◦ two-man army (+ a cat) ◦

[Zara Lovette]

It was a delay in plans, that was for sure. Zara fiddled with her backpack straps, crouching down as she tried to pry Priscilla from her leg as he only continued to hiss. Zara groaned, wondering what time it was. She was supposed to meet Luke at their designated rendezvous spot on the grounds. It had been their plan to discover the forbidden forest together since the very start, but through a series of delays, they had only managed to arrange it for now-- a few months in to the school year. Considering the amount of time that she thought she had, Zara somehow managed to put together an all black ensemble out of her colourful wardrobe, what she thought was a must for the ~aesthetic~ of the whole rebelling and venturing out in to the clearly forbidden forest. But somehow it made her seem suspicious or something, as her all-too perceptive cat clung on to her with his unsuppressed curiosity.

Knowing that if she waited any longer she would be too late Zar groaned before relenting and heaving up the cat, mumbling an excuse to one of her dorm mates about taking him out for a walk as she rushed out (making sure to grab her baggie of cat treats on the way). At this point she was much more used to the castle, navigating the familiar staircases and hallways before she found herself out on the grounds, speed-walking to the spot she was supposed to meet Luke. Not too far from the Forbidden Forest, yet far enough that it didn't outright look suspicious, Zar had tried to take the steps so that she could make the most out of their adventure without at least immediately getting caught. Sure, they would be missing dinner but that was why she had made sure to get some snacks and cram them in to her bag.

Spotting the figure of her friend not too far in the distance, she started to creep up on him, wanting her arrival to be a surprise. She crept closer... Closer... Closer... Until her stupid cat decided to give her away by letting out the smuggest mew that she had ever heard. Zara scowled, narrowing her eyes at the cat who only licked his paw in satisfaction. "Ahh bonsoir Général~ je suis désolé*..." Zara apologized to her friend with a sheepish chuckle. "Were you waiting long? I brought food and a lookout," Zara smiled, dropping the fidgeting cat to the ground. "He reallyyyy wanted to come."</SIZE>

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<SIZE size="50">*Good evening General~ I'm sorry

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[Lucas Woodlock]

Since his first night at the castle Lucas had wanted to explore the forbidden forest and he had made a plan to do so with Zara but almost as soon as they had agreed to do it the heat had come down from the head girl who had overheard their conversation. With that, there was no way they could go too soon after that night, there was a very good chance they would get caught, so they waited and before they both knew it they were half way through the semester and yet to set foot in the forest.

To avoid suspicion Lucas and Zara agreed to meet at the mouth of the forest rather than sneak out of the common room together, it was much easier to sneak out one at a time. Lucas was the first to arrive at the forest, he had opted for dark clothes so he would blend in with the forest as the night grew darker. He arrived at the forest and waited for Zara to arrive, hopefully if anyone spotted him he wouldn't look too suspicious. He was already in one Professor's bad books, he didn't need to get in another's. Lucas hadn't been waiting long when he spotted Zara approaching, "Good evening madam President, I've only been a few minutes," He looked down at the cat and smiled. "Excellent, we could use a lookout, does our lookout have a name?" He asked.

 

[Zara Lovette]

Zara appreciated the outfit choice, nodding in approval of the dark colours. Satan Priscilla was as curious as ever, finding his way over to Lucas and pawing at his legs. Zara wasn't sure if he wanted the boy to pet him or he was simply marking his next victim but she couldn't even bother with trying to find out the answer. "Priscilla, but most times I just call him Prissy," Zara dared giggle at the cat's annoyed hiss but ignored it in favour of swinging off her bag and rummaging through its contents for a bit. Pulling out a chocolate frog, she waved the treat in front of Luke. "Want one? Generals need their fuel, y'know." And if he agreed she would toss it over to him before taking one out for herself.

