Alright, ok.

Their was mixed feelings about going into the Forbidden Forest. On one hand, it was a neat little thing to do. Explore an area of the school that would otherwise be against the rules to do. While on the other, Archie at least did see the reason as to why that rule was in place. Many other creatures besides Unicorns also called the deep depth of the dark woods as their own. Kinds that the Slytherin wouldn't even know how to best go about dealing with. Hopefully, at the very least, there would be no spiders. Merlin forbid what would happen if the teen saw a huge acromantula or something of the sorts.

Also in the same breath of relief, there was the fact that they probably wouldn't even be dealing with Unicorns themselves, just the traces they left behind. Trying to get a tuft of hair directly from the source sounded like a rather unpleasant experience, at least in his opinion. While as a whole, it was still to be said Archie didn't mean seeing a creature as majestic as it would be, but to get up close and personal would be a different story entirely. Everyone had their favorite things and little nuances. Magical creatures were neither of those for himself.

Once the direction of the task ahead was made clear by Professor Paton, the 13 year old would go over and grab one of the bags that was being provided. Upon doing so, his eyes would scan between who all was gravitating towards who for groups, and who was still in need of one. He'd spot a fellow Slytherin student who was asking the very question which crossed Archie's own mind aloud. So, putting his book back in his bag and using that free hand to wave towards Mandrake in an attempt to get his attention, he'd then also start to walk towards the second year casually. "I'll join you, Drake."

His attention would then turn to the rest of the students who still needed a group as well; stating "Anyone else wanna join up with us two, speak now or forever hold you peace."

Sloane had to smile to herself, noticing how the Professor ignored her enthusiasm for giant poking. It couldn’t have been any more obvious and honestly, all it did was make her want to do it more. Before today’s lesson, she hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic about going into the forest but now, she was almost eager to delve into the dark recesses of the forest and explore every nook and cranny.

The fact that they weren’t going far was less than ideal but maybe she could sneak away from the rest of the students? Even with the buddy system, she didn’t think it would be hard to do so. Professor Adara however was another thorn in her side.

With a small sigh, Sloane turned to the rest of the students and looked for someone she could convince to cover for her while she split off into the forest. As the groups started to form, Sloane stayed away from the larger groups with some of the older kids and instead, found herself walking confidently over to one of her second year housemates (Drake) and someone else from her house who she vaguely knew (Archie).

“sURE. I’ll partner with you,” her expression one of boredom as she walked over to Drake, stopping a little too close so that she could whisper to him, “Just as long as you’ll cover for me so I can try and slip away,” her expression the definition of innocence. “and you too, of course,” she added at the end for Archie.

Well that was true. No one could positively say that there was no such thing as a Unicorn that pooped rainbows and if she wanted to believe as such then she was free to do so but there was also societal expectations that told her as a fourteen year old she should perhaps not be living so much in the clouds. But that was a future Aurora problem, for now she was going to continue to be excited about the most magical beasts she could think of. Not TOO excited though to the extent that she’d scare them off with her over-zealous squealing. There might be a few tears welling in her eyes however, the type that threatened whenever you saw something so impossibly cute that your body just reacts by bawling.

It was obviously a given that Aurora would be partnering with one of her favourite people by the tight grip she had on Anna’s arm when Brandon came over to ask to be partners. “We come as a two-for-one” she beamed proudly. If Brandon wanted her Bestie’s company then he was going to have to tolerate double sunshine and rainbows for the remainder of the lesson. It was also strange that Aurora had somehow guessed that the buddy system would be adopted without actually knowing as such. Perhaps she was secretly a Seer? She had no intention of pursuing Divination but maybe this was the universe's way of telling her that she could predict the future?!

Or more likely it was a coincidence.

She didn’t know Eliza too well but the young Slytherin received one of her trademark grins anyway, a welcome to the group type of introduction. She followed Anna’s arm swinging back and forth as if the rhythm they were generating was going to propel them forward through the forest at great speed.

Speaking of the forest, the Ravenclaw had not yet given thought to the dangerous creatures that lurked behind the tree line. Not because she was feeling particularly brave but more so that her mind was entirely focused on the positives rather than the negatives.

