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Post #7 finished. Bay was laughing now he was almost done with this nightmare amd as soon as he got back to his dorm he would be sleeping the rest of the day.. Thats for sure.. Watching his fish swing as hard as they could he could actually see the bottom of the swamp now which means the fish were no longer needed for the waves took him the rest of the way. He untied the fish and set them free and he braced himself for when the raft would collide with the bank of the beach.. He made sure when he was getting off of his raft not to step in the ewwwwy water... Ahhhh dry land... Looking around he was the only one there... He hoped his friends were alright.. He started to feel nervous... So now he would just sit on the beach to wait for everyone to come to him.... Man oh man his arms were hurting him... Holding those ropes were no fun, but he was glad to be sitting down and getting his strenght back.... |
Post 6 Sander stood at the edge of the swamp. How far was the beach? Sander couldn't tell from where he was standing but he hoped that it wasn't too far away. The smell from the swamp was making his tummy turn and it wasn't a pleasant sensation. Ack!....Sander gagged again and shook his head. He had to do something about the smell because it was distracting him from his task. Was there a spell for that? Sander tried to remember if there was one but couldn't come up with any. Okay it was time to solve this problem the old fashioned muggle way. He dug around in his pant's pocket and found two sheet of tissue. Rolling one into a ball, he stuffed it into his right nostril. Rolling up the second one, he inserted into his left nostril. Sander sniffed. The tissues didn't stop him from breathing but it sure kept the smell out. Now he could concentrate on finding a way across the swamp. Then it struck him. The second spell he had mentioned in class earlier, transformed a piece of wood into a boat. That was how he was going to get across the swamp. In a boat! Now in class they had learned to make a small boat out of a piece of small wood, so logic would be that if he found a larger piece of wood, preferably a long one too, he would be able to transform it into a larger and longer boat. Sander searched the shoreline until he found a broken off tree trunk lying on its side. Now that would definitely do. Leaning down he put all his energy into pushing the tree trunk to the edge of the swamp. By the time he had the tree trunk in position, Sander's arms and legs were aching. Yes he was tired but he could rest later. Right now he needed to make his boat and get off the swamp. Unholstering his wand, Sander pointed it at the wood. Concentrating on what he wanted the spell to do, he said the incantation, "Lignum Navicula" and tapped the tree trunk. Stepping back, he watched the spell take effect. Slowly but surely, the tree trunk began to stretch and hollow out and soon Sander had a boat lying in front of him. Walking to one end of it, Sander began pushing onto the swamp. Just as he was about to get into it, Sander realized he had forgotten something. Yes the boat would get him safely across the swamp, but unless he was going to use his hands to paddle with, he was going to have a tough time getting the boat to sail across the swamp. Since he had no desire to stick his hands into the yucky swamp, Sander began to look for another alternative. |
Post 4 She made sure to get quite a bit away before peeking back at the Acromantula, and it seemed like her snake was most definitely doing the trick. While the second fish had also been devoured, the transfigured reptile was doing a great job of slithering just out of the spider's reach. Alice had to force herself to tear her gaze away and keep hobbling towards the ravine; there was no way she'd get this practical done if she kept up this pace. Upon finally arriving at the edge of the ravine, she had to pause. Sure, there were LOADS of vines there.... but not one of them was long enough for her to use to get to the other side. Each one of them seemed like they'd fall short no matter what. Merlin, how was she going to fix this? |
Post #3 Then, as if the Transfiguration gods were spiting her for the use of defensive spells in their hallowed forests, she heard it, the sound of rapid movement along the forest floor. THE SPIDER!! It was coming and it would eat her Think Lex, think!! There had to be some definite way of getting that thing to leave her alone. Just ahead she could see what the Professor had pointed out as the ravine. That's where she was meant to outrun this thing to. She stopped, whirled around so she was facing the thing and sucked in a deep breath. Moment of truth or failure. Really she was hoping it was the first. "Incarcerous!" Rope shot from the Gryffindor's wand, wrapping around the giant spider, bringing it to it's 8 knees. "Thank Circe!" She exclaimed, letting out the breath she'd been painfully holding but there would be no stopping. It could still break free. Lex took a last look then bolted as fast as her wobbly old legs would take her. If that thing came back, she would damn every rule of transfig and blow the bloody thing up. One expulso, served express. |
Post 7 Sander needed something to paddle with. He pulled the boat back onto dry land and went looking for one. First thing he spotted was a large banana leaf. He picked up the leaf and studied it. Maybe that would work. Then Sander laughed. Only a desperate man would actually consider using a leaf to paddle with. 'Okay what else can I use', Sander thought to himself. He searched the ground but all he could find were more sticks of wood and stones. Sander picked up a stick and studied it. If only this stick had a flat edge...if only....if only... Wait a minute. He could make that happen. Sander remembered a spell he had found while doing transfiguration research in the library. He had practiced doing it a couple of times the last time he was at the Black Lake. Sander carried the stick back to his boat and placed it on the ground. 'Please work', Sander whispered to himself as he flexed his arms and pointed his wand at the stick. Saying the incantation to the spell, "Talea" Sander drew a horizontal line in the air and finished with a little loop at the end and then stepped back. He watched as the small stick began to stretch in length and width. One end of it became broader and flatter than the rest of the stick and.... ....wah-lah....a paddle. Sander quickly picked it up and walked to his boat. He pushed the boat onto the swamp before quickly getting into and sitting down in it. Picking up his paddle, Sander began paddling the boat across the swamp. ....paddle...paddle....paddle...paddle... Sander paddled for what felt like hours but most likely was lesser than that. All he knew was that his muscles in his arms felt like they were on fire. ....was that the beach? Sander began paddling faster rowing his boat towards it. .... It was! The beach was now within sight. Keeping an eye on his target, Sander paddled his boat towards it. ...and the beach got closer....and closer...and whoosh...his boat hit bottom. He was finally on solid ground! Sander quickly got out of his boat and ran onto the beach. He had successfully completed the course. Now he could rest. |
Post 5 Well... it was best she tried. Maybe they weren't really as short as they seemed. Or they could elongate when she got a hold of them? Going with the optimistic Hufflepuff view, Alice grabbed a vine and pointed at it as enthusiastically as she could. "Vinea Funkiless!" ... no results? Was that the wrong movement or spell or something? Racking her brain for a while, the proper incantation finally occurred to her. Merlin, this memory loss was the worst. "Vinea Funiculus!" Point. This time, the vine in her hand began thickening and twisting, growing coarser and stronger until it was a tough rope. Alice gave it a sharp tug to see if it'd hold, ignoring the searing pain in her elbow in which the movement resulted. Only once she was sure it could hold her did she let her feet lift off the edge of the ravine and wrap around the rope instead, just as her arms were. And the Acromantula was still coming closer. Not that she was scared, because she wasn't. But it'd be cool if she could be on actual ground rather than dangling off a vine!rope, yeah? Yeah. Working on that. |
Post #3 OH MERLIN. She was going to DIE. Not from the fall because she COULDN'T fall, but heart attack maybe. It was an absurd fear of hers. How she developed it, she didn't know. However, right about now she wished she'd taken up her brother's offer to help her with said fear. Attempting to keep her gaze away from the ravine, Beverly went toward a group vines that hung like loose cords. Fingers shaking as they tugged on some to make sure they were secure, Bev did her best to concentrate on the task rather than on fear. It was okay. It was magic. Ignore the fear, ignore the fear. Numb it. Gathering a small amount of vines, Beverly pointed her wand at the first. She willed her hand to stop shaking and poured all her intent and bravery she had into the spell. "V-Vinea Fun-niculus." She knew it was a poor cast even before she finished the incantation. Concentrate. Concentrate. Shutting her eyes and counting to ten Bev did her best to control her anxiety. It was just an illusion. Come on, Wayne! At the count of ten she opened her eyes. It was just a small ravine. With that in mind she cast the transfiguration spell again. "Vinea Funiculus!" The vine turned from shades of green to brown, twisting itself into a rope. Spirits lifted, Beverly resumed the spell on a few more vines, concentrating only on her spell work for the mean time. |
Post 6 She dangled there for what felt like an eternity, precariously hanging onto her vine-turned-rope for dear dear life. Not a clinger by nature, Alice sure was one today. And as much as she wanted to touch down on the other side, it was impossible. Her rope was too short to ever get over there, and it was clearly a lost cause. But after swinging there for a few more seconds, she realized just how close another vine was to her. Was... was she meant to be using more than one of these? Like a monkey? Alice Fischer was no ape, but she could play one for today. The seventh year cautiously let go of the vine!rope with one hand, extending her wand to point at the next vine before her. "Vinea Funiculus." Very, very slowly, she slid her wand back into the hand that was also clutching the vine on which she relied. Her other hand carefully latched onto the next vine, and as quickly as she could, Alice dropped her weight from one pseudo-rope and moved on to the next. This.... was hard. |
Post 2 Ella watched as the rock she'd been aiming at transformed into the energetic green dragon she'd envisioned. The blonde let out an audible sigh of relief and unfortunately for her, that seemed to attract the Acromantula as the clicking was extremely close now. In the heat of it all, she nearly forgot the thing was an illusion and let out a squeak, praying she wouldn't be eaten. And then she did what she'd intended all along, directed her little dragon to fly into the giant spider's face, distracting him. She watched as this seemed to do the trick and once she could see that the Acromantula was facing away from her, seemingly confused, she took off running. Did she mention how painful running was these days? Merlin! Screaming knees were screaming in pain and she could actually hear the clicking of her bones as she dodged a tree stump ri-wait, that clicking wasn't coming from her. ... ... ...MEEP! Glancing over her shoulder, Ella saw that she hadn't lost the Acromantula after all. As soon as she'd stopped concentrating, her little dragon had stopped and though she had a nice lead now, the spider was still after her and closing in fast. THINK, Ella, think! She needed to stop it right in its track. She needed it to stop coming after her. What would stick it to the spot? Ella glanced around and noticed all the plant life and the trees rooted to th-ROOTED! There was a Transfiguration spell for that. YES! Okay, this should work. Acromantulas were beasts and yes, this would do it. PLEASE let this do it! Concentrating all her effort on not losing it as the thing got closer, Ella trained her wand at the giant form and clearly said the Take Root spell. The eighteen year old didn't even stick around to see if it worked but the clicking didn't seem to be following her anymore as she darted towards the Ravine. Nearly there, thank merlin! Now if she could just stop stumbling over rocks and branches, that'd be brilliant. |
