like this to happen.

He hadn't really anticipated being stuck on them when it did. And stuck by choice, at that. Huh. Well, now that he was here... Actually, he had no idea how he was supposed to help. Wasn't she the professor here? Shouldn't she know some sort of spell that would stop this????

Thank Merlin there was a student close by. "Mr. Park! Excuse me, Mr. Park." She smiled her most pleasant smile as the young man approached. "Why, yes, I do need some help. The stairs appear to have a mind of their own today and I'm running late for class." Unfortunately, before she could request that he go and get another professor, the dear boy jumped on the stairs with her. Now the two of them were swinging back and forth between the levels.

"Well, welcome to the ride." She let out a little laugh and gestured to the railing. "Be sure to hold the handrail, I don't wish to see either of us falling. It's far too close to spring and nice weather to be spending time in the hospital wing."

After taking another look around, and not seeing any other students or professors, Kassie tuned to Benji. "So, how do you think we should remedy our situation? The stairs don't seem to be responding to any spells at the moment. At least they aren't responding to me." She looked above and below once more. "I do wonder if Peeves is involved." She said the last under her breath.

Odaline spared a glance over the banister when someone called out before hurrying down the steps to retrieve the book from them. She didn't want to draw attention to herself by having this boy shouting up the stairs and trying to get her. Luckily the book hadn't hit him so there wouldn't be any sort of punishment for her. And certainly none that summoned her parents to the school to retrieve her. Luckily.

"Sorry." She managed, when they met in the middle as he had been coming up the stairs to perhaps meet her with the book. "It hit you?" Three words!! Success!

"Ah, right," Benji said at the suggestion to grab the handrail. He did as directed, then looked around, suddenly realizing the situation he was in: stairs gone wild that wouldn't respond to magic. Hmm...

"Well, I suppose we could... Just wait until the stairs swing round to the top and jump off?" He frowned a bit. "Although that seems a bit dangerous..."

Y'know, this was NOT how he had intended on spending his free period today. In fact, he'd been planning to write a love note to Penny. But OH WELL. Can't help it.

"Or if Peeves does have to do with it, we could call him and try to bribe him with something to make it stop?" Were professors cool with bribing? To be totally honest, he wasn't sure...

Holding on as the stairs once again swung hard from left to right, Kassie considered Benji's suggestion of jumping off. If it worked, it would be the simplest and quickest way to resolve their predicament. However, if either of them missed...well, she didn't wish to play out that scenario. "In this case, I feel playing it safe would be the best course of action. It's still unknown what is causing the stairs to be out of control and it's possible that other magic could be affected."

She cringed at the thought of calling Peeves. If it was him, he'd only cause more trouble knowing they needed help. If it wasn't him, he was sure to cause new obstacles for them to deal with. "For now, let's take a moment to consider our options. I'm ruling out jumping off for the time being. I could send for help, but I'd like for us to try this on our own. We don't appear to be in any danger, so we have time to brainstorm. What ideas do you have for slowing the stairs?"

"Good point," Benji said to the professor, wobbling a bit as the stairs shook a bit more intensely this time around. It didn't seem like they were going to get hurt or anything like that, but it was pretty hard to stand still when the floor underneath you is whipping to and fro with no particular concern for your comfort. He gripped the handrail a bit tighter, regretted once more jumping onto the stairs, and thought for a moment. Ideas, ideas, ideas...

"What if we..." he looked around, hoping something would come to him. After a beat, he spotted something that sparked a thought. "We could Accio a suit of armor or a statue or something and wedge it in between so that the stairs get stuck where they're supposed to be?" Would that even work? He had no clue. Aaaaaaaand they might just end up breaking something priceless and still be stuck on the stairs. But hey, what was Reparo for? And a mediocre idea was better than none at all, wasn't it? Maybe?

Keeping her right hand firmly on the handrail, Kassie let her left hand free for waving it to and fro as the stairs did their dance. She was late for her class so the time to worry about it had passed. For the time being, she was happy to flow along with the staircase and brainstorm ideas with Benji. "It is a bit like a carnival ride, isn't it?" She smiled at the young man in hopes he felt the same.

"Now there's an idea!" She thought a bit about what might work best. She really wasn't sure, but it would be fun trying. "Give it a go. What's the worst that could happen? We are already stuck, it's not like we will be more stuck." The thought of breaking something valuable didn't cross her mind. They were just things and things could be fixed or replaced. "If it doesn't work, we will try something new."

Quirly was always happy to helps and do the choresies. Today Quirly's job was to sweep sweep sweep the stairses. Quirly was not a lazy elf so Quirly was a good sweeper!! Quirly was good even though the stairses did not sit still.

Sweep sweep sweep.

Quirly did the sweepings so good. Quirly was also careful not to make lost her very special favoritest spatula. Quirly had a special spatula holder for when Quirly neededed two hands to sweeps or laundrys. Quirly gave the spatula a quick pat to make sure it was still there.

Sweep sweep sweep.

Pat.