Preston was in search for a book on Divination of all things, and went to search down yet another isle of bookshelves to search. Seeing another student there studying, Preston stopped a bit aways from her, so not startle her. He then spotted the book he needed. "Ex-excuse me." Preston said with his goofy smile. "C-c-could y-you hand m-me th-that b-b-book th-there?" He asked her pointing to the book in question. "Th-the bl-blue one." He added on, it was the only blue one in a sea of red and brown book spines.

Marie turned around when a young boy asked for a book that was at her reach. She stood up and reached for it, "Here you go..." She said in a whisper, as she handed the new book she hadn't seen at first. "Is this book a good...reference?" She asked, curious. What if it helped her to do her homework assignments?

"Sorry...I'm...Marie...." She tilted her head as she tried to sound nice. But she couldn't. Her voice sounded rough, harsh and worried.

"Th-thanks." Preston said with a nod of his head as he grabbed the slightly larger book with both hands to make sure it didn't fall on the girl. He was sure she wouldn't want a concussion.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I d-d-dunno r-really." He told her truthfully. "I-I've only use-used it once b-b-before a-and I-I f-found it s-slightly h-helpful." He told her shrugging his shoulders again.

Deciding that he'd just sit down with her, Preston placed the book on the floor and took his back pack off. He sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. "N-Nice to m-meet you M-Marie." He smiled. "I-I'm P-Preston." He added on.

Marie sat back down, crossing her legs as she headed her eyesight towards the book she was reading before, while she listened to Preston, the boy standing in front of him. "Welcome, and I see what you mean. There is so much to read about Divination that sometimes you don't know where to get information from..." Like the book she had in her hands: it had ambiguous reports, weird thoughts from different authors and so on.

"Nice to meet you, Preston." She said with a smile as she looked at him while he sat down next to her. "And feel comfortable..."

It had to have been the bookshelves that the Grey Lady had meant. There was no other possibility as of the present moment. But was she supposed to go through every single book in the library? Presley looked up at the numerous bookshelves. Godric, I hope not she thought.

After the Grey lady had appeared in the Common Room, she told the students to go where their "dearest companions" are, the place that is "the gateway to the world of imagination." Of course that could only mean one thing: Library. More specifically, the bookshelves, where the books were. Sir Eino had embarked on the quest to the Library alongside Sir Toby, his trusted imaginary friend, Hugo, The Sheriff of the Courtyard, and Ellie, The Lady of the Quidditch Pitch. Well, the latter sure wasn't very thrilled about coming to the library, so Eino had been struggling, with Sir Toby's help, who was rather weak, to drag the Lady with him. She was stronger than the looked, and a lot more stubborn, too. "Come on!" He said as he ran in with his companions following behind him. He lead everyone to the main stacks, where most of the bookshelves were and looked around. "I think this is it..." He whispered. "The lair of the Great Troll!" He took out his wand and suggested that everyone else do the same. Of course, being a knight he pretended his wand was a sword, which didn't really work out. Now all they had to do was wait, then attack! But for now, just wait.

Merlin!

Eino should REALLY try out as Beater next term. As hard as Ellie tried and struggled, she couldn't wriggle or pull out of his grip. From the time her feet hit the Fourth Floor, she closed her eyes. Partly to prevent the tears of fear in her eyes from shedding, and partly so she wouldn't have to look at that horrid place with those nasty books.

All down the corridor she made a scene, stomping and pulling and jerking, trying to free herself. Eino was definitely NO friend of hers.

Yet, as soon as she entered the library, you might think he was her best friend. Her eyes were still closed, squeezed tighter than before, but the attempts of liberating herself ceased. She walked incredibly close to the third year, as if they were literally attached to each other, and her hand gripped his arm.

She whimpered and buried her face in the boy's shoulder.

Somehow the others had got the jump on him. Probably during the time Spike had gone to retrieve another clam cookie (for the journey) and check if Finn was around. Apparently he wasn't, which was sad because he'd miss all the excitement. And weird, considering it was meant to be a Prefect's meeting. What's a Prefect's meeting without the Prefects? Wierdddd.

Oh well, Spike would have to tell him all about it later. In epic graphical detail.

Finally catching them up, Spike frowned. "Thanks for waiting," he said sarcastically. Hadn't he asked them to not go without him? Hmm. HMM? He then dropped his voice as they entered the library. "I don't like it either," he whispered, pulling a face at the musty booklined shelves. He shuddered, and squeezed Ellie's hand. She looked...well, pretty terrified, snd he hadn't seen her on the way. He'd been in here before, at least. "They're only books though, right?"

