Of course she hadn't been prepared with warming charms on her way out. Who would imagine knee deep snow on a warmer spring day?! Dora tried to blow her breath on her hands before sending her wand out of the holster and into her hand. URGH. Frozen hands didn't grip wands well!

Gripped in her left hand following the breath warming, the girl moved her wand in a figure eight and cast a nonverbal insulation charm on herself. INSULATE HER CLOTHES, BRO! Warming spell followed... and then as the feeling crept back into her fingers , the blonde considered her options.

Hmmmm.

A hot air charm at the snow around her knees. Melt some of it back, no? And well... for good measure?? The Gryffindor cast Impervius on her clothing to repel water seeping in, and then her face to ensure her eyesight went unobstructed. Ugh. Wasn't winter over already?! It should be if it wasn't. SO SAYS DORA!

And as an afterthought, the girl cast Henshu and a supersensory charm to boot. She needed traction and eyesight, no?

Now what?

The girl struggled through the snow drift with her jaw clenched. It was infuriating not knowing what she was doing or where she was headed, but she gripped her wand and blasted hot air at the snow as she moved along. What else could she possibly do?!

While the third challenge started off on a rather cold note, the heating charms casted on you turn things around. Your shivering lessens upon each cast and it becomes easier to hold onto your wand. The moment the hot-air charm is directed at the snow, it begins to melt. The snow around you that was knee-deep before is much easier to walk through, though it is only a small circumference and the snow you had melted quickly turns to ice. It was a good thing Henshu was casted, for the strong wind suddenly coming from the west would have easily knocked you over.

As you trudge through the snow drift, that western wind continues to blow with consistency. In spite of the warming charms, the bitter air of the wind manages to bite at your cheeks, stinging them ever so slightly as it blows snow in your face and makes it even harder for you to move forward. However, just as it becomes almost unbearable, the wind ceases. Before you can thank Merlin, though, the gale starts up again, this time coming from the north.

Could this wind have a deeper meaning behind it? Or is its changing directions a norm in this frozen land?

Blinking her eyes, the blonde girl paused only long enough to cast yet another supersensory charm on herself. In hopes of seeing better in this mess, you see. She had hoped that the Impervius charm on her face would have done the trick also, but it seemed like it hadn't. Ugh. Maybe now it would suit her better. She could only hope so as the wind picked up and began to do weird things.

It was like... someone was controlling the storm and the wind gusts... but of course it had to all be created by someone. Spring in Scotland didn't often produce knee high snow and a frozen wasteland (that she knew of)... the only saving grace was that it didn't seem to be actively snowing at the moment. Although THAT might tell her something, if she could actually SEE the snow falling. But right now was not the time for her to begin filing through information she may or may not have in her brain about Scottish weather. (She didn't really have much anyway. So like... moving on.) Dora stayed straight on her path for a few feet, but then like... the wind was coming straight at her from ahead. Hard, too. When it seemed to die down she heaved a sigh and started forward again... only to have it begin hitting at her from the side. THIS WAS RIDICULOUS. Or at least an inconvenience at best. Whatever the case was, Dora figured there was something to the gusts and the snow... Perhaps it was an attempt to throw her off course? Looking behind her, the Gryffindor checked to see if her foot prints were visible, or at least the path that she had cut out with her hot air spell. It would be ideal if she could at least be able to see where she had come from, right?

Then a thought POPPED into her head. Bubbles. Likely the only thing not to cause injury and better to see the brightly colored things blow about in the crazy wind? Raising her wand she quickly cast the Bubble producing spell. When the stream of multi colored, non bursting bubbles escaped her wand she waited to see if they helped her in any way. At least she would have something to look at aside from snow if this worked. Heh. At best she could get some sort of idea if there was any pattern to the wind change?