Regulus could not help but think that the safety measures were a little over the top. The Forest was not usually so magically fenced off, though he supposed he might make a certain kind of sense to put the barrier in place when actively leading students inside. Easy to slip away otherwise; about as easy as it was to slip into the tree line from anywhere along its borders, but still. These professors probably had to cover their backs where errant students were concerned, and the rest of them would essentially be babied as a result.

If he felt any actual disappointment, though, Regulus didn't show it. Similarly, there was no sign of apprehension or of eagerness on his masterfully schooled features. He collected a bag, and then regarded the other students, considering who he might join with to make a group. Aurora or maybe Brandon were perhaps most likely, but they were in a group already, maxed out at four - at least, Professor Paton had intimated that four was the maximum number for a group.

Ultimately, though, Regulus wasn't fussed. Though lacking in close friends of the type that Aurora and Anna seemed to be, he also lacked anything in the way of enemies - so far, at least - and so his options weren't exactly limited. Once he'd taken a bag for the possible collecting of potions ingredients, Regulus' gaze fell upon a group of three that had already formed, every member of which was a Slytherin. Without waiting for a specific invitation or asking to join the fold, he crossed over to join them.

"Hello," was his simple greeting for the group at large. He decided also to pretend that he had not noticed any whispering on his way over, and made no attempt to discover the secret. Something told Regulus it was best not to be in the know for this one.

He nodded ahead - towards the professor who was making her way into the trees - indicating that they ought to follow.

Only one person known to have done it didn't mean that it hadn't been done unknowingly. But Emma wasn't about to argue with that. She turned around from where she was standing to spot the potions mistress, finger wiggling over at her when Professor Paton acknowledged her presence. Extra precautionary measures were never a bad thing. As for the next steps it seemed they were partnering up ... or well, grouping up since there seemed to be two main groups forming. Perhaps one group was meant to go with Adara and one with Paton? She spotted Ary and before she had the chance to partner him, he was approaching Desiree.

Then there was Drake asking about pairing up and well she made the move to jump on that, but it seemed asking for pairing got you three, since there was Archie joining, and offering it up as a group. Which got a Sloane and Regulus too. "Room for one more?" she asked, sidling up to Sloane to link her arm to her fellow 2nd year girlie.

___


Professor Adara would have been content to stay quiet as her sole presence was based on the fact that the Headmaster was wanting some extra supervision into dangerous territories such as the forbidden forest. Searching for potion ingredients hadn't even crossed the woman's mind as surely it would have with some of her predecessors. Was that a thing people even did? She had a budget but typically the school provided whatever supplies she wanted ....

"The only thing viable to take from a living unicorn would the tail hair." She wasn't a monster and going to rip off their horn, which is why the latter was such a rare ingredient. "Nothing in particular jumps out, but I suppose never hurts to keep your eyes open for anything unusual." Saplings and such. Good thing she brought some empty vials with her, although the summoning charm was always a thing, had she forgotten.

She was here for the students though, not potion ingredients and it seemed everyone was finding partners and groups okay, but she was happy to walk with anyone who felt uncomfortable. Or just take up the rear of the group where she could follow behind to keep eyes and ears out.

Alissa was a little bit disappointed that they weren't going to go see a unicorn today, just look for things it left behind in the forest. But that could be fun too. It was like a scavenger hunt. The only problem was the prospect of working in groups and, well, not having one. When Professor Paton first instructed them to partner up she'd turned toward Aurora and Anna, hoping to group up with them. But then Brandon had asked to group up, and brought along a younger Slytherin too so it seemed like they were full. Okay, sure, that was fine. She pivoted toward Regulus, a Slytherin she didn't know very well but who Aurora had initially been standing next to when Liss had joined them at the beginning of class. Except he was already joining a group too and now it seemed like everyone had a group except her. "Um, does anyone still need a partner?" She asked tentatively.

Well they weren't looking at Bowtruckles and they weren't actually petting unicorns, either, AND they literally couldn't wander off this path??? "Whatever," Zara huffed to herself, blowing a few strands of reddish hair off her forehead. What. Ever. Maybe she would just go back to the castle then. Especially since they had to have partners or whatever and she HATED partner work.

"Fine, me, it's fine, we can work together," she waved her hand at the Ravenclaw who looked lost already. "I'm Zara. We can be buddies or whatever." Ughhhhhhh. Nothing personal to the Ravenclaw, this just seemed like a babyish walk instead of a cool excursion into the Forest. And that did show on Zara Bunbury-Foster's expressive face. Annoyance. That's what was showing.