He didn't sound too sure on that last bit.

Hugo chuckled under his breath at the sight in front of him. He wasn't all that good at roleplaying, and he had to admit he felt a bit sorry for Ellie, but this was so much fun. "Now, it's absolutely vital that we stay quiet so we don't wake up the Great Troll, who is currently asleep," Hugo whispered to the lot. He carefully took out his wand. "It is a shame the Lady of the Courtyard is busy with her own quest, we could really use her input,"Hugo whispered to Eino in this oh so familiar place. Now, where should they look? He had absolutely no idea. "Lady of the Quidditch Pitch, what do you suggest we look for in here?" he asked Ellie.

Ryden decided that after the Ghost Lady - er, Grey Lady - had disappeared, she would head right over to the place that she was sure she'd meant them all to go. A place dear to Ravenclaw, imagination and all that - library. Books. As she made her way in, the fourth year spotted a few other Ravenclaws there already and paused, not really knowing whether to approach them or not.

See, being alone never truly bothered Ryden until moments like these when one needed company in order to get along. She didn't mind sitting by herself at lessons or studying alone - she actually preferred that - but when it came to... games and things that Ryden found fun, they usually also came with a catch; one must have at least another person to talk to.

Glancing at the group again, Ryden spotted one person that she knew was in her year - wasn't she the seeker, too? - and a few others that couldn't be THAT much younger. Oh, and a tiny kid. Briefly making a face at the fact that there was no one older around, she shrugged to herself and walked towards the group too, head held high.

"Hi. You guys think the Grey Lady meant the library too?" she asked the general group. Looking around, she wondered where the next clue? hint? thing? ghost? would be. Perhaps these kids already knew?

Ok, so I guess everyone is taking this seriously? Eh, well…, Gwen thought as she entered the library. Then, as she rushed to the bookshelves, looking for…anything! Really, any clue will do… I bet I can find something, the young ravvie thought. Who says that if you are a first year you are just- good for nothing?

But… is it definitely sure that the library is the right place? Hmm? Realizing that there where some older Ravenclaws around, she decided that maybe they knew what they are doing. However, she couldn’t just shut up and follow them.

‘Don’t you think that this might be wrong? I mean, this place is huge…Isn’t it a bit much to look… at all the books here? How do you know you are searching in the right place?’,she finally said, however, wishing she had not. Did this even make any sense? Probably not…

‘How about the Stained Glass Windows? Isn’t there a window of Rowena Ravenclaw?’, she finished talking. There… now I’ll just shut up!

...

Small person.

Raising her eyebrows, and glancing at the other Ravenclaws who seemed quite old and appealing now, Ryden allowed the little girl to speak. "You're... small," the brunette pointed out, as if that explained everything and was about to turn around when she thought better of it. At least this small person was a Ravenclaw so she must have SOME brains in her.

"No, it's not wrong. It's definitely the library and definitely beside the books because of the ghost's riddle," Ryden answered coolly, before glanced over to the windows where Rowena Ravenclaw's glass portrait was. "I don't know... I don't think this has anything to do with Rowena Ravenclaw - I mean, if you think about it only our ghost is related to our house founder and if this is a school wide search, which I'm presuming it is, then I don't see how Rowena Ravenclaw is relevant," the brunette stated simply, before looking back at the shelves upon of shelves of books.

"Perhaps we should go deeper into the library? Or as the librarian? Any idea what we're looking for, anyway?" she asked the general public around them, not just specifically the small kid who had talked to her.

Eino looked to his side and Ellie was grabbing onto his arm for dear life. It was beginning to hurt, but at least it didn't seem like she would run away now. Plus, she was playing the part of a damsel in distress perfectly! She was really good at this! Maybe she also had some imaginary friends she played with from time to time. Nonetheless, as part of the knight's code he was obliged to to protect all the ladies of the land, so he couldn't let go of her. Sir Toby was also accompanying them, guarding her from the other side. "Do not fear, my lady! No harm shall come t-- AHHH!" Eino screamed and started flicking his wand mindlessly when a student at the end of the bookshelves dropped a book, scaring the magic out of him. He cleared his throat and composed himself. "A-as I was s-saying... No harm shall come to you, so long as I, the brave, courageous, valiant, powerful, and strong knight, Sir Eino, am by your side!" He said with his extended arm shaking like a leaf.

He proceeded forward slowly and cautiously just as The Sheriff of the Courtyard approached them.



