Did anything live in the swamp? Heather had no clue. All she knew was that she still didn't have any mouthwash, which was unfortunate. That should be a requirement in anyone's bag. Unfortunately, she had left hers back in the dorm. "Uh, I don't know, but there's usually, like, crocodiles and alligators in them from what I've heard. Plus mosquitoes." Eww. And could they do something about that smell? Because she didn't think that Bubble-Head Charms would do any good. At least, not those of them that had gotten splashed in the face by Professor Airey.

"What is making the swamp grow like this?" There had to be something.

Following Professor Quigley, Lux was glad that they were on dry land again since they didn't exactly have anything to cross the swamp with. Consulting the map, she did see however that they were heading towards where the swamp was originally supposed to be which meant that things were going to get worse.

Yep.

Definitely worse. "Ugh, gross." Making a a face, she definitely didn't want to walk in that water...especially when he mentioned things LIVING in there. Nope, she did not know what was in that water. "I'm hoping it's just the frogs." No thinking what else might be there because she was not brave enough to think about crocodiles and alligators

"Umm, could we maybe use magic to make boats or something to cross the water with?" she asked Professor Quigley. Surely someone knew how to do that, right?

Yeah Bambi had kept her face straight while addressing the Astronomy professor but once he'd refused her help she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up in her throat. Once started she couldn't stop because this situation was absolutely RIDICULOUS. It took her a few good minutes to calm down, and once she did she took out her map and tried to roughly sketch what was happening, as per Squiggly's orders. It help keep the giggles at bay, and her cheeks were beginning to hurt.

Bambi wasn't a particular expert on swamps and things but she did meet people who'd come from swampier states. Eyeing the water distrustfully - nothing to trust when it comes to stinky, icky, brown swamp water - Bambi figured she'd pipe up, add on to what the Gryffindor girl had just said. "Well, depending on the depth," how deep was this thing anyway? "there could be alligators, large snakes, crab things, salamanders and,er, probably fish." Suddenly her eyes widened. AND AND "And INSECTS." NOPE NOPE NOOOOPE THERE COULD BE SCORPIONS AND SPIDERS AND THOSE CREEPER BUGS THAT WALK ON WATER SHE DID NOT SIGN UP FOR SWAMPS WHEN SHE MOVED TO ENGLAND WHAT EVEN WAS THIS. Eyes now turned towards the growing lush plant life surrounding them, she ever so casually made sure her wand was well within reach. She'd blast fire at anything that so much as rustled the wrong way.

"So any ideas on why it spread?" You know, that big hippogriff in the room no one was talking about for some reason?

Feeling MUCH more like himself now that he had dried himself off and had Impervius Charm-ed himself from the waist down - that would hopefully be all that he would need during this little 'adventure' - the astronomer strut his way through the swamp with a borderline obnoxious grin on his face.

"Don't forget about the Swamp Thing," he announced coyly as he stood beside Miss Carrington. What? Swamp monsters were a staple! Anyone who was well read would know such things. "I'd put top galleon on our humanoid-plant elemental creature not fancying us stomping through its home."

Glancing down at both the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor he was standing beside, he tried to take a peak at their work. "So...you draw a giant blob to represent the swamp there on your maps?"

A nice big ol' blob.

Turning his attention towards Maddox and then the swamp, the man wrinkled his nose. "You think we out to construct some sort of dam to make sure it doesn't do that?" he asked with a wave towards the water. Medea, for one, would NOT like this water spreading to her area. Would completely ruin all of her mechanical pets.

To the Swamp!

Ahhh! The stench was even stronger here. Adi wrinkled his nose for the millionth time. Maybe by the end of tonight when they were done with this little activity, he'd have a permanent new facial expression. Hmph.

Making notes about the Swamp? Yup, the fifth year was doing just that. He paused midway in drawing his swamp when Maddox asked about what lived in there. Uh... what? Adi had never really thought about that. "What they said,'' he waved a vague hand in his fellow students' direction, "usually live in swamps but I don't think this one has crocs or gators.'' RIGHT?

