Adventures in the Ballroom

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan looked around and open the door curiously. It didn't occur to her that maybe the door wasn't supposed to be open, it didn't occur to her that it was a special room. She was just curious and she wanted to explore the castle.

The room was large and she found herself gaping in astonishment at the beautiful workmanship that had went into the place. She wondered, not for the first time, at the time and detail that must have gone into this grand castle.

"What is this place? It looks kind of like a ballroom.... Hmm," she whispered to herself, standing in the middle of the room and looking up at the ceiling.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Dolores also liked to explore the castle, but for an entirely different reason. She was not curious so much as nosy, and she was always trying to catch some kid who was doing something that he or she should not be doing. She considered herself to be an enforcer of sorts, because she thought that the other students were entirely too loose with the rules. The rules were there for a reason, after all, and if people just went about breaking them, willy-nilly, then there would simply be chaos all around. And Dolores just couldn't have that. There must be order.

She had just finished checking the entrance hall to make sure no students were trying to slip out after the recently imposed curfew when she saw a movement off to her left. Frowning, she moved over in the direction of the ballroom, which was supposed to be sealed up when not in use. But some careless person had left the door open, and as Dolores approached, she saw someone wandering around in the ballroom.

Narrowing her eyes for just a moment, Dolores watched the girl for just a moment before she approached the girl. With a sugary sweet smile on her face, she stopped just behind the girl with her hands perched on her hips.

"You're not supposed to be in here, you know," she said, her tone light, but her voice raising an extra pitch. "Someone might think you were up to no good."

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan jumped slightly and spun around, startled. The girl standing in front of her, hands on her hips and a sickly sweet smile on her face, caused her heart to plummet into her stomach and her stomach to leap up to her throat.

While it was true that she didn't know too many Slytherins and tended to steer clear of them, this was one Slytherin she had been "warned" of. Her name was something-Umbridge and she was a third year that liked to nose around and inform people of their wrong-doing.

Now, Teagan was a stickler for rules herself but she thought that there was a time and place for them. One might consider a school grand place for them and Teagan agreed. She knew it was either almost curfew or passed but she couldn't've been there too long, could she? She felt her panic grow.

"Uhm, I was just wondering wat this room was. I didn't realize it was off limits.... and I was just curious. I wasn't "up to something" or anything like that," Teagan said quickly, her mouth feeling dry.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Dolores's smile grew wider. Such excuses were not unusual. Students always claimed that they "didn't know" something was against the rules, as if not knowing was an acceptable excuse. But clearly, they did not bother to find out what was allowed and what was not. They simply didn't care, because they all just did what they wanted to do, with no thought or consideration for the rules. Then when they were caught, they could just claim ignorance. Well, that was not acceptable to Dolores.

"Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse," she said primly. "Perhaps you might want to familiarize yourself with the school rules in the future so that you do not find yourself in a similar situation again. As it most clearly states, and should in fact have been obvious, if a door is normally kept locked, you are not supposed to enter it unless express permission is granted by a staff member. But surely you knew that... you are a Ravenclaw, after all, so you certainly can't be stupid."

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan found herself glaring slightly at the girl, feeling extremely indignant and annoyed. Of course she wasn't stupid! And it wasn't like she didn't know what the rules were or have the tendency to break them. Her lips curled slightly at the corners. She had found something that she could throw in the girls face.

"While I realize the normal rules of society stay very much in evidence at school and that one should not go where they are not permitted, especially if there is a locked door, this door wasn't locked. In fact, it was wide open. I'm sorry that I felt the urge to investigate and see what the room was. I am, after all, just a stupid, clueless First Year. Don't let me bother you, please," she finished in a falsely innocent tone, feeling slightly shocked at the anger she felt inside of her.

She didn't like it when people called her stupid or accused her of something falsely. Although, she realized with a pang, she had broken a school rule. It wouldn't surprised her if she got in trouble for this.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Dolores would never understand why people always had to make things worse for themselves. First the girl had gone and given a weak excuse for being in the room, and now was foolishly trying to argue with Dolores. This was never a good idea. Why couldn't people just accept the lecture, apologize, and move on? When people argued with Dolores, that was when the gloves came off.

Her lip curled upward and she lifted her nose in the air as if she had just smelled something terrible. "Just because the door was unlocked and open now did not mean it was an invitation for you to enter it just because you were curious," she said, her voice raising to a slightly higher pitch. "I should inform Mr. Filch of your egregious display of wanton rule breaking at once!"

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan smirked slightly, a very Slytherin like move she knew, but the last statement just seemed funny to her. Egregious just happened to be one of her favorite words. The smirk, however, soon vanished and she took a quick inventory of the present situation.

