An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
Post by Ryan Barrow on Jun 18, 2020 1:53:13 GMT 10
Ryan smiled as Toby collected an ingredient for himself. He checked their surroundings again, anxious about venturing any deeper into the forest but he really needed two more duskcaps. The thought of having to come back here was strong enough to keep him from running for an exit.
He kept close to Toby as they walked, listening to the Gryffindor's comments about Snape. It was a minor distraction from his fear, though not enough to make the forest less dark and scary. While Ryan felt Joe and/or Gerald might cover for him if he's not back in his dorm, he had no idea if Toby would be that lucky. He considered asking, but words were getting harder to keep rational.
It was Ryan who found the last of the duskcaps. He hurried to dig through leaves, trying to be gentle yet efficient. Once he picked two, he glanced at Toby again. 'Yours.' He pointed to the last one, once again insisting on sharing despite him being the one who needed them. He had three now, anyway. That glow potion had better be worth it.
Now they'd achieved their task... impossibly, things were worst rather than better.
'Uh...' Ryan winced. 'Now we gotta find the way back. Don't suppose you took notes?' He should have thought of that. Should have come up with a better method for not getting lost. He'd been too caught up in werewolves and curfew rules.
He had a decent sense of direction and had been so panicked about running into werewolves that Ryan had somewhat kept track. He could probably lead them towards the castle, but certainly not anything direct and without detours.
'Toby?' Ryan kicked at some leaves, cheeks red with embarrassment. 'I... I'm scared,' he admitted. He hated how shaky his voice was and that Toby might think he was weak for being as scared as he was, but he couldn't keep from shuddering or staring wide-eyed around. It was hardly a secret at this point.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Jun 18, 2020 21:08:26 GMT 10
As the boys ventured further into the forest on their hunt for duskcaps, Toby couldn't help but grow frustrated as time went on and all they were finding were ruined ones that wouldn't be viable to use as an ingredient. He didn't know how long they'd been searching, but soon his feet began to ache and every step seemed to take a little more effort than before... Part of him wished that they had just stayed in the castle, then he'd be curled up in his bed fast asleep and dreaming of quidditch.
When they did see the familiar glow that told them that they'd arrived at a patch of duskcaps, Toby had pretty much lost hope of finding any viable ingredients- he expected these to be ruined in some way too, until Ryan dug through the leaf mulch to reveal three apparently perfect duskcaps. Watching as his friend harvested two of the duskcaps, he smiled when he was once again offered the remaining one- the fact that Ryan was willing to share despite having been the one who needed the duskcaps, it showed exactly the kind of person that he was and Toby was glad to have him as his friend.
Crouching to collect the remaining duskcap, Toby slipped it into his backpack to sit with the one he'd collected previously. "Thanks Ryan" he muttered his appreciation and then looked around properly for the first time in ages. Everything looked the same...
Was now the time to panic? It would be if Toby was the type to panic... But nope, he was totally calm. It wasn't as if he could feel his heart racing or that his palms had started to sweat with the anxiety of potentially being lost in the forest...
"Does it look like I took notes?" he asked uncertainly, his head whipping around so quickly it must've been impossible for him to be really looking at their surroundings but still he did it as if trying to decide which way the footpath that would lead them from the forest was.
He only stopped looking around when Ryan spoke again and he winced at how scared the other boy sounded... When he'd persuaded his friend to go on this adventure, he hadn't wanted him to be scared and he hadn't thought that they might become lost.
"Hey..." he tried to conceal the edge of panic that was in his voice but such a feat proved to be impossible "don't be scared" he reached forward to hold Ryan's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze in the process "we're not lost... We're just temporarily turned around, we'll find the path" even saying the words, he didn't know how true they were, but he didn't want to make Ryan more scared than he already was.
Looking around a little more carefully, Ryan's hand still tightly secured in his own, he gestured in the direction that he thought was the way they'd just come "I think it's that way..." it would be better to move than to stay where they were, waiting for something to find them. However, he couldn't get rid of the thought that they might be walking further into the forest and away from the castle.
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2020 21:26:39 GMT 10 by Tobias Twiggs
The boys had barely walked for more than a few minutes when there was a rustling of bushes to the distance. To have heard, or even seen it, from where they were meant the cause wasn't something small. Whatever it was grew closer, but the darkness and constant display of tall trees made it hard to tell what it was - even with their lit wands.
