Don't Stop Me Now

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol was surprised when Asaiah decided to race her to the Forbidden Forest all the way from the library, but as soon as she saw the Slytherin boy take off, she followed right after him. It was hard for them to navigate through the castle between the corridors and all the people, so Marisol was trailing behind. But as soon as they hit open air, Marisol breathed it all in and sped up. She caught up to Asaiah briefly before saying, "See you there!" with a little wave, just to antagonize him, and raced off ahead of him.

As soon as she got to the outskirts of the forest, the Gryffindor girl stopped and pulled her book bag over head to take it off, throwing it on the ground. She picked her hair up in a makeshift ponytail to keep it out of her face as she caught her breath. But Asaiah was not far behind her so he arrived right after her, and as soon as he did, she put her hair back down. Now that he was here Marisol gestured towards the deep expanse of the ominous forest. She was really re-thinking her rash decision to join him here. Before she could convince herself to turn around and go straight back up the castle, Marisol looked towards Asaiah and said, "You first!"

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah looked over his shoulder while running over the beautiful and green grounds of the Hogwarts Castle and noticed that Marisol was catching up with him. He quickly turned his head again to look forwards, giving all he had. Although this was meant to be just for fun, Asaiah actually hoped he would out run her and be at the forbidden forest before she would. However, that hope fated away when the first year heard Marisol's voice saying ''See you there!'' with a wave as she caught up with him. Asaiah tried to grab her right shoulder so that the Gryffindor girl would slow down a bit, but she was out of reach already.

When Asaiah arrived at the outskirts of the forest a few seconds later than Marisol, he let his backpack slide off of his right shoulder and himself fall to the ground, catching his breath and even swearing a little. ''Yeah, just a second, alright?'' He said as he was still trying catch his breath. ''Next time we'll just walk, okay?'' As soon as he could breath normally again, Asaiah stood up and smiled at Marisol, glad she went with him to the forbidden forest instead of having to go alone. He picked up his backpack and threw it against a tree, ''I'm not taking that heavy thing with me into the forest.'' Asaiah said whilst slowly walking towards the forest. ''Alright, miss Scaredy-cat, you coming?''

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol giggled at Asaiah's reaction and was still a little out of breath herself so she nodded and said, "Yes definitely." It had taken all of her strength to beat him here just to prove she could keep up and wasn't a scaredy-cat, but the fire in her lungs told her that her pride wasn't worth it next time. Although she couldn't believe she had just agreed to a "next time" for visiting the Forbidden Forest. Perhaps Asaiah had just meant "next time" they did something else, not visiting the forest specifically.

She followed the Slytherin boy's lead and hid her book bag behind a tree at the entrance, only taking out her wand and slipping it in her jeans pocket. They didn't know enough magic yet to protect them, but it still made her feel better. Hopefully Asaiah knew something to help them since he came from a wizarding family. Yet she hoped even more that they wouldn't need protecting in the first place.

As Asaiah took the first few steps into the forest and called after her, Marisol took a deep breath and followed him. Him calling her a scaredy-cat was really testing her stubbornness to prove him wrong. "Let's go!" she said with a big grin at him, she was definitely nervous but still excited. At first the two just walked along a path deeper into the forest, but it wasn't long before the trees above grew thicker and obscured the sky above them, making it harder to see around them. Marisol glanced back at the entrance where they had left their backpacks and saw how lit up the entrance was in comparison to the few feet they had already walked. It was so dark here and they weren't even that far from the entrance yet, which meant the deeper parts of the forest must've been pitch black! Still, Marisol didn't want to go back just yet, so she kept going, following Asaiah's lead.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Surprised by her grin, he smiled and started following a path that lead them deeper into the Forbidden Forest. With Marisol right behind him Asaiah had to act though so taking lead was his way of doing exactly that. ''Just to get it out there if we don't make it out alive, but we probably will because come on, how dangerous can this forest be if it's next to a school full of kids, I'm glad you're my first Gryffindor friend.'' without turning his head towards her Asaiah smiled, continuing to keep walking along the path with her right behind him. To be perfectly honest, calling her a scaredy-cat seemed really uncalled for now that Asaiah began to get pretty nervous himself, he hadn't actually thought that she would join him and hoped that Marisol would chicken out at the last moment, giving him the perfect opportunity to follow her right back to the castle.