She was certain that at any minute, Filch would appear as if summonsed and he would certainly be delighted in this development. He seemed a bit sadistic to her. Teagan contemplated Dolores words for a moment, looking at her with the slightest traces of fear on her face. She sighed heavily, wishing that she had more of the Gryffindor courage at this moment. Because she couldn't bring herself to get into trouble needlessly and being in such a predicament wasn't high up on her list. Especially when she knew that Dolores was most certainly correct.

An open door did not beg entrance to where one was not supposed to be. It was true that the Slytherin girl had every right to tattle on her. It was also true that she would be in serious trouble while Dolores Umbridge would most certainly be praised for catching a rule breaker. Teagan sighed again.

"Yes, you're right. Sorry for... being egregious," she said, unable to stop herself from smirking again.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Dolores blinked. She did not like this girl’s attitude, and she was sure that Mr. Filch would not care for it, either. “I’m sorry,” she began in a sugary tone, “did I say something amusing? If I were you, I would hardly find the situation you are in to be a laughing matter. You have been caught trespassing in a forbidden area, and yet you apparently think it all a big joke. Just you wait until Mr. Filch gets here.”

Her cold grey eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. There was a scraping sound in the hallway, and Dolores smiled. “In fact, that is probably him now, coming to clean this very room. I’ll go inform him of the situation. I hope your excuse for him is better than the one you gave me.”

She turned on her heels and walked toward the wide open doors just in time to have them slam in her face.

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan flinched, backing up slightly. Yes, she definitely agreed with one of the girls previous statements. This was definitely not a laughing matter. Now she was trapped in a room with a third year Slytherin whom she had managed to anger. She glared at the door that she had so admired before. The castle was probably female because it was being cruel and slightly ironic.

"Maybe Filch thought that the door was opened accidently," she said in an awkward attempt at finding humor in a situation where obviously there was none.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Dolores stood in front of the door, momentarily stunned. When the girl spoke, Dolores scowled deeply and grabbed one of the big door handles, trying to turn it. The handle didn’t even budge, and she grabbed on with a second hand. It was no use; they were locked in. Fuming, she took out her wand and pointed it at the door. “Allohamora!” she said clearly.

Still the door didn’t open, and after trying the spell a few more times, Dolores was forced to face the facts…. She was trapped in here with this girl.

“This is all your fault,” she said in a sour tone, spinning to face the girl. “Now we’ve got to find some other way out of here. Come on, there must be some sort of secret passage or something.”

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan smiled to herself. She hadn't really even thought of opening the door with magic for two reasons: 1.) It hadn't actually crossed her mind and 2.) Now that Dolores had attempted it, she actually didn't think it would work. It was in a magical school after all.

"I don't really see how it's my fault that we are locked in," she commented in a conversational tone of voice that was more than a little amused and agitated, "I mean, I'm not the one that shut the door. It's obviously not something I would have done. Why would I want to be stuck in here with you?"

Then she turned and walked toward the corner of the room nearest her, thinking it best to explore along the walls for a secret passage.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Dolores glared at the girl, her arms crossed over her chest. "It is so your fault," she said in a huffy voice. "You were the one who just had to investigate in here, just because the door just happened to be open. It's just like they say, you know, curiosity killed the cat. If you hadn't gone where you weren't supposed to be, we wouldn't be trapped!"

Annoyed, she decided to start checking the opposite wall for any possible passageways that might help them to get out of this room. After all, if there was one, she wanted to be the one to find it.

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan grinned to herself, hearing the girls reply. It was definitely putting her in a better mood, knowing that she was getting to her. She was surprised with herself but she knew that it was just because the girl was being so mean to her. And that she was a Slytherin. Or so she told herself.

It didn't escape her notice when Dolores started searching the opposite wall. She would want to have the "glory" of finding the secret passage. That made her laugh softly until she realized that if the other girl found the passage, she might leave her here, stranded by herself. She renewed her efforts with a sudden burst of energy.

"Well, yes, I do know that saying. I also know the other part of it," she paused for added effect and then said, "But satisfaction brought him back."

She grinned, waiting with anticipation for the girl's answer to that one.

[Dolores Umbridge]

Typical Ravenclaw. They always thought they were so smart. Sometimes, they were worse than Gryffindors, who always thought that the rules didn’t apply to them. But Ravenclaws always tried to reason their way out of things. It was very annoying.

“I’ve never heard that before,” she said in a tone that seemed to say that if she had not heard of it, it obviously had no merit. “And besides, it doesn’t even make sense. I mean, if the cat is dead, it can’t come back, now, can it? And besides, are you satisfied, now that you’re trapped in this stupid room?”

Dolores wanted out of this room right away. What would happen if they couldn’t get out? Would they be trapped in there forever? What if someone found them and they got in trouble for being where they weren’t supposed to be, even though the only reason she was in there at all was to yell at the other girl for being here? She began to test each of the sconces on the wall, to see if one of them turned to open a secret door.

