To the Forbidden Forest~!

[dualpistols]

Jake glanced over his shoulder on more time as he slipped out of the Great Hall and into the courtyard. It had been three devilfucking long days since he'd been able to get away from his pernicious housemates. He really didn't see why the hat had decided to put him in the dungeons.

Okay, so the cold, damp, dark, did remind him a bit of his home, but the other inhabitants were worse company than the monsters on Hellmurder island ever were. The castle itself was fun to explore during his free period and after classes were over before curfew, but it was still just a building. An enormous magical building with even more secrets than his Grandma's house, Jake was positive of, but it still had an end.

The Forbidden Forest was much more like home. The plants were different, and Jake had to remember to wear a jacket (fuck the cloaks they were the hardest fucking thing to adventure in) because it was colder and dry, but it still had the same magical feel. In the castle the magic was everywhere, but wrapped up in things and people. Lessons were fine because magic started leaking out everywhere from the other students, but the forest was still the best.

It was wild like his home island so he made the effort to break the rules and escape out there whenever he could.

Now for instance.

With a quick wish that none of the professors were looking out their windows, Jake darted across the grounds straight for the dark of the trees.

Comments

[flashstepirony]

He really hadn't been sure what it was but something about the new kid attracted his attention. This all in itself was a rather new thing. Very little seemed to attract the attention of Dirk Strider, who rarely seemed to have anything to do with anyone outside of his little brother and occasionally Roxy Lalonde. He was usually too busy with Dueling Club or working on trying to adapt Muggle robotics to the magical world to pay attention to anyone. Most people generally thought he was just too full of himself, an arrogant prat. He was okay with letting them think that.

This kid was different somehow. He was definitely attractive, Dirk wouldn't deny that at all. It took a lot more than just looking good to attract Dirk's attention though. He hadn't failed to notice the kid sneaking out at night, often times watching him from the window until he disappeared into the Forbidden Forest.

Tonight was going to be different though. This time he was going to see exactly what this kid was doing out there. He had already slipped on his cloak and started after the other male. Luckily, stealth was not a quality that was lost on the blonde.

[dualpistols]

Jake bounded through the forest leaping deftly over fallen trees and gigantic roots. His ears were attuned for all of the sounds of the forest and the night. It was calming and settling. By the time he reached a clearing and threw himself down on the leafy floor to stare up at the limbs and the hint of starlight above them he no longer felt ready to tear himself out of his skin.

It was also the perfect point to find out who had been tailing him since the castle. He knew it wasn't a professor because he would have been counting his detentions and ignoring a lecture on 'safety'.

"You're quite the tenacious hunstman to follow me all the way in here! The ground is delightful if you'd like to join me!"

[flashstepirony]

It had actually surprised him that the guy managed to notice he was there. He had been quite careful about muffling his steps as well. None of this surprise showed on his face, eyes hidden behind those odd shades that he always wore. He shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the other cooly.

"...I'm not sure that 'delightful' is a word most people would use to describe the Forbidden Forest, English."

[dualpistols]

Dirk Strider, one of his year mates. What a befuddling surprise. He had been expecting a housemate, maybe, or ...basically anyone else besides the Gryffindor standing there. He didn't really understand the house distinctions, but Jake was learning enough to know that Dirk was considered almost as odd for his house, as Jake was for Slytherin.

He thought the colors suited the other teen anyway.

"It gives me pleasant recollections of home."

Jake still hadn't decided if he was glad the Headmistress had arrived to take him away for the year or not.

[flashstepirony]

Dirk took another glance around the forest, as if trying to figure out how the hell this could give anyone 'pleasant recollections' before looking back to Jake.

"...Your home is a damp, cold forest filled with deadly Acromantulas, territorial Centaurs and who the fuck knows what else?"

There's a slender brow arced just visible over his shades with this question.

[dualpistols]

Jake laughs and sits up to get a better look at the man squinting up at his face.

"It's actually a sweltering jungle with lethifolds, cockatrices, and numerous other magical fauna and flora, but it kind of feels the same. Oh! Sea monsters too, I live on an island."

[flashstepirony]

"Oh, okay. That sounds like a totally reasonable place to grow up. Real legit."

