Ah good. Now she was becoming braver.

Simon turned a little pinker. He had been surprised that Agatha was continuing to hold his hand. Fortunately enough, it was so cold that his cheeks were already a little pink anyway. It was the first time he was happy to be living in the freezing weather. He didn't let go of her hand.

All of a sudden, Simon was distracted from the hand holding by another girl their own age who had demanded answers from the centaur. Before the centaur could reply, the Headmistress herself was shooing them all away. Yep, he didn't want to get into trouble, but he really wanted to know what was making the centaurs flee their home. Was it only the cold? Or was there something else out there? Frost dragons? The Cold Ones? Simon could only imagine the endless amounts of possibilities.

Right. They should leave.

Once hearing, his friend's response, he nodded a farewell to the Headmistress, the Centaur, and the remaining students. He hoped that he didn't interrupt thing. He gently turned around towards the castle. As he continued walking towards the castle, he glanced at her. "So want to go warm up in the Common Room?" he offered to his new friend.

Angel was staying with Lux out of the way when suddenly she heard the Centaur say the forest was uninhabitable again, did that mean that the forest was on fire or something, she wanted to go and see but she knew it was forbidden and she wouldn't do anything to get into trouble.

Angel stood there and waited to see what else the Centaur was going to say, because at the minute he wasn't making sense, first telling them to seek shelter and then saying the forest was uninhabitable, she so hoped he wouldn't say Hogwarts was going to fall down or something because if he did she would scream so load.

Emmylou didn't know where she wanted to, she still felt like she didn't know the castle all that well or the names of the places where she would hangout with her friends. The third year lioness looked up and him and shrugged with a small smile. "I'm not sure." she admitted. "I mean I still don't know all of the places at the moment." She had been here since September but classes and homework had gotten to her brain and now she couldn't think of where to go.

It felt strange to the centaur to be headed back to the castle after so many years of being away, but his time was no longer needed there so he had little reason to spend time with the humans. But now, with the stars aligned the way they were, they needed something and quickly lest risk future generations of centaurs.

Hooves crunching through the snow, Thereos followed the footprints which led him right to Gurion and the gathering of humans around him. "Gurion. We lost one I believe, it seems as if Lorem has strayed from the group." He said, addressing his fellow, before turning and inclining his head at the Headmistress in politeness. What had happened to Gaellen, he never knew, but this one was quite easy on the eyes. "It is nothing the students did, Ma'am, that we are aware, but the unfavorable climate puts our kind and yours at great risk."

"Oh okay, well we could go to..." but he trailed off and stopped speaking when he spotted some centaurs coming from the woods and speaking with some of the kids who were also here. He raised an eyebrow, wondering curiously what was going on and if the centaurs were alright. "Hey, there are some centaurs behind you..." he whispered to Emmy right when the headmistress had arrived and started speaking with them. Curiosity got the best of him, and he gestured for Emmy to follow him as he made his way over to the crowd of people.

Emmylou ate some more jelly beans as she listened to Dylan talk but then he trailed off. What? Why did he do that? Emmylou blinked a couple of the times. What was he staring at that was so interesting and then the third year jumped when he whispered to her.

CEEEENNNNNTTTTAAAAUUUURRRRS?! :whaa:

One why were there centaurs on the grounds? Two, why were was he whispering to her? Three, THIS DYLAN KID BETTER NOT BE JOKING! Centaurs were not a joking manner. Emmylou was taking Dylan's word for it. The short blonde turned around slowly and her jaw dropped when she saw a centaur. Then a HUGE grin covered her way. The little Gryffindor waved at the centaur. "MISTER CENTAUR SIR!" she yelled out of nowhere even shocking herself.

The centaur looked off into the distance. "The signs present themselves in a myriad of ways," Gurion said cryptically to the Headmistress as she inquired about the stars. "They don't always become immediately clear." Of course his words made perfect sense to him and to probably every other centaur around. Did it not make sense to the humans as well? That thought did not cross his mind at the moment. There were more important things at hand.

He turned his amber eyes to the woman as she seemed taken aback by his words or appearance. Which, he could not be sure, but that was trivial. He was about to open his mouth to answer her when one of the foals interrupted a bit too brashly for his liking. While it may be of her concern in the coming days, it was best left up to the leaders to handle things and decide what would be in their best interest. He sent her a look that said as much before turning to the human mare again.

And before he could speak on such matters, there was Thereos. No wonder he had arrived before him and it seemed to be a good thing that he had gone on ahead. The colony needed to remain together in days such as these and it did not sit well with Gurion that one was missing. "I'm sure he cannot be far," he said, shifting his eyes towards the forest. At least he hoped. But this troubled him.

