It was one of those Friday afternoons after lessons had finished for the day. It also happened to be one of those cold January days which explained why Claudine was all bundled up in warm clothing. Her bag was slung over her back. It didn’t contain much: just the essentials- her art supplies.The Snakette wrapped her arms around herself as she stood behind a tree on the edge of the Forest, waiting on Bernie. The reason she was hidden was because she did not want another student or worst, a professor, to see her; the Forest was off limits to students.

Claudine peeked around the tree’s trunk, hoping for a sign that her Gryffindor friend was on her way.

Bernie was trying to be as sneaky as possible as she stole out of the castle, hood up, and made her way out to the grounds. Now she wasn't the least suspicious of students her age, nor the most clever or subtle, but she was well prepared for this adventure, wherever it would take her, and was well-fed and hydrated. She had also packed extra snacks and a water bottle just in case, and was just finishing up munching her way through a chocolate chip cookie she'd nicked from the kitchens on her way out here. Little did she know she was leaving a trail of cookie crumbs as she marched into the forest, but that was the least of her concerns as she pushed past bushes and branches in search of Claudine.

Hmm. Guess the Slytherin was really, REALLY good at hide-and-go-seek. "Psst," she whispered into the void of night, hoping her friend would answer. "Yoohoo?"

SPOILER!!: Bernie! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

Bernie was trying to be as sneaky as possible as she stole out of the castle, hood up, and made her way out to the grounds. Now she wasn't the least suspicious of students her age, nor the most clever or subtle, but she was well prepared for this adventure, wherever it would take her, and was well-fed and hydrated. She had also packed extra snacks and a water bottle just in case, and was just finishing up munching her way through a chocolate chip cookie she'd nicked from the kitchens on her way out here. Little did she know she was leaving a trail of cookie crumbs as she marched into the forest, but that was the least of her concerns as she pushed past bushes and branches in search of Claudine.

Hmm. Guess the Slytherin was really, REALLY good at hide-and-go-seek. "Psst," she whispered into the void of night, hoping her friend would answer. "Yoohoo?"

A few minutes of peeking brought Bernie into her line of sight. The Gryffindor seemed to be munching on something but that had the least of Claudine’s attention. All she wanted was for her friend to make it into the Forest without being seen. After all, they didn’t want to get caught before this big adventure started, did they? “I’m here,’’ came the quiet reply and Claudine slipped out from behind the tree. She actually beamed, which was quite an unusual thing for her to do.

“Hey, Bernie. Do you reckon the centaurs are far off into the Forest?’’ Claudine had never actually seen one and was quite hoping to change this. Already she was looking eagerly towards the thick mass of trees as though hoping to see the swish of a tail or hear the clop-clop of hooves.

Adventure, here they came.

GASP! Claudine had been right there in front of her nose all along! Bernie tried not to jump back, startled as she was, but she did nearly lose her balance and had to catch herself on the tree trunk to avoid totally falling over.

Ahem.

"Hi, friend." She beamed back at her. Oh, they were looking for centaurs, were they? Maybe they'd see some unicorns too? Not that, like, Bernie cared about that girly stuff or anything except she totally, t o t a l l y did. "I bet they're at least a little ways in. I think they have a big camp here, so it has to be somewhere separate from the acromantulas." She was pretty sure she'd read about Hogwarts' centaurs in at least one of her textbooks.

SPOILER!!: Friend! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

GASP! Claudine had been right there in front of her nose all along! Bernie tried not to jump back, startled as she was, but she did nearly lose her balance and had to catch herself on the tree trunk to avoid totally falling over.

Ahem.

"Hi, friend." She beamed back at her. Oh, they were looking for centaurs, were they? Maybe they'd see some unicorns too? Not that, like, Bernie cared about that girly stuff or anything except she totally, t o t a l l y did. "I bet they're at least a little ways in. I think they have a big camp here, so it has to be somewhere separate from the acromantulas." She was pretty sure she'd read about Hogwarts' centaurs in at least one of her textbooks.

Claudine saw that; the fact that she had startled Bernie. Thank Merlin the other girl hadn’t fallen over. Claudine gave Bernie an apologetic look but her eyes immediately seemed to brighten as they began talking about what they wanted to see. It was rare that Claudine let her facial expressions betray her but at present, it couldn’t be helped. For at the mention of acromantulas, she wrinkled her face in slight disgust and apprehension. Don’t get her wrong, she liked creatures but acromantulas… they were flesh eaters.

