From Eden

[Leila Hamilton]

Leila glanced over her shoulder most suspiciously as she walked into the brush to get a moment away from the busy-bodies around her new school, especially the Ravenclaws that had their noses so far up their faces were brown or were equally as focused into their books whereas she didn’t feel suited to her house although she was clever enough. Dressed primly and with her hair in perfect curls she seemed to be somewhat out of place from the dirty forest, especially as she tiptoed through it because she did not want to get her shoes dirty as she’d yet to learn the spell to clean it all up. It was almost enough to make her turn back and yet she stayed moving forward until she had found a seat that another ‘rebellious’ student had fashioned out of a fallen tree. It was then that Leila took out the only thing that seemed to calm her in these times - her sketch book. It was not filled with nature or wildlife as one might expect from her surroundings but of dresses, shoes, lace details, makeup designs and anything of the sort that struck her fancy. She was perhaps not the most talented of artists but she had looked through magazine after magazine and read as many articles as well as peaking at all the look books she could get her slim hands on and so she was comfortable enough with her style of drawing as she grew within herself and her talent did as well.

With the Yule Ball approaching at a steady pace, Leila wanted to make sure her design would be perfect in time to sew it to her figure and so she drew what she would like for it. If anything, no one else would be attending with the same dress as hers. Between her dainty fingers the brunette expertly worked her pencil on the pad. It was not too structured, there would be no need for something too complex although she did love a good architecture-inspired dress or skirt. It was just too much to dance in and so she drew something that she would actually wear to the ball comfortably. As the girl was focused on her project, she hadn’t taken notice of her surroundings or of the people in them and so she kept working when another might gasp upon hearing twigs snap under someone’s feet.

 

[Victoria Chase]

Despite having no official patrol list yet from the Head students, Victoria was, for the first time, 'patrolling.' It was simply for fun - to get a taste and feel of what it was like to be outside of the Gryffindor chambers without worrying that somebody will report you to your head of house. Victoria craved that feeling so for the first time, she decided to venture and scour the hallways now that it was past curfew. She had been appointed to the title of prefect, wherein she had special responsibilities and privileges to use. The brunette was happy for the opportunity and she knew that for some reason, she could this as an excuse to several situations she wanted to avoid or exploit. It was an advantage and disadvantage simultaneously.

Ending up on the front of the forbidden forest was not her plan, yet here she was with her lit wand in hand, narrowing her eyes to see if anyone was in there. There had been reports that several students wandered inside and they got out either bruised, traumatized or fatally wounded. Since she had 2 siblings who was a Ravenclaw and former Slytherin respectively, she knew how to mix sneakiness and cleverness with the right amount of rhythm. Silently, she stepped into the darkness that was only illuminated by the moonlight and her Lumos. She advanced, careful not to step on anything disgusting when she saw a young student, whose features were unrecognizable to Vee. The prefect straightened her posture immediately and marched to what seemed to be a first year, ignoring the snaps and groans of twigs that was being resonated from under her feat. "You are dead," Vee called out and she immediately thought how lame that was. That wasn't how a proper prefect sounded when they caught students out of bed, was it? "Excuse me, but you are definitely off limits here. Don't you know that? It's past curfew so I have every right to take you to your Head of House." Vee said, looking at her pointedly. "They'll confiscate your sketch book too, you know," added the prefect and looked at her with a sardonic expression.
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[Leila Hamilton]

While the Ravenclaw should not have been shocked she was found in the Forbidden Forest the little gasp that flew from her lips made it all too clear that she was although that might have been because of the outlandish statement another girl said. A brief moment later and she was being told off before the girl had even gotten a chance to rise to her feet and straighten her dress, when she had Leila wrapped a lazy arm around the sketch book to hold it - not in fear of it getting confiscated there was nothing interesting for any of the Professors there especially her Head of House who she was fairly certain identified as a man. The girl looked at the older girl and saw the Prefects badge, practically flashing at her and she frowned disappointedly. "If I lie will that lessen my punishment?" she asked, finding it ridiculous that someone had dared to ask her if she knew such a plainly named forest would be forbidden. If they had named it after even the Black Forest in Germany that might have been a little more daunting, perhaps people would be less tempted to escape through it but the girl knew any suggestion she had on the name would be fallen on deaf ears and so she shook out her long dark hair, patiently waiting for whatever would come to her. "I highly doubt Professor Spensor would find my designs interesting," she added for clarity while Leila put one hand into a pocket of her undone navy cloak which was just warm enough for the weather here. While it would be disappointing to put her House into the red before the semester had barely begun she was not going to argue with this girl in fear she might have some sort of power trip and anyway the best arguments were fought stealthily, although she had no intention in creating any sort of fight with someone who was at least four years her senior, that would not be wise at all.​

 

[Victoria Chase]