Backtracking had allowed them to escape the flooded floor and the stench and Benny had almost expected the companion on his back to hop down since they were free of the swamp. But she stayed and soon enough he realized it had been a good thing. For her sake anyway. For as they made their way around the other side of the swamp, the stench returned first and then he caught site of more flooding. Benny stopped a safe distance away with his rider, following the lead of the others.

Yep...this had definitely gotten out of control.

Keeping track? Yes he had been, albeit mentally since he was mostly using his hands to insure he didn't drop his charge. "Yes..." he said simply to confirm for sake of the Professor. As for what was living in there, Benny had never gotten that close, nor was familiar with swamps in the first place. The idea of the creatures that his fellow fifth year Gryffindor and Professor Flamsteed mentioned as possibilities was not a pleasant thought.

"I wonder if its returning to its original size..." he mused, seeming to remember something about it being shrunken at one point.

Not that she’d planned on climbing off the Gryffindors back any time soon, Brooklyn had held on the tiniest hope that when they attempted to approach the rest of the first floor by another corridor the swamp would be gone. It couldn’t have been that big, right? The fact the smell had gone away for a while had helped her keep that hope, but as they’d turned the corner and the smell only returned full force, another “Ew” came from the tiny redhead perched on the Gryffindor’s back. Nope. Not getting down any time soon. And no, she hadn’t taken any notice of how out of the way the swamp was. She’d honestly always kept away from it in the past, so she didn’t even know what size it was supposed to be. That was why mapping was supposed to be happening, but then at this rate, their entire map of the first floor was going to be stinky swamp.

Oh, she hoped there weren’t any gators in there. Or the Swamp Thing, which had earned Professor Flamsteed a look from her as he’d suggested it. She’d sort of extended a squiggly blob in her random attempt at mapping from her perch, though, to show the new corridor’s being flooded. So far, it looked like she was going to be second guessing getting anywhere past the first floor any time soon unless Lux was right and they could conjure up boats or something. What even was the swamp’s original size?

The swamp was bigger than it usually was. It might continue to expand if no one figured out what to do. Penelope was uneasy about the swamp, but she was also curious. She had brought a glass jar with her to collect a sample of swamp water. Opening the jar, she pointed her wand in it. "Scourgify.". After cleaning it, she went over to the edge of the swamp. She scooped up some swamp water in the jar and put the lid in the jar. Then she stepped away from the swamp. There was no need to get any closer. Penelope labeled the jar swamp water, first floor. Now she was going to get away from the swamp. anything could happen here, and Penelope didn't really want to be sucked into a swamp today.

weren't Gryffindors amazing sometimes? Yes, Ruby also was still on the back of one. The David one she thought he was cuter, so that was part of why, clearly, and still without any sort of mapping stuff.

"I don't actually have parchment or a quill or anything, or I'd totally draw stuff." Because like, sorry, she actually had come on accident, basically.

But she was looking around, kind of disgusted and curious in spite of herself.

"What if the swamp growing is just like... a distraction from something else." She asked casually. Like maybe someone or something was making it happen on purpose so that something else wouldn't be noticed? Who knew?

She whispered casually in David's ear, "Next time we do this, lets choose a less gross floor."

That....was a lot of things that could live in one swamp. Maddox's eyes swept the surface of the nasty water while they gave their suggestions turning only at the question asked by the Hufflepuff Prefect. "No, I don't believe this one would have alligators and crocodiles." Surely someone would have made note about it in earlier literature about this place.

"But mosquitoes, frogs, salamanders, other bugs, maybe even crabs are all yeses." Which brought them back to the dilemma at hand. He didn't want to have to double back AGAIN because that could get confusing in this map making.