At worst she would have some frozen bubbles scattered about. Still not a horrible thing, but useless nonetheless. She needed to be doing SOMETHING, though. Something aside from tromping through the mess toward a destination unknown in a terrain she wasn't familiar with. And well... she had one last idea... if this was an atmospheric spell, well she knew the counter charm to that... if her bubbles proved to be of no help. Not that she suspected the IMPS folks to be silly enough to set the charms up to be taken out by a sixteen year old, but it was always worth a shot. As a last resort. So for now the girl moved on through the snow, her eyes shifting from bubbles to the mountains ahead. Mountains. She preferred beaches, really. Memories of warmer weather actually made the girl smile softly. She was totally going to the beach as soon as summer started!

Snow was repelling off your face as the Impervious Charm was working since its original cast. The wind was simply making it hard for you to move forward, forcing itself against you and blowing snow about. As for the path you were making, it was steadily filling in with snow. But the wind here, contrary to what you may think, is not meant to be an inconvenience. It is meant to provide you with a clue should certain characteristics be observed and interpreted.

A stream of bubbles were conjured from the tip of you wand and were instantly carried with the wind, heading southward. Your heightened senses can see the multi-coloured spheres freezing and then dropping into the snow with soft thuds.

Perhaps a different tactic should be used. One that involved a little attention to detail. The wind coming from the north was still present. Is it possible you could predict something based on its sudden change in direction? You also need to make a decision: go against the wind or go with it?

Dora watched as her bubbles blew south and dropped onto the snow. There was DEFINITELY a reason she had done that, you see. She wanted to check if there was a pattern, as she initially thought. Ahem. Upon seeing that it was still blowing from the North she had a decision to make... go with it or against it? Going with the wind to the South seemed the best course of action, honestly.

It seemed as though the wind was trying to push her along so it would be stupid to exhaust herself fighting it. Right? Turning on the spot the blonde blasted another few hot air charms before starting to move Southward. It was decidedly much easier going with the flow. Heh.

Now the girl let her mind file over what she knew so far. Weather spells, South, East, South.... snow, good Merlin it was cold! Anyway... was she supposed to interpret something from the direction in which she was going? Or possibly something more? Perhaps with the wind itself, not just the direction.. she guessed time would only tell.

Working with the wind was definitely a smart decision on your part. Doing so proved to be much easier than heading north or just standing there. The wind was meant to take you south for a reason, and it also had a deeper meaning that needed to be interpreted using Anemoscopy to give you an inkling about what was head.

Knowing the Divination method that interpreted wind direction would have lead you to conclude that wind blowing from the west and the north was a bad omen and the sudden chance in direction was a warning of dire circumstances. However, it was too late to be making predictions now.

Soon the wind begins to lessen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as something becomes more visible with each step. Metal bars layered in ice, a cage that is strongly protected with magic with a peculiar dotted lock comes into view. The lock itself could have easily been overlooked for your attention was likely drawn to the shivering figure within the cage. It is Sam Tyler.

Dora let the wind blow her in the right direction, not fighting anymore... giving no thoughts about divining or anything of the like. For real, who was going to wonder what the wind REALLY meant in the middle of a frozen wasteland? Not Dora, unfortunately. She was far more focused on moving along through the snow to get to what mattered. At least what she thought mattered more than some enchanted wind. Hmph.

As she moved along and caught sight of... something she squinted as she inched forward. With the wind beginning to lighten up she was able to see a wider area. And that wasn't necessarily a good thing...

Especially when a CAGE came into view. One covered in ice. With her BEST FRIEND/SISTER PERSON inside of it. What in the name of all things MERLINIAN?! The Gryffindor stopped for a few moments, her breath seeming to leave her body in one large huff. The smoky looking vapor of her breath lingered as she started to move again, almost mechanically. Her eyes had found Sam and were not focusing on anything else at the mo. How could they... what if... why... Why in the name of all things Magical had they put her friend in a CAGE. Like an animal. It was too much...

So many questions swirled as she felt her face drop, her hand tightening around her wand. Through the whole of the challenge she had kept her cool... But now... in light of this, her cool exterior cracked. Her wand hand raised and pointed WELL AWAY FROM THE CAGE and sent off a nonverbal Incendio Tria spell. Her anger was palpable as she heaved breath and moved closer still... not quite touching the cage, but close enough to see Sam was shivering.

