The short slide down was exhilerating, truly. It almost made him feel like he was a student back in the castle, full of energy and the like...but this was still Maddox Quigley who had an inclination toward being lazy so the feeling didn't last long--not in the foreground anyway. Somewhere inside him this was exciting but if he remembered right, this was a long walk.

The Charms Professor stepped away from the slide, to be sure no one landed on him and began shining his wand around the dark tunnel. "This is it. Straight that way to Honeydukes."

Eventually the Professor cast a 'Lumos Maxima' because they would need to see more than a few feet infront of them for safety reasons. "From here I think it's maybe an hour to Honeydukes. Nothing but tunnels and darkness and the occasional creepy crawly to keep us hopping." Wasn't he an excellent tour guide?

"We could do the honourable thing, map the tunnel for the poor unfortunate souls who'll never know and grab a snack but then I do think Mr. Kitridge wanted to meet back with us SO we'll put it to a vote. Democracy and all that." Were they all down the rabbit hole now? "Do we go back and map the Armour Gallery or do we detour, sketch a quick map from memory when we get back and hurry to the Hospital Wing?"

The Healer would never have to know--no, maybe this was the responbility time...back up the slide perhaps...

Man needed to get his priorities straighter, Merlin.

This was pretty cool. Toby had raised his lit wand higher above his head to try and spread the light a little further, and squinted into the darkness. But really, there was nothing much to see other than the tunnel-like passageway to Hogsmeade. Yet still he squinted into the darkness as everyone else joined them via the slide.

And then it got a little brighter with the professor's spell, and Toby blinked suddenly as his eyes, which had just about adjusted to the gloom, now had to re-adjust to the sudden light. He was focused enough on that until being faced with... a decision.

If they needed to map the school and all his secrets, the natural answer was to do both of those things, wasn't it? But they were on a time limit, which made things more difficult. Head to Honeydukes and map the tunnel, or abandon the tunnel and leave it unmapped and focus on the rest of the third floor? Either way, something was gonna be missed out.

Uhhhh... uhhhHHHHHH...

Toby hated making decisions. He was no good at it. Or, more accurately, was no good at making the right decisions. That had become evident in the last year or so. Generally speaking, he had a very good moral compass, but when it came to other kinds of right/wrong decisions? Yeah... he was working on it. Probably didn't help to see it in such a black and white way, of course.

... Pass. Toby would pass. He glanced in Soph's direction before apparently becoming very preoccupied with tightening the wand holster he wore on his wrist. Suitably distracted, he kept quiet and let the others decide.

With her wand lit and held in front of her, Soph followed Tobes a bit too closely down the slide and had slid right into him, then stood up and stayed right by his side as they moved out of the way for the others to join them. She examined the floor, walls, then ceiling around them, taking in their surroundings and trying to make a judgment on just when the last time was that someone did come through there.

A whole HOUR to Honeydukes, though? Merlin. Soph listened to Quigley as he laid out their options for them with dismay and subconsciously grabbed hold of the crook of Tobes' elbow. Well... wellllll. They already KNEW the passageway went to Honeydukes, right? So... was it really such a big deal to map it? Wasn't that knowledge enough? But... what if there were other things down there? Perhaps passageways that branched off to OTHER places? Had anyone ever really explored the tunnel extensively? What if they found OTHER things?

But... what about the other areas of the third floor that needed to be mapped, hmm? What if there were other exciting secrets or things that were really worth noting in the other rooms and corridors?

Sigh. Conflict.

"Well..." She surveyed everyone in the group. "We could split up. Tobes is the oldest, he could lead a group, and you could lead a group," she nodded at Quigley. "Half of us could go 'splore down the tunnel, the other half make notes of the other stuff - that way we get everything done in the same amount of time?"

The best of both worlds that way, except that would mean some of them wouldn't get to go through the tunnel. Hm. Soph paused... but then added on, "I feel pretty confident 'bout sketching from memory, though. The third's my favorite floor," for reasons, "and I know it pretty well in and out." So... "If you'd rather we stick together, m'sure we can pull it off." Sketching from memory, she meant.

Unlike last time she had went down a dark slide into an unknown tunnel Hady made a decent landing at the bottom without harming herself. Brushing her clothes free of any dust, her wand still held firmly in her other hand and it's tip lite she glanced around.

Stepping aside for anyone else to come down her attention was on looking around for the moment while everyone else talked. Honestly she didn't really mind much what they decided because in the end she'd just end up following along anyhow. So once more the second year kept her mouth shut though she did however pull out her quill and open up her sketch book beginning to work on the sketching for the area.

Might as well get that done while everyone else talked, right?

Democracy was dead.

Maddox watched the children who all--except Miss Brown--opted for silence. He wasn't quite sure what to make off it and the passive avoiding looks didn't help either. Did they want to go? Did they NOT want to go? Words, children, they made the world go 'round and could start or end wars. This was hardly the time to keep them to themselves.

Splitting up was out of the question but...an hour walk? In what universe exactly would Maddox Quigley consent to something like that? The destination was gold but the exercise was not.

