A Silver Lining PV Alan V. ReOpen

Alan had agreed to meet with someone this day. Possibly not very important aside from him planning to make a new friend. Which in its own way was indeed kind of important, at least to him. He was looking forward to be seeing Ileen again and hoped that the two of them would once again get along well with each other. This time maybe they would not be interrupted, but they were taking a walk outside on the grounds so there really should not be a reason for them to be interrupted in their conversation unless there was something urgent and that would be alright. As Alan made his way to the gate of the school where the two of them had agreed to meet this afternoon, he was wearing what would be his classic afternoon outfit at this point and during this weather; black pants and a red hoodie. To protect his neck from the cold autumn breeze he had pulled up the hood and shoved his hands into the little pocket at his stomach.

As soon as he caught sight of Ileen a smile would make an appearance on his face as he quickened his step to reach her. "Hey," he greeted the girl, his voice soft yet kind voice. "Where did you wanna go?" he would add as a question, giving her the chance to lead the way in case she had any specific route planned. Alan often preferred to go along the edge of the forest in the hopes to hear a magical creature within. However the great lake always tended to be a nice place for walks as well and he had many fond memories of it. Curiously he would wait for Ileen to lead the way or give him an answer.

As Ileen heard the footsteps of an approaching person she opened her eyes and instantly caught sight of the Gryffindor fourth year. A bright smile curled her lips into a smile and with a smooth movement she stood up.
“Hey Alan. I’m glad you made it! How are you?” She returned the greeting and tilted her head looking up to the taller boy. “I thought we could take a walk along the forest. Or would you rather go somewhere else?” Ileen wouldn’t mind walking around the lake either even though she would prefer to be near the trees. The young Slytherin had spend most of her free time at home in forests and to her it was tragic that she wasn’t allowed to go into the only one here. But with Alan she wasn’t worried at all to be at least near to it. Well, the most important thing was to spend some time with her new friend so it wouldn’t matter.

If Alan would agree to take a walk along the forest, Ileen would tighten her scarf and start walking in the agreed direction. “No Tiger today?”
It was a rare picture seeing the boy without his beloved tabby cat. Her brown eyes would thoughtfully glide towards the tress with the red, golden and orange leaves and a soft sigh escaped her. “Did you know that I had two cats back in New Zealand as well? Patrick and Mia. Unfortunately, we couldn’t bring them when we moved to London, so I had to leave them behind.” The longing and sadness were reflected on the young girl’s face as she thought about her pets. “We even had two horses. Bounty and Keira. Sometimes I wish I could go back.”

It gave away how much Ileen already trusted Alan that she told him about her past. Only a few people knew about her original hometown and the life she had spend there. She normally didn’t talk about it because it reminded her of her parents and the pain they had caused her and were causing her still.

When she realized that her mouth had been running away with her, an embarrassed smile appeared on her lips. “Sorry. Do you already have plans for the Fall Ball?” She wanted to change the topic, but she also was kind of curious. Since she was on the organizing team this time, she was highly interested in the ball expectations of her fellow students.

Alan would return her smile in a charming yet slightly goofy attitude as he halted in front of her to make a short conversation before they would move on to go their way on a walk like they had agreed upon. His eyebrows rose slightly as she mentioned the forest and a mischievous glint found its way into his eyes as he would give a nod of approval. "That sounds nice, the forest is as pretty as it can be scary don't you think? Just imagining all of the creatures you could find within... makes it a shame that it is considered off limits," he said awestruck as he got lost in his mind considering all of the possibilities that came with exploring the beyonds of the forest.

When she inquired about Tiger the Gryffindor would simply shrug as he looked around. "He shouldn't be too far..." he muttered as he tried to spot the feline [DC:10 | 13✓] and would find him running around on a quest to catch a bug that was flying for its life, making Alan chuckle at the cat's antics. "There he is," he muttered softly, a warmth in his voice as he spoke about his companion and possibly best friend. "Really?", he asked as her words pulled him out of his thoughts, flooding him with excitement as he she drew his focus in. "What are they like? Do you have pictures of them? It's a shame that you couldn't bring them... so you live in London now? I do too!" he rattled on nineteen to the dozen.

"The Fall Ball? Not really, no. I have asked a friend if he would go too but he wasn't sure... With the Blossom Ball and all I think a lot of people are wary," he explained as they walked, stretching before burrowing his hands into the pocket of his robe. "But I will go, that is definite and I already know what I will wear but it's a surprise, perhaps you will see me around?" he said with a chuckle and a playful wink that meant nothing. He was certainly excited for the ball. Running around in costumes and having fun sounded like an amazing time! He hoped it would be memorable, in the good kind of course.