"Bloody hell... Sam... I am so sorry!" The girl cast (YET ANOTHER) hot air charm at the cage. Hopefully it would melt the ice at least? Then she could cast some warming charms and the like... IF it worked. She figured it was a bit more than met the eye, this set up. If there was a magical barrier the Gryffindor would only get rebounded hot air, right?

"Sam... I am going to get you out of here. I swear it. Pinky swear it."

Your rage certainly provides you with enough willpower to cast a strong Incendio Tria. The spell hits a nearby drift, causing it to melt a hole in the snow. The Hot-Air Charm casted in an effort to melt the ice on the cage bounces off it and melts a hole in the snow, similar to your nonverbal spell, until its effects wear off.

Magic does not work on the cage for an advanced barrier has been casted on it. Any further spells casted at it would put your energies to waste ... and it was more seconds flying by in which Sam gets colder and colder.

As you promise to get her out of the cage, she attempts to utter your name. Her voice does not leave her mouth due to her teeth chattering uncontrollably. Her eyes dart down toward her hand, hoping that you will see that she is trying to give you something. She tries to move her arm closer to the bars so she can hand it to you, but she is unable to do so. The cold has made moving hard for her.

Perhaps you can stick your hand through the bars and reach for her hand? If you look closely, you will see that she is clutching onto something off-white in colour. Could this be a clue to getting Sam out of her arctic prison?

Just as she had assumed... it was not going to be as easy as just casting a spell and getting her out. UGH. Stupid, stupid, stupid cage! Dora was infuriated, but after having blasted off her fire spell she realized she had to focus on Sam. And getting her out of the mess she was in. This was all Dora's fault and Sam was suffering because of it... Guess that was the price one paid for being friends with a champion in this thing.

For the first time she let her eyes move away from her friend and fully survey the cage. A lock... Moving closer she squinted at it. Was that... the milky way there? She was pretty sure it was, but UGH. Eyes moving back to Sam she chewed her lip nervously. SAM was the one that was good at Astronomy... She would be telling her all about the different constellations and pointing them out right now. Letting her finger trace across the lock she frowned heavily.

Had... had Sam just signaled to Dora using her eyes? She had noticed that she seemed unable to speak due to being NEARLY FROZEN. Moving closer, the blonde let her eyes follow where Sam had looked. Her hand. And there was something there! It looked like parchment and if... If Sam was signaling to her that meant she was likely able to reach through the cage, right? Of course she had deduced that she needed the parchment or whatever it was, but also... a thought popped into her head.

Moving to hold her wand between her teeth the Gryffindor grabbed hold of the light fabric of the uniform shirt... and RIPPED the sleeve off. It had taken a bit of force, but you know, rage had its perks. Taking the wand from her mouth she pointed it at the length of cloth and flourished her wand slightly. "Vestus Vellus!" she said loudly and clearly. In a few moments a large woolen blanket was taking shape in her hand. Gripping it tightly, she stuck the hand holding it through the cage bars and draped it awkwardly around her friend... whether it would retain its form or not, she did not know, but it was worth a try at least.

Satisfied with her attempt she reached over and gingerly touched Sam's hand. Freezing! Dora was seeing red at the moment and trying not to cry, but she knew Sam would say something like 'Ya 'ave to focus, Dora! M'alright! You can do this!'... and that made her smile ever so slightly before trying to slip whatever it was in her hand out. "I will try my hardest," she said before tugging at the object again.


If only this ended up to be fake like everything else...

The blanket you had transfigured did go through the cage. While magic couldn't get past it, the physical could. However, wrapping the blanket around your friend was a different matter entirely. The bars were sure to serve as an obstacle.

Using one hand, you were able to drape the blanket over one of Sam's shoulders, providing a slight source of warmth for her. It wasn't enough to protect her from the cold arctic temperature, however. The sooner you get her out of the cage, the better.

