Open A Foggy Morning

[Seamus Reid]

A heavy fog had settled around Hogwarts that morning. Originally Seamus had planned to spend the time on the pitch, but the conditions were not good for him to see. Instead, with the fog sitting heavy and making it a little difficult to see in front of him. So he had put on his jacket, and headed outside, deciding to head to the forest. Today would a good day to be able to explore, people wouldn't see him, they wouldn't notice him going there, he'd just disappear into the fog. The air was a little cold, but he didn't mind. He just began walking, not paying attention to if anyone was watching him or what he was doing.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery had been waiting for a day like today to head back into the forest. The start of the year always took some time to adjust to, with how difficult it could be to go from seeing very few people over the holidays, to far too many all at once. He liked the forest for a variety of reasons, but the quiet remoteness was one of them. He'd found a seat in the grass close to the tree line and waited a moment to weigh up when it would be best to go in. He didn't quite get the chance before he just barely caught sight of Seamus heading in without a care. Whether it was pure confidence, or he'd obtained permission, Avery didn't know, but he took the opportunity to get up and follow him in, if only for a short time. He'd understand. He had to take larger steps to catch up, but he managed to fall in step with his dorm-mate, and fished into his robes for his wand. "Point me." He told it. He knew the forest on a regular day, but he wasn't too confident in this fog.​

 

[Seamus Reid]

Within a few steps into the forest, Seamus was sure he had a shadow. There was a second set of footsteps. It was unlikely to be a professor since they would've definitely said something by this point. But he just kept walking until the second footsteps caught up. He glanced at Avery and gave a little tight smile before he too took out his wand, and then cast "Lumos," a little light to help them move against the fog. It was a little eerie to be in with the weather like this, but the forest felt calm. "What brings you to the forest today?" he asked after a few beats of silence. Keeping his voice low for no real reason.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery gave a glance over his shoulder as the light was cast, but the castle was long since behind them. He couldn't see much of anything at all. "I like to get away from everything sometimes." And everyone, he thought. There was a lot of excitement at the start of the year, and it always felt as if there were more new faces than there actually were. Seamus was good company to have, though. He was present, and that was all. It was nice and simple. "And I don't like being told I can't be here." He admitted after a moment of thought. "Did you have a reason?"​

 

[Seamus Reid]

Seamus gave a little nod at the reasons, he knew he agreed, almost word for word with Avery and why that boy was here. Seamus didn't like to be told he couldn't be in the forest, and he liked to step away. "The forest feels peaceful, especially on a day like this," He said as he continued to move. "People are so loud, and the heat of those fires is just…too much," of course the school was warm to make up for the cold outside, but it felt stuffy especially when people were excitable.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery's eyes were fixed on what little he could see of the path ahead, and the wand slowly rotating on his palm. He nodded along to Seamus' words. The forest was normally peaceful, but even more so today. "I prefer it today. It feels..." He began, searching into the fog for the right word. "Removed." He decided. "Like nothing outside of what we can see exists. I like that." He said. He didn't have to worry about them being caught, because it seemed as if there was no one to catch them. It was just him, Seamus, and the forest.​

 

[Seamus Reid]

Seamus knew the balance to the forest being like that, was that it was likely just a little bit more dangerous than on another given day. But it was nice. Seamus gave a little nod in agreement, it did feel removed, out of time itself almost. The feeling was probably helped, but the darkness caused by the trees and the fog. ”This is why this forest shouldn't be forbidden, it's just a forest,” he had never agreed with it, more so the older he had gotten, a forest was always a little dangerous. It was nice and maybe even healing (if Seamus subscribed to that sort of thought) to be in it. ​

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery made a faint noise in agreement. It was just a forest. He trusted himself to be here, and so how any of the staff felt on the matter, didn't matter. Nature was home to all things, it was where all things came from, and he wouldn't be restricted from it at someone else's whim. "It doesn't make sense to me." He said. "I think swimming in the lake is more dangerous than walking in the forest." He continued. It seemed silly to allow one and not the other.​

 

[Seamus Reid]