“Do you have any idea precisely where the acromantulas live? Don’t fancy running into them…’’ Motioning with her hand, Claudine began to head for the Forest. “Better keep our wands at the ready.’’ Her fingers were wrapped tightly around her own.

"I haven't the foggiest," Bernie answered honestly, if not a bit too cheerfully for the question her friend had asked. She beamed anyway and got her wand out, casting lumos on it to get the light going as they took off. "Think anyone's gonna see these out here?" she asked after a quiet moment, gesturing toward her lit wand. "I don't want to get caught before we see anything decent...."

IF they get caught, she meant. Didn't want to MAYBE get caught because a dumb lumos gave them away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

"I haven't the foggiest," Bernie answered honestly, if not a bit too cheerfully for the question her friend had asked. She beamed anyway and got her wand out, casting lumos on it to get the light going as they took off. "Think anyone's gonna see these out here?" she asked after a quiet moment, gesturing toward her lit wand. "I don't want to get caught before we see anything decent...."

IF they get caught, she meant. Didn't want to MAYBE get caught because a dumb lumos gave them away.

Bernie had no idea about the location of acromantulas, Claudine had no idea either so they were just going in blindly. Well, not literally. “It’s a possibility,’’ she replied and moved closer to her friend. “I think I’ll wait until we’re among thicker trees to light mine.’’ That made a lot of sense but in the meanwhile, she would stick close to Bernie and use the other girl’s wand light to be guided.

“Come on, let’s go. Wonder what creature we’ll see first.’’ This was Claudine’s excited musing as she took a few steps towards denser trees.

Piers had five dogs. A couple of them were a little soft in the head, but the others were rather intelligent and were very good at sniffing out good and bad behavior (much like himself), and sniffing down trails. The trail that one Australian Shepherd tracked down that night while Piers was out making sure all the students were back in the castle before dusk was one of two adventurous second years who were about to get in a LOT of trouble.

BARK! BARK! BARK!

Hearing the signal from his doggo, Piers met the dog at the edge of the forest and spotted a light, one that looked like it was at the tip of a wand.

Sigh.

Kids never listened, did they?

Lighting his wand, Piers followed the light, knowing whoever it was wasn't too far in. That's when he heard two female voices chattering. They were rather bad at being secretive, weren't they? "Come on out, guys. Now. If you wait, I'll have my dog drag you out by your ankles." It wasn't entirely true. Winnie was an angel. But he could threaten.

They had been waiting in silence since they first caught scent of the human young. Ambush was a spider’s game and this large breed was no exception. It was one of their own who’d seen the girls first enter the forest and a small group of them had come to see for themselves.

Things were still a little strange in the forest. While the acromantulas worked to rebuild their colony, boundaries needed re-establishing. There was unrest among the trees and prey was taking its own time to return as well.

Blast that mist and the dark creature that had slithered within it. Now the acromantulas were hungry. These days, they felt hungrier than anyone had a right to while they waited for normalcy to return. A pair of little humans would serve them well. But drat there was a next human, an older one and he’d brought barking snacks. They would not let their careful game be for nothing.

“NOW!” The leader of the hunt bellowed and suddenly the dark forest came alive as several acromantulas sprang into view. Three stood between the man and the girls, pincers snapping in anticipation. This was their meal and no one would ruin it.

Well of course Claudine could wait to light her wand now that Bernie's was on! The second year didn't mind though, because she was happy and excited to be going on this forest adventure. "Think any of those boggarts are still out here?" she mused to her friend, walking closer to the other girl than she normally would because it was pretty spooky out here. "I bet---"

Bernie was cut off, or rather, barked over suddenly by what sounded like an entire pack of dogs. She couldn't see them, but they sounded like they were right next to her and Claudine. Bernie swore loudly and turned off the light at the end of her wand. "It's Fuller!" she whispered to her friend, as though that weren't obvious as he addressed them directly.

But then there was something else speaking, and clicking, and bowling into sight over them. Something massive, and hairy, and smelly, with multiple legs and arms and and and---

"ACROMANTULASSSS," she breathed, frozen in place, mostly in awe at the creatures more than anything else. Bernie didn't move a muscle, but her eyes did flick over to Claudine, whom she could barely see in the sudden dark. "Ummmmmmmmmm, should we... run?!!"

Boggarts?

In all of her excitement about the upcoming adventure, Claudine had not thought of the Boggarts that had infested Hogwarts. “Um. No?’’ But she was uncertain as there was a possibility that the Ministry folks missed one here or one there. “Let’s hope the Ministry got them all.’’ She was about to comment further on the issue when she heard the doggies at the same time as Bernie. The barks were closely followed by the unmistakable voice of her Head of House. She looked crossly at Bernie. “Why is it that adults always have to ruin the fun?” Honestly. What party poopers they were.