The small Ravenclaw's hand definitely is freezing to the touch. Though you have warming charms casted on you, a slight chill can be felt and you noticed that her hand is slowly starting to turn a blue hue. When you start gently prying at the object in her hand, your assumption of it being a piece of parchment is confirmed. What could it possibly say?

After you remove your arm from within the cage and unrolling the scroll, you will see that numbers needing decoding have been written on it:

285 6995 19751

Okay... so Dora knew that the draping was going to be awkward. Yeah. That was a thing. It likely didn't do much good, but it did make her feel better nonetheless. HMPH. Reaching one hand back through she adjusted the blanket a bit. Damn those bars!!

THe object in her hand came loose and the blonde pulled her arm back. YAS! Unrolling the scroll she found herself squinting a bit at the... NUMBERS? NUMBERS? The Gryffindor glanced back to Sam as she tried to commit the number to memory. OI VEY! This was too much!! Dragging her right hand through her hair, the blonde yelled a wordless thing into the air. No real meaning, just the sound. URRRGGGGHHH! This was all so very infuriating. Her sister person was in a bloody cage in front of her and it was breaking her heart.

BUT

BUUUUUUT

That meant that she had to get to the gist of things now.

As her eyes moved from Sam to the scroll again her immediately considered GALACTIC COORDINATES, but that surely wouldn't be a thing, right? It seemed far too time consuming a thing to do given the circumstances... right? What about... what about Runes/Arithmancy/DADA revealing spell (she hadn't paid well enough attention in that class really...)? No... that was surely too simple, right?

Casting a spell wasn't going to solve this issue... or so she thought.

And if she happened to be wrong about that, well it was easier to go back and cast a spell rather than work out the entire Pythagorean system, right? Gripping her wand tighter in her left hand the girl cast a glance at her friend and grimaced. This was it. All or nothing. She had to get it right QUICKLY, right?


Right.

The girl needed a place to work out the Pythagorean system, though... glancing down to the snow she nodded to herself. Yes, that would do. She could use her wand to carve out the letters and numbers there, yes? Sure she could. It was a frozen wasteland and the snow only seemed to be melting by way of her fire or hot air charms as it were. Hastily the girl slashed the numbers one through nine in the snow... and then dropped down and divvied up the corresponding letters to those numbers. A, J, S for the number one, B, K, T, for the number two... and so on and so forth. three columns of letters under each number.

Sure the blonde wasn't great at Arithmancy, but truth be told, the number system she was working with was literally the only thing she remembered. Especially seeing as it was taught from year one on...

But whatever

Need to focus...

The girl let her eyes scan the letters that corresponded to the numbers on the scroll: 285 6995 19751

After a few moments of studying the chart she had drawn out... two words lept out at her.

FIRE SIGNS!

FIRE SIGNS!! Which were all constellations! That she knew for CERTAIN! Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius!! Which beginners stinking astrology would have taught ANYONE was inside of the milky way galaxy. OH DEAR MERLIN!! WAs this it? Was it what she needed to know? Perhaps all of those years of reading the Astrology section of Witch Weekly had helped out (har har Fire Signs... Astrology YA KNOW!) But WHATEVER...

Saying a quick pick me up to herself, Dora put her fingers to the lock and touched the appropriate constellations. Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. They were recognizable to her as pretty basic star patterns, really... easy to pick out once she knew what she was looking for in the sea of dots. She was totally going to owl Airey Flamsteed and thank him for his contribution to her rather limited Astronomy teachings IF this worked. UGH.

All she could do now was hope for the best. If this failed... well she was going to have to patronus a friend or summon some star charts and check out some coordinates. She only hoped against all odds this was it, because seeing her friend in this condition was breaking her heart...

But also seemed to be making her think quickly and outside of the box.

H O P E F U L L Y!

Thinking about the Pythagorean Number System is a step in the right direction. Writing in the snow proved to be problematic though. The wind was still blowing just enough to consistently blow snow over your thinking and fill it in. Though, apparently, that doesn't stop you from cracking the code.

