A Morning Walk and Talk PV Crescent Closed

The Whomping Willow stood gleaming in the sun that had just risen. The willow had seemed so far away earlier, Piper couldn't believe they had already reached it. The courtyard was far in the distance now, the trail rocky and steep as ever. Funny how time goes by when your having fun.

"I guess you could touch it," Piper said, standing a good 10 feet away from the giant tree. "It seems stationary. But I heard that it moves the second you get too close," she said, dropping her voice to give it an eerie effect. "You can give it a try. I'm not going near that thing," she shivered. "But, just to make sure," she said, throwing a dead twig at the tree.

The tree stood stationary, appearing more like a normal tree. "Huh," Piper said, taking a step towards it. "It's actually less scary than how the others describe it," she said, scratching her head. "Do you suppose it's one of the things they use to scare First Years? Well, I do suppose that most of what they use to scare First Years is true, but, you never know," she said, shrugging. "It's not like I've ever actually seen the tree move."

Word count: 204 words

@Piper Hargrove

Cress considered what Piper had said for a moment. Then flashing Piper a mischievous grin, she took a step closer to the tree. The wind whistled in its branches and suddenly she wasn't feeling as brave as she had before.

Taking a few steps nearer, she turned to glance at Piper and then dashed up to the tree so she could almost touch one of its branches. She heard a certain creaking and leaned forward stretching her arm out until her finger found the tree limb. As soon as she'd done so, the limb drew back so quickly that Cress lost all courage and sprinted back, far enough that the Whomping Willow couldn't reach her.

Panting, she looked at Piper. "It could be something to scare first years, but maybe there's some truth in it," she stated rather seriously. And then as the comedic value of the situation came upon her, she dropped to the ground laughing hysterically.

"Dude, I got so freaked out when that branch moved, but I guess I was a bit jittery to begin with," she added, still giggling. "Anyway, I probably shouldn't try that again until I graduate so I can at least make it out of school alive!"

Piper watched as Cress approached the tree. "Careful!" she squealed. She didn't want anything bad to happen.

Suddenly, without warning, Cress ran up to the tree. She touched it for half a second, before the branch repelled back. Cress sprinted away.

"Oh god, Cress. Are you-" but before she finished, Cress best out laughing. Piper couldn't help herself, and she started laughing too. After all, laughter was contagious. It was kind of funny too.

"It would be nice to graduate alive," she chuckled, hands still on her legs for balance after the fits of laughter. "It would be kind of hard if you keep doing risky things like that," she said, smiling. "I guess it wasn't really scaring first years. More like warning them. We should listen more," she muttered, frowning.

Piper was still in shock. A living tree was sure cool. Wait, all trees were living. Well, moving tree. Being a muggle-born, she wasn't exposed to much magic. Actually, no magic at all. Though it was risky and a bit scary, it would be worth it. Piper wanted as much as she could get.

She turned to Cress, with a new mischievous and excited grin. "Wanna go explore some more?"

Word count: 201 words

Cress was still recovering and laughing hysterically on the ground.

That.
Was.
Epic.

She'd have to see if she could dare any other students to do the same, just for fun of course. She looked up at Piper to see a worried but amused look on her face. "I feel like a brave soul!" she burst out before keeling over in laughter again. Cress felt a bit goofy like she wasn't her normal cautious self but in a sense, it felt good. While her cousins had been fun growing up, they'd slowly dropped their sense of adventure as they got older leaving Cress feeling like she needed to fill that gap.

After a second, Piper asked if she'd like to go exploring. Seeing the mischievous look in her eye, Cress hastily agreed. "Are there any more hitting trees we can jab at?" she asked giggling. "Or perhaps going into the forbidden forest would be a good bet." Cress just wanted a response from this because that was one Hogwarts rule she know she'd have to follow: no students were allowed in the forest. But it still sounded exciting. How dangerous could it be?

"What do you think's in the forest that would want to hurt us?" she asked. Cress had read a few books, but they had only briefly mentioned the forest. She desperately wanted to wander in, even if just a little way in, just to see what would happen. While she wasn't the bravest person, she definitely still had a sense of adventure.

@Piper Hargrove

Piper shrugged. "I don't know where we should go, honestly. We could go into the Forbidden Forest. It seems a bit scary though. We could get caught. Or die. Like I said, I would preferably like to graduate alive," she said.

She was actually a bit scared. She just didn't want to admit it. Cress seemed really cool and adventurous, and Piper was like that too. She just was scared of the forest. It stood out when she arrived. Even before the headmaster had said it, she knew not to go. It screamed, "Don't go inside me!" But she didn't want to seem boring to Cress. She had made a friend, and she didn't want to lose that. Besides, her curiosity just kept poking at the idea. Maybe if they were just careful, they could make it. Besides, what could be so scary about a forest? If the monsters there were that dangerous, why hadn't they attacked the school? Why had the professors come back alive? Well, they were trained adults capable of very strong magic. Piper knew a few spells. It couldn't fatally hurt a monster, but it could hold them back long enough for them to escape. And if they got caught? Well, they could say they were going for a small walk when they got lost. Piper knew the red sparks spell. They could easily call for help. It was almost obvious what choice to make.

Trying her best to act brave, but still chill about it, Piper smiled. "But, whatever you want!" she said, turning to Cress.

Word count: 261 words

@Piper Hargrove

Cress was just joking about going into the forest (sort of) but when she saw Piper's worried expression she wished she hadn't made the joke at all. "I'm totally kidding! I'm not that brave," she laughed. Just at that time, she noticed the storm clouds coming nearer.

"Oh dear, it looks like it's gonna rain. We better move inside. These clothes aren't my favorite or anything, but I still don't want them to get wet. Not that we couldn't get a kind soul to dry them for us, but it's not worth it," she said as they slowly headed back to the castle. "I really need to learn that spell," Cress added.

"Oh!" she said looking at her watch. "It's almost lunchtime! How about heading to the Great Hall to get some sandwiches or whatever for lunch?" she offered. It'd be better than standing out in the pouring rain or hanging out in the common room that she expected would be much too crowded at this hour. Not that the Great Hall wouldn't be, but there was an immense amount of room there whereas the Hufflepuff common room, as with most house's common rooms, didn't have the largest space in the building. Definitely not for a bunch of teens stuck inside while it pours.