They where a bit deeper into the forest when Asaiah decided to break the silence that had been going on for the past four to five minutes or so, ''So how's Hogwarts treating you so far? Enjoying the lessons?'' the Slytherin boy walked a bit slower so that they would be walking together instead of him leading the way.

next one will be better!

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol followed Asaiah carefully, stepping exactly where he did just in case. At his first remark, Marisol actually smacked him hard on the arm. "Don't say things like that!" she whispered out loud. She knew it was rude to hit him, especially since they had just met, but she didn't want to hear things 'just in case' they didn't make it out of here alive! Even though he had a point about this forest probably not being too bad. But still, she didn't want to take any chances. "Although I will say I'm proud to be your first Gryffindor friend," she added stiffly. She still didn't appreciate his comment, but she did like it anyway. "And for the record, I'm glad you're my first Slytherin friend too," she said, still looking around them cautiously.

As they got deeper into the forest, Marisol was glad that Asaiah slowed down to walk side by side with her. It was okay to make him lead in the beginning, but as they got further in and it got darker, she didn't like not being able to see him as well. Now she liked the feeling of Asaiah by her side because it made her feel safe. As Marisol pulled out her wand to light it, the Slytherin boy asked her how she was liking Hogwarts. She muttered, "Lumos," really quickly just so she could see the path ahead of them, and chuckled at his questions. "You're seriously making small talk with me right now when we might get eaten by a bear?" she said jokingly. "Hogwarts is nice, it's fun," she nodded her head in thought. "They said I would be safe here, so I hope that means there's no actual bears in this forest," she commented out loud, looking around them as if a rabid bear would suddenly appear. But then she was regretting making that comment because she had let slip that they told her she'd be safe here. Of course students would be safe at a school, why would they need to reassure her of her safety? Marisol hoped that Asaiah hadn't caught on to that or if he did, he wouldn't ask about it. "I would like the lessons more if we could actually start learning magic stuff instead of just reading about it, don't you think?" she commented, to change the subject.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

''Heeeeey!'' The boy yelled out when Marisol smacked him on his arm, ''Not cool!'' He said angrily while pointing at her. ''Not cool..'' Even though Asaiah was only joking, he could have expected that the Gryffindor girl wouldn't like it, but still, if it helped brighten up her mood and making her think of anything else, he would gladly do it again. Asaiah's cheeks turned red when she said the same about him and smiled. ''Well, it's my pleasure.'' He said and bowed as if he was a knight getting complimented by a royal.

Asaiah chuckled too, ''Seriously, Mari? A bear? That's what you are worried about? Being a bears dinner? Honestly, Marisol, this forest is called the Forbidden Forest not the Bear Forest.. I think bears should be the least of our worries while walking in the 'forbidden' forest.'' He smiled as she continued and answered his question. The first year nodded when she mentioned her safety at Hogwarts. Whoever told her that she was safe at Hogwarts probably spoke the truth because his father and oldest sister both said the same thing to him right before boarding the Hogwarts Express. Asaiah laughed softly when he noticed she was looking around. ''Mari, if a bear jumps out of the bushes to eat us alive, we'll give it a good old punch, okay? It will probably leave after seeing these two here.'' And while he said that he turned towards her and flexed his arm muscles, trying to comfort her whilst the two of them got deeper and deeper into the forest. When she spoke again he nodded in agreement. ''Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one done with all the theoretical stuff. I just wanna use my wand for something, I mean come on, learn us something already - isn't that why we had to buy our wands in the first place?'' As they were talking about magic and wands, Asaiah suddenly realized that his wand was still in the backpack against the tree by the entrance. ''So ehhh.. You don't know any spell?'' The boy asked her, hoping she would actually say yes rather than no. ''Because I totally forgot the get my wand out of my backpack..'' Asaiah said without looking at Marisol out of shame.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol giggled at his reaction to her hitting him. She did feel bad because she shouldn't have done that, but she hoped it hadn't hurt too much. And judging by his reaction, he didn't seem too mad so Marisol felt a little better. She laughed again when he bowed to her after she had said he was her first Slytherin friend. "Yes, it's a real privilege to be my friend, not just anyone can do it," she said jokingly. Truthfully she hadn't gone out and tried to make friends of her own yet because she was still adjusting to everything. She was glad Asaiah had made the first move and talked to her at the library because otherwise she wouldn't have gotten the guts to do it herself.