"I'm not certain why it's grown this big Miss Xanthopoulos, perhaps like Mister Atreyu says, it is returning to it's original state. Could be an indication that some new magic has spilled into it but I'm not that certain at this point." A curious look to Miss Banner. " A distraction. Huh. Not that far fetched, we'll keep it in mind." Because this was HOGWARTS, just about anything was possible so no one could really be wrong.

For now, they had to do something more than stand around so..."Miss Carrington suggested a boat. Little fun fact, after the swamp was first laid the then Caretaker had no choice but to help the students across because there were no instructions left on how to remove it." So yes, a boat was a lovely idea...one they might have to employ. Maddox's attention shifted then to Airey. "The dam could work but then they would need to take the long way around to classes." Not that it matter to him since his classroom was two floors up but on days they were coming straight from breakfast to Charms they would be late and he'd have to be understanding about it. No thanks.

"So boat making." Admittedly, he didn't think he wanted to wait around while everyone remembered incantations and quite frankly at a time when swamp water was on the line he didn't think he trusted their magic either so the Professor conjured two boats of a decent size. "Everyone to either boat. I'll be in this one." He demonstrated by stepping into one. "And Professor Flamsteed will take the other." Meredith and Nessa could ride in either but, snort, he wasn't leaving children to a boat on their own. That was how people got shoved overboard 'for fun'.

Good, good, GOODY!

No crocs and gators. Hey, it had been a legit question though he was quite sure that the Professors of Hogwarts would let the scaly creatures remain there even if there had been. With Fred and George Weasley, one never knew what to expect.

And the were moving on! In conjured boats apparently. Coooool! Which boat to take? Decisions, decisions. "Think I'll go with Professor Flamsteed,'' he told AJ before heading over to the one Maddox hadn't occupied.

Yeah, Benny would definitely second his rider's comment. Eww was right, especially with the nasty smell that permeated everywhere. It hit you first and foremost as if ready to disarm you before the dirty water and potentially scary wildlife came next into the mix. Whatever wildlife that was besides the creeping foliage.

So they would be moving on with boats, the fifth year watching as the charms professor conjured two such vehicles large enough for the group to use in its entirety. He himself was seemingly fine with either boat leader though Flamsteed at the moment had his support after recent events. And look...Adi moved over to the boat claimed for his head of house..his best friend's movement solidifying his decision.

Now all he had to do was move into the boat with the girl on his back. First there was the movement to the boat, his long-legged stride not quite as long as he didn't want to jostle the girl too much. And then reaching the edge of the conjured boat, the fifth year eased himself over it so first one foot and then the other was now inside safe, away from the murky water.

Maybe he would lose his rider now.

Boats? Right then. Perhaps they should construct docks and tie the boats up as well?

Airey made a note to stop by Medea's office to sandbag the entire area in his noggin and checked his sundial watch for the time.

"Sweet solstice. Will you look at the time?" he exclaimed. "Afraid that is all the time we have for today." So sad too bad. No more tromping around swmp waters for them. Boo hoo. He was just soooooooo broken up over that. "Back to your common rooms it is then. Feel free to compare your maps to those of your classmates."

And then with one final farewell salute...the astronomer quickly began making his way towards Medea's office.

Urrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!

After about a solid ten minutes of searching Gregoire found nothing that could be causing the swamp to be overflowing at the bottom of it! Just before his bubblehead charm wore off, the Slytherin pushed hard off of the murky and muddy floor with his feet, aiming for the surface. Taking a plunge out of the nasty, grim water he gasped for the air. Taking in deep breaths, the dirty blonde swam back to where the water was only ankle deep. Wiping the hair out of his eyes, a plan came into his head. Why didn't I just do this to start with?

Pointing his wand at the swamp Gregoire exclaimed "Finite incantatum!" Hopefully this would work. If this was a magical effect, the spell cast should get rid of that effect. Unless it was something really big. Praying it would work, the French blue eyed male closed his eyes and crossed his fingers. Just in case though the boy casted the Counter spell a second time, but with more emphasis and a bit of oomph "Finite Incantatum!!!!"

That should do the trick. Hopefully it did it's job.