Post 3 Alex headed toward the ravine. She wasn't exactly going slowly, but not fast either. She wanted to conserve her energy for the next task, but.......she wasn't sure just how long her tree cage would hold the acromantula at bay. So, she decided to move a little faster. All the while she was trying to convince herself that she could actually do this. She knew that young Alex would have a great shot at it. Old Alex, well that was another story entirely. She kept telling herself that she was a Ravenclaw and Ravenclaws were smart. She could figure this out. She would have to do it. Finally reaching the ravine, Alex looked down into its depths. Big mistake. Never look down, especially when you have a little issue with heights. Before she could start to freak out about this ravine she had to swing over, Alex tried to focus on finding the vines. Seeing them around and about the ravine, she looked for one that would be long enough to get her across. Finding several that satisfied her, she began to braid them together. If one was good, three would be better, yeah? When she finished braiding, she tried to tie a secure knot at the bottom of the vines. In case she had trouble holding on, the knot should keep her from slipping off the vine. At least she hoped that it would. Task completed, Alex took out her wand. Pointing her wand at the vine braid, she said, "Vinea Funiculus". Alex was happy when her vine transformed into a thick and study looking vine/rope. She pulled on it and it seemed sturdy and the knot secure. Now it was the moment of truth. |
Post #2 With the shield now protecting her, Sophie felt a LITTLE better, but only just a little. Just the sight of the Acromantula gaining on her made her more than uneasy, so she decided running for it was a better now than never kind of thing. So with that thought in mind, she turned on the spot and began bolting for the ravine. She still had the shield around her, but she did need to maintain the spell. She focused mainly on getting to that ravine, but she also focused on keeping the shield around her so that the spell wouldn't fade. The Acromantula got close one time, but the shield stayed put. Sophie was getting closer to the ravine--just a few more yards. Finally, she reached it...and not a moment too soon. |
Post 4 It was time for Alex to jump or swing as the case may be. She figured that she had better do it soon because she was starting to get that panicky I'm going to fall in the ravine feeling. Too bad she couldn't close her eyes, but she thought that would be a little bit counterproductive. Alex thought that giving it a running start would be her best bet. She took the rope into her hands and backed up to what she thought was an appropriate distance. "OK Alex, on three", she said to herself. "One, two, THREE......". Alex started to run as fast as she could Feeling like she was moving in slow motion, it seemed to take forever for Alex to cross that ravine. Oh oh, one thing she didn't consider was how she was going to land without breaking the aforementioned hip. Nice time to think about that now. Alex saw the other side of the ravine approaching, fast. Funny how time seemed to speed up again just at that moment. As she reaced solid ground, Alex let go of the rope and did her best baseball sliiiiide. Hitting the ground did not feel great, but at least she felt that all of her bones were intact. Getting up slowly, she thought, "Now if I can only make it across the swamp." First, she had to find it. |
Post #3 It was true that Sophie had reached the ravine. What was also true was that the Acromantula was still trying to get to her. She'd just beat him to the ravine, but unless she could get across, he'd get to her and eat her. The professor had said it wasn't real, and that she'd only fail, but still. She didn't want to fail either. She looked up at the hanging vines. She was supposed to transfigure them into a rope now, wasn't she? Uhh...what was the spell again? Fear was getting the best of her, and her mind was getting foggy. Vine...vinea? Vinea Funiculus! That was it! Sophie looked toward a nearby vine and pictured it turning into a rope. "Vinea Funiculus!" she said, pointing her wand at the vine. |
Post #2 A heavy weight fell into the pit of his stomach as he watched the ropes fly out of his wand and bind themselves tightly around the creature. Or the illusion. Whatever it was, it was now bound tightly with ropes and it didn't make Alec feel good at all. Especially not with the way he could see it thrashing around and struggling with the ropes. ... Ropes... that the acromantula would unbind and free itself from and then run to attack him if he didn't move. WHAT WAS HE DOING?! Eyes wide, the eighteen year old turned around and ran flat out towards the ravine. He had only taken a couple of steps before a sharp jolt of pain shot up and down from the joints in his legs, especially around the knee area. He tried his hardest to ignore it as he ran as fast as he could. But try as he might, he couldn't ignore the clicking sound that he was starting to hear. Don't look back... don't look back... ... He looked back. Biggest. Mistake. Ever. Grey eyes widened even more at the sight of the approaching creature. It reminded him a lot of something out of a horror movie; giant creatures pursuing the people who were running over obstacles to get to safety. And safety, in this case, was that ravine over there. The boy turned around, narrowed his eyes and, head bent, ran past boulders and trees and fallen branches. Right as he was making his way around a bush, an idea struck him and he whipped around again. "DURO!" He didn't need to keep looking back to see if the spell worked; the crunching sound was enough to tell him all he needed to know. The pain in his legs got worse and worse but something told him not to stop. Not... until... he reached... ... the ravine! Alec: 1, Acromantula: 0 |
Post 7 Welp. Okay. Being a little farther in the ravine really wasn't all that great, seeing as she was just at an equal distance from both sides now rather than being nearer to one. Alice was wrapped around that vine like a monkey, still clinging for dear life. Carefully, she switched her wand back to her left hand and stretched out to point at the next vine. Merlin, this was hard. "Vinea Funiculus." As the plant twisted and thickened into a strong rope, she switched her wand from hand to hand again and then reached for it. Being a lefty was tough work, man. Fortunately, Alice managed to grab the rope with her fingers, and she allowed her legs to release the vine!rope to which she was currently clinging. That caused her current rope to take her full weight all of a sudden, and the seventh year went swinging. This final was joint murder. Thankfully, the rope calmed down after a little bit. She managed to juggle her wand over to her left hand again, reaching out to point at the fourth and last vine she needed to transfigure. "Vinea Funiculus." Just as she had on the previous two ropes, Alice lunged for this one with her arms and made sure she had a good grip on it before letting go of the last one with her lower body. And here was the very last swing she had to perform. Much like a circus-y person would do, she built up speed with her swings, dropping her hold of the rope just as she swung over the edge of the ravine. The lioness landed hard; she was pretty sure her back had cracked, and her knees were screaming in searing pain. But the most effort-requiring parts of the obstacle course were over with now. Thank Merlin. |
Post 1 Ascanius had to be the only one in the room that felt like this was a little like Indiana Jones. He had to be 'cause most of the people here were sort of-- say it nicely-- ignorant to Muggle things and classics like Indy. But the sixth year himself was pretty excited to get to swing across a ravine and all that, yeah? Not that he showed it across his face 'cause he wasn't one for very public displays of emotions in classes, especially in classes. Taking a look across the junlgle-like set up that was some impressive spell work, he'd admit that much, Ascanius drew his wand and spun it in his hand like a drumstick. Just warming his hand and his head up. However, he didn't get much of a chance to really prepare himself mentally because as soon as he opened his eyes he heard a crack behind him. It was not becoming logically to turn around and see what went bump in the night, but he did it anyway. And what he saw startled him, even though he had been told the thing would be following him, a BIG spider was on his toes. Jeez. That bugger was hairy, wasn't it? Fight or flight was the test of a real man. Luckily for Ascanius he knew he was a real man...so there was no shame in running away. A little bit like a girl. Not that anyone notice that bit, yeah? Thinking on his feet, he turned around and shot a blind spell at what he assumed was the acromantula, "Incarcerous!" .....unfortunately, it hit the nearest tree. Rough. He was failing a bit. TOO BAD HE WAS RUNNING, OKAY? |
Post 3 Skidding to a halt right at the ravine, Ella clutched at the stitch in her side and tried not to wibble about how much pain she was in. Sore legs were sore from running as she hadn't done that in quite a while and everything in her was telling her to sit down but she knew that if she did that, there would be no getting back up. She just needed to shake it out. No really, she literally shook her left leg a bit and then her right, trying to ease the pain a little and loosen them up a bit. Merlin, she really should have stretched before this. Seriously. Once she'd caught her breath, the blonde glanced up at the vines hanging down over the ravine. The thought of having to use her upper-body strength to hold on to one of these things long enough to get across was laughable. She felt weak and even more so now that she'd run across the room but she really didn't have a choice if she wanted to pass. And so she bit her lip and tried her best to recall the spell she'd used to create a solid rope to swing on. It was... ...V-something. Vine...Vinea...Vinea Funiculus. Yeah, that was it. Pointing her wand at the vine closest to where she was, the Head Girl did her best to concentrate on a strong rope and said clearly, "Vinea Funiculus!" Before her eyes, the vine twisted and formed into what appeared to be a thing but sturdy rope and Ella took a deep breath and reached out to grab it, careful not to fall. This thing was meant to support her weight?! Tug. Tug. Tuuuuuug. It survived that so Ella was going to cross her fingers and hope for the best. Yeah...bravery really wasn't her thing, okay? Merlin. |
Post 3 Adi reached the edge of the ravine and hurriedly glance back. The bats were still zooming around the Acromantula. Awesome! It was distracted still. The Puffer turned to look down at the ravine. Ugh! He did not want to take a fall. He was worried about swinging across. What if his arms could not hold his weight? Uh oh. But it was a risk he had to take. Failing this thing was not an option. Adi spied a vine and immediately pointed his wand at it. "Vinea Funiculus!'' Well, well, well. Wasn't that a surprise? It was still a vine. Hmph! ''Vinea Funiculus!'' Point! But he had no time to see if the spell worked for he heard the loud clicking of pincers. Adi spun around. Agggh! The Giant Spider was heading towards him! :whaa: |
