Dont mind the dangers

[Teagan Riley]

Free is the word she wanted to hear. All those classes she took and all the disaster she made. It was time for her to at least explore the dark part of the castle ground. She remember how dull the Ravenclaw common room and the girls dormitory, so, Teagan decided to pick some mistletoes in the forbidden forest where it grows all year around. Three years at Hogwarts New Zealand, except her first year Herbology, this is going to be her first time exploring the forest by herself without adult supervision. The sun beating down on her, wand in hand, Teagan entered the forest. It was a good thing none of the people in Ravenclaw, at least she thinks, has dogs nor cats or else the blonde will be responsible of the deaths of many pets.

It was odd that no mistletoes were near the exit. So, she venture further, the path darkening a little bit, Teagan raised her wand slightly and muttered, "Lumos!" and the tip of her wand lit. She found several bunched up mistletoes on an oak tree, only a hand reach, it was perfect. The Ravenclaw casted a few bluebell flames around the tree, lighting up the tree where she desire to get the mistletoe.
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[Leo Benivieni]

It was Leo's most dreaded time of the year. Exams were in a week and he had to study because otherwise he'd fail and repeating third year...he shivered at the horrible thought. No. No, he wouldn't let himself fail these exams. Leo needed to do his best, but it was in his nature not to do things he disliked. Studying was one, all of those classes and lessons and facts...it just wasn't for him. The Gryffindor therefore decided that by going to the forest he'd be able to escape that terrible feeling of claustrophobia because that's all it was. He felt claustrophobic sitting in a small space, looking at pieces of parchment and words on the page. He was an adventurer, an explorer of places and he couldn't just sit around doing boring stuff.

Leo thought it as a perfect excuse to step into the forbidden forest unnoticed, as in his mind the temptation was too strong to ignore. He'd been here once or twice before, and this time it was no different as he walked through the trees searching for anything unnatural or as unnatural as a magic forest could be. As he realised he'd stepped on a branch making noise, he jumped and ran for it, not wanting to be caught by a professor or prefect. It was only when he made contact with another body that he stopped abruptly. "Sorry!" He stepped back, regaining balance before looking at who he had ran into. "What are you doing?" He asked his classmate curiously, not knowing what her name was but knowing that she was in his year, probably not in Gryffindor because he would have noticed otherwise. Leo's gaze settled on her wand and realised she was casting something, but he was unsure what. "Woah." He noticed the blue flames around on the trees. That was pretty impressive to watch. ​

 

[Teagan Riley]

Teagan held her first bush of mistletoe and used 'Reducto' to cut the base off the main tree. It was rather fulfilling and relaxing. When she heard a couple of dead branch crack in a silent place and an unknown person smashing into her. "Watch where you're going, please." Teagan said as she straighten up herself. Thank Merlin she was in a good mood and into the holiday spirit or else whoever smashed into her will get something nasty words from her. The Ravenclaw continued to pick more mistletoe, thinking the person will go away but, of course, they don't. Teagan looked at the person and smiled, it was a him and she didn't expect that it was a him. "Just picking some mistletoe for decorations." She said while casting 'Reducto' again to get the bush.

"The Ravenclaw common room needs a bit of dolling up. That's all." Shrugging her shoulder but what got her attention is the guy's surprise reaction on the bluebell flame spell she did. Teagan looked at one and she, too, was impress by it. "Don't worry, it's not going to burn down the forest, if that's what you're thinking." The fire was hovering off the ground and can also be touched without burning flesh. Teagan was curious though as to why the guy was there in the first place, not everyone dares to go to a dark forest specially with 'Forbidden' attached to its name. "So, are you here to pick mistletoes or just roaming around?" Teagan asked because he seem to be running from someone when he bump into her.
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[Leo Benivieni]

