Closed Long Awaited

[Madeline Kaimarama]

Maddy was absolutely elated. She'd been waiting for this day for years, and at long last it was here. Finally the Kaimarama siblings would explore the Forbidden Forest together, the three of them, like it was meant to be. Maddy was so excited for Sebastian to finally be at Hogwarts with them. She was sure he'd love it, and they could all have adventures together, and she could introduce him to her friends. Wills seemed to have made a conscious effort not to be friends with Maddy's friends, which baffled her, but Seb wouldn't be like that. She knew Seb appreciated his older siblings paving the way into friendships, though she hoped Hogwarts would be an opportunity for him to practice making friends on his own too.

As usual, Maddy had packed her backpack with snacks, her compass, a drink and a spare jacket. She doubted they'd need much of that on this pleasant afternoon, but it was always best to be safe. That was why she was confident in her ability to adventure in the forest even though it was supposedly forbidden. Maddy led her brothers to the edge of the forest, and paused at the edge. "At long last," she said grandly, "the Kaimarama kids stand together about to enter the forest of Hogwarts. Adventure awaits!" She raised her arm, grinned at her brothers, and pointed into the trees. "Let's go!" Maddy strode into the forest, excited to point out to Seb all the cool things she and Wills had found. She smiled up at the dappled light making the leaves glow green, at the familiar sounds of birdsong. She was so happy to get to share this with both of her brothers, just like old times.

 

[William Kaimarama]

It had been a long time since William had felt this way about an excursion. He was excited. He had always loved rambling about the bush with his siblings, and finally the three of them were all together again... not just for the holidays, but permanently. Wills, Maddy, and Seb, ready to conquer all corners of the Hogwarts grounds. He hefted his backpack as Maddy talked, unable to help scoffing slightly as she assumed the lead at once. Of course she had. Nevertheless he was happy to be going, following Maddy on her way and holding a branch out of the way for Seb to pass. He had a momentary impulse to let go of it and let it whack his younger brother, but William resisted that urge, following his siblings deeper into the forest.

 

[Sebastian Kaimarama]

Sebastian wasn’t completely sure about this. Of course he was overjoyed to get to be together with his siblings again, to no longer be always left behind after every holidays. And of course he was excited to be going adventuring with them somewhere new and different. But the fear lurked in his mind: unlike any they’d been in together before, this forest was forbidden. That wouldn’t bother Wills and Maddy, they had never cared much about the rules, and Seb trusted them when they told him it wasn’t actually dangerous in here, and that they’d seen some really cool things. But he didn’t want to get in trouble, especially when he was still so new here.

He tried to drive the lingering worry from his mind. They were doing this. It was going to be fun. He mustn’t spoil his own enjoyment by fretting about it. And indeed, the moment he got into the trees it got easier. There were more foreign trees here than in the bush at home, and it was delightfully new and familiar all at once. He smiled as Maddy took the lead and Wills looked out for him, like always, and looked around with wide and curious eyes.

 

[Madeline Kaimarama]

Maddy almost bounced with excitement as she strolled into the forest, glancing behind to see her brothers following. They were doing this, at long last. She grinned up at the trees, the dappled light on her face. "Where do you think we should go first, Wills?" Maddy had lots of ideas for things that Seb should see, and she was sure they'd show him all of them in due course, but she was too impatient to actually make a decision about where to go first. Besides, Wills was the one with the best sense of direction, and he'd been making a much more detailed map than Maddy's vague sense of where things were. She could navigate just fine, of course, but he could do it better. "'Spose we shouldn't go too far today, so one of the closer awesome places . . ."

 

[William Kaimarama]

William grinned when Maddy asked where they should go, stepping ahead to catch up with his siblings. "Oh, easy, that grove with the fruit trees." He smiled. "Fun, but it's not a very long trip, and it'll be cool to show Seb." He glanced at their little brother, smiling. "That sounds good?" William didn't actually wait for an answer, looking up again. "We're pretty much on track, just need to take a left and head west once we reach that huge fallen log."