He notices the other squinting up at him but really doesn't seem to care too much. Then again, Dirk really seemed to care too much about anything. At least as far as he generally let people see.

[dualpistols]

Jake considers the response a moment trying to decide if it's sincere or not, then he decides it doesn't matter either way if he wants to view it as such.

"It's the best island. Every day is an adventure there! Here it's just hyperborean all the time and you take the same classes every week. They don't even let you do magic in the corridors! And don't see the song and dance behind the Sorting Hat and all that either. Why have teams? And there's no chance at all for a good round of fisticuffs without securing months of detention!"

Belatedly, Jake realizes he's getting carried away with his complaints and he huffs, flopping back down to the leaves, no longer observing the other teen.

[flashstepirony]

The blonde decided to take this opportunity to sit down next to Jake, offering a shrug.

"It can be pretty boring, yeah. It's important though - learning this shit the right way, I mean. As for the houses; I think at this point that shit is just tradition. That's the way the Founders set shit up and I guess it's one of those things people don't want to change. I'm not really too fussed with it myself."

There is a slight pause as he seems to be thinking a moment.

"...I personally don't think detentions are a big deal anyways. Do what you want, I say."

This could also explain why Dirk spent a good amount of his time in said detentions. He really didn't care much for authority.

"Either way, this place isn't bad either once you get used to it."

It was better than what he and his brother had to go back to during the summers, that much was for damn sure. Hogwarts was pretty much home to him.

[dualpistols]

"It's a bit of a backbreaker trying to follow a schedule all the devilfucking day, but it's an interesting sort of challenge too."

He grips and releases his hands in the fallen foliage.

"I don't really care about detentions, but they take away from time I can spend adventuring."

He sighs.

"It's getting better." Slowly, sort of.

He just got wound as tight as a clock with no alarms set on it and needed a way to sound off.

[flashstepirony]

He was silent a moment, as if thinking some things over before speaking up.

"...You really sound more like someone from Gryffindor saying shit like that."

Wasn't adventuring and bravery supposed to be a Gryffindor thing, after all? Truthfully, he didn't see any stereotypical Slytherin qualities about Jake at all. There is another little pause before he decides to add on a suggestion.

"...Maybe you should join a club or Quidditch team. You might like things a little more that way."

[dualpistols]

Jake jumps up pointing.

"See! That right there! It jams my trigger that something I do or don't do is automatically interrupted when I don't know the system!"

But whatever, Strider seemed like he wasn't doing it in a negative way.

"But, they way you say it is nicer than the way my housemates say it."

He huffs and sits on a root facing Dirk this time.

"I don't know what Quidditch is, other than it's a sport on brooms, but it seems alright. I was thinking about attending the tryouts. I do have a wicked love of flying."

[flashstepirony]

When Jake suddenly jumped up, Dirk actually looked behind them as if expecting to see something there. At least until the excitable kid went on and he realized what that sudden motion was all about.

"The system is probably just flawed anyways. Maybe the fuckin' hat just sticks people where ever the fuck it feels like at the time all while pretending there's so deep ass meaning in a kid's placement. Fuck, I think that's what I'd do if I were it. Probably pretty damn boring being a hat."

Dirk leaned back against the tree behind him.

"I'm not a big Quidditch fan. My bro is pretty good at it though and it seems like a pretty 'adventurous' sport. Nothin' quite like knocking each other around fucktons of feet in the air to get the adrenaline flowin', I guess."

Truthfully, he doesn't play because he's fucking lousy at flying. The only time he ever flew was during first year flying practice. He has not been interested in it since. He was, however, glad his little brother wasn't there to see him fail ridiculously hard at something.

[dualpistols]

Jake stares for a moment after Dirks theories about he Sorting Hat before he bursts out laughing, nearly falling off his root. It made so much sense!

"You would probably make a better Sorting Hat!"

Jake hummed.

"I will definitely see if I can find out more about it then." He thinks about all the kids in the corridors. "Your brother...the kid with the rounder shades that wears one of the yellow ties?"

It seemed like they might be related.