He turned his eyes back to Thereos and the Headmistress as the other centaur began to reiterate his observations of their homes. He soon noticed not only were the foals not heeding his advice but more were approaching to stand and gawk at them. He would never understand humans. The growing crowd was quickly trying his patience and he frowned at the young one shouting at them. "As Thereos said," Gurion focused on the Headmistress again. "A climate too hostile and unnatural for these parts has befallen us. Many creatures of the forest have since departed. Food is scarce and conditions are dangerous. We have no choice but to leave." They felt it only necessary to warn the humans. Message relayed, he turned to Thereos. "Perhaps I should look for Lorem myself." They could not leave without the entire colony intact.

WHAT?! The Headmistress was already blaming the students? What if it was something SHE did? What if it was...something the Hufflepuffs did? Meh. So Hufflepuffs were students, so Sophie guessed it was possible that anybody could be the offender here. So--...whodunnit? She turned back to the centaur just in time to catch a 'SHHHHH' sort of look from the Headmistress.

Sophie grew wide-eyed and nodded. Aye, Capt'n! No way did Sophie want to get on the receiving end of that woman's temper. Backing away now. Backing away.

Still, Sophie backed away slowly, because she did want to hear what was going on. She should get back to the common room soon, though, because even though it was in the dungeons, the dungeons were still warmer than this.

Unfavorable climate? Our kind and theirs?! Were they going to have to move?! NOOOOO. Sophie backed up one more step. "Be careful," she said to the centaur, "and I hope you find your friend." She bowed to it, because that's what Mo had taught her to do, and then she turned to leave. If the conditions were unfavorable, or whatever the centaur had said they were, Sophie wanted to get inside before something serious happened.

Or...had it already happened?!

Nevermind that--it time to go spread some gossip! With that, Sophie made her way back to the castle and to the warmth of the common room.

Dylan looked at the centaur, wondering curiously what had brought them out of the forest. Was everything alright? Were they in danger? He sure hoped not... he suddenly jumped when the girl got all excited and yelled to the centaur. He bit his lip, hoping she hadn't startled him or anything. Then, the headmistress came up to them...

Back to the castle? Awww. Dylan wanted to know what was going on! But they had to listen to her... "C'mon Emmy," he said, taking the girl gently by the arm and leading her back to the castle. Maybe they'd make an announcement later once they figured out what was going on.

She thought she understood. Gurion was glad they had gotten their message across to the humans. What they did with that knowledge was now up to them. He and the others of his colony needed to do what they must now and that was to get themselves to safety.

He bowed his head slightly to the Headmistress as she did the same and gave her thanks. "We felt it only imperative that we inform you of the conditions and our decision." He, and many of the other centaurs, could not, in good conscience, leave without giving their warning to the humans. He gave a nod to both the Headmistress and to Thereos. "I will take my leave now and make sure the colony is intact." Gurion was certain that Thereos would be close behind him even if he had anything more to add to the humans. He spared a small smile at the woman's next words. "It is not unexpected. Youth often finds itself impulsive in its curiosity. They will learn."

Turning, he nodded to a few of the foals expressing their hope that he find Lorem. "I thank you, young ones," he said, acknowledging their concern before he swished his tail and galloped off the best he could through the snow and towards the forest. Lorem couldn't be far. Behind him, he could hear the female mare imploring the children to get inside. If they wouldn't heed his warnings, perhaps they'd listen to their own guardian.

The fun police are at it again. They used to be like that at Beauxbatons, she just never thought that it would happen here. Emmylou didn't want to go back to the castle, she wasn't doing anything wrong here. She was just eating her candy and talking to a new friend of hers. The third year blinked, she had a half a mind to start throwing candy at the headmistress lady for saying that very rudely to her! There was a difference between excited and mean yelling. "I wasn't yelling meanly at them. I was yelled at the in an excited way." Why could adults understand that? "I just want to make Centaur friends." Emmylou frowned. She felt a hand on her arm and looked over at Dylan, it had to be him. Oh yes, she was right. "Yeah, fine." There was always people ruining the fun of things. The headmistresses voice made it sound like; go back to the castle and have a boring time at whatever.

This icy, frigid, snow-filled virulent winter is beginning to esclate toward blizzard levels with a polar vortex wind chill suddenly sweeping the grounds on top of the already high snow drifts. Brrr! Best get indoors now before the snow covers you to your frostbitten nose! It looks like Hogwarts may already be in the process of being snowed in....

OOC: All grounds threads will shortly be locked in light of this snowpocalypse. You have about 24 hours to finish your RPs and get in the castle!