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DaniDiNardo · #1 (**permalink**) 12-05-2018, 11:37 AM

At the edges of the grounds of Hogwarts borders the Forbidden Forest, also known as the Dark Forest. The forest holds many secrets and in its depths, hidden in the shadows dwells creatures who are not only of a friendly nature. All the rumors you have heard of the forest are probably more correct than not and you would do good to keep at a safe distance from this ominous place. And please, keep your voice down.

As the name implies; it is strictly off limits for students (yes, that means you too Gryffindors). Get too close and the Groundskeeper will shoo you away to safety. No student is to enter the Forest without accompanied by a professor. You wouldn't dare to enter the Forest after these warnings... would you?

Harron Peasley · 01-05-2019, 09:50 PM

It was tempting, wasn't it?

The Forest, that was. If they'd just called it 'the Forest', then Józef probably wouldn't have been bothered. But they'd just had to go and add the word 'Forbidden' into the title and now Józef wanted to go in.

No. He needed to go in.

He'd spent the whole of last year avoiding it, and that was what he was doing now. Standing a good metre away from it, he rocked back and forth on his heels, hands shoved deep into his pockets, watching the first row of trees.

For a glimpse of anything.

For a glimpse of a reason not to walk a metre forward.

Yeah. It was tempting.

DaniDiNardo · 01-06-2019, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harron Peasley

It was tempting, wasn't it?

The Forest, that was. If they'd just called it 'the Forest', then Józef probably wouldn't have been bothered. But they'd just had to go and add the word 'Forbidden' into the title and now Józef wanted to go in.

No. He needed to go in.

He'd spent the whole of last year avoiding it, and that was what he was doing now. Standing a good metre away from it, he rocked back and forth on his heels, hands shoved deep into his pockets, watching the first row of trees.

For a glimpse of anything.

For a glimpse of a reason not to walk a metre forward.

Yeah. It was tempting.

A reason not to go in? As it so happened, the man was FULL of those.

What luck!

What awe!

What coincidence!

Malachi walked along the edge of the forest and it only partly had to do with not actually trusting the kiddos based on what he'd heard and seen. Largely, he was just on a walk. Nostalgia guided his feet and took him across the grounds to all his favourite haunts from his days here as a student. The man had already been down by the lake. He walked along the pathways and now he was here.

Apparently, so was Kowalski.

Without much of any warning, the man walked up behind him, not making a single noise until he was just a few steps away. He leaned forward casually, his head now at a level with the boy's. "What'cha lookin' at?" The forest, obviously, but what about it was tempting the boy to get eaten or wish he was eaten?

Harron Peasley · 01-06-2019, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

A reason not to go in? As it so happened, the man was FULL of those.

What luck!

What awe!

What coincidence!

Malachi walked along the edge of the forest and it only partly had to do with not actually trusting the kiddos based on what he'd heard and seen. Largely, he was just on a walk. Nostalgia guided his feet and took him across the grounds to all his favourite haunts from his days here as a student. The man had already been down by the lake. He walked along the pathways and now he was here.

Apparently, so was Kowalski.

Without much of any warning, the man walked up behind him, not making a single noise until he was just a few steps away. He leaned forward casually, his head now at a level with the boy's. "What'cha lookin' at?" The forest, obviously, but what about it was tempting the boy to get eaten or wish he was eaten?

A whole year of AVOIDING temptation was something Józef was proud of. Of course, a lot of that had been due to the fact that he'd experienced a LOT of detentions and they'd all been awful and, you know, his parents would not have been happy if he'd been expelled.

But it was getting so difficult and he was definitely right about to take a step forward. If he got caught, then maybe he could just say that his cat ran in there? And he needed to rescue her?

Would they check that he'd brought a cat?

Taking a moment to check that no one was looking was almost the best idea ever, because someone had silently crept up on him, and that someone happened to be the Headmaster. Józef practically tripped over his own feet when the man spoke, so surprised was the second year to see him there.

"UM," he stammered, trying to regain his composure. "UH. I thought I saw a.... a..... A centaur!"