Had you been talking out loud during this, Sam's eyes would have lit up at the point THE FIRE SIGNS was revealed, being the one that was good at Astronomy and would have immediately been able to tell you, if she had the ability to speak in this frozen world, which constellations to select. However, as you think your way through everything in silence, she too remains silent, shivering and getting colder and colder.

Something wasn't right though. Touching the appropriate constellations on the lock with your finger does nothing. Sam remains clocked in her cold prison. Was there something you missed? Or did you need to touch the constellations with something else?

Aaaaaand...

Nothing.

Nothing happened. Oh for the LOVE OF MERLIN! Looking at Sam, Dora shakes her head. "What the hell did I miss?! " the girl cried out as she shook the lock with her right hand, wand still in her left.

"Okay... what do I know so far? Magical cage... constellations... magical... OF COURSE! " she cried as she smacked herself in the forehead. Magic. It was all magical!!

Idiot!

"Alright, Sam... if this doesn't work then I have one last idea. I'm sorry. I'm trying to hurry, I swear it! " she said with a sense or urgency as she pulled her wand closer to the lock and expelled a heavy breath.

She wasn't as good as Sam at picking out the constellations, but was SURE that was Leo. The sickle shape was distinctive. And the teapot of Sagittarius was there. And Aries was her own star sign so she easily picked it out... she hoped.

Touching her wand to each constellation in turn... she held her breath and waited. Sweet Circe she hoped this worked or else it was all back to square one.

Tapping the lock with your fingers or shaking the lock won't do any good, obviously. How ironic that what you need was being held in your left hand. Think, Miss Umbridge, think. Sam seemed to be getting about as blue as Neptune.

And then it hits you - you needed to tap the constellations with your wand. As you tap the stars that make up Leo, the dots you tapped connect and light up a brilliant white. More and more dots lit up as you tap Sagittarius and then Aries. With all the appropriate dots selected, the colour of them changes from white to green.

The lock clicks and the door swings open. Your friend is free to leave the confines of the cage, though being frozen to the bone might make moving out of it on her own quite difficult.

As soon as the lock began to light up she knew she had done the right thing. Oh thank Merlin, Circe, Dumbledore, all of the wizards and witches past, present, and future. Big shout out to her favorite professor, tho. Not that she would name that one. Then as the lock clicked open and the cage swung open she all but launched herself in to retrieve Sam. "Oh Merlin! Sam I'm so sorry!" she muttered urgently as she adjusted the blanket around her so that it was properly covering her shoulders now. Everything in her mind told her to cry, but she quelled that feeling. No time for tears right now. She could totally cuddle her bestie and cry later. Yep. That was a thing.

Now warming her friend up. How to go about it... because she didn't want her body to like go into shock from a sudden temperature change. Or was she thinking too much into this? First she cast an insulation charm on the blanket as she tucked it in tighter around her friend. "I got you. I promise. " Or... she had her as long as there wasn't some hidden charm or spell work causing her temperature to remain low like it was. UGH. And well... maybe that was a thing, too. The blonde grabbed her bestie up under her arms and gently hauled her out of the cage. Sure the snow wasn't going to help, but she couldn't stand to see her inside of a cage any longer. And considering Sam had grown up on the streets it especially hurt her heart to see her so cold... she usually didn't even seem to feel the cold. Hmph. Stroking her hair back as she got her settled basically on her lap, Dora pointed her wand at Sam, "Finite! I hope that works... and just in case that makes it worse... " she followed it up with another insulation charm and warming charm to boot.

The shift of the blanket and the insulation charm keeps the small source of Sam's body heat from escaping. Though it is not enough to warm her up enough to remove her from the cage. Her skin was still a blue hue, her legs too stiff for her to move. The moment you grab and her try hauling her out of the cage is when she finally speaks, "D - D - D - Dor - Dora." It is her way of saying that she cannot move just yet. It hurt.

Patience, young Gryffindor. She needs time to thaw out.

