"That's... not a terrible idea," Ford admitted as he glanced at the ceiling. He didn't know the layout of the Sanditon well enough to know what would be above them, but it was unlikely to be on fire. The hallway had been catching slowly enough, so it might not have burned through the walls or ceiling yet. Maybe if they went up they'd be able to get back through the same hallway they had come from, only one floor above, and from there find some central staircase back down to the ballroom. He liked the idea better than trying to blast his way into a crowded room and possibly taking out a load-bearing wall, anyway.

Assuming, of course, that there was something above them. If the only thing above this room was the roof, going up would be a pretty bad idea. Though one silver lining, he supposed: if they punched a hole in the ceiling and the rain started pouring in, at least it would lower their chances of being stuck in this room when it eventually went up in flames.

"Well, let's try it," he decided. They'd need to make a hole in the ceiling, and some way to climb up to it, but with magic that oughtn't to be much of a problem. Actually, maybe they could solve both problems at once? Ford considered the nearest high-backed chair, then leveled his wand at it and cast Engorgio, causing it to grow until the back burst up into the ceiling tiles.

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