Its not all pleasant

[Meera Gupta]

Meera yawned once again and looked at her clock. It was six in the morning and she had been awake and studying for the past two hours. The syllabus at Hogwarts and Beauxbatons was almost the same except for the language but somehow Meera was finding things slightly harder than she had expected. Maybe it was because of the change of environment. Meera wasn't one to back down. She needed to make her mark on the school's history. She was confident about getting good grades in the exams but for now she needed her mind to take a break. She still had two weeks before the exams and if she tortured her brain too much it might just break down. For this reason, Meera decided it was time she started exploring the castle. She had only seen the classroom and the dungeons so far.

Two days back in the common room, Meera had overheard students mention the trophy room, cliffs, rosebush, the garden, lake but above all what had interested Meera the most was the Forbidden forest. Back at her old school there was a dense forest but it was never famous and here at Hogwarts Meera had heard a lot about the forest. She wanted to know what was so special about the forest they all talked about. Without wasting any more time, Meera picked the first dress in her cupboard. This was not her usual way about clothes. She always took great deal of time in selecting outfit, accessories, hairstyle and make up but today was different. It was spontaneous and she hoped it would be a good adventure too. Once she was ready in a short yellow and black dress, black heels she combed a quick pony tail and left the Hufflepuff girls dormitory as quietly as possible. She did not want to attract any attention.

Once she was out of the dormitory and past the common room, Meera quickly made her way down the staircase and out of the giant front gates. She was glad not to have run into anyone on her way. Outside the castle she could feel the cold air of the night against her skin which was still around as the sun was just rising behind the thick trees. Meera walked easily in her heels as she had good practice using the shoes in all conditions. As she came closer to the forest, her excitement increased as the thoughts of what she might come across raced through her head. She saw a small path between the trees. It seemed to her that this was what teachers must be using when they entered the forest. Following the path she made her way stretching her neck to look at the tall and thick trees that seemed to touch the sky. The mud was slightly wet and Meera saw her own footprints as she walked deeper into the forest. The trees were entirely wrapped in all sorts of plants and veils. Then suddenly the path disappeared. Meera was not sure which direction to take from here on. In the mud she saw fresh foot prints but not hers. Someone was in the forest with her. Then a movement in the trees behind her seemed to prove her point. Meera stood her ground because she was no ordinary human who could be frightened. She was an Indian Princess who was trained all her life for unplanned attacks. Frankly Meera was hoping that she would come across magical creatures and beasts and not face another human because that was no fun. She took her wand from her purse and was ready for whatever came her way.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas had spent another night on his favorite cedar tree by the lake. The weather was getting better and better but the temperature still dropped a lot when the sun was no more adorning the blue of the sky. He could actually see his breath while leaning against the tree's trunk, sitting on a thick branch. Fortunately, the woolen cloak he had with him was big enough to cover his body and keep him warm. He had also conjured ropes to tie himself on the branch and prevent himself from falling off the tree while sleeping. Listening to the sounds of the night, the eerie hoots of the night owls and the water of the lake reaching the nearest shore, his eyeslids got heavy and soon he entered the sweet realm of dreams.

Dawn's first light pierced through the cedar trees' foliage and showered his cold face. His grey eyes opened to find himself almost hanging off the branch. Fortunately, the ropes kept him away from the ground. He unbinded his legs and dropped off the branch to the ground. Only when he stood up he realized he had a sore back. He stretched his arms and cracked his neck. Sleeping on a tree was really uncomfortable but no matter how painful it might was, he wasn't going to return back to Gryffindors common room. Professor Kingsley might wasn't mean it in this way when she disowned him from her own house for breaking into her office but Minoas had received her words too personally. He was kicked out of the pride, there was no reason to return to their territory. He always preferred the grounds from the castle but winter's cold weather would never stop trying to change his mind.
Minoas checked his watch to see it was too early to go for breakfast. Since he was also prohibited from Gryffindors table at the Great Hall, he decided to pay a visit to an old friend and have a breakfast with him. He left his cloak on the tree's branch and with only his wand, he reached forbidden forest's tree line.