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan paused momentarily in her search, watching the girl search the wall thoroughly. It was quite obvious to her that the Slytherin girl thought her responses to be unremarkable and utterly useless in everyway. Sighing, she renewed her efforts, although this time a little bit more relaxed. It would be a good thing to take her time as she might ignore something that would otherwise be helpful.

She didn't want to be here. It really wasn't her fault they were trapped in here, she assured herself, tears coming to her eyes. The door had apparently shut by itself with no cause or any indication that someone had locked them in. Teagan wondered why they, of all people, were currently trapped together in a room. She had never even seen this girl before and then suddenly they were trapped together.

The tears that threatened to escape spilled over and onto her cheek. She turned her face away from the girl. It was bad enough that she had already given the girl a reason to hate her apparently. She didn't need to give her any more ammunition. Thoughts raced through her head like a horse on a track. Would they be able to leave? What if someone found them but told on them? What if the wrong person found them and decided to let them stay there for the night? Or forever? Teagan was scared to death of being trapped here.

"Yes, well, obviously the cat wasn't dead if it came back to life. I have no idea what it pertains to. It's just a silly, imaginative Muggle saying I suppose. And, for your information, I am so not satisfied with being stuck in a room. Especially not with someone who hates me," she said in a cold voice, not wanting to let her real emotions show through.

Give them no reason to talk about you...

[Dolores Umbridge]

If this girl meant to make Dolores feel badly about something, or was hoping that she would quickly deny hating her, it was a useless attempt. She did not care one bit about this girl, and she didn’t care who knew it. But then again, there were very few people that Dolores actually did like.

“I should have known. Nothing good ever came from muggles,” Dolores declared in an equally icy tone.

She peered over her shoulder, watching what the girl was doing. To her eyes, it didn’t seem as if Teagan was trying very hard to find a way out. She stood there a minute, narrowing her eyes. If she didn’t know better, she would think that the girl knew the way out all along and was just trying to trick her. Maybe she was trying to get Dolores in trouble somehow by having her get caught somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be.

But Dolores didn’t exactly think that highly of Teagan. That would have been a Slytherin thing to do, not Ravenclaw.

Letting out an over-dramatic sigh, Dolores turned her back to the girl and resumed her search.

[Teagan Kelly]

"Oh yes, we all know that, don't we? Nothing good at all comes from Muggles. In fact, it was probably a Muggleborn who locked us in here? Isn't that right?" she said with a sneer and then wanted to take the words back.

Maybe it was just the company she was presently in but she realized that this behavior would not have been out of place in a Slytherin. Her insides clenched as did her hand around an edge in the wall. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Apparently this girl was toxic and she didn't want to be anymore contaminated then she was already.

But she didn't know what the girl had previously thought about her. If she had, she might have been a little more worried then she was. As it was, Teagan didn't exactly care for Dolores and also didn't have any need for the girls approval. She didn't like her and she felt that the feeling was mutual.

Now if only they could get out...

[Dolores Umbridge]

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Dolores replied. The girl’s tone annoyed her, but she didn’t feel particularly inclined to do anything about it. After all, they were trapped in here together, and Dolores was practical enough to know that it wouldn’t do either of them any good to start dueling at this point. The important thing was to focus on getting out of this room so that they could go their separate ways and, hopefully, never cross paths again.

She had reached the end of her wall, having checked every one of the sconces along the wall. Now she was at the back wall, and she began checking those sconces as well. Hopefully one of them would find something soon.

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan was a bit surprised at the girls reaction. She sounded annoyed and really... exhausted with the subject matter. Well, that was fine with her. It was rather bothersome to act like she had been and now she felt the true weight of the situation seeping into her. So bloody tiring it was, working at being someone you really weren't.

Her hands kept checking every inch of the wall. It was probably stupid to attempt this at this point. She had a feeling she herself wouldn't find anything. At some point, she had thought with determination that it would be her to find the way out because she didn't want Dolores to find it. But right now she didn't care. All she wanted was to leave.

"I wonder how we are supposed to leave? I mean.... What if there isn't a secret passageway? I... No offense but I'd rather not be stuck here forever," she said in a tired voice, although she kept at her task with as much effort as she had before.

[Dolores Umbridge]

“Well, obviously I don’t want to be trapped in here with you forever, either,” Dolores snapped.

It was pretty obvious that it was not an option to be stuck in there forever. And sooner or later someone would have to find them, right? The room wasn’t terribly dusty despite the fact that it hadn’t been used since the Yule Ball, so surely the house elves came in to clean it once in a while. And they probably would be missed at some point. Her head of house, Professor Rothschild, was pretty good about checking to make sure all students were accounted for. Surely Professor Macrae, the head of Ravenclaw, would be as thorough. They would be missed, and they’d be found eventually. But that didn’t mean that Dolores was willing to just sit back and wait for it. The sooner she got out of here, the better.

“If there isn’t a secret passage, we’ll figure something else out. If we have to, we’ll bang on the door until someone hears us.”