Only the Finite spell you casted doesn't help her warm up any faster. In fact, the moment it is casted, the charms you had casted on her in an effort to keep her warm go out and she shivers. There were no hidden charms or spells keeping her from staying so cold. It was the elements themselves keeping her so frigid. The insulation charm that followed did nothing, for there was no warm air to insulate. Perhaps you should have casted that warming charm, which was working, first.

At this rate, the best thing for Sam was to find some sort of shelter from the freezing elements of the tundra. The wind coming from the north is still blowing south if you wish to head in that direction. Just keep in mind that moving quickly was going to be a challenge with Sam still being quite frozen.

The warming charm was working ... and she cast another insulation charm thereafter. Oi. Please just warm the bestie up PLEASE!

Dora was ESPECIALLY frustrated as she tried to CARRY Sam from the CAGE. How the hell had it not worked that she had carried her BODY WEIGHT? Oh right. IMPS tho!

Right.

Dora basically just tugged at her friend's apparently frozen body now... and hoped she could get her from the frozen cage now.

WHO KNEW.

She only HOPED. She SURELY couldnt start moving with the wind of any such thing NOW.

The warming charm was indeed working and the insulation charm you cast right after was slowly starting to warm up your freezing best friend. Her skin is slowly starting to lose it's blue pallor as you pull her from the cage. Though she is not fully warmed up, she can at least move her legs a little.

The wind is still blowing down from the north, urging you southwards.

Some magical assistance to help you carry Sam might be needed though. There could be a long walk in front of you. Hurry, Miss Umbridge! Time is beginning to run out...

Okay so she was out of the infernal cage finally. Thank the Heavens above! Dora actually took a moment to hug her friend, albeit a bit awkwardly given her current state. It was honestly such a relief that the Gryffindor let a few tears slip her eyes (which probably would like freeze to her face). Even though there were tears, the blonde girl knew she had to keep moving, though. Her best friend depended on her to finish this and get her to safety.

Even though Sam couldn't really speak at the moment she KNEW that the Ravenclaw would tell her something encouraging. Or yell at her (lovingly) to get it together and keep it moving.

So keep it moving she would!

But she was pretty sure that Sam wasn't going to be much in the way of help... getting her to safety. "Sam... I swear I got you. Come on... help me think. What can I do to help you?" And she didn't ACTUALLY expect her to respond. Quite the opposite. She was just thinking aloud and using Sam as something of a sounding board.

BOARD.

The thought struck her immediately!

Gripping her wand tightly, Dora conjured the first thing she thought of... a SLED! The kind that the kids often slipped and slid around on on the grounds. The kind with a string attached to help you pull it! It was perfect! "Come on! Get on, girl! I am getting us out of here," she said as she all but carried Sam toward the piece of wood on rails. Heh. If she wasn't afraid for her best friend's life she would totally hop on it with her and go for a ride. But for now she planned to totally pull the small Claw behind her.

Her rage was still fueling her. And her energy levels.

Now out of the cage, the two of you make your way through the snow. The progress is slow, for Sam can move her legs forward so far. The look on her face is apologetic. If she could move any faster, she would. She could sense the urgency of the situation. The Ravenclaw had an inkling that not much time was left for you to finish your challenge.

Things, however, take a turn as you conjure a sled and place Sam into it and start pulling. At first the load is bearable, and your rage and energy levels help you move, kicking up snow with each step.

Suddenly the wind changes direction. Coming now from the east, it pushes you west. But that is not all that changes. After all this walking and pulling, tiredness begins to creep up on you. Your muscles are beginning to ache. Do you continue pulling her like this? Or do you use magic to make pulling the sled easier for you?

And where exactly are you meant to be going? Right now, all you can see is a long stretch of mountain in front of you.

"Cave," Sam quietly says out of the blue. If you look carefully, there is indeed a cave entrance ahead.

Once Dora had Sam settled onto the sled she began to pull her along. With ease, to be honest. Not only was the girl light, but the sled moved along quite nicely in the snow. The wind was helping her a fair bit, also. While it didn't push her along, really, it did help her to move. Oddly enough. But now it would seem that her rage was failing her.

