Avoiding, not hiding

"No, we can't turn back now", said Andrei shaking his head. That would be just a bad decision. There was a huge risk of the professor seeing them and not only that but there was a risk of people seeing this secret passageway. And that would defeat the whole point of them. It was stupid to risk getting caught when they got so far. "I don't know about you but I'm not planning to spend my time scrubbing the floors in that trophy room or doing something even worse. That's what is going to happen if we go back", he said trying to prove his point.

"I must have moved the wrong portrait or something", he said out loud trying to explain his mistake to himself. It was so strange because he went through this tunnel so many times, he was almost sure he couldn't pick the wrong one. But someone he did and now they needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

At her goan, Andrei rolled his eyes. He didn't need her acting like a Princess right now, that wasn't helping the situation at all. "Now listen. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me for a while. Acting like a spoiled brat is not gonna help us get out of here. So just stop complaining" he said with a frown.

After examining both sides, he realized that they were the same. And it didn't mattered which one they took, both would have to have an end somewhere. "Let's just go right then. This tunnel has to exit somewhere and it can't be that long. So if we follow it to the end, we will get out somewhere in Hogwarts. After that, we can both leave to our Common Rooms without the chances of being detected. Agreed?", he asked.

Avis narrowed her eyes. There was also a great possibility that the professor went searching for them somewhere else. How would he know that there was a secret passage way behind this painting. As far as Avis was informed, even most of the professors did not know much about places like this. They may know, however, about the room of Requierments, but that's it. Perhaps teir Headmaster knew something, but her doubts were high about him coming and looking them in this specific floor and secret tunnel. She did not reveal her thoughts in her most famous sarcastic voice. Instead Avis turned her face away to look around.

"Spoiled brat?" Avis forced herself to look at Andrei again. He was the one who was spoiled, not her! She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath trough her nose. The air inside the tunnel was wet and had some strange smell. She could even feel it on her tongue. "Well sorry for not being fond of getting lost in a place I've never been before," she scoffed.

Avis looked at the corridor which Andrei choose and then she started following him. "Agreed, but let's make it quick. I'm getting really claustrophobic here," she replied with annoyed voice, hiding her actual fear. This place really sent creeps all over her spine and without even acknowledging it, Avis hugged herself. It was also cold there - no heating system, no nothing. And to think that the winter was raging outside...

Then again she made herself a promise that she would eventually discover some of the other secret passageways in this school. There should be plenty of those and she had this and the next year to do so.

OOC: sorry for being inactive lately. (school)

(Don't worry I should say the same. Just my excuse is my family, lol even worse )

"All I'm saying is I think I deserve some trust here. I did pull you out of that classroom and it's thanks to me that your not scrubbing the floor of the trophy room right now. So relax Princess and have a little faith. I've good at getting myself out of shitty situations", said Andrei trying to prove a point. But as he glanced at Avis and actually realized where he was, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well obviously I'm not as good as I though", he said sarcastically.

As they continued straight ahead, Andrei felt his body shiver from the cold. He couldn't stand being in this tunnel for much longer. His head turned to Avis and he wondered if she was alright. "Are you cold?", he asked with a slight concerned tone in his voice. Not that he particularly cared about this girl, but for some reason he felt obliged to ask that question. Perhaps of the way he was raised, who knows. "I know a spell that may help", he offered. Being polite wasn't his strongest side, but he wasn't going to let a girl freeze to death next to him.

He was relieved when they finally reached what seemed to be the end of the tunnel. It was just an empty wall but Andrei knew there had to be a way to open it. "You can thank me later", he said with a smirk, pleased he proved his point. He started tapping on different parts of the wall as that was the most common way to open a hidden door. Then he started doing a few basic spells and when that didn't work he tried something different.

Before he knew it, he became desperate. He had tried out everything and still the door wouldn't open. Was it possible it was a dead end and not a hidden door? He sighed deeply and turned to Avis. He could feel her face growing red and he knew she would be angry, shout and probably even hit him. He couldn't handle that right now, he was too frustrated with everything as is. And she was just too pretty to yell at. So without much thought, he leaned in and placed a long kiss on her lips. If nothing, that would at least make her silent for a while.

(Lol, we feel each other xD xD)

"I'd rather be scrubbing those floors or trophies instead of being here and suffering from claustrophobia," Avis replied wryly, but he was right. He deserved some sort of trust and gratitude.
Avis sighed:"Disappointed?" she could only grin at his confession. Yeah, who would've believed that they'd be both stuck in one tunnel.

Once they continued walking, Avis took the advantage of looking around and examining the walls. As mentioned before, she wanted to get to know those tunnels and other passageways in this school. Some of them might be useful in the future. "Ah, what?"she raised her eyebrows and looked at him, realizing only now that she was holding her hands over herself, hugging and protecting herself from the cold. "No," she answered, surprised at his offering. Though he did seem suddenly so polite, she did not want to show her weakness to him or to any other slytherins.