Eino nodded in agreement. They had to be very quiet in order not to awaken the beast. Maybe the Sheriff has been here before, perhaps even encountered the beast! He knew what he was doing. "You should lead the way." Eino whispered to Hugo as he gestured towards the bookshelves. That is where their quest had led them so troll or no troll they had to make it to their destination, then do something else. He wasn't sure what. For now, bookshelves, and avoid the Great Troll!

"If by think you mean being 100 percent certain of it," Hugo began as he turned to see the girl who was talking to the group. "Then yes. We think the Grey Lady meant the library," he turned back to Sir Eino. "Or should I say... Lair of the Great Troll..."

"Yes, little girl," Hugo spoke. "Tis quite a big place. But who said we would stay at this very spot?Who said we'd look through the books?" He pointed dramatically towards the stained glass windows. "We will split up," he told the girl. [B]"Sir Eino, the Lady of the Quidditch Pitch and I, the Sheriff of the Courtyard will stay and look for clues around the bookshelves. "And you, Lady First-Year, can take soldiers with you-" he looked over to Spike and Ryden "To the depths of the Stained Glass Windows and the land of Reading Lounge. But be careful - the Great Troll could be lurking around every corner..." He turned his back to the girl.

He withdrew his wand. "I have indeed been on many exciting journeys to this land and I have caught a glimpse of the troll- and I assure you, it is a great beast." He carefully took a step forward, anxious to just go and find the thing they were looking for. "We must go now, for our journey will take long. We may bleed, we may sweat, we may cry. But victory will be ours!" he said, still in his library voice. He stuck his wand up in the air and put it back in its holster. "This way," he said, navigating the two through the aisles of bookshelves, inspecting the spines of books he hadn't read yet.

I'm small...so? Very smart remark... This was the first time she actually felt bad about her age. I hate being a first year, she started thinking disappointed, while pretending to listen to the others. Why am I the only first year here?

‘Shouldn’t the Grey Lady appear here too?’, the young ravvie asked. Then she felt sorry she even said something. When did I get so stupid?, Gwen kept asking herself.

Little girl? I’m sorry…? You really don’t look much older, she thought while actually trying to think.
‘Excuse me? Take soldiers? ‘, she asked while frowning. Then she looked over at the students he mentioned. I assume Ryden is the waaay older one and Spike is… huh? ‘ At least I’m not scared of books’, she replied while looking at the one who had to be Spike.

Great Troll? Come ooon… give me a break. I’m a first year, not stupid, she wanted to add, but didn’t. What would be the point of saying that, anyway? Just shut up, Gwen, she told herself.

After hearing to the Grey Lady's riddle, Stella amused, like most of the Ravenclaws, that the next clue is somewhere in the library. The only problem was where? There were about thousands and thousands of books in the library, maybe the next clue was in the restricted section.

As she entered the library, she noticed a few other Ravenclaws chatting. She leaned gently, on a bookcase hoping it won't fall and knock off all the bookshelves like Dominoes. Probably there is a spell keeping these bookshelves standing, right?

JDKAL;FDAKLHFDKAL! THERE WAS A TROLL???!!!!

Ellie dug her head deeper into Eino's shoulder. WHO let trolls into Hogwarts?! Seriously????? And the LIBRARY? Weren't there RULES against that? Wasn't there some cranky old hag that would FORBID it? Weren't there soooo many books and bookshelves that it would be impossible for a troll to fit?

In normal circumstances, Ellie might not have minded the troll much...but she couldn't take a massive Beast AND a library at the same time. She couldn't answer Hugo, regardless of how much she liked being called 'Lady of the Quidditch Pitch'. In fact, that most probably glossed over her in her constant attempt to shut out the world around her.



Awwww. Spike was being cuuuute. She squeezed his hand back, perhaps a little too hard, but, as with Hugo, she couldn't bring herself to speak. HOPEFULLY, they were just books, because books were awful enough. But, according to Hugo there was a TROLL.

Ellie tried to telepathically ask Spike to verify Hugo's statement. Pity she was no Legilimens.




Eino. Just. Screamed. Ellie gulped and squeezed him closer, tighter. He didn't seem to be casting or anything, so all was well, right? RIGHT?!

No harm shall come to her? Well, thank Merlin. Despite the fact that she'll be forever angry at him for dragging her into this wretched place, Ellie was liking him very much right now.

What was he saying to Hugo, though? Where were they going? OUT? Could she get her hopes up about this?



Oh. They were splitting up WITHIN the library? Damn.

And all that 'may' stuff was just ironic. Ellie was most definitely crying already.

HMPH.

Hearing this from an ickle person's voice was NOT welcome. Books were a completely legitimate fear. HMPH.

She wanted Treyen.

