A Pride of Lions (Tilly, Dexter and Fira)

[G]

Saturday, September 4th, 2117
Third Floor Hallway, 4:00 PM.

---

Tilly was bouncing up the hallway, chatting excitedly to Dexter; another first year Gryffindor she had enlisted to explore the castle with her on their first day free of classes.

"Isn't it enormous!" she was saying, "I bet we could walk 'round here for weeks and still not find everything! Have you heard of the Marauders' Map? It's an old relic, Harry Potter was supposed to have owned it, it showed the whole castle on it, and everyone inside! Merlin, that would be so cool. Oh, hello, Fira!"

The feisty second year she had met at the Welcome Feast was coming up the hall toward them, looking sweaty and exhausted, but exhilarated. "What have you been doing, running laps?

This is Dexter," she introduced the raven-haired boy, "he's a first year, like me. We're exploring! Hey, you've been here a year already, you must know loads about the castle, and the grounds! Fira can give us the dirt!" she said happily. "Where can we find an adventure around here?"

[P.K.]

Fira looked up as she pushed the rest of the chocolate square into her mouth. She raised a slight eyebrow as Tilly called out to her but waved as they came upon each other. "Ya something like that." She said but didn't go into detail as she listened to Tilly introduce her to the other First year lion. "Yo." She said shoving her free hand into her pocket while her other held her make shift book back over her shoulder.

She looked back to Tilly with her with her brows furrowed for a moment. "Well sure, I guess. But you have to be careful around the grounds. Explore the castle as much as you like but stay away from the forest."

[Dnafein]

Compared to Tilly, Dexter moved through the hallways morosely. He was looking around curiously, but he was hardly bouncing excitedly. He tilted his head listening as the girl told him of the map. That would be an incredibly useful thing to have. Opening his mouth to ask, his new friend spotted her second year friend and the subject changed.

Though the introduction was one sided, Dex caught the girls name. To Fira's greeting he muttered a quick "Howdy," and went back to studying the hallway. The suggestion of the forest pulled his attention back to Fira. His thoughts raced briefly and he threw a wink at Tilly.

"Which forest?" Dexter asked, "Could you show us?"

[G]

Tamilda grinned, her new friend seemingly on the same wavelength as her, their curiosity piqued as soon as the warning left Fira's mouth. It was something Tilly had often got herself in trouble for at home - the contrary nature that led her to want to do something the instant she was told not to. You couldn't live life cautiously all the time, after all - where would be the adventure in that?

"You mean the Forbidden Forest?" she echoed Dexters' question, recalling their Headmistress mentioning it's out of bounds status at the end of her dramatic address at the Welcome Feast. "Yeah, where is it? I mean, so we know where not to go!" she finished very unconvincingly.

"What's in there that's so dangerous, anyway?"

[P.K.]

Fira's brows knitted together even tighter and her Gray eyes narrowing as she looked from one first year to the next. "Now don't you two go being fool hardy. The forbidden forest is Forbidden for a reason." She said her eyes shifting between the two before settling on Tilly as she asked what exactly was so dangerous about it. "Plenty." She responded to Tilly shortly. "Just take it from me and stay away from that forest. You could be killed. Or worse."

[Dnafein]

"I promise not to enter the Forbidden Forest." He told First, one hand crossing his heart while the other had crossed fingers out of sight. He looked quite sincere as he spoke. "But it's not fair. I don't know the school. I'm not from the area."

The young man wished he knew how to make it obvious he didn't have the silly accent the locals did. "Camping used to be a stress reliever for me. And there are a lot of woods around here." Dexter motioned the surrounding area. "I wouldn't want to get in trouble for camping someplace I wasn't supposed to."

Dex widened his eyes for a hint of innocence, and concern. "Wouldn't it be safer if you showed me where I'm not supposed to be?"

Dexter had used this kind of tricks before; Usually to get to stay up later, or go camping with his grandfather. It relied equally on his mostly innocent looks and his luck. Dex hoped his luck hadn't abandoned him when he hopped the pond.

[G]

"Oh, that's a good point, Dex!" Tilly jumped on her new friends' train of thought quickly, nodding. "If you don't tell us where it is, we might accidentally wander in there!"

Inwardly, she was having trouble taking the older girl as seriously as perhaps she should - after all, if the forest were so dangerous, wouldn't the Professors' fence it off, or something? Surely! Otherwise what was to stop whatever creatures were inside from wandering onto the grounds - the mention of magical creatures, dangerous or no, had set Tamilda's curiosity at full; she had seen plenty of wondrous beasts growing up, due to her parents work, and had a strong desire to see more.

"I mean, animals tend to like me, anyway!" she said confidently. "I've been around them lots, my parents are vets! We've had all sorts at home; Grindylows' and Griffins, once they were looking after a baby Unicorn, but I wasn't allowed near it 'coz I was too young... Ooooh," her eyes widened longingly. "Are there unicorns in the forest?"

[P.K.]

Fira looked between the two first years with a glower. Tilly didn't let up though jumping on the bandwagon that Fira knew all to well about, but her rapid onslaught of questions and her history caught her up. "That's all fine- Yes there are unicorns-" she said exasperatedly. "Regardless of your attachment and interest in said beasts stay away from that Forest." she said gesturing in the direction of the forest with a firm frown. "You could wind up dead."

She let out a disgruntled sigh realizing she'd said to much already. "Enough questions Just stay away." she growled before pushing past the two first years. "I mean it." She said over her shoulder.

[G]

As the older girl left, Tilly was already turning to Dexter, her eyes huge and excited.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked him, a wide grin spreading across her face. "We have to check out this forest! Unicorns! Amazing! It can't be all that dangerous, can it? Or the Professor's would have it blocked off to students. I'm sure she's overreacting."

[Dnafein]

Dexter watched the older girl start off and was getting ready to throw a quip at her back when Tilly spoke; I think so Brain, but... He started in his head, however the frizzy haired girl didn't give a chance to answer. Turning his head to her he raised an eyebrow and asked. "Do you know where the Forbidden Forest is?"

He crossed his arms and eyed her. " And if so why did we have to ask? Unless you just want to roam in the woods till we bump into a unicorn. At least then we won't be lying when we claim not to know we where we were."