The Gryffindor girl scowled when Asaiah began to make fun of her for being afraid of bears. She rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah it's obviously not going to be called the Bear Forest because they don't want you to know there are bears in here!" She felt she was making a very good point. "Plus, it's obviously called the 'Forbidden' Forest for a reason! I wonder why that could be - oh probably because there are bears who would kill us!" she added, her voice getting louder with each word. Once she realized she was being loud, she put a hand over her mouth and looked around them cautiously, to see if she had attracted any visitors.

Then when Asaiah said he would punch a bear if it came at them, and then flashed his arm muscles, Marisol couldn't help but burst out laughing. She didn't mean to laugh at him but his reaction was so amusing to her. It had definitely helped her forget that she had just been freaking out about possible bear attacks. "I don't know about that," she said through her laughter, "'cause I'm just saying, I look really appetizing to a bear." As she said that, she gave him a little twirl as if that would prove that she looked like the perfect bear dinner. "Maybe they'll let you go free because they won't want to eat you," she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Marisol nodded at everything he said about wanting to learn stuff with their wands already. She felt exactly the same way. So far the only class that she'd actually done anything in was Potions and that one didn't even require a wand! But as he asked her if she knew any spells, because he forgot his back at the entrance Marisol turned to look at him with wide, doe eyes. "The only spell I know is this one," she said, holding up her lit wand to indicate at the 'Lumos' effect currently on it. "I can't believe you forgot yours!" she hissed more quietly this time, as if the animals could hear that they were unarmed first years and decide to attack. "You were supposed to be the one to protect us!" she said, smacking him on the arm again, not as hard as the first time. "Now we'll definitely get eaten by bears," she said in a tiny whisper. What else was she supposed to do with her wand, blind an animal to death? Marisol didn't know whether they should continue walking deeper into the forest or walk back, but so far they had not run into anything so perhaps there really was nothing to fear.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah laughed at Marisol's reaction and playfully said, ''Guess who is being a scaredy-cat again.'' He put his arm around her and pulled her a little bit closer towards him. ''Nothing is going to happen, okay? It's probably called the 'Forbidden' Forest for different reasons. Like I said before bears are probably the least we should worry about in a freaking dark fore-.. Aaaand I'm most likely making you only more scared right now so I'm going to shut up.'' Asaiah honestly didn't want his friend to be scared because that wouldn't be any fun, and it would be way too easy to scare her now. The first year kept his arm around her for a few more minutes, trying make her feel less scared and looked around too, hoping to see anything with the little light the spell gave them.

When Marisol was laughing at him, Asaiah looked at her with a bewildered expression on his face. ''Oh, you don't think these two bad boys can hold that bear off?'' Asaiah said whilst flexing his arm muscles again, ''Guess you'll just have to see it for yourself then.'' When the Gryffindor girl said she looked appetizing to a bear, the boy chuckled. It was sort of nice that the two of them were having a bit of fun in the forest, it certainly was a strange place to have fun yes, but it was still nice. ''Ohohoh, so basically what you're saying is that don't look good enough to be a bear's evening meal? Thank you so much'' He said jokingly.

Asaiah was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one who thought that they should have learned spells by now. It had been bothering him for little over a week and he had even sent his father a letter asking him if he could write something to the Defense Against the Dark Arts, and by spells Asaiah meant cool and awesome-looking ones, not Protego or Stupify which were two very basic spells to learn. When Marisol said that Lumos was the only one she knew his mouth fell open out of astonisment, realizing that they were probably doomed if a creature decided to attack them. ''Says the girl who hasn't been paying attention in class at all!'' He hissed back at her, quickly looking around to see if they were still in the safezone. ''I.. am.. suppose to be the one who has to protect us? Have you seriously forgotten that I don't know a thing either? I don't know what to do if a freaking werewolf, or vampire or something-big-like that decides to jump out of one of these huge ass trees and makes himself a little nice meal out of the two of us!? And stop smacking my arm!'' Asaiah wasn't angry with her or anything like that, it was the fact that Marisol thought that he could protect them if they needed protection from something, because the first year couldn't do that at all. ''Listen, we can go back if you want to but I bet you that we won't get eaten by anything, and besides you still have your wand right? So with your wand and my amazingly-good-and-powerful-looking-arms/gun we'll kick anyones ass if we need to.''

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol pouted when Asaiah called her a scaredy-cat again. He was technically right, she was freaking out over nothing yet. She actually chuckled when he stopped himself because he was only making things worse, and smiled when he put his arm around her. It was weird at first and she nearly wanted to flinch because she was still a little jittery about physical contact since her attack, but his presence actually calmed her.