Hadleigh was always thankful for the extra eyes and ears that came in the form of another staff member. This being Amelia today, obviously. "Absolutely." She would never ever harm a unicorn or any creature for that matter. It was highly unlikely no one would be finding any unicorn horns today, with how rare those were to come across in finding. "We can all certainly do that. It's just like being constantly vigilant everyone, keeping our eyes open to anything an everything." This was how they would find what they were looking for, unicorn hair. And with any luck at all, unicorns themselves!

Truthfully, Hady was one of those people that could stand around and chat all day about creatures but in all honesty there was only so much time within each lesson that she had to work with. So if she had not gone as deeply into a response as she may have liked or as some of her students may have expected her to for some of their questions, she would be more than happy to continue speaking with them as they walked and went on their unicorn hair hunt. She was also always welling to c
hat outside of lessons as well and fill the students heads with knowledge as best as she could.

"Anyone that still needs a buddy can join together or if they prefer join another smaller group, whichever makes you more comfortable. The offer is also there to come walk with Professor Adara or myself. Not that she expected anyone to come join her when they could be walking with friends.

Once inside the forest, Hady mainly stuck to the front of the group but that didn't keep her from looking over her shoulder and watching where all of the students where. "Unicorn hair can be found in the oddest of places at times. It can be lying on the pathways, stuck to branches and the trunk of trees, in bushes and many other places. So keep your eyes open as well as your ears."


OOC: You're all awesome! There's still plenty of time for the kiddos to interact with one another and Hady of course as they search for unicorn hair! They're welcome to find random other things too, creature tracks, plants, or hear noises! They can even think they saw something! I'll be moving us on to the main activity in about 16-20 hours or so xD

Oh good, someone still needed a partner. It would have been pretty embarrassing if everyone else was partnered up and she was the only one left out. Or if no one wanted to work with her. But everything was fine and she had a partner. Even though her new partner didn't seem very happy about it. But she was choosing to believe it was the work she was displeased with, and not specifically partnering with her. She hoped not, anyway.

"I'm Alissa," she said with a friendly smile. Perhaps working with someone she didn't know was a good thing. She did like making new friends. Alissa took one of the colorful bags that Professor Paton was handing out in case they did find any ingredients. Then she turned with Zara to follow the rest of their classmates into the forest.

Just as Eliza had started to worry about not being able to find partner, she found not one, not two, but three people to march to her death with! Well, hopefully not, but she still didn't like the idea of just waltzing on in to the Forbidden Forest. "Yeah, sure. Thanks," she said, keeping her words simple even though she was now eternally grateful for Brandon.

She nodded toward Anna. A quartet? That sounded fabulous! This was she had three different people to throw toward an acromantula if they were attacked! KIDDING. Seriously. She was. She broke her own train of thought by returning Aurora's grin with a grin of her own. Alright. Safety in numbers and all that jazz, right?

Her ears picked up on a bit of the conversation between the two professors. It seemed like neither one of them actually wanted to gather any sort of ingredients. So what exactly were they out here looking for unicorns for? Show and tell? Maybe it was the fact that she was the granddaughter of a former Potions Mistress? Who knew, but either way, Eliza was still holding out for a loose horn or two on the ground. Speaking of which, the first year began scanning the ground, unsure of what she was even looking for.

It gave Maria a litte boost to hear that her answer was right and Professor Paton seemed to have liked it. Many creatures were magical, not just unicorns. Maria instictively turned to Kion when they were told to group for the start of the activity that was to look for unicorn hair. "Yes, of course I want you to be my partner Kion." Professor Adara had slipped into the classes unnoticed which Maria guessed was because they were going to into the forest. "Kion, do you think the unicorn hair will stand out from the other forest greenery?" She wondered quietly. If Professor Paton needed her and Kion as senior students to join a small group of first years or so Maria wouldn't object too much, but she wished to just be with Kion.

Giving Kion's hand an extra squeeze Maria smiled as they began walking into into the forbidden forest behind Professor Paton. "Thanks Kion, I know I can always count on you to keep me/us safe." Walking deeper into the forest made Maria feel uneasy, but she tried to focus on their task, letting her eyes wander around to look for anything that could resemble hair. Spotting something white hanging on a branch that could be hair she reached out to touch it, but then quickly drew her hand back with a disgusted pout. "Yew, that was an icky sticky spider web."