The girl's muscles began to ache as she moved along, the load of the Ravenclaw beginning to be a bit harder to pull. But by all things Merlin she was going to get her to safety.

OH! Why hadn't she thought of this sooner??

Stopping long enough to trudge back to Sam, the Gryffindor cast a quick featherlight charm on her bestie... but what was that? Sam had said CAVE?

Turning to follow her line of sight, the blonde girl felt a little hope rise up inside of herself. There were mountains ahead! And likely, as Sam had so awesomely pointed out, there was a cave or something similar for them to seek shelter in. If she had time, she'd totally kiss her friend right now! Genius. Even when she is nearly frozen through.

Gripping the rope tighter, Dora began moving where the wind blew her, still pulling the sled behind her. The hope she felt was moving her legs now. Her muscles ached, sure, but for Sam she'd do what it took. "We're almost there," she called back to Sam. She HOPED they were anyway. Fake it til you make it, though. But she did see the cave entrance ahead!

They were almost there! With a last tug Dora pulled Sam inside of the mouth of the cave behind her. They had made it. Was it over? Could she go blow something up now? "Sam... are you okay?" she asked as she moved to crouch beside her friend, taking her small hand in her own... only just realizing that she still had no sleeve on one arm. Funny how she had forgotten that...

The featherlight charm instantly makes pulling the sled easier. The weight of pulling Sam now takes less of your energy from you, which is important as that cave is still some distance away. You need to use all the energy you have left just getting the two of you inside that cave, that source of shelter that is needed to protect you both from the harsh arctic environment.

Though your muscles continue to ache, there is no time to deal with that. There was only one thing to do at this point: get in that cave.

Soon you enter the mouth of the cave, already being protected from the wind and the bitter cold. Sam grabs hold of you hand, allowing herself to be pulled up from the sled. "I'm - I'm okay," she says honestly, smiling. She then glances over your shoulder. You can see something reflected in her eyes.

It is a flickering light. Turn around and follow it, progressing deeper into the cave, and you will notice that the walls of the cave gradually transition from stone to average walls. You find yourself now inside a room, where a female Department of Environmental Regulation and Protection employee, who had been watching over you, and a male St. Mungo's healer are waiting. The healer approaches, quickly looking you over before giving the woman a signal.

"The healer needs to look over Sam quick before releasing her," the woman tells you with a smile. "He's going to make sure she's okay and restore her back to full health." The Ministry employee then makes a gesture toward a door that will take you to the stands. "You are to return and wait for the scores to be announced. Sam will be out shortly."

OOC: You may now look at the viewing area and/or other competitors' threads.

She was okay! That was it. That was the thing that she had been waiting for. Holding all of her bitter anger and rage inside had been exhausting, really. And Now as she pulled Sam up and quickly embraced her, tears were flowing freely and without regret.

Stepping back, she wiped at her face angrily and saw a glint of something in her friend's eyes. A light? Dora immediately tightened her grip on Sam's hand and began to move toward the light because yes, that was the thing to do. Her eyes swept over everything they passed... which was nothing much other than the random rock and regular old cave things.

But... the cave began to give way to walls? And... a room?

THIS WAS HERE ALL ALONG?! A damn room inside of a cave which contained a Healer and some ministry chick?! This was... sick. Disgusting even.

Dora was so furious that when the Healer came near her she immediately stepped back. She didn't need or want any help from him or this woman. None. She had made it through the stupid challenge without any assistance and she sure as hell didn't need it NOW.

But what was this?

They wanted Sam to be taken away from her?

Her options were to attack. But that wouldn't be prudent.

And her friend obviously needed to be checked over after that mess. Without a word, Dora moved and let Sam be led away. Grudgingly. Turning back to the woman she finally spoke, "If you lot harm one single hair on her head I swear you will not like what happens then." And with that the dramatic Gryffindor spun on her heel and made her way to the stands, wand gripped tightly in her hand.

She HOPED someone said something sideways to her. She was itching for a fight.