chasing tales | open

[rosie]

the whomping willow was something everyone tried to stay away from at the school. it could leave you one nasty mark and maybe even kill you if it hit you good enough, as some would say, but euphrosyne just couldnt stay away from it. the thought of an enchanted or living tree was ismply too much intrigue for the young girl. this wasnt the first time she hung out with the angry wood, and it definitely wouldnt be her last.

she sat cross-legged a few feet from it, the branches still and unthreatened by the tiny form just on its outskirts. she smiled at it, sending positive energy its way. "im sorry you always seem to be having such an awful day, willow. the students dont mean to bother you, really. sometimes theyre all just curious as well." she spoke kindly, drawing little hearts in the snow with the tip of her wand as she watched a light breeze rustle its branches. or perhaps it was acknowledging her words. the girl took in a deep breath of the chilled air and smiled to herself more, the sounds of the frozen forest dancing on the breeze.

rosie leaned forward, resting her head on her leg, folded into a tiny form as she peered into the hole at the base of the trunk. she smiled at the thought of what it must be like to inhabit such a beautiful tree. it was probably dreadfully cold though. the sound of approaching footsteps didnt startle the tiny girl, but she made no attempt to see who was coming, as if she already knew. "i believe nargles hide things from the castle in there. they know the willow is angry, so no one can get their things back until someone makes her feel better. they have my transfiguration scroll from last night. mischevious things, nargles." she spoke in her calm, airy tone as usual, her eyes still searching for any sign of the beings.

[lukejordan]

Trent took in a deep breath of the crisp December air as he looked over the Hogwarts grounds. Bundled up in several layers of shirts, a coat, two scarves and a beanie, the cold didn't bother him as he watched his breath steam in the early morning chill. He'd woken early this morning, unable to stay asleep for some reason and had headed outside rather than curl up by the commonroom fire with a book as he would usually have done.

With all the snow and seasonal storms that had gone on, Trent had been forced to spend the last two weeks or so inside the castle, and he'd been desperate for some fresh air. So he'd bundled himself up and headed outside despite the cold, wandering aimlessly over the castle grounds as he sipped at the thermos of aniseed tea he'd grabbed from the House Elves before he left. On the other side of the Great Lake he spotted what looked like another student sat just out of range of the Whomping Willow.

Curious as to who else would be up so early and what they were doing by the Whomping Willow, Trent meandered slowly over in that direction. As he got closer, he saw that it was Rosie sat next to the legendarily bad-tempered animated tree, and gave a rueful laugh. Of course it was Euphrosyne perched by the side of a tree that could knock her unconscious at stupid-o-clock in the morning, saying something about Nargles from what he could hear as he approached. His slightly older housemate was known throughout Hufflepuff for being somewhat fey and unusual, though Trent himself had enough experience of the limits of the British wizarding view of the world to wonder if she wasn't just very insightful. He'd met Yamabunta in Japan who seemed to have the same somewhat vacant expression, and they'd been some of the wisest people he'd ever met.

"Morning Rosie. Having any luck calming the Willow down?" Trent took a seat on the grass beside her, "Any sign of the Nargles yet?"

[rosie]

the girl shook her head somewhat, a bit awkwardly from the way she was positioned nearly sideways on the ground. "not yet. but im sure theyre about." she said with a bit of a sigh. the nargles had been acting up an extraordinary amount this year. it must have been because of the harsher season of winter. they didnt like to be cooped up inside either, and who could blame them? despite the cold, even the students were dying to get out of the stuffy castle. it was really a bother to see i had to re-write that assignment this morning, but it gave me something to do before the sun came up and i really think that this one was better than the last scroll. so perhaps they did me a favour." she added, thinking aloud as she looked over at her fellow hufflepuff.

the small girl sat straight, still tiny in comparison to the person next to her, which would be the case for her entire life. small and fragile-seeming, crazy and giggily, strong-willed and true. that was euphrosyne madley. "in any event, the willow still seems awfully upset, the poor thing. probably not very happy about the cold either. i dont mind it at all, but i dont have to stay out in it all winter." it was apparent the girl wasnt worried about the cold by her lone jacket and flimsy jeans as she sat in the snow, shivering unvoulentarily. the last few storms that had rolled along the grounds had definitely brought a chill with them.

she looked at him for a moment, tilting her head as if just seeing him for the first time in this encounter, a smile forming over her pale lips. "good morning, trent rockwell." she greeted back finally before she looked back to the willow to check for any signs of movement. when she saw it was clear she looked to the boy again. "how are you this morning? its rather early for you to be up, don't you agree? breakfast won't be served for a good while." she added as she looked up at the sky, judging the early sun and cascading colours.

[lukejordan]

Trent smiled at the thought that the Nargles had actually been doing Rosie a favour. That did sound awfully like the kind of thing that a creature that she was so fond of would do. Assuming that was, that the Nargles were real, which Trent found himself oddly willing to accept unlike so many of his classmates. "If they've done you a favour, are you going to leave them a present? An improved essay sounds like it deserves something in exchange."

Looking down at Rosie, Trent shivered involuntarily. Just looking at what the smaller girl was wearing made him feel cold even inside layers and layers of wool. He listened to what she had to say and nodded, "It is quite cold out here. Do you think the Willow would like it if we conjured a jumper for it to wear? There's enough grass around that we could probably transfigure it into something fairly warm." Trent smiled at her, "On which note, I know you said you don't mind the chill but would you care for a jacket? You're making me cold just looking at you."

Trent chuckled and gave a wry smile. "A very astute observation. It is indeed rather early to be up, but I woke up before sunrise and couldn't get back to sleep." He pulled a face. "I needed some fresh air and I wanted to go for a walk without being hit by snowballs every step. So," he shrugged, "I came out here."