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Ary continued to be worried, peering into the Forest as best as he could in the attempt to catch a glimpse of the unicorns. Sure, he knew it was far fetched as Aunty Hady most likely had them secured some place safer rather than an open place so close to the edge of the forest. Naturally, he was multitasking by listening to the responses from his classmates. He happened to glance at Emma the exact moment she started to speak though he was distracted by Professor Adara making an appearance. He quickly figured that she was there as Aunty Hady’s support since they were going into the forest soon. Aryan wasn’t sure if the softer hands was the reason for unicorns preferring a female’s touch as Kion said; he thought it could also be that girls were usually more gentle in general. In amusement, he eyed Bryony, who seemed to have double the amount of energy than normal today, wondering if the unicorns would feed off of enthusiasm. “Um… because girls can be more gentle in general?” Ary guessed to Aunty Hady. Even Bry was gentle when she needed to be.

With the safety precautions stuck in his brain, Ary drifted towards Desiree, figuring Bry would follow. He figured that having an older student as one of his buddies would come in handy should any trouble be encountered. “Hi. Hope you don’t mind me walking with you, Desiree.” Gripping his wand, Ary started to follow Hady though he was sure to keep up with Desiree’s strides.

Desiree considered Professor Paton’s question. She knew of specific potions that used unicorn parts, such as the Wiggenwled potion and the Antidote to Common Poisons, but that was unicorn horn, not unicorn tail hair! What else could that be used for? She racked her brains. If unicorn tail hair was known for its strength, maybe it could be woven into bandages to make them stronger and easier to bind? Or maybe if one could acquire a lot of unicorn hair, it could be woven into a stretcher? Both of those ideas sounded ridiculous!

She was still lost in thought when the professor said to buddy up. Fortunately, she didn’t have to look far to find a partner. Her head whipped around at the sound of Ary’s voice, scattering her dark curls behind her. She smiled. “Not at all,” she replied, walking at a leisurely pace behind Professors Paton and Adara. She held her wand at the ready but refrained from casting Lumos for now so as not to cause a distraction. “Tell me if you need more light.”

She glanced around at the other students. It looked as if everyone else was paired up, but just in case, she threw it out there, “If anyone still needs a group, you’re welcome to join us.”

The last time Desiree was in the Forbidden Forest, she was a timid third year cursed by Peeves to turn into a wombat at random. This time wasn’t as scary as she remembered. Now she was older and more knowledgeable, and the lack of random animal transformations helped. She looked around, closely scrutinizing any branches and tree trunks along the path, but so far she didn’t see any unicorn hair. She turned to Ary. “See anything yet?”

It took a lot of effort for Sloane not to be visibly annoyed as more students joined their group. Drake and Archie were necessary but if anymore people showed up, they'd have enough to fill a clown car. The more students that were there, the more likely one of them would call her out as she tried to slip away, after all. She’d been so focused on her plan to slip away unnoticed that she hadn’t even grabbed one of the small bags from the professor, something she only noticed as one of the older Slytherin’s (Regulus) forced their way into their group. She eyed him for a for a moment, trying to remember something about him but was no use.

She didn’t exactly have long to think about that however when someone slipped right next to her, linking their arms together. Her head spun around so quickly there was every chance she looked like an owl, such was her surprise. iF IT hadn’t been for the fact she was trying to be nicer to people, she may well have ripped her arm out from Emma’s in record pace. Instead, she simply did her best to slip har arm free of Emma's before forcing her face into an expression that didn’t resemble thunder and replying, “sURE. Why not. The more the merrier!”

Ych. She was one happy adjective away from throwing up in her own mouth or over someone else.

Keeping with the group, she followed the trail into the forest, her wand clutched tightly in her hand as her eyes scanned the darkness. It didn’t take her long to spot some of unicorn hair, glimmering in the wand light in one of the bushes just off of the trail. Not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, she shot Drake a look, hoping that he’d do something to draw some attention away from her just off the trail towards the unicorn hair or at least, that’s what she’d say if they stopped her from walking past it into the darkness. Quickly and without much warning, she took a first small step off the path towards the unicorn hair, stopping only for a moments hesitation before continuing into uncharted territory. It was surprising how quickly the darkness swallowed her, even with her wand still out illuminating the various large roots and detritus. Whilst in reality, she was only a few feet off of the path, truthfully, the darkness made her feel…uncomfortable.