Seamus nodded in agreement. He definitely thought that the lake was more dangerous than the forest. "You can signal out of the forest," he said, not sure how his magic would work under the water if he was under some form of attack. The forest had options, the lake..didn't. "The lake sucks anyway," he added, he didn't mind it in the summer but most of the time it was just cold and uninviting. He wasn't willing to dip in there nearly as often as he might nip into the forest.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery's brow furrowed in thought. He'd not given any thought to whether he'd be able to signal out of the water, on account of not planning on going into it. He hadn't needed more reasons to avoid it, but it was another notch on the list. "I've never been." He admitted, though he was glad to hear that he wasn't missing out on anything. "There are a lot of things that live in the water. We're creatures of the land. I don't really think we belong there." He said. The lakes and seas were the domains of other beings. Merfolk, and kelpies, and who knew what else. There wasn't really any reason for them to be there. Other people did seem to have fun in the water, and at times maybe a part of him was curious about it, but he couldn't bring himself to go in.​

 

[Cecras]

Fog held a special significance among the centaurs. They believed it represented uncertainty. But in that uncertainty, fog carried a sense of intrigue and allure. It beckoned the living to approach the future with a curious and open mind and to embrace the opportunities it might hold. Cecras had always been skeptical, his focus rested on the present. He considered himself a protector against the tangible threats that surrounded the herd.

On this particular day, his senses were honed as Cecras strode purposefully through the mist-laden depths of the forest. He tracked the movements of two adolescent wand carriers who had trespassed onto his territory. He remained steadfast in his commitment to protect the herd from any potential harm.

Observing their actions, he wondered if these young wand carriers, on the cusp of adulthood, truly grasped the lurking dangers concealed within the depths of the forest. Cecras maintained a vigilant watch, contemplating their motives. To him, this was a tangible threat, a real danger that demanded his attention. Whereas the fog and its uncertain associations may have held sway over his mind to attack, allowing him to exercise discernment over retribution. Instead, he patiently waited for the motives of the wand carriers to reveal themselves.

 

[Seamus Reid]

Seamus was not surprised that Avery hadn't been near the water, he knew from the years of knowing him that he did not like it, and anyone who didn't like water would not actively decide to go into it. "That we are," he knew though that the forest was not exactly safe, that though it was safer than the water, creatures did still lurk. Seamus liked to think he'd stand a better chance fending off creatures of the forest than of the water. In any other situation, Seamus would be trying to come up with conversation, but with Avery he stayed silently, letting them just move.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery continued to trudge through the forest's underbrush, carefully stepping over raised roots and creeping vines that threatened to trip him up, and which almost succeeded with how easy it was to becoem transfixed by the compass in his hand. He'd long since forgotten about what they'd left behind, the castle gradually becoming a distant memory, swallowed up by the fog. He wasn't entirely sure where he was headed, if he'd walk until he felt the need to stop, or turn around, but he felt content in this moment, taking in the sounds of the forest.​

 

[Cecras]

As it became evident that the wand carriers were naively oblivious of lurking dangers, Cecras chose to reveal himself. Emerging from the fog, his presence commanded their attention. His voice carried a mixture of caution and concern as he addressed them directly. "Intruders, heed my words," Cecras declared firmly, his deep and resonant voice carrying an air of unquestionable authority. "You have trespassed upon the sacred territory of the centaurs. I demand that you leave immediately! Your presence not only breaches our hospitality but also exposes you to perilous hazards." It was crucial for the young wand carriers to grasp the risks they were exposing themselves to by venturing so recklessly into the Forbidden Forest.

 

[Seamus Reid]

Seamus had been happy to just walk in silence, and would've likely continued to, until a third unknown voice spoke and a centaur revealed himself. Seamus glanced at the centaur, he seemed young, though really Seamus didn't know how centaurs aged. "We're just passing through," he replied with a dry tone, it wasn't like they were there for sport, they were just walking. He didn't particularly want to leave immediately, and didn't really want to annoy the centaur. He turned a little to Avery to see if he had anything to add to it.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery had assumed the sounds beyond the fog simply came from whatever lived there - and he wasn't wrong, but it hadn't been what he expected. His eyes trailed up to the large centaur until he met his gaze, initially pleased to have come across another one, though his face fell at the less-than-warm welcome. He didn't know where the centaurs made their home in the forest. Had they wandered so close? He gave a brief, affirmative nod at Seamus' words. "We can detour around. Thank you for letting us know." He said. Assuming that the centaur had stepped out from whichever direction they resided in, Avery checked his compass and started trudging in another direction, albeit not one that lead back to the school.​