Minoas was caught so many times sneaking in this part. His still hazy mind couldn't recount how many times he had earned a detention for wandering around the forest. This time however, he had an ace up his sleeve. He waved his wand above his head and the sensation of something cold dropping on his head and spreading all over his body, announced that he was now blending with the environment around him. He disappeared behind the trees, feeling again like the eleven year old boy back then that enjoyed trespassing rules. The forest's sounds had changed. Nocturnal growls were replaced by chirps and the gurgle of a stream somewhere in the distance. The fog had started dissolving as well, although sunlight was still struggling to get through the impregnable canopy of the forest. Everything was looking in order but as he was venturing deeper in the forest, his insticts alerted him for something.

Minoas was always trusting his intuition while it had saved him countless of times. Remembering that time when a herd of centaurs was after him, he chose the closest climbable tree. Still blending with the colors of the forest he climbed up to a solid branch and waited to see what was coming his way. He closed his eyes, letting his hearing seclude what was jarring with the forest's sounds. His eyes opened again when he recognized footsteps against mud that weren't belonging to centaurs. He looked down bellow to see the presence belonging to a human, more precisely to a girl of his age. Curiously, his grey orbs followed the mysterious girl, wondering what would be doing someone so early in the forest. He realized she had noticed his footprints on the mud and the child within him tempted him to do something mischievous while she couldn't see him. So he ripped a couple of twigs and threw them among the trees just right behind her. He smirked as she pulled out her wand. He did the same and casted a gust of wind out of it brushing the leaves of the nearby trees, offering an eerie sensation. It was his goal to make her believe this place was haunted.

 

[Meera Gupta]

Meera waited with her wand in her hand for something to come at her from behind the trees or bushes. She was curious about what she would meet and whether it would be dangerous or not. She was okay with either. A friend in the forest did not sound bad and an enemy sound more adventurous. She wasn't sure what she wanted more. As she thought all this she heard rustling of leaves behind her and then as she turned to see who had sourced the noise a few twigs fell inches from where she stood. She was impressed but also found the unseen soul foolish to give away their location. A simple spell now would reveal them or even hurt them if Meera wanted. This was getting interesting. Looking at the footsteps in the mud once again she felt they looked more human than beastly. A human in the trees at this hour? she thought thinking of a spell. She felt the wind behind her. Turning around abruptly she looked up into the trees and shouted "Whose there?" She wasn't expecting an answer. The Hufflepuff was just hoping that the person behind this would be distracted or do something more and reveal themselves completely.She knew this was not her imagination. It was real because of the footprints.

Meera could think of what her father would say if he knew about this. He would be mad that she was risking her life. He would also probably think that the person in the trees was sent by her uncle to kill her. If there was a ghost in the forest they would just have floated about and not left footprints. That eliminated the small fear that had come in her mind as the place being haunted. Looking into the trees once again, Meera saw the branch from where she had seen the twigs fall. She was not sure of the precise location. At first the Hufflepuff princess wanted to cast a stun the person who was trying to pull a joke on her but then she thought that if they fell they would probably lose a limb and it would be a big mess. Meera's brain was also racing on all the ways the person had managed to hide themselves. Maybe they were using a invisibility cloak or had done the The Disillusionment charm but of course that was only possible if it was an older person. Then again it had to be someone older, kids wouldn't come to the forest all alone. They usual did such things in groups. As Meera thought about the charm they had recently learn in class another charm came in her head that Professor Misha had introduced to them.