Making her way closer, she swung her bag back over her shoulder as she looked towards the forest. "Alright, let the adventure begin!" She whisper shouted, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. As they started to make her way in to the forest, Zara noticed how immediately dark it became, as if warning them to turn back now. Whipping out her wand, Zara tried to think back to Charms class, and the spells that they've learnt so far. "Er... Lumos," Zara whispered, delighted at the light that emitted from the end. "Awesome, thanks Misha," she mumbled before turning slightly to Luke and Prissy. "Ready?" Prissy --who had seemingly already enjoyed Lucas' company more than hers-- only prissily turned his head away, which Zara took as affirmation and instead turned to look at her friend for his answer.​

 

[Lucas Woodlock]

Lucas watched as Zara's cat made his way over to him, he seemed to be siezing him up before pawing at his leg. He crouched down and scratched the back of the cats ear. He didn't see why Zara seemed to talk about the cat with such disdain, then again she was a girl and Lucas couldn't pretend to understand girls at all. "Well I like Prissy, he's a cute little guy," He said getting back up. He watched Zara as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a chocolate frog and offered it to him. "Yeah I'll take one," He said catching it when she tossed it over to him.

Once they had both eaten their chocolate frogs Zara swung her bag over shoulder and began their journey into the forest with a whisper shout. "Lumos," Lucas mumbled taking out his wand. The tip of hit wand lit up along with Zara's, he heard her thank Misha and the boy rolled his eyes, "Ugh, Misha, hate that guy," He groaned as Zara turned back to him and Prissy, who had decided to remain at his side. "Ready, Prissy?" He asked looking down at the cat, Prissy meowed, either in response to him or just because he was a cat but Lucas took it as a sign he was ready. "Ok Madam President, we are ready," He said with a big smile at his friend, he was ready for whatever the forest held in store for them.

 

[Zara Lovette]

Cute was the last thing Zara would describe Prissy as. Although from another's eyes, Zar supposed she could see where they were coming from. The ball of fluff looked precious and even pure at a first glance. "Don't be fooled," Zara rolled her sleeve up to reveal some faded yet ever-present long and jagged scratches. "That was his doing, and all I did was feed him the wrong brand of food." Dramatically bringing two fingers to her eyes then pointing them over to the Persian Chinchilla, she emphasized her I'm-watching-you pose before turning away.

Zara didn't catch the rolling of Luke's eyes but easily caught the disdain in his voice. "Ahh, why? He's so nice! Evelyn and I both like him a lot," She cocked her head to the side, considering the possible reasons as to why. Always the oblivious one, she couldn't quite sort out why. Although Zar thought that Evelyn seemed to like him a little too much at times, she didn't mind as she found it sorta funny. Pouting at her own cat's reaction to Lucas --although expecting it all the same-- Zara flashed a brilliant smile back as her excitement built up. Positioning herself so that she was now walking right by his side, the two started to venture further in to the forest, their lights as their guiding source. So far, so good. Not hearing nor seeing anything suspicious, Zar waved her light around, hoping to catch a glimpse of something cool. "Now that we're actually here I don't want to be let down, y'know?" She whispered to her friend, for some reason not wanting to disturb the peaceful if slightly creepy atmosphere of the forest. ​

 

[Lucas Woodlock]

The affection Lucas was feeling for the cat dwindled slightly after Zara showed him some of the animals handy work. He looked down at his new feline friend and shook his head. "Sorry buddy I'm on her side," He laughed as Zara gave Prissy the I'm watching you stare before she continued on into the forest. The conversation soon came to Misha and Lucas's reaction to their Charms Professors name had not gone unnoticed. "Exactly, all the girls seem to swoon over him, it's annoying and frankly I think he gets far too much joy out of it," He left out the part where it especially bugged him just how much Evelyn seemed to like him, the girl seemed to melt in his presence and simply hearing the way she said his name made him want to punch the nearest person. Even if it was usually Aaron.

"Forget Misha, the guys a tool, look forest," Lucas said in a pathetic attempt to change subject. But more his dislike of Misha came out the more questions Zara would have for him. He waved his wand around the darkness hoping to see something, to make their trip worth it but so far there was nothing. "I know what you mean, I don't know why its so forbidden, it isn't scary or dangerous,"

 

[Zara Lovette]

Satisfied with Luke having sided with her, as it very well should be, Zara returned to her normal peppy state, excited for their adventure. As they continued their walk, Zara outwardly laughed at Lucas' reaction to their beloved Charms Professor. She could be a bit slow but she wasn't completely dense. "I see," Zara responded knowingly, blatantly ignoring his pleas and nodding as if she understood the situation completely. "You're just jealous, aren't you?" She smirked, knowing she had gotten the answer right. "Don't worry, you're pretty cute." Zara was bashfully unashamed, knowing he would understand that these were just the comforting words of a best friend. "I'm sure all the girls --or guys, I'm not judging-- will just fall at your feet as you get a little older." And then the short girl reached up on her toes to pat his head mockingly affectionately, as if she had actually been helping.