Post 5 Alex walked ahead cautiously, looking around for any signs of a swamp. And then-yuck. She smelled it before she saw it and it was foul. She'd better find a way across the swamp quickly before she was overcome by the vapors. Alex had her boat in her backpack, but it was quite obvious that it was not going to carry her across the swamp in its current state. As nasty as the water was, it would probably melt her boat in a second. Time to go to plan B. What was plan B? Alex was still working on it......and then the lightbulb went on. No one said that the had to use the boats that they made in class. Turning around in a complete circle, Alex surveyed her surroundings. She needed a bigger piece of wood to work with. A large branch or better yet, a log. Alex didn't know if there was a time limit on completing these tasks, but it would be a good idea to hurry. After wandering around for what seemed like an eternity, Alex found a piece of wood that just might work. Using every bit of energy she had, she dragged it to the edge of the swamp. She had never done the spell on a piece of wood this large. Hopefully, she would be able to make it work. First Alex visualized the boat that she wanted to create. Then she concentrated with all her might. Tapping the wood with her wand, she said, "Lignum Navicula". Alex was afraid to look, but she looked anyway. Before her was not exactly the boat she had envisioned, but it should be big enough to carry her through the swamp.....if it could float. |
Post 4 So Ella hadn't made a graceful transition from the ground to the vine-turned-rope and she was currently clinging to said rope and praying she didn't fall. This was frightening, even if she wasn't actually going to fall to her death any minute. Or...no, no she wasn't going to fall to her death. She also wasn't making it across the ravine with this one vine swing, apparently. Nope. Now the Head Girl was out over the ravine just hanging on her transfigured vine, surrounded by other vines and feeling sort of like Tarzan. Well, Jane. She was more Jane but still. She wasn't cut out for this stuff. Y'know what she needed now? Another vine. There were a bunch to choose from and Ella looked for the closest one to her, knowing she'd need to reach out and grab it. When she had a good candidate, she very carefully held out her wand and pointed it at the vine. Concentrating hard on the type of rope she wanted to create while still clinging on to the one she was on, she then said clearly, "Vinea Funiculus!" When the vine had changed, Ella put her wand in her mouth and reached for it, pulling it as close to her as she could so she'd get a bit of a swing when she moved on to it fully. Then, after taking a weird deep breath considering where her wand was, she took hold of the new rope and when she was ready, let go of the one she'd been on. She let out a squeak as she swung through the air and willed her eyes to stay open so she could see the other side of the ground and know when to get off. Merlin, this test was no joke. |
Post 8 Merlin, her legs hurt. And her arms. And her knees. Every single one of Alice's muscles were screaming out to her, but she knew that was impossible. There was one more task to complete: crossing the swamp safely in her transfigured piece of wood. The swamp which was.... where, exactly? She sniffed the air, expecting a foul stench. Sure enough, a pungent odor filled her nose. The seventh year followed the disgusting smell as she inhaled it, making faces all the while. It was slow going, seeing as all her limbs were achy and sore, but she was eventually led to the swamp. And it looked gross. Pinching her nose shut, Alice looked around for some sort of wood she could use for the spell. After a while, she came across a thick branch fallen from a tree that seemed big enough to sustain her wait as a boat. The lioness began the slow, tedious work of dragging it over to the edge of the swamp. Once it seemed close enough to the murky water, she extended her wand to tap against the wood. "Lignum Navicula." Boat? Boat! Yes! |
Post #4 Soon after she had several sturdy ropes dangling in front of her, Beverly twisted them to make a stronger, sturdier rope. Sure she was small, but no risking it; both for her sanity and grade. Tucking the rope between her legs and wrapping around her right foot for a safer grip, Beverly held on tightly. It was okay. Just let it go. Swing. Before thinking it too much and willing to be the bravest she's ever been, Beverly hobbled as quick as she could and pushed off the edge. Keeping her sight solely on the other side and not on the drop, she managed not to scream a scream that was lodged in her throat. The moment her feet touched down on solid ground Beverly let go of the rope and scurried away from the edge. She'd take an Acromantula any day. BAH! Now, it was time for the swamp. Merlin. Was it her sensitive sense of smell, or did it reek like troll dung? UGH. |
Post 5 Thank goodness Ella didn't dream of becoming a gymnast because her dismount from the rope to the ground was anything but gold medal worthy. She sort of landed in a crumpled mess and let out a small groan, rubbing her backside which had somehow ended up right on a good sized rock. That was going to bruise. YUP! Bright side of all of this? The eighteen year old had successful gotten past the Acromantula and the ravine but she still had the cross the swamp. There weren't like...crocodiles in there, right? Magical illusion crocodiles, sure, but still. Ella didn't like to think of that. And where had her wand gone? The blonde's eyes widened considerably and for a horrifying minute, she thought she might have dropped it before she landed. Luckily for her and her fragile heart, she spotted the thing a few feet away only a minute later. Ella let out a dramatic sigh and got to her feet extremely slowly, headed over to it once she'd composed herself. The bending down part hurt just as bad as the standing up but she managed. Once her wand was secured, it was off to the swamp. She could tell as she was got closer too because the stench stung her nostrils and her eyes. YIKES. She'd better make a sturdy boat because there was NO way she wanted to fall in there. Her hair would smell for weeks! |
Post 9 The tree branch had stretched out from both directions, rounding out to form a perfect boat. Grinning to herself, Alice grabbed a stick with which to row herself and began pushing it into the swamp. She stepped into it at the last second, setting herself adrift inside the hollowed out tree limb. .... and then she stayed there. Er. This rowing stick wasn't working. At all. Just floating in the murky water, she racked her brain for any lesson on transfiguring something that'd help her get across. Merlin knew she didn't plan on sticking around forever, but Bellaire hadn't ever taught them stuff to do with boats before, so Alice had to think back to Magnus' lessons. Hadn't... hadn't they learned stuff about coracles before? There were boats involved with those. And along with coracles... ... paddles! Yes! As soon as the spell came to mind, she pulled her rowing stick back into her boat and set it in front of her. Thank Odin she had brought it along, or she'd have to summon one from the shore, and that was a charm. But the spell she was about to use was one of pure transformation, so surely Bellaire wouldn't have a problem with it? She would try it anyway. "Ta-lea!" In the air, she drew a sort of spoonlike shape. A horizontal line was drawn by the tip of her wand, followed by a little loop at the end of it. Stretching out both ways just as her boat had, the stick flattened itself out. One end of it broadened more than the rest, and the tree limb soon resembled a paddle in lieu of its original stick-y form. Quickly, she grabbed it and stuck it in the water again, rowing furiously. It felt like she'd been going for ages, but that was probably her sore and achy elbows doing the talking. But the beach was in sight soon enough, and Alice sped up her efforts, motivated by the sight. In a little while, she'd arrived at the shore on the other end of the swamp. The captain practically jumped out of her boat, eager to rest and relax her muscles. Hardest final ever, and that was just 'cause of the movement involved. |
Post 6 Alex was just about to push her boat into the water when she realized that she needed a way to propel herself through the water. Looking around for one of her abandoned pieces of wood, she found a fairly long branch. The swamp was surely too deep for her to use the branch as a pole. It would never touch the bottom. Was it good enough to be used as an oar? Alex wasn't sure that it would work, but she had come too far to fail now. Alex had another idea, but this one was very far fetched. What did she have to lose? Facing a tree, she pointed her wand at it and said, "Inflecto Telum". Arrows flew from the tip of her wand and some fortunately pierced the trunk of the tree. She pulled two arrows from the tree and hurried over to her discarded vine rope. Using the tip of the arrow as a blade, she tried to cut off some of the rope. It took some time, but Alex was able to to free some pieces of the rope. Going back to her tree branch, she tried to bind some of the pieces together with her rope to make a very crude oar. It was a longshot, but she was out of options. Putting the arrows and extra rope in the boat, Alex began to push it into the water. Crossing her fingers, she hopped into Alex didn't know how big the swamp was, but she hoped she could reach the other side before the boat sank. Taking her oar, she tried to paddle her way through the swamp. It was slow going because the oar wasn't very good, but it was better than nothing. Alex paddled until she thought her arms would fall off. They were hunting so badly, but she pressed on. Finally, finally, she could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Alex was near the end of the swamp. She could see solid ground up ahead. |
Post #4 As Sophie waited to see if the vine would turn into the rope she needed, she quickly glanced behind her. The Acromantula was gaining on her, and she'd dropped that Shield Charm she'd produced earlier. If the vine spell didn't work, she'd be left unprotected. Turning back around, she watched as the vine strengthened into a rope. She reached up and tugged on it a bit to make sure it wouldn't snap on her. It seemed sturdy enough, so she grabbed on to it, stepped back to gain some speed, then ran forward. When she reached the ravine, she lifted her legs off the ground and let the rope carry her across. She only panicked briefly, but as the other side came into close view, she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in. |
Post #4 The ravine LIED! It was most certainly not as close as she'd thought it was when she bounded the acromantula and made a mad dash toward it. Never before had she felt so lied to, seriously. No matter how many tree branches she'd bumped into and how many roots sticking from the ground she'd nearly tripped over, there seemed NO RAVINE. Another couple metres and she would have given up. Legit. Just stopped running and sent off some sparks, or maybe tried a different direction even if the ravine was clearly in this direction. Alexa drew immediate breaks as she came up to it and realized what the Professor had been on about when she mentioned vines. Swinging across this thing? She would need to be SWINGING?? With her feeble old people floppy arms?? Seriously?? There were so many things that could go wrong here and she almost turned to find another way across the ravine when she remembered this was all an illusion. ...It probably couldn't really hurt her and even if it could she wouldn't think about that right now. Lex reached for the closest vine. "Vinea Funiculus!" |
Post 7 Getting a sudden adrenalin rush at the thought of completing the tasks, Alex paddled as fast as she could (which probably wasn't very fast given the circumstances). At last she felt the boat hit solid ground. All she could think about was getting away from the stinky swamp and breathing some fresh air. When Alex was certain that she had directed the boat far enough out of the water to get out safely, she climbed out of it. She had reached the beach. She had completed the tasks. Alex was too exhausted to be happy. She just started walking away from the swamp. She could not wait to get back to her dormitory, take a very hot shower and sleep. She would be smelling the swamp in her dreams. |