Leo nodded, the usual cheerful grin on his face when he talked to people. "Sounds fun, a hobby of yours?" The boy glanced at the girl as she spoke, she was really picking mistletoes from trees and he thought it a different thing to what he was used to seeing others do. A Ravenclaw then. So far, he hadn't exactly spoken to anyone from the blue house, that he remembered. To him that seemed more of a reason to stay around and chat. He forgot all about his fear of having made noise and startled some creatures and the third year shook his head at her statement. "Nah, not at all, I'm actually impressed by it," he told her smiling. She was good, he'd give her that. Probably better than Leo himself. "Neither. I was trying to find-" Leo stopped abruptly, wondering what exactly he came here for in the first place. "Yeah, never mind. I'm exploring," he chose to say instead. "I like coming to the forest. It's so mysterious." The gryffindor wasn't scared to enter the forbidden forest and he had yet to find reason for the place being forbidden. Because he still did not find anything to make him not want to come here again, Leo found himself here more often than previous years. And even if there were reasons for him not to explore the forest, if they were plastered all over the castle, it was Leo they were dealing with. He would go anyway.​

 

[Teagan Riley]

The blonde Ravenclaw chuckled, "Not really, if I wasn't staying here for the holidays our common room would be as sad as the dungeons." Not going home for the holidays was a first for her. Teagan got a nasty response from her mother when she told them that she's staying in the castle but it didn't bother her because she knows that some of her friends at least would be here with her. Teagan picked another bush of mistletoe and set it aside on the ground with the others she got. She nodded slightly at the guy's response, "I could teach you, it's super easy. I'm Teagan Maxwell, by the way." She offered and introduce herself. Picking the last bush she can get without climbing the oak tree, Teagan gathered up the rest from the ground.

"Exploring? Mysterious? I'll pretend you just didn't said that." Teagan winked. The Forbidden Forest seems just a normal forest for her and she hopes it stays that way. "Are you sure you're just exploring? Because you were running from someone or something earlier." The Ravenclaw didn't mind whatever explanation the guy has for being inside the forest, she's not a prefect and would rather cause trouble for once just for the fun of it. Teagan shook her head slightly while casting 'Finite' on each bluebell flames she did. "Do you mind getting further more? I found out that there are Mountain buttercup flowers here." It would be nice to add more fragrance to the common room or the great hall.
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[Leo Benivieni]

The Gryffindor laughed. "Yeah, I think my common room deserves a festive decoration too, now that I think about it." He smiled as he thought of what type of 'decorations' he meant. The boy was one for pranks. He'd definitely put harmless traps here and there if he was staying at school, but he wasn't, he was going home to his family which rather excited the third year. He couldn't wait to see his little sister. "Sounds like a fun idea," Leo responded to the Ravenclaw, as this might make him seem more useful than what his parents thought him as. He could prove something to them for a change, no matter how insignificant it seemed. It was a skill he could easily use at home without bothering any family members or neighbours, because flying on a broom in his backyard apparently upset some people. Naturally, he did it anyway, he had to practice. "I'm Leo," he introduced himself in return. Leo was beginning to like this girl, she was humorous and understood him.

Leo debated with himself, should he tell her? Might as well. "Actually, I was trying to go by unnoticed because I had stepped on a twig, so I started running in case professors or prefects were to appear out of nowhere like they do these days," he explained. "I didn't feel like getting caught." He observed Teagan properly this time, learning what she was doing so he could try it out himself if she needed. "So technically," he added as an afterthought. "I could've been running from someone." He grinned. He was enjoying this interaction. "You know, it would be fun to get caught just once. I fear they're too nice sometimes here though, I've been here so many times and yet..." he shrugged, gesturing to himself. "No one has even said anything to Professor Kingsley, or the deputy headmaster or headmistress for that matter." Entering the forest this many times surely should have attracted a lot more attention by now, but apparently not. "Of course," he agreed, moving to pick more mistletoes for the castle. He could go home and brag about being able to deal with mistletoes better than his sister, all good-naturedly of course. Sara disliked mistletoes, anything to do with romance. He never understood why.​

 

[Teagan Riley]

Teagan listened to Leo about not wanting to get caught. She almost burst out laughing at how not-so-rebellious after all her new found friend. "So, we have a Gryffindor here. They're getting in a lot of trouble lately and poor professor Kingsley have to deal with them, specially the first years." Teagan pointed out what she had observe for the past three years and thought how she only got in trouble once when she punched Murphy in the face, at least it was only her teammate slash prefect who discipline her. When Leo agreed to go further into the heart of the forest, she cast 'Lumos' and the tip of her wand lit.