Zar pouted and nodded at Luke's words. There really was nothing to scary about the forest so far, and she hoped that this wouldn't be how their adventure ended: boring and frankly, uneventful. "Yeah like I wasn't expecting big foot..." Zara paused, wondering if he would understand the muggle reference before changing her wording, "... Or like a troll or anything, but something more than thi--" And then it was as if her prayers had been answered as she heard a loud ruffle. Prissy mewed at the noise and she stopped, looking in the direction of the source. "Yeah, something like that!"​

 

[Lucas Woodlock]

Lucas had been looking off into the forest when suddenly his attention was snapped back to Zara when she said the one word he didn't want to be described as. "Jealous? Of Misha? Pfft," He waved his hand dismissing the idea. "So what if Evey is all over him, what do I care? She's just a friend after all," He said. It was true, even if he didn't have this strange feeling when he was around her, like he had to be a little better than usual so he could impress her, but that didn't mean anything right? He just liked being in the company of girls, Evelyn wasn't particularly special. At least he didn't think so. "Gee thanks for the sympathy Zar," he joked nudging her. Unlike other girls, Zara didn't make him feel like he needed to impress her, he could just be himself with her and he liked that.

The further they ventures into the forest, the more disappointed they were. It wasn't especially foreboding, and so far there was nothing inside that could be considered scary or dangerous. So why was it so forbidden? "Yeah, bigfoot, or a yeti or I dunno, I'd take a unicorn right now just something," He grinned. He knew bigfoot and the yeti were muggle folklore but at least a unicorn was a possibility. They suddenly heard a ruffle, like something, or someone was nearby. Finally something exciting. "Prissy be our scout, go see what it is," He said looking down at the cat.

 

[James Woodlock]

James was not a fan of having to patrol, especially having to patrol the grounds, but as Herbology professor that was where he more often than not ended up. James had done his rounds of the gardens and the lakefront and a few other places students liked to frequent after curfew. The Professor had been all set to head back to his office to finish his grading when he heard the sound of young voices. He sighed and began to follow them, as he got closer to the voices one of them came out as very distinctive and his mood soured even more. It was Lucas. That kid

He picked up his pace once he knew who it was he was chasing and made his way into the forest. He wasn't sure who the other voice belong to. James didn't know many of the younger students since he didn't teach them anymore but no doubt she was in Gryffindor. Lucas seemed to have assembled himself a little gang, along with a best friend who followed him around like an obedient puppy. James wasn't taking any care to be quite so he wasn't surprised when the two of them heard a noise and began speculating on what creature it could be. "Sorry to disappoint, no Unicorn, no bigfoot, just me," He looked disapproving at Lucas. "Every time I turn my back you're getting in some kind of trouble,"

 

[Zara Lovette]

Zar was truly comfortable with Luke, and she was sure the same went with him. They easily clicked and had made quick best friends as the year started, and she hoped they would be able to maintain the relationship throughout the rest of their Hogwarts years. As they kept on walking around the forest, a sound persisted and the two children started to get excited, happy at the idea of their trip to the forest not being a total bummer. Even Priscilla had seemed excited, who for all his faults was an adventurous cat, and hurried up in the direction of the sound. "Ooh a Unicorn could be cool! Maybe it's a Hippogriff or something. That would be even coole--" She was cut off by the sudden appearance of a figure, and as she turned to face it her face immediately fell. Well shoot. A Professor... And if she was correct, Luke's cousin or something like that. He immediately focused his attention on her companion, and Zara decided to interject. Presidents stood up for their Generals; it was just the Gryffindor thing to do.

"Would you believe us if we said it was the cat's fault?" Zara tried, pointing towards the feline, though the statement was weak and lacked true indictment. Honestly, if Prissy let her throw her under the bus then Zar was sure to promise the cat a plethora of treats when they got back to the dorms. The cat hissed at her and she glared at it before shooting a sorry glance at Lucas. Guess that's it for us. The end of their short little adventure: a right sham since she had so many more snacks too. And they didn't even get to see anything! What. A. Waste.
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