Post #3 Deep breaths, Summers. Deep breaths. Wheezing, the boy bent over, his hands gripping onto his knees a little tighter than normal. This final really was a test of endurance, wasn't it? And to think he still had two main sections to get through before he was done. Thoughts about what he was going to do after he was done with this flooded his mind as he continued to catch his breath back. Pancakes sounded like a good idea. And maybe sprawling out on a sofa in front of the fireplace. Merlin knows he wouldn't be able to go out to fly as soon as he was done. But to do any of that, he needed to be done with this final, yeah? Needed to pass with a decent grade. Taking a deep breath, Alec stood up and looked over at the ravine, his grey eyes taking in everything from the many vines hanging here and there to the length of the ravine. ... Yeah. The sight of the vines was helpful but the length was not. What if he didn't make it across? What if he fell in instead? Frown. Alec took out his wand and glanced back at the Acromantula. The stone had held it up but he knew that it wouldn't hold the creature off for long. Ropes. He needed ropes. Looking back, the boy pointed his wand over at the nearest vine and cried "Vinea Funiculus!" with so much conviction, he even surprised himself. A smallest hint of a smile spread across his face when the vine changed itself into, thankfully, a rope. Right. Time to be Tarzan. |
Post 4 This wasn't the time to panic. The Spider was still a good distance away. Adi tried to clear his mind as best as he could but of course that was a difficult thing to do when there was a monster after you. He concentrated on the vine in front of him and pointed his wand at it. "Vinea Funiculus!" Aha! Success! Not even bothering to look back at the arachnid that was lumbering after him, Adi grabbed on to the rope and with a huge effort kicked off from the ravine's edge. Weeeeeee! This was fun! As long as he held on tight he was safe. Come to think of it, as long as his rope decided to stay intact. Suppose he had made a bad rope? Eep! But there was no time to think of that for he was approaching the other side of the ravine. He needed to concentrate on making a good landing. Almost there...just a bit further...annnnd let go of the rope! Adi released it and landed with a soft thump on his butt. Owww. Well, it could have certainly been worse. At least he had gotten away from the Acromantula. |
Post #4 Head Boy Tarzan, he was. ... Or would try to be. Alec grabbed hold of a part of the rope and took a couple of steps backwards. When he had come to terms with the idea of running some more, he sent know. All he knew was that to cover the most area and increase the chances of being able to reach the next vine, he needed to run up to the edge and jump off as high as he could. The plan sounded like a great one to him and, with the giant beast back there, he knew he had no time to try and think of something else. The sooner he put as much distance between himself and the creature, the better, right? Taking a deep breath, the eighteen year old placed his wand between his teeth and tugged on the rope a couple of times. Good. It seemed sturdy enough to take his weight. Another deep breath was taken as Alec ran up to the edge of the ravine and jumped off, his legs bent up and around the rope. His hands were clenched around the rope so tightly that his knuckles were starting to turn white. Not that he noticed since his eyes were focused on the next vine that he was swinging towards. ... Vine! Taking out his wand from between his teeth, Alec pointed it over towards the oncoming vine. "Vinea Funiculus!" The speed in which the next couple of things happened seemed to be similar to something out of an action movie. A rope hung in the place where a vine had been previously, the Acromantula had reached the edge of the ravine and started clicking its pincers in a menacing and defeated sort of way, and Alec had managed to jump off of the first rope and onto the newly transfigured one. He deserved pancakes after this. |
Post 5 Once Adi had picked himself up, he looked across the ravine. He could vaguely make out the outline of the Acromantula. He pumped a triumphant fist in it's direction, though he wasn't sure if the thing could see that far. He had done it! Woohoo! Say! What was that DISGUSTING smell? Ugh! Securing his nose with his hands, Adi turned, took a few steps and came across the swamp Professor Bellaire had told them about. Man, this thing gave off a nasty smell. It was only going to get so much worse when he got into his boat to cross it. Adi retrieved his boat, trying his best not to breathe too much. But that was not a very good idea. Hoping, he won't hurl, the Puffer pushed his boat towards the swamp. |
Post 2 The sixth year luckily had some length on his legs, so running was such a winded and stressful issue for him. The real stresser was the bigger, long legged acromantula on his feet that didn't seem to have a relenting bone in its body. This was supposed to be a helpful class, not a see how in shape you were type of thing. 'Cause if that was the case, Ascanius was always going to win hand over foot. Look at him. He was a fan of looking at himself. He knew what he looked like. Deciding once more that he just by the sheer strength of his legs was not going to make it to the ravine faster then the acromantula, Ascanius had to make another offensive move. The best defense after all was a very strong offense. He rattled his head for something, anything that would work in the realm of strictly transfiguration when he settled on something simple. Ascanius turned around on his heel, pointed at the ugly mug of a spider's feet and shouted, "Epoximise!" The ground of the jungle suddenly became a sticky substance that held the spider in place, or at least would do so long enough to let Ascanius get away. And so he did. |
Post #5 Alec was trying his hardest not to look over at the two terrifying things that would make him fall off of the rope he was hanging on to: the bottom of the ravine and the acromantula that looked like it was ready to devour him the moment he fell. His grip on the rope tightened. He didn't know which one of those he'd prefer; ... except... if the acromantula was an illusion, the only thing he'd need to worry about was... falling, right? Deep breaths... deep breaths... It was probably a good thing he had done that long run up from before to swing onto the rope. It was helping him to cover a greater distance and swing much closer towards the next vine. A vine that he still needed to change into a rope, once he was close enough or could aim properly from where he was swinging. Or when he was comfortable enough to only hold onto the rope with one hand. He didn't have to wait long for this to happen and, when it did, Alec took hold of his wand and aimed at the closest, and last, vine. "Vinea Funiculus!" The vine started changing into a rope, while the rope that Alec was clinging onto swung backwards again. He didn't even register the sound of the pincers from the acromantula behind him on the bank of the ravine as let go of the middle rope and grabbed onto the newly transfigured one. More deep breathing was happening. |
Post 6 The smell was foul and Ella skirted the edge of the water, nose wrinkled and in search of a branch to use for her boat. The glasses helped because without them, the eighteen year old would be sunk. Literally, she'd probably sink to the bottom of the swamp because she found a weird branch or something. Speaking of branches, there was one near the waters edge off to her left and so she carefully headed in that direction, not wanting to trip and find herself in the gross water beside her. Could she even swim anymore with these old bones? Merlin. Bending down, the Head Girl ignored the shooting pain that was traveling up her back and focused on the wood in front of her. Though damp, the branch was still quite sturdy and thick as well. She did wonder if it would float, though. If it didn't, she'd have to work with something else. And so Ella carefully guided it deeper into the water, keeping it from floating away by leaving her fingers resting on the top lightly so she could get a grip quickly if anything went wrong. Luckily for her, it did indeed float. Looked like this was the branch she'd be using. She carefully guided it out of the water again and placed it down on the ground at her feet, stepping back so she could get a good look at it. Now she needed to change it into a boat. The incantation was one she'd practiced lots and so she didn't have much trouble remembering it. Lignum Navicula...Lignum Navicula...Lignum Navicula. And the movement was simply tapping the wood, yeah? So with those things figured out, all that was left was for her to visualize her boat. The eighteen year old shut out any of the distractions around her and focused all her energy on creating a boat big enough to hold her but also buoyant and without leaks. She needed to make sure the thing would float and make it across to the beach where she'd be done. When the vision was crystal clear and only then, Ella bent down and tapped the wooden branch with her wand. "Lignum Navicula!" |
Post 6 Adi jumped into his boat and sat there holding his breath without realising his boat was not even drifting. Ugh! He needed to paddle. He wasn't going to get anywhere without doing that. He jumped out of his boat and looked around on the ground for something he could paddle with. He was sure there was a spell that transfigured a paddle but he wasn't sure of the incantation. Oh well. He'd just have to work with what he could find. Moments after searching, Adi located a sturdy piece of wood with a flattish bottom. Hmmm. This could work. He jumped into his boat again and paddled off. Yes! It was working! Humming Row, Row, Row your boat, the Puffer happily paddled down the swamp. He'd have been much happier if it weren't so smelly. .............................. Finally, he arrived back at the beach. He had done it! |
Post #6 Bank! Alec let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of the bank. He was still clinging onto the rope, sure, but all he had to do was try and land on the bank and he'd be a little safer than he was before. One more large swing and a jump and he'd be away from that acromantula, who was still clicking its pincers menacingly on the other side of the ravine. ... This was easier said than done, as Alec soon found out. As much as he had thought that he had given himself a good head start with the jump onto the first wrong, the rope wasn't swinging as far and landing on the bank was starting to seem impossible. A small frown formed across his lips. Was there anything he could do to make the rope swing further? Or should he risk it and try and jump off before the rope slowed down even more? Both sounded... hard. To make matters worse, the eighteen year old made the slight error of looking down at the depth of the ravine below. ... No! No no. He wasn't brave enough to risk jumping just yet but he was going to try and make the rope swing further. This would be exactly like the times when he had been sitting on the swings in the park near his house and he wanted the swing to swing further. You had to put all your weight into it, right? Nodding to himself, Alec started swinging, where he tried to put all his weight into swinging further when the rope swung forwards. Swing... swing... ... jump... ... and LAND! Right on his belly and... right near the edge of the ravine too. Breathing deeply, the boy rolled over onto his back and stared up at the sky. Or the ceiling. He was going to ignore the pain that was shooting up and down his body from his belly and legs and instead concentrate on the fact that... he had made it! And the slowly dying clicking of the acromantula meant that it was, hopefully, walking away. Good. |