She was a Ravenclaw and Victoria had learned a long time ago that one should never underestimate their intelligence. She raised an eyebrow, quite intrigued that the young girl even tried to suggest lying to lessen the punishment. Normally, scared first years would beg not to and offer anything but she was rather bold in Vee's opinion. Victoria walked up to her, but not with intimidation, as she eyed the sketchpad. "Designs? You're designing right in the forest... and not in your dorm? Interesting," she figured. There was always her four poster bed to draw on, or even the common room. But this brave soul right here chose not to draw there. Didn't she know the rumors? Perhaps not, since she appeared to be a first year after all. Victoria couldn't deny she was sparked with curiosity once she heard the word designs. Her primary interests remained in there and when she was eleven, she also did herself some sketches of dresses and footwear to start off. "Are you designing something with the theme of 'Forbidden Forest' because I really don't see why you have to do it here." Vee frowned at her. She crossed her arms and made sure that the frown was evident with the help of the light beam from her wand.
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[Leila Hamilton]

As the older student walked towards Leila did not feel intimidated at all whereas some of her classmates might, not because this Prefect seemed particularly frightening but because of the risk of getting into trouble. With an older sister like her own, it never occurred to the girl that she had any need to be scared of another person much less a forest. "No, I just needed to find a quiet place," Leila answered honestly but not curtly. It honestly felt like there was never any silence at all and it deeply disturbed the young witch. Whether it was in The Great Hall, the corridors, the common room or even her dorm room it felt like there was no place she could be in peace which was exactly what she wanted when she sketched out her plans. To add to her point, the girl rolled her eyes at the memory while she said, "People manage to even study loudly here." How they did it baffled her because it should be a very solitary, confined thing to do and yet there were people in her House who would sing to themselves their notes in badly shapen limericks and there was only so much a person could take.​

 

[Victoria Chase]

Vee cocked her head, an amused smile that contrasted the younger student's expression. Hogwarts students, as always, found their own ways to have study groups even in the most uncharacteristic places on earth. For all they knew, there could be a centaur scouting the area or some creature more dangerous than that. Her own brother was a victim of a centaur's taunts and intimidation and that already kept him away from the forest. "I see. But aren't you scared of what's lurking within the darkness?" Vee asked rhetorically and waved her wand with the light on its tip to cast several shadows and show how the forest can play tricks with one's mind. The smart ones though, were not easily fooled by its appearance. Although, there was always the possibility that she was a naive little one and Victoria never wanted anything to go bloody within the castle. "Never mind that. What are you even designing? You're a little too intense on it, it might seem." Victoria was not the one who was normally intense when she was younger, but she had known people who tried being so when they first arrived at the school to prove themselves a thinker. Victoria wasn't a thinker though - she was a designer and a schemer, two things that were lovely to combine.
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[Leila Hamilton]

Brazenly Leila shrugged her shoulders as if to say that she was not intimidated by what may or may not be there. If she did interact with something dangerous then so be it but until then the young Ravenclaw was not going to be intimidated by a name all too intriguing. “I think it must be a scare tactic, after all the Professors wouldn’t allow even a prefect here if it was as dangerous as they claim.” A small smirk fell onto her plush lips. A fifteen year old was in no way experienced enough to take on some dark beast and she would firmly disagree with anyone who thought otherwise and so the girl was not frightened as the older girl waved her wand around with it’s lit tip. Truthfully, it was the magic that worried her more than anything else as she had no knowledge, no control and no certainty at all. “I don’t know if I’m intense about it but I’m designing a dress to the Yule Ball,” she answered lamely. The dark haired girl wondered how this information would be received. Yes, she was a first year and no she was not going to have a date for the Ball but that did not mean that she could not enjoy herself anyway as she was quite independent in these means.​

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[Victoria Chase]

A scare tactic was rather interesting to think about. Victoria's beliefs have been firmly planted on the fact that prefects were chosen because of their highly appreciated abilities of leadership and a little of defense. The younger student's opinion was a part of hundreds of other assumptions yet Vee had quietly thought about it herself in the past. Nevertheless she shrugged nonchalantly, because if prefects were harmed in the forest, she was almost sure that her unfortunate soul would haunt the professors to pay tribute to her sacrifice or something like that. Though Victoria did not want to think about that morbidity, she had to admit that it was rather funny to dwell on even if it talked about the consequences of staying in the dark forest.

The topic of the conversation shifted and Vee's curiosity was piqued to a good level. She was always curious, even when it came to things that were better off unsaid. This time, dresses and gowns were her kind of domain. Even if they were in the dark forest of unknown magic, Vee was not ready to pass this up yet. She held up a groomed eyebrow in question and her lips quirked. "Like a proper gown? Or something plain flirty?" Her second question was almost said with a drip of contempt, because anything that was too sexy was horrendous for the chic Gryffindor. She was a lover of anything related to the world of beautiful clothes and cosmetics. "This dress better be worth wearing to the Ball. Are you designing it with vibrant colors or something dark? Has this forest become somewhat an inspiration for your design?" Vee could not help but ask more questions, because she truly was interested. She crossed her arms and looked pointedly at the Ravenclaw. Style was Vee's element that was all hers to control and wind up. There was no denying that there were other people designing clothes of their own but it all looked so ordinary and cliche. It was as if they got a design from a famous designer's spring collection and changed its colors for it to look original. Vee absolutely hated people with no originality and perhaps this first year had a redeeming quality to her designs.
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