"Homenum Revelio" Meera said with a smart smile as she waited for the spell to do its locating work. A second later, a red outline formed around someone who was hiding in the trees. Meera could still not make out who they were as they had used the Disillusionment charm so well. "Finite" she said pointing at the outlined person. A few seconds later they stopped looking like the forest behind and the a familiar looking face of a boy was in front of her. Meera looked up at the boy who she remembered from some of her classes but she couldn't remember his name. "Nicely done Disillusionment charm" she commented wondering if the boy was going to apologize to her or not. Not that she need an apology as she wasn't hurt or scared. She was curious as to why the boy was in the trees so early. Did he sleep here in the night, she couldn't help but wonder.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas smirked as the girl's voice echoed among the trees, sending flock of crows into the skies. How long it was since last time he was up to some fun, not having to do with his constant obsession about the Scitorari? It seemed like ages. His silence was his answer to her shouts. He just checked his surroundings to come up with something else to surprise her, making sure he was holding tightly the branches above him. A misstep and he would be with broken bones, if not dead, to the hospital wing. The excitement vanished instantly when the girl casted a spell that would betray his presence. It seemed nothing was invincible, not even the disillusionment charm he had started worshipping lately.

He couldn't quite feel it but he could imagine the red outline that would have formed around his figure by now. The girl's attention turned right on the spot he was standing on the tree to confirm that he was no longer unseen. Her next charm came with the sensation of something cold dropping off his head to cover his whole body. And with that he appeared on the branch of the tree as if he was spat out of another dimension with a smile on his face. "A nice disillusionment charm needs an even nicer counterspell to unbind it." he complimented back before climbing down the tree, relatively easily but not as flawlessly as Briar Rowan.
"Sorry if I have frightened you." he apologized as he walked over to her. He recognized her from some of his classes though he couldn't recall her name. "You surprised me to be honest. It's too early for someone to be in the forbidden forest and I thought it was maybe a centaur coming my way." he explained why he had climbed up the tree in the first place. "Minoas is the name. What's yours?" he asked her after failing to remember the girl's name. "Are you lost or something? Maybe I could help you get back to civilization." he mused. He didn't want to seem nosy and ask her what she was doing around the forest. She definately didn't seem to match up the location. She looked like a fish out of the water but he had managed to contain his neverending curiosity and just offer his assistance if needed.

 

[Meera Gupta]

Meera looked at the boys face to see a smile on it as she discovered him. She hadn't expected him to be happy about it. A real prankster would not leave unless they had a good laugh. This made Meera feel like the boy wasn't in the trees to pull a prank on her.He had just done it for occasional fun. She smiled back as he complimented her counterspell. "We should thank Professor Misha for that" she said as she thought about her charms teacher. She wished one day she would achieve something the way he had, at such a young age. At the moment, her future was very clouded and she couldn't see how she was ever going to get a chance at a life in the wizarding world. Her duties as a Princess were waiting and she had to finish those first. Bringing her concentration back to the boy in front of her as he apologized, Meera shook her head. "Its okay.I wasn't scared" she said with another smile. If truth was to be told, Meera had hardly ever felt true fear. Her life had been so smooth since she knew it. Of course her parents were frightened for her and all but she thought all the worrying was unnecessary. She just agreed with them out of respect. As the boy continued talking to her she agreed. It was early for being in the forest. This made her even more curious as to why he was in the forest in the first place. "Centaurs..." she caught his sentence and then the thought behind it. He had climbed up to get away from centaurs. "I have read they are not very nice. Have you ever met one in here before?" she asked curiously.

Meera had no idea what creatures lived in this forest. That was why she was here in the first place. To explore. "Nice to meet you Minoas. I am Meera Gupta" Meera said as the boy properly introduced himself to her. From the looks of the boy he didn't seem like a scared type. She wondered if he would be up for helping her with the exploring part. "Oh no. I am not lost" she said with a small laugh. "I was bored with books and thought I should check out the forest. To see why people call it forbidden" she explained with a mischievous grin. Meera looked up in the sky as some birds flew out of their nests and started their quest for food. "Where you out in the forest all night?" she asked Minoas hoping he would be okay with all her curiosity and questions. She needed this. It had been over a month since she had this long chat with anyone in the school.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas nodded with a smile across his face. "The man is awesome!" he commented about his favourite professor. Professor Haden's teaching methods were different and highly effective. At least Minoas was inspired by him for his own spells and the fact he could already cast a strong disillusionment charm was thanks to him. "Then you must be visiting the forest a lot."he concluded when she stated she wasn't scared. Not everyone had the guts to enter the forbidden forest, let alone get so deep within it. If it wasn't for the magical creatures roaming around these parts, it was surely a detention if you get caught. Trouble-makers and law-breakers were usually those ignoring the rules and this girl looked like neither of them. She looked like a pretty flower blossoming among the weeds.

