ROTBFTD at Hogwarts: The Red Death

Professor at the Orphanage

Five boys stood at the top of a staircase, peering down the stairs, all of them looking rather unsettled - except for one.

"Are you sure about this Jack?" One of the younger boys asked, glancing at the gangly boy beside him. Anyone could have assumed they were brothers. They both had large, warm brown eyes, open faces and untidy mops of brown hair.

Jack rolled his eyes,"Of course! It'll be fun!"

He turned to the other three boys behind him.

"Who's first?" he asked, smiling widely.

The boys each took a step back, shaking their heads, one pushing the other two in front of him. Frowning, Jack picked up the cardboard box at his feet and walked to the edge of the stairs.

"Fine then, stay up here." he glanced back at the boy who had spoken before as he balanced the box on the edge of the stairs and settled himself inside. "Jamie? Coming?"

Jamie still looked daunted as he examined the stairs. The staircase was the tallest and the straightest in the building, leading directly from the second floor to the front hall. It was narrow and rather steep, and didn't even look safe to walk down, let alone to use for sledding.

"I dunno..." he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Come on!" Jack coaxed.

"Er, no," Jamie decided. "I've changed my mind,"

"Don't tell me you're scared."

The younger boy gritted his teeth and crossed his arms. "I'm not scared."

"Then get in the box."

He looked down the staircase one more time, and seemed to change his mind.

"Fine," he said. With determination in his eyes, he got into the box. Jack glanced back at the other scaredy-cats behind them.

"Can one of you lot at least give us a push?" he asked, a bit bitingly.

One of the boys eagerly nodded. As long as it wasn't him going down the Staircase of Death, it seemed he was perfectly happy to participate.

"Ready?" Jack asked his friend.

Biting his lip, Jamie nodded.

"Go!" Jack shouted. The boy pushed the back of the cardboard box over the edge of the drop. There was a moment where they balanced precariously, between safety and certain doom. Then they tipped forward.

WHOOSH. Down the stairs the went, gripping the sides of the box tightly as they tried to steer away from the walls. The two boys couldn't see each other's expressions, but both let out loud yells of excitement as the ride got bumpier and bumpier.

Jack shivered. He suddenly felt as if his insides were frozen. That was when the ride abruptly smoothed out and got a lot faster. They came off the staircase and slid across the hard tile floor. There wasn't time to do anything as the they sped towards the wall at the end of the foyer.

"Abandon ship!" Jack shouted, leaping out and rolling along the floor to a stop.

Jamie, however, was slower to react. He twisted around, but it was too late. The box spun out of control, then rammed into the wall with a sickening thud.

Jack scrambled to his feet and dashed to his friend's side. Jamie was lying on the floor, the box beside him, tears in his eyes and blood on his face.

"Jamie!" Jack cried. "Jamie, are you okay?"

"Ow," the boy mumbled, as his friend helped him to his feet.