Open Venture Within

[William Kaimarama]

It wasn't embarrassing that William hadn't explored the forest yet at all. Definitely not. He had been taking his time, making his moves at the school before turning to the forest. Schools were complicated, it was hard to become as popular and cool as William was now, he had needed to take his time, really make a name for himself as a cool, funny, talented guy. But now that people knew how awesome he was, he supposed he'd fall back to something easier, exploring the forbidden forest. William had spent most of his life running around forests, it was totally no big deal to explore a new one.

At least, that was what William would say, when he was writing to Maddy and Seb about this. He hadn't told them explicitly that as of yet he hadn't set foot in the forest, but surely he was gonna have a cool adventure in there today, worth writing home to his siblings about. The truth was... William hadn't ever gone out in the bush without his family before, and though he was used to being the one in charge (however bossy Maddy was) when he went out with his siblings, it was a different matter to go out by himself. It wasn't a camp, though. He was just going for a little walk. Nothing major. He had stuffed the important things (water, snacks, a compass, a waterproof coat) into his pack and made his way down to the forest, looking about for a while before choosing his entry point. This was fine. This was easy. No big deal. He was just gonna scout out the area and get a feel for the forest before Maddy arrived at Hogwarts, so he could show her around when she arrived. Be the cool big brother. 'If she's not too busy with her million cool new friends she'll make the day she arrives...' A bitter part of William's mind complained but he pushed it back, struggling not to let his insecurities stop him as he looked around one last time before ducking into the forest, quickly working out a path deeper through the trees. This was... okay. This was familiar. Being surrounded by trees was still comforting and William found himself relaxing, beginning to look around a little more, trying to figure out where he wanted to go next.

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore didn’t feel at home inside the Hogwarts castle. In truth, he never had, but it had been a lot worse lately without his brother there to be at his side. Without Edmund, he felt like he was lost in a sea of people he didn’t know. Most of which wouldn’t like him, and all of which he wanted to stay away from him. The only other person in the entire school he wasn’t repulsed by was Zoe Tsuji, but much like Edmund she had started dating someone. Why was everyone so obsessed with romance now? Theodore honestly couldn’t understand it. He missed his brother and he couldn’t fathom why Edmund wasn’t missing him too. Deep down, he thought it was probably some sort of failing of himself as a brother. The girl couldn’t be that interesting, could she? Theodore guessed she was pretty, but there were much prettier girls around in his opinion. Even Zoe looked nicer.

Because of how he felt lately, he preferred to avoid the castle. Running into Edmund with his stupid girlfriend always ruined his mood, and being around so many people also made him very grumpy. Unfortunately, there weren’t many places in and around Hogwarts that were empty of people. The forest had always called to Theodore, from the moment he stepped into the school. It was a place that reminded him of home, as he had grown up with a forest around his home. One he had explored with his brother since they could walk. The two had explored this forest too, venturing in twice since they started Hogwarts. But today, Theodore was going in alone. The feeling of being surrounded by tall trees and shadows immediately made him feel more at home. He let a small smile form on his face as he brushed his hand over the bark of a tree. But the smile slipped as he heard a branch snap nearby. The boy turned and was disgruntled to see another boy. Even here, he couldn’t escape the boring other students he had to live with at this school. This boy looked younger, and he also seemed to be carrying a rather large pack as if he was planning on staying in the woods for a while. Theodore thought it looked a little ridiculous, and couldn’t resist what he did next. Quietly, he stepped over to the boy, making sure to avoid the branch he had just stepped on. He put one hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Did you know there are Acromantula in this forest?” He asked, his voice quiet. He wasn’t sure if that was true, but he rather hoped it was.