[flashstepirony]

"Yeah, that would be Dave. His ass ended up in Hufflepuff somehow and I teased the hell out of him for it."

It was an affectionate teasing though. He'll leave that part out. Strider-brand brotherly affection was an odd and difficult thing to grasp.

[dualpistols]

Jake considered that cautiously. He was teased, well, okay, a lot more than teased, for his ways by his House, but maybe the teasing was okay if it was with brothers or friends? Jake wouldn't know much about that.

He hopped off the root and moved around in the clearing until he could see the moon.

"Time's going. We'll need to start trekking back soon to catch the space when the prefects go off duty and the professors are switching out."

[flashstepirony]

He frowned slightly, feeling that was probably the wrong thing for him to say. It was another one of those reasons that he never really associated himself with people outside of Dave and Roxy. People who already knew him. Otherwise, he had the tendency to say the wrong things.

It was whatever, he supposed. Dirk stood up as well, dusting the leaves and dirt from his cloak. Heading back was probably a good idea. If someone spotted them together or a teacher brought them back in together the other kids wouldn't let either of them live it down. It also doesn't help when some of the other kids have already began to suspect that his own interest wasn't in the female types.

"Yeah, probably should."

Part of him wanted to ask if he could come with English on his next trip out but he somehow couldn't find the nerve to do so. Instead, he just ran a hand through his hair, turning back towards the castle.

[dualpistols]

Jake snickered at Dirk's cloak. It would take him forever to get all the debris off of it. He crossed the clearing and started brushing at it to help.

"If you're going to tail a fellow into the forest you should get a coat. Cloaks are senseless for adventures, even if they are good for warmth in this heat forsaken place."

He wondered how Strider could even see where he was going through the dark of his glasses and the forest.

"Your shades, do they have spell on them or something? How did you see well enough to follow me?"

Jake squinted at his face, closer now trying to read it's expression.

[flashstepirony]

"I've got a coat but I just look so much more bad ass in a cloak. I can make it work, it's not even a thing."

It was almost awkward having someone squinting at his face like that - it's not like it would do the guy much good though.

"No spells. I got these shades before I ever even made my little foray into the magical world. They're just standard, run of the mill, bad ass Muggle shades with a hint of Strider swag."

[dualpistols]

Jake pulled a stray leaf off the cloak and grinned.

"If you say so, Strider."

He nodded.

"I get that. Boggles my brain how you see, but my grandma always said it was important to know muggle and wizard things."

[flashstepirony]

"It's not that hard, really. My eye sight is so fuckin' awesome you've got no idea."

No, what really sucked was taking them off. When you wear shades so much and your eyes are adjusted to it, taking them off even in normal room lighting hurts like a bitch. That's another thing that he's just not going to admit.

"As for the cloak, shit. If I knew wearing a cloak would get all the dudes to start pluckin' shit off me maybe I'd do it more often."

...He's probably being ironic. Probably.

[dualpistols]

Jake sucked his bottom lip under his top teeth and tilted his head at Strider, not understanding what he was getting at, but he did pull another leaf off of Dirk's shoulder.

"That seems like it would be a good plan?"

He glanced up at the sky again and turned towards the way they had came.

"Time to get moving though! Can you keep up?"

He laughed and took off leaping over a fallen tree.

[flashstepirony]

There was a hint of a smirk at the uncertain question there, more amused than anything. At least before that little challenge was issued. A Strider never backed down from a challenge and that was just one of the many Strider rules. Dirk was pretty sure there was a book of these somewhere that he and his brother never bothered to pen because it was all safely tucked away and memorized in their heads.

"With ease, English."

He wasn't exaggerating either - agility was one of those things he possessed in abundance. He didn't seem to have much trouble catching up with the other teen at all.

[dualpistols]

Jake laughed loudly when he caught sight of Dirk flying along the ground right with him. He kicked up he pace and felt completely right in his own skin for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts.

He had to stop short when they reached the edge of the forest and ended up tumbling feet over ass to the ground.

Blinking and dazed, he sat up with a chuckle and righted his skewed glasses.

"Gordon Bennet! It's been a while since I had such a spill!"