Yeah! They had them in the forest, right? And he'd TOTALLY seen one, and that's why he was stood staring into the trees.

Not debating going in! No way!

DaniDiNardo · 01-07-2019, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harron Peasley

A whole year of AVOIDING temptation was something Józef was proud of. Of course, a lot of that had been due to the fact that he'd experienced a LOT of detentions and they'd all been awful and, you know, his parents would not have been happy if he'd been expelled.

But it was getting so difficult and he was definitely right about to take a step forward. If he got caught, then maybe he could just say that his cat ran in there? And he needed to rescue her?

Would they check that he'd brought a cat?

Taking a moment to check that no one was looking was almost the best idea ever, because someone had silently crept up on him, and that someone happened to be the Headmaster. Józef practically tripped over his own feet when the man spoke, so surprised was the second year to see him there.

"UM," he stammered, trying to regain his composure. "UH. I thought I saw a.... a..... A centaur!"

Yeah! They had them in the forest, right? And he'd TOTALLY seen one, and that's why he was stood staring into the trees.

Not debating going in! No way!

Was...was that the best he could come up with? The man was almost disappointed. Centaurs didn’t typically come to the edge of the forest, and certainly not just one being herd beings like they were. There was the off chance he could be right. Something wrong in the forest, a messenger come to warn them but he’d just gotten over that opening feast and was trying not to think that something far worse was about to happen. That would be...unfortunate in his first year here.

“What was your plan?” The man asked mildly, easing up into a straight posture once more and turning his gaze to the forest. “Y’know, if it really was a centaur, a rogue centaur if alone. One that could easily overpower and pull you into the forest as a sacrifice to the acromantulas if it had a mind to?” His tone was light as he described the scenario, curious almost. He was genuinely interested to know how well he thought through whatever plans he may or may not have had for the forest.

“Let’s say it wasn’t a centaur. Shape shifter, maybe—those are dead interesting, tricky more often and as dangerous but brilliant, don’t you think? That could carry you off in a heartbeat.” The idea fascinated and horrified him.

The man paused then to spare a glance down at his company. “How long would it take for your friends to report you missing?” It was a good opportunity to gauge student responses in crisis. How soon would he be alerted to something being wrong?

Would He be alerted? Did this need a seminar too??

Harron Peasley · 01-11-2019, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Was...was that the best he could come up with? The man was almost disappointed. Centaurs didn’t typically come to the edge of the forest, and certainly not just one being herd beings like they were. There was the off chance he could be right. Something wrong in the forest, a messenger come to warn them but he’d just gotten over that opening feast and was trying not to think that something far worse was about to happen. That would be...unfortunate in his first year here.

“What was your plan?” The man asked mildly, easing up into a straight posture once more and turning his gaze to the forest. “Y’know, if it really was a centaur, a rogue centaur if alone. One that could easily overpower and pull you into the forest as a sacrifice to the acromantulas if it had a mind to?” His tone was light as he described the scenario, curious almost. He was genuinely interested to know how well he thought through whatever plans he may or may not have had for the forest.

“Let’s say it wasn’t a centaur. Shape shifter, maybe—those are dead interesting, tricky more often and as dangerous but brilliant, don’t you think? That could carry you off in a heartbeat.” The idea fascinated and horrified him.

The man paused then to spare a glance down at his company. “How long would it take for your friends to report you missing?” It was a good opportunity to gauge student responses in crisis. How soon would he be alerted to something being wrong?

Would He be alerted? Did this need a seminar too??

His plan? He was supposed to have a plan?!

Józef had definitely not thought that far ahead. He kept his eyes on the headmasters face even as the man turned back to look at the forest, probably for the centaur he'd lied about.

Then acromantulas were brought up, and being dragged off and sacrificed, and Jó's eyes widened. And not in the 'that sounds terrifying' way that the teacher might have expected - no, Jó's eyes definitely screamed curiosity and excitement and it was pretty obvious that the second year was not the brightest of the bunch.

And now he was bringing up shape shifters?! The Gryffindor hadn't even known the forest had shape shifters! This was just getting way cooler by the second.