Even though he was totally joking about his 'guns', Marisol felt safer around Asaiah, so she giggled when he flexed again. "Oh please, I bet I can totally take down a bear before you can," she countered. "And yes, I am saying you don't look appetizing enough for a bear! They would want quality human flesh," she said as if being a bear's first choice was something to be proud of. Though at the mention of 'human flesh' she briefly wondered if animals would be able to sense that she wasn't completely human anymore. Was that possible, even if she was in her human form now? The existence of the wizarding world, and mythological creatures like werewolves, was still so new to her that she didn't know what was actually real in the wizarding world, and what was just made-up folklore. It turned out werewolves existed, so what myths about them were actually real? Despite being a lycanthrope herself, Marisol didn't know.

It didn't help that Asaiah just pointed out her lack of magical ability. It was something that she was super self conscious about. The Gryffindor was glad it was dark as she blushed in embarrassment for not having been able to master the basic spells they had been taught yet. Thankfully Asaiah moved on from that subject and went back to protesting about being the protector. "Well you just showed me your 'guns' so yes of course you're supposed to be the protector!" she pointed out with a laugh. "You can't be flexing and boasting about your skills and then get upset when I appoint you protector," she smirked at him.

At the mention of a werewolf attacking them in this forest, Marisol's heart skipped a beat. Just hearing the word made her anxious and afraid. Genuine fear flooded her for a moment, there was no way she would be able to survive a second attack, it was a miracle she did the first. But then she realized there could not possibly be werewolves - besides her - in this forest because if so, there would probably be more student werewolves at Hogwarts, given how frequently students like to sneak up here on a dare. They would be too easy as targets here and there would be a werewolf epidemic.

Marisol recovered after reassuring herself that there were probably not werewolves in the forest and then cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Wait a minute, so you don't think there are bears in this forest, but you do think there are things like vampires and werewolves?! Wow that makes me feel so much better, thanks Asaiah," she said sarcastically, though there was a small smile on her face. The two had stopped walking for a while to just talk about hypothetical bears and Asaiah's 'guns', but the Gryffindor was getting restless and said, "Come on, let's keep going. You said there's nothing to be afraid of with these bad boys," - she patted his biceps playfully - "so let's keep going!"

 

[Aeon Summers]

Kids gonna get in troubleeee
Aeon Summers wasn't the best at fitting into the role of an authority figure, rather he was the type to let students be the fun-loving and adventurous kids they were. After all, he'd been exactly the same when he was sorted all those years ago. Frequent trips to the Forbidden Forest and general running amok of the castle had been his favourite past-time until he'd somehow managed to secure a position as prefect. Now that he was a professor, he had to step up his game, but that was difficult when you simply didn't care to police teenagers fun. He came back to the academy to teach a subject he had a passion for to those with a keen interest, and that was the end of it. Still, he wasn't exactly in the Headmistress' good graces. Even though his probationary period following the food fight escapade had ended, he was required to at least make an effort to catch students acting up or venturing out of bounds.

With nothing else to do with his evening, the animagus took to patrolling the Forbidden Forest. As he passed the treeline his body shifted and changed, dropping to all fours. Where moments before there had been a man, was now a large, bright-eyed husky padding through the damp dirt and dead leaves of the forest floor. With the creatures more enhanced senses, it didn't take long to pinpoint two sounds and scents that did not belong amongst the forests wildlife. He circled around the voices, prowling through the trees until he caught sight of a young Slytherin and Gryffindor duo. Typical. The newer students were always the ones most likely found stumbling among the forest and breaking the rules. If they'd been older and more prepared, the professor likely would have left them be, but if these two managed to anger a centaur or any of the other forest's more aggressive inhabitants, they wouldn't have been able to defend themselves in the slightest.

Aeon wasn't a bear, a werewolf or a vampire, but he had no doubt he could probably still give the two kids a scare. The animagus growled from just beyond their field of illumination, a low, guttural sound, before stepping slowly forward, the wand's light reflected in his eyes. Saliva dripped from between his teeth and as he entered their illuminated area, he snapped his jaws, snarling at the two a second time, deeper and more aggressive than the last. It was difficult to keep up the intimidating look when he felt amused by the situation, but the man managed as best he could.
​

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

With all the bits of fun they had Asaiah totally forgot that they were walking in the Forbidden Forest. ''Oh by the love of Merlin's beard, you couldn't even hurt a fly, I mean look at you, you have probably never even killed one of those annoying little bastards.'' The smile on his face kept on growing until he was laughing out loud. ''Well, I too, think that I look very, very appetizing and in fact I know that the bear would most likely choose to eat me first, because who could resist my adorable charms, mhm?'' Giving her a twirl this time. Even though he was making fun of being eaten alive by a bear he really hoped a bear wouldn't eat them at all.