Ryden nodded. It was definitely the library. But at the boy's NEXT words, the brunette doubted if she'd made the right choice in talking to them. "The lair of... great troll? Ookay," she nodded and backed away slowly. Perhaps they wouldn't even notice she'd left. The seeker girl was completely ignoring her anyway. If they hadn't been so weird, Ryden would have said something.

... And then there was this problem.

"Erm. Why? She's given her clue. In a scavenger hunt people rarely give clues twice - kinda makes it boring. No, I think it will have to be something else. A test or a trail or something," the brunette pointed out and looked around, as if expecting something to just pop right at her. Well, she WAS kind of expecting that because she certainly wasn't going to go opening all the books in this library.

That could take YEARS. O_O

As you make your way into the library an odd sight greets you. In the middle of the room, sitting on a lone stool you recognize a familiar figure, a certain song prone hat.

You approach it cautiously, already beginning to suspect another riddle is in store for you. If that was indeed your first thought, then you are in Ravenclaw for a reason because that is exactly the case.

Directly before the hat, you observe halves of what appear to be maps in different colors (blue, green, white, yellow, red) but before you can get in for a closer look, the Sorting Hat gives a twitch as if making itself more comfortable. A small flap appears and the Sorting Hat begins to speak.

“A destination, a certain location
A place you must discern.
Many halves of a map lay scattered
Only two of which you’ll earn”

“The location lies in the riddle
The contents of which I’ll give
Discover who you’ll follow
To piece your map together with"

"Look not toward Moaning Myrtle
Or the Whomping Willow bound Ghost
Only one will let you tag along
Whom do you trust the most?"

"The one who wields the white map
Goes not near violent trees
But appreciates companionship
It is with her you must leave"

"And then there are the owners
Of the yellow and the green
Who along with Nearly Headless Nick
Agree with not being in a team"

"Because he with not full head intact
Leads not with map of red
And wont be welcome in the forest
The place he and yellow dread"

"To the Great Hall
Goes the one with dark blue map in hand
And that is all the clues you get
Think closely, the end is at hand"

"What color is the one you hold
And who will you be following
Your maps together show the place
Don’t let me catch you dawdling"

Then just as suddenly, the chanting flap closes waiting patiently as you come to your conclusion. What color is your map, who you are following, and where are you headed? Only by knowing the correct answer may you pick up both halves. Both together will lead you to the right place. Choose wisely.




OOC: Hello Ravenclaws. Here's your next riddle!
PLEASE READ THE SPOILER!
Your charrie must rp thinking out the logic puzzle and "answering" without actually doing so [i.e. Soandso answered the sorting hat hesitantly waiting to see if they were right] We don't want everyone just copying the solution so PM either Ivy Nienna or RachieRu your answer and they'll rp whether you were right or wrong.

Your answer must include:
Your username, charrie name, and a link to your post along with:
-Who you are following
-What color your map is
-The color of the map of the ghost you are following
-And MOST IMPORTANTLY where you are to go

^,^ If you answer correctly, the heaboy or prefect will let you know and you may pick up the two halves which should lead you to exactly to where you need to go.
***The map is purely for rp reasons as you'll already know where to go if you solve the riddle.***

Spike frowned, and looked pointedly at Hugo. Or more accurately, between Hugo and Ellie. His fellow chaser was NOT currently having the blood supply cut off to his fingertips by the Claw seeker was he? Boy, did Ellie have a tight grip. Couldn't the boy tell this wasn't helping? Now, Spike was all for a bit of an adventure, and bought into the whole 'Sir', 'Lady' and 'Sheriff' thing...but trolls? They could have come up with something a bit more likely for a library! With the musty, dusty shelves, surely cobwebs and giant spiders would have been more appropriate? So, that wouldn't necessarily help Ellie...but at least she'd know Spike was good with creepy crawlies and he could be a momentary hero or something.

"S'okay," Spike whispered. "I haven't seen any troll bogies, as much as I'd like to touch some. Or bones. Or...anything else of interest really. Just books. Rows and rows of largely untouched books." That'd help Ellie, right? Though, if she wasn't keen on books...

Luckily he was distracted before he could dig a bigger hole.
"Soldier?" Spike retorted, standing up as tall as he could and puffing out his chest. "Why have I been demoted to a soldier? I have just as much right to be something epic as you do." Sure, he had a distinct dislike of books, but he could work with that. Especially if he was in character, and the hunt was likely to take them to other domains anyway. He pursed his lips, trying to think of who he wanted to be. Some sort of explorer maybe...or an alchemist...or a...