He NEEDED TO GO IN.

"Don't know. I mean, my dorm mates would notice pretty quick." Especially because Jó was taking every opportunity to remind Lucas about his looooooove for him. He tried to convert his expression to one of seriousness as he spoke, and he thought he'd succeeded - which he most definitely had not.

DaniDiNardo · 01-13-2019, 08:01 AM

Honestly, he wasn't trying to terrify the boy. That wasn't the first thought to cross his mind. No, he was genuinely curious about if the boy had a plan beyond "do it then die". That tended to be a problem with Gryffindors--or had been while he was at school but with everything that had happened thus far, it may have still be a safe bet.

The man scratched absent-mindedly at his chin while he considered his response. They'd know he was missing pretty quickly.

Hmm.

"Quick enough to make sure we aren't just looking for your body after?" Next important question. "As you can imagine, something like that would be troublesome--not for you, you'll be dead. It won't matter much then for you, but y'know, for others." Something like that could be traumatizing to some of the students on the search team...if he even allowed them on the search. That was probably considered negligent and that wasn't a title he was trying to earn for himself.

"How long d'you reckon you could hold your own against the things in there? Practically speaking for a moment." He looked to the boy again, the second year who was still learning things like wand lighting charms and how to undo spells. It was a serious sort of look, but a contemplative one too. "What's your strategy? How will you ensure you live to brag about it with things physically bigger and stronger and in groups, often large." Impromptu defense class right here.

How unexpected!

Mar · 01-16-2019, 03:07 AM

Camilus couldn't believe his bad luck! He had come running ahead of his Astronomy classmates to check if the coast was clear for foraging in the Forbidden Forest for sundial sticks but alas!, the Headmaster was still there, and it seemed like he was really grilling the kid from his DADA class.

But after hiding quickly behind a great big moldy pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, Camilus rethought his situation. Maybe it was a good thing that he knew where the Headmaster was. That would mean that if he was over there, then he and his friends could sneak into the forest from right around his position.

Really liking his odds now, Camilus looked over his shoulder, seeing if Kaira and Malachi were on their way over.

Harron Peasley · 01-29-2019, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Honestly, he wasn't trying to terrify the boy. That wasn't the first thought to cross his mind. No, he was genuinely curious about if the boy had a plan beyond "do it then die". That tended to be a problem with Gryffindors--or had been while he was at school but with everything that had happened thus far, it may have still be a safe bet.

The man scratched absent-mindedly at his chin while he considered his response. They'd know he was missing pretty quickly.

Hmm.

"Quick enough to make sure we aren't just looking for your body after?" Next important question. "As you can imagine, something like that would be troublesome--not for you, you'll be dead. It won't matter much then for you, but y'know, for others." Something like that could be traumatizing to some of the students on the search team...if he even allowed them on the search. That was probably considered negligent and that wasn't a title he was trying to earn for himself.

"How long d'you reckon you could hold your own against the things in there? Practically speaking for a moment." He looked to the boy again, the second year who was still learning things like wand lighting charms and how to undo spells. It was a serious sort of look, but a contemplative one too. "What's your strategy? How will you ensure you live to brag about it with things physically bigger and stronger and in groups, often large." Impromptu defense class right here.

How unexpected!

Was this headteacher actually trying to scare him? If he was, it wasn't working.

Not really, anyway.

Even with the mentions of his body, because Józef just knew in his gut that they would never let that happen, right? Even if the stories of the Inferi that Flynn had told him from his hospital bed were playing at the fringes of his thoughts.

NAH. Not him. Jó couldn't think of anything to say, though, with dramatic thoughts of his funeral (obviously, the whole Quidditch team were making speeches about how missed he'd be, and everyone was crying) occupying his brain, so he just shrugged. "Like you said, sir, I'd be dead, so it wouldn't be troublesome for me."

Unless someone confessed there UNDYING LOVE for him WHEN HE WAS TOO DEAD TO KNOW!

"Practically? Don't really know. Depends what they are, how big they are, whether they can climb. I'm a pretty good climber, I'd climb a tree - give me a better vantage." The second years voice was almost thoughtful as he looked away from Headmaster Trent and back towards the trees he spoke of.

