Post by Edward Mercier on Nov 4, 2008 22:18:05 GMT -5
It began.
It was subtle, but it was there.
Signs were beginning to manifest throughout Hogwarts--slowly, one by one. But signs of just what, now, was impossible to say.
The paintings, for one, started to fret and worry, but, if asked why, couldn't provide a proper reason. They also began to grow more sluggish; their inhabitants found themselves occasionally standing absolutely still and unresponsive before they remembered what they had been doing before and continued with it. It happened only rarely, and was hard to notice when it did.
Sometimes, a password would fail to work, although a bit of persistence and certainty was generally all that was needed to gain approval. Still, the gargoyle before the Headmistress's office seemed to have become very forgetful, and the Fat Lady at Gryffindor Tower often found herself expecting to hear passwords that she had assigned years ago.
Hogwarts itself seemed rather confused; its staircases would go from simply moving left and right to also shifting up and down, making it more difficult than ever to get to a certain location. The doors, on the other hand, seemed to have lost their enthusiasm; they no longer flitted about from wall to wall as they pleased. Playing hide and seek with the castle's inhabitants seemed to have been knocked off of their interests, which was strange, because it had been the only one they had ever had.
Pets began to act odd, as well. Cats would pause and flick their ears in disgruntled confusion, and the owls sometimes hooted in alarm when there was nothing there for them to be afraid of.
Something was happening. Uncertainty was creeping slowly over the school like a dark fog. The castle knew something was amiss.
It just didn't know what.
It was subtle, but it was there.
Signs were beginning to manifest throughout Hogwarts--slowly, one by one. But signs of just what, now, was impossible to say.
The paintings, for one, started to fret and worry, but, if asked why, couldn't provide a proper reason. They also began to grow more sluggish; their inhabitants found themselves occasionally standing absolutely still and unresponsive before they remembered what they had been doing before and continued with it. It happened only rarely, and was hard to notice when it did.
Sometimes, a password would fail to work, although a bit of persistence and certainty was generally all that was needed to gain approval. Still, the gargoyle before the Headmistress's office seemed to have become very forgetful, and the Fat Lady at Gryffindor Tower often found herself expecting to hear passwords that she had assigned years ago.
Hogwarts itself seemed rather confused; its staircases would go from simply moving left and right to also shifting up and down, making it more difficult than ever to get to a certain location. The doors, on the other hand, seemed to have lost their enthusiasm; they no longer flitted about from wall to wall as they pleased. Playing hide and seek with the castle's inhabitants seemed to have been knocked off of their interests, which was strange, because it had been the only one they had ever had.
Pets began to act odd, as well. Cats would pause and flick their ears in disgruntled confusion, and the owls sometimes hooted in alarm when there was nothing there for them to be afraid of.
Something was happening. Uncertainty was creeping slowly over the school like a dark fog. The castle knew something was amiss.
It just didn't know what.