Post 7 Oh hey, boat! Ella let out a relieved sigh and wasted no time inspecting her work. She trailed her hands along the sides of the small boat, looking for cracks or holes which she luckily didn't find. The blonde then looked at the bottom in search of any signs of trouble. Ultimately, her boat seemed smooth and solid, something that wouldn't leave her stuck in the muck. This was definitely something to smile about and she let the corners of her lips tug upward slightly, knowing she was that much closer to finishing this task. The only thing left was to get herself across the swamp in this thing but that was going to be hard. She knew it would and especially given how tired she was. If there was a transfiguration spell to make a motor for her boat, she didn't know it. So she left the boat for a moment and searched for a long enough stick so she could paddle herself across. Stick in hand, the Head Girl returned to the boat and raised her eyebrows slightly. She was ready to go now but how was she meant to get into the boat once it was in the water? Maybe she could...no. But what if she....no. This was probably going to be harder than she thought. Eventually she moved the boat into the shallow water and held it there with one hand while she kept the other wrapped around the long stick that she'd pushed into the ground. This would be her anchor, yeah? She'd just sort of push off the stick and hoist herself into the boat in one fluid motion or something. Hey, yeah! That could work! And taking a deep breath, that's exactly what Ella tried to do. TRIED. The small badger got one leg into the boat when she realized she hadn't thought this plan through. As she moved that leg into the boat, the boat moved a bit further away from the shore and now she was streeeeetched, one arm and leg still outside the boat. She let out a little squeak and sort of threw all her weight towards the boat, pulling the stick out of the ground in the process and landing in a tangled mess at the bottom of the boat. She groaned and rubbed her side but at least she'd got inside. That was something to be proud about...y'know later, when she wasn't feeling so sore. When she'd finally managed to get into a seated position, Ella once again focused on the task at hand. She was going to get across this water and to the other side right now. YUP. And so she used the long stick to paddle as best she could, beginning her slow journey across the water. This...wasn't going to be a quick trip. Just saying. |
Post #7 He didn't know how long he had been laying there in an attempt to catch his breath back but, before long, a sudden realisation came crashing in, making him feel somewhat saddened. He still had one more task left. And if any of the last two were anything to go by, the eighteen year old knew that this one would be just as... difficult. More endurance-based. Something his feeble, old bones was crying out against. Finally getting up, Alec brushed himself off before looking around at the other end of the ravine. Sure, the acromantula was gone now. There was that bright side. The clicking of pincers wouldn't be a constant reminder that he was likely to be eaten or that he was taking a really long time with this final. Shrug. A foul smell reached his nose, making his facial expression contort while his hand slapped over his nose and mouth. Was that... was that the swamp?! Bellaire did mention that it would smell foul, right? Slowly, he let his hand drop to his side again and started following the scent. Something inside of him was hoping against hope that the scent of the swamp was the worst feature about it. Was this false hope? Optimistic nature? He didn't know. He did find out when he reached the edge of the swamp. The smell only became worse now that he was actually here and one look at its murky depths told the Head Boy that he didn't want to fall inside. ... wood! Spotting a fairly large piece of wood not too far away, Alec made his slow and careful way over towards it. He really did not want to fall inside. The wood, on close examination, seemed to be good enough. Now he just needed to concentrate, yeah? Try to transfigure this chunk of wood into the largest boat he could muster. Or a boat large enough to fit his long limbs. Taking a deep breath, Alec tapped the wood with his wand and cried, "Lignum Navicula!" |
Post 8 The trouble with having to swing across the ravine on the vines was that now Ella's arms felt like noodles and it was taking everything in her to push the stick through the swampy water to get some kind of movement going. She was feeling extremely frustrated now and any trace of hope was long gone. How on earth was she meant to get across this thing? She was weak and old and probably dying and this was torture. Mood officially killed, Bellaire. Thank you for this. If only the eighteen year old knew another Transfiguration spell that'd help her. Something that would... ... ...O______O She. Was. So. Dumb. Sometimes! They'd done a boat lesson in Transfiguration before. With Professor Magnus, right? They'd raced or something in those roundish boat things? There had been a paddle spell during that. She was sure of it. If she could just remember how to do it, that would save her. Ugh. She really needed to figure it out. Why...did she want to say it was tea leaves? That definitely wasn't the incantation. SIGH. Think, Ella...Just think. She was just sort of floating in the middle of the swamp by this point, an annoyed expression on her face as she searched her foggy mind for the correct incantation. She'd worked out that it started with Ta- but that was it at this point. Maybe if she could remember the wand movement too? Maybe. It was...something to do with food. It was... ...Oh! Like a spoon! The movement had reminded her of a spoon. A horizontal line with the circle at the end. Thank Merlin she was so obsessed with ice cream because that had been a lovely mnemonic for her. She made the movement with her hand and willed herself to think of the incantation, hoping the muscle memory would help. Come one, think! "Ta-lea." O.o YES! That was it, that was the spell! Yes, yes, yes!!!! The blonde nearly lost the stick she was holding because of her excitement but she stopped herself from fist pumping just in time. She was going to be okay now, yeah? She was going to make a proper paddle. |
Post #5 The smell was almost enough to make her gag, but she preferred it to the ravine a million times more. It was now time to test out her transfiguration skill. As she shuffled through her back-pack for the piece of wood she'd turned back to its original state, she wondered how deep the swamp was. If she were to fall in, would it swallow her up complete? She didn't want to find out, so her boat better work. Finding the piece of wood and setting it down, Beverly pointed her wand at, and with a tap she said, "Lignum Navicula!" Fortunately the piece of wood expanded like a muggle umbrella, forming a boat big enough for the Slytherin. She wasn't done there, she glanced around for a stick or branch she could use as a paddle. There was no way she was using her hands to row. Besides her bones creaking with every move she did, Beverly was NOT sticking her hands into that filthy, smelly swamp water. Finding a tree branch that looked strong enough to row, Beverly hopped into the boat and set off toward the beach. Please don't sink, little boat. |
Post 9 Ella had managed to lug the now quite smelly stick into the boat and was looking at it thoughtfully, nose wrinkled. Pungent swamp was pungent, ugh. Too bad sense of smell didn't go when you were old because she could have benefited from that right about now. JUST saying. At least she had a proper plan now. She just needed to get it done and then she could relax. Yeah. Making a paddle shouldn't be too hard. Ella envisioned what she wanted it to look like and then went over the incantation several more times in her head so she'd definitely get it right. She probably didn't have too much time left, yeah? Slow moving Head Girl was slow. "Ta-lea!" Ella drew the spoon-like shape and said the incantation clearly, concentrating as she did. She nearly wept at the sight of a paddle where the stick had been. This was definitely good news. Front page news, in fact. She was excited. Dipping her paddle into the water, the eighteen year old mustered up what was left of her energy and started her way across the water. She was still moving slowly but the shape of the paddle helped her cross more ground with each stroke and the Ella was pretty used to the pain at this point so it was only a matter of time before she was done. ...And then there was ground. THERE WAS GROUND! Ella felt the paddle hit and her eyes widened because this was definitely a good sign. It meant that she didn't have to worry about sinking any longer AND that she was nearly done. She waited until she felt the bottom of the boat slide up onto the shore before she very clumsily got out. Her legs gave way because of how tired they were and she hit the ground rather lamely, feeling exhausted. The triumphant feeling was stronger though. And so she forced herself to her feet and stood, smoothing her pants and trying to somehow look presentable for when she saw Bellaire. Did she see? Ella had done it. |
Post #8 A small grin spread across the boy's face as he saw the chunk of wood transform into a boat that seemed big enough to fit his long limbs. He couldn't help but walk around the boat and inspect his work, momentarily forgetting where he was and what it was he was meant to be doing. It was as if he had gotten himself a shiny new broom and was spending more time marvelling at it than testing it out. ... This was something that was bound to happen. Coming back to his sense with a shake of his head, Alec glanced around at the area instead. If he had a boat, that meant that he needed something to paddle with it, yeah? There was also that spell that would have driven the boat forwards but he was pretty sure that wasn't a transfiguration spell so... he was going with something else. Something... that had come up in another one of their Transfiguration lesson. And one he was sure he had looked over when he was studying for his NEWTs the other day. Frowning a little, the Head Boy looked down at the ground for something that might jog his memory about the spell he needed. A rock? ... No... no that wasn't it. A branch? A stick? ... He paused. A stick. Bending down slowly, Alec picked it up and turned it over. A stick didn't seem like a bad object to use, especially since it was made out of wood too. Something about a lake came back to him. A lesson by the lake, maybe? Where they had those boats and something about ribb-- ... OH! Of course! "Ta-lea!" he cried, drawing a horizontal line in the air and ending it with a loop. He had to change his grip on the stick as it started growing in length and width until it was, without a doubt, paddle-shaped. Proud of his work, Alec headed over towards the edge of the boat and glanced down at the inside once more. This wasn't the same mesmerising look from before. A vague and distant memory of practising this charm near the lake with Botros came back to him; one where he had stepped onto a boat he, himself, had transfigured and... yeah. Just like that time, Alec winced as he stretched out his right leg and placed it firmly inside the boat. The boat gave a small wobble at the added weight, something that made Alec hesitate. It would be able to take the rest of his weight, right? ... Right. Yeah. Of course. As long as he moved slowly. He slowly shifted his weight onto the right leg and, trying not to wobble, moved his left leg up and over so that it was in the boat as well. There. He was standing. In his boat. Deep breaths... Alec sat down somewhere close to the front of the boat, the paddle clutched tightly in his hand. He dug the paddle into the shore of the bank beneath the water and pushed as hard as he could. The boat inched forward and, before he knew it, he was off! Into open water he went, paddling at his own, slow pace. His muscles ached, the more and more he paddled but, once again, he tried his hardest to ignore it. It was a lot easier to do that when... look! Was that the shoreline? After what seemed like forever, the boat nudged gently against the shore of the beach. A grin spread across the Hufflepuff's face as he dropped the paddle in the boat, clambered out of the boat and collapsed on the beach. Yeah... pancakes sounded like a really great idea right about now. And sleep. |