“Hmhm. I would love to spend time there since I feel very comfortable in forests. That’s the only nature-thing I am missing here.” A cold shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the things that had happened in there and she shook her head to get rid of this feeling. In fact, she had always found the shadow of the trees comforting, but now that she thought about it, they suddenly seemed threatening. “But yeah… scary. From what I’ve heard it’s good that it’s off limits.” With a soft sigh she brushed a strand of her dark brown hair from her eyes and turned towards the older student. “Actually, I can’t wait to learn more about magical creatures. I’m a bit disappointed that I haven’t seen many of them by now. How is Care for Magical Creatures?”

Ileen clearly felt comfortable around Alan, otherwise she wouldn't talk or ask so much. His affection for his cat made the girl smile and she turned her head to watch out for Tiger as well [DC:10 | 16✓]. “Ah, true.” Her smile deepend as she spotted him. The cat was trying to catch a bug and a soft chuckle escaped her. “No, I don’t have any pictures of them here, but back in London there should be some. Maybe I can bring them when I return there.” Towards the end of the sentence, her voice had become a little uncertain, knowing that she would not return there. She didn't even know if her parents still rented the apartment in London.
Again, the young girl shook her head. Enough. She wanted to enjoy the sun and the company. So, she continued. “Whatever. Uhm. They were very different. One was sweet and a cuddler and the other one was rather… physical. He didn’t like strangers. I bet he would have attacked a bear if one dared to come close to his favorite tree.”
While she was talking about her cats, warmth and melancholy crept into her voice and she sighed. Ah, she missed them.

Perhaps it was good that they’ve changed the topic. They’ve already reached the edge of the forest and were strolling along. She opened her mouth to make a comment about the disasters of the last ball and how she intended to kill everyone who tried to destroy her plans for the Fall ball when she heard a scream.
Startled, she closed her mouth and turned to the trees. It had sounded like the whining of a baby or a very small cat. The hairs on her arm had stood up and the smile had slipped from her face. Immediately she was on alert. Her fingers groped for her wand and she stared at Alan with her eyes wide open. "Did you hear that?"

Involuntarily he would nod, agreeing with the girl. It was good that the forest was off limits as the creatures within valued their peace and safe space, away from the people that usually meant a threat. "Apparently students had been attacked in there before," he muttered as a cold shudder ran down his back. He would imagine that to be quite frightening and hoped that all of them had recovered well. He has only heard rumors as no one had told him any specifics but he was not even sure how much detail he would even want on the matter. When Ileen asked him about what was probably his favorite subject, there was a sudden change in spirit as he straightened up with an excited sparkle in his eyes. "It's simply amazing! I have met so many creatures and learned so much, you will love it; I love it! But the professor seems a little odd, but I don't know much about them anyway," he blubbered with a grin on his face, facing her as he spoke.

When she told him that next time when she got home, she could bring a couple of pictures, the fourth year would nod with a gentle smile. "I would love that, please do," as they walked alongside the forest, he would stretch his arms before dropping them to his side, any stress seeming to fall away for this moment of quiet and peace. The school seemed so far away now even though he knew he could possibly make it there within a ten minute sprint. "A bear?" he asked in disbelief, as he would snort with laughter. The kind of laughter that could be deemed absolutely contagious.

Upon hearing the distressed call of a small creature, he would tense up instantly, his laughter ebbed down into a shocked expression as he looked around. Like Ileen he had his wand at the ready as soon as the both of them had been startled by the sound. Upon hearing her question he would give a nod, before his gaze got lost staring into the forest. "I think it came from within... we can't just leave it there, can we?"

Ileen tilted her head and gavet he boy a knowing grin. “Yeah, bears are easily frightened if you attack them with enough confidence.” She had seen a bear running away from a rabbit once and that was one of the funniest memories she had. She was still pretty sure that Patrick, her former cat, would have done the same. Merlin, she really missed home. Maybe she could go back to New Zealand soonish - there was no need to visit her parents, but probably she could talk Dee’s family into making a trip there? Or maybe Aida?
With a slight shake of her head she chased this thought away. The topic still hurt too much and her avoiding-strategy had worked pretty well so fast. So why not keep it that way? Hogwarts was a beautiful place with so many dear people she loved and who loved her in return. This was home now.