Merlin, way to ruin a kids adventures with practical stuff!

laurange · 03-25-2019, 08:09 PM

Faith had gotten everything she had felt would accurately capture the essence of what it meant for her to attend Hogwarts, and after heading to the greenhouses to borrow a shovel, made her way down to ~~Zoryn's~~ their spot out on the hill overlooking the forest. It wasn't like her ride-or-die to be late, but maybe Faith was just early for once in her life. It was difficult to tell when you don't wear a watch.

She could wait in the meantime, going through candids of the Gryffindor common room and the great hall during games of The Floor is Lava or the Halloween Feast, playing with the singed edges of her favourite hair ribbon and smelling the burned silk. It wasn't long before she was in full-on tears, the weight of the word graduation hitting her like a fully grown elephant.

ArianaBlack · 03-25-2019, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurange

Faith had gotten everything she had felt would accurately capture the essence of what it meant for her to attend Hogwarts, and after heading to the greenhouses to borrow a shovel, made her way down to ~~Zoryn's~~ their spot out on the hill overlooking the forest. It wasn't like her ride-or-die to be late, but maybe Faith was just early for once in her life. It was difficult to tell when you don't wear a watch.

She could wait in the meantime, going through candids of the Gryffindor common room and the great hall during games of The Floor is Lava or the Halloween Feast, playing with the singed edges of her favourite hair ribbon and smelling the burned silk. It wasn't long before she was in full-on tears, the weight of the word graduation hitting her like a fully grown elephant.

Their spot.

Funny wasn't it? Something that she had once claimed as her own was now something else she shared with her best friend. best girlfriend. that. That word that Zoryn had a difficult time saying out loud. That word. The girlfriend word. Her Faith Chosen. This spot was theirs.

But this time it was different. She wasn't coming here because her family would be moving to Scotland soon. She wasn't here because she had yet to hear back from U17. She wasn't here in anticipation of exams. In fact, this would be one of her last times here at all. Last time ruling the corridors. Last time sending bludger's at opponents on the quidditch pitch. Last time on the little hill overlooking the forest.

Zoryn Amari Spinnet wasn't one for nostalgia. She much preferred burning her bridges, rather than reminiscing over them. And yet here she was, carrying a dented dud-bludger in her arms, a vial of polyjuice in her bag, and one of Faith's knickers in her pocket. And yes, she was late. But only because she had to find the right shade of lipstick to mark the pants with. Important.

As she walked into the scene before her, she felt a strange fog set over. A figurative fog, that is. She sidled up next to her blonde and wrapped her arms around the girl in embrace. "It's going to be okay."

laurange · 03-25-2019, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Their spot.

Funny wasn't it? Something that she had once claimed as her own was now something else she shared with her best friend. best girlfriend. that. That word that Zoryn had a difficult time saying out loud. That word. The girlfriend word. Her Faith Chosen. This spot was theirs.

But this time it was different. She wasn't coming here because her family would be moving to Scotland soon. She wasn't here because she had yet to hear back from U17. She wasn't here in anticipation of exams. In fact, this would be one of her last times here at all. Last time ruling the corridors. Last time sending bludger's at opponents on the quidditch pitch. Last time on the little hill overlooking the forest.

Zoryn Amari Spinnet wasn't one for nostalgia. She much preferred burning her bridges, rather than reminiscing over them. And yet here she was, carrying a dented dud-bludger in her arms, a vial of polyjuice in her bag, and one of Faith's knickers in her pocket. And yes, she was late. But only because she had to find the right shade of lipstick to mark the pants with. Important.

As she walked into the scene before her, she felt a strange fog set over. A figurative fog, that is. She sidled up next to her blonde and wrapped her arms around the girl in embrace. "It's going to be okay."

Faith heard the footsteps at least a minute before Zoryn arrived at the top of their little hill, and had some time to aggressively rub the tears from her eyes with the heels of her hands and stretch out her arms to her girlfriend. Hugs were a much appreciated and valuable commodity right about now.