Post #6 Not even a few feet away from the shore on the side of the ravine Beverly's arms were already groaning in protest. Was this how people in the wild did it? Did people even live in the jungle? Well, she didn't enjoy it ONE BIT. Maybe if she were younger, then maybe... Maybe. It was a good thing she had a make-shift paddle to push her boat forward. She doubted she would have gotten any further paddling with her bare hands. The third year struggled through it. At some point she wanted to shoot sparks because she was in that much pain, but no. A Wayne doesn't quit when they are so close to the finish line. Or ever, as a matter of fact. Mentally pushing herself, Beverly reached a sudden stop, almost toppling over her boat. LAND. It was precious, precious LAND. Scurrying out of her boat and flopping onto the sand, Beverly was too relieved to mind the muscle aches so much. It hurt, but relief won for a few seconds. Merlin. She really did DO IT. SUCCESS. Gingerly standing up Beverly made a list of what she needed after this final. |
Post 5 After walking a few feet, Lux was still feeling shaky and sad because she was unable to continue and Bay wasn't there to help her. But she also was starting to feel a little more clear headed. Stopping, she wondered if she should send out sparks. Maybe Bay would come and help her then? Or if not him, someone else....though she really did hope it would be him. Using the spell that she had overheard Sander teach Bev, she sent out sparks. Into her air. Hopefully they would be seen. |
Post #5 With the vine now a rope, Lex tied it around her waist and secured it with a wrap around her thigh just to be sure that even if her hands failed her, she wouldn't be in any danger of falling in or anything. Merlin knows how deep that thing was and she didn't care to be the one to figure it out. No thanks. There was an end of the class that needed getting to...alive. Alexa took one last look behind her, drew a deep breath then lunged off the edge of the ravine feeling the air whip at her face as she soared across the large gap. The feeling was actually quite liberating and for a moment, she forgot she was gliding across an empty space with the possibility of falling. Somehow that part didn't matter...until her arms started burning and she realized she'd missed her stop causing her to drift right back across the ravine. "Wait what? No no no no. Staaaahp, no." Her feeble legs kicked beneath her as she tried to rectify this. Somehow she got them back on the first ledge, clinging to the rope for dear life. One more time then. Lex pushed off once again. This time, keeping her eyes on the otherside. Visualizing the touchdown that came in three...two...one...SAFE!! Safe and away from that swinging death trap Now where was that swamp? By the looks of it, she would actually survive this thing. |
Post #5 Sophie landed safely on the opposite of the ravine and came upon the swamp the professor had mentioned. Eww. It smelled terrible, which even further convinced Sophie that this wasn't the time to fail. If she did, that'd mean she would fall IN to the nasty, smelly swamp with Merlin only knew what inside. She made a face but then decided to get a move on. She didn't want to fall in on account of her just standing there doing nothing, after all. Before the lesson, she had used a transfiguration spell to turn her boat into a pencil, that way she could carry it around the course without it weighting her down. She quickly opened her bag and removed the pencil. With a flick of her wand toward the pencil, she transfigured it back into a boat. The boat was somewhat heavy, but Sophie pulled it toward the edge of the swamp then guided it in. Wait--she needed oars. Looking around, Sophie grabbed two thick sticks then stepped into her boat. |
Post 1 - yep, I"m slow Running away from an acromantula was a crazy, terrible task when running was no longer possible. As soon as the assignment was given, Mo did a double take and a deep internal groan that would NOT be welcomed out loud. But the groaning was necessary because Mo just ACHED today, and there was the professor asking them to run. He tried running. He really did try, but mostly it was hop-hobbling, ending when he spotted the Acromantula and made the decision that he was gonna have to distract it instead of simply running away. Distract... with a Transfiguration spell. Um. UM UM UM. "Ducklifors!" Mo pointed his wand at the spider and shouted the FIRST spell that came to mind. And... turned the spider into a very cranky duck, wobbling after him on eight webbed feet. Okay, that hadn't gone as he'd intended. Mo screamed in frustration and redoubled his efforts to make it to the ravine on time. He was SO slow. |
Post #6 Now sitting in her boat, Sophie was left holding her wand and the two thick sticks she'd picked up. Aiming her wand at the first stick, she again casted the transfiguration spell and changed the stick into an oar. She turned her wand on the other stick and did the same. Now she had two oars and could paddle her boat across the swamp. From the moment the oars touched the water, Sophie was sure her old, wrinkled arms couldn't hold up to this challenge. Her mind was telling the oars to move, but her body was protesting. She began focusing mostly on her intent and willing her body to move. Slowly, she started to feel the oars moving in the water, and then her boat started moving forward, too. She was doing this! She looked forward to the other side and focused on how much further she needed to go to get to the other side. |
Post 2 He could see the ravine ahead, and some of the urgency had drained out of the situation now that he was being chased by a partially transfigured duck, rather than by a giant spider, but Mo was feeling exhausted. Already. His legs were wobbling rather violently, and he had to stop twice to catch his breath. Angry quacking from right behind him had Mo moving again, until he could finally slide to a halt right at the edge of the promised ravine. And holy guacamole... this was some impressive Transfiguration work the professor had done. The room was expanded endlessly, it seemed, and this fall looked like it could kill him. The running would kill him first, but the fall COULD kill him too. "Very impressive spellwork, Professor." Y'know... in case she was wondering if he noticed. |
Post #7 After what felt like years had passed, Sophie finally reached the other side of the swamp. She pulled herself out the boat then pulled the boat out by grabbing onto a dry spot. She quickly used the transfiguration spell to change the oars back to sticks and the boat back into a pencil. She tossed the sticks to the ground then shoved the pencil back into her book bag. With every settled, Sophie took off for the beach. She wasn't moving as fast as she should be these days, but she was going as fast as she could. When she finally reached the beach, she paused and hunched over, putting her hands on her knees. She took a few deep breaths in order to catch her breath. Okay, she was...*breeeeeathe*...done. |
Post #6 Okay. Okay, the swamp couldn't have been that far away. Just had to wait til a whole bunch of mosquitoes started attacking her. They liked stagnant water yeah? Always buzzing around it? Or was that a no? Still feeling wobbly from the swing, Lex took shaky steps as she continued through the jungle. Now it was easier for her to suddenly trip and break her face. Something told her the Professor wouldn't care if this happened...although...with this being an illusion....would her face be really broken or would it just seem that way until everything wore off. The stinging on her hands from the branches earlier quickly set her straight, they legit hurt and she would need to have them looked at after. Yo! Swamp! Come out, come out wherever you are! It looked like she'd be searching forever. Nothing but bloody trees everywhere! Why couldn't they try surviving on a damn beach?? She could live with the occasional palm tree--those were skinny, you saw RIGHT through them! SWAT! Lex's hand suddenly slapped against her other. Something BIT her! Please don't be poisonous >__< There was another bite, then another after that. Soon she could hear the incessant buzzing. Swat. Swat. Swat. Ow! A little heads up on repellent would have been good thanks! |
Post 3 Right, so... ravine. Mo glanced around wildly for a vine, noting that most of them were out of his limited reach and that those that were close were still TOO far away for HIM. Sigh. Stupid... old... person... ness. It was so tiresome to be this old. Imagine how people who were actually old felt. "Accio vine," Mo tried, pointing at one that was only a few feet away from him. It wasn't a spell he needed to actually say out loud anymore, but he didn't want to overshoot the attempt and rip the vine off the tree above. Like it was magnetically drawn to him, the vine drifted in his direction, and Mo grabbed a hold of it with his free hand. Okay, then... what was the spell again? Something with... Right! "Vinea Funiculus," Mo spoke clearly, imagining the thin vine in his hand twisting into a thick, sturdy rope that wrapped all the way up (securely) to the tree above. Just as he envisioned, the vine turned in his hands and he was soon holding something that would most certainly hold his weight. |
Post #7 It was like attack of the skeeters. It was her against the wild life in this place and you know what? If she could get rid of an Acromantula then these were cake-- WHHOOOOOAAOOOOOOoAAA!!! One wrong step and she found herself rolling down an incline, outgrown roots smacking at her as she tumbled. Someone. Make her. STOP. Lex tried grabbing hold of anything that she rolled into but there was no stopping until SPLASH, the Gryffindor was flopped in a body of water. MERLIN. She was dead. This was it. The girl couldn't feel her own legs anymore--they'd been cut off on the tumble down here!!--OUCH! Lex hopped up as quick as her rickety bones would allow. There was something in the water and it bit her, as if the mosquitoes hadn't been doing a good enough job of that. Did she look like lunch??? Alexa hobbled back to the banks where she found the tree she would need. There was a spell for this....it was....er....oh right! "Lignum Navicula!!" Come on boat, don't leave her hanging. This was getting to be serious stuff! |
Post 4 Although Mo had been under the mistaken impression that getting the vine would be the most difficult part of this task... it turned out that swinging was probably a lot worse. He grasped the vine with both hands and backed up until it was stretched taut before him... and then Mo glanced down at his spindly limbs. Could he even hold on long enough and tight enough not to slide down the rope mid-swing? Was that ravine real enough to hurt him? He wrapped each hand once in the rope, accepting the rope burns as his payment for not slipping to a slow-but-then-very-quick death, and Mo launched himself toward the ravine. A few very quick (for him) steps, and then he was in the air, sailing for the unseen land. Unseen because it was a bit blurry without his glasses and because the ground had disappeared under him and because when was he supposed to let go, anyway? If he waited too long, he'd have to make the return trip, and who knew where that would leave him? At just the moment when the rope seemed to pull taut again, and Mo's toes were pointing the direction he hoped he landed, Mo untangled his hands and let go. His body kept traveling forward, and he braced for a hard, painful impact. The ground swept up in front of him, and then met him, and Mo landed in an ungainly pile. Something... was not right. That hurt more than it should. |