Also… did he really think that anyone would take his threat seriously? At least this Snakette wouldn’t. Then came that deadly voice that made her blood turn cold and a shudder ran through her. The clicking, it was the clicking that gave them away. Claudine was frozen now, too shocked to move when she realised that there of the creatures blocking her’s and Bernie’s exit from the Forest.

Oh, she wanted to run but terror had taken over her. That poker face that she usually wore melted away and was replaced with a panicky and terrified expression: wide eyes, mouth agape as though silently screaming.

Good luck getting her to be of any help right now.

Piers didn't have TIME to tell these children how DUMB their little adventure idea was, because it was being proven to them by the herd of acromantulas that suddenly sprang into sight, threatening to EAT them all for dinner.

Great.

He regretted coming out of retirement.

"Run!" he yelled at the girls, his wand immediately going to shoot a silent blast at the acromantulas to try and knock them off their feet a bit. In the meantime, his dog barked and barked, though even the tough thing started to cower, backing away from the monsters. Piers shot a frantic patronus to the Headmaster, calling for help, a) because he was the headmaster and b) because he was going to be much better at casting defensive and offensive spells at the monsters.

Run? Yes, run little tasty things, right into the snapping pincers of those in wait. The girls could run for the exit—if they could get through the wall of spiders building or they could run deeper into the forest. Personally, they would prefer them run right into their mouths. It would save them an actual hunt.

A blast from behind them scattered the spiders momentarily but another four quickly crawled over to take their place. They would not pass.

Another set rushed out toward the man and his barking companions. They were not off the menu and dogs were easily carried away as needed when the time came.

There would be a feast tonight.

A pair lunged forward. One sunk its pincers into the first girl (Bernadette’s) shoulder in a vice like grip and behind tugging her further in. Another latched on to the other girl’s (Claudine) leg and began the same.

Was someone getting the dogs? They were the appetisers before the main feast.

Why wasn't Claudine MOVING?! Bernie glanced again at her friend and noticed that the Slytherin looked as pale as a ghost. Did she--- did she not like giant, people-eating spiders?! Huh, imagine that. She heard Fuller behind them, telling them to run, and turned to take off; Bernie would just DRAG Clau---

"OUCHHHHhhhhhhhhh," the second year cried out, suddenly unable to run away like the speed demon she was. The pain in her left shoulder was like a thousand times worse than anytime her mother had pinched her for acting up in church. "Something's got me! CLAUDINE! GET AWAY!" Bernie couldn't see where she was being tugged to, or what was happening to her friend, but she had the sense to at least hold on tightly to her wand.

She aimed it over her head at (what she assumed) was the acromantula holding on to her. "EXPELLIARMUS!" You stupid, stupid mean spider!!!!!!!!!

Fuller-Thmpson’s word of advice for her and Bernie to run actually pierced through Claudine’s ears but she was still too shocked and terrorised to do anything. The pincers that were snapping all around was the only thing she fully registered. It was a terrifying thing, those pincers. Even as those spiders advanced on them, she couldn’t bring her voice forth to utter that incantation that lurked on the tip of her tongue.

It was only when that spider sunk its pincers into her leg that she let out a scream that echoed terribly along with Bernie’s throughout the Forest. At the first tug, Claudine fell on her side which resulted in her being dragged forward. Surprisingly, however, it was Bernie’s voice casting a spell at the other spider rather than her own plight that made her focus.

The Snakette could feel something warm gushing from her leg which could only mean that her skin was punctured and that warm liquid was blood. Her wand was lifted and pointed at the spider that had her. “ARANIA EXUMAI,’’ she shouted, partially because of the pain from her leg, partially from her terror but mostly from her will to survive.

Hello, she still had to live to become a professional artist.

“ARANIA EXUMAI,’’ she yelled again and jets of blue light shot at the spider.

And hopefully Bernie would copy the spell she was using? Claudine didn't exactly see the spiders holding any sort of weapon so that they could be disarmed.

Maybe Bernie was loosing her head.

Hopefully not in the literal sense.

He had very much been asleep when the nearly shrill patronus busted into his sleeping quarters in all its urgency. He'd barely had time to process whatever was happening before the man had thrown off the covers and scrambled to his feet.

Something about the forest and needing help.

The forest?

What forest?