"I know I'll be okay if I'm with you," she said shakily, burying her face into Zoryn's shoulder and taking shuddering breaths. "I just don't know if I want to leave. Hogwarts is like home for us, it's where we had so many firsts and it's where we met and became best friends and then fell in love and faced all sorts of awful, awful things together. How do we leave? What if the world is scarier than Hogwarts?"

Clearly all very important things, and nothing like the final letter from the creature reserves that she currently had in her robes. Not quite something she wanted to put into the time capsule, but definitely something she wanted to show Zoryn, who'd convinced her to apply in the first place. To stay home, in the UK, not to run.

Kinda funny how Zoryn was the one telling her off for trying to run away from everything she knew. Nuri would say the word was irony. Faith lacked the vocabulary for these things, but she did know that she was feeling as though she wasn't chasing the same things her classmates were. Many were off to universities and going into professional sports, and she was doing neither. It was like a joke in the cinema, where everyone was laughing, and she was the only one who couldn't for her life figure out what was so funny.

"What did you bring?"

ArianaBlack · 03-26-2019, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurange

Faith heard the footsteps at least a minute before Zoryn arrived at the top of their little hill, and had some time to aggressively rub the tears from her eyes with the heels of her hands and stretch out her arms to her girlfriend. Hugs were a much appreciated and valuable commodity right about now.

"I know I'll be okay if I'm with you," she said shakily, burying her face into Zoryn's shoulder and taking shuddering breaths. "I just don't know if I want to leave. Hogwarts is like home for us, it's where we had so many firsts and it's where we met and became best friends and then fell in love and faced all sorts of awful, awful things together. How do we leave? What if the world is scarier than Hogwarts?"

Clearly all very important things, and nothing like the final letter from the creature reserves that she currently had in her robes. Not quite something she wanted to put into the time capsule, but definitely something she wanted to show Zoryn, who'd convinced her to apply in the first place. To stay home, in the UK, not to run.

Kinda funny how Zoryn was the one telling her off for trying to run away from everything she knew. Nuri would say the word was irony. Faith lacked the vocabulary for these things, but she did know that she was feeling as though she wasn't chasing the same things her classmates were. Many were off to universities and going into professional sports, and she was doing neither. It was like a joke in the cinema, where everyone was laughing, and she was the only one who couldn't for her life figure out what was so funny.

"What did you bring?"

Again, was this a bad time to voice the fact that she hated any and all human tears? Probably. ”Faith… There’s no way the world is any scarier than what we’ve seen here,” they survived INFERI, DARK MAGIC HEXES, and MUGGLE STUDIES HOMEWORK. They could survive anything. In Zoryn Spinnet’s professional opinion. As for the other thing, the Gryffindor shrugged. She felt very little attachment to Hogwarts, actually. ”We’ll make a new place home.” Because Hogwarts wasn’t home, not for Zoryn anyway.

Faith Chosen was home.

She gave her best friend a squeeze, head against the girl’s arm. It would be okay because they’d be together. That’s what ride or dies were for. Despite the urge to run (pfffffft irony? not here!), she was still here wasn't she? She hadn't run yet.

Faith’s question provoked a mischievous grin. Aside from the all-too obvious, broken bludger that she had since abandoned by her feet…. ”The leftover polyjuice," From earlier this term when they pulled the ultimate prank against Maxton Carden. Maybe some future Hogwart's legend would need the help to do something extraordinary. There was also a letter somewhere in her bag. "And.." she paused, totally innocent. "Some girl’s underwear,” she sat up, letting go of her friend and pulling the knickers out of her pocket to show ‘n tell. Who did they belong to anyway?

Heh.

Did she recognize them?

laurange · 04-01-2019, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Again, was this a bad time to voice the fact that she hated any and all human tears? Probably. ”Faith… There’s no way the world is any scarier than what we’ve seen here,” they survived INFERI, DARK MAGIC HEXES, and MUGGLE STUDIES HOMEWORK. They could survive anything. In Zoryn Spinnet’s professional opinion. As for the other thing, the Gryffindor shrugged. She felt very little attachment to Hogwarts, actually. ”We’ll make a new place home.” Because Hogwarts wasn’t home, not for Zoryn anyway.