There was a smirk now growing on his features. The same wrong impresson about centaurs he was getting from almost everyone. "More than one." he replied, his smirk still on his face. "Books tend to demonize them a little bit too much. They are like us. Mankind is not good or evil." he pointed out. "I was educated by a centaur before coming at Hogwarts. It's a thing we have back at home and I know at least two nice centaurs around this forest." he said while having in mind Thraex and Aspen. He wondered what were up to his centaur friends. It was a long time since last time he saw them. Minoas was actually intending to try and find Thraex's whereabouts until he came across this girl.

"Meera." he repeared right after her. "I like your name." he added right after. It was a different name, a name you weren't hearing everyday. Then again, his own name wasn't that usual either. The girl suddenly turned out to be of the adventure type or she just decided to become one. It was obvious now though that it was her first time in the forest. "Well from my personal experience, the forest is called forbidden because of its acromantula infestation. Don't worry. They are out hunting after dusk so we're probably not going to meet any." he reassured her. Even the bravest would be scared if they were to know that their necks could be possibly snapped by huge, hairy pincers. Of course the forest was the home for othe creatures as well. He had been hearing werewolf howls during full moon nights but there was no reason to refer to this.

"Not this night." he chuckled. He had been spending some nights in the forest when he was younger and far more curious to see what was hidden within the forest. This reckless habit had been long gone but merely because since Briar Rowan had graduated, he had not partner in crime for such things. "I stayed by the lake. I like sleeping in the outdoors when the weather gets warmer." he lied convincingly. It wasn't really his choice and he had not referred to the part of how uncomfortable was to sleep on a tree. Since he had been disowned by his house, he wanted to avoid the prying eyes waiting for him there. He had get used to it after all this time but he had to find a new place of accomodation inside the castle when the weather was going to be unsuitable for outside. "You are a transfer student, right? Where have you been studying before coming to Hogwarts?" he asked, remembering seeing her around classes only this semester.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen was up early, not that was much of a choice. in the life of a centaur the sun was her alarm clock. and usually dedicated the length of her day. this time of year was gathering season. right now the main food grew near the edge of the trees where it was able to get more light. today she headed to the edge near the castle near a stream where there were some good juicy roots. she made her way down the stream. at one stage she a saw a pool full of fat fish. she took her dagger and held it over the water and was poised ready to strike. however just as she was ready the fish must have heard something as they all darted into the reads on the other side. it was then that Aspen heard something too. the sound of movement, and voices. she turned around and headed towards the noise, it was clear that they weren't centaurs from the amount of noise that they were making, this only left one option.
she saw them through the foliage long before she thought they would be able to see to hear her. one was very familiar, the other she was pretty sure she hadn't seen before. "Brother Mine, you best not have been camping in the forest alone Minoas, you know you are welcome in my camp. It has been ages since i last saw you." she said picking up on the end of their last conversation walking out of the shadow of the tree."how have you been? and have you heard from Rowan?" she asked. she looked at the girl. "It's nice to meet you" she said about to offer her a hand shake as that is what she knew to be the correct thing in two hoofs. it was then that she realised that she was still holding the dagger she slipped it into its sheath before offering her hand again. Sorry about that. I'm aspen, nice to meet you. and I like your dress" she said smiling, her tone friendly. she loved talking to students and other humans, the reason she was and outcast from most of the centaur world.