On the hunt for adventure

[Apollo Renwick]

Once again he was being dragged around by Archie, apparently they were supposed to be looking for adventure of some kind, but really all Apollo was seeing was a maze of corridors and the bleak darkness covering them. The boy had no idea what time it was and he did hope it was nowhere near curfew just yet because he didn't fancy getting caught by someone and told off. He had a clean record and he was going to make sure it stayed that way for as long as possible however he wasn't quite so sure how long that was going to be. Really he had no idea where they were, but the Ravenclaw was currently trying his best to draw a map as his friend dragged him around the place.

"I'm not sure what secret's your expecting to find," Apollo stated with a turn of his head towards his Gryffindor companion. "This is just another dark corridor and I don't think we're going to find anything very interesting around here." Honestly he didn't know what he was expecting to find around each bend as if there was going to be some magical doorway which just appeared in front of them. For all he knew there might be some hidden doorway around the place which only opened when you sang a song in the highest key for some reason. Not that he expected they would find it, but Apollo would continue drawing his map all the same.

 

[Archie Renner]

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<COLOR color="#000">Tonight Archie dragged Apollo from the depths of the Ravenclaw common room, where he strolled beside him as they searched along the labyrinth of dark corridors. While Apollo was a genius in every sense of the word, Archie wasn't and tonight he relied on his Ravenclaw friend to be the brains of this mission. The young Gryffindor merely led the way as his friend engrossed himself in drawing a map. Unknowing what the rest of the night would hold, Archie found himself more eager to explore as they navigated further around the darkness. The school was a treasure trove of secrets just waiting to be exposed. They would find something tonight, surely. Even if all they discovered was a crack in a wall it was better than going to bed empty handed.

The Gryffindor leisurely draped an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Don't be so negative, Polly." He reassured, arrogance constricting his tone. "You might say this is a dark corridor, because it is." Half in agreement with his Ravenclaw friend, he nodded slightly before sucking in a breath. "But it's also a goldmine. We just need to keep looking!" There could be a million hidden gems in this corridor and Archie was determined to find them all. Unlike Apollo, Archie was more reckless, he never thought things through and was ready to explore every corner, corridor and hidden passageway until he knew the castle like the back of his hand. He refused to waste his time with anything else tonight.

Eventually the pair of first years discovered a large portrait. Definitely big enough to hide a hidden passageway, Archie immediately clasped his hands around the frame and began pulling the picture towards him in an attempt to open it. "Did you get it on the map?" He queried between pulls, making sure Apollo was in fact drawing a map and not pretending to. If it weren't for the other boy's map drawing they would have already found themselves lost many times during the night, it would be a shame to let all that precious time go to waste.​

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[Apollo Renwick]

There was slight panic written on his features as he looked around the darkness they were walking through, it appeared to be getting quite late and he did not want to get stuck with a detention because they had been out after curfew. Apollo was really starting to wish he had something on him to tell the time, but he did think that had some time left before they would have to retreat back to their common rooms to avoid getting themselves in trouble. He might have a reckless friend, but that certainly didn't mean he was reckless himself by any means and he was not going to get told off that night or any night following he was pretty sure of that. He was the good kid who followed the rules and didn't get himself in trouble for no reason, especially not when the reason was being dragged around by his friend to try and find secrets while he drew a map. Though the map could be useful, he was going to give it to Archie to make sure he didn't get lost all the time.

Rolling his eyes he lifted his friend's arm from around his shoulders before brushing an imaginary speck of dirt off his robes. "You are not going to find anything interesting around here," he pressed with a firm nod of his head. "We should start heading back to our common rooms so we don't get caught and given a detention because it just so happens we're out after curfew because I swear I will wring your neck." He took having a clean sheet rather seriously and he was not having it ruined for exploring. Though he watched as they came across a portrait and Archie instantly tried to pry it open, Apollo only rolling his eyes as he scribbled something down on the map in front of him. "Yes I have it on the map, another picture which doesn't do anything. C'mon lets just go we can do this tomorrow."

 

[Archie Renner]

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<COLOR color="#000">Archie continued to pull the frame to no avail. It seemed to be charmed to the wall, set permanently so any non-magical attempt to get behind it failed to work. That was when the idea finally crossed his mind. Magic. He could cast a charm, some kind of explosion or detaching spell to remove the portrait from it's place. Retrieving his trusty wand from his pocket, Archie momentarily realized he didn't know any charms. His magical education still lingered in the beginning stages. There was no way he could utilize his wand now. "Damn." He mused to himself, ignoring Polly's sarcastic remarks about the time and rationale for tonight's mission. The point was obviously to find secrets; discover everything the castle held. Archie was in no place to give up and return to their common rooms. He did however, give up on casting a spell and returned to his attempt to pull the picture frame from the wall with all his might. With enough force he assumed it would budge sooner or later.

What happened next caught the Gryffindor off guard. The mere shock of the picture stirring from it's rest caused Archie to jolt from his footing enough to fall to the floor. All the pictures could talk? He had no prior warning of this and quite frankly it was the last thing he expected. He only thought the portrait to his common room spoke. By now he should have assumed the castle was quirky enough to have as many talking pictures as they had moving pictures. He simply didn't put two and two together. Leaning up from the floor and putting his weight on his elbows, he shot Apollo a confused look. Was this why the picture wouldn't budge? Did it require some sort of password too? Still very bewildered at the picture's sudden choice to come alive, he needed time to process the idea so he left the talking up to Polly.​

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