Whatever it was, it had hooves. And had certainly noticed them because it consistently approached in their exact direction. Now Tobias and Ryan were faced with a choice of how to react to the potential danger and unknown situation.
Post by Ryan Barrow on Jun 18, 2020 21:25:36 GMT 10
Ryan nodded, listening to Toby trying to reassure him they weren't lost. What did reassure him, oddly enough, was seeing that Toby was scared too. Not as much as him, but he wasn't alone in every sense of the word.
When Toby reached for his hand, Ryan considered yanking it away out of habit - but he trusted Toby, and right now it was the only physical reassurance they had. He grasped his friend's hand and exhaled a long breath, trying his hardest to find any amount of bravery he might somehow posses.
He followed Toby's suggested direction, keeping his grip on the Gryffindor's hand as they walked. It helped. Ryan was still scared but felt less inclined to have a panic attack now. That was, until all their luck ran out at once.
'T-Toby?' Ryan shuddered, eyes wide as he heard a sound. He turned quickly, accidentally releasing Toby's hand in his hasty movement, and stared at the darkness. There was the outline of some rustling bushes, but he couldn't work out what it was. 'What do we do?' He gasped, shocked that he was even able to form words considering the rest of him felt frozen to the spot.
All rational thinking was gone by then. Ryan, in his state of fear and dread, simply assumed it was a werewolf coming to eat them. They don't have hooves, but his brain wasn't connecting the dots there yet. All he could think about, despite their approaching doom, was that Toby was only out there because of him. Because he wanted some duskcaps for a potion that now seemed unimportant.
Ryan, trembling to the point he'd almost dropped his wand, stepped in front of his friend. He couldn't speak - couldn't even think, but all he knew was that there was no way he was letting the monster eat his friend. He had to give Toby a chance to escape, at least. He wanted to yell at his friend to run, but he couldn't. He was too scared to do anything than become a human shield against whatever it was heading their way.
He aimed his wand, ready to try and blind whatever it was, but that was as far as his plan went.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Jun 18, 2020 22:28:49 GMT 10
Toby kept a tight grip on Ryan's hand as they walked in his suggested direction, hoping her wasn't leading himself and his friend into danger. With every passing minute, his anxiety at their situation was growing, what if they didn't find their way back to the castle? Would anyone figure out they went into the forest? Would they be found?
They hadn't been walking for very long, when an unwelcome sound seemed to spook Ryan and he tugged his hand free from Toby's grip in his haste to turn around. Toby copied his companion, his heartrate increasing as he shone the light of his wand towards the sound. It was easy enough to hide the fact that his heart was now racing, but harder to conceal was the way his hand shook as he aimed his wand towards the potenial threat.
Whatever had found them... It had hooves and that wasn't the last bit reassuring. It meant that it wasn't a werewolf, but he'd already been pretty certain that werewolves only came out during a full moon. There were about a thousand things that it could be instead and each of those things probably posed just as much of a threat.
"I don't know..." he hissed at Ryan when his friend asked what they should do. He was sure that if one of his siblings was there, they'd know exactly what to do in such a dire situation... But he and Ryan were totally alone and they had neglected to tell anyone except Joe where they had gone. Nobody would likely notice they were missing until tomorrow at breakfast.
When Ryan stepped in front of him, part of him was happy to let his friend do so- but the other part, the louder part of his brain was screaming at him to keep the Ravenclaw from doing something so stupid. He couldn't allow Ryan to put himself into harms way, even by doing so it could possibly benefit Toby by shielding him from danger. "Ryan, don't be an idiot!" he said, grabbing his friend by the arm and attempting to drag him back, a safer distance from the approching beast. "Do you think we should run, maybe we should run? Or climb a tree?"or run screaming through the forest in the hopes someone might hear them. He doubted the effectiveness of these sugggestions, he couldn't tell if any of the nearby trees were climbable and something with hooves would very likely be able to outrun them.
"Maybe if we hide... It won't be able to see us?" there was something very frightening about the idea of hiding, allowing the creature to come ever closer to where they were on the off chance that it wouldn't be able to detect them, but Toby didn't have any other ideas. He was beginning to think they'd been rather stupid going into the forest alone.