Faith Chosen was home.

She gave her best friend a squeeze, head against the girl’s arm. It would be okay because they’d be together. That’s what ride or dies were for. Despite the urge to run (pfffffft irony? not here!), she was still here wasn't she? She hadn't run yet.

Faith’s question provoked a mischievous grin. Aside from the all-too obvious, broken bludger that she had since abandoned by her feet…. ”The leftover polyjuice," From earlier this term when they pulled the ultimate prank against Maxton Carden. Maybe some future Hogwart's legend would need the help to do something extraordinary. There was also a letter somewhere in her bag. "And.." she paused, totally innocent. "Some girl’s underwear,” she sat up, letting go of her friend and pulling the knickers out of her pocket to show ‘n tell. Who did they belong to anyway?

Heh.

Did she recognize them?

This would probably be the worst time to be reminded that Zoryn didn't like human emotion because Faith Chose was a whole bundled mess of them, and all her feelings were tangled with each other worse than the ball of yarn that Qitty loved to play with. She was panicked and scared and tired, but also happy and relieved. It was a very confusing time.

Kissing Zoryn's cheek lightly, she offered her girlfriend a watery smile. "Okay," she said, but she meant I love you. A lot of things Faith Chosen said to Zoryn Spinnet actually meant I love you. Like when she asked if Zoryn had eaten, or when she reminded her not to stay up too late, or when she asked her to go back to sleep.

And then the mood shifted, and Zoryn's grin turned mischievous and Faith's heart skipped a whole beat. Laughing, she nudged her best friend lightly. "How did you even manage to keep that hidden all year?" Honestly.

But nothing prepared her for the next thing Zoryn had brought. Suddenly it felt extremely warm -- which was strange in Scotland, even if it was quickly approaching summer. A rosy flush spread over Faith's face, creeping its way down her neck and past the collar of her shirt. "I'd been wondering where those had gotten to."

Merlin, strike her dead. Please.

Okay, okay. Time to change the subject. "I brought something else," she said, reaching into her bag for the envelope. The seal from the Galloway Rehabilitation Reserve was already broken and the letter a little crumpled from how haphazardly she'd held it as she tried to read it the first time. "I wanted to tell you first."

ArianaBlack · 04-01-2019, 07:44 PM

Well the good news? Zoryn Spinnet had tact sometimes. Apparently she had tact when it came to her gi-- her girl-- her girlfrrr. Her bestfriend who she had feelings for and got up to no good with. That one. Faith Chosen. ANYWAY. If it had been anyone else, she would've pushed them away and kindly (not-so-kindly) would have asked them not to cry on her. But. Here they were. Alas. This was it folks, this was real life character development.

And so, life went on.

Zoryn knew what it meant. She had always known what it meant. Because when she rolled her eyes, or begged Faith to stay up a little longer to talk, or asked to share a bed, she meant I love you too. She brushed a finger along Faith's cheek to wipe away a rogue tear. AND LET IT BE KNOWN, SHE HATED HUMAN TEARS. So this was BIG. Revolutionary, even. Wow. She had officially become a cheesy, after-school special. Was it too late to go back a couple of paragraphs and redact that bit about not running away? Because she was thinking it. Kind of.

Only she wasn't really because while she was a master of running, she was also a master of changing the topic AND the mood. "I'm good at everything I do, you should know that by now." It was a slight overstatement, but. At least she had her confidence. And Faith's rosy red face. While bringing the girl's knickers was really meant to be a blessing for whoever happened to dig up their time capsule sometime in the future, it was also for instant gratification. And Zoryn Spinnet? She was instantly gratified. "Oohhh," she slapped her forehead, feigning a 'realization'. "No wonder they look familiar!" Don't worry, she had saved herself another pair.

She sent Faith the smirk to end all smirks, before her features knotted into one of curiosity. The galloway Rehabilitation Reserve? ".......... WELL?"

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