the woods are lovely, dark and deep

[xoxohogwarts]

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕

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AUs/OCs welcome just detail in an ooc note how you're configuring your character into this canon!

𝟏 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 – Maybe you zigged when you should have zagged, but either way, you don’t know where you are, or how to get back to where you’re supposed to be. Alternately, you’re part of the search party sent to go find the missing person, careful you don’t end up lost yourself!

𝟐 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 – Whatever you did you’ve ended up out in the forest after dark following after The Groundskeeper (or maybe you are the Groundskeeper). Careful, don’t hang too far back from the rest of the group, it’s dangerous out there.

𝟑 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒌𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 – Sure there might be spiders and centaurs, along with who knows what else, but you can’t deny how private the forest is, and how easy it is to steal away behind a tree with that certain somebody.

𝟒 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅/𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 – Maybe you’re after some extra credit, or just trying to suck up to a professor, heck, maybe you’re a professor trying to date a professor, or maybe it’s a full moon and you’re after some Fluxweed, either way, better be quick about it!

𝟓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔! – Death Eaters in the castle! Drama in Ravenclaw Tower! A Professor turned evil! An emotional exit and storming off turned cataclysmic! Dragons! Something serious has happened to bring you to the forest today!

𝟔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 – A Rite of Passage? Or maybe you lost a bet or ran your mouth too much for too long. Whatever happened it’s time to put up or shut up and gain bragging rights for the rest of the term.

𝟕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒆! – Whatever it was you were just doing, it’s time to get away, and what better way to make sure your retreat is covered than to cut a path through the Forbidden Forest?

𝟖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒌𝒆 – You don’t get why everyone thinks this place is dangerous, you love coming to the forest for some fresh air and creature spotting/hiking/bird watching.

𝟗 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒍𝒇/𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 – Exactly what it says on the tin.

𝟏𝟎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒅! – Go wild! Live your life!

Comments

hermione "traumatised camper" granger

[reparo]

I rolled 4 and am rolling with it

[plantdad]

A letter carried into Hermione's home by one of Hogwarts owls:

Hi Hermione,

I'm sorry for the last minute request, but, well. This is a bit awkward. Purple witch hazel in my greenhouse decided get eaten by parasites, and I don't have any left. I need to go into the Forest and pick up some seeds in the wild, but you know purple witch hazel. It really doesn't take to blokes. I'm pretty sure the one in the greenhouse died just to spite me, because it was mad Professor Sprout left. I know this is a lot, and you're probably very busy, but would you be able to please come over this weekend, or Friday evening, or something, and help me harvest? I wouldn't be asking, but most teachers aren't back from their summer vacation yet, and I'm pretty sure that thing is going to bite my hand off if I try to pick it. Please?

I offer dinner and a book of your choice in exchange. Also my eternal gratitude. Can you let me know by return owl if you'd be able to help?

Sorry once again for asking,
Neville

[reparo]

The reply comes back, via same owl, a bit later that day:

Dear Neville,

Lovely to hear from you! I did not remember that about purple witch hazel, but it occurs to me that I was not paying that much attention to Herbology lessons since there is something required in Herbology that I lack: patience.

Either way, I would happily come and help out, let's say Friday evening. Dinner sounds grand, and if you are actually willing to throw in a book as a bribe as well, I'll take one on purple witch hazel please.

Best wishes,
Hermione

[plantdad]

He sighs with relief when the reply comes, and sends a quick note to thank her right away, then gets to work. Friday evening is doable. If they get the seeds by Friday, he can absolutely make this work, and not look like a failure right at the start of his first year as a professor. That would be bad.

On Friday, he is ready with some pasta even he couldn't mess up, and a nice book he picked out, about plants native to Scotland.

"Thanks so much for helping out," he says once he's kissed Hermione's cheek as a hello. "My alternative was asking McGonagall, and I really didn't want to explain to her why the previous one died."

[reparo]

She arrives on time on Friday, though she never really specified what time that would be at, so she assumes any arrival is on time. She's even brought a bottle of wine, a fancy one - from M&S! - that they can maybe split later, after the harvesting is done, because she's cancelled all her weekend plans so she can come and help Neville. They rarely hang out anymore, and she's missed him.

"Oh, well, knowing her, she probably already knows. But it's no trouble, honest, I'm happy to come back here as a guest of the esteemed Professor Longbottom."

[plantdad]

He scoffs, but takes the wine from her, setting it aside. Drinking before going into the forest is a bad idea, but they should probably eat before they go.

"Thanks. I managed not to trip over my own feet just yet. That purple witch hazel is the only plant I killed so far."

[reparo]

"You're going to do great." She grins. "Actually, I'm sure you are doing great. So where are harvesting?"

[plantdad]

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, because they hide from me, but they should be somewhere around the unicorn pasture. There is this romantic story about how unicorns prefer women because they eat purple witch hazel, and get inspired by it. Then there is another, less romantic one, about how purple witch hazel is the way it is because it grows in unicorn manure."

[reparo]

She pulls a face at that, secretly thinking: ugh, Herbology. Because honestly, Herbology - she's never really been a fan herself, what with all of the smelly fertilizers, the loud plants, the snappy-bitey plants, and the fact that you had to wait until something grew. Thank you, she prefers her Potions ingredients readily prepared.

"There are a few other stories about unicorns that have absolutely nothing to do with purple witch hazel, but I'm sure you know all about it." Which means they won't be seeing any unicorns today, if you know what she means.