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2020 22:30:49 GMT 10 by Tobias Twiggs
Whatever approached them either had excellent hearing or had a way of sensing their theories of running, hiding, or otherwise - as the hooves increased speed towards them.
However, instead of a hungry and dangerous beast lunging to attack them...
'First years,' said a disgruntled-looking Centaur. 'The forest is not safe for you at this time. Why have you come here?' He was dark brown, and had various battle scars on his chest or face. He had a bow and quiver over his back, which showed signs of recent use - particularly with only a few arrows remaining.
He eyed a particular direction behind them, which was either the way back to the castle or where something he was hunting had ventured. He fixed each boy with a stern and judgmental look, awaiting a response.
Post by Ryan Barrow on Jun 18, 2020 22:51:39 GMT 10
Ryan eyed the trees, but doubted he could make his lings work efficiently and fast enough to get up a tree. He didn't appreciate being called an idiot, but since it was his idea to come into the forest at night then Ryan supposed Toby wasn't entirely wrong.
'No.' He found the strength to struggle with Toby, not allowing his friend to pull him back enough that he couldn't shield him. 'Gerr'off. We're here because of me. I won't let anything hurt you...' That was the end of his ability to speak, as whatever headed towards them had increased its pace.
It was unknown, even to Ryan, what exactly made him drop. Either the fact he thought he was seconds from death, or the shock of seeing a Centaur instead. He dropped to the ground, breathing heavily as the overwhelming situation finally caught up to his tendency to have a panic attack.
Ryan just sat there, staring at leaves and trying to calm his breathing and heart. It was up to Toby now to answer the magical beast, and hopefully lead the way out of the forest because Ryan was confidence he'd lost all ability to do anything productive.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Jun 18, 2020 23:08:04 GMT 10
Toby hadn't expected Ryan to fight with him when he attempted to drag him backwards to safety, perhaps it was wrong to think of his friend solely as a follower... But isn't that what Ryan did? He'd always seemed more than happy for someone else to take the lead, he was less confident than other people and that was okay. Now though, Ryan seemed determined to protect him from whatever was coming their way- Toby couldn't just allow Ryan to put himself in harms way like that!
The sound of the approaching creature quickening its pace seemed to be too much for Ryan though, as he hit the ground without so much as a warning. Toby didn't even have a chance to notice the centaur that now stood in plain sight as he rushed to help his friend.
"Ryan! Please get up!" he urged the boy, trying to lift his back to his feet but he didn't have the strength to do so effectively. He'd never witnessed anyone have a panic attack before, but hearing Ryan's frantic breathing and seeing his apparent inability to get back to his feet- it was almost as scary as being out in the forest with a dangerous creature.
The unfamiliar voice startled Toby so greatly that he leapt back from his friend and almost dropped his wand in the process. Looking towards the sound, he was surprised to see a centaur standing nearby, watching them... He didn't look too happy to see them and Toby couldn't help but notice the weapon he wore on his back, hopefully he didn't intend to shoot them full of arrows. "Um... Sorry" he mumbled an apology to the centaur, he didn't know much about them but he really didn't want to risk offending him, so instead of answering rudely like he might if it had been anyone else, he decided to play it safe and be polite. "We were just looking for ingredients and we got lost... We were really trying to find our way back to the castle, we honestly didn't mean to intrude or anything" he hated the way his voice shook with obvious fear at being confronted by the centaur... But he had a feeling that they were lucky he'd found them before anything else.
The centaur was hard to read, but remained alert and unimpressed. He eyed the forest, hand flexing as if considering reaching for its bow. It became more apparent now that perhaps he was the least of the first years' worries at the moment. What was he hunting? Was there something far worst out there in the dark that neither first year could even detect or be aware of?
'Leaving here would be wise.' He nodded, eyeing the first years again. 'I will lead you back towards the castle, but then you must leave. Is that understood?' His tone left no doubt for how serious he was, and finding out he consequences of not listening to him would result in was perhaps worst than being lost in the forest.
The centaur waited until the boys were ready - particularly the one on the ground. Then, true to his word, he led them through the forest and towards the path. He did it so naturally, as if the right direction was a glowing line he followed with ease. Centaurs clearly knew the forest well.