Post #8 This was all very perplexing. As if the smell of the swamp wasn't bad enough, she was starting to smell like that too. Ugh. It'd take forever for her to get the stench out of her nose now. Man. Who's brilliant idea was this??? Lex gazed sceptically at her boat. Back at the start of term when she'd made one, the Professor's grandkid floated along just fine but he was in no real danger, this swamp was deep, she didn't know where it got deep but thankfully she hadn't rolled more than a little into it. Too bad that wasn't enough to save her from the horrid scent. UuUUuUuugggg. What would be the next lesson? Did she have time for a quick shower before then on account of this being such a huge emergency? Surely there had to be exceptions to the late rule unless the next Professor wanted their classroom smelling like swamp. Out of habit, there was another glance behind her before she got into the boat--that wobbled some, MERLIN HELP HER IF IT TIPPED OVER!! She steadied herself then drew her wand again, figuring she wasn't about to stick her hand in there and row like that. "You are not allowed to kill me boat! I made you!" No...just no, it would take hours and a week's worth of showers. Now then. "Talea!" Horizontal line yesss...and the loop at the end then BAM, a paddle for the win. Somehow she'd have to make sure her arms never gave up. Had to get to the beach otherwise she'd fail after everything she'd already been through. |
Post 5 Nothing broken... and Mo was able to walk, although he felt bruised and weak from the fall. Stupid, really, since he'd fallen farther off a broom in the past and walked away unscathed, but everything was sort of traumatic when he was in this state. He rubbed down his legs and arms and generally patted his ribcage, as if all that would assure him that he was fine. He was fine-ish, but he'd have to see if the Healer would see him later. Mo struggled to his feet and continued on his quest. He was closing in on the last steps of it, surely, since he'd already been chased by a killer duck and nearly fallen to his death. Only so many death-defying moments were allowed before Mo would have to succumb to the temptation... to die. Now then... what was that smell? |
Post #9 Lex figured this would happen, a couple rows in and her arms were already feeling like lead. They should have been allowed to do this in pairs, seriously, her arms were threatening to fall right off and if they did she'd be stuck on the smelly swamp until the point at which the Professor ended this spell and they were all free to go. Sure it wouldn't have taken all that long but that didn't leave her feeling anymore inclined to just sit here and wait for whatever the kneazle had bitten her earlier to come back for the second course. Motivation, she needed it. "Row row row your boat gently down the..." Her eyes glanced about her disdainfully as she sang. This was NOT a stream and she couldn't pretend it was either, not even. "swamp. Merrily merrily merrily merrily this class is all a dream." Which was rather accurate. None of it was real yet at the same time, she was sure her muscles were protesting. Just a bit more, she could lie to herself, tell herself that any minute now she would find the beach then she could collapse and hope the beach was well stocked with chocolate frogs. Would that have been too much to ask in a situation like this? She didn't think so. "Row row row your boat." |
Post 6 Ah, that smell happened to be swampy mess that stretched out in front of him. Mo actually paused to crouch beside the dingy water, giving it a nudge with a stick he grabbed up. The water broke, and the smell seemed to intensify, so much so that Mo gagged and scrabbled backwards, his eyes watering from the fumes. That was putrid. What kind of Dark, evil magic would make something like that? Glancing down at the stick in his hand, Mo waved it a bit in front of him before deciding it was the perfect vessel for his trip. It would have to be a big boat, big enough to carry him through the muck and sturdy enough not to let in any of that horrifying water. Mo dropped the stick next to the water. "Lignum Navicula," he focused intently, imagining the wood growing and reshaping and turning into a magnificent little boat that would absolutely NOT sink. It worked, giving Mo a high-sided canoe. Now he just needed something to steer and paddle with... Mo spotted a particularly sturdy bit of dead branch protruding from a fallen trunk, and he attacked the branch with gusto. |
Post #10 Could she give up now? Just for a bit so she could have nap? Naps wouldn't be so bad out here. She'd been rowing forever and nothing bad happened to the boat yet. What was that spell Alice had used to get the pestle to crush for themselves? It would come in handy for this paddle right now...but wait, it was a charm...the last time she used something not Transfig related Alexa ended up nearly eaten by the acromantula that had been chasing her. No need to try that again. Her hands got heavier with each row and at one point she nearly lost her grip on the paddle completely. That would have been a disaster with her in the middle of a swamp, with no hopes of getting anything else she could turn into a paddle. This is why she should have made two while she was still back on the bank of this swamp. Thinking ahead, definitely not a Gryffindor trait and she was suffering now as a result. Quite suddenly she felt some resistance at the tip of her paddle....What the kneazle? O_O Peering over the side of the boat she saw what might have been HANDS latching on to her paddle. ebkrjgfvywfersfeseyfresyfyw!!! "Get off! Get. Off! Oi! Ooofffff!!!" Lex began shoving the paddle toward whatever was below the surface, giving it a few well placed whacks but it didn't seem ready to quit. "What'd I say? Get off!!!" The Gryffindor kept jabbing with all her might, feeling the water of the swamp splashing against her from the struggle before finally the tugging died down and whatever it was slinked back down to the depths of the swamp. What was that anyway? Could she have one when this was all over? |
Post 7 It took a very determined Diffindo to finally loosen the branch enough so that Mo could snap it clean, and he collapsed into the bottom of his boat with relief. That had to be the end of the hardest part. Now he just needed to push off from the bank and navigate his way to the opposite beach. How hard could that be, really? Mo used the branch to push himself away from the sticky thick mud of the bank, and then that same branch served as a paddle... and occasionally he needed to use it to shove against the muddy bottom of the swamp as added leverage. It was challenging to move around the small clumps of land and the thick algae, and more than once Mo had to lean out of the boat to pull himself free. This was miserable, really. At one point, he pushed off against the nearest island and his paddle-slash-stick stuck deep into the mud there. As Mo's boat continued to drift, it tipped dramatically until Mo finally had to let go of the stick or land in the water. So that was how he ended up adrift with no paddle. Cool story. |
Post #11 Remember earlier when she was feeling lied to because of the ravine? Well it was happening all over again. Where the hell was that beach??? Did they think she wanted to be floating on this smelly swamp all day?? No telling what else would try eating her before she finally got there. After some time, things began to clear up a bit in the way of trees and such. Against her better judgement she started hoping she'd hit the end. Every part of her was sore and she didn't think she could take another twisting in the road. Were she her normal self things would be different but with all this aging, she didn't know anymore. Honestly. It all just hurt. Alexa flopped in her seat again and just waited for something to happen since clearly paddling was getting her nowhere. Her eyes widened when the boat jerked her forward. Oh no, not another swamp monster! Her arms were officially out of commission and didn't want to be jabbing at things in the water anymore. Done, that's what she was. Would the Professor fail her for getting eaten? Lex turned slowly to see what the hold up was this time and nearly fell out of the boat when she spotted LAND! The boar struck land and she was saved!!! The Gryffindor rushed to her feet, eager to leave the boat, so eager in fact that she ended up tripping over the boat's side and falling face first into the sand. "Yeeessssss! The other side and not a bone broken, yessss." Suffice to say she couldn't feel any of her muscles anymore but who CARED?? She survived! She could survive! Where was Vickers to see this??? |
Post 8 Mo was adrift in the swamp, and his paddle was gone, and it STUNK. He pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose as he searched wildly for a solution. Get out of the boat and swim. Use his hands as paddles. Drift until someone came to save him. There were really no good solutions, so Mo decided to just rock the boat, hoping some momentum would shove him back toward the discarded paddle and give him a second chance to pull it free from the mud. Stale, disgusting water splashed over the side and soaked his shoes, which would now have to be discarded, but the boat spun slowly back toward the branch sticking straight up in the air. As soon as it was in reach, Mo tugged the branch free and shoved himself toward the beach, which had to be getting closer. It just had to be nearly... over there. He paddled as best he could with the muddy branch in the direction of the far beach, and as soon as he was within jumping distance, Mo abandoned his boat and face planted on dry, non-smelly land. FINALLY. |
Rescue Mission, post 8 Quote:
picking himself up he spotted Sander.. "Dude… want to go help me see who needs help?" he said while making his way back to his raft… looks like he has to go back through the swamp… over the vines and see who it was. because thats where the sparks looked like they were coming from. |
Rescue Mission: Post 8 As Sander waited on the beach, he was glad to see that Bay had successfully completed the course and so had Alex. It had been a tough one and all he wanted to do right now was get back to the common room and then grab a shower. Almost all the other students were arriving except one...where was Lux? Sander looked around frantically for his young friend but couldn't see her. He quickly rushed over to Bay and grabbed hold of his arm. "Bay where is Lux? Have you seen her? Did she make it across?" Then he saw the sparks. Lux. "I'm with you, Bay. Let's go get her back." Sander immediately agreed. |
rescue Mission, post 9 Quote:
"be careful.. i'll meet you on the other side" he said while pushing his boat back into the swamp water.. he hopped in his boat.. ughh he didn't have time for the fish right now.. but the wind seemed to be picking up so he took off his satchel and enlarged it to make it like a sail and in no time he was speeding across the swamp.. he made it to the other side of the ravine but him and Sander needed to swing over again…. but he will wait for Sander before he moved on to get Lux… or someone else who was there. |
Post 9: Rescue Mission SPOILER!!: Bay Sander was right behind Bay as he ran to his transformed boat. He was grateful he hadn't transformed it back into a tree trunk. One less step to perform!! Quickly jumping into it, sitting on his knees, he picked up his paddle and began rowing back across the swamp. Yes the swamp still made him nauseous but he ignored it. His friend, Lux was lost out there. Sander paddled as fast as he could, his entire body screaming out in pain, but he ignored that too. He was nearing the shore, the one he hoped was the same one he had left a while back. Once the boat beached on shore, Sander jumped out, pulled the boat up onto dry land before taking off after Bay. Next obstacle to cross? The Ravine!! |
Rescue Mission, post 10 Quote:
"Alright.. see you on the other side… hopefully" swinging back doing the same process as before.. swinging with one hand and transforming with the next. "swing…swing….swing.." his arms were on fire.. but he was happy to see the end was near.. swinging off his last rope Bay rolled onto the ground and slowly got up.. scanning for the person who sent the sparks. and he spotted her LUX!!!!!!!!! he screamed mentally.. "Lux over here" he said quietly for he new the Spider was probably lurking near bye…. "come this way…" looking behind him he saw Sander swinging… okay.. almost time to go back.. "when Sander gets here" he kept his voice low.. "your going to get on my back and cast the spell to change the vine into rope before i grab it and i'll do all the lifting okay" grabbing her face she seemed really scared… "just look at me.. everything will be okay" come on Sander…. |
Rescue Mission Post 10 SPOILER!!: Bay Sander was glad to see that Bay had reached Lux by the time he reached the ravine. What was Bay doing? He could barely hear what Bay was saying to Lux but he managed to catch a few words. Back! Swing over!! He decided he would meet Bay halfway. "I'm going to swing out to meet you, Bay and grab the both of you," Sander called out to Bay and Lux. Sander grabbed two of the longest vines he could find, tapped them with his wand and said,"Vinea Funiculus," and then grabbed both ropes and timed his jumped. It had to be perfect. Grabbing Lux in midair was going to be hard...not to mention handing over the other rope to Bay. Running a few steps back to give him more room to work with, Sander took a deep breath and then ran forward, leaping off the ravine's edge holding on tightly to his rope. |
Post 6 Quote:
It was as if he knew that she had wanted him to come, because here he was to rescue her. He had come back for her. Happily, she went and put her arms around him in a hug. She was so glad he was here, and he was going to help her get across the ravine because he knew how scared she was. And Sander was coming too? What a good friend he was. They were both amazing friends, and she was going to be able to finish this thing now. Looking up at him as Bay reassured her, she smiled. He always knew what to say or do to help. "Okay, Bay. I think I can do that." It was still scary having to make it across the ravine, but at least she would be able to hold on to him. "Are you sure this won't hurt your back a lot?" It would be harder for him now because he had that weird ageing thing. Frowning at that thought, she looked out to where Sander was coming from. |
rescue Mission, post 11 Quote:
Quote:
after she changed the vine into rope Bay grabbed hold and saw Sander jump… so now it was there turn… "hold tight" And they Jumped. |
Post 7 Quote:
"Okay, Bay..." Sighing, she held on to him tight, and after she had turned the first vine into a rope using the Vinea Funiculus spell, they were both jumping. AAAAAH. No no no, she did not like this. Scared, she gripped onto Bay tightly and at the right moment turned the next rope into a vine. Now they could swing to it and then from there keep going on. |
Rescue Mission: Post 11 SPOILER!!: Lux Sander could see the look of terror on Lux's face as Bay swung out to meet him. He knew how she felt because he felt the same way too. "Close your eyes, Lux and don't look down. I'm on my way. Bay get ready to do the hand off and grab the rope I'll be letting loose for you. I think we're only going to be able to do this one time. So we have to make this count," Sander called out to both his friends. His hands were becoming slippery with sweat. Sander knew that he had only once chance to grab Lux and make it back over to over to the ravine before his strength gave way. Bay was getting nearer.....nearer. Then he was side by side with Sander. Sander reached out and flung the free rope to Bay before grabbing Lux by waist. Then he twisted both Lux and himself around and waited for the rope to swing up and then back down the way he had come. Come on....come on. "Open your eyes now Lux and get ready to jump. Don't worry I have you," Sander whispered in Lux's ear. "One....two.....jump!!" Sander called out as the rope swung over to solid ground. He released his hold on the rope and swung his body over. As they both went flying, Sander twisted his body around so that when they fell, he would fall to the ground first, cushioning Lux's fall. ......OOOmmmphh!...the ground was HARD!! |
Post 8 Never again. Never EVER again. It had all happened so fast that Lux had barely any idea what was happening other than it was terrifying and that at one point she had her eyes closed like Sander had instructed. Next thing she knew, she was on the other side of the ravine. It had been intense, and now she felt sick. REALLY sick. Closing her eyes again, she took deep breaths, happy to be on solid ground again. This obstacle course was going to be the death of her, but at least she had gotten on the other side with the help of Bay and Sander. Speaking of Bay, as soon as she was feeling well enough to, she turned to look where he was. Hopefully he was doing well, because she did not want to have hurt him when she was on his back. |
rescue Mission, post 12 Quote:
Quote:
Bay swung to catch another rope and swung himself and dropped on the ground with out hitting either of them.. "you okay Lux.. what happened?" he said while giving Sander a big smile.. he couldn't have done this with out him.. they both deserved a big glass of water and bed rest for about a week. "so… Sander and I have our boats at the swamp.. did you want to come with either of us.. or did you want to use your own.. we will be right beside you if you do…" he looked over at Sander and have him more smiles.. "lets make our way to the stinky swamp" he smiled at Lux now she was going to be in need of chocolate because she still seemed shaken. |
Post 9 It seemed that Bay was okay, so that was a huge relief. She hadn't wanted his back to go out because of her. She did not want to see him in pain, especially when she nor Sander wouldn't know what to do to help him. Smiling weakly, she slowly and awkwardly got to her feet. "I... think I'm okay. I'm not sure." For one thing her heart was still beating crazy fast, and she had that lingering feeling of terror inside her. Not nice at all; it made her feel sick. It was amazing she hadn't had a panic attack , but everything had happened way too fast for that. "Thank you so much for coming to get me, guys. It means a lot to me." And in her emotional state, she began to cry. They were such amazing friends to her, and she was so happy to have them in her life. They made her feel loved. Wiping her eyes, she listened to what Bay said next. He was asking her if she wanted to ride in one of their boats or do her own. She didn't really want to do any more magic right now, but this was her final and she did not want to skip this part of it. "I think I will try to do a boat myself... but I don't KNOW how to make mine bigger, I only know how to create one." Biting her lip, she thought even more. "Maybe I could turn a log into a boat or something..." Were there any logs around? She sure hoped so. |
Rescue Mission: Post 12 SPOILER!!: Lux Sander lay on the ground winded from the fall. He saw Bay land near him and tried to sit up and winced. His back hurt...Oh Merlin how did it hurt. But Sander tried to hide how he felt from the others. They had other things to worry about. One thing was for sure, Sander knew his back was going to be a delightful color of blue and black. Thank goodness for Essence of Dittany and the Bruise Healing Paste his mother had made him take with him during his Christmas break He had a feeling that he was going to be using both when he got back to the Common Room. Grimacing, he got to his feet and looked up ahead. "I believe that I saw a couple of logs near the swamp. I, myself used a partial broken off tree trunk I found lying near the edge of the swamp," Sander told Lux. "Let's get going. The others are waiting for us," Sander told both Bay and Lux and began making his way back to the swamp. His nose told him that it was near. |
Post 10 Wiping the last tears from her eyes, Lux listened to Sander. It seemed that he had thought along the same lines as her, and it also seemed that there were logs lying around. That was good, because it meant that she would be able to have a boat big enough to cross the swamp in. Swamps sounded gross, and she did not want to fall inside one, especially if it stank. At least she was starting to calm down more and wasn't shaky on her feet. Noticing that he seemed to be feeling a little sore, she frowned. "Is your back okay, Sander?" His harsh landing must have jarred it or something. Following after him, she hoped that Bay was coming along too, because she did not want him to be far behind. She wanted him near her. And what was that smell? The further she walked, the worse it got. Ewww, swamps smelt really nasty. Covering her nose with her hand, she looked about her as she went, eyes out for any logs that she could use. As the swamp came into view, she spotted one. Oh, how convenient that was. Now to remember the spell, which was a little hard after that ordeal she had gone through and the smell was not making things easier for her. Sigh. Think, Lux... you know what the spell is. Closing her eyes, she focused really hard, and after a few moments it came to her. That was the benefit of not being old; her memory was still intact. With a smile on her face, she tapped the log and said, "Lignum Navicula." As she watched, a boat was created before her eyes. "Look, I did it! Now I just need to make paddles." Errr....how did she make paddles again? |
Rescue Mission: Post 13 SPOILER!!: Lux "Let me worry about that, Lux," Sander patted Lux on her shoulder comfortingly. He looked down at the ground searching for a piece of stick. One strong and thick. He picked up a couple until finally settling on one. Placing it on the ground, he waved his wand over it, first moving it in a horizontal line and then followed by a loop, as if he was drawing the shape of a spoon in the air and said, "Ta-lea". Sander watched as the small stick began to stretch in length and width, one end of it becoming broader and flatter than the rest, until it became a paddle. "Here you go, Lux. Here's your paddle. Now get into the boat and I'll push you off. Bay, you push off first, so that you can be in front of Lux. I'll follow after Lux," Sander called out to the young Gryffindor. He watched as Bay got into his boat and pushed off, before getting behind Lux's boat and pushing it into the swamp. Then he got into his own boat, sat down and picked up his paddle. "Okay. I'm ready. It's time to start paddling everyone," Sander called out to both Bay and Lux. He couldn't wait to feel solid ground again. |
Post 11 Curiously, Lux watched as Sander made a paddle She was really glad she had someone who knew how to make one in order to help her. "Thank you, Sander." Smiling, she took the paddle and hopped into the boat as he instructed. Sander pushed her boat into the swamp after Bay, and she paddled along behind him. They were a great team, and she was happy that they were almost done this. She wanted to get to where her other classmates were. After a little while, she reached the other side of the swamp. She felt amazing as she climbed out of her boat. "We did it!" It would not have been possible for her without Bay and Sander's assistance. They really were truly amazing and she was so thankful to have them in her life. Eagerly, she made her way along to where everyone else was already gathered. She was done this course. |
Rescue Mission accomplished : Post 14 Even though his arms were aching and his lungs were burning, Sander paddled hard. He had only one goal right now and that was to get Lux safely back to the beach and join up with the rest of the class. So when he heard a crunch underneath his boat, he breathed a sigh of relief. That could only mean one thing. They had touched ground. Sander looked up ahead and could see both Bay and Lux getting out of their boats. Sander paddled until his boat beached up on the sand, and that's when he dropped his paddle and crawled out of the boat, his legs barely able to hold him up. He sat on the beach for a couple of minutes catching his breath. His arms were so sore that he knew he would have a difficult time even lifting up his backpack. But everyone was on the beach safe and sound and that's was all that mattered. |
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