The Charms Professor considered what Sophie said for a moment, figuring that if they really had a problem they'd have said it (vocal bunch they proved to be in lessons) so....."Looks like we're going then." But again...the walk. They didn't have to walk. No time like the present to hone his transfiguration that left something to be desired and the man conjured up a small carriage of sorts. It was overly simplistic, a box with wheels really but a kick told him it was sturdy. "Everyone in. We'll see if we can't cut this trip by some." Luckily there looked to be enough room. While he waited for them to hop in, Maddox fished a piece of parchment he'd crumpled earlier from his pocket and made quick work of turning it into a rabbit then enlarging it. Could have been a dragon but wing span would have been an issue and these suckers were fast enough.

A harness from the box with wheels was attached to the conjured creature before Maddox himself hopped in and cast another Lumos Maxima for the one he'd lost in all the spell casting just now.

Sophie's opinion was met with silence and the Ravenclaw blinked around at everyone in the wand-lit tunnel until Quigley, too, realized that no one else had anything to say and made the decision for them. It was a good decision, in her opinion, even though it would mean they didn't explore the other areas of the third floor firsthand and were going to be going by memory. She DID feel okay about that though, really, so...

FULL SPEED AHEAD.

But Merlin, Quigley was super good with magic, wasn't he? Sophie crossed one arm in front of her to hold onto the crook of her other elbow, her free hand still holding her lit wand out in front of her and she just grinned at the professor, completely impressed. The carriage wasn't fancy, but it looked sturdy enough, which was all that really mattered, right? And the GIANT RABBIT. Ha. What a life.

"That was wicked cool, sir," Soph gave the professor a salute before hopping into the carriage, getting situated quickly, then BEAMING at Tobes and extending a grabby hand for him to come sit with her. RIDE TIME.

So they were going to move forward then? That was good with her. Closing her sketch book she pocketed both her pencil and wand to turn her attention towards the Professor. What was he doing?

Hady watched in silence grinning at the box like cart thing. Sure it was simple but that was pretty dang epic! They wouldn't have to walk the whole way which was good...not that she really minded at all.

"Pretty awesome Professor, could you teach us how to do that?" She asked quietly climbing up into the carriage with everyone else. No harm done in asking right? Cause maybe, just maybe he'd teach them...or well her if the others didn't care. This little second year was all about learning new things.

Woah, nice. Travelling in style, obviously. Well. Sort of. Toby climbed into the carriage thing after Soph and sat beside her, peering out and down at the floor to see the wheels for no reason other than it felt like the thing to do in this situation.

And then, when he looked up again. BIG RABBIT. HUGE RABBIT. Gonna pull the carriage. Toby APPROVED.

"Nice," the Hufflepuff grinned, suitably impressed. "Who needs apparition when you have giant bunnies." If you'd asked him when he woke up that morning what he would likely be doing later that day, 'riding in a carriage being pulled by a giant bunny' would not have been very high on his list of predictions.

But then again.

Hogwarts.

Kace decided to go and take the lovely passage to Honeydukes. He had never been down here before. As he began his way down he noticed other students made their way down. He grinned and he knew he couldn't possibly be the only one who knew this existed. In fact he was surprised this was even open at all. This wasn't open last year was it? No surely not.

He waited a little bit to see if he could find anyone to go to Hogsmeade with. Whoever that may be...

Seriously, where in Merlin’s armpits is Simon ‘Watson’ Holden? Literally, he needed a break from all the crammingstudying, and the day was perfect to explore the grounds. Merlin…where.is.WATSON?!

…

Huh? What’s…that over there? A tunnel? A passage…oh..oooooh…a SECRET passageway! Mordred never told him about this secret hall before…and…nope, this place wasn’t there when he continued his magical education in Hogwarts. Curious, Ethan slowly stepped inside the tunnel…and felt something move by his feet. The blond boy squirmed in disgust, knowing what it was. RATS! He took a step forward, got his wand out and illuminated his path. “Lumos.”

Ethan stopped dead on his tracks, almost bumping into another blond headed boy. “Uh…s’cuse me kind sir. Can you move aside?…” Ehhhhhhh…Please?

There was no point in hiding the smile he wore at the students' reactions. The cart may not have been much to look at but it would do the job quite nicely all things considered.

"I could teach you, I suppose but it's all Transfiguration and Bellaire might have already had plans." Not by any means a 'no' but rather a disclaimer. "If she doesn't, you should let me know and we can go over it." The spells were nothing tremendously difficult and that was saying a lot coming from him.

"Right then, on we go." Maddox had to hang on tight when the cart suddenly swung into action with the rabbit bolting through the tunnel. Once again he had to remove the light to cast another spell--this one to cushion the cart a bit so they could have a smooth enough ride to continue their mapping. "Be sure to capture everything you can so we can compare notes later."

Sure he could have taken out his own to map but he was busy clinging to the harness with one hand and holding out the light with the others.