Finally, after heading in the direction which wasn't the one Toby and Ryan had correctly assumed was the way to do, they arrived at the treeline. The moon remained obscured by overhead clouds, but they could various lights of the castle. Safety was within their reach.
'You are safe now. Leave,' the centaur said. With a nod, he turned and looked at something within the darkness of the forest.
There was a low, chilling sound that was almost a mix between a howl or a groan. It came from deep within the forest, yet the fact the sound reached them was a worrying sign. The centaur galloped back into the forest, drawing his bow and arrow as he went.
Post by Ryan Barrow on Jun 18, 2020 23:51:35 GMT 10
Ryan nodded at the suggestion of leaving. It's all he'd wanted to do since before they'd gotten there. His breathing was finally manageable again, though his wand light had gone out. Lost focus, probably.
Grateful for a guide out of the forest, Ryan allowed Toby to pull him to his feel. He was shaky and still not breathing well but could keep it under control long enough to function. Perhaps it was fear or adrenaline, but whatever it was it helped him now because he had to move again.
He wasn't aware of much except rushing to keep up with the centaur. Ryan reached for Toby's hand as they went, wanting to make sure they didn't get separated. He gasped when they reached the treeline, and he wanted o collapse again to sob in relief. There wasn't time for a breakdown though. He needed to get back to the safety of his bed sheets (for hiding under) first.
Whatever that sound was, Ryan had no intention of finding out. He even forgot to thank the centaur for saving them. And he was convinced they'd have died otherwise.
'C'mon.' He nudged Toby, then sprinting away from the forest - not stopping until they returned to the Entrance Hall. Ryan glanced around, breathing heavily yet hoping no one had spotted them yet. 'Sit with us at breakfast, like we said? Be careful. See you tomorrow.'
He had no strength left for more than that, and turned to begin his venture back to the Ravenclaw Tower. Met with the sight of the long stairs leading to the knocker and its riddle... Ryan swore. His ordeal wasn't over until he'd survived through those as well. Were they his founder's idea? Whoever was to blame, he had a few choice words for them.
Ryan intended to head straight to bed after this, and anyone who tried to wake him before breakfast would be met with a pillow thrown at their face.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Jun 19, 2020 0:14:43 GMT 10
For a while it remained unclear what the centaur was going to do with the information that Toby had given him, all the Gryffindor boy could hope for was that he would let them walk out of the forest alive. However, Toby hadn't expected the centaur to offer to lead them to safety, although it was appreciated as he didn't want to spend another second stumbling around in the dark.
"Yes, thank you" he breathed out a sigh of relief, accepting the centaurs offer of help and waited for Ryan to get to his feet. It was difficult to keep up with the centaur, he had four rather long legs and Toby and Ryan only had two each and they were decidedly shorter than that of a centaur. Still, they managed it- even if they had to go at a pace that wasn't particularly comfortable.
Along the way, Ryan's hand slipped back into his own and he gripped it tightly once again- scared that if he let go that Ryan might fall again and be unable to recover his footing a second time. He was certain that he wouldn't leave the forest without his friend, even if it meant remaining in the dark for longer than he had to.
It felt like an eternity that they were following the centaur through the forest, but after a while they finally broke free of the forest and stood at the tree line, the lights of the castle visible some distance away.
"Thank you" he turned ready to show the centaur his appreciation for helping them safely out of the forest, but he was already galloping back into the trees- presumably after whatever had made that spine chilling sound. Toby didn't know what the centaur had been hunting, but he was certainly in no hurry to find out.
Toby didn't need much prompting from Ryan before both boys were sprinting back towards the castle, even as his legs and lungs ached from all the physical activity the night had brought... He didn't slow down until they reached the entrance hall. "Tomorrow. Great" he answered Ryan, attempting to slow his breathing- it was enough to confirm that he would see his friend there, but there really wasn't time to discuss further details. He didn't want to be caught out of bed at this hour. Turning from his friend, he began to climb the stairs, heading in the direction of Gryffindor tower- his bed was the only thing on his mind and he hoped the fat lady wouldn't quiz him too harshly on where he'd been that night, she could be really nosy when it suited her.
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