The Slytherin smiled and gave her a little push as they continued walking through the deep and dark forest. ''Well what if my 'guns' have no effect on that bear and it's walking towards us with those hungry eyes growling as if to say 'there are two very delicious tiny humans that I definitely want to eat and not spare instead' mhhm? I suggest you are our protector since you're the one with a wand here.'' Asaiah replied back, ''Just wave you're wand like a madman and hope it scares the bear off.'' All the talk of bears attacking them and who was best suited to be the protector made the boy a bit scared so he started to look around every once in awhile.

As they walked through the forest Asaiah thought back on a conversation he had with his parents a few days before he would leave to go to Hogwarts. His parents had warned him not to do anything stupid during his stay at the castle, because if they would recieve a letter from the school saying that their son had broken one or several school rules they would take away his owl, Axel for one whole year - even when Asaiah went back home for the holidays. So with that in mind, Asaiah hadn't done anything 'stupid' in the first month of living at Hogwarts but when October came and Halloween was right around the corner, his curiosity took over so he decided to visit the Forbidden Forest to look around and see what kind of creatures would live in the forest. And now he was in the Forbidden Forest doing exactly what he promised his parents he wouldn't do and alongside him was a girl he had met a few hours earlier.

He looked at Marisol as if he wanted to give her a smack against her head. ''Obviously, yes I do.'' The first year said wondering how much she knew about the creatures living in the Wizarding World. ''Have you ever read the book 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'? It mentions werewolves, vampires, huge ass snakes and spiders, a bird with the body of a horse and countless other weird creatures. What the book doesn't mention is a freaking bear, so yes, I do think there are werewolves and vampires in this forest.'' Asaiah continued, not picking up her sarcasm. When she patted his biceps and said that they should continue walking further, Asaiah couldn't help but smile. However that smile faded away as soon as he heard a growl coming from a few meters away from where they stood. Freaked out by the growl Asaiah decided not to move anymore and turned his head to Marisol, hoping she had heard it too. When the creature stepped into their line of sight it startled the Slytherin boy so much that he fell over and let out a scream.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol was so close to smacking Asaiah on the arm again for saying that she looked so weak that she couldn't even hurt a fly. She felt her temper flaring up and she wanted to tell him how she had survived a werewolf attack so clearly she wasn't as weak as she seemed. The Gryffindor had to stop herself from getting angry and saying things she would regret, but thankfully Asaiah said something that distracted her and made her chuckle weakly at him. "I don't know about 'adorable' but maybe they'll eat you for being such a know-it-all," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him. She had never heard of the book he told her about, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but it seemed like it was something she should look up. She felt silly that she had to look up werewolves in a book, just to try and find out more about herself. It was weird, to suddenly be inflicted by something and not know anything about it other than turning into a beast every month. "I'll have to check that out some time," she said, mostly to herself than to him.

Just then, as the two kept walking through the forest, Marisol heard a familiar sound that did not sound good. She had been too busy arguing with Asaiah over stupid bears that she hadn't heard any of the tell tale signs of being followed. Then again, animals were more graceful than people gave them credit for, they were not clumsy enough to step on branches and snap them, or brush over leaves - they were a lot more discreet, and Marisol had learned that the hard way. Before she could even ask 'What was that?' she saw something enter their line of vision. Her wand light only reflected the angry glowing eyes in the darkness and Marisol tried to scream or run, but she couldn't do anything. She didn't even register Asaiah trying to move and run beside her.

The deep growls and the glowing eyes in a dark unknown forest was all it took to render Marisol immobile as the situation triggered the memory of her attack not too long ago. The Gryffindor began to breathe hard and fast, quickly approaching a panic attack and she dropped her wand, useless against a beast. The eleven year old was shaking in fear, knowing she wouldn't be able to survive another attack. She knew she should move but she could not do anything but shake, paralyzed in fear. Marisol only snapped out of it when she heard Asaiah scream. The Gryffindor girl blinked and tried to turn and run. "I - I - I can't," she shook her head, not wanting to move out of fear that the animal would attack them. "I can't survive this again, not this time," she choked out, nearly in tears as she began to hyperventilate and have a panic attack. Marisol fell to the ground in a fetal position, heaving and trying to catch her breath as she waited for the animal to attack her from behind, just like the werewolf had. She couldn't even register where Asaiah was as all she thought about were claws and teeth ripping into her sides and back again.