Ary beamed up at the Disney princess that was Desiree. He knew she wouldn’t refuse, she was that kind. He had no issue keeping up with the Hufflepuff even though he was doing his best to match her strides and not get in her way at the same time. He looked around the Forest carefully as they moved further in. “I think it’s lit well enough for now.” When the time came, with his, Bry’s and Desiree’s wands lit, no doubt they’d be able to see even better. He glanced over his shoulder. Ary had been surprised and highly disappointed that Drake hadn’t joined him. He tried not to let the daunting thought that Drake was getting bored of their friendship and wanted other friends bug him.

But it did and he was frowning more and not really concentrating on the task at hand. It was Desiree’s question that brought him back. “Er… no?” Realising he was way back in the search, the second year hurriedly trained his gaze on the flora nearby. Eventually, they came upon something stringy tangled in a bush. “What’s this?” he asked, moving over to the bush. “It’s hair,’’ he began excitedly. “It could be unicorn, the colour’s right! What do you think, Desiree? And do you have those baggies Professor Paton mentioned?” He had forgotten to grab some. Oops.

After Drake had posed the question of a partner (which he was still hoping wouldn’t be taken so he had an excellent excuse to just stick with Professor Adara), he realized there had been additional instructions offered by Professor Paton too and he scurried to retrieve a bag for himself for gathering, when his attention was then caught by Archie waving at him before offering to join him as partner. He had to fight hard to keep the look of disappointment of his face, which was entirely not personal, and instead tried to focus on the fact that at least Archie was older and had more knowledge! Though if he’d been smart, he would have still joined Aryan and Bryony who had very intelligently sought out a seventh year. A seventh year was almost as good as a Professor! Was it too late to bow out and beg to join them anyways?

Realizing he was being rude by not verbally thanking the other Slytherin, Drake forced him smile to look more natural (if possible) and gave a nod. “Okay! Thank you!” He chirped, feigning as much enthusiasm as possible. Which… did not last long to be truthful, as another chimed they’d be joining them. His eyes nearly widened as Sloane offered to join as well. Despite the unnoticed fact she was trying to be nicer, she was still one who intimidated him. And the intimidation just GREW as she stepped closer and asked him to cover for her????? Gone was the attempts to hide his facial expression, instead the look of near panic settling as he blinked at her. He knew they weren’t close, but Drake was very certain it had to be obvious he was a badger hiding in snakeskin!!!! Dropping his own voice, he whispered back, ”Why would you want to slip away???” It was dark and spooky away from the others. You couldn’t pay him enough galleons to step off the path.

Another older student (Regulus) soon joined them, garnering Drake’s attention again as he looked over at the greeting and blinked. Another Slytherin? At least this one was the oldest of all of them and probably would have the MOST knowledge. Which meant Drake was all too happy to try to put some distance between him and Sloane (and the terrible idea) and stepped closer to the fourth year. “Hi! How are you in Defense Against the Dark Arts?” Mainly, was he good with defensive spells? Because the second year… was absolutely not. Too many of them seemed like they’d hurt the creatures. And while he didn’t particularly want to get eaten or maimed, he’d also rather not by more peaceable means.

Emma’s familiar tone and presence was fully welcomed, so her appearance was the one which got a genuine smile from the curly haired boy as he gave a wave. At her question, he actually wasn’t sure if there was since the maximum seemed to have been four, but he hardly had the interest in pointing that fact out. If it was a problem, Professor Paton would say so. And he would selflessly offer to work with her or Professor Adara instead. Heh. He was a bit confused by the physical show of affection towards her and Sloane, just because he hadn’t realized they’d been such good friends, but quickly got over it as he noticed the additional look from Sloane. He blinked back at her, glancing between her and Professor Paton who had started to walk (which he was also now tentatively doing) before seeing her step off and get slightly enveloped by the darkness. Hello panic, welcome back. His mouth opened and closed a few times like a gaping fish wondering if he should say something to make sure nothing happened towards his yearmate, before he instead looked around at the others. His twin did share a dorm with her, he did not particularly want to draw her ire.