She smiled to Leo and lead the way to a much darker part of the forbidden forest. It was much cooler there, sending goosebumps on her arm and the back of her neck. Then she saw white flowers near trees, they were cute to look at and plenty to decorate the common room. "You don't mind picking some, do you?" Teagan asked Leo while she scanned the most tree that has the mountain buttercup.
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[Justin Cliffeton]

Professor Justin Cliffeton was walking around the edges of the Forbidden Forest, a practice that he had taken too every night lately. There was always a lot of students who liked to consider themselves above the law and they'd always try and sneak on past the staff, and Justin didn't like the idea of having a death on his hands after what had happened with the last Deputy Headmaster. He sighed, then, as he spotted a couple of students in the distance doing just that. Quickly trailing him, his wand tip alight with Lumos, he just sighed once again. "Do the rules mean nothing to anyone?" He asked, making his presence known, a look of disappointment on his face.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

"Of course I don't mind," Leo smiled at Teagan to reassure her. There wasn't anymore time to talk more and pick some more mistletoes however, as when he heard a male voice that sounded a lot older than a student's, sent a quick alarmed look Teagan's way before turning around. The grin was back on his face. "Sorry, Professor, we were...asked to pick some mistletoes for decorating the castle." He knew that wasn't a reliable excuse because it was not true. Leo tried anyway though. His voice had sounded confident enough in his opinion. He turned towards his friend as a very subtle gesture for her to continue. Leo didn't know her that well so he hoped she knew how to convince Professor Cliffeton. He didn't even want to think about Professor Kingsley when she found out he got caught in the forbidden forest.​

 

[Teagan Riley]

When Teagan heard Leo's response to her, she took a glimpse and smiled at him. Her wand still up and glowing, the Ravenclaw found a spot where there was plenty and they were gorgeous looking. She was one step to pick her first mountain buttercup flower when a familiar voice sounded the quiet and dark forest. Teagan turned quickly, wand aiming at the flying professor slash deputy headmaster, frozen on the spot. Leo was the first one to give out a lie. She appreciated it that her new found friend would save them both. "Y-yes, deputy. I mean, Professor Cliffeton. Sorry." She stuttered under pressure and yet she's still aiming her wand at him. "We were asked to get some mistletoe. See?" The blonde Ravenclaw pointed her head to the bunched up bushes of mistletoe on her arm, carrying it like she's won a pageant. "So, how's your wife ... girlfriend? Aren't you suppose to be out for the holidays?" Teagan slowly bit her lips and stopped herself from getting into more trouble. She likes the flying professor but that was inside the classroom. Out of it is a different take.
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[Justin Cliffeton]

Justin raised an eyebrow when they told the most obvious lie he'd ever heard. He knew they were going, but the students he Game across usually put in at least a little bit of effort when they attempted to lie to the Deputy Headmaster. He just shrugged, and gave them a puzzled look. "So what you're saying is, a member of the staff sent two students into the Forbidden Forest to fetch Mistletoe and/or decorations?" He said, with his eyebrow raised. Hopefully they'd realise that he was on to them, and that they didn't have a chance in getting away with a lie.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

The third year had a feeling that the lie hadn't been convincing. He shouldn't have hesitated but even if he didn't Leo wouldn't have been able to come up with something better because it was a professor and not a student. Either way, both Teagan and himself were in trouble. He was grateful to her for her efforts in carrying on with the lie and not defending herself by saying it had just been Leo's idea. Which of course it wasn't. The Gryffindor mentally facepalmed at his new friend's question. Smart move that one. "Well, um...I mean, we didn't go too far into the forest. So it shouldn't be that dangerous, right Teagan?" He looked at her with a subtle pleading look to just go along with it. He was too far with coming up with excuses to turn back now, he had to get through until Professor Cliffeton brought them up to his office which was highly likely.​

 

[Teagan Riley]

Teagan nodded slightly at the Professor still biting her lips. She would understand getting in trouble while having a brawl with Murphy's group but not while they're picking mistletoe which are very safe except when eaten. "Yes, Professor. Leo and I are still at the edge of the forest. We can still see the castle from here." The Ravenclaw agreed with her friend. She knew the friends code very well even if she doesn't really have that many. "We're pretty much done here, Professor. Maybe we could go inside now and decorate for the Holidays?" She asked, hoping he'll cave and give them a pass. It is the holidays anyways.
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