When they reached the wall which Andrei believed to be an exit, she also felt better. Even the cold did not bother her that much anymore.
She waited patiently while he touched the wall from several places. Was this supposed to be a secret entrance and an exit? She stood up on her toes to see better where he touched the stone wall, exited of what would happen next.
But the exitement fell and it was replaced with disappointment. There was no exit, no secret door...

Avis lowered her gaze. She didn't know what to do now. Cry? Run back and look trough the second way which Andrei decided to pass or go back? The professor should be somewhere else at this time. This was not the brightest idea, but still better than just standing there and panicking.
Her thoughts were cut by Andrei's kiss. She was too stunned to react for the first five seconds, but Avis felt how her cheeks turned red and her heart started beating fevereshly.
Why, of all those students in this school, Slytherins wanted to kiss her? His kiss was different, though. Or was it because she had already taken a great disliking towards him? Avis did not dare to kiss him back. Not because she didn't want to, kissing sounded and felt something really nice and sweet, but she lacked the experience. She pulled herself away from him and forced a frown on her face. "I did not know you were that desperate," she commented and turned herself around. It was better to put on the ice queen mask. Better for her mostly. Her guess was that Dolohov was one of those players.
How many girls had he kissed or spent a night with? She did not want to add herself to the list.

"Come, lets head back and see where this other tunnel leads us." She had already lost the entire evening and she was still stuck with Andrei.

The fact that she pulled away didn't surprise him, but her words did. He gave her a cold chuckle as a response and took a few steps back. "So desperate to hear you shut up? Apparently so", he said sharply. Before he could even examine her face, she turned away from him. Although he did manage to catch a glimpse of her now blushing red cheeks, which only confused him even more. Girls were such complicated creatures, as if they were foreign to the even most simple rules of communication. It was all about games and presenting yourself in a way you want to be perceived and not the way you truly are. He had seen enough examples of the many Slytherin girls he was around. Apparently Gryffindors weren't any different.

"Fine", he agreed quickly. He couldn't believed how much time he had spent trying to get out of this detention. It was slowly becoming not worth the whole trouble it had caused. They went back to the beginning and this time they turned left instead of right. Andrei truly hoped they would have much more luck this time.

It turned out that tunnel on the left wasn't shorter or any colder than the right one. He could feel the frustration level rise between the both of them. The end never seems to be near. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this alright. If you were wondering, this is not my idea of a perfect day either. That enough of an apology for you Princess?", Andrei asked with a soft frown. He didn't want things to get awkward between the two of them just because of a small kiss. Not like he was ever the shy type, so it didn't pose such a great issue to him.

After a while, they reached the end of the tunnel. It was yet another dead end. Hopefully they will find their exist this time. "Come on and help me find the trigger here. Check the corners and the sides of the walls first. Anything that looks even a bit different really", he explained as he felt the sides of the wall with his hands.

And to think that she believed that there was something romantic between those two. Avis refused to slap herself into the face. Or him, didn't matter. As a girl it was also natural that she had such thought. She was born to be a mother and love after all.
But not him.
She rolled her eyes and though she did not show it, she was upset. She did not panic like the others would, Avis was perfectly calm. She did not take her wand out and blow one of the walls up, did she? No. She was calm, she wanted to get out and she suffered from major claustrophobia right now, in fact, Avis was at the edge of crying, but did she do so? No.

Avis did not say anything anymore but simply followed him. Again she walked behind him and examined the wet walls of the strange corridor which has been their dungeon for an hour or so. Maybe more, maybe less. She had lost the sense of time while being here and looking for an escape.

She'd remain silent if it were not for Andrei who seemed to be tortured by the silence between them.
Avis raised her eyebrows, but her eyes remained either on the wall or on the floor. She did not want to look at him.
His apology was worthless now. Her time was wasted, uselessly by the way. She wanted to boil some new potions this evening and finish the one which was almost ready, but it looked like she'll have to do it next month. She held her breath. It was painful to think that some potions took that long to brew and if something's missing, everything will go wrong. "Okay," she said quietly when Andrei was finished. Actually, she did not care if he was sorry or not.

When they reached another wall which looked like a tupic, Avis gave up all her hope. This was another dead end, she was sure of it. However she obliged to Andrei's request and looked at the wall, touching it and searching for something that would trigger it and make it move or turn into a door or something.

He was struck by yet another response of hers that was quite typically female. The almost famous 'okay'. It was up there with 'fine' in terms of confusion and resentment. It was obvious on her face that she was thinking something completely different. Why didn't she say it yet? What's the use of picking 'okay' for a thousand thoughts and opinions and just leaving the other person guessing. "Okay? Well that was awfully original. What, did I hurt your feelings or something? I'm sure you'll survive it, you're a big girl", said Andrei shaking his head.

He found it funny seeing two different personalities of her. And all in just one day. "You weren't so shy when you were pointing your wand at my neck a few hours ago. Girls", he said thinking out loud and rolling his eyes clearly frustrated. There was no use in arguing with her, Andrei knew that. So instead he just kept checking the wall diligently. Each and every spot had to be examined carefully as he wasn't giving up on this. If this was another dead end, he was sure he would lose his mind. The tunnel had already affected his breathing and he wasn't going to let it affect his mind.