"I do. Need a group," Hope said as she hurried up to join the pair. She had always been a bit star-struck by the older girl, but hadn't gotten up the courage to try to partner up with her before. But since she was being so nice to the younger Ary, Hope thought she would take the opportunity. Besides, she'd been daydreaming about unicorns and had nearly missed getting into a group at all.

"Oh, I have some. I got a few extras; here, you can have one--take your pick," Hope said, trying to sound nonchalant as she held out several of the colored bags.

Brandon had absolutely no problem with his good friend Aurora coming along. In truth, he felt bad that he hadn't invited her already when she was holding hands with Anna. "Of course. I'll be the violin." Because they were a quartet, get it? His eyes twinkled.

As they headed into the forest, Brandon walked next to Eliza since Anna and Aurora were walking together and Brandon thought two-by-two was better than four people walking shoulder to shoulder. Don't worry Eliza, Brandon wouldn't blame her for sacrificing him to acromantulas if push came to shove. He'd feel a little betrayed in that situation, but it would make sense and honestly, he'd wonder about her self preservation if she didn't. He stooped to pick up a few long hairs, putting it in his bag. He wasn't entirely sure that they were unicorn tail hairs, but they looked promising and he decided to collect them. "Check it out, do you three think this might have come from a unicorn?" He also picked a few pretty flowers and offered them to his groupmates (he saved a daisy to tuck behind his own ear, of course). And... was that a sound? Brandon swore he hear something, but his mind had the tendency to trick him with imaginary sounds sometimes. And it was loud being surrounded by his classmates... but still. What if there was a swarm of territorial acromantulas unicorn?

Seeing the students coming together in their groups and helping one another always made Hady smile. It was moments like these that allowed her to really see who was capable of working along who and just who had some leadership qualities within them. Watching how some of the students grouped off with those they already knew well and were in the same year with, while a few others opted to go a different route and grouped with students in different years then themselves. It was exactly what she wanted to see.

"How is everyone doing? Has anyone found any unicorn hair yet?" Hady took a moment to stop where she was on the path and turn to look around at the students and where they each were. "If you're having any trouble locating some, don't get frustrated by it. Remember to seek out white, silver or even a glimmer of gold. Now it is much more common to find white hair than silver or gold but it isn't impossible." Hazel eyes not only roamed over the students in turn but also the surrounding around. Trees, bushes and plants alike. Any sound that reached her ears that wasn't someone talking, had her searching it out. One must always be aware of everything.

Speaking of being aware. Now someone very clearly hadn't been paying very good attention earlier when she had spoken about the magical barrier that was in place. It had been set up for various reasons and Sloane was proving Hady correct right then in why it needed to be used. Not only was it there to keep the students safe from possible dangerous creatures wandering towards them but it was there to keep the students from wandering off alone. Just like what was being attempted right now.

As Sloane walked several feet away into the darkness she would soon realize that she couldn't go any further at all. The magical barrier not allowing her to do so and should she try, she would simply walk straight into the barrier itself which couldn't be all that much of a pleasant feeling. So it was best to turn back now or deal with that and Professor Paton as well.

---

When teaching a lesson one always needed to be paying attention to everything. This meant she needed to know where her students were, how they were all fairing with the task at hand AND what else was going on around them. Be that as it may, any odd noises. Like the quiet ones she was here right then in the near distance. Did anyone else hear it? The very faint pitter patter of something walking around close by. Could it be more than one?

"Everyone, come along this way. Quietly now." There was a soft smile on their professors lips as she spoke, gesturing them all to gather back onto the path and continue forward. "I want everyone to keep their eyes and ears open, I most certainly just heard some soft footsteps nearby. Let me know if you see any flashes of white. It was time for a unicorn hunt! Well only in the sense that they were looking for them.

"Should we come across any creatures, unicorns or others please do NOT approach them right away. Always remember to be calm, cautious, move slowly and always make sure that they see you. Be respectful." They all knew the rules, they went over them each and every lesson.


OOC: For those of you still wanting to look for unicorn hair, you're more than welcome to do so as the students continue walking now and start looking for whatever it may have been Hady heard! Was it UNICORN?! XD This is the main activity. Feel free to have them spot other harmless creatures or hear things. They are welcome to spot/hear a unicorn now! Please don't post for the unicorn!