As they both stopped because of the strange noise, Ileen wrinkled her nose. While an uneasy feeling crept over her, she cautiously drew her wand and peered between the trees in alertness. “Yes. I think so, too. It sounded a bit like a baby. Or a cat.” Living nine years with cats was enough to know that they could cry like babies when they were complaining or in pain.
She narrowed her dark brown eyes and listened. There! She just had heard it again! Hesitantly, she took a step toward the edge of the forest and then looked questioningly at Alan. “You want to go in there?” Worry was reflected in her voice - about the creature in the forest and Alan. She lowered her voice and grabbed her wand tighter. “What if it’s not alone?”
But it was clear that she agreed with the Gryffindor. If there was a creature in pain or trouble they couldn’t just leave it there. It was their duty to save it. After all, she was an aspiring healer and it was her destiny to make Hogwarts a better place and if she denied her help to innocent creatures what a healer would that make her?
She looked eagerly at the Gryffindor, waiting to see what he would do next.

"Really? I never met a bear but that is good to know," he muttered thoughtfully and wondered if that also meant that you could easily befriend a bear if you showed it that you meant no harm. He would have to try that... or well he probably should not but he wondered how it would be like to meet an actual bear. He would glance at the girl as both of them were talking about the noise the two of them heard coming from the forest. "Well it sounds pretty close, so it could not be too far into it, right?" he would mention, before casting another glance into the forest.

Her next words made him even more sure that they had to check the situation out so he would nod even though the thought of going into the forest made him a little queasy. "If it isn't alone, it might need our help even more!" he explained a little rushed, now even more worried about the little kitten that was possibly frightened and in danger. "I once heard that creatures don't usually come to close... sooo...", he would glance back to the girl, his thoughts and feelings clashing before he finally took a deep breath, readying himself. "We gotta do at least something, we can't just do nothing at all!" he would say and took a few steps closer to the forest when his eyes met the sight of a cat on one of the trees. It seemed really young and was probably too scared to climb back down. Luckily for the two of them the kitten was just at the very edge of the forest so they didn't really have to go inside of it, to both their luck. "Ready?"

Ileen’s dark brown eyes were fixed on the dark trees, worry clearly written all over her young pale face. Even though she was an aspiring healer she was lacking motivation to jump in for other people if it put risk on her. Of course, with her friends it was different. And so was it with animals.
To the young Slytherin who had only experienced bad treatment from other humans as a child had always seeked affection and peace in the company of animals. They were always true, they didn’t pretend anything and even more important: They treated you according to your actions, not your name of family history. And as a former cat owner she was aware what creature was crying there.
She tilted her head and tried to locate the noise. “Hmm. You are right, it can’t be far away. Maybe one of the outer trees?”

The things the Gryffindor pointed out calmed the little girl down and she swallowed, determination now replacing the worry on her face. He was right. It was their duty to save the poor thing - not matter what. She, nodded and decided then to vocalize her agreement. “I agree. We should find and save it. But we should be very careful.” That said she pulled her trusted chestnut wand and made one step closer to the forest.
She glanced over her shoulder and looked back at the Gryffindor, a soft smile spreading on her face. She wasn’t scared as long as he was with her. Together, they would be safe. “Okay, let’s do this. I think it’s somewhere here!” She pointed at the trees right in front of her and leaned back to check the branches.

"Yeah possibly, perhaps it ran all the way from Hogsmeade, poor thing," he muttered, instinctively he had already strayed from the path and had walked closer to the edge of the forest. His eyes scanned the area while he listened from where the sound was coming from. He agreed with her once again, fiddling out his wand from the pockets of his robe and held it at the ready just in case they had to use it; though he would hope that this wouldn't be the case. "Alright, Mission Kitten Rescue has begun," he agreed and stepped towards the branches which she had pointed out to him before and gave a slight nod when he could see something move at the upper branches of a tree. It looked far too light within the treetop and he thought he could see a distinguished fur pattern.

"You're right, it's up there!" he exclaimed softly, worried that if he spoke loudly that it could scare the kitten that was hiding up in the tree from whatever threat it had been fleeing from. He eyed the trunk of the tree, the branches seemed thick and sturdy, enough to carry the weight of a teenager. With a careful glance he made sure that the two of them weren't being watched by a professor before he jumped and grabbed the nearest branch with success. "Be ready to cast a spell in case I fall or some animal approaches," he would mutter with a glance over his shoulder down to Ileen, giving her a thumps up after he had pulled himself up onto the first branch. He would then study the tree for his next best move, his heart was pounding a little. The tree seemed high so a unprotected fall would surely be painful. He shook his head, Ileen was down there and surely she would protect him in case that he fell.