Could you tell he hadn't been fully awake even after he'd pulled on his boots? Malachi cast an acceleration spell on himself, worried that in his current state he wouldn't otherwise have gotten there in time but the man staggered to a full stop at the sight of the spiders.

Giant. Man-eating. Spiders.

As if the mist hadn't been enough. AS IF he hadn't suffered enough with FAKE spiders. What were they doing so close to the forest edge? "What's going o--" He began to ask Piers over the loud bark of the dogs, but then he heard a familiar voice. Two for that matter. Between the sobering fear and the sound of two second years who'd better start praying they were eaten, Trent was now fully awake. Fully awake and fully aware that with the swarms that were now arriving, this was a sticky situation.

The Headmaster took a DEEP breath before dipping inside the trees. Like Claudine, he was also casting, "Arania Exumai!" Again and again, trying to make his way to the girls. "Piers, with me." They'd have to watch each other's backs as they made their way through the swarm.

It was never ideal when the meal tried to fight back. The first one’s (Bernadette) spells did nothing to disarm the unarmed spiders and in that time, several others had descended, trying to get a piece for themselves. The acromantulas sunk their pincers into another part of her, ripping at her robes in places and breaking skin in others.

The second’s (Claudine) proved to be a bit more useful in that it sent the spider who’d been gripping tightly reeling. He was, however soon replaced by his brothers and sisters who all wanted a piece.

A pair lunged at her, one grabbing hold of each hand at the wrist. They pulled in separate directions, enticed by the taste of things to come. Others joined the party soon enough, it was a frenzied attack but they knew they would have to take them back to the colony before anyone could enjoy them fully.

The yapping mongrels fared no better. Two were picked up and carried off into the forest, yelping and snarling as they were.

The appearance of another (Trent) did not deter them. Spiders turned on him but his spells repelled them each in turn. For a bit. There was a crowd further into the forest, making their way closer to the scene of this battle. Soon, they would be overwhelmed and there would be food.

Okay, well, if Bernie's spell had WORKED in the way Bernie had INTENDED, the stupid spider that had her by the shoulder would have DROPPED HER by now. Guess one could only interpret spells literally, huh? DUMB SPIDERS.

"Let! Me! GO!" the second year flailed, kicking and growling at the monsters that held her, but only receiving more pain in return. This hurt. This really, really hurt. Her robes would be a mess if she made it out of here alive and she was pretty sure her shoulder was torn up now. Bernie felt her eyes filling with tears as a spider stuck its pincer right into her thigh, which began to burn with pain.

Through the tears, she could just barely see her friend Claudine being pulled in half, or at least that's what it looked like was happening. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the second year wailed, waving her wand at the spiders attacking Claudine, and shouting, "ARANIA EXuMAI! ARANIA EXUMAI!" She didn't really know this spell but she wasn't giving up her best friend so fast! "ARANIA EXUMAI! ARANIA EXUMAI! ARANIA EXUMAI!" Bernie was going to cast that spell until she was hoarse, or dead; whichever happened first.

She heard a voice that wasn’t Bernie’s or Fuller-Thompson’s copy the spell she was using. It was a familiar one but she had pressing matters at hand which prevented her from figuring out whom it belonged to. She had just a second to breathe for her spell proved helpful in freeing her from the spider. But that one was replaced by even more. Claudine was terrified but the rush of adrenaline flooding her body pushed her to fight back.

Or at least, attempt to fight back.

Because now her hands were caught by separate spiders and they were pulling her in opposite directions. The pain was intense; it felt like her arms would be ripped out of their sockets. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!’’ she screamed, with such intensity to curdle blood. This wasn’t how she was supposed to die, right? Not food to some stupid, savage meat-eaters. She fought to ignore the pain. “Arania Exumai.’’ The spell came from a feeble voice but there was a flash of blue light directed at the spider clinging her right wrist.

The pain was going to make her faint.

She could hear Bernie fighting for her life. “You go, Bernie. Fight them. I hope you make it out even if I don’t,” she thought. Claudine always liked Bernie, from the moment they met. Sure, Bernie liked Blake better and those two were besties but still… that Gryffindor had been the first real friend she had. It was a pity Bernie knew nothing of how Claudine felt because well… Claudine usually kept her feelings bottled up.

And now she was going to die before their great adventure had even started.

“Aran-’’

The remaining words never got out for she had fainted and her wand slipped from her hand.

bdjhgvdfuycfhfsi

Why did it ALWAYS have to be spiders. They couldn’t have gotten attacked by unicorns or even centaurs. No, had to go straight for the man eating creepy crawlies that haunted his dreams enough, thanks.