 

[Aeon Summers]

The fun Summers was having was short lived. The boy's reaction had been exactly what he was looking for, a frightened look, a scream. If a dog could chuckle, he would have. The girl on the other hand went further, and it took the professor a few moments to process exactly who she was. Another werewolf kid, who probably still quite clearly recalled the night of their attack. Merlin, it was just his luck. At first, he scolded himself for being so careless, yet a part of him was also annoyed at her for even venturing anywhere near the Forbidden Forest. Some people really didn't know how to learn from their experiences. The animagus ceased his growling and took a slow step forward, his body distorting and twisting upwards in the same movement. His canine features were gradually replaced with more human characteristics until he returned to his original self, one hand on his hip and a concerned, yet disapproving expression on his face. "Merlin's beard, sorry. Miss Parasol - no, wait, Marisol. Could you please calm down. There's no danger." Aeon said with a slight tone of uncertainty, hoping that she wouldn't require a trip to the Hospital Wing for this. He wasn't well equipped with handling panicking students, nor did he know if he should try comfort her. He was a transfiguration master, not a counselor. One would have thought that being savagely attacked by a werewolf would instill a fear of dark places such as the Forbidden Forest, which was teeming with creatures.

Flickering his gaze across to the boy, Aeon spoke again. "Would you like to explain why the two of you are here, and not within the castle. This is the Forbidden Forest, not a playground." He said with exaggerated emphasis on the forest's title, as if it wasn't already obvious.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Sh!t hit the fan so fast that Asaiah couldn't keep up with what was happening around him. After he stopped screaming he heard Marisol say a few things that were a little out of place, or so he thought, but was pulled out of that thought when the beast who had been growling at them, turned out to be one of their professors who was probably patrolling the Forbidden Forest for anyone who shouldn't suppose to be out here. Feeling rather angry because of the prank the professor had just pulled on them, Asaiah stood up and brushed off the dirt off his black robes. Before answering the professor's question he turned around towards Marisol, making sure she was ok he said, ''Hey, are you alright? You seemed kind of scared.. Don't be okay? Nothing bad happened..'' and held out his hand for her to grab it.

While the first year waited for Marisol to grab his hand so he could pull her up, Asaiah turned to the professor. He knew they were in trouble this time so he tried to make up an excuse really fast to get them out of trouble. (Even though it was his fault that they were in the Forbidden Forest in the first place) Asaiah tried to look normal again before he spoke up. ''We, or I actually, was looking for my wand..'' the eleventh year old began, ''A couple of kids were bullying me and threw my wand into the forest, so I decided to look for my wand, and then right before I wanted to go in, Marisol stopped me and asked me what had happened..'' Whilst talking his facial expression changed alot. ''I eventually asked her if she would help me find my wand and she did and now we're here, super scared because of what you did, sir.'' Asaiah stopped taking, indicating that he was done explaining to the professor why they were out here.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol kept her hands over her head, so she didn't see when the animal turned back into a human. She heard Asaiah's voice, asking if she was okay, and it was only until she realized he wasn't scared anymore either that she finally peeked her head out from behind her hands. She looked around and saw that the animal wasn't there anymore, and she accepted Asaiah's hand to pull her up. The Gryffindor girl was still shaking a little and she didn't let go of the Slytherin's hand as the adult began to talk to her.

She was confused how he knew her name, because she didn't recognize him, but then she figured all the other professors would've been made aware of her presence while at Hogwarts. The thought made Marisol feel even more like a prisoner in her own body, feeling like she was always being kept an eye on. She didn't even notice when the professor got her name wrong - one of her pet peeves - and only kept looking around frantically to make sure the animal had gone as he said there was no danger. She should've known not to come into this forest, it had only been a mere few months since her attack! Marisol had no idea she would react the way she had if they encountered something and now she felt ashamed and embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry," she murmured.

Her immediate reaction to his questioning of why they were in here was to get angry and ask why they even had a Forbidden Forest on school grounds in the first place if there were actual dangers lurking in here that could harm students. Even in her fear she wanted to snap at the older man, but thankfully Asaiah was quicker than her as she was still recovering from her panic attack and he came up with an elaborate story to cover up why they had ventured in here. She held on to his hand tighter, not letting go, and nodded in support as he told his story. At the mention of a wand she looked around for her wand that had extinguished as soon as she had dropped it. When he said 'what you did' Marisol looked at Asaiah curiously and then back at the professor. "What do do you mean 'what he did'?"