[plantdad]

He frowns, confused.

"Other stories about unicorns? Sorry, Hermione, you'll have to spell that one out for me. I spent the last three weeks making my way through the greenhouses. If something doesn't need to be pruned or watered, it doesn't exist."

[reparo]

She snorts, and decides - what the hell, why not? Let's traumatise Neville!

"That they're not attracted to witches because of plants, but because of virginity."

[plantdad]

The frown only deepens.

"Wait, what? I've literally never heard that one. How would they even tell? Also, why would they stay away from very young boys? I was definitely a virgin when that unicorn in magic zoo wouldn't come up to me when I was ten."

[reparo]

She lets out a laugh, and shrugs. "I'm going to assume a bully came up with that myth, honestly. And much like all myths, they don't need to have a whiff of truth to them, just to be interesting enough to bear repeating."

i also had an idea. 6 with 1 potential but you know i am down to clown

[lancifolium]

"They're just so bloody thick!" Lily exclaimed in exasperation as she looked over the childish map they'd been given by one, horrible Sirius Black with the route to the old Caretaker's shack that lay deep in the forest. Thankfully it wasn't so deep that it hinged on centaur territory, but it was certainly closer than Lily would have liked it to be.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that she was sick and tired of hearing about the trials and challenges of the woods, and figured if she and Hermione bested whatever was out there, making the long walk from the boarded-up hut and back again, bringing one of the unusually colored stones from the garden as proof, maybe they could both get some peace and quiet.

"I've half a mind to spend the night out there, so they stop acting as though they've invented stupid deeds personally."

new insane clown posse here

[reparo]

It's not that she thinks this is a fundamentally bad idea that will get them in serious (not Sirius) trouble, especially if their Head of House were to ever - god forbid - find out, because she has no leg to stand on here. This year the Marauders have been especially infuriating, and there's this unspoken competition between the four of them and her and Lily, which potentially isn't healthy.

So really, Hermione totally gets it. She gets wanting to one-up the boys, and prove to them that boasting about how going to the Forest is a manly adventure and girls are gonna just be scared of it is a sexist way of thinking. She gets wanting to make (most of) then choke on their wands.

Which is why this is bad. Because Hermione Granger will not be the one to stop it from being set in motion.

"I suppose we could, if we packed a tent to go with it all."

[lancifolium]

"There's a tent in my satchel," Lily patted the brown leather bag that bounced against her hip while they walked deeper into the forest. "It's a tiny one, but I've come prepared to make sure they'll absolutely have to shut their fool mouths." As in, she was geared up for anything and very eager to do whatever it took to get just a little peace and quiet for a bloody change.

It wasn't the best really, the pair of them enabling this competitive streak in one another, but at least, as far as Lily was concerned they were in excellent company, and had no reason to be concerned that one, or the other would falter should something dangerous occur.

[reparo]

Of course Lily brought a tent, this is why they are friends. And she's not scared of being in the Forbidden Forest - except if they lose points, in which case she is going to murder someone - but she is still cautious as she moves forward.

"Do you think," she starts, pushing a branch out of the way, "that we give too much attention to Sirius' challenges?"

[lancifolium]

Frowning at the ground after Hermione spoke Lily took a moment to respond, stewing on her answer. "It's possible," she sounded rather gruff about it, not keen on the idea that this was perhaps, a very rash decision fueled by an idiot and her own desire to be the best.

"Do you suppose I let Potter rile me up too much?"

[reparo]

It takes a very great deal of wisdom to point out a truth in Lily, and yet ignore it in herself. Honest, she checked it in books.

"It's possible," she responds in an imitation of Lily's gruff mutter. Then nudges her with an elbow. "But if it makes you feel better, I let them rile me up too much as well."

[lancifolium]

Lily's shoulders sagged, knowing that Hermione was right, and knowing that this was a foolhardy venture, and poorly planned - two things that weren't like her at all. "Should we head back?"

Lifting her head she looked around them at the forest, the last of the evening's light already draining from the sky. "I've actually gotten quite good at transfiguring things into a nice pot of tea, we could sit out just for a little while?" Lifting a hand towards Hermione, Lily was swift to add, "not because of them! Just because it's nice here, and we're already out and we never come here."

[reparo]

"Lily, please," she chides fondly, elbowing her side gently. "We're here now, aren't we? We're going to stay, put the tent up, have a nice pot of tea and sleep well, and in the morning, we'll get the stones and sneak back in time for breakfast with nobody being none the wiser."

She winks. "I have full faith in our ability to not get expelled here."

[lancifolium]

"We've managed to not be expelled so far," she agreed with a nod, glancing around them and spotting a clearing just off to the right. "How about there?" Lily tilted her head some, looking back to Herimone.

"You know, you're the best friend a girl could ask for."

Care for anything except 3?

[lumenrelegandus]

yes!

[reparo]

[ooc; if you have any idea hit me up, i'm down for anything especially top marks]

Yay!

[lumenrelegandus]

[ooc: Sorry for delay! Most of my ideas would be determined by you -- Mione wanting to talk to Loop about something (another character, something academic, maybe a PoA AU where she does confront him after figuring out the werewolfism… or a follow-up to events in PoA or any of the others), or they could run into each other by accident (he takes walks himself, too, especially when feeling antsy leading up to a full moon), he could encounter her trying a new spell or something… um… Yeah! Only vague things I'm afraid! You?]