[flashstepirony]

Dirk came to a much more elegant stop, though his breathing was a little more ragged than he would have liked. There might have even been the slightest hint of a rather unironic smile as he stood at the edge of the forest before he moved to offer his hand to Jake.

"...'Gordon Bennet',huh?"

God damn, if Jake wasn't attractive in all the dorkiest ways.

[dualpistols]

Jake took his hand gratefully.

"Thanks, chum."

He knew he spoke oddly compared to everyone else, but like fuck was he ever going to acknowledge it and let people make fun of him. He found that if he ignored that it was odd everyone else did too, but it didn't stop him from blushing and biting his lip at Strider's comment anyway.

[flashstepirony]

He honestly liked it but then again he liked a lot of the weird little things he's noticed about Jake. Even if he seemed to pay no attention, he had frequently been watching the other in the hallways, in the shared classes they had, the Great Hall at meal times. Okay, so he probably sounded like a hell of a creeper but no one else knew about it... He was distracted from his thoughts by a figure suddenly making their way down from the castle.

"...Not a problem, bro. But I think that might be."

[dualpistols]

"Buggeration!"

Jake slapped his leg and sighed.

"Hell's teeth. I was hoping for a clean abscond tonight."

He regretted that tonight was the night he got caught. Now Strider probably wouldn't venture out with him again, and that would be a sorry thing. Jake had enjoyed his mostly quiet company.

[flashstepirony]

"...yeah. A bit too late for that, man."

Dirk just shoved his hands into his pockets, deciding to just start towards the oncoming Professor. Not a whole lot he could really do about the situation this time, so he decided to just be cool about it.

"Hey Prof. Nice night for a walk in the forest, wouldn't you agree?"

Professor Longbottom did not quite return that smirk that Dirk was giving him, sighing. Strider was always a bit of a pain to deal with no matter who you were.

"...As nice as I'm sure it was, Strider, we both know that you and English aren't supposed to be here. Especially this late at night."

[dualpistols]

At least their bad luck was on a good scale. It would have been horrible to be caught by someone else besides Professor Longbottom. Jake loved his class and never felt too confined in it considering all the magical plants in the greenhouses, and their outside practical lessons.

"Good evening Professor Longbottom! I was just showing my chum Strider how much the forest was like Hellmurder island!"

[flashstepirony]

"I see... Well.."

Neville seemed to be thinking over what to do for a moment before starting towards the castle. He couldn't really blame someone for missing home and whatever things it was that he got up to there, but this was school. In school, kids aren't allowed to go wandering off into the forest in the dead of night.

"Let's get you two back to your common rooms and to bed. I'll go ahead and let you both slide this time but next time you're caught out of bounds especially after hours I won't be able to look the other way."

Dirk followed the Professor, wondering how the hell they were really managing to escape detention for this. Not that he was arguing. That meant more free time to work on his robotics.

"...Hellmurder Island? Is it seriously called that, English? I'm not going to lie, I'd like to meet some of those cockatrices."

[dualpistols]

"Golly! Thanks Professor! We'll go straight back to the dorms!"

Jake wasn't going to promise the Herbology professor that it wouldn't happen again, because he knew it would.

"Oh! By the way, I noticed your herb beds out there should be ready for harvest in the next couple of nights! If you need a hand I'd be glad to help!"

At Dirk's comment he stops mid-stride and turns to look at him.

"Yeah? Most people get the willies about those! You and Dave will have to come visit on holiday!"

[flashstepirony]

...Longbottom knew it would happen again too. He smiled a little at that offer as they reached the castle.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Good night, and should either of you decide not to go straight to your dorms I will know. I won't be so lenient, either."

Dirk's first thought on what English had to say was that he was such a kiss ass. The last thing he said, however, intrigued him. They barely knew each other and the kid was already inviting them out to his island?

"...Sounds like a plan, English. I'll let my bro know next time I see him. And later Prof."

Dirk already turned and had started his way off toward Gryffindor Tower.

[dualpistols]

Jake backed towards the dungeons waving at Strider's retreating back.

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

Maybe he shouldn't have said it, but Strider was the one that had followed him in the first place. It was his fault Jake wanted to be his chum now.