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

When the Gryffindor girl grabbed his hand, Asaiah pulled her up from the ground, smiling at her and softly telling her that everything was OK now when he noticed that she didn't let go of his hand. Normally he wouldn't have done something to comfort someone but this was his friend who was scared and since it was his fault that they were walking in the Forbidden Forest, it was the least Asaiah could do to try and make her less scared.

Glad that Marisol backed his story up by nodding while he was talking, the first year felt a bit more confident whilst telling his made up story to the weird-but-also-cool-shapeshifting professor. When she held on to his hand tighter Asaiah looked at her, thinking something was wrong with her but noticed nothing about her. ''What do you mean 'What do you mean'?'' He asked her curiously, ''Have you not seen that professor-I-don't-know-his-name turned from a dog into a freaking human being? .. I seriously hope that I'm not the only one who is a little bit scared because of that.'' Asaiah said as he was pointing at the professor as if the man wasn't even there

 

[Aeon Summers]

Summers listened to the Slytherin boy's story with a look of barely concealed disbelief. He was being bullied and some kids threw his wand deep into the forest with their ripped and powerful teenaged throwing arms. He doubted any of the Quidditch chasers could throw anyone's wand this far in. He allowed him to continue, as the Gryffindor girl still seemed unable to fully comprehend the situation, which was understandable considering she'd practically rolled up into a ball, before speaking. "It's Summers." He began, realising neither of their houses had the pleasure of being taught by him yet. "And it's not that scary seeing someone change from an animal into a person. That's kind of what Transfiguration is." Though, it generally didn't relate to human beings, rather than that a lot of training, he figured they'd learn that by the next semester.

Changing the topic back to why they'd been traveling through the forest in the first place, the professor clicked his tongue. "So what you're saying is that some other students managed to get a hold of your wand and - despite us not having any superhuman athlete pupils - threw it all this way into this dense forest. And knowing it was out of bounds, you decided not only to stroll right in yourself but take another student with you to help you break the rules, instead of going to get a professor or other member of staff to safely retrieve it for you, as well as finding and punishing the students who bullied you in the first place. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the story you're telling me?"

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

When professor Summers began to summarize his story Asaiah knew he was in trouble since it was quite obvious that the professor didn't believe it at all. ''Well,'' The Slytherin boy began, looking at Marisol and back to professor Summers. ''Because we couldn't find my wand at the beginning, we thought that it must have rolled further into the forest.'' Asaiah said keeping up the lie rather than telling the professor the truth. ''And we couldn't find a professor or other member of the staff who was close, and I wasn't just going to leave my wand behind to look for an adult who could help me, what if a creature got hold of it and took it with him or her? Then I would've lost my wand because I was looking for someone who is actually authorized to go into the forest. So yes, I decided it would be better for me to go in alone - wel not alone, I had Marisol with me of course - rather than going to a professor or other member of the staff to help me out.''

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol furrowed her brows in confusion as Asaiah explained to her that the professor had shape-shifted from a dog to a human. The two seemed to go back and forth about the subject, both talking as if it was no big deal but Marisol had to interrupt them. "Wait wait - are you telling me that you willingly turn into an animal?" she asked, clearly disturbed by such a choice. The Gryffindor's situation was obviously different, but the idea of someone willingly choosing to transform into a beast was ludicrous to the werewolf who had no choice but to endure her transformations every month. "And what that also means is you, a Professor, actively chose to turn into a scary dog and frighten students, for fun?" she asked accusatorially. What kind of Professor scared children like that?! Marisol certainly did not appreciate the flashbacks to her attack and might have suffered worse if Asaiah hadn't been here to reassure her that they were safe. She almost wanted to click her tongue and say something about Hogwarts not being as safe as they claimed if they had professors such as this one, but that was just her short temper getting the better of her so she bit her tongue; she didn't want to get them in more trouble than they probably already were.