The rabbit hauled them through many turns, a couple rises in the ground and the occasional slope going down. Merlin this WAS quite the distance and no wonder he didn't want to walk! Finally the rabbit began slowing down and he took that to mean they were approaching their destination. "The Cellar is just ahead." In another couple minutes the rabbit came to a halt and Maddox got out. "Through that little entrance in the wall there is the cellar. Unfortunately we can't stop for treats because we're pretty much behind. Did everyone get the tunnel route on the way over here?"

Hady gave a firm nod of her head at Professor Quigley's reply. "I will do that, thanks Professor." She'd have to ask Professor Bellaire about it then. It seems she had a few questions she needed to ask several Professors about. A note would need to be made for herself as a reminder for who to speak to about what...and soon.

Settling down into her little spot that she'd claimed for herself upon climbing into the cart thingy she pulled out her pencil and sketchpad once more. Hady worked quietly trying to sketch down everything she saw, glancing up to look around before her eyes once more dropped to rush a quick sketch of something. She was trying not to miss anything but she probably had from the speed they were going...not being able to stop and really look...plus all the movement of the cart from turns and whatnot.

Where in the world was Zeke? He surely would've enjoyed that!

As the cart slowed and then stopped Hady snapped her book shut getting to her feet and looking around. She climbed down carefully following the Professor. The sketches weren't very good for now but the second year thought she'd managed well enough all things considered. "I think so." She replied nodding her head as she once more looked around.

As Kace was waiting by the entrance to the passage way, he heard someone conjure Lumos and he turned around and squinted his eyes and wondered who it was. He heard the voice ask him to move and he mumbled, "Sorry..." and stepped aside and then he noticed in the light a face he would know anywhere. He did a double take and went...

O______O

HOLD THE HIPPOGRIFF!

Is that who he thought it was!? YES IT WAS! It was Ethan well his fellow partner in crime. "Hey I know you! Get your butt over here and give me a hug dude! I haven't seen you in ages." Jesus where had he been. Had he been hiding in his dorm or something. Where was Simon?

Well, the dude was kind enough to step aside and such. Hehe. He must be a Hufflepuff, no? Those badgers are just too kind. Anyhow, Ethan beamed as he held up his wand, a grin was on his face and trudged further down the tunnel. Interesting twist in the school it was. What could possibly be waiting for him in the end?

Ethan was too preoccupied with those thoughts that he did not even bother looking at the person he brushed shoulders with. It’s a good thing he hollered out to him, getting his attention. The Slytherin dramatically turned around, wand high above his head and looked at the kind sir.

He’s asking for a hug? Oh…OOOH. He’d give a hug anytime, to anyone…but not strangers. Who was it? Ethan treaded back, and illuminated the older boy’s face. “MY HOMELESS RAT!” Ethan smiled at Kace, and gave him a massive BRO hug. Pat, pat, pat on his back. “It’s been a while, Kace!” Wait, who is he again? In his Sherlock world? “Yeah, well. I had to endure and fight off sickness that’s why.” Ethan released his hug and beamed at Kace. “And how are you?” Does he have information for the young wizard detective???

Sophie latched onto Tobes' arm when he got into the cart next to her and BEAMED away, thoroughly excited for their forthcoming ride, then remembered they still had stuff to do and hurried to get her sketchpad back out. With her lit wand in one hand, her pencil in the other, and the book on her lap, Sophie was READY TO GO. "You should teach us anyway because you're nicer than she is." What? It wasn't like everyone else wasn't already thinking it, so...

...AND THEY WERE OFF.

Exhilarated, Sophie got caught up in the excitement for the majority of the ride, her eyes big with wonder and eagerly pointing her lit wand around at the nooks and crannies as they went, taking in everything and looking for anything out of the ordinary. Occasionally she glanced at the others to see what they were doing and looking where they were looking, not wanting to miss anything super interesting, and took occasional side notes here and there in addition to the general tunnel-mapping.

Eventually, there was a light at the end of the tunnel - hehehehe - and they stopped at the entrance to what was presumably Honeydukes. Sophie continued grinning goofily around at everyone as she smoothed down her hair, then offered Quigley an obedient nod. "I diiiid." As good as it got.

Kace heard Ethan say my homeless rat and he gave him a quizzical look and laughed. "No there is no rats here.." he gestured towards the entrance. At least he hoped there weren't. Now that he recognized him and he got the bro hug he deserved, he felt better. "I know it has been TOO long.." He looked at him and Ethan looked liked he had grown up a bit then when he first saw him. "Where is your partner in crime Simon?" he asked. He hoped he didn't bring up a sensitive subject. He missed his buddies.

Ooooh he had to fight off a sickness? He grimaced and felt bad for him. "Awww man that stinks! Well I am glad you are feeling better and walking around the castle." he smiled. He needed his Sherlock back. Oh now onto him? He grinned and replied, "Well I am doing fine actually. I did semi well on my OWLS and now I am here deciding on what I wanna do for the rest of my life." he shrugged. "I wanna go on more adventures with you guys though.."

Speaking of adventures where was Ethan heading off to?