Just as he pressed a small spot on the far right off the wall, the ground below them opened and it sent Avis and Andrei flying downwards. Their long journey had now ended with a rough landing. Andrei slowly got on his feet and moaned from pain, after having hit the floor just a few seconds ago. But even that didn't stop the happy grin on his face. They were finally free of that dreadful tunnel! No more damn hallways and dead ends. And for him right now, nothing could be more victorious than that.

Looking around, he quickly recognized that they landed in an empty pantry near the kitchen. It must have been an old one they didn't use anymore. The room was filled with left over pottery and large bags of flower. From here, his room was just a few minutes away. "Are you alright?", he asked suddenly turning to Avis. He had almost forgotten about her from the fall.

Avis hissed:"What did you expect me to say? Thank you for dragging me into this mess? Thank you for making me feel claustrophobic and yes, you did hurt my feelings! Did you not expect that? You intruded my personal space, you kissed me and before that you wanted to harm me! Oh no... That does not hurt anyone, of course not!" But he was right, she would get over it, survive like Andrei said.

"And you were not the greatest gentleman either. Would you hit me if I were not harmed?" she asked, remembering their little duel. Thank god it did not go any further or that Avis did not use any spells on him while he was stunned. She did not want to harm anyone, but this boy was actually one of those she'd cut and push off a cliff. If he'd be on fire and she'd have a glass of water, she'd drink it.

Thankfully their argument got to an end and both of them cupped the wall. Avis did not know what to look for so she had her hopes high on Andrei. He was the one who brought them here, he had to know!
And when she was about to give up her hopes, the ground moved under them, pushing both of them to fly downstairs. Although Avis was lighter than Andrei, it looked like her landing was rougher. She twisted her ankles, her wrist was aching and she couldn't breathe after landing for some time. She could only look around, but she did not recognize the place.

"Yes..." she replied breathlessly to his question and with a great effort Avis was able to stand up. At last! They were out!

He couldn't stand her yelling at him anymore. Who did she think she was? He was trying to help her! It was her fault in the first place for being a difficult brat. He didn't drag her anywhere, she came along willingly. She should be thankful to him if nothing else. Besides, none of this would have even happened if she didn't interrupt him by snooping into the trophy room. So at the end of the day, it was certainly not his fault. He was about to respond to her in a very ugly manner when the floor dropped beneath his feet.

Turning his head to her again, he wanted to make sure that she was actually fine as she says. It seemed that Avis took a bit rougher fall than he did. But Andrei was relieved when she stood up on her feet. Well that was it, it seemed. He was done, he could finally go back to him room. He had no more obligations when it came to Avis anymore. She could find her way to her dorm just fine on her own. He could leave right away and never see her again. Yet for some reason, Andrei felt that he shouldn't or more that he couldn't just do that as easily as he thought. "I think we're someone near the kitchen. If you just go straight ahead you should end up near the great hall", Andrei said pointing his finger to the door in front of him.

"And just for your information, I'm not a complete prick. No matter what you or the rest of the world may think. I didn't drag you, you came along. I was just trying to help. I guess I should apologize for the kiss as well then. Don't see the big deal really though. I wanted to kiss you so I did. It's doesn't get simpler than that. I am a very straight forward person and it's black and white with me. You on the other hand, are the one who is confusing and playing games here. And so you know, no I would never hit you. Not sure you can the same though", he said with a much calmer voice than before.

When she finally was able to breathe correctly, without the pain in her chest or in the back, she was able to examine the room and actually tell where they were.
It looked like part of the kitchen. So far she could guess thanks to the pots which were located not so far away from her. A store room perhaps? The house elves had probably done all their cookings. That also reminded her of dinner. Perfect, she even missed that! Her hand traveled to her stomach. Oh well, she'll have to deal with the apples that were in the dorm or maybe she'll just stay in the kitchen for a while. From what she'd heard, the house elves were more than happy to serve the students.

"Mhmh..." she murmured quietly as a response, still looking around. Avis was still worrying. What if someone heard them falling and he or she will soon come to examine the spot? Basically they were not forbidden to be here, but how to explain both of them dusty and Avis still shaking from the cold.

When Andrei started speaking Avis looked at him. She was too tired to start another argument. All that she wanted right now was to go to the Gryffindor tower, have a nice hot shower and hide under the blankets until she'll fall asleep and hopefully forget her adventure by tomorrow. "I am not playing games..." Avis sighed heavily; she pushed her hair away from her face revealing her little frown. However the grimace disappeared when he confessed that he would never hit her. Avis started at him with a little surprise that reflected on her face:"You woulnd't?"

As for her... She'd hit him if that would be necessary, but not right now. Not when she was weak and when her hit would equal to a mother's soft peck on the cheek. "I understand now that the Slytherins really love kissing random people. Gryffindors I guess?" she smiled to herself. First Christopher and now Andrei. Interesting who'd be next?