When Professor Summers began to interrogate them on their story with such disbelief in his voice, Marisol knew they were unlikely to get away with their little adventure. But rather than leave Asaiah to fend for himself, Marisol decided to back him up. She couldn't rat out her friend if he was sticking to his story, so she was going to ride it through with him. "We thought about going back for help but the castle was so far and we thought we would just be in and out of the forest quickly as soon as we got his wand," she began. "I heard about wands breaking if someone steps on them, so I didn't want a bear or...something else, to accidentally crush it because then Asaiah wouldn't have a wand to practice magic with," she explained. At the mention of a bear she looked over at Asaiah and half smiled weakly but then looked back at the Professor. "We didn't realize how far we had come in, and now that I think about it, we must've accidentally missed his wand when we were keeping a look out for monsters. We probably passed it a few feet back," she suggested with a small shrug.

 

[Aeon Summers]

When the boy committed to his story, Aeon's mouth moved in a silent oh please, no. The Slytherin thought his wand may have "rolled further into the forest" and a "creature might have taken it" if he had of left to get help. Sure, okay buddy. Once he'd finished, Summers made to respond, only for the Gryffindor girl to pipe up again. While Aeon had personally never been attacked by a werewolf in his life and couldn't say with certainty to what extent it affected a person, he was definitely not about to let Marisol get away with her attitude. "You're right, that's exactly what I do. I willingly turn into an animal and scare children so they can perhaps learn to abide by the rules in future. Just because you, an eleven-year-old girl, might not deem such action as professional, doesn't excuse the fact that you're still out here actively breaking the rules. Imagine if I had actually been a wolf, or a bear, or a vampire. We wouldn't be having this conversation. We probably wouldn't be having any conversations in the future, ever, because you'd no longer be alive. Do you understand me?" He said, his previously amused expression now more firm and serious. "I can safely say I've never seen any of the things I just listed in this forest, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous. Centaurs live and hunt here, for one. It wouldn't be surprising if one mistook you for a deer they'd been chasing after. Not to mention the simple fact that walking through the forest is a hazard in itself."

Summers paused for a moment, as if deciding what to do. There was no point in arguing with two pre-teens any further. "Now, I think I've heard enough of your excuses. This is the part where you both lose house points, turn around and march back towards the castle, feeling relieved that you weren't given a detention on top of that, yeah? Yeah. I think so." The animagus made a twirling motion with his fingers as he spoke, indicating for them to cease talking and start walking the way they came. "This would also be a good opportunity to conveniently remember that your wand was in your pocket or somewhere else this whole time, because if I have to look through this forest and waste my time finding out it's not here, you will lose more than just house points. On the of chance that you were telling the truth, however, I'll reconsider taking as many as I intend to. Now start moving."

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah dropped his head when professor Summers said he would reduce House points from both houses, and almost wanted to protest but knew it would be better to not say anything at this moment as it would certainly get him into more trouble if he did talk. He looked up again when the professor mentioned they wouldn't get any detention, which probably made them two very lucky first years. As the professor continued talking Asaiah simply nodded to everything the professor said to the two of them. He understood the danger of the Forbidden Forest very wel, but that danger made it just more and more exciting. The first year Slytherin looked at Marisol for a second, she had been backing up his story from the get-go and it made him feel happy that he could call her a friend even though they had just met each other since an hour or two. His head turned back to the man when he told them to start moving. Asaiah nodded and did exactly what the professor told the pair of them to do.

While walking back to the entrance, Asaiah didn't utter a single word the whole way back. He felt partially embarressed that he and Marisol got caught lying to a professor they hadn't even met yet.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol scowled when the Professor began to lecture them. Her short temper made her want to open her mouth again and argue with the older man, despite being an authority figure, but one look from Asaiah made her reconsider. She knew they were both actually getting really lucky by not having to serve detention, or worse, get mauled by an animal in here. She shuttered when the professor mentioned a wolf attacking them, and definitely knew they were lucky to have only run into the professor and not anything else.

The Gryffindor sighed, more like huffed, in defeat and quickly picked up her wand from the floor, and marched back to the entrance of the forest. She and Asaiah walked back in silence because the professor was following right behind them to make sure they didn't disobey his orders. She hated it, it was like being chaperoned, something Marisol would have to get used to during her time at Hogwarts. She was also upset she had just lost her House points because she wasn't exactly doing stellar in her classes so she wasn't gaining them many points either.

When they reached the castle doors, Marisol looked over at Asaiah and said, "Well, thanks for helping me do research in the library earlier. I'll see you around some time?" She smiled weakly at him to let him know she held no bad feelings towards him and the fact that they got in trouble, because up until that stupid dog-professor had shown up she had been enjoying her time with Asaiah and was glad she had made a new friend.