Ary smiled gratefully at Hope. “Thanks,’’ he said, happiness ballooning up in his chest at his find. Because yes, he had stumbled onto unicorn hair, not just for him but for his group also. A closer examination had confirmed his findings. Randomly selecting a baggie, he carefully held it open to drop the hair into it. “Look, guys,’’ he said. “Our first find!” Wasn’t it exciting?! The next moment, Aunty Hady’s voice came floating towards him. “Found some hair!’’ the second year replied, a grin in place.

After that bit of show and tell, Ary followed the instructions by moving in the direction indicated. Yes, he moved cautiously with his ears pricked for any unusual sounds; his eyes were peeled for any sort of creatures they came by. After a minute of walking, he halted in his tracks. Tilting his head, he tried to focus.

Were those goofy sounds?

As in… a unicorn’s hooves?

Ary shot his groupmates a look. Were they hearing this?!

Anna would have added that not only were they a set deal, like a set of really cute salt and pepper shakers, but they were also the perfect sandwich. Aurora being the raspberry jam and herself the marshmallow fluff was a vibe she would not be letting go of ever. She wasn't sure that she had ever had any marshmallow fluff, to be entirely honest, but she loved marshmallows and that was close enough in her bright eyes. Her and Aurora could test out any potential seer capabilities later for sure - like how they had been experimenting with the possibility of them being legimens for each other.

"Ooooooh the violin! That is also a majestic instrument!" Anna chirped as she switched her steps for skips while still walking arm in arm with Aurora. "I can't play it myself, but I've watched an older Ravenclaw girl play before and I couldn't tear my eyes or ears away from watching her...not even if someone had used Imperio upon me!" Very whimsical, beautiful and dark but not in a scary way. "Can there be a singer in our quartet? I've been practicing and my usual duet partner hardly scowls at me anymore!" Another dark and mysterious older student, a Slytherin this time. "How does your musical inclination manifest itself, Eliza?" she asked, hoping to rope the rather quiet first year into their group whoooooooooooooooo were a rather chatty Ravenpuff bunch.

Anna eventually unraveled her arm from Aurora's so that she could weave their fingers together instead and swing their arms loosely back and forth. It still wasn't really clicking that they kind-of-sort-of ought to be looking out for unicorn hairs or any other sort of potion ingredients but smiled WIDE when Brandon offered her a flower. Naturally, she accepted it and stuck it in her mass of bouncy curls. "Thank you, monsieur," she hummed before slowing her skips ever so slightly so that she could get a better look at the hairs that Brandon had found. "I think anything is possible," she nodded in confirmation. "Certainly can't hurt anything to collect it. Whoever left it isn't going to be using it anymore so it can be your white elephant!" Could the hairs be from a unicorn? Absolutely! Could they also not be from a unicorn? Totally. It was only once Brandon put the hairs into his bag that she realized they ought to be collecting things - something she was VERY good at doing and not a day went by where her pockets were not shouldering something or another. She was really on a small stone and pebble collecting kick these days and thus when she found a particularly smooth looking one...she picked it up and shoved it into her pocket.

She was going to paint it, and the others, later and then leave them all about the castle and grounds as a nice surprise for anyone to happen upon later.

If Aurora was the jam and Anna the marshmallow, did that make Eliza and Brandon the sliced bread? She wasn’t sure how she could link their personalities to the carbohydrate, not in the same way that she could herself being the sickly sweet (and crucially pink) condiment and Anna being the fluffy, bouncy and equally as sweet treat. A picnic of sandwiches in the Forbidden Forest sounded like a great idea about now. She imagined Unicorns, at least the pooping rainbows variety, would thoroughly enjoy a sugar filled lunch.

“My Ma plays the electric violin!” she declared despite it having no added contribution to the conversation, she just felt it had to be said. Her natural rhythm was bouncy anyway so slipping into time with Anna’s skipping was seamless. “I’m not very good with instruments. What do you think I’d be?” she asked the group eagerly. She’d like to think she was something pretty and melodical like a piano but at times she probably acted more like a cymbal coming crashing in.

