JINX in JEOPARDY [fred w.]

iv. ride on roller coaster stairs !

RIDE ON ROLLER COASTER STAIRS !

. . .

Avery was nowhere near being dramatic when she claimed she had just suffered a near-death experience. It was not her fault for believing skipping up a flight of stairs would be without consequence.

In an enchanted castle, not a single thing can be expected to be without consequence.

She'd been casually trotting after Professor McGonagall, in the hopes of finding her a dormitory, when all of a sudden the stairs had quit resembling stairs. Not that they shifted shape or the like, but they had started moving.

In her experience, stairways did not normally do that.

The swift change of direction the stairs were set to make nearly gave her an aneurysm, which meant the euphoria of staying at Hogwarts would have been short-lived. She sat herself down on one of the steps and held on to the bannister for dear life, quite literally.

The students surrounding her were shooting her strange looks and she shrunk a little under their gazes. They had, it seemed, nothing to fear from shifting staircases. Looking down at her lace-ups with a worry-struck face, she almost missed the girl seating herself beside her. Her arm brushed against her own, making Avery's eyes find the girl's. She had a dark complexion, wild, exploding hair framing her face in spiralling curls, and almond eyes lighting up each time she spoke.

'Don't you worry. I haven't met a single soul that didn't freak out the first time they took a ride on the rollercoaster stairs.'

Avery let out a nervous laugh at the name, however, it did feel somewhat reassuring. She cautiously peeked through the bannister's bars, only to be violently jerked back by a pair of arms.

'Are you mad? Don't look down!'

The girl furrowed her eyebrows, eyeing Avery as if she wasn't quite in her right mind as she let her hands slide off her shoulders. Avery flashed her a sideways glance and cocked an eyebrow.

'You're right. I might have spontaneously fainted.'

There was a slight mock to her tone, perfectly accompanied by a lopsided smile. The girl didn't seem to mind the ridicule as she made to introduce herself.

'Thalia Darwin,' she announced with an extended hand, and Avery was eager to shake it.

'Avery Thornton, nice to meet you.'

A grave gasp escaped Thalia's lips upon hearing her name, her eyes growing round and her forehead creasing. Avery felt tempted to smooth the wrinkles out with her fingers. Thalia didn't ask any questions though, and Avery was more than thankful for it.

'So, I assume you'll be staying at Hogwarts then, since you're still here?'

'Yes, I suppose so. I spoke to Professor Dumbledore just this morning.'