"I'm not scared of books, persay," Spike said, eying the girl who interrupted his thoughts. "We...just have a mutual dislike." Or, a general avoidance. And even if he was, then he was still here, right? If fear was rational, then there'd be no need for it. That was the point. Being scared of things for no reason. Hmph.

"I'm an intrepid explorer," he announced, after a while. "But at the moment, I'm just taking stock of my surroundings." Well, he couldn't exactly go anywhere without Ellie due to her death grip. And she in turn wasn't going anywhere without Eino...and that meant they had to go the same way. Or something like that, unless Ellie was reeeeeally stretchy.

And then he spied the Sorting Hat. Time for another puzzle, it seemed.

Hugo decided to ignore the little girl's arguments. It was okay to disobey the Sheriff of the Courtyard, but don't expect a reaction and definitely not if you speak up to the Lady and the Sheriff of the Quidditch pitch. He carefully walked further along the path, going in little aisles. He peeked over the edge of a bookshelf and saw the sorting hat that had been in the room all along. "Sir Eino," he whispered. "Come, it seems like some sort of wizarding hat..." It was the sorting hat. All the Courtyard character quickly spilled out of him as he took a sprint towards the hat.



He approached the hat. Was it going to speak? Maybe another riddle. He studied the pieces of what seemed like a map. Then the hat spoke. He instinctively took a step back when the voice echoed through the normally quiet library. It was... A riddle.

At first, Hugo was puzzled with the amount of information thrown at him. 4 ghosts... 4 locations... 5 maps... It was odd. He thought about it for about ten minutes, letting the information sink in. "I think I've got it..." he said and got up from the chair he had been sitting in to think about it. He told his findings to the sorting hat and waited to hear if they were right.

Gwen started feeling really bad there. This is probably the first time I don’t like being here, the young ravvie thought while looking around. I want to finish this on my own… While scanning the place, she heard something… something coming from… there? She went in that direction and was surprised to see the sorting hat. Hmm… the next riddle, perhaps?

She listened to the sorting hat, trying to memorize as much information as possible. After that, Gwen thought for a while, but it didn’t take long until she got an answer. Maybe it’s not the right one…, the girl doubted. But, after a while of thinking, she came to the same conclusion. It may not be the right answer, but it’s the best one I got…

Spike peered over at the hat, wondering quite why it had to give them such a long winded riddle. His head hurt just listening. And he needed to solve it. Meh.

"Hang on Ellie," he said, prising his hand from her grip. "I need to get to my pocket." After a bit of rummaging around, and pulling out a couple of cockroaches (for Matilda), a lolly pop, a couple of sticky sweet wrappers and a half carved piece of wood, Spike found what he was looking for. A rather dented up pencil and and a torn scrap of paper. It might even be a candy paper. Spike shrugged. Either way he could scribble notes on it.

Five coloured maps...red, blue, green, yellow, white. Four ghosts. He wrote this information down. Different locations. And he needed to find out where to go, and who to follow. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this...riddles weren't his thing, as evidenced by his daily battle with the knocker getting in to the common room. But the scavenger hunt depended on this, and he wanted to solve it himself. Not just follow everyone else.

After a fair bit of head scratching, and a few frowns, Spike waved the paper in the air. "I've got it! I've really got it! Or, at least I think I have."

And wait that he gave his answer to the hat, and crossed his fingers tight. It was correct, righttt?

Ryden blinked. That was the hat they'd put on her head that sorted her in Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat. What's it doing here? Blinking, she fell silent as she listened to the hat, then moved a little away from the group to think. Four ghosts, four locations, five half maps. Why did there have to be FIVE maps?

Ugh.

Half closing her eyes as she concentrated, Ryden thought about the riddle over and over again, testing out her theories and expelling the rubbish ones. She did this for quite some time and finally came out of her trance with an answer. Hopefully the correct one. With a sigh, the brunette went over and told the hat the answer.

Eino looked at the Lady of the Quidditch Pitch and she seemed to be doing okay. The Sheriff of the Courtyard was doing a splendid job leading them to... A HAT?! "By gum!" Eino exclaimed right before he noticed the colored maps. However, before he could approach them, the Sorting Hat began to speak. Aww, why wasn't it singing? Eino liked it when it sang, but he applauded the hat nonetheless, when it concluded its speech. He looked at both of his friends, then at Sir Toby, who seemed to know the answer but refused to help Eino. He scratched his head, pulled his hair, played with his eyelashes, counted his fingers and toes, then finally realized what the answer was. He then approached the Sorting Hat, and after waiting for Sir Toby to whisper his answer to the hat, Eino whispered his. He then took a step back and closed his eyes and he waited for the hat's reply.