Trent continued to cast his way through the onslaught of spiders, in time to get an arm around a now limp Blaze. “Confringo.” If they wouldn’t back off with warnings, he had no choice but to take them out. Couldn’t very well let them eat the girls. That wasn’t on the agenda for the night. Admittedly, it was the dogs being dragged away that brought his attention back to Grantham who they were trying to do the same with.

At least she hadn’t gone unconscious. Lugging around two students while fending spiders off would’ve been less than convenient. The dropped wand went unnoticed in all the chaos.

“Forget repelling them at this point, Grantham. We’ll have to blast our way out. You should be quite skilled at that by now.” The girl had taken to bombarda. It was time to put it to use.

“Blast your way back to the tree line, I’ve got Blaze.”

“Bombarda maxima!”

This was no longer going the way they had hoped. No sooner had they gotten hold of the girls, there were more bright lights and their hunt was in danger of being for naught. While one girl (Claudine) had done the bulk of their work when she passed out, the other (Bernie) was fighting back. The acromantulas who’d been on her were blasted backward before they knew what was happening.

Blasts were coming from what seemed like all directions. And then it happened. The explosion that sent innards flying outward. Claudine was released post explosion and the spiders who were spared shrieked as they retreated, both in horror and distress at the loss of their own.

The night was filled with the loud cries of the acromantulas. Their anger. Their fear. One went at the man who managed to steal back one of their prey and managed to get his pincers around Trent in a vice grip. But, before it could wrench the arm away by the shoulder, it too exploded.

“Retreeeaaat.” One called. This was no longer worth it. Their numbers could not stand to be reduced further.

Look, Bernie would have LOVED to have been "attacked" by unicorns just as much as the next girl, but the stupid spiders on the edge of the forest got to them first, so what was she going to do about it? Just give up? Not this lion. Not today!

"B-blastthem???" the second year gasped, starting to feel woozy herself due to all her puncture wounds and her almost certainly broken shoulder. She was aware enough to realize, almost hazily, that she was speaking to the Headmaster, and that he had saved them, which was both good AND bad, and that Claudine had collapsed, and and and the spider holding her was leaving suddenly, and that she had to just make it to the edge of the forest. Where had the groundskeeper/Charms professor gone??? Was she going to get another detention if she made it out of here??? Why was it so c-c-cold here now??? So many questions...

Bernie shivered and tried to focus on just standing upright still, even as the pain shooting through her thigh brought more tears to her blue eyes. "Bombarda!" She cast, aiming for any and all spiders, even the ones that were scurrying away. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and kept going, though she wasn't casting her favourite spell with her usual gusto. "Bombarda! Bombarda! Bombarda..."

Her foot crunched on something hard as she struggled to limp behind the Headmaster, and Bernie nearly fell over as she scooped up the stick...er, wand... was it? It was hard to see in this light, but maybe this was Claudine's??? She gritted her teeth and pocketed it for now, continuing to limp miserably out of the forest, and still aiming at the stupid spiders. "Bombarda...!"

Piers shot defensive and blasting spells at the acromantulas and was trying not to hit the girls when they were captured by them. His heart was racing, but thankfully the Headmaster arrived and provided some more support. He couldn't let these kids DIE on his watch even though it was 1000% their fault that they were in this mess.

And then.... he was watching his dogs get carried away into the forest. Piers froze in terror, anger and sadness knowing that they wouldn't last two minutes in the pincers of the spiders.

It took him a moment to snap out of it, but hearing and seeing spiders being exploded finally managed to do the trick. Piers blinked back some dog-mourning tears and looked over at the Headmaster, who thankfully had managed to grab Claudine. He heard his orders to Bernie to blast her way to the treeline, and he took the idea as well.

Piers quickly headed over to Bernie just as she was stooping down to pick something up. "Come on, hurry up," he ordered, grabbing the girl's arm to tug her towards the treeline. He was unaware that she was just picking up the other girl's wand, but he just wanted to get OUT of there.

"Bombarda Maxima!" he shouted at any remaining spiders, his spell powerfully fueled with the anger he felt for the loss of his dogs.

How the tables had quickly turned.

This hunt was no longer in their best interest and with blasts coming from all directions, it was time to abandon this entirely. The survivors scampered off into the thick trees, their clicks and shrieks soon the only things to be heard. Some that were wounded retreated at a slower rate but soon enough, the spiders were gone.

It wasn’t worth the trouble. They now had wounded to attend to and dinner to source somewhere else.