Brandon need not be concerned that he had unintentionally left Aurora out of the request, in fact she had already forgotten about it especially when presented with a daisy. “I used to LOVE making daisy chains at primary school” she chirped, already searching the ground for extras to start her flower crown off. “I can make us all one if we find enough.” Because making daisy chains was precisely what poor Professor Paton had in mind for this lesson. Perhaps if it were Herbology it might have made just a little more sense.

Oh right, they were searching for Unicorns. Off the group padded through the forest, Aurora’s hand gripping hold of Anna’s semi-consciously because of the darkness that already seemed to be engulfing them. Being quiet wasn’t exactly in her vocabulary however and she was now talking in a sort of stage whisper. “What colour are they?” she asked, bouncing to his side to get a closer look. The sounds of hooves were a little lost amongst the enthusiastic conversations of the group.

The fact that Drake hasn’t caused a distraction didn’t matter, it turned out. Sneaking towards the unicorn hair she’d spotted and not away from the group, Sloane was just about to reach for it when she walked into the barrier.


“Ow!” she grumbled, momentarily losing her balance and stumbling backwards towards the path. Getting back up, she ventured back towards the darkness where she knew the barrier to be, stopping just in front of it. Gingerly, she inched forward until she could feel it, weirdly soft and cushiony as she pressed the palms of her hands into it.

Since when was there a barrier?! Turning to make sure no one had seen her wander off, she quickly slunk back, quickly trying to slide back in with her group before anyone noticed her absence.

She had no unicorn hairs or anything that remotely resembled that and didn’t even know what they were supposed to be doing now. “uHHH….What are we doing now?” she whispered to her group in general.

Kion was so happy to be with his girlfriend, even if the forest could be unsettling. At least they weren't alone in that case. He smiled when she agreed to work with him. "Good question, they do sort of glow right? Maybe their hair will too." Then he had a thought, "Would using the lighting charm could make it easier to see?" Maybe he should use Lumos, after all.

Then Professor Paton declared they were approaching their area. Flashes of light. "I wonder if they can sense how safe we want to be with them?" Unicorns were intelligent in their own right from what he understood. His hopes raised as he saw Maria reach out towards a branch. Could that be it? Oh no. "Gross, if you want you can wipe that web off on my robes," Since they didn't have a handkerchief around. Kion kept on checking forward and on the ground for any strand. "Wait, Maria. Do you see that by one of the leaves there?" Could it be a unicorn hair strand?

Slowly, one-by-one the group would form with Drake, Sloane, Regulus, Emma, and of course Archie; things were starting to look all situated and ready for them. He'd take notice of the two Slytherin second years mumbling to one another before it all began, but wouldn't do much about as things were happening so fast. There was only a couple of minutes after entering into the Forbidden Forest would the third year take notice of one of them trying to slink off from the rest of the group. Now, he wasn't going to be the one to tell the Professor about it cause why ruin the other student's fun. However, there was a silent sigh as this could potentially spell disaster for the rest of the house if something bad were to come from it.

But luckily, or unluckily in Sloane's case, there was a barrier not too far out from the path that prevented the very thing from actually happening. Archie would be looking off in the direction that she had wondered to in order to keep track of everyone, and well it was a sight to behold. Followed by their aforementioned exclamation in pain. What happened after, was beyond his control as a fit of laughter rushed over him. It was always funny to watch those scenarios go slightly awry without any major consequences.

Slightly keeled over from snickering too much, attention being directed towards the ground, he'd then see tracks within the dirt. Hoof prints at that too. Getting himself re-situated, Archie would look to the other 4 and say "Look." A finger would be pointing downwards towards it. "We're on the right path at the very least."

Hope couldn't help but smile back at him. Imagine someone being so happy about getting a bag! And it wasn't even as if she had provided it, it was just part of the class. Hmmm, this 'playing it cool' wasn't as easy as it looked. Hope expected it would take some practice to get good at it.

But...unicorn hair?! Yes, it must be!!

"Oh, yes, it is!!!" Hope breathed, reaching out to touch the hair softly before the bag closed over it. Then she sighed to herself and walked on with her group.

Suddenly Ary stopped dead in the path in front of her, causing Hope to nearly run into him. And then she heard it...something moving, very softly but nearby in the forest next to them. Not a bird, or a hare, or a fox, or a squirrel. Something with hooves. Like a deer, or a... or a... Hope hardly dared hope for it.

"Unicorns!" she whispered softly.